According to The Australian Financial Review, the building industry faces a period of re-regulation – and consequently higher costs – following an agreement by federal and state ministers.
They agreed to co-operate to prevent the recurrence of problems such as combustible cladding, crumbling buildings and lax self-regulation.
Reforms to come likely include mandatory registration of engineers, who at this stage only have to be registered in Queensland, although Victoria has laws under way to do the same. There will also likely be a new model for the design, construction and certification of new large buildings, which will demand greater scrutiny and independent verification of certification.
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https://www.afr.com/real-estate/commercial/federal-government-scraps-new-taskforce-plan-20190718-p528d5

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/8853204
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According to The Australian Financial Review, iconic local beer company Carlton and United Breweries will be sold to Asahi Group Holdings for $16 billion, meaning Japanese drinks giants will soon own both of Australia's major brewers.
CUB is the Australian subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's biggest beer company and brews beers such as Melbourne Bitter, Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught.
The $16 billion sale is expected to be finalised by the first quarter of 2020, according to a statement from AB InBev. The sale price represents an implied multiple of 14.9 times earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, suggesting CUB's underlying trading profits were in the order of $1 billion.
Japanese companies now own both of Australia's major brewers. Kirin purchased Lion, brewer of XXXX and Toohey's, in 2009.
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https://www.afr.com/business/retail/fmcg/asahi-buys-carlton-and-united-breweries-for-16b-20190719-p528xa

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/1603014217
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According to The Australian Financial Review, BHP Group is moving ahead with plans to exit thermal coal, according to people familiar with the matter, the latest move by the world's biggest miners.
BHP is looking at options to divest the business that includes assets in Australia and Colombia, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the development had not been made public. There was no guarantee the company would go ahead with a sale, the people said.
Rio Tinto Group, the second-biggest miner, has already removed all exposure to thermal coal and other producers including Anglo American have cut production amid growing pressure from investors concerned about climate change.
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https://www.afr.com/business/mining/coal/bhp-moves-closer-to-thermal-coal-exit-20190712-p526kf

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/bhp5356120 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Woodside Petroleum is looking beyond gas to cleaner energy, jointly investing $40 million in a new research partnership with Monash University to explore the possibilities of hydrogen as a source of energy and carbon abatement.
The gas company has also committed $16.5 million to fund the construction of a new technology and design building in Monash's Technology Precinct, which will be equipped with 250 kilowatts of solar panels.
Woodside chief executive Peter Coleman told that "three years ago we were focused on improving our current business model and looked at how technologies could be used in the current business," he said. "But now we're saying we need to look at new technologies out there around renewable energy and for us, it's hydrogen.
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https://www.afr.com/business/energy/woodside-doubles-down-on-hydrogen-future-in-40-million-partnership-20190705-p524fc

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/3886915 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Lynas Corporation’s powerful Japanese backers have secured an even bigger and longer hold on the company’s rare earths production amid warnings China will use its supply domination as a weapon in the trade war with the United States.
The revised loan agreement also extends Japan’s priority rights by 13 years, from 2025 to June 2038, and comes a week after Lynas boss Amanda Lacaze said the Western world had been left badly exposed by its almost total reliance on China for rare earths.
JARE, a special purpose company set up by Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation and Sojitz Corporation, extended the term of its previous financing deal by a decade to 2030, lowered the interest rate from 3.75 per cent to 2.5 per cent and deferred some interest payments.
The loan extension sets out a timetable for total repayments of $US146.9 million ($210 million) by mid-2030 with principal repayments reduced to nominal levels up to 2025.
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https://www.afr.com/business/mining/rare-earths/japan-inc-locks-in-more-lynas-supply-for-longer-through-loan-deal-20190627-p521sc

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/jogmecspc
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According to The Australian Financial Review, one Australian retailer bucking the trend is Forever New, a Melbourne-based fast-fashion brand established 13 years ago by Dipendra Goenka with the backing of one of the UK's most successful apparel retailers, New Look founder Tom Singh.
After opening its first overseas store 10 years ago, Forever New now has more than 200 stores overseas and 86 in Australia.
Sales from brick and mortar stores in countries such as Canada, Singapore, China, India, South Africa and New Zealand, concessions in Bloomingdales,  Robinsons in Singapore and Debenham's in the Middle East, and revenues from dedicated online stores and marketplaces now account for 40 per cent of total sales of $300 million.
Mr Goenka is aiming to increase annual sales to $500 million in three to five years and believes overseas sales will soon overtake domestic sales as the group opens stores and concessions and expands its online reach.
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https://www.afr.com/business/retail/clothing-and-accessories/forever-new-fashions-a-path-to-global-success-20190606-p51vb2

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/8129205
​

According to The Australian Financial Review, despite fears of a tech-led job apocalypse, the ongoing rise of digital transformation across Australian organisations will lead to the creation of 35,000 jobs in 2019, according to a comprehensive Australian study.
The study, titled "Beyond Disruption: Australian organisations race to digital transformation success”, found almost one in five organisations intend to create new roles to meet the growth of digital transformation this year.
Almost half said they expected to see humans and artificial intelligence working closely together and 57 per cent said more jobs would be created than removed by digital transformation.
Despite the positive tone of the research, it found urgent improvements are still needed in the top executive levels of many organisations, with 30 to 40 per cent of CEOs not considered digitally literate across various industry sectors.

https://www.afr.com/technology/enterprise-it/digital-transformation-push-to-create-35-000-jobs-in-2019-20190504-p51k0a
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If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/201935000

According to The Australian Financial Review, city workers will soon be able to step onto a Melbourne CBD rooftop and book a 10-minute, ride-sharing flight to the airport for less than $100, after Uber Air announced Melbourne will be the first international city to trial the service.
The plan will be revealed by Uber on Wednesday (AEST) at its Elevate summit in Washington, after striking partnerships with Macquarie Capital, Telstra, Scentre Group and Melbourne Airport to construct city skyports to support vertical take-off and landing.
The new type of aircraft - a piloted, electric passenger aircraft designed by Uber's manufacturing partners, including Bell and Boeing - are designed to carry four passengers with hand luggage of up to 18 kilograms.
Melbourne will join Dallas and Los Angeles as pilot cities for the program, with test flights due to start from 2020 and plans for commercial operations to commence from 2023.
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https://www.afr.com/business/transport/uber-air-to-launch-in-melbourne-20190611-p51wew

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/9943853
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Japanese-headquartered J Power is set to buy up to a 19.99 per cent stake in Genex Energy, and will pay a significant premium for the privilege.
J Power is listed with about a $US4 billion market capitalisation and operates coal hydro and solar assets, as well as being experienced pump storage operators.
The Japanese company is expected to bring its expertise to Genex's hydro power project in North Queensland and, along with its funding, should prove to be one of the final steps to allowing the project to proceed.
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https://www.afr.com/street-talk/j-power-snaps-up-genex-power-stake-20190605-p51uv8

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/j-powergenex-power
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According to The Australian Financial Review, late last month, BHP confirmed it was conducting a feasibility study on the automation of the 500-strong haul-truck fleet that speeds across its iron ore mines in the Pilbara in Western Australia, its coal mines in central Queensland and in NSW's Hunter Valley.
That the Pilbara was ready for the next iteration of its digital future was no surprise. That BHP was getting ready to roll out the robots across the coal fields was. For a host of reasons physical, technical and social, replacing people power with thinking machines in coal country is a very different challenge to the automation of BHP Iron Ore.
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https://www.afr.com/business/mining/how-bhp-is-preparing-kids-for-the-rise-of-the-robots-20190606-p51v9h

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
​https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/8304004
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