End failure mentality, PM tells Tasmania

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says Tasmania has to stop programming itself to fail. Source: AAP

TASMANIA needs to stop programming itself for failure, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has told the ailing island state.

In a clear reference to environmental standards, Mr Abbott has told Liberal members at the party's state conference Tasmania has set the bar too high.

"All too often, particularly here in Tasmania, we have programmed ourselves to fail," the prime minister said on Saturday.

"We have burdened ourselves with unnecessary taxes and regulations.

"We have set standards of perfection which no one can achieve instead of getting on with a reasonable job with a reasonable prospect of success."

Mr Abbott reminded members the state had the country's highest unemployment, lowest wages and lowest life expectancy.

"All that simply has to change," he said.

The prime minister received a standing ovation from around 200 members in a celebratory mood on his first visit to Tasmania since his election in September.

The state delivered massively for the coalition, dumping ALP members from three of its five seats in an 11.3 per cent swing against the government, the biggest of any state.

"It is so good to be here to savour success," Mr Abbott said.

The party looks likely to savour more success in a state election due next March.

Opposition leader Will Hodgman is riding high in the polls after 15 years of Labor government, the last four in coalition with the Greens.

Mr Abbott gave Mr Hodgman, the son of the late former federal minister Michael Hodgman, a ringing endorsement.

"What we need here in Tasmania is new will and new leadership and that's what is sitting right here beside me," the prime minister said.

Mr Hodgman will address the conference on Sunday.

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Obama vows to fix healthcare website

The White House says the bug plagued website for Obamacare scheme will be fixed by end of November. Source: AAP

US President Barack Obama has acknowledged problems with the rollout of a key health website, adding he had people "working overtime" to fix the glitches.

Obama has faced a flood of criticism over this month's sputtering debut of healthcare.gov, through which millions of Americans are expected to buy insurance.

Customers have had trouble signing on, getting accurate cost estimates, and completing enrolment.

"As you may have heard, the site isn't working the way it's supposed to yet," Obama said in his weekly broadcast address on Saturday.

"That's frustrating for all of us who have worked so hard to make sure everyone who needs it gets health care."

Obama said the site had been visited more than 20 million times, and nearly 700,000 people have applied for coverage - proof, he said, of the high demand for "quality, affordable health care choices".

"And that's why, in the coming weeks, we are going to get it working as smoothly as it's supposed to. We've got people working overtime, 24/7, to boost capacity and address these problems, every single day."

Obama's Republican opponents, who have long opposed his health insurance reform, seized on the website's failed launch as a chance to slam the administration.

At a House hearing Thursday, Republicans took turns bashing the administration and demanding accountability for the flawed website debut.

It was "interesting to see Republicans in Congress expressing so much concern that people are having trouble buying health insurance through the new website", said Obama on Saturday.

"Especially considering they've spent the last few years so obsessed with denying those same people access to health insurance that they just shut down the government and threatened default over it."

Obama said he would work with opponents to improve the law - formally known as the Affordable Care Act - but that "it's well past the time for folks to stop rooting for its failure."

Some people "have poked fun at me this week for sounding like an insurance salesman", Obama said. "And that's okay. I'd still be out there championing this law even if the website were perfect."

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US citizen drowns off Tasmania

A UNITED States citizen has drowned while diving off Tasmania.

The woman was diving off the Tinderbox Marine Reserve south of Hobart when she was reported missing at about 1.15pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Her diving companions located her a short time later lying in 12m of water.

Attempts to resuscitate her by her diving companions, police and paramedics were unsuccessful.

She was pronounced dead on arrival at Royal Hobart Hospital.

The diver was a 48-year-old United States citizen who was visiting Tasmania.

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Stuntman-director Hal Needham dies

HAL Needham, a top Hollywood stuntman who turned to directing rousing action films including Smokey and the Bandit and The Cannonball Run, has died aged 82.

His business managers told the Los Angeles Times that Needham died on Friday in Los Angeles.

A former paratrooper, Needham appeared in thousands of TV episodes and hundreds of movies, performing and designing stunts and new equipment to execute them.

Needham jumped from planes, was dragged by horses and wrecked cars - breaking 56 bones in the process.

His best-known directing efforts involved 1970s Burt Reynolds action comedies, including Smokey, Cannonball Run and Stroker Ace. He also directed Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Villain.

In a Twitter posting, Schwarzenegger called Needham an icon.

Needham received an honorary Oscar last year.

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Large shark bites diver's fin off WA

A LARGE shark is believed to have bitten part of a scuba diver's fin off Perth.

The diver said he saw a large dark shape in the water then noticed part of his fin was missing as he returned to his boat.

The man was diving near Little Island off Hillarys Boat Harbour at about 11am (WST) on Saturday.

WA Department of Fisheries Shark Response Unit manager Lisa Clack said the department's senior shark scientist had assessed the fins and was unable to confirm it was a shark bite.

"There are some marks which could have been caused by a shark bite, but other marks we would expect to see from a shark bite are absent," Ms Clack said in a statement.

"We are unable to confirm. While this could have been a shark, other large marine animals, particularly seals and sea-lions, are known to occasionally bite divers' fins."

Ms Clack said fisheries officers attended boat ramps in the area to advise water users that an incident was reported and that they should be extra careful.

Earlier on Saturday a series of tagged white shark detections were recorded along the Perth coast.

The detections occurred at the Swanbourne, Floreat and Scarborough receivers, with the first detection at 3:45am.

A Department of Fisheries spokesman said shark monitors in the area where the man reported the shark attack did not detect a shark, so the likelihood it was the same shark was distant.

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Bronco turned outlaw bikie denied bail

A FORMER Brisbane Bronco turned outlaw motorcycle gang member has been denied bail over drug trafficking charges under harsh new laws designed to stop bikies walking free.

Michael Spence, 25, was one of eight men arrested on Wednesday in a police sting targeting the alleged ice trafficking outfit.

Spence was the sergeant-at-arms of the Hells Angels' Brisbane chapter and alleged debt collector for accused ringleaders and gang members Bruno and Nuno Da Silva.

The trio resigned from the gang nine days before contentious new laws targeting bikies were passed on October 17.

Under one part of the law, criminal gang members who apply for bail must now show cause as to why they should be released.

