Morning Headlines

Barnett’s woes help Labor

The federal Labor opposition is confident its fortunes are improving in Western Australia, where it expects to double its seats, in part due to the unpopularity of the Liberal-National state government. The Fin

Labor’s $8b budget drag

A Labor promise to unwind another Coalition budget saving has taken the cost of major promises on schools and health over the next four years to at least $8 billion, raising the prospect that pledges to date could leave the budget worse off in the short term. The Fin

Heavy rains give WA growers hope of bumper season

Western Australian grain farmers are hoping drenching rains have set them up for a record crop, providing a shot of confidence in the regions of the struggling state. The Fin

Turnbull in danger as Shorten lifts

Bill Shorten’s standing with voters has jumped to a 12-month high, underpinning Labor’s election-winning lead in Newspoll as Malcolm Turnbull’s support has continued to tumble. The Aus

Harvey’s milk sales levy warning: it’ll end in tears

Billionaire retailer Gerry Harvey has warned against imposing a consumer levy on milk sales to help the nation’s dairy farmers buckling under the weight of crashing milk prices, saying it would interfere in the smooth running of the free market and end in tears. The Aus

Land tax fury forces retreat

Furious property owners are forcing the State Government to back down on record numbers of land tax assessments over complaints they are based on inflated valuations. The West

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: A Labor promise to unwind another Coalition budget saving has taken the cost of major promises on schools and health over the next four years to at least $8 billion, raising the prospect that pledges to date could leave the budget worse off in the short term.

Rampant protectionism in the US presidential election has put the Pacific Rim trade deal in danger of unravelling, prompting Australia’s ambassador to the US, Joe Hockey, to tell Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s campaigns that US leadership in Asia is at risk of faltering.

Page 2: Western Australian grain farmers are hoping drenching rains have set them up for a record crop, providing a shot of confidence in the regions of the struggling state.

Page 5: The federal Labor opposition is confident its fortunes are improving in Western Australia, where it expects to double its seats, in part due to the unpopularity of the Liberal-National state government.

Page 9: The highly politicised sale process for Australia’s largest landholder, S. Kidman & Co, has been officially reopened and crowd funder DomaCom has joined forces with Lloyds Business Brokers to launch a $370 million bid.

Page 15: Oil Search managing director Peter Botten begins meetings in Port Moresby this week to ensure InterOil investors are on side for the $US2.2 billion ($3 billion) takeover, amid the possibility longstanding shareholders will judge the offer as too cheap.

Page 18: National Australia Bank, Westpac Banking Corp and Qantas have taken stakes in Data Republic, a Sydney-based start-up that has designed a platform which allows companies and government to exchange data in a secure environment.

Page 20: The coal mining industry has waved the white flag over a landmark court ruling which prevents them from conducting exploration drilling in paddocks.

Page 22: The electric-car revolution is here and Chile is looking to ramp up production of the lithium the industry needs for batteries. Or it would be, but for a bitter dispute between the government and the former son-in-law of a military dictator.

The Australian

Page 1: Bill Shorten’s standing with voters has jumped to a 12-month high, underpinning Labor’s election-winning lead in Newspoll as Malcolm Turnbull’s support has continued to tumble.

Page 3: Government departments facing a July 1 deadline to comply with new federal gender guidelines are introducing new categories alongside male and female on forms and advising staff to refrain from assuming a person’s gender based on their name.

Page 7: Labor’s pledge to scrap a proposed fee for subsidised medicines has been countered by government claims that patients could miss out on lifesaving new drugs without the measure, worth almost $1 billion.

Page 18: Billionaire retailer Gerry Harvey has warned against imposing a consumer levy on milk sales to help the nation’s dairy farmers buckling under the weight of crashing milk prices, saying it would interfere in the smooth running of the free market and end in tears.

Page 20: Fresh from the heavyweight-ladened Bank of America Merrill Lynch mining conference in Miami, a clearly buoyant Newcrest chief executive Sandeep Biswas says the mood of the global industry has changed for the better after being left in the wilderness by investors in recent years.

Page 23: Ten Network and Bruce Gordon’s WIN Corporation are poised to sign a five-year television affiliate deal as soon as today, as media buying agencies warn of a short term revenue hit to the networks as a result of the switch.

Telstra is preparing to slash up to 50 jobs from its media and marketing division, as the telecommunications giant makes two senior executive appointments as part of a broader restructure.

Page 25: Nine Entertainment has signed up close to 1.2 million viewers to its 9Now live streaming and catch-up TV service.

The West Australian

Page 3: Furious property owners are forcing the State Government to back down on record numbers of land tax assessments over complaints they are based on inflated valuations.

Page 4: About 60 landowners face the prospect of falling property prices as the State Government plans to ban residential development in prime semi-urban real estate 30km south of Perth.

Page 11: Treasurer Mike Nahan has vowed to seek help from whoever wins the July 2 Federal election after the High Court scuttled his seizure of $1.8 billion of loot from Alan Bond’s Bell Group.

Page 17: The design for Midland’s newest public open space near the historic railway workshops has been unveiled, with $9.7 million allocated in the State Budget for the renovation.

Business: A Bell Group liquidator has slammed the State Government, saying it forced the Australian Taxation Office’s hand in the bruising legal row over $1.8 billion of litigation winnings.

Mark Creasey-backed Goldphyre is pushing ahead with its campaign to become a potash producer after encouraging early results from its Lake Well project.