Morning Headlines

Gulfs apart as nature-loving locals resist port development

Almost 20 years after a battle between activists and developers brought Ningaloo Reef to prominence, and more than a decade after the UN awarded the reef a World Heritage listing, locals from the nearby town of Exmouth are again engaged in a fight, this time over a planned deepwater port in the Exmouth Gulf. The Aus

Enterprise bargaining pounded by pandemic

The pandemic has exacerbated enterprise bargaining’s long-running decline – agreements now cover less than 11 per cent of the private sector workforce and their wages have not budged in nine months. The Fin

Fears grow as giants lose $8b in value and Perth company is placed in trading halt

Nearly $8 billion was wiped from the value of WA’s big three iron ore miners yesterday as the commodity’s recent price collapse looked set to claim another victim at the junior end of the market. The West

CA ANZ ‘blind’ to examination fraud at KPMG

Chartered Accountants ANZ members have accused the professional body of allowing KPMG Australia partners and staff to get away with systemic exam cheating because of the big four firm’s size and influence. The Fin

Woolworths-backed plastic recycling disrupter in $30m raise

A company 25 per cent owned by supermarket giant Woolworths, with technology that has the potential to overturn traditional models of plastics recycling, is eyeing a capital raising of up to $30 million. The Fin

Workers set to flee nursing homes

Almost 50,000 nursing home staff, close to 20 per cent of the workforce, say they are preparing to leave the sector within a year due to low pay and stress. The Aus

Aussies to miss first wave Bali reopening

Indonesia is preparing to reopen Bali to foreign tourists as early as next month as the country begins to recover from a devastating second wave of Covid-19 infections, although Australians may not be among the first visitors to be allowed back. The Aus

Warning on Pfizer supplies into WA

Authorities are bracing for potential disruptions to Pfizer supply which Mark McGowan warned could drop WA’s vaccination rate. The West

Shortages test P&N expansion

Talent shortages in key areas are proving a challenge as P&N Group ramps up its digital offerings and looks to build on a merger with NSW credit union bcu nearly two years ago. The West

WesTrac ramps up jobs huntd

WesTrac is targeting new industries and offering long-term career plans as it is ramps up its search for 300 new employees. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Canadian giant Brookfield has swooped on power grid owner AusNet Services with a $9.6 billion offer, swelling the feeding frenzy among overseas and local investors on infrastructure assets offering predictable long-term returns.

Page 3: Christian Porter should be able to return to the frontbench if he holds his seat at the next election, even if he never discloses who helped him pay his legal bills, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says.

Page 7: The pandemic has exacerbated enterprise bargaining’s long-running decline – agreements now cover less than 11 per cent of the private sector workforce and their wages have not budged in nine months.

Page 9: Chartered Accountants ANZ members have accused the professional body of allowing KPMG Australia partners and staff to get away with systemic exam cheating because of the big four firm’s size and influence.

Deputy Prime Minster Barnaby Joyce weighed in against French criticism of the Morrison government, saying Australia did not need to prove its ‘‘affinity and affection and resolute desire to look after the liberty and the freedom and the equality of France’’.

Page 13: Transurban chief executive Scott Charlton says he is powerless to change toll fares as commuters and regulators raise questions about the company’s dominance of Australia’s motorways, after it secured full ownership of Sydney’s WestConnex toll road in an $11 billion deal.

The solar power offshoot of British oil and gas giant BP has shrugged off grid bottleneck concerns and doubled its growth target in Australia after securing $US1.8 billion ($2.5 billion) in financing to accelerate its global expansion.

Page 15: A company 25 per cent owned by supermarket giant Woolworths, with technology that has the potential to overturn traditional models of plastics recycling, is eyeing a capital raising of up to $30 million.

Australian payments unicorn Airwallex has almost doubled its valuation in six months following the completion of a $US200 million ($275 million) funding round that values it at $US4 billion ($5.5 billion.)

