Young on DSP to face work ability scrutiny

YOUNGER people on the disability support pension (DSP) are set to have their ability to work reviewed under a budget plan to rein in the rising cost of social security payments.

That's set to be announced in the budget on Tuesday, targeting some 30,000 DSP recipients aged under 35, media reports say.

This is in line with the report of the National Commission of Audit which said a risk-management approach should be taken in assessing those with the greatest potential for work.

"Examples could include younger people under the age of 35 and recipients who currently earn some employment income," the report said.

Liberal MP Alan Tudge, parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Tony Abbott, said the DSP was growing rapidly with more than 800,000 current recipients and tens of thousands more assessed as disabled each year.

"What we would like to do is to ensure that those who are able to work are encouraged to do so," he told Sky News.

"At the moment the system tends to put a person on the disability support pension and then.... set and forget and leave them for a very long time, even though there might be a willingness, a desire and a capacity to at least make some contribution."

Labor frontbencher Matt Thistlethwaite said Labor in government had introduced a number of reforms designed to get those on the DSP into work.

He said that aimed to ensure there was support available for those who wanted to work and the necessary home support available through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

"The Commission of Audit recommendations are to slow down the rollout of the NDIS," he told Sky.

"If that is the approach the Abbott government is going to take, then that's not the way we should be supporting people with disabilities, particularly encouraging them into work."

In its report, the Commission of Audit said the DSP was costing $15.8 billion a year.

However, new disability assessment criteria introduced in 2012 only apply to new entrants, creating inequalities between the newcomers and existing DSP recipients, an anomaly which should be addressed.

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NRL star Inglis in third-party deal probe

NRL star Greg Inglis will continue his $50,000 a year job with an Aboriginal charity amid an investigation into the use of Medicare funds to pay him for his services.

Inglis signed a three-year deal with Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) in December 2010, where South Sydney Rabbitohs fullback has been paid as much as $90,000 for doing promotional and ambassadorial work, according to Fairfax.

The contract was last year renewed at the reduced rate of $50,000.

But the federal Department of Health's own rules dictate that Medicare income at grant-funded Aboriginal medical services "must be used for primary health care services".

The department has confirmed it is investigating despite having already looked into allegations raised about the Inglis deal.

"The department has previously considered the specific allegations raised that Greg Inglis has been paid $90,000 a year by the AMS at least in part through Medicare billings income," a spokeswoman said.

"Our investigations have found no evidence that commonwealth health funding was being used inappropriately."

The department will now consider new information received from community contacts, the spokeswoman said.

The AMS says it received conflicting advice about how the income could be used and is seeking clarification from the government about the use of the funds.

However, a spokesman for the service said Mr Inglis's role will continue.

"His role is very important for the AMS," an AMS spokesman told AAP.

"He will continue in the role - there is no question about that in our perspective."

The spokesman said Inglis was an integral part of the AMS's health campaign.

The third-party deal between Inglis and the AMS was lodged with the NRL and there has been no suggestion of any salary cap breach.

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Indon ambassador returning to Canberra

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

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

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

He expects to move back within the coming month.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Smartphone app could end parking fines

A MOTORIST fed up with copping parking fines has developed a smartphone app to avoid getting stung again, but it may not thrill local councils.

Council revenue could take a nosedive if the app, developed by Brisbane entrepreneurs Mark Schroder and Patrick Acheampon, takes off.

The ParkingMaestro app harnesses smartphone technology to track motorists' locations once they leave their vehicle.

It alerts them before their paid parking expires, with enough time to get back to their cars.

All app users have to do is scan a street parking sign or parking ticket.

An algorithm then calculates how long it would take an average walker to return to a parking bay.

"It tracks your movements so if you go wandering through the city of if you go wandering for a few blocks away from your car, it knows where you are," Mr Schroder said.

Mr Schroder said the app was developed after he copped a series of parking fines while living in Sydney.

"After copping a couple of those parking fines, we said we've got to do something about this," he said.

The app received seed funding from ilab, a division of the University of Queensland's commercial arm UniQuest.

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Coach drowned seeking 'spiritual cleanse'

MELBOURNE tennis coach Paul Arber accidentally drowned in the Waikato River, a coroner has found.

