THE NEWS WRAP: Coalition set for Senate election win

The Coalition is on course to take control of the Senate in the September 14 election, according to a new analysis.

Labor is due to lose senators in every state, leaving them with just 27, reports the Australian Financial Review, citing a new Nielsen poll.

This would result in the Coalition taking an extra 21 senators, boosting their ranks to 37 – just shy of a majority in the upper house.

Optus to roll out 4G across 70% of metropolitan Australia

Optus has revealed plans to roll out 4G coverage across 70% of metropolitan Australia by the middle of next year, along with plans to trial a new mobile broadband technology in Canberra.

Optus has revealed plans to trial a technology called TDMA (time division multiple access) LTE in the 2300 MHz spectrum it acquired from Vivid Wireless in a limited Canberra trial in order to test the new technology.

The trial will also be used to evaluate potential suppliers as part of its $1 billion 4G rollout.

Community banks could close as part of Bendigo Bank’s “restoring the balance” program

Bendigo bank’s “restoring the balance” program, which reduces the revenue share its community banks get from 60% to 50%, has raised fears that some rural branches could close.

“If your board truly believes the partnership unfairly favours Bendigo [Bank] do you want the partnership to continue?” the bank wrote in a letter obtained by The Australian to one of its community banks in Aldinga, South Australia.

“The fact is that even though they may not like the reduction to their income, by far the majority of our Community Bank partners acknowledge and accept the principles behind the RTB program. It’s hard not to when the 50-50 principle is built into the partnership model.”

Overnight

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 0.12% to 15,336.05. The Aussie dollar is up to US98.07 cents.