Higher costs lift investment value despite project cuts – The Aus; BHP: iron hand on costs – The Fin; Barnett battles Shell Browse plan – The Aus; FIFO-only apartments could ease hotel crisis – The West; Union announces new waterfront jobs push – The West
Higher costs lift investment value despite project cuts
Billions of dollars in higher cost estimates for resource developments are pushing the overall value of the nation’s investment pipeline up even as weaker global commodity prices cause projects to be shelved by the big miners. The Aus
BHP: iron hand on costs
BHP Billiton's new iron ore chief, Jimmy Wilson, has targeted more job cuts and a boost in labour productivity to revitalise its iron ore business now that boom-time “scarcity pricing” has passed. The Fin
Barnett battles Shell Browse plan
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett is threatening to campaign against Royal Dutch Shell’s mounting push to develop the $40 billion Browse project using radical floating liquefied natural gas technology, arguing the move will cost thousands of construction jobs and set a dangerous precedent. The Aus
FIFO-only apartments could ease hotel crisis
A $16 million riverside serviced apartment development has been proposed to cater exclusively for fly-in, fly-out mining workers in a first for Perth which could ease pressure on the city's hotels. The West
Union announces new waterfront jobs push
The waterfront is set to become a legal minefield with the maritime union seeking the right to sue companies who overlook locals in favour of migrant workers. The West
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1:A $16 million riverside serviced apartment development has been proposed to cater exclusively for fly-in, fly-out mining workers in a first for Perth which could ease pressure on the city's hotels.
Page 3: One in eight federal bureaucrats would work from home by 2020 under a Gillard government plan to get public servants out of office blocks and doing their jobs via the internet.
Page 4: Telethon celebrated the most successful fundraising weekend of its 45 years, smashing its $15 million goal to raise $16,805,622 as Australians dig deep to help improve the lives of WA children.
Page 7: West Australians have almost $60 million locked up in federal and state coffers as the piles of unclaimed money hit record levels.
Page 8: Claims about the death of the mining boom may be premature, with a new report showing a further increase in resource investment in WA and across the nation.
One of the world's biggest hotel and hospitality companies may be looking to expand its portfolio in Perth, with a five-star Elizabeth Quay property potentially on the cards.
Page 9: Local government laws are being ruled invalid, costing ratepayers hundreds of thousands of dollars because councils fail to follow procedures.,
Page 13: The state government has backed a Chinese consortium's move to create its own supply chain to grow and ship grain from WA to China.
More than 100 farmers are expected in Katanning today for a crucial meeting on the future of WA's sheep meat and live export industries.
Page 14: A former senior public servant has been accused of misusing his credit card just weeks after one of his colleagues at the Drug and Alcohol Office was charged with spending about $66,000 of work-issued cab charges to go to the casino, go shopping and visit her sick dog at the vet.
Business: The waterfront is set to become a legal minefield with the maritime union seeking the right to sue companies who overlook locals in favour of migrant workers.
The newly-crowned regional small business of the year, Kununurra's House Factory, has blamed red tape for the housing shortage that is threatening to stifle progress in the North West.
The Reserve Bank will be checking any evidence that its rate cuts have started to work their magic through the economy this week.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW:
Page 1: Former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon has broken ranks with the Gillard government, warning that it was a mistake to rule out fast attack nuclear submarines as a replacement for the ageing Collins class.
BHP Billiton's new iron ore chief, Jimmy Wilson, has targeted more job cuts and a boost in labour productivity to revitalise its iron ore business now that boom-time “scarcity pricing” has passed.
Former Labor government Treasury secretary Tony Cole says it is “inevitable” that a future government will extend the goods and services tax into areas such as health, education and fresh food and lift its 10 per cent rate.
Page 3: Opposition deputy leader Julie Bishop has claimed it is “inconceivable” Prime Minister Julia Gillard did not know that $67,000 used to buy a Melbourne property in 1993 came from an Australian Workers' Union slush fund she helped set up.
Page 4: Boosting management skills and the pace of innovation are more important factors in kick-starting productivity growth than labour market deregulation, a study by the University of Technology Sydney and the McKell Institute has found.
The mining related construction boom will peak in 2014 and business investment is set to become a spent economic force by the following financial year, Deloitte Access Economics says.
Page 5: The Russian central bank has stepped up its purchase of Australian dollars, helping to explain the currency's persistent strength despite recent interest rate cuts.
Page 8: Shell is worried about policy and regulatory risks to its business and future investments, particularly to its multi billion dollar interests in LNG projects.
Page 10: The Coalition will bypass Treasury and submit its election policies for costing to the newly created Parliamentary Budget Office and won't release them until close to the election, shadow treasurer Joe Hockey says.
Page 15: The chairman of debt giant Oaktree Capital, which is taking joint control of Nine Entertainment Co, says high levels of borrowings are as big a problem for some media companies as structural change.
Page 17: Activist group GetUp!'s campaign to force Woolworths to curtail its gambling operations appears destined to fail after encountering resistance from institutional investors and proxy advisers.
THE AUSTRALIAN:
Page 1: Julia Gillard faces growing calls for a royal commission into child sex abuse in the Catholic Church after Labor backbenchers joined the Greens and independents in demanding a national inquiry.
The Greens will dump their most hostile policies regarding private schools as they seek to lift their flagging poll numbers and reposition the party.
Tony Abbott has failed in a radical bid to get high-profile Aboriginal politician Alison Anderson into federal parliament.
Page 4: Billions of dollars in higher cost estimates for resource developments are pushing the overall value of the nation’s investment pipeline up even as weaker global commodity prices cause projects to be shelved by the big miners.
The federal opposition is set to hold back its full election costings until late into next year’s campaign.
