ICAC Obeid inquiry sparks $13m civil case

A host of companies and several well-known businessmen are being sued in a $13 million civil action, the first legal case to arise from the corruption investigation into the granting of coal exploration licences in NSW, The Australian reports.

Multi-millionaires Neville Crichton and Denis O'Neil have turned on old friends and business associates in a court case that will send shockwaves through Sydney's wealthy eastern suburbs set.

Call for foreign curbs as miners get GFC credit

Australians believe the mining industry saved the economy during the global financial crisis, but most want curbs on foreign investment and the use of overseas workers, according to The Australian.

A major new survey - commissioned by SBS as part of its Dirty Business: How Mining Made Australia series to be screened from January 6 - shows Australians appreciate the benefits that mining has brought to the economy and its role in shaping the national identity.

Delay on importing workers

The federal government has yet to sign off on an agreement allowing Gina Rinehart's $10 billion Roy Hill iron ore project to import up to 1700 foreign workers, despite announcing the controversial deal eight months ago.

The in-principle agreement made in May sparked a hostile reaction from union leaders and some ALP backbenchers, prompting Prime Minister Julia Gillard to promise that local workers would not miss out on mining jobs.