Deadly wind change blamed for fire death

FIREFIGHTERS who battled a bushfire in Western Australia last summer were not warned about a deadly wind change until moments before the flames engulfed their vehicles, killing firefighter Wendy Bearfoot.

Ms Bearfoot, 45, died and several others were injured when their trucks were trapped by a fast-moving firestorm at Black Cat Creek last October.

A report into the deadly bushfire near Albany revealed vital weather forecasts showing dramatic changes in conditions were not passed on in full to the firefighters in the heat of the battle.

And the investigation, released by the state's Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), concluded firefighters were left stranded in the so-called 'Dead Man's Zone' when the wind shifted, pushing flames towards the crews in moments.

"Within about four minutes, firefighters were trapped in a burnover," the report says.

"The nature of the terrain, thick vegetation and that the fire approached the crews on an angle from behind meant that they may not have been immediately aware ... until the fire was close, giving them a short time to react."

While the fire was jointly managed by the City of Albany, DFES and the former Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) none "had a direct line of control", the report revealed.

Plus the stranded crews had no in-cab radiant heat shields to protect them from the flames, and were not recently trained in what to do when they were trapped by a burnover.

The report made 10 recommendations, including all vehicles entering the fireground to be fitted with one accessible fire blanket per person, and fire managers receive more training about how to properly interpret weather forecasts.

Ms Bearfoot, a mother of three, suffered burns to more than 60 per cent of her body, and died three weeks later despite intensive treatment in Royal Perth Hospital's world-renowned burns unit.

Colleague Charlene Hordyk, 25, suffered severe burns to 20 per cent of her body.

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Mirabella under pressure in Indi

Sophie Mirabella is being challenged by a local independent in the Victorian electorate of Indi. Source: AAP

THE Victorian electorate of Indi is far from marginal.

But its sitting member is in serious danger of becoming one of this federal election's rarest of candidates - a coalition casualty.

Indi is represented by high-profile coalition shadow minister Sophie Mirabella who holds a nine per cent advantage after securing 52 per cent of the primary vote in the 2010 poll and who would normally benefit from the national tide of support for her party.

But thanks to a campaign based on simplicity and community values, Mrs Mirabella is under pressure from Cathy McGowan, a disaffected former Liberal and lifelong resident of the rural seat in the state's northeast.

Ms McGowan is somewhat hamstrung by her status as an independent, a group tainted in this election by the roles played in the Gillard and Rudd governments of independent MPs.

And she is confronted by opinion polls that place the Mirabella Liberal primary vote at 43 per cent to her 23 per cent.

In the face of all that, Ms McGowan is still in with a big chance of pulling off a major upset thanks to a campaign based on community involvement and well-managed preferences.

"The campaign's taken off like wildfire," Ms McGowan said.

"People have really grabbed hold of the idea of having a vision for their community."

Ms McGowan is set to receive preferential support from the Nationals candidate in what is seen as a backlash against the Liberal decision to run a candidate against high-profile National Andrew Broad in the Victorian seat of Mallee.

She will also benefit from Labor preferences.

Ms McGowan isn't joining the hopeful chorus of her supporters just yet, but she suspects the result probably won't be known on Saturday night.

"It's going to be very, very close," she said.

Indi covers the major centres south of the Murray of Wodonga, Benalla and Wangaratta, also taking in Victoria's Alpine region.

The area is also represented in state parliament by two Nationals MPs who have supported Ms McGowan.

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US births levelling off

US births may finally be levelling off after falling for four consecutive years. Source: AAP

AFTER falling four years in a row, US births may finally be levelling off.

The number of babies born last year - a little shy of four million - is only a few hundred less than the number in 2011, according to a government report released on Friday.

That suggests that lately, fewer couples may be scared away from having children because of the economy or other factors, some experts say. Among the signs of a possible turning point: The birth rate for women in their early 30s inched up for the first time since 2007.

"We may be on level course or potentially even see a rise" in birth trends in the near future, said Brady Hamilton, a statistician with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some are a bit more pessimistic.

"The decline has slowed down, but it's still a decline," said Carol Hogue, an Emory University expert on birth trends.

