Flaws in Oakajee plan, say experts – The West; WA shareholder fights Alinta for bigger payout – The West; WA coal power seeks help – The Fin; Chinese ponder rail line if bids succeed – The West; ASX merger fears grow – The West
Flaws in Oakajee plan, say experts
Confidential information has revealed that major changes are required to the $4.3 billion Oakajee Port plan. The West
WA shareholder fights Alinta for bigger payout
Soon-to-be-dismantled Alinta Energy has moved to head off a South Perth businessman's challenge to the terms of its $3 billion rescue deal, rejecting his claims that the group's assets allow for a bigger than forecast shareholder payout. The West
WA coal power seeks help
The head of Western Australia's biggest coal-fired power producer says the state should be given special consideration under any carbon price scheme because of the unique challenges facing WA's electricity system. The Fin
Chinese ponder rail line if bids succeed
The Chinese conglomerate bidding for WA iron ore juniors Brockman Resources and FerrAus could alter WA's mining landscape by building a standalone railway in the Pilbara. The West
ASX merger fears grow
International investors have warned that the planned $8.4 billion merger of the stock exchanges of Australia and Singapore may compromise key regulatory functions carried out by the ASX. The West
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: The state government's divisive push to give WA police unprecedented stop and search powers has been killed off by Upper House Nationals MPs, who decided unanimously to vote down the centrepiece of Premier Colin Barnett's law and order agenda.
Page 3: WA's mining fraternity has hosted a Congolese minister being investigated in France for alleged crimes against humanity involving the disappearance of more than 350 people in 1999.
Page 5: Australian courts could become clogged with appeals by failed asylum seekers seeking to stay in the country after the High Court tore down a key plank of the Gillard government's border protection policy yesterday.
Page 6: Julia Gillard has sought to embarrass Australia's big banks globally in an address to world business leaders by accusing them of ignoring customers and threatening the nation's economic recovery.
Page 7: Perth motorists could soon be able to fill their tanks in their own homes from the reticulated natural gas supply - potentially far cheaper than petrol or LPG.
Page 11: Confidential information has revealed that major changes are required to the $4.3 billion Oakajee Port plan.
Page 12: WA has taken out the Telstra Australian Business Women's award for the fourth year in a row, with Denise Goldsworthy beating 37 others to the top honour in Melbourne last night.
Page 13: WA homes are worth less than they were in 2007 but values have jumped nearly 50 per cent since the pre-boom days of 2005, according to new research.
Page 16: University students will be able to claim education expenses as a tax deduction after one student took on the taxman and won.
Page 18: European safety authorities have confirmed that an oil fire in the rear section of the Rolls-Royce Trent 972 engine was the likely cause of the uncontained engine failure that crippled a Qantas A380 with 466 aboard last Thursday.
Page 24: A huge forensic science centre housing police and state scientists would be built under a police plan to streamline WA's criminal forensic services.
Business: One of WA's biggest recent gold discoveries will be an even bigger mine than envisaged, with Anglo-Gold Ashanti unveiling plans to super-size initial production from Tropicana after formally approving the $740 million development.
The Chinese conglomerate bidding for WA iron ore juniors Brockman Resources and FerrAus could alter WA's mining landscape by building a standalone railway in the Pilbara.
Soon-to-be-dismantled Alinta Energy has moved to head off a South Perth businessman's challenge to the terms of its $3 billion rescue deal, rejecting his claims that the group's assets allow for a bigger than forecast shareholder payout.
Thai energy giant PTT has put a new spin on Straits Resources' plans to demerge its metals assets from its mainly Indonesian coal assets, convincing the Australian group that it is a better idea for it to take the coal assets alone in a $544 million agreed deal.
International investors have warned that the planned $8.4 billion merger of the stock exchanges of Australia and Singapore may compromise key regulatory functions carried out by the ASX.
First Quantum Minerals has increased its bill to reopen the Ravensthorpe nickel project to nearly $200 million following a decision to expand a refurbishment of the treatment plant.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Page 1: Escalating labour and construction costs have triggered a surge in budget overruns at Australian mining and energy projects, sparking fears of a return to pre-global financial crisis days when cost inflation strangled economic growth.
The Gillard government has cleared the way for uranium exports to Russia, ending a three-year saga of indecision over whether nuclear material produced from Australian resources could fall into unsafe hands.
Page 3: Australian Greens leader Bob Brown could try to give Parliament the power to decide which individual sports events can be carried by free-to-air or pay TV.
