Morning Headlines

War could put barley back on trade table

China’s barley supply is under pressure amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, raising speculation it may come back to the negotiating table and review its punishing tariffs on Australia. The West

Mining, defence top agenda on PM’s Perth visit

Scott Morrison has pledged $4.3 billion for a naval shipyard upgrade and will devote another $243 million towards the development of four critical minerals projects as he uses his first visit to Western Australia in nine months to further underwrite Australia’s sovereign capacity and defence capability. The Fin

Gina ‘missed chance’ to dispatch Hope row

Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting has been accused of missing its chance to have a topsecret Federal arbitration process take over part of a long-running claim to the Hope Downs iron ore fortune. The West

Female candidates lead the charge in crucial electorates

Scott Morrison will campaign alongside candidates Linda Aitken and Kristy McSweeney during his first trip to Western Australia since the end of border restrictions, as the Liberals seek to defend key battleground seats. The Fin

Fast-track tax cuts off budget plan

Josh Frydenberg has shelved plans to bring forward the stage-three tax cuts for middle and  higher-income earners, worth $17bn a year, in favour of more  targeted  assistance to ease cost-of-living pressures in the face of rising inflation. The Aus

Call for high-skills visa strategy

Australia should recast its unpopular temporary skilled migration program by ditching its focus on skills shortages and allowing migrant workers in any occupation to come in provided they are being paid more than $70,000 a year, a new report says. The Aus

Inflation spikes hit BCI salt project

The head of the mining company building Australia’s first major salt project in two decades has said its $1.2 billion budget is under pressure as inflation bites. The Fin

RBA firm on rates despite twin hits

The Reserve Bank says the “supply shock” associated with the Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered a spike in fuel costs that will lead to “lower growth and higher inflation” around the world, as the central bank urges “patience” on interest rates despite surging consumer prices. The Aus

Allan Gray backs FAR wind-up after African projects abandoned

Investment house Allan Gray, until last year one of the largest investor, in FAR, has backed a push by activist shareholders to wind up the West African oil and gas explorer -which on Tuesday said it would abandon a number of pro­jects in Guinea Bissau. The Aus

CME denial of rift over heritage law change

The WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy has rejected claims of a divide between it and member company Rio Tinto over the strengthening of Federal laws to protect Aboriginal heritage. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: China has placed more than 50 million people under lockdown as it struggles to battle multiple outbreaks of the ‘‘stealth’’ omicron sub-variant, raising concerns about the stability of the world’s second-largest economy and triggering a sell-off on commodity and equity markets.

Page 2: The federal government has warned that injecting too much money into the economy will put further pressure on inflation and interest rates, as it plays down expectations over the extent of cost-of-living relief to be provided in the March 29 budget.

Page 5: Scott Morrison has pledged $4.3 billion for a naval shipyard upgrade and will devote another $243 million towards the development of four critical minerals projects as he uses his first visit to Western Australia in nine months to further underwrite Australia’s sovereign capacity and defence capability.

Scott Morrison will campaign alongside candidates Linda Aitken and Kristy McSweeney during his first trip to Western Australia since the end of border restrictions, as the Liberals seek to defend key battleground seats.

Page 6: Logistics companies are hitting customers with fuel surcharges of about 20 per cent due to the war in Ukraine and bans on Russian oil purchases, and have warned that levies could rise further if costs continue to go up.

Page 10: Commonwealth Bank was able to tell 1.6 million customers affected by the floods they were possibly entitled to federal benefits through its Netbank app, using standardised location data.

Page 12: Natural health company Blackmores, strategy consultancy Kearney, ING Bank and Monash IVF are among 12 new companies to be given permission to label themselves as an employer of choice for gender equality.

Page 18: Broadband services provider Uniti confirmed it has received a $3 billion acquisition offer from HRL Morrison and will hold exclusive talks with the New Zealand infrastructure group until late April.

Page 19: The head of the mining company building Australia’s first major salt project in two decades has said its $1.2 billion budget is under pressure as inflation bites.

Rio Tinto copper boss Bold Baatar sought to play down the company’s fractious relationship with its Canadian buyout target Turquoise Hill Resources, as the Toronto-listed company’s shares leapt to match the $US2.7 billion ($3.76 billion) offer.

Page 22: Senex Energy has ended its 37-year stint on the ASX boards after a majority of shareholders approved the $900 million takeover of the east coast oil and gas company amid global turmoil in energy markets.

The Australian

Page 1: Josh Frydenberg has shelved plans to bring forward the stage-three tax cuts for middle and  higher-income earners, worth $17bn a year, in favour of more  targeted  assistance to ease cost-of-living pressures in the face of rising inflation.

Page 6: Soaring property prices, which rose 23.7 per cent last year, have elevated housing affordability as a top priority for voters, with new polling revealing Australians were more concerned about housing costs than wages growth, immigration and training.

The Reserve Bank says the “supply shock” associated with the Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered a spike in fuel costs that will lead to “lower growth and higher inflation” around the world, as the central bank urges “patience” on interest rates despite surging consumer prices.

Australia should recast its unpopular temporary skilled migration program by ditching its focus on skills shortages and allowing migrant workers in any occupation to come in provided they are being paid more than $70,000 a year, a new report says.

Page 9: Hospitals have made major in-roads into clearing the elective surgery backlog, following wide-spread suspension of operations during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Page 15: Japanese and Australian groups have struck more than 20 new partnerships over the past year as part of a "new paradigm" of green energy-related Japanese investment in Australia, according to a new report by law firm Herbert Smith Freehills.

Page 17: Outgoing competition watchdog boss Rod Sims is using his last public speech to fire another shot over the bows of tech giants and their digital platforms.

Page 19: Investment house Allan Gray, until last year one of the largest investor, in FAR, has backed a push by activist shareholders to wind up the West African oil and gas explorer -which on Tuesday said it would abandon a number of pro­jects in Guinea Bissau.

The West Australian

Page 3: The McGowan Government is being urged to use decades-old legislation, last invoked in the early 1990s, to “reduce the excessive retail margins” being charged by petrol stations.

Page 7: Fiona Stanley Hospital has apologised for a major COVID protocol blunder in which an aged care home resident was denied treatment until she received a PCR test.

Page 9: Scott Morrison will declare his Government will seek to make WA a “partner of choice” for critical minerals trade as he outlines his economic vision for the nation ahead of the May election.

Social media companies should be forced to report to the Federal Government on how they use algorithms and how they address harm online, a parliamentary committee has recommended.

Business: China’s barley supply is under pressure amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, raising speculation it may come back to the negotiating table and review its punishing tariffs on Australia.

Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting has been accused of missing its chance to have a top secret Federal arbitration process take over part of a long-running claim to the Hope Downs iron ore fortune.

Australia’s manufacturing industry has perked up as a result of COVID-19 restrictions easing, though the sector is still suffering labour and material shortages.

Perth shipbuilder Austal says its green battery-powered commuter ferries would be perfect to service the mooted CBD to Applecross ferry service.

The WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy has rejected claims of a divide between it and member company Rio Tinto over the strengthening of Federal laws to protect Aboriginal heritage.