Rolf can’t ‘sing his way’ out

The jury in Rolf Harris's trial have been told it's 'very close' to being asked to consider their verdict.

A JURY has been urged by prosecutors not to be blinded by the fame of Rolf Harris who could no longer "sing his way out" of two decades of being a sinister deviant pervert who sexual assaulted young women and girls as he liked.

In her closing argument to the six men and six women jury, prosecutor Sasha Wass QC told Southwark Crown Court there was no doubt the 84-year-old has had a glittering career as a "seemingly untouchable" children's entertainer.

But she said Harris by his own admission had a dark side that he hid from family, friends and fans. She said that extended to his deviant sexual assaults and using girls as sex objects brazenly assaulted them in public.

"His fame, wealth, age or talent should not be used as an excuse for his behaviour," Ms Wass urged the jury.

She added all men were equal in the eyes of the court and added "you can't sing your way out of a criminal charge" — a reference to the first day Harris took to the witness stand and strangely sang the opening verse of Jake the Peg tune for the jury as he detailed his stella career as a singer and entertainer.

Waiting his fate ... Australian entertainer Rolf Harris arrives with his daughter Bindi, left, at Southwark Crown Court in London. Picture: Alastair Grant Source: AP

She described Harris several times as a pervert and a deviant who was not just touching up girls but rather abusing them in a pattern consistent with being a Jekyll and Hyde persona.

"He was a sinister pervert who had a demon lurking beneath the charming exterior," Ms Wass said.

She said the jury could be tempted to consider reasonable doubt from the stories of the four victims named in the 12 charges of indecent assault or further six witnesses who alleged they were sexual assaulted but for jurisdictional reasons don't form part of the indictment.

Defending himself ... Rolf Harris arrives at Southwark Crown Court. Picture: Alastair Grant Source: AP

Supporter ... Bindi Harris, daughter of veteran Rolf Harris, arrives. Picture: Alastair Grant Source: AP

But with the exception of a mother and daughter victims, the women did not know each other and had no reason to invent stories. Ms Wass urged the jury to look at the cases collectively, there were similarities in how he operated and it was almost how Harris himself liked to paint a picture.

"It paints a picture, each stroke can be a little vague or unclear but taken together you can identify what is happening," she told the court.

She went on to say that the picture painted was of a man who considered himself untouchable, was arrogant in the way he dismissed their claims of assault and a man who treated women and girls as sexual objects to be groped and assaulted when he felt like it.

Ms Wass accused Harris of being a "determined purposeful liar" who had been constantly tailoring his answers to the available evidence, an act she said which caused him to "come unstuck" in his denials a few times when fresh evidence later materialised.

She said Harris would throw up random observations as distractions and highlighting missing details from the evidence of victims. But she said while some dates and details were missing their vivid accounts of the assaults were clear.

Ms Wass added: "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence".

Ms Wass was also somewhat critical of Bindi Nicholls' evidence in that she said it was clear she was not so perceptive of alleged abuse of her friend as a teenager that years later she apparently did not notice when – on his own evidence – Harris was being masturbated by the victim then as an adult while the three of them sat under a blanket and watched TV together.

"Bindi's memory doesn't appear to be as clear as it ought to be if she is supporting her father as she sought to do," Ms Wass said.

A huge contingent of the Harris family and friends were in court today including his daughter Bindi Nicholls for the first time and his wife Alwen.

Ms Wass' closing argument will take all day as she recaps on the evidence of each of the 10 victims and witnesses. She said some may be tempted by the argument that a lot of his sinister behaviour was perfectly acceptable in the 1960s and 1970s but it was never acceptable to abuse and manipulate the way Harris allegedly had for his own sexual gratification.

Harris has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of indecent assault.

The case continues.

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‘I hate myself for what I’ve done’

One of Perth's worst sex offenders has spoken publicly for the first time. Courtesy: Nine News

"TJD" leaves court after pleading guilty to breaching a release condition. Source: Supplied

ONE of WA's worst sex offenders – described as a sexual sadist and whose supervised release sparked community outrage – has spoken publicly for the first time.

The man, known to the public only as "TJD", claims he is trying to rebuild his life, is no longer a threat to the women of Perth and apologised to his victims.

In an exclusive interview to air tonight, "TJD" has told Nine News about his life back in the community after spending almost half his life behind bars for attacking 13 women over 23 years.

West Australians – even his neighbours – aren't allowed to know where he is living.

