UK PR guru Max Clifford vows to clear name

UK prosecutors have charged celebrity publicist Max Clifford with 11 counts of indecent assault. Source: AAP

PR guru Max Clifford has vowed to clear his name in court as he was charged with 11 historic counts of indecent assault against teenage girls.

The 70-year-old, famed for representing celebrities including Simon Cowell and Jade Goody, said he has been "living a 24/7 nightmare" since his arrest in December.

Clifford was charged with offences linked to girls aged from 14 to 19 between 1966 and 1985 and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 28, Scotland Yard said.

He was arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, the national police inquiry sparked by allegations of abuse against Jimmy Savile.

Clifford told the Press Association: "The allegations in respect of which I have been charged are completely false and I have made this clear to the police during many, many hours of interviews.

"Nevertheless a decision has been taken to charge me with 11 offences involving seven women, the most recent of which is 28 years ago and the oldest 47 years ago.

"I have never indecently assaulted anyone in my life and this will become clear during the course of the proceedings."

Clifford has made a career of taking on some of the most talked-about celebrity stories in the last few decades.

The public relations veteran notably represented OJ Simpson and was behind the rumours that sparked the tabloid headline "Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster".

Clifford said: "I am naturally disappointed about today's decision, particularly because of the distress it has caused my wife, Jo, my daughter, Louise, and all those close to me.

"However, at least I will now be in a position to fully consider all the evidence against me and to answer the evidence in public and ultimately clear my name in a court of law.

"Since last December I have been living a 24/7 nightmare."

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One of NSW's 'worst crime weeks' as 7 shot

A MAN is shot in the face, four are gunned down on a Sydney street, and a young man on a date is kneecapped by night's end.

Within a few hours, the number of people shot in NSW jumped to seven over six days, making it one of the "worst crime weeks" a senior policeman can remember.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Arthur Katsogiannis said on Saturday one of the shootings had sparked fears of violent reprisals.

Four men, aged between 20 and 25, were sprayed with bullets outside a western Sydney property just after 8pm (AEST) on Friday.

About 15 bullet holes were found in a garage door at the Smithfield crime scene.

Mr Katsogiannis said the incident "relates to a conflict between groups which are known to police" and could lead to payback.

"Certainly, we're concerned about retaliations," he told reporters.

Police were investigating whether the incident was linked to another shooting nearby on April 22, Mr Katsogiannis said, but it's not believed to be bikie-related.

"It's certainly one of the worst crime weeks we've had on record, it's very, very unfortunate in that respect," he added.

"Maybe it's the full moon, I don't know."

The Smithfield shooting came hours after a man was shot in the face at a beachfront hotel on the central coast.

Police said the 28-year-old man was shot at a hotel on The Esplanade at Ettalong Beach - described on a NSW tourism website as a "safe family favourite" - on Friday afternoon.

Detectives spoke with the injured man at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital, where he underwent surgery on Saturday, but said he was not cooperating with the investigation.

On the other side of the city, a 21-year-old was undergoing surgery on Saturday after he was shot in the knee while walking with his girlfriend in Burwood on Friday evening.

He told police he'd been shot after objecting to remarks made to his 19-year-old girlfriend by a group of men.

The violence has prompted criticism from NSW Opposition Leader John Robertson, who told reporters the government needed to act faster on anti-gang laws.

"NSW has no impediment other than the premier from outlawing gangs," Mr Robertson said on Saturday.

But a spokesman for Police Minister Mike Gallacher denied that.

"We've been doing great things on gun crime. (Labor) have done 16 years of nothing," he told AAP.

He said police in NSW enjoyed increased powers to move people on, tightened laws to tackle alcohol-based violence, and anti-consorting and anti-gang laws.

"Obviously a lot of work is going into putting together briefs of evidence. Cops are working around the clock on these laws," he said.

Amid the spate of shootings this week, police say they did catch a break on one case.

