Muse delivers epic Sydney show

British rockers Muse have thrilled Sydney fans with a spectacular sound and stage show. Source: AAP

MUSE drowned out the screams of thousands of Sydney fans with an epic sound and stage show that did everything to add to their reputation for putting on memorable concerts.

The British rockers have become almost legendary for their major light and stage shows and they didn't disappoint when they took to Sydney's Allphones Arena on Friday night.

Matt Bellamy, Dominic Howard and Chris Wolstenholme opened in spectacular fashion when a five-tier projector screen in the shape of a pyramid emerged from above the stage and slowly made its way down.

After keeping the crowd waiting for almost 10 minutes with a heart-thumping build up, the band appeared beneath the screen as it rose to take its place suspended above them as they belted out their first song, Supremacy.

During the second song, Supermassive Black Hole, the crowd in the mosh pit appear to lose itself - fans jumping and thumping their fists in time with the music.

Thousands of screams were drowned out by the guitar riffs from Hysteria, which the band opened with images of matrix-style code that spread through the plethora of small screens on stage.

And when Plug in Baby came on, the entire arena began singing the chorus in unison - even those seated were jumping up and dancing like they were in the mosh pit.

Lasers, smoke machines and pyrotechnics were all timed perfectly for dramatic effect for guitar riffs and bass drops.

A shape-shifting screen suspended on stage, and encircling the band, replaced your stock-standard stadium flat screens, projecting images of the band on stage, as well as video montages and song lyrics.

Highlights included the moment where 100 phones lit up in the nosebleed section when Bellamy emerged for a solo guitar riff.

He topped it off later by joining the crowd mid-way through Undisclosed Desires, even donning a Christmas hat given to him by a crowd member.

The gig was the last stop of Muse's tour of major Australian capital cities, and their final gig of 2013.

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Toyota to enter US settlement talks

Toyota is entering settlement talks on US lawsuits that allege sudden unintended acceleration. Source: AAP

AFTER a four-year legal battle, Toyota is entering settlement talks on nearly 400 US lawsuits that allege sudden unintended acceleration problems with its vehicles led to deaths and injuries.

Joint motions filed late on Thursday in US District Court in Santa Ana and Los Angeles County Superior Court indicated both sides would begin an "intensive settlement process" next month.

The Japanese automaker, which has recalled millions of cars since 2009 over the acceleration issue, agreed to the negotiations to make resolving the cases more efficient, spokeswoman Carly Schaffner told The Associated Press on Friday.

"We continue to stand behind the safety and quality of our vehicles," she said.

Cases that don't settle after a two-stage mediation process will go back to court for trial, said plaintiffs' co-lead counsel Mark Robinson Jr., but most of the 375 claims will likely get resolved.

"It's not practical to try all these cases," he said. "You've got two chances to get your case settled and if you're a plaintiff, at least you're not just sitting in some file in the courthouse."

The settlement negotiations come less than two months after an Oklahoma jury awarded a total of $US3 million ($A3.37 million) in damages to the injured driver of a 2005 Camry and to the family of a passenger who was killed.

The ruling was significant because Toyota had won all previous unintended acceleration cases that went to trial. It was also the first case where lawyers for plaintiffs argued that the car's electronics - in this case the software connected to the Camry's electronic throttle-control system - were the cause of the unintended acceleration.

At the time, legal experts said the Oklahoma verdict might cause Toyota to consider a broad settlement of the remaining cases. Until then, Toyota had been riding momentum from several trials where juries found it was not liable.

Robinson said lawyers for plaintiffs had been discussing a streamlined settlement process with Toyota before that verdict, but the Oklahoma case "couldn't have hurt" those talks.

Toyota has blamed drivers, stuck accelerators or floor mats that trapped the pedal for the acceleration claims that led to the big recalls of Camrys and other vehicles. The company has repeatedly denied its vehicles are flawed.

No recalls have been issued related to problems with onboard electronics. In the Oklahoma case, Toyota lawyers theorised that the driver mistakenly pumped the gas pedal instead of the brake when her Camry ran through an intersection and slammed into an embankment.

Sean Kane, president of Massachusetts-based Safety Research & Strategies, said the Oklahoma verdict likely moved Toyota to the negotiating table because it targeted electronics.

"Nobody did until that case and they got hammered - and they got hammered in a conservative venue," said Kane, who researches consumer safety in motor vehicles for plaintiff lawyers and has been closely following the Toyota litigation.

"The evidence that came out in that trial has attracted global attention that is remarkable," he said.

After the verdict, jurors told AP they believed the testimony of an expert who said he found flaws in the car's electronics. They also pointed to 50 metres of skid marks on the road as evidence the driver was desperately trying to brake.

"What makes the accelerator open? The computer," juror Vickie Potter said after the verdict.

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Severe storm warnings cancelled

ANOTHER round of severe thunderstorms pummelled southeast Queensland tonight.

8.25pm: The worst of this evening's severe thunderstorms has passed, with the weather bureau lifting its earlier warnings.

The Bureau of Meteorology said dangerous weather systems are no longer affecting southeast Queensland.

Forecasters will continue to monitor the situation and will issue further warnings if anything is detected on radars.

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Nikki Duncan said the severe thunderstorm which swept over the region earlier this evening dropped a blanket of hail over the city. Picture: Nikki Duncan

8.15pm: Christine McMillan said the hail continued to belt her Willowbank home for 15 to 20 minutes.

"I have never seen anything this intense," she said.

"I also have a picture of the storm approaching but never expected this."

"I had to move from the doorway because they were smashing on the concrete outside and chunks were flying in at me." Picture: Sharon Wheatley at Rathdowney

Ms Duncan said she was lucky to have survived the storm unscathed.

"I've never had hail like that before. It looked like a White Christmas."

"I appear to have survived without any major damage. I'm yet to check my car."
 

Christine McMillan said the hail continued to belt her Willowbank home for 15 to 20 minutes. Picture: Christine McMillan

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7.55pm: The Bureau of Meteorology have updated a severe thunderstorm warning to include areas of Brisbane CBD, Ipswich, Boonah, Beaudesert, Beenleigh, Logan City, Cleveland, Strathpine, Esk, Redcliffe and Caboolture.

7.45pm: Ipswich residents must have been dreaming of a white Christmas, with the city transformed into a winter wonderland.

Nikki Duncan said the severe thunderstorm which swept over the region earlier this evening dropped a blanket of hail over the city.

"It was very sudden and loud," she said. "The severity was unexpected."

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7.50pm: A severe thunderstorm south of the NSW border is expected to hit Queensland by 8pm.

