Ads needed to stop boat people: Bowen

Chris Bowen has defended government advertising of its new hardline approach to asylum seekers. Source: AAP

TREASURER Chris Bowen has defended government advertising of its new hardline approach to asylum seekers, saying it was important to get its message to potential boat people overseas.

The government on Saturday paid for full page newspaper advertisements across the country stating: "If you come here by boat without a visa you won't be settled in Australia".

The ads come a day after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced Labor's tough new policy on boat people, which will resettle those who arrive by boat in Papua New Guinea rather than Australia.

The national campaign will be followed by advertisements overseas.

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon said he would make a formal complaint about the ads to the Auditor General, which he described as a blatantly political campaign paid for by the taxpayer.

But Mr Bowen said it was important to advertise the new boats plan in Australia, because recent migrants from countries such as Iran, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan would communicate it back to their home countries.

"And tell them, look the policy has changed in Australia, the law's changed, please don't come by boat because you'll get resettled to Papua New Guinea," Mr Bowen told Sky News.

"It is very important that people in Australia understand the new policy settings and it is very important that people down the chain of supply of boats to Australia understand it as well.

"We know this, people smugglers will lie about this.. and they will try and convince people that it's still a good idea to spend money to come to Australia by boat."

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NSW hospitals at risk of infection

The Opposition says cuts to the number of cleaners in hospitals could lead to serious infections. Source: AAP

THE NSW opposition is warning of an infections outbreak following reports of a drastic drop in the number of cleaners at some of NSW's busiest hospitals.

Opposition health spokesman Andrew McDonald cited a recent report which found Royal North Shore Hospital was down 67 full time cleaners compared to numbers in 2010.

During the same period Westmead Hospital lost 20 full time cleaners while the Nepean Hospital was down 25.

Across the greater Sydney region there has been an overall loss of 139 full time cleaners, Dr McDonald said.

"Slashing the number of cleaners in our hospitals is a huge infection risk and highly dangerous," he said.

The average hospital cleaner cleaned a minimum of 35 beds per week or 1820 beds per year, while unclean beds, wards and operating theatres could lead to serious and deadly infections, he said.

"Golden Staph and Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) still kill people in NSW hospitals in 2013," he warned.

"Cutting the number of cleaners also means vacant beds are left empty for hours until they can be cleaned, while more patients sit waiting to be admitted in the emergency department."

Mr McDonald blamed the staff reductions on the O'Farrell government's $3 billion cut to health funding.

"A huge reduction in cleaners and the number of cleaning hours in our hospital is what happens when you cut $3 billion from the health system."

But a spokeswoman for Northern Sydney Local Health District denied the cuts.

She said Royal North Shore Hospital had employed 44 more cleaners since July 2011, taking the number of cleaners to 186.

This represents a 30 per cent increase in staff, she added.

A spokeswoman for Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District said cleaning staff at Nepean Hospital had increased by 7.8 Full-time equivalent (FTE) positions since July 2011.

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Judge finalising deal in Toyota case

Motorists say their Toyota's value plunged after recalls over claims they unexpectedly accelerated. Source: AAP

A CALIFORNIAN judge is finalising a billion-dollar settlement in cases in which motorists say the value of their Toyotas plunged after recalls over claims they unexpectedly accelerated.

US District Judge James Selna said on Friday he was approving the deal that was announced in December and will affect 22 million consumers.

Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against Toyota since 2009, when the Japanese car manufacturer started receiving complaints its cars accelerated on their own, causing crashes, injuries and even deaths. More than 14 million vehicles have been recalled since the claims surfaced.

Toyota has denied the allegations, blaming driver error, faulty floor mats and stuck accelerator pedals for the problems.

Steve Berman, a lawyer representing Toyota owners, has said the settlement is the largest in US history involving car defects, estimated to be up to the value of $US1.6 billion ($A1.75 billion).

Those who sold their vehicles at a loss can receive anywhere from $US125 to $US10,000 depending on the level of depreciation, he added.

"This is a great settlement for consumers," Berman said.

"It includes both safety fixes to make Toyota vehicles safer, as well as monetary relief for owners who saw a reduction in their vehicle's value."

The company had previously said it will take a one-time, $US1.1 billion pre-tax charge against earnings to cover the estimated costs of the settlement.

"This agreement allows us to resolve a legacy legal issue in a way that provides significant value to our customers and demonstrates that they can depend on Toyota to stand behind our vehicles," the car manufacturer said in a statement.

The cases were consolidated before Judge Selna in Orange County and divided into two categories, those for economic loss and those for wrongful death.

Toyota has settled a couple of wrongful death cases and the first one to go to trial is scheduled to begin in a Los Angeles courtroom next week.

