Labor, Libs enter final week before poll

PM Kevin Rudd is likely to play the underdog card amid new polls, as he campaigns in the NT. Source: AAP

LABOR and the coalition are entering the crucial final week of election campaigning with neither side prepared to give up.

Labor vowed to "fight, fight, fight" despite poor polls on Saturday as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd prepared to officially launch his campaign in Brisbane on Sunday.

"I've seen a range of polls both public and private which suggest to me this election will end up a little closer than you think," Mr Rudd told reporters in the Northern Territory.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says he expects plenty of "low" politics from Labor in the countdown to September 7 but played down polls showing a coalition victory.

He plans to run a steady campaign during a tough last week, knowing the last few yards are when "the most can go wrong".

"Lots of people have said to me over the course of the last three or four weeks that we are desperately hoping for a change of government and if it doesn't happen you, Abbott, are going to be held responsible," he told reporters on Saturday.

"The last thing I want to do over the next seven days is give anyone an excuse to vote against the coalition."

Mr Rudd, who will promote Labor's message of jobs and growth at Labor's launch on Sunday, had another bad day on the campaign trail.

Journalists travelling with him were prevented from touring a GP superclinic in the marginal Country Liberal seat of Solomon by the conservative Northern Territory government.

Mr Rudd called it "base politics" by the NT government.

But the NT government made no apologies for putting the needs of patients and health staff ahead of politicians "hot on the campaign trail".

Mr Rudd used his visit to re-commit $110 million to build a second hospital in Palmerston.

During his press conference, he was loudly heckled by a man who shouted "You fool! Get out of here! Stop spending!"

Mr Abbott also had a heckler but it was not so loud or unfriendly.

Deep in the heart of beef country in the Queensland seat of Flynn, Mr Abbott said regional Australia would be a focus of a coalition government.

"It better be," a local called out.

Earlier in Townsville, Mr Abbott pledged $20 million for flood-proofing a local road as his shadow Immigration Minister Scott Morrison announced the scrapping of free government legal advice which he said will save $120 million over four years, and deter people from getting on boats.

Elsewhere on the campaign, Treasurer Chris Bowen was insisting the coalition was hiding by not releasing its full list of election promises and costs - and that amounted to deception.

Liberal Senator Arthur Sinodinos said the coalition had already released most of its costings.

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Vic bushwalker dies after winching fall

A bushwalker has fallen to his death during a rescue operation in bushland northeast of Melbourne. Source: AAP

PARAMEDICS did everything they could to help a Victorian bushwalker who fell to his death while being winched to safety during a rescue operation, the head of Ambulance Victoria says.

The bushwalker was being winched into an air ambulance after injuring his leg near Mansfield, northeast of Melbourne, at about 12.30pm (AEST) on Saturday, when he fell.

Ambulance Victoria chief executive Greg Sassella said helicopter operations were high risk.

"They did everything they could to assist this person but unfortunately something's obviously gone wrong and the person's (fallen) to their death," Mr Sassella told reporters on Saturday.

"We have a very good record here in Victoria but that's because we do learn and understand what goes wrong when it goes this wrong and we'll do the same in this instance."

Ambulance Victoria suspended all winching operations following the incident.

Mr Sassella said the equipment involved in the accident was of a very high standard.

"What happened here today we just need to try and understand," he said.

He said his thoughts were with the family of the man involved.

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Palmer says ALP preferences save Libs

Clive Palmer says the Labor party has saved the Coalition from losing seats to PUP candidates. Source: AAP

TONY Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull would loose their seats to candidates from the Palmer United Party (PUP) if Labor wasn't saving them with preferences, Clive Palmer says.

The opposition leader holds the northern Sydney seat of Warringah on a margin of 13.1 per cent and his communications spokesman enjoys a healthy margin of 14.9 per cent in Wentworth, the electorate he holds in the city's affluent east.

But Mr Palmer reckons polling in their seats shows his candidates - construction business and restaurant owner Brodie Stewart in Warringah and Bondi businesswoman Marsha Foxman in Wentworth - would in fact win the seats with Labor preferences.

So the Liberals sought preferences from the Labor party to save the pair, Mr Palmer said.

"Labor decided to save Tony Abbott and to save Malcolm Turnbull and give them the preferences," he said in Sydney on Saturday.

"A vote for Labor in Warringah or Wentworth is a vote for the Liberal party."

The preference deal proves PUP is a serious threat to the two big parties, the mining magnate added.

"It's quite extraordinary the Labor party would move to save Tony Abbott and to save Malcolm Turnbull from defeat at this next election."

