Man almost safe before Vic rescue death

A bushwalker has fallen to his death during a rescue operation in bushland northeast of Melbourne. Source: AAP

AN injured Victorian bushwalker was at the door of a rescue helicopter after being winched almost 30 metres when things went wrong and he fell to his death.

The man had been hiking through a heavily bushed part of Victoria northeast of Melbourne when he broke his ankle on Saturday morning.

An air ambulance was dispatched, but the man never made it on board.

The incident has prompted a suspension of winching operations by Ambulance Victoria helicopters while an investigation is carried out.

Ambulance Victoria chief executive Greg Sassella said the man was at the door of the helicopter and the crew were attempting to get him inside when he fell.

The helicopter was hovering almost 30 metres off the ground during what was considered to be "a fairly standard winch," he said.

"The flight crew and the paramedic winched back down to the scene to attempt to resuscitate the patient but unfortunately he was beyond help."

He said that while it was very difficult to have a person extricated from the type of bush the man and his fellow bushwalkers were in, flying conditions were good.

"Once we understand what occurred and whether there's equipment involved or not, that suspension may be lifted," Mr Sassella said.

"It is a high risk environment and we must make sure that we understand what happened before we resume winching again."

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Sri Lankan customs make big heroin haul

SRI Lankan customs agents have seized 250 kilograms of heroin worth $US19 million ($A21.42 million) from a container sent from Pakistan, in the largest-ever seizure of the drug in South Asia, an official says.

The heroin, concealed inside 17,500 small grease cans packed into a large container sent from the Pakistani city of Karachi, was found on Friday at a customs terminal in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, said Mali Piyasena, a customs director on Saturday.

A Pakistani national and three Sri Lankans were arrested in connection to the seizure and will be handed over to the police narcotics division after the completion of a customs investigation, Piyasena said.

He said customs agents received a tipoff about the heroin in July and were "waiting till the importer came to clear it."

Piyasena said it was the largest-ever haul of heroin seized in South Asia.

A police official involved in the investigation said Pakistanis are known to operate a narcotics ring that supplies heroin for Sri Lankan drug dealers and for shipment to European countries. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said authorities received information that part of this stock was for Sri Lanka, and the rest was to be shipped to Europe.

Sri Lankan authorities have seized large quantities of heroin and other drugs shipped from Pakistan in recent years, including 55 kilograms of heroin concealed in fake potatoes in 2010.

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Thousands protest at two Sydney events

THOUSANDS of people have protested at two events across Sydney calling on whoever wins the election to increase foreign aid and drop "xenophobic" refugee policy.

More than 3000 people converged on Manly Beach in Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's northern Sydney electorate on Saturday.

They want the man polls indicate will be prime minister after next Saturday's election to increase aid spending to 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI), or 70 cents in every $100, by 2020, organiser Vikki Howorth told AAP.

Presently Australia spends 0.37 per cent of GNI on aid, she added.

But she said this must be increased if Australia wanted to meet the UN's Millennium Development goals of halving poverty by 2015.

"Whist we've got one of the strongest economies amongst developed nations we're actually ranked just thirteenth out of 23 developed country aid donors," she told AAP.

"Is that really giving our fair share?"

Sweden, which gives 1.4 per cent of it's GNI away as aid is the world's most generous donor, Ms Howorth said.

Across the harbour about 400 protesters marched on Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's inner west office.

Spokesman Ian Rintoul told AAP they were protesting the immigration policies of the Labor and Liberal parties.

"We're absolutely opposed to the PNG solution, we're absolutely opposed to offshore processing and temporary protection visas," he said.

"We need a welcome refugee policy under which asylum seekers are welcomed into Australia, processed in Australia and settled in Australia."

Winning an election predicated on "xenophobia and refugee bashing... is not a victory worth having," he added.

Another Sydney protest against immigration policy is planned for September 29, Mr Rintoul said.

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Man, dog recovering after Sydney shooting

A MAN shot in a daylight attack on a south Sydney freeway is in a stable condition in hospital.

The 36-year-old's dog was also shot and has been taken to a veterinary hospital, police say.

Police found the man with a bullet wound to his leg after they were called to the Princes Highway at Tempe on Saturday afternoon on reports of gunshots.

He was taken to hospital where he remains in a stable condition.

A crime scene has been established and police are looking for a dark-coloured sedan or hatchback seen in the area around the time of the shooting.

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NSW Coles slip woman gets just $880

A woman who sought damages after she slipped in a Coles supermarket has been granted only $880. Source: AAP

A WOMAN who sought over $100,000 in damages after she slipped in a Coles supermarket has instead been granted only $880.

Leslie Fitzsimmons sued Coles Supermarket after she slipped while shopping at a Gosford store on the NSW Central Coast in December 2009.

