New book tells of child's health battle

FOR nine-year-old Kaitie Francis, having a rare and incurable disease has meant close to 40 operations in her short life and dealing with 17 specialist medical departments.

The young South Australian girl has MPS or mucopolysaccharidosis type 1, a rare and progressive genetic disorder that is potentially fatal.

She is one of 25,000 Australians suffering with the condition which in her case has caused intellectual impairment, eye and hearing problems, bone and joint malformation and heart and breathing difficulties.

Born with the condition but not diagnosed until age two, her story has now been told in a new book, Kaitie the Courageous.

It tells the inspirational way in which she and others with MPS attempt to live life to the full.

"Kaitie is a remarkable nine-year-old girl. What she lacks in stature she sure makes up for in personality and spunk," her mother Kimberlee said at the book launch in Adelaide this week.

"While her future if full of unknowns, what I know is that Kaitie has a depth of care for her peers that is uncommon for a child her age.

"She has an infectious giggle, a wicked sense of humour and is undoubtedly courageous."

Coinciding with the book launch, the MPS Society has also revived calls for a national rare disease plan to end the disjointed and uncertain care offered to MPS patients.

The society believes there is a lack of coordinated support for people affected by rare diseases and their families.

"Clearly Kaitie, as well as the 1.2 million Australians battling a rare disease deserve to know that they are not alone in their fight," MPS Society national manager Nicole Millis said.

"They deserve to know they have access to co-ordinated care, services and treatments which can improve their quality of life."

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Tasmanian forest peace deal to be repealed

TASMANIA'S new government has introduced legislation to repeal the state's forestry peace deal.

The Tasmanian Forests Agreement took more than three years to negotiate between environmentalists and the timber industry after it was instigated by the previous Labor-Green government.

The state's new Liberal government has tabled its Forestry (Rebuilding the Forest Industry) Bill in the first week of the new parliament.

"The Tasmanian government has said enough is enough," resources minister Paul Harriss told parliament on Thursday.

"Enough to additional reserves made through a process that has alienated so many in the community.

"Enough to government-funded initiatives to wind down the forest industry."

The bill converts 400,000 hectares slated for protection to potential production forest.

A six-year moratorium on logging native forest in those areas will be in place to "reassess" their best use.

Mr Harriss unveiled a range of measures designed to boost the ailing sector, including a new ministerial advisory council.

Tougher penalties for protesters who invade workplaces such as timber processors will also be put in place.

The minister said Will Hodgman's government had a mandate to rip up the peace deal, which would have meant protection for 500,000 hectares in return for green groups' support in markets.

About $100 million of federal government money was also unlocked by the deal, much of which is still to flow but to which the Abbott government has committed.

"It is time to step back from the brink, reassess the events of the last four years and plot a new course for the native forest industry ... based on science, not politics," Mr Harriss said.

Opposition leader and former forestry minister Bryan Green accused the new government of duplicity over its election commitments.

"They promised to unlock Tasmania," Mr Green said.

"What they're saying ... is they'll unlock it potentially, maybe in six years' time."

Labor and the Greens both attacked the government over its pledge to stop propping up the loss-making logging agency Forestry Tasmania.

"This all points to a repeat of the bankrupted Robin Gray era when Forestry borrowed millions, but the taxpayer ended up paying the debt," Greens leader Kim Booth said.

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Sydney venues to use ID scanners from June

HIGH-RISK Kings Cross clubs, pubs and hotels will from next month use ID scanners as part of the NSW government's crackdown on alcohol-related violence.

The scanners were originally supposed to be rolled out across 35 Kings Cross licensed venues in December, but will now be used from June, Hospitality Minister Troy Grant confirmed on Thursday.

"This is a vital tool for the police," he told parliament during question time.

"The ID scanner system will make Kings Cross' high-risk venues safer by stopping trouble-makers at the door."

Mr Grant, who spent 22 years in the police force before entering parliament, said the Baird government was focused on combating alcohol-fuelled violence.

The scanners capture the name, date of birth, address and photograph of all patrons entering the venues.

They alert staff and police if a patron who is on a banned list tries to enter a high-risk premise.

Banned patrons face fines of up to $5500 for entering or attempting to enter any high-risk venue during the course of a ban.

High-risk venues are those that trade after midnight at least once a week with a capacity of more than 120 people.

Venues affected by Thursday's announcement include Bada Bing Night Spot, Iguana Bar & Restaurant and Showgirls.

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Pyne signals uni fee hikes

EDUCATION Minister Christopher Pyne is sending strong signals university students will have to pay more for their degrees but they won't be slugged upfront.

He's also hinted the government will consider deregulating fees and will make an in-principle decision to uncap the number of undergraduate students who attract funding.

Speaking at Monash University in Melbourne, Mr Pyne said growth in university participation was good but it strained the budget.

"As the number of students keeps growing, the cost to taxpayers rises with it," he said."

Taxpayers now pay $6 for every $4 students put in.

The government is weighing up changes to the proportion of course costs students pay, or defer through the higher education loans program (HELP).

The national commission of audit recommended students should pay 55 per cent.

"Whatever we decide about that question, opportunities for students must continue to be provided without them having to pay a dollar up-front," Mr Pyne said.

"Costs would be shared fairly between students and taxpayers."

However, he said Australia's tertiary sector was constrained by an out-of-date funding system where the government continued to dictate how much students were charged.

Vice-chancellors from several of Australia's top universities have been pushing for fee deregulation.

Mr Pyne also sketched how expanding demand-driven funding to diplomas and non-university institutions.

Only providers registered with the tertiary quality agency would be eligible, courses would have to be accredited and non-university providers would likely get less money than universities.

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Qld hospital evacuated after small fire

PATIENTS and staff were taken from a hospital ward southwest of Brisbane after a small fire started in an X-ray room.

An electrical fault at Ipswich Hospital is understood to have started shortly before 3pm on Wednesday.

A smell of smoke in an electrical panel sparked the evacuation, a hospital spokeswoman said.

"There were no acutely ill patients involved," she told AAP.

Police inspector Michelle Stenner said a small fire in the medical imaging room, which handles X-rays and ultrasounds, caused the small fire on the fourth floor.

"That fire was contained," she told ABC News.

"The electrician attended and made that situation safe."

No one was injured during the fire or evacuation.

Firefighters attended the scene.

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Port privatisations hurt economy: Asciano

THE head of ports and rail operator Asciano fears the high-priced privatisation of Australia's ports is damaging the economy.

The short-term benefits to public coffers of realising massive prices by selling public assets could ultimately hurt people more, chief executive John Mullen says.

That happened when the consortiums that bought ports ensured returns by charging high rents to port operators such as Asciano, whose rental costs had jumped 350 per cent at one port.

Asciano and its competitors then pass costs on to importer and exporter customers.

But Mr Mullen says that then risks damaging competitiveness and causing higher costs to consumers.

"It starts to become a tax on trade," he told an American Chamber of Commerce lunch in Melbourne on Wednesday.

"Governments just want to get a fantastic price for it and use those funds to develop other things in the state and there is nothing wrong with that.

"But if the owner has to put prices up to try get a return, ultimately the consumer or manufacturers or exporters are paying that bill and it is probably not good for Australia in the long run."

Mr Mullen said he supported privatising freight and infrastructure assets but only if it improved Australia's productivity and way of life.

Control mechanisms on pricing should be inserted in the sales process, he said.

The NSW government received $5.07 billion for the sale of Port Botany and Port Kembla last year.

It will also reap more than $1 billion for Newcastle port's sale, while the Victorian government plans to private the Port of Melbourne.

There would always be a need for visionary, nation building investment from government even when it took years for the economic returns to come, Mr Mullen said.

Mr Mullen also called for a greater investment in rail infrastructure including a "nation building" inland rail track between Melbourne and Brisbane.

More than 95 per cent of total freight moved between Melbourne and Sydney was by road - the most intensive in the world - but rail could achieve the most economically efficient movement of goods, reduced congestion and helped the environment, he said.

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CLP-linked research foundation under fire

THE Northern Territory's chief minister has refused to investigate links between his party and a private organisation that Labor is calling a CLP slush fund.

In her first parliamentary appearance since defecting to the Palmer United Party, former Country Liberal Party MLA Alison Anderson asked Chief Minister Adam Giles whether he or any other elected officials had ever received funds or favours from Foundation 51.

Ms Anderson also asked whether the foundation was affiliated with the CLP, and whether it had paid for any election campaigns.

Information on the private subscription-based organisation is scarce, save for a 2009 flier that states it is an initiative of the CLP and conducts commercial research, with annual membership levels then ranging from $5500 to $22,000.

Mr Giles responded with a single "no" on Wednesday during Parliament when asked whether he would have the legal and constitutional affairs committee investigate the revelations and establish an anti-corruption body.

During question time, Labor MLAs repeatedly called the foundation a CLP slush fund, but Mr Giles said questions about political donations should be directed to the party rather than MPs.

