Vic teenagers bash man, steal car: police

A GANG of teenagers attacked and robbed a Melbourne man in the hallway of his residential care home before they fled with his car, police say.

The teenagers, aged 14 to 17, had been driving for hours towards the NSW border when they were finally stopped about 250km from the man's home, a police spokeswoman said.

Two of them jumped out of the car and fled into the bushes, only to be flushed out by the dog squad about an hour later.

The teens, who are still being questioned, are accused of assaulting the 47-year-old man in Dandenong around 1am (AEDT) on Saturday.

The man had to be taken to hospital following the attack, where he had his personal belongings and car stolen.

Police later spotted the car north of Melbourne near Kilmore, but had to call off a pursuit when it failed to pull over and kept driving on the wrong side of the highway.

The car ran over a spike belt around 5.30am near Winton.

The two girls and three boys were arrested at the scene but have not yet been charged.

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Retrieval underway after abseiler dies

An abseiler has fallen to his death and a woman has been lifted to safety in the Blue Mountains. Source: AAP

POLICE are working to retrieve the body of an abseiler who fell to his death in the Blue Mountains.

The man in his 30s was abseiling with a woman in her 20s at Malaita Point, a popular abseiling spot on the edge of the Jamison Valley, near Katoomba, on Saturday morning.

Emergency services were called around 8.30am (AEDT) after the woman became tangled in ropes, about 20 metres down a cliff.

It is believed the man then plummeted to the cliff base.

An operation to retrieve his body was underway about 4pm on Saturday.

The woman was winched to safety at about 1.30pm and wasn't injured, NSW Ambulance duty operations manager Murray Traynor said.

A rope system was used to haul her to the top of the cliff in a rescue operation involving ambulance and police helicopters.

Police will investigate the incident.

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Brisbane man accused in US over Silk Road

US prosecutors have accused Brisbane man Peter Phillip Nash of being one of the central figures in the hidden, encrypted internet "black-market bazaar" Silk Road.

It is alleged the Silk Road website was used by several thousand drug dealers to distribute hundreds of kilograms of heroin, cocaine, LSD and other illegal drugs and illicit goods to more than 100,000 buyers around the world over the past two and a half years.

Nash, 40, was employed since January 2013 by Silk Road's San Francisco-based owner Ross William Ulbricht, known by the alias Dread Pirate Roberts, as the primary moderator of the website's discussion forums, prosecutors said.

Nash, who went by the aliases "Batman73" and "Anonymousasshit", was named in an indictment unsealed on Friday by prosecutors in New York.

He was arrested in Brisbane by Australian Federal Police on Friday and faces extradition to the US.

Two other alleged Silk Road employees, Andrew Michael Jones, 24, of Virginia, and Gary Davis, of Ireland, were also named in the indictment.

Ulbricht paid the site administrators and forum moderators salaries ranging from approximately $US50,000 to $US75,000 ($A56,590 to $A84,885) per year for monitoring user activity on the Silk Road website, responding to customer service inquiries and resolving disputes between buyers and vendors, it is alleged.

The trio is charged with one count of money laundering conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in US federal prison.

They are also charged with narcotics conspiracy and conspiracy to commit computer hacking.

Ulbricht was arrested in San Francisco on October 1.

Preet Bharara, the US attorney for the southern district of New York, praised the help of the Australian Federal Police with the investigation into Nash.

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iBuy makes positive ASX debut

SHARES in retail website operator iBuy closed more than four per cent above their issue price on their first day of trading on the Australian Securities Exchange.

iBuy finished trading on Friday at 33.5 cents, 1.5 cents or 4.69 per cent, above their issue price of 32 cents.

The company traded within a range of 32 cents to 35.5 cents.

More than 14 million shares changed hands.

iBuy listed on the ASX after raising $37 million in a public offer of new shares.

iBuy will use some of the funds raised to finalise the acquisition of four e-commerce businesses in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia that specialise in "flash sales" - online sales of goods and services to the public at discounted prices for a limited time.

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Hockey calls for disaster inquiry

THE federal coalition wants the Productivity Commission to look at how much the nation spends on disasters and how to help communities recover in a sustainable way.

Treasurer Joe Hockey says most existing disaster funding models are weighted towards response and recovery, with a focus on immediate humanitarian and economic relief and restoration of infrastructure to its previous standard - instead of longer-term resilience.

He has asked the commission to examine the full scope of national expenditure on disasters and the effectiveness of current mitigation support arrangements, which help prevent similar events from affecting communities the same way in the future.

