Morning Headlines

Australia’s lobster exporters hopeful after China envoy visit

A senior Chinese diplomat has visited a major Western Australian lobster exporter, in the latest sign that Beijing is preparing to relax political sanctions on $20 billion of Australian exports. The Fin

Billionaire cattle barons cash in on booming beef prices

Cattle station prices are booming because of record beef prices and billionaires are hoping to cash in, with both Gina Rinehart and Brett Blundy offloading up to $1 billion worth of property on the market, in a once-in-a-generation change. The Fin

Coe buys 5000 FMG shares after concerns

Fortescue director and former Olympian Sebastian Coe bought 5000 shares in the miner following investor concerns that governance standards are slipping and the board contains too many acolytes of executive chairman Andrew Forrest. The Fin

Companies seek to sell bonds retail

Wesfarmers and Telstra want to sell corporate bonds directly to retail investors, if the red tape around such deals could be cut, aiming to attract new sources of capital as yields surge to their highest levels in more than a decade. The Fin

Ignore board, Ellison tells Norwest shareholders

Billionaire Chris Ellison has urged shareholders of gas explorer Norwest Energy to ignore the board and accept the $440 million offer from his Mineral Resources, as hostility between the joint venture partners grows. The Fin

Acciona takes control of Perth road project

A $165 million Perth freeway project that is already running late has been further disrupted by the collapse of construction group Clough, with workers taken off the Stephenson Avenue extension after control was handed to infrastructure group Acciona. The Fin

Green energy link ‘not viable’

One of Andrew Forrest’s key executives has described Sun Cable’s marquee project – the proposed 4200km connection to pump green energy from the Northern Territory to Singapore – as “not commercially viable” as the iron ore magnate considers whether to buy the company. The Aus

More than 460 officers hand in their badges in 2022 as police force shrinks

More than 460 cops quit WA Police last year — the most recorded — and more than double the number that quit in 2021. The West

Giving the rest of Oz a run for its money

Total wages and salaries paid to West Australians have surged 22 per cent since the start of the COVID pandemic — the best of any State and a result built mostly off the back of the tens of thousands of new jobs created since COVID spurred an unexpected economic boom. The West

WA bosses ‘cautiously optimistic’ despite global recession fears

More than three-quarters of West Australian employers intend to maintain or lift their permanent headcount this year despite growing fears of a global recession and geopolitical instability. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Wesfarmers and Telstra want to sell corporate bonds directly to retail investors, if the red tape around such deals could be cut, aiming to attract new sources of capital as yields surge to their highest levels in more than a decade.

Cattle station prices are booming because of record beef prices and billionaires are hoping to cash in, with both Gina Rinehart and Brett Blundy offloading up to $1 billion worth of property on the market, in a once-in-a-generation change.

Page 2: In its first court victory for the year, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission has secured a $450,000 penalty against ASX-listed cobalt and nickel outfit Australian Mines for making false claims about the funding and value of a Queensland project.

Page 3: Economists expect official jobs data out this week to reveal another 22,500 Australians found work last month, as 90 per cent of chief executives say the historically strong labour market is exacerbating staff shortages.

A senior Chinese diplomat has visited a major Western Australian lobster exporter, in the latest sign that Beijing is preparing to relax political sanctions on $20 billion of Australian exports.

Australian tennis greats Ken Rosewall and Wally Masur believe Nick Kyrgios has what it takes to go all the way to the final of the Australian Open even though the 27-year-old faces a brutal draw.

Page 5: An Australian Taxation Office crackdown on people setting up self-managed superannuation funds to illegally access their retirement savings has prevented the withdrawal of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Page 13: Fortescue director and former Olympian Sebastian Coe bought 5000 shares in the miner following investor concerns that governance standards are slipping and the board contains too many acolytes of executive chairman Andrew Forrest.

Page 14: Estia Health’s share register has been blown wide open after its biggest shareholder, Seven Group, sold its blocking stake to end a six-year stay at the residential aged care operator.

Page 16: Customers of local share-trading platform Superhero are piling into Tesla shares, shrugging off concerns that the electric vehicle pioneer missed sales expectations and was struggling to capture the full attention of founder Elon Musk following his acquisition of Twitter.

Page 17: Billionaire Chris Ellison has urged shareholders of gas explorer Norwest Energy to ignore the board and accept the $440 million offer from his Mineral Resources, as hostility between the joint venture partners grows.

Page 19: A $165 million Perth freeway project that is already running late has been further disrupted by the collapse of construction group Clough, with workers taken off the Stephenson Avenue extension after control was handed to infrastructure group Acciona.

The Australian

Page 1: Anthony Albanese is directly lobbying members of US congress to hold the line in supporting the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal as it comes under criticism in America, calling the pact essential in strengthening Australia’s defence capabilities.

Multiple energy retailers across the eastern seaboard have stopped taking new gas customers and others are ramping up their prices as they struggle to secure ongoing supply from producers following the Albanese government’s imposition of a wholesale price cap.

One of Andrew Forrest’s key executives has described Sun Cable’s marquee project – the proposed 4200km connection to pump green energy from the Northern Territory to Singapore – as “not commercially viable” as the iron ore magnate considers whether to buy the company.

Page 2: Australia added more than 230,000 jobs to its economy between last May and November, in what Treasury analysis has revealed to be the biggest jobs growth of any new government’s first six months in office.

Page 3: Trying to block school students’ access to artificial intelligence text-generation tools such as ChatGPT is a mistake, the country’s leading digital education experts say.

Page 5: Australian homeowners are re-mortgaging in droves in search of attractive new customer offers, but many are frustrated knowing they are on a bad deal, new research reveals.

Page 14: Despite the lingering impact of the Covid-19 and a dearth of blockbuster movies, cinemas are recovering from the pandemic as operators grapple with the rise of streaming by offering “experiences’’ to get people off the couch.

One of the world’s top asset managers says Beijing’s move to drop its harsh Covid-19 restrictions has paved the way for global investors to cautiously increase their exposure to Chinese equities.

The West Australian

Page 4: More than 460 cops quit WA Police last year — the most recorded — and more than double the number that quit in 2021.

Page 6: Every State and Territory besides WA is clamouring for changes to the GST system, setting up a nationwide brawl over who will have to forgo billions of dollars in annual revenue.

Page 7: Total wages and salaries paid to West Australians have surged 22 per cent since the start of the COVID pandemic — the best of any State and a result built mostly off the back of the tens of thousands of new jobs created since COVID spurred an unexpected economic boom.

Page 18: Public health experts are calling for updated advertising laws to stop the promotion of vaping to young people on social media.

Business: More than three-quarters of West Australian employers intend to maintain or lift their permanent headcount this year despite growing fears of a global recession and geopolitical instability.