Mr Arber, 38, who according to Coroner Wallace Bain was also a practice partner for Australian star Bernard Tomic, was found dead in the river at Hamilton last December five days after being reported missing while coaching at a junior tournament in the city.

Dr Bain, in findings published on Friday, said police found no signs of foul play, but his behaviour had recently changed radically and his parents believed he had gone into the river to cleanse himself spiritually.

Mr Arber's father had provided evidence that he had begun searching for higher enlightenment, started practising meditation and yoga, and focusing on the beauty of nature.

Two weeks before he travelled to New Zealand, he became a vegan and would only drink non-fluoridated water.

On the night he went missing, he touched a homeless man on the shoulder and gave him $NZ20. He also talked to strangers, telling them he loved them and words to the effect "we're all the same and ... we are all equal".

The last known sighting of him was about 4am, when two people noticed Mr Arber standing topless in about knee-high water in the river.

They yelled out, telling him it wasn't safe and when they asked him what he was doing, he replied he was "trying to be free".

After five minutes, he walked out of the river and two locals offered to walk him back to his accommodation, but after a short distance, he said he wanted to go back to the river.

His parents told Dr Bain he was not a swimmer and in their view "he entered the water for a spiritual cleanse and sun gaze at sunrise and would have been surprised and unable to handle the undercurrent, and that has led to his accidental drowning".

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Boots could help solve Qld woman's murder

A PAIR of boots made of wetsuit material could yield clues about the murder of a young woman whose body was found at the edge of a river on the Queensland-NSW border.

Police are trying to find grey or black reef-style boots, commonly known as irrigation boots.

They say the boots could help them solve the mysterious death of Alexis Jeffery, 24, who was found by the Macintyre River in Goondiwindi on March 16.

Detectives believe the boots may have been discarded in the area about the time of her death. An image of similar looking boots has been released.

Ms Jeffery, a mother of three, had been seen in Goondiwindi's town centre during the morning of her death.

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Rebel Vic MP seeks abortion law changes

INDEPENDENT MP and key powerbroker Geoff Shaw wants radical changes to Victoria's abortion laws but the government says it has no plans to amend them.

Mr Shaw, whose vote the government relies on to stay in power, wants to outlaw gender-selection abortions and for doctors to resuscitate babies who survive abortion attempts, the Herald Sun reports.

"We've got some of the worst, probably the second or third worst, abortion laws in the world," Mr Shaw told Fairfax Radio on Thursday.

But Premier Denis Napthine said he had not seen any proposal from Mr Shaw on the matter.

"Until and when we see a proposal I won't comment," he told reporters.

Mr Shaw had indicated over a number of months he had concerns with abortion laws.

But Dr Napthine said the issue had been debated at length by the parliament and the government had no intention to change abortion laws.

"People were given a conscience vote, the law was passed by the Victorian parliament and this government has no intention of introducing any legislation on this matter," he said.

Mr Shaw said he is uncertain what strategy he will use to try to affect a conscience vote on the explosive issue, six months out from a state election.

"If I do choose to bring in a bill, I would have to go through the procedure of trying to persuade it to be put on the government's business program," he said.

He conceded having the issue debated in parliament would be difficult after the premier made it clear neither he nor any member of his government would change the legislation.

Opposition leader Daniel Andrews labelled Mr Shaw as "off the reservation yet again" and said Labor would not support any debate on rewriting abortion laws.

"The Labor party will have no part, no part whatsoever in a dirty grubby deal between Geoff Shaw and Denis Napthine to change the abortion law in our state," Mr Andrews told reporters.

"We're having absolutely no involvement in that because it's wrong, it is fundamentally wrong."

Mr Andrews said "no one that quite frankly has any decency" would be involved in the proposed changes.

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ICAC probes false complaint

THE Liberal staffer at the centre of a NSW probe into donation rorts enlisted his little brother in a "black ops" mission to smear a senior bureaucrat, the corruption watchdog has heard.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is investigating EightByFive, a "sham" company set up by former NSW minister Chris Hartcher's ex-staffer Tim Koelma.

EightByFive was allegedly used to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars from banned political donors to NSW Liberals.

The ICAC has obtained a 2010 email exchange in which Koelma asked his brother Eric to print out and send off a document, signing off: "Yay! Black ops".

