Probe into alleged attack by Qld cops

POLICE have launched an investigation after footage emerged showing a police officer allegedly punching a man in the face outside a Brisbane nightclub.

The footage, taken by a member of the public, shows three uniformed police officers speaking to a man down an alleyway outside The Beat nightclub on Ann St about 11.30pm (AEST) on Friday.

Bank employee Joe Ritson says he filmed the scene while waiting for a taxi.

"I had a feeling something was going to happen so I started filming it and like three seconds later one of the cops punched him in the face and I was like 'holy crap that is full on'," Mr Ritson told Ninemsn.

"They punched him, pushed him up against the wall and then started kicking him.

"The ute (in the video) kind of obscures it but you can see one of the them kneed him in the back."

Mr Ritson told Ninemsn he doesn't why the police officers had approached the man.

The footage was uploaded to Youtube, but has since been taken down.

A statement from Queensland Police said they were aware of the video and had launched an investigation.

The Ethical Standards Command has also been informed.

Brisbane Region Acting Assistant Commissioner Allan McCarthy said although police were looking into the incident it didn't necessarily mean the officers were at fault.

"This does not mean any allegations or complaints about the officers have been substantiated," he said in a statement.

"It is important not to pre-empt the outcome, however the circumstances will be investigated thoroughly to determine if the officers have acted in accordance with the high expectations of the Service."

Mr McCarthy said all officers are expected to act professionally and ethically in accordance with the service's high standards.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dutch poll says 21% 'back more euthanasia'

More than one in five Dutch people believe that euthanasia should be allowed for elderly people. Source: AAP

MORE than one in five Dutch people believe that euthanasia should be allowed for elderly people who are "tired of living", new research suggests.

Of 2000 Dutch people polled, 21 per cent said euthanasia should be allowed for people who no longer wish to live - even if they do not have a serious disease.

Dutch euthanasia law allows doctors to assist suicide for patients who are suffering unbearably from a medical condition with no prospect of improvement.

Hundreds of terminally ill Britons have travelled to receive assisted dying in countries where euthanasia is permitted, reports suggest.

There has been much debate in the Netherlands as to whether euthanasia laws should be extended so doctors can help elderly people who are not seriously ill, but who are simply tired of living, to die.

Researchers decided to examine the level of public support for the matter.

While one in five agreed with the prospect, just over half disagreed and a quarter neither agreed nor disagreed.

Those who supported euthanasia for older people tired of living were more likely to be highly educated and non-religious, researchers said.

Publishing their findings in the Journal of Medical Ethics, they wrote: "Although it is lower than the level of support for assistance in dying for patients whose suffering is rooted in a serious medical condition, our finding that a substantial minority of the general public supports physician assistance in dying for older people who are tired of living implies that this topic may need to be taken seriously in the debate about end-of-life decision-making.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

VW replaces head of struggling US division

AS Volkswagen's US division struggles to reach sales goals, the auto maker said on Thursday it was replacing the division's boss.

The company said Jonathan Browning, 54, was leaving his job as president and chief executive of the Volkswagen Group of America "for personal reasons and returning to the UK".

His replacement is Michael Horn, 51, the company's global head of after-sales service, repair and components. Horn was formerly head of sales for Europe.

Through November, US Volkswagen sales fell more than five per cent to just under 374,000, while the overall market has grown more than eight per cent.

Sales of the compact Jetta sedan fell 4.4 per cent, while Passat midsize sedan sales declined 2.1 per cent, according to Autodata Corp.

This year's decline came after VW sales skyrocketed more than 30 per cent in 2012.

Analyst Thomas Libby at IHS Automotive said that after "very effective" launches of redesigned Passat and Jetta models, Volkswagen had taken a break in updating its offerings.

"There is general agreement that new product is a major factor in performance in the US market, and VW has had a dearth, a pause, in product launches," he said.

Volkswagen also lacks competitive products in some key US market categories. Libby singled out the non-luxury crossover segment, where the company's Tiguan was no longer competitive on price or value comparisons.

The leadership shuffle comes amid a debate over unionising Volkswagen's only US plant in Tennessee. The plant stands alone among VW's major factories worldwide in that it has no formal worker representation, whether through a union or a German-style works council.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union says it has collected enough signatures to be recognised outright, though the company could also call for a secret ballot.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Reporter sues Toronto mayor for defamation

THE controversial mayor of the Canadian city of Toronto is being sued by a newspaper reporter after he suggested the journalist is a pedophile.

In a TV interview, Rob Ford accused Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale of taking pictures of children. Ford said he didn't "want to say that word but you start thinking what this guy is all about."

The day after the interview aired, Ford told reporters that he stands by his words. "I stand by every word I said."

