Aussie/NZ drunk violence blitz for Easter

POLICE want you to have a good time this Easter, but not if you're a drunken lout intent on causing trouble.

Australian and New Zealand police will again run their Operation Unite blitz on drunken violence over the Easter holiday period.

Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA) CEO Jon White said incidents such as one-punch hits showed the operation, which began in 2009, was still necessary.

"The recent media attention and public focus on one-punch hits, glassings, thuggery and aggression fuelled by alcohol highlights the continuing need for police operations like Unite," he said on Tuesday.

He said there are still too many people who drink to get drunk and cause harm to those around them and themselves.

"The operation is not about restricting people from having a good time. It is about raising awareness in the community about risky drinking behaviours."

Operation Unite Victorian commander Assistant Commissioner Jack Blayney said intelligence suggested Melbourne's CBD, Geelong and Mildura had a higher incidence of public order offending, with police to target those areas on Saturday night.

"Alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour is not acceptable at any time of the year," he said.

"We know people may be heading out to let their hair down or head away for a break over the long weekend and we will be out in force to detect and deter any public order offences."

West Australian police will have specialist strike teams made up of liquor enforcement officers and the regional operations group.

Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said the three strike teams would spot the problem patrons at licensed venues before they spilled onto the streets.

Mr O'Callaghan - a vocal campaigner against alcohol-fuelled violence and drink driving - said police would also target venues breaching the Liquor Control Act and not serving alcohol responsibly.

It wasn't about restricting people from having a good time, but raising community awareness about the dangers and impact of "determined drunkenness", Mr O'Callaghan said.

The Easter long weekend will also see WA police crackdown on people using their mobile phones while driving and running red lights, with double demerit penalties in place.

Mr O'Callaghan has told officers to charge motorists who commit any other misdemeanour while using a mobile phone, such as not staying within their lane.

Double demerits already apply to drink and drug driving, speeding and not using seatbelts.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Second Sydney airport slated for mid-2020s

Western Sydney residents want the federal government to hurry up and approve a second airport. Source: AAP

WORK is expected to start on a second Sydney airport at Badgerys Creek in 2016 after federal cabinet signed off on the site.

But Prime Minister Tony Abbott says western Sydney residents will see new roads built before work is completed on the $2.5 billion airport in the mid-2020s.

Planning and design work will begin immediately and the private sector will pick up the bulk of the cost.

The owner of Sydney's Kingsford-Smith Airport, Southern Cross Airports Corporation, will be given the right of first refusal to run the new airport.

"It's a long overdue decision which, to be honest, has been shirked and squibbed by successive governments for far too long," Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.

Badgerys Creek, 56km from Sydney's CBD, was identified as a potential site in 1969 and a 1700ha site was bought by the federal government in the late 1980s.

Further announcements on roads funding will be made in "coming days", Mr Abbott says.

While the initial construction phase is expected to generate about 4000 jobs, the airport development is expected to create 35,000 jobs by 2035, increasing to 60,000 jobs over time.

By 2060, the new airport has the potential to drive an increase in Australian gross domestic product of almost $24 billion.

Mr Abbott made it clear he wants to see a curfew-free airport, saying noise will not be as much of an issue as it is in Mascot.

"We are certainly not saying that there will be a curfew," he said.

Western Sydney's population is set to grow from two million to three million people during the next two decades.

The existing airport, which accounts for 40 per cent of the nation's international arrivals and 50 per cent of international air freight, is at risk of reaching capacity.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten previously has spoken in favour of the Badgerys Creek site, but western Sydney MPs are concerned about congestion and noise coming from a 24-hour-a-day operation.

Congestion could be cut by including in the government's planning a rail link from Badgerys Creek to the Sydney rail network, Tourism and Transport Forum chief Ken Morrison says.

The airport would be not only good for Sydney but the more than 540,000 Australians involved in the tourism industry, he said.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

WA taxi driver 'guilty' of sex assaults

A Perth taxi diver faces 29 charges after allegedly sexually assaulting disabled women in his cab. Source: AAP

A PERTH taxi driver has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting five wheelchair-bound women in his vehicle.

Peter Edward Kasatchkow, 58, was charged with 33 offences including indecently dealing with an incapable person, aggravated sexual penetration without consent and aggravated indecent assault.

Police allege the incidents happened on separate occasions when the women were passengers in the back of his taxi between January and February this year.

Kasatchkow was initially accused of sexually assaulting a 29-year-old wheelchair-bound woman with cerebral palsy in the back of his cab during a journey from respite care to her home.

Police then charged him with further offences against two more wheelchair-bound women, aged in their 30s and 50s, who were passengers in his taxi at separate times.

On Monday, police said two other victims had been identified.

Kasatchkow's lawyer had previously indicated he would plead not guilty to the offences.

