Suitors run the rule over Utah Point
The contest for Utah Point is coming under closer scrutiny, with Macquarie’s infrastructure arm understood to be preparing to bid for the $500 million-plus Western Australian port facility that some bet will also attract interest from Qube Logistics as well as AMP Capital. The Aus
Fortescue waits on tug No.2
Fortescue Metals Group will find out within weeks whether its bid to break BHP Billiton’s lock on towage services at Port Hedland has been successful, as the iron ore miner firms plans for a tug boat pen at the harbour. The West
Pastoral potential let loose by WA change
Advertising guru Harold Mitchell has hailed changes to WA’s land use laws as a key to unlocking the value and productivity in pastoral leases covering 87 million hectares of the State. The West
Local gold production blazes to a 12-year high
Production in Australia’s $14 billion gold industry hit a 12-year high of 285 tonnes last year, with the precious metal’s blazing start to the new year the perfect platform for several WA mines coming online. The West
Tax policy and poll to come early
The Turnbull government is working towards an early-April tax statement that will outline plans for income tax cuts funded primarily by pruning superannuation tax concessions, with some changes to negative gearing and workplace expenses. The Fin
Higher dollar not enough to kill RBA’s chill
The Reserve Bank of Australia will keep interest rates on hold when it meets on Tuesday, and is unlikely to try to talk down the local currency despite a mini-rally in 2016, some of the country’s foremost economists say. The Fin
Funds sound infrastructure alarm
The heavyweights of the nation’s biggest industry superannuation funds have warned they will change their investment strategies to divert funds away from local infrastructure if the federal government proceeds with a proposal to scrap default funds in enterprise bargaining agreements. The Aus
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: The Turnbull government is working towards an early-April tax statement that will outline plans for income tax cuts funded primarily by pruning superannuation tax concessions, with some changes to negative gearing and workplace expenses.
Page 3: The Reserve Bank of Australia will keep interest rates on hold when it meets on Tuesday, and is unlikely to try to talk down the local currency despite a mini-rally in 2016, some of the country’s foremost economists say.
Page 5: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is facing a new budget brawl with the states over who will foot a bill that could potentially run into billions of dollars of spending, with the states concerned that the federal government will seek to rewrite the agreement about sharing the cost of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Page 8: The Minister for Resources and Energy, Josh Frydenberg, has signalled that oil prices are likely to stay low, as Middle East producers keep pumping to hurt US shale drillers and as geopolitical rivals refuse to cut output.
Page 12: In a move that could hasten the acceptance of cheap online degrees, the University of Queensland and the Australian National University are considering giving academic credit for massive open online courses (MOOCs).
Page 13: The worst is not over for retailer Woolworths, with fund managers saying its supermarket margins could fall below 5 per cent – dragging down earnings across the group for another year or two.
Page 15: AirAsia X’s fortunes are improving in the Australian market, after the low-cost carrier and rival Malaysia Airlines dramatically cut capacity between Australia and Kuala Lumpur in 2015.
Arrium is using its debt crisis to lobby for protections against imported steel, which, if successful, could kill competition on the cusp of an infrastructure boom, Best Bar chief executive Grant Johnston said.
The Australian
Page 1: Federal government agency Austrade billed two Australian businessmen tens of thousands of dollars in “introduction” fees and other charges before setting up meetings with the Pearls Group in India, one of the world’s biggest Ponzi scams that has left 50 million investors owed $10 billion.
Page 5: Federal MPs are being warned that liberalising online gambling laws — including allowing in-play betting — will cost the Coalition votes at the election, with leaked polling showing the extent to which voters dislike internet gambling and its proponents.
Page 6: Young Chinese travellers, many of them cashed-up thanks to the generosity of their parents and grandparents, are proving a goldmine for Australian retailers, accounting for more than half of all spending by Chinese visitors.
Page 17: The heavyweights of the nation’s biggest industry superannuation funds have warned they will change their investment strategies to divert funds away from local infrastructure if the federal government proceeds with a proposal to scrap default funds in enterprise bargaining agreements.
Page 18: The contest for Utah Point is coming under closer scrutiny, with Macquarie’s infrastructure arm understood to be preparing to bid for the $500 million-plus Western Australian port facility that some bet will also attract interest from Qube Logistics as well as AMP Capital.
Page 19: Harvey Norman’s chairman Gerry Harvey says the group’s new flagship store in Singapore is set to become one of the most important in its global chain.
Page 21: The surge of investment by Singaporean real estate investment trusts into Australian warehouses and logistics facilities is set to continue with the Cambridge Industrial Trust joining the throng.
The West Australian
Page 8: WA libraries are warning they may have to slash book numbers and divert money from services such as free internet and story time because of funding cuts.
Just 16 of WA’s 800 public schools have registered with the Safe Schools Coalition program that has been the focus of national political controversy.
Page 9: Three Insurance Commission of WA employees have been sacked and referred to the Corruption and Crime Commission and the Public Sector Commission after a misconduct investigation.
Page 10: WA Young Labor president Rebecca Doyle is among the four Australian volunteers lambasted by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten yesterday over their behaviour while working on a US presidential campaign.
Page 12: The loser of the battle for Liberal preselection in Bateman will be given an escape route of sorts, with the bitter fight between Transport Minister Dean Nalder and backbencher Matt Taylor to be resolved before pre-selections close in the neighbouring seat of Bicton.
Page 13: Western Australians are being warned they could wait for months for whooping cough vaccines because of a global shortage.
Business: Advertising guru Harold Mitchell has hailed changes to WA’s land use laws as a key to unlocking the value and productivity in pastoral leases covering 87 million hectares of the State.
The WA grains industry is looking for a new wave of innovators and entrepreneurs to help it grow despite intense competition in export markets.
Production in Australia’s $14 billion gold industry hit a 12-year high of 285 tonnes last year, with the precious metal’s blazing start to the new year the perfect platform for several WA mines coming online.
Fortescue Metals Group will find out within weeks whether its bid to break BHP Billiton’s lock on towage services at Port Hedland has been successful, as the iron ore miner firms plans for a tug boat pen at the harbour.
