Approach minimum wage with caution: govt

The Abbott government says it's wary of increasing the minimum wage. Source: AAP

ANY prospective increase to the minimum wage should take into consideration the fact that Australians are set to benefit to the tune of $550 a year once the carbon tax is abolished, the federal government says.

And with an economy struggling to find its feet after a resources boom, any increase that comes at the cost of jobs should be approached with caution, the government has submitted to the Fair Work Commission's (FWC) annual wage review.

Unions and business groups are at loggerheads over the FWC's review, with the ACTU calling for a minimum rise of $27 a week for Australia's lowest paid workers and employers arguing for $8.50.

The national minimum wage is $622 per week.

ACTU secretary Dave Oliver said the growing gap between minimum wages and actual wages and raised concerns Australia was heading down the same path as the US with its established class of working poor.

But in its submission to the commission, the federal government said Australia's transition from a resources-driven economy to non-resources-led one meant it was not growing as fast as forecast.

At a time when global markets were strengthening, any increases that put jobs at risk should be approached with caution, the government said.

"Any wage increases that are not supported by improvements in productivity and that are beyond the affordability of businesses will not be sustainable and will cut jobs," the submission said.

"The panel's decision should support jobs growth."

The submission said being employed, even at a low wage, was better for families and individuals than being unemployed.

"Minimum wage increases are an inefficient and ineffective tool for increasing the living standards of low paid workers," it said.

Employment Minister Eric Abetz said the government was concerned about easing the burden on low income earners but that would largely come from scrapping the carbon tax.

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Penny Sharpe wins ALP preselection

NSW MP Penny Sharpe has won the Labor party's first community preselection process, under which local residents and branch members can both vote for their preferred candidate.

The trial of what Labor insiders call "US-style primaries" was run for two state seats, after being tested during the City of Sydney council elections last year.

Ms Sharpe, an upper house member and opposition transport spokeswoman, won the right to contest the new seat of Newtown after picking up 58 per cent of the community vote and 64 per cent of the branch vote on Saturday, with more than 1500 participating in the preselection.

Further west in Campbelltown former soldier and Camden councillor Greg Warren scored 61 per cent of the branch vote and 57 per cent of the community vote.

About 1000 people turned up to have their say.

"Labor will be in a stronger position at the March 2015 state election because we've invited local communities into the preselection process and worked hard to win their support," NSW ALP General Secretary Jamie Clements said in a statement.

Previously only Labor members could cast ballots for candidate preselection.

The reform is part of the measures decided upon at the party's state conference in 2011, following the 2010 review of its processes by Labor heavyweights former NSW premier and foreign minister Bob Carr, NSW Senator John Faulkner and former Victorian premier Steve Bracks.

The next community preselections will be in Balmain and Strathfield.

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Syringe threat in Vic carjacking

A woman has been threatened with a syringe during a carjacking in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong. Source: AAP

A WOMAN has been threatened with a syringe during a carjacking in Melbourne, police say.

The woman was parked in a shopping centre in Dandenong on Saturday afternoon when a man approached her car and allegedly threatened her with a syringe.

He demanded the woman get out of the car and she did.

The man then got into her car and drove away.

Police said the stolen car is a red 2006 Ford sedan with registration number UQI 236.

The man is described as caucasian, with blonde hair and a thin build.

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Bloom wants to be in son's life

A-LIST Hollywood star Orlando Bloom may have split from Miranda Kerr but he's taking his job as a dad seriously - and he's looking to settle down in his home country.

The 37-year-old British star recently parted ways with his Australian supermodel wife, but he insists the couple have put their three-year-old son Flynn first.

And despite skipping between London, Los Angeles and wherever he is working, the Lord of the Rings star claimed he would like his son to have some experience "living at home, in England".

"I've lived a very nomadic life, which I enjoy. But now that I have my son it gets a lot more serious - I want to be in his life and have as much input and influence on his as I can," he told The Times Magazine.

Describing his break up from Kerr as "amicable", the actor said the couple had done their best to stay together and there was "no harm, no foul" on either side.

Differences between what the pair wanted "from our lives, our work" had become a challenge, he said, before adding his ex is "a very supportive and understanding woman".

"It's ever evolving, but I've said to her, 'We're going to be in each other's lives for the rest of our lives and we have a child, so it's important to me that we respect each other as we always have and that Flynn feels that and understands that.' There's a deep love between us."

