US court lifts ban on horse slaughter

A US appeals court has lifted a temporary ban on domestic horse slaughter. Source: AAP

A US appeals court has lifted a temporary ban on domestic horse slaughter, clearing the way for companies in New Mexico, Missouri and Iowa to open while an appeal stemming from a lawsuit by animal protection groups proceeds.

The issue has divided horse rescue and animal welfare groups, ranchers, politicians and native American tribes about what is the most humane way to deal with the country's horse overpopulation, and what rescue groups have said is a rising number of neglected and starving horses as the west deals with persistent drought.

The 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver lifted the emergency injunction it issued in November after the Humane Society of the United States and others appealed the ruling of a federal judge in Albuquerque.

The judge had decided the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) followed proper procedure in issuing permits to the slaughter companies.

The plants would become the first horse slaughterhouses to operate in the US since 2007. Congress effectively banned horse slaughter by eliminating funding for inspections at the plants in 2006.

It restored that funding in 2011, but the USDA did not approve the first permits for horse slaughterhouses until this summer.

Lawyers for the plants have argued that the plaintiffs are in court because they are morally opposed to horse slaughter and are looking for a way to delay the plants while they lobby Congress for a ban.

Proponents of a return to domestic horse slaughter point to a 2011 US government report that shows horse abuse and abandonment have increased since domestic horse slaughter was banned.

Wayne Pacelle, the president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, calls the practice barbaric and says blocking a return to domestic horse slaughter "is an issue of national importance and scale."

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Two hurt, shooter dead at US school

A US teenager who may have had a grudge against a teacher has opened fire at a Colorado high school. Source: AAP

A TEENAGER who may have had a grudge against a teacher opened fire with a shotgun at a Colorado high school, wounding two students before killing himself.

Quick-thinking students alerted the targeted teacher, who quickly left the building.

The scene unfolded on the eve of the Newtown massacre anniversary, a sombre reminder of the ever-present potential for violence in American schools.

Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identified the shooter on Friday night as 18-year-old Karl Halverson Pierson.

The shooter entered Arapahoe High School armed with a shotgun and looking for a teacher he identified by name, Sheriff Robinson said.

"(The teacher) knew he was the target and he left that school in an effort to try to encourage the shooter to also leave the school," the sheriff said. "That was a very wise tactical decision."

One of the wounded students, a girl, was taken to hospital in serious condition. The other student suffered minor gunshot-related injuries.

Two suspected Molotov cocktails were found inside the school, the sheriff said. One detonated but no one was injured.

Within 20 minutes of the report of a gunman, officers found the suspect's body inside the school, Sheriff Robinson said.

Students were seen walking toward the school's running track with their hands in the air, and television footage showed students being patted down.

Authorities concluded that Pierson had acted alone.

Nearby neighbourhoods were jammed with cars as parents sought their children.

Several Denver-area school districts went into lockdown as reports of the shooting spread. Police as far away as Fort Collins, about a two-hour drive north, stepped up school security.

The practice of sending law enforcement directly to an active shooting incident was developed in response to another Colorado school shooting that shook the nation: in 1999, two teenage shooters killed 12 classmates and a teacher at Columbine High School before killing themselves.

Arapahoe High School is 13 kilometres from Columbine.

More recently, a shooter killed 12 people at a movie theatre in Aurora, another Denver suburb, in 2012.

A slate of gun control measures, including ammunition magazine limits and expanded background checks, were this year approved by Colorado lawmakers.

Two state lawmakers were ousted in recall elections after voting for the measures, and a third resigned to avoid a recall. The backlash was a reflection of the divide in a state known for its hunting and where gun ownership is a treasured right.

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Milat murder appeal angers victim's family

THE great-nephew of serial killer Ivan Milat wants his murder sentence halved, infuriating the family of the boy he slaughtered.

Teenage axe murderers Matthew Milat and Cohen Klein are appealing the severity of the sentences handed down last year for the murder of their friend David Auchterlonie in Belanglo State Forest in November 2010.

David was murdered on his 17th birthday.

