Sydney worksite where man died had issues

A UNION raised concerns over a Sydney work site two weeks before a young worker died.

The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) said work had stopped on the site where a 22-year-old man was killed on Saturday.

The Canadian backpacker suffered head and chest injuries after being hit by a number of metal beams during the demolition of a building in Australia Street in Camperdown.

CFMEU state secretary Brian Parker said union organiser Tony Sloane had stopped work on the site around Easter after concerns were raised about how the demolition work was being carried out.

"While the full circumstances of the death are still not known, we fear there have been shortcuts taken to demolish the building faster," Mr Parker said.

"If that is the case and this young Canadian has lost his life to help boost some builder's bottom line then it just magnifies the tragedy.

"What was meant to be the trip of a lifetime has instead cost this young man his life.

"We will do all we can to ensure the truth of what happened today is exposed."

Mr Parker said more deaths were likely as WorkCover was sacking inspectors and closing branches across Sydney and regional NSW.

WorkCover is investigating and police will prepare a report for the coroner.

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Sydney poultry worker 'tortured birds'

A SYDNEY poultry worker has been caught on camera punching, kicking and stomping on birds destined for slaughter.

It's also alleged several live birds had their limbs cut off at the Tahmoor turkey processing plant in southwest Sydney, police say.

Police examined footage provided by an animal rights group and charged a 25-year-old man on Saturday.

He was charged with three counts of torture, beating and causing prolonged suffering to an animal.

He was bailed to appear in Picton Local Court on Tuesday May 28.

Police say further arrests and charges have not been ruled out.

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Egypt's Mubarak arrives at court

FORMER Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has arrived at a Cairo court to face a new trial, after an appeal against the life sentence handed down against him was accepted.

Television footage on Saturday showed Mubarak, dressed in white and wearing sunglasses, wheeled out of an ambulance on a stretcher and taken into Cairo's Police Academy where the trial is being held.

He had been transported first by helicopter from the Cairo military hospital where he is being treated, the official MENA news agency said.

His two sons, Gamal and Alaa, and his former security chief Habib al-Adly, have also made their way to the court for the retrial, MENA said.

A handful of Mubarak supporters stood outside the court house, holding posters of their former leader, but they were outnumbered by security officers.

The fate of the ousted strongman has been largely eclipsed by deadly turmoil and economic woes gripping Egypt.

His original trial in August 2011 was a major moment for both Egypt and the region, being the first time an Arab leader deposed by his people had appeared in court in person.

Mubarak, Adly and six security chiefs are in the dock again over their alleged complicity in the murder and attempted murder of hundreds of peaceful protesters on January 25-31, 2011.

Gamal and Alaa Mubarak - once symbols of Egyptian power and wealth - are also being retried on corruption charges. Another defendant, business tycoon Hussein Salem, is being tried in absentia.

AF

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Busy parents are main vaccination glitch

WARY of side-effects or just sidetracked by a busy life, tens of thousands of Australian parents have fallen behind with their children's vaccinations.

In dozens of areas, more than 15 in every 100 children in certain age groups are at risk of spreading diseases like measles and whooping cough.

The National Health Performance Authority (NHPA) released data on Thursday that shows almost 77,000 out of about 900,000 one, two- and five-year-olds are not up to date. The biggest problem is among children aged five.

The most at risk, however, are those too young or ill to be vaccinated. A newborn child with whooping cough could die and is almost certain to need hospital treatment.

Diseases such as measles and whooping cough can spread fast, and vaccination rates need to be high to be effective.

For this reason, the earliest vaccination age for whooping cough has been brought forward to six weeks, to provide at least some protection.

The NHPA data prompted an outcry. One organisation called for vaccinations to be made compulsory. Another called for "sanctions" against people who spread misinformation.

NSW Greens MP John Kaye says parents are "falling prey to absurd and disproven voodoo claims and conspiracy theories".

However, the data shows the highest immunisation rate is at age two, with a relatively dramatic fall at age five. It is unlikely the voodoo claims are compelling enough to cause such a dramatic about-turn in three years.

It's more likely that parents just don't get round to having the vaccinations done on time. That's not ideal, even dangerous, but it's something the health authorities can work with.

