Use everything against violence: NSW oppn

MORE police on the beat and public transport throughout Sydney's Friday and Saturday night hot spots are initial steps in battling alcohol-related violence, the NSW Opposition says.

The call for action to tackle drunken violence on Sydney streets comes after Kieran Loveridge was sentenced for delivering the king hit that killed a teenager in Kings Cross.

Loveridge was sentenced to serve four years behind bars for Thomas Kelly's manslaughter in July 2012 - a sentence Mr Kelly's family labelled a joke.

The sentence has reignited debate over how the NSW Government can deal with alcohol-related violence on Sydney's streets.

Opposition leader John Robertson said everything should be on the table.

He said George St in the CBD and Kings Cross needed to be treated as "major events" on Friday and Saturday nights.

"The second thing you do is you put more police on the streets and the third thing you do is you increase public transport options to get young people out off those streets," he told reporters on Saturday.

War veteran robbed while collecting for RSL

A GOSNELLS store manager was attacked as he tried to stop thieves who had robbed a 94-year-old war veteran collecting money for his RSL.

'More than 100 dead in typhoon'

A CIVIL aviation official in the Philippines says he's received a report that more than 100 bodies are lying in the streets of a central city ravaged by Haiyan.

"Nothing should be ruled out and everything should be on the table because we just can't allow these sorts of tragedies to continue."

While sentencing of those behind alcohol-fuelled violence was important, the government needed to be proactive, Mr Robertson said.

He labelled Loveridge's sentence as "appalling".

NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith said on Friday he had asked the DPP to consider appealing the manslaughter sentence.

Earlier this month a Brazilian man died in hospital after he was punched in the head outside a bar in Haymarket.

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US judge backs gay conversion therapy ban

A US judge has upheld a New Jersey law barring therapists from trying to turn gay youth straight. Source: AAP

A US federal judge has upheld a New Jersey law barring therapists from trying to turn gay youth straight.

Judge Freda L. Wolfson said in the ruling that the law does not violate free speech or religious protection.

The law "on its face does not target speech, and "counselling" is not entitled to special constitutional protection merely because it is primarily carried out through talk therapy," Wolfson wrote.

Gov Chris Christie signed a ban on the controversial practice, known as gay conversion therapy, in August. Christie, a Republican, said health risks of trying to change a child's sexual orientation, identified by the American Psychological Association, usurped concerns about parental choice.

Christie, however, said it is an area where the government should "tread carefully."

War veteran robbed while collecting for RSL

A GOSNELLS store manager was attacked as he tried to stop thieves who had robbed a 94-year-old war veteran collecting money for his RSL.

'More than 100 dead in typhoon'

A CIVIL aviation official in the Philippines says he's received a report that more than 100 bodies are lying in the streets of a central city ravaged by Haiyan.

California was the first, and the only other, state to ban the practice. In August, a federal appeals court upheld the state's statute.

The New Jersey lawsuit, filed by two therapists, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality and the American Association of Christian Counselors, argued the law violates the right to free speech because counsellors are barred from talking about conversion therapy.

Plaintiffs also argued that it infringed upon the right to exercise religion and parents to "direct the upbringing and education of their children according to their sincerely held religious beliefs."

Demetrios K. Stratis, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Wolfson ruled the plaintiffs' argument could be stretched to mean that regulation of any professional counselling could violate First Amendment rights, a result that "runs counter to the longstanding principle that a state generally may enact laws rationally regulating professionals, including those providing medicine and mental health services," she wrote.

Wolfson granted a motion to allow Garden State Equality to intervene in the lawsuit.

Its president, Troy Stevenson, said in a statement the ruling is a "huge victory for New Jersey youth."

A New Jersey couple filed a separate lawsuit Monday claiming their constitutional rights are being violated because they cannot seek gay conversion therapy for their 15-year-old son.

The couple said their right to equal protection is being violated because the law is "denying minors the opportunity to pursue a particular course of action that can help them address the conflicts between their religious and moral values and same-sex attractions, behaviours or identity."

