PRESS DIGEST-Australian General News - Nov 26

Compiled for Reuters by Media Monitors. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW (www.afr.com)

Federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has convinced enough opposition members to vote for the Rudd government's emissions trading scheme that it should pass into law either today or tomorrow. However, a significant number of high-powered opposition members remain opposed the legislation, or are displeased about Mr Turnbull's handling of the issue, that his leadership is under threat. Page 1.

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Reserve Bank of Australia deputy governor Ric Battellino said yesterday that strong growth among the Asian trading partners of Australia would keep the Australian economy growing for years to come. Following Mr Battellino's comments, investors now rate the likelihood of a 0.25 percentage point interest rate rise in December at 76 percent. Page 1.

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A recovery in the Australian market for major commercial office towers is underway with buyers currently performing due diligence on over A$1 billion of office buildings. Analysts report that the value of high-quality buildings is now rising, signalling that revival from the value drop due to the global financial crisis is now underway. John Garimort of IPD Australia and New Zealand said yesterday for the top-quality buildings that "our numbers are showing it's troughing out." Page 1.

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In a speech yesterday, Federal Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner said that the Government would not seek to influence the Future Fund, which is the largest shareholder in telecommunications giant Telstra (TLS.AX), over decisions relating to Telstra. Future Fund chairman David Murray said that information on how the Future Fund voted would be published to demonstrate that the guiding principles of the Future Fund were being upheld. Page 3.

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THE AUSTRALIAN (www.theaustralian.news.com.au)

A Senate privileges committee inquiry heard yesterday that former Treasury official Godwin Grech had offered to stay at Treasury because he felt that he could be useful to the Liberal party there. The inquiry into the OzCar affair tabled an email from Mr Grech which stated that he was doing some fundraising for Malcolm Turnbull. "My immediate motivation is to place myself where I think I could be of most use to MT (Malcolm Turnbull) and the party," Mr Grech wrote in the email. Page 1.

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The Federal Government has approved the initial purchase of up to 14 United States-built F-35 aircrafts at a cost of A$3.2 billion. Delivery of the first aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force will be in 2014. Australia has become the first foreign government to endorse the US F-35 as the main aircraft for its future air combat force. Defence Minister John Faulkner said the government had carefully analysed the F-35 and was convinced that it represented the best choice for future combat requirements. Page 2.

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The Federal Government's school building program is helping combat deep recession in the private construction industry. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that government spending on construction jumped 17.6 percent in the September quarter. "The government's efforts have supported growth in the third quarter and should do so again in coming quarters -- this gives the Reserve Bank of Australia the greenlight to remove stimulus," said Australia and New Zealand Banking Group economist Alex Joiner. Page 2.

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Organisers of Byron Bay's Splendour in the Grass music festival yesterday accused the Byron Shire Council of forcing them out of New South Wales. The festival, considered one of Australia's biggest rock events, will now be relocated to Queensland. The organisers claim that after purchasing a 256-hectare site in Yelgun, in the north of Byron Bay, with the intent of developing the site to hold various events and the festival, the shire council dictated to them that only two major events could be held in Byron Shire each year. Page 3.

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THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (www.smh.com.au)

The Greater Sunrise project, a joint venture between Australia and East Timor to produce natural gas from fields in the Timor Sea, is under threat. East Timor says it will withdraw unless the gas is piped 200 kilometres to a plant to be built on East Timor's southern coast. The Australian company Woodside (WPL.AX) says this is too expensive and offers options of using a floating plant at the site or pumping the gas 500 kilometres to an existing plant in Darwin. Page 3.

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English singer Robbie Williams is in Sydney to perform at tonight's ARIA Awards at Acer Arena in Homebush. About the possibility of marriage to his girlfriend, actress Ayda Field, he said, "I am coming around to the idea." About his favourite singer, Michael Buble, he said, "He's like me but he can actually sing." Page 3.

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Yesterday nutritional experts condemned the Hungry Jack's Angry Angus burger for its high levels of fat and salt. However, Hungry Jack's said there had been a mistake in calculating the nutrition values of the burger and there were actually less calories, protein, salt, fat and sugar present than previously reported. Three years ago a study by the New South Wales Food Authority found incorrect labels on 84 percent of products. Page 3.

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The emissions trading scheme includes compensation for many groups that may be adversely affected financially. For householders, higher electricity bills are expected, but for those on low and middle incomes the increase should be covered by compensation. Amendments made to the bill this week will raise the compensation for the liquefied natural gas industry from zero to A$610 million. Page 7.

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THE AGE (www.theage.com.au) According to a Victorian Auditor-General's report, Bendigo residents will be asked to pay more for their water to keep the area's supplier afloat. The report has found that Coliban Water has insufficient funds to build needed infrastructure and was borrowing money to pay for the daily running costs of its business. The report noted that seven of the 13 regional urban water corporations and two rural water companies lost money in the last financial year. Page 2.

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The Director of Public Prosecutions in Victoria has been forced to re-examine cases dating as far back as five years in order to determine if the cases were undermined by unreliable DNA analysis. Jeremy Rapke, QC, has launched an audit to identify cases where re-examination may uncover defendants that have been wrongly incarcerated. Defence solicitor Matthew White said it was unknown how many cases will be affected and how many persons have been found guilty on the basis of the unreliable DNA testing. Page 3.

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Atheist Foundation of Australia president David Nicholls has accused state and federal governments of discrimination, saying that while a global atheist conference in Melbourne next year has received no funding, a religious conference at the same venue next month has received over A$2 million of public money.

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The director of neurology at Melbourne's St Vincent's Hospital, Mark Cook, yesterday said families of people who have been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state should have them re-examined with the latest technology. Professor Cook said that the estimated 100 Australians in such a condition can be re-examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging technology. Page 3.

-- ((Sydney Newsroom +61-2 9373 1800; sydney.newsroom@reuters.com))