Auditor again questions NSW govt figures

THE NSW auditor-general has questioned the revaluation of 27,000 school buildings after their total value increased by $8 billion but those built under a federal stimulus program fell by more than $660 million.

Just weeks after Auditor-General Peter Achterstraat found a $1 billion error in the state's June budget figures, he has again raised concerns about accountancy methods used by the state government.

His latest audit raises doubts about what he called a "flawed" revaluation of 27,000 school and TAFE buildings, conducted by the Education Department earlier this year, particularly the significant fall in Building the Education Revolution (BER) structures.

The replacement cost of the department's building stock rose from $26.5 billion to $34.6 billion under the evaluation, but the value of the Rudd government BER buildings dropped by one third from $1.9 billion to $1.2 billion.

Mr Achterstraat called for the department to review its revaluation methodology to confirm the figures, saying it had been unable to provide "sufficient evidence" to back the construction costs used.

"There were flaws in the process used and more work is needed to support the values recorded," Mr Achterstraat said in a statement on Tuesday.

"This work may confirm the value of the buildings is correct, or it may highlight shortcomings in the revaluation process."

"The significant decrease in cost attributed to new BER buildings in the revaluation process may be due to actual costs paid for BER buildings being too high, construction prices may have been higher during the period of the BER program, or replacement cost rates used in the revaluation process may be incorrect."

In October, Mr Achterstraat found the deficit of $337 million for 2011-12 announced in this year's budget should in fact be a surplus of $680 million.

The embarrassing billion-dollar turnaround was attributed to 37 mistakes - errors in spreadsheets, data entry, end-of-year accruals and reconciliation processes.

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Man jailed for leaving victim quadriplegic

RETIRED cabinet-maker Kenneth Weger was the type of bloke who was quick to offer a visitor a beer.

But he didn't get a chance to be hospitable to former boarder Daniel Charles Hughes, who rendered Mr Weger a quadriplegic by repeatedly stabbing him and leaving him for dead in his Adelaide backyard.

Hughes, 25, was jailed for at least five years in the South Australian Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The chef had pleaded guilty to an aggravated offence of causing serious harm to Mr Weger with intent, after stabbing him six times in the neck in February 2011 at the retiree's Marion home.

Outside court, the 70-year-old victim said Hughes had "ruined two lives" and was "an idiot".

But Mr Weger's daughter Amy stressed that her father still had sympathy for his assailant and worried about the younger man's future.

Now confined to a nursing home, her father had previously been outgoing, lived independently, travelled and would have a drink with anyone.

"If Daniel hadn't stabbed him, I bet the next words would have been 'have a beer'," she said.

"We just hope that Daniel can do his time and come out the other end a better person."

In setting a maximum term of eight years, Justice Michael David said Hughes had consumed an inordinate amount of alcohol and ingested drugs before going to Mr Weger's home looking for accommodation.

Defence barrister Adam Richards said when Mr Weger moved towards Hughes, the young man mistakenly believed he was making a sexual advance.

He impulsively stabbed him using a paring knife he had in his pocket for an innocent purpose - to scrape a bundle of scratchies he had been given for his birthday, Mr Richards said.

In a victim impact statement read to the court on his behalf, Mr Weger said he was now stuck in a nursing home looking at four walls.

"I can't leave when I want and it feels like I have lost my freedom," he said.

"It has completely stuffed up my retirement.

"I have lost everything."

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Thrift Shop still No.1 on ARIA chart

US rap duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis continue to top the ARIA singles chart with their hip-hop parody Thrift Shop.

Behind the rap duo is Swedish House Mafia's single Don't You Worry Child, up one spot to No.2, while Taylor Swift's I Knew You Were Trouble has also moved up a spot to take the third position.

English singer Olly Murs has jumped 15 places to break into the top five with his single Troublemaker at No.4.

The week's biggest mover is Scream & Shout by will.i.am, featuring Britney Spears, which has jumped 27 spots to No.5.

Their success pushes X Factor winner Samantha Jade's debut single What You've Done To Me to No.6, just ahead of Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men.

Korean pop singer Psy's global sensation Gangnam Style has fallen one place to No.8.

