Compiled for Reuters by Media Monitors. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW (www.afr.com)
Resources Minister Martin Ferguson yesterday expressed concern about the impact of growing wage pressures and skills shortages in the booming resources sector. Any new wage agreements covering workers in the sector should include a 'minimum' 12 percent superannuation component, he said. This would help contain the growing wage pressures and 'assist in managing the two-speed economy.' Page 1.
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The Gillard Government's reliance on the two rural independent MP's to pass legislation and remain in power could make tough economic reform difficult, business leaders warn. The industry policy director at the Australian Chamber of Commerce, Greg Evans, nominated federal-state taxation reform as the most pressing issue for business. The Council of Australian Governments Reform Council will today release a progress review of federal-state deregulation initiatives. Page 1.
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The chief executive of Westpac Banking Corporation, Gail Kelly, has flagged a strategy to improve the bank's customer relations. According to research body Roy Morgan, Westpac has fallen to third place in customer satisfaction ratings, the only bank to have lost ground in the past 12 months. The slip is blamed on a controversial move last year to raise home loan rates above the Reserve Bank rate. Page 1.
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The United Nations (UN) has endorsed the Federal Government's A$43 billion national broadband network (NBN), describing the rollout as 'one of the world's most ambitious.' Hamadoun Toure, the vice-chairman of the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development, said many countries would be watching Australia to see how it went about connecting geographically remote communities to the network. Page 1.
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THE AUSTRALIAN (www.theaustralian.news.com.au)
The New South Wales Government has plans for a national version of its carbon reduction scheme which has been operating at a state-level since 2003. In a bid to fill a carbon policy vacuum left by the Federal Government, the Keneally Government is modelling a national version of its Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme, to be put before the states at the next Council of Australian Governments meeting. However, the Keneally Government is tipped to lose office before it has a chance to present its proposal. Page 1.
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Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has embarked on his first overseas trip as Julia Gillard's new Foreign Minister, yesterday holding a personal meeting in New York with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Earlier Mr Rudd attended a briefing with United States (US) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said she would be visiting Australia in November with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates for high-level ministerial talks. Page 1.
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Hundreds of Muslim women yesterday gathered in south-western Sydney to protest moves to ban the burka in Australia. The rally, held in a park in Punchbowl, was the first public protest against calls to ban the veil. Speakers condemned the push for the ban as part of a wider 'war on Islam' which was fuelled by intolerance and bigotry. Legislation to ban the veil in New South Wales has been advocated by Christian Democrat MP Fred Nile, as well as federally by Liberal senator Cory Bernadi. Page 2.
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A report by an Australian private security company has warned the nation's athletes of an 80 percent chance of a terrorist attack in New Delhi during the Commonwealth Games. The report, by Homeland Security principal Roger Henning, says it is 'highly likely' that the region's terrorists would be planning some kind of attack during the Games. Despite this, Australian Commonwealth Games Association chief Perry Crosswhite said: 'Our advice to athletes is that we think it is an acceptable risk and we are going to look after you.' Page 3.
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THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (www.smh.com.au)
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has flagged the possibility of a conscience vote on legalising euthanasia, after Greens Leader Bob Brown nominated the issue as his 'number one priority' once Parliament resumed. The Greens have demanded that legislation preventing territory governments from legalising voluntary euthanasia be repealed. A spokesperson for Ms Gillard said the Prime Minister would be 'happy to discuss Senator Brown's proposal' in their regular meetings. Page 1.
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China's biggest airline has announced plans for a four-fold increase in direct flights to Australia, predicting a tourism boom as more middle class Chinese look to travel abroad. '1.3 billion Chinese people have become rich, they need to travel abroad and they need to consume their money,' the president of China Southern Airlines, Tan Wangeng, said. Australia was highly regarded as a tourist destination due to its warm climate and natural beauty, he said. Page 3.
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A study by researchers at the University of New South Wales says that many people have become sceptical about global warming because everyday life may have trained them to doubt it. The paper, 'The Psychology of Global Warming,' says that certain types of people are predisposed to find the evidence for human-induced climate change less convincing than others. Page 3.
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The Coalition has called on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to announce who will be speaker of the House of Representatives when Parliament resumes in eight days. The manager of opposition business, Christopher Pyne, yesterday said Ms Gillard needed to inform the current speaker, Harry Jenkins, whether he had been 'dumped or whether they were prepared to support him.' Page 4.
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THE AGE (www.theage.com.au)
Victorian Nationals Leader Peter Ryan says that immigration is essential for the survival of the state's rural areas. The success of many regional Victorian towns was the result of years of immigration, Mr Ryan said. 'Regional development should not shy away from this whole immigration debate; we need these people to come with us,' he told the Rural Press Club on the weekend.
Page 3.
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Locust swarms may not hit Victoria for at least six weeks and may pass over Melbourne altogether, experts say. A spokesperson for the Department of Primary Industries says that it would be at least another six weeks before hatchlings from the extensive egg beds found in Werrimull reached adulthood and began to fly. The discovery of the eggs caused the Department to warn of Victoria's worst locust plague in 75 years. Page 3.
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The head of the Australian Anglican Schools Network, the Reverend Peter Laurence, yesterday said that every Anglican school now had a program targeting Aboriginal education. The best way to end disadvantage was to bring Aboriginal students into mainstream education, Reverend Laurence said. However, there is a long way to go, as only 1 percent of students at Anglican schools are indigenous, he conceded. Page 5.
