70 Aussies suspected of having swine flu
April 28, 2009, 6:37 pm
Seventy Australians are suspected of having swine flu, but the virus is showing signs of abating in Mexico where it is believed to have claimed 152 lives.
There are no confirmed cases of the virus in Australia.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday upgraded its pandemic threat level to four, which is two steps short of declaring a full-blown pandemic.
A phase four alert means human-to-human transmission is causing outbreaks in at least one country.
Australia has not elevated its response since the WHO announcement.
"Of course, it's of concern to us that we're now at the next phase, but we have introduced, as of last night, new border measures at our airports," federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
"If we identify any cases in Australia, our response will need to change over time."
The health department learnt of the outbreak in Mexico last Friday.
Since midnight (AEST) on Monday, airlines servicing Australia from the Americas have been required to report any passengers with flu-like symptoms before being cleared to land at local airports.
Nurses are stationed at international airports to detect and treat anyone suspected of carrying the virus.
The nation's chief medical officer Jim Bishop briefed cabinet in Canberra on Tuesday.
He told cabinet Australia's stockpiled 8.7 million doses of anti-viral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza are not meant to treat every person in the country.
"We are trying to prevent the disease coming in at the moment but if we are into the business of containing the disease within small outbreaks then it will be focused in that sort of area - it won't be used for everybody," he said.
Ms Roxon said that while Australia was well placed to deal with the situation, it would be "overconfident" to say it was able to protect itself entirely.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd vowed to use all of the government's available resources to combat the "evolving threat".
"This is a serious international concern for public health," he told reporters in Canberra.
A spokesman for the health department told AAP 70 people across the country were being tested for swine flu as at 1750 (AEST) on Tuesday.
Australia's pandemic management plan includes closure of schools and public gatherings.
Greens leader Bob Brown urged the federal government to release the pandemic plan.
"We need to know that the government recognises that if there's a pandemic we can't prevent it coming to Australia," he said.
"It's going to have everybody worried, anxious. It's going to require everybody to be well informed and know what to do.
"We need the information from government - it's coming out slowly but they ought to have been faster."
Mexico's Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova signalled on Tuesday the epidemic may be abating because the daily number of suspected flu deaths had gone from six on Saturday to five on Sunday and to three on Monday, he said.
A WHO-accredited laboratory in Melbourne is testing samples from 10 high school students for swine flu after they returned to Auckland from Mexico on Saturday.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5527676/70-aussies-suspected-having-swine-flu/
Hi-5 star slammed over sexy photos
April 20, 2009, 8:13 am
©
Former Hi-5 star Kellie Crawford has upset some family groups after racy photos of her appeared in a men's magazine.
The 34-year-old, who spent 10 years with the children's entertainment group, posed for a series of photos in sexy lingerie for Ralph magazine.
Women's Forum Australia spokesperson, Melinda Tankard Reist, told News Ltd Crawford is sending a negative message to young girls.
"The fact she's posed on a cover is particularly problematic because magazines like Ralph are on shop shelves at kiddy eye level," she said.
"It's an abuse of her position with tens of thousands of little girls looking up to her."
Crawford said her husband Addam was happy with the photos as she defended her decision to appear in the publication.
"He said 'if this is going to make you feel like a woman and feel like I see you every day, then do it'," she said.
"I did for myself to remind myself that I am a woman," she said.
Julia Gale from Kids Free 2B Kids also criticised Crawford.
"Older teenage girls will wonder why performers feel the need to pornify their image," she said.
"They are damaged and harmed by messages that they need to sexualise yourself."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/entertainment/5509148/hi5-star-slammed-sexy-photos
Govt urged to keep Aussies out of Fiji
April 15, 2009, 5:24 pm
Australia must tell its citizens not to holiday in Fiji if it hopes to have any influence over military ruler Frank Bainimarama, his former right-hand man says.
Jone Baledrokadroka also says Canberra must pressure China, which has a close relationship with Fiji, not to support the junta in any way.
Baledrokadroka was a senior military figure and Bainimarama's right-hand man before the 2006 coup.
He was locked up for opposing the takeover, but still has contact with Bainimarama.
He says the junta leader will only respond to acts that take a heavy toll on Fiji's economy, and aiming for a direct hit on tourism is the most powerful weapon of persuasion Australia has.
Other sanctions - such as Australia's travel bans covering senior members and relatives of Bainimarama's regime, and restrictions on military cooperation - are futile, Baledrokadroka says.
"Those other sanction don't bother Bainimarama," he said on Wednesday.
"... You need to come down hard on travel advisories for tourists, telling them to stay away from Fiji.
"Yes, it will hurt the local people, but in the end it will ultimately help them out of this terrible situation."
Australia currently advises tourists to exercise caution, particularly in Suva, but not to reconsider travel.
The political and financial situation is deteriorating fast in the Pacific nation.
Bainimarama has sacked several top personnel and on Wednesday devalued the Fijian dollar by 20 per cent to try to pull the country's finances out of the red.
Fiji's tourism body responded with a statement saying there was "never a better time" to visit Fiji now that the destination had become 20 per cent cheaper for Aussie travellers.
Tough media sanctions remain in place, with Bainimarama saying he doesn't want to hear the rising tide of opposition to his planned electoral reforms.
The stakes in Fiji's political crisis were raised dramatically last week when the Fiji Appeal Court ruled that Bainimarama had ruled illegally since his coup.
Fiji president Ratu Josefa Iloilo responded to the ruling by sacking the judiciary, abolishing the constitution and appointing Bainimarama and his government to rule for a further five years.
Australia, along with its Pacific neighbours, has vowed to suspend Fiji from the Pacific Islands Forum but has so far stopped short of imposing sanctions for fear of limiting trade or tourism and harming Fijians.
Baledrokadroka said Canberra must also consider how it might exert some pressure on Bainimarama via China, which has a close relationship with Fiji.
"Australia supplies billions of dollars of raw material to China and it should use that as political leverage to convince China not to come Bainimarama's aid.
"Then, maybe, he will sit up and take notice."
So far Bainimarama is not paying attention, telling New Zealand radio stations on Wednesday the events were "nothing to do with Australia and New Zealand".
He said it was "business as usual" in Fiji, despite severe media sanctions and widespread sacking of officials who don't suit the new order.
Sources say Bainimarama has taken these extreme actions because he fears he could become a victim of military rebellion.
He openly justified the media restrictions by saying free and fair discussion "causes trouble" and he preferred to hear no opposition to his new reforms.
Internet blog sites say Fiji's internet cafes are under pressure to close and government workers have lost web access, while government officials forced the ABC to close down two FM transmitters.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/5500026/govt-urged-aussies-fiji/
Woman wins landmark asbestos payout
April 13, 2009, 3:56 pm
Decades of washing her husband's asbestos-laden work clothes killed Sydney grandmother Margaret Dawson, but in death she has won a landmark compensation case against her spouse's employer.
Ms Dawson, who died last year aged 64, was awarded $550,000 by the NSW Dust Diseases Tribunal just over a week ago, after taking legal action against building materials group James Hardie.
She claimed 20 years of washing her husband Maurice's work clothes led to her contracting the fatal asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma.
