Today's Business Headlines

Barnett lashes out at Gillard tax move - The Fin
APRA moves to protect super funds - The Fin
PM fights back in equal pay row - The Aus
Packer inspired Rinehart's raid on Ten - The Aus
Forrest hid details: ASIC - The Fin

THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:

Page 4: Relations between Colin Barnett and Canberra plumbed new depths yesterday when the Premier attacked Australia's most senior public servant for saying the Federal Government could use its financial clout to dictate royalty rates charged by the WA government.

The West Business Liftout:

Page 1: Neptune Marine has axed its managing director in a bid to resurrect an $80 million capital raising needed to resuscitate the ailing oil and gas contractor.

Page 2: A Federal Court judge erred in his rejection of expert evidence provided on behalf of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in its case against Fortescue Metals Group and its billionaire chief Andrew Forrest, the watch dog said yesterday.

Page 3: There is mounting speculation that Woodside Petroleum's first shipment of LNG cargoes from its company defining Pluto project could be delayed until August next year, or as much as seven months later than originally hoped.

Page 5: As director of client services at West Perth-headquartered advertising agency Marketforce, Rick Multari is in his element.

Page 7: Australia's midcap miners are tipped to be the potential predators in the mergers and acquisitions space next year with the top-50 companies in the sector cashed up and ready to strike, according to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers report.

Page 7: Telstra shares jumped 9c yesterday to close at $2.74, the higest closing price since September 20, after JPMorgan analysts recommended the share for the first time in six years.

Page 9: The mystery surrounding Gina Rinehart's $165 million swoop on the Ten Network intensified yesterday, with Hancock Prospecting going to ground as fellow billionaire shareholders James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch sealed the deal on their partnership at the broadcaster.

Page 10: The founder of collapsed childcare operator ABC learning, Eddy Groves, was yesterday grilled over his controversial decision about the price the group paid for a staff relief company the day before he was ousted.

Page 11: Grocery giant Metcash has declared war on competition chief Graeme Samuel, vowing to defy his rejection of its $215 million purchase of the Franklins supermarket chain and successfully lobbying for a Senate inquiry into the matter.

Page 12: The only tricky questions for Navitas at its annual meeting yesterday were of the written variety.

Page 17: The East Perth Lamb print-works site will be transformed into the new headquarters of the non-profit organisation Youth With A Mission by commercial building company and property developer EMCO Building.

THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:

Page 1: Federal cabinet is set to meet at 7:15 tomorrow morning ostensibly to "go through the final detail" of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's plan for the future of sports broadcasting in Australia.

Page 1: The prudential regulator is pushing for greater supervisory powers over superannuation funds to ensure scheme members receive the same level of protections as depositors and insurance policy holders.

Page 3: The Australia Crime Commission has dropped its criminal investigation into Crocodile Dundee producers Paul Hogan and John Cornell because of difficulties using evidence obtained from overseas, and legal privilege claims over documents.

Page 3: The Reserve Bank of Australia has announced plans to sell its half-share in troubled polymer banknote producer Securency International.

Page 4: A self-managed super fun has been slogged with a 47 per cent tax rate and penalised for breaching anti-avoidance laws.

Page 5: Wine and beer producers face a sobering festive season as consumers give the booze aisle a wide berth in the lead-up to Christmas.

Page 5: They sat on opposite sides of the chamber in Canberra, but Bob Hawke and Peter Costello will join forces next month to lead a business delegation on a five-city tour of the oil-rich Persian Gulf.

Page 7: Good bought online from overseas should be taxed, according to Gerry Harvey, whose company Harvey Norman is among retailers hurt by consumers buying cheaper products from foreign websites.

Page 7: Fortescue Metals Group chief executive Andrew Forrest should have told investors that agreements with Chinese state-owned construction companies relied on handing over a yet to be determined equity stake in the miner, the corporate regulator told the Federal Court in Perth yesterday.

Page 9: The Bligh government may be pleased to finally put the $6.2 billion public float of QR National to bed this week, but it's a long from recovering from its near terminal position in the opinions polls 12 months out from the next election.

Page 10: A parliamentary committee chaired by Labor backbencher Bernie Ripoll is set to launch a new inquiry into the treatment of small business by banks.

Page 12: West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has claimed the state will only recover 43 per cent of the GST revenue it raises by 2013, and criticised a suggestion the federal government could use its financial power to deter states from raising mining royalties.

Page 12: Chinese President Hu Jintao personally pressured the West Australian government to award the contract to build the big Oakajee port near Geraldton to Chinese companies during an official visit in 2007.

Page 14: An initial bid by federal independent MPs Tony Windsor and Bob Katter to block the $8.4 billion Singapore Eexchange-ASX Ltd alliance deal is set to fail after the opposition decided against supporting it in parliament.

Page 15: Prime Minister Julia Gillard has tried to defuse a Labor Party backlash over the government claim that it cannot afford a wage rise for low-paid women by saying she is personally committed to pay equity between the sexes.

Page 15: The Green will consider a plan to cut the working week to 35 hours from the current standard 38 as it tries to win more votes from Labor by extending the reach of national workplace laws into social policy.

Page 16: Prime Minister Julia Gillard turned down requests yesterday for concessions that could secure a Senate vote this week on the federal government's broadband plan, a move that could delay the plan until February.