"TJD"'s indefinite detention order was revoked and he was released under a 10-year supervised release order by a Supreme Court judge in March this year.

His history of horrific assaults dates back to when he was 15.

Now 38, "TJD" must obey 44 strict release conditions, including taking anti-libidinal drugs and wearing a GPS tracking device.

The same month he was released "TJD" was back before the courts and was fined $300 for breaching one of his release conditions.

When asked why he should be free when his victims live with his crimes every day, "TJD" replied: "I think a person should deserve a second chance."

"I hate myself for what I've done to them – I feel suicidal for what I've done to them."

In 2000, he raped a teenager at knifepoint after abducting her as she walked home from a train station. And in 2003, he assaulted an 18-year-old woman at a cemetery as she visited her grandmother's grave.

Having been jailed indefinitely in 2011, "TJD'' was released on a supervision order in 2012 — which he breached almost immediately.

He failed to take his anti-libidinal medication, failed to complete his psychological counselling and used cannabis, and was again jailed.

● Watch Nine reporter Ebbeny Faranda speak exclusively with "TJD" tonight in Nine News at 6pm.

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Pop star Samantha Jade loses mum

Heartbreak ... Samantha Jade has thanked fans for their support after the deat of her mum, Jacqui Gibbs. Picture: Matthew Poon Source: News Limited

Teen star ... Samantha Jade, with her mum Jacqui, signed her first recording deal at the age of just 15. Picture: Richard Hatherly Source: News Limited

Pop star Samantha Jade was by her mother Jacqui's side when she lost her battle with cancer on Sunday.

The Never Tear Us Apart star put her performing career on hold in recent months to help care for her mother with her father Kevin and brothers Alex and Thomas.

She only left her family's Perth home in recent weeks to perform at the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation ball last month in support of leading surgeon Dr Charlie Teo.

HER HERO: Samantha Jade says her mum is an inspiration

Mrs Gibbs was diagnosed with the disease in February, only days before the X Factor winner made her major acting debut as Kylie Minogue in the INXS miniseries.

Jade issued a statement this morning to thank fans and friends for their support.

"Our beautiful mother Jacqueline Deans Gibbs passed away peacefully with family by her side," she wrote.

"She fought till the very end with the strength and grace by which she lived her life and will be deeply missed.

"We appreciate your kind words, prayers, and respect for our family during this very difficult time."

Samantha Jade, with her mum Jacqui, signed her first recording deal at the age of just 15. Picture: Richard Hatherly Source: News Limited

CHANGE OF PACE: Samantha Jade wants to do more acting

Jade told the Sunday Times Magazine earlier this month about the time she found out about her mother's illness.

"I found out about my mum just a few days before I went home (to Sydney) and did Sunrise and a big Australia Day show," Jade says.

"And no one knew what was going on — I didn't tell anyone, only my best friends knew, and it was just so hard because I was singing in front of people and performing.

"I literally got home and cried because I couldn't say anything. It was just like inside I was crying the whole time because we didn't know anything and the tests were going through and it was just that anxiety and nervous feeling. But sometimes you just have to put on a face and do your job."

She said her mum's battle changed the way she approached her music.

"(It's) about appreciating life and what love really is and how you're shown love in a different way," she says. "I've been able to write from a different place ... Especially my ballads, like the really heart-wrenching songs, there's a place I can connect to now that I never could before, just in a different way."

"The first two weeks we found out, she was unwell and it was so intense, that I just literally cancelled everything because I just couldn't," Jade said.

"She was like 'I need you to work and I need you to do your music because that's what you love and you've worked so hard for it and I want you to do it'. She was just so sweet."

READ MORE: Samantha Jade shows courage under emotional fire

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Ballantyne cleared at tribunal

Fremantle forward Hayden Ballantyne has been cleared to play this weekend after he was found not guilty at the AFL tribunal.

Fremantle forward Hayden Ballantyne faced the tribunal on a rough conduct charge. Picture: Justin Benson-Cooper Source: News Corp Australia

FREMANTLE forward Hayden Ballantyne has been cleared to play this weekend after he was found not guilty at the AFL tribunal.

Facing the tribunal after the Match Review Panel opted not to categorise his collision with Adelaide's Matt Jaensch with a penalty points summary, Ballantyne pleaded not guilty to the rough conduct charge and argued he had no reasonable alternative to contest the ball.

An Adelaide club doctor's report said Jaensch was in doubt for this weekend's game against North Melbourne.