Ms Fitzsimmons claimed she suffered injuries to her ankle and back after she slipped on a wet floor while trying to find a birthday cake.

She took the case to the NSW District Court last year, but it was dismissed and she was ordered to pay costs.

Judge Elizabeth Olsson found Ms Fitzsimmons had failed to establish Coles was in breach of its duty of care.

The supermarket had taken precautions to warn customers of the slippery condition of the floor by placing three signs around it, the court heard.

Ms Fitzsimmons said she was hurrying through the store with her daughter on her hip and that she didn't see the signs.

There was also some evidence she was arguing with her boyfriend at the time, although how that affected her falling was not clear, the court heard.

Judge Olsson expressed concern about the "many troubling aspects" of Ms Fitzsimmons' evidence, noting her appearance in the witness box was at odds with what she had told Centrelink and her physiotherapist about her injuries.

"There is a degree of exaggeration by (Ms Fitzsimmons) of her symptoms, particularly when she was presenting to various medical practitioners," the judge concluded.

Ms Fitzsimmons appealed this decision in the Court of Appeal and asserted her claim was worth "many times more than the sum of $100,000".

The appeal court allowed the appeal but ordered Ms Fitzsimmons should receive just $886.50 in damages.

She was also ordered to pay Coles' legal costs.

"By no stretch of imagination could this be regarded as success on the appeal," the judgment said.

The decision comes just weeks after a Sydney woman, Charlene Meneghello, who slipped in a Neutral Bay Coles store, had her award of $120,000 revoked on appeal.

A third woman, Rennie Kissun, was awarded over $170,000 in damages by the District Court earlier this month after she slipped in a Castle Hill Coles supermarket.

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China cyber spying a problem: Johnston

Shadow defence minister David Johnston says China's widespread cyber-espionage is a problem. Source: AAP

CHINA'S widespread cyber-espionage is a problem and China's libertarian attitude to ripping off intellectual property can't continue, shadow defence minister David Johnston says.

Senator Johnston, Australia's next defence minister in a Tony Abbott government, said the rules of engagement on acceptable cyber conduct need to be settled.

In that regard, the meeting between US President Barack Obama and Chinese president Xi Jinping in June was most important.

China has long been accused of widespread cyber espionage. In the meeting, President Obama said it was critical the US and China adopt rules on what is and isn't acceptable conduct for a national government.

Senator Johnston said he had been briefed on cyber threats by the Defence Signal Directorate.

"However, PLA 3 out of Shanghai is a problem ... the parliamentary website knows it because it has been hacked. The fact is the rules of engagement in this space are really important. We have the capacity to do things but the rules of engagement have to be settled.

PLA 3 - People's Liberation Army Unit 61398 - part of the PLA's third department, responsible for telecommunications - has been blamed for widespread cyber espionage and hacking directed at western companies and governments including Australia.

"The current state of China's libertarian view on intellectual property and its capacity to be ripped off cannot continue," he said.

Senator Johnston's comment came in an Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) debate with defence material minister Mike Kelly, set to be defence minister in a re-elected Labor government.

The pair traded familiar criticisms but neither landed a knockout blow.

Senator Johnston said defence spending as a percentage of gross domestic under Labor had reached the lowest level since before world war two. Labor had also trashed its own two Defence White Papers.

Dr Kelly said the former government had presided over a succession of scandals and took Australia into an unnecessary war in Iraq.

ASPI executive director Peter Jennings said he wasn't declaring a winner.

"I like to think that defence has won on this occasion," he said.

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Origin streaker a no-show at court

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Origin streaker Wati Holmwood who failed to front court. Source: AAP

THE State of Origin streaker has done a runner.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Wati Holmwood after he failed to appear at a Sydney court where he was due to be sentenced for streaking at the rugby league State of Origin decider in July.

Holmwood ran naked 90 metres down the field in front of a crowd of thousands, but the 33-year-old New Zealander failed to show at Burwood Local Court on Thursday.

Magistrate Christopher Longley issued a warrant for Holmwood's arrest "for the purpose of sentencing".

Holmwood pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of entering a playing field without authorisation and one count of wilful and obscene exposure in or near a public place.

Charges were laid against Holmwood after he raced onto the field wearing nothing but joggers in the final minutes of game three of the Origin series.

It wasn't the first time he streaked during a rugby league game.

Holmwood had done the same in 2011 at a Warriors vs Tigers match at Leichhardt, in Sydney's inner west.

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WA women fined $10,000 for animal cruelty

A Perth woman was fined $8000 after a dog's medical condition was left untreated for a long time. Source: AAP

TWO Perth women have been fined a total of $10,000 for animal cruelty offences after a dog's medical condition was left untreated for a long time.

Denise Vespescu appeared in Midland Magistrates Court on Thursday after being charged by the RSPCA with animal cruelty.

