Glass found in frozen broccoli bags

Bags of frozen broccoli are being recalled after bits of glass were discovered inside the product. Source: AAP

BAGS of frozen broccoli are being recalled after bits of glass were discovered inside the product.

Metcash Trading is recalling 500g bags of Black and Gold broccoli florets from IGA stores and other independent grocers across Victoria, NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, and in the ACT.

Only bags that have a best before date of July 8, 2014 with a batch code of YJ12190 are impacted by the voluntary recall.

The company said in a statement that it is in contact with the manufacturer to find out what happened.

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Aust condemns Lebanon attacks

Australia has condemned bomb attacks on mosques in Lebanon that killed more than 40 people. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA has condemned overnight bomb attacks on mosques in northern Lebanon that killed more than 40 people and injured 400.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr said the attacks in Lebanon followed Beirut car bombings on July 9 and August 15 and a rocket attack on May 26.

"The Australian government again offers condolences to the people of Lebanon for the horrific death and injury toll from these attacks on civilian communities," Senator Carr said in a statement on Saturday.

"We join with other Security Council members in strongly condemning these attacks."

Senator Carr has warned Australians to reconsider their need to travel to Lebanon and to avoid any travel to southern Beirut where most of the recent attacks have occurred.

Australians have also been advised not to travel to Tripoli in northern Lebanon, where the mosque bombings occurred.

"They should also register their presence with the Australian Embassy," he said.

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Abbott doesn't believe polls

TONY Abbott doesn't believe the polls that are tipping the coalition to win the election.

"I think this is a very, very close race", the opposition leader told reporters in Adelaide.

A ReachTEL poll of 2785 electors across Tasmania shows the Liberal Party is now almost certain to pick up the seats of Bass, Braddon and Lyons.

And the latest Fairfax-Nielsen poll shows Labor's primary vote has dropped two points in the past fortnight to 35 while the coalition's rose a point to 47 per cent. After preferences, this gives the coalition a 53-47 lead.

"Frankly, I don't believe them," Mr Abbott said of the polls.

He says there is a long way to go before September 7 and Labor is about to unleash "the mother of all negative campaigns" over the next two weeks.

Labor is "hopeless" at governing but "brilliant at low politics", he said.

Mr Abbott says Mr Rudd now has a spring in his step because he thinks Labor's negative campaign is working.

Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese played down Labor's poor poll results, saying the campaign was only at the "half time siren".

"We're about to run on the field for the second half, and we all know the premiership quarter is the third quarter," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"Tony Abbott has his campaign launch tomorrow at the beginning of the third quarter.

"He has to come clean with his costings, where the cuts will be."

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Fonterra suspends Sri Lanka operations

FONTERRA has temporarily suspended its consumer operations in Sri Lanka, closing its plants and office, and telling workers to stay home.

The precautionary measure had been taken due to the "unstable situation at the moment," the dairy giant announced on Friday.

This follows reports of protests outside Fonterra offices in Sri Lanka, amid claims by Sri Lankan authorities that traces of the fertiliser chemical dicyandiamide (DCD) had been found in some Fonterra product, which the company and New Zealand scientists dispute.

Chief executive Theo Spierings says Fonterra's priorities are to protect its people and its farmer shareholders' assets.

"The temporary suspension is the right thing to do. It is a precautionary measure to ensure our 755 people working there are safe. We have closed our plants and office in Sri Lanka, and have asked our people to stay at home," he said.

"At the same time, we must do all that we can to protect our farmer shareholders' investment in Fonterra's Sri Lanka manufacturing and commercial operations."

Reuters has reported that more than 100 members of Sri Lanka's National Freedom Front, a hardline nationalist political party in President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling coalition, protested outside Fonterra Brand Lanka's head office, 30km north of Colombo.

Farmers are key supporters of the government.

The protesters held banners saying: "We should make our own milk powder", and "Ban toxic yoghurt advertisement immediately", while carrying a coffin with pictures of Fonterra brands, Reuters reported.

Mr Spierings said Fonterra had provided every possible assurance to the Sri Lankan authorities about the safety and quality of its products.

"Recent events, however, have made it difficult to maintain day-to-day operations, and we need to get them resolved."

A court order has been imposed on Fonterra to ban it from selling product, advertise or make public statements in Sri Lanka.

Legal action has been taken to try to resolve the situation.

