Greste family weighs bid for pardon

The family of Australian journalist Peter Greste may seek a pardon from Egypt's new president. Source: AAP

THE family of Australian journalist Peter Greste may seek a pardon from Egypt's new president, fearing a legal appeal could take too long.

LOIS and Juris Greste have told of their despair after a Cairo court sentenced their son to seven years in jail for reporting on the aftermath of the 2013 coup that ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Greste and some of his Al Jazeera colleagues were jailed for reporting false news in the wake of the coup, and supporting Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, which has been declared a terrorist organisation.His Brisbane-based parents have vowed they'll never stop fighting to free their son.Mrs Greste on Tuesday said that seeking a pardon from new President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was "probably the very first thing" the family would consider."Absolutely," she told reporters in Brisbane."It's one of the options. We're not going to talk any further about it."A legal appeal is also an option, but there are fears that process could be very lengthy.Mr Greste said the conditions his son was enduring in jail weighed heavily on him."Where he is being held, certainly by Australian standards, would be considered conditions of severe punishment," he said."I'm depressed at that, the thought that he might have to stay in a place like that for the duration of the appeals processes, which can last sometimes months - many months."Mr Greste said his son had been jailed for upholding the principles of free speech, and that fight must never end."There will always be people, governments, and institutions wanting to limit the speaking of one's mind and telling the way we see," he said."To us, it is not just affecting the Greste family. It is also a slap in the face and a kick in the groin to Australia, as well as all fair-minded people around the world."Mrs Greste said Peter's two brothers, who are in Cairo, had not been able to see him since the verdict and sentence.She became emotional when asked about her son's mental state."This will be a hard time for him, but I know he'll get through it. He'll be okay."Mr Greste said the Egyptian government had given them hope, but that was ripped away with Monday's court result."The message we got from Egyptian authorities did give us great confidence for everything other than this outcome," he said.The couple said Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had assured them the Australian government would continue lobbying Egypt to free their son.Ms Bishop earlier said she'd been advised that no appeal for clemency or a presidential pardon could occur until all legal proceedings had concluded, including any appeal.

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Alleged gang rape disgusting: NSW police

Police are hunting six men involved in the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl in Sydney's west. Source: AAP

THE gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in a Western Sydney car park stairwell has disgusted police.

THE girl was in the Liverpool library forecourt on Saturday night after using the council's free wi-fi internet when six men approached her and invited her to meet a mutual friend.

She was then allegedly sexually assaulted by two of the men in the stairwell of a nearby car park while the other men failed to stop the attack, police say.The teenage girl is traumatised says Superintendent Peter Gillam, but she is helping police with their inquires."(I'm) obviously very disgusted," he told reporters in Liverpool on Tuesday."It's something that shouldn't happen in Liverpool or anywhere."After the assault, the girl returned to the library forecourt and told a bystander, who called the police.The men, described as African in appearance and aged in their 20s, were last seen walking toward a Macquarie Street shopping centre.Supt Gillam stressed that the attack appeared to be a one-off, random incident and had nothing to do with any race-related issue.Detectives are calling for anyone with information to come forward.The attack follows two similar assaults in Sydney's west this year.In February, a girl was allegedly the victim of a pack rape in a Doonside park.Four teenagers were charged over the alleged attack.Two months later, two teenage girls were coaxed off a Sydney train and raped in a Fairfield park.

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Jobs could go, Qld health minister says

Queensland's health minister concedes jobs could be lost as local health boards take over staffing. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND'S health minister has conceded jobs could be lost as local health boards gain control of staffing from a centralised bureaucracy.

FROM July 1, eight of the state's 16 regional Hospital and Health Services (HHS) boards will take control of staffing from Queensland Health.

The other eight HHS boards will gain staffing control in July 2015.Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said the transfer of staffing power from Queensland Health to local health and hospital boards could lead to job losses in the department."That's the simple reality. I think everyone understands those sorts of things," he told ABC Radio on Monday."As you put more of the focus into efficient management at a local level, there's ultimately going to be transfer of some of those resources as well, and positions may not ultimately be needed."The government established the HHS boards in July 2012 in a bid to decentralise the health bureaucracy.From July, three HHS boards take ownership of land and buildings.Another six boards will own these assets in December, with the remaining seven HHS boards taking control of infrastructure from July 2015.Opposition health spokeswoman Jo-Ann Miller said Mr Springborg was shirking his portfolio responsibilities by offloading them to health boards."Make no mistake, the Newman government is trying to dodge responsibility for cuts to the health service, responsibility for its management and the possible future sale of assets," she said."We see a health minister who is running scared from the health portfolio and becoming the minister for buck passing."The state's public sector union estimates thousands more jobs could go in health."All that will change is how the government defines the jobs it cuts - not that jobs will be cut," Together Union secretary Alex Scott said."They cut jobs in health and then redefine them to say they weren't frontline services."