Spence's lawyer Jeff Hunter argued in the Brisbane Magistrates Court the new laws were passed too late to apply to his client, and that the case against him was weak.

But Chief Magistrate Tim Carmody ruled that the new bail laws did apply to Spence and ordered he be remanded in custody.

Mr Carmody accepted the argument by prosecutors that although Spence had resigned from the Hells Angels he was still in an allegedly criminal organisation by trafficking drugs with the Da Silvas.

He criticised the prosecution's material as "limited", but rejected Spence's lawyer's argument that the police case was too weak to keep the former footballer in prison.

There was enough information to show the prosecution had evidence capable of securing a conviction, the magistrate said.

"Accordingly the applicant has failed to discharge his onus and show cause why bail should be granted," Mr Carmody said.

Spence was remanded in custody until his next court appearance on January 20.

The Da Silva brothers' bail applications have been adjourned until Monday.

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Car image released in Qld gunman hunt

POLICE are searching for a small aqua hatchback in their hunt for tattooed gunman who opened fire at a Sunshine Coast motel.

They have released a picture of an older model Ford Festiva with Queensland number plates and are asking anyone who has seen it to call Crime Stoppers.

The gunman remains on the run after reportedly threatening a 29-year-old woman with a firearm at the Buderim property on Thursday afternoon.

Police say when she ran out the back door of the room, he fired a shot through the front wall.

The gunman is described as Caucasian, in his early 20s, slim and about 180cm tall with short hair.

He was wearing a white t-shirt and dark coloured shorts, and has a tattoo across his back.

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Roadside bombing kills 6 Afghan soldiers

A ROADSIDE bombing has killed six Afghan soldiers in the country's west, a military spokesman says.

Najibullha Najibi said on Friday that the six died when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the western Herat province's Adraskan district the previous day. The six were from a unit based at the Shindand military airport, Herat's largest.

Najibi, an Afghan National Army spokesman, says those killed in Thursday's incident included two officers and four soldiers.

In another incident on Thursday, Mhuklis Afghan, a spokesman for the governor of eastern Paktika province, says a tractor hit a road mine in the Jani Khil district, killing one person and wounding four.

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Security giant Serco chief resigns

CHRISTOPHER Hyman, the chief executive of security giant Serco, which is facing an investigation after the British government was overcharged millions of pounds for electronically tagging criminals, has resigned, the company has announced.

Hyman quit as the firm attempted to rebuild its relationship with the government following controversies over its handling of key contracts.

"I have always put the interests of Serco first. At this time, nothing is more important to me than rebuilding the relationship with our UK government customer," Hyman said.

"In recent weeks it has become clear to me that the best way for the company to move forward is for me to step back. I have been fortunate enough to have had the privilege of working at a great company with extremely talented people. I wish everyone at Serco the very best for the future."

The firm faces investigation after the government was overcharged millions of pounds for electronically tagging criminals and there are also allegations of potentially fraudulent behaviour in the management of its STG285 million ($A482.64 million) prison escorting contract.

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Aust publisher battles for Myanmar paper

STAFF members of the Yangon-based "Myanmar Times" newspaper house have appealed to a Myanmar court against a bid by the local partner to liquidate the company, overseen by Australian publisher, Ross Dunkley.

Dunkley, 55, is fighting to stave off legal challenges to his control over the company, that have been launched by the publishing house's partner, Dr Tin Tun Oo, now seeking to have the paper wound up in a bitter dispute over control.

In court reports, seen by AAP, a judge on Thursday accepted an affidavit from Zaw Myint, deputy editor in chief of The Myanmar Times, who acted as a representative of "a vast majority" of the 350 staff members employed by the paper.

The appeal claimed the staff opposed the application to wind up the paper as it occupied a "unique place in the publishing sector", with staff jobs at stake and how "it would be senseless to force it shut".

Tin Tun Oo presently holds a 51 per cent share in the parent company, Myanmar Consolidated Media, with the remaining 49 per cent held by Dunkley and associates, including Australian Mining magnate, Bill Clough.

Dunkley and Clough are also investors in the Cambodian-based Phnom Penh Post.

Dunkley is also facing law suits brought by Tin Tun Oo's wife, Khin Moe Moe, who alleges the Australian assaulted her son-in-law in an altercation at the newspaper's offices in January.

Dunkley dismisses the charge.

In turn Dunkley has filed counter suits against Khin Moe Moe.

In Thursday's hearing Dunkley's barrister, Aung Than Soe, told the court the application over the paper's closure should be dismissed, claiming the case lay outside the boundaries of company law, with inconsistencies in the plaintiff's claims.

Aung Than Soe also said the criminal charges laid against Dunkley by Khin Moe Moe were "personal grudges and not related to the law".

Earlier, the judge had dismissed a temporary injunction by Tin Tun Oo against the Myanmar Times to halt its publication, saying the injunction "had no merit".

Dunkley, in an earlier interview with AAP, had dismissed the bid by Tin Tun Oo, who has claimed a loan of $US100,000 ($A104,180) was outstanding and was threatening to close the paper.

"We are profitable and can pay any debt as and when it arises," he said.

The Myanmar Times, a weekly, began publishing in 2000 with the then backing of the powerful military intelligence chief, Khin Nyunt, with a senior intelligence officer, Thein Swe, appointing his son, Sonny Swe as Dunkley's partner.

But power struggles within the then military government led to Sonny Swe and other family members being jailed.

His shares were then sold to Tin Tun Oo.

The Myanmar Times has so far failed in its bid to be granted a daily newspaper licence despite the country's moves to greater media freedom.

Media analysts say the legal moves against Dunkley are a bid to force him out and allow new owners to take control of the publishing house against a backdrop of the present boom in media outlets in the country.

The judge adjourned the case for the next hearing on November 18.

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Mackenzie backs BHP's green credentials

Andrew Mackenzie has defended BHP's environmental credentials in the face of criticism. Source: AAP

BHP Billiton boss Andrew Mackenzie has defended the resource giant's environmental credentials in the face of criticism from a former chairman of the Australian Coal Association.

Ian Dunlop, now an environmental campaigner, is standing for election to the company's board claiming BHP doesn't understand the threat posed by dangerous climate change.

"Climate change is relevant to us all," Mr Mackenzie said on Thursday at the company's AGM in London.

"As a significant user of energy, we are working to drive down our greenhouse gas intensity and we are seeing results.

