Sattler sues former employer

Howard Sattler is suing his former employer Fairfax Media for unfair dismissal. Source: News Limited

HOWARD Sattler has sued his former employer Fairfax Media for unfair dismissal after Perth's 6PR sacked the shock jock for asking Julia Gillard if her partner was gay.

Sattler's lawyer, Nick Stagg of Lavan Legal, said the writ had been filed in the WA Supreme Court this week but was yet to be served on the media company.

Sattler flagged the action after he was terminated in June last year, saying he had been unfairly dismissed because the former prime minister had known it was going to be a candid interview and he still had six months left on his contract.

Howard Sattler was sacked by 6PR after he asked then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard if her partner was gay. Picture: File image Source: News Limited

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Buswell bin tip ‘never followed up’

Former treasurer Troy Buswell fronts the media for first time since crashing his ministerial car in February. Source: News Corp Australia

A SECURITY guard reported seeing Troy Buswell empty a bin full of bottles in the basement of a government building the morning he crashed his car,a parliamentary committee report has revealed.

Police were made aware of the sighting, but it did not appear it was followed up, the inquiry found.

The committee that examined the police investigation into Mr Buswell's late-night car crashes has concluded the response was inadequate.

Mr Buswell quit cabinet following revelations he had a mental breakdown after crashing into parked cars, a pole and the front gate of his Subiaco home while returning from a wedding in the early hours of February 23.

The damaged front of Troy Buswell's ministerial car, which was towed away for further police examination. Picture: Nine News

Before Mr Buswell returned to parliament as a backbencher last month, he told reporters he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and depression, but refused to answer whether he was drunk when the crashes occurred.

The inquiry also revealed the bizarre sighting of Mr Buswell by a security guard at Dumas House – where the then-treasurer worked – in the early hours of February 23.

The committee said it was appropriate that Department of Premier and Cabinet director general Peter Conran had "in a timely fashion" made police aware of the sighting.

"It does, however, appear that this was never followed up by police," the committee said in its report.

"Given ongoing questions about where Mr Buswell went immediately after the wedding reception and where he parked his car, this lack of follow-up is perplexing."

The report says police ordered CCTV footage from Dumas House parking areas, including the garaged area, between 10pm on February 22 and 2am on February 23.

Premier Colin Barnett told Parliament today CCTV was handed over to the police but there was no vision of the Vasse MP emptying anything into a bin.

The opposition-instigated inquiry examined matters including how police investigated the crashes on the night, the subsequent conduct of the investigation and collection of evidence, the decision to prosecute and the charges laid.

Mr Buswell was fined $3100 and disqualified from driving for one year after he admitted to 11 traffic offences committed during the ill-fated journey, but did not face drink-driving charges because he was not breathalysed on the night.

Police went to Mr Buswell's home following a tip off from a member of the public who reported seeing a man who resembled the treasurer barely able to stand as he struggled to get into the property.

But when they arrived, the lights were off, the gate was closed and no-one was around.

The traffic offence charges including failing to stop after an accident were only laid after the scandal was exposed in the media.

"The Committee has come to the conclusion that there was a systemic failure at a number of levels on the evening," the report on the inquiry read.

"There was an inadequate police response; Dignitary Protection were unaware of the then state Treasurer's car registration or home address; police subsequently let any investigation lapse and left it to the media to join the dots."

The committee said police did not make the connection between the report of erratic driving outside Mr Buswell's home and the smashed cars parked in nearby streets.

"No follow-up occurred between the taking of these initial reports and media reports which surfaced some weeks later," the committee said.

"Only at that time, when police came under public scrutiny, did they spring into action.

"By that time, however, long after the event, any deficiencies in the original investigation could not readily be corrected."

The committee said the investigation was then conducted under the false assumption that no charges could be laid in the absence of a breathalyser reading.

But traffic police didn't cop the blame for not knowing the house they visited was Mr Buswell's residence and that he was behind the wheel of the erratically driven Holden Caprice because it was up to the government's dignitary protection unit to maintain and update adequate records on such matters.

