Morrison refuses to discuss strip searches

IMMIGRATION minister Scott Morrison says strip searching asylum seekers in offshore detention under enhanced security measures would be extreme, but couldn't rule it out.

He says he met with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill in Port Moresby last week and did discuss the need to grant search powers to security staff at Australia's Manus Island detention centre.

However, the minister would not say on Friday if the more than 1100 detainees at Lombrum naval base will specifically be forced to undergo strip searches.

"I'm not going to go into detail of the operations on how they might conduct searches, but I think that's a fairly extreme example," Mr Morrison said.

"At this stage we are in discussions on how these powers might be applied.

"The operational side of that is still being worked through."

Mr Morrison said strip searches were not part of his and Lieutenant General Angus Campbell's discussions with Mr O'Neill last week.

"Search powers enable to us to identify things that may be in possession of people in centres (and) if things escalate, can lead to very dangerous situations," Mr Morrison said.

A preventative approach needed to be taken "before things get out of hand", he said.

The minister referred to past riots at the Nauru detention centre, which resulted in property being destroyed, and said they could have been prevented if authorities had search powers.

Lieutenant General Campbell would not comment on reports Australian vessels had withdrawn from Indonesia's search and rescue zone.

Mr Morrison also declined to speculate on comments by an Indonesian immigration official in the Jakarta Post earlier in the week that surveillance efforts aimed at stopping people smuggling would end.

Just one boat carrying asylum seekers has arrived in Australian waters in the past week.

The vessel intercepted on November 27 was carrying nine passengers and four crew. All were taken to Christmas Island for processing.

This brings the total number of boats arrivals for November to five, Lieutenant General Campbell said on Friday.

Overall, 15 boats carrying 751 asylum seekers have arrived since the Abbott government's military-led border protection crackdown came into effect in September.

Lieutenant General Campbell warned asylum seekers not to get on boats to Australia before the monsoon season saying they would be "inviting" tragedy.

"The ocean is large, the boats are small, our assets are limited, and the weather dangerous," he said.

Eleven cyclones are predicted in waters north of Australia this summer, along with large waves up to four metres.

Mr Morrison said he and Mr O'Neill discussed the establishment of a joint oversight committee for the centre.

The minister also took a pot-shot at Labor and warned the party against supporting an Australian Greens Senate motion to disallow temporary protection visas when parliament resumes on Monday.

"They remain double minded and divided on this and deferring to the Greens," he said.

"They can't hold a consistent position."

Comment is being sought from the Opposition and Greens.

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SA man met a violent death: police

A 65-YEAR-OLD man found dead in his Adelaide home met a violent death, police say.

The man's body was found by his sister on Thursday afternoon, with his death declared a major crime.

Detective Inspector Greg Hutchins said the man's body was found in the bedroom of the suburban Warradale property.

"It was easy to determine that this was a murder, from the word go," he said.

The man was known to police and that will form part of the investigation.

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Simon Gittany guilty of murdering fiancee

A Sydney judge is set to rule on whether Simon Gittany threw his fiancee off a balcony. Source: AAP

SIMON Gittany has been found guilty of murdering his fiancee, Lisa Cecilia Harnum, by throwing her off a high-rise Sydney apartment balcony.

Gittany, 40, stood stock still and his girlfriend Rachelle Louise started screaming as Justice Lucy McCallum handed down her verdict in the Supreme Court in Sydney on Wednesday.

Ms Louise yelled abuse at the judge, and was taken from the court in floods of tears.

Other family members stormed out of court and the judge briefly adjourned the verdict to restore calm.

Justice McCallum found Gittany was in a state of "uncontrollable rage" on the morning of Ms Harnum's death after he discovered she was leaving him.

"He maintained that rage and in that state, carried her to the balcony and unloaded her over the edge," Justice McCallum said.

In a verdict that took more than four hours to deliver, Justice McCallum gave a damning assessment of Gittany's character, finding he was "controlling, dominating and, at times, abusive" of Ms Harnum.

She found he lied "with telling ease" and distorted the truth when he took the stand in an attempt to discredit the woman he murdered.

"At many times in his evidence the accused struck me as being a person playing a role, telling a story which fit with the objective evidence but which did no more than that," Justice McCallum said.

"His account of what happened appeared to exist on borrowed detail.

"It lacked originality and the subtlety of actual experience."

Ms Harnum's family members smiled and embraced after the verdict was handed down.

In a judge-alone trial that gripped the public, the Crown alleged Gittany threw Ms Harnum off their 15th floor CBD apartment balcony on July 30, 2011 in a fit of "apoplectic" rage that she was planning to leave him.

Gittany maintained his innocence, saying Ms Harnum ran onto the balcony and disappeared over the edge as he desperately tried to reach her.

