Qld hospital evacuated after small fire

PATIENTS and staff were taken from a hospital ward southwest of Brisbane after a small fire started in an X-ray room.

An electrical fault at Ipswich Hospital is understood to have started shortly before 3pm on Wednesday.

A smell of smoke in an electrical panel sparked the evacuation, a hospital spokeswoman said.

"There were no acutely ill patients involved," she told AAP.

Police inspector Michelle Stenner said a small fire in the medical imaging room, which handles X-rays and ultrasounds, caused the small fire on the fourth floor.

"That fire was contained," she told ABC News.

"The electrician attended and made that situation safe."

No one was injured during the fire or evacuation.

Firefighters attended the scene.

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Port privatisations hurt economy: Asciano

THE head of ports and rail operator Asciano fears the high-priced privatisation of Australia's ports is damaging the economy.

The short-term benefits to public coffers of realising massive prices by selling public assets could ultimately hurt people more, chief executive John Mullen says.

That happened when the consortiums that bought ports ensured returns by charging high rents to port operators such as Asciano, whose rental costs had jumped 350 per cent at one port.

Asciano and its competitors then pass costs on to importer and exporter customers.

But Mr Mullen says that then risks damaging competitiveness and causing higher costs to consumers.

"It starts to become a tax on trade," he told an American Chamber of Commerce lunch in Melbourne on Wednesday.

"Governments just want to get a fantastic price for it and use those funds to develop other things in the state and there is nothing wrong with that.

"But if the owner has to put prices up to try get a return, ultimately the consumer or manufacturers or exporters are paying that bill and it is probably not good for Australia in the long run."

Mr Mullen said he supported privatising freight and infrastructure assets but only if it improved Australia's productivity and way of life.

Control mechanisms on pricing should be inserted in the sales process, he said.

The NSW government received $5.07 billion for the sale of Port Botany and Port Kembla last year.

It will also reap more than $1 billion for Newcastle port's sale, while the Victorian government plans to private the Port of Melbourne.

There would always be a need for visionary, nation building investment from government even when it took years for the economic returns to come, Mr Mullen said.

Mr Mullen also called for a greater investment in rail infrastructure including a "nation building" inland rail track between Melbourne and Brisbane.

More than 95 per cent of total freight moved between Melbourne and Sydney was by road - the most intensive in the world - but rail could achieve the most economically efficient movement of goods, reduced congestion and helped the environment, he said.

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CLP-linked research foundation under fire

THE Northern Territory's chief minister has refused to investigate links between his party and a private organisation that Labor is calling a CLP slush fund.

In her first parliamentary appearance since defecting to the Palmer United Party, former Country Liberal Party MLA Alison Anderson asked Chief Minister Adam Giles whether he or any other elected officials had ever received funds or favours from Foundation 51.

Ms Anderson also asked whether the foundation was affiliated with the CLP, and whether it had paid for any election campaigns.

Information on the private subscription-based organisation is scarce, save for a 2009 flier that states it is an initiative of the CLP and conducts commercial research, with annual membership levels then ranging from $5500 to $22,000.

Mr Giles responded with a single "no" on Wednesday during Parliament when asked whether he would have the legal and constitutional affairs committee investigate the revelations and establish an anti-corruption body.

During question time, Labor MLAs repeatedly called the foundation a CLP slush fund, but Mr Giles said questions about political donations should be directed to the party rather than MPs.

"A smart politician does not handle money," he said.

Shadow Minister for Justice Michael Gunner said Mr Giles is being "a little bit too cheeky and a little bit slippery."

"Adam Giles is the leader of the CLP in the NT. He is refusing to answer questions ... There is no doubt that Foundation 51 and its relationship with the CLP is worthy of inquiry," Mr Gunner said.

Magistrate and former CLP MLA Peter Maley and Graeme Lewis, NT Land Development Board chairman and CLP management committee member, are both directors of the foundation.

Mr Lewis previously denied setting it up to enable businesses to make large political donations without having to declare them.

He says Foundation 51 "is simply a supporter of the CLP in political terms, as are many other business organisations in the NT, and has no financial relationship with the CLP".

But when the CLP's former deputy treasurer Eli Melky looked into the matter, he was told it was none of his business whether or not the foundation was associated with the party, he told the ABC.