Eric Koelma, who was 20 at the time, replied: "Can do brother. Heard a news report just then on it. 000000."

He said at the hearing on Thursday he did not realise "black ops" was a military term that suggested manoeuvres "under cover of darkness".

Days later an anonymous - and baseless - corruption complaint against then-Sydney Water managing director Kerry Schott lobbed at the ICAC's offices in an unmarked envelope.

At the time, Dr Schott was locked in a dispute with alleged EightByFive donor Australian Water Holdings.

On Thursday, Eric Koelma told the watchdog he understood "black ops" to be a reference to night time excursions by Young Liberals to post election signs, and that 000000 represented the colour black in computer coding.

But he did not know who Dr Schott was, nor what ICAC did, he said on Thursday.

"You've forwarded on a complaint by someone you don't know about, people you don't know, to an entity that you just said you'd never heard of?" junior counsel assisting Greg O'Mahoney asked.

"That's correct," the witness replied.

Eric said after ICAC investigators came knocking, he questioned his brother about why he had involved him in the scheme and Tim told him his printer might have been out of ink at the time.

But Mr O'Mahoney described it as a deliberate attempt to disguise Tim Koelma's role in lodging the false complaint.

"You knew exactly what you were doing. You'd had a discussion with your brother about it, and you understood that this was black ops in the military sense - this was under cover of darkness, this was something quite inappropriate and covert," Mr O'Mahoney said.

"I don't agree," Eric replied.

The inquiry continues on Thursday afternoon with NSW upper house MP Marie Ficarra due to give evidence.

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Qld deputy attacks Palmer in parliament

Queensland's deputy premier has used parliamentary privilege to criticise Clive Palmer (pic). Source: AAP

JUST a day after Clive Palmer applied to sue Queensland's premier for defamation, the deputy premier has called the federal MP a "crook" in parliament.

Using the protection of parliamentary privilege, Jeff Seeney told Palmer United Party's state leader Alex Douglas he was in "the best party money could buy".

"It's not even Australian money - the best party Chinese money can buy," Mr Seeney told state parliament on Thursday.

"The best party that fraudulently obtained money can buy.

"The best party that a crook using other people's money can buy."

Mr Seeney was referring to a News Corp Australia report that Mr Palmer's private company Mineralogy had been accused of siphoning more than $12 million from Chinese business partners and using some to fund his party's federal election campaign.

Mr Palmer on Wednesday lodged papers in the Supreme Court and served papers on Premier Campbell Newman through the Crown Solicitor.

Mr Palmer said the premier's claims during a recent media interview were false and damaged his integrity.

The federal MP for Fairfax is seeking $1.1 million in damages.

If he wins the case, he's promised to give the money to a charity that's working with public servants sacked by the Newman government.

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Abbott failing on communication: govt MP

A federal MP has accused the prime minister and cabinet of failing to communicate with backbenchers. Source: AAP

ONE of Tony Abbott's Queensland MPs says the prime minister and his treasurer Joe Hockey are poor communicators who aren't listening to their backbench.

Brisbane MP Teresa Gambaro has written to Mr Abbott to express concerns, which she says are shared by other backbenchers.

She says some feel Mr Abbott, Mr Hockey and cabinet in general are not doing enough to stay in touch with members of their own party.

She was not consulted on the proposed plan to slap a debt levy on high earners - something she says would break the prime minister's promise not to introduce new taxes.

She also wasn't consulted about Mr Abbott's paid maternity leave scheme, which she considers too generous despite it being wound back.

Asked about other Queensland MPs who share her view, Ms Gambaro told ABC radio: "I'm sure there are a few that are probably not happy at the lack of communication and I think that's something that needs to be addressed."

Asked if the problems stem from Mr Abbott, Mr Hockey or cabinet in general, she said: "All of the above. I think there needs to be much more backbench communication. And that clearly hasn't happened."

Ms Gambaro warned the government risked alienating voters by springing the debt levy on them.

"We did not go to the Australian people with this levy," she said.

"I really believe it's a breach of promise and I can't support it."

She said the levy would hit business confidence and make employers less willing to hire.

"I was never asked about this as a member of the party room. I was never told there'd be a proposed tax levy," the MP said.

"It's bad policy. We said we were going to be a government of no surprises and I think this is absolutely a breach of trust."

