PICK OF THE MORNING’S STORIES

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Leader ‘nuked’, but Libs are stuck with him – Michelle Grattan in the Melbourne Age

POLITICS AND ECONOMICS

Australia

Opinion polls

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Polling smashes Turnbull – Dennis Shanahan writes in The Australian that Malcolm Turnbull’s political career has been smashed in just one week, and senior Liberals believe there could be moves within the party to remove him as Opposition Leader within days or weeks.

090629smhpollSupport for Turnbull plunges – Michelle Grattan in the Melbourne Age gives the Nielsen numbers showing the Coalition and Malcolm Turnbull have received a devastating blow from the OzCar affair, with 53 per cent of voters saying they have a less favourable impression of the Opposition Leader as a result of it.

Turnbull hammered by voters – Phillip Coorey in the Sydney Morning Herald interprets the latest polls as meaning Malcolm Turnbull’s darkest hour as Opposition Leader is upon him with a new poll showing his standing has been dealt a hammer blow by the OzCar affair.

Utegate savages Malcolm Turnbull’s credibility, poll shows – Utegate affair has run over Malcolm Turnbull, with more than 50 per cent of voters accusing the Opposition Leader of being dishonest or deceitful in his handling of the forged email scandal. The latest Galaxy Poll, conducted for the Brisbane  Courier-Mail at the weekend, finds Mr Turnbull’s credibility is in tatters, writes Stefanie Balogh

Malcolm Turnbull loses credibility over Utegate affair – Malcolm Farr in the Sydney Daily Telegraph writes that Malcolm Turnbull’s credibility and his standing as the alternative prime minister have been smashed by the Utegate campaign he launched against Kevin Rudd, according to an exclusive Galaxy poll.

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Voters lash ‘deceitful, dishonest’ TurnbullAdelaide Advertiser

Opinions about Liberal leadership

Liberals reel as party elders think the unthinkable – Dennis Shanahan in The Australian really puts the boot in: in a few short days, Malcolm Turnbull has gone from Liberal star and parliamentary prosecutor to a man living on borrowed political time.

Winners, losers both show ugly sides – Malcolm Turnbull needs to learn more about media management if he is going to succeed in politics, writes The Australians Glenn Milne

Turnbull weaker than when he began – Peter Hartcher in the Sydney Morning Herald writes that if there were anyone else running for the Liberal leadership, Malcolm Turnbull today would be pronounced dead. Only the absence of any other candidate will keep him in the job.

Leader ‘nuked’, but Libs are stuck with him – concludes Michelle Grattan in the Melbourne Age

Ute gate

Turnbull denies link to creation of fake email – Melbourne Age

Elections and pre-selections

West shapes as key to Rudd’s second-term hopesThe Australian

Industrial relations

Hotels in rush to sign up workers – before the introduction of new industrial relations laws this week – The Australian

Political life

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It’s official, Bruno loves Kevin – Austria’s hottest fictional fashion journalist, Bruno, and the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, appeared on the same episode of Rove Live last night – Sydney Morning Herald

Date with Bruno sends PM into panic – Rudd may have been spared from sharing the Rove Live spotlight with Austrian fashionista Bruno last night, but he nonetheless claimed to be nervous just knowing the flamboyant icon was in the building – The Australian

Boat people

Boat crowded with 194 people intercepted off WA coastMelbourne Age

Rudd ‘too soft’ on asylum seekers says Opposition – Adelaide Advertiser

Consumer affairs

Choice could sue over scrapped websiteSydney Morning Herald

How Grocery Choice was ushered to the grave – Phillip Coorey in the Sydney Morning Herald says the flack from scrapping Grocery Choice is nothing compared with what would have come if its introduction had gone ahead

Foreign affairs

Gillard runs gauntlet on ground in IraqThe Australian

Education

Ban on schools statistics in NSW slammed – The Greens and the Coalition joined forces in the upper house last week to ban the publication of “league tables”, backed by fines of up to $5000 for individuals and $55,000 for organisations, such as newspapers. The Australian has learned that, under existing NSW laws allowing private prosecutions, the proceeds of any fine imposed for compiling and publishing comparisons would be shared by the person or organisation that brought the court action.

Opinions about other things

Tax inquiry reveals economists at their most clueless – Ross Gittins in the Sydney Morning Herald

Talking about my generation of leaders – Is Kevin Rudd our first postmodern Prime Minister, asks Greg Melleuish in The Australian

Peace is our best defence – Malcolm Fraser writing in the Melbourne Age argues Australia’s defence white paper promotes methods from the past when we should be working towards a nuclear-free future.

Blowing the whistle to protect your right to know – writes Malcolm Farr in the Sydney Daily Telegraph

Elsewhere

Pakistan

Pakistan reclaims Swat – for nowMelbourne Age

Iran

Crackdown in Iran Continues Focus on ForeignersNew York Times

Opinions

Invent, Invent, Invent – Thomas L. Friedman in the New York Times says the country that endows its people with more tools and basic research to create new goods and services is the one that will not just survive this crisis but thrive down the road.

BUSINESS

Air ticket sales nosedive as swine flu, economy take tollMelbourne Herald Sun

Australian companies face 20pc profit cutThe Australian

Anglo may sell mine to thwart Xstrata takeover – The Australian

ENVIRONMENT

Public still supports emissions scheme – Nielsen poll finding published in the Sydney Morning Herald

US vote a spur for push on ETSThe Australian

Car makers face mandatory exhaust limits – Sydney Morning Herald

Emissions law push – Kevin Rudd and state premiers will seek to introduce mandatory standards this week requiring vehicle manufacturers to cut carbon dioxide emissions from new cars sold in Australia – Melbourne Age

MEDIA

Fairfax in firing line for breach – Fairfax Middle East correspondent, Jason Koutsoukis, who breached a media embargo about Julia Gillard’s surprise visit to Iraq, has been accused by the government of placing the Deputy Prime Minister’s life at risk – The Australian

Tourism Queensland shows big boys how it’s done – The Australian

Public members scuttle press council reform – The Australian

LIFE

Michael Jackson

090629time1Jackson doctor protests his innocence as nanny tells of drugs abuse London Sunday Times

Aged care

Aged-care safety policy too costly, says watchdog – Sydney Morning Herald