Page 8: Queensland and Western Australia are expected to be fastest off the blocks when it comes to employment growth as phase two of the mining boom gathers strength.
Page 9: A record number of Australians have jobs or are looking for work as a mining-fuelled surge in economic growth and more employment opportunities encourage people back into the labour force.
Employers have warned that a federal government plan to toughen the points system used to assess skilled migrants could exacerbate skills shortages because it preferences university graduates over tradespeople.
Page 13: The head of Western Australia's biggest coal-fired power producer says the state should be given special consideration under any carbon price scheme because of the unique challenges facing WA's electricity system.
Page 14: A High Court ruling has paved the way for more than quarter of a million students to claim tax breaks for study expenses, in a decision federal Treasury forewarned could cause a "significant" budget blow-out.
Page 16: The federal government's ability to deliver on promises of a regional infrastructure fund, business tax cuts and superannuation reform is threatened by the impact of the rising dollar on expected revenue from the new mining tax.
Page 41: BlueScope Steel has warned shareholders to expect an after-tax loss in the first half, as a toxic combination of a high Australian dollar, soft demand, flat steel prices and high material costs erode the company's profitability.
Optus has warned that it faces a "very competitive marketplace" in the next six months as Telstra spends heavily in a bid to steal back customers from the No.2 telco's core mobile phone market.
Page 43: Qantas has grounded its flagship Airbus A380 aircraft for a further 48 hours as it continues its hunt to find out why one of its engines exploded mid-air during a flight last week.
Straits Resources will sell its coal assets to Thailands PTT Group for $544.1 million once it completes a demerger of its metals business early next year.
Page 44: West Australian Premier Colin Barnett will make the proponents of the proposed $4.4 billion Oakajee port in the WA's mid-west sweat on whether he will approve an extension to their contract with the state.
Page 46: Joint venture partners Anglogold Ashanti and Independence Group have committed to developing the Tropicana gold project in Western Australia at an estimated cost of $680 million - $740 million.
Alinta Energy has been forced to defend its valuation of the Redbank power station after a would-be director contacted major security holders and questioned the company's claims that the asset was worthless.
THE AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Homeowners will have to pay at least $1000 towards the cost of their solar panels, under an overhaul of the Gillard government's generous green subsidy scheme that will end the era of installing rooftop solar systems for free or at little cost.
Failed asylum-seekers will be given access to the judicial system after a pivotal High Court ruling that lands a significant blow to Australia's offshore processing regime and that the government warns will ''elongate'' detention times.
Australia is fighting in global and regional arenas for free trade and floating currencies to take advantage of our economic strength, just as China, the US, Brazil and Europe fight currency wars and threaten to erect new trade barriers.
Page 2: Immigration Minister Chris Bowen has imposed serious standards of English on Australia's multi-billion-dollar international student business, according to Monash University researcher Bob Birrell.
Union leader Paul Howes has warned Labor risks ending up in an inner-suburban political ghetto, ''manning the barricades against the Greens hordes'', unless the ALP changes and broadens its appeal.
Qantas is still unable to say when its A380 fleet will take to the air as new reports emerged of serious structural damage to the plane involved in last week's engine explosion.
Page 4: Wayne Swan has signed up to a US attack on China's currency management, declaring it risks suffocating recovery in the major advanced economies.
Rapid population growth has raised the size of the labour force to a record 12 million people, but growing numbers of jobseekers have also pushed up the level of unemployment.
Page 5: Australia's capacity to simultaneously detain asylumseekers on Christmas Island and refuse them access to appeal determinations in Australian courts has been fundamentally undermined by a 37-page High Court judgement.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon is preparing to tweak key aspects of her national health reforms after a backlash from doctors who claim they will be worse off under the proposed changes.
Page 8: The $120 billion energy industry has warned that Julia Gillard's mining tax compromise could drive up electricity prices and distort the market for producing power.
Business: A Chinese company is making a bold $1.2 billion pitch to become a key player in Australia's burgeoning iron ore industry by consolidating the Pilbara's junior sector through hostile bids for Brockman Resources and FerrAus.
Bank of Queensland chief executive David Liddy has warned that Labor faces losing office if it fails to tackle the lack of competition in banking.
Bluescope Steel is expecting a first-half loss of up to $100 million, as earnings are squeezed by rising iron ore and coking coal prices, stagnant steel prices, reduced local demand and a surging Australian dollar.
