Bipartisan support needed to boost dole

CONCERN from all sides of politics about the low dole allowance should spur action to increasing the entitlement payment, a key welfare lobby group says.

The government has begun modelling several measures to help people who are receiving the Newstart Allowance, such as single mums, the Weekend Australian reported on Saturday.

It reports that cabinet ministers, including transport minister Anthony Albanese, resources minister Martin Ferguson and human services minister Kim Carr are sympathetic to the push for an increase to the dole.

The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) said politicians from all sides have recognised recently that the $35 a day Newstart payment was too low to live on.

"Now we need our federal leaders to come together and convert this concern into action," acting ACOSS chief executive Tessa Boyd-Caine said in a statement on Saturday.

One option being considered would allow such recipients to keep more of their payment if they worked extra hours.

Another possible change would lead to an increase in the amount from the current $35 a day payment.

Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine said these measures by themselves would not address those on the dole who were living in poverty and were expected to find a job.

"A $50 a week increase to the single payment rate is urgently needed to address this," she said.

She said ACOSS had calculated the Newstart payment remained $74 below the poverty line, so the $50 increase would help but not by enough.

The Australian Greens have said they would introduce legislation when parliament resumed on February 5 to increase the dole payment by $50 a week.

On Friday, Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin apologised for earlier remarks in which she indicated she could live on the dole.

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US man has been found years being abducted

A boy who was abducted 19 years ago has been found living in Minnesota under a different name. Source: AAP

A MAN who was abducted his paternal grandparents 19 years ago when he was five years old has been found living in Minnesota under a different name.

Richard Wayne Landers Jr was five years old when he and his grandparents, who were upset over custody arrangements, disappeared from the town of Wolcottville.

Indiana State Police say the now 24-year-old Landers was found in Long Prairie, Minnesota, thanks in part to his Social Security identification number.

His grandparents were living under aliases in a nearby town and confirmed his identity, investigators said. Police declined to say whether the couple would face charges, citing the ongoing investigation.

Landers' mother, Lisa Harter, screamed and was "jumping up and down for joy" when she learned a few days ago that her son had been found, her husband Richard Harter told The Associated Press in a telephone interview on Thursday. He said his wife is "the happiest woman on earth".

Harter said he and his wife were working with an attorney and hoped to reunite with his stepson soon. Police said Landers is married and expecting his first child.

Harter declined further comment and referred questions about the case to his attorney, who didn't immediately return phone messages on Thursday. Investigators declined to release the names under which Landers and his grandparents had been living.

Police said the boy's paternal grandparents, Richard and Ruth Landers, abducted him in July 1994 because they were "upset over pending court proceedings" regarding his placement.

Police said it appears the boy's father was never in the picture. Lisa and Richard Harter had married a year earlier.

Authorities believe the grandparents took the boy from their home in Wolcottville and fled. They were charged at the time with misdemeanour interference with custody, which was bumped up to a felony in 1999. But the charge was dismissed in 2008 after the case went cold.

Investigators reopened the case in September when Richard Harter turned over the boy's Social Security card to an Indiana State Police detective.

That turned up a man with the same Social Security number and date of birth living in Long Prairie, Minnesota. A driver's licence photo for the man appeared to resemble Landers, police said.

The grandparents were found living under aliases in nearby Browerville, Minnesota, and verified the Minnesota man was Landers.

"By all accounts, it didn't appear he suffered from any abuse, either physical or mental," Galaviz said.

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Iran nuclear talks date set: official

World powers will meet Iranian representatives to discuss the disputed nuclear program in Istanbul. Source: AAP

WORLD powers will meet Iranian top representatives to discuss the Islamic state's disputed nuclear program in Istanbul at the end of January, a Russian official says.

Iran and the so-called "P5+1" nations - the five permanent UN Security Council members along with Germany - have not all met since a June session in Moscow, but an unnamed Russian source told the state RIA Novosti agency that the next meeting has been provisionally scheduled for the end of the month in Istanbul - host of the first such talks last April.

The source did not name a specific date or say when one might be announced.

However, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov - Russia's pointman at the talks and most senior Iran expert - expressed frustration that an exact date had not been fixed.

"We have had situations in the past when we had trouble agreeing a time and place, and we have one now today," Interfax quoted Ryabkov as saying on Friday.

He said Moscow wanted to see the momentum of talks continue "without significant delays".

Ryabkov gave no indication whether it was Iran or Catherine Ashton - the EU foreign affairs chief and main Western representative at the negotiations - who had the most serious reservations about new talks.

Three prior "P5+1" meetings have been held with Iran at the most senior level envisioned for the Istanbul session.

None has produced a compromise that sees the powers accept Iran's right to enrich uranium in exchange for its provision of access to closed nuclear facilities and its promise not to make higher-grade material.

Israel and much of the West suspects Iran is trying to develop atomic weapons under the guise of its nuclear energy program. Tehran denies the charge.

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Pole embedded in teenager's head

A metal pole has been embedded in a teenager's head during a row at a Sydney birthday party. Source: AAP

A SYDNEY teenager is fighting for his life after a metal pole was embedded in his head during a birthday party brawl.

Police and paramedics were called to a Forestville home in Sydney's north at 11.40pm (AEDT) on Friday after gatecrashers tried to force their way into an 18th birthday party.

In the ensuing fight, an 18-year-old man was struck in the head with a 2.5 metre metal pole.

The pole became embedded in the right side of his head and he was taken to the Royal North Shore Hospital, paramedics said.

He underwent surgery and remains in a critical condition.

Police have set up a crime scene at the home and were continuing to question witnesses on Saturday afternoon.

No arrests have been made.

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NT to cooperate with royal commission

THE Northern Territory government says it will co-operate with the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced on Friday the commission into institutional responses to child sex abuse would be led by Justice McClellan.

The commission will look at victim redress measures, child protection systems and flaws in the reporting of abuse as well as canvass the experiences of authorities and victims.

