Firies save homes from large bushfires

LATEST:FIREFIGHTERS have brought a huge bushfire under control after residents had been advised to leave homes for their own safety.

At 5.34pm, the Department of Community and Safety advised the Watch and Act alert for Sunshine Acrews and Nikenbah near Hervey Bay had been cancelled.

There is no longer any threat to properties after the bushfire around Vanderwolf Road and Barrenjoey Road, Nikenbah and Pindari Crescent and Barrenjoey Road, Sunshine Acres was brought under control.

Authorities said fire crews will remain on scene to strengthen containment lines and will continue to patrol the blaze tomorrow.

Residents in the area are expected to be affected by a large smoke haze tonight, and are advised to close windows and doors and keep medication close by if suffering from a respiratory condition.

Motorists traveling in the area are advised to drive to conditions.

5.18PM: FIREFIGHTERS are still battling a blaze that has burned an area the size of almost 180 football fields near Hervey Bay.

The fire broke out at Nikenbah just before 3pm and was expected to affect parts of Sunshine Acres.

A Department of Community Safety spokeswoman said about 200ha of land had been burned and residents were urged to enact their bushfire plan.

Those who decide to stay and defend their property should take precautionary measures including:

• Put on protective clothing
• Drink lots of water
• Move car/s to a safe location
• Close windows and doors and shut blinds
• Bring pets inside and restrain them (leash, cage or secure room) and provide water
• Wet down fine fuels close to buildings
• Remove garden furniture, doormats and other items
• Seal all gaps under doors and screens
• Fill containers with water - eg bath, sinks, buckets and wheelie bins
• Have ladders ready for roof space access (inside) and against roof (outside)
• Have generator or petrol pump ready
• Check and patrol outside for embers and extinguish any spot fires and seek shelter as the fire front arrives.

Residents are advised to call Triple Zero (000) if their property comes under threat.

For regular updates, switch on your local radio station or visit the Rural Fire Service Queensland website at ruralfire.qld.gov.au or at fire.qld.gov.au.

EARLIER: A LARGE, fast moving bushfire is burning near Hervey Bay with residents advised to leave their homes for their own safety.

The Rural Fire Service has told residents near Old Rifle Range Rd at Nikenbah to enact their bushfire plan and to leave now if their plan is to do so or if they don't have a plan.

They have been told that leaving is the safest option.

A Department of Community safety warning said only people who had well prepared and defended homes should stay with fire fighters making no guarantees every home can be protected.

Currently, 15 fire crews are working to contain the blaze which is burning near Booral Road and Pindari Crescent at Sunshine Acres.

"Residents should not expect a firefighter at their door," the warning read.

They have warned that property may be consumed by the fire at Nickenbah with the chance power, water and mobile phone supply may be lost in the area over the coming hours while the fire rages.

The fire broke out about 2.45pm at Vanderwolf Rd at Nikenbah and is travelling quickly in a north west direction.

It is expected to effect the areas of Old Rifle Range Rd and Barrenjoey Rd at Nikenbah.

Fire fighters are having difficulty controlling the fire and are warning that spot fires may occur ahead of the fire front and embers are being thrown from the fire.

The Department of Community Safety is warning residents it will be very hot and windy as the fire approaches and it could make breathing, hearing and seeing difficult.

Police are asking motorists to stay away from Booral Road at Sunshine Acres due to the fire.

Motorists are also being urged to not travel to the area.

17.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK island swimmer going strong

AN endurance swimmer has made good progress through the night in her attempt to become the first person in nearly 30 years to swim solo, non-stop, around the Isle of Wight.

Anna Wardley is undertaking the challenge as part of her bid to complete circumnavigations of five islands.

The 37-year-old, from Gosport in Hampshire, set off yesterday at 10.31am from Ryde Sands and is expected to complete the 56.4-mile swim in about 30 hours.

Only three people have completed the feat, with the last successful attempt in 1984.

She has passed the famous Needles landmark and is making her way round to the east side of the island this morning.

