Abbott breaks new ground in Japan

Federal Labor says the PM shouldn't sign up to a token trade agreement with Japan. Source: AAP

TONY Abbott will walk away from his first trip to Japan with a free trade agreement and a closer strategic partner in the region.

He and counterpart Shinzo Abe have confirmed an historic free trade deal between Australia and its second-largest trading partner after seven years of negotiations.

The prime minister is calling the achievement a milestone in the 60-year bilateral relationship that will foster even stronger future ties.

"I hope that thanks to this agreement that has been finalised today that Australia can be pivotal to ensuring that in the years and decades to come the people of Japan have energy security, resource security and food security," Mr Abbott told a bilateral meeting with Mr Abe on Monday evening.

It's expected they will ratify the agreement when Mr Abe visits Australia and addresses a joint-sitting of parliament in July.

The deal is a major coup for Mr Abbott, who wanted to finalise it as a matter of priority during his two-day visit to Tokyo.

Australian negotiators led by Trade Minister Andrew Robb worked around the clock in order to secure the agreement just moments before Mr Abbott was due to attend an private dinner at Mr Abe's residence on Sunday.

Trade officials say the final result is unprecedented, with Australian exporters tipped to gain significant advantages over competitors and preferential access to Japan's agriculture markets.

Australia's beef farmers are being touted as the big winners, with a reduction in tariffs set to unlock hundreds of millions of dollars for the sector.

The terms on beef aren't as generous as the South Korean FTA signed in December but given fierce resistance from Japanese farming groups to liberalised trade, the Abbott government is claiming victory.

Gains were made for dairy, horticulture and fruit and vegetable exporters, and Australian consumers should also notice a change.

Japanese whitegoods, electronics and cars will become cheaper in Australia, with about $1500 expected to be shaved off the price of an average vehicle.

Japanese investments will now only be referred to the Foreign Investment Review Board if proposals are worth more than $1 billion - up from $248 million.

It's the second trade deal clinched by the government since taking office and brings Mr Abbott a step closer to fulfilling his promise of signing deals with Japan, China and South Korea within a year.

But he's also broken new ground in defence, with both leaders agreeing they want to elevate the bilateral security relationship to a new "special" level.

They will restart the "2+2" meetings on defence co-operation, with their defence and foreign ministers to meet in Tokyo in June.

Mr Abbott also became the first foreign leader invited to address Japan's most senior security council.

It's not clear how these blatantly strategic outcomes will wash in Beijing or Seoul, given Mr Abbott arrived in Japan with a trade agenda.

But there was no question he was among friends in Tokyo, having been extended a rare private dinner invite with Mr Abe and an audience with the Japanese ruling monarch, Emperor Akihito.

He will leave Japan on Tuesday for a brief visit to South Korea before continuing to China.

Labor has welcomed the completion of negotiations but pledged to scrutinise the agreement closely to ensure it is in Australia's national interest.

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Whistleblower got it wrong: Salvo boss

An inquiry has heard how a resident of a Salvation Army boys home received financial compensation. Source: AAP

SALVATION Army commissioner James Condon says he already had a process in train to remove an officer with a sex abuse record before a whistleblower contacted authorities.

Mr Condon, the territorial commander of the Salvation Army in NSW, Queensland and ACT, told a hearing in Sydney on Monday that his absence due to a meeting in London in early 2013 had probably contributed to a delay in removing Colin Haggar as director of a crisis shelter for women and children.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has heard that Mr Haggar confessed to indecently assaulting an eight-year-old girl in 1989, and was dismissed from the Salvos, but was re-admitted in 1993 and subsequently promoted.

Additional allegations were made against him in 2013.

Captain Michelle White said on Friday that concerns about Mr Haggar had been raised with Mr Condon in early 2013.

Ms White said that delays by Mr Condon in fulfilling mandatory reporting requirements prompted her to report to the NSW Ombudsman on September 4, 2013 that there was an active Salvation Army officer with a known history of child related sexual abuse.

But asked on Monday if it was only after Ms White's actions that he considered reporting Mr Haggar to the Ombudsman and the Office of the Children's Guardian, Mr Condon replied: "No, it wasn't."

