US man sets himself on fire in capital

A man has set himself on fire near the US congress, a fire official says. Source: AAP

A US man has been flown to hospital after setting himself on fire on the National Mall, a fire official says.

Fire crews responded on Friday afternoon to a report of a man on fire.

A witness said she saw a man dump a red canister of petrol on his head and then set himself on fire.

Fire Department spokesman Tim Wilson said the man has life-threatening injuries.

His name and age were not immediately known.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.

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Valentine wins big at the AWGIE Awards

Playwright Anna Valentine has won three gongs at the AWGIE Awards in Melbourne. Source: AAP

PLAYWRIGHT Alana Valentine, who likes to gives audiences a kick up the arse in a witty way, has swept the Australian Writers' Guild Awards (AWGIEs).

Valentine picked up three gongs, including script of the year, at the awards ceremony on Friday night.

The AWGIEs are judged solely by writers on the basis of the script.

Valentine scooped the Major AWGIE, for Most Outstanding Script of 2013, and took out the community and youth theatre category for her play Grounded.

Set in Newcastle, Grounded is a coming-of-age tale about teenager Farrah, who wants to be a marine pilot.

Valentine began her winning streak by picking up the inaugural $25,000 David Williamson Prize for quality new Australian works for the stage.

"I'm very proud to be part of a guild which actually encourages and celebrates writers who want to look at what's happening in our culture right now, on our watch," Valentine told the audience at Melbourne's Plaza Ballroom.

"I'm really proud of all the writers in the guild who chose to, as cleverly and wittily as they do, give our audiences a kick up the arse and rub their noses in what we think is not working about this country."

In television writing, Robert Connolly picked up the best Telemovie Adaption award for Underground: The Julian Assange Story.

The Underbelly: Badness team - Niki Aken, Peter Gawler, Felicity Packard and Jeffrey Truman - were honoured for writing the stand-out original television mini-series.

Andrew Knight won the best television series AWGIE for the Rake series 2 episode R v. Floyd. The Good News Week writers received their ninth AWGIE for the final season of the comedy/light entertainment series.

The $25,000 Foxtel Fellowship, awarded in recognition of an impressive body of television work, went to Jacquelin Perske for a career including TV dramas The Secret Life of Us and Love My Way.

In the movie arena, Kim Mordaunt won the AWGIE for best original feature film script for The Rocket.

That film, about a 10-year-old boy trying to help his family in Laos' war-torn north, is Australia's selection for the best foreign-language film at next year's Oscars.

The Rocket also took out the audience awards at both the Sydney and Melbourne film festivals.

Best short film script went to husband and wife team, Matthew Moore and Genevieve Hegney, for The Amber Amulet, based on Craig Silvey's novella.

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Prince wows Sydney on first official visit

Prince Harry has arrived at Sydney's Garden Island Naval Base for the International Fleet Review. Source: AAP

HE may like to party, but Prince Harry was all business as he greeted adoring fans, inspected warships, and met the prime minister and his family on his first official visit to Australia.

Thousands of Harry fans turned out to catch a glimpse of the fourth-in-line to the British throne in Sydney as part of the International Fleet Review.

The 29-year-old prince is the big drawcard of the eight-day navy extravaganza, which marks 100 years since the Royal Australian Navy fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour.

Dressed in a white tropical dress uniform of the British Army and a blue Army Air Corps beret, the 29-year-old began the day by saluting naval officers before being greeted by navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs at Sydney naval base Garden Island.

Captain Wales, as he's known in the British military, then boarded the HMAS Leeuwin where Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Defence Minister David Johnston and a host of other dignitaries were waiting for him.

After being welcomed on the harbour by a 100 gun salute, Harry spent the next few hours on board HMAS Leeuwin inspecting the warship fleet alongside Governor General Quentin Bryce.

The prince's appearance on the harbour coincided with a dazzling display by navy aircraft and helicopters, thrilling thousands lining the foreshore.

Back on land and donning a crisp navy-coloured suit, blue tie and white shirt, Harry turned his attention to his Sydney fans.

Making a surprise appearance at the Rocks, there were screams, smiles and waves as the red-haired prince emerged from his car at Sydney Harbour to greet a heaving crowd of fans.

In the 10-minute stop, Harry shook hands and said hello to hundreds who were hugging the barricades in an effort to see him.

Linda Wickens handed him a stuffed dingo as a present for his nephew Prince George.

The prince then stopped for a quick photo with her 12-year-old daughter Annabel who summed up the experience in one word: "awesome".

From there, the prince took a boat to Kirribilli House, where he was greeted by Mr Abbott, his wife Margie and daughters Bridget and Frances.

They posed for official photographs and walked through the gardens before greeting a crowd that had gathered at the gates of the prime minister's Sydney residence.

"What do you think of your new neighbour?" Harry asked one of the locals, referring to the newly-elected Mr Abbott.

Inside, the prime minister reflected on the special day, joking that Prince Harry appealed to even those Australians who aren't royalists.

"Prince Harry, I regret to say not every Australian is a monarchist," he said.

"But today everyone feels like a monarchist."

The prince is understood to be later hosting a private function for injured veterans of Afghanistan, a cause he actively supports.

He is due to leave Sydney for Perth on Sunday morning for the next leg of his Aussie tour.

The Fleet Review's Fireworks and Lightshow Spectacular is due to start at 7.30pm (AEST) at Sydney Harbour.

Up to one million people are expected to gather on the foreshore for the event.

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US extends visa law for Iraqi war aides

President Barack Obama has approved special visas for Iraqis who risked their lives to help America. Source: AAP

US President Barack Obama has signed into law a measure providing special visas for Iraqis who risked their lives to help the United States.

The special visa has allowed more than 12,000 Iraqi contractors, interpreters and others who aided US efforts, and their family members, to move to the US since 2007.

It expired earlier this week, with about 2000 applications still pending.

In a rare instance of bipartisanship, both chambers of congress passed the measure within hours of each other this week.

The program was created during the worst years of the Iraq war, with Iraqis who helped US forces facing targeted killings and death threats.

The goal was to resettle them in the US faster than the general refugee process might allow.

