Today's Headlines

Labor split over union wage excess
Federal Resources Minister Gary Gray admitted "unreasonable" pay demands from trade unions were driving cost blow-outs in the LNG industry, exposing divisions in the Labor government with Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese, who accused the industry of wanting to drive down wages. The Fin

Browse on track for new LNG plan
Woodside Petroleum and its partners in the controversial Browse LNG project look set to declare they will pursue a floating LNG plant development. The Aus

Resource giants brace for battle on the waterfront
Resource giants are preparing for a waterfront dispute that could disrupt their mammoth export projects as they blame the union movement for driving up costs and jeopardising new investment. The Aus

Delays costly for Gindalbie
Commissioning delays and falling iron ore prices have put further pressure on cash flow from Gindalbie Metals' Karara magnetite project, increasing the danger its Chinese partner could win a controlling stake in the mine. The West

Office markets flag as mining services falter
The faltering resources boom could eventually flow through to office landlords as mining services firms wind back their footprints in Perth and Brisbane especially, according to Morgan Stanley analysts. The Fin

Top Resources Headlines

Browse on track for new LNG plan
Woodside Petroleum and its partners in the controversial Browse LNG project look set to declare they will pursue a floating LNG plant development. The Aus

Resource giants brace for battle on the waterfront

Resource giants are preparing for a waterfront dispute that could disrupt their mammoth export projects as they blame the union movement for driving up costs and jeopardising new investment. The Aus

Delays costly for Gindalbie
Commissioning delays and falling iron ore prices have put further pressure on cash flow from Gindalbie Metals' Karara magnetite project, increasing the danger its Chinese partner could win a controlling stake in the mine. The West

Infrastructure needs test on monopoly: PC
The federal government should ignore guidance from the High Court and the demands of some big miners and legislate to enshrine a "natural monopoly" test for determining whether to give companies access to another company's infrastructure, the Productivity Commission says. The Fin

Top Politics Headlines

Labor split over union wage excess
Federal Resources Minister Gary Gray admitted "unreasonable" pay demands from trade unions were driving cost blow-outs in the LNG industry, exposing divisions in the Labor government with Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese, who accused the industry of wanting to drive down wages. The Fin

Review all parental payments: rebel MP
The Coalition split over plans to axe Labor's pared-down Baby Bonus has widened, with a key Nationals MP demanding all policies that help new mothers, including the generous paid parental leave scheme, be put back ''on the table''. The Aus

Coalition backs down on health insurance
The federal Coalition has surrendered its long-held opposition to any assault on the 30 per cent private health insurance rebate and will allow Labor to slash the benefit by $700 million over the next four years. The Fin

$100,000 and no set hours
One of Colin Barnett's key resources advisers has secured a key contract worth an estimated $100,000 a year to be "on call" when the Premier needs him, with no set work hours. The West

Crackdown on tax could stop firms' growth
A crackdown on foreign companies exploiting tax loopholes will make it a lot harder for Australian businesses to grow overseas, says one of Australia's most successful international companies, Computershare. The Fin
Top Property Headlines

GPT abandons play for Australand assets
Diversified property group GPT Group has dropped its takeover play for Australand Property Group's $3 billion commercial and industrial business. The Fin

Office markets flag as mining services falter
The faltering resources boom could eventually flow through to office landlords as mining services firms wind back their footprints in Perth and Brisbane especially, according to Morgan Stanley analysts. The Fin

The West Australian

Page 1: WA's public school principals are overloaded with work, unsupported and under-resourced to the point children's education is at risk, the state's most comprehensive review of school leaders has found.

Page 3: The Labor and Liberal parties have struck a secret deal to siphon more than $30 mllion of taxpayer funds into political organisations.

Page 4: A major union claims it is open minded about a Hawke-Keating style wages accord if it would help stave off cost blowouts in the LNG sector, where $150 billion in projects are said to be at risk.

Conservationists and commercial fishermen are alarmed at moves to allow resources companies to explore for oil and gas off the Abrolhos Islands – a critical fishing and environmental area.