Ballantyne admitted making high contact while bumping but maintained he did so only to give himself the best chance of winning the ball.

But AFL counsel Jeff Gleeson argued that the incident came under the rough conduct umbrella, and said it fell outside the definition of 'contesting the ball'.

Gleeson said the MRP table grading of the bump should have been negligent conduct, high impact and with high contact.

However, Ballantyne's representative Nick Tweedie successfully argued the meaning of 'contesting the ball' should be extended to when the ball was in close proximity, and said body contact in Ballantyne's case was "inevitable".

Ballantyne will now be free to play against Richmond at the MCG on Saturday.

The small forward Tweeted his relief shortly after the verdict was handed down, writing: "Always confident, MCG here we go... thanks for the support from everyone... #gofreo".

While Ballantyne will make the trip to Melbourne for Saturday's game, Richmond duo Ty Vickery and Matt Thomas will be missing from the Tigers' line-up after accepting bans from the match review panel.

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Hints of new MH370 search area

Families of those aboard Flight MH370 are hoping to raise a reward for information on the missing jet.

THE search for missing Flight MH370 could take a turn with a new location, as Malaysia plans to send a team to Australia to finalise the next search phase.

Malaysia Deputy Communications Minister Jailani Johari confirmed today that teams from Australia and Malaysia are still in the process of exchanging notes with Inmarsat on satellite data, and a Malaysian delegation will be coming to Australia on Tuesday.

He said the meeting in Canberra would ensure all parties involved in the search "were on the same page".

The delegation will then be heading to Beijing to update Chinese authorities about the search.

Mr Johari said Malaysian officials will get the Chinese government's views on asset deployment to continue the search.

When asked if he could confirm if there would be a change to the search area, the Director General of Civil Aviation Azharuddin Rahman said Malaysia were going to Australia to discuss this.

The Wall Street Journal has reported today that the search could be poised for a shift in location, according to people close to the search for the plane.

So far ... the search area for MH370. Picture: Joint Agency Coordination Centre Source: Supplied

"No final decisions have been made about where the retooled search will focus and the effort remains "a work in progress," according to one person familiar with the details, The WSJ reports.

"Public disclosure of the new area could come as early as mid-June, this person said, though underwater scanning equipment isn't slated to begin operating until August."

On the search location today, Mr Rahman said: "We are going to Australia tomorrow to know more about the search area, we are still going to discuss that with the Australians, we can't tell you anything more today," he said.

He also said Malaysia would not be not searching the northern corridor as demanded by next of kin.

Relatives of those on board missing Flight MH370 have launched a bid to raise a $5 million to offer a "whistleblower" reward to anyone who can shed light on the missing plane.

The prospect of a reward would encourage a whistleblower to come forward with secret information about the stalled investigation, families argue.

When asked about the crowd-funding efforts by next of kin, Mr Rahman said they would let them to continue raising the funds.

"They say they are collecting $5 million and want to employ investigators...hopefully they can share the outcome .. and we can discuss the data," he said.

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Tarvydas farewelled in style

Perth fashion designer Ruth Tarvydas was farewelled at a moving service today. Picture: Twitter/Ten News Source: Supplied

Ruth Tarvydas Source: News Limited

PERTH fashion icon Ruth Tarvydas was farewelled by those who loved and knew her best at a moving service today.

Hundreds of mourners – including family and close friends – paid tribute to Ms Tarvydas at the private service at Perth's Lutheran Church, with a burial then taking place at Karrakatta Cemetery.

Her fashion legacy was visible, with some mourners wearing flashes of her designs and her logo clearly emblazoned on the side of her coffin. Red roses adorned her coffin, on top of which Ms Tarvydas' famous hat took pride of place.

Those who came to pay tribute included fellow WA fashion designer Aurelio Costarella, deputy prime minister Julie Bishop, Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi and Bree Maddox.

Ms Tarvydas was found dead in non-suspicious circumstances outside her East Perth apartment last month. Her death left the fashion community reeling.

Born in Lithuania, Ms Tarvydas arrived in Fremantle as a two-year-old with her family, after fleeing post-WWII Germany.

She built a global fashion empire that included boutiques in Paris, Malaysia and Sydney.

Her fortunes took a devastating turn last year when her company, RTI, was liquidated, just 12 months after she was forced to close the doors of her high-profile King Street boutique.

In the days after her death, Ms Tarvydas' family paid tribute to her, saying the world had lost "one of its most beautiful and eccentric lights" and she was her own "work of art".

