Vic police sniff out drugs at Big Day Out

Police have welcomed a decrease in drug-related arrests at Melbourne's Big Day Out music festival. Source: AAP

THERE'S been a decrease in the number of drug-related arrests at Melbourne's Big Day Out music festival.

A total of 29 people were arrested for drug offences on Friday, down from 40 people at the same festival at the Melbourne Showgrounds last year.

Acting Superintendent Bernie Edwards says only a small number of the 23,000 music fans at the festival were doing the wrong thing.

"We were generally happy with patron behaviour throughout the day, and it looks like most people enjoyed the event," he said.

"It is disappointing that 29 people didn't get the message."

Sniffer dogs were used to find revellers carrying illegal drugs.

Police seized drugs such as ecstasy, amphetamines and cannabis.

Of the 29 arrested, 15 people have been referred to a drug diversion program and 14 have been cautioned.

The Big Day Out heads next to Sydney on Australia Day.

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One dead, two critical in Qld car crash

A man was killed and two others were left in a critical condition after a crash north of Brisbane. Source: AAP

A MAN was killed and two others were left fighting for their lives following a three-car smash north of Brisbane on Friday.

A 20-year-old Donnybrook man died after the car he was a passenger in collided head-on with another vehicle on Pumicestone Road at Caboolture about 3.35pm (AEST), police say.

The 43-year-old male driver and sole occupant of the other vehicle survived the smash despite a third car ploughing into his utility and flipping it on its roof.

He was flown to hospital by helicopter with critical injuries, as was the 26-year-old male driver of the first car who was also critically injured.

A man and woman in the third car suffered only minor injuries.

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Man charged over A-League police assault

A MAN has been charged with assaulting police during the A-League Sydney derby at Parramatta earlier this month.

Officers were conducting crowd control at the match between Sydney FC and the Western Sydney Wanderers about 9.45pm (AEDT) on Saturday, January 11, at Parramatta Stadium when a 29-year-old man approached a male officer and allegedly pushed him.

Police said the man then allegedly acted in an intimidating manner toward a female officer, before he was pulled away by two other men.

Following inquiries, police arrested the man on Thursday and charged him with two counts of assault police officer in execution of duty.

He was given conditional bail to appear in Parramatta Local Court in March.

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WA's shark net trial ready

THE shark barrier designed to protect beachgoers at Western Australia's popular Dunsborough beach has been completed.

Premier Colin Barnett has confirmed the City of Busselton's beach enclosure trial at Old Dunsborough Beach is under way.

The $165,000 barrier, based on those used on the Gold Coast to prevent bull shark attacks, has been constructed over the past few months, as debate rages over WA's controversial shark kill policy.

The enclosure comprises six metal piles drilled into the seabed supporting a 100m x 300m mesh barrier.

The trial will test the suitability of beach enclosures to protect beachgoers from sharks.

Mr Barnett said Old Dunsborough Beach was an appropriate location - despite no shark attacks being recorded at the location.

"Old Dunsborough Beach is used for school holiday swimming lessons, surf lifesaving and community events," he said.

Mr Barnett said the beach enclosure trial was one of "a range of measures" put in place to decrease the risk from a shark attack.

"The state government recognises that a range of measures are needed to ensure West Australians can enjoy our beautiful beaches. Funding research into shark deterrents is part of this strategy, as is the beach enclosure trial," Mr Barnett said.

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AMA calls for national summit on alcohol

EMERGENCY doctors who spend their weekends dealing with victims of drunken violence have called on the federal government to follow NSW's momentum in tackling alcohol-related harm.

Sexual assaults, dying car crash victims and surviving drunk drivers and coward punch victims are some of the cases Victorian emergency physician Dr Stephen Parnis deals with on an average weekend.

He told reporters in Sydney on Thursday there was no doubt there was more alcohol-related harm victims fronting hospitals than when he started 21 years ago.

"I could fill a book with the number of tragedies I have seen from treatments and admissions that are directly related to alcohol," the Australian Medical Association (AMA) Victoria president said.

Dr Parnis said it was well and truly an epidemic.

"It's time for major change, time for a parliamentary inquiry into the issue and a national summit," he said.

The AMA has welcomed proposed measures put forward by the NSW government on Tuesday, including earlier lock-outs in party hot spots and harsher penalties for alcohol and drug related crimes.

But the association believes it does not go far enough.

It wants to see the federal government convene a national summit to come up with solutions to the alcohol misuse epidemic.

The summit would bring together government, councils, police, health experts, teachers, victims and industry.

AMA federal president Dr Steve Hambleton said Australia needed leadership from the federal government and support from the states.