"It is well known that vaccination rates decline as children get older. In part this is because contact between families and healthcare services often reduces after the first couple of years of life," says Dr Helena White, head of immunisation in the Northern Territory.

NHPA CEO Dr Diane Watson says it's a mystery why some areas have better immunisation rates than others with similar demographics.

"We see these trends in rural, regional and urban areas - in areas of high and low income and high education. We also don't yet know why rates are lower at age five than one and two."

NSW Director of Health Protection Dr Jeremy McAnulty says the main problem for five-year-olds is late immunisation. The next most important problem, he says, is people on the move inside Australia or overseas.

"Objection is probably the least important issue overall, but its impact can be high in some communities."

He says people who are behind should catch up as soon as possible.

Associate Professor Kristine Macartney, the deputy director of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, says 1.7 per cent of Australian are registered as conscientious objectors.

She agrees late vaccinations are a problem but says "those kids certainly do catch up".

NHPA sets a "tough benchmark" to encourage on-time immunisation, and Australians are doing well overall, she says.

"Australians have been very good at understanding how important immunisation is. There really is tremendous support for immunisation.

"This report shows us where we need to do better. But that's a good thing because it only benefits the children."

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$A higher on share market strength

THE Australian dollar has pushed higher, helped along by continued strength on share markets.

At 1700 AEST on Friday, the currency was at 105.56 US cents, up from 105.21 US cents on Thursday.

OzForex chief currency strategist Jim Vrondas said the local currency continued to rally on Friday, thanks to gains on both the Australian and US stock markets.

"There has been a bit of positive sentiment from equity markets and it looks like that is helping to keep the Aussie dollar buoyed," he said.

The Australian dollar has risen around two US cents since the start of the week, helped along by stock market gains and Japan's stimulus package.

That's despite a brief pullback in the currency on Thursday following news the national unemployment rate had risen to 5.6 per cent in March, its highest level in more than three years.

Mr Vrondas said the Australian dollar could continue rising over the weekend, though it would meet strong resistance around the 106 US cent level.

At 1700 AEST, the Australian dollar was trading at 104.82 Japanese yen, almost unchanged from 104.84 yen on Thursday, and at 80.60 euro cents, up from 80.53 euro cents.

Meanwhile, Australian 10-year bond futures prices are higher on expectations of further interest rate cuts.

ANZ head of interest rate research Tony Morriss said bond futures remained well supported, in part due to the recent rise in the Australian dollar, which has boosted expectations of a further monetary easing.

"I think there has been some support for our market on the basis that our currency has appreciated, which increases the chances of further easing from the RBA," he said.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has keep the cash rate on hold at three per cent since December 2012, after cutting it by 1.25 percentage points over last calendar year.

At 1630 AEST on Friday, the June 10-year bond futures contract was trading at 96.700 (implying a yield of 3.300 per cent), up from Thursday's close of 96.685 (3.315 per cent).

The June three-year bond futures contract was unchanged at 97.220 (2.780 per cent).

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Landslide shuts Rio US copper mine

Rio Tinto suspended operations at its Bingham Canyon copper mine in the US following a landslide. Source: AAP

RIO Tinto has shut one of the world's largest copper mines in the US following a massive landslide.

The slide at the Bingham Canyon Mine pit wall on Thursday had been anticipated amid warning signs of ground movement since February and all workers had been evacuated unhurt by the previous day.

Analysts say the Utah mine is expected to represent about six per cent of Rio's expected profit this year.

Its suspension could hit its bottom line.

The company's first quarter production report is due next week.

The mine represents 17 per cent of the US's copper, producing 163,000 tonnes last year along with gold and molybdenum.

Rio's shares in Australia were affected by the bad news, sliding $1.13, or nearly two per cent, to $56.90 on Friday.

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Doctors urge more iron deficiency tests

IRON deficiency is a bigger problem in Australia than people think, three top doctors say.

Pregnant women, young children, heart patients and indigenous people in remote areas are at particular risk.

The doctors say iron deficiency and related cases of anaemia are widespread and underdiagnosed, and screening should be a routine part of primary health care.

At a discussion hosted on Thursday by intravenous iron product producer Vifor Pharma, Associate Professor Al Khalafallah said iron deficiency could lead to "terrible" outcomes.

