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Australia's real Pacific solution

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 21 Maret 2014 | 19.51

Guards at Australia's detention centre on Manus island are ordered to carry hooked knives. Source: AAP

GUARDS at Australia's detention centre on Manus island are ordered to carry hooked knives.

The knives are used to cut ropes when asylum seekers try to hang themselves.

This is the harsh reality of Australia's so-called Pacific Solution.

Here's another reality - in one sleeping area in Foxtrot compound 122 men sleep in a steaming hot, darkened room with no air-conditioning.

Large, industrial fans are spaced unevenly between the beds, leaving little room for people to move.

And another reality: these are men - 1296 of them - living with the dark memories of the February 17 riot that claimed the life of 23-year-old Iranian man Reza Berati.

Broken window panes in the dining hall at Oscar compound, missing windows in Mike compound, bullet holes in a large white container exposing - like wounds - the rusted brown interior.

"They hit him and he fell from here and they hit him till he died," one asylum seeker said of Berati, pointing to a stairwell in Mike compound.

"They hit him in the head until he died." Guards and immigration officials quickly moved us on.

On Friday, a select group of media organisations including AAP was permitted rare access to the centre by court order as part of a Papua New Guinea human rights inquiry into the treatment of asylum seekers.

We were not allowed to interview staff or detainees.

Men in Delta, Foxtrot and Oscar compounds held pictures of Berati.

"Please report this, we want freedom," shouted one man, who gripped tightly onto the shoulder of this journalist.

"Please, we can't sleep. We are scared all the time."

Another became visibly upset. "Six months, seven months, eight months like this here," he said.

"We have no (running) water, no safety."

In Delta compound, media were shown filthy toilets with no running water, while in another compound there were broken showers.

This part of the facility is constructed on the remains of the old Manus Island detention centre, built so the Howard government could implement the first instalment of the Pacific Solution.

Tightly packed shipping containers in rows, each one sleeping four or five men.

Facing each other, the walkway between them is shielded from the heavy and frequent Manus rains by a metal roof.

Peering down, you can barely make out the faces of the men in the dark.

There are vast differences in the quality of the compounds.

While Delta and Foxtrot compounds are extremely run down, others are not.

Mike compound is made up of blazing white shipping containers stacked on top of each other. Each room sleeps four men.

In Oscar compound - made up of a dining hall and large marquee sleeping halls for up to 50 men - showers were broken.

In one of these sleeping halls the words, "you'll never find a rainbow if you keep looking down", are scrawled on a wall above one of the bunk beds.

The beds are spaced about a foot apart.

The court party was informed there are fewer tables in the dining halls since the riot, with none in one compound.

Next to Oscar compound, behind a large corrugated iron fence, is the mental health sleeping quarters.

Inside, a bearded man clutches his violently shaking right hand to his chest.

"I am from Syria, please I want freedom," he said.

Next to Mike compound is "the green zone" where asylum seekers can make calls to their families at night.

But there's nothing safe about it.

An asylum seeker points out a bullet hole in a metal support beam - another memory of February 17.

As the team of court officials and media walks between Oscar and Delta compounds, men hang against the fences and stare at us silently.

One group of about eight men stand with their faces pressed against the rusted metal.

To their right: a sign ordering guards to carry the hooked knives.


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Nats will do better at re-run poll: Joyce

THE Nationals will improve their performance at the re-run West Australian Senate election, Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce says.

The party - which began in the west - missed out on a seat at the September poll because of preference deals wrangled by minor parties including the Australian Sports Party.

Shane Van Styn and Colin de Grussa are running again at the April 5 election, but former AFL star David Wirrapanda has decided he won't.

"We had David Wirrapanda and he did a good job - we got a better vote than one of the senators that got in, it's just that our preference flow wasn't right but this time, the preference flow is better for us," Mr Joyce told Fairfax radio on Friday.

"We've got a better position (on the ballot paper) in box B.

"There was an overwhelming desire for change at the last election and I suppose the National party, because they stand on their own, got run over a bit in it.

"But this election is different."