She said she wrote to Mr Abbott a week and a half ago to raise concerns, including around pension reform.

She's also written to Mr Hockey and spoken to him a couple of times over the past week about the levy.

"I have an economic background. I don't think it will have any economic benefit," she told the ABC.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said he wasn't consulted about the debt levy during last week's Council of Australian Governments meeting in Canberra.

"We certainly didn't talk about that," he told reporters on Wednesday.

He wouldn't say if Mr Abbott would be deemed to have broken an election promise if the levy was imposed.

But Mr Newman pointed out his own government had addressed debt issues in Queensland through spending cuts, not tax rises.

"He (Mr Abbott) has to make his decisions and it remains to be seen what he does," the premier said.

"They have to stand accountable to the people of Australia for any decisions they make."

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Investment needed to create jobs: Vic govt

THE Victorian government made a decision to strengthen the state's finances so it could deliver infrastructure to improve the economy and the cost of living, Treasurer Michael O'Brien said.

Tuesday's state budget included billions of dollars for major infrastructure, including a rail link to boost capacity, a train line to the airport and the construction of the second stage of the East West Link road project.

Critics say it neglected the basics, with Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews saying it failed to focus on education, health and emergency services.

But Mr O'Brien said the budget was achieved by getting expenditure under control and that it would grow the economy.

"We made the decision that we wanted to strengthen Victoria's finances so we can afford the sort of job-creating infrastructure projects Victoria needs," Mr O'Brien said on Wednesday.

"We need these projects, they will create jobs, they will improve productivity in this state and we can afford them.

"If Labor wants to come in and try and spend the surpluses they will kill those projects."

Mr O'Brien said the investment in infrastructure was vital because as the mining sector moved from the investment phase to the production phase there would be a drop-off in economic activity.

"Improving infrastructure is one of the ways we're going to get the economy growing again," he said.

Infrastructure projects are expected to create thousands of jobs, including 3700 jobs from the Melbourne Rail Link, 3000 from the western section of the East West Link and 700 from the project to widen the CityLink tollway.

Mr O'Brien rejected opposition claims the Melbourne Rail Link would cause chaos for Southern Cross station and at South Yarra, saying the project was better than Labor's alternative.

"It will not require the digging up, and shutting down, of Swanston Street for years on end," Mr O'Brien said.

"Obviously any significant scale project will have some level of disruption but ours is far, far less damaging to the Melbourne economy and Melbourne jobs than what Labor's proposing."

The budget papers show Victoria has an operating surplus of $1.3 billion for 2014/15, and this would grow to $3.3 billion in 2017/18.

"You need to have strong surpluses, multi-billion dollar surpluses of that scale, in order to be able to deliver multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects," Mr O'Brien said.

Proceeds from the lease of the Port of Melbourne will also help to fund the infrastructure projects, he said.

The budget comes six months out from the state election in November, and Mr O'Brien said the government was in a competitive position.

"Victorians need to consider what sort of future they see for this state," he said.

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Health regulator too slow to act: minister

Queensland's health minister has reassured patients about the abilities of foreign-trained doctors. Source: AAP

THE national health regulator isn't acting quickly enough against a doctor accused of a string of serious surgical errors, Queensland's health minister says.

A urologist has been stood down from Rockhampton Hospital while he is being investigated for allegedly botching four operations.

He's accused of misdiagnosing a twisted testicle causing it to ultimately be removed, taking out a patient's right kidney instead of the diseased left one, nicking another's artery and incorrectly positioning a stent.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (AHPRA) said on Tuesday that it was reviewing the urologist's registration "as a priority", but is yet to make a ruling.

While the doctor has voluntarily stepped down from his private roles, he is still technically able to work in the sector.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said problems with APHRA would hopefully be fixed when the state takes control of notifications and serious complaints through an appointed health ombudsman from July 1.

"I've previously indicated my concerns about how long it takes the national health regulator to respond, but I don't control that national regulator," he told reporters on Wednesday.

Mr Springborg said he was happy with the Central Queensland Hospitals and Health (CQHH) board's swift response to stand down the doctor and sack the hospital's director of surgery and the acting executive director of medical services.

He also said it was "refreshingly honest" of board chairman Charles Ware to concede there was a systemic failure at the hospital.

