Damage control on super taxes - The Fin; BHP hits back in mining tax fight – The Aus; Barnett hits back over Browse – The West; ALP crusader on foreign workers puts staff on 457s – The Aus; Buckeridge sues CFMEU over delays – The Fin
Damage control on super taxes
The federal government has sought to end damaging speculation about its planned superannuation changes by stating they will affect only people with incomes of around $300,000 and over, and will be designed to generate revenue over the long-term not to fight a short-term budget deficit. The Fin
BHP hits back in mining tax fight
BHP Billiton has hit back at claims that the failure of the mining tax to hit its revenue targets is because of a design flaw, declaring it inherently volatile and susceptible to commodity price movements and cost pressures. The Aus
Barnett hits back over Browse
Premier Colin Barnett has hit back at both sides of federal politics over their support for floating offshore gas processing, arguing that development of the giant Browse gas field is about more than ensuring riches flow to Canberra. The West
ALP crusader on foreign workers puts staff on 457s
ALP national vice-president and prominent union leader Tony Sheldon has recruited overseas workers on 457 visas to fill three key positions in his union, defending the move by claiming he could not find suitably qualified Australian workers to take the jobs. The Aus
Buckeridge sues CFMEU over delays
One of the largest private builders, BGC, is suing the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union over industrial action it says delayed vital site works on a Perth project. The Fin
Top Resources Headlines
Green light for first WA U-mine
WA is expected to export its first uranium within two years after the federal government granted environmental approval to Toro Energy's Wiluna project. The West
BHP hits back in mining tax fight
BHP Billiton has hit back at claims that the failure of the mining tax to hit its revenue targets is because of a design flaw, declaring it inherently volatile and susceptible to commodity price movements and cost pressures. The Aus
Push on for FLNG port work
ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton's Scarborough gas field development is expected to pave the way for a major expansion of one of the Pilbara's supply base ports, underscoring what industry players say should be WA's focus on cashing in on the floating LNG boom. The West
Exploration held back by green tape
Mining exploration is being held back by high costs and a dramatic rise in red and green tape, the mining lobby told the Productivity Commission. The Fin
Rinehart pursues Rhodes Ridge claim
Gina Rinehart has signalled she will pursue her claim to the massive Rhodes Ridge iron ore deposit in the Pilbara to the bitter end, filing papers in Australia's high court last week seeking leave to appeal against a WA Supreme Court decision that stripped her of a 25 per cent share of the project. The West
Top Politics Headlines
Damage control on super taxes
The federal government has sought to end damaging speculation changes by stating they will affect only people with incomes of around $300,000 and over, and will be designed to generate revenue over the long-term not to fight a short-term budget deficit. The Fin
Barnett hits back over Browse
Premier Colin Barnett has hit back at both sides of federal politics over their support for floating offshore gas processing, arguing that development of the giant Browse gas field is about more than ensuring riches flow to Canberra. The West
ALP crusader on foreign workers puts staff on 457s
ALP national vice-president and prominent union leader Tony Sheldon has recruited overseas workers on 457 visas to fill three key positions in his union, defending the move by claiming he could not find suitably qualified Australian workers to take the jobs. The Aus
MacTiernan hits out at ALP power plays
Outspoken former Labor minister Alannah MacTiernan has labelled the union power struggle over control of the ALP state executive an “insult to union members”. The West
Top Property Headlines
Buckeridge sues CFMUE over delays
One of the largest private builders, BGC, is suing the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union over industrial action it says delayed vital site works on a Perth project. The Fin
First-home buyers find it tough
Improved consumer sentiment has encouraged buyers back into the housing market, pushing capital gains to highs unseen since May 2010. The Fin
Interest rate cut cycle at an end
The Reserve Bank kept interest rates on hold yesterday for the fourth successive month, as more economists became convinced they are now more likely to rise than fall. The Aus
Inner-city apartment shortage looms as demand gains pace
Real estate agents say a dramatic increase in the speed of off-the-plan apartment sales may signal a looming shortage in Perth's inner city apartment market before developers have time to bring on more supply. The West
The West Australian
Page 1: WA is expected to export its first uranium within two years after the federal government granted environmental approval to Toro Energy's Wiluna project.
Page 3: Cinema chain Hoyts closed one of its premier theatres yesterday after it was bombarded with complaints about a rodent infestation.
