Morning Headines

Palmer controls Senate future

The Abbott government will have to rely on the Palmer United Party to pass its legislative agenda following the weekend re-run of the Western Australia Senate election which resulted in the PUP gaining a third Senate slot and the Liberals at risk of losing a Senate seat. The Fin

Shorten reacts to Labor’s worst Senate result in its history

Labor leader Bill Shorten will move to sever the link between unions and ALP MPs as he battles to make the party relevant to voters after a terrible result in WA’s Senate re-run election. The West

PM goes to brink on beef trade

A wrangle over the tariff level on Australian beef and the time taken to phase in a reduction has emerged as the final impediment to a historic trade pact between Australia and Japan. The Fin

Palmer ducks question of voting intentions

After weeks of promising to stand up for WA, Clive Palmer and his likely new senator Dio Wang have gone missing and are refusing to answer questions about how they will use their new-found power in the Upper House. The West

Former Gillard minister to reveal knowledge of AWU slush fund

Former union boss and retired cabinet minister Martin Ferguson is offering to tell the national royal commission into union corruption his knowledge of controversial payments, key witnesses and other information in the AWU slush fund scandal that has dogged the Labor Party and Julia Gillard. The Aus

BHP and Rio asset sale race is too close to call, say analysts

BHP Billiton has earned almost twice as much money from divestments as rival Rio Tinto since the great resources fire sale began 18 months ago. But analysts caution that such numbers do not necessarily point to better performance from the ‘‘global Australian’’. The Fin

Packer plans $5bn casino in Japan

James Packer’s Melco Crown Asian gaming joint venture is in talks with several Japanese corporations — including some with operations in Australia — about joining forces to build a $US5 billion ($5.4bn) casino complex in Japan in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Aus

Cut HECS debt by changing collection

The government could recoup between $440 million and $1 billion in doubtful debt under the student loans scheme by introducing three simple measures: collecting from deceased estates, making graduates who live overseas pay annual instalments, and linking the payment threshold to CPI, a new report says. The Aus

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: The Abbott government will have to rely on the Palmer United Party to pass its legislative agenda following the weekend re-run of the Western Australia Senate election which resulted in the PUP gaining a third Senate slot and the Liberals at risk of losing a Senate seat.

A wrangle over the tariff level on Australian beef and the time taken to phase in a reduction has emerged as the final impediment to a historic trade pact between Australia and Japan.

Page 3: The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has threatened to introduce clamps on super-fast computer trades to reduce their speed if the controversial practice continues unchecked.

Page 5: Prime Minister Tony Abbott has left open changes to the age pension in the May budget, noting the need to boost participation and saying only that the government would meet its election commitment that pensioners will keep their carbon tax compensation.

Page 8: The Abbott government has been challenged by the oil and gas industry to accelerate changes to the Fair Work Act or risk missing out on a fresh $180 billion wave of investment that would see 150,000 potential jobs lost abroad.

Page 9: Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is to commence a campaign for party reform by saying Labor must dump the requirement that party members belong to a union, because the party won’t return to government unless it changes itself.

Page 10: The head of the Minerals Council of Australia has labelled a Senate inquiry into environmental offsets used to compensate for mining activities as “unnecessary and motivated by shoddy politics”.

Page 13: Authorities co-ordinating the multinational search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane in the southern Indian Ocean are investigating three reports by ships in the search area that underwater sensors had picked up signals that could be from the plane’s data and voice recorders.

Page 15: Leighton Holdings has defended its decision not to publicly release information on alleged bribes paid by former executives to secure contracts in Iraq, arguing the information was “insufficiently definite” to be disclosed.

Greg Hawkins, a former Crown Resorts executive with experience in Australia and Macau, has emerged as a front runner for the managing director position at Echo Entertainment Group’s Sydney casino, The Star.

Page 17: BHP Billiton has earned almost twice as much money from divestments as rival Rio Tinto since the great resources fire sale began 18 months ago. But analysts caution that such numbers do not necessarily point to better performance from the ‘‘global Australian’’.

