happy day: 2012

Nine News has been told the lion grabbed volunteer Peter Davidson, 42, on the arm at Crocodylus Park as he was being shown weeds that needed to be sprayed.

The NT News reported that muscle was torn from the bone of Mr Davidson's arm and will undergo surgery.

Keepers applied a tourniquet to his arm to stop the blood from flowing. It is understood he is able to move his fingers and is currently in a stable condition.

Crocodylus Park specialises mostly in reptiles like crocodiles, but also features big cats like lions and tigers.

It is the first lion attack at the park in 15 years.

The park's management say they are happy with their procedures and security but will review them as a precaution.

Management satisfied with procedures/security but will review as a precaution.

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Family of shot officer shattered - BigPond News

A police officer and father of six shot dead in northern NSW was a brave, tremendous bloke who spent more than half his life protecting the community.

Senior Constable David Rixon, 40, was on duty and alone when he and another man were shot during a gunfight outside a block of units in Lorraine Street, West Tamworth, about 8am (AEDT) on Friday.

Paramedics and police raced to the scene before both men were rushed to Tamworth Base Hospital, where Sen Const Rixon later died.

The highway patrol officer joined the NSW Police Force in 1990 and is survived by his wife, Fiona, and six children.

His family paid tribute to him in a statement on Friday.

'David was a wonderful father, husband and police officer.

'He was all of that but so much more. He was a real person and a great man who will be missed by us all. We will never forget him.'

A former police officer who asked not to be named told AAP Sen Const Rixon was a 'tremendous bloke who was very much a family man'.

He was also a dedicated golfer who was well known at Tamworth Golf Club and a 'very genuine guy', a staffer who asked not to be named told AAP.

The news of his death triggered a wave of sentiment from people close to him on The Northern Daily Leader website.

'This brave young officer was dedicated to his public duty, his family and work colleagues,' Don Campbell posted.

'Dave you will be missed by all. Rest in peace.'

Another person, KJ, posted: 'What a loss, he was one of the nicest people I have known. RIP Ricko.'

A fellow officer posted: 'A great man lost which our community will never be able to replace, or overcome. Miss you Ricko.'

Shirley Tiberi, who has lived in Lorraine Street for 53 years and has never experienced any problems, now wants to move.

'I heard three big bangs and I didn't realise that the police officer was shot,' Ms Tiberi told AAP.

It is understood Sen Const Rixon had pulled a car over in the street when the shooting started.

Two men have been arrested, including one who was shot and is under police guard in hospital.

'We have lost one of our finest highway patrol officers,' Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione told reporters in Tamworth.

Police Minister Michael Gallacher, a former police officer, was visibly shaken as he told reporters that Friday was a day of mourning.

'This is an incredibly tragic event for his loved ones, for his workmates, and indeed for the state of NSW,' Mr Gallacher said in Sydney.

Police Association president Scott Weber said the shooting had shaken and saddened officers across NSW and highlighted the dangers of police work.

NSW Opposition Leader John Robertson said the death was a reminder of what police do for the community and the risks they take.

Tamworth Mayor Col Murray said the death highlighted the fact that local police numbers had been inadequate for years.

'This is what we've been fearful of, that we're going to find ourselves in a situation like this where we actually lose one of our community members, as a policeman, in a shooting,' Mr Murray told AAP.

More than 17,000 residents, nearly a third of Tamworth, had previously signed a petition that highlighted crime and policing issues and was due for debate in state parliament on May 10.

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Cruise ship passenger hid cocaine in wetsuit - Herald Sun

A BRITISH cruise ship passenger accused of hiding cocaine inside a wetsuit he was wearing under his clothes has been refused bail in a Sydney court.

Ronald Fletcher, 59, is charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug into Australia on February 17.

His address was listed as Overseas Passenger Terminal, Sydney.

He appeared in Central Local Court today, when bail was formally refused and the case adjourned to April 18.

In an earlier statement, police said the UK national had travelled to Sydney aboard the P&O ship Aurora.

He was stopped by Customs and Border Protection officers last Friday at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, after a sniffer dog allegedly detected the scent of drugs.

Police alleged he was hiding several silver packages inside a wetsuit he was wearing under his clothes, and another 25 packages concealed in three suitcases.

Officers from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) estimate the man was carrying a total of 30kg of cocaine.
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2012年3月4日星期日

Noisy cars most annoying - Sydney Morning Herald

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Police link tourist's death to illegal buttock enhancer - TheChronicleHerald.ca

PHILADELPHIA — A woman who calls herself the "Black Madam" could face charges in the death of a London tourist who received illegal buttocks-enhancement injections last year in a Philadelphia hotel, police said Thursday.

Padge Victoria Windslowe, 42, was arrested Wednesday night as she prepared to host a "pumping party" where she was to illegally inject clients, according to police. She faces charges including aggravated assault and deceptive practices after one of her clients, an exotic dancer, suffered serious lung problems after an injection, Philadelphia police Lt. John Walker said. Windslowe was arraigned Thursday and was being held on bail of $10 million, prosecutors said.

Windslowe is a "person of interest" in the death of the 20-year-old London woman who last year received injections at a hotel near Philadelphia International Airport, Walker said.

He said she will likely be charged with murder in that case if the medical examiner rules Windslowe’s injection caused the death of Claudia Aderotimi, who complained of chest pain and difficulty breathing following the procedure. No charges have been filed.

"We knew she was the injector back in the 2011 (Aderotimi) case," Walker said, adding that the investigation has lingered as police awaited a ruling on the cause of Aderotimi’s death.

A message left for an attorney who has represented Windslowe was not returned Thursday. She declined to comment as police escorted her to a waiting police car Wednesday night.

In Windslowe’s case, investigators describe an operation in which she had "recruiters" who went out in search of people who wanted buttocks enhancement, reaching out to potential clients via email, blogs and conversations, Walker said.

Then, they would set up a time and place to meet, usually at a hotel or private residence, Walker said. The procedures cost anywhere from $700 to $1,800 in cash. Windslowe allegedly moved her operation around to avoid detection. Overall, police believe Windslowe has injected about 14 people, mostly advertising through word of mouth, Walker said, with the operation moving all around the Philadelphia area.

As part of the procedures, authorities said, Windslowe would clean the site and then inject a substance she described as silicone into the client’s buttocks. When the procedure was done, she would cover the wound with glue, Walker said.

During the arrest, police seized vials of superglue, needles, gloves, bottles and other items. Walker said police are conducting tests on the material that Windslowe was allegedly injecting into her clients, trying to determine what it is.

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Study backs a north Queensland abattoir - Brisbane Times

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2012年3月2日星期五

Opposition critical of Government future fund - ABC Online

Posted February 22, 2012 20:54:23

The State Opposition has criticised the Government's plans for a future fund.

The Premier Colin Barnett says the fund, made up largely of mining royalty earnings, will be set up as part of the next State Budget.

Mr Barnett says a small portion of the royalties will be stored to pay for long-term services, while part of the Royalties for Regions funding will be saved for future regional projects

The Shadow Treasurer Ben Wyatt has described the proposal as a 'thought bubble'.

He told State Parliament there is no point to it if WA's debt level continues to grow.

"What is your rate of return? What do you expect?" Mr Wyatt asked.

"Because at the end of the day Madam Acting Speaker, when you have a huge debt component on the balance sheet, which this state does, and it's growing, what is the point if you can't generate a rate of return greater than the cost of that debt?"

Mr Barnett rejected Mr Wyatt's claims.