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Jodhi Meares charged with DUI

Jodhi Meares is heading to court after allegedly being caught drink driving in Sydney's east. Source: AAP

JAMES Packer's ex-wife Jodhi Meares will face court in August on drink driving charges after crashing into three parked cars in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

THE 43-year-old had to be rescued from her Range Rover, which rolled after the smash in upmarket Bellevue Hill on Saturday night.

The fashion designer, who is engaged to rocker Jon Stevens, was given a roadside breath test before being taken to the local police station.Police say she recorded a 0.181 blood alcohol reading, almost four times the legal limit.She was charged with drink driving and driving while suspended and is due to appear at Waverley Local Court on August 5.It's reported Meares could face the possibility of 18 months in jail and a fine of $3300.After a long engagement, Meares and Stevens were reportedly planning to tie the knot in September.

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NSW teenager survives 80m cliff fall

A TEENAGER'S survival from an 80-metre cliff plunge in NSW's Hunter Valley is "mind-boggling".

THE 17-year-old and a group of friends were trying to get into a dance party in Watagan State Forest, 20 kilometres west of Lake Macquarie, on Saturday night when he fell down the sheer rock face about 10.30pm on Saturday.

Emergency services and local volunteers abseiled down the cliff about 4am and spent the rest of the night with the injured teenager.He was winched to safety about 10.30am and flown to Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital with broken bones and suspected internal injuries and is in a serious but stable condition."I don't know how he has survived, and the doctors and the paramedics are saying the same thing," said a spokesman for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.Acting Superintendent Murray Lundberg said the teenager's survival was "mind boggling"."I haven't got words to describe his fortunate luck," he said.He said the teenager and his mates were camping in the forest when they came across the dance party and were denied entry.The youth apparently thought he could get into the function from around the back, through the bush, with no lights and no knowledge of the terrain, "and he's just fallen off the side of a cliff".A number of trees had to be chopped down before the teen could be winched aboard the helicopter.It's understood the boy was trying to get into Solstium Shadows - A Winter Solstice Bush Gathering.The two-day rave was being held at a site off Rope Road, in the heart of the forest.

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Qld ministers meeting in Palmer's seat

QUEENSLAND cabinet ministers are meeting in Clive Palmer's Sunshine Coast electorate only days after the mining magnate confirmed he would be suing the deputy premier.

MINISTERS and department heads are holding a community forum, with approved participants, at Maroochydore on Sunday afternoon followed by a cabinet meeting in the same beachside suburb on Monday, at the Mike Ahern Centre.

Maroochydore is within Mr Palmer's federal electorate of Fairfax.The cabinet meeting would also be held just three days after Mr Palmer lodged a defamation writ against Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney in the Supreme Court.Mr Palmer is suing Mr Seeney for defamation over an ABC television interview where he alleged the mining tycoon sought special favours for his Waratah Coal interests in the Galilee Basin in 2012.The federal MP is also suing Premier Campbell Newman for defamation after the premier claimed that he tried to "buy" the Queensland government.A spokesman for Mr Newman denied there was any symbolism with a community cabinet being held in Mr Palmer's seat."No symbolism there," he told AAP, adding community cabinets had been held across regional Queensland in Bowen, Cooktown and Townsville."Don't read too much into it."Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said the premier had not held a media conference during the past week, which included the governor's approval of controversial chief justice pick Tim Carmody."The premier has been in hiding now for over a week, afraid to front the music, afraid to talk to people in this state," she told reporters in Brisbane on Sunday.

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US and NZ unite in climate change fight

Barack Obama has praised NZ PM John Key as a key ally in his efforts to tackle climate change. Source: AAP

US President Barack Obama has praised New Zealand Prime Minister John Key as a key ally in his crusade to tackle climate change.

WHILE Australia may have dropped off as a partner with the election of Tony Abbott as prime minister, Obama says the US and New Zealand will work closely together ahead of next year's climate change conference in Paris where the world's first global agreement could be hammered out.

