Govt appoints banks for Medibank sale

The federal government has appointed three banks to manage the Medibank Private sale. Source: AAP

THE federal government has appointed three banks to manage the sale of health insurer Medibank Private.

After receiving 11 bids through a tender process, the government says the joint lead managers will be Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Macquarie Capital.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said on Thursday that each bank brings a substantial mix of experience in Australian and global capital markets, privatisations, equity offers and the ability to project manage large capital market transactions.

The government may include another joint lead manager if required, and other firms may be appointed closer to the sale with a focus on retail selling roles.

The government has also extended the contracts of its scoping study advisers.

The precise timing and structure of the Medibank Private sale has yet to be determined, although it will be in the 2014/15 financial year.

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Gold miner Ramelius reduces cash costs

GOLD producer Ramelius Resources has reduced its cash costs and achieved record quarterly production.

Shares in the company were flat at 11 cents at 1530 AEST as investors remained unimpressed with the WA mining company's high costs.

Ramelius produced 27,653 fine ounces of gold in the three months to March 31, at a total cash cost of $1,213 per ounce, down from $1,450 in the December quarter.

The company expects to produce 19,000 to 20,000 ounces of gold at its Mt Magnet operation, while Burbanks is expected to produce 6,000 ounces of gold in the June quarter.

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Baird replaces O'Farrell as NSW premier

MIKE Baird has been elected the 44th premier of NSW by the Liberal Party room.

The state treasurer replaces Barry O'Farrell who resigned after giving misleading evidence to the Independent Commission Against Corruption about a $3000 bottle of wine.

At Thursday's meeting, Liberal MPs formally accepted Mr O'Farrell's resignation and confirmed Mr Baird as his successor.

The 45-year-old father of three will become the state's sixth premier in almost 10 years, once he's formally sworn in.

The party room elected Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian as deputy Liberal leader after Community Services Minister Pru Goward and Energy Minister Anthony Roberts pulled out of the running.

Mr O'Farrell had seen Ms Berejiklian as his favoured candidate to succeed him.

Thirteen minutes after the meeting kicked off, Liberal whip Jai Rowell announced the pair had been elected unopposed.

"I can now confirm that Mike Baird was elected unopposed as the leader of the Liberal Party," he told reporters.

Incoming premier Mr Baird will address the media at 4.30pm and will be officially sworn in at Government House an hour later.

Mr Baird is a committed Christian and former banker.

He is surfing buddies with Prime Minister Tony Abbott and once studied to become an Anglican minister.

He quit a lucrative career in corporate banking and turned to politics, entering the NSW parliament in 2007.

He represents Sydney's northern beaches electorate of Manly.

His father, Bruce Baird, was a lower house federal MP in John Howard's government and was regarded as one of a few moderate voices in the Liberal Party.

Nationals leader Andrew Stoner, who remains deputy premier under the coalition agreement, welcomed Mr Baird's elevation.

"The Nationals fully support the incoming Premier and, together with the Liberals, are committed to providing strong, stable and responsible government for NSW," Mr Stoner said.

He praised Mr Baird's term as treasurer, saying he delivered on $13 billion for regional infrastructure.

"Since being elected in March 2011, the NSW Liberals and Nationals have worked tirelessly to turn this state around with NSW now creating more new jobs than any other state and new roads, rail lines and hospitals under construction," he said.

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$3000 wine? I'd remember:O'Farrell at ICAC

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has flatly denied suggestions he wrote a letter supporting Australian Water Holdings (AWH) in exchange for Liberal Party donations.

Nor can he recall receiving a bottle of vintage Grange wine, bought for $3000 by AWH and apparently couriered to his home just after the 2011 state election.

Mr O'Farrell was on Tuesday quizzed before the NSW corruption watchdog about a letter he wrote to then-AWH chief executive Nick Di Girolamo in late September 2010.

He agreed it was "broadly supportive" of the company's push to secure a lucrative public-private partnership.

"We can show you lots of money going into Liberal Party coffers which coincides with this letter of support. Did you know anything about that?" counsel assisting Geoffrey Watson, SC, asked Mr O'Farrell.

"No, the Liberal Party's financial code requires members of parliament to be at arm's length from fundraising," Mr O'Farrell replied.

"If your inference is that this letter was signed by me because of donations made by Australian Water Holdings then I reject it completely."

Mr Di Girolamo has told the Independent Commission against Corruption he bought Mr O'Farrell a bottle of Grange wine to express his congratulations on securing the premiership but denied using the gift to "butter Mr O'Farrell up".

The ICAC has heard the 1959 vintage bottle - aged since the year of Mr O'Farrell's birth - was delivered to his home in Roseville, on Sydney's north shore, on or around April 20, 2011.

But Mr O'Farrell said he never received it and that he may have been away on a family holiday to the Gold Coast for Easter when the bottle showed up.

"It's the Don Bradman of wine. Unforgettable," Mr Watson said.

"Yes. If it had been received, I don't believe I would have forgotten it," Mr O'Farrell replied.

The gift was never declared on the premier's pecuniary interests register and ICAC investigators have been unable to find a document from the courier company to show when it was dropped off.

But Mr Di Girolamo has told the inquiry he received a thank you call from the premier after sending the wine - and on Tuesday afternoon, Mr O'Farrell was shown a record of a 28-second telephone call from his mobile number to Mr Di Girolamo's, made about 9.30pm on April 20, 2011.

"I've no knowledge - I don't know about this phone call," Mr O'Farrell said.

"What I do know is if I had received a bottle of 1959 Penfolds Grange I would have known about it and I did not receive a bottle of Penfolds Grange."

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Broome man charged over ear-biting attack

POLICE in Broome have charged a man who allegedly bit part of his victim's ear off.

The attack occurred between 8pm (WST) and 9pm on Monday on a grassed area near the corner of Carnarvon Street and Napier Terrace.

The 42-year-old male victim was headbutted several times during the assault and was taken to Perth for surgery to his ear.

Police said the offender, aged 40, had been charged with grievous bodily harm and would appear in Broome Magistrate's Court on Tuesday afternoon.

Police have also called for any witnesses to come forward.

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SA hails late night lock-out laws

SOUTH Australia has hailed the success of its late night lock-out laws for getting "drunken, aggressive louts" off Adelaide's streets.

The laws allow for a 3am lock-out, preventing patrons who leave a pub or club after that time from entering another.

They also restrict the use of glassware, allow for the use of metal detectors and increased closed circuit video.

The new measures have been in place for six months and police have reported a 20 per cent fall in late night offences in the centre of the city.

Emergency admissions to hospitals for alcohol-related issues have also fallen by 29 per cent.

Attorney-General John Rau says the changes have proved a great success for public safety in Adelaide.

"What these figures show is that our crackdown on alcohol-fuelled violence and related harm is working as intended," Mr Rau said on Tuesday.

"A safer city is a good result for police and volunteers as they are dealing with fewer drunken, aggressive louts who put their safety at risk."

Mr Rau has also rejected suggestions the tougher laws work against government efforts to boost the city's nightlife through its vibrant Adelaide program and concerns the changes have prompted some venues to close, costing jobs.

He said there was nothing vibrant or attractive about a street full of drunks and claims of hundreds of businesses closing and workers heading to Melbourne were "just rubbish".

"There's no evidence to support that," he said.

"What there has been is one or two particular traders whose business models have been built around an unsafe and unhealthy culture."

Mr Rau said the government would review the new laws later this year and would take advice from key interest groups, including police and venue owners, on whether any further changes were required.

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Qld to spend $6m on state budget campaign

A MULTIMILLION dollar advertising blitz and online survey was launched by the Newman government on Sunday to step up the public debate over plans to sell some assets.

The Newman government is spending $6 million on its "Strong Choices" campaign as it battles against unions over its proposal to offload up to $32 billion worth of assets.

The television, radio and print ads promotes a new interactive website "People's Budget", which will give Queenslanders the opportunity to give feedback on how to wipe up to $30 billion worth of debt.

Treasurer Tim Nicholls says it is an unprecedented level of community consultation, but emphasised it's not a poll.

Only broad results will be made public after the survey ends on May 19.

"We know that some of those choices are difficult," Mr Nicholls said.

"But unless we do not make those choices, we will not be able to grasp the future that beckons so tantalisingly over the horizon."

The online survey details Treasury's estimates on how much money can be raised through potential asset sales or long-term leases.

The Gladstone and Townsville ports and the Mt Isa Rail line could fetch $1.69 billion.

Just over $3 billion could be earned by selling electricity generators CS Energy and Stanwell, its Meandu mine, and Ergon's retail business.

Half a billion could be gained from selling the water pipeline which services mines around Mount Isa.

Another $28.4 billion could be made from allowing private investment in Powerlink, Ergon and Energex to pay for infrastructure upgrades in return for a slice of equity.

Queensland Council of Unions president John Battams says the government's exaggerating state debt to strengthen arguments for asset sales.

"The government continues to use gross debt instead of net debt, it includes debt by government-owned corporations," Mr Battams told AAP.

"Our net debt is sustainable and comparable with the other states.

"This is just an attempt to sell off assets to the big end of town which supports the government."

Shadow treasurer Curtis Pitt says the LNP, not taxpayers, should pay for the "scare campaign".

"From its first day in office, the LNP has been planning asset sales despite saying before the election it had an economic plan that did not rely on asset sales," he said.

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We'll build airport rail link: Vic premier

A RAIL link to Melbourne airport will become a reality under a coalition government.

Premier Denis Napthine announced it was time the rail link was built, during his address to the Victorian Liberal Party's state council meeting on Sunday.

Dr Napthine said the rail link will deliver efficient, high-capacity regular services to Melbourne airport.

The project will be outlined in the upcoming May state budget, he said.

"I'm pleased to announce that my government will build the much needed Melbourne airport rail link," he told the conference.

"This project has been on the books for over 40 years," he said.

"It is time this rail link was built."

Melbourne airport attracts 30 million passengers a year and this was expected to double in 20 years, he said.

The 25-minute train ride will go from Southern Cross station direct to the airport offering an affordable services every 10 minutes during peak times, the state government says.

The electric train service will use the existing Albion and Jacana rail corridor.

"This is an enormous step forward for Melbourne airport, for Melbourne and Victoria," Dr Napthine later told reporters.

"Victorians and Melburnians have been waiting 40 years for this significant announcement.

"It's absolutely essential that Melbourne and Victoria has a rail link to the airport."

The upcoming budget would reveal further details about the project, including costings and timeline, the premier said.

Dr Napthine says it is expected the project will be publicly run but private involvement would be sought.

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Orangutan boardwalk opens at Perth Zoo

A boardwalk has been built at Perth Zoo's orangutan enclosure to bring people closer to the apes. Source: AAP

ORANGUTANS nest high in trees, so it makes sense for Perth Zoo to build a two-metre high boardwalk around its orangutan exhibit to bring visitors closer than ever to its apes.

It has taken six months to build the $3.6 million boardwalk around the zoo's 12 Sumatran orangutans.

The revamped exhibit includes a soundscape of the orangutans' natural environment, more than 2000 plants to create a rainforest atmosphere, and some informative signs explaining conservation efforts.

The 125 metre-long boardwalk was built using renewable and recycled materials, including reconstituted decking from recycled milk and other plastic containers mixed with sawdust from plantation-grown pine.

Environment Minister Albert Jacob said the boardwalk was an improvement on the old exhibit, which left visitors at ground level, looking up at the primates.

"The boardwalk design also allows four extra vertical poles to be linked to the main towers with climbing ropes," he said.

"This increased space will encourage the orangutans to spend more time up high which is better for their health and strength."

Primate supervisor Holly Thompson said the apes were curious about their new exhibit.

Orangutans are critically endangered in the wild, with habitat destruction being a major threat to their survival.

Perth Zoo runs an internationally renowned breeding program, which has bred 29 orangutans since 1970.

It released two zoo-born orangutans into the wild in 2006 and 2011.

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Newman postpones Cooktown visit

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman is planning to visit cyclone-hit Cooktown. Source: AAP

THE Queensland premier is postponing a planned visit to cyclone-hit Cooktown as a major road is cut off and strong winds make helicopter travel unsafe.

Campbell Newman had earlier promised to travel from Cairns on Saturday afternoon to see how Cyclone Ita had uprooted trees and destroyed a pub in the coastal community north of the Daintree National Park.

But a spokesman for the premier told AAP that Mr Newman would postpone his visit until Sunday.

"We're now not planning on doing it until it's safe," he said.

About 700 homes in Cooktown are still without power but mobile phone services are working.

The roof was also ripped off the West Coast Hotel, along with some homes, after Ita made landfall north of the town on Friday night as a category four system.

The Mulligan Highway into the town of about 2300 people remains closed because of flooding at the Annan River.

Earlier, Mr Newman said he had hoped to visit Cook Shire mayor Peter Scott.

"This afternoon, if it is safe and practical, I intend to go to Cooktown," he told reporters.

"That will depend, of course, on weather conditions."

Winds of up to 120km/h could hit areas from Cooktown south to Port Douglas on Saturday afternoon, the Bureau of Meteorology said in a 3pm update.

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