The terms of reference give the commission the ability to set up a special investigative unit to help look into past cases, but the decision to do so will be up to the commissioners.

"The NT Government will cooperate with any terms of reference set out by the Federal Government on the royal commission into child sexual abuse," a spokeswoman for the government said.

Asked whether the government would be willing to turn over police records and details of confidential allegations, she said that would be worked out with the commonwealth and the commission.

The inquiry is expected to provide an interim report by the end of June 2014 and wind up in December 2015.

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One Child policy creates risk-aversion

CHINA'S controversial "One Child" policy produces grown-ups who lack entrepreneurial drive and the willingness to take risks, an Australian study has concluded.

"Our data show that people born under the one child policy were less likely to be in more risky occupations like self-employment," said Lisa Cameron, one of the lead researchers on the study published in the journal Science.

"There may be implications for China in terms of a decline in entrepreneurial ability," the Australian scientist added.

The study, released on Friday, compared adults born just before and after the one child policy was put in place in 1979. It aimed to measure social skills such as trust and risk-taking.

Researchers conducted a series of economic games with more than 400 subjects.

They found that those who were only children as a result of China's one child policy grew up to be adults who were "significantly less trusting, less trustworthy, more risk-averse, less competitive, more pessimistic, and less conscientious," a press release announcing the findings said.

Cameron said researchers observed the negative effects of being an only child in China even if there was significant social contact with other children while growing up.

"We found that greater exposure to other children in childhood - for example, frequent interactions with cousins and/or attending childcare - was not a substitute for having siblings," she said.

And they said the results could not be explained by other factors, such as participants' age and whether they might have become more capitalistic over time.

The research was gathered by Cameron, along with her colleague Lata Gangadharan - both from Monash University - along with Xin Meng of the Australian National University (ANU) and Nisvan Erkal from the University of Melbourne.

The study was published as the Chinese government considers relaxing its one child policy, which was introduced as a part of an effort to curb population growth.

An official report in 2011 estimated that some 400 million births have been prevented as a result of the measure.

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Pregnant woman dies in SA crash

A WOMAN and her unborn child have died and a man has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident after a car crash in Adelaide.

Police found the 23-year-old pregnant woman in the front passenger seat of the car which had crashed into a tree in Woodville Park around 7:15am (CDT) on Friday.

She later died in hospital.

The 31-year-old Woodville Park man who was driving the car at the time of the accident was arrested nearby after fleeing the scene.

He has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving unlicensed.

He was refused bail and will appear in the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday.

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Fire contained but Vic braces for worse

Victoria faces a day of severe fire danger with temperatures expected to hit 42C in some areas. Source: AAP

AFTER quickly containing a grassfire near the popular central Victorian holiday destination of Daylesford, firefighters are already bracing for the return of dangerously hot conditions next week.

Three children were treated for smoke inhalation on Friday as the fire at Blampied passed the Rutherford Retreat where about 100 school-aged children were holidaying.

Victorian Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley said the community of Kangaroo Hills was very close to the fire and would likely have been hit had the blaze not been contained by crews, including three aircraft.

About 30 farming properties surround the town but only one shed had been destroyed in the Blampied area.

"That fire had a huge potential to run into bushland and ultimately if it did run into bushland it would have significant potential to impact on communities such as Daylesford," Mr Lapsley told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.

There was also a small fire still burning in the nearby Wombat State Forest, as well as the continuing blaze at Kentbruck in the state's far southwest.

Mr Lapsley said the forecast temperatures and wind speeds for Friday in western and central Victoria were exceeded and the day was drier than expected.

"We have had a very hot, a very dry, a very windy afternoon," he said.

Milder conditions were expected throughout the weekend, with the next severe danger days predicted to be next Wednesday or Thursday.

"It's very dry, we will see further northerly winds associated with the south-westerly change, so the recipe is there that Victoria continues and certainly next week will continue to have severe and extreme fire weather," he said.

"People should do everything they possibly can to make sure that their properties are safe and that they have made decisions about their safety and not only themselves but their family's."

He said he was confident the CFA website and emergency text message alert service was working well.

Several people at a community meeting in Snake Valley near Ballarat earlier this week were angry they could not access the website or receive SMS emergency alerts when a blaze destroyed nine homes in the area.

Mr Lapsley said people should get their information from a variety of sources, including the CFA website and local radio.

"Don't rely on one option alone," he said.

He urged people who had yet to do so to prepare their home in case of a bushfire.

"It's not too late to do work around your property," he said.

A total fire ban was in force across Victoria for Friday with the temperature passing 40 degrees Celsius in some parts of the state.

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Tas radio station at centre of healing

A COMMUNITY radio station born out of the Port Arthur massacre hopes to be at the heart of another healing process after the devastating Tasman Peninsula bushfires.

Tasman FM was created to help that community recover from the deaths of 35 people at the historic convict site in 1996.

Now its manager Alder Thompson, 72, hopes to be able to do the same again after fires that destroyed more than 100 properties in the area.

"I personally would like to interview some of these people and just let the public know what's been happening," Mrs Thompson told AAP.

"If you hear their story you think, oh, I'm not quite so bad off.

"There's always someone else out there worse off than you."

Mrs Thompson, who married the station's president four years ago, regularly presents Irish and country music programs.

The station is based at Nubeena, where a refuge at the town's civic centre hosted 2000 people at the height of the crisis.

Unable to broadcast due to the bushfire emergency, its staff have volunteered at the centre, starting their days as early as 5am.

Mrs Thompson said one of the station's broadcasters, a 17-year-old, had saved his family's house.

"They've got a disabled daughter," she said.

"They had to get her out and he said, 'You go Mum, I'm staying'. And he saved the house.

"I think he deserves an award."

The station has a simple slogan: "At the heart of the community, at the centre of the dial."

It's in the middle of things again and the community knows it may not be the last time.