Milat was sentenced to at least 30 years, with a maximum term of 43.

Klein was jailed for at least 22 years, with a maximum 32-year term.

Deputy senior public defender John Stratton SC, representing Milat, told the Criminal Court of Appeal that although it was a heinous crime, it "was not in the worst class" of murder.

Instead, he put forward a maximum 22-year jail term with a non-parole period of 15 years.

Mr Stratton submitted to the judges various cases where murderers had their sentences cut, and that there was little evidence of torture.

But Justice Robert Hulme said nine months after the killing, Milat wrote chilling letters that showed "unrepentant enjoyment at the prospect of callous murder".

Justice Hulme called the reduction to a 22-year sentence "bold".

Klein's barrister, Janet Manuell SC, said Milat was the "dominant" one - who found the weapon, organised to bring the victim to the forest, struck the blow and bragged about it later.

"The role of (Klein) was one of support and facilitation," Ms Manuell said.

"There was some evidence of remorse."

David's mother, Donna Locke, spoke to reporters outside court as friends unfurled an Aboriginal flag behind her with "R.I.P David Always" written on it.

"I'm disgusted and outraged and hurt, as it's ridiculous and wrong to think that we are back here today," Ms Locke said.

"David was not given a chance to appeal his death sentence.

"They deserve to be there for the rest of their lives and take their last breath in jail, and leave in a body bag to the morgue just like my son left the forest."

Ms Locke said Milat was trying to be a "copycat" of Ivan Milat and that if the pair could commit such a callous crime at such a young age, they're bound to reoffend.

The axe attack took place in the same NSW Southern Highlands forest where Ivan Milat murdered seven backpackers in the early 1990s.

Crown prosecutor Nicole Noman SC, who is opposing any reduction in the sentences, said the killing was planned, premeditated and a "thrill kill".

"Each of them performed a different ... but meaningful role to make sure this planned murder occurred," Ms Noman said.

"It was cold, it was calculated ... it was not momentary."

Ms Noman said Milat at one stage asked Klein if he could "feel the adrenaline".

After the killing, Klein mentioned to Milat that he was "going down the path of his uncle" and showed "a form of admiration", she said.

The three-judge appeal panel will make its decision at a later date.

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Queensland Motorways to be auctioned

QUEENSLAND Motorways will be auctioned off by the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC).

Treasurer Tim Nicholls had said on Thursday there were no plans to sell QIC, but chief executive Damian Frawley announced on Friday they'd auction off the road toll division, believed to be worth more than $5 billion.

The government-owned corporation will continue to manage money on behalf of numerous public and private sector pension funds.

Mr Frawley said there had been significant interest in 100 per cent ownership of Queensland Motorways from domestic and international investors.

"Conducting a traditional auction process is in the best interests of maximising the return to Queensland's Defined Benefit Fund, which holds the Queensland Motorways investment," he said.

Queensland Motorways manages five motorways including the Gateway, Logan motorways, Legacy Way, the Go Between Bridge and the CLEM7 tunnel.

The Newman government has promised not to proceed to with any asset sale without a mandate, but has ordered scoping studies into the sale of power generators CS Energy and Stanwell and the lease of Townsville and Gladstone ports.

Premier Campbell Newman has hosed down suggestions he might be eyeing an early election to boost the books sooner rather than later.

But he said the government still had a lot of work to do to deal with the former Labor government's legacy of debt.

"We intend to go full term in Queensland," he said.

Big business is keen to buy Queensland's electricity generators, but small business is wary, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) says.

CCIQ general manager Nick Behrens says there is an equally strong investor appetite for both, but small business is yet to be convinced.

They want to know if the sale of generators will push up power prices, which are already tipped to increase by about 13 per cent next year if the carbon tax is not repealed.

"CCIQ has called on the scoping studies to also examine outcomes in the area of price and service to ensure they are not compromised should these assets be sold," Mr Behrens says.

Private companies that invest would borrow at a higher rate than the government, prompting unions and the opposition to claim Queenslanders will pay more for electricity.