The tribunal ruling has been compared to the victory of prominent asbestos diseases campaigner, Bernie Banton, who died in 2007 from mesothelioma.
He was instrumental in winning a $4 billion compensation package for Australian asbestos disease sufferers from his former employer, James Hardie Industries.
Ms Dawson's tribunal victory has opened the door for carers to claim compensation, Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia president Barry Robson said.
"I think Margaret Dawson is up there with the Bernie Bantons of this world," Mr Robson told Sky News on Monday.
"She is the standard now for all wives and mothers and carers. They all should now be looking for compensation."
Ms Dawson's payout included personal compensation and, in a landmark decision, $200,000 for her unpaid work looking after her grandchildren.
"It's an excellent result," Mr Robson told AAP.
"It's the first time courts have awarded compensation for a carer.
"She was caring for her grandchildren, and now she's no longer with her family, the family have to be compensated to pay for care."
Ms Dawson died midway through her 18-month court battle, but Mr Robson said it was important for victims to press ahead with legal action regardless of their health.
"Hardies fought this case tooth and nail, like they do every case," Mr Robson said.
"They're hoping that the victim dies and the case dies with them, but Margaret wasn't going to let that happen.
"Unfortunately, Margaret never lived to see the result, but it will be her legacy."
Mr Robson said secondary exposure was not unusual.
"It's quite common for wives to come down with disease after washing their husband's work clothes in all sorts of occupations," he said.
Ms Dawson's daughter Corina Novek said her mother had moved in with the family to help raise her grandchildren so that Ms Novek could return to work.
"I know she would be happy that this will help other families," she told The Daily Telegraph.
"But I would give it all back in a second to have her back. The kids just adored her."
James Hardie did not return calls seeking comment on Ms Dawson's settlement.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5494305/dead-woman-wins-landmark-asbestos-payout/
Newspaper issues Hanson photo apology
March 22, 2009, 9:27 am
A Sydney newspaper has apologised to former One Nation founder Pauline Hanson for publishing revealing photographs it claimed were of her but now believes to be of someone else.
The Sunday Telegraph last weekend published photographs of a young naked woman resembling Hanson.
Now Sunday Telegraph editor Neil Breen has publicly apologised to Ms Hanson in an editorial in Sunday's edition and also on the news pages.
The newspaper says it was duped by the man that supplied the photographs, Jack Johnson, whom the paper describes as the "now discredited disability pensioner".
Hanson has always denied she was the person in the photographs, and is taking legal action against the media organisation.
She lost her battle for the seat of Beaudesert in the Queensland election on Saturday and told reporters she believed the nude photographs had hurt her campaign.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5421461/newspaper-issues-hanson-photo-apology/
Oil slick damage worsens as massive clean-up continues
ABC - March 14, 2009, 7:26 am
Interstate help is on the way to Queensland to help clean-up oil-coated coastlines in the state's south-east as the estimated amount of oil spilled continues to rise.
The owners of the Hong-Kong registered Pacific Adventurer have revealed the ship that caused the disaster is more badly damaged than first thought.
Owner Swire Shipping says it is now likely a lot more oil escaped than the 42,000 litres reported yesterday.
The toxic sludge escaped from the Pacific Adventurer in Wednesday's spill, blanketing 60 kilometres of coast from Moreton Island to Coolum on the Sunshine Coast.
Queensland authorities will hold another briefing this morning on the on-going response to the oil spill blanketing beaches.
While almost all the oil has been removed from a 12-kilometre stretch of Bribie Island, the clean-up operation at Moreton Island, off Brisbane, is only just starting.
Heavy machinery has arrived on the island as part of the clean up effort and 200 council and State Emergency Service workers are expected to help out in the process which is expected to take at least four days.
Meanwhile, New South Wales is sending six specialist maritime officers, while 20 Australian Maritime Safety Authority staff are being sent from Canberra.
Authorities are advising volunteers not to help with the clean-up, with Marine Safety Queensland saying it would be inappropriate to have volunteers handling the substance.
One of the Pacific Adventurer's fuel tanks was ruptured on Wednesday when containers washed overboard, but divers found more damage to the hull during an underwater inspection of the ship in Brisbane yesterday.
Swire Shipping says it is flying in specialist equipment from overseas to assist the clean-up.
Moreton Island resident Amanda Graham says locals are still coming to terms with the disaster.
"I mean it's a lot smaller than the Exxon Valdez, but my God, it's still the same for an island this close, this pristine and this well kept," she said.
"It's just disgusting."
Henning Christiansen from the Australian Institute of Marine Engineers wants a review of permits issued by the Federal and Queensland Governments which allow foreign-flagged ships to sail in the state without meeting local standards.
"It's like driving a Panamanian registered car in Queensland, you don't have to meet the Queensland standards," he said. <h3>Accusations fly</h3>
Meanwhile, Queensland Deputy Premier Paul Lucas has accused the company Swire Shipping of lying about how much fuel has leaked into the ocean.
Massive clean-ups continue along beaches and island south-east of Queensland, after a major oil spill from the Pacific Adventurer on Wednesday.
Mr Lucas says the estimation has hampered the initial response to the spill.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is continuing to investigate exactly how much oil was leaked.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5390023/oil-slick-damage-worsens-massive-cleanup-continues/
300 in brawl, homemade bombs hit Darwin
March 6, 2009, 1:48 pm
Up to 300 youths have brawled at a Darwin shopping centre and homemade bombs have been set off elsewhere in the city.
Police said the explosive devices had been made with plastic bottles filled with a mix of substances.
One of the homemade bombs was hurled at a building in the vicinity of La Grande apartments on Knuckey Street about 10.45am (CST) on Thursday.
There was a second such incident in Mitchell Street about 1.30pm.
Firefighters were called in to make the area safe and clean up the remnants.
Police are looking for four young men seen in the area at the time.
"The fire service cannot stress enough the stupidity and potential danger caused by doing these acts," police said in a statement.
"The potential loss of life, injury and property destruction far out weighs any perceived fun the offenders may find in their actions."
Less than two hours later police were called to a large disturbance at Casuarina Shopping Square.
Watch commander Gary Smith said 27 police officers were called to break up a series of fights involving up to 300 youths.
"It was certainly a disappointing incident and police are calling on parents to ensure they know what their children are up to after school finishes," he told ABC radio.
"Police will be taking a zero tolerance approach to these incidents, and we will issue trespass notices and infringement notices."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5372495/300-brawl-homemade-bombs-hit-darwin/
Mum 'had sex with 12-year-old'
March 4, 2009, 4:57 pm
A South Australian married mother of two took a 12-year-old boy as her lover, and had sex with him in her car and on a patch of dirt by a dump, a court has heard.
A jury was today told Rebecca Robyn Daniel repeatedly denied having an affair with the boy, but told her co-worker she considered him "her best friend".
The 35-year-old, of Port Wakefield, is standing trial in the District Court.
She has pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated indecent assault and three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse.
Opening the trial, prosecutor Michael Barnett said the offences occurred between June 2007 and February 2008.
At that time, the boy who cannot be identified was 12 and 13 years old, while Daniel was 34.
Mr Barnett told the jury Daniel would often give the boy a lift in her car.