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Qld stepdad 'to admit' girl's manslaughter

A MAN charged with the manslaughter of his eight-year-old stepdaughter will likely plead guilty, a far north Queensland court has heard.

The child's mother, who is a New Zealand citizen, has already pleaded guilty to the same charge.

Police allege the woman repeatedly beat the girl with a metal vacuum cleaner pipe, among other forms of abuse, over a period of at least 12 months.

The girl was found dead in a unit in the Cairns suburb of Westcourt in November 2011.

A murder charge against the woman was discharged after she admitted to manslaughter in the Cairns Magistrates Court last month.

Police allege her 23-year-old husband turned a blind eye to the abuse and he faces one charge of manslaughter.

On Friday, the man's lawyer indicated in the Cairns Supreme Court that his client would likely plead guilty to the charge.

The pair are due to be sentenced on Tuesday.

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Sims Metal makes another big loss

THE world's largest recycler, Sims Metal, has made another massive loss following a sharp fall in revenues and writedowns to its US and UK businesses.

Australian-listed Sims made a net loss of $466 million for the 2012/13 financial year, but it was an improvement on the $622.5 million loss the company made the previous year.

The result was dragged down by a $292 million goodwill impairment, mostly relating to the weak performance of its US business.

It was also affected by a $64 million inventory writedown in its UK operations following an alleged fraud.

The company also saw its underlying profit decline - down 77 per cent to $17 million - primarily due to weakness in its European businesses, where earnings fell 88 per cent over the year.

Globally, the group's revenue dropped from just over $9 billion in 2011/12 to $7.2 billion last financial year due to lower sales and reduced prices for scrap metals.

But the company said its US business had lifted its earnings during the past 12 months, despite the impairment charge, and had seen some increase in scrap metal prices since the start of the current financial year.

"Underlying fundamentals for scrap generation have shown steady improvement in the US," the company said in a statement on Friday.

Sims said it had reduced costs across the group by nearly $45 million during the year and it was targeting further reductions this year.

"The company remains focused on business factors most within its control; including maximising gross margin through careful management of the trade-off between intake pricing and volumes, attention to capacity utilisation, and operational cost reductions," it said.

Sims currently is without a chief executive following the retirement of Daniel Dienst on June 30.

It expects to announce an appointment by the end of September.

Sims shares jumped 54 cents, or 6.06 per cent, to $9.45 following the release of the profit result.

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Melanoma death rate 'higher In men'

MEN are 70 per cent more likely to die from malignant melanoma - the most serious type of skin cancer - than women, according to new figures.

This is despite similar numbers of men and women being diagnosed with the disease every year in the UK.

Cancer Research UK data shows 3.4 men per 100,000 die from malignant melanoma compared with two per 100,000 women.

This means that of the 6200 men who develop melanoma each year, 1300 die from the disease, compared with 900 of the 6600 women.

The likelihood of getting the disease is similar between the sexes, with 17.2 men per 100,000 diagnosed compared with 17.3 women.

Since the early 1970s, death rates in men have increased by 185 per cent compared with 55 per cent in women, the charity said.

And it predicts death rates will continue to rise in men while remaining stable in women.

Professor Julia Newton-Bishop, Cancer Research UK dermatologist based at the University of Leeds, said: "Research has suggested the difference between the sexes could be in part because men are more likely to be diagnosed when melanoma is at a more advanced stage.

"But there also seem to be strong biological reasons behind the differences, and we're working on research to better understand why men and women's bodies deal with their melanomas in different ways.

"We also know that men and women tend to develop melanoma in different places - more often on the back and chest for men and on the arms and legs for women.

"If melanoma does develop on your back then it may be more difficult to spot - asking your partner to check your back is a good idea."

Sara Hiom, director of early diagnosis at Cancer Research UK, said key risk factors for melanoma include excessive exposure to UV rays from the sun or sunbeds, a pale skin colour and a high number of moles and a family or personal history of the disease.

She added: "One of the reasons for the difference (between men and women) may be attitudes towards seeing a doctor. We tend to be reluctant to 'waste' the doctor's time - men are especially likely to put it off.

"If something goes wrong with the car then you sort it out straight away. The same should go for you - if you, or your partner, notice any unusual or persistent changes then see your GP. The key thing is to get to know your skin and what's normal for you so you're more likely to notice something out of the ordinary.

"It's also essential to take care not to burn, particularly given the sunny weather we've had this summer.

"Sunburn is a clear sign that the DNA in your skin cells has been damaged and, over time, this can lead to skin cancer."

