Gillard stuck in the mud

Gillard stuck in the mud

The Gillard government’s focus on job security has failed to lift Labor from its post-Christmas slump, with the latest opinion poll showing it remains on track for a heavy defeat at the September 14 election. The Fin

Labor’s media plan stumbles

Julia Gillard faces internal pressure to ‘‘disown’’ Labor’s controversial media laws if they fail to pass parliament, amid concern among senior Labor figures that the issue will dog the government until the election. The Aus

Rinehart to snub partners

Gina Rinehart’s giant Roy Hill project is within days of announcing its preferred engineering and procurement contractor, with industry sources suggesting the mining magnate is set to snub a tender submitted by companies associated with her equity partners in the project in favour of a cheaper bid. The West

FIFOs spread benefits of boom

The extraordinary reach of Australia’s resource sector has been revealed in the first study of the nation’s long-distance commuter workforce, which finds the benefits of the boom are being shared with every state and territory. The Aus

House price hits $500k

Perth property prices are on track to return to a record high, with the median house price hitting $500,000. The West

 

TOP RESOURCES HEADLINES

Rinehart to snub partners

Gina Rinehart’s giant Roy Hill project is within days of announcing its preferred engineering and procurement contractor, with industry sources suggesting the mining magnate is set to snub a tender submitted by companies associated with her equity partners in the project in favour of a cheaper bid. The West

FIFOs spread benefits of boom

The extraordinary reach of Australia’s resource sector has been revealed in the first study of the nation’s long-distance commuter workforce, which finds the benefits of the boom are being shared with every state and territory. The Aus

New chance to buy Aurizon

Institutional investors have been given a second chance to snap up Aurizon shares after the Queensland government confirmed it had mandated the sale of half its remaining stake in the freight rail operator in an 806 million deal. The Fin

 

TOP POLITICS HEADLINES

Gillard stuck in the mud

The Gillard government’s focus on job security has failed to lift Labor from its post-Christmas slump, with the latest opinion poll showing it remains on track for a heavy defeat at the September 14 election. The Fin

Labor’s media plan stumbles

Julia Gillard faces internal pressure to ‘‘disown’’ Labor’s controversial media laws if they fail to pass parliament, amid concern among senior Labor figures that the issue will dog the government until the election. The Aus

Weatherill flays Abbott on GST

South Australian Labor Premier Jay Weatherill has attacked Tony Abbott for supporting the West Australian government’s ‘‘morally and intellectually bankrupt’’ views on the distribution of the GST, saying the Opposition Leader has sacrificed the state to gain votes elsewhere. The Aus

TOP PROPERTY HEADLINES

House price hits $500k

Perth property prices are on track to return to a record high, with the median house price hitting $500,000. The West

City sprawl a growing threat

Perth has become the world’s most sprawling city and needs to re-imagine itself or its survival is at risk, a new book on the future of Australian cities warns. The West

Controversial Council House marks 50 years

It is the most vivid building in Perth city’s night skyline and next week Council House will celebrate 50 years of colourful history. The West

 

THE WEST AUSTRALIAN

Page 1: Perth property prices are on track to return to a record high, with the median house price hitting $500,000.

Page 5: AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick has rejected calls for the code to pay more of the costs of building the $1.2 billion Burswood stadium, arguing that other sports will be “queuing up” to use the venue for major sporting events.

Page 7: Key independent Andrew Wilkie and the Greens have taken aim at key planks of the Gillard government’s media reform package, increasing the likelihood Labor will shelve the plan in the House of Representatives.

Page 8: A South West hostel has been ordered to move backpackers out after it crammed 180 people into a space meant for 110.

Parents would pay less for prescriptions and taxpayers would save $1.3 billion a year if Australia adopted the tough New Zealand approach when negotiating with drug companies, a think tank claims.

Page 10: Arson has destroyed the Bibra Lake gym linked to a professional mixed martial arts fighter who trained Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.

Page 12: Credit card giant Visa will give consumers some relief from surcharge fees racked up for putting their purchases on plastic.

Page 15: Perth has become the world’s most sprawling city and needs to re-imagine itself or its survival is at risk, a new book on the future of Australian cities warns.

Page 16: It is the most vivid building in Perth city’s night skyline and next week Council House will celebrate 50 years of colourful history.

Business: Gina Rinehart‘s giant Roy Hill project is within days of announcing its preferred engineering and procurement contractor, with industry sources suggesting the mining magnate is set to snub a tender submitted by companies associated with her equity partners in the project in favour of a cheaper bid.

The head of Africa-focused junior iron ore producer Bellzone has urged ASX-listed hopefuls to remain patient with Africa’s fledgling iron ore sector, saying the continent’s riches will be worth the sometimes frustrating wait.