"Peter Costello set up a future fund at the time there was still net debt of the Commonwealth government," he said.

"I mean they are unrelated.

"One is a big picture view; one is a small and miserly, selfish, this-generation view."

Topics: government-and-politics, state-parliament, perth-6000

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Wayne Swan pulls no punches after Kevin Rudd quits as Foreign Minister - The Australian

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2012年3月1日星期四

Membrey dad tells his story after 17 years - Ninemsn

Roger Membrey left a message on his daughter's answering machine that was never returned.

He found her Ringwood flat dark when he arrived on a hot December 1994 night to search for her.

But inside Elisabeth Membrey's flat he saw a pool of blood on the hallway carpet.

Mr Membrey has not heard from his daughter since.

Finally, on Wednesday, Mr Membrey got to tell his story to a Victorian Supreme Court murder trial.

He told jurors how his daughter, a recent arts graduate from La Trobe University majoring in politics, was a "very fine woman".

Mr Membrey described how his daughter wanted to become a broadcast journalist and how she had been in discussion with a network, but was killed before it could be finalised.

"People were drawn to her because she was a happy person. She had the personality that people liked, they enjoyed talking with her," Mr Membrey said.

As Mr Membrey gave his evidence the man accused of killing his daughter - 45-year-old Shane Andrew Bond - sat just a few metres away at the back of the court.

He has pleaded not guilty and his barrister has told the jury that key witnesses in the case had an axe to grind with Bond and their accounts could not be believed.

Mr Membrey can't remember the last time he saw his daughter. She would call in often, he told the trial.

On December 7, 1994, he called his daughter about lunchtime. Elisabeth Membrey had an appointment with a medical specialist and he was surprised he hadn't heard from her.

Mr Membrey left a message on her answering machine asking her to give him a call.

His wife Joy called Ms Membrey about 6pm to invite her out to dinner. There was no answer and she too left a message.

After dinner they received a call from Ms Membrey's boyfriend Jason Lee saying he hadn't been able to catch up with her and wondering if she was with her parents.

The Membreys began searching.

They checked the car park of the Manhattan Hotel where Ms Membrey worked, but her car was not there.

So they drove to her flat in Bedford Rd, Ringwood.

Ms Membrey's car was parked in her usual spot.

They rang the doorbell and no one answered. The house was dark inside.

Later, Mr Lee arrived and was able to get into the flat through a slightly ajar window.

Inside they found blood on the hallway carpet.

By now Mr Membrey was beginning to think his daughter may be injured.

Police were called.

Prosecutor Geoffrey Horgan, SC, asked Mr Membrey if since that time he had had any contact with his daughter.

"Absolutely none," he replied.

He also asked whether anyone that he knew had had contact with her.

"No, no one that we know has contacted her, there's been no contact whatsoever," Mr Membrey said.

Ms Membrey was last seen leaving the Manhattan Hotel late on December 6, 1994.

Bond's barrister Michael O'Connell, SC, denies his client killed Ms Membrey or that he is the man allegedly seen arguing with Ms Membrey three times on the day she disappeared.

He also said the $1 million reward for information about the crime may have influenced what witnesses have said.

He told jurors they would not be able to exclude the possibility that someone else may have committed the crime.

The trial before Justice Terry Forrest continues on Thursday.

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Lindy wishes she had slept in the car - Ninemsn

More than 30 years after her daughter Azaria disappeared in the desert, Lindy Chamberlain still cries when she recalls the tragic circumstances.

Speaking on Nine Network's A Current Affair on Wednesday, she said she wished she had slept in the car with her three children in central Australia the night Azaria was believed to have been taken by a dingo.

A new inquest is being held to finally try to discover what happened to nine-weeks-old Azaria on August 17, 1980.

Mrs Chamberlain, now Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton after remarrying, said that on a previous visit she had slept in the car because of the dingoes in the area.

She said after Azaria was put to sleep in the tent with her brother Reagan, four, her other son Aidan, six, was hungry so she went with him to the nearby BBQ.

That's when it's alleged the dingo struck.

"If he had not wanted something to eat he would have been in the tent and awake and they say if you say something it could scare (dingoes) and they could attack.

"I could have lost three children that night - it could have been worse," she said fighting back tears.

Mrs Chamberlain-Creighton has always maintained that she saw a dingo leaving her tent on the night Azaria went missing.

She was convicted over Azaria's death in Australia's most famous murder trial but the verdict was overturned three years later when the baby's matinee jacket was found 4km from the campsite near Ayers Rock (Uluru).

An emotional Mrs Chamberlain-Creighton said she had been told that if she pleaded guilty "I could go home".

She said she refused because she didn't want her children to go through life thinking their mother was a murderer.

Azaria's father, Michael, said the family was made the "patsy" because if it was proved dingoes would attack children, tourism would suffer.

"There were four hotels out there and money had been loaned to the Northern Territory government," Dr Chamberlain said.

"I think someone said to them `fix this up - it might affect tourism, you have to get a conviction because you can't have dingoes, or the fear of them, running around killing kids'."

Coroner Elizabeth Morris will conduct the new inquest, which will start on Friday and represents the final legal chapter in the case.

The NT Coroner's office said it was reopening the inquest into Azaria's death after information provided by the girl's parents in relation to dingo attacks on infants and young children.

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Navy stops two new asylum-seeker boats carrying 200 passengers and crew - The Australian

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2012年2月25日星期六

Sica trial hears family's 'dirty laundry' - Ninemsn

A couple went to the Gold Coast to meet other swingers in the month before their three children were murdered and dumped in a spa bath, a court has been told.

The Supreme Court in Brisbane on Monday heard some of the "dirty laundry" about the Singh family that the crown warned would be aired during the triple murder trial of Max Sica.

Sica, 41, is currently on trial for the murder of 24-year-old Neelma and her younger brother Kunal, 18, and sister Sidhi, 12.

Their bodies were found in the ensuite spa bath of their home in the outer Brisbane suburb of Bridgeman Downs on April 22, 2003.

Prosecutor Michael Byrne SC told the jury during his opening address last week that the sordid details of affairs and sexual liaisons provided some context to the complex relationships of those close to the three dead siblings.

The siblings' father, Vijay Singh, was on Monday questioned about his relationship with his wife, Shirley.

Mr Singh told the court he and his wife were swingers, and that they met like-minded men and women through a magazine.

He said he and his wife travelled to the Gold Coast for a sexual tryst in March 2003, but said they never allowed these swinging strangers in their own home.

Mr Singh told the court the liaison followed a tumultuous period in his relationship with his wife.

He admitted he had been having an affair with a woman in Fiji, Karun Singh, but that this had soured in January.

Under cross-examination by defence barrister Sam Di Carlo, Mr Singh said that Karun was jealous and possessive.

He said his wife often received phone calls from an unidentified person who would boast about the relationship between Karun and Mr Singh.

Mr Singh agreed it was likely Karun had paid someone in Fiji a "few dollars" to make the calls on her behalf.

"She wanted you. She was desperate to push Shirley and your family away and have you for herself," Mr Di Carlo said.

Mr Singh said he told Karun he would never leave his family for her but that he had never been threatened by anybody while he was in Fiji.

The trial continues.

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2012年2月24日星期五

LNP government will fix CSG 'mess', Campbell Newman says - The Australian

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Homes and farms threatened by Northcliffe bushfire - ABC Online

Updated February 20, 2012 16:15:12

A fire burning out of control near Northcliffe, 350 kilometres south of Perth, is threatening farms on the outskirts of the town.