"Our current emissions are below our 2006 baseline despite the substantial growth of our business since then."

Mr Mackenzie, addressing his first AGM as chief executive after replacing Marius Kloppers earlier this year, insisted "we are environmentally responsible".

BHP is Melbourne-based, but is listed in both Australia and London. The Australian AGM will be held in November in Perth.

The company is urging shareholder's to vote against Mr Dunlop's bid.

Chairman Jac Nasser on Thursday told the AGM that BHP looked out at least five years when planning for board succession.

"We are confident that our board renewal process ensures that we have the right blend of skills, experience and perspectives critical to the effective oversight of BHP Billiton on behalf of shareholders," Mr Nasser said.

BHP's net profit plunged by 30 per cent in the 2012/13 financial year to $US10.9 billion ($A12.03 billion).

Weaker commodity prices were the main cause and the company is slashing costs and capital expenditure in response.

However, Mr Nasser said in London that BHP continues to expected the Chinese economy to grow at more than seven per cent next year.

"China, and other emerging economies, will be the major drivers of economic growth in the long term which could deliver up to a 75 per cent increase in demand for some commodities over the next 15 years."

The chairman said the company was "confident" of continued recovery in the United States while conditions in Europe "remain challenging".

Mr Mackenzie said while the 2012/13 financial year was challenging "we are already seeing signs of recovery in the global economy".

"Our focus on productivity is extracting more value from existing operations," the chief executive said.

Mr Mackenzie said that in terms of write-downs there had been a prolonged period of low levels of profitability and price in both nickel and aluminium "and that has had to be recognised in the value of the assets".

The BHP boss said he'd need a crystal ball to say if there'd by any future write-downs in those sectors.

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Former fiery killed in Vic plane crash

A FORMER senior Victorian firefighter who died in a light plane crash in the state's north has been remembered as a much-loved community member.

Peter Brereton from Euroa in north-east Victoria has been identified as the pilot who died after his light plane crashed in Victoria's alpine region.

The wreckage of the single-engine Cessna was found by a search helicopter about 20km west of Mt Hotham on Thursday morning.

Mr Brereton had been in the Country Fire Authority (CFA) for 39 years and was a former officer in charge of the Shepparton fire brigade.

He was on long-service leave pending retirement at the time of the crash, where he was understood to be doing private work to help out with the NSW bushfire effort.

CFA regional director for the Hume region, Peter O'Keefe, said Mr Brereton was highly regarded among his colleagues.

"He was one of our much respected senior officers in the CFA," Mr O'Keefe said.

"Peter was a very capable, thorough and much respected crew member, greatly experienced and a very thorough and thoughtful person.

"By virtue of his job, he was well known, well respected, much loved and he'll be sadly missed."

Mr O'Keefe said one of Mr Brereton's passions was flying and he was an experienced pilot.

"He did have that passion. He'd flown planes all around Australia," he said.

Mr Brereton's plane went missing after it took off from Moruya on the far south coast of NSW at 8.15am (AEDT) on Wednesday and never made it to its destination at Mangalore Airport, about two hours north of Melbourne.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating.

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NSW bushfire crisis refuses to let up

The RFS Commissioner became emotional as he spoke of the firefighter pilot who was killed in NSW. Source: AAP

A FIREFIGHTING pilot has become the second fatality of the NSW bushfire crisis as the biggest blaze in the state edged closer to homes.

The 43-year-old pilot was killed when his fixed wing waterbomber crashed in rugged country on the south coast on Thursday morning as he fought a blaze near Ulladulla.

Fires prevented rescue crews retrieving his body from the difficult terrain.

A day after lauding the great work of firefighters who averted the greatest threat of the week-long crisis on Wednesday, Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons became emotional as he spoke of tragedy.

"We've suffered a huge tragedy on one of our firegrounds today," said Mr Fitzsimmons, who lost his own father fighting a fire 13 years ago.

"It's a tragedy for the fire fighting community but first and foremost it's a tragedy for this man's family.

"He's a husband with young children and we're all acutely aware that there's a family suffering today because their dad didn't come home."

Mr Fitzsimmons said the father of three, who was a contractor for the RFS, was doing extraordinary work and "making a real difference to his community."

"It's a sober reminder just how dangerous fire fighting can be."

Some 60 bushfires continued to burn across NSW and tiny bush communities on the fringes of the Blue Mountains spent much of the day on emergency notice as the massive State Mine Fire flared up.

The State Mine Fire has burned through nearly 50,000 hectares since it was sparked during an army explosives training operation near Lithgow last week.

Waterbombing operations in the area have helped crews gain the upper hand and the fire was downgraded back to watch and act early on Thursday evening.

Mr Fitzsimmons said the tiny communities of Mount Irvine and Mount Wilson had been forced to shelter in place because fire had blocked major access roads, while residents from Berambing and Mount Tomah were able to flee east towards Bilpin.

The Department of Defence apologised on Thursday for starting the State Mine Fire, which has already destroyed three homes.

Acting Chief of Defence, Air Marshall Mark Binskin, said a small fire that started during a routine training exercise at Marrangaroo on October 16 was responsible for the blaze.

"I do apologise, because it has been identified that this fire was the start of this mine fire," he told reporters at RFS headquarters in Sydney on Thursday.

Defence has launched its own investigation into the incident.

Defence personnel acted quickly after an explosion sparked a small blaze but were hampered by the live ordnance around them.

"This was not deliberately starting a fire, this was an accident as part of a training activity on a day there wasn't a fire ban," Air Marshall Binskin told reporters.

He said Defence was "not shying from our responsibilities" but stopped short of offering compensation to those affected by the bushfire.

An RFS spokesman has warned there will be little respite for communities who have been on edge for over a week and for the 1400 firefighters still on the job.

He told reporters late on Thursday that high fire danger weather was likely to linger for at least the next three or four days.

He conceded any residents who are asked to leave their homes yet again may become "frustrated" but he's urged people in bushfire areas to continue to heed official warnings, saying the danger remains real.

Governor General Quentin Bryce will tour bushfire hit parts of the mountains on Friday.

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Don't play politics with RBA, Wong says

The opposition has accused Treasurer Joe Hockey of playing politics with the Reserve Bank. Source: AAP

THE opposition has accused Treasurer Joe Hockey of playing politics with the Reserve Bank of Australia, while a former RBA board member says the treasurer's predecessor, Wayne Swan, is guilty of economic vandalism.

Mr Hockey this week announced a one-off $8.8 billion grant to the RBA to buffer it against what he said was an volatile economic environment.

The treasurer described it as a necessary measure that should have been taken by the former Labor government, which instead withdrew "extraordinary" dividends from the RBA and weakened its position.

That sparked an angry response from former finance minister Penny Wong on Thursday, who accused Mr Hockey of playing politics with the RBA.

The central bank should be above politics, she said.

"It really demonstrates that Joe hasn't quite made the transition from opposition to being the treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia," Senator Wong told Sky News.

"The suggestion that he made that this was because, that Labor somehow had been asked for this, or that Labor had somehow done something wrong in relation to the RBA isn't correct.

Warwick McKibbin, whose 10 year tenure on the RBA board was not extended by Mr Swan in July 2011, later told ABC's 730 on Thursday that the year his term expired the RBA had made a large loss due to the high Australian dollar.

The following year there was a small profit of over a billion dollars, he said.

"The treasurer was requested not to extract that from the balance sheet of the bank," he said.

"He ignored that request and took half a billion dollars so that he could reach the budget surplus in 2012/13.

"That to me is economic vandalism."

Mr Swan, who was judged by Euromoney magazine in 2011 as the world's greatest Treasurer, told 730 he was not surprised by Mr McKibbin's criticism after not reappointing him to the RBA board.

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Permira snaps up UK's Dr Martens

BRITISH boot brand Dr Martens has been snapped up by private equity firm Permira in a STG300 million ($A507.14 million) deal, ending more than 50 years of family ownership.

It means the boots - footwear of choice for generations of skinheads, punks and students - will join a stable of brands which also includes Hugo Boss and New Look.

The Northamptonshire-based Griggs family, who have been making shoes since 1901, will retain control of around 20 per cent of the business.

Dr Martens employs 700 people worldwide, including 350 in the UK, and its products are sold in 63 countries.

The deal, expected to complete in January, will see Permira take control of parent company R Griggs.

Chief executive David Suddens says the brand's authenticity and the millions of customers who have used "Docs" as a symbol of self-expression for over half a century are what makes Dr Martens unique.

"The Permira funds respect that heritage and want to support the management team in nurturing it," Suddens said.

Cheryl Potter, partner and head of the consumer sector team at Permira, says Dr Martens is an iconic brand with a passionate fan base of followers.

Dr Martens has enjoyed a revival in fortunes in recent years as a new generation of stars such as Miley Cyrus, Emma Watson and Agyness Deyn took up the "bovver boots" whose popularity - once espoused by the likes of The Who's Pete Townshend - had been on the wane.

The deal follows reports of the Griggs family looking to exit the business after more than five decades running the brand that last year made STG15.3 million pre-tax profits on revenues of STG110 million, following an abortive sale attempt last year.

Permira is thought likely to try to expand Dr Martens' online and store presence into new international markets.

The Griggs family started producing the Dr Martens boots in 1960 after the development of a revolutionary new air-cushioned sole by the Germans Klaus Martens and Herbert Funck.

It still pays an annual fee to the families of the two men.

Production was moved to Asia, but the original Northamptonshire factory was reopened in 2007 to produce vintage styles.

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Robber artist wins richest Aust art prize

A PAINTER jailed for holding up a convenience store has won Australia's richest art prize.

Nigel Milsom was awarded the $150,000 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize for his work, Uncle Paddy, in Sydney on Wednesday.

As Milsom is serving a prison sentence for holding up a Sydney convenience store, the prize was collected on his behalf by Kerry Crowley, of the Yuill Crowley Gallery in Sydney which represents Milsom.

She said he would be "thrilled" at news of the win.

Judge David Thomas says his fellow judge Ben Quilty knows Milsom and describes him as a sweet, gentle person.

Thomas, a leading figure in the Australian art scene, says he didn't mind awarding such a handsome sum to an inmate, given the supreme quality of Milsom's work and the positive effect the prize could have on his life.

"Even someone who has gotten into some state of punishment for whatever he did could come good," he says.

"So that's how I reconciled myself with Milsom getting that money."

Milsom's Uncle Paddy portrait features cubist-like brush strokes in his subject's face, which soften in his shirt.

"He has an extraordinary refined technique, the brushwork, so smooth, so delicate," Thomas says.

He says even more than the technique he admired the imagery in the portrait.

"It's a very old-fashioned Australian face," Thomas says.

As part of entering the prize, artists had to provide a description of their work.

In his statement, Milsom wrote that his portrait was of his grandfather's friend Paddy, who used to have beers at a NSW leagues club every Saturday night.

Paddy was one of the few non-family members to attend Milsom's grandfather's funeral.

"I knew that Paddy's Saturday nights would never be the same," Milsom said.

"There is a quiet sadness about Paddy that seems to stem from the realisation that death will be visiting him soon too.

"When I painted his portrait I got a sense that he has learnt to sit with this feeling of sadness which has given him a greater strength and wisdom."

Photographer and filmmaker John Janson-Moore took out the $50,000 Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize for his work Nyirripi Girl With Finger.

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Carr wishes Kelly could have his seat

BOB Carr has used his last stand as a senator to endorse vanquished Labor MP Mike Kelly for his job.

The former NSW Labor premier was parachuted into the Senate and the plum jet-setting role of foreign minister 18 months ago by then prime minister Julia Gillard.

He has quit just six weeks after actually winning his seat in the election that dumped Labor into opposition.

"I was very high spirited about taking this job but my enthusiasm probably got ahead of a more calculated approach," he said on Wednesday.

He told the ABC he would "love" to stay but didn't want to "hog" the job.

He said replacing a new senator was quite cheap, and it would be good for Labor to give Tanya Plibersek a shot at being shadow foreign affairs minister.

Senator Carr made his final speech as a politician to the United Nations Association of Australia in Canberra, where he endorsed Labor MP Mike Kelly for his vacated seat.

Dr Kelly says if he wins Labor's preselection for the senate spot next week, he'd only occupy the upper house benches for three years and try to win back at the next election his recently lost lower house seat of Eden-Monaro.

