Rinehart has 'double standards': Latham

AS she predicted, Gina Rinehart's criticism of Australia's "entitlement" mentality has drawn return fire, with left wing MPs inviting her to leave the country, and leave the nation's battlers alone.

Ms Rinehart, who's worth almost $20 billion, took aim at welfare recipients and the political left for spending the "bottomless pit" of revenue created by mining.

The mining tycoon predicted "forests and splinters" of articles from "people boiling with rage that I dare challenge their bottomless pit and belief money doesn't have to be earned before it is spent mentality".

And she was right.

Former Labor leader Mark Latham accused Ms Rinehart of double standards.

"She wants to be a bigger welfare recipient herself," Mr Latham told the Seven Network.

"She's against social welfare but she's very much in favour of business welfare for herself.

"I think that's an appalling double standard. There is no bottomless pit of money and that should apply to Gina as much as the people she's bagging today."

WA Labor MP Alannah MacTiernan said Ms Rinehart "just doesn't get what has made Australia such a safe place for her to make her billions".

"Enterprise and achievement is built on education, inspiration and opportunity, not by bringing in truckloads of overseas workers so that Ms Rinehart can live in even greater grandiosity and have even bigger pearls, if that is at all possible," Ms MacTiernan said.

And Greens Deputy Leader Adam Bandt said Ms Rinehart was "a threat to Australian egalitarianism".

"Gina Rinehart is full of suggestions about how to balance the budget, but none of them involve her paying a fairer share of tax and all of them involve getting the rest of us to pay more," Mr Bandt said.

"If Gina Rinehart thinks Australians are paid too much and have health care that's too good, she's welcome to leave."

Writing in a resources magazine, the billionaire espoused her admiration of former British PM Margaret Thatcher, while saying Australia was "living beyond our means".

"Australians have to work hard or actually harder and smarter to create the revenue to be able to pay that bill ... something has to give - we can't do it all," Ms Rinehart said.

In her column titled 'The Age of Entitlement - has Consequences', Ms Rinehart urged action from politicians, saying "now is the time to change some thinking and urge leadership".

"The left don't want to address the issue. Instead they get hysterical and personal about who speaks out," she wrote.

Rinehart this week tumbled 10 places on the latest Forbes Magazine global rich list, despite getting richer in the past year.

She was easily Australia's richest person on the list, ahead of 208th-ranked James Packer with $US6.5 billion.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tattooed masses descend on Sydney for expo

About 16,000 people are set to attend the Tattoo and Body Art Expo in Sydney this weekend. Source: AAP

DAVID Prieto wears a suit every minute of his life.

And he can't take it off because it's one enormous tattoo that took 500 hours to complete.

Only the Californian's face remains uncovered by the heads of celebrities.

"I like my face too much," he said at the Sydney leg of the Australian Tattoo and Body Art Expo on Friday.

"I have one leg full of gangsters, one leg full of TV shows, my stomach, my ribs and my hips is all horror movies.

"My arm is all musicians, my head's all comedians, my back is all inventors, my arse is tattooed with Cheech and Chong."

Around 250 artists, 16,000 tattoo enthusiasts, pin-up models and street bike stunt riders are expected to attend the Sydney event.

Much of the crowd is heavily inked but but some arms and legs are obviously bare and seeking their first tat.

Some attendees, like Tony Cohen, are legends of the industry.

The owner of Sydney's Illustrated Man has been a tattoo artist for 45 years, long before tattooing became the booming industry it now is.

He says he loves that tattoos have become so popular but is concerned with the direction of the industry.

"People getting all their heads tattooed... it's just against my religion of tattooing," he told AAP as he tattooed two large artworks on the thighs of a young woman.

"But nothing's going to change it... they can't rub them out."

One young man once asked Mr Cohen to tattoo swastikas on him - an idea he bluntly calls "rubbish".

He says it's up to the industry to self-regulate but knows "there'll always be someone out there who will do it (face tattoos) ... and take the money."

In Helen Hew's home country, getting tattooed is a big decision.

The Malaysian artist says the industry is starting to grow but pales in comparison to the Australian scene.

"People are willing to pay for the art they want," she said.

