Thousands march in Thai capital

TENS of thousands of anti-government protesters have marched through the streets of the Thai capital, reviving their whistle-blowing, traffic-blocking campaign to force the resignation of the country's prime minister.

The protest on Saturday came after a lull in anti-government rallies and amid growing concern of violence between opponents and supporters of embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Yingluck's opponents have previously tried to force her ouster by blocking Bangkok's major intersections, and have stormed government offices.

The protesters have demanded that the government yield power to an interim appointed council to oversee reforms before new elections.

They say Yingluck is a proxy for her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup after being accused of corruption and abuse of power.

The march was the first major rally since Thailand's Constitutional Court ruled on March 21 to nullify last month's general election.

"The fact that the election has been nullified means that our campaign is successful," protest leader Thaworn Senniem said.

Yingluck's ruling Pheu Thai party and its predecessors have easily won every national election since 2001. It had been expected to win again in February, especially because the opposition Democrat Party boycotted the election.

Election officials say it would take at least three months for a new vote to be held, prolonging Thailand's political paralysis.

Yingluck's Red Shirt supporters have vowed to stage their own mass rally next Saturday, though they have not yet said if it will be held in the capital, which many fear could lead to clashes between the two sides.

The sporadic violence over the past four months has left at least 23 people dead and hundreds hurt.

Thailand has seen political conflict since 2006, when Thaksin was ousted by a military coup.

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Teen girl missing in inner Brisbane

A TEENAGE girl with a suspected medical ailment has gone missing from an inner Brisbane suburb.

Alice Barlow, 13, was last seen on Friday afternoon in Ascot, and has not made contact with her family since.

Police are concerned for her welfare.

She is described as caucasian, about 169cm tall with a fair complexion and long, dark hair.

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Total sex offenders monitor 'unrealistic'

NO scheme can guarantee that sex offenders won't abuse again and more needs to be known about whether a public register can prevent offending, a top Victorian policeman says.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton said without 24-hour-a-day physical monitoring it is not possible to completely mitigate the risks sex offenders pose to the community.

"It is unrealistic to expect that a registered sex offender is supervised to the point that it is impossible that they find opportunity to reoffend," Mr Ashton told a conference.

The parents of Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morcombe, who was abducted and murdered by serial child sex offender Brett Peter Cowan, want a public child sex offenders' register.

Experts at a two-day Asia Pacific Sex Offenders Registry Conference are discussing the idea of a public register but Mr Ashton said the research is incomplete.

"A lot of research tends to focus on the experience of the registrant on the public register - the fact that they feel intimidated in the community by everyone knowing who they are and where they are," he told reporters on Wednesday.

He said he wanted more victim-focused research on how a public register could prevent offences.

Mr Ashton said whatever model for managing sex offenders is adopted, the focus must be on the protection of potential victims.

"I think some of the crimes that have been impacting on the community, some of the high-profile crimes, have certainly been great learning opportunities for us in terms of how we're intervening and how heavily we are monitoring," he said.

There are more than 5300 registered sex offenders living in Victoria alone.

Improved communication between Victoria Police and the Department of Human Services had enabled child protection authorities to act on incidents straight away, Mr Ashton said.

Mr Ashton said social media presents a challenge for authorities, with predators able to prey on victims without ever leaving home.

"Further impacting on the management issues is the increase in social media and other mediums of communication that make it easy for these individuals to contact potential victims, especially the young and the vulnerable, without leaving their premises."

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Female ADF members facing sexist backlash

AUSTRALIA'S sex discrimination commissioner says commanding officers should be made more accountable for the sexist culture that exists within the military, while warning efforts at change had led to a backlash against female members.

Elizabeth Broderick on Wednesday said the Australian Defence Force (ADF) had made progress in terms of its treatment of women, including adopting new recruitment targets and establishing a sexual misconduct response office.

But the sex discrimination commissioner warned that the attempt at cultural change had also led to a backlash against female ADF members.

"We are out everyday talking to thousands of people across the military, both women and men," Ms Broderick said in Sydney on Wednesday, as she released the Australian Human Rights Commission's final audit report into the treatment of women in the ADF.

"In all our discussions, our focus group and the work we have been doing, we have heard of a backlash," she said.

Ms Broderick said the backlash included comments linking the promotion of women to their gender rather than ability, and that it had also been suggested that the ADF's standards had been lowered because too many women were being recruited.

"My message to defence is simple," Ms Broderick said.

"More needs to be done to better communicate the case for change and the rationale for many initiatives that are now in place.

"That case needs to be particularly communicated at the mid and junior levels."

But the commissioner also called for commanding officers to be made more accountable for the culture in their units.

"The research is clear," Ms Broderick said.

"Individual leaders create that environment that determines the nature of the culture of their organisation."

In responding to the report, ADF chief General David Hurley said tangible actions such as establishing the Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Office, demonstrated a commitment to change.

"However, the results from the audit report indicate that we still have some way to go to achieve the deep cultural reform we seek," he said.

The audit also recommends a sexual ethics program be put in place as soon as possible.

In a further step aimed at overturning the culture of sexism within its ranks, General Hurley on Wednesday also announced that women's advocate Julie McKay had been appointed to provide specialist advice on gender issues to help the ADF become more welcoming to women.

"Defence is committed to enhancing diversity in the workplace. We want to create an inclusive environment that respects, values and utilises everyone's contribution, regardless of their background, experiences or perspectives," he said in a statement.