According to the AMA, at 2am in an emergency department, about 20 per cent of people are there because of alcohol-related trauma.

Perth intensive care specialist Professor Geoffrey Dobb said sometimes he went to work in the morning and half of the people in intensive care were there due to alcohol.

"An action that lasts for just a second can impact on people for the rest of their lives," he said.

The effect of alcohol misuse also extends to children, with tens of thousands of cases each year of alcohol-related child mistreatment, the AMA says.

Prof Dobb said there needed to be a change in the drinking culture in Australia.

While the group is looking to the commonwealth for help, Acting Prime Minister Warren Truss told reporters on Wednesday people should not rely on the government to stop alcohol fuelled-violence.

He said governments could make it easier for people to be jailed, but they could not solve the problem.

"People have got to take responsibility for their own lives, recognise the impact on people that they may hurt as the result of some silly drunken violence but also on their own lives."

The AMA's call comes just days after the NSW government announced a suite of reforms to target drunk and drug-fuelled violence.

The proposed laws include the creation of a fatal one-punch offence that would carry a minimum eight-year jail sentence if committed under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

They also include 1.30am lock-outs and 3am last drinks at bars and clubs across an expanded Sydney CBD entertainment precinct.

Other proposed reforms are mandatory minimum and longer maximum sentences for serious alcohol-fuelled assaults, 10pm closing times for bottle shops and new powers allowing police to administer drug and alcohol testing to suspected offenders.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has thrown his support behind the AMA's proposal, saying it wasn't a problem in just one small pocket of Sydney.

"It isn't just a challenge for local and state governments. This is a national issue that demands national attention," he said in a statement with Labor health spokeswoman Catherine King.

Mr Shorten said the community owed it to innocent one-punch victims like Daniel Christie, who died after being assaulted in Kings Cross on New Year's Eve, to face up to the problem of alcohol-fuelled violence.

He said a national summit was the most appropriate way to bring key groups together, including the hotel industry and health experts, to work in partnership with government to tackle the issue.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said it was up to the federal government to decide whether a national summit on alcohol was necessary.

"These are problems that extend beyond state borders," he told reporters on Thursday.

"The prime minister has made clear ... that he recognised not only was it a national problem, but that the commonwealth is prepared to play its part."

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Abuse by Marist brother 'criminal'

A MARIST brother who taught at a school in Cairns where boys were molested has been forced to acknowledge the criminal nature of the behaviour.

Brother Andrew Moraghan, who was a dorm master at boys' boarding school St Augustine's College in Cairns in the 1980s, at first told a national inquiry into child sex abuse that accusations of abuse were so rare in those days that he would not know how to characterise it.

Br Moraghan was being questioned by Justice Peter McClellan, chair of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse at a hearing in Sydney on Thursday.

The commission is examining Towards Healing, the Catholic Church process for handling abuse complaints, by exploring what happened to four abuse victims, one of whom, DK, has accused senior religious staff at the school of failing to act against a brother, Ross Murrin, even though in 1981 they knew of a number of complaints against him.

Murrin is now in jail for offences he later committed at schools in Sydney.

Br Moraghan told the hearing he did not know that Murrin was a sex offender until he was charged in 2008 with matters unrelated to St Augustine's.

In 2010 Br Moraghan - along with a previous witness at Thursday's hearing, former principal at St Augustine's Br Gerald Burns - attended a Towards Healing mediation session with DK, a 49-year-old father of three who wanted to ask them what they knew about Murrin's behaviour and why they did not act to protect other boys.

Justice McClellan pressed Br Moraghan on how he, as an experienced teacher and a manager at the school in 1981, would have characterised an allegation that a brother had touched the genitals of a boy.

"I think my first response would have been shock... I would think it would be a gross act of irresponsibility," Br Moraghan said.

Justice McClellan asked: "Would you see it as a crime?"

When the witness said he did not know how to answer that because it would have been something so completely out of common practice, Justice McClellan asked if he would consider it a crime if a brother touched a female school child.

The witness said he would consider it the same as touching a male pupil.

Justice McClellan said: "So you would see it as a crime?"

Br Moraghan said he would see both acts as a crime.

On Thursday Br Burns denied he lied to DK in the mediation session about his knowledge of other complaints by boys about Murrin's behaviour.

Br Burns told the commission that at the time he was at St Augustine's he would have seen the behaviour as a moral lapse not a crime.

The hearing continues

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WA police get suspended term for tasering

TWO West Australian policemen convicted of assaulting an Aboriginal man by repeatedly tasering him in a lock-up have been given suspended jail terms and fined.

