The Australian

keeps the tax debate trundling along with the revelation that the
nation’s wealthiest people are paying only 25% of their income in tax.
Another chunk of the paper is splashed with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,
with a death toll of more than 10,000 being predicted and
reports of the implementation of the controversial shoot-to-kill
policy. And Telstra’s fall from grace
continues to dominate headlines, after a shock profit downgrade from
chief executive Sol Trujillo carved $3 billion off the value of the
company.

The Sydney Morning Herald
leads with the breaking news of the nine people killed in Austria after
a helicopter dropped a concrete block on a ski-lift, sending a cable
car hurtling down the mountainside. Meanwhile, the paper covers
yesterday’s crash of a Boeing 737-200
that plowed into a residential area of Medan, Indonesia’s third biggest
city, killing more than 100 people on board and 47 on the ground. And
the paper rehashes last night’s Media Watch allegations that the report in the Daily Tele scoop, “Brogden’s sordid past”, of the former opposition leader propositioning two reporters for group sex in 2003 was “completely and utterly fabricated.”

The Daily Telegraph leads
with the headline LIBS RISK ELECTORAL DOOM, claiming that a
“witch-hunt” is ripping through the NSW Liberal Party party to restore
order because of internal fears that it could be cemented into a state
of semi-permanent Opposition. The Tele also reports that the stock
exchange is set to investigate claims Telstra executives leaked sensitive information about the company.

The Age
puts Barnaby Joyce back in the picture, reporting that the “rebel
Nationals Senator” has cast doubt on his party’s support for the full
sale of Telstra and splashing the front page with TELSTRA’S TUMBLE PUTS
SALE IN DOUBT. The front page is dominated by a pic of a New Orleans mum who has been reunited with her newborn baby after being separated for five days, and reports that President Bush is now playing catch-up
to quell the sniping. Opposition Leader Kim Beazley has weighed into
the blame game, saying Oz diplomats and military staff should’ve
ignored US orders to stay out of New Orleans and forced their way in to
rescue stranded Aussies. Back home, the Oz record industry is
celebrating a win against online music-swapping service Kazaa.

The Herald Sun
again leads with the father’s day tragedy in which three young boys
drowned after their car plunged into a dam – police believe one of the
brothers unbuckled his brothers’ seatbelts but that the children were
unable to escape from the submerged vehicle. And the paper reports that
women whose mothers used a drug to prevent miscarriage between 1938 and
1980 were advised to have the wrong medical test to check for cancer.

The Courier Mail
reports that Premier Peter Beattie has bowed to public pressure and
announced a top lawyer will be granted special powers to investigate
claims against Queensland Health employees raised during the disbanded
Morris inquiry into the health system.The Advertiser
reports at least 1000 jobs will be created in the Salisbury region over
the next six months due to record levels of industrial development and
retrenched Holden workers will now be targeted to fill the growing
shortage of skilled workers.The West Australian
chronicles an alarming report that shows 34 “unexpected” deaths and 77
serious incidents occurred in WA’s mental health system in 2004-05.

The NT News
reports that the army yesterday publicly apologised to the family of a
25-year-old soldier who died during a Top End training exercise, saying
his death was preventable. And The Mercury
leads with the court case involving a former Hobart high school teacher
who exploited the sexual maturity of five teenage students she preyed
on for sex.

And we liked this letter to The Independent in London:

An Aussie apology

Sir: I wish to apologise, on behalf of my fellow Australians, for
comments made by our cricket captain, Mr Ricky Ponting, criticising the
English team’s tactics. His remarks were un-Australian. We are normally
far blunter than that.

KEVIN RUGG

MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA