US man charged with terror crimes

AN American-born clerk at a home improvement store on New York's Long Island has been charged by US federal prosecutors with conspiracy to commit murder abroad, obstruction of justice and attempting to support terrorists.

Marcos Alonso Zea has pleaded not guilty. The 25-year-old was arraigned and detained without bail following his Friday arrest. His lawyer did not comment after his court appearance.

Authorities say Zea planned to travel overseas to wage violent jihad. They say in January he attempted to fly to Yemen by way of London to join Ansar al-Sharia, a group authorities say is an alias for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. But customs officials in London rejected him and returned him to the US.

A co-conspirator has pleaded guilty to charges including attempting to provide support to terrorists.

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Cheney feared heart device hacking

FORMER US Vice President Dick Cheney says he once feared terrorists could use the electrical device that had been implanted near his heart to kill him and had his doctor disable its wireless function.

Cheney has a history of heart trouble, suffering the first of five heart attacks at age 37. He underwent a heart transplant last year at age 71.

In an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," Cheney says doctors replaced an implanted defibrillator near his heart in 2007. The device can detect irregular heartbeats and control them with electrical jolts.

Cheney says that he and his doctor, cardiologist Jonathan Reiner, turned off the device's wireless function in case a terrorist tried to send his heart a fatal shock.

Years later, Cheney watched an episode of the Showtime series "Homeland" in which such a scenario was part of the plot.

"I found it credible," Cheney tells "60 Minutes" in a segment to be aired Sunday. "I know from the experience we had, and the necessity for adjusting my own device, that it was an accurate portrayal of what was possible."

Cheney and Reiner are promoting a book they co-authored, "Heart: An American Medical Odyssey."

In the "60 Minutes" interview, Reiner says he worried that Cheney couldn't stand the pressure that came on Sept. 11, 2001.

The day terrorists attacked the US, medical tests seen that morning showed Cheney had elevated levels of potassium in his blood, a condition called hyperkalemia, which could lead to abnormal heart rhythms and cardiac arrest.

Reiner says he watched news coverage of the day's events on television and thought, "Oh, great, the vice president is going to die tonight from hyperkalemia."

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Barking dog saves SA woman from fire

MAN'S best friend has been credited with saving a South Australian woman from being seriously injured in a house fire.

The dog started barking when a blaze erupted in the Hillbank home, north of Adelaide, on Saturday and alerted the woman to the growing danger, a Metropolitan Fire Service spokesman said.

"(It) may well have been instrumental in sparing this resident from more serous injury," he said.

The woman managed to escape the blaze with minor burns to her arms and needed to be taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

The fire is believed to have started in the garage when a lit cigarette accidentally came into contact with a rolled up synthetic lawn.

The roof and ceiling collapsed before fire crews could put out the blaze, causing about $250,000 in damages.

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Fight to save homes in Blue Mountains

NSW firefighters are struggling against a large bushfire in the Blue Mountains as they try to save homes in an area where almost 200 properties have already been destroyed.

Authorities have assessed 95 per cent of the affected area at Springwood and Winmalee, confirming 192 properties have been destroyed and another 109 damaged.

The Rural Fire Service (RFS) warns the number of damaged or destroyed properties may rise.

A hospital at Springwood was on Saturday evacuated ahead of an expected worsening in conditions on Sunday, with temperatures in the low 30s expected for parts of NSW.

Patients were taken to the Nepean Hospital in Penrith and are expected to stay there until at least Wednesday.

Firefighters had hoped calmer and cooler temperatures on Saturday would help control fires across the state, but blazes in and around the Blue Mountains have flared up.

Two emergency warnings, the highest level of alert, were issued by the RFS on Saturday.

One was for a fire at Lithgow covering more than 32,600 hectares and the other for about 2150 hectares at Springwood.

Roads have been closed in both areas.

A watch and act alert remains in place for a fire burning across more than 1000 hectares at Mt Victoria and a blaze at Balmoral in the Southern Highlands spanning more than 9300 hectares.

A fire that's burnt through almost 2730 hectares of scrub at Ruttleys Road, near Wyong on the Central Coast, was on Saturday afternoon downgraded to an advice warning.

Fire caused about $4 million damage to the Blue Mountains' historic Zig Zag Railway, which was close to reopening after being closed in June last year for safety upgrades.

Ten carriages, accommodation carriages, historic sleeping carriages, a meeting room, workshop, office and sleepers are among the items damaged.

Elsewhere, crews have been redirected from back-burning operations to protect more than 100 homes near Lithgow in Bell, Dargan, Berambing and Bilpin that were now under threat, RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers said.

"This fire is by no means contained," Mr Rogers said.

The RFS advises people in the area to seek shelter.

Mr Rogers described conditions as "okay", but said it would likely warm up on Sunday and winds could strengthen on Monday.

No reprieve is expected until at least Tuesday, when showers may fall across the central and southern coasts.

Meanwhile, the defence department is investigating whether there's a link between the Lithgow fire and an explosives training exercise at the Marrangaroo training area on Wednesday.

An RFS spokesman told AAP there were no fire bans in place during the training exercise and that it occurred a day before extreme conditions were expected.

Premier Barry O'Farrell said "there was no suggestion" that the explosives testing had sparked the blaze.

The premier also had to deal with other explosions.

While visiting the RFS command centre in Wyong, he was confronted by an angry resident who said she almost died in a bushfire due to insufficient back-burning.

"Excuse me Mr O'Farrell, I almost died on Thursday night, the reason being National Parks and Wildlife does not do perimeter burning on their property," Crangan Bay resident Sandra Kay said.

Mr O'Farrell said he would take her concerns to the local council and to parliament.

On the Central Coast, firies were drinking for free after managing to save the much-loved "Catho pub" at Catherine Hill Bay.

No one was injured, but an historic home was lost when a bushfire hit the town on Friday.

"It's beers all round. I've told the RFS that the beers are on me today," publican Dean Beevor said.

The Salvation Army is asking for people to donate cash, rather than goods, to its bushfire appeal. More than $300,000 dollars has already been raised.

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Eighty-one properties destroyed in blaze

Rayney a free man for good

LLOYD Rayney will never face a retrial over the death of his estranged wife Corryn after prosecutors announced today they were dropping any further legal challenge.

Rebels jailed over 'cowardly' assault

TWO men with links to the Rebels bikies have been jailed over what a Perth judge described as a frenzied and cowardly act of thuggery in a nightclub.

Prosecution waits on medical reports

PROSECUTORS are still waiting on further medical reports that will show exactly how Mandurah man Tauri Litchfield died, Perth Children's Court was told.
 

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Bikies charged under new Qld laws get bail

TWO bikie gang members arrested for gathering at their clubhouse in Queensland have been granted bail.

Peter Johnson and Mark Filtness, both 47, were arrested in Cairns on Friday morning and charged with offences under the state's new anti-bikie gang laws.

The pair were granted bail in the Cairns Magistrates Court about 4.30pm (AEST) on Friday.

The men must surrender their passports and are due to reappear on November 1.

They were arrested on Friday morning and each face one charge of being a participant in a criminal organisation entering a prescribed place.

The court heard that the pair told police they had been members of the Odin's Warriors for 20 years.

Their lawyer, Philip Bovey, said the pair had been at the gang's clubhouse as both of their flats were located on the same property.

He said the men were arrested shortly after Johnson visited Cairns Police Station to ask whether it was against the law for him to be living on the same property as the clubhouse.

Mr Bovey argued the men didn't pose a flight risk or a threat to the community.

He said Johnson had no criminal history, while Filtness had only been convicted on minor charges in 2000 and in the 1980s.

Johnson works as a diesel fitter in Weipa on Cape York and Filtness is a truck driver.

Police prosecutors opposed bail, saying the men were a flight risk as the club could provide financial assistance.

They argued that the pair could flee as they face a mandatory six month jail term if convicted.

But Magistrate Trevor Black granted both men bail, saying they would not be a flight risk.

He also indicated he needed time to read over and understand the new laws before the proceedings continued.

"I just downloaded something off the internet to try to catch up with this legislation," Mr Black said.

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RBA says US default would have hurt growth

A US debt default would have hurt the world's largest economy but it is unclear what the wider impacts would have been, the head of the Reserve Bank of Australia says.

Failing to raise the US government's borrowing limit would have hurt economic growth because drastic spending cuts would have been needed, RBA governor Glenn Stevens said.

"Most of us would have worked out a few contingencies but the truth is we really don't have much idea how that would have gone," he told an Australian British Chamber of Commerce Business lunch in Sydney.

"It isn't difficult to contemplate ways in which it would have gone very very badly, but we really shouldn't be in a position of ever finding out, and I hope we won't be."

The US congress has passed a budget that allows the government to operate until early 2014, raising its borrowing limit and ending a partial US government shutdown.

Mr Stevens said the two week shutdown would have only a short term impact on the US economy.

"The shutdown itself probably had some dampening impact, but my guess would be that probably won't linger once everybody is back to work and in many instances people will be back-paid," he said.

"I don't think there should be a big impact on demand in the US resulting from that."

Mr Stevens also told the business function that post-global financial crisis reforms should not be taken lightly.

Since 2008, the Group of 20 nations has agreed on a series of banking and financial reforms in an effort to prevent another financial crisis.

"Let me be clear this is not a call for current reform efforts to stop, or to be watered down," he said.

"It is about ensuring we focus our finite energies and resources on the most important problems, and getting industry to do the same."

Mr Stevens said the most important reforms are the Basel III international banking rules.

Among other things, they require banks to have sufficient high-quality assets, such as government bonds, which they can sell when funds are needed.

Other significant measures, Mr Stevens said, are the oversight of institutions outside normal banking regulations, known as shadow banking, and addressing the problem of institutions that are "too big to fail".

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NSW firefighters battle to control blazes

Authorities are fearing more fatalities, after the NSW bushfires claimed their first life. Source: AAP

ONE man has died and authorities fear more fatalities will be discovered in the hundreds of homes destroyed by some of the most destructive bushfires NSW has seen.

NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says the fight to get the blazes under control on Friday is far from over, with 94 fires burning across the state - 27 of which are uncontained.

A 63-year-old man died defending his house at Lake Munmorah on the NSW central coast, while the Blue Mountains, Lithgow and the Southern Highlands are also under attack from blazes which have torn though around 91,000 hectares throughout the state.

As residents and emergency services begin to return to affected areas, Mr Fitzsimmons said more casualties may be discovered.

"There is a possibility that we might find people who haven't been able to get out of harm's way," he told reporters.

Crews were working on Friday afternoon to take advantage of the milder weather, before conditions are set to deteriorate on Sunday.

The fires were "some of the most damaging (and) destructive ... in the history of NSW," Mr Fitzsimmons said.

After losing possibly hundreds of homes on Thursday, the community of Springwood in the Blue Mountains was again on high alert when the blaze sparked up on Friday, forcing the evacuation of Springwood High School and the historic Norman Lindsay Gallery which houses many rare and significant artworks.

In the Southern Highlands, west of Wollongong, Mr Fitzsimmons said a blaze in Balmoral, which had burnt through 8000 hectares was "spreading rapidly" and increasing in strength.

An emergency warning is in place at Leppington, in Sydney's southwest where there are fears homes may come under threat.

Meanwhile, further north in Wyong, where an emergency warning remains in place, properties are being threatened and an historic building has been destroyed, with multiple spot fires burning in the area.

Residents of heritage seaside town Catherine Hill Bay have described the scene as "apocalyptic".

A bushfire ripped through the quaint village near Lake Macquarie on Thursday, burning five historic buildings.

The 63-year-old man at nearby Lake Munmorah suffered a heart attack while he was fighting a fire at his home on Thursday afternoon.

Attempts were made to resuscitate him at the scene but he died at Wyong hospital.

Premier Barry O'Farrell said the man's death was the worst possible scenario.

"That's the worst that anyone wants to happen and we send our sympathy to his family," Mr O'Farrell said at RFS headquarters in Sydney.

But he said it was important to remember the good job firefighters had done.

"During crises like this we understandably tend to focus on what's been lost," he said.

"I think we should pause and think about what's been saved, what's been protected because of the extraordinary work of firefighters over the last 24-48 hours."

Mr Fitzsimmons became visibly emotional as he addressed the media, and had to pause to compose himself as he praised the work of firefighters.

"We have the best firefighters in the world," he said.

Two fire fighters are in hospital with burns and a man from Winmalee in the Blue Mountains is being treated for smoke inhalation.

Almost 200 interstate firefighters have been brought in to help the more than 1400 already on the ground.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott, an RFS volunteer himself, thanked those working on the NSW emergency.

"I just want to say how sorry we are on behalf of the people and the parliament of Australia for the heartache which so many hundreds of people in NSW are currently dealing with, but how proud we are of the thousands of volunteers and full-time professionals (fire fighters)," he said at Winmalee fire station.

The losses were calculated by a multi-agency team that was assessing buildings around Springwood and Winmalee on Friday, The Rural Fire Service (RFS) spokesman said.

But with only 30 per cent of the area so far being inspected, the RFS expects the numbers to rise.

Following a ferocious fire on Thursday, the community of Springwood was again placed on emergency alert on Friday when the blaze sparked and forced the evacuation of Springwood High School.

The evacuation meant school was basically out in the region, with an additional seven schools in the Blue Mountains and one in Lithgow remaining closed throughout the day.

Meanwhile fire crews were stationed around the historic Norman Lindsay Gallery in the afternoon, ready to protect the precious National Trust building if necessary.

One local, Helen Walton, who has lived through three major bushfires since moving to the mountains said the fire - which scorched almost 2000 hectares - was by far the worst she had seen.

Her house remains standing but her prize backyard has been reduced to ashes.

But she wasn't letting the blaze scare her off.

"We'll stay. Of course we'll stay. We might have to re-landscape, though," she told AAP.

The mayor of the Blue Mountains praised the resilience of residents who lost their homes in Thursday's bushfires.

"The Blue Mountains has experienced bushfire before, but nothing like this," Cr Greenhill told the Seven Network.

"We spent the evening ... comforting residents who had lost everything. This has been a very tough 24 hours for the community of the Blue Mountains."

By Friday afternoon, an emergency warning which was in place for a fire at Springwood was downgraded to watch and act.

Firefighters are continuing to patrol and monitor the fire, which has affected areas around Winmalee, Warrimoo and Yellow Rock.

A number of evacuation centres remain open.

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Former ASIO head to run AG office

A FORMER chief spook has been appointed top official for Attorney-General George Brandis.

Paul O'Sullivan, who served as Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director-general from 2005-09, will start work as Senator Brandis' chief of staff next month.

Mr O'Sullivan also worked as senior foreign affairs adviser to former prime minister John Howard.

Senator Brandis said his new chief of staff's long experience at the highest levels of government also included representative to the United Nations, ambassador to Germany and high commissioner to New Zealand.

"The appointment will underline the strong national security focus which I intend to bring to the Attorney-General's portfolio," Senator Brandis said in a statement.

Senator Brandis said Mr O'Sullivan reflected the very high quality of the people who had accepted senior appointments in the Abbott government.

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New laws hit Qld govt workers' conditions

QUEENSLAND public servants will soon be forced onto individual contracts with reduced work conditions, unions warn.

Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie introduced in parliament on Thursday sweeping changes to industrial laws for state and local government workers in the state.

They come as the government brings in laws to stop workers injured on the job from seeking compensation if their impairment is less than five per cent.

Mr Bleijie says there are more than 100 industrial awards and agreements covering government employees which have created an administrative nightmare.

He says the proposed reforms would make awards easier to understand and set minimum safety net standards for conditions such as annual leave, sick leave, family leave and long service leave.

Highly paid senior staff will also be able to negotiate individual employment contracts, he says.

"This will only apply to staff whose remuneration exceeds $129,300 per year, the same high income threshold set federally by the Fair Work Act," he said.

He promised that no one would be forced to accept an individual contract.

But Queensland Council of Unions president John Battams disagrees.

He says the reforms will force many workers onto individual contracts, strip away their conditions and limit the terms of industrial agreements.

He likened them to former prime minister John Howard's controversial WorkChoices laws and says they'll impact on more than 300,000 workers.

"This attorney-general has the legal skills of an unsupervised articled clerk but is indiscriminately slashing the rights of Queensland workers," Mr Battams told workers who rallied outside parliament on Thursday.

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Bodies found after Laos plane crash

Six Australians were among those killed when a Lao Airlines plane crashed into the Mekong River. Source: AAP

DIVERS are searching for bodies after a Lao Airlines plane believed to be carrying 49 people, around half of them foreigners including Australians, plunged into the Mekong River during stormy weather.

Six Australians, seven French citizens and five Thais were among those thought to have been killed when the turboprop ATR-72 came down on Wednesday near Pakse airport in Champasak province.

Debris was seen floating in the river at the scene of the disaster, while suitcases were wedged in mud on the riverbank, according to an AFP reporter.

Backpacks, an aeroplane propeller and passports were among the debris scattered on the riverbank where the Lao Airlines turboprop plane apparently hit hard before skidding into the water and sinking on Wednesday, AP reported.

Around a dozen rescuers were using a crane perched on a floating platform in the middle of the Mekong on Thursday to try to winch the submerged aircraft from the river, which was swollen by a recent tropical storm.

Divers from a Thai rescue team were on the scene to assist in the operation.

State-owned Lao Airlines said more than half of the 44 passengers and five crew on board were foreign nationals.

Citizens from up to 11 countries were reported to have been on the flight from the capital Vientiane.

"So far eight bodies have been found. We don't yet know their nationalities, said Yakao Lopangkao director-general of Lao's Department of Civil Aviation, who was at the crash site in Pakse, in southern Laos.

"We haven't found the plane yet. It is underwater. We're trying to use divers to locate it," he told AP.

He ruled out any chance of finding survivors. "There is no hope. The plane appears to have crashed very hard before entering the water."

Some bodies were found as far as 20 kilometres from the crash site, he said.