Ford's insinuation was related to an instance when Dale was close to the mayor's house in May 2012, investigating a plot of public land adjacent to Ford's home that the mayor wanted to buy.

Dale has said he was writing a story about the plot so he went to take a look at it when the mayor emerged from his home to confront him. Dale said the mayor's two children were nowhere in sight, nor were any children in sight.

Dale said he decided to take action after Ford repeated the accusations on a radio show on Thursday, saying again that Dale was taking photos outside of his house.

Dale said Ford added this: "When you've got young kids, that freaked me right out.

"This isn't quite as egregious as the (first) comment he made, but it brought renewed attention to his malicious and defamatory insinuation ... that I have some sort of predatory interest in young children - that I am a pedophile. I can't tolerate it. I won't tolerate it," wrote Dale in his article.

Dale said the libel notice asks Ford to immediately retract the false insinuation that I am a pedophile and all of his false statements about my conduct on May 2, 2012. Dale said he is also suing Vision TV, which twice broadcast Ford's first remarks. Dale asks that Ford and Vision owner ZoomerMedia apologise immediately "publicly, abjectly, unreservedly and completely."

Allegations about Ford smoking crack surfaced in May when two reporters for the Toronto Star and one from the website Gawker said they saw a video of Ford appearing to smoke from a crack pipe, but they did not obtain a copy. Ford vilified the Star, accusing the paper of trying to take him down.

He admitted last month to smoking crack "in a drunken stupor."

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bacteria linked to patient deaths in Qld

QUEENSLAND'S chief health officer is confident a Brisbane hospital grappling with a group A streptococcus bacterial outbreak, linked to two patient deaths, has the situation under control.

The deaths of two elderly patients at Greenslopes Private Hospital's rehabilitation centre have been linked to the bacteria outbreak.

Two other elderly patients at the rehabilitation centre have tested positive to the bacteria but are responding well to antibiotics.

The centre's admissions have been suspended as all patients and staff are tested.

Queensland Health said the main hospital building was not at risk because the rehabilitation unit was a separate facility.

Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young says the hospital has met all the public health guidelines for such an outbreak.

"All patients and staff currently in the unit are being tested and monitored for signs of the infection," Dr Young said.

"I understand all patients discharged from the unit since November 29 are being contacted by the hospital and given information about the symptoms to look out for."

Two men, aged 91 and 95, died at the hospital in the past week. One had pneumonia, the other a bloodstream infection.

They were later found to have the streptococcus bacteria in their bloodstreams.

Dr Young said she was notified of the deaths on Thursday, which is within the mandatory notification period.

Often the bacteria is found in the throat and on the skin and can cause minor symptoms such as a sore throat.

But in rare cases it can invade the bloodstream or the lungs and cause life-threatening illnesses, typically in people with compromised health, such as the elderly.

A legionnaires' disease outbreak was at the private Wesley Hospital this year.

Linked to the hospital's water system, that outbreak led to the death of a cancer patient in his 60s. Another patient was put in intensive care.

The Wesley was effectively shut down for about a fortnight and hospitals throughout the state were tested for the bacteria.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

PA 'saw signs of drugs at Lawson home'

Nigella Lawson's ex-PA told a UK court she saw evidence of regular drug use by the celebrity cook. Source: AAP

A PERSONAL assistant accused of defrauding Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi has told a London court she saw evidence of regular drug use by the celebrity cook.

Elisabetta Grillo, 41, said she found various signs that Lawson was using cocaine, including a packet of white powder found in a toilet in the home she shared with former husband, John Diamond, as well as rolled-up banknotes and credit cards with white powder on them.

Asked if she had ever seen Lawson taking drugs, Grillo - who is also known as Lisa - said "No".

But she told Isleworth Crown Court in west London that she was aware that Lawson had taken drugs and, when pressed by barrister Anthony Metzer QC about what type of substances, she said cocaine and cannabis.

Grillo, who worked for Lawson as an au pair, said she did not confront the 53-year-old about the issue as she didn't want to embarrass her.

Italian-born Grillo, who is accused alongside her sister Francesca of defrauding Lawson and Saatchi, said that when she was living with Lawson in Shepherd's Bush around a year after she first started working for her and then-husband Diamond, she found a small packet of white powder in the toilet while cleaning.

She told the court: "I was cleaning the house and I noticed a little packet on top of the loo, toilet.

"I opened it because it was kind of a little funny envelope and I saw white powder."

On other occasions she found rolled-up notes - on one occasion a 20 pound note - with white powder on them.

"Once I noticed a credit card with white, and a CD, like a music CD, with white stuff," she said.

Grillo also told the court she found similar evidence when Lawson moved in with Saatchi at his home in Eaton Square.

She said that in a drawer in Lawson's office she found rolled-up banknotes, including American dollars.