Mr Joyce said the party's policy platform was centred on abolishing the carbon tax, progressing trade agreements and more infrastructure in WA.


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Trio charged after Vic bikie gang raids

Police are conducting raids on properties linked to the Comancheros outlaw bikie gang in Victoria. Source: AAP

THREE men have been charged and guns and drugs seized after raids on the Comanchero bikie gang across Melbourne.

Police searched a series of homes and businesses across the city on Friday morning, finding firearms at a property in Dewhurst.

Ammunition and drugs, believed to be steroids, were found in Lynbrook.

Three men were arrested and all charged with perverting the course of justice.

Robert Morando, 41, of Narre Warren South, Michael Murray, 36, of Lysterfield South and Almir Dzafic, 33, of Hampton Park, were remanded in custody to face Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday.

Murray is also facing charges of possessing firearms, steroids and ammunition.


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No sweet tooth for Australian cake champ

FOR an award-winning cake decorator who spends Monday to Friday surrounded by the temptations of her sugary creations, Jacquie Goldstaiz's palate is a blessing in disguise.

"I never bake for me. I just really love fresh fruit and vegetables," she said.

"The only time I really taste cake is to make sure it's the right flavour or it's not too dry."

Ms Goldstaiz's artistic flair earned her the championship title and a $2000 prize at the Australian Cake Decorating Championships in Sydney on Friday.

The Gold Coast woman's marzipan fruit creation took two months to make.

While the competition version was not edible, Ms Goldstaiz estimates a real cake would take two weeks to create and would weigh about 10 kilograms.

Throughout her five-year career, Ms Goldstaiz has created cakes in the shape of a Louis Vuitton bag, a Native American head and a diving helmet.

But somehow the former florist manages not to overindulge.

"To me, it's an art," she said.

"I never look at it as a cake and never look at it as something to eat."

Her winning confection will return to Queensland to take prime position in her cake-decorating shop.


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10 women drown as boat sinks in India

POLICE say 10 women drowned when a small boat loaded with farmworkers sank in a lake in western India.

Police officer Satyendera Singh says six women and a boatman were also rescued after the accident on Friday in Rajasthan's state Tonk district, nearly 390 kilometres southwest of New Delhi.

Singh said the small boat appeared to be overcrowded with women heading to a nearby village to work on farms.

Police have recovered all the bodies.

Boating accidents are common in India because many ferries are poorly built and are often overcrowded, and there is little regard for safety regulations.


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Farmers want fair deal from Japan FTA

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 20 Maret 2014 | 19.51

Australia's peak farming body says a FTA with Japan needs to benefit the whole agriculture sector. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S peak farming body is urging the federal government not to be pressured by Japan's powerful agricultural lobby as it enters the final stage of negotiations for a free trade agreement.

The federal government is rumoured to be close to finalising a broad deal to liberalise trade and boost market access to Japan, Australia's second-largest trading partner.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has promised to sign an FTA with Japan by September, and is expected to advance talks significantly during a trip to Tokyo next month.

But the National Farmers Federation is concerned there could be carve-outs in the deal to appease influential Japanese groups determined to protect their key agricultural commodities from competition.

NFF president Brent Finlay said in his experience all meetings with Japanese trade groups - including a major delegation in Canberra this week - started the same way.

"They are very quick to reinforce the importance of their key five ag (agricultural) commodities, and that their government will not move on those ag commodities," Mr Finlay told AAP on Thursday.

Japanese agriculture groups have traditionally fought hard - and often successfully - to protect their rice, sugar, beef, diary, grain and pork sectors.

Mr Finlay said this wasn't surprising given the influence of massive agricultural lobby firms in Japan like JA Zenchu, worth an estimated $40 billion.

"That gives you an indication of the power that they wield," he said.

The NFF wasn't happy when rice was carved out of a recent FTA deal with South Korea, and expects more concessions being made to the Japanese as the Abbott government tries to wind up seven years of talks.

"We're saying to them not to pursue it at all costs," Mr Finlay said.

The federation says the tariff regime remains a "significant point of conjecture" with the Japan negotiations, and they want all Australian sectors - including rice and beef - to get improved market access.