Vespescu owned a home that was being rented by Angie Kukich in July last year when the RSPCA visited with a complaint from a member of the public.

Nine dogs were found at the property, including a red female Pomeranian dog named Grita.

She was suffering from multiple, complex untreated medical conditions for a significant period of time, the RSPCA said.

There were also faeces and a strong smell of ammonia coming from the brick floor of the backyard.

Vespescu was fined $8000 and ordered to pay court costs of $1882.

Kukich did not attend court but was convicted in her absence.

She was fined $2000 and ordered to pay $1882 in court costs.

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Hotline set up after sex abuse allegations

A NATIONAL hotline has been set up for potential victims of an alleged serial sex offender who has been charged with dozens of offences against boys dating back more than 20 years.

Child Abuse Squad detectives charged the 66-year-old Rockingham man with a list of historic sexual assault offences, dating from when he worked as an education officer for the Warminda program, which helped troubled boys in the 1990s.

More charges stem from the man's employment as a counselling psychotherapist at the Perth Adolescent Service around the same time.

Police say six boys, then aged 11 to 17, had been sexually abused by the man.

He faces 17 charges of aggravated indecent assault, 12 of aggravated sexual assault, an attempted aggravated sexual assault, an indecent assault, and one unlawful carnal knowledge under 13 years.

Police have taken the unusual step of setting up a phone line - labelled "Speak up, we will listen" - for other potential victims who think they may have been targeted by the same man.

"If his offending or conduct has affected you or someone you know, and you would like to talk about it, call 1800 552 203," the WA police said in a statement.

Information can also be provided to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Indonesia slams Abbott boat buyback

Tony Abbott's plan to buy boats from Indonesian fishermen has been criticised in Jakarta. Source: AAP

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott's plan to buy boats from Indonesian fishermen to prevent the vessels being used by people smugglers has been slammed by Jakarta as unfriendly and an insult to Indonesia.

The buyback plan has met with heavy resistance in Jakarta, with a senior member of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's ruling coalition saying it showed Mr Abbott lacked understanding of Indonesia, and the broader asylum-seeker problem.

Mahfudz Siddiq, the head of Indonesia's parliamentary commission for foreign affairs, said on Monday that it was Mr Abbott's right to suggest the policy but warned that it had broader implications for the relationship between Jakarta and Australia.

"It's an unfriendly idea coming from a candidate who wants to be Australian leader," Mr Siddiq told AAP.

"That idea shows how he sees things as (an) Australian politician on Indonesia regarding people smuggling. Don't look at us, Indonesia, like we want this people smuggling.

"This is really a crazy idea, unfriendly, derogatory and it shows lack of understanding in this matter."

Mr Abbott, who has previously accused the Labor government of damaging Australia's relationship with Indonesia, announced the buyback scheme last week as part of a new $420 million package aimed at stemming the flow of refugee boats to Australia.

Under the plan, millions of dollars would be used to buy boats from Indonesian fishermen, many of whom are poor and who in recent years have been easy prey for people-smuggling syndicates that offer much more money for their rickety vessels than can be made by fishing.

But Hikmahanto Juwana, an international affairs expert from the University of Indonesia, has described the plan as "humiliating", and says it shows the coalition has a poor understanding of its northern neighbour.

Mr Juwana warned the plan would risk a deterioration in relations between Australia and its northern neighbour, adding that it suggested Mr Abbott viewed Indonesian fishermen as "mercenaries who did dirty jobs".

"I think the (Indonesian) government should voice protests to the coalition's very insensitive plan which clearly shows their poor knowledge about the situation in Indonesia," Mr Juwana told The Jakarta Post newspaper.

"The coalition wants to make Indonesia look inferior because they just want to provide money and ask Indonesians to get the job done for the sake of their interests."

He said buying the boats would just cause the fishermen, many of who are already very poor, to lose their livelihoods and warned it would lead to resentment and even risk conflict between the local population and foreigners.

"The program could trigger vigilantism and (attacks) on foreigners ...," Mr Juwana said.

Mr Abbott did not say how much would be paid for each boat.

"It's much better and much more sensible to spend a few thousand dollars in Indonesia, than to spend $12 million processing the people who ultimately arrive here," he told reporters.

The broader plan announced by Mr Abbott in Darwin on Friday includes funding of $67 million to increase the presence of Australian Federal Police in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

Close to another $100 million would be spent to boost the aerial surveillance and search and rescue capacity of Indonesian authorities and $198 million to boost interception and transfer operations.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey suggested on Network Ten that the coalition's proposal may have been misunderstood.

"I think it was misinterpreted," he told The Project.

Asked if the coalition was not after all going to buy up old, rickety boats, Mr Hockey indicated it would depend on the situation.