"It's been a learning curve but we've managed," Mrs Thompson said.

"When we had the fires in '67 (they said) this wouldn't happen again.

"Then we had the Port Arthur massacre, (they said) this won't happen again.

"But you never know, do you?"

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Fed govt must act on Indon drinks: Barnett

WEST Australian Premier Colin Barnett says the federal government must press Indonesia to regulate its drinks market, after the death of a teen who drank a methanol-laced cocktail while on holiday.

Liam Davies, 19, died from methanol poisoning after consuming a drink of vodka and lime mix at Rudy's Bar in Gili Trawangan off Lombok.

Mr Davies died last Sunday after his family decided to turn of his life support, with doctors saying his brain was too damaged to expect any recovery.

A coronial inquiry has been launched, with investigators expected to look into how the vodka - said to have been poured from labelled bottles - came to kill him.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr had promised Australia would make "serious representations" to Indonesia about regulating its drinks market in tourist areas.

Mr Barnett told reporters on Thursday that the only thing his government could do was support the federal government in a push to improve standards in Indonesia.

"It is a responsibility of the Australian government to pursue this diplomatically with the Indonesian authorities," he said.

"We do have a direct interest as a nation, given that Australia is probably the major source of international visitors to Bali."

Mr Barnett said his message to West Australians who loved to travel to Bali was to take care and only consume pre-bottled drinks.

"Any tourist travelling anywhere, but particularly to developing nations like Indonesia, need to take particular care," he said.

"Countries such as Indonesia, and Bali in particular, don't have the sort of rules and regulations and inspections of food and beverage outlets that we have in Australia."

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Nine killed in spate of Iraq attacks

A SPATE of bombings and shootings in Baghdad and a restive province north of the capital have killed nine people, officials say.

In Baghdad, a car bomb at 0500 GMT (1600 AEDT Thursday) killed at least three people and wounded 11 others near a police station in the predominantly Shi'ite neighbourhood of Hurriyah.

A series of separate shootings and bombings in Diyala province killed six people and wounded six others. The victims included an army officer gunned down inside his house and two guards of Diyala University's president killed in bomb blasts as they were escorting him in a convoy.

The latest violence comes with Iraq mired in a series of interlocking crises that have raised tensions as anti-government protesters have blocked off a key trade route in more than two weeks of ongoing rallies.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Thursday's attacks but Sunni militants often target Shi'ite areas and official targets in a bid to destabilise the government and reignite the brutal sectarian conflict that engulfed Iraq from 2005 to 2008.

Violence is down in Iraq from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common, especially in Baghdad and Diyala, which has the highest per capita rate of civilian deaths nationwide according to monitor group Iraq Body Count.

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Cyclone Narelle nears WA coast

RESOURCES operations in the north of Western Australia are bracing for the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which continues to track towards the coastline carrying wind gusts of up to 250km/h at its centre.

The category-three cyclone is forecast to bring 100km/h gales to coastal areas between Whim Creek and Onslow, including the Karratha area, later on Friday.

These could extend west to Exmouth and Ningaloo on Saturday morning, with winds likely to increase during Saturday around the west Pilbara coast.

At 1500 WST on Thursday, Narelle was 740km north of Exmouth and 610km north-northwest of Karratha, moving south-southwest at 19km/h.

The Bureau of Meteorology said winds were likely to pick up during Saturday about the west Pilbara coast, with destructive gusts over 130km/h overnight.

WA's multibillion-dollar resources industry is preparing for the cyclone, with iron ore ports at Cape Lambert and Dampier due to close and Apache closing down the Stag and Van Gogh oil fields.

"Production is continuing from the Varanus Island and Devil Creek gas hubs. Apache will continue to closely monitor all facilities during the passage of the cyclone, and further updates may be provided," a spokesman said.

Chevron is also readying to evacuate workers from Barrow Island.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Lex McCulloch warned companies on land and sea to be prepared.

"The worst thing people can do is underestimate the power of a cyclone. Seven people died as a result of Cyclone Bobby in February 1995, and three more lives were lost during Cyclone George in March 2007," he said.

Airlines, including Cobham and Qantas, are scheduling flights to evacuate workers from drilling platforms and mining sites.

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Cyclone developing off WA north coast

A TROPICAL cyclone is developing off Western Australia's north coast and could impact communities in the next few days.

Residents in areas from Whim Creek to Coral Bay in the Pilbara and Midwest Gascoyne regions have been warned to prepare their homes and family for severe storms.

This includes people in Whim Creek, Dampier, Karratha, Onslow, Exmouth and surrounding areas.

Tropical Cyclone Narelle is now 840km north of Karratha and 1000km north north-east of Exmouth, and is moving south-west at 10km per hour.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the category three cyclone was expected to intensify in the next few days as it moved towards Northwest Cape.

"Gales with gusts to 100 kilometres per hour are expected to develop in coastal areas between Whim Creek and Onslow including the Karratha area on Friday morning, then extend west to Exmouth and Coral Bay later on Friday or early Saturday," the bureau said.

Thunderstorm activity will increase around the Pilbara coast on Friday with isolated heavy rainfall possible, while winds are likely to increase further during Saturday around the west Pilbara coast.

The State Emergency Service advises residents to review their family cyclone plan and know the community cyclone alert system.

Residents have also been reminded to organise an emergency kit with a portable battery operated radio, torch, spare batteries and first aid kit.

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Grants available for NSW fire-affected

NSW residents in 37 communities affected by bushfires will be able to access natural disaster assistance.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell announced the assistance measures on Wednesday as 135 fires continue to burn across the state.

"Yesterday across the state we faced extreme bushfire conditions and the threat remains with more than 130 fires still burning," Mr OFarrell said.

"Thankfully there has been no loss of life or large scale loss of houses, however, the bushfires have had a devastating effect on livestock and farmland."

