Nats push Abbott for better deal – The Aus; Barnett calls for federalist reforms – The Aus; Worry over irrigation project's next phase – The West; Obstacles for Pluto's delivery – The Fin; Asciano in $700m grain bid – The Australia
Nats push Abbott for better deal
Nationals MPs have put Tony Abbott on notice that they won't be rubber-stamping legislation under any minority Coalition government and want a better deal for regional constituents. The Aus
Barnett calls for federalist reforms
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has called for radical change to some of the icons of federalism, including stripping back COAG, slashing the number of ministerial councils and scrapping the Commonwealth Grants Commission. The Aus
Worry over irrigation project's next phase
The $220 million Ord irrigation expansion could be delayed because Federal environmental approval has still not been given. The West
Obstacles for Pluto's delivery
Woodside Petroleum's ambitions target to have its company-defining $13 billion Pluto liquefied natural gas project running by February faces more pressure after revelations it is reviewing key parts of the gas plant due to cyclone safety concerns. The Fin
Asciano in $700m grain bid
Asciano has confirmed it is among the bidders vying for a major rail contract in Western Australia to transport $100 million worth of grain a year. The Aus
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Perth is heading for a peak-hour meltdown with the number of cars on WA roads to hit two million within weeks, a $1.4 billion road maintenance black hole over the next decade, no new city carparks planned and a public transport system already under strain.
Page 4: Perth will be home for an extra 500,000 people in 20 years, according to a planning blueprint out today which calls for more homes to be squeezed into existing suburbs.
Commuters using Perth's rail services could face further delays this week with the Public Transport Authority unable to guarantee that more drivers would not call in sick after last week's "blue flu".
Page 5: Motorists on some of the most congested routes into the city spend up to 70 per cent more time in their cars driving to work in the mornings now than in the early 1990s, figures show.
Page 6: Speed dates between a group of independents, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott and their senior colleagues this week will decide who forms government, with a possible outcome by week's end.
Liberal Party candidate Ken Wyatt has claimed victory in the marginal seat of Hasluck.
Page 14: A State Government plan to allow alcohol at the annual Skyworks is under fire from the WA Police Union which fears a return to the "bad old days" of alcohol-fuelled violence.
Page 17: Rice is to become one of the Ord Valley's biggest crops with farmers planning to quadruple plantings in the northern irrigation scheme next year.
The $220 million Ord irrigation expansion could be delayed because Federal environmental approval has still not been given.
Business: Mounting fears of a double-dip recession in the US could extend local sharemarket volatility, despite reassurances from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke that the central bank is ready to act if the economy continued to weaken.
Former Dyno Nobel boss Peter Richards is spearheading a $13.7 million Perth phosphate float coinciding with increased investor appetite for fertiliser ingredients.
New mines in WA have helped reinvigorate the Australian gold sector, with the industry producing its best quarter in nearly seven years.
When Xstrata unwrapped its $428 million offer for Sphere Minerals last week it added weight to what many in the industry have been saying for a while: that Africa is shaping up as the new hunting ground for the world's biggest miners.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Page 1: Prime Minister Julia Gillard has secured a broad mandate from cabinet to meet the requests of independent MPs in here negotiations today to try to form a minority government, amid growing business concern over some of the demands she may have to meet.
United States Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has flagged he is prepared to take extraordinary steps to stimulate spending in the US as further evidence emerged that the recovery in the world's largest economy may be stalling.
The Australian Taxation Office is targeting small business capital gains tax claims in a bid to curb the $4.4 billion in capital gains tax concessions claimed by an average 30,000 tax payers each year.
Page 3: Companies have flouted warnings by the corporate regulator not to sugar-coat their profits, a trend experts warn could lead to new rules on how companies portray their results.
Page 7: The pressure is building on key independent MPs to quickly resolve which party will form government, with two of the group yesterday indicating they are likely to make a decision this week.
Page 8: Liberal Party challenger Teresa Gambaro has edged closer to taking the seat of Brisbane, bolstering the Coalition's claim that it has more seats than Labor in the quest to form a minority government.
Page 9: Business opinion is converging around the need for a comprehensive tax review by whicher side forms government, taking in a broader response to the whole Henry review but also including the GST.
The renewable energy sector warns Australia will fall short of its emissions reduction targets unless the government heeds the calls of key cross-benchers for more investment in solar, wind and geothermal power.