The blaze was started by lightning 10 days ago but escaped containment lines when it flared up yesterday afternoon.

The fire has burnt 28,000 hectares of bushland and forest.

Incident controller Drew Griffiths says strong south-easterly winds expected this afternoon could push the fire north towards properties.

"There would only be probably less than an hour before the fire reached the first properties so that's not enough time for people to get out, they need to get out now," he said.

Northcliffe's Community Resource Centre's Graham Evans has sent his staff home.

"At least one of my staff members is packing up and I'm packing up myself, packing up the household and there's an emergency evacuation centre set up in Pemberton sports club," he said.

"The Northcliffe vicinity is now on a watch and act notice so people are meant to be making decisions to basically adhere to their bushfire plans, stay or go."

Dairy farmer Dennis Smeathers says police arrived at his property last night about midnight local time and advised him to leave.

"My wife went but we stayed and got up early to milk the cows," he said.

The Northcliffe District High School has been closed for the day.

The Department of Environment and Conservation's Peter Keppel says the fire is eight kilometres from Northcliffe which is surrounded by marri, karri and jarrah forest.

A total of 138 firefighters are battling the blaze as well as 25 fire trucks and four water bombers.

A meeting to update residents on the situation is about to get underway.

An emergency warning remains in place for west of the Gardner River between Double Bridge Road and Summertime Track.

A watch and act has been issued for communities in the vicinity of Northcliffe, properties south of Boorara and Richardson roads and the settlement of Windy Harbour.

Mr Keppel says crews are fighting to keep the blaze contained.

"We'll be working very hard today to consolidate the work we've done overnight that will include continuing to burn back along those edges," he said.

"And, extensive use of water bombing including helicopter and water bombing aircraft, bulldozers and fire trucks."

Authorities warn the blaze is unpredictable and has the potential to travel at more than a kilometre per hour.

Topics: bushfire, fires, northcliffe-6262, wa

First posted February 20, 2012 06:44:16

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Support crucial for Australian super telescope - ABC Online

Updated February 15, 2012 23:22:00

Australian officials will soon learn whether they have gained key support for the rights to build the world's most powerful telescope.

Source: Lateline | Duration: 3min 13sec

Topics: telescopes, federal-government, astronomy-space, programs-and-initiatives, australia

Transcript

TONY JONES, PRESENTER: It will be the world's most powerful telescope and it could be built in Australia. Tonight officials will learn whether Australia will win key support for an independent scientific panel to host the Square Kilometre Array.

The telescope is touted as one of the biggest science projects this century. And as Amy Bainbridge reports, Australia is facing some stiff competition.

AMY BAINBRIDGE, REPORTER: In the remote inland of Western Australia scientists want to create an inland sea of satellite dishes. The Square Kilometre Array would cover 3,000 kilometres. Thousands of antennas linked electronically would allow scientists to see 10 times further into the universe than ever before using a radio telescope.

BRIAN BOYLE, PROJECT LEADER, CSIRO: We'll be looking at objects 13 billion light years away, or 13 billion years old. We'll be looking at some of the first objects in the universe forming.

We'll be able to track the whole history of cosmic evolution. We'll be able to answer questions like what is the nature of dark matter and dark energy?

CHRIS EVANS, SCIENCE & RESEARCH MINISTER: I mean, this will create all sorts of interesting developments in computing and engineering and obviously it may have other spinoffs that we don't even know about yet.

AMY BAINBRIDGE: The vast area of the Murchison Shire in WA is sparsely populated. Already it's home to the Pathfinder telescope. Scientists say it's one of the world's quietest places, exactly what's needed for the SKA project.

BRIAN BOYLE: The great enemy of radio astronomy is people, because people make radio noise. They make radio interference, whether it's through cars or mobile phones or TVs, they generate all this radio frequency interference that can drown out the very feeble signals from the cosmos.

AMY BAINBRIDGE: And to make all this work Australia will need to build a computer 100 times faster than any existing computer.

BRIAN BOYLE: All the signals from all those telescopes have to be brought back and the data communications is equivalent to 10 times the global internet traffic today.

AMY BAINBRIDGE: Senator Chris Evans will head a delegation to China and Italy leaving this Saturday to promote Australia's bid.

Australia is up against the South Africans, who say the telescope should be built in their Karoo Desert. They say it will create jobs and boost development in their region. And along with the Australians, they'll have their chance to make their final case over the next month.

CHRIS EVANS: To be brutally frank, there's a view among many in Europe that they ought to be doing more to assist development in Africa, and that will obviously be a consideration. I suppose our answer to that is you want to make sure that you've got the best possible outcome to get the best possible scientific results from the project.

AMY BAINBRIDGE: And it isn't cheap. Australia will be expected to pay a sizeable share of the $2 billion project split amongst 67 organisations in 20 countries. Perhaps what will make the most sense to those worried about how their taxes are being spent is this: the chance of detecting life in another galaxy.

BRIAN BOYLE: So we could in principle detect radiation from advanced civilisations, and wouldn't that be an earth-shattering discovery?

AMY BAINBRIDGE: The telescope is due to be operational by 2024.

Amy Bainbridge, Lateline.

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Julia Gillard denies her job is under threat, as Labor MPs urge her to ... - The Australian

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2012年2月23日星期四

Nurse in court over fatal nursing home blaze - ABC Online

By court reporter Jamelle WellsUpdated February 16, 2012 13:55:46

Prosecutors have been given more time to prepare their case against a man accused of deliberately lighting a fatal fire in a western Sydney nursing home.

Registered nurse Roger Kingsley Dean chose not to appear as his case was mentioned in Central Local Court this morning.

The 35-year-old remains in custody charged with 10 counts of murder over the fire at Quakers Hill in November.

Police have formally linked 11 deaths to the fire, but since November several other residents have died and further charges could be laid.

Today in court prosecutors were given another six weeks to prepare their case.

The court heard investigators are sifting through 2,700 pages of material and images.

The evidence in the case was described as "a literal mountain of material".

Relatives of one of the victims, 73-year-old Alma Smith, were in the public gallery.

Outside court her daughter Donna Austin said she is still coming to terms with the tragedy.

"We're just confused, frustrated, hurt," she said.

A spokesman for Domain Principal, the company that runs the home, was also in the public gallery.

He handed out copies of a statement confirming that sprinkler systems have now been fitted in the 59 homes the company runs across Australia.

Sprinklers were not installed when the Quakers Hill home was built in the 1980s.

The statement says the company has decided retrofitting the homes is the "right thing to do".

Systems are now required in new nursing homes in New South Wales, and the State Government is considering making them compulsory.

They have been mandatory in nursing homes in Queensland and Victoria for a decade.

Topics: courts-and-trials, murder-and-manslaughter, arson, police, quakers-hill-2763, sydney-2000

First posted February 16, 2012 11:24:05

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Tradie who clung to would-be thieves' car bonnet accuses driver of attempted ... - Herald Sun

UPDATE: A TRADIE who clung to the bonnet of a moving car has accused the driver of attempted murder.

Harry Hicks, 24, and his girlfriend Courtney Deacon, 21, were this morning recovering after Mr Hicks caught thieves attempting to steal tools from his Toyota Hilux tradesman’s trailer.

The Plenty man and his partner were returning to their Wallaby Court home just before midnight when they noticed a dark Holden Commodore vehicle parked beside his car.

The carpenter has declared his attackers “disgusting” and plans to press charges if police can find them.

“It’s just disgusting, I don’t have any time for these people,” he said.

“If they’d just stopped and said sorry mate it wouldn’t have been so much of an issue.

