Abbott's plea to WA voters

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has pleaded for Western Australian voters to back Liberal candidates. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has made a last-ditch plea to West Australian voters as they head to the polls for a Senate election re-run.

Before jetting out of the country to Asia on Saturday, Mr Abbott recorded a message saying Labor and the Australian Greens in the Senate were standing in the way of his government's plan to repeal the mining tax and carbon tax.

"If you want to get rid of these anti-West Australian taxes ... that means voting Liberal," Mr Abbott said.

He said coalition candidates are "absolutely committed" to scrapping the taxes and the government hoped to get the numbers in the upper house from July to pass the repeal legislation.

"Send a strong message to Canberra, send a strong message to the Labor Party," Mr Abbott said.

"You can't say one thing in Perth and do the opposite in Canberra.

"That's my plea."

The outcome of Saturday's election is important for Australia's future, the prime minister added.

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Boy's parents located

POLICE have tracked down the parents of a young boy who was found wandering alone through suburban southwest Sydney.

Residents of Claymore called police after spotting the boy in the street wearing pyjamas about 7.30am Saturday.

Estimated to be aged two or three years old, the boy was cared for by officers until his parents were located and the search was called off.

The police thanked and updated the public about 2pm.

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Majority of miners under financial stress

MORE than four in every five market listed miners are in a state of 'marginal or distressed' financial health, analysts warn.

Holders of mining sector shares should also brace themselves for weak quarterly production updates in April, Lincoln Indicators said.

Given Australia's share market is dominated by resources stocks, with 700 mining companies and another 250 energy groups, Lincoln Indicators' 84 per cent figure is significant.

The group, founded by academic and former Olympian Merv Lincoln, assesses a company's profitability, cashflow, liabilities and assets.

It found just eight per cent of mining companies were financially strong or satisfactory.

Study author Dennis Ng said the purpose of the study was not to detract from the sector, but to warn people against investing in businesses they did not understand.

"It is an area where there is a lot of jargon, very technical information is involved as well and it makes it really difficult for novice investors to enter," Mr Ng told AAP.

"The overwhelming majority are tiny explorers pretty much set up for a high risk of failure, hence why a large majority are in a marginal and distressed state of financial health."

Investors often overreacted to drill results and had to educate themselves, he said.

Household names such as BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and other large stocks were safer bets, but even experienced investors have been caught by surprise by gold major Newcrest Mining's financial woes, Mr Ng said.

Smaller miners that Lincoln preferred due to superior returns included BC Iron, Sandfire Resources and Mineral Resources.

Lincoln is predicting weak March quarter production reports for BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals, which could point to weaker full year cashflows and earnings, which will be reported in August.

The impact of disruptions to shipments due to cyclone-induced closures at Port Hedland and industrial disputes - the latest involving tugboats - will be exacerbated by weaker commodity prices.

"What's going to separate the mice from the men are the changes they have implemented at port and the whole of their operations to cater for wet weather," Mr Ng said.

February iron ore shipments to China out of Port Hedland fell nine per cent from January.

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Authorities investigate electrical blasts

Loud sounds have hit a Victorian town as high-voltage powerline faults cut power to 80,000 people. Source: AAP

AN investigation is underway into the cause of a series of loud electrical blasts that rocked a Victorian town for 90 seconds as high-voltage powerline faults cut power to 80,000 people.

The faults near a Morwell substation led to a large so-called flashover, smoke and a loud cracking noise, power company SP AusNet said.

A flashover looks and sounds like an explosion, but SP AusNet operations general manager Alistair Parker said it was unlikely anyone was in danger at the time of the incident.

"A flashover is like lightning. It's electricity seeking a path to earth," Mr Parker told reporters on Friday.

He said the fault lasted for 90 seconds before the electricity was switched off.

Power was cut at 7.30am for 80,000 people and may have affected up to 30km of power lines.

"Three hours later, by 10.30am roughly, we had all but 89 customers back on supply," Mr Parker said.

He said an investigation was already underway.

Mr Parker said no one was hurt when the blast went off.

"While it looked traumatic and it would have been frightening to have seen, I don't believe anybody was in actual danger at that time," he said.

"These are very, very rare events. I can't think of the last time it happened here."

Residents posted video of the blasts on social media, showing a series of glowing explosions around the substation.

"It was a deep, rumbling, arcing noise and then all of a sudden I saw this massive fireball," David, who lives near Morwell, told ABC radio.

"At first I thought we were under attack from an atomic bomb.

"It looked like a mushroom cloud going up and you could see the electrical arcing that was going through the cloud. It was carrying the arcing with it."

Morwell resident Jaye Atlee said it looked like an electrical storm.