The cell is predicted to reach the McPherson Range, Rathdowney, Numinbah Valley, Laravale, Kooralbyn and the area south of Canungra by 8.05 pm.

Beaudesert will be next in the firing line, with the storm expected to strike about 8.30pm.
 

7.30pm: Sharon Wheatley said the earlier storm battered her property near Rathdowney.

"I was watching the clouds from the doorway and saw that one hailstone drop into the yard, nothing else, just that one, so I stuck a bucket over my head and ran out and grabbed it," she said.

"Gradually a few more dropped. There was no rain at first, just large hail dropping from the sky.

"I had to move from the doorway because they were smashing on the concrete outside and chunks were flying in at me. Then they just came down solidly for maybe 10 minutes or so."

7.15pm: The weather bureau has warned that while one severe thunderstorm is skirting dangerously close to Brisbane's CBD, another one is brewing just over the NSW border.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Peter Otto said an earlier warning was still current for areas to the west of Brisbane, but the storm was unlikely to reach the city centre.

Further west, he said golf-sized hail stones have fallen on Mt Barney, with larger stones reported at Boonah.

"That storm is moving over the Ipswich area at the moment," he said.

"There is another cell south of the border that is likely to hit Rathdowney in the next half hour and it may head north after that. It's another very dangerous storm with large hail stones expected."

6.45pm: Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Rosewood, Marburg, Lake Manchester, Upper Brookfield and Fernvale by 7.20 pm and Enoggera Reservoir, Enoggera, Mount Nebo, Highvale, Samford and Albany Creek by 7.50 pm.

Other severe thunderstorms in northern NSW are forecast to affect Mount Barney, the McPherson Range, Rathdowney, Maroon Dam, Kooralbyn and Lamington National Park by 7:50 pm.

Damaging winds and large hailstones are likely, with hail larger than golf balls reported at Boonah earlier.

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6.20pm:  The Bureau of Meteorology has updated their thunderstorm warning, alerting residents that very dangerous thunderstorms were moving north.

The storms were detected on weather radar near Boonah, Aratula, Harrisville, Peak Crossing, Bundamba Lagoon and the area south of Amberley.

Very dangerous thunderstorms are forecast to affect Ipswich, Redbank Plains, Amberley, Rosewood, Marburg and Lake Manchester by 6:50 pm and Lowood, Fernvale, Mount Nebo, Highvale, Samford and the D'Aguilar Ranges by 7:20 pm.

Other severe thunderstorms were located near Bonalbo(NSW). Damaging winds and large hailstones are likely.

Hail larger than golf balls was reported at Boonah at around 5:40pm.

5.20pm: The weather bureau issued a severe thunderstorm warning after storms were detected over the Scenic Rim region near Mount Barney, Laravale and Kooralbyn.

The southeast Queensland warning said damaging winds and large hailstones are likely.

Forecasters from the Bureau of Meteorology said the thunderstorms were moving in a northerly direction, with Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast put on alert.

The storms are predicted to hit Beaudesert about 5.30pm.

More to come.
 

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advises that people should:
* Move your car under cover or away from trees.
* Secure loose outdoor items.
* Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
* Avoid using the telephone during a thunderstorm.
* Beware of fallen trees and powerlines.
* For emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.
 

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Mandela's remains transferred to air base

The South African military has handed over Nelson Mandela's flag-draped coffin to the ANC. Source: AAP

THE remains of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela have been transferred to Waterkloof air base for a farewell from the African National Congress.

The military handed over Mandela's flag-draped coffin to the African National Congress (ANC) at a solemn ceremony broadcast live on South African television.

The remains were to be returned to military control later on Saturday.

It will then be flown to the Eastern Cape in preparation for Mandela's funeral the following day.

Mandela's casket is expected to arrive on Saturday afternoon and to be greeted by a full military ceremony.

The late president died just over a week ago at age 95.

His body lay in state for three days this week, drawing huge crowds of South Africans who mourned his death and celebrated his successful struggle against apartheid.

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Cops in bashing video 'professional': Union

Video captures police officers apparently punching and kicking a man in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley. Courtesy Joe Smith

A SHOCKING video has emerged showing a man being punched and kicked by police during an apparently unprovoked attack in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley.

UPDATE: Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said the police officers involved would be "completely vindicated" when the facts emerged.

"Having spoken with police familiar with the incident, I can confirm all police involved acted in an entirely professional, appropriate and responsible manner and their actions will be vindicated and put in context when all the evidence of this matter becomes public," he said.

"I am informed the brief few seconds of footage that have been filmed by a bystander do not accurately portray or represent the entirety of the police interaction with the offender."

READ MORE IN THE SUNDAY MAIL - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH VICTIM
 

EARLIER: The video shows a man in a maroon suit in the alleyway next to the Fortitude Valley nightclub The Beat speaking with three police officers about 11pm Friday night.

Amateur video captures a man being punched and kicked by police in an apparently unprovoked attack in Fortitude Valley.

The man is then suddenly punched by one of the officers, reeling back.

It then appears a further scuffle next to the wall takes place.

Further footage shows the man being kicked repeatedly by a second officer before being taken away in a police van in cuffs.

Joe Ritson, 24, said he was walking through the entertainment precinct with his friend when he saw the confrontation.

"I had a feeling something was going on, I don't know why I was filming," he said.

Motorists watch as a man is punched and kicked by police in an apparently unprovoked attack in Fortitude Valley.

"He was just standing there, we were watching for a good minute or two, when it happened."

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Mr Ritson said he approached police afterwards and told them he had recorded the incident.

"They said f*** off, we'll arrest you too."

He said he yelled out to the man being arrested he would try to do something.

Amateur footage shows a man being punched and kicked by police in an apparently unprovoked attack in Fortitude Valley.

"I was really worried and shocked … then I woke up to see the Queensland Police Facebook page. They were bragging about all of these arrests they made overnight but it really questions how legitimate they really are."

Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

Brisbane Region Acting Assistant Commissioner Allan McCarthy said the incident, involving three officers and a member of the public, had been referred to the Ethical Standards Command.

"It is important that members of the community have confidence in their police, and that is why all members of the Queensland Police Service are expected to act professionally and ethically in accordance with the Service's high standards at all times," he said.

"In keeping with our commitment to high standards of behaviour, transparency and accountability, the QPS regularly informs the public about investigations of this nature."

Acting Assistant Commissioner McCarthy said the investigation did not mean any allegations or complaints about the officers had been substantiated.

"It is important not to pre-empt the outcome, however the circumstances will be investigated thoroughly to determine if the officers have acted in accordance with the high expectations of the Service," he said.

