Young on DSP to face work ability scrutiny

YOUNGER people on the disability support pension (DSP) are set to have their ability to work reviewed under a budget plan to rein in the rising cost of social security payments.

That's set to be announced in the budget on Tuesday, targeting some 30,000 DSP recipients aged under 35, media reports say.

This is in line with the report of the National Commission of Audit which said a risk-management approach should be taken in assessing those with the greatest potential for work.

"Examples could include younger people under the age of 35 and recipients who currently earn some employment income," the report said.

Liberal MP Alan Tudge, parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Tony Abbott, said the DSP was growing rapidly with more than 800,000 current recipients and tens of thousands more assessed as disabled each year.

"What we would like to do is to ensure that those who are able to work are encouraged to do so," he told Sky News.

"At the moment the system tends to put a person on the disability support pension and then.... set and forget and leave them for a very long time, even though there might be a willingness, a desire and a capacity to at least make some contribution."

Labor frontbencher Matt Thistlethwaite said Labor in government had introduced a number of reforms designed to get those on the DSP into work.

He said that aimed to ensure there was support available for those who wanted to work and the necessary home support available through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

"The Commission of Audit recommendations are to slow down the rollout of the NDIS," he told Sky.

"If that is the approach the Abbott government is going to take, then that's not the way we should be supporting people with disabilities, particularly encouraging them into work."

In its report, the Commission of Audit said the DSP was costing $15.8 billion a year.

However, new disability assessment criteria introduced in 2012 only apply to new entrants, creating inequalities between the newcomers and existing DSP recipients, an anomaly which should be addressed.

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NRL star Inglis in third-party deal probe

An Aboriginal charity says NRL star Greg Inglis's work will continue amid a funds investigation. Source: AAP

NRL star Greg Inglis will continue his $50,000 a year job with an Aboriginal charity amid an investigation into the use of Medicare funds to pay him for his services.

Inglis signed a three-year deal with Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) in December 2010, where South Sydney Rabbitohs fullback has been paid as much as $90,000 for doing promotional and ambassadorial work, according to Fairfax.

The contract was last year renewed at the reduced rate of $50,000.

But the federal Department of Health's own rules dictate that Medicare income at grant-funded Aboriginal medical services "must be used for primary health care services".

The department has confirmed it is investigating despite having already looked into allegations raised about the Inglis deal.

"The department has previously considered the specific allegations raised that Greg Inglis has been paid $90,000 a year by the AMS at least in part through Medicare billings income," a spokeswoman said.

"Our investigations have found no evidence that commonwealth health funding was being used inappropriately."

The department will now consider new information received from community contacts, the spokeswoman said.

The AMS says it received conflicting advice about how the income could be used and is seeking clarification from the government about the use of the funds.

However, a spokesman for the service said Mr Inglis's role will continue.

"His role is very important for the AMS," an AMS spokesman told AAP.

"He will continue in the role - there is no question about that in our perspective."

The spokesman said Inglis was an integral part of the AMS's health campaign.

The third-party deal between Inglis and the AMS was lodged with the NRL and there has been no suggestion of any salary cap breach.

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Levy investigation suspended in Qld

AN investigation into whether the head of Queensland's corruption watchdog misled a parliamentary committee has been suspended.

Parliament's select ethics committee on Friday said it would wait until a police investigation into Dr Ken Levy was completed.

The committee was set up to consider whether Dr Levy misled another committee about what contact he had with the government before penning a newspaper article backing its controversial bikie laws.

Dr Levy has said the article was his idea, and no one from the government told him what to write.

But he's faced questions after failing to disclose that he met with the government's top media adviser Lee Anderson to discuss the article before it was published.

Dr Levy has denied any wrongdoing and remains the acting chair of the newly renamed Crime and Corruption Commission, formerly known as the Crime and Misconduct Commission.

The select ethics committee took over the Levy investigation after the government used its large majority to sack the entire Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee (BECAME) in November last year.

