China claims Woodside withheld gas
Woodside Petroleum and its partners have been accused of holding back natural gas shipments to China as a negotiating tactic to raise the price of a contract guaranteeing 25 years of cheap energy. The Fin
Boom times for West’s grain farmers
Cashed-up Western Australian farmers are paying down debt and splashing on expensive machinery following two bumper grain harvests that have boosted confidence. The Fin
Traffic snarls ahead but Gateway WA on target
Motorists face more major disruptions from tomorrow as construction of the $1 billion Gateway WA — the State’s biggest and most expensive road project — marches towards a new mid-2016 completion date. The West
OZ Minerals looks to spend cash war chest
OZ Minerals’ strategic holdings in companies such as Sandfire Resources, Toro Energy and Minotaur Exploration could finally be offloaded after the new boss of the copper and gold miner announced a major review of all aspects of the company. The Fin
Cashed-up nickel miners jostle to grab growth options
Panoramic Resources managing director Peter Harold says he expects an increase in mergers and acquisitions in the nickel sector this year as cashed-up miners take advantage of market conditions. The Fin
Trade backs ALP call on liquor laws
The WA hospitality industry has enthusiastically backed a Mark McGowan proposal to further reform WA’s liquor laws, which he pitched as an attempt to create more jobs in the wake of the mining slowdown. The West
US deal sparks $10m Yowie raising
The WA company which owns the Yowie chocolates brand is looking to raise $10 million after winning a 1500-store distribution deal with US retail giant Walmart. The West
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: Woodside Petroleum and its partners have been accused of holding back natural gas shipments to China as a negotiating tactic to raise the price of a contract guaranteeing 25 years of cheap energy.
The chances of an interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank of Australia, potentially as early as Tuesday, have intensified following the weakest domestic inflation since the 1990s recession.
Page 3: Cashed-up Western Australian farmers are paying down debt and splashing on expensive machinery following two bumper grain harvests that have boosted confidence.
Page 4: The government is prepared to cut its losses over plans to deregulate university fees and slash funding by dropping the proposals within two months if they are once more rejected by the Senate.
Page 13: Bradken managing director Brian Hodges has blamed banks’ unwillingness to take risks on the struggling mining sector for the collapse of takeover talks between the mining services group and private equity firms Pacific Equity Partners and Bain Capital.
The largest shareholder in ailing education firm Vocation has warned against a “fire sale” of assets as parts of the company are put up for sale and said the board squandered an opportunity for a more timely restructuring by not removing chief executive Mark Hutchinson last year.
Page 15: OZ Minerals’ strategic holdings in companies such as Sandfire Resources, Toro Energy and Minotaur Exploration could finally be offloaded after the new boss of the copper and gold miner announced a major review of all aspects of the company.
As iron ore prices descend towards $US60 a tonne, Australia’s biggest investors are starting to re-examine the aggressive expansion strategies being run by the iron ore majors.
Page 18: Mount Gibson Iron has joined a string of iron ore companies issuing writedowns, citing the flooding of its Western Australian Koolan Island mine as the key driver behind the potential $950 million hit.
Page 19: Japan’s Inpex Corporation has insisted the economics of its $US34 billion ($42.5 billion) Ichthys liquefied natural gas project in northern Australia still stand up under the current depressed oil price, while noting it has stepped up efforts to find “efficiencies” within its operations.
Panoramic Resources managing director Peter Harold says he expects an increase in mergers and acquisitions in the nickel sector this year as cashed-up miners take advantage of market conditions.
Page 22: The Australian sharemarket shook off a sluggish start to post a small gain on Wednesday, once again led by the big banks and Telstra, while investors turned their attention to the US Federal Reserve meeting overnight.
The Australian
Page 1: The chair of Tony Abbott’s commission of audit, Tony Shepherd, has urged the government to “explain the case” for any cuts to penalty rates and the minimum wage, and called on business to be more vocal in advocating for workplace policy change.
Page 2: Tony Abbott and his senior supporters have dug in behind his chief of staff Peta Credlin after the Prime Minister was left politically isolated and publicly ridiculed for appointing Prince Philip a knight of Australia.
Page 3: Mortgage holders may have to wait for a further, record breaking interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank after a new report showed consumer prices rose faster than expected in the lead up to Christmas, making it harder to justify a rate cut.
Page 5: Asylum boats have been intercepted and stopped from reaching Australia, including in just the past few weeks, as the High Court yesterday upheld the government’s legal authority to detain refugees at sea.
Uncertain economic times could affect Australian companies’ inclination to promote more senior women, warns Diane Smith-Gander, the new president of Chief Executive Women.
Page 18: Kerry Stokes’s WesTrac mining and contracting machinery business could again impact Seven Group Holdings’ earnings after US giant Caterpillar reported a 25 per cent plunge in its fourth-quarter profit.
Page 20: Domestic insurance premiums in Australia look set to grow by less than inflation in 2015, moving up by only 1 per cent, according to a survey by JP Morgan and consulting actuary Taylor Fry.
The West Australian
Page 3: Australian researchers believe they may have found a cure for potentially fatal peanut allergies in children.
Page 6: Tony Abbott has promised to be more consultative as he scrambles to defuse growing anger inside the coalition over his performance.
Domestic violence orders would be enforceable across State borders under a plan to tackle the scourge nationally.
Federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne has set a deadline of late March to wrangle changes to universities through Parliament but threatened to abandon the package if senators gut his proposals.
Page 9: Motorists face more major disruptions from tomorrow as construction of the $1 billion Gateway WA — the State’s biggest and most expensive road project — marches towards a new mid-2016 completion date.
Page 15: Despite an average 10¢ a litre increase in petrol prices across the metropolitan area today, seven sites will charge just 99.1¢ a litre — the lowest petrol price in Perth since January 14, 2009.
Page 16: The WA hospitality industry has enthusiastically backed a Mark McGowan proposal to further reform WA’s liquor laws, which he pitched as an attempt to create more jobs in the wake of the mining slowdown.
Business: Australian Federal Police officers yesterday raided the home and offices of one of WA’s richest men amid a joint investigation with the tax office.
The WA company which owns the Yowie chocolates brand is looking to raise $10 million after winning a 1500-store distribution deal with US retail giant Walmart.
An investor group which includes two directors of Resource Equipment (REL) has yet to sell into a Texan billionaire’s $115 million play for the mining services firm despite the board unanimously urging other shareholders to accept the offer.
Independence Group has flagged a $21.6 million after-tax profit in the December quarter as it beat cost and production guidance at all of its WA mines.