Gold Coast Hospital passes safety probe

A HOSPITAL accused of having a culture of bullying and intimidation and a serious shortage of beds has been cleared by a Government investigation.

The Palmer United Party MP for Gaven, Dr Alex Douglas, raised concerns about Gold Coast Hospital in parliament in August.

He claimed the director of surgery, Dr Teresa Withers, and many others, had raised serious safety concerns, but they'd been swept aside.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said on Friday that a probe into the hospital had found no evidence of "unreasonable practice".

It also backed measures taken by the hospital management to tackle overcrowding, including the creation of a Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) to help admissions to the emergency department.

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Lawyers stop baby going to Nauru

THE federal government won't send a two-week-old baby and his asylum-seeker family to Nauru before next week after lawyers sought a court order to stop their removal.

A spokeswoman at Maurice Blackburn says the government has given an undertaking not to remove the family until further order of the court.

"We expect this matter will be back in court on Tuesday morning," she said in a statement on Friday.

Associate Murray Watt earlier said the family from Myanmar (Burma) had already been "mistreated", with restrictions placed on the family's ability to visit the baby boy in hospital following his birth in Brisbane two weeks ago.

Mr Watt said they were terrified they could be taken to Nauru at any time even though the baby remains weak, has trouble breastfeeding and his mother is recovering from a caesarean birth and suffers from diabetes.

A senate committee was told in Canberra this week an immigration health advisory group would report in December after reviewing the case where the mother was separated from her sick baby at nights following the birth.

Mr Watt said the law firm sought the court order because the immigration department would not commit to giving the family a chance to present medical reports outlining the likely impact removal to Nauru would have on their health.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison reiterated on Friday there were no exceptions to the rule of offshore processing for any individuals who arrive illegally by boat after 19 July.

"That is the government's policy. And when there are medical clearances that are in place for people to return to Nauru, in the case of families, then that is what would occur," he said in a statement.

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Murphy's mum-in-law calls for death probe

s mother-in-law has called for a new investigation into her death. Source: AAP

LATE actress Brittany Murphy's mother-in-law Linda Monjack has joined forces with the tragic star's father in calling for a new investigation into her death.

A Los Angeles coroner ruled that Murphy's December 2009 death was the result of pneumonia, anaemia and excessive use of prescription medications.

But her father, Angelo Bertolotti, was far from satisfied with the results, and in 2012 he filed suit against the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Coroner's Office, asking officials to re-open the investigation.

And now Brittany Murphy's former colleague has admitted he "always suspected" her death was strange.

Mike Heller of Talent Management, who worked on endorsement deals with Murphy, believes there might be merit in recent allegations of foul play.

"I always suspected something was up with Brittany's death," Heller told Us Weekly magazine.

"Something was always very fishy about it."

Bertolotti has conducted his own private tests on the Clueless star's hair and tissue samples, and recently revealed her body contained abnormally high levels of several metals, insisting that his findings suggested his daughter had been poisoned by "a third party perpetrator with likely criminal intent".

Monjack also believes there could have been foul play involved in the death of her daughter-in-law and son, Simon, who passed away from pneumonia just five months after Murphy's death.

"They had everything to live for and it was snatched away from them. I do think something is extremely wrong, it doesn't feel right, it doesn't sit right," she told US breakfast show Good Morning America.

Monjack feels the similar circumstances surrounding the deaths of her son and his wife should have raised a red flag.

"That to me would have been alarm bells, but nobody seemed to take that up," she said.

Investigators at the Los Angeles District Attorney's office are not willing to reopen an investigation, but officials at the Los Angeles Coroner's office have agreed to take a look at the results from the independent inquiry after they receive them.

"I just hope that it comes to something in the end and justice is served," Monjack added.

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Protesters clash with police in Jakarta

Images of Tony Abbott have been burned by protesters outside Australia's embassy in Jakarta. Source: AAP

POLICE have used tear gas as hundreds of members from various hardline Islamic groups moved towards the Australian embassy compound in Jakarta.

Some called for Australian blood to be spilt, amid ongoing fallout from revelations Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's phone was tapped.

Police armed with riot shields and tear gas formed a defensive line in front of the embassy to stop members of the Islamic Defenders Front moving forward.

The embassy was pelted with eggs earlier on Friday, while a photo of Prime Minister Tony Abbott and an Australian flag were set alight by protesters demonstrating in front of the compound.

A senior member from Hizbut Tahrir, speaking through a PA system erected on a truck in front of the embassy, called for Australian ambassador Greg Moriarty to be expelled.

He told supporters it was regrettable that the bombing of the building in 2004 was not more successful.

"When a bomb exploded here, in front of the embassy, it was only a problem because it didn't get inside," he said.

