Fiery gas buses to stay on Perth roads

PERTH'S fleet of gas buses will remain on the road despite another being destroyed by fire, as transport bosses demand answers from manufacturer Mercedes Benz.

A month after Perth drivers threatened to walk off the job unless answers were given about the cause of several gas bus fires, another caught fire at a depot in Welshpool on Sunday night.

The bus was not in service and there were no passengers or staff on the bus at the time.

But the blaze destroyed the bus, worth around $550,000, and damaged another.

It sparked more fears about the potential safety risks to drivers and passengers, and prompted more urgent action from the Perth Transit Authority (PTA).

The PTA's David Hynes said there was still no possibility of gas buses being taken off the road, because they represented about 40 per cent of Perth's total bus fleet.

"To take them off the road would absolutely cripple the bus service and public transport," Mr Hynes said.

"I can understand the drivers would be (concerned).

"We are doing everything we can."

In February, a Transperth bus driver ordered about 20 passengers off a bus after seeing a warning light on the dashboard.

The driver turned off the gas valve, but the back of the bus soon caught fire.

On December 14, another gas bus was engulfed in flames and almost destroyed.

Mr Hynes said urgent requests were being made to Mercedes in Germany in a bid to discover the cause of the fires.

"I would expect we are making some fairly robust phone calls at the moment asking them to be involved further," he said.

Transport Minister Troy Buswell had previously implemented a five-point plan, including doubling inspections and examining the capacity to improve fire suppression systems.

An upgrade of those systems, costing about $1.5 million, will be fast-tracked to begin this week.

A report on the possible causes of the previous fires is due to be released within a week.

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Govt seeks feedback on company tax change

THE federal government is seeking feedback from business on its plan to make company tax payments monthly instead of quarterly.

The proposal was announced in last October's mid-year budget review, raising an additional $8.3 billion in government revenue in the first three years.

Releasing the government's exposure draft legislation on Monday, Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury said the changes would make the tax system more responsive, efficient and consistent by better matching tax collections with the economic conditions faced by business.

"This change continues the reform of the company tax instalment system that began in the late 1980s," Mr Bradbury said in a statement.

Consultation on the exposure draft will close on April 12.

The changes are expected to be implemented in three stages.

Companies that meet or exceed a $1 billion annual turnover threshold will migrate to the new system from January 1, 2014.

Those that meet or exceed annual turnover thresholds of $100 million will change from January 1, 2015, and those of $20 million will be a year later.

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Good Day to Die Hard tops box office

IT'S "Yippee ki-yay" for A Good Day to Die Hard, with the latest Bruce Willis action film claiming the top spot in the Australian box office.

The films are based on the rough action man John McClane, whose catch phrase is "Yippee ki-yay".

Starring Aussie actor Jai Courtney as McClane's son, the fifth film in the Die Hard franchise raked in $3.824 million on debut.

Oz The Great and Powerful continued its hold over Australian audiences claiming the No.2 spot, according to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.

The new Hollywood adventure film Jack The Giant Slayer debuted at No.3 pulling in $1.122 million at the weekend.

Based on the fairytale, it stars Nicholas Hoult as Jack, along with Ewan McGregor and Stanley Tucci.

In its second week at the box office the comedy Incredible Burt Wonderstone, with Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi and Jim Carrey was pushed to the No.4 spot with $1.093 million.

Another comedy, 21 and Over, is still holding on in the top 10 at fifth place.

Meanwhile, the Aussie film Goddess, starring Magda Szubanski, Ronan Keating and Laura Michelle Kelly has dropped two places to No.6, taking $338,692.

And the UK rom-com I Give It a Year, starring Australians Rose Byrne and Simon Baker, sits at No.8.

The drama Performance, Christopher Walken, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keneer, had a nice little jump in the ratings from No.12 to No.9.

Silver Linings Playbook, for which Jennifer Lawrence won the Oscar for best actress, dropped to seventh while Broken City, starring Russell Crowe, is at No. 10.

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Arrested Collins clear of drugs: report

FORMER All Blacks hardman Jerry Collins says he was not on any illegal drugs when arrested for carrying a knife in Japan.

Collins is still in custody in Hamamatsu, about 250km southwest of Tokyo, after his arrest by up to 20 police officers in an upmarket department store about 10 days ago.

