Media slammed over Bulgaria murder case

A LONG-SERVING former public prosecutor says the story of a young Sydney man jailed for murder in eastern Europe shows the havoc Australian media can wreak on tourists who get into legal trouble abroad.

Nicholas Cowdery on Sunday told a packed bookshop that the case of Jock Palfreeman, found guilty in December 2009 of the murder of Bulgarian Andrei Monov, raised "very serious concerns" about that country's criminal justice system.

Mr Cowdery, who was NSW Director of Public Prosecutions from 1994 to 2011, was launching a book by ABC journalist Belinda Hawkins about the young man and his father's attempts to secure justice for him.

The 25-year-old claims he pulled a knife in self-defence after going to the aid of a Roma boy who was being attacked by Mr Monov and others.

Hawkins' book, Every Parent's Nightmare, contends vital CCTV evidence was kept out of court and crucial witnesses never called.

"In systems like Bulgaria's, everything seems to happen piecemeal and over a long period of time," Mr Cowdery said.

"You wonder what kind of picture can possibly build in the mind of the judge, who is the decider of the facts in their system as well as the law."

He lashed out at journalists, saying a "ham-fisted" report in News Ltd tabloid the Daily Telegraph, which included claims Palfreeman had been involved years earlier in a stabbing in northern Sydney, had been read as fact by the Bulgarian trial judge in the young man's case.

Mr Cowdery said it was a chilling reminder to parents that many countries, including Indonesia, where thousands of young school-leavers flock each year, had different standards from those of Australian courts.

"There's a warning there," he said.

"We have to be careful about how we report matters. We have to be careful about where those reports go.

"We have to understand that not all systems are like ours, and we have to understand that when our kids and grandkids go travelling in foreign countries that are not familiar, there are all sorts of dangers that perhaps unwittingly can be contributed to by them in their own conduct, and it can lead to the appalling consequences that Jock Palfreeman and the Palfreeman family have now experienced."

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Body found after Melbourne siege

A stand-off between police and fugitive rapist Antonio Loguancio has entered its second full day. Source: AAP

A THE body of convicted rapist Antonio Loguancio has been found in a bungalow after a two-day siege in Melbourne came to a fiery end.

Police say the siege escalated about 1pm on Sunday when a number of shots were fired from the bungalow at the rear of a property in Glenroy.

The bungalow caught fire around 2pm and fire fighters found Loguancio's body when they extinguished the blaze.

Loguancio had been holed up in the Justin Avenue property since Friday night but the stand off came to an end after loud bangs heard coming from the property were followed by billowing smoke.

Deputy police commissioner Tim Cartwright said police had attempted to talk Loguancio out of the bungalow throughout the siege.

"His behaviour continued to escalate. At about two o'clock this afternoon the bungalow was seen to be on fire," he said.

"This is a tragedy. Our aim is always to resolve these situations with the minimum of injury and loss of life."

The homicide squad will investigate the death and present its findings to the coroner.

Police had described Loguancio as a significant risk to the community after he breached a supervision order and allegedly assaulted his partner before going into hiding.

He had been released on a supervision order after being jailed for 12 years for multiple counts of rape, assault and other offences.

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Court slashes Samsung's $1b damages bill

A US judge slashed nearly half of the $US1 billion ($A984.40 million) damage award a jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple over the rights to the design and technology running market-leading smartphones and tablet computers.

US District Court Judge Lucy Koh lowered the damages awarded to Apple by $US450.5 million ($A443.47 million) for 14 Samsung products including some products in its hot-selling Galaxy lineup, saying jurors had not properly followed her instruction in calculating some of the damages.

She also concluded that mistakes had been made in determining when Apple had first notified Samsung about the alleged violations of patents for its trend-setting iPhone and IPad.

Koh ordered a new trial to recalculate damages for those products.

"We are pleased that the court decided to strike $US450,514,650 from the jury's award," Samsung spokeswoman Lauren Restuccia said.

"Samsung intends to seek further review as to the remaining award."

Apple declined to comment on the Koh's ruling.

The ruling reduced Samsung Electronics' bill to just under $599 million. The judge said the tab will probably increase after the appeals of both companies are resolved.

Apple is seeking more damages and Samsung a complete dismissal of the case in the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Washington, D.C.-based court that handles all patent appeals.

The new trial to recalculate the damages could also increase the award.

