NSW slashes $3 billion - deficit $917M

The NSW government has slashed more than $3 billion from its planned spending for the next four years, as today's mini-budget confirms the state will record a deficit of $917 million this financial year.

Treasurer Eric Roozendaal has handed down the mini-budget, insisting the state can withstand a dip into the red for one year, which he said had been caused by a slowing property market and a fall in GST revenue.

He said NSW was forecast to return to the black the following year with a surplus of $138 million, that is expected to grow to $573 million in 2010-11 and reaching $900 million in 2011-12.

The mini-budget process has seen the state razor gang make $3.3 billion worth of savings over the next four years, while it will rake in $3.6 billion in revenues.

The ambitious four year capital works program outlined in this year's budget has been re-prioritised but the outlay remains largely unchanged, with $56.8 billion worth of infrastructure projects to be built.

That is down $890 million from what was announced in the budget in June.
"NSW will maintain the biggest public infrastructure investment program in Australia - and we are able to do so because the government has tightened its belt," Mr Roozendaal said.

The mini-budget will also bring an end to the 10-year long electricity debate, with the three electricity retailers to be sold off, along with the sale of development sites for power generators and the transfer of electricity trading functions to the private sector.

Mr Roozendaal said the government is also considering the possible sale or lease of other assets including NSW Lotteries, its waste services, the Pillar Superannuation Administration Corporation, and the Roads and Traffic Authority's (RTA) personalised number plate business.

Related:

NSW slumps even further into red
The state's financial woes have deepened as the global financial crisis hits the property and financial markets. NSW went into the red by $493 million last month alone.

States 'dreaming' over extra funding
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he will not bow to pressure from states to provide billions of dollars in extra funding.

Budget worse than expected - Rees
NEW South Wales Premier Nathan Rees says the economic outlook for the state is more bleak than he expected, and difficult decisions will have to be made.

Milne named first Greens deputy leader

Tasmanian Greens Senator Christine Milne has been elected as the party's federal deputy leader to Bob Brown.

It is the first time the Greens have had a deputy leader.

Since the last election, the Greens now have five senators in the Upper House of Federal Parliament.

Rose speaks of humiliating time in jail

Disgraced former Queensland Labor minister Merri Rose says the humiliating shock of spending time in jail will stay with her.

Speaking for the first time since she was jailed for trying to blackmail former premier Peter Beattie in 2006.

The former prisoner, high school dropout and Cabinet minister said she would take her humiliating three-month jail experience with her for the rest of her life.

"It's humiliating, it's the loss of freedom," Ms Rose said.

"It's the indignity, it's being watched all the time, having your decision-making taken away from you.

"I use to say to myself, I was never going to complain about doing grocery shopping ever again.

She said her attempt to blackmail Mr Beattie into giving her a job was "a really stupid mistake".

Ms Rose now lives a modest life on Moreton Island with her partner fisherman Danny Corney.

It is not expected that she will disclose the blackmail secret as she would be charged with contempt and would risk going back behind bars.

NSW premier dumps Noreen Hay

The female Labor MP Wollongong MP Noreen Hayhas been sacked from her role as the parliamentary secretary for health.

The Premier, Nathan Rees said, historically parliamentary secretaries have come some time ... the announcement of them has come some time after the Cabinet itself.

"There is simply only so many things you can consider in any given day and that's the reason for that."

Related:

NSW police minister quits
THE new NSW Police Minister, Matt Brown, has quit the state cabinet just three days after being promoted.

Rees names top ministers
NSW Premier Nathan Rees has finalised his new cabinet, naming Eric Roozendaal as the state's new treasurer and putting John Della Bosca in charge of health.

Meagher resigns to avoid Rees demotion
The embattled health minister stood down last night, after Mr Rees indicated she would be demoted if she stayed on. It is believed she went to factional heavyweight Eddie Obeid to discuss her dilemma but he advised her to stand down.

Budget worse than expected - Rees
NEW South Wales Premier Nathan Rees says the economic outlook for the state is more bleak than he expected, and difficult decisions will have to be made.