Falling births is a relatively new phenomenon in the US. Births were on the rise since the late 1990s and hit an all-time high of more than 4.3 million in 2007. The drop that followed was widely attributed to the nation's flagging economy. Experts believed that many women or couples who were out of work or had other money problems felt they couldn't afford to start or add to their family.

The economy officially was in a recession from December 2007 until June 2009. But well into 2011, polls showed most Americans remained gloomy, citing anaemic hiring, a depressed housing market and other factors.

The new CDC report is a first glimpse at 2012 birth certificate data from state health departments, but the numbers aren't expected to change much.

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Nikolic fined, convicted over Vic assaults

FORMER leading jockey Danny Nikolic has been fined $1500 for assaulting a fellow rider and a police officer, with a magistrate rejecting his self-defence claims.

Magistrate Angela Bolger questioned the reliability of Nikolic's evidence and found he punched the jockey and later assaulted the detective as they stood toe-to-toe.

Nikolic, who is already serving a two-year ban from racing for threatening Victoria's chief racing steward, was convicted and fined $1200 for recklessly causing injury to jockey Mark Pegus in January 2011.

He was also convicted of unlawfully assaulting Detective Senior Constable Julio Salerno after a police interview and fined $300.

"It's about what I expected," Nikolic said as he left the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday.

In April 2011, Nikolic was being interviewed over the Pegus allegation at a Melbourne police station when he made slight contact with Det Sen Const Salerno's forehead as they faced off in the interview room.

The 2003 Caulfield Cup winner claimed the detective had pushed him backwards into a chair, then grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the wall when he stood back up.

Ms Bolger rejected Nikolic's claim but said the detective could have handled the situation better.

"There was intemperate and inflammatory language used by all in this exchange," she said.

"Whether this incident ought to have been handled better by police, of that I have no doubt."

Det Sen Const Salerno was a member of the Purana taskforce when he participated in the routine interview as a corroborator.

He told the court the true purpose of his presence was to gather intelligence in relation to the murder of Sydney racing identity Les Samba.

Nikolic had earlier been interviewed by police in connection with the murder of Mr Samba, his former father-in-law, but cleared of any involvement.

Nikolic had also claimed Pegus was the instigator of their confrontation.

He told the court he had been working on a horse with Pegus but became infuriated when Pegus claimed he was injured and refused to ride.

He said he phoned Pegus to tell him their partnership was finished and warned him not to come to trackwork at Caulfield racecourse the following day.

When Pegus arrived, Nikolic took him into an office where he repeatedly punched him, giving him a cut lip and black eye.

Nikolic told the court Pegus had shoved him and he had pushed him against the wall, then wrestled him onto a desk in self-defence.

But Ms Bolger noted inconsistencies in Nikolic's initial statement to police and his evidence in court.

Racing Victoria spokesman Shaun Kelly said as Nikolic had been found guilty of assaulting a fellow rider on a race course, stewards would now consider if the matter should be pursued under the rules of racing.

Nikolic's 12-month disqualification from racing ended at midnight on Wednesday but he still has to serve a 12-month suspension.

He must reapply for a licence with Racing Victoria even if he wishes to ride trackwork during that suspension.

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Large blaze consumes Brisbane warehouse

A LARGE fire that consumed a Brisbane warehouse has been extinguished.

Cars and scrap metal were alight after fire broke out at a Woolloongabba warehouse, in inner Brisbane, about 2.30pm (AEST) on Thursday.

No injuries have been reported and fire investigators are looking into the cause.

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Perth arrest after apparent bank siege

PERTH police have taken a man into custody after responding to a potential armed siege inside a bank in the southern suburb of Byford.

An alarm was triggered at the Bendigo Bank around 1430 (WST).

With several police units on their way, it was reported a robber had entered the premises and locked the doors with customers and staff inside.

It was not immediately known if he was armed.

Police closed the South Western Highway in both directions between Larsen Road and Blytheswood Avenue as they responded to the incident.

They said a short time later a man had been taken into custody.

The 51 year-old surrendered himself to officers "without incident".

