LAX Air NZ flights resume after shooting

AIR New Zealand flights out of Los Angeles International Airport are returning to normal after being grounded when a gunman opened fire.

One security officer was killed and at least six other people were injured in the shooting at LAX about 9.30am on Friday (local time).

The shooter came into terminal three, pulled an assault rifle out of a bag and opened fire.

He then went into the screening area and continued shooting, LAX police chief Patrick Gannon said.

All flights destined for LAX which had not left their origins were grounded.

Air New Zealand said this had been lifted and its operations in and out of Los Angeles were beginning to return to normal.

Air New Zealand flight NZ6 from Auckland touched down at LAX about 11.30am (local time) on Friday. It spent several hours parked on the tarmac before the 356 passengers on board were processed through customs.

Passengers on flight NZ2 had also been processed and new passengers were being checked in before the flight continued to London at 7pm, two hours late, Air New Zealand said.

Air New Zealand uses terminal two at LAX, which was evacuated.

Travellers were forced to hide in terminals or flee to the tarmac before authorities were able to locate and "neutralise" the shooter, alleged to be 23-year-old Paul Anthony Ciancia.

Witnesses said the man, wearing camouflage clothing, shot his way through the terminal three security checkpoint and entered the terminal where travellers were waiting for flights.

The Transportation Security Administration, which employs screeners and guards at airports, confirmed one of its employees had died.

Ciancia was wounded in a shootout with police and taken into custody.

US authorities allege he was holding an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and was loaded up with ammunition.

"There were more than 100 rounds that could have literally killed everybody in that terminal today," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

Ciancia is recovering from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest under guard in a nearby hospital.

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Labor playing games on carbon: Cormann

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says the coalition is committed to scrapping the carbon tax. Source: AAP

FINANCE Minister Mathias Cormann says the coalition will do "whatever we need to do" to scrap the carbon tax, but stopped short of threatening a double dissolution election if Labor blocks its repeal legislation.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on Friday announced Labor would back a bill to scrap the carbon tax, but only if the government supported amendments to introduce an emissions trading scheme in its place.

But Senator Cormann dismissed the offer as Labor "playing games".

"Whether it is a fixed price carbon tax or floating price carbon tax, our commitment is crystal clear, the carbon tax must go," he told Sky News on Saturday morning.

"Bill Shorten and the Labor Party are in denial about the election result. The Australian people overwhelmingly voted to get rid of the carbon tax. The Labor Party's thumbing their nose at the Australian people."

Asked if the government would call a double dissolution election if Labor blocked its carbon tax repeal laws, Senator Cormann would only say: "We will do whatever we need to do to deliver on our commitment to scrap the carbon tax".

"Obviously our preference is for the parliament to respect our mandate, to respect the will of the Australian people, to let the government get on with what we promised we would do during the election," he said.

But Labor's Matt Thistlethwaite said Labor had a long-standing policy supporting an emissions trading scheme.

"We're not going to roll over for cynical political means," he told Sky News.

"We need a policy that will be able to cap emissions, guarantee that we'll be able to reduce emissions in time in a cheap and cost effective manner.

"The government should seriously consider ... looking at the amendments that Labor will put forward, they will be sensible amendments that will work in the long term."

Deputy federal Labor leader Tanya Plibersek also defended her party's insistence on an emissions trading scheme, saying the Abbott government's push to scrap the carbon tax "defies science".

"The vast majority of scientists internationally say that climate change is happening, that it's caused by carbon pollution," Ms Plibersek told reporters on the sidelines of the West Australian Labor party conference in Perth.

"We say that we must act and indeed Tony Abbott says that we must act, but he's proposing a system where you take taxpayer dollars and give them to big polluters.

"We're proposing a system where you take taxpayer dollars from big polluters and use that in helping ordinary Australia cope with climate change.

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Macquarie profit rises as markets recover

SHARES in Macquarie Group climbed to their highest level in four years after the investment bank's half year profit rose by 39 per cent to $501 million.

Macquarie has also pointed to a stronger full year result, lifted its dividend payment and decided to transfer its holding in Sydney Airport directly to its shareholders.

The shares hit a high of $53.44 on Friday, their highest value since October 2009.

Macquarie's net profit in the six months to September 30 was up from $361 million last year.

Chief executive Nicholas Moore said its annuity business recorded a 24 per cent increase in profit, while earnings from the capital markets business also rose significantly.