Communities able to access assistance are Albury, Berrigan, Blayney, Boorowa, Cabonne, Conargo, Coolamon, Cooma-Monaro, Cootamundra, Corowa, Cowra, Deniliquin, Forbes, Goulburn Mulwaree, Greater Hume, Gundagai, Harden, Jerilderie, Junee, Lachlan, Lockhart, Murray, Orange, Palerang, Parkes, Queanbeyan, Shoalhaven, Snowy River, Tumbarumba, Tumut, Upper Lachlan, Urana, Wagga Wagga, Wakool, Weddin, Yass Valley and Young.

More local government areas may be declared in coming days as further assessments are completed.

A range of assistance grants are in the process of being made available, including disaster relief grants to eligible individuals and families whose homes and essential household items have been destroyed or damaged.

Grants are available to councils to help them meet the additional costs of emergency work to restore essential services and a special scheme is available to assist sporting clubs in meeting the costs of restoration of essential club facilities that have been damaged or destroyed.

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Censored China paper to print after 'deal'

A Chinese weekly newspaper at the centre of rare public protests will publish as usual on Thursday. Source: AAP

A CHINESE weekly newspaper at the centre of rare public protests about government censorship will publish as usual on Thursday following reports of a deal to end the row.

"The newspaper will publish as normal on Thursday," the reporter at Southern Weekly, who declined to be named, told AFP after reports said staff had reached an agreement with the authorities.

The row at the popular liberal paper, which had an article urging greater rights protection replaced with one praising the ruling party, has seen demonstrators mass outside its headquarters in the southern city of Guangzhou.

The affair is seen as a test for the new Communist Party leadership under Xi Jinping.

"It was a case of internal politics," the reporter said.

"I am writing an article as we speak, it's about Alexis de Tocqueville's 'The old Regime and the Revolution'," referring to the French thinker's analysis of the 1789 Revolution.

The South China Morning Post said Guangdong province's communist chief Hu Chunhua, a rising star in the party, had stepped in to mediate in the row.

"There's a verbal agreement in place. Basically it's back to normal, but we'll see how the two sides react to each other in the future," Dow Jones Newswires quoted a Southern Weekly editor as saying.

Under the deal, journalists involved in the protests would not be punished and propaganda authorities would no longer directly interfere in content before publication, Dow Jones said.

A handful of protesters gathered outside the Southern Weekly's offices on Wednesday, one of them in a wheelchair, holding banners calling for press freedom which police tried but failed to seize.

At their peak on Monday the demonstrations drew hundreds of people in a rare public challenge to the authorities on issues of press freedom.

As the campaign swelled, backed by support from the blogosphere and celebrities on social media, the state-run Global Times produced a hard-hitting editorial on Wednesday calling for restrictions on media liberties.

"Freedom of the press must have limits. It should correspond to social demands, but also provide more than that," said the daily which is known for its outspoken nationalistic views.

"The media cannot directly attack the nation's basic political system, because the basic political system is set out by the Constitution."

The censored Southern Weekly article was titled "China's Dream, the Dream of Constitutionalism", and called on authorities to implement the constitution, which enshrines rights including freedom of speech and assembly.

The document includes a preamble which says that Chinese people will adhere to China's political system "under the leadership of the Communist Party of China".

According to the US-based website China Digital Times, Chinese media have been instructed to reprint prominently an earlier Global Times editorial on the issue.

Beijing's propaganda department denied reports that the campaign was spreading with the resignation of another major publisher over the directive.

Media and online posts said Dai Zigeng, the publisher of the Beijing News which is known for its investigative reporting, resigned after the paper was forced to print the earlier editorial.

"Mr Dai is still at work as usual," said a propaganda official who declined to be named.

All Chinese media organisations receive instructions from government propaganda departments, which act to suppress news seen as "negative" by the ruling Communist Party, although some publications take a more critical stance.

China came 174th in a list of 179 countries ranked for press freedom in 2011-12 by the advocacy group Reporters Without Borders, falling three places compared to the previous year.

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Residents angry over Vic fire info

RESIDENTS forced to flee their homes during a destructive Victorian bushfire say authorities failed to keep them informed about the blaze.

Nine houses, including the 120-year-old historic homestead Carngham Station, were destroyed when the fire struck the Carngham area near Ballarat.

During a packed community meeting in nearby Snake Valley on Wednesday, residents were angry at not being able to find out information on the blaze, which is contained but still burning across 1300 hectares.

One woman told the meeting she fled her home to the local hall but once there she was given no information about the fire.

She said there was no power and no television or radio in the hall.

Others at the meeting complained they did not receive emergency SMS alerts and the Country Fire Authority (CFA) website crashed when they were trying to get information.

The website experienced significant problems last Friday, but Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley has repeatedly reassured people the problem would be fixed.

Acting Premier Peter Ryan said he was aware of criticisms but noted the community meeting concluded with a round of applause from the 200-plus people there.

He said the emergency alert was issued about 10 times during the fire and had worked well.

"For the very, very, main part, the feedback from the community was that the alert worked and it worked well," he told reporters at the Snake Valley staging area.

He said the government would be looking to deliver emergency grants for people in need.

Mr Ryan said he understood problems with the website related to the maps and the issue would be examined.

Ray and Gayle Stone, who lost their home of 30 years, say they had no idea there was a fire in the area when they left their Carngham home to go to Ballarat on Tuesday afternoon and soon heard that Station Lane was alight.

"Then we heard that Carngham Station had gone up and we live across the road from Carngham Station so we knew we were gone," Mr Stone told AAP on Wednesday.

"Shattered. Not a thing (left), nothing. We didn't know we needed to take anything. We didn't know there was a fire on the way."

CFA deputy incident controller John Athorn said the fire took hold quickly at Carngham Station after embers made their way into the restored home through the roof tiles.

"It got a fairly strong hold and there was nothing they could do about it," he said.

