Big states fall short in bid to 'fix' GST – The Aus; Billionaire heiresses unite for Rio battle – The West; Gas shortage looms as LNG demand grows – The Aus; Unions declare war on miners – The West; WA tradies' pay leads world – The West
Big states fall short in bid to 'fix' GST
Three big states have lost the first round in their brawl with Canberra over the $51 billion GST after an independent review dismissed their central demand for more revenue and backed the claims of smaller states. The Aus
Billionaire heiresses unite for Rio battle
Business foes Gina Rinehart and Angela Bennett have set aside decades-old tensions between their families to unite in a legal bid to snatch more royalty payments from Rio Tinto. The West
Gas shortage looms as LNG demand grows
Gas producers and analysts have backed domestic buyers’ concerns over a looming shortage of east coast gas as three massive LNG plants being built at Gladstone threaten to use all Queensland’s available coal-seam gas supply. The Aus
Unions declare war on miners
The construction and mining union will today unveil what it promises will be a “massive campaign” against WA's resources industry, in a media blitz which coincides with Labor leader Mark McGowan making one of his first appeals to the state's business community. The West
WA tradies' pay leads world
WA is one of the best places in the world to be a tradesman or a labourer, with an international comparison showing they earn up to four times more than foreign counterparts. The West
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Peter Slipper faces being turfed from the Speaker's chair even if he is cleared of criminal charges after crucial independent MPs Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor signalled they might back a vote for the removal of the Queensland MP.
Page 3: Delays in processing passengers at Perth International Airport – already more than 90 minutes at peak times – are set to worsen.
Page 4: WA would get hundreds of millions of dollars in extra GST under a series of proposals floated in a review into the way the $50 billion tax is carved up between the states and territories.
WA wineries would be able to sell more wine at farmers' markets, have an off-site shopfront and share cellar door facilities under a push by the peak wine body to change the state's liquor laws.
Page 14: A re-merger of state utility companies Synergy and Verve Energy would not drive down electricity prices and could create a further barrier to private investment, a report has found.
Page 15: WA is one of the best places in the world to be a tradesman or a labourer, with an international comparison showing they earn up to four times more than foreign counterparts.
Business: Business foes Gina Rinehart and Angela Bennett have set aside decades-old tensions between their families to unite in a legal bid to snatch more royalty payments from Rio Tinto.
Australia's love affair with Big Macs and french fries may be waning, with McDonalds' growth in the region sliced by more than half.
The future of WA base metals miner Kagara was under a cloud last night after it decided to close its last operating mine.
The construction and mining union will today unveil what it promises will be a “massive campaign” against WA's resources industry, in a media blitz which coincides with Labor leader Mark McGowan making one of his first appeals to the state's business community.
The state's homeowners and business operators could be headed for an economic sweet spot, with new figures showing corporate inflation falling and WA's resources sector gaining speed.
The corporate dramas swirling around Central Petroleum continued yesterday, after aggrieved shareholders filed a second notice to recall the company's board.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Page 1: An angry and frustrated independent MP Rob Oakeshott has warned the Gillard government that he will not support plans to rush Peter Slipper back into the Speaker's chair before he is cleared of all allegations of fraud and sexual harassment.
A review into how the goods and services tax is shared between the states has opened the door to carving out mining revenues from the calculation – a key demand of Western Australia – but rebuffed claims that the resources states are being ripped off.
Energy companies won't be directly taxed under China's carbon trading scheme, which has been delayed, undercutting claims by the Gillard government that the world's second-largest economy is taking quick, tough action on climate change.
Page 3: US oil company Apache has taken legal action against the federal government to stop it releasing documents to The Australian Financial Review about the Varanus Island gas explosion.
Page 4: Major banks have refused to commit to passing on central bank interest rate cuts after weak wholesale price inflation reinforced forecasts for an official interest rate reduction next week.
Treasurer Wayne Swan's pursuit of a budget surplus is “less dangerous” than some predict as Australia's economy is better equipped to handle a drop in government spending, Deloitte Access Economics says in its quarterly business outlook.
Page 7: Qantas Airways chief executive Alan Joyce will ask business and government today to work together to improve productivity, arguing the debate has to move beyond industrial relations.
Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting and Angela Bennett and Michael Wright's Wright Prospecting are gearing up for a long battle against Rio Tinto for iron ore royalties stretching back over 30 years.
Page 8: The resource-rich states of Queensland and Western Australia have welcomed the interim findings of a review into the goods and services tax, which could exclude a portion of future mining revenue from the tax carve-up.
Page 11: With its parliamentary majority under threat from the crisis over the Speaker, the federal Labor government is signalling that the fate of its plans to return the budget to surplus could be derailed by the opposition.
Page 15: Spotless Group is considering two takeover proposals from private equity suitor Pacific Equity Partners as a five-month takeover battle for the cleaning and laundry services business draws to a close.
Page 17: The major banks are expected to report a decline in profit margins on loans when they release their half-year results from next week.
Page 19: Newcrest Mining is expected to confirm that run of production disappointments under new chief executive Greg Robinson has continued when it releases its March quarterly report today.
Paladin Energy is seeking to shore up its balance sheet by raising up to $US275 million in new convertible bonds to help it repurchase older ones due to mature in March.
THE AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Three big states have lost the first round in their brawl with Canberra over the $51 billion GST after an independent review dismissed their central demand for more revenue and backed the claims of smaller states.