Heather Ewing, spokeswoman for the challenge, said: "She's looking good this morning, although her arms are looking a bit tired and it has got to be hurting by now. That said, she's very cheerful and demanding a bacon sandwich if any are made for the support team."

Wardley said before setting off: "It's been nearly 30 years since this challenge was last successfully completed, so I'm under no illusions how tough it will be.

"There will be a time when I'll be swimming against the tide through the night, almost on the spot for hours. I'll also see the sun set and rise, and we'll be racing against the clock to reach critical points to beat the tide.

"However just knowing people are thinking of me and willing me on will definitely help when the going gets really tough, and it's a huge boost knowing that I'm raising money for such fantastic charities."

Wardley is attempting the swim under the rules of the British Long Distance Swimming Association wearing just a standard swimming costume, goggles and a swimming cap.

It is the culmination of her two-year Five Island Swim Challenge raising funds for the Samaritans, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and Sail Africa, with her target set at STG50,000 ($A85,470).

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK island swimmer going strong

A UK endurance swimmer has made good progress in her attempt to swim around the Isle of Wight. Source: AAP

AN endurance swimmer has made good progress through the night in her attempt to become the first person in nearly 30 years to swim solo, non-stop, around the Isle of Wight.

Anna Wardley is undertaking the challenge as part of her bid to complete circumnavigations of five islands.

The 37-year-old, from Gosport in Hampshire, set off yesterday at 10.31am from Ryde Sands and is expected to complete the 56.4-mile swim in about 30 hours.

Only three people have completed the feat, with the last successful attempt in 1984.

She has passed the famous Needles landmark and is making her way round to the east side of the island this morning.

Heather Ewing, spokeswoman for the challenge, said: "She's looking good this morning, although her arms are looking a bit tired and it has got to be hurting by now. That said, she's very cheerful and demanding a bacon sandwich if any are made for the support team."

Wardley said before setting off: "It's been nearly 30 years since this challenge was last successfully completed, so I'm under no illusions how tough it will be.

"There will be a time when I'll be swimming against the tide through the night, almost on the spot for hours. I'll also see the sun set and rise, and we'll be racing against the clock to reach critical points to beat the tide.

"However just knowing people are thinking of me and willing me on will definitely help when the going gets really tough, and it's a huge boost knowing that I'm raising money for such fantastic charities."

Wardley is attempting the swim under the rules of the British Long Distance Swimming Association wearing just a standard swimming costume, goggles and a swimming cap.

It is the culmination of her two-year Five Island Swim Challenge raising funds for the Samaritans, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and Sail Africa, with her target set at STG50,000 ($A85,470).

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pakistan releases senior Taliban figure

PAKISTAN has released its most senior Afghan Taliban detainee Abdul Ghani Baradar, a senior official told AFP, in a move welcomed by Kabul who hope it will encourage peace talks with the insurgents.

Baradar, a one-time military chief often described as the militants' former second-in-command, was the most high-profile detained Taliban commander in Pakistan.

"Yes Baradar has been released," Omar Hamid, a spokesman for Pakistan's interior ministry told AFP, without elaborating on the circumstances of the release.

Afghanistan's High Peace Council (HPC) welcomed the release and thanked Pakistan's government.

"We welcome his release. And we thank the government of Pakistan that showed goodwill and answered positively to the request of Afghanistan government," Mohammad Esmail Qasimyar, senior member of HPC, told AFP.

"Baradar is someone who has always been eager to join peace negotiations, and we hope he joins peace talks soon. We are optimistic about it, he is still an influential figure, and the Taliban still respect him," Qasimyar said.

Pakistan's foreign ministry on Friday said that Baradar's release would facilitate Afghanistan's reconciliation process with the Taliban as a NATO combat mission there winds down.

However, the Taliban's spokesman in Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid said they could not yet confirm the move.

"We only heard through the media that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be released. We have not received any official confirmation about his release," Mujahid told AFP in Kabul.

The Afghan government has long demanded that Islamabad free Baradar, whose arrest in January 2010 saw Pakistan accused of sabotaging initiatives to bring peace in war-torn Afghanistan.

