Holden urged to declare Australian plans

The government and opposition have denied rumours Holden will pull out of Australia from 2016. Source: AAP

THE future for car maker Holden looks increasingly bleak, with pressure growing on the company to decide on the fate of its local manufacturing operations.

Holden has dismissed as speculation reports, sourced to senior federal government figures, that it has already decided to close by 2016.

But Prime Minister Tony Abbott has also rejected spending more public money to keep the company building cars in Australia, something thought essential for Holden to stay.

"I think they owe it to the workforce, they owe it to the suppliers, they owe it to the people of Australia to say what they're doing," Mr Abbott said on Friday.

"Are they staying or are they going?"

Mr Abbott said the government would not offer anything beyond what was promised at the September election - a total of $500 million in car industry assistance to 2015.

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said that made a mockery of the federal government's review of car industry assistance by the Productivity Commission.

He accused sections of the federal government of deliberately undermining the process to secure Holden's future.

"They want to create the most hostile environment so that Holden will actually take the decision out of their hands by just simply closing," Mr Weatherill said.

The premier said he had spoken to Holden boss Mike Devereux, who had rejected the closure reports and reaffirmed no decision had yet been made.

The company also issued a bulletin to workers telling them they would be the first to know of any decision.

The company said it remained fully committed to the negotiation process and to also taking part in the Productivity Commission review.

Mr Devereux spoke with workers in Adelaide on Thursday and is due to front the commission on Tuesday.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Unions state secretary John Camillo said Mr Devereux was upbeat in his comments to staff and made no mention of closure.

He said those same workers were now devastated by what they were reading in the media and wanted to know where they stood, preferably before Christmas.

Absentee rates at Holden were increasing due to the stress created by the uncertainty, though the union ruled out taking industrial action.

"We've got workers, we've got families, we've got communities who are really worried about whether Holden is going to survive or not," Mr Camillo said.

"Workers' lives are at risk, because of the politics that is being played by all sides. This has gone too far."

Federal opposition industry spokesman Kim Carr said the government should have sent a delegation to General Motors in Detroit to discuss the future of Holden.

Senator Carr said the coalition had been "incredibly indolent, lazy" about developing a plan for the auto sector.

Holden last year agreed to a $275 million assistance package in return for developing and building two new model cars in Australia from 2016.

However, it is now thought to need as much as $500 million and has repeatedly warned that its local operations are not sustainable without ongoing support.

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Aussie housing construction expands again

Housing construction activity has expanded for two months in a row for the first time since 2010. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIAN housing construction activity has expanded for two months in a row for the first time since 2010, in a sign that low interest rates are slowly working.

The Australian Industry Group/Housing Industry Association's performance of construction index (PCI) rose by 0.8 points in November to 55.2.

The reading for October rose above the key 50 level, showing expansion for the first time in more than three years.

In November, new orders ran at the strongest pace in eight years while deliveries from suppliers also improved, taking the PCI reading to the strongest point since April 2010.

Ai Group public policy director Peter Burn says the rise in construction activity last month shows low interest rates are slowly working.

"The long-awaited re-balancing of the domestic economy may be getting underway on the back of low interest rates and a lift in business and household confidence," he said in a statement on Friday.

"However, given the extent of the slump in residential and commercial construction over more than three years, the expansions recorded in October and November are from a low base and we are still some months from a convincing recovery."

HIA chief economist Harley Dale said tight credit conditions were an "avoidable roadblock" to a construction-led recovery in the economy.

"To sustain that recovery and return new home building to strong levels requires closer attention to policy reform than is currently evident," he said.

House and apartment building moderated in November, from October's high levels, but remained in the expansionary territory, along with engineering and commercial construction.

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NZ dollar holds above 90 Australian cents

THE New Zealand dollar has held near a five-year high against its trans-Tasman counterpart as the likely divergent interest rate paths of the two economies continue to fuel demand for the kiwi.

The kiwi traded at 90.74 Australian cents at 5pm in Wellington, having climbed as high as 90.95 cents on Thursday, from 90.34 cents on Wednesday.

The NZ currency rose to 82.09 US cents at 5pm from 81.79 cents at 8am and 81.86 cents on Wednesday.

A sluggish Australian economy has kept alive the potential for another rate cut by the country's central bank, the opposite trajectory to New Zealand, where Reserve Bank governor Graeme Wheeler has indicated the next move will be higher.

