Job surge boosts growth outlook – The Fin; CCC to probe Perth Arena project chief – The West; A-G checks on Palmer – The Fin; BP case comparable to Montara – The Fin; 'Kingmaker' role in Avoca deal queried – The West
Job surge boosts growth outlook
The Gillard government has received a boost to its economic credentials with a surge in jobs growth adding to other indications that growth will be robust into the end of the year. The Fin
CCC to probe Perth Arena project chief
The Corruption and Crime Commission has been asked to probe revelations that a public servant while in charge of the Perth Arena development was also having a house built by the indoor stadium's developer. The West
A-G checks on Palmer
West Australian Nationals leader Brendon Grylls did not disclose he had held six meetings with Clive Palmer when asked about his contacts with the Queensland mining magnate under the freedom of information law, an omission that will now be investigated. The Fin
BP case comparable to Montara
BP's attempts to shift the blame for the huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to its contractors could be re-run in forthcoming legal battles over the Montara oil spill off Western Australia. The Fin
'Kingmaker' role in Avoca deal queried
Avoca Resources chief Rohan Williams has been forced on to the defensive over the role played by Swiss private equity group Pala Investments in stitching up a $US2 billion tie-up with the Canadian owner of a Turkish gold project. The West
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Bashed policeman Matthew Butcher is seeking almost $5 million in compensation from the state government in what would be the biggest ex-gratia payment made in WA.
Page 3: Millions of taxpayers' dollars have been spent modifying new public schools because their "open-plan" classrooms were too noisy and distracting for students to learn in.
Page 6: A record number of West Australian men now have full-time jobs, but the price for the lowest jobless rate in 19 months is shaping as a sooner-than-expected increase in interest rates.
Page 7: Julia Gillard has buried Kevin Rudd's autocratic style, telling Labor MPs the government will live or die on teamwork and promising not to govern for the 6pm news.
Page 10: Regional Development Minister and Nationals leader Brendon Grylls had kept two sets of books in relation to his contacts with Queensland mining magnate Clive Palmer, opposition leader Eric Ripper claimed in state parliament yesterday.
Page 11: A section of Barrack Street will revert to two way traffic from noon tomorrow as part of a broader plan to transform the CBD into a more vibrant and pedestrian friendly area.
Page 15: The Corruption and Crime Commission has been asked to probe revelations that a public servant while in charge of the Perth Arena development was also having a house built by the indoor stadium's developer.
Page 16: Fremantle independent MP Adele Carles yesterday warned the South-West would become a "coal province" if a proposed mine in Margaret River was approved because 10 other mining tenements lay dormant between Dunsborough and Augusta.
Page 18: Organisers of big parties would have to register the event with police and apply for a permit under an Australian-first plan touted by Mandurah MLA David Templeman.
Business: Avoca Resources chief Rohan Williams has been forced on to the defensive over the role played by Swiss private equity group Pala Investments in stitching up a $US2 billion tie-up with the Canadian owner of a Turkish gold project.
Question marks hung over window coverings group Kresta Holdings last night after the company flagged the discovery of "potential accounting anomalies" less than a month after handing down its full-year results.
National Australia Bank is considering whether to abandon its $13.3 billion bid for AXA Asia Pacific after its plans to dominate the nation's superannuation and retirement savings industry were refused by the competition regulator for a second time.
AMP has emerged in the box seat to push ahead with a renewed bid for its rival AXA Asia Pacific, in a move that would create the fifth pillar in the nation's financial services landscape.
Santos could be forced to raise as much as $3 billion after French oil major Total agreed to buy a 20 per cent stake in its Queensland liquefied natural gas project for $867 million - a price tag that underwhelmed the market and sent shares lower.
Brockman Resources yesterday claimed ownership of the biggest Pilbara hematite reserve not held by market leaders Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals Group after unveiling a one billion tonne figure for its Marillana iron ore project.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Page 1: The Gillard government has received a boost to its economic credentials with a surge in jobs growth adding to other indications that growth will be robust into the end of the year.
Many of the largest law firms preserved $1 million-plus pay packets for hundreds of partners in the past financial year by shrinking partnerships and cutting costs in the face of falling revenue.
AMP is considering its third bid for rival wealth manager AXA Asia Pacific Holdings after the competition regulator rejected National Australia Bank's $13.3 billion AXA merger proposal.
Page 3: Telstra faces a wave of internal discontent over a "tough call" to freeze pay for thousands of staff who are employed on Australian workplace agreements, as part of its rebuilding plan.'