He was arrested in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, reportedly in a secret raid by CIA and Pakistani agents, in an operation that was described as a huge blow to the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan until a US-led invasion in 2001.

At the time of his detention, Baradar was reported to have been the Taliban's second-in-command, the right-hand man of the supreme commander Mullah Omar.

He was the most senior member of the Taliban held after US-led troops invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, bringing down the Islamist regime.

His release brings to 34 the number of Taliban detainees that Pakistan has freed since last year, in what Afghan officials hope will encourage peace talks with Taliban insurgents.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai had asked Pakistan to help open direct dialogue between his government and the Taliban, who consider Karzai an "American puppet" and have refused to hold discussions with his government.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man arrested over boy's 'pogo stick' death

A MAN has been charged with 25 counts of child abuse in relation to the pogo-stick death of seven-year-old boy in Sydney's south.

The 29-year-old was arrested by homicide squad detectives on Friday at 5pm (AEST), police said, following the boy's death at a house in Oatley in May.

Emergency services were called to the home on May 21 around 6.30am after receiving reports the boy had injured himself.

When they arrived, they found the dead boy with head injuries.

Members of his family told police he had fallen off a pogo stick and hit his head a day earlier.

The charges against the 29-year-old include child neglect and the production of child abuse material.

It's alleged the man repeatedly abused the boy in early 2013 and incited others to assault him, and withheld food and water.

Police will also allege the man produced a video containing child abuse material.

No charges have been laid over the boy's death.

The family is reportedly known to the NSW Department of Family and Community Services.

The man has been refused bail and will appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday (September 21).

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Body of US pilot found in Chinese lake

DIVERS have found the body of a US stunt pilot whose plane crashed into a lake in northeast China while attempting a tricky manoeuvre in the rain, the head of the team searching for him says.

David Riggs, whose US pilot's licence had been suspended, had been missing since Tuesday's accident outside the city of Shenyang in which his young female Chinese translator died. Riggs was in China to take part in an air show and was apparently rehearsing one of his tricks when the accident occurred.

Zhang Fang said Riggs' body was found during a search of the bottom of Lake Caihu by divers from the Dalian branch of the Beihai Rescue Bureau.

"It's likely he was killed on impact, but we don't know for sure yet," Fang said by telephone from the accident scene on Friday.

Riggs' high-performance single-engine Lancair 320 plane broke into pieces after hitting the lake and some parts had been recovered, including one of its two seats. The cause of the accident remains under investigation. The plane was not equipped with a "black box" recorder because of its small size.

Zhang said Riggs crashed while attempting a stunt in which the wheels of his plane were to drag along the lake surface at high speed. He had just taken off in a light rain, but there was no indication he had violated any flying regulations, Zhang said. Other reports said Chinese officials had urged Riggs not to take off, but Zhang said he had no information about that.

Riggs was a well-known Hollywood stunt pilot, and the centre of considerable controversy over a string of legal problems and penchant for self-promotion.

Riggs' website touts his credentials as a holder of several aviation speed world records, but doesn't mention the fact his US pilot's licence had been suspended twice.

The first time was after buzzing the famed Santa Monica pier in Los Angeles in his Vodochody L-39 Albatros jet trainer. Riggs was sentenced to 60 days of community service and 60 days in jail for reckless flying.

He lost his licence again in November for selling rides in his plane without permission. The prosecution came after a plane piloted by a business partner crashed, killing both people on board.

Riggs had a stack of other legal problems, including convictions for bank, wire and passport fraud. He aroused such contempt among some pilots that a website - aviationcriminal.com - was devoted to chronicling his misdoings.

His website describes him as CEO of California-based Mach One Aviation, Inc and as a "Hollywood stunt pilot, movie producer and world aviation speed record holder". It said his aerial performances had featured in movies and television shows including Iron Man, Jarhead, and the James Bond film Casino Royale.

Despite his licence suspension, he was hired by the organisers of the AOPA-China Fly-In 2013 air show as one of its star attractions.

