Wild Vic winds cause damage, injuries

Wild winds have caused havoc across Victoria due to a cold front and an intense low pressure system. Source: AAP

A VIOLENT winter storm has blasted Victoria, leaving several people injured, trees toppled on cars, buildings damaged, snow in alpine regions and more than 80,000 homes without power across the state.

THE State Emergency Service (SES) received more than 2500 calls on Tuesday as a strong cold front and an intense low pressure system combined to give Victoria an icy return to winter.

Up to one metre of snow is expected at some of the state's ski resorts by Wednesday as wind and rain persist overnight.Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Kevin Parkyn said such an intense weather system, affecting the whole state, hits Victoria only once every few years."Victoria's mild start to winter certainly came to an abrupt halt today as a winter with a bomb brought wild winds, rain, hail and even snow across the alpine peaks," he said.Peak gusts included 128km/h at Cape Otway, 122km/h at South Channel Beacon and 113km/h at Fawkner Beacon in Port Phillip Bay, 102km/h at Essendon Airport and 104km/h at Melbourne Airport.During the wild weather a woman was injured after a brick wall collapsed in Yarraville and several drivers were also injured by trees falling onto their cars.A woman was showered with glass when a tree fell on to her car in Werribee and a driver in Clunes was injured when a tree fell on the road.In the city a woman was lucky to escape serious injury when she was struck by roof sheeting.SES chief officer (operations) Trevor White said most calls for help came from southern Victoria including 1600 in metropolitan Melbourne. Around 700 calls across the state were for building damage, with most others for fallen trees.He expected a surge in calls on Tuesday evening as people returned home to survey any damage.Flying debris caused problems throughout the day with unsecured trampolines and garden furniture becoming dangerous missiles in the wind.The west coast, including Warrnambool, was hard hit earlier in the day, with about 30 properties along the Merri River suffering minor flooding. Most damage was confined to outbuildings.It also forced parents to collect their children from a Warrnambool kindergarten.The Yarra River burst its banks at Southbank and other coastal flooding was recorded at Elwood and Frankston.Mr White said winds cut power to more than 80,000 customers at the height of the storm.The hardest-hit areas included Bacchus Marsh, Werribee, Point Cook, Bendigo, Bundoora, Watsonia North, Monbulk, Hawthorn and the Mornington Peninsula.A spokesman for Powercor said crews are working to restore all services.Roads across the state were cut by fallen trees and flash flooding.Speed limits were reduced to from 80 to 40km/h on the 53-metre West Gate Bridge at the height of the storm.Mr Parkyn said Victoria had not seen the last of the wild weather."We're in for a windy week, so it's not over yet, although we have seen the most intense winds for the week," he said.

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Tas subsidies questioned by commission

CANBERRA should keep closer tabs on the cost of taking passenger cars on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry, an inquiry has found.

A PRODUCTIVITY Commission report released on Tuesday made a raft of recommendations that would bring changes to federal subsidy schemes aimed at assisting freight and vehicle movements in and out of the island state.

The Bass Strait ferry should be the focus of joint state and federal government discussions ensuring greater transparency around operator TT-Line's pricing, the report reads.It also recommended investigating whether a subsidy offered by the Bass Strait Passenger Vehicle Equalisation Scheme is reaching its intended recipients.Despite the commission's questions, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has committed to retain the scheme.It is one of a range of Tasmanian shipping subsidy programs which have already received $2 billion in federal funding, with the same amount due to be spent over the coming 15 years.But the Productivity Commission has found some of the schemes are not the best means of supporting the state's economic development.As subsidies they have unintended consequences, including perversely increasing the costs of goods for Tasmanians, the commission reported.A small number of companies - largely in the manufacturing sector - are taking advantage of the majority of subsidy payments.It instead suggests the adoption of a volume-based, flat rate subsidy for freight.The main commodities leaving Tasmania and eligible for the subsidy have been frozen and fresh vegetables, newsprint, wood products and beer.Incoming freight has predominantly been beer bottles and cans, wheat and animal feed.Regional Development Minister Warren Truss welcomed the report which also makes reform recommendations to maritime regulation."Keeping prices more affordable for shippers and passengers ... will help put Tasmania on a more level playing field compared with mainland operators," Mr Truss said.

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GG punts on bush footy to boost work

Peter Cosgrove eager to get indigenous footballers to northern Australia to inspire Aboriginal boys. Source: AAP

THE Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove is eager to bring indigenous football stars to northern Australia to inspire local Aboriginal boys.

HE believes it's up to communities to ask for help to improve the future job prospects of young men in regional and remote areas.

Sir Peter recently became patron of the Clontarf Foundation, a group which uses football and other sports to boost participation and learning outcomes at more than 50 academies in Western Australia, Victoria, NSW and the Northern Territory.No one pretends it's easy to set teenage Aboriginal boys on a path to meaningful employment.But Sir Peter, who has been Australia's representative of the Queen for almost three months, has put indigenous issues high on his agenda.He wants to "shine a light" on improving education and providing role models through Clontarf."I've just been blown away," Sir Peter told reporters after an Australian rules football training session at Kununurra high school in the Kimberley region of Western Australia on Tuesday."Youngsters love interaction with sport. It's one of the motivating principles of their lives to be able to emulate their sporting heroes and dream."He said Clontarf encouraged young people to do this in a school environment.While he's busy heavily promoting the foundation which focuses on 10- to 17-year-old boys, he says it would make no sense to impose an extra program on schools which did not ask for it."It's best for people to want to have it," he said.The former commander of the Australian Defence Force completed a five-day tour of the Northern Territory and north Western Australia on Tuesday.After football training he and his wife Lady (Lynne) Cosgrove tucked into a cooked breakfast and chatted with students.Sir Peter is believed to be looking at bringing an AFL star such as Sydney champion Adam Goodes to Kununurra and potentially other Clontarf academies over the next few years.However, he was coy about how much progress he had made recruiting AFL stars."It's an aspiration," he said."I might think that's a good idea but I've got a way to go."Kununurra local and former Hawthorn player Carl Peterson participated in the Clontarf program, and is now one of the young male role models for the town which has a 50 per cent indigenous population.The Clontarf program was developed in WA and has been in place in Kununurra for the past eight years with 100 boys involved.Students are encouraged to play football for an hour twice a week before school, followed by a hearty breakfast.Advocates say the desire to play football with friends has lowered truancy rates and helped students to focus on school work.Director of the east Kimberley Clontarf academy Andrew McDonagh said both teachers and parents had reported improvements in attendance rates and more teenagers had finished year 12.

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Senator breaks into song during farewell

LEAVING parliament may be a blessing in disguise for Labor Senator Ursula Stephens, who looks prepped to shine on another stage - in showbiz.

THE Irish-born Australian stopped short of doing a jig during her valedictory speech in the Senate on Tuesday, instead providing the house with a shaky duck analogy, a famous Australian poem and a wee Irish melody.

After tipping her glass to the Irish ambassador, Senator Stephens burst into song to bid farewell to her colleagues."For all the comrades e'er I had, they would wish me one more day to stay," she reverberated clearly across the chamber.A little less clear was the duck analogy which the senator used to back into her message about caring for the 51 million people displaced around the world.The story goes: Canberra traffic was banked up on Senator Stephens' way to work recently because a duck had been injured and another duck had stayed by its side."And I thought to myself, yes, even a duck looks after its mate," she said.That was followed by the senator reciting Dame Mary Gilmore's Nationality poem which famously declares "this loaf is my son's bread"."We must find a way to feed our own son and also look after our fellow human beings in need."Leader of the opposition in the senate, Penny Wong, congratulated Senator Stephens on her 12-year term and said ending in song was a nice touch.

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Political blame game over childcare costs

Childcare costs have rocketed 150 per cent in the past decade, a report shows. Source: AAP

WORKING mothers are losing 60 cents of each dollar they earn to rising childcare costs but Australia's politicians haven't found a way to ease the situation for now.

INSTEAD they're blaming each other for the worsening crisis in childcare affordability.

Childcare costs have skyrocketed 150 per cent in the past decade, with only electricity and tobacco prices rising at a faster rate, a new report claims.Parents returning to full-time work after having a child can now expect to lose up to 60 per cent of their gross income to childcare fees, loss of benefits and higher income tax rates.Mums from low income families who return to full-time work may take home as little as $4.55 an hour, the research from financial services firm AMP and the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling found.Assistant education minister Sussan Ley regularly meets women juggling childcare with returning to work."There is crisis and struggle and desperation when you talk to mums who just don't know what to do with the work-family balance," she told reporters in Melbourne."It's not fair for families to have to live within a system that is as unsustainable as the one that Labor has left us with."The Productivity Commission is due to deliver its initial report on childcare to the government next month and the final version in October.Ms Ley expects the government will have some solutions for parents in early 2015.But the opposition says the government can do one thing to help right now: abandon plans to freeze childcare payments."They cannot justify standing up and attacking low and middle income families time and time again and this report shows that Australia can't afford it," opposition childcare spokeswoman Kate Ellis said.Labor was worried many women wouldn't return to the workforce after having children because of the difficulty of finding and paying for childcare.The AMP-NATSEM report said 630,000 Australian families pay for "long day" childcare, which can cost up to $170 a day per child.The national average childcare fee has risen 150 per cent since 2004. Childcare generally costs more in cities compared to regional areas and more in wealthier suburbs than less affluent areas.Fees have risen faster than petrol, education and healthcare costs.While the number of children in childcare has risen steadily over the past decade, about 60 per cent of children from working families are still cared for by grandparents, relatives or friends.

