WA farmers reject Brookfield’s $9b Asciano takeover plan
Western Australian farmers will reiterate their opposition to Brookfield Infrastructure’s $9 billion plan to acquire ports and rail group Asciano when they make fresh submissions to the competition watchdog this week. The Fin
More oil, gas write-downs set to follow BHP’s lead
BHP Billiton’s $US7.2 billion writedown on its petroleum business looks set to be just one of a swathe of impairments in the Australian oil and gas sector this reporting season, despite billions of dollars already having been written off on ventures in 2015. The Fin
Foreign banks post revenue, pay little tax
Nearly a third of the 26 large foreign banks operating in Australia, including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Lloyds, and BNP Paribas, had no taxable income in 2014, data released by the Australian Taxation Office shows. The Fin
‘$30bn gain’ in GST hike, company tax cut
A bold plan to boost employment and wages will be put forward today in a bid to reshape the tax debate by revealing a $30 billion economic gain from the comprehensive changes. The Aus
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: Most stock broking strategists believe the Australian sharemarket will have a healthy year despite a 391-point dive on Wall Street that sent shudders around the world.
Page 3: Nearly a third of the 26 large foreign banks operating in Australia, including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Lloyds, and BNP Paribas, had no taxable income in 2014, data released by the Australian Taxation Office shows.
Page 4: Malcolm Turnbull is set to discuss the shaky world economy with US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen on Monday, amid growing anxiety about China’s deterioration, plunging equity prices and swooning commodity markets.
Page 5: A Perth doctor and his wife, who have been abducted by suspected Islamist extremists in West Africa, have ‘‘dedicated their lives’’ to helping people, a family spokesman says.
Page 13: BHP Billiton’s $US7.2 billion writedown on its petroleum business looks set to be just one of a swathe of impairments in the Australian oil and gas sector this reporting season, despite billions of dollars already having been written off on ventures in 2015.
Page 15: Western Australian farmers will reiterate their opposition to Brookfield Infrastructure’s $9 billion plan to acquire ports and rail group Asciano when they make fresh submissions to the competition watchdog this week.
Betting giant Tabcorp rejected an approach from Britain’s third-largest wagering operator Ladbrokes over a joint venture which could have seen the two companies combine to create the most powerful bookmaker in Australia.
Page 16: While industry giants like Alcoa and Rio Tinto are increasing their exposure to bauxite, the fleet of Australian juniors that sought to ride the same wave are struggling to hang on.
The Australian
Page 1: Australia faces its slowest income growth in more than 50 years as the downturn in China hits wages and profits while sparking fears of a new global downturn.
Page 3: Heroin is making a return to the inner cities, with frontline support services and police seeing evidence of increasing use decades after the drug reached crisis levels across the country.
Page 6: A bold plan to boost employment and wages will be put forward today in a bid to reshape the tax debate by revealing a $30 billion economic gain from the comprehensive changes.
Page 17: Equity raisings by the Australian resources sector have fallen to their lowest level in a decade, underscoring the extreme challenges facing small miners and explorers as they fight to survive the commodities downturn.
Australian biotech company Vectus Biosystems is planning to kick off the year with a listing on the Australian market to raise funds to further tests on a new treatment for heart and kidney diseases it says will have global significance.
Page 19: Blackmores and Bega have pledged to prioritise Australian parents when it comes to selling their long-awaited baby formula, saying the demand in China for the “white-gold” product will be dealt with in time.
The West Australian
Page 7: Perth mining industry veteran Mark Connelly says mining workers in Burkina Faso have had to take extra precautions and avoid crowded areas after recent violence in the country.
Page 13: State Liberal backbencher Paul Miles wants government-owned electricity generator and retailer Synergy to be sold and money from the sale to be reinvested in the next wave of Government infrastructure.
Page 14: More than 64,000 West Australian homes are now connected to the NBN, yet less than half of those who could connect have taken up the offer.
Business: The market shakedown is expected to resume in earnest today with oil futures trading around their lowest level in more than 12 years amid expectations of Iranian crude flooding on to the market.
Supreme Court acting master Michael Gething has rejected a $50,000-plus judgment that Bavarian-based Erdinger Weissbrau obtained from a German court against Subiaco-based World Brands Australia in 2014.