He said a decision had been made to "have a fresh look at all historical cases", including those involving Haggar, in preparation for the royal commission.

"We were reporting to the ombudsman, reporting to the police ... we were in the process ... we were absolutely committed to doing the right thing."

Mr Condon said that following a meeting with Ms White, he also made phone calls, including to Mr Haggar, informing the senior Salvo that he should not have any responsibility for children at the shelter.

Mr Condon said he opposed the promotion of Mr Haggar to lieutenant colonel but it was army policy to promote a husband when a wife was taking an executive role. Mr Haggar's wife Kerry, also a lieutenant colonel, had been made secretary for business administration and a member of the Salvation Army executive.

Mr Condon told the hearing that he accompanied Mr Haggar to Parramatta police station in the early 90s to report the assault, recalling that an officer at the station told Mr Haggar that unless the victim or the family of the victim came forward, there was nothing police could do.

The commission was also told on Monday that the Salvation Army had no plans to use the defence of vicarious liability in historical cases of child abuse, unlike the Catholic Church which had argued in another matter that it could not be held vicariously responsible for historical abuse.

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Shot man charged for withholding info

A witness heard screams before finding a bloodied man after a double shooting in Sydney. Source: AAP

A MAN gunned down alongside his father in an inner-Sydney street has been charged with concealing information from police.

Josh Smart, 23, was shot in the back and his 59-year-old father Michael Smart was shot in the head on a Pyrmont street on Sunday night in what police believe was a targeted attack.

Michael Smart remains in hospital in a critical condition.

Both men were known to police.

On Monday afternoon, Josh Smart was released from hospital into the custody of police, who charged him with concealing a serious indictable offence.

Bail was refused and he was scheduled to appear before Sydney's Central Local Court on Tuesday.

Ashlie Lomas, who along with other witnesses rendered first aid to Michael Smart, said he was lying on the ground when she came out onto the street.

"We were just trying to get him to hold on," she said.

Police have said that it the incident was not thought to be gang related and investigators believe there was only one shooter.

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Viewers riveted to The Block

Nine's The Block: Fans v Faves has topped Sunday's television ratings with 1.829 million viewers. Source: AAP

THE Block: Fans v Faves had its highest rating episode this season on a night when audience numbers were heavily compromised because My Kitchen Rules (MKR) was shelved.

The fourth-last episode of The Block: Fans v Faves attracted 1.829 million viewers to be the runaway winner on Sunday from Nine News (1.550 million) and 60 Minutes (1.372 million).

Normally, MKR would screen in direct opposition to The Block: Fans v Faves, but the Seven Network held the elimination episode over until Monday because of its AFL coverage.

That meant Seven's programming was split around the country, producing heavily diluted figures and allowing Ten's Sunday News to sneak into the top 10 with just 504,000 viewers.

Nine also had diluted figures with the final episode of Fat Tony & Co coming in 19th with 381,000 viewers after airing in only Brisbane and Sydney.

The final episode screened in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth last week, but was held back in Sydney and Brisbane because of Nine's NRL commitments.

In MKR's absence, Seven ran a special about MKR judge and chef Manu Feildel and his native France.

My France With Manu, which did not air in Melbourne or Adelaide, still attracted 813,000 viewers to be sixth overall.

Seven's British series Downton Abbey also did not air in Melbourne and Adelaide, yet was eighth with an audience of 694,000 viewers.

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Pricey lingerie stolen from Madonna shoot

THOUSANDS of dollars worth of lingerie has reportedly been stolen from a Madonna photo shoot in New York.

The undergarments were contained in a bag and included a $US2545 ($A2764) lace bra, according to DNAinfo.com.

They were stolen from the photo shoot for L'uomo Vogue, the magazine's Italian version for men, on March 20.

Police said it was a staff member who noticed the bag, which also contained a G-string worth $US345 and a pair of briefs valued at $US515, had disappeared.

The pieces were designed by New York's Deborah Marquit.

A representative for Marquit says only 13 of the 34 pieces that were loaned for the photo shoot were returned.

"The rest were either lost or stolen because we never got them back.

"Deborah would just like the samples found and returned."