The event is on in Sydney until Sunday before heading to Perth in June, Adelaide in August and Melbourne in December.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW teacher arrested after child porn find

A PRIMARY school teacher has been charged after police uncovered child abuse material at a home west of Sydney.

After receiving a tip-off, detectives raided the man's home in the Lithgow suburb of Oaky Park on Friday.

Police say a number of electronic devices were seized and child abuse material had been allegedly stored on some devices.

The teacher, 41, was arrested at a nearby shopping centre.

He has been charged with child abuse material possession and using a carriage service for child pornography.

He was granted bail to appear in Lithgow Local Court on March 27.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man struck by lightning in Sydney's west

A MAN has been struck by lightning as severe thunderstorms sweep across Sydney.

A NSW Fire and Rescue spokesman said the 65-year-old man was struck outside his home in Baulkham Hills, in northwest Sydney, at 5pm on Friday.

Fire fighters administered first aid to the man, who was conscious but disoriented, the spokesman said.

He has been taken to hospital.

There is a severe thunderstorm warning in place for parts of Sydney, particularly the western suburbs.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

RBA commodity price index at 47-month low

EXPORT commodity prices fell in February to their lowest level in almost four years.

The Reserve Bank of Australia's index of commodity prices was 1.3 per cent lower in foreign currency terms in the month.

Coking coal and iron ore were the most important contributors to the monthly fall and were partly offset by a rising gold price, the RBA said on Monday.

The RBA said the prices of many base metals fell, while many rural commodities enjoyed price rises.

The February level of the index was 27 per cent lower than its peak in July 2011.

It was last below the current level 47 months earlier in March 2010.

And there appears to be more falls already in the pipeline.

The decline in commodity prices over the past 12 months was 12 per cent in foreign currency terms, based on prices actually paid, often under contract.

But, the RBA said, using spot prices - those negotiated in real time - the index would have fallen by 17.5 per cent through the year to February.

Between the July 2011 peak and February, the Australian dollar fell by an average of 11 per cent against the currencies of Australia's trading partners, according to RBA data.

That fall in the exchange rate has cushioned the blow but not completely nullified it - the index is still down by 17 per cent from its peak when measured in Australian dollars.

The foreign currency price index is measured in terms of special drawing rights (SDRs), an average of four major currencies - the US dollar, euro, Japanese yen, and British pound.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qld reforms 'could increase youth crime'

TOUGH new measures aimed at young offenders in Queensland could actually increase crime, lawyers and Amnesty International have warned.

Queensland could soon have the harshest laws in Australia if Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie does away with the principle of detention as a last resort for young criminals.

Under the government's plans, young offenders would also be named and shamed and transferred to adult jails when they turn 17.

The Queensland Law Society opposed the majority of the recommendations at a public hearing at parliament house on Monday.

It said the naming and shaming plan would stigmatise young offenders, hurt their rehabilitation prospects, and could increase recidivism by strengthening bonds with criminal sub-cultures.

The law society also rubbished reports that youth crime is on the rise.

It quoted from the children's court's annual report, which pointed to a 6.9 per cent drop in youth crime in 2011/12, and an even larger fall the year before.

It also pointed to evidence of fewer young people going through the courts, but a rise in the total number of charges, indicating an increasing problem with repeat offenders.

The law society says the government should be focused on intervention programs for those repeat offenders rather than sweeping reforms.

"What we do know is that sentencing young people to detention actually increases the likelihood of them returning to detention, entering the adult criminal justice system, and that provides less protection to the community," Children's Law Committee Chair Damian Bartholomew told parliament's legal affairs committee.

Amnesty International, which has 40,000 members in Queensland, also expressed grave concerns about the government's plans.

It said the changes were in direct conflict with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which says the arrest, detention and imprisonment of young people should be a last resort.

Amnesty's government relations manager Louise Allen urged the committee to consider overwhelming evidence pointing to the ineffectiveness of the proposals.

"This bill risks having serious and long-term detrimental consequences on the lives of at-risk young kids," Ms Allen said.

Mr Bleijie says the number of offences and the seriousness of offences climbed under the former Labor government's slap-on-the-wrist approach.