The trial heard allegations Gittany was brutal and controlling of his 30-year-old Canadian fiancee, subjecting her to the "most intense surveillance" imaginable.

Gittany installed CCTV in his apartment and used a computer program to monitor Ms Harnum's text messages, emails and internet usage.

He said he did so because she had a secret she refused to tell him.

Text messages showed Gittany was so jealous of other men, Ms Harnum had to look at the ground when she was outside, the court heard.

In the witness stand, Gittany admitted some of his behaviour towards Ms Harnum was controlling, but he emphatically and repeatedly denied he threw her off the balcony.

Sixty-nine seconds before her death, Gittany was captured on camera dragging Ms Harnum back into the apartment as she screamed "Help me, God help me".

But the defence claimed Ms Harnum, who suffered from bulimia, may have climbed over the balcony to escape Gittany, as a cry for attention or in a suicide bid.

Justice McCallum firmly rejected suggestions Ms Harnum was suicidal that morning or that she deliberately climbed over the balcony to escape Gittany.

"I have stood on that balcony," the judge said.

"I simply can't accept any person with a will to survive could have regarded it as an option for escape.

"Lisa Harnum may have been impulsive, maladaptive and over-sensitive. She may have been in a state of acute fear.

"... But I do not think she was deranged."

A tear-stained Ms Louise briefly emerged from court and asked the dozens of reporters surrounding her for a cigarette.

She refused to comment.

Waiting for Justice McCallum to return to the bench, Gittany's sister told him, "You didn't get a fair trial".

"I know," he replied.

An ambulance has arrived at the Supreme Court, believed to be for Gittany's mother, who was said by relatives to be "in a state" after the guilty verdict.

She was unable to return to court to say goodbye to her son as he was led away.

Gittany will face a sentence hearing in February.

Speaking outside court, an emotional Joan Harnum told reporters, "there are no winners in this case".

"Two families have had their lives dramatically changed forever," she said.

"We will always mourn the loss of our beautiful Lisa Cecilia and are working towards making her legacy a powerful wake-up call to young women.

"My daughter used to say people can ask for help but children and animals cannot.

"And now young women who are caught up in situations like my daughter found herself in need a voice as well."

Ms Harnum said her daughter's favourite saying was "families are forever".

"Please go home and hug your kids and hug your wife and husband and make it families forever for everyone," she said.

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Three critical after Vic tank accident

THREE people are fighting for their lives after being overcome by fumes while cleaning a tank at a Victorian dairy farm, with another seven who rushed to their aid also affected.

The three became ill as one man was using an ammonium cleaning agent to clean the tank, which contained stockfeed.

Others who went to help, along with two police officers and at least one paramedic, were also affected by the fumes at the Cloverlea property, near Warragul in the state's east.

Ambulance Victoria said the man cleaning with ammonium was the first to be overcome by a lack of oxygen.

"The chemical is not toxic, but it does replace the oxygen in the tank," Air Ambulance operations manager Paul Holman said.

"A number of other people have been overcome. They were all very sick ... in a low-oxygen environment."

The seven people injured while offering aid were taken to the Warragul hospital in serious but stable conditions.

Mr Holman said they suffered from nausea due to the smell of the chemical.

The trio in a critical condition were flown to Melbourne hospitals.

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Qld oppn gets even on CMC saga

QUEENSLAND'S opposition got mad, but now they've got even in a tussle with the government over the latest Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) saga.

Three members of the Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee (PCMC) sacked by the state government last week have been reinstated by Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Labor MPs Jackie Trad and Jo-Ann Miller and independent Peter Wellington had been accused of prejudging acting CMC chair Ken Levy.

An investigation was underway into whether Dr Levy misled the committee over contact he had with the government before penning an opinion piece in support of contentious anti-bikie laws.

Ms Palaszczuk says she's standing up to the Newman government's bullyboy tactics, and protecting one of the most important committees in the parliament.

"We will not be dictated to about who we put on that committee," she told reporters on Tuesday.

The government now has four of the seven MPs on the replacement committee, including chairman Steve Davies.

Ms Palaszczuk says she has no faith in Mr Davies as PCMC chair, considering his inexperience and past involvement with organised criminal gangs.

It's reported he had contact with a bikie gang Sergeant At Arms to discipline a gang member that he was in a dispute with.

Mr Davies told AAP that before he was an MP he'd worked at the biggest motorcycle dealer in Brisbane and had many contacts with bikies.

"We dealt with them all the time actually, of all different ilks - outlaw ones, Bandidos, Black Ulysses, you name it, there's no big deal," he told AAP.

"I've never had a BBQ with them or anything, I just worked in the motorcycle industry."

