Greens retain seat of Melbourne

AUSTRALIAN Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt has retained the lower house seat of Melbourne.

Mr Bandt claimed victory minutes after Labor's candidate Cath Bowtell conceded defeat.

"It looks like we have won the seat of Melbourne," Mr Bandt told the Ten Network.

Mr Bandt had earlier predicted the result would go down to a handful of votes but he leads the two-party preferred count 55.4 per cent to 44.6, with about half the primary vote counted.

He credited a strong people power campaign for giving him a second term in parliament and the Greens retaining their only lower house seat.

"This is a win for people power but more than that this is a win for refugees.

"This is a vote that says we are sick of the race to the bottom. Politics and elections should be about the best in us not pandering to the worst in us."

He said the clear message from the result was that elections should not be about who can beat up on refugees the most.

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Swan says he'll be returned in Lilley

FORMER treasurer Wayne Swan says he'll keep his seat, but has refused to say who should lead the Labor party in opposition.

Mr Swan says Labor's policies saved Labor from further losses, particularly in Queensland.

When asked about the Labor leadership going forward, he said he wasn't about to talk about internal matters when that's what had cost the party so dearly at this election.

"We've been punished for those divisions," he told the Seven Network.

He said Labor must conduct a mature election post-mortem.

"In this election campaign and in the last few years there has been too much concentration on divisions and not enough on the policy way forward," he said.

Mr Swan wouldn't be drawn on whether the party was right to dispose of Julia Gillard.

"I'm not going to get involved in that sort of debate. We've had too much of that over the last three years and we have to move on.

"We've got to be mature in our analysis of what went right and what went wrong."

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Beattie won't give up on Forde

Labor's Peter Beattie says he has no regrets about returning to politics despite a looming defeat. Source: AAP

FORMER Queensland premier Peter Beattie says he's still in with a chance in the seat of Forde.

Mr Beattie seemed to have given up early in the count, but says things have narrowed and the result in the seat south of Brisbane won't be known on Saturday night.

Mr Beattie was parachuted into the seat in a bid to wrest it from Liberal National Party incumbent Bert van Manen, who holds it with a 1.6 per cent margin.

With 43.7 per cent of the votes counted, Mr van Manen was leading Mr Beattie 53.3 per cent to 46.6 per cent, after preferences.

Mr Beattie says the result will come down to 8500 pre-polls.

"Only when we know the pre-poll results will we know whether we'll win or not," he told reporters.

"I'm disappointed Palmer has given his preferences to the Liberals. Had they not, I would have won.

"The odds are against us, but who knows? Whether we win or lose the Labor party has held its head up high in Forde."

Earlier in the day, a confident Mr van Manen told reporters Labor attacks on his business career would make a win on Saturday even more joyful.

"Considering some of the things they've done in the last few days, it'll be very sweet, put it that way," he said.

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Abbott to govern with 30-seat majority

THE federal Liberal-National coalition is likely to govern with a majority of at least 30 seats after a swing of just over three per cent against Labor.

The ALP has become the first two-term federal government to be thrown out of office since Gough Whitlam's regime in 1975.

Tony Abbott's coalition is on track to pick up 90 seats, with Labor holding 57, in the 150-seat parliament, but it won't have a majority in the Senate.

By 9.30pm (AEST), the coalition was ahead in 8 seats and Labor was ahead in 54, with 10 not yet determined.

The other MPs will be Australian Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt, independent Bob Katter who will hold his north Queensland seat of Kennedy, and Andrew Wilkie who's been returned in his Tasmania seat of Denison.

Labor's worst result was in Tasmania, where it suffered a 10 per cent swing and will hold only one of its four seats.

Concerted campaigning in western Sydney appears to have paid off for Labor, with the NSW statewide swing against it down to three per cent.

Despite concerns about a voter backlash in Mr Rudd's home state of Queensland, six Labor seats were likely holds and two were in doubt.

A swing of almost five per cent in Victoria reversed all the gains made in the 2010 election.

In Western Australia and South Australia, Labor suffered a swing of just over five per cent.

One of the biggest surprises of election night was the Palmer United Party.

It picked up 5.7 per cent of the primary vote nationally and appeared on track to put former rugby league star Glenn Lazarus into the Senate for Queensland.

Of the 40 Senate spots up for grabs, the coalition was on track to win 20, with Labor holding 14 and six going to crossbenchers.

Former treasurer Chris Bowen, who held his western Sydney seat of McMahon, said there were still "strong building blocks" in place for Labor to fight back.

