Diberdayakan oleh Blogger.

Popular Posts Today

Child care goes 24/7

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 16 Maret 2013 | 21.51

Goodstart Childcare centre manager Jacquiline McCann plays with Sofija Jovanovic and Calah O'Carroll, both 3, in Mosman, New South Wales.

AROUND-the-clock child care will be trialled for 500 families across Australia to discover if late-night and after-hours care can work for shift- workers, including nurses and police officers.

The Gillard Government will today announce new national trials that will include family daycare options in the home for parents who do not work standard 9am-5pm office hours, and extended childcare centre hours.

The experiment will cost $5 million and seek to answer the question of not only whether extended hours are viable for centres, but also whether they reduce the stress levels of families.

Parents would still pay for child care, but in some cases taxpayers would subsidise the cost to ensure it was viable for centres to trial after-hours care.

"We know modern families want more flexible approaches to child care to meet their families' needs, and to be able to rely on quality, affordable, accessible child care," Childcare Minister Kate Ellis said.

"We hear from parents all the time who struggle with the tag-team run to pick the kids up, and we want to increase the flexibility of child care to better meet the needs of modern families. We recognise that every family is different, and we want to give families more choice when it comes to child care so they can make the decision that works for their family."

Childcare policy is looming as a major battleground at the September 14 election with Tony Abbott considering options to increase flexibility and even offer tax deductibility for some wealthier mums.

But both sides of politics agree that for most families the current 50 per cent rebate would still deliver more value than a tax deduction.

As The Sunday Times revealed last year, the Government is also considering proposals to deliver an effective freeze on childcare fees through an increase to the childcare benefit payment for low and middle-income families.

Other options under consideration include subsidies to the childcare industry in exchange for price agreements.

The national trials would include funding for:

* Family Day Care Australia to provide overnight and weekend care for police and nurses doing shiftwork.

* Extended weekday care at six Goodstart Early Learning Centres across Australia.

* More out-of-school-hours care will be offered with the Government funding the Network of Out of School Hours Services.

In New South Wales, the scheme will fund family day care for police officers and in Queensland it will focus on nurses.

Expanded childcare centre hours and after-school care will be offered in Victoria, South Australia and WA to other families enrolled in participating centres.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Scrooge rewards by banks

Credit card users may not be getting the rewards they deserve, a new study shows.

CREDIT-CARD users who spend $24,000 a year are getting a measly $100 through their reward-point programs.

New research by financial services researcher Canstar examined 139 rewards programs offered across 109 credit cards and found that in the past 12 months the value of cash-based rewards had taken a hit.

The data showed for a customer who spent $24,000 a year or $2000 a month on their card their reward from the bank was just $100.85

It was a fall from a $140 cash reward for the same amount spent a year ago.

Canstar financial analyst Adam Beu said consumers who used a credit card that earned points needed to work out if it was worth it.

"Generally we recommend anyone who is spending less than $24,000 a year to have a good look at their rewards program to see whether they are actually making money out of it," he said.

"If you aren't getting sufficient return on your rewards then it may be better for you to look at a no-fee or a low-rate card where it might be saving you more money."

Mr Beu said providers had squeezed the value of points earned. For example, the cash redemption rate on one card doubled from 200 points earned a dollar to 400 points a dollar and effectively halved the cash reward.

But the research found the rewards for merchandise and shopping vouchers had slightly increased in the past year the average merchandise reward per annum rose from $165.59 to $184.06.

Shopping voucher rewards also rose from $147.95 to $162.79.

He said rewards credit cards often attracted 20 per cent interest rates so if the customer had a revolving debt it would wipe out any benefit gained in rewards.

Australian Bankers Association chief executive Steven Munchenberg said rewards schemes were just one feature of credit cards.

"Banks and other lenders provide credit cards because they are convenient and because they can help us achieve our financial goals," he said. "Customers can choose if they would like a card with a reward scheme or they can apply for a basic card without a reward scheme."

Alastair Schirmer, general manager of comparison website InfoChoice, said some of the rewards were "scary".

"There are some cards where you need to spend up to $44,000 just to get a return flight from Melbourne to Sydney," he said. "The banks will typically have better rewards programs attached to cards where there is a higher fee.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Conroy must be 'dreaming'

A top academic has criticised Communication Minister Stephen Conroy's proposed laws to regulate the media.

THE state's top media academic is astounded by the Gillard Government's proposed laws to restrict freedom of the press

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's proposed new laws to regulate the nation's media - including the introduction of a Public Interest Media Advocate with a super-regulator-like status and a register of "news media voices" - is so insidious and far-reaching that one is tempted to say: "Tell him he must be dreaming."

But this is no laughing matter. The Gillard Government claims these Bills represent its response to two independent media reviews conducted in 2011 and 2012.

One of those was the Finkelstein Inquiry, which resulted in a lengthy report often viewed as a detailed and independent study of the Australian media's sins.

That inquiry relied heavily on "click activism", with two advocacy groups engaged in galvanising public support for stricter media controls. In the end, only 65 submissions contained detailed options for improvement of self-regulatory arrangements.

About 9600 submissions used a loaded template demanding stricter controls.

The head of the inquiry, Ray Finkelstein QC, noted that his terms of reference did not require him to consider media ownership.

Senator Conroy has just dropped six media Bills on Parliament with an ultimatum to pass them by the end of the week. This is an obscene deadline.

The Conroy bundle of laws paves the way for greater control over the media. They are too important to rush.

I was a senior journalist in Malaysia, whose arsenal of laws controlling the media is the envy of right-thinking dictators.

So high was the moral ground Australian MPs held back in 1987 that 105 of them wrote to the Malaysian government describing a sweeping crackdown, that saw four newspapers shut down and the arrest of about 100 people for allegedly threatening national security, as "unworthy of a democratic state".

