Vic man shot in car park incident

TWO men who are in hospital after a shooting at a Melbourne shopping centre car park knew each other, police say.

A 45-year-old man, from Dandenong, was shot in the leg at the Keysborough shopping centre in the city's southeast at 12.30pm (AEDT) on Thursday.

He was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.

A short time later, another man turned up in hospital with facial injuries.

Police say the two incidents are linked.

Inspector Bruce Kitchen said the shooting was not related to bikie gangs but police were still trying to figure out why it happened.

"We think it's probably a one-off incident," he told reporters at the scene.

"I'm not sure whether it's self-inflicted or not at this stage."

The shot man's car was searched and armed crime detectives discovered a shotgun and several shotgun shells inside.

Police do not believe there is anyone else involved in the incident.

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X-Cross star to undergo surgery

MOTOCROSS star Jackson Strong is to undergo surgery to his left leg after a New Year's Eve explosion left him injured.

The two-time X-games gold medallist is in Sydney's St George Hospital due to undergo surgery on Friday following a gas explosion at his family home in southwestern NSW, his family said in a statement on Thursday.

"Jackson is expected to make a full recovery and once recovered has reaffirmed his commitment to pushing the boundaries of freestyle motocross," the statement said.

"Whilst it is expected there will be no long-term affects from the incident, doctors did praise the quick thinking actions of Jackson's girlfriend Ash Wing for applying first aid, and confirmed the outcome could have been far worse."

The Strong family have requested privacy until the 22-year-old is released from hospital.

Media reports on New Years Day said Strong was hurt in an explosion on his family property at Lockhart in the Riverina region of NSW.

"His left leg around his thigh is the worst part," Strong's father Lynton told the Newcastle Herald on Wednesday.

"He will pull through, no worries at all."

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Marijuana laws the real crime: pot party

AUSTRALIA needs to chill out about marijuana and take its cue from US states Colorado and Washington by legalising the drug, the HEMP Party says.

Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party president Michael Balderstone says Australia needs to spark up a debate and a referendum over marijuana laws.

"If we had a referendum here and had a proper open discussion - a month-long discussion - I would think it would pass," he told AAP.

"Our stance is that the law is a crime."

Mr Balderstone argues that the law might also be stopping tax revenue.

In Colorado, the sale of up to 28 grams - or an ounce - of weed became legal on January 1.

State officials anticipate sales will generate about $US67 million ($A75.55 million) in annual tax windfall.

But critics say it will turn the Rockies into the stonies by creating a culture of "pot tourism".

Mr Balderstone does not deny the drug has been linked to psychosis, but argues the health damage is less, on average, than that caused by tobacco and alcohol.

"Absolutely, it can (cause psychosis)," he said.

"It's not for everybody, I agree."

But he maintains people who get high are more likely to stay in than go out and cause trouble.

The Australian Drug Foundation warns there is no safe level of drug use.

"Those with a family history of mental illness are more likely to also experience anxiety, depression and psychotic symptoms after using cannabis," the foundation says on its website.

"Psychotic symptoms include delusions, hallucinations and seeing or hearing things that do not exist or are distorted."

In May a NSW parliamentary committee recommended legislation to allow medical use of marijuana by patients with a terminal illness, and for those who have moved from HIV infection to AIDS.

The recommendation, rejected by the government, called for patients to have up to 15 grams of dry cannabis or the equivalent amount of other cannabis products and equipment.

A study published in medical journal The Lancet in 2012 showed 15 per cent of Australians and New Zealanders between the ages of 15 and 64 in 2009 used marijuana that year.

That figure was higher than usage in the US, where 11 per cent of the population got high that year.

Australia's pot laws vary from state to state - the drug is illegal in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania.

Possession of marijuana mostly attracts fines in the ACT and NT, while WA users receive mandatory drug diversion counselling if caught with 10 grams.

Marijuana for medical use is legal and regulated in 19 US states, and has been allowed in some cases for the past 20 years.

Victoria's Acting Premier Peter Ryan rejected suggestions marijuana would be sold legally in his state.

"Absolutely not a chance," he told Fairfax Radio on Thursday.