"Policing can be a complex and dangerous job, and the Service also provides officers with appropriate training to deal with a range of situations, and that is why the QPS has a set of guidelines that govern the use of force options available to officers."

 

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Milat murder appeal angers victim's family

A great-nephew of Ivan Milat is appealing his 30-year jail term for the axe murder of his friend. Source: AAP

THE great-nephew of serial killer Ivan Milat wants his murder sentence halved, infuriating the family of the boy he slaughtered.

Teenage axe murderers Matthew Milat and Cohen Klein are appealing the severity of the sentences handed down last year for the murder of their friend David Auchterlonie in Belanglo State Forest in November 2010.

David was murdered on his 17th birthday.

Milat was sentenced to at least 30 years, with a maximum term of 43.

Klein was jailed for at least 22 years, with a maximum 32-year term.

Deputy senior public defender John Stratton SC, representing Milat, told the Criminal Court of Appeal that although it was a heinous crime, it "was not in the worst class" of murder.

Instead, he put forward a maximum 22-year jail term with a non-parole period of 15 years.

Mr Stratton submitted to the judges various cases where murderers had their sentences cut, and that there was little evidence of torture.

But Justice Robert Hulme said nine months after the killing, Milat wrote chilling letters that showed "unrepentant enjoyment at the prospect of callous murder".

Justice Hulme called the reduction to a 22-year sentence "bold".

Klein's barrister, Janet Manuell SC, said Milat was the "dominant" one - who found the weapon, organised to bring the victim to the forest, struck the blow and bragged about it later.

"The role of (Klein) was one of support and facilitation," Ms Manuell said.

"There was some evidence of remorse."

David's mother, Donna Locke, spoke to reporters outside court as friends unfurled an Aboriginal flag behind her with "R.I.P David Always" written on it.

"I'm disgusted and outraged and hurt, as it's ridiculous and wrong to think that we are back here today," Ms Locke said.

"David was not given a chance to appeal his death sentence.

"They deserve to be there for the rest of their lives and take their last breath in jail, and leave in a body bag to the morgue just like my son left the forest."

Ms Locke said Milat was trying to be a "copycat" of Ivan Milat and that if the pair could commit such a callous crime at such a young age, they're bound to reoffend.

The axe attack took place in the same NSW Southern Highlands forest where Ivan Milat murdered seven backpackers in the early 1990s.

Crown prosecutor Nicole Noman SC, who is opposing any reduction in the sentences, said the killing was planned, premeditated and a "thrill kill".

"Each of them performed a different ... but meaningful role to make sure this planned murder occurred," Ms Noman said.

"It was cold, it was calculated ... it was not momentary."

Ms Noman said Milat at one stage asked Klein if he could "feel the adrenaline".

After the killing, Klein mentioned to Milat that he was "going down the path of his uncle" and showed "a form of admiration", she said.

The three-judge appeal panel will make its decision at a later date.

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James Bond an 'impotent alcoholic'

JAMES Bond's martini habit likely made him an impotent alcoholic, according to a study published Friday in the British Medical Journal.

"We conclude that James Bond was unlikely to be able to stir his drinks, even if he would have wanted to, because of likely alcohol-induced tremor," wrote researchers Patrick Davies, Indra Neil Guha and Graham Johnson.

The study authors read 12 of Ian Fleming's novels starring the British spy, noting his alcohol consumption and calculating that in the total 123.5 days described he often drank more than four times the weekly recommended limit of alcohol.

Bond was at "considerable risk of developing alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis, impotence, and other alcohol-related health problems, together with being at serious risk of injury or death because of his drinking."

The most he drank in one day was in From Russia With Love, when he consumed 49.8 units - in Britain the recommended daily limit for men is three or four units. On average he drank between 65 and 92 units a week.

Bond was also a serial drink-driver, the researchers noted.

"In Goldfinger, for example, he drinks 18 units while having drinks and dinner with Auric Goldfinger before then driving home," they wrote.

"In Casino Royale, he drinks over 39 units before engaging in a high speed car chase, losing control, and spending 14 days in hospital. We hope that this was a salutatory lesson."

It was a "pure fiction", the authors wrote, that Bond would be able to carry out the highly complicated tasks described in the thrillers after drinking so much.

"Although we appreciate the societal pressures to consume alcohol when working with international terrorists and high stakes gamblers, we would advise Bond be referred for further assessment of his alcohol intake and reduce his intake to safe levels," they concluded.

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Coleman keen to clinch an overseas deal

Woodside Petroleum boss Peter Coleman is eager to secure a lucrative overseas LNG export deal. Source: AAP

WOODSIDE Petroleum boss Peter Coleman would love to pull off a big overseas deal and set his company up for years of strong growth.

But this week's announcement that the oil and gas giant will defer a $1.25 billion investment in Israel isn't going to get him to that point anytime soon.

The well-touted Leviathan LNG project in the Mediterranean Sea is getting increasingly complicated, as a series of regulatory delays and problems with its joint venture partners force the company to tread carefully.

Some believe Woodside should concentrate on what it knows best - delivering low cost LNG from offshore gas fields in Western Australia.

But Mr Coleman has larger growth aspirations.

This week he said Woodside would wait another two months before committing to a 30 per cent stake in the Leviathan project with US-based firm Noble Energy.

That's more than a year after he announced the project.

"We're not in it to do a deal for a deal," Mr Coleman told analysts.

"It needs to be a compelling value case given the amount of investment involved in the decision."

Some analysts have highlighted the geopolitical risks involved and questioned the viability of exporting gas from Israel which is grappling with its own gas reservation policy and tax regime.

Late last year Woodside said it planned to stump up $1.4 billion for Leviathan, a decision which was based entirely on a Tzemach advisory panel report.

The Tzemach report recommended Israel export just over half of its gas, but it sparked outrage among Israelis who want most of the gas reserved for domestic purposes.

Mr Coleman said the new Israeli government had given Woodside assurances around LNG export volumes.

Further legal challenges could create more uncertainty.

It comes as Woodside awaits the outcome of a review into Israeli tax law relating to LNG and pipeline exports which is due to be released in early February.

In addition, joint venture partners are reportedly talking about building a pipeline into Turkey.

For all of the "moving parts" involved in doing business in the Middle East, Mr Coleman remains upbeat but cautious ahead of committing shareholder funds.

"There's still an opportunity for Woodside to create significant value within the joint venture, but first and foremost we are focused on ensuring that we have a commercial outcome that delivers value to us," he says.

He has previously said the company would prefer to give money back to shareholders if a project doesn't stack up.

"We have other options that we're also pursuing and in this case we're ensuring that whatever we do, if we do enter into this joint venture, it's done in a way that's a commercially sensible outcome for all of us."

