Missing three-year-old found alive

Chloe Campbell's mother says she's overjoyed after the three-year-oldturned up out of the blue in Childers overnight

CHLOE Campbell's mother has expressed joy at hugging her daughter for the first time this morning after the three-year-old was found alive and well overnight.

The Courier-Mail reported the Childers toddler was found by police when she "appeared" at the showgrounds, opposite the family home, just after midnight, calling out "mummy" as she crouched in the dark.

Abduction? ... Chloe was sleeping near an open window when she went missing. Source: Supplied

Tammy O'Donnell has visited her girl, who is undergoing checks at the Bundaberg Base Hospital and afterward addressed the media, saying she was "overjoyed".

"(I'm) over the world; there is no other word to really describe how I'm feeling, just overjoyed," said Ms O'Donnell as she grinned from ear to ear.

"Thank you to everyone, and everyone that called in to help bring Chloe home safe and happy."

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FULL COVERAGE OF CHLOE'S 'MIRACULOUS' RETURN
Father believes Chloe taken by someone who knows the family
Rubbish tip scoured for missing child
Heartbroken mum makes tearful plea

Missing three-year-old found alive

Ms O'Donnell said she raced from Childers to Bundaberg hospital as soon as she heard the news and then ran into her daughter's room to cuddle and hold her for the first time since Wednesday night.

"I was just in tears... I ran in the room basically. I didn't care if she woke up or not and then I just laid on the bed with her and gave her cuddles for a while and then we just came home to let everyone know," said the mum of four.

Search is over ... SES and police gather at the local showgrounds, where Chloe was reportedly found. Source: News Corp Australia

She said Chloe was aware of Tammy's presence in the hospital but too tired to remain awake.

"She opened her eyes a little bit and (said) 'mummy want to go home now' and passed out," said Ms O'Donnell.

READ THE FULL STORY FROM THE COURIER-MAIL

Rick O'Donnell cuddles daughter Tammy, mother of Chloe Campbell, 3, who was found near the Childers show ground overnight. Picture: Paul Beutel

"She's physically fine but really tired at the moment."

Chloe's older sisters Brittney, 6, and Janae, 7, were also ecstatic at the news.

"My eldest one broke into tears, burst into tears and the littlest one has the biggest smile on her face in the world," Ms O'Donnell said.

"They're both laying in bed awake just really happy knowing their sister's okay."

Ms O'Donnell said her daughter's return was an Easter gift that was much better than chocolate.

Distraught ... Chloe's mother, Tammy O'Donnell, phoned police when the three-year-old went missing on Thursday. Source: Supplied

Chloe Campbell: found safe this morning.

At around 2am, The Courier-Mail reported that Chloe Campbell, who was abducted from her Childers home on Thursday had been found alive.

Police confirmed the three-year-old "wandered home" near the Childers Showground about 1am and was taken to Bundaberg Base Hospital for a check-up.

Inspector Kev Guteridge this morning confirmed Chloe simply "appeared" at the showgrounds opposite the family home - where police have established their base - shortly after midnight.

"It's really amazing news. Shortly after midnight Chloe was located at the Childers showgrounds by police that were in attendance," he said.

"Chloe was examined by ambulance before being taken to the Bundaberg Base Hospital where she's been reunited with her mother.

"I'm very very happy to report Chloe is safe and well and in very good health."

The mother of Chloe Campbell, Tammy O 'Donnell, rushed to her daughter's side at the Bundaberg Base Hospital.

Inspector Guteridge said the dog squad immediately undertook a search of the area - which is ongoing - as friends suspected she was dropped there by her abductor.

He could not confirm if she was wearing the same clothes or carrying her favourite blue plush puppy or blanket.

Police State Crime Command officers are with Chloe and her parents Tammy O'Donnell and Garth Campbell at the hospital and will be hoping to interview the girl today.

"Obviously how she came to be at the showgrounds will be part of the investigation," Insp Guteridge said.

"The last couple of days our focus has been locating her and locating her safe and well.

"Now we will transition to the investigation phase and focus more on that, as to the circumstance of her disappearance."

Garth Campbell, father of Chloe Campbell, speaks to media at the Bundaberg Base Hospital shortly after his daughter was found by police. Photo Paul Beutel

"We're sincerely hoping to speak to Chloe and anyone that might have any information that can help us.

"As you can appreciate at the moment our whole focus is Chloe's well being.

"While we are happy to get her back we also have to make sure she's okay before we progress too much with her."

Inspector Guteridge said police were interested in any information that may assist in the investigation following rumours that the person or persons of interest may be close to the family.