Detectives raiding a home in Sefton on Wednesday allegedly seized a Glock pistol used to shoot a female constable in the chest at Wetherill Park police station in 2006.

A man was charged over that crime but the weapon was never found.

The occupant of the Sefton home, a 27-year-old man arrested on Wednesday, will face court on various firearms offences, but police say he is not being charged in relation to the 2006 shooting.

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Vic firefighter burnt during grassfire

A FIREFIGHTER has suffered burns after falling from a CFA truck while fighting a grassfire.

The incident happened in Wickliffe, near Hamilton in south west Victoria, just before 2.30pm (AEST), an Ambulance Victoria spokesman said.

The man, in his 50s, suffered burns to his airways, face, arms and chest.

He was flown to Melbourne's Alfred Hospital.

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European stock markets mixed at open

EUROPE'S main stock markets were narrowly mixed at the opening of trade on Thursday, with London and Frankfurt slightly higher and Paris falling.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index of top companies rose 0.15 per cent to 6,441.20 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 climbed 0.1 per cent to 7,766.61 points and in Paris the CAC 40 was down 0.19 per cent at 3,835.90.

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Lone protester disrupts Gallipoli service

A man yelling in Turkish disrupted the dawn service at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli. Source: AAP

A LONE protester disrupted the solemn dawn service at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli just after Australia's official representative had finished addressing the smaller-than-expected crowd of 5200 pilgrims.

There was no mythologising the Gallipoli campaign when Veterans Affairs Minister Warren Snowdon spoke at the site where the Anzacs mistakenly landed 98 years ago.

Mr Snowdon described the subsequent eight-month Gallipoli campaign as a "calamity". It ended with the withdrawal of troops in mid-December 1915.

"Our Turkish adversaries, underestimated at first and defending their homeland, were the victors here on the peninsula," Mr Snowdon said as the sun rose above the cliffs that had proven too steep for the Anzacs.

It was difficult to imagine, let alone understand, the enormity of the suffering, loss and sacrifice, the minister said.

"Yet although it was so dreadful, it has become central to our nation's story," he said.

"(It was a) hallmark in defining our nationhood and what we see as important in terms of mateship, service, sacrifice, courage and commitment."

Moments after he'd finished speaking, a protester, who later gave his name as Ali Risa Ersoy, started yelling in Turkish.

The man was eventually led away from the commemorative site and questioned by the Turkish gendarmerie.

A Turkish newspaper reporter told AAP the man had been yelling: "The Australian police are trying to kill me."

Local authorities told Australian reporters the man had not been arrested but was being "interrogated".

A judicial process would now play out, an officer said, adding the protester appeared to have a problem with the Australian government.

The protester said he was a dual Turkish and Australian national.

A veterans affairs' spokeswoman said in a statement: "This was an isolated incident by a lone protester that was dealt with accordingly by the appropriate authorities - the Turkish police."

The crowd of 5200 mainly Australians and New Zealanders was down almost 15 per cent on last year as people wait to see if they'll be able to attend the 2015 centenary commemorations via a ballot system.

Rhonda Dove, 25, came to Gallipoli with a tour group this year.

She camped on the grass at North Beach with thousands of others but didn't get much sleep.

"It is just surreal," the Melbourne woman said.

"It's changed my understanding. Seeing it you really appreciate what they went through."

Turkish university student Bugra Ozturk, 23, attended the dawn service with friends.

He said the Allied forces had the same reason for going to war as those involved in the Turkish war of independence that resulted in the secular Turkish republic being established in 1923.

"So we have a shared bond," Mr Ozturk said.

"We try to learn something more about the Anzacs."

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Police seek man over Sydney murders

NSW police wish to question a man over the murder of a mother and daughter in Sydney's west. Source: AAP

POLICE have named a man they want to question about the murder of a mother and daughter at a western Sydney home.

Officers are looking for Hong Rui Fu, 28, who is described as being of Asian appearance and medium build.

Police say there are concerns for Mr Fu's welfare and are also warning that he not be approached.