Page 18: The federal government's proposed changes to research and development tax breaks hung in the balance last night, with Family First senator Steven Fielding set to decide their fate.

Page 53: Ten Network's newest shareholder, iron ore and coal billionaire Gina Rinehart, has written to fellow investor James Packer explaining her investment and praising the new composition of the company's board.

Page 55: Several major banks have been given until today to convince the Australian Securities and Investments Commission that they are attempting to address compensation claims from former investors with collapsed financial adviser Storm Financial.

Page 56: The Australian Securities Exchange has defended itself against accusations tha its crucial market compliance role will fall into foreign hands under a takeover by the Singapore Exchange, hitting back at independent MPs trying to block the deal.

Page 61: Internet service provider iiNet has used its annual general meeting to launch its new research and development business unit the day after new R&D tax laws passed the House of Representatives.

THE AUSTRALIAN:

Page 1: Julia Gillard has personally intervened to rescue legislation underpinning the contruction of the $43 billion National Broadband Network from a hostile Senate, amid escalating opposition claims it will become a white elephant.

Page 1: It was at a glittering event to celebrate Alan Jones' 25 years as a radio broadcaster that Gina Rinehart saw a powerful display of the east coast media and the political complex at work.

Page 3: The Australian Crime Commission has dropped its five year criminal investigation into actor Paul Hogan and his artistic collaborator John "Strop" Cornell, clearing the pair of any criminal wrongdoing in relation to their offshore tax affairs.

Page 4: Julia Gillard is staring down criticism from Labor MPs and unions over the government's position on equal pay for men and women, as employers warn that the union push could trigger flow on pay claims across the retail, cleaning and hospitality sectors.

Page 9: Anna Bligh has vowed the proceeds of Queensland's part-privitisation of rail operator QR National will pay down state debt and avert the need for further borrowing to upgrade the coal-hauling network.

Page 35: Metcash and the competitions watchdog are headed for a court room showdown, after the grocery wholesaler signalled its intention to push ahead with its $215 million acquisition of the Franklins supermarket group.

Page 35: Harvey Norman chairman Gerry Harvey yesterday warned the market to expect a "pretty sizeable fall in profit" and called for the introduction of a tax to stop the slow of Australians buying products from overseas online retailers.

Page 37: Three out of the top four bank chiefs executives will front a Senate inquiry next month to answer parliamentary critics that the Australian banking market is in desperate need of increased competition.

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:

Page 1: North Korea's dictator-in-waiting ordered the deadly artillery attack on a South Korean island; Teenager David Auchterlonie was lured to his death in NSW's notorious Belanglo State Forest; the federal government is weighing up imposing the GST on more imported goods to help struggling domestic retailers.

Page 2: The coronial inquest into Diane Brimble's cruise ship death heard she did not agree to take drugs or have sex on board the fatal voyage.

Page 3: The Reserve Bank has moved to abandon the corruption bribery scandal engulfing its subsidiary Securency.

World: An impostor posed as a Taliban leader during months of secret talks with Afghan leaders and even met with president Hamid Karzai.

Finance: The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has warned about the dangers in trading complex derivatives known as contracts for difference.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH:

Page 1: Paul Hogan is expected to retaliate against the Australian Crime Commission after it dropped its case against the Crocodile Dundee star; Serial killer Ivan Milat reportedly "chuckled" when told a person related to him had been charged over a murder in his old dumping ground.

Page 2: North Korea fired dozens of artillery shells on a South Korean island, triggering an exchange of fire between the two countries.

Page 3: Eating dirt could make a child smarter, new research shows.

World: Rubbish piles up in Naples, Italy, forcing a health risk warning.

Finance: Qantas A380s will resume service three weeks after one of the aircraft experienced a mid-air engine explosion.

THE AGE:

Page 1: North Koreas 26-year-old dictator-in-waiting has burnished his leadership credentials by launching a deadly artillery raid on South Korean territory, causing Seoul to scramble F16 jet fighters and return fire; The Reserve Bank of Australia has moved to abandon the corruption and bribery scandal engulfing its subsidiary Securency by offloading the plastic banknote maker.

Page 2: Australia's crime watchdog has failed to put the bite on Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan and his manager over alleged tax evasion, saying there are "insufficient prospects of securing convictions".

Page 3: Prime Minister Julia Gillard has told a Labor Caucus meeting she is personally offended by a union suggestion the government has not honoured its commitment to an equal-pay test case.

World: Police, rescue and mine officials are still yet to concede all hope is lost for the 29 men missing since last Friday's explosion at the bottom of the Pike River coalmine in New Zealand.

Finance: The two-year legal fight between Racing NSW and online betting exchange Betfair will head to the High Court, with an appeal against a landmark Federal Court ruling expected in the next week.

THE HERALD SUN:

Page 1: Crime syndicates ripped off first home buyer grants to set up the major drug ring smashed yesterday in the biggest police raid in the state's history.

Page 3: Video images of the New Zealand mine explosion showed in seconds what thousands of words could not.

Page 5: Victoria's illegal dope growers had no idea what lay ahead as they slept in their suburban homes.

World: A soldier died after North Korea yesterday fired dozens of shells at a South Korean border island, setting buildings ablaze and injuring up to 15 people.

Finance: The proportion of low-doc mortgage customers behind on their payments is surging back towards the peak it hit at the height of the global financial crisis, a new study reveals.