The divergent interest rate paths make the kiwi dollar more attractive for investors and traders are pricing in 107 basis points of increases to New Zealand's key rate of 2.5 per cent over the coming 12 months, compared to just 16 points for its Australian counterpart, also at 2.5 per cent.

"You had to have your head in the sand if you were wishing and willing the kiwi lower against the Aussie - the interest rate trade couldn't get clearer," said Alex Hill, head of dealing at HiFX in Auckland.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see it up to 93/94" Australian cents."

The kiwi was little changed at 84.01 yen from 83.98 yen on Wednesday and increased to 60.41 euro from 60.26 euro. The trade-weighted index increased to 77.28 from 77.08.

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Eight carry great ape 'stud' to check-up

PERTH Zoo's primate patriarch, 126-kilogram Sumatran orang-utan Dinar, will remain the key player in a world-famous breeding program after getting full marks in a detailed health check.

Eight people were needed to carry the anaesthetised 26-year-old great ape in a stretcher to a mini-van for the trip to the on-site hospital on Thursday.

Staff worked quickly to ensure the check was done before the anaesthetic wore off, taking blood samples, checking Dinar's mouth and teeth, giving him a tetanus vaccination and using a sonographer to take an ultrasound scan of his heart.

"The veterinary team worked on Dinar from head to toe, making the most of the opportunity to check him over thoroughly," Perth Zoo senior veterinarian Simone Vitali said.

"Dinar appears to be in great condition, which is terrific news given his key role in our Sumatran orang-utan breeding program."

Dinar has sired three of the 29 orang-utans bred at the zoo since 1970.

Two were released into protected rainforest in Sumatra as part of a reintroduction program to help re-establish a population of the threatened species.

But in April the first zoo-born male Sumatran orang-utan to be released into the wild, Semeru, died after being bitten by a snake.

Zoo staff were devastated by the news, but were glad he experienced 17 months in the wild.

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Buru engages water consultants for Canning

OIL and gas explorer Buru Energy has engaged international water consulting and engineering firm MWH Global as it looks for gas resources in north Western Australia.

Buru is exploring WA's Canning Basin, one of the world's largest shale gas resources.

Pastoralists and environmentalists have opposed the exploration and production of unconventional gas on Australia's east coast amid concerns about water contamination.

Buru said it would draw on the expertise of MWH in water resource management projects following work in the shale and tight gas sector in the USA and Canada.

"Buru Energy and MWH will work collaboratively with key stakeholders including traditional owners, pastoralists and local communities during the development of the water management plan, including identifying tangible opportunities to engage with local communities and businesses during implementation and operation," the company said in a statement.

An agreement between the two companies is due to be finalised by the end of the year, detailing a long-term water management plan for Buru's potential future operations.

Buru shares fell three cents, or 2.5 per cent, to $1.33 at 1524 AEST.

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ALP says ADM-GrainCorp decision was wrong

THE federal opposition has stepped up its attack on the government's rejection of a foreign takeover of grain handling company GrainCorp, saying the national interest test was not applied properly.

Treasurer Joe Hockey blocked the deal due to political pressure and his decision would cost jobs and economic growth, Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen says.

Mr Bowen said he would have approved the takeover if Labor was still in government.

"I do not see the national interest test was properly invoked in this instance," Mr Bowen told the National Press Club, adding he would have approved the deal based on the available information.

Mr Hockey last week blocked the $3.4 billion takeover of GrainCorp by American agribusiness Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) after deciding it was contrary to the national interest.

Farm groups and the government's junior partner the National Party had campaigned heavily against the deal, which would have given ADM control of 85 per cent of Australia's east coast grain ports.

Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board examines all major foreign investment proposals and must decide if they are contrary to a loosely-defined "national interest" test. However, the treasurer of the day must make the final decision.

In his decision, Mr Hockey said approval of the ADM-GrainCorp deal could have undermined public confidence in the foreign investment regime and undermined future foreign investments.

Bowen said he had publicly supported foreign investment to signal Labor's support for the deal but Mr Hockey caved in to political opposition from the Nationals.

"The best he could come up with was to say we need to knock this back to promote public confidence in foreign investment so we can get more in the future," Mr Bowen said.

"It doesn't pass the common sense test. Clearly this was a decision frankly that was taken for political reasons. I'm not entirely sure it was a decision that Joe Hockey didn't have foisted upon him. It's a decision which he claims to be his own. If it is his own, it is a particularly weak one."

Earlier, opposition agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon used a debate on a bill to change the way rural research and development is funded to attack the ADM-GrainCorp decision.