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Irish voters consider scrapping senate

An Irish referendum on a proposal to abolish the country's senate has had a low turnout. Source: AAP

VOTER turnout has been low in an Irish referendum on whether to abolish the country's upper house of parliament.

As polling stations closed at 10pm on Friday - with counting due to start on Saturday morning - the percentage of those casting their ballots was estimated to be less than 40 per cent.

An electorate of 3.1 million were eligible to have their say.

Latest opinion polls suggested a majority of voters would back Prime Minister Enda Kenny's call to get rid of the Seanad, or senate, in a historic move that would hand power exclusively to the lower house.

A poll in the Irish Times on Monday put the Yes vote - in favour of abolition - at 62 per cent, with 38 per cent backing the retention of the upper house, after excluding those who were undecided.

But more than a fifth of the electorate were undecided at the start of the week, while another 8 per cent said they did not intend to go to the ballot box.

Results in the referendum are expected by around mid-afternoon on Saturday.

The Taoiseach says abolition would create a leaner, more effective and more accountable system.

Opponents, led by the largest opposition party Fianna Fail, say the Seanad is necessary to serve as a government watchdog and to hold the ruling cabinet ministers to account.

The Irish parliament, the Oireachtas, is currently made up of the lower house, the Dail, from which government operates, and the upper house, the Seanad.

The senate has 60 members, with most elected from vocational panels by local councillors and by university graduates.

Eleven are appointed by the prime minister, generally ensuring a government majority.

It is not the first time the Irish have toyed with abolishing their upper house.

Eamon de Valera gave it the chop in 1936 when he was prime minister, before bringing it back a year later.

Historically, many senators tend to be politicians who failed to gain election in a general election or those hoping to win a seat in the lower house at a future election.

The upper house is the less powerful house of parliament, often reduced to rubber-stamping legislation from the lower house.

Its ability to delay bills passed by the lower house for 90 days is its most powerful function, but that has only occurred twice in 75 years.

Comparable upper houses have been abolished in New Zealand, Denmark and Sweden.

Irish voters are also being asked whether the state should set up a Court of Appeal.

Fine Gael, Labour, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein have all backed the court proposal, which could result in more basic appeals from the High Court going to the Court of Appeal instead of the Supreme Court.

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$3m paid out by defence abuse taskforce

Victims of abuse in the defence force who are yet to lodge key paperwork are being warned to act. Source: AAP

VICTIMS of assault and mistreatment in the defence force yet to lodge paperwork are being warned to act soon, with more than $3 million already paid out in 70 cases.

People who have made complaints to the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce have until November 30 to provide all relevant documentation.

A budget of $70 million has been allocated to the reparation payments scheme, and 981 complaints are at various stages of the assessment process.

As of September 16, the taskforce's reparations assessor had approved in excess of $3 million in payments over 70 cases, 50 of which were for the maximum $50,000 payment.

Slater and Gordon's military compensation lawyer Brian Briggs warned time was nearly up for victims.

"When the scheme was established, it was always made clear that it would run for a set period of time," he said.

Complainants may also have the opportunity to meet with senior defence leaders in conferences.

The third interim report by the taskforce was tabled to federal parliament on Friday, providing an update on the progress of outcomes to individual complaints of abuse in the military.

The outcomes may include a referral to counselling, reparation payments, referral of appropriate matters to police or military justice authorities, referral to the chief of the defence force for administrative action or participation in a restorative engagement conference.

"The conferences will give people who have suffered abuse in defence a powerful opportunity to have their stories heard," said taskforce chair Len Roberts-Smith QC.

More than 2400 complaints have been made to the taskforce about abuse suffered in defence prior to April 2011.

As of September 16, 10 matters had been referred to police and 11 matters had been resolved in other ways.

The taskforce's crime group also has a further 41 active matters under assessment.

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New direction in Madeleine McCann case

The parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann are set to make a new TV appeal for information. Source: AAP

BRITISH police say the analysis of mobile phone data from thousands of people who were in a Portuguese resort when British girl Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007 could provide a new lead.

A major appeal based on "substantive" new information will be broadcast on a BBC television program on October 14.

Police are analysing data from phones belonging to people who were in Praia da Luz when Madeleine vanished in May 2007 and they are investigating 41 potential suspects, although no arrests have been made.

"The mobile phone data is a substantial amount of data," said Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the inquiry, but he added that much of it was "unattributable".

"Putting this with layers and layers of other information, we are carrying out a targeted attack on the information. It is like pulling back the layers of an onion," he said on Friday.

Redwood admitted officers had so far been unable to match a "large number" of mobile numbers to the users of the phones. He said the task was complicated by the fact that many of the phones operated on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate McCann have never abandoned their campaign to find Madeleine, who was just about to turn four when she disappeared as she slept in the family's holiday apartment on May 3, 2007. Her parents were dining with friends in a nearby restaurant at the time.

Portuguese authorities closed their investigation in 2008. But London's Metropolitan Police spent two years reviewing the evidence and announced in July that they were launching an investigation into Madeleine's disappearance.

British police are working with senior detectives from Faro, in the Algarve.

Redwood said the phone records contain information about which phone numbers were dialled and when calls were made.

"We can see what the phone is doing, but we can't see the text messages," said the detective. "It shows a timeline of the call data."

Scotland Yard said the phone records were "looked at" during the initial Portuguese police investigation, but not in detail.

Asked by reporters if the information could provide a breakthrough in the investigation, Redwood said: "It could do."

The investigation is however being hampered by the lack of CCTV video.

In July, detectives said there were 38 "persons of interest" from five different countries - Portugal, Britain and three others that were not named.

Police said the number had now gone up to 41, of whom 15 were British nationals, but no arrests have been made.

Madeleine's parents say they refuse to believe she is dead.

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Keysar Trad to lauch love poetry book

Muslim community spokesman and polygamy supporter Keysar Trad is releasing a book of love poetry. Source: AAP

OUTSPOKEN Muslim community spokesman Keysar Trad is making a foray into the literary world, releasing a book of love poems.

Mr Trad, who has previously said polygamy should be recognised, will launch his book Forays of the Heart at Glebe, in Sydney's inner-west, on Sunday.

