NSW govt to extend home owner grant

Next week's NSW budget will extend eligibility criteria for a first home owner grant. Source: AAP

THE NSW government has freed land for 6600 new homes in Sydney's northwest and will extend the first home owner grant in this month's budget.

Land at Marsden Park North, Richmond and Blacktown has been released or rezoned for housing, Premier Mike Baird announced on Saturday.

The Marsden Park land has space for 4000 new homes and is close to where the North West Rail Link is being built, while the land at Blacktown is on an old golf course.

"In western Sydney, there is a massive housing boom occurring and the unlocking of up to 6600 new housing lots at three sites will boost housing supply and make homes more affordable," Mr Baird said in a statement.

The government claims 100,000 new homes have been built across NSW since the March 2011 election.

Treasurer Andrew Constance also announced that the June 17 state budget will extend eligibility criteria for the first home owner grant by $100,000.

It means first-time buyers who purchase new properties worth up to $750,000 will qualify for the $15,000 payment. The previous threshold was $650,000.

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New report spells out phone tap powers

Government tapping of people's phones is widespread around the world, a new UK report shows. Source: AAP

GOVERNMENT tapping of people's phones is widespread around the world with Australia among a long list of countries permitting access to phone networks.

But Australia rates better than some, a report compiled by one of the world's largest phone companies says.

The detailed report by UK mobile carrier Vodafone examines legislative frameworks for telecommunications interception in 29 countries where it operates.

It says this is its contribution to the global debate on telecommunications interception.

The report says Australian carriers have legislative obligations to assist law enforcement and national security agencies, including an obligation to disclose information where authorised.

Interception is authorised by warrants issued to law enforcement and security agencies - though it may occur without a warrant in specified urgent circumstances.

Of substantial concern is the revelation in Vodafone's report that in six countries, authorities can bypass all legal requirements such as warrants to directly access an operator's network.

"In those countries, Vodafone will not receive any form of demand for lawful interception access as the relevant agencies and authorities already have permanent access to customer communications via their own direct link," the report said.

Vodafone doesn't specifically say which countries.

But in a detailed appendix compiled by an international law firm, it says Albania, Egypt, Hungary, Ireland, Qatar and Turkey all have provisions allowing authorities to request unfettered access.

In two other countries, India and the UK, legal provisions are unclear.

The report doesn't spell out the extent of telecommunications interception in Australia.

But the 2012-13 annual report, required under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979, says a total of 3330 interception warrants were issued, more than half to NSW police and the NSW Crime Commission.

Around two-thirds were for drug trafficking and organised crime.

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Senior SA Liberal to retire within a year

FORMER Liberal leader Iain Evans will quit the South Australian parliament within 12 months, which will spark a by-election.

The opposition treasury spokesman made the announcement on Friday after meeting state Liberal leader Steven Marshall.

He said he would not seek a shadow cabinet position in Mr Marshall's coming reshuffle.

"After 21 years representing the electorate of Davenport and my 46-year involvement in politics, I have made the decision to leave the SA parliament in the next 12 months and seek a new career in the private sector," he said.

Mr Evans, 55, has served as a minister, as SA Liberal leader and as deputy leader.

His announcement comes less than two weeks after former fellow frontbencher Martin Hamilton-Smith defected to become a minister in the minority Labor government.

Ten other MPS are on the Liberal front bench.

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WA oppn calls for puppy breeder register

WEST Australian Opposition Leader Mark McGowan is calling for the immediate introduction of a puppy breeder register to drive out dodgy dog dealers.

His comments come after Katherine Lisa King, 43, was found guilty of three animal cruelty charges on Thursday for keeping a dozen dogs in an underground bunker at her South Doodlakine property.

RSPCA inspectors discovered a further 38 dogs on her property, with many suffering from ear mite and secondary infections due to untreated conditions.

King was fined $11,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court and banned for five years from being within 10 metres of an animal.

Mr McGowan said WA had only voluntary registration for dog ownership.

"The most important thing we have to remember is let's stop it happening in the future with a proper registration system backed up by enforcement for puppy breeders to make sure the good ones are in the business and the bad ones are kicked out the back door," he said.

"That is the only way we'll drive the mistreatment of our dogs out of the system."

Mr McGowan said people buying a puppy from a breeder should demand to see the pup's parents and look at the circumstances in which it was brought up.

And breeders should be required to prove their accreditation when advertising and selling puppies, he said.

"I think West Australians are shocked when they see what can happen and what is going on across this state," he said.

