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‘Serious misconduct’: Kyle taken off air

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Original article by Steve Jackson, Stephen Rice, Samina Rahkshani
The Australian – Page: 7 : 4-Mar-26

ARN Media has suspended controversial broadcaster Kyle Sandilands after KIIS FM co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson advised that she cannot continue to work with him. The popular Kyle and Jackie O show has been put on hold for two weeks, and most of its production staff have been told not to come into the studio today. The breakfast duo fell out after an on-air dispute in late February, and ARN has told Sandilands that his behaviour was an "act of serious misconduct" that breached of his service agreement; he has been given 14 days to remedy the breach or have his contract terminated.

CORPORATES
ARN MEDIA LIMITED – ASX A1N, KIIS1065

News Corp CEO predicts record 2026 profit

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 4-Mar-26

News Corporation’s CEO Robert Thomson says the global media group posted record profits in the last financial year and is on track to do the same again this year. He notes that News Corp has also recorded year-on-year earnings growth for 11 consecutive quarters. Thomson also says that News Corp is now essentially an ‘input’ company for artificial intelligence platforms, while the media group will become a ‘launch partner’ for OpenAI when it begins to sell advertisements via its ChatGPT platform. News Corp is keen to establish more partnerships in the sector, but Thomson says it will pursue legal action for unauthorised use of its content by AI platforms.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, OPENAI INCORPORATED

Rio Tinto fights shareholder over NT uranium site

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 4-Mar-26

Zentree Investments is the second-largest shareholder in Energy Resources of Australia. It contends that Rio Tinto’s takeover offer for ERA of $0.02 per share undervalues the former uranium miner, which ceased production at the Ranger mine in 2021; Zentree estimates that ‘fair value’ would be around $0.3102 per share. Rio Tinto values ERA’s undeveloped Jabiluka uranium deposit at zero because it does not think the traditional owners would allow it be mined; however, Zentree argues that the Mirarr people do not have the right to veto development of Jabiluka, and any future owner of the project would not be bound by ERA’s pledge to not undertake mining without the consent of the Mirrar.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, ENERGY RESOURCES OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX ERA, ZENTREE INVESTMENTS

AI deals a Labor ‘priority’: Nine

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 25-Feb-26

Nine Entertainment Company has posted a 2025-26 interim net profit of $81.4m, which is 42 per cent higher than previously. Group revenue was down four per cent at $1.1bn, while its TV division’s revenue was 14 per cent lower at $508.2m. The Stan streaming video platform’s revenue rose 15 per cent to $282.7m, while the publishing division’s revenue was down two per cent at $262.2m. Meanwhile, CEO Matt Stanton is confident that the federal government will support the media sector’s push to secure increased payments from technology companies for using their content to train AI models.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Queensland private coal miner joins state’s royalties graveyard

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 25-Feb-26

Privately-owned coal miner Vitrinite has been placed in the hands of voluntary administrators from Cor Cordis and receivers from KordaMentha. Vitrinite’s assets include the Vulcan coking coal mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. A spokesperson for KordaMentha says it will shortly begin the process of selling or recapitalising Vitrinite’s assets. Vitrinite’s collapse has put further scrutiny on the Queensland government’s controversial coal royalty regime, which it inherited from the former Labor government and has refused to change.

CORPORATES
VITRINITE PTY LTD, COR CORDIS PTY LTD, KORDA MENTHA AND COLLEAGUES PTY LTD

Coles concedes mistake in discounting item to make it more expensive after a week

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Original article by Elias Visontay
The Age – Page: Online : 18-Feb-26

The Federal Court has been told that consumers understand that grocery prices will change in a high-inflation environment. Coles Group’s lead barrister John Sheahan addressed the court on the second day of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s case against the supermarket giant over alleged ‘sham’ price discounts. He contended that shelf tickets with a ‘was/is’ price are a legitimate sign of "good value today" for a specific product, and that the ‘Down, Down’ campaign was a broader indication that Coles was trying to keep prices low rather than advertising a specific discount. Sheahan also said Coles has acknowledged that one of the products that attracted the ACCC’s scrutiny should not have beeen added to the ‘Down, Down’ promotion only a week after a large price rise.

CORPORATES
COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Lithium boss urges West to instate price floor after landmark deal

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Original article by Mark Wembridge
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 11-Feb-26

PLS Group has secured a two-year offtake agreement with China-based Canmax Technologies for the suppy of spodumene concentrate. PLS will supply Canmax with 150,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate over two years, with an option to extend the deal for a further 12 months. The agreement includes a guaranteed floor price of $US1,000 per tonne, and CEO Dale Henderson has urged Western governments to consider implementing a floor price for lithium, as well as other incentives. The price of six per cent spodumene rose to more than $US2,000 per tonne in early 2026, compared with just $US575 per tonne in mid-2025.

CORPORATES
PLS GROUP LIMITED – ASX PLS, CANMAX TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY LIMITED

UK-owned Foxtel still calls Australia home

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 15 : 11-Feb-26

Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany has emphasised that the pay-TV and streaming group remains focused on producing content for Australian audiences, despite having been sold to UK-based DAZN in 2025. Speaking at Foxtel’s annual showcase on Tuesday night, Delany noted that it is still an Australian-operated company that has a local headquarters and management team, and directly employs more than 1,000 Australian. He added that Foxtel invests more than $1bn in Australian sports every year, as well as $130m in local drama content.

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FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, DAZN

Miner stares down China power grab

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Original article by Colin Packham
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 29-Jan-26

Northern Minerals’ Browns Range heavy rare earths project has emerged as a key element in efforts by Australia and the US to reduce China’s dominance of the sector. However, Northern Minerals is under renewed scrutiny over Chinese influence over its board of directors. Beijing-based Vastness Investment Group has asked Northern Minerals to convene a general meeting, with the aim of removing chairman Adam Handley from its board. Vastness has a 7.7 per cent stake in Northern Minerals; the federal government has previously directed several other Chinese companies to divest their stakes in Northern Minerals on national interest grounds.

CORPORATES
NORTHERN MINERALS LIMITED – ASX NTUVASTNESS INVESTMENT GROUP LIMITED

Lynas stranded by energy mess

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 26-Nov-25

Lynas Rare Earths has advised that its production will be about one-third lower in the December quarter due to electricity supply problems at its cracking and leaching plant in Western Australia. The $800m plant is located in Kalgoorlie, which has been affected by intermittent power outages for some time, and Lynas says the outages have become more frequent and longer during November. Lynas is now considering off-grid options for the plant, such as diesel fuel and gas; it is also building a 46-megawatt hybrid power station at its Mount Weld rare earths mine.

CORPORATES
LYNAS RARE EARTHS LIMITED – ASX LYC