SA horse racing carnival draws protest

JUMPS racing will never be made safe in South Australia and horses are being killed purely for human entertainment, an animal rights activist says.

Campaigner Elio Celotto is one of about 50 protesters calling for an end to jumps racing at the opening of the Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival this weekend.

The death of Black Moon at the racecourse last Monday has spurred the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses to remind racegoers of the dark side of horse racing.

Mr Celotto said it's appalling how seriously injured fallen horses can be euthanased right there on the track.

"Even if they don't fall we've seen many horses stumble and then never reappear again," Mr Celotto told AAP on Saturday.

"We are hoping to draw attention to the fact that jumps racing can't be made safe and that horses are killed for human entertainment.

"It's akin to bull fighting where the competitors are treated as disposable objects."

Mr Celotto said the number of people attending the Oakbank carnival had dwindled in the last five years as more and more people turned against the sport.

Protester Ward Young says the real gamble is not on reaching the finish line first but whether the horse lives or dies.

"Jumps racing is intrinsically cruel and dangerous - and the racing industry knows this, they just don't care," he said.

"It's time to kill the sport not the horses."

RSPCA chief executive Tim Vasudeva said that since 2009, 15 horses had died as a result of jumps racing in South Australia and that since 2010, five horses had died at Oakbank.

"We are hoping no other horses join Black Moon on Oakbank's death roll this Easter," he said.

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Search for Malaysian plane continues

An underwater drone is continuing its Indian Ocean search for the Malaysia Airlines plane wreck. Source: AAP

AN underwater drone is continuing its Indian Ocean seabed search for the Malaysia Airlines plane wreck.

Eleven military planes and 12 ships were searching for flight MH370 on Saturday across 50,200 square kilometres.

Overnight the Bluefin-21 drone went on its sixth underwater mission and authorities are analysing the data.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said no objects of interest had been found so far.

The underwater drone has now embarked on its seventh mission.

Meanwhile, Malaysia and Australia are set to sign a deal on who handles the plane wreckage and black box flight recorders, international media reports say.

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One-fifth of China's farmland polluted

CHINA'S government says in a report that nearly one-fifth of the country's farmland is polluted, mostly from years-long accumulations of toxins from factories, mining and agriculture.

The report raises sharp concerns about the country's food safety after years of unbridled industrialisation.

Results of a nationwide survey of soil samples taken from 2005 through last year show contamination in 16.1 per cent of the country's soil overall and 19.4 per cent of its arable land.

More than 80 per cent of the pollution is the result of inorganic toxins, with the top three identified as cadmium, nickel and arsenic.

The results were released jointly by China's Environmental Protection Ministry and its Land and Resources Ministry.

"The overall condition of the Chinese soil allows no optimism," said the report, posted on the environment ministry website.

"Some regions suffer serious soil pollution underscored by worrying farm land quality and prominent problems with deserted industrial and mining land."

The report confirms widespread concerns about the safety of China's soil following decades of explosive growth in the country's industry, the overuse of farm chemicals and lax environmental enforcement which have left vast swathes of the countryside tainted.

The worst pollution centres around the country's most industrialised regions, the Yangtse and Pearl River deltas in southern China and heavily industrial portions of the northeast, the report said.

A key concern among scientists is cadmium, a carcinogenic metal that can cause kidney damage and other health problems and is absorbed by rice, the country's staple grain.

Last May, authorities launched an investigation of rice mills in southern China after tests found almost half of the supplies sold in Guangzhou, a major city, were contaminated with cadmium.

In early 2013, the newspaper Nanfang Daily reported that tens of thousands of tons of cadmium-tainted rice had been sold to noodle makers in southern China since 2009.

It said government inspectors declared it fit only for production of non-food goods such as industrial alcohol but a trader sold most of the rice to food processors anyway.

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Delays on NSW roads in all directions

WHEN it comes to the Easter break, two things spring to mind for NSW holidaymakers: chocolate and traffic jams.

By Good Friday afternoon, nearly all the major motorways in NSW were experiencing significant delays in all directions.

The worst was a 21km traffic queue on the Great Western Highway, between Springwood and Wentworth Falls, for drivers heading out of Sydney.

Traffic was also heavy at Faulconbridge, according to the Transport Management Centre.

Traffic on the Pacific Highway at Cooperabung on the state's mid-North Coast was heavy due to a two-car accident and broken-down truck, with cars queued up to 18km in each direction.

South on the Princes Highway, there was an 11km queue at Kiama Bends, adding an extra 90 minutes of travel time.

On the New England Highway in the Hunter region, there was a 4.5km queue of cars between Tarro to Hexham for drivers heading east, adding an extra 25 minutes to travel.

In Sydney, traffic is heavy around the fish markets in Pyrmont.

Motorists are being advised to plan their trips, take extra breaks, expect delays and allow plenty of travel time.

A spokeswoman from the Transport Management Centre said Thursday and Friday were usually the busiest days during the long weekend, but Monday's return traffic could also be heavy.