These include pregnancy and birth complications, a lower quality of life, unnecessary blood transfusions, depression, surgical problems, shorter duration of breastfeeding and delayed development among newborn babies.

The Tasmanian haematologist said up to one in four Australian women and one in six men were iron deficient. The problem was even worse among indigenous people in remote areas.

Prof Khalafallah said pregnant mothers should routinely be given a quick and easy blood test for ferritin, a protein that stores iron.

"This condition is costing Australians millions of dollars each year in lost productivity, decreased educational performance, prolonged stays in hospital after surgery and potentially mortality."

Scientists in Adelaide and Hobart are part of a world-first international clinical study looking at the treatment of iron deficiency and related anaemia in pregnancy.

Dr Bernard Froessler, an anaesthesia specialist leading the study in Adelaide, said iron deficiency was more common in pregnant women than previously thought "and undiagnosed in most".

"The importance of screening is often underestimated. Checks should be initiated by obstetricians from the very first appointment."

He said it was hoped that by treating the mother, a baby could be protected from developmental delays and immunity issues.

Sydney cardiologist Professor Andrew Sindone said the effect of iron deficiency on heart failure was "staggering".

"We don't understand whether iron deficiency is a marker in heart failure patients or causing the problem, but we have found it increases mortality rates and decreases quality of life, said Prof Sindone.

He said people received a pleasant surprise if an iron deficiency was detected and treated effectively.

But the doctors agreed that few iron products on the market worked, and a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals may be needed.

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Ex-minister says Barnett is a 'dictator'

THERE'S an early touch of trouble in paradise for Western Australia's re-elected premier, Colin Barnett.

Bolstered by an increased majority and a massive mandate after the March 9 election, on the first day of WA's 39th parliament Mr Barnett's been challenged and chastised as a "dictator" by former Liberal minister Rob Johnson.

The rounding on the premier is being seen as a reminder of a few political realities from the ex-police minister he dumped during his previous term in office.

The 2012 sacking infuriated Mr Johnson, who said he'd been betrayed and later claimed Mr Barnett had privately endorsed him as a potential parliamentary speaker.

On Thursday, Mr Johnson defiantly nominated himself for the Speaker's chair against the government's choice, Michael Sutherland, and was seconded by MP Mick Murray.

In the ensuing ballot, Mr Sutherland won 33 votes to 26 - meaning at least four Liberal or National members voted against the premier's chosen candidate.

Mr Johnson said the look on the premier's face had been worth the trouble of the move against him and claimed he thought he might have had the numbers to pull off a shock.

But he said some MPs "had been got to".

The former police minister then went on to make much more scathing assessments of Mr Barnett's leadership style.

"There are people on both sides of the house that voted for me and I am very grateful for that, and if nothing else it was worth it to see Colin Barnett's face when I nominated," Mr Johnson said.

"He was pretty angry, but he is not a very happy person a lot of the time, which is a problem Colin has."

The day after the premier rammed through a plan to re-merge two parts of the state's power utilities despite fierce industry opposition, Mr Johnson went on to accuse him of bullying tactics.

"I didn't like the fact that Colin Barnett seemed to think he could dictate who would be the Speaker," Mr Johnson said.

"Colin Barnett is not the government. I think he's a bit above himself these days."

Mr Johnson went on to take a swipe at a lack of female representation in the cabinet and also turned his attention to the issue of rising state debt.

"It's $18 billion now. It's going to go up to $25 billion, with the election promises we're looking at nearly $30 billion. It will take decades to pay that sort of debt back," Mr Johnson said.

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$A hits 10-week high

THE Australian dollar hit a fresh 10-week high following gains on US sharemarkets but lost some ground after disappointing jobs figures.

At 1700 AEST on Thursday, the currency was trading at 105.21 US cents, up from 105.09 US cents on Wednesday afternoon.

It had earlier climbed to 105.51 US cents, its highest level since late January, after New York stock markets rallied to record highs overnight.

But Commonwealth Bank currency strategist Peter Dragicevich said the Australian dollar lost a bit of ground following disappointing employment figures.

Australia's unemployment rate rose 0.2 per cent to 5.6 per cent in March, its highest level since September 2009.

But Mr Dragicevich said the currency had held up relatively well under the circumstances.

"While it was a weaker number I don't think it was a huge surprise to most traders," he said.