"I've never seen anything like it. It was a bit of a glow and a really loud rumble," she told the ABC.

Morwell was recently blanketed with smoke after a deliberately-lit blaze spotted into the nearby Hazelwood coalmine in February and burned for 45 days.

Premier Denis Napthine said he had been told the recent fire had not affected the substation involved in Friday's incident.

"This is disappointing for the people of Morwell," Dr Napthine said.

"But I think they're very pleased there has been a quick response to get the electricity back on as soon as possible."

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Extortion link to man's disappearance

A Sydney man last seen jumping into a car in the city's west is believed to have been kidnapped. Source: AAP

A SYDNEY man believed kidnapped had pleaded not to be extradited from the United States over a murder because a crime family had put a $100,000 bounty on his head.

Six years later, Raphael Joseph climbed into a car with at least two other men in Sydney's west in the early hours of March 21 and hasn't been seen since.

NSW's homicide squad believe an extortion attempt may be behind Mr Joseph's disappearance.

Mr Joseph, 38, was extradited from the US to Australia over his suspected involvement in the fatal shooting of Dimitri Debaz in the car park of the Playhouse Hotel in Sefton in 2002.

Mr Joseph, known as Huss or Hussany to his mates and family, fled to the US and was arrested in 2006 after a four year search.

In 2008, he pleaded with then US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to keep him in the country, claiming he would be tortured or killed by a rival gang in Australia.

His plea failed and he appeared in court in Sydney in July, 2008, charged with murder, but the case was later dropped.

It is understood he was affiliated with the Assyrian gang Dlasthr - The Last Hour.

He claimed an Australian crime family had a $100,000 bounty on his head payable to anyone who killed him, and members of Sydney's Bronx Boys gang wanted to murder him.

His lawyer filed documents at the time alleging Mr Joseph's friends and associates had been kidnapped and tortured.

NSW police believe Mr Joseph himself has now been kidnapped.

Detective Superintendent Mick Willing said extortion was a potential motive.

Mr Joseph's family was due to hold a media conference with police, but pulled out at the last minute because they were scared and distressed.

Mr Joseph lived in the inner-west, waterfront suburb of Chiswick.

On March 20, hours before he went missing, he spent time at the Star Casino and may have also met someone at a McDonald's in Auburn.

He was last seen getting into a silver sedan on Dartbrook Road at Auburn late on Thursday, March 20, or early the next morning.

His family reported him missing on March 22.

Police have found Mr Joseph's white Mercedes car, which he drove to Auburn.

Det Supt Mick Willing said police believe a number of people knew where Mr Joseph was.

"His poor family are worried sick and are desperate to know what has happened to him," he told reporters on Thursday.

Police scoured bushland and private properties in the Flemington area last week for evidence.

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stopper anonymously on 1800 333 000.

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Authorities defend handling of girl's case

SOUTH Australian authorities have defended how social workers handled the case of a four-year-old girl who died after being repeatedly forced to ride a motorbike.

Families SA will review its involvement with Chloe Valentine and her mother Ashlee Polkinghorne in the years leading up to the girl's death in January, 2012.

Deputy chief executive for child safety David Waterford said the department appreciated the stress on the wider family, and described Chloe's death as a dreadful tragedy.

"I do appreciate the stress of the family and the soul searching that's going on," he told reporters on Thursday.

He said the department was looking at things that "we could have done differently if we'd known more".

"But, at this point in time, based on all of the information that I've seen, the social workers involved made the right decisions."

Mr Waterford has also rejected claims from family members that up to 200 reports were made to Families SA in relation the young girl and her mother.

He said the department received 22 notifications over a three-year period and none in the six months leading up to the Chloe's death.

Those reports were all investigated but the complaints could not be substantiated.

On Wednesday, in the South Australian Supreme Court, Polkinghorne, 22, and her former partner, Benjamin McPartland, 28, were jailed for at least four years for the manslaughter of Chloe through criminal neglect.

The couple made the 17kg girl get back on a 50kg motorbike over a three-day period, despite her suffering massive injuries from repeatedly crashing and falling off.

When Chloe was eventually unconscious in a semi-vegetative state, the couple waited eight-and-a-half hours before calling an ambulance.

During that time, they went on Facebook, accessed internet banking, googled what to do with an unconscious person and smoked cannabis.

In jailing the couple, Justice Trish Kelly said that, unfortunately for Chloe, "your place was a dangerous place for that child".

Mr Waterford said in the last visits to the home by Families SA staff, Ms Polkinghorne had been found to be "interacting very appropriately and positively" with her daughter.

