PM praises decades of Vietnamese success

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has praised more than 35 years of Vietnamese ambition, commitment and goodwill in Australia.

Ms Gillard took part in a Vietnamese New Year festival in Sydney on Saturday evening.

"In 1977, a small wooden vessel threaded its way through the Gulf of Thailand and the waters to our north before finding landfall near Darwin," Ms Gillard said in a speech at the Fairfield Showground, in the city's west.

"The boat's cargo: 31 people in search of a better life.

She said the Vietnamese migration was a challenge for Australia because it was the first broad-scale migration from Asia since the gold rush.

"... after the first Vietnamese came to Australia, this community is seeing its pioneers grow old," Ms Gillard said.

"Its children succeed and prosper in all aspects of national life.

"Its grandchildren speak in broad Aussie accents."

Ms Gillard also praised the progress of Vietnamese refugees, many of whom came with only the "the clothes on their backs".

"Yet you did not come empty-handed," she said.

"You came with hope to this land of new beginnings."

"You matched opportunity with effort. Citizenship with commitment. Acceptance with goodwill.

"So four decades since the journey began, we are here as civic leaders to share this festival and to say: thank you."

The Chinese and Vietnamese 2013 lunar new year is the Year of the Snake.

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What a hoot: how owls rotate their heads

US researchers have figured out how owls can almost fully rotate their heads. Source: AAP

US medical specialists from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have figured out how owls can almost fully rotate their heads - by as much as 270 degrees in either direction.

The birds do so while hunting without damaging the delicate blood vessels in their necks and heads, and without cutting off blood supply to their brains.

"Until now, brain imaging specialists like me who deal with human injuries caused by trauma to arteries in the head and neck have always been puzzled as to why rapid, twisting head movements did not leave thousands of owls lying dead on the forest floor from stroke," said interventional neuroradiologist Philippe Gailloud, the lead author of the study.

To solve the puzzle, the team studied the bone and blood vessel structure in the heads and necks of several types of owls after their deaths from natural causes.

A contrast dye was used to enhance X-ray imaging of the birds' blood vessels, which were then meticulously dissected, drawn and scanned to allow detailed analysis.

The most striking finding came after researchers injected dye into the owls' arteries, mimicking blood flow, and manually turned the animals' heads, the study says.

Blood vessels at the base of the head, just under the jaw bone, kept getting larger and larger, turning into reservoirs as more of the dye entered the system.

This contrasted starkly with human anatomical ability, where arteries generally tend to get smaller and smaller, and do not balloon as they branch out.

Researchers believe these blood reservoirs allow owls to pool blood to meet the energy needs of their large brains and eyes, while they rotate their heads.

The supporting vascular network, with its many interconnections and adaptations, helps minimise any interruption in blood flow, the study said.

"Our new study results show precisely what morphological adaptations are needed to handle such head gyrations and why humans are so vulnerable to osteopathic injury from chiropractic therapy," said Gailloud.

The team's findings appear in the February 1 issue of the journal Science.

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Body found in bushland near Bendigo

A CYCLIST has discovered the body of a man while riding near Bendigo.

Police say the cyclist reported the grim finding to them while riding at Strathfieldsaye, northwest of Melbourne, at around 4pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

A crime scene has been established at the site.

Police said it was too early to determine a cause of death.

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Panasonic posts $A6.5bn loss

PANASONIC said it lost about $US6.77 billion ($A6.52 billion) in the nine months to December and was on track to lose a whopping $A8 billion.

The struggling electronics giant's nine-month net loss, revealed on Friday, nearly doubled its year earlier shortfall, while sales slipped 8.8 per cent to 5.44 trillion yen.

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US victims' group fury over church abuse

THE archbishop of Los Angeles has stripped his predecessor of all church duties as he released files on more than 100 clerics, as required under a 2007 lawsuit deal over alleged sex abuse.

Archbishop Jose Gomez said retired Cardinal Roger Mahony would "no longer have any administrative or public duties", while Mahony's former top adviser on sex-abuse issues, Thomas Curry, has stepped down as a regional bishop.