Mr Palmer said preferences from his party would first go to fellow Queenslander Bob Katter's Australian Party, then Family First before the Liberals and Labor.

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Bomb in Afghan city kills at least five

At least five people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in the Afghanistan, Kandahar region. Source: AAP

A SUICIDE car bomb at a police checkpoint in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar has killed at least five people, officials say.

Javed Faisal, who is spokesman for the provincial governor, says police stopped a suicide car bomber at the checkpoint near a branch of New Kabul Bank on Saturday morning. The bomber then detonated his explosives.

Dr Mohammad Wali of Kandahar Hospital said at least five were killed and 25 wounded and ambulances were still bringing more victims in.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but suspicion will likely fall on Taliban militants.

The Taliban are especially strong in southern Afghanistan, which is dominated by the ethnic Pashtun community whose members form the bulk of the insurgency in the country.

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Fire closes MasterChef host's restaurant

A FIRE around a pizza oven has damaged one of MasterChef judge George Calombaris' Melbourne restaurants.

Around 170 people fled St Katherine's in Kew on Friday when the fire erupted around the outside of the wood-fired pizza oven.

Firefighters spent three hours dousing the smokey blaze as it spread into an upstairs storeroom and roof, causing significant damage.

Melbourne Fire Brigade Commander Frank Stockton thanked staff at the Middle Eastern restaurant for getting everyone out safely without injury.

The restaurant will be closed over the Father's Day weekend due to smoke damage.

No opening date has been announced.

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Kidnapped Turkish pilots plead for help

TWO Turkish Airline pilots who were kidnapped more than two weeks ago in Beirut are pleading for their government to meet the demands of their abductors, Lebanese media report.

The kidnappers are calling for the release of nine Lebanese pilgrims kidnapped last year by rebels in Syria.

Murat Akpinar, one of the two pilots, asked "everyone to help in freeing the kidnapped Lebanese pilgrims".

Akpinar added in the recorded video message: "We are also waiting for help in our case so that we would be released soon.

"We salute our country and we want to tell our families that we miss them."

On August 9, gunmen snatched Akpinar and his co-pilot, Murat Agca, from a bus which was carrying the Turkish Airlines crew from Beirut's international airport to a hotel in the city.

A Shi'ite group called The Visitors of Imam al-Ridha has claimed responsibility and demanded that Turkey use its influence with Syrian rebels it backs to secure the release of the Lebanese pilgrims.

Turkey supports the Sunni Muslim rebels fighting to topple the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since March 2011. The conflict has killed at least 100,000 people, according to the United Nations.

Lebanon has been deeply divided over Syria's conflict, with Shi'ites supporting al-Assad while the Sunnis back the rebels.

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Labor details plan to protect reef

Labor has outlined how it will spend most of the $200m set aside to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Source: AAP

LABOR says it will boost the health of the Great Barrier Reef by spending $137 million to improve farm practices, water quality and wetlands in Queensland.

Federal Environment Minister Mark Butler on Friday revealed which projects would be funded under Labor's Reef Rescue program.

Of the $200 million to be spent on the program over the next five years, Labor has allocated $137 million to specific projects, mainly in far north Queensland.

This includes $64 million for farmers to reduce sediment and nutrient run-off into the reef and generally improving water quality, $26 million to protect and restore wetlands and $21 million to track the health of the reef.

A further $26 million will go to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in Townsville.

"The scale of this investment reflects how seriously we are taking the challenges facing the reef," Mr Butler said in a statement.

"Our partners have done excellent work already to improve land management and we want this to continue to ensure long term improvements to reef health."

The Reef Rescue program has been running since 2008 and will continue for at least another five years under Labor.

Earlier this year the United Nation's environment arm said Australia needed to take better care of the reef or risk having the reef listed as a World Heritage site "in danger".

UNESCO will review the reef's status listing in June next year.

Greens Senator Larissa Waters says Labor's funding commitment falls short of what is needed to protect the reef.

"What we've seen today is Labor reannounce some old funding they announced in April, rather than tackle the key issues," she told AAP on Friday.

These include concerns raised by UNESCO about increased coal and gas extraction and shipping along the Queensland coast.

"The mass industrialisation of the reef that UNESCO was expressing extreme concern about and particularly about proposed coal ports ... where's the announcement about that?," Ms Waters said.

The Greens have promised to stop new dredging projects and ensure dredge spoils can no longer be dumped inside the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area.

Their $176 million package to protect the reef includes an extra $100 million over four years for the Reef Rescue program.