"Compared to what we may have faced six or 12 months ago, it's a result which I think will stand us in good stead for the next three years," Mr Bowen said.

Mr Bowen declined to say whether he would run for the Labor leadership.

Liberal Joe Hockey, who will replace Mr Bowen as treasurer, said it had been the worst result for Labor since 1910.

"Our duty to the nation is to be a formidable government led by a formidable prime minister," Mr Hockey said.

"We will deliver a strong economy, and we will get rid of the carbon tax, the mining tax, we will stop the boats."

Labor frontbencher Tony Burke said bringing Mr Rudd back as prime minister and dumping Julia Gillard in June clearly had improved the party's vote, but the infighting had been fatal.

"My view on all of this is the instability that we've seen - and all of us including me have been part of it - must end," Mr Burke said.

He called on Labor to defend its legacy.

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Hawke sings praises of Medicare

Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke says the availability of healthcare under Medicare was under threat. Source: AAP

FORMER prime minister Bob Hawke has struck a chord with his supporters with an unexpected solo performance celebrating the 30th birthday of Medicare.

Mr Hawke broke into a stirring rendition of the union song Solidarity Forever at an event in Melbourne to mark 30 years since his Labor government established the universal healthcare system.

Speaking at the event, Mr Hawke said the availability of healthcare under Medicare was under threat.

"You can never have a decent equitable society if you don't have a health system that is universally available and an education system which is universally available," Mr Hawke said.

"Every Australian is entitled to be in a situation where the prospect of illness or hospitalisation does not result in a potential financial catastrophe."

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek said the future of Medicare Locals was in doubt if the coalition was elected on Saturday.

"It's federal Labor that will always strive to protect and strengthen a health care system where your Medicare card is more important than your credit card," Ms Plibersek said.

"We cannot hand over our precious health system to a Liberal party that refuses to say what they will do with what we have built."

Mr Hawke then dug into a giant cake in the shape of a Medicare card with his name on it.

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Fiat confirms investment in flagship Turin

Fiat is to produce Maserati SUVs from next year under investment plans for its key Mirafiori plant. Source: AAP

ITALIAN carmaker Fiat, which controls Chrysler, will go ahead with investments in its flagship Mirafiori plant in Turin, where it will produce Maserati SUVs.

Fiat confirmed the decision Wednesday, after signing a contract with unions and a day after it cast doubt on future investments because of a constitutional court ruling that essentially forced it to include a maverick union that had refused to approve flexible work rules.

UILM regional union leader Maurizio Peverati said the investment sum and plans will be discussed in coming days.

Mirafiori's 5,400 workers have been mostly on layoff schemes for the last two years. The investment will convert the plant to build a Maserati SUV and another model to be announced. Production of the Maserati is to begin next year for release in 2015.

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Morcombe accused's trial set for February

The trial of the man accused of murdering schoolboy Daniel Morcombe will begin next February. Source: AAP

THE trial of the man accused of murdering Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morcombe will begin next February.

Lawyers for Brett Peter Cowan, 43, appeared in court in Brisbane on Thursday where Supreme Court Justice Roslyn Atkinson confirmed his trial will begin on February 10.

The trial is expected to take six weeks.

Potential jurors could be questioned in an attempt to eliminate any who may be prejudiced by pre-trial publicity.

The strategy was used during jury selection in the trial of former Bundaberg surgeon Jayant Patel.

Justice Atkinson told Cowan's defence barrister Angus Edwards she'd like him to consider doing the same, to which he replied he was considering it.

Mr Edwards sought an extension of time to prepare documents ahead of a pre-trial hearing set to begin on November 6.

Eighteen witnesses had been expected to appear during the week-long hearing, but Mr Edwards said the number of witnesses had since been cut by about a half.

The barrister said he intended to submit evidence of pre-trial publicity to the court in relation to an application to have the trial stopped.

He said if that application was not granted it was unlikely the defence would make another.

Justice Atkinson requested arrangements be made during next year's trial for a room in the building to be made available to Daniel Morcombe's family.

The trial should also be streamed into a separate court for members of the public to allow access, she said.

Daniel was 13 when he went missing while waiting for a bus on the Sunshine Coast in December 2003.

Cowan was committed in February to stand trial for his abduction and murder.

