US, EU report progress in TTIP trade talks

US and EU trade representatives have had a "productive" fifth round of talks, but hard work lies ahead, US trade representative Michael Froman says.

"We've moved from discussing a conceptual framework to defining specific ideas for addressing the majority of the negotiating areas," Froman said as the talks ended.

He said there was "a lot of work ahead" but "steady progress" was being made and there was now "a firm understanding of the key issues that need to be resolved".

Froman's chief negotiator in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), Dan Mullaney, called the week's talks "challenging".

Completing the world's largest free trade agreement "will require a lot of creativity and a lot of persistence," he told reporters.

Ignacio Garcia-Bercero, chief negotiator for the European Union, underlined that the overall goal was "highly ambitious" but that progress had been made through "intensive" discussions this week on labour, environment and sustainable development issues.

The US and European Union aim to expand what is already the world's biggest trade relationship by dismantling regulatory barriers that force companies to produce different products for the US and European markets.

The next round of talks is slated for July, most likely in Europe.

The US and EU say the deal would allow companies to save millions of dollars and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

The toughest areas of dispute are financial regulation, which the US does not want to include in the deal, and a special extrajudicial mechanism to settle investor-state disputes, which has met growing opposition from European civic groups and the German government.

Garcia-Bercero sought to reassure that the EU "in no way" intended to "weaken financial services regulations ... or interfere with work being done".

US financial officials have repeatedly pushed the EU to tighten its banking regulations, in light of the rolling bailouts that undermined economic growth across Europe in recent years.

Garcia-Bercero said there had been "very intensive discussions" over allowing businesses on both sides of the Atlantic to bid on public procurement offers, which are currently largely restricted to domestic bidders.

European businesses are keen on having access not only to US federal projects, but those of the individual states, which are not under federal control.

The United States likewise wants US firms to be able to bid on government contracts across the EU and is "looking for opportunities to expand market access," Mullaney said.

The prospect that Europe's strict food safety rules could be watered down through US standards has driven much of the public interest in the talks, especially during ongoing European Parliament elections.

Garcia-Bercero repeated past EU assurances that hormone treated beef "has to be prohibited under European law".

He said genetically modified crops could be a different issue, with more than 50 "GMOs" having been authorised in Europe.

The US wants Europe to accept World Trade Organisation obligations that allow trade in food that has been approved through scientific review and risk assessment, Mullaney said.

So-called bleached chicken sold in the US is another hot issue.

Mullaney said "there is no such thing as bleached chicken" and, when pressed by a reporter, indicated he saw no problem.

"I have very catholic tastes. I will eat almost anything," Mullaney quipped.

"The United States has no intention of forcing Europeans to eat anything a European does not want to eat."

Garcia-Bercero was optimistic about finding common ground in regulations of most sectors, saying there had been a "very good" discussion, though no point of agreement had been reached.

"We are progressively reaching a better common understanding on these issues," he said.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Budget will pass eventually: PM

Tony Abbott says he won't compromise on his budget as pressure mounts from all sides. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott says he won't surrender his budget in the face of pressure to compromise over its most unpopular measures.

Mr Abbott is confident the coalition's first budget will pass the Senate because the alternative would be a double dissolution election.

Senior government ministers have signalled compromising on key budget reforms such as higher education interest rates and the GP co-payment, amidst a fierce public backlash and a hostile Senate.

Continuing the budget sell on Saturday, Mr Abbott said his team "absolutely" understood the "iron necessity" of sticking with difficult and unpopular budget measures.

"We are not going to surrender our budget commitments," Mr Abbott told reporters in Adelaide.

But negotiations were inevitable.

"You have got to negotiate your legislation through the parliament," he said.

Mr Abbott was confident that the government would get the budget through the Senate in the end, because the alternative would be a double dissolution election.

"Because let's face it, there have been many governments over many years that have had to negotiate budgets through the Senate.

"The only time that wasn't successfully done ... that was a different bill in 1975."

Last week, Mr Abbott appeared to back away from a threat to hold a double dissolution election after earlier signalling incoming Senate cross-benchers would be unlikely to keep their seats if there was a new election.

Labor, the Greens and Palmer United Party have vowed to block changes such as the Medicare co-payment and pension cuts.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne, who has faced a slew of student protests this week over university deregulation measures, has signalled compromising on some reforms.

He said it was in recognition the government did not have a majority in the upper house.

