Chinese tourists more independent: survey

CHINESE tourists are more independent, with more choosing solo adventures over travelling in groups, a survey shows.

Results of the Chinese International Travel Monitor (CITM) survey, released on Wednesday, found nearly two thirds of the 3000 Chinese polled preferred to travel independently.

While 70 per cent of the 1500 hoteliers surveyed said they'd noticed a rise in the number of Chinese travelling on their own.

Chinese tourists were more confident and were able to understand and speak English better than five years ago, hotel owners said.

"Increasingly, we are seeing travellers from China looking to create their own tailor-made itineraries," Tourism Australia (TA) boss Andrew McEvoy said.

"China is the single most important market for Australian tourism to achieve its long-term plans for growth."

TA recently launched a Chinese version of its website tailored to that country's preferred Australian travel experiences.

The CITM survey also revealed Chinese tourists want more hotels to accept Chinese payment methods.

They also want translated TV shows, newspapers and magazines and would like hotel owners to hire more Madarin speaking staff.

Johan Svanstrom, boss of Hotels.com which carried out the survey, said growth in the Chinese market appeared to be outstripping the pace of change in the hotel industry.

About a quarter of hoteliers said they offered cultural awareness training to staff and just one in 10 had welcome signs and entertainment in Mandarin.

"Hoteliers are making positive steps towards catering to an increasingly mobile and savvy Chinese travel market," Mr Svanstrom said.

"But the global hotel industry needs to adapt facilities and services to cater to the world's largest market of travellers."

About one in 10 tourists to Australia now come from China.

The number of Chinese heading Down Under has almost tripled over the past decade, with more than 630,000 arriving in Australia last year.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tas forests cash to flow, deal or no deal

THE federal government is being accused of pulling the rug from under the Tasmanian forest peace deal by promising the cash regardless of the environmental gains.

Federal minister Julie Collins says $100 million which was to be paid once the agreement was finalised will now flow whether or not the state's upper house enables it.

In return for the cash, 500,000 hectares of forest was to be protected.

The money will go to around 30 job-creating projects in an attempt to diversify Tasmania's economy following the decline of the forestry industry.

It was to be the carrot used to ensure a reluctant Legislative Council rubber-stamped the historic deal between environmentalists and the timber industry that took nearly three years to negotiate.

The upper house passed legislation in April but with the proviso the agreement was shown to be workable by October.

But already one MLC has tabled a disallowance motion, adjourning the debate so the government can explain problems with the agreement's implementation, including a lack of wood supply.

Coalition leader Tony Abbott has signalled he will not stop the $100 million being spent, even though he and the state's Liberal opposition say they will tear up the agreement.

Greens leader Christine Milne reacted furiously to the apparent move by Labor to match Mr Abbott.

"Today we see federal Labor's final betrayal in their promise to ensure long-term forest conservation in Tasmania," Senator Milne said in a statement.

"As always the industry has had tens of millions poured into it while the state-based conservation outcomes hang in limbo."

The state Liberals described the ALP move as a back-down.

"Today's decision confirms that Labor has been trying to blackmail the community into accepting the forestry deal," spokesman Peter Gutwein said.

"Tasmania is entitled to its fair share of regional development funding and the funding should never have been made contingent on shutting down the forestry industry."

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Heineken profits fall

Dutch brewing company Heineken has reported a 17 per cent fall in first half profits. Source: AAP

HEINEKEN NV says first half earnings fell 17 per cent because of bad weather, weak 'consumer sentiment' in Europe and the United States, and slowing growth in developing countries.

Net profit at the world's third-largest brewer was $US639 million euros ($A709 million), from 766 million euros a year ago. Revenues rose 3 per cent to 10.4 billion euros, but that was due to Heineken's takeover of Asian Pacific Breweries, the maker of Tiger beer.

Heineken bought the 58 per cent stake in APB it didn't already own for 4.8 billion euros last year.

Otherwise, sales would have fallen by 1 per cent, with prices slightly higher but volumes down 3 per cent.

Chief executive Jean Francois van Boxmeer said Wednesday the outlook for the second half is similar. The company plans to keep cutting costs.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

McGurk killer planned to take rat poison

AFTER murdering debt collector Michael McGurk, hitman Haissam Safetli says he planned to confess to "everything" then take rat poison in a bathroom.