Members of the Islamic Defenders Front also shouted: "Burn, burn, Australia, burn Australia from now on."

There were also calls for Australians to be swept out of Indonesia, with one of the group telling supporters Australians were "just trash" and the "accomplice of Christians and Jews".

"Hopefully after we leave from here this place will be on fire," he said.

Punches were thrown by the mob as they surged forward with police retaliating by beating the crowd back with canes and using tear gas.

A fake coffin bearing a photo of Mr Abbott was laid on the street outside the embassy.

The protesters dispersed about 3.30pm (1930 AEDT).

More than 1600 police had been deployed near the Australian and US embassies and several other potential targets in the capital after violent demonstrations on Thursday.

Indonesians are angry over claims Australia tapped President Yudhoyono's phone in 2009 and have demanded Mr Abbott apologise for it.

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Uni cuts undermine responsibility: union

THE tertiary education union has accused Education Minister Christopher Pyne of undermining ministerial responsibility by introducing laws he knows will hurt students and universities.

The government moved on Thursday to legislate $1.1 billion worth of cuts to universities that Labor announced in April.

The bill imposes a two-year efficiency dividend on universities, saving the government $900 million, and gets rid of discounts for upfront and early repayments of HECS-HELP debts, garnering another $237 million.

Mr Pyne said the government also intended to legislate the $1.2 billion measure to convert student start-up scholarships to loans.

"These are Labor's cuts," he told parliament, painting the coalition as "the true friend" of universities and students.

The coalition has dumped only one of Labor's planned cutting measures: a cap on the amount of tax deductions people could claim for work-related education expenses.

National Tertiary Education Union president Jeannie Rea said it wasn't good enough to blame the previous government for the cuts.

"I find it extraordinary that the minister would introduce legislation into parliament which he openly acknowledges ... will be damaging to our universities and their students," she said.

"This undermines my understanding of ministerial responsibility, if ministers blithely get away with policies which they know will damage institutions for which they have responsibility."

The higher-education sector campaigned strongly against the cuts when they were announced in April and again in the May budget.

The Australian Greens will vote against the legislation and called on Labor to help them block it in the Senate.

Universities Australia chief executive Belinda Robinson said the sector was disappointed when the previous government proposed stripping $3.8 billion from higher education and students - and it remains concerned at the widespread impact of the cuts on teaching and research programs.

"These have been at least partly offset by the government's very welcome decision not to go ahead with the $2000 cap on tax deductions for self-education expenses and should also be seen in the context of positive commitments by the government on reducing red tape and rebuilding international education," she said in a statement.

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Sacked official cleared on MP's son link

A FORMER senior Queensland government official accused of misleading a parliamentary committee over business links with an MP's son has been cleared of wrongdoing.

The state ethics committee found there was no evidence of contempt against transport director-general Michael Caltabiano, a former Liberal MP and Liberal party state president.

Mr Caltabiano was investigated after it was claimed he misleading the Transport, Housing and Local Government Committee in October 2012 over his links with Ben Gommers.

He had hired Gommers, the son of former Arts Minister Ros Bates, into a high-paid job in his department.

Links later emerged between himself and a lobbying business, Entree Vous, founded by Mr Gommers and his mother.

He was dismissed by premier Campbell Newman in February, though the administration has denied his sacking was linked to the investigation.

"The committee finds that there is no evidence that Mr Caltabiano, then chief executive officer of the Department of Transport and Main Roads deliberately misled the Transport, Housing and Local Government Committee on 18 October 2012," the ethics committee concluded in a report tabled on Thursday.

"The committee recommends that the house take no further action in regard to the matter of the alleged contempt."

In a submission to the ethics committee, Mr Caltabiano said "it cannot be established

that there was any professional relationship between [himself] and Mr Gommers" and "that

there was at most a limited personal relationship between them".

A supporting statement from Entree Vous accountant Tom Coogan said that Mr Gommers was named as a director of the company simply because he was a family member and never actually did any work for it. The firm was sold when Ms Bates was elected in 2009.

Mr Gommers quit his government post in May.

A separate investigation into Mr Caltabiano by the Crime and Misconduct Commission has led to information being passed to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Caltabiano has always denied the allegations.

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Critics vow to fight Zoe's law in NSW

The controversial Zoe's law bill passed the NSW lower house after being put to a conscience vote. Source: AAP

WOMEN'S groups have issued a call to arms after the controversial "Zoe's law" bill passed a conscience vote in the NSW lower house.

Seen by some as an infringement on women's reproductive rights and others as a law to ease victims' suffering, the bill passed the lower house 63 votes to 26 on Thursday.

The bill was named in honour of the unborn child of Brodie Donegan, who was hit by a drug-affected driver on Christmas Day in 2009.