CCTV footage showed the officers - Aaron Grant Strahan, 45, and Troy Gregory Tomlin, 34 - tasering Kevin John Spratt nine times in just over a minute after he refused to be strip-searched in the East Perth watch house on August 31, 2008.

Perth Magistrate Richard Bromfield ruled on Tuesday that Tomlin was guilty of all three charges he faced, while Strahan was guilty of three charges and acquitted of a fourth.

While defence lawyer Karen Vernon had asked the magistrate to impose a good behaviour bond or a fine, rather than a term of imprisonment, Magistrate Bromfield said on Wednesday that imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence.

State prosecutor James MacTaggart had not asked for a jail term, instead suggesting a significant fine.

Tomlin was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for six months, as well as a $3800 fine.

Strahan was also given an eight-month jail term, suspended for six months, and a $3250 fine.

In determining the fine, Magistrate Bromfield took into account Tomlin and Strahan's earlier fines of $1200 and $750, respectively, after an internal WA Police disciplinary hearing.

Magistrate Bromfield described the policemen's actions as "a gross error of judgment" and "persistent and repetitive assaults" on a vulnerable victim in custody.

He rejected a suggestion from Ms Vernon that Mr Spratt could have been screaming in joy during the assault as "fanciful", instead describing his utterances as loud and protracted cries of anguish. And while Mr Spratt had been intoxicated and unco-operative before the assault, his struggling during the incident was an understandable response as the Tasers were clearly causing him discomfort.

"No reasonable person could view that footage without being disturbed," Magistrate Bromfield said.

"He was in custody. He could not flee from either of you. He was in an extremely vulnerable position."

Mr Spratt made a brief statement outside court, thanking the media for covering the matter.

After the verdict was handed down on Tuesday, he said he hoped the judgment made it less likely that others would suffer at the hands of police misusing their power.

"A Taser should only be used as a last resort," he said.

While the defence had argued the policemen's actions were justifiable because Mr Spratt was uncontrollable, the court heard from an expert witness that police were instructed not to use the devices for the purposes of ensuring compliance.

Mr Spratt is submitting an application to WA Attorney General Michael Mischin for an ex-gratia compensation payment and is also considering civil proceedings against the officers.

Tomlin and Strahan declined to comment outside court but are expected to issue a statement later on Wednesday.

They are expected to have to fight to keep their jobs as a result of the convictions.

Strahan is still performing operational duties for the WA police, while Tomlin is now a police auxiliary officer.

Both were formerly senior constables.

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Vic woman dies waiting for ambulance

A woman died after a two-hour wait for an ambulance during the heatwave say union officials. Source: AAP

AN 85-year-old woman with heatstroke died after a two-hour wait for an ambulance during last week's heatwave, the ambulance union says.

Hundreds of paramedics are expected to converge on the Ambulance Victoria headquarters on Wednesday morning over their ongoing industrial dispute.

Ambulance Employees Australia (AEA) Victorian secretary Steve McGhie says ambulance services went into "meltdown" during last week's heatwave.

"Even during relatively quiet times, Victoria's ambulance service is woefully inadequate. However, last week the system went into meltdown," Mr McGhie said.

Paramedics reported delays of seven hours and extensive ramping, where a transported patient has a long wait in the vehicle on arriving at hospital because there are no available care areas or beds.

One elderly patient waited nine hours on a stretcher for a bed at Northern Hospital and no crews were free to attend a motorbike accident patient who had skin missing from his face and a leg fracture, the AEA said.

A spokesman for Health Minister David Davis said the coalition government inherited an ambulance system in crisis and has since injected millions to recruit more paramedics.

Ambulance Victoria CEO Greg Sassella said it had been negotiating in good faith to reach a meaningful enterprise agreement and wage increase outcome.

He said they remain in voluntary conciliation with the unions and their next meeting was scheduled for the end of this month.

The ambulance union claims its paramedics are the lowest paid in Australia and they could go interstate and earn almost $30,000 more for doing the same job.

Deputy opposition leader James Merlino said the tragedy was yet another example of an ambulance system in crisis.

"Response times for code one emergencies have blown out each year of this government," Mr Merlino told reporters on Wednesday.

"The government are yet to acknowledge they created the crisis and are yet to respond to it."

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West Gate safe despite crack: VicRoads

Two lanes of Melbourne's West Gate Bridge have been closed after a crack appeared to have developed. Source: AAP

A LARGE crack has appeared in Melbourne's West Gate Bridge, but authorities say there are no structural defects.

The crack, which is believed to be about five metres in length, appeared on Monday morning on the bitumen surface of a steel section of the bridge.