The Kiwi prime minister visited the White House on Friday, a little over a week after Abbott met the president in the Oval Office.Obama and Key were so cosy the president announced he'd visit New Zealand, possibly later this year."I would love to come to New Zealand because I hear it is really nice," Obama said."I know the people are nice because I've had a chance to meet them."We are going to be working with my schedule to see what I can come up with if not this year but certainly before the end of my presidency."Obama and Key discussed a range of issues, including the ongoing negotiations for the 12-nation trade Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), North Korea, China and the world economy.On the environment, Obama said the two nations would robustly work together ahead of Paris."We had a good conversation about climate change where New Zealand has been an excellent partner with us and other economies recognising that this is a threat that none of us can solve individually and we are going to have to work on together," Obama said."So we discussed our plans for putting forward robust action in 2015 with the upcoming Paris conference."Key made headlines at a US Chamber of Commerce event in Washington DC on Thursday when he said Japan should be cut out of the TPP trade talks if it doesn't open up its markets to more farm imports.Other potential TPP members are Australia, Canada, Peru, Malaysia, Singapore, Chile, Brunei, Vietnam and Mexico.Obama had made a deadline for the TPP to be negotiated by the end of 2013, but now he hopes to have a deal close to being signed in November."We discussed a timeline where by before the end of the year we are able to get a document that can create jobs both in New Zealand and the United States and the other countries that are participating and expand wealth for all parties concerned," Obama said."Our hope is by the time we see each other again in November, when I travel to Asia, we should have something that we have consulted with Congress about, that the public can take a look at and we can make a forceable argument to go ahead and close the deal."But, we have a lot of work to do between now and then."Key was also upbeat."New Zealand and the United States have been the two partners, I think, in the Trans Pacific Partnership who have always believed in a high-quality, comprehensive deal," Key said."I think that can be achieved."There's more work to be done, but the prize at the end of those negotiations is well worth it for both of our economies and the other 10 partners that will join us."

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Great white shark numbers are surging

Great white shark numbers are surging in the western North Atlantic, a study shows. Source: AAP

GREAT white shark numbers are surging in the western North Atlantic after decades of decline.

A NEW study by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists says great white abundance in the area has climbed since about 2000.

The scientists report the shark's growing numbers are due to conservation efforts and greater availability of prey.The Journal PLOS ONE published the study on Friday.It adds recent unpublished data to previously published records to create a dataset of 649 confirmed white shark sightings from 1800 to 2010.Study author Cami McCandless says the data reveal "the species appears to be recovering".The reports says white shark abundance in the western North Atlantic collapsed in the 1970s and '80s and is now down more than 30 per cent from its historical high estimate in 1961.

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Aussie food growers hurt by poor labelling

Misleading labels on supermarket shelves are hurting Australian food manufacturers, inquiry told. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIAN food growers and producers are being hurt by confusing food labelling crowding supermarket shelves, an inquiry has heard.

REPRESENTATIVES from SPC Ardmona, which sources 97 per cent of its produce from Australian growers, say consumers want to buy locally grown and processed foods but unclear or misleading labelling is making it difficult.

SPC's sales jumped after reports that the company's future was under threat put its Victorian cannery workers on the front page of newspapers, an inquiry into food labelling heard on Friday.But the company says increasingly complicated chains of production were difficult to represent simply on food packaging, to the detriment of genuine local producers."'Australian Made', it just doesn't mean anything to people any more," SPC strategy manager Shalini Valecha told the hearing in Melbourne.SPC sales manager Steve Mickan said those who wanted to make choices based on their food's country of origin faced a sea of labels, including "Product of Australia", "Proudly Australian" and "Manufactured in Australia"."Most people and consumers want to know where their food is manufactured," Mr Mickan said."Consumers are being misled by the use of iconic Australian symbols and images that give consumers a false impression a product is Australian when in fact it's not."Australian Manufacturing Workers Union division secretary Tom Hale said the value of locally made and produced food was so potent, the publicity surrounding SPC prompted major supermarkets to emphasise their local credentials in their advertising."Woolworths and Coles, particularly since SPC, have been making a big deal about the fact 'we sell Australian products'," Mr Hale said."The labelling gives these manufacturers who are genuinely producing in Australia an advantage in the marketplace."He said those that weren't using Australian labour and produce shouldn't be given that advantage.The House of Representatives standing committee on agriculture and industry is investigating country-of-origin food labelling.Mr Hale said SPC sales had jumped by as much as 50 per cent after the publicity surrounding the threat to local jobs.The company confirmed sales growth."We've seen categories that were either in decline or static go into growth and in some retailers significant growth," Mr Mickan said.

