Coalition's hopes for power sink – The Aus; Greens flag blocks on NW gas hub – The West; WA debt cap casts doubt on stadium – The Fin; Woodside case part of resources push – The Fin; Rio likes the look of diamonds – The Fin
Coalition's hopes for power sink
The Coalition is increasingly pessimistic about its chances of winning the support of the three rural independents it needs to take power, as the trio prepares to end two weeks of political limbo. The Aus
Greens flag blocks on NW gas hub
The increasingly powerful Greens have signalled they will make life difficult for Colin Barnett as he tries to get Commonwealth approvals for his acquisition of James Price Point. The West
WA debt cap casts doubt on stadium
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has ordered the WA Treasury to place a $20 billion limit on the state's borrowing, which means Perth footy fans may have to wait longer for a new stadium. The Fin
Woodside case part of resources push
Woodside Petroleum faces a push for a new workplace agreement at its main Karratha gas plant, as trade unions continue their campaign to rebuild their presence in Western Australia's booming resources sector. The Fin
Rio likes the look of diamonds
Rio Tinto is poised to reactivate a $US1.5 billion ($1.65 billion) underground expansion of its Argyle Diamond mine in Western Australia and is pouring funds into other diamond projects in India, Zimbabwe, Canada and Finland, looking to take advantage of improving demand and a looming supply shortfall. The Fin
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: As the nation awaits the outcome of the Federal election, one of the key independent MPs has demanded big changes in the way government handles the needs of regional Australia.
Page 3: Less than six months after confessing to an affair which caused a political furore, former treasurer Troy Buswell and independent Fremantle MP Adele Carles have joined political forces to fight plans for a coalmine near Margaret River.
Page 4: A decision on who forms government could be delayed with a squabble breaking out over parliamentary reform.
Page 5: Almost a quarter of bore users pumping water from the Gnangara Mound have been caught breaking the rules of their licences by taking billions of litres more than they were entitled to, new figures reveal.
Page 6: Diehard Dockers fans are preparing for a mass exodus from WA to Melbourne ahead of Friday night's final against Geelong, with Fremantle club president Steve Harris to hold talks with Qantas about putting on extra flights to cope with demand.
Page 10: The increasingly powerful Greens have signalled they will make life difficult for Colin Barnett as he tries to get Commonwealth approvals for his acquisition of James Price Point.
Page 11: Hospital overcrowding is putting patients at risk of bacterial skin infections and increasing their risk of dying by 30 per cent, according to the latest Medical Journal of Australia.
Page 16: Fisherman have warned that the price of fresh rock lobsters could soar this season, with a State Government imposed quota possibly forcing supplies to be sold to lucrative overseas markets.
Consumers appear to have endorsed Premier Colin Barnett's controversial bid to extend retail trading ours in Perth as thousands of people flocked to the shops on the first day of Sunday trading in Joondalup.
Page 17: Australia's first human-milk bank for premature babies has been a roaring success since it started in WA four years ago, with its founders now working to set up more banks across the nation.
Page 19: Building company Probuild will seek hundreds of tradesmen to restart works on the troubled Raine Square tower from this month amid revelations of new costs and a blowout in the construction timetable.
Business: The Chinese state-owned group planning to develop an iron ore mine at Cape Lambert, east of Karratha, needs to ask Rio Tinto to shift a railway line to ensure the 15-million-tonne-a-year magnetite project can go ahead.
Centaurus Metals boss Darren Gordon will this week receive an early statement of the market's belief in his strategy to become an iron ore supplier to Brazil's steel industry.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Page 1: Labor has moved closer to forming government by endorsing sweeping parliamentary reforms demanded by the three independents who will decide the outcome.
Australia's largest investors have warned that the debt crisis in Europe and the United States economy poses the biggest threat to the local $1.3 trillion superannuation industry, and returns on investments could take several years to return to pre-global financial crisis levels.
The Obama administration is expected to reveal new steps this week to stimulate the ailing US economy amid rising hopes that the world's largest market will avoid slipping into recession.
Page 3: The Australian Taxation Office has signalled it may demand that large companies detail uncertain tax positions in their tax returns.
Insurers are counting the cost of a horror weekend of natural disasters after a powerful earthquake hit New Zealand's second-largest city of Christchurch and floods affected hundreds of Victorian homes.
Page 5: The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to keep interest rates on hold for a fourth straight meeting tomorrow as policymakers assess the outlook for the global economy and consider whether faster domestic growth will stoke inflation.