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Growth data highlights challenges: Bowen

FEDERAL Treasurer Chris Bowen believes the latest national accounts highlight the challenges facing Australia as the economy moves from the mining investment boom to broader economic growth.

Even so, the data released on Wednesday shows the economy has grown continuously over the six years Labor has been in power "in the face of the most difficult global circumstances since the Great Depression", he told Sky News on Wednesday.

The national accounts show the economy grew at a slightly stronger pace than economists expected - by 0.6 per cent in the June quarter and by 2.6 per cent annually.

While this was below the long-term trend of above three per cent, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the data still showed Australia's comparative strength in an uncertain global economic environment.

A report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development on Tuesday found that while there has been an improvement in growth momentum among major economies, "a sustainable recovery is not yet firmly established and important risks remain".

Mr Rudd said Australia had posted 22 years of continued positive growth - 11 under Labor.

"This is a good record for Australia," he said.

"What I fear most of all is if the consequence of (Opposition Leader Tony) Abbott's massive cuts, his hidden massive cuts, impact the health of our economy and run the risk of triggering a recession."

But Mr Abbott called Labor the "recession experts", noting the last one was under former prime minister Paul Keating.

He said growth remained subdued, demonstrating the need for a coalition government to abolish the carbon and mining taxes, cut red tape, and shift the industrial relations pendulum back to the sensible centre.

"This it what our country needs if we are going to have the growth and prosperity and the decent government services that people have a right to expect," he told reporters.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey also pointed to the World Economic Forum's latest global competitiveness report for 2013/14 in which Australia dropped one place to a ranking of 21.

Mr Hockey said that was influenced by wasteful government policy.

"The Australian economy continues to be fragile and business confidence remains below long term averages as business and consumers deal with a chaotic and dysfunctional government," Mr Hockey said in a statement.

Australian Industry Group chief economist Innes Willox said there was also further slippage in cost competitiveness.

"These results highlight ... the pressing need to improve key areas, including industrial relations, business regulation and company tax in order to lift our international competitiveness," Mr Willox said in a statement.

Professional accounting body CPA Australia chief executive Alex Malley said the continued slide in competitiveness should be a wake-up call for urgent and decisive action by an incoming government.

"It shows that the election campaign's fixation on costings has been at the expense of a genuine policy debate on substantive and necessary reform issues," he said in a statement.

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Rudd, Abbott battle over 'recession'

A new poll shows the coalition is on track to win Saturday's federal election. Source: AAP

KEVIN Rudd and Tony Abbott have both used the "r-word" while exchanging blows over the potential threats posed to the Australian economy by their policies, taxes and spending cuts.

Australia has avoided technical recession since the early 1990s despite rocky global economic conditions.

The prime minister said the latest official report showing annual growth of 2.6 per cent - well below the long-term average - underlined the need to avoid taking public spending out of the economy.

"Most of all, I fear an Australian economy which through Mr Abbott's massive cuts would risk triggering the economy into recession, with huge hits on jobs and huge hits on growth," Mr Rudd said while on the campaign trail in Melbourne.

The coalition plans to release its final spending and savings measures on Thursday, two days out from Saturday's election and in the electronic advertising black-out period.

Treasurer Chris Bowen on Wednesday released an updated list of the government's costings, declaring only Labor had properly followed the election accountability rules set up by former Howard coalition treasurer Peter Costello.

Mr Abbott said Labor's figures were a fudge because some policy costings were still to be released while other plans like that for a low-tax zone for the Northern Territory hadn't been costed at all.

The opposition leader said the last politician to lead Australia into recession was former Labor leader Paul Keating.

"Labor are the recession experts," Mr Abbott said while campaigning in Sydney.

"If you want strong economic growth, you know who to turn to."

The legally-enforced blackout for TV and radio advertising from midnight on Wednesday means Labor will not be able to use ads to counter the coalition's final costings.

As the latest ReachTEL poll gave the coalition a 52-48 two-party preferred lead over Labor, Mr Abbott said he was feeling confident about the election outcome.

"I am confident, but I am not cocky or complacent, because anything can happen in these last few days," he said.

