Received

Things could not be going much better for Hayley Raso.

The winger has just scored her first two Women's World Cup goals, the Matildas are into the round of 16 - and she's off to Real Madrid when the tournament ends.

But Raso, who is fiery and physical on the field but a cool head off it, is taking it all in her stride.

"To score my first World Cup goal was really special for me, a moment I've dreamt of, so that was amazing," Raso told reporters on Friday.

"But all my focus is here and getting the job done here, (although) I have a lot to look forward to when this is over."

Raso joked that time would come "after August 20, of course" - the date of the World Cup final.

If the lightning-fast winger can maintain her current form at her third World Cup, there's plenty of reason to believe.

The 28-year-old's first-half double against Canada set Australia on the path to a thumping 4-0 win over the Olympic champions that steered them into Monday's last-16 clash with Denmark at Stadium Australia.

It's the latest step in a journey that began at Canberra United and has included stints at Portland, Everton and Manchester City, as well as overcoming a horror back injury in 2018 that threatened her playing future.

"I've been around for a long time, I've been in the national team for a long time," the 28-year-old said.

"What comes with that is experience, maturity.

"I've been overseas, I've been developing my game. I've grown a lot as a player.

"I'm taking everything in my stride. I've got a lot of confidence."

Raso doesn't hold back physically, with or without the ball, but says she has tempered her approach since her Matildas debut in 2012.

"When I first got into football and was in the Matildas I was, I guess, quite reckless," she said.

"I've matured a lot in my game, in the fact that I try not to be too reckless.

"Yes, I throw myself around into tackles but it's just the way I play.

"It's about giving 100 per cent and being strong. I'm small but I'm quite strong on the ball, so hopefully I can hold my own out there."

Long-time teammate Alanna Kennedy shared a dressing room with Raso at WSL club Manchester City.

She isn't surprised by how the winger has stepped up.

"The motivation of a home World Cup for anyone is that there's just such a huge opportunity. No one wants to shy away from that, Hayley included," Kennedy said.

"Her impact on the game (against Canada) was huge and I'm really happy for her."

© AAP 2023

The NSW roads minister has welcomed a call for income-based road tolls and higher charges for those with good access to public transport who use their cars instead.

With the introduction of a per-kilometre road user charge, drivers would be encouraged to use their cars less, cutting down on traffic and emissions, a report by the Committee for Sydney has argued.

"Just as we pay a fare to catch the train, ferry or bus, we should also pay a fare to drive on the roads," report author and committee public policy advisor Harri Bancroft said.

She said the only way to cut down on congestion and get more people using alternative means of transport was to put a price on road use.

To ensure fairness for those in low-density areas whose only option was to drive, the charge could take into account ease of access to public transport and could also be based on household income.

Concessional rates could also be considered for road users such as truck drivers, tradespeople, carshare vehicles and carers, she said.

At an industry lunch on Friday, Roads Minister John Graham welcomed the major urban policy think-tank's ideas as thoughtful and bold.

The suggestions of a CBD congestion tax or continuous motorway network were ruled out for being in conflict with election promises.

"But the submission does contain some bold ideas that should be up for discussion in our city," he told the Roads Australia industry event.

"We will be looking carefully at the impact of the public transport system as we adjust to toll road prices, and how the two systems interact."

The NSW government has already flagged it wants to restructure how commuters pay for Sydney's patchwork of 13 toll roads, to make it more equitable and encourage more use of public transport.

Households and businesses fork out about $5.75 million per day to toll road operators, with the people hardest hit living in the city's west.

The Committee for Sydney report was made in submission to the NSW government review of road tolls led by former Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Allan Fels.

Ms Bancroft said the review was an opportunity for NSW to lead the country in ambitious and meaningful toll reform.

"While much of the public debate on tolls has been focused on the cost of them, we have not been considering the cost of the alternative - traffic," she said.

"Everyone loves to hate them, but reducing tolls will simply shift the cost of driving from people's pockets to people's time."

She noted the federal government would likely be looking to introduce road-use charges to compensate for the loss of fuel excise as people shifted to electric vehicles.

While the proposed strategies might be unpopular, the aim was to encourage people to use their cars less, which she said was the only viable option as populations in urban centres grew.

© AAP 2023

China will lift punitive tariffs on Australian barley exports from Saturday.

The Chinese government imposed the tariffs on barley imports in May 2020, over what it claims were concerns over the dumping of cheap grain.

"The Ministry of Commerce ruled that, in view of the changes in the market situation of barley in China, it is no longer necessary to continue to impose anti-dumping duties and countervailing duties on the imported barley originating in Australia," the Chinese government said.

Australia said it would suspend a World Trade Organisation dispute against China in exchange for Beijing agreeing to review its tariffs.

The removal of the duties means that Australia will now discontinue the WTO legal proceedings.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was a "very positive decision".

"One in four Australian jobs is about trade," he told reporters on Friday.

"I have said very clearly on China, that we will co-operate where we can, we will disagree where we must, but we will engage in the national interest."

Three years ago, China imposed 80.5 per cent duties on Australian barley for the world's biggest beer market valued at about $916 million in 2018/19.

The Australian government will continue to pursue its wine dispute in the WTO, using the barley outcome as a template.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong, whose trip to China last year is believed to have been influential in the decision, said it was the right outcome for Australian producers and Chinese consumers.

"It affirms the approach, the calm and consistent approach, that the Albanese government has taken since we have come to office," she told reporters in Adelaide.

Trade Minister Don Farrell, who has been a key figure in the talks, said the outcome showed the importance of the WTO dispute mechanism in defending the interests of Australia's producers and farmers.

"It's another very positive step in the full resumption of normal trade between Australia and China," he said.

He said trade impediments had been reduced from $20 billion to $2 billion under the government.

Grain Producers Australia chair Barry Large said barley was an important rotation crop for Australian growers.

"Having another strong market and commercial option to sell our barley into will further support our sustainability and production programs," he said.

© AAP 2023