Dr Kelly's pitch for the job includes six years of ministerial experience, expertise in defence and security policy, and regional representation.

Other likely candidates are Deborah O'Neill, who lost the central coast seat of Gosford on September 7, and Senator Carr's former staffer Graeme Wedderburn.

At the UN function, Senator Carr called Dr Kelly, who was there, his esteemed parliamentary colleague.

"I wish I could hand my Senate seat over to you," Senator Carr said in opening his speech.

He lamented that Dr Kelly was no longer in the parliament to carry on the fight for aid spending and the UN's work.

"He's someone who's been involved in the frontline of peace building and peace keeping around the world," Senator Carr said.

"I hope his talents can be edged back into that parliament as soon as possible."

Senator Carr lashed out at the coalition's plans for refocusing aid programs.

"I don't like this idea that our aid program ought to follow trade," he told the UN Day function.

"Because there's no trade interest involved in the Solomons - we sell virtually nothing to them, they sell virtually nothing to us.

"It would be a very sad thing if we end up saying to the Solomons you have to push out to 2025 the goal of getting rid of malaria because we're going to cut back on this."

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Liberals seek Senate voting system change

A PARLIAMENTARY committee will seek public input on the federal election as the Liberal party urges Labor to support an overhaul of the Senate voting system.

Liberal federal director Brian Loughnane has called for parliament's joint standing committee on electoral matters to launch a broad review of the 2013 election.

"It has become increasingly clear in recent elections that parts of our electoral system are not functioning as they should," Mr Loughnane told the National Press Club on Wednesday.

"There are some warning signs which should give concern and which should be honestly examined."

He said there was "confusion" for voters with 529 candidates nominated for 40 Senate vacancies, including 110 in NSW and 97 in Victoria.

Preference deals between micro parties - put together by a new breed of electoral "entrepreneurs" - had distorted the Senate result, Mr Loughnane said.

Party insiders believe the Liberal Democrats' 9.5 per cent vote in the NSW senate - a far cry from the 2.3 per cent achieved in 2010 - was due to voter confusion about the name and the party's first-place position on the ballot paper.

The laws governing enrolment and voter identification, which currently has a lower requirement than signing up to a DVD library, should also be examined, he said.

Mr Loughnane also wants the parliamentary committee to look at advertising spending, having estimated billionaire Clive Palmer was outspending the Labor party towards the end of the campaign.

"The fact that somebody can lob in and spend $15-$20 million has an impact," he said.

Palmer United Party federal leader Clive Palmer urged Prime Minister Tony Abbott to discipline Mr Loughnane for suggesting the Liberals collude with Labor to counter the minor parties in the Senate.

"This is just an attack on democracy and highlights how the major parties want Australia to be run by a duopoly dictatorship," he said in a statement.

He said Australians showed their disappointment with the major parties at the election, which is why his party did so well in its election debut.

Mr Palmer also denied claims that his party had spent more than the ALP during the final week of the election campaign.

Special minister for State Michael Ronaldson says he will ask the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters to inquire into the conduct of the 2013 federal election.

"Members of the community are entitled and encouraged to make a submission to the Committee," he said in a statement.

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Environment Dept to slash 150 jobs

THE Environment Department will slash 150 jobs before Christmas and more may go as part of the Abbott government's plan to shed 12,000 public sector jobs.

Staff were sent a notice on Wednesday telling them that as a result of the department's immediate budgetary pressures it was preparing to run a voluntary redundancy round of about 150 positions over the next two months.

Department Secretary Gordon de Brouwer said they faced existing savings measures as a consequence of the former Labor government's efficiency dividend including savings in relation to staff in the budget, reduced program funding and the termination of some specific spending associated with program cuts.

"The department will also need to find separate savings in the future, as part of our contribution to the upcoming additional APS-wide 12,000 person reduction in staffing," he said.

"We may also face further savings in the 2014-15 Budget as a result of the commission of audit."

He announced a review that would "inform" the commission of audit of the department's core objectives and any activities that could be wound back or axed.

In the meantime recruiting would be placed on hold, he said.

CPSU director Beth Vincent-Pietsch said the staff were upset and shocked at the cuts that were announced a day after the "bombshell announcement" around the commission of audit.

"All they can see ahead is a very uncertain future where cuts will be a factor of life," she said in a statement.

"The question that needs to be asked is following the cuts whether the department can continue to do its important work such as enforcing environmental protection legislation and patrolling our national parks."

Greens environment spokesperson Senator Larissa Waters said slashing environment advisers, with many more jobs likely to be lost, will leave the environment further exposed to threats, and communities even more under-prepared to respond to extreme weather events.

"When Tony Abbott brings his slashing machine through the public service it will be the Greens who will stand up in the Senate to stop him," she said in a statement.

Comment was being sought from Environment Minister Greg Hunt.

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Caterpillar 3Q earnings tumble 44 per cent

CATERPILLAR says its third-quarter earnings plunged 44 per cent, and the construction equipment maker cut its 2013 forecast again, partly because of weaker mining equipment sales.

The Peoria, Illinois, company says it earned $US946 million ($A976.72 million), or $US1.45 per share, in the quarter that ended September 30. That compares with earnings of $US1.7 billion, or $US2.54 per share, in last year's quarter.

Revenue tumbled 18 per cent to $US13.42 billion.

Caterpillar Inc. now expects 2013 earnings of about $US5.50 per share, down $US1 from its previous forecast. It also dropped revenue expectation to about $US55 billion from $US56 billion to $US58 billion. The company also lowered its earnings and revenue expectations when it reported second-quarter results in July.

Caterpillar shares fell almost 4 per cent in premarket trading.

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WA mosquito warning over Ross River virus

PEOPLE in Western Australia's South West region are being warned to avoid mosquito bites after this season's first detection of Ross River virus in the insects.

People in Western Australia's South West region are being warned to avoid mosquito bites. Source: AAP

PEOPLE in Western Australia's South West region are being warned to avoid mosquito bites after this season's first detection of Ross River virus in the insects.

The Health Department says its mosquito and virus surveillance program has detected the virus at coastal mosquito breeding sites in the region.

Symptoms include painful or swollen joints, sore muscles, skin rashes, fever, fatigue and headaches.

The department says symptoms can last for weeks or months, and the only way to properly diagnose the virus is by having a specific blood test.

