WA’s deadliest roads revealed

Booze buses are just one of many police resources blitzing WA roads this Easter. Source: News Limited

THEY are the most lethal stretches of bitumen in the state, the kill or disability zones that motorists need to heed.

A section of the Great Northern Hwy at Newman has the unenviable status of the worst stretch of WA's deadliest road. Of the 82 fatal and serious crashes on the highway in the past five years, 11 have happened close to the Pilbara town.

Closer to Perth, a section of Beaufort Street in trendy Mount Lawley has been the scene of eight fatal and serious crashes. On the Albany Hwy, seven souls have lost their lives or have suffered serious injuries in smash-ups near Maddington. Six people have suffered the same fate a little bit further along at Gosnells.

Also in the southern suburbs, five people were killed or badly maimed on Rockingham Road at Spearwood.

On the South Western Highway, the deadliest section is at Coolup, which recorded eight fatal and serious crashes, followed by Waterloo with five.

The kill zones were revealed in data for 2009-2013 supplied to The Sunday Times, as police mounted an Easter road blitz. These zones will receive special attention from marked and unmarked police vehicles.

And a police tactic, known as the "octopus technique", is being used as part of booze bus operations. It involves as many as six police vehicles being placed within a 10km radius of the booze bus to catch drivers who are speeding, not wearing seatbelts or using mobile phones.

Acting Superintendent Ian Clarke warned the road toll for the year so far was creeping towards a five years high.

"That's extremely disappointing from our perspective," A/Supt-Clarke said.

"There are literally thousands of people already this year who've been affected by road trauma."

Inattention was also killer for many motorists.

"It doesn't matter what day it is, whether it's the holidays or otherwise, the moment you get in a car you've got to switch on," A/Supt-Clarke added.

Meanwhile police officers are increasingly frustrated by lenient punishment dished out to "moron drivers", the WA Police Union said on Friday.

"Our members and the community at large have had enough of offenders who have blatant disregard for the road rules and the safety of others," union president George Tilbury said.

He said people convicted of their second reckless driving offence should be sent to jail for up to nine months.

"We need the support of the judiciary to ensure these morons are kept off our roads," he said.

"Now is the time for the judiciary to get tough and send these recidivist dangerous drivers to jail for the unnecessary risk (they) pose to other road users.

"The community are angry and frustrated and the judiciary need to hand out penalties which will deter these habitual offenders from reoffending."

Twenty-one people were killed on WA roads last year who either had no licence at all, or one which was expired, suspended or cancelled.

The Sunday Times last week revealed a man who caused a fatal quad bike crash in 2012 had 11 prior traffic convictions to his name.

Maida Vale man Joshua Bonjour, 21, was found guilty last month of dangerous driving causing death in the crash which killed teenager Jodie Maree Worthington.

Jodie Maree was a passenger on the quad bike when Bonjour crashed it into a car in Lancelin. Moments before the fatal collision Bonjour had been "fishtailing" the quad.

● Double demerits apply this weekend to speeding, drink and drug-influenced driving, not wearing seat belts, hooning, using a mobile phone and running red lights. The penalties will remain in place across WA until midnight on Monday.

WHERE THE MOST FATAL AND SERIOUS CRASHES OCCURRED:

Great Northern Hwy — Newman (11)

South Western Highway — Coolup (8)

Albany Hwy — Maddington (7)

Albany Hwy — Gosnells (6)

Old Coast Rd — Myalup (6)

Brand Hwy — Cataby (6)

Rockingham Rd — Spearwood (5)

Pinjarra Rd — Ravenswood (5)

Thomas Rd — Oakford (5)

North West Coastal Hwy — Karratha (5)

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Catholic Church to ‘guard’ children

Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe Source: Supplied

CHILD safety officers would be appointed in parishes across Perth under a proposal to eradicate sex abuse in the Catholic Church.

Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe recently outlined to senior church personnel a draft policy to appoint child safeguarding officers with specialist training.

Common in the UK, the officers take a key role in responding to allegations of abuse and advise parishes on child protection policies.

A spokesman for Archbishop Costelloe said he was "keen to act as swiftly as possible" to strengthen the protective measures already in place.

In his Easter Sunday message, Archbishop Costelloe will today reflect on the "terrible history of abuse perpetrated by some of our diocesan clergy".

The sermon comes days after Perth priest Patrick Holmes admitted sexually abusing two young girls more than 30 years ago.

The guilty pleas sparked Archbishop Costelloe to issue a "sincere apology" to the victims.

"We are supposed to be a light for the world and salt for the earth and often we are anything but," the head of the Catholic Church in Perth will tell worshippers at St Mary's Cathedral.

"In my own Church we have a terrible history of abuse perpetrated by some of our diocesan clergy and religious clergy, and an equally distressing history of inaction by some of our leaders.

"We are supposed to be disciples of Jesus and we have failed very badly."

Archbishop Costelloe is overseeing a range of strategies as part of his aim to "ensure the Catholic Church becomes the safest place for children". These include:

● More than 200 clergy, religious and lay staff attending a three-day seminar on the protection of minors and steps to prevent child abuse;

● Examining child protection policies and procedures of the Catholic Education Office;

● Ensuring the continuation of professional psychological assessment of young men who want to become priests;

● Mandate ongoing formation programs to ensure trainee priests mature psychologically, emotionally and spiritually;

● Regular letters to clergy highlighting and explaining critical aspects relating to pastoral boundaries.

Archbishop Costelloe's spokesman said recommendations and feedback relating to the proposal for child safeguarding officers were still being received.

Recommendations from the ongoing Royal Commission into child sex abuse, which will hold its first pubic hearing in Perth on April 28, are likely to be years away.

The Catholic Church's Truth Justice and Healing Council has also recently drafted a discussion paper on reforms to deal with safeguarding.

The paper will be considered at a meeting of bishops and religious leaders in Sydney next month ahead of a broader consultation.

"Archbishop Costelloe is keen to move forward with all that needs to be done in the Archdiocese of Perth while being a part of any national policy being introduced by the Catholic bishops of Australia as a whole," the spokesman said.

"The challenges remain many and yet the Archbishop is determined to do all he can to confront them and to bring about all necessary change."

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$100k food fine blamed on droppings

The Rottnest Bakery has recently been fined for hygiene breaches, which the owner blames on quokka droppings. A quokka is seen walking in front of bakery. Source: News Corp Australia

THE Rottnest Island Bakery has been slapped with a $100,000 food hygiene fine – a penalty the owner is blaming on quokka droppings.

A magistrate this week whacked the bakery with the six-figure fine, one of WA's biggest penalties for food hygiene offenc­es.

Bakery owner Ivan Rutherford said Health Department inspectors found quokka droppings in a lane behind the business last August.

The 73-year-old stressed no quokkas had reached the production or retail areas of the bake­ry.

The Rottnest Island Authority has since spent $300,000 redeveloping the lane and a gate has been erected to keep the marsupials out of a new delivery area.

The Rottnest Bakery has recently been fined for hygiene breaches, which the owner blames on quokka droppings.

Mr Rutherford, who has owned the bakery for 24 years, described the $100,000 fine as "ludicrous" and said it had "devastated" staff.

"You will never overcome quokka excrement," he told The Sunday Times yesterday.

"What can you do? You can only coax them to get out of the way – you can't physically touch them."

Mr Rutherford said stopping the creatures from scavenging was a constant battle and he'd even suggested relocating them to the island's west end.

Droppings on the western side of the Rottnest Bakery.

"There is a resistance for them to be removed," he said.

"You cannot discount we are in a bush setting and you cannot discount them coming into busin­esses."

Abellio Pty Ltd, Mr Rutherford's company, was fined $100,000 and ordered to pay $896.60 in costs at Fremantle Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The bakery was found to have breached the WA Food Act by failing to take all practicable measures to prevent pests entering the premises.

Other offences comprised storing of food in a way that it is protected from the likelihood of contamination and cleanliness of premises and equipment.

Mr Rutherford said inspectors found a pot of meat without a lid, flour on a rack and a hole in the roof caused by a storm the previous week.

He said the business received a certificate of clearance after complying with recommendations, only to be fined eight months later.

Rottnest Bakery is one of 25 eateries named on the Health Department website for food safety offences over the past 12 months.

McDonald's on Read St, Rockingham, was hit with WA's biggest food hygiene penalty when it was ordered to pay $180,000 in September 2012.

Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) chief executive Paolo Amaranti said: "The RIA is very concerned and will continue to work with the Health Department to ensure compliance with health regulations by all Island businesses."

It comes as the island is desperate to increase visitor numbers as more West Australians opt to travel to destinations like Bali instead.

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BEHIND ENEMY LINES: Cops to infiltrate families

WA Police will infiltrate the six worst crime families in Perth by monitoring their day-to-day activities in an attempt to "break the cycle of crime". Picture: File image Source: PerthNow

WA POLICE will infiltrate the six worst crime families in Perth by monitoring their day-to-day activities in an attempt to "break the cycle of crime".

The pilot project will see authorities visiting the families in their homes up to six hours a week and forcing them to take part in programs such as drug and alcohol rehab, mental health counselling, parenting courses and anger management.