The government said it had no choice because the BECAME had shown bias against Dr Levy, and allowing it's investigation to continue would not have been fair to him.

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News Corp keeps faith in newspapers

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has suffered an 85 per cent fall in quarterly profit to $US28m. Source: AAP

RUPERT Murdoch's News Corp is confident advertisers will return to its Australian newspapers, despite a 21 per cent slide in revenue.

Revenue from the local newspaper business, which includes mastheads like The Australian, Herald Sun and The Daily Telegraph, fell by $US103 million ($A111.44 million) in the three months to March 31, compared to the same period a year ago.

News Corp said more than half of the decline was due to the impact of a lower Australian dollar, while weakness in the print advertising market and lower circulation revenue was also a factor.

The Australian newspapers dragged revenue from News Corp's overall news division, which includes The Times in the UK and The Wall Street Journal in the US, down nine per cent in the quarter.

News Corp's profit in the three months to March dropped by 85 per cent to $US48 million ($A51.93 million), though the result was skewed by a one-off gain a year ago from the sale of SKY Network Television in New Zealand.

But the result beat market expectations and the company's share price lifted 46 cents to $18.21 at 1435 AEST on Friday.

Chief executive Robert Thomson said while the newspaper business faced obvious challenges, he was confident advertisers would come to see the value of newspapers again.

"I do think there will be a reconsideration of the value of print in the next year or so because it's a platform we know can deliver results to advertisers," he said.

"We will be doing our best with the Australian team over the next 12 months to prove that point.

He said despite the loss of readers to websites, newspapers held their own advantages for advertisers.

"I think what will become more clearly understood over time is the relative power of print in a digital world where you literally cannot multi-task when you are reading a newspaper."

Meanwhile, News Corp's Australian websites passed 200,000 subscriptions last week, and the company was looking to bolster digital revenues by better targeting local advertisers, he said.

"The digital strategy in Australia has been recast in recent months; our aim is to strengthen ties with local communities and develop far closer relations with local advertisers," Mr Thomson said.

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Qld deputy attacks Palmer in parliament

Queensland's deputy premier has used parliamentary privilege to criticise Clive Palmer (pic). Source: AAP

JUST a day after Clive Palmer applied to sue Queensland's premier for defamation, the deputy premier has called the federal MP a "crook" in parliament.

Using the protection of parliamentary privilege, Jeff Seeney told Palmer United Party's state leader Alex Douglas he was in "the best party money could buy".

"It's not even Australian money - the best party Chinese money can buy," Mr Seeney told state parliament on Thursday.

"The best party that fraudulently obtained money can buy.

"The best party that a crook using other people's money can buy."

Mr Seeney was referring to a News Corp Australia report that Mr Palmer's private company Mineralogy had been accused of siphoning more than $12 million from Chinese business partners and using some to fund his party's federal election campaign.

Mr Palmer on Wednesday lodged papers in the Supreme Court and served papers on Premier Campbell Newman through the Crown Solicitor.

Mr Palmer said the premier's claims during a recent media interview were false and damaged his integrity.

The federal MP for Fairfax is seeking $1.1 million in damages.

If he wins the case, he's promised to give the money to a charity that's working with public servants sacked by the Newman government.

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Ballot security response inadequate: audit

THE Australian Electoral Commission failed to adequately respond to warnings about the transport and storage of ballot papers made years before the West Australian Senate debacle.

An Australian National Audit Office report into the security of ballots during last year's federal election is scathing of the AEC, saying the commission failed to react to recommendations made in 2010.

The AEC has been under fire over its botched handling of the poll, with the loss of 1370 ballot papers forcing a fresh WA Senate vote in April.

The 2010 audit by the ANAO found the AEC needed to improve the security of ballot papers during transport and storage.

However, in its report released on Thursday, it says the commission adopted a narrow interpretation of the recommendation, which resulted in "inadequate action" being taken.

The commonwealth auditor said the AEC response to the 2010 recommendation - training employees about better ballot security - simply reinforced existing practices within the commission.

