PM

The Federal Government is adding its proposed citizenship changes to the list of measures it'll need to negotiate with the Senate crossbench. Labor caucus today unanimously decided to vote against the package of changes, which include longer waiting times for permanent citizens to apply, a tougher English language test, and new requirements on values and community participation.

Two celebrated Australian immigrants say the Federal Government's proposed citizenship changes go too far. Chief executive of the South Australian Women's Legal Service Zita Adut Deng Ngor has concerns about the English-language and values tests. Sydney orthopedic surgeon Munjed Al Muderis supports both those measures but thinks the four-year wait to apply for citizenship is too long.

Some of Australia's leading economists have expressed deep concerns about the Government's intervention in the gas market. The Government's decision to limit gas exports is designed to lower domestic prices, but analysts say it won't work. An academic has gone one step further, arguing the Government's making huge mistakes in the way it's managing the nation's natural resources.

Negotiations between the Federal Government and the crossbench are continuing tonight ahead of tomorrow's Senate debate on school funding. The Government has guarantees One Nation and Victorian Senator Derryn Hinch will support its bill, but the Nick Xenophon Team, the Greens and even one of its own backbench are holdouts.

A new front in the school funding wars has opened up after reports that the Government was considering a special deal for the Catholic sector. Now, the Council of Independent Schools of NSW is demanding equal treatment, saying it educates just as many low-SES students. Its chief executive Geoff Newcombe spoke to PM.

The Sporting Shooter Association say they have lobbied the State and Federal Governments so that unregistered guns can be sold to licenced dealers during the national gun amnesty. The guns can also be surrendered to be destroyed. But Sporting Shooters say people can make money by selling firearms and that collectors will be looking for old and rare guns to be displayed in museums.

The Federal Government has announced the new President of the Australian Human Rights Commission will be lawyer and Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher. Professor Croucher is the current head of the Australian Law Reform Commission and will replace out-going Human Rights Commission President Gillian Triggs. The appointment has been seen as a chance to depoliticise the role after a turbulent relationship with the Government under Professor Triggs' tenure. The Government's choice has been widely praised by those in legal and human rights circles, as well as the Opposition.

The Northern Territory Royal Commission has heard the Territory Government pays a private company $85,000 each month to run just one of its group homes that houses four children. Four invoices were tendered as evidence, showing that for one of its homes, Safe Pathways charged the Department of Territory Families the amount of $85,468.67 every month for running the home.

Some residents in a south east Queensland community are petitioning the State Government to overturn a Land Court decision that is stopping the expansion of a nearby coal mine. The court last month recommended New Acland stage three not go ahead because of environmental concerns and now the company is seeking a judicial review. Workers at the mine, some farmers and local business owners say the job losses will spell the end of their community.

The average AFL player is about to get a $60,000 bump to their salary this year. It's part of a long-awaited pay deal that's worth almost $2 billion dollars over six years. Almost all of the Aussie Rules players involved in negotiations approved of the deal, which delivers them a 20 per cent pay rise.