Crown backs improved $8.9bn offer
The Packer family’s hold over the Crown Resorts casino empire – spanning Sydney, Melbourne and Perth – could be coming to an end after the company’s board said it would support an $8.9bn bid from private equity firm Blackstone. The Aus
Overseas students ‘at risk’ from relaxed work limits
A further relaxation of visa rules to allow international students to work unlimited hours could lead to exploitation and course failures, critics say. The Fin
Omicron’s toll ‘could be peaking’
One in 10 workers could be no-shows at work at any one time due to COVID-19-related isolation over coming weeks, but optimism is growing that the omicron virus wave is on the verge of peaking according to the federal government’s top doctor. The Fin
‘There are only so many times businesses can be shut down’
The combination of supply chain disruptions, customers staying at home and insufficient government support may cause a spike in the number of small businesses going bankrupt over the coming months, Cbus chief investment officer Kristian Fok has warned. The Fin
‘Entire food chain is out of whack’
Supermarkets are once again restricting purchases of toilet paper as well as painkillers, mince, sausages and chicken as the supply chain crunch worsens, but independent food markets say they are stacked full. The Fin
D-day for betting whiz-kid
Former betting whiz-kid Chris Brown is facing a public probing as his bankruptcy trustee tries to unravel a $177 million-plus tangle of claims. The West
China targets omicron-free Games
China is confident its ‘‘closed loop’’ Olympic bubble will insulate the Beijing Winter Games from the country’s worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic, even as it is forced to lock down against growing pockets of cases around the country. The Fin
Qantas slashes schedule amid omicron surge
Qantas will cut almost a third of the domestic and international flights it has scheduled in the March quarter as the new omicron COVID-19 strain spooks travellers. The Fin
Premier’s slow talk ‘opposite of racist’
The McGowan government has made what traditional language advocates say is a crucial shift in the way it talks to Indigenous people by throwing away jargon and using interpreters for important messages about health, safety and housing. The Aus
WA gyms should be essential services: peak fitness body
Australia’s peak fitness body says WA gyms should be classified as essential services to avoid any further lockdowns now that patrons must prove they are double-dose vaccinated before their workout. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: One in 10 workers could be no-shows at work at any one time due to COVID-19-related isolation over coming weeks, but optimism is growing that the omicron virus wave is on the verge of peaking according to the federal government’s top doctor.
Senior executives at the major banks have warned businesses they will need to tread water for several weeks as the intense omicron wave smashes consumer sentiment, supply chains and staff availability.
Page 2: A further relaxation of visa rules to allow international students to work unlimited hours could lead to exploitation and course failures, critics say.
The combination of supply chain disruptions, customers staying at home and insufficient government support may cause a spike in the number of small businesses going bankrupt over the coming months, Cbus chief investment officer Kristian Fok has warned.
Page 5: Novak Djokovic is slated to face a fellow Serb in his first match at the Australian Open, with a tantalising matchup looming against long-time rival and renowned provaxxer Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals.
Page 10: China is confident its ‘‘closed loop’’ Olympic bubble will insulate the Beijing Winter Games from the country’s worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic, even as it is forced to lock down against growing pockets of cases around the country.
Page 12: Qantas will cut almost a third of the domestic and international flights it has scheduled in the March quarter as the new omicron COVID-19 strain spooks travellers.
Page 13: Supermarkets are once again restricting purchases of toilet paper as well as painkillers, mince, sausages and chicken as the supply chain crunch worsens, but independent food markets say they are stacked full.
Page 15: Wood Mackenzie is warning of ‘‘another bumpy year ahead’’ for global gas amid political ructions over soaring energy prices in Europe, investor pressures around investment in new supply and intense questioning of the fuel’s role in the decarbonising world.
The Australian
Page 1: National cabinet has agreed to a mass relaxation of Covid-19 isolation restrictions in a bid to keep the economy functioning, as Treasury warns 10 per cent of the workforce could be lost to the infectious Omicron strain and hopes rise that the virus is peaking in NSW.
Employers have warned increased industrial action by unions in pursuit of “unsustainable” wage claims would threaten jobs and “cripple” businesses as they emerged from the pandemic.
Page 2: Australia’s next blueprint to end violence against women and children will seek to unify definitions of sexual violence, consent and coercive control across jurisdictions in a bid to improve policy responses and to drive down rates of abuse to end the “national shame”.
Page 3: Former NSW Labor premier Bob Carr has warned the new model for an Australian Republic would risk a directly elected head of state viewing their mandate from the people as being superior to that of the prime minister.
Page 4: The Omicron wave has dashed hopes of a summer rebound for the hospitality industry, as mass cancellations and staff shortages fuelled by the high infection rate continue to bite.
Teachers’ unions have threatened to boycott classrooms during the pandemic after slamming Scott Morrison’s “deeply offensive’’ plan to treat them like “babysitters’’.
Page 5: The Australian Open will burn through tens of thousands of rapid antigen tests to clear players and staff of Covid as consumers struggle to get their hands on the tests amid widespread shortages.
The McGowan government has made what traditional language advocates say is a crucial shift in the way it talks to Indigenous people by throwing away jargon and using interpreters for important messages about health, safety and housing.
Page 13: The Packer family’s hold over the Crown Resorts casino empire – spanning Sydney, Melbourne and Perth – could be coming to an end after the company’s board said it would support an $8.9bn bid from private equity firm Blackstone.
Citigroup and Morgan Stanley have kicked off the lucrative local investment-banking bonus season, with payments to the bulk of staff expected to be well up on last year.
Page 14: Australia’s biggest supermarket chains, Coles and Woolworths, have reinstated buying limits on scores of products – from toilet paper and medicines to mince and poultry – warning customers grocery shortages are weeks away from easing.
The West Australian
Page 1: WA will introduce the toughest proof of vaccination requirements in the nation at the end of the month with anyone who refuses to be jabbed to be locked out of all hospitality and entertainment venues, gyms, hospitals and bottle shops.
Page 6: The mandatory hotel quarantine period for returned interstate and international travellers has been slashed for the second time this week — now down to eight days — as the system struggles to cope with a sharp rise in guests testing positive for COVID-19.
Page 9: Former betting whiz-kid Chris Brown is facing a public probing as his bankruptcy trustee tries to unravel a $177 million-plus tangle of claims.
Business: Qantas has slashed domestic flights as cases of the highly infectious Omicron variant surge across the country, threatening to send the aviation industry into another tailspin.
BMW posted record annual sales in China as demand for luxury cars and the automaker’s push into electric vehicles helped overcome challenges posed by the global chip shortage and coronavirus outbreaks.
Perth Airport is installing new security screening equipment as part of the Federal Government mandate to strengthen Australia’s domestic and international aviation security.
Australia’s peak fitness body says WA gyms should be classified as essential services to avoid any further lockdowns now that patrons must prove they are double-dose vaccinated before their workout.
Perth-based property firm Rent.com.au has announced it has raised $2.5 million from an oversubscribed capital raise to boost its market exposure.