Woodside's overall estimated investment expenditure for 2013 has dropped to $US1.1 billion ($A1.21 billion) from the previous guidance of $US2.3 billion ($A2.53 billion) due to the deferral of expected expenditure on Leviathan.

Total investment expenditure in 2014 is expected to be between approximately $US2.0 billion ($A2.25 billion) and $US2.4 billion ($A2.70 billion).

It comes as Mr Coleman was this week quizzed about Woodside's stalled Sunrise project in the wake of the East Timor spy scandal, and a fortnight after Mr Coleman completed a trip to Japan where he began marketing gas from the proposed Browse floating LNG project in north Western Australia.

He would not reveal details of recent price negotiations, but indicated the company was in a strong position in Japan as the nation struggles to secure energy after the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Woodside spent more than $1 billion on the controversial Browse onshore proposal near Broome but abandoned it after widespread community opposition, citing higher costs.

The risks of outlaying a similar amount will be in the front of Mr Coleman's mind next year as Woodside crunches the numbers on Leviathan, factoring in a substantially weaker Australian dollar.

Around this time the company is due to open an office in Myanmar as it continues exploring in New Zealand, Ireland and WA.

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SAfrica apologises for Mandela interpreter

The man accused of faking sign interpretation at Nelson Mandela's memorial claims he hallucinated. Source: AAP

THE South African government has formally apologised for any offence caused by the sign language interpreter it hired for Nelson Mandela's memorial, later exposed as a fake.

"We sincerely apologise to the deaf community and to all South Africans for any offence that may have been suffered," Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile said in a statement on Friday.

The country's junior minister for disabilities, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, admitted on Thursday the government had made a "mistake", but defended the interpreter.

Enraged sign language experts said that Thamsanqa Jantjie's signing in front of US President Barack Obama and other world leaders gathered at Soweto's Soccer City stadium had amounted to little more than "flapping his arms around".

Jantjie later blamed his behaviour on a schizophrenic attack.

Contacted by telephone on Friday, he refused to discuss the incident, saying he was too busy drafting an explanation to the government.

"Yesterday I explained to all the media...(and) today I am busy with the government that want my side of the story," he said.

Minister Mashatile said parliament would pass a new law early next year to regulate the profession "so that this kind of incident doesn't happen ever again."

Bogopane-Zulu said Thursday the interpreter was not fake, but may have had problems with English or was overworked and tired.

South Africa's deaf organisations, however, said this was not a one-off incident, claiming they had complained to the government about Jantjie before.

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Nigella accused of lying to court

ONE of the personal assistants accused of defrauding Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi has accused them of lying under oath as she gave evidence in her trial.

Elisabetta Grillo, 41, also said other members of the TV cook's "Team Cupcake" lied in court.

The defendant, who along with her sister Francesca Grillo, 35, is accused of spending STG685,000 ($A1.26 million) on credit cards belonging to the celebrity couple to buy designer goods and luxury holidays for herself, made the claims as she spent a second day in the witness box.

As she began cross-examining her, prosecutor Jane Carpenter asked: "Ms Grillo, is it your evidence that Ms Lawson has lied to the court?"

She replied: "Yes."

"And Mr Saatchi?"

"Yes."

"And you're the one telling the truth?"

"I am."

"And the other PAs, have they lied as well?"

"Yes."

The court previously heard that the defendants allege that Lawson, who divorced multi-millionaire Saatchi earlier this year, regularly snorted cocaine and smoked cannabis during her 10-year marriage.

But, giving evidence last week, Ms Lawson told jurors she had only taken cocaine with her late husband John Diamond when he found out he had terminal cancer, and on another occasion in July 2010 during her troubled marriage to Saatchi.

Giving evidence yesterday, Elisabetta said she regularly found signs that Lawson was using cocaine, including a packet of white powder found in a toilet in the home she shared with Diamond, as well as rolled-up banknotes and credit cards with white powder on them.

Asked if she had ever seen Lawson taking drugs, Elisabetta - who is also known as Lisa - said: "No."

But she told jurors she was aware that Lawson had taken illegal substances.

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PM Abbott hosts his first COAG

Prime Minister Tony Abbott will host his first COAG meeting in Canberra on Friday. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott will use his first meeting with state premiers and chief ministers to start the groundwork for delivering the coalition's paid parental leave scheme.

Mr Abbott will host his first Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting at Parliament House in Canberra on Friday.

The coalition promised at the election to roll out a scheme to pay mothers who give birth after July 2015 up to half their annual salary for 26 weeks, capped at a salary of $150,000 a year.

COAG will discuss how the plan, costing $5.5 billion a year, will fit in with existing state public sector parental leave schemes.

Mr Abbott said during the election campaign there would be no extra cost to state governments and the national scheme would be an improvement to existing state schemes.

However, he said he wanted to have an "adult discussion" with the premiers about its details.

The scheme is to be paid for by a levy on Australia's largest businesses.

COAG will also discuss ways to fast-track and fund major infrastructure and boost jobs in manufacturing.

The manufacturing talks had been scheduled well before the announcement of Holden ceasing car production from 2017, but is now expected to take greater prominence.

Mr Abbott will talk to the premiers about his plans for a white paper on reform of federal-state relations.

The prime minister said in a speech when he was opposition leader that COAG had become "a talk shop, not a decision-making process" and the roles of the federal, state and territory governments needed to be better defined.

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Batts inquiry start date announced

THE federal royal commission into Labor's home insulation program, which cost four lives and caused extensive property damage, is set to begin before Christmas.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd launched the $2.8 billion "pink batts" scheme in 2008 to inject cash into the economy during the global financial crisis. It ran until 2010.

The commission, which is investigating whether the then-government's practices contributed to the deaths and damage, will commence with a preliminary hearing in Brisbane on the morning of December 23.

The governor-general has appointed Mr Ian Hanger AM QC to head the inquiry.

She has also asked whether laws or practices should be altered to "prevent the recurrence of any failure identified by the inquiry".

"Four young men died while undertaking installations funded by the Home Insulation Program. There are claims of homes sustaining damage and businesses suffering financial loss," Mr Hanger said.

"This Royal Commission will investigate whether the way that the Australian government established and implemented the home insulation program contributed to these consequences."

In July, a Queensland coroner found the rushed rollout of the scheme was a significant factor in the deaths of Queensland batt installers Mitchell Sweeney, Matthew Fuller and Rueben Barnes.

In New South Wales, 19-year-old Marcus Wilson, died on his first day on the job after suffering heat stroke.

The coroner cited "inadequate" training and "lax" supervision as factors in the tragedies.

Anyone who wishes to appear before the commission as a witness must apply by 4pm (AEDT) December 18.