The 32-year-old told Campbell Live that he was carrying a knife because he feared for his safety.

Collins was not allowed to be filmed, but host John Campbell said Collins told him during a 15 minute visit that he was fine and being treated well.

He had got into a misunderstanding with a gang to a point where he feared for his life and threats to his life.

Collins said he was being followed the day he was arrested and feared for his life, and decided to enter the department store where he was arrested because he wouldn't be attacked with witnesses about.

Campbell said Collins told him he was relieved to be arrested.

An attendant at the department store told Campbell Live that Collins tried to enter a space without saying anything, and when security staff arrived, he showed them two knives, after which he was arrested.

Staff noted he was sweating profusely and thought he may have been on drugs, but Campbell said Collins told him he had been tested for illegal drugs and all the tests came back negative.

The gang involved was believed to be one largely of foreign workers, mostly expat Brazilians, who had disliked foreign rugby players from a time pre-dating Collins' 2011 arrival in Japan, Campbell Live reported.

Meanwhile, Collins' New Zealand lawyer Tim Castle has departed New Zealand, taking with him a number of support documents.

Mr Castle told One News he hoped to meet Collins on Tuesday and to meet with prosecution and police representatives.

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Qld woman bashed with hammer, shot

A WOMAN has been bashed on the head with a hammer and shot in the hip by a masked man on the Queensland Gold Coast.

Police say the woman, 18, was walking along a footpath in Carrara about 2am (AEST) on Sunday when struck from behind on the head.

A man believed to be armed with a hammer then walked in front of her and hit her repeatedly before producing a gun and shooting her in the hip.

Police say a second unknown man drove the woman to hospital and left her.

The first male is described as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in appearance. He was wearing a bandanna over his nose and mouth.

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ALP MPs say another spill by June 3: Pyne

Senior Labor minister Anthony Albanese has called on his party to unite behind PM Julia Gillard. Source: AAP

OPPOSITION frontbencher Christopher Pyne says he's receiving text messages from Labor MPs still agitating for Julia Gillard's removal as prime minister before the election.

Mr Pyne's claim comes as the first opinion poll since the ALP leadership spill shows most voters believe the office of the prime minister has been damaged, as the party's primary vote languishes at rock-bottom lows.

He said he rejected former prime minister Kevin Rudd's statement that he would never return as Labor's leader following events of the past week.

"I'm still getting text messages from supporters of his in the caucus telling me that they plan to remove Julia Gillard in 71 days (June 3)," Mr Pyne told ABC television on Sunday.

"So the civil war continues and the losers from this are the Australian people."

Mr Rudd did not contest the ballot when he realised he lacked the numbers after Ms Gillard declared the leadership vacant on Thursday to end months of speculation.

A Galaxy Poll released on Sunday showed 56 per cent of Labor voters said the prime minister's office had been damaged by leadership instability, while 87 per cent of coalition voters agreed.

The coalition had a two-party preferred vote of 55 per cent to Labor's 45 per cent, which would give the opposition a 39-seat majority with a uniform swing at the September 14 election.

Senior minister Anthony Albanese called on the party on Sunday to unite and fight Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and the coalition instead of itself.

But Mr Pyne said Mr Albanese should not to be a part of Ms Gillard's new cabinet when she reshapes her ministry for the sixth time in nearly three years after eight Rudd supporters stood down last week.

Mr Pyne said it was untenable for Mr Albanese and fellow cabinet members Mark Butler and Bob Carr to continue in their roles given their apparent support for Mr Rudd.

"You can't have Anthony Albanese leading the House for Julia Gillard in whom he hasn't expressed confidence, whom he wanted to replace her deputy prime minister and treasurer with himself," Mr Pyne said.

Mr Albanese, however, says he will not resign.

"I believe it is certainly in the Labor Party's interest collectively that I continue to do the job that I've done both as a minister and particularly as Leader of the House," the transport minister told Sky News.

Ms Gillard refused to comment on her new cabinet while attending events in Melbourne and Sydney on Sunday.

After delivering a short speech at Greek Independence Day celebrations in Sydney, her only comment to reporters was: "It's a great day for our Greek community."

The coalition plans to place a no-confidence motion in the government when parliament returns on May 14.

Mr Abbott said if the crossbenchers were listening to their electorates they would join the coalition and vote for it.