China's official Xinhua News Agency said other US flyers scheduled to take part in Friday's opening ceremony had pulled out of the show. Pilots and aircraft from Sweden, France and Lithuania were due to take part in the show.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Howes would be good senator: Shorten

Labor's Bill Shorten says AWU boss Paul Howes (L) could make a very good contribution to parliament. Source: AAP

PAUL Howes may have disqualified himself from any NSW Senate race before the starter's pistol fired, but Labor leadership hopeful Bill Shorten says the union boss would have been an asset to parliament.

There is much speculation former foreign minister Bob Carr will step down from the Senate, creating a vacancy in NSW.

Mr Howes, the Australian Workers Union national secretary, was being talked up as a candidate to fill that seat.

But he said on Thursday he wouldn't stand because he didn't want to divide the Labor party.

Mr Shorten, Mr Howes' immediate predecessor in the AWU job, pointed out that Senator Carr hadn't yet confirmed he was leaving parliament.

But he said Mr Howes and the AWU did good work.

"I think Paul is a very good union leader and if he chose to come into parliament he'd make a very good contribution," he told Sky News on Friday.

"What he's done is demonstrated that he's interested in the interests of the many, not just the few.

"He's put the interests of the party ahead of perhaps his own particular interests at the moment."

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bodies of drowned devotees found in India

RESCUERS say they have found 17 bodies of Hindu devotees who were swept away in the Yamuna River during a religious festival in the Indian capital.

Fire official SL Sharma says the devotees drowned during a ceremony immersing clay statues of the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesha into the river at the end of a 10-day festival.

Sharma says the bodies were recovered on Thursday, a day after thousands of devotees thronged the river banks celebrating the birth of Ganesha, who is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.

Millions of Hindus install Ganesha statues in colourfully decorated homes and specially erected temporary structures across India and worship them before immersing them in lakes, rivers and the sea.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abbott gets to work on stopping the boats

Tony Abbott has defended his plan to turn back asylum seeker boats, amid criticism from Indonesia. Source: AAP

THE Abbott government insists it will honour its election promise to stop asylum seekers arriving by boat despite Indonesian opposition to its controversial plan to turn back vessels.

Mr Abbott says the coalition "absolutely, totally" respects Indonesia's sovereignty despite comments by Indonesian MP Tantowi Yahya that the turn-back policy is "offensive", "illegal" and could jeopardise good relations between the countries.

"I have no argument with anyone in the Indonesian establishment or parliament," Mr Abbott said in Sydney on Thursday.

"My argument is with people smugglers and my point to the people smugglers is 'the game is up'."

Mr Abbott said he is confident his coalition government will be able to work effectively with Indonesia, as former coalition governments had done.

Not everyone in Indonesia feels the same.

"The policy which is going to be implemented by Mr Abbott clearly ... annoys our sovereignty as independent country," Mr Yahya told ABC television.

And Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said last week that Jakarta was opposed to Mr Abbott's plan to turn boats around - as well as his proposal to buy Indonesian fishing boats to stop them falling into the hands of people smugglers.

Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite says Mr Yahya's comments accurately reflect the Indonesian government's position on Mr Abbott's policy.

"This is quickly turning into a diplomatic disaster for the new government," Mr Thislethwaite said.

But Australian National University foreign policy specialist Andrew Carr says the Indonesian MP's remarks may really be aimed at a domestic audience.

"This is an issue that does have some resonance with the Indonesian population," Dr Carr told AAP.

"Traditionally, that has not been as much a factor in (Australia's) international relations with Indonesia and I don't think it will be a major factor here."

Mr Abbott will use his first international trip as prime minister to visit Jakarta to hold bilateral talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on September 30. Trade and people smuggling are expected to be at the top of the agenda.

Mr Abbott repeatedly said during the recent federal election campaign he wanted his first international visit as prime minister to be to Indonesia and that his government would be focused on Asia.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief of Army Angus Campbell was formally tasked on Thursday with leading operations against asylum-seeker boats under Mr Abbott's Operation Sovereign Borders policy.