Page 5: Outspoken former Labor minister Alannah MacTiernan has labelled the union power struggle over control of the ALP state executive an “insult to union members”.
Colin Barnett would have a black mark against his integrity if he failed to honour a 2008 undertaking to let the opposition chair parliamentary committees, Labor leader Mark McGowan said yesterday.
Page 6: The Gillard government is under growing pressure to reveal planned superannuation changes ahead of the budget as warnings grow that constant changes threaten retirement nest eggs.
Page 9: Perth and the South West would face almost permanent drought unless urgent action is taken now to stop greenhouse gas emissions, a report to be released today warns.
Page 10: Views on Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke's decision to approve WA's first uranium mine split along business and conservation lines yesterday in a row about whether it was environmentally safe.
Page 14: The Liquor Commission has rejected an application by retail giant Woolworths for an alcohol superstore in Edgewater - only 6km away from its nearest store – after police submitted evidence showing existing alcohol-related crime in the area.
Business: ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton's Scarborough gas field development is expected to pave the way for a major expansion of one of the Pilbara's supply base ports, underscoring what industry players say should be WA's focus on cashing in on the floating LNG boom.
A plunge in wheat prices has rocked WA grain growers as they scramble to finance the planting of this year's crops.
Resources Equipment chief executive Jamie Cullen was putting on a brave face as the mining services company copped another pasting yesterday from investors after putting some hard numbers on its sagging performance.
Premier Colin Barnett has hit back at both sides of federal politics over their support for floating offshore gas processing, arguing that development of the giant Browse gas field is about more than ensuring riches flow to Canberra.
Gina Rinehart has signalled she will pursue her claim to the massive Rhodes Ridge iron ore deposit in the Pilbara to the bitter end, filing papers in Australia's high court last week seeking leave to appeal against a WA Supreme Court decision that stripped her of a 25 per cent share of the project.
Hanlong Mining is set to miss another two key deadlines in what are shaping as the final blows to keeping alive the $1.37 billion takeover plan for Sundance Resources.
The owners of WA's biggest dairy enterprise, Lacantz Dairies, has been forced to slash its sale price in a bizarre twist to the milk supply war.
A South Australian company's attempt to get almost $220,000 out of veteran WA car dealer John Hughes looks very much like an attempt to extort money, according to a WA Supreme Court master.
Australasian beverage and food giant Lion will move its WA headquarters to the Old Swan Brewery, making it a homecoming of sorts because the best-known occupier of the historic building, the Swan Brewery, was bought by Lion, then known as Lion Nathan, in two deals between 1990 and 1992.
Real estate agents say a dramatic increase in the speed of off-the-plan apartment sales may signal a looming shortage in Perth's inner city apartment market before developers have time to bring on more supply.
The owner of the Bunbury Forum Shopping Centre will appeal against a State Administrative Tribunal ruling that prevents it from expanding.
The Australian Financial Review
Page 1: The federal government has sought to end damaging speculation about its planned superannuation changes by stating they will affect only people with incomes of around $300,000 and over, and will be designed to generate revenue over the long-term not to fight a short-term budget deficit.
NBN Co will use federal powers to override state laws to roll out fibre cables on power poles after commercial negotiations broke down with NSW government-owned utility Ausgrid.
Page 3: Mining exploration is being held back by high costs and a dramatic rise in red and green tape, the mining lobby told the Productivity Commission.
Embattled mining magnate Nathan Tinkler has put his entire Patinack Farm horse racing empire up for sale and wants about $200 million.
Page 4: Superannuation funds say any moves by the Gillard government to water down super concessions for only the highest income earners would still risk undermining confidence in Australia's $1.5 trillion retirement savings system.
Page 5: News Corporation chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch opened another ront in the war between his Australian media operations and the federal government when he criticised Labor's changes to the 457 visa program as “disgraceful and racist”.
Page 6: The Reserve Bank of Australia has concluded it has done all it can for now to engineer a rebound in the nation's huge construction industry, after leaving official interest rates unchanged for a third straight month.
Improved consumer sentiment has encouraged buyers back into the housing market, pushing capital gains to highs unseen since May 2010.
Page 7: Businesses with $100 million-plus revenue a year, and mining companies, could have their tax data released to the public by the Australian Taxation Office, under a Treasury proposal to be released on Wednesday.
