US cannibalism trial upsets jury pool

The trial has begun for officer Gilberto Valle, who is charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Source: AAP

SOME prospective jurors in the conspiracy trial of a police officer accused of plotting to kill and eat women say they are so disturbed at a judge's description of the case, they cannot be fair.

"I am shaking just writing," one potential juror wrote on Friday.

"I feel physically ill," said another.

"Already sick to stomach," said a third.

"As a woman, it literally makes my skin crawl," said one more, who wrote that two photographs and a cartoon of women being abused were "extremely offensive" and "any further evidence along these lines will only make me angry".

It was the first day of trial for officer Gilberto Valle, who is charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and with unauthorised access to a federal database.

The four possible jurors were among 29 dismissed from a group of 90 who filled out a questionnaire, along with another person who said the evidence "would give me nightmares".

Some written responses were read aloud by US District Judge Paul G Gardephe as lawyers argued which would-be jurors should be brought back on Monday for oral questions.

The judge had addressed them from a lectern about the charges at the start of the day to emphasise the importance of the 10 questions they were answering.

Many jurors were upset at an exhibit attached to the questionnaires that included staged internet colour photographs of a nude woman hogtied on a roasting tray with an apple in her mouth and another naked woman tied horizontally to a pole over an open fire. A cartoon of a bound naked woman boiling in a glass pot also was included.

The judge had warned the potential jurors the trial would feature emails and instant messages in which Valle discussed in great detail the kidnapping, raping, torturing, murdering and cannibalising of certain women.

He said the defence would argue that Valle's communications "were all sexual fantasy and imaginary role-play and that he never intended to kidnap, rape, torture, murder or eat any woman".

Many of Valle's communications occurred on fetish websites on which people discuss, view and post images and videos of deviant conduct, including necrophilia, sexual asphyxiation, genital mutilation, rape fantasies, bondage and various forms of sadomasochism, the judge said.

"You will likely see images from these websites similar to the images attached ... to this questionnaire," he said.

Valle, 28, has been jailed without bail since his arrest. Prosecutors say he conspired with three others to kidnap eight "specific and identified women".

A New Jersey man charged in the case will be tried separately.

Opening statements in Valle's trial are set for February 25.

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Diver dies off Sydney's northern beaches

A CLOSE-KNIT scuba diving community is in mourning after the death of one of its members during a "technical dive" off Sydney's northern beaches.

The 41-year-old man was pulled unconscious from the water at 8.30am (AEDT) on Saturday after getting into difficulty at a depth of about 60 metres at a wreck off Barrenjoey Headland.

He was put on board a Broken Bay Water Police vessel, where he was treated by a doctor and paramedic who were lowered from a rescue helicopter.

However, the man could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sergeant Malcolm Jeffs, from the Police Diving Unit, says the man was with a group of seven other technical divers, who were devastated by the accident.

"The technical diving community is fairly close. I'm not sure how well they knew the person, but it's a very upsetting situation for all those involved," Sergeant Jeffs told reporters.

He said the group had been offered counselling services and were still being interviewed by police.

Technical diving uses mixed gas combinations, which vary according to the depth of descent.

Sergeant Jeffs said the man's diving buddy conveyed him to the surface immediately after noticing he was in difficulty.

"Treatment appears to have been given as fast as possible. There's no indication that there was any delay in treatment or response to his situation."

Sergeant Jeffs said the police investigation was still in its infancy so it was not immediately clear what had caused the accident.

"We don't know whether it was equipment failure or some condition with him, so that's all part of the investigation that will be prepared and passed onto the coroner."

The man's family is yet to be informed of the tragedy, he said.

One of the divers that tried to help the man developed symptoms of decompression illness and was flown to the Prince of Wales Hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.

The man's diving gear has been seized for scientific examination.

Investigations are continuing and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

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Man dies in NSW house fire

A MAN'S body has been discovered in a burned out house in northwest NSW after firefighters battled a blaze at the property for more than two hours.

Emergency services were called to the home in Euroka Street, Walgett at about 5.30am (AEDT) on Saturday following reports of a fire.