"One night, when she was driving him home, she took a detour and drove to the wharf at Port Wakefield," he said.
"She stopped the car, turned off the lights, looked at the boy and said 'untie your pants'."
Mr Barnett said that was the first of two sexual encounters the couple had in the car.
A third occurred in a "large dump area" near her home where "the ground was dirt".
He said that, after they both undressed, Daniel told the boy to "stick it in".
Mr Barnett said local gossip linked Daniel and the boy as a couple, while the boy's father discovered she had been sending text messages to his son.
He said Daniel's co-worker quizzed her about the rumours.
"She denied that was so, but she did say during the conversation that (the boy) was her best friend and they were very close," he said.
The trial, before Judge Wayne Chivell, is continuing.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5367847/mum-sex-12yearold/
Teen to have surgery after shark attack
March 1, 2009, 9:25 am
A teenager will undergo emergency surgery after being attacked by a shark on Sydney's northern beaches.
The 15-year-old boy was surfing with his father at the northern end of Avalon Beach when the shark attacked about 6.45am (AEDT), a NSW ambulance spokesman said.
The spokesman said the teenager had been airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH), where he will undergo surgery after suffering thigh injuries.
"He has severe injuries, but I don't think at this stage they're life-threatening," he said.
"He's got extensive bite wounds and lacerations.
He said he believed the young man's leg had not been severed.
"He was stabilised and treated at the scene and given pain relief.
"Before he left, he was stabilised further so be could treated and flown by helicopter.
"All I know at this stage is that he was surfing with his father."
Nick Miller from the Avalon Beach Surf Lifesaving Club said the surfer was in the water with his father when the shark attacked in the early morning.
"It got him around the top of his leg and his calf muscle and the father came in and dragged him in," he said.
The father and son are members of the surf club.
Network Seven reported that the father rescued his son.
Onlookers wrapped the teenager's wounds in beach towels before emergency services arrived.
A teenage boy told Network Seven he watched the aftermath, with ambulance officers treating the boy on the beach.
"They were just tending to them and we were just watching from up here thinking what's happened," he said.
"And then, on the way here, a surfer said there had been a shark attack."
The father said the attack happened quickly and his son was unable to identify the size or species of shark, Seven said.
No one else was in the water at the beach at the time.
But a short time later, life savers had to call a swimmer out of the surf.
The beach remains empty, with swimmers and surfers warned not to enter the water.
It is the third serious shark attack in Sydney in less than three weeks and comes after repeated warnings by authorities for beachgoers not to enter the water at dawn or dusk due to increased shark activity.
Navy clearance diver Paul de Gelder was lucky to survive after being mauled by a 2.7-metre bull shark off Garden Island, in Sydney Harbour, on February 11, causing him to lose a hand and leg.
Just a day later, 33-year-old surfer Glenn Orgias was attacked by a 2.5m great white that shook him and nearly severed his left hand.
The Sydney Harbour Swim Classic was scheduled to go ahead on Sunday morning despite the earlier attacks.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5358819/young-man-attacked-shark-avalon/
Lapthorne family barred from searching
February 25, 2009, 5:47 am
The Croatian government has barred the family of Britt Lapthorne from searching for the young Melbourne backpacker's missing remains.
The Lapthorne family has been trying to arrange scuba divers to search the sea near Dubrovnik, where 21-year-old Britt Lapthorne's remains were found in October last year, three weeks after she was last seen at a nightclub in the town.
The Australian Federal Police asked Croatian authorities on behalf of the Lapthornes if a private search with Australian divers was possible, the Herald Sun newspaper reported.
But in reply, Croatia's Interior Ministry would the search was illegal and any evidence found would be inadmissible.
Ms Lapthorne's family has been highly critical of Croatian police efforts to investigate the death.
Ms Lapthorne's camera, bag and clothes were missing and there may be evidence still in the water that her body was weighed down.
Last week, Britt's father Dale Lapthorne appealed for funding to mount a search of the bay where Britt was found, hoping it might yield missing body parts including her jaw and foot.
"All we want to do is find the rest of Britt's body, as any family would," Dale Lapthorne told the Herald Sun.
"But this is not an unexpected response from the Dubrovnik police. It's as though they are scared of what we might find."
An Australian dive group has told the family a full-scale search could cost up to $100,000 - a cost they might not be able to bear.
An exhumation of Ms Lapthorne's body in Croatia and an autopsy conducted by the Victorian coroner have failed to confirm how she died.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5342792/lapthorne-family-barred-searching/
Police closing in on arsonists: Nixon
February 13, 2009, 10:50 am
Investigators are closing in on arsonists believed to be responsible for bushfires near Melbourne , outgoing Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon says.
Police were called to a fire in a paddock in the town of Baxter on the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne , about 10.45pm (AEDT) on Thursday.
It followed an earlier three-hectare scrub fire that began in the Yarra Flats at East Ivanhoe, closer to the city, about 3pm on Thursday.
Police have released an image of a man wanted for questioning over the Ivanhoe blaze that threatened houses, disrupted traffic and sent a plume of smoke across several suburbs.
"Last night, we did, in fact, have two fires that were lit and in one case we have a suspect that we're talking to," Ms Nixon said.
"The other one we're very clear about who the person is."
She said police were also working around the clock in the pursuit of arsonists behind the Churchill and Marysville blazes.
At least 21 people died in the Churchill bushfire while 15 lives were lost at Marysville, amid fears that that death toll could top 100 - a fifth of the town's population.
"For us, it's a matter to continue to get information from the community to work through it and to find these people as soon as we can," Ms Nixon told the Nine Network.
"We're very keen to do that as, obviously, the whole community wants us to."
She also has confirmed police were following up reports of looting, adding it was disappointing to see such acts occurring at a time of such devastation.
"When homes are vulnerable it's really sad to see that king of thing happening," Ms Nixon said.
"We're not seeing a lot of it, but we're seeing some of it."
She called on people to report looting to the police so they could get on top of the problem quickly.
"We're seeing some looting, but we have a lot of police officers out there, a lot of volunteers and others who are paying attention to the issue," she said.
Ms Nixon said police had strong concerns some of the fires may be the action of copycat arsonists.
"It's part of the reason we ask people in the community to be aware," Ms Nixon told ABC Television.
"That can be the case, that's part of the psyche."
Arsonists usually looked for attention and also had other behavioural issues, she said.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5318886/police-closing-in-on-arsonists-nixon/
Costello accuses Rudd of huge economic U-turn
ABC - February 4, 2009, 1:44 am
Lateline ©
Former treasurer Peter Costello says Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's latest spending package is the biggest economic U-turn in Australia's history.
The Government has announced it is spending $42 billion stimulating economic activity through cash payments, tax breaks and infrastructure projects.
The spending and plummeting tax revenue will see the Government's $22 billion surplus slide into a $22.5 billion deficit.
Mr Costello told ABC 1's Lateline program, Mr Rudd has gone from trying to contain growth to desperately trying to stimulate it, in less than 12 months.
"Twelve months ago... Kevin Rudd was saying the inflation genie was out of the bottle, we needed interest rate rises and we needed larger surpluses," Mr Costello said.
"That was 12 months ago. He was wrong - wrong throughout 2008.
