Angry PM to govern by one vote – The Aus; Mine tax to cut inflation: Swan – The West; WA regulator lashes electricity shift – The Fin; Rio drowning in water woes – The Fin; Train drivers in 'sickies' chaos – The West
Angry PM to govern by one vote
Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott have accused each other of lying and breaking their word, as preparations for the new parliament next week descend into bitter recriminations and procedural doubt amid Labor being forced to govern with a one-seat majority. The Aus
Mine tax to cut inflation: Swan
The minerals resources rent tax will help the Reserve Bank do its job, Treasurer Wayne Swan has declared, arguing the tax will help the battle against inflation while also lifting national productivity. The West
WA regulator lashes electricity shift
Western Australia's top economic regulator, Lyndon Rowe, has criticised government moves to halt the deregulation of the state's electricity industry, saying they reduced transparency and competition. The Fin
Rio drowning in water woes
Mining giant Rio Tinto is under pressure to stop using valuable drinking water to control dust from its iron ore stockpiles in the Pilbara, after West Australian Nationals leader Brendon Grylls threw his support behind the campaign. The Fin
Train drivers in 'sickies' chaos
Dozens of train drivers are expected to call in sick this morning as part of an industrial campaign to win a massive 21 per cent pay rise over two years, a doubling of overtime allowances and a one-off payment of up to $15,000. The West
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:
Page 3: Dozens of train drivers are expected to call in sick this morning as part of an industrial campaign to win a massive 21 per cent pay rise over two years, a doubling of overtime allowances and a one-off payment of up to $15,000.
Page 4: Malcolm Douglas survived boats capsizing, angry crocodiles, "terminal" prostate cancer and severe blood poisoning but a freak car accident claimed his life yesterday.
Page 10: The full extent of the appalling conditions in the Commonwealth Games athletes' village has been revealed in photos leaked by a Games official.
Page 12: The minerals resources rent tax will help the Reserve Bank do its job, Treasurer Wayne Swan has declared, arguing the tax will help the battle against inflation while also lifting national productivity.
Julia Gillard will have to govern with a perilous one-seat majority after Tony Abbott broke his word to pair the Speaker, putting at risk a swag of contentious legislation including moves to cut the childcare rebate to thousands of families.
Page 13: Town of Cottesloe mayor Kevin Morgan has blamed controversial changes proposed for the council's beach law on a "junior officer's wish list".
Premier Colin Barnett has urged the WA Cricket Association to rethink its plan to erect nets between fans on the WACA Ground's grass banks and the playing arena.
Page 16: State-owned utility companies the Water Corporation, Western Power and Synergy have posted combined profits of $731 million for 2009-10 on the back of big rises to household electricity and water bills.
Page 18: The prices of WA-grown lamb, beef and dairy products are expected to surge over summer as truckloads of animals are sent east amid one of the state's driest seasons.
Page 28: Geraldton has launched a bold new bid to become a key tourist destination and capitalise on a mining-led economic boom.
Business: Gryphon Minerals is poised to become the latest Perth company to cash in on investors' insatiable appetite for West African gold stocks by announcing as early as today that it has raised about $40 million.
Returns from bank deposits are easily outpacing superannuation with the average five-year performance of a retirement savings fund barely beating inflation.
Departing Austal chief executive Bob Browning yesterday defended his resignation, saying his sudden exit would have "absolutely no impact" on the shipbuilder's chances of winning a $5 billion US Navy construction contract due to be awarded in six weeks.
Construction-materials company Brickworks warned of reduced demand for building products as government stimulus subsides.
Australian contractors are eating into the estimated $13 billion of work remaining for local companies at Chevron's $43 billion Gorgon liquefied natural gas project.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Page 1: Prime Minister Julia Gillard is set to sacrifice a crucial vote in federal Parliament after Opposition Leader Tony Abbott revoked a deal that would have smoothed the way for a Labor minority government, setting the scene for a bitter resumption of Parliament next week.
Australia's litigation industry is being shaken up by a tool that is making class actions cheaper, easier to launch and potentially much more costly for business - the internet.
The Tax Office will double the number of audits of self-managed superannuation funds and expand its scrutiny of fund auditors as it shifts from educating taxpayers to driving higher levels of compliance.