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce said he was confident gains could be made on beef, but the Japanese delegation wasn't giving anything away in meetings this week.

"The Japanese, the one thing they are is extremely astute in their commentary," he told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.

Japanese trade with Australia was worth $71.1 billion in 2012, and if successful the deal is forecast to add $39 billion to Australia's economy over 20 years.


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Nine killed in Turkey crash

Nine people are dead in a crash involving a passenger train and a minibus in southern Turkey. Source: AAP

AT least nine people are dead and five others have been left injured after a passenger train crashed into a minibus carrying workers to a factory in southern Turkey.

Local governor Basri Guzeloglu said on Thursday the train slammed into the vehicle at a level crossing near the Mediterranean port city of Mersin.

All the dead were in the vehicle. Three of the injured were said to be in a serious condition.

Guzeloglu said the cause of the accident would be investigated but media reports suggested a signalling fault that saw the crossing's barrier arms up at the time of the accident.

No one aboard the train, travelling from the southern city of Adana to Mersin, was hurt.


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NGA director Ron Radford retires

Director of the National Gallery of Australia, Ron Radford, has announced his retirement. Source: AAP

THE National Gallery of Australia's director has announced his retirement.

Ron Radford will have served close to a decade in the gallery's top job when he leaves at the end of September.

During his time as director, Dr Radford has overseen an extension of gallery buildings, appointment of indigenous curators, the transformation and revival of Asian and Pacific collections, and is credited with initiating numerous blockbuster exhibitions.

There is no link between his retirement and controversy surrounding the purchase of a bronze sculpture, titled Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja), dating from 11th-century India.

The gallery paid $US5 million in 2008 for the statue and in 2014 has launched legal action in the United States against the selling dealer, amid allegations the artwork was stolen.

"If we are a victim of fraud then we will act," Dr Radford has said.


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Man wedged between car and wall critical

A man who became wedged between his car and a wall in Sydney is in a critical condition in hospital. Source: AAP

A MAN is in a critical condition in a Sydney hospital after becoming wedged between his car and a brick wall.

The 50-year-old had been reversing from a driveway at a unit block on Shadforth Street, Wiley Park when he got stuck on Thursday morning.

CareFlight director Ian Badham told AAP a passerby rushed to the man's aid and pushed the car back about half a metre to relieve the pressure until emergency services arrived.

A doctor performed emergency surgery while NSW Fire and Rescue worked for 40 minutes to free the man, Mr Badham added.

He was taken to Liverpool Hospital with severe head and chest injuries and fractures.

A hospital spokesman said on Thursday night he was in a critical but stable condition.

Witness Moshi Ali told Network 10 he saw the incident unfold.

"I just heard a big bang then I looked from my balcony and I saw this guy trapped," he said.


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Asylum seekers unaware of rights: inquiry

ASYLUM seekers have told a Papua New Guinea court they were not made aware of their right to free legal representation, as the judge refused to allow an Australian lawyer to represent 75 detainees at the inquiry.

However, Justice David Cannings granted Amnesty International leave to join the case as an interested party, and ruled that media be given access to the centre on Friday.

During the fourth day of hearings into human rights obligations at Australia's detention centre on Manus Island, the court has heard transferees were not told of their right to free representation under PNG law.

A 26-year-old Burmese asylum seeker told the court he had not spoken to a lawyer in six months.

"I was not told I could have a lawyer," he said on Thursday.

Under PNG law, anyone who is locked up has the right to free legal advice.

He said he had one interview with an Australian lawyer and two with immigration officials shortly after arriving on Manus Island in August or September.

But he said he had heard nothing since.

At the time, an Australian lawyer at the centre took his statement.

"She said she would do the processing (of his asylum claim)," he said.

Justice Cannings on Thursday refused Sydney lawyer Jay Williams' request to represent 75 asylum seekers detained at the Manus facility.

Mr Williams argued that under PNG's constitution and the Lawyers Act of 1986, judges had the power to admit anyone they wished under exceptional circumstances.