Page 14: Woodside Petroleum's ambitions target to have its company-defining $13 billion Pluto liquefied natural gas project running by February faces more pressure after revelations it is reviewing key parts of the gas plant due to cyclone safety concerns.
Amcom Telecom waded into the market to increase its stake in Perth-based rival iiNet the day after its chairman was told that iiNet was pushing on with efforts to acquire AAPT's consumer business.
Agrium managing director Mike Wilson angered a key farming lobby ahead of his arrival in Australia last night, placing a hurdle in front of the Canadian fertiliser giant's $1.2 billion takeover of AWB.
Page 15: BHP Billiton has given the first public indication of which parts of the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan portfolio it would like to sell should its $US40 billion hostile takeover attempt succeed.
Page 17: Aquila Resources is putting together a funding strategy for its Australian iron ore and coal projects and expects major shareholder Baosteel and its strategic partner, China Development Bank, to feature prominently in its final plan.
Uranium explorer Toro Energy has signalled it is in no hurry to link with a partner for the development of its Wiluna project in Western Australia, despite keen interest from suitors in Asia.
Page 39: Fairfax Media's new five-year strategic plan includes the acquisition of online "transactional" businesses and an overhaul of the way the print and online versions of its capital city newspapers work together.
THE AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Nationals MPs have put Tony Abbott on notice that they won't be rubber-stamping legislation under any minority Coalition government and want a better deal for regional constituents.
Page 3: Indonesia has called on Australia to distinguish between the kingpins of the people-smuggling trade and the hapless fishermen who crew the boats, as tempers erupt inside the Darwin detention centre.
Property markets are maintaining their steam, but analysts warn the selling blitz may be a signal vendors are moving ahead of hard times expected in spring.
Page 4: An alleged match-fixer of Pakistan cricket was arrested in London yesterday amid claims that Australia's surprise victory over Pakistan in Sydney early this year was rigged.
Page 5: West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has called for radical change to some of the icons of federalism, including stripping back COAG, slashing the number of ministerial councils and scrapping the Commonwealth Grants Commission.
Australia has failed to build the good relations it needs with its new biggest buyer, China, says West Australian Premier Colin Barnett.
Australia's first indigenous member of the House of Representatives, Ken Wyatt, has been rocked by a racist hate campaign in Perth.
Page 6: Prime Minister Julia Gillard will today outline her plans for parliamentary reform to key independents, but the kingmaker MPs also want a better deal for the bush, including encouraging motorists to use ethanol.
Business: The chief executive of one of the country's biggest energy retailers has warned that power prices are set to increase dramatically.
Uncertainty over a key plank of Labor's $43 billion National Broadband Network is causing chaos in new commercial and residential property projects.
The final two days of an underwhelming earnings season will be made brighter by a strong lead from Wall Street at the weekend, after reassuring comments from the Federal Reserve.
Leighton Asia chief Hamish Tyrwhitt doesn't do any construction work in China, but the boom there is the driving force behind the $7 billion business he oversees in Asia -- from the casinos of Macau to the new seaside luxury apartments in Thailand and the coalmines of Mongolia and Indonesia to the high-speed rail and other infrastructure projects in Hong Kong.
Asciano has confirmed it is among the bidders vying for a major rail contract in Western Australia to transport $100 million worth of grain a year.
Australia's goldminers are producing at their healthiest rate in 6 1/2 years thanks to a hefty gold price and a renewed ability to get finance after the global financial crisis.
Aquila Resources boss Tony Poli is hoping the court-ordered disclosure of emails sent between Brazilian mining giant Vale's Rio De Janeiro and Brisbane offices around Christmas last year will shed light on what he fears could be a four-year delay to the Eagle Downs coking coal project in Queensland.
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has opened the door to bolder steps by the US central bank if the economy continues to falter, amid fresh signs that growth has fizzled in the past few months.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:
Page 1: The alleged match-fixer arrested for colluding with Pakistani cricketers has been caught boasting that the Sydney Test in January was rigged.
One of the nation's biggest investigations into organised crime has exposed an international drugs importation syndicate with links to the Comanchero bikie gang.
The retiring former NSW Liberal leader Peter Debnam has ridiculed the performance of both sides of politics.
Page 2: Undercover police officers cavorted with criminals in Kings Cross in the 1990s to expose them before being cut adrift by the NSW police force.