Further information is available at www.homeinsulationroyalcommission.gov.au

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Thai protesters cut power to PM's office

Thai protesters have cut power to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's office compound in Bangkok. Source: AAP

PROTESTERS have announced they have cut off electricity to the Thai prime minister's office compound and are demanding that police abandon the premises amid a political crisis that has dragged on for weeks.

The protesters, seeking to force the replacement of caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government before a February 2 election, have threatened to force their way in if police don't leave.

Police attempts to negotiate were rebuffed, but they did not withdraw immediately.

An Associated Press photographer inside one of the buildings said electricity had been shut off to the press office. Police confirmed that power had been cut to some buildings in the compound, collectively called Government House.

Protesters also cut barbed wire placed on top of the steel fence surrounding the compound while police stationed nearby looked on.

Yingluck was not in her offices at the time and shortly afterward gave a televised address from an unidentified location in which she announced a December 15 meeting of all sections of society to try to find a solution to the crisis.

The protest leadership has demanded a meeting with senior military and police officials, a call which has so far been rejected, at least publicly. Protest leaders did meet at a hotel with business leaders in what was billed as an effort to explain their goals.

In a previous confrontation, police withdrew from the prime minister's compound to allow the demonstrators in without a fight. That withdrawal came after two days of increasingly violent standoffs. Since the latest unrest began last month that left five people dead and nearly 300 injured.

The street fighting was suspended when both sides agreed it would dishonour the occasion of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday last week.

Looking for a way out of the crisis, Yingluck dissolved the lower house of Parliament on Monday and called for early elections. Her foes, however, insist she step aside to make way for an interim appointed government, an action that cannot be taken under the country's constitution.

They claim that Thai politics is hopelessly corrupt under the influence of Yingluck's billionaire brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for the country's constitutional monarch.

To carry out reforms, they want to institute a less democratic system where the concept of one-man, one vote would no longer apply because they believe the masses are not well enough educated to choose responsible leaders. They also say the poor sell their votes.

Thaksin's supporters say he is disliked because he has shifted power away from Thailand's traditional ruling class.

Thaksin and his allies have easily won every national election since 2001, relying on the support of the rural majority and urban poor, who benefited from his populist policies. The opposition Democrat Party, which has allied itself with the protests, has not won an election since 1992.

Yingluck's ruling party won the last vote two years ago in a landslide, and is likely to be victorious in any new ballot.

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban this week has been declaring that his movement has more legitimacy than the government, which he claims has acted against the constitution.

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Gaddafi's son appears in Libyan court

THE son of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi has briefly appeared before a militia-backed court in western Libya, only to have the proceedings against him adjourned until the end of February.

Since the end of Libya's 2011 civil war, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi has been held by a militia in Zintan, which has refused to hand him over for a separate trial in the capital, Tripoli - a sign of the central government's weakness.

In Tripoli, he is being tried in absentia along with 39 other Gaddafi regime figures, including notorious spymaster Abdullah al-Senoussi, for alleged crimes during Libya's conflict.

Seif al-Islam is also wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity.

The only Gaddafi son in custody, Seif al-Islam looked healthy during his brief appearance in the Zintan court. Wearing a blue prison uniform, he replied with a "no" when the judge asked him whether he had any requests.

The hearings were then adjourned until February 27 because the judge demanded that "other suspects" be brought in.

In the Zintan trial, Seif al-Islam faces charges of attempting to escape prison and insulting Libya's new flag. These charges are linked to a meeting he had in June 2012 with an ICC delegation that was accused of smuggling documents and a camera to him in his cell. The four-member team from The Hague was detained by Zintan rebels but released after the international tribunal apologised and pledged to investigate the incident.

The Zintan charges are separate from both those by the ICC, which indicted Seif al-Islam for the murder and persecution of protesters in the uprising that ultimately toppled his father's regime, and those by the Tripoli court.

Thursday's hearing was held amid tight security measures, with several masked policemen guarding Seif al-Islam inside the courtroom.

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Two die after being hit by cars in Vic

TWO people have died in hospital after being hit by cars in separate crashes in Melbourne's north.

A 29-year-old woman died in hospital on Thursday afternoon after being hit by a car on the weekend.

A passerby found her with life threatening injuries in the inner northern suburb of Thornbury about 2.50am (AEDT) on Sunday.

She was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital where she died on Thursday afternoon.

A man, 19, from Reservoir, is assisting police with their inquires.

An elderly man also died in hospital on Thursday after being hit by a car in Brunswick East last month.

Investigators believe the 82-year-old from North Fitzroy was crossing Nicholson Street near Barkly Street when he was hit by a north-bound car on the afternoon of November 8.

Victoria's road toll stands at 224 compared to 271 at this time last year.

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Boat race pest wins appeal to stay in UK

Australian boat race protester Trenton Oldfield has won an appeal to stay in the UK. Source: AAP

BOAT race protester Trenton Oldfield has secured a victory over the British government that wanted to deport him while simultaneously declaring his family could never live in "racist" Australia.

Mr Oldfield on Monday successfully appealed against Home Secretary Theresa May's decision to kick him out of the country on the grounds that his presence was "not conducive to the public good".

Immigration tribunal Judge Kevin Moore, in overturning the deportation order, said Mr Oldfield was an asset to Britain.

"There is no doubt in my view to your character and commitment and the value you are to UK society generally," the judge said.

Mr Oldfield, originally from Sydney, has a British wife, Deepa Naik, 36, and a five-month-old baby daughter.

He's lived in the UK for more than a decade.

The Australian, 37, swam into the path of the Oxford and Cambridge rowing crews as they raced down the Thames in April 2012 to protest against elitism.

He was subsequently jailed for seven weeks.

"Australia is a particularly racist country," Mr Oldfield said on Monday when explaining that if deported he would be separated from his family.

Mr Oldfield said Ms Naik, who is of Indian descent, had never visited Australia and couldn't live there because some Indians in the community had suffered violent attacks.

There was also everyday "passive water-cooler racism", he said.

"Our home is here. Australia is on the other side of the world."

Mr Oldfield said when he disrupted the boat race he'd recently returned from Canada after seven months caring for his father-in-law who was dying from cancer.

He was saddened to realise wealthier people could afford better drugs and have a better quality of life when gravely ill.

"I was vulnerable in terms of realising how short life can be," Mr Oldfield said before breaking down in tears.

"I was very emotional. When you walk around London you see pockets of deprivation that still exist. I think I was heartbroken."

More than 250 staff and students from Oxford and Cambridge signed a letter of support ahead of Monday's hearing.

