Indigenous shakeup looms under Abbott

THE man set to head the new indigenous advisory council under a Tony Abbott government is flagging a radical shakeup of Aboriginal institutions, starting with abolition of a wide range of governance bodies.

Warren Mundine, former Labor national president and now executive chairman of the Indigenous Chamber, said indigenous people were the most highly governed in Australia.

At every level of government, there were additional structures for indigenous people, producing a system of mind boggling complexity, crippled by over-regulation, stultifying of economic development, not truly representative or transparent, inefficient, unwieldy and sometimes corrupt, he said.

Mr Mundine said there were numerous statutory bodies including land, regional and homeland councils, Aboriginal Corporations and indigenous shire councils.

"For this there should be one governance body representing each indigenous nation," he said in a landmark speech to the Garma indigenous festival in the Northern Territory.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott is on board, declaring the new advisory council headed by Mr Mundine would inform coalition government policy implementation.

"What we've got to do is develop new governance arrangements where things happen a lot more quickly than they seem to at the moment," he said.

Mr Abbott said this new advisory body would meet three times a year with himself and other ministers.

"If lasting change is to be achieved in this area it has to be broadly bipartisan and embraced by Aboriginal people rather than simply imposed by government," he said.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd agreed.

He said if he had one ambition in life, it was to ensure closing the gap with indigenous Australians was taken out of the political ruck.

"We are judged by the rest of the world on these questions and rightly so and we will be judged by our children as to whether we have got this right," he said.

But Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said Mr Abbott seemed intent on returning to the Howard government's ineffective approach to ending disadvantage.

"Mr Abbott has shown no commitment to a number of key issues, such as addressing the lingering problems with our system of native title or ending the failed and expensive regime of income management," she said in a statement.

Mr Mundine's vision goes much further than reforming governance.

He said indigenous people should be able to own their homes which they can't now in communities where land is communally held by traditional owners.

He said communities could never attract business and investment to create jobs if substance abuse was out of control, which was why alcohol management plans were so important for economic development.

As well, indigenous communities needed to be more open and do away with permit systems if they were serious about development and jobs.

"This requires that we make some hard decisions," he said.

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Rudd's day on the island state

Tasmanian's underwhelmed with Kevin Rudd's one off-job commitments to the troubled island state. Source: AAP

KEVIN Rudd's campaign roadshow has touched down in Tasmania, where the prime minister opened his heart and Labor's wallet for the troubled island state.

Arriving at Hobart's showground on Saturday, sheltering from lashing rain beneath an umbrella, Mr Rudd announced that a re-elected Labor government will spend $5 million to redevelop the weary facility, creating 140 jobs.

But the recession-plagued island where the unemployment rate of 8.2 per cent is the nation's highest, can take little comfort in the vague promise with Mr Rudd refusing to get into "micro-planning" and as a result unable to provide a timeline for the project.

"On Tasmania, I think we have a strong record of achievement, not just a bit of an abstract plan for the future," he said in Labor's defence.

On day six of the election campaign Mr Rudd was more than an hour late for his sole Hobart engagement and spent only a few minutes with patient supporters before bypassing the scones, jam and cream to be locked away for a pre-press conference briefing.

"I love Tasmania and the family and I have holidayed here before and I'm sure we'll be back again," Mr Rudd said, almost by way of compensating for the lack of a much-anticipated economic stimulus announcement for the state.

Earlier in the week the coalition announced a $6.5 million pilot plan for Tasmania, paying employers to hire people who have been on the Newstart allowance for six months or more and continue to employ them full time for at least six months.

"I would have liked to hear more ideas for Tasmania from Mr Rudd, and I'm a Labor through-and-through," said an onlooker, who asked not to be named.

Campaigning in the seat of Denison, Mr Rudd stood alongside Labor's candidate for the electorate, Jane Austin, but offered his party colleague only faint praise, while saying he has no criticism of current independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who is tipped to retain his place.

"I'm not into the negative politics of having a whack at Mr Wilkie," Mr Rudd said.

The prime ministerial convoy headed to Tasmania's north for the afternoon, stopping at Launceston where Mr Rudd announced $375,000 to help fund the $1.1 million redevelopment of Prospect Park.

He kicked a football with local children and was seen to reel back to avoid a slobbery lick from a cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Devonport was the final destination, where Mr Rudd toured a fruit and vegetable cold store distribution centre, walking among crates of Tassie apples and mushrooms.

The prime minister will spend Saturday night in Canberra ahead of Sunday's political debate with Mr Abbott at the National Press Club.