Rees confirmed as new NSW premier
Mr Rees is currently the Minister for Water and Emergency Services and was widely tipped to put his hand up as a non-factional premier. His selection has emerged from a full Caucus meeting at State Parliament in Sydney.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma resigns
Mr Iemma faced a caucus revolt this morning and Mr Rees had the numbers to overthrow Mr Iemma.

Gone: NSW Treasurer Michael Costa has been sacked
New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma has sacked his unpopular Treasurer Michael Costa in the wake of the state's failed electricity privatisation push.

Carmel Tebbutt named NSW deputy premier
Ms Tebbutt left the frontbench 18 months ago for family reasons
Labor MP Carmel Tebbutt has been chosen as the next deputy premier of New South Wales.

Rees names top ministers

NSW Premier Nathan Rees has finalised his new cabinet, naming Eric Roozendaal as the state's new treasurer and putting John Della Bosca in charge of health.

After announcing the members of the frontbench yesterday, Mr Rees today revealed the allocation of portfolios.

John Hatzistergos remains attorney-general, while Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt takes on the climate change and environment portfolio as well as commerce.

David Campbell has been promoted from the police portfolio to the important transport ministry, while Verity Firth takes over education and training, as well as women.

Axed minister Frank Sartor's planning responsibilities have been handed to Kristina Keneally, while Maroubra MP Michael Daley enters cabinet as roads minister.

Related:

Meagher resigns to avoid Rees demotion
The embattled health minister stood down last night, after Mr Rees indicated she would be demoted if she stayed on. It is believed she went to factional heavyweight Eddie Obeid to discuss her dilemma but he advised her to stand down.

Budget worse than expected - Rees
NEW South Wales Premier Nathan Rees says the economic outlook for the state is more bleak than he expected, and difficult decisions will have to be made.

Rees confirmed as new NSW premier
Mr Rees is currently the Minister for Water and Emergency Services and was widely tipped to put his hand up as a non-factional premier. His selection has emerged from a full Caucus meeting at State Parliament in Sydney.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma resigns
Mr Iemma faced a caucus revolt this morning and Mr Rees had the numbers to overthrow Mr Iemma.

Gone: NSW Treasurer Michael Costa has been sacked
New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma has sacked his unpopular Treasurer Michael Costa in the wake of the state's failed electricity privatisation push.

Carmel Tebbutt named NSW deputy premier
Ms Tebbutt left the frontbench 18 months ago for family reasons
Labor MP Carmel Tebbutt has been chosen as the next deputy premier of New South Wales.

Budget worse than expected - Rees

NEW South Wales Premier Nathan Rees says the economic outlook for the state is more bleak than he expected, and difficult decisions will have to be made.

Mr Rees today received his second economic briefing since being installed as premier yesterday afternoon, during an unprecedented day in state politics.

Dumped treasurer Michael Costa yesterday painted a grim picture of the economic situation in NSW, saying the state's AAA credit rating was at risk.

Mr Rees today confirmed the health budget had blown out by more than $300 million, and said cutbacks in areas such as capital works would be necessary.

When asked if the situation was better or worse than he had expected, Mr Rees told reporters: "Worse, clearly."

"Like a household, you need a level of income sufficient to service your mortgage or your rent," he said.

"At this point in time there is a threat to our income levels and that means that if you are looking at us from the outside as a ratings agency, they are looking at us as a family that may not be able to continue paying its mortgage.

"We're going to fix that ... in the mini-Budget."

Mr Rees said there would be no silver bullet in terms of averting an economic crisis.

"There will be a number of difficult decision that have to be made across the Budget, capital works programs may have to be delayed," he said.

He would not be drawn on what measures would be included in the mini-Budget, which he said would be out in 10 weeks at the latest.

"There are difficult decision to be made, I want to make those decisions quickly and send the right signals to the investors, send the right signals to the financial market and make sure we can get cracking on the capital works program that enables us to put hospitals, rail lines and schools and so on on the ground as quick as we possibly can," he said.

He admitted it was not "the ideal start" to his time as premier.

