Bali victims remembered 11 years on

The 88 Australians who died in the first Bali bombings 11 years ago have been remembered in Sydney. Source: AAP

LITTLE children clambered around the Bali bombing memorial in Sydney on Saturday, knocking the flowers laid by the friends and family of those killed.

One boy asked his new playmate, "Which one is yours?"

And she, a girl no older than seven, pointed to one of the names of the dead and said "He was my uncle".

They were not yet born when the bombs exploded at Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club on October 12, 2002, but they have grown up in the shadow of the attacks.

Eighty-eight Australians were among the 202 people killed in the attacks on Bali's tourist hub Kuta, and 43 of the dead were from NSW alone.

"The Bali bombing was our September 11," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a message read out to the hundreds who gathered at Coogee to mark the 11th anniversary of the blasts.

Randwick mayor Scott Nash said 20 of the dead came from Sydney's eastern suburbs, from Bondi to Malabar, and few locals had not been touched in some way by the attacks.

"The beautiful people that we lost were sons, mothers, fathers, daughters and friends," he said.

"Tough times often bring out the very best in humanity and we can see that today, as we see it each year."

Waves crashed and tourists frolicked on the beach below as mourners gathered at the Dolphins Point headland observed a moment's silence.

Among them was Kristie McKeon, who was just 12 when her mother, big sister and several family friends were killed in the bombings.

She and her father were injured but escaped with their lives.

"It was our last night in Bali," the 23-year-old recalled.

"I remember the bomb going off, being on the floor and trapped under the roof, escaping in panic through a hole and then reaching the back wall and being hoisted over as the fire grew."

The graphic designer said she had been forced to grow up without the two most important women in her life to guide her.

They will not be here to watch her marry next year.

"Family is something I lost, but something I look forward to finding again," she said.

"My only wish is that my mum and sister were here to be a part of it.

"I will never forget.

"I will always remember."

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ALP leadership contest drawing to a close

Mark Latham believes Anthony Albanese (pic) will emerge the victor of the Labor leadership contest. Source: AAP

LABOR has called it historic, democratic and energising, but in less than a day the month-long leadership contest between Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten will be just one thing - over.

Both the party caucus and rank-and-file members have cast their vote for the next parliamentary leader, with ballots now closed and counting underway before Sunday's announcement.

ALP members and supporters will be the first to know the result when party headquarters sends out an email at about 2pm.

Under reforms introduced by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, caucus and members are given a 50-50 say in determining who will lead the fight against the Abbott government from opposition.

Mr Shorten is believed to have won the caucus vote and is "quietly confident" grassroots members will back him, while Mr Albanese will be hoping his popularity among the rank-and-file gets him over the line.

After a month of friendly debates and largely similar campaigns, both potential leaders laid low on Saturday ahead of learning their fate.

But former Labor leader Mark Latham had no qualms offering his tips, saying he believed Mr Albanese would prevail.

"I voted for Bill Shorten in the ballot and I'm hopeful he might win tomorrow, but on the balance, probably Anthony Albanese will get the job," he told the Seven Network on Saturday.

"The important thing is for Labor to get behind one leader who will be there at the next election."

Sunday's victor will be the party's seventh leader in four years, but it's hoped the new leadership process will stabilise Labor and end the revolving door of leadership.

Mr Latham said the process was designed to put the "sub-factional warlords" who control Labor's caucus out of business.

Shadow parliamentary secretary Matt Thistlethwaite, who backed Mr Shorten, said the caucus vote had been genuinely open and free of factional interference.

He didn't know who would emerge the victor, but said that was the "great beauty" of the new-look process.

"What we now can say is the Labor Party has a much more democratic, transparent and accountable system for electing our leader," he told Sky News on Saturday.

"I think overall it's been a win for the Labor Party."

About 30,000 of the party's 43,000 members are believed to have voted under the new rules, which senior Labor figures credit with renewed interest in the party in the wake of their election defeat.

ALP president Jenny McAllister said the leadership contest had been "incredibly energising".