"And it still paints a relatively positive picture of Australia's jobs market, especially compared to the rest of the developed world."

He said the Australian dollar was likely to trade in a fairly narrow range over the next few days.

At 1700 AEST, the Australian dollar was trading at 104.84 Japanese yen, up from 104.17 yen on Wednesday, and at 80.53 euro cents, up from 80.30 euro cents.

Meanwhile, Australian three year bond futures are stronger following the jobs figures.

"As you would expect, that has had a bullish impact on the Aussie bond market," Westpac interest rate strategist Tim Jung said.

At 1630 AEST on Thursday, the June 10-year bond futures contract was trading at 96.685 (implying a yield of 3.315 per cent), down from Wednesday's close of 96.715 (3.285 per cent).

The June three-year bond futures contract was at 97.220 (2.780 per cent), up from 97.190 (2.810 per cent) previously.

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Home prices to rise with wages: economists

Economists say house prices will continue to rise but there will be no return to the boom times. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S housing market is improving, just don't expect another boom.

Two of Australia's most prominent economists say they expect house prices to grow modestly in the forseeable future.

A return to boom times is unlikely but so is a significant fall in prices.

National Australia Bank group chief economist Alan Oster says the property market has recovered from its weak patch in 2012.

"Clearly the market is starting to improve and we would expect it to increase moderately as we go forward," he told the Bloomberg Australian Economic Summit.

Westpac chief economist Bill Evans says house prices will rise roughly in line with incomes.

"But we're not expecting it to improve to the point where people are becoming over leverage," he told the summit.

House prices rose 2.8 per cent across Australian capital cities during the first three months of 2013, according to property research company RP Data.

And both men say, despite ongoing concerns many would-be home-buyers are priced out of the market, housing is more affordable, relative to incomes, than it has been in years.

"In Sydney for instance affordability levels are the best they've been for 10 years," Mr Evans said.

"So relative to Australia's affordability measures in the past the current situation looks quite manageable."

Mr Oster said, compared to borrowing levels of the past few decades, many Australian households could afford to borrow more than they currently do in order to purchase a new house or investment property.

But he said they were reluctant to take on additional debt following the global financial crisis.

"Australian consumers can actually gear up quite a lot but I don't see them doing it, because fundamentally they are still scared," he said.

However, University of Western Sydney academic Professor Steve Keen warned the recent rise in house prices had come from investors and sustained growth in the sector was unlikely.

"All the turnaround since 2012 has been speculators getting into the market expecting prices rises," he told the summit.

Professor Keen said that, compared to other countries, Australian households were already highly indebted.

"That is what is going to put the cap on price appreciation continuing."

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European stocks climb at open

EUROPE'S main stock markets rose at the start of trading on Wednesday, with London's benchmark FTSE 100 index up 0.18 per cent at 6,324.35 points.

Elsewhere, Frankfurt's DAX 30 increased 0.35 per cent to 7,664.16 points and in Paris the CAC 40 won 0.41 per cent to 3,685.69.

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Iran quake death toll rises to 37

At least 30 people have been killed and 800 injured in a 6.1 magnitude earthquake that hit Iran. Source: AAP

RESCUERS have wound up operations after pulling 20 people from the rubble of an earthquake that struck near the port city of Bushehr, killing 37 people.

"With the rescue operation being wrapped up no one is left under the rubble," the Fars news agency quoted the head of Iran's Red Crescent rescue corps, Mahmoud Mozafar, as saying.

According to latest media reports, 37 people were killed and 850 others injured in the 6.1 magnitude quake that struck on Tuesday.

At least 20 people were rescued from the rubble, according to Fars, which added that about 700 homes had been destroyed.

Mozafar said efforts were now focused on relief operations and around 1000 tents had been set up in quake-hit areas.

Fars said blankets and food have also been sent to stricken areas.

Iran said it had informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that there has been no damage to the nuclear power plant in Bushehr, nearly 90 kilometres northwest of quake's epicentre, and no radioactive release.

Iran's atomic chief Fereydoon Abbasi Davani said that the power plant was not operational when the quake struck as it was " under maintenance", Iranian media reported.

The facility's chief engineer, Mahmoud Jafari, told Arabic-language Al-Alam television that "no operational or security protocols were breached" by the quake.

