ICAC hears of Terrigals' 'move' on Iemma

THE pay-off for unseating NSW premier Morris Iemma was a new contract for a company with alleged links to the Obeids, a corruption probe has heard.

Retired engineer Peter Phillips has told the NSW corruption watchdog he was tasked with certifying costs run up by infrastructure company Australian Water Holdings (AWH), in which corrupt ex-MP Eddie Obeid's family allegedly had a secret 30 per cent stake.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has been told of an agreement whereby AWH would build sewerage and water infrastructure in Sydney's northwest, and Sydney Water would pay the company's administrative costs.

But the state-owned utility ended up paying for lavish salaries, limousine rides and legal fees, the inquiry has heard.

Giving evidence to the commission, Mr Phillips said he became "uncomfortable" with ballooning AWH management costs and wondered if the involvement of Liberal party fundraiser Nick Di Girolamo and Eddie Obeid Junior in AWH could explain the cost hikes.

"I was told fairly firmly that political pressure was going to be applied very heavily to Sydney Water and they were going to be forced to come into line, and the implication being, I better not get in the middle of that," Mr Phillips said.

He said the "clincher" came in July 2008, when AWH finance manager Vass Kuznetsov told him "the Terrigals were going to move on Morris Iemma and have him removed as premier, and that part of the payment for their support of this was going to be a water licence for Australian Water Holdings".

Mr Iemma stepped down in September that year.

"I realised there were very powerful influences being wielded around the place," Mr Phillips said.

He said he understood the "Terrigals" to be a group including Mr Obeid and fellow former Labor MP Joe Tripodi.

But Mr Obeid's lawyer Stuart Littlemore QC urged Mr Phillips to admit he "overegged" his evidence about the 2008 meeting.

"Sensational stuff, wasn't it? The way you tell it here," Mr Littlemore said.

"That's how it happened," the witness responded.

Earlier on Tuesday, former Sydney Water chair Tom Parry told the inquiry he warned former NSW premier Kristina Keneally's office that he would consider referring to ICAC an allegedly doctored cabinet minute, which recommended a public-private partnership with AWH, if it was adopted by the NSW government.

The minute was a "complete distortion" of the Department of Premier and Cabinet's original recommendation not to go ahead with the partnership, Dr Parry said.

"I thought this had been killed off," he remembers telling an advisor to Ms Keneally about the minute.

"Obviously we needed to put a stake through the heart."

The inquiry continues.

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30 people killed in bus crash in Thailand

At least 30 workers have been killed when a bus plunged off a steep road into a ravine in Thailand. Source: AAP

OFFICIALS say a double-decker bus carrying municipal workers on a field trip plunged off a steep road into a ravine in western Thailand, killing at least 30 people.

Tak provincial governor Suriya Prasatbunditya says another 22 people were injured in the crash that occurred when the driver tried to pass other cars on a steep, winding mountain road.

The bus slid off the mountain road and then flipped several times before crashing into a tree. The driver told authorities the brakes failed.

The bus was one of four carrying local workers and villagers Monday night from Tak to northeastern Thailand.

The governor said more than 300 accidents took place last year on the winding, hilly road frequented by buses and trucks travelling across the border to Myanmar.

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Tribute to black box inventor

THE Canberra headquarters of a Defence agency will be named after the Australian inventor of the black box flight recorder, David Warren.

As the late Dr Warren's creation again hits world headlines as authorities try to learn the fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, Australia is paying tribute to the inventor.

"Dr Warren was a visionary and his invention has made an extraordinary contribution to aviation safety around the world," Assistant Defence Minister Stuart Robert said on Tuesday.

His flight recorder captures crucial cockpit information that has been used by global agencies to improve safety levels in air travel.

The Defence Science and Technology Organisation building, close to Canberra Airport, will be named after Dr Warren, in what Mr Robert said is a "fitting tribute to a great Aussie".

Dr Warren invented the black box in the mid-1950s when working at the former Defence division, the Aeronautical Research Laboratory, in Melbourne.

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Govt caves in on gender reporting

THE Abbott government has backed down on plans to dilute workplace gender reporting requirements following pressure from women's groups and business.