"We have made many requests to the migration officer to visit my clients but those requests have been delayed, frustrated or refused," Mr Williams said.

While Justice Cannings agreed PNG's constitution granted the right of representation, he would not grant Mr Williams' request because the circumstances were not exceptional.

But he did grant Mr Williams' request to visit his clients on Friday.

Justice Cannings also accepted an application by Amnesty International to join the case as an interested party.

Amnesty is expected to tender its recent, highly critical report of the centre as evidence.

So far, 11 asylum seekers have appeared at the inquiry in Lorengau, the Manus capital.

In each of the men's affidavits, the court struck out mention of the February 17 riot that claimed the life of 23-year-old Iranian asylum seeker Reza Berati.

Many of the transferees who have appeared in the past two days have indicated the riots made them feel less safe.

A 22-year-old Iranian man told the court he felt as if he was in a prison, and had almost forgotten his name after months of being referred to by his identification number.

He said he felt terrorised by some staff at the centre.

"The expats always tell us the people here are poor and cannibals," he said.

"That's how they terrorise us."


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Horse with Hendra virus put down in Qld

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 19 Maret 2014 | 19.51

A horse has been put down in the Queensland town of Bundaberg after contracting the Hendra virus. Source: AAP

A HORSE has been put down in the Queensland city of Bundaberg after contracting the Hendra virus.

It's the first Hendra virus incident in the state this year.

The horse fell ill during the weekend and was put down on Monday.

Late last night, test results confirmed it had the bat-borne virus.

Queensland chief veterinary officer Rick Symons said the site had been quarantined and would remain that way for several more weeks.

Biosecurity Queensland is still deciding what to do about a neighbouring property.

"We understand that it's one neighbouring property that has, we're told, seven horses and so we assess the contact of that horse, those horses with the infected horse," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"Then we make an assessment whether we need to test those horses and whether we need to quarantine that property.

"We haven't got to that stage yet."

Dr Symons urged horse owners to vaccinate their animals.


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Motorcyclist killed in fiery highway crash

A motorcyclist has died after he was thrown from his bike in a crash on the NSW mid-north coast. Source: AAP

A MOTORCYCLIST has been killed after he was thrown from his bike in a fiery crash on the NSW mid-north coast.

A number of witnesses rendered first aid after the head-on crash with a Holden Commodore on the Pacific Highway at Korora, near Coffs Harbour, on Wednesday afternoon.

But the man, aged in his 50s, died at the scene.

Other bystanders extinguished the man's motorbike, which burst into flames from the crash.

Police said the Commodore driver was uninjured but taken to hospital for mandatory blood and urine tests.


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Trauma study targets 300 Vietnam veterans

300 Vietnam veterans will take part in a Queensland-based study into post-traumatic stress disorder. Source: AAP

HAUNTED by images of mangled bodies, Vietnam veteran Tony Dell hasn't slept for more than four hours a night during the past 40 years.

When he returned home in 1968 after serving a year in Vietnam he became introverted, edgy, angry, had difficulty sleeping and his marriage broke down.

It wasn't until 2008, when he began talking about the war, that he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"I still get flashbacks ... bullets whizzing over your head and mangled up bodies," the former Australian Test cricketer told AAP from his home on the Sunshine Coast.

"The problem is it sinks into your subconscious and stays there and it ferments and eventually it comes out as PTSD."

Keen to create more awareness around the disorder which affects five to 10 per cent of Australians, Mr Dell on Wednesday became the first of 300 Vietnam veterans to take part in a new Queensland-based research project into PTSD.

The Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation and RSL Queensland study will look at the health risks of PTSD such as heart disease and cancer, and the role genetics plays.

"We think that stress is interacting with genes that predispose people to these diseases," lead researcher Queensland University of Technology Professor Ross Young told AAP.

Of those veterans involved in the study, half suffer from PTSD.

Prof Young is hopeful the year-long study will improve diagnosis, treatment and potentially prevention.

Mr Dell treats his symptoms by exercising and talking about his war experience, and has spent the past several years encouraging others to speak to out.

"If I'd talked about the war when I first got home things wouldn't have been so tough," he said.