She recommends putting on a T-shirt in strong sun, seeking out shade and using a sunscreen with at least SPF15 and good UVA protection.

She added: "These habits are particularly important for young men and women, because it's far better to prevent skin cancer in the first place.

"That means avoiding sunbeds as well as taking care in the sun. Research has shown that using sunbeds for the first time before 35 can increase your risk of malignant melanoma by nearly 60 per cent."

The new data is taken from 2011 - the most recent figures available.

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I didn't ask Palmer for money: Brough

PETER Slipper's political rival Mal Brough has denied claims he approached Clive Palmer to fund a campaign to wreck the Fisher MP's reputation.

Mr Brough, who's running as a Liberal National Party candidate against Mr Slipper, says he didn't ask the billionaire for money.

He questions why the mining magnate has changed his story over a meeting they had in April 2012.

"This is an event which occurred 17 months ago and now two weeks before polling day Mr Palmer has decided his recollection has changed and his story has changed," Mr Brough told reporters on Thursday.

He said Mr Palmer had previously denied he had been approached for money to pay for the legal case against the former Speaker.

"It is black and white that Mr Palmer has been inconsistent on this," Mr Brough said.

Mr Palmer told reporters on Thursday that Mr Brough had asked him for money to fund the failed sexual harassment case against Mr Slipper.

"He (Mr Brough) said to me we needed to destroy Peter Slipper," the Palmer United Party founder said.

The billionaire-turned-politician said he wanted to make it clear that shadow treasurer Joe Hockey was not involved in the approach.

Mr Slipper told parliament in June that Mr Brough and Mr Hockey had approached Mr Palmer to pay the legal fees of Mr Slipper's former aide James Ashby.

Mr Slipper had been accused of sexually harassing Mr Ashby, had been charged with misusing expenses and had resigned as Speaker over offensive text messages.

The sexual harassment case was thrown out by Federal Court Justice Stephen Rares, who found Mr Ashby's predominant purpose for bringing the case was to pursue a political attack against his former boss.

Earlier on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for Mr Brough to give a full explanation of his links to the Ashby case, given Mr Palmer's claim.

"He needs to clear up exactly what occurred because we all recall that when Samantha Maiden from the Sunday Telegraph first raised these issues with Mal Brough, he told her that he had nothing to do with any of it," he told reporters in Perth.

"We then found out subsequently that he organised for Mr Ashby to meet with lawyers and that he was involved in these issues."

Mr Hockey has previously denied Mr Slipper's claim that he had approached Mr Palmer to fund the case.

Mr Ashby has denied ever asking Mr Brough to fund the case against Mr Slipper.

"For abundant clarity, at no stage did James Ashby ask Mal Brough, or indeed anyone, to fund his case," a spokesman for Mr Ashby said in a statement on Thursday.

"Further, as has been on the public record for some time, there is no third party funding his case."

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Lifesavers split on new helmets rule

Aussie surf lifesavers will have to wear helmets and lifejackets under new moves to boost safety. Source: AAP

VETERAN surf lifesavers are split on a decision by Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) to make its members wear helmets and lifejackets.

SLSA is making lifejackets mandatory for lifesavers on rescue boats at surf meets and on patrols from October 2014.

It also says all surf boat rowers and sweeps will have to wear helmets from January 2014.

The changes come after surf lifesaver Matthew Barclay, 14, drowned in March 2012 at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships.

In 2010, 19-year-old Saxon Bird died during the same carnival at the Gold Coast's Kurrawa Beach.

Chris Flemming, an Australian championship winning sweep with three decades' experience at Sydney's South Curl Curl SLSC, labelled the new helmet rule an over reaction.

"We haven't had too much trouble in the past, I don't know why they should be bringing them in now," Mr Flemming said.

"We've been doing this for 100 years. Tragically, one kid died after being hit by a surfboat in terrible conditions they shouldn't have been competing in.

"If you look at the number of head injuries in surfboats it's virtually nil."

But surfboat builder, coach and rower Nathan Perry said helmets had become an inevitable part of the sport.

"We're at a point in the sport where we have to take every precaution we can," said Mr Perry, who rowed at the 1996 Australian titles at Kurrawa in which another boy, 15-year-old rower Robert Gatenby, died.

"I don't think we have much left up our sleeves to be honest, if we have any more deaths," he added.

Under the SLSA's new rules, all competitors at the Australia Surf Life Saving Championships would also need to meet certain "aquatic rescue" standards from 2015.

