Rudd's pitch to the heartland
A defiant Kevin Rudd has urged Labor to fight to the very end as he sought to claw his way back into the campaign with a job creation package, including small business tax breaks and a showdown with the Liberal states over a threatened federal takeover of the TAFE system. The Fin
Abbott overtakes Rudd as voters' favoured leader
Tony Abbott has overtaken Kevin Rudd as the nation’s preferred prime minister for the first time in their four- year rivalry as support for Labor fell to its lowest since Julia Gillard was removed. The Aus
WA Libs, Nats at odds over adverts
Tensions between the WA Nationals and the WA Liberals have exploded into public view, with the Federal Nationals leader blasting his Coalition colleagues to taking credit for establishing a regional funding plan. The West
Cadbury sweet on Ord cocoa
The US-based company which owns the Cadbury and Vegemite brands is eyeing a major investment in the Ord River irrigation scheme. The West
The season of cost cuts and caution
Corporate Australia is preparing for a return to earnings growth for the first time in two years but any gains will be tempered by a high degree of caution as companies focus on cost and abandon acquisitions in favour of returning profits to shareholders. The Fin
Miners' disclosures reveal tight cash and flagging order books
Mining contractors endured a tough reporting season, with many revealing sharply lower order books and weak cash flow. The Fin
Low confidence tipped to persist
Some of the nation's most influential company directors have warned that the chronic collapse in consumer confidence that followed the global financial crisis and continues to afflict many industries could extent well beyond this weekend's election, describing it as "the new normal". The Aus
Flight delays to hit airport
Airline passengers will face delays and some residents around Perth Airport will suffer more noise over the next six months because one runway will be close for repairs. The West
House prices fall after sales rush
A rush of first home-buyers in the past three months has triggered a dip in Perth's median house price, figures to be released today suggest. The West
Councils plan to consult residents on mergers
An official referendum on council amalgamations is being planned in Perth's western suburbs as resistance to the state government's merger plans heats up across the metropolitan area. The West
The West Australian
Page 1: Kevin Rudd has warned voters not to write him off, defiantly pinning his hopes of an unlikely re-election on a jobs and training package that would force the increased use of local workers and suppliers.
Page 3: Airline passengers will face delays and some residents around Perth Airport will suffer more noise over the next six months because one runway will be close for repairs.
Page 4: Tensions between the WA Nationals and the WA Liberals have exploded into public view, with the Federal Nationals leader blasting his Coalition colleagues to taking credit for establishing a regional funding plan.
Page 7: Fremantle members face a scramble for just 4,000 tickets to the Dockers' opening finals clash with Geelong after the AFL's controversial decision to move the game to Simonds Stadium.
Page 9: A rush of first home-buyers in the past three months has triggered a dip in Perth's median house price, figures to be released today suggest.
Page 11: An official referendum on council amalgamations is being planned in Perth's western suburbs as resistance to the state government's merger plans heats up across the metropolitan area.
The shark monitoring system at Cottesloe Beach could be offline for a third day today, despite a great white being spotted south of the popular beach yesterday.
Page 12: WA's GST woes could be partly solved with a stroke of the federal Treasurer's pen – whether it belongs to Labor's Chris Bowen or the Coalition's Joe Hockey.
South Perth's mayor has warned that longer stretches of the Swan River may have to be fenced off after the state government “backflipped” on an election promise to fund the restoration of the crumbling river walls.
Business: The US-based company which owns the Cadbury and Vegemite brands is eyeing a major investment in the Ord River irrigation scheme.
A slight scent of optimism is starting to blow through Perth and those in the know say, anecdotally, a sliver of confidence is starting to return to the sector.
A sense of sanity has returned to the WA grain trading industry judging by the results of last week's shipping slot auction where CBH offered 11.6 million tonnes of capacity from its four terminals.
China's manufacturing activity strengthened in August to its highest level in 16 months in the latest sign the world's second-biggest economy is picking up steam after two quarters of slower growth.
The WA stone fruit industry is appealing to people with fruit trees to spring into action to help it fight a pest which last year destroyed half its crop.
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: A defiant Kevin Rudd has urged Labor to fight to the very end as he sought to claw his way back into the campaign with a job creation package, including small business tax breaks and a showdown with the Liberal states over a threatened federal takeover of the TAFE system.
UBS Australia chief Matthew Grounds says it will take up to 12 months to rstore international investor's confidence in the local market and for them to consider offshore-led mergers and acquisitions, even if the Coalition wins the election on Saturday.
Page 6: Small business groups said Labor was level with the Coalition on who offered the best policies for small operators after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd pledged to boost the level of instant asset write-offs by 50 per cent.
Page 8: Australia's biggest foreign investor, the United States, is becoming increasingly concerned about the contentious foreign investment debate being played out in the federal election campaign.
Page 13: Corporate Australia is preparing for a return to earnings growth for the first time in two years but any gains will be tempered by a high degree of caution as companies focus on cost and abandon acquisitions in favour of returning profits to shareholders.
Page 15: Virgin Australia now has “way north” of 20 per cent of its revenue coming from the lucrative corporate travel market, where it has been battling to steal away passengers from rival Qantas Airways, says Virgin boss John Borghetti.
Page 16: Mining contractors endured a tough reporting season, with many revealing sharply lower order books and weak cash flow.
Page 17: The market might be expecting the resources sector to provide a sizeable lift to 2014 company earnings, but equity strategists are shying away from mining companies because of the risks presented by the slowdown in Chinese growth.
The Australian
Kevin Rudd has crystallised Labor’s re- election pitch as a choice between jobs and Tony Abbott’s plan for “cutting the future to ribbons’’ as he attempts to cast himself as the ‘‘comeback kid’’ and fight until the last vote is counted.
Kevin Rudd will overhaul the nation's $8.5 billion unemployment services system by creating a new institution -- Jobs and Training Australia -- and 42 local "jobs boards" to force job-seekers into work that meets local shortages.
Kevin Rudd has deepened a dispute over technical education by threatening a federal takeover of the TAFE system amid concerns about a funding regime to begin next year.
Tony Abbott will confirm $3.2 billion in spending on his flagship climate change scheme in the next few days after vowing to reveal his policy costings by Thursday despite claims he is hiding his plans.
Some of the nation's most influential company directors have warned that the chronic collapse in consumer confidence that followed the global financial crisis and continues to afflict many industries could extent well beyond this weekend's election, describing it as "the new normal".
Analysis of the historical post-election performance of financial markets by Goldman Sachs has found little evidence to suggest that this weekend's election will result in a surge in retail spending, investor confidence or asset prices.
Australia has a mismatch between savings and investment that is encouraging the growth of sub-optimal products such as hybrids, according to fund manager John Abernethy.
Leighton Holdings has lost one of its senior executives at its troubled Indonesian coal operations as speculation mounts that another of its mining company partners in the South Kalimantan province is preparing to dramatically scale back work at one of its flagship coalmines.