But on Monday, Kasatchkow pleaded guilty in Perth Magistrates Court to all charges.

He is due back in court in June.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Murderer on run rolled up Qld prison fence

A convicted murderer (pic) has escaped from prison in central Queensland with another inmate. Source: AAP

A MURDERER and an armed robber escaped from a central Queensland jail by rolling up a fence.

They are among four wanted men on the run across Queensland.

Tony Dwaine Morgan, 33, who was serving a life sentence for a 1999 murder in Bundaberg, escaped from the low security Capricornia Correctional Centre, north of Rockhampton, on Sunday night.

Fellow escapee, Bradley Thomas Kuhl, 34, was serving a six-year sentence for a 2011 armed robbery in Yeppoon.

Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon said police arrived on the scene near Rockhampton about 25 minutes after being called, and had issued a state-wide alert for the men.

"Early inquiries have identified that they may have rolled up or interfered in some way with the fence at the prison and made their escape," he told reporters in Rockhampton on Monday.

Asked why Morgan was allowed to live on a low-security prison farm, assistant commissioner Condon said it was up to the Department of Corrective Services to rate prisoners' security levels.

Comment from the department has been sought.

Assistant commissioner Condon said detectives were speaking with the prisoners' families, adding that any associates harbouring a fugitive faced a maximum two-year jail term.

A manhunt is also underway for elderly drug cultivator Howard Lindsay, who escaped from a work camp at Blackall, in central western Queensland, and sex offender Stewart James Dawson, who disobeyed a home detention order in inner Brisbane.

The escaped prisoners face a maximum seven-year jail term on top of their sentences.

The public is being urged not to approach the men.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Retirement age of 70 on radar: Hockey

Generation X Australians should be prepared to work until age 70, Treasurer Joe Hockey says. Source: AAP

GENERATION X Australians should be prepared to work until age 70.

In a strong indication that the nation's workers face an increased retirement age, Treasurer Joe Hockey, 48, admits his contemporaries will likely have to keep working until they reach their eighth decade.

"It may be the case that my generation has to work for an extra three years," Mr Hockey told ABC TV on Sunday.

The previous Labor government raised the retirement age from 65 to 67 from 2023, but the treasurer said other countries, including the United Kingdom, are already eyeing later retirement.

"It will affect my generation. This doesn't happen overnight."

As life expectancy continues to grow so too must time at work to provide financial security in retirement while not draining the country's coffers, Mr Hockey said.

He again called for a sensible discussion about funding the future quality of life for Australians as the government looks at a redesign of systems.

Opposition finance spokesman Tony Burke said blue-collar workers would be hit hardest if they are forced to work for longer.

A shift in the retirement age would be a "very big deal" for pensioners required to do physical labour for longer while sitting on small super savings.

Mr Burke told Sky News on Sunday the Abbott government faced harsh judgment if it raised the pension age, breaching a pre-election promise.

However, asked to provide the opposition's solution to the problem, Mr Burke said it was not for Labor to provide an alternative as it awaited the government's first budget.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Uni funding model expansion recommended

A UNIVERSITY-FUNDING system started by the previous Labor government has overseen a high attrition rate among some of the students it hoped to help.

The demand-driven system, introduced in 2012, removed caps and saw the government pay for as many domestic undergraduate students as universities wished to enrol.

But bachelor-degree students with a tertiary admission score of less than 50 - who would likely have missed a place under the old system - continue to drop out at a high rate.

The key finding comes from a review into the funding scheme ordered by the coalition.

While returning some positive outcomes, there is a need for the scheme to change and include diploma-level and bridging courses, co-reviewer Andrew Norton said on Sunday.

"The previous government decided to exclude all the sub-bachelor courses in its model and this is what we would like to see changed," Mr Norton told AAP.

Students who undertake pathway courses before attending university have a better success rate once they reach university, he said.

Often such programs are offered by private institutions and TAFE colleges which are currently excluded from the funding model but should be brought into the fold, Mr Norton added.

Reviewers agreed the demand-driven model is working well overall and has boosted enrolments among the financially disadvantaged, along with rural and indigenous students.

When places were capped, tens of thousands of eligible students were denied university educations.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne said the government will consider the review's 19 findings and 17 recommendations and comment at a later time.

TAFE Directors Australia urged the government to do so quickly ahead of the May federal budget and include TAFE and private institutions in demand-driven funding and end the discriminatory model which favours universities.

Universities Australia, which made a submission to the review, welcomed the outcome, adding that early indications show the demand-driven model is helping address skills shortages and lift productivity.

Labor education spokesman Kim Carr is concerned about public money going to private providers and also wants to know where the funding would come from for an expansion of the demand-driven model.

