True cost of Endeavour spin-off revealed
The cost of separating Endeavour Group from Woolworths, which spun out its holdings in a string of liquor stores and pubs, could be as high as $570 million, internal documents show. The Fin
Teals to demand laws on truth in advertising in a hung parliament
Anthony Albanese will face demands from teal independents for tougher truth in advertising laws in the event of a hung parliament after this year’s election, as a new right-wing group targets the crossbench over claims they want to raise taxes. The Fin
Woolies, Coles top brands despite court action
Supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles are among Australia’s top five brands despite fighting claims by the consumer watchdog they misled customers and were abusing market share. The Fin
Local focus in $70m cash splash
Federal MPs are preparing to splurge more than $70 million on ultra-local programs before the federal election in a bid to shore up their seats, with social media littered with callouts designed to woo voters with promises of cash. The Fin
Aussie farmers keen to avert trade tariffs
Australian farmers are anxiously watching the opening days of Donald Trump’s second term to see whether he implements promised tariffs on imported food and agricultural goods. The Aus
Probe into ANZ’s interest payments
The corporate watchdog is investigating allegations ANZ incorrectly calculated interest on thousands of customer savings accounts. The Aus
Woodside CEO protestors guilty but unrepentant
Four anti-gas activists behind a controversial attempted protest at the City Beach home of Woodside Energy chief executive Meg O’Neill have pleaded guilty to a string of offences after prosecutors agreed to drop the most serious charge linked to the incident. The Aus
Misinformation warning
Australia’s Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce has urged voters to be wary of misinformation being spread online, while also expressing concern about the threat of foreign interference. The West
Labor’s traffic fix needs Feds to pay half
Premier Roger Cook and Transport Minister Rita Saffioti announced on Tuesday a roads package which included $225 million towards a new interchange for the Balcatta intersection which Main Roads declared WA’s worst for congestion. The West
$110m to transform Fremantle
The derelict Elders Wool Stores in central Fremantle will undergo a $110 million transformation — primarily into housing — in one of the biggest heritage redevelopments in WA. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 5: Families would pay nothing to send their children to state schools and would receive $800 per child payments for out-of-pocket costs, under a Greens plan to make public education free.
Page 7: Australian company directors are not willing to backtrack on gender diversity and inclusion policies but are bracing for a growing employee and customer-led pushback against progressive workplace initiatives.
Page 13: A decade-high production result at its Escondida mine in Chile has lifted BHP’s copper output, as the electrification era translates to improved global demand and stirs consolidation talk.
Page 13: Santos has put plans for a $3.2 billion oil and gas project in Western Australia on ice as it works on increasing shareholder returns ahead of growth, sending the share price of its minority partner plunging.
Page 14: PwC Australia state managing partner Adam Lai has left the building after more than 18 years to pursue bigger and better things.
Page 15: Wesfarmers’ hopes of expanding home-grown online marketplace Catch have ended with the retail giant conceding it cannot compete with major international rivals such as Amazon and Temu.
Page 15: Liontown Resources earned around $US20 for every tonne of lithium mined at its West Australian project in the December quarter, defying a sharp slump in global lithium prices by staying in the black.
Page 15: BKI Investment’s earnings fell year-on-year as high expenses and interest rates weighed on the ASX-listed trust.
Page 21: Income investors are banking on the strong start for the iron ore price in 2025 to bolster returns from the ASX’s mining giants amid an otherwise lacklustre outlook for shareholder payouts this year.
Page 22: The Australian sharemarket closed at its highest level in six weeks yesterday despite a sharp sell-off earlier in the session spurred by US President Donald Trump mulling tariffs on major trade partners.
The Australian
Page 8: The nation’s “greenest” super fund, run by the $140bn megafund UniSuper, is also one of the country’s worst performers for 2024, clocking up a negative return for the third year in a row – and it may only get worse from here.
Page 13: A red tape razor gang, a review of the tax system and an economic growth agenda should all be top priorities for the next federal government to drag Australia out of its “economic malaise”, according to the Financial Services Council.
Page 13: Gina Rinehart says incoming US President Donald Trump has started a great “non-left, non-woke” movement, and has flagged investing billions of dollars in America.
Page 13: Australia’s trade relationship with the US is likely to result in minimal impact or inflationary pressures as a result of President Donald Trump’s policies, says EY Oceania chief executive David Larocca, as bosses become more optimistic about 2025.
Page 14: The Finance Sector Union wants government action to stop bank branch closures, highlighting the sector’s ongoing departure from various communities.
Page 14: Scammers are increasingly looking beyond the savings accounts of individual victims and instead targeting their employers, investing months at a time to develop elaborate schemes that are costing businesses as much as $US2.9bn ($4.65bn) per year.
Page 15: Regional towns are fast becoming Australia’s business hotspots as affordable housing and lifestyle factors push business investment growth about those of capital cities with companies looking to tap into the growing labour market, according to Westpac.
The West Australian
Page 16: Liberal leader Libby Mettam will be offered a car and taxpayer-funded driver for the upcoming election campaign and is due to meet WA Police after senior party figures raised concerns for her safety.
Page 16: Red tape on wildlife rescue volunteers will be slashed under a State election promise from the Liberals.
Page 37: The battle over an ill-fated investment into Perth Glory is headed back to court, with a local businessman chasing Tony Sage for $900,000.
Page 39: Grain king John Nicoletti says he would rather farm than go fishing or play bowls in his “old” age after being revealed as a major buyer of WA’s biggest farm aggregation.
Page 39: Australian telecommunication providers who are caught breaching industry codes will no longer be warned before being slapped with new multimillion-dollar fines.
Page 40: HSBC is studying options for its consumer banking business in Australia including a potential sale as the bank looks to further slim down its operations.
Page 40: Northern Star Resources boss Stuart Tonkin won’t bite on how De Grey Mining and the giant Hemi deposit — priced at $5 billion — will be woven into the super pit miner’s growing operations.
Page 41: Australia’s fifth largest lender has announced it is dropping its one-to-three-year fixed mortgage rates by up to 0.16 per cent just weeks before the Reserve Bank of Australia makes an official move on Australia’s cash rate.
Page 44: Plans for the 28 Lyall Street high-rise apartment tower in South Perth, scrapped amid the challenges of the post-COVID era, have been resurrected.