He is wanted for questioning over the murder of two women, aged 49 and 26, whose bodies were found about 10pm (AEST) on Wednesday in a house at Auburn.

Police are declining to say whether or not Mr Fu was related to the women or if he lived with them in the Paul Street residence.

Earlier on Thursday Auburn Detective Inspector Angelo Memmolo announced police were investigating the deaths as murders.

However, with post-mortem examinations continuing, no details about how the women died have been released.

Insp Memmolo described the crime scene as "extensive" and "confronting", but said it was too early in the investigation to offer more information.

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Accused NSW hacker was 'thoroughly vetted'

THE self-proclaimed leader of an international hacking ring was working as an overnight IT help-desk assistant for a US firm when he allegedly broke into and defaced an Australian government website.

Matthew Flannery, 24, was arrested on Tuesday night at the offices of Content Security in North Ryde, northwest Sydney, where he was a probationary employee, after a two-week intelligence-led investigation by Australian Federal Police.

The alleged hacker, known by the online handle Aush0k, was already being monitored by overseas police and is accused of breaking into a federal government website earlier this month.

Mr Flannery, from Point Clare on NSW's central coast, is alleged to have altered data on the site and posted an image on its front page.

He was charged with three counts of hacking activity - offences carrying a maximum combined penalty of 12 years in jail.

He was given conditional bail to appear at Woy Woy Local Court on the central coast on May 15.

Content Security said Mr Flannery had been thoroughly vetted before being employed as a "low-level" overnight help-desk assistant, offering advice for a US client.

"We did thorough background checks during his employment, as we do for all our prospective employees," the company said in a statement.

"The US company then came out and gave him and the rest of the help desk team training.

"Up until yesterday (Tuesday) he was still on probation."

Content Security insisted Mr Flannery did not use confidential data from within the company to carry out his alleged attack.

That was at odds with the AFP's belief that he used inside information.

"The AFP believes this man's skill sets and access to this type of information presented a considerable risk to Australian society," said AFP cyber crime commander Glen McEwen.

Police refused to identify the website that was targeted, which is believed to belong to a state or local government agency that was a client of Content Security.

It remains unclear if Mr Flannery is, as he claimed to police, a senior member of the Lulz Security (LulzSec) hacking collective which carried out a relatively short but disruptive series of attacks in 2011, including on America's CIA.

The group's stated aim was to carry out attacks for laughs or "lulz", with little or no political motive.

"He was actually in forums being inhabited by LulzSec and there was no denials of his claims of being the leader," said AFP Detective Superintendent Brad Marden.

"He appears to be a very well-informed IT expert within a particular company.

"The company had no knowledge of his activities.

"But he is a well-respected person within the Anonymous community, within LulzSec and that side of the house."

Experts raised doubts about his claimed status within LulzSec.

"I'm sceptical at this stage," the technology academic and author Suelette Dreyfus told AAP.

"Some hackers tend to gild the lily a little bit."

A Twitter account linked to Anonymous also cast doubt on his status within LulzSec.

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WA man charged with Vic double murder

A 35-YEAR-OLD man from Western Australia has been charged with murdering a husband and wife in country Victoria.

Police say the man will face an out-of-sessions court hearing on the double murder charges on Wednesday evening.

Two bodies, identified as Bill and Pauline Thomas, were discovered at a home just outside of Wangaratta, in northeast Victoria, on Monday night.

The man was arrested in Meredith, between Geelong and Ballarat, just before 7pm (AEST) on Tuesday.

Police investigators had described the murder scene as complex and violent.

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Woodside keen on growth not just handouts

Oil and gas company Woodside says it's still committed to developing the Browse offshore gas field. Source: AAP

WOODSIDE Petroleum insists it is on a strong growth trajectory and not just interested in handing out cash after shelving its $45 billion Browse project.

Chief executive Peter Coleman says the company's $500 million special dividend is the best way to reward patient shareholders as it focuses on meeting its growth commitments.