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Mantra shares hit the ASX

SHARES in Australia's second largest hotel and resort operator have fallen since it listed on the Australian Securities Exchange on Friday.

MANTRA Group shares began trading on the Australian share market at $1.80 each at 1200 AEST, valuing the company at $449 million.

By 1400 AEST, its share price was down by seven cents, or 3.9 per cent, to $1.73.Lonsec senior client adviser Michael Heffernan says he's not expecting a rush of buyers for Mantra in light of a dip in consumer confidence linked to the May federal budget which signalled spending cuts and new taxes."Hotels are still in the consumer spending area and are susceptible to falls in consumer confidence," he said.Mantra chief executive Bob East said the reception from investors was positive."Our new shareholders include a strong representation of blue-chip Australian investment institutions and we are looking forward to welcoming many retail investors into ownership of the company," he said.The company operates 113 hotels, resorts and serviced apartments across Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia, catering for about two million guests a year.Its network includes the Peppers and BreakFree chain of hotels and resorts.Mantra has sold slightly more than half of its shares to the public in a bid to reduce its debt.It made a profit of $24.6 million in 2012/13, and expects that to grow to $27.4 million in the current financial year.Mantra says it has a good quality portfolio of properties in a strong sector of the Australian economy, although it does acknowledge it is exposed to downturns in economic conditions, such as weak consumer confidence and fluctuating exchange rates.Confidence has been hampered by spending cuts announced in May's federal budget, with travel group Flight Centre recently warning its profit could be hit by a fall in holiday bookings since mid-April.Mr East has 20 years experience in tourism, and has led the company since 2007, while chairman Peter Bush is a former chairman of McDonald's Australia and Nine Entertainment.

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Vic Libs deny pre-poll talks with Rise Up

THE Liberals have not held preference discussions with the hard-right Rise Up Australia Party ahead of Victoria's election, a government minister says.

PASTOR Danny Nalliah, who leads the Christian Rise Up party, says he spoke to a Liberal candidate representing the party executive about preferences in the lead up to the November 29 poll.

His party plans to run lower house candidates in all marginal seats and two candidates for each upper house district."We had a discussion on the 6th June, we spoke on a few things," Mr Nalliah told Fairfax Radio on Thursday."(Preferences) will go to the person who will ideally stand with the values we stand for as Rise Up Australia Party ... to keep Australia Australian."We as a party very much oppose the concept of multiculturalism and we want to see an Australia which is multi-ethnic."Mr Nalliah, whose party wants to ban the Islamic face veil and has been critical of former prime minister Julia Gillard for living in sin, has also suggested the Black Saturday fires were caused by weakened abortion laws.Minister for Planning and Multicultural Affairs Matthew Guy says the only people authorised to determine preferences are the Liberal Party state president and director."I'm advised they haven't had any discussions coming into this election," he told reporters on Thursday."Obviously there are elements in their platform that certainly concern me as multicultural affairs minister."

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Sunken Malaysia boat was overloaded: govt

THE boat that sank off Malaysia with 97 Indonesian illegal migrants was likely carrying three times more passengers than it could safely transport, authorities say as they expand a search for 26 still missing.

NINE bodies have been found after the vessel, overloaded with people heading home to Indonesia for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, sank early on Wednesday not far from shore off western Malaysia.

