Workplace fight spreads to waterfront – The Fin; Gillard, Swan scramble to save mine tax – The Aus; Economy's slow lane welcomes rate cut – The West; QR's Pilbara iron ore rail plan starts to gather more steam – The West; Industrialist settles price row with Alinta – The Fin
Workplace fight spreads to waterfront
The waterfront has emerged as the next industrial battleground after the bitter Qantas union battle, with strikes spreading to a third major stevedore and negotiations deadlocked at two others. The Fin
Gillard, Swan scramble to save mine tax
Julia Gillard yesterday scrambled to salvage her $11.1 billion mining tax on the eve of its introduction to parliament, after independent Tony Windsor tied his support to tougher scrutiny of mine projects, and Bob Katter warned he would issue his own list of demands today. The Aus
Economy's slow lane welcomes rate cut
Business leaders in the economy's slow lane have applauded the first interest rate cut in more than two years, saying it could give a lift to industries missing out on the spoils of the mining boom. The West
QR's Pilbara iron ore rail plan starts to gather more steam
QR National's ambition to become a Pilbara iron ore hauler is gaining momentum, with the Brisbane company thought to have begun preliminary talks with the WA government about breaking open BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals Group's Port Hedland rail duopoly. The West
Industrialist settles price row with Alinta
Wealthy Perth industrialist Gordon Martin has settled a long-running dispute with gas retailer Alinta Energy. The Fin
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Federal police are investigating the suspected sabotage of one of Qantas' 265-seat Boeing 767s in Brisbane last Wednesday while the plane was being upgraded.
Page 5: Retailers and home builders are hoping cashed-up buyers go on a pre-Christmas binge after the Reserve Bank cut official interest rates yesterday by a quarter percentage point.
Page 12: Qantas has undermined a key Labor claim that the government acted swiftly to get planes flying again.
Page 13: Speed cameras that measure average speed over long distances are much fairer than cameras which punish motorists for accidentally or momentarily going to fast, Road Safety Council chairman D'Arcy Holman said yesterday.
Page 14: Opposition leader Tony Abbott will have to vote against billions of dollars of superannuation for ordinary workers to stop the mining tax as the Gillard government battles to win the support of key independent MPs.
Page 15: The Perth International Arts Festival has warned about online scalpers, with one site offering tickets at four times their price even before the festival starts selling them.
Page 20: WA's fledgling uranium mining industry is booming with growth in exploration almost quadrupling in the past four years.
Business liftout:
Page 1: Business leaders in the economy's slow lane have applauded the first interest rate cut in more than two years, saying it could give a lift to industries missing out on the spoils of the mining boom.
Page 2: Government reforms to foster skills and productivity investment in the food and beverage manufacturing sector, which is bedevilled by the market power of the two major supermarket chains, are needed to save as many as 130,000 jobs by 2020.
The explosion of private labels on supermarket shelves is killing product innovation and “dumbing down” choice for consumers, one of WA's oldest food companies warns.
Page 3: QR National's ambition to become a Pilbara iron ore hauler is gaining momentum, with the Brisbane company thought to have begun preliminary talks with the WA government about breaking open BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals Group's Port Hedland rail duopoly.
UK fashion chain Topshop looks set to beat up-market counterpart Zara to the punch to set up shop in Perth as a host of international chains scout for sites in the one-time retailing backwater.
The future of the Whim Creek Hotel appears uncertain after the iconic Pilbara pub shut its doors indefinitely last night.
Page 4: Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce will face his first grilling by Federal politicians – after his shock decision to ground the airline – when he attends a Senate inquiry in Canberra on Friday.
Page 7: The Department of Mines and Petroleum has moved to curb illegal prospecting on crown land by calling on leaseholders to report suspect activity.
Page 8: Australian clients of failed broker MF Global face a nervous wait to learn the fate of their investments with the company, which called in administrators yesterday after its US parent declared bankruptcy.
Page 15: Perth's northern corridor is shaping up as a key industrial performer this year, with a surge in leasing activity and significant development potential putting it firmly on the map for market players, according to Colliers International.