The health minister said that's why he was not travelling to Rockhampton to oversee the controversy.

"If this was in the old days ... the only thing they did was cover-up," he said, referring to the notorious Dr Jayant Patel saga.

"There is nothing they (health board) have done that requires intervention centrally and nor should there be other than them asking us to conduct independent investigations and that has been done."

Mr Springborg said the incident was isolated and reflected on the individual doctor, not against all foreign-trained doctors.

The urologist, from South America, trained in medicine in Spain and then went on to gain specialist qualifications in London, where he was awarded honours.

He later came to Australia where he underwent two further years of training and won accreditation in 2011 to practise unsupervised, including the right to train other doctors.

"There is no evidence there is any greater issue with doctors that are trained in Australia or overseas," Mr Springborg said.

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New foreign surgeon scandal in Qld

An overseas-trained doctor is being investigated in Queensland for a series of surgical errors. Source: AAP

TWO hospital chiefs have been sacked over a series of surgical errors by an overseas-trained doctor in Queensland.

It's been revealed a South American surgeon, who completed his undergraduate medical training in Spain, removed the wrong kidney from a patient earlier this year.

It's also alleged he nicked the artery of another patient, who later returned to hospital suffering extensive blood loss.

The case has echoes of the notorious Jayant Patel controversy, which turned the spotlight on the credentials of foreign-trained doctors working in the Queensland health system.

The Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service Board has sacked Rockhampton Hospital's director of surgery, along with the acting executive director of medical services.

Board chairman Charles Ware has told Fairfax radio there's a systemic issue at the hospital.

A broad-ranging review of patient safety systems had been ordered and another review will look at the incidents involving the surgeon.

"These reviews must be thorough and robust and I assure Central Queenslanders they will lead to decisive action that will ensure the safety of our patients," Mr Ware said in a statement.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg has told parliament four surgical procedures carried out by the doctor are being investigated.

The surgeon had trained in Spain before coming to Australia, where he completed two years of training and became accredited to operate here in 2011.

He's worked in the public health system and in private practice in Australia.

"The Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service Board is confronting issues that arise from an unacceptable and worrying case of failed renal surgery earlier this year," Mr Springborg told parliament.

"An independent inquiry will look at four cases involving the same surgeon stretching back to 2011."

The Health Quality and Complaints Commission has also been asked to investigate the matter and whether there are systemic problems.

Before the minister addressed parliament, Mr Ware told Fairfax there appeared to be six incidents of concern involving the doctor.

"There are only two that have immediate patient impacts," he said.

"One is the case we disclosed last week where the wrong kidney was removed and the second one ... with a patient who was operated on and it would appear that an artery was nicked during surgery."

He said the second patient was recovering after being flown to Brisbane because the Rockhampton hospital lacked the facilities to care for him.

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Qld committee inquiry into MP threat

Queensland's ethics committee will investigate if MP David Gibson was threatened by a rival. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND'S ethics committee will investigate claims a political rival tried to intimidate government MP David Gibson.

Gympie rival Scott Elms a fortnight ago published details about Mr Gibson's past.

Mr Gibson admits he made mistakes and faced unspecified charges in 1999 but no conviction was recorded against him.

Premier Campbell referred the allegations to the Speaker and police on April 23, concerned that there was an attempt threaten or intimidate Mr Gibson.

Speaker Fiona Simpson on Tuesday referred the matter to the Ethics Committee.

"To attempt to influence a member in their conduct by bribes or threats is clearly a contempt," Ms Simpson told parliament.

"Similarly conduct having a tendency to impair a member independence in the future performance of their duties is also a contempt."

When selected as a candidate for the 2006 election, Mr Gibson didn't disclose details about his past.

He says he's suffering a nervous breakdown and won't contest the next state election.

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School chaplains face second challenge

A Queensland father is headed back to the High Court to challenge the school chaplaincy program. Source: AAP

THE federal government's school chaplaincy program has turned into a "half billion dollar behemoth", says the man who's challenging it in the High Court for a second time.

Queensland father of six Ron Williams says the Howard government program has got completely out of control.

"I have a strong objection to the federal government funding the chaplaincy program and that's what this case is about," the Toowoomba jazz musician told reporters outside the court on Tuesday.

"There is no place in public schools for any form of missionaries or evangelists or anything that isn't secular."