Employment Minister Eric Abetz has announced the current reporting arrangements for companies with more than 100 employees will stay in place.

However, fewer companies will now have to comply with gender reporting minimum standards - composition of workforce, equal pay, flexible work arrangements and sexual harassment and discrimination.

The standards will now only apply to companies with more than 500 employees from October 1, 2014 and they can choose to comply with one or more.

Senator Abetz said the government will consult with industry and peak bodies about streamlining reporting over the next six months.

The results of the consultations will be announced later this year and the changes will start from April 1 2015.

"We want to make sure that we get this right and do not force new, onerous requirements that do not achieve the stated objectives," he said.

Senator Abetz said it was vital that effective data was collected.

Australian Greens Senator Larissa Waters said the Abbott government was intent on pleasing "big business buddies".

"The government's plans mean that in a year, companies would have to provide less information about gender inequity, and from October fewer businesses would have to do anything to redress it," she said.

Women on Boards spokeswoman Claire Braund conceded that the minimum standards may not be the process in which to "drive change" on gender equity in the workplace.

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Female hiker found in Vic park

A HIKER missing for days in the Victorian wilderness has been winched to safety.

A police helicopter spotted the woman and winched her from the Alpine National Park, northeast of Melbourne, just after 10am on Sunday.

The woman, from the rural NSW city of Dubbo, sent a text message to her husband late on Thursday to say she was lost and out of water as she trekked through the remote park.

She lit a campfire at Howitt Plains to attract the attention of the helicopter.

A police spokeswoman said the woman was in reasonable health and was being attended to by paramedics.

Victoria Police and SES and CFA crews were involved in the search.

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One-punch killers to face life in Qld

One-punch killers will face life imprisonment under proposed changes to Queensland laws. Source: AAP

ONE-PUNCH killers would face life imprisonment under proposed changes to Queensland laws.

The Newman government's draft plan to tackle alcohol-related and drug-related violence, released on Sunday, would create an offence - unlawful striking causing death - to deal with one-punch killers.

If convicted, defendants would be required to serve at least 80 per cent of their life sentence behind bars before being eligible for parole.

"We have all seen the devastating and often tragic effects of coward punches not just in our state but across the nation," Premier Campbell Newman said in a statement.

"The Queensland government is determined to counter this dangerous trend and make Queensland the safest place in Australia for people to go out and enjoy themselves."

Under the plan, the maximum penalty for aggravated serious assaults on ambulance officers would rise from seven to 14 years' imprisonment.

Drunkenness would no longer be a viable excuse to mitigate an offender's sentence and courts would have the power to ban people from licensed premises for life.

ID would be installed in all licensed venues trading after midnight to keep out problem patrons and banned people.

The government would also set up 15 "safe night precincts" across the state where there would be late-night lockouts and more police on the beat.

Police would be given the power to detain people for their own safety if they were unduly intoxicated and at risk of serious harm, or behaving in a potentially violent or antisocial manner.

The government would also introduce a compulsory drinking awareness plan for all students between years 7-12 as part of the school curriculum.

The public has been asked to comment on the draft policy before April 21.

The opposition called on the Newman government to introduce a blanket 1am lockout across the state.

"If you don't tackle trading hours you don't tackle alcohol-fuelled violence. It's that simple," Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said in a statement.

"Unfortunately we have a premier too scared to act and showing no leadership."

Opposition police spokesman Bill Byrne questioned whether the government had failed to introduce a lockout because it was beholden to vested interests.

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NSW urged to get flu-ready

Pregnant women and the elderly are being urged to prepare for winter and get a flu shot. Source: AAP

PREGNANT women and the elderly are being urged to prepare for winter and get a flu shot following an "unusually high" level of influenza in NSW this summer.

The Director of Health Protection NSW, Dr Jeremy McAnulty, said the northern hemisphere had experienced widespread influenza over the past months, with influenza A(H1N1) pandemic strain, A(H3N2) and influenza B circulating to different extents in different countries.

An unusually high level of influenza had also been seen in NSW over summer, he said.

He and other health professionals are now urging people, especially the elderly and pregnant women, to prepare for winter.

"The Australian flu vaccine has been updated to more closely match the influenza strains likely to circulate in NSW this year.