"It did not involve the identification and assessment of options that would improve on past practices and provide greater physical security of ballot papers during transportation and storage," the report said.

The 2013 WA Senate election was dubbed a "disaster" by former Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty after his investigation into the missing ballot papers.

The debacle claimed two scalps, with the resignations of Australia's electoral commissioner Ed Killesteyn and WA's electoral officer Peter Kramer.

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US circus acrobat wants to return to ring

Eight acrobats remain hospitalised in the US after an accident sent them falling to the ground. Source: AAP

ONE of eight circus acrobats who plummeted about six metres to the ground during a hair-hanging stunt says she's thankful she's alive and wants to return to the ring.

"I'm hoping to join back up with the tour and show the world that I'm OK, and I'm hoping some of the other girls will do the same," Samantha Pitard said on Tuesday after she was released from a hospital.

Pitard and seven other acrobats were in an act described as a "human chandelier", in which they were hanging from an apparatus by their hair.

They were injured during a Sunday performance of the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey circus when a clip at the top of the chandelier-like apparatus snapped, dropping them to the ground.

The other women who are from the US, Brazil, Bulgaria and Ukraine are still hospitalised.

Pitard, 23, an American, said she is the only one of the troupe who can walk on her own. The others need assistance or have not tried to walk because they are still undergoing operations. But she said the others are expected to fully recover and everyone is in good spirits.

"Every single one of us in the troupe, every single circus performer, knows that they are risking their lives every time they go out there to perform or practice," she said.

"We hope it doesn't happen, but we know that we are taking that risk, and we love it enough to take that risk every day to make people happy."

Pitard said it was a normal day and normal performance on Sunday. The curtain dropped to reveal the eight women suspended in the air, but it went wrong as soon as they did their third leg position.

"We heard a huge crack, huge noise, and then we were just plummeting to the ground," she said. "It was very fast. I remember everything."

The 160-kilogram chandelier fell on top of them. She said the rescue crews got to them quickly to free them from the apparatus, then give them medical attention.

"I was sitting up, and once I caught my breath, I was looking at all the girls," she said. "I wanted to know that everybody was OK. I saw my troupe leader (Viktoriya Medeiros), she was right next to me, and I heard her say that she couldn't feel her legs."

The paramedics instructed her to lie down.

Pitard described her injuries, including fractures on her spine, a cut on her head that required three stitches and a badly bitten tongue, as minor.

Local investigators have completed an initial probe into the circus accident and are turning over the broken clip and other material to federal workplace safety investigators.

Fire investigator Paul Doughty said investigators have narrowed down the cause of the broken clip to two possibilities: a manufacturing defect or improper use.

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Health regulator too slow to act: minister

Queensland's health minister has reassured patients about the abilities of foreign-trained doctors. Source: AAP

THE national health regulator isn't acting quickly enough against a doctor accused of a string of serious surgical errors, Queensland's health minister says.

A urologist has been stood down from Rockhampton Hospital while he is being investigated for allegedly botching four operations.

He's accused of misdiagnosing a twisted testicle causing it to ultimately be removed, taking out a patient's right kidney instead of the diseased left one, nicking another's artery and incorrectly positioning a stent.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (AHPRA) said on Tuesday that it was reviewing the urologist's registration "as a priority", but is yet to make a ruling.

While the doctor has voluntarily stepped down from his private roles, he is still technically able to work in the sector.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said problems with APHRA would hopefully be fixed when the state takes control of notifications and serious complaints through an appointed health ombudsman from July 1.

"I've previously indicated my concerns about how long it takes the national health regulator to respond, but I don't control that national regulator," he told reporters on Wednesday.

Mr Springborg said he was happy with the Central Queensland Hospitals and Health (CQHH) board's swift response to stand down the doctor and sack the hospital's director of surgery and the acting executive director of medical services.

He also said it was "refreshingly honest" of board chairman Charles Ware to concede there was a systemic failure at the hospital.

The health minister said that's why he was not travelling to Rockhampton to oversee the controversy.