Senator Conroy's Bills are not so obviously draconian, but they look like baby steps on the slippery slope to licensing by the back door and potentially to treachery.

Our gratitude should go to the High Court, not to Parliament, for having given us the implied freedom of political communication.

It is that freedom we rely on heavily to subject our politicians to robust scrutiny. Senator Conroy is coming in through the back door to undermine that freedom. That, or he is just kidding.

Associate Professor Joseph Fernandez is head of journalism at Curtin University. He was the editor-in-chief of the Daily Express in Malaysia from 1978-1992.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Family's adoption anguish

A WA couple who adopted an abandoned baby from the Philippines in 2009 say they are devastated after being told they cannot keep the toddler.

A WA couple who adopted an abandoned baby from the Philippines say they are devastated after being told they cannot keep the child.

The parents, who do not wish to be named, legally adopted the child in 2009 but because neither parent lived overseas for 12 months when the adoption took place, their child has been refused the right to live in Australia permanently.

This is despite the fact she has been living here for the past three years.

"I am devastated," the child's mum told The Sunday Times.

"Our child is getting the best care, love and attention from us."

While staying at a Manila hotel on a visit to the Philippines, the woman found the abandoned child outside her room.

A search for the baby's mother led to an unmarried, jobless teenager.

The woman said she could not leave the child without proper care and started the adoption process.

The couple were told the child had to remain in Manila while they applied for a visa on "compelling and compassionate circumstances" because neither the woman nor her husband had been living overseas for more than 12 months when the adoption took place.

About 12 months later the child came to Perth on a bridging visa. Last month the couple were told their application for a permanent family visa had been denied by the Migration Review Tribunal.

The child's bridging visa runs out on Tuesday.

The couple said they had written to Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor for help and were continuing to apply for bridging visas on their child's behalf.

The said they would even leave Australia in the worst case scenario.

The tribunal found that while some of the woman's claims about not inquiring about the adoption process in Australia to be "problematic", it accepted the woman lawfully adopted the child and there appeared to be a "genuine emotional bond between the two parties".

But it said there were no "compelling or compassionate circumstances" to override the 12-month overseas residence rule.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Samsung phone tracks your eyes, fingertips

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 15 Maret 2013 | 21.51

Plenty of song and dance at the launch of Samsung's newest smartphone, the S4. Here's a snapshot of the live streamed event.

SAMSUNG'S first iPhone-beating smartphone will be replaced with a model that tracks your eyes and fingertips, lets you control it with the wave of a hand, reports on your exercise, and uses eight computing brains for a speed boost.

The South Korean company revealed its highly anticipated Galaxy S IV in one of the world's biggest phone launches this morning in New York, broadcasting its unveiling to Times Square and hundreds gathered at Radio City Music Hall.

Read our review of the Samsung Galaxy S4 here

More than 300,000 people tuned in to watch the live stream on YouTube.

JK Shin, President and Head of IT and Mobile Communications for Samsung Electronics, presents the new Samsung Galaxy S 4 during the Samsung Unpacked event at Radio City Music Hall, Thursday, March 14, 2013 in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) Source: AP


The handset, which looks similar to the Galaxy S III it replaces, also features a larger and significantly crisper 5-inch screen, a slimmer body and a larger battery, and sources say it will be available in Australia by late April.

Samsung Australia marketing director Arno Lenior said while the new phone featured a significantly better 5-inch screen, many of its innovations were only evident inside.

Samsung's new Galaxy S4 is seen during its unveiling on March 14, 2013 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The slim, feature-rich Galaxy S4 was introduced as Samsung's new champion in the fiercely competitive smartphone arena, scheduled to roll out in 155 countries in late April. AFP PHOTO / Don EMMERT Source: AFP

"As much as the phone features new hardware enhancements, there's been a lot of software additions to this smartphone,'' Mr Lenior said.

New hardware in the Galaxy S IV includes a full high-definition Super AMOLED screen for the first time with a greater resolution than the iPhone 5, an eight-core 1.6GHz processor for increased speed, a larger battery and an infra-red "blaster" so the phone could be used as a TV remote control.

Samsung Galaxy S4 launch in New York City. Photo: Allison Joyce/Getty Images/AFP Source: AFP

New software features in the phone include eye-tracking technology that determines whether you're looking at the screen and automatically pauses video when you're not paying attention, or lets you tilt the phone to scroll up and down websites when your eyes are looking them.

JK Shin, President and Head of IT and mobile communication division of Samsung introduces the Samsung Galaxy S4 at an event in New York. Source: AFP

A raft of new Air Gestures will let users control the phone without touching its screen, including waving to right to left to accept a phone call, and waving up and down to move the screen in the same direction.

New sensors combine with a health-tracking app to count how many steps users take, how hot or humid it is near them, and lets users track their caloric intake.

A movement-tracking bracelet, weight scales and heart-rate monitor will also be available for use with the phone.

Rumours of wireless charging and an internet-connected watch proved false, however.

The new smartphone has big expectations to fill after Samsung sold more than 43 million of its predecessor, making it the biggest-selling smartphone in the third quarter of 2012, beating Apple's iPhone 4S. The title has since been taken out by the iPhone 5.

PEOPLE interact with the Samsung Galaxy S 4 at its launch in New York. Source: AFP

Together, Samsung and Apple controlled 52 per cent of smartphone sales in the final three months of 2012, Gartner said, setting up a fierce battle between the technology giants.

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller this week launched a rare attack on Samsung and Google Android phones, saying the handsets often host old software and are difficult to use.

A demonstrating group displays the Samsung Galaxy S4 in New York City. Photo: Allison Joyce/Getty Images/AFP Source: AFP

"At Apple we know that it's not just enough to have products pumped out in large numbers," he said. "You have to love and use them. There is a lot of data showing a big disparity there."

