Plibersek lashes WA premier

DEPUTY federal Labor leader Tanya Plibersek has taken a swipe at West Australian Premier Colin Barnett, saying he has "broken promise after promise" since winning a second term.

Ms Plibersek used much of her address at the state Labor Party's annual conference in Belmont on Saturday to lash the Liberal leader.

"Like the Liberal state premiers in the eastern states, Colin Barnett is showing the people of WA a little preview of what they can expect from a Tony Abbott government," she said.

"You say as little as possible to get elected and you do your worst once you get there."

She lambasted Mr Barnett for cuts to education, closing wheat-belt rail lines, a 12.5 per cent increase in land tax and his government's failure to deliver a pledged redevelopment of Royal Perth Hospital.

"West Australians did not get the Colin Barnett they voted for," Ms Plibersek said.

Also at the conference, there were several references to the need for unity in the party, while Ms Plibersek paid tribute to Labor Senator Louise Pratt, who had endured weeks of stress waiting to find out whether she had retained her seat.

The Australian Electoral Commission will announce the results of the WA Senate recount and distribution of preferences after 2pm (WST).

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Man hid drug ice in his underpants: police

A SYDNEY man has allegedly been caught with $11,000 worth of the party drug ice hidden in his underpants.

Police say they were patrolling the Surry Hills nightclub strip Oxford Street on Saturday when they saw two men acting suspiciously about 4am (AEDT).

Officers stopped and searched the men's car, and a check revealed one was wanted on an outstanding warrant and he was arrested.

The 23-year-old was taken to Surry Hills police station, where it's alleged 41 bags of methamphetamine were found in his underpants.

Police estimate the alleged haul had a street value of $11,000.

More than $4000 cash was also seized during the search, police say.

The man, from Westmead, has been charged with dealing with property suspected of being proceeds of crime, supplying a prohibited drug and possession of a prohibited drug. He was also charged over the outstanding warrant.

He was refused bail during an appearance at Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday, police say, and is due to reappear in court next week.

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Alleged Whitehaven hoaxer denies charge

An environmentalist accused of a hoax that damaged Whitehaven's share price has pleaded not guilty. Source: AAP

A NSW environmentalist charged with issuing a hoax press release that allegedly wiped hundreds of millions of dollars off the value of a mining company has pleaded not guilty.

Jonathan Moylan, 25, appeared in the Supreme Court in Sydney on Friday where he pleaded not guilty to a charge of disseminating false material likely to induce people in Australia to dispose of Whitehaven shares.

Last January, the Newcastle-based activist allegedly sent a press release to media outlets claiming ANZ Bank had withdrawn a $1.2 billion loan from Whitehaven's Maules Creek open cut coal mine on ethical grounds.

The media release bore the ANZ Bank logo, and the hoax allegedly temporarily wiped $314 million from the miner's share price.

Moylan was initially expected to face the District Court, but prosecutors successfully applied to have him tried in the Supreme Court.

He will stand trial on June 30.

It is expected to last three weeks.

Moylan is supported by environmentalist groups who have accused Whitehaven of planning to destroy 1360 hectares of koala habitat and forcing farmers off their land through soil damage from its flagship Maules Creek project in north-western NSW.

Local farmer Rick Laird, who says his property was threatened by Whitehaven's proposed mine, travelled to Sydney to support Moylan.

He said his family had owned property in the area for 150 years and was the namesake of the Leard State Forest, two thirds of which would be destroyed if the proposed mines went ahead.

"We've been fighting these mines for years, and people are finally starting to hear about it," he said in a statement.

"If these mines go ahead, it's the end of our livelihoods.

"We won't be able to farm the land and we worry about the impact of coal dust on our health."

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Bega shares hit record as Fonterra buys in

SHARES in Bega Cheese have surged to a record high after the world's biggest dairy exporter Fonterra bought a six per cent stake in the NSW company.

New Zealand-based giant Fonterra is expected to continue its buy-up of Bega shares, but the century-old Bega has a 10 per cent shareholder cap.

Fonterra Co-operative Group announced on Friday it had bought a six per cent stake in Bega, paying $4.95 a share, or a 12 per cent premium on Bega's Thursday closing price.

The news of Fonterra's $46 million share buy-up sent Bega shares to a record high of $4.94, before closing at $4.83, up 42 cents, or 9.5 per cent.