The Brand Agency took top honours at the Campaign Brief Awards on Friday night, winning the Agency of the Year gong and also taking out the honours for best television ad, best television campaign and best radio campaign.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says the nation must maintain economic growth averaging 7.5 per cent a year until 2020, as the country seeks to double per capital income this decade.

 

THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW

Page 1: The Gillard government’s focus on job security has failed to lift Labor from its post-Christmas slump, with the latest opinion poll showing it remains on track for a heavy defeat at the September 14 election.

Labor is prepared to water down its media changes amid dwindling political support for the entire package of bills it wants to get through Parliament this week and ongoing criticism from media companies.

Joe Hockey has pulled away from Wayne Swan as the nation’s preferred treasurer after a rocky few months for the government in which its mining tax has underperformed and it dumped its promise to return the budget to surplus.

Page 3: Taxpayers are overpaying for prescription drugs by at least $1.3 billion a year, and in some cases paying 10 times what New Zealand pays for the same drugs, a report has found.

Page 5: The federal government is planning to slash debt deductions for multinationals in the May budget as it looks to fund its education and disability reforms, according to industry sources.

Page 9: Interest rates have failed to trigger a surge in consumer spending in mineral-rich Western Australia as homeowners direct spare cash to paying off mortgages and other debts, the latest consumer confidence survey shows.

Page 13: Institutional investors have been given a second chance to snap up Aurizon shares after the Queensland government confirmed it had mandated the sale of half its remaining stake in the freight rail operator in an 806 million deal.

Page 14: Coles Supermarkets Australia could be getting closer to finding a partner on its $900 million pub business with private equity backed Independent Pub Gorup the latest in the frame.

Page 15: The NSW Environmental Protection Authority is investigating whether gold giant Newcrest Mining conducted activities at its Cadia Valley operations near Orange without the appropriate environmental licences.

John Hancock is headed to Hong Kong this week along with Australia’s top executives for two key conferences that are pivotal for exploring investment opportunities in the region and securing capital from Chinese investors.

Page 16: A tougher economic climate has intensified calls from private rail operators like BHP Billiton for the government to limit third party use when it releases a draft review of infrastructure access at the end of May.

The Queensland government is considering forcing companies that win contracts to expand Abbot Point coal terminal to build their facilities as soon as possible or potentially lose their development rights.

 

THE AUSTRALIAN

Page 1: Julia Gillard faces internal pressure to ‘‘disown’’ Labor’s controversial media laws if they fail to pass parliament, amid concern among senior Labor figures that the issue will dog the government until the election.

ALP national vice-president Tony Sheldon has accused some employers importing foreign workers on 457 visas of engaging in ‘‘ human trafficking’’ and a ‘‘form of slavery’’.

Media tycoon Kerry Stokes will make a surprise appearance today at a hearing into Stephen Conroy’s media reforms to denounce the bills and argue passionately in favour of a free press without government oversight.

The extraordinary reach of Australia’s resource sector has been revealed in the first study of the nation’s long-distance commuter workforce, which finds the benefits of the boom are being shared with every state and territory.

South Australian Labor Premier Jay Weatherill has attacked Tony Abbott for supporting the West Australian government’s ‘‘morally and intellectually bankrupt’’ views on the distribution of the GST, saying the Opposition Leader has sacrificed the state to gain votes elsewhere.

Page 3: Schools have been handed an ‘‘impossible demand’’ to break the poverty cycle for their students, a task that will not be achieved by the continuing focus on school funding as the means to improved educational standards, a new report argues.

Visa card holders could save millions of dollars in transaction fees each year after the company announced plans to restrict its face-to-face fees to 1 per cent.

Mild earthquakes could be forming commercial gold deposits under the ground, Australian scientists say.

Page 4: The navy has quietly stepped up its security patrols of oil and gas platforms off Australia’s northwest coast as part of a plan to strengthen protection of $350 billion worth of resource assets in the region.

The Maritime Union of Australia is gearing up to defend Labor and Julia Gillard at the next election, establishing a national office to help with the campaign and raising money for an election fund.

Page 6: Andrew Wilkie says the government has failed to make a case for its ‘‘shoddy’’ media reforms, which he fears could lead to censorship and prevent exposure of serious government wrongdoing.

Page 7: Commonwealth drug subsidies would be slashed by at least $1.3 billion a year under a reform plan set to be examined by the Coalition.

Page 9: Cyprus last night postponed an emergency debate in parliament on a controversial EU bailout, threatening a prolonged closure of the island’s banks as MPs baulk at an unprecedented tax on savings.

Business: The Queensland government has no immediate plans for a further sell-down of its shares in Aurizon Holdings after cashing in half of its stake in Australia’s largest coal transporter for $806 million.