"Good luck to them in Colorado - not going to happen here."

Mr Ryan said he had seen how cannabis could destroy lives and result in further drug use.

"It is an interesting experiment, we will see where they are in a couple of years," he said.

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Passengers safe after Antarctic rescue

Authorities say the rescue mission for the passengers stranded off Antarctica will commence shortly. Source: AAP

MORE than 50 passengers who were on a Russian ship stuck in sea ice in Antarctica have been rescued in a helicopter transfer to an Australian icebreaker.

Expedition leader Chris Turney said the 52 scientists, tourists and journalists stuck on board the Akademik Shokalskiy since Christmas Eve had been airlifted to safety and had arrived at the rescue ship.

"We've made it to the Aurora australis safe & sound. A huge thanks to the Chinese & @AusAntarctic for all their hard work! #spiritofmawson."

Passengers, many of them Australians and New Zealanders, were picked up by a helicopter from the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long and transferred to the Australian Antarctic Division supply ship.

The AMSA took to social media at 10.20pm (AEDT) tweeting: "Aurora Australis has advised AMSA that the 52 passengers from the Akademik Shokalskiy are now on board."

The helicopter from the Chinese ship reached the ship around 5pm (AEDT) after several attempts were thwarted by severe weather.

The group was then moved in five flights of up to 12 passengers, with each return journey to the Xue Long some 10 nautical miles distant expected to take 45 minutes.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) had initially said the rescue would go ahead on Thursday, but then announced around 1pm (AEDT) that sea ice conditions would delay the mission.

The Aurora Australis will carry the passengers to Tasmania, arriving by mid-January.

MORE TO COME

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New year heats up in parts of Australia

QUEENSLAND is about to swelter through a heatwave, with the mercury tipped to reach close to 50C this week.

But South Australians are already sweating through 2014, with some northern centres posting temperatures in the high 40s.

In the western Queensland town of Birdsville, the mercury could soar as high as 48C on Thursday, while in Brisbane temperatures are predicted to hit a sultry 39C on Saturday.

Temperatures are expected to be five degrees to 10 degrees above the average across the state in the next few days, the Bureau of Meteorology said on Wednesday.

Diamantina Shire Mayor Geoff Morton, who lives in Birdsville, said it would be business as usual in the town despite the forecast 48C heat, 1.5 degrees shy of the 1972 record.

"Once it gets over 45 (degrees) it doesn't matter whether it's 45 or 55, it's still bloody hot," Mr Morton said on Wednesday.

"Everything's hot, everything's hot to touch, the ground is hot ... a few more degrees is not going to make much of a difference."

He said melted tar stuck to the tyres of passing freight trucks and locals would spend the day in air-conditioning or start work early to avoid the midday heat.

"If you walk down the street from 12 o'clock on you won't see anybody. They're hibernating," he said.

"They've got a pretty simple choice. Inside the pub is 23 degrees and outside is 53."

Gordon Banks from the Bureau of Meteorology said a large, dry, hot mass of air stagnating in the nation's interior was the cause.

"We do get these bursts of several days where we're seeing high 30s to low 40s through the (state's) interior," he said.

"But what we're seeing at the moment is that we're having this run of days where we're seeing mid to high 40s through the interior and that certainly is much more unusual."

In Alice Springs the heat is predicted to reach 43C on Thursday.

But the heat is already being felt further south.

In SA on Wednesday, Tarcoola recorded a maximum of 48.2C, with Oodnadatta not far behind on 47.7C, three degrees short of the town's record high of 50.7C in 1960.

The temperature in Oodnadatta had been forecast to go as high as 49C.

Other centres to go above 47C included Roxby Downs and Coober Pedy, with the scorching conditions extending as far south as Port Augusta, which had 46.2C.

The bureau said the hot conditions would continue on Thursday with Moomba and Marree expecting tops of 49C, Oodnadatta 48C, Marla 47C and Leigh Creek 46C.

Conditions were cooler in SA's south as a change moved through, with milder conditions forecast for the next 24 hours.

