Shaw ill, not angry: Vic premier

Victoria's premier says a fever kept independent MP Geoff Shaw away from parliament on Thursday. Source: AAP

VICTORIAN Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews says he won't apologise for behaviour which had him suspended from parliament for three days and has promised to continue to stand his ground in the chamber.

Mr Andrews says he will use his days away from parliament to talk to the people of Frankston - the electorate of controversial independent MP Geoff Shaw who is facing 24 charges.

And he says Labor is ready for a by-election in the seat should Mr Shaw be convicted and thrown out of parliament.

"I do not apologise for doing my job and I do not resile for standing my ground," he told reporters.

"I was asking serious questions about arrangements, deals, the obvious fact that Geoff Shaw props up Denis Napthine and his government."

Mr Andrews said he would head to Frankston during his suspension because the people there haven't been getting the leadership and hard work they are entitled to.

Mr Shaw was absent during the chaotic question time on Thursday that culminated in Mr Andrews' suspension.

Mr Andrews had tried to ask questions about Mr Shaw, but was prevented from doing so.

He accused the speaker of biased rulings and was ordered out of the parliament.

But Mr Andrews refused to budge and stood his ground even when the sergeant-at-arms was called in to remove him.

Mr Shaw's absence came just hours after Premier Denis Napthine ruled out a return to the Liberal Party.

Dr Napthine said on Friday that Mr Shaw had a fever.

"He's not angry with me," Dr Napthine said of Mr Shaw, who is facing charges of misconduct and fraud-related offences for misusing his taxpayer-funded car.

"He was ill yesterday. He was quite ill."

Dr Napthine said Mr Andrews lost control in parliament on Thursday and behaved like a toddler having a tantrum.

"What we saw from Daniel Andrews is a person who lost control," Dr Napthine said.

"He threw a two-year-old temper tantrum.

"I think it was appalling behaviour."

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Bangladeshi arrested over campus assault

A FOREIGN student allegedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl in the second attack of its kind this year at a university in Sydney's north.

A 21-year-old Bangladeshi man has been charged over the alleged assault at student accommodation at Macquarie University.

The girl told police she woke in a bedroom on the campus in North Ryde and found a man sexually assaulting her in the morning of August 31.

Her alleged attacker was arrested on Thursday and charged a day later with the indecent and sexual assault of the girl.

Police confirmed the Bangladeshi man is in Australia on a student visa.

He's been granted conditional bail to appear Ryde Local Court on October 16.

It is the second sexual assault at Macquarie University this year.

In February, a 20-year-old male Sri Lankan asylum seeker was charged with indecently assaulting a 20-year-old student at the same student accommodation.

The man was an asylum seeker on a bridging visa but was not living in student housing at Macquarie University at the time of the attack.

The accommodation is owned and run by Campus Living Villages (CLV), which is also responsible for security on site.

The accommodation provider said they are providing assistance to police as they investigate the latest case.

"CLV is focused on providing continued support to village residents to ensure the continued safety, security and wellbeing of all residents," a CLV spokeswoman told AAP in a statement.

"As the matter is subject to an ongoing police investigation, CLV is unable to make any further comment."

Another incident also took place this year at the Parramatta campus of Western Sydney University.

In June, a female student was indecently assaulted by a man who snuck into her room.

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Bail denied in NT prison drugs case

BAIL has been denied for a man who allegedly traded drugs with a Darwin prison guard and used her to pass messages to other prisoners, including a suspected Rebels bikie gang leader.

Phillip Noel Kaye, 35, is allegedly part of a six-person drug and corruption ring that operated out of Darwin Correctional Centre and included three prison guards, a police officer and a firefighter.

It's alleged he used prison guard Sarah Rudd to pass messages to other inmates, including organising drug deals, and gave her methamphetamines and MDMA.

At Darwin Magistrates Court on Friday, Magistrate Greg Cavanagh denied him bail, saying there was a real likelihood that he would reoffend if released.

"Given the multitude of offending and his previous record, bail must be refused," Mr Cavanagh said.

Kaye is facing more than a dozen charges, including possession of a trafficable quantity of drugs, unlawfully obtaining confidential information, attempting to pervert the course of justice and official corruption.