Still, the ruling was the second significant setback in Koh's courtroom since the headline grabbing verdict was announced.

In December, Koh refused to order a sales ban on the products the jury found infringed Apple's patents.

She said Apple failed to prove the technology is what drove consumers to buy a Samsung product instead of an Apple iPhone or iPad.

Samsung says that it is continues to sell only three of the two dozen products found to have infringed Apple's patents.

After a three-week trial closely followed in Silicon Valley, the jury decided that Samsung ripped off Apple's trailblazing technology and sleek designs and ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05b.

Samsung has emerged as one of Apple's biggest rivals and has overtaken it as the leading smartphone maker.

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Abbott and PM descend on western Sydney

TONY Abbott has fired the first shot in this week's war for western Sydney as Julia Gillard gears up for a five-day tour to reconnect with the Labor heartland and salvage support in once-safe seats.

The opposition leader descended on Campbelltown on Saturday, pledging to solve the area's transport woes and tackle crime as new polling highlighted just how hard the prime minister will need to work during her own visit.

The Fairfax Media/ReachTEL poll found the government is on track to lose the seats of Chifley, Blaxland, McMahon and Werriwa to the Liberals at the September 14 election. All four would normally be considered safe.

Such a result would result in frontbenchers Chris Bowen and Jason Clare and backbenchers Laurie Ferguson and Ed Husic being booted from parliament, in addition to Labor MPs in more marginal seats like Lindsay's David Bradbury.

And in particularly worrying news for Ms Gillard, the poll of 2550 voters spread across the four seats finds the collapse in Labor's support is due in large part to negative perceptions of her leadership.

Mr Abbott sought to highlight the local MPs' failings too.

"You've got Chris Bowen, who couldn't stop the boats. You've got Jason Clare, who can't stop the guns. And you've got David Bradbury, who wants to attack people's superannuation," Mr Abbott told reporters at Leumeah train station.

He rejected suggestions his visit to Campbelltown was aimed at stealing the spotlight from Ms Gillard.

"I know Sydney, I'm not a tourist in Sydney and this is my 47th visit since the election to western Sydney," he said.

Mr Abbott will return to the area in the coming days and says he will stop in at the Rooty Hill RSL - next door to where the PM is staying - on Monday at the invitation of a breakfast television program.

While Ms Gillard had no public appearances on Saturday, Trade Minister Craig Emerson sought to downplay the latest poll, suggesting it could not be trusted because it was automated, unlike the better known Newspoll and Nielsen.

"The people who are more likely to respond to those polls are the ones who have got a particular adverse view," Dr Emerson told ABC television on Saturday.

Former Labor leader Mark Latham, who lives in Sydney's west, says the party has lost touch with the area. He says the old working class is steadily vanishing and being replaced by more aspirational voters.

"And unless Labor understands that it too will vanish," he told Sky News.

Labor holds Chifley on a margin of 12.3, Blaxland on 12.2, McMahon on 7.8 per cent and Werriwa on 6.8 per cent. The poll suggests a leadership switch to Kevin Rudd could keep Chifley and Blaxland in Labor's hands.

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Profit season shows signs of hope

THERE are signs of life and glimmers of hope in the market after a reporting season that beat expectations - albeit only slightly - and promised better things to come.

The February reporting season all but wrapped up on Friday with overall results coming in slightly ahead of analysts' expectations and outlooks from ASX-listed companies generating an anticipation that a recovery is on the way.

Deutsche Bank head of research sales Glenn Morgan said key themes to the reporting season were strong runs in yield stocks, stocks with New Zealand exposure, market proxies such as AMP and internet stocks such as REA Group.

"Profit expectations were at least met," Mr Morgan said.

"Outside resources, profits are growing rather nicely now, certainly among banks and industrials.

"They might have got there with cost-cutting and with some help from lower interest rates along the way, but they got there."

Resources stocks lost 0.5 per cent in February, while financial stocks gained 6.5 per cent over the same period.

During 2013 the Australian share market has gained 9.3 per cent, with the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index closing at 5,086.1, down 18 points, or 0.35 per cent on Friday.

Goldman Sachs reported that headline results had beaten analysts' estimates by their highest level in seven years during the reporting season, nominating Wesfarmers, BlueScope Steel, JB Hi-Fi and Commonwealth Bank among those to deliver positive surprises.