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Emma Thompson gets Hollywood honour

BRITISH actress Emma Thompson has cemented her place in Hollywood, by adding her hand and shoe prints to the fabled pavement outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

The Oscar winner was overcome with emotion at the ceremony on Thursday, recalling a childhood visit to the tourist attraction with her father.

She said, "When I was 14 I came to Hollywood with my dad, who was directing the Norman Conquests, and he brought us here, to the Grauman's, and showed us all the people's hands and feet and the signatures and it was so other-worldly that for me to be here now feels not at all real!"

The 54-year-old was joined by her Saving Mr Banks co-star Tom Hanks at the ceremony and he used the occasion to jokingly try and convince Thompson to give up her British citizenship and become an American.

He quipped, "We wish to convey the following message to Emma - Please Emma, leave England, come here, live with us, live amongst us! Los Angeles and Hollywood needs your sense and sensibility. England, they don't appreciate you like we do."

War veteran robbed while collecting for RSL

A GOSNELLS store manager was attacked as he tried to stop thieves who had robbed a 94-year-old war veteran collecting money for his RSL.

'More than 100 dead in typhoon'

A CIVIL aviation official in the Philippines says he's received a report that more than 100 bodies are lying in the streets of a central city ravaged by Haiyan.

The ceremony didn't go completely to plan - Thompson took a tumble from an elevated box just as she was about to place her hands in the wet cement, but laughed off the moment and continued chuckling as she was immortalised outside the iconic cinema on Hollywood Boulevard.

And she was more than a little upset about the fact she would have to throw away the designer black shoes she wore to the ceremony, explaining, "They were covered in cement."

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Bikie blitz dries up drugs for schoolies

MORE schoolies are expected to stash drugs in their suitcases as the bikie crackdown dries up Gold Coast supplies.

The region's top bikie cop Superintendent Jim Keogh says it will be harder for school leavers to buy drugs on the glitter strip, so more are likely to risk bringing their own.

"They would be aware of the police crackdown here on the Gold Coast and it may promote some foolhardy action like bringing some form of drug which is just ridiculous," Supt Keogh told AAP.

"They'll eventually get caught."

Supt Keogh says police intelligence suggests drugs filter down from criminal motorcycle gangs to subsidiary suppliers and into the hands of schoolies.

He says the crackdown on bikies has severely disrupted the Gold Coast's drug distribution network.

This was evident when a drug sniffer dog failed to detect anything during a recent two-day operation at Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, he said.

'Cold, shocked beyond disbelief'

THOMAS Kelly's parents say they're "heartbroken", as the four-year sentence given to their son's killer is met with widespread outrage.

US man charged over $4m drug haul

A 69-year-old American allegedly tried importing four kilograms of methamphetamine worth $4 million in to Australia through Perth Airport yesterday.

"We detected no drugs on people which is a first," Supt Keogh told AAP.

Police won't say if the drug sniffer dog will be used during schoolies.

However there will be more than 300 officers from around Queensland in town for the annual end-of-school celebrations, which begin next week.

Already Gold Coast police have made a number of arrests for drug offences, but it is unclear whether the marijuana and various tablets were destined for schoolies holiday spots.

Authorities are warning school leavers against taking drugs, but have told them they won't be prosecuted if they fess up to paramedics.

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Govt sets sights on public service cuts

THOUSANDS of federal public servants face a bleak Christmas after government department chiefs were shown how to make 12,000 job cuts.

Treasurer Joe Hockey is unable to say exactly which departments would be hit, but the details will be revealed in the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook to be released in December.

The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) on Friday released guidance for agencies in helping the government meet its target of 12,000 jobs cut by natural attrition.

Mr Hockey told a business forum in Sydney on Friday the government was going through each department "balance sheet by balance sheet" to find savings.

"Strong economic growth in partnership with more prudent and focused public sector spending will be the key to improving our standard of living," Mr Hockey said.

