Voting late backfires on Rudd

Kevin Rudd faced a hostile reception from refugee advocates as he cast his vote in Brisbane. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd arrived to vote in Brisbane only to find himself labelled a "dictator" by refugee advocates and the family of a victim of the pink batts insulation debacle.

Mr Rudd got out of his car at St Paul's Anglican Church with wife Therese Rein and, holding up one of his own how-to-vote cards, joked about convincing her to vote for the man in the picture - him.

"Nice to see you folks," Mr Rudd said as he shook hands with Labor supporters.

Mr Rudd, who if polls are right is set to be removed from government on Saturday night, was set to vote early in the morning but changed his mind in order to do last-minute interviews and a phone hook-up with voters.

The move backfired when protesters against the federal government's so-called Papua New Guinea Solution for asylum seekers hurled abuse at Mr Rudd.

"Stop scapegoating refugees, you heartless bastard," a protester yelled at Mr Rudd as he tried to make his way up the church driveway to the polling booths.

The protesters chanted: "Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here."

Russell Blythe held up a giant poster of his nephew Matthew Fuller, who was electrocuted while installing insulation in October 2009.

Mr Blythe told reporters Mr Rudd was a danger to the nation and should be voted out.

"He's a dictator," he said.

He said Mr Rudd had met his sister in person and offered an off-the-record apology.

Mr Blythe staged the same protest at a Brisbane polling booth in 2010 when Mr Rudd had been due to vote.

Staff diverted the prime minister into a different booth to avoid a confrontation.

An Australian Electoral Commission official told media they weren't allowed to film Mr Rudd casting his vote because they weren't accredited but reporters were eventually let into the booth.

Mr Rudd spent $20 on marmalade and a sultana and bran loaf at a church bake sale stall.

Parishioner Nadine Dwyer, who served Mr Rudd, said she was frightened by the chaos caused by the media.

"I'm not a nervous person normally but that was pretty intense."

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Vic motorcyclist dies in crash

A MOTORCYCLIST has died in a crash in Melbourne's southeast.

Police are investigating whether the male rider hit more than one car before the fatal crash on the Princes Freeway at Berwick just before noon (AEST) on Saturday.

The motorcyclist died at the scene and is yet to be formally identified.

Victoria's road toll now stands at 160 compared to 185 this time last year.

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Assange film premieres in Toronto

THE new Hollywood thriller about Julian Assange and how he built WikiLeaks into an online powerhouse that has exposed governments and corporations around the globe has received a long ovation at its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

Assange originally described The Fifth Estate as "a mass propaganda attack" against WikiLeaks after reading a leaked script, but he softened his stance against the film before Thursday's debut in Toronto.

The 42-year-old Townsville-born former computer hacker is masterfully played by English actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who speaks with an authentic Australian accent and will likely firm as a favourite for an Oscar nomination.

The film received a 15-second ovation at the premiere.

"I've wanted to make a political movie for a very long time and I thought this was a very rich area to explore," the film's US director, Bill Condon, whose past credits include Chicago, Kinsey and two Twilight films, said before the premiere.

"We are trying very hard to present all sides of a very complicated subject."

The Fifth Estate offers insight into Assange's childhood and teenage years in Australia and follows him as he builds WikiLeaks into a website designed to protect whistleblowers.

Assange took issue with an earlier draft of the script dealing with Iran, but on August 27 during an interview with AAP at the Ecuadorean embassy in London where he has been holed up since June 2012, he said the publicity surrounding the DreamWorks film will benefit WikiLeaks.

"Cumberbatch has been personally supportive of me and the struggles that WikiLeaks is going through".

"Our view is that a $US40 million advertising budget promoting WikiLeaks around the world, and actors like Cumberbatch speaking about it, is a good thing for the popularisation of WikiLeaks," Assange said.

"But people need to understand that this is a Hollywood movie and it has sections which are fictitious in order to increase the drama."

While Assange is played by an Englishman, there are plenty of A-List Australian actors in Toronto for the festival, including Hugh Jackman who is promoting his thriller Prisoners, Nicole Kidman for her drama The Railway Man and Chris Hemsworth in Rush.

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Nine charged over NSW drug syndicate

A LARGE-SCALE drug syndicate has been busted after police charged several people, seizing heroin and nearly $800,000 in cash in homes across Sydney.

A 39-year-old man was arrested on Friday in Campsie for being involved in the street supply of drugs.

It follows the arrests of four other men this week over the alleged crime ring that has been operating in southern Sydney, the CBD and Eastern Suburbs.

On Monday, police arrested a 45-year-old man at a house in Cronulla after finding heroin on the premises.

They also arrested a 66-year-old man at a motel in the same suburb.

He had $70,000 in cash on him and was getting ready to leave the country, police allege.

In the nearby suburb of Miranda, police discovered $650,000 hidden under the floor of a house and subsequently charged a 40-year-old woman.

Over at a Randwick house, a 51-year-old man was also caught in possession of more than 80 deals of heroin and more than $45,000 cash.