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Investigators probe Melb airport collision

A plane has been damaged after colliding with another while reversing at Melbourne airport. Source: AAP

SPECIALISTS from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau have arrived in Melbourne to investigate what caused two planes to collide at Tullamarine Airport.

The tail of a Jetstar plane and the wing of a Virgin plane were damaged when the two aircraft came into contact at the airport about 9.30am (AEST) on Saturday.

The Jetstar plane was empty and was taxiing to the international terminal to pick up passengers.

No-one aboard the Virgin flight to Maroochydore was injured, but they were delayed for four hours after the incident.

Passengers were supplied refreshments during the wait before being put on another plane.

A spokesman from the ATSB said investigators would be listening to all recorded information to try to determine how the accident occurred.

"Any sort of contact between planes is obviously not good," the spokesman said.

"There will have been errors made.

"You don't have accidents without errors. We'll look at why they occurred and how they occurred."

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Balance rights and responsibility: Pearson

IT'S not up to governments to save blackfellas but to empower them to help themselves, says academic and activist Noel Pearson.

The chairman of the Cape York Institute was addressing the Garma Festival on Yolngu land in east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.

"If our people are deserving of anything, it is the right to take charge of our lives, and it is a right that has been taken away from us," Mr Pearson said.

"We have been hesitant when the word responsibility is used in indigenous affairs - we have disowned it.

"We have been quite comfortable with the idea of rights, but we have to be able to balance the relationship to responsibility."

He called for the government to surrender power to allow indigenous people to lead in issues relating to them, echoing other Aboriginal leaders who gathered in Arnhem Land on Friday to call for welfare reform.

Ian Trust, chairman of the Wunan Foundation in East Kimberley, said people came to Kununurra to take advantage of the opportunities mining had created.

"Yet we have a huge number of my people on welfare and they've been on welfare for generations, while they're surrounded by mines," he said.

He said it was so sensitive an issue that no one even wanted to talk about beginning to address it.

"We have got to do something about people being caught in this passive welfare," Mr Trust said.

"It takes a lot of courage to stand up and say to people, 'you're 19 and strong as an ox, why are you on welfare'?"

Mr Pearson said it was about improving the lot of all Australians, no matter where they were from.

"This welfare reform thing is not a blackfella thing, it's a disadvantage thing," he said.

"The future is not some kind of abstraction. These people are concerned about real children and their destinies."

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Chinese data not enough to rally shares

AUSTRALIAN shares rallied late, but closed slightly lower on Friday after being dragged down by the banks.

Investors were restrained after strong gains on Thursday.

IG market strategist Stan Shamu said investors were moving out of dividend paying yield plays, including the banks and Telstra, and into the riskier miners.

"The market cap of the banks is phenomenal, they have been cooked for a while and a lot of investors feel there is no value at the moment," he told AAP.

The four major banks represent four out of the six largest stocks on the exchange, meaning if they all fall then the overall market is likely to follow.

The Commonwealth Bank was down 15 cents at $72.85, ANZ had shed 16 cents at $29.23, NAB had lost 17 cents at $30.57 and Westpac was 14 cents lower at $30.77.

Telstra's share price has also been trading at near record highs, but fell five cents, or nearly 1.0 per cent, to $5.08.

The miners benefited from strong Chinese import and demand for raw materials data.

Rio Tinto shares were up 77 cents, or 1.29 per cent, at $60.25, while BHP Billiton was up 63 cents at $35.94, both companies' highest level in five months.

KEY FACTS

* At the close on Friday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 9.6 points, or 0.19 per cent, at 5,055.2, which was a 1.2 per cent fall for the week.

* The the broader All Ordinaries index was down 8.3 points, or 0.16 per cent, at 5,038.8.

* At 1645 AEST on the ASX 24, the September share price index futures contract was three points higher at 5004 with 27,881 contracts traded.

* The spot price of gold in Sydney finished at $US1308.35, up $US14.85 from $US1293.50 on Thursday.

* National turnover was 1.4 billion securities worth $3.6 billion.

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$A higher despite weak Aust growth outlook

THE Australian dollar is higher despite the Reserve Bank of Australia's weaker outlook for economic growth.

At 1700 AEST on Friday, the local unit was trading at 91.40 US cents, up from 90.88 cents on Thursday.

Easy Forex currency dealer Milica Nikolic said the Australian dollar took a slight, short-lived dip lower after the release of the RBA's quarterly statement on monetary policy, which downwardly revised its forecasts for growth in the Australian economy this year.

"The RBA reduced the growth forecasts for the economy so the Aussie pulled down but then immediately bounced back up," Ms Nikolic said.