Quote: Stop building prisons, find ways of diverting people from prison, and stop locking people up for longer. How much money would that save the state? About a billion at least. Otherwise the greatest crime will be people dying before they get to a hospital or even while they are there. Education also prevents crime the money spent on education even without specialist skils like social skills can prevent crime.

Related:

Rees confirmed as new NSW premier
Mr Rees is currently the Minister for Water and Emergency Services and was widely tipped to put his hand up as a non-factional premier. His selection has emerged from a full Caucus meeting at State Parliament in Sydney.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma resigns
Mr Iemma faced a caucus revolt this morning and Mr Rees had the numbers to overthrow Mr Iemma.

Gone: NSW Treasurer Michael Costa has been sacked
New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma has sacked his unpopular Treasurer Michael Costa in the wake of the state's failed electricity privatisation push.

Carmel Tebbutt named NSW deputy premier
Ms Tebbutt left the frontbench 18 months ago for family reasons
Labor MP Carmel Tebbutt has been chosen as the next deputy premier of New South Wales.

Rees confirmed as new NSW premier

Fresh faces for NSW Labor: Nathan Rees and Carmel Tebbutt.

Mr Rees is currently the Minister for Water and Emergency Services and was widely tipped to put his hand up as a non-factional premier. His selection has emerged from a full Caucus meeting at State Parliament in Sydney.

"Morris Iemma resigned as Premier today and I nominated for the vacancy and I was elected with unanimous support of the full Labor Caucus," Mr Rees said.

He says he expects to be sworn in as premier this afternoon.

Mr Iemma resigned this morning, shortly after sacking his colourful treasurer, Michael Costa.

It is understood Mr Iemma gave a meeting of the Right faction an ultimatum and they refused to accept it. He walked out without saying a word.

Labor heavyweight John Della Bosca confirmed Mr Iemma's resignation.

It follows a tumultuous series of events that began with the Government's failure to privatise the state's electricity sector last month.

The Government's position was further weakened by the resignation of Deputy Premier John Watkins, who retired on Wednesday to spend more time with his family and take up a position with Alzheimer's Australia.

Former education minister Carmel Tebbutt was yesterday unanimously endorsed to take over as deputy by the Left faction during a meeting at State Parliament.


She will be formally endorsed this afternoon but it is not yet clear who else will make up the new-look Cabinet.

Some of Labor's Caucus appeared shell-shocked as they emerged from the partyroom meeting at State Parliament.

But Labor MP Linda Burney says the Caucus has rallied behind Mr Rees and Ms Tebbutt.

"We had two fine speeches from two fine men, we've got two new leaders and our job now is to get behind them, and that's absolutely what's happening," she said.

Fellow MP Michael Daley believes the changes offer the party new hope.

"The election in 2011, well you can say with the new leadership of Nathan Rees and Carmel Tebbutt that it's game on," he said.

Mr Daley says Mr Iemma was not tapped on the shoulder and that it was his decision to resign.

Tumultuous morning

News that Mr Iemma was gone came in the wake of a press conference by Mr Costa, who said he did not consider that he had been sacked until the decision was ratified by a Caucus meeting.

Earlier Mr Costa used his press conference to confirm that Mr Iemma had dumped him but suggested that he remained treasurer until the Caucus confirmed his sacking.

"I was advised by the Premier that he desired that I not be part of his ticket in the forthcoming reshuffle," Mr Costa said at his press call.

"I respect his right to do that."

Mr Costa is deeply unpopular with the public and with many of his own colleagues but he signalled that he was not prepared to go without a fight.

And typical of his style, he used his news conference to point the finger.

He accused his colleagues of lacking the "political courage" to make the hard decisions such as slashing big spending projects in rail and in health.

He also told the media that he was not prepared to stay on when the Iemma Government's approach risked New South Wales Triple-A credit rating.

"The job I'm interested in is the treasurer's job," he said.

"I'm interested in doing the mini-budget, but I am not prepared for political expediency to present a mini-budget that I know will threaten the triple-A credit rating.

"If you want me as treasurer you have to cop a mini-budget that will deliver a triple-A credit rating."

The Government faces an unwanted by-election in the state seat of Ryde, after one of its most competent performers, John Watkins, quit politics earlier this week, sparking manoevres around the necessary ministerial reshuffle.