"We are incredibly proud of her professional achievements that paved the way for many young Australian designers, we take comfort in the knowledge that the legacy of our darling Ruthie will live on for many years to come in our memories and in her designs," the family's statement read.

Ms Tarvydas' legacy will be honoured with a commemorative runway show at the 2014 Telstra Perth Fashion Festival in September.

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Up to 1000 sharks in firing line, says EPA

Last summer more than 170 sharks were caught on baited drumlines and 50 were killed, none of which was a great white Picture: Theo Fakos Source: News Limited

ALMOST 1000 sharks could be caught in the next three years if the WA government's controversial shark-kill policy continues, but less than 25 are predicted to be great whites.

The State Government opened its public environmental review (PER) today as part of the Environmental Protection Authority's (EPA) assessment process, and is seeking public feedback.

A proposed extension of the program would see baited drumlines set 1km off some beaches between November and April for three years, targeting great white, tiger and bull sharks longer than 3m.

The PER predicts about 900 tiger sharks, 25 great white sharks and only a few bull sharks will be caught over the next three years.

It said capturing that number of tiger sharks could possibly "generate a minor consequence" to that species' population, but described it as a "low risk".

With less than 10 great whites expected to be caught each year, there was only a "remote likelihood" the cull would affect the size or migratory patterns of the south-western Australian population, the review said.

With only a few bull sharks expected to be caught each year, the review says there is a "high likelihood" the proposal will have no impact on its population.

A negligible risk is also expected for dusky sharks and protected or listed animals such as grey nurse sharks, shortfin mako sharks, dolphins, sea birds, seals, sea lions, manta rays and turtles.

Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren urged the community to comment on whether the shark cull was viable.

"Drum lines are an overpriced, anti-conservation policy that conflicts with the values and beliefs of modern-day Australians," she said.

State government officials recently attended a shark conference in Durban and reported the views of culling supporters, who were in the minority, Ms MacLaren said.

"Perhaps if these officials attended the conference with a more open mind, they would have noted overwhelming advice from scientists the world over who practise modern sustainable alternatives that don't cull an apex predator," she said.

Last summer, more than 170 sharks were caught on baited drumlines and 50 were killed, none of which was a great white. The public consultation period runs until July 7.

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‘I... pretended to be dead, really’

Explosive claims ... four former female ADFA cadets have spoken to the Four Corners program. Source: Supplied

CALLS are mounting for a royal commission into the military's handling of abuse claims and the abolition of the Australian Defence Force Academy.

The ABC TV's Four Corners program has aired fresh stories from four former cadets who claim to have been raped, sexually assaulted or denigrated while at the academy in the 1990s and 2009.

One woman still connected with the military says she continues to face contact with her alleged attackers, some of whom have risen within military ranks with commendations.

She was indecently assaulted by a superior in her bedroom in the 90s, when she was considered a low-ranked "divisional toy" at ADFA.

"I ... pretended to be dead really, and I wished I was," she told the program.

Another woman, whose police complaint was later dropped, still serves alongside her alleged rapist in the military.

"It all just came flooding back ... the panic attacks ... the sleeplessness ... the nervousness," she said of a recent encounter. "I expect to carry those things with me for the rest of my life." The women have criticised the military's response to abuse claims — the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce — as inadequate. They have also been joined by former Australian Defence Force magistrate Ken Northwood in calling for a royal commission to fully uncover the extent of abuse and hold the perpetrators to account. Another past academy official, its former deputy commandant Paul Petersen, has called for the closure of the academy amid fears another cycle of abuse could remerge.

Defence's process of handling abuse complaints in the 1990s has also been criticised, with claims they were filed into a cabinet later known as the "chamber of horrors".

Former West Australian Supreme Court judge Len Roberts-Smith QC, who is leading the taskforce, says he's confident the perpetrators will be identified through a new defence force database.

But he dismissed the need for a royal commission and is leaving the job of referring alleged abusers to the Defence Force Chief David Hurley for possible action.

General Hurley says he will take up each case if it's referred to him, vowing to crack down on perpetrators.

"I will root this out if you give me the right information," he said.

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Man taken off boat by croc

A large saltwater crocodile showing aggression. Source: News Corp Australia

A MAN has been taken off a boat by a crocodile in Kakadu National Park this afternoon.

The 52 -year-old male was at Cooinda when he was attacked by a crocodile and dragged into the water about 5pm.

Police and park rangers are working to find the man.