Human remains were found in the property after the blaze was finally extinguished at about 8am.

Police believe the body is that of a 69-year-old man.

Investigators have established a crime scene but are yet to determine the cause of the fire.

They have urged anyone with information about unusual or suspicious activity in the area to come forward.

The body will undergo a post mortem examination and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

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Asian tourist drowns off Mordialloc pier

AN Asian tourist has drowned in Melbourne's southeast.

The man in his 30s was swimming with friends near the Mordialloc pier in Mordialloc when someone noticed him face down in the water about 4.20pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Police said the man, believed to be visiting from Asia, was pronounced dead about 5pm.

Emergency services are at the scene and police will prepare a report for the coroner.

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Chevron makes 20th gas discovery off WA

ENERGY giant Chevron has made its twentieth gas discovery off the West Australian coast in the past two and a half years.

Chevron Australia said it had experienced drilling success for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Exmouth Plateau area in the Carnarvon Basin.

The well, which is about 280 kilometres north of Exmouth, was drilled in 1,168 metres of water to a total depth of 3,065 metres.

The discovery comes less than two months after Chevron made two offshore discoveries in the same area.

"The Asia Pacific region is key to Chevron's growth strategy and our strong Australia natural gas portfolio continues to be bolstered by our strategic approach to finding and developing resources that will help meet the growing energy needs in the region," vice president of Chevron George Kirkland said in a statement.

Chevron said the discovery supported its long-term plans to expand its Australian LNG position.

The company operates WA-365-P well with a 50 per cent interest while Shell also holds 50 per cent.

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Bets on fixed sports events 'don't stand'

BETS placed on a "fixed" sporting event do not stand - in theory.

A partner at Sydney law firm Addisons and a leading specialist in the gaming sector, Jamie Nettleton, said the theoretical and practical outcomes may differ.

"From a theoretical perspective, if there is match fixing and the event is flawed, then essentially the bets don't stand," he told AAP.

"That means that the bets are declared void, and the bets would be returned.

"That's very easy when something happens ahead of time (the corruption is uncovered before the sporting event).

"Where it becomes apparent afterwards, generally, all the money has gone. The event is over, all the winnings have been paid out, and it's very hard in those cases to recover the winnings."

The laying of criminal charges and having them proved was not a necessary precondition to a bet being made void in all cases.

The terms and conditions of some wagers only required a "reasonable view" that the outcome of a match had been corrupted.

It was generally the administrator of the sport who determined the reasonable view.

"They are generally the arbiters of integrity in respect to the sport," Mr Nettleton said.

Bookmakers, generally, also had a "feel" for potentially corrupt bets and could suspend betting.

In a number of cases, Australian licensed bookmakers had provided information about suspect wagering to the sports administrators.

Mr Nettleton said in his opinion Australian sports and sports betting had very stringent measures in place to protect integrity.

He said international co-operation was most needed to stop match fixing.

"That's where the effort really needs to be put. It doesn't matter what regulations, what stronger laws we have here (in Australia).

"Although, it is appropriate to have very strong laws here, it's the money flow and the criminal elements overseas which are going to be behind it (match fixing)."

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Man to be charged with shotgun murder

A MAN has been arrested at Sydney Airport and he is expected to be charged with murder over a shotgun death in Sydney's west.

Detectives from the Homicide Squad and the Mount Druitt local area command located the 27-year-old at the domestic terminal at Sydney Airport about 4.20pm (AEDT) on Friday.

He was taken into custody and is expected to be charged with murder, police said in a statement.

The victim, a 31-year-old man, had visited a house in Boldrewood Road at Blackett, about 1.15pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

He had a conversation with someone at the house and was standing in the street when he was shot in the head, police said.

The man died at the scene.

Police recovered a sawn-off shotgun in a nearby street.

About 90 minutes earlier, a 21-year-old man was shot in the leg outside his home in Hinkler Grove, just 1km away in Bidwill.

A vehicle had been hooning up and down the street before the victim came out of his home and confronted the driver.