"It is our best chance of returning the budget to surplus and paying down our record debt."

'Cold, shocked beyond disbelief'

THOMAS Kelly's parents say they're "heartbroken", as the four-year sentence given to their son's killer is met with widespread outrage.

US man charged over $4m drug haul

A 69-year-old American allegedly tried importing four kilograms of methamphetamine worth $4 million in to Australia through Perth Airport yesterday.

The APSC guidelines say agency heads will ensure that "existing non-ongoing employment arrangements cease at the end of their current term, and refrain from entering new arrangements".

A contract should only be extended if it is a job which involves a "critical business demand".

As of June 2012, there were 14,273 non-ongoing employees in the public service.

Most were women and the biggest users of the positions were the Australian Taxation Office, Department of Human Services and the Australian Electoral Commission.

The majority of these workers are APS 1 and 2 - the lowest pay position for a public servant - and one in five are aged under 25.

The commission says that, before any worker is recruited to the public service for any position, agencies should "undertake careful and objective analysis of the role and whether it actually needs to be filled".

One of the agencies to be hit is the CSIRO, where an estimated 1400 people are on casual or term arrangements.

Acting opposition leader Tanya Plibersek says Prime Minister Tony Abbott had pledged before the election not to touch health and medical research.

"The top quality international research that they (CSIRO) produce is threatened," she said.

"This is a contrast to what the prime minister said before the election."

Assistant Treasurer Arthur Sinodinos says the number of jobs to go at CSIRO is "a bit fluid" but he has been advised the figure is "about 500 or 600 non-ongoing positions".

"The CSIRO ... will ensure it is not compromising its core responsibilities and flagship programs," he said.

CSIRO Staff Association secretary Sam Popovski says the agency had already lost 200 positions earlier this year.

"Our smartphones are powered by wifi technology pioneered by CSIRO," he said.

"How can CSIRO develop the next generation of Australian innovation if their capacity to conduct research and development continues to be cut?"

Meanwhile, Mr Abbott announced the abolition of 12 non-statutory bodies and changes to nine others.

He said many had outlived their original purpose or weren't focused on the government's policy priorities.

"We certainly won't be stopping here," Mr Abbott said.

"What you see is a government that is taking significant early steps towards ... reducing the size of the bureaucracy."

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Bureaucrat suspended after Obeid argument

A WATER licensing specialist who was suspended after arguing with Eddie Obeid's eldest son was told by her boss not to inspect a property owned by the family of the former minister.

Sue Heaney, who worked in the water authority for more than 10 years, gave evidence at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Friday.

The watchdog is investigating whether Obeid used his position to influence the review and granting of water licences for Cherrydale Park, a property his family owned in the Bylong Valley.

An assessment of the valuable unrestricted licences was triggered when the Obeids bought the farm for $3.65 million in November 2007.

After almost a year of inactivity, Ms Heaney was asked by her manager, Hemantha Desilva, to assess the property's water use and impose an annual quota.

In November 2008, she called Obeid's eldest son looking for details of the farm's water use for irrigation.

'Cold, shocked beyond disbelief'

THOMAS Kelly's parents say they're "heartbroken", as the four-year sentence given to their son's killer is met with widespread outrage.

US man charged over $4m drug haul

A 69-year-old American allegedly tried importing four kilograms of methamphetamine worth $4 million in to Australia through Perth Airport yesterday.

Her conversation with Damian Obeid became "heated" and "ended in a disagreement", the ICAC heard.

Damian Obeid earlier told the ICAC he "possibly" spoke to his father and brothers about the call with Ms Heaney.

Within a few days of the argument, Ms Heaney was suspended from work on full pay.

Ms Heaney initially thought her suspension was "harassment and bullying from senior managers" but she now believes it was due to an error she made in her paperwork.

Before her suspension, she had arranged to inspect Cherrydale.

On November 20, Ms Heaney emailed her boss, Brian McDougall, seeking approval to visit the property.

