No visa info over Tamil's death: group

IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison says Australian officials have contacted the family of a Tamil asylum seeker explaining visa processes so they can travel to Australia to attend his funeral.

But a spokesman for the Tamil Refugee Council said on Saturday that no one from the Australian Immigration department has been in touch with the family in India.

Asylum seeker Leorsin Seemanpillai, 29, died last Sunday after dousing himself in petrol and setting himself alight in Geelong.

Refugee advocates say the Tamil feared being returned to Sri Lanka because he thought he faced persecution from authorities.

The government has offered to return his body to Sri Lanka or India.

But immediate family who live in a refugee camp in Tamil Nadu in southern India say they fear for their safety if the funeral is held in either country. They are seeking visas to attend the funeral in Australia.

Mr Morrison acknowledged that they face very real difficulties.

He said the department had explained to them the process of application for a short-term visitor visa to travel to Australia, including the need for travel documents.

That process was very clear and it would be up to the immigration department to assess their application.

"It's not available to the minister to instruct the department in issuing a visitor visa in circumstances like these and they will have to apply the law as it stands," he told ABC radio.

Tamil Refugee Council spokesman Aran Mylvaganam said he had spoken to Mr Seemanpillai's father on Saturday, specifically asking if anyone from the Australian Immigration department had contacted him to explain how to obtain a visa.

The only Australian officials they had heard from were the Victorian refugee assistance group AMES, which offered to pay funeral costs, and the coroner's office in Melbourne.

"Either Morrison is getting the wrong advice from his department or he is simply trying to misinform the Australian people," he said in a statement.

"Whatever is the case, it is an absolute disgrace that he won't intervene to help this family in a moment of dire need."

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One dead, one hurt in SA speed boat crash

ONE person is dead and another has been rushed to hospital after a speedboat crashed on the Murray River in South Australia.

SA Police say Saturday afternoon's accident occurred during a competitive event.

"There were two victims, one is sadly deceased," an SA police spokesman said.

"The other has got some serious burns and has been flown to the Royal Adelaide Hospital."

The Adelaide Advertiser reported the victims were both male, but SA Police were unable to provide further details.

"It was a sad tragic way of ending the day's competition there," the police spokesman said.

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Alleged Sydney card skimmer charged

A man has been caught allegedly skimming money out of ATMs in Sydney's west using stolen card data. Source: AAP

A MAN has been caught allegedly skimming money out of ATMs in Sydney's west using stolen card data.

Police were contacted after the 27-year-old was seen acting suspiciously in Parramatta on Friday morning, walking from one ATM to another, allegedly making transactions with several cards.

Officers later detained and searched the man, finding 15 store cards, which are believed to have been encoded with stolen card data. He also had more than $4000 in cash on him.

The Fairfield man was charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and two other related charges.

He was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at Parramatta Local Court on July 16.

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PM wants Monash to be household name

THE efforts of Australian General John Monash on the Western Front in World War I should be as widely recognised as the story of Simpson and his donkey at Gallipoli, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.

Mr Abbott revealed on Saturday a new memorial centre to be built in France would be named in honour of the Australian military leader, who is regarded as one of the great tacticians of World War I.

After joining world leaders at D-Day commemorations in Normandy on Friday, Mr Abbott turned his attention to the First World War as he visited the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux for the first time.

While not as famous as the Gallipoli campaign, the efforts of Australian diggers to stop German forces on the Western Front were critical to the outcome of the war.

Of the 295,000 Australians who fought there between 1916 and 1918, 46,000 never made it home and the prime minister is leading a push he believes will help improve a sense of national identity.

"No place on earth has been more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than these fields in France," Mr Abbott said.

"Australians should be as familiar with the story of the Western Front as we are with Gallipoli.

"Australians should be at least as familiar with the achievements of Monash as we are with the heroism of John Simpson Kirkpatrick (in Gallipoli)."

Sir John Monash was involved in the failed Gallipoli campaign but used his experiences to lead several significant battlefield victories, including the decisive Battle of Amiens.

Mr Abbott said he brought organisation and technology to the battlefield to "break the stalemate of trench warfare".

Attendances at the annual Anzac Day dawn service at Villers-Bretonneux have grown steadily in recent years, with the crowd this year surpassing that at Gallipoli.

Some predict it will become the nation's clear focal point of Anzac Day commemorations beyond next year's centenary in Gallipoli.

"Australians should congregate here, every April 25th, no less than at Anzac Cove," Mr Abbott said.

"And on Anzac Day four years hence, the centenary of the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, I'm sure they will."

Mr Abbott said it was expected the new "interpretive centre", to be built behind the Australian memorial, would open in 2018 to coincide with 100th anniversary commemorations.

The "Sir John Monash" centre will help to better explain Australia's role in the final victories of World War I and the government will put up $6.9 million for the initial planning.

Mr Abbott later followed in the footsteps of former prime ministers by visiting the Victoria School, built in Villers-Bretonneux in 1927 with money donated by school children from the Australian state.

He chatted with schoolchildren and locals in the school's courtyard, where a prominent green and gold sign hangs permanently reading: "Never Forget Australia."

Mr Abbott then visited the memorial site at nearby Pozieres, the sight of a bloody 1916 battle where 23,000 Australians were killed in the space of just six weeks.

The prime minister was expected to meet with French President Francois Hollande on Saturday night before departing Paris on Sunday for Canada and the US.

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10 Islamists sentenced to death in Egypt

AN Egyptian court has sentenced ten supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement to death in absentia on charges of inciting violence and blocking a road last July.

Judge Hassan Fareed on Saturday referred the sentence to the Grand Mufti, the highest Islamic authority in Egypt, a legal requirement usually considered a formality.

The remaining 38 accused in the case, including the Brotherhood's supreme guide and other senior members, will be sentenced at the next hearing on July 5.

The case is one of several ongoing mass trials of supporters of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Under Egyptian law, those sentenced in absentia will have a new trial if they are arrested or surrender to authorities.

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Man lied over boy's abuse before murder

WHEN a two-year-old boy turned up to his Sydney pre-school with bruises, his stepfather told the carers he'd had another fall in the shower.

The swollen bite marks around the little boy's elbow, he said, were self-inflicted.

But after the man left the pre-school that day in February 2008, staff found further disturbing signs of serious abuse.

The toddler had a bruise on his pelvic area, along with a large, fresh cut on his shoulder.

This was one of at least three occasions in 2006 and 2007 when the man had assaulted his stepson while he was in his sole care.

These attacks left the two-year-old with severe bruising, swelling and rash-like haemorrhaging to his head, face, neck and shoulders, and bleeding into his nappy.