The nuclear power plant in Bushehr, a long-delayed project finished by Russia, is yet to become fully operational.

Tuesday's quake coincided with Iran unveiling a uranium production facility and two extraction mines in centre of the country.

Iran is at loggerheads with world powers over its development of a controversial nuclear program, which the Western and Israel suspect is aimed at military objectives despite repeated denials by Tehran.

The 6.1 magnitude quake hit at 4.22 pm (2152 Tuesday AEST) at a depth of 12 kilometres, in the area of Kaki, according to the Iranian Seismological Centre which has registered more than a dozen after shocks, the strongest at 5.3 magnitude.

The US Geological Survey, which monitors quakes worldwide, ranked the quake at a more powerful 6.3 magnitude.

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Victorian public service faces overhaul

A VICTORIAN public service shake-up has been sold as a sign the state is open for business but critics argue it may jeopardise the environment and lead to job cuts.

From July, one department will be responsible for both the environment and agriculture, while planning and transport will also merge.

Coal allocations, small business, aviation and major projects will all be run out of the new Department of State Development, Business and Innovation.

Premier Denis Napthine said no jobs would go under the changes.

"These changes are important changes for Victorians; they're about creating a new emphasis on jobs (and) investment opportunities for Victoria," he said.

"This is about me putting my leadership, my direction, on where the public sector should go to better deliver services in Victoria to make sure we get that strong message that Victoria is open for business."

He could not put a price tag on the restructure, which the Community and Public Sector Union warned would cost thousands.

"It's a scandalous waste of public money with thousands of workplaces across the state having to be re-badged while ministers and senior executives are protected," union Victorian secretary Karen Batt said.

Dr Napthine said merging the departments of environment and primary industries would deliver enormous benefits.

"This old-style debate between brown and green is a thing of the past," he said.

"I would have thought any sensible environmentalist would see this as a positive move."

Environment Victoria chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said she agreed with Dr Napthine that it was possible to simultaneously grow jobs and protect the environment but that process had to be handled carefully.

"If it's done wrong, it's kind of like putting the fox in the hen house," she said.

Opposition frontbencher Jacinta Allan said she didn't believe Dr Napthine's assurance that no jobs would go as a result of the restructure.

"Victorians know they just can't trust a Liberal premier when it comes to protecting public service jobs," Ms Allan said.

She said the restructure was a demotion for Planning Minister Matthew Guy, who would be under Transport Minister Terry Mulder's supervision.

"(It's) purely to keep tabs on the movements of a key leadership rival for the premier," she said.

Aboriginal and veterans affairs will now come under the Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Department of Planning and Community Development will be abolished.

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Anger grows over Holden's job cuts

Holden's decision to cut 500 jobs has two state governments considering pulling out funding deals. Source: AAP

TWO state governments are threatening to withhold tens of millions of dollars in assistance and unions are describing Holden as a "shocking corporate citizen" after the car giant announced plans to axe 500 Australian jobs.

Component makers have also warned that Holden's decision to build fewer cars means jobs will go among suppliers.

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine is warning that Holden won't see a dollar from his government if it breaks a taxpayer-funded investment deal struck just last year.

"We haven't paid any money to Holden and we won't pay money to Holden if they don't adhere to the principles agreed to," Mr Napthine said on Tuesday.

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill also set the stage for his government to walk away from a promise to provide $50 million from 2016, part of a $275 million federal-state funding package.

He rejected suggestions from the company that no deal had been finalised, saying it was "manifest" in the exchange of letters.

Unions said every South Australian would be shocked by the company's behaviour.

"Holden took money from South Australian taxpayers and then just tore up the agreement," SA Unions secretary Janet Giles said.

She branded Holden a "shocking corporate citizen" and said if it refused to live up to its part, SA should withhold its investment and use the cash to help workers about to lose jobs.

Mr Weatherill plans to have another meeting with Holden chairman Mike Devereux later this week to thrash out a new arrangement.

He insists employment levels in SA, where 400 assembly line jobs will go, were an essential part of the agreement and he will now consider the state's options.

"I have to weigh up their commitment to investing $1 billion and the long-term security of the plant," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"I have to weigh up the present needs of these 400 workers and I also have to protect the taxpayers."