Revenue-starved state governments are agitating for the federal government to give priority to slashing the $1000 Goods and Services exemption for imports as a new report shows they could get an extra billion dollars a year collectively if the loophole, which benefits online buying, were closed.
Page 10: Coalition senator Simon Birmingham has demanded “straight answers” from NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley on whether he misled parliament after internal documents showed the company was aware it would miss key rollout targets.
Page 12: What would be the first uranium mine to be built in Western Australia is one step closer to reality after receiving final environmental approval from the federal government.
Page 14: One of the largest private builders, BGC, is suing the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union over industrial action it says delayed vital site works on a Perth project.
Sales of stores' private label groceries are growing faster than branded goods because brands are being removed from shelves, reducing consumer choice, suppliers say.
Page 15: US buyout firm Sycamore Partners and former Billabong International head of the Americas Paul Naude remains the front runner to buy the embattled surfwear group with the final offer price thought to be under 80c a share.
Page 17: Struggling coal seam gas producer Dart Energy blamed a hostile regulatory environment for the collapse of the planned £30 million ($44 million) spin-off of its international business, which will force it to slash costs and sell or freeze some projects.
Sundance Resources is expected to terminate its takeover talks with China's Hanlong Mining as soon as Wednesday, amid speculation the Africa-focused iron ore explorer will attempt to strike a new deal with a state-owned player.
Page 18: ExxonMobil has deemed floating liquefied natural gas the best way to develop its remote Scarborough gas field off the West Australian coast in a move that compounds worries that the cost of onshore plants is becoming prohibitive.
The Australian
Page 1: ALP national vice-president and prominent union leader Tony Sheldon has recruited overseas workers on 457 visas to fill three key positions in his union, defending the move by claiming he could not find suitably qualified Australian workers to take the jobs.
The Gillard government has moved to limit a damaging political row over tax hikes on superannuation by narrowing its search for savings in the May budget in the hope of assuring 98 per cent of workers they will not be hurt by the changes.
The company building the National Broadband Network has invoked extraordinary powers to access NSW electricity poles to string up its cables after more than a year of talks aimed at reaching a commercial agreement failed.
Page 2: Australia's gas industry appears to be in retreat with claims projects will be shelved because of rising costs and falling returns, and a second coal-seam gas company closing its operations in NSW citing business uncertainty.
Rupert Murdoch has called for privately funded infrastructure investment to unleash the ‘‘tremendous’’ potential of Australia’s underdeveloped north.
Page 3: Nathan Tinkler has put his entire Patinack Farm horse racing operation on the market as the embattled coal entrepreneur continues to shed his trophy assets to focus on ‘‘core operations’’.
Page 4: Unions are pressuring the Gillard government to give more policy concessions before the election, threatening not to campaign strongly in key marginal seats in Victoria unless Labor reinstates a proposal for the arbitration of long-running disputes.
Julia Gillard and her most experienced cabinet colleagues are set to retire with nest eggs worth more than $5 million each just as they oversee rules that make it impossible for others to reach the same target.
Page 5: Sacked cabinet minister Simon Crean has called for a ‘‘holistic look’’ at the nation’s welfare-to-work strategy, arguing for the revival of a Keating-era plan to combine the employment and welfare departments into one.
A Coalition government would investigate the root causes of the huge growth in the number of executives in the federal bureaucracy as part of a wide-ranging review of spending.
The Reserve Bank kept interest rates on hold yesterday for the fourth successive month, as more economists became convinced they are now more likely to rise than fall.
Page 6: Australian industry’s $5.5 billion share of work on the Joint Strike Fighter will be cut significantly if the government opts to reduce its planned purchase from the 100 aircraft now proposed.
South Australia’s Labor government has given more than $100 million in taxpayer assistance to car manufacturers in the past decade, with the majority provided to Holden during the past five years.
Veteran West Australian Labor MP Mick Murray has warned the state party that it must stop playing ‘‘chardonnay politics’’ and get back to grassroots policies or face becoming irrelevant in the wake of last month’s emphatic defeat.
Business: BHP Billiton has hit back at claims that the failure of the mining tax to hit its revenue targets is because of a design flaw, declaring it inherently volatile and susceptible to commodity price movements and cost pressures.
Qantas is preparing for a potential delay in the delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner as the US manufacturer moves to get fixes for the grounded aircraft’s battery problems certified.