An emergency alert was issued for residents of Wallan, about 60km north of Melbourne, on Wednesday afternoon but later downgraded.

The five-hectare blaze took firefighters two and a half hours to control.

CFA operations officer David Harris said it was believed the fire, which is still burning but under control, was deliberately lit.

Nearby, there were two other small grassfires at High Camp and Glenaroua, about 40km to the north of Wallan, he said.

In the state's southwest, fire crews are battling to get on top of the Kentbruck blaze before forecast severe fire danger conditions on Friday.

The blaze began in Kentbruck last Friday and is still affecting more than 6500 hectares, including 1150 hectares of a blue gum and pine plantation.

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Vic bushfire still out of control

A LARGE bushfire in Victoria's southwest continues to burn out of control as the state positions firefighters near the border to help NSW and the ACT.

A blaze at Kentbruck has burnt though 9000 hectares, and a westerly wind has forced the fire back on itself.

Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley said southwesterly winds expected later on Tuesday would push the blaze towards the Princes Highway close to Dartmoor.

The fire was not expected to hit Dartmoor directly but the town was on the highest alert, he said.

"We don't believe this fire will be controlled today. This will reach into tomorrow due to the conditions in southwestern Victoria," Mr Lapsley told reporters.

He said northeastern Victoria was experiencing wind speeds of up to 60km/h and temperatures reaching the low 40s.

"It is serious fire weather in northern Victoria, it is very serious fire weather in southern NSW. Fires that do start will run hard, fast and be very difficult to control," he said.

He said Victorian fire crews would be positioned at Wodonga and Wangaratta to help respond to fires in southern NSW if required, as well as blazes in northeastern Victoria, including Corryong. The water bomber, Elvis, had also been moved from Essendon to Wangaratta, he said.

Victorian fire crews were expected to help fight a growing blaze between Cooma and Bega in NSW.

"We will be available to provide support north of the Murray River, obviously, and as far as Canberra in the initial attack," Mr Lapsley said.

He predicted it would become a major fire that would burn with a southwesterly change on Tuesday pushing it from Cooma towards Bega.

"We will wait and see how that plays out," Mr Lapsley said.

"State borders do not have any impact on the way in which we operate."

The 64 Victorian firefighters who went to Tasmania on Sunday would return on Thursday and be replaced with a fresh contingent on Friday.

Late on Tuesday afternoon an emergency warning was issued to residents in the Chepstowe area, 30km west of Ballarat in Victoria, as a fast-moving grassfire continued in a northeasterly direction.

A watch and act alert was issued for another section of the fire, which was heading towards Carngham, home to about 410 people.

Mr Lapsley said a separate small fire at Sunbury on the Calder Highway had been controlled by 30 fire crews.

An emergency alert was sent to 1400 people in the area, in Melbourne's northwest, via mobile phones and landlines.

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Katter party 'lucky to win three seats'

Federal Indepedent MP Bob Katter quashed speculation he will run for the Senate. Source: AAP

BOB Katter's party plans to field candidates in every seat in the lower house at the next federal election, but one political analyst says it will be lucky to win three.

But Katter's Australian Party (KAP) will almost certainly win a Senate seat in Queensland, according to Griffith University senior lecturer Paul Williams.

Dr Williams says if the conservative party is fortunate it could pick up two seats in the House of Representatives in addition to Bob Katter's safe north Queensland seat of Kennedy.

"The Katter party as we saw in the state election is not going to replicate any One Nation-style resurgence," Dr Williams told AAP.

"But it's possible that at least one other seat in Queensland and maybe one in NSW might be vulnerable to a Katter party assault.

"If they get three in the House of Representatives at the next election they should be extremely happy with that."

Bob Katter announced his party's election strategy at a media conference in Brisbane on Tuesday, saying it would field candidates in all 150 seats in the lower house.

Flanked by the party's national director Aidan McLindon and Queensland leader Ray Hopper, Mr Katter said KAP members would also run for Senate seats in every state except South Australia, where independent Senator Nick Xenophon is considered an ally.

The conservative One Nation party won 11 state seats in the 1998 Queensland election on the back of a platform to slash immigration and protect Australian industry.

Dr Williams says regional voters are no longer as opposed to globalisation and free trade as they were in One Nation's heyday.

The Katter party's real power will lie in its ability to influence the electoral outcome in marginal seats, stealing votes from the major parties or distributing crucial preferences to the National and Liberal National parties, he said.

Dr Williams added that he was "90 per cent sure" KAP would pick up a Senate seat in Queensland, but the party was unlikely to do so in any other state, except possibly NSW.

Mr Katter on Tuesday said after considering a tilt at the Senate he'd decided to remain in his long-held seat of Kennedy because it would serve the party better.

Mr Hopper, a Queensland MP, wouldn't rule out running for the Senate.

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Tas govt to spend what is needed on fires

TASMANIAN Premier Lara Giddings says her government will spend whatever is needed to get bushfire-ravaged towns back on their feet.

Ms Giddings on Tuesday announced an interim committee to plan the state's recovery from the bushfires, which have destroyed at least 128 homes, mainly on the Tasman Peninsula.

The damage to private property is currently estimated to be at least $42 million, but that figure is set to rise exponentially.

Ms Giddings, who is also treasurer, said her government was prepared to fund the recovery, despite the fact the state is headed for a $268 million deficit this financial year.

"Obviously this is going to have some impact on the budget, we are not going to be able to avoid those costs," she told reporters in Hobart on Tuesday.

"When you have a crisis of this nature, you must get in there and deal with it with the resources that are required and that's exactly what is happening.

"There are costs across the board, but they are costs that we must and will continue to spend to do what's needed and what's required for communities in crisis."

The interim committee will be made up of Ms Giddings, Deputy Premier Bryan Green, Emergency Services Minister David O'Byrne, Acting-Commissioner of Police Scott Tilyard, and Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet Rhys Edwards.

The committee will appoint a recovery taskforce with a full-time chair.