"He was actually urging on a restrictive monetary and fiscal policy when what we should have been doing last year is ensuring that we had pro-growth policies.
"He's turned around, he's done a U-turn. He's done the biggest U-turn in Australian economic history."
Mr Costello says Mr Rudd has driven the economy into the red.
"I would not go deliberately into deficit, in fact, even Kevin Rudd says he didn't go deliberately into deficit," he said.
"He's claiming he was forced into it because revenues dropped. It's false. It wasn't the revenues, it was the policy decision."
"Essentially, what the Government is trying to do is trying to massage the figures quarter by quarter.
"So it tried to massage the December retail figures with $10 billion. It's now trying to massage the March quarter figures.
"It's poor quality spend. A lot of this will just come and go. The $10 billion - come and gone.
"Did you notice a shift in the economy? No, of course not."
Mr Rudd told ABC 1's 7.30 report earlier on Tuesday evening that the Government devised its strategy over several months with each measure having an effect on stimulating the economy.
"Firstly, of course, you have the economic security strategy we brought out last October. Payments were delivered in December. There'll be some washover of that into, we assume, into the March quarter," he said.
"Because we are concerned about the period ahead, the March quarter, the June quarter, into the rest of 2009, we've adopted these other measures as well."
Mr Rudd also said his address to the nation in October and again on Tuesday night is an integral part of informing the nation of the economic crisis and creating "a rational basis for hope".
"People out there are concerned. There is fear in the community," he said.
"Therefore, what you need to construct is a rational basis for optimism, confidence and hope, that means explaining to people not just what the problem is, frankly, but also the structure of your response, the dimensions of your response.
"What's going to be done, how much money, over what period of time, what it's to be invested in."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5298603/costello-accuses-rudd-huge-economic-uturn/
http://www.aussiefoodshop.com/australian_food_home.html
Adelaide swelters through record night
January 29, 2009, 9:44 am
Adelaide has sweltered through its hottest night on record with the temperature only dipping to 33.9 degrees.
After a top temperature on Wednesday of 45.7c, the weather bureau said the overnight minimum came just after midnight (CDT).
The previous record was the 33.5c recorded on January 1, 1982.
By 5am the mercury had climbed back to 37c, on the way to a forecast top for Thursday of 44.
It will be Adelaide's third day in a row above 40c, with the city expected to have three more before the temperature dips into the high 30s.
That will be the longest run of consecutive days above 40c for more than 100 years.
Emergency services remained on high alert with a number of fires sparked by the conditions over the past 24 hours.
Public transport services were also thrown into chaos with the heat buckling both tram and train lines.
A number of blown transformers across the city has also cut power to some residents.
With the hot conditions persisting, SA Unions on Thursday urged employers to be flexible and to allow workers respite, particularly those without air-conditioning.
State secretary Janet Giles said it also made commonsense that there should be no outdoor work in such conditions.
"On days like these, the construction industry practically closes down, and for good reason," she said.
"Really good employers understand the toll that the heat can take and should even allow workers the flexibility to collect their children from school or tend to the needs of elderly relatives."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5298603/costello-accuses-rudd-huge-economic-uturn/
No change to Australia Day date: Rudd
January 26, 2009, 6:07 pm
Australian of the Year Mick Dodson is unfazed by the prime minister's refusal to discuss changing the date of Australia Day, and has renewed calls for the Rudd government to compensate the stolen generations.
Labor has previously ruled out compensating indigenous Australians taken from their families, but Prof Dodson says he's hopeful that will soon change.
The Aboriginal leader and academic said politicians often said things couldn't be done only to be proven wrong.
"We had a former politician (John Howard) tell us there'd never be an apology (but) we got that didn't we," Prof Dodson said.
"The prime minister has shown excellent leadership since he's become prime minister.
"I'm hopeful that things can turn around."
Prof Dodson said the government should establish a compensation fund as suggested in the Bringing Them Home report.
The Yawuru man also implored Kevin Rudd not to completely shut the door on the question of moving Australia Day.
Prof Dodson wants a "national conversation" about changing the date because January 26 "isolates" indigenous people.
He says many Aborigines see the landing of the First Fleet in 1788 "as the day on which our world came crashing down".
However, at a citizenship ceremony in Canberra on Monday, Mr Rudd stared down Prof Dodson, who was sitting just metres away from the lectern, and said "no".
"To our indigenous leaders, and those who call for a change to our national day, let me say a simple, respectful but straightforward no," the prime minister said.
"We are a free country and it is natural and right from time to time that there will be conversations about such important symbols for our nation.
"It is equally right as a free country that those of us charged with political leadership provide a straightforward response."
Prof Dodson, a tireless campaigner for indigenous rights, said he wasn't worried by the prime minister's tough stance.
"I'm not fazed at all by the prime minister's comments," he told reporters.
"I'm actually glad he's joined in the conversation.
"He has his point of view (and) everybody in this country is entitled to express their point of view."
But he stressed "let's not close the door to having a conversation about this".
Prof Dodson suggested he was willing to clash with the federal government on other issues in his role as Australian of the Year.
"I'm going to talk to Australians about a lot of things this year."
He will also have to take on the opposition, with Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull declaring "I don't support changing the day".
"I think Australia Day, and I'm sure most Australians agree, is very appropriate today," Mr Turnbull said.
Prof Dodson said Australia Day could instead be celebrated on February 13, to coincide with the anniversary of the apology to the stolen generations.
He also suggested commemorating Australia's federation on January 1, 1901 may be another alternative.
"Let's remember that it was years and years before Australia became a nation state," Prof Dodson said.
"It (January 26, 1788) was the landing of the First Fleet in the colony of NSW, it wasn't even Australia then."
While Mr Rudd might not have welcomed Prof Dodson's call, National Australia Day Council chairman Adam Gilchrist certainly did.
"What we look for in our leaders is inspiration and people to challenge us, and you're certainly doing that," he told Prof Dodson at the citizenship ceremony.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5281283/change-australia-day-date-rudd/
Heath Ledger gets Oscar nomination
January 23, 2009, 6:29 am
Heath Ledger has been nominated for an Oscar on the anniversary of his death.
The late Australian actor, found dead from an accidental prescription drug overdose in his New York apartment exactly 12 months ago, was honoured with a best supporting actor nomination for his performance as the psychotic villain, The Joker, in the latest Batman blockbuster, The Dark Knight .
The nomination ceremony, held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, revealed other bittersweet moments for Australia's film elite with Cate Blanchett , Nicole Kidman , Hugh Jackman and Baz Luhrmann, who were all snubbed.
The Luhrmann epic Australia picked up just one nomination, with Luhrmann's wife Catherine Martin earning a nod for her costume designs.
The epic, set in the Australian outback and Darwin during World War II, came up empty-handed in other key categories, failing to score nominations for cinematography, art direction, screenplay and special effects.
Two other Australians, visual effects wizard Ben Snow for Iron Man and Dark Knight film editor Lee Smith, were also nominated for Oscars.
If Ledger is honoured with the Oscar at the February 22 Academy Awards ceremony at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre it will be the first posthumous Academy Award win for an actor since another Australian, Peter Finch , did it for Network in 1977.
Ledger was nominated just once when alive.