"These files document abuses that happened decades ago. But that does not make them less serious," he wrote, releasing the personnel files online after prolonged wrangling over whether the names should be blanked out.

"I find these files to be brutal and painful reading. The behaviour described in these files is terribly sad and evil. There is no excuse, no explaining away what happened to these children.

"The priests involved had the duty to be their spiritual fathers and they failed," Gomez added. "We need to acknowledge that terrible failure today."

But the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a victims' group, dismissed Curry's resignation as a "small, belated step in the right direction" and said "hand-slapping Mahony is a nearly meaningless gesture."

"The lesson here for Catholic staff is clear: if you successfully conceal your wrongdoing, you can keep your job. If, however, you fail, there's an extraordinarily slim chance you might experience some slight consequences," SNAP director David Clohessy said in a statement.

In all, 124 files were released on the LA archdiocese's website, listed by priests' names, including 82 containing information on allegations of childhood sexual abuse.

In one, an alleged victim lashes out at Mahony's suggestion that he seek comfort from the church.

"You expect me to go and receive the sacrament of reconciliation and then that of Holy Communion at the hands of a priest??" the letter asked.

"I am sure I wasn't the only SOB he molested. I could've sued, I could've told my parents, I could've??? Instead, I did what I was told to do ... 'Leave it to God' and lived with the pain, in silence."

The files, containing roughly 12,000 pages of letters, memos and other documents, are viewable at http://clergyfiles.la-archdiocese.org/listing.html.

The archdiocese reached a $US660 million ($A635.93 million) settlement with about 500 alleged victims in 2007. As part of that deal, the archdiocese agreed to release the personnel files of clergy accused of abuse.

An LA judge had originally ruled that the archdiocese could redact the names of priests and church leaders, but that decision was later reversed.

Some files were released last week, showing evidence of Mahony and Curry discussing how to prevent law enforcement from learning about alleged child molestations over a decade before they became public knowledge.

The files were published online just hours after LA Superior Court Judge Emilie Elias gave a February 22 deadline for the documents to be released.

In his letter accompanying the newly released documents, Gomez noted that Mahony had expressed regret for failing to protect youths in his care.

"We need to pray for everyone who has ever been hurt by members of the Church. And we need to continue to support the long and painful process of healing their wounds and restoring the trust that was broken," he said.

But Esther Hatfield, leader of SNAP's Los Angeles chapter, dismissed the move as a "media gambit", saying church officials, including Gomez, "have relentlessly and expensively and successfully fought for years to keep these horrific secrets secret".

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Police charge man with west Sydney murder

A 26-year-old man has been charged with murdering a 66-year-old woman in Sydney's west. Source: AAP

A 26-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with murdering a 66-year-old woman in Sydney's west.

Police said they were called to a home in Lucas Street, Emu Plains, where they found the woman unconscious and suffering head wounds, about 10am on Thursday.

The woman later died in hospital, police said in a statement.

Police at the hospital arrested the 26-year-old, who they say knew the woman, and charged him with murder.

He was refused bail and will front Parramatta Local Court on Friday.

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Minister lauds cheap abortion pill moves

A family planning group has applied to put abortion drugs on the PBS, says Minister Tanya Plibersek. Source: AAP

FEDERAL Health Minister Tanya Plibersek has congratulated a family planning group for its efforts to put a controversial abortion drug on a list of taxpayer-subsidised medicines.

But she stressed on Thursday she would not interfere with Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) deliberations over whether to add Mifepristone Linepharma and GyMiso (Misoprostol) to the list of subsidised drugs.

A not-for-profit subsidiary of reproductive health group Marie Stopes International, MS Health, has applied for the two drugs to be added to the list of PBS medicines.

"Australian women have been unusual in the world in not having access to these drugs," Ms Plibersek told reporters.