Mr Fitzgibbon said Australia needed more investment in agricultural infrastructure, research and development, skills and technology and inevitably much of this would have to come from overseas.

He said Australia was in significant competition for investment with South America, Indonesia and other countries, and investors would now be asking themselves if Australia's regulatory hurdles were too high.

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Aussie company develops new prostate test

AUSTRALIAN scientists have developed a new prostate cancer test they hope will replace the controversial PSA screening procedure.

The new test is said to be twice as accurate as the PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test, which is notorious for giving false positives.

Initial trials in Australia have been promising, say scientists at Sydney biotechnology company Minomic, who have been working on the test for the past six years.

The company is conducting trials on 1200 US patients in 2014 and is aiming for a commercial launch in 2015.

The test is performed on urine and detects a protein found only on prostate cancer cells.

A blood test as well as a 15-minute quick test are under development.

Minomic CEO Dr Brad Walsh is optimistic the test will replace the PSA test within five years.

"The PSA test has been around for 30 years, but is responsible for large numbers of false positive results," he said.

"Our technology is more specific and has demonstrated ability to be almost twice as accurate as existing PSA technology."

He said the test was cheaper than competing products being tested around the world, some of which required tissue samples to be taken from the prostate.

"It is an Australian innovation with global implications."

The test could be a step in the right direction, said Associate Professor David Smith, a research fellow at Cancer Council NSW.

"We desperately need a more accurate test. Not only one that reduces the false positives, but also one that allows us to successfully identify and treat the aggressive deadly cancers.

"We need to test smarter and not harder for prostate cancer."

Professor Mark Frydenberg, Vice-President of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand said it was too early to predict whether the test would provide a viable alternative that was superior to PSA tests.

"This will be known only after further, extensive trials in multiple centres both in Australia and overseas."

Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia spokesperson Associate Professor Ken Sikaris said the PSA test had improved over the years.

"With the information we have available at the moment, it is questionable whether the new test is superior."

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Labor goes for jugular over school funding

The federal government says it's national schools funding plan has more cash than Labor promised. Source: AAP

LABOR has challenged Prime Minister Tony Abbott to guarantee no Australian school will be worse off under the federal government's new education funding deal.

Mr Abbott on Monday announced an in-principle agreement for a national schools funding system, claiming it goes further than the money promised by the former Labor government.

The agreement includes the $1.2 billion set aside by Labor for the non-signatory states of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Mr Abbott said by putting that funding back on table, the new schools deal was more generous than anything being offered by Labor.

"The money that the Leader of the Opposition ripped out, we are fully putting back," Mr Abbott told parliament, to howls from the opposition benches.

"In this case, we are doing better than simply keeping our commitments."

But the opposition pursued the prime minister, demanding an iron-clad guarantee that no school would be worse off because of the actions of the Commonwealth or state governments.

Opposition education spokesman Kate Ellis fired off numerous questions, asking whether states would be prevented from cutting their education funding under the deal.

But the government wouldn't take the bait, reading out statements off support from the premiers of NSW and Queensland for the fresh deal.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne said it must "stick in the craw" that the coalition had not only secured a national deal with all states and school systems, but they'd also found more cash.

"I have delivered a national school funding agreement," he said.

"I have delivered what the Leader of the Opposition (a former education minister) was incapable of doing."

Mr Shorten later ran foul of Speaker Bronwyn Bishop.

The leader of the opposition had referred the prime minister to his comment earlier on Monday that there would be no broken promises under his government.

"When will the prime minister stop lying," he asked.

Ms Bishop ruled the question out of order and asked Mr Shorten to withdraw.

Mr Shorten did withdraw, but not before attempting to move a censure motion against Mr Abbott "for breaking his promises to parents and children across Australia would be worse off".

Ms Bishop sat him down, described his earlier question as outrageous.

Mr Pyne rose to tell Ms Bishop Mr Shorten's behaviour was disgraceful.

The opposition leader soon after moved a motion to suspend standing orders to discuss the government's stance on schools funding.

"It's Labor who's worked with parents, it's Labor who's worked with educational experts to try and get a better deal," Mr Shorten said.

"Those opposite are so blinded in their hate of Labor, they are so blinded in their hate of former prime minister (Julia) Gillard."

Mr Shorten accused the coalition of a cynical attempt to get into power by trying to pretend it was on a "unity ticket" with Labor on schools funding.

"Education is one issue where Labor is leading over the conservatives," he said.