"Those growth projects are still there," Mr Coleman told reporters in Perth.

"They haven't gone away."

Woodside has not identified any significant short to medium-term growth options after putting its controversial Browse gas plant in Western Australia on ice and ruling out a near-term expansion of its flagship Pluto liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

Mr Coleman said Woodside was able to keep shareholders interested through its dividend and forecast growth.

Royal Dutch Shell had not indicated that it would divest its stake in Woodside following Tuesday's announcement of a US 63 cent special dividend, he said.

The oil and gas giant is currently renegotiating LNG contracts for its Pluto and North West Shelf projects and is examining costs ahead of smaller projects coming online at the North West Shelf over the next few years.

Woodside expects strong demand for LNG to be maintained for the next three or four years.

Mr Coleman says the resources sector is going through a natural correction after a long commodities cycle.

He also revealed that negotiations to take a 30 per cent stake in the Leviathan gas field off Israel were on hold due to national elections in that nation.

Closer to home, Woodside will propose a work program with its joint venture partners for the remaining 20 months of the Browse retention leases, giving it a tight deadline to choose between piping gas onshore or building a floating LNG (FLNG) processing plant.

Mr Coleman said the company would try to make early decisions about its three development options in relation to Browse.

He also dismissed concerns about FLNG being an unproven technology, saying it was a new construction technique but the technology was well known.

While the company was committed to developing the Browse offshore gas resource, significant cost savings would be necessary to pursue an FLNG option, he said.

Deutsche Bank analysis, using Shell's Prelude FLNG project as a base, showed a floating option would be around 25 per cent cheaper than the James Price Point onshore option, which has cost $1.5 billion to date.

"The floating option is the leading contender," Deutsche Bank analyst John Hirjee said.

However, he said there had been no precedent for FLNG.

RBC Capital markets analyst Andrew Williams said that by announcing a special dividend Woodside had signalled it had no tangible short-term growth options.

Woodside shares closed 78 cents, or 2.05 per cent, higher at $38.74.

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GG Bryce pays tribute to diggers in PNG

GOVERNOR-GENERAL Quentin Bryce has laid a flower at the grave of the first Australian fighter killed in World War I during her state visit to Papua New Guinea.

Ms Bryce paused at the grave of W.G.V. Williams at Bita Paka war cemetery in Rabaul on Tuesday, the second day of her visit.

Seaman Williams died on September 11, 1914, following a skirmish with the Germans on the site where the cemetery is now located.

Bita Paka is the final resting place of more than 400 Australians killed in two world wars.

Ms Bryce also laid a wreath at a memorial to members of Lark force who died in East New Britain and on the Montevideo Maru.

The sinking of the Japanese transport ship almost 71 years ago carrying prisoners of war and civilians from Rabaul is considered Australia's worst wartime maritime disaster.

After arriving in New Britain aboard a Royal Australian Airforce C130 Hercules, Ms Bryce travelled to a health clinic to deliver medicine and medical supplies.

She visited Kokopo primary school, where Ausaid has built two schoolrooms, to meet students and plant a tree.

At a lunch in her honour at the Kokopo beach bungalow, former PNG governor-general Sir Paulias Matane told Ms Bryce she and Prime Minister Julia Gillard were an inspiration to women in PNG.

Ms Bryce said the treatment of women was a grave problem in the Pacific island nation.

"It's the most important human rights issue in the world and it's a very grave issue in this country," Ms Bryce said.

"The world must take action in every country.

"It's time we heard more men speaking out."

Sir Paulias said PNG must face up to its treatment of women and confront the violence in society.

"We are going to do our best to change the thinking of these people," he said.

Violence against women is an endemic problem in PNG and has been brought to international attention following the burning murder in February of 20-year-old Kepari Leniata, accused of witchcraft.

More recently, a US academic was pack-raped near Madang on the nation's east coast.

Ms Bryce also visited the Family and Sexual Violence Unit at Kokopo police station for a private conversation with survivors of domestic violence.