An additional four men were charged earlier this year after police seized 19 kilograms of the drug ice, 1000 ecstasy tablets, a gun and $25,000.

Two of the men are due to appear in Sutherland Local Court and Waverley Local Court on Friday.

A further two are on bail and will front Sutherland Local Court on September 26, while another will appear at a later date.

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Mardi Gras reveller 'tried to kick woman'

IT was an ugly confrontation between police and a teenage Mardi Gras reveller that quickly went viral, sparking claims of police brutality.

Now one of the officers at the centre of the violent arrest has been accused of lying about how the incident started to cover his back.

Constable Leon Mixios told Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday his arrest of Jamie Glenn Jackson Reed, then aged 18, was sparked by the teenager "half-skipping, half-running" up to a woman and "playfully" pretending to kick her.

But the woman has never been seen since and Jackson Reed was never charged with assaulting her, his hearing was told.

"You have invented the suggestion that he had kicked out at her and she was fearful of him as an excuse to explain why you dealt with (Jackson Reed) the way you dealt with him on this occasion," defence barrister Phillip Boulten, SC, told Const Mixios.

"That's incorrect," the officer replied.

The teenager's arrest at the festival on March 2 this year sparked community outrage and an internal police investigation, after video taken by shocked onlookers showed Constable Mixios slamming the diminutive teenager to the ground.

Jackson Reed was later charged with assaulting police, resisting arrest and using offensive language in a public place.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Const Mixios described how he confronted Jackson Reed about the pretend kick before the teenager started abusing him and called him a "dick" before turning away.

The officer said he responded by grabbing Jackson Reed's arm and telling him he was under arrest for assaulting the woman.

Jackson Reed allegedly swung at him, so Const Mixios said he went to grab his shirt, realised the teenager was bare chested and grabbed his neck instead.

The officer said he took Jackson Reed to the ground twice during the ensuing struggle - with the teenager's head hitting the ground on one occasion.

But he said Jackson Reed continually resisted arrest and struck him to the head a number of times, causing him "considerable pain".

"You grabbed him by the throat and you slammed his head on the footpath," Mr Boulten said.

"...The second time you grabbed him by the throat, did you forget (again) that he wasn't wearing a shirt?"

"It was just to control him," Const Mixios replied, denying he slammed the teenager's head on the ground.

Mr Boulten submitted Jackson Reed never attempted to kick the woman, but instead placed his index fingers in the small of her back.

He said Const Mixios completed his statement on the incident after video of the incident had gone viral and when he knew there was "extraordinary public interest" in his actions.

Const Mixios said he briefly looked for the woman at the centre of the arrest immediately afterwards and asked a cafe owner for CCTV video - a detail he did not include in his notebook.

Magistrate Michael Barko questioned why Const Mixios did not seek CCTV video from the police command centre immediately, instead of three days later.

"If you were unable to locate the female, wouldn't (that) have been prudent?" the magistrate asked.

Const Mixios said he didn't know how to go about accessing the video.

The hearing continues.

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Ekka E coli infections rise to 40

ANOTHER five people have been infected with E coli bacteria originating from animals at Brisbane's Ekka show.

There are now 40 confirmed cases of E coli infection.

Of these, 27 are children aged between one and 15.

The oldest person infected is 77.

Authorities say STEC genes that produce E coli were detected in the bedding of animals in the Ekka's nursery last month.

A Queensland Health spokesman said the number of cases are likely to increase as authorities wait for further samples to be tested.

Health authorities are also responding to an outbreak of highly contagious norovirus gastroenteritis in southeast Queensland and a measles outbreak along Australia's east coast.

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NZ govt arranged illegal raid: Peters

NEW Zealand's Security Intelligence Service (SIS) illegally raided the home of former Fijian cabinet minister Rajesh Singh in Auckland last year, NZ First leader Winston Peters has claimed in parliament.

He said the raid was "an arrangement" between the government and Fiji's ruling military regime, and the Search and Surveillance Act was breached because SIS agents didn't identify themselves and refused to produce a search warrant.

Mr Peters also claimed Mr Singh and other members of the Fijian Democracy and Freedom Movement "are some of the 88 people illegally spied on by the (NZ spy agency) GCSB".

He questioned Acting Prime Minister Bill English on Wednesday, and was told that if he believed anything unlawful had happened he should go to the police.

Mr Peters than asked whether the government had "made an arrangement" with Fiji's military regime to spy on Mr Singh and other members of the movement.

Mr English said he would be very surprised if the government had made any arrangements with the Fijian government.

"Then why did the commander of the Fijian land forces, Colonel Mosese Tikoitoga, text Mr Singh saying he was about to be raided by the SIS at the exact time the raid was happening?" Mr Peters asked.

"I have no idea," Mr English replied.

Mr Peters said he had 16 text messages and read out some of them, including one which said: "Hear this, bro terrorist, we did raid you, it was the New Zealand SIS, so ask them."

He said Prime Minister John Key, who is in the Marshall Islands at the Pacific Island Forum, should come home and explain what happened.