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NSW residents try to stay cool in heatwave

NSW residents have flocked to the beach and taken refuge in air conditioned buildings in an attempt to escape temperatures in excess of 40 degrees.

However, not everyone has been able to evade the oppressive heatwave, with paramedics responding to a spate of heat-related casualties on Tuesday afternoon.

Sydney recorded a peak temperature of 42.5 degrees, just shy of the forecast 43 degrees that would have made it the third hottest day on record.

Senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), Julie Evans, said temperatures were expected to hover around the 30 degree mark for most of the evening before dropping on Wednesday morning.

"Ahead of the cool change, quite warm and very gusty wind conditions are expected," said Ms Evans.

"We are expecting the change to reach Sydney and Newcastle around 4am tomorrow (Wednesday)."

Much of NSW has also broken the 40 degree barrier, with Bega on the south coast the first town to hit the mark at 11.30am (AEDT) on Tuesday.

The Ambulance Service of NSW witnessed a significant increase in heat related callouts across the state, with 17 patients treated for heat exposure in Sydney alone, eight of whom were aged 70 years and over.

Many other patients presented with symptoms such as dizziness, nausea and vomiting that were attributable to the weather.

Moviegoers took advantage of reduced ticket prices on "cheap Tuesday" with more worldwide releases on offer since Christmas.

Some of the Event and Greater Union cinemas in suburban areas eclipsed their Boxing Day sales by 11.30am (AEDT) on Tuesday.

"It's a rather big day," a cinemas spokeswoman told AAP.

Extra surf lifesavers volunteered their time at beaches that would not normally be patrolled on weekdays.

Surf Life Saving NSW Lifesaving Manager Dean Storey said lifesavers were also aware that temperatures would be as high as 30 degrees late at night and into Wednesday morning.

"Today they've been planning especially for an increase in potential activity after hours," he said.

"We'd urge people to plan their swim for patrol hours."

Train passengers were warned over loudspeaker systems in carriages and at stations to travel with water and notify staff if they felt unwell.

At busy stations, staff are handing out bottled water and misting fans are in operation at some platforms at Sydney CBD stations.

And it wasn't only humans who needed help cooling down, with keepers at Taronga Zoo and the Australian Reptile Park on the Central Coast handing out frozen treats to their residents.

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Fire crisis burns north for Tasmania

THE painstaking search for people still missing in the Tasmanian bushfires is continuing as the state turns its attention to a new fire front.

Teams of police, Tasmanian and interstate fire services, SES and army reserves are picking their way through the ruins of houses in the area south of the worst-hit town, Dunalley.

About 250 properties have been searched in and around Dunalley, including 90 badly damaged or destroyed buildings, but no bodies have been located.

Police are reluctant to put an exact figure on the number still missing but Acting Commissioner Scott Tilyard suggested there had been little change from the 100 who were unaccounted for on Sunday.

"About 500 inquiries still need to be confirmed that people have definitely been accounted for," Mr Tilyard told reporters on Monday.

"There's a significantly lower number of people that we do have more serious concerns about.

"Yesterday it was around about 100 people."

Teams in overalls and masks were working in Dunalley, while 65 searchers were heading to the more densely-forested areas of Murdunna and Sommers Bay.

"It will be a period of time to come yet before we're in a position to say that no one has died as a result of these fires," Mr Tilyard said.

The ongoing search continues as authorities issued an emergency warning for a fire burning near Mawbanna, west of Burnie in the state's northwest.

Nearby residents were being told it was too late to leave as warm weather continued to hamper firefighting efforts.

Four secondary level warnings were also in place across the state, including the Forcett blaze that razed Dunalley and a fire near Bicheno on the east coast which has destroyed up to 15 buildings.

Police say the largest fire is likely to have started when a tree-stump was not completely extinguished before bans were imposed.

"It now appears that there might have been a root system underground that was still burning that's worked its way to the surface and ignited the fire," Mr Tilyard said.

The Tasman Peninsula remained cut off on Monday but police had begun escorted convoys to deliver badly needed supplies and were assessing whether to let the hundreds still stranded to leave.

The Nubeena community was still looking after 500 people and Port Arthur around 250.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard got through, touring Dunalley after her motorcade was taken into the area under police escort.

"There's really no way of fully appreciating it apart from seeing it yourself," Ms Gillard said.

"(But) the fact that we can stand here shouldn't fool people into thinking that there's no continuing firefighting going on."

Ms Gillard defended her itinerary with many residents from Dunalley still unable to return because of safety concerns.

"I understand the frustration of people who want to get back to see what's happened to their home," Ms Gillard said.

"The thing that would be worse ... would be to try to go and see it and get hurt doing so."

The Insurance Council of Australia said at least $26 million in damage had been done to homes, businesses, vehicles and holiday shacks, but expected the figure to rise sharply.

Energy supplier Aurora said about 3000 homes on the peninsula were without power, and some could expect to remain so for several weeks.

Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings, who cut short a holiday in the UK, warned the fire danger was not over.

"It's very important people remain vigilant," she said.

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Life of Pi challenges The Hobbit for No.1

THE Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey remains atop the Australian Box Office, while Life of Pi has been the weekend's big mover.

The New Zealand-filmed Hobbit is the first movie in a trilogy about Bilbo Baggins's quest to reclaim a lost dwarf kingdom from a frightening dragon.

The Hobbit earned nearly $6 million on 560 screens, but only narrowly held off Life of Pi, which raked in nearly $5 million.

The critically-acclaimed Life of Pi, about a boy who finds himself adrift on a boat with a tiger in the Pacific Ocean, has clearly struck a cord with audiences in its first full week of release.

Pi has edged musical Les Miserables to a distant third place with little more than $3 million in takings.

Animated film Wreck It Ralph holds fourth spot, while the violent Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise, has debuted at No.5.