"Further, the commission will be asked the best ways to reduce the impact of natural disasters on communities and how they recover in a sustainable way," Mr Hockey said in a statement on Friday.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten said cutting support for bushfire victims is wrong.

"But that's exactly what the Abbott government has done in the Blue Mountains," he told AAP.

"My concern is this review will become another excuse for the government to make savage cuts."

The Insurance Council of Australia said it was a positive step towards improving community resilience and it looks forward to helping the inquiry.

"Though disaster response and recovery are an essential component of government relief efforts, the insurance industry believes mitigation infrastructure has long-term benefits for exposed communities and the taxpayer," the council said in a statement.

Deloitte Access Economics estimates the total economic cost of natural disasters in 2012 was more than $6 billion.

In the last five years, natural disasters around the country have claimed more than 200 lives and devastated hundreds of thousands of Australians.

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Warrnambool says Saputo offer is best

TAKEOVER target Warrnambool Cheese and Butter says the latest offer made by Canadian suitor Saputo is superior to a rival bid from Murray Goulburn.

Saputo's offer is considered superior in terms of value, certainty and timing, Warrnambool Cheese said on Friday.

The Canadian firm sweetened its offer earlier this week, in line with undertakings made to the Takeovers Panel.

Its earlier unconditional offer of $9.00 per Warrnambool share, and an increase of 20 cents if it attained more than 50 per cent of the shares, remained unchanged.

But the offer will increase to $9.40 if Saputo obtains more than 75 per cent of Warrnambool shares, and to $9.60 if it surpasses 90 per cent.

Murray Goulburn is offering $9.50 for each Warrnambool share, but it is conditional upon obtaining more than 50 per cent of the target's shares.

However, Murray Goulburn's offer has not been declared final.

Warrnambool has recommended that its shareholders reject the Murray Goulburn offer.

The final Saputo offer was unconditional, meaning that accepting shareholders would receive a minimum of $9.00 cash per share irrespective of the level of acceptances, Warrnambool said.

The Murray Goulburn offer remains subject to authorisation by the Australian Competition Tribunal, which will deliver its decision by February 28 at the earliest.

Warrnambool chairman Terry Richardson said Murray Goulburn's offer was highly conditional and carried significant risk.

Meanwhile, the company said it expects earnings in the half year to December 31 to almost double from the same period last year, when it had earnings of $29.3 million.

Improved market conditions in the final three months of the 2012/13 financial year had continued into the 2013/14 financial year, Warrnambool said.

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Video of police assault could go public

VIDEO footage of a former policeman apparently punching and kneeing a prisoner in the head could be released next week after the West Australian Court of Appeal dismissed a legal challenge from the officer.

The footage was revealed during public hearings held by the state's corruption watchdog looking into alleged misconduct by police at the Broome watch-house.

The hearings came after two alleged violent arrests involving the same officer this year.

In the footage, the officer appears to drag one man through the station by the neck, then punch and knee another inmate who was shown flying headfirst onto a concrete floor while handcuffed.

The arrests prompted the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) to investigate, and Commissioner Roger Macknay ordered the footage could be released to the media.

But Karen Vernon, the lawyer for the former policeman whose name has been suppressed, lodged a Supreme Court injunction against the release.

Justice Andrew Beech rejected all three grounds of the appeal in June, saying he did not accept that the commissioner had erred.

Ms Vernon lodged an appeal against that decision, claiming the release of the footage was not in the public interest.

The Court of Appeal dismissed that application on Wednesday, but Ms Vernon sought a further delay to consider a possible High Court appeal.

However, the CCC plans to table its report into the matter in parliament on Monday, and the footage will be included.

Ms Vernon indicated she would try to seek an agreement from the CCC not to release the footage next week.

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First death from new bird flu strain

A 73-YEAR-OLD woman in China has been confirmed as the first person to die from a new strain of avian influenza, health experts said.

The unidentified woman died of respiratory failure on December 6, six days after she was admitted to a hospital in the eastern province of Jiangxi suffering from severe pneumonia, the provincial health authority said.

Tests confirmed that she was infected with the H10N8 bird flu virus, which was not previously detected in humans, it said.

Medical staff monitored the woman's close contacts but found no similar symptoms, leading experts to conclude that "we should initially consider it an isolated case."

"There is low risk that the virus can cause human infection and transmission," the health authority said.

The woman had reportedly visited a live poultry market.