He was shot in the leg and was taken to Mt Druitt Hospital for treatment.

Police have said the incidents were not linked.

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Japan current account surplus at 1985 low

JAPAN'S current account surplus last year shrank to its lowest in almost three decades, as exports to China and Europe slumped in a worrying sign for the world's third-largest economy.

The finance ministry said the current account, the broadest measure of Japan's trade with the rest of the world, came in at Y4.7 trillion ($A49.02 billion) in 2012, the smallest annual surplus since 1985.

The current account measures not only international trade in goods but also services, tourism and Japan's foreign investments abroad.

The news was also poor for December, with the country logging a monthly deficit of 264.1 billion yen, reversing a year-earlier surplus of 265.7 billion yen.

That was the first deficit for the month of December since 1985 and the second straight month in negative territory.

The figures come after Japan last month said it logged a record trade deficit for 2012, the second consecutive annual trade shortfall.

The data are likely to heap renewed pressure on Japan's new government to fulfil an election pledge to reinvigorate the limp economy.

"Exports mainly to the EU and China declined, while imports mainly in mineral fuels and communication devices increased," the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The European Union's financial troubles hit demand for Japan-brand imports, while shipments to major trade partner China slumped due to a Tokyo-Beijing territorial spat, which sparked a consumer boycott of Japanese goods.

Tokyo's energy bills, meanwhile, have shot up after it turned to pricey fossil-fuel alternatives after switching off its nuclear reactors following the atomic crisis at Fukushima in 2011.

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PM Gillard sells Canberra unit

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has sold her Canberra apartment for $615,000.

The sale was declared this week in an update to the prime minister's parliamentary pecuniary interest register.

She bought the two-bedroom apartment in Wentworth Avenue, Kingston, in December 2007 for $530,000 and used it before moving into The Lodge in 2010.

"Attention to detail is evident in every room of this apartment," the sales brochure reads.

While the sale occurred in October last year, it was not formally reported on the register because of a lengthy settlement period.

The prime minister also owns a home in her Melbourne electorate.

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Relief for Vic firies ahead of hot weekend

FIREFIGHTERS are hoping for a little relief on Friday as winds ease before a day of "traditional fire weather" on Saturday.

State control centre spokesman Graeme Baxter said conditions would continue to be hot and dry on Friday but lighter winds would mean less fire activity.

"(We're expecting) potentially a lighter wind tomorrow before some increasing wind over the weekend," Mr Baxter told AAP on Thursday evening.

Hot and windy conditions sparked spot fires outside containment lines of the two major bushfires burning out of control in Victoria on Thursday.

Watch and act warnings remained in place on Thursday evening for the Glenfalloch area, which is under threat from the Aberfeldy fire, east of Melbourne, and the Hotham Heights and Dinner Plain area in the Alpine region.

But the state control centre said there was no immediate threat to property.

Mr Baxter said the spot fires were "doing okay".

"Towards the end of the day generally conditions became a little calmer, humidity rises so the fire activity does decrease.

"We'll just keep monitoring it."

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted maximum temperatures of 30-plus across the state until Saturday.

Victoria's Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley warned that the week of hot days would lead to extreme and severe fire danger in parts of Victoria.

"Saturday will be a day that is more the traditional fire weather," Mr Lapsley said.

"It's the day that will be hot, it will be northerly winds, it will be strong winds but the critical factor is it will have a southwesterly change which will see the wind change move through the state in one day."

He said over the last couple of weeks the changes had moved through over two days.

"As we know in Victoria we lose more property, we have a bigger impact after the change than before the change."

He said people should be prepared and cautioned against fatigue following six weeks of fire alerts.

"Some people say, 'Well I've heard the story' and we say it again, 'Stay focused.'"

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Miner to plead guilty over sacred site

A MINING company says it will plead guilty to damaging an Aboriginal sacred site in the Northern Territory, but still plans to contest two charges of desecrating it.

OM (Manganese) Ltd, a subsidiary of OM Holdings Ltd, is facing two counts of desecrating an Aboriginal sacred site, and one count of damaging the site.

The Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA) has alleged the manganese miner damaged and desecrated a site at Bootu Creek, about 170km north of Tennant Creek.

Cracks were allegedly detected around the site on July 7, 2011, but despite its imminent collapse the miner set off a blast two weeks later, which split the rocky outcrop in half, AAPA alleges.

In court in Darwin on Thursday, counsel for OM (Manganese) Peter Quinlan SC said the miner would plead guilty to the count of damaging the site.

"The defendant intends to plead guilty to count two," Mr Quinlan said.

Such an offence carries a maximum penalty of about $130,000, depending on when it is determined that the damage occurred.

But Mr Quinlan indicated the company would fight the charges of desecrating the site.

The site at Bootu Creek was said to have immense spiritual significance to several groups of Aboriginal people and was known as Two Women Sitting Down.

Magistrate Sue Oliver instructed both sides to return to court on February 20, with a trial pencilled in to begin on March 4.

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NT and Canberra clash over booze curbs

THE Northern Territory and federal governments are again butting heads over problem drinking in the territory.

Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin revealed on Wednesday she had written to NT Chief Minister Terry Mills requesting an assessment of how two pubs in Alice Springs were being run.

She said there was too much evidence of antisocial behaviour and harm to the community connected to the hotels.

But NT Business Minister Peter Chandler on Thursday rejected the request.

"To tell us to target hotels who are already compliant with liquor licensing regulations and who we have a good working relationship with is nonsense," Mr Chandler said.

"This is completely inappropriate and I am requesting a meeting with Jenny Macklin," he said in a statement.

Alice Springs has been identified as a hot spot for violence in the Northern Territory.

On Wednesday Prime Minister Julia Gillard criticised the NT government's scrapping of the territory's Banned Drinkers Register.

"The government will take action in response to any irresponsible policy changes that threaten to forfeit our hard-won gains," Ms Gillard said.

Those comments drew a stern rebuke from Acting NT Chief Minister Robyn Lambley, who said Canberra should listen to the NT on dealing with alcohol, not the other way around.

The Banned Drinkers Register forced people buying take-away alcohol to provide photo identification, which is checked against a list of problem drunks, who are prevented from making the purchase.

It is not clear what action Ms Macklin will take if the NT government ignores her request to investigate the two pubs in Alice Springs.

She told ABC television it remained to be seen what would happen if nothing was done.

"There is serious harm taking place. Let's act to deal with it," she said.

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Potential jurors discharged in Patel case

Five potential jurors are being questioned further about possible bias against Jayant Patel. Source: AAP

FIVE potential jurors are being questioned further about possible bias against former Bundaberg surgeon Jayant Patel, on the first day of his manslaughter trial.

Patel has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of Mervyn Morris, 75, in June 2003.

As part of a lengthy selection process on Wednesday, 12 jurors and three reserve jurors were given a questionnaire in the Supreme Court of Brisbane to determine if they could be impartial.

The questions were about pre-trial publicity and prior knowledge of the allegations against Patel, as well as the jurors' ability to judge the case only on the evidence placed before them during the trial.

After reviewing their answers, defence barrister Ken Fleming wanted to question five of the potential jurors further to clarify their answers.

Patel's trial has been set down for two weeks.

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Flat retailing trend confirmed by data

RETAIL spending flattened out over the second half of 2012.

It's hardly a controversial observation, but figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday confirm the plateau extended through to the end of the year.

The figures won't surprise the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), which on Tuesday said "a return to the very strong growth (in consumer spending) of some years ago is unlikely".

The value of turnover in retail establishments - which excludes motor vehicle and fuel sellers but includes on-line sellers registered in Australia - fell by 0.2 per cent in December, after adjustment for regular seasonal variations.

It was the third small fall in a row; the first three-in-a-row since the summer of 1999-2000.

With these monthly estimates a fall could always be the result of changes in prices.

But the quarterly estimates which adjust for price changes suggest otherwise.

