Local vaccination objection rate doubles

THE number of Australian children formally registered each year as a vaccination objector has doubled in the past decade.

THERE were just over 2000 children whose parents registered them as vaccination objectors during 2002, ensuring they go without childhood immunisations, and in 2013 the figure was almost 4000.

There are "pockets" - such as coastal and hinterland NSW and Queensland - where around one in 10 children born in 2013 were registered as vaccine objectors.Nationally, the official vaccination objection rate increased from 1.1 per cent of all children to 2.0 per cent over the period."I wouldn't be alarmed by the increase overall for Australia," epidemiologist Brynley Hull, from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, told AAP on Tuesday."But I would be alarmed by the high rates in particular regions of Australia, where we have high objection rates and consequently you get low coverage and susceptible children."If someone comes into these areas with a disease then it can spread a lot easier - that would be my take home message, these hotbeds of objection."These areas include the Richmond Valley in NSW, where the official vaccination objection rate in 2013 was 10.8 per cent. Noosa (7.2), Nambour (8.4) and NSW's Sunshine Coast hinterland (8.5) also figure highly.The study also found suburbs in the top 10 per cent of affluent post codes had higher rates of vaccination objection compared to poorer suburbs.Most families who lodge an objection notice do so when their child is less than two years old.The study took in Medicare-compiled data from the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register, to assess the number of families who lodge a vaccination objection notice each year.Mr Hull presented the data at a national immunisation conference in Melbourne.

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Filipino militant nabbed for Aussie kidnap

PHILIPPINE security forces have captured two Abu Sayyaf militants in a southern city, including one allegedly involved in the kidnappings of Australian man Warren Rodwell and an American teenage boy.

POLICE and army troops captured Jimmy Nurilla and Bakrin Haris on Monday in a raid on their hideout in Sangali village in the port city of Zamboanga.

The city is in a volatile region where the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group has carried out kidnappings for ransom, bombings, extortion and other acts of banditry.One other militant escaped during the raid, police said.The Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission said without elaborating that the militants were in possession of explosives and rebel documents when arrested.Nurilla was believed to be involved in a number of kidnappings, including of American Kevin Lunsmann, who was 14 when he escaped from his Abu Sayyaf captors in 2011 after five months in captivity on Basilan island, near Zamboanga.He also has been suspected of involvement in the kidnapping of Rodwell, a former Australian soldier who was freed near southern Pagadian city in March last year after 15 months of jungle captivity.Ransom kidnappings have long been a problem in the southern Philippines and have been blamed mostly on the Abu Sayyaf, an al-Qaeda-linked group on a list of US terrorist organisations, and its allied armed groups.The Abu Sayyaf, which has about 300 armed fighters, was organised in the early 1990s in Basilan, about 880 kilometres south of Manila.With an unwieldy collective of preachers and outlaws, it vowed to wage jihad, or holy war, but lost its key leaders early in combat, sending it on a violent path of extremism and criminality.

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Hong Kong tourist injured in Perth mugging

A 31-YEAR-OLD tourist is nursing a fractured eye socket after being mugged in the Perth CBD.

THE woman, who had just arrived from Hong Kong, was walking across from the Esplanade Bus Port on Sunday evening when she was approached by a man who engaged her in conversation.

He walked with her along Mounts Bay Road before seriously assaulting her and stealing her shopping bag.He ran off, leaving his victim with severe bruising and swelling to her eye, and fractures to her eye socket.The man is described as about 30 years old, 165cm to 170cm tall, with short blond hair, dark streaks and a rats tail at the back.He was wearing a t-shirt and a denim style jacket with no sleeves.Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or knows the identity of the man is asked to contact police.

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PNG top cop jailed, bailed and knighted

PAPUA New Guinea's police commissioner has been jailed, bailed and knighted in the space of a weekend.

AND in what could make for one of the most awkward knighting ceremonies in history, the judge who sentenced commissioner Tom Kulunga on Friday, Gibbs Salika, has also been knighted as part of the Queen's 2014 birthday honours list.

