Bigger fines urged to save NSW koalas

PENALTIES for illegal logging in NSW forests should be 10 times higher to ensure koala habitats are preserved, the state opposition says.

Forestry Corporation of NSW was fined a total of $900 last week after being found guilty of illegal logging of koala habitats in the Royal Camp State Forest near Casino on three separate occasions last year.

Opposition environment spokesman Luke Foley says the "paltry" fine would not deter future illegal logging.

"As a state we should be doing everything we can to protect our dwindling population of koalas," Mr Foley said.

"Are we so indifferent to their plight that the only place they will be in a few years is in captivity?"

Mr Foley has called on the O'Farrell government to support a private member's bill, now being debated in the upper house, to increase penalties for illegal forestry activities.

This would see maximum fines raised from $22,000 to $220,000, with the possibility of two years in prison.

"Increasing penalties by tenfold will help address the exceedingly low penalties for illegal forestry operations and the forestry record on complying with environmental laws," Mr Foley said.

He said forestry penalties fell well below those for other environmental breaches, where fines of $1.1 million can be levied for offences such as polluting a waterway and illegal land clearing.

North East Forest Alliance spokesman Dailan Pugh echoed the call for greater penalties, saying there is currently no incentive for loggers to do the right thing.

"They're taking dozens of trees out of the koala high-use areas and they're making a lot of money out of them, and the fine's nothing.

"It's not even one tree."

A Forestry Corporation spokeswoman said the $900 fine reflected "the insignificant nature of the breaches".

The corporation was found guilty of illegal logging of koala habitats on three occasions last year.

But the spokeswoman said there was no evidence koalas had been harmed in the Royal Camp State Forest.

She added that harvesting in the forest was not intense and "preferred koala feed trees" were not touched.

She also said koalas preferred managed and natural forests.

"Harvesting promotes the preferred forest structures for healthy koala populations," she said.

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Police weigh up charges over royal prank

Radio host Mel Greig (L) has filed a claim against 2Day FM for failing to provide a safe workplace. Source: AAP

THE fallout from a royal prank call continues to haunt 2Day FM radio, with Australian police looking at whether charges could be laid.

Australian Federal Police and NSW police are evaluating a file, provided to them by the UK's Metropolitan Police, over the phone call made on December 4 by presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian.

They called London's King Edward VII Hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for a pregnancy-related illness, and pretended to be the Queen and Prince of Wales.

The DJs were put through to the ward by nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who committed suicide soon after the hoax was widely publicised in the British media.

British prosecutors have already said no legal action will be taken in the UK over the call.

But NSW Police spokeswoman said on Thursday that federal police would "evaluate the referral as per the AFP's usual process to determine if any commonwealth offences are identified" and NSW police would look at it from a "state offences" point of view.

The DJs' employer, Austereo, wouldn't comment on Thursday on the possibility of charges being laid in Australia.

"We're not commenting at the moment and have nothing to add ... we're not making a statement," a spokeswoman said.

The referral by British police comes as lawyers for Greig - who has not returned to work - revealed on Wednesday that she is taking legal action against Austereo.

Greig's lawyer, Steven Lewis of Slater & Gordon, says a general protections application has been filed with Fair Work Australia, alleging Southern Cross Austereo failed to maintain a safe workplace in relation to the hoax call incident.

News of Greig's legal action comes a week before a scheduled federal court hearing in Sydney in which 2Day FM is trying to block a media watchdog probe into the prank call.

The radio station last month filed a court application arguing that the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has no power to continue a part of its ongoing investigation.

The federal court hearing is scheduled for July 17.

In London, a spokesman for the Saldanha family says it's no surprise one of the DJs behind the prank call has turned on the station which broadcast the hospital hoax.

Meanwhile, Christian was last month awarded the title of "Top Jock" by Austereo for being at the "top of his game".

An inquest into Ms Saldanha's death is due in London in two months time.

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Rudd, Abbott snipe over indigenous vote

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd says buckpassing on recognising Aborigines in the constitution must end, and is promising a referendum within two years.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott argues it was Labor who put the process on ice in 2012 and he remains committed to a draft constitutional amendment within 12 months if the coalition wins power.

Mr Rudd on Wednesday used a speech in Arnhem Land, marking the 50th anniversary of the first indigenous petitions presented to parliament, to propose a referendum within two years of the federal election if Labor was returned.

"No more delays, no more excuses, no more buck-passing. It's time the nation got on with this business," he said.

The prime minister earlier said Mr Abbott needed to "get his act together" and detail his position.

But Mr Abbott said the government had been sitting on its hands.

"I don't want to politicise this, I really don't, and I'm surprised that Mr Rudd is trying to do that," he told reporters in Melbourne.

