Media wrap - Turnbull has a change of heart

POLITICS AND ECONOMICS

Political life

Malcolm Turnbull does a backflip on going - Malcolm Turnbull is today expected to announce he will contest the next election after withdrawing his resignation from federal parliament - The Australian

Turnbull weighs the worth of keeping seat - Speculation is rife that Malcolm Turnbull will announce today that he is staying in politics. Senior Liberals said that as of late yesterday, Mr Turnbull had decided to reverse his April 6 decision to retire at the federal election and would stay on as the member for Wentworth - Sydney Morning Herald

Economic matters

Miners to wage war on new tax - The West Australian

It's shaping up to be a great year for Grange - A move towards a single flat volumetric tax on alcohol is set to cut the price of a $620 bottle of Grange by $133 while adding $20 to the price of a four-litre cask - Sydney Morning Herald

Kevin Rudd picks $35bn tax fight with miners - As part of an election strategy to take on the mining barons and tobacco companies with new taxes, the government will unveil a new resources impost as part of the Henry tax review to be released tomorrow - The Australian

Impost tipping point for miner's grievance - Andrew Forrest, the nation's richest man, was finally pushed into action yesterday by Kevin Rudd's signals that the federal government is preparing to tax miners more to boost other industries - The Australian

Two million small businesses to get faster tax breaks under tax shake-up - Melbourne Herald Sun

Lottery plan to tackle pokies - Problem gambling could be reduced by replacing poker machine taxes with a national lottery, advocates claim. Independent Senator Nick Xenophon said the measure would replace revenue from other harmful forms of gambling as well as poker machines - Melbourne Herald Sun

State's recovery surge to save jobs - Victoria's unemployment rate has virtually peaked as the state economy forges ahead after being buffeted by the global financial crisis. State Treasury expects the unemployment rate, now at 5.4 per cent, to peak at 5.5 per cent next financial year - way down on the 7.75 per cent feared during the height of the international downturn - Melbourne Age

Industrial relations

Backpackers to take over school tests - The Education Department is preparing to send in emergency strike breakers, including backpackers, after NSW teachers decided to ignore an Industrial Relations Commission order to lift their ban on supervising national literacy and numeracy tests - Sydney Morning Herald

Elections

Politics of the too-hard basket - Health and taxes are the two certainties of Labor's re-election plan, after climate change became too risky, writes Phillip Coorey in the Sydney Morning Herald

Rudd’s new tactics show a Friday focus - Kevin Rudd is a Friday-biased leader in an election year, as his media mentions spike when Newspoll and other pollsters are in the field - The Australian

Union abandons Labor in favour of Greens - The union representing Telstra and Australian Post workers in Victoria has abandoned support for the ALP in favour of the Greens, citing anger at the inadequacy of the Rudd government's workplace laws - The Australian

Immigration

Small towns, big hearts, say migrants - A study of almost 1000 migrants who settled in regional and rural towns found almost four out of five intended to stay there and 80 per cent would recommend the town to family or friends - Sydney Morning Herald

Economic stimulus projects

Primary principals unhappy with new building program - Private school principals are happy with their new libraries, halls and classrooms, a survey shows. Unfortunately, their counterparts in government primary schools are less enamoured with the Building the Education Revolution - Sydney Morning Herald

Insulation illicitly fitted in state homes - Installers may have ripped-off millions of taxpayer dollars fitting ceiling batts in public housing units, which were not covered by the axed $2.45 billion home insulation scheme - The Australian


Public service

Legal blow in Queensland Health pay fiasco - The State Government is set to struggle in its pursuit of legal action over the botched Health payroll system delivery. Technology giant IBM is responsible for the project delivery, but a briefing note to Acting Premier Paul Lucas has warned the embattled minister the company could be virtually untouchable – because of the Government's own snail pace - Brisbane Courier Mail


Opinions

It's time for Labor to fret - Peter Hartcher in the Sydney Morning Herald writes that the thrust of Abbott's policies and pronouncements is plainly aimed at recruiting the centre-right, lower- to middle-income, outer-metropolitan voters whom Kevin Rudd champions as ''working families'' and who were formerly known as ''Howard battlers''.

Rudd bets the kitty - For someone so risk-averse, the PM gambled heavily on his carbon scheme and now has to cop his losses says Shaun Carney in the Melbourne Age

Hot air obscures the real climate change story - Ross Gittins in the Sydney Morning Herald writes of the misrepresentation of the facts in Australia's climate change debate.

Rudd's reform push ends in political nightmare - Dennis Shanahan in The Australian writes that the Rudd government's long-term tax reform plans, its pre-election budget and the formulation of its re-election strategy all begin this weekend and none of it could be released into a more hostile or more difficult political or economic environment.

Spineless PM not worthy of wiping Gough's shoes - Gough Whitlam was prepared to stand and fight for his principles, but Kevin Rudd has run away says Peter van Onselen in The Australian
ENVIRONMENT

Rudd resurrects plan to take Japan to international court over whaling - Sydney Morning Herald

Coalition puts a spanner in the renewable works - The future of Australia's only remaining incentive to invest in renewable energy is under a cloud after the Coalition raised concerns about proposed government amendments to the 20 per cent renewable energy target - Sydney Morning Herald

LIFE

Telemarketing

No extension to telemarketing block - Another Rudd government policy is on the scrapheap after the government abandoned plans to expand the Do Not Call register to include business phone numbers - Sydney Morning Herald

Education

National survey ranks our best classrooms - Money still buys the best education in Australia, with elite schools in NSW and Victoria dominating a list of the nation's top 100 schools prepared exclusively by The Weekend Australian.

Development

Mick Gatto engaged to negotiate with Windsor Hotel oners in $5m dispute - Melbourne Herald Sun

Law and order

Budget blues as Queensland police spend millions investigating each other - The budget for Professional Standards and Ethical Practice, which has blown out from $151 million to $260 million in the past five years, now accounts for nearly one-fifth of the entire police budget - Brisbane Courier Mail

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