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The Australian Business Review
 

Good morning,

A major gas expansion seen as vital for Australia’s southern states to avoid shortages in the next two years has been put on hold due to a tough regulatory clampdown, with the fresh supply shock landing just days after the Albanese government warned of shortfall risks this decade.

APA had planned to sign off on investment on a major expansion of its South West Queensland Pipeline this year, with construction to start in the second half of 2024. However, the gas giant said regulatory uncertainty due to a new probe into the pipeline sector had forced it to delay an investment decision until it received further clarity.

Meanwhile, the co-founder of one of the nation’s most profitable fund managers, L1 Capital’s Rafi Lamm, has urged investors not to get ‘sucked in by current fads’ such as the explosion of artificial intelligence.

And Bunnings will resist a Senate inquiry recommendation that it be placed under the same regulatory oversight as the nation’s leading supermarkets.

Perry Williams
Business editor

The Markets

Five things to know this morning

  1. The ASX 200 is poised for a weak opening, with Tuesday’s budget to be supplemented by a number of economic updates throughout the week. 
  2.  Retailer Baby Bunting has been a disappointment for years with a string of downgrades crashing its share price, but the David Di Pilla-backed HMC Capital sees potential and has snapped up a 10 per cent stake.
  3. Lendlease is expected to make an announcement to the market on Monday morning, after receiving an amended tax assessment on Friday, following a long-running review of the firm's tax treatment of the sale of stakes in its retirement village operation.
  4. Higher taxes and a softening in consumer spending mean online bookmakers are making less money and they say the situation will not improve this year.
  5. Senior figures in Sydney’s funds management community are backing a bid by career investor Rodney Forrest for a board seat at investment house Perpetual, as it considers a $2.2bn deal that will see it dump its name and wealth management business.
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