Two professors gave evidence that Mr Oldfield's work as an activist and independent publisher added to the debate about inequality.

A further 23 people wrote character references and were present at the tribunal.

The Australian's lawyer, Stephanie Harrison QC, insisted the 2012 protest was an isolated incident.

"It won't be repeated, he has learned his lesson," she said.

But Home Office representative Darren Morley insisted Mr Oldfield broke the law by endangering himself and others, and it was appropriate for the government to reject his spousal visa.

"The whole country saw this ... there's a need to be firm against this type of behaviour," he said.

Mr Oldfield's solicitor Natalia Garcia said outside the tribunal it was extremely unusual for an immigration judge to allow an appeal on the spot.

It was proof of her client's good character and contribution to the UK, she told reporters.

Judge Moore's full determination will be delivered within 10 days.

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QBE suffers rating downgrade

Insurer QBE has had its credit rating downgraded, and its shares have continued to plunge. Source: AAP

INSURANCE giant QBE has had its credit rating downgraded due to its forecast of a $250 million loss for the 2013 calendar year.

Moody's downgraded QBE's issuer and senior unsecured debt ratings to Baa2, from Baa1.

The downgrade reflects the company's weakened profitability, internal generation of capital and measures to cover its debt servicing, Moody's said.

QBE on Monday announced a series of writedowns and provisions on the various north American businesses it has acquired since 2006, which will lead to the loss for the year.

The company's share price fell heavily again on Tuesday, losing $1.18, or 9.8 per cent, to $10.82.

Almost $5.7 billion has been wiped from QBE's market value since it announced the writedowns.

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Surf race teen drowned but not knocked out

An autopsy on the body of surf life saving competitor Matthew Barclay shows he died from drowning. Source: AAP

AN autopsy conducted on teen surf life saving competitor Matthew Barclay shows he died from drowning, with no sign he was knocked out by his board.

Matthew died during an under-15 board race which went ahead at the 2012 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships on the Gold Coast after several other events had been abandoned because of the rough conditions.

The championships' under-15 area referee Jenny Kenny told the inquest into Matthew's death that the board race was originally going to be held on March 29.

However, Ms Kenny said event organisers decided on the morning of March 28 to hold the board race that day after postponing the swim, board rescue and tube races because of unfavourable conditions at Kurrawa Beach.

She said those events were postponed because of the size of the 1.5 metre waves and the fact they were breaking far from the shore, creating a longer course.

The board races were considered safer for the conditions on March 28, she said.

"It wasn't an event in which we could see that there were any inherent dangers for the competitors," Ms Kenny told the inquest in Brisbane on Tuesday.

On Monday an event jet ski operator told the inquest he saw a loose board on a collision course with the unresponsive teen and assumed he must have been hit.

However, forensic pathologist Dianne Little gave evidence on Tuesday that while Matthew died from drowning, there was no sign the 14-year-old suffered head trauma.

Dr Little said there were grazes on his head and body but on examination she found they were inflicted after he died and were probably caused by his body buffeting against the sea floor.

She could find no evidence of natural disease, and toxicology and biochemistry tests showed nothing.

The pathologist said Matthew's lungs showed signs of mild chronic asthma, but ruled out the condition as a cause of death.

"There was absolutely nothing I could find at the autopsy that could explain why he drowned," she said.

The inquest was adjourned on Tuesday to a date to be fixed to allow time for a Workplace Health and Safety report on Matthew's death to be finalised.

Coroner Terry Ryan accepted a request by the Barclay family to include the report in the probe.

Outside court, Matthew's father Stephen Barclay said the delay was in the best interests of everybody and he expected the report to take a couple of months.

Over one-and-a-half days of evidence, the inquest heard the surf at Kurrawa was "challenging" on March 28, with a strong rip and waves up to two metres.

Gold Coast lifeguards expressed concerns for the safety of younger competitors but Matthew's race went ahead at 3.27pm.

Two jet ski operators saw him being tossed about by the powerful swell but were unable to rescue him due to the rough conditions.

Searchers did not find his body until the following day.

Matthew was the third teen to die while competing at Kurrawa during the Australian titles since 1996.

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NRMA customers stuck after power outage

ABOUT 200 people are stuck in their cars waiting for assistance after the NRMA's telephone and dispatch system was brought down in a power outage.

Long delays are expected for those needing help with their cars after power failed at the insurance company's western Sydney call centre on Tuesday afternoon, spokesman Peter Khoury told AAP.

About 200 people are stranded and less than 80 are trying to contact the company.

"We will be working through the night to get to them," he told AAP.

The dispatch system is expected to return to normal by Wednesday morning, he said.

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Young locked out of property market: oppn

YOUNG people in NSW will struggle to buy property with state government cuts to the first home buyers grants effectively locking them out of the market, the state opposition says.

Monthly loan figures for October, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, show about seven per cent of loans taken to buy property were from first home buyers, shadow treasurer Michael Daley said.

In October 2010, the figure was around 17 per cent, he added.

"The disappointing figures follow (Premier) Barry O'Farrell's decision to dump the $7000 First Home Owner Grant and end stamp duty exemptions worth up to $17,990 for first home buyers purchasing existing homes," Mr Daley said.

"Instead, the government's New Home Grant Scheme has paid 9802 grants to property investors and existing home owners buying a second property - further putting first home buyers out of the market."

Under the changes, taxpayer's money is "assisting property speculators", Mr Daley said.

NSW treasurer Mike Baird said the government made the changes to increase the number of first home buyers purchasing new homes.

Grants for newly built homes are up 83 per cent in the six months to November compared to the same period in 2012, Mr Baird added.

A $15,000 grant, applicable for the next two years, is available to first homebuyers of new homes costing up to $650,000.

Stamp duty won't be charged on homes worth less than $550,000 and a reduced fee will be imposed upon those who purchase property for less than $650,000, Mr Baird said.

"Previous incentives to first homebuyers for existing properties simply increased mortgage sizes, as they increased demand without any boost to housing supply," Mr Baird said in a statement to AAP.

"We are unashamedly targeting first homebuyer incentives towards new homes."

The NSW property market, he said, was the best it had been for a decade.

"Increasing housing stock and choice will ease competition in the market and help to get more first homebuyers into the housing market sooner."

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CCTV plan for Sydney gets go-ahead

The City of Sydney Council has endorsed the placing of extra CCTV cameras in Sydney's nightspots. Source: AAP

A PROPOSAL for extra CCTV cameras in Sydney's busiest nightspots is set to become a reality after the City of Sydney Council endorsed the plan.

At a council meeting on Monday night, council unanimously carried the proposal to install the 10 new cameras in Surry Hills, the CBD and Kings Cross.