"It wasn't enough to push the Australian dollar lower, so it looks like we've run out of sellers."

The local currency was also given a boost following positive retail, manufacturing and mining data from China.

China's industrial production growth accelerated in July to a five-month high of 9.7 per cent year-on-year, the Chinese government said.

Industrial production, which measures output at factories, workshops and mines and is a key indicator for the world's second-largest economy, also increased 9.4 per cent over the first seven months of this year.

Figures on Friday also showed Chinese inflation had held steady at 2.7 per cent year-on-year in July, potentially giving authorities some leeway for economic stimulus.

At 1700 AEST, the Australian dollar was at 88.39 Japanese yen, up from Thursday's close of 87.38 yen, and at 68.30 euro cents, up from 68.00 euro cents.

Meanwhile, Australian bond futures prices were pushed lower by the good Chinese data, said Nomura head of macro products Jon Linton.

Mr Linton said the RBA statement had been interpreted in different ways, with some saying it maintained an easing bias while others interpreted it as hawkish.

"By and large, I think it was pretty much as expected, but maybe the market had been looking for a few clearer hints from the RBA about monetary policy going forward," Mr Linton said.

"I think our market is going to be dragged around by what goes on overseas for the next couple of weeks just because we've had a lot of data out of Australia but the picture isn't much clearer, domestically."

At 1630 AEST on Friday, the September 10-year bond futures contract was trading at 96.280 (implying a yield of 3.720 per cent), down from 96.320 (3.680 per cent) on Thursday.

The September three-year bond futures contract was at 97.420 (2.580 per cent), down from 97.460 (2.540 per cent).

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Fat cat in a fix sparks rescue operation

A NINE-KILO cat called Dracula has been put on a diet after it became wedged between two brick walls at a NSW south coast property, sparking a two hour rescue operation.

Ambulance rescue paramedics were called to the address in Culburra Beach on Wednesday afternoon.

They found Dracula stuck in the double garage wall and after a long and delicate operation were able to free the fat cat.

"It was such a nice thing to see this cat reunited with her owner," rescue paramedic Faye Stockman said.

"It is not every day paramedics get to see happy incidents like this."

Dracula's owner Carmel said her pet had been checked by a vet.

"He's going on a diet," she said.

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Costing debate is Labor election strategy

THE federal government has entered the election campaign as the underdog but believes Labor's momentum is building now the coalition's policy costings are under the spotlight.

On the third day of the run-up to the September 7 poll, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott went to Adelaide to unveil a 1.5 percentage point corporate tax cut.

The reduction to 28.5 per cent will cost $5 billion over four years, but Mr Abbott's not yet ready to say how exactly it will be paid for bar pointing to a broad $17 billion in coalition savings.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd spent most of the day in the northwest of Sydney where he seized on media reports a coalition government could consider raising the 10 per cent GST to cover its budget "black hole".

Labor insiders told AAP the coalition was playing directly into its initial strategy of putting their opponents on the back foot over costings.

"We've got the coalition talking about what is going to become their number one problem in this campaign, which is their election costings," said Hawker Britton director Simon Banks, a former Rudd staffer.

"That's plenty of momentum."

Mr Abbott said his tax cut plan would reduce costs for 750,000 businesses, allowing them to expand and create more jobs.

"I want to make it absolutely crystal clear that the tax reductions that we have so far announced are more than funded by the sensible savings that were announced by us before the campaign commenced," he said.

The savings referred to include axing Labor's SchoolKids Bonus ($4 billion), cutting 12,000 public service jobs ($5 billion), a two-year delay in a superannuation contribution rise ($2.1 billion) and scrapping the low-income super contribution ($2.9 billion). These total $14 billion.

The coalition's $4.3 billion paid parental leave scheme, to be unveiled next week, will be paid for by a 1.5 per cent tax rise for Australia's 3000 biggest companies.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey said further savings would be announced during the campaign.

When compared to coalition policy announcements, the budget bottom line would be "better off".

Labor claims the coalition's starting point is a costings "black hole" of between $50 billion and $70 billion - which Mr Hockey denies.

Treasurer Chris Bowen said the coalition's approach to costings was "adding some fairy dust and saying something will turn up on the night".

"Australian families have every right to be very concerned that this will be paid for by reducing government funding to hospitals, schools and services," he said.

Labor also went on the offensive over the GST, after Mr Hockey said on Tuesday the GST would be "part of the equation" under a planned coalition tax system review.

"This is a big, big development in this election campaign," Mr Rudd said.

