The Oz, unsurprisingly, leads with its extracts from The Latham
Diaries, accompanied by Paul Kelly’s
comments on the ex-Labor leader’s scathing attack on Kevin Rudd. Latham questioned
Rudd’s competence as foreign affairs spokesman – saying he’d make him
the “minister for the Pacific islands” – slammed his stance on Iraq, and
claimed he has a “heroin-like addiction” to the media, says Kelly. Accompanying is the latest on the full sale of Telstra, with a lot of weight given to the ACCC’s warnings that a Telstra monopoly would be difficult to control.

“He’s back,” trumpets the SMHof
a visibly gaunt Mark Latham. “He’s come out of hiding
to engage in a kind of political scorched earth policy,” reports the
lead story, before going on to catalogue the best excerpts they could
nab from News Ltd papers. But the story is nearly surpassed by a soft
piece on a Commonwealth-funded study of 40,000 women, which claims
obesity is “the new crisis for women.” Australian women in their 20s
have put on an average of five kilograms in just seven years – which wouldn’t be news to one Britney Spears. She’s just given birth to her first child, and the story is given pride of place on the SMH’s website.

It’s a case of more Telstra and more Latham at The Age
– although this time Michelle Grattan brings us the view from inside
the ALP party room. More amusingly, the piece is accompanied by the
tale of “wine, vodka and a pole.” Yes, Andrew Peacock has had his day
in Sydney’s Waverly Court for drink driving, and he “knows when the jig
is up.” After a night of two red wines, a vodka, and a run-in with a
power pole, he pleaded guilty, will be without his licence for six months, and will pay a fine of $650.

The Daily Telegraph splashes with the “Latham diary of hatred,” and it’s more of the same. But inside is the scintillating yarn of Latham’s now infamous “handcrusher” handshake with John Howard
in the Sydney ABC studios on the eve of the 2004 election. It was
payback, says Latham, for Howard’s repeated use of the “bonecrusher”
handshake as a tool of intimidation.

Meanwhile, it’s big news in Tassie – our Mary
is in hospital. Australia’s own Princess, or as The Mercury puts it,
“Denmark’s Tasmanian Princess Mary” is under observation at Copenhagen
University Hospital after experiencing contractions six weeks before
her baby is due. Crown Prince Frederik is said to be at his wife’s
side.

The Herald Sun also leads with a picture of the demure Princess, and the tale of her “baby alarm.” But the big story comes courtesy of Victorian Opposition Leader Robert Doyle – he plans to scrap tolls
on the controversial Mitcham-to-Frankston freeway, although that means
inevitable cuts to other government departments, and Doyle hasn’t let
on which ones will take the burden.

At The Courier-Mail, the Latham Diaries
and Telstra dominate the front page – although the sale of the
national telco is given a slightly different spin in the sunshine
state. “Telstra: Joyce finally jumps,”
says the headline, before reporting how the “unpredictable”
Queensland Nationals Senator finally “ended the guessing game” and gave
the green light to offload the Government’s remaining 51.8% stake in
the company. Meanwhile, all is not well in the Northern Territory –
Darwin has been named among the 101 worst places to live, reports the Northern Territory News.
British author Adam Russ has described the city as one of the most
“miserable, ugly, boring and inbred destinations” on earth, lumping it
alongside Kosovo and Fallujah. The Top End’s tourism president Sylvia
Wolf is not impressed – “he’s obviously a pr*ck and hasn’t been here,”
she said.