Business groups and farmers have backed Nationals senator Ron Boswell’s call to axe the 20 per cent renewable energy target, which he says is driving up electricity prices unnecessarily.
Job interviews for the position of chair of the Productivity Commission are being held this week, with about 11 applicants having been winnowed down to a shortlist of seven.
As Australia’s slowly thawing property market heads into summer, green shoots are appearing that give hope for a sector-wide turnaround.
Page 5: Australia's multi-million dollar tuna industry is threatening to sue the Gillard government over plans to allow oil exploration in the fishing grounds of the Great Australian Bight.
Families would claim the cost of childcare as a deduction under a proposal from the Tax Institute today that steps up the debate over how to encourage more women to return to work after childbirth.
The Greens are increasing the pressure on the Gillard government to shut down the live export trade, releasing a position paper today that proposes a five-point plan for a transition from the $1 billion trade to domestic meat processing.
Business: West Australian Premier Colin Barnett is threatening to campaign against Royal Dutch Shell’s mounting push to develop the $40 billion Browse project using radical floating liquefied natural gas technology, arguing the move will cost thousands of construction jobs and set a dangerous precedent.
UGL chief Richard Leupen has dismissed speculation that the engineering company will be forced to announce a profit downgrade at its annual meeting tomorrow, pointing to a resurgence in its resources business and the global property market.
Market volatility is expected to continue in Australia and the rest of the world as a re-elected President Barack Obama attempts to negotiate a solution with Republicans to prevent the US falling off its looming ‘‘fiscal cliff ’’.
Australia's newest industry super fund boss has warned that emerging consolidation trends in the sector could have disastrous consequences if not monitored closely.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:
Page 1: Psychologist claims more than 70 per cent of the Brothers from the St John of God order are suspected child abusers. Labor kingpin Eddie Obeid says he will be cleared of corruption allegations. Volunteers step in to tackle schoolies week.
Page 2: Terraces in Sydney suburbs could be at risk from changes to planning controls.
Page 3: Blessing of the Fleet service takes place at the Sydney Fish Market.
World: Elites fighting a secret battle for China's soul.
Business: A campaign to pressure Woolworths to place bet limits on its poker machines has suffered a setback.
Sport: Outgoing Sydney FC coach Ian Crook says the strain of coaching one of the A-League's biggest clubs was too much.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH:
Page 1: Treasurer Mike Baird has backed a plan to build two new runways on reclaimed land at Botany Bay, putting him at odds with Premier Barry O'Farrell.
Page 2: Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore is to call for six new childcare centres to be fast-tracked.
Page 3: One of Sydney's most expensive salons is charging $500 for a haircut.
World: BBC in turmoil as director-general George Entwistle quits.
Business: A decline in mining investment is to start acting as a brake on Australia's economic growth.
Sport: Tough days in Aussie sport with Ian Crook's resignation, the Wallabies getting a pasting in Paris and top-order batsmen unable to score runs.
THE AGE:
Page 1: Study on excessive drinking in the Kimberley region shows that half of all babies were born with intellectual disabilities from foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Prime Minister Julia Gillard wants 12 per cent of federal public servants regularly working from home by 2020. A victims group tracks 18 pedophile priests who were moved around the Catholic Church in Victoria from parish to parish to continue their offending.
Page 2: Sydney Archbishop George Pell should shut down the St John of God Order, where more than 70 per cent of the brothers are suspected child abusers, says a psychologist employed to meet abuse victims. Afghanistan veteran Jamie Bailey visits the Australian War Memorial each year for Remembrance Day.
Page 3: Club and poker machine lobby hire government relations adviser in Victoria to tackle misinformation from the anti-gambling lobby. UN ranks Melbourne eighth in new global city prosperity index. Police and families hold fears for two missing women. More than 11,000 runners race in the Sunday Age City2Sea event. Family members accuse high care nursing home Jewish Care of failing to look after elderly residents, some of whom are Holocaust survivors.
World: The FBI probe that uncovered the extramarital affair leading to the resignation of CIA director David Petraeus was started by a woman complaining about harassing emails.
Business: Project cancellations and profit downgrades mount as the mining services sector faces its post-boom future.
Sport: Morne Morkel no-ball saves Ed Cowan from joining the other top order Australian batsmen back in the sheds with South Africa in box seat in first Test.
THE HERALD SUN:
Page 1: Plans to build the southern hemisphere's tallest building, reaching 388 metres into the sky, at Southbank in Melbourne. Three years after the operation to separate them, the previously conjoined twins Krishna and Trishna get set for school next year.
Page 2: Family of missing woman hold grave fears for her safety. 100 firefighters battle blaze in South Australia.
Page 3: Greg Ritchie anecdote at cricket luncheon where he used the word "kaffir" in telling a Kepler Wessels story offends South Africa with Wessels threatening to sue. Australian workers improve their productivity but still wasting time on unnecessary emails and personal matters.
World: Sir Paul McCartney and his wife just seconds away from helicopter crash after the pilot became disoriented in bad weather and plunged towards trees.
Business: Deloitte Access Economics warns that a decline in mining investment will start to act as a brake on Australia's economic growth.
Sport: Ed Cowan stands firm as Australian top order collapses against Protea attack.
THE CANBERRA TIMES:
Page 1: One in three ACT workplaces pass safety inspection in past financial year. Push for budget surplus hits public sector and Canberra's economy.
Page 2: Moves to oust board of Australian Ethical Investments at company's AGM this month.
Page 3: A US expert shocked at the number of drink driving repeat offenders in Australia.
World: BBC director-general George Entwistle quits over pedophilia gaffe.
Business: The future of Qantas's defence division hinges on gift work.
Sport: Sydney FC coach Ian Crook steps down. Wallabies pivot Kurtley Beale calls for more fight after France wipe them off the park 33-6 in Paris.