"Cheer up," he told an unidentified tearful female supporter as he was led from the courtroom.

His defence argued that bail should be granted because his girlfriend has recently given birth to a seven-week premature baby.

They also said a key witness had made allegations against him last year to police before saying she had lied due to mental illness.

Kaye will reappear in court at a later date.

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Perth Zoo Galapagos tortoise turns 47

Perth Zoo's Galapagos tortoise Cerro celebrated his 47th birthday munching on his favourite foods. Source: AAP

ONE of Perth Zoo's two Galapagos tortoises has turned 47 and is being treated to his favourite foods including hibiscus flowers.

Cerro and his brother Sierra were born at San Diego Zoo and arrived in Australia in 1988.

They lived for many years with the late John Roberts, founder of the Multiplex construction empire, at his Egerton Stud property in the Swan Valley.

Mr Roberts donated the pair to Perth Zoo in 2005 because he believed the public should see them.

Cerro, who weighs 204kg and is considered a youngster given the oldest Galapagos tortoise lived to 175, is particularly fond of food.

But Sierra likes nothing more than interacting with people and being given a scratch - so much so, he follows the keepers around.

"Like humans they have very strong personalities," Perth Zoo spokeswoman Debbie Read said.

While Galapagos tortoises can survive more than a year without food or water, Ms Read said "there's no chance of it with Cerro because he loves his food!"

He's particularly fond of brightly coloured nosh, especially apples, bananas and hibiscus flowers - and is able to move quite fast to get to them.

"We're going to give him special treats today and make a fuss about him," Ms Read said.

With the warmer weather, Cerro and Sierra are starting to venture out more from their heated huts, being reptiles and averse to the cold, so now is the time to see them, Ms Read said.

"They are under threat in the wild so it's great to have them here so people can see them and learn about them," she said.

Less than 20,000 remain in the wild on the Galapagos Archipelago.

There are 14 recognised species of Galapagos tortoise, three of which are now extinct.

Lonesome George, a century-old Pinta Island subspecies of Galapagos giant tortoise believed to be the last of his kind, died last year of causes unknown.

About 200,000 Galapagos tortoises were killed when they were hunted to feed sailors and pirates on long journeys.

These days, hatchlings are preyed on by introduced species such as pigs, cats and dogs, and they also have to compete with cattle and feral goats for food.

So while there's a lot of conservation effort and habitat restoration going on around the world, more needs to be done.

Ms Read said a curious sight was the "height fight" male Galapagos tortoises engage in when competing for females.

"They stand tall and stretch their necks up as far as possible, and can reach 1.5 metres," she said.

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Vic premier denies deal with charged MP

VICTORIAN Premier Denis Napthine is denying there is a deal to secure Geoff Shaw's vote, with parliament descending into chaos when the controversial MP failed to attend question time.

The government says Mr Shaw, charged this week with fraud-related offences, was apparently unable to attend because of sickness - which the opposition says is news to them.

In Shaw's absence, Speaker Ken Smith was forced to vote with the government to break the deadlock on a motion to suspend Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews for three days.

Mr Andrews had accused the speaker of bias after he prevented the opposition leader from asking pointed questions about Shaw, the former Liberal-turned-independent.

The drama came as Premier Denis Napthine denied a deal had been done to secure Shaw's vote, but said he would accept support from "all sides of politics".

"There has been no deal with Geoff Shaw," Dr Napthine said on Thursday.

"There has been no discussions on that matter. It's not on the agenda."

Deputy Opposition Leader James Merlino said the drama showed the circus of a government relying on Shaw's support.

"It is a government propped up by the member for Frankston, who is facing 24 serious criminal charges and today in parliament Victorians saw how unstable and chaotic that arrangement is," he told reporters.

"Geoff Shaw was not on the floor of the chamber and Denis Napthine fails to achieve a majority.

"If you can't govern the parliament, if you do not have a majority on the floor of the parliament, how can you govern Victoria?"

Mr Merlino seemed surprised when told Shaw was apparently sick.

"Is that what they are saying it is? I haven't heard that," he said.

