A MAN and his dog have been shot on a highway in Sydney's south.
Police were called to the Princes Highway at Tempe on Saturday afternoon and found the man with a bullet wound to his leg.
The man's dog had also been shot, a police spokeswoman told AAP.
The condition of both was unavailable, she added.
She was unable to say whether the man was known to police.
No further information was available.
Clive Palmer says the Labor party has saved the Coalition from losing seats to PUP candidates. Source: AAP
TONY Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull would loose their seats to candidates from the Palmer United Party (PUP) if Labor wasn't saving them with preferences, Clive Palmer says.
The opposition leader holds the northern Sydney seat of Warringah on a margin of 13.1 per cent and his communications spokesman enjoys a healthy margin of 14.9 per cent in Wentworth, the electorate he holds in the city's affluent east.
But Mr Palmer reckons polling in their seats shows his candidates - construction business and restaurant owner Brodie Stewart in Warringah and Bondi businesswoman Marsha Foxman in Wentworth - would in fact win the seats with Labor preferences.
So the Liberals sought preferences from the Labor party to save the pair, Mr Palmer said.
"Labor decided to save Tony Abbott and to save Malcolm Turnbull and give them the preferences," he said in Sydney on Saturday.
"A vote for Labor in Warringah or Wentworth is a vote for the Liberal party."
The preference deal proves PUP is a serious threat to the two big parties, the mining magnate added.
"It's quite extraordinary the Labor party would move to save Tony Abbott and to save Malcolm Turnbull from defeat at this next election."
Mr Palmer said preferences from his party would first go to fellow Queenslander Bob Katter's Australian Party, then Family First before the Liberals and Labor.
At least five people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in the Afghanistan, Kandahar region. Source: AAP
A SUICIDE car bomb at a police checkpoint in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar has killed at least five people, officials say.
Javed Faisal, who is spokesman for the provincial governor, says police stopped a suicide car bomber at the checkpoint near a branch of New Kabul Bank on Saturday morning. The bomber then detonated his explosives.
Dr Mohammad Wali of Kandahar Hospital said at least five were killed and 25 wounded and ambulances were still bringing more victims in.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but suspicion will likely fall on Taliban militants.
The Taliban are especially strong in southern Afghanistan, which is dominated by the ethnic Pashtun community whose members form the bulk of the insurgency in the country.
BRAVE bystanders have detained one of two teenage boys who allegedly kicked a middle-aged man down a flight of stairs at a Sydney train station.
The 39-year-old was approached by the boys, 15 and 17, at Revesby station in the early hours of Saturday.
One of the boys allegedly threatened him shortly before the other booted him in the guts, "causing him to fall down a number of stairs and onto the platform below," police said.
The man remains in a serious condition in Liverpool Hospital.
After assaulting the man the pair tried to run away but the 15-year-old was stopped by several people who had witnessed the assault.
Police arrived and charged him with affray and hindering an investigation.
The 17-year-old turned himself into police at Bankstown at about noon on Saturday.
He was charged with several offences including assault and malicious wounding.
The boys are due before Cobham Children's Court on Sunday.
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."
The coalition has seized on a new report from ICAC as evidence Labor needs to clean up its act. Source: AAP
THE coalition has seized on a new report by the NSW anti-corruption body as evidence federal Labor needs time out from government to clean up its act.
The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Friday found that former NSW Labor government mines minister Ian Macdonald corruptly granted Doyles Creek Mining consent to apply for a coal exploration licence.
It found the grants were "substantially for the purpose of benefiting" the company's chairman, John Maitland, a mining union boss and "mate" of Mr Macdonald.
Two federal Labor members, former industry minister Greg Combet and parliamentary secretary Senator Doug Cameron, gave evidence at the inquiry.
No findings were made against them.
However the coalition on Friday launched a new television advertisement weaving a thread between Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, former NSW premier and now Foreign Minister Bob Carr, Deputy Prime Minister and NSW Labor powerbroker Anthony Albanese, newly appointed senator and former NSW Labor secretary Sam Dastyari and Mr Macdonald.
"Labor still stinks," the ad concludes.