Fonterra already licenses the Bega brand and has a cheese supply contract with the Australian company.

The acquisition comes as Bega is embroiled in a takeover battle for Warrnambool Cheese and Butter.

Bega owns about 18 per cent of Warrnambool, and has offered 1.2 of its own shares plus $2 cash for the Victorian dairy producer.

After Friday's share price surge, that offer is valued at almost $7.80 per Warrnambool share.

Fellow Warrnambool shareholder Murray Goulburn Co-operative has offered $7.50 a share, but both have been trumped by Canada's Saputo bid of $8 cash, which has won backing from Warnnambool's board.

Japan's Kirin has further complicated the takeover tussle, buying a 10 per cent stake in Warrnambool through its Lion subsidiary earlier this week.

"There has recently been a lot of consolidation in the Australia dairy industry," Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings said.

"It's important that Fonterra participates and we have confidence in Bega and the strategy it is pursuing."

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O'Neill to take Carr's NSW Senate seat

Three women have been nominated to fill a Senate vacancy caused the retirement of Labor's Bob Carr. Source: AAP

FORMER lower house MP Deborah O'Neill has been elected by Labor to fill the Senate vacancy caused by the retirement of former minister Bob Carr.

The NSW ALP's administrative committee met on Wednesday afternoon to vote on who would take the upper house spot.

Ms O'Neill fended off two other nominees, small business operator Michelle Miran and farmer Vivien Thomson.

She must be formally endorsed by a joint sitting of both houses of the NSW parliament before taking her seat on November 12.

Mr Carr announced last week he was leaving the Senate after 18 months, following Labor losing government on September 7.

He was marshalled into government by former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard as foreign minister and continued that role under her successor Kevin Rudd.

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New home sales hit a two year high

New home sales hit a two-year high in September, the latest industry figures show. Source: AAP

A RISE in new home construction appears to be gaining traction with new home sales hitting their highest level in over two years.

Sales of new homes increased by 6.4 per cent in September, seasonally adjusted, the strongest monthly growth since April 2012, according to the Housing Industry Association (HIA).

The increase reflected a 4.5 per cent rise in sales of detached houses and a 19.9 per cent boost in multi-unit sales.

Over the September quarter, detached house sales rose 3.7 per cent - and by 25.2 per cent compared to the same period in 2012.

Total new home sales reached their highest level in over two years in September, HIA chief economist Harley Dale said.

"Given the recovery in sales is occurring from a record low and that the upward momentum appeared to be stalling in mid-2013, this September outcome is very positive," Dr Dale said.

"A strong September result for new home sales needs to gather further steam and clear upward momentum for building approvals and new housing finance needs to occur over the foreseeable future.

"These outcomes would provide confidence that the first round of the new home building recovery seen in 2012/13 can gather legs this financial year."

CommSec chief economist Craig James said the data was good news for building materials companies and developers.

"While it is encouraging that housing supply is lifting to meet demand, and investors are putting money to work in property markets, those same investors should be heeding the advice of the Reserve Bank Governor to make 'sensible assumptions about future returns'," Mr James said.

"The HIA believes that there is still a shortfall of new housing stock.

"The complication is the shift by Australians to more efficiently use their housing space.

"Not only are Gen Y staying longer at home with their parents or moving out and sharing accommodation with a number of people, but older parents are choosing to live with their children."

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Palmer offers AMEP details as Xmas gift

Clive Palmer is set to reveal details of his deal with the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party. Source: AAP

CLIVE Palmer says creating a new law to force his party to reveal details of its deal with the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party would be a waste of taxpayers' money.

The Palmer United Party's federal leader was responding to a suggestion put forward by independent senator Nick Xenophon.

"It's a great waste of taxpayers' money," Mr Palmer told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.

"I'll have a good discussion with the Motorists, but I'm sure we can reach an arrangement where for Christmas we can probably release our memorandum on Christmas Day as a present to Nick Xenophobia.

"That'll make it more available for the Australian public than it would in the Senate."

PUP is expected to have up to three senators from July 1 next year and has entered into an alliance with AMEP senator-elect Ricky Muir to form a voting bloc.

Mr Palmer said the two parties were in "outrageous agreement" on their policies.

After talking about personal attacks being the wrong way to go about politics, Mr Palmer went on to refer to Senator Xenophon as like "tits on a bull".

