Media wrap - Big coal contract with China

POLITICS AND ECONOMICS

Political life

Turnbull ready to cross the floor over emissions – A defiant Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed he will cross the floor when a vote is held on the emissions trading scheme this week, pitting him squarely against Opposition Leader Tony Abbott – Sydney Sun Herald

MPs pay as donations dry up – Federal government MPs donated more than $200,000 to their own party last financial year amid growing concern about ailing campaign finances for both sides of politics heading into an election year – Melbourne Sunday Age

Belinda Neal says - up yours, Mr Rudd – Trouble-prone Labor backbencher Belinda Neal has apparently defied Kevin Rudd, revealing she never undertook an anger management course after all – Sydney Sunday Telegraph

Michelle's letter to Mike Rann revealed – The political sideshow to the upcoming March state election - the "she said, he said" intrigue - continues unabated with the release today of the document dubbed Michelle's Letter. In a heartfelt personal letter to Premier Mike Rann, Michelle Chantelois - the woman who claims they had an affair - says she felt "physically ill" when he publicly denied that they had a sexual relationship – Adelaide Sunday Mail

Education

Education revolution leaves pupils in limbo – The federal government's education building program has left hundreds of primary schools as building sites, with some losing their entire play area – Sydney Sun Herald

Union worry over fast-track teachers – A bold Victorian scheme to parachute high-flying graduates into teaching jobs after six weeks' training could double in size by next year. The teachers' union says the scheme wastes taxpayer dollars better spent on improving training and mentoring for all teachers - not just a select few - but the program, based on an American scheme, looks set to boom – Melbourne Sunday Age

Transport

Transport revolution to get city moving – The state government will unveil a ground-breaking transport plan, conceding that it can no longer simply build new roads to fix Melbourne's congestion crisis and must instead transform the way existing roads are used – Melbourne Sunday Age

Lobbyists

Legal threat to wilderness group plans for debate – The bitter internal dispute that has split the Wilderness Society has widened after management engaged lawyers to try to shut down Saturday's meeting of disaffected members and staff – Melbourne Sunday Age

Racism

Indians slam Overland's advice to 'look poor' to avoid being bashed – An Indian student spokesman has slammed as ridiculous Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland's advice that Indian students should not work as taxi drivers and should ''look as poor as you can'' to avoid being assaulted – Melbourne Sunday Age

Prisons

Deal set despite prison firm's 'lethal' past – The Victorian state government is poised to award a multimillion-dollar prison contract to a private company whose human rights record has been called into question – Melbourne Sunday Age

Economic matters

What crisis? A nation cocooned by drink, drugs and burgers - Retail sales figures released last week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show we cajoled ourselves through the economic uncertainty of last year by spending up on takeaway food, bottle shop liquor, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics – Melbourne Sunday Age

Opinions

Managing spin cycle can leave a government all washed up - Clarity, brevity and persistence will be key if Kevin Rudd is to get his climate change message across in this election year says Michelle Grattan in the Sydney Sun Herald.

Rudd reaps from a green Joyce – Paul Daley in the Sydney Sun Herald writes that the emissions from the outspoken opposition finance spokesman have given new life to the PM's campaign for a carbon trading scheme.

Slice of pre-election bread-and-butter skill - You know it's an election year when politicians start demonstrating their familiarity with normal life by reeling off the price of basic household items such as a litre of milk or a loaf of bread – Stephanie Peatling in the Sydney Sun Herald

Take the politics out of commerce, not vice versa - Don't blame companies for political lobbying, blame politicians for taking the money writes Chris Berg in the Melbourne Sunday Age

Something is rotten - at the SMH – Alan Jones writes in the Sydney Sunday Telegraph that CAC would not have been conducting a peripheral inquiry into the McGurk affair were it not for headlines generated by two Sydney Morning Herald journalists, Kate McClymont and Vanda Carson.

BUSINESS

$70 billion export deal with China - The Resourcehouse chairman said the company's proposed China First coalmine and infrastructure project in central Queensland had reached a 20-year agreement with one of China's largest power companies, China Power International Development, the flagship company of China Power Investment Corporation (CPI) – Sydney Sun Herald

Hold your nerve, it's time to jump in - Shares are now 9 per cent off their January highs, but stock experts say the good times are not far away – Melbourne Sunday Age

ENVIRONMENT

Ships collide as whale war hots up – Hostilities broke out between Japanese whalers and conservation group Sea Shepherd in the Antarctic yesterday, where the two sides collided in their first meeting since the sinking of the Ady Gil – Sydney Sun Herald

Homes forced into energy audits – All Australian homes will have to undergo a mandatory energy-efficiency assessment - costing up to $1500 per property - before they can be sold or rented under new laws to tackle carbon emissions – Adelaide Sunday Mail

LIFE

Swine flu

Second wave of swine flu to hit – Experts predict a second wave of swine flu will hit Australia as early as the end of this month – Sydney Sun Herald

The drugs

Ecstasy use up as police seize drugs worth $260m – An increase in seizures of heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis plants added up to a $260 million drugs haul last year, but police say the drug that has grown most in popularity is ecstasy – Sydney Sun Herald

Real estate

Residents fear public housing effect on prices – Residents in areas where the NSW government has used new fast-track planning rules to maximise stimulus spending and increase public housing say the developments are hurting house prices – Sydney Sun Herald

Renters beware: it's the decade of the landlord – This is quickly shaping up to be the decade of the landlord – Sydney Sun Herald

Thousands wait for public housing – Public housing in NSW is among the worst in the country with almost 50,000 people on waiting lists for homes despite high vacancy rates – Sydney Daily Telegraph

Road safety

Bans 'easy' to get around – Young drivers are exploiting loopholes that highlight the inadequacies of laws that impose bans on the cars P-platers can drive – Sydney Sun Herald

Law and order

Audit exposes 'rorts' rent-a-cop scheme - A corruption inquiry has been launched into Sydney's largest police station over a "rent-a-cop" rort allegedly being run by a group of officers – Sydney Daily Telegraph