JB Hi-Fi's $82 million net profit for the six months to December 31, up three per cent on the prior corresponding period, was one of the surprises of the season, causing a one-day 17 per cent surge in its share price and raised optimism around retail stocks.

Harvey Norman enjoyed two days of share gains on Thursday and Friday despite posting a 37 per cent fall in first half profit, with chairman Gerry Harvey pointing to a lift in January sales.

Financials fared well, led by the Commonwealth Bank reporting a record first-half profit of $3.66 billion.

Resources suffered, with BHP Billiton reporting a 58 per cent fall in first half profit, driven by lower iron ore, coking coal and oil and gas prices, cost increases and a weak US dollar.

However a focus on cost management - and management changes - at BHP Billiton and rival Rio Tinto have gained analysts' approval, with the majors expected to be well placed to capitalise on a lift in commodity prices.

"If there was a disappointment, it was among the second-tier resource stocks," Mr Morgan said, citing their lesser ability to take out costs.

Deutsche Bank equities strategist Tim Baker said that for the first time in three years a majority of companies had upgraded forecasts rather than downgraded them.

While only only a thin majority, the upgrades promised earnings growth, Mr Baker said.

"If you put resources to one side, industrials and banks are already growing profits reasonably well," he said.

Low interest rates also delivered a surprise for the season in the form of higher dividends and lower net interest expenses for companies.

Mr Morgan said the overwhelming sense in the market was that "the leverage hasn't come yet".

The world feels like it's getting a little better, companies have got nice and lean and there will be a lot leverage to the upside when that top line does come," he said.

"And there was enough in the reporting season to give us faith that it still should come."

Mr Morgan noted there was still a broad pattern of investors being underweight in equities.

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Iran pipeline work to begin this month

A CONSORTIUM will start work next week on a much delayed $US7.5 billion ($A7.38 billion) gas pipeline from Pakistan to Iran despite American warnings of possible sanctions.

The date was announced after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari held talks in Tehran with Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who urged Islamabad to press ahead with the project.

"The groundbreaking is going to be performed on March 11 on the Pakistani side of border and we hope that the presidents of the two countries will be present on the occasion," a senior Pakistani official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

He said the ceremony would mark the start of work by an Iranian-Pakistani consortium on the 780-kilometre pipeline earmarked for the Pakistani side of the border, which is said to cost some $US1.5 billion ($A1.48 billion).

A second Pakistani official also confirmed March 11 as the start date.

Although the pipeline on the Iranian side has almost been completed, Pakistan has run into repeated difficulties, both in financing the project and over a US threat of possible sanctions due to Iran's nuclear activities.

Sanctions-hit Iran eventually agreed to finance a third of the costs of laying the pipeline through Pakistani territory to Nawabshah, north of Karachi, with the work to be carried out by an Iranian company.

Pakistani officials said in mid-December that Iran had promised a $US500 million ($A492 million) loan and that Islamabad would meet the rest of the cost.

"The government has assured us that they will arrange this money through different sources including international financial institutions," a Pakistani official told AFP on Friday.

Pakistan suffers from a crushing energy crisis, but the United States says it is providing Islamabad with alternative means to help avoid sanctions.

"It's in their best interests to avoid any sanctionable activity, and we think that we provide and are providing... a better way to meet their energy needs," State Department deputy acting spokesman Patrick Ventrell said this week.

Ventrell said the United States was supporting large-scale energy projects, including one that will add 900 megawatts to the power grid by 2013, which would help supply electricity to an estimated two million Pakistanis.

But Islamabad says it will pursue the gas pipeline project regardless and that it plans to produce 20 per cent of its electricity from Iranian gas.

The country's energy crisis was most recently illustrated by a more than two-hour, nationwide blackout last Sunday.

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Vic elective surgery list heads to 50,000

VICTORIA'S elective surgery waiting list is edging closer to 50,000 people, many of whom are in pain as they wait their turn.

There were 4587 more people on the list at the end of last year than in December 2011, after the first 12 months of the state coalition government.

Peter Smith, 78, of Belgrave, is practically house-bound until he gets into Box Hill Hospital for a hip replacement.

It is more than a year since his GP sent him to a specialist, who has told him his health is suffering due to the lack of exercise.

"I don't get out very much," Mr Smith said.