Alleged corruption in the NSW ALP is damaging the government's prospects of retaining key marginal seats at the September 7 election.
Mr Rudd told reporters in Perth on Friday he supported ICAC's work.
"That is why I commissioned federal intervention into the NSW branch of the Australian Labor Party," he said.
The prime minister said the intervention had led to "fundamental rule changes" to stamp out corruption in the branch.
Mr Rudd hit back at the Liberal party, accusing the candidate for McMahon, former police officer Ray King, of taking a political donation from disgraced former police detective Roger Rogerson.
"What is the truth here and what are the standards being applied to Mr Abbott?" Mr Rudd said.
Mr King says Labor is engaged in "reputation assassination".
NSW Labor leader John Robertson said the findings would affect the federal campaign.
"But these people are smart enough to distinguish between state issues and federal issues and I'm sure that they will be able to distinguish between the two Saturday week," he said.
The ICAC report tabled in the NSW parliament on Friday said Senator Cameron, who was the national secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, had observed Mr Macdonald and Mr Maitland were "good mates".
The report said Mr Combet, who is retiring at the September 7 election, had written a letter of support for Mr Maitland's project to Mr Macdonald in September 2008.
Mr Combet told the inquiry Mr Maitland had spoken with him about a "training mine" in the Hunter Valley.
But he said there had been no discussion about the detail of the project, and the end product was "completely different from what he had been told by Mr Maitland".
Senator Doug Cameron told AAP on Friday there was never any prospect of findings being made against him.
He said ICAC had made it clear he was there to help the inquiry and was not a person of interest.
"They in fact thanked me for the evidence and help and said I was an impressive witness," he said.
Senator Cameron said Mr Combet also was not a person of interest in the inquiry.
Camels will walk the red carpet when the movie Tracks premieres at the Adelaide Film Festival. Source: AAP
CAMELS will take to the red carpet at the opening of the 2013 Adelaide Film Festival.
The desert animals will join the movie fraternity when John Curran's Tracks has its Australian premiere on the festival's opening night on October 10.
Starring Canberra-born Mia Wasikowska, the movie is based on the book by Robyn Davidson telling of her 2700km trek from the harsh centre of Australia to the Indian Ocean.
Davidson was accompanied by her faithful dog Diggity and four camels, while a National Geographic photographer (played by Adam Driver) chronicled the adventure.
Festival director Amanda Duthie told AAP she was a big fan of the book when it first came out decades ago.
"It really had a significant impact on me - the bravery, the audacity and the fearlessness of Robyn Davidson."
So Duthie's very excited at being able to premiere a movie which was mostly filmed in South Australia "with such poetry" and which enables her to have camels on the red carpet.
Another highlight of the sixth festival, which runs to October 20, is the world premier of Rolf de Heer's Charlie's Country, starring David Gulpilil, who takes off from his remote community to try and live the old way.
Other world premieres include a collection of Australian ghost stories in Warwick Thornton's The Darkside, and 52 Tuesdays by Sophie Hyde, about a teenager dealing with her mother's plans to undergo gender transition.
As well as Australian movies, the festival will feature films and documentaries from countries including East Timor, Chile, Iran, Sweden and South Korea.
The festival will take over the Adelaide showgrounds for a one-night-only Drive-in double bill spectacular featuring the 1978 musical Grease and the remake of the 1978 classic Australian horror flick Patrick.
Filmmaker Scott Hicks, whose career is strongly intertwined with the SA film industry, will be awarded the 2013 Don Dunstan Award as part of the opening night gala.
More information: www.adelaidefilmfestival.org.
According to a new poll, Labor minister Kate Ellis will retain her seat of Adelaide at the election. Source: AAP
HIGH profile Labor minister Kate Ellis will retain her seat of Adelaide at the September 7 election, according to a new poll.
The Galaxy poll, conducted for the Adelaide Advertiser on Thursday night, put support for Ms Ellis at 54 per cent on a two-party preferred basis compared to 46 per cent for her Liberal opponent Carmen Garcia.
Ms Ellis holds Adelaide with a margin of 7.5 per cent.