The former SAS commander will report directly to immigration minister Scott Morrison and coordinate the 16 departments and agencies that deal with refugee boats.

Mr Morrison met with Lieutenant General Campbell shortly after his appointment.

"The Australian people want that stopped and they have tasked this government to get that job done," Mr Morrison said in Canberra.

"We won't let them down."

Lieutenant General Campbell replied: "There's some work to do."

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Large fire engulfs Vic factory

FIRE crews are battling a large blaze at a Melbourne carpet factory that is sending thick, black smoke into the air.

About 30 CFA and MFB crews are fighting the fire, in Dandenong South.

The factory is fully engulfed in fire, a CFA spokeswoman said.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

WA govt lashed for credit rating downgrade

THE West Australian opposition is accusing Premier Colin Barnett of reneging on a pre-election promise to not privatise a power utility.

It's also calling for the sacking of Treasurer Troy Buswell.

In the wake of WA losing its AAA credit rating with Standard & Poor's, WA Labor leader Mark McGowan on Thursday called Mr Buswell a "clown" and a "joker" who should be made to pay a price for trashing the state's finances.

Mr McGowan also accused the premier of going back on a February 21 pledge not to privatise Western Power, given Mr Buswell told Fairfax Radio on Thursday that power, port and water utilities were potentially on the block as the Liberal-led government sought to reduce debt.

Mr Barnett said he was only responding to a specific question at a media conference about privatising Western Power, and maintained it would not be sold.

"There will be extensive asset sales, not only because of the downgrade by Standard & Poor's but at this stage we're spending $7-8 billion a year on assets and projects and the like," Mr Barnett told parliament.

"And as we continues as a state to accumulate more and more, there's nothing particularly wrong with disposing some of the established and income-earning assets."

Mr Barnett said Australian superannuation funds would buy the assets and he didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

"The state has billions of dollars worth of assets. It's continually buying and selling assets.

"Is that privatisation? I don't know - you can choose your definition."

When Mr McGowan called it a fire sale, asking if the government would be in a weak negotiating position, Mr Barnett shot back: "It could be weaker - you could be in charge of negotiations".

Mr Buswell said ports would not be sold "in totality".

"But there are plenty of assets that sit within WA ports that we could look to sell."

He said asset sales would only solve part of the problem - namely too much spending and not enough income.

Mr Buswell said the key was major reform of the public sector, but acknowledged job culls would be met with fierce resistance exemplified by Thursday's teacher rallies.

"If the public response to what I think is some minor changes to the education system is anything to go by, we're going to have a heck of a time getting those public sector reforms through but they're critically important."

Talkback callers lashed the treasurer for saying on Wednesday the downgrade was a wake up call for the public and its expectations of government.

"Mr Buswell has got a nerve," one said.

The caller said it wasn't the public who wasted money on the botched Muja power station refurbishment, or gave hefty pay rises to government media advisers and the Water Corporation chief.

Another caller described Mr Barnett as "stark raving mad" for pushing unaffordable major infrastructure projects.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fmr Qld race boss worked for gambling firm

BOB Bentley doesn't think holding senior positions at Queensland Racing and a betting firm at the same time ever led to a conflict of interest.

Mr Bentley was the first witness called before the Queensland Racing Commission of Inquiry into horse, greyhound and harness racing industries under the former Labor government.

He was grilled on Thursday about his time as chairman of the racing body between 2002 and 2012, specifically because he was a Tatts Group director at the same time.

Counsel assisting James Bell QC said that, under a deal, Tatts paid to use Queensland Racing information for it's betting businesses until 2008.

Tatts then began to withhold fees which eventually amounted to $91 million.

Tatts' actions were raised with Queensland Racing chairman Mr Bentley, who sought advice on whether they were allowed.

He asked a Tatts director whether the firm's actions were legal and the director told Mr Bentley they were under the deal.

"I see nothing wrong with that," Mr Bentley told the inquiry.

"Where else was I going to ask."

Mr Bell responded: "You could ask a lawyer, who's representing the company (Queensland Racing) you're the chairman of."

