Morning Headlines

Medibank may wash hands of Calvary clients

Strong-arm tactics by the newly privatised Medibank Private to reduce its hospital costs may push dying patients and the chronically ill on to the struggling public system. The Fin

Beijing stems the bleeding

A strong recovery in China’s roller-coaster sharemarket put a floor under Australian shares and the dollar yesterday after officials in Beijing intensified efforts to prevent a meltdown in the world’s second-biggest bourse. The Aus

Shorten rebuked for conduct at inquiry

A defiant Bill Shorten maintains he still has the credibility to become prime minister despite his character being questioned during his testimony to the royal commission into trade union corruption. The Aus

BHP and Rio braced and ready for iron ore’s ‘new normal’

Australia’s big two iron ore miners, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, believe the commodity will continue to be a ‘‘wealth generation machine for Australia’’ and expect volatility to recede, despite the heavy price falls in recent days. The Fin

China steel cut may cost Hockey $6b

The Chinese government’s top steel industry forecaster says production will fall this year for the first time in two decades, a drop that could cost the federal government more than $6 billion over the next two years. The Fin

Extra ounces lift gold appeal

Gold miners have given investors much-needed cause for cheer with a glittering set of production performances that should offer some relief for the embattled mining sector. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: The Chinese government’s top steel industry forecaster says production will fall this year for the first time in two decades, a drop that could cost the federal government more than $6 billion over the next two years.

Strong-arm tactics by the newly privatised Medibank Private to reduce its hospital costs may push dying patients and the chronically ill on to the struggling public system.

Page 5: An Australian Strategic Policy Institute report released on Thursday says the launch of regular trilateral talks between Australia, Japan and India in June could prove a catalyst to reviving the controversial four-nation strategic talks, including the United States, which began in 2006.

Page 7: Some beef cuts have spiked by as much as 50 per cent in the past six months thanks to strong overseas buying – driven partly by the softening Australian dollar – and drought conditions.

Page 8: The labour market has recorded its best six-month start to a year since 2008, delivering the Reserve Bank of Australia a rare dose of good news that suggests further official interest rate cuts are not needed.

Page 13: Australia’s big two iron ore miners, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, believe the commodity will continue to be a ‘‘wealth generation machine for Australia’’ and expect volatility to recede, despite the heavy price falls in recent days.

Page 15: Strong margins in refining and increasing sales of premium petrol and diesel have helped Caltex Australia to a 45 per cent increase in benchmark profit for the first half, despite a drop in volumes of transport fuels sold.

Chinese billionaire Richard Liu has begun his splurge on Australian companies, spending about $20 million on a stake in Murray Goulburn’s new unit trust.

Page 19: Investors who bought $US2.3 billion ($3.1 billion) of iron miner Fortescue Metals Group’s 9.75 per cent securities in April have lost $US282 million ($380 million) of market value in less than a month.

The Australian

Page 2: The Australian economy is showing no sign of weakness despite the turmoil in global markets, with and unemployment rate of 6 per cent showing little change since the beginning of last year.

Page 6: The furore over federal approval of the $1.2 billion Shenhua Watermark coal project on the NSW Liverpool Plains has swamped the government’s sales pitch for its agriculture white paper and forced Tony Abbott to play down talk of a rift with Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce.

Page 19: A head-spinning 24 hours in iron ore may only be the start, with investors warned to expect more volatility in the market for Australia’s biggest export.

A strong recovery in China’s roller-coaster sharemarket put a floor under Australian shares and the dollar yesterday after officials in Beijing intensified efforts to prevent a meltdown in the world’s second-biggest bourse.

Page 20: Gold producers are continuing to build their cash balances, something the rest of the resources industry is struggling to achieve in the face of collapsed commodity prices.

Page 22: The ongoing power of sport for broadcast television was emphasised on Wednesday, with almost half Australia’s televisions tuned to the Nine Network for its State of Origin rugby league and Ashes cricket coverage.

Page 26: A growing wave of Chinese travellers is boosting trading conditions for Australia’s largest shopping centre owners.

Page 28: Qantas will require domestic customers to check in at the airport at least 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure instead of the previous limit of 15 minutes, in a new initiative aimed at further speeding up the process and deliver on-time running.

The West Australian

Page 1: A defiant Bill Shorten maintains he still has the credibility to become prime minister despite his character being questioned during his testimony to the royal commission into trade union corruption.

Page 3: The most dilapidated apartment building in Fremantle’s State-owned slum will be demolished after its sole tenant was moved yesterday, the Department of Housing says.

Page 12: Men in WA are facing the State’s toughest jobs market in more than a decade as the mining industry slowdown bites across the economy.

Page 18: The average waiting time for public patients needing elective surgery in WA soared more than 20 per cent in the 12 months to March this year.

Under a scheme at the University of WA’s St George’s College, students have six cars to “share” and it will soon be expanded to include other UWA colleges.

Business: Gold miners have given investors much-needed cause for cheer with a glittering set of production performances that should offer some relief for the embattled mining sector.

Paladin Energy has told the Australian Securities Exchange it has no explanation for its recent share price plunge, as the company hit a fresh 10-year low.

The cattle industry fears live trade to Indonesia could remain in limbo for an extended period as exporters begin diverting shipments to other markets.

Telstra will plough an extra $500 million into its mobile network as it races to keep ahead of rival Optus.