NBN to roll out to homes until audit by new board: Turnbull
Updated | Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has told NBN Co to continue rolling out fibre-to-the-home technology to homes and businesses under $6 billion worth of existing construction contracts, as it transitions to a slimmed down version of the national broadband network.
MacGen inquiry troubles bidders
The uncovering of alleged irregularities in employment contracts of senior executives at Macquarie Generation risks deterring some potential bidders from participating in the sale process for the $2 billion NSW power producer, according to sources.
ASX weighed down by banks, miners
The Australian sharemarket lost ground amid concerns about discussions in the United States in regards to that country’s public debt, which saw global equity markets decline.
Perpetual gets Hockey’s OK to buy Trust Co
Wealth behemoth Perpetual has been given the green light by Treasurer Joe Hockey to buy financial services group The Trust Company in a $247 million deal.
Strong $A challenges earnings hopes
A stronger Australian dollar looks set to challenge hopes of a boost to corporate earnings growth this year in light of the US Federal Reserve’s decision to maintain its $US85 billion a month bond-buying program.
Sales figures show Australian appetite for mobile gadgets on the slide
A leading technology research firm has suggested Australians’ love of mobile devices could be on the wane after quarterly sales figures showed a second consecutive decline in notebook, mobile phone and tablet sales growth for the first time.
Don’t just cut public service, change it: BCG chief
Boston Consulting Group global chief executive Rich Lesser says the Abbott government needs to change the way the public service works, not just reduce costs, as it establishes a commission of audit.
Maules Creek injunction filed against Whitehaven
Updated | Whitehaven Coal may be prevented from starting work on its Maules Creek mine for weeks after the protest group it is already embroiled in a separate legal battle with, filed another injunction application.
Shorten, Albanese on same footing against Abbott
A new poll shows Labor leadership rivals Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten rating equally when it comes to a match-up with Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Deloitte’s global boss hunts for businesses to buy
Deloitte global chief executive Barry Salzberg has promised a spending spree in the next 12 months, as the major accounting firms increasingly diversify their consulting businesses via acqusitions.
Women led up a career path to nowhere
Training that helps women get ahead in the workforce is a low-level goal for human resources executives, according to a new survey by the Australian Institute of Management.
The hidden heart attack you never knew you had
The figures look worrying. Could it be that one in 11 patients having a major operation in hospital will have a small hidden heart attack as a result of it?
Why we should worry that half of the Young Rich List will be overseas by 2016
This year 30 of the 100 Young Rich list members are based in foreign countries – a number set to grow. Should we care? You bet.
Citigroup preparing Australian Pub Fund float
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Citigroup is understood to be working with the millionaire backers of the Geoff Dixon-chaired Australian Pub Fund on a sharemarket listing later this year.
Perth leads national rental vacancy rise
Perth’s rental vacancies rose to 1.6 per cent in the past year as fewer mining workers sought accommodation in line with an easing of the commodities boom.
Nouriel Roubini: it’s time to buy equities
Investors should focus on equities as tapering of quantitative easing in the US is bad news for bonds and commodities, says NYU’s Nouriel Roubini.
Start-ups find new funding sources
Compared with the United States, new businesses in Australia face challenges finding investors. Seed accelerators are helping out.
Bo Xilai’s appeal has little chance in China
Former senior Chinese politician Bo Xilai will appeal his conviction and life sentence for corruption, adding further drama to the high-profile case.
Google finds Gmail fix that slowed emails
Updated | Google says Gmail is running back up to speed after it resolved the problem that caused its email platform to perform at a delay for nearly 12 hours on Tuesday.
Swiss village tax protest over Glencore Xstrata
Around 3500 Swiss villagers are donating tax paid by Glencore Xstrata boss Ivan Glasenberg to charity as they protest the mining giant’s business practices.
Step away from the phone, try a Kindle
Go on, admit it – your smartphone is an addiction. Find your inner strength, and your inner self – again. Don’t bring it to the dinner table.
‘Preposterous’ ispONE sale causes anger
Bidders and interested parties are upset at the ispONE sale process, saying that not enough information was provided before the sale of the telco.
Murdochs begin $11.6m overhaul of Bellevue Hill mansion
Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch bought Le Manoir in 2009 and, after a round of development applications and brief brush with the court of appeal, are starting on its $11.6 million upgrade.
The ‘S’ is for scanner on iPhone 5s or scammer?
Can something be too effective for its own good? Apple has set itself a new benchmark for excellence with its new fingerprint scanner, but could that be its weakness, too?
National
Shorten, Albanese on same footing against Abbott
A new poll shows Labor leadership rivals Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten rating equally when it comes to a match-up with Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
- NBN to roll out to homes until audit by new board: Turnbull
- ACCI chief Anderson to leave in January
- Don’t just cut public service, change it: BCG chief
- Bishop keen to clinch flagging free trade deals
- IMF turns spotlight on Australia’s housing market
- Big companies fight ‘complex, costly’ lease accounting plan
- Climate Commission relaunch ‘proves our point’: Hunt
- Shorten promises to fight ABCC restoration
- Deloitte’s global boss hunts for businesses to buy
Banks, insurers still have gender pay gap
The finance industry has a long way to go in addressing female representation in management roles and the large gender pay gap in banking and insurance.
Opinion
ASX holds nerve in positive run
The Australian sharemarket could fall 2 per cent over the next five trading sessions and would still post its best quarter in three years.
Back to the future for TWE as CEO Dearie departs
The board at TWE found themselves sacking a chief executive over the weekend, but by Monday recommitting to a long-embedded and value-destructive strategy that has once again proven beyond an executive’s ken to manage.