Mr Elky recently defected to the PUP along with Ms Anderson, before making his queries about the foundation public.

In an email sent to CLP president Ross Connolly, Mr Lewis said he had contributed significantly to last month's Blain by-election, which he later said was only research.

The email stated that Mr Giles was aware of his concerns that the foundation might need to be shut down following Mr Elky's probing.

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Second arrest over SA Riverland murder

A SECOND man has been charged over the murder of Lucio Caruso who was found dead in his home in the South Australian Riverland last year.

Police say a 55-year-old Berri man has been refused bail on the murder charge and will appear in the Berri Magistrates Court on a date to be determined.

Mr Caruso, 49, was found murdered in his Monash home on November 27. He had suffered severe head injuries and his car had been stolen.

In December a 45-year-old Mildura man was arrested and charged with murder.

He was extradited to South Australia and remains in custody.

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Palmer would like to hand writ to Newman

CLIVE Palmer says he would like to personally deliver a writ to Queensland Premier Campbell Newman.

The federal MP is suing Mr Newman over "outrageous" claims the mining magnate had tried to buy his state government and he offered inducements to three rebel Northern Territory MPs.

Mr Palmer said he would prefer to hand the writ to the premier in person on Wednesday.

"I'd like to do that but you'd never find him," he told reporters in Brisbane on Tuesday.

"I don't know if he's in the ladies toilets or where he is.

"Maybe his crown solicitor will accept it."

The federal MP for Fairfax said Mr Newman's comments made at a joint media conference with Prime Minister Tony Abbott were a personal attack, and not a statement on behalf of the Queensland government.

"Why should the ... taxpayers have to pay for his lawyers?," Mr Palmer said.

He maintains that Northern Territory indigenous MPs Alison Anderson, Larisa Lee and Francis Xavier Kurrupuwuy weren't offered inducements to join the Palmer United Party in April.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Westfield sweetens local split plans

SHOPPING centre giant Westfield Group has sweetened its plan to split its Australian and New Zealand assets from its international operations.

Westfield's Australian and New Zealand assets, which includes 47 shopping centres, are set to merge with Westfield Retail Trust, a joint owner of the Australian shopping centres.

The merged entity will be called Scentre Group, and under new changes to the proposal, Scentre Group will now carry $300 million less in debt than originally planned.

Westfield chairman Frank Lowy said key investors supported the merger, but the new debt arrangements were made to address some concerns raised.

Security holders are due to vote on the split on May 29.

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Doctors warn of opioid addiction danger

OPIOID pain killers are far more addictive than previously thought and doctors are being urged to assess their patients' level of risk before writing a prescription.

The issue is whether opioid treatment is going to make an addict out of someone, says Professor Jane Ballantyne, a pain specialist at the University of Washington.

"A lot of people who get into trouble with opioids say the whole thing started when they were prescribed opioids for acute pain," she told an Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) conference in Singapore on Tuesday.

Opioids are safest when administered in hospital. However, it is common for codeine and oxycodone to be prescribed for out-patients after surgery, dental treatment or injuries.

"We used to say people would not become addicted, but unfortunately that's not true," said Prof Ballantyne.

Although only a minority of patients develop problems, it is essential for doctors to do a quick risk assessment for every patient.

This could be done in five minutes with just four questions, she said.

Those most at risk include people with any history of substance abuse, including smoking.

People with mental health issues like depression, anxiety and personality disorders are also vulnerable.

A big challenge is for doctors to determine the motives of a person who is already dependant. They could be seeking pain relief or need to relieve the symptoms of drug withdrawal.

Some patients go from doctor to doctor in search of prescriptions, often to sell the drugs for a profit.

"My patients have in the past been caught outside the hospital selling their drugs," Prof Ballantyne said.

"Most states in the US now have a way of monitoring every prescription that is written. So it is becoming a habit, especially in the emergency room to look at patients records."

* Clifford Fram travelled to the conference courtesy of ANZCA.

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Greens to push for federal ICAC

THE Australian Greens want politics cleaned up by a national anti-corruption body after "on-going revelations" about corruption in NSW.

The party will next week push for a vote on the National Integrity Commission Bill, now before the Senate, which would create a federal level independent anti-corruption commission, similar to those operated by states.

Greens leader Christine Milne said the "revolving door" between business and political parties should be examined.