"So get a shot in preparation for this season," Dr McAnulty said on Sunday.

He said the seasonal flu shot continues to be the best defence for pregnant women and has the added advantage of protecting babies during their first six months when they are too young to have the vaccine.

NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said the government's Be Winter Wise campaign, launched on Sunday, was focusing on pregnant women, the elderly and people with chronic medical conditions.

"Although we are still experiencing warm weather, people should not be complacent when it comes to the dangers of the flu," she said in a statement.

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Mining tax debate focus in parliament

THE federal government will try to pressure Labor over the repeal of the mining tax this week as the re-run of the West Australian Senate election looms.

The repeal bills have been listed as the first item of business in the upper house when parliament resumes on Monday.

The Senate election on April 5 is expected to be a focal point of debate in question time, as the Liberals aim to retain the three seats they won at the 2013 election and Labor aims to pick up two seats.

The government has already targeted Labor over its decision this week to vote with the Greens to block the repeal of the carbon tax, despite former prime minister Kevin Rudd pledging in 2013 to scrap the tax.

"We always said that our two first priorities in terms of legislation was to scrap the carbon tax and the mining tax," Finance Minister Mathias Cormann told AAP on Friday.

"We are continuing to work down our to-do list."

Prime Minister Tony Abbott will also seek Labor support for a package of bills on his "repeal day" on Wednesday.

The legislation aims to remove thousands of regulations and pieces of legislation that are redundant, outdated or impose a burden on business.

Mr Abbott says the repeal package - coupled with other measures - will take $700 million a year in compliance costs off business and community groups.

Another repeal day will be held later in the year.

The Senate on Monday will receive a report from its economics legislation committee on the Qantas Sale Act, which would allow majority foreign ownership of the airline.

Labor and the Greens say the airline should remain in Australian hands and be based here, but there might be room for a compromise: allowing foreign airlines to hold more than a 35 per cent stake in Qantas or a greater than 25 per cent stake for any single foreign shareholder.

Senate inquiry reports will be received on Wednesday relating to ticket scalping, the coalition's Direct Action climate plan and people living with dementia.

On Thursday, reports will be tabled from inquiries into Operation Sovereign Borders, Qantas jobs and overseas aid.

The lower house will continue to debate laws to extend road funding and re-establish the Green Army of environmental volunteers.

Labor wants an inquiry into the Green Army legislation, saying it has concerns about workplace protections, the interaction with other welfare payments and the obligation of employers to provide training.

The House of Representatives will also debate a Labor motion on Monday seeking assurances from the government that ABC funding won't be cut and that it will stop vilifying the broadcaster.

It will be the last sitting week before the May 13 budget.

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Principal says school trusted staff

A FORMER Adelaide principal who hired a pedophile says he did not lie but made a mistake when he initially said he had done a police check on the bus driver.

Claude Hamam also said the school was extremely vigilant about supervision, but he had not known children went to the woodwork shed at lunchtime to see the driver, Brian Perkins.

"At the time we had an element of trust that we had for all the staff there," he told the royal commission into sex abuse on Friday.

It is investigating St Ann's Special School and Perkins who sexually abused intellectually disabled children between 1986 and 1991.

Mr Hamam hired Perkins, who had three child abuse convictions, without doing a police check, could not recall if he verified his references, and interviewed him alone which breached catholic school policy.

He told the commission he deeply regretted telling the Catholic Education Office (CEO) in 2001 that he had carried out the check, before revealing in 2003 that he had not done so.

"It is something I have got to carry for the rest of my life," he said.

It had been a mistake and an error of judgment, so he was shocked and devastated to be accused of lying and to be dismissed on the grounds of not being a fit and proper person.

Mr Hamam agreed that as Perkins took on more school activities, he had greater opportunities to be alone with children but said "we were extremely vigilant".

Perkins did volunteer respite care of students on weekends and helped out in the woodwork shed.

Mr Hamam said he did not recall a mother telling him that Perkins had placed her daughter on his knee in the shed and tried to feel her breast.

If that happened, he said he would have informed police.

He did recall a teacher raising concerns about Perkins bringing another man - whom the commission heard was now a convicted pedophile - onto the school premises.

