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NewsMail Afternoon Edition Sun 19 Oct, 2014 Top Stories More Top Stories » Cormann rebuffs criticism for calling Shorten 'economic girlie-man' Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has defended himself for calling Opposition Leader Bill Shorten an "economic girlie-man", after receiving widespread criticism for the sexist nature of the comment. "The problem that the Labor Party has today is that Bill Shorten is an economic girlie man," he said in an interview with Sky News on Saturday. Today Mr Cormann said the phrase was "not in any way intended as a reflection on girls, it is entirely intended as a reflection on Bill Shorten." Labor senator Penny Wong told Sky News the phrase sends a worrying message to younger Australians. More » US-led air strikes pound IS militants in Kobane Catholic synod revises gay acceptance proposal Australia won't send ground troops to fight IS: Bishop PM visits PNG ahead of Indonesia visit Man charged with murder over fast food outlet attack Tasmanian sprinter Jack Hale beats his own 100m national record Hooper insists McKenzie did not lose Wallabies' respect Plibersek calls on Government to do more to fight Ebola Miller wins Moto3 Australian Grand Prix More Analysis » Is the cost of our symbolism worth it? Australia faces the same question over Islamic State as it does with climate change: is our symbolic contribution to the global effort worth the cost? Whether Islamic State is degraded, destroyed or continues to expand the territory under its control will not be significantly influenced by Australia's current contribution. So, if we want to be pragmatic, like in regards to climate change, we need to ask whether this symbolic gesture is worth it. More » Security laws: have we learned anything in 10 years? Offensive emails aren't a window into the soul Confused about women's jobs? Try this list Good luck keeping G20 focussed on economics After reporting in Syria, I felt something go wrong I'll eat a page from my Bible if Jesus didn't exist Three things must change for a healthier democracy Cheer up, it's not all doom and gloom Proof they don't understand their own security laws Just In More Just In » WA Treasurer defends NZ-based Synergy board member WA Treasurer Mike Nahan is forced to defend the appointment of a Synergy board member following revelations he lives in New Zealand. More » 1989 Grafton bus crash survivor labels SES volunteers 'heroes' Vic Treasurer claims Labor's election promises to cost $30b Murray River boat patrol checks riverbanks for homeless Weather watch volunteers 'drying up' across SA Queensland elective surgery waiting list cut Cormann rebuffs criticism for calling Shorten 'economic girlie-man' WWI veteran's granddaughters reflect on Orvieto departure SA gun laws to target firearms suppliers over crimes Plibersek calls on Government to do more to fight Ebola World More World » Rare northern white Rhino dies in Kenya A rare northern white rhino has died in Kenya, leaving just six of the animals alive and bringing the famed African species one step closer to extinction. More » PM visits PNG ahead of Indonesia visit US-led air strikes pound IS militants in Kobane Bristol holds hometown tribute for Hollywood icon Cary Grant Catholic synod revises gay acceptance proposal Nepal blizzard death toll rises to 39, over 370 rescued Business More Business » Shareholder activists target long-serving and over-committed directors By business reporter Stephen Letts Big proxy advisory firms are campaigning to ensure the majority of directors in a boardroom should be truly independent, leading to significant implications for corporate Australia and the structure of its boardrooms. So when does an independent director cease to be independent and how many directorships are too many? Regulators ASX and ASIC do not have definitive rulings but the trend will particularly target businesses where families or founders have large share holdings in the business. Shareholder activist Stephen Mayne says big companies will increasingly get strong protest votes against entrenched directors. More » Virgin agrees to pay $1 for remainder of Tiger Australia Share market closes higher with resurgent finance sector Grocery lobby welcomes ACCC action against Coles Ten Network posts $168 million loss IEA slashes oil forecasts amid staggering surge in supply Rio, BHP iron ore strategy crushes Barnett's budget Prospect of 'violent sell-off' rests on US interest rate mistake: Future Fund boss Politics More Politics » Cormann rebuffs criticism for calling Shorten 'economic girlie-man' Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has defended himself for calling Opposition Leader Bill Shorten an "economic girlie-man", after receiving widespread criticism for the sexist nature of the comment. "The problem that the Labor Party has today is that Bill Shorten is an economic girlie man," he said in an interview with Sky News on Saturday. Today Mr Cormann said the phrase was "not in any way intended as a reflection on girls, it is entirely intended as a reflection on Bill Shorten." Labor senator Penny Wong told Sky News the phrase sends a worrying message to younger Australians. More » Plibersek calls on Government to do more to fight Ebola PM visits PNG ahead of Indonesia visit Australia won't send ground troops to fight IS: Bishop Iraqi parliament approves Sunni, Shiite ministers Sport More Sport » Hooper insists McKenzie did not lose Wallabies' respect Michael Hooper insists Ewen McKenzie did not lose the playing group's respect ahead of the Wallabies coach's resignation. More » Cheika the favourite for Wallabies post after McKenzie quits Miller wins Moto3 Australian Grand Prix Live: City v Jets, Glory v Roar Chelsea march on in EPL as Aguero hits four and Saints score eight Six NFL clubs chasing Hayne: reports Science and Technology More Science and Technology » US Air Force space plane returns from secret mission A top secret US military space plane has landed in California after almost two years in orbit above Earth. More » Sharks' secret lives under the microscope Mobile phones engineered 'not to last', expert says Saturn's moon may host another 'life-friendly' habitat Astronauts take spacewalk in race to fix ISS Environment More Environment » Record-breaking students drive solar innovation Fed up with soaring petrol prices and mounting fuel bills? More » Growth in CO2 levels 17pc lower than predicted: study Sea levels steady for millennia before rapid rise: study More funding, icebreaker flagged in Antarctica strategy Feral cats tear through last wild bilby population 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 © 2014 ABC | Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Discover other ABC Email newsletters