Aviation firefighters have halted plans to strike heading into the Christmas season, after coming to an in-principle agreement with their employer to prevent staff shortages.

Firefighters were set to walk off the job at 27 airports across Australia between 6am and 10am on December 9, causing cancelled flights and long queues.

However, the United Firefighters Union of Australia on Saturday announced employer Airservices Australia had agreed to increase the number of aviation firefighters over time and prevent staff shortages in future.

The agreement was a win for air travellers after Airservices in October last year cut 100 aviation firefighters' jobs, leading to chronic understaffing, union aviation branch secretary Wes Garrett said.

"Every time your loved ones and friends board an aircraft in Australia, they deserve fully staffed aviation firefighters to be there to protect them when they need it most," he said.

"For over a year, that's what we've been campaigning to achieve, and that's what we hope this in- principle agreement will deliver."

The agreement would eventually mean aviation firefighter staffing would be up to scratch with international regulations, and Australians would get the same standard of protection as those in other countries, Mr Garrett said.

It was critical that Airservices recognised the ongoing staff shortage puts travellers' safety at risk, he said.

"Thankfully, due to our proposed work stoppage on 9 December across Australia's airports, after a year of obfuscation and deliberate inaction, Airservices has been compelled to come to the table with an in-principle agreement that actually addresses the long staffing problems we face."

While the strike was cancelled for the timebeing, members still needed to consider the agreement in a ballot, expected shortly, Mr Garrett said.

© AAP 2022

Twitter has again suspended the account of Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, just two months after it was reinstated, because Elon Musk said the rapper violated the platform's rules prohibiting incitement to violence.

Ye's account showed a notice that it was suspended after one of his posts had earlier appeared to show a swastika symbol inside a Star of David.

The billionaire owner of Twitter, who calls himself a free speech absolutist, had welcomed the return of the rapper, now known as Ye, to the platform in October.

"I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended," Musk tweeted in reply to a Twitter user who said "Elon Fix Kanye Please".

Musk has in the past few months expressed his desire to have fewer limits on content that can be posted on Twitter. He said last week the platform would provide a "general amnesty" to some suspended accounts.

Last month, Twitter reinstated some previously suspended accounts, including that of former US president Donald Trump.

It was not immediately clear if Ye would be allowed back on Twitter and the company did not respond to requests for comment.

Ye, who has more than 30 million Twitter followers, posted a screenshot on Trump's Truth Social platform, showing his Twitter account would be suspended for 12 hours.

The tweet was the latest action by the rapper and fashion designer that has stoked controversy.

On Thursday, Ye praised Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler in an interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on his online Infowars show.

"Ye has arrived in a new ensemble here with us, but I'll assure you it is Ye," Jones said at the start of the interview in which Ye wore a black mask over his entire head obscuring his face as well as black gloves.

Some Republicans condemned Ye's comments.

Iowa US representative Ashley Hinson tweeted "Kanye West's anti-Semitic comments today were disgusting. His pattern of anti-Semitic behaviour is unacceptable and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms."

President Joe Biden also appeared to address the issue in a tweet on Friday:

"I just want to make a few things clear: The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure. And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides. Silence is complicity."

© RAW 2022

Australia's first federal anti-corruption watchdog is seeking a commissioner to lead its work, offering a salary package higher than that of the chief justice.

Federal parliament this week approved laws to set up the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

The body will investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct across the commonwealth public sector by ministers, parliamentarians and their staff, statutory officer holders, employees of all government entities and government contractors.

It will operate independently of government and be able to launch inquiries on its own initiative or in response to referrals, including from whistleblowers and the public.

The commission will be able to investigate alleged corruption which occurred before the laws were passed.

However, public hearings will only occur in exceptional circumstances and where it is considered in the public interest to do so.

The laws provide protections for whistleblowers and exemptions for journalists to protect the identity of sources.

The government has advertised for the inaugural NACC commissioner, who will be entitled to a $728,900 salary package, and will also appoint up to three deputies.

The High Court chief justice earns $608,150.

The commissioner will need the endorsement of cabinet and a parliamentary committee involving six government members, four opposition members and two crossbenchers drawn from the lower and upper houses.

The committee is expected to be formed when parliament resumes in February.

Staff from the existing Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity will shift over to the new commission in coming months as the new senior leadership comes on board.

© AAP 2022

Pat Cummins can lay claim to being one of Australia's finest ever bowlers after reaching 200 Test wickets and putting himself among some of cricket's most revered figures.

Playing in his 44th Test, Australia's captain brought up the milestone in quintessential Cummins fashion on Friday when he clipped the top of Kraigg Brathwaite's off stump with a ball that angled in and straightened with the seam.

He became the second-fastest Australian quick to the milestone behind only Dennis Lillee (38 Tests), but his achievement stems goes beyond that.

The right-armer's return of 3-34 means his average of 21.50 is now the best of any Australian bowler with 200 or more wickets to their name, as is his strike rate of one wicket every 47.1 balls.

In Test cricket's long history, only English great Fred Trueman and West Indies legend Malcolm Marshall have taken 200 wickets at a strike rate of better than 50 and average of less than 22.

"Incredible. That's pretty crazy," Cummins said after Australia went to stumps with a 344-run lead and two days to play.

"There's still plenty of guys I know who have taken 300, 400 or 700, so comparing numbers doesn't seem as significant as others.

"But any milestone, when I think of wickets I think of longevity. And knowing I had a bit of time out of the game, it's always a nice realisation."

It's not lost on Cummins the help Lillee gave him during that period.

Injuries robbed Cummins of a potential 64 Tests when he should have been at his quickest, forced to wait five and a half years after his match-winning 6-79 on debut in South Africa for his next Test.

His comeback since his return series in India in 2018 has been emphatic.

Ranked No.1 in the world since the 2019 Ashes, Cummins' grip on the top spot is the longest of any Australian since Clarrie Grimmett way back in the 1930s on historical ICC data.

He has since returned a more consistent bowler, relying not so much on express pace but incredible consistency and ability to move the ball just enough.

"DK (Lillee) has been awesome," Cummins said.

"That rebuilding phase gave me the confidence I could come back a better bowler and I think over the years, chatting got him over the phone, he's seen it all before.

"He remembers what Test cricket was like even though it was a little while ago.

"So he remembers how tough it can be and how to manage your body and manage spells.

"And having someone like him in my corner giving some words of encouragement, some words of technique advice every now and then is awesome."

BOWLERS WITH 200 TEST WICKETS AT AN AVERAGE OF 25 OR LOWER AND STRIKE RATE OF 50 OR BETTER:

Malcolm Marshall (WI) - wickets: 376, average: 20.94, strike rate: 46.7

Pat Cummins (AUS) - wickets: 202, average: 21.50, strike rate: 47.1

Fred Trueman (ENG) - wickets: 307, average: 21.57, strike rate: 49.4

Kagiso Rabada (RSA) - wickets: 257, average: 22.46, strike rate: 40.2

Allan Donald (RSA) - wickets: 330, average: 22.25, strike rate: 47.0

Dale Steyn (RSA) - wickets: 439, average: 22.95, strike rate: 42.3

Waqar Younis (PAK) - wickets: 373, average: 23.56, strike rate: 43.4.

© AAP 2022