Coalition to lean on ‘woke’ banks
A Coalition government would lean on banks to lend to creditworthy businesses in fossil fuels, forestry and agriculture after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton attacked “woke” bankers for rejecting loans on environmental grounds. The Fin
CBA urges RBA to scrap card surcharges
Commonwealth Bank has urged the Reserve Bank to scrap surcharges on both debit and credit card payments amid mounting consumer anger over the ubiquitous practice. The Fin
Wylie tells Telstra to sell off NBN income
Fund manager and Telstra shareholder John Wylie is urging the telco giant to package up cash payments it receives from NBN Co and sell them off to financial investors, saying some financial engineering could add 80c to the company’s stock price. The Fin
Workers push back against DEI programs
Employee resistance to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is rising in Australia as companies struggle to explain the rationale for them and the re-election of Donald Trump emboldens critics. The Fin
Delay on carbon emissions targets to hamstring Labor
The climate change agency tasked with setting Labor’s 2035 emissions reduction targets is yet to appoint an expert panel, ensuring the Albanese government will head to the polls without one of the key details of its energy strategy. The Aus
Jobs rise casts cloud over rate cut
Labor can deliver low inflation and near-record low unemployment at the same time, Jim Chalmers has declared, even as economists said new jobs data meant the Reserve Bank was in no rush to cut interest rates in February. The Aus
Rio facing WA iron ore headaches
Rio Tinto faces more challenges with the West Australian iron ore mines that provide the lion’s share of group earnings, as it continues to ship higher volumes of lower-grade material to steelmakers in China. The Aus
Cook logs 7324km on campaign trail
Premier Roger Cook has clocked 7324km of travel in the first two weeks of the year as he works to secure votes in his first campaign as Labor leader. The West
Labor adds more women in Cabinet shake-up
There will be 11 women of 23 ministers in Labor’s Cabinet once the new appointments get rubber stamped by the Governor- General. The West
Harvey blast at online ‘pariahs’
Harvey Norman chair Gerry Harvey has proposed a government inquiry into ultra-cheap Chinese online retailers Shein and Temu, calling them “pariahs” that don’t pay taxes or employ local people. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 3: Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth will take on responsibility for the National Disability Insurance Scheme when Bill Shorten quits politics next week, and Aged Care Minister Anika Wells will take his spot in cabinet.
Page 6: Cost blowout and construction delays pose huge challenges for what should be a new era for nuclear energy to provide secure and clean power, the International Energy Agency says.
Page 13: The market for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) failed to match the broader rally in crypto assets last year, with new figures showing the digital collectables recorded their worst year for trading volume and sales since 2020.
Page 13: West Australian natural gas provider Strike Energy has lost its long-standing chief executive Stuart Nicholls with the board also announcing a strategy review to address what it regards as the undervaluation of the stock in the online market.
Page 18: The Australian sharemarket jumped yesterday, buoyed by a favourable US inflation report that eased concerns that the world’s largest economy may be forced to raise interest rates again.
Page 19: Sigma Healthcare’s $30 billion merger with Chemist Warehouse could shake up the ASX, as it will reduce the weighting of other blue-chip giants that have long dominated the Australian sharemarket.
Page 21: Less than 30 per cent of office buildings nationally meet the energy standard required by federal government and the country’s largest companies when they sign new leases, putting landlords of higher carbon emitting assets at risk of losing tenants and investors, experts warn.
The Australian
Page 7: Virgin Australia has lost its appeal against a Fair Work Commission ruling that a cabin crew member was unfairly dismissed for drinking a glass of prosecco 7.5 hours before his shift.
Page 13: The dollar’s recent decline has turned Australia into a “treasure island” for offshore dealmakers, says Geoff Wilson.
Page 13: Australian Securities & Investments Commission poached veteran public servant Scott Gregson as its new chief executive, the latest in a string of changes at the agency.
Page 14: Small and mid-cap-focused listed investment company Mirrabooka Investments has notched up an 11.5 per cent return for the six months through to December 31, bringing its return for calendar 2024 to 18 per cent.
Page 15: The Financial Advice Association Australia has slammed the Albanese government for having not undertaken enough consultation over its Compensation Scheme of Last Resort (CSLR), which slugged financial advisors more than $130m.
The West Australian
Page 18: Bentley Health Service told staff last Friday it would be closing Ward 2K, a 16-bed voluntary patient ward, after reaching “crisis point” with the dire number of psychiatrists available at both BHS and Royal Perth Hospital.
Page 48: State Government-owned electricity retailer Synergy is hunting for a new boss after revealing chief executive David Fyfe will leave in April.
Page 48: Treasurer Rita Saffioti has declared WA’s jobs market “quite extraordinary” after the State posted numbers that were again the envy of the nation.
Page 50: Perth Airport is trading in rarefied air and tracking towards handling 20 million passengers a year by the end of the decade after a surge in international visitors sent it well clear of pre-pandemic traffic in 2024.
Page 50: WA’s largest farm aggregation — estimated to be worth $200 million and covering more than one-tenth the size of the Perth metropolitan area — has been sold to a group of Wheatbelt farmers.
Page 51: Shares in Raleigh Finlayson-led Genesis Minerals were boosted by another record quarter building the new miner’s cash reserves ahead of a $125 million spend to crank up production.