"In the process we've also had about 4500 people make inquiries about how to join," she told the Seven network.

"People like to see us talking in positive ways about what we could contribute to the Australian public rather than tearing ourselves apart."

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Stocks to watch at close on Friday

STOCKS to watch on the Australian stock exchange at close on Friday:

AGK - AGL ENERGY - up 8.0 cents, or 0.5 per cent, at $15.88

AGL came knocking but could now face a fine of $50,000, after one of its door-to-door sales people ignored a Do Not Knock sign.

CPA - COMMONWEALTH PROPERTY FUND - up 3.5 cents, or 3.0 per cent, at $1.19

DXS - DEXUS PROPERTY GROUP - up 2.0 cents, or 1.9 per cent, at $1.06

Office and industrial properties group Dexus has teamed up with a Canadian pension fund with a proposal to buy out Commonwealth Property Office Fund.

FXJ - FAIRFAX MEDIA - up 1.0 cent, or 1.9 per cent, at 53 cents

Fairfax Media will scrap the print edition of BRW Magazine from the end of November as it moves away from its traditional print-based mastheads and bolsters its online business.

OFX - OZFOREX - up 56 cents, or 28 per cent, at $2.56

Shares in financial group OzForex have soared after listing on the Australian share market.

PDN - PALADIN Energy - down 0.5 cents, or 1.2 per cent, at 42.5 cents

Uranium miner Paladin Energy says it's on track to reach its full year production targets as it continues to cut costs and staff numbers at its African mines.

UGL - UGL - up 23 cents, or 3.0 per cent, at $7.83

LEI - LEIGHTON HOLDINGS - up 44 cents, or 2.5 per cent, at $17.79

UGL's engineering chief Russell Waugh has stepped down from his position because of his alleged connection to former employer Leighton Holdings' bribery scandal.

WBC - WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION - up 79 cents, or 2.5 per cent, at $32.99

Westpac will pay $1.45 billion to purchase Lloyds Banking Group's Australian motor and equipment finance business.

WCB - WARRNAMBOOL CHEESE AND BUTTER FACTORY - up 5.0 cents, or 0.7 per cent, at $7.27

BGA - BEGA CHEESE - up 12 cents, or 3.2 per cent, at $3.82

Bega Cheese will not lift its takeover offer for Warrnambool Cheese and Butter for now, despite a higher competing bid from Canadian suitor Saputo.

SWM - SEVEN WEST MEDIA - up 5.0 cents, or 2.2 per cent, at $2.35

PRT - PRIME MEDIA - up 0.5 cents, 0.5 per cent, at $1.025

Broadcasters Seven West Media and Prime Media have agreed to continue their affiliation for another six years.

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Opium poppies proposed for Top End

OPIUM poppies are set to be grown on a Northern Territory cattle station after a successful trial of the crop in the Top End.

Tasmanian company TPI Enterprises has applied for a license to grow up to 500 hectares of the crop on Tipperary Station, 200km southwest of Darwin.

The strictly policed crop is currently grown only in Tasmania, which supplies around half the world's pharmaceutical opiates.

But TPI boss Jarrod Ritchie said a booming international market and poor weather in Tasmania meant the company's factory was only operating at 30 per cent capacity.

"The predictability of the weather up here in the dry season means that we didn't get excessive rains, we didn't get damage to our sowing because of flooding," Mr Ritchie told AAP.

"We can irrigate and not have that anomaly of weather.

"(With) the daylight, the heat up here, the poppies grow very quickly.

"They literally grow in half the time that it took in Tasmania."

The company spent $250,000 on the trial and will invest up to $3 million next year if approval is granted.

Mr Ritchie said the trial had made him hopeful the venture wouldn't go the way of other mooted Top End agricultural projects.

"We've done a proof-of-concept trial but the results have been pleasing," he said.

"But there's still a long way to go.

"We've got three solid years of work up here before we could say that it's been validated over a number of seasons."

Tasmanian farming groups have signalled their concerns but Mr Ritchie said more product would mean more factory jobs in the state.

Last year a lack of supply resulted in TPI applying for a license to import product from Turkey.