In real terms, turnover rose by an inconsequential 0.1 per cent in the three months ending December 31 after a 0.2 per cent fall in the previous quarter.

In other words, there was a fall in the volume of goods and services sold by retailers turnover over the second half of 2012.

This represents a rather abrupt halt after a rise of 2.8 per cent, well above the historical average, in the first half of the year.

There is more than one likely contributor to the pause.

One is slow employment growth, with the latest trend estimates from the ABS showing very slow monthly growth of 7,000, compared with a recent peak of more than 19,000 a month early last year.

Slower growth in jobs means slower growth in disposable income.

Another is the decline in housing construction, particularly in the volume of work done on alterations and additions, over the second half of 2011 and the first half of 2012.

Housing activity tends to feed into retail spending.

Then there is the emergence of more conservative spending habits, including a preference to reduce debt, among households since the global financial crisis that came to a head in 2008.

Each of these factors probably plays a role in the flat trend in retailing since mid-2012.

And, because they all still apply to a significant extent, it's unlikely that retailing will pick up strongly in the first half of 2013.

Even so, a firmer share market and signs of a rally in housing prices, along with a likely ongoing impact of recent interest rate cuts, suggest some scope for growth rather than the flatlining now evident in the data.

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China radar-lock on Japan ship 'dangerous'

THE radar lock that a Chinese frigate put on a Japanese warship is "dangerous", Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says, as tensions in a territorial row heighten.

"It was a dangerous act that could have led to an unpredictable situation," Abe told parliament on Wednesday.

"It is extremely regrettable. We strongly ask for their self-restraint in order to avoid an unnecessary escalation."

Abe's comments come a day after his defence minister announced weapon-targeting radar had been directed at the Japanese vessel in international waters of the East China Sea last week.

The move marks the first time the two nations' navies have locked horns in a dispute that has some commentators warning about a possible armed conflict.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the US was "concerned".

"With regard to the reports of this particular lock-on incident, actions such as this escalate tensions and increase the risk of an incident or a miscalculation, and they could undermine peace, stability and economic growth in this vital region," she said.

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8.0 quake hits Solomons, generates tsunami

A TSUNAMI marine alert remains in New Zealand following a magnitude 8.0 earthquake in the Solomon Islands, though it is now confined to the west coasts from Taranaki to Milford Sound.

Civil Defence issued an upgraded tsunami threat at 5.20pm on Wednesday, warning people to stay off the beach and off coastal waters due to the possible marine threat of a tsunami of between 0.2m and 0.9m.

The warning initially applied to the entire west coast of both the North and South islands, as well as the eastern coast stretching from Northland to Gisborne and the southern coast of the South Island and around to Dunedin.

But after further scientific analysis, Civil Defence says the tsunami heights are likely to be at their highest from Taranaki to Milford Sound.

People in these areas are advised to stay out of the water, stay off beaches and shore areas, not to go sightseeing, to share information with family and friends, listen to radio and television for updates and follow Civil Defence instructions.

"If there's boating activities, people who are swimming, and particularly people in estuaries and restricted harbours, they could experience stronger currents and tidal activity which could be a danger to them," Civil Defence director John Hamilton said.

Civil Defence says historical experience and modelling experience suggest that the largest waves will be about two to eight hours after the first waves arrive.

The alert extends into the early hours of Thursday.

New Zealand's alert remains despite the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii cancelling Tsunami warnings and alerts for much of the Pacific Islands before 6pm.

Media reports suggest five people have died in the Santa Cruz islands, part of the Solomon Islands, and major damage has been caused to three villages on Santa Cruz island.

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Oppn takes aim at economy as parly starts

Former Labor leader Kevin Rudd has rejected suggestions of a leadership comeback. Source: AAP

THE federal opposition used the first parliamentary sitting since the budget surplus was dumped to attack the government's economic record, as Labor declared it was putting jobs first.

The economy dominated the first question time of the election year on Tuesday as Prime Minister Julia Gillard unveiled her new-look frontbench, featuring Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and Defence Materiel Minister Mike Kelly.

