Brisbane policeman bitten during struggle

A Brisbane policeman has been left with a fractured hand while trying to arrest a man, police say. Source: AAP

A BRISBANE policeman has been left with a fractured hand after being bitten while trying to arrest a man, police say.

Police were arresting a man following a disturbance at a Kelvin Grove house on Friday night when another man became violent and tried to intervene, Queensland Police said in a statement.

The second man was tasered, but continued to struggle with police and allegeldy bit an officer's hand.

A woman also shoved and threatened the officers.

Two men, aged 29 and 36, and a woman, 30, will face Brisbane Magistrates Court later this month.

The 29-year-old man has been charged with serious assault of police, as well as two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and three of obstructing police.

The 36-year-old man has been charged with two counts of assaulting police and one of public nuisance; while the 30-year-old woman has been charged with two counts of obstructing police.

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Australia to help ID plane crash victims

Australia will send two forensic experts to help with identifying victims of the Lao Airlines crash. Source: AAP

TWO Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers will help to identify victims of the Lao Airlines crash which killed all on board including six Australians.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Lao authorities had agreed to accept an Australian offer of assistance with disaster victim identification (DVI).

Two AFP forensics members will deploy to Thailand to provide disaster victim identification assistance to the Royal Thai Police who are helping Laos authorities with recovery efforts.

AFP liaison officers from the Australian embassy in Bangkok have already deployed to Pakse, Laos, to assist international partners.

The Lao Airlines flight crashed into the Mekong River during a storm on Wednesday, killing all on board and including passengers from 11 countries.

The DFAT spokesman said Australia consular officials in Pakse and Vientiane were in close contact with local authorities.

"Recovery efforts are underway. This will be a difficult process and is expected to continue for some time. The recovery operation and investigation of the accident are the responsibility of local authorities," he said.

The spokesman said there was currently no official confirmation on identities of any Australian victims.

"DVI processes are carried out in accordance with Interpol Guidelines. DVI can be a lengthy and complex process," he said.

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Stamp prices to increase

Stamp prices are set to rise after Australia Post lost $187 million on traditional mail services. Source: AAP

STAMP prices are set to rise after Australia Post lost $187 million on traditional mail services.

Australia Post says the number of letters delivered dropped by 263 million to 4.5 billion in the past year.

An Australia Post spokeswoman said it costs more than 60 cents to deliver a letter, which contributed to the price hike.

"The current price of 60 cents to send a letter anywhere in Australia is not an accurate reflection of the true cost for it to be delivered, nor in keeping with inflation," the spokeswoman said.

"Losses in the letter business are expected to increase and we will continue to address ways of limiting the losses. An increase in the basic postage rate would naturally be part of this plan as we look to secure a future for our letters business, while ensuring we maintain all our Community Service Obligations (CSOs)."

Australia Post has delivered the federal government a $244 million dividend in 2012/13, but warns a decline in regular mail bodes badly for the business.

The postal agency's $312 million after-tax profit, up 10.9 per cent on 2011/12, came via strong growth in online shopping, the purchase of the StarTrack parcels service and cuts to running costs.

Chief executive Ahmed Fahour said the volume drop and the absence of a price rise for stamps during the year led to the regulated mail business losing $218.4 million in the past financial year.

"If unchanged, the widening losses in our traditional letter services will eventually stifle positive developments in our parcels business," he said.

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said the government there are no plans to privatise Australia Post and Labor is opposed to a sale.

Australia Post will consult with the government before increase to the basic postage rate and will complete a price notification process with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

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Vic expects similiar fire season to NSW

VICTORIA'S fire season has the potential to see the same conditions being experienced in NSW, fire authorities say.

Victorian Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley says December to February will be a critical time for the state.

"Let's make sure we learn from NSW in what was a horrible day and has the potential to be that in our summer," he told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.

He said north of the Otways, western and central parts of Victoria and outer parts of Melbourne were a key focus for Victorian firefighters because they were mostly dry and had high grass growth over spring.

"Our early assessment is that we've had spring conditions that are conducive to a lot of growth," he said.

Mr Lapsley said his message to Victorians in October is to clean up properties and for residents to consider the risk to their families in November.

Bushfire Response Minister Kim Wells said Victoria is organised and in a good position to tackle the summer season.

"We are very well organised and very well planned, we have the right amount of equipment and the right amount of training over the winter months," Mr Wells said.

He said the state had gone above its targets for fire prevention burn-offs.

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NZ air force failures put public at risk

AVIATION rules should be scrutinised after the Royal New Zealand Air Force transported dangerous goods on a passenger plane putting hundreds of people at risk, the Civil Aviation Authority says.

In 2009, the NZ air force sent chemical oxygen-generating canisters from Auckland to Vancouver aboard an Air New Zealand flight carrying 379 passengers and crew without notifying the airline.

The canisters, if incorrectly activated, can create a great deal of heat and the oxygen fuels a fire. Similar canisters brought down a US passenger jet in 1996, killing 110 people.

A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) interim report released last year found the administrative and communicative errors within the air force led to the dangerous goods being on the flight.

It concluded no enforcement action could be taken, but further investigation was needed into safety issues.

In its final report released on Friday, the CAA said aviation rules regarding dangerous goods should be reviewed, including how they relate to the Defence Force.

The CAA and the Defence Force are establishing a memorandum of understanding to improve and formalise communication between the organisations about dangerous goods issues.

The Defence Force had made several changes to reduce the risk of the same thing happening again, the CAA said.

Last year, NZ Air Force Chief Air Vice-Marshal Peter Stockwell admitted a series of safety blunders by sending volatile substances on at least eight commercial flights between 2002 and 2009.

He also admitted the air force misled the Transport Accident Investigation Commission when reporting the Air NZ flight incident in 2009.

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Coalition promises add $1bn to budget: PBO

ELECTION commitments made by the victorious federal coalition will have a much more positive impact on the budget than expected, independent analysis shows.

The government's plans will add $7.1 billion to the underlying budget cash balance over the next four years - which is $1 billion bigger than first predicted.

The analysis released on Friday by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) weighs up the spending and cuts promised by the main political parties ahead of the September 7 election.

"This analysis once and for all puts to bed the lies from the Labor party over numerous years that there was a black hole in the coalition's costings," Treasurer Joe Hockey and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said in a joint statement.

"Labor's economic credibility has now been completely shattered."

The coalition's contribution to the budget was also far greater than the outcomes for Labor and the Australian Greens, the PBO found.

Labor's election commitments would have made a net positive contribution of $9.5 million to the budget, while the Greens' promises would have added just over $2 billion.

Mr Hockey will release the update of the May budget before Christmas.

It will show any revisions to the previous Labor government's forecasts for revenue, the budget balance and the economy.

The PBO said the most significant impact on the budget would be the coalition's commitment to scrapping Labor's 30 per cent minerals resource rent tax (MRRT) on big iron ore and coal producers.

"While removing the MRRT leads to revenue forgone of $3.5 billion over the forward estimates, this is more than offset by abolishing associated spending measures, resulting in a net increase of $13.8 billion to the underlying cash balance," it said.

Other major contributions to the budget will be a planned coalition reduction in the public service head count by 12,000 positions through natural attrition to save $5.2 billion.

The government also wants to limit growth in foreign aid to save $4.5 billion.

The biggest negatives to the budget will be the removal of Labor's carbon tax ($7.3 billion), a reduction in the company tax rate to 28.5 per cent ($4.9 billion) and the coalition's infrastructure package ($4.7 billion).

Chris Bowen, who was confirmed as Labor's shadow treasurer on Friday, said the true state of the budget won't be known until there was a formal update through the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO).

Mr Bowen said the coalition had "repeatedly and recklessly" claimed that Australia faced a "budget emergency" and further revenue downgrades since the election.

He said if Mr Hockey and Prime Minister Tony Abbott still believed there was a budget emergency, MYEFO should be released as a matter of urgency.

"It's simply not good enough for Mr Abbott and Mr Hockey to claim for months we face a budget emergency then try and sneak out MYEFO a week or two before Christmas like the coalition has done in the past," Mr Bowen said in a statement.

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne said for all of the coalition's scaremongering about debts and deficits, the report confirmed debt would be higher after the first term of an Abbott government than at the beginning and there was no plan for a surplus.

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Blue Mountains father loses home in blaze

A BLUE Mountains father has told of his anguish at losing his life-long family home in an out of control bushfire.

Joe Moore was on the phone to his son, a Rural Fire Service volunteer firefighter, as he was trying to protect their family home from a out-of-control blaze at Springwood on Thursday.

"All the neighbours were trying (to protect it) and then they got evacuated and my son got to stay back and tried to fight it but it got too much," he said.

Mr Moore said he heard the firefighters yell out to his son that they had lost the home before being forced to flee the fast-moving flames.

"I have been here all my life," he said.

"It was a dream home."

Despite the enormity of his loss, Mr Moore said there had been no loss of life, and homes could be replaced.

Mr Moore lived in the property with his wife, three sons and four Aboriginal boys he was a foster carer for.

"They tried as hard as they could to save it but the winds just got too bad and they couldn't save it," he said.

Despite the shock of losing his home and facing the uncertain task of finding a roof to put over his family of nine, Mr Moore is tending to others in need at an evacuation centre at Springwood Golf Club.

Mr Moore, a golf professional from the club, said the gusty winds contributed to the "perfect storm".

"You have fires up here all your life and we haven't lost a lot but the fires and the winds have always been favourable," he said.

"It's one of those things, if you want to live up in the Blue Mountains ... it's a beautiful place to live but it has the dangers of nature's ferocity like we had today."

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Atlas Iron going through good patch

ATLAS Iron says it's going through a good patch thanks to buoyant iron ore prices and a record boost in production.

Chairman David Flanagan says the company is making solid margins as it posts an eight per cent increase in ore shipments in the September quarter.

"We're having a good patch right now but we're ploughing it all back in," Mr Flanagan told ABC radio in Perth.

He revealed that the company was making around $35 to $40 per tonne on its shipments to China.

"If you're one of the majors who can get iron ore into China for $60 or $65 (per tonne) and sell it for $120 you're doing really well," Mr Flanagan said.

"If you're Atlas, you're getting it in to China for $75 and selling it for $110/$115."

In contrast, he said, miners in the gold, nickel and copper sectors were doing it tough.

Atlas shipped 2.4 billion wet tonnes of iron ore in the September quarter, up from 2.2 billion tonnes in the previous three-month period.

It was a 50 per cent increase on the September 2012 quarter.

Unaudited EBITDA was $91 million for the three-month period.

"Strong production from Atlas' existing operations, together with the commissioning and ramp-up of the Abydos mine, resulted in another quarter of record production and shipments," Atlas said in a statement on Thursday.

The Pilbara-focused company added that it was on track to reach its 2014 full year guidance of 9.8 million to 10.3 million tonnes after reporting cash operating costs of $49 to $53 per tonne in the quarter.

Atlas expects strong customer demand for 2014 contracts and less discounting.

Managing director Ken Brinsden said the company was investing $90 million in mine and infrastructure growth projects and $22 million in dividend payments to shareholders.

"The continued strong iron ore price coupled with a focus on cost control and expanded production, has enabled Atlas to maintain gross cash on hand at $378 million," Mr Brinsden said.

Atlas was fully funded to achieve its targeted export rate of 12 million tonnes per annum, he said.

Atlas shares gained one cent to $1.035.

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Seat gone, but Vic Liberal wants to stay

THE most high-profile victim of Victoria's electoral boundary redistributions says she hopes to remain in parliament despite her seat being abolished.

Liberal frontbencher Mary Wooldridge will lose her seat of Doncaster while the northern Victorian seat of Rodney, held by the Nationals, will also go.

Ms Wooldridge said she hopes to remain in parliament.

"I want to continue as a member of the Napthine government after the next election and am confident that a suitable opportunity will be found," she said in a statement on Thursday.

In a major shake-up of electoral boundaries, 15 seats will be abolished or have their names changed.

The changes will even up the number of electors in each seat and are the result of a growing population in Melbourne and shrinking populations in some regional areas.

Victorian National Party leader Peter Ryan said country people are the big losers in the changes.

"This is a disappointing outcome for country Victoria in the first instance, the seat of Rodney, a National Party-held seat, has been abolished and that means one less voice in this parliament on behalf of country Victorians," he told reporters.

Rodney MP Paul Weller said the Electoral Boundaries Commission had made its decision, despite a number of submissions from his constituents.

He would not be drawn on whether he would seek to contest another seat in the November 2014 election.

"We have got to wait for the dust to settle and we will have a look at it, see what opportunities arise," Mr Weller told reporters.

The changes are expected to make it tougher for Labor to hold several seats including Ripon, Monbulk and Ballarat West.

Member for Ballarat West Sharon Knight said the redistribution would make her battle to retain the seat even tougher.

"I think it makes a marginal seat a bit more marginal," she said.

Ms Knight, whose seat will now be known as Wendouree, will lose the Labor area of Sebastopol from her electorate.

Labor state secretary Noah Carroll described the redistribution as "fair across the board".

He said all preselections would be finalised before Christmas.

Mr Carroll expects "carnage" when the Liberal and National parties field candidates against each other in country Victoria.

Liberal state director Damien Mantach said the party was analysing of the new boundaries and would have further discussions about preselections, particularly for new seats and those that have changed dramatically.

"In regards to those MPs whose seats have been abolished or dramatically redrawn, the premier, state president, state director and the administrative committee of the party will have discussions with affected MPs to determine the best course of action in relation to preselections," he said.

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NSW govt accused of crown 'land grab'

AN "unholy alliance" in the NSW parliament could mean girl guides, scouts and rural bushfire services are thrown off crown land, according to Premier Barry O'Farrell.

The government says changes to the Crown Lands Act are needed to ensure secondary tenures on crown land, such as stock routes, cemeteries and showgrounds, can continue.

A bill passed the lower house without amendment on Wednesday but Mr O'Farrell said an "unholy alliance" of NSW Greens, the Shooters and Fishers Party and Labor could derail it in the upper house.

Mr O'Farrell told parliament that 7000 of the 59,000 tenures over crown land may be affected.

These included men's sheds, libraries, council chambers, bushfire brigades and surf clubs.

But Labor MP Carmel Tebutt said the changes were a "smokescreen for a crown land grab".

She said they would accord extraordinary power to the government to grant uses on crown land.

The amendments could allow secondary leases to be granted, even if they are not for a public purpose and are incompatible and inconsistent with the reason the crown reserve was granted, she added.

The government introduced the changes last month after a court decision, known as the Goomallee Claim, found that a grazing licence on crown land reserved for public recreation was unlawful.

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