"It's time for him to start acting like a prime minister, get back to this country, and tell us why he has got the Fijians involved in conspiracies to break the law in this country with the SIS and the GCSB."

The raid on Mr Singh's home, and raids on several other properties, were reported by media in July last year.

The reports said the raids were in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate Fiji's leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama.

Mr Singh complained at the time that a laptop and mobile phone had been seized.

Mr Key refused to comment, saying it was an operational matter.

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Never underestimate us, Rudd tells Abbott

KEVIN Rudd came out swinging with less than a week to go in the election campaign, using Labor's official campaign launch to rev up the party faithful.

Opinion polls may be pointing to a Tony Abbott-led coalition win on September 7, but the prime minister isn't giving up, saying Labor can prevail.

"To those who say that Mr Abbott has already won this election, I say this - never, ever, ever underestimate the fighting spirit of the Australian Labor Party," Mr Rudd told a packed audience in Brisbane on Sunday.

"Never, ever, ever underestimate my fighting spirit as your prime minister."

He assured them he's been in tougher spots before and come back from behind.

He says he'll be fighting for the jobs of Australians until the last vote is cast on Saturday night.

"I believe we can prevail and I believe in the end we will prevail," he said to roars of approval from the audience.

Mr Rudd contrasted Labor's "positive vision" for the future, to the coalition's focus, which he said looked to the past.

He said he'd never seen a decent reform that the conservatives haven't set out to destroy, whereas for all Labor's faults, it had a go at building a better Australia.

"Yes, that means we don't always get it right. Yes, that means we have made mistakes."

He said Mr Abbott's cuts risked throwing the entire economy into recession in fragile global economic times and reminded the party faithful that Labor kept the economy strong through the Global Financial Crisis.

To help manage the next great economic transition, Labor would give small business a cash flow boost from next weekend, through an upfront tax deduction when they buy new equipment worth up to $10,000, bringing this and other recently announced measures to more than $5.4 billion.

At the same time, Labor would legislate to ensure multinational business projects worth $300 million or more use a greater number of Australian suppliers and skills, which is expected to generate up to $624 million in extra work for Australian industry and jobs every year.

Labor will also increase the Tools for Your Trade payment to 70,000 apprentices to $6000 to help buy their first set of tools, in contrast to Mr Abbott who is offering a $20,000 loan to "hang over your head" before even getting started.

The prime minister is also demanding states maintain and grow their funding to TAFE, or else his government would move to fund the colleges directly.

Mr Rudd was introduced by his wife Therese Rein, who painted a personal picture of her husband and said he was a man who governs for all Australians.

"He believes that dignity belongs to all, not just to some," she said.

Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese opened the proceedings, saying Mr Abbott was no John Howard.

Mr Abbott sits in parliament saying "no, no, no", Mr Albanese said.

"If you want a bloke who can jump through tyres, vote for Tony Abbott, but if you want a bloke who can get you through the next global financial crisis, vote for Kevin Rudd," he said.

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Abbott backs US action against Syria

Tony Abbott has backed US military strikes against Syria but says they must be carefully targeted. Source: AAP

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has backed any US military action against Syria but says it has to be carefully targeted and proportionate so it doesn't make a bad situation worse.

Mr Abbott said a political solution to avoid the need for military action would be terrific but wasn't likely.

As well, there was a precedent for military strikes in circumstances where Russia vetoed any United Nations Security Council resolution.

He said the Syrian regime's use of poison gas against its own people was an utter abomination.

"That said, any punitive strike has got to be targeted, it's got to be proportionate and it's got to be carefully considered to try to ensure that as far as is humanly possible we aren't making a bad situation worse," he told ABC television.

In the latest development, US President Barack Obama will now ask Congress to authorise military action against Syria, lifting the threat of immediate strikes on President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Mr Abbott said all Australian governments instinctively wanted to support our closest ally, the US, and also to uphold the universal human decencies.

He said just three nations possessed the ability to take military action against Syria: the US; Britain, which had ruled itself out; and France, which had very limited capacity.

President Obama has branded the UN Security Council as completely paralysed. Mr Abbott said that was a difficulty between the US, Britain and France on one side and Russia and China on the other.

"Where the security council is for whatever reason ineffective, there is precedent for right-thinking powers to take action and that was in the former Yugoslavia when Britain, the US and other countries took action in Kosovo," he said.

Mr Abbott said the Syrian conflict was a civil war between two pretty unsavoury sides.

"It's not goodies versus baddies, it's baddies versus baddies and that's why it's very important that we don't make a very difficult situation worse," he said.

Labor says this shows why Mr Abbott is not fit to represent Australia in any international forum.

Campaign spokeswoman Penny Wong said Mr Abbott sounded like he was talking about a game of cops and robbers games when discussing foreign policy.

"When asked about the difficult situation in Syria and what his view about this was, his view on foreign policy appears to be not always goodies versus baddies but it can be baddies versus baddies," she told Sky News.

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