Indon ambassador returning to Canberra

INDONESIA'S ambassador to Australia says his return to Canberra comes after sustained work to repair ties severed after last year's spying scandal.

Najib Riphat Kesoema was recalled to Jakarta in November when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono learned Australia had tapped his phone, and those of his wife and other confidants.

He has been making more frequent trips back to Canberra as negotiations on a new code of conduct have progressed, but the president has now asked him to return for good.

He expects to move back within the coming month.

Asked if the circuit-breaker was this week's phone call from Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who apologised for not attending a planned meeting in Bali, the ambassador said rather the move followed months of work on the code.

"The president and foreign minister have been considering this for a long time," he told AAP.

"It just happens that Mr Abbott recently made a phone call to President SBY."

In Tuesday's phone call, the leaders agreed Mr Abbott should visit Jakarta in June but it's understood no firm date has been set.

It's said the president, whose term in office ends later this year, hopes to depart with his legacy of strong relations with Australia intact.

However the Abbott government's policy of turning asylum seeker boats back to Indonesia remains a controversial issue in Jakarta.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra said the government was yet to receive confirmation from Jakarta of the Indonesian's ambassador's return.

"We would very much welcome Ambassador Nadjib's return to Australia, once this is confirmed by the Indonesian government," the spokesperson said in a statement.

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Screams at Sydney building site fall death

A WOMAN heard screams of pain before a man was found dead at a neglected northern Sydney construction site that, according to a large union, has dodgy security fencing and inadequate safety warnings.

Emergency services found the 34-year-old Victorian man, who had fallen about five metres to his death, when they were called to the building site in Clarke Lane at Crows Nest about 6.30am (AEST) on Saturday.

The man had been out with his family, who found him lifeless on the ground and raised the alarm.

Investigators are linking the early morning death to misadventure.

Detectives and a WorkCover inspector were at the scene on Saturday afternoon assessing the spot, among building debris and concrete rubble, where the man fell to his death.

Kate Vanderfield, who lives across from the building site, said she heard loud male voices.

"About 6.15am I heard arguing, I heard a very aggressive guy swearing and blaspheming and everything," she said.

"Then I heard this other guy that was crying.

"About 6.30 I saw the ambulances down there so something must have happened."

Police, however, say there is no evidence of a domestic incident preceding the man's death.

Ms Vanderfield said she heard cried of pain and cries for help.

"At 6:15 I was thinking about ringing police but I looked down and saw the security guard that was there and he seemed to have everything under control," she said.

A Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) truck is parked outside the deserted building site and Ms Vanderfield said there's a union picket line near the site most days.

Police Inspector Craig Thorp said the man was not an employee working at the construction site or linked to the CFMEU.

But CFMEU officials have inspected the site, raising concerns about non-compliant fencing and inadequate safety warnings.

"It appeared site perimeter fencing was not erected to standard, gaps were visible in the fence line and there was no signage warning the public over accessing the construction site," CFMEU NSW secretary Brian Parker said.

"It is believed the man accessed the site and climbed onto machinery and fell to his death."

Construction of the residential and retail development on the site, which faces the Pacific Highway, stopped about five months ago and Mr Parker said the CFMEU held protests outside "over $25 million in unpaid debts owing to sub contractors."

"We would hope (the developer) has not taken shortcuts with its perimeter fencing and site security in a bid to cut costs," Mr Parker said.

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Arkansas judge overturns gay marriage ban

A US court says the state of Arkansas has "no rational reason" for banning gay marriage. Source: AAP

A JUDGE has struck down a ban on same-sex marriage in Arkansas, saying the US state has "no rational reason" for preventing gay couples from marrying.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza ruled that the 2004 voter-approved amendment to the state constitution violates the rights of same-sex couples.

"This is an unconstitutional attempt to narrow the definition of equality," Piazza wrote. "The exclusion of a minority for no rational reason is a dangerous precedent."

The ruling came nearly a week after state Attorney-General Dustin McDaniel announced he personally supports gay marriage rights but that he will continue to defend the constitutional ban in court. McDaniel's office said he would appeal the ruling.

A lawyer for the group of same-sex couples challenging the prohibition said he hadn't talked with his clients and didn't know if they would seek marriage licences when county offices open on Monday morning.

"If I was them, I would be there waiting for the door to open," lawyer Jack Wagoner said.

The amendment banning gay marriage was passed with the overwhelming support of Arkansas voters. Piazza's ruling also overturns a 1997 state law banning gay marriage.

