Toronto mayor in rehab: Canadian clinic

A Canadian rehab facility has confirmed it's treating Toronto Mayor Rob Ford for substance abuse. Source: AAP

A REHAB facility in a small Ontario town has confirmed that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is undergoing treatment at its clinic.

GreenStone Clinic Muskoka in Bala, Ontario, said Ford consented to having the facility confirm his stay.

Ford announced late last month that he was seeking treatment for an alcohol problem after a new video surfaced that appeared to show Ford smoking a crack pipe late last month.

It was the latest twist in the ongoing saga of Ford, whose notorious and frequently filmed behaviour led the city council to strip him of most of his powers after he admitted last year that he had smoked crack in a "drunken stupor" and was depicted on video threatening to "murder" someone.

There was speculation about whether the embattled mayor of Canada's largest city was in rehab after he was spotted taking photos with residents of a small town neighbouring Bala last week.

A few days later, the mayor's car was impounded after a Muskoka resident was arrested behind the wheel and charged with impaired driving.

Last week marked a year since a video emerged that appeared to show the mayor smoking crack cocaine.

Months later, Ford admitted to trying the drug while drunk and to using drugs while in office.

In another videotaped incident the mayor used obscene Jamaican slang words and criticised Toronto's chief of police.

The Globe and Mail said last month a drug dealer had shown two of its reporters video of Ford allegedly smoking what was said to be crack in the basement of his sister's home.

The paper said it paid $US10,000 ($A10,820) for frame grabs showing Ford holding a copper pipe.

The Toronto Star also published details of "two nights of utter debauchery" involving Ford at a Toronto nightclub.

Despite Ford's ongoing erratic behaviour, he says he's running for re-election in October.

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Budget will pass eventually: PM

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

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

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

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

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

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

But negotiations were inevitable.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bikie-linked men charged with extortion

THREE more men linked to the Comanchero bikie gang have been charged with extortion offences in Perth, taking the total to eight people.

West Australian police raided properties across the metropolitan area last week, including the motorcycle gang's Northbridge clubhouse.

A small business in the same suburb was allegedly the target of the extortion.

Five men, ranging in age from 26 to 48, were charged with extortion, while two of them were also charged with drug offences and one was charged with a firearm offence.

On Friday, police conducted further searches on properties linked to the Comancheros across Perth.

They charged three men, aged 26, 35 and 40, with extortion and unlawful acts with intent to cause harm.

All three men are due to appear in the Northbridge Magistrates Court on Saturday.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jeff Christmass urged anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

"The community does not have to tolerate this type of bullying," he said.

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Qld government MP quits parliament

MAVERICK Queensland government MP Chris Davis has resigned from parliament, saying recent laws go against his and his electorate's values.

The rogue MP was dumped as assistant health minister last week for breaching cabinet solidarity when he spoke out against changes to the state's corruption watchdog and doctor contracts.

At the time, Dr Davis said he had stood on some powerful toes and was demoted partly because he raised concerns with Premier Campbell Newman about looming changes to political donations.

His dissatisfaction came to a head on Thursday night, when he told parliament he couldn't support his government's policy to remove caps on political donations and raise disclosure thresholds.

He left the chamber before the laws were put to a vote.

While he says his sacking was a catalyst to his immediate departure, the accumulation of controversial legislation had weighed heavily on his conscience.

"The passage of recent government legislation affecting critical aspects of our democracy goes contrary to my value system and that of the majority of my electorate," he said on a statement on his website.

"I would never have stood for parliament on such a platform, nor do I believe I would have been elected."

A by-election will be held in the north Brisbane seat.

It's the second for the Newman government after disgraced MP Scott Driscoll quit after being found guilty of contempt for dodgy business dealings.

A ReachTel poll commissioned by Dr Davis, released on Friday, shows he had the support of his electorate on controversial legislation.

Of the 687 residents polled on Wednesday night, 60 per cent didn't support removing donation limits to political parties.