Zoe was stillborn.

The proposed changes would allow someone to be charged with harming a fetus that is either 20 weeks or 400 grams by allowing it to be treated as a living person.

Despite amendments that say the law would not apply to anything done with a woman's consent or in a medical procedure, independent MP Alex Greenwich says the bill puts female reproductive rights at risk.

"Amendments ... do nothing to alleviate peak health and legal groups' concern that bill provides personhood to a fetus, giving it rights that could be at odds with a pregnant woman's," he said.

Premier Barry O'Farrell said the bill was not about winding back abortion.

"It means that people in Brodie Donegan's position can have that healing process assisted," he said.

"... it will be recognition that there wasn't just injury to the mother, but potential injury to the fetus in utero."

Liberal MP Chris Spence, who introduced the bill, said it would "rectify an anomaly in the law and provide an avenue for parents who lose an unborn child through a serious criminal act to receive an appropriate ... acknowledgement of their terrible loss".

Some Liberal MPs crossed the floor to vote against the bill, including ministers Jillian Skinner and Pru Goward.

Protesters dressed in black and with their hands tied together gathered outside parliament house on Thursday afternoon, chanting "shame Barry shame".

Speaking to the activists, Women's Electoral Lobby Australia chair Melanie Fernandez said groups such as the New South Wales Bar Association and the Australian Medical Association had flagged concerns about the bill.

"It's a shame our premier is ignoring the expert opinions," she said.

"What we have to do now is fight and make sure in the upper house this legislation does not pass."

Greens MP Mehreen Faruqi said the bill would be fought in the upper house.

"If anyone needed any more evidence of the true intent of this bill - undermining women's right to choose - they need look no further than the Reverend Fred Nile, who will be introducing it into the upper house," she said.

The founder of feminist group the F Collective, Gabe Kavanagh, said "this is the beginning of the fight, not the end".

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Bali punch victim family ask for privacy

The family of a man who was punched in Bali have asked for privacy as he is treated in Perth. Source: AAP

A BIG-HEARTED Australian who taught orphans to surf remains in a coma after being punched in Bali while trying to help a woman in danger.

Matt Scarff, 41, suffered major head injuries when punched by a stranger outside the Townhouse Club in Seminyak on November 15 after he went to a woman's aid.

Mr Scarff runs a Bali surf school and, says his best mate Dougal Pennefeather, was known as someone who helped others.

"He's been one of my best friends for 20 years and he's always there for you," he said.

Mr Scarff has had brain surgery to relieve a clot and pressure on his brain from the injury and is being treated at Royal Perth Hospital where he remains in an induced coma.

Mr Pennefeather said his friend was not an aggressive person.

"He was obviously just at the wrong spot," he told AAP on Thursday.

Mr Pennefeather said Mr Scarff gave surfing lessons mainly to Southeast Asians, including orphans, and took groups to Java, as well as surf camps up the coast.

A Facebook page had been set up to raise money for Mr Scarff's travel expenses to return him to Australia because he did not have insurance.

About $45,000 was needed to get CareFlight to transport him to Australia and extra money raised will be used to cover his rehabilitation costs.

Organisers of the Facebook group posted late on Wednesday: "His family is overwhelmed with the love, support and concern shown from everyone. The doctors and medical staff at Sanglah Hospital in Bali have been amazing and we cannot thank them enough."

The family asked on Thursday that the media respected their privacy while Mr Scarff was in hospital in Perth.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesman said such incidents served as a reminder of the potential hazards Australians could face overseas.

"It is important for Australians travelling or living overseas to ensure they have appropriate insurance coverage," he said.

Meanwhile, a social media campaign is aimed at finding the man who hit Mr Scarff.

A photograph and a name of a man have been circulating on Instagram and Facebook.

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Ziggy approached for NBN before election

Ziggy Switkowski says he was approached by the coalition for his views on the NBN as early as April. Source: AAP

ZIGGY Switkowski has confirmed the writing was on the wall for his predecessor and former head of NBN Co Siobhan McKenna before the Abbott government had won office.

Ms McKenna and all but one of her board colleagues offered their resignations to Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull late in September following months of speculation that Dr Switkowski would take over.

Dr Switkowski confirmed to a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday that he had been approached for the role of NBN Co chairman by the coalition before the September 7 election.

"In very general terms, absolutely. And it was made clear that it was one of several options," Dr Switkowski said.

When pressed by Greens Senator Scott Ludlam what the other options were, Dr Switkowski replied: "That's not an area I'd go into."

Dr Switkowski said he was approached by the coalition for his views on the national broadband network (NBN) as far back as April - but insisted he did not assist in the policy framework taken to the election.

