Abbot Point will ship coal by 2016: GVK

MINING giant GVK says it is on "record pace" to start shipping coal from Queensland's Abbot Point port by late 2016, despite concerns about its Indian operations.

The Indian-Australian joint venture GVK-Hancock won Queensland government approval in June to build a rail corridor linking the Bowen and Galilee basins with the central Queensland port.

But rival mining magnate Clive Palmer, whose China First project lost out to the GVK-Hancock consortium, has suggested the coal-rail project will never proceed.

GVK has experienced problems in India, where it failed to meet a deadline to develop a coal mine in Jharkhand state.

But Paul Mulder, GVK Resources's manager director of coal and infrastructure, told reporters in Brisbane the problems in India would not affect the Queensland operations.

"You can't presume what trouble the Indian operations had because it was broad-ranging. It wasn't just focused on GVK," he said after addressing a Committee for Economic Development of Australia lunch.

Mr Mulder said coal would be loaded at Abbot Point by about September 2016, three years after final investment decisions were made.

"We think it's realistic," he said.

"For a project of this size and scale, we're doing this at record pace."

But he said delays were inevitable with large projects, as GVK sought regulatory approval and finalised commercial construction contracts.

"If anyone can guarantee they're not going to have project delays, I think they don't understand the requirements of developing mega projects," Mr Mulder said.

"Due to the magnitude, some of the contracting arrangements and finalising appropriate arrangements for our construction have taken a little longer than what we'd hoped."

The $6.4 billion project for the Galilee Basin also includes a mine 40km northwest of Alpha, which lies between Emerald and Barcaldine, and a 495km rail line to Abbot Point, north of Bowen.

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Elijah inquest told of missed guidelines

A DOCTOR who treated baby Elijah Slavkovic on the night he fell ill failed to immediately give antibiotics or arrange for a senior doctor to examine him, an inquest into his death has heard.

Elijah was three months old when he contracted bacterial meningitis on a family holiday on the NSW south coast in 2009.

He waited several hours after his first visit to Pambula Hospital for potentially life-saving antibiotics to be administered, the inquest heard.

From Pambula he was taken to hospitals in Bega, Canberra and Sydney, before finally being airlifted to Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital. He died six weeks later.

Dr Tin Myint was the only doctor on duty in Bega District Valley Hospital the night Elijah was admitted, Parramatta Coroner's Court heard on Tuesday.

Dr Myint told the inquest he had not been expecting Elijah on the night of April 24, 2009.

"Elijah's eyes were open, and he was dry, and also he (had) a lethargic look," he told the court, adding he had been told the child had been vomiting for hours.

The infant's temperature soared to 39.1 degrees, the court heard, but Dr Myint was not sure whether the child's symptoms were caused by a viral infection, bacterial infection or dehydration.

Counsel assisting the inquest, Peggy Dwyer, said guidelines for treating potentially septic infants of three months included seeking a "senior review early" and intravenous antibiotics.

Dr Myint told the court he suggested a senior doctor on call in Bega should come to the hospital, but he didn't insist on it.

Even though Dr Myint first saw Elijah at approximately 11.40 pm the antibiotics weren't given until the early hours of the next day, possibly around 2.30 am, the inquest heard.

He said he asked a nurse on duty to take blood and urine samples before administering antibiotics.

Dr Erika Jaensch was on call for Bega Hospital the night Elijah was admitted.

She gave evidence on Tuesday that when she received a call from Dr Frank Simonson, the Pambula Hospital doctor who first treated Elijah, his description of the child's symptoms reassured her.

But the baby was later described to her as febrile, floppy and lethargic, she said.

Dr Jaensch later agreed Elijah's symptoms were very dangerous for a child so young and said she would have administered antibiotics as soon as possible without necessarily waiting.

"I would have collected what I could and then administered antibiotics," she said.

Dr Jaensch added she specifically asked Dr Myint if she should attend Bega Hospital in person but was told she wasn't needed.

The inquest continues before Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes.

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Pitbulls bite off teenager's ear

A TEENAGER has had his ear torn off in an attack by two pitbull terriers in southwestern Sydney as he tried to save his pet.

The 17-year-old was walking his own dog in the Bankstown area on Tuesday afternoon when he was set upon by the animals.

He tried to rescue his dog but, as he did so, the two terriers attacked his legs.

The teenager fell to the ground and the dogs attacked his head, with one of them biting off his left ear.

Local residents at Lehn Road in East Hills rushed to help him and the two dogs fled.