The poems are described as "paeans of unrequited love directed at women other than his wife".

The well-known Australian Muslim said the poetry was written in a "sense of fantastical lyrical compulsion".

"I felt the need to share them so that others can benefit from these journeys," Mr Trad said.

The book is due to be launched by Liberal MP Philip Ruddock.

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Singapore signs on to Abbott's Asia plan

Singapore has joined Indonesia in signing up to the Abbott government's Asian education plan. Source: AAP

SINGAPORE has joined Indonesia in signing up to the Abbott government's flagship Asian education plan.

Singapore's leaders have agreed to take part in the 2014 pilot phase of the New Colombo Plan after Foreign Minister Julie Bishop personally spruiked the policy during a brief visit to the city state as part of her regional introductory tour.

The developments comes just a few days after Indonesia signed on, following a meeting between Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta.

The plan aims to dramatically lift the number of Australians studying in Asian universities and vice versa.

Ms Bishop said she was very pleased Singapore had accepted her invitation, saying it has a number of world-class universities.

"This is another vital step in ensuring the New Colombo Plan becomes a reality, " Ms Bishop told AAP on Friday.

Ms Bishop hopes the scheme - which is expected to cost the government $100 million over five years - will foster closer ties between Australia and the region.

She also wants Japan and Hong Kong to take part in the pilot phase. She'll try to win them over when she visits North Asia later this month.

Other countries will be invited to join the program when it's fully up and running in 2015.

Ms Bishop's scheme is named after the Colombo Plan, which saw 40,000 future Asian leaders come to Australia to study from the 1950s to the mid-1980s.

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Gambling film runs into controversy

The new film Runner Runner sparked a lobby group to push for the legalisation of online gambling. Source: AAP

THE new thriller Runner Runner, starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck, had not even opened in the US before it became the centre of the fight over online gambling regulation.

The American Gambling Association (AGA) has bought advertisements on major websites, including Twitter, Facebook and the IMDb movie database, framing the film as a "cautionary tale" that points to the need for the US congress to legalise online poker. The ads also pop up when people Google the movie's title.

The screenwriters say their story of a young gambler pulled into the criminal dealings of an offshore poker site was never intended as a political parable. The movie opened in US and Australian cinemas on Thursday.

The Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation, a national nonprofit organisation, sent a letter to the casino lobby on Thursday pointing to the writers' comments, and calling the ads dishonest. The group is demanding that the ads - one of which warns, "Sometimes movie villains are real" - be taken down.

National director Les Bernal wrote there was no reason to think shady offshore operations would disappear if online gambling was legalised in the US and accused the casino lobby of wanting a cut of the illegal operators' business.

"Casino operators now hope to expand another key demographic to their base: young people, especially those of college age, which is why the AGA greedily seized upon Runner, Runner," Bernal wrote.

Internet poker, never fully legal, has been strictly outlawed in the US since 2011, when the Department of Justice seized the domain names of the largest offshore sites catering to US customers and blacked them out.

This crackdown, dubbed "black Friday", left poker fanatics with two options: get dressed and visit a card room, or break the law and log into an offshore site.

Offshore gambling sites took in about $US2.6 billion ($A2.78 billion) from US players last year, according to Geoff Freeman, president of the association.

More recently, the US federal government softened its stance on internet betting, and three states - New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada - legalised some form of online wagering within their borders.

The gambling lobby, which counts MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment among its members, supports a federal approach. It warns that a patchwork of state laws will be unworkable for corporations and could leave gamblers exposed to dishonest dealings.

Runner Runner, released by 20th Century Fox, tells the story of a Princeton University graduate student, played by Timberlake, who believes he's been cheated after gambling away his tuition money. He travels to Costa Rica to confront an online poker tycoon, played by Affleck, who then offers him a job.

Writers David Levien and Brian Koppelman, who also created the 1998 gambling film Rounders, told Reuters that they were surprised and amused by the casino lobby's campaign.

Early reviews of Runner Runner have been mostly negative.

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More Vic men with bikie links arrested

Two more Victorians allegedly linked to outlaw bikies have been arrested as part of a bikie blitz. Source: AAP

TWO more Victorian men allegedly linked to outlaw bikies have been arrested as part of a bikie blitz.

A 32-year-old man with alleged links to the Comancheros was arrested on Wednesday night and charged with drug offences.

The arrest came after police executed a search warrant at a Hampton Park home in Melbourne's southeast.

The man was bailed to appear at the Frankston Magistrates Court on October 23.

A second man with alleged links to an outlaw motorcycle club has also been arrested and is assisting police with their inquiries.

The 32-year-old man was arrested after a raid at an Cranbourne address in Melbourne's southeast on Thursday morning.

The Echo Taskforce investigation into illegal debt collecting, drug activity and firearms incidents involving bikies has so far led to 11 arrests.

Guns, explosives and cash were seized in raids across Melbourne this week after the Hells Angels Seaford clubhouse in the city's south was sprayed with bullets.

Police say the attack was in retaliation for a suspected Hells Angels shoot-up of two businesses owned by a rival Comanchero member.

High-powered military weapons such as AK-47s or M1 carbines were used in both shootings, police say.

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CSG no-go zones attacked from both sides

The NSW government has been attacked after announcing CSG no-go zones across residential areas. Source: AAP

PROPOSED exclusion zones on coal seam gas (CSG) activity in and around NSW's residential areas has done little to quell the concerns of farmers, who say prime agricultural land remains under threat.

Planning Minister Brad Hazzard announced on Thursday that NSW planned to introduce the "toughest CSG controls in Australia" by extending the two-kilometre exclusion zone around residential areas.

New CSG projects could also be banned from future growth areas in 56 council areas across NSW.

CSG no-go zones are proposed to take place in newly-mapped critical industry clusters, which include more than 460 viticulture and 290 equine properties.

"Ninety-five per cent of all residential properties across the state in cities, towns and villages are now protected," Mr Hazzard told AAP.

"This is completely different from every other state in the country."

The changes would ensure that new CSG activity would not occur in areas that "should be absolutely safe-guarded", he said.