China has reported 142 cases, including 45 deaths, of another new bird flu strain, H7N9, since it was first detected in March.

In October, the World Health Organisation said it found no evidence of "sustained human-to-human transmission" of the H7N9 virus.

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This story has been removed

Police assault video could go public

VIDEO footage of a former policeman apparently punching and kneeing a prisoner in the head could be released next week after a failed legal challenge.

Bigger aerial water bomber capacity

WA'S $12 million aerial firefighting fleet now has its largest waterbombing capacity as the State prepares for a predicted severe bushfire season.

Barnett: What if a child was taken?

THE introduction of bait and kill zones for massive sharks in WA waters was prompted by the fear of a child being killed, Premier Colin Barnett says.

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Study exposes teenage weight fears

A UK study's found one in 10 teenage girls have extreme levels of fear about gaining weight. Source: AAP

ONE in 10 teenage girls have "extreme levels of fear" about gaining weight, a UK study suggests.

Eleven per cent of 13-year-old girls suffer intense worry about getting fat compared with 4.7 per cent of boys the same age.

Researchers from the University College London Institute of Child Health and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine also discovered that most teenage girls worry about gaining weight.

They also found that a third of girls and one in five boys are upset or distressed about their weight and shape.

Examining data concerning 7000 children, who are part of the University of Bristol's Children of the 90s study, the authors found that 26 per cent of girls and one in seven boys had restricted their food intake by fasting, skipping meals or throwing away food.

And 53 per cent of girls and 41 per cent of boys had avoided fatty foods.

The authors cautioned that eating problems had an impact on children's mental health and their social, personal and family life.

"We have found that behaviours typical of an eating disorder are more common in early adolescence than previously thought. Not just in girls but also in boys," said lead author Dr Nadia Micali.

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Pact Group makes shaky share market debut

SHARES in packaging manufacturer Pact Group finished more than 12 per cent lower in a lacklustre share market debut.

The company was formed in June 2002 and sells rigid and metal packaging products in Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

Pact raised $649 million by issuing shares at $3.80 each in a public offer that valued the company at $1.1 billion.

The shares began trading at 1215 AEDT on Tuesday, and fell by as much as 10.8 per cent in early trade.

They finished 48 cents, or 12.63 per cent, at $3.32.

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Researchers discover 'small dog syndrome'

SMALL dogs may suffer from a canine equivalent of short man syndrome, researchers believe, making them more aggressive and prone to mount people and objects.

Regardless of breed, the smaller the dog is, the more likely it is to be unruly, aggressive, noisy and prone to "humping", according to a study by the University of Sydney.

"Our research shows that certain physical characteristics in dogs are consistently associated with certain types of behaviour," said Professor Paul McGreevy from the Faculty of Veterinary Science.

"Essentially, the shorter the dogs the less controllable their behaviour is for their owners.

"Undesirable behaviours such as owner aggression, or mounting, occur more often among small dogs."

The study, published in journal PLOS One, examined owners' reports of 8000 dogs from across 80 breeds. It found that 33 of 36 undesirable behaviours in dogs could be associated with height, body weight and skull shape.

"When average body weight decreased, excitability and hyperactivity increased," said Professor McGreevy.

Further studies will address whether these bad behaviours seen in small dogs are a result of nature or nurture.

"This suggests that, in small dogs, these behaviours are tolerated more than they would be in larger dogs where such behaviours are more unwelcome and even dangerous."

"Equally, such behaviours in small dogs may be a result of their being overindulged and over-protected," he said.

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Aurizon to cut rail fleet, cancel project

FREIGHT and coal haulage operator Aurizon will take a hit of almost $200 million as it cuts the size of its rail fleet and cancels a major Queensland project.

The company, previously known as QR National, is reducing its locomotive fleet by 28 per cent and cutting the number of wagons by 12 per cent in a bid to bring down fuel and maintenance costs.

Aurizon's downsizing will appear as an asset impairment expense of $130 million to $150 million in its accounts for the first half of the 2013/14 financial year.

The company will also incur a $47 million impairment on recent changes to several projects, including Glencore Xstrata's decision to stop the Wandoan project because of weakening thermal coal prices.

Aurizon had proposed a 210 kilometre Surat Basin rail corridor from the Wandoan mine in a joint venture with the Swiss multinational.

"There's not any job losses that are related to that," chief executive Lance Hockridge told reporters on Monday.

In July, Aurizon launched a second voluntary redundancy program in a bid to save $230 million by 2015.