Families will even be given help to paint their houses and tidy the gardens in an effort to get them on the straight and narrow.

The "very intensive and persistent approach" will also see transport and childcare arranged so family members can make appointments.

Service workers will also observe the "breakfast routine" of the families to make sure children start the day right – going so far as to accompany kids to school to ensure they go to class.

At the end of the 12-month program, children in the family are required to have 90 per cent school attendance rates.

There must also be an appreciable decrease in police call-outs and anti-social behaviour by family members.

WA Police is advertising for a community service provider to take up the challenge. Applications for the $250,000 contract close next month.

It comes after a similar, though less intense, trial in the south east metropolitan district saw police identify and target the 20 "worst" families in the area.

That trial saw local police give their mobile phone number directly to problem families to become a permanent part of their community.

It resulted in a 43 per cent reduction of calls from those homes.

Crime rates for the whole district have fallen four per cent.

The service provider in the new program is required to visit families selected by police three times a week, as well as being permanently on call.

They have to provide weekly verbal reports to police on the family's progress.

The identity of the families will be kept secret, but police say they need "significant support to reduce intergenerational cycles of poor outcomes, which often results in criminal behaviour."

It will be a last resort to fix families "for whom interventions may not have been successful in the past".

Criminology expert Greg Hall, an Associate Professor at Murdoch University, said strategies like this had been proved to have a "dramatic effect" on crime levels.

"The idea of helping people is vastly more effective than the idea of punishment and policing," he said.

Associate Prof Hall said repainting someone's house – which might seem trivial – actually reduced criminal behaviour by creating pride in the home and community.

And, by targeting the six worst families, police could drastically reduce the overall level of crime in an area at relatively low cost.

"It's a very, very small number of offenders who commit the overwhelming majority of offences," he said.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Paul Zanetti said the program was part of a move toward "proactive problem solving" in WA Police, called Frontline 2020.

The philosophy behind the movement is to free up frontline police officers to target the causes of crime, rather than just cleaning up afterward.

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Inmates trash Albany prison

Albany Regional Prison, where inmates have trashed a cell unit. Picture: file image Source: Supplied

PRISONERS have damaged a unit at Albany Regional Prison in an eight-hour rampage last night.

And the WA Opposition and Western Australian Prison Officers Union said overcrowding in the prison system was to blame.

About 20 prisoners barricaded themselves into a unit at the maximum security prison about 6pm yesterday.

They trashed the unit and the yard, and did not surrender to prison guards until 2.20am.

No prisoners or prison guards were injured.

Prison Commissioner James McMahon said the incident was sparked by a few ringleaders.

Mr McMahon said most of the prisoners involved were being transferred and separated into different prisons today.

He said the damage was not believed to be extensive.

"Prison officers and other Department staff responded quickly, professionally and appropriately to manage the incident," he said.

Opposition corrections spokesman Paul Papalia said serious incidents like this were the inevitable consequence of overcrowding in WA Prisons.

Mr Papalia said Albany Prison was originally built for 186 inmates, and now housed 318.

Double bunks have been put in single rooms to increase capacity.

"That prison, like most prisons, is way overcrowded," Mr Papalia said.

"Right across the prison system the situation is the same and it means there's more chance of this sort of thing happening."

Mr Papalia said harsh government policies were to blame for the crushing prisoner numbers.

"It's not a big increase in dangerous criminals that come into our system, it's a big increase in really minor, fare-evading, aboriginal, poor-people," he said.

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Twelve dead in Everest avalanche

The world's tallest peak. an avalanche has occurred on Mount Everest. Source: News Limited

AN avalanche swept Mount Everest's slopes along a route used to climb the world's highest peak, killing at least 12 Nepalese guides and leaving three missing in the worst disaster to hit climbers on the mountain, officials said.

The Sherpa guides had gone early in the morning to fix ropes for other climbers when the avalanche hit just them below Camp 2 at about 6.30am, Nepal Tourism Ministry official Krishna Lamsal said from the base camp where he is monitoring rescue efforts.

Worst accident ever ... Mount Everest as it rises behind Mount Nuptse as seen from Tengboche, in the Himalaya's Khumbu region, Nepal. Source: AP

Rescue workers pulled out 12 bodies from under mounds of snow and ice and were searching for the three missing guides, Lamsal said.

Two Sherpas who were injured were taken by helicopter to hospitals in Nepal's capital, Katmandu.

Hundreds of climbers, their guides and support crews have gathered at the base camp to prepare for attempts to scale the 8,850-metre high mountain early next month when weather conditions become favourable. They have been setting up camps at higher altitudes and guides have been fixing routes and ropes on the slopes above.

Camp 2 ... where the avalanche has occurred on Mount Everest. Source: News Limited

As soon as the avalanche hit, rescuers and fellow climbers rushed to help.

Ang Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association said the area where the avalanche hit is nicknamed the "popcorn field" and is just below Camp 2 at 6,400 meters (21,000 feet).

Earlier this year, Nepal announced several steps to better manage the heavy flow of climbers and speed up rescue operations. The steps included the dispatch of officials and security personnel to the base camp at 5,300 meters (17,380 feet), where they will stay throughout the spring climbing season that ends in May.

More than 4,000 climbers have scaled the summit since 1953, when it was first conquered by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Hundreds have died attempting to reach the peak.

The worst recorded disaster on Everest was on May 11, 1996, when eight climbers were killed in one day because of a snowstorm near the summit. Six Nepalese guides were killed in an avalanche in 1970.

Inside Mount Everest ... the many camps at the world's tallest peak. Source: News Corp Australia

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Police ‘doing all they can’ amid horror Easter toll

After three fatalities on the first day of the Easter road campaign, WAs top crash investigator says police can do no more.

WA'S top crash investigator says police can do no more and the onus is on drivers to stop the state's "shocking" road carnage.

It comes after three deaths within 10 hours in a horror start to WA's Easter road holiday period.

Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Hunter, the officer-in-charge of WA Police's Major Crash Investigations unit, said: "So far in the last 24 hours, three men have lost their lives on WA roads. To them, that's tragic, and to their families, it's devastating."

But he denied police could have done more or should use different tactics to promote the road safety message.

"WA is a huge state. Police can't be everywhere. The responsibility really lies with the motorist," Det Snr Sgt Hunter said.

The horrific scene near Collie, where a 20-year-old man died yesterday afternoon. Picture: WA Police.

"We've got a huge campaign in the country over this long weekend, we've got booze buses in country areas, and we have Traffic Enforcement Group officers targeting all areas in the country.

"We're doing all we can. We are sending the message out. We're sending our officers to all parts of the state and we're pleading with motorists. We've got every available officer out there policing the roads as we speak.

"Double demerits are just one tool we use… but we have to attack it at every level. One is getting the message out there, two is policing roads… and three is the hip pocket.

"But there is only so much we can do. Every fatal crash has a cause and in most cases the cause is avoidable human error."

He said no officer wanted to break the news of a fatality to a family.

"It's frustrating for police officers… because we have to go and speak to families. We see the fallout. We see the devastating effects of road fatalities on families. And we've seen enough of it," he said.

"It's a difficult task and it's tragic we have to deliver that message. When young lives are lost needlessly… it's just terrible."

WA averages six fatal and serious crashes over the Easter period, and Det Snr Sgt Hunter said "we don't want any more, that's for sure".

The crash unit boss said young men continued to be over represented in crashes, while country roads claimed the majority of lives.

The horrific scene near Collie, where a 20-year-old man died yesterday afternoon. Picture: WA Police. Source: Supplied

HORROR START TO EASTER ON WA ROADS

THREE families have had a devastating start to Easter after three young men died in separate crashes within hours of each other on WA roads yesterday.

And police warned that it could have been four young men, had a passing motorist not pulled the surviving passenger from a flame-engulfed car after a crash in the South West.

The men –aged 17, 19 and 20 – all died in single vehicle crashes on country roads.

The first crash occurred at 12.55pm yesterday, when the 17-year-old driver of a Nissan Patrol travelling north on the Gnaraloo-Quobba Road apparently lost control about 500 metres from the intersection with Blowholes Road at Quobba Station near Carnarvon.

The car rolled several times and the front seat passenger, a 17-year-old boy from East Carnarvon, was thrown from the car.

People from the car that was following the Patrol called for assistance and performed CPR on the boy until an ambulance arrived, but he died on the way to the hospital.

The male driver of the car was treated for cuts and bruises.

Two hours later, a Ford Falcon being driven toward Collie on the Collie-Williams road in the South West slid into the gravel verge and struck a tree.

The tree hit the driver's side of the car and sparked a fire in the engine bay.

The driver, a 20 year-old man, died at the scene.

His passenger, a 22-year-old Bunbury man, was knocked unconscious and was pulled from the wreckage by a passing motorist, who also extinguished the fire.

"Had it not been for the actions of the passing motorist, it is believed the fire would have engulfed the whole vehicle and the passenger may not have survived," a spokesman from WA Police said.

