SA ex-funeral director charged with fraud

A FORMER funeral director has been arrested for allegedly submitting fraudulent funeral bond claims to insurers.

The 45-year-old man, who has been charged with 119 counts of fraud, has been granted bail to appear in Adelaide magistrates court on March 3.

Police allege that the man arranged prepaid funeral bonds on behalf of clients between 2008 and 2013.

He then allegedly submitted fraudulent funeral bond claims to insurers, falsely claiming that the policy holder clients had died.

Police have advised people who are concerned about their prepaid funeral bonds to contact their funeral director, insurer or the Funeral Directors Association for further advice.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aust trade deficit narrows as exports grow

Australia's trade balance stayed in the red in November, with a deficit of $118 million. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S international trade deficit has narrowed for the fourth consecutive month and strengthening resources exports are expected to support a shift back to surplus.

The deficit on goods and services was $118 million in November, down from October's deficit of $358 million, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday.

It also was better than the $300 million deficit economists had expected.

During the month, exports were flat, while imports were down one per cent.

The decline in the value of imports helped narrow the deficit, ANZ economist Dylan Eades said.

The figures also showed a small increase in rural goods and resources exports, he said.

"What we have seen in the last six to nine months is that exports, particularly iron ore, are beginning to pick up," Mr Eades said.

"All of that investment that we've seen from Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton and Fortescue, we are beginning to see those projects come to completion and we are seeing them move into the production phase. So, as a result, we are starting to see quite a strong volumes increase.

"Metal ores exports are around 40 per cent higher over the past year and we expect that to continue. We're expecting iron ore export volumes to rise from around 570 million tonnes in 2013 to about 620 million tonnes in 2014 and 680 million tonnes in 2015.

"We would be expecting a continued improvement in the trade balance over the next few months."

The data highlighted Australia's dependence on China, CommSec chief economist Craig James said.

"Australia's annual exports to China totalled over $92 billion, so it will be truly staggering just how much income will be generated from our largest trading partner when all the major resource projects are operating at full capacity," Mr James said.

"Annual exports to China equate to $4,000 for every Aussie man, woman and child.

"Despite the mountain of export revenue being generated from China, Australia's trade accounts are still in the red, rather than the black... That situation should be corrected when all the key LNG facilities are up and running over the next few years."

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Indonesia warns anew on boat turnbacks

INDONESIA has again warned the federal government against asylum-seeker turnbacks following reports the Australian Navy secretly turned around at least one boat in recent weeks.

Reports from Indonesia and Australia say an Ashmore Island-bound boat was turned back either in December or on Monday - or possibly on both occasions - and subsequently became stranded on Rote Island, near West Timor.

The Indonesian reports quoted local police, while Fairfax Media cited unnamed Australian Defence sources and the Indonesian water police.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison would not comment on the conflicting reports for "operational security reasons", despite the coalition having a pre-election policy to turn boats back when safe.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa also refused to comment on the specifics when asked about the reports on Tuesday.

"But as a policy, I shall repeat this once again: Indonesia rejects and is against the policy of boat turnbacks because it's not a solution," he told reporters in Jakarta, speaking in Indonesian.

Agus Barnas, a spokesman for Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Politics, Law and Security - which has responsibility for people smuggling - said he was unaware of any turnbacks.

He said Indonesia was still observing a moratorium on co-operating with Australia on people-smuggling after last year's spying scandal.

"So far, there's no policy that the co-operation would resume," Mr Barnas said.

"The talk on forming a code of conduct is still in process."

Speculation about possible boat turnbacks follows a stand-off in November when Australia tried to force a vessel back into Indonesian waters.

The Abbott government backed down after Indonesia refused to accept the asylum seekers, who were eventually transferred to Christmas Island.

Mr Morrison says that Australia respects Indonesia's territorial sovereignty "and will continue to do so".

"It is not the policy or practice of the Australian government to violate Indonesian territorial sovereignty," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Dr Natalegawa said Indonesia's relationship with Australia was still in a "difficult phase" in the wake of the spying revelations.

But he said he was in daily contact with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in an effort to repair the damage.

"What's needed is a gradual process of restoration of confidence or trust, and this is where we are just now," he said.

The Greens want Mr Morrison to provide details of any turnback operation, saying the lives of asylum seekers could have been endangered.

"These people could have drowned," Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

"How many other boats has this occurred to that we've never heard about?"

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

New bushfire threat to Stradbroke homes

WATER-BOMBING helicopters and fire crews are battling a large bushfire heading for homes on North Stradbroke Island, off Brisbane.