Safetli was sentenced to at least six-and-a-half years in jail earlier this month for the murder of Mr McGurk, who was shot outside his Cremorne home in Sydney's north on September 3, 2009.

During his first day of giving evidence at the committal hearing of his co-accused, property developer Ron Medich and alleged triggerman Christopher Estephan, Safetli said that in the weeks before his October 2010 arrest he planned to go to the NSW Crime Commission and take the rap.

"I was going to go down to the Crime Commission and take responsibility for everything and say I did everything and no one else was involved," he told Central Local Court on Wednesday.

"And then I would ask to go to the bathroom and take rat poison."

Estephan's barrister Gregory Farmer SC put to Safetli that he had in fact gone to police with the view of minimising his role in the murder.

"No not really," Safetli replied.

His response prompted an outburst from a member of the gallery, who shouted: "Yes you did, you shot him you piece of s***".

As the man was pulled from the court by a sheriff, he yelled, "you set up a 19-year-old boy for the murder".

Like his co-offenders Lucky Gattellari and Senad Kaminic, Safetli has received a heavy discount on his prison term for giving evidence against Medich and Estephan.

The crown alleges that Medich, embroiled in several legal disputes with Mr McGurk, conscripted Gattellari to kill him.

Safetli says he and Estephan, then 19, went to Mr McGurk's home and the teenager fired the fatal shot.

During the hearing, Safetli told the court that Estephan was one of four men he had approached to help carry out the hit on Mr McGurk.

As Gattellari continued to place pressure on him, Safetli said he felt "stuck" and "had no choice".

"You were walking around asking anyone you met if they could do the job," Mr Farmer put to him.

"Don't make it sound like I had an ad in the trading post," Safetli replied.

The hearing continues before Magistrate Jan Stevenson.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Labor, coalition launch in Brisbane

LABOR and the coalition will both launch their federal election campaigns in Brisbane.

The coalition launch is scheduled for this Sunday in the Queensland capital.

Labor's launch will follow on September 1, heading into the final week of the campaign.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's home city of Brisbane also hosted the two major party launches during the 2010 election campaign.

The coalition launch's program is still being finalised, but it is understood Queensland premier Campbell Newman has been invited.

Mr Newman has been the target of a Labor attack calling his public sector job cuts the "entree" to Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's "main course" of federal budget cuts.

Mr Abbott has promised a commission of audit similar to that run in Queensland after the Liberal National Party's landslide victory in 2012.

The Labor event will be the first time a major party leader has launched a national campaign in his own electorate.

Mr Rudd attended the low-key Labor launch in 2010, but did not play a role.

Former prime minister Bob Hawke introduced Julia Gillard to the party faithful, having ousted Mr Rudd less than two months earlier.

The coalition's 2010 launch was a set-piece event, marred only by a streaker protesting the treatment of refugees.

Queensland is the key to Labor's chances of retaining office.

It has 30 lower house seats, half of which are held with margins of five per cent or lower.

Labor holds only eight of these seats and must pick up a swag of others if it is to have any chance of winning on September 7.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aussie shares dip on US stimulus thoughts

AUSTRALIAN shares have slipped as speculation about a winding back of US stimulus weighed on resource stocks.

Materials stocks were among the worse performers on Tuesday, with the mining giants losing more than the overall market's 0.7 per cent decline.

BHP Billiton lost 50 cents, or 1.35 per cent, to $36.54 as Rio Tinto ditched 63 cents to $59.51.

After the local market closed, BHP announced a 29.5 per cent fall in full-year net profit to $US10.9 billion ($A12.03 billion).

Speculation about a tapering of US Federal Reserve stimulus measures also buffeted Asian equity markets, and caused the Indian rupee to hit an all-time low against the greenback.

"It's a story of emerging market weakness, basically," IG markets strategist Chris Weston said.

The big four banks had mixed fortunes, with National Australia Bank gaining 21 cents to $31.57 after posting a $1.7 billion net profit for the three months to June.

ANZ was also up, adding 12 cents at $29.56, but Commonwealth Bank was down 88 cents at $70.27, and Westpac shed 43 cents at $31.14.

Investors appeared to overlook minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) August meeting, where members agreed the possibility of closing off more rate cuts should be considered.