The organisation's chief executive, Greg Nance, says the measures are part of an ongoing focus on safety.

"These changes and tests are nothing new for our movement. Since 1907 we have continued to innovate, test and update our rescue equipment from the belt and reel to the inflatable rescue boat," Mr Nance said in a statement.

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WA's top fine defaulters revealed

WESTERN Australia's top fine defaulter has been revealed as a Perth cabinetmaking firm which has failed to pay a $250,000 penalty over the workplace death of a 17-year-old.

Quadtilla Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to provide a safe workplace for the pre-apprentice, who was crushed to death when a heavy stack of boards fell on him at its Wangara premises in Perth's north in November 2008.

But on a new website launched by the state government on Wednesday, it's been revealed the company has yet to pay the fine nearly five years on.

The name and shame initiative is aimed at helping the WA government recoup a total of $259 million owed in unpaid infringements and court fines.

More than 5000 people owe about $2000 each for red-light camera offences and speeding fines.

Under new laws, the Sheriff's Office can wheel clamp vehicles for 48 hours or seize licence plates for 28 days if a person has more than $2000 in unpaid fines and infringements.

Attorney-General Michael Mischin said the total amount of money that had been paid in recent weeks was almost $4 million.

But that did not include six parties who owed more than $100,000 in fines, including Able Lott Holdings which last year was fined $181,000 for planning offences involving the inner city development of a heritage building.

The individual owing the most money was named as Carmelo Charles Saliba from the northern Perth suburb of Noranda, who according to the website owes the government $192,760.20.

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Election bonanza leaves Broncos happy

Tony Abbott and the Queensland premier have pledged to help keep the Brisbane Broncos at Red Hill. Source: AAP

THE Broncos NRL club, based in the marginal seat of Brisbane, has become a political football.

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Queensland Premier Campbell Newman stood side by side on Wednesday promising cash and land to keep the club at its Red Hill base.

Both have denied any suggestion it's a case of pork barrelling in a marginal seat held by the Coalition's Teresa Gambaro with a 1.1 per cent margin.

Instead, they've described it as a justifiable investment in the club's future at Red Hill, and in the sporting lives of those living in Brisbane's inner northwest.

Not be outdone, federal Labor countered with a pledge of $3 million for training and playing facilities at the Broncos Junior Rugby League Academy at Logan, south of Brisbane.

Logan happens to lie in the electorate of Forde, which star Labor candidate Peter Beattie is trying to wrest from the Coalition.

Mr Beattie described Labor's cash promise as a great local initiative that'll help ensure the success of Queensland's beloved Broncos.

"The bottom line with all this is you don't have a Broncos team unless you have a catchment area like this," he told reporters on Wednesday.

Back at Red Hill, Mr Abbott said it was entirely reasonable for a Coalition government to tip in a "relatively modest" $5 million for a $21 million redevelopment of the Broncos Red Hill base.

Mr Newman promised the club exclusive access to land at the adjacent "under utilised" Ithaca TAFE campus.

The land will be used for a second training ground, and a high-performance training facility.

Broncos chief executive officer Paul White said the club had outgrown its site, and the state government's land pledge meant the Broncos could stay at the club's spiritual home.

The club will again be in the political spotlight on Wednesday night, as the venue for the second televised showdown between Mr Abbott and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

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NSW approves new rules on dangerous dogs

DOGS that have never attacked a person but show signs of aggression can now be deemed "menacing" in NSW, with rangers able to force owners to use a muzzle.

In a crackdown aimed at stopping further dog attacks, a third category will be added to the two types of dogs that are already restricted.

The NSW cabinet has approved legislation to amend the Companion Animals Act, allowing council rangers to declare a dog "potentially dangerous" if they believe it's likely to attack.

Announcing the measure on Wednesday, Local Government Minister Don Page said councils will have more discretion when balancing community safety against restrictions.

"We're providing council rangers with a preventative tool to be able to go and identify a dog that's aggressive, maybe hasn't attacked yet, but ... could if it was given the opportunity," Mr Page told reporters on Wednesday.

The changes are in response to recommendations from the state's Companion Animals Taskforce, and come weeks after the death of two-year-old Deeon Higgins, who was mauled by his cousin's bullmastiff in Deniliquin in the state's southwest this month.

The dog had not been considered dangerous before the attack.

Under the changes, dogs deemed as menacing will have to be muzzled and on a leash under the control of a person of 18 years or over when in public.

