THE NEWS WRAP: Harvey Norman executive says government inaction on GST reform will force retailers offshore

Harvey Norman managing director Katie Page has again hit out at the Federal Government for not altering the GST status of goods bought from overseas websites, saying that there was a push for Australian retailers to move their operations to Asia.

The Age reports that Page claimed there are “lots of advisers” telling “thousands of retailers” to set up shop in places such as Hong Kong in order to lower eCommerce costs.

She added that if Harvey Norman did this, others would follow, which would be “wrong.”

Ferguson hits out at “sloppy” mining companies

Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson has blamed businesses and unions for mismanaging the mining boom.

Ferguson said that “sloppy” management of mining projects had led to a drop in productivity. He also singled out unions for pushing for higher worker wages as contributing to the resources slowdown.

Job hunters demanding Facebook access

One in five Australian job candidates would reject a position if it meant their Facebook access was restricted, according to a new report.

The report by recruitment firm Hays found that half of Australian workers use the social networking site during working hours. A third of employers allow total access to Facebook, while 43% allow limited access.

Overnight

The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.66 of a point to 13,553.76. The Australian dollar was up slightly to US104.57 cents.