ABC NewsMail - Afternoon Edition

NewsMail Afternoon Edition Sat 30 Nov, 2013 Top Stories More Top Stories » Gonski co-author labels Pyne 'Minister on L-plates' By Rachel Brown A co-author of the Gonski report has labelled the new Federal Education Minister, Christopher Pyne, "a minister on L-plates" amid confusion over school funding. The Coalition has decided to scrap Labor's so-called Gonski school funding plan after next year, but is yet to announce a replacement model. On Friday Mr Pyne met with his state and territory counterparts, who described the talks as "very heated" and said they fear public schools will be the big losers under the new model. The former head of the NSW Education Department and a co-author of the Gonski report, Dr Ken Boston, says the situation could bring public education to its knees. "Gonski was a done deal. This had been signed up. Mr Abbott had talked of a unity ticket," he said. "Now ... we've potentially backed away from Commonwealth support for public education." More » Man killed in shark attack off NSW coast Police helicopter crashes into busy Glasgow pub Queensland Labor gives members, unions say in election of leader Man arrested over murder of NSW school teacher Video shows deadly crane collapse at Brazil World Cup stadium Jason Day charges up Australian Open leaderboard with third-round 66 at Royal Sydney More Analysis » Russia must respect the law of the sea The overnight decision by a Russian court to grant bail to Australian Greenpeace member Colin Russell is a welcome development, but the Arctic Sunrise controversy continues. Russell and his fellow protesters are being barred from leaving Russia, in direct conflict with a recent ruling from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. This saga represents a test for post-Soviet Russia and its compliance with international law, one that can only be passed by completely freeing the protesters involved. More » When ideology trumps journalistic integrity Against the grain: Hockey's big government horror The electorate doesn't have buyer's remorse. Yet. In defence of Defence The Ashes: why Adelaide is different Inequality is a political problem, not an economic one Indonesia never controlled the flow of boats anyway How to make the G20 matter again A wrecking ball won't help you in government Just In More Just In » Man killed in shark attack off NSW coast An 18-year-old man has been killed in a shark attack north of Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales north coast. More » Federal Government makes $80m available for chemo treatments Queensland Labor gives members, unions say in election of leader Woman waves down taxi after being stabbed in Grafton Day storms up Australian Open leaderboard Man arrested over murder of NSW school teacher Opera House stages toddler-friendly version of Nutcracker ballet Police helicopter crashes into busy Glasgow pub Gonski co-author labels Pyne 'Minister on L-plates' Video shows deadly crane collapse at Brazil World Cup stadium World More World » Police helicopter crashes into busy Glasgow pub Rescue operations are underway after a police helicopter crashed through the roof of a Glasgow pub in Scotland, killing a number of people and trapping others, police say. A witness said the helicopter dropped like a "stone" and there was no explosion as it crashed through the roof of the Clutha pub, which was full of revellers. "It was just such a surreal moment. It looked like it was dropping from a great height at a great speed," the witness, Gordon Smart said. Firefighters, paramedics and police rushed to the scene after the crash, which happened while the pub was full of people celebrating the start of the St Andrew's Day weekend. Those inside the pub say the building filled with dust as the roof collapsed underneath the helicopter after the crash. "You couldn't see anything, you couldn't breathe," witness Grace MacLean said. More » Video shows deadly crane collapse at Brazil World Cup stadium Obamas welcome White House Christmas tree Walmart shoppers brawl as others use Black Friday sales to protest low wages Syrian war 'damaging a generation of children', United Nations warns Berlusconi accused of bribing witnesses in prostitution trial Business More Business » Rejection of GrainCorp takeover by ADM 'weak', Opposition says The Federal Opposition has labelled the Government's decision to reject the sale of GrainCorp to American agribusiness Archer Daniels Midland as "weak" and "pathetic". Announcing the decision this morning to reject ADM's $3.4 billion bid for the eastern grain handler, Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey said he had to take into account the national interest. "I consider that now is not the right time for a 100 per cent foreign acquisition of this key Australian business," he said, adding that it "could risk undermining public support for the foreign investment regime and ongoing foreign investment more generally". The proposed sale of GrainCorp had represented an early test of unity for the new Coalition Government, being strongly opposed by grower groups, the National Party and some country Liberal MPs in the eastern states. Opposition treasury spokesman Chris Bowen said Mr Hockey had failed his first big credibility test as Treasurer, and suggested he had been "bullied" by his Coalition partners and Cabinet colleagues into rejecting ADM's bid, with profound consequences. More » Rio Tinto to suspend production at Gove alumina refinery Borghetti wants government support for Qantas extended to Virgin Leaked NBN Co document downgrades revenue projections Study finds high-speed rail cheaper than first thought Politics More Politics » Federal Government makes $80m available for chemo treatments Prime Minister Tony Abbott says more than $80 million will be made available to ensure chemotherapy patients can continue their treatments. More » Queensland Labor gives members, unions say in election of leader Navy crew in asylum operations facing PTSD, ex-commander says States vow to continue school funding fight Concerns over phone tapping in Fiji Sport More Sport » Day storms up Australian Open leaderboard Jason Day awoke from his slumber to charge up the Australian Open leaderboard with a 6-under-par third round. More » Kangaroos have Old Trafford safety worries Folau keen to maintain Wallaby's grip on Wales Australia's women win Dubai Sevens title North's brother killed in accident Mariners not distracted by drama: Moss Science and Technology More Science and Technology » Department confirms NBN revenue may drop under Coalition plan A federal bureaucrat has confirmed it is likely the National Broadband Network revenue forecasts will have to be revised down under the Coalition's plan. More » Dinosaur skeleton sells at auction for $720k Driving hungover more dangerous than drink driving: study Mawson data 'more important than ever' to new Antarctic expedition Melbourne researchers make leukaemia treatment breakthrough Environment More Environment » Somerset koalas give scientists hope By Courtney Wilson A population of koalas near Somerset in Queensland is giving scientists hope for the survival of the species. More » Clean Energy Finance Corp warns shutdown will hit budget Kiribati man fails to become first climate change refugee Captive-bred Tasmanian devils thriving on island haven Greenpeace questions viability of Indian company to exploit huge coal deposits About this email You received this email because you are subscribed to ABC News email alerts. This message was sent to you at starnewsposting@gmail.com Please add newslists@your.abc.net.au to your email address book to see images by default and stop the email being treated as spam. This email address is not monitored - Please don't reply to this email. Manage your preferences | Unsubscribe | Contact Us   This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 700 Harris Street, Ultimo NSW 2007 © 2013 ABC | Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Discover other ABC Email newsletters