"Tens of millions of women have taken them around the world, and I congratulate Marie Stopes ... for steering the listing of these drugs through the therapeutic drugs administration and now making this application to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee."

Mifepristone is better known in Australia as RU486, which Opposition Leader Tony Abbott tried to ban when he was health minister in 2006.

That led to a conscience vote in the parliament which deprived the minister of regulatory control of the drug.

"Although I absolutely won't interfere in the listing process as former health minister Tony Abbott wanted to do, these drugs have been on the World Health Organisation list of essential medicines for some time now," Ms Plibersek said.

A Marie Stopes spokeswoman told AAP the drugs would cost women about $250-350 if they were not listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, depending on pharmacists' retail margins.

PBS-listed drugs are cheaper for consumers, effectively making them more widely available.

"Most of the listed medicines are dispensed by pharmacists and used by patients at home," the spokeswoman said.

"As it stands, surgical abortion is funded through Medicare and Mifepristone Linepharma may be a good candidate for PBS reimbursement.

"We believe in ensuring accessible and affordable choices for women and would like to see both methods equally available to women."

The PBAC will consider the application in March, but its response is not expected to be known for months.

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Qld payroll inquiry to begin hearings

QUEENSLAND'S $5 million inquiry into the state's health payroll bungle will begin on Friday.

The inquiry, to be led by former Court of Appeal Judge Richard Chesterman QC, will investigate the 2010 rollout of a flawed payroll system which left thousands of Queensland health workers underpaid, overpaid or not paid at all.

It will look into how IT company IBM came to be hired for the task, its implementation of the system, and the quality of information provided by the Queensland government.

Taxpayers are facing an estimated $1.2 billion bill associated with the problem-plagued system, adopted under the Bligh Labor government.

Premier Campbell Newman announced the inquiry last year, saying taxpayers deserved to know why they've been left with such an enormous bill.

Mr Chesterman is due to hand down his report by April 30.

The inquiry will open at 10am (AEST) in the Brisbane Magistrates Court.

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Police investigate Wollongong sex assault

POLICE are investigating the sexual assault of an 18-year-old woman who may have had her drink spiked at a pub in Wollongong, south of Sydney.

Police said the woman was out with friends at a pub early on Thursday morning when a man bought her a drink.

The woman remembered dancing for a short time at the pub and then waking up about 3.45am to find the man assaulting her.

She made it to Memorial Park at Corrimal and a friend took her to Wollongong Police Station.

She was later taken to Wollongong Hospital for treatment, police said in a statement.

Police are examining the possibility that the woman's drink was spiked.

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Senator wants disaster insurance scheme

SA Independent Nick Xenophon will push for the introduction of a natural disaster insurance scheme. Source: AAP

INDEPENDENT senator Nick Xenophon has called for the introduction of a federal natural disaster insurance scheme in the wake of the latest floods in Queensland.

Senator Xenophon said those suffering most from the floods were those unable to get insurance or who were under-insured.

He said an insurance scheme had operated successfully in the United States since 1968 and he would now push for a Senate inquiry into establishing a similar program in Australia.

Under such a proposal property owners in designated communities would be able to purchase insurance at a fair and competitive rate from a government-backed entity.

But the insurance would come with broader obligations for flood mitigation measures to be implemented at a community level and also for no new homes to be built in flood-prone areas.

"Given that potentially hundreds of thousands of Australians can't obtain affordable flood insurance, there is no reason why a similar approach shouldn't be adopted here," Senator Xenophon said.

"What we need to do is have a natural disaster approach - a holistic approach - around the whole country.

"That way you spread the risk."

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Bollywood star defends Muslim comments

BOLLYWOOD superstar Shah Rukh Khan insists he is "safe and happy" in India in a bid to end a controversy sparked by an article he wrote on being Muslim in the Hindu-majority country.

The piece led Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik to say that India should provide Khan with security. India's Home Secretary R.K. Singh responded curtly that Pakistan should look after its own citizens.

Reading out a lengthy statement to journalists late on Tuesday, Khan said his piece in the magazine Outlook Turning Points had taken an "unwarranted twist".