He claimed the nomination for his role as a gay cowboy in 2006's Brokeback Mountain .
However, Ledger may not be a sure thing for the Oscar despite a tsunami of support in Hollywood and Dark Knight fans.
The supporting actor category is stacked with talent and interesting performances, with Josh Brolin ( Milk ), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt), Michael Shannon ( Revolutionary Road ) and Robert Downey Jr, for his hilarious role in the comedy Tropic Thunder as an Aussie method actor playing an African American soldier, nominated.
The nomination ceremony was full of surprises and high-profile snubs.
Blanchett may have been omitted for her role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but the film came out of the nomination ceremony a winner with 13 nominations, more than any other movie.
The next best was Slumdog Millionaire with 10.
Blanchett's Benjamin Button co-star Brad Pitt was nominated for best actor.
The other best actor nominees are: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler); Sean Penn ( Milk ); Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) and Richard Jenkins ( The Visitor ).
Pitt will walk the red carpet with girlfriend Angelina Jolie , who was nominated for best actress for Changeling .
Jolie goes up against Anne Hathaway ( Rachel Getting Married ), Meryl Streep (Doubt), Melissa Leo ( Frozen River ) and Kate Winslet (The Reader).
British actress Winslet was one of the big losers of the ceremony.
She was expected to be nominated twice - best actress for Revolutionary Road and best supporting actress for The Reader.
The Academy, however, went against what was expected and also other major Hollywood awards nights, including the Golden Globes, by selecting Winslet's performance in The Reader in the best actress category.
The Academy voters apparently did not appreciate Revolutionary Road , with Winslet not nominated for the role, the film shut out of best picture and her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio was also snubbed in the actor category.
Winslet won two Golden Globes earlier this month for Revolutionary Road and The Reader.
Revolutionary Road was nominated for just three Oscars - supporting actor Michael Shannon, art direction and costume design.
Australia's Martin, Lee and Snow are not strangers to the Oscars.
Martin won two Academy Awards in 2002 for Moulin Rouge !, another film directed by her husband.
That year she collected the art direction and costume designer awards.
Smith was nominated, but did not win, in 2004 for editing the Russell Crowe film, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
Visual effects supremo Snow was nominated in 2003 for Star Wars: Episode II : Attack of the Clones and in 2002 for Pearl Harbor.
The best picture nominees are: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk , The Reader and Slumdog Millionaire.
The director race is between David Fincher (Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Gus Van Sant ( Milk ), Stephen Daldry (The Reader) and Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire).
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/entertainment/5276860/heath-ledger-gets-oscar-nomination/
Federer wins Kooyong Classic
AAP - January 17, 2009, 6:17 pm
Roger Federer stormed to victory in the Kooyong Classic on Saturday then declared himself in perfect shape to win his fourth Australian Open to equal the grand slam record.
Federer dominated the final against fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, seizing a 6-1 6-3 win in only 57 minutes.
The result provided an ideal lead-in to the Australian Open beginning on Monday when he will be out to match Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slam titles.
And unlike last year, when he was hobbled by illness and a lack of match practice as a consequence, Federer said everything was in place for him this year.
"I've played plenty of matches so that's not the issue, no health problems, feeling fresh and fit and ready to go and excited so things are the way I was hoping them to be," Federer said.
"Last year was more just a race trying to get in shape or in decent shape for the first round, so it's quite different.
"I couldn't really work on anything, it was hopefully just trying to hit a few times before Monday."
Under those conditions Federer still managed to reach the semi-finals so he was keen on Saturday to send a clear warning to the major challengers - World N.1 Rafael Nadal, defending champion Novak Djokovic and Scot Andy Murray who holds a dominant record over the Swiss star.
"This time it's different. I also played Doha which I didn't do last year so I actually came into the (2008) Australian Open not playing at all.
"This changes a lot because in a way of higher expectations obviously because last year was just a matter of playing the tournament - this time I will try to win it," he said.
"I don't come here to lose in the fourth round - those times are over."
Federer betrays no false modesty, nor can he with his record.
"I'm always confident entering any grand slam really because of all the success I've had in the last six years.
"I don't remember any slam entering where I go, 'Oh God' I know it's not going to work out for me.
"I always feel I'm going to play well at the slam and it's going to take an incredible performance by somebody else to beat me - and that's what's happened over the last few years and I know it's exactly the same again this year."
Federer described his Open draw as "tough but possible."
He meets Italian Andreas Seppi in the first round and has former Open winner Marat Safin, Djokovic and American Andy Roddick in his half of the draw.
Seppi, he said, was a "tough opponent" whom he beat in this year's Doha tournament in the second round.
Wawrinka was unbothered by Saturday's loss, stressing the nature of the eight-man tournament and was pleased to have reached the final on the eve of the Open.
"I think he was playing very good and I was not so very in the match," Wawrinka said.
"It was tough for me to move well and to play well with this wind today but I'm very happy with this week because it's very good preparation for the Australian Open. "It was perfect here for me today."
Federer wasted little time against his friend and Beijing gold medal-winning doubles partner before a packed Kooyong stadium.
He raced through the opening set in just 25 minutes, taking service breaks in the opening, third and final games.
Federer immediately broke serve to take a 2-0 lead in the second set and clinched the match on his second championship point with an easy smash.
It was Federer's second win in the Kooyong tournament - he previously won here in 2005.
Earlier, in the play-off for third place, Spain's Fernando Verdasco cruised past Chilean Fernando Gonzalez 6-4 6-3.
http://au.sports.yahoo.com/tennis/news/article/-/5267066/federer-wins-kooyong-classic
Hewitt to begin Open against Gonzalez
AAP - January 16, 2009, 4:13 pm
AAP ©
Lleyton Hewitt's camp has acknowledged his nightmare draw for the Australian Open was always on the cards given his injury-caused plummet in the rankings.
Australia's great hope has paid the price for entering his home grand slam unseeded for the first time in nine years, drawing 2007 finalist and 13th seed Fernando Gonzalez in the opening round.
Hewitt was among the Chilean's victims during his dazzling run at Melbourne Park two years ago, when Gonzalez dominated a third round encounter, their most recent meeting.
Adding to the feisty South Australian's challenge, in-form French 24th seed Richard Gasquet and world No.1 Rafael Nadal are his likely opponents in the third and fourth rounds should he get there.
Hewitt would have been desperately wanting an easier start, given he has just six matches under his belt following a five-month lay-off after hip surgery.
But his manager David Drysdale said the horror draw was no great surprise, given the former world No.1's tumble to No.74.
"It's a pretty tough section, there's a lot of quality players in that area, but that's just the strength of the game at the moment," Drysdale said.
"He was aware that this could easily happen because he hasn't been playing.
"The important thing is he gets out there and gets through the matches and stays injury-free."
Drysdale said Hewitt - who won two out of three matches in the Hopman Cup and reached the Sydney International quarter-finals since his return - would still enter the Australian Open with confidence.
"He'll have a few hits over the next couple of days and talk with (coach Tony Roche) about ways to play Gonzalez and they'll come up with a plan and they'll go from there," he said.
"I think you've got to have a reasonable amount of confidence every time you go out to play a match otherwise it's not worth going out."
Gonzalez admitted he was also concerned about what he rated as hard a first-round match-up as he could have copped as a seeded player.