As well as the review by Families SA, Chloe's death will also be referred to the independent Child Death and Serious Injury Committee.

The South Australian opposition said the case highlighted the need for an independent commissioner for children who would have the necessary investigative powers to help prevent such deaths.

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NSW CEOs get ready to sleep out

Some of Sydney's top bosses are getting ready to sleep rough for the annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout. Source: AAP

WRAPPED in a red leather coat, pearls the size of Maltesers dangling from her ears, Caroline Hong is a picture of success.

And that's the way she likes it.

"When I was 12 in Malaysia, I was homeless," she said.

"I dress in luxury items now because I want to show people you can.

"It's a symbol."

Forced to leave her mother and siblings, Ms Hong was eventually taken in by a temple before moving to Australia in 1976.

Now, almost 40 years on, she will take part in her fifth Vinnies CEO Sleepout on June 19, joining the 28,000 people who sleep rough every night in NSW.

The founder of her own consulting business, she says the initiative is more important than ever because more women and children are experiencing homelessness.

But unlike single men, they're not as visible on the streets.

"When we talk about females and families, we generally don't see them," she said.

Speaking from personal experience, she is also determined to raise the profile of Asian people and immigrants who become homeless but are too proud to ask for help.

"It took me a long, long time to talk about my story," she said.

"For Asian people, it's all about face and when they're poor they don't talk about it."

Homelessness NSW spokesman Digby Hughes agrees there has been a demographic shift with more women and children without a roof over their heads.

Unless it's addressed, he says this trend could take a long-term toll on society.

"It's making it more generational," he said.

"Children who are homeless are more likely to be homeless as adults."

This year the Sleepout aims to raise $7 million - topping up the $20 million already raised since it began in 2006.

For Ms Hong, the event will undoubtedly bring back painful memories, but it is worth it if she can inspire others to give generously.

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Asset sales, cuts or tax to fund Qld dams

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has proposed building dams with money raised from asset sales. Source: AAP

ASSETS will have to be sold, taxes raised or services reduced if southeast Queenslanders want their homes protected from floods.

Premier Campbell Newman has ruled out borrowing any more money to fund a new suite of flood-mitigation projects announced on Wednesday.

Up to eight new dams could be built and the wall of the Wivenhoe Dam, upstream of Brisbane, could be raised.

He says if Queenslanders want the projects, they have to choose between the three options.

"If Queenslanders give us the green light, the nod, we will make this happen, but there are some big choices to make because we cannot borrow any more money," Mr Newman said.

"We can do these things if Queenslanders give us a clear path, and support one of these options.

"We're having a very open conversation about the fact that Queensland needs billions of dollars' worth of infrastructure."

If Queensland signs up to asset sales by 2016, federal Treasurer Joe Hockey has said it would receive cash payments from the Commonwealth.

"The time frames put up by Mr Hockey would work with the conversation that we're having with Queenslanders," the premier said.

Shadow Treasurer Curtis Pitt said the government has been saying for the past two years that asset sales were to pay down debt.

But their tune has changed, he said - the sales will be used to fund election promises.

"They are going around the state promising a range of different things, akin to political bribery," Mr Pitt said.

"The LNP believes that a magic pudding exists, and for them that's asset sales."

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New home sales at near three year high

New home sales are at a near three year high, driven by a boom in detached house sales. Source: AAP

NEW home sales are at a near three year high, driven by a boom in detached house sales.

Detached house sales jumped 6.9 per cent in February, according to data from the Housing Industry Association.

That led to an increase in total new home sales of 4.6 per cent, seasonally adjusted - the highest level since May 2011.

Sales of multi-units fell 6.8 per cent.

The construction of detached houses creates more jobs than multi-units.

"Both sales and building approvals for detached housing are signalling faster momentum ahead for this component of new dwelling construction, compared to what was evident in the first phase of the recovery," HIA chief economist Harley Dale said.

"This signal suggests more balanced growth ahead in the composition of new home building and adds a further positive dimension to the recovery for many of Australia's manufacturers and suppliers."

Dr Dale said the housing recovery was spreading across the country, having previously been dominated by NSW and Western Australia.

In the three months to February, detached house sales in South Australia were up by 32.5 per cent and by 19.8 per cent in Queensland.

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GST carve-up best left independent: Labor

Bill Shorten is happy to leave the issue of carving up GST revenue to an independent process. Source: AAP

OPPOSITION Leader Bill Shorten is happy to leave the process of carving up GST among the states with the independent Commonwealth Grants Commission.

The commission released its latest recommendations for the 2014/15 financial year on Friday, which saw Western Australia as the only jurisdictions that would get less GST revenue in 2014/15 compared with the previous financial year.