The poll quizzed 571 voters with 42 per cent naming Opposition Leader Tony Abbott as their preferred prime minister compared to 39 per cent support for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Oxygen masks were deployed on an Air New Zealand flight after the plane suddenly lost pressure. Source: AAP
PASSENGERS on a Air New Zealand flight to Auckland had a scare when the plane lost pressure and rapidly descended.
The oxygen masks automatically deployed after the gradual loss of cabin pressure on the Boeing 737-300, which left Wellington on Friday morning, Air New Zealand chief flight operations and safety officer Captain David Morgan said.
"The pilots immediately initiated a descent to 7000 feet and the cabin crew advised passengers that oxygen masks were no longer required at that point."
The plane landed without further incident, Mr Morgan said.
The plane was carrying 76 passengers and five crew, Air NZ said.
Air NZ engineers and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission are investigating (TAIC) why the plane lost pressure.
Air NZ had taken it out of service until the cause was discovered, TAIC chief investigator Tim Burfoot told AAP.
Two investigators had arrived in Auckland and were thoroughly looking over the plane, which may take a couple of days, he said.
"With a large passenger aircraft in an incident like this we're always interested to find out what happened and why to try and stop it happening again in the future," Mr Burfoot said.
MP Claudette Hauiti was on the flight and tweeted:
"Drama on#airnz414 well-Akld depressurisation oxygen Masks down passengers calm crew great all is well landed safely."
She also said:
"Although our oxygen masks didn't drop thank goodness for @laurabarnett had long arms popped the hatch #drama on #airnz 414 Well-Akld."
The coalition's climate policy would need billions more to deliver its promised cuts to emissions. Source: AAP
AN Abbott government would need to spend around $35 billion more than it has budgeted on its climate change policy to deliver its promised cuts to carbon emissions by 2020.
The findings from energy advisory firm RepuTex raise more doubts about whether the coalition's Direct Action plan can reduce carbon emissions by five per cent by 2020 given the funding allocated.
The coalition has promised to meet its target with a capped $3.2 billion fund, to be spent over four years, on activities that cut greenhouse gas emissions like revegetation and improving soil carbon.
The modelling from RepuTex - commissioned by WWF Australia - claims the coalition can meet the five per cent target, but would need to spend an extra $5.9 billion per year from 2015 to 2020.
"There's no doubt Direct Action can be an effective source of emissions abatement, the issue is the funding that's gone into it," RepuTex's Hugh Grossman told AAP on Friday.
The research claims Direct Action would lead to a surge in coal generation, reduce investment in clean energy and drive up emissions to the tune of 16 per cent on 2000 levels.
WWF climate spokeswoman Kellie Caught said this not only put the five per cent target at risk, but made it unlikely Direct Action could be ramped up to meet more ambitious goals.
Environment groups say a much deeper emissions reduction target of about 25 per cent is needed if Australia is to do its fair share.
Earlier this month, modelling for the Climate Institute estimated the coalition would need to spend between $4 and $15 billion extra to meet its 2020 target.
Opposition climate action spokesman Greg Hunt said it was clear supporters of Labor and the carbon tax had "gone into a report frenzy" with the election looming.
"This dodgy report is fundamentally flawed and goes against the government's own emissions predictions," he said in a statement.
"It has been delivered solely for a political agenda."
Mr Grossman denied RepuTex was on the ALP payroll, adding the advisory firm represented the "big boys" of the energy industry rather than any political interests.
The coalition's poker machine plan has been called "a sorry and pathetic excuse for a policy". Source: AAP
ANTI-GAMBLING campaigners have accused the federal coalition of betraying problem gamblers, following the release of its poker machine policy.
If it wins the election, the coalition plans to set up an industry advisory council made up of club and gaming venue operators that will meet quarterly and advise on support for problem gamblers.
Anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello told Fairfax Media this was like putting "Dracula in charge of the blood bank".
Opposition community services spokesman Kevin Andrews dismissed his concerns as "flowery rhetoric".
"The industry itself is concerned about problem gambling," Mr Andrews told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
Asked if there would be independent researchers involved in the council, Mr Andrews said: "Yes there will be a whole range of people to provide us with advice."