Police confirmed the man had been on a boat at the time of the attack.

READ: LOCAL WADES INTO CROC WATER HOURS BEFORE ATTACK

Duty Superintendent Bob Harrison said the man is believed to have been with his wife, son and daughter-in-law and they may have witnessed the attack.

Police hold grave fears for the man's safety.

Minister for Parks and Wildlife Bess Price said her thoughts are with the family and friends at this time, as well as the NT police and park rangers who are undertaking the search and investigation.

READ: HUMAN REMAINS OF BOY FOUND IN JABIRU

A 12-year-old Indigenous boy died in January after being attacked by a crocodile in Kakadu National Park.

Authorities found human remains near where the boy had been swimming with friends in a billabong west of Jabiru.

Another 15-year-old boy had been bitten but was released during the attack.

L IST OF CROC ATTACKS

JANUARY 26, 2014: A 12-year-old boy goes missing after he was taken by a crocodile while swimming behind Mudginberri outstation about 20km west of Jabiru. Another boy, 15, was bitten on the arm but escaped.

AUGUST 24, 2013: A crocodile killed a 26-year-old man while swimming in the Mary River near the Mary River Wilderness Retreat, about halfway between Darwin and Kakadu National Park.

DECEMBER 1, 2012: A 4m crocodile killed a nine-year-old boy who was swimming with friends at a Territory beach at Port Bradshaw near Dhania outstation, 100km south of Nhulunbuy.

NOVEMBER 16, 2012: A 3m crocodile killed a seven-year-old girl who was swimming at a waterhole at Gumarrirnbang outstation about 110km southwest of Maningrida.

FEBRUARY 20, 2011: A crocodile killed a 14-year-old boy playing in a creek with his brothers in Milingimbi 450km east of Darwin.

APRIL 2009: Father-of-two Keith Parry, 20, was killed by a 4m croc while trying to swim across the Daly River, south of Darwin.

MARCH 2009: 11-year-old Briony Goodsell was killed at Black Jungle Swamp at Lambells Lagoon in Darwin's rural area while swimming with her sister and two friends.

JULY 2006: A 5m crocodile killed an eight-year-old girl as she fished with her family on the Blythe River.

SEPTEMBER 2005: Darwin man Russell Butel, 55, was killed off the Cobourg Peninsula, while diving with a mate in Trepang Bay.

SEPTEMBER 2005: A 4m croc killed Russell Harris, 37, while he snorkelled off Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

DECEMBER 2003: A 4m croc killed Brett Mann, 22, while he cleaned his quad bike in the Finniss River, 100km south of Darwin. His two friends spent 22 hours up a tree waiting to be rescued while the croc stalked them below.

OCTOBER 22, 2002: Isabel von Jordan, a 24-year-old student from Germany, was killed by a 5m saltwater crocodile in Kakadu National Park's Sandy Creek billabong while swimming with a group of tourists.

DECEMBER 23, 1998: Peter Munkara, 34, an artist from Melville Island, was found near the island's Paru boat ramp with crocodile bite marks on his body.

AUGUST 7, 1998: The body of a man in his 20s was found in the Roper River, 500km southeast of Darwin.

DECEMBER 13, 1997: A man was killed trying to swim across the Daly River, 230km south of Darwin.

MAY 11, 1990: Albert Juzelionas, 43, a Jabiru Telecom worker, was killed while swimming off Groote Eylandt.

OCTOBER 1988: Alex Bururru, 25, of Maningrida, was killed in Cato River near Nhulunbuy, NT.

MARCH 17, 1987: Kerry McLoughlin, 40, a Jabiru storeman, was decapitated by a 5.1m crocodile while wading at Cahills Crossing on the East Alligator River in Kakadu. He threw a beer can at its head to try to escape.

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The great divide that’s killing us

More doctors needed ... a lack of medical services is leading to a greater number of deaths in Australia's rural areas. Picture: Thinkstock Source: ThinkStock

THE massive divide in health resources between our cities and rural areas is extracting a deadly toll — if you live in the bush you'll die two and a half years earlier.

Hundreds of millions spent on GP incentive payments, scholarships and mandatory work requirements to attract doctors to the bush have made little difference to health outcomes.

A News Corp Australia investigation has found up to ten per cent of Australia's cancer patients die earlier than they should simply because they live in the bush.

Rural residents are more likely to have, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

They are more likely to smoke, be obese, and have high cholesterol but they wait longer to see a doctor and are less likely to be bulk billed.