And because they initially did not know they were looking into the conduct of a minister, police could not be accused of treating the incident more leniently.

"The police were let down by an unsophisticated communications system which did not reveal connections between events which were clearly linked," the committee concluded.

"The police investigation was then hampered by the refusal of the Member for Vasse to be interviewed."

The committee said one of the most concerning findings of the inquiry was that drink drivers had been sent the message they could evade a conviction if they laid low.

WA Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan has rejected the committee's finding of a systemic failure on the night of the incident.

"The police did what they did based on the information they had on the night," he said.

Mr O'Callaghan also noted dissent in the committee after deputy chairman, Liberal MP Ian Britza, said he tendered the "minority report" with great reluctance.

Premier Colin Barnett said it was time to let Mr Buswell get on with recovering from bipolar disorder and depression.

But Labor leader Mark McGowan said questions remained about revelations about the security guard's sighting of Mr Buswell at Dumas House.

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Harris jury considering verdict

The jury in the Rolf Harris trial has been asked to deliver true verdicts 'whatever the consequences.'

THE jury in the long-running Rolf Harris trial has now retired to consider its verdict on his 12 charges of indecently assaulting four women from 1968 to 1986.

After seven weeks of hearing evidence from almost 100 witnesses including live Skype testimony from Australia and the US, the six man and six woman jury left Southwark Crown Court's Room 2 at 12.15pm local time to consider all that they've heard and the folios of evidence they had been handed.

Judge Nigel Sweeney reminded them of their obligations. He said there would inevitably be debate in their deliberations but they should listen to each other and then reach verdicts of all they would agree. He said he wanted unanimous verdicts for each of the 12 charges.

Earlier in the day, Judge Sweeney summarised the evidence presented by one alleged victim Sydney woman Tonya Lee who detailed how she had been assaulted by Harris when as a 15-year-old in 1986 she travelled to London with a performing troupe. She had claimed been left terrified and crying after he groped her at a table in a pub then indecently assaulted her again outside the pub's toilets.

Guilty or innocent? ... Rolf Harris leaves Southwark Crown Court in London. Picture: Justin Tallis Source: AFP

Her credibility had been challenged by Harris lawyers after it was revealed she had been paid $44,000 by Channel 9 and another $22,000 by the Bauer Media Group for an article in Woman's Day. Celebrity publicist Max Markson arranged the interviews for a 20 per cent cut of the money.

Judge Sweeney also reminded the jury about how Ms Lee's credibility was challenged by Harris when she lied to police about having done a deal with the media.

The judge also raised the issue of how the performing troupe's director Cathy Henkel, now an acclaimed documentary maker, recalled how she felt "pressurised" by Harris' brother and manager Bruce Harris over what she would tell police about events on that 1986 tour. Judge Sweeney said Bruce Harris later denied trying to "nobble" the witness.

The trial had taken longer than expected with considerable legal argument over admissibility over certain pieces or evidence and rules of law as well as other judicial commitments in other courts for the prosecutor Sasha Wass QC and the judge himself who sits on various terrorism trials.

Hoping to be cleared innocent ... the Australian artist and entertainer, his niece Jenny (left) and daughter Bindi (right), leave Southwark Crown Court in London. Picture: Justin Tallis Source: AFP

On the eve of closing the defence case last Wednesday, Harris' defence barrister Sonia Woodley QC took ill and was subsequently hospitalised for two days and has not since returned to court leaving her junior barrister Simon Ray to step up.

Even the jury's deliberations will now still be delayed with one juror to undergo a medical procedure that cannot be delayed so after today they cannot reconvene again until after 2pm Friday local time leaving the strong likelihood they will return again first thing Monday to continue deliberations.

Generally, juries submit hand written questions to the court to reaffirm certain evidence during their deliberations but this jury has consistently been formally questioning both prosecution and defence counsels throughout the case, at one stage submitting four formal requests in one day.