On the Crime and Misconduct Commission changes, 47 per cent opposed the laws, 15 per cent supported them, 25 per cent didn't know and 13 per cent were undecided.

The majority of the electorate (61 per cent) didn't think Dr Davis should have been stood down as Assistant Health Minister and 48 per cent had a favourable opinion of him as their local member, while 28 per cent were neutral.

That compares to just 23 per cent who had a favourable opinion of the premier, and 16 per cent who had a neutral opinion.

If Dr Davis ran as an independent, 49 per cent would be more likely to support him.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said Dr Davis' resignation was a vote of no confidence in Premier Campbell Newman's leadership.

"The member for Stafford has dramatically resigned after a turbulent week in parliament," she told reporters.

"We need to restore honesty and integrity back into Queensland."

But the Labor leader downplayed her party's chances of regaining Stafford, which the Liberal National Party holds by a 7.1 per cent margin.

"We're going to fight very hard. It will be a tough battle but I sense a deep sea of unrest."

There is no time limit on when a by-election must be called.

Governor Penelope Wensley would have the responsibility of calling a by-election rather than Speaker Fiona Simpson because Dr Davis quit after a parliamentary sitting.

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New way of policing in WA to reduce crime

A SIX-MONTH policing trial aimed at reducing the demand on officers and dropping the crime rate has been such a success that the model will be rolled out across Perth by the end of the year.

The new police operating model was trialled in the South East Metropolitan District from November to May, with the region moving from sixth to second best performing district compared with the previous year.

Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said the model relied on "neighbourhood policing" so police teams were only responsible for a couple of suburbs each.

"They develop relationships with the local community (and) people can ring them direct on their mobile phones," he told Fairfax radio on Thursday.

"They know the kids who play up, families who play up (and) where people congregate in parks."

Mr O'Callaghan said 10 per cent of the population was creating 90 per cent of the problem for police.

"People are being driven mad by these people who are out of control in the neighbourhood," he said.

The commissioner said local governments and the wider community had embraced the trial, giving him confidence to widen the model across Perth.

The new model will see four larger districts each made up of 550 officers divided into response, local policing teams and investigations, all co-ordinated through a 24/7 district control centre.

The next phase will begin in September when the South Metropolitan and Peel districts combine to form the new South Metropolitan District.

By the end of the year, Central and East will form another district, along with North West and West.

Some suburbs may transfer to balance demand across these new, larger districts, Mr O'Callaghan said.

The model will not apply in regional WA.

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Some avoiding GP because of payment: AMA

PATIENTS are already putting off visiting the doctor because of the coalition government's GP co-payment, even though the measure won't come into effect until next year.

The Australian Medical Association says one clinic in Mt Druitt in Sydney has reported a fall in visits since the budget, and had to send out SMS messages to patients to inform them they were still bulk billing.

There was also evidence of a drop in patients at one clinic in Tasmania, the doctors' group said.

AMA President Steve Hambleton said the reports, while isolated, represented a widespread concern with the $7 co-payment.

"It's disturbing that people have got mixed messages," he told reporters in Canberra.

"It is very important for patients to realise this does not start until 2015."

The AMA and other health groups have repeatedly warned a co-payment would deter people from visiting the doctor, and could result in hospital emergency departments being overwhelmed by those trying to avoid the charge.

But Dr Hambleton said there had not been an increase in emergency department presentations since last Tuesday's budget.

Asked about the AMA's concerns, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was confident the co-payment was consistent with a "strong and dynamic, affordable and accessible Medicare system".

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Ten guts news, axes Wake Up show

Network Ten's Wake Up program and its early, morning and late news will be axed from Friday. Source: AAP

THE fate of up to 150 Network Ten workers is up in the air after the broadcaster announced plans to gut its news service and axe Wake Up.

Friday will be the last day of the early, morning and late news bulletins as well as the Wake Up breakfast show.

Ten Eyewitness News at 5pm will continue to be produced locally and Studio 10 will remain part of the network's daytime schedule.

