Morning Headlines

Worker-hungry states issue summit demands

Worker-hungry state governments have urged Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers to

turbocharge Australia’s skilled migration system and use the September jobs summit to better address women’s economic participation. The Fin

Cash windfall for Woodside, Santos on high gas prices

Woodside Energy, Santos and Origin Energy are poised to unveil what some analysts are describing as a ‘‘cash windfall’’ from rampant prices for both export LNG and domestic east coast gas in what should be a bumper June quarter even as cost pressures grow. The Fin

$117 an hour is just a tool of the trade

Perth tradies are pocketing a whopping average hourly wage of $117 – making them some of the highest paid construction workers in the world – a report has revealed. The West

ANZ raising for $5b tilt at Suncorp

ANZ is poised to swoop on Suncorp’s bank in a $5 billion offer aimed at bolstering the big four institution’s languishing home loan division if the deal passes competition and political hurdles. The Fin

Digital media spending climbs

Australian households are spending a record amount on media and entertainment, fuelled by the growing uptake of subscription services, a new report has found. The Aus

Tough reporting season looms for miners as prices slump

The return of iron ore prices to below $US100 ($147) a tonne for the first time this year has compounded warnings for investors to trim their exposure to a sector that will spend the next six weeks explaining how earnings are being shaved by slumping commodity prices and surging costs. The Fin

Unions step up strike, pay threats

A key national union is threatening to pursue wage increases of 8 per cent in response to rising inflation, as unions warn of more strikes by workers angry at employers for what they claim are “low-ball” wage offers. The Aus

New laws on crypto likely

The private sector is more likely to develop a successful stablecoin linked to official currencies than government bodies, according to Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe who has declared the role of regulators is to regulate, not create. The West

‘Tricky’ outlook for banks

The head of the International Monetary Fund has warned the global inflation fight of central banks could be undone if it is not supported by government measures to cushion the rising cost of living. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: ANZ is poised to swoop on Suncorp’s bank in a $5 billion offer aimed at bolstering the big four institution’s languishing home loan division if the deal passes competition and political hurdles.

Australia’s best-performing fund managers warn the sell-off triggered by rising interest rates is not over, naming stricken technology stocks and iron ore as the weakest links in a recasting of the sharemarket’s winners and losers.

Page 4: Anthony Albanese’s decision to restore the $750 pandemic leave payment before a spike in COVID-19 omicron cases should be offset by budget savings, says economist Chris Richardson, as falling iron ore prices and growing debt interest costs add further pressure to the bottom line.

Page 5: Worker-hungry state governments have urged Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers to turbocharge Australia’s skilled migration system and use the September jobs summit to better address women’s economic participation.

Page 6: International shipping container prices will fall slowly over the coming year but are unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels, and normal ocean freight conditions are not expected before 2024, according to analysis by Rabobank.

Page 7: Viral video app TikTok collects ‘‘excessive’’ amounts of data, according to new analysis of its source code, raising alarm about the volume of information and its security following an admission that staff in China can access the data of millions of Australian users.

Page 12: The jobs summit must chart a path to getting skilled migrants out of delivery driver jobs and into professional roles, Engineers Australia chief engineer Jane MacMaster says.

Page 13: Australia’s best-performing fund managers warn the sell-off triggered by rising interest rates is not over, naming stricken technology stocks and iron ore as the weakest links in a recasting of the sharemarket’s winners and losers.

The return of iron ore prices to below $US100 ($147) a tonne for the first time this year has compounded warnings for investors to trim their exposure to a sector that will spend the next six weeks explaining how earnings are being shaved by slumping commodity prices and surging costs.

Page 17: Woodside Energy, Santos and Origin Energy are poised to unveil what some analysts are describing as a ‘‘cash windfall’’ from rampant prices for both export LNG and domestic east coast gas in what should be a bumper June quarter even as cost pressures grow.

The Australian

Page 1: A key national union is threatening to pursue wage increases of 8 per cent in response to rising inflation, as unions warn of more strikes by workers angry at employers for what they claim are “low-ball” wage offers.

University students will spend thousands more repaying their student loans and graduates will be slugged with a $2.7bn interest bill this year, after a huge increase in borrowing rates.

Page 2: A Qantas executive has admitted the airline is not meeting customer expectations, blaming economy-wide labour shortages and outbreaks of Covid and influenza for delays, cancellations and lost luggage.

Premiers across the country are resisting calls for a return of mask mandates, as the latest Covid wave continues to grow.

Page 3: A national approach to abortion laws will be canvassed at a face-to-face meeting of the country’s women’s ministers in Adelaide this week.

Page 7: Western Australian farmers are urging the McGowan government to step up their efforts to prevent a foot and mouth disease outbreak amid concerns the state has been too slow to act.

Page 14: Listed gold miner St Barbara is understood to have opened a data room for three parties eyeing its PNG-based Simberi mining operations.

Page 20: Australian households are spending a record amount on media and entertainment, fuelled by the growing uptake of subscription services, a new report has found.

The West Australian

Page 3: One of Australia’s leading manufacturing bosses wants the Federal Government to adopt a new tourism slogan to help prevent the possible spread of foot-and-mouth disease into the country.

Page 5: Mark McGowan has confirmed he will be following his own advice and donning his face mask once more, despite repeatedly stressing it was not necessary to reintroduce indoor mask mandates in WA.

Page 6: AirAsia X will return to Perth from November 1 after a more than two-year hiatus with promotional one-way economy fares to Kuala Lumpur from $209.

Page 8: Allowing e-scooters into a shared space with pedestrians has turned footpaths into the “Wild West” in a case of “survival of the fittest”, an Australian study has found.

Page 10: Perth tradies are pocketing a whopping average hourly wage of $117 – making them some of the highest paid construction workers in the world – a report has revealed.

Page 14: WA is on track to have its worst year for scams as millions of dollars are being lost to cryptocurrency cons.

Business: The private sector is more likely to develop a successful stablecoin linked to official currencies than government bodies, according to Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe who has declared the role of regulators is to regulate, not create.

The head of the International Monetary Fund has warned the global inflation fight of central banks could be undone if it is not supported by government measures to cushion the rising cost of living.