"It is going to mean higher infrastructure costs," shadow treasurer Curtis Pitt said.

"Electricity consumers will have to pay for the higher cost of borrowing for the private sector, and then the private sector profit margin.

"And they are going to be demanding profits."

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Fares up and bus route changes for Sydney

Public transport fares will increase next year as the NSW government redesigns Sydney's bus system. Source: AAP

SYDNEY commuters may have to travel further to reach their bus stops next year and pay more to climb aboard following a raft of transport changes.

The NSW government's 20-year plan to redesign Sydney's bus system aims to streamline more than 600 bus routes.

The plan, Sydney's Bus Future, will introduce a three-tiered network and see more rapid routes, like the existing metrobuses.

The rapid routes will link major centres and create a "turn up and go service" with a bus every 10 minutes on weekdays.

However, routes will see fewer stops and commuters may have to walk further to reach them.

Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian announced the plan on Thursday, along with a public transport fare increase to start on January 5.

Opposition Leader John Robertson slammed the plan, saying it would create longer queues at fewer bus stops.

Customers on "suburban" routes will get a bus at least every 10 minutes in peak times and every 15 minutes during the day on weekdays.

"Local" services will have buses stopping every 400 metres.

The new plan's 13 "rapid" routes will link Sydney's hubs, but will only stop every 800 metres to one kilometre.

The government says the bus route changes will see 1.5 million Sydneysiders living within a 10 minute walk to "turn up and go" services on rapid or suburban routes.

Sydney Business Chamber executive director Patricia Forsythe said the government recognised that increasing buses was the problem, not the solution, for traffic congestion.

"The metro bus routes have been very popular and the development of more rapid services that have reduced stopping patterns, but faster trips, will be very attractive to passengers who travel over longer distances," she said.

The Tourism & Transport Forum supports the plan, but deputy chief executive Trent Zimmerman wants more services to Olympic Park.

"We are disappointed the plan does not include express bus services from Strathfield to cater for a growing workforce and we encourage the government to keep the door open on improving bus links to Olympic Park," he said.

While the government says it will not increase MyZone fares in line with an IPART recommendation, there will be an increase in line with CPI.

The hike will range between a 20 cent increase on single adult tickets up to a $2 increase for MyMulti weekly tickets.

However, Opal fares will remain unchanged.

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Aged care, child care workers left out

The Abbott government has withdrawn funds set aside by Labor to give aged care workers pay rises. Source: AAP

THE government has consigned aged care workers to the same scrap heap as child carers, say Labor, the Australian Greens and the workers' union.

A $1.1 billion fund to help give pay rises to aged care workers has been dumped days after the government scrapped a similar fund for child care workers.

It says neither fund would have covered all the workers in the sectors and the requirement for enterprise agreements was "unionism by stealth".

"It was a flawed and inequitable system with a clear objective of coercing union membership in the sector," Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews and his assistant minister Mitch Fifield said in a joint statement on the aged care fund.

They will move the money back into the general aged care pool and consult the sector about the best way to use it.

United Voice, the union representing child care and aged care workers, said both sectors struggled to attract and retain quality workers due to low pay rates.

"Workers across both sectors are reeling at the meanness of these decisions and concerned about the impact on their family budgets as they miss out on these much needed pay increases," national president Michael Crosby said.

It was particularly galling the decisions came right before Christmas, he said.

Opposition spokesman on ageing Shayne Neumann said the government had abandoned low-paid workers.

"(Prime Minister) Tony Abbott is the Christmas Grinch and his government has done nothing this week except dump on workers," he said.

The Greens warned that returning the $1.1 billion to general funding made it more likely to be targeted in the commission of audit looking for cuts.

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Govt defends special visas facing axe

The federal government wants to remove a protection visa for refugees introduced by Labor last year. Source: AAP

LABOR has warned the removal of a special visa created to protect people facing persecution could see some women subjected to honour killings or genital mutilation.

The federal coalition government wants to remove a protection visa for a specific class of refugees and give the immigration minister the final say on individual cases.