Addressing reporters in Perth, where he is drumming up support for this Saturday's WA Senate election re-run, Mr Shorten said he supports an independent process.

"I believe when you get something as complex and vexed in who should get what, you are better having that process being done at arm's length," he said.

The nation's treasurers at a meeting on Friday failed to resolve the long-running saga over GST on low-value foreign goods, which has remained at a $1000 threshold since its introduction in 2000.

Treasurer Joe Hockey said his counterparts had gone away to have another look at lowering the threshold but he wanted to bring this issue to a head this year.

Mr Shorten said there are competing pressures around this issue.

He said small businesses in the high street are feeling pressure from people being able to go online and buy their items cheaper.

"But of course you have to balance against that (that) you have got consumers who are able to beat cost of living pressures by being able to secure the best deals possible," he said.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott was equally non-committal about changes to how the GST is carved up.

He said the GST was a tax that went to the states, and as such it was up to all of the states to collectively make any changes.

"I'm not going to make any change. I'm not aware the states have a collective position on this," he told reporters in Perth.

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Asset plan will boost company tax: Cormann

Federal Finance Minister Mathias Cormann refused to detail how the government pays for incentives. Source: AAP

FEDERAL Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has refused to detail how the government will pay for incentives to states to sell off assets, but says company tax revenue will be boosted by any privatisation.

Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey last week struck an historic deal with all his state and territory counterparts, which would see public assets sold-off and the profits directed into major infrastructure projects.

As an incentive, the commonwealth will give the states an additional 15 per cent of the value of an agreed asset sale.

Senator Cormann said people would have to wait until the May budget for details of how the payments would be funded.

But he pointed out that state-owned assets were exempt from paying the company tax.

"Once any state-owned asset is sold into the private sector they will end up paying company tax to the commonwealth," he told ABC TV on Sunday.

"The 15 per cent payment ... is an incentive to get (the states) to do the right thing. But it is also recognition that the commonwealth will be increase its tax base on the back of those sorts of asset sales."

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Aust ship off to find MH370 black box

Officials say objects scooped out of the ocean are not part of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. Source: AAP

THE Australian navy ship given the job of finding the black box recorder of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 is preparing to leave Perth with still no clue as to the missing plane's whereabouts.

But it could potentially have a longer window to track down the black box in the vast expanses of the Indian Ocean than had been feared.

The Ocean Shield, which leaves Perth on Monday on an initial 30-day mission, has been fitted with US Navy equipment designed to electronically hunt for the box, including a towed pinger locator and unmanned underwater drone.

With the ship not likely to reach the search zone west of Perth for several days, it had been feared the 30-day life of the satellite "pinger" within the black box could expire before the equipment arrived.

But Captain Mark Matthews, the US Navy supervisor of salvage and diving, revealed on Sunday that while the pinger is certified for 30 days, it could last for up to another 15 days.

That gives authorities more precious time to find the box, which should provide crucial clues as to the fate of MH370 and its 239 passengers and crew.

"These are rated to last 30 days, but that is a minimum. In my experience they do last a little bit longer than that," Capt Matthews said.

"I would say 45 days is the realistic limited expectation."

The towed pinger locater on the Ocean Shield has a range of 1.6km and depth capability up to 6000m, with the search set to be conducted at a speed of just 5km/h.

An unmanned underwater drone will also be on board, ready to dive once the pinger locater has found a signal to map the sea floor and photograph potential debris there.

As 10 planes and eight ships descended on the search zone on Sunday, there was still no confirmation of any debris from MH370 being found.

Captain Matthews said without solid proof of the crash, they would not be able to begin to search for the black box.

"We don't have a defined search area yet. We have our challenges in front of us," he said.

In the meantime, the crew, along with Australian and Chinese ships, would join the surface search for debris.

Also on Sunday, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced former Defence Force chief Angus Houston would lead a new joint agency co-ordination centre in Perth that would communicate with all international search partners and the families of those on the missing plane.

"Should our responsibilities increase as time goes by, there is no one better placed than Angus to co-ordinate and liaise given the quite significant number of countries that all have a stake in this search," Mr Abbott said.

Australian Navy Commodore Peter Leavy said the aim was still to locate debris and confirm it was from flight 370, then to work backwards to a possible crash site.

Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs said the best people in the field were now involved in the search.

"It is a significant co-ordination challenge which is proceeding extremely well. These are an exceptionally talented group of people," Admiral Griggs said.

Ocean Shield will leave the naval base at Garden Island south of Perth with enough supplies for 45 days before having to return to shore.

Flight 370 disappeared on March 8 after veering sharply off course while heading from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

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