Gillard warns of cutbacks and flood levy

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned that the economic impact from the flooding in Queensland could result in both spending cutbacks and a flood levy.

"This is going to require some difficult decisions, spending cutbacks and there may even a levy," Ms Gillard said on ABC's 7.30 Report.

"We are obviously working on those decisions now as we work with our Queensland colleagues to clarify the bill for infrastructure rebuilding.

"At the same time we're seeing floodwaters in Victoria. They're right in the midst of battling those floodwaters and there may well be infrastructure rebuilding that needs to be done after those floodwaters recede."

The prime minister also said there was a significant difference between the impact of the current Queensland floods and those of 1974.

"What we've got to remember is that in 1974 Queensland was a far smaller part of our national economy than it is now - around 14 per cent then, around 19 per cent now," she said.

"And Queensland contributes about 25 per cent of our exports, so a flood crisis in Queensland has major economic impacts around the nation."

Ms Gillard said the damage bill for rebuilding infrastructure would not be known until the floodwaters subside and the full impact was revealed.

She also defended the decision for a planned budget surplus in 2012-13, saying the economy would be "running hot" then and it's the right time to save for the future.

"We've got to remember our economy is strong with a large pipeline of investment coming though," Ms Gillard said.

"It's the right way to have our budget position given where our economy will be at that time.

"Let's remember, we came out of the global financial crisis strong - an economy that was running or tending to run close to full capacity - that the right thing to be doing in those circumstances is to have a budget surplus. That's why we had determined to bring the budget to surplus in 2012-13."

The prime minister also defended her decision not to scrap the national broadband network, explaining that it would be "an investment which will end up earning interest money for the taxpayers".

Ms Gillard also said that she, Treasurer Wayne Swan and Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten had been meeting with representatives from the insurance industry, asking them to show the same "spirit of generosity" in this flood crisis that they had seen from the Australian people.

"Our economy is strong and we will get through this by pulling together, the same way we got through the global financial crisis - by pulling together," she said.

Source http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/gillard-warns-of-cutbacks-and-flood-levy-20110120-19xyl.html

2010: Queensland's wettest year on record

It's official: 2010 was Queensland's wettest year on record, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

In its Annual Climate Summary released today, the Bureau of Meteorology said "exceptional" weather saw the state's average rainfall nearly double that of a normal year.

Queensland also had its wettest spring on record, as well as wettest September and December, while every month from August to December ranked in their respective top 10s.

Climate services manager Jeff Fabburg said if the state had not had such a wet spring it might have been saved from the devastating floods of the past month.

"Having all that rain early, then going into the summer period – and the highest rainfall is traditionally January and February – that's topped up everything to the point where a lot of it is going into run off," he said.

The average annual rainfall across the state was 1109.73 millimetres in 2010, exceeding the previous record of 1103.77 millimetres in 1950. Records began in 1900.

The long term average, taken from 1961-1990, is 623.34 millimetres.

Australia-wide, it was the third wettest year on record, with the mean rainfall total of 690 millimetres well above the long-term average of 465 millimetres.

Some 77 recording stations around the state had record rainfall in 2010.

Some areas of the tropical east coast, between Cooktown and Yeppoon and along the southern Gulf of Carpentaria coast, recorded more than 1200 millimetres of rain above the long-term average.

The wettest place overall in Queensland last year was Bellenden Ker Top Station with more than 12 metres of rain - 12,438.4 millimetres - followed by Babinda Post Office with 6893.6 millimetres.

Temperatures for the year were unusually cool during the day, but unusually warm at night.

The Bureau said extensive cloud cover associated with the high rainfall had a marked effect on moderating temperatures.

The coldest night was at Oakey with -6 degrees on June 28, and the three hottest days were recorded at Birdsville Airport, with the peak at 45.4 degrees on January 24.

Overall, it was Australia's coolest year since 2001, but the mean temperature was still above average at 22 degrees, 0.19 degrees above the 1961 - 1990 average.

It was the eighth-warmest year on record for minimum temperatures.

Mr Fabburg said the La Nina ocean system, the main cause of widespread flooding and heavy rain in 2010, was expected to continue for at least the first quarter of 2011.

But hot, dry weather may return later in the year if an El Nino system takes over.

"What happens after the La Nina ends is the real question," he said.

"Probability wise there is a 40 per cent chance of this La Nina going into an El Nino and a 50 per cent chance of this La Nina going into another La Nina."

Source http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/2010-queenslands-wettest-year-on-record-20110105-19fnx.html

Police call for help over woman's bashing

POLICE have taken the unusual step of appealing for public help over an alleged domestic incident that left a Melbourne woman severely beaten and with a broken nose.

The woman was allegedly held captive by her boyfriend Omar Aboueid, 37, for up to 10 hours.

The incident on December 6 started at the 35-year-old woman's house in the northern suburb of Coburg and is believed to have been over missing property belonging to Aboueid.

Senior Constable Dennis Cunha from the Broadmeadows Embona Armed Robbery Taskforce said the woman was repeatedly punched in the head and then dragged into a blue hatchback and driven around Coburg and Reservoir, where the attacks continued.

The woman was eventually returned home, suffering a broken nose and severe swelling and bruising to her face and body.

She reported the incident to police two days later.

"The actual assault was quite vicious, there's some brutal injuries on the victim in relation to the swelling on the face," Sen Const Cunha said.

A warrant has been issued for Aboueid's arrest but police have been unable to find him after two weeks of searching.

They are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Sen Const Cunha said Aboueid had access to firearms and was considered dangerous and should not be approached.

He appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

"Police have been actively looking for this male over the past two weeks. The male is aware that police wish to speak to him in relation to this allegation and the male is actively avoiding police apprehension."