Mr Pyne said a successful no-confidence motion could lead to a House of Representatives and half Senate election in July.

The Australian Electorate Commission states an election before August 3 would be for the House of Representatives and the four territory senators only.

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Take holiday in tornado-hit area: Napthine

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine has toured areas of the state's northeast devastated by a tornado. Source: AAP

VICTORIAN Premier Denis Napthine is encouraging people to take their Easter holidays in towns where a tornado cut a devastating path.

More than 20 homes and 100 caravans were destroyed when the freak storm smashed through towns on the Victoria-NSW border on Thursday night.

The tornado packed winds of between 250 and 300 km/h, sending roofs, caravans, vehicles and trees flying, injuring 20 people.

Dr Napthine toured the affected towns of Koonoomooo, Yarrawonga and Bundalong on Sunday.

"The devastation in the area affected has just been horrific," he told reporters at Koonoomoo.

The premier said the best way for other Victorians to help was to holiday in the tourist-dependent region.

"Come up here over Easter. It'll be open for business," he said.

"Show your support for the local community. Spend a few dollars in the town and help rebuild the local economy of this devastated community."

Dr Napthine said emergency accommodation had been provided to all those whose homes had been left uninhabitable.

The federal government has made available disaster assistance payments for those affected by the tornado.

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Thousands celebrate Greek Independence

POLITICIANS and prominent Greek Australians have joined with thousands in a central Sydney park to celebrate Greece's independence from the Ottoman Empire.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, environment minister Tony Burke, opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison, NSW Liberal MP David Clarke and NSW opposition leader John Robertson were all at The Domain on Sunday for the occasion, along with an Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church, the Cypriot high commissioner and the president of the NSW Greek Orthodox community.

Joining them to mark the 1828 exit of Greece from the Ottoman Empire were about 3000 people, mainly families who had come to watch their children's church or school group perform traditional Greek dances and songs.

In a speech to those enjoying the sunny weather and Hellenic festivities, Ms Gillard said it was "a day of seriousness and also of enjoyment".

"(It is) a day to commemorate great patriots and a day to celebrate what they won and what their descendants have built around the world," she said.

Chrys Rontziokos, 40, was at the celebration with her children and parents, who emigrated to Australia in 1966.

She said the event was a great chance to catch up with other members of the Greek community.

"Everyone gets together on this day, people we haven't seen for a very long time," she told AAP.

"It's a beautiful culture that we've got. People who aren't Greek love our culture."

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Report says CIA helping Syrian rebels

THE US Central Intelligence Agency has been feeding information to select rebel fighters in Syria to try to make them more effective against government troops, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Citing unnamed current and former US officials, the newspaper on Saturday said the new CIA effort reflected a change in the administration's approach that aims to strengthen secular rebel fighters.

The CIA has sent officers to Turkey to help vet rebels who receive arms shipments from Gulf allies, the report said.

But administration officials cited concerns about some weapons going to Islamists, the paper noted.

In Iraq, the CIA has been directed by the White House to work with elite counterterrorism units to help the Iraqis counter the flow of al-Qaeda linked fighters across the border with Syria, The Journal said.

According to the report, the West favours fighters aligned with the Free Syrian Army, which supports the Syrian Opposition Coalition political group.

Syrian opposition commanders said the CIA had been working with British, French and Jordanian intelligence services to train rebels in the use of various kinds of weapons, the paper said.

The move comes as the al Nusra Front, the main al-Qaeda linked group operating in Syria, is deepening its ties to the terrorist organisation's central leadership in Pakistan, The Journal said.

The new aid to rebels doesn't change the US decision against taking direct military action, the paper noted.

AFP a

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Elderly man injured in garage explosion

AN elderly man is in hospital after a homemade device exploded in his garage in southwest Sydney.

The man, believed to be in his 70s, alerted emergency services to the incident at about 3.20pm (AEDT) on Saturday following the explosion in Barry Crescent, Padstow Heights.

Police said the man suffered injuries to his right hand after "playing around with some sort of homemade device".

"It looks like he might have been tinkering around with something that perhaps he should not have and it's caused something to explode," a police spokesman told AAP.

There was no damage caused to the property, which specialist police are now surveying.

Officers will speak to the man after he has undergone surgery for his injuries.

The incident is not being treated as suspicious.

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