Sixty-two people have been rescued and officials believe some of the 26 still missing made it to land and fled the area to avoid being apprehended by police.Authorities said the boat was believed to measure no more than nine metres long and two metres wide."The boat is too small to ferry 97 people. The boat must have been very cramped," said Mohamad Zuhri, spokesman for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).Mohamad said the capacity of a boat of such dimensions was about 30 passengers.On Thursday, divers were deployed, more vessels brought in and the search zone expanded along the coast in hope of finding more survivors, said Mohamad Hambali Yaakup, coordinator of the response for the MMEA."We have deployed divers and a total of 25 marine craft and a helicopter to sweep the coastal area for possible survivors," he said.The incident occurred at night near Port Klang, the country's main seaport.Hambali said the divers would try to determine what caused the boat to sink and to view any markings that would help identify the boat's owner and operator.The survivors include 49 men, 12 women and one child, he said.They have been detained by police and were not available to speak with the media.Large numbers of Indonesians return home annually from Malaysia for Ramadan, which this year begins around the end of June and will culminate in late July with Eid al-Fitr, Islam's biggest festival.Both Malaysia and Indonesia are Muslim-majority.Relatively affluent Malaysia is a magnet for migrant workers from poorer neighbours such as Indonesia, Bangladesh and Myanmar seeking low-paying plantation, construction, and factory work that is typically shunned by Malaysians.Around two million illegal immigrants - the vast majority of them Indonesian - are estimated to be working in the country.Accidents, however, are frequent as thousands risk the sea journey to and from Malaysia in rickety boats, often adding to the danger by travelling at night to avoid detection.

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Vic mine owners 'obliged to manage risk'

A perfect storm of unforeseeable events led to a fire in a Victorian coalmine that lasted 45 days. Source: AAP

THE owners of a Victorian coalmine that caught fire cannot hide behind regulations to avoid their responsibilities, an inquiry has heard.

THE state government told an inquiry into the blaze that owner GDF Suez was obliged to manage risk at the Hazelwood coalmine.

The mine caught fire on February 9 and burned for 45 days, shrouding the town of Morwell in toxic smoke and ash.Dr Josh Wilson QC, representing the Victorian government solicitors office, said GDF Suez had the same risk obligations as any other business."Suez does not operate in a regulatory environment where it is only obliged to do - and only does - what others ask or tell it to do," Dr Wilson said in his closing submission to the inquiry on Wednesday."Duty holders cannot avoid their responsibilities by saying it is someone else's responsibility to tell them when they are doing things wrong."The company has rejected claims a report into a 2008 fire at the mine might have produced recommendations that would have stopped or reduced the impact of the latest fire.Rachel Doyle SC, representing GDF Suez, said there were no legal obligations to implement the recommendations of consultants' reports, and the 2008 fire was completely different to the 2014 fire."There is no requirement to implement every recommendation by an external consultant," Ms Doyle told the inquiry.She also said the fire was the result of unforeseeable events, as two bushfires threatening the mine at the same time as the power and backup power went out was unexpected."It is this perfect storm of events which we submit was not readily foreseeable," Ms Doyle said.The government did not submit its response to the evidence presented about the fire at the three-week inquiry before Wednesday's deadline, with a written submission to come on Monday.Ms Doyle and counsel assisting the inquiry Melinda Richards SC said the deadline was well known and all other parties worked towards it.Instead, Dr Wilson presented a list of changes to Victoria's emergency management responses that were already in place or were bring considered.He said the government planned to introduce a joint assessment of sites across Victoria with "low likelihood, high consequence" disaster potential.Dr Wilson also said the Department of Health and the Environment Protection Authority were working on a statewide smoke exposure protocol.The inquiry's report is due to be handed to the government by August 31.

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Pay rises in the growing US economy

As the US economy continues to grow, workers in some industries are benefiting from higher wages. Source: AAP

IF you hope to get a raise that finally feels like one, it helps to work in the right industry.

HISTORICALLY, at this stage in the US economy's recovery, pay would be rising in most sectors. But five years after the Great Recession officially ended, raises remain sharply uneven across industries and, as a whole, have barely kept up with prices.