"We need to clean up politics right around the country and it should start here in Canberra," she told reporters on Tuesday.

The Greens will need the support of a major party to push through the legislation.

Senator Larissa Waters said a proposal by MP Clive Palmer's mining company Waratah Coal to tender for an Abbot Point coal terminal extension proves the bill's importance.

Mr Palmer would need approval from the government, which needs his vote in the Senate to pass legislation, Ms Waters said.

"It's about time we had these conflicts of interest properly dealt with," she said.

But at a media conference Mr Palmer, who is a shareholder in Waratah Coal, played down a suggestion he had a better chance of succeeding with the Abbot Point proposal now he had left Queensland's Liberal National Party.

"It's not a consideration for me, politically," he told reporters in Brisbane.

"I've retired from active business and I don't worry about those things."

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Westpac shares down despite record profit

Westpac has announced a first half cash profit of $3.77 billion and has lifted its interim dividend. Source: AAP

SHARES in Westpac are flat in early trading after the bank revealed a record first half cash profit of $3.77 billion.

Australia's second-largest and oldest bank opened higher before pulling back - just as ANZ did after its record profit was announced on Thursday.

Westpac shares were seven cents down at $34.80 at 1025 AEST on Monday.

ANZ shares were down again on Monday while rivals Commonwealth and NAB had made gains.

Westpac's shares had been predicted to fall given the record run in bank shares of late with many investors regarding them as being full-valued.

Westpac's cash profit - the bank's preferred performance measure - was up eight per cent from the prior corresponding period, beating analysts' expectations.

Net profit for the six months to March 31 was $3.62 billion, up from $3.29 billion a year ago.

Westpac lifted its fully-franked interim dividend to 90 cents, from the previous 86 cents.

However, unlike the two previous half years, no 10 cent special dividend will be paid on top of the distribution this time as some had expected.

The bank followed ANZ's lead last week in posting a decline in margins due to high competition for mortgage customers.

Westpac had been expected to increase net interest margins - the difference between its funding and lending costs - but it declined eight basis points to 2.11 per cent.

The bank still increased housing loans by five per cent. It already has Australia's second largest share of housing loans, behind Commonwealth Bank.

Westpac chief executive Gail Kelly said that the world economy had improved in recent times with Europe pulling out of recession and the US slowly moving towards trend growth.

Mrs Kelly said that she was positive about the second half for the bank.

The bank's tier capital adequacy ratio of 8.82 per cent - equity capital versus total risk-weighted assets - is the best of the big four banks.

"Our focus on tilting to growth is delivering, and this is expected to continue into the second half of the year," she said.

IG market strategist Evan Lucas said the profit result was stellar but, digging deeper, the result looked benign with institutional banking's earnings going backwards - an area in which the other major banks have increased.

"At the moment, the banks are really easy to poke holes in because they are so fully (share price) valued," he told AAP. He predicted a repeat of ANZ, with a possible fall in its share price on Monday despite a record profit.

"(The profit) comes down to their consolidation rather than growth story ... they are eking out profits that way."

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CMC probes public service crime links

QUEENSLAND'S corruption watchdog is investigating links between organised crime and the public service.

Acting Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) chairman Ken Levy says 32 misconduct matters are under way, including four probes that began in March.

"The CMC has a number of active investigations into possible links between organised crime and the public sector," he told the parliamentary committee that oversees the CMC on Monday.

During the hearing, opposition MP Jo-Ann Miller asked if the CMC was working with the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption, or investigating Australian Water Holdings, the Ipswich Council or any "dodgy developer deals" in the Ripley Valley.

"That is a potential operational matter," Dr Levy replied.

"I'm happy to answer that in a closed session."

Dr Levy was also tight-lipped about which government ministers attended a meeting on March 5, two weeks before controversial legislation overhauling the CMC was introduced.

But when opposition MP Yvette D'Ath produced the diaries of a number of ministers he opened up a little.

Ms D'Ath said Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney, Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie and Health Minister Lawrence Springborg were present, but there was conflicting information on whether Premier Campbell Newman was also there.

"I'll be specific about that one, and the short answer is 'no'," Dr Levy said.

Dr Levy, who has not opposed the government's CMC reforms, said he wasn't asked at the meeting to stay on past the end of his contract.

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