"We have asked villagers and people who live along the river to look for bodies and alert authorities when they see anything," he told AP.

Fleets of small fishing boats and inflatable rafts plied the muddy, vast waterway as part of the search with men in life vests peering into the water. After storms on Wednesday, the search took place under sunny blue skies.

Some of the bodies were taken to a mortuary at a Chinese temple in Pakse.

Three bodies draped in blue plastic sheets were seen in the building, which was guarded by about 10 policemen, some armed, who turned away onlookers.

"They are foreigners from the crash," staff at the centre told AFP, adding that their nationalities were unknown.

Lao Airlines said the aircraft hit "extreme" bad weather, while witnesses described seeing the aircraft buffeted by strong winds.

"The plane was about to land but appeared to be hit by a strong wind, causing its head to ascend and pushing it away from the airport area and out of reach of the air traffic control radar," state-run Laos news agency KPL quoted a witness as saying.

According to a passenger list published by Thai media, people from the US, China, Taiwan Vietnam, Canada, South Korea and Malaysia were also on the flight.

The six Australians killed comprised two families - Gavin Rhodes, 39, his wife Phoumalaysy (Lea) Rhodes, 35, and their children 17-month-old Manfred Rhodes and three-year-old Jadesuda Rhodes; and a father and son, Gordon Creighton, 71, and Michael Creighton, 42.

France said it was rushing embassy officials to the site of the crash.

French President Francois Hollande learned of the disaster "with profound emotion and great sadness" and offered "sincere condolences" and full support to the victims' families, his office said in a statement.

Thailand said five of its nationals had died.

Three South Koreans were also among the victims, according to the Transport Ministry in Seoul.

Taiwan said one of its citizens was killed while Beijing's official Xinhua news agency said one Chinese was on board. It said an earlier figure of two had included the Taiwanese victim.

Flight QV301 set off from Vientiane on time at 2.45pm (1845 AEDT) on Wednesday and was supposed to arrive in Pakse just over an hour later.

French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR said the twin-engine turboprop aircraft was new and had been delivered in March.

The director-general of the country's Department of Civil Aviation, Yakua Lopangkao, told the Vientiane Times newspaper that the accident may have occurred because of bad weather triggered by tropical storm Nari.

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War not over on workers' comp changes

Hundreds of people rallied at Queensland parliament to protest reforms to workers' compensation. Source: AAP

ATTORNEY-GENERAL Jarrod Bleijie may have won the battle to water down Queensland's workers' compensation rights, but unions say the war is far from over.

Parliament was asked to pass controversial laws on Thursday, just two days after they were introduced.

Under the laws workers won't be able to seek compensation if they're injured on the job and their impairment is less than five per cent.

Bosses will also have access to a job applicant's injury history and workers who lodge fraudulent compensation claims face tougher penalties.

The government says the changes are designed to crack down on "ambulance-chasing lawyers" and protect businesses from outlandish claims and skyrocketing premiums.

But the Queensland Council of Unions says the government is pandering to big businesses, which could see their insurance premiums drop by 15 per cent.

"It's a few extra dollars out of the pockets of employers, but it will be at the expense of workers who will lose tens of thousands of dollars," QCU president John Battams says.

About 500 workers protested loudly outside parliament waving banners and calling the attorney-general a liar: "Bleiar, Bleiar, Bleiar."

Unions say they'll campaign in Mr Bleijie's Sunshine Coast electorate to unseat him at the next state election.

A new poll commissioned by the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) shows the government's plans are out of step with community expectations and Premier Campbell Newman risks losing his seat.

Lawyers vowed to campaign against the changes at the next election.

The amendments would see Shine Lawyers' profits slip $2.5 million this financial year as the number of common law claims dramatically drop.

ALA spokesman Rod Hodgson said WorkCover is profitable and there's no reason for change.

"Lawyers who are members of the LNP themselves and have been lifelong LNP voters are deeply concerned," he said.

"I expect that lawyers individually and collectively will be expressing concerns on an ongoing basis including though to the next election campaign."

The Australian Industry Group, Master Builders, Queensland Trucking Association, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) say the current system is too costly, and is open to double-dipping and rorts.

About 81 per cent of the state's businesses support the new injury threshold, the CCIQ says.

Spokesman Nick Behrens says employer premiums would be reduced on average by 15 per cent, which would save businesses $290 million a year.

"Queensland will restore its status as having the lowest compensation premiums in Australia," he said.

Queensland Trucking Association CEO Peter Garske said his industry was crippled by premiums, which have increased by 34 per cent in the last three years.