The minister denied the announcement was an indication the government wasn't sure the industry was safe.

"The community at this point have wanted no CSG in residential areas and we are listening to what the community says."

But the NSW Farmers Association (NSWFA) have raised serious concerns over the ability of the government's proposed 'Gateway Process' to protect prime agricultural land from mining.

Under the process, a panel of scientists, engineers and groundwater experts would assess CSG projects.

NSWFA Association President Fiona Simson claims the panel lacks teeth.

"If the panel is not empowered to recommend that a particular project should not proceed, their expertise and experience are not being fully utilised," she said.

Meanwhile, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) said the government was once again sending the message that it does not welcome development.

But Premier Barry O'Farrell believes the government has struck the right note.

"Today we have both farmers and miners criticising the government's moves," he told reporters in Sydney.

"It sounds as though we've achieved the balance we want, and no system's ever perfect."

The news comes amid increasing pressure from the federal government for NSW to boost CSG production.

Last week Federal Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane announced he would be forming a committee of stakeholders, including farmers and gas producers, in a bid to solve "the NSW gas challenge".

He claimed that unless the industry was kick-started, thousands of jobs in the industrial sector would be lost between Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong.

State Opposition Leader John Robertson has said he would be tabling legislation this month seeking to ban all CSG activity in Sydney's core water catchments.

Australian Industry Group chief Innes Willox said it was unfortunate NSW had decided to proceed with the "most restrictive elements" of its proposed CSG regulations.

"The NSW (policy) announced today goes well beyond what is needed by excluding large tracts of the state's best energy resources from development," he said in a statement.

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Measles in Qld prompts vaccination clinic

A measles spike in Queensland has prompted heath authorities to set up a free vaccination clinic. Source: AAP

A MEASLES spike in southeast Queensland has prompted health authorities to set up a free vaccination clinic to stop the disease from spreading further.

The clinic is offering free vaccinations in Ipswich after a 10th case of the potentially deadly disease was confirmed in the satellite city, west of Brisbane.

Twenty people have now contracted the disease in Queensland.

Health authorities say the woman didn't visit any public areas while she was infectious.

However others had travelled to places such as train stations, courthouses, police stations and pharmacies without knowing they were infected.

"A few people were quite social when they were infectious and that is why we have seen so many cases in Ipswich," a West Moreton Hospital and Health Service spokeswoman said.

In an attempt to halt the spread of the disease, health authorities are opening a free measles vaccination clinic at the Ipswich Health Plaza from 8.30am-4pm (AEST) on Friday.

Those born after 1966 who were unsure of their vaccination status should visit the clinic, the spokeswoman said.

People in the area should also be wary of measles symptoms.

These include fever, cough, runny nose and a red spotty rash and sore eyes that develop a few days later.

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Pistorius investigators visit crime scene

FORENSIC experts working for Oscar Pistorius have visited the double-amputee Olympian's upscale villa where he shot and killed his girlfriend, examining the toilet door through which the fatal shots were fired, police say.

The South African Police Service said in a statement on Thursday the specialists made prior arrangements with police to visit the athlete's house on Monday in Pretoria, where model and reality TV star Reeva Steenkamp was shot and killed on February 14.

Pistorius goes on trial on March 3 accused of premeditated murder. He was given seven months to put his case together after being indicted on charges of murder and illegal possession of ammunition in August.

The visit suggests that the toilet door will form a key part of the evidence in the trial. The height of the bullet holes in the door and trajectory of the bullets fired by Pistorius could prove whether or not he was wearing his prosthetic legs.

Pistorius says he was not wearing them when he shot in fear at what he thought was a dangerous intruder, but the prosecution says the Olympic and Paralympic runner had taken the time to put them on, suggesting premeditation.

It was the second time investigators acting for Pistorius had visited the scene accompanied by the police's team, the statement said.

Police also said Pistorius' villa in the gated Silverwoods estate in the eastern suburbs of the South African capital was "no longer a crime scene and was handed back to him long ago".

The investigating officer and a police ballistics expert were present while Pistorius' forensic team carried out their work on Monday. Police said no other physical evidence was examined.

Pistorius faces a possible life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison if he is convicted of murder with premeditation.

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Malaysia extends detention without charge

MALAYSIA has extended the legal period of detention without charge, in a move criticised by some as a revival of tools for political repression.

Parliament agreed on Thursday to extend the period to two years at the end of an all-night session, according to Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who sponsored the controversial bill.

The current limit is 72 days, under the Prevention of Crime Act of 1959. The new limit will apply if deemed to be in the interest of public order, public security or the prevention of crime.

Zahid said the amendment was aimed at giving the police more teeth in fighting crime and not aimed at quelling political dissent.

But opposition legislators and human rights advocates denounced the amended law as a return of the Internal Security Act, which allowed detention without trial for prolonged periods.

The Act was criticised as a tool to repress political dissent, and was repealed in 2011 as part of Prime Minister Najib Razak's reforms.

"Malaysia is taking a huge step backwards on rights by returning to administrative detention practices much like the draconian Internal Security Act," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

The government dismissed the accusation.

"We provided certain provisions as a check and balance including the set-up of the Crime Prevention Board," Zahid said. Approval by the top-level, five-member board would be required for each case of prolonged detention.

The premier "ordered the attorney-general to make sure that the government will not be implicated of trying to abuse power," he said.

But Robertson maintained that "Prime Minister Najib is backing methods that do little to curtail crime but threaten everyone's liberty."

Senior opposition legislator N Surendran, said the passage of the bill jeopardised the freedom of every Malaysian citizen.

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Key, Abbott talks warm, despite welfare

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has heaped praise on the economic performance of New Zealand under John Key, saying the country provided the "very model" of centre-right government he'd happily emulate.

However, that goodwill doesn't mean Mr Abbott will back down on the thorny issue of welfare benefits for Kiwis living in Australia, again raised during the New Zealand Prime Minister's visit to Canberra.

New Zealanders living in Australia have long complained about being ineligible for welfare benefits, which Australians get when living across the ditch.

And Mr Abbott reiterated that the 300,000 New Zealanders in Australia on special category visas were unlikely to attain all the key benefits of permanent residency despite paying billions of dollars in taxes.