"How would you be if you were almost house-bound because of what you feel is the inadequacies of the funding for our health service."

Eastern Health told Mr Smith last February he would have to wait longer than anticipated due to a $8.4 million commonwealth funding cut.

Mr Smith is still waiting for his operation.

The waiting list grew by 1332 people in the September quarter, which pre-dated the federal government's $107 million October funding cut.

The cut has now been reversed and state Health Minister David Davis has urged the commonwealth to pay the money now.

"I call on the federal minister to stop delaying, stop dithering - just pay the money as quickly as possible," he said.

Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek said the September quarter waiting list surge was proof the state government's $616 million health cuts had hurt patients.

"Premier (Ted) Baillieu's political gamesmanship saw hundreds of beds close, operating theatre shutdowns and hospital staff sacked," she said.

"And now we have proof he is to blame for what happened."

The figures also showed 665 people waited in Frankston Hospital's emergency department (ED) for longer than 24 hours between July and September last year.

Mr Davis said the large figure was a result of an ED redesign, peak winter demand and a gastroenteritis outbreak that closed beds.

The average wait time for treatment in Victoria's busiest emergency department, The Alfred, was 19 minutes in the December quarter, three minutes longer than at the same time last year.

Patients at the Royal Children's Hospital ED had to wait an average of 42 minutes to get treated, while the longest average waiting time was 65 minutes at the Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital.

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RBS slumps to $8.9bn loss

STATE-RESCUED Royal Bank of Scotland said that net losses almost tripled to STG5.97 billion ($A8.9 billion) in 2012, when it was hit by compensation payouts and a Libor fine.

The vast loss after taxation compared with a shortfall of STG1.99 billion ($A2.98 billion) in 2011, the lender announced in a results statement, adding that 2012 had been a "chastening" year during which it sought to "put right past mistakes".

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NSW cop stands by Aboriginal punch story

THE police officer who accused an Aboriginal man of punching him says his original version of events was true, even though other officers now concede the attack never happened.

Senior Constable David Hill acknowledges that CCTV footage of the incident shows no punch was thrown, but he stands by his original statement and previous court evidence.

At a Police Integrity Commission (PIC) inquiry on Wednesday, Sen Const Hill gave his account of the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Aboriginal man Corey Barker in January 2011 at Ballina, on the NSW north coast.

Five officers, including Sen Const Hill, accused Mr Barker of punching officer Hill in the face as they walked him from a holding cage to a cell at Ballina police station.

The other officers have given evidence to the PIC acknowledging that footage of the scuffle contradicted their written statements that he broke free of their grip, punched officer Hill and tried to punch him again.

"I still remember being hit by him," Sen Const Hill told the inquiry.

Counsel assisting the inquiry Stephen Rushton SC repeatedly accused the officer of giving false evidence in Ballina Local Court in 2011 during Mr Barker's prosecution.

"I suggest to you that evidence is false," he said.

"I disagree," Snr Const Hill replied.

"I suggest at the time you gave that evidence you knew it was false," Mr Rushton said.

"No, it wasn't," the officer replied.

Sen Const Hill could not explain why written statements from him and his fellow officers were nearly identical in regards to the abusive language Mr Barker used just before the alleged incident.

Mr Barker was arrested after attempting to help two friends who were in a violent street confrontation with police in Ballina.

While in custody, he was also charged with punching Sen Const Hill in the face while being walked from a holding cage to a cell at the back of the police station.

All the charges were eventually dropped.

The CCTV footage showed the officers slamming him into a wall, forcing him to the ground before he was kicked in the head and kneed to his side.

He was then handcuffed and dragged along the floor to a cell where he was left in handcuffs for more than 90 minutes.

Sen Const Ryan Eckersley, Sen Const Mark Woolven, Const Luke Mewing and Const Lee Walmsley all made statements in 2011 that Mr Barker punched Sen Const Hill.

Former sergeant Robert McCubben said he saw Mr Barker break free and throw his arms around during the incident.

All of the officers have told the PIC that the CCTV footage does not show any of that behaviour before Mr Barker is slammed into a wall.

The inquiry continues on Thursday.

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O'Farrell revamps public sector

THE NSW public sector is set for a major revamp, with middle management to be reduced by 20 per cent while the remaining executives are shifted onto contracts.

It's the first major overhaul of the sector in almost three decades and NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell admitted the changes would be "challenging".

