Rally calls for Tas forest protection

5000 protesters have rallied in Hobart to oppose the delisting of Tasmania's World Heritage forests. Source: AAP

OPPONENTS of the Abbott government's bid to wind back Tasmania's World Heritage wilderness have rallied outside state parliament.

THE protest aims to pressure the government ahead of a World Heritage Committee meeting in Doha, Qatar, from Sunday.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott promised to wind the World Heritage Area (WHA) back during last year's election campaign and Environment Minister Greg Hunt applied to UNESCO in February.But green groups say 90 per cent of the area is intact and its listing ensures the integrity of the 1.6 million hectare World Heritage Area's border.The rally called on the World Heritage Committee to follow the recommendations of its expert advisors and reject the government's application when it meets in Doha next week."(The federal government's) primary argument is that it is so degraded by logging that it detracts from the rest of the property," Wilderness Society Tasmania campaign director, Vica Bayley, told AAP."But they have been hideously exposed over the last few months by expert advice, and some of their own internal advice, that says around 90 per cent of the area of the land they are proposing to excise is intact forest or other natural vegetation."Two advisory bodies to the committee say excising this forest from the WHA, as sought by the government, should not proceed, he said.A decision on the Tasmania application is expected on Friday or Saturday next week.Mr Bayley, part of a delegation of conservationists heading to Doha, said it was not too late for the government to withdraw its submission.The area slated for delisting is part of 172,000 hectares added last year as a result of a historic peace deal.The deal swapped forest reserves for green groups' support for the ailing logging industry.Federal government forestry spokesman and Tasmanian senator Richard Colbeck accused green groups of trying to dupe the community about the wilderness values of the forest by claiming it is "pristine, untouched old growth forest, when clearly it is not".

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Israel combs West Bank for missing teens

Israeli security forces are combing the West Bank in search of three missing teenagers. Source: AAP

ISRAELI security forces are searching for three teenagers who went missing near a West Bank settlement, the army says, amid media speculation they may have been kidnapped by Palestinians.

THE three, all students at a Jewish seminary, went missing late Thursday as they were hitchhiking between Bethlehem and Hebron.

"Search activity, both operational and in terms of intelligence, is continuing," a spokeswoman said on Saturday, refusing to confirm speculation about a possible kidnapping."For us, these three youths are missing," was all she would say.An AFP journalist said the army had set up roadblocks in the southern West Bank and was searching vehicles.Troops also closed the main crossings into the Gaza Strip to prevent the three, one of whom also holds US citizenship, from being smuggled out of Israel.A rocket was fired from the territory into Israel early Saturday without causing any casualties or damage, the army said.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US Secretary of State John Kerry Friday, and said he holds Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas responsible for the teenagers' safety.Kerry also telephoned Abbas, a Palestinian source said.A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority's security services, General Adnan al-Damiri, called Netanyahu's suggestions "mad."Damiri said that the PA had no authority over the sprawling Gush Etzion settlement bloc, which is under full Israeli control."Even if there was an earthquake, Netanyahu would blame the Palestinian Authority," he told AFP.Another Palestinian official said the authority's security services were "cooperating" with Israeli agencies to gather information on the teenagers' disappearance.

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Jail term cut for WA teen's murder attempt

A WEST Australian teenager who changed his mind about killing an acquaintance after repeatedly stabbing him and attacking him with a brick has had his sentence reduced.

THE young man was aged 17 and drunk when he and two acquaintances went to a shed at the rear of an abandoned house in the southern Perth suburb of Hilton in the early hours of October 20, 2012 after a party.

While the victim slept on a couch, the offender told the other acquaintance of his murderous plans.He was adamant and resisted attempts to talk him out of it.The offender, who cannot be named, plunged a 8cm fold-out knife into the victim's chest at least four times.He then threw a brick at the victim's head but missed."There's been a change of plans. (The victim) is still alive and I'm going to let him live," the teen told the other acquaintance, who was standing outside the shed.He then got the victim to call an ambulance, instructing him to tell police that a homeless man had caused the injuries.Before leaving, the offender stole the victim's pants, backpack and laptop computer.He then ditched the knife at a quarry in nearby Beaconsfield.The third youth told police what had happened two days later.On Friday in the West Australian Court of Appeal, it was argued the teenager's sentence of seven years and six months in jail was excessive.Justice Robert Anthony Mazza said the sentence was "erroneously long"."The length of the sentence imposed upon the appellant was of a severity one would have expected to have been imposed upon an adult," he said."The sentence was more than was required to provide protection of the public, proper punishment and denunciation and did not sufficiently reflect the appellant's youth and his prospects of rehabilitation."The offender was re-sentenced to six years' imprisonment, backdated to October 23, 2012.He will be eligible for parole.