Despite the comments, Samsung laid claim to being the world's biggest smartphone maker at the end of 2012, according to Gartner, though the Apple iPhone 5 claimed the title of the world's best selling smartphone, Strategy Analytics reported.

Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson Tweets from the Galaxy S4 launch

Plus: See how smartphone fans are soaking up the launch via social media below.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Porn thumb drive evidence 'unexplained'

Pictured is Matthew David O'Meara the former Perth Colleage chaplain who is alleged to have been in possession of child pornography. Picture: Richard Polden Source: PerthNow

THE State has failed to explain how thumb drives containing child pornography belonged to a private school chaplain, a District Court jury has been told.

This afternoon, defence counsel for Matthew David O'Meara started their closing address in the case over images found on digital devices in 2010.

For the past three weeks, Mr O'Meara has been fighting four charges of possessing child pornography after USBs were found containing photos and videos of young girls on them at Perth College.

A trial over the matter last year resulted in a hung jury and, in this trial, Mr O'Meara has maintained his plea of not guilty, claiming someone set him up with the images.

His lawyer Laurie Levy started his closing address this afternoon, telling jurors that over the past three weeks, the prosecution had presented evidence that left parts of the case "completely unexplained".


Mr Levy also refuted claims the defence was pointing the finger at former co-workers of Mr O'Meara at Perth College and a man he was counselling.

However, he said evidence given by witnesses was incomplete or could not be replicated by computer experts.

Perth College head of IT John Garnett said he had to repair files on the first thumb drive that was found in order to access the photos and documents on the USB.

The prosecution claims this action could have automatically changed all of the creation dates on the files, which were found to be the same.

"I'm not going to suggest to you this is a conspiracy theory involving John Garnett," Mr Levy said.

"But nothing has been said by any expert in this case that explains the data and the dates on that Kingston thumb drive.

"One thing that all the experts proved in this case is that they could not replicate what Mr Garnett did."

He also said that while witnesses called might have been honest in giving their evidence, it did not make them reliable.

The principal of Perth College told the court that when she first saw files on the Kingston thumb drive on August 19, 2010, she remembered seeing the commissioning service document from when Mr O'Meara joined the school.

However, when police downloaded the contents of the USB, including deleted files, no such document was found.

Prosecutor Linda Keane finished her closing this morning.

During her three-hour address to the jury, Ms Keane suggested Mr O'Meara and his wife had been lying and theories of a set up had holes in them because no-one linked to the couple had the motive or expertise to carry such an attack out.

Judge Ronald Birmingham will give his directions to the jury on Monday before they retire to make their verdict.
 


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cottesloe art event hit again

Two cubes from David Brophy's 'reform' sculpture have been stolen from the Cottesloe exhibition. Source: PerthNow

Artist and sculptor David Brophy, whose 'reform' piece was hit by thieves during the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition. Source: PerthNow

PART of a sculpture on display at Cottesloe's Sculpture by the Sea has been stolen.

Organisers of the event confirmed two components of David Brophy's 're-form' sculpture were stolen sometime between Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening.
 
A spokeswoman for the event said the theft had been reported to Scarborough Police.
 
"Unfortunately every year one or two relatively minor incidents occur on site," the spokeswoman said in a statement.

Two cubes from the 30-cube piece worth $320 were stolen, with organisers saying the entire sculpture was valued at $4300.
 
The latest incident comes after a $65,000 statue titled 'Childhood-Morning' by artist Chen Wenling was stolen at last year's exhibition.
 

Two men, aged 22 and 24, were charged with stealing the red statue and hiding it in a roof space.

David Brophy features in 'Photo Finish' in Home magazine in The Sunday Times this weekend


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Duo injured in suspected drug lab explosion

DETECTIVES are investigating whether an explosion at a West Swan home was caused by a drug lab.

 Police were called to the Victoria Rd home about 3pm today to investigate an explosion and fire in a shed at the rear of the property.
 
A male and female were injured and required treatment from St John Ambulance.
 
Organised Crime Squad detectives are at the property trying to determine the cause of the explosion.

Schoolboy hit by bus

Meanwhile, a 15-year-old school student has received leg and head injuries after being hit by a bus in Carey Park, near Bunbury.
 
The accident happened just after 3pm this afternoon at the corner of Forrest Ave and Wisbey St.
 
Forrest Ave has been closed and motorists are being asked to avoid the area.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Entertainer Peter Dean dies aged 74

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 13 Maret 2013 | 21.51

Entertainer Peter Dean (second from left) on a recent cruise with friend John Fryer and their wives Morag Fryer (right) and Delys Dean. Picture: Supplied Source: PerthNow

Entertainer Peter Dean has died at the age of 74. Picture: Supplied. Source: PerthNow

HE WAS known as Mr Telethon for his unfailing support for the children's charity, but Perth last night lost veteran television and radio personality Peter Dean, who died aged 74.

Mr Dean's career in broadcasting spanned more than five decades and included Channel 7 and radio stations 6IX and 6PR.

But it was for his tireless work with Telethon that he was perhaps best known.

Mr Dean died after battling motor neurone disease.

His former co-host on 6IX's record-breaking morning show in the 1960s and 1970s, John Fryer, 79, said his friend would be remembered for his roles with Telethon and the Logie-winning program, Anything Goes.

Mr Fryer told PerthNow he went on a cruise with Mr Dean and their wives recently after he heard his former colleague "wasn't travelling so well''.

"It was just to have a reunion and it was great,'' Mr Fryer said.

"He started to come out of his shell and he started to be like the Peter Dean I knew of old.''

Together the two men had hosted a hit breakfast radio show on 6IX which ran for a record breaking 16 years.