"It is going to be a tough match, it is going to be tough for me, tough for him, so it is going to be fun," Gonzalez said.
Australia's second-ranked man, big-serving left-hander Chris Guccione, fared better, drawing French world No.70 Nicolas Devilder.
Reigning junior champion Bernard Tomic makes his grand slam debut against Italian world No.71 Potito Starace.
The nation's top-ranked woman, Samantha Stosur, would also have been happy, drawing Czech 26-year-old Klara Zakopalova, who has bombed out in the first round of 11 of her last 12 grand slam tournaments.
Casey Dellacqua, who made a giant-killing run to the fourth round last year, will need to recapture that form to make it past the first round against 19th-seeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova, a semi-finalist last year.
Of the other Australian direct entrants, Jarmila Gajdosova plays France's Virginie Razzano, while Anastasia Rodionova meets Russian eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Three Australian men's wildcard recipients - Colin Ebelthite, Carsten Ball and Brydan Klein - drew qualifiers, while Samuel Groth meets American Mardy Fish.
Jelena Dokic plays Austria's Tamira Paszek, Monika Wejnert meets Italian Karin Knapp, Olivia Rogowska drew Ukrainian seed Alona Bondarenko, Isabella Holland plays Spanish seed Anabel Medina Garrigues and Jessica Moore meets American fellow wildcard holder Christina McHale.
Of the top men's seeds, Nadal will meet Belgian veteran Christophe Rochus, No.2 Roger Federer plays Italian Andreas Seppi, No.3 and defending champion Novak Djokovic drew a qualifier and No.4 Andy Murray will play Romanian Andrei Pavel.
Women's No.1 Jelena Jankovic plays Austria's Yvonne Meusberger, No.2 and three-time champion Serena Williams plays Chinese wildcard Meng Yuan, No.3 Dinara Safina meets fellow Russian Alla Kudryavtseva and No.4 Elena Dementieva plays German Kristina Barrois.
http://au.sports.yahoo.com/tennis/news/article/-/5265152/hewitt-begin-open-gonzalez
Feminists angered by bikini suggestions
January 15, 2009, 6:13 am
Feminists are calling for action to be taken after an Australian Navy submarine commander suggested that women sailors in bikinis would help boost recruitment.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Commander Tom Phillips from the HMAS Farncomb was asked by a men's magazine if "female sailors all had to be hot and had to wear bikinis, would that help recruitment?".
Commander Phillips is quoted as replying: "It would certainly get the right demographic of young men in. I'm not sure how feasible it is."
Defence Minister Warren Snowden said the comments were "utterly unacceptable".
Chair of the Women's Lobby Australia, Eva Cox, said the comments reflected the "Navy's limited view of women as bodies rather than brains", the Telegraph reported.
C
heapest Waterfront Properties
13 January 10:23am
You don't have to be a millionaire to have a million dollar view.
If you are dreaming of buying a new home but don't think you could afford luxury waterfront views, think again! With this list of affordable waterfront homes you could be the envy of all your neighbours, without breaking the bank.
Although top-end waterfront properties have had their struggles during 2008, when you look to the regions,affordable properties in some locations can still be found.
Right now the cheapest oceanfront suburb in which to purchase a house is in Port Pirie West in South Australia where the house price is $140,000. In contrast, the most expensive seaside suburb is Tamarama in Sydney which currently holds a house price of $4.4 million.
Cashed up buyers looking to snare a bargain will now find many properties offering idyllic waterfront properties and land right now, particularly in regional coastal areas.
New South Wales
Across NSW the most affordable regional oceanfront suburb is Corindi Beach, approximately 29km north of Coffs Harbour with a current house price of $272,500. Interestingly four of the five most affordable locations detailed in NSW are found on the Mid-North Coast. Just like the better established and more expensive oceanfront areas, most of the suburbs have recorded a long average time on the market.
Victoria
All of the most affordable oceanfront locations in Victoria are found in Gippsland or East Gippsland. Loch Sport which is situated approximately 45 kilometres east of Sale is Victoria's most affordable regional oceanfront location with a house price of $149,250. Interestingly, some of the areas listed have recorded exceptional growth during the last 12 months however, Port Albert has seen substantial price falls.
Queensland
Halifax which is located approximately 15km from Ingham and 100km north of Townsville is Queensland's most affordable oceanfront location with a house price of just $200,000. Unsurprisingly, all of the most affordable areas are outside of South-East Queensland, with 3 of the 5 having recorded increases in prices during the last 12 months.
South Australia
Across the state and the country, the resource area of Port Pirie West within the Port Pirie township, is the most affordable oceanfront location with a house price of $140,000. All regions detailed have witnessed a relatively long average time on market and price growth results have been varied, falling by as much as 21.1% and increasing by as much as 14.5%.
Western Australia
Prices within oceanfront suburbs tend to be much higher in WA than all other states, with the most affordable suburb Withers, located within Bunbury City, having the most affordable price tag at $270,000. Interestingly, most of the WA suburbs detailed have recorded positive growth or only slight falls which is a little surprising given that most areas of WA have recorded price falls through 2008.
Tasmania
Tasmania has some very affordable oceanfront locations with all of the five most affordable having a price below $200,000. Beechford on the northern coast of Tasmania approximately 48km north of Launceston has the state's most affordable oceanfront price at $158,500.
Summary:
| |
Cheapest Suburb |
Median House Price |
Distance From Closest City |
| NSW |
Corindi Beach |
$272,500 |
29kms from Coffs Harbour |
| TAS |
Beechford |
$158,500 |
48kms from Launceston |
| VIC |
Loch Sport |
$149,250 |
45kms from Sale |
| QLD |
Halifax |
$200,000 |
45kms from Ingham |
| SA |
Port Pirie West |
$140,000 |
Within Port Pirie |
| WA |
Withers |
$270,000 |
Within Bunbury |
All currencies are in Australian dollars.
http://au.pfinance.yahoo.com/life-stages/buying-first-home/cheapest-waterfront-properties/index.html
Australian glacier victims named
January 9, 2009, 7:54 am
The recovery of a second Australian brother, feared dead, after being crushed by falling ice at Fox Glacier has been postponed because it is too dangerous, police say.
The body of Ashish Miranda, a 24-year-old aerospace engineer for Boeing , was recovered on Thursday, but the search for his brother Akshay Miranda, a 22-year-old student, had to be abandoned about 8pm local time Thursday night due to dangerous conditions.
The brothers were crushed by ice after crossing safety barriers at the terminal face to take photos around 4.20pm (1420 AEDT).
Department of Conservation (DOC) staff and glacier workers continue to monitor the glacier and the search will resume as soon as it is safe, Constable Paul Gurney said.
He said the two men were the only children of their parents who they lived with in Melbourne .
Indian website Daijiworld Media Network reported the family had migrated to Melbourne from Mumbai.
A Mumbai-based aunt of the brothers said the family was still hoping and praying that Akshay would be found alive.
The brothers' parents are Ronnie and Winnie Miranda, the website said.
The parents were in the Fox Glacier township, Constable Tony LeSueur, of Hokitika, said.
The family was due to fly back to Australia on Sunday morning.