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Millions for homeless but refuges in doubt

WOMEN'S refuges fear they are days away from closing their doors, despite the NSW government's new promise to pump money into homeless support and restore funding for inner-city shelters.

THE government had foreshadowed cuts to inner-city areas through its Going Home, Staying Home reforms, which aimed to end homelessness where it starts with a focus on early intervention.

The plan sparked outcry from advocates who were concerned women who'd survived physical or sexual abuse or had complex needs would be forced into one-size-fits-all shelters.Community Services Minister Gabrielle Upton argued that the previous approach of pouring money into crisis services in the city was not working - but after reconsidering, she has agreed to wind back mooted cuts.Two months after taking on the portfolio, Ms Upton said on Friday she would restore $8.6 million in annual funding that had been on the chopping block, including $2 million a year for inner-city women's services."Let me be clear: the government was never planning to do away with women's specialist services, nor were there plans to have men and women sharing crisis accommodation," she said."However, I have listened to the legitimate concerns of many inner-city providers and the right decision was to restore funding."Kate Timmins from SOS Women's Services said the new minister was "trying to listen", however, some organisations were scrambling to avoid turning women away from June 30.The government has also promised a new fund so that NGOs who missed out during the tender process can apply for 18 months of extra funding. But Ms Timmins says defunded services are already losing vital accommodation facilities."We've been involved in the tender process since November last year. So to hear today that the government is still not making a commitment to maintain the network of specialist services, and that they'll be eligible to reapply without any guarantee of success, throws the sector into a state of chaos," she said."It's not about services losing tenders, it's about vulnerable women losing services."Ms Upton said next week's budget would include a record $148 million for NGOs delivering specialist homelessness services, up from $135 million.Communities in the Hunter-New England district and on the mid-north coast, Illawarra and Sydney's northern beaches will receive some of the biggest boosts."These reforms are about providing early-intervention services so that there won't be the crisis that we currently have, represented by people coming to the city in search of a safe and secure home," Ms Upton said.Deputy Labor leader Linda Burney says the funding reprieve for inner Sydney comes too late for some organisations."Many of them have already lost their buildings, lost their computers and lost their infrastructure," she said.

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Jobless rate steady for third month

Unemployment is tipped to have risen in May, amid job losses linked to the wind down in mining. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S jobless rate is steady, but only because people are dropping out of the race for a job.

UNEMPLOYMENT remained unchanged at 5.8 per cent in May, beating economists' expectations of a rise to 5.9 per cent.

The static result came despite the economy having shed almost 5,000 jobs last month, the first fall in five months.AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver says while the jobless rate has held for three months, it "significantly understates" the current weakness in the job market.That's because the participation rate - which includes those in work, looking for work and ready to start work - continues to fall.It dropped to 64.6 per cent in May."If the participation rate had remained at its 2011 average level the unemployment rate would now be seven per cent," Dr Oliver said.Australia's participation rate has been trending lower since the global financial crisis."We've got the ageing population, people are retiring, leaving the labour force," JP Morgan economist Tom Kennedy said."There could also be disgruntled workers leaving the labour force, and we are also seeing young people staying in education for longer, going to university and TAFE instead of actively seeking work."Today's data fits with the theme that the labour market is still a little bit soft, still losing jobs, and unemployment is likely to move higher as we progress through 2014."Dr Oliver said a dip in jobs growth was to be expected following a strong start to the year, with more than 100,000 positions created in the first four months of 2014.While some economists believe the jobless rate has peaked, Dr Oliver believes unemployment could return to six per cent before the labour market picks up later in the year."While the hit to confidence from the federal budget has increased the level of uncertainty, forward looking indicators for the labour market, including the ANZ job ads survey and employment intentions in the monthly NAB business survey point to stronger jobs growth ahead," he said.Thursday's figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed full-time employment rose 22,200 in May while part-time employment fell 27,000.That shows the jobs market is playing out nicely and running pretty much to plan, CommSec chief economist Craig James said."We seem to have gone through the first stage of recovery with more part time jobs coming on and now we are starting to see more full time workers coming through and part time workers being converted to full time staff," Mr James said."The solid lift in full-time job creation in 2014 should provide a boost to consumer sentiment... more full-time jobs lead to higher consumer spending.The figures should allow the Reserve Bank to keep interest rates on hold, unless the federal budget and warm autumn weather robs momentum from the economy, Mr James said.

