Public sector wage spending will be capped at 3 per cent a year to fund the Queensland Liberal National Party’s election promises. The cap on expenditure is part of the LNP’s costings for its election promises, which they say total about $4 billion and will be released on Thursday. Labor says the LNP has promised […]
Archive for the ‘Nine news’ Category
Taser victim ‘on drugs, paranoid’ before death


The Brazilian student tasered by police was taking drugs and acting paranoid shortly before his death, according to reports. Friends of Roberto Laudisio Curti said the 21-year-old had been partying at nightclubs for two days and at one point argued with a friend just hours before he was shot at least three times with a […]
Naden to appear in court on Thursday


Australia’s most wanted criminal, Malcolm Naden, is expected to appear before a NSW court on a murder charge on Thursday. Officers surrounded and arrested the 38-year-old just after midnight (AEDT) on a private property near Gloucester, in the state’s mid north. NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has thanked all of the officers who played a […]
Councillor will hand herself in: husband


Fugitive councillor Hajnal Black will hand herself in to authorities once her legal paperwork is in order, says her husband. An arrest warrant for Ms Black, a Logan City councillor, was issued on Friday after she stormed out midway through a court hearing into whether she failed to declare a pecuniary interest while in public […]
Murrumbidgee residents get flood payments


Residents in NSW towns along the flooded Murrumbidgee River will be able to claim financial assistance from the federal government. Payments of $1000 per adult and $400 per child can be claimed by people worst hit by flooding in the towns of Griffith, Leeton, Lockhart, Murrumbidgee, Narrandera, Urana, Wagga Wagga and Young. Federal Attorney-General Nicola […]
Vic nurses move closer to pay rise


Victorian nurses are a step closer to finalising their pay deal with the government after a marathon conciliation session. Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) Victorian secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said the Wednesday night session before a Fair Work Australia tribunal went for more than five hours, allowing all parties to scrutinise a 200 page document that makes […]
Surveys identify wetlands for waterbird


University of NSW researchers have identified Australia’s most important wetlands for waterbirds following extensive aerial surveys. Teams of observers in light aircraft surveyed 4858 wetlands across Australia in late 2008. A subsequent analysis was released by the National Water Commission on Thursday and estimated there are 4.6 million waterbirds from more than 100 species across […]
Super hike not a tax increase: Shorten


Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten insists a lift in the superannuation guarantee is not a tax on employers. He also rejects claims workers will have to pay for increased super contributions through a reduction in pay. Business has complained that an increase from 9 to 12 per cent will cost employers $20 billion a year. […]
Qld Labor promises 800 more police


Labor has promised 800 extra police over the next four years if returned to government in Queensland on Saturday. Premier Anna Bligh says the boost will give the state one of the highest police-to-population ratios in Australia. By comparison, the Liberal National Party last month pledged to deliver 1100 extra officers. “Since 1998, the number […]
Delays in fighting Melbourne boat fires


Firefighters will be ill-equipped to tackle major marine fires in Melbourne for at least another year, the city’s fire chief says. Fire crews struggled to put out a blaze on a 28-metre luxury cruiser at the Yarra’s Edge marina at Docklands late on Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters had access only to a dinghy and a small […]
NSW man extradited to Qld on murder charge


A man charged with the murder of a Gold Coast nightclub singer is being extradited to Queensland after making a brief court appearance in a NSW court. Matthew Cox, 24, faced a court in Port Macquarie early on Thursday. The Port Macquarie man will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on Queensland’s Gold Coast on […]
Newman, LNP on track for victory in Qld


The Liberal National Party looks set to pull off its audacious plan to install Campbell Newman as Queensland’s next premier, a new poll shows. A ReachTEL poll of voters in the seat Mr Newman must win has given him a clear lead over Labor’s Ashgrove incumbent Kate Jones. The poll follows a weekend Galaxy poll […]
Minister denies zoning decision conflict


West Australian Planning Minister John Day has denied any conflict of interest over his decision to raise building heights in an upmarket area of Perth in which he owns property. Mr Day overruled the City of Nedlands, in the city’s western suburbs, to allow a four-storey development on a site on Waratah Ave, Dalkeith, opposite […]
Decent phone prices for everyone: minister


A new telecommunications agency will ensure phone services are provided to all Australians at a reasonable price, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says. The House of Representatives passed amendments from the Senate to the Telecommunications Universal Service Management Agency Bill 2011 on Wednesday. Senator Conroy said he welcomed the passage of the last major piece of […]
Beware of buying flood-damaged cars


NSW car buyers are being warned to beware of water-damaged cars set to hit the used car and auction markets after the recent floods. David Scognamiglio, head of consumer site carhistory.com.au, said some independent sellers might try to rip off unsuspecting buyers. “In many cases the salvageable cars are simply washed and offered for sale […]
Sydney river search to resume at daylight


Rapid currents and poor conditions have hampered the search for a man missing since his tinny flipped in a flood-swollen river in northwestern Sydney on Tuesday night. The search will resume on Thursday morning. Peter Rhinehardt, 25, of Riverstone was last seen clinging to a tree after his aluminium boat overturned on the Nepean River […]
MP to speak with Ten about reality TV show


Network Ten will meet with the Liberal federal MP representing the Sutherland Shire to discuss community concerns about a reality show based on the southern Sydney area. Member for Cook, Scott Morrison, said he and Ten chief executive James Warburton would meet face to face soon, after speaking by phone earlier on Wednesday. “I’m sure […]
‘Tent embassy’ protesters urged to move on


A clash is looming at an Aboriginal “tent embassy” in Perth after the police commissioner urged the city council to order the protesters off a public reserve. Protesters have been camped at Heirisson Island on the Swan River since mid-February, saying they oppose the WA government’s proposed $1 billion native title deal with the Noongar […]
Carr stumps for interfaith dialogue


Australia’s new foreign minister wants to broaden the nation’s foreign policy goals to tackle climate change, and promote cultural diversity and tolerance. Senator Bob Carr, who is the only former premier of NSW to serve in the upper house, flagged the environment and cultural aims during his maiden speech in parliament on Wednesday. “Running foreign […]
Relationship with China challenging: Carr


Foreign Minister Bob Carr says Australia shouldn’t have to decide between China and the United States in setting foreign policy. Senator Carr said Australia’s relationship with China was challenging, given that for the first time “the nation with which we have the major economic relationship is a nation with different values”. He said Australia did […]