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Gay couples marry in England

British Prime Minister David Cameron has hailed the first same-sex marriages in England and Wales. Source: AAP

GAY couples across England and Wales have said "I do" as a law authorising same-sex marriage came into effect, the final stage in a long fight for equality.

Following the first marriages on Saturday amid a supposed race to wed, Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "Congratulations to all same-sex couples getting married today - I wish you every possible happiness for the future."

The Conservative party leader also described the change as an "important moment for our country", and a rainbow flag flew above government offices in London in celebration.

While 15 countries have legalised gay marriage and another three allow it in some areas, homosexuals remain persecuted in many parts of the world.

The Church of England, insisting weddings should take place only between a man and a woman, secured an exemption from the new law.

In London, John Coffey, 52, and Bernardo Marti, 48, exchanged vows as the clock struck midnight, before being pronounced "husband and husband".

They were among several couples bidding to be first to take advantage of last year's Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act.

In Brighton on England's south coast, Neil Allard and Andrew Wale exchanged vows and rings in the opulent splendour of the Royal Pavilion in front of about 100 guests.

Wearing velvet-collared three-piece suits with white flowers in their buttonholes, the smiling couple of seven years hugged and kissed after sealing their marriage.

"We are very happy this day has come finally. It's very exciting," said Wale, a 49-year-old theatre director.

Campaigners have insisted that only the right to marry gives them full equality with heterosexual couples.

Civil partnerships have been legal since 2005 and marriage brings no new rights - the ability to adopt, for example, was introduced in 2002.

"We didn't want to get married until it was a marriage that my mum and dad could have," said Teresa Millward, 37, who was marrying her long-term girlfriend on Saturday.

The gay marriage law is the final victory in a long battle stretching back to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England in 1967.

Cameron backed the change despite strong opposition from members of his party and the Church of England, which has rejected the idea that clergy be allowed to bless couples in same-sex marriages.

But Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the leader of the world's 80 million Anglicans, said the Church had accepted the new law and would continue to demonstrate "the love of Christ for every human being".

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Qld police try to identify dead woman

POLICE are working through the night to investigate the suspicious death of a young woman whose body was found in a busy south Brisbane Park.

Earlier on Friday police were searching for a murder weapon and speaking to witnesses, Detective Acting Inspector Tod Reid told reporters.

The victim hasn't been identified, but police said she was possibly aged in her teens to early 20s, about 165cm tall with a slim build, olive complexion and dark hair and was wearing a silver bracelet on her right wrist.

Her body was found in a rotunda at Kurilpa Park on Friday by a man on his morning walk.

Police want to review CCTV footage from surrounding buildings and have asked for any witnesses in the area during the past day to come forward.

The body was still in the rotunda late on Friday morning as homicide squad officers, local detectives and forensic specialists scoured the scene, which had been partly affected by bad weather.

"Weather's always a factor in these sort of incidents and fortunately the rotunda has managed to secure some of the scene for us," Inspector Reid said.

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PNG set to deport Aussie lawyer

AN Australian barrister representing 75 asylum seekers has been forced to leave Manus Island ahead of his expected deportation by Papua New Guinean authorities.

Contrary to a court order granted by Justice David Cannings allowing Sydney lawyer Jay Williams access to the detention facilities on Manus Island he was on Thursday ejected, the ABC reports.

He will be sent back to Australia on the next flight, PNG's attorney general Kerenga Kua said, adding that Mr Williams hadn't followed the appropriate procedures to practice law in the country.

"What it means is if you're an admitted lawyer but don't have a current practising certificate for 2014, you cannot practise law in this country. Now in the case of Mr Williams, it meets neither requirements," he said.

Justice Canning initiated a human rights inquiry earlier this month into the conditions under which asylum seekers were living but it was temporarily halted, following a week of hearings, after the Supreme Court granted a stay order.

The country's government wants to appeal Justice Canning's decision not to remove himself from the inquest, on allegations he's biased.

In response, Justice Canning started a second inquiry.

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Objects found in new MH370 search area

The search for a missing Malaysia Airlines flight has resumed with weather conditions improving. Source: AAP

OBJECTS sighted by a New Zealand military plane in the Indian Ocean appear to have justified re-focusing efforts more than a thousand kilometres from the original search area for missing flight MH370.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority tweeted on Friday that the RNZAF Orion would supply pictures of the objects as soon as it landed at RAAF Base Pearce, north of Perth.