"A smart politician does not handle money," he said.

Shadow Minister for Justice Michael Gunner said Mr Giles is being "a little bit too cheeky and a little bit slippery."

"Adam Giles is the leader of the CLP in the NT. He is refusing to answer questions ... There is no doubt that Foundation 51 and its relationship with the CLP is worthy of inquiry," Mr Gunner said.

Magistrate and former CLP MLA Peter Maley and Graeme Lewis, NT Land Development Board chairman and CLP management committee member, are both directors of the foundation.

Mr Lewis previously denied setting it up to enable businesses to make large political donations without having to declare them.

He says Foundation 51 "is simply a supporter of the CLP in political terms, as are many other business organisations in the NT, and has no financial relationship with the CLP".

But when the CLP's former deputy treasurer Eli Melky looked into the matter, he was told it was none of his business whether or not the foundation was associated with the party, he told the ABC.

Mr Elky recently defected to the PUP along with Ms Anderson, before making his queries about the foundation public.

In an email sent to CLP president Ross Connolly, Mr Lewis said he had contributed significantly to last month's Blain by-election, which he later said was only research.

The email stated that Mr Giles was aware of his concerns that the foundation might need to be shut down following Mr Elky's probing.

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Second arrest over SA Riverland murder

A SECOND man has been charged over the murder of Lucio Caruso who was found dead in his home in the South Australian Riverland last year.

Police say a 55-year-old Berri man has been refused bail on the murder charge and will appear in the Berri Magistrates Court on a date to be determined.

Mr Caruso, 49, was found murdered in his Monash home on November 27. He had suffered severe head injuries and his car had been stolen.

In December a 45-year-old Mildura man was arrested and charged with murder.

He was extradited to South Australia and remains in custody.

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Palmer would like to hand writ to Newman

CLIVE Palmer says he would like to personally deliver a writ to Queensland Premier Campbell Newman.

The federal MP is suing Mr Newman over "outrageous" claims the mining magnate had tried to buy his state government and he offered inducements to three rebel Northern Territory MPs.

Mr Palmer said he would prefer to hand the writ to the premier in person on Wednesday.

"I'd like to do that but you'd never find him," he told reporters in Brisbane on Tuesday.

"I don't know if he's in the ladies toilets or where he is.

"Maybe his crown solicitor will accept it."

The federal MP for Fairfax said Mr Newman's comments made at a joint media conference with Prime Minister Tony Abbott were a personal attack, and not a statement on behalf of the Queensland government.

"Why should the ... taxpayers have to pay for his lawyers?," Mr Palmer said.

He maintains that Northern Territory indigenous MPs Alison Anderson, Larisa Lee and Francis Xavier Kurrupuwuy weren't offered inducements to join the Palmer United Party in April.

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Westfield sweetens local split plans

SHOPPING centre giant Westfield Group has sweetened its plan to split its Australian and New Zealand assets from its international operations.

Westfield's Australian and New Zealand assets, which includes 47 shopping centres, are set to merge with Westfield Retail Trust, a joint owner of the Australian shopping centres.

The merged entity will be called Scentre Group, and under new changes to the proposal, Scentre Group will now carry $300 million less in debt than originally planned.

Westfield chairman Frank Lowy said key investors supported the merger, but the new debt arrangements were made to address some concerns raised.

Security holders are due to vote on the split on May 29.

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Doctors warn of opioid addiction danger

OPIOID pain killers are far more addictive than previously thought and doctors are being urged to assess their patients' level of risk before writing a prescription.

The issue is whether opioid treatment is going to make an addict out of someone, says Professor Jane Ballantyne, a pain specialist at the University of Washington.

"A lot of people who get into trouble with opioids say the whole thing started when they were prescribed opioids for acute pain," she told an Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) conference in Singapore on Tuesday.

Opioids are safest when administered in hospital. However, it is common for codeine and oxycodone to be prescribed for out-patients after surgery, dental treatment or injuries.

"We used to say people would not become addicted, but unfortunately that's not true," said Prof Ballantyne.

Although only a minority of patients develop problems, it is essential for doctors to do a quick risk assessment for every patient.

This could be done in five minutes with just four questions, she said.

Those most at risk include people with any history of substance abuse, including smoking.

People with mental health issues like depression, anxiety and personality disorders are also vulnerable.

A big challenge is for doctors to determine the motives of a person who is already dependant. They could be seeking pain relief or need to relieve the symptoms of drug withdrawal.