Related:

NSW Premier Morris Iemma resigns
Mr Iemma faced a caucus revolt this morning and Mr Rees had the numbers to overthrow Mr Iemma.

Gone: NSW Treasurer Michael Costa has been sacked
New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma has sacked his unpopular Treasurer Michael Costa in the wake of the state's failed electricity privatisation push.

Carmel Tebbutt named NSW deputy premier
Ms Tebbutt left the frontbench 18 months ago for family reasons
Labor MP Carmel Tebbutt has been chosen as the next deputy premier of New South Wales.

NSW Premier Morris Iemma resigns

Morris Iemma has resigned as NSW Premier.

It is understood Water Minister Nathan Rees will take over.

Mr Iemma faced a caucus revolt this morning and Mr Rees had the numbers to overthrow Mr Iemma.

It is understood that there is so much division within the dominant right faction that Mr Iemma appeared to have lost a significant amount of support from once-loyal backers.

The right-wing powerbrokers Eddie Obeid and Joe Tripodi are understoood to have told Mr Iemma that he had lost the support of MPs and would not survive a caucus meeting.

The pressure intensified after outgoing Treasurer Michael Costa set off a series of bombs at his press conference earlier this morning.

Related:

Gone: NSW Treasurer Michael Costa has been sacked
New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma has sacked his unpopular Treasurer Michael Costa in the wake of the state's failed electricity privatisation push.

Carmel Tebbutt named NSW deputy premier
Ms Tebbutt left the frontbench 18 months ago for family reasons
Labor MP Carmel Tebbutt has been chosen as the next deputy premier of New South Wales.

Native forests should be part of the solution

The Greens leader Bob Brown says lifting Australia's reserves of native forests should be part of the Federal Government's solution to climate change.

The Government's climate change adviser, Ross Garnaut, has suggested the concept known as biosequestration be boosted in Australia.

Professor Garnaut will release the next stage of his economic modelling into climate change tomorrow.

Senator Brown says ending the destruction of Australia's native forests and woodlands could reduce greenhouse output by 24 per cent.

"It is hugely prospective. Probably much more cost efficient and also has potential excellent job and economic spin-offs in Australia," he said.

"Our job is to get some of the old thinking in the old parties seeing the advantage that there is."

Arctic melt heralds more cyclones and floods: expert

There are more signs of rapid climate change in the Arctic.

Researchers say five ice shelves along Ellesmere Island in Canada's far-north have shrunk by 23 per cent this summer alone.

The shelves once covered an area of more than 5,000 square kilometres but now they are barely 10 per cent of that.

Warwick Vincent of the centre for northern studies at Quebec's Laval University describes the impact of the melting this year as staggering.

He says climate models suggest the most severe changes will take place in the highest northern latitudes, as a starting point for more substantial changes throughout the rest of the planet.

That means more hurricanes, cyclones and floods.

Greens introduce junk food ad ban bill

The Greens have introduced a bill in the Senate to ban junk food advertisements on television during peak children viewing times.

Greens leader Bob Brown says he wants to tackle childhood obesity by ending the multi-million dollar campaign by junk food companies to target children.

The Public Health Association and Cancer Council supports the bill, saying it is an important way to protect the health of children.

The council says the bill deserves bipartisan support.

One OPI officer sacked, another suspended

Andrew McIntosh...It appears that it is unable to properly investigate its own.

The Victorian Office of Police Integrity (OPI) is under fire after one of its officers was sacked and another was suspended because of alleged misconduct.

The misconduct relates to a misuse of expense claims.

The OPI says the matter was detected internally and an independent company is conducting an investigation.

The Opposition police spokesman, Andrew McIntosh, says the matter raises concerns over who is overseeing the police corruption watchdog.

"Who's guarding the guard while the guard's guarding us?".

"It appears that it is unable to properly investigate its own, when it's involving an outside agency to investigate its internal operatives," he said.

Quote: Some people may form the view that it is tit for tat between the OPI and some opposition (political or other like Police Association or affiliates?) down in Victoria (See Links). Perhaps the expense claims are a way to weaken previous statements made by the OPI in relation to allegation against police?