"I suggest to Mr Rudd ... the last thing he should be doing is trying to politicise the vital question of indigenous constitutional recognition on which, in principle, everyone is agreed."

Mr Abbott said the referendum would be a "unifying and liberating" moment for the nation.

The initial push for a referendum was suspended by Labor in September 2012 because of the lack of a consensus on what the change should entail.

The parliament in February instead unanimously passed an Act of Recognition as a stepping stone to a referendum.

A two-year sunset clause was inserted in the bill to put pressure on politicians to secure constitutional change within that period.

The community of Yirrkala on Wednesday marked five decades since two petitions went to the federal parliament seeking reconsideration of the decision to excise 300 square kilometres of Arnhem Land for bauxite mining.

The 1963 petitions have been credited with starting a debate which led to the 1967 referendum giving Aboriginal people the vote, the statutory acknowledgment of land rights in 1976 and the overturning of the terra nullius concept by the High Court in the Mabo case in 1992.

"These bark petitions present a bridge between two ancient and noble traditions," Mr Rudd said.

"Eight hundred years ago we had Magna Carta - 800 years later, the Yirrkala bark petitions. These bark petitions are Magna Carta for the indigenous peoples of this land."

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Holden brushes off report of more funding

Holden has brushed off reports it wants more government funding, describing them as speculation. Source: AAP

HOLDEN says reports it wants more taxpayer funding to ensure the future of its Australian car assembly operations is pure speculation.

The company says it won't comment on negotiations with both the federal and state governments over ongoing assistance.

"That's a purely speculative piece and we won't be commenting publicly on our negotiations with either governments or the unions," a Holden spokesman said of the reports on Wednesday.

In 2012 the company was promised $275 million in a package to ensure it continued to build cars in Australia until at least 2022.

The funding would be used to help it design and develop two new vehicles that would be built at the Elizabeth factory in Adelaide from 2016.

While there was in-principle agreement last year, the details were still being finalised with both the commonwealth and the South Australian government.

Concerns over promises by the coalition to adjust auto industry assistance and the timing of the federal election are also causing uncertainty.

But reports said Holden now wanted up to $60 million more in government funding despite recent moves to axe 400 staff in Adelaide and cut production costs.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union also said the co-investment agreement was under review and more money was being sought.

Industry Minister Kim Carr said the government was in negotiations with Holden and would make an announcement shortly.

"We're not in the business of having private conversations and then broadcasting them," he told reporters in Melbourne.

He said car companies have been adapting rapidly to industry changes and had come through the challenges of the global financial crisis.

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Alcoa posts $US119m second quarter loss

STRONG demand for lightweight aluminium in cars and aeroplanes is helping Alcoa Inc cope with lingering weak metal prices.

The US-headquartered company reported a second-quarter loss of $US119 million ($A131 million). That compared with a loss of $US2 million a year earlier.

The company said the loss was wider than a year ago, but excluding costs for closing smelters and other restructuring and legal expenses, the results slightly beat Wall Street expectations.

Alcoa has customers in many industries, making it a gauge of the economy. And as the first member of the Dow index to report quarterly results, its results draw extra attention from investors.

The company stuck to its forecast of seven per cent growth in global aluminium demand this year, led by a roughly 10 per cent increase for aerospace.

Its shares rose 11 cents, or 1.4 per cent, to end regular trading at $US7.92 before the quarterly results were released. In after-hours trading, they fell four cents.

Aluminium prices skidded about eight per cent during the April-through-June quarter, further hurting the aluminium mining and smelting end of Alcoa.

But other parts of Alcoa's business - the sale of aluminium sheets and parts such as fasteners - are growing as carmakers and aircraft manufacturers use more aluminium for better fuel efficiency.

US consumers who delayed car purchases during the recession bought more than 7.8 million vehicles from January through June, the auto industry's best first half since 2007.

And Boeing and Airbus have backlogs of hundreds of aircraft from airlines desperate to upgrade to newer, more fuel-efficient planes.

Alcoa is closing two smelter lines in Canada and a smelter in Italy, but it's expanding mills in the US that cater to the auto and aerospace industries.

Despite the boost from cars, planes and cost-cutting, Alcoa has been the worst-performing stock in the Dow Jones industrial average this year, down nine per cent.

And in May, Moody's Investors Service lowered the company's credit rating to junk status, citing continuing weak prices for aluminium.

Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld said on Monday that the company was disappointed by the downgrade, which he said reflected Moody's view of the economy and aluminium prices rather than Alcoa's strategy and performance.

"We control what we can control, and we can't control the metal price volatility," he said.

