With all the tut-tutting by politicians that goes on when a footballer having a big night out gets into a bit of trouble, there was little option but for the Federal Liberals to move quickly to get rid of one of their own this week. An adviser to Liberal Sophie Mirabella, the Opposition’s spokeswoman on women’s issues, the Melbourne Age reports, has been forced to resign amid allegations of groping and lewd behaviour at a black tie charity function in Canberra.
The footballers, meanwhile, are seeking understanding with today’s Sydney Morning Herald featuring frustrated NRL stars speaking out about what they perceive as unfair stereotyping of them in the wake of recent off-field scandals. A footballer’s life: confusion, temptation and guilt by association the paper headlines it as players say they are confused by the expectations of fans. The poor little fellows think they have few rights and that there is no one standing up for them, with many clubs instructing their charges not to make any public comment in the belief that they can ride out the storm.
THE PICK OF THE MORNING’S STORIES
Turnbull baulks at early poll – Melbourne Age
Kevin Rudd’s in a spin over car deal – Sydney Daily Telegraph
POLITICS AND ECONOMICS
Australia
Unemployment
Jobless surge cuts swathe in well-heeled suburbs – Melbourne Age reports unemployment among men in normally prosperous inner Melbourne suburbs is approaching double digits after the loss of thousands of professional positions in the finance sector
Elections
Turnbull baulks at early poll – Malcolm Turnbull has given his strongest indication yet that the Coalition could eventually pass the emissions trading scheme to avoid Kevin Rudd calling an early election over it – Melbourne Age
Ten Victorian State Labor MPs fighting for survival in ALP shakeup – Melbourne Herald Sun
Political life
Adviser to Libs female MP sacked after charity ball – Melbourne Age
Party is over for MP’s staffer – Sydney Morning Herald
Coalition aims to spark women’s policy input – Melbourne Age
SA Opposition Leader Hamilton-Smith declares he will not go down without fight – Adelaide Advertiser
Turnbull plays it cool over byelection in Costello’s seat – Sydney Morning Herald
MP pans Rudd’s faction fiction – fun and games in the Victorian ALP right – Melbourne Age
Madden’s ambitions ‘irrelevant’ – Premier John Brumby has been forced to hose down leadership speculation sparked by the move of his Planning Minister, Justin Madden, to the lower house – Melbourne Age
Economic theory
Chinese give PM Kevin Rudd lesson on neoliberalism – The Australian
Industrial relations
Victorian Paramedics to start industrial action – Melbourne Age
Taxation
Tax break beefs up sport star coffers – he High Court ruled they could claim management fees as tax deductions – Melbourne Age
Give states ‘tax’ muscle – Melbourne Age
Take axe to super tax breaks, Government urged – Melbourne Age
Racial relations
New laws may counter racist attacks – Melbourne Herald Sun
Education
Rigid rules rile schools as Education Revolution complaints roll in – The Australian
Plans axed as pledged funds fall short – The Australian
NSW Ban lifted on school league tables – Sydney Morning Herald
Budgets
No-show Nathan Rees in Budget reply snub – Sydney Daily Telegraph
A hint of strange things
PM Rudd accused of missleading Parliament – Adelaide Advertiser
Kevin Rudd’s in a spin over car deal – Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is facing serious allegations that he misled Parliament after lobbying for a car dealer and friend to secure a taxpayer-funded financial lifeline – Sydney Daily Telegraph
Heat on Kevin Rudd over help for car dealer mate – Brisbane Courier Mail
Kevin Rudd facing allegations of misleading Parliament – Melbourne Herald Sun
No peace as embattled Labor power broker Suleyman loses JP status – Melbourne Age
Opinion
The hunter becomes the hunted – Kevin Rudd’s links to OZ Car scheme in Senate hearing – Steve Lewis in the Brisbane Courier Mail
Turnbull must take this chance to stamp his authority as leader – Michelle Grattan in the Melbourne Age
A target so small, voters may ignore it – Andrew Clenell in the Sydney Morning Herald delivers a harsh assessment of NSW Liberal Leader Barry O’Farrell .
Reserve comes to defence of big bad banks – Elizabeth Knight in the Sydney Morning Herald
NSW sabotages itself – writes Michael Costa in The Australian of this week’s state budget
Belles of the ball can’t find nice things to say about each other – Annabel Crabb goes to a ball and finds that, on a funny night, neither the PM nor the Opposition Leader could say anything pleasant about each other – even in jest – Sydney Morning Herald
Elsewhere
Iran
Students slaughtered in tehran university attack – John Lyons, The Australian
Iran elections: Supreme leader to speak out as silent, angry protests continue – The Guardian, UK
Silent Rafsanjani bides time as fury builds – Financial Times of London
Political life
Campaigners cry foul as MPs’ expenses are published – but heavily redacted – London Times
BUSINESS
Big banks profit as business pays price – Sydney Morning Herald
Banks grow fat on small employers – The Australian
Santos joins BG Group in front row – Santos has signed the nation’s first binding coal-seam gas export deal – The Australian
MEDIA
Copyright
Fourth Miles Franklin win for Tim Winton – who aunched a passionate defence of Australian writers and literary culture against the Productivity Commission – Melbourne Age
ENVIRONMENT
Malcolm Turnbull puts heat on business: don’t ‘snuggle up’ to Labor – The Australian
Labor knew about toxic water threat – to Sydney water supply – Sydney Morning Herald
Gloom and doom for solar firms – A household solar panels credits program will be delayed for at least two months after the Opposition voted to refer the Government’s renewable energy target legislation to a Senate committee – Melbourne Age
Fears of lost jobs as carbon plan blocked – Sydney Morning Herald
Climate delay to cost jobs – The Australian
Wong’s silent treatment – Bob Carter, David Evans, Stewart Franks and Bill Kininmonth consider papers presented to a Washington Conference attended by Family First Senator Sterve Fielding – The Australian
LIFE
Footballers
A footballer’s life: confusion, temptation and guilt by association – Sydney Morning Herald
Aged care
Future of aged-care centres in doubt – after two debt-plagued companies that operate 10 homes went into voluntary administration – Melbourne Age
Child care
Senate rules far from child’s play – Greens have called for an overhaul of rules forbidding children in Federal Parliament after the Senate president ordered that a senator’s infant daughter be removed from the chamber yesterday – Melbourne Age
Senator’s toddler forced to leave House – Adelaide Advertiser
Tears as senator’s daughter expelled from chamber – Sydney Morning Herald
Art
Made in Indonesia, sold as Aboriginal – Sydney Morning Herald
Law and order
Wife-killer appeal – American wife-killer Gabe Watson is looking at a significantly longer Australian jail term after Queensland Attorney-General Cameron Dick announced in Parliament yesterday the State would appeal his 11-month sentence – Townsville Bulletin
Tougher laws to deter reckless cycling – Melbourne Age
Moran killing followed ‘dispute’ – Melbourne Age
Change to court rules risks flood of litigation – The Australian
E-conveyancing plan thrown a $2m lifeline – The Australian
Driving
Rally driving revs the economy – The NSW Government announced this month that legislation was being prepared to approve the Repco Rally Australia on September 3-6 in northern NSW – Sydney Daily Telegraph
Homeless
Homeless living at Redcliffe showgrounds given eviction notice – Brisbane Courier Mail
Home birth
Plan would ban midwives from home birth help – Melbourne Herald Sun
Sex and the sexes
Last dance ditched by Terrace after girls complain – Brisbane Courier Mail
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