"(Farmers) should be concerned that we've had crop failures and the companies can't get enough raw material, and without the companies there is no crop to be grown," Mr Ritchie said.

"I can understand the (farmers) like the fact they have a monopoly position but that doesn't help us.

"I'm yet to hear of a plausible and well-considered concern."

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Carers are most unhappy Aussies: study

PEOPLE who care for sick or disabled family and friends are the most unhappy Australians, according to research presented at a major psychology conference.

"They have the lowest level of wellbeing in any population group," says Deakin University psychology researcher Thomas Hammond.

Close to 40 per cent report extremely severe symptoms of depression and stress, he says, citing results from the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index survey of more than 4000 carers.

They are less happy than unemployed lonely people and those who earn less than $15,000 a year.

The most stressed and depressed are those who care for a mentally ill child or a child with multiple disabilities.

The next most unhappy are those who care for a chronically ill or disabled parent.

Overall voluntary carers have a personal wellbeing score of 58.5 points out of 100, compared with the normal range of 73.6 to 76.3.

"What is really affected is their subjective wellbeing. Their level of happiness and life satisfaction," says Mr Hammond, a speaker at the Australian Psychological Society annual conference in Cairns.

The people in the survey are informal unpaid primary carers, who are usually looking after a family member or close friend.

"Being a carer can be quite burdensome. But some studies show some people thrive in the role," says Mr Hammond, who believes there is an urgent need for better support systems.

"Despite the considerable benefits of informal caring there is a substantial cost.

"More often than not it is the carers who pay the price.

"When carers suffer stress and depression we have another person with a different type of disability."

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NSW gang rapist Sanoussi free from jail

Skaf gang member Mohammed Sanoussi has been released from a Sydney jail. Source: AAP

SKAF gang member Mohammed Sanoussi has been released from jail after serving 13 years for his part in a string of gang rapes in Sydney's southwest.

The 29-year-old, wearing a green shirt and shorts, was led into a dark grey car and driven out of Silverwater Correctional Centre at 3.30pm (AEDT) on Thursday.

A GPS tracking bracelet was attached to Sanoussi's ankle.

He had a green sweater over his head and did not answer questions from awaiting media.

Sanoussi will be subject to 30 strict parole conditions, including that he adhere to electronic monitoring, not contact his co-accused and not contact children under 16 without supervision.

He is also required to live in a halfway house until he has found independent accommodation or his brothers move out of his family home.

He is banned from visiting Kings Cross and a particular gym in Bankstown.

Sanoussi had been in jail since he was 16 after being convicted of the rapes of young girls in isolated locations in August 2000.

He served 13 years of a 16-year sentence and had been refused parole three times since 2010.

Sanoussi was granted release on September 5 but it was revoked the next day because of concerns he would associate with the Brothers For Life gang through his brothers, who are known members.

But on September 19 the parole board ordered that Sanoussi be released on parole to live in a halfway house until he found independent accommodation, or his brothers moved out of the family home.

Sanoussi was one in a group of 14 men, led by brothers Bilal and Mohammed Skaf, involved in the string of attacks in 2000.

Bilal Skaf is serving a 36-year prison term and Mohammed Skaf is serving a 23-year prison term.

Another gang member, identified only as "Offender H" will have a parole hearing next year.

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Monroe's medical records to be auctioned

Records of Marilyn Monroe's medical history will go under the hammer in Los Angeles next month. Source: AAP

PROOF of Marilyn Monroe's cosmetic surgery procedures and details of a 1957 ectopic pregnancy are to go under the hammer as part of a macabre auction lot in California.

The star's X-rays, medical records and doctors' notes are to be sold at Julien's Auctions Icons and Idols in Los Angeles on November 9-10.

Highlights of the odd lot include Monroe's skull X-ray and notes from the office of Dr Michael Gurdin dating from 1958. The lot is expected to fetch between $US15,000 and $US30,000 (about $A16,000 to $A32,000).

The patient was listed as Marilyn Miller, to protect her identity, and the doctor noted that her chief complaint was "chin deformity".