The blaze, fanned by strong winds, is burning at Brown Lake and is heading towards Myora Springs.

At 5.30pm (AEST), the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service issued another alert saying they expected the fire to reach Myora Springs within two hours.

"This fire is moving quickly and spot fires may occur ahead of the fire front and embers are also being thrown from the fire," the alert said.

"Residents are strongly advised to be prepared to relocate to a safer area if required."

There are three properties in the area, according to the Department of Community Safety.

The blaze was started by a lightning strike nine days ago.

No homes have been affected so but the fire prompted the evacuation of about 900 campers on New Year's Day.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aust govt urged to act on whale killings

The anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd says it has evidence of whale kills by the Japanese. Source: AAP

ANTI-WHALING group Sea Shepherd is urging the Australian government to take action to stop the Japanese whale hunt in protected Antarctic waters.

As the whaling season gets under way, the Sea Shepherd is pursuing Japan's five vessels in the Southern Ocean to disrupt and shut down their operations.

The conservation group has obtained footage of three dead minke whales, a protected species, on the deck of the Nisshin Maru, and a fourth whale, also believed to be a minke, being butchered on the ship.

Bob Brown, Sea Shepherd Australia chairman, says the group will run a peaceful but relentless campaign to defend the whales.

He urged the federal government to step in and send a customs vessel to police the activity.

"I've now written to the minister for the environment, Greg Hunt, asking him what action he's taken because he said he would intervene on this but there's little sign of that," he told AAP.

"The pictures speak for themselves. It's a bloody outrage."

The Abbott government made an election promise to send a customs vessel to monitor Japanese whalers in Antarctica, but after the election promised only a plane to observe protesters and whalers in the Southern Ocean.

But Dr Brown said there is no sign of even that.

"The Australian government have effectively said to its fleet, 'don't intervene on this crime', that's the problem here," he said.

"They're Australian whales, effectively, and they're been slaughtered, illegally."

Sea Shepherd has three ships in Antarctic waters to confront the Japanese in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, where commercial whaling is banned.

The federal court ruled Japan's hunt illegal in 2008 and issued an injunction against it.

But Dr Brown says Australian governments have failed to act on the ruling.

Last June, the New Zealand government joined the Australian government's challenge to the legality of Japan's whale hunt in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary at the International Court of Justice, but a judgment has yet to be delivered.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man hit and killed by train in Melbourne

A man was crossing railway tracks in Melbourne's southeast when he was fatally hit by a train. Source: AAP

A MAN has been struck and killed by a train in Melbourne's southeast.

Police say it appears the man was crossing the tracks at Aspendale, about 200 metres south of the station, when he was hit just before 11.30am (AEDT) on Monday.

The man's age and identity have not been confirmed.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

Senior lawyer says SA's courts the worst

A SOUTH Australian barrister says the state's courts are the worst in the country.

David Edwardson, QC, says chronic under-resourcing means that victims and offenders must wait longer for overworked judges to deliver justice.

"Our courts are the worst in the country, we are completely under-resourced and there are not enough courtrooms or judges ... it's that simple," he told the Adelaide Advertiser on Monday.

"Our courts are falling apart - they are just a joke - and their condition is very, very poor.

"To be brutally frank, it really is no more than a reflection of the government's pathological hatred of the legal profession and refusal to properly resource the courts."

Morry Bailes, president of the Law Society of South Australia, said there had been a chronic under-funding of the law in South Australia for some time.

He said the state does not have its full quota of judges, and even if it did the argument might be that it didn't have enough.

"Its probably the District Court where we're noticing the cracks beginning to appear," he told ABC radio.

Mr Bailes said there had been a significant increase in the number of criminal matters coming before the District Court in recent years with no corresponding increase in the number of judges, which meant that more cases were being delayed.

In Western Australia, he said, the wait for a District Court trial was about six to eight weeks, but in South Australia it could be a year to two years.

But acting Attorney-General Jack Snelling said the solution to any problem was not just "throwing more money at it".

"The answer is to make sure our legal system works as efficiently as possible to make sure cases are heard as quickly as possible," he said.

Opposition justice spokesman Stephen Wade said the government needed to stop blaming others for the issues and engage more positively with the legal profession and the courts.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW parliament siege man refused bail

The man at the centre of a siege outside the NSW parliament has been refused bail. Source: AAP

A FORMER taxi driver charged over a two-hour siege outside NSW parliament has been refused bail, with a magistrate citing the need to protect the community.

Abdula Ganiji, 58, appeared via video link before Central Local Court on Monday charged over the incident on December 20.

