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No mafia-style threats: VC hero

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Original article by Kieran Gair
The Australian – Page: 3 : 24-Jun-21

Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith is suing three newspapers over articles in 2018 that allege he committed murder while on deployments in Afghanistan, allegations which he denies. Appearing for his ninth day in the witness box on 23 June, he denied claims that he sent letters containing "mafia-style" threats to former soldiers. Roberts-Smith also denied allegations he poured petrol on his laptop and set it alight in 2018 after being informed that his behaviour in Afghanistan was the subject of an "open" investigation into alleged war crime

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Construction wages barrier to developing lithium battery industry

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 24-Jun-21

Australia has the potential to develop the first legitimate mine-to-lithium battery industry outside of China, according to a report prepared for the Future Battery Industries Co-operative Research Centre. Such an industry would have the potential to inject $7.4 billion into the economy by 2030, as well as creating almost 35,000 jobs. The report contends the high cost of construction wages as being one barrier to developing a lithium battery industry, along with a lack of university-educated specialists. Global lithium battery sales are tipped to be worth between $US133 billion ($176 billion) and $US151 billion by 2030.

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CO-OPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTRE FOR FUTURE BATTERY INDUSTRIES

‘Slightly sanctimonious’: Media baron John B. Fairfax urges publishers to look beyond profits

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 17-Jun-21

Australian businessman John B. Fairfax has criticised media companies that responded to the pandemic-induced downturn in advertising revenue by sacking staff and discontinuing the print editions of some newspapers. He notes that News Corp and Australian Community Media in particular adopted a "pretty harsh attitude", with the closure of many regional newspapers and some printing plants. Fairfax argues that media companies should not focus solely on profits, and they must recognise their responsibility to provide quality journalism to the communities they serve.

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NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY MEDIA PTY LTD

US review boosts Australian minerals

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Original article by Matthew Cranston, Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 10-Jun-21

The Biden administration has released the findings of its review of the nation’s critical mineral supply chain vulnerabilities. Amongst other things, the report has called for the US to source more critical minerals such as rare earths from its key allies and partners in order to reduce its reliance in imports from China. The report noted that the US will still be highly dependent on China for the processing of critical minerals, given that the nation has limited onshore processing and refining capacity. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia has a "responsibility" to expand its endowment of critical minerals.

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UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Four Corners morale is at an all-time low

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 19 : 7-Jun-21

The ABC’s decision to delay a ‘Four Corners’ program on the alleged links between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and a supporter of the QAnon movement is said to have caused a rift within the public broadcaster. ABC news director Gavin Morris referred the story to MD David Anderson, who decided that the story was not ready to be broadcast. The decision has angered senior journalist Louise Milligan and the executive producer of ‘Four Corners’, Sally Neighbour. The internal row follows the ABC’s recent legal dispute with former attorney-general Christian Porter.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Lynas funds jabs for staff in Malaysia

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 27-May-21

Lynas Rare Earths has responded to Malaysia’s third wave of COVID-19 by advising that workers at its processing plant will be offered employer-sponsored vaccines. The Australian-listed company has also booked out an entire hotel near the plant so workers do not have to mix in the wider community when their shifts end. A spokeswoman says there are no plans to offer vaccinations for Lynas employees in Australia, and has urged them to participate in the federal government’s vaccine rollout.

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LYNAS RARE EARTHS LIMITED – ASX LYC

ABC says staff free to post opinions

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Original article by James Madden, Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 4 : 27-May-21

The ABC’s MD David Anderson has told a Senate estimates hearing that the public broadcaster’s staff can post their opinions on their personal social media accounts without fear of being disciplined. However, staff must adhere to the ABC’s code of conduct when posting on its official platforms. Anderson has also advised that the ABC is set to secure commercial deals with Google and Facebook under the news media bargaining code. The new revenue stream will be used to boost the ABC’s news coverage in regional and rural areas.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED

Ten nabs soccer in $200m contract

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian – Page: 24 : 27-May-21

The Ten Network has secured the broadcasting and streaming rights to A-League and W-League matches for the next five years in a $200m cash and contra deal. One A-League match will be shown live on Ten’s primary channel each week, while one W-League match to be broadcast live on a secondary channel. Every match in both leagues will also be available via Ten’s new Paramount+ subscription video-on-demand service, which will be launched in August. Fox Sports currently holds the broadcasting rights.

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TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, THE W LEAGUE PTY LTD, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

WIN News axes local bulletins, sacks staff

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 3 : 25-May-21

Regional broadcaster WIN Corporation will replace local news bulletins with state-wide bulletins in Victoria and Queensland when its new affiliation agreement with Nine Entertainment begins on 1 July. WIN CEO Andrew Lancaster says the move will result in job losses, although the company aims to redeploy as many affected employees as possible. Nine will close its own regional newsrooms when its five-year affiliation deal with Southern Cross Austereo ends.

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WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO PTY LTD, SOUTHERN CROSS MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX SXL

Broadcast spectrum buyback threatens popular TV channels

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Age – Page: Online : 17-May-21

The federal government announced a policy in November that would see spectrum licence fees removed in exchange for the radiofrequency spectrum of television broadcasters being reduced by compressing it. The spectrum made available as a result of this compression would be sold at a higher price to companies such as telcos. Broadcasters are worried that the technology that the government plans to use to compress the spectrum will soon be outdated, and that it will reduce the quality of broadcasting and lead to fewer multi-channels.

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