Skyfall, in its seventh week, continues to show staying power at No.7, although it took in less than $1 million for the first time since its Australian release.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 has finally dropped out of the top 10 after an eight-week run.

It comes in at No.16, and has now earned more than $28 million.

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Doubts over income quarantine in APY Lands

A SCHEME to manage welfare payments has stirred concern and confusion among remote indigenous communities in South Australia, government documents show.

Documents obtained under freedom of information show federal officials held consultations on income management with communities in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in May last year, alongside talks on a regional partnership agreement.

Internal correspondence between Department of Indigenous Affairs (FAHCSIA) officials says "communities are getting confused with the volume of information we are presenting".

"When we then come to talk about (income management), we are on the back foot and the talk about the NT and intervention comes out," an official wrote.

Department notes say people in the Indulkana community of the APY Lands were worried that income management, which was introduced in October, was a "front for other things to come (similar to the NT intervention)".

By late December, 263 people in the APY Lands had voluntarily signed up for income management and nine community stores had agreed to accept Basics Cards.

Child protection workers and Centrelink staff have been given the power to refer people for mandatory income management, but the department declined to comment on whether the practice has started.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin says income management is an important measure to help families in the APY Lands budget in the best interests of their children.

The program costs $4.4 million over two years.

An APY Lands leader, Murray George, says community members overwhelmingly rejected proposals to introduce income management and urged the government to focus on issues of funding for communities and homelands.

"Strong concerns were expressed about the government giving itself more power to control Aboriginal people through income management," he said.

Compulsory income management has been used in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory since 2007.

Last year, FAHCSIA faced criticism for mishandling consultations with NT communities over plans to extend the intervention program, rebranded Stronger Futures, for another 10 years.

People on income management have 50-70 per cent of their welfare payments quarantined on a Basics Card that can be used only at government-approved shops.

An independent evaluation of the scheme in the NT last year found income management operated more as "a means of control", with little evidence it brought behavioural change.

The practice of humbugging, in which people beg for money from family members, was continuing and in some cases Basics Cards were being used as a currency in gambling.

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Post-smartphone era coming, says expert

THE era of the smartphone is rapidly becoming a post-smartphone era, a key tech industry analyst has said ahead of the opening of the world's biggest technology show in the US.

Shawn DuBravac, chief economist at the Consumer Electronics Association, told a gathering on Sunday that the smartphone has become so successful it is become a hub for people's digital lives, and less of a communications device.

"I think we are entering a post-smartphone era," he told journalists ahead of Tuesday's opening of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

He said 65 per cent of time spend on smartphones now is "non communication activities" such as apps for health, entertainment or other activities.

"We have moved away not only from telephony but from communications being the primary part of these devices," he said.

"So it is not just a communications devices, it is a hardware hub around which people build services... the smartphone is becoming the viewfinder for your digital life."

DuBravac said this is among the key trends being watched as tens of thousands gather to show off the latest wares in global trillion-dollar technology sector.

Another trend is the high-density screens which are being developed for smartphones, tablets, computers and bigger devices such as televisions.

"This has implications for the web generally," he said.

Because people have higher-quality screens, "We are going to demand high resolution images, and that will have an impact on a variety of internet services.

"We see it happening at the smartphone level. But this is a shift that is happening across all screens."

Still, DuBravac said the so-called ultra-HD televisions touted by some makers has been slow to catch on because of high costs.

Only around 1.5 million of these TVs are expected to be sold annually by 2016, he said.

"We are not expecting this to be a technology that ramps very quickly," he noted.

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One hundred missing after Tas fires

Bushfires in southern Tasmania may have claimed a number of lives, police say. Source: AAP

UP to 100 people remain unaccounted for as devastating bushfires that have ravaged southern Tasmania continue to burn.

Police are conducting painstaking property-to-property searches in the worst hit towns of Dunalley, Boomer Bay and Marion Bay as they fear lives may have been lost.

More than 100 buildings have been destroyed by the fires, which continue to burn out of control in several areas of the state but no deaths have yet been confirmed.

Acting Police Commissioner Scott Tilyard said there were grave fears for many people yet to make contact with family or authorities.

"It's not to say those people have necessarily come to harm, but we can't totally eliminate that until we have contact with those individuals," Mr Tilyard told reporters.

"But we have to brace ourselves for the fact we may locate one or more deceased people.

"There are a lot of premises that need to be checked. Until we've had the opportunity to check every one of those locations we won't be in a position to confirm there has been no deaths."

He said those yet to notify family or authorities should contact the National Registration and Inquiry Service or the Red Cross.

Up to 2500 people have been evacuated from the Tasman Peninsula by boat, and another 400 were due to arrive in Hobart on Sunday night with the Arthur Highway still closed.

At a refuge centre in Hobart's City Hall, Dunalley resident Patricia McCauley said she was relieved to get her 92-year-old mother-in-law out but had lost everything.

"We didn't have time to get frightened," she told AAP.

"We just had to get out without anything."

Most praised the efforts of emergency workers after thousands lined up on the beach at Nubeena to catch ferries at late as 2am (AEDT) on Sunday.

"It got a little bit chaotic because everyone was getting a bit cranky about who had been there the longest," a Sydney woman who wished only to be known as Kathy said.

"Naturally they said women, children and elderly first."

Mr Tilyard said police were investigating whether an escorted convoy of cars could be brought out of the peninsula on the highway before dark on Sunday.

Interstate fire crews had begun arriving in Tasmania as four fires which have burnt out around 60,000 hectares continued to cause concern.

The Tasman Peninsula's Forcett blaze was upgraded again to the highest level on Sunday evening, with the community of Taranna being told to evacuate.

Two fires in the Derwent Valley and one on the east coast were at the watch and act level.

Another massive fire had burnt out a further 60,000 hectares in the state's remote southwest, where several bushwalkers had been airlifted to safety.

