Rudd tax plan hits WA gas hub hopes
WA's ambition to be the regional hub for two frontier energy technologies – floating LNG and shale gas – has been dealt a blow by Kevin Rudd's plan to slash Northern Territory-based companies' tax by a third. The West
Forrest predicts 100-year shift
Amid cautious business reaction to Labor's Northern Territory tax cut, Fortescue Metals Group founder Andrew Forrest has argued Western Australia continues to enjoy rampant demand for iron ore from China, and rejected Kevin Rudd's depiction of a decline in the mining boom. The Fin
Abbott steps up offensive on ALP-Greens vote deals
Tony Abbott has sharply personalised his political attack against Kevin Rudd over Greens preferences as Labor struggles to respond to the Coalition’s outright rejection of the minor party. The Aus
Policy over pricing: Libs
The Coalition will seek to shut down what it says is a boring costings debate with a soon-to-be released statement detailing the lengths to which it has gone to forecast the cost of its policies. The Fin
Election will lift economy: Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers boss Richard Goyder is hoping the federal election will usher in a new era of pro-business policy that recognises it is companies that create wealth and jobs. The Aus
WA, Indonesia agri ties urged
An expert on Indonesia has urged WA to look beyond the three Bs – Bali, beef and boats – to build an A-grade business relationship based around agriculture. The West
GFC created perfect storm behind subsidy blowout
The global financial crisis caused a breakdown in government discipline that has led to an explosion in the number of subsidies to industries ranging from motor vehicles to wind farms and coastal shipping. The Aus
Bartlett, Sayers face trial on tax conspiracy
Mining contractors Peter Bartlett and Ron Sayers are set to face a Supreme Court jury next month after failing to stop federal prosecutors pushing ahead with tax conspiracy charges. The West
The West Australian
Page 1: WA's ambition to be the regional hub for two frontier energy technologies – floating LNG and shale gas – has been dealt a blow by Kevin Rudd's plan to slash Northern Territory-based companies' tax by a third.
Page 3: Speculation is swirling in the public education sector that details of deep job cuts – to teaching and administrative staff – will soon be announced by the Barnett government.
Page 4: A 26-year old man was crushed to death at a Pilbara mine site, ending the sector's only two-year fatality free period in more than a century.
The head of Coles says Australians are still paying too much for groceries, as the supermarket posted a $1.5 billion full-year profit.
Page 5: Customers at hundreds of WA pharmacies are being asked to join a protest against a federal government plan that will allow it to pay the industry less for drugs.
Page 6: Kevin Rudd has committed to the third stage of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme, a move that will eventually almost double the amount of land for farming under the huge agricultural program.
Page 7: Tony Abbott has flagged accepting Labor's bank tax and its increase to tobacco excise because of a “budget emergency”
Page 13: Perth Airport set a record for passenger numbers last month when 1.24 million people took to the skies, indicating economic conditions are on the rise again.
Page 14: The number of WA households needing help to pay rising electricity prices is set to soar buy almost 70,000 in the next four years, according to an analysis of state budget figures.
Business: Wesfarmers' $579 million cash handout to shareholders does not mean the conglomerate has given up pursuing acquisitions, managing director Richard Goyder says.
Eighteen months of speculation are coming to an end with mounting talk steel giant POSCO is selling its 15.5 per cent stake in Sandfire Resources to fellow South Korean conglomerate LG.
An expert on Indonesia has urged WA to look beyond the three Bs – Bali, beef and boats – to build an A-grade business relationship based around agriculture.
Mining contractors Peter Bartlett and Ron Sayers are set to face a Supreme Court jury next month after failing to stop federal prosecutors pushing ahead with tax conspiracy charges.
The ailing nickel price has taken its toll on Mincor Resources, with the Kambalda miner reporting a $22.45 million full-year loss.
A record full-year profit from Mineral Resources' contracting and iron ore mining businesses will pay handsome dividends for the company's founders, who are set to take home more than $13 million in dividends.
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd sparked a political battle over Australia's north by proposing a 10 percentage point company tax cut for businesses that relocate to the Northern Territory and lower foreign investment hurdles.
The executive who was once one of Kevin Rudd's closest allies in the business community, Andrew Forrest, feels the Prime Minister made a major misstep by declaring the end of the resources boom.
Page 3: The University of Melbourne has retained its place as Australia's top higher education institution in the world's most influential university rankings prepared by China's Shanghai Jia Tong University.
