Qld police charge man with murder (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

A man has been charged with murder and two other men have been charged with being accessories to murder about a month after the disappearance of 26-year-old Brisbane man Michael Klaassen. A 24-year-old man from Jimboomba, near Logan, was on Friday charged with murder and with interfering with a corpse, police said. A 35-year-old Sherwood man and a 28-year-old North Ipswich man were also charged on Friday with being accessories to murder, while...

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Hundreds risk jail to import illegal drug promoted by euthanasia campaigners (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

A lethal drug promoted by euthanasia campaigners as a peaceful way to die is easily being illegally imported into Australia. Known as the “peaceful pill”, barbiturate nembutal, is promoted by the euthanasia movement as the best and most peaceful way to end your life. Most have bought the illicit drug online from China, a country that in the last two years has come to dominate the market. The drug kills within an hour of being consumed. “There...

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Ex-prison boss seeks to revive Integrity Commission investigation (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Tasmania’s former Risdon Prison boss has referred more information to the state’s anti-corruption watchdog for investigation. Barry Greenberry resigned just months into a five year contract and was paid out more than $ 250 000. Earlier this year, he complained to the Integrity Commission that he had been bullied and undermined, and that he believed there had been a “deliberate attempt to remove him from his post”. The complaint was dismissed,...

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Honduras steps up WTO fight over Australia tobacco law (AFP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

GENEVA (AFP) – Honduras on Friday raised the pressure on Australia over its landmark plain packaging rules for tobacco by launching a full-blown dispute at the World Trade Organization, the global body said. The WTO said that Honduras, one of four countries that say they oppose Australia’s legislation on commercial grounds, had requested the formation of a dispute settlement panel to settle the issue. It is the second time that Honduras has made...

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Labor’s friendly leadership battle begins (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Leadership hopefuls Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese insist there is no `I’ in Labor and their civil showdown for the ALP’s top job is headed for a contest of personal experience and popularity. Both candidates say the 30-day leadership campaign – which will see them jetting around the nation – will be a gentlemanly joust, putting the party first and moving away from Labor’s past division. “Labor is drawing a line underneath the rancour of previous...

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Qld Chief Justice speaks on parole abuse and injecting rooms (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Queensland’s Chief Justice Paul de Jersey says he believes some prisoners are abusing the parole system, and voiced support for drug injecting rooms. The State Government is considering whether to scrap the right of prisoners to a judicial review of unfavourable parole board decisions. In a wide-ranging interview airing tonight, Chief Justice de Jersey has told 7.30 Queensland presenter Matt Wordsworth that while some inmates have not been slow...

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Dog protects kids by fighting off snake (Yahoo!7) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

FIRST ON 7: A Gold Coast family pet has been credited for protecting three young children from a deadly Eastern Brown snake. One-year-old Staffordshire Terrier Jeff came close to death after being bitten on the nose. On Wednesday morning he took on the second most venomous snake in the world, killing it in the vegetable garden but the Eastern Brown got a bite in too. “He was just laying there and the snake was right beside him and I’m guessing...

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Gary Tweddle farewelled in Sydney (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Friends and family have farewelled Gary Tweddle two months after he went missing in the Blue Mountains. More than 170 people gathered at North Chapel in North Ryde for a memorial service on Friday after the 23-year-old’s body was recovered from a cliff last week. He went missing from a work conference in Leura in the early hours of July 16. He had called colleagues at around midnight to tell them he was lost in bushland and was never seen again....

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Hodgman rules out minority deals after state poll (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Tasmania’s Opposition Leader has ruled out governing in minority if the party fails to win 13 seats at the next state election. For the first time in a state poll, the Liberal Party will be fighting three parties for the conservative vote, including the Nationals and Clive Palmer’s party. The Palmer United Party won 6 per cent of the state-wide vote at the federal election. Will Hodgman has even ruled out doing a deal with the conservative Nationals,...

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A Current Affair to make on-air statement over ‘Asian mall’ story (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

The Nine Network has agreed to make an on-air statement after the media watchdog found a story on the creation of an “all-Asian mall” breached three clauses of the TV code. The segment on A Current Affair claimed a mall in suburban Sydney had been given an “Asian makeover” to target the growing Asian population. It reported that shopkeepers were being told to make way for other retailers who were targeting the area’s growing Asian community....