"I was one of, I presume, many people that the opposition minister was consulting with around NBN Co seeking views," Dr Switkowski said.

When asked by Senator Ludlam how he could give his views on the NBN without contributing to policy, Dr Switkowski replied, "one has conversations with politicians about matters all of the time".

"Mr Turnbull and I go back a ways," he said.

"It would have been presumptuous of me to offer views on NBN policy when I had spent the previous several years at some distance from the telcoms industry."

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Starving Qld cattle 'too thin to export'

STARVING cattle in north Queensland are too thin to export, prompting concerns Indonesia might look elsewhere to import beasts.

Northern Gulf Graziers Group chairman Barry Hughes says some cattle are so underweight because of a state-wide drought they can't be sold on the live cattle export market.

"The big challenge for the northern Australian cattle industry is to find the cattle to fill the quota," he told AAP.

"Supply is driven by our seasons and the weight of cattle at the moment is probably at its lowest."

The northern Australian cattle industry is in crisis due to a lack of water, low cattle prices and mounting loans.

Many graziers had hoped rebuilding the live cattle export trade with Indonesia would revive the industry.

In 2011 the trade was temporarily banned by the federal government following allegations Australian cattle were being mistreated abroad.

Although the ban was lifted months later, Indonesia reduced its annual import quota from 660,000 beasts to 260,000.

Australian diplomats and graziers slowly rebuilt the relationship with Indonesia and the export quota has risen steadily.

But Mr Hughes says cattle agents are struggling to fill orders.

The Georgetown grazier says many cattle have been relocated south to feed and it is too expensive to transport them back to northern ports for export.

He says a solution may be to export cattle destined for the domestic market.

"But there's not a lot we can do as we're at the mercy of the weather to allow the cattle to put the condition on," he said.

"It's all about survival at the moment rather than weight gain."

Mr Hughes is confident the Indonesian spying scandal won't hurt the live cattle export trade - he says graziers have a strong relationship with Indonesia.

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Indon halts people smuggling cooperation

INDONESIAN President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says he is suspending cooperation with Australia on people smuggling in the wake of recent spying revelations.

The president also said on Wednesday that he would continue to demand an official explanation from Australia about revelations that Australian spies targeted his mobile phone in 2009.

"I am still waiting," Dr Yudhoyono said on Wednesday.

The president said he would send a letter of demand to the Australian government, requesting an official apology and an explanation from Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Indonesia will also suspend all military cooperation with Australia, the president said.

Australia Defence Minister David Johnston's office said there was no official confirmation yet that Indonesia had halted defence cooperation activities.

"But it is certainly on the record that it has stopped," a spokesman said.

"We are just waiting on the details of how this is going to play out."

At a press conference at his presidential palace in Jakarta, Dr Yudhoyono likened the spying claims to cold war tactics.

It's difficult for me to understand why the (wire-tapping) was conducted," Dr Yudhoyono said.

"Now is not the era of the cold war."

Dr Yudhoyono said "coordinated military cooperation" including naval patrols would cease immediately.

"I have asked for that to be halted until everything is clear," he said.

Suspending cooperation on people smuggling will deal a big blow to Mr Abbott's asylum seeker policies.

"You are well aware that we are facing a joint problem of people smuggling that has been a problem for both Australia and Indonesia," Dr Yudhoyono said.

"Indonesia and Australia is not in the position of confronting each other or in enmity."

The president said he could not understand why Australia had chosen to spy on a "friend and not the enemy", adding that he viewed the conduct of the Australian government as an illegal action.

Dr Yudhoyono said he wanted a personal explanation, insisting comments directed at "Australia's domestic community" would not suffice.

"If Australia wants to maintain a good relationship with Indonesia in the future, there must be an official explanation," he said.

Dr Yudhoyono said cooperation in the area of intelligence gathering and the sharing of information would also be halted.

"I have also asked to stop for a while joint training between Indonesian soldiers and Australians, whether army, navy or air force," he said.

Dr Yudhoyono said he wanted to make it clear that cooperation on combating people smuggling would not go ahead until he received an explanation from Mr Abbott.

"It's impossible for us to continue when we're not sure that there's no tapping of Indonesian soldiers who are performing a duty for both countries," he said.

Dr Yudhoyono said that for cooperation to resume, Indonesia would in the future need "some kind of protocol, code of conduct as well as guiding principles".

"I'm still hoping and I believe that Australia is also hoping, especially the hope of people from both countries, Indonesian people and Australian people, that we still can have a good relationship and cooperation after we overcome this problem."

"Australia, I know they respect Indonesia's sovereignty," he said.

"I hope we can finish this, we solve this and then we review, we make new sets of rules, new agreements and then we can take steps ahead to continue the good cooperation and relationship between the two countries."