In his ruling, Piazza cited the US Supreme Court's 1967 decision that invalidated laws on interracial marriage.

The US Supreme Court last year ruled that a law forbidding the federal government from recognising same-sex marriages was unconstitutional. Since then, lower-court judges have repeatedly cited the decision when striking down some of the same-sex marriage bans that were enacted after Massachusetts started recognising gay marriages in 2004.

Federal judges have ruled against marriage bans in Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Texas, and ordered Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee to recognise same-sex marriages from other states.

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Economists watch lumbering take-off

ECONOMISTS this week watched the economy gradually accelerating and wondered how the Reserve Bank of Australia would respond.

The first surprise for economists was on Wednesday, with a report that retail trade barely grew in March.

But economists mostly brushed off the hint of a slower trend in retail spending.

"While retail sales softened in March, the broader picture is suggesting that retail spending has undergone a gradual recovery since mid-2013, helping support economic growth," St George Bank economist Janu Chan said.

"Continued economic recovery this year is likely to prompt the Reserve Bank to raise interest rates later this year," she said.

NAB economist Spiros Papadopoulos said that growth, although slower, was still positive.

"Nevertheless, lower consumer confidence (which could take another hit this month given the negative press surrounding the Budget) combined with weak wages growth suggests we should see some softening in retail sales levels in coming months," he said.

The retail figures were followed on Thursday by news of a moderate 14,200 rise in employment and employment steady at 5.8 per cent, both a bit better than most economists had forecast.

Royal Bank of Canada economist Su-Lin Ong said the firm labour market report would encourage debate about whether the jobless rate has peaked.

"Given the importance of the labour market in the policy debate, these developments continue to suggest that the market may be a little complacent over just how long the cash rate will remain at an historically low 2.50 per cent," she said.

UBS economists Scott Haslem and George Tharenou said the figures confirmed an improving trend in the labour market.

"Of course, the bias in jobs toward part-time over full-time, is likely in part consistent with a still hesitant underlying economy and only modest household income growth.

"Together with the recent sharp weakening in consumer confidence - and some likely fiscal drag (from the upcoming budget) ahead - the better trend in jobs will be comforting, rather than concerning, for the RBA," Haslem and Tharenou said.

Still, some looked squarely on the bright side for the economy, like HSBC's Paul Bloxham, commenting on the RBA's quarterly monetary policy statement on Friday.

"A key focus was on the labour market, which has been improving more quickly than the RBA had expected in the last official statement," he said.

He said this may prompt the RBA to raise interest rates unexpectedly early.

Commonwealth Bank economists Diana Mousina and Gareth Aird said the RBA expects the unemployment rate to start trending downwards only after mid-2015, when economic growth returns to trend.

"In our view, the risk is that the unemployment rate peaks sooner and a lower level than what the RBA's forecasts suggest," they said.

But ANZ chief economist Ivan Colhoun said the RBA's jobs outlook implied quite a "dovish" (that is, not expecting increases) view on interest rates, given the importance of unemployment trends in driving monetary policy historically.

"If realised this could delay the beginning of rate hikes until later in 2015 as the market has recently been moving to price," Mr Colhoun said.

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Investors could avoid gold on uncertainty

INVESTORS could shy away from the embattled West Australian gold sector after the state government flagged more than $500 million in additional royalty revenue.

Analysts say uncertainty around the WA state government's royalties regime could harm resources investment in the state, particularly among gold miners who have been affected by steep price falls in recent years.

Royalty revenue estimates contained in Thursday's WA state budget show an additional $560 million has been booked over three years from 2015/16.

Gold miners, who currently pay royalties of about 2.5 per of the spot price, believe they are in the firing line following previous government commentary.

They say the industry will be burdened at a time of lower gold prices and high labour costs.

The WA government is reviewing its royalties regime, but it is yet to reveal any outcomes.

It expects to complete the review process by the end of the year.

"Given that the review is yet to be completed and considered by the government there is a significant degree of uncertainty associated with these royalty estimates," the 2014/15 budget papers say.

CMC Market analyst Michael McCarthy said a lack of detail around which sector would be targeted was creating uncertainty.

"We're now looking at a six or seven month period without understanding where that money's coming from and that's certainly bad news for investment in WA mining," Mr McCarthy said.

"Creating this sort of uncertainty ahead of the completion of the review process is absolutely not a positive and has the potential to destabilise investment in resources companies in WA."

Both large and small WA-based gold companies believe they will be targeted.

Newmont Asia Pacific head Kelvyn Eglinton recently said a royalty hike would force his company to reduce costs by holding off projects and not investing in capital and jobs.