His stepfather repeatedly lied to cover up the abuse.

And that was before he beat him to death.

The man, who cannot be named, is convicted of murdering his stepson on March 3, 2008, while caring for him alone at The Oaks on the outskirts of Sydney's southwest.

The 39-year-old was supposed to be looking after the boy while his mother was at TAFE.

He pleaded guilty in late 2013.

At a sentencing submissions hearing, crown prosecutor Chris Maxwell QC told the NSW Supreme Court the boy died from two savage blows - one to his stomach and another to his head.

The first tore his stomach wall and would have caused the two-year-old "enormous pain" that required urgent medical attention.

But the man failed to seek help after the attack.

An agreed statement of facts shows an autopsy determined the child was left in this state for perhaps hours before he was fatally hit on the head, causing a massive skull fracture and brain swelling.

"The defendant witnessed this suffering and then finally struck him in the head," Mr Maxwell said.

The autopsy stated the injuries could have only been caused by the infliction of grievous bodily harm.

Nevertheless, the man told police his stepson had fallen on concrete and had a pre-existing mental condition.

He said that hours later, after putting the toddler to bed, he went into his room and wiped some blood and vomit away from his mouth.

The two-year-old's father told the court the image of his son's cold, lifeless body haunted him.

His victim impact statement was read out by a support worker as the father left the court briefly in tears.

"My son was such a wonderful little boy," it said.

"When people ask me how I cope, I tell them, 'I have to'. But secretly, deep down, my heart has been broken beyond repair."

The convicted child killer will return to court next month.

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Former Qld Lib leader slams treasurer

A FORMER Queensland Liberal leader has slammed the state treasurer for likening a solar bonus scheme to middle-class welfare.

Brisbane talkback radio went into a frenzy on Friday after Treasurer Tim Nicholls told parliament the former Labor government's feed-in tariff scheme was designed for "champagne sippers and the latte set".

Bruce Flegg, a former state Liberal leader who Mr Nicholls challenged in 2007, took to Twitter to condemn those comments.

"People who installed solar panels were also urged and incentivised to do so by the then govt and should not be criticised for having done so," he tweeted on Friday.

Earlier, Premier Campbell Newman declared in parliament he never received a 44-cent feed-in tariff after installing solar panels on his home in 2007.

"Guess what I get paid: it's eight cents or less. I've never got the 44-cent feed-in tariff," he said.

"Not at all. Not one little bit of it, ever."

More than 200,000 Queensland households receive 44 cents for every kilowatt hour they feed into the grid.

The Liberal National Party reduced the tariff to eight cents, for new customers only, after it won power, and recently changed it again so customers negotiate the fee directly with energy retailers.

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Moo-ving tale as cow saved from pool

A COW has been saved from drowning by firefighters who helped it out of a backyard swimming pool in the NSW Hunter Valley.

A woman returned to her Maitland home on Friday afternoon to find her dogs barking at the cow after it wandered through a gap in the fence and fell into the pool.

Fire & Rescue NSW said the cow was treading water in the deep end with one of its legs snared in the plastic pool cover.

Firefighters put a rope around its neck to manoeuvre the struggling animal towards the shallow end.

"Once the cow had worked out it could stand and get out via the steps, firefighters stepped back as the bovine made a quick escape out through the property to her awaiting herd in an adjoining paddock," local station officer Chris Holderberg said.

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Settlement in WA baby flu vaccination case

A FIVE-YEAR-OLD girl has received a confidential multi-million dollar payout from pharmaceutical manufacturer CSL Ltd and the state of Western Australia after becoming severely disabled from a flu vaccination.

Saba Button got the vaccination under a government-promoted scheme in April 2010 when a GP injected a 0.25ml dose of CSL 2010 Fluvax into her left arm.

As a consequence of the vaccination, she suffered hypoxic brain injury and severe disabilities.

Her life expectancy has been significant shortened and she will require constant care for the rest of her life.

Days after she was vaccinated and dozens of other adverse reactions in children were reported, the state government suspended its seasonal flu vaccination program.

The Buttons said the settlement - which media reports suggest was in the order of several million dollars - was a huge relief.

"No one wants to really go through court ... to settle it through mediation is a great relief for us," father Mick Button told reporters.

He said Saba inspires him every day, and the settlement would provide the family with financial security to meet her needs.

"You can't buy your health but it is a good outcome," mother Kirsten said.

CSL denied any liability and claiming that the State of Western Australia and the state's health minister were responsible for any compensation due.

CSL also cross-claimed against the state and the minister for a contribution in the event its defence were to fail.

The state and the minister filed a defence to the cross claim denying any liability in the matter.

The claim and cross claim were privately mediated, resulting in all of the parties reaching a settlement.

On Friday, Federal Court of Australia Justice Michael Barker approved the agreement.

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Gunman kills one, injures three in US

A suspect is in custody after four people were wounded in a shooting on a Seattle university campus. Source: AAP

A GUNMAN has killed one person and injured three others on a college campus in the northwestern US city of Seattle, the latest of what the mayor denounced as America's "epidemic of gun violence".

The most recent bloody rampage to shake the country came on Thursday, two weeks after an apparently mentally disturbed young man opened fire at a California university and killed six people.

The gunman opened fire in the lobby of a science building at Seattle Pacific University, killing a 19-year-old man and wounding three other people.

"Today should have been a day of celebration at the end of the school year. Instead, it's a day of tragedy and of loss," Seattle mayor Ed Murray told reporters after the shooting.

"Once again, the epidemic of gun violence has come to Seattle, the epidemic of gun violence that's haunting this nation."

The injured, including one who was in critical condition, were being treating in hospital.

"Police have one suspect in custody, an adult male who was subdued after being pepper-sprayed by a student security guard," a police statement said.

The gunman was identified as Aaron Ybarra, 26, and he was not a student at the university, the Seattle Post Intelligencer newspaper reported.

He was to make an initial court appearance on Friday on suspicion of murder, it said.

Blake Oliveira, a student, said he was in class when he heard gunfire and at first thought it came from a physics experiment. But then he heard screams, the Seattle paper reported.

The 21-year-old grabbed a metal pipe, as he and fellow students were locked in a physics lab.

Oliveira said he heard someone telling others to be calm, and then heard running.

Minutes later, he said, two police officers entered the lab and escorted everyone out.

"I took off my sandals, put them into my backpack in case I had to run," Oliveira said.

"This is all going down. I saw a cop with a shotgun and I thought, 'OK, this is kind of real right now'. And then I saw blood on the floor," the newspaper quoted him as saying.

Police spokesman Chris Fowler described how the young male gunman was taken into custody after opening fire in the lobby of a building on the campus.