Paramedics took the youth to Liverpool Hospital in a stable condition. His ear was found nearby and surgeons are attempting to reattach it.

He is also being treated for bites to his left leg, the Ambulance Service of NSW said.

The pitbulls were captured after the 3.20pm (AEDT) attack and their owner is assisting police and Bankstown City Council officers who are investigating.

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Burst water main in Melbourne

TWO million litres of water have gone down the drain after a water main burst in suburban Melbourne.

The water main burst on King Arthur Drive, Glen Waverley, about 11.30am (AEDT) on Monday.

A Melbourne Water spokesman said an estimated two million litres of water was lost.

"It's believed that a faulty air ball valve, a valve which regulates pressure in the main, caused the burst," he said in a statement.

"There has been one report of damage to property and Melbourne Water is working with the owners to fix the situation."

The damaged section of the main was shut within one hour of it bursting.

The main supplies water from Silvan Reservoir to more than 100,000 homes and businesses in Melbourne's southeast.

Melbourne Water crews will continue working to repair the main without affecting customer water supply.

The incident would be investigated, the spokesman said.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade was also on the scene and a spokeswoman said the water shot about 60 metres in the air.

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Elders seeks to sell rural services ops

AGRIBUSINESS and automotive interiors supplier Elders wants to sell its biggest business unit, its rural services business, before someone tries to take it over.

Elders said on Monday that it would start a sales process for the rural services division as part of an accelerating strategy to return value to shareholders.

Elders also said it was in talks with its bankers about refinancing.

Elders chief executive Malcolm Jackman said it was inevitable that, sooner or later, some other company would try to snatch the rural services division from Elders.

Earlier this month, Ruralco Holdings made overtures to Elders to discuss a possible merger between the two agribusinesses, but no formal proposal has been put on the table.

Mr Jackman also pointed to US-based food processing giant Archer Daniels Midland Company's (ADM) proposed $2.68 billion takeover of Australian grains marketer GrainCorp.

"Given the fact that we've got a lot of interest in the agricultural sector at the moment - we've got people approaching us - the board has asked: Should we just be waiting for people to come knocking on the door, or should we take charge of the process?" Mr Jackman told AAP.

"That (the sales process) is being done with the full support of our banking syndicate which we've been in discussions with anyway given the fact that we've got (debt) maturities at the end of the year."

Elders is already exiting its forestry assets and has put its automotive interiors business up for sale.

Mr Jackman acknowledged that if rural services were sold, Elders would have few assets left, and he could not say if Elders would continue thereafter as a publicly-listed company.

But the Elders name would continue because it was among the best known brands in the agricultural sector.

Ruralco, which is the largest shareholder in Elders, said on Monday that Ruralco was disappointed that Elders was selling its rural services and automotive divisions while it was in talks with its bankers about refinancing.

"However, the sale of Elders Rural Services creates opportunities for Ruralco," Ruralco said.

"Ruralco can potentially generate material synergies from an acquisition of Elders Rural Services."

Mr Jackman said it was hoped that Elders could invite indicative bids early in the new year.

Any sale would be subject to a shareholder vote.

Commonwealth Bank agricultural analyst Jordan Rogers said Ruralco's recent approach to Elders had likely prompted Elders to try to flush out other interested parties.

In a recent research note, Mr Rogers estimated the takeover value of Elders' rural services business at $268 million to $350 million.

Mr Rogers had said that Ruralco had already showed its intention to be part of a break-up of Elders and international interest could follow.

Elders' rural services division - which sells chemicals, fertiliser, farm supplies, livestock, wool and real estate - generated underlying earnings of $21.1 million in the six months to March 31, 2012.

Shares in Elders were one cent lower at 24.5 cents on Monday.

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Most against surplus if more cuts needed

OVER half of coalition voters do not support the return of a federal budget surplus if it means making more spending cuts, a new poll shows.

The weekly Essential Research online poll found that 37 per cent of all voters supported a budget surplus this financial year, as forecast in the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook (MYEFO) released last week.

However, of the 955 people surveyed, 43 per cent disapproved of a surplus if it meant more spending cuts.

Among Labor voters, 52 per cent backed a surplus against 32 per cent who disapproved, while 31 per cent of Liberal/Nationals voters approved of a surplus, but 54 per cent were against it.

Forty-three per cent of Greens voters supported a surplus versus 35 per cent who were against.

The survey also found respondents viewed the economy more favourably than five months ago.

Asked to rate the current state of the economy, a total 41 per cent viewed it as good, up from 35 per cent when last asked in May.

