Australia News All stories

Austco Healthcare (ASX:AHC) entered into a binding agreement to acquire 100% of Medical Communications Systems for $2.9 million.

Frasers Group accused Accent Group (ASX:AX1) of governance failures following regulatory interventions.

Corporate Travel Management (ASX:CTD) secured a contract extension with the UK Ministry of Defence to provide accommodation and associated services for the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

Bank of Queensland (ASX:BOQ) announced a capital return of approximately $295 million.

oOh!media (ASX:OML) signed a binding agreement to be acquired by infrastructure investor I Squared Capital.

Treasury Wine Estates (ASX:TWE) announced a United States supply chain restructure, incurring an additional $558.4 million post-tax material charge.

FleetPartners (ASX:FPR) rejected an initial buyout and received a conditional $4 per share proposal from Element Fleet Management.

Integral Diagnostics (ASX:IDX) expects preliminary FY26 revenue to reach between $788 million and $790 million.

Tabcorp (ASX:TAH) will acquire BetMakers (ASX:BET) for $0.24 per share, valuing the enterprise at $267 million.

Dexus Convenience Retail REIT (ASX:DXC) reported its FY26 results, confirming a full-year distribution of 20.9 cents per security.

CAR Group (ASX:CAR) recorded a 12% rise in constant currency pro forma revenue to $1.25 billion for FY26.

Percheron Therapeutics (ASX:PER) appointed Dr Michael Baker as CEO effective Oct. 5 to guide future trials.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) will expand its Australian corporate banking division after selling a $36 billion retail mortgage portfolio.

Contact Energy (ASX:CEN) reported a NZ$423 million full-year profit following its recent Manawa Energy acquisition.

South Australia has signed a memorandum of understanding with OpenAI to develop artificial intelligence skills and research.

Westpac (ASX:WBC) announced an unaudited statutory net profit of $1.8 billion for the third fiscal quarter.

Qantas (ASX:QAN) subsidiary Jetstar and a Qatar Airways aircraft halted on the tarmac to prevent a two-plane collision.

More than 120 employees walked off the job at BHP (ASX:BHP) port facilities during a collective agreement dispute.

• Coles Group confirmed plans to shift up to 1,000 back-office roles to India through a multi-year partnership with Accenture.
• Corporate overhead costs and multi-million-dollar technology investments are driving major ASX-listed firms to target lower international labour expenses.
• Offshoring strategies face rising competition from global digital platforms like Amazon alongside public backlash over local job losses.

• The S&P/ASX 200 index climbed to a record peak of 9,213 points as global geopolitical tensions eased.
• Financial sector shares rose 5.84% and energy stocks gained nearly 10% in July, supported by heavyweights Commonwealth Bank of Australia and BHP Group.
• Market participants now focus on upcoming corporate earnings reports alongside shifting global commodity prices to determine sector valuation stability.

• Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed Australian household spending increased 0.8% in June 2026, driven by a 3.0% surge in transport spending led by new vehicle sales and air travel recovery.
• Listed consumer and transport peers reported resilient underlying revenue, with auto dealer Eagers Automotive generating $13 billion in annual revenue and refiner Ampol recording $1.6 billion in first-half EBITDA.
• Rising living costs and changing interest rate expectations remain primary headwinds for sustained consumer discretionary momentum across transport and retail equities.

• Media conglomerate News Corp reported an 11% increase in fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue to US$2.34 billion, lifted by digital real estate, publishing, and premium information divisions.
• High-margin digital real estate and recurring subscription streams generated expanding free cash flow across publishers, supporting multi-million-dollar share buybacks and dividend payouts.
• Softening legacy print advertising, fluctuating real estate listing volumes, and ongoing content licensing negotiations present operational friction across media channels.

• The Australian government confirmed the end of the temporary fuel excise discount, triggering a wholesale price increase of 16 cents per litre.
• Major downstream energy operators manage capital allocation across integrated refining and retail supply chains while absorbing shifting tax obligations.
• The sector faces ongoing working capital pressures tied to wholesale tax adjustments and broader international supply chain volatility.

Sharon AI (NASDAQ:SHAZ) has prepared its ASX public float prospectus after securing US$8.8 billion in customer contracts.