Mr Fryer said Mr Dean was "just a great guy''.

"He was one of the boys,'' he said. ``He always had that great showbusiness blood in him.''

Mr Fryer said his friend would do anything to raise money for Telethon.

In the 60s they hosted the midnight to dawn shift on the television fundraiser.

"We were a bit naughty -- we had strippers on and a few things that people seemed to enjoy,'' Mr Fryer said.

"Peter would do anything... rip his shirt off... but then Peter was that sort of guy. If it was fun, he was in it.''

In a statement today, Channel Seven Perth managing director Mario D'Orazio paid tribute to Mr Dean.

"Deano was a classic entertainer, always ready with a quip, always ready to ad lib out of danger and sometimes into danger! There was never a dull a moment,'' Mr D'Orazio said.

"He set the standard for live performance in WA, and he had an enormous heart, being a key star of Telethon for many, many years.

"We'll miss him dearly.''

Mr Dean is survived by his wife, Delys, and their four children.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Coward' Mercanti cops 7 years

BACK YOU GO: Bikie Troy Mercanti, pictured leaving Casuarina Prison in August 2011, will spend at least the next four years behind bars. Picture: Richard Polden Source: PerthNow

VICTIM: Tammy Kingdon, who was repeatedly bashed by former partner, bikie Troy Mercanti. Picture: Kerris Berrington Source: PerthNow

NOTORIOUS Perth bikie Troy Mercanti has been jailed for nearly seven years for bashing former partner Tammy Kingdon during 15 years of physical abuse.

Mercanti, 45, was sentenced to six years and 10 months jail by District Court judge Simon Stone, eligible for parole after four years and 10 months and back dated to March 3, 2012.

Mercanti pleaded guilty on Monday morning after two weeks of the three week trial, to one count of grievous bodily harm and three counts of aggravated assault causing bodily harm.

A charge of assault occasioning bodily harm was dropped by the prosecution.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Stone said Mercanti's late guilty pleas to four of the five charges against him did not warrant him any leniency for his term of imprisonment because the court had already gone through two weeks of the trial and Ms Kingdon and even his own mother Sybil Mercanti had to give evidence.


It is understood that it was his mother's evidence against him, confirming she saw a Christmas Day punch to Ms Kingdon's face in 2006, that led to Mercanti's change of plea.

Judge Stone said there were aggravating factors to the assaults, including that they were done within a domestic relationship, were deliberate beatings, humiliating for Ms Kingdon and their children were at times near by.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Stone also referred to eight other instances of violence by Mercanti against Ms Kingdon that were not charges, but gave "context" to the bikie's "pattern of behaviour" to his partner.

"I'm satisfied your late pleas of guilty were a result ... of a realisation of conviction was inevitable," he said.

He also said Mercanti's pleas were not made as a desire to "administer justice" and before handing down his sentence, said "you are a coward".

In her victim impact statement, Ms Kingdon said all she wanted was a family unit for her children and hoped Mercanti's previous terms of imprisonment would stop him from beating her.

Prosecutor Justin Whalley called for the maximum terms of imprisonment on all four of the charges.

"He should be punished as a criminal offender who enacted a series of cowardly, brutal and unprovoked assaults on a defenceless woman smaller than himself," Mr Whalley said.

During his closing submission this morning, Mercanti's counsel Colin Lovitt QC continued to try to argue the assaults were not as extensive as Ms Kingdon said they were, at times coming to loggerheads with Judge Stone over the matters.

Mr Lovitt said his client had said to him on the first Friday of the trial after Ms Kingdon started giving evidence that he wanted to change his plea, but changed his mind over that weekend.

He then changed his mind again last Friday after his mother gave evidence and Mr Lovitt said one of the reasons for his change of plea was so that other witnesses, including Ms Kingdon's sister, Brooke Lewis, did not have to experience giving evidence.

He also apologised to the court for the time and effort spent on the trial on behalf of his client.

After more than two hours, Mr Lovitt closed his submissions by describing the relationship at the centre of the trial as one of "fatal attraction".

"They're two peas in a pod, they both abused alcohol and drugs, they both were addicted to sex, they both were party animals," he said.

On the charge of grievous bodily harm, Mercanti was sentenced to two years and 10 months prison, on count three - the first charge of aggravated assault - he was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

For the other two counts of aggravated assault, Mercanti was sentenced to two years and two years, six months in prison respectively.

The sentences for counts one, three and five were accumulated for the total sentence of six years and 10 months, with the two years sentence for count four to run concurrently.
 


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sally Ayhan's latest weather update

GET the latest on what the weather's been doing today, plus the forecast for the next 24 hours and week ahead, with Channel 9's weather presenter Sally Ayhan.

Channel Nine's new weather presenter Sally Ayhan gives PerthNow readers a unique insight into what's been happening with the local weather and a sneak peek into what temperatures to expect over the next 24 hours.
 
For Sally's full weather report, including the 7-day forecast, make sure you tune in to Nine News at 6pm tonight.
 


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

WA teacher shared nude photos online

A WA teacher has been counselled for posting naked photos of himself on a personal blog.

A parent raised the matter with a Perth school principal after the photos were believed to have been circulated among students via social media.

The principal notified the Education Department of the incident last week and has counselled the teacher about his actions.

The teacher is understood to be "extremely remorseful for his actions". He immediately shut down the site that contained the images.

Education Department director-general Sharyn O'Neill said she expected "better judgement" from teachers.

"I am surprised that teachers haven't yet got the message that their private and professional lives get connected directly through social media," she said.

"I expect better judgement from our teachers."