The sighting will need to be confirmed by ship, which is not expected to reach the area until Saturday.

New radar data analysis prompted authorities to re-focus the six-nation search 1100km to the northeast of its original location, and some 1850km west of Perth, following updated advice from the international investigation team in Malaysia.

The previous focus was in an area 2500km southwest of the West Australian capital.

"Continuing analysis indicates that the plane was travelling faster than was previously estimated, resulting in increased fuel usage, reducing the possible distance it travelled south into the Indian Ocean," Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Martin Dolan said on Friday.

"This is our best estimate of the area in which the aircraft is likely to have crashed into the ocean."

He said the search area could change again as new information emerged.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority emergency response manager John Young said all search planes and ships had been moved to the new zone, which was "now our best place to go".

"We have moved on from those search areas to the newest credible lead," Mr Young said, adding however, that the decision to shift focus was not based on a new theory but a refining of the original analysis used to plot the location of the aircraft's possible resting place.

"The analysis is in fact the same form as we started with," he said.

"I don't count the original work a waste of time."

Mr Young also stressed, however, that he would not use the term "debris field" in relation to various objects spotted by satellite.

The new location will also allow search planes to spend more time on the scene. Previously, they only had one to two hours before having to return to RAAF Base Pearce.

Mr Young said weather conditions in the new search area were also more favourable.

The new area is shallower, with water depths ranging from 2000 to 4000 metres.

Any wreckage found would be handed over to Malaysian authorities.

The new "credible lead" on a possible crash site, almost three weeks to the day since the plane carrying 239 people disappeared on March 8, also came with a warning from Malaysia Airlines of the effect on the families of rumours and speculation about the flight's fate.

"Whilst we understand that there will inevitably be speculation during this period, we do ask people to bear in mind the effect this has on the families of all those on board," the airline's group chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said.

"Their anguish and distress increases with each passing day, with each fresh rumour, and with each false or misleading report."

Mr Yahya said preparations were underway for family members of passengers and crew to be taken to Perth, should physical wreckage be found.

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Pell promises compo for Vic abuse victims

Cardinal George Pell (C) has promised to review compensation for Melbourne church abuse victims. Source: AAP

CARDINAL George Pell has promised to review compensation payments for Melbourne church abuse victims and has conceded it may cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Cardinal Pell met with Anthony and Chrissie Foster, whose two daughters were abused by a priest in Melbourne and told them a cap on payments would be eliminated.

He also told them during the meeting, which took place on Thursday after Cardinal Pell completed his evidence to the royal commission into child sexual abuse, the church would review all existing payments.

"I stated that we needed to see the Melbourne cap eliminated, revisiting all the existing claims and in line with civil limits," Mr Foster told ABC TV.

"I also said to him that this will cost the Catholic Church in Melbourne several hundred million dollars.

"His response was he nodded and said 'yes'."

Francis Sullivan from Catholic Church Truth, Justice and Healing Council, who was at the meeting said Cardinal Pell gave a commitment that he would speak with the Archbishop of Melbourne.

Nicky Davis from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said the commitment was a good first step and hopes it is not an empty promise.

"George Pell is making an honest man of himself at last," she said in a statement.

"What has been agreed to so far is a first step, but what makes this different is it is not a vague promise or deceitful claim. We are talking about concrete action that will help hundreds of our most vulnerable."

"It is vital George Pell not offer survivors another devastating blow by betraying our hopes and going back on promises made to the Fosters."

Ms Davis said the commitment did not remove the need for an independent body to ensure survivors receive access to justice and fair compensation.

The Fosters' two daughters were raped by a priest at primary school.

One of them took her own life and the other was hit by a car while binge drinking and now requires 24-hour care for permanent disabilities.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.

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Greste's family hail PM's intervention

THE parents of jailed Australian journalist Peter Greste say Prime Minister Tony Abbott's direct appeal for his release will undoubtably help the case.

Mr Abbott rang interim Egyptian President Adly Mansour on Thursday night, three months after the Al Jazeera journalist and two colleagues were detained for allegedly spreading false news and supporting the black-listed Muslim Brotherhood.

Greste's parents didn't realise Mr Abbott was going to intervene, but thanked him.

"We're thrilled, delighted," his father Juris said.

"I have high hopes but modest expectations.

"We don't expect to be greeting Peter next week. It would be nice."