"An impairment to continued and future employment is employees who are prepared to shop and see, with the help of their lawyers, to see how much they can screw out of the system," he said.

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Questions remain over govt carbon repeal

Greg Hunt (L) says legislation to repeal the carbon tax will ensure it takes effect by July 1 2014. Source: AAP

DOUBTS have emerged over federal government plans to repeal the carbon tax, after Environment Minister Greg Hunt avoided saying whether the legislation would be retrospective if it wasn't passed on time.

Labor and the Australian Greens won't support the repeal bills, although Labor does agree the fixed carbon price should go - but only if it's replaced with an emissions trading scheme (ETS).

This means the government's goal to see the bills passed through the upper house and the carbon tax scrapped by the end of this financial year will be more difficult to achieve.

While Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he is confident the Labor opposition will buckle under pressure to axe the tax, it's not clear what will happen if it isn't repealed as planned by June 30.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt says the repeal legislation made it very clear the final compliance year for companies to pay the fixed price carbon tax of around $24 per tonne will be 2013/2014.

Asked if businesses may be liable to pay if the bill didn't pass the Senate until after July 1, Mr Hunt said "the tax ends on June 30, 2014, the moment that legislation is passed".

"We're getting way ahead of ourselves. It is designed to take effect under every circumstance from the evening of 30 June 2014," the minister told ABC Radio on Wednesday.

"We cannot take away the tax without legislation being passed, but this legislation is designed for every circumstance.

"The ALP has attempted to prevent any change. We will not stop until the legislation passes."

The minister's decision not to provide details of what would happen after July 1 came as the business community voiced its own concern.

Australian Industry Group chief Innes Willox said uncertainty about what would happen from July would "cause greater uncertainty for business around investment".

"If it meanders beyond the 1st of July, that's going to create uncertainty for business about liabilities, what happens with ongoing grants," he said.

Acting Labor climate change minister Mark Butler created confusion about the opposition's stance on the repeal bill, after telling Sky News it agreed "with Tony Abbott on the repeal of the carbon tax".

He was referencing plans by the former Rudd government to move earlier from a fixed carbon price to a floating price ETS in July next year.

Some Labor MPs are using this to argue the party doesn't disagree with getting rid of the fixed carbon price.

"The question is, what is put in its place," Mr Butler said.

Greens leader Christine Milne accused Mr Butler of "continuing to play games" with words.

The government may have a better chance of getting the bills passed in the Senate after July 1, when the change-over of upper house MPs takes effect.

It will need to win over Clive Palmer's voting bloc of four, plus two of three conservative crossbenchers from either the Liberal Democrats, Democratic Labor Party or Family First.

All have supported the principle of abolishing the carbon tax.

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NSW roads assessor bankrupt before bribes

A ROGUE heavy-vehicle assessor was bankrupt before he started soliciting bribes of up to $2000 to falsify log books that let truck drivers gain their licence.

Christopher Binos has been blatantly open about the deals, which are the subject of an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry.

ICAC is investigating allegations Mr Binos accepted kickbacks for entering false log-book entries to show that aspiring truck drivers had completed a competency assessment when in fact they had not.

Counsel assisting ICAC, David McLure, told the public inquiry on Wednesday that evidence would show Mr Binos falsely certified at least 91 people as competent to drive heavy vehicles.

Mr Binos became an accredited assessor in 2004 and was suspended by Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) in April this year.

He admitted to the inquiry he had used a registration from a vehicle on carsales.com.au in a false log-book entry.

On another occasion a registration falsely showed an applicant had completed an assessment, when it actually belonged to a ute in northern NSW.

Asked if he had a usual charge for making false log-book entires, Mr Binos said: "$1500 ... sometimes more, sometimes less".

Mr McLure put it to Mr Binos he would make the legitimate way of going through a competency assessment seem longer and more expensive.

"Correct," Mr Binos replied.

But he said the prospective truck drivers who came to him "pretty much knew what they were coming for".

The inquiry heard Mr Binos went bankrupt in July 2011, although he claimed it was 2012.

He allegedly raked in his kickbacks between 2012 and 2013.

This was revealed after he offered to falsify a log book in exchange for $2000 to Simon Hay, who rejected the proposal and reported it.

Jacqueline Riley told the inquiry she contacted Mr Binos after hearing about an assessor who could be paid extra for a truck licence.

When asked what she meant by pay extra, Mrs Riley replied: "That I wouldn't have to take a test".

Mrs Riley met with Mr Binos in December 2012 and gave him her log book.

"(He said) he would send me the log books. I paid him $1500 or $1600," she said.