Royal Dutch Shell is targeting the introduction of LNG-powered trucks at Australian mines as part of a worldwide campaign to increase natural gas use and create markets beyond liquefied natural gas exports for its vast gas resources.
The future of struggling surfwear retailer Billabong remained unclear last night as the board grappled with a response to takeover proposals from two US private equity consortiums believed to be below $1 a share.
ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton plan to start construction of‘ a $10 billion-plus floating LNG platform off Western Australia to process gas from their Scarborough gas field in 2014-15 as they come close to abandoning the idea of selling the gas to Woodside Petroleum or Chevron.
Unlikely IPO success story Atrum Coal is set to pick up further momentum today, with the company set to announce a major increase to its Canadian resource base this morning.
Retail giant Coles has dismissed as ‘‘a negotiating strategy’’ the recent leaking to The Australian of an email sent to the group’s suppliers by Victor Simonovich, the Coles category manager for health foods.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Page 1: Three-quarters of NSW voters oppose coal seam gas exploration on agricultural land, the latest polling reveals, as the government draws more fire over its handling of the resource.
Page 3: Tony Abbott has intensified his campaign against potential superannuation tax rises for high-income earners, assuring voters their money would be "safe with us" while refusing to reverse the changes.
Page 4: The Australian Navy has made one of its biggest drug seizures at sea, intercepting a ship allegedly carrying half a tonne of heroin worth an estimated $100 million.
World: North Korea's parliament has approved a new premier seen by outside experts as an economic reformer, a rare sign of moderation from the country after days of bellicose statements.
Business: The Reserve Bank has continued to keep the door open to a further easing of monetary policy, despite holding the cash rate at 3 percent for the third straight month.
Sport: After ploughing more than $500 million into his dream of Patinack Farm in the past six years, Nathan Tinkler is set to walk away for as little as $100 million.
The Daily Telegraph
Page 1: Former Reserve Bank member Warwick McKibbin says the government has `lost the plot' over potential super changes and will cause a brain drain.
Page 2: Balance of power politicians are crowing they have won $1.5 billion extra for their electorates by propping up the Gillard government and are now asking for more funding.
Page 3: Millionaire hotelier Les Young told police his estranged wife was a violent thief and drug dealer, the Supreme Court was told yesterday.
World: A Pentagon official says the US Navy is moving a sea-based radar platform closer to North Korea to track possible missile launches.
Business: Funding costs for retail banks have clearly fallen according the Reserve Bank, putting fresh pressure on the nation's major leaders to cut rates independently.
Sport: Superstar Jarred Hayne says his embattled Eels, who were flogged 50-0 by the Roosters on Monday, don't need to work harder, just smarter.
The Herald Sun
Page 1: Taxpayers have forked out $1.5 billion for three key independent MPs to prop up the Gillard government.
Page 3: Denis Napthine has vowed mass murderer Julian Knight will never be released as long as he is Victoria's Premier.
Page 5: Authorities are cracking down on illegal street windscreen washers amid concerns some are becoming aggressive and putting safety at risk.
Business: The Reserve Bank says funding costs for retail banks have clearly fallen, heaping fresh pressure on the nation's major lenders to cut rates independently.
Sport: A contrite former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett said he wished he could take back his savaging of coach Alastair Clarkson.
The Age
Page 1: A former drug squad detective is suing the state of Victoria over alleged mistreatment when he was locked up in Barwon Prison awaiting trial over the murder of a police informer and his wife. A sign spruiking the latest mega-development for the landmark CUB site on Swanston Street appears to have been a key factor in the collapse of the wall that killed three passers-by last week.
Page 3: The Coroners Court of Victoria is seeking a new definition for suicides with the drug euthanasia advocates call the peaceful pill.
Page 5: A man accused of murdering an Irish backpacker who died nearly two weeks after allegedly being attacked at a St Kilda boarding house during a party, had been showing off karate and ju-jitsu moves before repeatedly stomping on the victims head, a court heard.
World: North Korea's parliament has approved a new premier seen by outside experts as an economic reformer, a rare sign of moderation from the country after days of bellicose statements.
Business: The Reserve Bank has continued to keep the door open to a further easing of monetary policy, despite holding the cash rate at 3 per cent for the third straight month, in a move some analysts describe as tactically dovish.
Sport: Mick Malthouse has revealed his family was bitter and even disappointed in humanity over the manner in which the coaching great left Collingwood.