Police are reminding motorists to take extra care when driving during the holiday period.

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Adelaide Zoo welcomes endangered baby

ADELAIDE Zoo is celebrating the birth of a critically endangered white-cheeked gibbon.

The baby, whose sex is not yet known, was born on April 13 to proud parents Viet and Remus.

The newcomer is one of only three white-cheeked gibbons born at the zoo in its 130-year history.

A zoo spokeswoman said the infant was very important to the genetic diversity of the Australasian population, as there were only 18 of them in five zoos throughout the region.

The primate species is in serious decline in its natural habitat of Laos, Vietnam and Southern China due to deforestation and poaching for the wildlife trade.

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Mike Baird set to become NSW premier

Mike Baird (pic) looks set to become NSW Premier, with Gladys Berejiklian to stand for deputy. Source: AAP

NSW Treasurer Mike Baird is expected to replace Barry O'Farrell as premier.

The Liberal Party room will meet at 3pm on Thursday when it is expected Mr Baird will be elected unopposed as the state's 44th premier.

After Mr O'Farrell on Wednesday spectacularly announced his resignation from the top job, Mr Baird and Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian emerged as favourites to replace him.

Liberal sources said Ms Berejiklian had the slight edge over her rival in the party room, but in the end, she decided to run for deputy leader on a joint ticket with Mr Baird.

Her decision avoids a messy factional fight between the party's left, who are strongly backing Ms Berejiklian, and the right, who were lining up behind Mr Baird.

Health Minister Jillian Skinner and western Sydney MP Stuart Ayres have publicly thrown their support behind the Baird/Berejiklian ticket.

Community Services Minister Pru Goward pulled out of the running for the deputy position, only hours after saying she would nominate.

At Thursday's meeting, Liberal MPs will formally accept Mr O'Farrell's resignation and confirm the new premier.

If Mr Baird is successful, he will become the state's sixth premier in almost 10 years.

Mr Baird said earlier that maintaining party unity was important.

"It is important that we all come together, clearly unity has been a hallmark of what we have been about in the past few years," he told the Seven Network.

Mr O'Farrell has previously named Ms Berejiklian as the best candidate to succeed him.

But Mr Baird has the backing of right faction MPs, who have been impressed with his aggressive push to privatise the state's assets.

Mr Baird is the son of Bruce Baird, who was a lower house federal MP in John Howard's government, and represents the northern beaches electorate of Manly.

Ms Berejiklian is the daughter of Armenian immigrants and holds the north shore electorate of Willoughby.

After the ballot, a ministerial reshuffle will be on the cards.

But, in line with a coalition agreement, the role of deputy premier will still be held by Nationals MP Andrew Stoner.

Mr O'Farrell resigned after giving misleading evidence to the Independent Commission Against Corruption about a $3000 bottle of wine.

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Two Vic men arrested over $12K fuel heist

TWO men have been nabbed over the theft of more than $12,000 worth of petrol across Melbourne.

Police found more than 800 litres of petrol, a hydroponic cannabis set-up and weapons at a Melton address during raids on three properties in the western suburbs early on Wednesday.

A Melton man, 32, and a Laverton man, 34, were arrested over the thefts, which date back to July 2013.

They are expected to be charged later on Wednesday.

Petrol was found stored in gallon drums at the Melton property and cannabis, other drugs, cars and trailers were also seized.

The Australasian Association of Convenience Stores says it wants petrol theft punishable by heavy fines and loss of demerit points, saying it costs convenience stores more than $30 million in lost revenue annually.

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Pink batts inquiry unlikely to probe fires

THE royal commission into the Rudd government's home insulation program is unlikely to probe fires linked to the scheme.

The botched program, introduced as a stimulus measure during the global financial crisis, has been linked to more than 200 house fires.

But Commissioner Ian Hanger, QC, says the inquiry, in its fifth week, has only heard scant evidence that defective insulation caused fires.

Mr Hanger on Wednesday called for anyone with information about fires linked to the scheme to urgently come forward to ensure all relevant evidence is presented to the inquiry before it winds up next month.

Department of Industry 2012 figures show the troubled program was linked to 224 fires, including 30 that caused structural damage.

CSIRO analysis of the data shows the fire rate was about 1.07 per 100,000 households per annum, below the comparable pre-home insulation program rate.

The inquiry has heard how bureaucrats were warned about fire risks associated with the installation of insulation.

It's also been told that public servants became aware that fires had occurred shortly after the program's July 1, 2009 roll out.

Environment department staffer Avril Kent said she began dealing with so many crises, including fires, that she was too busy to focus on worker safety.

Insulation business owner Brian Zammit told the inquiry on Wednesday that those who took advantage of the program became fearful about potential house fires.

Elderly people didn't want to sleep at night because they thought their house might burn down, he said.

The inquiry will adjourn on Wednesday and return on May 1 for a second block of hearings, which are expected to last two weeks.

Mr Hanger will deliver his findings by June 30.

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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.

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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.

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