Overall pay has been rising about two per cent a year, roughly equal to inflation.The best raises have gone to workers with specialised skills in a few booming industries - energy, transportation, health care, technology.Those in retail or government have been less fortunate."If you're in an in-demand field, with the right skill set, the chance of getting a raise is much higher," says Katie Bardaro, an economist at PayScale, a pay-tracking firm.Typically in a recovery, raises in a few industries lead to raises in others as workers become confident enough to quit one job for another for more pay.This time, the subpar recovery has slowed pay gains. Technology has played a role, too.It's lifted pay for people who work, for example, with programs that sift data from your mobile devices so companies can pitch products matched to your interests.Yet workers in industries upended by the internet, such as retailers left behind by e-commerce, have been hurt.Here are industry standouts - and laggards - on pay:OIL AND GASFracking - the pumping of liquid and sand into the ground to squeeze oil from rocks - is opposed by environmentalists worried about pollution. But it's driven a boom in jobs and wages. Oil and gas workers earned an average 11 per cent more an hour in April than they did a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's more than five times the average gain across all industries.TEMP SURGEThough many temp workers would like full-time jobs with benefits, at least their pay is climbing. Robert Half International, a staffing firm, says higher pay for its temps forced it to raise the rates it charges employers by 2.6 per cent in the first quarter, a point higher than its increase late last year.HIGH-TECHNon-managers at computer-system design companies earned an average 4.1 per cent more in April than a year ago, the latest in a string of increases beginning in 2012.Their pay hadn't risen in the three prior years. Pay is strong for specialists in "Big Data" - digital information that includes data culled from mobile devices to spot trends or build digital dossiers on people.Also hot are people who use technology to help health care providers digitise medical records. Nearly three-quarters of health care providers are having trouble attracting workers with expertise in e- records, according to a survey last year by Towers Watson, a consultant.BLUE COLLAR BOUNCEAs manufacturing picks up, trucking companies are desperate for drivers. And not surprisingly, truckers are earning more.Hourly pay for transportation and warehouse workers was 4.4 per cent higher than a year earlier in each of the past three months - a streak unmatched in over three decades.Ryder Systems, which rents trucks, said in a call with financial analysts that it's facing upward pressure on drivers' wages. Many drivers retired or left the industry during the financial crisis when demand plunged."I definitely am making more money," said Darrell Beyer, 56, a driver from Kingman, Arizona.So are workers at companies that make construction equipment. They earned an average 11 per cent more an hour in the past year, according to the BLS.Pay for non-managerial and production workers - who fill 80 per cent of private non-farm jobs - is rising 2.3 per cent annually. In previous recoveries, raises for these workers peaked at about 4 per cent three or four years after they'd begun climbing. That raises at least the possibility that their pay will keep rising.HOUSINGMany of the skilled workers who are needed to build homes fled to other careers after the housing bust. Now, there aren't enough of them. Home construction workers have received an average 3.3 per cent raise a year, according to the BLS, since their wages starting rising in 2012. They'd fallen 4 per cent over the previous two years.Buck Consultants, a pay adviser, foresees raises for all construction workers, including those involved in commercial and industrial buildings, averaging more than 3 per cent for a second straight year.Among the industry laggards on pay:RETAILERSConsumers are spending more, but that's not helping workers at some stores who earn the minimum wage or little more. Though some cities and states have enacted higher minimums, the minimum in 28 states is no more than the federal mandate of $US7.25 an hour.Wages for liquor-store staff rose less than 1 per cent in April from a year earlier, according to the BLS. At electronics stores, pay actually fell 4 per cent. Perhaps some of their money was going to workers at Internet retailers: Their pay jumped 3 per cent.Fast food workers aren't seeing much relief, either."I've been earning $7.25 for six or seven years now," said Mary Coleman, a food preparer at Popeyes in Milwaukee. "It's hard to make ends meet."GOVERNMENTGovernment budget cuts mean meager wage gains for local, state and federal workers. Wages rose less than 1 per cent in 2013, according to Haver Analytics, a data provider. "The unions aren't pushing for more," said David Van De Voort, a principal at Buck Consultants. "They're focused on job security and retaining benefits."ARTSStruggling with a fall in donations, theatres, orchestras and other arts groups appear to be retrenching. Workers in the broad category of art, entertainment and recreation, including actors, writers and musicians, earned 1.1 per cent less in the first quarter than a year ago, according to a PayScale survey.Overall, most US workers have fared much better than that. But inflation has eroded their gains. From the start of the recovery in June 2009 through April, pay for non-managerial and production workers has dropped 0.2 per cent after accounting for inflation. By this point in the previous three recoveries, wages had risen an average 2.3 per cent after inflation.Still some economists think the outlook for broader pay gains has brightened. More people are quitting jobs than at any time in six years, a sign of confidence. A third of small businesses say they plan to raise pay within six months, double the proportion a year ago.And the unemployment rate among workers who lost jobs less than six months ago is 4.1 per cent, below its three-decade average. These short-term unemployed are the ones employers tend to draw upon to fill jobs. Fewer of them suggest pressure to keep present employees content by raising pay.Still, many economists, including Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, disagree.She says the still-high 6.3 per cent unemployment rate for all workers, which includes 3.4 million people out of work for more than six months, gives employers reason to restrict raises.The gloomy camp includes workers themselves. Nearly half of all households expect their inflation-adjusted income to decline over the next 12 months, a University of Michigan survey found last month.That in itself could limit raises: If you don't think conditions are ripe for a raise, you're not likely to ask for one.