A 19-year-old man died in this horror smash near Bruce Rock, 240km east of Perth, last night. Picture: WA Police Source: Supplied

The third fatal crash occurred at 9.30pm last night, when a Nissan Navara being driven by a 19-year-old Bruce Rock man driving towards the town on the Bruce Rock-Narembeen Road crossed on to the wrong side of the road and struck a tree.

Ambulance officers attempted to revive the man after firefighters cut him from the car, but he died at the scene.

Police say the small Wheatbelt town of about 700 people has been devastated by the loss.

WA is on track for a grim Easter road toll with three deaths already. Last year six people died across the whole weekend.

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Houston: MH370 my hardest task

Searchers for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight say they'll push on over the Easter long weekend.

"I am hopeful that we will find something" ... Chief Coordinator of the JACC (Joint Agency Coordiantion Centre) Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston. Picture: Marie Nirme Source: News Corp Australia

FOR Angus Houston, rescuing drowning sailors in darkness from a stormy sea, searching for downed planes in snow-capped Canadian mountains, and dropping supplies to fishing boats in the middle of the ocean is nothing compared with the magnitude of the "unique" task of trying to find Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

MISSING FLIGHT MH370: Underwater search launched for fifth time

In an exclusive interview with News Corp Australia, the Chief Coordinator of the Joint Agency Coordination Centre and former defence chief said the sheer scale and global focus on the mission to find the missing Boeing 777 airliner and the 239 souls on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 dwarfed anything he had done as a young helicopter pilot or as military chief.

After the initial confusion from Malaysian authorities about the fate of the jet it was clear that Australia needed a steady pair of hands to coordinate the massive search effort inside its search and rescue zone.

MALAYSIA AIRLINES LOST PLANE: Who is Angus Houston

Launched to search on the ocean floor for a fifth time ... The US Navy's Bluefin-21 is about to be dropped over the side of Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield. Source: Supplied

Air Chief Marshal Houston said he was hopeful the underwater search of a "closely defined area" by the US Navy submersible Bluefin 21 and its sonar would yield results soon.

The vessel did its fifth dive to 4500 metres yesterday after its sonar drew a blank on Thursday night. So far it has covered 110 square kilometres.

"Right now we are still in the inner circle," Air Chief Marshall Houston said.

"We will cover the entire area in the next few days.

"I am hopeful that we will find something, but if we don't then so be it."

COMMENT BELOW: Is Angus Houston an inspired choice as search chief?

Eleven aircraft and 12 ships were due to cover 52,000 kms across three search areas yesterday.

Allan Grant "Angus" Houston has a long and distinguished career in search and rescue and overseeing large scale military operations.

In 1980 he was awarded the Air Force Cross for valour when he flew his Iroquois chopper into a fierce storm at night off the NSW coast to conduct an open sea rescue.

The citation referred to his "outstanding skill, resolution and leadership".

But he says: "There is no comparison between this and the simple operations I used to do when flying a helicopter, or supervised later on.

"Rescuing people from wild seas is very demanding and intense for a short period, but you go out and do the rescue and then come home and the mission is done.

"The additional level of complexity on this operation makes it unique, and a huge challenge."

That includes managing a fleet of 14 ships and more than a dozen aircraft and upwards of 4000 people from seven nations, including 1500 Australians; juggling the demands of several governments, including China and Malaysia, that are not known for their transparency; the expectation of hundreds of angry relatives; and feeding an insatiable media machine.

While the search continued yesterday 2000km northwest of Perth, authorities began to prepare angry relatives and a global audience for the end of the costly and futile sea and air search that has already cost close to $100 million.

Keeping track ... Able Seaman Communications and Information Systems Atlanta Heysen in the Machinery Control Room on-board HMAS Toowoomba, which is part of the search team. Source: Supplied

As the head of the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) Angus Houston will make the call about when to cease the air-sea search and he told News Corp Australia that day would come later next week.

He conceded that the expensive search could not go on indefinitely, but stressed that any decision would be made "in conjunction with our international partners."

He said he was driven by the need to find visual proof of the final resting place of the airliner so the families of those lost could obtain some closure.

Today marks six weeks since the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing vanished in thin air.

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MH370 underwater hunt intensified

A U.S. Navy underwater drone that can scan the bottom of the ocean for 16 hours at a time, is being used to look for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. Deborah Gembara reports.

THE best leads in the underwater search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will be exhausted in about a week, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.

Mr Abbott told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday the Australian-led search for the missing Boeing 777-200ER in a 4500m deep stretch of the Indian Ocean, 2200km northwest of Perth, would have to rethink their approach if the Bluefin-21 minisub failed to locate wreckage.

"We believe that search will be completed within a week or so," Mr Abbott told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.

"If we don't find wreckage, we stop, we regroup, we reconsider."

Malaysia's Minister of Defence & (Acting) Minister of Transport Hishammuddin Hussein supported the Prime Minister's view, saying that the search effort would have to "regroup" and "refocus" if no debris is found.

Mr Hussein added that the underwater search had intensified and said "the search will always go on".

He acknowledged the distress being felt by families whose loved ones were on Flight MH370, and said Malaysia was working closely with Chinese authorities, and the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) on the possibility of bringing families to Perth if debris is found.

"It's not fair to just focus on Chinese families, there are 14 nationalities on board," he said.

Reassuring families ... Malaysian Minister of Defence and Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein answers questions from journalists during a press conference. Picture: Mohd Rasfan Source: AFP

The JACC leading the underwater search, which involves the Bluefin-21 using side-scan sonar to create a 3D map of the ocean floor, have said it will be long and difficult and there is no guarantee wreckage will be found.

The Bluefin-21 finally completed its first full mission overnight after two previous attempts were cut short, and has so far searched about 90sq km.

Strong front ... Tony Abbott says Australia's determined to do "whatever we reasonably can to resolve the mystery". Source: AP

An analysis of sonar data compiled during the first two missions has failed to identify any new leads.

"My determination for Australia is that we will do whatever we reasonably can to resolve the mystery," Mr. Abbott said.

"If the current search turns up nothing, we won't abandon it, we will simply move to a different phase."

Mr Abbott told the Wall Street Journal he remained confident searchers were looking in the right place for flight MH370, based on the electronic signals — the longest of which lasted more than two hours — detected by equipment towed by Australian naval vessel ADV Ocean Shield on April 5 and April 8, around the time that the black boxes' 30-day battery life was due to expire.

If the initial search fails to unearth any evidence of the missing aircraft, which disappeared on March 8 with 239 passengers and crew on-board about one hour into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, analysts say a second sweep of the 60km by 40km area currently being searched could be undertaken.

It could also be expanded to a wider zone covering 804km surrounding where the area where a series of transmissions believed to have been from the aircraft's black boxes were detected last week.

If this fails, Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Martin Dolan told the Wall Street Journal a further search could take place along a more than 595km mile by 48km stretch of ocean believed to follow the aircraft's last known flight path.

Not giving up ... Australian Transport Safety Bureau Chief Commissioner Martin Dolan says a further search could take place. Source: News Limited

This is based on a partial digital "handshake" between MH370 and an Inmarsat satellite.

As the search for the missing aircraft continues into day 41, Defence Minister David Johnston said the underwater search may end up being run primarily by private companies, with estimates this could cost up to $250 million.

"Ultimately it may well be that there is a civilian contractor to come and pick up the pieces if we have no success," he told the Wall Street Journal.

He said payment for the search would probably have to be negotiated between Malaysia, the US and China.

The PM's latest comments come as the US media questions the Australian government's use of the single Bluefin-21 in the search area after its first two missions were aborted.

The man who led the search for aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart's plane in the Pacific Ocean has been critical of the Bluefin-21.

"I can tell you it didn't work for us," Richard Gillespie, founder of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, told CNN.

"We were very hopeful the Bluefin-21 would be the answer — the way to search for this very hard to find wreckage.

Difficult mission ... the Bluefin-21 sub (pictured) has surfaced for the second time in as many missions. Picture: Department of Defence via Getty Images Source: Getty Images

"What we found was the Bluefin-21 couldn't perform reliably.

"We had extremely frustrating aborted missions, just as we have seen in the Indian Ocean.

"We saw malfunctions."

Mike Dean, the US Navy's deputy director for salvage and diving, told CNN one of its Orion-towed search systems was available in Maryland for use in the search if Australia requested it.

The Orion can send back real-time data to searchers.

Other search experts say a REMUS 6000 autonomous underwater vehicle, used to find Air France flight 447 after it went down in 2009, would be more suitable.

Meanwhile, authorities in Perth are testing an oil sample collected by Ocean Shield from the search zone of the missing plane.

Up to 12 aircraft and 11 ships will be part of today's search about 2100km north west of Perth.

Isolated showers and south easterly winds are predicted.

Experts are increasingly confident authorities are searching in the right place.

Despite predictions it could take two months to search the whole area, one of the world's most experienced wreck hunters yesterday expressed confidence the Joint Agency Coordination Centre had effectively found the crash site and recovering the black boxes was only a matter of time.