"Poor old Nick's been attacking me since he got elected, since we didn't include him in our alliance," he said.

"I'll give you a headline - he's like tits on a bull.

"He's pretty useless at the moment in the Senate because his vote doesn't really matter to anybody.

"He's probably against everything. He's against racial discrimination, he's against asylum seekers, he's against everybody.

"Nick Xenophon has been someone that's presented very well to the media talking about a lot of ideas but he hasn't achieved much."

Mr Palmer backed Mr Muir as a quiet achiever.

"He's a very tenacious guy, Ricky Muir. Everyone thought he was doing nothing, but he was up convincing us to support his motoring policies.

"Ricky Muir for many people mightn't be pretty, but he's pretty effective.

"And he's pretty effective because he's brought three senators into his camp supporting motoring policies."

Mr Palmer said his party was working on getting registered in Victoria and will call for candidates in the new year to contest the state election in November 2014.

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Severe storms headed for southern Qld

Southern Queensland is on alert for severe thunderstorms that could be the worst of the season. Source: AAP

SOUTHERN Queensland is on alert for severe thunderstorms that could be the worst of the season.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for damaging winds and large hailstones.

Emergency Management Queensland is warning residents to stay indoors and be wary of fallen trees and power lines.

The Bureau of Meteorology says towns in the Darling Downs, including Toowoomba, and the Granite Belt, towards the NSW border, are in the firing line.

Heavy rain, winds of up to 90km/h, and hail are also forecast for Brisbane and the Gold and Sunshine coasts.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Michael Knepp says the storms have the potential to be the worst of the season.

"There will be damaging winds, possibly destructive winds and the possibility of hail and of course storms bring heavy rainfall," he told AAP.

It's anticipated the storms will develop in the Darling Downs and Granite Belt by 1pm. They are expected to roll into Brisbane later in the afternoon.

Mr Knepp said a trough moving through the southern part of Queensland had created enough moisture in the air to cause potentially damaging conditions.

Those conditions are expected to ease late Tuesday evening as the southerly change begins moving up the coast towards Fraser Island.

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'No gossip' in $3m Germaine Greer archive

The University of Melbourne has purchased an archive of letters and documents from Germaine Greer. Source: AAP

FEMINIST icon Germaine Greer's lifetime archive might have a $3 million price tag, but she says there's nothing inside that gossipmongers will find useful.

The University of Melbourne has bought the archive, filling more than 150 filing cabinet drawers, and will move it from Professor Greer's UK home in July.

The archive contains manuscripts of Greer's books, including notes and drafts from her best-selling work The Female Eunuch, and letters from family, friends, academics, critics and politicians.

Prof Greer, who started studying at the University of Melbourne 60 years ago, said it was an obvious decision for the archive to be housed at the university.

"The archive is not about me, but about the moment, about the people who wrote to me, about the reception of The Female Eunuch, about the way people understood issues that now seem so clear," she said on Monday.

Prof Greer said her agent had not moved on the selling of the archive for 20 years, so the expression of interest from the university came as a surprise.

"I am deeply touched that my great 180 drawers full of rubbish will come to you immaculately packaged and preserved and be looked after with great care," she said.

"There's not a lot in it that the gossipmongers will find useful.

"They may indeed discover that I am a much less interesting person than they thought I was."

She said the way people received The Female Eunuch in the 1970s was contemptuous and people had tried to humiliate her when the book was released.

The uni will ship, catalogue and digitise the archive, which will be used for student research and teaching purposes.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis said it was important the university could provide a permanent home for the archive.

"Professor Greer is one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th and early 21st century and she has made a formative contribution to feminist thought," Prof Davis said.

The university has so far raised $900,000 from donations and its own contribution to buy the archive.

Prof Greer will donate most of the sale proceeds to her charity The Friends of Gondwana Rainforest.

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War Memorial will keep donations, MP says

Liberal MP Mathias Cormann says there will be no change to how the War Memorial handles donations. Source: AAP

THE Australian War Memorial and other cultural institutions will retain full control of all their donations, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says.

He rejected a Fairfax report the War Memorial is fending off a federal government grab for its donations, permitted through legislation rushed through parliament in the final days of the Labor government.

"This is not true. There will be no change in how the War Memorial deals with donations and no money from donations will be taken from the War Memorial," he said in a statement.