The tearaway jobs report last week will strengthen the case for the Reserve Bank keeping rates steady over coming months, but the bank is a long way from shifting to a tightening bias.

Chandler Macleod, the human resources services provider, backed by venture capitalist Mark Carnegie’s Lazard and media and food baron Jack Cowin, is working on expanding its fledgling hotels business into Singapore and other Asian markets as part of plans to generate 15 per cent of its earnings from the region in the coming years.

The corporate regulator will unveil further measures today to tackle the growing influence of high-frequency traders and ‘‘dark pool’’ exchanges on local equities trading, with an increased tax on the former seen as the most likely outcome.

China’s strong appetite for Australian investments is broadening beyond resources, with insurance and banking tipped to become targets.

Bank shares, making up a record percentage of the stockmarket after their run to record and multi-year highs, show few signs of slowing as the global hunt for yield powers on, despite concerns about their valuation and investment risks.

Myer chief executive Bernie Brookes says there is little prospect the group will become a takeover target despite some positive signs in the retail sector.

Royal Dutch Shell has given a former executive an extraordinary severance package that includes the purchase of his £2 million ($2.9m) house — and £857,000 in cash to compensate for its fall in value.

NAB chief executive Cameron Clyne has ruled out a banking acquisition or a fire sale in Britain, despite bargain basement prices being assigned to distressed assets.

The world’s most prestigious central banking institution has highlighted the growing gulf between newly exuberant financial markets and stagnant economic growth in most of the advanced countries.

 

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

Page 1: More than one business is going to the wall every hour in Australia and the carbon tax is among the top reasons being blamed.

Page 2: Carbon tax story continues.

Page 3: Christopher Drake, 23, remains missing after being swept out of the North Curl Curl tidal pool.

World: A Swiss female tourist was gang raped in front of her husband, renewing the focus on the issue of sexual violence against women in India.

Business: MasterCard says airlines and the taxi industry are likely to “get away” with big fees for payment by plastic despite new limits.

Sport: Rugby league’s battle of the west, won 28-18 by the Wests Tigers against Penrith, attracted just 9728 fans on a sunny afternoon in Campbelltown.

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Page 1: A defiant Julia Gillard insists she will not buckle in the face of incessant leadership speculation and bad polls, declaring: “If I haven’t flinched yet, why would I flinch now?”

Page 2: The Australian government has placed on its terrorist blacklist a prominent Islamic group fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Page 3: The decision to allow hunting in national parks has resulted in the O’Farrell government being handed an F – the lowest possible grade – in a report card on its performance in the area of ecosystem protection during its first two years in power.

World: A former private detective at the centre of allegations swirling around the murder of a glamorous Mongolian socialite in Malaysia has died in Kuala Lumpur of a suspected heart attack.

Business: Panji Suharto, a grandson of former Indonesian military strongman Suharto, has toured Australia, promoting a small ASX-listed mining exploration company to retail investors.

Sport: NRL and AFL players guilty of doping infractions have almost no chance of escaping without sanction, and will be required to inform on a teammate or a member of a club’s football department to receive a reduced penalty.

THE HERALD SUN

Page 1: Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen wins the Australian F1 GP. Parents kept in the dark about problem child care centres where it’s feared youngsters could be at risk.

Page 2: Farmer shot by 10-year-old duck hunter on first day of the season.

Page 3: Jail operators could be in line for a bonus for each prisoner who stays on the straight and narrow for two years after release. Bright bold look all the rage at this year’s L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival.

World: Israel forms a new government just in time for Obama visit.

Business: 175-year-old David Jones to get a new look.

Sport: Kimi Raikkonen shocks Fernando Alonso to win an epic Australian Grand Prix.

THE AGE

Page 1: Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she won’t buckle on leadership speculation and says there is no chance of being tapped on the shoulder by senior ministers. Superbug causes 10 patients to fall sick after washing their hands at contaminated sinks in Dandenong Hospital’s intensive care unit.

Page 2: West Gate Bridge is under pressure from high volume of trucks but the risks are being overlooked because of a lack of engineering staff. Victorian cheer squad led by Premier DenisNapthine can’t get Mark Weber first across the line at Albert Park.

Page 3: Australians paying a billion dollars extra on prescription drugs compared to New Zealand, says a former top federal health bureaucrat.

World: North Korea says its nuclear arms are not meant to be a bargaining chip for economic concessions.

Business: The corporate regulator to decide on Monday if it will join the global push to impose stringent new rules on high-speed traders.

Sport: The Iceman, Kimi Raikkonen, wins the Australian Grand Prix on a day when temperatures dropped and rain threatened to turn the race into a lottery.

Gillard stuck in the mud