Mr Bell also tabled a deed the former chairman had signed in 2011, which gave four Queensland Racing board members a substantial raise in entitlements, including waiving the notice period for their resignations.

All four received substantial payouts upon quitting the board days after the Liberal National Party came to power in 2012.

The deed gave Mr Bentley legal indemnity and stipulated that Queensland Racing would pay his legal fees.

Mr Bell questioned whether he had done that because he knew he'd gone too far with the board entitlements.

"We suspected that if ... the government had changed (after the election) then this very thing (an inquiry) may very well happen," Mr Bentley said.

"Our detractors (political opponents) are very skilled at this sort of thing."

At one point Mr Bentley explained how he'd sought legal advice to end speculation about a conflict of interest arising from him holding senior positions at Queensland Racing and Tatts simultaneously.

"I asked, 'let's put this issue to bed, let's get proper advice and do it'," Mr Bentley said.

Mr Bell replied: "Did that get it put it to bed?".

"Nothing in racing ever gets put to bed if someone's got a problem," Mr Bentley replied.

The inquiry is set to continue on Friday.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Barnett bites back at striking teachers

TEACHERS in Western Australia have been accused by Premier Colin Barnett of disrupting hundreds of thousands of children and families with "a strike for the sake of having a strike".

In an unprecedented alliance, three unions have called on 10,000 angry teachers, education assistants, library staff, lab technicians, cleaners and gardeners to attend a two-hour stop work meeting on Thursday.

They are protesting the loss of 500 education jobs, a freeze on teacher numbers and reduced funding for special programs to improve literacy, numeracy, attendance and behaviour.

But in a combative retort, Mr Barnett said the strike was unnecessary and unjustified.

"This is a strike for the sake of having a strike - what are they striking over? They are the best-paid teachers in Australia," Mr Barnett told parliament.

"It will cause distress to parents, and so many parents will be angry on Thursday if they go on strike. They will be fearful for the care of their children, that is the reality."

The State School Teachers Union, United Voice and the Community and Public Sector Union have directed members to attend stop-work meetings at Gloucester Park and in country areas.

Anger has been rising since the post-budget revelation that as many as 500 education assistants and support staff will lose their jobs as a result of a funding reallocation for WA schools.

The state government insists the cuts are not happening, pointing to a $300 million increase in funding for education this year, saying the budget is higher now than before the Liberals came into power.

Sharyn O'Neill, director general of WA's Department of Education, said it was not yet clear how many schools may shut on Thursday, but she was anticipating it would be only a handful.

"It is too early to speculate on the numbers of staff involved. It is possible that I may have to endorse the closure of some schools if they cannot provide adequate supervision for students," Ms O'Neill said.

State School Teachers' Union president Anne Gisborne said she wanted the premier to acknowledge the issues his reform would present to hundreds of schools.

"We have got a belligerent premier and a belligerent minister who are holding the line that there will be no cuts and everything will be hunky dory," Ms Gisborne said.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abuse inquiry hears of Scouts NSW failings

SENIORS members of Scouts NSW knew a disgraced scouts leader was working with children, but they failed to alert authorities, urging him to resign from the organisation quietly.

A series of failings by the scouts movement, and police, emerged during the second day of the royal commission into child sex abuse in Sydney on Tuesday, which is investigating the actions taken by various organisations over convicted pedophile Steven 'Skip' Larkins.

Larkins was last year jailed for the aggravated indecent assault of two boys, as well as child pornography possession and forging documents.

But from the 1990s, rumours were circulating in the Hunter region about his inappropriate behaviour, including that he had cavorted with children in the showers and made a scout lay on his chest while he and the boy were alone in a tent.

In 1997, after complaints were made about Larkins giving kids lollies at a swimming pool, he was removed from having face-to-face contact with children, former regional commissioner of the Hunter Scouts, Allan Currie, told the inquiry on Tuesday.

"This type of publicity, as you would realise, is something that we in Scouts Australia can well do without," Mr Currie said in a letter to Larkins, which prompted counsel assisting the commission, Gail Furness SC, to query if Mr Currie was more concerned about the scouts' reputation.