Senator Cormann said also untrue was the claim that money would be swept from the War Memorial accounts to the Department of Finance each day, in the same manner as that from other departments, to allow for overnight investment.

"All donations and private contributions to the War Memorial and other cultural institutions will remain within their custody and control," he said.

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Aust soldier wounded in attack back on job

An Australian and New Zealand soldier have been wounded in an "insider attack" in Afghanistan. Source: AAP

AN Australian soldier wounded in a shooting attack by an Afghan soldier has returned to duty and is being praised for helping stop the "insider attack".

A group of Australian soldiers and a New Zealand colleague were leaving a military base in northern Afghanistan on Saturday morning when an Afghan soldier opened fire on them.

The group shot back, critically wounding the Afghan soldier, who later died in hospital.

An Australian soldier assigned to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy and the New Zealander received minor wounds in the unprovoked attack.

Defence confirmed on Sunday the Australian soldier was back at work the day after the incident, and the New Zealander was in a stable condition.

Acting Chief of the Defence Force Air Marshal Mark Binskin said others could have been hit if not for the quick response of Australian soldiers.

"Australian and New Zealand soldiers are highly professional and it is good news that no serious injuries were sustained in this attack," he said in a statement.

"Our force protection measures were operating effectively, saving the Australian and New Zealand soldiers from a more serious situation."

Discussions are underway with the dead Afghan soldier's unit to determine the reason for the attack.

It occurred in the Qargha region, near Kabul, where Australian soldiers and other ISAF personnel are training Afghan officers at the academy.

The number of insider, or "green on blue", attacks have surged in recent years and remain an ongoing threat to Australian and other coalition troops based in Afghanistan.

Of the 40 Australians killed in Afghanistan, seven have died in insider attacks where rogue Afghan soldiers turn their weapons on their coalition partners.

The most recent fatal incident involving Australians was in August last year, when three soldiers died in a single attack.

Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen offered well wishes to the soldier's family and all troops serving in Afghanistan.

"Every Australian's thoughts would be with the soldiers and with their family, who have put their lives on the line," he told Network Ten.

He said the agreed timetable for withdrawing Australian troops from the war-torn country had bipartisan support and was appropriate.

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Cormann coy on surplus pledge

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann created some wriggle room in the coalition's budget surplus pledge. Source: AAP

FINANCE Minister Mathias Cormann has declined to give a specific time frame on when the budget will get back to surplus.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has previously claimed his government would return the budget to surplus at least as quickly as the former Labor government's 2016-17 pledge.

But Senator Cormann has refused to be pinned down, saying the coalition had "inherited a mess".

"We will put the budget back to surplus as soon as possible," he told Sky News on Sunday.

The government will formally update the budget position when it releases the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook in December.

Senator Cormann said the Abbott government was working in a calm, methodical manner to turn the budget situation around.

"Tony Abbott never talks out of a hat," he said.

"Labor would have never delivered a surplus."

Senator Cormann also defended the composition of the coalition's audit commission.

Last week the federal government named business lobbyist Tony Shepherd to head up a federal commission with very broad terms of reference.

The commission also includes Peter Boxall, current chairman of the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal, Tony Cole, a former Treasury Secretary, and Robert Fisher, an Agent-General for Western Australia in London, and former Howard government minister Amanda Vanstone.

Labor described it as an "outsourcing" of responsibility to big business.

"That's a ridiculous proposition," Senator Cormann said on Sunday.

"It's a group of very highly-regarded, well-respected Australians."

He dismissed suggestions the commission was designed to provide the government cover for potential spending cuts.

The commission would be give a "warts and all" view.

"The commission of audit of course has completely free rein," he said.

The government will receive the commission's interim report in January and it will feed into the May budget.

Senator Cormann reiterated the coalition's commitment to sell off Medibank Private.

"At this stage we do not have a policy to sell any other Commonwealth assets," he said.

He said the commission of audit would consider the issue.

"From time to time there's good argument that government should no longer be involved in some of the things they've been involved in, in the past," Senator Cormann said.

Asked if there was merit in raising the age people could claim the pension because people were living longer, he said the government would not make any "rash judgments".

"We accept the budget is under structural pressure as a result of the ageing of the population," he said.

On increasing the debt ceiling to $500 billion, Senator Cormann said it was not a matter of wanting to, rather a necessity.

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