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Robbers crash 4WD into central Sydney bank (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Police are responding to reports of a ram raid on a bank in Sydney’s CBD. A black Porsche four-wheel drive crashed into the front of the Westpac branch on Kent Street a short time about 11:15am (AEST). Police say the four-wheel drive crashed into a wall beside the ATM and three men armed with sledgehammers entered the bank through the opening and took money from the tellers. A blue Subaru sedan was waiting for the men to escape in. Police say...

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Uni chief’s kid favoured over 343 others (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

The daughter of a University of Queensland chief secured a spot in a medical course over 343 more suitable applicants, a report has revealed. The Crime and Misconduct Commission tabled its report into a nepotism scandal at the university on Friday. The scandal forced the resignation of UQ Vice-Chancellor Paul Greenfield and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Michael Keniger. The report reveals Mr Greenfield’s daughter secured a spot on the medical course...

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Coalition MPs anticipate euphoric meeting (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Coalition MPs returning to Canberra are anticipating a “euphoric” party room meeting and they’re unlikely to know the ministry make-up until next week. Member for Canning Don Randall says the joint parties meeting on Friday will be a chance to welcome back colleagues whose electorates returned them and congratulate new MPs. “That’s going to be quite euphoric and we’re very pleased with the result,” he told reporters in Canberra. He also believed...

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PNG survivor recounts prolonged attack (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

A Queensland man who survived a machete attack in Papua New Guinea has described it as a prolonged period of butchery and terror. Guides Kuia Kerry and Matthew Lasong were killed when six bandits armed with machetes, a rifle and a home-made gun attacked the group as they camped along the Black Cat Trail in PNG’s Morobe Province on Tuesday. Seven Australians and one New Zealander who survived returned to Cairns on Thursday. Among them was Mackay...

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Mike Kelly concedes defeat in Eden-Monaro (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Labor’s Mike Kelly has conceded defeat in his New South Wales seat of . Dr Kelly is trailing Liberal Party candidate Peter Hendy by just over 600 votes. Dr Kelly has used Twitter to announce he will be conceding this morning, telling his followers “it’s over” and thanking them for their support. The outgoing minister for defence materiel has held the seat since 2007, after Kevin Rudd convinced him to contest the seat on the promise he would...

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Tougher burn-off rules set to stem from Cherryville bushfire investigation (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

A government review of a bushfire last May at Cherryville in the Adelaide Hills has recommended a stricter regime for burn-offs which happen outside the official fire danger season. Questions remain about a Country Fire Service (CFS) decision not to send water-bomber aircraft to fight the blaze, which destroyed a house and blackened more than 600 hectares of scrub and grass. The fire started in unusual circumstances: a burn-off on an autumn day...

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Columnist Keith Dunstan dies of cancer aged 88 (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Columnist Keith Dunstan has passed away, aged 88, after an almost year-long battle with cancer. The master of words wrote his own obituary. “It was something that was on the computer,” said his son David. “It was a typical self-effacing obituary.” David Dunstan says his father always wanted to be a journalist, much to the dismay of his own father, William Dunstan VC, who was the General Manager of the Herald and Weekly Times. “My grandfather...

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Indonesia threatens to turn back Australian boat (AFP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

JAKARTA (AFP) – The Indonesian navy threatened Thursday to turn back a boat of six Australian activists seeking to sail into the restive region of Papua to draw attention to rights abuses. It came as the unarmed yacht, the Pog, hovered in Papua New Guinea waters not far from the maritime border with Indonesia. The activists were waiting to hear directly from the navy and receive assurances force would not be used against them before entering...

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Indonesia to reject Abbott boat plan (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott is facing stormy seas over his asylum seeker plans, with the Indonesian government already declaring that it will reject his proposals. Under plans announced by Mr Abbott during his election campaign, the government would launch a $ 20 million community engagement program to pay Indonesian village “wardens” to provide intelligence about people smugglers. There would also be bounty payments for information leading...

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Around the world in 622 days (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

He’s just run more than 26,000 kilometres and is set to be declared the fastest man to circumnavigate the earth on foot, but Sydney man Tom Denniss is taking it in his stride. “In hindsight it doesn’t really (seem) that difficult,” he mused, hours before crossing the finish line at Sydney’s Opera House on Friday. “Ahead of attempting it, it did look pretty daunting.” Dr Denniss ran solo through the Grand Canyon, traversed the Andes and crossed...

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Sydney blazes burn into the night (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Dozens of residents who survived the 1000-hectare blaze that tore through bushland west of Sydney say they never received an emergency phone alert as the fire bore down on their suburbs. Locals packed into a Winmalee school hall on Thursday night for a meeting with Blue Mountains City Council, National Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW Police and Rural Fire Service (RFS) representatives. High temperatures and strong winds had fanned flames around...

