Moguls win in TV sport shake-up - The Fin; Fresh hope for Telstra investors - The Aus; Nuclear future powers Paladin prospects - The West; Hunan cuts FMG stakes, gets $194m - The West; Woodside finds new offshore gas source - The Aus
Moguls win in TV sport shake-up - The Fin
Fresh hope for Telstra investors - The Aus
Nuclear future powers Paladin prospects - The West
Hunan cuts FMG stake, gets $194m - The West
Woodside finds new offshore gas source - The Aus
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:
Page 3: Eagles and Dockers matches will stay free-to-air TV in WA and the major commercial stations will be able to show sporting events exclusively on their new digital multi channels under a revamp of broadcasting rules.
Page 10: Colin Barnett has flagged a plan to have salaries of the executives of government owned businesses such as Synergy and the Water Corporation independently determined by the salaries and allowances tribunal.
Page 10: Miners are escalating their capital spending plans for the year ahead, with billions of dollars to go into projects that will flow through to WA's construction sector.
Page 49: Australia's big banks need to drop their arrogance and acknowledge why they are so unpopular, National Australia Bank chief executive Cameron Clyne said yesterday, as he tries to head of potential government intervention into the sector.
Page 49: Paladin Energy has told shareholders the outlook for their company was the best uin 30 years, driven by a surge in nuclear power plan constructions that was driving global demand for uranium.
Page 49: Just days out from confirming the extent of costly delays at its $13 billion Pluto LNG venture, Woodside Petroleum gave shareholders some good news with the discovery of more gas in the Carnarvon basin.
Page 50: Creating a "fifth pillar" of banking through building societies and credit unions would require small players to almost triple their lending levels within four years, analysts say, raising questions over its impact on financial stability.
Page 50: Royal Dutch Shell has given Nexus Energy some much-needed breathing space to develop the $1 billion Crux liquids project in the Browse Basin after agreeing to a three-year extension before demanding gas from the Browse Basin field.
Page 51: The peak body for financial planners wants to overhaul its membership structure as part of a revamp aimed at restoring consumer confidence in the profession.
Page 51: Fortescue Metals Group's second biggest shareholder, Hunan Valin Iron and Steel Group, has booked a profit of at least $120 million after reducing its stake in the Pilbara iron ore miner.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Page 1: Pay television broadcasters will bid directly for major sports events and more sport will be shown on new digital channels under the Gillard government's liberalisation of the 15-year-old regime dictating which sports must be shown on free-to-air television.
Page 3: Victoria and Western Australia have suggested that next year's tax summit consider increasing the 10 per cent GST rate, a change that would be good for state government finances but would slug retailers.
Page 5: The Australian Tax Office has admitted its private ruling system suffers from delays and poor public perception and must improve.
Page 7: Businesses have scaled back their record investment plans for this financial year, with a drop in spending on plant and equipment also likely to result in slower economic growth in the September quarter.
Page 11: The Gillard government aims to push through more than 10 legislative changes today in a hectic final day of parliament for the year as it fends off Coalition accusations that it has bungled major economic reform.
Page 13: The company building the National Broadband Network and Treasury are at odds over the cost of financing the project, leading the Coalition to claim there is a $900 million budget black hole in the project.
Page 15: Australia is looking to the US to help achieve two major regional agreements, which the government says should bring huge benefits to local trade.
Page 15: Buyers for Ric Stowe's debt-laden Griffin Coal empire have been scared off by the $700 million price.
Page 16: If the government doesn't introduce a carbon tax it faces a $14 billion bill to 2020 to meet even Australia's lowest emissions reduction target, according to research to be released today as business leaders discuss climate policy.
Page 17: As the mercury climbed this week and Perth experienced its hottest start to November in a century, West Australian Premier Colin Barnett made an uncharacteristic snap.
Page 18: Is it logical that a languishing miner called Fortescue Metals Group expected its share price to rise after requesting a trading halt to announce it had reached an agreement with Chinese backers to build important infrastructure in 2004?
Page 18: The $30billion offshore oil and gas industry faces tougher environmental approval legislation, including penalties and clean-up costs for new and existing operations after a damning report into Australia's worst oil spill.
Page 51:Western Australian iron ore junior FerrAus has advised shareholders to reject an unsolicited $292 million takeover offer from major shareholder Wah Nam International.
THE AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: The committee being created to scrutinise the taxpayer-funded National Broadband Network will be stacked with Labor MPs and not operate until July, sparking fresh criticism about inadequate scrutiny of the country's biggest infrastructure project.
Page 3: The Australian Crime Commission spent $10 million pursuing actor Paul Hogan, John Cornell and their famous adviser Tony Stewart, during its giver-year criminal investigation into the trio.
Page 4: Communication minister Stephen Conroy has unveiled new anti-siphoning rules governing sports broadcasting that for the first time compel broadcasters to show "iconic" events live and give pay-tv the ability to bid directly for key NRL and AFL matches.
Page 19: The prospect of upfront cash payments from NBN Co as well as Telstra's commitment to a high dividend over the next two years have given investor a fresh dose of optimism.