As part of the economic loss settlement, Toyota will offer cash payments from a pool of about $US250 million to eligible customers who sold vehicles or turned in leased vehicles between September 2009 and December 2010.

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Rudd return 'unique', Bowen says

Treasurer Chris Bowen (pic) supports Kevin Rudd's return but backs reform preventing future spills. Source: AAP

TREASURER Chris Bowen says the circumstances behind the return of Kevin Rudd are unique and don't conflict with planned reforms to the way Labor selects its parliamentary leader.

Prime Minister Rudd has proposed the leader be jointly elected by federal Labor MPs and grassroots party members, with each group having 50 per cent of the vote.

It would make it virtually impossible for caucus to remove a leader, as happened in 2010 when Mr Rudd was replaced as prime minister by Julia Gillard, because it would require 75 per cent to back a spill.

Mr Bowen was on Thursday asked how he squared his role in supporting Mr Rudd's return and his backing for the reform.

"The circumstances which led to the successful return to Kevin were frankly pretty unique," he told the National Press Club in Canberra.

"They are circumstances which go to his departure from the prime ministership in 2010 and the pretty strong view expressed by the Australian people that there was a case for his return.

"I do recognise this is a challenge for the caucus in terms of ensuring that a leader is more difficult to remove.

"That's a legitimate point to make, but I also think that the circumstances in which our leaders should be removed are pretty rare and unusual."

The reform will be considered at a special caucus meeting in Sydney next week.

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NZ shares extend drop from two-month high

NEW Zealand shares extended their decline from a two-month high as investors mulled the potential for mixed results in the looming earnings season.

The NZX 50 Index fell 15.585 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 4563.385. Within the index, 25 stocks fell, 15 rose and 10 were unchanged. Turnover was a lower-than-average $81.8 million.

Chorus, which was spun off from Telecom in 2011, fell 2.2 per cent to $2.70, bringing its decline this year to about 8 per cent.

Auckland Airport fell 1.3 per cent to $3.07, and Fletcher Building declined 0.6 per cent to $8.47.

"It will be a good, solid earnings season although there will be some winners and losers," said Mark Lister, head of private wealth research at Craigs Investment Partners.

Companies exposed to the Australian economy and the weak Australian dollar against the New Zealand dollar may show some weakness, "given there are a few cracks appearing in Australia in the short-term", he said.

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare fell 1.7 per cent to $3.52 and Port of Tauranga declined 2.1 per cent to $14.50.

Metlifecare, the retirement village operator, fell 2.7 per cent to $3.25.

Retailers were mixed after figures showed consumer confidence slipped from a three-year high this month.

Warehouse Group climbed 2.1 per cent to $3.95, outdoor equipment chain Kathmandu gained 0.4 per cent to $4.88 and clothing group Hallenstein Glasson advanced 0.4 per cent to $2.64.

Tourism Holdings was unchanged at 60 cents after the rental campervan operator said it will fill any gaps left by the receivership of rival Pacific Horizon.

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Taliban kill eight Afghan US base workers

TALIBAN gunmen have shot dead eight Afghan civilians on their way to jobs at a US military base south of Kabul, officials say.

"Eight Afghan workers who were working in Camp Shank were killed this morning by Taliban," said the deputy police chief in Logar province, Rais Khan Sadeq, on Thursday.

It was the deadliest attack since Afghanistan started observing the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, traditionally a time of prayer and charity.

"They were forced out of their car and taken about 200 metres off road to a nearby village, and shot in the head one by one," he told AFP.

Their bodies were found with their eyes blindfolded, the police official said, describing them as "ordinary civilian workers" on the base.

US and NATO military bases across Afghanistan hire local staff to work on construction projects and as cleaners.

Din Mohammad Darvish, the Logar administration spokesman, confirmed the incident and said the bodies of the victims were recovered in the village.

"They were poor and ordinary workers, all civilians," he said.

Afghan officials blamed the attack on the Taliban. Logar is a stronghold for the militants waging a 12-year insurgency against the Western-backed government after being toppled in a 2001 US-led invasion.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Taliban have vowed to increase their attacks during Ramadan.

The insurgents have stepped up attacks on Afghan forces since they took responsibility for national security last month.

In the north, police said Taliban attacked a police post near the city of Kunduz, killing two officers and wounding two others - the only four on duty at the time.

Around 100,000 US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan are preparing to withdraw by the end of next year, after key presidential polls scheduled for April.

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Rudd still searching for regional boat fix

INDONESIA has reminded Australia it won't be let off the hook in managing asylum seekers even if Jakarta builds a processing centre.

Indonesia's foreign minister Marty Natalegawa called for a shared regional solution when asked if a facility might be set up in Indonesia to manage the thousands of would-be refugees in transit.