Contractors just want to get on
Editorial | The Abbott government’s decision to direct the Australian Taxation Office and other government agencies, notably the Fair Work Commission agencies, to reverse a concerted attack on contractors is a welcome recognition of the need for businesses to run a flexible workforce.
World
Kenya troops have mall 'under control'
Kenyan troops are "in control" of Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall, the Kenyan interior ministry and all the hostages trapped by Islamist gunmen believed to have been freed.
- JPMorgan’s legal hurdles seen multiplying
- Bo Xilai’s appeal has little chance in China
- Chrysler files for IPO as union trust cashes out
- Brazil banks grab market share from Deutsche, Goldman
- Delta, Virgin get OK to begin joint venture
- IATA forecasts 0.5pc dip in airline passenger yields
- BlackBerry backs $4.7bn buyout
- Defensive Fed says fiscal uncertainties ‘loom very large’
- Gitmo hunger strike largely over, US says
How flight attendants are becoming food retailers
The main responsibility of flight attendants is safety. But in recent years, airlines have been adding a lot more duties to the flight attendant’s job, including increased responsibilities for selling things in the aisles, among them food.
Business
Perpetual gets Hockey’s OK to buy Trust Co
Wealth behemoth Perpetual has been given the green light by Treasurer Joe Hockey to buy financial services group The Trust Company in a $247 million deal.
- Nufarm investors to focus on distribution loss
- Kathmandu eyes 10pc online sales by 2016
- Maules Creek injunction filed against Whitehaven
- RESIMAC to take RHG’s Pepper bid to Takeovers Panel
- Fortescue takes over ore processing at WA mine
- Jetstar gets approval to coordinate Asian feeder lines
- Telstra ‘moving on’ from NBN board changes: Thodey
- Alacer Gold sells Australian assets for $40m
- S&P; assigns BB- rating to Boart Longyear notes
Transurban lifts game on pay but are directors stretched?
Executive pay gets most attention at AGMs but proxy advisers are on the look-out for other issues, including the board member independence and whether directors sitting on multiple boards are stretched too thin.
Technology
NBN to roll out to homes until audit by new board: Turnbull
Updated | Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has told NBN Co to continue rolling out fibre-to-the-home technology to homes and businesses under $6 billion worth of existing construction contracts, as it transitions to a slimmed down version of the national broadband network.
- Thodey ‘faults’ Kogan in ispONE collapse
- Microsoft revamps Surface tablets to challenge iPad
- Telstra ‘moving on’ from NBN board changes: Thodey
- US judge weighs Google book copyright case
- Google finds Gmail fix that slowed emails
- Turnbull’s NBN purge
- Business joins ASIO at cyber security HQ
- BlackBerry backs $4.7bn buyout
- Apple smashes iPhone expectations with 9m sold
The ‘S’ is for scanner on iPhone 5s or scammer?
Can something be too effective for its own good? Apple has set itself a new benchmark for excellence with its new fingerprint scanner, but could that be its weakness, too?
Markets
ASX weighed down by banks, miners
The Australian sharemarket lost ground amid concerns about discussions in the United States in regards to that country’s public debt, which saw global equity markets decline.
- Reverse repos not a “precursor” to change in Fed policy
- $A holds above US94¢ as US bond yields plunge
- Better than BHP
- $A lower with chance of tapering soon increasing
- IPO pipeline puts spotlight on financials
- Financial advice’s future is boutique: McDonald
- IMF turns spotlight on Australia’s housing market
- ASX holds nerve in positive run
Nouriel Roubini: it’s time to buy equities
Investors should focus on equities as tapering of quantitative easing in the US is bad news for bonds and commodities, says NYU’s Nouriel Roubini.
Personal finance
Sydney clearance rate hits 88.4 per cent
Sydney’s housing market is poised for a recovery that will continue well into 2014, real estate mogul John McGrath says.
- Fringe tenants seek out CBD space
- Greater consumer protection promised from new home building regulations
- OzForex aims for October 11 ASX debut
- ATO told to end ‘attack’ on self-employed
- Low rates lead banks to increase home loan ‘buffers’
- Banks lure customers with cash incentives
- Global reinsurers return to take on risk
- US decision on tapering good news for A-REITs
- New fund lets investors own a piece of aircraft
Awards set SMSF provider benchmarks
The recent announcement of the CoreData Self Managed Superannuation Fund Service Provider awards came on the back of a big couple of weeks in the SMSF sector with both the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Reserve Bank board turning their eyes on the industry.
Lifestyle
Sydney shows new form in racing’s interstate stakes
Randwick's new $150 million grandstand shows Sydney is serious about becoming the centre of thoroughbred racing.
Tree-top hideaways in the New Forest
Chewton Glen, a top British country house hotel, has branched out with a dozen, totally indulgent tree houses.
Ferrari 458 Spider | Convertible without compromise
The Spider is still beautiful, fast and breathtaking to drive and most importantly, the styling has been preserved.
Rise to the 7 Peaks Alpine Ascent Challenge
Enjoy the thrills and chills of seven peaks in Victoria’s high country.
Latest TV
Turnbull’s NBN vision
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has stamped his authority on the NBN, announcing his first statement of expectations. More AFR TV
Chanticleer | TWE sours on CEO
Treasury Wine Estates has dumped its CEO David Dearie, confirming a new shareholder impatience towards executives. More AFR TV
Challenge to fill NBN board void
Pre-emptive move by the NBN board opens options for Minister Malcolm Turnbull with Telstra tipped to be a big winner. More AFR TV
BlueScope’s anti-dumping boost
BlueScope Steel has long campaigned for a crackdown on anti-dumping, but the ACCC is concerned it may now have too much market power. More AFR TV
