GPS tracking to combat domestic violence

REPEAT domestic violence offenders could be strapped with GPS tracking bracelets and forced to foot the bill under a NSW government proposal.

NSW Community Services and Family Minister Pru Goward will take the proposal within the next week to a ministerial taskforce investigating ways to tackle domestic violence, including sentencing options.

A spokesman for Ms Goward confirmed the minister wanted to see the taskforce also look at funding options, including making perpetrators pay for the GPS bracelet themselves.

Karen Willis of the NSW Rape Crisis Centre said in certain circumstances a GPS tracking bracelet would be useful.

"I think there is merit in the idea but we can't see that as the answer for everything," she said.

Ms Willis said her concern was police being able to respond in a timely manner.

The violent domestic crimes taskforce, which Ms Goward will chair and Ms Willis is a member of, will look at support for witnesses and sentencing options for perpetrators.

The GPS proposal was visited in 2012 during a NSW parliamentary inquiry but there were concerns about the cost and reliability of a tracking system.

Ms Goward told Fairfax Media the tool should be visited again.

"We need to consider what other jurisdiction are doing to combat domestic violence and how advancements in technology may help improve the safety of victims and of course deter perpetrators," she said.

The proposal has also been flagged in Western Australia.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Data suggests 'skilled' flyer turned jet

Some experts theorise one of the pilots or someone else hijacked the missing Malaysia Airlines jet. Source: AAP

A MALAYSIAN jet that vanished a week ago appears to have changed course and continued flying for hours, a senior Malaysian military official says, citing radar data indicating a "skilled, competent" pilot was at the controls.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official cited Malaysian military radar data that investigators believe indicate the Boeing 777 may have radically changed course and headed northwest towards the Indian Ocean.

"It has to be a skilled, competent and a current pilot," the official said.

"He knew how to avoid the civilian radar. He appears to have studied how to avoid it."

The intended flight path for the Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight was to be north over the South China Sea and Vietnam.

The new information, coupled with multiple corroborative but unconfirmed reports, suggests the investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was increasingly focusing on something going wrong in the cockpit.

Analysts have said that could include a sudden loss of cabin pressure or other mechanical event that incapacitated the pilots, catastrophic pilot error, or more sinister possibilities such as the plane being commandeered by a hijacker or rogue member of the flight crew, or pilot suicide.

All signs so far point to a "controlled, deliberate act, not a mechanical failure", said Scott Hamilton, managing director of US-based aviation consultancy Leeham Co.

The mounting reports of an unexplained banking to the west have coincided with a shift of search and rescue resources toward the Indian Ocean.

A US destroyer and surveillance plane joined expanded search operations Saturday in the Bay of Bengal.

The international search effort had focused in its early days on the South China Sea.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said the USS Kidd guided missile destroyer and a P-8 Poseidon aircraft had been deployed to the "western search area" at the request of Malaysian authorities.

While the Kidd would search the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, the P-8 would cover "a much larger search area... the southern portion of the Bay of Bengal and the northern portion of the Indian Ocean," Warren said.

The Boeing 777, with 239 passengers and crew on board, including six Australians and two New Zealanders, vanished March 8 over waters between Malaysia and southern Vietnam. The night was clear and no distress signal was received.

The hunt had initially focused on the South China Sea but has shifted dramatically given the absence of any findings, and following the indications the plane altered course.

India's navy said it was doubling, at Malaysia's behest, the number of ships and planes it had deployed to search the Indian Ocean waters around its remote Andaman and Nicobar islands.

The six vessels and five planes were concentrating on an area "designated" by the Malaysian navy in the southern region of the Andaman Sea, naval spokesman D.K. Sharmasaid.

Close to 60 ships and 50 aircraft from 13 countries have been deployed across the entire search zone since MH370 went missing.

For distraught relatives of the passengers and crew, the expanded search offered no immediate relief from the anguished frustration of a week tainted by false leads and rumours.

Malaysian Transport and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Friday repeatedly refused to comment on what he termed "unverified" information, as reports of an altered flight path mounted.

Multiple US media reports also had cited unidentified officials as saying a satellite continued to detect the plane's automated communication system for hours after radar contact was lost.

The New York Times reported that Malaysian military radar data had shown the airliner altering course at least twice and changing altitude - sometimes erratically.

"If this is criminal - as looks increasingly likely - then information is going to be held closely to prevent leaks," Hamilton said.

Hishammuddin confirmed the expansion of search operations in the Indian Ocean and said Malaysia was "sharing information we don't normally share for security reasons", hinting at confidential military data being scrutinised for clues.

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Weatherill aims for majority win at poll

SOUTH Australian Premier Jay Weatherill says he wants to lead a majority Labor government after Saturday's state election.

