WA leaders cast their votes in state poll

THE Liberal and Labor leaders have cast their votes in the West Australian election, with Premier Colin Barnett playing down polling that points to a landslide win for his Liberal party.

A Newspoll released on Friday night showed the incumbents would win 59.5 per cent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis.

Mr Barnett maintained that at least a dozen seats hung in the balance.

"I can honestly tell you I don't know who's going to win those seats," he told reporters at a polling booth in Cottesloe, in his affluent western suburbs electorate, where he cast his vote.

"There's going to be a very close contest.

"I hope I can continue and I hope we get the chance to finish many of the projects around the state, around the city, and carry on."

Labor leader Mark McGowan was first off the mark in casting his vote in the working-class satellite suburb of Rockingham, south of Perth.

Mr McGowan, who had also kicked off the party's official election campaign 10 days ahead of his opponent, arrived in his trademark red campaign bus.

He remained optimistic despite the polling, saying he'd wait and see what happened.

He said he would spend the day visiting polling booths around the city.

Deputy federal opposition leader Julie Bishop was full of praise for Mr Barnett, saying he would continue to stand up for the state's interests.

Ms Bishop said Mr McGowan had tried to distance himself from federal Labor, but that was futile because there was a deep distrust of the Gillard government that the state party couldn't shake.

Polls close at 6pm WST.

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N Korea sanctions not the answer: China

SANCTIONS against North Korea over its nuclear program are not "the fundamental way" to resolve the crisis, China's foreign minister says.

China is the North's sole major ally and by far its biggest trading partner, including being its primary energy supplier.

It voted on Thursday for the UN resolution that stiffened restrictions on North Korea's financial dealings, notably its suspect "bulk cash" transfers, and blocked imports of some luxury goods, following Pyongyang's nuclear test last month.

"The DPRK conducted a third nuclear test and tensions on the Korean peninsula once again heightened," Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told reporters in Beijing on Saturday, using the North's official name.

"This is not something we want to see."

But he added: "We always believe that sanctions are not the end of security council actions, nor are sanctions the fundamental way to resolve the relevant issues."

Reiterating China's longstanding position, he called for dialogue and negotiations, including a resumption of the six-party talks process, which has been moribund since 2009.

"We call on all relevant parties to bear in mind the larger interest, stay calm, exercise restraint and refrain from taking any move that may further worsen the situation."

Since the UN resolution was passed the North has responded with fresh threats of nuclear war, vowing to scrap peace pacts with South Korea as its rhetoric reached a frenzied pitch.

In Chinese strategic thinking, North Korea is a "buffer zone" that prevents the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea encroaching on its own border.

But analysts say that Pyongyang's actions mean the relationship risks becoming an irritant for Beijing.

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Tinkler lawyers try to stop court case

NATHAN Tinkler's lawyers have made a last ditch attempt to stop the liquidators of his Mulsanne Resources examining him and fellow directors in court.

The former billionaire was due to appear in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday morning to be examined over Mulsanne's failure to pay $28.4 million for buying a major stake in listed coal explorer Blackwood Corporation.

After the matter was adjourned to 1400 AEDT for talks between the parties, Mr Tinkler's barrister Alec Leopold SC told the court that he would be seeking a stay of the proceedings.

He said the same solicitor had acted on behalf of Mulsanne's liquidator Ferrier Hodgson, Blackwood and a major shareholder.

Mr Leopold also said the liquidator had met with Blackwood and the major shareholder.

"The liquidator is not acting in the interest of the creditors as a whole," he said.

The liquidator's barrister, Robert Newlinds SC, said the application was nothing more than a stunt.

He said there was nothing improper about the liquidator meeting with Blackwood or sharing the same solicitor as the coal company was by far the biggest creditor and the others were small claims from other companies owned by Mr Tinkler.

The stay proceedings have been adjourned until Monday, with the public examination of Mr Tinkler and other Mulsanne directors currently listed for Thursday.

Blackwood sued Mulsanne Resources after Mr Tinkler's company agreed last July to buy a 33.85 per cent stake in it for $28.4 million.