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Local vaccination objection rate doubles

THE number of Australian children formally registered each year as a vaccination objector has doubled in the past decade.

THERE were just over 2000 children whose parents registered them as vaccination objectors during 2002, ensuring they go without childhood immunisations, and in 2013 the figure was almost 4000.

There are "pockets" - such as coastal and hinterland NSW and Queensland - where around one in 10 children born in 2013 were registered as vaccine objectors.Nationally, the official vaccination objection rate increased from 1.1 per cent of all children to 2.0 per cent over the period."I wouldn't be alarmed by the increase overall for Australia," epidemiologist Brynley Hull, from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, told AAP on Tuesday."But I would be alarmed by the high rates in particular regions of Australia, where we have high objection rates and consequently you get low coverage and susceptible children."If someone comes into these areas with a disease then it can spread a lot easier - that would be my take home message, these hotbeds of objection."These areas include the Richmond Valley in NSW, where the official vaccination objection rate in 2013 was 10.8 per cent. Noosa (7.2), Nambour (8.4) and NSW's Sunshine Coast hinterland (8.5) also figure highly.The study also found suburbs in the top 10 per cent of affluent post codes had higher rates of vaccination objection compared to poorer suburbs.Most families who lodge an objection notice do so when their child is less than two years old.The study took in Medicare-compiled data from the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register, to assess the number of families who lodge a vaccination objection notice each year.Mr Hull presented the data at a national immunisation conference in Melbourne.

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Filipino militant nabbed for Aussie kidnap

PHILIPPINE security forces have captured two Abu Sayyaf militants in a southern city, including one allegedly involved in the kidnappings of Australian man Warren Rodwell and an American teenage boy.

POLICE and army troops captured Jimmy Nurilla and Bakrin Haris on Monday in a raid on their hideout in Sangali village in the port city of Zamboanga.

The city is in a volatile region where the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group has carried out kidnappings for ransom, bombings, extortion and other acts of banditry.One other militant escaped during the raid, police said.The Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission said without elaborating that the militants were in possession of explosives and rebel documents when arrested.Nurilla was believed to be involved in a number of kidnappings, including of American Kevin Lunsmann, who was 14 when he escaped from his Abu Sayyaf captors in 2011 after five months in captivity on Basilan island, near Zamboanga.He also has been suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of Rodwell, a former Australian soldier who was freed near southern Pagadian city in March last year after 15 months of jungle captivity.Ransom kidnappings have long been a problem in the southern Philippines and have been blamed mostly on the Abu Sayyaf, an al-Qaeda-linked group on a list of US terrorist organisations, and its allied armed groups.The Abu Sayyaf, which has about 300 armed fighters, was organised in the early 1990s in Basilan, about 880 kilometres south of Manila.With an unwieldy collective of preachers and outlaws, it vowed to wage jihad, or holy war, but lost its key leaders early in combat, sending it on a violent path of extremism and criminality.

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Hong Kong tourist injured in Perth mugging

A 31-YEAR-OLD tourist is nursing a fractured eye socket after being mugged in the Perth CBD.

THE woman, who had just arrived from Hong Kong, was walking across from the Esplanade Bus Port on Sunday evening when she was approached by a man who engaged her in conversation.

He walked with her along Mounts Bay Road before seriously assaulting her and stealing her shopping bag.He ran off, leaving his victim with severe bruising and swelling to her eye, and fractures to her eye socket.The man is described as about 30 years old, 165cm to 170cm tall, with short blond hair, dark streaks and a rats tail at the back.He was wearing a t-shirt and a denim style jacket with no sleeves.Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or knows the identity of the man is asked to contact police.

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PNG top cop jailed, bailed and knighted

PAPUA New Guinea's police commissioner has been jailed, bailed and knighted in the space of a weekend.

AND in what could make for one of the most awkward knighting ceremonies in history, the judge who sentenced commissioner Tom Kulunga on Friday, Gibbs Salika, has also been knighted as part of the Queen's 2014 birthday honours list.