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Gym member couldn’t find baby’s pulse

Police have launched a murder inquiry into the death of a baby girl in Perths south-east

THE father of a baby girl is being questioned by homicide detectives after a murder inquiry was launched into her "suspicious" death in Perth's south-east last night.

It is understood the girl's mother found the 11-month-old baby and the child's father unconscious in their home in Pricklybark Street in Harrisdale about 10pm last night.

The distraught mother took the child to the car park of Jetts Gym on Ranford Road in Canning Vale and called St John Ambulance.

Witness Ryan Shreeve, who was at the gym at the time, told Nine News he rushed to act on instinct and "did what I could".

Police at the Pricklybark Street, Harrisdale address where they are investigating the suspicious death of an 11-month-old baby. Picture: Theo Fakos

"I instantly dialled 000, talked to emergency services, gave them where I was, and proceeded to check the baby's pulse ... and there was nothing there," he said.

"The look in the mother's eyes ... I just wanted to ensure that this baby left alive, I knew this was not right, this was not good

Mr Shreeve told reporters he tried to console the baby's mother, but she was inconsolable.

Jetts Gym at Canning Vale where the baby was taken by the mother for help late last night. Picture Theo Fakos

"I've got kids ... it was just surreal and it will be something that will be etched in my head for a long time. Last night I couldn't sleep just thinking about what else and the whats and the ifs ... so it was pretty hard," he said.

The child was pronounced dead a short time later at nearby Armadale hospital.

Neighbours say they saw a man being dragged unconscious from the house between 10 and 11pm.

They said the suburban street smelled of gas.

The man, understood to be the baby's father, was taken to Royal Perth Hospital but was discharged this morning. He is now assisting police.

The Major Crime Squad is investigating the child's death.

Detectives door-knocked houses in the quiet street this morning.

Forensic investigators blocked off the street to examine the scene and were still there tonight collecting evidence.

Neighbours say the quiet couple had lived in the house for about a year.

Nine News reported that witnesses saw the baby girl and her father at their home earlier in the day, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The next time they saw the house firefighters were at the scene and the street smelled of gas.

Nine News reported police were not ruling out the possibility the tragedy was a murder-suicide bid. Neighbours say the couple had lived in the country for about six years and travelled to and from Malaysia.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 13 14 44.

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‘The first sip is pretty hard’

Peter O'Shaughnessy, 78, who was rescued after becoming lost in the Goldfields has urged fellow prospectors to carry a personal locator beacon which could save their life. Picture: File image Source: News Limited

AN experienced bushman who became lost in Western Australia's Goldfields region has urged fellow prospectors to carry a potentially life-saving personal locator beacon.

Peter O'Shaughnessy spent a night in the wilderness northeast of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in May after he became separated from his friend.

The 78-year-old went into survival mode, constructing a makeshift shelter from shrubbery and drinking his own urine.

"I just got some branches, made a little teepee and then got the flat bark from ribbon gums and made a nice waterproof layer, then covered it up with gum leaves," he told ABC radio presenter Gillian O'Shaughnessy, who is his daughter.

"I survived on a diet of sandalwood nuts, which are quite delicious, saltbush leaves which are very high in protein and taste alright - a bit salty - washed down with a steady stream of my own urine.

"The first sip is pretty hard to take, but you really just moisten your lips. Because it's pretty salty."

Despite his best efforts, Mr O'Shaughnessy still suffered from dehydration and exposure, but was in good spirits when he was found.

The helicopter pilot told him that if he hadn't wildly waved his metal detector in the air, he would not have been spotted.

Today, Mr O'Shaughnessy joined a state government campaign aimed at improving the safety of prospectors and saving the considerable expense of searching.

Aircraft searches cost up to $5000 per hour.

With winter a prime time for prospectors to head to the outback, WA's mines and petroleum minister Bill Marmion urged the more than 3000 people issued with Miner's Rights licences this season to carry personal locator beacons, saying they were "a small price to pay for something that could save your life".

The push for personal beacons comes after an inquest into the death of prospector Michael Graham near Menzies following a month-long search that covered 1500 square kilometres last year.