"We will of course seek to consult and negotiate with the minor parties and the crossbenches to ensure these important reforms are delivered," Mr Pyne said in a statement to AAP.

The industry is also being consulted to "refine the details" of the changes, with two higher education stakeholder working groups providing feedback.

Opposition finance spokesman Tony Burke said the government's willingness to compromise showed it was in disarray and its budget unravelling.

If any measures change in the parliamentary process, Labor will apply the same "tests" to vote them down in the way it's opposing changes affecting pensioners, university students, Medicare, and fuel and cost-of-living prices.

"If they want to keep changing the budget because they're in disarray and chaos, we will keep applying the same principles," Mr Burke told reporters in Sydney.

Meanwhile, the Australian Medical Association is set to hold urgent talks with Health Minister Peter Dutton to seek a compromise on all medical co-payments flagged in the budget.

A vote was passed at the group's national conference on Saturday to push to have the payment targeted at higher-income earners.

The group is concerned co-payments will hit vulnerable groups hard and add pressure on hospitals.

"The health minister has made it clear he wants to engage with the profession about the future of the health system," president Steve Hambleton said in a statement.

"The AMA is well-positioned to help the government design a fairer and more equitable model."

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

New app to help bring missing kids home

A NEW smartphone app will help the parents and guardians of Australian children who go missing.

The free Police Child ID app, for iPhone and Android, allows parents to store photos and vital information about their children and is designed to help authorities.

Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Andrew Colvin said more than 17,500 children were reported missing each year - two young people disappeared every hour of every day.

He said the disappearance of children greatly affected families and investigators alike, and urged parents to download the app, which also features tips on keeping kids safe.

"What the police do in that first 12 to 24 hours is fundamentally critical to us," Mr Colvin said at an International Missing Children's Day event in Melbourne on Friday.

"If we have accurate, good information straight away - photographs, dates of birth, habits of these children, friends, places they like to frequent - that gives police a good spot to start their investigation."

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Govt to work on asylum backlog from July

The federal government plans to introduce new laws to speed up the asylum seeker decision process. Source: AAP

THE government will wait until July before trying to tackle the huge backlog of asylum seeker claims, the immigration minister says.

Labor and the Greens were blocking the measures to allow the processing to begin, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said.

About 23,000 asylum seekers live in Australia on bridging visas and await decisions on their claims.

But from July 1 when the Senate changes, Mr Morrison will introduce a bill to parliament to "triage the case load".

Asked about details of what he would like to introduce, Mr Morrison said it was important to have a "fair" and "definitive" process.

"It's having a process which is able to deal with the different types of claims, those which require greater interrogation, those which are more simple claims," he said.

After the Senate change, the government will negotiate the passage of the laws with eight crossbenchers, including three senators from Clive Palmer's Palmer United Party, rather than the Greens, who currently hold the balance of power.

"In the Senate, the Labor Party and the Greens have been denying the government's mandate on temporary protection visas," he told reporters in Sydney.

"If it weren't for Labor and the Greens, (those found to be refugees) would already have work rights ... and they would be living in the community.

"We'll await the outcomes of the sittings in the new Senate before setting our process and ensuring we can start to move through that backlog."

Temporary protection visas lasting up to three years and as short as a few months can be issued.

"That's at the discretion of the officers who are handling those cases," he said.

The government is also considering changes to the Refugee Review Tribunal, which reviews unsuccessful asylum seeker claims, to allow the government to make its own case on appeals and challenge any new information introduced by claimants.

The changes would be detrimental to refugees' safety, Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

"It's all about sending as many refugees back into harm's way as possible," she said.

Another 10 asylum seekers on Nauru have been granted refugee status.

Two refugee families have initially moved to the Anibare Lodge while the four single men would live elsewhere, the Nauru government said in a statement.

They will all eventually move to permanent accommodation.

A further 11 asylum seekers had their claims refused.

The Nauru government has set up a buddy system to build friendships between refugees and the locals.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic dad's mystery call before execution

Police have posted a $500,000 reward for information about the shooting death of a Melbourne man. Source: AAP

A YOUNG father received a mystery call at his home just before he headed to a Melbourne shopping strip where he was gunned down.

Police say they are baffled as to the motive for the execution of 23-year-old Sameh Matar in July 2010 and have offered a $500,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of his killer.

They are particularly keen to hear from an anonymous caller who contacted them two days after the killing.

Homicide squad Detective Inspector John Potter said Mr Matar met with a group of about 10 people at the East Street shopping strip in Hadfield before an argument broke out, two or three of the men rushed at Mr Matar and he was shot.