Some patients go from doctor to doctor in search of prescriptions, often to sell the drugs for a profit.

"My patients have in the past been caught outside the hospital selling their drugs," Prof Ballantyne said.

"Most states in the US now have a way of monitoring every prescription that is written. So it is becoming a habit, especially in the emergency room to look at patients records."

* Clifford Fram travelled to the conference courtesy of ANZCA.

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Greens to push for federal ICAC

THE Australian Greens want politics cleaned up by a national anti-corruption body after "on-going revelations" about corruption in NSW.

The party will next week push for a vote on the National Integrity Commission Bill, now before the Senate, which would create a federal level independent anti-corruption commission, similar to those operated by states.

Greens leader Christine Milne said the "revolving door" between business and political parties should be examined.

"We need to clean up politics right around the country and it should start here in Canberra," she told reporters on Tuesday.

The Greens will need the support of a major party to push through the legislation.

Senator Larissa Waters said a proposal by MP Clive Palmer's mining company Waratah Coal to tender for an Abbot Point coal terminal extension proves the bill's importance.

Mr Palmer would need approval from the government, which needs his vote in the Senate to pass legislation, Ms Waters said.

"It's about time we had these conflicts of interest properly dealt with," she said.

But at a media conference Mr Palmer, who is a shareholder in Waratah Coal, played down a suggestion he had a better chance of succeeding with the Abbot Point proposal now he had left Queensland's Liberal National Party.

"It's not a consideration for me, politically," he told reporters in Brisbane.

"I've retired from active business and I don't worry about those things."

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Westpac shares down despite record profit

Westpac has announced a first half cash profit of $3.77 billion and has lifted its interim dividend. Source: AAP

SHARES in Westpac are flat in early trading after the bank revealed a record first half cash profit of $3.77 billion.

Australia's second-largest and oldest bank opened higher before pulling back - just as ANZ did after its record profit was announced on Thursday.

Westpac shares were seven cents down at $34.80 at 1025 AEST on Monday.

ANZ shares were down again on Monday while rivals Commonwealth and NAB had made gains.

Westpac's shares had been predicted to fall given the record run in bank shares of late with many investors regarding them as being full-valued.

Westpac's cash profit - the bank's preferred performance measure - was up eight per cent from the prior corresponding period, beating analysts' expectations.

Net profit for the six months to March 31 was $3.62 billion, up from $3.29 billion a year ago.

Westpac lifted its fully-franked interim dividend to 90 cents, from the previous 86 cents.

However, unlike the two previous half years, no 10 cent special dividend will be paid on top of the distribution this time as some had expected.

The bank followed ANZ's lead last week in posting a decline in margins due to high competition for mortgage customers.

Westpac had been expected to increase net interest margins - the difference between its funding and lending costs - but it declined eight basis points to 2.11 per cent.

The bank still increased housing loans by five per cent. It already has Australia's second largest share of housing loans, behind Commonwealth Bank.

Westpac chief executive Gail Kelly said that the world economy had improved in recent times with Europe pulling out of recession and the US slowly moving towards trend growth.

Mrs Kelly said that she was positive about the second half for the bank.

The bank's tier capital adequacy ratio of 8.82 per cent - equity capital versus total risk-weighted assets - is the best of the big four banks.

"Our focus on tilting to growth is delivering, and this is expected to continue into the second half of the year," she said.

IG market strategist Evan Lucas said the profit result was stellar but, digging deeper, the result looked benign with institutional banking's earnings going backwards - an area in which the other major banks have increased.

"At the moment, the banks are really easy to poke holes in because they are so fully (share price) valued," he told AAP. He predicted a repeat of ANZ, with a possible fall in its share price on Monday despite a record profit.

"(The profit) comes down to their consolidation rather than growth story ... they are eking out profits that way."

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CMC probes public service crime links

QUEENSLAND'S corruption watchdog is investigating links between organised crime and the public service.

Acting Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) chairman Ken Levy says 32 misconduct matters are under way, including four probes that began in March.

"The CMC has a number of active investigations into possible links between organised crime and the public sector," he told the parliamentary committee that oversees the CMC on Monday.

During the hearing, opposition MP Jo-Ann Miller asked if the CMC was working with the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption, or investigating Australian Water Holdings, the Ipswich Council or any "dodgy developer deals" in the Ripley Valley.

"That is a potential operational matter," Dr Levy replied.

"I'm happy to answer that in a closed session."

Dr Levy was also tight-lipped about which government ministers attended a meeting on March 5, two weeks before controversial legislation overhauling the CMC was introduced.