Dr Yudhoyono said that for cooperation to resume, Indonesia would in the future need "some kind of protocol, code of conduct as well as guiding principles".

"I'm still hoping and I believe that Australia is also hoping, especially the hope of people from both countries, Indonesian people and Australian people, that we still can have a good relationship and cooperation after we overcome this problem."

"Australia, I know they respect Indonesia's sovereignty," he said.

"I hope we can finish this, we solve this and then we review, we make new sets of rules, new agreements and then we can take steps ahead to continue the good cooperation and relationship between the two countries."

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Murray to head financial inquiry

FORMER banking chief David Murray will head an inquiry into Australia's financial system, which the government says is aimed at delivering lower fees and more competition.

The inquiry will release an interim report in September and a final report in November 2014.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said it had been 15 years since Stan Wallis' landmark inquiry into the sector, which led to major reforms.

"The inquiry will make recommendations to foster an efficient, competitive and flexible financial system, consistent with financial stability, prudence, integrity and fairness," Mr Abbott told a business function in Canberra on Wednesday night.

"This should result in less costs, lower fees and greater efficiency in the allocation of capital."

Among its considerations, the inquiry will be asked to report on:

* the efficient allocation of Australian-sourced capital

* balancing competition with stability and consumer protection

* the role and impact of new technology and consumer preferences

* international financial regulation.

The four-person committee will draw on the expertise of a council of five international business people.

Following two weeks of consultation on the draft terms of reference, the final terms of reference and composition of the inquiry will be announced in mid-December.

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Telstra copper network 'robust': NBN chief

TELSTRA'S decades-old copper network continues to "perform robustly", new NBN chairman Ziggy Switkowski says.

Dr Switkowski, who was Telstra chief executive for five years from 1999, says the copper network - the oldest part of which is 50 years old - is still working well.

"Here I default back to my own history ... It's constantly being maintained, remediated, upgraded," he told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday.

However, he said he was relying on anecdotal information as he hadn't received any official information from Telstra recently.

"My feeling is that in 2013, the copper network fault rate may be higher than it was in the time I was at Telstra, but perhaps not materially higher," he said.

"As best as I can tell, the copper network continues to perform robustly."

Dr Switkowski said the percentage of copper in Telstra's network that would not be suitable for fibre to the node (FTTN) remained "a question in front of us" that would be looked at in the current strategic reviews.

"It may well reveal whether there are unanticipated issues with the network," he said.

He said Telstra had millions of broadband customers using ADSL on copper, delivering speeds of up to 10 megabits a second.

"That suggests to me that the network is robust still and the concerns that are expressed that the network may not be the basis for the next generation of broadband platform, I think, are misinformed," he said.

Senator Kate Lundy said Mr Switkowski's comments mirrored those of Telstra in recent days.

"They're talking up their copper network like never before, given that they are currently in negotiations with NBN Co about accessing it," she said.

"I guess we would expect that from Telstra. I must say, I didn't expect it from you."

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Contentious IR laws to pass Qld parliament

QUEENSLAND'S parliament is set to pass contentious industrial relation laws which the Opposition has dubbed as the premier's own version of Work Choices.

The laws are expected to be passed on Tuesday night. But that hasn't stopped some 1000 unionists from protesting against the reforms which will limit public servants' rights to take protected strikes.

Unions will also no longer be able to automatically deduct fees from workers, while public servants earning more than $129,300 can be put on individual contracts.

The protesters included nurses, firies and anti-nuclear protesters amongst others, as well as some wearing "Anonymous" Guy Fawkes masks.

They waved placards and chanted "shame" outside parliament house to vent their frustration over what was being discussed inside.

Some placards drew similarities between the current administration and that of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie says the workplace reforms are needed to modernise awards and create more flexible conditions for public servants.

"The framework is essential to address inefficiencies in the negotiation of employment agreements and to provide a modern, flexible and responsive industrial relations system," he told parliament.

However opposition leaders have savaged the new laws, with leader Annastacia Palaszczuk describing them as a callous attack on workers' rights.

"It attacks the basic conditions of Queensland employees," she told parliament.

"It attacks the core rights of employees to negotiate collectively and it will go down in history as Campbell Newman's Work Choices for Queensland."

Opposition MPs also claim the legislation has been rushed, although Mr Blejie says they had six weeks to review it.

But Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) president John Battams says the government's urgency and lack of consultation has been breathtaking.

Mr Battams says the legislation is designed to instil fear in public servants and strip them of their workplace rights.

"They will have no rights whatsoever, the government will have total control over them," he told AAP.

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Vic man falls from cliff at Cape Schanck

A MAN has suffered critical injuries in a fall from a cliff at Cape Schanck in Victoria.