17.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Newman says ALP wrong on TAFE fee rises

QUEENSLAND'S premier has accused the opposition of playing Nostradamus over TAFE fee increases.

LITERACY and numeracy fees for disability pensioners have risen from $140 to $800 while tuition fees for a diploma in marketing have increased from $2400 to $6000, Labor says.

It predicts that fees will go up even more as previously subsidised courses incur full fees and a new Queensland Training Assets Management Authority makes TAFE campuses pay full commercial rent.But the Liberal National government insists there is no link between course costs and infrastructure arrangements.Premier Campbell Newman said hefty TAFE fee increases would be unlikely when asked about Labor's predictions."It's interesting to see they're playing Nostradamus," he told reporters on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday."I don't believe that's the case."TAFE is being re-focused so it meets the needs of employers so we create jobs."Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said the government had a secret agenda, after Labor uncovered leaked TAFE documents which say "costs could increase again for the start" of the first semester in 2015.They are answers to student questions and comments such as, "Are costs likely to increase next year?" and "I feel ripped off"."We've now heard of secret plans where TAFE fees are going to be skyrocketing in this state," Ms Palaszczuk told reporters.Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek insists fees aren't actually rising, with a spokeswoman explaining in a background statement to AAP that subsidies were being reduced to some courses that didn't align with skills shortage areas.

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Qld premier coy on chief justice pick

QUEENSLAND'S premier has held his first media conference in five days, but was coy when questioned about his government's controversial selection of Tim Carmody as the state's new chief justice.

SINCE Campbell Newman last stood before reporters, Judge Carmody's controversial addition to the Supreme Court has been approved by the state's governor.

Judge Carmody's meteoric rise has divided the judiciary, with critics arguing he's too inexperienced and too close to the government.But Mr Newman has declined to offer any new comment on the appointment of Judge Carmody, even though Court of Appeal justice John Muir has joined senior legal figures in slamming the appointment process."Go back to what I've said when I announced it about a week and a half ago," Mr Newman told reporters on the Sunshine Coast."You've got my comments."Late last week, Governor Penelope Wensley issued writs for the July 19 Stafford by-election, where the ruling Liberal National Party is considered the underdog despite its seven per cent margin.Asked why the media wasn't invited to that event, Mr Newman pointed to his June 5 speech to parliament."The announcement was made in parliament, look at the record," Mr Newman said, adding media weren't usually invited for by-election declarations."I've held many press conferences since I made the announcement in parliament."Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk accused the premier of hiding from voters during the past week, with Mr Newman's last media conference on Tuesday in Mount Isa."The premier has been in hiding now for over a week, afraid to front the music, afraid to talk to people in this state," she told reporters in Brisbane.The premier was on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday holding a community cabinet in Maroochydore, which is also in Clive Palmer's federal seat of Fairfax.A cabinet meeting is being held in the same beachside suburb on Monday.It would come three days after Mr Palmer lodged a defamation writ against Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney in the Supreme Court, after he alleged on the ABC that the mining tycoon had sought special favours for his Waratah Coal interests in the Galilee Basin in 2012.Mr Palmer is also suing Mr Newman for defamation after the premier claimed that he tried to "buy" the Queensland government.

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GG visits Ord irrigation scheme

GOVERNOR-GENERAL Sir Peter Cosgrove is hoping to shine a light on economic opportunities in agriculture and progress being made on indigenous issues during a tour of northern Australia.

SIR Peter said the second phase of the Ord irrigation scheme near Kununurra was beginning to come to fruition, largely due to Chinese investment.

"It's now possible to see, not just its future potential, but its present importance," he told reporters after a tour of the Ord Stage Two Development on Sunday."I hope that all the negotiations for the Ord River project phase two can continue and we can see waving fields of sugar, sorghum and other crops in this beautifully irrigated part of Australia."He said the area around Kununurra in north Western Australia could produce life saving food for international markets.Sir Peter is half way through a five day tour of the Northern Territory and north Western Australia, taking in the towns of Katherine, Kununurra and Wyndham as well as remote areas."I shine a light. I turn up to places where there is wonderful endeavour and it may not necessarily be solely economic, it might be more on social development or amenity for younger Australians," he said."Or it might be to watch indigenous Australians who, whilst acknowledging that there is a gap to be closed, are working hard with specific programs to enhance indigenous health and to extend life expectation, to reduce infant illnesses and keep kids in school."After planting a tree with Girl Guides and chatting to volunteers on Sunday morning he said regional communities such as Kununurra had a strong volunteering spirit."What I like about rural and regional Australia, the more remote in some ways the better, is you'll see the strength and interaction of communities," he said."In towns in rural and regional Australia you see the interaction up close."Sir Peter, also visited the Kimberley squadron of the Australian army's Norforce reserve unit."I've got a special place, I always will have a special place in my heart for people who put their country's uniform on. Military, navy, army and airforce, but police, SES, anybody who provides a sense of service before self who takes on burdens that are inconvenient and stressful and sometimes hazardous to help other people."However, Sir Peter, who was commander of defence forces when Australia deployed troops to Iraq 11 years ago, declined to comment on how he felt about a fresh batch of troops being sent to Baghdad."On those sort of issues which are contemporary I would say that's a matter for the government."Defence has sent a small unit of Australian Defence Force personnel to Baghdad to bolster security at the Australian embassy.In coming days Sir Peter will visit the TFS Sandalwood plantations, indigenous groups, schools and attend a football training session at the Clontarf Foundation, of which he is patron.

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Pregnant woman airlifted to hospital

A PREGNANT woman has suffered serious head injuries after a car crashed into a northwest Sydney house, also injuring a teenage girl and another woman.

THE 25-year-old, who is four months pregnant, has been airlifted to Westmead Hospital with serious head and leg injuries, police say.

The girl, 14, also suffered head and leg injuries and was taken to hospital along with a 48-year-old woman, who sustained pelvic injuries."All three remain in a stable condition," police said.They were hit while standing on the front veranda of a Windsor Downs home on Saturday afternoon.The male driver was treated by paramedics and has been taken for mandatory drug and alcohol testing.His male passenger wasn't hurt.Police have established a crime scene and are investigating.

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Another Tamil man sets himself on fire

ANOTHER Tamil man has set himself alight, the latest in a spate of self-immolation cases involving asylum seekers who fear being sent back to Sri Lanka.

THE 40-year-old man splashed himself with petrol and ignited it, but his housemates intervened and managed to put out the fire.

It happened late on Friday at a home in the Melbourne suburb of Noble Park, according to a statement from the Tamil Refugee Council.There were similar incidents in May, when Leo Seemanpillai burned to death outside his Geelong home, and also in April when a Sydney-based Tamil man also set himself alight but survived with burns to 75 per cent of his body.In the latest case, the man suffered burns to his legs and was taken by ambulance to Dandenong Hospital."We are very lucky on this occasion that the man's housemates were aware of what he was planning to do otherwise we may have had another death on our hands," council spokesperson Sri Samy said."I have had seven young men tell me in the past few weeks that they are thinking of doing this."They are fearful of being sent back to Sri Lanka and say they would prefer to die here than be sent back to torture, which is what the Australian government is doing to many Tamil asylum seekers."The man involved in this latest case came to Australia by boat in 2012, and he was on a bridging visa awaiting assessment of his asylum claim.He fled Sri Lanka, leaving his wife and daughter behind, after security police broke his legs.The council said last week he had learned his brother, held in a Sri Lankan prison for four years, had disappeared and was feared dead.The man feared the same fate if returned to Sri Lanka."The previous Labor government, and the current Coalition government, have sent back more than 1000 Tamil asylum-seekers under an enhanced screening process," Mrs Samy also said."That does not allow time for proper assessment of asylum claims."She called on Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to alleviate fear among Tamil asylum seekers by granting protection to genuine refugees.* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467

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Royals defend apartment spending

THE British royal family has defended spending a seven-figure sum refurbishing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Kensington Palace apartment.

THE taxpayer will foot the bill for extensive work on the property, including installing a new roof, overhauling the electrics and carrying out significant plumbing works.

A royal spokesman said repairs and refurbishments - reported to cost in the region of STG4 million ($A7.30 million), though this figure was not confirmed by the royal household - would also see a "significant amount of internal building" to "return the residence to function as a living space".William and Kate's Kensington Palace apartment was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and was the home of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon. Margaret remained there after their divorce and lived there until her death in 2002.The living space was last refurbished in 1963."This is the Duke and Duchess's one and only official residence. It is here that they plan to stay for many, many years to come," a royal spokesman said."We also had to take into account the fact that Kensington Palace is a scheduled ancient monument, and all elements of the refurbishment had to be agreed with English Heritage. Often this meant ensuring a high standard of work in line with the historical significance of the Christopher Wren building."He said William and Kate "paid privately" for all the internal furnishings, including carpets and curtains. They were also at pains to ensure that the specification is not extravagant."As with any other part of the estate, it was the royal household (TRH) who were responsible for the refurbishment of the residence - where they could in the course of the procurement process, TRH helped to bear down on cost," he added."The household oversaw the planning, tendering and project management of the refurbishment and were responsible for the budget and spend."

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Hendra virus kills NSW horse

Hendra virus has killed a horse in northern NSW, causing authorities to quarantine a property. Source: AAP

HENDRA virus has killed a horse in northern NSW, causing authorities to quarantine a property as they run tests on its stablemates and the five people who handled the animal.

IT'S the first case of Hendra discovered in NSW this year.