"(They) will confront some long-held but outdated traditions and practices," he said.

Cabinet has accepted the reforms which include reducing layers of management - there are currently 3884 executive-level positions - and introducing performance incentives.

Announcing the shake-up in question time on Wednesday, the premier said the reforms would also improve accountability.

"These changes are going to reduce middle management by around 20 per cent and those savings, estimated to be up to $65 million, will be redirected into the frontline services," he said.

The government said it was up individual departments to decide if this would mean job cuts.

The reforms come from a report by NSW Public Service Commissioner Graeme Head, who decided "substantial reform" was needed after establishing, for the first time, a single picture of the sector's entire executive.

"A fundamental overhaul is needed in the size, form and operation of the NSW public service executive," Mr Head said in the report.

"Generally managerial performance is far from excellent."

Mr O'Farrell said public servants were currently working within "the organisational equivalent of the betacam era".

"I want a public service that rewards talent and not time," he said.

The public service currently operates two types of executive employment with some executives on five-year contracts and others on awards.

Under the reforms, there will be a single system with award and contract-based executives shifting to ongoing contracts.

There will also be performance provisions, and executives will be appointed to a band, not a position, and a role within the band.

"The new public service executive will provide a single structure and one set of arrangement for all," the report said.

The NSW Police Force, the teaching service and local health districts will have independent arrangements aligned with the new reforms.

A bill is currently being drafted to bring about the changes and the report said most of the new executive structure would be in place within two years.

"These reforms will create a more professional public service, operating along best-practice private and government-sector lines," Mr O'Farrell said.

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No change to gun silencer law: O'Farrell

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has denied hunters will be allowed to use silencers in national parks. Source: AAP

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has denied hunters will be allowed to use silencers on guns when shooting feral animals in the state's national parks.

Fairfax Media reported the proposal, which was leaked in a draft assessment report, would require loosening the state's prohibition on silencers, a ban designed to stop them falling into criminal hands.

But Mr O'Farrell has rubbished the report.

"There will be no change to the regulation of silencers to allow for the operation of pest eradication measures in national parks," the premier said in a statement.

National Parks Association of NSW campaign coordinator Justin McKee has said silencers were a safety risk as they removed people's awareness that hunting was taking place nearby.

From May, 77 national parks and reserves will be open to amateur hunting of feral animals.

The Public Service Association, which represents park rangers, called on Mr O'Farrell to release maps of all proposed "Zone C" unsupervised hunting areas.

"Rangers are anxious to know which parts of their parks will be opened to unaccompanied hunters, as reports emerge that ... rangers will be protected by nothing more than a high-vis vest," PSA General Secretary Anne Gardiner said in a statement.

Rangers had been told most of the total national park land opened to amateur hunters would be Zone C, Ms Gardiner said.

"The community has not received a definitive list of which national parks will include unsupervised hunting and where exactly these unrestricted hunting zones will be located," she said.

Opposition environment spokesman Luke Foley said the fact silencers were considered in the draft risk assessment report proved the hunting program had become a farce.

"There's one simple solution here, Mr O'Farrell can abandon this very bad policy of opening our national parks to amateur hunters," Mr Foley told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

He said the report also confirms Environment Minister Robyn Parker is "not up to the job" of managing the rollout of the program.

Mr Foley repeated opposition calls for Mr O'Farrell to take personal responsibility for the policy and commit to resigning if any person is shot by an amateur hunter in a NSW national park.

An employee at the company operating the balloon said the tourists were from Korea, Japan and Britain, as well as one Egyptian.

"This is terrible, just terrible," an employee told AFP, declining to give her name.

"We don't yet know what happened exactly or what went wrong."

The balloon which was carrying 21 people was flying at 300m over Qurna, in Luxor's West Bank, when it caught fire before exploding, a security official said.

Two survivors, including the balloon's pilot, have been taken to hospital, he said.

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Mixed reactions to summit on Qld's future

THE Queensland opposition says Premier Campbell Newman is too scared to hold his "future" summit in the southeast due to job cuts in the region.

Queenslanders have been invited to tell the state's 89 MPs what they want their state to look in 30 years' time at a meeting in Mackay on May 10.

A second summit will be held in September to review and prioritise feedback.

Mr Newman says those who contribute will help create The Queensland Plan which will influence the future decision making of all levels of government, industry and community groups.

