Business calls for flexible contracts – The Aus; Barnett's ambitions as big as his state – The Fin; Royalties impair 42pc tax claim – The West; High dollar is a profit season blow – The Fin; Crunch time for Alcoa's Warro-4 gas venture – The Fin
Business calls for flexible contracts
A leading employer group will today urge Labor to allow companies and workers to strike more flexible workplace deals, while releasing research showing strong business support for the return of individual contracts. The Aus
Barnett's ambitions as big as his state
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett encouraged direct Chinese investment in the state's emerging northern food bowl, according to leaked US diplomatic cables. The Fin
Royalties impair 42pc tax claim
The country's biggest miners have stepped up their campaign against the threat of higher royalties, claiming they are being slugged a tax rate of 42c in the dollar and rejecting suggestions they make super profits at the expense of ordinary taxpayers. The West
High dollar is a profit season blow
The Australian dollar wiped almost $3 billion off the bottom line of companies during the recent reporting season, as manager struggled to deal with the biggest gain against the US dollar during any financial year since the currency was floated. The Fin
Crunch time for Alcoa's Warro-4 gas venture
Aluminium giant Alcoa could find out as early as this week whether its $100 million investment in an unconventional gas exploration venture in Western Australia is likely to pay off. The Fin
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:
Page 3: A bush fire which engulfed competitors in an international running event near Kununurra on Friday may have started as a controlled burn.
Page 4: Julia Gillard faces a choice between cutting a deal with Tony Abbott to bring back the Pacific Solution or appeasing Labor's Left by scrapping offshore processing of asylum claims after the release of top-level legal advice.
Page 5: The drought-induced pain looks set to end for WA wheat farmers, with predictions of a bumper crop because of consistent rainfall and mild temperatures.
Page 14: Fears that dredging in Fremantle Harbour released dangerous levels of the toxin tributyltin have been partially allayed after a new study on the impact of the dredging on marine snails at Cottesloe.
Page 15: Rotting seaweed at a prime South West beach is forcing down the value of million-dollar waterfront properties and residents try to sell and leave.
Page 18: Rockingham has beaten some of the state's best beach suburbs to attain the biggest capital property gains over the past decade.
Business: The country's biggest miners have stepped up their campaign against the threat of higher royalties, claiming they are being slugged a tax rate of 42c in the dollar and rejecting suggestions they make super profits at the expense of ordinary taxpayers.
WA's exposure to the resources sector failed to shield the state from the volatility that drove the broader sharemarket to a two-year low in August, according to Deloitte's latest monthly survey of the state's listed companies.
One message to come out of last week's Africa Downunder conference in Perth is that the industry is bracing for more consolidation.
The pay packets of Australia's top chief executives more than doubled over the past decade while their respective companies increased their sharemarket value by just 31 per cent.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Page 1: Federal cabinet will meet tonight to consider options on asylum seeker policy, armed with new advice that the government says rules out overseas processing.
The Australian dollar wiped almost $3 billion off the bottom line of companies during the recent reporting season, as manager struggled to deal with the biggest gain against the US dollar during any financial year since the currency was floated.
Page 3: Unions are routinely refusing to endorse workplace agreements that allow “meaningful flexibility”, a leading employer group says.
Top 100 chief executive pay is outstripping shareholder returns by more than three times, research by the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors finds.
Page 5: Mining companies are paying slightly more tax as a percentage of their profits than they were three years ago, according to research that counters the federal government's claims made to justify the controversial minerals resource rent tax.
Page 6: Mounting confidence that the economy has rebounded from the summer downturn is not expected to prompt an interest rate rise tomorrow as the central bank takes stock of local and international developments.
Page 8: West Australian Premier Colin Barnett encouraged direct Chinese investment in the state's emerging northern food bowl, according to leaked US diplomatic cables.
Page 9: Australia will achieve the renewable energy target of 20 per cent by 2020, despite doubts about the uptake of wind and solar power, the clean energy industry says.
Page 13: SABMiller upped its aggression on Friday by taking claims made by takeover target Foster's Group in its recent results presentation to the Takeovers Panel, which will appoint its three-member committee as soon as today to decide if the brewer has a case to answer.
Telstra has begun a major charm offensive on global investors as it seeks approval for its $11 billion deal to hand its fixed-line monopoly to the Gillard government's national broadband network.
Page 14: Aluminium giant Alcoa could find out as early as this week whether its $100 million investment in an unconventional gas exploration venture in Western Australia is likely to pay off.