"The 31-year-old stockhorse gelding died overnight on Thursday after being found in a dam earlier that day and receiving treatment from a private veterinarian for very low body temperature," NSW deputy chief vet Therese Wright said in a statement."Three people who handled the horse plus the veterinarian and an assistant are being assessed and monitored by NSW Health."In recent weeks no horses have moved off the property, west of Murwillumbah, and there are no dogs or cats about, Ms Wright added.The paddock where the horse was kept "has regular flying fox activity," she said.Horses are believed to contract the Hendra virus from feed contaminated by urine, saliva or birthing fluids from flying foxes."Do not place feed and water under trees and cover feed and water containers with a shelter so they cannot be contaminated from above," Ms Wright said.Hendra virus was found in four horses and a dog across four separate mid-north coast properties last year."Winter is the season when horses have been infected with Hendra in NSW in the past so now is the time to get a vaccine booster for your horse," Ms Wright said.In Queensland four people have been killed by Hendra virus since 1994.And in December councils across the state were given permission to trim trees and use smoke, lights and loud noises to drive flying fox colonies away from urban areas without needing a permit."If a horse becomes sick, owners should contact their veterinarian immediately," Ms Wright warned.

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Labor, coalition fight for rural affection

IF you believe Labor, they are the party for farmers and rural Australia.

IF you believe the government, that's a complete joke.

Parliament took a country tone on Thursday when Labor's agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon brought on debate about the budget's impact on regional Australia.He was concerned about the fuel excise hike's impact on rural residents, which he says will go down as the Abbott government's "worst broken promise".Mr Fitzgibbon is behind Labor's new "country caucus" made up of regional MPs and senators who will influence party policy on rural issues.Labor has long been a champion of the bush, given it was partly born out of the shearing sheds of rural Queensland, Mr Fitzgibbon told AAP."Country Labor has been successful in NSW and it can be successful nationally," he said in a statement.But the coalition is having none of that.Liberal MP Dan Tehan derided Mr Fitzgibbon's topic for debate, given it came just after its country caucus was publicly announced."That's why we have this (debate) here today," he said."What an absolute joke."Mr Tehan said the country caucus came too late."You all should be ashamed of yourself, starting in the year 2014 a regional caucus and coming in here telling us who should stand up for regional and rural Australia."Nationals deputy leader Barnaby Joyce joined in the derision.If there was a friend for regional Australia, it was clear which side of the chamber they would find them in, he said.

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Family heartbroken after aged home deaths

THREE and a half years ago, Marie Darragh was frail, ill and on the brink of death.

SHE was placed in the St Andrews Nursing Home in Ballina as her family desperately hoped for the best.

Within years, her health had turned around.After giving up smoking, Ms Darragh turned to sugar to get her fix and earned the affectionate nickname "sugar fairy" for her fierce sweet tooth around the nursing home.It was this new-found health and happiness that made the 82-year-old's suspected murder in May all the more shocking."It's total heartbreak," daughter Janet Parkinson told AAP on Thursday."Because when she went in there she was ready to die. She was so frail and it has taken them three and a half years to get her where she was."They built her up and she had to go this way ... that's the heartbreaking thing."Ms Darragh and fellow resident and friend Isobella Spencer, 77, were found unconscious in their beds on May 10.They died hours later.The same night, a third woman was attacked at the home and admitted to hospital but survived.St Andrews Aged Care says she is in good health and is back at the facility.The fact Ms Darragh and Ms Spencer died unexpectedly, in the same location and on the same night, sparked a homicide investigation.Detectives believe they have a good idea of how both women died and have questioned nursing home staff."Obviously we are looking at the actions of staff members that night. However, we are keeping an open mind," Detective Superintendent Mick Willing said on Wednesday.Ms Parkinson said she had her own suspicions about what happened, but could not speak highly enough of the nursing home staff."Obviously I have missed something," she said.She said Ms Darragh, a grandmother to 11 and mother of three, "loved" living at the nursing home.Police have not disclosed any further details about the women's deaths but said there was no "existing threat" at the nursing home."I want to make it absolutely clear that we believe this is an isolated incident," Det Supt Willing said.In a statement, St Andrews Aged Care chief executive officer Pip Carter had no fears for the safety of residents."We understand the pain of losing a loved one and we are doing all we can to assist police," she said.

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Carr dishes up conundrum for NSW govt

EIGHT years after ending his reign over NSW, Bob Carr is still giving the state Liberals a headache.

THIS time, he's forced Premier Mike Baird to reconvene a "slimmed-down" joint sitting of parliament.

The procedure is so the former premier and foreign minister can be excused from the Senate and return to private life.Mr Baird was left with a conundrum after Mr Carr decided to retire from federal politics despite winning his Senate seat last year.The premier received legal advice that Mr Carr's resignation wasn't constitutional and a joint sitting of the NSW parliament was needed to replace him.But the problem was parliament was on Thursday preparing to close its doors for its winter recess and not planning to sit again until August, well after the July 1 date of the new Senate term.The premier eventually decided to hold a very short joint sitting session in July, which would only last a few minutes, to sort the issue out.Once that happens, Labor's Deb O'Neill will formally replace Mr Carr in the Senate.

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Ferry fraudster Smith 'had no choice'

A FORMER Sydney Ferries boss who racked up more than $200,000 on the company credit card says he felt he had no choice because he couldn't tell his emotionally fragile wife how desperate the family's financial situation had become.

FORMER naval admiral Geoffrey Smith on Thursday told his sentencing hearing he was hired to help turn the troubled transport company around in August 2006.

By early 2009, allegations of rorting had surfaced and he was brought up before the corruption watchdog.He has now pleaded guilty to one charge of cheating or defrauding the company he directed.Smith said two fatal crashes on Sydney Harbour in 2007 ushered in a five-month inquiry and intense scrutiny.On the home front, his wife - who had previously been hospitalised and subjected to electroconvulsive therapy in a battle with depression - was diagnosed with cancer."I'm deeply ashamed," Smith told the Sydney District Court."I've let down a lot of people and I've done something contrary to all the values I've lived my whole life."He said he always intended to reimburse Sydney Ferries for his personal expenses, and with a crippling monthly mortgage of $11,000 and medical bills stacking up, Smith says he knew he needed to sell his home in leafy northern Sydney.But he couldn't tell his wife.They'd been married for 26 of his navy years and moved 32 times."She never asked for anything except that when the time came for me to retire we would buy a house and settle down and have a semi-normal life," Smith said."I was intensely worried that if I spoke to her about selling the house it would have a profound impact on her."When he eventually spoke to his wife about the "parlous" state of the family books, the global financial crisis was in full swing, and the house's value had dropped from an estimated $2.2 million to $1.86m - too little to settle Smith's debts.But Crown prosecutor Sara Bowers said Smith was spending Sydney Ferries' money on extravagances including a family trip to New Zealand, jewellery, a new swimming pool and two BMWs, including one for his "bedridden" wife."Not the necessities of life, are they," she said."I didn't think I had a choice," Smith said.Smith says he still wants to pay the missing money back using earnings from his retail job at hardware chain Bunnings and his superannuation.Judge Michael Finnane has indicated he intends to sentence Smith to two years, but that this may be served in the community under an intensive correction order, rather than in jail.The hearing resumes in August.

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Fewer dollars for farmers next year

Farmers will have less cash in their pockets from exporting their goods next year, new data shows. Source: AAP

FARMERS will have less cash in their pockets from exporting their goods next financial year.

BUT they will still have more than they've had in the past decade.

There will be a six per cent drop in farm export earnings in 2014-15, with earnings set to drop to $38.5 billion from this year's $41 billion, the government's agricultural commodity forecaster ABARES says.That's because there will be less to send offshore - with farm production to fall by four per cent next year.Production of barley, canola, beef and veal, rice and horticulture, are all set to drop.But the earnings will still be above the 10-year average.ABARES says it will still be about nine per cent above the average of $35.5 billion over the 10 years to 2012-13 in real terms.Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce was keeping positive by spruiking the benefits of the Korea-Australia free trade agreement, which is expected to come into effect in 2015.Beef and cheese exports will be boosted under the trade deal, he said.There's better news for farmers exporting sugar, live cattle, and live sheep - all set to rise next year.

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Banned flu vax still given to young kids

REPORTS of some doctors giving young children a banned flu vaccination "defies belief", Australia's chief medical officer says.

THE bioCSL Fluvax was suspended from use for children under five years old after an increase in febrile convulsions in children was linked to the vaccine in 2010.

Earlier this month a five-year-old Perth girl received a confidential multi-million dollar payout after becoming severely disabled after receiving the bioCSL Fluvax in 2010.Despite this, in 2013 there were 43 reported cases of the bioCSL Fluvax administered to children under five. So far this year there had been 31 cases, Professor Chris Baggoley said.He admitted this figure was low, considering 48,360 children under five were given flu jabs last year. There were also no reports of adverse events.However, Prof Baggoley said it "defies belief" that some GPs said they were not aware of the ban, despite receiving a letter from him about it and other measures to inform them."In context, it's minuscule, but for every child that's been put at risk it makes me profoundly cranky," he said in Melbourne on Tuesday at the National Immunisation Conference.The federal department of health advises that the bioCSL Fluvax should not be used for children under five years. Other suitable vaccines are available.It advises that the vaccination should only be used in children five to nine years old after careful consideration of the benefits and risks.

