Miners dig in with their own travel bans
Resources companies took the law into their own hands and imposed voluntary restrictions on thousands of fly in, fly out workers leaving Perth yesterday amid fears of more COVID-19 cases linked to a hotel quarantine security worker. The Fin
Security guards paid cash ‘under the table’
As Western Australia recorded zero cases in its first day of a hard lockdown, a senior industry insider spoke out on what he dubbed a hotel quarantine system rampant with a “bunch of cowboys” putting revenue before public safety. The West
PM inches nearer net zero target
Scott Morrison is increasingly likely to commit to net zero emissions by 2050 before the next federal election, saying it is now his preference to either meet the mid-century target or get there beforehand. The Fin
Woodside ‘monitoring’ Myanmar coup
Woodside Petroleum appears likely to reassess its involvement in Myanmar after the country’s military seized power in a coup, detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of the ruling party. The West
No masking benefits of local production
After a well-timed green light from regulators, production at WA’s first designated mask manufacturing facility fired up yesterday as millions of West Australians completed their first day of lockdown. The West
Worley slashes 1500 more jobs
Resources contractor Worley has slashed a further 1500 jobs due to the COVID-19 economic slowdown and forecast a steep decline in first-half profit amid slower oil and gas demand and a raft of project deferrals. The Aus
Property price surge has much more to go
Property values that rose to new highs in January have further to go as record low borrowing costs, stimulus payments and low stock levels send prices racing higher in smaller cities and regional areas. The Fin
Woolworths’ acquisition of PFD Foods faces growing opposition
Woolworths is facing growing opposition to its $552 million acquisition of PFD Food Services, as the competition regulator delves deeper into the deal’s impact on the $12 billion sector. The Fin
HostPlus tips in as Blackbird hits $652m
HostPlus has brushed off speculation that liquidity pressure would crimp its pioneering venture capital portfolio, with the $50 billion industry superannuation fund revealing plans to grow its total private equity exposure from 8 per cent to above 10 per cent. The Fin
1 million vaccines a week: CSL
CSL, the nation’s biggest health company, has brought forward its first delivery of an Australian-produced COVID-19 vaccine, confirming it is on track to provide the federal government with a million doses a week by the end of next month. The Aus
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: Scott Morrison is increasingly likely to commit to net zero emissions by 2050 before the next federal election, saying it is now his preference to either meet the mid-century target or get there beforehand.
A blistering short squeeze in shares of Unibail Rodamco Westfield has been linked to a wrong-footed bet by $US20 billion ($26 billion) hedge fund D1 Capital that found itself in the thick of the Reddit assault on Wall Street.
Page 3: Property values that rose to new highs in January have further to go as record low borrowing costs, stimulus payments and low stock levels send prices racing higher in smaller cities and regional areas.
Page 5: The Reserve Bank of Australia board’s first policy decision for the year today is likely to show a strong commitment to years of further cheap money just as Prime Minister Scott Morrison begins to signal a tighter fiscal stance.
Page 6: Resources companies took the law into their own hands and imposed voluntary restrictions on thousands of fly in, fly out workers leaving Perth yesterday amid fears of more COVID-19 cases linked to a hotel quarantine security worker.
Page 7: Employer groups have expressed concern in top-level talks with the federal government and unions over liability issues from coronavirus outbreaks once vaccines begin to be rolled out.
Page 8: Fifteen journalists and editors will have charges of contempt of court dismissed as part of a deal under which Australian media companies will plead guilty to breaching a suppression order related to Cardinal George Pell’s now-quashed child sexual abuse conviction.
Page 11: Australia yesterday joined global condemnation of Myanmar’s generals for a coup against the democratically elected government, echoing calls for the immediate release of leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other political and civilian figures.
Page 12: A Chinese state-controlled newspaper says Beijing will reject the Morrison government’s offer to reset trade ties as it accused the Prime Minister of taking a ‘‘combative’’ approach and trying to portray Australia as a victim after billions of dollars of its exports were hit with unofficial trade sanctions.
Page 13: Fallout from the GameStop saga has reached Australian financial markets, with day traders threatening to boycott a popular broker after it suspended trading in two companies at the centre of the stoush.
Page 15: Coke Europe a step closer in Amatil bid Europe’s biggest Coca-Cola bottler has cleared a major hurdle in its proposed $9 billion acquisition of Coca-Cola Amatil, gaining clearance from the Foreign Investment Review Board, but faces pressure from hedge funds to raise its offer price.
Crown Resorts has had to shut most of its Perth complex for a second time in response to a snap five-day lockdown aimed at arresting any community transmission of the novel coronavirus in Western Australia.
Page 16: Woolworths is facing growing opposition to its $552 million acquisition of PFD Food Services, as the competition regulator delves deeper into the deal’s impact on the $12 billion sector.
Page 17: Amaysim shareholders will be free to accept WAM Capital’s cash-and-scrip takeover offer from today after the company completed the sale of its mobile business to Optus for $250 million.
Page 19: HostPlus has brushed off speculation that liquidity pressure would crimp its pioneering venture capital portfolio, with the $50 billion industry superannuation fund revealing plans to grow its total private equity exposure from 8 per cent to above 10 per cent.
The Australian
Page 1: West Australian officials took more than 11 hours to inform the commonwealth and other states that it had detected community COVID-19 transmission, a possible breach of pandemic protocols.
Page 2: Scott Morrison will seek to build support from world leaders for Australia’s news media bargaining code when he meets his overseas counterparts and attends international forums this year, declaring a sustainable media landscape is vital to a functioning democracy.
Page 5: Australia’s struggling tourism industry will ask the Morrison government for tiered financial support once JobKeeper ends in March to provide greater assistance to businesses decimated by the loss of international visitors.
Page 7: More than one in three nursing home residents over 65 required treatment in a hospital emergency department in 2018-19, with many of the admissions relating to events such as falls or malnutrition.
Page 13: CSL, the nation’s biggest health company, has brought forward its first delivery of an Australian-produced COVID-19 vaccine, confirming it is on track to provide the federal government with a million doses a week by the end of next month.
Page 15: Resources contractor Worley has slashed a further 1500 jobs due to the COVID-19 economic slowdown and forecast a steep decline in first-half profit amid slower oil and gas demand and a raft of project deferrals.
The West Australian
Page 1: As Western Australia recorded zero cases in its first day of a hard lockdown, a senior industry insider spoke out on what he dubbed a hotel quarantine system rampant with a “bunch of cowboys” putting revenue before public safety.
Page 6: Perth’s supermarkets were calmer yesterday after a chaotic Sunday, when shops were inundated in a panic-buying frenzy.
Page 9: Almost three-quarters of West Australians still support Mark McGowan’s handling of Perth’s hotel quarantine system, despite the UK strain escaping into the community.
Page 11: While children in public schools are enjoying an extra week of holidays, some private schools are already moving to online lessons.
Page 15: Scott Morrison shows no signs of blinking first in response to Google’s threat to remove its search engine from Australia over the proposed media bargaining code.
Business: After a well-timed green light from regulators, production at WA’s first designated mask manufacturing facility fired up yesterday as millions of West Australians completed their first day of lockdown.
Businesses essentially have free rein to hike prices of in-demand goods during COVID panic buying, with the national consumer watchdog advising there are few regulations to restrict traders.
Wesfarmers has urged WA to use its lockdown to test the State’s contact tracing practices as Perth’s central business district transitioned almost “seamlessly” back to remote working.
Woodside Petroleum appears likely to reassess its involvement in Myanmar after the country’s military seized power in a coup, detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of the ruling party.