Asked by Mr Metzer if there was anything on them, she said: "Yes, again, white stuff."

The defence barrister asked her how often over the years she had seen signs of drug use, to which she replied: "Regularly".

Grillo also referred to a box, shaped like a book, in which Lawson has denied stashing drugs.

The celebrity cook last week admitted taking cocaine with Diamond when he found out he had terminal cancer, and on another occasion in July 2010 during her troubled marriage to Saatchi.

But Lawson, who also admitted smoking cannabis in the last year of her marriage to the art gallery owner, said the idea that she was a drug addict or habitual user of cocaine was "absolutely ridiculous" and accused her ex-husband of "peddling" stories about her alleged habit.

Metzer asked Grillo if Ms Lawson's assertion that she took cocaine with Diamond but never again until 2010 was true.

"No", she replied. "Because I know I saw more stuff before that."

Asked how often she saw evidence of cocaine use, she said: "Like, every three days, something like that. Regularly, not only once, for sure."

She told the court that Lawson's moods were "very up and down" and said she could be "mean".

Grillo then described how she felt after she was accused of stealing from the celebrity couple.

"I was sad after 14 years. They broke my heart," she said.

Grillo told the court she was shocked to be confronted by finance director Rahul Gajjar in July 2012 over her use of taxis or the company credit card.

The court heard that the Grillo sisters later met with Gajjar who urged them to sign a letter admitting fraud and agreeing to pay money back. But they refused and Elisabetta Grillo told the jury they would not sign as she did not want to admit to something she had not done.

She said she was upset by the allegations and she tried to contact Ms Lawson via letter and phone call but did not receive a reply.

She was asked about an email written to Lawson and Saatchi by her and her sister in October last year in which they begged for forgiveness.

Asked by Metzer what she was asking forgiveness for, she said: "Because I disappointed them. It's not because I did something bad... I wanted someone to talk with me, neither Charles or Nigella talked to us, they sent the lawyers and the police."

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

NZ mine payments not 'blood money'

New Zealand prosecutors have dropped charges against former Pike River Coal boss Peter Whittall. Source: AAP

HEALTH and safety prosecutors are denying the reparations offer they accepted from former Pike River Coal boss Peter Whittall is "blood money".

All 12 health and safety charges against the Australian mining executive have been dropped after the Crown told Christchurch District Court on Thursday that their chances of convicting him were low.

This was in part because a number of witnesses were not prepared to front up in court, others weren't prepared to sign briefs of evidence, and some experts clashed in their evidence.

It had been alleged Mr Whittall, who was chief executive of Pike River Coal for six weeks before the 2010 explosions, participated or knew about safety breaches at the mine.

Unions and upset family members of some of the 29 miners who died in the explosions have described Mr Whittall's offer to pay the victims' families and survivors $110,000 each - accepted by prosecutors - as "blood money".

Geoffrey Podger, the acting deputy chief executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's health and safety group, said legal advice was taken before deciding to accept the offer.

"The issue of whether people have sought to make amends is a relevant factor," he told Radio New Zealand.

"But if the case had been strong enough to go to trial, we would have done so."

The amount Mr Whittall has offered to pay, which will come from insurance and from legal costs he won't now have to meet, is the same as Pike River Coal was fined when it admitted charges, but which it wasn't able to pay due to receivership.

Mr Podger denied suggestions the fact the case could shine attention on failings of the ministry's predecessors, the Department of Labour, was part of the reason for not prosecuting, saying independent legal advice from the crown solicitor was taken.

"We have always said that our performance over Pike River was unsatisfactory," he said.

Family members said the men who died would not now get justice.

Mr Whittall's lawyer, Stacey Shortall, said the dismissal of the charges meant that money which otherwise would have been spent on the legal case could now be used to compensate the families.

She told Radio New Zealand there were fundamental flaws in the prosecution case.

13.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Foreign airlines to boost stake in Virgin

VIRGIN Australia's largest shareholders Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways and Air New Zealand will increase their stakes in the airline to almost 70 per cent as part of a $351.5 million capital raising.

Retail shareholders took up just 25.3 per cent of the entitlement.

The announcement has angered rival Qantas and pushed its shares two per cent lower to 97 cents after touching an all time low of 96 cents on Thursday.

Qantas has complained for weeks about an uneven playing field in the Australian aviation market as Virgin is not restricted on foreign investment.

Chief executive Alan Joyce has been lobbying the federal government to block Virgin's equity raising.

Virgin's three foreign shareholders already own 63 per cent of the airline and they are expected to increase their combined stakes to around 67 per cent.

Air New Zealand is expected to hold the largest stake, at just over 24 per cent and Singapore and Etihad will boost their respective stakes to just above 21 per cent.