Page 3: Ten years of suicide data after John Howard's decision to ban and then buy back 600,000 semi-automatic rifles and shotguns shows it has saved 200 lives a year. Remains found in Belanglo State Forest could be human.
A bestselling Indian author has branded the Delhi Commonwealth Games the most blatant exercise in corruption since the country won independence six decades ago.
World: One of Afghanistan's most senior prosecutors says President Hamid Karzai fired him after he refused to block corruption investigations at the highest levels of the government.
Business: Australia's big banks will need to borrow as much as $140 billion from local and offshore markets over the next year to help fund their lending books as demand for credit continues to outstrip growth in deposits.
Sport: One of Australia's biggest bookmakers has revealed that several punters who backed a North Queensland penalty goal to be the first scoring play against Canterbury were also part of the controversial plunge on Melbourne to win the wooden spoon.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH:
Page 1: Six young women report being raped or sexually assaulted every day in NSW.
Page 2: Hundreds of thousands of Australians are taking advantage of an explosion in discount coupon websites.
Page 3: Councils want to ban alcohol from some of the best vantage spots on Sydney Harbour this New Year's Eve. The growing pay gap between the sexes is now higher than it was in the 1970s.
World: Pakistani troops and workers are on a "war footing" as they strive to save the deserted southern city of Thatta after most of its 300,000 people fled the advancing flood waters.
Business: A double-dip recession in the US is now looming large on the horizon.
Sport: After another dominant performance yesterday, Todd Carney is ready to lead the Roosters head-first into the semi-finals.
THE HERALD SUN:
Page 1: Game over: Essendon will pay out $1.1 million to sacked coach Matthew Knights, while Richmond fans have given Ben Cousins an emotional farewell at the MCG.
Page 2: Metro has warned of deadly consequences if a state opposition plan to employ armed guards on railway stations after dark is adopted.
Page 3: Australia's extraordinary victory over Pakistan in the Second Test in Sydney this year was rigged, says the player agent at the centre of a match-fixing storm that has rocked the cricket world.
World: About two dozen Taliban militants - some dressed in US military uniforms - have died in a failed attempt to storm two US-run bases in a city in eastern Afghanistan, NATO says.
Business: Banks will have no choice but to pass on rising costs to customers or accept lower profits in the next decade as funding becomes a "scarce commodity", a leading finance group says.
Sport: Mark Williams has put up his hand to replace Matthew Knights as coach at Essendon.
THE AGE:
Page 1: One of the nation's biggest investigations into organised crime has exposed an international drug importation syndicate with links to the Comanchero outlaw bikie gang, Chinese triads and corrupt Australian officials. The independents crucial to who forms government are under pressure to come to an early decision, as business warns any deal should not compromise Australia's economic reform.
Page 2: Dozens of Indonesian detainees rioted at Darwin's immigration detention centre early on Sunday in protest against their treatment, which includes mandatory jail sentences of up to 20 years.
Page 3: Thousands of Victorian electricity workers will push for a four-day week as part of a landmark industrial campaign to better balance work and life.
World: Tony Blair sees himself as a visionary who first recognised the terror threat from Islamic fundamentalists and prolonged his time as PM because the Bush administration had grave doubts about Gordon Brown, his autobiography is to reveal.
Business: Mounting fears of a double dip recession in the US could extend local sharemarket volatility, despite reassurances from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke that it is ready to act if the economy continues to weaken.
Sport: Essendon great James Hird has all but ruled himself out of replacing Matthew Knights, leaving the Bombers with what appears to be a thin list of possible replacements.
THE CANBERRA TIMES:
Page 1: Planning restrictions in the suburban hub of Kingston should be eased, a report recommends. With just four students, Rugby Public School faces an uphill battle to keep its doors open. An alleged match-fixer's boasting about January's Sydney Test led to a corruption investigation. Independent MPs are hopeful of making a decision by the end of the week.
Page 2: Dickson residents could be headed online for the latest information on council works, such as construction noise levels, under a new proposal.
Page 3: Canberrans on the hunt for public housing should find it easier under changes to be implemented this week.
World: Emergency efforts continue in flood-affected Pakistan, this time to try to save the deserted southern city of Thatta.
Business: Analysts warn migrant cuts could lead to a major skills shortage for the mining industry.
Sport: Canberra Raiders teammates declare Josh Dugan a "shoo-in" for the Dally M fullback of the year award next week.