Page 18: Shareholders have savaged Karoon Energy after a mixed full-year result and disappointing forward outlook, marking shares in the Brazilian oil play down 7.5 per cent to $1.36 in late afternoon trade yesterday.

The Australian

Page 1: Donald Trump has made the explosive claim that there were bodies dumped outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology, while the former US director of national intelligence says the first Chinese scientists to fall sick with Covid-19 are now missing.

A plunge in skilled migration brought on by Covid-19 travel restrictions has allowed the federal government to increase the number of family visas issued to their highest level in at least a decade.

Page 2: Almost 20 years after a battle between activists and developers brought Ningaloo Reef to prominence, and more than a decade after the UN awarded the reef a World Heritage listing, locals from the nearby town of Exmouth are again engaged in a fight, this time over a planned deepwater port in the Exmouth Gulf.

Page 3: A landmark study into autism has found that a therapy in which parents learn to read the “secret code” of their baby’s communication cuts the chances of babies at risk going on to be diagnosed with autism by two-thirds.

Page 6: Australia has moved to reassure its Southeast Asian neighbours that its new security alliance with Britain and the US will not seek to dominate regional geopolitics, and that it remains committed to nuclear non-proliferation amid heightened fears the AUKUS pact could trigger an arms race.

Page 7: Almost 50,000 nursing home staff, close to 20 per cent of the workforce, say they are preparing to leave the sector within a year due to low pay and stress.

Page 8: Indonesia is preparing to reopen Bali to foreign tourists as early as next month as the country begins to recover from a devastating second wave of Covid-19 infections, although Australians may not be among the first visitors to be allowed back.

Page 13: Investors wiped $50bn off the local sharemarket on Monday as a rout in iron ore prices continued amid steel production cuts in China, while global markets fretted over a potential collapse of China’s biggest property developer, and the outlook for US monetary policy.

Mega deals in infrastructure and energy have propelled announced annual Australian mergers and takeovers to crack $US300bn ($415bn) for the first time, with momentum set to continue in the final quarter buoyed by ultra low funding costs.

Page 15: Telstra is capitalising on new device launches from Apple and Samsung, launching a two-hour delivery service from participating retail outlets.

Regional Express has set a November 1 deadline for all frontline crew and customer-facing staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19, two weeks earlier than Qantas and Virgin Australia.

Page 17: A flurry of takeover offers in the financial services sector have uncovered hidden costs and risks linked to the technology and systems being acquired, as buyers more aggressively seek out digital platforms and data.

The West Australian

Page 4: WorkSafe yesterday notified the Education Department it has launched a probe into “claims of inappropriate workplace behaviours” at Perth Modern School.

Virgin Australia will re-introduce its Perth to Hobart flights with one-way promotional launch fares starting at a price of just $149.

Page 8: A WA childcare centre won’t hire employees without the COVID-19 vaccine — and is setting up its own clinic to support its staff to get jabbed.

Page 9: Authorities are bracing for potential disruptions to Pfizer supply which Mark McGowan warned could drop WA’s vaccination rate.

Business: Former Quintis boss Frank Wilson has denied knowledge of a contract that ended a sandalwood oil supply deal with global giant Nestle’s US pharmaceuticals arm.

Nearly $8 billion was wiped from the value of WA’s big three iron ore miners yesterday as the commodity’s recent price collapse looked set to claim another victim at the junior end of the market.

Talent shortages in key areas are proving a challenge as P&N Group ramps up its digital offerings and looks to build on a merger with NSW credit union bcu nearly two years ago.

Downer Group, which manages the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, has mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for new employees but it will be left to event hosts to decide if their guests must be vaccinated.

Businesses that fail to support their LGBTQI+ employees won’t be allowed to sponsor Pride WA events under new rules to avoid “queerwashing”.

WesTrac is targeting new industries and offering long-term career plans as it is ramps up its search for 300 new employees.