"It's resulted in hardened, repeat offenders, criminals who are in their early teens and that's precisely what these reforms target," he told AAP.

Mr Bleijie says the reforms were overwhelmingly supported by more than 4000 respondents, who were mostly victims of crime.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Reynolds readies for WA Senate re-run

WA Senate candidate Linda Reynolds (L) says she's not angry she has to hit the campaign trail again. Source: AAP

DESPITE winning fair and square in the West Australian Senate election, Liberal candidate Linda Reynolds says she's not angry about having to go back on the hustings.

The former adjutant general in the Australian Army says she's taken last month's High Court decision to void the result of the WA poll in her stride.

Ms Reynolds won the state's fourth seat in both the initial count and the recount, during which the Australian Electoral Commission lost 1370 ballots, prompting a fresh election on April 5.

Under the electoral act, an election cannot be held for just the contentious fifth and sixth seats.

"I'm actually very calm about it - I'm generally not angry about it at all," Ms Reynolds told AAP.

She remains number three on the party's ticket, behind David Johnston and Michaelia Cash, and ahead of Slade Brockman.

Two candidates - Steve Thomas and Chris Oughton - have dropped off.

The opposition has so far only re-endorsed its top two, Joe Bullock and Louise Pratt, in that order.

"We'll clear up the rest of the ticket in the next couple of days," Labor state secretary Simon Mead said.

Ms Reynolds said she heard much the same comments from the electorate while doorknocking last week as she did before the September federal election, but voters were increasingly nervous about jobs.

"For WA, that means we need the economy to grow and we need to get more of a fairer share. I think it's not just about GST, but also infrastructure spending, which we desperately need in the west."

She said the opposition's criticism of the federal government's refusal to fund urban rail showed Labor was out of touch and city-centric.

"People in Western Australia are savvy enough to know the difference between state and federal responsibilities."

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Egg warning over Vic salmonella outbreak

VICTORIANS have been warned of the higher risk of eating raw or undercooked eggs after more than 200 people fell ill from salmonella.

Health authorities have linked two restaurants to raw-egg foods using products from western Victorian supplier Green Eggs.

The Department of Environment and Primary Industries has restricted the sale of eggs from the Green Eggs farm near Ararat until extra cleaning and hygiene measures are taken.

More than 200 people became ill with gastroenteritis after eating at the Bottle of Milk restaurant in Torquay, and a handful of others suffered the same fate after dining at St Kilda's Newmarket hotel.

There have been other isolated cases, and those affected have ranged in age from nine months to over 65 years.

Chief health officer Rosemary Lester says Green Eggs, which supplies a range of Victorian eateries, markets and supermarkets, is still being investigated as the definite source and testing will take a few days.

Dr Lester warned that food and drinks containing raw and undercooked eggs, including mayonnaise, aioli, eggnog and tiramisu, had previously been linked to salmonella outbreaks in Victoria.

"These foods can be a risk, especially for the elderly and people with lowered immunity, children and pregnant women," she said.

Dr Lester said cooking eggs until they were hot all the way through made them safe from contaminants such as salmonella.

Anyone who has bought Green Eggs are advised to use them for cooked dishes only, and restaurants wanting to prepare raw-egg foods or dressings should get their eggs elsewhere while changes at the farm are being made.

Dr Lester said people needed to check that eggs were clean and without cracks before buying them.

Washing eggs at home is also not recommended because it makes it easier for bacteria to penetrate the shell.

Newmarket Hotel owner Tom Walker said he felt terrible for those affected by what has happened.

"We take health and hygiene extremely seriously and are relieved that local inspections have revealed all practices and processes to be compliant and more than satisfactory," he said in a statement.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fish and chip shopfront damage in Sydney

POLICE are trying to confirm if a bullet caused damage to a fish and chip shopfront in Sydney's south.

A man opened Hooked on Seafood on the Princes Highway at Sylvania on Sunday morning to find damage to the front window.

Police tape surrounded the shop throughout most of the day and the windows were still intact.

A nearby business told AAP there was one bullet hole in the window.

Police say a crime scene was established but no forensic or ballistic evidence was located.