Spring got off to a reasonable start across the real-estate markets over the weekend, with buyers showing a preference for apartments and inner-city homes.
Page 6: The mining boom and renewed confidence at big law firms prompted a rise in the overall employment market last month, a survey has found.
Page 8: West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has ordered the WA Treasury to place a $20 billion limit on the state's borrowing, which means Perth footy fans may have to wait longer for a new stadium.
An attempt to turn a sprawling Perth into a medium-density city faces an energy hurdle as luxury home owners are forced to pay up to $150,000 to upgrade inadequate power infrastructure.
Woodside Petroleum faces a push for a new workplace agreement at its main Karratha gas plant, as trade unions continue their campaign to rebuild their presence in Western Australia's booming resources sector.
Page 9: The Group of Eight leading universities has thrown its weight behind calls for urgent action to pull the $18 billion international education sector from the brink of potential disaster.
Page 12: Business is deeply divided about Labor's plans for the $43 billion national broadband network, the fate of which is set to be decided this week if a new federal government is formed.
Page 13: Groups that campaigned against the mining tax, such as the Minerals Council of Australia and the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies could lose lobbying clout if Labor forms a minority government.
Page 18: Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan's defence against BHP Billiton's $US40 billion hostile takeover has been dealt a blow after the US Securities and Exchange Commission forced it to provide more information about bullish claims in its defence statements.
Page 19: Rio Tinto is poised to reactivate a $US1.5 billion ($1.65 billion) underground expansion of its Argyle Diamond mine in Western Australia and is pouring funds into other diamond projects in India, Zimbabwe, Canada and Finland, looking to take advantage of improving demand and a looming supply shortfall.
State-owned China Metallurgical Group has unveiled plans for a potentially multi billion-dollar iron ore mine in Western Australia's Pilbara region that could ultimately move some 150 million tonnes a year of iron ore and other material.
Page 20: Saudi group ACWA Power International's bid for all of Alinta Energy's assets is set to be debt and equity funded and is backed by a group of Australian and international banks, a source close the the Alinta process said.
THE AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: The Coalition is increasingly pessimistic about its chances of winning the support of the three rural independents it needs to take power, as the trio prepares to end two weeks of political limbo.
Page 2: Veteran Coalition MP Warren Entsch has railed against Tony Abbott's horse-trading with the independents, urging the Opposition Leader not to make false promises in return for power.
The Coalition is yet to sign off on a list of draft parliamentary reforms that key independent Rob Oakeshott wants finalised before the next government is formed.
Julia Gillard's power-sharing agreement with the Greens may put any new Labor government under significant budget pressure following the pledge to spend more on dental health.
Bob Katter has indicated the three rural independents are still a ''very, very strong'' group, amid speculation the trio may opt to split their support across the two major parties in coming days.
Page 3: Pakistan's cricket players dined alongside their allegedly corrupt agent, Mazhar Majeed, in an Indian restaurant in Perth's leafy western suburbs in late January, three weeks after the extraordinary Sydney Test that is now at the centre of match-fixing investigations.
Australia could credibly bid again for the right to host its third Olympic Games in about 10 years, according to International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge.
Page 4: A fresh row has erupted over executive remuneration as company directors warn that key planks of the Labor government crackdown on excessive payments is driving up salaries.
Phone companies' slack service to customers is unacceptable and they need to ''do much better'', the telecommunications regulator declared yesterday.
Australia has become a crucial testing ground for China's relations with the West and other Asia-Pacific countries, says Beijing's ambassador to Canberra, Zhang Junsai.
Business: Boards of the biggest sharemarket-listed companies have been forced to restructure executive pay to head off shareholder pressure over ballooning remuneration when corporate profits are flat.
Sinochem and Chinese sovereign wealth fund CIC are exploring the possibility of a joint counter-bid for Potash Corporation on instruction from Beijing.
The Australian sharemarket is expected to open higher today after fears about the faltering US economy eased after better than expected US jobs data was released.
Retailers are puzzling over a change in consumer spending habits, with shoppers increasingly splashing out on experiences rather than merchandise.
Gold prices are edging up towards a high, triggering multi billion-dollar deals by miners doubling down on the staying power of bullion's near decade-long rally.
The Obama administration on Wednesday will launch its most ambitious effort at reducing mortgage balances for home owners who owe more than their homes are worth.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:
Page 1: Patients have potentially been put in danger after a disgraced surgeon worked in emergency unsupervised.