But Mr Devereux said he was mystified as to how he could be in breach of a deal that was still to be signed.

"As I sit here today we don't have a contract," Mr Devereux told Adelaide radio 5AA.

The Holden boss said the parties were six to eight months into the formal contract process that would hopefully be finalised later this year.

Under the terms of the assistance package, Holden will get $275 million from 2016 in joint federal-state funding to ensure the future of the company's local assembly operations until at least 2022.

That is on top of the near $2 billion the company has been paid by taxpayers over the past decade.

The federal government continues to defend the assistance paid to the car industry as the best way to leverage investment.

"That is, we put money in, they put more money in," Finance Minister Penny Wong said.

"We think that's the best way to ensure a viable, ongoing car industry."

Component suppliers have also backed the investment program at the same time warning Holden's move to build fewer cars will flow through to the component sector, where jobs will also go.

"The less cars that are being produced means the less components that are being made," Federation of Automotive Products Manufacturers (FAPM) chief executive Richard Reilly said.

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Asylum seekers arrive in Geraldton Harbour

A boat carrying 66 suspected asylum seekers has turned up in the West Australian city of Geraldton. Source: AAP

A RAMSHACKLE fishing boat carrying suspected asylum seekers from Sri Lanka has made an astonishing arrival at the busy West Australian port of Geraldton, just 400km north of Perth.

Stunned locals enjoying a lunchtime coffee at a harbourside eatery spotted the blue and white fishing vessel floating near the shore around 12 noon on Tuesday.

Despite Geraldton Port being one of Australia's busiest regional ports, the boat with 66 people aboard made it to within metres of the mainland - and was intercepted first by two local men in a dinghy.

Those on board told the men they had been at sea for at least six weeks, having travelled more than 5000km to reach Geraldton, a port more used to dealing with iron ore, grains, talc, garnet and fertilisers.

The arrivals, who included children and pregnant women, said they had been intending to travel to New Zealand and held up a flag pleading for assistance.

Instead, customs officials towed the vessel to shore and set up a temporary screening centre on the portside, with a spokesman for home affairs minister Jason Clare confirming the 66 had arrived from Sri Lanka.

Scott Ranch, manager of the Dome cafe where patrons sat and watched in amazement, said at first he thought the boat was a prank.

"People weren't sure what was going on," Mr Ranch told AAP.

"We thought it was a hoax or a publicity stunt, but then we saw the customs towing it away."

As the passengers were being screened, debate reignited over how a boat from Sri Lanka could get so far south, and so close to the mainland, without being spotted.

WA Premier Colin Barnett said the arrival was shocking and unprecedented.

"The state government is working co-operatively with the commonwealth on this issue and will ensure people's welfare is being looked after," the premier said.

"Nevertheless, this is a serious, unprecedented and unacceptable breach of Australia's border security.

"That a boat, laden with people, can sail into a busy regional port in broad daylight is shocking."

Federal opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said Australia's border control situation had gone "from the bizarre to the ridiculous".

"(They) would be rightly shaking their heads at just where border protection in this country has come to," he told reporters.

"Just how bad does it have to get?"

The Bureau of Meteorology said gale-force winds were recorded blowing in a southwesterly direction between Cocos Island and Christmas Island on Monday and Tuesday.

Authorities are deciding where to house the asylum seekers on Tuesday night, with some suggesting a wing of nearby Greenough prison might be utilised.

"They have picked a really nice part of the coast to come ashore, and you do have to wonder how they get this far down the coast without being detected," Geraldton mayor Ian Carpenter said.

"It will be an issue to find accommodation for that many people."

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Tas Greens move to let 16-year-olds vote

TASMANIA'S Greens are moving to get 16-year-olds the vote in time for the state's next election.

Greens leader Nick McKim will table a motion in parliament this week that would allow those aged 16 and 17 to volunteer to vote.

Mr McKim, a cabinet minister whose party shares power with Labor in Tasmania, is hopeful the reform will be in place in time for the state election due in March next year.

"Currently 16-year-olds can work, pay taxes, use a firearm, get arrested, join the army, have children, get behind the wheel of a car and live on their own, but they are prevented from voting in an election," Mr McKim said in a statement.

"It makes no sense that young Tasmanians can work a job and be taxed like anyone else, but then have no say in how those taxes are spent.

