Rudd team in bid to force ballot
A petition of one-third of caucus members is under active consideration by Labor MPs eager to force a leadership change but unable to break the impasse caused by Kevin Rudd's refusal to challenge and Julia Gillard's refusal to step down. The Fin
Barnett cans Muja revamp
The Barnett government has finally halted the botched Muja AB project, announcing yesterday that no further taxpayers' money would be tipped into the refurbishment of the 47-year-old Collie power plant. The West
China doubts on Palmer mine bid
Clive Palmer’s deal to build the troubled Sino iron ore mine in Western Australia is being viewed sceptically by Chinese financial analysts who believe the embattled project is doomed. The Aus
Hess cuts jobs as decisions loom
US oil player Hess Corporation has cut its workforce at its Perth office just as it nears a decision on the future of its shale exploration venture in the Northern Territory and as progress stalls at its $US6 billion ($6.5 billion) Equus offshore gas project in Western Australia. The Fin
Plans for 2,500 extra rooms
Perth's supply of accommodation is set to jump, with more than 2,500 new rooms or serviced apartments planned in a flurry of new developments. The West
Top Resources Headlines
China doubts on Palmer mine bid
Clive Palmer’s deal to build the troubled Sino iron ore mine in Western Australia is being viewed sceptically by Chinese financial analysts who believe the embattled project is doomed. The Aus
Hess cuts jobs as decisions loom
US oil player Hess Corporation has cut its workforce at its Perth office just as it nears a decision on the future of its shale exploration venture in the Northern Territory and as progress stalls at its $US6 billion ($6.5 billion) Equus offshore gas project in Western Australia. The Fin
S&P lifts Woodside
Standard & Poor's has given a brighter assessment of Woodside Petroleum's creditworthiness, lifting the outlook on its BBB+ rating to positive from stable because of the strong performance of its $15 billion Pluto LNG project and reduced capital expenditure. The Fin
Miners slash jobs, production in a black day for coal
Nearly 500 jobs have been slashed, production cut and a project under construction shelved by two of the biggest coalminers in NSW and Queensland as the outlook for the struggling industry continues to worsen. The Aus
New Africa strategy for Sundance
Sundance Resources is pushing ahead with a new strategy to develop its west African iron ore project three months after its $1.3 billion deal with China’s Hanlong group collapsed. The Aus
Top Politics Headlines
Rudd team in bid to force ballot
A petition of one-third of caucus members is under active consideration by Labor MPs eager to force a leadership change but unable to break the impasse caused by Kevin Rudd's refusal to challenge and Julia Gillard's refusal to step down. The Fin
Barnett cans Muja revamp
The Barnett government has finally halted the botched Muja AB project, announcing yesterday that no further taxpayers' money would be tipped into the refurbishment of the 47-year-old Collie power plant. The West
NW port viability queried
Doubts have emerged about the viability of a key project on the state government's big-ticket infrastructure wish list, with industry sources suggesting the construction cost of a new common-user marine facility at Port Hedland may be too great to attract private investment. The West
Protesters heckle Premier in House
Speaker Michael Sutherland threatened to clear Parliament's public gallery yesterday after Colin Barnett was heckled by residents opposed to two disability justice centres planned for Lockridge and Kiara. The West
Buswell too late for $30m raid
Treasurer Troy Buswell's 2012-13 Budget bottom line will take a $30 million trim after the government's leader in the Upper House, Peter Collier, ruled out rushing a Bill to allow a cash grab from the Insurance Commission of WA before the financial year ends. The West
Top Property Headlines
Plans for 2,500 extra rooms
Perth's supply of accommodation is set to jump, with more than 2,500 new rooms or serviced apartments planned in a flurry of new developments. The West
Walk index lists best addresses
The gap between Perth's inner city “haves” and outer-city “have nots” has been exposed by a suburb-by-suburb analysis of basic services and facilities. The West
Peet gets national foothold but not full ownership of developer CIC
Holdouts accounting for 14 per cent of CIC Australia have deprived Peet of full ownership of the Canberra residential developer. The West
The West Australian
Page 3: Annual patronage on Perth's public transport system is on track to surge past 150 million for the first time.