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Man stabbed after Sydney mugging (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Two men have been robbed and one stabbed on a busy west Sydney street. A man turned up with stab wounds to a medical centre on Haldon Street, the main shopping strip in Lakemba, on Thursday night. He was taken to St George Hospital but his injuries have been described as non-life threatening. His uncle – who was not hurt – has told police the man was stabbed after the pair were robbed by two men on the street. Police have established a crime...

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Anthony Albanese set to reveal if he will stand for Labor leadership against Bill Shorten (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

The former deputy prime minister Anthony Albanese will reveal to his colleagues today if he will seek the Labor leadership. With federal MPs arriving in Canberra for their first meetings since the election, Labor will open nominations for the leadership. and has the support of right faction MPs such as Bernie Ripoll, who says Mr Shorten would make a great leader. Mr Albanese can count on the vote of backbencher Graham Perrett, who has given...

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Bill Shorten confirms tilt for Labor Party leadership, believes ALP can win next election (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Bill Shorten has confirmed his candidacy for the federal Labor leadership, declaring the party can win the next election and has a mandate to protect the carbon price. He says the party cannot afford to “bide its time” in opposition and allow the incoming Coalition government to “tear down” Labor’s accomplishments of the past six years. “I want to lead the rebuilding of our movement and to take the fight up to the Coalition in Australian politics,”...

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Trekkers recount savage attack by PNG bandits (AFP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

SYDNEY (AFP) – A group of Australian and New Zealand trekkers brutally attacked by bandits in Papua New Guinea told Thursday of their harrowing ordeal and horror as two porters were butchered. The eight tourists were in their tents on the remote jungle-clad Black Cat Track in the lawless Pacific nation’s northern Morobe province when a mob of six armed men struck at dusk on Tuesday. Two porters were hacked to death with machetes, one reportedly...

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Politicians trade blows over Tasmania’s rising jobless rate (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

The Tasmanian Government is reaffirming its commitment to create jobs, after the ninth rise in the unemployment rate in as many months. Another 500 Tasmanians lost their job in August, bumping up the state’s unemployment rate to 8.6 per cent, a rise of 0.2 per cent. The statistics mean 21,500 people are looking for work but they also show almost 26,000 workers are searching for more hours, and more than half are women. The jobless rate has increased...

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Dorset group loses sawmill bid due to ‘bad timing’ (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

A Tasmanian development group waiting to receive a federal grant has lost its bid to buy Gunns’ former sawmill at Scottsdale in the north-east. The Dorset Renewable Industries group was promised $ 2.8 million in forest peace deal funding to develop an integrated timber processing hub at the Ling Siding site. Gunns’ receiver Korda Mentha has announced the asset has been sold but it will not name the new owner or disclose the sale price, saying...

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Clive shoots down AEC over military links (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Clive Palmer says ex-military officers are working for the electoral commission and may be part of a conspiracy to deny him victory in the seat of Fairfax. Mr Palmer says at least 10 former military members have central positions in the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). “It’s a bad thing because those people have links to the military and they have a network and camaraderie within the AEC because they have a common background,” he told AAP....

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Sydney blazes burn into the night (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

A bushfire has shut down the M1 motorway north of Sydney following a backburning operation in the area. NSW Fire & Rescue Superintendent Ian Krimmer said firefighters were trying to put out the fire near the Mandalong Road interchange. “Crews have requested the motorway to be closed,” he said on Thursday afternoon. The motorway, also known as the F3 freeway, has been closed in both directions. Mandalong Road, near Wyee, borders Watagan...

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Aussies home after terrifying PNG ordeal (Yahoo!7) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Eight Australians including, two Queenslanders, who survived a murderous attack on their trekking party in Papua New Guinea have arrived home safely. They’ve described, in horrific detail, the ambush which claimed the lives of two of their porters. The terror of the ambush is still raw in their minds. “These guys rushed into the camp area and they went into the porters lines and just started hacking and slashing. A number of the porters made...

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Unregistered midwives to face jail under planned South Australian legislation (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

It is planned to make it illegal for people to provide birth services in South Australia unless they are a registered midwife or medical practitioner. The legislative change is a response to recommendations of a coronial inquiry into the deaths of three newborns in homebirths between 2007 and 2011. SA Health Minister Jack Snelling said people who offered themselves as midwives without registration could face a fine of up to $ 30,000 or up to...