The improved performance was likely to continue into the second half of the bank's financial year, assuming market conditions do not deteriorate significantly, he said.

"We think for the full year the group will be up on where we were last year," Mr Moore said.

Improving share markets and corporate activity have boosted Macquarie's performance, and it is well positioned to take advantage of the pick up in markets over the medium term, he said.

The company will pay interim dividend of $1 per share, up from 75 cents for the same time last year.

It will also distribute its holding in Sydney Airport directly to shareholders, who will receive one Sydney Airport share for every Macquarie share they own.

Morningstar analyst David Ellis said the result suggested Macquarie was rebounding after underperforming in recent years due to weakness in stock markets.

"The strong operating performance and the Sydney Airport distribution confirms our positive view and suggests Macquarie is on the way back to doing what it does best - taking full advantage of the recovery in equity and investment markets," he said.

Mr Ellis expects Macquarie's full year profit to grow by more than 25 per cent to almost $1.1 billion, which would be its largest annual profit since the global financial crisis.

Macquarie shares were at $53.03 at 1533 AEDT, up $2.06, or four per cent.

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Tailored community services needed in Vic

VICTORIA'S community service providers should be tailored to individual communities' needs with government and non-government bodies working together.

That's the verdict of a report written by University of Western Sydney Professor Peter Shergold, who discusses service-sector reform and outlines ways that community services can be better delivered.

Prof Shergold says that change is needed in the way that government and the community work to meet the needs of disadvantaged Victorians.

Prof Shergold says services need to be tailored to meet the needs of different communities.

"The best way to address the delivery of services is with careful consideration of the specific requirements within particular regions and communities," Prof Shergold said.

He also suggests that funding be simplified so that it can be more flexible for people to access services and that the impact of services be better monitored.

A Community Sector Reform Council will be established to make sure the report's recommendations are implemented by government.

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AusAID set to merge with DFAT

THE government agency that has overseen Australia's official foreign aid program for the past 40 years is about to be no more.

AusAID officially ceases to exist as an independent organisation on Friday, just over six weeks since Prime Minister Tony Abbott ordered it be merged with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Established as the Office of the Australian Development Assistance Agency in December 1973, the agency became AusAID in 1995.

It later split from DFAT and became an executive agency under Labor in July 2010.

Mr Abbott says the merger is aimed at more closely aligning Australia's $5 billion aid program with its foreign policy and diplomatic agenda.

A task force has been set up to oversee the merger, but it remains unclear how many of AusAID's roughly 1300 Canberra-based staff will hold on to jobs as part of DFAT.

The merger comes after the coalition declared it would stop the planned growth of the aid budget, effectively stripping it of $4.5 billion over four years.

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Earnings warning from owner of Sunbeam

THE company behind Sunbeam appliances and the Dexion commercial storage business says earnings could fall in the current financial year.

GUD Holdings, which also operates Oates cleaning products and Davey water products, said sales and earnings in the first three months of the 2013/14 financial year were down on the same period 12 months ago.

Sunbeam and Dexion are expected to contribute weaker earnings in the full year, and overall annual earnings could fall by 20 per cent, managing director Jonathan Ling told GUD's annual general meeting.

The Christmas period is crucial for the Sunbeam business, while Davey relies on a strong spring season, he said.

A major influence on GUD's performance is the level of the Australian dollar, Mr Ling said.

GUD shares were down 46 cents, or 7.2 per cent, at $5.91 at 1550 AEDT.

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SA volunteer emergency members to decline

THE number of volunteer firefighters and emergency service members is likely to decline significantly over the next decade in South Australia, a new report says.

The Fire and Emergency Services Act review by former state MP Paul Holloway said the decline was due to the ageing population and greater demands on people's time, as well as various disincentives to volunteering.

Mr Holloway made 38 recommendations, eight of which the government has prioritised and which will be developed immediately.

The South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM) has a nine-member board, with representatives from the MFS, CFS and SES.

The review recommended there be one Chief Executive, with the position to be rotated between the three emergency services.

The review said declining volunteer numbers was particularly an issue for smaller rural communities that have had amalgamation of farms and a loss of population to larger centres.

Disincentives to volunteering included the issue of liability, the fear of being cross-examined in inquiries, increased paperwork and the lack of employment security for some who took time off to help in emergencies.

