Brown wooed as face of Tasmanian tourism

Greens patriarch Bob Brown is being courted as the face of Tasmania's tourism campaigns. Source: AAP

BOB Brown is being wooed as the face of Tasmanian wilderness tourism.

The former Greens leader has been sounded out by the state's tourism industry to promote Tasmania's World Heritage Area.

The idea builds on the recent Go Behind the Scenery campaign, which sought to make the state's environmental battles a point of interest for tourists.

Tourism Industry Council boss Luke Martin has said Dr Brown defines the state's recent history.

But the Greens' patriarch may not be easily wooed.

Tasmania's new Liberal state government wants to open up national parks to eco-tourism development, a move Dr Brown has called "stupid" and "greedy".

Premier Will Hodgman is also backing a federal government move to cut 74,000 hectares from the World Heritage Area.

Dr Brown says he already pushes destination Tasmania but there would be conditions to him fronting a tourism campaign.

"I'm very woo-able but not unless they get the (balance) right," he has told the Hobart Mercury.

"Private development should be outside World Heritage and outside national parks, and developments inside national parks should be public and they should be well funded."

The Hodgman government has called for potential investors to pitch "sensitive and appropriate" eco-tourism ideas.

Mr Martin says they are the norm in countries such as New Zealand and Canada, where green groups support them.

Greens leader Christine Milne said the tourism industry should oppose the federal government's World Heritage wind-back.

"It's a bit rich for the Tourism Industry Council to be appealing to Bob Brown to help it sell tourism in World Heritage Areas while the Abbott government is trying to destroy them," she said in a statement.

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Better airliner tracking announced: IATA

AVIATION industry plans to improve global tracking following the Malaysia jet disappearance will be ready in September, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says.

Announcing the date, the association's chief Tony Tyler repeated his earlier message that there must be "no repeat" of the flight MH370 incident.

Nothing has been found of the Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 777, which vanished on March 8 with 239 people on board en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

"The loss of MH370 points us to an immediate need," Mr Tyler, IATA's director general and chief executive, told a world air transport summit in Doha on Monday.

"A large commercial airliner going missing without a trace for so long is unprecedented in modern aviation. It must not happen again.

"IATA, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and experts from around the world are working together to identify the best recommendations for improved global tracking.

"By September, we will deliver draft options to ICAO.

IATA's global aviation data management project is building the world's largest resource of operational information with data from a global spectrum of industry and government contributors.

"Our ultimate goal is to predict the potential for accidents and so ensure that they don't happen," Mr Tyler added.

"This is not science fiction. Each new data contribution and every improvement in our analytical capabilities moves this closer to reality."

Last week, Australia's Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre announced an end to the search in the southern Indian Ocean for the missing plane, after nothing had been found.

The agency said that an expanded search, based on satellite analysis of the plane's most likely route, would probably begin in August after commercial side-scan sonar operators were contracted.

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Alleged freeze on asylum seeker's claim

REFUGEE supporters claim the immigration department had put a "freeze" on the application of a now-deceased Sri Lankan asylum seeker because he had reached the Australian mainland.

Leorsin Seemanpillai, 29, set himself alight on Saturday.

He was living in Geelong waiting for his application for a protection visa to be finalised.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has cautioned against drawing conclusions about what drove Mr Seemanpillai to self harm.

There had been no visa decision nor had he been told he was being deported.

"This is a terrible and tragic incident and none of us can know the mind of someone in this situation," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

But Asylum Seeker Resource Centre spokeswoman Pamela Curr blames processing delays on the application of Mr Seemanpillai, whose boat reached Darwin in January 2013.

Ms Curr understands all asylum seekers who made it to Australia after August 2012 but before the federal parliament passed laws to excise the mainland in May 2013 have had their applications frozen.

"We don't know but maybe Leo would still be alive if his claims were being processed in a timely way," Ms Curr told AAP.

"These direct-entry people were all frozen."

The no-advantage test introduced by the Gillard government in August 2012 did not apply to asylum seekers who reached the mainland.

It was aimed at ensuring those who arrived by boat were not advantaged over people waiting in refugee camps.

Ms Curr said it was six months before Mr Seemanpillai had been allowed to make his refugee status claim and after 18 months he still hadn't had an official interview.

A spokeswoman for Mr Morrison denied direct-entry cases had been frozen.

Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the cruelty of the Abbott Government's refugee policy was pushing people to breaking point

"It's clear that Leo was a casualty of the system," Senator Hanson-Young said.

The minister hit back at what he considered the politicising of the death.

"If they are then that is a disgraceful and grubby and despicable thing for the Greens to do," he told Sky News.

Mr Seemanpillai had been receiving community mental health support "for some time" and was in contact with a case worker as late as last Friday.

There was nothing to indicate during those meetings he had intended to take his own life.

Mr Morrison said he was satisfied Mr Seemanpillai had received adequate assistance while on the bridging visa, with work rights and ongoing mental health support.

The department will conduct a review of the arrangements.

* 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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Lucy rejects Malcolm leadership talk

Malcolm Turnbull says claims he might mount a leadership challenge are 'demented' and 'unhinged'. Source: AAP

MALCOLM Turnbull's fluey quest for spicy soup has been miscast as a leadership challenge, the cabinet minister's wife and former Sydney lord mayor Lucy Turnbull says.

Lucy Turnbull told the ABC's Q&A on Monday there was no conspiracy when her husband met Mr Palmer, the leader of the Palmer United Party, for dinner last Wednesday night.

Mr Turnbull sent a text message at 6pm on Wednesday saying he had the flu and needed some spicy soup.

"He sent me a message at 6.30 in the morning saying 'guess what, having dinner and then Clive came along.'"

