Morning Headlines

Pay jumps 20pc to lure skilled execs

Companies are offering 20 per cent-plus pay rises to snap up investment bankers, lawyers, marketers, accountants, construction managers and sustainability and risk specialists amid a professional skills shortage that is spreading far beyond the IT sector. The Fin

ACCC decries ‘cartel’ in national ports

Competition watchdog chairman Rod Sims is making a new push to change competition laws after warning that Australia’s freight system is ‘‘in crisis’’ because of the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fin

Island farm workers sue for ‘slave labour’

Australia’s already-stalled seasonal-worker program is under challenge from a proposed class action by Pacific Island workers against labour hire companies accused of exploitation and massive wage theft, a move that threatens more disruption to the bumper harvest season. The Aus

States leave loopholes open for unvaccinated health staff

Thousands of unvaccinated workers will be banned from Australian public hospitals by the new year but loopholes in some states will allow staff who refuse the jab to continue to work in pharmacies and private GP clinics. The Aus

Aussie airports keen to land Bonza deals

Australian airports are being invited to woo new budget carrier Bonza in return for a place on the airline’s inaugural route map. The Aus

Cannabinoid powder will lift market

Perth-based medicinal cannabis company Zelira Therapeutics has developed new technology which it says will transform the way people are able to take cannabinoid treatments. The West

Kailis team squeezes tough boss over debts

WA business power couple Eleonora and George Kailis are pursuing Fremantle restaurateur Giancarlo Daniele, who was busted last year for ripping off a worker at his former eatery Soma Kitchen. The West

Blood test kit to be made in WA

Medical technology group Proteomics is set to start manufacturing its diagnostic blood test device in WA as it looks to grow sales in Australia and South-East Asia. The West

Pressure on oil nations

Oil fell as the US increased pressure on OPEC+ to boost supplies and the dollar held gains before a key Federal Reserve meeting. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Companies are offering 20 per cent-plus pay rises to snap up investment bankers, lawyers, marketers, accountants, construction managers and sustainability and risk specialists amid a professional skills shortage that is spreading far beyond the IT sector.

Page 2: FedEx is set to be worst hit by strikes in the delivery sector as the union plans rolling stoppages from next week in an ongoing dispute over pay.

Page 6: The Morrison government has refused to join US President Joe Biden’s initiative to cut methane emissions by 30 per cent this decade, even as more than 100 other countries backed the plan at the Glasgow COP26 summit yesterday.

Page 11: CBA and Westpac could take an earnings hit after the prudential regulator warned underperforming retail super funds against paying dividends to their owners.

Page 15: The developer of the failed ACX cryptocurrency trading platform known as Blockchain Global (BGL) has entered voluntary administration owing creditors $21 million, as the former CEO and founder looks to distance himself from the group’s woes.

Page 17: Competition watchdog chairman Rod Sims is making a new push to change competition laws after warning that Australia’s freight system is ‘‘in crisis’’ because of the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The world’s biggest consumer packaging company, Amcor, has temporarily cut back supplies to some of its lower-margin customers after raw materials shortages in specialist resins, PET plastic and aluminium constrained its output in the September quarter.

Page 21: Worley investors have accused the engineering group of ‘‘greenwashing’’ by continuing to accept work on oil and gas projects while trumpeting its sustainability credentials.

Page 22: Telstra has embedded further its relationship with the government on key national security issues, signing a new five-year contract extension to provide telecommunications services for the Defence Department a week after buying Digicel Pacific with taxpayers to block a Chinese state takeover.

The Australian

Page 1: Scott Morrison has moved to defuse a public row with the French government, and says there is no “further profit” from continuing to brawl over the axed $90bn Attack-class submarine contract.

Australia’s already-stalled seasonal-worker program is under challenge from a proposed class action by Pacific Island workers against labour hire companies accused of exploitation and massive wage theft, a move that threatens more disruption to the bumper harvest season.

Page 2: Former deputy prime minister Wayne Swan has been appointed chairman of listed mining explorer Diatreme Resources.

Page 4: The chairman of the US congress’s seapower committee has dismissed as “very unfair” concerns American shipyards were too busy to supply nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, arguing that extra orders could help lift industrial capacity back towards Cold War levels.

Page 5: Thousands of unvaccinated workers will be banned from Australian public hospitals by the new year but loopholes in some states will allow staff who refuse the jab to continue to work in pharmacies and private GP clinics.

Qantas has won a case brought by a former flight attendant who refused to wear a face mask at work because it made her feel extremely anxious.

A significant majority of the nation’s businesses are concerned about cyber security risks but are failing to act on them, leaving them exposed and vulnerable to attack, new data from PwC’s 2022 Global Digital Trust Insights Survey shows.

The competition regulator has warned that the economic recovery from the pandemic could be derailed and inflation driven higher by a supply chain squeeze hitting the nation’s ports that is creating a nightmare for business.

Page 14: US-based global investor TPG has taken a shine to Cleanaway Waste Management, emerging with a 5.3 per cent stake in the $5.71bn business.

Page 16: Australian airports are being invited to woo new budget carrier Bonza in return for a place on the airline’s inaugural route map.

Page 18: Insatiable player appetites during the pandemic has spurred on Dell to release a new series in its Alienware gaming range.

The West Australian

Page 5: West Australians will on Friday finally learn exactly when in 2022 Mark McGowan plans to relax the border and let COVID-19 into WA.

Page 19: Facebook says it is shutting down its facial recognition system, which automatically identifies users in photos and videos, citing growing societal concerns about the use of such technology.

Business: Perth-based FBR has signed a term sheet for its robotic bricklaying machine to build as many as 5000 homes in Mexico.

WA business power couple Eleonora and George Kailis are pursuing Fremantle restaurateur Giancarlo Daniele, who was busted last year for ripping off a worker at his former eatery Soma Kitchen.

Betting scheme promoter Chris Brown’s bankruptcy trustee has warned creditors not to believe claims that as much as $91 million has been put up for a settlement proposal.

Medical technology group Proteomics is set to start manufacturing its diagnostic blood test device in WA as it looks to grow sales in Australia and South-East Asia.

New Zealand’s unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in almost 14 years in the third quarter as employment surged.

Perth-based medicinal cannabis company Zelira Therapeutics has developed new technology which it says will transform the way people are able to take cannabinoid treatments.

Oil fell as the US increased pressure on OPEC+ to boost supplies and the dollar held gains before a key Federal Reserve meeting.