The Australian

leads with the Howard Government’s plan to attract 20,000 workers from
across Europe and Asia to rescue key industries from labour shortages
with tradespeople, engineers and doctors believed to be among the most
desperately needed. Meanwhile Kim Beazley
has hit a new low in his seven-year career as Opposition Leader as well
as recording his lowest satisfaction rating as Labor leader according
to the latest Newspoll survey.

The Sydney Morning Herald
leads with the news that the Federal Government is on the brink of
securing the full sale of Telstra, now that it is likely to secure the
crucial support of Queensland National Senator Barnaby Joyce. TheSMH also reports that consumers should be wary of corporate claims that products and services are “environmentally friendly”
because an increasing number of companies are “greenwashing” their
reputations, such as marketing old-fashioned hydro-electricity as
greenhouse friendly. Meanwhile New Zealanders
are crossing the Tasman in such large numbers that about 10% of
the country’s population now lives in Australia, despite the booming
New Zealand economy.

The Age also leads with Barnaby Joyce’s qualified backing for a
$3 billion dollar Federal Government plan to support phone services in
the bush, which could see the $30 billion sale of Telstra launched
within weeks. Meanwhile, the regional city of Bendigo is enjoying
broadband services equivalent to any metropolitan service after the
community set up the Bendigo Community Telco – modelled on the success of the Bendigo Community Bank. And an Age “exclusive” reveals the State Government is proposing that social workers and psychologists
should be able to counsel patients and bill Medicare under a radical
proposal by the State Government to counter the national shortage of
doctors.

The Herald Sun
enters the “POLICE FILES DEBACLE” debate with a front page story
revealing that the police files of up to 1000 Victorians were sent to a
prison officer-turned-whistleblower in a damaging security
breach. TheHun also reports that police seized a secret video
made by Joe Korp and his brother, just days before taking his life,
which it is believed he planned to sell it to a media outlet.

The Daily Telegraph
splashes with the revelations that the Helios passenger who sent a text
message saying goodbye to his cousin before the doomed jet crashed on
Sunday has been identified as an Australian man, on holiday with his
wife and two daughters. Meanwhile court documents obtained exclusively
by The Tele reveal how the Bali Nine were drawn into the heroin smuggling plot, which could see the Aussies before a firing squad.

The Courier-Mail
reports that the number of deaths officially linked to Dr Jayant
Patel’s botched surgery at Bundaberg Hospital has jumped from eight to
13. The Advertiser
reports that Australian air safety authorities are likely to join the
investigation into the crash of the Helios Airlines Boeing after it was
confirmed at least one Australian citizen was on board the aircraft in
Sunday’s crash. The Mercury
reports that Tassie logging giant Gunns Ltd has renewed its bid to sue
a group of environmentalists, after Victorian judge Bernard Bongiorno
threw out the company’s second statement of claim, describing parts of
it as “unintelligible.” The West Australian
reports that gas has beaten coal after the Gallop Government decided it
will go with gas for Western Power’s next $400 million baseload power
station over Collie coal mining. And the NT News
reports that a refugee won’t be deported despite being jailed for
indecent dealing with a young girl after the Territory Supreme Court
sentenced the man to 11 months and seven days in prison, falling short
of a 12 months jail term which would have given the Federal Minister of
Immigration the right to cancel his temporary protection visa.