Two of the men in the group took him to the hospital where he died minutes later but the pair has been reluctant to tell police what happened.

Mr Potter said police have ruled out the pair's involvement in the shooting.

But he said police do have some suspects in mind and believe they're close to laying charges.

Mr Potter urged the anonymous caller to get in touch again with police, believing they could hold the key to solving the case.

"We think they are potentially a witness, we think they are part of the group of 10," he told reporters on Thursday.

Mr Matar's sister Christine Matar said her brother was a "good boy" who didn't have any enemies.

She said before he headed out that evening, he received a phone call and told family members he was going out, but wouldn't be long and to wait for him to return before eating dinner.

"We just want to know who did it and why," she said through tears.

The Department of Public Prosecutions would consider indemnification from prosecution to any person who provides information to the identity of the main offenders, Det Insp Potter said.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic bomb scare shuts down freeway

A man has been arrested and the bomb squad has been deployed following a siege in Melbourne. Source: AAP

AN agitated truck driver with what appeared to be a bomb strapped to his head reached speeds up to 100km/h as he led a police chase up and down a Melbourne freeway.

About 150 motorists had to abandon their cars on the Monash Freeway as the 35-year-old sped away from officers, then turned around and drove the wrong way down the major arterial road.

He eventually surrendered, after stripping naked, but not before the high-speed chase that came to an end only when he drove towards the evacuated vehicles on the freeway.

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Martin Bourke said someone could have easily died.

"We had a number of trucks that were the first vehicles that were coming in the other direction," Det Acting Sen Sgt Bourke told reporters.

"If we had trucks going 100km/h in each direction colliding that would have caused some major, major issues.

"We probably would have had some fatalities on our hands today."

Barely half an hour elapsed between police receiving the call to attend a broken-down truck on the freeway about 4am on Thursday and the Caulfield South man's arrest.

Critical Incident Response Teams (CIRT) happened to be in the area when the call came through and were the first on the scene.

The officers who went to the truck saw a device around the man's head.

They backed off and tried to negotiate with the man, but after about five minutes he drove off.

He got about four kilometres away before he stopped, did a U-turn and drove in the direction of oncoming traffic.

Police had managed to close the freeway and evacuate motorists from their vehicles near Toorak Road.

One of the drivers told to leave their cars, identified only as Aganta, described the scene as "like a movie".

"He mentioned he's got a bomb on the back of his prime mover. And we were told to get out of the car, Aganta told Fairfax Radio.

"And now the bomb unit is there, the dog squad is there, the helicopters are there and they have a special team there. It's like a movie."

Another witness, Mick, said anybody 300 metres from the front of the queue was told they were not allowed to touch their vehicles.

The bomb squad cleared the truck and the device, which turned out not to be explosive.

The area was declared safe and the freeway reopened about 7am, in time for most of the morning peak-hour traffic.

The man was arrested and taken to The Alfred hospital for a psychiatric assessment.

He has not yet been charged.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hockey snaps at snappers

JOE Hockey has snapped at photographers as he tried to sell the budget to a room full of people representing some of the nation's poorest.

The Treasurer was 24 minutes into a question and answer session at an Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) lunch in Sydney on Wednesday when he asked press photographers to stop taking pictures.

"Can you do me a favour? Enough with the photos," Mr Hockey told the snappers.

"I think you've ... we've done it to death.

"It's just becoming really annoying.

"I think you've got a photo of me in there somewhere."

Mr Hockey - who is suing Fairfax Media for defamation over a recent front page article - said it with a smile and the room quickly filled with laughter.

But it perhaps offered just a brief glimpse of the pressure the Treasurer is under as he attempts to sell an unpopular budget.

When a questioner spontaneously approached Mr Hockey with a business card during the event he joked: "I was thinking I was going to need police protection there."

ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie kicked the event off by asking guests to raise their hands if they were pleased with the budget.

About two arms were raised in the room of about 200 guests.

Mr Hockey responded: "I suspect it wouldn't be much different anywhere in Australia if you asked that question."

He repeated the government's mantra of the budget not being popular but necessary.

"Everyone has had a grief about it," he added.

"But since the late 1990s every budget has been like a positive feeding frenzy down in Canberra.

"Everyone comes to find what Santa Claus is going to give them."

"... Sooner or later someone's going to have to say 'it's been going on for 16/17 years guys, we now need to take stock."