Premier Campbell Newman warned the public would judge the opposition harshly for the reappointments, but conceded he would not move to sack the committee again.

"This is a remarkable lack of leadership from the leader of the opposition," Mr Newman said.

"She's perfectly entitled to do that ... but she has reappointed people who participated in a tainted, corrupt process."

Independent MP Liz Cunningham, who chaired the former committee, said last week was traumatic and voters are now questioning the government's integrity.

"I believe we were sacked for indefensible reasons," she told AAP.

"The feedback I've got from the community is that it has undermined their credibility. It undermines the community's belief that they are a good and transparent government."

The PCMC's investigation into Dr Levy has now been passed to a new Select Ethics Committee.

He is facing questions after failing to disclose that he met with the government's top media adviser Lee Anderson to discuss the article before it was published.

Dr Levy has denied any wrongdoing and intends to stay in his role until a permanent new chief can be found.

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NSW eyes closing online GST loophole

THE NSW government is optimistic the states and territories will be able to convince the federal government to start taxing overseas online purchases under $1000.

NSW Treasurer Mike Baird and his counterparts will meet the federal treasurer in Canberra on Wednesday for the Standing Council on Federal Financial Relations.

Mr Baird said he was buoyed by Joe Hockey's "refreshing" approach to state-federal funding and revenue arrangements.

"It is clear that he wants to come alongside the states and help with the issues that matter," he told reporters on Tuesday.

Two key issues on the NSW agenda are applying the GST to online purchases, and Commonwealth funding of infrastructure projects such as WestConnex and the Pacific Highway upgrade.

Mr Baird said all Australia's treasurers and premiers were interested in closing the online GST-free loophole, which retailers say is increasingly robbing them of their livelihood.

"I have pushed for some time that we need to have a system that takes the existing tax system and brings it into the modern age," he said.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott's ambition to be known as an "infrastructure prime minister" could be helped along at Wednesday's meeting, the treasurer said.

"The federal government is looking for ways to support us, and we're very positive and very hopeful on the discussions we're going to have," Mr Baird said.

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BHP cancels mine opening as airport closes

GLOBAL miner BHP Billiton has cancelled the opening of its Jimblebar iron ore mine due to the closure of Newman airport in the north of Western Australia.

BHP chief executive Andrew Mackenzie, WA Premier Colin Barnett, dignitaries and media were scheduled to travel to the Pilbara mine opening on Monday.

But six Newman-bound Qantas and Virgin Australia flights were cancelled after an emulsion treatment applied to the tarmac failed to dry and became sticky in the heat.

A Newman Airport spokesman said the curing process had not occurred as quickly as planned and flights were cancelled to prevent a build-up of emulsion on plane tyres and fuselages.

"It's got no effect on the friction - the aircraft can brake, but it's just a messy business," the spokesman said.

A BHP spokeswoman said the company had not decided if it would reschedule an official opening event.

"Though regrettable, the cancellation does not detract from the significant achievement of the opening of our newest mine, particularly the delivery of first ore six months ahead of the original schedule," the spokeswoman said.

She said BHP Billiton was using charter services and landing aircraft at alternative locations to accommodate mine workers who were due to travel to site.

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WA boy died because pillar was 'unsafe'

A FAMILY holiday in Western Australia turned into a tragedy when a pillar collapsed and killed a three-year-old boy playing on a hammock.

An inquest into the death of Thomas Michael Brasier at Rottnest Island in October 2009 has concluded the pillar was constructed unsafely and without proper reinforcements.

Coroner Dominic Mulligan said there were several opportunities to review flaws in the construction of the unit, which was built in 1975 and refurbished in 2006, but it was never properly improved.

"Because of the defective construction, the brick pillar was unable to resist lateral forces, such as that placed on it by the loaded hammock," he said.

The Brasier family were among eight adults and 10 children who had gone to Rottnest Island for a holiday.

One of the fathers attached a hammock to the pillar and a tree, and sat in it for a while, before allowing some of the children to sit on the hammock.

Less than 30 seconds after Thomas got onto the hammock with two girls, the pillar broke into three pieces, crushing him.

His father, who was a retired fireman and a practising registered nurse, tried to save his son by performing CPR before ambulance officers arrived.

Thomas' mother knew an emergency doctor on the island and he also tried to help, but commented that the injuries were among the worst he had ever seen.

The boy was flown to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.

"I find death arose by way of accident," Mr Mulligan said.

He made three recommendations including that local governments responsible for issuing building permits receive details of all tie down connections for residential buildings before granting approval for projects.

Mr Mulligan also recommended local governments undertake inspections during construction of residential buildings.

He also recommended architectural drawings prepared for government bodies be archived in a central registry.

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