Independent Tony Windsor insists he will not be dictated to by the coalition or his constituents to commit to a conservative outcome and install a minority government led by Tony Abbott.
A Pakistan player claims crooked teammates made 1.8 million pounds ($A3 million) by fixing the Sydney Test last January. The earthquake that shattered Christchurch is expected to create a much-desired economic boost in a city hit by recession.
Page 2: A 25 per cent increase in the number of pedestrian fatalities in NSW could be due to people listening to iPods while they are walking.
Page 3: Mostofa Alam is part of an army of unsung heroes of the Sydney restaurant scene who rarely receive public acknowledgement.
World: Scientists believe not one but three earthquakes just seconds apart ripped a 13km gash across the Canterbury Plains and unleashed energy equivalent to 67 Hiroshima nuclear bombs speeding into Christchurch.
Business: Australian insurers are counting the cost of the New Zealand earthquake.
Sport: Australia defeats New Zealand 46 to 40 in Trans-Tasman netball series in Auckland.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH:
Page 1: A jovial Paul Hogan has finally left Australia after a two week standoff with the taxman.
Key independent Bob Katter has spent hours in the Canberra home of Kevin Rudd and Therese Rein as the battle to win his support continues.
Page 2: Victorian teenager Glenn Bourke was on an adventure holiday in New Zealand when the light aircraft he was in burst into flames, killing all nine on board.
Page 3: State MP Kerry Hickey, who fathered a child during an affair with a parliamentary staffer, will not run for parliament at next March's election.
World: The number of jobs advertised online increased in August.
Business: A suicide bombing at a military installation in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region of Dagestan killed five people and injured 39.
Sport: The NRL is warning fans to secure tickets for the first week of the finals of risk missing out.
THE HERALD SUN:
Page 1: Violence hot spots have spread beyond Melbourne's CBD, new figures reveal.
Page 2: One thing is for sure: the Australian Taxation Office did not put a hex on Paul Hogan's sense of humour.
Page 3: A wave of pessimism is sweeping Coalition ranks as senior Opposition MPs tip that Labor will seal a deal to form government as early as Monday.
World: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is expected to convene a rare ruling party meeting this week to pave the way for his youngest son to take power.
Business: A wild weekend of big storms in Victoria and a damaging earthquake in New Zealand have left Australian insurance companies exposed to claims which may reach $1 billion.
Sport: Carlton coach Brett Ratten on Sunday refused to condemn defender Dennis Armfield's last-line gamble, after the Blues suffered a heartbreaking elimination-final loss for the second year in a row.
THE AGE:
Page 1: Rapists will face longer jail terms in Victoria if the state's Director of Public Prosecutions succeeds in a campaign to make the assault of a teenage girl a test case for rape sentence reform.
As Australia awaits the outcome of the long-ago election, which could come on Monday or perhaps Tuesday, one of the key independents has demanded big changes in the way government handles the needs of regional Australia.
Page 2: A Pakistan player concealed a mobile phone in the helmet he was wearing as he waited to bat in a recent international match, a teammate has alleged.
Page 3: Changes to Victoria's planning laws that could sideline councils and allow controversial developments to be fast-tracked will be delayed until after the November election.
World: The former head of the British army has accused Tony Blair and Gordon Brown of letting down the armed forces during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Business: Hedge funds have flocked to the key companies involved in the proposed National Australia Bank and Axa Asia Pacific merger.
Sport: While Brad Johnson has been singled out for scrutiny following Saturday night's huge loss to Collingwood, the Bulldogs are standing behind their captain, confirming that he will play against the Swans next Saturday night.
THE CANBERRA TIMES:
Page 1: Australians will know who will form government as early as Monday. ACT Emergency Services responded to more than 360 calls for storm assistance over the weekend.
Page 2: The worst effects of the biggest floods in Victoria in more than 15 years are yet to be felt. A savage windstorm has battered the NSW South Coast.
Page 3: Addiction to household painkillers has major health impacts, a new study has found.
World: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is expected to convene a rare ruling party meeting this week.
Business: Investment chiefs of companies are moderately optimistic about the investment picture over the next 12 months.
Newcrest Mining's chief executive says the gold miner can expand at a sustainable pace in the years ahead.
Sport: Sydney coach Paul Roos has dismissed any talk of favouritism for next Saturday's AFL semi-final. South Sydney coach John Lang has declared he'd put his house on a St George-Illawarra NRL premiership.