Former prime minister John Howard launched the controversial program - which aims to provide guidance to students - in the lead up to the 2007 election.

The High Court upheld Mr Williams' legal challenge against the program in a landmark decision in 2012 - but the Labor government quickly passed fresh legislation to keep it going.

"Here we are - it has become a half billion dollar behemoth," Mr Williams said.

Experts believe the new case could have far-reaching effects for the Commonwealth's ability to fund a range of programs.

A defendant in the case is the Scripture Union of Queensland, which receives funding under an agreement with the Commonwealth then distributes it to Queensland schools to employ chaplains.

Union chief executive Peter James said two studies had found that students, teachers and psychologists all valued the program.

He acknowledged that it had been controversial.

"People are divided on it. But I am not sure that people who are opposed to the program necessarily understand what chaplains do in schools. It's not a clerical role, it's not a theological role - it's a caring role."

The case is listed to run for three days.

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Job ads signal employment growth

FURTHER growth in job advertisement numbers suggests continued improvement in the labour market, but a tough federal budget could damage the employment outlook.

Job ads rose for a fourth consecutive month in April, up 2.2 per cent, figures from ANZ show.

Labour demand had strengthened in 2014, with a rise in hiring intentions suggesting the unemployment rate should be close to its peak at around six per cent or slightly lower, ANZ chief economist Ivan Colhoun said.

The unemployment rate fell to 5.8 per cent in March, down from 6.1 per cent in February.

However, any tax hike in the federal government's May budget could dampen the economic recovery, Mr Colhoun said, which would impact consumer and business confidence.

"The mooted introduction of a temporary deficit reduction levy will impact consumption both directly and indirectly," he said.

"The direct hit to incomes from the tax as is currently suggested will likely trim growth and consumer spending a little this year."

Mr Colhoun said discussion in the media of tighter budget policies was already weighing on consumer confidence.

ANZ's view was that the impact of these factors was likely to keep the recovery in the economy moderate, and interest rates unchanged this year, he said.

ANZ's report showed online job ad number strengthened in April, while newspaper ads declined, but that was likely due to the Easter and Anzac Day holidays, which may have seen some businesses delay their advertising.

Official employment data for April will be released on Thursday.

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Wage cut will cause social problems: ACTU

THE ACTU says recommendations to lower the minimum wage will create an underclass of "working poor". Source: AAP

RECOMMENDATIONS to cut the minimum wage will result in low income earners taking home pay packets equivalent to 1998 levels, the ACTU says.

Its analysis of the commission of audit has found the plan to reduce the minimum wage to 44 per cent of average weekly earnings will leave Australians worse off than workers in Britain and Canada within two to three years.

This will create an underclass of "working poor", the union body says.

"The plan to aggressively drive down the minimum wage would see its real value fall to its 1998 level," the ACTU says.

Audit Commission chairman Tony Shepherd cited the 12.5 per cent youth unemployment rate as one reason minimum wage reform was needed.

ACTU president Ged Kearney said the minimum wage had nothing to do with the federal budget and there was no evidence reducing it would improve employment prospects for young people.

"I do not see how lowering the minimum wage will help youth unemployment," Ms Kearney told reporters on Monday. "It will create more social problems than anything else because people will not be able to meet their costs.

"What sort of government thinks it's a good idea to savagely cut the already unacceptably low wages of the lowest paid workers in the community?"

Melbourne airport cleaner Victor Barrientos said the minimum wage made life hard for his family.

"I have to do two job - one job in the morning, so early, and after my wife and I go to clean a school," Mr Barrientos said.

He said he felt under attack from the government.

Ms Kearney said other recommendations meant people would be paying more for basic services.

"They won't have any public services they can rely on because all the advice being taken by the government is from big business," Ms Kearney said.

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Scientists make bacteria-killing fabric

AN antibacterial fabric which has been shown to kill off two of the world's most infectious and deadly pathogens has been developed by scientists in Melbourne.

Both E.coli and Staphylococcus aureus were shown to die off within 10 minutes of contact with the fabric, which utilises the antibacterial properties of silver.

Potential applications include bandaids and wound dressings, surgical gowns and bed sheets as a hi-tech means to reduce hospital-acquired infections.