On Wednesday Ms Bryce will meet with women's groups at PNG's Parliament House in Port Moresby.

On Thursday she will attend a dawn service at Port Moresby's Bomana war cemetery, before flying to Isurava and Kokoda to lay wreaths at memorials there.

She will return to Australia on Friday.

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US social media editor on hacking charges

A SOCIAL media editor who has worked for two of America's largest news-gathering organisations is scheduled to appear in federal court to face charges that he conspired with hackers to deface the website of the Los Angeles Times.

The lawyer for 26-year-old Matthew Keys says he will plead not guilty during the arraignment in Sacramento.

It will be his first court appearance since charges were filed last month.

Keys is charged with giving the hacking group Anonymous the log-in credentials to the computer system of The Tribune Co, which owns the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and other media properties.

He was fired by a Sacramento television station owned by Tribune two months before the Times' website was hacked.

His lawyer denies the allegations.

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Japan vows to use force if Chinese land

JAPAN'S prime minister vowed to "expel by force" any Chinese landing on islands at the centre of a territorial row, after eight Chinese government vessels sailed into the disputed waters.

The latest clash over the islands came as nearly 170 Japanese lawmakers visited the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in central Tokyo on Tuesday, seen as a potent symbol of Japan's imperialist past, riling its neighbours China and South Korea.

Tokyo summoned the Chinese ambassador to Japan after the state-owned Chinese ships entered its territorial waters while Beijing called the shrine visit an "attempt to deny Japan's history of aggression".

The flotilla is the biggest to sail into the disputed waters in a single day since Tokyo nationalised part of the archipelago in September.

The islands are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and are believed to harbour vast natural resources below the seabed.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to "expel by force" any Chinese landing on the islands in the East China Sea, and promised "decisive action".

"We would never allow a landing," Abe told parliament in response to questions from lawmakers, adding: "It would be natural for us to expel by force if (the Chinese) were to make a landing," he said.

Chinese ships have frequently sailed around the five Tokyo-controlled islands in recent months sparking diplomatic clashes.

The Chinese maritime surveillance ships entered the 12-nautical-mile zone off the islands, which China calls Diaoyu and Japan calls the Senkaku, around 8am on Monday, the Japan Coast Guard said in a statement.

"It is extremely deplorable and unacceptable that Chinese government ships are repeatedly entering Japanese territorial waters," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

A group of Japanese nationalists said it had sent nine ships to the area around the islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan.

In a separate territorial row, relations between Tokyo and South Korea have also been strained by a dispute over a Seoul-controlled chain of islets in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

Seoul on Monday shelved a planned trip by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se to Tokyo after two Japanese cabinet ministers visited the war shrine over the weekend.

The shrine is seen by Japan's neighbours as a symbol of its wartime aggression as it honours 2.5 million war dead, including 14 leading war criminals.

Beijing also protested about the visits.

"No matter in what capacity or form Japanese leaders visit Yasukuni Shrine, in essence it is an attempt to deny Japan's history of aggression," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters on Tuesday.

South Korea pressed Tokyo to "think hard" about the shrine visits.

"The Yasukuni shrine is a place that glorifies war and enshrines war criminals," foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-Young told reporters in Seoul.

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Abused kitten recovered, needs WA home

A KITTEN seriously injured when thrown from a moving car in Western Australia's southwest on Australia Day has made a full recovery and needs a home.

The then four-week-old kitten suffered fractures to two legs when hurled from a moving vehicle on Heppingstone Road, Brunswick, around midday on January 26.

The short-haired tabby, dubbed Aussie by staff at Brunswick Veterinary Clinic where he was treated, also hurt a third leg and his jaw.

On Monday, the RSPCA said Aussie had recovered from his horrific ordeal and was ready for a new home.

People interested in adopting him can call the clinic on 9726 1070.

RSPCA spokesman Tim Mayne said the association was still seeking information from anyone who saw the incident, or a hatchback-type vehicle on Heppingstone Road on Australia Day.