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Govt providing certainty for jobs: Hockey

A FURTHER rise in full-time employment comes at an opportune time for Joe Hockey as he continues to peddle his poorly received budget.

THE jobless rate also remained at 5.8 per cent for a third straight month in May when economists had expected it to tick up to 5.9 per cent.

The treasurer dismissed suggestions that more than 100,000 full-time jobs were created since the turn of the year due to Labor leaving the economy in good nick, noting the former government left office with a forecast of a 6.25 per cent unemployment rate."It quite clearly appears that we have turned around the trajectory," Mr Hockey told reporters in Darwin on Thursday.New data showed the number of people in full-time employment grew 22,200 in May.However, overall employment eased 4800 because of a 27,000 drop in part-time workers.Mr Hockey took aim at Bill Shorten, saying the opposition leader had been proved "dead wrong" by claiming high-profile job cuts at Ford, Holden, Toyota, SPC Ardmona and Qantas would be the "end of all time"."Our decisions to provide stability, certainty and predictability have been proven right," he said.Labor's employment spokesman Brendan O'Connor said the steady jobless rate was more to do with people giving up on finding a job.At 64.6 per cent the participation rate of those in work or actively seeking employment was lower than during the 2008-2009 global financial crisis."People have given up looking for work because of the ... lack of confidence in the economy and in this government to provide opportunities for work," Mr O'Connor told reporters in Melbourne.Earlier Mr Hockey told ABC radio the drop in consumer sentiment in response to the budget was entirely predictable."You will see over time that we will deliver on a stronger economy ... things are going to get better".In a speech on Wednesday, he lashed out at claims his budget is unfair saying the government must reward the lifters and discourage the leaners.Too many Australians rely on government payments, he told the Sydney Institute."It should not be taboo to question whether everyone is entitled to these payments," he said.Mr Shorten accused the treasurer of cynically dividing Australians with a budget that puts big business ahead of individuals.He also told the ACOSS annual conference in Brisbane the government's lax approach to tax evasion was especially galling at a time when it is making cruel and unfair cuts to pensions, schools and hospitals.Union "Bust the Budget" protest marches were held in Sydney on Melbourne on Thursday.

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BHP cuts Downer contract, jobs at risk

Downer EDI has had a Queensland coal mining contract worth $360 million cancelled by BHP Billiton. Source: AAP

MORE than 400 people are expected to lose their jobs after BHP Billiton tore up a $360 million mining services contract with Downer EDI.

BHP cancelled the contract two years early at the Goonyella Riverside coal mine in central Queensland, amid persistent weak global coal prices.

Downer employs 427 people at the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) site for pre-stripping - the removal of unwanted material before mining.

Both Australia's coal and mining services industries are under siege with thousands of jobs axed in the past two years and miners cutting investment and operating costs that soared during the boom.

The big miners were squeezing the services industries dependent on them to such an extent that mining services senior executives were contacting the union for help, Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union vice-president Chris Brodsky said.

"The contracting companies are ringing out of the blue, saying: what can you do, how do we try and combat what these giant multinational companies are doing to us, forcing us out of business?" he told AAP.

"That's how bad it is, ordinarily they would steer clear of us."

Downer EDI would not rule the job losses in or out, with a spokesman saying it was too early to say as the contract was only terminated on Tuesday night.

Mr Brodsky said he doubted many workers would keep their jobs.

"I can't see Downer having any other work for them ... I could be wrong but work is pretty scarce out there at the moment," he said.

Downer estimated the termination would reduce its work-in-hand by $160 million in the 2014/15 financial year and by $200 million in 2015/16.