The state government announced financial assistance and premier Lara Giddings was cutting short an overseas visit to return.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard was expected to visit Tasmania on Monday and Prince Charles sent a statement of support.

Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) chief fire officer Mike Brown said crews were having trouble accessing parts of the Tasman Peninsula and there was no time frame on when the fire would be brought under control. "That's really the $6 million question because it's going to take quite some time," he said.

"Our predictions over the next week is that temperatures will warm up a bit."

Dunalley was the worst hit, with around 65 homes and the town's school destroyed, while dozens more buildings were razed at Connellys Marsh, Eaglehawk Neck, Murdunna, Copping and Primrose Sands.

Mr Brown said a bushfire near Bicheno had destroyed between 10 and 15 homes.

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Abbott has long-held views on IVF: Roxon

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott will be judged on his long-held views on abortion and IVF access despite his chief-of-staff going public about his support for her IVF attempts, says Attoney-General Nicola Roxon.

Peta Credlin, Mr Abbott's top adviser, has told magazine Marie Claire in an article to be published this week that she quizzed the Liberal leader about his views on IVF, abortion and contraception in 2010 before taking a job with him.

Ms Credlin, 41, revealed five failed IVF attempts for her and husband Brian Loughnane, a federal Liberal party director.

She told News Limited on Sunday she had said to Mr Abbott: "I will just never agree with you on abortion. I think you are opposed to it, desperately opposed to it, and you would ban it if you could."

Mr Abbott's response apparently was: "Well, that's just bullshit. I believe it should be safe, legal and rare."

Ms Credlin said she was satisfied with the opposition leader's answers when he told her he was strongly supportive of IVF and was not opposed to contraception despite his strong Catholic faith.

Mr Abbott had cleaned out his fridge at federal parliament so Ms Credlin could store her IVF drugs in it.

Ms Roxon said he was on the record about his views on abortion, the use of abortion drug RU486 and older women accessing IVF.

"He has many years of record to stand by, and those are the things that people rightly will judge him on," she told reporters in Sydney.

"I think it's clear from these sorts of stories that the Liberal Party research must be showing that Mr Abbott does have a problem with women and that he's trying to do something about it."

Mr Abbott was the subject of a vitriolic diatribe by Prime Minister Julia Gillard about misogyny last year in federal parliament, in defence of former speaker Peter Slipper.

Last month he defended his position on the controversial abortion drug RU486 when he was health minister in the Howard government.

Mr Abbott told parliament in 2005 the abortion rate of 100,000 annually in Australia was "a legacy of unutterable shame" but said he did not judge or condemn any woman for having one.

In 2009 he said a 2005 Howard government plan to limit the number of IVF cycles for women aged 42 or more had fallen foul of the "I'm over 40 and I need my baby brigade."

Mr Abbott lost the ministerial power to approve the drug in 2006 in a parliamentary conscience vote but said he would have dealt with it on the basis of science and expert advice.

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Abuse terms of reference expected soon

THE federal government is poised to reveal the terms of reference for the royal commission into child sexual abuse.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the inquiry in November last year and wanted it established by the end of the year to begin work in early 2013.

It follows claims that abuse by clergy was covered up by the Catholic Church hierarchy in Victoria and NSW.

But in December Attorney-General Nicola Roxon announced the royal commission would be delayed after more than 800 individuals and organisations had provided input into the terms of reference.

Ms Roxon said she expected the terms of reference to be released soon.

"We'll be able to update you fairly shortly," she told reporters in Sydney.

"We've made a commitment to prioritise this work.

"It's obviously very important that the terms of reference are right and that the commissioners who are appointed are people who can do this important work."

The attorney-general said the search for commissioners was underway.

There will be between three and five commissioners and the government has said the inquiry's initial report would be delivered within 18 months.

A taskforce was set up to evaluate the operational needs of the commission, which will examine how sex abuse allegations have been handled by religious, community and state institutions.

The commission is expected to run for years.

Child welfare advocates want the scope of the royal commission into child sex abuse to include physical assault and neglect.

But it has split child advocates with some arguing it would mean the commission could drag on for too long, making it harder to get concrete recommendations.

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Summernats brakes for another year

Summernats' burnout competition has secured its future in Canberra for another six years. Source: AAP

SUMMERNATS has decelerated for another year, with strong crowds drawn to the nation's capital despite searing weekend heat, organisers says.

The 26th Street Machine Summernats concluded in Canberra on Sunday after the capital baked in the summer heatwave.

Crowds at the four-day event were up 10 per cent on last year, from 90,000 to 101,486 and entrant numbers were up 15 per cent to 1767.

"It's been a fantastic event this year," event co-owner Andy Lopez said.

"It's especially pleasing to see significant increases in the number of patrons buying season passes, which translates into longer stays in Canberra and a significant economic benefit to the Canberra economy."

Scorching weekend temperatures did nothing to deter car enthusiasts.

"We were very pleased that the safety measures that we had put in place at the event to cope with the extreme heat over the weekend ensured that we had minimal incidents of patron heat stress," Mr Lopez said.

The mega-horsepower car festival was marred by bad behaviour in 2008 when patrons were kicked out for misbehaving and a 300-strong rowdy mob marched around the venue in retaliation yelling "Show us your tits".

Police warned they would maintain a high profile patrol presence as crowds dispersed on Sunday.

Summernats operational commander Acting Superintendent Rod Anderson said the police were generally pleased with the crowd's behaviour during the event.

"As expected, it has been a busy time for police," he said.

"We have been active in our support of the event security staff, and our officers have been very effective in maintaining a visible police presence not just around Exhibition Park and the surrounding suburbs, but in other identified hotspots."

Police were continuing an investigation into the assault of a young man and woman in the precinct about 10pm on Saturday.

On Friday, Summernats broke a Guinness World Record for the most simultaneous burnouts at Canberra's EPIC showgrounds.

Sixty nine cars completed the 30 second burnouts to defeat the record of 50 cars.

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