Rudd riles business on visas
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's pledge to rebuild relations with the business community started with an angry backlash when he allowed passage of legislation clamping down on the 457 visa scheme for temporary foreign workers. The Fin
Costs see Clough set up offshore
Clough plans to carry out some of its engineering work for Australian projects at a new office in Scotland, partly in response to the higher cost of doing business in Perth. The West
Dud powerhouse burns up $280m
At least $280 million has been sunk into a bungled refurbishment of the 47-year-old Muja AB power station that was supposed to cost $100 million financed entirely by the private sector. The West
PM urged to fix his boats mistake
Kevin Rudd has told colleagues he will not ‘‘lurch to the Left’’ on asylum-seekers, with caucus members publicly urging him to toughen Labor’s policy or risk seeing his government consigned to the ‘‘dustbin of political history’’. The Aus
Woodside partners in Cyprus LNG play
Woodside Petroleum could be considering the tantalising prospect of joining an LNG consortium in Cyprus in a move that would rattle an Israeli government keen to enlist the Perth company's expertise in building and operating a land-based gas processing plant. The West
Top Resources Headlines
Costs see Clough set up offshore
Clough plans to carry out some of its engineering work for Australian projects at a new office in Scotland, partly in response to the higher cost of doing business in Perth. The West
Woodside partners in Cyprus LNG play
Woodside Petroleum could be considering the tantalising prospect of joining an LNG consortium in Cyprus in a move that would rattle an Israeli government keen to enlist the Perth company's expertise in building and operating a land-based gas processing plant. The West
Troy boss leads cost cuts by example
The head of goldminer Troy Resources has slashed his salary by a quarter and flagged a round of job cuts amid growing expectations the sector will witness more writedowns and project deferrals. The Aus
Glencore Xstrata sacks 450 from Qld mining operation
Glencore Xstrata has joined a burgeoning list of global miners to cut workers at its mine sites with at least 1,330 mass sackings across the resources industry in the past week alone. The Fin
Top Politics Headlines
Rudd riles business on visas
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's pledge to rebuild relations with the business community started with an angry backlash when he allowed passage of legislation clamping down on the 457 visa scheme for temporary foreign workers. The Fin
Dud powerhouse burns up $280m
At least $280 million has been sunk into a bungled refurbishment of the 47-year-old Muja AB power station that was supposed to cost $100 million financed entirely by the private sector. The West
PM urged to fix his boats mistake
Kevin Rudd has told colleagues he will not ‘‘lurch to the Left’’ on asylum-seekers, with caucus members publicly urging him to toughen Labor’s policy or risk seeing his government consigned to the ‘‘dustbin of political history’’. The Aus
Rudd bid to keep Abbott guessing
Kevin Rudd has ditched Julia Gillard's promise to hold the election on September 14 and so reclaims the element of surprise she gave away. The West
The West Australian
Page 1: Kevin Rudd has ditched Julia Gillard's promise to hold the election on September 14 and so reclaims the element of surprise she gave away.
Page 4: Kevin Rudd is preparing for a policy overhaul as part of his plan to break from Julia Gillard, with new plans for asylum seekers and the carbon tax.
Page 5: Business has demanded Kevin Rudd restore industry and consumer confidence but the sector is already on a collision course with the government over its changes to 457 visas.
Page 6: Labor heavyweight Stephen Smith will retire at the coming federal election after 20 years in Parliament and has poured cold water on the idea he could take a tilt at state politics.
Page 7: Outspoken WA Labor figure Alannah MacTiernan says Julia Gillard suffered instances of appalling misogyny but that was not the reason she had failed to connect with voters.
Page 10: At least $280 million has been sunk into a bungled refurbishment of the 47-year-old Muja AB power station that was supposed to cost $100 million financed entirely by the private sector.
Page 12: A long-awaited independent review of the state government's independent public school reforms has found little evidence they improved student achievement.
Page 13: Indonesian airline Garuda will today reinstate direct flights between Jakarta and Perth.
Page 22: Besieged rural land investor Michael King has been charged after a police investigation into an alleged fertiliser fraud worth up to $3 million.
Business: Clough plans to carry out some of its engineering work for Australian projects at a new office in Scotland, partly in response to the higher cost of doing business in Perth.
Britain says fields of shale gas in northern England are twice as big as previously estimated, offering the potential to boost economic groth, replace depleted North Sea deposits and cut energy imports.