"What I would say loud and clear is that the Australian government I lead would not increase the GST, nor would it extend its scope."

Mr Abbott said if the GST came up during the review "we will consider what the consultations come up with".

"But the fact is we have no plans whatsoever to make any changes to the GST," he added, while visiting a drinks factory in the South Australian Labor-held seat of Makin.

Meanwhile, Labor and the coalition continue to discuss plans for a series of leader debates.

So far, they've agreed the first debate should be on Sunday.

The final decision on whether it will be Sydney or at the National Press Club in Canberra is still under discussion.

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Peter Garrett's talents wasted: Blundell

COUNTRY music star James Blundell says fellow artist Peter Garrett's intellect was wasted in politics.

But the lead Queensland Senate candidate for Katter's Australian Party has vowed his celebrity status won't be exploited, in the same way Labor used the former Midnight Oil frontman.

"I think Peter Garrett is the greatest misuse of intellect I've seen in my adult, politically active lifetime," he told AAP.

"The decision makers and policy makers should have been listening to what Peter was saying because the reason Peter Garrett and Midnight Oil became incredibly famous was because they really, really connected with their peers, and half a generation above and below."

Blundell says he and Mr Garrett chatted about the shaved-head rock star's future career as they sat side-by-side at country music legend Slim Dusty's funeral in 2003.

He also feels that Mr Garrett, who is retiring from politics at this election, was unfairly tied to the failed pink batts scheme.

"To give him pink batts is the stupidest thing I've seen in my life," he said.

The 28-year music veteran and Golden Guitar winner says his own celebrity status won't be exploited, after persistent pleas from party leader Bob Katter for him to stand.

"If a celebrity is there for the glory of it, they will be badly hurt," he said.

Blundell called State of Origin coach and rugby league great Mal Meninga for advice, and to ask why he famously aborted a 2001 run for the ACT parliament.

"Mal is a bloke I absolutely love and he was one of the people ... I had a list of people to call because I wanted to know what happened," Blundell said, adding he hoped not to "go the Mal route".

Blundell also admits to being in favour of gay marriage, unlike many in his party.

"We have an agreement to disagree or to keep that whole issue away from the top 20 important things to discuss," he said.

"We don't see eye-to-eye on it 100 per cent."

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Coroner urges eBay pram crackdown

THE sale of substandard prams on eBay should be banned following the death of a child in Tasmania, a coroner has recommended.

Coroner Glenn Hay has called for legislation outlawing the importation of second-hand baby products which don't comply with Australian standards.

It comes after an investigation into the 2007 death of 11-month-old Zac Cameron Rainbow in Hobart.

The coroner found the child died of positional asphyxia when sleeping in a Swedish-made Emmaljunga pram purchased on eBay by his grandmother for $60.

The boy became trapped between the mattress and side wall of the pram.

"I recommend consideration be given to introducing legislation ... precluding the import, whether via the agency of eBay or similar agencies, from overseas of such second-hand equipment not complying with current Australian safety standards," the coroner wrote.

Mr Hay said second-hand nursery furniture should only be sold through licensed dealers.

He said equipment not complying with Australian standards should be disposed of.

A five-month old New Zealand child asphyxiated in an Emmaljunga pram prompted a recall in 1997, he said.

The coroner found no person had contributed to the death of Zac Rainbow, who was rocked to sleep in the pram by his grandmother after becoming unsettled at around 1am (AEDT) on February 3, 2007.

The child was found dead at 7am (AEDT).

Mr Hay said a clear label on the pram had warned of leaving children unattended, but more safety awareness was needed among carers.

He expressed his regret at the length of time of the investigation but said he was hopeful its thoroughness might prevent a similar death.

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Vic anti-McDonald's protester charged

POLICE have dramatically intervened in a long-running protest at the proposed site of a McDonald's restaurant in outer Melbourne.

Up to 50 police moved in before dawn on Tuesday, using a cherry picker to remove a woman from the roof of the Tecoma site after weeks of protests involving dozens of residents.

The woman was charged with trespass and bailed to appear at Ringwood Magistrates Court.

Police said the operation, which had been planned for weeks, was to help large machinery gain access to the site.

Protest spokesman Garry Muratore, who estimated there were 200 protesters at the site early on Tuesday, said the police turnout was excessive.

"We're not terrorists, we're just mums and dads saying no," he told AAP.

Mr Muratore said the protesters would remain.

Acting Superintendent Paul Rosemblum defended the number of police involved in the intervention.

"We did bolster our police numbers today, but prior to today we hadn't been required to use a large number of resources," he told reporters.