Page 4: The Barnett government has finally halted the botched Muja AB project, announcing yesterday that no further taxpayers' money would be tipped into the refurbishment of the 47-year-old Collie power plant.
Speaker Michael Sutherland threatened to clear Parliament's public gallery yesterday after Colin Barnett was heckled by residents opposed to two disability justice centres planned for Lockridge and Kiara.
Page 10: Kevin Rudd's backers plan to present the former prime minister with a list of supporters, with a view to convincing him to challenge Julia Gillard before Parliament rises tomorrow, the last sitting before the election.
Page 13: Treasurer Troy Buswell's 2012-13 Budget bottom line will take a $30 million trim after the government's leader in the Upper House, Peter Collier, ruled out rushing a Bill to allow a cash grab from the Insurance Commission of WA before the financial year ends.
Page 16: The popular St Jerome's Laneway Festival may move to Fremantle's west end next year after outgrowing the Perth Cultural Centre.
Page 20: Air New Zealand will operate the revolutionary Boeing 787 with economy sleeper seats to Perth from next year as it strives to offer a seamless international passenger product.
Page 21: The gap between Perth's inner city “haves” and outer-city “have nots” has been exposed by a suburb-by-suburb analysis of basic services and facilities.
Business: Doubts have emerged about the viability of a key project on the state government's big-ticket infrastructure wish list, with industry sources suggesting the construction cost of a new common-user marine facility at Port Hedland may be too great to attract private investment.
Barrick Gold has cut another 33 jobs from one of its WA gold mines, as staff at the world's biggest gold miner brace for further cutbacks.
Outgoing Shell Australia chairwoman Ann Pickard is spearheading a new push to find out why so few women occupy senior executive positions in WA business.
Contractor AusGroup has turned up the heat in its dispute with Karara Mining by launching a $55 million writ against the Chinese-Australian magnetite project.
Shares in Perth-based gold producer Perseus Mining were hammered yesterday on its first day of trading after a cost warning and production downgrade, with traders wiping almost 25 per cent off the company's share price.
Holdouts accounting for 14 per cent of CIC Australia have deprived Peet of full ownership of the Canberra residential developer.
Cash-strapped miners are set for millions in balance sheet relief, with a new system of funding the rehabilitation of WA mine sites set to begin on Monday.
Gold producer Newcrest Mining, which faces regulatory scrutiny over its disclosure, said staff had met analysts before it announced a possible $6 billion writedown.
Food giant Goodman Fielder has renegotiated its private label bread contact with supermarket chain Coles.
The party surrounding Sirius Resources' shares has come to an abrupt halt this week, with the junior mining sector saviour dropping to its lowest level for 10 months.
Perth's supply of accommodation is set to jump, with more than 2,500 new rooms or serviced apartments planned in a flurry of new developments.
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: A petition of one-third of caucus members is under active consideration by Labor MPs eager to force a leadership change but unable to break the impasse caused by Kevin Rudd's refusal to challenge and Julia Gillard's refusal to step down.
Goodman Fielder joined the string of high-profile earning downgrades in the run-up to the end of the financial year, sparking concerns that tough conditions in the resources and mining services sectors could be spreading into consumer parts of the economy.
Page 3: The commonwealth's top infrastructure adviser has accused public servants within federal, state and territory governments of “self-interest”, “displays of truculence” and failing to show common sense in planning for Australia's infrastructure needs.
Page 4: Opposition leader Tony Abbott has gone on the offensive over his controversial asylum seeker board turn-back plan, challenging the government to explain why the US Coastguard can turn vessels around, but its considered too dangerous for the Royal Australian Navy.
Page 5: GM Holden managing director Mike Devereux has taken his case for support to Canberra, telling both the government and opposition face to face that the carmaker's continued presence in Australia requires commitments of ongoing government assistance.
Reserve Bank of Australia governor Glenn Stevens requested an analysis of the health of the car industry 18 months ago to check if government data about the number of jobs supported by local car manufacturing was accurate.