Reports can be made confidentially to RSPCA's Cruelty Hotline on 1300 278 3589.

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Rudd advises on global China scholarship

FORMER prime minister Kevin Rudd has joined global business and political heavyweights as an adviser on a new, $US300 million, China-focused scholarship program established by a billionaire US businessman.

Stephen Schwarzman, the chairman and co-founder of global investment firm Blackstone, has established a scholarship program aimed at creating a network of future leaders with a deep understanding of, and connection to, China.

Mr Rudd will sit alongside former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, former UK PM Tony Blair, ex-Canadian PM Brian Mulroney and three former US secretaries of state on the high-powered advisory board for the Schwarzman Scholars program.

Four Australians will be among the 200 scholars taken into the program each year, starting 2016, and trained at a new campus Mr Schwarzman is building at Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University.

Mr Schwarzman, a philanthropist whose personal wealth is estimated at more than $US6 billion, used $100 million of his own money to establish the program, which he said would foster understanding of China and reduce potential conflict as it grew in global economic stature.

"In the 21st century, China is no longer an elective course, it's core curriculum," he said.

The Schwarzman Scholars program will emulate the famous Rhodes Scholarship program created by British businessman and statesman Cecil Rhodes and will be the largest charitable fundraising effort in China's history.

Mr Schwarzman said Mr Rudd had been recommended to him as a board member because of the politician's knowledge of China, including his fluency in Mandarin.

"I was introduced to Kevin at Davos this year at the World Economic Forum," Mr Schwarzman said.

"He said, 'if you'd like my help I'd be glad to do it'."

Mr Schwarzman and Mr Rudd recorded an interview for a leading Chinese TV program this week.

"I'd say Kevin was certainly one of the leading stars of the show," Mr Schwarzman said.

"He has a lot of opinions and also a lot of knowledge on this particular subject."

Mr Schwarzman has raised an additional $US100 million from personal and corporate donors to date but is still seeking a further $US100 million.

So far there are no Australian donors, corporate or individual, on the list.

Mr Schwarzman said graduates of the program would have the potential to become leaders in their field, ranging from politics and business to the arts and media.

"They can really become thought leaders, not only interpreting China but impacting China," he said.

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Abbott on collision course with Jakarta

Tony Abbott's turn back the boats policy would jeopardise relations between Canberra and Jakarta. Source: AAP

TONY Abbott's promise to stick with his controversial plan to turn back the boats has again attracted the ire of Indonesian officials with one warning the policy would jeopardise relations between Canberra and Jakarta.

A senior Indonesian legislator and a member of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's ruling coalition on Monday slammed Mr Abbott who has in recent days recommitted to using the navy to turn asylum-seeker boats around.

"I have a lot of faith in the professionalism of the Royal Australian Navy and I am confident that what they have done in the past they can do again in the future if needs be," Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

The comments come after Mr Abbott on Sunday said most of the asylum-seeker vessels arriving in Australian waters were crewed by Indonesians when asked if he would push ahead with this policy against the wishes of Jakarta.

"If a boat gets turned around outside of Indonesia's waters, and then turns up again at the Indonesian port from which it had come, that surely is just simply a matter of course," Mr Abbott said.

But Mahfudz Siddiq, the head of Indonesia's parliamentary commission for foreign affairs, said Mr Abbott's comments demonstrated that the opposition leader "doesn't understand the problem".

Mr Abbott, who is widely expected to be elected prime minister in September, has previously said he would make Jakarta his first port of call if he won office in order to "mend relations" which he claims have been damaged by the Gillard government.

The reaction from Mahfudz suggests, however, that it is Mr Abbott who may be on a collision course with Jakarta over his boat tow-back plan.

"This kind of opinion disrespects the talks we have already had which have been very productive. With wrong perception, even Indonesia could pull out from these cooperative agreements regarding people smuggling," Mahfudz told AAP.