LeSueur said local guides were quick on the scene on Thursday but were powerless to help.
A digger helped search for the bodies as long as it was safe, but managed to find only one.
People visiting areas like the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers needed to respect safety barriers and notices, he said.
More than 100 tonnes of ice was believed to have fallen on the men, some pieces of ice being the size of large vehicles.
Conservation Minister Tim Groser said it was a "tragedy of almost unimaginable proportions (for the parents) to lose both sons in one tragedy".
Groser was at Fox Glacier but was staying out of the way of the operational staff conducting the search.
"There are extensive safety procedures in place, these are reviewed annually, there's also been independent assessment of these procedures.
"We're dealing with a situation that is a highly dangerous and dynamic natural environment involving rock, ice and rivers."
The procedures were last reviewed in August last year.
He said the facts of the latest incident would be reviewed by DOC, police and probably the coroner.
There will always be risk, but also "some responsibility on the part of these individuals who go into these areas".
In 2007, DOC said almost a third of the 600,000 visitors to the West Coast glaciers ignored warning signs and entered danger zones.
In February that year, a tourist standing beside an ice cave at the terminal face of the Franz Josef Glacier was injured when the roof collapsed.
He had walked past signs warning of the danger of falling ice.
Keep your hands off my Vegemite: Gillard
January 8, 2009, 11:27 am
Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard says there is no way she is giving up her breakfast ritual of Vegemite on toast.
A shadow has been cast over the future of the iconic spread as a federal government taskforce considers special taxes and other deterrents on the sale of fatty, sugary and salty foods.
But Ms Gillard on Thursday said Vegemite's future on Australian grocery shelves was assured.
"I am a very happy Vegemite eater and there is no way in the world that Vegemite would be banned in this country," Ms Gillard told reporters in Melbourne .
"Vegemite is part of being Australian, part of our history, part of our future and I'll be continuing to wake up in the morning and having it on my toast."
The government set up the taskforce last year to recommend ways to tackle preventable health problems such as obesity, which cost Australia an estimated $8.3 billion in 2008, according to a report in Thursday's The Australian newspaper.
The taskforce's final report, due in June, is one of the most eagerly anticipated of all the health reviews under way, the newspaper says.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5250695/hands-vegemite-gillard
Kylie and new man spotted on ski slopes
January 5, 2009, 9:26 pm
Romance could be on the cards for Kylie Minogue in 2009 after the Australian pop star saw in the new year on a French snowboarding holiday with a new beau.
Minogue, 40, and Spanish model Andres Velencoso Segura, 10 years her junior, were spotted in Chamonix, where they are renting a $20,000-a-week chalet, The Sun reported on Monday.
A source told the newspaper: "Andres had never been snowboarding before, but Kylie loves it.
"It shows how much he is into her that he was prepared to give it a go.
"She paid for an instructor for him and they had a great time. And they looked like a loved-up couple in the bars in the evening."
The source added that Minogue loved winter sports.
"She likes the fact that people don't really recognise her with all her gear and goggles on. But when the occasional person did notice her, she was lovely - polite and down to earth."
Minogue was photographed with the model at a party in Paris in October but refused to confirm they were an item, with the pop princess later saying she was still single.
The pair celebrated New Year's Eve in Chamonix and were seen dancing and kissing in a local bar, according to The Sun.
An onlooker told the paper: "They were happily celebrating with friends and locals but enjoyed a few tender private moments, too."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5242754/
Another Qantas mishap adds to concerns
January 3, 2009, 1:56 pm
Australia's air safety watchdog is now investigating two in-flight system malfunctions on Qantas jets.
In the latest incident, on December 27, a Qantas Airbus A330-300 destined for Singapore was forced to return to Perth after the autopilot disconnected.
The malfunction occurred while the jet was cruising at 36,000 feet about 500km north-west of Perth.
"The crew elected to return to Perth and an uneventful overweight landing was conducted," the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said in a statement.
It says the incident is "similar" to one that occurred in October last year and will be investigated as part of the inquiry into that emergency.
On October 7, 2008, 70 of the 313 people on board a Qantas Airbus A330 travelling from Singapore to Perth, with 44 needing hospital treatment, after the aircraft suddenly plunged, hurling passengers around the cabin.
The aircraft was cruising at 37,000 feet when the fault occurred, causing it to descend up to 650 feet in seconds.
The pilot made an emergency landing at Learmonth in north-western WA.
A preliminary report into the October incident by the ATSB, released in November, found there was a possibility transmissions from the Harold E Holt naval communications station interfered with aircraft onboard systems.
The bureau is also investigating the possibility passenger electronic devices aboard the aircraft caused the problem.
It regards both as unlikely but says it cannot rule either out yet.
The air safety watchdog is focusing on a flight computer system component called an ADIRU - air data inertial reference unit.
When the autopilot disconnected on December 27, the crew received a message indicating a problem with the plane's number 1 ADIRU.
They then followed revised guidelines from Airbus issued after the October emergency.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5242754/qantas-mishap-adds-concerns/
Breath-test fiasco traps festival-goers
January 2, 2009, 2:55 pm
of up to eight hours on 7,000 drivers leaving a four-day music festival.
Inspector Jon Cooper said on Friday that the dirt access road chosen for the New Year's Day blitz did not allow cars not being tested to pass and exit The Falls festival at Marion Bay, 50km west of Hobart.
Police were forced to stop testing to allow traffic to flow but then recommenced it - repeating the traffic standstill - for a time every hour after 7am (AEDT).
Festival-goers, some of whom reported missing flights and car hire and other obligations, have flooded authorities and news outlets with complaints.
Those complaints include reports that the last of the music fans left the festival site at 3pm (AEDT) on Thursday.
Insp Cooper said 31 drivers from the 987 tested were charged with drink driving.
However more than 6,000 drivers left the site untested, he said.
"We apologise to those people that were caught on site for spending a lot of their time waiting to be cleared - those law abiding citizens," Insp Cooper told reporters on Friday.
"However, it is the 31 people that we caught that caused the problems.
"If we had set up and detected no one, or one or two early in the morning, the traffic would have started flowing a lot sooner."
Insp Cooper said the site for next year's breath testing operation at The Falls festival was under review.
But he denied anything went wrong with the operation or that officers made any mistakes selecting this site.
"I don't think it was a mistake," Insp Cooper said.
"There are some efficiencies that we can put in place in relation to conducting tests at that site again."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/5241644/breathtest-fiasco-traps-festivalgoers
Australia welcomes 2009!
ABC - January 1, 2009, 7:06 am
Hundreds of thousands of Australians have welcomed 2009 with spectacular fireworks displays in towns and cities across the country.
Over 1 million people crammed the Sydney Harbour foreshores to see around 100,000 fireworks launched from the Harbour Bridge, six barges across the Harbour, and from the top of several Sydney skyscrapers.
The storm-like display was part of this year's Creation theme, reinforced by the Harbour Bridge effects, which transformed from a star to a flower and finally into a large glowing sun.
In Melbourne , hundreds of thousands of revellers saw in 2009 with more massive fireworks displays.
The first of two Melbourne fireworks displays started at 9:15pm AEDT with thousands of people lining the banks of the Yarra and six official locations across the city to watch them.