The Education Department has assessed the incident and is satisfied that no further action is warranted, based on the information that is currently available.

yasmine.phillips@news.com.au


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Excavator driver injured in rollover

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 12 Maret 2013 | 21.51

RESCUE DASH: The RAC Rescue chopper is on its way to Herron, south of Perth, to the scene of an excavator rollover. Source: PerthNow

AN Injured excavator driver has been airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital after his earthmoving machine rolled over in Herron, north of Lake Clifton in WA's South West.

It is believed the driver of the earth-moving machine has been seriously injured in the accident near Old Coast Road in Herron.

The injured excavator driver was airlifted to RPH, where he landed about 12.50pm and was transferred to the Emergency Department, where he is being assessed by medical staff.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chaplain denies knowlege of porn on USB

PORN TRIAL: Former Perth College Chaplain Matthew David O'Meara, who is alleged to have been in possession of child pornography. Picture: Richard Polden Source: PerthNow

A CHAPLAIN at a prestigious private girls school on trial over child porn charges has been accused of trying to pin blame for images found on a USB on other members of staff.

Matthew David O'Meara is on trial in the District Court over four counts of possessing child pornography after USBs were found containing photos and videos of young girls on them at Perth College in August 2010, where he worked.

The charges came after a drama teacher who used an office in the chapel near Mr O'Meara's found a lost USB drive.

When she eventually opened it with the help of students, she found sexual images of young girls that concerned her.

The school's head of IT John Garnett was given the the thumb drive and found several sexual photos and videos of girls who he guessed were aged eight to 12 years old, as well as scanned electoral roll documents for Mr O'Meara and his wife.


During the prosecution's case, a man who received counselling from Mr O'Meara, Andrew McCarthy, also gave evidence.

Mr McCarthy was seeing Mr O'Meara in June and August 2010 for help over his marriage breakdown to a senior teacher at the school who was having an affair with another staff member.

Mr McCarthy only came forward to the prosecution during the first trial last year and said he was compelled to come forward because he remembered thumb drives in Mr O'Meara's laptop in the office.

Yesterday Mr O'Meara started giving evidence and said his first encounter with Mr McCarthy was at a social event for staff at the start of the school year.

Mr McCarthy and his wife used to live in a Beaufort Street house owned by the college because of her position in the school, but the couple were asked to move out for the new chaplain and his family.

When Mr McCarthy and Mr O'Meara met, he said "here's the bloke who stole my house" which the chaplain believes was said "with an edge."

Today Mr O'Meara admitted he was scared of Mr McCarthy, because of aggressive tendencies, but he continued to counsel him.

Mr O'Meara also said he walked in on the assistant chaplain who shared his office using a laptop under Mr O'Meara's log in.

He reaffirmed that he did not own or download files on to any of the thumb drives found in the office, and he did not know how scans of electoral roll forms for him and his wife made it on to one.

Mr O'Meara said the forms were scans of hard copy forms he brought into his office to post, but left them there when he found out the details could be updated on the Internet.

Prosecutors put it to Mr O'Meara that he was trying to put Mr McCarthy and the assistant chaplain in the frame for the downloads, after trying to blame Mr Garnett at the last trial.

Mr O'Meara said that was "certainly not" the case.

"I'm not targeting anyone, I'm telling the truth," he said.

Mr O'Meara's wife is expected to give evidence this afternoon.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aussie Test axings shatter Langer

SHATTERED: WA coach Justin Langer.  Picture: Alf Sorbello Source: The Sunday Times

AUSTRALIAN cricketing great Justin Langer has said he is "shattered" over the recent disciplinary action against members of the touring team in India, in particular Shane Watson.

Four players were last night dropped from Third Test availability - James Pattinson, Michael Johnson, Usman Khawaja  and Watson - for failing to respond to a peer review of the side's performance in the second Test.

Watson's father said the bewildering move, announced by coach Mickey Arthur, had left the all-rounder uncertain of his future in international cricket and possibly ready to walk away.

Langer expressed his disappointment at the disciplinary action, saying he was "shattered".

"I hate gossip and I'd like to hear it from the horse's mouth - and hopefully I will in the next few days - but if what we're hearing is exactly right, I'm really shattered for the Australian cricket team," Langer told 6PR.


"I came into the West Australian cricket team with this talk of culture and this need to improve culture. Well, I just find that what's happened overnight and now with Watto coming home ... Shane Watson is one of the nicest blokes you'll ever meet in your life, he is a fantastic bloke.

"To see him make a decision like that (returning to Australia), on the back of being left out of the Test match, I just find it really, really disappointing."

Being left out of the side made for an easy decision for Watson, who opted to return to Australia to be by wife Lee's side as she prepared to give birth to the couple's first child.

Watson's father, Bob, told Brisbane's  The Courier Mail that playing for Australia was not his son's only option.

"Playing Test cricket for Australia is the ultimate thing ... but if it comes down to it he is pretty good at Twenty20 cricket and the Indian Premier League," Bob Watson said.

"He doesn't have to play for Australia to keep playing cricket and earning some pretty good money at the same time. I am not sure whether it has got to that stage yet.

"If he goes true to form, he will ask my opinion and if and when he does I will tell him what I think."

The decision to suspend Watson from selection further drives a wedge of division between the deputy and his captain, Michael Clarke, with the pair long-suspected having a rocky relationship.

Langer strongly backed Watson's decision to be on-hand for the birth and said he believed Clarke should not have a position on the board of selectors.

"I don't think that the captain should be a selector," he said.

"I'll give you an example; we made a very tough call a few weeks ago on Marcus North, who's been a past captain, and Adam Voges and Michael Hussey have been captains of the West Australian cricket team.

"When I spoke to Marcus North, I was able to say that, 'Just so you know, Adam Voges and Mike Hussey, who are good friends of yours, have fought very hard to keep you in the team and I'd expect nothing less from them'.