But the day for Labor wasn't all clear sailing after new testimony to a NSW corruption inquiry into the dealings of the family of former NSW Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid referred to federal ministers Bill Shorten and Tony Burke.

With the coalition holding a clear lead over Labor in the polls, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott had earlier told the first joint party room meeting of 2013 MPs could be "confident and optimistic but never arrogant" about victory.

Mr Abbott said all members needed to be strong and measured in their criticism of the government and avoid any "personal snideness".

The warning appeared to be quickly forgotten as question time began.

"I was hoping everyone had had a nice break and we could all play nicely, but obviously not," Speaker Anna Burke said during a rowdy bout of questioning.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey was prevented from tabling two large bundles of documents detailing more than 500 occasions when Ms Gillard and Treasurer Wayne Swan promised a budget surplus for 2012/13.

"This is what Labor does - it completely trashes the joint, tries to claim the high moral ground and leaves Australians to pick up the pieces and pay the bills," Mr Hockey told parliament.

Mr Hockey, who has lost weight through stomach surgery and a new fitness and diet regime, had earlier told his party room the coalition had a plan to bring the budget back to surplus.

"If I'm prepared to do this to my waist, think what I'm prepared to do about Labor waste," he said.

Ms Gillard told parliament the government was facing huge writedowns in taxation revenues.

"It needs to be accounted for, obviously by the government, but it also needs to be accounted for by the opposition if it wants to be taken seriously in any sort of economic debate," Ms Gillard said.

She said Labor was focusing on jobs and growth in the economy.

The government had a strong track record of job creation, but also needed to consider policies such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme which would "protect people from the risks of a lifetime".

As well, Mr Shorten and Mr Burke became the first federal ministers to be mentioned at the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing in Sydney.

Mr Obeid said he had extended hospitality at his family's ski lodge at Perisher to many political friends including the ministers.

Mr Burke said he had stayed in an apartment owned by Mr Obeid on two occasions between 2004 and 2006 - before federal Labor won office.

Mr Shorten's spokesman told AAP the minister had never been to Perisher "and cannot ski".

The opposition also on Tuesday argued government agencies shouldn't sign major contracts because Labor was effectively in "caretaker" period since the election date was announced last week.

Mr Dreyfus said the caretaker period would not start until the lower house was dissolved in August, adding the coalition was being "irresponsible".

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RBA ready to cut rates, just not yet

THE central bank is ready to cut the cash rate again if needed but it left many consumers and businesses disappointed after its first board meeting of the year.

However, the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) decision to leave the cash rate unchanged at three per cent on Tuesday did coincide with two pieces of upbeat data - the biggest quarterly rise in house prices in over two years and a sharp narrowing of the nation's trade deficit.

RBA governor Glenn Stevens said the board judged it was "prudent" to hold steady at this stage.

He said interest rate cuts over the past year or so were appropriate, given inflation is likely to be consistent with the two to three per cent target and with economic growth likely to be a little below trend over the coming year.

"The inflation outlook, as assessed at present, would afford scope to ease policy further, should that be necessary to support demand," Mr Stevens said in a statement.

Business groups believe the central bank should have acted now.

Financial markets are fully priced for a 25 basis point cut to an all-time low of 2.75 per cent by May.

However, Michael Blythe, the chief economist of the nation's biggest home lender, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, believes that while the RBA has a bias to ease further, the cash rate will remain at three per cent during 2013.

He said previous rate reductions were to relieve some of the pain from a strong Australian dollar and support the transition to the non-mining parts of the economy.

"It may not be quite 'mission accomplished' but a lot of progress has been made," Mr Blythe said in a note to clients.

Treasurer Wayne Swan said homeowners were still better off by $5000 a year on a $300,000 mortgage than they were when the government came to power in 2007.

"The RBA has cut rates repeatedly over the last 15 months, partly in response to global volatility, but also because the government has been running a very strong fiscal policy," he told parliament, to jeers from opposition MPs.

Mr Stevens said downside risks in the global economy appear to have abated "for the moment at least".