Page 3: Mortgage holders should brace themselves for an imminent increase in their repayments, with all four of Australia's major banks now expecting a rise in official interest rates in 11 days' time.
Page 7: Finance Minister Penny Wong says that bringing the budget back to surplus is the one thing the government will not negotiate with the cross benches as she warned of continuing spending restraint in coming years.
Page 8: Resources Minister Martin Ferguson yesterday urged companies to develop a united position on issues raised with the federal government's mining tax policy transition group.
Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has blamed the Coalition for perpetuating uncertainty for Telstra's shareholders after the telco's chief financial officer warned yesterday that its co-operation with the national broadband network could be under threat.
Page 12: Western Australia's top economic regulator, Lyndon Rowe, has criticised government moves to halt the deregulation of the state's electricity industry, saying they reduced transparency and competition.
Mining giant Rio Tinto is under pressure to stop using valuable drinking water to control dust from its iron ore stockpiles in the Pilbara, after West Australian Nationals leader Brendon Grylls threw his support behind the campaign.
Page 13: The federal government will send extra officials to Delhi before the Commonwealth Games next month as fears increase about potential problems with venues after two construction mishaps.
Australian technology exports fell by $551 million during 2009 and overall revenue generated by the local information communications technology industry dropped by $3.1 billion, according to statistical compendium released by the Australian Computer Society yesterday.
Page 41: BHP Billiton could be forced to produce sensitive internal emails, board papers and depositions with executives about its growth strategy if a US federal court judge decides there is merit in accusations that its hostile takeover bid for Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan is built on "false and misleading statements and omissions".
Page 42: Building products maker Brickworks has warned demand from the housing and industrial sectors will be weaker this year as government stimulus work dissipates and building approvals lag demand.
THE AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott have accused each other of lying and breaking their word, as preparations for the new parliament next week descend into bitter recriminations and procedural doubt amid Labor being forced to govern with a one-seat majority.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh belatedly stepped into the Commonwealth Games crisis last night, calling an emergency meeting of ministers to resolve safety and security problems now threatening to derail the event.
Tens of thousands of foreign students may try to stay in Australia illegally now that stricter rules for skilled migration have dashed their hopes of a permanent residency visa, a prominent lawyer has warned.
Page 2: Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin has vowed to work with independent MP Bob Katter to open the way for Aboriginal home ownership in north Queensland.
Former West Australian premier Peter Dowding's son, Kymberley Dowding, admits he signed a document wrongly stating he had installed a safety switch in a Roebourne home where a toddler was later electrocuted.
Page 3: Random House has confirmed that the long-awaited memoir of former Guantanamo Bay inmate David Hicks will be released next month, despite a warning from the Attorney-General that any money he earns from the publication could still be confiscated under proceeds of crime laws.
Page 4: Julia Gillard has declared Tony Abbott's ''word is worth absolutely nothing'' after he junked the parliamentary reform agreement with Labor and the independents on the Speaker yesterday.
Page 6: The return of the economy to growth has strengthened the case for government spending restraint, with new Finance Minister Penny Wong declaring the government is not prepared to negotiate over its budget commitments.
Business: Private equity and more accommodative capital markets are driving a rebound in mergers and acquisitions, as BHP Billiton's $US40 billion ($41.8bn) bid for Potash Corp highlights an otherwise patchy year for activity.
Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan has taken court action against ''false statements, halftruths and contradictions'' in BHP Billiton's hostile $US40 billion ($41.8bn) takeover bid.
Chinese state-owned company Yankuang is finalising an agreement to build a new alumina refinery in Western Australia, in a deal with Bauxite Resources.
Leighton Holdings has won another contract from the monster $43 billion Gorgon liquefied natural gas project on Western Australia's Barrow Island, this time for more than $800 million of civil and underground work.
Brickworks has forecast continued soft demand for its products and called on state governments to release more land after reporting a 55 per cent plunge in annual profit to $138.8 million.
Gold has continued its record run and moved closer to $US1300 an ounce on the Federal Reserve's acknowledgement it was ready to do more to stimulate the US economy.