He began to reload when a student who was monitoring the building "confronted the shooter (and) was able to subdue the individual", Fowler told reporters.

"Once on the ground, other students jumped on top of them and they were able to pin the shooter to the ground until police arrived."

Less than two weeks ago, a reportedly mentally unstable 22-year-old man killed six people before turning the gun on himself at a college campus in Santa Barbara, California.

School shootings have become a tragic periodic occurrence in the US in recent years.

They include the December 2012 massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 20 small children dead, and the Virginia Tech shooting in April 2007 in which 33 died, including the gunman.

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Dredge spoil dumping near reef approved

THE government body that protects the Great Barrier Reef has approved the dumping of more than 370,000 cubic metres of dredge spoil in the marine park.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has issued a permit to allow a port authority to dump the spoil as part of a dredging project at Hay Point coal port in central Queensland.

The decision has angered conservation groups, and comes only months after the authority gave the green light for three million tonnes of spoil to be dumped as part of a project to expand the nearby Abbot Point coal port.

"It is an astounding level of arrogance," North Queensland Conservation Council spokeswoman Wendy Tubman said.

"The government claims it is protecting the reef while allowing it to be subjected to such damage from out-of-control sea dumping."

She also says the federal and Queensland governments are taking UNESCO "for a ride".

The United Nation's environment arm has said it regrets the federal government's decision to approve the Abbot Point dredging project, and has raised concerns about the overall health of the reef.

UNESCO is expected to discuss whether to list the reef as a World Heritage site "in danger" when it meets next week.

The Ports Corporation of Queensland wants to carry out the works at Hay Point to make it easier for ships to access the port and to increase capacity.

It's estimated 378,400 cubic metres of dredge spoil will be dumped within the marine park over three years.

The dredging will be carried out within the marine park and the World Heritage Area.

GBRMPA says no hard coral reefs are in the approved dredge disposal area.

It also says the permit imposes a number of conditions to minimise potential effects on the marine park, including the Whitsundays, which is north of Hay Point.

"With safeguards in place, the proposed dredging and dredge disposal is unlikely to significantly impact on the environmental, social, heritage and cultural values of the Marine Park," the authority said in a statement.

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Australia looks beyond China for growth

AUSTRALIA won't be putting all of its economic and investment eggs into China's basket, Trade Minister Andrew Robb says.

Mr Robb and Prime Minister Tony Abbott will embark on a trade and investment tour of Canada and the United States next week.

It will include Mr Abbott's first meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House.

Mr Robb will lead a separate business delegation to Ottawa, Toronto, New York and Houston.

China accounts for 30 per cent of Australia's exports and about $151 billion in two-way trade.

Critics say this leaves the Australian economy open to danger should the Chinese economy slow down.

But Mr Robb said the argument was misguided, particularly given the interest in Australia from the US, Canada, Indonesia, the Gulf States and Singapore.

"I've done 28 investment roundtables in 10 countries," he told AAP.

"They want a stable, certain investment environment.

"I think we are quite attractive and we are restoring the gold standard for sovereign risk."

The US had 10 times more invested in Australia than it had in China, and Australia had $30 billion invested in China but $450 billion in the US.

"I'm very conscious of the fact that the long-term investors - the US, UK, Switzerland and Japan - will continue to be the mainstay of our investment," Mr Robb said.

"A lot of the growth may come out of China and others but you still need the mainstay.

"We can't put our eggs in the one basket but it's fair to say we are not."

The focus of Mr Robb's mission will be pension funds and other investors in North America with an interest in tourism and hospitality, medical research and devices, resources and energy, education and agribusiness.

"These are five things we feel we are as good as anybody and better than most," he said.

There was also the potential for investment in some of the $200 billion in potential state asset sales spurred on by the government's offer of a 15 per cent bonus if the money is put back into infrastructure.

Capital was needed to build five-star hotels to service the growing number of high-spending Chinese tourists.

Agribusiness investment was essential to growing high-value food and fibre products, processing it and shipping it overseas.

Mr Robb's next trip after North America will be to Switzerland and the UK.

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Nepal tree-huggers reach for record

MORE than 2000 people have gathered in Nepal's capital in a bid to set a world record for the largest tree hug.

Parliament members, students, office workers and even Buddhist monks took part in the attempt on Thursday, gathering at a park on the outskirts of Katmandu.

They said they were trying to set the record to celebrate World Environment Day by spreading awareness about the importance of trees.

"Our goal is to set a new world record and at the same time spread the message that trees are important for the environment and everyone," said Thaneswor Guragai, who co-ordinated the event.

The previous Guinness World Record for the most people hugging trees simultaneously was 936 people in Portland, Oregon, in July 2013.

Participants on Thursday held trees for two minutes as volunteers beat drums at the National Martyrs and Peace Park, on the northeast edge of Katmandu.

"We are gathered here in our attempt to save the forests and make people aware that trees and forests are important for human civilization," said Rajan KC, who was among the 20 Parliament members hugging the trees and monitoring the event.

Most of the participants were students in their school uniforms.

Ninth-grader Ganga Pandit said that while she had planted samplings in the past, she felt it was important for her to join the campaign to save existing trees.

The organisers of Thursday's event will send photos, video, a signed statement from the parliament members who were there and the names of the participants to Guinness, which will decide whether to recognise the feat as a record.

Guragai said it would take about two months to get a recognition certificate from Guinness.

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Thousands affected by Adelaide lockdown

A 13-hour siege caused a lockdown in parts of central Adelaide, causing disruption to thousands. Source: AAP

THOUSANDS of commuters, workers and residents were barred from several blocks in central Adelaide as dangerous fugitive Rodney Clavell was holed up in a nearby brothel.

The 13-hour siege caused major disruption in peak hour traffic, as trams, buses, cars and pedestrians were diverted from King William Street.

Four blocks south of Victoria Square were cordoned off, with reporters and camera crews placed in an area which gave no view of the building housing the massage parlour.

Replacement public transport went around the cordoned-off area, just up the road from the court precinct - a place not unfamiliar to Clavell, a former prison officer and prisoner.

A few interested members of the public waited at the cordon line.

The police regularly updated the media and pleaded with Clavell - who they believed had access to TV and radio - to end the siege peacefully.

Billie Morrison said she was riding her bike to the law firm where she works when she was told the area was cordoned off.

"It was very daunting and nerve-wracking, as you can see the streets are very empty and quiet," she said.

"There would be hundreds of offices closed down. There are barristers' chambers, there are medical centres, a chemist. There are a lot of buildings and businesses in this area."

Ms Morrison said she had never seen anything like it in Adelaide.

"You hear about it all over the world but you don't expect it to be at your doorstep first thing in the morning."