"We are searching for any information. People out there will know things and we are encouraging them to come forward.

"There's a lot of rumour at the moment and certainly anyone that may have (information) should bring that to us so we can examine that thoroughly."

Chloe Campbell's mum Tammy O' Donnell and grandmother Heather Robertson before Chloe was found.

'Taken by a friend' ... Chloe's father Garth Campbell first suspected she had been taken by someone who knows the family. Source: Supplied

While he had not spoken to the mother Tammy, he said she would be thrilled.

"We obviously saw her yesterday she had been traumatised by this experience so to have her reunited with her baby is really a remarkable thing," he said.

Earlier, Chloe's mother Tammy O'Donnell drove to Bundaberg to see her daughter.

A close family friend Melissa Small this morning said Tammy and the family were overjoyed at the news.

"We had the call from the detectives and they said 'We've got Chloe and we're taking her to the Bundaberg Hospital, meet us there," said Ms Small.

Chloe Campbell, and parents Garth Campbell and Tammy O'Donnell.

"Within two seconds she was down in the driveway and taking off."

"We're just so happy. Thank you to everyone, the police, the SES the volunteers, absolutely everyone.

"This is such great news."

Ms Small said privately friends and family had been starting to fear the worst but Tammy had refused to give up hope.

"We didn't say anything but we were talking amongst ourselves and considering the worst possibilities because time was getting by."

Chloe's parents Tammy O'Donnell and Garth Campbell returned to the house they are staying at at 4.20am without their daughter, who will remain in hospital for a few more hours.

Chloe was discovered missing in her Childers home about 7am Thursday.

Earlier, The Courier-Mail reported that security footage has emerged of two men and a young child walking about 200m from where Chloe Campbell disappeared in Childers.

A residential security camera captured the vision very early on Thursday, the morning the three-year-old is believed to have been abducted from her house.

As fears for Chloe's safety intensified yesterday, her inconsolable mother Tammy O'Donnell described her anguish at not properly locking the lounge room sliding window the night before.

The glass window was found open and Chloe missing about 7am on Thursday after she and two siblings fell asleep on a lounge room mattress.

Father believes Chloe taken by someone who knows the family

Rubbish tip scoured for missing child

Heartbroken mum makes tearful plea

Ms O'Donnell said she usually checked that all windows of the medium set house were clicked shut before retiring to bed.

"I shut the house up that night but I don't think, when I've closed it, I don't think it's clicked," Ms O'Donnell said.

"I think I just shut it and I usually check it before bed and I don't know why I didn't that night.

"I just think if I had have checked, she'd still be here."

The extensive search for any sign of the blonde toddler has expanded further around Childers as Ms O'Donnell said she did not believe her daughter was in the town but "further out".

Police will sift through the local tip where the family's and town's waste was dumped after collection on the morning of the little girl's disappearance.

Inspector Kev Guteridge said yesterday the team of police, SES and volunteers had not located anything by air or on land.

Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage from town and following leads from the public.

Childers resident Les Fennell handed his own personal security footage to police after they requested he scan it for anything unusual.

Mr Fennell said he uncovered two men and a young child walking south by the railway line behind Pioneer Park, a travellers' resting park on the Bruce Highway.

The location on the northern end of town intersects Ridgway Street where Chloe went missing.

Mr Fennell said the child was walking about 15m ahead of the men as they passed behind a toilet block as dawn approached.

About twenty minutes later the men returned north in the direction they had come but without the child.

"What I saw was the council worker doing his work, and left. Then came two men and a child. It could have been for any reason and anyone's child," he said.

"The sun had just started coming up yesterday morning and it was about the same time the child was missing."

Mr Fennell said the child seemed to know the men as he or she appeared to be leading they way.

"She or he was very small," he said. "The child looked like it knew where it was going and the two men followed."

Mr Fennell said he compared that morning's discovery with footage from the previous four days but did not see the trio on any other day.

The footage, which was wavering between night vision and regular, was not clear enough to determine if the child was a girl or boy, whether it was carrying a toy or the ages of the men.

The discovery comes as Ms O'Donnell is convinced someone knows where Chloe is, pleading for made an emotional plea for them to be "honest enough" to return her.

"I'm hoping she comes home safe, it's all I've got at the moment is hope and hoping someone will be honest enough to bring her home," she sobbed.

"Have the guts to bring her home. They were gutsy enough to take her, now have the decency and the guts to being her home."

Overcome by grief and tears, Ms O'Donnell said she hadn't been able to eat or sleep as she lived out this nightmare.

She said the family usually lived a quiet life, revolving around school and home and did not have enemies.