International effort ... People's Liberation Army air force Illyushin Il-76 on final approach to Perth International airport having just completed a search mission trying to locate missing Malaysia Airways Flight MH370. Source: Getty Images

"I think essentially they have found the wreckage site," the director of the UK-based Bluewater Recoveries, David Mearns, told the ABC.

"While the government hasn't announced that yet, if somebody asked me: 'Technically, do they have enough information to say that?' My answer is unequivocally 'Yes'."

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was carrying 239 passengers when it disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8.

Mr Mearns found the wreck of the HMAS Sydney in the Indian Ocean in 2008 — almost seven decades after it sank in 1941 — and was awarded an honorary Order of Australia for his work.

He also helped in finding the wreckage of Air France flight 447 and said the strength of sonar pings detected last week believed to have come from the plane's black boxes indicated the search team had found its target.

"You just don't hear these signals randomly in the ocean. These are not fleeting sounds — they have got four very, very good detections, with the right spectrum of noise coming from them. It can't be from anything else," Mr Mearns said.

Furious ... relatives of Chinese passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 walk out from a videoconference with Malaysian officials in protest at the difficulties of communications in Beijing. Source: AP Source: AP

As the search continued, more than 100 relatives of Chinese passengers on the plane walked out of a teleconference meeting with senior Malaysian officials last night, an act of defiance over a lack of contact with that country's government and for taking so long to respond to their demands.

The family members had gathered in a meeting room at a Beijing hotel where Malaysia Airlines had provided lodging and food. But they stood and filed out shortly before the call with Malaysia's civil aviation chief, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, and others as it was about to start.

"These video conference meetings often don't work, the sound stops and it's constantly disrupted. Is that how we are going to communicate?" said Jiang Hui, one of the family members, after the walkout.

"Do they need to waste our time in such a way?"

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Easter toll: Fatal crashes in Carnarvon, Collie

A MALE teenager has been killed in a single vehicle crash in Carnarvon this afternoon.

The death is the first of the Easter long weekend road toll.

The teen died after the car he was in rolled on Blowholes Road shortly before 1pm today.

It is believed three people were in the vehicle at the time.

St John Ambulance had been advised and the injured man was being taken to Carnarvon Hospital but he was pronopunced dead before 3pm.

Police have also confirmed another fatal crash late this afternoon in Collie.

The crash occured at about 3pm at the corner of Williams and Collie Roads in Collie.

Police say the crash involved one car that collided with a tree and one person had to be cut from the vehicle.

One person died in the crash and another has been taken to Collie Hospital for treatment.

TRAFFIC CRAWLING AS PERTH HEADS SOUTH

HOLIDAY makers heading south for the Easter long weekend are in for slow going this afternoon, with traffic already heavy.

Main Roads' traffic cams show cars bumper to bumper on the Kwinana Freeway from the city to at least Farrington Road.

But PerthNow Facebook readers have commented that the traffic jam extends as far south as Anketell Road in Kwinana.

One reader, Adam, said traffic had been bad since early this afternoon: "1hr 40mins from Cedric St to Safety Bay Road. Left at 2pm."

Another Facebook reader, Genevieve, said she had a great run down to Busselton after leaving at midday but saw five speed cameras along the way.

Motorists are reminded that double demerits began at 12.01am this morning and will remain in place until midnight Monday.

RAC RESCUE AT TRUCK ROLLOVER

The RAC Rescue helicopter will take a man to Royal Perth Hospital following a truck rollover on Spencers Brook York Road in York.

The emergency rescue helicopter has landed at the hospital.

York Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service firefighters helped at the scene.

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Big guns bolster WA sides

Nat Fyfe bolsters Fremantle's Round 5 side. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

BOTH West Coast and Fremantle will welcome back a host of big names this weekend as they face testing assignments.

The Eagles have swung five changes after last weekend's hiding at the hands of Geelong, with skipper Darren Glass and midfield trio Chris Masten, Luke Shuey and Matt Rosa all coming in to face Port Adelaide at Patersons Stadium on Saturday night.

Mark Hutchings will play his first game of the season after impressing for WAFL side East Perth.

Scott Lycett, Will Schofield, Sam Butler, Brant Colledge and Patrick McGinnity have all been dropped.

At Fremantle, Nat Fyfe (suspension) and Chris Mayne (ankle) will both make returns when the Dockers take on struggling Sydney at the SCG.

Fyfe boasts a fine record at the ground, polling nine of a possible 12 Brownlow votes in four games at the venue.

Josh Simpson and Hayden Crozier – both thought to be battling for a small forward berth in Michael Walters' absence – have been dropped.

See the full teams here

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Rayney free to sue for damages

Lloyd Rayney arriving at the WA Supreme Court today with his lawyer. Source: News Corp Australia

ATTEMPTS by the State to stop Lloyd Rayney from suing for millions in damages have been rejected by the WA Supreme Court.

Lawyers acting on behalf of WA Police today tried to have the former barrister's special damages claim struck out, arguing Mr Rayney was not entitled to the potential massive payout because he would not have been working full time while on trial for murder.

It was the third time the state has tried to strike out Mr Rayney's defamation case since he launched proceedings against them.

Mr Rayney began defamation action in August 2009 after police named him in a series of press conferences as the "primary person of interest" in his wife's Corryn's murder in 2007.

The civil action was put on hold in December 2010 after Mr Rayney was charged with wilful murder.

He was acquitted of the charge following a three-month judge-alone trial in 2012.

Mr Rayney is suing for loss of revenue as well as loss of expected future earnings from January 8, 2008.

He is also suing for the loss of the opportunity to apply to join the legal ranks of Senior Counsel.

General defamation claims are capped, but Mr Rayney is also claiming for special damages which will be on top of his claim for damages and aggravated damage.

This would take the action into the millions.

Lloyd Rayney is suing for loss of revenue as well as loss of expected future earnings. Source: News Corp Australia

In his statement of claim, which was made public during the murder trial in October 2012, Mr Rayney claims:

■ His credit, character and reputation has been "greatly injured".

■ He has been brought into public hatred, scandal, odium and contempt.

■ His standing has been lowered in the estimation of "right-thinking" members of the community.

■ He has been professionally damaged.

■ He has been shunned by "right thinking members of the community".

He also claims to have suffered "considerable distress and embarrassment" and suffered distress and anxiety as a father, son and brother after police named him as a suspect in his wife's murder.

During the special hearing today, a lawyer acting on behalf of the state said it disputed Mr Rayney's claim that he would have worked 2300 hours per year, or 50 hours a week, since 2008.

He said he could not have worked as a barrister for the entire time while he was preparing for the murder trial as well as while he was on trial.

The state also argued:

■ Mr Rayney's special damages claim was inconsistent with his claim that the state failed to apologise and retract the defamatory statements made during the press conferences in 2007.

■ That it failed to address the acquittal and subsequent appeal which was dismissed and that it failed to take into account his restriction to practice by the Legal Practice Board.

But Justice James Edelman rejected the state's arguments adding that many of the issues raised such as the dispute over how many hours Mr Rayney would have worked could be dealt with in cross examination.

"All of these matters are to be considered at trial in light of the evidence," he said.

He ordered the state prepare and serve an amended state of defence by May 8 and listed the matter for another directions hearing on May 28.

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Dumped Pratt ‘ashamed’ by loss

Ousted senator Louise Pratt fronts the media after losing her seat and unloads on fellow senator Joe Bullock. Picture: Daniel Wilkins. Source: News Corp Australia

OUSTED Labor Senator Louise Pratt says she is "ashamed" that a "factional power grab" has seen a "deeply homophobic", "anti-choice" and "disloyal" union powerbroker take her place in Parliament.

Senator Pratt said today she had come to the "difficult realisation" that her political career had come to an end.

She used a press conference in Perth to call for the ALP to reform, labelling the WA party "the least democratic of all the nation's ALP branches".

Ms Pratt also slammed the deal that saw her relegated to the number two spot on the Labor Senate ticket behind Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association of WA secretary Joe Bullock, who will now head to Canberra.

Mr Bullock came under fire during the election campaign when he described Senator Pratt as a campaigner for "homosexual marriage", before saying "she's a lesbian I think, although after her partner's sex change I can't be sure".

He was referring to Senator Pratt's transgender partner, Aram Hoise, who was born a woman but is now a man, and stood by her side at today's press conference.

Louise Pratt gets a warm hug from a supporter after fronting the media after losing her seat. Picture: Daniel Wilkins.

Senator Pratt admitted she had not spoken to Mr Bullock since April 5, despite attending a joint press conference with him just days before the election re-run where she denied she was hurt by his comments, even claiming "we have a lot more in common than we would ever have that's different".

But today, standing in front a group of Labor supporters united in red T-shirts, she unleashed an attack on the Labor colleague who has ended her political career.

"I have been debating Joe Bullock for a long time so I have not been personally offended but a great many people have been deeply offended and it's important that I reflect that," she said.

"Contrary to the statements of Senator-elect Joe Bullock, it is only Labor that can be trusted to look after the interests of working people and their families.

"Sadly, for Labor to be reduced to just one Senator out of six at this election is a devastating blow to our capacity to do so.

