Treasury torpedoes Labor attack
Labor has suffered a mortal blow to its claim of a $10 billion “black hole’’ in Tony Abbott’s election platform as the nation’s top public officials disowned the figures used to escalate the government’s scare campaign over Coalition spending cuts. The Aus
Rudd declares: 'I'm an economic nationalist'
Minister Kevin Rudd has stepped up his reservations over foreign investment by declaring himself an economic nationalist, shedding the economic conservative tag he adopted when he first became Labor leader. The Fin
PM 'risks foreign investment'
Business has warned that Kevin Rudd's populist rhetoric on foreign ownership could undermine Australia's ability to secure free-trade agreements with key Asian trading partners and risks foreign investment that is crucial as the economy slows. The Aus
Schools told to use $28m in savings
Public school bank balances have increased more than $98 million in five years, with almost 60 schools each holding more than $1 million in their bank accounts, up from just 13 in 2008. The West
Roy Hill partners put in further $185m
Gina Rinehart's partners in the $10 billion Roy Hill iron ore project in Western Australia have injected fresh equity into the venture to keep early works progressing while talks over crucial debt funding drag on. The Fin
Best Tractor Parts drags 'robust' Ausdrill lower
Ausdrill subsidiary Best Tractor Parts, bought by the mining services company when business was booming, has been hit hard by the mining slowdown. The West
Wellington Street ruled out for rail
Wellington Street has been ruled out as the across-city route for the proposed Max Light Rail project, despite local transport experts saying it is the best option. The West
EPA approvals 'now uncertain'
National law firm Clayton Utz has told its clients that “fundamental questions” surround the certainty of WA's environmental approvals process in the wake of the Barnett government's embarrassing James Price Point Supreme Court defeat. The West
Rio admits African delays
Rio Tinto has delayed targeted production from the $US20 billion ($22.4bn) Simandou iron ore project in Guinea by three years, as African development plans hatched during the boom years continue to drift. The Aus
The West Australian
Page 1: Public school bank balances have increased more than $98 million in five years, with almost 60 schools each holding more than $1 million in their bank accounts, up from just 13 in 2008.
Page 3: The Cancer Council WA wants public UV index meters installed in school playgrounds and at popular beaches, parks and sporting grounds to warn of sunburn and skin cancer risks.
Page 4: The Barnett government has junked another promise to the northern Perth community of Ellenbrook, this time to build it a new high school by 2017.
Page 6: The two most senior Treasury and Finance officials have undercut the government's claims of a $10 billion hole in the coalition's election policies.
Page 10: Wellington Street has been ruled out as the across-city route for the proposed Max Light Rail project, despite local transport experts saying it is the best option.
Page 13: National law firm Clayton Utz has told its clients that “fundamental questions” surround the certainty of WA's environmental approvals process in the wake of the Barnett government's embarrassing James Price Point Supreme Court defeat.
Page 26: Government tender documents have revealed corrosion and termite problems on the Fremantle Traffic Bridge, sparking fresh calls for the bridge to be replaced.
Business: Alinta Energy has taken a major step forward in its bid to be the dominant power supplier in the energy hungry Pilbara, winning a battle to provide electricity to Gina Rinehart's $10 billion Roy Hill iron ore project.
The managing directors of Independence Group and Panoramic Resources have both passed up bonuses as the lagging nickel price continues to take a stranglehold on the sector's profitability.
South Africa's Murray & Roberts will use about $250 million of Clough's cash reserves to help fund its proposed buyout of the engineering company.
Noble Mineral Resources' efforts to set its house in order have been dealt a blow, with the Supreme Court yesterday ruling against Noble in its dispute with Rothschild Australia over a $4.8 million fee relating to Noble's $85 million convertible note deal last year.
Ausdrill subsidiary Best Tractor Parts, bought by the mining services company when business was booming, has been hit hard by the mining slowdown.
Qantas has shown first signs a radical restructure of its international arm is working, allowing Australia's flagship carrier to report a return to profitability.
Forge Group boss David Simpson has defended a decision not to pay a higher dividend by saying the contractor wanted to hold on to its cash in difficult times.
David Jones will not be cutting prices to lure more customers, despite another drop in sales.
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: Treasury, the Finance Department and the Parliamentary Budget Office have rejected figures cited by Labor to accuse the Coalition of a “$10 billion fraud” in its claimed budget savings of $31 billion.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has stepped up his reservations over foreign investment by declaring himself an economic nationalist, shedding the economic conservative tag he adopted when he first became Labor leader.
Page 3: A landmark workplace struggle will kick off on Saturday when Swiss mining giant Glencore stops production at an historic coal mine in Queensland and forces workers to sign a new agreement if they want to keep their jobs.
Page 5: Agriculture executives and senior corporate advisers have warned against tightening restrictions on foreign ownership, saying it would hurt farmers in the long term as capital flowed to other nations keen to cash in on a global food boom.
Page 11: An online bookmaker has made the unprecedented move of declaring the election over and paid out $1.5 million in bets on the Coalition to win next Saturday's poll.
Page 13: Qantas Airways has cut capital spending, reinstated a share buyback and forecast lower than expected domestic capacity growth in a move that has given the airline much-needed market support in the face of weak profit results and an uncertain outlook.
Page 14: Perth-based Forge Group appears poised to land an engineering, procurement and construction deal with Gina Rinehart's lucrative Roy Hill iron ore mine which could be valued at a much as $1.6 billion.
Page 15: Gina Rinehart's partners in the $10 billion Roy Hill iron ore project in Western Australia have injected fresh equity into the venture to keep early works progressing while talks over crucial debt funding drag on.
The Australian
Labor has suffered a mortal blow to its claim of a $10 billion “black hole’’ in Tony Abbott’s election platform as the nation’s top public officials disowned the figures used to escalate the government’s scare campaign over Coalition spending cuts.
Labor faces being wiped out in enough seats in western Sydney to hand the Coalition government on gains in NSW alone on September 7.
Business investment is falling as the mining boom turns down more rapidly than Treasury expected in the forecasts fed in to the government's pre-election economic statement.
Business has warned that Kevin Rudd's populist rhetoric on foreign ownership could undermine Australia's ability to secure free-trade agreements with key Asian trading partners and risks foreign investment that is crucial as the economy slows.
Public schools in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory will miss out under a Coalition government on extra funding, worth about $1.2 billion, that will flow to government schools in states that have signed a deal for Labor's new funding model.
The level of scrutiny applied to international buyouts of prime Australian farming land will be dramatically boosted under a Coalition plan to manage foreign investment.
Business: Rio Tinto has delayed targeted production from the $US20 billion ($22.4bn) Simandou iron ore project in Guinea by three years, as African development plans hatched during the boom years continue to drift.
The NSW gas industry has warned of higher gas prices, job cuts and a significant risk to the state's energy security if the coal-seam gas sector is not developed.
The nation's largest shopping centre landlord Westfield Group will continue to rely on its malls in the US and its $13 billion development pipeline to drive its earnings after warning it will be "fighting into headwinds" in the Australian market for months to come.
Qantas hopes significantly slower domestic capacity growth this financial year will reverse conditions in which earnings at its domestic operations fell 21 per cent due to the capacity wars with Virgin Australia.
A listed mining company controlled by colourful Melbourne magnate Joseph Gutnick has received a takeover bid from Singapore's LionGold, in a deal that bears a remarkable similarity to a failed offer last month for the entrepreneur's Merlin Diamonds.
David Jones chief Paul Zahra has warned the company is in for another tough year after reporting sales from existing stores have fallen for a third straight quarter.