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Labor: Reject Botanic Gardens plan

NSW Labor is concerned about a draft redevelopment plan for the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. Source: AAP

THE Royal Botanic Gardens Trust has unveiled the draft of its 25-year redevelopment for the Gardens and the Domain, which includes a multimillion-dollar five-star hotel.

A walkway at Mrs Macquarie's Point will connect visitors with the water, while redevelopment of its historic buildings will provide them with new facilities and amenities.

The plan - a first in the 200-year history of the park - also includes a children's garden, with new walkways and educational centres also planned.

"When people consider the draft Master Plan, it's important that they understand that the Domain is outside the Garden gates," said Kim Ellis, Executive Director of the Sydney Parklands and Botanic Gardens.

"This draft Master Plan provides us with the framework to secure our future as a premium Sydney cultural landmark, world's best, Sydney's own," he said in a statement.

The $130 million plan will see the sites redeveloped over the next 25 years, broken down into five-year blocks, and will be developed through a mix of private, government and charity funding, Mr Ellis told the ABC.

Opposition environment spokesman Luke Foley questioned whether a hotel development "in any way complies with the objects of the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust Act".

"Its core purposes are to provide green space to the people of Sydney and to increase our knowledge and appreciation of Australia's plant life," Mr Foley said.

"The voices of botanists, plant scientists and horticulturalists will be drowned out by the construction planners and commercial event organisers."

Mr Ellis told the ABC science would remain at the forefront of the plan, with the Botanic Gardens containing 9000 different plants of 6000 different species.

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Gold Coast drug ring busted

Police have broken up an extensive bikie drug ring operating out of Gold Coast nightclubs. Source: AAP

GOLD Coast nightclub owner Ivan Tesic has been identified by police as the alleged mastermind behind a massive interstate drug ring involving at least six bikie gangs.

They claim Tesic, who is listed as an extreme risk by national law enforcement agencies, distributed cocaine through his Surfers Paradise establishment Club Liv.

Tesic was arrested in Sydney on Friday and was expected to be extradited to Queensland to face charges under the state's anti-bikie legislation.

Bandidos sergeant-at-arms and Cleo Bachelor of the Year entrant Josh Downey, arrested at Airlie Beach, was also among those nabbed in three days of raids.

Arrests were also made in Darwin and Newcastle.

The drug ring allegedly involved dozens of bikies including associates of the Bandidos, Finks, Mongols, Rebels, Highway 61 and Lone Wolves as well as DJs and club managers.

Police say drugs were sourced from Sydney and were driven to the Glitter Strip in cars modified to hide the stashes.

A covert operation was launched 19 months ago and officers had been picking off offenders.

The investigation climaxed over the last three days when 100 police raided homes and Surfers Paradise nightclubs, arresting the alleged bosses.

"(The operation) targeted the higher level offenders that aren't normally touched by police," Detective Superintendent David Hutchinson said.

To date, 152 people have been arrested, including 37 alleged outlaw bikies and associates.

More than 15kgs of cocaine, MDMA and methamphetamine were seized as well as six litres of methylamphetamine oil which could have been used to make $11 million in drugs.

The whole operation stopped $26 million worth of drugs hitting the streets.

Police will seek to retain four luxury homes and cars, including a Porsche, as well as $500,000 in cash and a watch, also worth $500,000.

"They're been living the high life at the expense of our youth and the rest of the community," Det Insp Hutchinson said.

"The may think that they are safe but we are always watching and they never know when we're going to pounce."

Anyone found guilty under Queensland's new anti-bikie legislation faces an extra 25 years mandatory jail on top of their sentence.

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Fans honour Cobain 20 years after death

TWO decades after Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain killed himself in Seattle, fans have flocked to the home where he died to pay homage to the influential rocker.

Fans came from nearby cities like Portland or faraway towns in Georgia - some sporting '90s-era grunge attire like plaid shirts - to leave handwritten notes, flowers and unopened beers to honour the musician.

Police believe Cobain, 27, killed himself on April 5, 1994, and his body was found three days later.

Cobain's Nirvana helped popularise the heavy "grunge" rock scene, along with bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Mudhoney.

Nirvana, which sold millions of albums, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Thursday.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 or follow @LifelineAust @OntheLineAus @kidshelp @beyondblue @headspace_aus @ReachOut_AUS on Twitter.

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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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