The Australian

Frank Green, the cult Australian water bottle brand, has launched a re-engineered range of its colourful $50-plus bottles as it fights off competition from global brands and copy cats. The cult favourite, which is credited as one of the driving forces behind the explosion of ‘emotional support’ water bottles, has sold more than 28 million bottles in Australia equating to more than $73m in sales. However, it’s also attracted a slew of copy cat brands as well as significant competition for large internationals such as Hydro-Flask, Owala and PMI-owned Stanley for the global reusable drinkware market, which is estimated to be worth $10bn. In a bid to snare more of the market, Melbourne-based Frank Green has today released the most significant product overhaul in the company’s history, launching the new ‘Edition Two’ range, reports Danielle Long: https://bit.ly/3UyzrY5

Soaring fuel prices are pushing up the cost of transporting construction materials, making it more expensive to build and renovate homes and piling pressure on the Albanese government’s pledge to build 1.2 million homes by the end of the decade, reports Mackenzie Scott: https://bit.ly/4hY24Xz

Firmus Technologies co-founder Oliver Curtis requested a personal introduction to the Kerry Stokes-controlled Beach Energy for a gas supply deal to power its South Australian data centres, a sharp U-turn on its public pact to only tap renewable energy supplies for its AI factories, reports Perry Williams and John Stensholt: https://bit.ly/4yBWKyi

Margin Call: It’s a story as old as corporate Australia: first the consultants are signed up, next come the sweeping program of job cuts. Take NAB, which is currently under the management of Andrew Irvine (once a McKinsey consultant himself), writes Will Glasgow: https://bit.ly/489Z2cR

Surging fuel prices have pushed construction material costs up 3.2 per cent annually, piling fresh pressure on Labor’s pledge to build 1.2 million homes. Read more: https://bit.ly/4hY24Xz

He was forced to resign from ANZ a decade ago after an episode of ‘unconstrained loucheness and irresponsibility’. But Steve Bellotti stands to make millions from the data-centre boom.

Qantas has competition for an extra 5000 seats of capacity on Indonesian routes after Virgin Australia lodged an application with the International Air Services Commission for more Bali flights. The additional capacity would be worth about $3.5m a week, reports Robyn Ironside: https://bit.ly/4ivVsje

Australia’s aviation regulator will examine VietJet Air’s ability to pay for aircraft maintenance and other safety measures, as it considers the airline’s application to operate domestic flights under a subsidiary known as Cherrie Air, reports Robyn Ironside: https://bit.ly/4BdfDKl

National Australia Bank’s chief executive Andrew Irvine insists the deep job cuts he’s signed off on at his big four bank are about responding to a slowing economy, not a result of AI. However, there’s no doubt that automation is doing more of the work of a white-collar workforce, just as much as the competitive threats of tech, meaning the line between the two is getting harder to draw, writes Eric Johnston: https://bit.ly/489Z2cR

Women's fashion retailer White Fox Boutique is going from tenant to its own landlord with the company splashing out $87m for a major industrial facility in the inner Sydney suburb of Alexandria, reports Ben Wilmot: https://bit.ly/4sj1qHQ