Page 9: One of Colin Barnett's key resources advisers has secured a key contract worth an estimated $100,000 a year to be "on call" when the Premier needs him, with no set work hours.

Page 14: Qantas will announce its vision for WA today with more flights to meet the demand of the resources industry.

Page 18: WA's new health chief could come from overseas, with Health Minister Kim Hames yesterday confirming international advertising had yielded a short list to be put to him within weeks.

Business: Commissioning delays and falling iron ore prices have put further pressure on cash flow from Gindalbie Metals' Karara magnetite project, increasing the danger its Chinese partner could win a controlling stake in the mine.

Woodside Petroleum is just weeks away from telling the state and federal governments how much it would have cost to build an LNG processing hub at James Price Point to justify why it axed the contentious plan.

Nigel Satterley has extended his push into Victoria's residential market with the $100 million purchase of a 125ha development site on the outskirts of Melbourne.

The declining fortunes of Allmine Group – in which contracting veteran Robert Wilde is a key player – has taken a turn for the worse.

Live animal exports would be banned by 2017 under a private member's Bill introduced by federal MP Andrew Wilkie, who says the industry has run out of "last chances" and accused it of failing to clean up its act after the 2011 scandal involving the slaughter of cattle in Indonesia.

Ian Macfarlane, who is likely to become Australia's Resources Minister following the September election, has put the oil and gas industry on notice that he would crack down on the retention lease policy to make sure "the gas gets out of the ground".

The Frenchman in charge of overseeing Japan's first LNG development, Ichthys off the WA coast, says the project is on budget and on track to deliver cargoes by the end of 2016.

GPT Group, Australia's second-biggest diversified property trust, has abandoned its pursuit of smaller competitor Australand Property Group's commercial property unit.

The Australian Financial Review

Page 1: Federal Resources Minister Gary Gray admitted "unreasonable" pay demands from trade unions were driving cost blow-outs in the LNG industry, exposing divisions in the Labor government with Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese, who accused the industry of wanting to drive down wages.

Ten Network Holdings chief executive Hamish McLennan has unveiled a strategy aimed at an older target audience and defended the free-to-air broadcaster's hefty $500 million bid for the cricket broadcast rights.

The federal Coalition has surrendered its long-held opposition to any assault on the 30 per cent private health insurance rebate and will allow Labor to slash the benefit by $700 million over the next four years.

Page 3: A crackdown on foreign companies exploiting tax loopholes will make it a lot harder for Australian businesses to grow overseas, says one of Australia's most successful international companies, Computershare.

Page 5: The federal government should ignore guidance from the High Court and the demands of some big miners and legislate to enshrine a "natural monopoly" test for determining whether to give companies access to another company's infrastructure, the Productivity Commission says.

Page 6: Up to 60 million Australian carbon permits could be sold to companies from next February for as little as $3.25 each, under an auction proposed by the federal government.

Page 8: The typical Ford Australia manufacturing employee will receive about $100,000 in redundancy and other entitlements when the company closes its local factories in 2016.
Australia's lagging competitiveness in LNG supply means that even cost-effective expansions and floating plants will fail to close the gap on emerging rivals overseas, consulting firm McKinsey & Co warns.

Page 9: Major agricultural companies have snapped up more than 80,000 megalitres in a new government water tender.

Page 15: David Jones's chief executive Paul Zahra is standing by the retailer's strategy to restore profit margins rather than chase sales through discounting, even though quarterly sales fell to their lowest level for at least six years after a warm start to winter.

Telstra offered to help accelerate the rollout of the national broadband network in an audacious bid to capture more construction work in the massive project and safeguard a multibillion-dollar windfall for its shareholders.

Page 38: The faltering resources boom could eventually flow through to office landlords as mining services firms wind back their footprints in Perth and Brisbane especially, according to Morgan Stanley analysts.

The Australian

Page 1: NSW is seeking details about the funding for non-government schools under the Gonski education reforms in the first sign of doubt over the state's $5.1 billion deal with Julia Gillard.