The alarm was raised about 4pm on Tuesday by friends the man had been walking with, Ambulance Victoria paramedic Bruce Harrop said.

The man is believed to have fallen up to 40 metres onto a rugged rock shelf.

Emergency crews were confronted by difficult terrain and drove within half a kilometre of where the man was found and an air ambulance helicopter flew him to hospital.

"Initially, we were confronted by a gravely ill young man, not conscious and got the aid of the helicopter to retrieve him off to hospital," Mr Harrop said.

The man suffered severe head and other injuries and was flown to the Alfred Hospital.

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Redman replaces Grylls as WA Nats leader

WESTERN Australia's National party has chosen a new leader to replace Brendon Grylls, with Terry Redman to succeed him as widely expected.

Mr Grylls, 40, announced his decision to step down as party leader and also as regional development minister over the weekend, but will remain MP for the Pilbara region.

He leaves big shoes to fill, having leveraged the balance of power held by the Nationals after the 2008 elections to cement the Royalties for Regions program, which he says he's "damn proud of".

On Tuesday, the Nationals held a party meeting and appointed Mr Redman, WA's minister for water, forestry, training and workforce development, as Mr Grylls' replacement.

Mr Redman, aged 50 and formerly the minister for agriculture, paid tribute to his former leader in parliament, saying he'd made an outstanding contribution to the Nationals.

Separately on Tuesday, the state opposition pounced on a comment by Liberal backbencher Murray Cowper, who said the regional development portfolio should go to his party.

Mr Cowper, the member for Murray-Wellington immediately south of Perth, said the Nationals shouldn't hold the portfolio as they had been porkbarrelling the electorates of the Pilbara and the Kimberley with Royalties for Regions funds.

He said there had been an unfair distribution of the funds, with his electorate getting far less per person than the state's northern regions, despite it producing a large chunk of the state's food, including beef and dairy.

"It's indefensible in my mind ... there needs to be an explanation why there is such a disparity," he told AAP.

Responding to Mr Grylls' argument that investment in amenities in the Pilbara was long overdue, Mr Cowper said there were plenty of worthy projects in his electorate, adding he'd be neglecting his duty if he didn't push for its interests.

Premier Colin Barnett said on Monday he wanted a minimal cabinet reshuffle with the departure of Mr Grylls.

While the Nationals will keep all three of their cabinet seats, the allocation of portfolios is a decision for the premier.

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Goodes named NSW Australian of the Year

AFL star Adam Goodes has won the NSW Australian of the Year award.

The 33-year-old Sydney Swans player was given the honour for his commitment to community programs, particularly for establishing and co-chairing the Go Foundation.

Mr Goodes' foundation promotes education, employment and healthy lifestyles to help the next generation of Indigenous people across all walks of life, the Australian of the Year awards group said.

Inventor Peter Ford was awarded NSW Senior Australian of the Year and Jacqueline Freney won the NSW Young Australian of the Year award.

Mr Ford won for developing a device that allows paralysed people to communicate through a laptop.

Ms Freney was recognised for bagging eight gold medals at the London Paralympic Games.

The 21-year-old from Skennars Head, who was born with cerebral palsy, won a gold medal in every event she entered, making her the best performing athlete on the Australian team.

For his work with those addicted to drugs, alcohol and gambling, Reverend Graham Long was named NSW local hero 2014.

The 62-year-old runs programs from the Wayside Chapel with a team of 32 staff and more than 500 volunteers.

They assist 75,000 people annually.

The NSW winners will head to Canberra for the announcement of the national awards in late January.

Jeremy Lasek, the chief of National Australia Day Council, said "all four of the recipients are great Australians of whom we can be very proud."

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell praised the winners of the awards.

Mr Goodes, he said, is "a great role model" and a worthy recipient of the honour.

"Adam is a leading advocate in the fight against racism, his actions earlier this year transcended football and reached all parts of Australian society," he said in a statement.

"I congratulate all winners and finalists in the awards and thank them for the great contribution they are making to the community."

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Indo recalls ambassador

INDONESIA'S ambassador in Canberra will immediately return to Jakarta following claims Australia had tapped the phone of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa announced on Monday afternoon the ambassador would be recalled.

"It's nothing less than an unfriendly act," Dr Natalegawa said of the spying claims.

Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Legal, Political and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto earlier said he would demand Australia make a public explanation about the claims and make a commitment that it would not monitor the phones again.

Top secret documents from Australia's Defence Signals Directorate, leaked by fugitive US intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden and published by the ABC and The Guardian, list 10 officials and their phone details - beginning with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and wife Ani.

Air Marshal Suyanto also said Indonesia would review the exchange of information with Australia and "all other cooperation".

Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will be told the issue will have a negative impact on the countries' bilateral relationship.

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ASIO still waiting to move into new HQ

AUSTRALIA'S top spy agency ASIO still can't be certain when it will move into its imposing new headquarters, despite former prime minister Kevin Rudd opening the building in July.

The $630 million building, which looks over Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin, was initially due to be ready for its top secret occupants in April 2012, but the project ran into delays and budget overruns and is still waiting for its new tenants.

ASIO's Director-General David Irvine said while the new building was "substantially completed", builders were still making sure all systems, such as the air-conditioning, were working properly.

"I still cannot give you a date when the certificate for completion will be completed," Mr Irvine told a Senate estimates hearing, adding he hoped the building would be finished by the end of the year.

"In the best of all possible worlds, we will begin to move into the new building in the new year."

The building, named the Ben Chifley Building in honour of the former Labor prime minister who founded ASIO in 1949, has been the subject of controversy, with an ABC report that Chinese hackers had gained access to the building's blueprints.

But Mr Irvine on Monday said there were no security problems with the new building.

"I remain confident that the building from a security point of view meets the standards we require of it," Mr Irvine said.

He said he had advised the previous government that the building should be opened before ASIO staff move in.

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Schoolie on balcony-hopping charge

LET'S hope one schoolie on the Gold Coast packed his good clothes, because he's getting a guided tour of the magistrates court.

The 18-year-old man from NSW has been accused of balcony-hopping on the eighth floor of a Surfers Paradise high-rise on Saturday.

He will appear at Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with unregulated high-risk activity after footmarks were found on railings on four adjoining balconies.

Police warned on Monday of the risk facing schoolies from such high-altitude behaviour, which has led to two teenagers being evicted from accommodation.

Acting Chief Superintendent Des Lacy said: "Police will continue their efforts to reduce the high-risk behaviour of balcony-hopping and are prepared to prosecute others who fail to listen to the warnings which have been given continually.

"We want everyone to enjoy their schoolies experience, but this kind of behaviour is incredibly risky and the last thing we want to see is anyone being seriously injured or killed as a result of a poor choice."

Parents have been urged to make daily calls to schoolies partying on the Gold Coast "to make sure not only how they are, but how their spirits are".

"This is a time now, after a few days of letting their hair down, that some young people start to feel a bit lost, a bit sad, a bit depressed and we don't want any dangerous behaviour occurring," Chief Supt Lacy said.

Police say they are generally pleased with the behaviour of schoolies so far.

Ten school-leavers were arrested overnight on Sunday, mostly for public nuisance and street offences.

Two schoolies were arrested for minor drug offences, while liquor infringement notices were issued to 115 schoolies.

Since schoolies celebrations began on Friday, 19 schoolies have been arrested, compared with 43 for the same time in 2012.

Police Minister Jack Dempsey said most school-leavers were behaving well.

"You've got 30,000 young people celebrating 12 years of education and going on to the next step," he said.

"Relatively, they are behaving well."

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Abbott defends Sri Lanka boat deal

Australia will give two retired navy boats to Sri Lanka in a bid to crack down on people smugglers. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has defended a decision to gift two refurbished patrol boats to the Sri Lankan navy in efforts to stop people smugglers.

Mr Abbott revealed the $2 million deal in Colombo where he is attending the final day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The rebuilding is to be financed from the Customs budget and comes with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two governments, he said.

The prime minister said people smuggling was an "evil trade" and potentially hundreds of Sri Lankans had drowned trying to make the journey to Australia.

"The vessel is being made available for humanitarian purposes and search and rescue purposes," Mr Abbott said.

"What we get from Sri Lanka is close and constructive cooperation."

This year 14 asylum seeker boats have travelled directly from Sri Lanka to Australia, compared with 120 in 2012.

The Sri Lankan navy undertook at least 12 on-water interceptions in 2013.

About 4000 people have been brought back to shore since 2009.

Sri Lanka's chief of navy Jayanath Colombage said the navy was taking the issue of stopping boat journeys "very seriously".

He said the vessels would also be used to keep the Indian Ocean "free of maritime crime".

Mr Abbott said the MoU linked to the ships covered the level of co-operation and "safety of life at sea".

The retired Customs patrol boats will be handed over in mid 2014.

A number of Sri Lankan navy officers have been arrested in recent months for helping people smugglers.

Mr Abbott said the arrests were a sign that the government was taking the issue seriously.

Former immigration minister Tony Burke said "a lot of questions" surrounded the decision.

"I'm not sure what the conditions are on how those vessels can and can't be used," he told ABC TV on Sunday.

The opposition and Greens will use Senate estimates this week to unveil detail about the deal and the broader Operation Sovereign Borders.