"It sends the wrong message to young people that their input into democracy is not valued, and that their views on public policies that affect them cannot be trusted."

Under the proposal, youths who chose to enrol would then be subject to compulsory voting rules.

Mr McKim said Austria, Argentina and Brazil had already granted 16-year-olds the vote, and similar moves were underway in the UK.

He said his motion had been timed to take place during National Youth Week.

"This is about strengthening our democracy by enfranchising thousands of smart, politically-aware young Tasmanian adults ...," Mr McKim said.

Tasmania's Liberal opposition called the move a "stunt", saying Mr McKim should be focused on his portfolios of education, transport and corrections.

"Instead of lowering the voting age, Minister McKim should be directing his efforts to ensure 16-year-olds can read and write, they have a bus service that can get them to school and that there is a well-run prison to keep them safe from criminals," deputy opposition leader Jeremy Rockliff said.

The Greens leader has been under pressure in two of his portfolios, with ongoing bus strikes and the departure of a high-profile prison reformer.

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Lack of rain hurts Ruralco profit

Agribusiness Ruralco has issued a profit warning in the wake of low rainfall across Australia. Source: AAP

LOW rainfall across most of Australia will probably slash agribusiness Ruralco's profit in the first four months of its financial year by up to 70 per cent.

Ruralco managing director John Maher says a lack of rain across most of Australia's key agricultural regions has reduced demand for agricultural chemicals.

Lower demand for restocking livestock has also affected livestock prices.

Ruralco warned on Monday that underlying earnings for between last October and January would be 40 to 50 per cent lower than the same four months a year earlier.

Underlying profit - before non-recurring items - was expected fall 60 to 70 per cent from $11 million previously.

Reported net profit for the half year to March 31 was also anticipated to be break even.

"Profit lost over the first four months of the year will be difficult to recoup," Mr Maher said in a statement."

"However, a normal autumn seasonal break leading to solid winter crop plantings, mildly strengthening livestock prices, flow-through benefit of structural savings and part-year contributions from recent acquisitions is expected to lead to a significantly improved trading performance in the second half of the financial year."

Shares in Ruralco slumped 23 per cent, or 6.9 per cent, to close at $3.08.

Ruralco said a re-evaluation of the company's 12.04 per cent stake in agribusiness Elders, and higher interest costs would also affect the half-year result.

Mr Maher said average sheep prices had fallen by about 30 per cent and cattle prices were down about 11 per cent.

Sales of rural supplies had fallen about five per cent as hot and dry conditions had reduced the need for weed, pest and disease management products.

Ruralco will report its half-year results on May 21.

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WA man charged after woman shot dead

A MAN has been charged with murder after a woman was shot dead in northern Western Australia.

Major crime detectives flew to Port Hedland when the woman suffered gunshot wounds and later died at the Hedland Health Campus.

Several calls were made to police around 6.30pm (WST) on Saturday, regarding a disturbance in Bayman Street.

Members of the public reported a man was armed with a firearm. They said shots had been fired and a woman had been injured.

Local officers found the 43-year-old woman with a gunshot wound. She was given emergency medical treatment but was later pronounced dead.

Police could not immediately find the suspect who was known to the victim.

A 62-year-old man later handed himself into police at the South Hedland Police Station.

The man from Port Hedland was later charged with one count of murder. He will appear in court on Monday.

Officers also found and seized a firearm.

Police have requested that witnesses call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, .

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Ukraine president pardons Tymoshenko ally

UKRAINIAN President Viktor Yanukovych has pardoned a close ally of jailed former premier Yulia Tymoshenko, former interior minister Yuriy Lutsenko, his office says.

"Yanukovych signed a decree on pardoning six convicted people, including Ukraine's former interior minister Yuriy Lutsenko and Ukraine's former environment minister Georgy Filipchuk," his office said in a statement on Sunday.

The statement said the decree was in line with ongoing reforms of the country's criminal legislation "aimed at humanising legal norms and reducing the number of people held in custody."

The presidential decree comes after Ukraine's high court earlier this week rejected an appeal by Lutsenko against his four-year jail term for abuse of office and embezzlement.

He was arrested in December 2010 and was set to remain in prison until the end of 2014.