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Double blow for Rebels bikie boss

Minister Scott Morrison has defended cancelling the visa of Rebels bikie gang leader Alex Vella (c). Source: AAP

REBELS motorcycle club leader Alex Vella has suffered a double blow with the cancellation of his Australian visa and loss of a close mate and fellow senior club member.

THE Rebels national president had planned to return from a visit to his native Malta when he discovered the FEDERAL government had cancelled his visa.

It was cancelled on character grounds last Friday, the Immigration Department says.Mr Vella, 60, is understood to be in Malta figuring out his next move.With the high profile leader gone, the Rebels club have taken another hit with the death of the club's Sergeant at Arms, Simon Rasic.Mr Rasic, son of former Socceroos coach Rale Rasic who guided the national team to the 1974 World Cup, died on Sunday night.Friend and Rebels member "Little Mick" Kosenko said Mr Rasic, who had been a club member for more than 20 years, died suddenly."It was very unexpected," the United Motorcycle Council Queensland spokesman told AAP on Tuesday."He was a very fit and healthy person. It's a great loss."Mr Kosenko said Mr Rasic, a father of four, died following complications from a recent operation.He said Mr Vella had already planned to cut his trip short to attend his sister-in-law's funeral on Tuesday prior to Mr Rasic's death.Mr Vella has struggled with his Australian visa since he was convicted in 1995 of possessing a trafficable quantity of cannabis.Supporters have leapt to Mr Vella's defence, painting the bikie boss as a churchgoing, motorcycle enthusiast."This man actually goes to church every week and is always willing to lend a helping hand, unlike the hypocrites that sit in government," Motorcycle Clubs Australia posted on Facebook."What has he done to deserve what they have been doing to him for so many years?"Everyone has a hobby in life and his is riding motorcycles."Speaking about the visa cancellation, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said it was his duty to respond to the work of state and federal law enforcement agencies.

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Australians join PNG O'Neill fraud probe

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has reportedly avoided arrest by fraud investigators. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIAN private investigators and an Aussie judge are playing key roles in a corruption scandal that threatens to topple Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, it has emerged.

A WARRANT for Mr O'Neill's arrest was obtained on Monday by fraud investigators who want to grill the prime minister over allegations he siphoned millions of dollars of public cash to a law firm.

Mr O'Neill strongly denies any wrongdoing and obtained a court order putting the warrant on ice.The key evidence in the case - which has gripped PNG for months - is a letter that Mr O'Neill allegedly signed authorising $31 million be paid to prominent law firm, Paul Paraka lawyers.The prime minister has dismissed the note as a fake.But Taskforce Sweep boss Sam Koim revealed on Tuesday that Sydney-based private investigators believe the document is genuine."We have now received the forensic examination report from the Sydney-based Forensic Document Services Pty Ltd confirming that the signature on the letter ... directing payments to Paraka Lawyers is PM O'Neill's," Mr Koim said.Police Chief of Operations and Deputy Commissioner Simon Kauba said his officers would abide by Monday's court ruling that stayed the warrant for Mr O'Neill's arrest.But he urged the prime minister to hand himself in."In the interest of national security I would like to invite the prime minister to, without any further delays, voluntarily make himself available to police for the interview to be conducted," Mr Kauba said.The case will be back in PNG's National Court on Wednesday morning, with Mr O'Neill's lawyers due to respond to an affidavit filed by Mr Koim on behalf of Task Force Sweep and the police.Meanwhile, Mr O'Neill has announced a commission of inquiry into the allegations against him - led by Australian judge Warwick Andrew.Mr O'Neill claims that police, courts and government departments have all been politically compromised."I think it's needed to be cleaned and we need an independent process to clean it out," he added.The Paul Paraka affair - called Parakagate in Port Moresby - is one of PNG's longest-running fraud investigations.Mr Paraka, one of the most powerful lawyers in PNG, was arrested and charged in 2013 for allegedly receiving the state monies.Task Force Sweep alleges the payments were spread over a seven-year period and ran into the "hundreds of millions".

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Too many ship types lift navy cost: Griggs

IF a car hire firm had to buy cars the way the navy has to buy ships, it could go broke, Navy chief Vice Admiral Ray Griggs reckons.

FOR an overall fleet of 52 vessels, the navy operates 14 different classes from 13 different ship designers with engines from 13 different makers.

Ship radars come from 11 different firms and there are 14 different control systems."If you ran a small hire car fleet with this sort of overhead you would be tearing your hair out, if you weren't broke. Yet commonality too often takes a back seat to upfront acquisition costs," he told the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.Vice Admiral Griggs, who leaves the navy top job next month, says Australian naval shipbuilding is at a crossroads.With the air warfare destroyer program running late and local shipbuilders performing below international standards, the government has warned it could look offshore for the navy's next frigates.The stop-start nature of shipbuilding projects means having to relearn lessons and paying the price in delays and cost increases.Vice Admiral Griggs thinks they should either buy everything offshore or maintain a continuous build program to gain the full economic benefits.The diversity of navy ships and systems adds to training requirements, cost, complexity of support and the size of the spares inventory.Recently a ship had to sail without fully operational communications because the three contractors in Australia who could work on the system were not around.Two were overseas on holidays and one had gone bush and was out of mobile range.Greater fleet commonality would reduce the likelihood of this occurring."We need to get better at understanding the balance of benefits. Is it better to accept a higher acquisition cost in the interest of commonality," he said.

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Fault still no.1 on Australian box office

HOW To Train Your Dragon 2 came close but couldn't knock The Fault in Our Stars from its top spot on the Australian box office.

THE adaptation of John Green's bestseller remained no. 1 for the second weekend in a row with $2.438 million, although How to Train Your Dragon 2 was nipping at its heels. According to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia, the animated sequel earned another $2.170 million in preview screenings, jumping from fifth to second, with its official release not until June 19.

It pushed Tom Cruise's new sci-fi/action flick Edge of Tomorrow into third place and Angelina Jolie's Maleficent into fourth.The new Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore comedy, the critically panned Blended, debuted at no. 5, while another new entry of note, Australian film The Rover by Animal Kingdom director David Michod, came in at twelfth on the ladder.X-Men: Days of Future Past starring Aussie Hugh Jackman slipped two places to sixth, while Seth MacFarlane comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West dropped one spot to seventh.Grace of Monaco starring Nicole Kidman remained steady at eighth place, while comedy Bad Neighbours fell two spots to ninth and The Trip to Italy finished off the ladder in tenth, pushing Godzilla into no. 11.

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WA basketballer socks it to sarcoma

ADAM Deans thought he was a bit sore from playing football.

BUT when the fit 16-year-old broke his femur simply walking down the stairs in 2005, doctors biopsied his leg to discover the bone had been weakened by osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

Less than a month later, Deans' left leg was amputated above the knee and he began eight months of chemotherapy."I didn't know what it was ... to be honest it didn't really bother me - the word I was fixated on was cancer," he said."I was so tall I couldn't sit in any of the beds at a children's hospital, so I was taken to an adult hospital."Like Deans, many diagnosed with the disease have never heard of sarcoma even though 15 per cent of paediatric cancers in Australia are sarcomas as well as 10 per cent among youths aged 15 to 25.Despite this, less than one per cent of the cancer research dollar is spent on sarcoma research.Fortunately, nine years on and Deans still calls himself not only a cancer survivor, but a sporting champion selected to represent Australia in South Korea at the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation World Championships.Not everybody diagnosed with the disease is as lucky as Deans: Abbie Basson, who started up Perth-based organisation Sock it to Sarcoma, lost her three-year battle with Ewing's Sarcoma in 2011.But her work has been carried on by her family, with the organisation holding several public events as part of the inaugural West Australia Sarcoma Awareness Week from June 16 to 21.Abbie's mother Mandy urged people, especially youths, not to dismiss symptoms like feeling tired or pain as a sport injury, but to ask their GP to refer them to a primary bone and soft tissue tumour specialist."Don't get it misdiagnosed, put it off as a sport strain or back pain," she said."As a result, the cancer gets the opportunity to spread."

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Ambulance Vic named in ATSB death report

A MAN who died after being crushed by a crane on a cargo ship lay injured while an ambulance trying to reach him was locked out of the port.

AMBULANCE Victoria had neglected to train officers in how to open gates at Portland - a massive multi-berth facility about 300km west of Melbourne - says a report into the incident.

A crew member telephoned for help for the ship's injured but conscious Chinese assistant electrician but the emergency operator at first could not find the port on a mapping system and so dispatched an ambulance to the general location.Paramedics faced a locked and unmanned gate, unaware that the ambulance service had been provided with swipe cards, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau reported on Monday.They drove to a second gate seeking access and then back to the original entry point where they were lucky to meet a staff member.Despite the hold-up, paramedics reached the man 13 minutes after they were called.Forty-nine minutes later, after a delay arranging to open the gates to leave, the ambulance arrived at Portland Hospital.Shortly afterwards the man died.The ATSB concluded the electrician had been working without proper approvals near an operating crane on the deck of the Singapore-based Toucan Arrow when he was crushed on October 7, 2013.A warning light in the area was inoperative and, because of background noise, he is unlikely to have heard the alarm warning of the crane's approach.Although no one witnessed the incident, a torn strip of his clothing was found on a hatch lid against which he is believed to have been pinned as the remote-controlled crane moved along the deck.The ATSB found the ship's master failed to alert port authorities and therefore an emergency response, including manning of port access gates, did not occur.The ambulance service had not taken up an offer by the port authority to take paramedics on a familiarisation tour of the port.In response, Ambulance Victoria said it was impractical to hold access cards for the variety of sites that may call on its services.Portland-based paramedics have since undergone retraining.