"The fact that there was going to be heavy machinery going in ... (and) previous indications were that there was the potential for people to put themselves in harm's way."

He said police were deciding whether officers would join private security guards in maintaining a presence at the site.

McDonald's said it has consulted the community and always respected people's right to express opinions but not when it put themselves or others at risk.

"We have followed due legal process every step of the way to build a family restaurant," the company said in a statement.

"We're ready to get on with it and know there is much support from within the community."

They said the local franchise would create 100 local jobs, provide accredited training and work experience.

The Victorian Supreme Court last month ordered a temporary injunction blocking residents from disrupting the project, with the case due to return to court on August 27.

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Rudd, Abbott back Lib candidate over gaffe

TONY Abbott and Kevin Rudd don't agree on much, especially during an election campaign.

But they were united on Tuesday in sympathy for Liberal candidate Jaymes Diaz.

Both men leapt to Mr Diaz's defence after he was left red-faced in a television interview on Monday night.

In the five-minute interview, the Liberals' hope in the west Sydney seat of Greenway is unable to detail the coalition's six-point asylum plan.

"The key point would be stopping the boats where safe to do so," is Mr Diaz's best reply to questioning from Network Ten's John Hill.

Mr Abbott was quick to defend his candidate over the interview, which has since gone viral on YouTube.

"I'm afraid it happens to all of us from time to time," he told ABC radio in Sydney.

He said an occasional gaffe was just part of being in politics.

"Inevitably, a very experienced and slightly aggressive journalist shoves a microphone in your face and starts barking at you and it is possible to freeze," he said.

"I've done it myself."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, too, was in Mr Diaz's corner.

"I understand the Liberal candidate for Greenway had a few challenges yesterday. I'm sure some of ours will at some stage or another," Mr Rudd told reporters in the Queensland seat of Griffith.

"That's just life in an electoral campaign. If you've been through as many as I have you've seen anything happen."

Mr Diaz, a local family lawyer, is running against Labor's Michelle Rowland, who holds Greenway on 0.9 per cent.

Mr Diaz did not return AAP's calls.

Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said although it was the first gaffe of the 2013 campaign, it wouldn't be the last.

"I think anyone who's never made a mistake ever is entitled to have a go," he told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

But he said it was important that politicians were able to support the policy of their party.

"Particularly when there's not much there to support," he added.

"This person's been a candidate before of course.

"He was chosen by the Liberal Party last time around, they've selected him again, they obviously think he's one of their best."

The coalition needs a swing of just 0.9 per cent to claim the seat from Labor MP Michelle Rowland, making it the most marginal in NSW.

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Argo forecasts modest growth in year ahead

ARGO Investments expects Australian companies to post only modest growth in the year ahead as the nation's economy slows.

As it reported a 4.6 per cent rise in full year net profit to $175 million, the investment firm warned that a slowing domestic economy was likely to hamper Australian company earnings in the 2013/14 financial year.

"We do not expect strong earnings growth from Australian companies over the coming year and, therefore, predict only modest dividend growth," chief executive Jason Beddow said.

"However, we believe the overall yield available in the Australian equity market remains attractive."

Macquarie Group was among the best performing stocks in Argo's portfolio, even though its stake in the financial services player was reduced.

Argo increased its holdings in ANZ bank and retail giant Wesfarmers as part of $224 million spent on investments.

It sold holdings in building products and garage door maker Alesco Corporation, Australian Infrastructure Fund, Consolidated Media Holdings and Hastings Diversified Utilities Fund.

Argo held investments in 98 companies during the previous financial year, with the 20 largest firms in the portfolio accounting for 63 per cent of total assets and 64 per cent of income.

Argo shares gained four cents to $6.99.

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Rudd spends day tying up loose ends

PM Kevin Rudd has committed $450m to provide before and after hours school-based care for children. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd spent the first full day of the federal election campaign hosting Labor's last cabinet meeting and tying up the loose ends of the 43rd parliament.

The official end came at 5.29pm (AEST), when the Governor-General's official secretary Stephen Bradbury read out a proclamation dissolving parliament at the front of Parliament House.

This allowed the writs to be issued for the September 7 poll, and was underscored by a 19-gun artillery salute witnessed by more than 300 people.

But Mr Rudd did have time to confirm $650 million of government spending on initiatives for the child care and car industry and conduct a round of interviews to restate Labor's commitment to support jobs and help families manage living costs.

"What the Australian people want is a new approach to the future, which is based on positive policy and bringing the country together," he said on Monday.

Two new opinion polls show the coalition has a two to four percentage point lead over Labor, which faces a tough battle maintain its 71 existing seats while gaining up to five more to retain government in its own right.