"If it disrupts the activity of the smugglers, say if they were about to load people on a boat or something, if you have a situation like that, when you could disrupt the activity, then you would do it," he said.

"I don't think we are going to be buying every boat in Indonesia."

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Qld police locate toddler's mother

THE mother of a two-year-old boy found wandering alone on a far north Queensland street has been located.

The boy was found wearing only a nappy at an intersection in the Cairns suburb of Westcourt about 1.45pm (AEST) on Monday and authorities appealed for help to find his parents.

By 8pm, the boy's mother had been found, with police thanking the public for their assistance.

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Moody's downgrades NAB's UK bank

Ratings agency Moody's has downgraded the credit rating of NAB's troubled UK Bank. Source: AAP

RATINGS agency Moody's has downgraded the credit rating of National Australia Bank's troubled UK subsidiary Clydesdale Bank.

Moody's downgraded the long term bank deposit and senior debt rating of Clydesdale to Baa2, from A2.

That means the loss-making bank is labelled a higher risk investment, going from upper-medium grade to a more speculative and moderate but still medium-grade credit risk.

NAB chief executive Cameron Clyne said he was disappointed by the downgrade, as he believed a restructure of the UK operations was driving improvements in its balance sheet.

"Clydesdale has a smaller and stronger balance sheet following the transfer of the vast majority of its commercial real estate portfolio to National Australia Bank Ltd in October 2012, materially improving Clydesdale Bank's risk profile," he said.

The ratings agency cited a deterioration in the business loan portfolio in the last year, with bad debts increasing 30 per cent over the period amid falling property values.

NAB took over Clydesdale's STG5.6 billion ($A9.73 billion) commercial loan book last October.

Moody's said the lowering of the rating reflected its view that Clydesdale faced longer-term structural challenges from its weakened franchise and past risk-management-control weaknesses.

The fact that NAB was also trying to sell Clydesdale left it in an uncertain position, it said.

The bank has started shedding jobs, with 1,400 to go in total.

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Sunshine Coast resort fire evacuation

UPDATE: Firefighters are waiting for smoke to clear before they begin investigating a fire that broke out at Rolling Surf Resort at Kings Beach earlier tonight.

The blaze, which started in the linen room, forced the evacuation of about 120 people.

It is believed they are yet to re-enter the building.

EARLIER, about 120 people were evacuated after a fire broke out in the linen room of a Sunshine Coast resort.

Emergency services were called to the Rolling Surf Resort at Levuka Ave, Kings Beach, when a fire started about 5.50pm.

A Queensland Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said the blaze has been contained within the storeroom area and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus are working to extinguish it.

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Gillard explains her ALP campaign no-show

Former PM Julia Gillard has declined an invitation to attend Labor's election campaign launch. Source: AAP

OUSTED prime minister Julia Gillard says she won't attend Labor's campaign launch because she doesn't want to distract from her successor's "powerful message".

In a statement released late on Sunday, Ms Gillard explained her decision to stay out of the political limelight next weekend.

"I have respectfully decided not to be present at next Sunday's campaign launch because I simply do not want to distract in any way from Kevin Rudd's powerful message to the Australian people," she said.

"I stand with all those throughout our party, and with our great candidates, in voicing my fervent hope for a decisive Labor victory on September 7."

Earlier on Sunday, Mr Rudd said he respected the work Ms Gillard had done while in the top job.

"She has made great contributions, they should be respected," he told reporters.

Ms Gillard, who is retiring from parliament at this election, has been absent from Labor's election campaign in 2013.

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Man bitten by police dog during chase

UPDATE: A man has been taken to hospital after being bitten by a police dog at Logan this afternoon.

Earlier, the man had been involved in car crash at Woodridge and fled from the scene, prompting a police chase.

He was taken to Logan Hospital in an unknown condition.

EARLIER, two people were in police custody after fleeing from a car crash in Logan this afternoon.

A police spokesman said the pair was taken into custody a short time later and was assisting police with their inquiries.

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Indian oil refinery fire toll rises to 10

THE death toll in a fire at a state-owned oil refinery in southern India has risen to 10 after six bodies were recovered from the accident site.

The fire broke out on Friday at a refinery of Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd, in the southern city of Vishakhapatnam, after an explosion at a distillery unit where expansion work was taking place.

Two bodies were recovered from the accident site on Friday while two injured died later the same night.

Six charred bodies were found on Saturday, Vishakhapatnam Police Commissioner B Shivadhar Reddy said.

At least 30 people, most of them contract workers, are being treated for burn injuries.

The condition of six is said to be serious. The dead included one employee of the company.

The cause of the explosion was not yet clear but the fire was brought under control late Friday, Reddy said, adding that no one else was trapped in the debris.

Federal Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily said an official of the Oil India Safety Directorate had been asked to inquire into the incident and submit a report within 15 days. Local police are also investigating.

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