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Sydney business up in flames again

A Sydney fruit warehouse has gone up in flames in a suspected arson attack. Source: AAP

A FRUIT shop in Sydney's southwest has been gutted by fire for the second time in just more than a month.

CASULA Fruit Land was due to reopen this month after a suspicious fire damaged the business in late April.

However, the business's reopening date looks doubtful after another blaze gutted the fruit and vegetable shop on Saturday morning.Firefighters were called to the warehouse on the Hume Highway just before 6am.NSW Fire and Rescue Superintendent Tom Cooper said the store was severely damaged but crews stopped the fire spreading to neighbouring businesses in the shopping complex.Police Inspector Paul Smith said a car was smashed through the front door to gain entry to the shop before it went up in flames.He said police were investigating any potential links with Saturday's fire and the blaze in April.

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Twin Vic house fire deliberate: crews

TWO neighbouring homes have gone up in flames in a suspicious fire in inner Melbourne.

A WOMAN was the only resident present when the blaze ignited just after 3.30pm on Saturday and was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

MFB commander Rick Gili said damage to the adjoining homes in Highett Street, Richmond, was estimated at up to $800,000."It appears it's deliberate," he told AAP.Both houses are uninhabitable and other accommodation is being arranged for the residents.

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Fatal blast in Syrian town by Iraq border

A STRONG explosion in a town market in Syria near the border with Iraq has killed a number of people, Syrian state media and activists report.

SYRIAN state TV said Saturday's blast in the town of Mayadeen killed 30 people and wounded many others.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says eight people were killed and many others wounded, including some who are in critical condition.Mayadeen is about 60km from the Iraqi border in Syria's eastern oil-rich province of Deir el-Zour, which has seen heavy fighting among rival rebel factions as well as between government forces and opposition fighters.The blast came days after jihadists launched a wide offensive in northern and central Iraq capturing much of the border between the two countries.

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Cambodian workers in exodus from Thailand

More than 80,000 Cambodians have fled Thailand, fearing a crackdown on migrant workers. Source: AAP

MORE than 80,000 Cambodians have fled neighbouring Thailand to return home, fearing a crackdown on migrant workers under Thailand's new military government.

THE governor of Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province, Kor Samsarouet, said on Saturday that more than 84,000 have returned this month through the border crossing at the west Cambodian town of Poipet, including 40,000 on Friday.

The trigger for the exodus seems to have been statements by Thailand's military government, which took power in a coup last month, that it would crack down on illegal immigrants and those employing them.Several were reportedly fired from jobs and sent home, and the belief spread that legal and illegal workers were being ejected.The numbers of those fleeing swelled as unsubstantiated rumours circulated that several workers had been shot dead by Thai authorities.

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Vic MP Shaw says parliament 'screwed' him

Suspended Victorian MP Geoff Shaw will be the main attraction at a comedy event on Friday night. Source: AAP

ROGUE Victorian MP Geoff Shaw has told a comedy show audience he's been "screwed by the parliament".

HEADLINING the event at Melbourne's Wheeler Centre on Friday, Mr Shaw was asked what he thought of parliament's decision to suspend him.

"(I was) screwed by the parliament, wasn't I?" he replied.Mr Shaw was suspended on Wednesday night until September 2, ordered to apologise and repay more than $6800 for misusing his parliamentary car and entitlements.Appearing onstage with comedian Sammy J, he was asked if he would, in fact, apologise and responded with: "To the people of Victoria, I'm exceptionally sorry."Earlier on Friday, Victorian Premier Denis Napthine said he was waiting for a sign of contrition from the suspended independent MP.Dr Napthine said he had not heard from Mr Shaw since Wednesday's vote to suspend him."I have no plans to talk to the member for Frankston," Dr Napthine said."But I would say to the member for Frankston that he has been dealt the toughest penalty in the Victorian parliament's history for over 100 years - that should be a very, very serious lesson to the member for Frankston."The premier said Mr Shaw needed to have a good look in the mirror and change his ways, and should not wait until the end of his suspension to show the Victorian public he was sorry.Mr Shaw's suspension has left the Victorian government and opposition deadlocked on 43 votes apiece in the lower house, with the government requiring the Speaker's backing to pass legislation.

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Former POW Bergdahl back in US

A defence official says US soldier Bowe Bergdahl is due to arrive at a Texas facility on Friday. Source: AAP

THE US soldier freed in a controversial swap with the Afghan Taliban has arrived back in the United States, his latest step in a return to normality after five years in captivity.

THE Pentagon said Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl arrived on Friday in the middle of the night on a flight from Germany to San Antonio, Texas where he will continue treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center.

Bergdahl was handed over on May 31 in return for five senior Taliban detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison for terror suspects.The US Army sergeant had been recuperating at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, amid growing debate over the swap that secured his freedom, with some US politicians accusing President Barack Obama of capitulating to "terrorists".The Pentagon said in a one-paragraph statement on its website that in Texas the soldier will "continue the next phase of his reintegration process. There is no timeline for this process. Our focus remains on his health and well-being."US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel "is confident that the Army will continue to ensure that Sgt Bergdahl receives the care, time and space that he needs to complete his recovery and reintegration".Bergdahl is yet to speak to the news media about his ordeal and Pentagon officials have said his health has steadily improved in the days since his release.His disappearance from a base in eastern Afghanistan in 2009 has fuelled speculation the soldier deserted his post before being captured and may face prosecution by military authorities.Letters and other correspondence emerged this week suggesting Bergdahl was in a troubled state of mind before and during his deployment, and that he lacked confidence in his superiors."Leadership was lacking, if not non-existent," he wrote in a letter sent to family during his time in captivity obtained by The Daily Beast website.The letter, one of two sent to Bergdahl's family via the International Committee of the Red Cross, is marked by numerous spelling errors."The conditions were bad and looked to be getting worse for the men that where actuly the ones risking thier lives from attack," he wrote in a March 23, 2013 letter.Bergdahl also appeared to appeal for understanding over his disappearance, though he does not explicitly state that he deserted.

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Qld premier denies Facebook sacking

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has denied that a public servant was sacked for a Facebook post. Source: AAP

THE Queensland premier has denied a public servant was sacked for posting a Facebook message criticising the sacking of 14,000 government employees.

TROY Reeves began a six-week contract with Queensland Health on July 15 last year.

But his employment as a policy analyst at the Office of Chief Nursing was terminated two days later.Three days before starting his job, Mr Reeves had written a Facebook post criticising the government's first budget in 2012, which included mass retrenchments."There wouldn't be an unemployment problem in Brisbane if it wasn't for the fact that 14,000 sacked people are no longer spending the same amount of money in the economy," it said.The post was referred to Premier Campbell Newman's then media adviser Kylie Jacobson on Mr Reeves's second day in the job, right-to-information documents obtained by AAP show."What a f-wit," she wrote in an email to another media adviser for the premier, Kate Barwick.But a spokesman for Mr Newman said the correspondence between the two media advisers did not lead to Mr Reeves being sacked."Mr Reeves's termination is a matter for Queensland Health or the relevant department he was employed by," he told AAP."That had nothing to do with Kylie and Kate's email."Mr Reeves, a 35-year-old Masters graduate, was previously a Queensland Liberal Party member and Griffith University Liberal Club president.He has worked for Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss and Senator Ian Macdonald.

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US marshals to auction seized bitcoins

US authorities will auction off $US18 million in Bitcoins they seized from Silk Road. Source: AAP

THE US Marshals Service says it will auction about $US18 million in bitcoins seized last northern autumn from Silk Road, a website that was effectively the eBay of illegal drugs.

THE marshals said on Thursday that they will auction the virtual "coins", consisting of sets of numbers entered in an online public ledger, via the web on June 27.

Authorities say Silk Road generated more than $US1 billion ($A1.08 billion) in illicit business from January 2011 to October 2013, when alleged operator Ross William Ulbricht was arrested in a public library in San Francisco.Ulbricht has pleaded not guilty. The website took commissions in bitcoins, which are hard to track.The marshals are auctioning off 29,657 bitcoins in 10 blocks, which means buyers will need to pony up nearly $US1.8 million each.The Marshals Service is keeping another 144,342 bitcoins, worth about $US87 million at current rates, that were found on Ulbricht's computer. He's contesting their forfeiture.

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Jobless rate steady for third month

Unemployment is tipped to have risen in May, amid job losses linked to the wind down in mining. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S jobless rate is steady, but only because people are dropping out of the race for a job.

UNEMPLOYMENT remained unchanged at 5.8 per cent in May, beating economists' expectations of a rise to 5.9 per cent.