Page 24: Perth's small cluster of premium office towers is said to be attracting fresh scrutiny from fund managers given the imminent record sale of a half stake in the QV1 tower and Stockland's decision to put its 50 per cent share of the Exchange Plaza on the market.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Page 1: The waterfront has emerged as the next industrial battleground after the bitter Qantas union battle, with strikes spreading to a third major stevedore and negotiations deadlocked at two others.
The chances of a follow-up interest rate cut next month largely hinge on the success of Europe's sovereign debt deal, the Reserve Bank of Australia indicated yesterday.
Page 6: The minerals resources rent tax will finally hit Parliament today after last minute round-the-clock negotiations with key independents and with the legislation expected to be referred to a parliamentary committee.
Page 9: Qantas took to the skies with largely empty aircraft on Tuesday, and in some cases cancelled flights altogether.
Page 14: Queensland and Western Australia have experienced a sharp rise in business insolvencies since the global financial crisis, despite the resurgent mining boom.
Page 15: Wealthy Perth industrialist Gordon Martin has settled a long-running dispute with gas retailer Alinta Energy.
The West Australian government is under pressure to revisit its plan to develop a bulletin board where prices for short-term gas supplies would be posted.
Page 19: The Reserve Bank of Australia's cut to the official cash rate should brighten the mood of consumers and embattled businesses, but it is unlikely to deliver a significant boost to growth.
Page 47: Anglo American has threatened to withhold more than $15 billion of investment in expanding its Australian coal operations unless Canberra revises its carbon tax.
Page 48: The North-West Shelf Venture has begun marketing about 20m tonnes of LNG it will have available from 2015, with most expected to be snapped up by Japan.
Page 51: Mining magnate Clive Palmer has told trading houses they can expect to recoup a $650 million investment in a Pilbara iron ore development within two years.
THE AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Business has vowed to fight any union bid to strengthen their industrial powers in the wake of the Qantas decision.
The Reserve Bank has acted to soften a slowdown in Australia’s economic growth before any further turmoil in Europe.
Page 2: Tony Abbott yesterday made a personal explanation to parliament in defence of his actions after Labor accused Qantas and the Opposition Leader of colluding over the airline’s plans to ground its fleet.
Page 3: Government lawyers have warned that if federal magistrates press ahead with litigation against the commonwealth, it could lead to a ruling invalidating their appointments and the legislation that established their court.
Page 4: Julia Gillard yesterday scrambled to salvage her $11.1 billion mining tax on the eve of its introduction to parliament, after independent Tony Windsor tied his support to tougher scrutiny of mine projects, and Bob Katter warned he would issue his own list of demands today.
Calls for a federal takeover of state responsibilities for mining leases have been denounced as unworkable by leading mining lawyers.
Page 6: Australia's two largest banks, the Commonwealth and Westpac, have matched the Reserve Bank’s decision to cut interest rates by 25 basis points after Wayne Swan warned that there was no excuse to hold back the benefits to customers.
House prices in Brisbane and Perth are tipped to be the most likely to lift on the back of yesterday’s cut in the official rate by the Reserve Bank.
Business: As many as 8,000 Australian investors have been unable to access their trading accounts and had positions closed out as administrators tried to unravel the mess behind the collapse of international prime broker MF Global.
BHP Billiton has approved the $US4.2 billion ($4bn) construction of the Caval Ridge coking coalmine in Queensland and expansion of the nearby Peak Downs mine, as it tries to ramp up output by 80 per cent by the end of the decade.
The Reserve Bank is hoping its first interest rate cut in 31 months will shield the domestic economy from a world slowdown caused by Europe’s sovereign debt crisis.
Australian retailers cheered yesterday’s interest rate cut, saying it would give shoppers more confidence to spending in the run-up to Christmas.
Chinese policymakers are expected to selectively ease tight credit conditions to boost the country’s critical small business and property sectors as growth continues to slow.
Passenger anger and concern in the wake of this weekend’s unprecedented Qantas grounding could wipe $54 million from the airline’s pre-tax profit.
Brisbane-based rail owner and coal hauler QR National is understood to be looking at iron ore haulage opportunities in Western Australia, focusing on ‘‘above rail’’operations with some of the emerging operators in the Pilbara and the Midwest.