Ms O'Donnell affirmed her husband's belief that whoever took the child was known to Chloe, and she was unlikely to have wandered.

"They carried her out while she's been asleep, she's obviously known them to not scream or yell out," she said.

"I'd just like to say if anyone out there had any info please come forward and can you please just please bring her home ... or just drop her somewhere and ring up ... she needs to be home with her family."

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Ita to remain at category one strength

The weather bureau has warned Cyclone Ita is unlikely to drop below cyclone strength. Source: AAP

CYCLONE Ita is unlikely to drop below cyclone strength despite making landfall 19 hours ago, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.

A cyclone warning issued at 5pm (AEST) shows Ita will remain at category one strength and will head out into the Coral Sea near Innisfail in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The bureau predicts Ita will remain at category one strength at least until 5pm (AEST) on Monday on a south-easterly track that runs roughly parallel with the Queensland coast.

Ita roared ashore about 9pm on Friday as a severe category four cyclone, forcing hundreds of people at Cooktown and nearby Hope Vale to take refuge in cyclone shelters.

At 5pm on Saturday, Ita was estimated to be 20km south-southwest of Port Douglas and 45 kilometres west-northwest of Cairns, moving south southeast at 11km/h.

It is likely to move southeast close to or just off the coast for the next 24 hours, with damaging winds with gusts to 120km/h likely between Port Douglas and Cairns for the remainder of Saturday.

A storm tide is expected between Cape Tribulation and Cairns.

Large waves may produce minor flooding along the foreshore.

Heavy rainfall that may cause flash flooding is falling in the coast and ranges between Port Douglas and Ayr, and should extend south to about Yeppoon during Sunday. Isolated 24-hour totals of more than 300mm are likely.

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared a catastrophe in parts of north Queensland affected by Ita.

ICA chief executive officer Rob Whelan said the ICA has established a recovery taskforce and initiated a disaster hotline to help policyholders unsure of their insurer with general inquiries about claims.

"This is an emerging natural disaster situation and the full extent of the damage may take many weeks to determine. However, the general insurance industry has already geared up to ensure it responds swiftly and appropriately," he said.

The ICA hotline is 1800 734 621.

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Bus-car collision in Myanmar kills 12

A PASSENGER bus has collided with a car and burst into flames along a Myanmar highway, killing 12 passengers and injuring five others.

The Information Ministry says the bus overtook the car Saturday and hit and dragged the vehicle, causing the fuel tank to explode. Six car occupants and six bus passengers died.

The collision happened on the highway linking Yangon, the largest city, with Mandalay, 715 kilometres to the north.

The highway is notorious for many accidents resulting in high number of deaths and injuries. Most are caused by speeding and defective road.

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Two cops injured, man missing in Vic blast

TWO police have been injured, one critically, and a man is feared dead after a six-hour siege ended in an explosion in western Victoria.

The blast occurred at a Derrinallum property early on Saturday after police spent several hours negotiating with a man wanted over a violent incident.

The blast, thought to have been caused by an explosive device, levelled the man's house and several outbuildings and was felt for several kilometres.

Police said two officers arrived at the property investigating a violent incident that had occurred earlier in the week.

They said the man became irrational and threatened self-harm.

Trained negotiators were called in but it's believed the man set off the device, injuring the two officers, who are from an un-named specialist unit.

One was flown to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne, where he is in a critical but stable condition with head injuries.

His colleague suffered cuts and bruises in the blast and is in a stable condition at Geelong Hospital.

"It was just a an enormous bang. It was just unbelievable. It shook the house," one resident said.

The man is missing and is thought to be dead but his fate will be unclear until the police bomb response unit declare the large property is free of explosive devices.

Superintendent Don Downes said homicide detectives and the professional standards command are investigating.

"We were all there to make an arrest and to try to resolve the matter peacefully. That was our aim," he said.

The nearby Hamilton Highway will remain closed until Monday at least.

* 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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Rebels kill 12 in anti-election campaign

POLICE say Indian Maoist rebels killed 12 people in two separate attacks in the central state of Chhattisgarh as they continue a campaign of violence aimed at disrupting a five-week national election.

Police Director General A.N. Upadhyay says a land mine set by the rebels exploded Saturday and killed five election officials and two bus drivers travelling from Kutru to Bijapur before planned balloting there next week. The blast also injured four people.

In another attack, the rebels killed five paramilitary soldiers travelling in the remote Darbha Forest.

The rebels have also asked voters to boycott the polls. They have been fighting since the 1960s for a greater share of natural wealth and more jobs for the poor. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called them India's greatest internal security threat.