Michael Lindsay, the managing scientist of environmental health hazards at the Health Department, says there is no cure for Ross River virus so it is important that people take care to prevent bites.

"Above average rainfall this spring has enabled breeding of mosquitoes in large numbers in many coastal and inland areas of the South West and Wheatbelt", he said.

Dr Lindsay says activity could spread to other regions where mosquito populations had already established after recent rain.

He says local government mosquito management programs had been under way since August in some areas and would continue in regions at risk of the virus, but could not be solely relied upon.

The warning comes as experts from around Australia gather in Mandurah, south of Perth, this week for a mosquito management course.

The course will provide participants with knowledge and skills required to develop and implement mosquito management programs in their own areas.

Topics covered include mosquito biology, mosquito-borne diseases and methods of controlling mosquitoes.

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12 Months for bomb hoax bridegroom

A PANICKED English groom who staged a bomb hoax on his wedding day so his bride would not find out he bungled the booking has been jailed in Liverpool for 12 months.

Neil McArdle had forgotten to fill in the forms to marry the "love of his life" Amy Williams, but could not face telling her that the big day "that was all she talked about" was not going to happen.

Instead of saying "we need to talk" the 36-year-old tried to "weasel" out of his predicament, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

As his bride got ready for her wedding he slipped out of their house in Kirkby, Merseyside, went to a phone box, disguised his voice and rang Liverpool Register Office, claiming: "This is not a hoax call. There's a bomb in St George's Hall and it will go off in 45 minutes."

The call, 11 days after the Boston Marathon bombing, provoked "terror" at the office inside the neo-classical edifice of St George's Hall in the centre of Liverpool, which was immediately evacuated and emergency services called.

The would-be bride was left standing outside in her wedding dress with her mother and the rest of the wedding party as the area swarmed with police racing to the scene.

But McArdle's would-be in-laws were already suspicious, the court heard, and a row broke out with Williams's sister telling a "flustered" McArdle: "You probably done the bomb scare yourself."

Police quickly traced the call and the defendant was arrested the same day and admitted to his "embarrassment and shame" that he panicked over bungling the forms and staged the bomb scare.

Williams has stood by the defendant, the court heard, and they are still together.

A tearful McArdle, who pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to a single charge of communicating false information with intent on April 26, was jailed for 12 months by Judge Norman Wright.

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Midsection of plane recovered in Laos

INVESTIGATORS in Laos say they have retrieved the midsection of a Lao Airlines passenger plane that crashed into the Mekong River a week ago, killing all 49 people on board, including six Australians.

The turboprop plane crashed last Wednesday during a heavy storm as it approached Pakse Airport in southern Laos.

Lao aviation official Yakua Lopangkao said on Tuesday that searchers used a crane to lift the middle of the fuselage from the river but believe the flight recorder is still underwater.

He said the body of another victim was also recovered on Tuesday.

Officials say 44 bodies have been found.

Strong currents and deep, muddy water have hampered the search.

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Aung San Suu Kyi collects rights prize

FREEDOM of thought is yet to become the birthright of every Myanmar citizen, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said as she collected a European Union democracy prize awarded 23 years ago when she was under house arrest.

The Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought, named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, has been handed out annually by the European Parliament since 1988.

"Freedom of thought is essential to human progress," Suu Kyi said on Tuesday during a ceremony at the legislature's plenary in the French city of Strasbourg.

"Our people are just beginning to learn that freedom of thought is possible."

"We need still to make a lot more progress before we can say we are where Professor Sakharov would have wished us to be ... a place where freedom of thought was the birthright of every single citizen of our country," she added.

Suu Kyi got caught up in Myanmar's 1988 pro-democracy protests when she returned to care for her ailing mother after years of living and studying abroad.

She became a leader of the pro-democracy movement and spent a total of 15 years under house arrest between 1989 and 2010, while the country was ruled by a military junta.

"I made a choice, I made it out of my own free will, this is why I've never thought of it as a hardship or a sacrifice," Suu Kyi told journalists after the European Parliament ceremony.

"It's certainly been worth it, because I think our movement gave our people hope," she added. "Of course hope is not enough, ... but the very fact that we have been able to make our people understand that they can improve their own lives has been worth it."

Today, Suu Kyi is a member of parliament after the 2010 elections brought to power reform-minded President Thein Sein. She has expressed hopes of becoming Myanmar's next president, although this would require constitutional changes ahead of the 2015 elections.

The Nobel laureate is a "great symbol of freedom and democracy," European Parliament President Martin Schulz said before handing Suu Kyi the 1990 Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought.

Suu Kyi is on a two-week tour of Europe that will also include stops in Britain and Italy.

Her main message is about the need for the EU to push more strongly for changes to the Myanmar constitution, which she says is hampering a full democratisation of the country.

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China defends record at UN rights inquiry

CHINA has defended its human rights record to the UN, insisting it has undertaken sweeping reforms as Tibetan activists say more must be done to hold Beijing to account.

China's special envoy Wu Hailong told the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday that his country had lived up to a pledge made in 2009 when China was last under scrutiny by the watchdog.

"The Chinese government made a solemn commitment when China undergoes the next review, the world will see a China with a more prosperous economy, improved democracy and the rule of law, a more harmonious society and people living in greater happiness," Wu said.

In 2009, the council had urged China to make more efforts in areas including poverty reduction, judicial reforms and ethnic minority rights.

"Four years have passed, and I want to tell you that the above recommendations either have been implemented or are being carried out, and our commitment has been basically fulfilled," Wu said.

All 193 UN member states are meant to undergo reviews of their rights record every four years.

In the run-up to Tuesday's review, human rights campaigners raised the alarm about the disappearance of Chinese activist Cao Shunli, who had been due to attend the session.

In a statement Monday, the European Union's top diplomat Catherine Ashton had urged Beijing to clarify what had happened to Cao, and to do nothing to hamper the participation of campaigners at the UN Human Rights Council.

Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, said China must demonstrate its commitment by ending a crackdown on human rights activists, including harassment, arbitrary arrest and torture, as well as stop muzzling the media and halt abuses against its Tibetan and Uighur minorities.

About 120 people have set themselves on fire in Tibet and neighbouring areas since 2009, most of them dying.

"China is good about signing human rights treaties but terrible about putting them into practice," said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch.