"New Zealanders have better access to Australia than the citizens of any other country and that's right and proper," said Mr Abbott, who added that he was happy to further discuss the issue with Mr Key.

"But I'm very happy with the situation that exists right now, which is that Kiwis coming here know that they're expected to work and pay taxes from day one."

Mr Key said he would continue to advocate for New Zealanders.

"(But) we totally respect the sovereign right of the Australian government to make the decision how it will treat people that come and work in Australia," he said.

Welfare rights were also raised during talks between the Australian and New Zealand foreign ministers in Wellington, where Julie Bishop said "we believe we have the balance right".

Mr Key is the first foreign leader to visit Australia since the September 7 election, and Mr Abbott was effusive about his guest.

"I'd like to say how impressed I am with the way the New Zealand national government has promoted economic growth, pursued very sensible orthodox economic policies, without in any way engaging in what's become known as austerity," he said.

"I'm happy to learn from the example of John Key in New Zealand."

Mr Key said their governments were kindred spirits.

"This is a relationship where I believe the chemistry will be very good, very strong," he said.

The issue of asylum seekers was also raised during their talks, with Mr Abbott casting doubts over a deal struck by the former Labor Government.

New Zealand has committed to annually settle 150 refugees processed by Australia under an arrangement due to start in 2014.

However, Mr Abbott said asylum seekers should not expect to get New Zealand as a "consolation prize".

"We're grateful for New Zealand's help," Mr Abbott said.

"If and when it becomes necessary, obviously we'll call on it."

One issue that wasn't canvassed was that of gay marriage, which was legalised by the New Zealand parliament last year.

"My position on that particular subject is pretty well known," Mr Abbott said.

Mr Key's half-day visit also included a stop at the Australian War Memorial, where both leaders laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

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Wind, rain unable to slow Vic showgoers

The Royal Melbourne Show recorded its largest ever single-day attendance during this year's event. Source: AAP

THE Royal Melbourne Show has attracted its highest number of people on a single day, one devoid of the wild weather and gale-force winds that hampered much of the event.

In excess of 80,000 people took advantage of finer weather on Sunday to break the single-day attendance record.

About half of the 12-day event was impacted by wind and rain, which forced organisers to close early one day during the school holiday rush.

But Victorians were undeterred with 504,950 people visiting the state's largest annual community event.

Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria chief Mark O'Sullivan said despite wind and rain impeding some elements of the show, it had continued to draw consistently large crowds with an eight per cent attendance increase on last year's figures.

"These numbers just go to show that the event is alive and well, the event is relevant and more and more people are coming to enjoy the sights and experiences," he said.

Pre-sales of tickets to Victoria's premier agricultural event also increased, up 16 per cent on 2012 with organisers expecting the event to contribute more than $80 million to the Victorian economy.

Around 1500 volunteers were part of the 8000-person workforce tasked with bringing the country to the city.

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Bishop leads new push on Fiji

Fiji's transition back to democracy was high on the agenda when Julie Bishop met her NZ counterpart. Source: AAP

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop is leading a new push to bring Fiji in from the diplomatic cold and get bilateral relations back on track.

The Pacific island nation was high on the agenda when Ms Bishop held talks with New Zealand counterpart Murray McCully in Auckland on Wednesday.

"Our collective position, our joint position, is that we want to see a normalising of relations as soon as possible," Ms Bishop said after the meeting.

Ms Bishop has long argued that Australia should seek to re-engage with Frank Bainimarama's military-led regime, rather than seek to isolate it further.

While she wants to see Fiji hold credible elections as soon as possible, she has also signalled she would be willing to make concessions to encourage the transition back to democracy.

"We're very keen to identify the date of the proposed elections. Once we can establish when the elections will be held there are many things that we can offer," she said.

Fiji has pledged to hold elections by September 2014 but is yet to name a date.

AAP understands a further relaxing of Australia's sanctions could be on the table if Fiji makes progress in the coming months. New Zealand further relaxed its sanctions last month.

Ms Bishop met with Fijian Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola on the sidelines of a United Nations gathering in New York last week and is understood to be in regular contact with him.

She's also keen to see the two countries exchange senior envoys for the first time in four years.

The two nations agreed last year to exchange high commissioners, signalling a thaw in a relationship that has been frosty since military strongman Frank Bainimarama seized power in a 2006 coup.

The Gillard government last year appointed respected career diplomat Margaret Twomey to the role, and hoped she would begin in February.

Fiji initially agreed to the appointment but subsequently refused to let her into the country, effectively ending the new era in diplomatic relations before it began.

Ms Bishop has confirmed she still wants Ms Twomey, a senior officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade who served most recently as Australia's ambassador to Russia, to fill the position.

Fiji kicked out Australia's last high commissioner, James Batley, in 2009, accusing him of meddling in local politics.

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Holden deal a challenge, says minister

Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane (C) says it will be a challenge to save car maker Holden. Source: AAP

IT will be "one hell of a challenge", but Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane wants Holden to continue to build cars in Australia for the next 100 years.

He's not sure how much money the federal government can offer to help save the company or where it will come from and he's urged its US parent General Motors to be patient.

A deal, he says, could take some time and if it comes will be the last handout from the commonwealth.

The minister says everyone involved needs to put politics aside and understand that there will be "one shot at this".

"This is one hell of a challenge. One hell of a solution is required," Mr Macfarlane told reporters after touring Holden's plant in Adelaide on Wednesday.

Holden boss Mike Devereux welcomed the minister's commitment to finding a solution but declined to detail just what that might involve.

The company secured an agreement last year for $275 million in government funding but was now thought to need close to $500 million before committing to develop and build two new car models from 2016.

Mr Devereux says the tour and talks are about educating the minister on just how efficient the Elizabeth plant could be.

"This is a world-class facility, building world-class cars in a very difficult environment," he said.

"The discussions that we're going to have begin today and those discussions are likely to be ongoing."

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said the state government wanted Holden to have a secure future, not just for the benefit of the local economy, but to ease the concerns of thousands currently employed in the auto sector.