Its shares plunged to their lowest level for 2014, down 59 cents, or 11.15 per cent, to $4.70.

Downer will be entitled to compensation for the contract ending in September this year, instead of June 2016.

BHP coal president Dean Dalla Valle said the action was necessary and flagged more cost cutting to ensure the viability of its coal business.

"The coal industry is undergoing a difficult transition and to be globally competitive we have to reset the cost base of the business," he said.

Mr Brodsky rejected the suggestion workers were over-paid and blamed large miners such as BHP for the weak coal prices because they had flooded the market to squeeze out competition.

"We worked with Downer over the last month to reduce costs and keep people employed but it still wasn't enough for BMA," he said.

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Privacy concerns over Kings Cross scanners

EARLY lock-outs, 3am last drinks, year-long bans from party spots and now ID scanners.

While the NSW government and police are praising the early success of measures to curb alcohol-related violence, civil libertarians fear it may have gone too far with the roll-out of data-storing identification scanners.

The scanners, which will weed out banned patrons at the club or pub door, will be operational from 9pm on Friday in 35 high-risk venues in Kings Cross.

High-risk venues are those trading past midnight with more than a 120-person capacity.

The database will store the names of people subject to Kings Cross bans, either 12 months or 48 hours.

The technology will also store the birth date, name, photograph and address of every ID scanned for 30 days.

Police say it will aid in investigating crime but the NSW Council for Civil Liberties sees it as an invasion of privacy.

President Stephen Blanks believes the measures to tackle alcohol and drug-fuelled violence don't need bolstering.

"Keeping people's ID details is not going to reduce the amount of violence," he told AAP.

"But it's going to compromise people's ID security and expose people to significant risk of ID fraud."

The NSW government says the database will be encrypted and venues can't access the data and are only alerted if a banned person tries to enter.

Police must have a good reason to search it, Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch said.

"They need to have sufficient reason to interrogate the database, the database is auditable and the information only stays there for 30 days," he said.

But Mr Blanks says even eBay, which had its users' accounts hacked recently, found that despite all the security measures data bases were vulnerable.

"There is no reason to think this database is not going to be vulnerable to improper access or inappropriate access," Mr Blanks said.

Either by police or criminal networks, he added.

But licensee of Kings Cross venue The Bourbon, Adam Gainsford, says the scanners will help keep "idiots" out.

It has been four months since 1.30am lock-outs and 3am last drinks came into play and police are pleased with the drop in assault rates.

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Calls for floor price on cigarettes

AN independent senator is pushing for a minimum floor price on cigarettes to counter a tobacco giant's "cynical" move to sell discounted packets.

British American Tobacco Australia has launched what it claims is the cheapest legal packet of cigarettes on the market at $13 for a 25-pack.

It is blaming federal government policy for the move, saying it's simply seeking to remain competitive as sales of cut-price cigarettes soar.

Senator Nick Xenophon has accused the tobacco giant of circumventing laws to discourage people from smoking.

He plans to introduce a resolution in the upper house next week to seek a minimum floor price for all cigarettes sold in Australia.

"We need to outsmart big tobacco in terms of what they've done with this price-discounting and loss-leading campaign," he told ABC TV on Monday.

Senator Xenophon will consult with public health experts on the most effective disincentive price but wants to see a minimum of $20 for a 25-pack.

It was the best option to combat a "deeply cynical" campaign aimed at boosting the ranks of younger smokers, he said.

Senator Xenophon also dismissed "exaggerated" industry claims that plain packaging laws and large excises were driving up black market sales.

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Public comment sought on WA shark cull

ALMOST 1000 sharks could be caught in the next three years if the West Australian government's controversial shark kill policy continues, but less than 25 are predicted to be great whites.

The state government opened its public environmental review (PER) on Monday as part of the Environmental Protection Authority's (EPA) assessment process, and is seeking public feedback.

A proposed extension of the program would see baited drumlines set one kilometre off some beaches between November and April for three years, targeting great white, tiger and bull sharks longer than three metres.

The PER predicts about 900 tiger sharks, 25 great white sharks and only a few bull sharks will be caught over the next three years.

It said capturing that many tiger sharks could possibly "generate a minor consequence" to that species' population, but described it as a "low risk".