"The only way to resolve this confusion was to actually go out there myself," she told the ICAC.

Mr McDougall authorised the trip, but on November 25, the day Ms Heaney was due to visit, she found a note on her desk telling her not to go, the ICAC heard.

Ms Heaney eventually took a redundancy and now works as a remedial masseur.

Despite an August 2008 draft document from the water authority recommending Cherrydale Park's water use should not exceed 150 megalitres, a licence for an annual consumption of 860 megalitres was granted in October the same year.

The inquiry is expected to continue for another week.

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United allows wider use of e-devices

UNITED Airlines is allowing passengers to use portable electronic devices throughout domestic flights.

The move by United, the world's biggest airline, matches new policies at Delta, JetBlue and American.

United Continental Holdings said on Wednesday it expects to expand the gate-to-gate use of electronics to passengers on United Express regional flights by the end of the year.

Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that it was relaxing rules that had required passengers to turn off devices while planes were below 10,000 feet.

Voice calls from mobile phones are still prohibited during flights including during taxiing, takeoffs and landings.

Chicago-based United said it will let passengers on its mainline planes use lightweight, handheld devices including tablets, e-readers and smartphones unless a crew member tells them otherwise, such as during low visibility. Laptops must still be securely stowed away during takeoff and landing, the airline said.

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Port growth needs transport spending: ACCC

AUSTRALIA'S competition watchdog has recommended reforms to ensure ongoing business growth at the nation's major ports.

In its 15th annual monitoring report of stevedoring, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found that the sector is poised for further development but will need assistance.

"The ACCC considers that further economic reform is required to ensure that related transport issues do not create bottlenecks in and around our growing container ports, and supports initiatives by various governments and other agencies to address these issues," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said.

The recommendations include government spending on heavy vehicle road provisions, and encouraging truck companies to access port terminals at off-peak times.

Mr Sims said the considerations are important as Australia welcomes new port activity with an additional terminal opened in Brisbane early in 2013, soon to be joined by another at Sydney's Port Botany.

The Victorian government is also tendering out the rights for a new terminal in Melbourne.

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Man arrested over 1990 SA murder

A MAN has been arrested for the murder of a 16-year-old girl last seen more than two decades ago in the South Australian outback.

Police said the 42-year-old man was arrested on Thursday in Mount Gambier, was refused bail and will appear in court on Friday.

Karen Williams, whose body has never been found, was last seen in the early hours of August 4, 1990, after spending the night with friends at the Opal Inn in Coober Pedy and at a local restaurant.

More than 115 statements were taken at the time and police enquiries extended to the Northern Territory and New South Wales.

Police acted on new information in July and excavated a series of old mines at Coober Pedy in renewed efforts to find her remains.

Detectives have since interviewed people from Sydney, Adelaide, Mt Gambier and Coober Pedy, and major crime boss detective superintendent Des Bray said they received valuable information that had progressed the investigation.

"We believe Karen's body was left in the boot of a burnt-out white Ford on the edge of town," Supt Bray said in August.

"Information is leading us to believe that Karen's body was removed from this car and placed down a mine shaft about 20 metres away."

A $200,000 reward was offered last year for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Police said on Thursday they will be returning to the town within weeks to recommence the search for Ms Williams' remains.

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ABC exec exits to head up Screentime

The head of ABC TV's entertainment division has resigned to take up a role with Screentime. Source: AAP

THE brains behind a number of ABC TV hits including the Gruen series, Shaun Micallef's Mad As Hell and Adam Hills Tonight has resigned.

Jennifer Collins, who was ABC TV's head of entertainment, will depart the network next month to become head of non-fiction at Screentime.

Although Collins has jumped to Screentime she will still have a close hand in several upcoming ABC productions.

Screentime is making the Crownies spin-off Janet King, starring Marta Dusseldorp, and Anzac Girls for ABC TV.

Before being made head of entertainment at the ABC, Collins spent three years as head of factual where she commissioned one of the ABC's biggest hits of 2013 - The Checkout.

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