Some 248 voluntary redundancies have since been accepted.

"I think the bulk of it is done," Mr Hockridge said.

More than 2,000 employees have left the company since it was privatised by the former Queensland Labor government in 2010.

Mr Hockridge said he was "cautious but confident" about the thermal coal sector, as well as the future of projects in Queensland's Galilee Basin, where Aurizon has agreed to develop a rail project for the GVK-Hancock joint venture involving billionaire Gina Rinehart.

Aurizon shares dropped two cents to $4.68.

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Kiwi extends gains over Aussie dollar

THE New Zealand dollar has extended its rally against its trans-Tasman counterpart as the divergence between the neighbouring economies makes New Zealand interest rates more attractive.

The kiwi rose as high as 92.49 Australian cents on Monday, the highest since October 2008, trading at 92.40 cents at 5pm in Wellington from 92.26 cents on Friday in New York.

The NZ dollar traded at 82.78 cents from 82.56 cents at 8am and 82.63 cents on Friday in New York.

The kiwi has been making fresh five-year highs against its Australian counterpart as the slowing economy in Australia and burgeoning local recovery underline the different stages of the interest rate cycle each nation's central bank is in.

New Zealand's Reserve Bank is keen on hiking rates next year, while Australia's is sitting on record-low rates to keep the stimulus coming.

Investors will be looking to see any hint of an easing bias when the minutes to this month's Reserve Bank of Australia policy meeting are released on Tuesday.

"Their central bank is quite determined to get the Aussie dollar lower to get a more sustainable mix in their economy," said Dan Bell, head of corporate sales at HiFX in Auckland.

"It looks like the kiwi/Aussie could get up to the 95 cent level" over the next month before it "runs out of puff," he said.

The kiwi fell to 85.04 yen at 5pm in Wellington from 85.31 yen on Friday in New York, and was little changed at 60.16 euro cents from 60.19 cents.

The trade-weighted index was steady at 77.92 from 77.90.

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Wesfarmers sells underwriting operations

DIVERSIFIED conglomerate Wesfarmers is selling its Australasian insurance underwriting operations to Insurance Australia Group (IAG) for about $1.85 billion - its biggest ever divestment.

Wesfarmers managing director Richard Goyder said the sale followed approaches by a number of parties that were interested in the underwriting business.

Wesfarmers had spent a lot of money in recent years getting the Australian and New Zealand insurance underwriting business into much better shape.

"But it hasn't delivered satisfactory returns on average over the last five years to Wesfarmers," Mr Goyder told reporters.

"And over a period of time, if any of our businesses don't generate satisfactory returns, we'll look and see what we do with it."

Mr Goyder said the sale of the insurance underwriting business also reduced some of the risk in Wesfarmers' portfolio of industrial, mining, retail and financial businesses.

There was inherent volatility in the insurance business because of catastrophic events like earthquakes in New Zealand, and Cyclone Yasi.

The sale does not include the insurance division's broking operations in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, and its Australian and New Zealand premium funding businesses which will remain part of Wesfarmers.

Wesfarmers expects a pre-tax profit of about $700 million to $750 million from the transaction, which will be included in the financial results for the second half of the 2014 financial year.

Mr Goyder said Wesfarmers had not yet decided what to do with the proceeds from the sale.

The sale is subject to regulatory approval, which is expected to take several months.

The acquisition comprises Wesfarmers' underwriting companies trading under the WFI and Lumley Insurance brands, and a 10-year distribution agreement with Coles.

IAG chief executive Mike Wilkins said the acquisition was a compelling strategic fit for IAG.

"Acquiring these businesses supports the group's strategic priorities of accelerating profitable growth in Australia and sustaining our market-leading position in New Zealand, and we expect attractive EPS (earnings per share) accretion," Mr Wilkins said.

IAG expects the acquisition will lift earnings per share by a modest amount in the first full year of ownership and by at least five per cent in the second year.

The acquisition will be partly funded from a $1.2 billion placement of shares to institutional investors, at $5.47 per share.

The integration of Wesfarmers' underwriting businesses is expected to generate pre-tax net benefits of about $140 million a year, with a significant proportion derived from reinsurance.

The integration process is expected to be substantially complete within two years, with pre-tax integration costs of $120 million.

Shares in Wesfarmers were 20.5 cents higher at $41.51 at 1515 AEDT. IAG shares are in a trading halt until the start of trading on Wednesday, December 18. They last traded at $5.70.