"If we don't know where we want to be as a state, we could end up anywhere," he said.

"This is about Queenslanders taking ownership of our long-term future."

Those who can't make the summits can give feedback online.

The opposition says Mr Newman should have held the summit in the southeast, but couldn't handle the feedback over mass job cuts in the region and the push towards privatisation.

Deputy Labor leader Tim Mulherin says the Bligh government conducted six months of consultation at 13 forums before releasing the Queensland Regionalisation Strategy, the Queensland Infrastructure Plan, and the Bruce Highway Upgrade Strategy.

"If the premier had not fired all the senior public servants with all their corporate knowledge he would be aware that this data is already available to him," he said.

However, The Property Council of Australia welcomed the summit, saying it has long called for a strategy to map out where future generations will live.

Queensland executive director Kathy MacDermott said it should include necessary infrastructure, foster creativity and innovation, and provide measurable goals.

"It must go further than motherhood statements and generic reports," she said.

But Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney says Mr Mulherin - the MP for Mackay - was failing his electorate by shunning the summit and the economic benefits it would bring to his community.

"I doubt any other community leaders within the Mackay region would share the member for Mackay's view that their city should not host this major conference," he said in a statement.

Mr Seeney described The Queensland Plan as "an inclusive, positive process" and said Labor's immediate response to oppose it showed how far out of touch the party was.

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Flash-flooding alert for Brisbane

TORRENTIAL rain is drenching southeast Queensland, with up to 200mm expected to fall in the next 24 hours.

At 5.50pm, Brisbane residents were again warned of the possibility of flash flooding for the rest of today and Tuesday.

A text alert from the Brisbane City Council warned "All of Brisbane at risk".

The weather bureau says widespread falls of 100mm in the southeast are likely with even higher totals forecast in some areas through Tuesday.

In Bundaberg, which is still recovering from devastating floods in the wake of cyclone Oswald, falls of up to 200mm are possible on Tuesday with the rain likely to last until Wednesday.

Flash flooding alerts have been issued for a number of areas including Gladstone, Gympie, Kingaroy, Hervey Bay and Fraser Island. Flooding is also possible on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts as well as Brisbane and Ipswich.

The town of Gympie is expecting a minor flood peak of six metres on Monday night.

Big swells have closed beaches, carving out three metre sand cliffs on Surfers Paradise Beach. Stairs and walkways have also been ripped out of the dunes.

A bus load of students was rescued from flooded roads at Acacia Ridge. Pic: Ch 7

A newborn baby was flown to Gold Coast Hospital after his mother gave birth as flood waters rose rapidly in northern NSW.

The 37-year-old woman gave birth to the boy about 4.40am (AEST) on Monday before emergency crews could reach her property at Palmvale, near the NSW-Queensland border.

SES and swiftwater rescue crews eventually reached her by boat but a rescue chopper from Queensland was called amid fears floodwaters would keep rising.

"They are both doing well and travelled in a stable condition," CareFlight paramedic Clint Peters said in a statement.

The baby boy was named Sabre.

At 3.21pm, it was reported that a total of 22 southeast Queensland dams are spilling, roads are cut and big seas and strong winds are battering the coast.

South-East Queensland is again bracing for flash flooding as another weather system batters the state's coast.

Premier Campbell Newman has also announced that a recovery plan has been put in place to ensure repairs from ex-Cyclone Oswald are made quickly.

"The 2013 Flood Recovery Plan will outline the role of disaster recovery coordinators, ensuring that people who have been devastated by flooding will see real changes in their communities as quickly as possible," Mr Newman said.

"The plan forms five major recovery groups to lead the social, economic and environmental aspects of the recovery, as well as plotting the course for building and roads projects."

Steady rain in Brisbane caused traffic chaos and pockets of minor flooding at Stable Swamp Creek at Marshall Rd, Burpengary Creek at Rowley Rd, Coochin Creek at Old Gympie Rd, South Maroochy River at Yandina and Elliot River at Dr Mays Crossing in Wide Bay.

Brisbane has had 133.2mm of rain so far this February. It's average February rainfall is 158.3mm

At 11.40am it was reported that swift-water rescue crews winched 16 school children to safety after their bus became trapped by floodwaters in Acacia Ridge this morning.

