Prime Minister Tony Abbott has arrived back in Canberra from his oversea trip as the Senate prepares to debate the government's controversial deficit levy. The two percent tax on incomes of 180,000 dollars or more is expected to pass parliament later in the week. But the fates of other unpopular measures such as the petrol tax and changes to family payments remain unclear.

 

An investigation is trying to determine the cause of a gas explosion in Victoria's north that's left one man dead and another critically injured. The men were working in the cellar of a hotel at Rochester yesterday afternoon when the blast took place.

 

Police are investigating the death of a man whose body has been found in bush land at Jebory Mountain south of Sydney. The body of the man in his 40s was found near the top of the lookout. Police are treating the death as suspicious and they've set up a crime scene there.

 

And an annual survey by Melbourne University has found the gender roles are persisting in Australian households. The university has interviewed thousands of Australians each year since 2001. The national survey has found women still do 15 hours more housework than manage week and 12 hours more of the child rearing.