Meanwhile, Doray Minerals managing director Allan Kelly, who is also the spokesman of the Gold Royalties Response Group, said margins for the precious metal's producers had been seriously eroded by rising production costs and an 11 per cent decrease in the gold price in the past year.

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Two arrested over insider trading scam

Two men have been arrested over an insider trading scheme that netted them $7 million. Source: AAP

A MELBOURNE bank officer and a Canberra public servant have been arrested over an alleged $7 million insider trading operation.

Australian Federal Police allege the National Australia Bank employee obtained market sensitive information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics employee.

The banker used the information to predict fluctuations in the Australian dollar, the AFP says.

The activity - which generated about $7 million in profits - occurred between August last year and this month, AFP acting assistant commissioner Ian McCartney said.

The AFP executed eight search warrants and seized assets in Melbourne and Canberra on Friday.

The 26-year-old Melbourne man has been charged with offences relating to the use of insider information and corrupting a public official.

Police stressed he did not use any funds or systems from the NAB in the course of his offending.

"He was operating of his own accord," Mr McCartney said.

The 24-year-old Canberra man faces insider trading, corruption and abuse of public office charges.

The investigation was a joint operation with the AFP and Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

The men, who know each other from university, are appearing in court in Canberra and Melbourne later on Friday.

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Lift education standards: Linfox boss

THE head of one of Australia's largest transport companies wants governments to do more to address education standards as local students continue to fall behind their Asian counterparts.

Linfox chief executive Michael Byrne says education should rank above even improving infrastructure as a national priority.

"I think we need to do even more on education than we do on architectural infrastructure," he told AAP on Wednesday.

Mr Byrne told a business lunch in Sydney that Linfox, which has a large logistics presence in Asia and deals with clients from across the world, was increasingly hiring from overseas.

"Most of our graduates are now coming out of Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and China because they are just so well educated," he said.

"I can get someone from the National University of Singapore who speaks four or five languages, who is mathematically proficient in four or five languages. Why wouldn't we employ them instead of someone who comes from the University of NSW and speaks one language?"

The Abbott government has made building new infrastructure a priority and is encouraging state governments to privatise assets to fund new projects.

But Mr Byrne said while new and better infrastructure was important, education was the greater problem.

"Our problem is that our country is not keeping pace with globalisation," he said.

"Our politicians won't take on the real challenges in education...we are still not very focused on being bilingual at high school."

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Qld hospital floor evacuated, smoke smell

PEOPLE have been removed from one floor of a hospital southwest of Brisbane due to the smell of smoke being detected.

One floor of Ipswich Hospital was cleared shortly after 2.35pm on Wednesday.

The smoke smell emanated from the building on Chelmsford Avenue but no fire was spotted, a Queensland Fire and Rescue spokeswoman told AAP.

The cause is still to be determined, with firefighters on the scene.

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Linfox wants out of industry groups

LOGISTICS giant Linfox is considering splitting with the rest of the transport industry due to concerns about safety standards.

Linfox chief executive Michael Byrne says the company is looking at exiting major industry organisations, such as the Australian Truckers Association, due to the divide over safety standards.

The company wants the industry to do more to improve safety standards, and founder Lindsay Fox has called for black box recorders to be installed in trucks as a way of ensuring fatigued drivers stay off the road.

Mr Byrne said while Linfox's own safety policies went beyond industry standards, its stance had put it at odds with other operators.

"They think some of our requirements around the black box, etcetera are arbitrary and costly and we don't agree," he said.

"Some of those associations have a different view, so it's probably time to leave some of those associations."

Mr Byrne acknowledged other operators did not have the same resources as Linfox, but said they could still afford to do more.

"We do think a lot of people in the industry can do more.

"Safety is not something that should be based on cost."

Safety standards in the industry have been in the spotlight since a truck owned by Cootes Transport overturned and exploded on a Sydney road last year, killing two people.

The incident resulted in the resignation of chief executive Peter Garaty and a threat from the NSW government to ban the company from the state's roads.

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Forrest hands $12m to uranium explorer

MINING magnate Andrew Forrest has invested $12 million in a prospective West Australian uranium miner aiming to be in production by the end of 2016.

Mr Forrest has paid Energy and Minerals Australia (EMA) $12 million for a 28 per cent stake in the company, which owns land in central Western Australia containing four deposits of uranium.

The company has also reached agreement with its lenders to remove $24.5 million of debt, and it says the two deals will help set it up to get its Mulga Rock project underway.