Flooding in Hutcheson St in Albion. Picture: Adam Armstrong

Two crews ferried the Brisbane Christian College children, who ranged from pre-school to Year 10, to safety with inflatable boats about 9.30am.

Emergency services said the children were stranded on Paradise Road for 90 minutes.

"It wasn't a dangerous situation, no one was hurt," said a Queensland Fire Service spokesman.

"One of the kids was happy they missed science."

The bus and five other cars that were also stranded have been towed away.

Emergency services are continuing to warn drivers to avoid flooded roads.

At 11.34am, it was reported that one of the two systems bringing rain over southeast Queensland will start to move east and begin to weaken from tonight, with heavy rain contracting north in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Flooding in Hutcheson St in Albion. Picture: Adam Armstrong

Substantial rain will continue on the Sunshine Coast, stretching north to Bundaberg and St Lawrence in central Queensland.

Heavy falls of up to 200mm over 24 hours are predicted between St Lawrence and Bundaberg today, becoming more widespread tonight and tomorrow.

Weather Bureau forecasters warn localised totals in excess of 200mm are possible, particularly near the coast.

Got a great pic of the weather at your place? Send it to us via MMS to 0428 258 117 or email it to cmonline@qnp.newsltd.com.au

The heaviest rain is currently over the Sunshine Coast and Lockyer Valley southwest of Brisbane, with 24 hour totals of 80mm to 100mm.

Emu Park near Rockhampton also is getting a drenching.

Steady rain in Brisbane this morning caused traffic chaos and isolated pockets of minor flooding, including Albion.

THE state's southeast has been warned the next few days will bring rainfall levels similar to the dumping that caused major damage during ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald a month ago. Burnett Heads lifesaver Erin Gibson, 17, yesterday patrolled a sparsely populated beach where a yacht has been stranded for a month.

The Burnett Highway near Mt Morgan is closed due to 35 land slips, as is Mt Sylvia Rd near Laidley, southwest of Brisbane.

An upper low across central Queensland is expected to move slowly east today and begin weakening from tonight.

A second surface trough lies off the Capricorn coast and is expected to move west in the next 24 hours.

Locations which may be affected include Emu Park, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Gympie, Bundaberg, Kingaroy, Hervey Bay, Fraser Island, the Sunshine Coast and adjacent hinterland areas, Brisbane, Ipswich, the Lockyer Valley, Esk and the Cunningham Range.

 The Bureau of Meteorology predicts the heaviest downpours will be on the southeast Queensland coast and adjacent hinterland.

BOM forecaster Ken Kato said there was "no clear end to this rain event in sight".

"The wet weather will last the whole week, with showers easing later tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday morning," he said.

Six waterspouts formed off the Queensland coast on Sunday amid wild weather warnings. One twisted across the beach and caused damage to the Bundaberg Surf Lifesaving Club building. SEE VIDEO AND MORE PICTURES

"Showers will continue to hang around south of Queensland's central coast to the border."

A severe weather warning is still in place for Gladstone, Gympie, Bundaberg, Kingaroy, Hervey Bay, Fraser Island, Brisbane, Ipswich, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast and adjacent hinterland areas.

At 8am, it was reported that relieved Bundaberg residents woke to light drizzle but the weather bureau says the rain is not over yet - with another surface trough developing offshore.

The Bundaberg region has experienced moderate falls of up to 55mm so far, but heavier falls of up to 200mm could still be on the way.

Meterologist Michelle Berry said a second surface trough was developing off the Wide Bay-Burnett and Capricorn coasts, and should move inland tonight bringing "persistent" rainfall tonight and tomorrow, easing into Wednesday.

Overnight, flood-weary Queenslanders were warned to steel themselves for another "kick in the ribs" by Mother Nature.

Authorities already struggling to repair hundreds of millions of dollars of damaged roads and bridges will have a fresh onslaught of heavy rainfall to deal with across the state's southeast today.

Flooding in Hutcheson St in Albion. Picture: Adam Armstrong

There are fears that damaged roads from the January floods will not survive another drenching as some regions brace for up to 400mm of rain over the next 48 hours, based on weather bureau predictions.

The heavy rain is set to ease on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

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Flood-ravaged Bundaberg, still mopping up after one of its worst floods on record, is among those in the firing line.

The damage bill from January's flooding has already reached $1.1 billion, with another $1 billion of state assets yet to be assessed.