Meanwhile, the Australian Greens released advice showing one of the coalition's key promises - to shut down the $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) - may not be easy.

The CEFC was set up by Labor to make commercial loans to finance clean energy projects.

Senate clerk Rosemary Laing said in written advice that legislation would need to be repealed to shut down the corporation, not simply a ministerial edict.

She wrote that a minister "who declined to carry out a statutory function ... contrary to the will of the parliament, would risk serious legal consequences, in addition to any legal action that could arise if lack of funding led to defaulting on specific contracts".

A CEFC spokeswoman said the corporation would consult with any incoming government.

But the corporation would continue to meet its legal and contractual obligations, including in relation to payments.

Greens Leader Christine Milne told the National Press Club in Canberra that voters were looking to the minor parties because the "old parties" were almost identical in terms of their policies and offered no new ideas.

However, despite never having met formally with Mr Abbott, Senator Milne said she was open to working with a coalition government on issues like paid parental leave, gun control and childhood obesity.

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Qld premier rules out another royalty hike

QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman says he won't repeat last year's controversial mining royalty hike.

His promise was made as he attended the opening of a new coal mine in the state's Bowen Basin by BHP Billiton and joint venture partner Mitsubishi.

Mr Newman's government hiked royalties on coal in 2012, infuriating miners like BHP.

"The changes we made to the royalty regime were made after a lot of soul searching and I guess with a heavy heart," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"We didn't like to do that at all, we won't be changing them again."

Mr Newman also said his government was working to pass regulatory reform that help mines to trim operating costs.

BHP's president of coal Dean Dalla Valle said he and Mr Newman had exchanged words about the impost of royalties, but also said the Queensland government had worked hard to ensure business achieved productivity in other areas.

The BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) has started production at the $US1.4 billion Daunia mine despite coking coal prices having plunged so far in the last two years that most coal mines have become unprofitable.

BMA also has plans to open another larger mine in 2015, and that comes after a year in which the group has been shrinking its coal operations.

It has shut two other coking coal mines, cutting jobs and contractors and slashing costs.

A protracted industrial dispute and wet weather have also hurt BMA's operations.

Mr Dalla Valle said he saw good long term demand for metallurgical coal despite the short term challenges, including supply from competitors in the US and China.

"We really want to turn this around and make it a very big fourth pillar for this company," he said, referring to BHP's other important businesses of iron ore, petroleum and copper.

Daunia's construction came in $200 million under budget, and the mine employs 450 workers.

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Palmer unlikely to win Fairfax

Billionaire Clive Palmer says there is a "massive movement" in support of his Palmer United Party. Source: AAP

CLIVE Palmer has close to zero chance of winning the seat he's contesting but that doesn't mean he won't have an influence in parliament.

Former footballer Glenn Lazarus and fellow Palmer United Party (PUP) Senate candidate Clive Mensink say they will both seek the mining magnate's advice if they snare spots in the Senate.

Mr Lazarus said he would consult Mr Palmer in deciding how to vote in the upper house.

"Clive's a very successful businessman ... I'd be silly not to ask for his advice," Mr Lazarus told ABC radio on Tuesday.

Mr Mensink told AAP he was confident Mr Palmer would segregate his business interests from the interests of the nation.

"Clive would still be the leader of the party and Glenn (Lazarus) and I would still be aligned to the party," he said.

"He is dedicated to the country. He would do whatever benefits the country."

Griffith University political analyst Paul Williams says Mr Palmer has "close to zero" chance of winning the seat of Fairfax.

"I think the realist in Clive would admit that but the idealist in Clive would still think he has a chance," Dr Williams said.

But Mr Palmer is playing up his party's chances of winning two Senate seats in Queensland plus a swag of other seats in the lower house.

However, he's playing down the amount of influence he would have over any potential PUP Senators or MPs.

Mr Palmer has ruled out giving members of his party advice on social issues such as gay marriage, but says he will advise them on other policy matters, including those relating to the economy.

"I would like to (state my position on gay marriage) but I can't because I'd intimidate our members when exercising their free conscience," Mr Palmer said on Tuesday.