Just before 2pm it was over when police found Clavell's body and a firearm in the building.

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Uproar over O'Neill plan

PAPUA New Guinea's opposition has lashed out at a plan by Prime Minister Peter O'Neill to restrict nominees for the top job to members of his own party in the event of a motion of no-confidence.

The government is planning to introduce legislation on June 24 restricting candidates to the office of prime minister to members of the largest parliamentary party, according to the Port Moresby-based Post Courier Newspaper.

Deputy opposition leader Sam Basil on Thursday attacked the plan, saying the move shows Mr O'Neill wants to ensure his party, the People's National Congress (PNC), can continue to protect him and his interests.

"What the Prime Minister Peter O'Neill is doing is just simply using the numerical strength that he amassed through political intimidation and (district fund) controlled support to pass yet another controversial law to protect his interests," Mr Basil said on Facebook on Thursday.

"After every general elections the Governor General calls for a political party that has the highest number of MP-elect to form the new government. That doesn't mean that this political party has the golden ticket to the Prime Minister's post."

Mr O'Neill, whose PNC is the largest party in the coalition government, is currently on his way back to Port Moresby from a bilateral visit to Japan.

Thursday's newspaper article, which appeared under the headline O'Neill-ocracy, cites a May 28 circular to MPs from the office of the clerk of PNG's national parliament.

It also quotes Mr O'Neill as saying that under the legislation if a party fails to secure the numbers to rule, Parliament can elect any MP from the floor to be PM.

He has recently come to loggerheads with the country's Ombudsman Commission over a controversial $A1.3 billion loan from Swiss investment bank UBS to buy back shares in Oil Search Limited.

After the watchdog announced it was investigating and ordered a freeze on the deal, Mr O'Neill publicly urged the ombudsman to back down on the grounds it would trigger a loan default - a move criticised on Thursday by former treasurer Don Polye.

Mr O'Neill has also been accused of authorising illegal payments to a controversial PNG law firm, Paul Paraka lawyers - a claim Mr O'Neill has strenuously, and repeatedly, denied.

The executive director of PNG's Institute of National Affairs, Paul Barker, told AAP that parliament should retain the right to remove an incompetent government with another that is more suitable.

"Although political stability is valuable, and frivolous votes of no-confidence should not be entertained, it remains a constitutional responsibility of the legislature to act as check and balance on the government of the day," he said.

He said there were two ways to look at Mr O'Neill's latest move.

On the one hand, Mr O'Neill may be trying to protect his party programs and legacy.

"More negative observers might suggest that there is much more at stake in terms of vested interests over retaining power," Mr Barker said.

"He's clearly afraid of something."

A spokesman for Mr O'Neill on Thursday night said the constitutional amendments were proposed by PNG's constitutional law reform commission and the registrar of political parties, and not by Prime Minister O'Neill or the PNC.

"The (news) story is not PO's (Peter O'Neill) or the PNC's initiative," he said.

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New home for Perth's wandering peacock

A YOUNG peacock found strutting his stuff in suburban Perth has a new home after doing time in an animal shelter.

He also has a new name: Gerald.

The juvenile bird was seen wandering in Westminster about a month ago and was cared for at the RSPCA Animal Care Centre in Malaga while the owner was sought.

On Wednesday, an animal lover who has a 4ha property in Wanneroo adopted the colourful bird.

"We are thrilled to hear he has found a loving new family," RSPCA WA chief inspector Amanda Swift said.

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Alleged jewellery thieves flaunted booty

IT took several police officers and a member of the public to bring down an alleged jewellery thief as he fled through a Perth mall before a dramatic arrest.

About 5.45pm (WST) on Wednesday, officers saw two men in their early 20s, who had allegedly stolen jewellery from a city store, filming and photographing themselves wearing the stolen goods, a police spokesman said.

Police caught one of the men and asked the other to hand over his mobile phone, but he took "an aggressive stance" and fled the scene.

Following a chase through Forrest Place, several officers and a member of the public brought the man to the ground.

Both men were taken into custody.

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Economy has solid growth foundation:Hockey

A surge in economic growth in the first three months of the year has made Joe Hockey optimistic. Source: AAP

JOE Hockey is cautiously optimistic the unemployment rate will not hit the heights predicted in the budget.

The treasurer says the latest national accounts show the resilience of the economy, with growth at its strongest in about two years.

The economy expanded at 1.1 per cent in the first three months of 2014, lifting the annual rate to 3.5 per cent and above its long-term trend of 3.25 per cent.

Mr Hockey said the figures backed up the government's economic strategy.

"We have a very solid foundation for future growth," Mr Hockey told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.

"But as I've said on many occasions, future growth must be earned."

Mr Hockey's budget in May forecast a jobless rate of 6.25 per cent in the coming two years, a figure he says he inherited from Labor.

"I'm cautiously optimistic that we won't get there," the treasurer said.

The unemployment rate sits at 5.8 per cent.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia senior economist Michael Workman does not expect the strong growth reading to prompt the Reserve Bank to lift the cash rate any time soon.

"In our view, there is unlikely to be a policy change until we see a clear shift to lower unemployment rates," Mr Workman said, adding that would need to coincide with higher inflation in coming quarters.

Exports were the biggest contributor to growth in the March quarter, adding 1.4 percentage points.

This coincided with the extraordinary event that Western Australia was not hit by cyclones in the March quarter.

"Our miners are exporting their socks off," Mr Hockey said.

However, Treasury secretary Martin Parkinson is sticking with his budget forecast for economic growth to return to below trend for a while yet.

"That growth (in exports) won't be sustained," Dr Parkinson told a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday.

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said the national accounts highlighted the importance of the mining industry but economic policy must also focus on supporting growth in non-mining sectors.

"The budget has clearly hit household budgets and consumer confidence," Mr Bowen told AAP.

Mr Hockey dismissed the drop in confidence as not unusual after a budget.

Treasury's executive director for the macroeconomic group, David Gruen, went further, saying confidence readings were not particularly helpful in predicting consumption.

"It is something of interest, it certainly generates headlines in newspapers," Dr Gruen told the hearing.

"I'm not going to say it is of no value, but I am going to say that it contains relatively little information once you know what else is going on in the economy."

Provided the economy continued to do reasonably well, with good jobs growth, consumer confidence was likely to bounce back, he said.

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Putin slams Obama as he meets Poroshenko

PRESIDENT Barack Obama has met Ukraine's president-elect Petro Poroshenko, in a show of US support for Ukraine's right to chart its own future, before an encounter with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Obama sat down with Poroshenko on Wednesday in Warsaw, during a trip designed to assuage security concerns in eastern Europe following Russia's annexation of Crimea and what Washington says is an effort to destabilise Ukraine.