Source http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/police-call-for-help-over-womans-bashing/story-e6frf7jx-1225975078640

107 students show excellence in HSC awards

One hundred and seven NSW students have shown HSC excellence, some of them topping courses before they even begin Year 12 and tackling university subjects while still at high school.

Andrew Ting Li, 16, from the Hills, northwest Sydney, won the award for agriculture despite being in Year 11.

"It's something that's very strong in our school, we're an agriculture High School," the James Ruse Agricultural High School student told AAP on Tuesday.

Andrew said that as he studied agriculture it "became a part of his life" - "There's a lot of everything in agriculture".

Isolde Daniell, 17, from Lismore won her First in Course award for Italian Extension.

The Trinity Catholic College student said her mum found it hard to keep the secret for four days.

"Mum told the house painter, the postman," she said.

Isolde's father is an opera singer - Rhys Daniell.

"He used to sing in the Opera House," she said, adding that she now uses her Italian to help him translate his music.

Maddy Greer, 18, won her award for Philosophy Distinction, which is almost at university level.

But the teen from Dubbo admitted she wouldn't continue to study it all the time as she would "never make any money or get a job".

She said that she uses the principles of the subject in her everyday life - something which might have been useful when she had to deal with flooding in her town.

"I came back from schoolies and the roads were closed around half the city and it was pretty weird going from somewhere where it had barely rained all year and coming back and half the roads were shut from the flooded river," she said.

"Traffic jams have been crazy for Dubbo. For someone who is used to taking ten minutes to get across town, taking half an hour tests my patience," she added.

Girls outperformed boys in the awards with 70 girls achieving first place in at least one subject, compared to 37 boys.

"You should all take extra pride and enjoyment knowing that out of the record 70,000 plus HSC students this year just 107 will receive a certificate of excellence for obtaining first place and the high standard in an HSC course," NSW Education Minister Verity Firth said at the awards ceremony on Tuesday in Sydney.

Seven students managed to take first place achievements in two courses.

Meanwhile, the rest of the state's HSC students are still waiting nervously for their results, which will be released on Wednesday.

Students will be able to access their results from 6am (AEDT) via internet, telephone and text message.

Source http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/107-students-show-excellence-in-hsc-awards-20101214-18whh.html

Sydney escort 'having fun' before death

In the hours before her death, Sydney prostitute Victoria McIntyre told supervisors she was "having fun" and was happy to keep working, a court has been told.

Using the working name "Lisa", 23-year-old Ms McIntyre was one of up to four escorts allegedly hired by Sydney neurosurgeon Suresh Surendranath Nair on February 14, 2009.

Nair, 41, is charged with her manslaughter and the November 2009 murder of Suellen Domingues-Zaupa, 22, another prostitute.

He allegedly supplied both women with cocaine at his luxury Elizabeth Bay apartment.

At a committal hearing at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court, the director of HM Escorts, Anna Monaghan, on Monday testified as to what she knew of the hours leading up to Ms McIntyre's death.

Ms Monaghan said it was practice to make a "safety call" to staff - whom she referred to as "consultants" - and that an employee named Angela Bishop had made contact with Ms McIntyre.

"Lisa told her that she was having fun and, earlier, Lisa indicated that she had to be done by 11 o'clock because she had to go to an engagement party," Ms Monaghan said.

"But in this call she said she was having fun and was happy to keep working."

The court heard that another escort hired by Nair told Ms Monaghan she was sent away "to get a script filled" and that when she returned there was an ambulance outside his apartment.

The same prostitute, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Ms Monaghan the girls had been taking drugs at Nair's property.

"She just said they were taking a lot of drugs and they were putting it in their orifices," Ms Monaghan told the court.

Under questioning from Nair's barrister, Peter Hamill SC, Ms Monaghan said she became aware that an ambulance was involved.

"Were you not concerned that one of your escorts may be in difficulty?" Mr Hamill asked.

"When we spoke to her she was fine and having fun," Ms Monaghan replied.

"Yes, but when you spoke to one of the other girls she said she had got back and there was an ambulance there," Mr Hamill said.

Ms Monaghan said she then "tried ringing her".

Several women who worked for the Sydney-based agency - which charges between $500 and $700 per hour per escort - are expected to give evidence in the committal hearing.

The hearing, before Magistrate Carolyn Barkell, continues on Tuesday.

Source http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/sydney-escort-having-fun-before-death-20101206-18mea.html

Australia remains unsafe for Indian students

An Indian cookery student in Melbourne, who was stabbed by two anonymous men recalled the frightening night and talks about the harrowing experience.

The victim who is been in Australia for 2 years, working in South Yarra bar (in Melbourne).

After winding up work for the day, the victim on the way to railway station on Nov 5, 2008, he was knifed by two men.

He said, "the two men approached me and asked for money when I said I had none, they stabbed me in the stomach, scolded me using foul words."

"I collected some courage to ran away," he added.

The victim was admitted to hospital and doctors performed a emergency surgery on his punctured bowel after the attack. He bares 26 stitches on is stomach after that assault.

He was in hospital for 10 days and only then did he let his parents in India know what had happened.

A police official told, "It appears to be a random racial attack."

Source http://news.oneindia.in/2010/11/29/australia-remains-unsafe-for-indian-students.html

Australia Network put up for tender

Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd has announced the Federal Government is putting a 10-year contract for Australia Network, the country's international television broadcasting service, up for tender.

The network is currently provided by the ABC under a five-year contract with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

"The Government has decided that the next Australia Network contract will be put to a competitive open tender process to ensure the best possible service in return for its investment," Mr Rudd said in a statement.

The contract period has been extended to 10 years to provide "greater certainty to the service provider".

Australia Network has been running since 1993.

The tender process is expected to open before the end of the year.

Source http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/23/3074314.htm?section=justin