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McCann police seek lone intruder

BRITISH detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are looking for a lone intruder who sexually abused five girls during break-ins at holiday homes in Portugal.

The tanned, dark-haired man is suspected of breaking in to 12 properties where British families were staying in the Algarve between 2004 and 2010.

In five of the incidents, girls aged between seven and 10 years were sexually assaulted.

These attacks happened between 2004 and 2006, before Madeleine vanished in 2007.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood said tracing the man, said to have "an unhealthy interest in young white female children", was one of his priority lines of inquiry.

His team has 38 people classed as "persons of interest" to the inquiry, and is also sifting through details of 530 known sex offenders whose whereabouts cannot be accounted for.

Of those, 59 are classed as high priority, and some are British.


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Comedians join anti-cage eggs campaign

Comedian Carl Barron features in a TV campaign urging consumers to shun battery cage eggs. Source: AAP

LAUGHTER is a useful tool for getting across a message on an unpleasant topic.

That's the tack Animals Australia has taken in its latest television campaign urging consumers to shun battery cage eggs, featuring comedians including Arj Barker, Carl Barron, and Kath and Kim's Peter Rowsthorn.

Mick Molloy is seen tenderly cradling a rescued battery hen, saying: "That ain't no way to treat a lady."

Rowsthorn says: "Think about it if you got caught on a really crowded train and the doors shut, and there you were, for the rest of your life. That's not good."

The advertisement follows the Make it Possible campaign by the animal welfare group in October when Woolworths pledged to phase out all cage eggs by 2018.

The move angered farmers, with the Victorian Farmers' Federation saying egg suppliers had five years earlier invested in new cage systems that met industry requirements, and that they would not be compensated for Woolworths' pending ban.


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Balmain Leagues Club decision Wednesday

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 18 Maret 2014 | 19.51

A judge will soon rule on whether the Balmain Leagues Club will be placed into receivership. Source: AAP

WESTS Tigers fans will have to wait another day to find out whether the Balmain Leagues Club will be placed into receivership.

Developers Rozelle Village have applied to have receivers appointed to the club, claiming it has defaulted on loans among other issues.

On Tuesday afternoon, the NSW Supreme Court heard applications from Rozelle Village and the club which wants to stop the developer's action.

The leagues club has financially supported the Wests Tigers NRL club, and the injunction could hurt its ability to continue that support, the court was told.

Balmain spokesman Danny Munk said they had been given a fair hearing.

"We'll leave it in the hands of the judges. Unfortunately that's all we can say," he told reporters outside the court.

Judgment on the receivership matter is expected to be handed down on Wednesday afternoon.

Rozelle Village bought the site of the Balmain Leagues Club headquarters on Victoria Road, Rozelle to develop it into luxury apartments. The development is yet to receive state approval.


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Joyce fends off more jobs speculation

The opposition is holding off on a decision on Qantas law changes until an inquiry is tabled. Source: AAP

QANTAS chief Alan Joyce will not rule out sending more jobs offshore if able to do so under legislative changes being considered by federal parliament.

The airline is committed to slashing 5000 jobs as part of a $2 billion cost-cutting program, and as the coalition government proposes changes to the Qantas Sale Act, Mr Joyce will not forecast how many additional Australian positions could be lost.

"I'm not going to rule anything in or anything out," he told a Senate hearing in Canberra on Tuesday.

The airline boss faced repeated questioning about the impact on jobs of changing the Act, which would allow greater foreign ownership of Qantas's domestic arm.

But he said the airline has done no such modelling and refuses to deal in hypotheticals.

"We have no more plans on that," Mr Joyce said when asked of the jobs impact on different divisions of the company including maintenance, flight crew, catering and management.

Mr Joyce's position at the Qantas helm, which he has held since 2008, came under fire from Labor senator Sam Dastyari, who cited a drop in share price of more than 50 per cent since his appointment.

"If it was in the interests of shareholder value ... for you to resign would you do so?" Senator Dastyari asked.

Mr Joyce insisted that he has the support of the Qantas board.