Mr Kulunga was sentenced on Friday to seven months hard labour after the national court found him guilty on three contempt charges for failing to follow through on an earlier court order to reinstate a sacked policeman.Port Moresby-based The Post Courier reports Mr Kulunga was released late on Friday night on $A4128 bail.On Saturday it was announced Mr Kulunga would become a Knight Bachelor for services to policing, while Justice Salika would become a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the judiciary.Despite his legal problems, Mr Kulunga's knighthood will stand until after his case reaches appeal, said Tipo Vuatha, official secretary to PNG governor-general Sir Michael Ogio."According to the chairman [of the honours committee], we cannot do much," Mr Vuatha told AAP."His case is still pending because of the appeal, so therefore what has been given will stand until the case is heard again."A knighthood ceremony is expected in Port Moresby in October, Mr Vuatha said.A spokesman for Mr Kulunga has not responded to questions from AAP.In making his judgement on Friday, Justice Salika noted Mr Kulunga's 40 years of service to PNG policing, but said he had no choice but to reinstate the sacked officer pursuant to the original 2012 court order.

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Qld chief justice critics told to shut up

Queensland science minister has lashed out at critics of Tim Carmody's appointment to chief justice. Source: AAP

A QUEENSLAND government minister has lashed out at critics of Chief Magistrate Tim Carmody's appointment to chief justice, saying they should "shut up".

SCIENCE Minister Ian Walker, a former lawyer, says the "war of words" over Mr Carmody's promotion to chief justice of Queensland has got to stop.

"People have got to put a sock in it, they've got to shut up, and they've got to let Justice Carmody get on with the job," he told reporters in Brisbane on Sunday."He deserves a fair go at the job, the debate should stop and Justice Carmody should be allowed to get on with the job that he's been appointed to do."Mr Walker's comments follow calls for Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie to step down over the appointment, which has caused great unrest in legal circles.Bar Association of Queensland president Peter Davis quit on Friday saying private discussions with Mr Bleijie in which he didn't recommend Mr Carmody for the job were leaked to others, including Mr Carmody.Australian Bar Association president Mark Livesey said it was accepted practice that consultation before any appointment is kept confidential."The Attorney-General of Queensland must consider whether the breakdown in trust can be repaired," Mr Livesey told The Sunday Mail."If confidentiality in the judicial appointment process cannot be assured he must reconsider whether he can continue in his position."State Opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said Mr Bleijie couldn't be trusted and wasn't fit to hold office.Mr Carmody's appointment has been criticised by senior Queensland legal figures who question his experience and say he's too close to the government.It's been revealed that days after Mr Carmody was appointed chief magistrate in September 2013, he and Mr Bleijie had a private dinner at an upmarket Brisbane restaurant.The attorney-general has described the meeting as a social catch-up.

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Firies cancer law not ruled out: Vic govt

Volunteer firefighters rally in Melbourne for access to compensation for cancer contracted at work. Source: AAP

THE Victorian government says it hasn't ruled out changing the way firefighters access cancer compensation as hundreds rallied in Melbourne to try to break down barriers to claims.

THE government says it simplified cancer claims for firefighters and encouraged both career and volunteer firefighters to lodge a claim if they believe they had contracted cancer as a result of their duties.

"The Victorian government is not ruling out presumptive legislation and will continue to consider new medical and scientific evidence as it becomes available," a government spokesperson said.Volunteer Fire Brigades president Bill Watson said firefighters wanted a law that lists the 12 typical "firefighter" cancers and presumes them to be work-related, providing the firefighter has enough years of service behind him or her and relevant risk exposure.Mr Watson said there is plenty of evidence firefighters are more likely to suffer certain cancers, but it can be difficult to prove which fire or chemical incident caused their illness."It's not like a broken bone where you know exactly when and where it happened," Mr Watson said."The burning car or house fire you attended today may cause a cancer that doesn't show up for decades, which makes it nearly impossible to prove it was work related."The federal government introduced presumptive legislation in 2011.Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia also have laws that recognise the link between firefighting and cancer.Mr Watson said any legislation would have to include eligibility guidelines."We're not after a free ride," he said."We just want to make sure they're looked after if they get sick."The Victorian government has been under pressure to make changes to the way compensation is accessed after a 2012 report found firefighters who trained at the CFA Fiskville site had been exposed to dangerous chemicals going as far back as the 1970s.Last year they introduced a review panel to assist both volunteer and career firefighters seeking compensation for cancer caused by their work.Opposition leader Daniel Andrews said Labor would introduce the legislation if elected in November."I have committed to the introduction of presumptive rights," Mr Andrews said.

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