The bureau said Adelaide's top temperature on Thursday would be 23C with rain likely, while at Stirling, in the Adelaide Hills, a top of 19C was likely.

A slightly cooler change is expected to move through the state from Friday.

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Sydney measles outbreak spreads in NZ

AN outbreak of measles linked to a Sydney hip-hop dance festival has spread from Auckland to the New Zealand cities of Turangi and Taupo, with 10 cases confirmed.

An 18-year-old Auckland woman was the first to have been reported contracting measles while in Sydney early in December, after she took part in the 2013 World Supremacy Battlegrounds hip-hop competition.

New Zealand's Ministry of Health on Wednesday said that on top of the Auckland case, there were nine confirmed cases and one case under investigation around Turangi and Taupo.

Three of the nine Taupo/Turangi confirmed cases had attended the competition, while the remaining six cases were family or known to those who had been at the festival, acting deputy director of public health Harriette Carr said.

People affected are being kept isolated at home.

People from Huntly and Hamilton are known to have attended the festival and public health officials are trying to track them down.

"Measles can be a serious disease and is easily spread to someone who is not immunised, or who has not been exposed to measles previously," Dr Carr said.

The Auckland case was the first case of measles in the area for 18 months.

Auckland medical officer of health Catherine Jackson warns that measles is extremely infectious and can cause serious complications.

"Auckland's last major measles outbreak in 2011 demonstrates how quickly the disease can spread. One infected child resulted in nearly 500 cases and 80 hospital admissions," she said.

She told NZ Newswire the infected 18-year-old had never been immunised so she was susceptible to measles.

"She is being quarantined until she's no longer infectious," Dr Jackson said.

Measles symptoms start with a high fever, which develops about 10 days after exposure. This is followed with one or more of the following: a runny nose, cough, red eyes and small white spots inside the mouth.

A red blotchy rash on the neck and face appears, before spreading to the body.

Anyone with measles symptoms or concerns is asked to phone their GP or Healthline on 0800 611 116.

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Motorcyclist dies in Perth crash

A MOTORCYCLIST has died after being thrown off his bike while riding on a Perth highway.

Police said the 46-year-old man was riding his motorbike south on Tonkin Highway at Ascot when the incident occurred about 11.47am (WST) on Wednesday.

It's thought the man was entering the exit lane to the Great Eastern Highway when his bike clipped a guard rail and he was thrown onto the road.

The man suffered severe head injuries and was taken to Perth Royal Hospital where he died.

Police want to talk to anyone who witnessed the crash.

The man's death takes the WA road toll for the holiday period to five and the national road toll to 23.

The national road toll period runs from midnight December 23, 2013 until midnight January 3, 2014, local times, in line with the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Board.

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Vic man lost teeth after hit on NYE

A MAN has lost several teeth after he was punched in the face at an out-of-control New Year's Eve party in Melbourne.

The 31-year-old Noble Park man was celebrating at Edinburgh Gardens, North Fitzroy, when he tried to break up a fight at 11.30pm (AEDT) on Tuesday.

He fell unconscious to the ground after he was punched.

He was taken to St Vincents Hospital where he will undergo surgery on Thursday for serious facial injuries.

An Ambulance Victoria triage facility had to be set up at Edinburgh Gardens to assist 20 people who required care.

Police say the offender is Caucasian, aged in his early 20s with a thin build and black hair.

He was wearing a white t-shirt and another man was with him at the time of the attack.

That man is described as being Caucasian with an English accent and wearing a green singlet.

Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

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Painted night skies kick off New Year

SYDNEY and Melbourne have kicked off the party that starts the world's new year by painting the night sky.

A kaleidoscope of colourful fireworks were launched into the skies of both cities before an estimated two million revellers on Tuesday - a warm-up act to the "big one" at midnight.

At the country's drawcard event in Sydney, party-goers at the iconic harbour foreshore weren't disappointed by the 9pm (AEDT) display.

Over eight minutes, red, green, pink, purple, and gold brightened the grey canvas that was Sydney's cloudy sky.

Cheers were especially loud for a waterfall of pink and gold crackers that fell from the Harbour bridge, and for a rush of gold pyrotechnics that closed the fireworks.