He was among nine prospectors reported missing to WA Police in 2013.

Only one was carrying a personal locator beacon and he was found within four hours.

On average, searches last 11.3 hours but many last one or two days.

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Live: Australia v Netherlands, Group B

CAN Australia spring a massive upset and keep their World Cup hopes alive in the match against the Netherlands on Thursday morning? Bookmakers and 2010 coach Pim Verbeek are among those who give the Socceroos no chance at all against a Dutch team demolished Spain 5-1 in their opening game.

Join us from 1.45am for coverage of the big match and until then check out all our preview material.

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Coles guilty over fresh bread claims

The Aussie supermarket was misleading consumers by claiming their bread is baked fresh every day, according to the Federal Court. So how is made?

Coles has been found guilty of mislabelling bread as "freshly baked" when it was actually made months ago overseas. Source: Supplied

SUPERMARKET giant Coles is facing more than $3 million in fines after losing a court battle over the freshness of its bread.

The Federal Court agreed with the consumer watchdog's case that Coles falsely advertised pre-cooked bread as freshly baked.

Bread from the "Cuisine Royale" and "Coles Bakery" range advertised as "fresh, baked today and sold today" included one product from Ireland first baked months earlier.

Other loaves that the company claimed were "freshly baked" were found to have been made in Denmark and Germany before being frozen and transported to Australia.

Former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett initially put the issue in the spotlight. Source: News Corp Australia

Chief Justice Allsop ruled that Coles breached three sections of Australian Consumer Law and the "Baked Today, Sold Today" labels amounted to a misleading representation.

"It is not the place of the court to provide an advice …as to how Coles might sell bread that has been par-baked from frozen product…A start would, however, be to make it tolerably clear to the public that the recent baking was the completion of a baking process that had taken place sometime before, off site, and that "freshly baked" actually meant the completion of the baking process of frozen product prepared and frozen off site by suppliers," he said.

A lawyer for Coles argued the supermarket never intended the labels to be misleading.

The case follows a year-long investigation from the ACCC triggered by former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett who discovered his "freshly baked" bread was made from foreign ingredients in Ireland.

"I don't feel any sense of vindication or pride whatsoever," Mr Kennett said about today's ruling.

"I just hope it sends a message across the bow of all advertising agencies... that we expect them to be able to offer their products or services to use in a way that accurately reflects what they are offering us.

"I am very pleased that Coles have accepted the umpire's decision and are not going to challenge it further. I respect that."

The ACCC has also instigated separate proceedings against Coles for alleged "unconscionable conduct" towards 200 small suppliers, alleging that the company attempted to secure better trading terms and improve their earnings through rebates.

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How it happend: NSW ends Qld’s reign

Trent Hodkinson proved the difference as NSW ran out 6-4 winners in game two of the State of Origin series to end the Blues eight-year drought.

NSW have broken the curse and won their first Origin series since 2005..Picture Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia

IT'S all over. New South Wales has broken the curse and ended Queensland's eight year State of Origin sstreak.

Trent Hodkinson was the hero for the Blues scoring the only try of the match late in the second half and then converting it to give NSW a 6-4 victory.

After repeat sets on the Queensland line, Daly Cherry-Evans fell for a Hodkinson dummy and he scooted over to score.

Jarryd Hayne saved the day for NSW early in the second half with a last ditch tackle forcicng the ball from Sam Thaiday just as he was about to score.

Johnathan Thurston earlier kicked two first-half penalties to give Queensland a 4-0 lead at half-time.

"I've never wanted anything more in my life," Robbie Farah said after the match.

"I think about it every day, the losses over the last few years hurt so bad.. I'm sure my mum has a great big smile on her face watching down on us.

"We hung in there - it wasn't pretty but we kept banging on the door until we broke through."

Blues coach Laurie Daley paid tribute to the almost 84,000 strong crowd.

"My heart is racing.. the crowd got us home," Daley said.