"It has been known for the last hundred years that silver is anti-bacterial," explains Associate Professor Vipul Bansal, from RMIT University's School of Applied Sciences.

"Silver metal, when it comes into contact with body fluids, releases silver ions and these ions are actually toxic and have anti-microbial and antibacterial properties.

"Instead of using silver metals, we developed a new material called silver TCNQ which releases these silver ions quite slowly so the antibacterial effect is long-term."

The new material is suited to use as a fabric coating, Assoc Prof Bansal said, and its potency has been found to survive multiple washes.

Ordinary fabric is dipped into a special solution to give it the desired antibacterial properties.

"We have shown that we can do up to one metre in one go with this simple immersion process," Assoc Prof Bansal said.

"We also took one of our old used T-shirts ... dipped it into solution and the whole T-shirt became this material so it is quite an efficient process."

The T-shirt remains off-limits for wear until testing confirms the material has no negative effect on human cells.

The research has been ongoing for a year in collaboration with CSIRO, and a paper describing the new material was recently published in the prestigious journal Advanced Functional Materials.

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Qld police hunt driver after wild chase

A MAN who led Queensland police on a wild car chase is still on the run.

Police say two officers were injured during the dramatic pursuit north of Brisbane on Saturday night.

The driver rammed two police cars trying to escape, ploughing into one of the cars so hard it overturned.

The sergeant inside escaped serious injury but a constable who later chased down one of two men inside the car broke his hand.

The drama began when Sunshine Coast police tried to stop the stolen station wagon at the beachside suburb of Marcoola about 9.15pm.

Instead of pulling over the driver drove into the police car at speed then accelerated away.

The car was spotted later that night at Morayfield, north of Brisbane, and officers managed to puncture its front tyres with road spikes.

But the station wagon kept going and soon after ploughed into the back of a police van, causing the van to roll on its roof.

The out-of-control car finally hit a gutter in a nearby street and came to a stop.

Two men inside tried to get away but one, the passenger, was chased down by a police officer who injured his hand making the arrest.

Police are speaking with a 21-year-old Kallangur man but are still looking for the driver.

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British princes go to Graceland

Fans have gathered in Memphis to spot Princes William and Harry as they attend a friend's wedding. Source: AAP

PRINCE William and Prince Harry toured the home of the King - Elvis, that is - and then went to a friend's wedding during their trip to Tennessee.

Their visit inspired dozens of fans, paparazzi and news media to wait for hours outside the Memphis Hunt and Polo Club for the chance to see royalty. Instead, they saw police and several black sport utility vehicles pull into the club.

For 15-year-old Danny Harp, that was enough. Just being metres from a future king was a dream come true, he said.

"Absolutely blown away. I feel like I waited three years since the wedding to see this in person," said Harp, referring to Prince William and Kate Middleton's ceremony.

Harp drove about 320km from Nashville with his mother and a friend. They waited for the royals for about five hours as he held a small England flag and magazines with Princess Diana and the royal wedding on them.

"I thought I'd rather be here and not see anything than be at home and feel like I missed something," he said.

He did get to see the bride, Lizzy Wilson, drive up in a 1950s-style turquoise Cadillac.

Wilson is the granddaughter of the late Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson. She married London night club owner Guy Pelly.

The royal brothers took a private tour of Graceland, the home of Elvis, on Friday.

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Pedestrian killed in Sydney bus crash

A MAN has died after being trapped under a bus which witnesses say mounted a footpath in Sydney's Haymarket.

Emergency services were called to Hay Street in the inner city around noon on Sunday following reports a pedestrian had been hit by a coach.

Witnesses have told police the bus was travelling west when it veered to the opposite side of the road, mounted the footpath and hit the awning of a restaurant on the corner of Hay Street and Dixon Street.

They say a man was hit by the bus and was trapped under it.

He died at the scene.

Another pedestrian died on Saturday evening when trying to cross a major highway at Parramatta in Sydney's west.

Police say the man was walking south across three lanes of the M4 when he was hit.

About seven other cars then slammed into the back of the two vehicles that struck the man, a police spokeswoman told AAP.

The man died at the scene.

Police aren't sure why the man was trying to cross the elevated highway, which has no footpaths.

The drivers of the cars which hit the man have been taken to hospital for mandatory drug and alcohol testing.

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