Earlier, thousands of onlookers at Mrs Macquarie's chair were treated to an aerobatic show with a stunt plane doing loop-de-loops and mid air stalls, and some hair-raising low flying just metres from the water.

During the night, some seven tonnes of fireworks were to light up the sky in the form of 11,000 aerial shells and 25,000 shooting comets launched from seven barges spread across six kilometres of Sydney Harbour.

For the first time in a decade, 1000 fireworks will also be shot from the top of the Opera House, as well as from the Harbour Bridge and jet skis stationed in the harbour.

In Victoria, more than 500,000 revellers packed the city centre to catch a glimpse of some of the 7.5 tonnes of fireworks launched from 22 locations, including city rooftops, by a team of 44 pyrotechnists.

On a mild Melbourne night, the mood at the family event was relaxed, with lots of kids, babies, mums and dads stretched on blankets with picnics waiting for the fireworks to begin.

New mum Nicola Sutcliffe said she was enjoying the music, but not the long queues for food ahead of the 9.30pm fireworks.

"This is the first time we have been out with a child for New Year's Eve and it's good that there is something like this event," she said.

Police in both states were out in force on the night at celebration hot spots.

A NSW police media spokesman said the night had gone well so far, with no major incidents reported.

Brisbanites were treated to the state's largest fireworks show yet.

The skies above the river city were lit up at 8.30pm with some of the 30,000 pyrotechnic effects that will be fired from three barges and three city rooftops at 8.30pm and midnight.

In Tasmania, tens of thousands converged on the waterfront and Salamanca, where the state's biggest food festival, Taste, combined with the finish of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

Partygoers looking up from their plates were treated to fireworks exploding over the docks at 9.30pm and midnight.

South Australia sang in the new year with live music in Adelaide's Elder Park, where local bands provided the entertainment on top of fireworks.

The new year will prove dangerous for some, with residents in parts of regional SA urged by authorities to leave their homes and seek safety as "catastrophic" fire danger conditions are predicted for January 1.

Western Australia will largely leave its patch of sky alone on the night, with Perth saving up its pyrotechnics display for Australia Day.

There are still a few places to ring in 2014 with a bang, including Rockingham and the Shelley foreshore.

A key draw promises to be the headline act for the Salt on the Beach NYE party at North Fremantle, New York hip-hop trio De La Soul.

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Wet 'n' Wild postpones Sydney NYE event

Sydney's Wet 'n' Wild has postponed a New Year's Eve party just hours before it was due to start. Source: AAP

ABOUT 10,000 people are believed to be missing out on a New Year's Eve party in Sydney as it has been postponed just hours before it was due to start.

Tickets for the event at the newly-opened Wet 'n' Wild theme park cost between $110 and $200 and it will now take place on Australia Day.

NSW Fair Trading says it expects the event promoter to provide a refund to people who cannot attend the postponed event in January.

According to a statement on the Wet 'n' Wild website, One Cube Entertainment, a promotions company organising the event, made the decision to postpone the NYE Festival due to a major technical production issue.

"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused and are currently working on something even better for Australia Day," a One Cube Entertainment spokesperson said in the statement.

An artist manager told AAP One Cube Entertainment had attributed the cancellation to Wet 'n' Wild expressing occupational health and safety concerns.

The manager, who spoke on the basis of anonymity, said contractually his artist was still entitled to a full fee.

NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe said under Australian consumer law, a remedy was available if a consumer did not get the service they paid a supplier for.

"You can seek to have refund provided," he told AAP.

Mr Stowe said some ticket holders could not or did not want to attend the postponed event on Australia Day.

"We are expecting the promoters will provide refunds to the consumers who cannot attend," he said."

People who paid for tickets on credit cards will be able to apply for a charge back from their credit institution, Mr Stowe added.

A father called Mick told Macquarie Radio his daughters had been trying to contact Wet 'n' Wild since finding out about the event postponement on Facebook.

"We have been trying to contact Wet 'n' Wild this morning and get a number for this promoter because obviously the kids want a refund but no luck so far," he said.

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