"Nowhere does the article state or imply directly or indirectly that I feel unsafe, troubled or disturbed in India," he said.

In the magazine piece, he wrote that he sometimes became "the inadvertent object of political leaders who choose to make me a symbol of all that they think is wrong and unpatriotic about Muslims in India".

The Indian actor said he had occasionally been accused of bearing allegiance to Muslim-majority Pakistan, and had been urged by leaders at political rallies to leave India and return to what they called his "original homeland".

Khan has been targeted by the Shiv Sena, a far-right Hindu nationalist party headquartered in Mumbai that has often pushed an anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim agenda.

The Shiv Sena threatened cinemas showing his 2010 film My Name is Khan after he spoke in favour of Pakistani cricketers playing in the Indian Premier League.

On Tuesday, Khan said it was "irksome" to have to clarify the "non-existent" issue sparked by his recent article.

"I would like to tell all those who are offering me unsolicited advice that we in India are extremely safe and happy. We have an amazing democratic, free and secular way of life."

Khan emerged last week at the top of Forbes India's first Celebrity 100 list, based on income and popularity, after he raked in an estimated $US37.7 million ($A36.21 million) last year.

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Wesfarmers sales up, record Xmas numbers

Wesfarmers lifted sales in all its retail businesses in the first half of the financial year. Source: AAP

WESFARMERS lifted its first half sales across all retail divisions as customers flocked to its stores in record numbers over the Christmas period.

Managing director Richard Goyder said Australians left their festive shopping until the last minute in 2012 but a record number of customers and $1 billion of sales were achieved in the week leading up to Christmas, indicating consumer confidence was slowly improving.

"Australia is still in pretty good shape," he said.

"Consumers came to our stores in record numbers over Christmas.

"The Australian consumer is relatively in a good place and I think the Australian economy is relatively in a good place as well."

Wesfarmers' supermarket giant Coles and home improvement business Bunnings recorded the strongest growth for the six months to December 31.

Coles' sales for the 2012/13 first half were $18.3 billion, up 4.9 per cent on the previous corresponding period.

Sales at Bunnings were $4.0 billion, an increase of 5.7 per cent on the 2011/12 first half.

He said the reduction of bad economic news from overseas, recent gains on equity markets, the stabilisation of house prices and falling interest rates were all slowly assisting consumer sentiment.

"I don't think people are feeling worse," Mr Goyder said.

"They're probably feeling a little bit better, if not cautious."

Kmart sales were for the first half were $2.4 billion, up 1.2 per cent, on the previous corresponding period with continued growth in transactions and units sold.

"The focus on driving volume and improving our operational execution resulted in good performance in stores across Australia and New Zealand," Kmart managing director Guy Russo said.

Target sales for the six months to December 31 were $2.1 billion, an increase of 1.2 per cent on first half 2011/12.

Target managing director Dene Rogers said he was satisfied with the progress made on the strategy to improve customer service and strengthen Target's mid-tier position.

Wesfarmers operates the Curragh coal mine in Queensland's Bowen Basin and announced on Wednesday that its production in the three months to December 31 was down 6.4 per cent on the same period in 2011/12.

The company said that the fall was caused mainly by a scheduled shutdown of the mine but that rainfall in January, as well as a lack of rail and port availability, had also affected production.

It said it expected coal sales for the 2012/13 financial year to be in the range of 7.5 million to eight million tonnes.

Wesfarmers shares were down 1.78 per cent, or 69 cents, to $38.13 on Wednesday.

IG Markets broker Chris Weston said the fall in the share price was due to food and liquor sales being mildly below expectations and that Wesfarmers had downgraded its coal division.

"This result is not going to change the fundamental story of the business," he said.

"It's still a quality business with a good story still intact, it's just getting expensive."

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Swimmer feared dead is found safe

A SWIMMER feared drowned off the NSW Central Coast has been found safe and well on dry land.