"The important thing is to have the support of the shareholders and I continuously meet with the shareholders," Mr Joyce said.

A refresh of the Qantas board is the answer to the airline's problems, not legislative changes to the Act, Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association federal secretary Stephen Purvinas told the hearing.

"I would suggest that the government stop dealing with the current board of management until such time as they replace the CEO, they replace the chairman and they put someone with aviation background on the board," Mr Purvinas said.

He said the board is made up of bankers and people with corporate backgrounds, who lack an understanding of aviation issues.

Furthermore he said Qantas has purposefully lost money to back the federal government into a corner to change the Act.

"Qantas are intentionally creating this drama and all of the hype around them struggling internationally so that they can suck you guys into changing the Qantas Sale Act," Mr Purvinas said.

The Senate economics committee is due to report on March 24.

The ACTU forecast the number of Australian Qantas job losses would stretch to a five-digit figure under changes to the Act.

"If you add up the predictions that we have from affiliates generally in relation to Qantas group, a figure of 10,000 is obtained," union assistant secretary Tim Lyons told the same hearing.

He said staff morale at the airline was "sombre".

"The immediate impact if this bill was to go through ... would be a massive offshoring of the heavy maintenance base at Brisbane," Electrical Trades Union spokesman Matthew Murphy said.

Maintenance operations at Sydney and Melbourne would also be sent offshore, he added.

Mr Joyce labelled as "fear mongering" union claims that Qantas safety standards would be compromised if the Act was amended.

Both onshore maintenance operations and those based overseas had to be approved by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, he said.


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Buswell to take three more weeks off

Former WA Treasurer Troy Buswell is unlikely to return to parliament until at least April 10. Source: AAP

FORMER West Australian treasurer Troy Buswell is unlikely to return to parliament until at least April 10.

Mr Buswell stepped down from cabinet last week following revelations he was hospitalised for 10 days after a mental breakdown in the wake of a car crash in the early hours of February 23.

He had been at a wedding reception and had reportedly spent many hours drinking.

Police continue to probe the events that led to Mr Buswell's car crashing into the gates of his own house. They are also investigating damage to other cars and property in Subiaco.

Mr Buswell has not been sighted publicly since his enforced departure and the state government now needs to seek formal permission from the lower house for him to remain absent for more than nine consecutive sitting days, which will fall on Thursday.

The parliament was told on Monday that the government would apply for Mr Buswell to remain away from work until the second week of April.

It is the convention for the opposition not to oppose motions for MPs seeking a leave of absence for health reasons.

There has been no confirmation of Mr Buswell's future plans or whether he intends to remain an MP.


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Qld clan celebrate native title ruling

Native title over 20,000 square kilometres of land has been handed to Queensland's Gudjala people. Source: AAP

AS native title over her ancestral land is formally handed to her people, north Queenslander Elizabeth Santo-Dodds looks to the heavens.

"The fight was all for them," the 43-year-old traditional owner says, referring to relatives who began the battle for recognition two decades ago but have since died.

"That's who I'm thinking about today; those who couldn't be here and always stood proud and never gave up."

Native title over 20,000 square kilometres of land near Charters Towers, inland from Townsville, was officially handed to the Gudjala people on Tuesday.

Ms Santo-Dodds said the Federal Court determination brings closure to those who have fought for the right to claim the land as their own.

"We always knew who we were and where we came from and that this is our country," she told AAP following celebrations with relatives on Tuesday.

"It's about peace of mind that people can't question our authority or authenticity over this land."

Native title will allow the Gudjala people to enter into formal negotiations with landowners over future land use.

It also gives them greater access to the land to hunt, fish, camp and carry out ceremonies and will mean they have more say over how the land is protected.

Ms Santo-Dodds said native title isn't about financial gain but a chance to right wrongs and acknowledge traditional owners who are spiritually connected to the land.

"Just like many places in Australia this land doesn't have a very good history and we will never forget that," she said.

"All we wanted was to be known as the people from this area.

"It's been a long time coming and today finally we've got here."