Sweeping changes to electoral law being pursued by the Gillard government could deliver a windfall $20 million to the two major political parties to cover their campaigning costs for the upcoming election.

Page 2: The ban on Chinese telco giant Huawei from supplying equipment for the National Broadband Network will not improve the security of the $37.4 billion infrastructure project against cyberattacks, the firm's global cyber security officer has warned.

Page 4: Resource giants are preparing for a waterfront dispute that could disrupt their mammoth export projects as they blame the union movement for driving up costs and jeopardising new investment.

Less than 1 per cent of employers sponsoring workers on 457 visas have been sanctioned for abusing the scheme, further undermining government claims the system is subject to systematic rorting.

Page 5: The Coalition split over plans to axe Labor's pared-down Baby Bonus has widened, with a key Nationals MP demanding all policies that help new mothers, including the generous paid parental leave scheme, be put back ''on the table''.

Julia Gillard has seized on hostility from the nation's four major banks to Tony Abbott's paid parental leave scheme, arguing it will force mortgage holders to pay higher interest rates.

Business: Woodside Petroleum and its partners in the controversial Browse LNG project look set to declare they will pursue a floating LNG plant development.

David Jones chief Paul Zahra has warned he won't cut prices to the bone just to boost revenue after the department store group reported its worst quarterly sales result since 2011.

Australand remains a takeover target, according to sources, despite the GPT Group yesterday abandoning its $3 billion pursuit for the bulk of its business.

Ten Network chief executive Hamish McLennan will spearhead a fresh assault on the $3 billion commercial television market with a new strategy centred on ''event'' programs that will challenge rivals Seven and Nine head on.

Exxon Mobil may more than double the size of its $US16 billion ($16.57bn) Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas plant amid waning enthusiasm for onshore plant development in Australia, where it has called for labour relations reform.

Foreign investors are winding back their exposure to Australia's big four banks to lock in profits as the Australian dollar sinks and the dividend-yield trade loses some of its shine.

A dramatic last-minute bid to stop today's series of Gunns grower meetings has failed, despite a court finding there was a strong argument that documents supporting a Macquarie Group-led restructure could be false and misleading.

The high Australian dollar, weak business sentiment and offshore competition have hit the profitability expectations of the nation's exporters, but their confidence over rising orders remains intact.

The Daily Telegraph

Page 1: Nurse Roger Dean has pleaded guilty to murdering 11 elderly people who died in a nursing home blaze. The defence force has warned soldiers to avoid a firebrand Sydney-based jihadist in the wake of the brutal slaying of a London soldier.

Page 2: Independent Tony Windsor's chances of getting re-elected in September look slim after the Nationals convincingly won a by-election in the state seat of Northern Tablelands. Bill Gates wants the federal government to boost foreign aid spending.

Page 3: State Rail is going to trial new train technology aimed at keeping young people away from graffiti hotspots. Australia's most senior Catholic, George Pell, has apologised for sex abuse committed by clergy.

World: (London) Kenyan police say Britain ignored their warnings about one of the men suspected of killing a British soldier.

The Sydney Morning Herald

Page 1: Almost 20,000 asylum seekers have been waiting since August for action on their claims. Roger Dean set fire to a nursing home in Sydney after stealing prescription tablets from the facility.

Page 2: Police now believe that a woman who disappeared in 1964 near Bathurst was murdered.

Page 3: The Police Integrity Commission believes criminal charges should be laid against five officers involved in the fatal pursuit of a Brazilian student in Sydney.

World: Rockets have smashed into a Beirut neighbourhood sparking fears that the war in Syria has spilled over into Lebanon.

Business: David Jones has posted its worst quarterly sales result in two years.

Sport: Blake Ferguson passed up an opportunity to become a professional skateboarder and is now poised to make his debut for NSW in next week's State of Origin.

Business: David Jones has recorded its worst sales quarter since 2011 as it chases profit rather then turnover.

Sport: NSW Origin rookie Blake Ferguson says he was approached by Mal Meninga to betray his state.