Page 7: Treasurer Wayne Swan will admonish a closed-door forum of almost 400 top executives from foreign-owned companies, telling them Australia's image as a high-cost, poorly competing economy is unfounded.
Page 8: Only a handful of companies have failed to pay the carbon tax on time despite many being unable to pass on increased energy costs.
Page 13: Newcrest Mining says it will not prejudice any formal investigation into its disclosure practices by launching its own inquiry, to be headed by former Australian Securities Exchange chairman Dr Maurice Newman.
Peabody Energy has cut 450 contractors across its NSW and Queensland operations as global mining companies slash Australian jobs to offset falling commodity prices.
Page 16: Rio Tinto's $6 billion Mongolian copper and gold mine could be delayed further following the national election on Wednesday, despite expectations the incumbent president will retain power.
Standard & Poor's has given a brighter assessment of Woodside Petroleum's creditworthiness, lifting the outlook on its BBB+ rating to positive from stable because of the strong performance of its $15 billion Pluto LNG project and reduced capital expenditure.
US oil player Hess Corporation has cut its workforce at its Perth office just as it nears a decision on the future of its shale exploration venture in the Northern Territory and as progress stalls at its $US6 billion ($6.5 billion) Equus offshore gas project in Western Australia.
The Australian
Page 1: Julia Gillard is preparing for a showdown with Kevin Rudd as early as tomorrow, warning Labor MPs they will have to tear her down in an open show of hands in caucus to force a ballot on the leadership.
The tumbling Australian dollar is set to help Labor claim a surprise boost to the budget during the election campaign as tax revenue improves on the back of the global shift in currency markets.
Page 2: Unions have scored a major victory with the decision of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to award 300,000 public servants an increase to their superannuation in addition to their wages.
Clive Palmer’s deal to build the troubled Sino iron ore mine in Western Australia is being viewed sceptically by Chinese financial analysts who believe the embattled project is doomed.
Infrastructure Australia chief Michael Deegan has stepped up the case for selling off roads and ports by saying the private sector will do a better job than governments at maintaining public assets.
Page 3: The commonwealth government is embroiled in a $150 million court case with several London-based insurance and underwriting companies, arising from its decision to settle several court cases following the collapse of Pan Pharmaceuticals.
Page 4: The Prime Minister’s office has been caught on the hop, claiming a magazine photoshoot of Julia Gillard knitting a woollen kangaroo for the royal baby was a ‘‘stitch-up’’ not of their making.
Tasmania is poised to sign a Gonski education funding deal as soon as this weekend, after receiving assurances it will not lose $105 million in extra GST funds it already receives for education.
The Coalition will today move to unwind the 5 per cent rise in the carbon price scheduled to take effect from next week, with a motion in parliament calling on the government to veto the increase.
Page 5: Indigenous Health Minister Warren Snowdon has warned that the nation’s commitment to close the health gap between black and white Australia is being put at risk by state and territory governments failing to sign on six days before it starts.
Page 6: Farmers have walked away from a deal with miners after a coal company allegedly lured one farmer into signing an access agreement by misrepresenting it was conforming to the association’s guidelines.
Business: One of the nation’s most senior business figures has warned that the era of double-digit profit growth is at an end and urged corporate Australia to adjust to a ‘‘new normal’’ of low growth and ongoing cost-cutting after a slew of profit downgrades during the past six weeks.
Newcrest chairman Don Mercer has set out to repair reputational damage and a hit to its share price from the continuous disclosure controversy, ordering an independent investigation into the matter.
Nearly 500 jobs have been slashed, production cut and a project under construction shelved by two of the biggest coalminers in NSW and Queensland as the outlook for the struggling industry continues to worsen.
Australia is becoming a ‘‘fading star’’ as an investment destination and needs official interest rates lowered further to fire up an economy reeling from previous damaging decisions by the Reserve Bank and Gillard government, according to a global research group.
Australia's top diplomat in Beijing, Frances Adamson, has rejected the Chinese government’s push for an easing of investment restrictions in Australia, claiming that most Chinese companies are happy with the investment climate here.