However Mulsanne then failed to follow through with the deal.

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Rebel MP promises to back Vic government

INDEPENDENT MP Geoff Shaw has promised to support the Victorian coalition government but won't return to the Liberals.

The rebel MP called Premier Denis Napthine on Thursday night to deliver the news he would support the government on key issues, including the budget and matters of confidence.

It means the coalition can rely on his vote to get laws through parliament.

Dr Napthine also announced former premier Ted Baillieu's chief of staff Tony Nutt had quit the government staff.

He also reassured Mr Shaw, the member for Frankston, that superannuation entitlements were being considered as part of a review of politicians' pay.

"There was no agreement, no undertakings made with Mr Shaw, nor were there any demands made by Mr Shaw of me and my government," he said.

"I believe we have a workable government. I believe we have the opportunity to provide good, stable government to the people of Victoria."

Dr Napthine said Mr Shaw had not won more power and the Frankston electorate would not be favoured over other areas of the state.

"Geoff Shaw has no more influence," he said.

Mr Shaw had told him he wanted to best represent the people of Frankston and pursue their concerns.

Dr Napthine said Mr Shaw did not ask for any specific investments in his electorate.

"All parts of the state will be given special treatment," he said.

Mr Shaw said he was confident Dr Napthine would be a strong leader for Victoria.

"My resignation from the parliamentary Liberal Party was based on my belief that I can best serve Frankston as an independent member," he said in a statement.

"I strongly believe in the values of the Liberal Party and that a return of Labor would be disastrous for Victoria."

Dr Napthine said he did not need a written document formalising the agreement with Mr Shaw.

He did not tell the deputy premier, Nationals leader Peter Ryan, that Mr Shaw had guaranteed supply and confidence until he revealed the news to other senior government MPs on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, Mr Ryan went on Melbourne radio and said Dr Napthine had not dealt with Mr Shaw.

On the question of his cabinet, Dr Napthine refused to confirm Kim Wells would remain treasurer.

He said he would sort out his ministerial team later.

Dr Napthine said he had confidence in Liberal state director Damien Mantach but the party employed him and was responsible for negotiations concerning his future.

Mr Mantach reportedly authorised $22,500 in payments to an adviser after the man had quit Mr Ryan's office in disgrace over his role in a plot to undermine former police chief commissioner Simon Overland.

Mr Nutt released a statement on Friday saying he had resigned because he did not want to distract from the new government's work.

Mr Baillieu referred "secret tapes" involving Mr Nutt to the corruption watchdog before quitting as premier.

"Over more than 30 years as a staff member, I have worked with many parliamentarians and political leaders, and Ted Baillieu is one of the finest men it has been my privilege to know," Mr Nutt said.

Mr Nutt said he had not done anything wrong.

"I am confident that my actions were proper and appropriate and have impeccable legal advice to that effect."

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Telstra raises 1 bln euros in bond issue

Telecommunications giant Telstra is raising $A1.28 billion by issuing new long-term bonds. Source: AAP

TELSTRA has raised more than $1 billion worth of euro-denominated bonds, ahead of the government's upcoming auction of mobile spectrum space.

Telstra spokesman Scott Whiffin said the one billion euro ($A1.28 billion) issue of 10-year euro-denominated bonds was part of the company's annual borrowing program.

"The proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, which include a range of different business needs and may include funding spectrum," Mr Whiffin said in an emailed statement on Thursday.

"We may predominantly finance spectrum through debt in the first instance."

The federal government was hoping to raise about $3 billion from the spectrum auction, due to be held in April.

The auction comes partly from the reallocation of spectrum used for the analogue television signal that is due to be switched off after December 31, 2013.

Telstra, as well as competitors Optus and Vodafone, are all expected to bid for the spectrum allocation to boost mobile coverage and expand their high-speed 4G offerings.

Telstra would "predominantly finance spectrum through debt in the first instance", the telco's chief financial officer Andy Penn said during the company's first half results announcement in January.