The records offer a fascinating medical history that begins in 1950 and ends in 1962, months before the star's death.

Listed are a 1956 bout of neutropenia in England; an ectopic pregnancy in New York; and a 1950 cartilage implant in the chin that the doctor observed had slowly begun to dissolve.

"Those with knowledge of the implant procedure have explained that this was done in association with a tip rhinoplasty, a procedure involving the tip of Marilyn Monroe's nose only," says a spokesman for the auction house.

The last entry of the medical files, dated June 7, 1962, reports a fall at between 2am and 3am resulting in swelling and tenderness of the nose.

Monroe was brought to Dr Gurdin by her psychoanalyst, Dr Ralph Greenson. Her alias at the time was Miss Joan Newman.

Included in the file are "six X-rays including frontal facial bones X-rays, a smaller X-ray that is a composite of the right and left sides of her nasal bones and four small dental X-rays into the roof of Monroe's mouth, looking upwards toward her nasal bones".

Monroe was found dead in her Los Angeles home on August 5, 1962.

The Julien's Auctions Icons and Idols event will also feature William Shatner's signed shirt and boots from the Star Trek series, a mask worn by Clayton Moore as The Lone Ranger, a Katherine Walker-designed dress owned by Diana, Princess of Wales, a tracksuit James Gandolfini wore on The Sopranos, and the wedding gown Julie Andrews wore in The Sound Of Music, which is expected to sell for between $US30,000 and $US50,000.

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Melbourne plan aims to end sprawl

A permanent growth boundary will be created around Melbourne to stop urban sprawl. Source: AAP

SUBURBAN streets will be protected from high density development and a permanent growth boundary will be created around Melbourne to stop sprawl under a new planning blueprint for Victoria.

With Victoria's population tipped to hit 8.4 million by 2050, regional towns will become population and employment hubs, while urban renewal projects will drive jobs in Melbourne, the blueprint says.

At least half of Melbourne's residential zoned land will be protected from high-rise apartment development, with density to be focused in certain areas, Planning Minister Matthew Guy said on Wednesday.

One million additional homes will be needed in Melbourne by 2050 when the population is expected to reach 6.5 million.

The blueprint also talks of creating a city of 20-minute neighbourhoods where shops, schools, parks, jobs and community services are within 20 minutes of people's homes.

Several key infrastructure projects also form part of the plan, including East West Link, the Melbourne Metro Rail project and the north east link, which will connect the Metropolitan Ring Road and Eastlink.

A third airport in Melbourne's southeast, between Koo Wee Rup and Lang Lang, is also being investigated.

Premier Denis Napthine said the strategy, known as Plan Melbourne, would focus on economic, social, environmental and character factors for Melbourne.

But he said the focus would not just be on Melbourne, but also regional Victoria.

"This is about producing a state of cities, not just a city state," he said.

The plan has received the backing of several key industry groups, but the state opposition says the plan will change Melbourne, bringing gridlock and congestion.

"More high-rises, more people, more cars, but no public transport and no infrastructure," deputy opposition leader James Merlino said.

He said the appeal rights of neighbours objecting to high-rise developments would be removed under the plan.

Municipal Association of Victoria president Bill McArthur said a permanent growth boundary sent a strong message to the market and encouraged a greater share of future growth and development in regional cities and towns.

The RACV called for bipartisan support for the plan.

"This strategy offers a chance to end the chronic under-investment in transport projects and services and RACV calls on both sides of politics to agree to the key proposals outlined in the report," RACV acting general manager public policy Thanuja Gunatillake said.

The Victorian Council of Social Service welcomed the plan, but said it needed to be appropriately funded.

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Toro shares rises on resource upgrade

TORO Energy shares are higher after the uranium mine developer upgraded the quality of resources at its Wiluna project in Western Australia.

Toro said recent drilling results led to a 75 per cent increase in the project's measured and indicated resources.

All three deposits had contiguous zones of higher grade mineralisation, it said.