Ten's chief executive Hamish McLennan broke the news to staff in an email sent at midday on Wednesday, saying consultations would begin on Thursday about a proposed voluntary redundancy program for workers in the news, operations and engineering departments.

"The next few weeks will be a difficult and sad period, as colleagues leave the business," McLennan said.

"Let me assure you the changes are not being undertaken lightly.

"No one is happy about them, but unfortunately they are necessary."

"Despite the commitment and enthusiasm of its staff, Wake Up has not resonated with enough viewers to make it a viable program."

An industry source told AAP it was common knowledge within Ten that the breakfast show, launched in November last year, would be axed.

The fate of up to 150 workers is understood to be in limbo while management decides just how many will be made redundant.

Many of the employees, floor staff, crew and assistants, were specifically recruited to start up the breakfast show which was to ring in a new era for the network.

The network spent tens of thousands of dollars alone on building the set at Manly Beach and running cables from Ten's Pyrmont headquarters out to the set to avoid satellite transmission problems.

However, Wake Up has been plagued with issues since the outset when its creator and producer Adam Boland suffered a breakdown and quit.

"I feel very sad for all my friends at Ten. Very good people, let down by many things, including my early exit. Thinking of them all today," Boland Tweeted after the news broke.

Studio 10 co-host Sarah Harris also took to Twitter in support of her colleagues.

"Big hugs to my friends at Wake Up, Early/Morning News and Late News," she said.

The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) says it will hold meetings with affected staff as soon as possible.

"We had a short discussion with the company this morning," Mike Dobbie from the MEAA told AAP.

"The company has told us that it will give us a briefing and will begin a consultation process this afternoon and we are seeking to minimise job losses."

McLennan said the television advertising market had been soft in recent years and the network's ratings, revenue and earnings performance has been disappointing.

Ten posted an $8 million loss in the six months to the end of February, which was better than the $243 million loss it announced a year earlier.

Speaking at the half yearly result in April, McLennan said he was confident the network could turn its fortunes around.

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Euthanasia drug raids are 'traumatising'

ELDERLY people are being traumatised by constant police raids as officers search for banned euthanasia drugs, a right-to-die advocate says.

A 64-year-old woman, from Dayboro near Brisbane, was charged earlier this month for importing a bottle of pentobarbital, also known as Nembutal, from Mexico.

Another person from Western Australia has also been charged for importing the drug.

Dr Philip Nitschke, director of euthanasia advocacy group Exit, says although only two people have been charged, up to 12 of his elderly members have been raided.

"Our elderly members are not law breakers, are often unaware of their rights, and are often traumatised by these unannounced police visits," Dr Nitschke said in a statement.

"The claim by police that they are visiting because of concern about our members' well-being is ludicrous."

Dr Nitschke says his members have been advised to say nothing if approached by police and to contact Exit so legal assistance can be arranged.

The charged woman is due to face Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on June 2.

Dr Nitschke said the other person charged will face court in WA in late May.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline's 24-hour telephone counselling service on 0800 543 354.

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Committee to probe PUP 'offer' to MP

Queensland's Speaker says a bribe allegation against the Palmer United Party will be investigated. Source: AAP

THE Palmer United Party is being investigated over an allegation it tried to bribe a Queensland government backbencher to quit the Liberal National Party.

Speaker Fiona Simpson says an alleged attempt by a Palmer party envoy to induce Burleigh MP Michael Hart to jump ship was "sufficiently serious" to warrant an ethics committee investigation.

The party's Queensland leader Alex Douglas, who headed state parliament's ethics committee in 2012, was unable to comment specifically on Mr Hart's allegation.

But the former LNP member said the Palmer party had obeyed the law.

"I can only generally comment that we refute any views that we are involved in inducements," he told AAP.

Mr Hart last month went to police saying a PUP member - later revealed to be Jim McNally - had called him about switching parties.

He said he terminated the phone call when he came to the view he was about to be offered an inappropriate inducement.

While police declined to take his complaint further, Ms Simpson said the matter was "sufficiently serious to be considered by the ethics committee".