The Grestes held back from any criticism of how long it took Mr Abbott to reach out.

"We have come to realise that timing is important, and we respect other people's over the appropriate timing in these things," Juris said.

The prime minister raised the detention with Mr Mansour, noting that Greste had only been doing his job as a journalist and had no intention of damaging Egypt's interests.

He sought the president's assistance in securing Greste's release and having his case resolved as soon as possible.

In response the president noted that he had written to Greste's parents promising he would be subject to a fair and just legal process.

The president assured them that Greste would receive all necessary support and legal assistance and said he hoped the case would be resolved as soon as possible.

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3 bear cubs rescued from captivity

ANIMAL activists in Kosovo say three brown bear cubs have been rescued from captivity.

The one-month-old cubs, Ema, Oska and Ron, were found at two separate homes last week in the western town of Peja and are believed to be from the same mother. No arrests have been made.

Activists said they don't know what happened to the mother. Authorities were tipped off by citizens after photos of the cubs were spotted on Facebook.

"The cubs were stressed upon arrival but are recovering well", said Afrim Mehmeti, manager of a bear sanctuary run by international animal charity group Four Paws.

Keeping wild animals in Kosovo is forbidden by law and authorities are strict on the captivity of brown bears, an endangered species in the country.

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PM, Truss hopeful of MH370 breakthrough

A WOODEN cargo pallet, belts and possibly straps have been observed in the remote Indian Ocean by aircraft deployed in the hunt for a missing Malaysian jet.

Australia's Acting Prime Minister Warren Truss says authorities are hopeful of a breakthrough in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, after an Australian aircraft spotted the small pieces of debris.

Visiting the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Canberra headquarters on Sunday, Mr Truss said the Indian Ocean search will continue "as long as there is hope".

"We hope that soon there will be more information available that might help to provide some kind of closure, or at least an understanding of what's happened, especially to the families of those who were on board Malaysia Airlines flight 370," he said.

Mr Truss's comments echoed those of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who earlier said an Australian civilian aircraft had on Saturday spotted debris in the southern Indian Ocean, including a wooden pallet.

It was still too early to say whether the debris was from an aircraft, Mr Abbott said in his latest update on the search.

"But obviously we have now had a number of very credible leads," he told reporters in Papua New Guinea, also referring to new Chinese satellite imagery suggesting at least one large object.

"There is increasing hope, no more than hope ... that we might be on the road to discovering what did happen to this ill-fated aircraft."

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said several small objects were identified by a civil aircraft in Saturday's search and further searches would continue on Sunday to determine if the objects were related to the missing plane.

Four civil jets and four military aircraft were involved in Sunday's operation, which AMSA says would be a visual search based on the satellite imagery.

Mike Barton from AMSA's Rescue Coordination Centre said wooden pallets were quite common in the airline industry.

"We've gone back to that area today to try and refind it," he told reporters in Canberra.

"It's a possible lead. But we will need to be very certain that this is a pallet because pallets are used in the shipping industry as well."

Flight MH370, carrying 239 people including six Australians and two New Zealanders, dropped off civilian radar on March 8, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Two weeks later Malaysian investigators still believe the aircraft was "deliberately diverted" by someone on board.

Head of the AMSA's rescue coordination centre John Young said the authority still held the "gravest of concerns" for those on board MH370.

"We intend to stick with this until we've done all we can," he told reporters in Canberra.

RAAF flight lieutenant Russell Adams told reporters after a 10.6 hour flight to the zone, although they did not find anything of interest on Sunday due to poor weather, he was proud of the team's efforts.

"There was cloud down to the surface and at times we were completely enclosed by cloud," he said.

Lt Adams said it had been a long day for the crew but they were still in high spirits.

"This us what we train for, this is what we enjoy doing in that we get to utilise the capabilities of the aircraft and work together as a team as part of the multinational effort which is going on," he said.

Lt Adams said the crews still had drive and would continue their efforts for as long as it took.

"We might do 10 sorties and find nothing, but on that 11th flight when you find something and you know that you're actually contributing to some answers for somebody or if you're finding a life raft out in the Solomon Islands with people alive on it, it really makes it worthwhile," he said.

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Sydney store manager gets bravery award

A WEST Sydney store manager who was shot at after defending a colleague from three attackers has been awarded one of the nation's highest bravery awards.

Andrew MacDonald was working at a department store in Bonnyrigg in August 2010 when three men stormed in, wanting to speak to the shop's loss prevention officer.

