From the SMH...

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Three months later an opening arose when corruption allegations forced the resignation of the now jailed union boss Michael Williamson, who had been appointed to the State Water Corporation in the last days of the Labor government by treasurer Eric Roozendaal.

Mr Baird and then finance minister Greg Pearce signed off on the appointment of Mr Di Girolamo to a three-year $100,000 directorship of State Water Corporation.

''[Mr Di Girolamo] has legal and water sector experience,'' the briefing note to Mr Baird states. ''He is currently a director of Australian Water Holdings and Chairman of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry''.

New South Wales Treasurer Mike Baird has been chosen as the state's 44th premier after the shock resignation of Barry O'Farrell.

The Liberal party room met this afternoon to formally accept Mr O'Farrell's resignation and elect his successor.

By Michael Sauga and Anne Seith

From the Daily Mirror advert for TV Week, January 20, 1965...

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have touched down in Sydney with Prince George to begin their 10-day tour of Australia.

In a lengthy interview with Fortune published Thursday, media mogul Rupert Murdoch gave his thoughts on the 2016 presidential field.

Though he said he has “no settled thoughts at all” on the race, Murdoch admitted he’s “watching it with great interest.”

As Russian students were getting a wage for being studious back then in 1959, In Australia, the Abbott regime wants to burden students with more fees on their already hefty loans, to study at university. 

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University students should pay an extra fee on top of government loans to fund more enrolments, a review has recommended.

The MMMM is full of speculation about the age of pension which if I had it my way should be 60 or under (say 55) and give the young people a go at mucking things up.

The prime minister, Tony Abbott, says he wants to accelerate free trade talks with China, but he is in the country to “be a friend”, not to do a deal.

Make no mistake, Japan is the big winner from the slight reduction in agricultural trade barriers announced with so much fanfare from the Prime Minister's captive travelling trade troupe. And that's a perfectly good and very desirable thing.

There's also a strong chance that much of the immediate advantage Australia should enjoy won't last long.

Other beef exporters will be hot on the heels of our most favoured nation status – stand by for American trade negotiators to target the Australian beef tariff level as they seek their own deal. They've never stopped working on a better deal for themselves.