"The Human Rights Council review provides UN members the occasion to look at whether those commitments are being implemented - or instead violated."

At the review, diplomats from dozens of countries quizzed Wu and members of his delegation about the steps Beijing had taken.

While acknowledging China's efforts, Western delegations in particular urged Beijing to further reduce the number of crimes that carry the death penalty and at least to introduce a moratorium on capital punishment.

Before Tuesday's session, Tibetan activists hammered their message home.

At dawn, four protesters from the groups Students for a Free Tibet and the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe climbed scaffolding on the UN building in Geneva, currently under renovation, before jumping down to the middle of the facade using climbing ropes.

They unfurled a massive banner reading: "China Fails Human Rights, UN stand up for Tibet", and shouted: "Free Tibet!"

UN security acted swiftly to cut down the banner and arrest the protesters, but also to grab journalists' press accreditation and usher them away from the scene.

"The protest went really great," Pema Yoko, deputy director of Students for a Free Tibet, told AFP.

It was important to draw attention to Tibet's plight, she insisted, stressing that "we expect China to blatantly lie about their rights record in Tibet."

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Qld police interview teen over man's death

Police are questioning a teenage boy over the death of a man in Queensland. Source: AAP

POLICE are questioning a teenage boy over the death of a man in Queensland.

The 42-year-old man died after a fight at a Conondale home on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday night.

Police say a 15-year-old boy is assisting them with their inquiries.

Detectives will continue to search the Appaloosa Street house on Monday.

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Explosion on Russian bus kills 5

AN explosion on a passenger bus in the southern Russian city of Volgograd has killed at least five people and injured 17, officials say.

Irina Gogolyeva, a spokeswoman for the Emergency Situations Ministry, says the cause of the blast has not yet been determined.

She said 40 people were on the bus when the explosion occurred on Monday afternoon.

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Third Degree burnt on X Factor

AUSTRALIA is still to anoint a reality show band with viewers casting aside Third Degree on The X Factor.

The mixed band, consisting of Kelebek, Jacinta Gulisano and Jordan Rodrigues who all auditioned as solo artists, were put together after super boot camp.

They finished fourth after losing out to Taylor Henderson in a sudden-death Monday night semi-final sing-off and will miss next week's grand final on the Seven Network series.

Henderson joins 14-year-old Jai Waetford and Brisbane's songstress Dami Im in next Sunday's grand final although the decision on who wins will be announced Monday night's live show.

Third Degree's demise underlines the fact that bands on the Australian X Factor are not having the same success as the overseas artists.

Manufactured UK X Factor bands, One Direction, who were third in 2010, and girl band Little Mix, who won the 2011 series, have burned up the charts around the world and have been a phenomenal success.

Redfoo had the chance to put Third Degree through to the final and test if Australia is ready for a manufactured band when he made the casting vote on Monday night's live show.

However, he voted for Henderson which made it a deadlock situation and reverts to the viewer's original votes because he wanted see who the fans wanted most.

"I thought Taylor sang the best in the sing-off and I think he is super talent," Redfoo told AAP.

"But I wanted the people to decide and that's why I voted for him.

"Even though I didn't explain that in my summing up because once you start saying that they know what you are going to say before you actually announce it."

X Factor is Henderson's second crack at a reality show series.

Four years ago as a nervous 16-year-old, Henderson was third on Australia's Got Talent which was then being aired on Seven.

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Gorbachev skips meeting for treatment

FORMER Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has skipped an annual meeting of Nobel Peace Prize laureates because he is receiving treatment at a German hospital.

Gorbachev's spokesman, Vladimir Polyakov, said on Monday doctors have told the former Soviet leader not to interrupt the treatment. He did not provide details.

Polyakov says "this is not an emergency" and "you should not forget that he is 82".

The 13th annual meeting is being held in Poland to mark 30 years since former Polish President Lech Walesa was awarded the prize for leading Solidarity movement that toppled communism in Poland. The meetings were initiated by Gorbachev in 2000.

Iran's Shirin Ebadi, former South Africa President Frederik de Klerk and the Dalai Lama are among the participants.

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Aust stocks lag behind US

DESPITE the relative strength of the economy, Australia's top stocks have lagged behind their US counterparts over the past five years, research shows.

A report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) shows Australia's top 200 companies have delivered an average total shareholder return - which includes dividends and gains in the value of the stock - of 3.3 per cent in the past five years.

By contrast, the top 500 companies in the US delivered an average return of 6.9 per cent.

Australian companies have performed better in the past two years, with an average return of 7.2 per cent, but still lagged behind their US counterpart, which achieved an average return of 12 per cent.

That's despite the Australian economy performing significantly better than the US since the start of the global financial crisis.

But with economic growth expect to slow due to waning mining investment, BCG corporate development leader for Australia Nick Glenning said local companies will find it even harder to deliver solid gains to investors.

"Many companies will need to rethink their strategies and find new ways to achieve growth. Without fresh approaches to their growth dilemma, management will come under increasing pressure and demand for change from investors," he said.

But the report found a number of Australian companies had performed well ahead of the pack over the past decade.

The strongest performer was REA group - owner of websites including realestate.com.au, which has delivered an average return of 61 per cent a year.

Other strong performers included engineering firm Monadelphous and oil and gas services provider Mermaid Marine, both with an average annual return of 39 per cent, and vaccine maker CSL, with an average return of 34 per cent.

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Poll conclusion lifts all states: CommSec

WESTERN Australia remains the top performer but the fortunes of all the states and territories are expected to improve, following the election of a new federal government.

Commonwealth Securities' quarterly State of States report says there's been no slippage in WA's number one ranking and the ACT continues to hold the second spot.

But there is now little separating the Northern Territory, Queensland, NSW and Victoria, before a gap to South Australia and a further gap to Tasmania, which lags on all economic criteria.

Each quarter CommSec uses eight key indicators to rank the states and territories - economic growth, retail spending, equipment investment, unemployment, construction work done, population growth, housing finance and dwelling commencements.

But CommSec chief economist Craig James says all economies should lift now that the uncertainty of the federal election is finally out of the way.

"While a slowdown in mining investment will affect some regions, this will be offset by a lift in residential building," he says in the report released on Monday.

"NSW, Western Australia, Queensland and ACT are expected to benefit most from a lift in home building."