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Lorde fills Cobain's shoes

NEW Zealand singer Lorde has fronted Nirvana in New York as the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The 17-year-old belted out All Apologies with the remaining band members on Thursday as they performed Kurt Cobain's music for the first time since his death 20 years ago.

Lorde, who was born two years after Cobain died in 1994, tweeted after the show: "So honoured and happy i got to help celebrate nirvana's rock and roll hall of fame induction tonight. true f****** rock stars, all, forever".

Three other female artists - Joan Jet, Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth and Annie Clark from St Vincent performed with Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear at Brooklyn's Barclays Centre.

Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in its first year of eligibility amid widespread speculation about whether they'd perform instrumental numbers and if not, who would step in for Cobain.

Novoselic, the band's bass player, said fans still came to him every day.

"Nirvana fans walk up to me every day and say thank you for the music," he said.

"When I hear that, I think of Kurt Cobain."

Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, hugged the two surviving band members, with whom she's had bad blood in the past.

"I just wish Kurt was here to do this," she said.

Kiss, thumbing their noses at critics who have dismissed them, them, also entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Cat Stevens, Linda Ronstadt and Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

The original four members of Kiss didn't perform because of a dispute between active original members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley and retired members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. But the original four made peace and saluted each other in heartfelt induction speeches.

The theatrical quartet put on make-up, belched blood, shot fireworks out of Frehley's guitar and sang their classic anthem Rock and Roll All Nite.

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Ministers worried about indigenous privacy

EDUCATION ministers are grappling with the question of how to track indigenous truancy without breaching students' privacy.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced in February he would add school attendance to the "closing the gap" targets aimed at improving the lot of indigenous Australians.

The country's education ministers discussed the matter when they met on Friday.

They want to collect and publish attendance data twice a year.

Ministers acknowledged there should be simple and timely snapshots of attendance to help work towards the target.

NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli told AAP attendance was crucial to help students do well.

But it's understood some ministers are concerned about the privacy of students.

One solution could be to only identify indigenous attendance records when there are more than five in a class.

However, in small jurisdictions with few indigenous students, like the ACT, this could end up meaning no separate data is published.

AAP understands federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne encouraged his colleagues to raise the issue with their premiers and chief ministers for further discussion in the Council of Australian Governments, which set the target.

A final decision is likely to be made on how the data is collected when the ministers meet again in October.

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Downgraded cyclone Ita still destructive

FAR north Queensland is still facing a destructive cyclone and locals have been warned not to be complacent after the storm was downgraded.

Tropical Cyclone Ita is expected to cross the coast near Cooktown, north of Cairns, between 9pm on Friday and midnight.

Queensland's Bureau of Meteorology downgraded Ita from a category five to a category four at 5pm.

Coastal residents between Cape Melville and Cape Tribulation, including Cooktown, are being warned of a dangerous storm tide.

Premier Campbell Newman has warned residents to take care.

"It's still a destructive cyclone which has very strong winds and the communities of Hopevale and Cooktown are staring down quite a destructive cyclonic event," he told reporters in Cairns.

He said those residents should have moved to cyclone shelters or homes on higher ground.

The safest part of a house is the bathroom because of the plumbing and strength of the structure, he added.

"We all can get through this without anyone being injured or killed," he told reporters in Cairns.

"I want people to know you are not alone. We are all being backed up by a very big team."

Mr Newman said a large number of fire crews, ambulances, police and other services were ready to swing into action.

There could be massive storm surges from Cape Tribulation to Cairns, with Cooktown expected to have surges of up to two metres above normal tides during the black of night.

Damaging waves, strong currents and flooding of low-lying areas are expected in the area.

Destructive winds may hit Cairns and Innisfail and as far inland as Chillagoe on Saturday.

The powerful storm will rip off roof tops, destroy homes and level forests, James Cook University Geoscience Professor Jonathan Nott, who is in Cooktown to study Ita, told AAP.

"It will be absolute mayhem," he said.

"If this tracking doesn't change in the next six hours then I think it will be an absolute calamity.

"There'll be a lot of building damage, a lot of trees and tin lying across roads, power lines down ... and if this cyclone maintains its strength we will see the forests stripped."

Prof Nott said weather conditions, including sea surface temperatures, have been a perfect environment for it to form.

He said Ita is small but as intense as Yasi, which tore through Queensland in 2011.

About 800 people - more than half the town's population - in Hope Vale, 50km northwest of Cooktown, have sought refuge in the local cyclone shelter.

Hope Vale Mayor Greg McLean says residents are well prepared and in good spirits.