With less than 10 great whites expected to be caught each year, there was only a "remote likelihood" the cull would affect the size or migratory patterns of the south-western Australian population, the review said.

With only a few bull sharks expected to be caught each year, the review says there is a "high likelihood" the proposal will have no impact on its population.

A negligible risk is also expected for dusky sharks and protected or listed animals such as grey nurse sharks, shortfin mako sharks, dolphins, sea birds, seals, sea lions, manta rays and turtles.

Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren urged the community to comment on whether the shark cull was viable.

"Drum lines are an overpriced, anti-conservation policy that conflicts with the values and beliefs of modern-day Australians," she said.

State government officials recently attended a shark conference in Durban and reported the views of culling supporters, who were in the minority, Ms MacLaren said.

"Perhaps if these officials attended the conference with a more open mind, they would have noted overwhelming advice from scientists the world over who practise modern sustainable alternatives that don't cull an apex predator," she said.

Last summer, more than 170 sharks were caught on baited drumlines and 50 were killed, none of which was a great white.

The public consultation period runs until July 7.

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Woman critical after Sydney bus hit

A WOMAN is in critical condition in hospital after being hit by a bus in central Sydney.

The woman, aged in her 30s, was crossing George Street when she was hit and has been taken to the nearby St Vincents Hospital in a with severe injuries.

"She's currently undergoing surgery," police said.

Police weren't able to say what her injuries were or whether she had crossed against the lights.

No one else was injured but one northbound lane of George Street has been closed as forensic specialists investigate.

"A city bus had a smashed windscreen and light at the front and the pavement has been cordoned off," an AAP reporter at the scene said.

Earlier on Sunday police expressed fears safety warnings aren't sinking in, after a second death on the state's roads this holiday weekend.

A 21-year-old driving through Binnaway, veered onto the wrong side of the road on Sunday before crashing and being thrown from the car.

It's believed the young man, who died at the scene wasn't wearing a seatbelt.

A teenage girl died and her four friends were injured when their four-wheel-drive car left the trail through Lowes Mount State Forest near Oberon, in NSW's central west, and rolled just after midnight on Saturday.

"Two people have now lost their lives on the state's roads this long weekend, which is two too many," Acting Assistant Commissioner Smith said on Sunday.

"Today's fatality was a tragedy.

He said it was disappointing so many people were still speeding, with more than 2100 speed infringement notices handed out so far this holiday period.

He urged drivers to remaining vigilant, drive to the conditions, take rest breaks, stay away from alcohol or drugs and the distractions by mobile devices.

"These steps could easily save a life," he said.

Major roads in the CBD will be closed on Sunday night as part of Sydney's Vivid festival.

"Anyone attending (Sunday)'s event should leave the car at home and catch one of the extra 3500 trains and buses operating," the Transport Management Centre said.

"All roads are expected to be reopened by midnight."

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GM makes more recalls: air bags, chimes

GENERAL Motors Friday issued another four recalls, this time for air bag and warning chime problems in about 89,000 models from 2012 to 2015.

It was the latest of dozens of recalls this year that covered at least 15.9 million cars worldwide, mostly for ignition switch problems linked to numerous fatal accidents. The problem cars reached back to 2001 models.

This time, GM said there were no known fatalities, and only one crash with an injury related to the problems.

The recall affects 57,512 Silverados, Sierras, Tahoes, Suburbans and Yukons from 2014-2015; 31,520 Buick Veranos and Chevrolet Camaros, Cruzes and Sonics from 2012; and a handful of Chevrolet Sparks, Buick Encores and Corvettes from 2013-2014.

In the largest of Friday's recalls, the problem was with the warning chime which failed to alert the driver to an open door or unbuckled seat belt. The other recalled cars have defects that prevent airbags deploying properly or totally disabling them.

On Thursday, GM felt the consequences after months of debacle.

Fifteen employees were sacked or left the company over their actions regarding a safety flaw in ignition switches.

The problem has been linked to at least 13 deaths, including many cases in which the ignition switch failure kept airbags from deploying in collisions.

The dismissals followed an internal investigation of the deadly flaw, but new chief executive Mary Barra was cleared of wrongdoing.

The switch was present in about 2.6 million smaller cars produced during the last decade, most prominently the Chevrolet Cobalts.

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