Morning Headlines

Bullock acts on stubborn price rises

Reserve Bank of Australia boss Michele Bullock has warned that taming inflation is proving tougher than anticipated, leaving open the possibility of raising interest rates again after delivering her first rise as governor. The Fin

Albanese and Xi to restart annual talks

Australia and China have ended seven years of diplomatic chill with an agreement to resume annual talks between leaders, ministers and officials. The Fin

Farmers next in Labor’s emission reduction plans

Labor is pushing farmers and the broader agricultural sector to deliver a more ambitious climate agenda by tackling major sources of emissions such as methane from cows, or suffer a potential backlash from offshore customers led by Europe. The Fin

Scheduling goes overboard as wharfies, DP World at war over pay

The Maritime Union of Australia this week notified of further stoppages and work bans at DP World terminals across the country until November 20 after claiming the stevedore refused to budge over workers’ claims. The Fin

Employers savage hotels’ IR deal

The industrial relations deal struck between Employment Minister Tony Burke and the Australian Hotels Association fails to protect employers from penalties and complexities, making it harder for bosses to employ casuals, according to new legal advice endorsed by an alliance of business groups. The Aus

Planning delays ‘a brake on building’

Planning controls are one of the biggest “handbrakes” on productivity, the chief executive of Lendlease Australia has warned. The Aus

Champion is just two good

West Australian jockey Mark Zahra crossed the finish line on Without A Fight, in a remarkable back-to-back Melbourne Cup win. The West

Bikie gangs infiltrate tow trucks

A major police crackdown on Perth’s tow truck industry has found four WA bikie gangs — including the Rebels and Mongols — have strong links within the industry. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 7: AustralianSuper was the worst retirement fund for complaints last financial year, as grievances more than doubled to 1750, or more than two times the average of other big providers on a per-member basis.

Page 7: Partners and executives with financial links to the big four accounting firms will be barred from the Tax Practitioners Board as part of a crackdown on possible conflicts of interest after the PwC tax leaks scandal.

Page 9: The Albanese government should not cut back hard on infrastructure projects as part of its review of the project pipeline, with road and rail projects still needed to deal with strong population growth up to 2050, major lobby groups say.

Page 11: China’s trade data for October offered a mixed picture for the economy’s outlook, as an unexpected pickup in imports was offset by signs that global demand for Chinese goods is struggling to gain traction.

Page 13: Dennis Bastas, the billionaire businessman behind the country’s largest generic drug supplier, is one of several parties in the final stages of the auction of BWX’s skincare brand Sukin and its production site.

Page 13: Newmont boss Tom Palmer says Western Australia’s Telfer gold mine is ‘‘coming home’’ after wrapping up his Newcrest acquisition, challenging speculation that Telfer is headed for the auction block.

Page 13: Origin Energy’s North American suitors have secured support for their $20 billion takeover proposal from key proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services, but some shareholders say they will not make up their minds until the last minute.

Page 15: Global Advanced Metals is up for sale after a maverick run offloading three undeveloped West Australian mines that went on to become world-class lithium assets.

Page 16: AACo was spending $3 million a year insuring its top brass against claims about their own actions, the most expensive item on an insurance shopping list for the cattle giant, according to leaked documents.

Page 17: Mortgage customers underwater on repayments are likely to be offered deferred repayment plans if they call up their bank, and even those who aren’t struggling are securing big discounts on interest rates just by picking up the phone.

Page 21: WeWork has filed for bankruptcy, a humbling fall for the once high-flying co-working start-up cofounded by Adam Neumann and backed by billions of dollars from Japan’s SoftBank.

Page 28: The Reserve Bank’s 13th cash rate increase this cycle will dent the pace of price growth but not trigger a decline in housing prices in a vastly undersupplied market, economist said.

The Australian

Page 3: A climate activist involved in an attempted protest outside the home of Woodside Energy’s chief executive says the light penalty for his failure to give police access to his phone and laptop should inspire the ABC to resist handing over footage from the incident.

Page 5: A tourism operator, whose private pilot licence had expired, was performing commercial medical evacuations off the coast of Western Australia before the Kimberley chopper crash that killed him and a 12-year-old girl.

Page 7: Pacific Island countries will push Australia to increase climate funding and commit to more ambitious climate policies, with expectations Anthony Albanese will want to lock in regional sup- port for his government’s bid to host COP31 at this week’s meet- ing of Pacific leaders.

Page 8: Sweden is facing the most serious challenge to its security since the Second World War, one of its top foreign policy officials says.

Page 13: Over the past week Rio Tinto chief executive Jacob Stausholm has travelled up and down China, meeting with big steel mill customers who are buyers of millions of tonnes of Pilbara iron ore.

Page 15: Company directors are becoming increasingly concerned about business conditions and the state of the economy in the face of rising interest rates, increasing costs and labour shortages, according to the latest survey by the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Page 15: The strain on the country’s electricity grid caused by EVs may be smaller than expected, a trial conducted by AGL Energy and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has found, in findings that will temper concern about the capacity of infrastructure to cope with the rise of zero emission vehicles.

Page 17: Cities hoping to convert emptying office buildings into apartments are running into financing issues, stagnating rental markets and other challenges that are bottling up their efforts

The West Australian

Page 25: The Reserve Bank’s decision to pull the trigger on another interest rate hike will force many consumers to think twice about purchasing big-ticket household items, a senior economist warns, as budgets are further crunched.

Page 26: A series of payments by consultancy Strategix Property Group — a business linked to collapsed builder City Residence — have attracted the scrutiny of liquidators.

Page 26: BCI Minerals aims to become a kitchen staple when it ships first salt from its Mardie project near Karratha in mid-2026, but not in the way many would expect.

Page 35: The financial services umpire is reviving stalled complaints by alleged victims of failed lease-for-life group Sterling First amid hopes some may qualify for up to $150,000 in compensation.

Page 35: WA’s biggest dairy processor Brownes has no plans to cut farmers’ milk contracts after announcing a number of redundancies this week, with its chief executive claiming the move was intended to protect farmers.

Page 36: Gina Rinehart has warned controversial industrial relations reforms could push mining away from Australia to countries with lower environmental standards.

Page 37: Woolworths has temporarily slashed prices on a range of lamb products by 20 per cent as calls mount for supermarkets to pass on more savings to customers.

Page 38: Austal and construction group Civmec are partnering with Spanish shipbuilder Navantia in a billion-dollar bid to build a new generation of warships in WA for the Royal Australian Navy.

Page 38: Gold sample tester Chrysos Corporation has pocketed $75 million via a share placement to deploy its technology across Barrick Gold’s expansive global project portfolio.

Page 40: A prominent WA developer is hoping to seize a “once in a generation opportunity” to revitalise the ailing heart of Claremont through a $65 million redevelopment fit with a small luxury hotel, apartments, shops and restaurants.

Page 41: WA retail spending will grow by $1 billion over the next decade, according to new research by Colliers real estate.

Page 42: The iconic Empire Retreat in Yallingup is set to attract international attention after listing today for offers of more than $10 million for the pristine 54ha estate.

Page 44: Newly anointed Property Leader of the Year, Adrian Fini, says community growth today will deliver rewards for decades to come.