Independent Senator Nick Xenophon doubted the coalition had spoken to a single person with a gambling addiction in drawing up its policy.
"Tim Costello was being unfair to Dracula with that comment," Senator Xenophon told AAP.
"What the policy reflects is industry capture."
Senator Xenophon said it was a "sorry and pathetic excuse for a policy".
Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie said the coalition had shown that "they are completely beholden to the poker machine industry".
"Self-regulation hasn't worked because the gambling industry is only concerned with protecting its profits and doesn't care about the harm caused to problem gamblers," he said.
Figures from the Australian Electoral Commission released earlier this year show the coalition received the bulk of political donations from the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) and Clubs NSW, who collectively donated almost $550,000 in the 2011/12 financial year.
From 2010 to 2012 the gambling lobby campaigned heavily against Mr Wilkie's push for the national roll-out of mandatory pre-commitment technology for poker machines.
The Gillard government dumped the proposal in 2012 and instead passed watered-down down measures that included a trial of the mandatory pre-commitment technology in the ACT.
The coalition has vowed to abandon the ACT trial.
It prefers voluntary pre-commitment technology.
Mr Wilkie told reporters in Hobart that donations to political parties from companies associated with gambling should be banned.
A QUEENSLAND mum who bashed her eight-year-old daughter to death with a vacuum cleaner pipe had accused the girl of exaggerating her symptoms in the days before she died.
The 28-year-old woman, a New Zealand citizen, was sentenced in the Supreme Court in Cairns on Tuesday after earlier pleading guilty to manslaughter.
The woman's 24-year-old Australian husband, who has also pleaded guilty to manslaughter, was sentenced to three years behind bars for turning a blind eye to the abuse.
It was revealed in court that the woman repeatedly beat her daughter over a two-week period in November 2011.
The girl was found dead in a unit in Cairns on November 28, 2011.
Her body was almost entirely covered in bruises, and doctors concluded she died from blood loss caused by blunt force trauma.
When questioned by ambulance staff about the bruises, the woman said: "I won't lie to you, some of them are from me".
The court heard the woman beat the girl with the end of the vacuum pipe after she refused to wash the dishes.
On another occasion, she bashed the child after the girl asked if she could return to New Zealand to live with her father.
Following yet another beating, the woman made the girl sit in her room with the lights off so her husband couldn't see the bruises she'd inflicted.
"If he found out or seen what I done I'd be out of the house," the mother told police.
In the days leading up to her death, the girl complained of dizziness and needed help getting to the toilet.
The woman said she didn't believe the girl and thought she was "exaggerating her symptoms".
Sentencing Judge James Henry said the girl was subjected to a "prolonged death".
"All the more horrific that it was suffered by someone so young," he said.
"This child was beaten to death."
The woman's lawyer, Joshua Trevino, told the court that his client had a number of mental health issues and had suffered serious sexual and physical assaults throughout her life.
Mr Trevino said his client had sought help from social services and family members after realising she had "angry feelings" toward her daughter.
Justice Henry acknowledged the woman's early guilty plea and her extensive mental health issues during sentencing.
However, he said there was no reason for him to believe social services had failed the woman.
Prosecutor Roger Griffith said the stepfather stopped the mother from abusing the girl on a number of occasions. However, the man admitted he could have done more.
"I could have done something," he said during an interview with police.
"The floggings have been going on for weeks. I've been trying to stop her. They mainly happen when I'm at work."
Those in the packed public gallery sobbed throughout the court proceedings.
The woman must serve at least half of her sentence, while her partner will be eligible for parole in May next year.
The pair can't be named for legal reasons.
A Supreme Court judge has overturned a decision to commit Alan Leahy to stand trial for murder. Source: AAP
A SUPREME Court judge has overturned a coroner's decision to commit Queensland man Alan Leahy to stand trial over the 1991 deaths of his wife and her best friend.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) can still commit Leahy to stand trial.
Earlier this year, State Coroner Michael Barnes committed Mr Leahy to stand trial over the deaths in a case previously deemed to be a murder-suicide.
Mr Leahy was accused of the shooting murders of his wife Julie-Anne Leahy and her friend Vicki Arnold, but denied any wrongdoing.