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Shark attack may have been mackerel

A young girl injured in what was thought to be a shark attack may have been bitten by a mackerel. Source: AAP

A 10-YEAR-OLD girl injured in what was thought to be a shark attack may have been bitten by a mackerel.

The girl suffered "very minor injuries" to her hand when she was bitten on Tuesday afternoon while swimming off the main beach at Lennox Head, a spokeswoman at Lismore Base hospital told AAP.

Initially it was believed she had been attacked by a shark. But authorities say they aren't sure what is responsible for the injuries.

"They don't know if that's actually correct," the spokeswoman said of the shark attack theory.

Georgia Laddin, from the Lennox Head girls surfriders told News Corp Australia it wasn't a shark.

"It was a mackerel. She's been bitten by a fish," she said.

"She's fine, she's OK. She's one of the local girls who surfs down there."

A police spokeswoman told News Corp Australia the girl's thumb was scratched.

No further detail was available and the girl's family don't want to speak to media.


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Vic MP Geoff Shaw quits Liberal Party

Written By Unknown on Senin, 17 Maret 2014 | 19.51

Rebel Victorian MP Geoff Shaw has quit the state's Liberal Party days before a party meeting. Source: AAP

REBEL Victorian MP Geoff Shaw has resigned from the Liberal Party ahead of a meeting where he was expected to be kicked out.

The independent Frankston MP resigned from the parliamentary Liberal Party last March, but he was still a card-carrying member of the party's Victorian branch.

The balance of power MP confirmed his resignation on his website on Monday but said he looks forward to contending the November election as an independent.

His spokesman said he would not make any further comment on Monday.

Mr Shaw's resignation comes ahead of a meeting on Friday where Liberal Party members were expected to ask him to leave the party.

The party's state director Damien Mantach has confirmed Mr Shaw's resignation and said Friday's scheduled meeting was now not necessary.

It is understood the Victorian branch administration had become unhappy with Mr Shaw repeatedly voting with Labor in parliament last month.

Mr Shaw quit the parliamentary party last year after allegations he misused his parliamentary car and fuel card.

In December last year, dishonesty charges relating to these allegations were dropped.

Comment was being sought by Victorian Premier Denis Napthine.


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Govt to oppose super trawler challenge

The Abbott government will fight to uphold a ban that prevents super trawlers fishing in Australia. Source: AAP

THE Abbott government will fight in court to uphold a ban that prevents super trawlers fishing in Australian waters.

The federal court last month ruled against Seafish Tasmania, which was trying to overturn a two-year ban on super trawlers imposed by the previous Labor government.

Seafish Tasmania has lodged an application to appeal the decision, but Environment Minister Greg Hunt says the government will oppose it.

"The coalition government supports sustainable fisheries management and practices," he said in a statement.

Seafish Tasmania brought the factory freezer trawler Abel Tasman to Australia in 2012 to fish a 16,000-tonne quota of mackerel and redbait.

But that year it was banned by former federal environment minister Tony Burke for two years until its environmental impacts were assessed independently.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott recently told parliament the temporary ban on super trawler fishing in Australian waters would stay put.

The federal court has yet to appoint a date for the appeal hearing.


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Pistorius ordered six guns before shooting

Oscar Pistorius was in the process of buying six guns at the time he shot dead his girlfriend. Source: AAP

OSCAR Pistorius was in the process of buying six guns at the time he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, more than usually allowed under South African law, his murder trial has heard.

The order for three shotguns, two revolvers, and a rifle had already been invoiced to the athlete when he shot Steenkamp on February 14 last year, testified gun licensee Sean Rens on Monday.

"The transaction was cancelled a month post-incident," he said at the start of the third week of trial.

South African law allows non-collectors to possess only four firearms.

Rens said Pistorius "had a great love and enthusiasm" for firearms.

The licensee said Pistorius told him he once drew his gun inside his house at a suspicious noise, which turned out to be the washing machine.

"He went into what we call 'code red', or combat mode, in other words to draw his gun and go and clear his house," Rens testified on Monday.

Rens met the double-amputee in 2012 through a mutual friend. At the time Pistorius owned a 9 mm pistol and the pair visited a shooting range together around 10 times.