Virgin founder Richard Branson owns around 10 per cent.

Retail shareholders will raise $17.5 million as part of the entitlement.

Virgin said the balance of 136.4 million remaining shares would be issued to the underwriters and the sub-underwriter of the retail entitlement offer.

Air New Zealand had agreed to sub-underwrite the offer and Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines had agreed to increase their exposure to Virgin through cash settled derivatives.

Virgin conducted the raising at 38 cents a share, which was one cent higher than Wednesday's closing price.

A Qantas spokesman said the move meant Virgin Australia was now almost 80 per cent foreign owned after receiving more than $300 million from state-owned enterprises."

"But it has all of the international traffic rights reserved for majority Australian-owned carriers," Qantas said.

At the close of trade Virgin shares rose one cent to 38 cents while Qantas shares fell two cents to 97 cents.

13.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chevron's Gorgon blows out to $US54bn

Chevron says the cost of its Gorgon LNG project in West Australia has blown out to $A59.87 billion. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S largest gas project Gorgon has suffered a multi-billion dollar cost blow-out and delay, the latest in a string of industry overruns.

The cost of energy giant Chevron's liquefied natural gas project has blown out from $US52 billion to $US54 billion ($A57.65 billion to $A59.87 billion).

Also, the start-up date for first gas from the Western Australian project is now expected to be in mid-2015 instead of the first quarter.

Despite those issues, the project's economics remained attractive, said Chevron vice-chairman George Kirkland.

"We continue to make steady progress against key project milestones and are applying lessons learned to our Wheatstone development which is almost 25 per cent complete," he said.

"Approximately 75 per cent of our combined LNG offtake from the two projects is committed under firm, long-term sales and purchase agreements."

The smaller but still large $A29 billion Wheatstone project in WA is also operated by Chevron. The two projects will produce 400,000 barrels a day at full capacity.

Thursday's cost blow-out is not a surprise, with Chevron previously complaining about a regulatory environment that was leading to wage and other cost problems. It also follows a cost increase last December from $US37 billion to $US52 billion.

LNG is tipped to replace iron ore as Australia's top earning export within two decades.

However, the $A200 billion suite of seven LNG projects being built have been marred by regular cost blow-outs and delays, and the development of rival projects overseas in countries such as Canada.

Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) WA state secretary Christy Cain said while Chevron had highlighted high labour costs as contributing to cost blowouts, improved management practices would lead to savings.

"Instead of blaming workers for the cost blowouts on Gorgon, Chevron management should be taking a good look at themselves and their management practices," he said.

"Public debate should focus on the salaries and perks of Chevron's management."

13.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Another spill at Rio Tinto uranium mine

Rio Tinto says it is trying to find out what caused a toxic spill at its Rossing Uranium mine. Source: AAP

MINING giant Rio Tinto is still trying to find out what caused a toxic spill at its Rossing Uranium mine in Namibia - the company's second major radioactive incident this month.

One of 12 leach tanks in the processing plant at Rossing in the Namib desert failed on December 3.

Rio said there was no environmental impact from the incident, with spilled slimes channeled in trenches and contained in a holding tank.

While the spill caused the milling operation to stop, it was expected to restart once the failed tank was isolated from the production process.

The company said some people received first aid at the scene, but no employees were seriously injured and production in other areas of the mine was not affected.

Rio's open pit Rossing mine opened 37 years ago and now produces four per cent of the world's uranium.

The Australian government has suspended processing operations at the Ranger mine in the Northern Territory after a leach tank with a 1.5 million-litre capacity burst and spilled out a radioactive and acidic slurry on Saturday.

Ranger is operated by Rio Tinto subsidiary Energy Resources of Australia.

Rio Tinto, a major shareholder in Rossing, said the operators of both facilities were offering "full support" as investigations into the incidents continue.

"Each company has commissioned a full investigation into these incidents to determine the cause and contributing factors," Rio Tinto said in a statement.

The company hopes the investigations will identify what caused or contributed to the Rossing incident.

Greens Senator Scott Ludlam said the Rossing acid spill was identical in nature to the Ranger spill.

"Rossing opened in 1976, Ranger in 1981 - both of these mines are ageing and failing," he said.

"Rio is now on the world's radioactive radar. In Namibia worker and environmental safety standards are much lower than at Ranger."

He said the industry was failing and it was time to shut down old mines.

The uranium price has been trading at record lows due to continued weak demand.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Barnes named NSW state coroner

Magistrate Michael Barnes (R) has been has appointed as the new State Coroner of NSW. Source: AAP

MAGISTRATE Michael Barnes, who oversaw high-profile Queensland inquests into the pink batts scandal and the disappearance of schoolboy Daniel Morcombe, will take the top NSW coronial job.

NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith said Mr Barnes' 10 years as Queensland State Coroner made him well equipped for the job.

"Magistrate Barnes conducted inquests in Queensland that led to breakthroughs in cold case deaths and made coronial recommendations that have helped save lives," Mr Smith said on Wednesday.

Magistrate Hugh Dillon has been Acting NSW State Coroner since Mary Jerram stepped down from the post last month.

Mr Barnes completed his term as Queensland State Coroner in July before moving to NSW, where he was sworn in as an industrial and Local Court magistrate.

He made headlines in 2005 when he presided over an inquest into one of Australia's most controversial deaths in custody.

That initial inquest into the death of Mulrunji Doomadgee on Palm Island was sensationally aborted when Mr Barnes stood down amid claims of bias.

More recently Mr Barnes oversaw the coronial investigation into the 2003 disappearance of Sunshine Coast 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe.

Daniel's accused murderer is due to stand trial in February.

In July, Mr Barnes found that the rush in rolling out the former Rudd government's controversial home-insulation scheme played a role in the deaths of three tradesmen.

Mr Barnes will begin his five-year term as coroner on January 6.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jazz guitarist master Jim Hall dies at 83

Leading jazz guitarist Jim Hall has died at age 83 after a short illness. Source: AAP

JIM Hall, one of the leading jazz guitarists of the modern era whose subtle technique, lyrical sound and introspective approach strongly influenced younger proteges such as Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell, has died at the age of 83.

Hall died in his sleep early on Tuesday after a short illness at his Greenwich Village apartment in Manhattan, said Jane Hall, his wife of 48 years, who described her husband as "truly beloved by everybody who ever met him".

Hall, who led his own trio since the mid-1960s, remained active until shortly before his death.

Last month, his trio performed a concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Allen Room with guest guitarists John Abercrombie and Peter Bernstein.

He had been planning a duo tour in Japan in January with bassist Ron Carter, a longtime partner.

In 2004, Hall became the first of the modern jazz guitarists to be named a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master, the nation's highest jazz honour.

"Jim was one of the most important improvising guitarists in jazz history. His musical generosity was an exact reflection of his deep humanity," guitarist Metheny, who performed and recorded in a duo with Hall, said in an email to The Associated Press.

In the mid-50s, as a member of pianist Jimmy Giuffre's innovative trio and drummer Chico Hamilton's chamber jazz quartet, Hall transformed the role of the guitar in jazz with his understated melodic and minimalist approach.

The noted German jazz writer Joachim-Ernst Berendt once described Hall as "the perfect musical partner".

The guitarist was known for his duo and small group recordings with some of the greatest names in jazz during the past 60 years, including saxophonists Sonny Rollins, Gerry Mulligan, Ornette Coleman and Paul Desmond, pianists Bill Evans and Red Mitchell and singer Ella Fitzgerald.

As a member of Rollins' quartet in the early 60s, Hall appeared on the landmark 1962 album, The Bridge, which was the tenor saxophonist's first recording after a three-year hiatus during which he practised his chops on the Williamsburg Bridge.

The saxophonist's fiery playing contrasted with Hall's subdued guitar lines.

"Jim was an essentially beautiful human being," Rollins said in an email.

"I don't know anybody who didn't love him, including myself. He was the consummate musician and it was a privilege to work with him."

Hall graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music and soon after moved to Los Angeles where he became a charter member of Hamilton's quintet, which was among the originators of the laid-back West Coast cool style, and later joined Giuffre's trio.

His first album as a leader was the 1957 session Jazz Guitar for Pacific Jazz.

He later moved to New York where he performed as a sideman with Evans, Fitzgerald, Ben Webster, Lee Konitz and Art Farmer, among others.

He co-led a quartet with trumpeter Art Farmer and also formed his own trio with pianist Tommy Flanagan and bassist Carter.

Hall began recording extensively as a leader starting in the 70s in an assortment of duos, trios and small combos for such labels as Milestone, Concord, Music Masters and Telarc.

Earlier this year, he released several CDs of live recordings from his combo's sessions at New York's Birdland jazz club on ArtistShare, a platform that allows fans to finance recordings.

Hall is survived by his wife, a psychoanalyst, and his daughter and manager, Devra Hall Levy,, who was married to the late NEA Jazz Master John Levy, a bassist who is credited as the first African-American personal manager in jazz.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teen death sea race was 'safe': referee

ORGANISERS of a surf life saving championship allowed a fatal board race to go ahead despite pulling the pin on other events because the sea was too rough, an inquest has heard.

Matthew Barclay, 14, died while competing in an under-15 board race in large surf at Kurrawa Beach on the Gold Coast on March 28 last year.

He was the third teenage competitor to lose his life during the event at the same beach since 1996.