First Quantum Minerals founder Martin Rowley says he joined a rescue mission at troubled lithium developer Galaxy Resources out of a sense of personal obligation to shareholders who went into the company because of its ill-fated merger with Canada's Lithium One.
Troy Resources has joined the industry's drastic cost cuts, with chief executive Paul Benson declaring it part of a shit into a “new paradigm” for gold producers.
Woodside Petroleum could be considering the tantalising prospect of joining an LNG consortium in Cyprus in a move that would rattle an Israeli government keen to enlist the Perth company's expertise in building and operating a land-based gas processing plant.
Australia's peak farming body has welcomed a Senate report which calls for rigorous scrutiny of foreign investment in agriculture.
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's pledge to rebuild relations with the business community started with an angry backlash when he allowed passage of legislation clamping down on the 457 visa scheme for temporary foreign workers.
Bill Shorten's last minute endorsement of Kevin Rudd for Labor leader had no overall influence on the outcome, because Julia Gillard's fate was already sealed, say those on both sides.
Business leaders are sceptical that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd can mend the rift with the corporate world in the short time before the election but are encouraged by his call for a stronger partnership between business and the Labor government.
Page 4: Future Fund chairman David Gonski has slammed the finance industry's short-term focus, warning Australia is falling behind Asian counterparts who plan investments over the long-term.
Page 5: Individuals and businesses will not receive any significant relief from surging electricty prices despite a slowdown in energy demand, according to the national forecaster.
Page 9: Chris Bowen's three years and three days of unbroken loyalty to Kevin Rudd have been rewarded with the biggest challenges of his life – keeping Australia out of its first recession in more than two decades.
Page 10: Primer Minister Kevin Rudd is likely to scrap the three-year fixed carbon price but the change would be unlikely to come into effect until next July.
Page 11: Coalition Leader Tony Abbott has challenged Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to accept responsibility for the asylum seeker crisis, claiming he personally unwound the Howard government's tough policies.
Page 18: The chief executives of Australia's biggest telecommunications companies have called on the next communications minister to make key changes to Labor's national broadband network before the next election.
Industry and Climate Change Minister Greg Combet has quit Cabinet, driven by a disillusionment with politics and a deep atipathy towards Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Page 20: A bungled power station refurbishment has cost West Australian taxpayers $280 million, the state government has admitted.
A report into Western Australia's independent public school reforms has found the next few years will be integral in proving the new structure leads to better education outcomes.
Page 21: Glencore Xstrata has joined a burgeoning list of global miners to cut workers at its mine sites with at least 1,330 mass sackings across the resources industry in the past week alone.
Page 23: Grocery suppliers have called on major retailers to reduce demands for discounts, rebates and fees so they can invest more in marketing and new products to drive sales growth in the $110 billion sector.
Toll Holdings will cut about $50 million in costs in its global forwarding business and lay off staff after taking a $200 million writedown as it loses its share of the freight market to shipping carriers.
The Australian
Page 1: Kevin Rudd has told colleagues he will not ‘‘lurch to the Left’’ on asylum-seekers, with caucus members publicly urging him to toughen Labor’s policy or risk seeing his government consigned to the ‘‘dustbin of political history’’.
The divisions of the past three years are forcing Kevin Rudd to deal with a mass exodus of senior experienced ministerial talent as he attempts to put together a frontbench to fight the election.
Page 4: Kevin Rudd is facing a backlash from business groups following his first full day back in office after the government pushed through a crackdown on 457 visas, which they had been expecting him to dump.
Labor's education funding reforms hung in the balance last night, as bewildered states pondered who would take ministerial control and whether existing agreements would be honoured and new deals brokered.
Key elements of Julia Gillard’s carbon tax — including whether to fast track the shift to a floating price — will be examined as soon as Kevin Rudd’s new cabinet meets next week.
Page 6: Bill Shorten is believed to have rejected approaches to stand for the deputy leadership of the Labor Party, as the ambitious Labor minister said he accepted he might pay a high price, personally and politically, for throwing his weight behind Kevin Rudd.
Page 7: Kevin Rudd’s resurrection as Labor Prime Minister is expected to dramatically change the ALP’s federal election strategy as party chiefs switch from a localised to a highly centralised campaign based on him and his popularity with voters.
Page 8: Labor senator Matt Thistlethwaite is contemplating an attempt at ‘‘moving down’’ to the lower house by seeking pre-selection for the Sydney seat of Kingsford Smith, being vacated by retiring former minister Peter Garrett.