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Keywords: DIGEST AUSTRALIA GENERAL (Sydney Newsroom +61-2 9373 1816; sydney.newsroom@allreleases.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW (www.afr.com)
Resources Minister Martin Ferguson yesterday expressed concern about the impact of growing wage pressures and skills shortages in the booming resources sector. Any new wage agreements covering workers in the sector should include a 'minimum' 12 percent superannuation component, he said. This would help contain the growing wage pressures and 'assist in managing the two-speed economy.' Page 1.
- - - -
The Gillard Government's reliance on the two rural independent MP's to pass legislation and remain in power could make tough economic reform difficult, business leaders warn. The industry policy director at the Australian Chamber of Commerce, Greg Evans, nominated federal-state taxation reform as the most pressing issue for business. The Council of Australian Governments Reform Council will today release a progress review of federal-state deregulation initiatives. Page 1.
- - - -
The chief executive of Westpac Banking Corporation, Gail Kelly, has flagged a strategy to improve the bank's customer relations. According to research body Roy Morgan, Westpac has fallen to third place in customer satisfaction ratings, the only bank to have lost ground in the past 12 months. The slip is blamed on a controversial move last year to raise home loan rates above the Reserve Bank rate. Page 1.
- - - -
The United Nations (UN) has endorsed the Federal Government's A$43 billion national broadband network (NBN), describing the rollout as 'one of the world's most ambitious.' Hamadoun Toure, the vice-chairman of the UN Broadband Commission for Digital Development, said many countries would be watching Australia to see how it went about connecting geographically remote communities to the network. Page 1.
- - - -
THE AUSTRALIAN (www.theaustralian.news.com.au)
The New South Wales Government has plans for a national version of its carbon reduction scheme which has been operating at a state-level since 2003. In a bid to fill a carbon policy vacuum left by the Federal Government, the Keneally Government is modelling a national version of its Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme, to be put before the states at the next Council of Australian Governments meeting. However, the Keneally Government is tipped to lose office before it has a chance to present its proposal. Page 1.
- - - -
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has embarked on his first overseas trip as Julia Gillard's new Foreign Minister, yesterday holding a personal meeting in New York with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Earlier Mr Rudd attended a briefing with United States (US) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said she would be visiting Australia in November with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates for high-level ministerial talks. Page 1.
- - - -
Hundreds of Muslim women yesterday gathered in south-western Sydney to protest moves to ban the burka in Australia. The rally, held in a park in Punchbowl, was the first public protest against calls to ban the veil. Speakers condemned the push for the ban as part of a wider 'war on Islam' which was fuelled by intolerance and bigotry. Legislation to ban the veil in New South Wales has been advocated by Christian Democrat MP Fred Nile, as well as federally by Liberal senator Cory Bernadi. Page 2.
- - - -
A report by an Australian private security company has warned the nation's athletes of an 80 percent chance of a terrorist attack in New Delhi during the Commonwealth Games. The report, by Homeland Security principal Roger Henning, says it is 'highly likely' that the region's terrorists would be planning some kind of attack during the Games. Despite this, Australian Commonwealth Games Association chief Perry Crosswhite said: 'Our advice to athletes is that we think it is an acceptable risk and we are going to look after you.' Page 3.
- - - -
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (www.smh.com.au)
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has flagged the possibility of a conscience vote on legalising euthanasia, after Greens Leader Bob Brown nominated the issue as his 'number one priority' once Parliament resumed. The Greens have demanded that legislation preventing territory governments from legalising voluntary euthanasia be repealed. A spokesperson for Ms Gillard said the Prime Minister would be 'happy to discuss Senator Brown's proposal' in their regular meetings. Page 1.
- - - -
China's biggest airline has announced plans for a four-fold increase in direct flights to Australia, predicting a tourism boom as more middle class Chinese look to travel abroad. '1.3 billion Chinese people have become rich, they need to travel abroad and they need to consume their money,' the president of China Southern Airlines, Tan Wangeng, said. Australia was highly regarded as a tourist destination due to its warm climate and natural beauty, he said. Page 3.
- - - -
A study by researchers at the University of New South Wales says that many people have become sceptical about global warming because everyday life may have trained them to doubt it. The paper, 'The Psychology of Global Warming,' says that certain types of people are predisposed to find the evidence for human-induced climate change less convincing than others. Page 3.
- - - -
The Coalition has called on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to announce who will be speaker of the House of Representatives when Parliament resumes in eight days. The manager of opposition business, Christopher Pyne, yesterday said Ms Gillard needed to inform the current speaker, Harry Jenkins, whether he had been 'dumped or whether they were prepared to support him.' Page 4.
- - - -
THE AGE (www.theage.com.au)
Victorian Nationals Leader Peter Ryan says that immigration is essential for the survival of the state's rural areas. The success of many regional Victorian towns was the result of years of immigration, Mr Ryan said. 'Regional development should not shy away from this whole immigration debate; we need these people to come with us,' he told the Rural Press Club on the weekend.
Page 3.
- - - -
Locust swarms may not hit Victoria for at least six weeks and may pass over Melbourne altogether, experts say. A spokesperson for the Department of Primary Industries says that it would be at least another six weeks before hatchlings from the extensive egg beds found in Werrimull reached adulthood and began to fly. The discovery of the eggs caused the Department to warn of Victoria's worst locust plague in 75 years. Page 3.
- - - -
The head of the Australian Anglican Schools Network, the Reverend Peter Laurence, yesterday said that every Anglican school now had a program targeting Aboriginal education. The best way to end disadvantage was to bring Aboriginal students into mainstream education, Reverend Laurence said. However, there is a long way to go, as only 1 percent of students at Anglican schools are indigenous, he conceded. Page 5.
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Keywords: DIGEST AUSTRALIA GENERAL (Sydney Newsroom +61-2 9373 1816; sydney.newsroom@allreleases.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.