Mr Kulunga was sentenced on Friday to seven months hard labour after the national court found him guilty on three contempt charges for failing to follow through on an earlier court order to reinstate a sacked policeman.Port Moresby-based The Post Courier reports Mr Kulunga was released late on Friday night on $A4128 bail.On Saturday it was announced Mr Kulunga would become a Knight Bachelor for services to policing, while Justice Salika would become a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the judiciary.Despite his legal problems, Mr Kulunga's knighthood will stand until after his case reaches appeal, said Tipo Vuatha, official secretary to PNG governor-general Sir Michael Ogio."According to the chairman [of the honours committee], we cannot do much," Mr Vuatha told AAP."His case is still pending because of the appeal, so therefore what has been given will stand until the case is heard again."A knighthood ceremony is expected in Port Moresby in October, Mr Vuatha said.A spokesman for Mr Kulunga has not responded to questions from AAP.In making his judgement on Friday, Justice Salika noted Mr Kulunga's 40 years of service to PNG policing, but said he had no choice but to reinstate the sacked officer pursuant to the original 2012 court order.

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Qld chief justice critics told to shut up

Queensland science minister has lashed out at critics of Tim Carmody's appointment to chief justice. Source: AAP

A QUEENSLAND government minister has lashed out at critics of Chief Magistrate Tim Carmody's appointment to chief justice, saying they should "shut up".

SCIENCE Minister Ian Walker, a former lawyer, says the "war of words" over Mr Carmody's promotion to chief justice of Queensland has got to stop.

"People have got to put a sock in it, they've got to shut up, and they've got to let Justice Carmody get on with the job," he told reporters in Brisbane on Sunday."He deserves a fair go at the job, the debate should stop and Justice Carmody should be allowed to get on with the job that he's been appointed to do."Mr Walker's comments follow calls for Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie to step down over the appointment, which has caused great unrest in legal circles.Bar Association of Queensland president Peter Davis quit on Friday saying private discussions with Mr Bleijie in which he didn't recommend Mr Carmody for the job were leaked to others, including Mr Carmody.Australian Bar Association president Mark Livesey said it was accepted practice that consultation before any appointment is kept confidential."The Attorney-General of Queensland must consider whether the breakdown in trust can be repaired," Mr Livesey told The Sunday Mail."If confidentiality in the judicial appointment process cannot be assured he must reconsider whether he can continue in his position."State Opposition leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said Mr Bleijie couldn't be trusted and wasn't fit to hold office.Mr Carmody's appointment has been criticised by senior Queensland legal figures who question his experience and say he's too close to the government.It's been revealed that days after Mr Carmody was appointed chief magistrate in September 2013, he and Mr Bleijie had a private dinner at an upmarket Brisbane restaurant.The attorney-general has described the meeting as a social catch-up.

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Firies cancer law not ruled out: Vic govt

Volunteer firefighters rally in Melbourne for access to compensation for cancer contracted at work. Source: AAP

THE Victorian government says it hasn't ruled out changing the way firefighters access cancer compensation as hundreds rallied in Melbourne to try to break down barriers to claims.

THE government says it simplified cancer claims for firefighters and encouraged both career and volunteer firefighters to lodge a claim if they believe they had contracted cancer as a result of their duties.

