Airlifts out of Tel Aviv

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Original article by Phillip Coorey,[SPACE]Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 12-Oct-23

Two Qantas flights will leave Tel Aviv for London on Friday night, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying they would just be the start. With growing fears of a ground war between Israel and Hamas, he said the government is looking at all options in terms of helping Australians in Israel who want to get back home. As well as speaking to Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson and Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka about the use of their aircraft for emergency evacuations, it is believed the government is considering the use of military aircraft. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Hamas has done the Palestinian people a disservice with its "abhorrent" attacks on Israel, in that they have pushed the "two-state solution further out of reach", with Wong accusing Hamas of perpetrating an "unconscionable crime" against the Palestinian people.

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Footy fans for NRL and AFL helped drive strong growth in hospitality sales in September

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: Online : 12-Oct-23

The Commonwealth Bank Household Spending Insights Index has found that five of the 12 underlying categories it tracks saw spending declines in September, including recreation and household goods, while annual spending growth came in at 1.8 per cent. The hospitality sector enjoyed strong growth, with fans of the leading football codes the NRL and the AFL spending up big during the month, with an exciting AFL final series and Collingwood’s exciting grand final helping Victoria to record the joint biggest spending growth among all the states.

CORPORATES
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY – AUSTRALIA,[SPACE]ECONOMIC INDICATORS – AUSTRALIA]

Liontown shares slump as Rinehart flexes muscle

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 12-Oct-23

Shares in Liontown Resources fell from around $3 to $2.90 during intra-day trade on Wednesday, with the fall coming after Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting announced it had increased its stake in the lithium explorer to 19.9 per cent. With $3 being the price at which battery metals company Albemarle has ‘pitched’ its $6.6 billion takeover offer for Liontown, the fall in its share price was seen as a sign that investors see little chance in its bid succeeding. It may now have to abandon its offer, or work in partnership with Rinehart.

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LIONTOWN RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX LTR,[SPACE]HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD,[SPACE]ALBERMARLE CORPORATION

MINING CORPORATIONS – AUSTRALIA,[SPACE]INSTITUTIONAL INVESTMENTS – AUSTRALIA,[SPACE]MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS – AUSTRALIA]

Comedian’s death "tears a hole in heart of our community"

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Original article by Geordie Gray
The Australian – Page: 7 : 12-Oct-23

Tributes have flowed on social media for New Zealand comedian and writer Cal Wilson, who died on Wednesday at the age of 53 after battling a short illness. Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, she moved to Australia in 2003 to pursue comedy, and went on to become a regular on Australian comedy television, appearing on shows such as ‘Have You Been Paying Attention?’ and ‘Would I Lie To You’. New Zealand actor Rhys Darby said the news of her death "hit hard", while Australian actor Rebel Wilson said that Wilson was "amazingly talented and amazingly kind". In confirming her death, Wilson’s management Token Artists stated that a "huge hole has been torn in the heart of our community"

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Origin Energy shareholders await sweeteners from Brookfield, EIG consortium

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Original article by Colin Packham
The Australian – Page: Online : 12-Oct-23

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission having approved Brookfield and EIG’s $18.7 billion bid for Origin Energy, Brookfield and EIG must now persuade 75 per cent of Origin’s shareholders to endorse the deal. Two of its major shareholders have already stated that the bid is too low, while its current share price suggest investors expect an improved offer. When Brookfield and EIG made its offer earlier in the year, its bid valued Origin at $8.85 a share, but they closed on Wednesday at $9.21.

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AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION,[SPACE]BROOKFIELD ASSET MANAGEMENT INCORPORATED,[SPACE]EIG ACQUISITION CORPORATION,[SPACE]ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS – AUSTRALIA]

Mogul’s son shut out of Endeavour board meetings

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Original article by Simon Evans,[SPACE]Carrie LaFrenz
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 12-Oct-23

Endeavour Group director Bruce Mathieson jnr claims a meeting of its board that approved a letter to shareholders rejecting criticisms by his father was illegally convened. His father is pubs billionaire Bruce Mathieson Snr, who owns 15 per cent of the hotel and liquor chain company, and who is threatening legal action against it if he is not able to inspect certain documents concerning Bill Wavish’s nomination as an Endeavour director. For its part, Endeavour stated it was appropriate that a representative of the Bruce Mathieson Group not be part of a meeting that concerned its response to a campaign against it based on "selective and incomplete information"; that campaign is being run and financed by the Mathieson family.

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ENDEAVOUR GROUP LIMITED – ASX EDV

LIQUOR STORES – AUSTRALIA,[SPACE]DIRECTORS OF CORPORATIONS – AUSTRALIA]

Goyder to go in Qantas board exodus

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Original article by Ayesha de Kretser
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 19 : 12-Oct-23

Qantas shares closed 2.65 per cent higher on Wednesday after it was announced that Richard Goyder would be stepping down as its chairman prior to its 2024 AGM, while fellow directors Maxine Brenner and Jacqueline Hey will leave its board in February. The Australian Shareholders Association and the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors both welcomed Goyder’s announcement, which comes after a number of controversies at the airline, including the August announcement by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that it was suing it for alleged deceptive and misleading conduct.

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QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN,[SPACE]AUSTRALIAN SHAREHOLDERS’ ASSOCIATION,[SPACE]AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SUPERANNUATION INVESTORS INCORPORATED,[SPACE]AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

DIRECTORS OF CORPORATIONS – AUSTRALIA – APPOINTMENTS AND RETIREMENTS]

Slowdown in home building costs to help ease inflation

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Original article by Nila Sweeney
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 12-Oct-23

CoreLogic’s Cordell Construction Cost Index for the September quarter shows that there was just 0.5 per cent growth in construction costs, making it the lowest since 2015. CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless says that growth in construction costs could ease further in coming months, which could lead to lower inflation; he notes that housing has the biggest weighting in inflation measurement and the cost of new residential owner occupied homes is the largest component of the housing segment.

CORPORATES
CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

HOUSE CONSTRUCTION – ECONOMIC ASPECTS – AUSTRALIA,[SPACE]INFLATION (FINANCE) – AUSTRALIA]

Moves to cut apprentice dropout rate

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 4-Oct-23

Federal Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor has told the National Press Club that a review is underway into how high dropout rates for apprentices can be addressed. He said low pay was one reason why many apprentices dropped out, while the review would also look at issues such as how they were welcomed in the workplace and mistreatment by co-workers. He also said that work was in hand to address the perception that TAFE and private vocational education providers were inferior to universities.

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NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION – AUSTRALIA]

Bookmaker may be buying time on historic payout, racing CEO says

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Original article by Mark Di Stefano
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 4-Oct-23

Online bookmaker Betr is having to pay out upwards of $40 million in the wake of Penrith’s win in the NRL Grand Final. It had run a promotion that allowed new customers odds of 100-1 on a number of major events including the NRL Grand Final, with a maximum bet of $10. Over 320,000 took up its offer, with bets on Penrith by far the most popular. With Betr stating it could take up to a week to pay all the money into customer accounts, Racing Queensland CEO Jason Scott has suggested it is buying time. Scott, who was formerly the CEO of wagering firm Ladbrokes, contends people are less likely to take money out of their account if a deposit comes in just before a big weekend of racing.

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BETR,[SPACE]RACING QUEENSLAND LIMITED,[SPACE]LADBROKES

BOOKMAKERS (GAMBLING) – AUSTRALIA]