There was heightened security at the function at NSW Parliament House.

That was perhaps in response to the various protests that have targeted government ministers since the budget was handed down last week.

Guests at the ACOSS event, many of whom represent the underprivileged, took the opportunity to grill Mr Hockey for one hour and 10 minutes.

He gave combative replies, interrupting or debating questioners if he thought the proposition of their question was wrong.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teens charged over Vic railway stabbing

SEVERAL teenagers have been charged after a man was stabbed during a fight at a Melbourne train station.

A number of people were involved in the April 24 fight at Sunshine Railway Station, with a man stabbed a number of times before collapsing on a staircase.

The 23-year-old Wyndham Vale man suffered serious injuries and was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Nine people have now been charged with assault and affray.

A 19-year-old St Albans man faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with intentionally causing injury and other offences and was remanded in custody.

Two 17-year-old boys, one from St Albans and one from Sunshine West, and a 15-year-old Sunshine North boy, have been remanded in custody and will face a children's court at a later date, police said on Wednesday.

Two 16-year-old boys from Melton, a 16-year-old and 15-year-old boy from Derrimut and a 14-year-old boy from Sunshine North were bailed to appear at a children's court.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

No disputes before Lin murders: grandad

GRANDFATHER Yang Fei Lin was planning on buying his grandson a new pair of shoes on the morning the Lin family was discovered murdered in a Sydney home.

In an interview with police played to the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday, Mr Lin recalls the last night he saw his son Min and his two grandsons Henry, 12, and Terry, nine, alive.

Mr Lin said the family had come around for their usual Friday dinner on July 17, 2009, telling police it was a "quiet, normal night".

Henry had asked him to fix his shoes, as their soles were falling off.

So the next morning, Mr Lin said he got up at 9am to get to work but soon realised they were beyond repair so rang the Lin house.

"I wanted to ask my son or daughter-in-law to ask for Henry to come to our house so we could buy him a new pair of shoes," Mr Lin told the court.

"But we couldn't reach them."

That morning the family's bloodied and battered bodies were discovered in their North Epping home.

It is the crown case that Robert Xie had entered the house of brother-in-law Min Lin and murdered the 45-year-old, his wife Lily, 44, her sister Irene, 39, and Henry and Terry in the early hours of July 18, 2009.

Xie has pleaded not guilty.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Lin entered the witness box to tell the court through an interpreter that there had been no friction in the family before the killings.

"Before the five members of my son's family were murdered we had a normal and good relationship with my daughter (Kathy) and her husband," Mr Lin said.

However, after the killings he said disputes concerning his son's inheritance and the guardianship of the sole surviving member of the Lin family began.

The trial continues.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

School culture 'emboldened' abuser

A TEACHER felt "emboldened" to abuse his students because of the culture at an exclusive, independent Perth school, an inquiry has heard.

A former teacher at the school has also told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse she felt bullied by her colleagues after she reported a teacher known as YJ for suspicious behaviour towards children.

The commission is examining the response of the school, which cannot be named for legal reasons, to allegations against YJ dating back to 1999.

WG, who taught at the school between 1999 to 2000, first observed YJ tapping or caressing the bottoms of boys during her first term at the school.

She also saw him hit boys with a ruler, a paddle and sometimes an open hand.

"After I made my complaint about YJ to (the then head of the preparatory school) in the second half of 1999, I felt some of the older male teachers who had also been teaching at the school for a number of years started to not like me and were really quite nasty to me," she said.

"I felt bullied and had to keep my head down."

She said the school's response to her complaints about YJ's behaviour had "everything" to do with her moving to another school in 2000.

She likened the school in 1999 to a closed shop.

"You didn't speak out against your peers, parents, anybody to do with the school - you don't say anything that could bring the school into disrepute," she said.

WG was asked by council assisting Sophie David if the school's culture allowed YJ to continue to behave in the way she had observed.

"It allowed him to, because nobody ever - whether they - they just never questioned it, ever," WG said.

YJ was convicted in 2010 of sex offences against five boys at the school.

He appealed in 2012 but was subsequently convicted again.

Earlier, the mother of one of YJ's victims, known to the commission as WQ, said a school support network for YJ made the 2010 and 2012 court cases hard.

Parents and supporters of YJ called her at home and her husband at work after news of criminal charges broke.

"It is very hard for other victims or, in particular, other witnesses who have seen things, to come forward," WQ said.

"I think we were robbed of what would have been very helpful corroborating evidence because of the support network the perpetrator had."