"Hence we will have an active debt program in the second half of the year," Mr Penn said at the time.

US-based telco AT&T has also tapped the European bond market, selling one billion euros of 20-year bonds on Tuesday.

At 1500 AEDT on Thursday, Telstra was down three cents at $4.54.

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Man found dead in WA prison

AUTHORITIES are investigating the death of a 20-year-old Aboriginal man at Western Australia's Casuarina Prison.

WA's Department of Corrective Services confirmed the man had been found at around 3.50pm (WST) on Wednesday afternoon.

Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

A coronial inquiry has been launched into the death in custody, and WA police are conducting an investigation.

The man's next of kin have been notified.

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Carr critical of DFAT over Zygier case

Foreign Minister Bob Carr says his department's handling of the Ben Zygier case was unsatisfactory. Source: AAP

FOREIGN Minister Bob Carr has criticised his department's handling of the shadowy case of Melbourne man and suspected Israeli spy Ben Zygier.

Senator Carr last month ordered a review of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) handling of the case, shortly after Mr Zygier was named as Israel's mysterious "Prisoner X".

Mr Zygier, a dual citizen of Australia and Israel, was detained for alleged Israeli national security offences in February 2010 and died in a supposedly suicide-proof cell 11 months later.

It's believed he worked for Israeli spy agency Mossad.

Senator Carr says the DFAT review found Mr Zygier was granted regular access to a lawyer and more than 50 visits by family members during his detention.

But he criticised a lack of clarity in government decision-making over consular responsibilities.

"The Zygier case was complex and outside the normal bounds of consular activity," Senator Carr said in a statement on Wednesday.

"However it is unsatisfactory that there was a lack of clarity over the exercise of consular responsibilities."

Senator Carr says it's also unsatisfactory that details of assistance provided by Israeli authorities to Mr Zygier were not sought by or provided to DFAT until he ordered the review.

"I acknowledge DFAT's contemporaneous assessment that Israel would not have granted direct consular access to Mr Zygier," he says.

"However it would have been preferable for follow-up information to have been sought in 2010."

Senator Carr admitted for the first time Mr Zygier was an "employee of the Israeli government".

But the minister could not confirm or deny Mr Zygier worked for Mossad.

He also revealed then-prime minister Kevin Rudd and then-foreign minister Stephen Smith were not told of Mr Zygier's arrest.

The DFAT report notes it would have been "prudent" for Australian intelligence agencies - who knew about Zygier's arrest within days - to consult with Australia's ambassador in Tel Aviv about the likelihood of officials being granted consular access to him.

"A more coherent system for handling intelligence information on individual consular cases would have assisted management of issues around Mr Zygier's circumstances," Senator Carr said.

The report recommends any Australian agency that becomes aware of the detention of an Australian citizen tell the relevant ambassador or high commissioner, unless the foreign minister grants an exemption.

The report also recommends DFAT lead the development of a protocol for dealing with individuals detained on intelligence-related matters.

A better system should be developed to ensure senior consular officers can access written records, including intelligence, of sensitive cases, the report adds.

It also calls for a further review into the consular services that should be provided by Australia to dual nationals, like Zygier.

"I have directed that these recommendations be implemented," Senator Carr said.

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2 dead, 2 critical after Qld minibus crash

Two people have been killed in Qld after a minibus and a four wheel drive crashed south of Townsville.

TWO people are dead and another two are in a critical condition after a minibus and a 4WD collided south of Townsville.

The Department of Community Safety (DCS) says nine people were involved in the accident about 3.30pm (AEST) near Barratta Creek between Giru and Ayr on the Bruce Highway.

Police say two women died at the scene.

Late on Tuesday, two people were in a critical condition while five were being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Authorities could not say whether children were among those hurt.

DCS said four patients had been taken by ambulance to Ayr Hospital while others had been transported to Townsville Hospital.

The Bruce Highway was closed between Ayr and Giru for several hours, but reopened on Tuesday night.