Ed Sheeran's Give Me Love is up six spots to No.9, while Ke$ha's single Die Young rounds up the top 10.

Canadian crooner Michael Buble's Christmas album has topped the ARIA albums chart, knocking Guy Sebastian's record Armageddon off pole position to No.5.

Behind Buble is One Direction's Take Me Home.

Swift's Red holds steady at No.3, while Rod Stewart's holiday album Merry Christmas, Baby, is up three spots to No.6.

Meanwhile, the Bee Gees' 50th anniversary collection, Mythology, is back in the top 10, up eight spots to No.10.

The top two in the country chart are unchanged with Swift and Lee Kernaghan in first and second place respectively.

Keith Urban's record The Story So Far is up two spots to No.3, while The Essential Johnny Cash compilation is down three spots to No.9.

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Older students drinking at risky levels

A survey has found older high school children are continuing to drink alcohol at risky levels. Source: AAP

OLDER high school children are continuing to drink at risky levels but alcohol use by younger teenagers is dropping, a new national survey shows.

A survey of 25,000 Australian secondary school students, carried out every three years, found about one in five pupils were "current drinkers", having consumed alcohol in the past seven days.

The number of 12- to 15 year olds classified as current drinkers dropped from 17 per cent in 2008 to 11 per cent in 2011, the Australian Secondary Students' Alcohol and Drug survey has found.

The proportion of 16- and 17 year olds who drank in the past week dropped slightly, from 38 per cent in 2008 to 33 per cent in 2011.

But there was little difference in the number of those drinking more than four drinks on one occasion during that seven-day period, at 16 per cent in 2011 compared to 18 per cent three years ago.

Cancer Council Victoria chief executive Todd Harper said the fact that older students were still binge drinking at similar levels to 2008 was concerning.

"It means another generation is inheriting risky drinking behaviour," Mr Harper said in a statement.

"Drinking in teenage years is linked to higher risks of alcohol dependence problems in young adulthood, and excessive consumption is, in turn, a cause of many chronic illnesses such as cancer," he said.

About 45 per cent of those 16- to 17-year-old current drinkers intended to get drunk on most occasions when they consumed alcohol, Mr Harper said.

He said the government needed to address the availability of cheap alcohol and its promotion to young people, particularly during live television sport coverage.

Parents were the most common suppliers of alcohol to students deemed current drinkers, the research found.

Pre-mixed spirits were the preferred alcoholic drink among females while males preferred pre-mixed drinks and beer.

Meanwhile, the percentage of younger students who were considered current smokers dropped to the lowest level since the survey began in 1984.

Only four per cent of 12-15 year olds were current smokers in 2011 compared to seven per cent three years' earlier.

But rates among 16-17 year olds were stagnant at 13 per cent in 2011, the same figure recorded in 2008.

Almost half the students who smoked got cigarettes from friends but 18 per cent bought them over the counter, despite bans on selling cigarettes to under-18s.

Mr Harper said the survey showed graphic warnings on tobacco packaging and an increase in smoke-free areas had made a significant impact.

Cannabis was the most commonly used illicit substance among secondary school students.

The research was led by Cancer Council Victoria's Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer and also involved commonwealth, state and territory health departments.

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Treasurer Swan to spruik Aust in India

DEPUTY Prime Minister Wayne Swan will meet senior government and business officials in India this week to boost Australia's long-term possibilities with the Asian nation and the region.

It is understood the treasurer will hold talks with his Indian counterpart, Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, as well as with economists and senior business leaders from Indian and Australian firms to discuss the opportunities in the region.

"While much of the advanced world is still facing very tough times, the shift in economic activity from west to east means the long-term prospect for our own region remain bright," Mr Swan said in his weekly economic note on Sunday.

"India is, of course, critical to those prospects."

Mr Swan's visit to India follows Prime Minister Julia Gillard's trip in October.

The Asian nation is Australia's fourth largest export market, with goods and services sold to India worth $13.12 billion in the 2011/12 financial year.

India is the fifth largest foreign investor in Australia.

Education is a key link in the relationship between the nations, with more than 48,000 Indian students studying in Australia this year, Mr Swan says.