“What sort of trouble would you get into if you are a first time hit-and-run?”

“It’s quite a serious offence – it’s attempted murder,” he said.

The couple arrived back at Ms Deacon’s home around midnight last night to find some of his tool boxes on the ground next to his tool trailer.

When they stopped the car to investigate, a man hiding behind the trailer bolted across the road into a waiting Holden Commodore.

Mr Hicks said he acted on impulse by standing in front of the vehicle, and glared at the men inside.

“It was just more instinct, I just wanted to get my tools back,” Mr Hicks said.

The men initially accelerated towards him as he tried to block their escape, but stopped just in front of him when he refused to move.

But when they accelerated again Mr Hicks said he was forced onto the bonnet of the car and left clinging to the windscreen wipers.

“I just play it over in my head, over and over again – it’s pretty scare being on the bonnet of someone’s car who wants you off,” he said.

“I was on my knees on the bonnet holding on to the windscreen wipers and I was trying my hardest to rip the windscreen wiper off.”

Mr Hicks said he was on the car for about five seconds, but in that time was carried more than 50 metres up the road.

He said the car reached speeds of 50km/h while swerving violently to shake him off.

Eventually, about 20 seconds later, Mr Hicks realised the danger he was in and let go of the car.

“They were going faster and faster, we would have been going 50km/h when I jumped off,” he said.

And despite it being a snap decision, Mr Hicks said he would do exactly the same thing if confronted with the scene again.

“I don’t regret what I have done, I would do it again,” he said.

Mr Hicks estimates his tool collection cost him about $30,000.

“You definitely build a relationship up with your tools, there’s definitely sentimental value – they have much more sentimental value to them,” Mr Hicks said.

Nothing was stolen during the incident.

However, he did think that the knee imprints in the bonnet of the Holden Commodore would make the car stand out.

The male offenders are both believed to be in their mid 20s, with the driver described as having a slim build with brown collar-length hair.

Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppers.com.au.

- with Angus Thompson

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Gonski schools report calls for massive overhaul to bridge learning gap - Herald Sun

Julia Gillard and Peter Garrett with David Gonski (centre), who headed the review into school funding. Picture: Ray Strange Source: Herald Sun

DISADVANTAGED students will score extra funding in a $5 billion education shake-up designed to stop Australia falling behind.

The newly-released Gonski review into school funding recommends the country's best performing schools be studied to decide how much a good education costs per student.

That amount would be guaranteed per student, although how much governments contribute will be based on parents' ability to pay.

Extra money would be given to schools based on their remoteness and size and whether students are indigenous, have limited English, are disabled or are of a low-socioeconomic background to help them learn.

Government schools would be fully taxpayer-funded and non-government schools would receive 20 to 25 per cent of student's funding from governments.

Independent schools that cater to children with very high needs could also qualify for full government funding.

The levels protect a Gillard Government promise that no student would lose a $1 of funding.

The report also says all schools, especially government schools, should seek out philanthropic partners for money and expertise.

The new arrangements would cost about $5 billion per year more than current funding arrangements, with the Federal Government to bear 30 per cent of the increase.

The report suggested indicative amounts as a starting point for federal, state and territory governments to consider.

The resource standard would be around $8000 per primary student and $10,500 per secondary student.

"These indicative amounts provide a plausible and acceptable starting point for further work," the report said.

It said the reading skills of Australian school students have fallen to seventh in the world from equal second while students' maths skills have plummeted from fifth to 13th in the world.

And the gap in literacy between disadvantaged and advantaged students is equivalent to almost three years of schooling.

But it says changes to funding will not lift results alone and other reforms to address innovative learning and a culture of high expectations among teachers and principals.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said it was worrying that Australian children were not keeping up with their Asian neighbours and disadvantaged students were being left behind.

She said she wanted a national debate on the recommended changes to see real reform.

"Standing still with todays education system means we will fall further and further and further and further behind the standards of the world because other nations are not standing still," she said.

"So we will be there, with sleeves rolled up."

PM Julia Gillard holds a joint press conference with David Gonski and School Education Minister Peter Garrett (at left) following today's public release of the Gonski Review into schools funding. Picture: Ray Strange

School Education Minister Peter Garrett said work would begin immediately to develop and model elements of the proposed new funding system.

"We'll take a set of funding principles to be agreed at the next COAG (Council of Australian Government) and we'll begin working immediately with states and territories and non-government sectors to develop and test a new funding model," Mr Garrett said.

But the Government has already ruled out a significant expansion of the Commonwealth capital funding role.

"In some areas, the Australian Government believes that the scope of proposed new funding contributions may be too large," the Government's written response to the report said.

It said the Australian Government had recently completed the largest ever program of capital investment of schools and "we do not envisage the significant expansion of the Commonwealth's capital funding role".

Ms Gillard rejected a remark by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott that a new funding scheme would disadvantage independent schools, saying there was no "hit list".

She accused Mr Abbott of planning to cut more than $2 billion in funding for schools.

"He said, 'Get rid of computers in schools; get rid of trade training centres; get rid of investments in teacher quality, and get rid of investments in disadvantaged schools'," she said.

"So that's his pitch to the nation - cuts, cuts, cuts."

Mr Abbott told reporters today it was in Labor's DNA to attack independent schools.

- with AAP

marszalekj@heraldsun.com.au

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Mental patient wins access to education - Sydney Morning Herald

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2012年2月22日星期三

Charges dropped against Sam Ibrahim and three others in kidnapping case - The Daily Telegraph

THE case against Sam Ibrahim and three others allegedly involved in a kidnapping plot has been dubbed "the work of a D grade detective" with police dropping all charges this morning.

The former bikie boss, his sister Armani Stelio, family bodyguard Semi 'Tongan Sam' Ngata and another woman Alicia Sutherland had been charged with kidnapping a man and driving him to a bank to order him to withdraw $100,000.

The case was set to go to a District Court trial, but Central Local Court was told this morning that all charges would be dropped.

Brett Galloway, the solicitor for Ibrahim, said outside court that the case was "the work of a D or E grade detective" and suggested police had made parts of the case up.

The group, who all spent some time in custody because of the charges, will now make an application for costs and damages.

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Ripe for success - Sydney Morning Herald

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Victim tells inquiry of abuse at WA hostel - Ninemsn

A victim of a convicted paedophile has given evidence to an inquiry that when he told his father about the abuse he was told to stop lying.

The inquiry is investigating allegations of sexual abuse against children at a state-run hostel in WA's south.

It follows the jailing of Dennis John McKenna, who sexually abused boys at St Andrew's Hostel in Katanning, where he was head warden from 1975 to 1990.

Kerryn Robert Stephens, now 52, told the inquiry on Monday that McKenna would entice him with whisky and would tap him on the feet to let him know that he should come to his room.

"He used to wait until everyone was asleep," he said.

Mr Stephens said when he told his father about the abuse, his father, who was a board member at the school, said he would speak to McKenna, but later told his son to stop lying and get on with completing his education.

"If I was a liar in my father's eyes, where would I go next?" he said.

Mr Stephens also described weekend trips to Perth when he and McKenna would stay at McKenna's parents' house and attend shows where men would dress as women.

He said he felt "special" to be on the trips but would have to share a single bed with McKenna.

Mr Stephens said after he told his father about the abuse, he never mentioned it to him again or spoke to anyone else about it.

"I just thought if my father wouldn't believe me, no-one else would," he said.

Earlier, during his opening address, counsel assisting the inquiry, Philip Urquhart, said McKenna was well respected in the local community and was a citizen of the year award winner.