Page 4: The Australian Taxation Office will use information from Centrelink to catch taxpayers who incorrectly claimed the education tax refund.
Page 5: Major shareholders have rejected claims by directors that a crackdown on termination payments only inflated executive pay levels.
Page 6: BP's attempts to shift the blame for the huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to its contractors could be re-run in forthcoming legal battles over the Montara oil spill off Western Australia.
Page 8: West Australian Nationals leader Brendon Grylls did not disclose he had held six meetings with Clive Palmer when asked about his contacts with the Queensland mining magnate under the freedom of information law, an omission that will now be investigated.
Page 11: The workers are on the move again in Western Australia as the resource-rich state powers up for another boom.
Page 13: Business groups have expressed alarm over the possibility of a new levy after Greens leader Bob Brown signalled he might support the Coalition's generous paid parental leave scheme.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has promised her colleagues there will be a wide ranging review of Labor's disastrous election campaign and the future direction of the party.
Page 14: Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has told his colleagues to tone down their attacks on the two independents who delivered minority government to Labor because they might need their help in the future.
Page 15: Resources Minister Martin Ferguson will soon provide more details of the arrangements and timetable of the government's tax policy transition group in a bid to end the uncertainty faced by mining companies.
Page 17: Defeated Liberal MP Wilson Tuckey used his first public address since his 30-year reign as a federal member came to an end to launch a stinging attack on his conquerer.
Page 21: The US economy is now showing "widespread signs of deterioration" even though it continues to stage only a slow and fragile recovery, according to the nation's central bank, adding to the headaches facing policy-makers as they try to stop the nation sliding into a double-dip recession.
Page 43: Oil and gas producer Santos expects to lock in a major liquefied natural gas deal with Korea Gas within weeks as it attempts to win back support from investors disappointed by a surprise deal with French oil and gas giant Total for a stake in its Gladstone project.
Page 45: At first glance a union of a small Australian goldminer producing out of Kalgoorlie with a Canadian listed company mining in Turkey would seem to hold little appeal.
Page 46: Woolworths' first big-box hardware store is still 12 months away but the ramifications of its entry into the $40 billion hardware market in a joint venture with US retailer Lowe's are already being felt by suppliers.
THE AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Julia Gillard's pledge to start the rollout of the $43 billion National Broadband Network in regional Australia is in jeopardy because of an acute shortage of skilled workers to build and maintain it in the bush.
Rob Oakeshott has previously sought positions in Labor cabinets, casting doubt on whether the independent MP was fully impartial as he considered the claims of Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to form minority government.
Page 2: Australians appear to be too scared to look at their superannuation after being mauled in the global financial crisis, with one in three declaring they don't know how much they have, for fear of knowing how much it has fallen.
Geographers fear the national curriculum will result in a deficient program for schools that places ''undue emphasis'' on the three subjects of English, maths and science.
Page 3: Victorian police yesterday ended their pursuit of AFL star Brendan Fevola over his drunken rampage at last year's Brownlow Medal presentation, just as Queensland authorities officially launched an investigation into allegations he exposed himself to a woman.
Australians are the most generous givers of their time and money in the world, an international survey shows.
Page 4: Julia Gillard has summoned ministers and Labor MPs to meetings to ask what portfolios they are interested in as she moulds as second-term ministry around Kevin Rudd as foreign Minister and Wayne Swan as her deputy and Treasurer.
Page 5: Tony Abbott will not make dramatic changes to his front bench despite pressure to promote new faces because he wants to maximise the Coalition's "stability" as an alternative government.
Page 8: A fast-growing economy is set to pull the jobless rate down below 5 per cent and force the Reserve Bank into resuming its rate rises.
The country's third-largest internet service provider has renewed calls for a cost-benefit analysis of the National Broadband Network and argued that any subsidy to provide access in rural and remote areas should be transparent.
Business: Santos has sold a 15 per cent stake in the Gladstone Liquefied Natural Gas project to French energy major Total in a surprise deal that secured an estimate $30 billion in gas sales but wiped $800 million of Santos's market value.
A sweeping multi-billion recapitalisation of Alinta Energy, the beleaguered owner of power stations and electricity retail assets, has moved a step closer with a private equity consortium briefing fellow creditors on the proposal.
Talks between BHP Billiton and ArcelorMittal over merging their West African iron ore ground have broken down because the pair could not successfully negotiate terms.
North American interest in Australian gold companies shows no sign of abating, with Anatolia Minerals striking a $US2 billion ($2.16bn) deal with Avoca Resources as a consolidation wave sweeps the gold sector.