"If people are aware of mistreatment of animals, they should report it to the RSPCA."

In 1999, Mr McGowan introduced the state's second-largest petition to parliament, seeking to strengthen animal welfare laws, with about 66,000 signatures.

The legislation was passed through parliament in 2002.

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Kiwi drops to six-month low against Aussie

THE New Zealand dollar has dropped to a six-month low against its trans-Tasman counterpart after figures showed an improving Australian economy, on growing exports and accelerating home building.

The kiwi fell as low as 90.70 Australian cents, trading at 90.73 cents at 5pm from 91.25 cents on Tuesday.

It also fell to 84.12 US cents from 84.27 cents at 8am and 84.59 cents on Tuesday.

Australia's economy grew 1.1 per cent in the first three months of the year, beating the 0.9 per cent growth forecast in a Bloomberg survey.

"The market's long on kiwi crosses, and it's a continuation of the unwinding," said Tim Kelleher, head of institutional FX sales New Zealand at ASB Institutional in Auckland, referring to the position where an investor bets an asset will appreciate.

"I wouldn't get too carried away, the kiwi's at the bottom end of the range."

Also weighing on New Zealand's currency was another drop in dairy prices at the latest GlobalDairyTrade auction.

The kiwi fell to 61.79 euro cents from 62.17 cents on Tuesday and to 86.37 yen from 86.55 yen.

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Hackers may be behind NSW 'swatting' hoax

HACKERS from anywhere in the world could have gained access to a Sydney teenager's computer and sparked an elaborate shooting hoax in the city's south.

More than 20 police in bullet-proof vests swarmed a home in Bonar Street, Arncliffe early on Wednesday morning after receiving reports of shots being fired at the property.

But it turned out to be a hoax with the teenager at the centre of the incident apparently caught up in an elaborate "swatting" hoax, whereby pranksters trick police or SWAT crews into thinking there has been a major incident.

"At this stage of inquiries, the matter is being investigated as a public mischief incident," police said in a statement.

Mathew McGrath, 18, was questioned by police and released without charge pending further inquiries - including an examination of three computers and a mobile phone taken from the home.

His mother told reporters a text message was sent from his mobile phone to triple-zero in Queensland, prompting the police response.

NSW Blue Mountains-based computer security expert, Stilgherrian, who goes by a single name, said it would be entirely possible for hackers anywhere in the world to gain access to Mr McGrath's computer and spark the hoax.

"Once they've hacked his computer they can either make online or Skype calls out through it," he told AAP.

Computer programs could also have been used to send out text messages from his mobile phone.

The incident is believed to be the first case of swatting in Australia that's prompted an emergency services or police response.

There have been numerous cases of the prank in the US, including those targeting celebrities such as Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise, Clint Eastwood and Ashton Kutcher.

Stilgherrian said in some cases hackers had invented a scoring system, whereby they get additional points if the incident appears on television or attracts a response of more than 50 police officers.

Lawmakers in California have introduced stiff penalties for those caught swatting, including paying back the costs involved in the emergency response.

In any case, Bonar Street got a wake-up call at 4.40am on Wednesday when police arrived.

Neighbour Ray Anderson told AAP he was woken by bright lights, before seeing police and TV crews lining the usually quiet street.

"I woke up to a great big light shining in my window," he said.

"It was still dark."

Mr Anderson described the teen as "a very nice lad".

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US taking direct action on carbon: Abbott

THE United States is taking direct action steps to reduce its emissions just like Australia, Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.

The Obama administration will reduce emissions from its power sector by 30 per cent by 2030, a significant pledge from the world's biggest economy and second-largest polluter.

The commitment has put pressure on Mr Abbott ahead of his trip to Washington next week, and he was asked in parliament if he will discuss the science of climate change with President Barack Obama when they meet.

The US and Australian government policies on climate change have something in common, Mr Abbott told question time.

"There is no carbon tax in the United States," he said.

"There is no emissions trading scheme in the United States."

The Abbott government is determined to ensure there will be no carbon tax and no emissions carbon scheme in Australia.

"What the United States is doing is taking sensible direct action steps to reduce its emissions, which is exactly what this government is proposing to do."

Mr Abbott said it was not sensible to protect the environment by damaging the economy, which is why neither the US nor Australia should have a carbon tax.

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Second body located after sons find mum

HOMICIDE detectives have found a second body while investigating the suspicious death of a mother-of-two in Lithgow, west of Sydney.

The 46-year-old woman's sons, aged 13 and 18, awoke to find her lying unconscious and fatally injured in the home about 8am on Tuesday.

