Incitec Pivot boss calls for payroll tax reform and other top stories.

• Incitec Pivot boss calls for payroll tax reform

  

  Incitec Pivot chief executive James Fazzino says about 1500 manufacturing jobs are at risk if its Gibson Island factory closes. Photo: supplied About 1500 jobs are at risk if fertiliser company Incitec Pivot fails in its talks with gas suppliers, government and its workers to cut costs at its factory on Gibson Island in BrisbaneThe company's net profit plummeted 79 per cent in the six months to March 31 after high energy prices forced it to wipe $105.6 milli..

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• Paddocks protected in blow to coal miners

  

  Coal exploration will be much more difficult. Photo: Bloomberg Landowners in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales have succeeded in preventing a coal miner from exploring on their properties, in a ruling that the miner warned could see all natural resources in the state "sterilised".Speaking after the NSW Land and Environment Court overturned Hume Coal's permission to explore on private lands in the Southern Highlands, the miner urged the state governmen..

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• Election has Labor and Coalition stuck in economic headlights

  

  Treasurer Scott Morrison and Finance minister Senator Mathias Cormann on budget day. Photo: Andrew Meares A week after the federal budget and "disingenuous" is the best word to describe the performance of both the major parties.They're struggling with their own policy contradictions, caught in the election headlights.Labor's attempt to be all things to all people – to be defender of the top 1 per cent's superannuation tax haven while complaining about a budg..

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• IPART proposes Opal card fare surge for commuters

  

  Video will begin in 5 seconds. The Sydney Opal Rush A crowd of commuters at Ashfield station wait for 9am to tick over so they can get cheaper off-peak fares and still get to work on time. PT0M37S 620 349 Commuters would no longer travel for free after eight journeys in a week but would pay half-price for trips after the first eight, under wide-ranging changes proposed by the state's pricing regulator.And commuters who change between modes of transport in the one journey – for..

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• Fairfax news business could survive on its own, CEO Greg Hywood says

  

  Fairfax Media chief executive Greg Hywood, APN's Australian Regional Media chief executive Neil Monaghan and News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller announce the new advertising revenue measure and NewsMediaWorks rebrand. Photo: Christopher Pearce Fairfax Media chief executive Greg Hywood says the company's news content could survive if Domain was separated from the business, as the media company commits to a new industry body initiative which r..

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• Mining, retail lead jump in company insolvency

  

  Dick Smith is one of a number of high profile corporate collapses to date this year. Photo: Melissa Adams. The number of Australian companies going into administration has surged over the past year, largely because of weakness in mining and retail.Analysis of the corporate watchdog's insolvency statistics puts the number of companies entering external administration for the 12 months to March at 10,299, an increase of 18 per cent on 8,751 in the prior corres..

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• Patrick dock workers reject pay offer, lockout possible

  

  Patrick dock workers reject pay offer, lockout possible Posted May 10, 2016 17:48:35 Stevedoring company Patrick is considering locking out workers from its ports, after employees overwhelmingly voted to reject the company's pay offer.The company said 98 per cent of the 827 workers who took part voted against a 9 per cent pay rise over four years.The vote was run independently of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), through Elections Australia.Patrick executive Alex..

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• Metalicity surges on lithium program

  

  Metalicity surges on lithium programAAPMay 10, 2016 8:14PMSavePrint The Perth-based mineral and exploration company has begun an accelerated $1 million lithium exploration program with the initial key focus being the systematic sampling and mapping of the central outcropping pegmatites at the Stannum lithium project, within the Pilgangoora South project in the Pilbara.The initial program at Stannum will build on recently completed first pass field work and will seek to determine whether outcrop..

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• Rental price growth at 20-yr low

  

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• Mesoblast cuts third-quarter net loss

  Stem cell therapy company Mesoblast has narrowed its third-quarter loss thanks to falls in research and development expenses and in administration costs.The dual-listed Mesoblast - which made a disappointing debut on New York's NASDAQ in November - reported a net loss of $US16.9 million ($A23.10 million) for the three months to March 31.That compares to a net loss of $US22.2 million for the same period a year earlier.R&D expenses fell by 10.6 per cent to $US12 million, while management and admin..

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