"Now we just have to sit tight - there's nothing more we can do," he told AAP on Friday night.

Mr McLean, who himself has sought refuge at a friend's house, says gusts up to 85km/h can be felt in the town as well as heavy rain.

"We'll hope for the best and (Saturday) we go into recovery mode," he said.

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Dutch prisons hit by prisoner shortage

THE Dutch government is facing an unusual crisis: prison undercrowding.

There are now more guards and other prison staff than prisoners in the Netherlands for the first time, according to data released by the Justice Ministry on Friday.

Crime rates have fallen slightly in recent years, but aren't notably lower in the Netherlands than in neighbouring countries, and many Dutch people think sentences for violent offenders are too light.

In 2008, there were more than 15,000 inmates. As of March of this year, there were just 9710 remaining, compared with 9914 guards.

In the US, that figure is more like one staff member per five prisoners.

Justice Ministry spokesman Jochgem van Opstal says "we're studying what the reason for the decline is". The ministry is already carrying out prison closures.

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Roll confusion for Labor's Blain candidate

ON the Northern Territory electoral roll, Labor's candidate for the Blain by-election is listed as living at a property in the electorate, but his purchase of the property was only finalised this week.

Police officer Geoff Bahnert lives at a Bellamack address in Palmerston, within the Blain electorate, according to the NT electoral roll, but real estate agents told AAP the sale was only finalised on Wednesday.

Enrolments for Saturday's election closed on March 26, and under the Commonwealth Electoral Act, a person can only be enrolled to vote in a division if they have "a real place of living in the division".

In order to enrol to vote, voters must have lived at their address for at least one month.

For Mr Bahnert to be eligible to vote in Blain, he would have had to have lived at the Bellamack address since February 27 at the latest.

But the property was listed for sale in the Saturday editions of the NT News on March 1, 8, and 15, and listed as being under contract on March 22, before the sale was settled on April 9.

"I think you'll find (the by-election) caught everyone by surprise so I moved into the electorate from the time that the polls were called, so we're ready to go, we've moved in," Mr Bahnert told the Nine Network on Friday.

The April 12 election date was announced on March 8, which was still too late for Mr Bahnert to enrol as a Blain resident, according to the Act's one-month residence stipulation.

A Labor Party spokesman would not respond when asked by AAP where in Blain Mr Bahnert had been living, or for how long.

AAP was not permitted to speak directly with Mr Bahnert; however, the spokesman said any allegation that Mr Bahnert had acted improperly was wrong, and said the ALP had consulted a barrister.

"He lives in the electorate and he is entitled to vote there," he said.

The maximum penalty for making a false claim for enrolment is 12 months imprisonment.

Neither of Mr Bahnert's two key rivals in Saturday's by-election - the Country Liberals' Nathan Barrett and independent Matthew Cranitch - are enrolled to vote in Blain.

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MPs of both stripes lobbied over AWH

Former NSW premier Nathan Rees (pic) says Eddie Obeid lobbied him about AWH, an inquiry has heard. Source: AAP

CROOKED ex-MP Eddie Obeid lobbied former NSW premier Nathan Rees about Australian Water Holdings (AWH) on the steps of parliament, the corruption watchdog has heard.

But Mr Rees said his Labor colleague never disclosed any family connection with the controversial company.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is investigating allegations AWH corruptly billed Sydney Water for luxury hotels and limousine rides.

Three former NSW ministers from both sides of politics appeared before the commission on Tuesday to tell how they were lobbied by Mr Obeid, AWH chief Nick Di Girolamo or others connected to AWH.

Mr Rees told the inquiry Mr Obeid approached him during his stretch as NSW water minister between 2007 and 2008.

"I think it happened on the steps of the parliament but I couldn't be certain, and it was along the lines of, 'Nick Di Girolamo has an issue with Sydney Water, can you speak to him or meet with him?'," he said.

Mr Rees said Mr Obeid never mentioned any family connection with AWH.

It has been alleged the Obeids owned a stake in the company and stood to make tens of millions if a proposed government deal got up.

The former premier said he could not remember calling the men behind AWH "a bunch of crooks", as sensationally claimed by former Sydney Water managing director Kerry Schott.

"Not that I recall, but Kerry Schott's memory's probably better than mine," Mr Rees told reporters.

The man who replaced Mr Rees as water minister, Phil Costa, has testified that less than a month after he took the job, Mr Obeid asked him to meet Mr Di Girolamo.

He told the inquiry Mr Obeid spoke to him about AWH and Sydney Water multiple times.