Those who rated the economy poor declined to 23 per cent from 29 per cent previously.

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Qld opposition wants to quiz arts minister

THE Queensland opposition insists Arts Minister Ros Bates is well enough to attend parliament and answer tough questions about her links to a senior bureaucrat.

The opposition planned to grill Ms Bates during this week's parliamentary sittings about her involvement with Transport and Main Roads director-general Michael Caltabiano, but the minister has taken leave and is said to be unable to work because of a medical procedure she underwent some time ago.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk says Ms Bates should at least attend question time.

"She's only required to attend one hour a day for question time," Ms Palaszczuk told reporters on Sunday.

"She doesn't have to drive herself. She has a driver and after that hour of question time she can rest in her ministerial suite."

Ms Palaszczuk said former Labor ministers have had serious ailments, but at least turned up to question time, including one who was undergoing chemotherapy.

"I would understand if (Ms Bates) was in hospital or if she was bed-ridden," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"It seems to be ironic that the same day Mr Caltabiano stood aside is the same day Ms Bates decided to take leave."

Mr Caltabiano stood aside from his $500,000-a-year job on full pay last week after allegations that he had misled parliament about having worked for lobby firm Entree Vous, which Ms Bates used to own and which he had helped to set up.

The Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) is investigating the appointment of Ms Bates's son Ben Gommers as a senior liaison officer for Mr Caltabiano's department. The 25-year-old is earning about $103,000 a year.

Queensland Treasurer Tim Nicholls issued Ms Bates's medical certificate on Saturday to prove she was ill.

"Minister Bates has taken leave, which was approved by the premier, on the basis of advice from her surgeon that she is unable to work following an operation," Mr Nicholls said in a statement on Saturday.

The opposition also dubbed Tourism Minister Jann Stuckey and Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps as "ministers missing in action", claiming they were also planning to skip this sitting week.

Mr Cripps's office denied this, saying the minister will attend parliament after his application for a trade mission was knocked back.

Ms Stuckey will be in Cairns for an event on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, but is expected to be present for question time on both days, the government says.

AAP peb/m

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Police arrest Basque ETA leader in France

AN alleged leader of the Basque separatist group ETA has been arrested in eastern France, Spain's interior ministry says.

The ministry said in a statement that Izaskun Lesaka and an unnamed suspected member of the violent armed group were arrested in a hotel in Macon in the early hours of Sunday.

The suspects had been tracked by a special operations tactical unit of the French National Police and were both armed at the time of their arrest.

ETA is considered a terrorist organisation by Spain, the US and the European Union and is blamed for the killings of more than 825 people in a violent campaign of bombings and shootings for an independent Basque state straddling the border with France.

ETA has been decimated by arrests over recent years.

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Australians sick of Labor saga: Abbott

LABOR and the opposition seem united on one front: they think Australians are sick of hearing about the ousting of former prime minister Kevin Rudd.

Trade Minister Craig Emerson says he has "zero" interest in a book, Tales from the Political Trenches, by former Labor MP Maxine McKew that details Mr Rudd's removal.

The book includes a written response from Mr Rudd about how he felt when his deputy Julia Gillard replaced him as prime minister.

On Sunday News Ltd revealed Mr Rudd felt "betrayed" and "let down" because Ms Gillard and Treasurer Wayne Swan gave no indication of their intentions on the evening before the coup.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott suggested Labor should be given a stint in opposition to sort out their internal problems.

"I think the public are sick of the soap opera," Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra.

"The Labor Party leadership is a soap opera and the only way to end the soap opera is to change the government."

Dr Emerson refused to weigh in when asked on Sunday about the latest chapter in the 2010 ousting saga.

The minister said he had no interest and suspected the Australian public felt the same.

"My interest in that book is zero. That's the truth of it," Dr Emerson told Sky News on Sunday.

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Brawny burglar cut by elderly man

POLICE are looking for a muscular burglar who was badly injured when an elderly Brisbane homeowner confronted him with a knife.

They say the brawny man was stabbed in the stomach while leaving the property at Kenmore, in Brisbane's west.

The robber, believed to be in his 30s, broke into the Gilruth Street house around 8.30pm (AEST) on Friday.

Inside, he was confronted by the male owner who was carrying a knife.

The burglar fled but was injured in the stomach as he forced his way past the man, police said.

"Due to an amount of blood located at the scene, police believe this man needs urgent medical attention," they said in a statement.

"He is likely to have a noticeable injury to his lower front or side torso."

Police are investigating whether the bandit is linked to other burglaries in the area.

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