"We are witnessing a softening-up process, a precursor to what we anticipate will be significant changes to deregulation," Senator Carr said.

He forecasts the wholesale privatisation of Australia's higher education system, where students end up paying more.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qld man charged with attempted gun murder

A MAN has been charged with the attempted shooting murder of a woman south of Brisbane.

Police say the woman, 36, suffered two gunshot wounds to her arm during a disturbance at a Chambers Flat property on Friday night.

A 38-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, acts intended to maim and entering a dwelling with intent.

He is due to appear in Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Monday.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two police injured in Adelaide pursuit

Two police officers have been injured after a dramatic car chase through central Adelaide. Source: AAP

TWO police officers have been injured after a dramatic car chase through central Adelaide.

A stolen white Hyundai was reversed into a police vehicle after crashing into another vehicle in the city's centre on Friday night.

Police pursued the Hyundai but abandoned the chase, only to find the car a short time later.

Two officers were then struck by the car as they tried to arrest the driver.

They arrested two 14-year-old passengers, but the driver fled through a nearby park.

The officers were taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with minor injuries.

The youths were charged with theft and aggravated serious criminal trespass in relation to a break-in at Woodville.

They were refused bail and will appear in the Adelaide Youth Court on Monday.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vic hoons' cars clamped in own driveways

Victorian police will trial using wheel clamps on hoons' cars to reduce the costs of impounding. Source: AAP

MELBOURNE'S hoon drivers face having their cars clamped outside their own homes.

Police will use wheel clamps on hoons' cars in a bid to reduce the costs of impounding vehicles.

Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill says police impounded 4600 vehicles last year, with a similar number expected this year.

"We believe immobilisation will reduce our vehicle storage costs, but more importantly, it will alleviate officers having to wait around for tow trucks and get them back on the road," Mr Hill said on Friday.

Officers will decide if a hoon driver caught for excessive speeding, repeat drink-driving or driving while disqualified will have their car immobilised at their home or if it should be taken to an impound facility.

Third-party contractors will put wheel clamps or steering locks on the cars within 10 days of the offence.

A sticker will be put on the car warning about fines for tampering with the immobilisation device or unauthorised relocation.

The immobilisation option will be trialled across metropolitan Melbourne for the next six months.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Coca Cola Amatil flags 15% earnings drop

Weakness in its Australian beverages division have hit Coca Cola Amatil's first half earnings. Source: AAP

BEVERAGES supplier Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) is reviewing all its operations after flagging a 15 per cent fall in first half earnings due to weakness in its Australian operations and higher costs in Indonesia.

New group managing director Alison Watkins, who joined CCA from agribusiness GrainCorp in early March, says CCA would review its assets, cost base, marketing strategies, spending priorities, product mix and productivity.

"There are clearly some structural issues impacting our business which will require us to challenge our model thoroughly if we are to continue to deliver long-term sustainable growth," Ms Watkins said on Friday.

"So, we have commenced a strategic review."

CCA will provide details at its annual general meeting in May.

CCA expects its earnings for the first six months of 2014 to be around 15 per cent less than the $374 million in earnings before interest and tax (before significant items) the company recorded for the same period a year ago.

Shares in CCA had fallen $1.57, or 13.77 per cent, to $9.83 by 1337 AEST, in the wake of the profit warning.

Ms Watkins said that in February CCA had highlighted concerns about weak consumer confidence and spending in Australia, and rising costs in Indonesia.

Since that time, discounting by competitors such as Pepsi had put pressure on CCA's margins in major supermarkets, and the company had not been able to lift prices to compensate for rising costs.

Also, the consumer response to some of CCA's marketing campaigns had been weaker than expected.

CCA had held market share in carbonated soft drinks and grown share in sports and energy drinks but was not participating effectively enough in the water segment, which was the standout growth category in grocery outlets.

In non-grocery outlets, which includes cold drink fridges, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants, consumer demand had been soft.

Also, fast food chains were gradually taking over from small family-run outlets such as fish-and-chip shops. CCA makes a smaller profit from sales to fast food chains because the chains have the scale to demand lower prices.

In Indonesia, there was intense competition and a swing by consumers to multi-serve packs and water, which were less profitable products.

Sales volumes in Indonesia were up but were offset by a slide in the value of the Indonesian rupiah, and higher wages and fuel costs.

Ms Watkins said CCA remained excited by the longer-term opportunities in Indonesia, given a sound market, solid economic growth, rapidly rising incomes, and strong growth in per capita consumption of commercial beverages.

"But is a developing market, and we will undoubtedly go through periods of volatility," she said.

CCA said its SPC Ardmona packaged fruits and vegetables business had lifted its sales 10 per cent during the quarter thanks to strong consumer support in the wake of financial assistance from the Victorian government for the struggling business.

11.51 | 0 komentar | Read More