The static result came despite the economy having shed almost 5,000 jobs last month, the first fall in five months.AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver says while the jobless rate has held for three months, it "significantly understates" the current weakness in the job market.That's because the participation rate - which includes those in work, looking for work and ready to start work - continues to fall.It dropped to 64.6 per cent in May."If the participation rate had remained at its 2011 average level the unemployment rate would now be seven per cent," Dr Oliver said.Australia's participation rate has been trending lower since the global financial crisis."We've got the ageing population, people are retiring, leaving the labour force," JP Morgan economist Tom Kennedy said."There could also be disgruntled workers leaving the labour force, and we are also seeing young people staying in education for longer, going to university and TAFE instead of actively seeking work."Today's data fits with the theme that the labour market is still a little bit soft, still losing jobs, and unemployment is likely to move higher as we progress through 2014."Dr Oliver said a dip in jobs growth was to be expected following a strong start to the year, with more than 100,000 positions created in the first four months of 2014.While some economists believe the jobless rate has peaked, Dr Oliver believes unemployment could return to six per cent before the labour market picks up later in the year."While the hit to confidence from the federal budget has increased the level of uncertainty, forward looking indicators for the labour market, including the ANZ job ads survey and employment intentions in the monthly NAB business survey point to stronger jobs growth ahead," he said.Thursday's figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed full-time employment rose 22,200 in May while part-time employment fell 27,000.That shows the jobs market is playing out nicely and running pretty much to plan, CommSec chief economist Craig James said."We seem to have gone through the first stage of recovery with more part time jobs coming on and now we are starting to see more full time workers coming through and part time workers being converted to full time staff," Mr James said."The solid lift in full-time job creation in 2014 should provide a boost to consumer sentiment... more full-time jobs lead to higher consumer spending.The figures should allow the Reserve Bank to keep interest rates on hold, unless the federal budget and warm autumn weather robs momentum from the economy, Mr James said.

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Govt providing certainty for jobs: Hockey

A FURTHER rise in full-time employment comes at an opportune time for Joe Hockey as he continues to peddle his poorly received budget.

THE jobless rate also remained at 5.8 per cent for a third straight month in May when economists had expected it to tick up to 5.9 per cent.

The treasurer dismissed suggestions that more than 100,000 full-time jobs were created since the turn of the year due to Labor leaving the economy in good nick, noting the former government left office with a forecast of a 6.25 per cent unemployment rate."It quite clearly appears that we have turned around the trajectory," Mr Hockey told reporters in Darwin on Thursday.New data showed the number of people in full-time employment grew 22,200 in May.However, overall employment eased 4800 because of a 27,000 drop in part-time workers.Mr Hockey took aim at Bill Shorten, saying the opposition leader had been proved "dead wrong" by claiming high-profile job cuts at Ford, Holden, Toyota, SPC Ardmona and Qantas would be the "end of all time"."Our decisions to provide stability, certainty and predictability have been proven right," he said.Labor's employment spokesman Brendan O'Connor said the steady jobless rate was more to do with people giving up on finding a job.At 64.6 per cent the participation rate of those in work or actively seeking employment was lower than during the 2008-2009 global financial crisis."People have given up looking for work because of the ... lack of confidence in the economy and in this government to provide opportunities for work," Mr O'Connor told reporters in Melbourne.Earlier Mr Hockey told ABC radio the drop in consumer sentiment in response to the budget was entirely predictable."You will see over time that we will deliver on a stronger economy ... things are going to get better".In a speech on Wednesday, he lashed out at claims his budget is unfair saying the government must reward the lifters and discourage the leaners.Too many Australians rely on government payments, he told the Sydney Institute."It should not be taboo to question whether everyone is entitled to these payments," he said.Mr Shorten accused the treasurer of cynically dividing Australians with a budget that puts big business ahead of individuals.He also told the ACOSS annual conference in Brisbane the government's lax approach to tax evasion was especially galling at a time when it is making cruel and unfair cuts to pensions, schools and hospitals.Union "Bust the Budget" protest marches were held in Sydney on Melbourne on Thursday.

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'Knock-about bloke' Qld's top judge

Chief Magistrate Tim Carmody QC is believed to be the front runner to be Queensland's Chief Justice. Source: AAP

TIM Carmody is criticised for being inexperienced and too close to the government to be Queensland's top judge, but has stared down the naysayers.

HE was promoted from chief magistrate to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on Thursday, despite never serving in the court.

Attorney-general Jarrod Bleijie had a similar meteoric rise when appointed the state's top law officer after serving as an articled clerk and solicitor.Judge Carmody, QC, who was recruited as chief magistrate from the bar nine months ago, said he couldn't ignore the criticisms and acknowledged it was something the community would be worried about.He vowed to be a fiercely independent leader."If my views happen to coincide with the government's views that's pure coincidence," he said."There will be many times when I disagree with the government's position."In the end it (the criticism) was wrong. I can do this job, I will do this job, and I shouldn't not do this job because someone else says I shouldn't."Premier Campbell Newman described Mr Carmody as a self-made man and knock-about bloke, who once lived in housing commission in Inala, west of Brisbane."We need somebody who has a fine legal mind, who Queenslanders can relate to, who gets where they are coming from," Mr Newman said."He got to this day the hard way, through the sweat of his brow."He'll inspire Queenslanders because they will see they can do as he has done."But most of all we need a leader, to lead the entire legal system for the next decade and beyond."Several lawyers, including former Crown Solicitor Walter Sofronoff QC and former Supreme Court judge Richard Chesterman QC, have raised concerns about Judge Carmody's inexperience, lack of peer support and perceived closeness to the government, especially over anti-bikie legislation.Tony Fitzgerald said the appointment of Judge Carmody, who served as the counsel assisting his 1980s corruption inquiry, could damage public perception of the courts."People whose ambition exceeds their ability aren't all that unusual," he told AAP on Thursday."However, it's deeply troubling that the megalomaniacs currently holding power in Queensland are prepared to damage even fundamental institutions like the Supreme Court and cast doubt on fundamental principles like the independence of the judiciary."After serving on the Fitzgerald Inquiry into police corruption, Judge Carmody became special prosecutor of official corruption arising from the landmark inquiry.From 1998 to 2002 he was Queensland's Crime Commissioner and was appointed a Judge of the Family Court in 2003, before returning to private practice in 2008.Before his appointment as District Court Judge and Chief Magistrate in September 2013, he served as Chairman of the Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry.He'll replace Supreme Court chief justice Paul de Jersey, who becomes Governor next month.

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Girlfriend stomper gets five years in jail

WHEN Sydney man Trent Wainwright got angry at his 19-year-old girlfriend late one night, he threw her onto a concrete driveway, stomped repeatedly on her head and hurled a heavy terracotta pot at her.

WAINWRIGHT had been out drinking with work mates on January 16, 2010, and returned to their Mortdale home intoxicated, and apparently paranoid about some text messages she'd received on her phone.

Their relationship was already volatile but Wainwright was a man prone to fits of spontaneous rage.After the then 27-year-old was done with her she was unconscious, her head lying in a one-litre pool of her own blood.Her jaw bone and both eye sockets were fractured, her teeth loose and she had lacerations to her face.The damage left the young woman on a liquid diet for nearly six weeks and she still suffers from her injuries.But as the man who inflicted them was sentenced to a minimum of five years in jail on Thursday, he didn't show any signs of concern.Wainwright repeatedly interrupted Judge Stephen Norrish as he handed the now 32-year-old a maximum sentence of eight years and one month, even requesting a bathroom break at one point.Judge Norrish recounted how Wainwright had screamed at his girlfriend to "get out of the f***ing house", before lifting her up under her armpits and throwing her out the door.She lost balance and fell, hit her head on some concrete steps and lost consciousness, he told Downing Centre District Court.Wainwright then stomped on her head "with considerable force", before picking up a clay pot weighing nearly seven kilograms and throwing it against her head so ferociously it smashed.Afterwards, the court heard, he said: "the f***in' dumb bitch deserved it"."That's incorrect, Your Honour," Wainwright declared from the dock, prompting a glare from Judge Norrish, who ordered him to stop talking.Wainwright told police he thought his drink had been spiked that night and his girlfriend had provoked him by coming at him with a knife.This was dubious, Judge Norrish concluded, given no knife was found in or around the premises.Throughout the protracted matter Wainwright, who's been in custody for two and a half years, dismissed three legal teams and changed his plea on multiple occasions.Judge Norrish acknowledged Wainwright had suffered a "disturbed childhood" and had a range of mental health conditions.Regardless, he'd "caused serious injury to the victim when she was in no condition to defend herself".Wainwright will be eligible for parole in October 2016.

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Goodman upgrades 2014 guidance

GOODMAN Group has upgraded its 2014 financial year earnings guidance due to strong property fundamentals.

Goodman increased its forecast operating earnings outlook for the 2014 financial year to $600 million, a seven per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

However, the group's medium to long-term growth target remains at six per cent.

"The robust property fundamentals, growing contribution from Goodman's development and management activities and the strength and diversity of our global operating platform are key drivers of the group's earnings," the group said.

Goodman Group, which owns properties around the globe, recently said it was benefiting from the strength of international capital markets.

It also said the outlook remained positive, with robust property fundamentals and strong contribution from Goodman's development and management businesses in the third quarter of fiscal 2014.

Operating earnings guidance for the 2015 financial year will be provided at the group's annual results on August 14.

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No evidence Rudd alerted on batts: lawyer

THE royal commission into Labor's home insulation program didn't hear any evidence that Kevin Rudd received and ignored safety warnings, the former prime minister's lawyer says.

Bret Walker, SC, has provided a written submission to the inquiry, which held eight weeks of public hearings in Brisbane this year.

The submission states while it had been publicly alleged that Mr Rudd was given at least 10 direct personal warnings about the program's safety, the inquiry had heard no such evidence.

"No party represented at the commission nor the commission itself suggested ... that the then prime minister failed to respond to direct warnings to him personally about safety risks," Mr Walker wrote.

Queenslanders Matthew Fuller, Rueben Barnes, Mitchell Sweeney, and Marcus Wilson from NSW, lost their lives working under the $2.8 billion stimulus program.

In his submission supporting Mr Rudd's evidence, Mr Walker says the inquiry heard nothing that suggested the then prime minister personally failed to take steps to avoid or prevent the men's deaths.