The man had been last seen walking into the water in Cabbage Tree Bay at Norah Head about 4pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Another swimmer became concerned for the man's welfare when he failed to return to the shore and collect his belongings.

Police were alerted on Sunday and immediately launched a search.

It continued on Tuesday morning but was hampered by wild weather, with police holding little hope the man had survived days in the water.

However, a member of the public contacted police later in the day, telling them they believed a man staying with them during the wet weather was the person police were looking for.

Officers spoke with the man who confirmed that he had gone for a swim and when he returned to the beach he couldn't find his gear.

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Peris wins ALP's top Senate spot in NT

Olympian Nova Peris is set be endorsed for the top spot on Labor's NT Senate ticket. Source: AAP

NOVA Peris says she's worked in the community for years without seeking attention and deserves to be at the top of Labor's Northern Territory Senate ticket.

On Tuesday the ALP's national executive formally endorsed Ms Peris as the party's No.1 candidate to represent the NT in the Senate when a poll is held later this year.

The move has triggered anger among some in the ALP who claim Ms Peris is a token appointment and that her Aboriginality and success as an Olympian are being used to try to strengthen their vote.

Ms Peris has rejected suggestions she isn't up to the job.

"I go about my business," Ms Peris told journalists on Tuesday after her pre-selection victory was made official.

"I don't seek media attention for the stuff that I have done at a community level."

She said there was no stronger message to young kids in disadvantaged communities than to see one of their own succeed.

Ms Peris was born in Darwin and grew up locally, living through the devastation of Cyclone Tracy in 1974.

Her preselection on Tuesday came about after unusual intervention from Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who said she was making a "captain's pick" to get Ms Peris onto her team.

Before being called up by the prime minister, Ms Peris was not even a member of the ALP.

The former sprinter and Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist said it had been a tough period for her, after accusations she misused government funds for a girl's academy she champions and revelations she was picked up for drink-driving in the ACT.

"The personal attacks have been hurtful," she said.

Senator Trish Crossin, who was ousted from her spot at the top of the ALP's Senate ticket by Ms Peris's appointment, said the preselection process had been personally disappointing.

She ruled out standing as an independent after 30 years of membership with the ALP and trade unions.

Senator Crossin said she may have announced her retirement if she had been told she was to be cast aside so Nova Peris could be given her job.

"Perhaps if people had a discussion with me prior to last week then my retirement plans may have occurred earlier," Senator Crossin said after learning she had lost top spot on the ALP ticket.

"That didn't occur and I was put in a situation where I was told that this was going to be the outcome," she said in Darwin.

NT ALP member Marion Scrymgour, who had planned to contest preselection, was scathing of Ms Peris's appointment.

"I will be making sure that Aboriginal people in the bush clearly understand how deceitful this prime minister is, and the Labor Party," Ms Scrymgour told AAP.

"Clearly Labor hasn't learnt from the last election.

"I think that just smacks of arrogance when it comes to Aboriginal people."

Joan Peris, Nova's mother, said critics of her daughter had underestimated her.

"I always knew she was destined to be something for everybody," she said.

Jessica Peris, Nova's 22-year-old daughter, said it had been hard to hear criticisms of her mother.

"No one likes to hear negative things about their family members and especially about your mother," she said.

"I am extremely proud of her and know that she is very capable of doing a very good job," she said.

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Qantas confirm cabin pressure problem

Qantas is refusing to say why a flight from Brisbane to Townsville had to divert to Rockhampton. Source: AAP

QANTAS has confirmed a flight that had to be diverted en route from Brisbane to Townsville was having cabin pressure problems.

The flight, QF974, was expected to land in Townsville in north Queensland at 3.50pm (AEST) on Tuesday.

It was instead diverted to Rockhampton in central Queensland.

Qantas wouldn't say initially why the diversion occurred, but later on Tuesday released a statement saying the crew noticed the Boeing 737-800 "was not maintaining its normal cabin pressure".

"In line with standard procedure, the captain initiated a descent to 10,000 feet (3km)," the statement read.