He said evidence would be heard that complaints were made and concerns expressed by some teachers and parents, but all warnings were ignored because of McKenna's high standing.

"It was inconceivable that Dennis McKenna would be responsible for such conduct," he said.

Retired Supreme Court Justice Peter Blaxell is heading the inquiry to determine the extent of the abuse and whether there was a cover-up that allowed it to continue.

He is examining allegations that complaints against McKenna were dismissed by senior public servants in the 1970s and 80s.

The inquiry will examine when any allegations were made, who they were made to and what action was taken.

Mr Blaxell will present recommendations on any disciplinary action that should be taken against public officials, as well as any changes that should be made to the policies or procedures of government agencies as a result of the findings.

Any issues that relate to criminal behaviour during the inquiry will be referred to police.

Up to 40 witnesses will be called during the inquiry, including principals, teachers, board members, staff at the Department of Employment and Training, and a policeman.

McKenna was jailed for six years in October last year after pleading guilty to sexually abusing six boys, aged 13 to 15, in his care.

He was previously jailed for six years in 1991 for similar offences and may face more charges as other victims come forward.

Mr Blaxell will hold hearings in Perth and Katanning.

A hotline has been set up so that more victims can come forward.

The inquiry is expected to be completed by April, with a report presented by May 31.

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2012年2月21日星期二

Union chief Kim Sattler allowed to keep her job - The Daily Telegraph

Kim Sattler at Unions ACT Headquarters in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith Source: The Daily Telegraph

EMBATTLED union chief Kim Sattler has been allowed to keep her job after weeks of contradicting statements from her over her role in triggering the Australia Day controversy.

Unions ACT president Bob O’Neill today said Ms Sattler had the full support of the union to stay on as secretary after fronting a three-hour meeting of the executive this morning discussing the scandal.

The meeting in Canberra came after explosive video footage emerged this week showing Ms Sattler telling protestors at the Aboriginal tent embassy Opposition Leader Tony Abbott wanted to pull the site down.

The revelations undermined Ms Sattler’s claims she had only told the protestors that Mr Abbott had said it was time to “move on” after being tipped off about his location by Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s office.

Ms Sattler has detailed several different versions of events since January 26 – including initially denying any involvement – as Ms Gillard relied on her testimony to support her version of events.

Her contact, including text messages, with Ms Gillard’s press secretary Tony Hodges, who resigned over the affair, is now being investigated by the Australian Federal Police.

But in a 10-second press conference following the meeting today, Mr O’Neill said in a brief statement that Ms Sattler had the executive’s full support.

“Unions ACT is fully cooperating with the ongoing AFP investigation into the incidents of Australia Day,” he said.

“Given there is an ongoing investigation, Unions ACT will give no public comment until the AFP investigation has concluded.

“At today’s Unions ACT executive meeting a full and detailed discussion of the complex issues relating to the events surrounding Australia Day occurred. Following those discussions, the executive has determined that secretary Kim Sattler maintains the support of Unions ACT.”

Mr O’Neill and Ms Sattler refused to answer questions before going back into their offices.

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Bulli rapist walks free from prison - Sydney Morning Herald

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2012年2月20日星期一

Consorting laws watered down: Robertson - Sydney Morning Herald

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Wife scuba murder trial: accused weeps - Sydney Morning Herald

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Man points handgun at five-year-old boy - NEWS.com.au

A MAN has pointed a handgun at a five-year-old boy and a woman during a home invasion in Perth's west.

Police said a man armed with a handgun and a knife entered a house in White Gum Valley, just east of Fremantle, around 8pm (WST) yesterday and threatened the occupants.

Three adults and seven children were in the house at the time.

It's understood the man was seeking another man who was not at the property and was not known by the occupants.

A police spokeswoman said the man pointed the gun at a woman and a five-year-old boy and threatened to return and damage property, before he left in a white Holden Commodore.

No one was injured during the home invasion.

The man is described as being fair-skinned, of short stature and with curly blond hair.

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2012年2月19日星期日

Man jailed for assisting suicide - Brisbane Times

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Building watchdog break-up passes lower house - ABC Online

Updated February 16, 2012 12:44:04

Legislation to dismantle the Australian Building and Construction Commission has passed the House of Representatives.

The Government plans to replace the Commission with a new agency to oversee the building industry.

Unions are angry the new watchdog will still have coercive powers to compel workers to answer questions.

The legislation will now go to the Senate.

The Greens want the building industry watchdog scrapped altogether, but Greens MP Adam Bandt says he still voted for the bill.

"We were able to get some amendments which we think on balance are better than the status quo," he said.

"But we just need to be clear that we wanted to get rid of the coercive powers.

"The numbers were there in Parliament, and the only reason they've stayed is because Labor wants them."

Reacting to the bill's passage through the Lower House, Coalition Senator Eric Abetz said the new laws "will give the green light to illegality and thuggery at building sites around the country."

Topics: government-and-politics, federal-government, industrial-relations, business-economics-and-finance, building-and-construction, australia

First posted February 16, 2012 12:39:33

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Teen saved by friend in near-death tubing accident - NEWS.com.au

Travellers relax and enjoy a drink before inner-tubing down a Laos river. Picture: Blackwing, Flickr Source: Supplied

Annika Morris (L) who came close to death after taking a potent whisky shot in Laos. Picture: Supplied
Source: Herald Sun

Annika Morris drinks a free shot of whisky while tubing Rushed to a local hospital as sight and hearing faded "Could be another story of some one found dead down the river"

A MELBOURNE teenager who almost died while tubing in Laos has her best friend to thank for saving her life.

Warrandyte 19-year-old Annika Morris's heart stopped multiple times in hospital after she drank a shot of free whisky at a Vang Vieng bar on Monday.

Annika's dad, Jeff, said his daughter and her friend Melba Blyth-Elvin were on a tubing trip when the drama unfolded.

He said if it wasn't for her friend's intervention, his daughter would be just "another statistic".

"She shouldn't really have survived, that's the sobering thing. She should've died on the river," Mr Morris said.

He said Ms Blyth-Elvin rushed Annika to a local hospital as her sight and hearing faded.

After local doctors tried to administer pennicillin, which Annika is alergic to, Mr Morris said a travelling German doctor intervened.

"He was performing a type of CPR.

"My undertsanding is her heart stopped on numerous occasions."

Mr Morris said Annika recovered after up to five hours of CPR.

He believes Annika drank a black-market concoction and that her drink wasn't spiked.

He said the German doctor said it appeared methamphetamines were in her system because of her dilated pupils.

Travel blogs refer to a popular Laotian whiskey called Lao-Lao whiskey, which is highly potent and can be infused with scorpions or snakes.

“I don’t believe her drink was spiked, it’s more likely the alcohol, which was a? black-market whisky, if anything.

“I think the free whisky is a real no-no because they’re using that to entice you into their bar, they’re not going to spend money on quality because they’re giving it away,” he said.

He said the girls were "shellshocked", arriving in Melbourne today after cutting their dream holiday short.

The near-tragedy comes after three young Australians died in Laos in recent weeks.

Yarraville man Alexander Lee, 22, was found dead with his dutch girlfriend in a Luang Prabang hotel room last week.

Sydney man Lee Hudswell, 26, and Daniel Eimutis, 19, died in separate incidents while tubing in Vang Vieng in January.

Mr Morris said Ms Blyth-Elvin, Annika's childhood friend, was a "legend'', and thanked the backpacker community for rallying around his daughter.