He said ensuring workplace safety was the responsibility of the states and territories.

"No prime minister, including Mr Rudd, is responsible for enforcing workplace health and safety laws."

Mr Walker also said there was no evidence contending that the insulation program was initiated or designed by Mr Rudd.

The Fuller and Barnes families have lodged a joint submission outlining what they believe are the scheme's eight failures.

These include allowing foil insulation to be affixed with metal staples, the scrapping of training for all installers and the Commonwealth's failure to consider installer safety as a risk.

Written submissions have also been made by the Sweeney family, Mr Wilson's sister Jessica, the Home Insulation Industry Action Group and the State of Queensland.

Commissioner Ian Hanger, QC, has until August 31 to produce his report, but may recall witnesses if he intends to make adverse findings against them.

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WA animal poisonings worry RSPCA

THE RSPCA is calling for witnesses after reports of more than 40 animals being poisoned over the past six months in West Australia.

Since December, the not-for-profit organisation has investigated 29 cases of dogs being poisoned, seven cases of cat poisonings and five poisonings of birds and other wildlife.

An RSPCA spokesman said of the cases investigated, the majority of the animals died as a result of the poisoning or had to be euthanised.

Animals who survived poisoning were often left with ongoing health problems such as neurological and organ dysfunction, he said.

On Wednesday, the RSPCA received a report of a dog being poisoned at a home in the Perth Hills region suburb of Roleystone just four weeks after the owner's other dog died from poisoning.

The most recent incident comes only two days after two dogs were poisoned with snail pellets at a Singleton home near Mandurah.

RSPCA chief inspector Amanda Swift said poisoned animals could face a slow and agonising death.

"If you suspect your pet has been poisoned, they need to be taken to the nearest veterinary clinic immediately," she said.

People found guilty of poisoning an animal can face a fine of up to $50,000 and five years jail.

Anyone who has information or has witnessed any suspicious behaviour is urged to call the RSPCA cruelty hotline 1300 CRUELTY.

17.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ministers talk security in Japan

Australia's defence and foreign ministers are in Japan for top level talks. Source: AAP

DEFENCE Minister David Johnston and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop are in Japan for top level talks as Australia and Japan move to deepen defence and security co-operation.

The ministers were meeting their opposite numbers in Tokyo on Wednesday for the fifth Australia-Japan Foreign and Defence Ministerial (2+2) Consultations.

That follows Prime Minister Tony Abbott's visit to Japan in April where he agreed on both a trade deal and future cooperation on defence science and technology, particularly joint research on marine hydrodynamics.

In practice, that means submarines, with Australia interested in Japan's new Soryu-class boats as it looks to replacements for the Navy's six Collins submarines.

The ministers are expected to conclude negotiations on the proposed Defence Science, Technology and Materiel Agreement, announced during Mr Abbott's visit.

The agreement will allow Australia and Japan to jointly develop defence technologies, establishing a basis to deepen defence cooperation, they said.

During the visit, Ms Bishop will meet Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and other senior Japanese ministers, parliament members and academics to discuss international and bilateral developments.

That will include the New Colombo Plan, under which students from around the region will receive scholarships to study in Australia.

Senator Johnston will meet Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera separately to discuss progress in bilateral defence engagement in areas such as logistics cooperation, exercises and training, and peacekeeping and disaster relief.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who reportedly is planning to visit Australia in July, wants Japan to play a bigger role on the global stage, loosening longstanding constitutional restrictions on the role of its defence force.

He has moved to ease tight restrictions on weapons exports, paving the way for greater defence co-operation with Australia.

17.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Open West Papua to media, NGOs: Jokowi

INDONESIAN presidential candidate Joko Widodo has promised to open West Papua to foreign journalists and non-government organisations if he wins next month's election.

Access to the troubled Indonesian province is broadly restricted to foreign reporters but this doesn't stop requests for entry, particularly from Australian media.

Those who defy the ban typically report being followed and questioned by Indonesian police.

Visiting Jayapura on Thursday, the presidential favourite known as Jokowi promised to allow access, The Jakarta Post reports.

"Why not? It's safe here in Papua," he was quoted as saying. "There's nothing to hide."

The popular former Jakarta governor promised to improve education and healthcare in West Papua.

Foreign NGOs have reported difficulties getting access to the area, which lags behind the rest of Indonesia in development despite being resource-rich.

In October last year, three West Papuan activists climbed the wall into the Australian consulate in Bali to demand media access to the province.

Ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the trio presented a letter asking for him to seek the release of political prisoners from Indonesian jails.

Mr Abbott reiterated his support for Indonesia's sovereignty over Papua.

Indonesia's presidential race officially began on Wednesday, with Jokowi facing stiff competition from rival Prabowo Subianto, a former military commander.

Indonesia goes to the polls on July 9.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two more Nauru opposition MPs banned

TWO more opposition MPs have been suspended from the Nauru parliament amid claims the government is trying to avoid scrutiny of a budget that contains Australian funding for asylum seekers.

The Nauru government is expected to hand down its budget later on Thursday.

Three opposition MPs were banned from parliament in May amid chaotic scenes that included a police stand-off.

Another two - former president Sprent Dabwido and Squire Jeremiah - were suspended on Thursday for behaving in an "unparliamentary, disorderly, shameful, disgraceful way" during the last sitting day in May.

A committee will examine whether to freeze their entitlements.

They had opposed the earlier suspensions of Roland Kun, former foreign minister Kieren Keke and Mathew Batsiua.

That trio had been booted from parliament for talking to foreign journalists and criticising the government's decision to expel the country's chief justice, Australian Geoffrey Eames, and the dismissal of its only magistrate, Peter Law, another Australian.

There are now only three non-government MPs left in the parliament, facing 11 from the government.

"The whole thing has gone pear-shaped," Mr Kun told AAP from New Zealand.

"We're pleading for the Speaker to save the legislature because the government has already killed the judiciary."

The opposition is unable to seek a Supreme Court ruling because no chief justice has been appointed to replace Mr Eames.

Mr Kun believes the latest suspensions are connected to budget timing.

"There are numerous holes in the budget but we can't put a finger on them until they actually present the paper work," he said.

Australia provides much of the government's budget, which it uses to run an immigration detention centre and resettlement program.

So far Nauru has resettled 41 refugees on a temporary basis until a third country, expected to be Cambodia, agrees to a deal with Australia.

The detention centre is accommodating more than 1100 asylum seekers.

Opposition MPs are concerned that funding for health care, education, transport and utilities is going backwards.

Mr Kun believes money has been diverted to a pool of fund used to pay cash bonuses to "selected individuals".

If the budget passes on Thursday parliament may not sit again until next year, he said.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australia looks beyond China for growth

AUSTRALIA won't be putting all of its economic and investment eggs into China's basket, Trade Minister Andrew Robb says.

Mr Robb and Prime Minister Tony Abbott will embark on a trade and investment tour of Canada and the United States next week.

It will include Mr Abbott's first meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House.

Mr Robb will lead a separate business delegation to Ottawa, Toronto, New York and Houston.

China accounts for 30 per cent of Australia's exports and about $151 billion in two-way trade.

Critics say this leaves the Australian economy open to danger should the Chinese economy slow down.

But Mr Robb said the argument was misguided, particularly given the interest in Australia from the US, Canada, Indonesia, the Gulf States and Singapore.

"I've done 28 investment roundtables in 10 countries," he told AAP.

"They want a stable, certain investment environment.

"I think we are quite attractive and we are restoring the gold standard for sovereign risk."

The US had 10 times more invested in Australia than it had in China, and Australia had $30 billion invested in China but $450 billion in the US.

"I'm very conscious of the fact that the long-term investors - the US, UK, Switzerland and Japan - will continue to be the mainstay of our investment," Mr Robb said.

"A lot of the growth may come out of China and others but you still need the mainstay.

"We can't put our eggs in the one basket but it's fair to say we are not."

The focus of Mr Robb's mission will be pension funds and other investors in North America with an interest in tourism and hospitality, medical research and devices, resources and energy, education and agribusiness.

"These are five things we feel we are as good as anybody and better than most," he said.

There was also the potential for investment in some of the $200 billion in potential state asset sales spurred on by the government's offer of a 15 per cent bonus if the money is put back into infrastructure.

Capital was needed to build five-star hotels to service the growing number of high-spending Chinese tourists.

Agribusiness investment was essential to growing high-value food and fibre products, processing it and shipping it overseas.

Mr Robb's next trip after North America will be to Switzerland and the UK.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dredge spoil dumping near reef approved

THE government body that protects the Great Barrier Reef has approved the dumping of more than 370,000 cubic metres of dredge spoil in the marine park.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has issued a permit to allow a port authority to dump the spoil as part of a dredging project at Hay Point coal port in central Queensland.

The decision has angered conservation groups, and comes only months after the authority gave the green light for three million tonnes of spoil to be dumped as part of a project to expand the nearby Abbot Point coal port.

"It is an astounding level of arrogance," North Queensland Conservation Council spokeswoman Wendy Tubman said.

"The government claims it is protecting the reef while allowing it to be subjected to such damage from out-of-control sea dumping."

She also says the federal and Queensland governments are taking UNESCO "for a ride".

The United Nation's environment arm has said it regrets the federal government's decision to approve the Abbot Point dredging project, and has raised concerns about the overall health of the reef.

UNESCO is expected to discuss whether to list the reef as a World Heritage site "in danger" when it meets next week.

The Ports Corporation of Queensland wants to carry out the works at Hay Point to make it easier for ships to access the port and to increase capacity.