Related:

Police-crime links linger
A SMALL number of Victorian police are maintaining improper links with organised crime figures, the state's police corruption watchdog says.

Police watchdog 'leaks like a sieve'
The Victoria Police watchdog leaks like a sieve, according to former assistant commissioner Noel Ashby, who could face criminal charges following an Office of Police Integrity (OPI) inquiry.

Police criticised as OPI hearing wraps up
The head of an Office of Police Integrity (OPI) inquiry is expected to call for stronger ethical guidelines within Victoria Police when he tables his report in Parliament.

Voters urged to write 'no sale' on ballots

The Greens say they will try to make this month's local government elections a referendum on the sale of the state's electricity retailers.

John Kaye says the Greens are urging people who oppose the plan to write 'no sale' on their ballot paper at the council elections in two weeks.

He says the Greens have written to the NSW Electoral Commissioner to ensure the ballots will be counted.

"We will have scrutineers in almost every polling booth in NSW who'll be counting this," he said.

"We'll be sending a strong message after the election to the Iemma Government that they are absolutely standing to loose out badly if they don't back off on privatisation."

Young people have lost faith in politics

A new report indicates that a decline in the number of young Australians voting may be due to an erosion of confidence in the political process. [Not maybe, absolutely!!]

The report from the University of Western Sydney's Whitlam Institute is the first publication from an ongoing research project exploring how young people engage with the democratic process in Australia.

The Institute's director, Eric Sidoti, says young people are now more likely to connect with political causes rather than specific parties.

He says many young people appear to have lost faith in party politics.

"The scepticism ... appears to be driven in part by a sense that the big issues are bigger than any individual government, they are global issues, they lie in the hands of multinational corporations, global institutions," he said.

"It's not going to be enough for Australia to sign the Kyoto protocol, for example."

Quote: Certainly the issues are world politics, for instance look at the related documentary and you may never ever vote again or have any confidence in the government or the crown here in the commonwealth, which is the corporations. The problem does relate to multinational corporations and the power. However it's not just young people it is all the people who want more ice-cream flavours instead of just two nasty flavours in the two party prefered elections. Who goes into and ice-cream shop expecting two flavours only? Voters get a choice, the super wealthy or the wealthy. Not fair!!

Related:

The Secret Rulers of the World – New Link 

The Secret Rulers of the World
The Secret Rulers of the World - Present/Past [part 1 of 29] You Tube Video The source of most if not all our woes, revealed (from the present to the past): Connecting the dots through ~3000 years of revisionist human history, spanning from the time of the pharaohs, all the way up to the present dynasties creating the New World Order, in a quest to perfect the enslavement of mankind. From pirates to banksters, to the ruling elite, who run the world's finances, the media and cover both side of nearly every conflict or war: the world may make more sense after watching this. See additional episodes on the sidebar. In particular 9. The Secret Rulers of the World - The Queen and 12. The Secret Rulers of the World - The Cult of Amen and 13. The Secret Rulers of the World - Committee of 300 and 14. The Secret Rulers of the World - Rothschild. That truth will set you free.

NT election turnout lowest in 20 yrs
The raw final figures from the Northern Territory election have revealed the lowest level of voter turnout in at least the past two decades.

Labor’s intervention roll out contributes to low voter turn-out: campaigners
Anti-intervention campaigners in Alice Springs have today argued that a lack of confidence amongst Aboriginal people in the political process has contributed to the historically low voter turn-out in the NT government elections.

Central Land Council: Communities have their say on intervention
"The Central Land Council says a survey of people in Central Australian Aboriginal communities has given them a chance to voice their views on the Federal Government's emergency response in Northern Territory Aboriginal communities. The research was undertaken in six case study communities – Titjikala, Papunya, Yuendumu, Ali Curung, Kintore and Hermannsburg - between February and June this year with the help of local Aboriginal researchers. It focussed on the main measures of the intervention, including income management, housing repairs and maintenance, the abolition of CDEP, the introduction of store licensing, voluntary child health checks, increased police resources, the introduction of five year leases over communities, the roll out of government business managers and changes to the permit system."