On the final day of the campaign, the premier has brushed off questions over his willingness to head a minority administration if voters deliver a hung parliament.

Mr Weatherill has also refused to speculate on his own future as Labor leader should the Liberals be successful.

The premier says he's focused on winning a majority of votes in a majority of seats.

"I want to lead a majority government," Mr Weatherill told reporters on Friday.

"That's our objective. We're presenting policies to gather a majority of votes in a majority of seats."

Labor holds 26 seats in the SA's 47-seat parliament. The Liberals have 18 and three are held by independents.

That leaves the opposition needing six seats to govern in their own right, or as few as three if they can secure support from the cross benches and assuming all three are returned.

Mr Weatherill can afford to lose as many as five seats, if he gets the backing of the independents.

Labor was returned in the 2010 election despite losing the popular vote by successfully defending a handful of key marginals.

That will prove more difficult this time: six of the party's seats are on a margin of less than three per cent.

However, the latest polling suggests Labor's vote is holding up in at least two of those electorates.

On Friday, the premier toured two of Labor's signature projects, the construction site of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and the redeveloped Adelaide Oval.

They were both championed by former premier Mike Rann, who Mr Weatherill replaced in 2011 in a factional deal.

The premier declined to speculate on his own future if Labor lost on Saturday.

"I'm not contemplating what the voters might decide to do at the election," he said.

"I'm not going to disrespect them by making any presumptions."

Mr Weatherill said voters should focus on what Labor was offering.

11.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Inquiry into union activities under way

The federal government's royal commission into alleged union corruption is officially under way. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott insists he wants a royal commission to root out corruption in the trade union movement for all honest unions and workers.

The inquiry officially began on Friday under the leadership of former High Court justice Dyson Heydon QC.

It will focus on five unions, including the Health Services Union (HSU), which was once led by former Labor MP Craig Thomson, who was recently convicted of misusing HSU funds.

Mr Heydon will inquire into trade union governance arrangements, alleged financial irregularities and the conduct of union officials.

Alleged bribes, secret commissions or other unlawful payments will also be covered.

Unions have called the royal commission a political witch-hunt designed to weaken the labour movement, and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has said allegations of union corruption should be referred to police.

Mr Abbott accepts the inquiry could cause problems for the Labor party but says the war is on corruption, not unions.

"The intent is to try to ensure we have honest unions," Mr Abbott told ABC radio.

"For too long, too many members of the Labor party have been defending the indefensible."

Attorney-General George Brandis says protecting the interests of union members can best be done with the powers of a royal commission.

A person of Mr Heydon's eminence would not involve himself in a political witch-hunt, Senator Brandis said.

He told reporters Mr Shorten owed his position as Labor leader to trade union bosses, and was a former trade union boss presiding over a shadow cabinet of former trade union bosses.

"I hope the Labor party has nothing to fear because if members of the Labor party are fearful, it is only because they have engaged in or know about misconduct," he told reporters in Sydney.

The commission, which is due to provide its final report by December 31, will hold its first hearing on April 9.

The chief executive of resource industry employer group AMMA, Steve Knott, says the royal commission is an opportunity to stamp out unacceptable breaches of the trust of working people, and of the country's laws.

"It will compel employers, employees and union representatives to provide witness evidence and finally remove the shield of legal privilege from wrongdoings and cover-ups," he said.

The Australian Industry Group wants the commission to focus on funds and entities established by unions purportedly to provide redundancy, income protection and training benefits to members, but which provide lucrative and inappropriate revenue streams to unions.

11.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Housing construction set to strengthen

The number of home loans approved in January was virtually unchanged, official figures show. Source: AAP

HOUSING finance failed to grow for a second straight month in January, but economists are encouraged by a rise in the number of loans approved for construction of new homes.

The number of home loans approved in January was 51,054, almost unchanged from 51,045 approvals in December, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday.

JP Morgan economist Tom Kennedy said a 5.8 per cent rise in loan approvals for the construction of new homes in January was encouraging.

"From a growth perspective that's what you want to see because you want construction activity picking up, which is what really matters for the overall GDP (gross domestic product) picture," he said.

"Construction activity will have a knock on affect for employment, not just in the construction sector, it's broader than that it's quite a large component of the Australian economy."

Mr Kennedy said the Reserve Bank of Australia would like to see construction activity pick up and purchases of established dwellings fall.

"That would take some heat away from house prices," he said.

National Australia Bank senior economist Spiros Papadopoulos was also not too concerned about the flat result for total housing finance in January.

"We have seen a strong upward trend over the past year and given low interest rates will be around for most of this year, we expect these series to bounce back in coming months," he said.