Managing director Vanessa Guthrie said improvements in the company's knowledge of the deposits would help in the completion of a definitive feasibility study, expected in 2014.

Toro still needs to secure project financing for Wiluna.

The company hopes to begin production at Wiluna in 2016, making it Western Australia's first uranium mine.

Toro shares gained 0.3 cents, or 3.6 per cent, to 8.6 cents.

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Online IPO 99wuxian goes gangbusters

SHARES in Chinese mobile marketplace operator 99wuxian have soared after debuting on the Australian market.

99wuxian has more than 20 million registered users and allows consumers to shop on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Shares in the company gained as much as 50 per cent in their first day of trade, and at 1510 AEDT were up 10 cents, or 25 per cent, at 50 cents.

However, their value fell away somewhat, closing five cents, or 12.5 per cent, higher at 45 cents.

99wuxian's Australian listing was aimed at raising $20 million to complete an agreement with its mobile payment provider.

Chairman Ross Benson said the company's initial public offering (IPO) ahead of Tuesday's listing was oversubscribed.

"It's a very strong endorsement of the interest that the Australian public have, particularly in m-commerce and within some of these very exciting consumer growth areas in China," Mr Benson said.

He said the company had listed in Australia because of its rapid growth and positive cash flow, but there were no plans to list the company in China at this stage.

"We've listed here because there is a very strong local demand to participate in China for good quality opportunities to participate in the consumer space," Mr Benson said.

"Within the next couple of years we anticipate we'll be staying in the Australian market."

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Defects mount for Sydney tanker crash firm

EIGHT trucks have been ordered off NSW roads as the state continues its audit into the company linked to a horrific crash on Sydney's northern beaches.

Roads and Maritime Services and NSW Police have now inspected 211 heavy vehicles owned by Cootes Transport and slapped the company with 174 defect notices.

More than a third of these involved major defects such as brake failures, steering and suspension faults, and eight trucks have been grounded, inspectors said on Sunday.

The investigation was launched after an out-of-control fuel tanker owned by the firm ploughed into a power pole and four cars before erupting in a fireball at Mona Vale.

Two men died in the inferno and six people were hospitalised.

An audit of the company's Victoria-based fleet has left 48 vehicles grounded.

VicRoads inspectors have looked at 128 vehicles so far and issued 114 defect notices.

The authority will review the company's heavy trucking licence once the vehicle inspections are completed.

The NSW investigation into the cause of the fatal crash is expected to take weeks.

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Fraud trial starts for 5 ex-Madoff staff

JURY selection begins Tuesday in the New York fraud trial of five former employees of imprisoned Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff.

The trial of Madoff's long-time secretary and other back-office workers is expected to unfold over five months in federal court in Manhattan. It's the first trial to result from the unprecedented fraud that was revealed to thousands of investors in December 2008 with Madoff's arrest.

Madoff is serving a 150-year prison sentence in Butner, N.C.

Prosecutors say the defendants played critical roles in helping Madoff conceal a fraud that squandered nearly $20 billion in investor money over several decades.

The defendants have pleaded not guilty. They are expected to argue through lawyers that they were victims of the fraud as well.

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UK warship opens to public in Sydney

The Royal Navy's 1.6 billion HMS Daring has docked in Sydney ahead of the Navy's fleet review. Source: AAP

SHE is the envy of sailors around the world.

Her modern exterior and state-of-the-art technologies have turned heads ever since she entered Sydney Harbour for the International Fleet Review.

Now the public has the chance to enter the belly of the Royal Navy's HMS Daring.

The $1.6 billion defence destroyer is one of the United Kingdom's most advanced warships having been commissioned only in 2009.

About 230 personnel are halfway through a nine-month deployment and are currently anchored at Barangaroo, much to the delight of 50,000 people who have bought tickets to tour the vessel on Sunday and Monday.

The tour has proven to be extremely popular as all the tickets have sold out.

The ship's commanding officer Commander Angus Essenhigh said the Type 45 destroyer's job was to sit close to high value ships and provide blanket security.

"So defending them from planes and missiles and the like," he said.