The women's bodies were found in a four-wheel drive in remote bushland in the Atherton Tablelands near Cairns on August 9, 1991.
Mr Leahy applied in the Supreme Court in Cairns to have the coroner's ruling overturned.
Justice James Henry upheld his appeal in the Cairns Magistrates Court on Tuesday afternoon, saying in his written judgment that the coroner erred in committing Mr Leahy to trial.
The coroner's other findings that the deaths weren't a murder-suicide still stand.
Despite the coroner's ruling being overturned it will be up to the DPP to decide whether a trial takes place.
This decision is due on September 22.
University of Queensland legal expert Heather Douglas says the DPP can still commit Leahy to stand trial, even though the coroner's decision has been overturned.
In deciding to charge Mr Leahy over the deaths, Mr Barnes overturned previous coronial findings that Ms Arnold, 27, had shot and killed her 26-year-old friend before turning the gun on herself.
Mr Barnes was able to commit Leahy to stand trial under laws covering inquests that are heard for cases that arose before 2003.
Joe Hockey (R) is due to release the coalition's "interim" costings during a debate on Wednesday. Source: AAP
OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott insists bringing the budget back to surplus remains a very important priority under a coalition government.
But he can't be precise about the timing because of the "enormous" risks contained in the independent Pre-election Fiscal and Economic Outlook prepared by Treasury and Finance.
"There is a lot of unreliability in the figures," Mr Abbott told reporters on the NSW Central Coast on Tuesday.
"The trouble is we don't know what the starting point is."
Labor has budgeted for a surplus of $4 billion in 2016/17 while the Treasury outlook published on August 13 pointed to a surplus of $4.2 billion.
Mr Abbott says the outlook should be clear toward the end of the first term of a coalition government, if he becomes prime minister on September 7.
Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey is due to release interim costings of the coalition's election promises when he debates Treasurer Chris Bowen at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.
Mr Abbott is confident the coalition's "spends and saves" will show a better budget bottom line than Labor's.
"If we are spending less and saving more we will get (to surplus) quicker," he said.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said while Labor had been making the big calls on the economy and jobs, Mr Abbott was preparing to cut spending.
"Mr Abbott's priority continues to be cutting jobs, cutting health, cutting hospitals, cutting schools, all to pay for his number one priority, his unaffordable and unfair paid parental leave scheme," he told reporters in Sydney.
Finance Minister Penny Wong says history shows the Liberals cut hard when in power.
When the coalition came to power in 1996 it cut spending by the equivalent of $44.6 billion over two years, or 2.85 per of gross domestic product (GDP) - based on today's figures.
"This is the clearest possible sign of the scale of cuts to come if Tony Abbott is elected. Cutting is in the Liberals' DNA," Senator Wong said in a statement.
University of Queensland economics professor John Quiggin calculates every $10 billion of budget reduces GDP, or economic output, by one per cent and can cost 50,000 jobs.
Shadow finance minister Andrew Robb said Labor was trying to divert attention from its appalling record.
Based on Senator Wong's "fuzzy logic" Labor had cost the economy 780,000 jobs, he added.
"Instead of wasting time mounting pathetic scare campaigns ... Penny Wong would best serve our nation by outlining real plans to actually create jobs," Mr Robb said in a statement.
Senator Wong earlier this year boasted of reducing government spending by $156 billion since 2009.
A 60cm plastic sleeve inserted into the small intestine is helping diabetic people lose weight. Source: AAP
NOT long ago Terry Crews was so unwell that a round of golf was out of the question, but now he wants to regain his four handicap.
"Life was pretty ordinary," says the Melbourne engineer, who has had type 2 diabetes for 12 years and was gaining weight at a rapid rate.
By April this year, Mr Crews, 67, had reached 126kg and could no longer complete a round of golf, even with a cart.
"I needed my wife to put my shoes and socks on. I needed help to get out of bed."
Then he found out about a device called EndoBarrier, a 60cm plastic sleeve inserted into the small intestine to help people lose weight and get their insulin level under control.
So far, about 1000 patients around the world have had the procedure, with most reporting life-changing results.
Mr Crews says he stopped taking medication and injecting himself on the first day and has not looked back.