"It is also a great personal blow. It is a blow to progressive voters that I would be replaced in the Senate by someone who I have known for many years to be deeply homophobic, to be anti-choice and has recently emerged disloyal to the very party he has been elected to represent.

"I have pointed this out on many occasions — that Labor was at risk of losing a second Senate seat here in WA. And I am ashamed that a factional power grab was privileged over principles deeply held by an overwhelming number of party members and indeed West Australians more broadly.

Ousted senator Louise Pratt. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: News Corp Australia

"It goes to the heart of the need for reform — reform in the Labor Party...

"Far from my view on these issues being fringed, as he has claimed, it is Joe Bullock and other members of the SDA leadership who are on the fringe of mainstream views.

"I did everything I could to deliver the best result for Labor at this election. However, the result of the preselection placing me behind Joe Bullock meant, for me, I felt like I had every day of campaigning with my arms tied behind my back...

"I raised my concerns with the national secretary and the national executive explaining why I did not believe that Joe Bullock had the capacity to lead our Senate team.

"I, and others, warned that placing him above me on the Senate ticket would reduce Labor's chances of holding two Senate positions — and ultimately we know that these warnings were not heeded."

She denied today's attack on Bullock and the party processes that placed him above her on the Labor Senate ticket was sour grapes because she had lost her seat, saying "it is an opportunity to drive change within the Labor Party".

Senator Pratt called on the party to reform because the "exertion of power by too few is eroding public trust in the ALP and in unions".

"And this is especially the case here in WA where ordinary branch members represent just a fraction of the overall state executive in Lower House preselections and have no representation at all in Senate preselections," she said.

"I don't think this is about union members exercising too much power in the party — in fact it's caused by union members having no say in the deals done to deliver parliamentary seats by union powerbrokers, ignoring the views and needs of the working men and women they represent.

"WA is significantly behind other states when it comes to democracy in the Labor Party. We are the least democratic of all the nation's ALP branches. This creates a lack of public trust even in our own loyal membership.

"This lack of public trust has, I think, undermined our ability to win elections — and therefore to act on behalf of the very workers our affiliated unions represent and indeed to act on behalf of the good of the whole community. If anything good comes from this devastating loss, it will be the impetus for reform of our great party.

"We need to empower our membership, empower ordinary party members to preselect our candidates and to take this power away from the state executive. This includes for our Senate candidates. The only way to fix this is to go to the ALP's membership."

She denied she was interested in taking over as the party's state secretary, saying "I will be an ordinary branch member and I will continue my activism but I don't have my sights on the state secretary position".

"There are so many things that Labor has done that I am so very proud of to have contributed to — taking action on climate change, addressing education inequality, the NDIS, fairness for workers, better protection for the capacity of unions to do their jobs, ensuring strong environmental and human rights protections," she said.

"This is a legacy worth defending — and I very much want to see Labor win the trust of the Australian people, return to power and to continue on with these great reforms. We are, I feel, a great party.

"Labor has done a bad job, I think, of talking to West Australians and selling our message.

"I am, however, very optimistic about our capacity to respond to these challenges."

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Expert witness not such an expert

The prosecutor in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius ends his five-day cross-examination of the South African double amputee track athlete. Mana Rabiee reports.

Alleged murder ... South Africa's Olympic sprint star Oscar Pistorius allegedly shot dead his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Source: AFP

THE prosecution derided a forensic expert hired by Oscar Pistorius, accusing him of being unqualified to testify and rubbishing his account of the circumstances in which Reeva Steenkamp died.

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel sought to prove that forensic geologist Roger Dixon was out of his depth in testifying about the lighting, sound and physical evidence inside Pistorius's home.

Dixon, a university professor, told the court about the sound made by Pistorius's cricket bat hitting his toilet door, visibility in the star sprinter's bedroom and blood splatter.

MURDER TRIAL: Oscar Pistorius accused of fake tears

VALENTINE'S DAY CARD: Reeva Steenkamp wrote she loved Oscar Pistorius

Denies murder ... Oscar Pistorius listens to evidence in the Pretoria High Court on April 15, 2014. Source: Getty Images

Pistorius's defence team has argued that neighbours who testified to hearing "bloodcurdling screams" followed by gunshots were mistaken.

If proven correct, the neighbours' account could punch a hole through Pistorius's claim he did not know Steenkamp was in the toilet.

Pistorius's defence team has tried to show that the noises were in fact Pistorius bashing a cricket bat against his toilet door after realising he mistakenly killed the model.

"Are you a sound expert, sir?" asked Nel. "Have you received training in decibels and sound?" Not specifically, said Dixon.

He also testified that Pistorius's bedroom was so dark the athlete could not have seen whether Steenkamp was in bed.

When Nel asked the geologist about how he analysed the visibility in Pistorius's bedroom room at night, Dixon said: "My lady, the instruments I used there were my eyes." "Are you a blood splatter expert?" said Nel. "I have received no training in blood splatter analysis," said Dixon, a former employee of the South African Police Service.

Pistorius's lawyer Barry Roux is expected to call up to 17 witnesses to bolster the athlete's story that he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by mistake, believing she was an intruder breaking into his up-market home in a gated Pretoria community.

The Paralympic gold medallist has pleaded not guilty to intentionally killing the 29-year-old model and law graduate.

He has also pleaded not guilty to three other charges connected with the reckless discharge of a firearm and the illegal possession of ammunition.

He stepped down from the witness stand on Tuesday, after a gruelling cross-examination at the hands of Nel.

Legal experts said Pistorius, who was evasive and argumentative on the stand, did himself more harm than good.

"I think it's a desperate man," said William Booth, a criminal lawyer based in Cape Town. "The more questions you ask somebody like Oscar, it could actually get worse."

Model Reeva Steenkamp in bikini on cover of magazine FHM. Source: Supplied

South African model Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead on February 14, 2013. Source: News Limited

Earlier, the judge in the murder trial ruled that proceedings will adjourn for more than two weeks after tomorrow's proceedings and resume again on May 5.

Judge Thokozile Masipa said that she was responding to a request for a break from the chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel and which was supported by the defence.

Pistorius' trial started on March 3 and Masipa said the case had lasted longer than expected. She said she granted the break because a member for the prosecution team has to attend to another case.

Masipa also noted that the court record for the Pistorius trial is now almost 2000 pages long. The trial was initially scheduled to last just three weeks.

"At the time, it was not envisioned that this trial would run this long," Masipa said.

Masipa also noted that much of the evidence is "technical" and given by expert witnesses.

Roux indicated the defence may finish calling its witnesses by mid-May.

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WA Lotto couple $15m richer

A southern suburbs couple have won $15 million in last night's Oz Lotto. Source: News Limited

A SOUTHERN suburbs couple has claimed the $15m Divison One prize from last night's Oz Lotto draw. multi-millionaires have officially been found.

A couple were welcomed into the Lotterywest Winners Room today to claim their incredible $15 million OZ Lotto windfall from last night's draw.

They couldn't believe their luck and shared tears of joy as they came to terms with their life changing moment.

The regular Lotto player only checked her winning ticket this morning and couldn't believe her eyes when she saw a complete line of numbers.

■ See where the money goes – Spirit of Our Community

"I kept double checking the numbers and couldn't stop pacing up and down the hallway," said the woman.

"My partner had left for work and when I finally got through to him, I asked him to sit down. Then I said I've got a full line of numbers on OZ Lotto!" she said.

The celebrations for tonight include the couple's usual Wednesday home cooked dinner because the meat for the meal had already been thawed.

"I was thinking about picking up a cleanskin to go with tonight's meal but now I can upgrade to a label!" laughed the woman.

There are many dreams the Lotto prize will help bring to life for the couple including enriching the life of the woman's sister.

"We've always had a home but my sister and her family never have. They've struggled and now we are able to make a real difference and buy their dream home for them," said the woman.

"We also want to set up an education fund for my sister and brother-in-law's children and make sure they are okay for the future," she said.

The winner said her mother and a close friend will enjoy a special holiday as well.

"I want them to have a wonderful time together, they deserve it," she said.

The multi-million dollar prize will 'significantly' top up the couple's superannuation and pave the way for early retirement. After which they will be able to pursue hobbies and volunteer in the community.

It's not just winners that benefit following Lotto draws in WA, with funds raised from Lotterywest games used to support the WA community.

Last year Second Harvest Australia in nearby Success received an $80,000 Lotterywest Grant to help support people experiencing financial hardship.

Last night's $15 million Division 1 Lotto prize is the sixth largest Lotto prize won in WA. The record for the State's largest Lotto win sits at $30 million which has been won three times — in October last year, in 2007 and in 2001.

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Suspect parcels sent to Premier, Treasurer

A fourth suspicious package has made its way to the WA Treasurers office, after three envelopes forced the evacuation of a Perth mail sorting centre.

FIVE suspect packages containing white powder have been found, including two that reached the electoral offices of the WA Premier and Treasurer.

Police have confirmed they are investigating a suspicious package at Premier Colin Barnett's Cottesloe office. The HazMat team has arrived to assist with the investigation.

