Fire crisis burns north for Tasmania

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yesterday it was around about 100 people."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Life of Pi challenges The Hobbit for No.1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Doubts over income quarantine in APY Lands

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The program costs $4.4 million over two years.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Post-smartphone era coming, says expert

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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One hundred missing after Tas fires

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"We just had to get out without anything."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Abbott has long-held views on IVF: Roxon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Abuse terms of reference expected soon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The commission is expected to run for years.

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

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

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Summernats brakes for another year

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scorching weekend temperatures did nothing to deter car enthusiasts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Mali group withdraws ceasefire pledge

Ansar Dine is suspending its pledge to halt hostilities less than a month after agreeing to do so. Source: AAP

AN Islamist group in northern Mali says it is suspending its pledge to halt hostilities less than a month after it agreed to do so.

The group Ansar Dine says negotiations with the Malian government are ultimately aimed at a military intervention to oust the group from the West African country and are not true peace talks.

Still, the group said it remains committed to a dialogue with the Malian government in Bamako even though it is keeping its military options open.

Ansar Dine, which says it seeks autonomy for northern Mali, has been behind public executions, amputations and whippings in the area that it seized last year.

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Govt to support bushfire communities: PM

DISASTER assistance to fire-stricken communities in Tasmania will start flowing in coming days, the federal government has announced.

The support will be available to help recovery in the Sorell and Tasman local government areas in the state's southeast.

The needs of other areas will be closely monitored, Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Minister for Emergency Management Nicola Roxon announced in a joint statement released on Saturday.

The Australian government is working with local authorities to support affected communities, they said.

"This is a tragic time for those who have suffered loss in the devastating Tasmanian bushfires," they said in the statement.

Assistance grants will be made available through the Tasmanian department of health and human services and will be jointly funded by the commonwealth and state government under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements.

Three fires are threatening communities along the east coast and in central Tasmania, with thousands of people stranded as roads are cut off.

Ms Gillard said there were clear arrangements for how local authorities, state authorities and federal authorities work together.

"Unfortunately ... our world has given us the opportunity to test all of this, time and time again ... so we'll keep working to support communities," she told the Nine Network.

She said the focus at the moment was "still fighting the fires".

Ms Gillard said she would like to visit bushfire-ravaged communities but needed to ensure she would not disrupt any emergency efforts.

"I do like to go and visit communities that have been affected by disasters, but you've got to judge the right time ... and you are not in any way disrupting what are immediate efforts to deal with the emergency."

She said it broke her heart when she saw footage of the damage caused by bushfires.

"I'm obviously from Victoria. We saw that huge loss of life in the Victorian bushfires. The destructive power of fires is just so awesome.

"So whenever you see those pictures, whenever you see that kind of loss, it really does touch a chord in you."

Ms Gillard reminded people the extreme heat was widespread across Australia.

"That means there are risks in more areas than Tasmania.

"The best thing people can do is stay in touch with local authorities" and heed local community warnings, she said.

Information on assistance that is available is at www.disasterassist.gov.au or www.dhhs.tas.gov.au.

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