See Central Land Council's Survey Report:
"Reviewing the Northern Territory Emergency Response: perspectives from six communities in Central Australia”

New abortion laws

The Victorian Government is expected to introduce a bill to Parliament today which would decriminalise abortion.

The bill is expected to legalise abortions for women in the first 24 weeks of their pregnancy, and after that time if the woman is at risk of harm.

All major parties will allow their M-Ps a conscience vote.

The Premier, John Brumby says the bill will bring the law in line with current practices.

Greens to amend Stolen Gen comp bill

The Australian Greens' spokeswoman for Indigenous issues says the party will be amending and re-introducing a Stolen Generations compensation bill to the Senate before the end of the year.

Senator Rachel Siewert says the previous bill, introduced by former Democrat senator Andrew Bartlett, included a cap on the amount of reparations awarded, which the Greens Party has scrapped from the amendment.

Earlier this year a Senate committee called for the Federal Government to set up a National Indigenous Healing Fund to provide services for the Stolen Generations.

Ms Siewert says there is room for both a healing fund and compensation.

"We think that there needs to be financial reparations," she said.

"That's what the Bringing Them Home report said and that's what we will be continuing to support, or re-introduce into the Senate, in an amended bill that provides for financial compensation to the Stolen Generations.

"The different states have various packages available for some forms of compensation but it is very limited and there is a great deal of criticism around it.

"There needs to be an approach by the Commonwealth and very definitely, obviously, the Northern Territory needs to be specifically dealt with by the Commonwealth."

Related:

Aboriginal coalition gives Govt health petition
A coalition of human rights, health and Aboriginal groups has presented the Government with a set of targets it says are necessary to improve the life expectancy of Indigenous Australians.

Aborigines want end to NT intervention
Thousands of Aborigines are petitioning to have the Northern Territory intervention abandoned.

Constitutional recognition for Arnhem Land
An Indigenous leader has asked Mr Rudd to recognise the rights of the people of Arnhem Land and has also called for full control of the land and waters.

Govt moves to take native title claims out of the courts
Lengthy court battles over native title claims could be done away with if the Commonwealth, state and territory governments have their way.

New NT laws: 'more Aboriginal people jailed'
The Australian Council for Civil Liberties says more Aboriginal people will go to jail under proposed mandatory sentencing laws in the Northern Territory.

NAIDOC week to focus on Indigenous inequalities
A series of events to mark the contribution of Australia's Indigenous people will be held across the country this week.

Income management extended for NT
Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin has announced income management will be extended for up to a year in four Northern Territory Aboriginal communities.

Intervention delivering 'empty shipping containers, no houses'
A member of the Maningrida community in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land says he cannot see any infrastructure changes as a result of the emergency intervention, and wants to know where the money has been spent.

Abandon NT intervention: Commissioner
The Northern Territory's Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Tony Fitzgerald says the Federal intervention into remote Aboriginal communities should be abandoned and the legislation underpinning it should be repealed.

Stolen generation compensation ruled out
A FEDERAL parliamentary committee has recommended a "healing" fund be set up to help members of the stolen generations, but knocked back the suggestion of compensation payments.

Budget to roll out new welfare card
Welfare plan: The new card will be initially rolled out in NT Indigenous communities. The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) says the Rudd Government's proposed welfare debit card is not the best way to help struggling families.

Racism to blame' for Aboriginal health problems
The Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTAR) group says racism is directly to blame for many health problems in the Aboriginal community.

Police cannot cope with backlash
Chief Minister, Paul Henderson, has warned the Federal Government that many indigenous people displaced by the emergency intervention are creating unrest and straining police capacity.

2020 Indigenous youth delegate calls for national body
An Indigenous youth representative at this weekend's 2020 summit says a new national Aboriginal body should be created to avoid some of the add-hoc policies surrounding the federal intervention.

Call for new indigenous body
Former ATSIC Commissioner Klynton Wanganeen says he will raise the idea of a new national body to represent indigenous communities at the 2020 Summit.