"Passengers were advised that because the aircraft wasn't maintaining its normal cabin pressure, they would fly at a lower altitude and divert to Rockhampton instead of continuing to Townsville."

Flight tracking data shows the aircraft dropped from about 40,000 ft (12.2km) to 10,000ft (3km) in about five minutes.

Qantas said passengers were "calm" throughout the descent and there were no reports of anyone on board suffering any adverse effects.

Engineers examined the plane at Rockhampton and a replacement aircraft was en route to take passengers to Townsville.

The incident has been reported authorities and Qantas said it would work with Boeing to investigate the case.

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) spokesman told AAP it would be investigating.

"Obviously, we'll be looking at it very closely and in due course," he said.

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Two WA bushfires threatening homes

Homes and lives are under threat from two out of control bushfires burning in WA, authorities say. Source: AAP

HOMES and lives are under threat from two bushfires burning in Western Australia.

A watch and act alert has been issued for people in Ambergate Road, Queen Elizabeth Avenue, Doyle Road and Edwards Road in the southern part of Ambergate, in the City of Busselton, in the state's South West region.

Authorities say the suspicious blaze started on Monday afternoon between Queen Elizabeth Road and Doyle Road near the Ambergate Nature Reserve.

"There is a possible threat to lives and homes as a fire is approaching the area and conditions are changing," the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) says.

"You need to leave or get ready to actively defend."

The bushfire has burnt 12 hectares and is moving slowly in a north-westerly direction towards the intersection of Ambergate Road and Edwards Road.

DFES warns the blaze is out of control and unpredictable.

Burning embers are likely to be blown around and spot fires are starting ahead of the fire, the DFES says.

In a separate blaze, homes and plantations are being threatened by a bushfire burning about 900 kilometres north of Perth.

A watch and act alert has been issued for people in Miaboolya Road, Bibbawarra Road, North River Road and surrounding areas in the north-eastern part of Carnarvon, on the state's north coast.

DFES said the fire, which started on Monday morning, could affect plantations along North River Road.

Residents have been advised to put their bushfire survival plan into action.

DFES says the out of control and unpredictable bushfire is moving slowly in a north-westerly direction along Miaboolya Road.

Burning embers are likely to be blown around and spot fires could start ahead of the fire, DFES warns.

The cause of the blaze is unknown.

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Winds and more rain roar towards Sydney

GALES and heavy rainfall will pound the NSW coast as far south as Sydney and the Illawarra region, possibly causing seawater flooding, forecasters say.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Julie Evans said the heaviest rainfall from ex-cyclone Oswald was likely to hit the Hunter Valley on Monday night.

The storm is expected to track south to Sydney before midnight with heavy rainfall until early on Tuesday.

A gale warning for Sydney's closed waters has been issued, with winds expected to reach 65km/h early on Tuesday morning and seas increasing up to 1.5 metres.

A road weather alert for Sydney says flooded roads and reduced visibility is expected to make driving dangerous across the city until Tuesday morning.

"We are expecting good rainfalls across Sydney overnight," Ms Evans told AAP.

"The strongest wind gusts will be on the coastal fringe.

"The winds are very much offshore, and it's a matter of how inshore they come."

Heavy surf is expected to extend down the coast to Sydney from Coffs Harbour, where waves are averaging six metres, with the biggest up to 10 metres and their effect accentuated by abnormally high tides.

"There could be seawater flooding of low-lying areas and very heavy surf, which could lead to localised damage and coastal erosion," Ms Evans said.

She said "the dangerous surf would not vanish as quickly" as the rainfall and high winds.

"It will linger on Tuesday and possibly even Wednesday," she said.

The Illawarra region is also likely to experience strong winds as the low-pressure system moves past Sydney.

"Initially, we didn't think it would extend so far south," Ms Evans said.

A severe weather warning for destructive and damaging winds, heavy rain, abnormally high tides and damaging surf is in place for the Illawarra region and could extend to the south coast.

