Billionaire fronts $8b bid to buy and shut AGL coal
Australian software billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and Canada’s Brookfield have made an $8 billion bid for Australia’s power giant AGL Energy, and promised to invest up to another $10 billion to replace its coal-fired power stations by 2030.y The Fin
Morrison-Joyce switch to nation-building
The Coalition is sharpening up its economic pitch to rural and marginal seat voters with a $678 million plan to fully seal the 2720-kilometre Outback Way linking critical minerals-rich central Australia to Queensland and Western Australia, as well as support for forestry workers in Tasmania and other politically contested regions. The Fin
Train line to shut for 18 months as part of Metronet upgrades
Most of the Armadale train line will be shut for up to 18 months from the start of next year as part of major Metronet upgrades. The West
Sex abuse silence ‘disgrace’
WA’s Department of Mines will decide within weeks whether top resources companies will be prosecuted for failure to report workplace sexual assault and harassment. The West
High-stakes bout as Citic tackles Palmer in court
Clive Palmer's latest legal fight with his estranged Chinese business partners will begin in Western Australia's Supreme Court on Monday, with Chinese conglomerate Citic seeking the intervention of the courts to ensure its $20bn Sino Iron mine in the Pilbara can continue. The Aus
Hostplus members to cough up for rainy-day reserve
Hostplus will slug its members with a new monthly fee from March 31 as the fund looks to build a $54 million rainy-day reserve to pay fines levied against its directors. The Fin
Subsidised in-home childcare push for essential workers
Employers have called for taxpayer-subsidised in-home child care to be made available to workers in essential services and business supply chains under a pre-election pitch to the major parties lo lift workforce participation as the economy emerges from the pandemic. The Aus
A bridge too FAR: oil explorer faces investor backlash
West African oil and gas explorer FAR Limited faces a major shareholder backlash and demands from activist investors to immediately stop operations and wind down after an alleged "decade of maladministration". The Aus
Crypto may do well in ‘winter’
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain, says the digital-asset universe may actually benefit from the current retreat in coin prices that’s cast a chill on investors and is being referred to as another crypto winter. The West
Govt fires up critical worker system
Eligible WA employers are being urged to register “critical” workers so they can continue working in the event they are needed when COVID-19 cases go through the roof. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: Australian software billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and Canada’s Brookfield have made an $8 billion bid for Australia’s power giant AGL Energy, and promised to invest up to another $10 billion to replace its coal-fired power stations by 2030.
The Coalition is sharpening up its economic pitch to rural and marginal seat voters with a $678 million plan to fully seal the 2720-kilometre Outback Way linking critical minerals-rich central Australia to Queensland and Western Australia, as well as support for forestry workers in Tasmania and other politically contested regions.
Page 2: Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese have both slammed Beijing over the ‘‘lasering’’ of a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft last week by a Chinese warship in the Arafura Sea.
Page 5: Hostplus will slug its members with a new monthly fee from March 31 as the fund looks to build a $54 million rainy-day reserve to pay fines levied against its directors.
Page 7: The flow of international students back into Australia is being hampered by insufficient seats on flights, so universities, companies and state governments are working together on creative solutions.
Page 8: The CFMEU is preparing to launch backpay claims that it estimates could total $60 million for hundreds of construction workers wrongly labelled independent contractors.
Page 12: A European Union crackdown on Beijing’s unfair subsidies to Chinese companies could catch Australian businesses and investors in the crossfire, businesses warn.
Page 14: Shares are set for a 0.71 per cent fall this morning as a risk asset sell-off gathers pace ahead of what is expected to be another chaotic week for markets driven by newswire feeds about Russian plans to invade Ukraine and occupy its capital Kyiv.
Page 15: The big supermarkets and Rio Tinto are expected to deliver bumper results this week as supply chain woes and soaring inflation have failed to put a dent in corporate earnings so far this season.
Page 17: Westpac Banking Corp has moved to counter Square’s momentum in the small business payment device market, updating its fleet and turning to opensource software that will allow it to create credit products at the point of sale.
The Australian
Page 1: Australia will provide Ukrainian forces with emergency cybersecurity training to ward off attacks from Russia, as Scott Morrison vowed to work with international partners to punish Vladimir Putin if there was an “unprovoked” invasion.
Page 4: Coal exports from NSW to India have nearly doubled in the past year, filling the void from a collapse in demand from China because of trade sanctions.
Clive Palmer's latest legal fight with his estranged Chinese business partners will begin in Western Australia's Supreme Court on Monday, with Chinese conglomerate Citic seeking the intervention of the courts to ensure its $20bn Sino Iron mine in the Pilbara can continue.
Delaying the nation's path to netzero will leave the economy smaller and with fewer Australians in jobs, according to a new CSIRO report which reveals the most emissions-heavy industries such as coal mining and agriculture have the most to lose if they postpone action.
Page 5: Employers have called for taxpayer-subsidised in-home child care to be made available to workers in essential services and business supply chains under a pre-election pitch to the major parties lo lift workforce participation as the economy emerges from the pandemic.
Page 7: Students will struggle to catch up academically once the pandemic ends, as more children shun school, teachers have warned in a new survey.
Page 8: The family behind the pharmaceutical maker of OxyContin has offered to pay up to $US6bn ($8.3bn) to victims of the US opioid crisis to settle an avalanche of litigation.
Page 9: Boris Johnson has predicted a “generation of bloodshed and misery” as intelligence chiefs warned that Vladimir Putin’s plan to seize control of Ukraine had begun.
Page 13: West African oil and gas explorer FAR Limited faces a major shareholder backlash and demands from activist investors to immediately stop operations and wind down after an alleged "decade of maladministration".
Page 14: Alinta Energy is believed to be considering options for a sale of part or all of the business, five years after its Hong Kong owners purchased the electricity generator and retailer for $4bn.
Page 19: Nine boss Mike Sneesby is expect-ed to face a renewed grilling this week over the media company’s heavy investment in Stan, in the wake of the streaming service’s soft audience growth since he be-came CEO almost a year ago.
The West Australian
Page 3: Most of the Armadale train line will be shut for up to 18 months from the start of next year as part of major Metronet upgrades.
Page 5: International tourists will be required to present “certified” English translations of their vaccination certificates alongside their passports for entry to WA venues — or visit a pharmacy or GP once they arrive to have their status recorded on the national register.
WA officially relinquishes its long-held status as the “freest and most open State in Australia” on Monday as restrictions slam into place at the same time the rest of the nation reopens to international tourists.
Page 14: WA’s Department of Mines will decide within weeks whether top resources companies will be prosecuted for failure to report workplace sexual assault and harassment.
Page 16: Millions of people living with the chronic pain of Parkinson’s disease and fibromyalgia could soon be using a handheld laser device to ease their suffering.
Page 17: More bag-limit cuts for prized species such as dhufish and pink snapper will twist the knife into a WA fishing industry already reeling from the impact of the pandemic, according to veteran fisherman Allan Bevan.
Business: Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain, says the digital-asset universe may actually benefit from the current retreat in coin prices that’s cast a chill on investors and is being referred to as another crypto winter.
Eligible WA employers are being urged to register “critical” workers so they can continue working in the event they are needed when COVID-19 cases go through the roof.