The first Newspoll of the campaign put the coalition two-party lead at 52-48 per cent while the Essential poll put the lead at 51-49 per cent.

Both poll results were unchanged for the previous surveys, implying there might be some upside for either side in the next round of voter responses now the campaign is underway.

However, the Essential poll also said three quarters of voters have already decided which party they will vote for, with 44 per cent of saying they will "definitely not" change their mind.

Mr Rudd emerged from his meetings at 3pm on Monday, to again challenge Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to a public debate as soon as possible.

It appears the first confrontation between the leaders could take place at the National Press Club in Canberra on Sunday.

This would be a US-style presidential debate, with members of the federal press gallery grilling Mr Rudd and Mr Abbott.

Mr Rudd is expected to be in Brisbane early on Tuesday for his first full day on the campaign trail for a debate in his seat of Griffith against LNP hopeful Bill Glasson, the Greens' Geoff Ebbs and Karin Hunter for the Palmer United Party.

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Rudd makes $650m in campaign pledges

PM Kevin Rudd is expected to announce a package to help the battling car industry ahead of election. Source: AAP

LABOR has notched up $650 million in new spending on the first full day of the election campaign, targeting cash strapped parents and the ailing vehicle manufacturing sector.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's first big promise, which came just hours before the government went into caretaker mode, was an extra 68,000 places in before- and after-hours school-based care for children at a cost of $450 million.

The extra places will be available from 2014 and increase job opportunities, particularly for women.

"The government will give parents a further helping hand," Mr Rudd said Canberra on Monday.

Earlier, Labor earmarked $200 million for the car industry and pledged to ensure commonwealth agencies only use Australia-made passenger vehicles.

During a trip to the Labor-held southeast Queensland seat of Blair, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott used his first campaign foray ahead of the September 7 poll to revisit a pledge to abolish the carbon tax.

Mr Abbott has written to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to warn legislation to repeal the carbon tax will be his first order of business if elected to government.

The opposition leader was critical of the Labor plan to inject $200 million into the car industry, saying there were no details about how it would be spent.

"They throw taxpayer money around like confetti," Mr Abbott said.

"I have more respect for your money than to make blank cheques to industries which, let's face it, have been very good at using taxpayers' money but haven't always been that good at maintaining production and jobs."

With the economy firmly at the centre of the campaign, shadow treasurer Joe Hockey sparked debate over a possible central bank interest rate cut on Tuesday being a sign of a weak growth.

"We should not be in a position where interest rates are being cut, because the economy should be growing faster," Mr Hockey said.

Mr Rudd said the comment showed Mr Hockey believed it was "okay to have very high interest rates".

The prime minister evaded a question on whether he, like Mr Abbott, would pledge not to go into minority government if the election ended in a tie like the 2010 poll.

He said if the Liberal-National coalition was adamant about not doing deals with independents or minor parties it should instead direct preferences to Labor at the election.

Meanwhile, the Australian Greens accused Mr Abbott of "arrogance" over his letter to the prime minister's department about the carbon tax.

"We haven't had the election yet and he is already assuming that he is the prime minister," Leader Christine Milne said.

Former senator and Nationals lower house candidate Barnaby Joyce, who wants to win the NSW seat of New England, was very upbeat about the coalition's chances in the upcoming poll.

"I honestly think the coalition will win," he said.

"You're not supposed to say that, but I try to be straight with people."

The latest Newspoll puts the coalition on 52 per cent of the two-party vote, to Labor's 48 per cent.

The first allocation from Labor's car industry plan was $28.6 million to Toyota Australia, which makes the Camry in Victoria.

Mr Abbott said the best thing Labor could do for the industry was scrap its $1.8 billion in fringe benefits tax changes on employer-provided cars.

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Warning over ovarian cancer risks

WOMEN with so-called cancer genes should consider having their fallopian tubes removed to guard against a heightened risk of ovarian cancer, an expert says.

Providing they have had children, women who are found to be carrying the BRCA1 or 2 genes, such as actress Angelina Jolie, should think about such a course of action, says Professor Sean Kehoe, one of the UK's leading gynaecological oncologists.

Professor Kehoe, of the University of Birmingham, pointed to "a groundswell of evidence" suggesting the disease often starts in the fallopian tubes of women carrying the genes and not the ovaries as previously thought.

"Women who carry the BRCA1 gene are currently advised to have their ovaries removed by the time they are 40; whilst carriers of the BRCA2 gene are advised to have them removed no later than 50. This procedure normally includes removal of the fallopian tubes," he said.