In the latest assessment, WA leads the way on retail trade, is second strongest on economic growth, business investment, construction work done, housing finance and population growth, and finished third on unemployment and fourth on dwelling starts.

The ACT's main strengths are in housing and population growth, while the NT finished first in economic growth and construction work done.

There is still little separating the nation's three largest Queensland, NSW, and Victoria.

Queensland is strongest on business investment, NSW is strongest on unemployment, and Victoria is second on unemployment and third strongest on housing finance.

South Australia is middle ranking on construction work and fifth on housing finance, but is sixth or seventh on every other indicator.

Tasmania remains locked at the bottom of the economic performance table, lagging all other economies on all of the eight indicators.

However, Mr James said firm wages growth and improved housing affordability on the island state is being reflected in a lift in retail spending.

"If this leads to increased employment then there will be potential for stronger economic momentum in coming months," he said.

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Interstate fire crews sent to help NSW

FIREFIGHTERS across Australia are being deployed to aid NSW in its state of emergency.

With deteriorating weather conditions feared to return to the state on Monday, a 120-strong replacement crew will head from Victoria to NSW.

Victoria's fire services commissioner Craig Lapsley says the crew will replace the team they sent last week.

NSW will then let Victoria know if it needs more back up.

"This week in NSW there's a critical couple of days," Mr Lapsley said.

"Tuesday and Wednesday is the real critical fire weather. There could be a chance NSW could ask for more."

South Australia has also chipped in, sending a crew of 51, while Tasmania has sent a team of 20. ACT Rural Fire Service has sent two teams to the Blue Mountains, where several ferocious fires are scorching the countryside.

A team of eight firefighters has also been sent from Queensland, with two more crews on standby.

New Zealand fire crews across the ocean are on the ready if NSW makes a call for help.

Earlier this year, New Zealand fire crews were deployed to help fight bushfires in both Tasmania and Victoria.

In 2009, a team of 109 Kiwi firefighters was sent to tackle massive bushfires in Victoria.

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Chopper brags about four murders

CAREER criminal Mark Chopper Read has confessed murdering four people, including missing Queensland bikie boss Sidney Michael Collins, in the last interview before his own death.

His first kill, he claimed, was as a teenager.

Read made the admissions in the tell-all session screened on Sunday night by 60 minutes but recorded 16 days before he died, aged 58, following a battle with liver cancer.

He claimed responsibility for two cold case murders, those of Collins in 2002 and union heavy Desmond Costello in 1971.

Outlaws Motorcycle Club boss Collins, who has been missing since 2002, was previously shot by Chopper in the stomach.

He said he later killed him when they caught up after one of his life-after-crime stage shows in Casino in northern NSW, and buried him near a football oval.

Chopper said his first murder at age 17 involved shooting Costello outside a Collingwood pub.

He recalled dragging the body of the Melbourne painter and docker with the help of an accomplice to the hotel's keg cellar. Police, though, never uncovered his involvement.

The notorious standover man also disclosed that he got away with killing pedophile and murderer Reginald Isaacs in Pentridge Jail in 1974, with authorities believing Isaacs committed suicide.

Chopper claimed he beat the man repeatedly before hanging him in his cell with his bed sheets.

Read said his third killing was that of Siam Ozerkam, aka "Sammy the Turk", in 1987 outside the Bowjangles nightclub in St Kilda, Melbourne.

He said he told police it was a case of self-defence, and was acquitted, with a jury finding him not-guilty.

Read, who spent 23 years behind bars, previously boasted killing over a dozen people but was never found guilty of murder.

Despite the trail of death, Read told presenter Tara Brown he felt no remorse.

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NAB lags in business customer satisfaction

NATIONAL Australia Bank has dropped to the bottom of the pack for satisfaction levels among business customers.

A monthly survey of satisfaction among the big four's business clients shows NAB stuck alone in last place, despite being Australia's largest business lender.

NAB had an average satisfaction rating of 7.0 in September, while Commonwealth came out on top with a rating of 7.6, according to the DBM Consultants' Business Financial Services Monitor (BFSM).

Westpac was ranked second with a rating of 7.5.

ANZ, which was previously tied with NAB, moved up to third after recording its highest ever rating in the four year history of the survey - 7.2.

DBM Consultants Director Maria Claridad said ANZ had been improving its satisfaction rating during the past few months.

The bank had experienced the biggest improvement in the micro-business category, thanks in part to its new focus on start-up businesses, she said.

"ANZ's pledge to focus on start-up businesses, which was announced in April, may be helping them continue the improvements that they started to see in July of last year," she said.

The BFSM is based on interviews with 20,000 businesses a year.

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Australia 'must do better in Antarctica'

AUSTRALIA is in danger of having to mothball research projects in Antarctica because of its shrinking budget, a new study warns.

The Australian Strategic Police Institute (ASPI) paper says Australia claims 42 per cent of Antarctica, an area the size of all Australia less Queensland, with an overall budget of just $169 million in 2013-14.

That was an eight per cent reduction on the previous year.

"A continued downward trajectory in budget allocations might well lead to closure or mothballing of stations, reduced scientific gains and a diminished standing in Antarctic affairs, it says.

Australian researchers can't visit much of the Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) because of shortage of equipment such as ski-equipped aircraft.

The air link from Australia to Antarctica is unreliable even in mid-summer while the icebreaker Aurora Australis is approaching end of life.

The paper says the politics of Antarctica are starting to heat up.

One UK analyst Professor Klaus Dodds has warned of looming crises over sovereignty claims, commercial fishing, tourism, the rise of China and mineral exploitation.

ASPI said if that was to be believed, Australia could see a breakdown of the Antarctic Treaty, our territorial claim disputed, rampant illegal fishing, irreparable environmental damage and a rush for oil, gas and minerals.

"When it comes to our interest in Antarctica, Australia had better use it or we risk losing it in what will be a more competitive strategic world in coming decades," it says.

"The credibility of our claims will erode in lockstep with the erosion of our capacity to service our research stations by sea and air."

On the plus side, the new coalition government has promised it will develop a 20-year strategic plan to address how Australia can remain, engaged, active and visible.

ASPI said Australia should be an Antarctic leader not a follower.

"If we're fair dinkum about pursuing Antarctic interests, we need to be active in Antarctica. But our present capability means we can't match what others are doing in our territory, let alone lead," it said.

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