The Australian runs with the new anti-terror laws proposed by the Howard government under which
terror suspects could be fitted with tracking devices and anyone who
preaches violence could be thrown in jail. Meanwhile, an Islamic
newspaper has defied Howard’s new laws, claiming that the 9/11 attacks were a massive US-inspired conspiracy. Looming larger on the front page is how an in-form Shane Warne is helping keep Australia in the race for the Ashes.

Howard’s counter-terrorism laws
were ordered by the Prime Minister after the London bombings in July, says the SMH.
Light on detail and yet to be drafted, Howard has said the planned laws
wouldn’t have a “sunset clause” requiring Parliament to re-enact them.
Meanwhile, on employment, the paper says we’ve “never had it so good.”
According to the ABS, the labour market is “red hot” right now – just
last month, employment grew by 32,600 jobs, as the workforce
participation rate reached an all-time high of
64.8%.

“THE BIG PETROL RIP-OFF” is the Daily Tele‘s leading story.
While oil companies have “gouged” $80 million from the pockets of
Australian families in the past three weeks, John Howard and the
“so-called consumer watchdog” have done nothing, says the paper. For one family, says the paper, a driving holiday was the first casualty of soaring petrol prices which are crunching “life’s little luxuries.”

The Age
also leads with Howard’s anti-terror laws – “PM orders: search, tag and track”
– but devotes front page attention to a couple of famous spectators who
turned out to watch the
action-packed US Open quarter-final where Andre Agassi put in an
amazing comeback performance: Nicole Kidman and Wendi Deng. And Meaghan
Shaw reports how Ashley Shaw, a “usually shy Narre Warren brake press
operator” survived the the Hurricane Katrina in the slammer.

“PM’s BLITZ ON TERROR.” The Hun alsoleads with the topic du jour – and notes that microchipping for Victoria’s 840,000 pet dogs and cats will become compulsory under a government crackdown.

Based on documents that have come by the Courier-Mail
desk, the paper reports that young doctors are turning their back on
Queensland’s public health system – while 146 registrars are required
to provide
adequate service in emergency departments, only 53 graduates have
applied. The Adelaide Advertiser
previews the new school report card which complies with federal
Education Minister Brendan Nelson’s calls for “plain language”
reporting in all government schools – only to find it “fails the test.” Meanwhile, the ACT’s unemployment rate has hit a record low
of just 3% – that’s the best result since 1978, says The Canberra Times

In The Hobart Mercury
a couple have spoken out about their terrifying ordeal during the three
day New Norfolk siege in March and how Troy Kane Wordsworth repeatedly
threatened to “blow them away.” The fuel price has jumped 16c
in seven days in Darwin, laments The NT News. And in The West, Consumer and Employment Protection Minister John Kobelke has admitted
that WA’s construction industry is responsible for the State losing twice as
many working days to industrial disputes as the national average.