Page 19: National Australia Bank's chief executive Cameron Clyne has branded the coalition's plan to introduce price signalling restrictions as "ludicrous" and warned it could reduce rather than enhance the transparency of the nation's largest banks.
Page 20: Woodside Petroleum has made another offshore discovery in its drive to shore up gas for an expansion of its $US12 billion ($12.2b) Pluto LNG project on the Burrup Peninsular.
Page 20: The decision by FerrAus to bypass the national access regime under the Trade Practices Act and instead concentrate on existing WA state legislation to force BHP Billiton and its Mt Newman partners to agree to provide rail haulage for the junior miner's iron ore appears to have been a masterstroke.
Page 20: Nexus Energy has agreed to terms with Shell for a three-year extension of its rights to the $1 billion Crux liquids project off Western Australia, in a deal chief executive Richard Cottee plans to use as leverage to seel up to a 45 per cent stake in the project.
Page 20: Fortescue Metals Group's second-largest shareholder, Hunan Valin Iron and Steel Group of China, has sold about $193 million worth of shares in the iron ore miner.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:
Page 1: Successful Australian entrepreneur in China, Matthew Ng, has been jailed in China on suspicion of embezzlement. The government has promised the best NRL and AFL games will stay on free-to-air TV despite agreeing to give pay TV at least half the games each week.
Page 2: Jetstar faces a legal challenge following the sacking of a pilot who expressed safety concerns about the airline to the Sydney Morning Herald. A cholera outbreak in the Torres Strait has spread, killing more than 100 people and infecting hundreds.
Page 3: People under the age of 30, or with skin that burns easily, will be banned from using solariums in NSW under tightened regulation plans. A report on labour trafficking by the Australian Institute of Criminology says the problem in Australia is underestimated.
Finance: The corporate regulator is ready to take legal action against some of Australia's largest banks over the collapse of Storm Financial.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH:
Page 1: Sydney's best and worst hospitals can be revealed using NSW Bureau of Health information figures to be released on Friday. Concord Hospital has the state's best performing emergency department, Prince of Wales Hospital has the worst. Peter Siddle has scored the first Ashes hat-trick since Shane Warne.
Page 2: Three teens shared a single raw seagull and small amounts of rainwater in order to survive 50 days adrift in the Pacific in a small tinnie.
Page 3: Major sporting events must be broadcast live on free-to-air television under a new anti-siphoning scheme announced by the federal government. Soccer star David Beckham met Premier Kristina Keneally when he flew in to Sydney on Thursday, before flying to Newcastle for LA Galaxy's friendly with the Jets on Saturday.
World: (US) Republican and former House majority leader Tom DeLay has been found guilty of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering in a court in Austin, Texas. (UK) Angry students protest in London against plans to triple university fees.
Finance: Tower Australia continued strong growth with net profit after tax at $87.4 million for the year to September 30. FerrAus has advised shareholders not to accept an unsolicited $230 million takeover offer from Wah Nam International Holdings.
THE AGE:
Page 1: The collapse of a five-star resort project in the Yarra Valley has cost investors tens of millions of dollars and left the Brumby government embarrassed on the eve of the state election. Ted Baillieu would cut government spending by more than $1.5 billion if he wins tomorrow's election - and build the new Monash children's and Geelong hospitals more slowly than Labor.
Page 2: Autistic children are being physically restrained and placed in solitary confinement in special schools in breach of most human rights legislation, according to a complaint to the Ombudsman.
Page 3: A major overhaul of sports broadcasting rules will allow more premium sport to be shown on free-to-air television - including on the digital multi-channels - but also allows pay TV to bid for four AFL games a week and for events such as the British Open.
World: The European Union and financial markets have reacted with caution to the Irish government's savage austerity plan, which will slash the minimum wage by 12 per cent, reduce welfare payments by 3 billion euros ($A4 billion) and see 25,000 public servants lose their jobs.
Finance: The corporate regulator is expected to take legal action against some of Australia's largest banks over the collapse of Storm Financial, after a breakdown in compensation talks.
THE HERALD SUN:
Page 1: Birthday boy and Victorian star Peter Siddle claimed a hat-trick and finished with a sensational six wickets on day one of the first Ashes Test against England.
Page 3: Sports fans have been guaranteed more live sport on TV - and that blockbuster AFL games, Twenty20 cricket internationals and A-list events such as the Melbourne Cup and the Bathurst 1000 will stay on free-to-air TV.
Page 5: It is a cliffhanger election, with Labor on course to hold power by its fingertips less than 24 hours from voting.
World: An upcoming document dump by whistleblower site WikiLeaks has the potential to be "one of the worst intelligence failures since World War II", sources told Fox News Channel yesterday as Pentagon officials warned the US congress that thousands of classified files could be released this weekend.
Finance: ANZ is vowing not to abandon its ambitious strategy to be an Asia-Pacific banking heavyweight, despite losing grip of its biggest acquisition target in the region yet.
