NATION l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l ntnews.com.au Unhappy pay rise Case may take year Accused ‘too old’ MELBOURNE: Australia’s 1.5 million lowest-paid workers will get a modest $15.80 a week pay rise that has pleased no one. Business groups and unions say the increase is a blow to small- and mediumsized businesses and workers alike, with the ACTU saying it amounts to $1.80 a day or a loaf of bread. The Fair Work Commission yesterday awarded a BRISBANE: The teenager accused of raping and murdering pregnant Logan woman Joan Ryther could spend up to a year in jail before the case goes to trial. The young man, who cannot be named and who turned 18 on Saturday only hours after being charged, was remanded in custody in Beenleigh Magistrates Court yesterday. He is charged with murder, rape ADELAIDE: After pointing a rifle at relatives and stabbing his son-in-law, an 87-year-old man said, ‘‘Let me sit down because I’m too old,’’ an Adelaide jury has been told. Polish-born Edward Lyco, 52, said he refused his father-in-law’s request ‘‘because I knew what was going to happen if I did that, and I held his arm until police arrived’’. modest increase in the minimum wage, just over half the $30 sought by unions. The 2.6 per cent increase barely covers the rise in the cost of living, ACTU secretary Dave Oliver said. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Peter Anderson said the increase would inflate the wages bill for business by $1.5 billion over the next year. and the unlawful assault of a pregnant woman. Aboriginal elders have pleaded for the community to remain calm. Joan’s husband, Cory Ryther, stared down his wife’s accused killer during the short hearing. Prosecutor Sergeant Tony Donovan told the court it would take between six and 12 months to complete a brief of evidence. MPs learn how to leave with dignity and super PUB: NT NEWS DATE: 4-JUN-2013 PAGE: 10 COLOR: C M Y K SYDNEY: It wasn’t the memo Labor MPs really wanted to see, but late yesterday the Government whip sent around a letter informing them of a seminar to be held on life after Parliament. With dozens of Labor MPs in fear of losing their seats at the September 14 poll, the memo reassured them that indeed there was a life. But before that, they should be aware of a few things like what records they should keep and which ones to shred. The weekly briefing note devoted an entire page to promoting a seminar in two weeks providing ‘‘essential information’’ on how to leave parliament with dignity, and a pension. The list of topics included ‘‘leaving parliament house’’, ‘‘leaving the electoral office’’, the parliamentary contributory superannuation scheme and a talk on paper and other records — ‘‘what to keep and what to dispose of’’. The seminar is for all MPs from both sides of the house. But as one Labor MP quipped: ‘‘We were the only ones that devoted an entire page to it. It was the last thing many of us wanted to see.’’ BRIEFLY SYDNEY: Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey has issued a gag order on Coalition MPs and candidates talking to the Parliamentary Budget Office over fears that new laws will expose the Coalition to greater scrutiny. But in a bid to crack down on ill-discipline in Coalition ranks, he has banned any candidate or MP speaking publicly about a Coalition election policy unless first getting approval from the leader’s office or the campaign head office. Mr Hockey has written to all MPs and candidates warning them about straying from official policy line. He was giving evidence at the South Australian Supreme Court trial of Nicolas Tsiplakidis, 87, who has denied trying to murder his expartner, Valentina Petrenko, 87, at her Alberton home, on July 21, 2012. The jury has been told she was shot in the face, but the bullet just missed major blood vessels. Tsiplakidis has also pleaded not guilty to other charges. VITAL JOBS BOOST GEELONG: Three hundred jobs will be created at the national disability care scheme headquarters in Geelong but there is no quota of positions for locals. Prime Minister Julia Gillard says having the headquarters of DisabilityCare Australia in Geelong will provide a vital jobs boost for the Victorian region. ‘‘Geelong is undergoing some tough times. The Ford decision has not been an easy decision for anyone,’’ she said. ASBESTOS CRISIS CANBERRA: The Federal Government, union leaders and Telstra executives will hold crisis talks after the discovery of asbestos during construction work for Labor’s national broadband network (NBN). The talks, which will also include representatives from asbestos safety groups, will take place in Canberra at 12.30pm on Monday and will cover clean-up strategies, exposure issues and support for people who fear they may have been affected by the deadly material. REPUBLIC PUSH ON CANBERRA: Federal Liberal frontbencher Malcolm Turnbull believes Australia should again consider becoming a republic after Queen Elizabeth’s reign comes to an end. But Mr Turnbull, the former head of the Australian Republican Movement, also says the ground needs to be prepared to ensure a strong consensus in favour of constitutional change. HANSON’S BACK SYDNEY: Pauline Hanson is making another attempt at a political comeback – this time for a NSW Senate spot and with the campaign slogan ‘‘the redhead you can trust’’. Ms Hanson is rejoining the One Nation Party she founded in 1997 in her seventh bid to return to politics since 1998, when she lost the Queensland seat of Oxley after less than three years in federal parliament. Lea, the lamb found last week in Leabrook, South Australia, has a new home at Freedom Hill Sanctuary. RSPCA rescue officer Nalika Van Loenen hands over Lea to Kelly Dinham and her three-year-old daughter Isabelle Picture: TRICIA WATKINSON Doctors free to choose vaccine stand SYDNEY: Doctors can refuse to sign the conscientious objection forms that parents need to get their unvaccinated children into childcare. NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner confirmed there was no legal requirement for doctors to sign a conscientious objection form 10 sought by their patients. This means parents who are vaccine refusers may have a difficult time shopping around to find a doctor who is prepared to give approval to their stand. Under new laws introduced last week, NSW childcare centres could be NT NEWS. Tuesday, June 4, 2013. fined up to $4000 if they enrol a child who has not been vaccinated or produced an exemption certificate from their doctor after undergoing compulsory counselling. NSW Australian Medical Association president Dr Brian Owler said while there was no legal obligation for doctors to sign conscientious objection forms, there would be only a minority who would refuse to do so. ‘‘The most important thing is to get people speaking to their GP and getting the information on vaccination and having a forthright discussion,’’ he said. Fewer than 2 per cent of parents were genuine conscientious objectors, and most of those whose children were not fully vaccinated had simply forgotten or were time-poor, he said. ‘‘If the GP refuses to sign the form they will just have to find another GP,’’ he said. TOT HIDDEN IN POOL SYDNEY: When police went to a Sydney home to look for a missing toddler, his foster family’s swimming pool was so filthy they couldn’t see him at the bottom. It was only when an officer waded in and felt ‘‘something furry’’ in the pool he knew he’d found the boy. In the opening day of the inquest into the drowning death of 21-month-old Lachlan Leslie, Constable Sean Stockwell described how he had grabbed brooms to drag along the bottom of the pool in April, 2011. www.ntnews.com.au