Vaccine challenge switches from supply to demand
Australia’s vaccine supply problem has been ‘‘pretty much’’ solved, with the main challenges being distribution and encouraging enough unvaccinated people to come forward, the federal government says. The Fin
Free-trade deal with India ‘a big step closer’
India’s top diplomat says there is a “tailwind” behind negotiations for an Australia-India free-trade agreement, declaring his country is determined to improve what it sees as an “underperforming” bilateral relationship. The Aus
Miner raises $60m for Cassini facility & drilling
Mincor Resources yesterday finalised a $60 million equity raising that takes advantage of a record share price run and adds to an abundance of activity in one of the world’s hottest metals. The West
Pubs get ‘all-in’ rates for full-time staff
Pubs and hotels have won powers to unilaterally roll up weekend penalty rates and overtime into one higher single rate for senior permanent staff, which is expected to make the workplace system simpler for small businesses. The Fin
IFM sets out 2030 transition plan for coal
IFM Investors will carve off coal exposure from its $75 billion global infrastructure portfolio as part of a plan for a 40 per cent cut emissions in the division by 2030. The Fin
WA tech’s Cisco coup
WA-based Harvest Technology Group will work with Cisco to integrate its software with the US networking giant’s WebEx platform. The West
Big tech faces tough new laws in ACCC plan
Apple, Google, Facebook and other big tech companies are facing tough new regulations in Australia to rein in their anti-competitive behaviour. The Fin
Salmon farmer slams accreditation scheme
Huon Aquaculture, one of the country’s largest salmon producers, says the accreditation scheme that underpins much of the industry’s environmental credentials does not operate properly. The Aus
Delay likely on Rinehart showdown
A veteran judge has warned next autumn’s Hope Downs showdown could be delayed amid ongoing wrangling between Gina Rinehart and her eldest offspring John Hancock and Bianca Rinehart. The West
Pawn chief raises concerns over BNPL
Cash Converters, no stranger itself to scrutiny and criticism, has added to the concern in some quarters about the lack of regulatory oversight of the booming buy now, pay later industry. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has forecast a bleak two months in which COVID-19 cases will peak at more than 2000 a day, 3000 people will be in hospital and almost 1000 in intensive care before the state’s nation-leading vaccination coverage starts to bend the curve.
Telstra chief executive Andy Penn has visited Papua New Guinea to discuss with the country’s political leaders the company’s planned purchase of telco Digicel Pacific.
Page 3: Pubs and hotels have won powers to unilaterally roll up weekend penalty rates and overtime into one higher single rate for senior permanent staff, which is expected to make the workplace system simpler for small businesses.
Some industry superannuation funds may struggle to clear the prudential regulator’s next annual performance assessment, as the sector weighs how and when to raise fees to build a rainy day fund to pay financial penalties.
Page 4: Australia’s vaccine supply problem has been ‘‘pretty much’’ solved, with the main challenges being distribution and encouraging enough unvaccinated people to come forward, the federal government says.
Page 6: Telstra plans to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for 8300 frontline staff in defiance of the Business Council of Australia’s stance that employers should take this step only with the backing of government health orders.
Page 10: Sky News Australia chief executive Paul Whittaker has criticised how the Google-owned video sharing platform YouTube separates truth from lies, saying: ‘‘It now appears commonplace to discredit any debate on contentious issues as ‘misinformation’.’’
Page 12: A top Hong Kong official says Australia and China must put aside their ideological differences and find a way to ‘‘coexist’’, warning Australian business will struggle to diversify away from the world’s biggest consumer market.
Page 14: IFM Investors will carve off coal exposure from its $75 billion global infrastructure portfolio as part of a plan for a 40 per cent cut emissions in the division by 2030.
Big companies such as Alcoa and Rio Tinto were closely watching a bout of political instability in Guinea yesterday, as KPMG warned miners to prepare for an era of increased geopolitical instability.
Page 18: Support among Australia’s superannuation funds for environmental, social and governance proposals has increased over the past four years, even as the number of shareholder resolutions put forward at annual general meetings continues to rise.