It came after the discovery of another package this afternoon that forced the closure of the Riverton Shopping Centre, where the electoral office of Treasurer Mike Nahan is located.

Police units investigating the packages found in Riverton and at the Premier's office.

Riverton Shopping Centre, where the electoral office of Treasurer Mike Nahan is located. Source: News Limited

The Australia Post mail sorting centre near at Perth Domestic Airport.

The most recent discoveries, made late today, bring the suspicious package count to five envelopes — all believed to contain a powder — that have prompted a big police response.

Police have now confirmed that the three suspicious items at the Australia Post mailing centre near Perth Airport have been analysed, and confirmed to contain no dangerous substances.

Earlier today, the first three envelopes came to light were found at the Australia Post mail sorting centre.

Seven News reports that one of the envelopes, believed to be addressed to The West Australian, said: "If the powder doesn't get you, the bomb will."

Police have told the daily newspaper to be alert to incoming mail.

A spokesman for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services told PerthNow a "suspicious package" had alarmed staff at the centre.

He said there was "enough to suggest" the envelopes contained an explosive device or a dangerous powder — possibly both.

Police later confirmed that three envelopes had been found at the sorting centre and they were "deemed suspicious due to the nature of words written on them".

A spokeswoman for Australia Post said staff had returned to the building by 4pm after police declared the area safe.

■ MAP KEY — A: Riverton Shopping Centre; B: Australia Post sorting centre; C: Electoral office of WA Premier Colin Barnett

Police at the Australia Post facility near Perth Domestic Airport. Source: News Corp Australia

It's understood police were first alerted to the issue last night when one of the letters, addressed to WA Newspapers, was accidentally opened by a machine.

The TRG Bomb Response had also been assessing the packages to ascertain if they contained explosives.

Police road blocks have closed Dunreath Drive and caused delays on Brearly Avenue, and people visiting Perth Airport have been warned that delays are expected.

Emergency services at the Australia Post mail sorting facility near Perth Airport. Source: News Corp Australia

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Perth reaches for Subi’s key assets

Aerial view of Patersons Stadium, which would become part of the City of Perth under a proposed merger. Source: News Limited

THE City of Perth tonight voted to take-in the City of Subiaco's key assets — including Patersons Stadium — as part of an expanded capital city.

Perth councillors agreed to submit a new proposal to the Local Government Advisory Board as part of the State Government's bid to slash the number of metro councils from 30 to 15.

As well as the home of football in WA, Perth wants Subiaco's commercial centre and King Edward Memorial, St John of God and Princess Margaret hospitals within its boundaries.

It comes two months after Subiaco councillors voted to merge fully with Perth rather than join a western suburbs super-council.

In its response, Perth is now advocating for its western boundary to extend as far as Station Street, Railway Road and Hensman Road in Subiaco.

Part of the Town of Cambridge in the vicinity of Cambridge Street was also included.

But it excludes the more suburban areas of Subiaco, with councillors stressing the importance of an expanded capital containing "key infrastructure".

Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said this approach was consistent with the council's original submission to the LGAB, which excluded the northern parts of Vincent.

"We have decided it is more appropriate for the City of Perth to focus on the areas of Subiaco that contain what we identify as capital city infrastructure. They are fundamentally what the role of a capital is and should be about," she said.

"I would also highlight the point that we are considering this an addendum to our original submission. We prefer to stand on our original submission, but in view of the Subiaco announcement in February we were required to respond to that.

"In our response to that we feel that part of Subiaco and a little part of the Town of Cambridge is going to give us that radius-style model from the CBD core and is more amenable to how we would operate."

If approved by the Local Government Minister Tony Simpson, it would take the City of Perth from 8.1sqkm approximately to an area of 30.6sqkm.

Ms Scaffidi said the City of Perth's land area was much smaller than other mainland capital cities and restricted its ability to plan for the future.

"The areas within Subiaco and Cambridge that we have identified are a good fit, complementing the high density, inner-city environment and lifestyle of Perth," she said.

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Man badly hurt after being hit by bus

A MAN has been rushed to hospital with serious head injuries after he was hit by a bus in Perth's northern suburbs.

The 25-year-old was struck on the corner of Russell and Bishop Streets in Morley just after 11am this morning.

A spokesman for St John Ambulance said the man had serious head injuries.

He has been taken to been taken to Royal Perth Hospital.

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Teen charged with Warwick sex attack

Warwick train station, where the sex assault on a 19-year-old woman is alleged to have occurred. Source: News Limited

POLICE have charged a 16-year-old boy over an alleged sex attack on a 19-year-old woman at a Perth train station yesterday.

The young woman was attacked near the Warwick Train Station yesterday about 3.30pm.

The incident occurred shortly after the woman fell over on the escalator at the station.

A male person then helped her to her feet.

Police will allege the male walked with the victim to an area not far from the train station and sexually assaulted her.

It will be further alleged he stole the victim's SmartRider card.

The victim went back to the train station and sought the assistance of Transit Officers who soon located a person matching the description of the offender.

A 16-year-old boy from Doubleview was later charged with two counts of sexual penetration without consent and one count of stealing.

He has been refused bail and will appear in the Perth Children's Court tomorrow.

Sex Assault Squad detectives would like to speak to anyone with information about the incident.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Ricciardo appeal rejected by FIA

Daniel Ricciardo won't be reinstated as the runner-up in the Australian GP following FIA's ruling. Source: Getty Images

Daniel Ricciardo's disqualification from the Australian Grand Prix will stand after his Formula One team Red Bull lost their appeal.

Rising Australian driver Ricciardo crossed the line second at his home grand prix in March only to be stripped of his place after the team was found guilty of breaching fuel flow regulations.

Red Bull pleaded their case against the ruling in a six-hour hearing in Paris on Monday but ruling motorsport body FIA stood firm, announcing on Tuesday it had decided to uphold the decision.

The ruling means Ricciardo misses out on 18 points for finishing second in the Melbourne season opener, leaving him in 10th place in the championship with 12 points - 49 behind Mercedes' pacesetter Nico Rosberg.

It also robs the 24-year-old Ricciardo of the honour of officially being the first Australian to finish top three at a home grand prix since the event joined the F1 world championship in 1985.

However Ricciardo said prior to the appeal, the disqualification would never detract from the sensation of standing on the podium in front of his own fans.

Daniel Ricciardo (L) on the podium at Albert Park next to Nico Rosberg and Kevin Magnussen. Source: AFP

"I did a good job in the car and I got to stand on the Australian Grand Prix podium, and no one's taking away the sensation of doing that," Ricciardo told the Red Bull website. Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker said the result of the appeal was disappointing.

"But we must look forward and the future is bright," he said in a statement.

"It's incredibly exciting that Australia has such formidable talent to represent us for many years to come ... the hearts of all sports fans around the world go out to Daniel at this time.

"We must support him and remind him how proud we are of what he has achieved." Ricciardo did not attend the hearing in Paris as he focused on preparations for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix.

At the appeal, Red Bull came under fire from rivals Mercedes, who claimed the team deliberately flouted the rules.

The case represented the first major challenge to this season's sweeping rule changes, in which F1 ditched 2.4 litre V8 engines for smaller 1.6 litre V6 turbo hybrid engines.

Red Bull's team principal Christian Horner and technical director Adrian Newey at the hearing. Source: AP

The rules are forcing teams to be more fuel efficient, restricting the rate at which fuel is burned to no more than 100kgs per hour at any time.

Red Bull was accused of consistently overstepping that mark with Ricciardo's car in Melbourne but argued the FIA-approved sensor used to measure the delivery of fuel to Ricciardo's car was faulty and so the team relied instead on its own fuel-flow measurements. Mercedes lawyer Paul Harris argued that Red Bull was in "flagrant breach" of F1 rules.

"We are frankly, and with great respect, concerned that Red Bull have shown such a flagrant and deliberate disregard for these rules," Harris said.

Ricciardo's first season for Red Bull has already been a turbulent one.

His Melbourne disqualification was followed by a retirement in Malaysia where he also copped a 10-place grid penalty for the third round in Bahrain.

At the Middle East track, he qualified third, started in 13th spot due to his Malaysia rap before storming to a fourth-place finish, just missing out on a podium place.

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Guilty: Cabbie raped wheelchair woman

A Perth taxi driver has admitted raping a disabled woman and more than 30 other charges of sexual assault against four other disabled women. Source: PerthNow

A PERTH taxi driver has admitted raping a female passenger with cerebral palsy and indecently dealing with another four wheelchair-bound women in his taxi.

Peter Edward Kasatchkow, 58, of Dianella, was charged with 29 counts of indecently dealing with an incapable person, one count of aggravated indecent assault and three counts of aggravated sexual penetration without consent.

The offences occurred in January and February this year. The five victims were all wheelchair-bound women in Kasatchkow's taxi.

Kasatchkow pleaded guilty to all 33 charges when he faced the Perth Magistrates Court today via video-link from Hakea Prison.

He was first charged by Sex Assault Squad Detectives in February with three counts of aggravated sexual penetration without consent and aggravated indecent assault.

Those charges relate to a 29-year-old wheelchair-bound woman with cerebral palsy.