The opposition's environment spokesman Greg Hunt said Labor has added nothing new to the protection of the reef in Friday's announcement.

"It is the crown of thorns which is having more significant short-term impact, any plan to protect the reef must include that as a priority," he said.

The coalition has said they'll maintain existing funding and will provide an additional $5 million for dugong and turtle protection.

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Tracks to open Adelaide Film Festival

Camels will walk the red carpet when the movie Tracks premieres at the Adelaide Film Festival. Source: AAP

CAMELS will take to the red carpet at the opening of the 2013 Adelaide Film Festival.

The desert animals will join the movie fraternity when John Curran's Tracks has its Australian premiere on the festival's opening night on October 10.

Starring Canberra-born Mia Wasikowska, the movie is based on the book by Robyn Davidson telling of her 2700km trek from the harsh centre of Australia to the Indian Ocean.

Davidson was accompanied by her faithful dog Diggity and four camels, while a National Geographic photographer (played by Adam Driver) chronicled the adventure.

Festival director Amanda Duthie told AAP she was a big fan of the book when it first came out decades ago.

"It really had a significant impact on me - the bravery, the audacity and the fearlessness of Robyn Davidson."

So Duthie's very excited at being able to premiere a movie which was mostly filmed in South Australia "with such poetry" and which enables her to have camels on the red carpet.

Another highlight of the sixth festival, which runs to October 20, is the world premier of Rolf de Heer's Charlie's Country, starring David Gulpilil, who takes off from his remote community to try and live the old way.

Other world premieres include a collection of Australian ghost stories in Warwick Thornton's The Darkside, and 52 Tuesdays by Sophie Hyde, about a teenager dealing with her mother's plans to undergo gender transition.

As well as Australian movies, the festival will feature films and documentaries from countries including East Timor, Chile, Iran, Sweden and South Korea.

The festival will take over the Adelaide showgrounds for a one-night-only Drive-in double bill spectacular featuring the 1978 musical Grease and the remake of the 1978 classic Australian horror flick Patrick.

Filmmaker Scott Hicks, whose career is strongly intertwined with the SA film industry, will be awarded the 2013 Don Dunstan Award as part of the opening night gala.

More information: www.adelaidefilmfestival.org.

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iSelect grows annual profit

INSURANCE comparer iSelect's full year profit has edged three per cent higher despite a recent shift towards lower priced health insurance.

The company made a net profit of $13.4 million in the 2012/13 financial year, up from $12.9 million the previous year.

Chief executive Matt McCann said the company had lifted sales volumes during the year, but received lower revenue per sale towards the end of the financial year due to a shift in demand towards lower priced products.

It is difficult to predict whether that trend will continue, but iSelect still expects to achieve earnings of $30 million in the 2013 calendar year, he said.

"With some early signs of a return to normal private health insurance market conditions, we remain cautious and will closely monitor the market with a view to maintaining our resilience over the next reporting season," Mr McCann said.

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Truss concerned over GrainCorp sale

The Nationals will keep up pressure over the proposed sale of Graincorp to an American company. Source: AAP

NATIONALS leader Warren Truss has "serious reservations" about GrainCorp being sold to an American company but accepts it's a decision for the treasurer after the election.

Grain giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has launched a $3.4 billion proposed takeover of GrainCorp, one of Australia's largest listed agribusinesses.

The takeover still needs the approval of Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board, but the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has approved the bid.

GrainCorp shareholders have been given until November 16 to decide whether to sell.

Mr Truss said he doubted whether the sale was in the national interest.

The deal would mean ADM, Cargill and Glencore would control almost 60 per cent of Australia's wheat shipments and put most of the nation's grain export infrastructure in foreign hands.

"That leads to where we will lose control over our own destiny and our capacity to expand our grain industry - those decisions would be made in board rooms in the US and other parts of the world," Mr Truss said.

He said the final decision would be in the hands of the next treasurer.

"I have certainly indicated to both sides of politics I have reservations about this matter but respect the fact the decision is ultimately the treasurer's," he said.

"I am confident a coalition treasurer will seriously and meaningfully address concerns."

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Abbott's parental leave unfair: Beattie

Labor's candidate for Forde, Peter Beattie, described the coalition's parental leave plan as unfair. Source: AAP

PETER Beattie has described the coalition's paid parental leave scheme as "gold-edged" and unfair during a campaign stop in Forde.

The former Queensland premier visited a childcare centre at Loganholme, south of Brisbane, on Thursday as part of his bid to win the marginal Liberal-held seat.