Obama said he had "been deeply impressed" by Poroshenko's vision for his troubled country.

"The United States is absolutely committed to standing behind the Ukrainian people not just in the coming days, weeks, but in the coming years," Obama told reporters.

The talks on day two of Obama's European tour come after the president met central and eastern European leaders in Warsaw and before he heads to a G7 summit in Belgium.

The summit takes place against a backdrop of signs that Western unity over how to handle Russia is fracturing.

Obama will come face to face with Putin during 70th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France on Friday, but officials in Washington and Moscow say there are no plans for a formal meeting.

In contrast, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany will hold one-on-one talks with Putin, who said Wednesday he could not understand Obama's stance.

"It is his choice, I am ready for dialogue," Putin said in an interview with French broadcasters Europe1 and TF1 conducted at his dacha in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Putin went on to accuse the US administration of hypocrisy in its "aggressive" attempts to isolate Russia over its conduct in Ukraine.

"We have almost no military forces abroad yet look: everywhere in the world there are American military bases, American troops thousands of kilometres from their borders. They interfere in the interior affairs of this or that country. So it is difficult to accuse us of abuses."

The accelerating diplomacy over Ukraine comes as a seven-week pro-Russian insurgency in Ukraine's eastern rust belt grows only more violent after Poroshenko swept to power in a May 25 presidential ballot.

Hundreds of separatist gunmen on Monday attacked a Ukrainian border guard service camp in the region of Lugansk on the border with Russia.

Obama said Tuesday that US commitment to eastern European security was absolute.

"Our commitment to Poland's security as well as the security of our allies in central and eastern Europe is a cornerstone of our own security and it is sacrosanct," Obama said after inspecting a joint unit of Polish and US F-16 pilots.

He proposed a "European Reassurance Initiative" of up to $1 billion (730 million euros) to finance extra US troop and military deployments to "new allies" in Europe.

NATO defence ministers also agreed Tuesday a series of steps to bolster protection in eastern Europe after the Ukraine crisis, but insisted they were acting within the limits of a key post-Cold War treaty with Moscow.

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PM runs late for important date with SBY

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott's meeting to repair the relationship with Indonesia had already been months in the making, before a problem with his plane delayed the highly-anticipated event a little more.

Mr Abbott left Canberra for Batam, Indonesia, more than two hours late on Wednesday, another bump on the road to reconciling with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The president last year learned Australia had tapped the phones of his wife and other confidants under the previous Labor government, but is keen to move on.

Mr Abbott, too, says he wants to make progress before Dr Yudhoyono leaves office later this year.

A meeting scheduled for last month was cancelled at the last minute.

Mr Abbott blamed budget commitments, but it's understood he changed his mind to avoid embarrassment over an asylum-seeker boat being turned back to Indonesian territory.

On Wednesday, he was delayed when his RAAF jet suffered a technical problem on the tarmac, forcing him to use a back-up aircraft for his 12-day overseas mission.

Indonesia has set a relaxed tone for the event, which will include an informal discussion in a beachside resort.

But on the eve of the meeting, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa dampened expectations of a quick fix.

He told an Indonesian parliamentary committee that even if a code of conduct on spying is signed within weeks, as expected, that's just one part of a "roadmap" towards resuming co-operation on areas frozen since last year.

Then, he says, there's still the problem of the Abbott government's policy of turning asylum-seeker boats back to Indonesia.

"For us, for Indonesia, these two problems must be managed before we can see some sort of normalisation," Dr Natalegawa said.

"And it's clear ... the cause of this problem is Australia."

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek meanwhile says it's an "overstatement" to say the meeting on Indonesian soil is a show of warmth, but she hopes a resolution is close.

"It is much more likely that we will be able to restore warm relations under this president than under any new president," Ms Plibersek told ABC radio on Wednesday.

Ms Plibersek has criticised the slow progress on the code of conduct, now expected to be finalised when the foreign and defence ministers meet for "2+2" talks.

Despite the pending no-spying agreement, a Lowy Institute poll has found many Australians approve of eavesdropping on our neighbour.

Out of 1000 people surveyed, 62 per cent thought it was acceptable to spy on Indonesia.

There was also broad support for turning back asylum-seeker boats - 71 per cent agreeing it should be done, where safe.

Mr Abbott's brief stopover in Indonesia is the first part of a trip to bolster Australia's business and security links.

From Indonesia, he will travel to France, Canada and the US, for talks with President Barack Obama.

"This is an important trip," he told reporters before leaving Canberra.

"It will be another opportunity for me to demonstrate that Australia is open for business."

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8 cars earn top mark for collision warning

Eight cars have earned the highest safety rating in new tests of high-tech crash prevention systems. Source: AAP

THE 2014 Chevrolet Impala was the only non-luxury car to earn the highest safety rating in new tests of high-tech crash prevention systems.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested cars equipped with collision warning and automatic braking systems. It gave a "superior" rating to cars that both warned the driver of a potential collision and applied the automatic brakes to significantly slow the cars.

The BMW 5 Series, BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Buick Regal, Cadillac CTS, Cadillac XTS and 2015 Hyundai Genesis also earned "superior" ratings in the test results released Thursday.

Collision warning and automatic braking systems use cameras, radars and lasers to determine if a vehicle is getting too close to the car in front of it. Most of the systems warn the driver - audibly, with vibrations in the seat, or both - and prepare the brakes to maximise their effect when the driver presses them.

In some cases, the vehicles brake themselves. That action may not prevent a crash, the institute said, but reducing the speed before the car hits something can help make crashes - and injuries - less severe.

The Impala's rating wasn't affected by a government investigation of one driver's report that the automatic braking system went off several times without warning, eventually causing an accident.

Insurance Institute spokesman Russ Rader said the group is aware of the investigation but had no issues with the Impala in testing.

The Arlington, Virginia-based institute, which is funded by insurers, began testing and rating the systems last autumn in hopes of pressuring automakers to adopt them as standard equipment.

The institute said 40 per cent of 2014 models now offer forward collision warning as an option, while 20 per cent offer automatic braking. Acura, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo offer the systems as standard equipment on some cars.

Tests are conducted at 20 kilometres per hour and 40 kilometres per hour. In the highest-rated cars, the brakes slowed the cars to 3 or 4 kph or less.

Thirteen 2014 models earned "advanced" ratings, meaning they warned drivers but their brakes reduced the speed only moderately. Those vehicles were: the BMW 3 Series, Buick LaCrosse, Lexus IS, Audi A3, Audi A6, BMW 3 Series, Dodge Durango, Lexus GS, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Infiniti QX50 and Infiniti QX70. The BMW 5 Series and BMW X5, which won superior ratings when equipped with a radar and camera, earned "advanced" ratings when equipped with City Brake, a camera-only system.