Fears of a decline in university quality have been heightened by a report revealing the number of student places is outstripping demand, with nearly every applicant in NSW and ACT being offered a place no matter how low their school leaving score
Page 2: Ford could be forced to stand down 1800 employees at its two Victorian plants from Thursday after the collapse of a parts supplier.
Wholesale prices fell in the first three months of this year, strengthening the chance that inflation will remain in check and the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates next month.
Page 6: Climate Change Minister Greg Combet last night flagged the introduction of a common carbon trading market i n the Asia-pacific to avoid industries being put at a competitive disadvantage to rivals in other nations.
Business: Flu drug developer Biota’s plan to merge with a US company and de-list from the Australian Securities Exchange has been backed by its biggest shareholder as a critical step to achieve the true value of its assets by gaining access to a deeper capital pool.
The massive business investment pipeline created by the mining boom is the only driving force behind the national economy’s current growth, increasing the chances of an interest rate cut next month.
BHP Billiton has moved to protect the exploration potential of Olympic Dam’s ‘‘backyard’’ from outsiders by securing a prime package of tenements from Minotaur Exploration near its giant copper-gold-uranium deposit in South Australia’s outback.
The $1 billion Australian business of Robert Bosch, the world’s biggest automotive parts supplier, is evaluating several strategic acquisitions and launching a range of hi-tech growth initiatives to help achieve its ambition to double in size in the next decade.
China's important manufacturing sector has shown further signs it is stabilising after the first of this month’s data indicators showed the contraction in small business manufacturing has eased compared with last month.
Shares in Newcrest Mining, Australia’s biggest listed gold producer, have sunk to 40-month lows despite the continued strength in gold prices.
Gas producers and analysts have backed domestic buyers’ concerns over a looming shortage of east coast gas as three massive LNG plants being built at Gladstone threaten to use all Queensland’s available coal-seam gas supply.
Pipeline operator Hastings Diversified Utilities Fund (HDF) has signed a $400 million gas compression deal with Santos, which is trying to move more of its Cooper Basin gas from central Australia to liquefied natural gas plants planned at Gladstone.
Gina Rinehart is hoping a 40-year-old deal struck by her father will entitle her to a back-payment of royalties from two Rio Tinto iron ore mines.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:
Page 1: Debate is continuing into the conduct of police who shot two teenagers in Sydney's nightclub district at the weekend.
Page 2: An $83-million package of measures designed to mark the centenary of World War I will be unveiled by Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Tuesday.
Page 3: Mourners have farewelled Australian swimming legend Murray Rose at a funeral in Sydney.
World: South Sudan has withdrawn from a crucial oilfield it seized from Sudan, ending a standoff.
Business: McDonalds has experienced a downturn in sales across Australia in its first-quarter earnings.
Sport: Des Hasler and Geoff Toovey will be preparing for the Manly and Bulldogs clash this Friday, the first meeting between the clubs since Hasler left the Sea Eagles for the Bulldogs last year.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH:
Page 1: Financial giant AMP has submitted plans to expand on a building in East Circular Quay and take over publicly owned land.
Page 2: A proposal to build 100 luxury apartments in East Circular Quay is stirring anger among heritage groups, which claim it could detract from the Opera House.
Page 3: The deputy mayor of Mosman on Sydney's North Shore has moved with her family to California but still believes she can do her job from abroad.
World: A neighbourhood watch volunteer who fatally shot a teenager in Miami has been released on $150,000 bail.
Business: Inflation figures due out on on Tuesday will give a strong indication as to whether an interest rate cut is on the table.
Sport: Manly will throw star trio Kieran Foran, Brett and Glenn Stewart into the fray in their clash against Canterbury on Friday.
THE AGE:
Page 1: Victoria threatens to withdraw from federal scheme to reward top teachers because only two per cent would receive bonus in its first year.
Car parts dispute could close down Ford. Peter Slipper furore tests crossbench loyalty for Gillard.
Page 2: Speaker Peter Slipper is accused of recruiting James Ashby to his personal staff in order to pursue a sexual relationship. Liberal MP Alex Somlyay suggests Slipper is a protected species.
Page 3: Documents show inner-city tram users subsidising extension of Zone 1 tram routes into the outer suburbs. World War II veteran Graham Malloch, 91, leads the way in selling Anzac tokens, raising $5000 last year. Gillard to unveil an $83-million package of measures to mark the centenary of the beginning of World War I as she makes her way to Gallipoli.
World: Strong showing by far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in French presidential race is expected to force the rhetoric of President Nicolas Sarkozy even further to the right.
Business: McDonalds says the local market is challenging and getting worse after growth more than halved.
Sport: North to challenge Lindsay Thomas's three-match suspension for his role in the incident that left Sydney's Gary Rohan with a broken leg.
THE CANBERRA TIMES:
Page 1: Uncertainty over Peter Slipper's role in federal parliament could pressure the Gillard govt back to the negotiating table with key Independent Andrew Wilkie, who is pushing for poker machine reform.
Page 2: Paramedics say they are being routinely frustrated by the lack of free beds at Canberra Hospital.
Page 3: Canberra woman jailed for buying heroin for a friend who later died of a overdose.
World: Norway killer says family, mates have shunned him (Oslo).
Business: Australia's love affair with Big Macs and french fries may be waning.
Sport: Injury-ravaged Canberra Raiders may have to wait another week for reinforcements to arrive, with star fullback Josh Dugan unlikely to return against Cronulla on Sunday. (Rugby league)