Optus has posted another strong profit result, notching 12 straight quarters of earnings growth and signalling new resolve in fighting for customers against a revitalised Telstra.
Thailand's PTT yesterday unveiled plans to acquire Straits Resources for $544.1 million as part of its strategy to expand into coal assets, which offer good growth prospects.
Anglo-Gold Ashanti, one of the world's largest gold producers, says it has received approval to develop a gold project in Western Australia that is expected to produce 3.45 million troy ounces over 10 years.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:
Page 1: The government's plans for a detention centre in East Timor have been thrown into doubt.
Symone Anstis and her father have won a legal battle against the Taxation Office after a landmark High Court ruling.
Julia Gillard has used the international stage to accuse the big banks of threatening economic recovery.
Page 2: Joe Tripodi leaves politics.
Page 3: Social networking is sending Australians online in droves.
World: (Baghdad) The Iraqi Prime Minister Mouri al-Maliki, will be returned to office.
Business: Institutional investors have warned Canberra over the merger of the stock exchanges of Australia and Singapore.
Sport: Michael Clarke sounded an Ashes warning with an innings of authority at the SCG
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH:
Page 1: A NSW government document shows there are 244 legal brothels in Sydney.
Page 2: The federal government could be forced to abandon offshore processing.
Page 3: Labor cost taxpayers $1.3 million when they dumped Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister.
World: (London) Gordon Ramsay has suspended his wife's brother and sacked her nephew from his company.
Business: NSW property investors are suffering through lacklustre performance compared to other states.
Sport: Newcastle chief executive Steve Burraston described privatisation of the Knights as inevitable.
THE AGE:
Page 1: Thousands of asylum seekers have won the right to have their claims tested by the courts after the High Court yesterday upheld a constitutional challenge to the Gillard government's offshore processing regime for those who come by boat.
The son of landmark Australian tobacco litigant Rolah McCabe has accused British American Tobacco of attempting to bully and intimidate his family by warning that his Cranbourne home could be sold to recover the tobacco giant's legal costs.
Page 2: Victoria would be risking millions of dollars in Commonwealth funding for its hospitals if it does not submit accurate performance data as part of the national health reform deal.
Page 3: Hundreds of thousands of current and former students will be able to claim tax deductions for their study expenses, after a landmark High Court ruling that threatens to punch a multimillion-dollar hole in the federal budget.
World: The world's 20 biggest rich and emerging economies intensified a war of words yesterday as they headed into a summit devoted to correcting huge distortions in the global economy.
Business: Institutional investors have warned Canberra that the $8.4 billion planned merger between the stock exchanges of Australia and Singapore may compromise key regulatory functions now carried out by the ASX.
Sport: Close friends Alistair Presnell and Adam Bland literally crossed paths at Victoria yesterday morning as the opening shots of the Australian Masters rang out.
THE HERALD SUN:
Page 1: A secret post-election blitz on motorists has been planned, with about 100 new mobile radar kits bought for police cars.
Page 3: Whenever Kerrie Millar hears her son, Jed Lamb, talked about as a hot AFL draft prospect, tears begin to flow.
Page 5: Dozens of drivers nabbed on speed cameras stayed on the road by signing on to a greedy crime syndicate's demerit point rort.
World: Police may have disarmed a Yemen mail bomb bound for the US accidentally rather than by design.
Business: The Grollo family's property company Grocon has shelved plans to float its $1 billion office portfolio, instead selling three buildings to the Commonwealth Property Fund (CPA) for $581 million.
Sport: Hawthorn looks set to survive an audacious North Melbourne bid to become the AFL's new flag-bearer in Tasmania.
THE CANBERRA TIMES:
Page 1: The High Court has delivered a landmark ruling that could change the processing of asylum claims.
Students could soon be able to claim education costs as tax deductions. The ACT government will spend $26 million over 10 years to bring AFL games to the capital.
A woman charged in relation to the death of a Canberra man has told a court she will lie to protect her partner.
Page 2: American Gabe Watson is expected to be deported back to the United States to stand trial for the murder of his new wife Tina in 2003.
Page 3: Retailers could be fined up to $27,000 for handing out plastic bags under new ACT laws.
World: University students have smashed into British Prime Minister David Cameron's party headquarters, protesting against plans to triple tuition costs.
Business: Optus says growth in mobile phone customer numbers has helped deliver an 18.6 per cent boost in profits.
Sport: Tiger Woods has teed off to a good start at the Australian Masters in Melbourne.