"The Victorian government is not ruling out presumptive legislation and will continue to consider new medical and scientific evidence as it becomes available," a government spokesperson said.Volunteer Fire Brigades president Bill Watson said firefighters wanted a law that lists the 12 typical "firefighter" cancers and presumes them to be work-related, providing the firefighter has enough years of service behind him or her and relevant risk exposure.Mr Watson said there is plenty of evidence firefighters are more likely to suffer certain cancers, but it can be difficult to prove which fire or chemical incident caused their illness."It's not like a broken bone where you know exactly when and where it happened," Mr Watson said."The burning car or house fire you attended today may cause a cancer that doesn't show up for decades, which makes it nearly impossible to prove it was work related."The federal government introduced presumptive legislation in 2011.Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia also have laws that recognise the link between firefighting and cancer.Mr Watson said any legislation would have to include eligibility guidelines."We're not after a free ride," he said."We just want to make sure they're looked after if they get sick."The Victorian government has been under pressure to make changes to the way compensation is accessed after a 2012 report found firefighters who trained at the CFA Fiskville site had been exposed to dangerous chemicals going as far back as the 1970s.Last year they introduced a review panel to assist both volunteer and career firefighters seeking compensation for cancer caused by their work.Opposition leader Daniel Andrews said Labor would introduce the legislation if elected in November."I have committed to the introduction of presumptive rights," Mr Andrews said.

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Let's be energy superpower: Abbott

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he wants Australia to become a global energy superpower. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA should aim to be an affordable energy superpower, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.

MR Abbott visited Houston - which is home to more than 100 Australian companies and 3700 energy firms - on Friday to announce a consulate-general would be established in the Texas city.

He said the permanent presence in the biggest exporting state in the US would allow Australia to "maximise the two-way trade and investment opportunities of the US energy revolution"."Australia should be an affordable energy superpower, using nature's gifts to the benefit of our own people and benefit of the wider world," Mr Abbott told the Asia Society dinner.More than 50 Fortune 500 companies have their headquarters in Texas, second only to New York.Australia is set to become the world's top exporter of liquefied natural gas and is already the largest exporter of black coal.Mr Abbott said he believed coal would continue to be an "affordable, dependable energy source" for many decades.Australia did not believe in "ostracising any particular fuel" or harming economic growth through a carbon tax, he said.But he said it was "prudent" to reduce emissions, which was why he would deliver a $2.55 billion direct action policy and encourage renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal.Chevron North America president Jeff Shellebarger, Australia's largest foreign investor, told the gathered chief executives that Australia was "setting the standard for resources policy".Chevron's Gorgon LNG project is Australia's single largest oil and gas investment.Ryan Lance, the chief executive of ConocoPhillips, said Australian resources were "important to the future of the world"."Your energy resources will power the region," he said.ConocoPhillips and Bechtel are building four of Australia's seven new LNG projects.Mr Abbott was later presented with a large Stetson cowboy hat.The prime minister, a Western movie fan, attracted laughter and applause when he cried out: "Yee ha!"

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Qld A-G had private dinner with Carmody

QUEENSLAND'S attorney-general had a private dinner at an upmarket Brisbane restaurant with Tim Carmody a week before he officially took over as chief magistrate.

MR Carmody, who this week was controversially appointed as the state's next chief justice, is being criticised for being too close to the government.

He was announced as Queensland's new chief magistrate on September 5 last year, and four days later he had a private dinner with Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie at Urbane Restaurant, documents obtained by AAP show.The personal dinner between Mr Bleijie and Mr Carmody between 7pm and 8.30pm on September 9, which took place a week before he officially took over as chief magistrate, does not feature on the public diary of ministerial meetings.But Mr Bleijie told AAP through a spokesman that personal diary events were usually exempt from public reporting rules, adding the dinner with Mr Carmody was social."I do see various members of the judiciary socially from time to time," he said."That particular dinner was a congratulatory catch-up following his honour's appointment as chief magistrate."Premier Campbell Newman announced in November 2012 a policy whereby he and his cabinet would publicly release their diaries every month.Meanwhile, former solicitor-general Walter Sofronoff QC said Mr Carmody needed to reconsider his Supreme Court chief justice appointment."He shouldn't be chief justice. He should do the gracious thing and realise that all of this has been a horrible mistake and say that he wouldn't accept the appointment," he told ABC television."Judge Carmody is somebody who has, by his own actions, identified himself too closely with the government."As chief magistrate in late 2013, he angered the legal profession by issuing a directive that only he would deal with disputed bail applications made by alleged bikies.Mr Bleijie resisted calls at the time for Mr Carmody to step down as chief magistrate, while the Queensland Law Society and civil libertarians slammed Queensland's anti-bikie laws.The attorney-general's spokesman clarified that Mr Carmody's directive last year stipulated that bikie bail matters be heard in one court room.