Mr Pyne moved to amend the motion so the house instead condemned the leader of the opposition leader for cutting funds to schools in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia by $1.2 billion in the pre-election economic and fiscal outlook.

"And for failing to achieve a national fair and needs based school funding model when minister for education," Mr Pyne said.

"The leader of the opposition has turned up today with last week's questions packed.

"It's like he's turned up to the set of Mad Max to pay a small role in it, but insists it is really Alice in Wonderland ..."

Mr Pyne said Mr Shorten should be censured because when he left an "absolute wreckage" in Education that has taken $1.2 billion to fix.

"They are embarrassed that it is the coalition that is delivering more money for students, so we can get on with the real debate in education about quality and about standards because that's what parents are about."

The government's amendment that turned the censure motion back on Mr Shorten was passed.

School funding also dominated Senate question time.

Government Senate leader Eric Abetz said the coalition had indicated very clearly that no school need be worse off given the coalition's funding.

"That's because the states are responsible for the allocation of monies," he added, confusingly.

Senator Abetz said that under the model already adopted in part by NSW and other states "you might actually find some schools are worse off ... courtesy of various state government decisions".

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Thousands of bikies rally in Australia

THE roar of motorbikes echoed through Australia's capital cities on Sunday as thousands of riders united in opposition to Queensland's anti-bikie legislation.

The Australian Motorcycle Council (AMC) says the new laws, aimed at criminal bikie gangs, have resulted in the harassment of law-abiding motorcyclists.

Many have reported being pulled over by police multiple times a day and questioned over links to outlaw gangs.

More than a thousand bikers, lawyer groups and civil libertarians protested outside Queensland parliament on Sunday.

Melbourne had a similar turnout, while 500 people gathered in Sydney and 200 in Hobart, AMC chair Shaun Lennard told AAP.

Mr Lennard says they don't want to see the laws replicated in other states.

"We continue to reject the premise that simply riding a motorcycle makes you worthy of questioning about criminal activity," he told AAP.

"We fully support any reasonable action to crack down on crime, but we believe the laws go beyond that.

"It's stereotyping and discrimination."

Queensland organiser Gabriel Buckley says of primary concern is that the laws reverse the onus of proof for people accused of links to proscribed criminal gangs.

"Any organisation can be listed as a criminal gang with fewer checks and balances," he told AAP.

Police and the Newman government have previously asked recreational riders for patience amid the bikie crackdown, but concede there will be disruptions for law-abiding motorcyclists.

Premier Campbell Newman gets personal updates on the crackdown each morning and says four to 10 outlaw gang members are being arrested each day for assault and drug, weapon and money laundering offences.

He asked for recreational bikies to be patient.

"I'm just saying to people who love their motorbikes, to understand that right now we're trying to shut down gangs who manufacture drugs, sell them to kids, who infiltrate all parts of the economy and pretending they are just wonderful loveable outlaw types - they're not," he said.

"They are vicious gangs, who belt people up and intimidate business owners and cause scenes of mayhem.

"These policing efforts are very important to shut down these gangs, that's what we're doing."

The AMC has launched a fighting fund to raise money for any High Court challenge to the laws and is due to meet with the state government on Tuesday.

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I was just sparking obesity debate: MP

THE federal Liberal MP under fire for allegedly questioning whether a woman weighing 70 kilograms is overweight says he was not being judgemental, but simply wanted to spark debate about obesity.

Andrew Laming has been criticised for commenting on a News Corp photograph of vet nurse Melanie Ward, 35, in her gym gear.

Ms Ward is described in the 2012 photo as being the "average Australian woman", at 163cm tall and weighing about 70kg.

"So it is ok to be overweight, if it is now average!" Dr Laming tweeted last weekend.

Federal Labor MP Kate Ellis on Sunday accused the backbencher of an "appalling attack" on the Sydney woman.

But the Queensland MP, who is a trained doctor, said he had simply reposted a old News Corp article about rising obesity rates.

"I made no judgements about obesity," Dr Laming told AAP.

"I haven't made any comment at all on the image of the person. I simply asked a question to promote debate. I haven't taken sides.

"Any suggestion that it was judgemental or an attack on an individual is just plain silly."

Ms Ellis said: "We don't need this government critiquing women's bodies".

"We've got health experts and many others who will do that, and women themselves," she told Network Ten on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters in Brisbane, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was "not familiar" with the Twitter post.

"I obviously want to promote good health, but you've got to do it in ways which bring people with you," he said.

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