The push for extra security follows the one-punch death of teenager Thomas Kelly.

Mr Kelly died after he was king hit in Kings Cross in July 2012.

After the CCTV plan gained the rubber stamp, Lord Mayor Clover Moore said in a statement the new cameras would bring the total number in council's city network to 97.

"Our entire CCTV network is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week and we work closely with the NSW Police Force, regularly providing video footage and intelligence," she said.

Recently Ms Moore took a swipe at the state government, which she claimed was responsible for law and order.

She said council had stepped in to fund CCTV because no one else had.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said on Sunday co-operation between the state and city council had seen a reduction in violence in Kings Cross following Mr Kelly's death.

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Religion 'everything': hacking accused

ONE of the men accused of murdering British soldier Lee Rigby has told a jury "my religion is everything".

Michael Adebolajo, 28, began giving evidence in London on Monday, surrounded by five security guards.

He and Michael Adebowale, 22, are accused of murdering Rigby by running him down with a car and then hacking him to death with a meat cleaver and knives near Woolwich Barracks in south east London on May 22.

The soldier's relatives sat feet away as Adebolajo spoke to the court.

He said: "My religion is everything.

"When I came to Islam I realised that... real success is not just what you can acquire, but really is if you make it to paradise, because then you can relax."

Adebolajo said he converted to Islam in his first year at Greenwich University.

When asked about his attitude to people in authority, he said: "Generally speaking, I don't get along with them, generally. In most instances I don't get along with authority, except for my mother and my father."

As ground rules were set out for his giving evidence, including not speaking over the judge, he said: "I don't believe in the law."

The court heard that Adebolajo is married and has six children, including a seven-year-old boy.

He said that, growing up in Romford, the "vast majority" of his friends were white British, and one, Kirk Redpath, joined the Army and was later killed in Iraq.

Adebolajo said: "I hold Tony Blair responsible for his death."

He said his favourite teacher at school was the first person to teach him about Adolf Hitler.

He told the court it showed him that "there are some very wicked people in the world".

The 28-year-old was raised as a Christian.

He told the jury of eight women and four men: "My parents used to take us to church every Sunday. The memory that sticks in my mind... is probably every New Year's Eve in the evening around 11 o'clock we would gather around in candlelight and read passages from the Bible."

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Church's 'sorry' too late, inquiry hears

An inquiry into how the Catholic Church managed victims of child sex abuse is under the microscope. Source: AAP

TWELVE years after being silenced by the Catholic Church, Joan Isaacs can now tell the world about the sexual and emotional abuse inflicted upon her as a schoolgirl.

Ms Isaacs was applauded as she left the witness stand at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Monday after finally talking publicly about the abuse dealt her by Father Francis Derriman more than 40 years ago.

The church last week lifted the legally binding agreement she made in 2001 in return for a $30,000 payment, in a gesture she said was "too little, too late."

Ms Isaacs, 60, received a letter from Brisbane Archbishop, the Most Reverend Mark Coleridge, saying she was no longer required to observe the conditions of the settlement agreed to under the church's Towards Healing process.

A confidentiality clause required her not to speak to anyone, except for medical reasons, about her abuse and demanded that she not make "disparaging comments" about the process and the archdiocese.

She said one of the reasons she came to the Royal Commission was because she "needed to be free of these chains before I died".

In an emotional first day of the commission's hearings into Towards Healing - the Church's internal procedures for dealing with sex abuse allegations - several observers walked out as church lawyer Peter Gray SC quoted St Mark, others protested outside and commission chairman rebuked Mr Gray.

Like many other victims, Ms Isaacs said the Towards Healing process re-traumatised her and she had been silenced.

In last week's letter, Rev Coleridge said: "I can only hope that this belated gesture will assist you to move further on the path to peace and healing."

She said she was "waiting and waiting (for an apology) and I heard the opening address from the Church this morning and how sorry they were for everything that happened and I went back to my letter and I couldn't find sorry anywhere".

Ms Isaacs had been sexually and emotionally abused by Father Derriman when she was 14 and 15 years of age.

Derriman, who served eight months in jail, has left the church and is now married and living in Victoria.

Ms Isaacs said at the time Father Derriman had lied about being terminally ill and said he would kill himself if she did not have sex with him.

A visibly upset Ms Isaacs told how he would put his finger in her mouth during Holy Communion.

As she left the stand, people in the crowded hearing room spontaneously clapped.

Earlier, some had walked out when Mr Gray, representing the Catholic Church's Truth, Justice and Healing Council quoted the Gospel of Mark.

Mr Gray said the church was deeply sorry and referred to the hearing as a "day of reckoning for the Catholic Church".

"It apologises to all those who have been harmed and betrayed. It humbly asks for forgiveness," he said.

When he quoted chapter 10 verse 14 from the gospel according to Mark with the phrase "Let the little children come to me ....", people walked out with cries of "goodness me" and "what an insult". Some cried outside the hearing.

Mr Gray was twice interrupted by commission chair Justice Peter McClellan.

Justice McClellan said Mr Gray was expressing conclusions in some of what he said, and advised him this was the commission's job.

Senior counsel advising the commission, Gail Furness, in her opening statement said data supplied by the church was incomplete and not up to date.

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Ring 'thief' bailed after colonoscopy

A JUDGE has granted an accused jewel thief bail after he laid out crucial evidence for police.

David Watts had a colonoscopy on Monday morning to retrieve a diamond ring he allegedly swallowed after stealing it from a jewellery store in southwest Brisbane two weeks ago.

Watts allegedly stole and ate another ring, but police lost it after throwing out a waste bag they forgot to search while he was in custody.

Legal Aid Solicitor Nicholas Hanly applied for bail on behalf of Watts in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday afternoon.

Magistrate Paul Kluck asked why the application had been made so late in the day.

Mr Hanly told him that the rings had only been "extracted" on Monday morning, which drew smirks and giggles from prosecutors, court officers, the public gallery and a prisoner who was waiting in the dock for his matter to be heard.

"I don't want to hear anything about rings being extracted," the magistrate shouted.

Prosecutors did not oppose the application and Magistrate Kluck granted bail without conditions.

Watts is due to reappear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on December 13.

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Police rescue Afghan woman from stoning

A WOMAN sentenced by the Taliban to death by public stoning was rescued by police in northern Afghanistan, a police official said.

"Taliban [judicial] commission charged a woman named Halima ... to be stoned to death for having an affair with a man in Dasht-e-Archi district three days ago," said Saeed Tabar Hussaini, a police official in northern Kunduz province.

The woman was due to be executed on Sunday evening, but police received a tip-off and arrived at the scene before the execution took place.