Investigators are trying to confirm whether a bullet, rock or another projectile caused the damage.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man under police guard after alleged arson

A QUEENSLAND man who allegedly set fire to a house in the state's southeast is now under police guard in hospital.

A 16-year-old girl suffered serious burns in the blaze and has been flown to Brisbane for treatment.

Police say seven people were inside the home at Oakhurst, near Maryborough, when it went up in flames on Sunday morning.

They all managed to flee before the home was gutted by fire.

Police allege a Dunmora man, 53, drove a prime-mover into the home, damaging two vehicles, before setting the house alight.

He is in Maryborough Hospital but is expected to be flown to Brisbane for burns treatment.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hundreds rally over Vic mine fire response

HUNDREDS of residents have rallied in Victoria's Morwell where a coal mine is on fire, demanding a royal commission into what they say is a lack of action by authorities.

Protest leader Nerissa Albon said 1200 people had turned out to the rally, united in frustration over living in the smoke-affected town where a blaze at the Hazelwood open cut coal mine has been burning since February 9.

"Everybody's sick of their eyes stinging, they're sick of sore throats, they're sick of their houses being covered," she told AAP.

Demonstrators want a royal commission into what they say is a delayed government response, real assistance to leave the area and lack of fire safety infrastructure in the disused part of the mine which is ablaze.

Greens Senator Richard Di Natale, who spoke at the rally, said locals were right to be angry over conflicting health messages.

He accused the state government of a lack of leadership on the issue, saying a state of emergency should have been declared within days of the fire starting.

"We knew that the impacts of the smoke from this fire would have serious acute health impacts and quite possibly very serious longer term impacts," he told reporters in Morwell.

"The question is, what sort of exposure are we going to allow the people of Morwell to be exposed to before we act?"

Dr Di Natale, a former GP who last year led a Senate inquiry into health impacts of air pollution, said Premier Denis Napthine needed to ask Prime Minister Tony Abbott for disaster relief assistance.

Mine operator, GDF Suez, had a social responsibility to the residents but was also missing in action, he said.

Health Minister David Davis said the situation was being handled professionally, based on best advice.

"The chief health officer has issued advisories on the basis of the evidence that's available, on the basis of the best possible advice," he told reporters.

Mr Davis said the government will provide whatever assistance is reasonable and health department officers will individually assess each family.

Chief Health Officer Rosemary Lester advised on Friday that people over 65, preschool-age children, pregnant women and those with a pre-existing heart or lung condition should move from Morwell South as the fire will most likely not be extinguished in the next 10 days as first thought.

The state government will hold an independent inquiry into the fires.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

CleanUp Australia back at work

Around 550,000 volunteers will focus on cigarette butts and drink bottles for CleanUp Australia day. Source: AAP

CLEANUP Australia's Ian Kiernan and more than half a million of his mates will spend Sunday applying his newly developed formula, E=1.

Operating out of Tasmania in 2014, Mr Kiernan is leading the 24th annual CleanUp Australia day and more than half a million volunteers will scour the scrub, sand, parks, creeks and bush at 7000 sites across the country.

"I have 550,000 close, personal friends now," he said.

Many other clubs and groups across the country participate but don't register, so the true figure is probably much larger, he said.

Mr Kiernan said the environment is the "absolute, primary issue" and since being awarded an honorary doctorate in science from the UNSW, he's developed a formula to help everyone remember and act with nature in mind.

"E=1, not E=mc2, that's very good, but E=1 comes long before that," he said, clarifying that E was in fact an abbreviation of environment.

The group's focus this year is cigarette butts and drink bottles.

"They're a real problem," Mr Kiernan told AAP from the group's Tasmanian headquarters

"They've got toxic material in them, they've got plastic in them and they just accumulate."

As well as improving the environment, CleanUp Australia day encourages people to live more sustainably and is great for business, Mr Kiernan said.

"Tourists won't return to degraded destinations," he said.

Mr Kiernan also wants to see South Australia's incentive-based recycling scheme replicated nationally.

"The recovery rate on beveridge containers is in excess of 85 per cent. In other cities and towns, less than 30 per cent

"Instead of seeing a bit of rubbish on the beach or beside the road, you'll see money."

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More