Morning Headlines

Barnett joins calls over GST

Joe Hockey’s band of Liberal Party critics has grown with Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett saying the GST should be applied to more products, not fewer. The Fin

Rio shoots down Forrest ‘plane-load of lobbyists’ claim

Mining giant Rio Tinto has rejected rival Andrew Forrest’s claim that it flew “plane-loads of lobbyists” to Canberra to “manipulate” the Abbott government into abandoning a planned iron ore inquiry. The Aus

Coles, Woolies face WET fury

WA winemakers want Coles and Woolworths in the firing line when a Senate inquiry looks at how lucrative tax rebates apply in the industry. The West

Education ministers pursue Pyne for $30m

State education ministers will demand $30 million more in commonwealth funding over the next decade when they meet federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne today. The Aus

Blatter’s head on the block

As the corruption crisis deepened at the heart of FIFA, soccer’s governing body, the details of how the allegations came to be laid against 14 of the world’s most powerful sporting powerbrokers began to emerge — and the fallout spread with nuclear impact. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Corporate Australia is defying the Reserve Bank of Australia’s demand that boards accept lower returns and beef up their investment, which is slowing so much it has hit recessionary levels, according to UBS.

Page 4: Former US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said that Australia would ‘‘have to respond’’ should a stubbornly high dollar start begin to drag on the economy.

Page 5: The Australian Workers’ Union traded away $6 million of casual workers’ pay over three years in return for $75,000 from cleaning giant Spotless Group, according to evidence at the union royal commission.

Page 6: Property mogul Frank Lowy has come under renewed pressure to explain his handling of Australia’s failed World Cup bid after the US filed charges against 14 global football officials, including one who allegedly pocketed aid money from Australia.

Page 8: Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt has accused environmental groups of hijacking the World Heritage Committee’s process to assess whether the Great Barrier Reef should be placed on the endangered list, saying it is part of their campaign to close down the coal industry in Australia.

Page 9: Joe Hockey’s band of Liberal Party critics has grown with Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett saying the GST should be applied to more products, not fewer.

Page 13: Investment banks in Australia are struggling to strike a balance between their natural competitiveness and their ethical obligations, a founder of Macquarie Group, Mark Johnson, says.

Page 15: Former Myer chief executive Bernie Brookes has warned that the financial services and payments industries are facing the same level of disruption as the retail sector as players enter the market, technology comes on stream and consumers become increasingly demanding.

Page 16: Independence Group boss Peter Bradford has conceded that some of its investors are concerned about how much it has agreed to pay for nickel hopeful Sirius Resources after news of the deal eroded the Independence share price this week.

Page 18: ASX Ltd chief Elmer Funke Kupper says Australia’s corporate bond market is becoming less competitive and has called on the Abbott government to implement quickly a Murray financial system inquiry proposal to make bond issuing easier.

Page 23: AGL Energy and coalminer New Hope Corp could be the biggest casualties of a proposed directive by Norway’s Parliament for the nation’s $US900 ($1.16 trillion) sovereign wealth fund to sell out of coal stocks.

The Australian

Page 1: The most influential central banker in a generation, who guided the global economy through the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression, has pinned the blame on governments for the ultra-low interest rates that are playing havoc with exchange rates, asset prices and incomes around the world.

Page 3: The former head of corporate affairs for Football Federation Australia who worked on the failed 2022 World Cup bid said FFA did everything possible to keep one of the key figures in the US-led crackdown on corruption in football’s governing body “happy”.

Page 4: State education ministers will demand $30 million more in commonwealth funding over the next decade when they meet federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne today.

Page 6: Mining giant Rio Tinto has rejected rival Andrew Forrest’s claim that it flew “plane-loads of lobbyists” to Canberra to “manipulate” the Abbott government into abandoning a planned iron ore inquiry.

Page 7: The building union has called for an urgent audit of all high-rise towers across the country as the flammable cladding crisis escalated yesterday amid growing concern for public safety.

Page 19: Southern Cross Austereo chief executive Grant Blackley has ushered in a new era at the beleaguered radio and regional television group with a defence of his record as boss of Network Ten.

China’s willingness to step in and invest in struggling iron ore mines around the world will prevent a return in iron ore prices towards boom-time highs, Rio Tinto iron ore chief Andrew Harding says.

Page 21: Construction partners on the National Broadband Network could be able to pick up more business on the multibillion-dollar rollout if they outshine others on criteria including the quality of their work.

The West Australian

Page 3: The flu has started its march into WA, with almost 50 per cent more reported cases compared with last year and more patients seeking treatment for flu-like illness.

Page 6: As the corruption crisis deepened at the heart of FIFA, soccer’s governing body, the details of how the allegations came to be laid against 14 of the world’s most powerful sporting powerbrokers began to emerge — and the fallout spread with nuclear impact.

Page 11: Wesley College will spend $8 million to turn its science block into a building that more closely resembles Scitech than traditional school classrooms.

Page 18: Business spending is collapsing to “recessionary” levels as worries grow the Reserve Bank may have to deliver another interest rate cut to prop up a deteriorating economy.

The Barnett Government ignored its own expert adviser when it halved funding for Aboriginal run medical services in the State Budget.

Page 24: The first giant steel arch of the Elizabeth Quay shared pedestrian-cycle bridge was lifted into place yesterday as the bold waterfront development marches towards opening to the public late this year.

Business: WA winemakers want Coles and Woolworths in the firing line when a Senate inquiry looks at how lucrative tax rebates apply in the industry.

A Chinese Government think tank has warned iron ore prices are likely to stay near their current lows for another two years and weak steel demand will keep them under pressure for a decade.

Shares in rival car dealers Automotive Holdings Group and AP Eagers are tracking each other deeper into record territory, drawing strength from a friendlier Federal Budget and robust trading buoyed by acquisitions.

Content marketing has overtaken mobile responsiveness as the top digital priority for WA businesses, a survey of digital marketing has found.