The State Emergency Service has told people to move vehicles away from trees, secure loose items around houses and balconies and keep clear of fallen power lines.

People should not drive, ride or walk through floodwater, should keep clear of creeks and storm drains, and if trapped by flash flooding should seek refuge in the highest available place.

Ms Evans said some towns in northern NSW had received more than 900mm of rain in the past 24 hours.

People should ring triple-0 if they need rescuing.

Royal Life Saving Society chief operating officer Justin Scarr said the flooding and high seas were a concern, given there were more than 30 flood-related deaths in the 2011 floods.

A pupil-free day in NSW was also a worry, Mr Scarr said.

"We'd urge parents to sit their children down and talk about the dangers of swimming in flooded waterways or playing near waterways because there were a number of child drownings in the last floods," he told AAP.

Mr Scarr said coastal waters would be incredibly polluted and seas dangerous.

"The conditions tomorrow will not even be (safe) for experienced, surfers."

A high proportion of people who drowned in floods were older people trying to get their cars through causeways to get home, Mr Scarr said.

People should leave rescues to emergency services personnel.

"In flooded rivers, this is particularly dangerous and people shouldn't enter the water in an attempt to save someone else," Mr Scarr said.

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Hundreds need help as Oswald hits Tweed

Residents have been evacuated in northern NSW as ex-tropical cyclone Oswald heads south. Source: AAP

RESIDENTS along the Tweed River in northern NSW are bracing for heavy flooding and hundreds have already called for help as ex-tropical cyclone Oswald heads south.

The river was at 4.41 metres and rising at Murwillumbah at lunchtime on Monday and the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued a major flood warning for the town.

The State Emergency Service said its volunteers were door-knocking around South Murwillumbah about 11am (AEDT) before the levy breached.

The river is expected to hit five metres at around 6pm (AEDT) on Monday.

State SES spokesman Phil Campbell said only a handful had been forced to leave their homes but an evacuation centre at the nearby Sacred Heart Catholic church hall was ready to take up to 200 people.

Libby Spash, SES spokeswoman for the Richmond and Tweed area, said about 120 to 200 people were thought to be isolated in the area.

Mr Campbell said there had been 13 flood rescues across the state, mainly involving people who had ignored warnings and tried to drive through floodwaters in the Tweed area.

The SES has received 1400 calls for help, at least 500 of them from the Richmond Tweed region.

"The majority of those are up in the northeast corner of the state, near Lismore and Murwillumbah," he said.

People can no longer travel in or out of the town of Tumbulgum, northeast of Murwillumbah.

Along the Tweed Coast, residents at Chinderah, Kingscliff, Fingal Head were being asked early on Monday afternoon to prepare for a possible evacuation.

Fingal Head residents were told to stay were they were because they were already isolated.

"Continue to listen to the radio and keep a close eye of the storm," Ms Spash said.

At Tweed Hospital, patients were being moved after a "significant part" of the roof was ripped off by damaging winds.

Emergency services were also working to put a tarpaulin on Ballina Hospital's roof after part of it was upended by the wind.

Ms Spash said it was not having a significant impact on the hospital's operations.

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Bushfire bears down on Vic town of Boho

Rain has slowed the progress of two major bushfires burning in eastern Victoria. Source: AAP

A LARGE, fast moving out-of-control bushfire which has burnt out 750 hectares is heading towards the community of Boho, near Benalla in northeast Victoria.

The CFA says the fire, which is travelling in a northeasterly direction, is creating spot fires one kilometre ahead of itself.

More than 40 CFA tankers and five aircraft are fighting the blaze.

The CFA advises Boho resident that if they plan to leave, or do not have a survival plan, they should go now.

The Emergency Alert affects the area bounded by Harrys Creek Road, Hayes Road, Boho Church Road and School Road.

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NSW Police urge care on wet roads

POLICE are urging motorists in NSW to slow down and drive cautiously in the wet weather following 127 major crashes on Saturday.