The star Labor candidate also signed a pledge to have workers in the female-dominated early childhood sector paid professional wages.

But he used his campaign appearance to attack the coalition's plan to give six months' leave on full pay to any women earning up to $150,000 a year.

"There is no doubt that the $5 billion they're going to spend on a gold-edged paid parental leave scheme, which looks after the wealthy, to the tune of $75,000 for six months, is frankly not only unfair," he told AAP.

"But that kind of money needs to be redirected into these (childcare) programs."

Mr Beattie said an investment in affordable childcare would do more to keep women working.

"You ask a mum, 'What do you want?'. You want affordable childcare, full stop," he said.

"I couldn't think of a better way to spend that sort of money than in early childcare."

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's plan is based on making Australia's 3200 largest corporations pay an extra 1.5 per cent in company tax to fund his parental leave scheme from July 2015.

Mr Beattie also voiced support for increasing early childhood sector wages, but said budgetary constraints would delay increasing coverage from 40 per cent to 100 per cent of the sector.

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Abbott's surplus promise a bit more vague

For a party that talks about rebuilding trust, the coalition is asking voters to assume a lot. Source: AAP

FOR a party that continually talks about rebuilding trust in politics, the coalition is asking the voting public to assume a lot.

Whether it be stopping the boats or returning to a budget surplus, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott can often be heard saying the coalition has done it before and will do it again.

It is a bit like Ewen McKenzie saying the Wallabies have won the Bledisloe Cup before and can do it again, when the reality is that they haven't come within a cooee of the All Blacks for 11 years.

Times and circumstances change.

However, the pledge to return the budget to surplus has become more vague as the September 7 election draws closer.

At the official Liberal election campaign launch last Sunday, Abbott said the budget would be on track to a "believable" surplus by the end of its first three year term, suggesting it would be later that the $4 billion surplus projected by Labor in 2016/17.

Abbott also promised to deliver surpluses of one per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) within the next decade.

Treasurer Chris Bowen picked up on this apparent change of heart.

"He previously said he would provide a surplus in year one, and then it changed to sometime over the next four years and then it changed to 'before Labor'," Bowen says.

"Now it is apparently one per cent in 10 years' time with no further detail."

But Abbott says it would be "foolish" to give an absolute guarantee on the timing of a surplus given the rapid deterioration in the budget between May and Labor's economic statement - about $3 billion a week over the four-year estimates.

"We will deliver a surplus as soon as we humanly can and we will deliver a surplus quicker and more reliable than the Labor Party," Abbott says.

Of course, part of that comment would be impossible to measure as Labor would be in opposition.

That said, Labor has hardly covered itself in glory, promising at the last election to return the budget to surplus in 2012/13 and persistently sticking to that call until last December.

It was then forced to push any move back to the black by a further four years.

"It's right we return to surplus over time, not tomorrow because it would be a hammer blow to the economy," Bowen says.

Abbott points to the enormous risks to the outlook that are indicated in the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook (PEFO) - the independent budget analysis by Treasury and Finance.

"The existing forecasts and projections were their best guess at this time," he says.

"Until we know what the starting point is, it's very hard for us to say precisely when things are going to happen."

Which is fair enough given the uncertainty in the global economy and as the Australian economy transitions from the mining investment boom to broader-based economic growth.

But then that contradicts another Abbott line.

"What I say is the economy will always be stronger under a coalition government."

Always?

What about those risks in PEFO?

PEFO says the net contribution of the resources sector to economic growth will fall, while the transition to non-mining sectors may not occur smoothly.

It says the global economy remains challenging, posing a risk to Australia's terms of trade and growth forecast, while the anticipated fall in resources investment peak could be sharper than expected.

At the same time, there is also moderating growth in emerging economies, including China and India, two of Australia's top trading partners.

The June quarter national accounts next Wednesday will be a talking point for the final week of the election campaign.

The Reserve Bank of Australia expects the report will show annual growth will be 2.5 per cent in the year to June.

However, Commonwealth Securities chief economist Craig James at this stage expects it to be slightly less at 2.4 per cent, although further data to supplement the growth result will be released over the next few days.

"Uncertainty about the election result has robbed momentum from the economy, keeping annual economic growth closer to 2.5 per cent, rather than the more 'normal' rate of 3.00-3.50 per cent," he says in a note to clients.

It will be interesting to see how "normal" life is beyond September 7.

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65 onboard latest asylum seeker boat

AN Australian naval vessel has come to the rescue of a boat carrying 65 people northeast of Christmas Island.

HMAS Parramatta, operating under the direction of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Coordination Centre, went to help the suspected irregular entry vessel on Saturday afternoon.