Financial experts predict Australia is two years away from witnessing a surge in refinancing activity, with a wave of leveraged loans expected to mature in 2012 and 2013.
Listed real estate property trust Mirvac Group has tapped the bond market for the second time this year, this time seeking $200 million.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:
Page 1: The full extent of the appalling conditions in the Commonwealth Games athletes' village has been revealed in photos.
The company about to start coal seam gas drilling near Sydney plans to use a controversial technique to mine next to a dam which holds drinking water.
Labor will redouble its efforts to find a coalition deserter willing to be speaker.
Page 2: Brett Stewart was distressed by reports suggesting he could not remember what happened the night he was accused of sexually assaulting a teenager.
Page 3: Australia's Anglican church is merely papering over the cracks of serious internal fractures, Sydney Archbishop Peter Jensen says.
World: (New York) A UN panel of human rights experts has accused Israel of war crimes.
Business: Returns from bank deposits are easily outpacing superannuation.
Sport: Former socceroos coach Graham Arnold has been called upon to assist Benji Marshall.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH:
Page 1: Australia received a $125,000 kickback after India won the Commonwealth Games.
Page 2: A constitutional crisis is threatening the opening of parliament next week.
Page 3: Sydney Ferries has scrapped its security and anti-terrorism planning group.
World: (Auckland) A New Zealand MP who once stole the identity of a dead baby to obtain a fake passport has ended his career.
Business: The corporate regulator has given a tentative green light to Virgin Blue for its proposed tie-up with Etihad Airways.
Sport: Melbourne captain Cameron Smith has compared St George Illawarra to the premiership-winning Storm side of 2007.
THE HERALD SUN:
Page 1: Front page AFL grand final picture.
Page 3: Police diverted resources to covertly investigate Herald Sun phone records to save face over an embarrassing whistleblower leak.
Page 5: Three young footy stars robbed of their chance to play in the grand final are heartbroken but have vowed to forge on, family and friends said yesterday.
World: A Jewish settlement guard shot dead a Palestinian after rocks were thrown at his car yesterday, setting off clashes with police in the annexed Arab east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan.
Business: Long-haul airline V Australia has a fighting chance of survival after winning interim approval yesterday to embark on a profit-sharing alliance with Etihad Airways.
Sport: Geelong star Gary Ablett has headed out of town for four or five days to weigh up five-year-contract offers from the Cats and the Gold Coast Suns.
THE AGE:
Page 1: Victoria Police has been castigated for striking a deal to make available secret police files on people protesting against Victoria's $5.7 billion desalination project to the private consortium building the plant.
Victims of domestic violence will be able to take an extra 20 days a year of paid leave under an Australia-first deal struck between a Victorian regional council and a union.
Page 2: A man accused of the manslaughter of a teammate after he punched him at a local football grand final celebration last year should not be made a scapegoat, a court has heard.
Page 3: The cost of running Victoria's public transport has more than doubled in six years, despite the states trains, trams and buses travelling only 26 per cent further.
World: Local authorities are braced for another outbreak of violence between Israelis and Palestinians at the weekend as they face the prospect of a collapse in the fledgling peace talks.
Business: Potash Corp has taken court action in an attempt to block BHP Billiton's $US40 billion ($A41.9 billion) hostile takeover bid.
Sport: Both clubs in tomorrow's grand final are wary of opposition team selections and have adopted a wait-and-see approach in deciding which 22 players run onto the MCG.
THE CANBERRA TIMES:
Page 1: Threats of a mass boycott have forced the Indian government and Commonwealth Games organisers into crisis meetings.
Page 2: A key witness in a double murder trial avoided calls to give evidence for fear of his life, a court has heard.
Page 3: The future of Calvary Hospital has been referred to a ACT parliamentary committee after the collapse last month of the government's bid to buy the hospital from the Little Company of Mary.
Page 3: Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has slammed rich nations for failing to deliver promised aid to the world's poorest countries.
World: The White House has praised a new expose of President Barack Obama's Afghan war deliberations.
Business: Virgin Blue has been given the green light to cooperate on joint pricing and scheduling with Etihad Airways.
Sport: Hockeyroos assistant coach Katrina Powell says the world would be a "very boring place" if developing countries were banned from hosting major sporting events.