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Rudd lifts ALP as he proposes party reform

Labor's prospects of holding government have improved as Kevin Rudd proposes party reforms. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd's return to the top job continues to revitalise the government's voting base, giving the Labor leader added authority to reform the party.

Labor's primary vote has risen nine percentage points, to 38 per cent, in the two weeks since Mr Rudd overthrew former leader Julia Gillard.

Based on preference flows, Labor and the coalition are both on 50 per cent of the two-party vote, according to the latest Newspoll published in The Australian newspaper on Tuesday.

Mr Rudd now leads Opposition Leader Tony Abbott 53-31 as preferred prime minister.

"I always said it was going to be a contest," Mr Abbott told reporters in Sydney.

Retiring Labor MP Craig Emerson said Mr Rudd's return had given Labor some much-needed "clear air".

The poll came as the prime minister received a favourable reaction to his plan to overhaul the way Labor chooses its leaders.

He proposes that the vote be split 50-50 between federal caucus and grass-roots members, and will put it to a special caucus meeting in Canberra on July 22.

He has a powerful ally in Labor powerbroker Bill Shorten, who was involved in the coup against Mr Rudd in 2010 but switched allegiance away from Ms Gillard two weeks ago.

Mr shorten said the move would help modernise the ALP and recruit new members.

"It is important for people who are interested in politics that there is a meaning to them getting involved in a political party," Mr Shorten told ABC radio.

"We need to be very transparent about our stability and how we propose a leader."

Another figure involved in the 2010 leadership change, Australian Workers Union boss Paul Howes, said Mr Rudd's reform proposals were "smart".

"I've always supported party reform and I think electing the leader through a different mechanism is something that has to happen," Mr Howes said.

The process is similar to systems in the British Labour party, the Canadian New Democratic Party and the French Socialist Party, he said. New Zealand Labour also recently released a report recommending a direct vote for parliamentary leader.

Former caucus chairman Daryl Melham said voters wanted the party to change.

"Rank-and-file preselections and participation is the way to go rather than backroom factional hacks trying to determine who is going to be prime minister," Mr Melham said.

Mr Melham said Ms Gillard wouldn't have lost her job as Labor leader if the proposed changes had been in place last month.

"For a lot of people that sends a message," he said.

Mr Abbott said the proposed changes were an admission Mr Rudd was frightened of being torn down again.

"The faceless men did it to Kevin before and he wants to make sure that he's protected against them," he said.

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Brisbane raid nets haul of guns, ammo

A raid on a Brisbane house has uncovered a large cache of shotguns, rifles and ammunition. Source: AAP

POLICE have seized 23 guns and a large stash of ammunition in a raid on a home in Brisbane.

Officers from specialist teams that investigate weapon and drug crimes raided the house last week, police said on Monday.

They found a large cache of weapons, including nine shotguns, 12 rifles, a handgun and a replica gun.

A 52-year-old man is due to face the Cleveland Magistrates Court on August 5 on weapons charges.

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Panel says no to commercial UCG industry

COMPANIES trialling a gas extraction process in Queensland will be asked to prove they can put out underground fires.

An independent scientific panel has made three recommendations to the state government about underground coal gasification (UCG).

The UCG process involves burning underground coal seams to produced coal gas, known as syngas.

Two companies, Linc Energy and Carbon Energy, have been running pilot UCG plants in Queensland.

The panel found they had been able to successfully harvest gas through underground combustion.

But it said the government should not allow a commercial UCG industry until the companies proved they could halt that combustion process once gas had been extracted.

In the meantime the UCG trials should continue, the panel said.

Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps said the panel had been complimentary of the trials using world-leading technology.

But the companies had yet to prove they could halt the combustion process in underground chambers.

"I encourage Carbon Energy and Linc Energy to continue working with the government to demonstrate long-term technical and environmental sustainability of their trial projects," Mr Cripps said in a statement.

Linc Energy is encouraged, rather than deterred, by the panel's recommendations.

Chief executive Peter Bond says the report is a positive step towards the commercialisation of UCG in Queensland.

The company had worked with the panel for four years and had already begun preparations for decommissioning of a gasifier at its Chinchilla trial site.

"We see that as a very straightforward process," Mr Bond said.

He warned the business case for UCG operations in Queensland now needs to stack up against its other ventures - invested in over the past four years - in South Africa, Ukraine, Poland and Russia.

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At least 80 missing in Canada train blaze

At least 80 people are missing after an oil train derailment in Quebec, Canadian police say. Source: AAP

AT least 80 people are missing after a driverless oil tanker train derailed and exploded in the small Canadian town of Lac-Megantic, destroying dozens of buildings.

The accident in the small Quebec town, located around 250km east of Montreal, created a spectacular fireball and forced 2,000 people from their homes.