The hearings continue.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM misunderstands budget impact: Vic

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott fails to understand the immediate impact of his government's federal budget cuts, the Victorian government says.

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine wants a meeting with Mr Abbott to resolve what he says is a misunderstanding about how more than $200 million in federal cuts will affect Victoria's budget.

"Our advice from our senior officials is that there'll be immediate impact in terms of health ... a reduction in concession payments and there'll potentially be immediate impacts in terms of education funding over the first four years of the Better Schools plan," Dr Napthine told reporters on Monday.

However, Mr Abbott has said the federal budget decisions won't impact on the states until post-2017.

He says the cuts won't come for three years so the Commonwealth and states have time to develop a new funding model.

But Dr Napthine says the decisions will affect Victoria in six weeks.

"Clearly, he doesn't understand the immediate impact as of the 1st of July on the Victorian budget and on services in health, on concessions and potentially education."

He said a round table discussion was the only way to resolve the dispute.

Dr Napthine also said there will be no changes to concession payments to Victorians, despite a federal government cut to concession payments by $75 million in the upcoming financial year.

At a meeting in Sydney on Sunday, state and territory leaders rejected the cuts as completely unacceptable and said hundreds of hospital beds would have to be closed across the country.

But Mr Abbott rebuffed a demand from premiers and chief ministers for an emergency meeting with him before the end of July, saying he speaks regularly to state and territory leaders.

State Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews accused the premier of mock outrage.

"I don't know that someone who's presided over the longest waiting list in Victoria's history has a lot of credibility on health cuts," he told Fairfax Radio.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gay business owners still face challenges

IT happens a few times a year: A customer refuses to work with Dave Greenbaum because he's gay.

Greenbaum, a Kansas-based computer repair business owner, often needs to go into customers' homes. Some people realised he is gay after he was quoted in a newspaper story about gay rights. They told Greenbaum: "I don't appreciate your lifestyle and I don't want you in my house". Others cancelled appointments saying, "I found out you're gay".

Despite increasing acceptance of homosexuality, gay small business owners say they still encounter discrimination from possible customers and investors.

The discrimination is often subtle. An owner senses from a potential client's body language or from a sales conversation cut short that they're uncomfortable. Sometimes it's more overt, like the rejections Greenbaum recounted.

The need to raise public awareness about AIDS and the fight for legalisation of same-sex marriage have encouraged more gays to be open about their sexual orientation and has increased acceptance. But, gay rights advocates note that 29 states don't prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Business owners are also vulnerable, they say.

"They're at a business meeting, and no one's particularly identified as gay, and then there's a gay joke or gay slur," says Gene Falk, CEO of StartOut, an organisation that supports gay entrepreneurship. "You don't have to go through that too often to develop a real sense of what you're up against."

Publicist Sam Firer specialises in working with chefs. He finds many American male chefs don't want to work with him; they meet with him but choose a woman-owned public relations firm. Firer, who co-owns New York-based Hall Co, says he doesn't believe those chefs act out of malice - they're just uneasy around gay men.

"Stressful and busy people want to be as comfortable as they can from moment to moment," says Firer, who does have accounts with male chefs who are from other countries. Some who initially reject him later call him for help.

A challenge for some gay owners is that they're not part of what they call the good old boy network. Straight men in business often connect by talking about a football game or golf trip, topics that some gay men don't care about.

"A lot of the way guys relate to each other is with sports, and frankly, that doesn't interest me," says Nayte Carrick, owner of software company ClikClok.

His home life is different and that can also make it difficult to connect.

"I don't have a girlfriend and I don't have a wife. I'm 36 and don't have kids. That's bizarre to them," he says. "Even people I think of as open-minded have difficulty relating to my life."

Some believe that being gay costs them business. Cindy Weigel, owner of Roxy Insurance in Chicago, finds it hard to sell policies to suburban families, while her wife is more successful. Weigel says she believes it's because she looks gay - her hair is short and spiky and she says she doesn't look as feminine as other women. Her wife, Weigel says, is "pretty" and "does not look gay".

Weigel has a solid business selling to gay clients and straight ones who are single. But families are the most lucrative customers for an insurance agent.

"I feel that being gay is hurting my business," Weigel says. "It's just the way it is."

Some owners develop strategies to avoid losing business or head off an unpleasant situation.