Page 23: The federal government can save nearly $800 million a year by collecting Higher Education Contribution Scheme debt from graduates who die without repaying their loan, according to research from the Grattan Institute.

The Australian

Page 1: Tony Abbott will be forced to negotiate with Clive Palmer on the repeal of the carbon and mining taxes and his signature paid parental leave scheme after the Queensland mining magnate’s multi-million-dollar campaign secured his party another seat in Saturday’s West Australian Senate re-run.

Former union boss and retired cabinet minister Martin Ferguson is offering to tell the national royal commission into union corruption his knowledge of controversial payments, key witnesses and other information in the AWU slush fund scandal that has dogged the Labor Party and Julia Gillard.

Page 2: Clinching further free trade agreements will not reap the anticipated billions of dollars of benefits for Australian firms unless the deals are better drafted, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has warned Trade Minister Andrew Robb.

Strict English language requirements for foreign workers are being reviewed as the Immigration Department negotiates a new labour agreement for the hospitality industry.

Page 3: The government could recoup between $440 million and $1 billion in doubtful debt under the student loans scheme by introducing three simple measures: collecting from deceased estates, making graduates who live overseas pay annual instalments, and linking the payment threshold to CPI, a new report says.

Page 4: Senior Labor figures admit that the choice of controversial union boss Joe Bullock as the party’s No 1 Senate candidate dented its vote in Saturday’s West Australian Senate election and have called for reform to stop powerful unions from controlling pre-selections.

The Greens predict the likely election of the Palmer United Party’s Dio Wang to the Senate marks the beginning of the end for Clive Palmer’s team.

Page 15: James Packer’s Melco Crown Asian gaming joint venture is in talks with several Japanese corporations — including some with operations in Australia — about joining forces to build a $US5 billion ($5.4bn) casino complex in Japan in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Page 16: Graincorp chairman Don Taylor believes $100 million in federal government spending on rail infrastructure could make a significant improvement to the network and lift grower returns.

Page 17: Shopping centre giant Westfield Group has won approval for a £1 billion ($1.79bn) extension of its flagship Westfield London shopping centre, which will transform the complex into the largest shopping centre in Europe.

The West Australian

Page 1: Labor leader Bill Shorten will move to sever the link between unions and ALP MPs as he battles to make the party relevant to voters after a terrible result in WA’s Senate re-run election.

Page 3: Former treasurer Troy Buswell is working two to three hours a day, sounding healthier and even seems a little bored, Colin Barnett says.

Page 4: After weeks of promising to stand up for WA, Clive Palmer and his likely new senator Dio Wang have gone missing and are refusing to answer questions about how they will use their new-found power in the Upper House.

The Greens claim Scott Ludlam’s thumping Senate win was partly because of simmering community anger over the State Government’s shark cull.

Page 6: Premier Colin Barnett has hit back at Federal Liberal suggestions that “tough times” for the State party attributed to Saturday’s 5.5 per cent swing against it.

Page 7: State Opposition Leader Mark McGowan yesterday launched a blazing attack on his Federal colleagues’ “stupid” support of the mining tax, saying it allowed Labor to be cast as anti-WA.

Page 9: The Abbott Government is under fresh pressure to overhaul the nation’s industrial relations laws, with the oil and gas sector warning that projects worth tens of billions of dollars are at risk.

Page 10: The biggest upheaval of Rottnest in more than a century has been unveiled in a 20-year strategy that will see private operators run half the island’s accommodation units and build a marina.

Business: With a little interest coming back into the diamond sector over the past six months, former Sandfire Resources chairman Miles Kennedy has cashed in on De Beers’ announcement in late March it was planning to return to diamond exploration in Angola, making a quick trip back to the markets on behalf of Lucapa Diamond Company late last week.

Commonwealth authorities have effectively banned live cattle exports to the Gaza while they investigate shocking images of animal cruelty in the streets of the Palestinian territory.