The visas were created by the former Labor government to protect people who didn't meet the full refugee criteria but would be at risk of serious harm if returned to their homeland.

But the government claims the visas were being granted to people who had committed serious crimes and others fleeing because of links to criminal gangs or involvement in blood feuds.

Opposition immigration minister Richard Marles said since the visas began in March 2012, they'd only been used a handful of times, but were critical for the people they applied to.

"Examples of them are people who may face honour killings in the country from which they have come," he told the lower house on Wednesday.

"Women who may, if they are returned, be subjected to genital mutilation."

Any decision by the department to grant such a visa was reviewable, making the process efficient and transparent, he added.

Liberal MP Alex Hawke said the opposition didn't understand the visas were providing a product to people smugglers who were not genuine refugees.

He said the small number of people eligible for the visas would always get protection from Australia and would continue without the current arrangement.

"There's no question that Australia will continue to meet its international obligations in relation to asylum," he said.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said handing the power to decide cases back to the minister, which was the case until 2012, would restore the best mechanism for deciding cases "flexibly and constructively" and reduce the risk of abuse and vexatious court action.

Mr Morrison said endangered people - like women fleeing honour killing or genital mutilation - would still be protected.

The Migration Amendment (Regaining Control Over Australia's Protection Obligations) Bill 2013 was passed by 85 votes to 53 and now goes to the Senate.

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Vic ambos say pay dispute will drag on

Several hundred Victorian paramedics have rallied to demand a better pay deal from the government. Source: AAP

VICTORIAN paramedics say they are in for the long haul in their bitter pay dispute with the government and will keep fighting until they get the result they want.

Several hundred paramedics rallied on the steps of the Victorian Parliament on Wednesday, demanding the government improve its recent 12 per cent pay offer.

Dressed in red T-shirts, the paramedics presented a bundle of 23,000 signatures supporting their cause to Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews, who will deliver them to Premier Denis Napthine.

The state government late last month offered paramedics an extra six per cent immediately and further rises of three per cent a year in 2015 and 2016, plus a $1500 sign-on bonus.

But paramedics say the latest pay offer is effectively a 12 per cent increase over five years and will mean they are the nation's highest trained, but lowest paid.

Steve Gibbs, whose 23-year-old son Matthew died after having to wait 16 minutes for an ambulance, said he was proud to offer every paramedic his full support.

"I'm here to let each and every paramedic know that they do have the full support of not only the community, but my wife and I," he said.

Mr Gibbs said he watched as five professional paramedics worked tirelessly on his son and they showed commitment that he would never forget.

He said Victoria's paramedics are world class and should be paid as such.

Ambulance Employees Association general secretary Steve McGhie said the dispute was far from over.

"Today we are here to let the premier know we will not take the offer that they have put on the table at the moment, it has to be improved," he told the rally.

"This fight is not going away until we get a winning result. We are in it for the long haul."

Health Minister David Davis said last month the new offer was a significant increase.

"I believe the offer is a very fair offer that will see not only a fair outcome for paramedics and their families ... but also an outcome that is fair to taxpayers," he said.

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Dexus lifts earnings guidance

DEXUS Property Group has upgraded its earnings guidance as a result of a buyback of securities and the net impact of Dexus's investment in the Commonwealth Property Office Fund (CPA).

Dexus also says its office and industrial portfolios are performing solidly.

Dexus on Tuesday lifted its earnings guidance for the 2014 financial year to 8.29 cents per stapled security, from 8.15 cents per security - up seven per cent on the 2013 result.

"Today's increase in guidance is evidence of our focus on enhancing value and returns to investors," Dexus chief executive Darren Steinberg said in a statement.

"Both the re-instatement of the buy-back in July 2013 and our use of an efficient derivative structure for the investment in CPA, reflect our active approach to capital management."

Dexus will distribute 3.07 cents per security for the six months ending December 31, 2013 - up 6.2 per cent on the prior corresponding period.

Dexus is aiming to pay a full year distribution of 6.24 cents per security.

Dexus securities were two cents higher at $1.035 at 1021 AEDT.

