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)
--The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has resisted calls to thoroughly examine of Qantas Airways' finances as part of its decision on the company's proposed alliance with Emirates Airlines. The commission's Chairman Rod Sims said "there's not much reduction in competition, the gains from the deal were material and there were very few detriments because it's a very competitive international scene". The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association is considering challenging the alliance in the Federal Court if the regulator does not investigate Qantas's funds. Page 1.
--Mining giant BHP Billiton has accused Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minister Peter O'Neill of trying to inappropriately influence the granting of exploration licenses and the management of immigration visas. BHP has complained about the treatment of Ross Garnaut by the PNG government, which banned him from entering the country last year and forced his resignation as chairman of Ok Tedi Mining. "He subsequently blocked our lease applications and made it clear they would only be granted if we transferred our rights to the government," the miner said in a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade paper. Page 1.
--Casella Wines has reported its first loss in over two decades, with the winemaker now in violation of its banking covenants and forced to radically cut costs. The historically high level of the Australian dollar has meant that Casella's Yellow Tail brand, a strong seller in the United States, can no longer offset losses in other parts of the company. "We are working out how we go forward. Provided we have the support of our financiers, we can make little or no money for a year or two. I'm hopeful the dollar is overvalued and we can return to some normality," managing director John Casella said. Page 1.
--The Tennis Australia organising body is conflicted over its strategy for broadcasting the Australian Open grand slam, with some directors preferring to extend the A${esc.dollar}21 million contract with free-to-air network Seven West Media rather than running a competitive tender. Some executives believe a tender would see the value of the rights increase, while others, including Tennis Australia vice-president Harold Mitchell, wants the current deal to run for another five years. Page 1.
THE AUSTRALIAN (www.theaustralian.news.com.au)
--The Federal Government's Minerals Resources Rent Tax will not deliver the expected A${esc.dollar}2 billion in revenue after Australia's major miners, including Xstrata, Rio Tinto , BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals Group, failed to make enough profit. The four companies are not required to make any payments next week, despite a recent surge in the spot price of iron ore. Tax revenues from Rio Tinto nearly halved in the final quarter of 2012, with the government losing out in A${esc.dollar}500 million in revenue as a result. Page 1.
--The latest voter survey conducted by researchers Newspoll has found that the West Australian Colin Barnett-led government has a 58 percent to 42 percent lead over the state opposition in the two-party preferred voted. The primary vote for both parties remained unchanged since the last poll, with the Coalition leading at 49 percent. Mr Barnett also led Opposition Leader Mark McGowan as preferred premier by 45 percent to 29 percent. The polling period included the fallout from a series of controversies surrounding the actions of State Treasurer Troy Buswell. Page 1.
--Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart has warned that the state's emergency services cannot respond to every call for help and that able-bodied citizens would be prioritised beneath elderly and the disabled. "It has a parallel when you think about it in the health system, where we ask people with the capacity to do so to take out private health insurance and to make preparations for their own long-term health care as technology gets better we will be able to discriminate between those who can look after themselves or should be able to, and those who are really in a less fortunate situation," he explained. Page 1.
--Bernard Tomic yesterday said that while he felt his current form was "unstoppable" going into the Australian Open today, having won his first Association of Tennis Professionals title at the Sydney International, he confessed his career had been tumultuous. "I'll learn from my downs lucky I learn at my age, 20, not 25 and 28," he said. Veteran Australian Lleyton Hewitt, who won the Kooyong Classic on the weekend, added that despite being the underdog against world No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic in the first round, he was confident of his chances on Rod Laver Arena. "I enjoy being in that situation," Mr Hewitt remarked. Page 1.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (www.smh.com.au)
--A study by the University of Sydney has found that the number of privately owned firearms in Australia has returned to the same numbers as 1996, despite over 1 million guns being collected and destroyed in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre. Adjunct Associate Professor Philip Alpers said changes to Australia's gun laws meant semi-automatics were more difficult to import but noted that the majority of Australia's gun deaths occurred in domestic disputes and suicides. He will present the study's findings at the Summit on Reducing Gun Violence in America. Page 1.
--The observatory that holds the nation's biggest telescope has been threatened by bushfires at Siding Springs, near Coonabarabran, New South Wales. Parts of the observatory may have burned but staff escaped unharmed. Rural Fire Service (RFS) crews are combating fires in hostile conditions across the state. RFS Superintendent Matt Inwood confirmed 10 RFS aircraft have been deployed and 48 firefighters were battling the four kilometre fire front. Evacuations had been carried out in the region. Page 1.
--New South Wales (NSW) Premier Barry O'Farrell has refused to release a report commissioned by the state government into the impact of gaming giant Crown Limited 's proposed A${esc.dollar}1 billion luxury hotel and casino as part of the Barangaroo redevelopment. The government commissioned financial consultant Deloitte to verify claims by an earlier report, commissioned by Crown and conducted by Allen Consulting Group, that the development would increase state revenue by as much as A${esc.dollar}440 million a year. Crown says the casino would deliver ${esc.dollar}114 million in annual gaming taxes. Page 1.
--The body of an 84-year old man was left unreported in the morgue of Sydney's St. Vincent's Hospital for ten days, with the New South Wales Coroner ordering a police investigation into the matter. Patrick John Thomas was hospitalised after collapsing from cardiac arrest on December 18 but was pronounced dead shortly after. "It just took way too long somebody obviously wasn't doing their job. Every time I'd rung up I was told 'no he's still down in the morgue'. [One woman] said something about 'it's Christmas'," Mr Thomas's son, Haydn, said. Page 3.
THE AGE (www.theage.com.au)
-- The Australian Defence Force (ADF) may be forced to relocate or discipline soldiers while the Gillard Government's military abuse task force investigates 24 alleged rapes at the Australian Defence Force Academy in the 1990s. Len Roberts-Smith, head of the taskforce, said the panel would prioritise allegations of assault and rape and would deliberate on whether to suggest "administrative action". Chief of the Defence Force General David Hurley noted that 10 current serving members were suspects, although no action had been taken because "the evidence and the data that's available is quite sketchy". Page 1.
--The Victoria government is considering converting some of Melbourne's largest housing estates into a combination of private and public housing developments. A${esc.dollar}175.3 million was received by the state through the Federal Government's Housing Affordability Fund to build 547 homes across three estates. Development would be partially funded by partnerships with private enterprise with an estimated 50 percent dwelling cap. The 1960s apartment blocks towering above each estate could be demolished under the proposal. Page 1.
--The availability of cheap ultrasound technology and cultural selective pressures in many Asian countries including China, South Korea, and India have placed downwards pressure on the birth of female babies. According to medical services company Sydney IVF, their customers preferred female to male babies 59 percent to 41 percent before sex selection was outlawed in Australia in 2006. The Scientific Director of Queensland Fertility Group, Keith Harrison, said the community supports softer fertility rules. Australia's fertility guidelines will come up for review later this year. Page 3.
--Only 51 percent of Australia's 11.5 million workers say they are working in the right industry, according to a study by researchers Pure Profile. Compiled for online career counselling group SEEK Learning, the survey found half of respondents cited low income as a motivating factor in seeking new employment. Job satisfaction and office relationships also emerged as significant contributing factors. Page 3.
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