Morning Headlines

Internal documents reveal collapse in Qantas brand, trust

Qantas has slumped behind arch-rival Virgin on all measures of brand trust, pride, ‘‘love’’, value and transparency, damning confidential figures presented to senior managers show, revealing the extent of damage to the airline’s reputation this year. The Fin

PM to take hard line on China trade

Anthony Albanese is expected to take a hard line on trade when he visits China next week, including declining an anticipated request from Beijing that Australia support its entry into the regional free trade agreement, the CPTPP. The Fin

AusSuper torpedoes Origin’s sweeter deal

Canada’s Brookfield has accused AustralianSuper of standing in the way of Australia’s energy transition by rejecting its sweetened $20 billion offer for Origin Energy, and warned dissenting shareholders they risk the company being sold at a lower price down the track. The Fin

Fortescue execs face shareholder revolt

Fortescue’s shareholders should vote against the company’s remuneration arrangements because millions of dollars of bonuses have been paid to retiring executives with little benefit to investors, two influential proxy advisory firms have told their clients. The Fin

Cyber’s big risk for small business

Small to medium businesses are facing an increased risk of cyber attacks as larger organisations harden their defences against malicious data breaches, prompting cyber criminals to look for softer targets. The Aus

‘Overhaul laws or risk losing green billions’

Investors have warned governments need to better resource the bureaucracy and overhaul environmental protection laws to fast- track the approval of renewable energy projects, or risk missing out on tens of billions of dollars in investment as countries around the world race to secure capital. The Aus

He’s the Pyke of the bunch

West Coast will usher in a new era in 2024 with the State’s biggest sporting club to be led by one of its favourite sons — premiership player Don Pyke. The West

Wake up rough

The Wiggles have sensationally banned The City of Bunbury from playing their music in public after it emerged the group’s Hot Potato signature tune was being blasted on repeat to disperse rough sleepers. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 3: The Albanese government has dumped plans to release a comprehensive US-style green energy industrial policy this year, on concerns the economy does not yet have the skilled workers and faster environmental approvals regime to absorb any likely surge in capital.

Page 3: Fresh from a capital injection from the billionaire Forrest family, Australian fashion designer Camilla Frankshas taken a $20 million-plus payday from her eponymous resort-wear brand.

Page 4: The hospitality boss who split from business groups to negotiate amendments with the Albanese government on its casual conversion rights has warned that hardline employers could be left scrambling if they fail to take a constructive approach.

Page 7: ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said Qantas’ ‘‘bundle of rights’’ defence does not answer the competition watchdog’s main lawsuit claim that the airline misled customers by selling tickets on cancelled flights, and signalled she will not back down from fighting the case in court.

Page 8: Rio Tinto negotiated a liability agreement likely to cap its payout exposure if Gina Rinehart loses a multibillion-dollar legal battle with another of Australia’s richest women.

Page 13: Santos has been prevented from starting work on a 262-kilometre pipeline to its $5.8 billion Barossa gas project in the Timor Sea after the Federal Court agreed to suspend the project until it can consider an argument from Tiwi Islanders that its cultural impact has not been properly assessed.

Page 13: Chris Ellison’s Mineral Resources made a down payment on the Bald Hill lithium mine as he advances a billion-dollar spending spree in the West Australian lithium sector, and mounts a potential challenge to SQM’s takeover of Azure Minerals.

Page 26: Higher interest rates and softer demand exacerbated by the persistence of the work-from-home trend could send some office building values tumbling another 20 per cent lower, according to a survey of analysts and economists by The Australian Financial Review.

The Australian

Page 7: Indigenous people should have a stake in the nation’s lucrative critical mineral resources sector and “own the risk” so that they can take charge of their economic future, a leading advocate says.

Page 8: A West Australian coroner is refusing to hold an inquest into the death of a 12-year-old girl who was killed in a horrific helicopter crash in the Kimberley, despite repeated pleas from her devastated parents.

Page 15: Tritium is unlikely to receive funding from any government in Australia reinforcing the view of one of its major shareholders that the troubled firm needs to shift to the US to survive.

Page 17: Building products giant CSR is investing in factory upgrades and more trucks as it attempts to meet surging demand for the additional bricks and plasterboard needed to finish a construction pipeline of 110,000 homes around the country.

Page 17: The corporate watchdog has gained new powers to shut down fraudulent and malicious websites in a move it says will help protect Australians from scams and cybercrime.

Page 18: Terminal access costs in some east coast container ports are about to rise by about 50 per cent, raising concerns within the export-reliant grain industry that skyrocketing fees will make Australian wheat uncompetitive.

Page 19: Nuclear must be considered as an energy source to help Australia through a potentially thorny transition, the heads of major mining and energy industries bodies have said, as concern grows over the nation failing to hit ambitious green targets.

Page 21: A wave of impairments is sweeping the wind energy sector in the US and elsewhere amid high interest rates, inflation and supply-chain woes, forcing developers to put off projects and casting doubts over the industry’s outlook.

The West Australian

Page 9: Premier Roger Cook has refused to pick a winner in the battle for WA Opposition leader, but says the Nationals declared war with the opening of a Bateman branch.

Page 11: Fire crews fought to save Perth’s iconic Jacob’s Ladder and its more than 240 steps on Thursday after a suspicious bushfire near apartments bordering Kings Park.

Page 26: Public housing deemed “substandard” and “uninhabitable” could soon form the basis of a class action for Indigenous people living in remote WA.

Page 48: Chris Ellison’s Mineral Resources is probing payments related to two ousted executives allegedly involved in a sales kickbacks scheme.

Page 49: Two more Western Australian builders have gone under amid the ongoing pressure in the State’s construction industry.

Page 49: Albemarle Corporation is the latest victim of a weak lithium pricing environment, with the US chemicals giant reporting a soft September quarter and forecasting a gloomier-than expected end to 2023.

Page 50: Shell accelerated the pace of share buybacks as third-quarter profit rose on a combination of higher energy prices, strong gas trading and wider refining margins.