Rudd muscles up to Abbott
Kevin Rudd admitted he would lose the election if it were held now as he sough to claw his way back into contention with an aggressive performance against Tony Abbott in the second leaders' debate on Wednesday night. The Fin
Coalition to police wage claims
The Coalition has vowed to crack down on “excessive” wage claims by forcing “lazy’’ employers and unions to prove they have engaged in an “appropriate discussion and consideration of productivity’’ before above- inflation pay rises are approved. The Aus
Price lift 'an assault on 457 visas'
Business groups say visa fee increases for foreign workers totalling $ 540 million are the latest assault on the country’s skilled migration program, hitting employers already reeling from a crackdown. The Aus
Collier stays quiet on schools closure list
Public schools are set to close or amalgamate within four years but the Barnett government has refused to detail which schools are set for the chop. The West
Woodside challenges critics
Woodside Petroleum chief executive Peter Coleman has called for an end to the “hollow discussion about whether the state is missing out on a jobs and revenue bonanza because of the axed James Price Point processing hub, describing it as a redundant conversation based on a land based LNG dream that was not viable. The West
iiNet still hunting for acquisitions
iiNet chief executive officer Michael Malone is back on the hunt for acquisitions but has warned the internet service provider's profit growth will slow in the year ahead. The Fin
Low rates slow to lift housing
The chief executives of Australia's struggling building products manufacturers have warned the hoped-for recovery in housing construction is proving patchy and they are weighed down by high costs and an outdated industrial relations system. The Fin
Bombers shoot back after AFL bombshell
Australian football's biggest scandal degenerated yesterday into open warfare between Essendon and the AFL after the league released a shocking list of allegations against the club. The West
The West Australian
Page 1: Australian football's biggest scandal degenerated yesterday into open warfare between Essendon and the AFL after the league released a shocking list of allegations against the club.
Page 3: Cancer experts are worried about the rising number of WA men dying from melanoma and the link to them finding more advanced skin cancers.
Page 7: The federal election campaign has sprung to life, with a suddenly rejuvenated Kevin Rudd edging out a more subdued Tony Abbott in a combative, compelling and sometimes aggressive second debate.
Page 9: Perth chef Sam Ward has been named Australia's best new culinary talent.
Page 10: Public schools are set to close or amalgamate within four years but the Barnett government has refused to detail which schools are set for the chop.
Treasurer Troy Buswell has told a Parliamentary budget estimates hearing he assumes no money will be provided by a future Abbott government for rail projects in WA.
Page 11: Education Minister Peter Collier yesterday refused to divulge why he lobbied Public Sector Commissioner Mal Wauchope to tone down an investigation into the culture of the Minister's office, which was accused of bullying a senior public servant.
The financial ramifications of the delays to Fiona Stanley Hospital remain a mystery to the government, which still does not know its liability for contracting Serco to run the facility before it becomes fully operational.
Business: Woodside Petroleum chief executive Peter Coleman has called for an end to the “hollow discussion about whether the state is missing out on a jobs and revenue bonanza because of the axed James Price Point processing hub, describing it as a redundant conversation based on a land based LNG dream that was not viable.
Internet provider iiNet spent $30 million on marketing last financial year, in a strategic and calculated move which managing director Michael Malone says is paying obvious dividends.
The federal government's Future Fund and a Lend Lease-managed investment vehicle have put the Harbour Town shopping outlet up for sale.
Schaffer Corporation is approaching the 50th anniversary of its stock market listing with an upbeat outlook despite a retreat in underlying earnings last financial year.
Iluka Resources managing director David Robb says the mineral sands market may be “approaching the end of a low point” as demand for the company's mineral sands products rises and commodity prices stabilise.
Property developer Cedar Woods has reported a $36.3 million full-year net profit and says it will continue a strong focus on high-growth residential corridors in WA and Victoria.
Doric Group has halted its expansion in a move that will see chief executive Peter Iancov step down without being replaced.
Brierty shares surged 28 per cent after the contractor reminded investors that a chunk of its earnings came from outside the resources sector.
Clough has handed down the biggest profit in its 94-year history and has $441 million in the bank.
Reconfiguring its Port Hedland set-up is the major challenge in BHP Billiton's plans to squeeze an extra 40 million to 50 million tonnes of iron ore out of its Pilbara operations.
Agriculture Minister Ken Baston will push for a major upgrade of Broome Port to service demand from the oil and gas industry and live cattle exporters.
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: The chief executives of Australia's struggling building products manufacturers have warned the hoped-for recovery in housing construction is proving patchy and they are weighed down by high costs and an outdated industrial relations system.
Kevin Rudd admitted he would lose the election if it were held now as he sough to claw his way back into contention with an aggressive performance against Tony Abbott in the second leaders' debate on Wednesday night.