The championships' under-15 area referee Jenny Kenny told the coronial inquest on Tuesday that the board race was originally going to be held on March 29.

However, Ms Kenny said event organisers decided on the morning of March 28 to hold the board race that day after postponing the swim, board rescue and tube races because of unfavourable conditions.

She said those events were postponed because of the size of the 1.5 metre waves and the fact they were breaking far from the shore, creating a longer course.

The board races were considered safer for the conditions on March 28, she said.

"It wasn't an event in which we could see that there were any inherent dangers for the competitors," Ms Kenny explained.

"It was as per a pretty normal carnival in terms of the size of the surf on a surf beach, what the tide was doing, the amount of water safety we had, all those things indicated that that was a good event to hold at that time."

The official was one of the first on shore to notice a loose board in the under-15 board race shortly after the event began at 3.27pm.

She told the inquest she asked other officials on the beach if they could see the board's owner and when they replied no she raised the alarm.

Matthew's body was found the following day.

The inquest continues.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Home loan approvals a good sign for RBA

A rise in home loan approvals is another sign that the record-low cash rate is working. Source: AAP

HOME loan approvals rose 1.0 per cent in October - another sign that low interest rates are doing what they're supposed to.

There were 52,305 approvals in the month, compared to 51,792 approvals in September, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released on Tuesday.

The rise is in line with economists' expectations.

"It looks like another fairly solid outcome," National Australia Bank senior economist Spiros Papadopoulos said.

"It's another indicator that points to the recent strength that we've seen in the housing market and growth in the investor sector.

"If you line that up with the building approvals data, which has seen quite a lot of growth in multi-level dwellings, or apartments, that suggests we're seeing a lot of investor activity in apartments coming through.

"It's a comfort to the Reserve Bank that low interest rates are working and with no interest rate rise on the horizon any time soon, you'd expect that housing finance approvals and other housing indicators continue to trend higher in coming months."

JP Morgan economist Tom Kennedy said he was encourage by the increases in housing finance for the purchase of new dwellings, and the construction of dwellings.

"When you look at the breakdown it was fairly broadbased," he said.

"Construction loans, which is the one that the Reserve Bank of Australia has been targeting, trying to get a bit of a lift in that sector, they were up about one per cent and that is its third consecutive monthly increase, there are tentative signs of life in that sector.

"This is really representative of strength in the housing market and the continual demand for property."

Mr Kennedy expects the housing sector to continue strengthening in the new year.

"We don't think at this stage that the uptick in house prices has been too much of a concern for the RBA and activity is coming off pretty low levels, so we think it has a while to run," he said.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Recall makes positive debut on market

SHARES in Recall, the information management business formerly part of Brambles, rose on their first day of trading on the Australian share market.

Recall, which manages and stores documents and records, was recently demerged from Brambles, and its shares closed at $4.50 after opening at $4.15 at 1200 AEDT.

More than 32 million shares changed hands.

Chief executive Doug Pertz said it was an exciting day for Recall, a firm that serviced many large multinational companies.

"It is a strong business, with high quality customers and recurring revenue streams across a diverse geographic base," Mr Pertz said in a statement.

"Recall has excellent growth prospects in both developed and emerging markets, with strong cash flows from which to fund growth, innovation and dividends to shareholders."

Brambles, which retains its pallets business, announced the demerger of Recall in July 2013, after failing to sell the business.

Brambles earlier said the demerger enabled it to concentrate on growing its pooling solutions business, which provides reusable CHEP and IFCO pallets, crates and containers to industry.

Recall has about 312 million ordinary shares trading on the market.

Shares in Brambles dropped 42 cents to $8.86.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hockey says car industry must shape future

TREASURER Joe Hockey has declared the future of car manufacturing in Australia lies in the hands of the car industry.

But some of his Liberal-National coalition colleagues say a taxpayer lifeline will be thrown to Holden to prevent it from closing, after 65 years of car making in Australia.

Holden itself says local manufacturing cannot compete globally without public assistance of around $1 for every $3 invested by the company.

Media reports suggest the board of Holden's American owner General Motors has already decided to pull out of Australia from 2016, but won't announce the decision until early 2014.

"They are going. They will not want to put more money in after the current model run winds up in 2016," a senior industry representative told the Wall Street Journal.

Holden's future dominated question time in federal parliament on Monday, where Mr Hockey was asked by Labor to guarantee the company's future.

"The future of the car industry is in the hands of the car industry," Mr Hockey said.

The previous Labor government had let Mitsubishi close its operations in 2008 and Ford would follow in 2016, Mr Hockey said.

Mr Hockey said the best thing Labor could do for the car industry was repeal the carbon tax.

Holden estimates the carbon tax adds $45 per locally-made vehicle but says the cost is absorbed by the company.

Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane has been in talks with car makers in recent weeks and initiated a Productivity Commission inquiry into the industry, which will hand down an interim report on December 20.

Mr Macfarlane told parliament on Monday the government was "not working on the pretext that Holden is leaving the country", but was coming up with a solution.

"We have a purposeful, methodical, measured approach to assessing the future of the car industry in Australia," he said.

South Australian Liberal leader Steven Marshall, who is aiming to unseat the state Labor government at the March 15 state election, said the coalition would not let the industry die.

"I'm quite convinced if there is a deal to be done, the coalition will do that deal," Mr Marshall said.

SA Premier Jay Weatherill will meet Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Thursday to discuss the car industry's future and the federal government's election pledge to withdraw $500 million from assistance.

"The future of Holdens (sic) is in the hands of the prime minister," Mr Weatherill said.

Mr Abbott said last week the government would not provide a "blank cheque" to Holden and the company owed its workforce, suppliers and the public an explanation about its future.

Holden boss Mike Devereux is due to front a Productivity Commission inquiry hearing in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Holden's submission to the inquiry said it had generated $32.7 billion in economic activity in Australia from 2001 to 2012 during which time it received $1.4 billion in federal government assistance.

"Without public assistance, Holden's local manufacturing cannot compete globally," the submission said.

It said assistance needed to be "set at appropriate levels and be ongoing".

Holden said it built cars Australians wanted to buy and did so cost-effectively, but Australia lacked a "clear, long term national policy".

The company said Australia faced an "economic shock and significant unemployment" if car making ended.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

PNG speaker orders carvings destroyed

THE decision by Papua New Guinea's speaker of parliament to order the removal of traditional wooden carved heads adorning the parliament has been described as vindictive.

Theo Zurenoc ordered the carvings be removed last week, prompting the director of PNG's National Museum and Art Gallery, Dr Andrew Motu, to slam the directive.

"They believe that these things fitted with a pagan Asian and a mystic background, religious background and therefore are considered evil and ungodly and therefore they want to sort of purge and clean the House of Parliament," Dr Motu told Radio Australia.

"They are carved images, specifically carved to represent the whole of Papua New Guinea.

"All the installations in there are never associated with any, any ritual belief."

Mr Zurenoc had come under the influence of a small group of Christian pastors, Dr Motu said.

He said there was a plan to bring the heads to the national museum, however some of the carvings have been chopped into three pieces.

Catholic priest Father Giorgio Licini told the Port Moresby-based Post Courier newspaper the speaker's move was "ridiculous".

"PNG citizens should be aware of the rising religious fundamentalism," Fr Licini said.

"It sprouts from a mix of arrogance and insecurity, ignorance and cargo cult.

"Politicians should not court these movements."

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Investigation at Ranger mine underway

ENERGY Resources of Australia insists there has been no environmental impact from the weekend's spill of about one million litres of radioactive and acidic slurry from a tank at the Ranger uranium mine in Kakadu.

But environmental groups are calling on the Rio Tinto subsidiary to allow independent scientists on site to conduct their own investigations.

"I think they're lying," said Dr Stuart Blanch, director of the Environment Centre NT.

"It's clear there's contaminated water from the burst tank on soil - they've said it's landed mainly on impervious surfaces, like cement, but it's clearly not."

On Friday night workers detected a hole in Leach Tank 1 within the processing area, which has a capacity of about 1.5 million litres.

At about 1am (CST) on Saturday morning the tank split, pouring out a slurry containing mud, water, ore and sulfuric acid.

ERA have not yet said how full the tank was at the time of the spill.

Senator Mathias Cormann said Australia's acting supervising scientist had provided the assurances after attending the site in the Kakadu National Park.

"The spill was contained within the plant area and there is no threat to the surrounding area or to human health outside of the immediate area," Senator Cormann told the upper house during question time on Monday.

The government has ordered an investigation into the spillage, and Senator Cormann said a clean-up has begun, including the installation of retaining walls to prevent the slurry spreading further if it rains.

There have been more than 200 safety breaches and incidents over the past 30 years at the site, according to the Environment Centre NT, which says the slurry spill overflowed levee banks designed to contain it and got into the mine's stormwater drain system.

"Over 30 years you think they'd be getting better at what they do, but in fact they're getting worse," said spokeswoman Lauren Mellor.

"We've had reassurances from ERA that these contaminants wouldn't reach Kakadu National Park and contaminate the groundwater there but we simply can't take them at face value - there's been no independent assessment of how fast they can spread."

The Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation (GAC), which represents the Mirarr traditional owners of the land, says it has no faith in regulators.

The federal regulator of the site, Supervising Scientist Richard McAllister, was a water and environmental engineer for an ERA subsidiary for several years during the 1990s.