GALLERY: ALL THE BEST PICS FROM ORIGIN II

MATCH CENTRE: Teams, Match Tracker, Polls and Stats as they happen

See how the match unfolded and check out all the post-game reaction.

Join us four our all day coverage of the build up to the big game and stay with us as we cover the game with our live blog below!

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Two senior bikies on drugs charges

The Gang Crime Squad has charged a senior member of the Bandidos bikie gang over a high-speed police chase.

THE two most senior members in the Bandidos bikie gang in WA are facing drugs charges, with one getting arrested last week following a high speed car chase.

PerthNow can reveal the president and the vice president of the WA chapter of the Bandidos bikie gang are before the courts on drug related charges.

A 38-year-old man was granted bail this morning when he faced the Fremantle Magistrate's Court, following his arrest at Perth Airport last night.

Police sources say he is the president of the Bandidos in WA.

He has been charged with possessing a prohibited drug with intent to sell or supply and will face court again next month.

The 38-year-old man's arrest followed the arrest of another man following an alleged high speed car chase in Munster last week.

A still image from Police Air Wing vision, showing the target vehicle being stopped and surrounded by police officers. Source: Supplied

The 40-year-old man from East Riverton, who sources say is the Bandidos vice president, was arrested last Thursday after he allegedly led police on a wild car chase which reached speeds of 200km/h.

It's also alleged he threw items out of the car window during the chase.

He has been charged with a string of drug and driving offences. He faced court last week and was refused bail, and he will front court again on June 20.

PerthNow first revealed the presence of the Bandidos in WA last October after it took over the Rock Machine bikie gang in a "patch over" deal.

The Bandidos emerged in Australia more than 30 years ago following a split from another notorious bikie gang, the Comancheros.

In addition to the Bandidos, there are another eight outlaw motorcycle gangs in WA today.

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‘Bogus blip’ that foiled MH370 search

As it has unfolded, the mystery of missing flight MH370 and the incredible twists and turns in world news coverage.

THE search for the missing Malaysian Flight MH370 is yet to target the most likely crash site, having been distracted by what is now believed to have been a bogus signal, British company Inmarsat claims.

Inmarsat's scientists told the BBC's Horizon program that they had calculated the plane's most likely flight path and a "hotspot" in the southern Indian Ocean in which it most likely came down.

100 DAYS ON: FAMILIES DESPERATE FOR ANSWERS

Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

The flight lost contact on March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with total of 239 passengers and crew on board.

Hourly pings sent by the plane were received by Inmarsat's spacecraft, leading scientists to calculate its likely path. Australian naval vessel Ocean Shield was dispatched to investigate, but before reaching the likely site, began to detect a signal that it believed was coming from the plane's black box, Inmarsat told the BBC program.

The Australian vessel Ocean Shield has headed up the MH370 search. Picture: AP Source: AP

Two months were spent searching 850 sq km of sea bed northwest of Perth, but the source of the "pings" was not found and a submersible robot found no evidence of the airliner.

"It was by no means an unrealistic location, but it was further to the northeast than our area of highest probability," Chris Ashton at Inmarsat told Horizon.

Experts from the satellite firm modelled the most likely flight path using the hourly pings and assuming a speed and heading consistent with the plane being flown by autopilot.

A US Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 78, which was involved in the search in March. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

"We can identify a path that matches exactly with all those frequency measurements and with the timing measurements and lands on the final arc at a particular location, which then gives us a sort of a hotspot area on the final arc where we believe the most likely area is," explained Ashton.

After coming under criticism from relatives over the futile search, Malaysia's civil aviation authority and Inmarsat last month decided to release the raw data.

However, its complexity has led to few independent conclusions being drawn about the likely crash site.

Malaysian Selamat Umar, whose son Mohamad Khairul Amri was on the ill-fated jetliner, questioned the motives behind the data release.

"I am not convinced at all by the data," he said."Why are they releasing it now? Before when we asked for it, they did not want to release it. What can we do with it now?

"I think they could have made some changes to the data," Selamat, 60, added.

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