"There are people that are sitting around their kitchen tables at the moment just worrying about their futures," he said.

"We want to settle that. We want them to know they have a long-term future at this plant and in all the associated industries."

Mr Macfarlane says saving Holden is not just about money and the federal government intends to press on with a review of all car industry assistance by the Productivity Commission.

He says the government will also stand by its election policy to cut $500 million from auto industry support.

"It won't break the car industry. I'm confident I can get around that," he said.

"I'm not concerned about the next six months, I'm not concerned about the next three years.

"My goal is to see Australian cars built here for 100 years."

But the minister says the industry has to become internationally competitive and survive without ongoing government help.

"The next car plan I hand down will be my last car plan," he said.

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Fear grips west Myanmar, 5 Muslims killed

Sectarian violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state has claimed the life of a 94-year-old Muslim woman. Source: AAP

TERRIFIED women and children are hiding in forests and security forces are patrolling tense villages in western Myanmar, residents say, after sectarian clashes which left five Muslims dead.

President Thein Sein was expected to visit the violence-racked area as part of his first official visit to Rakhine state since a wave of religious bloodshed erupted there last year.

Sectarian bloodshed has overshadowed internationally praised political reforms and piled pressure on the former junta general, who took power in 2011.

The US said it was "deeply concerned" about the latest unrest and urged authorities to respond "decisively", in a statement issued by its embassy in Yangon.

Around 800 Buddhist rioters torched homes and attacked local Muslims in a village in the area of Thandwe on Tuesday, according to the authorities.

"The death toll rose to five - four men and a woman," a Rakhine police official who did not want to be named told AFP on Wednesday, adding that the victims were all killed during Tuesday's violence.

A 94-year-old Muslim woman, who suffered stab wounds, was among the dead.

Four Rakhine Buddhists were injured in clashes and a fifth was missing, while 59 houses and a mosque have been torched since tensions flared on Saturday, police said.

Around 250 people have been killed and more than 140,000 left homeless in several outbreaks of inter-religious violence around the country since June 2012, mostly in Rakhine.

A local Muslim official told AFP that police had fired warning shots but could not control the mob.

"We are disappointed that we have a government that is unable to provide security for us," the official, Myint Aung, told AFP.

"We are living in fear. Many people, including women and children, are hiding in the forest nearby," he said.

Thein Sein held meetings with members of Buddhist and Rohingya Muslim communities during his two-day tour.

In a message to a multi-faith conference, which was carried in state media on Wednesday, Thein Sein lamented "instigations fuelling minor crimes into conflicts between the two communities and two religions".

"Such instability based on religion and race harms and delays the state reforms and tarnishes the national image internationally," he warned.

Four major Myanmar Muslim organisations released an open letter to Thein Sein late Tuesday calling on the government to take urgent law-enforcement action.

"The concerns of minority Muslims around the country have reached peak levels. They feel they have no security," the letter said.

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WA senate result set to be released

The wafer-thin margins in the West Australian senate race should be finalised on Wednesday. Source: AAP

THE wafer-thin margins in the West Australian senate race should be finalised on Wednesday, with Greens senator Scott Ludlam poised to lose his seat to the Palmer United Party.

According to the ABC vote tracker, Palmer candidate Zhenya Wang is on track to take a senate seat over Mr Ludlam.

The count for the election of WA's six senators will be completed at 11am (WST) on Wednesday, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has confirmed.

AEC's WA state manager Peter Kramer says only four per cent of voters had voted below the line in WA on polling day last month.

Counting at 2pm (WST) on Tuesday had the Greens polling 124,257 primary votes - almost twice the number earned by the Palmer United Party.

However, preference deals among micro-parties look set to deliver Mr Palmer a third senate seat, with Australian Sports Party candidate Wayne Dropulich in with a chance to take a shock seat.

There is a possibility a recount could be ordered for the WA senate seats.

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Patients ask Dr Google to rate treatment

Queensland patients are commonly using search engine Google to rate their medical treatments. Source: AAP

GOOGLE is commonly used to self-diagnose health problems and Queenslanders are also using the search engine to rate their medical treatments.

Complaints about inadequate treatment have more than doubled in two years in Queensland as more patients turn to Google to become more medically informed, the state's health watchdog says.

Health Quality and Complaints Commission (HQCC) CEO Cheryl Herbert says the popular search engine is increasing patients' knowledge about their medical rights and what treatment to expect.

"I think people are becoming more health literate," she said.

"They are able to google things so they know what to expect, or they will get on Google after their appointment."

The HQCC handled 3419 complaints in 2012-13, a five per cent increase on the previous year.

Of those complaints, 2327 were about issues surrounding medical treatment.

Specifically, there were 877 grievances about inadequate treatment, up from 697 in 2011-12 and 369 in 2010-11.

Complaints about medical costs (208) and dentists (226) were also up, according to the health watchdog's annual report.

Professor Herbert said people were distressed by the widening gap between the cost of medical treatments and what private health premiums covered.

When it came to dentistry, patients were unhappy about dental fees and ill-fitting prosthetics.

"In some cases the prosthetics are so painful people can't eat," Prof Herbert said.

While public hospitals were responsible for 996 of the complaints, the number of grievances about correctional facilities jumped from 85 to 211.

Prof Herbert said this was because inmates had been given a specific number for reporting complaints and many were unhappy with the delivery of their medication.

Every complaint - regardless of its source - was an opportunity for improvement, Prof Herbert said.

She said the HQCC had finalised a number of long running investigations, and reduced the number of open investigations that exceeded 12 months from 34 to five.

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SA Greens senator backs party leader

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young (L) has reaffirmed her support for party leader Christine Milne. Source: AAP

SOUTH Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has reaffirmed her support for leader Christine Milne at the same time urging the party to reconnect with voters.

After her return to the federal parliament was confirmed on Tuesday, Senator Hanson-Young clarified comments she reportedly made after last week's party room meeting that backed Senator Milne as leader and Adam Bandt as her deputy.

A Fairfax Media report said Senator Hanson-Young commented that the party had just returned a leader who would have the Greens "marching to a slow death".

But she told reporters on Tuesday that her comments related to the party's results at the recent federal election and the need to reconnect with voters.