"There's historically been a revolving door of personnel between the Office of the Supervising Scientist (OSS), the NT government and the company, and it speaks to the need for a clear independent assessment," GAC CEO Justin O'Brien told AAP.

An ERA spokesman said requests for independent scientific testing would have to be made to the OSS rather than to the mine operator.

Bryan Wilkins, regional organiser of the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, said that during the tank's construction and installation in 1993 or 1994 the welding was not properly tested.

"I know it wasn't - I was there," he said.

A full investigation to determine what caused the tank to give way is being commissioned, said ERA CEO Andrea Sutton.

She would not comment to the ABC on the age of the tank, possible causes of the leak, or how long operations will be stalled.

The GAC estimates it could be for as long as two months.

13.23 | 0 komentar | Read More

Labor about values, not revenge: Bowen

TONY Abbott and Bill Shorten are heading to South Africa for Nelson Mandela's memorial service while MPs prepare to battle for some key coalition legislation in the final sitting week of federal parliament.

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says Labor's moves to block the coalition in parliament are not motivated by revenge.

The party's position is about staying true to its values, he says, in a sign the government can expect more frustrations in the final sitting week for the year.

But the business of government will continue, with the coalition likely to suffer mixed fortunes on its legislation.

While the Greens have thrown the coalition a lifeline on debt, the stoush over the carbon tax is unlikely to be resolved despite the prime minister's threats of keeping parliament open until Christmas.

After a deal between the government and Greens, amendments that scrap the debt ceiling are expected to pass through the Senate on Monday.

But the government will have less success on another coalition pledge - laws to abolish the carbon tax and its associated entities, such as the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

With Labor accused of being obstructive, and of seeking revenge against Mr Abbott for his own obstructionism in opposition, Mr Bowen said: "We'll call it as we see it, and we'll call it on its merits."

"It's not revenge. It's staying true to our values," he told Sky News on Sunday.

"When people vote Labor, they expect us to stay true to our values, and we'll be doing that."

Environment Minister Greg Hunt on Sunday demanded Labor back the carbon tax repeal, which the opposition and Greens have vowed to block.

"We don't want delays. We don't want excuses," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"This is the week when the carbon tax should be voted upon and should be repealed.

"The Australian people voted. They chose a new government. They chose to repeal the carbon tax."

Question Time is expected to be dominated by debate over the future of the car industry and Qantas, as well as the secrecy behind the government's immigration policies.

But the prime minister and opposition leader won't be taking part until Thursday, when they are expected to return to the hurly burly of Canberra.

13.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Woman dead, another woman in custody in NT

A crime scene has been set up after the death of a woman in Alice Springs overnight. Source: AAP

A WOMAN is dead and another woman is in police custody after an incident in Alice Springs.

A crime scene has been established and major crime detectives are assisting local police.

No further details are available.

13.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Free transport urged for fire recovery

THE NSW government should provide free bus and train rides to and from the Blue Mountains these holidays to help businesses recover from the October bushfires, the state opposition says.

The government needs to encourage visitors back with the message that the Blue Mountains is open for business, Opposition Leader John Robertson says.

Analysis by Blue Mountains Lithgow & Oberon Tourism and Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise estimates 200 jobs and more than $47 million in tourism revenue have been lost in the six weeks following the bushfires.

Domestic day trips alone are estimated to be down by more than 144,000.

Mr Robertson says there are dozens of bus and train services to the Blue Mountains every weekend.

"These public transport services should be free and promoted across the Sydney Trains network to encourage families and tourists to plan a trip to the mountains."

Opposition transport spokeswoman Penny Sharpe says she's written to Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian asking that Labor's proposal be implemented immediately, effective until the Australia Day long weekend.

"For a family of two adults and two children it would cost $34.80 on a Saturday to travel from Central to Springwood by train ... that's $34 better spent in a Blue Mountains small business."

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill says many visitors had been scared away by the bushfires.

"We have hundreds of thousands of hectares of world heritage listed National Park with breathtaking scenery, pristine waterways and amazing walking tracks," he said.

"We welcome any proposal that encourages visitors and their wallets to our region."

Ms Berejiklian said in a statement that the NSW government had announced funding for a campaign to encourage tourists to visit the Blue Mountains and continued to work with the community to help those impacted.

"An auction of Sydney Trains lost property items held on Saturday raised thousands of dollars that will be donated to victims of the Blue Mountains bushfire," she said.

The minister also said the government had announced residents would not be charged for water used to defend their homes during the bushfires.

Fees to replace documents such as birth certificates and driver licences had also been waived along with fees for taking bushfire waste to the tip, Ms Berejiklian said.

13.24 | 0 komentar | Read More