7 Tuesday news bites (Sep 13)

1. Gillard will change the law to make Malaysia Solution happen

The Prime Minister yesterday secured backing from the Labor Caucus to pursue changes to the Migration Act so a High Court decision banning the Malaysia swap deal would no longer apply. Ms Gillard said ‘we are determined to pursue the arrangement we have made with Malaysia’. The legislative changes would be broad and would allow the Government to make the decisions that ‘it sees fit’ to manage the ‘transfer and processing’ of asylum seekers. The PM said Nauru was not an option because it was really just another Christmas Island. Under the Howard Government, 95 per cent of people processed there were eventually accepted into the country.

2. Prince Harry smashes world record for charity

Well, he sure makes it look easy. The Prince was trading foreign currency for charity with the firm BCG Partners which donates all its commission each year on the trading day closest to 911. And, as if it were that easy, Prince Harry closed the world’s biggest foreign currency deal worth 28 billion Pounds. Yes, billion. He beat the record set by his brother of 14 billion pounds.

3. Online poll shows 85 per cent of parents are smack happy

A news.com.au poll of about 4000 people revealed about 85 per cent smack their children. Of that number, only eight per cent said they regretted doing it. Now online polls are about as scientific as alchemy, but they’re an interesting indicator. The ‘to smack or not to smack’ debate has grown heated with some academics claiming that parents are turning away from discipline altogether after being told smacking was wrong. Many researchers say smacking is not effective in the long run as children focus on the pain and the parent’s anger. What say you?

4. Explosion at French nuclear reactor

An explosion at the French nuclear reactor at Marcoule in the South of France has injured four workers and killed another. There were early fears it could have resulted in a radiation leak but the French nuclear safety agency denied this was the case.

5. Westpac CEO Gail Kelly says forcing gender quotas on boards is ineffective

Instead the top CEO says the ‘name and shame’ model is the way to go, drawing attention to businesses who weren’t upholding their end of the gender equality bargain. She said quotas could lead to poor outcomes when forced on companies. 62 per cent of companies in the ASX didn’t have a single woman on their boards.

6. Carbon tax bills introduced in Parliament today

It’s a date claimer. The 18 bills which make-up the whole Clean Energy Future will be presented to Parliament today and debate will start tomorrow in the House of Representatives. The Government said it hoped to have all bills passed by November. The Government came under fire from the Opposition for allowing only 35 hours of debate for all the bills. Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said ‘we have been debating climate change for 17 years now’.

7. Buying online? The blokes spend more.

On average, of course. An online retail survey of 1000 shoppers found men spent an average of $242 a month compared to $165 for women. This was largely due to the fact they spent more in single purchases on things like television sets and other technology. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation at Swinburne Institute report also shows biggest online spending growth among consumers aged over 50.

This news brought to you by Rick.