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I don't expect marriage bill, says Abbott

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott says he does not expect gay marriage legislation to come before parliament, despite a senior colleague saying it is "likely" coalition MPs will be allowed a conscience vote on the issue.

As attention shifts from the High Court's decision to strike down ACT gay marriage laws, Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull said if he were given a free vote "I will certainly vote in favour of a marriage equality bill".

Legislation to allow gay marriage was voted down in the last parliament, with then opposition leader Tony Abbott refusing to allow his party a conscience vote.

But Mr Turnbull, a supporter of gay marriage, believed that could change if the issue is revisited in the next three years.

"I think it is likely that we will (have a free vote), but as Tony Abbott has said, it is a decision for the party room, not for him," he told Sky News on Sunday.

Mr Turnbull said it was too early to predict whether the new parliament would back same-sex marriage legislation, but added that Australia was lagging behind other countries such as New Zealand, the UK, Canada and the United States.

"So people of the same sex can get married in Auckland and Wellington, Toronto and Ottawa and Vancouver, in New York and Los Angeles, and Baltimore, in Cape Town, but not Australia," Mr Turnbull said.

"It does start to look as if we're the ones out of step."

However, Mr Abbott gave no indication of allowing a free vote on same sex marriage, instead saying he did not expect legislation to come before the parliament.

"I'm not expecting any legislation to come before the parliament because when legislation came before the last parliament it was fairly decisively dealt with," the prime minister told reporters in Sydney.

"But if legislation comes before the parliament, it will be considered by our party room in the usual way.

"It is really up to individual members of parliament to propose private member's bills if that's what they want."

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek has announced she will introduce a private member's bill to legalise gay marriage, but only if Mr Abbott allows a conscience vote.

She has also called on Mr Turnbull to co-sponsor the legislation, but the eastern Sydney MP ruled out such a move.

"I can't co-sponsor a private member's bill because I'm a member of the cabinet," Mr Turnbull said.

Gay marriage advocate Rodney Croome said Mr Turnbull's comments reflected growing support within the coalition for a conscience vote and the principle of marriage equality.

"An increasing number of Australians feel embarrassed by the fact that marriage equality has moved forward in countries that are our closest friends and allies, including New Zealand, the UK, the US and Canada," Mr Croome said in a statement.

The Greens Sarah Hanson-Young last week introduced a same-sex marriage bill into the Senate.

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Cop punch victim gives statement

Video captures police officers apparently punching and kicking a man in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley. Courtesy Joe Smith

DETECTIVES from the Ethical Standards Command have interviewed the man at the centre of police brutality allegations.

Beau Hall said he provided a statement to detectives last night and was told he would receive a letter in a month informing him of the status of their investigation.

A statement released by police this afternoon said detectives were available to speak to anyone ``directly involved in this incident'' should they wish to lodge a formal complaint.

``At this time, no officer has been stood down or suspended from duty in relation to this incident,'' the statement said.

Beau Hall, 19, was filmed being punched and kicked by police in Fortitude Valley on Friday night. Picture: Adam Smith

Mr Hall, 19, told The Courier-Mail today he was unable to work last night because of soreness in his calf where he was allegedly kicked repeatedly by police outside a Fortitude Valley nightclub.

He will visit a doctor today to have his injuries assessed.

Mr Hall said he disagreed with comments from Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers, who said the actions of the officers involved were ``entirely professional''.

Amateur video captures a man being punched and kicked by police in an apparently unprovoked attack in Fortitude Valley.

He said he does not know what caused the officers to become violent because his memory of the incident is ``hazy''.

``They can't say it was professional,'' he said. ``They could have chatted to me and sorted it out. They could have handcuffed me and that would have been it.

``I have talked to police in the past and never had a problem.''

Motorists watch as a man is punched and kicked by police in an apparently unprovoked attack in Fortitude Valley.

Earlier, Mr Hall said he was too drunk to fully recall the run-in with three officers but did not deserve the brutal treatment caught on camera.

"I'm shocked at what the police have done to me. It's been uncalled for," Mr Hall told The Sunday Mail yesterday.

HOW THE STORY BROKE ONLINE YESTERDAY

Amateur footage shows a man being punched and kicked by police in an apparently unprovoked attack in Fortitude Valley.

"You can clearly see I didn't provoke anything towards them.

"If I did say something to them, it shouldn't be the worst case scenario and physically attack me. They should have just handcuffed me."

Shocking video footage shows Mr Hall talking to police next to the Beat nightclub at 11.24pm Friday before an officer lashes out with a punch.

A second officer appears to kick Mr Hall as he is handcuffed and arrested.

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said the officers would be "completely vindicated" when the facts emerged.

"Having spoken with police familiar with the incident, I can confirm all police involved acted in an entirely professional, appropriate and responsible manner and their actions will be vindicated and put in context when all the evidence of this matter becomes public," he said.

"I am informed the brief few seconds of footage that have been filmed by a bystander do not accurately portray or represent the entirety of the police interaction with the offender."

But Mr Hall says he will press charges after viewing the video of the arrest and is due to see a doctor today to assess injuries.

He had initially declined to make a complaint when internal investigators from Ethical Standards Command interviewed him at Roma St headquarters yesterday.

"I had no idea what the police officers did to me, but when I saw the footage on the news I rang them back up and said I want to press charges now," he said.

Mr Hall, a gaming attendant at a south Brisbane sports club, said it was his first run in with the law.

He was on a night out with a friend visiting town from Sydney and admits he had "too much to drink".

He was earlier kicked out of Ric's Bar and was walking along Ann St when he urinated near a bin outside the Beat nightclub.

A bouncer detained him until the three police officers arrived and took him into the adjoining alley.

He recalls the police "giving me a bit of lip" but does not remember doing anything that would have provoked an assault.

"I don't remember getting hit by the police officers because I was that intoxicated," he said.

"But … I'm seeing a doctor tomorrow to get a medical report against them.

"I don't have any bruising from it but my jaw's sore, my head's sore, the back of my calf where they repetitively kicked me is sore. I can't walk on it properly."

He was charged with public nuisance and spent six hours in the Roma St watch-house until being released on bail this morning.

Police have privately suggested Mr Hall may have spat at the officers but he was not charged with assaulting police or resisting arrest and he was not asked to submit to any medical tests.

Joe Ritson, who filmed the incident, said he watched in horror as the arrest escalated into violence.

"I had a feeling something Was going on, I don't know why I was filming," the 24-year-old said.

"He was just standing there, we were watching for a good minute or two, when it happened."

Police were out in force in a crackdown on alcohol-fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour in Queensland entertainment precincts and arrested 101 people.

Brisbane Region Acting Assistant Commissioner Allan McCarthy said policing could be dangerous but officers were trained to deal with difficult situations.

"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," he said.

Queensland Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman said the incident showed police working on the beat should wear cameras at all times.

"We get a significant number of complaints from people that police spark the violence themselves," he said.

"There really is a problem with police violence on the street … the more that this police initiated violence becomes obvious, the less people will be prepared to cooperate which will impact their ability to clear up crime."

He said the discipline and complaint process did not deter police from acting violently towards members of the public.

"If police are behaving like that then they're not suitable for the difficulties of streetwork. I accept it is difficult but … they should be trained not to initiate violence."

He said the idea of police carrying cameras was not a radical idea, with the recent Bandido brawl on the Gold Coast showing officers already carried cameras into situations.

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Police officer stabbed in the neck

A 28-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with attempted murder after a north Queensland policeman was stabbed in the neck during a national crackdown on alcohol-fuelled violence.

The officer was stabbed with a knife at a Townsville bar about 12.30am (AEST) on Saturday and was rushed to hospital in a serious condition.

"His injuries were significant but luckily he is fit enough now to continue his recovery at home," a police spokesman told AAP on Sunday.

The 33-year-old officer was taking part in Operation Unite, a blitz on alcohol-related crime across Australia and New Zealand.

His alleged attacker was arrested at the scene.

Another officer sustained an injury to his hand during the incident.

A 28-year-old Townsville man has been charged with attempted murder, serious assault of police while armed, entering premises with intent to commit an indictable offence, possession of a knife in a public place and creating a disturbance in licensed premises.

He was also charged with two counts of obstructing police and is due to appear in the Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday.

Premier Campbell Newman said assaults of police attracted serious penalties.

"Assaults on police are totally unacceptable on all accounts," he told reporters on Sunday.

"People who assault police need to know there are significant penalties."

The maximum penalty for assaulting a police officer was increased from seven to 14 years and the murder of a police officer attracts a non-parole period of 25 years under tough penalties introduced by the Newman government last year.

A total of 430 arrests were made in Queensland during the crackdown on alcohol-fuelled assaults, anti-social behaviour and drink-driving across Australia and New Zealand since Friday night.

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