"But we also want to see our own students learn more about the region and gain the skills they need to make the most of the opportunities that will flow as the middle-classes in countries like India grow rapidly," he says.

The Indian economy is forecast to expand at an average rate of 6.75 per cent annually to 2025 as set out in the recent Asian Century White Paper, Mr Swan says.

India posted its slowest economic growth rate in a decade, 5.3 per cent in the year to September 30, with economists forecasting an improvement next year.

Australia released its latest economic growth data last week, with the economy expanding at 0.5 per cent for the September 2012 quarter for an annual rate of 3.1 per cent.

This was a slowdown from an annual rate of 3.8 per cent in the 12 months to June 30, official data showed.

Mr Swan said it was not surprising growth slowed and incomes eased following sharp falls in commodity prices in the quarter, Europe slipped back into recession and Japan, Australia's second largest export market, had a sharp contraction.

But the economy continues to show great resilience, as shown by the 0.2 percentage points drop in the national jobless rate to 5.2 per cent in November, the treasurer says.

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Kidnapped US doctor rescued in Afghanistan

US soldiers killed seven Taliban insurgents in a pre-dawn raid to rescue a kidnapped American doctor in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, the NATO force in the war-torn country says.

The mission was launched when intelligence showed that Dr Dilip Joseph was in "imminent danger of injury or death", NATO's International Security Assistance Force said in a statement.

Joseph was abducted on December 5 by Taliban insurgents in the Surobi district of Kabul province.

"Today's mission exemplifies our unwavering commitment to defeating the Taliban," said General John Allen, the commander of US and ISAF forces in Afghanistan.

"I'm proud of the American and Afghan forces that planned, rehearsed and successfully conducted this operation. Thanks to them, Dr Joseph will soon be rejoining his family and loved ones."

Joseph was now "undergoing evaluations", the statement said, without giving further details.

A security source said the doctor had been involved in building clinics in Afghanistan, but details of his capture were not immediately available.

An ISAF spokesman said the rescue had been launched when multiple intelligence sources indicated that he was in immediate danger.

"We felt we had to act now," he said.

Seven of the doctor's captors were killed in the operation, which involved combined US and Afghan forces, he said.

He gave no further details of where the doctor had been held or on the rescue operation itself, saying they could be announced later in the day.

Surobi outside Kabul had been under the control of French troops until April this year, when responsibility for security was handed to Afghan forces as part of France's accelerated withdrawal from the country.

France ended its combat mission in Afghanistan last month, two years before allied nations contributing to the 100,000-strong US-led NATO force are due to depart.

Westerners are a prize target for the Taliban Islamists, who have waged an 11-year insurgency since being toppled from power in a US-led invasion in 2001.

In June, NATO special forces rescued two foreign women working for a Swiss-based charity who had been kidnapped and held in a cave in Afghanistan's remote and mountainous Badakhshan province, killing five of their captors.

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Nurse's death a terrible tragedy: PM

PM Julia Gillard has described the death of a UK nurse linked to a royal hoax as a terrible tragedy. Source: AAP

THE death of a British nurse who was duped by a hoax call from two Sydney radio jocks, to a hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for acute morning sickness, is a terrible tragedy, Prime Minister Julia Gillard says.

Sydney 2Day FM presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian have been taken off air after their prank call to London's exclusive King Edward VII Hospital was linked to the death of respected nurse and mother Jacintha Saldanha, 46, on Friday.

A spokeswoman for Ms Gillard described the incident as a "terrible tragedy".

"Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this time," she said in a statement on Saturday.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said Ms Saldanha's death was "dreadful and tragic".

"My thoughts and sympathies are with Ms Saldanha's family, friends and work colleagues at this time," he said in a statement.

Senator Conroy confirmed the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) had received complaints about the hoax call.

"The decision about whether to investigate the call for possible breaches of the commercial radio codes of practice is one for the independent regulator," he said.

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne said Australian hearts went out to Ms Saldanha's family.

"I am so sad that highly respected nurse and loved mum of two children is now dead because of radio prank. Aust hearts go out to her family," she tweeted.