She was sexually assaulted in a carpark by Kasatchkow on February 3.

The mother of the woman has told Perthnow how the rape ordeal has "shattered'' her daughter's confidence and left her a virtual prisoner, unable to use taxis and suffering constant nightmares.

On March 11, police further charged the taxi driver with 12 counts of indecently dealing with an incapable person.

Those 12 charges relate to two other wheelchair-bound women in their 30s and 50s.

Seventeen additional charges of indecent dealing with an incapable person were brought against him several days ago. Those charges relate to three women — two of whom were recently identified by police.

The third woman was identified in the earlier sets of charges.

Kasatchkow was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in the District Court on June 13.

Pre-sentence and psychological reports have been ordered ahead of his sentencing.

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Find Bradley: family’s desperate plea

Bradley Hoddy was last seen at the Warwick Grove Shopping Centre on August 4, 2006. Source: Supplied

Feared dead: Bradley Hoddy, pictured with his son. Source: News Corp Australia

THE family of suspected murder victim Bradley Hoddy have made an impassioned plea for new information about his eight-year disappearance.

Mr Hoddy, also known as Bradley Schultz, has had no contact with his family and friends since mid-2006.

He has two sons aged seven and nine whom he has also made no contact with.

He was known to frequent the Perth CBD and northern suburbs.

At the time of his disappearance he was staying with friends in the northern suburbs.

He was last seen at the Warwick Grove Shopping Centre on August 4, 2006.

Today his sister Megan Dunstan said: "We've had some major things happen in our family and it would have been nice to have had him around.

"As horrible as it sounds, I kind of grieved over it a couple of years ago, it was the way I could cope with me having kids — my brother would have been there for that so it was my way of coping.

"We just want to put him to rest to know exactly what's happened to him.

"He's a family man, he always rang my grandparents, he always looked after my grandparents. "He was always there for me when I was growing up. He was a lovely, lovely brother, I couldn't have asked for a better brother."

Victoria Medlicott, the mother of Mr Hoddy's two children, said her two young sons were confused about what had happened to their dad.

"They want answers and really they can't be given answers," she said.

"It's hard for them not being able to know him.

"He was a very proud person and happy. I think deep down inside he was very lost, but always happy, always putting on a brave face.

"It's not about who has hurt him, it's about putting him to rest … that's the main thing for his children and his family. I think justice will be served in the end but we just want to know where he is."

Anyone with information regarding Mr Hoddy or his disappearance should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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The worst job interview mistakes

We've all been through rough interviews, but here are the things you can't afford to ignore. Source: Supplied

THERE'S no denying that a job interview can be incredibly stressful.

Most candidates secretly fear that nerves will get the best of them, making them lose their composure and, ultimately, the job.

One misstep during an interview doesn't necessarily mean you're out the door, but it's always best to make sure you're prepared to avoid mistakes.

Two hiring experts shared six things you shouldn't do during a job interview, and what you should be doing instead:

Mistake No. 1: Pretending you can do it all. One common interview mistake is telling the hiring manager that you are good at or can do any task he or she describes, even if you can't. John Mahony, COO of staffing agency Kavaliro, said that honesty is the best policy.

"In most cases, managers are looking for individuals that can stand out in a few specific areas," Mahony told Business News Daily. "Be honest in an interview and know your strengths and weaknesses. If you sell yourself on something you are not, you will be exposed very quickly if you do get the job."

Don't pretend you can do it all. Source: Supplied

Mistake No. 2: Dismissing questions about social media. It's a well-known fact that recruiters use social media to find and research job candidates nowadays, and trying to avoid the issue isn't going to do you any favours. If you're asked a question about personal social media use during an interview, don't baulk at it or dismiss it, because your answer could actually work in your favour.

"Use your online presence to discuss the latest trends you notice, how you view brands using social media, and to open up about your personal side," said Pete Kazanjy, founder of recruiter search engine TalentBin. "[If] recruiters and hiring managers reach out via social media channels, engage with them. You never know where it may lead."

Mistake No. 3: Bringing in negative energy. A positive attitude can go a long way, especially in a job interview. When you drag in bad experiences from previous employers or interviews, a hiring manager may get a negative impression of you.

"If your confidence is low, or you are [talking] down about the companies that you have worked for in the past, why is a manager going to want to add you to the team?" Mr Mahony said.

Being positive is a crucial aspect to remember in job interviews. Source: Supplied

Mistake No. 4: Overlooking interests and hobbies. You may not think your outside interests are relevant to the job you're applying for, and some of them probably aren't. But bringing them up during the interview may demonstrate some important skills that you may not have thought about.

"If you love to code, work with a local animal shelter, or write poems, talk about it," Mr Kazanjy said. "Your interests and hobbies can translate into highly valued skills for the job you interview for. For example, coding shows your love for tech and attention to detail; working at a local volunteer position shows passion; and writing shows creativity — all universally great skills."

Mistake No. 5: Failing to research the company. Every job seeker has been told to prepare answers for basic interview questions, and yet a surprising number of candidates don't think to brush up on their knowledge of the organisation interviewing them.

"Candidates need to come into an interview prepared," Mr Mahony said. "Spend time online researching the company, and come to the table with enough insight to help the conversation flow. If a manager asks what you know about the company, you do not want to respond with a blank stare."

Including your interests can make you stand out from others. Source: Supplied

Mistake No. 6: Not asking questions. Nothing demonstrates unpreparedness quite like coming up empty when a hiring manager asks you if you have questions. You should always be able to think of something you want to ask about the job, the company or its culture.

"While you may get grilled for the bulk of an interview, come prepared with certain topics to discuss," Mr Kazanjy said. "For example, inquire about the interviewer's favourite aspects of a company or their background in the field. This shows your interest and motivation to learn more about the company and your colleagues."

This article was originally published on Business News Daily and is republished here with permission. More:

• 7 Must-Have Apps to Get You Through Your Next Job Interview

• They Did What?!? 5 Bizarre Job Interview Behaviours

• 50 Job Interview Questions You Should Be Prepared to Answer

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Oscar ‘argued before shooting Reeva’

Chief Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has grilled Oscar Pistorius over the Blade Runner's claims he did not hear girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp scream before he shot her, insisting the gun noise would have been too loud to hear the cries.

OSCAR Pistorius argued with his girlfriend shortly before shooting her dead, the prosecution lawyer has alleged as his gruelling cross-examination of the sprinter went into a second week.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel accused the 27-year-old of concocting evidence in his defence against the charge of murdering Reeva Steenkamp on Valentines' Day last year.

"It's the state's case, Mr Pistorius, that she wanted to leave and that you weren't sleeping, you were both awake," said Nel.

"That's not correct my lady, that's untrue," Pistorius replied softly.

"There was an argument," Nel said, drawing another denial.

OSCAR PISTORIUS TRIAL: Prosecution call defendant a 'liar'

Nel repeatedly described the athlete's explanation that he accidentally shot Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door as "so improbable that it cannot be reasonably possible".

The prosecutor's relentless questioning has elicited tears and taut replies from the world-famous double amputee, who insists he and the 29-year-old model were in a loving relationship.

REEVA'S SISTER: 'Oscar is a disgusting liar'

During the relentless back-and-forth Pistorius and Nel at times appeared to come close to bickering.

Nel complained that Pistorius was being evasive and challenged him: "Today I pick up you're not sure about things, is anything wrong?" Nel asked. "You're fine?"

Pistorius grew increasingly restless during the morning's cross-examination, wiping his face, pinching the bridge of his nose and clenching his jaw. Jumping from one event or piece of evidence to another, Nel sought to keep Pistorius off balance.

The court temporarily adjourned late in the morning after the double-amputee runner started to sob.

Murder trial ... Oscar Pistorius, flanked by relatives, arrives at court in Pretoria to face his fourth day of cross-examination. Source: AP

Just over an hour later and after court resumed, Pistorius again broke down when replying to a question on why he had opened fire, causing a second adjournment.

The athlete could not explain why the model and law graduate had undigested food in her stomach up to eight hours after the couple ate under his version of events.

A forensic pathologist earlier testified that she must have eaten about two hours before her death, which contradicts the accused's version they were sleeping at the time.

The defence has disputed the science that stomach contents could accurately indicate the time of the last meal.

The athlete was also asked to explain why Steenkamp's jeans were lying on the floor while the rest of her possessions were neatly arranged.

Nel has openly called the athlete's version "a lie" contending Pistorius knew exactly what he was doing when he fired the lethal shots.

"You knew Reeva was behind the door and you shot at her!" he said on Friday, with Pistorius replying softly "It's not true, milady." Pistorius claims he woke up in the early morning hours, brought in two fans from his balcony, then armed himself after hearing the noise in the bathroom.

Pistorius will likely remain in the witness box for another few days as a witness in his own defence.

His lawyers have said it will call up to 17 witnesses, including ballistics experts.

Tonight marks the start of the 27-year-old's second week in the witness stand in his defence against murder charges for Steenkamp's death on Valentine's Day last year.