"The offering or attempting to offer an inducement to a member, to achieve an outcome that affects the proceedings in the Legislative Assembly, can amount to contempt," she told parliament on Tuesday.

"I am satisfied there is an issue of privilege."

Mr Hart used parliamentary privilege two weeks ago to accuse the Palmer party of offering him an inducement to change parties.

Party founder Clive Palmer has previously denied any inducement was ever offered by his party.

"They were having a discussion and he (Mr McNally) said, 'What will it take to have you join the Palmer United Party?'," Mr Palmer said earlier this month.

"He was referring to, 'Would you want to be endorsed for the seat of Burleigh?' He wasn't offering anyone anything. He wasn't authorised to do that. He's not an official of our party. He's just a party member."

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Super changes 'inevitable': Treasury sec

AN increase to the age at which Australians can access their superannuation is inevitable, Treasury Secretary Martin Parkinson says.

The Abbott government on Tuesday said it would not be making any adverse changes to superannuation in its first term.

That was after Treasurer Joe Hockey sparked a debate over super by indicating that the government could change the age at which people can access their retirement savings.

The age at which people can access their super - known as the preservation age - depends on their date of birth.

For those born after June 30 1964, it's 60.

But Dr Parkinson said change was inevitable.

"I think it is inevitable that pressure will build for changes in that area," Dr Parkinson told a business lunch in Sydney on Tuesday.

"We have to get a bit more sensible about the way we talk about and think about retirement incomes."

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Tributes for father of 3 killed in Fiji

AUTHORITIES in Fiji have arrested the driver of a fishing boat which crashed into another vessel, killing a Sydney father of three on holiday with his family.

Mark Hardaker, 40, from Toongabbie in Sydney's west, was killed last Thursday when, witnesses say, he was struck in the head by the fishing boat which smashed into his vessel at high speed near Mana Island.

A Fijian West police spokesman told AAP on Monday that the 33-year-old driver of the other boat had been arrested.

He was charged with manslaughter, negligence and operating without a licence.

Witnesses, including Australian Nick McGee who was on the same boat as Mr Hardaker, said the boat which collided with their vessel appeared to be overloaded.

"They were speeding very fast and I asked the driver if he saw us and he said, 'No, there were so many people in my boat I couldn't see out the front'," Mr McGee told NewsCorp Australia.

Mr Hardaker had been in Fiji to celebrate his wife's 40th birthday, and had gone on a fishing trip with a group of other men.

The party were on their way back to the Mana Island Resort, where Mr Hardaker's wife Vanessa and three children were waiting, when the crash occurred.

They have returned to Australia.

Tributes from his family have been posted on social media, with Mr Hardaker's sister-in-law, Alana Rice, describing him as a devoted father.

"My sister was there for her 40th (birthday) celebrations ... and is now flying home alone with 3 children," she posted on Facebook (sic).

"Mark is the most amazing thoughtful selfless person I will ever know in my life."

Mr Hardaker's step-mother Gay Bookallil said the family was "absolutely devastated".

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the family of a 40-year-old NSW man had received consular assistance.

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Speed a factor in fatal Vic crash

A PASSENGER killed when a speeding car crashed into a Victorian garage was not wearing a seatbelt.

Three men were out getting food when the driver lost control and hit a pole before smashing into the garage of a Dromana home on Sunday night.

Police say the back-seat passenger who was killed, a 28-year-old Somerville man, was not wearing a seatbelt.

Detective Inspector Bernie Rankin said the car was well above the speed limit in the lead up to the accident.

"The driver for some inexplicable reason is exceeding the speed limit and the consequences have been rather dire," Det Insp Rankin said on Monday.

"It is a situation that is totally avoidable."

Drugs and alcohol are not thought to have been a factor but have not yet been ruled out.

The driver, 31 and other passenger, 27, were both airlifted to The Alfred hospital with head injuries.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman Paul Bentley said the two men were trapped in the car for about an hour.

No one was inside the house at the time of the crash.

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