Emergency Services Minister Michael O'Brien said greater attention will be given to the recruitment and retention of volunteers.

This would include considering increasing administrative support and legislative protection from job dismissals.

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NSW mining licensing set up to fail: ICAC

IT was almost inevitable that coal mining licensing in NSW would be exploited because the system was so conducive to corruption, the state's watchdog says.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has slammed the department of resources licensing process, saying it would have been "inconceivable" for any other portfolio to have been so open to exploitation for the benefit of a select few.

It comes after the ICAC found earlier this year that former mining minister Ian Macdonald rigged a 2008 tender process for a coal licence in the Bylong Valley, which financially benefited the family of his then colleague Eddie Obeid.

It also found Macdonald had acted corruptly in relation to a licence at Doyles Creek, in the NSW Hunter Valley.

The latest report, released on Wednesday, suggests assembling a steering group of senior officials from a range of departments to ensure transparency, and making auctions the default allocation method.

Bidders' finances and expertise should be more closely scrutinised, and the auction design overseen by NSW Treasury.

The state government also needs to spell out how coal mining fits into its broader policy focus, ICAC recommends.

It's proposed changes to the ministerial code of conduct and the consideration of tighter rules around disclosure of interest to include spouses and other family members.

Opposition leader John Robertson said all sides of politics had a responsibility to stop the "disgraceful" violation of government processes.

Greens mining spokesman Jeremy Buckingham said a new, broader inquiry was needed to investigate all licences handed out under the former Labor government.

The government is still considering the report.

The ICAC will release another report by the end of 2013 on whether the state government should amend the Mining Act or take legal action against any individual or company as a result of the inquiries.

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Qld defends lack of scrutiny on new laws

Queensland's deputy premier has defended rushing through new laws on bikies and sex offenders. Source: AAP

THE Queensland government has defended rushing through new laws on bikies and sex offenders without scrutiny by a parliamentary committee.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney says the committee system was never meant to scrutinise every piece of legislation.

When quizzed on the fact about 15 per cent of new laws had skipped the process under the Newman government, Mr Seeney said there was nothing wrong with that.

"I was one of the architects of the committee system. We always recognised that it would be the legislation that required public input that would go to the committee," he told the ABC.

"That bipartisan group of senior politicians always recognised there would be a percentage of the legislation that would be deemed to be urgent and wouldn't go through the committee process."

The government's controversial bikie gang and sex offender laws both bypassed the system, along with changes to Queensland's workers' compensation system.

All three pieces of legislation were deemed urgent.

The Katter party says the committee process is being abused and should be scrapped.

The government has faced a mountain of criticism over its bikie and sex offender laws, including from some of the state's most respected legal minds who have accused the government of trying to interfere in the criminal justice system.

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Labor's Wright raises workplace law fears

ALP national secretary George Wright has warned the coalition's plan to change laws in relation to unions is an "entree" to removing some working conditions.

Mr Wright was a key figure behind the Your Rights at Work campaign, which has been credited with helping Labor win the 2007 election and abolish the Howard government's controversial Work Choices laws.

Work is under way on the Abbott government's initial industrial legislation - relating to the restoration of the Australian Building and Construction Commission and bolstering penalties for union officials found guilty of corruption.

Mr Wright told the National Press Club in Canberra on Tuesday the Abbott government would take a different approach to workplace relations to that taken by Mr Howard.

"I suspect what you will see is a concerted effort by the government to really go after the unions first - union organisation and union finances - obviously as an entree to then have a go at members' conditions," he said.

"They will weaken and probably distract the machinery and organisation that protects workers' rights before they actually go after the rights themselves."

He said he had no immediate advice for the labour movement in how to address it.

"That is something that the labour movement as a whole needs to think about how it effectively responds to."

Making changes to the penalty rates system was an issue raised at a national tourism conference in Canberra on Tuesday.

Tourism and Transport Forum chief Ken Morrison was asked during the conference whether the industry wanted the government to reduce penalty rates.

"What was clear talking to the coalition before the election is they were totally gun shy, they didn't really want to talk about it before the election," Mr Morrison said.

"They said: 'If you want this after the election, business is going to have to lead'. So you're seeing a range of business groups doing that now."

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Syrian refugees overwhelming Jordan

Jordan is struggling to cope with the 70,000 Syrian refugees fleeing to the country every month. Source: AAP

WITHIN four months it will be "impossible" to meet the medical demands of the ballooning number of Syrian refugees in Jordan unless the international community steps in, a charity leader says.

