Morning Headlines

BHP may close Nickel West after low bidding

BHP Billiton is considering closing its troubled nickel business, Nickel West, following lacklustre bidding for the asset from a host of international heavyweights. The Fin

Investors reap Rio’s rewards

Rio Tinto is set to boost shareholders returns in the next 12 months after smashing its $US3 billion ($3.2 billion) cost savings target six months ahead of schedule and delivering a stellar profit. The Fin

Newmont chief takes case to WA

US gold giant Newmont — Australia’s biggest gold producer — is to meet Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett on Tuesday to press the gold industry’s case for no royalty increase. The Aus

Medical payments to go private

More than $30 billion in Medicare and pharmaceutical benefit payments a year is likely to be outsourced, cutting the Department of Human Services in half and reshaping the delivery of government services. The Fin

Centre targets fashion giants

Global clothing giants H&M and Uniqlo could follow Zara and Topshop into WA after the owners of Garden City revealed they hoped to lure both fast-fashion retailers into the shopping precinct. The West

Clear run for new farmland

WA is on the cusp of its biggest agricultural land releases in decades as the State Government shows a growing appetite for unlocking hundreds of thousands of hectares for farming. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: More than $30 billion in Medicare and pharmaceutical benefit payments a year is likely to be outsourced, cutting the Department of Human Services in half and reshaping the delivery of government services.

Page 4: The federal government’s plan to force the unemployed to apply for 40 jobs a month will cost the small business sector $700 million a year, according to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

Page 6: Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has vowed zero tolerance on visa rorts after evidence of widespread fraud within the skilled-migration system.

Page 8: The Abbott government’s eight financial and economic regulators have been told they must avoid duplicating each others’ duties, inform the Treasury secretary of any dealings with government ministers, and follow strict new rules for expensive overseas trips.

Page 13: Rio Tinto is set to boost shareholders returns in the next 12 months after smashing its $US3 billion ($3.2 billion) cost savings target six months ahead of schedule and delivering a stellar profit.

Page 15: A $US35 billion merger of global goldmining giants Newmont Mining and Barrick Gold could be resurrected after the chief executive of Newmont told an audience in Melbourne that he would not “close the door” on a future deal.

Page 16: BHP Billiton is considering closing its troubled nickel business, Nickel West, following lacklustre bidding for the asset from a host of international heavyweights.

Incoming Coates Hire boss Michael Byrne is eyeing the revenue opportunities from a bulging infrastructure pipeline as he gets set to take charge of Australia’s biggest equipment hire company in October.

Page 19: Qantas Airways expects another airline will buy a stake in the Australian carrier over the longer term now that some foreign investment restrictions have been lifted, according to chief financial officer Gareth Evans.

The Australian

Page 1: A surprise spike in unemployment has sparked a new fight over the federal budget as Joe Hockey holds out the promise of tax cuts in the future to lift growth and create more jobs.

Page 6: Australia faces the largest power glut in the history of the national electricity market.

Workers who don’t belong to unions are “freeloaders” and do not deserve the same hard-fought benefits from industry funds as unionists, a senior CFMEU official says.

Page 17: Developer and investor Australand looks set to fall into Singaporean hands again, with Frasers Centrepoint passing a key threshold in its $2.6 billion takeover, securing more than 50.1 per cent of shares.

Page 18: APA Group says it will be in a better position to buy Queensland LNG infrastructure after delivering gas transmission company Envestra to Asia’s richest man, meaning it will not directly return to investors cash raised in a $784 million stake sale.

US gold giant Newmont — Australia’s biggest gold producer — is to meet Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett on Tuesday to press the gold industry’s case for no royalty increase.

Page 19: Flexigroup hit the $1 billion mark for finance provided for the first time in 2013-14, buoyed by recovering consumer sentiment and the continued growth of its “no interest ever’’ Certegy business.

Page 26: Australia’s position as a star attraction for Asian airlines has waned in the past 18 months as the economy has softened and increased capacity has put the market under pressure, according to Scoot chief executive Campbell Wilson.

The West Australian

Page 1: The Abbott Government is being urged to wind back skilled migration in the wake of unemployment reaching a 12-year high.

Page 3: Global clothing giants H&M and Uniqlo could follow Zara and Topshop into WA after the owners of Garden City revealed they hoped to lure both fast-fashion retailers into the shopping precinct.

Page 7: The Federal Government says it is disappointed by Russia’s trade sanctions on Australia that ban exports valued at hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Page 13: A strike planned at Port Hedland port has been aborted at the last minute after a union admitted it had mistakenly scheduled it outside a protected action period.

Page 19: The teachers’ union is calling for every school principal to be provided with a car as part of its new enterprise bargaining agreement.

Page 22: Ken Arrowsmith, the man on the can of one of WA’s most iconic beer brands, has emerged from a five-year hiatus to put his famous name behind a new brew.

Business: Shanghai Zhongfu Group president Pui Ngai Wu is having mature mahogany trees covering 170ha on the Ord River irrigation scheme cut down.

WA-based insurer HIF has had a positive response to a series of ads targeting gay and lesbian couples, according to managing director Graeme Gibson.

WA is on the cusp of its biggest agricultural land releases in decades as the State Government shows a growing appetite for unlocking hundreds of thousands of hectares for farming.

Gambling giant Tabcorp says fixed-odds betting and digital betting, especially on mobile platforms, were the major drivers of a strong performance of its core wagering business in 2013-14.