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Coach Graham Arnold admits taking punts on form and fitness while snubbing past favourites in Australia's World Cup squad.
A-League Men's whizz-kid Garang Kuol and his Central Coast teammate Jason Cummings are among a 26-man squad featuring 10 players with five or less international caps.
Kuol's fellow 18-year-old, the Sydney-born and Italy-based Cristian Volpato, rejected a last-ditch plea for Arnold to join the Socceroos.
"I spoke to Christian yesterday three times," Arnold told reporters on Tuesday.
"I pretty much told him yesterday that he was in the 26-man squad ... he declined the offer."
Arnold overlooked former Socceroos captain and his son-in-law Trent Sainsbury, Tom Rogic and Mitch Langerak for the showpiece tournament starting November 20 in Qatar.
Midfield linchpin Ajdin Hrustic (ankle), winger Martin Boyle (knee) and defenders Harry Souttar (knee), Kye Rowles (foot) and Nathaniel Atkinson were included despite their ailments.
And the likes of captain Mat Ryan, who with Mathew Leckie will play at a third World Cup, and Awer Mabil will enter Qatar with limited recent game-time.
"They are risks," Arnold told reporters on Tuesday.
"But this is what it's all about.
"I have taken risks before and I am prepared to do that again ... I have always taken risks as the coach to be successful and this is no different.":
Arnold said Rogic's withdrawal from the Socceroos' last phase of cup qualifying for undisclosed personal reasons had "absolutely" no bearing in overlooking the underdone playmaker.
"Tommy has been absolutely brilliant for Australian football and will continue to be," Arnold said.
Goalkeeper Langerak, despite sustained excellence in Japan's top-flight and coming out of international retirement two months ago, missed selection in consultation with Australia's 'keeping coach.
"We have got a great goalkeeper coach in John Crawley who has a process and studies these goalkeepers and understands these goalkeepers enormously and I have got to trust that process," Arnold said.
Sydney FC's Andrew Redmayne and Central Coast's Danny Vukovic, who have both played under Arnold, were picked as back-ups for first-choice custodian Ryan.
Premier League-bound Kuol has yet to start a game at senior level but Arnold was bullish about the Egypt-born refugee from a Sudanese family.
"When we talk about an impact player, a player who can do something different for us, someone ... that can change a moment of the game, I think Garang Kuol is that one," he said.
Kuol's Scottish-born Mariners teammate Cummings squeezed out Japan-based striker Adam Taggart from the squad.
Cummings, Melbourne City marksman Jamie Maclaren and another Japan-based frontman in Mitchell Duke comprise the strike force.
Adelaide United captain Craig Goodwin is among seven players in the squad from the ALM competition, joining Leckie, Maclaren, Kuol, Cummings, Vukovic and Redmayne.
The Australians begin assembling in Qatar on Saturday with the full squad to train together in Doha for the first time on Monday.
The Socceroos' cup campaign starts against reigning champions France on November 23 (AEDT) with games against Tunisia on November 26 (AEDT) and Denmark on December 1 (AEDT).
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Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has lashed out at proposed workplace reforms, saying the laws would take industrial relations backwards and sacrifice Australians at the altar of unionism.
As debate continues in the House of Representatives, Mr Dutton said the reforms represented the most radical change to the country's industrial relations system in decades.
The government is trying to pass the reforms, which would enable multi-employer bargaining and better protect employees in female-dominated industries, by the end of the year.
It argues the changes are needed to improve wages at a time of stubbornly high inflation.
A vote is expected to be held in the lower house on the proposed laws by Thursday, before debate will move to the Senate.
The opposition has accused the government of trying to stifle debate on the bill, criticising the rushed timeframe.
Mr Dutton said the proposed laws would have far-reaching changes which would affect large numbers of businesses.
"The government said it would support workers and that it would work to support all Australians - instead, it will sacrifice them at the altar of unionism," he told parliament on Tuesday.
"In its current form, it will impose the most radical changes on Australia's industrial relations system in decades, changes which will complicate the system, create conflict in workplaces and cause delays."
Multiple amendments are expected to be debated on the laws following government talks with unions and businesses, which are set to include employers needing a majority of support from employees for a single interest bargaining authorisation.
Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has flagged even more changes to the laws could be put forward following the release of a Senate report on the bill, due to be handed down later this month.
Mr Dutton said the proposed changes would put businesses at greater financial risk.
"If you ever wanted to see what the Monopoly board game looks like in real life, Australian businesses will experience it under multi-employer bargaining," he said.
Negotiations are still ongoing with crossbench members of the upper house, with independent David Pocock saying he has yet to make up his mind on supporting the bill.
"I'm not here to be a rubber stamp, I'm here to work constructively and to ensure that we get this right and to ensure that we have enough time to get this legislation right," he told reporters in Canberra.
The independent senator said he had concerns the government was trying to race the bill through parliament when votes on other critical legislation, such as a national integrity commission and restoring territory rights, were due to be held by year's end.
"I put to the senate that we need to consider adding more (sitting) days, but that's up to the government, they set the schedule," he said.
Labor will need the Greens plus one crossbench senator to pass the bill.
Independent MP Zali Steggall accused the government of trying to shut down debate in the lower house to speed up the vote on the workplace laws.
"We needed to restore integrity to this institution - I would strongly say this is not how we go about it," she told parliament.
Mr Burke said a quick passage of the bill was essential in order to lift wages.
"We need to take action in legislation and action in the parliament to be able to close the gender pay gap," he said.
"The current bargaining system will not deliver pay equity, and the rules need to be changed."
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A two-year-old boy has died after being attacked by dogs in the NSW central west.
Emergency services were called to a motel on Grenfell Road at Cowra about 10.20am on Tuesday after reports the toddler had been seriously injured, NSW police said in a statement.
Officers attended the scene but the boy had already been taken to Cowra Hospital.
He was flown to Sydney's Westmead Hospital, however died on Tuesday afternoon.
Police are examining the motel as a crime scene and investigations continue to prepare a report for the coroner.
Two dogs have been seized by the local council.
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Key independent senator David Pocock has vowed to not be a rubber stamp for the government, as debate continues on an overhaul of workplace laws.
Amendments for the industrial relations bill will be introduced on Tuesday and will include employers needing a majority of support from employees for a single-interest bargaining authorisation.
Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has also flagged that more amendments will be on the way, following the release of a Senate report on the workplace reforms later this month.
A vote on the laws, which would enshrine multi-employer bargaining, is expected to be held in the lower house on Thursday, with the government trying to race through the bill by the end of the year.
But Senator Pocock, who will be a critical vote in the upper house, said he was yet to make up his mind on the bill.
"I'm not here to be a rubber stamp, I'm here to work constructively and to ensure that we get this right and to ensure that we have enough time to get this legislation right," he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
"There's a lot of work still to be done on this bill. It's huge, it's a massive omnibus and it deserves our attention to ensure that it is a good piece of legislation."
While Senator Pocock said there was a need to get wages moving, talks were still ongoing with Mr Burke.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in question time he was happy to meet with crossbenchers at any time, but Senator Pocock said he had not spoken with him on the workplace bill.
The independent senator said he had concerns the government was trying to race the bill through parliament when votes on other critical legislation, such as a national integrity commission and restoring territory rights, were due to be held by year's end.
"It's pretty ambitious to get through what's listed, given the pace of things that I've seen and the process you have to get through to get any piece of legislation that is slightly contentious," Senator Pocock said.
"I put to the Senate that we need to consider adding more (sitting) days, but that's up to the government, they set the schedule."
Labor will need the Greens plus one crossbench senator to pass the bill.
Independent MP Zali Steggall accused the government of trying to shut down debate in the lower house to speed up the vote on the workplace laws.
"We needed to restore integrity to this institution - I would strongly say this is not how we go about it," she told parliament.
Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie said moves by Labor to shorten speeches on the bill were a "gag order by any other name".
"If the government believes in this legislation, they should be open for that debate and allow for that to be free-flowing," she said.
Mr Burke said a quick passage of the bill was essential in order to lift wages.
"We need to take action in legislation and action in the parliament to be able to close the gender pay gap," he said.
"The current bargaining system will not deliver pay equity, and the rules need to be changed."
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