Her death is being treated as suspicious, although it is not yet known how she died.

Now investigators have discovered the body of a 54-year-old man at another property at nearby Wolgan Valley.

Police say his death isn't being treated as suspicious.

The investigation continues and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention should call Lifeline on 131 114 or the Suicide Callback Service on 1300 659 467.

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No relief in sight as 'warm wave' rolls on

AUSTRALIA has experienced its hottest two years on record and high temperatures are set to continue through winter in a clear sign climate change is having an impact, a new report warns.

May 2012 to April 2014 was the hottest 24-month period ever recorded in Australia, but that is likely to be eclipsed by the two years between June 2012 and May 2014, according to the Climate Commission's latest report, Abnormal Autumn.

"We have just had an abnormally warm autumn, off the back of another very hot 'angry summer'," Climate Council Professor Will Steffen said.

"The past two-year period has delivered the hottest average temperature we have ever recorded in Australia.

"Climate change is here, it's happening, and Australians are already feeling its impact."

The average temperature across Australia in April was 1.11C above the long-term average, the report says, citing Bureau of Meteorology figures.

The average minimum temperature was 1.31C above normal.

Unseasonable temperatures in the autumn "warm wave" set records, with Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne setting benchmarks for the consecutive number of May days when the mercury reached 20C or higher.

In its report, the Climate Council says the abnormally warm weather in April and May "are part of a longer-term trend towards hotter conditions in the summer months and more warm spells in autumn and winter".

It says each of the 12-month periods ending in January, February, March and April 2014 have been record warm periods for Australia, with May figures on track to also be a new high.

"Such records are consistent with the ongoing global and Australia-wide, multi-decadal trends towards a hotter climate," the report says.

Meteorologists predict a high likelihood that Australia will experience an El Nino event - characterised by below-average rainfall in the east and south - in coming months.

The Climate Council says an El Nino could worsen the impacts of climate change, leading to hotter, drier weather.

The Climate Council is a crowd-funded, independent organisation created by the members of the former Climate Commission, which was axed by the coalition government when it came to power in 2013.

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Pub attacks fall but assaults at home rise

Assaults at licensed premises in Kings Cross have fallen by 30.5 per cent, figures show. Source: AAP

THERE has been a dramatic fall in the number of assaults in pubs and clubs in Kings Cross and the Sydney CBD over the past two years but violence in the home is on the rise.

Figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research released on Monday show assaults at licensed premises in Kings Cross have fallen by 30.5 per cent in the past two years.

Assaults at venues in the Sydney CBD have fallen by 15.1 per cent over the same period, while across the state there was a 5.6 per cent fall in assaults committed in licensed premises in the two years to March.

"Police across the state are doing a great job in preventing violence in our pubs and clubs," NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said on Monday.

However, the period covered by the statistics suggests it's unlikely much of the decline in assaults in licensed venues in the city's trouble spots can be attributed to recent changes to alcohol laws, largely prompted by a spate of fatal one-punch assaults.

The NSW parliament only passed legislation for tougher sentences involving alcohol and drug-fuelled violence in January.

Mr Scipione has also voiced concern about a 2.5 per cent rise in violent assaults in the home, as figures showed almost half (47 per cent) involved incidents between parents and their children.

"It doesn't matter who it is: whether it is parents assaulting their children, grown children assaulting their parents or any other person guilty of domestic assault, you will be held accountable," Mr Scipione said.

"But victims must come forward and report the incidents to police so we can take action," he said.

The figures showed there had been a 25.7 per cent rise in transport offences, while fraud was up 8.6 per cent.

Police said there had also been an increase in cyber crime with more people reporting unauthorised access of their bank accounts.

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Man charged after baby attacked

A 30-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with grievous bodily harm and cruelty after an injured baby was admitted to a Brisbane hospital.

The one-year-old boy was taken to hospital with unspecified injuries, police say.

The man will appear in the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on Monday.

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NSW police reach stricken yacht

A YACHT stranded off the coast of Port Stephens, on the NSW mid north coast, is being towed back to Coffs Harbour after engine trouble.

The sole person on board - a 46-year-old man from Sydney - is not believed to have been injured, police said on Sunday.

The 16-metre single-masted sailing boat sent a distress radio beacon on Saturday night, 200 nautical miles offshore, reporting engine problems.

Water police left Port Stephens late on Saturday, reaching the stricken boat on Sunday afternoon.

The vessel, believed to have been sailing to New Zealand, is now under tow back to Coffs Harbour.

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