It's estimated 378,400 cubic metres of dredge spoil will be dumped within the marine park over three years.

The dredging will be carried out within the marine park and the World Heritage Area.

GBRMPA says no hard coral reefs are in the approved dredge disposal area.

It also says the permit imposes a number of conditions to minimise potential effects on the marine park, including the Whitsundays, which is north of Hay Point.

"With safeguards in place, the proposed dredging and dredge disposal is unlikely to significantly impact on the environmental, social, heritage and cultural values of the Marine Park," the authority said in a statement.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Light rail to transform Sydney: govt

A $1.6 billion light rail system linking some of Sydney's biggest attractions will create 10,000 jobs and make it easier for people to travel to sporting, entertainment, health and education areas, the state government says.

By 2020, 20 light rail stops will be built along the 12km route, which, according to present schemes, will run between Circular Quay and Central, the Moore Park sporting and entertainment precinct, Randwick Racecourse, the University of NSW and Prince of Wales Hospital at Randwick.

"It extends from Circular Quay along George Street to Central Station and Moore Park, then to Kingsford via Anzac Parade and Randwick via Alison Road and High Street," Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said of the "priority project ... that will transform Sydney".

During peak times, services would depart the city centre every two to three minutes and about every five minutes between Moore Park and the Randwick and Kingsford branches, Ms Berejiklian said.

The light rail project will be designed, built, operated and maintained using money from public and private sectors.

Major works are scheduled to start in 2015.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

No panic about iron ore price:WA treasurer

THE West Australian treasurer says he is not panicking about a slump in iron ore prices, which threaten to erode the budget surplus.

The spot price for the metal is about $US92 a tonne, a near two-year low.

The state government has assumed a price of about $US125/t for the financial year and almost $123/t for 2014/15.

And for every $US1 fluctuation in the iron ore price, WA's royalties vary by $49 million.

That is substantial considering the state has forecast a surplus of $183 million this financial year, falling to a wafer-thin $5 million by 2015/16.

While WA Opposition Leader Mark McGowan has called on the state government "to provide a full explanation" as to why its projections are higher than those of analysts, Treasurer Mike Nahan says treasury estimates are credible and there is no reason to panic.

Dr Nahan said the state government was closely watching the iron ore price, which fluctuates considerably.

"It varies quite a bit," he told ABC radio on Wednesday.

"We're not trying to predict the variations in it - we're looking at the long haul.

"You just have to hold your nerve on these issues. There is volatility in this.

"If we react to every downward trend by immediately taking drastic actions, we could not govern well.

"I'm not going to slam on the brakes in any way."

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Confusion remains about Burma name change

CONFUSION over what to call Burma, or Myanmar, depending on who and where you are, seems to have surfaced once again.

For decades, Australia's foreign service referred to the Southeast Asian nation as Burma, but after democratic reforms, the previous Labor government in 2012 changed all official references to the Union of Myanmar.

Now it's been confirmed the Abbott government quietly switched back to Burma in late 2013, as rumoured, when the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) website suddenly reverted to the old title.

Consistency seems to be lacking, though.

DFAT's country brief uses Burma, but the Smartraveller website opts for Burma followed by Myanmar in brackets.

Liberal Senator Helen Kroger appeared unimpressed that references to Myanmar remained at all, given the directive from the prime minister in November.

In particular, the eagle-eyed senator grilled DFAT officials at a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday about Australia's top envoy being confusingly called the ambassador to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

"There was a directive from the prime minister in relation to this foreign policy matter," Ms Kroger told a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday.

"So you're saying that his word doesn't amount to anything?"

DFAT secretary Peter Varghese assured Senator Kroger his officials were "faithfully implementing" the prime minister's policy changes by the book.

Under the somewhat confusing guidelines, the government's policy is for diplomats and envoys to switch freely between Burma and Myanmar, depending on the circumstances.

When dealing with the government in Yangon or countries that prefer Myanmar, Australian officials follow suit.

But in domestic contexts or dealing with the US or UK, the older Burma title is adopted.

"Our ambassador to Myanmar would be our ambassador to Myanmar, because the country to which she is accredited is Myanmar, in the eyes of the government of Myanmar," Mr Varghese said.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alleged jewellery thieves flaunted booty

IT took several police officers and a member of the public to bring down an alleged jewellery thief as he fled through a Perth mall before a dramatic arrest.

About 5.45pm (WST) on Wednesday, officers saw two men in their early 20s, who had allegedly stolen jewellery from a city store, filming and photographing themselves wearing the stolen goods, a police spokesman said.

Police caught one of the men and asked the other to hand over his mobile phone, but he took "an aggressive stance" and fled the scene.

Following a chase through Forrest Place, several officers and a member of the public brought the man to the ground.

Both men were taken into custody.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

No relief in sight as 'warm wave' rolls on

Record high temperatures are clear sign of climate change hitting Australia, a report shows. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA has experienced its hottest two years on record and high temperatures are set to continue through winter in a clear sign climate change is having an impact, a new report warns.

May 2012 to April 2014 was the hottest 24-month period ever recorded in Australia, but that is likely to be eclipsed by the two years between June 2012 and May 2014, according to the Climate Commission's latest report, Abnormal Autumn.

"We have just had an abnormally warm autumn, off the back of another very hot 'angry summer'," Climate Council Professor Will Steffen said.

"The past two-year period has delivered the hottest average temperature we have ever recorded in Australia.

"Climate change is here, it's happening, and Australians are already feeling its impact."

The average temperature across Australia in April was 1.11C above the long-term average, the report says, citing Bureau of Meteorology figures.

The average minimum temperature was 1.31C above normal.

Unseasonable temperatures in the autumn "warm wave" set records, with Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne setting benchmarks for the consecutive number of May days when the mercury reached 20C or higher.

In its report, the Climate Council says the abnormally warm weather in April and May "are part of a longer-term trend towards hotter conditions in the summer months and more warm spells in autumn and winter".

It says each of the 12-month periods ending in January, February, March and April 2014 have been record warm periods for Australia, with May figures on track to also be a new high.

"Such records are consistent with the ongoing global and Australia-wide, multi-decadal trends towards a hotter climate," the report says.

Meteorologists predict a high likelihood that Australia will experience an El Nino event - characterised by below-average rainfall in the east and south - in coming months.

The Climate Council says an El Nino could worsen the impacts of climate change, leading to hotter, drier weather.

The Climate Council is a crowd-funded, independent organisation created by the members of the former Climate Commission, which was axed by the coalition government when it came to power in 2013.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

No electricity sell-off plans yet: Baird

The NSW premier's reported plan to sell the state's electricity network in stages has been attacked. Source: AAP

NSW Premier Mike Baird has hosed down suggestions he is preparing to sell off the state's poles and wires, as Labor accuses him of having a "secret" privatisation plan.

Media reports suggest Mr Baird will use the government's June 17 budget to spruik the benefits of selling off the state's electricity assets.

But the premier, who spearheaded an aggressive privatisation push in his previous role as the state's treasurer, said the government had not changed its position on the issue and would take any privatisation policy to the next election.

"I've said very clearly that if we are going to pursue a transaction like that we would need a full mandate," Mr Baird told reporters in Sydney on Monday.

"That is something we'll discuss in our party rooms, that is something we'll discuss in cabinet and that's something we'll be doing in due course."

But Opposition Leader John Robertson wasn't convinced.

He claims Mr Baird is preparing a "secret plan" to privatise the state's poles and wires.

"For years, the people in this state have known only too well what privatisation means," he told reporters.

"It means increased prices ... and for many families that's going to simply push them to breaking point."

He said any sale would strip $1 billion a year in dividends from NSW, which would normally be reinvested into schools and hospitals.

The state's peak union council is vowing to resist the move with a fierce campaign.

"We're very concerned about the premier trying to privatise electricity by the backdoor," Unions NSW Assistant Secretary Mark Morey told AAP.

"Mr Baird should be open and honest rather than floating balloons and come clean with the public."

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abbott to meet with Indonesian president

PM Tony Abbott is to meet with Indonesian President to mend diplomatic rifts. Source: AAP

AN Indonesian resort island known as a romantic wedding venue will host an ice-breaking meeting between Tony Abbott and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Ties between Australia and Indonesia have been uneasy since the Abbott government began turning back asylum-seeker boats and reports emerged of spies tapping the president's phone.

Relations soured to a point that Indonesia's ambassador to Australia, Najib Riphat Kesoema, was recalled to Jakarta in November.

But since then the ambassador has been a key figure in rebuilding relations and working towards a code of conduct, which could be signed or at least progressed when the leaders meet on Batam Island on Wednesday.

The ambassador met with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in Canberra last week and this was considered constructive by government sources.

A phone call between Mr Abbott and the president in May is also understood to have helped mend bridges, with the prime minister apologising for not attending a planned meeting in Bali.

Indonesian officials say the president is keen to leave office later this year with a legacy of strong relations with Australia intact.

The pair will discuss not only the bilateral relationships but developments in the region such as China's growing interest in disputed territories.

Batam Island, a popular location for beach weddings, was also the venue for a reconciliation meeting between former prime minister John Howard and Mr Yudhoyono in 2006.

The Howard meeting came after the Papuan boat people crisis and the release of radical Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir.

Mr Abbott is making the eight-hour stopover on his way to France for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Normandy and a trade and investment tour of North America.

He will meet with US President Barack Obama in Washington DC and hold talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa.

17.01 | 0 komentar | Read More