Stephanie Davis uses an upfront approach. She owns an entertainment publicity business in Philadelphia and sometimes works with churches. She tells pastors she is gay because she understands they may not want to work with her. Two pastors have refused to work with her - but most want her services.

"Some say, I'm working with you because you do amazing work," Davis says.

Owners who have been in business for many years say attitudes have changed for the better. Bob Hayes and Jim Burba have been a couple for 24 years, and partners in Burba Hotel Network for 13. The first decade they were in business, Burba attended meetings alone so they wouldn't be seen as a couple.

"It was partly a conscious decision on my part. I thought it could cause some problems," says Hayes, vice president California-based company that organises investor conferences for the hotel and tourism industry.

About three to four years ago, Hayes and Burba sensed a more accepting atmosphere. They started attending meetings together.

"We're at the point where, if people don't like us because of the fact we're gay," Hayes says, "that's too bad".

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Budget gives Labor its voice: Shorten

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says the federal government's "terrible" budget has united his party. Source: AAP

THE Abbott government's budget has given Labor back its voice.

That's Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's message to party members.

"This terrible budget of the Abbott government, it has defined the Labor Party," he told the Victorian ALP state conference in Melbourne on Sunday.

"Friends, the Labor party nationally has its voice back."

Mr Shorten used the speech to continue his attack on the coalition government's first budget, warning Labor will stand up for those losing out.

His fury is directed at doctor co-payments, a raised pension age, restrictions on unemployment benefits, cuts to state funding and the fuel excise.

Mr Abbott's "juvenile" paid parental scheme is also high on Mr Shorten's hit list, with the Labor leader claiming it will give millionaires $50,000 they don't need.

"See how that goes for pensioners trying to get an extra smear of Vegemite on their toast on day 13 of their budget," he said.

Mr Shorten reiterated Labor's fierce opposition to the $7 co-payment to visit a GP on Sunday and told the conference not even a cure for cancer would justify breaking Medicare.

Revenue raised from the co-payment will be fed into a medical research fund.

"But how dare you say that a cure to cancer is dependent upon wrecking Medicare," he said.

"You don't heal the sick by taxing them."

State and territory leaders held an emergency meeting in Sydney on Sunday to discuss an $80 billion hole in state budgets left by last week's budget.

Mr Shorten accused the government of using cuts to state funding for schools and hospitals to sneak in another tax.

"They are actually increasing taxes through the back door," he told party members.

The states will have no choice but to raise GST because they must continue to operate schools and hospitals, he said.

Labor call it blackmailing, a line reiterated by the Greens.

"Even a crocodile wouldn't swallow what Tony Abbott's dishing up at the moment," Mr Shorten said.

While Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen says Labor will engage in debate about the GST, he won't commit to supporting it.

The Greens have ruled it out completely.

Treasurer Joe Hockey said the government would honour its pledge not to change the GST in this term of government.

However, the measure would be considered by a planned review of the taxation system.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Harry pays Cassino troops tribute

Prince Harry is paying tribute to Allied soldiers who died in the Battle for Mount Cassino. Source: AAP

PRINCE Harry is marking the sacrifices of Allied soldiers who fought in one of the Second World War's most infamous conflicts - the Battle for Mount Cassino.

Harry will pay tribute on Sunday (local time) to New Zealand, British and Polish troops who died trying to drive Nazi forces from Italy.

The Battle of Monte Cassino was one of the most important campaigns of the Second World War, in which Allied forces launched four battles in 1944 to remove Nazi forces from a strategically important rocky outcrop, home to the 1400 year-old Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino.

Heavily defended, it was an obstacle to the Allies' progress to Rome as they fought their way north through the country.

The fighting force consisted of many nations from Americans and British, to Indians, Poles, Canadians, and French from North Africa, Indians, Gurkhas and New Zealanders but all had to contend with icy mountain terrain and bombardment from Nazi forces.

Progress was slow and the conflict claimed many lives becoming the bloodiest battle in Europe with an estimated 250,000 men killed or wounded.

Controversially the monastery was heavily bombed and destroyed in a bid to make a breakthrough but the move failed and the holy site was later rebuilt.

Harry will attend a Polish commemoration ceremony in Cassino and lay a wreath on behalf of the Queen and later will be a guest at a similar ceremony honouring New Zealanders who died trying to fulfil the military objective at Cassino.

Thirty eight New Zealand veterans have travelled to Italy for commemorations of the battle.

The Prince will also have a chance to visit the monastery and take in the dramatic views of the surrounding hills.

12.21 | 0 komentar | Read More