"It was completely spontaneous.

"It has been completely miscast."

Mr Turnbull on Monday labelled conservative political commentator Andrew Bolt "demented" and "unhinged" for suggesting he's trying to take back the Liberal leadership.

Liberal senator Cory Bernardi, also a guest on the program, said he thought Mr Turnbull went too far in criticising Mr Bolt.

"It was inappropriate, it was unwise to do," he said.

It kicked the whole thing along.

"Malcolm I just think went a bit too heavy today."

On Sunday Mr Bolt asked Prime Minister Tony Abbott at the weekend whether Mr Turnbull's recent dinner with Mr Palmer was an indication Mr Turnbull has designs on the party's top job.

Mr Abbott on Sunday played down Mr Turnbull's actions, saying it was "perfectly reasonable" for senior members of the coalition to talk with crossbenchers to help get the budget passed.

Mr Bolt has written on his popular blog that he is sure Mr Turnbull is not contemplating any imminent challenge.

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White House defends Guantanamo releases

US defence secretary Chuck Hagel has defended a prisoner exchange with the Taliban for a US soldier. Source: AAP

THE White House has defended the release of five Guantanamo detainees in exchange for a US soldier held by the Taliban, saying a potential threat had been "sufficiently mitigated."

Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl - the only US soldier held by the Taliban after being captured in Afghanistan - was freed on Saturday in a dramatic deal brokered by Qatar.

In exchange, five Taliban prisoners were turned over to the Arab emirate, where they will remain for a year, sparking criticism from some Republicans, who claimed they could return to the battlefield and pose a threat to Americans abroad.

But White House Press Secretary Jay Carney took to the US morning talk shows on Monday to downplay the threat posed by the men - influential former officials of the Taliban regime that was toppled by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

"We have a history in this country of making sure that our prisoners of war are returned to us, we don't leave them behind," Carney told CNN.

"And it's entirely appropriate, given the determination made by the secretary of defence, in consultation with the full national security team, that the threat potentially posed by the returned detainees was sufficiently mitigated to allow us to move forward and get Bowe Bergdahl back home where he belongs."

Carney added that a travel ban and monitoring was in effect, giving Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel "the confidence to make the determination he did.

"I can say that we do believe and have confidence that the measures put in place in agreement with the host country allow us to feel confident that the threat is sufficiently mitigated," he said.

Bergdahl's almost five years in captivity saw him transferred between various militant factions along the volatile Afghanistan-Pakistan border, finally ending up in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal district, according to militant sources.

The circumstances of the Idaho native's disappearance, from a base in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province in 2009, remain unclear.

He arrived Sunday at the US military medical centre in Landstuhl in southern Germany where he is to continue his "reintegration process," the army said.

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Shotgun fired at Hobart house

Show us what you're doing at 3.03pm!

We want to know what you are doing, and where in Western Sydney. Take a picture at 3.03 on Sunday, and upload your piece of art to see it in Monday's paper.

The poet with a heart of gold

BULLDOGS fan Taylor Griffiths, 17, has come across more occupations than most kids his age. Oncologists. Immunologists. Surgeons. But until about a week ago, he had never met a poet.

Party drug smuggler faces life in jail

A UK man faces life in prison after being caught at Sydney Airport attempting to smuggle over 2kg of ecstasy in five tins of bath salts off a flight from Abu Dhabi.

Tooth decay costs taxpayers $2.7m

NSW taxpayers could be up for $2.7 million to help fund four north coast fluoride dosing plants in the state's worst tooth decay region as a result of the Byron Shire Council banning the dental booster from its water supply.

Diplomas or a debt trap?

COMPETITION to sign up students to expensive tertiary diploma courses is spiralling out of control, with offers of lavish inducements including free iPads, laptops and $1000 shopping vouchers.

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Qld still on track for surplus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Aust pledges $100m for polio fight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bali flights under cloud but Darwin clear

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"The airlines are meeting about it."

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

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

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

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

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Iraq violence killed 799 in May: UN

VIOLENCE has claimed the lives of 799 Iraqis in May, the highest monthly death toll so far this year, the United Nations says, underlining the daunting challenges the government faces as it struggles to contain a surge in sectarian violence.

The figures issued by the UN mission to Iraq, known as UNAMI, put last month's civilian death toll at 603, with 196 security forces killed.

UNAMI added that 1409 Iraqis, including 1108 civilians, were wounded.

The previous month's death toll stood at 750, making April the second deadliest month of the year.

The worst-hit city was the capital Baghdad, with 315 people killed.

The northern province of Nineveh came in second with 113, followed by nearby Salahuddin province with 94.

The figures exclude deaths in embattled Anbar province, where militants have controlled parts of the provincial capital Ramadi and nearby Fallujah since December.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a militant group that also operates in neighbouring Syria, has intensified its attacks across Iraq as political rivals work to form a new government following parliamentary elections on April 30.

Shi'ite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's bloc emerged as the biggest winner, securing 92 seats in the 328-member parliament, but it failed to gain the majority needed to govern alone.

"I strongly deplore the sustained level of violence and terrorist acts that continues rocking the country," the UN Special Representative in Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, said in the statement.

"I urge the political leaders to work swiftly for the formation of an inclusive government within the constitutionally mandated time frame and focus on a substantive solution to the situation in Anbar," he added.

Last year the death toll climbed to its highest levels since the worst of the sectarian strife in 2006 and 2007, when the country was on the brink of civil war.

The UN says 8868 people were killed in 2013.

The 2011 withdrawal of US forces, which had for eight years often acted as a buffer between Shi'ites and Sunnis, is thought to have contributed to the rise in violence, in addition to the use of deadly force by the Shi'ite-led security forces against Sunni protesters.

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