The National Rural Health Alliance has quantified the cost of the health inequity at $2.4 billion a year.

Rural residents get 12.6 million fewer Medicare services, 11 million fewer prescription medicines and $800 million a year less dental and allied health care.

As a result they are 30 per cent more likely to end up in hospital as a result of an avoidable cause than people living in cities.

This inequity in spending and services has a calamitous human impact that is cutting short the lives of those who life outside our capital cities.

Data from the National Health Performance Authority shows the life expectancy of someone who lives in a major city and 82.8 years. If you live in the bush it's nearly two and a half years less at 80.4 years.

Better system required ... Millicent Wells is a fourth year Adelaide University medical student is off to do a placement in Port Lincoln later this year. Picture: Bianca De Marchi Source: News Limited

Rural Doctors Association president Dr Ian Kamerman says city residents who have bulk billing GP clinics on their suburban corners, hospitals and imaging services within a few kilometres drive have no idea how difficult just getting a diagnosis is in the bush.

Some rural residents have to wait up to six weeks just to get in to see their GP, he says.

The doctor will order some tests but a shortage of sonographers means a wait of up to a month for an ultra sound.

If an MRI or a CAT scan is needed the patient may have to travel to another town and also face a wait of around a month.

In any of Australia's major cities you can get to a hospital outpatient clinic and see a specialist for free in the bush you'd have to travel to a major city or pay a $200 gap to see a private specialist.

Some of the of the cost of travel and accommodation to a major city will be reimbursed by various state government assisted travel schemes.

Then, if they have a cancer diagnosis patients face the prospect of leaving their farms and their families for weeks at a time to obtain radiotherapy treatment in a major city.

"I have patients who say they couldn't do that they couldn't be away from home," Dr Kamerman says.

Life expectancy drops ... without better medical assistance. Picture: Thinkstock Source: ThinkStock

'They end up having less effective treatment, they have poorer outcomes," he says.

In Queensland 1998-2007 a study estimated that 470 (eight per cent) premature deaths due to colorectal cancer and 170 (seven per cent) premature deaths due to breast cancer could be attributed to the fact the patient lived in a rural area.

A Medical Journal Australia article this month found men living in rural areas had a poorer survival rate from prostate cancer and ten per cent or 709 deaths " could have been avoided if the urban-rural disparity was eliminated" 1992-2007.

INCENTIVES FAIL, ONE DOCTOR TO THE BUSH IN NINE YEARS

Governments have poured $5.2 billion into fixing the rural health crisis since in the last 15 years but improvements have been slow.

Despite a scheme forcing foreign doctors to work in the bush and more than 50 expensive incentive schemes to keep doctors in rural towns there are half as many medical practitioners per 1,000 population in the country compared to the city.

Governments have set up new rural medical schools and encouraged rural students to train in medicine in the hope they may be more likely to stay in the bush when they graduate.

However, still more than 40 per cent of doctors working in rural areas are foreign trained.

A bonded medical scheme that paid scholarships to 25 per cent of medical students to boost the rural workforce has delivered just one new doctor to the bush after nine years, three other students bought their way out of their obligation.

A telehealth system introduced by the previous Labor government that pays specialists who consult with patients in rural areas via video consultations over the internet has helped 40,000 patients and delivered 71,000 services in 2012-13.

However the program is underperforming, with just one fifth of the forecast money spent in 2012-13 and only 12 per cent of the nation's specialists taking part in the scheme.

The Rural Health Alliance says problems accessing fast internet speeds in the bush is a major issue for the program.

Rural Doctors Association president Dr Ian Kamerman says' the May budget will make matters worse for the bush because it has "multiple arrows hitting the same target — GPs".

When medical courses triple in cost graduates won't work in the budget because they won't earn enough to pay off their debt, low income country patients will find it harder to pay the $7 GP fee and the closure and other changes will make it less attractive to take on GP registrars in the bush.

Rural Health Alliance's Gordon Gregory says it is time to move away from the fee for service model for practices in more remote rural areas and pay doctors that work there a salary.

This model is used in Queensland with doctors receiving a salary from the state government but also given the right to practice privately to earn extra income.

A Grattan Institute report last year said the solution to the crisis is to allow pharmacists in the bush write repeat prescriptions for a drug the doctor has already prescribed and deliver vaccinations.

It also suggests producing an army of three year trained physician assistants who, working under a GP, could order blood tests, X-rays and write prescriptions to ease the rural workforce shortage.

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