"The one thing we'd want to avoid is the suggestion that the establishment of a centre in one country implies another country not doing the same," he said in Sydney on Monday.

"We can all be doing it, it's sharing the burden."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who was in Papua New Guinea on Monday discussing the issue, said he would not shy away from the challenge.

A one-off regional summit on asylum seekers and people smuggling will be held in Indonesia within months in a bid to find a solution.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called for the summit to be attended by countries of asylum seeker origin, transit and destination.

Mr Rudd was in PNG with Immigration Minister Tony Burke, who says the talks about Australia's Manus Island asylum seeker processing centre will be significant before the Indonesian summit.

Mr Rudd reiterated that a regional solution, which includes PNG, was the only way to manage asylum seekers.

"PNG is an important part of an effective regional response," he told reporters in Port Moresby.

"This is a challenge that as prime minister of Australia I will not shy away from."

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott dismissed Mr Rudd's trip to PNG as "more talk and no real action".

"Not only is Mr Rudd the best friend that people smugglers have ever had, he's basically acted as their travel agent," he told reporters in Sydney.

Customs and border protection chief Michael Pezzullo admitted authorities were stretched amid rising boat arrivals.

Australian authorities have picked up more than 15,000 asylum seekers so far this year.

"We're certainly stretched - that's true," Mr Pezzullo told Sky News.

"But the vast majority of people are actually brought to Christmas Island safely."

Three asylum seeker boats were intercepted on Saturday with more than 340 people on board, while another vessel with 84 passengers was spotted on Sunday.

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Alternative plans for Queensland

IMAGINE a Queensland where milk costs twice as much.

Where you'd be forced to refuel your car with an ethanol blend.

Where children who hadn't been immunised would be barred from child care centres, and parents would no longer have to shield youngsters from x-rated billboards.

Welcome to the alternative Queensland.

It is what the state would look like if it were being run by Labor and the minor parties.

Although currently relegated to the sidelines of politics, they are starting to get more attention.

A recent poll shows Katter's Australian Party, The United Australia Party and the Greens each have about five per cent of the vote.

But turning growing popularity into power won't be as straightforward as it was at the 2012 poll.

The government plans to change electoral funding laws so that parties would need 10 per cent of votes before they pocket any cash.

The Greens say they could win their first Queensland seat at the 2015 state election, with their best chance in Brisbane's west or the Sunshine Coast.

Spokesman Charles Worringham says they'll campaign on "big picture issues" to steer Queensland away from dependency on mining, and instead promote agriculture, tourism and further education.

Katter's party hopes to increase its three seats to nine at the next election, and to hold the balance of power.

The party has produced detailed policies and claimed some success.

Its proposal to shift or cull flying fox colonies has more or less been adopted by the government.

And its bill to ban sexy billboards from child friendly areas is also expected to be mirrored in government policy.

It's unclear yet if Katter MP Shane Knuth will get support for a new milk labelling system which he hopes will "bugger up" Coles and Woolworths.

Under the scheme milk labels will state whether farmers have received a fair price for the contents, giving consumers the power to stop the milk price war which has forced many dairy farmers off the land.

"We are making things happen in parliament, but the LNP is taking credit," Mr Knuth said.

Executive Director of the Public Policy Institute, Scott Prasser, says it's easy for minor parties to over-promise and under-deliver as they'll never have to implement policy.

He says although policies are developed with the best intentions, it's an appeal to particular supporters.

"There isn't much policy coherence overall," he told AAP.

"Government is always about compromise.

"Minority parties never want to be government. They can never be government, they can only hope to exert some influence on particular issues from time to time."

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Toddler falls from Sydney unit

A TWO-YEAR-OLD boy has fallen two floors from the window of an apartment block in Sydney.

The toddler fell from the flat in Fairfield early on Monday afternoon.

He was in a stable condition and was being taken by Careflight helicopter to the Children's Hospital at Westmead.

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Greens to tax big business to fund reforms

Payments to single parents would be increased by taxing miners, under a plan by the Greens. Source: AAP

TAXES for mining companies, millionaires and banks would be increased to fund an extra $43 billion in social spending proposed by the Australian Greens.

Under the Robin Hood-style policy, the money would be used to boost payments to the unemployed and single parents, while nearly $6 billion more would be spent on education.

Launching the party's election platform on Sunday, Greens leader Christine Milne said the vision was not just about the next three years, but about the next 50 to 100 years.

As policy launches go, the Greens' was definitely a no-frills one.

A few dozen party faithful crammed into a small room in Melbourne's Docklands where Senator Milne and deputy leader Adam Bandt stood in front of a simple backdrop and announced a four-step plan to raise $42.7 billion.

