Match fixing fears
Cricket Australia's anti-corruption unit has created a blacklist of people suspected of having links to illegal bookmakers on the subcontinent after being forced to eject alleged "pitchsiders" from games in the past three summers. The West
Jobs boom defies sober retail Xmas
Boom-time levels of jobs growth in the Australian economy have defied expectations for bleak Christmas trading and stubbornly low wage inflation, supported by an apparent rise in business activity and public spending. The Fin
Failed BP deal won’t hit Woolworths’ refit plans
Woolworths Group chief executive Brad Banducci says the supermarket chain can fund its ambitious store renewal program without $1.8 billion in cash from the sale of its fuel business, which has been blocked by the competition regulator. The Fin
Low-cost telcos pass on NBN cut
Some telcos moved immediately to pass on new discounted wholesale National Broadband Network rates to customers yesterday as Malcolm Turnbull said the price slashing could “quite easily” cause the value of the infrastructure project to drop. The Aus
WA-first cannabis crop
Perth phytopharmaceutical company Little Green Pharma is cultivating its first plants at a secure hydroponic growing facility south of Perth. The West
Normande cheese grin says vive la difference
A South West family is producing a premium French Pont L’Eveque cheese by milking one of Australia’s few herds of purebred Normande cows. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: Boom-time levels of jobs growth in the Australian economy have defied expectations for bleak Christmas trading and stubbornly low wage inflation, supported by an apparent rise in business activity and public spending.
Qantas chief Alan Joyce has singled out political uncertainty as a key threat to corporate Australia over the next year and called for stability in Canberra along with corporate tax cuts to restore business confidence and give local companies a competitive edge.
Page 6: The all-in cost of Snowy 2.0 – Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s pet energy storage project – could be as much as $7 billion, an expert on climate change mitigation and clean energy says.
Page 15: Woolworths Group chief executive Brad Banducci says the supermarket chain can fund its ambitious store renewal program without $1.8 billion in cash from the sale of its fuel business, which has been blocked by the competition regulator.
National Australia Bank chairman Ken Henry is preparing for an unwarranted but necessary banking royal commission, which analysts tip might end a golden era of Australian banking.
Page 17: James Packer’s Crown Resorts could reap almost $700 million from a string of asset sales, including Las Vegas land, its share of corporate bookmaker CrownBet and two floors in Crown’s luxury Barangaroo project in Sydney that Mr Packer himself will purchase for $60 million.
Oil Search has sought to convince the market on the merits of its recent $US400 million ($521 million) Alaskan oil acquisition and has told investors it expects to fund that project and its LNG expansion in Papua New Guinea without raising equity.
The Australian
Page 1: The Commonwealth Bank has allegedly continued to breach anti-money-laundering laws, as fresh claims emerged yesterday that it had allowed more than $6000 to be withdrawn from an account it had suspected for months belonged to a convicted terrorist.
Page 2: Third-party litigation funders that have supported the enormous growth of class actions — and take up to 40 per cent of any money awarded in court — will be the subject of a federal inquiry.
Page 3: Some telcos moved immediately to pass on new discounted wholesale National Broadband Network rates to customers yesterday as Malcolm Turnbull said the price slashing could “quite easily” cause the value of the infrastructure project to drop.
Page 4: Mining magnate and one-time politician Clive Palmer wrote to Malcolm Turnbull amid the collapse of Queensland Nickel, criticising the federal government for allowing Australian businesses to flounder while China propped up its resources sector.
Page 17: News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch has struck the biggest deal of his career in a $68.3 billion agreement to sell film and television assets from his 21st Century Fox company to Disney.
Page 19: Origin Energy has committed to halve its carbon emissions by 2032 when it is due to close the country’s biggest coal-fired power station, making it the second major company in as many days to unveil new climate commitments.
Page 27: A new high-fibre wheat variety developed by CSIRO is about to be turned into unique “wellness” flours and breads in the US that will boost dietary fibre intake and build gut health without the need to change eating habits.
The West Australian
Page 1: Cricket Australia's anti-corruption unit has created a blacklist of people suspected of having links to illegal bookmakers on the subcontinent after being forced to eject alleged "pitchsiders" from games in the past three summers.
Page 3: Confronting posters depicting male doctors leering at female colleagues will be posted on hospital walls in a Government-backed campaign to stamp out sexual harassment.
Page 4: Perth phytopharmaceutical company Little Green Pharma is cultivating its first plants at a secure hydroponic growing facility south of Perth.
Planning Minister Rita Saffioti has taken the extraordinary step of attacking the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority over its handling of the $450 million Iconic Scarborough twin-tower proposal.
Page 30: Growing demand for elective surgery at public hospitals is being fuelled by people choosing not to use their private health insurance, according to WA’s health chief.
Business: The WA domestic gas market needs an exploration boost and more supply from the Gorgon project if it is to meet rising demand over the next 10 years, a report by the nation’s energy market operator warns.
A South West family is producing a premium French Pont L’Eveque cheese by milking one of Australia’s few herds of purebred Normande cows.
Competition tsar Rod Sims says petrol prices would have risen by 1¢ to 2¢ a litre had he given BP the green light to buy Woolworths’ network of service stations.