The Wollongong man caused a lockdown of Macquarie Street in Sydney's inner city when he drove his car on to the footpath outside parliament and allegedly made a number of threats.

A two-litre fruit juice container, fuel and a cigarette lighter were allegedly found after a dozen tactical officers swarmed his car, fired a canister of gas inside and dragged him into custody.

He was charged with threatening sabotage, possessing an explosive device to damage property, and threatening to destroy or damage property.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Ross Mitchell said the charges against Ganiji were of the "utmost seriousness".

"It's an amateurish thing he's done, but there's been some forethought and some planning," he said.

The prosecution also put forward a fresh allegation that Ganiji had more than one container and a total of 40 litres of fuel when he was arrested.

However, Ganiji's barrister, Jane Healey, said her client had been assessed by a psychiatrist and posed no risk to the community.

She said only a small amount of fuel was discovered after the incident and he "did not have the capacity to destroy parliament house".

"This accused has no prior criminal record despite his history of lawful protests," she said.

"The threat posed by this individual were he to be released on bail is almost negligible."

In a report tendered to court, Ganiji's psychiatrist said his patient had thoughts of dying by burning himself or by hunger strike, and although he posed a risk to himself, he was not a danger to others.

But magistrate Les Mabbutt said he could not be sure of that view and he refused bail, citing the seriousness of the charges and the need to protect the community.

After the decision was handed down, Ms Healey, on behalf of her client, put in a plea of not guilty to the charge of threatening sabotage.

The matter will return to court on January 20.

15.02 | 0 komentar | Read More

NSW posts big reduction in road deaths

NSW police say fewer people have died on the roads in 2013 compared with any year since 1924. Source: AAP

NSW in 2013 recorded its lowest road toll for 89 years, but police are warning drivers not to become complacent.

And fewer people died on the state's roads over the holiday period than in previous years, with 10 fatalities throughout NSW Police's Operation Safe Arrival period from December 20 to January 2.

The toll is seven down on the same period in 2012-2013 when 17 people died in 15 crashes.

The Operation Safe Arrival period is separate from the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board's national road toll period, which started at midnight on December 23 and ends at midnight on January 3.

NSW police carried out 571,664 breath tests and issued 960 drink-driving charges during Operation Safe Arrival.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn said despite the road toll reduction, there was still unacceptable loss of life on NSW roads.

"We can't become complacent because we have seen a massive reduction in road injury and road death," she told reporters on Friday.

"It really is now the crucial time for us to focus on keeping this road toll as low as we possibly can."

The overall road toll for 2013 of 339 is the lowest since 1924, Ms Burn said.

About 11,540 speeding infringements were also detected over the Christmas-new year period - about 400 more than the same period in 2012.

Assistant Commissioner John Hartley, of the NSW Traffic and Highway Patrol, said the highway patrol had resources on every highway and backstreet in NSW.

While the traffic blitz might be over, police are expecting heavy traffic over the weekend as people return home from holidays.

"Certainly tomorrow will be the day it is change over for accommodation down the coast in NSW," Mr Hartley said.

"So it will be very busy coming out of the city tomorrow and coming in.

He said while the operation in name has stopped, "all the resources are still out there to make sure people get the message".

NSW Police Minister Michael Gallacher said there was no excuse for people not heeding the message from police about speeding and drink driving.

"Quite simply when you see these statistics you really wonder why is it that people are not heeding the message during a period of double demerit points in particular ..." he said.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fortescue operations resume after death

Operations have resumed at Fortescue Mining Group's Christmas Creek mine after a contractor's death. Source: AAP

SURFACE mining operations have resumed at Fortescue Metals Group's Christmas Creek mine, four days after the death of a contractor.

The man was carrying out maintenance on a large piece of mining machinery in the Pilbara mine's heavy vehicle workshop when the accident occurred on Monday.

Surface mining operations at Christmas Creek were suspended as WA Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) inspectors carried out a site investigation.

It is the second death at the iron ore mine in less than five months.

The DMP also issued special directions ensuring that Fortescue tightens safety procedures at all of its operations, including lock out/tag out procedures, ahead of a safety audit.

Fortescue said the heavy vehicle workshop was "released" by the coroner and DMP safety inspectors on Thursday, and will now be brought back into service.

The company is now reviewing safety isolation and lock out/tag out procedures.

DMP Director General Richard Sellers said the department was conducting a thorough investigation into the Christmas Creek death and Fortescue was assisting inspectors with investigations.

Another worker who suffered leg and hand injuries in the incident has been released from Royal Perth Hospital.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More