Ms McKay, the executive director of the Australian National Committee for UN Women, and who has been a member of the Secretary and Chief of the Defence Force Gender Equality Advisory Board since 2012, will begin working in her new part-time role next week.

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Pyne says Howes welcome in Canberra

Federal minister Christopher Pyne (PIC) has singled out Paul Howes for his policy ideas. Source: AAP

FEDERAL minister Christopher Pyne has singled out Paul Howes for his policy ideas, saying he would be welcome in the nation's parliament.

The high-profile national secretary of the Australian Workers' Union is believed to be preparing to set to step down in favour of a career in the private sector.

But there's still speculation he may eventually run as a Labor candidate for federal parliament.

"He certainly has a lot more ideas about the future of Australia and what needs to be done about policy than the current crop of people who represent the Labor Party in Canberra," Mr Pyne told reporters.

"He would be very welcome here, but that is a matter for the Labor Party.

"At least he recognises that you can't simply hold on to policies that failed in the past and ignore the election result as Bill Shorten and his team do."

Labor MP Amanda Rishworth said Mr Howes had made a great contribution to the labour movement.

"If he does choose a new career path, I wish him all the best. Whatever Paul goes into he will make a significant contribution," she said.

Liberal MP Steve Ciobo said Mr Howes clearly had huge ambitions for federal Labor.

"I get the impression that Paul Howes is off trekking for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness hoping to get some enlightenment because he has lost confidence in the leadership of the Labor Party, and frankly who could blame him," he told Sky.

Labor MP Rob Mitchell said Australia needed people like Paul Howes - young and intelligent.

"Whatever he goes and does, if he decided to leave the AWU, I am sure he will be extremely good at," he told reporters.

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SA premier to work with PM, despite fight

SA Premier Jay Weatherill has dismissed a war of words with the PM as election campaign "nonsense". Source: AAP

SOUTH Australian Premier Jay Weatherill has promised a "mature" working relationship with Canberra, saying his election stoush with Tony Abbott was part of the usual campaign nonsense.

Mr Weatherill on Sunday secured the support of independent MP Geoff Brock to form a minority government, giving Labor a fourth term in power.

The prime minister visited South Australia a number of times during the election to support Liberal leader Steven Marshall and became involved in a war of words with the premier.

Mr Abbott faced particular criticism for not inviting the Labor leader to one campaign announcement, that the state would be the base for a squadron of high-tech surveillance aircraft.

But Mr Weatherill on Monday downplayed the stand-off.

"There's always some nonsense before elections as parties line up with their fraternal parties," he told ABC radio.

"Now, we're over all that, we can get back to some serious discussions."

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NSW urged to get flu-ready

PREGNANT women and the elderly are being urged to prepare for winter and get a flu shot following an "unusually high" level of influenza in NSW this summer.

The Director of Health Protection NSW, Dr Jeremy McAnulty, said the northern hemisphere had experienced widespread influenza over the past months, with influenza A(H1N1) pandemic strain, A(H3N2) and influenza B circulating to different extents in different countries.

An unusually high level of influenza had also been seen in NSW over summer, he said.

He and other health professionals are now urging people, especially the elderly and pregnant women, to prepare for winter.

"The Australian flu vaccine has been updated to more closely match the influenza strains likely to circulate in NSW this year.

"So get a shot in preparation for this season," Dr McAnulty said on Sunday.

He said the seasonal flu shot continues to be the best defence for pregnant women and has the added advantage of protecting babies during their first six months when they are too young to have the vaccine.

NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said the government's Be Winter Wise campaign, launched on Sunday, was focusing on pregnant women, the elderly and people with chronic medical conditions.

"Although we are still experiencing warm weather, people should not be complacent when it comes to the dangers of the flu," she said in a statement.

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One-punch killers to face life in Qld

One-punch killers will face life imprisonment under proposed changes to Queensland laws. Source: AAP

ONE-PUNCH killers would face life imprisonment under proposed changes to Queensland laws.

The Newman government's draft plan to tackle alcohol-related and drug-related violence, released on Sunday, would create an offence - unlawful striking causing death - to deal with one-punch killers.

If convicted, defendants would be required to serve at least 80 per cent of their life sentence behind bars before being eligible for parole.

"We have all seen the devastating and often tragic effects of coward punches not just in our state but across the nation," Premier Campbell Newman said in a statement.

"The Queensland government is determined to counter this dangerous trend and make Queensland the safest place in Australia for people to go out and enjoy themselves."

Under the plan, the maximum penalty for aggravated serious assaults on ambulance officers would rise from seven to 14 years' imprisonment.

Drunkenness would no longer be a viable excuse to mitigate an offender's sentence and courts would have the power to ban people from licensed premises for life.

ID would be installed in all licensed venues trading after midnight to keep out problem patrons and banned people.

The government would also set up 15 "safe night precincts" across the state where there would be late-night lockouts and more police on the beat.

Police would be given the power to detain people for their own safety if they were unduly intoxicated and at risk of serious harm, or behaving in a potentially violent or antisocial manner.

The government would also introduce a compulsory drinking awareness plan for all students between years 7-12 as part of the school curriculum.

The public has been asked to comment on the draft policy before April 21.

The opposition called on the Newman government to introduce a blanket 1am lockout across the state.

"If you don't tackle trading hours you don't tackle alcohol-fuelled violence. It's that simple," Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said in a statement.

"Unfortunately we have a premier too scared to act and showing no leadership."

Opposition police spokesman Bill Byrne questioned whether the government had failed to introduce a lockout because it was beholden to vested interests.

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