But the encounter that sticks in his mind is a conversation in a parliamentary lift, when Mr Obeid asked him to get rid of Dr Schott.

"For some reason he asked me to 'sack the bitch'," Mr Costa told the inquiry.

"I was a little gobsmacked by it."

But Mr Costa said he had no intention of demoting Dr Schott.

"We were warriors in arms," Mr Costa said.

"She was doing what needed to be done."

The inquiry has previously heard that Dr Schott insisted AWH justify its "ballooning" billings and raised questions about an allegedly doctored cabinet minute that recommended the government enter talks with AWH about a lucrative public-private partnership.

Former Liberal frontbencher Greg Pearce was also in the ICAC witness box on Tuesday, testifying that Liberal Senator Arthur Sinodinos and fundraiser Michael Photios both lobbied him about AWH.

But the final straw came when Mr Di Girolamo went over his head to arrange a meeting with Premier Barry O'Farrell on a day Mr Pearce was trying to get a major bill passed in parliament.

"I was being lobbied on this issue and I didn't appreciate it," he said.

The inquiry continues.

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Man charged with Collombet murder, rape

A MAN has been charged with the murder and rape of French student Sophie Louise Collombet.

The 21-year-old Griffith University business student was on her way home after a night class when she was attacked in south Brisbane on March 27.

Her naked and battered body was found the following day by an early morning jogger at Kurilpa Park, at the edge of Brisbane's busy South Bank precinct.

Benjamin James Milward, an itinerant, was arrested in Coffs Harbour in northern NSW on Monday and extradited to Queensland on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old was charged with murder, rape, deprivation of liberty and robbery and is due to appear at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Milward's mother, Diane, on Tuesday visited the rotunda where Ms Collombet's body was found to pay respects and lay flowers.

"I am heartbroken," she told News Corp Australia.

"We are all so sorry and sad and it shouldn't happen to anybody - and a beautiful girl like Sophie; she's just gorgeous, it's just wrong."

Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart had earlier called Ms Collombet's father Guy Collombet to inform him of Milward's arrest.

"I spent some time on the phone with him. He was very dignified and grateful for the information," he told reporters.

A vigil in honour of Ms Collombet will be held in Brisbane's city centre on Thursday night to mark the two-week anniversary of her death.

Griffith University's Women's Association is helping organise the event.

"It was something important to organise to stand together to mourn her life and stand up against violence against women," spokeswoman Stephanie Kameric told AAP.

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Evacuation at Sydney food factory

Workers have been evacuated from a factory in Sydney after a grain silo threatened to explode. Source: AAP

WORKERS have been evacuated from a food processing plant on Sydney's lower north shore after a grain silo threatened to explode.

Emergency services rushed to the factory in Lane Cove on Tuesday night amid reports the temperature inside the silo had risen beyond safe levels.

Staff were evacuated and firefighters pumped carbon dioxide into the silo to try and lower the temperature.

"If the temperature increases over the next few hours we could have some problems," said Fire and Rescue NSW Inspector Ian Krimmer.

"If the temperature remains static or decreases we'll be a lot happier."

Emergency services are expected to remain at the site for most of the evening.

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Invest in Australia, PM to tell China

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has outlined the benefits of what he says is a historic deal with Japan. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott hopes to spur free trade talks with China this week by assuring investors they're welcome to do business in Australia.

Mr Abbott will depart for China on Wednesday, where he's expected to address the Boao Forum in Hainan before taking his trade message to Shanghai and Beijing.

The prime minister formalised Australia's free trade agreement with South Korea on Tuesday, a day after concluding long-running talks with Japan on a similar deal.

He's hoping to carry that momentum into the final leg of his North Asia trip, and will challenge any perception that Australia can be a risky place to do business.

"What I'll be wanting to reassure the Chinese government is that we are genuinely open for business," he told reporters in Seoul on Tuesday.

Under the FTAs signed with Korea and Japan, investors had to accept that any proposed farm buyouts over $15 million would be automatically scrutinised.

China reportedly doesn't like this clause, but Mr Abbott said many significant Chinese bids had been approved by the federal government.

He ambitiously promised at the election to secure free trade deals with the economic powerhouses of North Asia - Japan, South Korea and China - within a year.

With Japan and Korea out of the way, trade negotiators could now redouble their efforts on China.

But the prime minister said he wanted a good deal with China and wouldn't be drawn on when he expected talks to wrap up.

"Two out of three of these deals within seven months is pretty good progress," he said.

"We will do a deal with China if and when it is clearly in both our countries best interests to do so."

Mr Abbott will wrap up his visit to Seoul with a state dinner hosted by President Park Geun-hye.