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Ford recalls Fusion over faulty headlights

Ford has recalled about 19,000 brand new Fusion midsize cars to fix defective headlights. Source: AAP

FORD is recalling about 19,000 brand new Fusion midsize cars to fix defective headlights.

Reflectors in the low-beam lights on the 2013 Fusions can become hazy over time and reduce the brightness.

It's the second recall in a week for the Fusion and the sixth recall of a new Ford vehicle in the past five months.

Ford will replace the headlights for free to fix the latest problem. The company will notify owners by mail later this month.

Last week Ford recalled new Fusions and Escape SUVs with 1.6-litre engines because they can overheat, leak fluids and catch fire.

The new Escape small SUV has been recalled three other times since July.

Ford says the recalls show the company moves quickly to take care of safety problems.

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As the world ends, here come the robots

WITH the end of the world just days away, according to the Mayans at least, the rise of the robots will be confirmed this weekend at Western Australia's Curtin University.

The fourth annual Robofair, the biggest yet, will showcase the national and international advances in robotics and mechatronics with various exhibitors displaying a range of robots that could save your life or help you waste your time.

The WA police bomb squad will rub shoulders with the likes of the Curtin Robotics Club and Mars Society WA, which will obviously still be buzzing from the continuing success of the Mars Curiosity rover landing earlier this year.

Tim Keely, the engineering outreach coordinator at Curtin, said the exhibition was about how robots could help humanity, rather than replace it.

"It is to educate people about robotics and the related technology, and kids who might know Wall-E and Transformers who might have a real interest in those type of things," Mr Keely said.

"At the heart of it all robots are about us.

"What do we want, what is too dangerous for us, and what do we not want to do?"

WA's Water Corporation will show off the robots that helped out in the aftermath of the Pike River mine disaster in New Zealand in November 2010, while students of the university were working late into the night to fine-tune some creations with less serious applications.

Toby Scantlebury, Jimmy Hartanto and Xuejin Tang from the Curtin Robotics Club were working on a robotic spider and a robotic car that could be controlled via a Bluetooth-enabled phone and a 3D printer capable of "printing" with molten plastic moulded to specific shapes and specifications.

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Clarke wants Warnie for Aussie side

Michael Clarke speaks with Anthony Bell at the annual Sail With the Stars fundraiser in Sydney. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

Finance guru Anthony Bell and wife Kelly at the Westin hotel in Sydney. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

AUSTRALIAN Cricket captain Michael Clarke hasn't ruled out a Shane Warne return to the Test team for next year's Ashes in England.

Indeed, he is so serious about the possibility that he has spoken to Cricket Australia about it on several occasions.

Earlier this week, Shane Warne tweeted that he would come out of retirement if Clarke asked him to. Warne later clarified his position, saying he meant that he "could" play, not "would" play, and that the scenario was just hypothetical.

But last night, speaking to finance guru Anthony Bell in a Q and A at the annual 'Sail With the Stars' fundraiser for The Loyal Foundation in Sydney, Clarke appeared to suggest a Warne Ashes comeback was more than just a hypothetical chance.

Joking that 'there are no media in the room' Clarke spoke passionately about his admiration for the 43-year-old former Test spinner.

"Warnie is looking great and he is the fittest I have ever seen him," said Clarke.

"From the day he retired I've been trying to get him back in the team. I've asked him to come out of retirement a number of times.

"But there is a process that comes with coming out of retirement and he wouldn't be able to come out of retirement and walk straight back into the Australian team. He'd have to go and play some state games for Victoria.

"I've had the conversation with the Cricket Australia CEO a number of times over the past five years and the plan hasn't changed.

"I think he would be unbelievable if he decided to come out and play. And what an amazing mentor he would be for the team.'

Clarke has had to pull out of tomorrow night's opening round of the KFC T20 Big bash League at the SCG, due to back soreness following the third Test loss to South Africa in Perth.

Warne is playing in the Big Bash, but his commitment to the shortest form of cricket where he bowls just four over per match is a far cry from the preparations, time commitments and heavy bowling workload of an Ashes tour. 

Michael Clarke and his wife Kyly at the Sail With the Stars fundraiser for The Loyal Foundation. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

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