Roxon signs off on Indigenous health pledges
Indigenous Australians will have access to the same health services as the rest of the population by 2018, under a Federal Government plan.

Discrimination Act should apply to intervention: Calma
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner wants the Racial Discrimination Act immediately reinstated in the Northern Territory's Indigenous communities.

Porn ban in Indigenous communities 'racist'
The Australian National Adult Retail Association (Eros) says the Federal Government's ban on X-rated pornography in Aboriginal communities is pointless, racist and should be revoked.

Retailers' warning on welfare card shop spies
EMPLOYEES across the country will be at risk of entrapment by government "spies", retailers have warned, under a Federal Government proposal to control fraudulent use of a new welfare debit card.

Union urges PM to act on Stolen Generations promise
The Australian Education Union (AEU) wants the Federal Government to follow Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generations with a significant funding boost for Indigenous education in the Northern Territory.

Union calls for $2.9b to fund education shortfall
The Education Union is calling on the Federal Government to provide an extra $2.9 billion in funding for public schools

Govt, union defend remote community schooling
The Centre for Independent Studies says Aboriginal students in the Northern Territory are finishing school with the numeracy and literacy skills of five-year-olds.

Aboriginal delegation heads to UN
The National Aboriginal Alliance is taking its concerns about the Northern Territory intervention to the United Nations

Indigenous welfare quarantine scheme gets go ahead
Parents in four Cape York Indigenous communities could soon have their welfare payments quarantined if they do not take care of their children and homes and do not stay out of trouble with the law.

Union urges PM to act on Stolen Generations promise
The Australian Education Union (AEU) wants the Federal Government to follow Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generations with a significant funding boost for Indigenous education in the Northern Territory.

Aboriginal inmates '22pc and rising' of prison population
The Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health says new research is urgently needed to address the worsening rate of Indigenous incarceration.

Power protest: Iemma's days 'are numbered'

'Absolutely betrayed'Power workers says privitisation will cost Morris Iemma.

Power workers demonstrating outside a meeting in Sydney today between the Premier and Labor heavyweights say Morris Iemma's days are numbered.

Mr Iemma has been summoned to appear before Labor's Administrative Committee to explain why he intends to push on with electricity privitisation against his party's will.

Graeme McNeill from the Liddell Power Station, in the NSW Hunter Valley, says he rank and file members feel absolutely betrayed by the Premier.

"They are ready to walk. I'm telling you I've never seen anything like it," he said.

"I've been in the industry for 26 years and I've never seen Labor supporters ready to pack up and walk. They're not going to forget."

Mr McNeill believes the issue will cost Mr Iemma his leadership.

"He's a wounded duck," he said.

Amanda Lane from the Bayswater Power Station says she believes many rank and file Labor members could vote against the party at the next state election.

"I think there is a big possibility," she said.

Yesterday, the Premier said he was encouraged by the support he had received from Cabinet, Caucus and from within the party.

Greens call for Royal Commission: NSW development

The New South Wales Greens say new concerns about the ICAC investigation into Wollongong Council are valid, after comments by standover man Ray Younan.

Mr Younan has said he had sources inside the ICAC team, who leaked sensitive information to him before the scandal was made public.

Mr Younan is currently living in Lebanon after he failed to appear before the inquiry in February. A warrant for his arrest has been issued.

Greens MP Sylvia Hale says her party's concerns will not be alleviated until there is a Royal Commission into the development process both in Wollongong and across New South Wales.

"I think there's been a failure to follow up on the activities of a number of people who have been persons of interest in the community but whose ... involvement in corrupt activities has not been properly investigated or brought to light," she said.

Court challenge for WYD nuisance powers

The Council for Civil Liberties is preparing a court challenge against new fines for people who annoy or inconvenience pilgrims during Sydney's World Youth Day later this month.

The regulations empower police, firefighters and State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers to stop people who engage in conduct that causes annoyance or inconvenience to Catholic pilgrims during the week-long event.

People who do not comply could be arrested and face a fine of $5,500, but the SES says its volunteers do not want to enforce the rules.

Protest groups and civil libertarians fear the rules could lead to the confiscation of items such as placards and T-shirts bearing anti-World Youth Day slogans

The secretary of the New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties, Stephen Blanks, says the rules are absurd.

