PM

After years of delays, the Queensland Government today announced it will abolish what has become known as the 'gay panic' defence. Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath announced that the Government today introduced legislation to exclude unwanted homosexual advance as a partial defence for murder. South Australia still has not committed to reforming the law, despite it being the only state remaining where this type of provocation defence can still be used.

There has been angry reaction to a reduction in water recovery targets to the Murray Darling Basin Plan, at meeting in the northern Murray Darling Basin. The New South Wales Central West community of Warren, is one of four, identified as being particularly hard hit by an economic downturn, in the wake of water buybacks. Irrigators, conservationists and Aboriginal landowners were given a chance to have their say on the effect of the changes.

The Barnett Government has announced a plan to sell 51 per cent of the state's power operator, Western Power. It will be a key state election issue, with Labor vowing to keep the company in state hands.

The peak body for children in out-of-home care is also pushing to have the age young people must leave their carers extended to 21. The idea was discussed with young people who've been through the care system at a meeting of people from the sector in Darwin. Panadura Rosas and Jewell Wheeler, both formerly in care, support extending the age, but under certain conditions.

The Federal Government suffered a surprise loss in the Senate today, when Labor gathered enough support to again lower the Government's proposed backpacker tax to 10.5 per cent. The Government insists it won't compromise further than 15 per cent and it thought it had enough support to get it through the Senate. The ongoing delay is frustrating the farming and tourism sectors, who want Parliament to come up with a solution before it rises for the year tomorrow night.

Northern Territory corrections has confirmed there are currently no rehabilitation programs being run for high risk sex offenders inside. A damning report about the state of the Territory's correctional system, released last week, called for the immediate reinstatement of rehabilitation programs for all sex offenders. The department says violent offenders have been the priority, but advocates for victims of child sex abuse say releasing untreated offenders is an unacceptable risk.

Hay bales emblazoned with cryptic messages; no - it's not crop circles for a new generation - its one Victorian farmer's effort to boost breast cancer awareness. Tammy Pettigrew and her family are doing all they can to promote breast cancer awareness after a recent brush with the illness.

The clock is ticking for the Federal Government as it strives to wrap up the parliamentary year with a win, and this afternoon the Coalition got a step closer to Parliament passing its key piece of legislation, enabling the establishment of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC). Nick Xenophon was holding out on voting for the ABCC until the Government satisfied his demands over the Murray-Darling Basin, but late today the South Australian Senator announced a breakthrough on water negotiations. However, he still hasn't actually confirmed that he's going to support the workplace reforms bill, and neither have other key crossbenchers in the Senate.

Labor and the Greens have won enough support on the Senate crossbench to set up an inquiry into the actions of the Attorney-General George Brandis, and the Commonwealth's negotiations with the WA Government over the liquidation of Alan Bond's Bell Group. Senator Brandis insists he's always acted in the interests of the Commonwealth, but he'll be compelled to appear at the inquiry. It will report back to the Senate in March next year.

The Victorian Government has agreed to a last-minute settlement and withdrawn some Aboriginal youths from an adult jail. The deal only applies to Indigenous youths, and avoids a Supreme Court case that would have tested the legality of the government's plans to send about 40 youths to an adult prison after riots in youth detention.