"I'd do the same for Matthew Hayden or Damien Martyn or Ricky Ponting, I'd expect nothing less.

"But, if they were selectors, then it's very hard to be able to say that.

"The captain has a big enough job as it is and I look back on Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Alan Border and some great leaders, and they weren't selectors.

"In my opinion, I don't believe the captain should be the selector in any cricket team."
 
Follow Glen Foreman on Twitter: @glen_foreman
 


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cat-fight draws big crowd to city mall

Three people have been charged over a violent brawl which was captured on a mobile phone and posted online.

Two girls have been charged after a public fight in the Murray Street Mall. Source: PerthNow

Two girls have been charged after a public fight in the Murray Street Mall. Source: PerthNow

THREE people have been charged over a violent brawl which was captured on a mobile phone and posted online.

The disturbing footage shows dozens of teenagers cheering on as two girls punch, kick and tear at each other's hair in the Murray Street mall at the weekend.

During the one-minute video, a young girl is repeatedly hit over the head and one girl's top is ripped off, revealing her breasts, but the pair continue fighting as a big group of onlookers cheer on.

The video ends with one girl pinned against a wall holding the other girl's hair, while a third person tries to break them up so they can continue fighting.

A 15-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl, both from Balga, have been charged with two counts each of disorderly conduct and one count of obstructing a public officer.


A 20-year-old woman from Willetton was charged with disorderly conduct.

The three will appear in the Perth Children's Court and Magistrates Court on March 26.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sally Ayhan's latest weather update

Written By Unknown on Senin, 11 Maret 2013 | 21.51

GET the latest on what the weather's been doing today, plus the forecast for the next 24 hours and week ahead, with Channel 9's weather presenter Sally Ayhan.

Channel Nine's new weather presenter Sally Ayhan gives PerthNow readers a unique insight into what's been happening with the local weather and a sneak peek into what temperatures to expect over the next 24 hours.
 
For Sally's full weather report, including the 7-day forecast, make sure you tune in to Nine News at 6pm tonight.
 


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Counting to take days in knife-edge seats

CLOSE CALL: Counting will continue this week in five knife-edge seats. Source: PerthNow

THE final make-up of the WA parliament will not be known for days, as counting continues in five knife-edge seats and Premier Colin Barnett ponders the composition of his new cabinet.

While the decision to endorse four more years of Liberal rule was known shortly after polling booths closed on Saturday, results from the last of the 59 lower house seats may not be known until next weekend. The four-way race in the Kimberley is tipped to run until Saturday.

WA's electoral commissioner Warwick Gately said with postal votes expected to come in until Thursday, and 79 early voting locations both interstate and overseas to consider, the work of counters and scrutineers would continue for days.

"Some of these close seats will not be resolved until Saturday at the earliest," Mr Gately said.

The seats of Belmont, Collie-Preston, Midland, Eyre and Kimberley were all still up for grabs on Monday afternoon, with less than 100 votes separating three of those electorates.


Labor powerbroker Michelle Roberts was still desperately hanging on to her Midland seat, with just 0.41 per cent separating her and Liberal challenger Daniel Parasiliti.

Agriculture Minister Terry Redman is expected to hold on to his seat in Warren-Blackwood, after looking like being dumped by the electorate as counting began.

Mr Barnett and Nationals leader Brendon Grylls are due to hold a meeting on Wednesday, but it is believed no speedy decision on the shape and style of the new cabinet would be made.

"I will not make any decision or any overtures about the composition of cabinet until the final result is known," Mr Barnett told ABC Radio.

"Obviously I've got to have a discussion with Brendon Grylls which we're planning to do a little later in the week."

"He and I have a terrific working relationship. We've never had a serious argument, we always find a solution and that will continue."

As the Liberals' landslide continued to sink in locally and nationally, the little-known Shooters and Fishers party - set up in WA as "politically incorrect, a voice of reason, science and conservation" - looked set to win an upper house seat in the Agricultural region.

"Most people who recreate in the outdoors, the last thing on their mind is politics, but a lot of restrictions have been put on them and I suppose the silent majority has become quite political," WA leader Rick Mazza said.

Federal finance minister Penny Wong said the message from the West should be clear for the Gillard government ahead of the September 14 federal election.

"The message from Western Australians is they want us to do better. And we don't do better by talking about ourselves - we do better by doing the right thing by Australians and their families," Senator Wong said.

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY - SEATS WON

Liberal
29
Labor
18
Nationals
7
Greens
0
Others
0
Undecided:
Belmont
Held by Labor, Liberals ahead

Eyre
Held by Liberal, Nationals ahead

Kimberley
Held by Labor, Liberals ahead

Collie-Preston
Held by Labor, Labor ahead

Midland
Held by Labor, Labor ahead

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL PREDICTIONS (provided by ABC/WA Electoral Commission)

Liberal - 17

Labor - 11

Nationals - 5

Greens - 2

Shooters and Fishers - 1


 


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shocking Transperth bus brawl caught on camera

Two women got into a physical altercation on a TransPerth bus. Warning: Strong language

Footage has emerged of a violent brawl on board a Transperth bus. Picture: Richard Hatherly Source: PerthNow

VIDEO footage has emerged of a violent brawl involving two women that took place on board a Transperth bus last week .

The video was captured on a smartphone by a passenger and uploaded to YouTube.

The Public Transport Authority has confirmed that the incident took place last Tuesday night, about 7:45pm, on board a 99 Circle Route bus near Hilton.

The fight started when one of the women takes offence at the other woman making racist comments to another passenger.

The two women verbally abused and threatened each other using explicit language for several minutes before the fight turned physical.

Other passengers were forced to duck for safety as the women push and pull at each other in the widest part of the bus. The video ends with one of the women pinning the other to the ground. It is understood they both left the bus soon after.