It is believed last week's record heatwave, where temperatures reached more than 41C for four days in a row, may have caused the crack.

The crack is in the inbound lanes one and two of the bridge, which are closed while emergency roadworks take place.

VicRoads acting chief executive Peter Todd said the crack was noticed during a daily inspection of the road.

"An immediate more detailed inspection from inside the bridge identified that there was no structural defect, but just a cosmetic problem involving the cracking of the bitumen," he said in a statement.

"The cause is believed to be as a result of last week's extreme heat causing the water-proof membranes underneath the asphalt to separate."

VicRoads has closed two lanes of the bridge to carry out temporary repairs, while more permanent repairs will be done on Monday night, Mr Todd said.

All lanes will be open for tomorrow morning's peak, VicRoads said.

The West Gate was recently closed overnight for four nights while scheduled resurfacing works took place.

The bridge is the only direct freeway connection between the city and the western suburbs.

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Goodman Fielder executive dies in accident

Goodman Fielder's Australian managing director, Andrew Hipperson, has been killed in an accident. Source: AAP

FOOD company Goodman Fielder's managing director of Australian operations, Andrew Hipperson, has been killed in a motorcycle accident.

The company said Mr Hipperson was killed in an accident south of Nowra in NSW on January 18.

"Andrew was a valued member of our group executive team and successfully led our Australian operations for just over the past two years," Goodman Fielder chief executive Chris Delaney said in a statement on Monday.

"He was widely respected both within our company but also across our industry."

Goodman Fielder offered its condolences to Mr Hipperson's wife and family.

Until a replacement for Mr Hipperson is found, Mr Delaney will oversee the Australian business.

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Whales swim out in Golden Bay

MORE than 60 pilot whales stranded at Farewell Spit at the top of New Zealand's South Island have been refloated but experts say it's too early to say they won't strand again.

Department of Conservation rangers, Project Jonah volunteers and others have been fighting to save 62 whales after days of strandings.

On Sunday afternoon, DOC said the whales had been refloated about 5 kilometres from the base of the spit, in Golden Bay.

"It is too early to say yet whether or not the rescue effort will be fully successful with the whales remaining in deeper water and moving further out to sea," DOC said in a statement.

"There is still a risk of whales restranding."

Most of the refloated whales are swimming in deeper water towards the other side of Golden Bay and it is hoped they will continue to swim safety further out in the bay.

They are being monitored by the Tasman District Council harbourmaster in a boat.

About six to eight whales have remained close to Farewell Spit and are swimming further along the spit.

About 28 stranded whales have already died this weekend, DOC says.

A total of 71 whales were found on the beach on Sunday morning, including eight dead, spread over 1.6km.

On Saturday morning, 53 whales stranded, including 13 that died.

The whales are believed to be part of the same pod seen off Taupata Point, south of Farewell Spit, on Tuesday.

Pilot whales regularly become stranded on Farewell Spit. On January 6, 39 whales stranded there and died or were put down.

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Cate Blanchett wins SAG Award

Australian actress Cate Blanchett has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role in Blue Jasmine. Source: AAP

CATE Blanchett has continued her domination of Hollywood award season with a win at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

Blanchett won the best actress SAG on Saturday night for her lead performance in Woody Allen's comedy-drama Blue Jasmine.

A week ago Blanchett claimed a Golden Globe for the role and on Thursday was nominated for an Oscar.

The SAG win confirms her almost unbackable favouritism for the best actress Oscar at the March 2 Academy Awards.

It is also a great omen.

In 2005 when Blanchett won the supporting actress SAG award she went on to win her first Oscar, supporting actress for The Aviator.

Blanchett's sweep of awards season comes despite competition from some of the greats of the business.

The other SAG best actress nominees were: Meryl Streep (August: Osage County); Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Judi Dench (Philomena); and Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks).

American Hustle won the ensemble film award.

In other SAG categories, Matthew McConaughey continued his run at the best actor Oscar with a SAG victory for Dallas Buyers Club.

His co-star, Jared Leto, won the supporting SAG while 12 Years a Slave's Lupita Nyong'o caused an upset in the supporting actress category.

She beat favourite Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle) and heavyweights Julia Roberts (August: Osage County) and Oprah Winfrey (The Butler).

In the TV categories, Modern Family won the best comedy ensemble and Breaking Bad took the drama ensemble.

Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston also won the lead actor in a drama series award.

Helen Mirren, for Phil Spector, caused an upset over Top of the Lake duo Elisabeth Moss and Holly Hunter in the TV movie or mini-series category.

The SAGs were held at The Shrine auditorium in Los Angeles.

SAG is the union representing more than 100,000 actors.

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