"If this was in the old days ... the only thing they did was cover-up," he said, referring to the notorious Dr Jayant Patel saga.

"There is nothing they (health board) have done that requires intervention centrally and nor should there be other than them asking us to conduct independent investigations and that has been done."

Mr Springborg said the incident was isolated and reflected on the individual doctor, not against all foreign-trained doctors.

The urologist, from South America, trained in medicine in Spain and then went on to gain specialist qualifications in London, where he was awarded honours.

He later came to Australia where he underwent two further years of training and won accreditation in 2011 to practise unsupervised, including the right to train other doctors.

"There is no evidence there is any greater issue with doctors that are trained in Australia or overseas," Mr Springborg said.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said the government had added to the issues by cutting 80 patient care jobs designed to stop a "Patel-like situation" recurring.

"No longer can the health minister hide behind these health boards," she said.

"He is directly responsible and it is about time he stepped up to the plate and took full and complete responsibility."

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New foreign surgeon scandal in Qld

An overseas-trained doctor is being investigated in Queensland for a series of surgical errors. Source: AAP

AN overseas-trained doctor accused of incompetence, including removing the wrong kidney from a patient, could still be practising in Queensland's private sector.

Two Rockhampton Hospital chiefs have been sacked amid revelations a South American surgeon, who did his initial medical training in Spain, removed a patient's right kidney instead of the diseased organ on the left.

It's also alleged he nicked the artery of another patient, who was sent home but returned to hospital last week suffering extensive blood loss.

The case has echoes of the Jayant Patel controversy, which turned the spotlight on the credentials of foreign-trained doctors working in the Queensland health system.

The Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service Board has sacked Rockhampton Hospital's director of surgery, along with the acting executive director of medical services.

Board chairman Charles Ware has told Fairfax Media radio there's a systemic problem at the hospital.

The board has ordered a broad-ranging review of patient safety systems. A separate review will look at the specific incidents involving the surgeon.

"These reviews must be thorough and robust and I assure Central Queenslanders they will lead to decisive action that will ensure the safety of our patients," Mr Ware said in a statement on Tuesday.

The surgeon has been suspended from working at the Rockhampton Hospital, but Health Minister Lawrence Springborg has told parliament he's also been working in the private sector.

"This person doesn't only work for us. They also do private work as well. We have taken the action. Maybe it's also right for other employers to do a similar thing," Mr Springborg said.

Opposition health spokeswoman Jo-Ann Miller has called on the minister to name "Dr X", saying the Rockhampton community rightly wants to know.

The minister said four surgical procedures carried out by the doctor were being investigated.

The surgeon had trained in Spain before coming to Australia, where he completed two years of additional training and was accredited to operate here in 2011.

The Health Quality and Complaints Commission has also been asked to investigate the matter.

A spokesman for the health minister said advice was being sought from Queensland Health about if, and at what point, it would be appropriate to name the surgeon.

Any private work the doctor might be doing was a matter for the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, he said.

Matters of private practice were outside the government's control, but health complaint processes would be vastly improved from July 1, when the government's new health ombudsman would handle such cases, the spokesman said.

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School chaplains face second challenge

A Queensland father is headed back to the High Court to challenge the school chaplaincy program. Source: AAP

THE federal government's school chaplaincy program has turned into a "half billion dollar behemoth", says the man who's challenging it in the High Court for a second time.

Queensland father of six Ron Williams says the Howard government program has got completely out of control.

"I have a strong objection to the federal government funding the chaplaincy program and that's what this case is about," the Toowoomba jazz musician told reporters outside the court on Tuesday.

"There is no place in public schools for any form of missionaries or evangelists or anything that isn't secular."

Former prime minister John Howard launched the controversial program - which aims to provide guidance to students - in the lead up to the 2007 election.

The High Court upheld Mr Williams' legal challenge against the program in a landmark decision in 2012 - but the Labor government quickly passed fresh legislation to keep it going.

"Here we are - it has become a half billion dollar behemoth," Mr Williams said.