Fortescue Metals Group is set to finally kill a plan to sell a stake in its port and railway.
Page 3: Essendon Football Club president Paul Little has accused the AFL of a “belligerant attitude” and says its release on Wednesday of a charge sheet against Essendon was “outrageous” and “reprehensible”.
Page 4: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd kicked off the debate promising to be a builder, with a to-do list of education, health, broadband and clean energy.
Page 6: The Greens have vowed to come to the aid of investors by forcing an Abbott government to frank the proposed 1.5 percentage point levy on company tax that would help pay for the Coalition's paid parental leave scheme.
Page 7: Labor and the Coalition are locked in a below-the-radar election fight involving hundreds of millions of dollars in promised local grants designed to sandbag electorates and pinch seats off each other.
Page 8: Former federal treasurer Wayne Swan has attacked key business groups for failing to criticise the long-term threat to the budget from the Coalition's paid parental leave scheme.
Page 10: Industrial action looms on massive north west coast gas projects as a brawl between contractors and the maritime union intensifies, with the union accusing the mining lobby of playing politics with the dispute.
Page 19: Woodside Petroleum has unveiled plans for the world's largest floating LNG project for its Browse gas fields off Western Australia, citing estimates that the process could cut costs by up to one half compared to an onshore plant.
Asciano chief executive John Mullen's fixed pay will be frozen this year as the ports and rail group prepares cautiously for 2014 despite impressing investors with healthy annual profits.
Page 22: iiNet chief executive officer Michael Malone is back on the hunt for acquisitions but has warned the internet service provider's profit growth will slow in the year ahead.
Page 23: BHP Billiton's $US2.6 billion commitment to progressing the Jansen potash project in Canada has received backing from analysts and fund managers despite it helping to drive the company's shares lower on Wednesday.
Page 29: Mineral sands miner Iluka Resources has changed its plans and declared an interim dividend in anticipation of improved market conditions for its products, which are used in ceramics and paints, and a reduction in one-off charges in the second half.
The Australian
Page 1: The Coalition has vowed to crack down on “excessive” wage claims by forcing “lazy’’ employers and unions to prove they have engaged in an “appropriate discussion and consideration of productivity’’ before above- inflation pay rises are approved.
Kevin Rudd’s return as Prime Minister has so dramatically lifted Labor support in Queensland that the Coalition could lose up to four seats in and around Brisbane.
Page 2: Business groups say visa fee increases for foreign workers totalling $540 million are the latest assault on the country’s skilled migration program, hitting employers already reeling from a crackdown.
Economic growth is no guarantee of rising riches for Australian families, with new data revealing average household wealth broke a decade of expansion by going into reverse from 2009.
Page 3: James Hird will today launch legal proceedings against the AFL for denying him natural justice in the Essendon supplement scandal, which has escalated into open conflict between the league and one of its most powerful clubs.
Page 4: The competition regulator has suspended its decision on whether or not to accept the NBN Co’s long-term pricing plan until after the federal election.
Page 6: Big business is still pouring money into the Liberal National Party, with Tony Abbott’s campaign war chest in Queensland now expected to be twice that of Labor’s.
Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott clashed last night over paid parental leave, with the Opposition Leader asking ‘‘does this guy ever shut up’’ as the Prime Minister pushed him on funding of the Coalition scheme.
Page 8: Investors have lashed out at the Coalition’s $1.6 billion hit to shareholders in its paid- parental leave plan amid warnings the policy flouts long-standing rules against the double taxation of income.
Business: The chief executives of the country’s building materials companies have taken aim at the nation’s industrial relations system, with Fletcher Building boss Mark Adamson warning the country needs ‘‘ a dose of Margaret Thatcher’’.
Woodside Petroleum has spelt out an ambitious development timetable for its proposed Browse floating liquefied natural gas development as it looks to rebuild strained relations with the West Australian government and reinforce its growth potential to investors.
Rail and port operator Asciano’s chief John Mullen is confident Australia’s mining industry is not ‘‘ doomed’’ and says the pessimism about the country’s economy is exaggerated.
A veteran of Australia’s oil and gas industry says industry complaints that government regulation is to blame for Australia’s productivity issues is a ‘‘ lame excuse’’, with poor leadership and management a significant factor in the country’s perceived under-performance.
BHP Billiton’s decision to pump another $ US2.6 billion ($ 2.9bn) into developing the Jansen potash project in Canada — without committing to a firm production start date — has reignited debate about whether the group’s move into the crop nutrient would not be better achieved by acquiring existing production rather than building new capacity in the currently oversupplied market.
The successful acquisition and integration of Internode and TransACT has helped Perth- based internet provider iiNet post a record profit for the year to June 30.
Investors piled into Boral stock yesterday despite the company posting a $212 million annual loss capping a year in which it embarked on a sweeping restructure that saw at least 1000 jobs lost.