Dog owners can challenge a decision by taking their pet for a behavioural assessment, which they would have to pay for, Mr Page said.

"Vexatious" and "frivolous" complaints against dogs will also be penalised, he said.

Owners who ignore the rules for dogs in the three restricted categories will face maximum jail time of five years if their dog attacks.

Fines will also increase to a maximum of $77,000 from $55,000.

Chairman of the taskforce, Andrew Cornwell, said the change will help councillors charged with making a difficult decision.

"There are a lot of cases where councils get a report, they'll go out, have a look but don't use that power because they feel it's too onerous," Mr Cornwell told reporters.

"And sometimes ... councillors have regretted that decision because someone has then subsequently been attacked."

The new legislation now needs to be passed by state parliament.

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Election is Abbott's to lose: Morgan

VOTER faith in the federal government has plummeted to levels not seen since the Howard era but Labor can still win the election, top poll firm Roy Morgan says.

Launching the firm's annual State of the Nation report on Tuesday, Gary Morgan said gaffes by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott posed the biggest risk to his bid for the top job.

"It's really up to Abbott to lose the election," he said.

The report found confidence in government had risen only slightly in the past week.

Roy Morgan chief executive Michele Levine said 59.6 per cent of Australians surveyed said they did not trust the government, helping give the coalition a 51-49 two-party preferred lead over Labor.

"Trust, or distrust, in the government is back to the levels that we haven't seen since the Howard government at its most unpopular (before the 2004 election)," she said.

"But remember, the Howard LNP government was re-elected after that."

"This looks pretty dire but it can change."

Voters in the Labor-held bellwether seat of Eden-Monaro, in NSW, had among the lowest confidence in open and honest government, the report found.

Meanwhile four marginal ALP seats were in the bottom 20 per cent of seats ranked by consumer confidence: Rankin and Blair in Queensland and Kingsford-Smith and Page in NSW.

"The wisdom is that if consumer confidence is really low the seat is vulnerable to a change away from the government," Ms Levine said.

Across the country the economy was tipped as the most important issue to voters.

"It's about the cost of living, the cost of electricity, the cost of petrol, the cost of everything - and that includes things like interest rates," Ms Levine said.

The danger seats for the ALP on economic management are Reid in western Sydney, Robertson on the NSW central coast and Corangamite in Victoria.

But two "sleeper" issues, asylum seekers and the environment, could become more prominent election deciders, Ms Levine said.

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NAB on track for $6b profit

National Australia Bank has lifted its June quarter profit and is on track for a $6bn cash profit. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S largest business lender, National Australia Bank, is on track for a $6 billion full year profit, helped along by improvements in its troubled UK division.

NAB posted a cash profit of $1.5 billion for the three months to June, up from $1.4 billion for the same time last year.

Morningstar analyst David Ellis said the bank was on track to deliver a $6 billion cash profit for the 12 months to September.

That would mark a significant improvement on the $5.4 billion cash profit the bank reported last year.

Mr Ellis said the stronger outlook was linked to improvements and reduced bad debt charges from NAB's British operations.

"The big turnaround for 2013 will be a less of a bad result from the UK and that's both in bad debts and net interest margins as well," he said.

NAB was hit with a bad debt charge of $2.6 billion last year but Mr Ellis expects that to be reduced to $2.1 billion this year.

The bank reported a bad debt charge of $498 million for the June quarter, down 10 per cent on a year ago.

Meanwhile, National Australia Bank group chief executive Cameron Clyne said the company had continued to increase its share of the mortgage market, although conditions in the business banking sector remained subdued.

"Operating conditions for business banking are challenging, with ongoing weak confidence and subdued volumes," he said.

NAB said business banking earnings were flat on the quarter with lower revenues.

But cash earnings from the bank's personal banking arm were higher due to the growth in mortgage lending.

Wholesale banking earnings were slightly lower in the quarter due, in part, to reduced customer activity.

Net profit, which includes one-off items, was $1.7 billion for the quarter, up from $1.2 billion last year.

NAB shares were trading 17 cents higher at $31.51.

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N. Korea slams South leader over drill

NORTH Korea has accused South Korean President Park Geun-hye of provocative war-mongering a day after Seoul launched an annual military drill with the US.

Rather than criticising the joint exercise itself - as it has often done in the past - the North focused its anger on comments Park made at a meeting of her National Security Council that coincided with the start of the drill on Monday.