Initial reports indicate there are 63 passengers and two crew onboard.

Those on board are being taken to Christmas Island for the usual checks.

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Feds and Qld at odds over school land sale

A FEDERAL Nationals MP has urged the Queensland government to stop selling school land in his electorate.

Earlier this year, Queensland scrapped plans for a high school in Calliope, instead spending almost $7 million on infrastructure at Gladstone State High to absorb future student numbers.

The move was part of a statewide sale of school land - including ovals and teacher accommodation - which netted $38 million last financial year.

Calliope teenagers commute for over one and a half hours each day to Gladstone and locals are angry the government isn't investing in its community.

Nationals MP for Flynn Ken O'Dowd took a handful of teachers and parents to meet Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek at a community cabinet meeting in Gladstone.

Mr O'Dowd says the region is growing, and it's shortsighted to sell the land.

"My message is keep the land if you can, it's an asset worth about a million and a half, he told AAP.

"The future of Gladstone is assured with the gas industry and there are several more projects proposed.

"They've got to weigh it all up, they've got to decide whether they need another high school in Gladstone, or where do we put that high school?

"At the moment, Calliope seems like a pretty good idea to me."

A Queensland government spokesman told AAP it would take decades for Calliope to have the numbers to support a high school but he says the government has taken onboard the concerns of Mr O'Dowd and locals.

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Lance Armstrong settles with Sunday Times

DISGRACED cyclist Lance Armstrong has reached a settlement with The Sunday Times who he sued for a STG1 million ($A1.74 million) over an article suggesting he was using performance enhancing drugs before his confession.

The multiple winner of the Tour de France admitted last year to doping during his career, revealing his repeated denials were "one big lie".

The American sued the newspaper nine years ago for libel following the article, seeking damages from the chief sports writer David Walsh and deputy sports editor at the time Alan English.

The Sunday Times was forced to settle the claim in 2006 and agreed to pay Armstrong STG300,000, the newspaper reported.

But after his sensational confession the paper launched a British High Court bid to return the money, plus STG720,000 in costs, and have now reached a confidential settlement, the newspaper said.

It said Walsh and English had "reached a mutually acceptable final resolution to all claims against Lance Armstrong related to the 2012 High Court proceedings and are entirely happy with the agreed settlement, the terms of the which remain confidential."

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Rudd calls for Syria chemical attack probe

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says any response to the Syrian crisis must be calm and measured. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA is urging Syria to allow United Nations weapons inspectors access to a Damascus site where a deadly chemical attack is alleged to have occurred.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd flew back to Canberra on Saturday to receive an intelligence briefing on the escalating Syrian crisis, after reports the United States was weighing up a possible military strike against the Assad regime.

The world is calling for answers amid claims Bashar al-Assad's regime used chemical weapons in an attack on the outskirts of Damascus last week.

"For me it is gut wrenching to see this unfolding," Mr Rudd told reporters in Canberra on Sunday.

"The thought that these sorts of attacks could occur against unarmed civilians ... is like a medieval barbaric scene, rather than something we'd expect on our television sets in the year 2013."

Australia will use its presidency of the UN security council, which it will assume next week, to call for "full and unfettered" access for investigators to the site where the attack occurred.

UN weapons inspectors are in Syria but have not been given permission to investigate the latest claim.

"The burden of proof now lies with the Syrian regime to establish their culpability or absence of culpability on this matter," Mr Rudd said.

He said he had sought information about Australian troops attached to UN missions in the Golan Heights, both on the Syrian and Israeli sides of the border, and troops active on the Lebanese border.

He will also seek reports on other military personnel serving in the region.

"Our concern is of course for their well being," Mr Rudd said.

Defence chiefs have said Australian personnel were trained in handling chemical weapons attacks and were equipped appropriately to handle an attack should there be "any proliferation" of the Damascus incident.

Asked if he had an open mind on any military involvement, Mr Rudd said: "I think it's unproductive and I think it is unwise to begin to speculate on any form of action and what shape that may take."

"The business of responding to an international crisis, as this is emerging as one, is to take it calmly and methodically, step by step."

The prime minister also refused to comment on the appropriateness of US cruise missile strikes against the regime.

"I won't go to the question of military strategy or military tactics," he said.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott also stopped short of backing military action after receiving a "confidential" briefing on the Syrian situation later on Sunday.

"The important thing is to get to the bottom of what's happened and the best way for that to happen is to allow UN inspectors on the ground to make an assessment," Mr Abbott told ABC TV.

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