Mrs Riley received her log books days after the meeting and eventually went to the traffic authority and received a truck licence.

As part of gaining a heavy vehicle licence, applicants must undergo a 30-minute final competency drive.

A competency assessor then reports to RMS and signs off the applicant's log book.

A lawyer for Roads and Maritime Services indicated the authority would consider voiding the ill-obtained licences.

The inquiry continues.

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Wheels fly off truck on Sydney freeway

A truck has been issued with a defect notice after two of its wheels flew off on a Sydney motorway. Source: AAP

A TRUCK has been issued with a defect notice after two of its wheels flew off on a Sydney motorway.

Police saw the incident on Tuesday during a patrol of the M7 at Horsley Park, in Sydney's west, and say the truck driver is very lucky to be alive.

The tyres were flung into north and southbound traffic, narrowly missing oncoming vehicles.

"It was quite fortunate one of our traffic and highway patrol cars was stationed on the M7 at the time and was able to assist in containing the situation very quickly," acting assistant police commissioner Stuart Smith said in a statement.

The 35-year-old driver was issued with a defect notice, which prevented him from driving away the truck.

The news comes two weeks after a fuel tanker, owned by Cootes Transport, crashed in Mona Vale, in Sydney's north, killing two people.

NSW Roads and Maritime Services has grounded 10 vehicles and issued the company with 244 defect notices during inspections.

Mr Smith urged truck operators to ensure their vehicles were regularly maintained.

"Your actions can have serious implications for others, so it is vital that the utmost care is taken when travelling on our roads," he said.

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Row grows over Qld sex offender jail terms

QUEENSLAND Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie is on a collision course with civil libertarians and lawyers after announcing plans to strip courts of the power to set indefinite jail terms for some sex offenders.

He wants to rush through parliament, as early as Thursday, changes that would give him the power to say which sex offenders should be locked up until they die.

Mr Bleijie has the backing of child protection advocate Hetty Johnston, who says judges worry too much about offenders' civil rights.

"Unfortunately it is the civil rights of sex offenders that take precedence over the rights of the community and children to be safe," the Bravehearts founder said.

But Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman said the move was "legislative lunacy" and urged a judicial rebellion.

Queensland Law Society (QLS) president Annette Bradfield also questioned the move and other legislation recently rushed through parliament in the dead of night.

Mr Bleijie insists it is legislation of last resort that would only be used to keep the worst of the worst in jail.

"Some of these people just can't be rehabilitated. They should never be released from prison," he said on Wednesday.

Mr Gorman accused the attorney-general of dictating to judges and called on the judiciary to stand up to him.

"This is the latest piece of legislative lunacy from an attorney-general who refuses to consult with anyone other than those who agree with his views," he told AAP.

Mr O'Gorman said it was the second time in two days that Mr Bleijie had ridden roughshod over Queensland's judicial system.

Laws passed by parliament on Wednesday morning mean judges now have to sentence bikies convicted of serious crimes to years of additional jail time, simply because they are gang members.

Ms Bradfield said the QLS was concerned at the lack of consultation over proposed legislation and at the executive wielding powers to give criminals added jail time.

"Judges are trained to make those determinations and politicians simply don't have the qualifications or the experience in those regards," she said.

Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk has accused Mr Bleijie of wanting to be "judge and jury" and called for him to quit.

"Yet again we are seeing the arrogance of this government, which wants to do anything and everything with its massive majority," she told parliament.

"Democracy is under direct attack."

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Miley Cyrus claims No.1 album in Australia

MILEY Cyrus has scored the No.1 album in Australia, while Katy Perry has spent a seventh week at the top of the ARIA singles chart with her smash hit Roar.

Perry's single is now the second longest running No.1 song of 2013 behind Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines, which spent eight weeks atop of the chart.

At No.2 on the singles chart is Cyrus with her hit Wrecking Ball.

Redfoo's Let's Get Ridiculous has moved back up to No.3, displacing last week's No.2 Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up) by Jessica Mauboy, which has moved down to No.4.

Bonfire Heart by James Blunt has debuted at No.5.

Lorde's EP The Love Club is up eight places to No.6 this week, followed by Wake Me Up by Swedish DJ Avicii.

Jason DeRulo is down three places to No.8 with Talk Dirty.

Former X Factor contestant Nathaniel Willemse has entered the chart at No.9 with his debut single You.

Drake is down one place to No.10 with Hold On, We're Going Home.

All the negative press surrounding Cyrus has had little impact on the success of her music with the singer's new album Bangerz debuting at No.1 on the ARIA albums chart.

It is the singer's second No.1 album in Australia. Cyrus first sat atop of the chart in 2008 with her album Breakout.