"She felt perhaps he was a little creepy and she didn't like the look of this person," Mr Hamam said.

He told the man he did not want him at the school, but he could not recall if he brought up the incident with Perkins or if it gave him concern about the driver.

He said he first found out about the abuse claims when police contacted him in 1991.

Mr Hamam said he told Michael Critchley, who worked in the CEO's resources section, and expected him to take the case further.

He denied only approaching Mr Critchley for help in terminating Perkins' employment, saying "I thought it was a much more serious matter than looking at an industrial issue".

He did not tell parents their children may have been abused as police told him to keep the matter confidential so as not to compromise their investigation.

He did not raise the allegations with the Archbishop or at school board meetings.

Mr Critchley testified that he did not inform anyone in the CEO of his conversation with Mr Hamam.

"I can't recall why I didn't do it," he said, but agreed that in retrospect he should have.

Perkins, jailed for 10 years in 2003 after pleading guilty to sex offences, died in prison in 2009.

The hearing is continuing.

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Australia's real Pacific solution

Guards at Australia's detention centre on Manus island are ordered to carry hooked knives. Source: AAP

GUARDS at Australia's detention centre on Manus island are ordered to carry hooked knives.

The knives are used to cut ropes when asylum seekers try to hang themselves.

This is the harsh reality of Australia's so-called Pacific Solution.

Here's another reality - in one sleeping area in Foxtrot compound 122 men sleep in a steaming hot, darkened room with no air-conditioning.

Large, industrial fans are spaced unevenly between the beds, leaving little room for people to move.

And another reality: these are men - 1296 of them - living with the dark memories of the February 17 riot that claimed the life of 23-year-old Iranian man Reza Berati.

Broken window panes in the dining hall at Oscar compound, missing windows in Mike compound, bullet holes in a large white container exposing - like wounds - the rusted brown interior.

"They hit him and he fell from here and they hit him till he died," one asylum seeker said of Berati, pointing to a stairwell in Mike compound.

"They hit him in the head until he died." Guards and immigration officials quickly moved us on.

On Friday, a select group of media organisations including AAP was permitted rare access to the centre by court order as part of a Papua New Guinea human rights inquiry into the treatment of asylum seekers.

We were not allowed to interview staff or detainees.

Men in Delta, Foxtrot and Oscar compounds held pictures of Berati.

"Please report this, we want freedom," shouted one man, who gripped tightly onto the shoulder of this journalist.

"Please, we can't sleep. We are scared all the time."

Another became visibly upset. "Six months, seven months, eight months like this here," he said.

"We have no (running) water, no safety."

In Delta compound, media were shown filthy toilets with no running water, while in another compound there were broken showers.

This part of the facility is constructed on the remains of the old Manus Island detention centre, built so the Howard government could implement the first instalment of the Pacific Solution.

Tightly packed shipping containers in rows, each one sleeping four or five men.

Facing each other, the walkway between them is shielded from the heavy and frequent Manus rains by a metal roof.

Peering down, you can barely make out the faces of the men in the dark.

There are vast differences in the quality of the compounds.

While Delta and Foxtrot compounds are extremely run down, others are not.

Mike compound is made up of blazing white shipping containers stacked on top of each other. Each room sleeps four men.

In Oscar compound - made up of a dining hall and large marquee sleeping halls for up to 50 men - showers were broken.

In one of these sleeping halls the words, "you'll never find a rainbow if you keep looking down", are scrawled on a wall above one of the bunk beds.

The beds are spaced about a foot apart.

The court party was informed there are fewer tables in the dining halls since the riot, with none in one compound.

Next to Oscar compound, behind a large corrugated iron fence, is the mental health sleeping quarters.

Inside, a bearded man clutches his violently shaking right hand to his chest.

"I am from Syria, please I want freedom," he said.

Next to Mike compound is "the green zone" where asylum seekers can make calls to their families at night.

But there's nothing safe about it.

An asylum seeker points out a bullet hole in a metal support beam - another memory of February 17.

As the team of court officials and media walks between Oscar and Delta compounds, men hang against the fences and stare at us silently.

One group of about eight men stand with their faces pressed against the rusted metal.

To their right: a sign ordering guards to carry the hooked knives.

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