He told reporters his own party's polling of 40 seats indicated a result which would outdo Katter's Australian Party.

"I believe we will get two Senate candidates in Queensland and House of Representatives candidates in every other state of the Commonwealth," he said.

A Nielsen poll suggests the party will get eight per cent of the primary vote in Queensland and Mr Lazarus will be elected on preferences.

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Bracks gearing up for NY posting

FORMER Victorian Labor premier Steve Bracks is preparing for his diplomatic posting to New York, despite the coalition threatening to review his appointment if it wins government.

Mr Bracks officially started in the role as the consul-general to New York last month although he hasn't yet arrived in the city.

But opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop is critical of the posting, saying the coalition's request to be consulted about any major appointments close to the election hasn't been met.

"Foreign Minister Carr arrogantly ignored this request and appointed former Labor premier Steve Bracks to the important post of consul-general in New York to take effect within a few days after the election," she said in a statement on Tuesday.

"If the coalition wins the election, I reserve the right to review this appointment, given that the Labor government failed to undertake any consultation."

Mr Bracks is honoured to be appointed to the role and looks forward to representing Australia's interests in New York, his spokesman said.

Mr Bracks has received extensive briefings from the Department of Foreign Affairs and undertaken consultations across Australia with business leaders, the spokesman added.

He is due to arrive in New York on September 13.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr announced Mr Bracks' appointment in May, sparking criticism the government was handing plum foreign postings to party affiliates.

But then prime minister Julia Gillard defended the posting, saying candidates were drawn from "across the political spectrum to get the best of skills".

She highlighted the roles of former Liberal leader Brendan Nelson at NATO and the European Union, South Australian Liberal senator Robert Hill at the UN, and Howard government minister Amanda Vanstone in Italy.

"When we came to government there were a number of former Liberal MPs serving in various diplomatic posts around the world," she said at the time.

"There was quite a substantial list and we did not engage in instability and churning of appointments based on who had a political party ticket."

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RBA offers no hints on further rate cuts

The Reserve Bank of Australia has announced it will keep the cash rate on hold at 2.5 per cent. Source: AAP

THE Reserve Bank has adopted a wait-and-see approach on the cash rate, allowing for the federal election and previous rate cuts to take effect.

Tuesday's decision to leave the rate unchanged at 2.5 per cent was widely expected, with all 14 economists surveyed by AAP last week forecasting no change at the September board meeting.

In a statement accompanying the decision, RBA governor Glenn Stevens said growth was still below trend and would remain that way as the economy moved away from being driven by the mining sector.

He said the Australian dollar, currently around 90 US cents, was still high by historical levels despite falling 15 per cent since April.

"The board will continue to assess the outlook and adjust policy as needed to foster sustainable growth in demand and inflation outcomes consistent with the target," Mr Stevens said.

The RBA statement covered no new ground, with little guidance on future rate movements, RBC Capital Markets senior economist Su-Lin Ong said.

The omission of the RBA's now familiar sentence about 'scope to ease policy further' would be viewed as a watering down of the RBA's cash rate easing bias, she said.

"We caution against over-interpreting today's statement which comes amid the final week of an election campaign heavily focused on the economy, budgetary position, and jobs," Ms Ong said.

JP Morgan chief economist Stephen Walters said there was "no way" the RBA would cut the cash rate just days out from a federal election.

"One rate cut early in the election campaign was easily explained - two would be unnecessarily bold, and could be perceived, wrongly and mischievously, as the RBA providing tacit support to the ruling Labor Party," Mr Walters said.

"(The statement) avoided making sudden moves, officials apparently wanting to stay largely out of sight until the election passes."

HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham said the RBA seemed comfortable to wait to see the effects of previous cuts, plus any move in the Australian dollar.

"They seem quite comfortable, probably more comfortable than we've seen in previous statements," Mr Bloxham said.

"They noted that interest rates are low and they're already lifting the interest rate-sensitive sectors of the economy.

"They still seem a bit concerned that the Aussie dollar is high but they're hinting that they expect it may come down a little further.

"They haven't really given much guidance, if any, about what future moves are likely."

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