But when opposition MP Yvette D'Ath produced the diaries of a number of ministers he opened up a little.

Ms D'Ath said Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney, Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie and Health Minister Lawrence Springborg were present, but there was conflicting information on whether Premier Campbell Newman was also there.

"I'll be specific about that one, and the short answer is 'no'," Dr Levy said.

Dr Levy, who has not opposed the government's CMC reforms, said he wasn't asked at the meeting to stay on past the end of his contract.

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Tax office takes up laundering

TAXPAYERS will foot the bill for washing machines, a tumble dryer and sandwich makers for the Australian Tax Office.

A tender closes this week for whitegoods to go into ATO offices around the country over the next four years.

Among the items being sought are two washing machines and washing powder, a tumble dryer, triple-door glass-fronted fridges, 354 bar fridges, 32 pie ovens and 454 sandwich presses.

The tender documents state the items will meet the ATO's "business requirements" and ensure that "breakout areas, communal spaces and beverage points are equipped with quality whitegoods".

The ATO is seeking one national contractor to supply, deliver, install, maintain and replace the goods to all of its sites, including new buildings and refurbished offices.

It also requires the "bulk supply of consumables" such as dishwasher tablets and washing powder.

Among the objectives of the tender, according to the documents, is to "represent value for money" and provide a "healthy and safe working environment".

Comment is being sought from the tax office.

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Budget reason for ditching trip: minister

THE only reason Prime Minister Tony Abbott dumped a planned trip to Indonesia was for hands-on involvement in his government's first budget, a senior minister insists.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison denies a reported boat turn-back operation is behind Mr Abbott's cancelled plans to attend a regional forum in Bali on Tuesday.

The minister also refused to say whether a boat had in fact been intercepted, in line with his policy of not commenting on "on water" matters.

"The prime minister's reason is as articulated," he told Sky News on Monday.

Mr Abbott's office has not given a reason for cancelling the trip.

But Mr Morrison said it demonstrates Mr Abbott's "very hands-on" approach to the budget.

"He's steering the ship."

The Indonesian government says it was given no explanation on Friday for Mr Abbott's decision to postpone the meeting, nor any indication that asylum seekers are being sent back.

In the lead up to the budget Mr Abbott has attended every meeting of cabinet's razor gang - unusual for a prime minister.

The final full cabinet meeting ahead of the budget this week was pushed back to Wednesday to accommodate Mr Abbott's planned trip.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono invited Mr Abbott to attend the Open Government Partnership forum in a move that was seen as a real step towards repairing the bilateral relationship, which hit rocky waters last year.

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$15m boost to Vic mental health

Victoria will allocate an extra $15 million to mental health resources to reduce pressure on police. Source: AAP

MENTAL health services will get a $15 million boost in the Victorian budget to help change the way specialist, police and ambulance services respond to people with mental illness.

The investment, over four years, will create a new locally based, co-ordinated mental health crisis response.

Mental health workers will work with police and ambulance workers to tailor responses to someone needing urgent support.

The budget allocation also aims to reduce pressure on police, ambulance and emergency department resources.

Mental Health Minister Mary Wooldridge says the initiative draws on previous trials, which brought together mental health workers and police to respond to a crisis to avoid it escalating and involving an emergency department.

The trials found people suffering a mental illness episode were less likely to end up in the local emergency department and police units could be released to other duties more quickly, she said.

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Firefighter bravery recognised

FIREFIGHTERS who attended a fuel spill with the potential to ignite and threaten a Sydney peninsula faced a choice.

Leave the two million litre tank to leak, evacuate the peninsula around Banksmeadow on Botany Bay and wait for a catastrophic explosion.

Or volunteer to wade through the fuel pool and repair the leaking valve.

NSW Fire and Rescue (NSWFR) station officer Ron Morasso looked at his colleagues and made his choice.

"I said to him, 'what was going through your mind'?" NSWFR commissioner Greg Mullins told AAP after presenting Mr Morasso with the fire service's highest bravery award.

"[Mr Morasso] said to me, 'I looked at my crew and thought - he has two young kids, his wife is pregnant, he is only young...it's got to be me'."

Mr Mullins said even a spark from a car passing the Caltex fuel terminal would have risked an explosion with enough ferocity to close Sydney airport and any subsequent fire might have taken days to extinguish.

Mr Morasso, who has since retired, was presented with the NSWFR medal for conspicuous bravery on Saturday.

Other crew members who responded to the spill in July 2013 also received commendations.