Jordan's limited resources are struggling to meet their needs in the wake of 1.3 million people fleeing the conflict in Syria with as many as 70,000 refugees crossing into the country every month.

There has been a 624.4 per cent rise in the number of Syrian patients who have used the services offered by Caritas Jordan at seven facilities across the country in the first three quarters of this year, according to figures released by the charity - the partner of the British agency Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF).

Wael V Suleiman, executive director of Caritas Jordan, said: "The problem with Jordan is that resources are so limited.

"In the public sector there are around only 40 hospitals for at least three million Jordanian people and today we are talking about 500,000 Iraqi refugees, 900,000 Egyptians and 1.3 million Syrians and with limited medical services I think we are talking about a big problem for Jordan.

"The problem is not about today, we are talking about 60,000 to 70,000 Syrians every month coming to Jordan.

"I believe that even if today we can manage the situation I believe in the next three to four months it will be impossible to cover these medical services to the Syrian people.

"A solution should be there, I don't know what but some solution may be next month in Geneva," he said in reference to international peace talks due to take place.

Caritas Jordan and SCIAF are members of the global confederation of 165 Catholic organisations Caritas Internationalis making up one of the world's largest humanitarian aid networks.

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Telstra trials mobile internet broadcasts

Telstra is testing technology that can broadcast data to multiple users with a single data stream. Source: AAP

TELSTRA has begun a world-first trial of new mobile internet technology that can broadcast a single stream of data to multiple users simultaneously.

The telco began testing long-term evolution broadcast (LTE-B) technology on Monday, said Telstra's acting head of wireless network engineering, Channa Seneviratne, in a blog post.

It is the first time LTE-B has been tested live on a commercial network, he said.

The new technology is akin to the way TV stations broadcast a single program to multiple TV sets.

At present, users wanting to live stream a football match, or download the latest edition of a digital newspaper, do so via an individual data stream, which uses lots of network space.

By contrast, the new technology delivers the same data to multiple users at the same time via a single broadcast data stream.

Like other mobile network operators around the world, Telstra is grappling with how best to manage the ever-growing demand for data.

Telstra says traffic on its 4G network is rising by 23 per cent every month, and doubles roughly every three months. It currently caters to 3.2 million mobile devices.

By freeing up 4G network space, the new technology could prevent future traffic jams, Seneviratne said.

"While the 4G network is still relatively new, we need to look for solutions that will allow us to sustain this growth," he said.

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Govt must justify $9b RBA payment: Bowen

LABOR is demanding Treasurer Joe Hockey justify his reasons for giving the Reserve Bank nearly $9 billion in what it's calling a bid to score "expensive political points".

The federal government this week announced it would make an $8.8 billion payment to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to ensure it was in the best shape to face the financial challenges ahead.

Mr Hockey said RBA governor Glenn Stevens had written to him indicating the bank wanted to boost its reserve funds, which had been depleted in recent years by the high dollar and "extraordinary" dividend withdrawals by the former Labor government.

Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen called on Mr Hockey to publicly release this letter, saying the government was trying to score "expensive political points" instead of justifying its decision.

"If he can't, then he's got something to hide," he told Network Ten on Sunday.

There was a case for allowing the RBA to build up its reserve funds but Mr Hockey had come nowhere near justifying how this payment was necessary, he added.

Mr Bowen said at no point did he or former treasurer Wayne Swan receive advice from the RBA or Treasury suggesting it would be appropriate for such a payment to be made.

"On the contrary, the former Treasurer received explicit advice that that would be a retrograde step," he said.

Labor has also questioned Mr Hockey's other decision this week to seek parliamentary approval to raise the debt ceiling to $500 billion.

Mr Bowen said the treasurer would have to release the midyear economic forecast before putting the legislation to raise the cap to a vote in parliament.

"I don't believe he's come anywhere near yet justifying that extraordinary increase to the debt limit," he said.

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Train stuck in Melbourne city loop

A TRAIN with about 100 passengers on board is stuck in Melbourne's city loop.

Authorities say the train dislodged and damaged overhead wiring on Sunday afternoon.

The train is stuck between Melbourne Central and Parliament station.

No one is believed to be injured.

The MFB and police are assisting the rescue effort.

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