Three models earned "basic" ratings, meaning they warned drivers of a potential collision but reduced the car's speed by less than 8 kph. They were: the BMW 3 Series (without City Brake), the Infiniti Q70 and the Toyota Avalon.

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Long-term effect of Vic mine smoke unknown

HEALTH officials don't know the long-term effects of exposure to smoke will have on residents living near a Victorian coal mine that burned for 45 days, a senior health official says.

But he also said there was a lot of anxiety caused by misinformation.

State health commander Chris Brook said it was unlikely there would be long-term effects from exposure to the Hazelwood mine fire smoke, but a study was needed.

"The literature at best suggests that it's unlikely there are long-term effects but you are right, there is a gap," Mr Brook told an inquiry into the blaze on Tuesday.

"That's a gap that we are attempting to close."

Some Morwell residents left after the fire shrouded the town in smoke and ash after it ignited on February 9.

The CEO of a local asbestos support network, Vicki Hamilton, said the department gave mixed messages about the smoke, including saying there would be no long-term health effects.

"My understanding is there has been no fire like this that I know in Australia so how can you say there are no longer-term health effects?" Ms Hamilton said on Tuesday.

"I had members ringing me up and saying to me 'is there a study out there that shows that' and I'm going 'no I don't know of one'."

Mr Brook said it was difficult for the department to communicate its message to Morwell residents during the fire because it was not believed.

He also said "high levels of anxiety" were caused by misinformation, such as concerns about heavy metals being present in the smoke.

"Latrobe Valley brown coal is not a pollutant source for heavy metals," Mr Brook said. "It just isn't."

Community submissions to the inquiry reveal many residents suffered headaches, nose bleeds and those with existing conditions, such as asthma, found their health had deteriorated.

Mr Brook said there was no statistical increase in the number of people presenting to the local emergency department or calling ambulances, but more than 2000 people were assessed at a community health centre set up to respond to the fire.

The inquiry earlier heard air pollution was 10 times the acceptable levels during the peak of the fire, but scientists weren't able to measure it accurately at the time.

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Top Tasmanian health bureaucrat sacked

TASMANIA'S government says the sacking of a top health bureaucrat is not the result of her being named in an Integrity Commission report.

Former acting Royal Hobart Hospital boss Jane Holden was last week given 48 hours to explain why her employment should not be terminated.

Health Minister Michael Ferguson says Ms Holden has been sacked because her substantive position as a manager in a previous structure has been abolished.

"No other position has been identified ... suitable for Ms Holden's ongoing employment," Mr Ferguson told state parliament on Tuesday.

"As has been advised earlier, I make it clear that while the Integrity Commission report tabled last week made a number of allegations, this was not the basis on which Ms Holden's employment has been terminated."

Ms Holden has denied commission allegations she did not follow proper process when employing her husband and a former work colleague.

She was removed from her acting role before the commission report was tabled in parliament last week.

Another top health bureaucrat, Gavin Austin, has been suspended pending an investigation into allegations he improperly employed his wife and son.

Mr Austin has also denied the claims.

Ms Holden, who was reportedly on a salary of more than $300,000, will receive 29 weeks' pay.

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Sniffer dogs search for Madeleine

SNIFFER dogs are being used to search an area of scrubland close to where Madeleine McCann went missing in Portugal seven years ago.

The development came as British officers, accompanied by their Portuguese counterparts, spent a second day investigating the hilly area in the resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve.

Two sniffer dogs accompanied by British police spent around five minutes on a flat area of the scrubland, at the bottom of a slope.

They were then taken away out of sight, while around 10 officers stood around in discussion.

Specialist teams are thought to be using ground-penetrating radar equipment to probe the ground, looking for disturbed earth.

The large section of land is being guarded day and night by armed local police with dogs, and a large yellow-and-white cordon was put in place ahead of the search for clues about Madeleine, who disappeared in May 2007 aged three.

A number of small tents have been erected inside the cordon, thought to be where officers are concentrating their efforts.

The land, a few minutes' walk from the Ocean Club resort apartment where Madeleine was staying with her family, has been searched before.

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Westfield in court before restructure vote

WESTFIELD Retail Trust (WRT) shareholders are eagerly waiting for the outcome of a Supreme Court application over merger plans by the shopping centre giant.

Westfield is seeking approval to conclude an investor vote on a controversial proposed merger with the Australasian business of Westfield Group.

The planned merger hit a brick wall last week when the shareholder vote was postponed at the last minute amid heated debate about its merits.

WRT is in the Supreme Court in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon, seeking approval to send documents to securityholders ahead of a rescheduled vote.

Details of the date and venue for the conclusion of the meeting are included in the documents, which are likely to be made public soon after court approval is granted.

But a spokeswoman on Tuesday night said no date had been yet set for a fresh vote.

"I can confirm that we have not confirmed a date," the spokeswoman said. "When a date has been confirmed, we will send out a (media) release."

The spokeswoman's comments come despite a media report that June 20 had been set for fresh meeting and vote.

Under the restructure plan, Westfield's Australian and New Zealand businesses would merge with WRT to create a new entity, to be called Scentre.

Westfield Group's international business, which includes malls in Great Britain and at Westfield World Trade Center being built in New York, would become Westfield Corporation.

A significant number of WRT securityholders believe the proposed restructure favours Westfield Group to the detriment of WRT, and a number of proxy votes lodged last week by WRT securityholders in favour of the proposed merger fell just short of what was needed to push the restructure over the line.

Shortly before WRT investors were due to vote, Mr Lowy said Westfield Group would still seek to split its Australasian arm from its international business even if WRT securityholders did not approve the planned merger.

Proxies lodged before the original meeting will remain valid, but securityholders will be allowed to lodge new proxy votes if they have changed their view on the proposal, the company has said.

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Driver may have seen missing Vic girl Bung

THREE years and 1000 calls to CrimeStoppers on, police are still waiting for the one tip-off to help them find missing Melbourne schoolgirl Siriyakorn "Bung" Siriboon.

Police have chased down a mountain of leads, doorknocked 1000 homes, interviewed 250 registered sex offenders and offered a $1 million reward.

Homicide squad Detective Inspector John Potter said it might take a tip-off to find Bung, who disappeared on her walk to school in Boronia in Melbourne's east.

"Someone may tell someone else what's happened to Bung and that's the person that we need to come forward," Det Insp Potter told reporters on Monday.

"We continue to hold grave fears for Bung."