The No.2 album this week is Pure Heroine from Kiwi sensation Lorde.

Debuting at No.3 is the fourth album for Australian singer Jessica Mauboy entitled Beautiful. It is Mauboy's highest charting album to date.

Days are Gone for Haim is down a couple of places to No.4, while local act Busby Marou see their second album Farewell Fitzroy enter the chart at No.5.

Jason DeRulo climbs up two places to No.6 with Tattoos, followed by Korn's 11th studio album, The Paradigm Shift, at No.7.

Australian country music star Keith Urban spends a fourth week within the Top 10 with his new album Fuse, which is back up one place to No.8.

At No.9 is Fleetwood Mac with their Greatest Hits collection.

Birdy rounds out the top 10 with her new album Fire Within.

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China pledges to close 2000 mines

China has pledged to shut down 2000 coal mines in a bid to improve safety standards. Source: AAP

CHINA says it will shut down at least 2000 small coal mines by the end of 2015 as it tries to improve safety standards in its deadly industry.

China's Cabinet says it will target mines with annual output of less than 90,000 tons, and those that fail to adhere to safety rules.

The statement late Saturday also said it will end approval for new coal mines with an annual capacity of less than 300,000 tons.

China's mines are the deadliest in the world. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, 1384 people were killed in coal mine accidents in 2012.

Safety improvements have reduced deaths in recent years, but regulations are often ignored and accidents are still common.

China has deep reserves of coal and 12,000 coal mines.

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Property damage reported in NSW fire

PROPERTIES have reportedly been damaged and there are fears some may have been lost as an out of control bushfire continues to blaze in the NSW Hunter region.

The NSW Rural Fire Service says it has received unconfirmed reports that properties have been burned in Port Stephens.

A scrub fire is burning the Tilligerry State Conservation area between Salt Ash and Tanilba Bay and in the Fingal Bay area, also in Port Stephens.

Authorities have set up an evacuation centre at a community hall in Williamtown.

An emergency warning has also been issued for Singleton, where residents are being advised to shelter as the fire-front approaches.

It was 32C in Sydney at 5.45pm (AEDT) on Sunday and the temperature was rising toward the forecast of 36C.

A change sweeping through the state is expected to drop temperatures by as much as 10 degrees when it reaches Wollongong by 6pm and Sydney by 9pm.

The Bureau of Meteorology says the strong cold front will bring damaging winds of around 50 km/h with peak gusts of 90km/h.

The NSW Rural Fire Service has banned the lighting of fires for Sunday in large parts of NSW, including greater Sydney.

Meanwhile, a grass fire near Sydney Olympic Park has been extinguished.

The fire in Homebush in Sydney's west destroyed over 40 cars, Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Ian Krimmer told AAP.

Three people have been treated for smoke inhalation and 1500 were evacuated from a nearby aquatic centre.

Superintendent Krimmer says there are "hundreds and hundreds" of cars parked in the carpark.

Authorities will allow people to access their cars once the area has been declared safe.

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Ballot brings renewal for Labor: Shorten

Bill Shorten says he has "things to learn" after winning federal Labor's historic leadership ballot. Source: AAP

BILL Shorten says he has "things to learn" after winning federal Labor's historic leadership ballot despite being backed by just 40 per cent of the party's grassroots members.

While the new leader won the backing of his parliamentary colleagues, the party's rank and file overwhelmingly backed his rival Anthony Albanese.

The membership tally was 60-40 per cent in favour of Mr Albanese, but Mr Shorten took the top job after caucus backed him by 55 votes to 31.

"This ballot shows that there are still things for me to learn," Mr Shorten told reporters in Canberra.

"The party has spoken and what I undertake to do is to learn, is to listen but also to help the process of rebuilding Labor with good policies."

The ballot marked the start of "the renewal of Labor" as an alternative government.

Despite the ballot numbers, the Right faction powerbroker said he knew of moderate members who voted both for and against him.

Mr Shorten played down his perceived lack of parliamentary experience, citing his battle as trade union leader against the Howard government's WorkChoices industrial relations laws before he entered parliament in 2007.

"I do believe that Australians in the Labor movement contribute through a variety of ways, not just through parliament," he said.

When quizzed about his role in the downfall of two Labor prime ministers in three years, Mr Shorten said people would see him as someone who would always work in the best interests of the nation before he considered his party.

He vowed not to be as "relentlessly negative" as Prime Minister Tony Abbott was in opposition.

Labor will meet on Monday to decide its shadow ministry and name a deputy opposition leader, likely to be Mr Shorten's pick Tanya Plibersek.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More