Coalition picks spend over surplus

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 25-Sep-18

The federal government will release the final Budget figures for 2017-18 on 25 September, which are expected to show that the deficit for the financial year was around $10bn. The government is set to retain its target date of 2019-20 for a return to a surplus, and sources have indicated that an earlier return to surplus is possible but unlikely. The government has announced additional expenditure of $3.8bn over four years since handing down the May 2018 Budget, and around $20bn over the next decade.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Big banks’ systems not ready for open banking: APRA

Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 25-Sep-18

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority chairman Wayne Byres has called on banks to spend more on their IT systems. He says a lack of expenditure on IT has left banks under-prepared for new open banking and credit reporting requirements, while consumer trust in banks will be eroded if their systems continue to suffer from outages. Byres also says it is hard to forecast what impact changes to technology will have on the banking sector.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FINTECH AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

TWU wants for-profit pirates out of super

Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 25-Sep-18

The Transport Workers’ Union’s national secretary Michael Kaine contends that banks and for-profit funds should be removed from the superannuation system. His views are a little more drastic than those of Industry Super Australia CEO Bernie Dean, who does not think that funds owned by banks should be barred from operating in the super system, despite evidence presented about them to the banking royal commission. Kaine is disappointed that ISA, which is a lobby group for industry super funds, has suspended its anti-bank "fox in the henhouse" advertising campaign.

CORPORATES
TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Michelle Guthrie sacked from ABC managing director role halfway through term

Original article by
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 25-Sep-18

ABC chairman Justin Milne says the leadership style of MD Michelle Guthrie contributed to the ABC board’s decision to sack her after less than three years in the role. Milne has stressed that the public broadcaster was not subject to any pressure from federal politicians to remove Guthrie, while Liberal Senator Eric Abetz says the ABC’s board should explain the reasons for her dismissal. The ABC will consider both internal and external candidates to replace Guthrie; the director of entertainment and specialist content, David Anderson, will become acting MD until a successor is appointed. Guthrie has indicated that she is considering her legal options.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SKY PLC, STAR TV

ME boss tips two years of house price weakness

Original article by James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 25-Sep-18

ME Bank has reported a statutory net profit of $89.1m, which is 43.9 per cent higher than previously, while its underlying earnings rose 13 per cent to $96.5m. CEO Jamie McPhee does not expect a significant fall in house prices, although he says prices are likely to ease slightly over the next two years. McPhee adds that the revelations of the banking royal commission do not appear to have had much impact on ME Bank’s customer numbers and deposit inflows.

CORPORATES
ME BANK, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY

Coronado tips coal prices above $US170

Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 16 : 25-Sep-18

Coronado Global Resources will have a market capitalisation of more than $4bn after its proposed IPO. The company, whose primary listing will be in Australia, proposes to issue 166.5 million CHESS Depositary Interests to local shareholders; its only shareholder Coronado Group will in turn sell more than 123 million CDIs. Coronado Global Resources’ assets include the Curragh coking coal mine in Queensland and several coking coal mines in the US. MD and founder Garold Spindler expects the price of coking coal to remain above $US170 per tonne in the near-term, due to continued strong demand.

CORPORATES
CORONADO GLOBAL RESOURCES INCORPORATED, CORONADO GROUP, ENERGY AND MINERALS GROUP, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, BM ALLIANCE COAL OPERATIONS PTY LTD, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, MMG LIMITED – ASX MMG, VIVA ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX VEA

Entertainment & Sports Sponsorship Gains World-First Audience Technology

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-Sep-18

TEG Analytics and Roy Morgan have announced the launch of Genome Audience Planner, a next-generation sponsorship planning and optimisation platform that provides the fastest and simplest way for advertisers to identify, reach and measure new sponsorship opportunities across the live sport and entertainment sector. The Australian media rights and sponsorship sector is worth more than $4bn. However, as an increasingly significant marketing and media channel, event sponsorship lags behind the audience science of other media. Genome Audience Planner brings together TEG’s extensive audience and live ticketing data of more than 14 million Australians with Roy Morgan Single Source, Australia’s largest and most comprehensive consumer data set for media and channel planning to profile the brand preferences and consumer choices of live audiences across the arts, entertainment and live sports sectors. For the first time the live entertainment sector can now be defined as a measurable "media channel" consistent with other media like television, digital or outdoor, enabling live entertainment to play a role inside a broader advertising strategy. Advertisers will be able to optimise sponsorship budgets across paid, owned and earned media, identify gaps and deepen consumer engagement and shape customer experiences.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, TEG ANALYTICS, TEG PTY LTD

Lynas dives on hostile review fears

Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 28 : 25-Sep-18

Media reports in Malaysia have suggested that a mooted government review of Lynas Corporation’s rare earths processing plant in the province of Kuantan may be headed by a politician who has been a critic of the miner in the past. Lynas has advised that the Malaysian Government has yet to confirm that it will undertake a review of the refinery, but this has been widely anticipated since the election of the nation’s new coalition government. Shares in Lynas closed 18 per cent lower on 24 September.

CORPORATES
LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC

South32 has part victory in Colombia

Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 25-Sep-18

Colombia’s Constitutional Court has partially overturned a ruling against diversified miner South32 regarding its Cerro Matoso nickel mine. The court had ruled in March that South32 must compensate indigenous communities that had experienced adverse health effects due to waste from the mine and provide ongoing health care to these communities. The court has struck out the compensation order following an appeal, although South32 must still comply with some elements of the original judgment.

CORPORATES
SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, CONSTITUTIONAL COURT (COLOMBIA)

Long-term deals key to iron-clad alliance

Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 20 : 24-Sep-18

BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metal Group were among the Australian iron ore companies that were represented at the recent China International Steel & Raw Materials Conference. Australia currently supplies 62 per cent of China’s seaborne iron ore, with iron ore being Australia’s biggest export to China. Businesses involved in commerce between Australia and China are hopeful that the relationship between the two countries, which has been somewhat strained in recent times, will improve under new Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, VALE SA, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET