Homes spared from flooding for now

Emergency flood alerts have been issued for several Queensland towns, officials say. Source: AAP

HUNDREDS of homes in low-lying areas just south of Gladstone have been spared from flooding for now, but the emergency is far from over.

An emergency flood alert for evacuations had been issued before Saturday morning's high tide, with residents in Tannum Sands and Boyne Island, at the mouth of the Boyne River, asked to leave.

Almost five metres of water is gushing over the spillway of the Awoonga Dam upstream and that is expected to increase to six metres later in the day and to 7.5 metres on Sunday.

Gladstone Mayor Gail Sellers says it's not over for locals who have so far escaped flooding despite the once-in-a-century river levels.

"We are quite pleased none of our 400 houses had to evacuate," she told AAP.

"So we're now getting ready for the next time when we think we'll have the biggest problem and that's at the high tide on Sunday morning."

The downpour has not let up and the ex-cyclone remains west of the city, where massive rainfalls have been recorded.

Over 370mm of rain fell at Boolaroo Tops, 347mm at Kroombit Tops and 307mm at Captain Creek.

Flood warnings have been issued for the Calliope, Boyne, Baffle and Kolan Rivers.

The Callide and Kroombit Dams are experiencing unprecedented outflows.

The State Emergency Service (SES) has warned Goovigen residents, west of Gladstone, that properties are likely to experience flooding and they should take to higher ground.

The SES has received more than 650 requests for assistance since Friday morning, including more than 130 for Rockhampton, and more than 35 jobs each for Gladstone and Yeppoon.

Community Safety Minister Jack Dempsey said there were six swift water rescues overnight.

"Thankfully they were all very successful outcomes," he told ABC radio.

One of two fisherman reported missing off Rockhampton earlier in the week has been found.

The skipper of the 38-foot fishing vessel made a distress call on Thursday, saying the boat was taking on water in the Casuarina Passage off Port Alma.

A 60-year-old man was found on Balaclava Island about 11am Saturday, and a water and air search is under way for the second man.

The Bruce Highway is closed in several places between Rockhampton and Gladstone and the train line is cut near Rockhampton, stopping all services between Brisbane and Cairns.

Ergon Energy says thousands in central Queensland remain without power and staff will be flown to inaccessible areas to reconnect it.

The low pressure system is almost stationary and hasn't tracked to the southeast as predicted on Friday.

It expected to slowly move south to the southeast and bring heavier rain, dangerous surf, abnormally high tides and strong winds on Sunday and Monday.

"With all that heavy rain, flash flooding is definitely expected," Ken Kato from (Bureau of Meteorology) BoM told AAP.

SeqWater has increased its releases from Wivenhoe Dam as a precautionary measure.

The Bureau of Meteorology has also issued flood warnings for the Fitzroy, Dawson, Don, Mackenzie, Connor and Isaac rivers.

Meanwhile, the state government announced that residents affected by flooding in Rockhampton and surrounding areas can now seek financial help.

Individuals may be eligible for amounts of $180 up to a maximum of $900.

The federal government also announced the Burdekin, Lockhart River, Hinchinbrook, Banana, Gladstone and Rockhampton councils will receive financial help under the natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man lashes out at police

A Brisbane man has violently lashed out at five police officers investigating a hooning incident. Source: AAP

A BRISBANE man has violently lashed out at five police officers investigating a hooning incident.

The 19-year-old was allegedly doing donuts in the Central Queensland town of Roma on Friday evening.

When four officers approached him at a Charles Street residence, he became violent, police said on Saturday.

Police said the officers were pushed, one in the face, and two spat at during the struggle to arrest him.

The four officers, two women and two men, were taken to Roma Hospital where they were treated for bruising and grazes, and for blood tests following exposure to bodily fluids.

The fifth officer, a man, was also taken to hospital for blood tests following exposure to bodily fluids.

The man is due in the Roma Magistrates Court on Saturday.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tobacco industry loses SA super funds

THE tobacco industry is set to lose about $20 million following a decision by Funds SA to exclude it from its investment portfolio.

Funds SA invests more than $18 billion on behalf of South Australia's public sector superannuation funds and its board has just resolved to exclude tobacco products from its portfolios wherever possible.

Health Minister Jack Snelling welcomes the decision, saying it's in line with the state government's public health objectives and community attitudes towards smoking.

"Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of disease in Australia and the government needs to continue to play its part in reducing tobacco-related deaths," Mr Snelling said on Friday.

The minister said the decision to exclude manufacturers of tobacco products would reduce Funds SA's exposure to tobacco producers to 0.04 per cent of its total assets.

Its exposure to tobacco manufacturers can't be completely eliminated as some investments are held through pooled investment vehicles such as unit trusts.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australia to welcome 17,000 new citizens

ALMOST 17,000 people from 145 countries around the world will soon be calling themselves Aussies at citizenship ceremonies around the nation this weekend.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) said the highest number of new citizens will make their pledge in Queensland, with 9964 receiving certificates, followed by 3814 in Victoria and 3763 in NSW.

The UK is the top nation of origin for new citizens, followed by India, South Africa, the Philippines and China.

The spokeswoman says there were 85,000 new pledges last year and Australia Day is by far the most popular day of the year to become an Australian citizen.

"Some people wait six months or more - it's a really special day, people are just jumping out of their skin," she told AAP.

The number of new citizens in NSW making the pledge on Saturday is up by nearly 800 state-wide compared with last year, DIAC said.

The largest ceremony in Sydney will be held in Sutherland Shire, with more than 200 people getting citizenship certificates.

Other big ceremonies to take place in Sydney include the Hills (161 new citizens), Blacktown (149) and Auburn (135).

In regional NSW, citizenship events will also take place in Gosford (123 new citizens), Newcastle (86) and Coffs Harbour (64).

More than four and a half million people have become Australian citizens since the first citizenship ceremony in 1949.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW minister defends outsourcing road jobs

OUTSOURCING maintenance on Sydney roads will provide the NSW government with the "best bang for our buck", says NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay.

The government is preparing a business plan to outsource maintenance of most Sydney roads to the private sector.

Mr Gay on Thursday said the government indicated some time ago it would press ahead with the plan and held talks with the Australian Workers Union (AWU) this week.

He said the private contractors would need to provide ongoing employment for hundreds of Roads and Maritime Service (RMS) workers.

"They certainly have to provide employment for the people if they wish to be employed and that's a guarantee for two years," Mr Gay told reporters in Sydney.

"We want to provide the best roads for this state and we want to get the biggest bang we can for our buck so we're heading down that track.

"It's early days, we still have to develop a business case and put that before cabinet."

Mr Gay said the government believed the proposal was a "good one and a fair one" and would deliver government savings of up to 20 per cent.

But the AWU believes the plan will disadvantage motorists and cause traffic chaos.

"The biggest losers of this recommendation will be motorists and the taxpayers of NSW," AWU NSW state secretary Russ Collison said in a statement on Thursday.

"RMS employees provide a public service and respond to emergency situations that are different every day.

"Cutting back service levels in road maintenance... will inevitably leave Sydney motorists stuck in gridlock."

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Oswald to bring Qld rain on Australia Day

SOUTHEAST Queenslanders need to rethink their Australia Day plans with ex-tropical cyclone Oswald expected to dampen celebrations, forecasters warn.

The Bureau of Meteorology says there's a fair chance any outdoor event planned for Saturday will be a washout.

Forecaster Andrew Cameron says the low-pressure centre currently overland between Cairns and Townsville is tracking south along the Queensland coast and will bring up 20 to 40mm of Australia Day rain in some districts.

"Certainly I'd recommend planning for the worst and preparing some sort of contingency," he told AAP.

Torrential rain generated by the ex-cyclone has lashed coastal north Queensland, causing rivers to break their banks and flood the towns of Ingham, Halifax and Tully, and some areas of Townsville.

Halifax, north of Townsville, is cut off and water has entered the main street.

Sandbags have protected businesses from being inundated so far, according to Hinchinbrook Mayor Mansell Bow.

Ingham, southwest of Halifax, has been cut in half by a swollen creek and water is running into yards and under houses but hasn't entered homes.

"We've all been receiving rain since Monday and people have been stocking their pantries with food so everyone was ready," Mr Bow told AAP.

Wildlife was on the move, with an Ingham policeman photographing a two-metre crocodile on the Bruce Highway near the Seymour River on Wednesday.

Floodwater at Tully is slowly receding and the road to Cairns has reopened, according to Cassowary Coast Regional Council's deputy mayor Bryce Macdonald, who travelled to work on Thursday by boat.

The mood in the town is good, he told AAP.

"It's a normal wet season up here for us. There's nothing unusual about it," he said.

"Last year wasn't very wet, so people are saying it's back to normal."

A miniature tornado reportedly swept through the township of Grasstree, near Hay Point, on the north Queensland coast about 4am (AEST) on Thursday.

Hay Point Hotel owner Dean Williams said there was some damage to roofs and trees, but no one was hurt.

Meanwhile, towns between Bowen and Gladstone are expecting heavy rain, with up to 300mm forecast in some areas over the next 24 hours.

Gladstone has already received 118mm in the past 24 hours which has caused local flooding and some roads to be closed.

The Bureau of Meteorology is watching Oswald closely and says there is a 50 per cent chance it will reform somewhere off the coast of Gladstone and Rockhampton on Saturday.

About 6000 homes in the Cairns region were without power on Thursday morning after fallen trees hit power lines.

Rail services between Mackay and Cairns have been closed because of localised flooding over tracks.

Oswald crossed the western coast of Cape York Peninsula near Kowanyama as a category one cyclone on Tuesday and is now a low-pressure system.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM unveils new national security strategy

PM Julia Gillard says the first Australian national security strategy will focus on Asia. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has unveiled a new vision for Australia's security, with a focus on enhanced regional engagement and stronger defences against the rising cyber threat.

Ms Gillard said the terror attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001 launched the decade of national security, a time of rapid ramp-up of resources.

Now is a period of consolidation and national security arrangements have to adapt and respond, harnessing information, ideas and capabilities from all sources and prioritising spending in a clear-headed way.

Ms Gillard said this would be an era in which the behaviour of states, not terror groups, would be the most important driver and shaper of Australia's national security thinking.

The Prime Minister released the new 48-page strategy document at the Australian National University National Security College, an institution created by her predecessor Kevin Rudd.

In 2008, Mr Rudd presented the first national security statement.

Ms Gillard said the new strategy built on that statement, guiding Australia's response to risks and identifying the main challenges and threats to national security.

"Our principal national security focus will be on our own region, as the global economic and strategic centre-of-gravity continues to move east, bringing great opportunities but also risks and challenges that must be managed," she said on Wednesday.

Ms Gillard said the move for enhanced regional engagement acknowledged the shift to this region and the need for security as the indispensable foundation of prosperity.

That meant the strategic landscape was becoming more crowded and complex.

"But it also remains true that it is the relationship between China and the United States that more than any other will determine the temperature of regional affairs in coming decades," she said.

Ms Gillard said Australia was an attractive target for a range of malicious cyber threats, from politically-motivated hackers and criminal networks to nation states.

The government has already contributed substantial funding towards cyber security. As a next step, the government will create a Cyber Security Centre.

That will combine existing cyber security capabilities across the Attorney-General's Department, Defence, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Australian Federal Police and the Australian Crime Commission in a single location.

"Malicious cyber activity will likely be with us for many decades to come, so we must be prepared for a long, persistent fight," she said.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two more arrested over attempted murder

TWO more men have been arrested over an attempted murder in Sydney's southwest in which a man was shot in the leg.

Police were called to a unit in Harrow Rd, Auburn, about 6.30pm (AEDT) on Sunday following reports of a shooting.

A 23-year-old was found out in the street with a gunshot wound to his leg and was treated in hospital and later released.

On Wednesday, police raided a unit about 11am in the same street and arrested a 31-year-old man.

About two-and-a-half hours earlier, officers raided a home in Miller St, Chester Hill, and arrested a 26-year-old man.

Both men are expected to be charged over the shooting.

Just before midday on Tuesday, a 33-year-old was arrested at his Sefton home.

He has been charged with shoot with intent to murder, discharge firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and robbery while armed with dangerous weapon.

He was refused bail to appear in Burwood Local Court on Wednesday.

A fourth person, a 24-year-old Sefton man, is already before the courts facing the same offences.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Govt ministers defend nursing mums

HEALTH Minister Tanya Plibersek has defended the right of mothers to breastfeed in public after sharing her own experience of breastfeeding in government meetings.

The mother of three weighed in on the breastfeeding debate on Tuesday sparked by controversial comments made by television presenter David Koch that breastfeeding mums should be "discreet" in public.

"I occasionally had to breastfeed during meetings. Some people found that a little bit awkward," Ms Plibersek told reporters in Melbourne.

"But I always thought that responding to a crying, hungry baby was probably more important than whether other people felt awkward."

Ms Plibersek said she had breastfed all three of her children in their first year.

"I think it's very important for the health of children to breastfeed as long as you can as a mum - although obviously some people have difficulties in doing it," she said.

Minister for the Status of Women Julie Collins also saw no problem with breastfeeding.

"As far as I'm concerned, breastfeeding is a natural thing. Mothers should be allowed to do it wherever they choose is safe for them and their child to do so," she told AAP on Tuesday.

"I breastfed in high-end restaurants and I have three children so I don't see an issue."

About 100 people protested outside the Seven Network's Sunrise studios in Martin Place on Monday after Koch said women should be "classy" when breastfeeding in public.

He was responding to a story about a Queensland woman who was told she couldn't feed her baby by the side of a public pool.

Koch apologised for causing offence and stepped outside the studio to meet with mums, but said he was standing by his original comments.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Garrett has hope for Labor in WA election

WEST Australian Opposition leader Mark McGowan is well placed for the March state election because he does not "shoot from the hip" like Premier Colin Barnett does, says Federal School Education Minister Peter Garrett.

Mr Garrett told AAP it was important for the public to consider Mr McGowan as an alternative premier at the March 9 election.

"He's shown himself to be an effective, open, consultative opposition leader," he said.

"I think that gives an indication as to the kind of premier he would be - not someone who shoots from the hip and says whatever comes into his head, as occasionally Mr Barnett is seen to do."

Mr Garrett said the Labor party in WA had organised itself well and had shown a focus on education and health.

"I've met with my shadow minister counterpart, Paul Papalia, and I'm very excited about what they can bring in terms of education reform," he said.

Mr Garrett will meet with WA's Education Minister Peter Collier later on Tuesday to discuss education reforms, including Tuesday's announcement of $29.6 million in federal government funding for additional literacy and numeracy support in up to 200 schools in WA.

On Monday, Mr Collier announced the state would introduce minimum literacy and numeracy assessments for year 10 students from 2014, and require students to achieve an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank or a minimum Certificate II in training programs to graduate.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

US teen held in shooting of five people

A US teenager has been charged with murdering five people, including children, in a New Mexico home. Source: AAP

A 15-YEAR-OLD boy remains in custody as detectives try to piece together what led to the shooting of five people, including three young children, who were found dead in a New Mexico home.

The teenager was arrested on murder and other charges in connection with the shootings, which happened on Saturday night at the home in a rural area southwest of downtown Albuquerque, Lt Sid Covington, a sheriff's spokesman, said on Sunday night.

Detectives did not immediately release the victims' names, but word of the shootings travelled quickly through the law enforcement community, and officials began offering their condolences for Greg Griego, a spiritual leader known for his work with firefighters and the 13 years he spent as a volunteer chaplain at the county jail.

"Chaplin Griego was a dedicated professional that passionately served his fellow man and the firefighters of this community," fire chief James Breen said in a statement. "His calming spirit and gentle nature will be greatly missed."

Jail chief Ramon Rustin said Griego was instrumental in the creation of the Metropolitan Detention Center's chaplain program and worked to get inmates integrated back into the community.

Griego also was a former member of the pastoral staff at Calvary, a Christian church in Albuquerque. As part of his work there, he oversaw the Straight Street program for jail inmates.

Covington said detectives were working to positively identify the five victims as well as the teenager's relationship to them.

"Right now we're to the meticulous points of processing the scene and collecting physical evidence, and this is a vast scene with a lot of physical evidence," Covington said.

Authorities said each victim suffered more than one gunshot wound, and several guns were found at the home, one of which was a semi-automatic military-style rifle. Investigators were trying to determine who owned the guns.

The teenager was booked on two counts of murder and three counts of child abuse resulting in death.

On Sunday, a police roadblock cut off public access to the narrow dirt road that leads to the home, which is surrounded by trees and an agricultural field on one side.

Peter Gomez, a 54-year-old carpenter who lives about 183 metres from the home, said he had seen the family - a husband and wife and their four children - pass by many times but didn't know them personally.

"It's a horrible thing," Gomez said. "You see all this stuff that happens all over the country, the shootings in the schools and theatres, and then it happens right here. It's sad."

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Train surfer wanted in Queensland

A MAN wanted for crimes in Queensland has allegedly been caught train surfing on the NSW north coast.

The man was riding on the roof of a southbound freight train near Coffs Harbour when he jumped from the carriage into Boambee Creek about 2:10pm (AEDT) on Saturday, police say.

Several members of the public and two-off duty police officers spotted him in the Boambee Bay Reserve behaving aggressively and erratically.

The officers followed the man to Sawtell Road, Toormina, where he walked into the middle of the road and blocked traffic.

He was subsequently arrested by police and treated by paramedics before being taken to Coffs Harbour Hospital for treatment of minor injuries sustained when he jumped from the train.

The man was later found to be wanted on three arrest warrants by Queensland Police.

He has been charged with apprehension on warrant issued in another state and refused bail to appear in Coffs Harbour Local Court on Monday.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rinehart urges Rio to move HQ to Perth

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has urged Rio Tinto to move their headquarters back to Australia. Source: AAP

MINING magnate Gina Rinehart has urged Rio Tinto's new boss Sam Walsh to move the headquarters of the Anglo/Australian resources giant back to Australia - and then join the fight against Julia Gillard's mining tax.

In a shock move late last week, Rio Tinto boss Tom Albanese stepped down after the global miner announced a multi-billion dollar writedown of its aluminium and coal assets, to be replaced by Mr Walsh, the head of the company's iron ore arm.

In a statement released on Sunday, the supremo of Hancock Prospecting, who co-owns the massive Hope Downs joint venture with Rio, said she was disappointed Mr Albanese had been replaced.

But she said the appointment of Mr Walsh, who has managed Rio's iron ore business from Perth, was a chance to bring the headquarters of Rio to Western Australia where she says "it logically belongs".

"In congratulating Sam on his promotion to such an important position within Rio Tinto, we have urged him to take this opportunity and also move the Rio Tinto headquarters from London to Perth where given most of Rio Tinto's revenue is generated in Australia, it logically belongs," Ms Rinehart said in a statement.

"We also hope other Australians will join our call that now that there is an Australian CEO for Rio Tinto, and given the history of mainly success for Rio Tinto's projects in Australia, a renewed emphasis will be undertaken by Rio Tinto to reinvest more of the profits it earns in Australia.

"(That will) benefit ... its shareholders who have seen much diminution in value via investments in risky countries, and for the benefit of Australia, which given its increasing debts, greatly needs."

A long-time vocal opponent of the Minerals Resource Rent Tax, Ms Rinehart called on Mr Walsh to make his own immediate and loud submissions to the federal government.

"We hope Rio Tinto and Sam will lose no time in advising the Australian government in clear and straightforward terms, what it would wish to make the decisions to increase its investment in Australia," the statement, released to the Australia Financial Review, stated.

"No uncompetitive carbon tax springs to mind as one example to help interest in investment and reduce the increasing problem and very great concern of Australia's diminishing cost competitiveness."

The stock market reacted positively on Friday to Mr Walsh's appointment, despite Rio revealing a $US14 billion ($A13.30 billion) writedown of Rio's aluminium assets and Mozambique coal assets alongside the departure of Mr Albanese.

After announcing Mr Walsh as Mr Albanese's successor, it was said he would relocate to London in his new role and receive a base salary of $A1.9 million.

Ms Rinehart said Rio's best investments in recent years had been their joint venture in the Hope Downs project, which Mr Walsh had been "intimately involved in".

"We look forward to Sam providing the leadership and adding to the great success Hope Downs has been for the Rio Tinto group by committing to develop other Hope Downs resources in a timely manner," the statement said.

"These much earlier Rio Tinto decisions to invest in West Australia have not only transformed Rio Tinto from a small miner to one of the world's largest mining houses, but also saved Rio Tinto group from going down the gurgler late last decade."

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM attends Greig memorial service

Tony Greig's wife has given a tearful tribute to the former England cricket captain at the SCG. Source: AAP

WITH a tearful tribute, a lot of laughs and a smattering of broad-brimmed hats, Tony Greig was given a fitting farewell at the SCG on Sunday.

The former England cricket captain and respected commentator died on December 29 in Sydney after suffering a heart attack during a battle with lung cancer.

On Sunday, he was given a touching memorial led by his wife Vivian, who broke down during her goodbye speech.

"He could make anything sound special and make anyone feel special," Vivian told the audience of 300.

"He gave us confidence when we faltered, he gave us strength when felt drained.

"He gave us laughter when we felt like crying. But most of all he gave us love.

"It's a great privilege and honour to have been Tony's wife."

Greig was a man whose stature was not limited to his imposing frame and whose impact extended far beyond his achievements on the cricket pitch.

In the stands of the SCG, commentary doyen Richie Benaud sat side by side with Greig's old sparring partner Bill Lawry, who delivered the eulogy - and drawing large applause for his Billy Birmingham-inspired impressions of Greig and Benaud.

Highlighting the influence Greig had on a varied cross section of the international game, England champions Ian Botham and David Gower recorded messages, while letters were passed on from Indian legend Ravi Shastri and Sri Lankan hero Arjuna Ranatunga.

They all painted a picture of a genuine cricket tragic born on the eastern cape of South Africa, who became a champion England allrounder before settling in Australia.

But above all they described a man who had a deep appreciation of the game.

"Where did his allegiance lie? His allegiance lay with the sport of cricket," Vivian said.

"He loved watching attacking cricket. He loved watching the Aussies every summer.

"He loved watching Arjuna Ranatunga lead his side in the early '90s.

"He honoured any side that honoured the game."

Greig was remembered as one of the game's great innovators who spearheaded the World Series cricket movement alongside Kerry Packer and embraced technology - to much amusement on occasion.

Vivian recalled a story she felt encapsulated the bravery - and stupidity - of her husband's love of the new.

"He loved innovation," she said.

"Firstly as a player wearing a leather scrum cap, and later a crash helmet as a sensible form of protection.

"Quite early on, I asked him why he didn't wear a helmet in his career and he patiently explained that he felt it took away from the test of courage to face a fast bowler.

"Then came (Australian pace duo Dennis) Lillee and (Jeff) Thompson and he reconsidered the helmet.

"I was appalled. (I said) 'You mean to tell me that it took over 100 years after someone had invented a box before you came along to think about protecting your head?.

"That told me a lot about male priorities but it also showed me Tony was pretty smart, and brave, to wear a helmet."

Lawry described Greig's ability to spend hours in front of his laptop keeping up to date with every seemingly insignificant match report from the corners of the planet - much to the amusement of his less thorough ally, Lawry.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard attended the service, lauding Greig, who died in December after battling lung cancer, as "a towering cricket figure".

Both the Australian and Sri Lankan squads were in attendance, as were current and former Australian stars Shane Watson, Brett Lee and Andy Bichel.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More