Mr Shaw quit the parliamentary Liberal party in March on the same day Ted Baillieu resigned as premier.

The independent, who reportedly remains a card-carrying member of the Victorian Liberal party, was this week charged after misusing his taxpayer-funded car.

Dr Napthine also said there was no chance of seeing Shaw welcomed back to parliament as a Liberal member or endorsed as a Liberal candidate in any electorate.

"The chance of him coming back into the parliamentary Liberal party are negligible, low, nil, zero," Dr Napthine said on Thursday.

If Shaw is convicted of the offences, he will be ineligible to serve as an MP, which potentially triggers a by-election in his slimly-held seat.

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WA premier braces for more school strikes

MORE than 20,000 people have come together to support an unprecedented teacher's strike across Western Australia.

And beleaguered Premier Colin Barnett has been warned it could be just the beginning of a potentially lengthy fight with unions over school funding.

Teachers, principals, education assistants, school support staff, parents and children flocked to a mass rally to protest job losses and funding reforms that unions claim will deprive schools of millions of dollars.

More than 60 schools across the state closed for the morning, with 23 rallies across WA adding their voices to the mass protest in Perth, despite teachers being threatened with having their pay docked for attending.

A defiant government continued to insist the strike was disruptive, unnecessary and unjustified - but still agreed to meet union leaders next week to listen to grievances.

"This campaign will keep running. It will keep growing. This government has to learn that it can't build stadiums at the expense of our children's education," Carolyn Smith from United Voice said.

"Colin Barnett and (education minister) Peter Collier continue to hide from the truth, but the community is determined - we're not going away."

Opposition leader Mark McGowan told the rally it was obvious the premier had a major fight on his hands to convince the public his plans to reform school funding was correct.

"I am looking at the thousands and thousands of people here today and I am thinking 'Mr Barnett, you picked the wrong people,'" Mr McGowan said.

"These are not reforms, these are cuts."

The day after WA lost its AAA credit rating from agency Standard and Poor's, Mr Barnett said there was no connection between the state's dwindling economic power and the decision to reshape education funding.

He lambasted Mr McGowan for talking down the state's schools.

"How can the Leader of the Opposition go out and talk about children suffering. What do you think this is, Bangladesh?," Premier Barnett said in parliament.

More than 5000 people attended similar stop work meetings in regional areas, including 2000 in Bunbury, 500 in Albany, 520 in Pinjarra and 200 in Port Hedland.

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Shorten hits out at Abbott govt's start

Labor MP Bill Shorten has criticised the Abbott government for sacking public service chiefs. Source: AAP

SACKING public service chiefs, not promoting women - federal Labor leadership aspirant Bill Shorten says he's seen better starts to a new government.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott's first announcement after being sworn in at Government House on Wednesday was the sacking of three department secretaries - Andrew Metcalfe at Agriculture, Blair Comley at Resources and Energy and Don Russell at Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

The sackings followed Mr Abbott's controversial decision to include just one woman - Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop - in his 19 member cabinet.

"Sacking people, not promoting women, it's not the best start I've ever seen," Mr Shorten says.

At a press conference at not-for-profit women's organisation Fitted for Work, Mr Shorten spent most of his time targeting Mr Abbott's gender imbalanced ministry.

He hit out at coalition sources who accused independent MP for Indi Cathy McGowan of being partly responsible for the lack of women in the cabinet because she toppled Sophie Mirabella in the seat of Indi.

"I know there's very talented Liberal women in that parliamentary party," Mr Shorten said.

"The Abbott government is acting a little bit like (men-only private social club) the Melbourne Club with its restriction/entry requirements."

Mr Shorten had no shortage of jibes for Mr Abbott.

But he refused to bite when asked about claims made by his rival for the job as Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, that he could oust the newly-elected Coalition government in one term.

Albanese made the statement at a boisterous campaign launch on Tuesday where he kickstarted his bid to win over Labor party members before the vote for Labor leader by rank-and-file members and caucus.

"I'm not going to be negative at all about Anthony Albanese, he's got a lot of strengths," Mr Shorten said, adding he too could win in one term.