"We've got to refocus our energy, refocus our work as a party to reconnecting with voters for the next three years," she said.

"That's what those comments were in relation to."

Senator Hanson-Young said she endorsed last week's party room vote.

"I endorse the leadership team and I want to get on with reconnecting with voters," she said.

"Christine Milne was re-elected unopposed to lead our party. I support that."

But Senator Hanson-Young said that after an election result where the party had lost ground, it needed to find out what voters wanted to hear from the Greens.

"We can't be complacent about that," she said.

With the Senate result in SA finalised on Tuesday the Australian Electoral Commission said voters had elected two Liberal Senators, Corey Bernardi and Simon Birmingham, Labor's Penny Wong, Senator Hanson-Young, popular independent Nick Xenophon and Family First's Bob Day.

The big loser from the poll was sitting Labor Senator Don Farrell, who will lose his spot when the new Senate comes into effect in July.

Senator Hanson-Young said the new Senate, which would include candidates from the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party and a number from the Palmer United Party, would be an interesting mix of people.

"But that's what the Australian people have delivered," she said.

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Two dead, six in hospital after NSW crash

TWO people are dead and six more are in hospital after a fiery truck crash on Sydney's northern beaches.

Witnesses have described the chaos that unfolded after the fuel tanker and cars collided on Mona Vale Rd at Mona Vale on Tuesday afternoon.

The tanker exploded, sending towering flames and billowing black smoke into the air.

Two people were killed and six people were taken to Royal North Shore Hospital, suffering injuries including head trauma and burns.

Three patients were in serious conditions while three others were stable, a NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said.

Mona Vale Road was closed as 10 ambulances and two emergency service helicopters rushed to the scene.

"It was like a bomb went off," said a local man who lives about 200 metres from the crash scene and only gave his name as Lee.

The 36-year-old told AAP that in the moments after the explosion there was "probably a fire trail 50 to 70 metres long".

He said that just after the truck crashed he saw the driver kick his way out of the windscreen.

"We told him to keep running," he said.

"He looked pretty bashed around.

"If it's only two people deceased its a miracle."

NSW Ambulance Deputy Commissioner Mick Willis said the first paramedics to arrive were confronted with a horrific scene.

Police are still investigating what caused the crash.

"We really are in the early stages of investigation and it is a challenging scene as you can see," Manly Police Superintendent Dave Darcy told reporters at the crash site.

According to NSW Roads and Maritime, in the past 17 years there have been five fatal crashes on the stretch of road.

Mona Vale Road remained closed on Tuesday night between Pittwater Rd and Powder Works Rd.

Motorists were being advised to use Pittwater Road, Wakehurst Parkway and Forest Way instead.

Bus routes 182, 185 and 197 are also being diverted away from Mona Vale Road.

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Winds batter NSW and Vic, man dies on roof

A SYDNEY man has been apparently electrocuted and roofs have been ripped from houses as high winds lash NSW and Victoria.

NSW Police found a 31-year-old man injured on the roof of a Bexley property about 3.30pm (AEST) on Tuesday.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate the man, but he died at the scene.

Police said initial inquiries suggest electricity may have played a part.

The strongest winds in the state were recorded at Thredbo where a gust clocked in at 135 km/h.

However, winds of up to 140 km/h have battered Victoria bringing down powerlines and trees.

Electricity companies are battling tough weather conditions as they continue to restore power to almost 19,000 properties throughout the state.

More than 150,000 homes and businesses experiencing outages early on Tuesday.

Thousands of homes and businesses throughout NSW were also hit by power blackouts.

The State Emergency Services (SES) in NSW and Victoria have received a flood of calls as a result of the wild weather.

Since 8am, the NSW SES has responded to 700 jobs, most of which are for roof damage and fallen trees.

The Central Coast is one of the worst hit areas and a home in Long Jetty had its roof ripped off.

SES spokeswoman Danielle Wearne said the roof damaged other homes and ended up in the middle of a road.

A roof was also ripped off a home at Avalon on the Northern Beaches and at a mosque on the Central Coast.

The SES said a large tree had come down on a house on NSW's south coast and another tree had partially blocked the Princes Highway at Batemans Bay.

SES Victoria were called to about 3500 jobs on Monday night and Tuesday.

Altona, Frankston and Wyndham were among the worst hit areas in greater Melbourne, SES spokesman Toby Borella said.

"Fairly widespread, lots of trees down, lots of traffic hazards, lots of building damage as well, as a result of these damaging winds," he told AAP.

A severe weather warning for damaging winds is still in place for southeastern NSW and the ACT.

However, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Chris Webb said winds had already eased.

"The winds have already eased pretty significantly but the back edge of the front is still going through with the possibility of wind gusts in the next one or two hours but it will ease off in the evening," he said.

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ASIC denies failing to take action on RBA

The corporate watchdog insists it carried out thorough investigations into corruption in the RBA. Source: AAP

THE corporate watchdog rejects suggestions it failed to investigate senior public servants over an alleged corrupt deal linking the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to the regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) boss Greg Tanzer said charges had already been laid over allegations that representatives from the RBA's Note Printing Australia (NPA) subsidiary attended business meetings in Iraq at the height of UN sanctions with the Middle East country.

"It's important to note that the Australian Federal Police has already charged people involved in this matter and those cases are currently before the courts," the ASIC commissioner said in a video statement released on Monday.

Mr Tanzer said the regulator worked with the AFP to determine whether company directors had breached the Corporations Act by trying to set up a deal to upgrade Iraqi currency by supplying polymer bank notes.

"Let me be absolutely crystal clear: ASIC looked at this matter very closely but based on the facts and evidence available, decided not to take the matter further," he said.

ASIC was accused of being "asleep at the wheel" on the matter by Australian Greens Deputy Leader Adam Bandt.

"There is a serious question now for ASIC to answer as to whether it is turning a blind eye to what is happening in the Reserve Bank," Mr Bandt told reporters in Hobart on Monday.

Mr Tanzer said ASIC's investigations had been thorough and included reviewing more than 10,000 pages of documents including police witness statements.