"Probably," Mr Currie replied, before adding he was new to the job and had no training in such matters.

In 1997, a boy known only as AC, came forward to police with allegations he had been sexually abused by Larkins.

But the inquiry heard the police investigation took more than a year, before the boy's mother was wrongly informed the DPP was not prepared to proceed with the case.

By the time that issue was rectified, the victim had decided he no longer wanted to proceed.

The police officer in charge of the investigation, Sergeant Nigel Turney, conceded the delay was not acceptable and he should have informed the scouting organisation of the allegations in writing.

But he said the allegation was "at the lower end" of that type of offence.

"Yes, it involved a child, but you'd also have to look at the seriousness of the allegations," he said.

In 2000, a former scout known as AA told a scout leader that Larkins had indecently assaulted him.

Larkins was then suspended from the movement.

That same year, Larkins gained employment with the Hunter Aboriginal Children Services (HACS), of which he went on to become general manager.

Peter Olah, then chief executive of Scouts Australia NSW, said he informed police and community services about the abuse allegations but didn't hear back.

It was another three years before Larkins was persuaded to resign from the Scouts.

Mr Currie told the inquiry he knew Larkins was working in the "youth area".

"(It was) suggested that he could resign but if he wanted to appeal he could, but if anything came out that was defamatory to him it could cause some jeopardy to his employment," Mr Currie said.

Larkins resigned shortly afterwards.

Mr Olah said he was also aware Larkins was working for HACS, but said he could not remember if he alerted DOCs or police.

"I think I had taken reasonable steps to see Mr Larkins brought to justice and to protect those who were exposed to him," he said.

But when asked if he felt the scout movement had failed elsewhere, Mr Olah replied, "In terms of children being hurt? Absolutely."

The hearing continues.

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Appeal court sides with Alcoa over Apache

ALUMINIUM giant Alcoa has had a win in its bid to recoup more than $100 million from gas producer Apache over the massive explosion at the Varanus Island plant in 2008.

The disaster slashed the state's domestic gas supplies by about a third and dented its economy to the tune of an estimated $3 billion.

And an official report into the explosion said a 30cm pipeline, maintained by Apache, ruptured and exploded at the shoreline because of corrosion, a risk that was "not only foreseeable but to some extent foreseen" by the company.

Alcoa, a major user of natural gas from the plant at its three WA alumina refineries, claims the disaster forced it to spend $138 million more than it would have under a sales agreement with Apache on acquiring gas and diesel from elsewhere.

Alcoa commenced proceedings to sue Apache in March 2011, claiming it suffered substantial economic loss.

It claims Apache Energy - the Australian arm of US parent company Apache Corporation - breached its duty of care to ensure the pipeline was well maintained and made a separate claim of negligence against subsidiary Apache Northwest, which is responsible for operating the facility.

On Tuesday, WA's Court of Appeal denied Apache leave to appeal Alcoa's claims.

Apache, which included a force majeure clause in its gas supply contract, claimed it was not liable because Alcoa was aware of the risk of a supply interruption and had no difficulty in obtaining alternative supplies.

The appeal panel, led by Justice Michael Buss, sided with Alcoa.

"Alcoa's pleading of the alleged duty of care is adequate in that it pleads ... that the total cessation of the supply of gas ... was likely to lead to Alcoa suffering substantial economic loss and damage," the summary judgement reads.

Alcoa's claim against Apache is likely to continue.

But Apache said it would consider whether to seek special leave to appeal to the High Court of Australia "in order to clarify this critical branch of the law".

"At issue is whether Alcoa is permitted to recover tort damages in addition to the contractual liquidated damages for which it contracted," Apache Northwest said.

"Alcoa is a large global company that was able to protect itself from gas supply disruption and did protect itself through contract liquidated damages, insurance, and other deliberate business strategies."

Alcoa declined to comment.