Public Transport Authority spokesman David Hynes said the bus driver did the right thing by using a distress button located inside his cabin to call for help from security staff.

"Security staff arrived at the scene within three minutes, but the bus had moved on to another stop. They located the bus within a further seven minutes but the two women could not be found.

"The incident and the circumstances leading to it are both unacceptable.

"Our passengers are entitled to undertake their journeys without being confronted by intimidating or offensive behaviour and certainly without being exposed to this sort of violence which is unfortunately increasingly common across society as a whole."

None of the passengers on board filed a complaint with police.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Barnett: No new Cabinet till votes counted

HOME AND HOSED: Premier Colin Barnett and wife Lyn at Cottesloe Beach. Picture: Colin Murty Source: PerthNow

VICTORIOUS: Colin Barnett salutes the party faithful, claiming victory just after 9pm Saturday night.  Source: PerthNow

WESTERN Australia's re-elected Premier Colin Barnett says he will not think about his new cabinet line-up until after all votes from the state election are counted.

The Liberals won Saturday's election with a landslide victory over Labor, which lost several seats.

Mr Barnett no longer needs the Nationals to form government, after what he called a ``slight shift in the balance of power''.

But he says they will again be part of a coalition and he will discuss the situation with Nationals Leader Brendon Grylls ``a little later in the week''.

``I will not make any decision or any overtures about the composition of cabinet until the final result is known,'' Mr Barnett told ABC radio on Monday.

The premier said Mr Grylls had been a fantastic member of cabinet who had supported him on some policies that were not as popular among his fellow cabinet members.


``He and I have a terrific working relationship,'' he said.

``We've never had a serious argument.

``We always find a solution, and that will continue.''

With several seats still undetermined and postal votes not closing until Thursday, the cabinet line-up might not be known until well into next week.

But Mr Barnett said his government would be making a fresh start and he would not continue with legislation that had been half-debated before the election so new members of parliament could be involved.

The premier also said he would take a personal interest in agriculture issues in the Wheatbelt and wanted to reduce unnecessary regulation to allow farmers to get on with their jobs.

``I'll probably be more involved with ministers in a number of portfolios,'' he said.

Mr Barnett said the successful Royalties for Regions initiative would continue but with a shift from local projects to more basic infrastructure and road projects.

The premier said he did not think it was a problem to see the parliament dominated by the two major political parties.

He said Australia as a whole had been governed well since federation by the two major parties.

Mr Barnett hinted strongly there would a more Liberal imprint on where the Royalties for Regions money would flow.

"The focus will be more on basic services, country roads, rail upgrades, power distribution - those fundamental services, I think there is a need,'' Mr Barnett said.

"No decisions will be made about any portfolio until we sit down and work out how many Liberal ministers and Nationals ministers there will be and who they will be.''

National leader Brendan Grylls, a big winner in the seat of Pilbara, still anticipated a big role in the government.

"I hope to have a strong influence in any future Liberal/National government,'' Mr Grylls said.

"We've had a great working relationship.''

Mr Barnett's major election promises of a new airport rail line, a tram line from Perth's north to the city and a highway from Perth to Darwin are all dependent on billions of dollars of federal money.

But the premier preferred to reiterate his personal commitment to take up the plight of WA's farmers, rather than focus on the big election promises.

And he said he was also expecting knocks on the door from several new Liberal MPs.

"I hope I have got a lot of ambitious backbenchers. There will be competition and that is good for the long-term future of the Liberal Party,'' Mr Barnett said.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

McGowan takes blame for Labor wipeout

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 10 Maret 2013 | 21.51

Leader of the Opposition Mark McGowan at the Rockingham Foreshore the morning after WA Labour was defeated. Picture: Kerris Berrington Source: PerthNow

LABOR leader Mark McGowan refuses to link his election defeat to the federal party yet hopes his diminishing pool of parliamentary colleagues will give him another shot.

"I take responsibility for the outcome and I'm not going to blame anyone else,'' Mr McGowan said.

He said Saturday had been a brutal night for state Labor, which would spend coming days reflecting on its caning at the polls, but he couldn't yet pinpoint what had gone wrong.

It was always difficult to defeat a first-term government, he said, and wouldn't be drawn on the many comments from both sides of politics - including defence minister Stephen Smith - that the party's federal woes had dented WA Labor's chances.

"I'm not going to blame any other level of government,'' Mr McGowan said.

"I know over the coming week, people will try to make me do it.

"I'm the leader - I said it was a state campaign, I was repetitive in saying that.''

When pressed on the role the federal party may have played, he said: ``I'm not going to get into all of those issues today''.

Prime minister Julia Gillard issued a brief, terse statement congratulating Mr Barnett and saying she acknowledged Mr McGowan's hard-fought campaign.

After licking its wounds, WA Labor will hold a caucus meeting later this week, when Mr McGowan will stand for the leadership again.

But he said it was up to his colleagues.

"I've tried to do the best I can and make sure that we're a positive alternative,'' he said.

"I hope my colleagues agree with me.''

His second in charge, opposition treasury spokesman Ben Wyatt, said Mr McGowan was the right man to rebuild the party in the state.

Mr Wyatt said he hoped and expected the former Navy lieutenant and lawyer - who only took over from Eric Ripper just over a year ago - would stay on as leader and contest the 2017 election.

Meanwhile, Mr McGowan said the interim was an opportunity for rebuilding and he hoped the party would win more than 20 seats when counting was finalised.

"If we obtain that, that makes us into a significant opposition,'' he said.

He said he was very sad about his colleagues who lost, but no-one could deny the party had run a good campaign.

"I'm proud of the campaign we ran, it was hard work, but we went out there with so many policies and so many ideas,'' he said.