But he said he was restricted in what detail he could reveal as legal proceedings were ongoing.

"We are not in a position to detail publicly all of the reasons for our decision but the public can be completely and utterly confident in what ASIC did," he said.

"Any action we take has to be based on fact and evidence and must stand up in a court of law."

Mr Tanzer cited the watchdog's track record on "punishing wrongdoers".

After learning of the secret meetings in Iraq, Australian diplomats intervened, scuppering the plan, the ABC and Fairfax Media report.

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More wait for public housing in NSW

The NSW government is under fire for overseeing a blowout in the public housing waiting list. Source: AAP

THE NSW government is under fire for overseeing a blowout in the public housing waiting list, with almost 2000 more applicants in the queue than last year.

By June this year there were 57,451 public housing applications in the pipeline, the government said on Monday.

That compares with 55,479 at the same time last year.

Opposition housing spokeswoman Sophie Cotsis says the figures come as almost 40 per cent of Western Sydney areas have experienced an increase in waiting times to more than five years and some families in Western Sydney being forced to wait more than 10.

"The explosion in the public housing waiting list is a direct result of the O'Farrell Government's cuts - and its failure to meet the demand for new housing stock," she said in a statement.

She said this year's state budget had $22 million ripped from new housing construction and $37 million from maintenance.

This meant many existing properties would continue to be plagued by mould, rising damp, peeling paint, blocked drains, rusted gutters, asbestos and leaking, she said.

Family and Community Services Minister Pru Goward said the waiting list is much shorter than anticipated after the Auditor General warned there would be 64,500 on the waiting list by this time.

"The reforms introduced by this Government are on track to arrest the spiralling growth projected by the Auditor General," Mrs Goward said.

But she admitted there was still much to be done to "reform the broken social housing system" the government had inherited from Labor.

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RBA defends Stevens over corruption claims

The RBA says its governor has always answered questions about a note-printing scandal "truthfully". Source: AAP

THE Reserve Bank has rejected claims governor Glenn Stevens has not told the truth about his knowledge of allegations of corruption against the bank.

The central bank has also admitted a visit to Iraq by staff of one of its note-printing subsidiaries - the subject of the corruption allegations - was "ill-advised".

But the RBA says the company's effort to sell plastic banknotes to Iraq, in violation of United Nations sanctions, was suspended and no notes were ever provided.

Mr Stevens has previously told a House of Representatives' economics committee the RBA board didn't learn of allegations of corruption involving Note Printing Australia (NPA) until they were made public in 2009.

Brian Hood, a former NPA executive, has told the ABC and Fairfax that Mr Stevens' testimony "wasn't the truth", and the RBA knew of the allegations in 2007.

"The governor has always answered questions in parliamentary proceedings fully and truthfully," the RBA said in a statement on Monday.

"There have been lengthy hearings on these matters at which the relevant committees have been able to thoroughly examine the issues."

The RBA also said on Monday the reports of NPA staff visiting Iraq have been public knowledge for four years.

"The visit in 1998 was, in the opinion of the bank, ill-advised," the RBA said.

The project was suspended after the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade raised concerns with NPA, it said.

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Qld draws line in the sand for bikies

Queensland plans to ban bikies who break the law from gathering in groups and wearing colours. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND'S government has "drawn a line in the sand" for Gold Coast bikies, but it could get washed away like the glitter strip's beaches.

Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie wants to ban bikies who break the law from gathering in groups, wearing colours and working in or owning tattoo parlours.

He also wants to confiscate their motorbikes and vehicles.

"We have drawn a line in the sand and said enough is enough," Mr Bleijie told reporters on Monday.

The government has cracked down after two bikie brawls in the popular tourist area on Friday night.

An extra 50 officers will be on the Gold Coast every day for the next month and Police Minister Jack Dempsey will also push the federal government to enact tougher unexplained wealth and firearms laws.

"These criminals, they don't have boundaries and we can't just set up a temporary fence around Queensland," Mr Dempsey said.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney was expecting legal challenges to the proposed laws, but said the government was ready for them.

He said the proposed laws would be put to parliament in two weeks.

When asked if the laws would intimidate bikie gangs, Mr Seeney said: "Yes, yes I do. We will pursue them."

But Bond University bikie gang expert Dr Terry Goldsworthy poured cold water on the government's "line in the sand" saying tougher laws would not deter hardcore bikie criminals.

"The more you make these people notorious, the more attraction (there is) to the outlaw psyche," he said.

"You can say to them we're going to ban your colours and we're going to bring in more draconian laws, it'll just add to their mystique."

Dr Goldsworthy added that the only way to fight bikies was by beefing up Gold Coast police numbers for an extended period of time.

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Stuntwoman gives cruising a new edge

P&O have used a stuntwoman to draw attention to its new adventure program on its cruise ships. Source: AAP

CRUISING has traditionally been viewed as a fairly sedate holiday option but on Monday P&O launched a bid to change that image - with the help of a stuntwoman.

Janene Carleton, who has performed stunts for the likes of Angelina Jolie and Jessica Biel, sped upside-down on a zip line across the Pacific Jewel's Level 14 deck as the ship stood at Sydney's White Bay terminal.

Carleton not only hooked herself to the zip line, she also posed for a Titanic moment, arms spread out at the bow of the ship, in imitation of the famous scene in James Cameron's 1997 film.

It was all to publicise the cruise company's new P&O Edge program, which gives thrill-seeking passengers on the Pacific Jewel the chance to climb, swing, race and jump.

The ship offers 20 activities including a funnel climb, flying-fox lines, high rope swings, laser tag, slack lines and Segway obstacle courses.

"We're proud to offer passengers the most comprehensive range of onboard adventure activities ever seen in the cruising world," said Ann Sherry, head of P&O Cruises.

"Whilst other cruise lines offer passengers a limited selection of activities, P&O Edge is the first to roll out a fully integrated program - something we're confident our passengers will love."

The program of activities caters for all ages, said John Sharpe of Pacific Adventures, who devised the P&O Edge program to incorporate many of the ship's existing features.

At the moment the program is available on Pacific Jewel cruises but P&O has plans to roll it out in 2014 across its fleets.

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