He has lost 20kg in body fat and managed to add 3kg of muscle.
The concept has taken many years to develop, says Professor John Dixon, head of obesity research at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne.
"This is another tool that we can add to a pretty lean tool kit," he says.
He says the device helps stimulate hormones that suppress the appetite and cause insulin production.
The downside is that it costs the patient up to $10,000 and, under Australian medical approval regulations, must be removed after 12 months.
"But we see it as 12 months of opportunity for people to get their sugars under control, get their weight under control and adjust their lifestyle," says Professor Dixon.
The device is potentially a good option for people who have not been able to manage their diabetes or weight with lifestyle changes or medication, says Dr Harry Frydenberg, who performed the procedure on Mr Crews.
"There is a significant need for new therapies to help patients effectively manage their diabetes and prevent diabetes-related complications."
Mr Crews agrees.
"I am playing golf again. Before I developed diabetes I was a four handicap. I dropped to 22 and now I am back to 18.
"I reckon I can get back to four."
DISGRACED cyclist Lance Armstrong has reached a settlement with The Sunday Times who he sued for a STG1 million ($A1.74 million) over an article suggesting he was using performance enhancing drugs before his confession.
The multiple winner of the Tour de France admitted last year to doping during his career, revealing his repeated denials were "one big lie".
The American sued the newspaper nine years ago for libel following the article, seeking damages from the chief sports writer David Walsh and deputy sports editor at the time Alan English.
The Sunday Times was forced to settle the claim in 2006 and agreed to pay Armstrong STG300,000, the newspaper reported.
But after his sensational confession the paper launched a British High Court bid to return the money, plus STG720,000 in costs, and have now reached a confidential settlement, the newspaper said.
It said Walsh and English had "reached a mutually acceptable final resolution to all claims against Lance Armstrong related to the 2012 High Court proceedings and are entirely happy with the agreed settlement, the terms of the which remain confidential."
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says any response to the Syrian crisis must be calm and measured. Source: AAP
AUSTRALIA is urging Syria to allow United Nations weapons inspectors access to a Damascus site where a deadly chemical attack is alleged to have occurred.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd flew back to Canberra on Saturday to receive an intelligence briefing on the escalating Syrian crisis, after reports the United States was weighing up a possible military strike against the Assad regime.
The world is calling for answers amid claims Bashar al-Assad's regime used chemical weapons in an attack on the outskirts of Damascus last week.
"For me it is gut wrenching to see this unfolding," Mr Rudd told reporters in Canberra on Sunday.
"The thought that these sorts of attacks could occur against unarmed civilians ... is like a medieval barbaric scene, rather than something we'd expect on our television sets in the year 2013."
Australia will use its presidency of the UN security council, which it will assume next week, to call for "full and unfettered" access for investigators to the site where the attack occurred.
UN weapons inspectors are in Syria but have not been given permission to investigate the latest claim.
"The burden of proof now lies with the Syrian regime to establish their culpability or absence of culpability on this matter," Mr Rudd said.
He said he had sought information about Australian troops attached to UN missions in the Golan Heights, both on the Syrian and Israeli sides of the border, and troops active on the Lebanese border.
He will also seek reports on other military personnel serving in the region.
"Our concern is of course for their well being," Mr Rudd said.
Defence chiefs have said Australian personnel were trained in handling chemical weapons attacks and were equipped appropriately to handle an attack should there be "any proliferation" of the Damascus incident.
Asked if he had an open mind on any military involvement, Mr Rudd said: "I think it's unproductive and I think it is unwise to begin to speculate on any form of action and what shape that may take."
"The business of responding to an international crisis, as this is emerging as one, is to take it calmly and methodically, step by step."
The prime minister also refused to comment on the appropriateness of US cruise missile strikes against the regime.
"I won't go to the question of military strategy or military tactics," he said.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott also stopped short of backing military action after receiving a "confidential" briefing on the Syrian situation later on Sunday.
"The important thing is to get to the bottom of what's happened and the best way for that to happen is to allow UN inspectors on the ground to make an assessment," Mr Abbott told ABC TV.
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.
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.
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.
