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GetUp! and go, Xenophon tells APC’s McGrath

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 10 : 7-Jun-17

Independent senator Nick Xenophon says the Australian Press Council’s independence has been undermined by the appointment of GetUp chair Carla McGrath to its board. He says McGrath should resign, as she cannot be a board member of both the APC and the political activist group. The APC has responded to a boycott of its rulings by leading newspapers by issuing a statement in which it stresses that McGrath will not adjudicate any complaints against publishers in which there is the potential for a conflict of interests.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL, GETUP LIMITED, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Foxtel’s rebranding to help boost subscribers

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 7-Jun-17

Foxtel has confirmed that its Foxtel Play subscription video on-demand service will be relaunched as Foxtel Now, as part of a major overhaul of the pay-TV group’s branding. Foxtel will also launch a "puck" streaming device in the second half of 2017, which may provide access to rival services such as Netflix and Stan. Foxtel CEO Peter Tonagh says Foxtel Now is unlikely to gain customers at the expense of its traditional pay-TV service, as they target different segments of the market. Foxtel’s rebranding includes a new logo.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FOXTEL NOW, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Boycott grows over judgment by activist

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 5 : 6-Jun-17

Herald & Weekly Times MD Peter Blunden has advised that its newspapers will boycott all Australian Press Council rulings in which new board member Carla McGrath participates. The boycott was initiated by HWT parent News Corp Australia in response to the appointment of McGrath, who also chairs political activist group GetUp. Community Newspapers of Australia has indicated that it may also boycott APC rulings.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, HERALD AND WEEKLY TIMES LIMITED, COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL, GETUP LIMITED

Rebel told me lies, journalist tells court

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Original article by Tessa Akerman
The Australian – Page: 3 : 6-Jun-17

The Victorian Supreme Court is continuing to hear a defamation case brought by actress Rebel Wilson against Bauer Media. Wilson contends that her career in Hollywood was tarnished as a result of articles about her in Bauer’s magazines in mid-2015 that alleged she had lied about her age and other parts of her life. Caroline Overington, who wrote a magazine story about Wilson that was published in January 2015, told the court that she based her story on what Wilson had told her, and that she was "shocked" to subsequently learn that much of it was untrue.

CORPORATES
BAUER MEDIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF VICTORIA

One Nation seeks Qld deal in media laws

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 5-Jun-17

One Nation may be open to a compromise on the Federal Government’s cross-media ownership reforms. One Nation currently opposes the abolition of the "two-out-of-three" rule, but a spokesman says it would consider the reform if measures are put in place to prevent further concentration of media ownership in Queensland. The minor political party’s support may be crucial to the passage of the media bill, given that Labor and the Greens oppose scrapping the two-out-of-three rule.

CORPORATES
ONE NATION PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL MEDIA, APN NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED – ASX APN, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NICK XENOPHON TEAM

Investors betting big on potash

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Original article by Tess Ingram
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 5-Jun-17

BHP Billiton forecasts that global demand for potash will increase 2-3 per cent by 2030, in line with expectations of rising population growth and demand for crop foods. BHP hopes to commence production at its Jansen potash project in Canada by 2022, while Kore Potash is also aiming for a 2022 start date for its Kola potassium chloride project. Billionaires Gina Rinehart and Kerry Stokes have recently made investments in potash projects.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, KORE POTASH LIMITED – ASX K2P, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, SIRIUS MINERALS PLC, BC IRON LIMITED – ASX BCI, ANGLO AMERICAN PLC, MONDI GROUP, SUMMIT PRIVATE EQUITY, SQM

Calls for McGrath to resign

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann, Chris Merritt
The Australian – Page: 23 : 5-Jun-17

Former Australian Press Council chairman David Flint says GetUp’s deputy chair Carla McGrath should never have been considered for a position on the APC board. He adds that the media cannot have confidence in the APC and its judgments if there are any concerns about political conflicts of interest. Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance CEO Paul Murphy and Communications Minister Mitch Fifield have also questioned McGrath’s appointment, while more News Corp newspapers intend to boycott APC rulings in which McGrath participates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL, GETUP LIMITED, MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS ALLIANCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, ADANI MINING PTY LTD, NEW MATILDA PTY LTD

Wesfarmers faces hit from Amazon

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 2-Jun-17

Morgan Stanley forecasts that Amazon’s entry to the Australian market could slash Wesfarmers’ earnings by more than $A400m a year by 2026. The firm expects the Kmart and Target discount department stores to be more vulnerable than specialist retailers such as JB Hi-Fi. Morgan Stanley has reduced its valuation for Kmart and Bunnings, while it now has a zero valuation on Target. It share price target for Wesfarmers has been downgraded from $A41 to $A36.

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, SUPER RETAIL GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUL, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS SUPERMARKETS

Oz will boycott decisions of ‘political stack’

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 2-Jun-17

The media sector has expressed concern that the appointment of Getup’s Carla McGrath to the board of the Australian Press Council could lead to a conflict of interests. McGrath is the deputy chair of the activist group, which has traditionally adopted a left-wing position when campaigning on issues such as mining, immigration and climate change. Paul Whittaker, the editor-in-chief of "The Australian", says the newspaper will boycott any rulings of the APC in which McGrath participates, given GetUp’s hostility toward News Corp Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRESS COUNCIL, GETUP LIMITED, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS PTY LTD

Media united on job fears

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-Jun-17

Executives from rival Australian media companies joined forces on 30 May to lobby federal politicians to support cross-media ownership reforms. The Australian Labor Party and the Greens were widely criticised for opposing reforms such as abolition of the "two out of three rule". Industry executives used the summit at Parliament House to stress that local content and jobs will be at risk if the existing regime is not changed to enable local media players to compete with digital giants such as Google and Facebook.

CORPORATES
TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, MACQUARIE MEDIA LIMITED – ASX MRN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AND RADIO ASSOCIATION (ASTRA) INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, TPG CAPITAL LP, HELLMAN AND FRIEDMAN