At the meeting, held in an underground bunker, Park made it clear that South Korea should not allow its guard to drop despite a recent easing of tensions with the North.

"No matter how peaceful things are, a crisis would come if we forget about war," Park said.

"It is very important to ensure firm security preparedness in any circumstances," she added.

The 10-day Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise is a largely computer-simulated drill that plays out the scenario of a North Korean invasion.

Pyongyang has bitterly condemned the exercise in the past, but has been muted in its criticism this year following a series of recent breakthroughs in North-South talks on cross-border projects.

Tuesday's denunciation by the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said Park's comments amounted to an "agitation for extreme confrontation" and poured "cold water" on the recent efforts at reconciliation.

"(Seoul) should clearly know that if they continue to pursue confrontation ... (inter-Korea) ties will go back to the worst point, entailing uncontrollably catastrophic consequences," the committee said in a statement.

The statement contained no direct criticism of the military exercise and did not address Park by name, referring only to the South's "chief executive".

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Abbott calls Labor the 'former government'

IT was an easy crowd to work for Tony Abbott as he kicked off the third week of his election campaign.

The opposition leader on Monday pressed the flesh with local business owners in Bennelong, the Sydney electorate held by former prime minister John Howard for 33 years.

He lost it in 2007 to Labor's Maxine McKew, but the seat was firmly back in Liberal control when Australian tennis champ John Alexander claimed victory three years later.

Mr Abbott's campaign pit stop in North Ryde comes as Labor ramps up its attack on the opposition leader, warning he'd put 3200 public service jobs in Bennelong at risk.

But there wasn't a bureaucrat in sight at NSW Business Council breakfast on Monday, hosted by the "Too Big To Ignore" small business lobby.

Mr Abbott was congratulated and wished well on his quest for the top job by an audience clearly impressed he'd stopped by for a chat.

Among those to meet the opposition leader was a clearly chuffed young student from the local Macquarie University who posed for a picture with Mr Abbott.

"I have seen him in question time but meeting him is a different thing," said Deshan Wickremanayake.

Another young voter quizzed Mr Abbott about how he'd support budding entrepreneurs if he won September's poll.

Local businessman Matthew Graves didn't seem wholly convinced by Mr Abbott's answer, but said he wouldn't be voting based solely on the leader.

"I think he's got positive intentions, but actions and words are two different things," he told AAP.

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Remember caretaker mode, Abbott tells govt

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has warned the government it can't make commitments at a regional summit on people smuggling while it's in caretaker mode.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke will attend Tuesday's one-day summit in Indonesia to discuss regional solutions to the asylum seeker issue plaguing Australia and its neighbours.

"I'm not going to object to ministers going to this particular forum but frankly they cannot make commitments on behalf of Australia without getting the agreement of the opposition in writing," Mr Abbott told reporters on Monday.

He said Labor was "pretty desultory in its observance of the caretaker conventions", which came into effect in early August when the parliament was dissolved to make way for the September 7 election.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is disappointed her request to attend the summit was rejected.

"The government hasn't taken the opportunity to open the summit up to other voices within the Australian parliament," she told reporters in Canberra.

"I think that it's a great pity."

Meanwhile, another asylum seeker boat has arrived at Christmas Island.

The vessel carrying 209 people sent a distress signal on Sunday morning and was located in Indonesian waters by HMAS Parramatta before being escorted to the island for processing.

Mr Abbott was asked if he agreed Labor's PNG solution could be starting to stem the flow of boat arrivals from Indonesia, given it's the first vessel to be detected for days.

"There'll be surges and there will be lulls, there always have been," he said.

"The problem is that this government's so-called PNG solution is already overwhelmed by the tide of boat arrivals since (Prime Minister Kevin) Rudd first made the announcement."

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Baby boomers boost Challenger's profit

RETIREMENT funds company Challenger has seen its net profit almost triple amid growing demand for annuities from baby boomers.

Challenger on Monday recorded a net profit of $417 million for the 2013/14 financial year, up from $149 million for the previous year.

Normalised profit was up four per cent to $308.5 million.

The company said it had received record flows into its annuities and funds management businesses, with total assets under management rising by 34 per cent to $44.8 billion.

Chief executive Brian Benari said it had been a pivotal year.

"Our funds management business is growing strongly and profitably from the solid foundations laid over the last few years, while our annuities business continues to prosper as baby boomers retire and seek security and regular income," he said.

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