Experts believe the new case could have far-reaching effects for the Commonwealth's ability to fund a range of programs.

A defendant in the case is the Scripture Union of Queensland, which receives funding under an agreement with the Commonwealth then distributes it to Queensland schools to employ chaplains.

Union chief executive Peter James said two studies had found that students, teachers and psychologists all valued the program.

He acknowledged that it had been controversial.

"People are divided on it. But I am not sure that people who are opposed to the program necessarily understand what chaplains do in schools. It's not a clerical role, it's not a theological role - it's a caring role."

The case is listed to run for three days.

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Woman admits stealing $110k from 95yo

A PERTH woman who was to face trial accused of stealing more than $110,000 from an elderly friend has lodged a last-minute plea of guilty.

Yvonne Joan Rollans, 58, was charged with 102 stealing offences after she used the credit card of a 95-year-old woman she was caring for to buy items for herself and her family between 2009 and 2011.

Rollans' trial was due to begin on Monday but she pleaded guilty.

She is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

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Arrest 'sends wrong signal' for N. Ireland

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams (pic) says his arrest over the murder of Jean McConville is wrong. Source: AAP

IRISH republican leader Gerry Adams has criticised the Northern Ireland police's handling of his arrest over a notorious IRA murder, saying it sent a wrong signal for the peace process to which he remains "totally committed".

"Those that authorised this (arrest) didn't make the right strategic decision," Adams said at a press conference on Sunday in Belfast's Balmoral Hotel. "This is entirely a wrong signal."

Adams, a key figure in the peace process, was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the death of Jean McConville, a mother-of-10 abducted from her home in 1972.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) freed Adams on Sunday night after four days of questioning.

The republican leader could still face charges when a file is sent to prosecutors, and the Times on Monday reported police had recommended prosecution.

The Sinn Fein president claimed that much of the evidence presented to him during 33 taped interviews came from newspaper articles, books and photos, and that the allegations against him were part of a "sustained, malicious, untruthful and sinister campaign".

He suggested that the timing of his four-day detention was politically motivated with European elections due to be held later this month.

"I make the case that those who authorised my arrest and detention could have done it differently, " he said, flanked by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, the top Sinn Fein member in the power-sharing government.

"They did not have to do this in the middle of an election campaign."

Adams explained that he voluntarily contacted police two months ago after newspaper reports linked him to the murder.

He also repeated his commitment to the US-backed Good Friday accords in 1998 that largely ended three decades of sectarian violence, and pledged his support for the PSNI despite earlier suggestions from Sinn Fein that the arrest could force a review of its policy.

"There can be no going back," he insisted. "We are totally and absolutely committed to the peace process.

"I want to make it clear that I support the PSNI, I will continue to work with others to build a genuinely civic police service.

"The old guard which is against change, whether in the PSNI leadership, within elements of unionism or the far fringes of self-proclaimed but pseudo republicanism, they can't win," he added.

"The dark side of the British system cannot be allowed to deny anyone ... from our entitlement to a rights-based, citizen-centred society."

Sinn Fein's support for a reformed police force in Northern Ireland, after long accusing the police of collusion and anti-Catholic bias, was a key part of the Good Friday agreements.

The PPS must now decide whether there is enough evidence to charge Adams, or whether prosecution would be in the public interest.

Barra McGrory, Northern Ireland's director of public prosecutions, has passed on the case as he used to act as Adams' solicitor.

Adams strongly denies any involvement in the murder, just as he denies ever having been a member of the IRA, and offered sympathy "to the McConville family, and to all those who have suffered, especially at the hands of republicans".

The renewed attention on the case was sparked by interviews given by former IRA members to Boston College.

"I reject all the allegations, and rejected all the allegations made against me in these tapes," he said.

Adams left in a police convoy via the back door of Antrim police station, where he had been held, in order to avoid a vocal group of Union Jack flag-waving loyalist demonstrators, who want the province to remain British.

