AMERICAN – AUSTRALIA

Rex Airlines finds US buyer after entering into voluntary administration

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Original article by Miriah Davis
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 22-Oct-25

The administrators of Rex Airlines have confirmed that they have secured a sale and implementation deed with US-based air services company Air T. The deal follows a long-running sale process for Rex, which went into voluntary administration in June 2024. Transport Minister Catherine King in turn has confirmed that the federal government has entered into an agreement with Air T in relation to restructuring Rex’s financing arrangements. She says this will allow Rex to continue to provide aviation services for regional communities. Air T is a holding company for 16 entities that provide a range of aviation services. The deal will be put to Rex’s creditors in coming weeks.

CORPORATES
REX AIRLINES PTY LTD, REGIONAL EXPRESS HOLDINGS LIMITED, AIR T INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Domain pursuer CoStar acquires Homes.com.au

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 4-Jun-25

Sources have indicated that US-based CoStar has struck a deal to acquire the Homes.com.au domain name for $22.8m. CoStar, which is seeking to buy property listings group Domain Holdings for $3bn, already owns the Homes.com domain in the US and has spent more than $US1bn on a marketing campaign for the brand. Its deal to acquire Homes.com.au could indicate that CoStar will consider rebranding Domain if shareholders approve the deal in August. CoStar’s founder and CEO Andy Florance says that acquiring the Homes.com.au domain will give his company a range of options regarding how it positions itself in the Australian market.

CORPORATES
COSTAR GROUP INCORPORATED, HOMES.COM.AU, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, HOMES.COM

US election may hurt dealmakers

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 15 : 6-Nov-24

Mergers and acquisitions lawyer Sandy Mak from Corrs Chambers Westgarth says it is "hard to predict" just how the outcome of the presidential election will affect US investment in Australia and other countries. US companies are one of the largest foreign investors in Australia, and Mak says they could put plans to invest in Australia on hold if the election results in geopolitical uncertainty; she notes that corporate America has historically been wary of investing offshore in times of volatility and uncertainty.

CORPORATES
CORRS CHAMBERS WESTGARTH

AirTrunk’s $23.5b AI pay day

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Original article by Paul Smith, Anthony Macdonald
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 20 : 4-Sep-24

US-based asset manager Blackstone has secured a deal to buy Australian data centre company AirTrunk. The deal values AirTrunk at about $23.5bn, eclipsing the previous record price of $US15bn ($22bn) for a data centre company. Sources have indicated that AirTrunk founder Robin Khuda will sell half of his 10 per cent stake to Blackstone for about $500m, while he will remain CEO of the company. Macquarie Group’s infrastructure arm and Canada-based PSP Investments will in turn sell their entire stakes in AirTrunk to Blackstone. AirTrunk owns 11 data centres in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.

CORPORATES
AIRTRUNK, THE BLACKSTONE GROUP LP, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, PSP INVESTMENTS

US miner plotting Australian rare earths processing plant

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 29-Nov-23

US-based mineral sands producer Tronox may build a rare earths processing plant in Western Australia. The company has approached the state government about the plant, which would process a waste by-product of mineral sands mining known as monazite. Tronox proposes to stockpile monazite in WA for 3-5 years to use as feedstock for the plant, while sources have suggested that it may also import monazite from its South African operations to be processed. Tronox has mineral sands mines in WA and NSW. Iluka Resources is also building a plant to process monazite that it has been stockpiling for three decades.

CORPORATES
TRONOX INCORPORATED

Telfer ‘a strategic asset for Newmont

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 16 : 8-Nov-23

Newmont Corporation’s CEO Tom Parker has emphasised that the US-based company is committed to retaining its secondary listing on the Australian sharemarket. He has also downplayed speculation that the Telfer gold and copper mine in Western Australia is among the assets that Newmont will divest following its acquisition of Newcrest Mining. He has highlighted the strategic potential of Telfer and its associated infrastructure in the northern Pilbara region. Parker adds that Newmont has moved quickly to appoint its own managers to all of Newcrest’s operating mines, while Newcrest’s top executives have left the company.

CORPORATES
NEWMONT CORPORATION – ASX NEM, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED

Barrick out, but analysts say Newmont offer won’t land Newcrest

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 16 : 8-Feb-23

Shares in Newcrest Mining rose 1.7 per cent to $24.95 on Tuesday. Newmont Corporation’s takeover offer comprises 0.38 of its shares for every Newcrest share, giving its bid an implied value of about $27.16 per share when it was launched. Jon Mills of Morningstar and Kate McCutcheon of Citigroup are among the analysts who are of the view that Newmont’s offer undervalues Newcrest. Meanwhile, Barrick Gold Corporation’s CEO Mark Bristow has ruled out making a rival bid for Newcrest.

CORPORATES
NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, NEWMONT CORPORATION, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, BARRICK GOLD CORPORATION

$24b Newcrest bid not enough

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 16 : 7-Feb-23

Investors Mutual portfolio manager Tim Wood says the acquisition of Newcrest Mining by Newmont Corporation makes sense, and there is the potential for a counter-bid. However, Wood contends that Newmont’s offer of 0.38 of its shares for every Newcrest share is insufficient; he adds that the bid is also opportunistic, given that Newcrest does not have a permanent CEO at present. Meanwhile, Newmont president Tom Palmer says the US-based gold producer believes that the proposed $24.4bn merger is a "powerful value proposition" for the two companies’ shareholders, employees and the communities in which they operate.

CORPORATES
NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, NEWMONT CORPORATION, INVESTORS MUTUAL LIMITED

Woodside closes GIP Pluto deal

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Original article by Matt Bell
The Australian – Page: 15 : 19-Jan-22

Woodside Petroleum has completed a deal to sell a stake in the Pluto LNG plant to US-based Global Infrastructure Partners. The $4.9bn deal for GIP to buy a 49 per cent stake in the Pluto LNG Train 2 joint venture had been announced in November. The new processing unit at the Pluto project is expected to cost $US5.6bn ($7.8bn) in total, with shipments slated to begin in 2026. Jack Bertolus of climate shareholder action group Market Forces has criticised National Australia Bank for heading a consortium of 18 banks that will provide lending to GIP for the project.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS, MARKET FORCES

Origin pockets $2b for clean energy plans

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Original article by Elouise Fowler
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 26-Oct-21

Origin Energy has reduced its stake in the Australia Pacific LNG project to 27.5 per cent after striking a $2.12bn deal with EIG Global Energy Partners. The private equity group will acquire a 10 per cent stake in the project; EIG CEO R. Blair Thomas says the deal reflects the importance of LNG as a "critical enabler" of the transition to clean energy. Origin Energy has signalled that some of the expected net proceeds of $2bn from the deal may be reinvested in clean energy and storage projects, in addition to reducing debt.

CORPORATES
ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, AUSTRALIA PACIFIC LNG LIMITED, EIG GLOBAL ENERGY PARTNERS