The state has drawn on previous gun incidents to depict the 27-year-old Pistorius as rash and trigger-happy, in support of the charge of premeditated murder.

The sprinter faces three additional non-related charges over firing a gun in a restaurant and from a moving car, and for the illegal possession of ammunition.

Licensing examination records showed Pistorius knew the country's gun laws well, the court heard.

He answered correctly that he could only shoot at a person if his life was directly threatened.

Asked if he could fire at burglars stealing a television from his house, Pistorius answered: "No. Life is not in danger," Rens said, reading from an answer sheet.

Pistorius says he shot dead Steenkamp, 29, through a locked toilet door when he mistook her for an intruder.


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TV chef Clarissa Dickson Wright dies

FORMER TV chef Clarissa Dickson Wright has died at the age of 66, her agents say.

The star, best known as one of the culinary duo Two Fat Ladies, died at Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary on Saturday.

Her agents, Heather Holden-Brown and Elly James, said: "Loved dearly by her friends and many fans all over the world, Clarissa was utterly non-PC and fought for what she believed in, always, with no thought to her own personal cost.

"Her fun and laughter, extraordinary learning and intelligence, will be missed always, by so many of us."

The broadcaster and food writer shot to fame with Jennifer Paterson, who died, after being diagnosed with cancer, in 1999, at the age of 71.

The duo travelled around in a motorbike and sidecar in the BBC series, which enjoyed success around the world.

James said Dickson Wright "hadn't been well for a little while" and had been in hospital since the beginning of the year.

Dickson Wright initially enjoyed a career as a barrister.

She and Paterson were put together for a BBC series in 1996, by producer Patricia Llewellyn.

She discovered Dickson Wright working in an Edinburgh cookery bookshop and decided to introduce her to Paterson, who said she had never had a cookery lesson.


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Religions join Forrest anti-slavery drive

CHRISTIANS and Muslims have joined to try to help free millions of men, women and children held in modern-day slavery, forced to work as maids, prostitutes, child soldiers and manual labourers.

Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest's Global Freedom Network was launched on Monday at the Vatican and aims to eradicate slavery by encouraging governments, businesses, educational and faith institutions to rid their supply chains of slave labor.

The initiative is the brainchild of Forrest, who founded the Walk Free Foundation in 2012 to mobilize a grass-roots movement to end slavery.

Forrest, ranked 270th on Forbes' list of the world's richest people, used personal contacts to bring the 1.2-billion strong Catholic Church, 85-million strong Anglican Communion and al-Azhar university in Cairo, the world's foremost seat of Sunni learning, on board with the initiative.

Representatives from all three gathered on Monday at the Vatican to sign an agreement to launch the project, which will be based at the Vatican and have a chief executive responsible for implementing a five-year business plan.

Objectives include getting the G20 to condemn modern-day slavery, persuading 50 major corporations to commit to slavery-proofing their supply chains and convincing 160 governments to endorse a seven-year, $US100 million ($A111.84 million) fundraising effort to implement anti-slavery programs globally.

In an interview, Forrest said it makes financial sense for countries to rid themselves of slave labor.

"We have absolute economic proof that once you take slavery out of a community, that community grows and grows and grows," he said.

The Walk Free Foundation in 2013 published the "Global Slavery Index," a country-by-country breakdown which found that some 29.8 million people were currently enslaved around the globe: child labourers harvesting cocoa in Ivory Coast, women sold for sex in Moldova, and Haitian children trafficked and forced into begging.

Everyday items used in the developed world - soccer balls, bricks, diamonds and flowers - are often produced or extracted using slave labor, the report said.

The presence of al-Azhar at the Vatican for the launch was particularly significant given that relations between the Holy See and al-Azhar collapsed during Pope Benedict XVI's papacy. Pope Francis has spoken out about human trafficking and was behind a November 2013 Vatican conference on modern-day slavery.

The International Labor Organisation has estimated that trafficking in human beings - just one segment of the slavery industry - generates $US32 billion in profits every year.

Forrest said representatives of other faiths were welcome to join the project's governing council.


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