"They're counterproductive because they've produced the situation this week that now there are many groups who wish to use the Pope's visit as an occasion to protest against a wide variety of subjects," he said.

"That was not going to occur if the Government and the police had taken a sensible approach."

The council intends to bring the case to court next week.

Earlier today, SES director-general Philip McNamara said volunteers provided support at big events all the time without the extraordinary powers.

"Really, they're all about assisting the public to get to the right spot and doing that sort of thing, rather than having to be telling the public or directing or actually imposing fines on the public," he said.

"That's not what they are there for... It's all about for us making sure that World Youth Day participation for our volunteers is a very positive experience, where they have a good interaction with both the pilgrims and anybody else that's around.

"They just didn't need the powers that have been allocated."

The new World Youth Day rules cover 680 venues.

Related:

Youth Day laws 'undermine basic rights'
The New South Wales Bar Association says new regulations for World Youth Day undermine basic rights and are an affront to freedom of speech.

Youth Day laws 'undermine basic rights'

The New South Wales Bar Association says new regulations for World Youth Day undermine basic rights and are an affront to freedom of speech.

Under the new regulations, people who refuse to stop engaging in conduct that causes annoyance or inconvenience to pilgrims can be arrested and fined up to $5,500.

The same provision did not apply during last year's APEC Summit in Sydney.

The association says the terms are too vague and the penalties are excessive.

It says if existing laws are considered sufficient to regulate conduct at events like the Mardi Gras or the Rugby World Cup, they should be good enough to cover World Youth Day.

The Bar Association has also accused the Government of avoiding public scrutiny by creating a criminal offence by regulation, rather than making it an Act of Parliament.

It says the NSW Government is trying to restrict freedom of speech.

Association president Anna Katzmann SC says the laws are ridiculous because any person displaying opposition to the event could be affected.

"If I were to wear a t-shirt proclaiming that World Youth Day is a waste of public money in a World Youth Day-declared area, and I refuse to remove it when an officer, an authorised officer of the Rural Fire Service asks me to do so, then I'm potentially committing a criminal offence," she said.

The Greens say the powers aim to shut down protests and provide a sanitised view of Sydney.

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon says the definition of causing annoyance is open to interpretation and the subsequent penalties are excessive.

"If somebody exposes themself to a World Youth Day participant they face a fine of $1,100, but if they wear an anti-Catholic t-shirt, the fine could be $5,500," she said.

But Deputy Police Commissioner Dave Owens says officers will act reasonably in determining what is offensive.

"Police officers do it every day of the week," he said.

"As I've said, they have a discretion. We're not the fashion police, we're not kill-joys."

World Youth Day spokesman Father Mark Podesta rejected suggestions the Catholic Church requested the special powers.

Carbon sink tax bill 'seriously flawed'

There were extraordinary scenes in the Senate last night as the Greens combined with the Nationals and the Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan to attack part of a tax bill.

It was originally drafted by the previous Coalition government and has been reintroduced by Labor.

It gives a full tax deduction for the cost of planting forests as carbon sinks.

But Senator Heffernan, the Nationals and the Greens argued passionately in the Senate last night that it is flawed.

Senator Heffernan says the bill does not stop the trees being cut down or allowed to die within a year.

"There is absolutely no way in this legislation that you can prevent me from planting these trees and the year after I collect the tax deduction - me ploughing them in," he said.

"It is a national disgrace if we allow this Parliament to pass this legislation in the full knowledge that it is completely and fundamentally flawed."

Greens Senator Bob Brown agrees the bill is seriously flawed.

Nationals Senator Barnaby Jocye has called it a load of rubbish.

"Its very rare - to be honest - I would agree with the Greens but tonight's going to be one of those nights," Senator Joyce said.

But Government Senator Stephen Conroy says the bill was initially brought in by the previous Government.

"To be muttering up the back about what an evil plot this is - its your bill," he said.

The senators do not deny that they are negotiating on ways to to fix the problems they have complained about.

The Coalition is understood to be discussing technical aspects of how to do that.