Gorgon faces delay as workers mull strike
The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union says it is likely highly paid workers will walk off the job at Chevron’s $US54 billion ($73.9 billion) Gorgon LNG project in its push to gain the industry’s most attractive work rosters. The Fin
Fortescue behind move to oust native title leaders
Senior executives at Fortescue Metals Group covertly arranged and funded a native title meeting that was aimed at removing the leaders of a Pilbara Aboriginal group who have long opposed the company’s mining activities. The Aus
Push for penalty pay overhaul
A two-tier workplace relations system that safeguards penalty pay rates for nurses, paramedics and other frontline occupations, but moves retail and hospitality workers to more flexible working arrangements, has been proposed by a Productivity Commission report under government review. The Aus
Biggest council sends two-thirds of recyclables to landfill
Perth’s biggest local authority sent two-thirds of recyclable household rubbish to landfill for more than 18 months after the closure of its ageing waste processing plant. The West
Ten deal could give News Corp huge sports power
Foxtel’s purchase of 15 per cent of the Ten Network could give Rupert Murdoch’s global media conglomerate News Corporation too much power over Australian sport, opponents of the deal say. The Fin
Dick Smith’s big bet on home appliances
Dick Smith is aiming to snare more than 10 per cent of the $1.7 billion small appliances market ahead of a wave of new products that consumers will control through their mobile phones and computers. The Fin
Northern Star ready to dazzle
It is judgment day for one of the biggest exploration campaigns in recent times — Northern Star’s $50 million blitzkrieg at its five gold projects in Western Australia. The Aus
Slump no threat to nickel deal
The proponents of a $3 billion nickel merger say the deal has not been jeopardised by a price collapse to below $US5 a pound, even as other WA nickel producers start yet another round of lay-offs. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: The Abbott government is on a collision course with big business by pushing ahead with the introduction of an effects test that would limit the market power of retail giants and help smaller businesses.
Page 3: Unions should consider cutting fees and charging workers different rates under a business model proposed by former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty to arrest declining union membership.
Foxtel’s purchase of 15 per cent of the Ten Network could give Rupert Murdoch’s global media conglomerate News Corporation too much power over Australian sport, opponents of the deal say.
Page 4: Liberal MPs fuming over the fallout from of Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s ‘‘captain’s pick’’ of Bronwyn Bishop for Speaker are warning him to stay away from the process to select a replacement.
Page 5: The Business Council of Australia has stepped up the push to put in place Australia’s trade agreement with China after the stalemate at the Pacific Rim trade talks.
Page 6: Peak bodies representing retail and industry super funds, actuaries and the Grattan Institute have backed a call to limit retirement balances to no more than $2.5 million.
Page 9: Airbnb, Uber and other sharing economy enterprises are changing the face of business travel, forcing companies to examine whether they can adapt their policies to accommodate the demands of the next generation of corporate travellers.
Page 13: Dick Smith is aiming to snare more than 10 per cent of the $1.7 billion small appliances market ahead of a wave of new products that consumers will control through their mobile phones and computers.
Page 18: The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union says it is likely highly paid workers will walk off the job at Chevron’s $US54 billion ($73.9 billion) Gorgon LNG project in its push to gain the industry’s most attractive work rosters.
Well-known Western Australian explorer Mark Bennett has queried whether a plan by Rio Tinto to reinvigorate exploration in Australia through partnerships with junior mining companies will work as intended.
The Australian
Page 1: A two-tier workplace relations system that safeguards penalty pay rates for nurses, paramedics and other frontline occupations, but moves retail and hospitality workers to more flexible working arrangements, has been proposed by a Productivity Commission report under government review.
Page 2: Senior executives at Fortescue Metals Group covertly arranged and funded a native title meeting that was aimed at removing the leaders of a Pilbara Aboriginal group who have long opposed the company’s mining activities.
Page 4: Energy giant Chevron has strongly denied claims it is dodging tax in Australia, telling a Senate inquiry it will be one of the nation’s biggest taxpayers once its mammoth Gorgon and Wheatstone gas projects in Western Australia start generating profits within years.
Page 19: The board of newly merged shopping centre trust Federation Centres has shocked the market and left many questioning its actions by replacing chief executive Steven Sewell with the former head of its merger partner, Novion Property Group.
Liu Yonghao, the chairman of Chinese agribusiness giant New Hope Group, says its new alliance with two of the biggest families in the Australian dairy industry is about improving food quality and safety in China and introducing more Australian agricultural products to Chinese consumers.
Page 20: It is judgment day for one of the biggest exploration campaigns in recent times — Northern Star’s $50 million blitzkrieg at its five gold projects in Western Australia.
Commodity giants Glencore and Louis Dreyfus were among the parties taking a close look at Sandfire Resources’ DeGrussa copper mine in central Western Australia on Sunday, amid rising interest in offtake from the project.
Syrah Resources is planning to raise $211 million to finance the development of its monster Balama graphite deposit in Mozambique, which it hopes will start producing next year.
Page 21: One of the world’s biggest glass manufacturers and a leading supplier of beer and wine bottles in Australia, Owens-Illinois, has warned local brewers may not see a recovery in sales until next year even as winemakers are starting to enjoy the benefits of the lower Australian dollar.
The West Australian
Page 1: Perth’s biggest local authority sent two-thirds of recyclable household rubbish to landfill for more than 18 months after the closure of its ageing waste processing plant.
Page 7: Two WA teachers have been sacked for cheating on national literacy and numeracy tests.
Page 13: Ambulances spent almost 1000 hours waiting to admit patients to WA hospitals last month despite a ban on ramping and the introduction of new rules for admitting patients into Perth’s main emergency departments.
Business: The proponents of a $3 billion nickel merger say the deal has not been jeopardised by a price collapse to below $US5 a pound, even as other WA nickel producers start yet another round of lay-offs.
Newmont has quashed industry chatter it is proposing to buy Barrick Gold out of their Super Pit joint venture but refused to hose down talk of a potential new discovery beneath Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s main street.