There are now fears the bill - which threatens to outstrip that of the 2011-12 floods - could rise again.

Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience David Crisafulli said the longer a road stayed wet, the higher the chance it would incur structural damage.

"At a time when people really want to get on with the rebuild it is another swift kick in the ribs," Mr Crisafulli said.

"I want people to understand that while it is terrible timing, the moment this goes we must continue the great effort that has been there," he said.

"We just have to treat this for what it is and that is another speed bump thrown at us by Mother Nature.

"We can't let it destroy our resolve. There has been some really good progress."

Transport Minister Scott Emerson said he was concerned about the impact of the latest weather system on the road network, with 3642km open to motorists under either a reduced speed limit or other restriction and 109km of roads still closed to traffic.

The Burnett Highway, near Mt Morgan, remains closed due to 35 landslips, as does Mt Sylvia Rd near Laidley.

Roads still open but with restrictions include the Capricorn, Warrego, Cunningham, Gore and Leichhardt highways.

Wivenhoe Dam releases doubled ahead of expected deluge. Picture: Channel Ten News

The weather bureau's Richard Wardle said the 400mm of rainfall would be spaced over days rather than during one day as it was in January during ex-tropical cyclone Oswald.

But he predicted falls of 100-200mm over 24 hours and up to 400mm over a broad area over the next 48 hours.

"For Monday and Tuesday we're looking at a large area receiving quite heavy rainfalls along the coast.

"Heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding are our main concerns," Mr Wardle said.

Seqwater yesterday began preparing for the wet by releasing water from dams.

Corporate and community relations manager Mike Foster said the releases, from North Pine Dam and Wivenhoe Dam, were low-level.

Water was being released from Wivenhoe Dam at 280 cubic metres a second, compared to 1500 cubic metres a second on Australian Day weekend.

Flooding in Hutcheson St in Albion. Picture: Adam Armstrong

The temporary full supply level for North Pine Dam was being drawn down to 88 per cent, similar to the temporary full supply of Wivenhoe.

"It's very much a precautionary decision that has been taken," Mr Foster said.

The wet weather had already begun for Bundaberg yesterday, with 20mm of rain as of 5pm and more on the way.

Logan City had 26mm by 3pm yesterday, while Gladstone, Gympie, Kingaroy, Hervey Bay, Fraser Island, the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast are also in for heavy falls today and tomorrow as a slow-moving upper trough and associated upper low crosses the state.

Bundaberg authorities also reported six waterspouts off Bargara, causing the evacuation of beaches and minor damage to the Bundaberg Surf Life Saving Club building.

Reporting by Brian Williams, Naomi Lim, Kelmeny Fraser, Rikki-Lee Arnold, Tom Chamberlin, Kathleen Donaghey

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Lake Eyre under greatest threat in decades

MINING on its floodplains and irrigation along its rivers pose the greatest threat in decades to Australia's largest lake, an advocacy group warns.

Lake Eyre Basin is under the spotlight after the Queensland government's decision to rewrite legislation protecting the Channel Country rivers that feed it.

A three-day conference began on Monday in Longreach with delegates focussed on the health of the basin's river systems, and industries such as grazing and tourism.

Conference organiser Terry Korn, president of the Australian Floodplains Association, says mining and irrigation pose the gravest threat to the Lake Eyre Basin.

"The Murray Darling Basin should be a lesson to us all," Mr Korn told AAP.

The federal government is spending almost $12 billion of taxpayers' money to partly correct the mistakes that have been made there.

"We don't want to go down a path in the Lake Eyre Basin that ends up having the same mistakes being made."

Mr Korn said communities do not want irrigation along the Channel Country rivers which fill the lake, or mining along the flood plains.

Even small-scale irrigation along the system should not be tolerated, he said.

"Experience tells us in the Murray Darling basin and other systems throughout the world that from little things, big things grow.

"You end up with a larger irrigation system and a then a compromised ecological system and in this case large scale organic beef production being compromised as well."

Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps says the Western Rivers Advisory Panel will report to him by the end of March on a fresh approach for the future management of the Cooper, Diamantina and Georgina Rivers.

"The Newman government will then make an informed decision on a balanced approach to river management that will preserve the environmental values of this unique part of Queensland as well as grow the economy in western Queensland," Mr Cripps said.

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