The family's pain is the same every day, Bung's stepfather Fred Pattison said.

"We're all hurting," Mr Pattison told TV reporters.

"Somebody come forward and let us know what's going on. Somebody out there knows something.

"Please, it's time. It's been long enough."

What's for certain is Bung's neighbour saw her walk along Elsie St shortly after 8.30am on June 2, 2011.

Beyond that, the details are sketchy.

Police thought Bung made it all the way along Harcourt Rd to Moncoe St, 130 metres from her school.

But another report, that a driver saw a teenage Asian girl - possibly in a school uniform - in the back seat of a white Ford station wagon on Boronia Rd, puts that in doubt.

"They were driving, they were stationary at the traffic lights, they saw this happen, they felt there was something odd about what they were seeing, so they reported it," Det Insp Potter said.

The driver, aged in his late 50s or early 60s, had a tattooed left arm and a "rock and roll styled hairdo".

"If this is a perfectly innocent scenario we need to find out," Det Insp Potter said.

Police had held onto the information about the sighting in the car "for some time" until they were sure it was on the day Bung went missing.

He said police had spoken to persons of interest, but none of them owned a white station wagon.

In 2013 a man claimed he hit Bung with his car and dumped her body at a local reserve.

But no remains were found, and police said parts of his story didn't add up.

Det Insp Potter said police "always hold out hope" Bung may be found alive.

Mr Pattison had a simple message for Bung should she see it.

"Bung, we miss you. We want you to come home."

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Abbott to meet with Indonesian president

PM Tony Abbott is to meet with Indonesian President to mend diplomatic rifts. Source: AAP

AN Indonesian resort island known as a romantic wedding venue will host an ice-breaking meeting between Tony Abbott and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Ties between Australia and Indonesia have been uneasy since the Abbott government began turning back asylum-seeker boats and reports emerged of spies tapping the president's phone.

Relations soured to a point that Indonesia's ambassador to Australia, Najib Riphat Kesoema, was recalled to Jakarta in November.

But since then the ambassador has been a key figure in rebuilding relations and working towards a code of conduct, which could be signed or at least progressed when the leaders meet on Batam Island on Wednesday.

The ambassador met with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in Canberra last week and this was considered constructive by government sources.

A phone call between Mr Abbott and the president in May is also understood to have helped mend bridges, with the prime minister apologising for not attending a planned meeting in Bali.

Indonesian officials say the president is keen to leave office later this year with a legacy of strong relations with Australia intact.

The pair will discuss not only the bilateral relationships but developments in the region such as China's growing interest in disputed territories.

Batam Island, a popular location for beach weddings, was also the venue for a reconciliation meeting between former prime minister John Howard and Mr Yudhoyono in 2006.

The Howard meeting came after the Papuan boat people crisis and the release of radical Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir.

Mr Abbott is making the eight-hour stopover on his way to France for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Normandy and a trade and investment tour of North America.

He will meet with US President Barack Obama in Washington DC and hold talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa.

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No electricity sell-off plans yet: Baird

The NSW premier's reported plan to sell the state's electricity network in stages has been attacked. Source: AAP

NSW Premier Mike Baird has hosed down suggestions he is preparing to sell off the state's poles and wires, as Labor accuses him of having a "secret" privatisation plan.

Media reports suggest Mr Baird will use the government's June 17 budget to spruik the benefits of selling off the state's electricity assets.

But the premier, who spearheaded an aggressive privatisation push in his previous role as the state's treasurer, said the government had not changed its position on the issue and would take any privatisation policy to the next election.

"I've said very clearly that if we are going to pursue a transaction like that we would need a full mandate," Mr Baird told reporters in Sydney on Monday.

"That is something we'll discuss in our party rooms, that is something we'll discuss in cabinet and that's something we'll be doing in due course."

But Opposition Leader John Robertson wasn't convinced.

He claims Mr Baird is preparing a "secret plan" to privatise the state's poles and wires.

"For years, the people in this state have known only too well what privatisation means," he told reporters.

"It means increased prices ... and for many families that's going to simply push them to breaking point."

He said any sale would strip $1 billion a year in dividends from NSW, which would normally be reinvested into schools and hospitals.

The state's peak union council is vowing to resist the move with a fierce campaign.

"We're very concerned about the premier trying to privatise electricity by the backdoor," Unions NSW Assistant Secretary Mark Morey told AAP.

"Mr Baird should be open and honest rather than floating balloons and come clean with the public."

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Sydney woman arrested after terror hoax

A WOMAN has been accused of falsely reporting a terrorism plot targeting a plane at Sydney's international airport.

The 30-year-old, from Blacktown, allegedly contacted police on March 21, claiming to have overheard a conversation at Kingsford-Smith, where three people had discussed committing an act of terrorism.

An assessment of the threat was made by several agencies and deemed to be a hoax.

Following an investigation by officers from the Joint Counter Terrorism Team, the woman was located on Sunday at Wentworthville, charged with suppling false information and refused bail.

Police said she appeared at Central Local Court on Monday and would remain in custody until reappearing on Thursday.

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Qld mayor referred to corruption watchdog

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale has been referred to Queensland's corruption watchdog. Source: AAP

IPSWICH Mayor Paul Pisasale has been referred to Queensland's corruption watchdog over revelations he received up to $150,000 in undeclared donations.

The state government has been investigating Mr Pisasale, but on Monday a local government department spokesperson said the matter had been referred to the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC).

Councillors don't need to declare donations to the Queensland Electoral Commission, but are legally required to update their register of interests.

Mr Pisasale's election campaign fund, Forward Ipswich, has reportedly received more than 30 separate donations worth $150,000 since the 2012 council poll.

None of those donations had been entered in his register.

Local Government Minister David Crisafulli last week said Mr Pisasale's register and the fund were being investigated.

Under state laws a councillor who fails to complete or update a register of interest can be fined up to $9350.

Those who intentionally fail to complete or update a register of interests can be fined up to $11,000 and be disqualified for holding office for four years.

Comment has been sought from Mr Pisasale.

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Aust pledges $100m for polio fight

Australia has pledged 100 million dollars to go towards eradicating polio in northern Africa. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA has pledged $100 million to help eradicate polio for good.

The funds will be spread over five years and will go towards making countries in northern Africa and the Middle East - where outbreaks have been reported - polio-free.

It will also help Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria, where the disease is endemic.

About $20 million will be provided over the next year to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative for immunisations to fight the disease's re-emergence.

Announcing the pledge on Sunday, Foreign minister Julie Bishop said Australia is committed to helping finish the job of eradicating polio.