"If Annika had been by herself she could well have just floated down the river and could be another story of some one found dead down the river," he said.

Mr Morris said while he and his wife warned Annika of the perils of travelling, he never expected his daughter to fall ill through a toxic drink.

"Kids are always going to do this stuff - they're teenagers and they're high-risk animals. But I think they should be aware that anything like this that is free is probably highly dangerous,'' he said.

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Victoria's traffic chief retires - Ninemsn

The last deputy commissioner left untouched by an overhaul in Victoria's police command is retiring, completing a total renewal at the top of the ranks.

Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe, a respected officer with more than 40 years of service, made his retirement decision public on Tuesday.

"The time is right for me and for the organisation," he said in a statement.

"I will certainly be leaving with no regrets at all."

Mr Walshe's departure is the latest change at the top for a police force undergoing major renewal in less than a year.

Ten months ago, Simon Overland was in charge with three deputy commissioners: Sir Ken Jones, Kieran Walshe and Ken Lay.

But both Mr Overland and Sir Ken have resigned amid controversy, Mr Lay has been promoted to the top job and now Mr Walshe will leave also.

The retirement of the 60-year-old, however, is not seen as a surprise by fellow officers.

In 1968, he joined the force as a teenager and has since held positions in fields as diverse as counter-terrorism, emergency management and public order.

On February 7, 2009, he was given the grim task of conducting the first press conference that publicly confirmed the Black Saturday bushfires had killed more than 14 people.

That number would eventually balloon to 173 victims.

After being appointed as head of road safety last year, Mr Walshe revealed his own tragic connection to the state's road toll.

He had been driving a police vehicle in 1971 when it plunged down an embankment, killing his mate, a fellow police officer.

A coroner's inquest delivered an open finding but Mr Walshe said he had struggled with the tragedy for decades.

Police chief Ken Lay paid tribute to Mr Walshe in an email to staff upon news of his retirement.

"He has been a strong and forthright leader, he has been a supportive peer and a loyal deputy," the chief commissioner wrote.

The state government also thanked Mr Walshe for his dedicated service, noting he had carried out his duties "with great integrity".

He will remain the state's top traffic cop until his July 1 retirement.

Victoria Police is expected to announce its new confirmed line-up of deputy commissioners in the coming weeks.

It's not know if Mr Lay will retain three deputies or return to two, as was practice several years ago.

Meanwhile, a detailed report into the structure of police command has been handed into the state government but has not yet been released.

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Government confident private health changes to pass House tonight - ABC Online

Federal Government says it's quietly confident its proposed changes to private health insurance will pass the House of Representatives tonight. The government has promised an extra 165 million dollars for dental care for low income Australians, which has guaranteed the support of the Greens.

MARK COLVIN: The Federal Government says it's confident that its proposed changes to private health insurance will pass the Lower House tonight.

That's despite the independent Rob Oakeshott still refusing to say how he'll vote.

The Government has won the support of the Greens by promising an extra $165 million for dental care.

That's well short of the billion dollars the Greens had been calling for, but they say it is a good start towards setting up a system of universal dental care.

The Greens' support means that if the changes pass the House tonight, they're guaranteed to get through the Senate.

From Canberra, Naomi Woodley reports.

NAOMI WOODLEY: The Health Minister, Tanya Plibersek is confident she'll be able to deliver what the Parliament has twice blocked before, a means test on the private health insurance rebate, and an increase in the Medicare levy surcharge for wealthy Australians who don't take out private cover.

TANYA PLIBERSEK: This is a very big win for fairness. It means that low income Australians won't be subsidising the private health insurance rebates of much higher paid Australians and I'm very pleased that it's likely that this legislation will pass this evening.

NAOMI WOODLEY: The Greens were always expected to support the Government but their votes have been secured by an extra $165 million over three years for dental care.

TANYA PLIBERSEK: An additional terrific outcome is that we will see greater, better investment in helping the poorest Australians, the 20 per cent who are currently missing out on dental care, receive better dental care.

NAOMI WOODLEY: The agreement is well short of the billion dollars the Greens had been pushing the Government to include in this year's budget for dental care. But their Health spokesman, Richard Di Natale says it's still a significant investment.

RICHARD DI NATALE: And those people who can now go to the dentist who couldn't afford to do so previously will be grateful. But you're right, it's not enough. More needs to be done.

This, as far as we're concerned, is the start of a negotiation with the Government.

NAOMI WOODLEY: Tanya Plibersek says decisions on what other promises might be included in the budget haven't been finalised but she's playing down expectations of a large scale boost to dental funding.

TANYA PLIBERSEK: Adding dental to Medicare in the way that some people have suggested, including in the past the Greens have suggested, would be a cost of about $5 or $6 billion a year and we are certainly not in the position to add $5 or $6 billion a year to the health budget.

And in fact we wouldn't even have the dental workforce to meet that need, should we make that change overnight.

NAOMI WOODLEY: The Greens' Richard Di Natale, says they've always believed setting up a universal dental care system would take five years.

RICHARD DI NATALE: So we're still committed to the scale of investment in the order of a billion dollars.

We think that's what's necessary in the coming budget. We think that with a range of measures some new money and some reform of current dental spending that we can achieve it and that's what we'll be working towards with the Government.

NAOMI WOODLEY: The Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie has confirmed he will vote for the Government's measures, meaning the last crucial vote will belong to the New South Wales independent Rob Oakeshott.

Tanya Plibersek says the Government hasn't offered any extra inducements to win him over but she's quietly confident he's on side. Mr Oakeshott's office says he's consistently maintained his silence on how he'll vote.

Speaking before the Government's announcement, the Opposition leader Tony Abbott was still hoping to influence Mr Oakeshott's decision.

TONY ABBOTT: The matter is still before the Parliament. There is time for the independent members of this Parliament to stand up for their constituents. There is time for the independent members of this Parliament to keep the Government honest, rather than facilitating dishonesty.

NAOMI WOODLEY: If the changes go through they'll provide $2.4 billion over three years for the federal budget.

The Government is hoping to wrap the debate up tonight but it could spill over until tomorrow.

MARK COLVIN: Naomi Woodley.

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2012年2月18日星期六

Children found, mother in custody - Sydney Morning Herald

Children found, mother in custody

Erik Jensen February 14, 2012

Two children allegedly abducted by their mother have been found by police in the Canberra suburb of Belconnen.

The children were found after a state-wide announcement from police alerted a driver who noted the car described in front of him.

In the statement, issued just before 6pm, police said they were ‘‘seeking urgent public assistance to help locate a four-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl who are believed to have been taken from the Central Coast today by their mother.’’

The statement said they had ‘‘grave concerns for their welfare’’.

The Herald understands the woman was from Tuggerah Lakes, but could not immediately confirm this.

The woman was driving a golden Mitsubishi Magna sedan with registration plates QVS 887. She is now in police custody.

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Gillard rejects Rudd plot claims - Sydney Morning Herald

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Murder-suicide dad who killed disabled sons 'had love and empathy' - NEWS.com.au

Loving father killed disabled sons in murder-suicide Sons had cerebral palsy and were profoundly deaf Coroner said dad's life revolved around his sons

MYSTERY surrounds the reason why an ailing yet loving father decided to kill his two disabled sons along with himself in a murder-suicide, the Deputy State Coroner has found.

Edo Travaglia, 54, had a past medical history of anxiety, depression and prostate cancer and a history of suicide attempts in the lead up to his own death and that of his adult sons on August 15, 2009.

His sons, Leigh and David, were born with cerebral palsy and were profoundly deaf.