Tensions in Northern Ireland have risen since Wednesday's arrest, with around 400 republicans attending a march on Saturday in west Belfast.

McConville's children watched as she was dragged screaming from their Belfast home in 1972 after the IRA accused her of being an informer. Her remains were found buried on a beach in 2003 and tests found she had been shot in the back of the head.

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Sheeran single Sing debuts at No.1

ED Sheeran's Sing has debuted at No.1 on the ARIA singles chart, edging out Brisbane band Sheppard after three weeks at the top.

Sheeran's recent promo tour, live appearances and Logies performance all helped to give the British singer-songwriter his first Australian No.1 single.

Sheeran's new song edges out Sheppard's Geronimo which is down to No.2, but holding steady at No.3 is Jason DeRulo with Wiggle.

Another new top 10 entrant is Ariana Grande with Iggy Azalea at No.4 with Problem (which samples Jay-Z's song 99 Problems).

David Guetta's new track Bad leaps up 16 spots to No.5 and also gives the song's guest Showtek their first Top 10 placing. After two weeks at No.2, Sia's Chandelier falls four places to No.6 and Rita Ora is also down a couple of places to No.7 with I Will Never Let You Down. Ora's boyfriend Calvin Harris is slides four places to No.8 with Summer.

The fourth new entry this week is local rapper Iggy Azalea, who leaps up eight places to No.9 with Fancy. Peking Duk's High featuring Nicole Millar falls two spots to No.10.

Disney's Frozen soundtrack is this week's No.1 album, climbing to the top after its 16th week within the top 10. The soundtrack's rise to the top spot has been aided by the film's release on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Entering at No.2 is Iggy Azalea's first album, The New Classic, which debuted at No.5 in the UK and No.3 in the US. Also new at No.3 is another debut, Meet the Vamps for UK band The Vamps.

After two weeks at No.1, Chet Faker's Built on Glass tumbles to No.4 while Michael Buble's former No.1 album, To Be Loved, leaps back up 70 places to No.5 on the back of his Australian tour.

INXS drops three places to No.6 with The Very Best and down a couple of positions to No.7 is L.O.V.E. for Harrison Craig. MKTO's self-titled album rockets up 35 spots to No.8 while Swedish supergroup ABBA has re-entered the top 10 at No.9 with their collection Abba Gold & More (Anniversary Edition). Jason DeRulo is up three places to claim No.10 with Tattoos.

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Greens say they're the party to fix NSW

THERE'S a smell wafting from the Labor and Liberal party rooms in NSW parliament, the Greens say.

Just days after police minister Mike Gallacher stepped aside following claims in front of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) over illegal donations to the Liberal Party, Greens NSW MP John Kaye announced on Sunday his new upper house team for the March 2015 election.

Joining him on the ticket will be existing MP Mehreen Faruqi, as well as coal seam gas campaigner and political advisor Justin Field.

Mr Kaye said the team would be highlighting their credentials as an alternative to the major parties.

"NSW politics has been plunged into crisis, not just by the Labor party but also by the Liberal party's endemic addiction to collecting funds from tainted sources," he told AAP.

"This is the time for reform. This is the election campaign where politics needs to change."

Mr Field, who is third on the ticket, said he will be taking out the message of clean water, energy and politics out into the community.

"A stench of corruption now hangs over NSW parliament, but only the Greens are able to say they can clean up politics."

The announcement comes after the Labor party revealed on Sunday that a "record number" of their party's supporters had voted for former MP Verity Firth to be the next state candidate in the Sydney seat of Balmain.

She narrowly lost the marginal inner-city seat to Greens candidate Jamie Parker at the 2011 election.

Mr Parker said the Greens were confident that there needs to be change.

"It doesn't matter who the candidate is, we have seen before that he structure of Labor means they are silenced ... I stand for a different approach to politics," he told AAP.

He said one of the bills the Greens would be be introducing to parliament in the following months is a push to implement 2010 ICAC recommendations on lobbying in NSW.

This included a recommendation to set up an independent body to oversee the role of lobbyists.

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