Morning Headlines

BHP heritage destruction blamed on 'historical' blasts

The destruction of a significant Aboriginal heritage site at one of BHP's Pilbara iron ore mines was probably caused by "historical" blasting and not recent management failures, according to the results of a confidential investigation into the site's destruction. The Aus

Airline signs 10-year deal with Broome airport

Broome International Airport has finalised a 10-year air services agreement with Virgin Australia, underpinning the airport’s continuing role as the gateway to the Kimberley. The West

Budget line in the sand on COVID

Josh Frydenberg says it is time to ‘‘draw some clear lines in the sand’’ on government spending, return to normalised budget settings and ‘‘hand the baton’’ to the private sector, as he announces COVID-19 tests will be tax-deductible for workers and businesses, rather than free as Labor has promised. The Fin

Battery capacity set to double within months

Australia’s battery capacity will double this year as major projects come online, heightening pressure on the country’s fossil fuel power generators that are struggling to compete against soaring renewable energy generation. The Fin

Switch your job to get ahead

Josh Frydenberg is urging Australians to take advantage of a "great reshuffle" to score a pay rise in a hot labour market that helped a record 300,000 workers switch to better jobs over the final three months of last year. The Aus

Free-to-air broadcasters attack media reforms

Free-to-air TV broadcasters have slammed the Morrison government for ignoring major industry issues, including restricting streaming services’ rights to major sporting events, as it presses on with its media reforms. The Fin

Strong US jobs ‘raises the bar’ for earnings

Australian companies are under intense pressure to deliver on expectations this earnings season or risk being severely punished on the market, as investors search for stocks delivering robust earnings amid rising interest rates and lofty valuations. The Fin

Digital wallets ‘to dominate payments’

Digital wallets and QR codes will become a dominant payment type over the next five years as the Australian payments sector sees a “generational and structural shift” that puts mobile phones at its centre. The Aus

Betting firms face grilling

Gambling scheme promoter Chris Brown’s bankruptcy trustee will publicly probe betting agencies in his hunt for money for creditors owed an estimated $180 million. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Josh Frydenberg says it is time to ‘‘draw some clear lines in the sand’’ on government spending, return to normalised budget settings and ‘‘hand the baton’’ to the private sector, as he announces COVID-19 tests will be tax-deductible for workers and businesses, rather than free as Labor has promised.

Page 3: Attorney-General Michaelia Cash says class action reforms and a federal integrity commission will have to wait until after the election as the government pursues laws on religious freedom and online trolls in the final days of Parliament.

Free-to-air TV broadcasters have slammed the Morrison government for ignoring major industry issues, including restricting streaming services’ rights to major sporting events, as it presses on with its media reforms.

Page 4: Administering repeated mRNA vaccines is not a viable strategy, and there is a strong need to develop broad-based vaccines and therapeutics to protect against future variants, the head of the Doherty Institute says.

Page 9: Australia must overhaul its research system to prevent political interference, Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt says, as well as undertake a root and branch review of the main grants body.

Page 16: Australian companies are under intense pressure to deliver on expectations this earnings season or risk being severely punished on the market, as investors search for stocks delivering robust earnings amid rising interest rates and lofty valuations.

Page 19: Australia’s battery capacity will double this year as major projects come online, heightening pressure on the country’s fossil fuel power generators that are struggling to compete against soaring renewable energy generation.

Page 21: Commonwealth Bank has placed a bet on the rising popularity of paying directly with bank accounts, investing in fintech Paypa Plane ahead of the midyear switching-on of a new payment capability known as PayTo.

The Australian

Page 1: Josh Frydenberg is urging Australians to take advantage of a "great reshuffle" to score a pay rise in a hot labour market that helped a record 300,000 workers switch to better jobs over the final three months of last year.

Aged-care operators are calling on the Morrison government to create an emergency response centre to stem Covid deaths in nursing homes after 144 residents died in the past week.

Page 2: Adam Bandt will demand that Anthony Albanese impose a blanket ban on all new coal, gas and oil projects until November's COP27 summit in Egypt, with the Greens preparing to ransom Labor on key climate change legislation if they hold the balance of power.

Page 4: Thousands of workers who had their summer break disrupted after getting Covid or to care for an infected household member have had annual leave recredited and the period covered by accrued sick or carer’s leave.

Page 6: After a miserable two years, Australia’s tourism operators finally have something to cheer about, with   an announcement on the return of international tourists imminent.

Page 13: The destruction of a significant Aboriginal heritage site at one of BHP's Pilbara iron ore mines was probably caused by "historical" blasting and not recent management failures, according to the results of a confidential investigation into the site's destruction.

Local fund managers are split on whether a sharp sell-off of ASX­listed technology stocks since the start of the year has ended, warning IPO hopefuls will find it much harder to list successfully.

Page 15: Digital wallets and QR codes will become a dominant payment type over the next five years as the Australian payments sector sees a “generational and structural shift” that puts mobile phones at its centre.

Page 19: Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany has cited the growth and loyalty of its subscriber base, as well as healthy and diverse revenue streams, as the key markers of the company’s turnaround amid continuing speculation of an initial public offering before the end of the financial year.

The West Australian

Page 10: Mark McGowan says a halving of the quarantine period for close contacts of COVID cases is "imminent" after a record number of Omicron infections at the weekend.

Page 11: A spate of infections at a suburban bowls club helped propel WA’s daily caseload to 46 on Sunday — including 31 local infections — creating a new State virus record.

Page 15: Scott Morrison has broken his silence on the two texting scandals dogging the Government, saying he has forgiven Barnaby Joyce and could not care less what people say about him.

Business: The Federal Government will make COVID-19 tests exempt from business taxes as it briefs the Productivity Commission to map a way forward to help the nation out of the pandemic.

Broome International Airport has finalised a 10-year air services agreement with Virgin Australia, underpinning the airport’s continuing role as the gateway to the Kimberley.

Gambling scheme promoter Chris Brown’s bankruptcy trustee will publicly probe betting agencies in his hunt for money for creditors owed an estimated $180 million.

Indoor bike maker Peloton Interactive is evaluating interest from potential suitors after a plunge in the shares of the home fitness company made it a takeover target, sources say.

Apple aims to unveil a new low-cost iPhone and an updated iPad, according to sources, kicking off a potentially record-setting year for launches.