Yanukovych made the decision to pardon Lutsenko after repeated requests from Western officials, most notably special envoys of the European Parliament monitoring mission to Ukraine, former Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski and former president of the European Parliament Pat Cox.

The imprisonment of Tymoshenko and Lutsenko has led to a crisis in ties between Kiev and the European Union, which has complained Ukrainian authorities are selectively prosecuting opponents of the president.

The statement made no mention of Yanukovych's top nemesis, jailed former prime minister Tymoshenko who analysts say is unlikely to walk out of prison any time soon.

Tymoshenko, who lost a heated presidential election to Yanukovych in 2010, was jailed for seven years in 2011 for overstepping her authority while prime minister by agreeing a gas deal with Russia.

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Obama's gun dilemma 'too little, too late'

A YOUNG child in Alabama finds a gun and kills himself with a shot to the chest.

A father accidentally kills his 10-year-old son as he cleans his gun in North Carolina - the child was watching TV and the bullet hit him in the back of the head.

A 22-year-old from Florida kills her ex-boyfriend when he runs into her at a post office.

These incidents in recent weeks are just some of the 3300 deaths from gunshot in the US that happened since the Newtown massacre on December 14, according to the online magazine Slate. Most of the shootings only made the local news, if that.

The New York Times is putting such reports into a blog to highlight the country's gun problem. The daily account horrifies many readers, if comments are anything to go by.

Yet barely four months after the Newtown school killings claimed the lives of 20 children and six adult educators, US President Barack Obama is fighting a losing battle in his push for tougher gun legislation.

Next week, the US president will launch a last minute push to convince congress to ban assault weapons and large magazine clips of the type used to slaughter the Connecticut children.

On Monday, he will be in Connecticut to visit with families affected by the Newtown shooting. On Tuesday, he will stand at the White House alongside law enforcement officials who want to clamp down. On Wednesday, First Lady Michelle Obama will hammer home the theme in Chicago. And on Thursday, Vice-President Joe Biden will appear on a morning talk show for a roundtable discussion.

Yet the call to ban military-type assault weapons and large clips appears to be dead in the water, despite the power of the White House, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and groups like Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Congress is poised to consider a much-watered-down version of a law that only addresses background checks for gun purchases. And Obama has become the target of mockery among conservatives and gun-right advocates.

Obama, who has been criticised for remaining silent since January on the issue, in late March kicked into action again, lashing out at "powerful voices" who are "drowning out the majority" who want stricter controls.

"Shame on us if we've forgotten," an angry Obama said. "Tears aren't enough, expressions of sympathy aren't enough."

There has been some progress on the state level.

Connecticut legislators passed what experts say is one of the strictest gun laws in the country, banning future sale of 100 types of assault weapons and gun clips with more than 10 bullets.

Other states are moving along the same path, including New York, Colorado and Maryland, which will now require fingerprinting of gun buyers.

But at the same time, states like Arkansas, South Dakota, Tennessee and Kentucky have rushed to loosen state laws since the Newtown massacre. The powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) even wrote some of the laws, according to media reports, capitalising on fears of an anti-gun backlash after the killings.

Similarly, the NRA has managed to reverse the tide for gun control at the federal level, using its large lobbying organisation and political campaign fund and deploying its internet-connected membership to put pressure on federal legislators.

What remains in the proposed bill is mostly of little substance.

"The gun lobby appears to have prevailed," wrote Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank.

Obama's main problem is that even legislators from his Democratic Party are sceptical about tough gun laws. Gun-owning voters in their home states feel strong enough on the issue that a "yes" vote for gun control could prove costly in the 2014 congressional election.

According to a poll by the TV network CBS, the percentage of people favouring tougher gun laws has fallen from 57 per cent right after the shooting to only 47 per cent.

Even Obama is starting to acknowledge the country's tradition of gun ownership, saying recently he could understand why people might want to have some weapons for self-defence. Observers saw this as a sign he would sign a weak gun bill: the main thing is to have some relevant legislation.

Obama's standing has suffered, with gun control advocates feeling disappointed that he waited until late March to go into action amid reports that he has contributed little to writing the legislation.

"Too little, too late," The Washington Post wrote.

Even if the Democratic majority in the Senate could push through an ambitious gun control bill, there are few chances that such a bill could pass the Republican-dominated House of Representatives.

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