"There may be certain situations whereby removal of the fallopian tube at an earlier age than that recommended for the ovaries be deemed appropriate - but there is a need to investigate this further.

"More research is needed to show that this approach would provide a worthwhile reduction in their risk of developing ovarian cancer, but based on recent findings there is evidence to support this concept.

"One disadvantage would be the need for two operations, hence the need to research this in much more detail."

Ovarian cancer is known as the silent killer because its symptoms often present too late for effective intervention. Up to 7000 women a year are diagnosed with the disease and 4500 die. One in 10 ovarian cancers are caused by an inherited faulty gene.

Jolie is the latest and most high-profile star to highlight the dilemma facing women at high risk of developing breast cancer.

The star revealed in May that she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy to reduce her risk of developing the disease.

Her mother Marcheline Bertrand died of cancer in 2007.

Jolie, a mother of six and partner of Brad Pitt, said she took the decision to have the procedure because she found she carries BRCA1, which sharply increases her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

"Recent studies suggest that the fallopian tubes may be the source of up to 50 per cent of so-called ovarian cancers though research is ongoing," Prof Kehoe said.

"Pre-cancerous changes have certainly been noted in the fallopian tubes of BRCA carriers when carefully examined.

"Unfortunately there are no diagnostic tests for identifying pre-cancerous or early cancerous cells in the fallopian tubes which would explain why the disease so often goes undetected until it has spilled out of the end of the tubes on to the ovaries and around the abdomen. Only then do symptoms develop. Tragically, by this time, the outcome is poor.

"Blood tests may one day help in screening or early diagnosis of cancer in the fallopian tubes in the future but the technology is not yet that advanced."

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australians finally get a choice: Abbott

THE federal election will be a choice between the coalition's positive plans for the future and more of the same under Labor, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says.

"At last the choice is yours, it's not the choice of the caucus, it's not the choice of the faceless men, it's your choice," Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra on Sunday.

"And the choice couldn't be clearer."

Mr Abbott said he and his coalition team were determined to build a "better Australia".

"We will build a stronger economy, so that everyone can get ahead," he said.

"We will scrap the carbon tax, we will get the budget back under control, we build the infrastructure of the future, and we will stop the boats."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had earlier asked the Australian people who did they trust.

Mr Abbott said the real question was: "Who is more fair dinkum? Who do they see as more fair dinkum?"

Mr Abbott said the coalition had delivered on border protection in the past and would do so again.

Unlike Labor, the coalition won't "simply rely on another country doing the job for us"- a reference to the government's plan to send asylum seeker boat arrivals to Papua New Guinea and Nauru for processing and settlement.

"Yes, we'll work with our friends and neighbours," Mr Abbott said.

"No one is more committed to the welfare of the Australian people than the Australian government."

The opposition leader said he was "happy to place myself in the judgment of the Australian people".

The coalition offered stability and consistency with an unchanged team for the past three years, compared to a Labor line-up that had "been wracked with division and dysfunction".

Labor offered weekly policy shifts and budget "spendathons".

"It's really about who is more fair dinkum. Who can you rely on to build a better future?" Mr Abbott said.

He pledged to provide a stronger economy by getting taxes down - including a "modest" company tax cut "as soon as it is responsible" - and by reducing business red tape by $1 billion a year.

"So if we get taxes down, if we get regulation down, then we can get productivity up," he said.

Mr Abbott said the coalition would give Australians more control over the running of hospitals and schools.

"One thing I'm determined to do is build a country where no one ever feels like a stranger," he added.

"To build a country where the bonds of solidarity, bonds of community are stronger and stronger."

He accused Labor of trying to "turn Australian against Australian".

Mr Abbott referred to the first piece of legislation parliament passed upon Mr Rudd's return to the top job - the laws cracking down on 457 visas for temporary foreign workers.

He said Labor had tried to demonise people coming to Australia to work legally and pay taxes.

"You'll never find this kind of divisiveness from me," Mr Abbott said.

Mr Abbott asked voters if they really wanted another three years of Labor, when the country's best years were still to come if opportunities were seized.

"I know we are a great country, I know we are a great people," he said.

"You know that too.

"There's almost nothing wrong with our country that wouldn't be improved by a change of government."

He also swore he'd never form a minority government by doing deals with minor parties and independents.

Mr Abbott said Labor's economic statement showed the budget balance had been deteriorating by $3 billion a week since May, "gross debt" was "skyrocketing" toward $400 billion, and the number of unemployment was marching towards 800,000.