“It appears that Mr Travaglia’s life revolved around the boys who required 24-hour care, with him doing everything for them,” Deputy State Coroner Iain West said in his finding this afternoon.

“(His separated wife) Katrina Blake subsequently told investigating police: ‘He did it with love, compassion and empathy’”.

Mr West said that from 2003, the Travaglia brothers lived in Department of Human Services (DHS) accommodation where they received adequate care until Mr and Mrs Travaglia perceived a drop in standards due to what they believed was cost cutting at the facility.

“This perceived lack of care greatly concerned Mr Travaglia, resulting in him raising numerous issues with the DHS which, in turn, he believed led to his boys being discriminated against at the facility,” Mr West said.

“Mr Travaglia felt he had failed as a father, blaming himself for the boys’ perceived lack of care.”

Mr West said another care provider was found and the brothers seemed extremely happy.

Mr Travaglia took his sons home to his Rosebud house on the night of August 15, 2009, telling staff he would be returning them the next day.

Friends found Mr Travaglia and his two sons, aged 30 and 27, dead in his car in his garage the following day.

A note was found on the dashboard.

All three had died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

“It is puzzling to know why Mr Travaglia decided to take his sons’ lives when they were finally enjoying the sort of quality of care he had fought so hard for,” Mr West said.

“Those closest to Mr Travaglia stated that he was a devoted father and, hence, a possible reason for his actions was that he couldn’t accept the prospect of leaving them behind if he wasn’t there to protect them.”???

Anyone with personal problems can contact Lifeline on 131 114, Mensline Australia on 1300 789 978,? Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or the Victorian Statewide Suicide Helpline on 1300 651 251.?

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2012年2月17日星期五

Woman charged over Broome man's death - Ninemsn

A 34-year-old man has died after being stabbed in the chest with a knife during a dispute in the Kimberley town of Broome.

Police said a 29-year-old woman was charged with causing grievous bodily harm following the stabbing at 8.35pm (WST) on Monday.

The woman, who was the man's de facto partner, was due to appear in the Broome Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

A police spokesman said the charges could be upgraded following a post-mortem examination.

The man died while being flown to Royal Darwin Hospital.

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Man fined £500 for mooning the Queen - Telegraph.co.uk

Liam Lloyd Warriner, a 22-year-old barman, said his act was a political protest to show his contempt for the monarch during her visit to Queensland last October. The court heard that he dropped his trousers and ran alongside the Queen’s motorcade for 50 metres, with an Australian flag clasped between his buttock cheeks. It is not clear whether the royal couple observed the buttock-borne flag.

"I'm a proud antimonarchist," he said outside the court. "What's uncivilised about it? We come into the world naked."

Warriner was sentenced today in a Brisbane court on a charge of creating a public nuisance. He said the Queen was not entitled to “granny status” and warned he would repeat the act if Barack Obama were to make another visit.

"Any self-important, self-propagating elitist, I will happily bare my buttocks to," he said.

"The Queen represents where people can be born into importance. I don't think that any one family should have any more importance than any other family on this planet."

Sergeant Troy Newman said crowds had lined both sides of the street to see the Queen when Warriner emerged from his workplace and dropped his shorts and underwear. He then lifted his shirt to expose his buttocks, ran with the flag and returned to his workplace but co-operated with police when they arrested him.

Sergeant Newman said Warriner had selfishly disrupted a formal and respectful occasion – and had also shown disrespect towards the flag.

"He's young but old enough to have known better," he said.

Warriner’s lawyer, John Paul Mould, said the incident would not have raised an eyebrow if it occurred outside a rugby league game. "It's really low-level stuff," he said.

Warriner pleaded guilty to the charge of public nuisance. Police dropped a second charge of wilful exposure prior to his sentence. Prosecutors had asked for a AU$1,000 fine.

The magistrate, Anne Thacker, criticised Warriner for disrupting the court proceedings.

"This is a civil society and when a lot of people gather in one place the grouping means there is a vulnerable position if even one person like yourself doesn't behave in a civil manner," she said.

No conviction was recorded against Warriner.

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Police Commissioner caught speeding - Brisbane Times

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2012年2月16日星期四

'Balls-up': $3.1m Parliament House website a year late - Sydney Morning Herald

'Balls-up': $3.1m Parliament House website a year late

BEN GRUBB February 14, 2012

A "major breach" of Australia's Parliament House computer network partly contributed to a $600,000 cost blowout and 12-month delay in constructing the newly designed parliament website which is due to launch to the public this Friday evening.

The figure and breach was revealed in senate estimates yesterday by parliamentary librarian Roxanne Missingham and President of the Senate John Hogg,?who reported that the total cost of the new aph.gov.au site, which was meant to go live February 2011, had so far come to about $3.1 million.

The cost blowout and delayed launch follows a botched IT upgrade deployed in December, which brought the parliament site down for 3 days, and attacks on the website?by the loose-knit hacking collective Anonymous over Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's internet filtering policy.

The new site - which people inside parliament have had access to since the middle of January this year - replaces the current one which has been in place for 12 years, according to Missingham, and will offer "significant new functionality".

Such functionality will allow members of the public to track bills through parliament, be alerted when their local senator or member gives a speech in parliament, and allow for information on it to be found more easily, she said.

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But costs to get the new website up and running had blown out due to the "complexity of various aspects" such as "delays from undertaking security", Missingham revealed when questioned by Labor senator John Faulkner in senate estimates.

"In September we put in additional funding of $153,750 to upgrade the platform, complete system testing, do the security testing, and rework content and data," she said. "Additional funding was also allocated in May. That funding was $461,300."

She said there were a number of issues in "regression testing" that were found and that "reworking of aspects of the website" due to business requirement changes also contributed to the delay and cost blowout.?Three rounds of security analysis on the website were also done to "make sure that it will not be hacked".

"I think you could say that the delays and the additional costs were as a result of increased?complexity of the solution that we needed, increased security testing and an increase in the work that was done?compared with what we had anticipated when we initiated the project,"?Missingham said.

President of the Senate, John Hogg, said part of the delay and need for additional money to be spent on the new website was caused by "a major breach of the security of the system externally from [Parliament House]".

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"That occurred in December 2010," he said, and put "additional costs on IT right throughout [parliament]".

The major breach, which Hogg said was "well and truly beyond" parliament's control, was a "security intrusion into the system from an external source, and not just on one occasion but on a number of occasions".

"That caused grave concern about people's privacy with the information they have here and people's ability to access information into the system."

He said for some reason that he did not understand, it seemed that there were "a group of people out there who try to interfere in people's systems, not just here but in the corporate world as well, by hacking into the systems".?It was something he said he was "constantly raising with people from other parliaments" both when they visited Australia and when an Australian delegation was visiting them, "to see what attempts they are making to block unwarranted access to their information".

Senator Faulkner appeared unimpressed by the cost blowout and delay in launching the website, asking Hogg how "another balls-up" could be avoided. Hogg said he hoped that delays would not occur into the future by overcoming "security aspects" now.

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Schoolboy dies after hit by car in Sydney - Sydney Morning Herald

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Abbott comes up with another timetable for Coalition budget surplus - The Australian

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Afghanistan denies Taliban army infiltration systemic - ABC Online

Updated February 12, 2012 01:06:25

The Afghan government has downplayed a rogue soldier's claims that more Afghan army trainees are ready to launch deadly attacks against coalition soldiers.

In a video posted online by a jihadi network this week, Mohammed Rozi - an army trainee who shot and seriously wounded three Australians who were training him in Uruzgan province in November - said many of his colleagues dreamed of committing similar attacks.