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Qld public servants' pay rise unfair:union

THE Christmas gift Queensland public servants received from the premier is good but not that great, their union says.

If fact, they'd like to exchange it for something better in the New Year.

The Together Union says the 2.2 per cent pay rise Premier Campbell Newman gifted them isn't really that festive because it doesn't match the one politicians received.

"It's definitely a result getting workers a well-deserved pay rise before Christmas but it's not enough," assistant secretary Kate Flanders told reporters on Tuesday.

"These people should have at least got what the politicians got, which was three per cent backdated.

"The fight continues for our members."

But Mr Newman says the state's 48,000 public servants wouldn't be getting a boost to their pay packets if he hadn't personally intervened in the 18-month wage battle.

He says the government's efforts to give the core public service a pay rise since mid-2012 had been "stymied at every turn by the Together Union".

"I'm delighted to have broken the impasse," Mr Newman said.

"The whole process was going nowhere. It's well and truly overdue."

He said the government is using a section of the Public Service Act to give "core" public servants a pay rise now, rather than having to wait up to another year for the arbitration process to be finalised.

His office said the first increase will be paid by early February 2014, but it will apply to leave loading payments from December 1, 2013.

It follows a recent decision by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission to grant ambulance officers a 2.2 per cent pay rise.

Ms Flanders said the Together Union had knocked back two previous pay rise offers of 2.35 per cent and 2.2 per cent because the conditions attached to them were unfair.

Public servants were anxious about job security and it was important that was safeguarded in any new agreement, she said.

Opposition deputy leader Tim Mulherin said he was yet to see details about the pay rise.

"But what we have seen with the Newman government is that they've tied the hand of the industrial umpire," he told reporters.

"The industrial umpire had to bring down a result that reflected what the government wanted."

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Jobless rate to stay just short of 6%

Jobs figures out on Thursday are expected to show a slight rise in the unemployment rate. Source: AAP

JOBS growth is still sluggish and the unemployment rate is expected to remain a little under six per cent for the coming months.

Official labour force figures will be released on Thursday, and the unemployment rate is expected to rise 0.1 percentage points to 5.8 per cent, according to an AAP survey of 13 economists.

The number of people with jobs is forecast to have increased by 10,000 in November, compared to a rise of 1,100 the month before.

JP Morgan Australia chief economist Stephen Walters said recent economic indicators do not point to a turn around in the weaker parts of the economy.

"Employment growth has been dismal in the second half of 2013, with the economy shedding a net 16,000 jobs over the past six months," he said.

"Weak employment growth has not had the expected impact on the jobless rate, however, largely due to the continued decline in labour force participation, which is tracking at multi-year lows.

"In this week's release, our forecast looks for a 10,000 gain in jobs, which, with an unchanged participation rate, should bring the jobless rate up to 5.8 per cent."

The participation rate - the percentage of the working-age population either in work or looking for a job - is expected have stayed at a seven-year low of 64.8 per cent for the third month in a row in November.

ANZ head of Australian economics Justin Fabo said the labour market will remain weak as the economy has a bumpy transition away from being one that is mainly driven by mining investment.

"The resources boom is now moving into the operational/production phase which is expected to be less labour intensive than the investment phase," he said.

"While this will likely see net exports contribute strongly to gross domestic product (GDP) growth over the next few years, growth in domestic demand and employment is likely to remain more subdued."

Mr Fabo said the jobs growth is not keeping up with employment growth and that will keeping the unemployment rate relatively high in November and the coming months.

"The unemployment rate is expected to have increased modestly to 5.8 per cent.

"ANZ forecasts the unemployment rate to remain between 5.75 per cent and six per cent for several months.

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Burn gone wrong causes WA bushfire

A BURN-OFF gone wrong has turned into a bushfire that is threatening homes in Dwellingup south of Perth.

The out-of-control and unpredictable blaze has prompted a watch and act alert to be issued for people near Pinjarra Williams Road, in the eastern part of Dwellingup.

More than 30 firefighters are on the scene using a front-end loader, a bulldozer and water bombers.