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Rudd wants to be Australian leader again: Labor figure (AFP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

SYDNEY (AFP) – Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd plans to make a comeback and serve as the country’s leader for a third time, a senior Labor party figure claimed Thursday. Rudd’s popularity with the Australian public came crashing down on Saturday when he was soundly defeated by conservative Tony Abbott as voters punished Labor at the ballot box for years of in-fighting. He announced his resignation as Labor chief and since then pressure...

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Shot fired into house in ‘targetted attack’ (Yahoo!7) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Police are investigating after a gunshot was fired into the front door of a home in Adelaide’s southern suburbs. The single gunshot was fired into the home on Oakley Rd at Aberfoyle Park just before 10.30pm yesterday. Residents inside the home at the time were not injured. Police said a car was heard accelerating away from the house shortly after the shooting. Detectives believe it was a targetted attack. ...

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NSW unions and oppn slam IRC decision (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Unions have accused the NSW government of winding back the state’s industrial umpire so it can attack workers’ rights. Four Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) judges, including its president Justice Roger Boland, will be taking early retirement in February, the state government announced on Wednesday. There is only expected to be one judge by the end of 2013. Treasurer Mike Baird says this is because the IRC is dealing with fewer disputes...

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Nyrstar smelter upgrade plan wins backing of South Australian Parliament (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

A bill has passed the South Australian Parliament to help secure a proposed $ 350 million redevelopment of the Nyrstar lead and zinc smelter at Port Pirie. The legislation has been supported by both major parties in the Legislative Council. It gives the State Government final say over any changes to the smelter’s operating licence, rather than the Environment Protection Authority. Manufacturing Minister Tom Kenyon says final approval of the...

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Sydney doctor on child porn charges (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

A Sydney doctor will face court after child pornography, steroids and cocaine were found in a home in the city’s CBD. Police say they searched his home on Macquarie Street on Wednesday evening, where they found mobile phones and a computer containing child porn. Officers also seized cocaine and steroids. The 31-year-old doctor was arrested and later charged with possessing child abuse material and drugs offences. He was granted conditional...

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Sikh-ing a solution: motorbike riders want turbans not helmets (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

A Hobart man wants the law changed so men from the Sikh religion can ride motorbikes wearing their turbans rather than helmets. Harpreed Singh, who is originally from New Delhi, has not ridden a motorbike since moving to Tasmania in 2008 because of the legal requirement to wear a helmet. Members of the Sikh faith wear turbans for religious reasons and do not want to remove them. “I can’t go without a turban to any office or anyone’s house or...

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Coalition makes cuts to climate policy (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

The coalition is confident it can still put one million more solar panels on rooftops in a decade despite halving the planned rebate on offer to households under its climate change policy. The change to the solar rebate program was among $ 338 million worth of last-minute cuts made to the coalition’s Direct Action plan in the lead-up to the federal election. An incoming Abbott government now expects to spend $ 2.88 billion over four years on...

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Unemployment tipped to hit four year high (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

The unemployment rate is expected to have hit a four year high in August, with businesses holding off on hiring until after the federal election. Official labour force figures are to be released on Thursday morning, and the median forecast from an AAP survey of 11 economists is for the unemployment rate to rise to 5.8 per cent, from 5.7 per cent in July. Unemployment hasn’t been that high since August 2009. The number of people with jobs is...

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Abbott urged not to rush first 100 days (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott should not be aiming for a long list of accomplishments in his first 100 days of power – he should instead use this period to set out his reform agenda timetable. That’s the view of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia in a report on Thursday of what it believes should be the priorities of a coalition government in its first 100 days. The institute’s chief executive Lee White believes economic success...

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Conroy wants spot on Labor frontbench (AAP) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

Senator Stephen Conroy wants to return to Labor’s frontbench, saying he’s got a role to play in holding the coalition to account from opposition. Senator Conroy, a key ally of former prime minister Julia Gillard, quit as communications minister and Senate leader when Kevin Rudd took over the Labor leadership in June. The senior Labor figure is planning a comeback, and says he’ll be throwing his hat into the ring for Labor’s frontbench. “I’ve...

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Ex-partner gives evidence in Launceston murder trial (ABC) - ( 4U5TR4L14 )

A woman at the centre of a murder trial in Launceston has given evidence about the alleged attack. 52-year-old Michael Vernon Lowe has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his ex-girlfriend’s new partner, Darren John Booth, in Kings Meadows last year. Police allege the 37-year-old was stabbed by Lowe during a violent struggle at Crystal Wells’ home. Ms Wells told the court she saw Lowe with a knife during the fight. The prosecution alleges Mr...

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