It’s on: PM to call poll today
Scott Morrison is expected to call an election today, with Coalition strategists focusing on a hit list of up to 10 seats it could win to pull off an against-the-odds victory. The Aus
Labor to rush tax changes
Labor will reconvene Parliament quickly if it wins the election to try to legislate billions of dollars in tax changes, including an increase to the top marginal tax rate, tax cuts for lowand middle-income earners and possibly a crackdown on trusts and franking credits. The Fin
‘They’re all gamblers’: high-stakes Crown still in play
Billionaire James Packer’s desire to sell his Crown Resorts casino empire is still alive, with the company now in play and disgruntled suitor Wynn Resorts not ruled out to return. The Aus
Palmer grabs prime advertising spots
Clive Palmer has sealed a $6 million advertising deal with News Corporation for prime positioning across the publisher’s mastheads and news websites in the final week of the federal election campaign. The Fin
Lynas workers on the front line of takeover battle
Lynas Corporation boss Amanda Lacaze and her board have had a swipe at spurned takeover suitor Wesfarmers after hundreds of the company’s Malaysian employees took the fight to protect their jobs to the national capital. The Fin
EVs ‘will siphon $10bn in fuel excise’
Bill Shorten’s plan for electric vehicles to make up 50 per cent of new car sales would strip more than $10 billion from the federal budget in lost fuel excise by the time the target was reached, putting pressure on an incoming Labor government to charge EV owners for the kilometres they drive. The Aus
Cost of living top worry
WA voters are overwhelmingly concerned with cost of living pressures, with a new survey showing the issue a top priority in all of the State’s key marginal seats. The West
Libs slam attack on regulator
Energy Minister Bill Johnston has been accused of undermining the independence of WA’s economic watchdog after launching an all-out assault. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: Labor will reconvene Parliament quickly if it wins the election to try to legislate billions of dollars in tax changes, including an increase to the top marginal tax rate, tax cuts for low and middle-income earners and possibly a crackdown on trusts and franking credits.
Las Vegas casinos giant Wynn Resorts’ sudden retreat from a $10 billion buyout of James Packer’s Crown Resorts may only be temporary while it grapples with the fallout from a regulatory probe in the United States which threatens its ownership of a new $US2.6 billion Boston casino resort.
Page 3: Reserve Bank of Australia deputy governor Guy Debelle said the bank expected ‘‘decent’’ economic growth would be enough to prevent the bank from having to cut official rates.
Page 5: Clive Palmer has sealed a $6 million advertising deal with News Corporation for prime positioning across the publisher’s mastheads and news websites in the final week of the federal election campaign.
Page 6: Taxpayers earning between $130,000 and $160,000 today could be hit by Labor’s budget repair levy and 49 per cent top tax rate within four years as income growth pushes them into the top tax bracket.
Page 7: The federal budget has given consumer confidence a big boost, with the Westpac-Melbourne Institute Leading Index showing the best response since pre- and post-budget reactions were first tracked in 2011.
Page 12: European Union leaders look set to offer Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May a take-it-or-leave-it delay to Brexit lasting until the year’s end, but are still wrestling with how to ‘‘Borisproof’’ their offer against potential British backsliding.
Page 13: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won the Israeli national election, securing a record fifth term in office despite running neck-and-neck with his challenger Benny Gantz, the country’s three main television channels said on Wednesday.
Page 15: Lynas Corporation boss Amanda Lacaze and her board have had a swipe at spurned takeover suitor Wesfarmers after hundreds of the company’s Malaysian employees took the fight to protect their jobs to the national capital.
Page 17: The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman says NBN Co is delivering a ‘‘good-quality service’’, after complaints against the broadband provider plummeted in the second half of last year.
The Australian
Page 1: Scott Morrison is expected to call an election today, with Coalition strategists focusing on a hit list of up to 10 seats it could win to pull off an against-the-odds victory.
Billionaire James Packer’s desire to sell his Crown Resorts casino empire is still alive, with the company now in play and disgruntled suitor Wynn Resorts not ruled out to return.
Page 2: The federal government is ramping up its bid to attract “high achieving individuals” with “in-demand skills” to the teaching profession, announcing it will spend $21 million to fast-track prospective teachers into needy schools.
A military-grade surveillance drone involved in a project that could help Facebook become a global internet service provider is believed to have crashed during a secretive test flight in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.
Page 4: Bill Shorten’s plan for electric vehicles to make up 50 per cent of new car sales would strip more than $10 billion from the federal budget in lost fuel excise by the time the target was reached, putting pressure on an incoming Labor government to charge EV owners for the kilometres they drive.
Page 6: A member of a native title group in the resource-rich Pilbara alleges that he was bribed $1000 to drop an attempt to sack the corporation’s board, and that former West Australian Nationals leader Brendon Grylls delivered the paperwork he needed to sign to collect the money.
Page 17: Energy Minister Angus Taylor has warned Labor’s carbon cap will freeze investment and cut employment growth by punishing Australian businesses for “being successful”.
Page 18: Australian billionaire James Packer is understood to have approached Wynn Resorts some time ago about whether it would be interested in his Crown Resorts business, making the move before the group came forward with a $10 billion takeover approach.
Page 19: Rio Tinto has put its green credentials squarely at the centre of its pitch to shareholders at the company’s London annual meeting, downgrading the focus on shareholder returns and divestments in favour of spruiking the company’s commitment to sustainability.
Page 22: Boeing didn’t book any commercial orders for its 737 jetliner in March, the first month without a sale of the aerospace giant’s bestselling aircraft in almost seven years.
Page 23: Diversified property group Mirvac has flagged undertaking more mixed-use precincts across Australia on the back of the infrastructure boom.
The West Australian
Page 3: Palmyra-based independent brewer Gage Roads — which supplies thirsty punters at Optus Stadium — wants to raise $8 million to upgrade its facilities so it can churn out more cans.
Page 4: WA’s peak union body is pushing for an inflation-busting 6 per cent pay rise for the State’s lowest paid workers, arguing the increase is needed to close the gap between rich and poor.
Page 8: WA voters are overwhelmingly concerned with cost of living pressures, with a new survey showing the issue a top priority in all of the State’s key marginal seats.
Page 9: Cutting-edge technology developed by WA’s resources industry, including robotics and automated vehicles, could be used in outer space.
Page 10: Premier Mark McGowan came out firing yesterday as he scoffed at Eddie McGuire’s suggestions that he could help sell WA through the western derby.
Page 15: Safe access zones to separate abortion clinic protesters from patients are on the way for WA after a High Court challenge against setting up buffers in the Eastern States was quashed.
Business: Wynn Resorts may have pulled the pin on Crown Resorts but James Packer’s Australian gaming empire is in play.
Surging job numbers and a mood to expand in the west have contributed to a slight reduction in Perth’s office vacancy.
Energy Minister Bill Johnston has been accused of undermining the independence of WA’s economic watchdog after launching an all-out assault.
Investors could get their first look at hundreds of pages of detailed information about Uber as soon as today, as the ride-hailing giant gears up to publicly file for an initial public offering.
An east coast investment firm that led a multimillion-dollar buy-up of Perth-based INX Software is keen to hook up with WA super funds to chase other local success stories.