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2008 Penfolds Grange shiraz scores 100

The latest vintage of Australia's Penfolds Grange shiraz has been awarded a rare perfect score. Source: AAP

IS the 2008 Penfolds Grange shiraz the perfect wine?

After the wine scored an unsurpassable 100 points in a review last week in one of the world's most influential wine journals, The Wine Advocate in the US, one might say yes.

But Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago says no.

"The subjective nature of scoring and accolades is exactly that," Mr Gago said on Tuesday.

"But in terms of ratings in the world of wine it really doesn't come any better than such a score (100) in The Wine Advocate.

"It's a bit like the Academy Awards or the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards."

The last time a bottle of Grange scored 100 points in The Wine Advocate was in 1981, when the 1976 vintage was released.

Mr Gago said there had been wines over the years from Australia and overseas that had scored 100 in The Wine Advocate, but such a score was rare, especially recently.

"If critics give high scores willy-nilly, they lose their credibility," he said.

Wine enthusiasts around the world would take note of The Wine Advocate's score for the 2008 Grange.

Mr Gago had received congratulations from people in Canada, Japan the United Kingdom and elsewhere within an hour of the review in The Wine Advocate being published.

The latest vintage of Grange will be released to the public in May, selling at around $685 per bottle.

But an "Imperial", the equivalent of eight bottles and one of only six Imperials to be released, will be auctioned at the Barossa Valley Vintage Festival in April.

Mr Gago said the 2008 Grange shiraz was created mostly from grapes picked from low-yielding old vines in the Barossa Valley, ahead of a heatwave that hit South Australia in early March 2008.

The 1976 vintage of Grange can still be bought at auction for around $1,000 a bottle.

Mr Gago said the 1976 vintage had improved with age.

A great test for highly-scored wines was to have them re-assessed decades after their release.

"Wines are living things," Mr Gago said.

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Don't oppose Chinese investment: Emerson

Trade Minister Craig Emerson says Australia could become a world superpower in green food exports. Source: AAP

TRADE Minister Craig Emerson says Australia could become a world superpower in clean, green food exports, but it won't happen without Chinese investment.

Dr Emerson told delegates at an agricultural conference in Canberra it was "absolutely stupid" to suggest Australia's farming sector could reach its full potential without foreign investment.

"It would be a betrayal to Australia's national interest if any political party sought to put up the shutters to foreign investment in Australian agriculture and the great opportunities that provides," he told the Australian Bureau of Agricultural Research Economics and Sciences (ABARES) conference on Tuesday.

Wheat, wool and beef would continue to be traditional cornerstones of Australia's agricultural exports.

But farmers had a "once in a generation" opportunity to become world leaders in premium products that command a high price and could "jump the hurdle" presented by the ongoing high Australian dollar.

Asia's exploding middle class - expected to tip three billion by 2030 - would pay big dollars for quality Australian products and that demand would eventually break down trade barriers and open new markets for exporters, Dr Emerson said.

"To imagine that this can be achieved without foreign investment is stupid," he said.

"We cannot have unchallenged the debate going on in Australia that there should be a stop sign put up to Chinese investment in Australian agricultural production."

Any investment needs to pass a national interest test, but for the coalition to suggest Chinese investment would simply not be welcome threatens the future of Australian farmers.

Dr Emerson said Chinese investment was the "next generation" to follow British, American and Japanese interests in Australia.

This month Australia gained permission to export lamb to India and improved market access for fruit into the Philippines.

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Gillard backs 457 visa 'crackdown'

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is backing plans to tighten the temporary foreign worker program. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard says further changes to the 457 visa scheme will get the "out of control" system back on track.

Labor and unions are concerned the temporary foreign worker program is being abused by employers and Australian workers are missing out on jobs.

The ACTU estimates in the construction sector alone there has been a 38 per cent rise in 457 visas issued, while jobs in the sector are declining.

Ms Gillard says Labor inherited a Howard government system which was "out of control".

"Every step of the way we have been putting in place new conditions to crack down on the rorts," she told reporters in western Sydney on Monday.

"We've done that in the past and we will continue to crack down as necessary."