The two leaders agreed in bilateral talks on Tuesday to deepen defence ties, and could consider developing links between Australian and Korean military technology companies.

North Korea, not surprisingly, was discussed at depth. Mr Abbott said Pyongyang was a threat to regional security and should be treated as a "rogue and outlaw state".

At the dinner, Mr Abbott will unveil a photo of President Park as a young girl with her father, a former Korean leader, and her mother planting a tree at Canberra's Korean embassy on her first overseas holiday.

The image is a moving tribute to her family legacy and the bilateral relationship, as both of President Park's parents were separately assassinated in political attacks.

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Post-mortem in unexplained Geldof death

Bob Geldof says his family is "beyond pain" at the death of his daughter Peaches at the age of 25. Source: AAP

BRITISH police say they are investigating the unexplained death of media personality Peaches Geldof and will hand their findings to a coroner.

A post-mortem will be performed in the next few days on 25-year-old Geldof, who was pronounced dead by paramedics at her home in Wrotham, southeast of London, on Monday.

Kent Police said on Tuesday officers were investigating the "unexplained sudden death", but did not consider it suspicious.

Peaches Geldof was the daughter of Irish musician and Band Aid founder Bob Geldof and TV presenter Paula Yates, who died of a drug overdose in 2000. She grew up in the glare of Britain's press, which revelled in the late-night antics of her teenage years.

More recently, she married for a second time, to musician Tom Cohen, had two children and worked as a broadcaster and writer. She said her drug-taking years were behind her.

Bob Geldof said the family was "beyond pain".

"What a beautiful child. How is this possible that we will not see her again? How is that bearable? We loved her and will cherish her forever," he wrote in a statement.

Cohen said: "My beloved wife Peaches was adored by myself and her two sons Astala and Phaedra and I shall bring them up with their mother in their hearts every day. We shall love her for ever."

Peaches Geldof was just 11 years old when her mother Paula Yates, died from an accidental heroin overdose aged 41.

Yates divorced Bob Geldof in 1996 after forming a relationship with INXS frontman Michael Hutchence.

Hutchence was found dead in a hotel room in Sydney, Australia, in 1997, and Yates went on to lose custody of the three daughters she had with Geldof - Peaches, Pixie and Fifi - the following year.

Bob Geldof later adopted Yates and Hutchence's daughter, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily.

Geldof's death came as a shock to Britain's entertainment and fashion circles. She was a frequent attendee at fashion shows in London and New York, and was photographed just last week at a London show for the Tesco brand F&F.

Geldof was a prolific tweeter and the final message she sent on Sunday was a picture of her as a child with her mother, with the message "Me and my mum".

A host of celebrities including Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby, Ellie Goulding, Lorde, Simon Cowell and Lily Allen paid tribute.

Model Daisy Lowe posted a picture of a broken heart on Twitter.

Geldof's death was the lead story in many British newspapers on Tuesday, with several using the last photo she posted on Twitter - of her as a toddler with her mother.

Commentators noted the tragic parallels to the life and death of Yates. In The Guardian, columnist Hadley Freeman said "the shock of Geldof's death comes from the loss of a young woman - still only 25 - who many of us had followed since her birth, who seemed so close to finding the stability that had eluded her mother."

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Milk keeps osteoarthritis at bay for women

A GLASS of milk a day can keep osteoarthritis (OA) at bay, at least for women with the disease affecting their knees, research has shown.

Increasing consumption of fat-free or low-fat milk was found to slow progression of the degenerative condition, which wears away the joints.

Women who drank more than seven 230ml glasses a week had significantly less space between their joints than those who drank none after four years.

Those who drank no milk had an average width space of 0.38 millimetres, compared with 0.26mm for high consumers.

Even drinking up to three glasses a week led to a shrinking of the joint gap to 0.29mm.

However, no association was seen between milk consumption and reduced joint space width in men.

The trend was maintained even after adjusting for disease severity, body mass index (BMI), and diet.

"Milk consumption plays an important role in bone health," said lead scientist Dr Bing Lu, from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, US.

"Our study is the largest study to investigate the impact of dairy intake in the progression of knee OA.

"Our findings indicate that women who frequently drink milk may reduce the progression of OA. Further study of milk intake and delay in OA progression are needed."

Findings from the research are reported in the latest edition of the journal Arthritis Care & Research.

A total of 2148 men and women with knee OA were recruited for the Osteoarthritis Initiative study.

Dietary data was collected and joint space width measured by X-ray to assess OA progression.