The weather is expected to deteriorate further on Monday as ex-tropical cyclone Oswald tracks south from Queensland.

NSW Police said on Sunday that officers on the first day of the long weekend on Saturday attended 127 major crashes in which 46 people suffered injuries, but fortunately there were no deaths.

More than 800 motorists were detected speeding and issued with speeding infringement notices, while more than 42,000 breath tests of drivers resulted in 47 people being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Double demerits points are being enforced for speeding, seatbelt/restraint and helmet offences until the end of Monday.

Acting Superintendent Mark Cook, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, said motorists needed to maintain focus on the roads in the weather conditions.

"We are asking motorists to take extra caution when driving and ensure they are well rested before starting out on their trip."

Acting Supt Cook urged drivers to consider delaying their travel plans until conditions improve.

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Brisbane expected to flood

FORECASTERS expect minor floods in the Brisbane and Bremer rivers, but Queensland premier Campbell Newman says it will be nothing like what happened in 2011.

If current projections play out, 3600 residential properties will be affected in Brisbane, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said.

He said of those 2100 were unit dwellings, where the ground floor might be flood but upper levels would not.

"There would also be 1500 detached homes that would be impacted if that scenario were to occur," Mr Quirk said.

He said 1250 business properties would also be affected in Brisbane.

"This is not 2011. It is a much lesser event," Mr Quirk said.

Mr Newman said there would be minor floods in the Brisbane River, and in the Bremer River that flows through the city of Ipswich to the west of Brisbane.

He said flood maps would shortly be released by the Brisbane and Ipswich councils, with lists of affected suburbs.

"The peak of any flood will occur in Ipswich we believe around midnight tomorrow (Monday) night," Mr Newman said.

"Similarly the peak at the western side of the Brisbane City Council boundary will be about midnight on Monday night."

He said the worst of the projected flooding would be seen in the heart of Brisbane around noon on Tuesday, with another peak expected at noon on Wednesday.

"The flood levels projected will be much lower that what we saw in 2011," the premier told reporters on Sunday afternoon.

Mr Newman said flood peaks would be much less than what was experienced in 2011.

Brisbane is expecting a 2.6m flood peak, nearly half of the 4.46m peak in 2011.

The Ipswich peak is expected to be five metres less than the 19.4m in 2011.

"There will be flooding but the flooding is much much lower than what we saw in 2011," he said.

Mr Newman said the projections were based on the best scientific modelling by forecasters.

He said the projections may not eventuate, but authorities had a duty to share the information so residents of both cities could be as prepared as possible.

Mr Newman said that during the 2011 flood, he didn't feel people were given enough warning and he was determined to ensure that never happened again.

"If it doesn't occur, then I'm sorry in advance," the premier said.

"We want to give the communities in Brisbane and Ipswich, on the Brisbane and Bremer rivers, the best possible information as soon as it is available."

He urged people not to panic, but to check the flood maps and to prepare if they were in an area that might flood.

Mr Newman said there was flooding in the Lockyer Creek and the Bremer River which fed into the Brisbane River downstream of Wivenhoe dam.

"Those flows cannot be controlled by anybody," he said.

He said dams like Wivenhoe acted as "shock absorbers" do in cars.

"They are designed to take the impacts, the bumps out of the road. If you hit a small bump, you barely feel it. If you hit a great big bump, the impact really rocks you around.

"Dam managers are doing everything they can to take the shock out of the system and ensure we have the lowest possible levels in the Brisbane river."

Moggill is projected to be the first Brisbane suburb to be flood-affected on Monday afternoon.

Mr Quirk said predictions had worsened significantly late on Sunday.

"It's worse than what we would have thought at lunchtime," he told reporters.

"So the intensity of the rainfall in certain localities, the modelling that is now before us is indicating that the amount of water coming down from the west will result in flooding in the Brisbane River."

The premier said there was some good news - rainfalls are easing in the catchments of the Brisbane and Stanley rivers, which flow into Wivenhoe and Somerset dams.

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