Labor vows to fight for carbon plan – The Aus; Crucial WA MP cuts down Gillard's Malaysia solution – The West; Qantas strikes could last a year: union – The Aus; Delay for Cooper showdown – The West; Saraceni back with office block – The Fin
Labor vows to fight for carbon plan
Battle-lines have been drawn for the next election, with Tony Abbott’s ‘‘blood’’ vow to abolish the carbon tax ensuring its historic passage through the House of Representatives yesterday will not end the brawl over Labor’s clean energy plans. The Aus
Crucial WA MP cuts down Gillard's Malaysia solution
WA Nationals MP Tony Crook will deliver the death blow today to Julia Gillard's bid to resurrect her people-swap deal with Malaysia. The West
Qantas strikes could last a year: union
The Transport Workers Union has warned unionists are prepared to wage a year-long campaign of strikes against Qantas as thousands of airline passengers face disruption today from the latest round of stoppages by employees. The Aus
Delay for Cooper showdown
The battle for control of Cooper Energy could be headed for the courts after the under-pressure board of the $125 million Perth oil and gas producer yesterday postponed a shareholder showdown amid a sudden corporate shake-up. The West
Saraceni back with office block
Embattled Perth developer Luke Saraceni has received council approval to build a $300 million office tower down the road from the receiver-controlled development he used to own, Raine Square. The Fin
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: WA Nationals MP Tony Crook will deliver the death blow today to Julia Gillard's bid to resurrect her people-swap deal with Malaysia.
WA primary school students should spend up to two years doing extra maths lessons to catch up to the level expected of them under the new national curriculum, a maths education consultant has warned.
Page 4: The independence of the Commonwealth Ombudsman is under question after he was shown to exchange emails with Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young to suggest questions she should ask him at a parliamentary inquiry.
Page 6: Australia faces four more years of fighting over carbon pricing after Opposition Leader Tony Abbott yesterday “pledged in blood” he would tear up the carbon tax.
Page 8: WA firms have warned that they will be made less competitive by the carbon tax.
WA power prices are likely to increase about 12 per cent next year – with more than half that rise attributed to the carbon tax.
Page 13: WA artists spearhead the nominations for the 2011 Australian Recording Industry Association Awards, announced yesterday in Sydney.
Page 16: Desalination plants and heavy-handed water restrictions will cost Perth residents more than $800 million over the coming two decades, the Productivity Commission has found.
Page 18: Travellers face two days of travel chaos as first Qantas baggage handlers and then its engineers disrupt the travel plans of an estimated 20,000 passengers.
Business: Australia Post has delivered its first profit increase in four years after a surge in online shopping translated to a boom in lucrative parcel services.
The battle for control of Cooper Energy could be headed for the courts after the under-pressure board of the $125 million Perth oil and gas producer yesterday postponed a shareholder showdown amid a sudden corporate shake-up.
Iluka Resources is poised to start price talks with its titanium customers after securing another hike in zircon prices – the latest in a string of quarterly increases for the mineral sands miner's products.
BHP Billiton has been assured that royalty payments to the South Australian government will not be raised for 45 years, under a deal to expedite work on the mammoth Olympic Dam expansion.
It's been a long road to acceptance for managed investment scheme survivor TFS Corporation, which has been working to convince investors that it has made the transition from MIS stock to diversified plantation manager.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Page 1: The Gillard government has secured an ambitious carbon price scheme ahead of many other major economies, but business may face up to two years of uncertainty about the scheme's long-term economic impact and ability to survive much beyond the next election.
BHP Billiton has been given a 12-month deadline to start work on its $30 billion expansion of Olympic Dam under a deal signed with the South Australian government.
Page 3: Long-haul pilots locked in an industrial relations dispute with Qantas have taken the unusual step of reaching out to institutional shareholders in a bid to thwart a restructure of its international operations.
Page 10: Women are outnumbered almost four to one by men in senior positions at the biggest companies, disclosures under new Australian Securities Exchange guidelines show.
Page 12: The Reserve Bank of Australia is yet to cut interest rates but bank reductions in fixed mortgage rates and discounts on variable ones are already helping the housing market recover from weakness earlier in the year.
Page 24: Uranium producer Energy Resources of Australia is seeking to tap shareholders for $500 million in an equity raising set to strengthen Rio Tinto's dominance in the company.
Alcoa chief executive Klaus Kleinfeld has assured investors that the company is not seeing a collapse of demand in the aluminium market similar to that during the 2008 global financial crisis, despite a disappointing third quarter.
Page 45: The office market withstood global economic jitters and the high Australian dollar during the three months to October, with strong sales volumes and tight vacancy rates.
Page 46: Australia's non-housing construction sector “trudged” through 2010-11, with work done and contracts won both increasing, according to the HIA Construction 100 report to be released this morning.
Page 47: West Perth and Subiaco, two of Australia's biggest suburban office markets, have posted rental growth of more than 20 per cent in the past 12 months.
Page 52: Embattled Perth developer Luke Saraceni has received council approval to build a $300 million office tower down the road from the receiver-controlled development he used to own, Raine Square.