Ms Gillard said she understood there were times that businesses faced skills shortages and needed to source labour from overseas.

"But what I also understand is there have been too many times where people have got the skills to get the job and they don't get the job and in those circumstances I want to make sure that Australian workers are coming first," she said.

Job security is emerging as a key issue in the lead-up to the federal election in September.

The government is proposing employers will be required to show they are nominating a position where there is a genuine shortage of workers.

Compliance and enforcement powers would also be boosted to stop employers rorting the program.

The federal opposition says the 457 visa program accounts for only 0.7 per cent of the Australian labour force, and more than 80 per cent of employer-sponsored permanent skilled visas are granted to people already in Australia.

They argue the system enables flexibility in dealing with skill shortages in critical sectors, such as health care.

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Jobs ad rise for a 2nd consecutive month

Jobs advertisements in newspapers and on the internet have risen for the second month in a row. Source: AAP

JOB advertisements rose in February to their highest level since October 2012, a leading employment survey says.

The ANZ Job Ads survey, released on Monday, showed the total number of ads was up 3.0 per cent in February for a second consecutive month, after a rise of 0.6 per cent in January.

The number of job ads on the internet was up 3.3 per cent February, in seasonally-adjusted terms, while those placed in newspapers fell 2.9 per cent in January.

ANZ head of Australian economic and property research Ivan Colhoun said the employment market was showing signs of improvement.

"In early 2013, there are again early signs of some stabilisation in hiring intentions which come as concerns about the global backdrop, including the US fiscal cliff, have moderated," he said.

"The extent to which the increase in job advertising in January and February represents a similar temporary or sustained pick-up is unclear at this stage.

"Nevertheless, we forecast an improvement in the European and Chinese economies and remain confident that the US recovery will continue despite a large fiscal drag."

Mr Colhoun also said increased confidence in Australia along with lower interest rates should help the local employment market but he expected the unemployment rate to stay above five per cent for the first half of 2013.

"Rising Australian house prices, equity markets, consumer confidence and, to a lesser extent, business confidence in recent months are important signs that accommodative monetary policy should support stronger domestic economic activity," he said.

"Anecdotal evidence suggests that Australian firms are generally keeping a close eye on their bottom line, including labour costs."

The ANZ said newspaper job advertising remained relatively subdued across the country but rates of decline for the most part had been moderating in recent months.

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Black Saturday class action set to begin

A Black Saturday class action involving thousands of Victorians is set to start this week. Source: AAP

THOUSANDS of Victorians are beginning their fight for compensation from groups they blame for the most destructive blaze of the Black Saturday bushfires.

Lead plaintiff Carol Matthews is joined by an estimated 10,000 members in claiming energy provider SPI Electricity's faulty equipment ignited the Kilmore East/King Lake bushfire in February 2009.

The fire killed 119 people, destroyed 1200 homes and caused an estimated $1 billion worth of damage.

The group is also suing Utility Services Corporation Limited, which was contracted by SPI to maintain the line, and the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) for allegedly failing to reduce fuel loads.

The CFA and Victoria Police are also facing allegations from Mrs Matthews that they failed to give appropriate warnings about the bushfire.

All the defendants deny the allegations and are fighting the claims.

The size of the action, which starts on Monday, has seen the Victorian government fund a purpose built courtroom to accommodate the teams of barristers, dozens of expert witnesses and large numbers of people interested in attending the trial.

The thousands involved directly in the class action will also be able to watch the proceedings streamed live on the internet.

Openings in the trial will begin in the Victorian Supreme Court on Monday morning with the case expected to run for nine months.

The Black Saturday bushfires in February 2009 killed 173 people.

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Dog bites off man's nose in Sydney's west

A dog has bitten off a man's nose in Sydney's west. Source: AAP

A DOG has bitten off a man's nose in Sydney's west.

The 30-year-old was attacked by a dog reported to be a Rottweiler at North St Marys about 4.45pm (AEDT) on Saturday, the NSW ambulance service said in a statement.

Paramedics transported the man to Nepean Hospital in a stable condition.

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