Trade Minister Craig Emerson said the latest trade data confirmed the early signs of a global economic recovery and the continued strength of Asia.

The trade balance of goods and services for December was a seasonally adjusted deficit of $427 million in December, compared with a revised $2.79 billion shortfall in November.

This reflected a six per cent fall in imports and a three per cent rise in exports.

"Australian exporters are well-placed to benefit from the expected strengthening of demand in the Asian region," Dr Emerson said in a statement.

At the same time, the Australian Bureau of Statistics' house price index for the eight capital cities rose 1.6 per cent in the December quarter, the largest quarterly rise since June 2010.

Prices rose 2.1 per cent over the year.

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Doubts a coalition would return a surplus

MOST people doubt a coalition government will deliver a budget surplus in its first year of power, a new survey has found.

The weekly Essential Research online poll also found that while most people believe it is important for the federal government to deliver a budget surplus, many approved of Labor's decision not to return to the black this financial year.

The survey found 60 per cent respondents doubt a Tony Abbott-led Coalition government would deliver a budget surplus in its first year, and only 19 per cent said it probably would.

The survey of 1053 respondents found 69 per cent believed a budget surplus is important for the country, but only 54 per cent also said it was important for them personally.

However, 42 per cent approved of the government's decision to ditch its promise to return a surplus this financial year, while 37 per cent disapproved.

Just under half (48 per cent) approved of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's decision to announce a September 14 election, eight months in advance.

Thirty four per cent disapproved of her decision.

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PNG extends ban on no-confidence vote

PAPUA New Guinea's parliament has voted to extend a ban on votes of no confidence to 30 months into a government's five-year term.

PNG's opposition backed away from supporting the law, saying it will take the matter to the Supreme Court to undo it.

The bill passed into law in PNG's single House of Parliament on Tuesday with a vote of 90 to 14, well above the 74 votes needed to make the constitutional change.

Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said the law - which extends the ban from the previous 18 months - will give government more time to do its job instead of shoring up numbers to defend itself politically.

"This is not about increasing my power," Mr O'Neill said.

"It is about locking in to place the long-term political stability our nation, especially our people, have been denied for so long.

"It is a reform our people have been calling for - and most certainly our business sector, and our investors, have been calling for."

Debate on the law was gagged following a statement by Mr O'Neill and an opposition member.

Opposition leader Belden Namah and most of his 15-strong team voted against the bill, just four months after announcing their support for the measure, and he said he will follow through with court action.

One member of the opposition voted with the government.

"By this afternoon or tomorrow morning, we will file a Supreme Court reference because we have cited that in that particular amendment, it wasn't done properly," he said, telling reporters the law was not documented properly.

The man who just eight months ago was Mr O'Neill's deputy said the law was not about stability, but about concentrating power in the PM.

"What has happened now - those who voted for the bill - have become insignificant," he told journalists following the vote.

"They have weakened their own bargaining and negotiating power for projects in their districts. It's as simple as that.

"They have put themselves into voluntary exile ... from now on, Peter O'Neill is the most powerful man in the country."

PNG has lost two prime ministers to votes of no confidence since independence in 1975 - Sir Michael Somare and Paias Wingti.

However, the threat of a vote has been a significant part of the Pacific nation's political makeup, causing its prime ministers to become entrenched in money politics to keep colleagues on side.

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NT govt still fighting to save Nhulunbuy

NT Chief Minister Terry Mills is continuing his fight to save an alumina refinery and the outback town that relies on it, despite a company report indicating the plant should be shut.

On Monday Mr Mills flew to Canberra and met Resources Minister Martin Ferguson, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and others.

"All I can say at this point is that there has been welcome cooperation from Minister Ferguson and also from the Coalition," Mr Mills said after the meetings.

"Finding creative solutions to challenging problems," he told the ABC.

Mr Mills will be travelling to Singapore, Milan and London as he attempts to find a way to convince mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd to keep the plant operating.

A strategic review undertaken by Rio subsidiary Pacific Aluminium had recommended the plant be temporarily closed, Mr Mills has said.

