Labor spruiks teacher wage review

The ALP has promised to review teaching classifications and their pay rates in Queensland. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk is pledging $6 million to pave the way for the state's best teachers to get a pay rise.

THE opposition leader says if elected the ALP will fund a review to establish two new classifications that identify "highly accomplished" and "lead" teachers.

But she concedes the process could take up to four years to complete.That means those eligible could have to wait until after the next state election to benefit."What we've seen over the last few years is teachers leaving our profession to get higher paid jobs," she said on Saturday."This is going to be encouragement to teachers to come back into the classroom."Initial estimates suggested the most experienced teachers could earn up to $120,000, Ms Palaszczuk said.But she was tight-lipped when asked how the party would fund the initiative, simply insisting it wouldn't rely on asset sales.The details would be available when the party's costing were released in the coming week, she said.Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the plan falls far short of the LNP's master teachers program, which recruits teachers capable of lifting academic results.He said hundreds of master and mentor teachers would be deployed from Tuesday as part of the scheme - which even his Labor counterpart, Andrew Lynham, admitted had its merits."We want to make sure our students don't have to wait years for better improved results and better quality teaching," Mr Langbroek said.The LNP has pledged $1 billion for 22 new schools and existing school upgrades, as well as a $90 million innovation fund and 500 scholarships for education degrees so far this election.Meanwhile, Labor has promised to hire hundreds of new teachers in state schools over three years, employ more guidance counsellors and cut class sizes in state primary schools.

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LNP politicians target Alan Jones

RADIO personality Alan Jones is facing more legal action from Queensland government ministers.

LAWRENCE Springborg's office has confirmed the health minister will file a defamation case against Mr Jones for falsely accusing him for orchestrating coal mines in his Southern Downs electorate.

A spokesman for the minister said Jones told Fairfax Radio listeners on Friday that there were coal mines all over the Southern Downs organised to suit Mr Springborg."There is not a single coal mining lease in the Southern Downs," he said."He was speaking tripe."This comes after Jones received court documents from Premier Campbell Newman and Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney flagging impending defamation action over comments about Queensland's New Acland coal mine.A tweet from 4BC radio also says Treasurer Tim Nicholls and assistant minister to the premier Deb Frecklington are poised to sue Jones and the radio station.The broadcaster is in hot water after Jones said Mr Newman lied to him by pledging that stage three of the mine, on the Darling Downs, would not proceed but then approved it anyway.Mining magnate and politician Clive Palmer on Friday described Jones as a "brave and courageous man" for standing up to Mr Newman and offered to fund Jones's defence."Alan Jones has my full support for telling the truth on this matter," Mr Palmer said."He has my financial support for any legal action brought against him by the premier."Comment was being sought from Mr Jones.

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Rihanna wins Topshop T-shirt legal battle

Singer Rihanna has won a legal battle with high street store Topshop over a T-shirt with her image. Source: AAP

POP star Rihanna has won a legal battle with high street store Topshop over a T-shirt with her image.

IN an important ruling on celebrity "image rights", Britain's Court of Appeal upheld a ban on the store selling a Rihanna "tank" sleeveless T-shirt without her permission.

Three appeal judges agreed with an earlier High Court ruling that marketing the fashion item without the 26-year-old singer's approval amounts to "passing off", a term used to enforce unregistered trademark rights.Topshop lawyers had urged the appeal judges - Lord Justice Richards, Lord Justice Kitchin and Lord Justice Underhill - to rule that High Court judge Justice Birss had misunderstood the law on celebrity merchandising.The three judges unanimously dismissed the Topshop appeal.In the lead judgment, Lord Justice Kitchin ruled Justice Birss "was entitled to find that the sale by Topshop of the T-shirt amounted to passing off".The judges also agreed that a substantial number of the 26-year-old pop diva's fans were likely to be led into the false belief that she had authorised the T-shirt to carry her image.Rihanna's lawyers said the image was from an unauthorised photograph taken while the star was filming a video in Northern Ireland for one of her singles in 2011 and Topshop should remain banned from exploiting it.Geoffrey Hobbs QC, appearing for Topshop, which is part of the Arcadia Group, had argued at the hearing that the court was dealing with a "decorated T-shirt" in a tradition of the merchandising of star images over the decades, including those of Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and Prince.Hobbs submitted Rihanna was in reality using the law wrongly to claim that "only a celebrity may ever market his or her own character".Rihanna has various lucrative endorsement deals with retailers including Topshop's high-street rival River Island.Hobbs contended the public had no expectation that clothes bearing an image were authorised by people shown in that image.

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