Officials earlier only confirmed one fatality, but had warned the toll could rise. A search for bodies was to begin Sunday at dawn.

The firefighter said on condition of anonymity that there had been at least 50 people in one bar that was consumed by the flames.

"There is nothing left," he said.

Witnesses reported as many as six explosions after the train derailed at about 1.20am in Lac-Megantic, a picturesque resort town of 6,000 residents near the border with the US state of Maine.

Michel Brunet, a spokesman for Quebec's provincial police, said late on Saturday the official death toll remained at one but added: "We expect there will be more fatalities."

Radio-Canada had earlier reported that 60 people were unaccounted for in Lac-Megantic, where the blaze was still raging, 20 hours on.

"There have been several reports" from people who said they were unable to reach relatives who lived near the accident site, Brunet said.

"The fire is still raging, our investigators have not yet even be able to get close to the scene," he added, more than 12 hours after the incident.

An initial evacuation zone of a kilometre around the crash site was widened on Saturday as a precaution against harmful particles in the air, bringing the total to 2,000 people forced to leave their homes.

Around 150 firefighters were battling the blaze, including some who came across the border from Maine, just 25km south of the town.

The cause of the crash was still unknown, but a spokesman for the Montreal Maine & Atlantic company, Christophe Journet, told AFP the train had been stopped in the neighbouring town of Nantes, around 13km west of Lac-Megantic, for a crew changeover.

For an unknown reason, Journet said, the train "started to advance, to move down the slope leading to Lac-Megantic," even though the brakes were engaged.

As a result, "there was no conductor on board" when the train crashed, he said.

A team of investigators from Canada's transportation safety agency was quickly dispatched to the scene to investigate.

One witness, Nancy Cameron, posted a photo on social media websites showing one of the train's locomotives spouting flames near Nantes.

Other witnesses were in Lac-Megantic when the train came barrelling in.

"When we came out of a bar, we saw cars arriving in the center of town at full speed," Yvon Rosa told Radio-Canada.

"We heard explosions and there was fire everywhere. We ran to the edge of the water," Rosa said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his "thoughts and prayers" to the community and said the federal government was ready to provide assistance.

The Montreal Maine & Atlantic train consisted of five locomotives and 77 rail cars and was carrying oil from the US state of North Dakota, said the company's vice president of marketing, Joe McGonigle.

But Quebec authorities spoke of 72 cars transporting 100 tonnes of oil each.

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Unhelpful asylum seekers processed last

The Rudd government says asylum seekers who destroy their identity papers will be processed last. Source: AAP

ASYLUM seekers who try to "game" the system by destroying their passports will be forced to the back of the processing queue under tough new rules announced by the Rudd government.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke, who announced the policy on Sunday, would not be drawn on whether it signified Labor's lurch to the right on asylum seeker policies.

The measures will give priority to would-be refugees arriving by boat who cooperate with authorities, while taking asylum seekers who destroy their passports and identity papers to the "back of the processing queue".

"I want to make absolutely clear that no one would be advantaged by playing that sort of game," Mr Burke told reporters in Sydney.

"I'm making sure that people don't game the process."

He was asked whether the new measures represented a "lurch to the right" - the very thing Kevin Rudd urged his party not to do when he was challenged by Julia Gillard for leadership of the Labor Party in 2010.

"I don't want to get into this 'this one's a lurch to the right' or 'this one's a lurch to the left' argument," Mr Burke said.

His job as immigration minister was a serious one that made a "massive difference to what happens with people's lives and indeed whether or not people have lives".

Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young urged Labor not to embrace right-wing asylum policies.

"It's time for a new way on refugee policy, not a return to the old cruel way of the Howard years," she said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Mr Burke slammed the coalition for appearing to contradict themselves on their policy of towing asylum seeker boats back to Indonesia.

Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop said on Sunday there would be "no unilateral action" under the opposition's boat policy, while opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said on Saturday "as John Howard proved, you have got to have unilateral action on our side that works".

Mr Burke said the Liberal Party had "nothing but slogans to offer".

Also on Sunday, Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare reiterated that the government was committed to freeing children from Australian detention centres.

But Mr Clare stressed that the process of freeing minors needed to be "systematic" and could take some time.

"If you're going to put a young person into foster care, you need to make sure you can give them the sort of care and support that they need," he told Network Ten.

Mr Morrison said Labor's policy was a "poor imitation" of the coalition's plan to deny visas for people who discarded their identity documents.

"People who throw their documents away when seeking to illegally enter Australia should not be put to the back of the queue - they should not be in the queue at all," he said in Sydney.

Mr Burke said the coalition plan to deny visas risked breaching Australia's obligations under the United Nations Refugee Convention.

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