Rozi, who escaped after the attack, falsely boasted in the video that he had killed 12 Australian soldiers.

But Afghan government spokesman Dr Hakim Asher says despite the claims in the video, the chances of similar attacks remains small.

"That is not a huge problem for Afghanistan. We believe that there were some mistakes and those mistakes are very few," he said.

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson agrees, saying such attacks are rare and are designed to breed mistrust.

"We have to take great care in recruitment in registering young men into the forces, but it is not systemic and it is not threatening and it will not stop our progress," he said.

Australian confidence in the mission in Afghanistan reached a new low last year when Rozi opened fire on the troops that were training him.

It was not clear what motivated the attack or whether he had been working with terrorist groups.

Now, the extensive video interview with Rozi answers some of these questions.

The video reveals the attack was carefully premeditated, with Rozi taking the time to watch his targets through binoculars before opening fire.

He said the Australian troops at the patrol base he shot were not armed.

He revealed he had initially been working alone, but was quickly taken in by the Taliban after fleeing the scene in a stolen humvee.

Rozi said he wanted to teach the troops a lesson and that Muslims in Afghanistan would not accept the presence of foreigners.

Speaking during a tour of flood-hit parts of Queensland on Saturday, Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the video as "disgusting propaganda".

"The fact that there's this disgusting anti-Australian propaganda anywhere in the world is offensive to me and to all Australians," she said.

"It's aimed at trust, that's exactly what it's aimed - at denting our will.

"Well no amount of propaganda is going to dent our will at getting this mission done."

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott also spoke out about the video, saying Australians have every right to feel disgusted by the boasting.

He described it as a message designed to undermine Australia's confidence.

"Our enemies are trying to exaggerate their strength," he said.

The attack on the Australian soldiers in November was the third by a Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier in 2011, and came 10 days after three Australians were killed and seven were wounded when another Afghan soldier turned his weapon on his trainers.

In May, one Australian soldier was killed when a member of the ANA opened fire.

Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, defence-and-national-security, defence-forces, army, world-politics, government-and-politics, afghanistan, australia

First posted February 12, 2012 01:02:41

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2012年2月15日星期三

Labor Keeps Port Adelaide, Ramsay in South Australian by-elections - Herald Sun

LABOR has retained the two seats in the South Australian parliament vacated by retiring former premier Mike Rann and his former deputy Kevin Foley, despite a big swing against the party in Port Adelaide.

Labor was expected to win but faced stiff competition in Port Adelaide where Susan Close won Mr Foley's former seat despite a swing of more than nine per cent to the local mayor, independent Gary Johanson.

Provisional electoral commission figures had Dr Close on 53.2 per cent and Mr Johanson on 46.8 on a two party preferred basis.

Mr Foley had held the seat since 1993.

In Ramsay, tourism industry official Zoe Bettison retained the strong Labor seat that Mr Rann had held since 1993.

Ms Bettison, who had 54 per cent of first preferences, still had a strong buffer of 18 per cent after a 10 per cent swing against the ALP at the 2010 state election.

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Gillard Government cuts health insurance rebates - Razors Edge

High income earners face paying more for private health insurance if proposed legislation passes.

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek has introduced a bill to start means-testing the health insurance rebate in a bid to add $2.4 billion to the Government’s coffers.

The rebate, set up by the Howard Government, means a 30 per cent cut in the cost of health insurance for anyone who chooses it, regardless of income.

Under the new scheme, individuals earning over $83 000 and couples earning over $166 000 would have their rebate docked by up to 20 per cent.

2SER’s Sam Buckingham-Jones spoke to Michael Armitage, CEO of the Australian Health Insurance Association, about his reaction, and the future of private health insurance.

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Three men charged after fatal Sydney brawl - Sydney Morning Herald

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2012年2月14日星期二

Flood evacuation ordered in Walgett - Sydney Morning Herald

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Katter's mob get down to work - WA today

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Australian reporter, US student held in Egypt: security - Herald Sun

An Australian journalist is under arrest in Egypt, accused of trying to bribe people to join a strike.

UPDATE: FEDERAL government officials have made contact with an Australian journalist arrested in Egypt and are seeking more information from local police on what charges he may face.

Egyptian authorities arrested 28-year-old NSW man Austin Mackell, US student Derek Ludovici and local translator Aliya Alwi in the industrial city of Mahalla al-Kobra overnight.

Security officials have accused them of trying to pay people to join a strike marking the first anniversary of Hosni Mubarak's ouster as the country's president.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it had been in contact with Mr Mackell.

"Consular officials from the Australian Embassy in Cairo have spoken to the man,'' a DFAT spokesperson said.

"He has confirmed he is being treated appropriately by local police authorities and that he intends to engage a legal representative.''

Embassy officials were now seeking advice from Egyptian police on possible charges arising from the arrest, the spokesperson said.

Ms Alwi posted details of the ordeal on her Twitter account, writing early today Australian time that she and Mr Mackell were being transported to a military intelligence office in the nearby city of Tanta.

A few hours earlier, she wrote: "Report against us filed now. Many witnesses saw us 'offering money to youth to vandalise and cause chaos'.''

Another tweet read: "Charges brought against of inciting protest and vandalism. Witnesses have been produced to confirm it.''

One of those witnesses was eight-years old, she wrote.

The trio apparently first believed the police were trying to protect them after they experienced some aggression from locals.

"Our car got rocked and beaten against the glass, got called a whore and all sorts of things. Police escorted us to station,'' Ms Alwi wrote.

An unnamed security official told the Associated Press the trio would be interrogated by the attorney general's office.

Cairo-based Australian journalist Jess Hill, who knows Mr Mackell, says he travelled to Mahalla to meet a trade union activist.

"What we know is that they were mobbed by residents,'' she told the ABC.

"Their car was attacked and they were taken to a police station and initially it looks like they were just being kept there for their safety, and then witnesses were brought in to attest to that charge about bribing locals to strike.''

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Police to work with DoCs on drunk kids - NEWS.com.au

THE Department of Community Services (DoCS) has been informed about several children who police found drunk and drug affected in Sydney.

A 14-year-old boy under the influence of drink and drugs was among 13 children detained by police in the inner city overnight.

The boy's carer thought he was in bed asleep.

Nine boys and four girls, mostly aged 14 or 15, were picked up by police on Oxford Street, George Street and around Central station because they were unsupervised, intoxicated, under the influence of drugs or in situations that put them at risk.

When police phoned their parents, not one of them came in from the suburbs to collect their child.

Instead, police officers drove the children home to suburbs as far away from the city as Mount Druitt, Quakers Hill, Hurstville and Earlwood.

Detective Inspector Stephen Crews said police were not a taxi service and parents needed to be more engaged with their children.

"The next step is for us to work closely with the Department of Community Services and see how we can support these kids.

"Each case has unique characteristics and we really do want to support them.

"The police aren't a taxi service. However, when we contact parents and carers and they're not prepared to come and collect their kids ... we have to get them home.

"I urge parents to please be a role model for their children."

Some of the parents were shocked to discover their children had lied about where they were going, he said.

Others could not be contacted when police or the children themselves tried to call.

NSW Police Minister Michael Gallacher said parents need to ask their children more questions about what they were up to.

"Ask more questions and make some inquiries to ensure that the knock on the door that you get at two or three o'clock in the morning isn't just a police officer returning your son or daughter home in an affected state," he said.

"But worse, you want to make sure that the knock on the door isn't from a police officer telling you to come down to the morgue."

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