Business: The drastic reversal of fortunes in the coal sector has claimed a further 450 jobs, with global mining and commodities giant Glencore Xstrata flagging deep cuts to its Queensland workforce, taking jobs lost from the industry this week to more than 1000.
In an intriguing register shuffle at one of the nation’s wealthiest private companies, Gina Rinehart’s trusted lieutenant Jay Newby at first blush appears to have been granted an extraordinary billion dollar-plus windfall thanks to a preference share he has been issued, which is linked to Mrs Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting.
China has confirmed its lasting need for new base metal supplies by providing Chinese controlled-MMG with a $US1 billion ($1.07bn) debt facility to support its $US1.5bn zinc, lead and silver deposit in Queensland.
The head of goldminer Troy Resources has slashed his salary by a quarter and flagged a round of job cuts amid growing expectations the sector will witness more writedowns and project deferrals.
Oil refiner and fuel marketer Caltex Australia released downbeat first-half guidance last night, declaring the sliding dollar and a pipeline outage at the Kurnell refinery would deliver a $50 million loss for its refining business.
John Ballard, the Elders chairman who oversaw the decision to put the company up for sale last year, has resigned after a drawn-out process failed to secure a buyer for the rural services division.
Rio Tinto has been blocked from exporting at two separate projects in developing nations that the company went into under former chief executive Tom Albanese.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Page 1: Kevin Rudd called on his fellow politicians to "be a little kinder and gentler with each other" as he took the floor of the Parliament for the first time as prime minister after the brutal coup against his predecessor Julia Gillard.
World: The US Supreme Court has ruled that marriage restrictions breach civil rights, granting equal rights to gay couples.
Business: Business leaders have urged Labor to call an election "sooner rather than later", warning that the party's leadership turmoil had sapped confidence and distracted from urgent economic policy debates.
Sport: The first and last penalties of Wednesday night's second State of Origin match told the story of NSW's disrespectful attitude.
The Daily Telegraph
Page 1: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is expected to dump the controversial carbon tax for an emissions trading scheme.
Page 3: Former Parliamentary speaker Peter Slipper flagged his retirement from politics in speech on Thursday in which he also accused Liberal MP Joe Hockey of asking billionaire Clive Palmer to fund a sexual harassment suit against him.
World: Nelson Mandela was on life support on Thursday night as his family weighed up whether to let him die peacefully, according to South African media.
Business: The business sector's patience is at breaking point and a quick decision on the election date to lift the gloomy mood that hangs over business and consumer confidence, senior corporate figures say.
Sport: NSW coach Michael Cheika has likened Israel Folau to David Beckham, saying the rugby star has an instinct and footballing brain that is virtually unrivalled
The Age
Page 1: On the first day of Kevin Rudd's second stint, asylum seekers dominated the political landscape.
Page 2: Kevin Rudd has dumped Julia Gillard's proposed September 14 election date and is weighing up whether to go earlier or delay the poll to maximise his chances of rebuilding public confidence in the Labor government. Clive Palmer has backed allegations Peter Slipper has made in Parliament that Liberals Joe Hockey and Mal Brough requested the billionaire pay the legal fees of Mr Slipper's former aide James Ashby.
Page 3: Kevin Rudd will take the opportunity of a visit to Indonesia next week to look afresh at how to deal with the rising number of asylum seekers.
World: US Supreme Court rules marriage restrictions breach civil rights.
Finance: Business leaders have urged Labor to call an election sooner rather than later, warning the party's leadership turmoil had sapped confidence and distracted from urgent economic policy debates.
Sport: Tasmania is pushing for one Melbourne-based AFL club to commit to a semi-relocation by playing eight games annually in the state, which also hopes to one day have its own team.
The Herald Sun
Page 1: Business leaders and Victorian voters in the nation's most marginal seat have pleaded for Kevin Rudd to call an election now.
Page 2: Three new asylum seeker boats were announced on Kevin Rudd's first day back, with one arriving about the same time as reports were tabled to Parliament on 200 people who arrived here on his last watch.
Page 3: Julia Gillard sat at a parliamentary cafe on Wednesday as her replacement, Kevin Rudd, was sworn in as prime minister.
World: Hong Kong officials have claimed their hands were tied over National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden because the US government used a wrong middle name on his extradition papers.
Finance: The patience of corporate Australia is at breaking point and only an early election can help lift the gloomy mood that hangs over business and consumers, industry leaders say.
Sport: Any Essendon player cited for an alleged doping offence would be barred from playing until his case was determined by an AFL tribunal.