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Versace Macau hotel will fit local culture

ITALIAN fashion house Versace and Macau casino company SJM say the Versace-themed hotel they're planning for the Asian gambling city will be tweaked to appeal to the local Chinese market and open in 2017

Versace chief executive Gian Giacomo Ferraris said on Thursday that the five-star Palazzo Versace hotel would retain the company's "neoclassical style". But he added, "Clearly there'll be some finetuning with the local culture."

He declined to give more details, saying designer Donatella Versace would be responsible for the design

Versace and SJM Holdings signed a deal last month to build the hotel at SJM's Cotai resort in Macau. The city is a semiautonomous Chinese region that's the world's most lucrative gambling market.

SJM officials said the hotel would open in 2017 and is expected to cost about $HK2.5 billion ($A353.24 million).

The project gives Versace a new way to raise its profile with mainland Chinese, who account for two-thirds of Macau's visitors. It also gives SJM a big-name brand to help keep up with rivals who have a head start on expanding.

Macau raked in $US38 billion ($A41.69 billion) in gambling revenue last year, about six times the amount on the Las Vegas Strip.

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Mushrooms are Vit D factories: scientist

Button mushrooms are able to make enough vitamin D for the average person's estimated daily needs. Source: AAP

THREE or four button mushrooms are able to make enough vitamin D for the average person's estimated daily needs, says a respected Australian scientist.

But there's a catch. Like humans, button mushrooms need exposure to sunlight for the photochemical manufacturing to kick into action.

Button mushrooms need two hours unwrapped on a plate in the midday summer sun - a bit longer in winter - to get the vitamin D boost, says Professor Rebecca Mason, head of physiology at Sydney Medical School and past president of the ANZ Bone and Mineral Society.

Placing the mushrooms a couple of extra hours in the shade will allow time for the full chemical reaction, she says.

This step, she says, doesn't affect the mushroom or the taste either.

Prof Mason says she loves eating good-quality button mushrooms with a vinegar dressing, but cooking them maintains the goodness too.

Vitamin D plays an essential role in bone health, but many people have vitamin D deficiencies, especially during winter, according to Osteoporosis Australia.

Scientists do not fully understand why mushrooms can make so much vitamin D, but the idea is backed by good evidence, says Prof Mason.

Three or four button mushrooms provide about 10 micrograms of vitamin D - the estimated daily need for the average adult according to the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Prof Mason says this amount is enough for active people, while people who are housebound or unwell could up their dose of button mushrooms to increase their levels of vitamin D.

While there are other methods of getting boosting vitamin D levels such as moderate exposure to morning or afternoon sun or taking supplements, no other food in its natural state provides sufficient vitamin D as button mushrooms.

Dietitian Glenn Cardwell says sun-exposed mushroom are a great source of vitamin D and good news for people concerned about sun exposure.

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Family of Gary Tweddle can say goodbye

GARY Tweddle's family and friends can finally bid him goodbye, with his body formally identified, police say.

The 23-year-old went missing from a work conference at the Fairmont Resort at Leura, west of Sydney, in the early hours of July 16. He was never seen again.

After a long and highly publicised search operation, his body was recovered from a cliff face in the Blue Mountains this week.

Police abseiled down Sublime Point at Leura to retrieve him after he was spotted on Monday afternoon by an ambulance rescue helicopter involved in a training exercise.

The recovery site was about 2km from where the British-born computer salesman was last seen.

The body was taken to Glebe morgue where it went through a formal identification process, thought to have included a dental examination and DNA testing.

And on Wednesday night, police confirmed that it had been formally identified as Mr Tweddle's.

His friends and family are yet to comment on the news.

But since the discovery of his body they have taken to his Facebook tribute page 'Have you seen Gary Tweddle' to remember the young man.

His mother Carol Streatfield's post recalled the day her son was born, a "perfect looking baby" with black hair and dark skin.

"I was so proud of you," she wrote.

"Gazy u never had bad school report. perfect child through all your years I never met one person who could fault you.

"Such a beautiful soul. Love you with every breath I take."

His partner Anika Haigh, who has been heavily involved in the search, wrote on her Facebook profile on Tuesday:

"No day is the same without you, there is a hole where you used to be but please know my heart is full of amazing memories of you.

"Your time of hide & seek needs to end now though please. Time to come home where you belong. I love you."

The search included officers door-knocking every house within a 1400 square kilometre area around Leura, where he was last seen.

Pictures of him were plastered all around the area.

Mr Tweddle had called colleagues about midnight on the day he went missing to tell them he was lost in bushland but could see a light up a hill.

In late June, efforts to find him moved from a search and rescue to a recovery operation.

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