The Greens plan to raise an extra $21.8 billion by increasing the mining tax and $12 billion by abolishing tax breaks for the fossil fuel industry.

A levy on banks would raise $8.4 billion, while increasing the marginal tax rate on incomes over $1 million to 50 per cent would raise $500 million.

The money would fund a $50 per week increase in unemployment payments and the Youth Allowance and a $40 a week increase for single parents.

Cuts to university funding would be reversed and an extra $2 billion would be spent on school funding.

The policies have been costed by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office, the Greens say.

Senator Milne said only the Greens had a sustainable plan for the future.

"We want to see an environment that can sustain us, a society that cares for us and an economy that responds to the major challenges of this century, because the Greens are not just about the next three years, we are about the next 50 to 100 years," she said.

Mr Bandt said the Greens would stand up to the big miners and big banks, which were the world's most profitable.

"We have got a clear choice at this election: we can either go down the road of keeping cutting government services as the old parties want to do or to have guts and to stand up and raise the revenue that this country needs," he said.

The Australian Education Union welcomed the Greens' commitment to public education and their strong advocacy for the Gonski reforms.

Liberal senator Eric Abetz said the Greens were simply repackaging old policies with some costings that were not comprehensive.

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NSW denies grog lobby influence in rules

The state government says it's serious about strengthening guidelines on alcohol promotions. Source: AAP

THE NSW government says it's serious about preventing irresponsible alcohol promotions and discounting amid claims it's caving in to liquor sellers.

Hospitality minister George Souris on Sunday denied he'd been strong-armed by retailers and supermarket chains into watering down proposed guidelines.

Coles meanwhile has dismissed suggestions that a push by it and fellow supermarket giant Woolworths to get the government to ditch a proposed ban on shopper docket discounts will increase problem drinking.

A spokesman for Mr Souris said the government wanted to strengthen the guidelines on liquor promotions for bottle shops and shopper docket promotions.

"While the views of industry stakeholders are considered, they are but one of a wide range of factors taken into account by the government," he said on Sunday.

The opposition said any move to soften laws would increase alcohol-related harm and former Labor Premier Nathan Rees accused the government of being dictated to by the alcohol lobby.

"There's no question that the alcohol lobby and large supermarket lobby has exerted undue influence on this area of policy-making," Mr Rees told reporters in Sydney.

The NSW Greens claimed the Liquor Store Association (LSA) and retailers were given access to drafts of the guidelines being developed by the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR), while public health and community groups had been "kept in the dark".

A spokesman for Coles said the company had made representations regarding the guidelines as was appropriate in any robust debate on regulatory issues.

He said evidence showed that alcohol-related problems were linked to licensed venues, and not bottle shops, and Coles customers shouldn't be denied discounts.

The LSA said allowing discounts wouldn't encourage irresponsible consumption.

"It's an entirely different thing say you can put $10 on bar and drink all you can ... to here's $10 to buy a couple of bottles of wine that you must take away, and put one in the refrigerator," CEO Terry Mott said.

He said not allowing bottle shops to discount their products would disadvantage "small mum and dad corner stores" as well as the big retailers.

The OLGR was considering its response to the position of Coles and Woolworths, Mr Souris's spokesman said.

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Libs launch double-sided ad campaign

THE Liberal Party has launched a double-sided election advertising campaign - with one commercial attacking Kevin Rudd in twice the time another takes to extol Tony Abbott's policies.

A 60-second commercial, for television and online, launched on Sunday, refers to a "trail of disaster" left by Mr Rudd during his first term as prime minister between 2007 and 2010.

The commercial highlights: five successive budget deficits, the easing of border protection policy, the mining industry's super-profit tax, a "backflip" on a carbon emissions trading scheme and Mr Rudd's division of the Labor party "with one-third of cabinet ministers refusing to work with him".

"Imagine three more years of Labor failure," says the ad.

On the flip side, a 30-second ad featuring Mr Abbott restates Liberal promises to create two million more jobs, to lower taxes and debt - and provide "stronger borders, where the boats are stopped".

Mr Abbott denied the ads were a targeted personal attack on Mr Rudd.

"I just don't accept that," he told reporters in Sydney.

He said that of the two ads, one "is promoting our real solutions plans, which will promote hope, reward and opportunity for the Australian people.

"The other is simple facts about Kevin Rudd's record in government."

But Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek said the advertisement would probably be more damaging for the opposition than for Mr Rudd because voters were sick of negativity.

"It's the same old negativity from Tony Abbott," she told reporters in Sydney.

"In fact, it's more damaging for Tony Abbott because it's exactly what people don't like from the Liberals.

"Everything Tony Abbott has said is about tearing down, negativity, saying no or going back."

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