"I believe I can win this election in one if given the privilege of representing Labor, because we are a team."

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NSW minister quizzed on caseworker numbers

FAMILY and Community Services Minister Pru Goward has again been accused of misleading parliament and spinning "a web of deceit" about caseworker numbers.

The NSW opposition repeated calls for her resignation after releasing a series of internal emails showing a drop in staff numbers at an office in Wollongong.

Following the death of two-year-old Zoran Ivanovski in August, Ms Goward told parliament not a single Wollongong worker had been cut.

Zoran was repeatedly reported to the department in the weeks before his death but the union claims staff cuts meant they didn't have the resources to follow it up.

During question time on Wednesday, the opposition again accused the minister of misleading parliament.

The emails show that while the Wollongong office had 43.9 fulltime equivalent staff in June 2011, this had decreased to 32.7 by December last year.

They also indicate staff were to be cut to 29 fulltime from January of this year.

"I think it is absolutely abhorrent that today Labor has politicised the tragic death of a child," Ms Goward fired back.

She said the office was over-staffed in the months leading up to Zoran's death.

"We funded at that time 37.7 fulltime equivalent staff at the Wollongong office," she said, adding that it was for the department to decide where positions should be filled.

Earlier on Wednesday, opposition leader John Robertson accused her of playing with the numbers.

"This minister can try and dress it up, she can mince her words.

"The fact is there has been a reduction from 44 to 33 staff in an 18-month period," he told reporters.

Ms Goward has been under siege since August budget estimates, when she denied in parliament any knowledge of a report that contradicted her claims the state has more than 2000 case workers.

The Ernst & Young report found only 1797 positions had been filled.

She has also been accused of failing to correct the parliamentary record in March after her department reportedly informed of the correct caseworker numbers.

Earlier this week, the opposition said June 11 meeting minutes showed Ms Goward was advised that millions of dollars would be required if the promised 2068 caseworkers posts were to be delivered.

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Job-seeker attacks China's 2nd-richest man

CHINESE police have detained a labourer who approached China's second-richest man to ask for a job, and then attacked and injured the company chairman when he denied the request, state media report.

Zong Qinghou, chairman of food and beverage giant Hangzhou Wahaha Group, is recovering from injuries to his left hand after Friday's attack in the eastern city of Hangzhou, the official Xinhua News Agency said on Wednesday.

Citing Hangzhou police, Xinhua identified the suspect as a 49-year-old migrant worker surnamed Yang and from the neighbouring province of Jiangsu. It said Yang borrowed 30,000 yuan (about $A5372) earlier this year and travelled to Hangzhou in search of work.

Yang sought out Zong, 67, near his home after watching a television program about the businessman's assistance to migrant workers and asked the man for a job with his company, Xinhua said.

It said Yang attacked Zong after his job request was turned down.

Zong had been China's richest man, but fell to the second place this year with total wealth of nearly $US19 billion. He founded Wahaha and built it into China's largest beverage manufacturer.

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Regis doubles full year profit

REGIS Resources has more than doubled its full year profit due to a boost in gold sales and higher prices.

The gold miner made a net profit of $145.7 million in the year to June 30, up from $68.2 million in the previous year.

Gold sales more than doubled to 253 ounces, from 107 ounces during the same period in the previous year.

That helped to boost gold sales revenue to $416.1 million.

The average sale price increased to $1,599 per ounce, up from $1,574 per ounce.

However, the cash cost of production rose 10 per cent in the full year, due to cost increases at the company's Moolart Well operation in Western Australia.

Regis said the development of its Rosemont Gold project, also in WA, would be completed in the December quarter.

"Gold production will commence in the December 2013 quarter and is expected to contribute 48,000 to 53,000 ounces of production for the 2014 financial year as the operation is ramped up," the company said.

Meanwhile, Regis forecasts gold production at WA's Garden Well for 2014 to be between 190,000 to 210,000 ounces and Moolart Well is expected to produce between 95,000 and 105,000 ounces during the same period.

Regis declared a maiden dividend of 15 cents per share, fully franked.

Regis shares dropped 30 cents, or 7.5 per cent, to $3.70.

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