Good morning, it’s Karen coming to you from Sydney, and here’s what you need to know today…
Today’s must-reads:
• NZ’s Hipkins in conversation with Bloomberg
• New Qantas boss under pressure
• Albanese speaks at Asean
The annual Bloomberg Address takes place in Auckland today where New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will sit down with Wellington Bureau Chief Matthew Brockett. He’ll also be on Bloomberg Television, watch here. The discussion comes as the nation’s two main parties launch their election campaigns, each vowing to ease the cost-of-living crisis. The opposition National Party is pledging to return the central bank to a sole focus on inflation if in power.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Anthony Albanese will unveil a new economic strategy for Southeast Asia in a speech to the Asean summit Wednesday, calling for an extensive overhaul of its business, trade and education ties with the region. US President Joe Biden skipped this week’s gathering in Jakarta, prompting questions about the bloc’s diminishing influence.
All eyes are turning to incoming Qantas chief Vanessa Hudson following Alan Joyce’s early departure, and the pressure will be on her to clean up a reputational mess. His exit removes the primary lightning rod for customer dissatisfaction over fake-ticket allegations, sky-high fares and flight cancellations and delays.
The clock is ticking for Chevron to ward off strikes by liquefied natural gas workers in Australia, who’ve threatened two weeks of 24-hour rolling outages at two major export plants from mid-month — escalating a dispute that threatens global fuel supply.
BHP chief executive Mike Henry said the world’s biggest miner still has “some ways to go” to create a safe environment for all female employees after it recently saw a 20% increase in reported sexual harassment, despite spending millions on improving women’s safety. Meanwhile, Fortescue founder Andrew Forrest was interviewed in Nairobi about the miner’s string of recent high-profile departures.
Up Next
The Bloomberg Address: Australia Briefing