The Commonwealth summit has been mired in controversy over Sri Lanka's treatment of minorities, human rights abuses and alleged war crimes at the end of three decades of conflict.

Greens leader Christine Milne said Mr Abbott, who says he's been reassured the Rajapaksa government is "making progress", should take a more humanitarian approach to the asylum seeker issue.

"I don't think Australians who genuinely thought that stopping the boats was about saving lives will feel comfortable knowing that 'stop the boats' now means preventing people from running away from torture and condemning them to human rights abuses," she said.

A Sri Lankan journalist told AAP finding a people smuggler was easy along the southern and western coasts and the cost was about 1.5 million rupees ($A15,000) per person.

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Man dies, five hurt in multi-vehicle crash

A MAN has died and five people have been taken to hospital after a multi-vehicle crash in Sydney's southwest.

Emergency services were called to the Hume Highway at Greenacre on Sunday evening after four vehicles collided, police said.

A man travelling in one of the cars died at the scene.

Five others were taken to hospital with injuries.

The highway has been closed and specialist police are investigating.

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Alicia Keys to perform at ARIA Awards

GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter Alicia Keys will perform at the upcoming ARIA Awards in Sydney.

She will perform a medley of her hit song Girl on Fire and her new single, Brand New Me, at the 27th Annual ARIA Awards on Sunday, December 1, it was announced on Sunday.

It will mark her first Australian televised performance before she embarks on her national tour, supported by Grammy-winner John Legend.

Keys says she is excited to be the headline act at this year's ARIAs.

"It's been a little while since I've been in Australia and I'm ecstatic to be back. Being on tour is an incredible journey and I'm so honoured that I get to share it with my family all over the world," Keys said in a statement.

"No better way to set off the last leg of my worldwide tour in Australia than on the ARIA Awards stage."

Other artists to perform at the awards ceremony, to be held at The Star Event Centre, include Jessica Mauboy, electronic superstar Flume, last year's X Factor winner Samantha Jade, indie band Sheppard and rock group Tame Impala.

ARIA Week festivities kick off on November 26 and run through to December 4.

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Protest against 'racist' Dutch tradition

The arrival of the Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus has been greeted by protests. Source: AAP

THE Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus arrived in the Netherlands on Saturday to the delight of thousands of children.

But some adults protested vigorously against one element of the beloved tradition they find racist: his servant in blackface make-up, Black Pete.

In the annual Dutch Sinterklaas festival, St Nicholas arrives by steamboat in mid-November and spends a month in the country with dozens of the Petes - clown-like figures who leave cookies, chocolate and other treats for children. The affair ends in a night of gift-giving on December 5.

Protesters say the Petes - servants who wear blackface make-up, red lipstick and frizzy Afro wigs - are blatant racist caricatures and should be banned.

But in a country where 90 per cent of the people have European ancestry, a large majority feels there is no racial insult intended by Black Pete. They say he's a positive figure of fun and the dissent is a sign of political correctness gone overboard.

The debate over the figure has gone on for years, but it is now electrifying - and polarising - the Netherlands as never before.

"The world is watching, and the Netherlands has been found wanting," anti-Pete protester Quinsy Gario told a group of about 300 supporters in Amsterdam, most of whom were black.

Gario, a black artist who has emerged as the public face of the anti-Pete movement, has been subjected to unprintable insults and death threats for speaking out against the tradition. But at Saturday's protest, he had trouble at times being heard over supporters chanting his name.

He said the growing support underlined the change the national debate over Black Pete had recently undergone. Two years ago, Gario was thrown face down on the concrete by police and dragged away for daring to wear a T-shirt with the text "Black Pete is Racism" near the place where Sinterklaas was due to arrive.

The debate exploded in national media this year after it emerged that UN cultural experts were examining whether the tradition is racist.

Verene Shepherd, head of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, said on Dutch TV she "does not understand why it is that people in the Netherlands cannot see that this is a throwback to slavery, and that in the 21st century this practice should stop".

One change anti-Pete activists have suggested is replacing his black face with smudges, since children are usually told his face has become black from going down chimneys.

But in two days following Shepherd's remarks, more than two million people responded by endorsing a Facebook petition to keep Zwarte Piet's image unchanged. That's nearly one-eighth of the Dutch population, indicating the depth of emotion over this issue in a country where religious or political debates are often met with a shrug.

Last month a black newscaster, Humberto Tan, read aloud on television responses he had received when he came out as anti-Pete, including a lynching threat.

Two white female Dutch celebrities who oppose Pete and have married black men - Victoria's Secret model Doutzen Kroes and singer Anouk - have been the target of ugly sexual insults.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte has sided with tradition. "Black Pete is black. There's not much I can do to change that," he said.

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