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US naval base shooting leaves 13 dead

A former US naval reservist opened fire at a Washington base, killing 12 before losing his own life. Source: AAP

A FORMER US naval reservist killed 12 people in a shooting rampage at a military base in the heart of Washington before himself being killed in a shootout with police.

Police identified the alleged gunman as Aaron Alexis of Fort Worth, Texas, who served in the navy from 2007 to 2011 before becoming a defence subcontractor for computer giant Hewlett-Packard.

US authorities probing the shooting spree at Washington's Navy Yard, which local news outlets early on Tuesday reported also injured 14, said the gunman appeared to have acted alone.

"We do now feel comfortable that we have the single and sole person responsible for the loss of life inside of the base today," police chief Cathy Lanier said late on Monday.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) appealed to the public for information on the 34-year-old, whose military service was marked by disciplinary problems and who reportedly had once been arrested but not charged in Texas for shooting a bullet through his apartment ceiling.

"No piece of information is too small. We are looking to learn everything we can about his recent movements, his contacts and his associates," said Valerie Parlave, assistant director of the FBI's Washington field office.

The FBI released a photo of Alexis, who held the rank of an Aviation Electrician's Mate 3rd Class and had served full-time in a logistics support squadron in Fort Worth, according to the navy.

The shooting left Washington on edge and there was a security scare hours later at the White House when a man who apparently threw firecrackers over a fence at the US president's residence was swiftly arrested.

Even hours after the shooting, Alexis's motivation for opening fire, reportedly with an AR-15 assault rifle, was unclear. His four-year stint in the navy was troubled, officers said.

"There is definitely a pattern of misconduct during his service," a US military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

Friends in Texas told US media that Alexis had an interest in Buddhism and was conversant in the Thai language and had thought about moving to Asia.

Most recently, Alexis was employed as an IT subcontractor for a company called "The Experts", which was working on a Hewlett-Packard contract to upgrade equipment for an intranet network used by the US Marine Corps and navy, HP said in a statement.

The suspect's work as a naval contractor suggested he may have had a pass that could gain him entry to the Naval Sea Systems Command, which oversees ship-building programs carried out by defence firms.

It was unclear if the military or HP had been aware of Alexis' brushes with the law, including reportedly two shooting incidents, before he was hired for the IT job.

The shooting sparked a massive show of force as police and federal agents descended on the Navy Yard, which is located on the Anacostia River, less than three kilometres from the Capitol.

President Barack Obama ordered that flags be flown at half mast in the US capital until Friday as a mark of respect for the dead.

Obama called the shooting a "cowardly act" and said that America was confronting "yet another mass shooting", saying troops in the military should not have to face danger at home.

Earlier media reports said the shooter had allegedly barricaded himself in a room in a headquarters building.

After the first reports of shots came at 8.20am (2320 AEST) on Monday in the headquarters building of the Naval Sea Systems Command, police arrived within three minutes and exchanged fire in "multiple engagements" with the suspect, Lanier said.

A Washington police officer was among those injured. Hospital officials said he suffered serious wounds to his legs but was expected to survive.

One employee at the Navy Yard, Patricia Ward, said she had just paid for her breakfast at a cafeteria when shots rang out.

"I was waiting for my friend to pay when we heard the gun shot. It was three gun shots straight in a row, 'pow-pow-pow'," she told reporters.

"Three seconds later it was 'pow-pow-pow'. So it was like a total of seven gun shots. And we just started running."

As helicopters swarmed overhead, police earlier blocked off intersections around the Navy Yard and patrol boats moved in near the site along the river banks.

Flights out of the nearby Reagan National Airport were briefly delayed and several schools were on lockdown until anxious parents came to pick up their children in the afternoon.

The US Senate adjourned for the day as a precaution, and Washington's baseball team, the Nationals, whose stadium is adjacent to the Navy Yard, called off its Monday evening game.

US Capitol police said in a statement late on Monday that congressional activities would resume as normal on Tuesday.

About 3000 people work at the naval facility, which dates back to the early 1800s and includes a naval history museum. The complex also has a residence for the four-star chief of the US Navy, Admiral Jonathan Greenert.

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