Gerrie Nel's relentless questioning has drawn tears and angry replies from the world-famous double amputee sprinter, who insists he shot Steenkamp four times by accident through a locked bathroom door.

Tragic ... Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead by Oscar Pistorius at his house in Pretoria. Source: AP

Jumping in a seemingly haphazard way from one event or piece of evidence to another, Nel finished his interrogation on Friday with the dramatic accusation that Pistorius knew exactly what he was doing when he fired the lethal shots.

Fourth day ... a general view of the courtroom as Oscar Pistorius takes to the stand. Source: AFP

"You knew Reeva was behind the door and you shot at her!" he said, with athlete replying softly, "It's not true, milady."

The prosecutor rubbished Pistorius's claim that he rushed to his bathroom in the dead of night after hearing a noise, then fired at the locked cubicle door thinking an intruder was coming out to attack him.

Defence ... Oscar Pistorius's claim that he thought an intruder was in his toilet — and not Reeva Steenkamp — has been rubbished by chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel. Source: AP

"Instinct would have made sure Reeva was safe. That was never your instinct: to make sure she was safe," Nel replied when Pistorius said he rushed towards danger "out of instinct".

He openly called the athlete's version "a lie".

Pistorius was evasive during the tough questioning, with memory lapses in key parts concerning incriminating details.

"I'm not looking for an excuse, if I don't remember it I don't remember it!" he said, breaking down during one exchange about the placement of objects in his bedroom.

Simone Steenkamp, Reeva Steenkamp's sister, says Oscar Pistorius is "a disgusting liar". Picture: Toby Selander Source: HeraldSun

He accuses police of moving things at the crime scene, whose positions in photos afterwards called into question his version of events on February 14, 2013.

Pistorius says he woke up in the early morning hours, brought in two fans from his balcony, then switched to self-defence mode after hearing the noise in the bathroom.

By his own account, the athlete whispered to Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and aspiring television actor, to call the police, before shouting loudly at the intruders to get out, rushing with his gun to the bathroom, and firing at the cubicle door.

The accused says the model never replied when he started shouting, and that she never screamed while he fired the shots, but that he couldn't hear because his ears were ringing.

Several neighbours testified to hearing a woman's terrified screams that night.

Steenkamp's older sister branded Pistorius a "disgusting liar" after attending some of his testimony in court with her mother.

"He is trying to convince the court that they were really close and that he cared for her. It's not true," said Simone Steenkamp, 48.

Originally set down for three weeks, the trial on Monday enters its sixth week and has been extended until May 16.

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Big assets in $3b WA sell-off

Desalination plant in Binningup Source: Supplied

Utah Point, Port Hedland Source: Supplied

Fremantle Port Source: News Limited

Muja Power Station Source: Supplied

PREMIER Colin Barnett is planning to announce a $3 billion asset privatisation plan in the May 8 State Budget to help reduce debt.

And, The Sunday Times und­erstands key Liberals are making a last minute pitch for him to go even further – with some pushing for a $20 billion sell off.

Informed sources say Mr Barnett is keen on a $1 billion-a-year sale of public assets until the next election in 2017.

He is desperate to win back the state's AAA credit rating, which it lost in September, and re-establish the government's economic credentials.

The assets on his radar are:

● The $1 billion southern Seawater Desalination Plant

● The $300 million Utah Point bulk export facility at Port Hedland

● Esperance Port

● Muja Power Station

● The poles and wires component of Western Power

● Berths at Fremantle Port

● Wastewater treatment plants

● The Kwinana Bulk terminal

But the privatisation plan is triggering fierce debate within Liberal circles, with influential Liberals warning Mr Barnett his privatisation agenda does not go far enough to win back the AAA credit rating.

It is being argued Mr Barnett must rein in state debt which is heading towards a record $22 billion. The Opposition argues the debt is costing West Australians $1.7 billion a year in interest.

"There is a view he should be far bolder and dig far deeper into government assets," a Liberal source said yesterday..

"If he was willing, he could easily raise the $20 billion needed to pay off the debt. And if he did that, he could then recommit to some of the promises made in the 2013 state election."

Chamber of Commerce boss Deidre Willmott encouraged the sell off.

"We would encourage the Government to ... assess whether each piece of infrastructure is still something that is best delivered by the government rather than the private sector," she said.

Opposition finance spokeswoman Rita Saffioti said the Government could not be trusted "privatising anything".

Labor energy spokesman Bill Johnston said industry sources believed Muja was worth about $16 million. He said Western Power's "net position was $1.297 billion".

But he said Mr Barnett had promised at the 2013 election that Western Power and other electricity companies would not be privatised. He said selling off Western Power's responsibility for poles could be a recipe for disaster.

Treasurer Mike Nahan this week refused to give any indications as to what might be sold as part of the Government's privatisation agenda.

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Vile threat: Little Chloe snatched to warn dad

Chloe Campbell's mother says she's overjoyed after the three-year-oldturned up out of the blue in Childers overnight

CHLOE Campbell was the innocent pawn in a vile bid to frighten her dad into silence over a threat made against him, close family have revealed.

The revelation comes as police confirmed they are investigating retribution as a possible motive behind the mysterious disappearance of the Childers three-year-old taken from her home on Wednesday night.

LITTLE GIRL LOST WANDERS HOME
DAD BELIEVES ABDUCTOR KNOWN TO FAMILY
RUBBISH TIP SCOURED FOR MISSING CHILD
HEARTBROKEN MUM MAKES TEARFUL PLEA

Close family friends believe a threat against Chloe's dad Garth about two months ago is linked to her apparent abduction.

Cradled on her mum Tammy O'Donnell's lap yesterday, the frail three-year-old appeared weary but happy as she was reunited with her relieved parents.

Chloe Campbell, the three-year-old girl who went missing in Qld, has been found alive at a showground.

She was returned at midnight Friday just as suddenly as she had vanished 48 hours earlier, at a time when many observers had almost given up hope.

A picture of contented innocence, the little girl lost may now hold the answers needed to solve the unusual circumstances of her disappearance.

Police yesterday began talking to Chloe as well as swabbing and collecting any possible DNA evidence on her clothes.

She underwent a serious of medical tests at Bundaberg Base Hospital and was declared fit to be discharged and reunited with her two sisters Britney, 6 and Janae, 7 and baby brother Max, five months.

The Sunday Mail also understands a friend who had been drinking at the family's home on Ridgway Street the night Chloe vanished has been reinterviewed by police and has not been seen among the group.

As police confirmed they were considering retribution as a motive, close friends described a threat against Garth that was so serious it was officially reported.

Chloe similing with her parents Garth Campbell and Tammy O' Donnell. Pic: Sabrina Lauriston

Melissa Small said she suspected the person or people involved in the threat had taken Chloe and were close friends of the family trying to "scare" Mr Campbell.

"They've done this to scare Garth. Garth has been very scared and this is why he is a mess," said Ms Small.

"They're just messed up people. They need to not be on the street they need to not have children in their care. If they are the people, they are close family friends."

Mr Campbell is understood to have been in the police lockup for his own safety on Friday night, after becoming involved in a drunken scuffle, when his daughter mysteriously "appeared" at the Childers showgrounds — where police have established a base — just after midnight.

The showgrounds is directly opposite the family home — currently a crime scene — and police on scene picked her up after hearing Chloe calling for her mother while crouching in the darkness.

Her unexpected delivery, right when hope was starting to fade after an exhaustive two-day search that unearthed no clues, has fuelled speculation that her abductor was known to the family.

Little Chloe Campbell safe again. Pic: Sabrina Lauriston

One family member said the abductor must have known the girls were sleeping in the lounge room. The fact that shy and wary Chloe did not scream was another indicator..

"It's not nice to think it was someone they know. I've met their friends and they all seem like really decent people — battlers — I couldn't imagine it would be them," said the family member.

"But then, too many things point to the fact they must have known the girls were sleeping in the lounge on the holidays. Someone would have to have known that."

Some people in the small cane and vegetable farming town believe the family's circle of friends includes some unsavoury characters who could easily be held responsible.

Inspector Kev Guteridge said police were interested in hearing any information the public could offer including about claims of payback and retribution.

"Absolutely, if there is any information that will assist us if that is the case, we need them to bring that information forward and contact Crimestoppers straight away," said Insp Guteridge.

NInspector Kev Guteridge talks to officers in Childers during the search. Pic: Paul Beutel

"There's a lot of questions out there that desperately need answering and we're going to do our best to answer those questions."

For now, however, both Tammy and Garth have only one focus and that is settling their daughter back into home life.

Wearing broad grins, the visibly relaxed parents were yesterday reborn with fresh, happy, faces.

"It's just the best feeling. I'm on top of the world now, compared to yesterday I was just lost," said Garth, who had spent the previous day in a daze.

"I've never felt so happy."

Even Chloe appeared relaxed and clutched her favourite toy puppy Narly which had stayed with her throughout her disappearance.

Beaming at her the daughter safe in her arms, Tammy said she felt whole again.

"I don't think I'll ever whinge about little thing in my life after what's happened."

Chloe's parents have repeatedly said they don't owe any debts and can't think who would bear them a grudge.

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