"A recommendation from the investment review committee was to mothball it," he told the NT News.

The strategic review was handed to Rio Tinto on January 31, with the mining giant expected to make a decision on whether to close the Gove refinery soon.

The refinery employs about 1200 people, and has been losing about $30 million each month due to the high Australian dollar, low aluminium prices and the steep cost of running the plant, which is powered by diesel.

Any moves to close the plant are expected to devastate the economy of the satellite town of Nhulunbuy, which has a population of about 3500, and flow-on effects could lead to hardship for nearby Aboriginal communities.

Pacific Aluminium has hinted that if the Northern Territory government can provide natural gas to power the refinery it will reconsider moves to close down the plant.

But the plant would use about as much gas as currently is needed to power the whole of the NT, and allocating the refinery enough gas could lead to gas shortages elsewhere.

There is currently no pipeline to take the gas to the refinery, and Rio Tinto is believed to also want the federal government to underwrite the $1 billion investment.

On Monday Dave Suter from the Nhulunbuy Chamber of Commerce and Industry said people in the town were anxiously awaiting news from Rio Tinto.

"Everyone is a bit edgy about what is happening," he said.

Mr Suter said even if the review recommended the plant be mothballed, the context of the recommendation was important.

"It could potentially say that it should be mothballed until they get gas," he said.

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NT officer suspended on child sex charge

A NT police officer has been suspended after being charged with having sex with a child. Source: AAP

A NORTHERN Territory police officer has been suspended from duties after being charged with having sex with a child.

The identity of the 30-year-old cannot be revealed for legal reasons, but he appeared in the Darwin Magistrates Court on Monday.

Police have confirmed the officer was suspended from duty, but as the case is before the court they do not wish to release further details.

The matter was adjourned until April 3.

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Bushfire approaches east of Boddington

A BUSHFIRE is approaching the town of Ranford and the Golden Hills Estate near Boddington in Western Australia's Peel region.

A "watch and act" warning for the area was issued by the state's Department of Fire and Emergency Services at 3.10pm (WST).

The warning includes Mitchell Crescent, Sherry Close and Littleton Rise.

There is a possible threat to lives and homes as the fire is out of control and unpredictable.

The blaze is moving fast in a north easterly direction and spot fires are starting ahead of the main fire.

Residents have been warned that it isn't safe to stay and defend their homes, so they should leave now if the way is clear.

People who aren't at home are warned against trying to return as conditions in the area could be very dangerous.

Motorists should avoid the area.

Fire crews are on the scene and are being assisted by aerial support.

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Further back-burning at Vic bushfire site

A 300-hectare backburn near a Victorian alpine region bushfire has been a success, authorities say. Source: AAP

FIREFIGHTERS are undertaking a major back-burning operation around a blaze in Victoria's alpine region ahead of hot and dry weather later this week.

A 200-hectare burn was started near Mount Hotham about 4pm (AEDT) on Monday as the first part of a larger operation to burn from the Great Alpine Road, Harrietville-Feathertop fire incident controller Tony Long said.

Mr Long said the fire, which has already burnt more than 6400 hectares of the Alpine National Park, would increase in size while the burning is undertaken over the next few days.

He said the back-burning aimed to limit the fire's potential spread and help protect communities at Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain ahead of worsening weather conditions.

"It's important that we undertake back-burning when conditions are favourable, ahead of hot and dry conditions forecast later this week," Mr Long said in a statement.

The operation follows a successful 300-hectare back-burn south of the township of Harrietville on Sunday night.

"We have been waiting for the right conditions to undertake this back-burning for several days and our patience was rewarded with the burn going completely according to plan last night," Mr Long said.

The fire was started by lightning on January 21 and has at times threatened Hotham Heights, Dinner Plain and Mount Hotham, a popular ski field about 360km northeast of Melbourne.

Communities around Bright, Harrietville and Mount Hotham have been told that increased smoke is likely to be visible over the next few days while the burning is completed and patrolled.

The Great Alpine Road remains closed between Harrietville and Mount Hotham.

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