Meanwhile, two firefighters who rushed to the aid of a man on fire after a petrol tanker crash on Sydney's northern beaches were also recognised.

Mosman crew members Lloyd Mulder and George Cheeke stayed with the man, who crawled from his car after it burst into flames, until he died at the roadside last October.

Witnesses Andrew Cochran and Maria Tosone also received commendations for trying to pull the man and another person from the car on Mona Vale Road.

And 12 firefighters who responded to a fire at a unit complex in Bankstown in the city's west, where two women attempted to escape by jumping from a fifth floor window, were also among commendation recipients.

Mr Mullins said the blaze was so intense that firefighters' uniforms caught fire and helmets melted.

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Vic govt to unveil infrastructure spend

Tuesday's Victorian state budget is expected to contain a number of major infrastructure projects. Source: AAP

MELBOURNE'S East West Link tunnel will get more funding and light will be shed on plans for a Melbourne airport rail link in Tuesday's state budget.

Victoria is expected to remain in the black with the state on track to reach its net surplus target in a budget that will focus on major infrastructure projects six months out from an election.

State funds will flow for the second stage of the $18 billion East West Link road project, including $1.5 billion from the Commonwealth, while details of a plan to link Melbourne's CBD by rail to the Tullamarine airport will be unveiled for the first time.

Treasurer Michael O'Brien says that in contrast to the federal budget, which is expected to include significant spending cuts and possible tax increases to cut the deficit, Victorians can expect strong surpluses over the next few years.

Net debt will also fall over the forward estimates and there will be a focus on major infrastructure projects which create jobs, he says.

"The Victorian budget is in a very different position to the federal budget," Mr O'Brien told reporters on Friday.

"We're in surplus here in Victoria and we're going to have strong surpluses across the forward estimates."

Mr O'Brien says the government will be delivering the major infrastructure projects Victorians want to see to improve their quality of life, thanks to good economic management.

"We're funding major job creating infrastructure through strong surpluses, through good economic management and through asset recycling," he said.

The budget is expected to contain more money to progress the Melbourne Metro Rail project, a $10 billion underground cross-city tunnel designed take on thousands of extra passengers and connect the Dandenong and Sunshine rail corridors.

A swag of pre-budget announcements have been made, so far including: more than $1 billion to remove eight level crossings across Melbourne; $190 million to cut elective surgery waiting lists; a $220 million project to upgrade country rail and build a standardised rail link between Mildura and Geelong.

Mr O'Brien says the public service is safe from further cuts this budget, but it is yet to be seen what further pain may be in store for Victorians.

The government has already blamed a cut in the state's GST revenue from 90 cents in the dollar to 88 cents in 2014-15 for a $32 hike in car registrations and an increase in vehicle stamp duty.

The government says the extra charges would fund major transport infrastructure in the budget.

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Greens say they're the party to fix NSW

The Greens have announced their upper house line-up for the upcoming March 2015 NSW state election. Source: AAP

THERE'S a smell wafting from the Labor and Liberal party rooms in NSW parliament, the Greens say.

Just days after police minister Mike Gallacher stepped aside following claims in front of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) over illegal donations to the Liberal Party, Greens NSW MP John Kaye announced on Sunday his new upper house team for the March 2015 election.

Joining him on the ticket will be existing MP Mehreen Faruqi, as well as coal seam gas campaigner and political advisor Justin Field.

Mr Kaye said the team would be highlighting their credentials as an alternative to the major parties.

"NSW politics has been plunged into crisis, not just by the Labor party but also by the Liberal party's endemic addiction to collecting funds from tainted sources," he told AAP.

"This is the time for reform. This is the election campaign where politics needs to change."

Mr Field, who is third on the ticket, said he will be taking out the message of clean water, energy and politics out into the community.

"A stench of corruption now hangs over NSW parliament, but only the Greens are able to say they can clean up politics."

The announcement comes after the Labor party revealed on Sunday that a "record number" of their party's supporters had voted for former MP Verity Firth to be the next state candidate in the Sydney seat of Balmain.

She narrowly lost the marginal inner-city seat to Greens candidate Jamie Parker at the 2011 election.

Mr Parker said the Greens were confident that there needs to be change.

"It doesn't matter who the candidate is, we have seen before that he structure of Labor means they are silenced ... I stand for a different approach to politics," he told AAP.

He said one of the bills the Greens would be be introducing to parliament in the following months is a push to implement 2010 ICAC recommendations on lobbying in NSW.

This included a recommendation to set up an independent body to oversee the role of lobbyists.

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