"What's Mr Rudd's solution to this? Three new taxes," Mr Abbott said.

"The last way to build a strong economy is to clobber people with taxes."

If someone had a company car, put savings in the bank, or lit up a cigarette, "there's a tax on you."

"If this is what the government does before an election, just think what it will be like after an election," he said.

Mr Abbott dismissed Mr Rudd's claim that Australia's economic outlook was stable, pointing to the economic update released on Friday that showed the budget position "deteriorating to the tune of $3 billion a week"

"This was a massive admission of failure," Mr Abbott said.

"If you can't manage the budget, you can't run the country."

Mr Abbott re-committed a coalition government to reducing the size of the commonwealth public service, which he said has grown by 20,000 since Labor took power in 2007.

He said voters have not seen a better quality of government services in that time.

"I don't think the people want big government, I think you want strong government, you want effective government, you want government that gets things done not government that's all talk and no action," Mr Abbott said.

Mr Abbott rejected suggestions the coalition was to blame for the referendum - to recognise local governments in the constitution - not going ahead.

He said it was a good call the referendum has been put on the back burner.

"We were happy to lend bipartisan support so long as the referendum process was handled properly," he said.

"This government mishandled it from start to finish."

He said the funding of both cases was "grotesquely one-sided."

"The government hadn't done the spade work with the state governments to ensure they were supportive of the change," Mr Abbott said.

"I've always said if you're not sure vote no."

Asked why the coalition had not released more details about the costings of its policies to date, Mr Abbott promised, "The public will know exactly what they will get from us".

"They will know exactly how much it will cost. They will know exactly how it is going to be funded," he said.

"Because what I want to do is to reestablish the bonds of trust that should exist between a government and a people, between a prime minister and citizens, and sadly those bonds of trust have been repeatedly broken by the current government."

Mr Abbott said he was confident there would be full scrutiny during the campaign.

He also said he would be happy to debate Mr Rudd during the campaign and the Liberal party had already written to the ALP about a series of debates.

But he did not immediately agree to Mr Rudd's call to have to first debate on Monday night.

The final few days of the election campaign coincide with the Group of 20 (G20) Leaders Summit in Russia on September 5 and 6.

Mr Abbott said it was up to Mr Rudd how Australia was represented at the G20.

"I think it is very important that we make the most of our position in the world," Mr Abbott said.

"I think Australia should never under estimate its heft in the world."

He said Australia was the world's 12th largest economy, it had a significant military power and was a country of global reach.

"We should be ambitious for what we can achieve as a global country, as a global power, but in the end it's up to Mr Rudd how we are represented at the G20."

15.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Election is all about trust: Rudd

PM Kevin Rudd says the election will come down to who the Australian people trust on the economy. Source: AAP

THE September 7 federal election will be about who the Australian people trust to manage the economy, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.

Shortly after visiting Governor-General Quentin Bryce to set the poll date on Sunday, Mr Rudd outlined his "positive" plans for the nation's future.

"This election will be about who the Australian people best trust to lead them through the difficult new economic challenges that now lie ahead," he told reporters in Canberra.

The poll will also be about who Australians trust to protect jobs, deliver fair wages and conditions, invest in health and education and ensure there is a fair go for all, he added.

The prime minister positioned himself as the underdog in the election contest against Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

"If we had an election yesterday Mr Abbott would be prime minister as of today," he said.

Taking aim at Mr Abbott, Mr Rudd said Australian politics must move forward from old-style negative politics.

"Three-word slogans don't solve problems. They never have and they never will," he said.

Mr Rudd warned an Abbott-led coalition government would engage in a $70 billion "slash and burn" austerity drive that would hurt the nation.

He predicted the coalition would launch a massive negative advertising campaign in the weeks ahead.

But he said Mr Abbott could not hide behind such ads and challenged him to an election debate on Monday evening hosted by Sky News.

"I'm in like Flynn, I'm up for it. I hope Mr Abbott is as well," Mr Rudd said, adding that he was prepared to have a formal debate with the opposition leader every week of the campaign.

Alluding to his removal as prime minister a little over three years ago, Mr Rudd said the public had seen him experience some low moments.

"Moments I will never forget, because whether they were good or bad, they certainly made me a much stronger person," he said.

"You, the Australian people, know me pretty well - warts and all.

"I would be deeply honoured to serve you the Australian people and the country into the future."

Mr Rudd also confirmed that his decision to call an election earlier than former prime minister Julia Gillard's September 14 date meant the planned local government referendum wouldn't proceed.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr was likely to represent Australia at the G20 summit on September 5 to 6, Mr Rudd said.

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