In an editorial published in the journal, US experts Dr Shivani Sahni and Robert McLean, from the Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Ageing Research, which is affiliated with Harvard University, wrote: "With the ageing population and increase in life expectancy, there is an urgent need for effective methods to manage OA.

"The study by Lu et al provides the first evidence that increasing fat-free or low-fat milk consumption may slow the progression of OA among women who are particularly burdened by OA of the knee, which can lead to functional disability."

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Nats may help Libs secure 3rd Senate seat

Labor Senate leader Penny Wong says the party's results off the WA senate re-run was disappointing. Source: AAP

THE Liberal party is likely to win a third seat in the re-run West Australian Senate election, a political analyst predicts, based on key preferences.

While counting continues, Greens candidate Scott Ludlam has undoubtedly retained his seat, the top two Liberal candidates appear home and hosed, Labor has secured one seat and Palmer United Party is looking comfortable with one seat.

But in the battle between Liberal and Labor for the sixth seat, the latter could lose out, says David Black, history and politics professor at Curtin University.

"I assume the Greens preferences will find their way fairly soon to Labor, but they may not have that many preferences because they may have to use up most of their vote in order to get their quota," Professor Black told AAP on Monday.

"I would have thought on the figures I've seen so far, that unless Labor pick up some significant chunks from other places, then the Liberals will probably win the final sixth seat because the Liberals will get the National Party preferences for a start.

"The Nationals have got enough to make a bit of a difference."

Professor Black said there would be severe recriminations within the Labor party over ordering of candidates on its Senate ticket.

If the order had been reversed - with Louise Pratt ahead of union stalwart Joe Bullock - it would have had a much better chance of winning a second seat, he said.

The Liberals had strong candidates and if the party didn't win the sixth seat, it would only be because of competition from the Palmer United Party, Professor Black said.

Member for Perth and former Labor state minister Alannah MacTiernan said the re-run poll had been a salutary experience for both major parties.

But there was no papering over the fact it was not going well for Labor, she said.

Ms MacTiernan said she was not the only one in the party who had been arguing for reform for many years, "particularly concentrations of power blocs, a small number of people who wield a great deal of power and that's not healthy in any system".

"We've got to open this up so that we are attractive to a broad range of people, and can go out there and build a constituency," she told ABC radio.

"We've got to reflect the community, we've got to show leadership.

"We've got to have candidates who can win votes for us."

Defence Minister David Johnston, who was first on the Liberal ticket, said it was a shame Labor's Mark Bishop was retiring as he was "their best performer".

Senator Johnston also noted - as many had - the absence of Mr Bullock and Ms Pratt from Labor's how to vote cards.

"It's just bizarre what goes on inside the Labor party," he told ABC radio.

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Terrorist Bashir 'wants to disrupt polls'

Radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has encouraged supporters to disrupt the Indonesian elections. Source: AAP

EDS: Updates with DFAT advice

JAKARTA, April 7 AAP - Indonesian police are on alert after suspected Bali bombing mastermind Abu Bakar Bashir encouraged supporters to disrupt this week's Indonesian legislative elections.

The convicted terrorist has asked supporters not to be "unproductive" and to disrupt Wednesday's nationwide ballot.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Adi Deriyan Jayamarta told Indonesia's Kompas news website police have been warned by Indonesia's anti-terror forces that a terrorist network could be planning an attack.

The police chief, based in Malang, East Java, has ordered officers to stay in communication with religious leaders and approach any suspicious object with care, especially near polling stations.

"There's expert personnel who will handle it," he said on Monday.

"Don't think that you have some kind of 'blast-free magic' and handle it yourself."

According to Lt Col Adi, Detachment 88, Indonesia's counter-terror squad, had information from a terror suspect involved with a network "that has done military training for firearm and bomb usage".

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade updated its travel advice for Indonesia last week, noting the elections.

"Australians are advised to avoid all protests, demonstrations and political rallies, as they can turn violent with little notice," a spokesman said.

"The department keeps the travel advice for Indonesia under close review and updates it as required."

Bashir, the founder of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), is serving 15 years in Nusa Kambangan, a high-security jail off the coast of central Java dubbed the Alcatraz of Indonesia.

He was acquitted over the 2002 Bali bombings, but was jailed over his role in setting up a terror cell in Aceh.

Indonesia's counter-terrorism agency chief in 2012 told AAP Bashir was still giving orders from behind bars, albeit to a group with a different name, but the same radical ideology as JI.

The bombing of two Kuta nightclubs in 2002 killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

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Abbott breaks new ground in Japan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Whistleblower got it wrong: Salvo boss

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

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

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

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

Additional allegations were made against him in 2013.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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