"It's a $1.6 billion ship so its quite expensive and not something you want to crash.

"I think the other navies look to it and say well that's the next step."

Twenty-seven-year-old fighter controller Lieutenant Duncan Stradling has the heavy task of driving the 8000-tonne ship.

He and five other controllers and captains rotate on four hour shifts, 24 hours a day.

Laughing off a suggestion the task is akin to driving a bus through honey, Lt Stradling said HMS Daring was actually quite nimble.

"Warships are designed to be less stable than commercial ships which is why essentially you might get a bit more sea sick but that means they do manoeuver very quickly," he said.

Inside the ship's maze of manholes and control rooms lies a vital organ - the kitchen.

Loaded up with 960 shopping trolley's worth of food, the kitchen can satisfy the contingent of hungry sailors for 45 days.

And it's not all canned soup and baked beans.

"Last night we had steak and sweet corn and potatoes so its just as you would expect," Cmdr Essenhigh said.

"We also have pet favourites the ship company like to eat so on Friday it's fish and chips, Wednesday we have curry night, so its a pretty diverse menu.

"Although as you get further away from land things like fresh milk run out a little bit.

"But it's nice to get back on the harbour and get some fresh and crunchy vegetables."

Working away in the ship's control room on Sunday was 22-year-old communication information and systems specialist Kirsty Truesdale.

Ms Truesdale rallied off a seemingly endless list of countries she had seen through her five year stint with the Navy.

But one place stood out for her.

"I would say Sydney (was the highlight). I have to say that haven't I?"

HMS Daring will head to Adelaide and Perth after Sydney.

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Prince, PM and premier meet up in Perth

Prince Harry has waved goodbye to Sydney following his visit for the International Fleet Review. Source: AAP

SPECIAL forces and surfing spots were on Prince Harry's mind as he completed his whirlwind tour of both sides of Australia with a brief stopover in Western Australia.

After the fleet and fireworks in Sydney on Saturday, the 29-year-old Prince made his first visit to WA accompanied by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, saying he had always wanted to visit the state.

After sharing a Royal Australian Airforce flight across the country, the Prince and the PM were met by WA premier Colin Barnett and his wife Lyn, both avowed royalists.

And after an amiable chat on the tarmac, the premier and the prince spent 30 minutes discussing the state and it's attractions - with the best surfing spot high on the prince's agenda.

"Prince Harry was charming, a very nice young man and we just chatted about his trip and how pleased he was to be here," Mr Barnett said.

"He said it was a short visit because he had to be back to work on Thursday - a delightful young man, full of energy and enthusiastic.

"His query was where is the best surfing spot ... I should have said Cottesloe (where Mr Barnett lives) but I told him Margaret River. He showed close interest in the state and I am sure he would like to have a closer look around in the future."

The prince also commented on his relief to be out of the Sydney heat.

After his meeting with Mr Barnett, the Prince Harry along with Mr Abbott was whisked away in a ten-car armed convoy to the home of the SAS at the Campbell Barracks in the coastal suburb of Swanbourne.

The prince even managed a quick wardrobe change, ditching the dark-blue navy suit he arrived in to don combat fatigues for his meeting with the SAS troops, who have been based in Swanbourne since 1957.

"It is a great thing he is spending some time with the SAS regiment - they have spent some time in Afghanistan, as he has, Mr Barnett said.

Despite no official public functions for the prince in WA, a small crowd of well-wishers did gather at the airport to greet the royal, along with a troop of photographers and a helicopter from a local TV network.

Before his departure from Sydney, Prince Harry told reporters Australia already felt like a second home and he was very sad to be leaving.

"I just can't get the time off work these days," he said.

"The next time I come back you will be struggling to get rid of me I am sure."

The prince will leave Perth later on Sunday evening en route to Dubai, where he is scheduled to attend the Sentebale 'Forget Me Not' ball on Monday.

Prince Harry was a co-founder of Sentebale - a charity set up to help vulnerable children.

Mr Abbott is also due to fly out of Perth at 2pm (WST), to take his place at the APEC Summit in Bali.

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