Dutton opens door to GP co-payment

Health Minister Peter Dutton has opened the door to a GP co-payment warning of an ''unsustainable'' rise in the cost of health care.
Labor, the Australian Medical Association and health academics have criticised any co-payment, saying it would deter people from seeing a GP.

http://www.watoday.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/health-minister-peter-dutton-opens-door-to-gp-copayment-20140220-33234.html

Navy breached Indonesian waters six times

An internal review shows the Australian Navy breached Indonesia's territorial waters six times because crew carrying out Operation Sovereign Borders failed to accurately calculate Indonesia's maritime borders.
"Crews intended to remain outside Indonesian waters," the report said.
"Each incursion was inadvertent and occurred as a result of miscalculation of Indonesian maritime boundaries by Australian crews."
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has backed the report's findings, saying they show the incursions, although "highly regrettable", were "accidental".

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-19/navy-breached-indonesian-waters-six-times-review-finds/5270478

Personal details of asylum seekers leaked online

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison is demanding answers from his department over an "unacceptable" security breach in which the personal details of asylum seekers were made available online.
Department of Immigration secretary Martin Bowles has ordered a review into the lapse which saw the information of up to 10,000 adults and children in Australian immigration detention inadvertently made available.
The database included their full names, nationalities, location in Australia, arrival date and their boat arrival information, according to the Guardian.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-19/personal-details-of-asylum-seekers-published-by-immigration-dept/5269464

One person dead, others seriously injured during violent Manus Island clashes

One asylum seeker has died, another is critically injured with a head injury while a third asylum seeker has been shot on a second night of violence in Manus Island, Immigration Minster Scott Morrison has confirmed.

Speaking to reporters in Darwin, Mr Morrison said the person died while on their way to hospital for treatment and 77 people have been injured, 13 seriously. The critically injured asylum seeker has been flown to Australia for treatment along with the gun-shot victim.

 http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/one-person-dead-others-seriously-injured-during-violent-manus-island-clashes-20140218-32x3k.html#ixzz2td3kBkVN

Renewable Energy Target review announced

A major review into the impact of clean energy on retail power prices is expected to clear the way for the Government to make significant changes to the Renewable Energy Target (RET).

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-17/government-to-review-renewable-energy-target/5265044

Week in Review: 16 February

The happenings since last week

• there will be a royal commission into unions
• Tony Abbott blames unions for Toyota's demise
• Fiona Nash says staffer has no conflict of interest
• Greg Hunt grants himself legal immunity
• The navy sails close to the wind, and Indonesia
• Indonesia isn't happy and will raise the issue with the US.

Indonesia to raise Australian asylum seeker policy with United States

Indonesia says it will raise the Abbott Government's asylum seeker policy with the United States during official talks next week.Jakarta has stepped up its protest to the Coalition's boat turn-back policy, calling in the Australian ambassador in Jakarta for a meeting with a senior official.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-14/australias-ambassador-in-jakarta-summoned-by-indonesian-governm/5261466

Australian navy went into Indonesian waters 'too easily' and 'often'

Australian naval ships entered Indonesian territorial waters often and with ease before the incursions sparked a diplomatic incident in January, according to a leaked Indonesian navy report, and an Indonesian navy spokesman reiterated that the 6 January incursion was a knowing and intentional breach.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/14/australian-navy-incursion-into-indonesian-waters-intentional

Hunt set to grant himself retrospective legal immunity

A Senate inquiry has cleared the way for a bill to pass the upper house preventing legal challenges to environmental approvals issued by Hunt before 31 December last year, on the grounds the minister ignored expert advice on risks to threatened species.

Decisions granted immunity include controversial approvals in Queensland of dredging at Abbot Point, an LNG export facility at Curtis Island and a coalmine in the Galilee Basin.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/13/mining-greg-hunt-retrospective-legal-immunity

Staffer’s interest in wife’s lobbying firm poses 'no conflict'

The assistant health minister, Fiona Nash, says her chief of staff has “no conflict of interest” because he “receives no income” from a “shareholding” in his wife’s lobbying firm, which represents chocolate and soft drink makers, but the opposition says there has been a “serious breach” of standards.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/12/fiona-nash-says-staffers-interest-in-wifes-lobbying-firm-poses-no-conflict

Tony Abbott blames unions for carmaker's demise

Mr Abbott told his colleagues that union-negotiated agreements were partly to blame for Toyota's decision to leave the country, which is expected to cost 2,500 jobs.
He said the Opposition Leader's union mates were using the former Labor government's workplace laws and stopping workers from accepting pay cuts that could have given the company a shot at survival.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-11/abbott-blames-unions-for-toyota-demise/5252034