Sundance Resources is pushing ahead with a new strategy to develop its west African iron ore project three months after its $1.3 billion deal with China’s Hanlong group collapsed.
Shipments from Rio Tinto’s $US6.2 billion ($6.7bn) first stage of the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine could be delayed for weeks as Mongolia awaits results of today’s presidential elections.
Food manufacturer Goodman Fielder has signalled a turnaround in earnings performance after securing price hikes from supermarket giant Coles for its privatelabel bread.
Billions of dollars of investment by the banks in digital channels is unlikely to shift the competitive playing field and may result in the leaders having a ‘‘winner’s curse’’ and taking writedowns from over-investing, according to new research.
The Daily Telegraph
Page 1: Prime Minister Julia Gillard will deny her MPs a secret vote in a special caucus meeting expected to be called as early as Wednesday to spill the Labor leadership.
Page 2: The Blues prepare to face the Maroons in tonight's State of Origin.
Page 3: Billionaire James Packer appears almost certain to win approval within days to build Sydney's second casino at Barangaroo.
World: Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi vowed to fight for his political survival after a court in Milan sentenced him to seven years jail for soliciting sex from a minor and abusing his position to cover up the affair.
Business: Breads and spreads maker Goodman Fielder has nailed down a new deal to supply Coles with house-brand bread, four months after threatening to walk away.
Sport: NSW have won just seven penalty counts in 49 State of Origin matches in Brisbane.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Page 1: Community services workers, teachers, police and relatives of six-year-old Kiesha Weippeart all knew or suspected she was suffering serious abuse in the months before her death, but none intervened effectively before her mother murdered her.
Page 3: Doctors have warned that Prince of Wales Hospital is facing an unprecedented reduction in services to meet a 10 per cent budget cut, estimated to be about $30 million.
World: At least 16 Lebanese soldiers have been killed in clashes with Sunni militants in the port city of Sidon.
Business: The head of BHP gets paid about 200 times as much as the average Australian.
Sport: Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards has unequivocally backed James Sutherland to continue as chief executive, saying his management team had done all it could to avoid the cultural meltdown that has befallen Australian cricket.
The Age
Page 1: A woman who was left with a $3 million bill after a backflip on a redevelopment by Victorian Planning Minister Matthew Guy is suing.
Page 2: Australia is pushing Indonesian authorities to take police involvement in people smuggling more seriously, while Indonesia wants Australia to double its intake of refugees from the queue.
Page 3: American intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden may expose top secret Australian intelligence-gathering operations and embarrass Australia's relations with neighbouring Asian countries, Australian intelligence officials fear.
World: The US is turning to the riskier tools in the diplomatic kitbag, openly mocking Russia and China in the Cold War thriller that could be called The Pursuit of Edward Snowden, as the star fleshes out a self-portrait that is not quite that of an innocent abroad.
Finance: A string of high-profile profit warnings among some of Australia's biggest companies, including AMP, Goodman Fielder and Lend Lease, over recent weeks points to an economy that remains hobbled by slower-than-expected growth.
Sport: Jobe Watson has expressed regret that he admitted taking a banned drug, given the immediate consequences created by his honesty.
The Herald Sun
Page 1: The world anti-doping boss has laid down the law to crisis-hit Essendon, declaring: "The moment it's in your system, you're gone, full stop."
Page 2: Kevin Rudd's supporters are mounting a final push to convince him to break his promise not to challenge and to launch a strike against Julia Gillard within 48 hours.
Page 3: Smokers will be asked to quit before undergoing surgery and be referred for help while on waiting lists under new medical guidelines.
World: Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has vowed to fight for his political survival after a court in Milan sentenced him to seven years imprisonment for soliciting sex from a minor and abusing his position to cover up the affair.
Finance: Newcrest Mining has conceded questions over corporate governance are hurting its share price and has funded an independent review in an effort to rebuild faith with investors.
Sport: Former ASADA boss Richard Ings says he can not see how Jobe Watson and possibly other Essendon players can escape doping infraction notices following the captain's admission he believed he took AOD9604.