The Australian
 continues with its tax reform theme leading with
revelations that almost 40% of families receive more in welfare
payments than they pay in tax, adding weight to a push to simplify and
lower tax rates. Meanwhile President George W Bush has upgraded Australia to the
highest rank of intelligence partner, equalling the level of access
enjoyed by Britain. And a report in the Media section looks at the ethics row sparked by
John Brogden’s treatment by the media following The Daily Tele‘streatment of the disgraced Liberal figure.


The Sydney Morning Herald covers much of the front page with the
aftermath of “the week from hell” under the headline, “Bewildered Libs
hit rock bottom.” The paper also delves into the reasons why Barry O’Farrell decided to
reject the “poisoned chalice” that is the NSW Liberal Party leadership and reveals that at 36, Brogden was in the age group of men who account for 50% of all suicides. Meanwhile Telstra boss Sol Trujillo, looks set to make Sydney his home,
with the paper observing that “there has been much angst in Melbourne
over his choice of domicile.”


The Daily Telegraph changes its tune with the headline, “LIBERALS HEAL
THE PAIN” after an emotional day in Macquarie Street with new leader
Peter Debnam playing a lead role in trying to calm distressed party
colleagues and staff. The Tele also reports on the comments made by former Victorian Premier
and depression campaigner Jeff Kennett yesterday in which he said
Brogden would have harmed himself to “end the pain.”


The Age has a photo of the scene where a Victorian school girl was
killed when a tree fell on her tent on today’s front
page. The paper also reports that Helen Coonan has said that to protect media
diversity under the new media laws, media companies will be able to
combine freely, provided that each capital city is left with five
separate commercial media “voices.” And the High Court has upheld the main thrust of the Howard
Government’s Pacific Solution, ruling that Nauru may detain asylum
seekers on Australia’s behalf, in a 4-1 decision.

The Herald Sun also splashes with the “TEARS FOR ALICE” following the year
10 student’s death. Meanwhile the Hun also reports that taxpayers pick up the bill for the
vast majority of detention services, with just 4% of the cost of
holding visa overstayers in detention centres recouped every year.

The Courier-Mail reports that miners are digging Australia out of its
trade deficit woes, contributing to a $2.4 billion fall in the current
account deficit, but adds that the building sector is still struggling
to prop up the domestic economy. The Advertiser splashes with the father of a missing 21-year-old South
Australian backpacker who has flown to India in search of his son, who
mysteriously disappeared from an ashram where he had been staying with
his travelling companion. The West Australian reports a WA task force is trebling its efforts to
find the Claremont serial killer and resolve the nine-year-old mystery. And The Mercury says Tasmanian wildlife experts are debating whether
the Tasmanian devil should be listed as “endangered” or simply
“vulnerable” on the state’s Threatened Species Protection Act.