Page 15: In a boost to iron ore miners, the quarterly price of the mineral is set to remain at near-record levels for the remainder of the year after strong trading on the spot market over the past three months.
THE AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Tony Abbott has intensified pressure on the government to enter bipartisan negotiations to salvage its offshore refugee processing regime, dismissing Labor’s claims that legal advice has killed off the option of sending asylum-seekers to Nauru.
A leading employer group will today urge Labor to allow companies and workers to strike more flexible workplace deals, while releasing research showing strong business support for the return of individual contracts.
Page 3: Almost all the tax concessions workers receive for superannuation are eaten up by the commissions charged on retail accounts run by the big four banks and insurers, new analysis shows.
Page 4: Labor has begun accusing the media of being obsessed with speculation about Julia Gillard’s leadership despite indications that potential challengers could be biding their time until next year.
Page 6: Low-skilled migrants will be flown in to work on mining and infrastructure projects as the government lowers the qualifications for Australia’s ‘‘imported’’ workforce.
Taxpayers received about 42c for every dollar of taxable income earned by Australia’s biggest miners, according to new research that contradicts government claims over the industry’s contribution to Treasury coffers.
Business: Foster's is expected to strongly defend its reporting practices this week after hostile takeover suitor SABMiller accused the brewer of making misleading and deceptive statements when presenting its annual profit.
The Australian economy is expected to show signs of life this week, with growth forecast to bounce back, but the Reserve Bank is expected to remain on the sidelines because of the fragile state of the domestic economy.
AGL Energy and Origin Energy have called for a national energy saving scheme to slash the costs they face to comply with fragmented state-based schemes.
Another wave of Chinese acquisitions is expected soon as the Asian superpower seeks to diversify investments beyond the underperforming greenback, and as share price falls translate to cheaper purchases.
The fixed pay of the top 100 chief executives in the nation has more than doubled over the past decade and bonus payments have increased almost 200 per cent, far outpacing returns to shareholders, according to new research.
Sandfire Resources managing director Karl Simich says the company’s looming $360 million finance facility is still on track for completion soon, despite turmoil in global markets.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:
Page 1: The Gillard government faces a choice between doing a deal with Tony Abbott or bowing to the demands of its stirring Left faction. Australia's special forces commander has defended his troops' use of US drones to kill insurgent leaders in southern Afghanistan.
Page 2: The Australian Industry Group will launch an assault on Labor's industrial relations system.
Page 3: The coal seam gas industry is about to launch an advertising blitz to try to convince the public to embrace the huge planned growth of gas wells and fracking in NSW and Queensland.
World: The 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks is prompting heightened security measures across the US. (Washington)
Business: A bruising legal fight putting the most powerful banks in the US against the full force of the US government began on Friday.
Sport: Melbourne Storm rests stars and cops a loss after sealing minor premiership.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH:
Page 1: The state budget is set to go into deficit by more than $1 billion in 2011/12.
Page 2: The education department will take teachers to court to try to stop a planned 24-hour strike.
Page 3: A size eight teenage model says she was stunned when her size became an issue on Australia's Next Top Model.
World: Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn returned home to France for the first time since a New York hotel maid accused him of attempted rape. (Paris)
Business: Investor confidence has reached its lowest levels since the global financial crisis.
Sport: Brad Fittler has rated Benji Marshall the most freakishly talented player he has ever seen play rugby league.
THE CANBERRA TIMES:
Page 1: ACT magistrates want a $70,000 pay rise to bring them into line with NSW.
Page 2: Retailers call for a rate cut to boost consumer spending.
Page 3: Australian special forces in Afghanistan take part in secret drone attacks.
World: Bali bomb suspect prosecution will test new terror laws.
Business: Sharemarket expected to drop on opening today.
Sport: Canberra Raiders lose again.
THE COURIER MAIL:
Page 1: Prime Minister Julia Gillard must decide between accepting Tony Abbott's offer to help change the migration act or develop a new Labor policy on asylum seekers.
Page 3: Two men die after falling off balconies during Riverfire celebrations.
Page 5: Darren Lockyer farewells Brisbane Bronco fans in Sunday's match at Suncorp Stadium.
World: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi vowed a holy war on the UK in 2009 if a Lockerbie bomber was not released.
Business: Australian stocks are expected to fall sharply because US job creation has ground to a halt.
Sport: Broncos second-rower Sam Thaiday may be suspended after using a lifting tackle on Manly prop Brent Kite.