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Vic rebel MP will stand as independent

Victorian MP Geoff Shaw says he intends standing as an independent at the November state election. Source: AAP

VICTORIAN balance-of-power MP Geoff Shaw says he intends standing as an independent at the November state election.

Mr Shaw was last week found by the parliamentary privileges committee to have breached the MP code of conduct in his use of a taxpayer-funded vehicle.

The former Liberal turned independent said on Sunday he plans to run as an independent at the November 29 poll.

"That's my intention," he told Fairfax Radio.

"I made a commitment for four years, I keep my commitment.

"I won't be looking at resigning even though (there's) all the flak that's been put against me."

The committee cleared Mr Shaw of contempt of parliament as it couldn't be satisfied he wilfully contravened the MP code of conduct, but its report has to go before the parliament.

Liberal and former parliamentary Speaker Ken Smith, who has publicly clashed with Mr Shaw, last week told AAP he has "no doubt" Mr Shaw was in contempt.

Mr Smith says he will vote with Labor against the government to find Mr Shaw in contempt of parliament, but Mr Shaw says he is not worried.

"Ken's been in parliament 25 years and no one knew about him until six months ago," he said.

"I'm really not too interested in what he says."

The committee recommended parliament order Mr Shaw repay a further $6838.44 for the breach.

He has already paid back $1250.

Dishonesty charges against Mr Shaw were dropped in December.

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People want vision, not complainers: PM

Tony Abbott says he is the man with the plan and the Australian public will back him. Source: AAP

SENIOR government ministers have been accused of being ignorant of their own policies as the prime minister continues to hard sell an unpopular budget.

Tony Abbott on Sunday remained optimistic budget measures - including the $7 Medicare co-payment - would pass parliament, insisting Australians wanted a man with a plan, not a bunch of complainers.

"Whether it's (opposition leader) Bill Shorten, whether it's the Greens, whether it's others - it's one long chorus of complaint," the prime minister said.

"The man with the plan has an extraordinary advantage over the person who has just got the complaint."

But Labor said the government was ignoring what the people wanted - which was not Abbott's budget.

Mr Shorten said the prime minister had lost control of not only his budget, but of ministers who did not know details of their own policies.

He jumped on Mr Abbott quashing reports a senior minister was considering drug testing dole recipients, while he accused education minister Christopher Pyne of contradicting his university-fee change policy.

"Australians are appalled that this government can't maintain the same position for 24 hours without something changing," Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday.

He vowed again to block large parts of the budget including the co-payment, prompting scorn from Mr Abbott.

The prime minister said it was bizarre for Labor to be "waxing morally indignant" in opposing the co-payment when former Labor leader Bob Hawke sought to introduce it in the 1990s.

But opposition frontbencher Jason Clare said Labor stood up to Mr Hawke on the co-payment and it would do the same with Mr Abbott.

The coalition now has to horse-trade with crossbench senators to realise its budget.

Mr Abbott admits refinement of some measures may be necessary and has been wooing minor party and independent senators to get them on board.

He defused questions about whether he had a difficult relationship with Clive Palmer whose party with key independents would hold the balance of power in the Senate from July 1.

It was "perfectly normal" for senior members of the coalition, like frontbencher Malcolm Turnbull, to hold talks with Mr Palmer in his place, Mr Abbott said.

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Qld still on track for surplus

Queensland premier Campbell Newman isn't phased by a massive increase to the fiscal deficit. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND is still on track for a surplus despite the budget deficit quadrupling to a projected $2.27 billion next financial year.

The mid-year budget update in December estimated the fiscal deficit would be $664 million for 2014/15, but a $600 million write down in coal royalties has worsened the bottom lime.

So too has a lag in natural disaster relief repayments from the Commonwealth.

Premier Campbell Newman doesn't see the loss as a budget deterioration, rather he insists it's an accounting problem.

"It's a timing issue," he said.

Two years of job and service cuts have given enough of a buffer to sustain the hit, with the state still on track for a surplus in 2015/16, as promised.

"It will be the first time in over a decade that Queensland taxpayers won't have to borrow money," Mr Newman said.

On Tuesday, the Newman government will hand down its third and final budget before next year's election.

It has all but confirmed it will sell assets, instead of increasing taxes and reducing services, to help pay down $80 billion debt and build new infrastructure.

Two ports could be leased and two electricity generators and the commercial parts of Sunwater sold.

"The only way we can build the new infrastructure is through cutting front line services, putting up taxes and charges, or asset sales," Mr Newman said.

On Sunday, it was announced that $6.5 million had been set aside in the budget to hire 70 child safety officers.

Another $25 million will be spent on child safety initiatives, such as more referral services, support for families to care for children at home instead of out-of-home care, and improved support for indigenous families.

Child Safety Minister Tracy Davis says $406 million will be spent over five years, to allow an overhaul of the child protection system.

The funding boost is in response to the Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry and the final report by Commissioner Tim Carmody QC.

He recommended keeping families together, with more prevention and early intervention services.

"Parents should be able to care for their own children at home safely, with early intervention services and support easily accessible for those families who need it," Ms Davis said.

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Bali flights under cloud but Darwin clear

Flights in Darwin are expected to resume later today as plumes from an Indonesian volcano dissipate. Source: AAP

FLIGHTS to and from Darwin have resumed after they were grounded by an ash cloud from an Indonesian volcano, as Jetstar grounds flights to Bali.

Darwin was cut off to all air services on Saturday as ash plumes billowed from the Sangeang Api volcano off the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. It erupted continuously after an initial blast on Friday afternoon.

The major plume affecting Australian aviation swept southeast over the west side of the Northern Territory and as far south as Alice Springs.

Cyndee Seals of the Bureau of Meteorology's Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin said Australia was now clear but airlines were meeting to discuss an ash cloud near Bali.

"I can advise that the ash cloud across Australia is dissipating but there are still ash clouds southwest of the volcano and another to the east east-northeast from an earlier high eruption," she said.

The southwesterly ash cloud was nearing Bali but its effects on flights to Denpasar were not yet clear, Ms Seals said.

"Right now, unless the winds change - and they are a little variable - it will take the ash south of Denpasar, away from Bali," she said.

"The airlines are meeting about it."

On Sunday night Jetstar cancelled 12 flights in and out of Bali as the Sangeang Api cloud drifted towards Denpasar International Airport.

Qantas announced it had resumed its flights, while Virgin, Air Asia and Jetstar also resumed operations in and out of Darwin, Darwin International Airport spokeswoman Virginia Sanders told AAP.

But she urged travellers to stay in touch with their airline for updates on flights as some changes might be made.

"Flights are coming back on line but there are some scheduled changes so people still need to check with the airline with regards to what's happening with their particular flight," she told AAP.

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