THE AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Battle-lines have been drawn for the next election, with Tony Abbott’s ‘‘blood’’ vow to abolish the carbon tax ensuring its historic passage through the House of Representatives yesterday will not end the brawl over Labor’s clean energy plans.
The runaway take-up of rooftop solar panels is undermining the quality of electricity supplies, feeding so much power back into the network that it is stressing the system and causing voltage rises that could damage household devices such as computers and televisions.
Commonwealth Ombudsman Allan Asher has been caught colluding with the Greens to criticise Julia Gillard’s border security policy and enlist the minor party’s support for his campaign for extra funding for his office.
Page 2: More than 80 protesters were ejected from parliament for chanting ‘‘No mandate’’ and ‘‘Democracy is dead’’ from the public galleries, disrupting question time with co-ordinated protests as Julia Gillard’s government secured the passage of the carbon tax through the lower house.
Virgin Australia is investigating a system adopted by major shareholder Richard Branson that uses microbes to convert waste industrial gases into jet fuel.
Page 3: The Transport Workers Union has warned unionists are prepared to wage a year-long campaign of strikes against Qantas as thousands of airline passengers face disruption today from the latest round of stoppages by employees.
Page 6: Julia Gillard’s chief economic adviser has challenged governments to consider using recycled water for drinking, saying the constraints on its use could be increasing the cost of water supplies to consumers.
Wayne Swan has warned the world economy is on the edge of a crisis similar to 2008, but recent market turmoil has left consumer confidence untouched.
As house values continue to recede across the country, Westpac chief economist Bill Evans has warned that the economy faces huge damage from falling housing prices unless the Reserve Bank cuts rates.
Page 8: Fortescue Metals Group has called on the Gillard government to address ‘‘inequities’’ and discrimination against smaller resources companies by deferring the new mining tax on them until BHP Billiton, Xstrata and Rio Tinto actually start to pay the tax.
Business: Companies that moved aggressively to exploit a multi-billion dollar new tax loophole affecting takeovers are likely to keep the benefits, but in an unforeseen twist those companies that waited will probably lose any chance to claim massive deductions.
BHP Billiton has approved $US1.2 billion ($1.19bn) in precommitment capital for the first phase of its Olympic Dam project, which has moved another step closer to board approval after the South Australian government signed off on the plans.
Energy Resources of Australia will tap the market for $500 million to fund exploration at its Ranger uranium mine in the hope of extending the operation’s life.
Fortescue Metals Group has almost doubled the iron ore resource estimate for its Nyidinghu deposit in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
Home electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi has warned that conditions remain tough in the opening months of the new financial year, but says it will grow revenue via new store openings and increased online sales.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:
Page 1: The carbon tax is on its way after more than 10 years of debate, with the Senate set to pass the $23-a-tonne carbon price next month.
Page 2: Farmers have threatened to walk away from a group established to manage land use conflicts over mining and coal seam gas exploration.
Page 3: The Qantas standoff with unions is costing an estimated $20 million.
World: Gilad Shalit has been a pawn for five years in the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Business: Fifteen captains of industry have signed up to a study examining the lack of progress on gender management equality.
Sport: The NRL is weeks away from having no clubs or players for next season unless a stand-off over funding between clubs and the game's owners is resolved.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH:
Page 1: It was a kiss between Prime Minister Julia Gillard and her predecessor Kevin Rudd that sealed the carbon tax vote.
Page 2: Taxpayers are footing the bill of new TVs in asylum seekers' homes with more than $45 million pledged in three months for their help and housing.
Page 3: Former McLeod's Daughters star Simmone Jade Mackinnon wants to bankrupt her former lover, a one-time Cleo Bachelor of the Year finalist.
World: A Spanish politician has threatened the FBI with legal action after they used a picture of him to create a most-wanted mock-up of Osama bin Laden.
Business: Australia Post's net profits have grown by 170 per cent as parcel delivery powers the government business.
Sport: Rugby League clubs have 17 days to call off their $34 million pay demand and strike an agreement with the NRL.
THE COURIER MAIL:
Page 1: Dossiers on Qld Labor party members, compiled by a former Labor staffer for the LNP, have been revealed.
Page 2: LNP leader Campbell Newman says the dossiers on Labor members have been shredded.
Page 5: Daniel Morecombe's parents will visit the site where his remains were found to conduct a private prayer.
Page 7: Prime Minister Julia Gillard embraced her predecessor Kevin Rudd when the carbon tax was passed in the lower house.
World: The US will further isolate Iran after an alleged plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US in a Washington DC restaurant.
Business: JB Hi-FI says it will bypass local suppliers if can't beat online prices.
Sport: Wallaby powerhouse David Pocock has played down claims by the All Blacks he is breakdown cheat.
THE ADELAIDE ADVERTISER:
Page 1: SA to get $350 million a year in royalties from Olympic Dam expansion.
Page 3: Adelaide scientists have created a drug to prevent blindness from cataracts.
World: US agents foil Iranian death plot.
Business: Carbon tax is a blow to SA competitiveness, business SA boss says.
Sport: Adelaide Crows AFL club to choose between Ben Kennedy or Brad Crouch.