The initial cause of the blaze is believed to be a burn on private land.

Emergency authorities say there is a possible threat to lives and homes as the fire, with flames up to two metres high, is approaching the area and conditions are changing.

Pinjara Williams Road is closed, and motorists are being warned to avoid the area and be aware of fire and emergency services working on site.

The bushfire is said to be rapidly moving south-west towards the eastern part of Dwellingup, and has already burned through three hectares.

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Labor about values, not revenge: Bowen

TONY Abbott and Bill Shorten are heading to South Africa for Nelson Mandela's memorial service while MPs prepare to battle for some key coalition legislation in the final sitting week of federal parliament.

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says Labor's moves to block the coalition in parliament are not motivated by revenge.

The party's position is about staying true to its values, he says, in a sign the government can expect more frustrations in the final sitting week for the year.

But the business of government will continue, with the coalition likely to suffer mixed fortunes on its legislation.

While the Greens have thrown the coalition a lifeline on debt, the stoush over the carbon tax is unlikely to be resolved despite the prime minister's threats of keeping parliament open until Christmas.

After a deal between the government and Greens, amendments that scrap the debt ceiling are expected to pass through the Senate on Monday.

But the government will have less success on another coalition pledge - laws to abolish the carbon tax and its associated entities, such as the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

With Labor accused of being obstructive, and of seeking revenge against Mr Abbott for his own obstructionism in opposition, Mr Bowen said: "We'll call it as we see it, and we'll call it on its merits."

"It's not revenge. It's staying true to our values," he told Sky News on Sunday.

"When people vote Labor, they expect us to stay true to our values, and we'll be doing that."

Environment Minister Greg Hunt on Sunday demanded Labor back the carbon tax repeal, which the opposition and Greens have vowed to block.

"We don't want delays. We don't want excuses," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"This is the week when the carbon tax should be voted upon and should be repealed.

"The Australian people voted. They chose a new government. They chose to repeal the carbon tax."

Question Time is expected to be dominated by debate over the future of the car industry and Qantas, as well as the secrecy behind the government's immigration policies.

But the prime minister and opposition leader won't be taking part until Thursday, when they are expected to return to the hurly burly of Canberra.

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Free transport urged for fire recovery

THE NSW government should provide free bus and train rides to and from the Blue Mountains these holidays to help businesses recover from the October bushfires, the state opposition says.

The government needs to encourage visitors back with the message that the Blue Mountains is open for business, Opposition Leader John Robertson says.

Analysis by Blue Mountains Lithgow & Oberon Tourism and Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise estimates 200 jobs and more than $47 million in tourism revenue have been lost in the six weeks following the bushfires.

Domestic day trips alone are estimated to be down by more than 144,000.

Mr Robertson says there are dozens of bus and train services to the Blue Mountains every weekend.

"These public transport services should be free and promoted across the Sydney Trains network to encourage families and tourists to plan a trip to the mountains."

Opposition transport spokeswoman Penny Sharpe says she's written to Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian asking that Labor's proposal be implemented immediately, effective until the Australia Day long weekend.

"For a family of two adults and two children it would cost $34.80 on a Saturday to travel from Central to Springwood by train ... that's $34 better spent in a Blue Mountains small business."

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill says many visitors had been scared away by the bushfires.

"We have hundreds of thousands of hectares of world heritage listed National Park with breathtaking scenery, pristine waterways and amazing walking tracks," he said.

"We welcome any proposal that encourages visitors and their wallets to our region."

Ms Berejiklian said in a statement that the NSW government had announced funding for a campaign to encourage tourists to visit the Blue Mountains and continued to work with the community to help those impacted.

"An auction of Sydney Trains lost property items held on Saturday raised thousands of dollars that will be donated to victims of the Blue Mountains bushfire," she said.

The minister also said the government had announced residents would not be charged for water used to defend their homes during the bushfires.

Fees to replace documents such as birth certificates and driver licences had also been waived along with fees for taking bushfire waste to the tip, Ms Berejiklian said.

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