Mr McGowan was surprisingly non-committal as to whether WA Labor's main election promise, the Metronet rail network, would remain part of its policy in its current form.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greens battered in WA election

Federal Greens leader Christine Milne. Picture: Mark Griffin Source: PerthNow

If LABOR'S performance in the West Australian election was bad, the Greens was worse - and the party's federal leader Christine Milne says it's a clear warning that Tony Abbott and last century conservatism looms large.

As Colin Barnett's minority Liberal government was returned with a huge majority, the four per cent swing away from the Greens was even more violent than those that turned away from Labor.

The Greens only hope of representation in WA's lower house is in the Kimberley, where local candidate Chris Maher and his opposition to the James Price Point gas project mobilised support.

But across the rest of the state, the Greens vote plummeted, with the party predicted to hold just two seats in the Upper House as counting concludes.

Ms Milne said rather than take her party's savaging in WA as a sign of decline, she said voters should see it as a warning as what could happen at the federal polling booths in September.

"I think the message out of WA is that is essential that we keep the Greens holding the balance of power in the federal parliament,'' Ms Milne said.

"Because what is very clear is that(Opposition Leader) Tony Abbott and the conservatives are coming and you are going to need people that have policies and will stand up and defend them.

"It is absolutely critical people see the march of the conservatives across the country and see it for what it is - a retreat to the past, to the last century.

"We need to stand up against everything that Tony Abbott would tear down.''

With counting in WA suspended until Monday, the Greens held just eight per cent of the vote in the Upper House.
Former Greens turned independent MP Adele Carles only attracted five per cent of the popular vote in Fremantle after her issues with former lover and state treasurer Troy Buswell.

Ms Milne claimed the campaign run by the Liberals and Colin Barnett had been influenced by the state's major mining and resources interests.

"Colin Barnett has run an aggressive campaign on behalf of the big mining industry,'' Ms Milne said.

"In WA you have got strong voices like Gina Rinehart and Twiggy Forrest and so on all arguing that they should not have to pay the mining tax.

"That has been resonating through WA and that is a tragedy for the rest of the country.''


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

A clean slate and big in-tray for Barnett

HOME AND HOSED: Premier Colin Barnett and wife Lyn at Cottesloe Beach. Picture: Colin Murty Source: PerthNow

EBULLIENT Premier Colin Barnett says he will start his new term of office with a clean slate - but also a bulging in-tray.

The destination of billions of dollars in regional funding, the future of the state's embattled farmers, and the potential for new ministerial faces will all be immediate agenda items when Mr Barnett reforms government this week.

But with counting on several knife-edge seats to continue for days to come, Mr Barnett said he would take time to reflect on the future of his government before a party room meeting later this week to decide the make-up of his new cabinet.

"I will take some time to reflect and think about how this government will be structured, but my approach will be that it will be a clean slate,'' Mr Barnett said.

"It is not a continuation of government, it is a formation of a new government. We will go back and start again.''

With the Liberal Party given enough seats to govern in its own right, the make-up of the alliance with the Nationals will be of immediate interest to many, especially Nationals leader Brendon Grylls.

Mr Grylls won a massive personal victory in the Pilbara, securing a 16 per cent swing, but has still not been guaranteed to keep the regional development portfolio in which he steered the fundamental Royalties for Regions program.

Mr Barnett hinted strongly there would a more Liberal imprint on where the Royalties for Regions money would flow.

"The focus will be more on basic services, country roads, rail upgrades, power distribution - those fundamental services, I think there is a need,'' Mr Barnett said.

"No decisions will be made about any portfolio until we sit down and work out how many Liberal ministers and Nationals ministers there will be and who they will be.''

Mr Grylls still anticipated a big role in the government.

"I hope to have a strong influence in any future Liberal/National government,'' Mr Grylls said.

"We've had a great working relationship.''

Mr Barnett's major election promises of a new airport rail line, a tram line from Perth's north to the city and a highway from Perth to Darwin are all dependent on billions of dollars of federal money.

But the premier preferred to reiterate his personal commitment to take up the plight of WA's farmers, rather than focus on the big election promises.

And he said he was also expecting knocks on the door from several new Liberal MPs.

"I hope I have got a lot of ambitious backbenchers. There will be competition and that is good for the long-term future of the Liberal Party,'' Mr Barnett said.


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Your guide to who won what

HERE is a list of the likely seats won in WA election (after 75 per cent of votes were counted on Saturday night. Counting was suspended on Sunday)

LIBERALS

Alfred Cove (gain from Ind)

Balcatta (gain from ALP)

Bateman

Belmont (gain from ALP)

Bunbury

Carine

Churchlands (gain from Ind)

Cottesloe

Darling Range

Dawesville

Forrestfield (gain from ALP)

Geraldton

Hillarys

Jandakot

Joondalup (gain from ALP)

Kalamunda

Kingsley

Morley

Mount Lawley

Murray-Wellington

Nedlands

Ocean Reef

Riverton

Perth (gain from ALP)

Scarborough

South Perth

Southern River

Swan Hills

Wanneroo

Warren-Blackwood (gain from Nats)

Vasse

NATIONALS

Central Wheatbelt

Moore

Kalgoorlie (gain from Ind)

North West Central

Pilbara (gain from ALP)

Wagin

LABOR

Armadale

Bassendean

Butler

Cannington

Cockburn

Fremantle (gain from Ind)

Girrawheen

Gosnells

Kwinana

Mandurah

Maylands

Mirrabooka

Rockingham

Victoria Park

Warnbro

West Swan

Willagee

UNCERTAIN

Albany

Kimberley

Midland

Eyre

Collie-Preston


21.51 | 0 komentar | Read More
techieblogger.com Techie Blogger Techie Blogger