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Fleetwood Mac star Christine McVie has died following a short illness at the age of 79, her family have confirmed.

The British-American rock band, founded in London in 1967, sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful groups ever.

Their best-known songs include Dreams, Go Your Own Way and Everywhere.

A statement from her family said: "It is with a heavy heart we are informing you of Christine's death. She passed away peacefully at the hospital this morning, Wednesday, November 30th 2022, following a short illness.

"She was in the company of her family.

"We kindly ask that you respect the family's privacy at this extremely painful time and we would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, and revered musician who was loved universally."

Despite its tumultuous history, Fleetwood Mac became one of the best-known rock bands of the 1970s and 80s, comprising Mick Fleetwood, Christine and John McVie, as well as Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

Perhaps their best-known album Rumours, released in 1977, became one of the best-selling albums of all time and included hits such as Second Hand News and You Make Loving Fun.

In addition to several multi-platinum tracks, the record sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.

A statement from the band said on Twitter: "There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure.

"She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life.

"We were so lucky to have a life with her.

"Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed."

Singer-songwriter and keyboardist McVie penned Songbird, one of the band's most famous tracks, as well as You Make Loving Fun, Oh Daddy and Little Lies.

She was among the eight members of the band who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

In 2017, she appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, revealing that she had retreated from the world and developed agoraphobia after she quit the band and moved from California to Kent.

McVie's death comes two years after Fleetwood Mac co-founder Peter Green died at the age of 73.

© PAA 2022

A man of accused of murdering 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley on a Queensland beach four years ago has made a brief court appearance in New Delhi as the formal legal process to extradite him to face trial in Australia got underway.

Thirty-eight-year-old Rajwinder Singh, an Australian of Indian origin, will appear in court next on December 17 for a further hearing on Australia's extradition request.

"It was the earliest date we could get," Ajay Digpaul, the public prosecutor representing the Indian government, told reporters outside the magistrate's court.

Singh arrived at the central Delhi courthouse clad in a light winter jacket and the same navy T-shirt and blue turban he was wearing when police arrested him last Friday.

The capture ended a four-year hunt for Singh who boarded a flight to India just after Cordingley was reported missing.

Singh, who worked as a nurse in Australia, gazed downward and displayed no emotion in the courtroom.

Singh's counsel claimed at the hearing the accused had not received the documents supporting Australia's extradition bid.

Digpaul told the court Singh's lawyers had been supplied with all the papers.

"Australia has made a complete investigation and we are using their documents in support of the extradition," Digpaul said.

The Indian government has given its provisional consent to Australia's extradition request.

But the magistrate's court must hear the evidence compiled by Australian investigators and approve Singh's extradition before the government can give the final green light for him to be returned to Australia.

Indian media report Singh allegedly told local investigators he stabbed Cordingley on Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, after an argument over her dog barking at him.

Digpaul, who described Cordingley's killing as a "heinous offence," said the prosecution wants to move "with maximum speed" to extradite Singh.

But he noted that Singh "has the right to appeal" any court decision to send him back to Australia.

Singh, who has a wife and three children in Australia, will remain in Delhi's Tihar Jail, South Asia's largest prison, "until and unless he is granted bail," Digpaul said.

The prosecutor said Singh can seek bail but he will oppose any application for his release.

"He can move an application for bail. But the allegations are serious so there's much less possibility of him getting bail. Also, he was absconding so he's a flight risk," Digpaul told AAP.

Singh, who was clean-shaven in Australia, disguised himself in India by growing a long beard and donning a turban and evaded arrest by continually shifting locations.

He was arrested after the Queensland government posted a record $1 million reward earlier in November for information leading to his capture.

Australian police said the reward resulted in a flurry of tips about Singh's whereabouts.

However, extradition proceedings in India can be extremely drawn out.

The country has a logjam of millions of pending cases that makes justice extremely slow-moving.

Concern about how long it may take to return Singh to Australia has been fuelled by the extradition case of hit-and-run drunk driver Puneet Puneet who killed Queensland teenager Dean Hoftsee in 2008.

After pleading guilty to culpable driving causing death, Puneet fled to India in 2009 and was in hiding until his 2013 arrest.

Puneet has been fighting extradition since then, arguing he "will face discrimination" and "be tortured" in Australia, assertions rejected by the Indian prosecutor in the case as "hogwash".

In July, Puneet was released on bail to look after his ailing parents, dealing a further blow to the efforts to extradite him.

Digpaul said there was nothing to suggest Singh's extradition case might be similarly protracted.

"The facts are different in each case. How each case proceeds all depends on the particular set of facts in the case," he said to AAP.

© AAP 2022

Laws aimed at getting wages moving are coming to a head with the government pledging to put upward pressure on pay packets as soon as possible.

Trade Minister Don Farrell said workers would be in a much better position when new workplace laws pass, which would give them a chance to catch up with the rising costs of living.

The new laws, which could pass on Thursday, include multi-employer bargaining and give employees more power to negotiate flexible work hours.

Senator Farrell also reflected on his start at the shops union in the mid-1970s, when there were different rates of pay for men and women for the same role.

He said Labor is now seeking to address female-dominated industries being lower-paid.

"There are industries where women predominate that if they were fairly valued would have a higher rate of pay," he told parliament on Wednesday.

Parents will also be able to seek recourse through the Fair Work Commission if their employer refuses their request for unpaid parental leave, after government negotiations with the Greens.

Leader Adam Bandt said secured amendments will help tip the balance back towards workers.

"Workers' rights have been eroded after decades of governments catering to their massive corporate donors," he said.

The coalition is trying to delay the bill by pushing for more time to review the changes and is continuing to call on the government to strip out multi-employer bargaining, saying it will lead to job losses and strikes.

Small businesses with fewer than 20 employees will be excluded from single-interest multi-enterprise bargaining.

Businesses with fewer than 50 employees will have extra safeguards if they want to opt out of multi-employer bargaining.

The coalition has also attacked the government for abolishing the construction watchdog.

The Senate debate will go late into Wednesday night and the bill will likely come to a vote on Thursday, although it may be pushed out until Friday.

But it's destined to pass this week after the government secured the support of the Greens and independent senator David Pocock.

Independent senator Jacqui Lambie criticised the government for rushing the bill through by the end of the year.

"I've got issues with it, mostly around the multi-employer bargaining because we just don't know how it'll impact small to medium businesses," she said.

"We haven't had the time to consult, listen and understand the real world impacts."

The unions are urging the bill to be passed as soon as possible despite business lobby groups fearing multi-employer bargaining will lead to more industrial action and penalise firms.

A union-backed poll by RedBridge shows that almost two-thirds of Australians back the planned overhaul of workplace laws.

Around 60 per cent of people surveyed believe that workers should have better rights to negotiate pay rises, including access to multi-employer agreements across similar workplaces.

© AAP 2022