Financial intelligence regulator AUSTRAC has assessed the four big banks as being at the highest risk for vulnerability and criminal exploitation of any banking institutions in Australia in a series of risk assessments published yesterday.
Page 19: Merger partners Oil Search and Santos have extended their mutual period of due diligence by one week amid expectations that an agreement on the proposed $21 billion merger could be struck later this week, even as their share prices slumped.
Page 20: Apple, Google, Facebook and other big tech companies are facing tough new regulations in Australia to rein in their anti-competitive behaviour.
Page 21: Venture capitalist Mark Carnegie has hit out at the ASX and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for lacking the appetite to properly understand cryptocurrencies, saying their apathy is preventing general investors from buying into a boom, as he tips $1 million into a new crypto fund.
The Australian
Page 2: India’s top diplomat says there is a “tailwind” behind negotiations for an Australia-India free-trade agreement, declaring his country is determined to improve what it sees as an “underperforming” bilateral relationship.
Page 4: The Australian aviation industry is lagging behind the international recovery as a result of lockdowns and border closures, triggering renewed cries for assistance.
Leading Australian researchers have developed a rapid PCR diagnostic test to detect emerging Covid-19 variants that has the potential to drastically improve outbreak management by quickly identifying new mutations before they take hold.
Page 6: Resources Minister Keith Pitt has rejected a request from the UN for Australia to exit the coal sector by 2030.
Page 7: Huon Aquaculture, one of the country’s largest salmon producers, says the accreditation scheme that underpins much of the industry’s environmental credentials does not operate properly.
Page 13: Queensland liquefied natural gas producers are exporting at record rates as Asian prices for the fuel trade at the highest seasonal levels for a decade, echoing a surge in coal prices since the start of the year.
A showdown is looming between telco giant Telstra and unions over a proposed vaccine mandate that would force 8300 Telstra workers to be fully vaccinated, and potential ‘‘medical retirement’’ for anyone who declines the jab.
Page 15: Lendlease, Mirvac and Asian logistics giant ESR are among 18 major groups jockeying to buy Qantas’s 14ha of mostly undeveloped land surrounding Sydney airport as the national carrier looks to pay down some of its multibillion-dollar debt.
The West Australian
Page 3: No combustible panels have been removed from the facade of Fiona Stanley Hospital, 2 1/2 years after WA Health revealed the fire hazard.
Page 4: The City of Perth’s offer to host a spectacular grand final parade through the CBD’s streets looks set to be shunned by the AFL and will instead be a free ticketed event.
Internal documents have revealed just how short-staffed WA’s health system really is — with Royal Perth Hospital dropping 327 shifts in just two weeks and staff warning of a “desperate need” in ICU.
Page 5: Western Australia missed out more than 100,000 doses of the prized Pfizer vaccination — in the past three months alone — thanks to diversions from the national stockpile to NSW.
Page 7: A veteran judge has warned next autumn’s Hope Downs showdown could be delayed amid ongoing wrangling between Gina Rinehart and her eldest offspring John Hancock and Bianca Rinehart.
Page 9: “Can see why Packer cashed in his chips” — that was the first thought the former head of WA’s gambling regulator had when confronted with allegations Crown Perth could have been used for massive money-laundering.
Page 10: Liberal MP Nick Goiran is threatening to launch defamation action against the party’s State director and the authors of a scathing internal review which accused members of The Clan of “odious behaviour”.
The chair of the WA Liberals finance committee — in charge of party fundraising — has quit just two months after he was elected.
Page 11: A Pilbara-based ABC journalist is suing the national broadcaster over an $18,000 pay cut she claims happened despite her being “overworked” to the point her medical conditions were “aggravated”.
Business: Cash Converters, no stranger itself to scrutiny and criticism, has added to the concern in some quarters about the lack of regulatory oversight of the booming buy now, pay later industry.
WA-based Harvest Technology Group will work with Cisco to integrate its software with the US networking giant’s WebEx platform.
Mincor Resources yesterday finalised a $60 million equity raising that takes advantage of a record share price run and adds to an abundance of activity in one of the world’s hottest metals.
A Canadian investment fund has inked a deal to buy Macquarie Agriculture’s Lawson Grains portfolio, including farms in Western Australia.