Page 4: Amid cautious business reaction to Labor's Northern Territory tax cut, Fortescue Metals Group founder Andrew Forrest has argued Western Australia continues to enjoy rampant demand for iron ore from China, and rejected Kevin Rudd's depiction of a decline in the mining boom.
Page 9: The Coalition will seek to shut down what it says is a boring costings debate with a soon-to-be released statement detailing the lengths to which it has gone to forecast the cost of its policies.
Page 10: The big boom in regional aviation growth driven by fly-in, fly-out services to mine sites has slowed to a relative trickle alongside the fall in commodities prices.
Page 13: Wesfarmers is investing another $2.3 billion in its retail and industrial operations and is eyeing acquisitions, showing that the largest private sector employer remains focused on growth.
Page 15: Fortescue Metals Group chairman Andrew Forrest has laid bare his contempt for the iron ore juniors trying to force access – through Western Australia's regulator – to the company's Pilbara rail line, saying he would prefer to reserve capacity for others.
Leighton Holdings' parent, German contractor Hochtief, has signalled it intends to retain a minority free float of shares in the Australian contractor as it creeps up the shareholder register.
Rio Tinto will cull 1,700 jobs from its majority owned Mongolian copper operation after suspending the projected $US5 billion underground expansion at the Oyu Tolgoi mine.
Page 20: Bunnings is targeting new markets worth more than $3 billion as Australia's largest home improvement retailer expands into related categories, further encroaching on the turf of independent and speciality retailers.
The Australian
Page 1: Kevin Rudd wants to unlock Australia’s north by cutting the corporate tax rate in the Northern Territory and simplifying foreign investment rules, but his northern conversion has been attacked as a ‘‘ thought bubble’’ that cherry picks Coalition policy.
Labor faces a wipe-out on the NSW central coast where Kevin Rudd's popularity has crashed below his already flagging national personal support and Tony Abbott is clearly the preferred prime minister.
Page 2: The global financial crisis caused a breakdown in government discipline that has led to an explosion in the number of subsidies to industries ranging from motor vehicles to wind farms and coastal shipping.
A comprehensive analysis of a decade of international and national student tests provides compelling evidence of a fall in achievement in Australia, particularly among the top students, and a growing gap in the scores among students at the richest and poorest schools.
Page 4: An emotional Andrew Forrest has defended the safety record of his Fortescue Metals Group after the death of a contractor ended a near two- year fatality- free run in Western Australia’s mining industry.
Page 6: Tony Abbott has sharply personalised his political attack against Kevin Rudd over Greens preferences as Labor struggles to respond to the Coalition’s outright rejection of the minor party.
Page 8: Business has cautiously welcomed Labor’s move to follow the Coalition in promising an economic development strategy for northern Australia but warned against confining tax cuts to particular regions.
Page 9: The ACTU has signalled a new election campaign battlefront, urging the major parties to commit to reforming the Fair Work system and backing this up with a multi-million-dollar “air and ground’’ campaign bolstered by social media.
Tony Abbott has ruled out major tax changes if he wins power, as he fights off claims he will increase the GST and signals that he will release the Coalition’s final policy costings in the last week of the election campaign.
Business: Wesfarmers boss Richard Goyder is hoping the federal election will usher in a new era of pro-business policy that recognises it is companies that create wealth and jobs.
China's economic slowdown is starting to have an impact on global commodities markets, which are becoming oversupplied from a build- up in key mining inventories, according to a new report.
Indonesia-focused Finders Resources and its shovel- ready Wetar copper project have fallen under the gaze of what remains of Intrepid Mines, which last year famously lost access to the big Tujuh Bukit copper and gold deposit in the same country.
The Commonwealth Bank has turned away from Lloyds’s remaining Australian business, leaving Westpac and ANZ as the most likely of the major banks to snap up the loans, valued at about $ 1 billion.
Newcrest Mining says its latest director appointment has been made with an eye on board renewal, raising the possibility long-standing chairman Don Mercer may be preparing to leave.
Wesfarmers chief executive Richard Goyder has rejected speculation the resources industry is facing a bleak future, declaring that Australia remains in a “very strong position” to supply commodities to fast- growing Asian markets in the years ahead.
Wesfarmers boss Richard Goyder has defended Coles supermarkets’ use of fuel discount vouchers to lure shoppers, saying they are only giving customers what they want.