The men assaulted Mr MacDonald's colleague, before one of them produced a handgun and aimed it at his stomach.

Mr MacDonald intervened in the conflict, calling for help and pushing one of the attackers away.

The Padstow resident also kept the two other assailants on the ground, allowing his colleague to run into another part of the store.

Mr MacDonald then ordered the thugs out of the store, even though they threatened to shoot him.

He was shot at twice when trying to get a description of the men's getaway vehicles.

The men were arrested after being followed to a home in a nearby suburb.

Mr MacDonald was awarded the Star of Courage from Governor-General Quentin Bryce.

The citation on the Star of Courage reads: "For acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril."

The Star of Courage is the nation's second-highest bravery award, superseded only by the Cross of Valour, of which only five have ever been awarded.

"Today's announcement of national bravery awards recognises the heroic actions of those amongst us who have placed the safety and lives of others before their own," Ms Bryce said in a statement.

"We are privileged to have such role models in our society, and it is an honour to be able to recognise their acts of selfless bravery and thank them publicly for their brave actions."

Mr MacDonald's is one of 47 national bravery awards handed out this year.

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Ageing population to provide opportunities

MUCH is made of the future strains an ageing population may put on the economy, but a new report suggests that it will also generate opportunities.

Residential aged care, retirement leisure and re-skilling an ageing workforce are among potential growth areas that could contribute to the nation's prosperity over the next 20 years, according to consultants Deloitte.

In the third of a series of analyses, Deloitte highlights 19 sectoral "hotspots" that have the biggest potential to lift Australia's growth trajectory.

These complement the current boost from mining, and five sectors it focused on in a report in October 2013 that could be worth $250 billion to the economy over the next two decades - gas, agribusiness, tourism, international education and wealth management.

Co-author of the report, Deloitte Access Economics partner Chris Richardson, said Australia's growth options remain excellent as Asia's boom evolves and new domestic opportunities arise.

"Our future prosperity will come from a more diversified spread of sectors, enabling Australia to remain the fastest-growing developed western nation in world," he said.

The 19 pockets of future growth featured in the new report released on Monday could contribute at least a further $150 billion to the economy.

Importantly, they are mainly high job creating areas.

Alongside residential aged care, retirement living and leisure, community and personal care and preventative health and wellness, the report also points to the digital delivery of health, likening it to a modern day Royal Flying Doctor Service.

It also sees opportunities from re-skilling an ageing workforce.

The numbers of older Australians interested in working longer are swelling, but they need their skills updated.

Among other possibilities, it says Australian food processing could enjoy the success being seen in New Zealand if an outdated regulatory framework is addressed.

The report's co-author,, Alchemy Growth Partners managing director Mehrdad Baghai, says the commitment of the G20 to table national growth strategies when leaders meet in November in Brisbane "comes at a great time".

"It will be a trigger for Australia to have a national conversation about where we need to look for our future prosperity," he said.

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F-35 fighter purchase reasonable: report

EDS: THIS STORY NOT FOR USE UNTIL 0005 AEDT MONDAY, MARCH 24

CANBERRA, March 24 AAP - Australia is likely to push ahead with the acquisition of its first operational F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, according to a report by an independent defence think tank.

In a report released on Monday, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says it makes most sense for the federal government to commit to spending between $8 billion and $10 billion on 58 of the fighters, which are expected to enter service in 2020.

Report authors Andrew Davies and Harry White say the F-35 is a capable fighter with an ability to penetrate sophisticated air defences, but note that other factors, including political relations, point towards a likely buy.

"Because we're an international program partner on the JSF, the economies of scale for other buyers - including the US - will be reduced if we don't purchase the aircraft," they say.

Start-up costs to take on the JSF are predicted to be $2 billion, with a ongoing annual cost of about $200 million.

"In the final analysis, the government seems likely to be prepared to pay a moderate premium to maintain a high-end air-combat capability, and to preserve the other benefits to industry and the alliance with Washington," the report says.

"On balance, that looks like a reasonable decision for Australia."

As the government keeps a watchful eye on Australia's budget, the report suggests an option of reducing the F-35 order to 50, thus saving about $800 million on the initial cost.

Australian industry has secured contracts worth more than $US300 million ($A332.54 million) to manufacture F-35 components, with the injection to the economy possibly reaching $US5 billion over the lifetime of the program.

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