Taliban fled the area, the official said.

Hussaini said the man who was sentenced along with the woman had evaded arrest by the Taliban.

There have been isolated reports of stonings in Afghanistan since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001.

On Sunday, a UN report said that prosecutions and convictions of perpetrators of violence against women in Afghanistan remained low, with most cases settled by mediation.

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Govt not bank for car industry, Lib MP

MP Josh Frydenberg says there are limits to the support the federal government can give car makers. Source: AAP

FEDERAL coalition coffers cannot be used as an ATM for struggling car companies like Holden, one coalition MP says.

Liberal Mr Frydenberg, who is a parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, says the role of government is to create an environment where businesses can prosper.

"But it's not to be there as the banker for free enterprise," he told Sky News on Sunday.

"We cannot use the taxpayer as an ATM for the car industry."

Mr Frydenberg repeated government calls for Holden to declare the fate of its Australian manufacturing operations, with speculation that it has already decided to close by 2016.

Holden officials will provide some details about where the company is heading at a Productivity Commission inquiry hearing in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Mr Frydenberg says the government hopes the car maker will stay in Australia, but there are "certainly limits" to the amount of support it can provide.

"We have $1 billion committed to 2015 in the automotive transformation scheme," he said.

"That money is available to the sector."

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says Holden is too important for the government to let it "walk away" from Australia.

He said the car industry around the world involved huge amounts of government intervention: "You have to accept that reality".

"If we do want a car industry, then we need to recognise that we're dealing with a global situation in which governments intervene to support their car industry," Mr Bowen told Sky News.

"If Australia's going to have one, we have to play on the same field."

He said it would be "very difficult" for Toyota to maintain its local operations if Holden left.

Earlier this year Ford announced it would end manufacturing in Australia in 2016.

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Free transport urged for fire recovery

The NSW Opposition wants free weekend transport to and from the Blue Mountains to boost business. Source: AAP

THE NSW government should provide free bus and train rides to and from the Blue Mountains these holidays to help businesses recover from the October bushfires, the state opposition says.

The government needs to encourage visitors back with the message that the Blue Mountains is open for business, Opposition Leader John Robertson says.

Analysis by Blue Mountains Lithgow & Oberon Tourism and Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise estimates 200 jobs and more than $47 million in tourism revenue have been lost in the six weeks following the bushfires.

Domestic day trips alone are estimated to be down by more than 144,000.

Mr Robertson says there are dozens of bus and train services to the Blue Mountains every weekend.

"These public transport services should be free and promoted across the Sydney Trains network to encourage families and tourists to plan a trip to the mountains."

Opposition transport spokeswoman Penny Sharpe says she's written to Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian asking that Labor's proposal be implemented immediately, effective until the Australia Day long weekend.

"For a family of two adults and two children it would cost $34.80 on a Saturday to travel from Central to Springwood by train ... that's $34 better spent in a Blue Mountains small business."

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill says many visitors had been scared away by the bushfires.

"We have hundreds of thousands of hectares of world heritage listed National Park with breathtaking scenery, pristine waterways and amazing walking tracks," he said.

"We welcome any proposal that encourages visitors and their wallets to our region."

Ms Berejiklian said in a statement that the NSW government had announced funding for a campaign to encourage tourists to visit the Blue Mountains and continued to work with the community to help those impacted.

"An auction of Sydney Trains lost property items held on Saturday raised thousands of dollars that will be donated to victims of the Blue Mountains bushfire," she said.

The minister also said the government had announced residents would not be charged for water used to defend their homes during the bushfires.

Fees to replace documents such as birth certificates and driver licences had also been waived along with fees for taking bushfire waste to the tip, Ms Berejiklian said.

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Vic minister slams hospital delay claim

OPPOSITION claims that sick Victorian kids are being forced to wait due to delays in building a children's hospital are wrong and hypocrisy in the extreme, the health minister says.

Baulderstone Pty Ltd will build the 230-bed Monash Children's Hospital, with construction to begin mid-next year, it was announced on Sunday.

But opposition health spokesman Gavin Jennings says the hospital should be being finished now, not being started, with the government promising to deliver it in its first term.

"Families who have been waiting for better care for their children, continue to wait," he told reporters.

"Families are waiting longer than they should have."

Health Minister David Davis said the government had promised to start building the hospital in its first term.

He said Labor's delay claims were wrong and "hypocrisy in the extreme" because they failed to build the hospital in 11 years in government.

"(Now Opposition Leader) Daniel Andrews was parliamentary secretary for health first and health minister later and he allocated not one cent to build the Monash Children's Hospital," Mr Davis told AAP.

He said the need for a dedicated children's hospital in Melbourne's southeast was first identified a decade ago.

"This is an important hospital for Melbourne's southeast, a hospital that we look forward to seeing in operation," Mr Davis said.

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Qld 30-year vision sets the bar high

Expanding children's literacy and numeracy levels is a primary target in a bold plan for Queensland. Source: AAP

AN ambitious 30-year plan for Queensland aims to have half of the state's population living outside the southeast and to narrow the gap between the wealthy and poor.

Ensuring all Queensland children have basic literacy and numeracy when they finish primary school is another key target in The Queensland Plan, released for review on Sunday.

Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection Andrew Powell says the bar has been set high.

"The working draft is based on a compilation of what Queenslanders have told us they want in 30 years' time," he said in a statement.

"We don't expect everyone will agree with these preliminary targets, but we now have a great opportunity as a community to realise the future we want."

Mr Powell is urging all Queenslanders to have a look at the draft to ensure the 30-year vision reflects the aspirations of the Sunshine State.

"Test us. These targets are bold, they are different and some have never been measured in Australia before," he said.

Ensuring Queenslanders have the lowest incidence of preventable diseases in Australia and increasing the life expectancy of the state's indigenous peoples are also among the 16 primary targets outlined in the draft plan.

The final Queensland Plan is expected to be released by mid-2014.

The working draft is online and will be available for review until March 7 2014.

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Drug arrests, seizures at Vic music fest

MORE than 100 people have been arrested for drug offences at a Melbourne music festival.

Police seized drugs including ecstasy, amphetamine, cocaine, GHB and MDMA during a sniffer dog operation at the Stereosonic festival at Melbourne Showgrounds over the weekend.

They arrested 139 people, with the majority receiving drug diversions or cautions.

Ten people were charged.

Police Senior Sergeant Mark Pilkington said it was disappointing that so many people were risking their lives by taking illicit substances.

"Believe it or not, you are taking a serious risk with your health and life every time you take an illicit substance," he said.

"We will continue to work closely with event organisers to try and limit these substances at events."

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