"I'm not saying that Australia is not troubled and burdened by people smuggling cases, but then Indonesia is suffering the same thing. Indonesia is not their (asylum seekers) destination."

Australian Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor said Mr Abbott's plan was "irresponsible and against the national interest".

"His reckless policies will risk the lives of not only the people on those on vessels, but also our naval and customs personnel who work to protect our borders," Mr O'Connor said.

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Newman farewells students to Western Front

QUEENSLAND'S premier has recalled his haunting visit to the Western Front while farewelling five students who will follow his steps.

The students have won the inaugural Premier's Anzac Prize to visit the Western Front and Gallipoli.

Mr Newman, who is the son of a war veteran and former member of the army, farewelled the students at Brisbane airport on Sunday.

Marking the occasion, he recounted an emotional experience in 2008 while visiting the battlefields in France where his great uncle died in World War I.

His body was never recovered.

"To stand on a field where your ancestor died and to be there perhaps one hundred metres from where he was last seen, and knowing his body lies somewhere on the field, is a truly amazing, very sobering and surreal experience," he said.

Mount Isa student Elijah Douglas, 16, won a spot for his multimedia presentation on indigenous soldiers fighting despite not being classified as Australian citizens.

He played a didgeridoo at the farewell which he made and painted.

He will give it to a school in France.

"I thought of travelling, but I never thought this would come," he told AAP.

Some 50 students will be chosen to visit the battlefields over the next three years.

Mr Newman wants them to have priority for the 2015 centenary celebrations at Gallipoli, after the federal government announced it would hold a ballot to decide who goes.

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Labor favourite in Vic by-election

Victorian Labor candidate Martin Pakula is expected to win the Lyndhurst by-election on April 27. Source: AAP

LABOR faces no real danger of losing the Melbourne electorate of Lyndhurst at next weekend's by-election.

Former shadow treasurer Tim Holding triggered the contest for the outer south-eastern seat when he resigned in February.

He was first elected MP for Springvale in 1999 and returned in 2002 after a redistribution in which the seat was re-named Lyndhurst.

Mr Holding won more than 55 per cent of the primary vote at the last state poll and was 13.9 per cent ahead of the Liberals on a two-party preferred basis.

Labor is likely to win Saturday's race comfortably given the Liberal Party is not fielding a candidate and the Greens achieved little more than six per cent of the primary vote in 2010.

Lyndhurst includes parts of Springvale, Noble Park and Keysborough as well as Dandenong South and Hampton Park.

Almost half its electors are overseas born and more than a quarter are manufacturing workers with local glass, dairy, pharmaceutical and other factories.

ALP candidate Martin Pakula is the favourite in a field of eight candidates comprised of the Greens, the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Family First, the Sex Party and three independents.

Mr Pakula is using the by-election to move into the lower house from the Legislative Council, where he represented the western metropolitan region.

He says the issues most concerning Lyndhurst constituents are jobs, local roads and TAFE cuts.

The Chisholm Institute of TAFE, which has a campus in the neighbouring electorate, has lost $30 million in funding cuts and about 200 jobs as part of state government reforms.

"I have been down at Noble Park footy club, I've been at the Cambodian festival - I've been everywhere," Mr Pakula said.

"I've treated the by-election as if it's a one per cent seat."

Greens candidate Nina Springle, who contested the seat at the last state election, is campaigning on closing the local toxic waste dump, increased bus services and building a new primary school in Keysborough.

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$34m health unit set for Melbourne

A NEW 54-bed mental health unit will be built in Melbourne's west and is expected to open in 2016.

The $34 million mental health unit at the Werribee Mercy Hospital will include 54 beds, which is 25 more than currently exists.

Premier Denis Napthine said the new facility was desperately needed to keep pace with growth in the area.

"Consistently there is an absolute full-house sign here," he said.

More than 100 jobs will be created during the construction phase as well as 30 ongoing clinical positions.

Dr Napthine said the funding would be provided in next month's budget and the new unit was expected open in 2016.

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