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Seeney lawsuit about 'integrity': Palmer

CLIVE Palmer is suing Queensland's deputy premier for defamation, only a month after he did the same thing to Premier Campbell Newman.

BUT the mining magnate-turned-federal MP, who once listed litigation as a hobby in his Who's Who entry, says the action is about personal integrity and denies he is a serial litigant.

Mr Palmer is launching defamation proceedings against Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney, a week after the senior Liberal National Party minister told ABC TV that Mr Palmer had sought special treatment for Waratah Coal in early 2012.Mr Seeney alleged Mr Palmer handed him a draft bill that would have benefited his Galilee Basin coal interests, and vowed to report it to the state's anti-corruption body.For that, Mr Palmer, a former LNP life member, is launching defamation proceedings in the Supreme Court on Monday, arguing the Crime and Misconduct Commission is too compromised to examine the issue."He's questioned my integrity as a person," Mr Palmer told reporters on Friday."If people want to say that I've done something which I haven't and question my integrity, we need to have a fair hearing on those matters and if they're lying the public needs to know about that."Mr Palmer denied litigation had become his hobby."We only litigate when there's a good reason to do it," he said.The latest action comes a month after Mr Palmer sued Mr Newman for saying the mining magnate had tried to "buy" his government.Mr Palmer has said his proposal would not have favoured Waratah Coal and would have ensured open access to infrastructure for every company operating in the basin in western Queensland.In March 2013, the government announced Indian mining giant GVK and Gina Rinehart's Hancock Coal would work with freight rail company Aurizon to build rail infrastructure from the basin to the Abbot Point coal terminal near Bowen.Mr Palmer on Friday produced four letters to him, from Mr Newman and Mr Seeney in 2012, showing they were pleased with Waratah Coal's proposals to build the rail line."I congratulate you for your efforts to date, which are contributing to the long-held vision of the Galilee Basin becoming a major new resource region," Mr Seeney said in April 2012, a month after the LNP won power.Waratah went to the Supreme Court to challenge the government's rejection of its rail proposal in October 2013."Today's claims are what we've come to expect from Mr Palmer," Mr Seeney said in a statement to AAP.Earlier, Mr Palmer said the deputy premier had lied on television."We're still waiting for the analysis to come back from our lie detector of his voice," Mr Palmer said.

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Collette and Galafassi to pay $600,000

ACTOR Toni Collette and her musician husband David Galafassi have had a partial win in their legal battle with another Sydney couple over a multimillion dollar Paddington terrace home.

COLLETTE and Galafassi will now need to cough up just over $600,000, as opposed to the nearly $815,000 initially ordered by the Supreme Court last year.

Collette and Galafassi agreed to buy the eastern suburbs home of Industrie clothing founders Nick and Susan Kelly for $6.35 million in 2011.But on December 30 that year, the day they were to complete the transaction, the couple backed out, saying they didn't have the money.The Kellys' home eventually sold in 2012 for $5.5 million and they sued Collette and Galafassi for the loss, as well as interest and land tax.In the Supreme Court hearing last year, Collette and Galafassi denied a number of the Kellys' claims and said they had failed to use "reasonable efforts" to obtain the best price possible for the Paddington terrace.But Acting Justice William Windeyer rejected this and awarded the Kellys damages of just under $815,000.This sparked Colette and Galafassi to appeal the decision.In a judgment handed down on Friday, the Court of Appeal upheld the challenge in part and reduced the couple's damages bill by more than $200,000.The court found the Kellys should not have been entitled to a "special condition interest" as the sale of the home was never completed.They ordered Collette and her husband pay $602,500.82.If the parties can't agree on costs or the judgment, they have been ordered to serve any further papers within 14 days.

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