The City of Melbourne expected 500,000 party-goers, 50,000 alone at Federation Square, where there was live music keeping the crowd entertained.
A further 40,000 people saw in the new year with a dance party at Docklands Stadium. There were also rock festivals at Lorne and Phillip Island.
While alcohol was banned from public places, it was clear many revellers had enjoyed a drink or two before venturing out. Six hundred police patrolled the streets to ensure a safe night for everyone.
In Brisbane, tens of thousands of people lined the Brisbane River and Southbank Parklands to watch two fireworks displays.
Police said the crowds were well-behaved, with few incidents reported early in the night.
The Gold Coast had its own fireworks spectacle and there were also smaller displays right across the state.
Thousands of people packed into Adelaide's CBD while big crowds also gathered in Glenelg, Semaphore and Victor Harbor, among other public celebrations around South Australia .
In Canberra, 18,000 people were in the city for the fireworks displays.
Tens of thousands also gathered in other capital cities and regional centres.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore defended spending more than $5 million on her city's fireworks display.
Ms Moore said this year's theme of creation was fitting for the world's current climate.
"I think we're facing the biggest crises we've ever faced with global warming, the global financial crisis," she said.
"We have to all realise that we've got to start doing things in new ways, so I think it's really critical. I also think it's really important to bring people together at a time of crisis."
Meanwhile, despite plenty of warnings from police, some revellers held their own illegal fireworks displays.
Police have arrested a 27-year-old man in western Sydney after finding a large pile of commercial grade fireworks in his back yard in Auburn.
He was letting the fireworks off in the middle of a residential street when he attracted the attention of officers.
He has been refused bail and will appear in court at Parramatta later today.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/entertainment/5239642/australia-welcomes-2009/
$50,000 bribe offered over $3.80 ticket
By Tristan Swanwick
The Courier-Mail
December 22, 2008 05:19pm
End of the line ... a man will be deported after he was caught evading a $3.80 train fare. Picture: Pete Johnson
|
AN international student offered police $50,000 to "forget what happened" when he was caught on a Brisbane train without a ticket, which would have cost just $3.80.
Jehoiachin Onyins Ogbe, 25, ended up on bribery charges for offering police $50,000 after they caught him evading a $3.80 train fare, The Courier-Mail reports.
As he was also found to have overstayed a student visa will also be deported from the country, the Brisbane District Court heard today.
Prosecutor Kris Ashen said police escorted the Nigerian man from a city-bound train in June this year after he could not produce a valid ticket.
While the man was handcuffed and placed inside a police van he began to resist violently and repeatedly yelled, "I am a police officer, I am not going with you," the court was told.
While en-route to the Caboolture Watchhouse he began kicking the van walls so violently the vehicle momentarily lost traction, with the police officer driving forced to correct the steering wheel.
After being placed inside a holding cell the Nigerian man insisted he was an American FBI agent, and began hitting his head against the cell door, prompting police to transfer him to a padded cell.
During the transfer the man bit a police officer on the wrist, breaking the skin and drawing blood, Mr Ashen said.
Once in the padded cell the defendant offered police $50,000 to release him and drop the charges, the court was told.
Ogbe yesterday pleaded guilty to a raft of charges including seriously assaulting police, wilful damage, travelling without paying a fare and bribery.
The court heard the bitten police officer endured months of ongoing "emotional problems" as he waited for a blood test to clear him of serious infection.
Judge Terrence Martin, SC, told Ogbe he had learned a "very expensive lesson" and jailed him for six months.
affair with a student has been sentenced to seven and a half years' jail.
Amanda Louise Thompson, 28, was found guilty in the Brisbane District Court last month of one count of maintaining an unlawful relationship with a child between April 2003 and 2005.
During the 10-day trial, the court was told of a sordid relationship that developed when Thompson was a teacher at a school south of Brisbane.
The student, who cannot be identified, was just 14 when Thompson started seducing her.
The court was told Thompson, from Boronia Heights, initially took the teenager under her wing when she discovered the student had an eating disorder.
They became firm friends, but soon started engaging in regular sexual activity.
Prosecutor Todd Fuller said the pair took holidays together, and Thompson showered the student with gifts and notes.
Thompson was questioned by school authorities and police about the relationship but repeatedly denied she had done anything wrong.
AS many as 93 people have walked free from Mumbai's besieged Oberoi-Trident hotel more than 36 hours after heavily armed gunmen stormed the building and took hostages.
The guests, including one carrying a baby, were ushered on to waiting minibuses by police before being driven away.
An announcement that 93 guests had been moved to safety was made by a policeman outside the hotel.
There has been no word yet if any of the 26 Australians belived to be trapped in the Oberoi-Trident and Taj hotels were among those freed.
The chief of a Indian commando unit flushing out militants at the Taj Mahal Hotel said he saw 12 to 15 bodies in one room.
Mahaj, from the southern Iraqi city of Basra, was in a room on the fourth floor of the Oberoi-Trident hotel when the militants stormed the building.
GANGLAND wife and convicted drug trafficker Roberta Williams wants estranged husband and killer Carl Williams by her side to grieve at his mother's funeral.
Barbara Williams was found dead in the bedroom of her home in Essendon, in Melbourne's north-west, on Saturday morning after an apparently deliberate drug overdose.
Carl Williams is serving 35 years in jail for the murders of gangland rivals – father and son Lewis and Jason Moran, Mark Amelia and Michael Marshall – and conspiracy to murder Mario Condello during Melbourne's underworld war.
His father George, 61, is serving time for drug convictions.
Roberta Williams said her estranged husband should be allowed to attend the funeral.
"I feel anyone in any position like that should be able to say a goodbye to their parent or their loved one, regardless of the circumstances," Ms Williams told the Nine Network's A Current Affair program on Monday.
Victorian Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu opposed any move to allow Carl Williams to attend the funeral.
"I don't believe he should and I don't believe we owe him anything in particular and it would be a cost to the community," he said.
But Victorian Premier John Brumby said he had no role in the decision.
"It's not a matter for me and, obviously I'm across the issue, but it's a matter for Corrections Victoria," he said.
Carl and George Williams are both expected to ask authorities for permission to leave prison under escort so they can attend the funeral.
However, a source said it would be highly unlikely that someone of Williams' infamy would be granted leave because of the risk of escape and safety concerns for escorting officers.
During the interview, Roberta Williams said Barbara had suffered depression for more than a year and hinted that she had earlier attempted suicide.
"She had told Carl about it about 12 months prior and Carl had spoken to her about it and then she promised that she wouldn't attempt it again," she told Nine.
Carl's imprisonment and a dispute with the Australian Tax Office that could have ended with her losing her house had contributed to her depression, Roberta Williams said.
"I think it was everything combined that she couldn't cope with and she wasn't the type to ask for help," she said.
Roberta said she last spoke with Barbara on Friday evening and there was no indication of what was to follow.
"Every night before she went to sleep she had a phone call with Dhakota (Carl and Roberta's daughter) where Dhakota sung her a little special song she had for her, and she called and asked can she speak to Dhakota," she said.
"I put Kota on the phone and Dhakota sung the song and she told Dhakota she loved her and that was the end of the phone call and that's the last we heard from her."