Harvey Norman shares took a battering yesterday, plunging almost 4 per cent to $2.09 after the country’s biggest electrical retailer reported a 19.3 per cent slump in pretax earnings in the first quarter as price deflation and currency movements continued to erode margins.
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou stunned Europe by announcing a referendum on his country’s latest bailout — a highstakes gamble that could undermine the international effort to preserve the euro.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:
Page 1: Federal politicians from both main parties have blamed people smugglers for the drowning deaths of at least 17 asylum seekers. Two of the big four banks have passed on in full the Reserve Bank's interest rate cut.
Page 2: The two main parties are accusing each other of having prior knowledge of Qantas's plans to ground its fleet. The bashing death of a loved wife and mother has mystified police.
Page 3: Labor's mining tax has got the support of most taxpayers, according to internal polling. Indonesian prosecutors expressed sympathy for the Australian boy facing drug charges in Bali.
World: In a surprise move that jolted Europe, the Greek prime minister announced a referendum on a new aid package for Greece.
Business: Business leaders in the economy's slow lane have applauded the first interest rate cut in more than two years.
Sport: Christophe Lemaire jetted into Melbourne on Monday not knowing if he had a ride in the Melbourne Cup.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH:
Page 1: On the day that stops a nation, it took the Reserve Bank to start it.
Page 2: Sydney's lacklustre property market and the nation's struggling retailers are the big winner's from the interest rate cut.
Page 3: It was the rate cut that may have saved Christmas.
World: Michael Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray should have called emergency services sooner after he found the star not breathing, according to his trial's star witness.
Business: Harvey Norman investors have pushed the group's shares to their lowest level in more than a month.
Sport: The international domination of Australia's greatest horse race, the Melbourne Cup, is now a stark reality.
THE AGE:
Page 1: Nothing but a whisker in the closest Melbourne Cup ever. Up to 27 asylum seekers feared drowned after a boat believed to be heading for Australia sinks off Java.
Page 2: Westpac and CBA pass on full interest rate cut with the other banks expected to follow. Rate cut won't revitalise ailing housing market.
Page 3: Qantas industrial deal could backfire if Fair Work Australia has to arbitrate, say industrial workplace lawyers. Calls to crack down on inexperienced drivers after two teenagers killed in separate accidents. Cup guest Sarah Jessica Parker turns to spruiking her new movie. Government move to restrict non-degree courses at universities in order to protect TAFE colleges.
World: Greek PM stuns Europe with call to take austerity measures to a national vote.
Business: Retail sector applauds first interest rate cut in two years.
Sport: Melbourne Cup crowd hushes for three minutes after race as stewards decide winner.
THE HERALD SUN:
Page 1: French invader Dunaden wins the Melbourne Cup by a whisker.
Page 2: The typical Victorian homebuyer will be $50 a month better off after Reserve Bank cuts interest rates.
Page 3: No more rate cuts this side of Christmas.
World: UN tells world leaders they face mounting pressure from seven billion people unless they tackle inequality.
Business: Westpac and CBA steal march on their rivals by passing on full interest rate cut.
Sport: Winning jockey Christophe Lemaire is the le man of the moment.
THE CANBERRA TIMES:
Page 1: More than 20 asylum seekers are feared to have drowned after their boat bound for Australia sank off the west coast of Java.
Page 2: Banks act quickly to pass on Reserve Bank's quarter of a percentage point cut to interest rates.
Page 3: Independent schools in Canberra may have to cap enrolments as their waiting lists continue to rapidly increase.
World: Libya's new prime minister, Abdel Rahim al-Keib, has pledged his interim government will set respect for human rights as its priority.
Business: RBA gives no clear hints on more rate cuts.
Sport: Dunaden pipping Red Cadeaux in the 151st Melbourne Cup was the closest finish in the race's history.
THE ADELAIDE ADVERTISER:
Page 1: Home owners get an interest rate cut.
Page 3: At least seven asylum seekers drowned and 20 are missing after a boat sank on its way to Australia.
World: The black flag of al Qaeda was raised in Libya as NATO ended its campaign.
Business: BHP Billiton has approved a $4 billion coal expansion in Qld.
Sport: Christophe Lemaire empathised with Craig Williams after winning the Melbourne Cup.