"It's encouraging that we have seen small growth in the first home buyers, their ratio of owner occupier approvals has risen to 13.2 per cent from 12.7 per cent.

"That had been trending lower."

St George Bank senior economist Jo Horton said low interest rates were helping to boost demand for housing.

"The broader picture points to solid owner-occupier demand, at least among upgraders," she said.

"Meanwhile, investor demand remains very strong, despite a weaker month in January.

"The strength of the housing market, and in particular investor demand, confirms that low interest rates are working to support the economy and supports our long held view that the RBA is done cutting rates in this cycle.

"Low interest rates should continue to support housing demand and housing activity well into this year."

11.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Court action over Vic abortion protests

THE City of Melbourne says new 'move on' laws will help it deal with anti-abortion protesters, as the council faces legal action for failing to stop their harassment of patients.

The Fertility Control Clinic in East Melbourne says patients have been intimidated by protesters for decades, called murderers and whores and told they were going to hell as they tried to enter the clinic.

It is taking Supreme Court action against the City of Melbourne for failing to enforce laws that could stop the protests.

Susie Allanson, a psychologist at the clinic, said she has seen patients arrive shaking and in tears.

"We consider this not to be protest, we consider this to be chronic bullying and intimidation," Dr Allanson said on Wednesday.

Lawyer Elizabeth O'Shea said the council has shirked its responsibility and failed to take the problem seriously.

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said City of Melbourne officers visited the clinic twice a week, but protesters were difficult to prosecute because they understood "how to play the game".

He said the move-on laws could be used against the anti-abortion protesters.

"Until the premier has put these laws in, they have been able to game the system," he said.

"That's why I'm delighted these move-on laws will apply to these protesters."

Ms O'Shea said move-on powers already exist and have not been used against anti-abortion protesters in the past.

"I would be surprised if the move-on powers were ever used on protesters out the front of the clinic," she said.

Tanya O'Brien, a spokeswoman for Helpers of God's Precious Infants, said the group may seek to appear in the court proceeding as a friend of the court.

"We would certainly like to challenge the lies that the clinic bring up in that court case," she told Fairfax Radio.

Ms O'Brien denied the group harasses people.

"We aren't there to fight, we are there to reach out in help," she said.

11.28 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cowan confession 'can't be believed'

A Brisbane court will hear the last defence of the man accused of murdering Daniel Morcombe. Source: AAP

JURORS cannot rely on the confession of Daniel Morcombe's accused killer because he didn't have time to commit the crime, a Brisbane court has heard.

Brett Peter Cowan, 44, is on trial for the murder and abduction of the Queensland schoolboy from a Sunshine Coast roadside on December 7, 2003.

His defence barrister, Angus Edwards, says it's obvious Cowan's confession is false because he wouldn't have had time to do all the things he said he did.

According to his confession, Cowan abducted Daniel and took him to a demountable house where he choked him, stripped him and then dumped his body in the bush.

"Could he have done all of those things in the time he was away from his home?" Mr Edwards asked jurors as Cowan's murder trial drew to a close on Tuesday.

Mr Edwards also said Cowan had a lot of things wrong in his first confession, such as that Daniel's remains were at the end of Roy's Road and how he transported the body.

"He says he dragged the body to the embankment and then he changes and says 'no I carried it' as if he's making it up as he goes along," Mr Edwards told jurors.

"He says he threw the clothes in a fast-flowing creek and, as you know, in that area there was only one bridge over a fast-flowing creek, the other one didn't have fast-flowing water in it.

"But he first took them (undercover police) to the wrong one."

He also said Cowan told police Daniel's bones had been placed in a different area to where they were found.

Mr Edwards said prosecutors had tried to argue that wild dogs had moved the bones, but an expert had proved that was impossible.

"This is thick bushland, dogs didn't drag the carcass from where Mr Cowan said he went. There's not a bone left behind in the area where he says he put Daniel Morcombe," he said.

Mr Edwards says Cowan falsely confessed to the crime because of the riches on offer from undercover police who were posing as members of a powerful criminal gang.

The only reason he knew roughly where Daniel's remains were was because a friend of convicted pedophile Douglas Jackway had told him.

Mr Edwards said it was much more likely that Jackway, who had a blue car like the one spotted at the scene of Daniel's disappearance, was the real culprit - not Cowan.

"Does that not all lead you to one rational, logical conclusion, that Jackway together with others, abducted and killed Daniel Morcombe?" Mr Edwards put to the jury.

"How can you reject that possibility beyond reasonable doubt, the possibility of the blue car, involving the blue car and Jackway, it fits all the facts, it explains the things the prosecution case cannot explain."

Summing up in the trial continues.

11.28 | 0 komentar | Read More