EMA is run by Julian Tapp, a former executive at Mr Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group, and former BC Iron boss Mike Young.

"My investment is a strong vote of confidence in the executive management team of Mike Young and Julian Tapp with whom I have had a long and successful working relationship," Mr Forrest said.

Mr Forrest, who has a net worth of an estimated $5.7 billion, last week paid $40 million for Harvey Beef, which processes beef for local and overseas markets.

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Insulation critic's claim questioned

A TECHNICAL expert who says he was sacked for revealing safety flaws in Labor's home insulation scheme never raised those concerns in emails to superiors, an inquiry has been told.

Dr Troy Delbridge has told a royal commission he suffered psychological abuse for daring to speak out about severe safety problems when he was not authorised to do so.

Commonwealth lawyer Tom Howe, QC, argued Dr Delbridge's evidence couldn't be trusted because of his failure to flag his concerns in a series of emails he sent to superiors.

In the emails, Dr Delbridge complained about his workload and claimed he had been subject to a campaign of intimidation and harassment by senior environment department bureaucrat Will Kimber.

But he never specifically raised safety concerns in the correspondence with Mr Kimber and departmental leaders.

Mr Howe questioned why Dr Delbridge failed to make "one tittle of mention" about safety issues in the emails, given the contractor claimed his determination to raise risks led to his sacking.

In his third day of evidence, Dr Delbridge said he was in a poor state of mind and hoped the emails would elicit a discussion with someone more senior.

Counsel assisting Keith Wilson, QC, objected to Mr Howe's cross-examination, saying the commonwealth shouldn't be allowed to attack one of its former workers for the sake of protecting other employees.

Mr Howe's questioning only served to discredit and embarrass Dr Delbridge whose one-year contract with the environment department was terminated after four months, Mr Wilson said.

Mr Howe said the commonwealth will accept the program was "afflicted with deficiencies and imperfections".

But it doesn't accept Dr Delbridge's claims that he was victimised and sacked for blowing the whistle on safety, he said.

The Rudd government program rolled out in 2009 has been blamed for four deaths, one serious injury and more than 200 house fires.

The inquiry continues.

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Experts to review MH370 search operation

Officials from three countries will gather to discuss the next step in the search for flight MH370. Source: AAP

A WHO'S who of aviation experts will meet in Canberra next Wednesday to scour data collected in the search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.

The expert panel will review data as part of the new phase in the search for the missing aircraft.

The panel will also identify specific equipment needs as the search continues on the seabed, which will involve mapping previously uncharted parts of the southern Indian Ocean's seafloor.

Senior Malaysian and Chinese ministers met Australian officials in Canberra on Monday to discuss the next stages of the search, which is being coordinated by the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) in Perth.

All three governments remain committed to continuing the search.

JACC head, retired air chief marshal Angus Houston, said the panel would include a "who's who of experts in the aviation world".

Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss hopes sub-surface equipment will be operational within two months but refused to speculate on the time frame for the aircraft search.

"We have no idea when it's likely to be found," he said.

"We just always hope it's tomorrow."

While sub-surface equipment is being sourced, search efforts involving Chinese, Malaysian and Australian vessels will continue.

The new search phase will cost an estimated $60 million and require fewer personnel than the initial phase, which involved multiple vessels and aircraft.

The Malaysian government put together the International Investigation Team (IIT), which includes the CIA, FBI and Chinese intelligence, to uncover the cause of MH370's disappearance.

Malaysia's acting transport minister, Hishamuddin Bin Tun Hussein, says his government has not ruled out terrorism or hijacking.

The IIT is exploring four possibilities: terrorism, hijacking, a personal situation or a psychological event.

The JACC will move from Perth to Canberra, while base operations remain in Perth.

MH370 was carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it vanished on March 8.

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$15m boost to Vic mental health

MENTAL health services will get a $15 million boost in the Victorian budget to help change the way specialist, police and ambulance services respond to people with mental illness.

The investment, over four years, will create a new locally based, co-ordinated mental health crisis response.

Mental health workers will work with police and ambulance workers to tailor responses to someone needing urgent support.

The budget allocation also aims to reduce pressure on police, ambulance and emergency department resources.

Mental Health Minister Mary Wooldridge says the initiative draws on previous trials, which brought together mental health workers and police to respond to a crisis to avoid it escalating and involving an emergency department.

The trials found people suffering a mental illness episode were less likely to end up in the local emergency department and police units could be released to other duties more quickly, she said.

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Sheeran single Sing debuts at No.1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Greens say they're the party to fix NSW

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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