"These minutes were stale," Mr Weston said.

Meanwhile, QBE Insurance Group shares lost 93 cents, or 5.46 per cent, to $16.10 after posting a 37 per cent fall in half-year net profit to $US477 million ($A526.29 million), following a fall in demand for US mortgage insurance.

KEY FACTS

* At 1615 AEST on Tuesday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 34.3 points, or 0.67 per cent, at 5,078.2 points.

* The broader All Ordinaries index was 33.5 points lower, or 0.66 per cent, at 5,068.8 points.

* The September share price index futures contract was down 30 points at 5058 points, with 24,195 contracts traded.

* The spot price of gold in Sydney finished at $US1358.85, down $US14.45 from $US1373.30 on Monday.

* National turnover was 1.7 billion securities worth $4.5 billion.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic parly to fill vacant Senate post

THE Victorian parliament is expected to hold a joint sitting on Wednesday to fill the vacancy left by Senator David Feeney.

He formally resigned from the Senate last week to run in the safe Labor lower house seat of Batman, vacated by retiring former minister Martin Ferguson.

The Victorian parliament is expected to hold a joint sitting at 6.15pm (AEST) on Wednesday to replace Mr Feeney with Mehmet Tillem.

Mr Tillem will become the first Turkish-born Australian member of parliament.

He will fill the casual Senate vacancy until July 2014, when Mr Feeney's term of office was due to expire.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aust ferry owner faces mass charges in PNG

AAP Papua New Guinea Correspondent

PORT MORESBY, Aug 20 AAP - An Australian expat is facing as many as 162 charges of manslaughter following an investigation into last year's sinking of the Rabaul Queen.

Peter Sharp, who owned the ferry when it sank in rough weather off Lae in February 2012, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon in Rabaul, in PNG's East New Britain province.

PNG radio station Legend FM is quoting police as saying Mr Sharp was charged on Tuesday afternoon with 162 counts of manslaughter and one count of operating an unseaworthy vessel.

He is also being charged with negligence.

When contacted by AAP, police would only confirm Mr Sharp was being interviewed.

"He is facing charges," assistant commissioner Anton Billie told AAP.

"The men are interviewing him now."

The exact death toll from the disaster is unknown because Mr Sharp's company, Rabaul Shipping, did not have a complete passenger manifest.

There were as many as 350 people aboard the ferry when it sank.

An official inquiry found the ferry was unsafe, overloaded and should not have been at sea.

Mr Sharp is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW cyclist dies after being hit by truck

A CYCLIST has died after he was hit by a truck and became trapped underneath it in Newcastle.

The truck collided with the 36-year-old man on Minmi Road at Wallsend just after 8am (AEST) on Sunday morning.

Emergency services were called but the man died at the scene.

The truck driver was not hurt.

Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Our robot future on display in Brisbane

Robot farming is just one possibility that was on display at the robot convention in Queensland. Source: AAP

SWARMS of robots tend to crops in central Queensland.

A robotic clone hosts a lecture at a Brisbane university for his master, who is more than 7000km away in Japan.

A band plays while flying robots light up the sky around them.

This isn't the future. It's Robotronica - a futuristic event held at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane on Sunday.

QUT creative director Jonathan Parsons says the event doesn't just showcase future possibilities, but highlights how advanced robotics presently is.

"We tend to use the term robots when it's something a bit alien or strange, but in the '50s dishwashers were robots, but we don't refer to them as that anymore," he told AAP.

"Now their completely part of the fabric of our society and one day, all these things will be too."

Swarm Farm Robotics Director Andrew Bate says his project is the future of agriculture.

One his farm near Emerald in central Queensland, Mr Bates is developing small tractors that will operate unmanned with others in a swarm, to replace the bulky, expensive models currently used.

"We keep getting bigger and bigger, but now the focus is on being smaller and more efficient," Mr Bate said.

"It's better for the soil and it's far more cost effective."

The star of the show was Geminoid, a robotic "clone" of his creator, Japanese roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro.

Geminoid, who blinks and has other subconscious human traits, had his crowd entranced when he re-presented a lecture his creator did at QUT just days before.

Robotics workshops and a gig from Brisbane pop group 7-Bit Hero, who incorporate smart phone gaming with their live show, was also featured at the event.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More