Hundreds rally over Vic mine fire response

HUNDREDS of residents have rallied in Victoria's Morwell where a coal mine is on fire, demanding a royal commission into what they say is a lack of action by authorities.

Protest leader Nerissa Albon said 1200 people had turned out to the rally, united in frustration over living in the smoke-affected town where a blaze at the Hazelwood open cut coal mine has been burning since February 9.

"Everybody's sick of their eyes stinging, they're sick of sore throats, they're sick of their houses being covered," she told AAP.

Demonstrators want a royal commission into what they say is a delayed government response, real assistance to leave the area and lack of fire safety infrastructure in the disused part of the mine which is ablaze.

Greens Senator Richard Di Natale, who spoke at the rally, said locals were right to be angry over conflicting health messages.

He accused the state government of a lack of leadership on the issue, saying a state of emergency should have been declared within days of the fire starting.

"We knew that the impacts of the smoke from this fire would have serious acute health impacts and quite possibly very serious longer term impacts," he told reporters in Morwell.

"The question is, what sort of exposure are we going to allow the people of Morwell to be exposed to before we act?"

Dr Di Natale, a former GP who last year led a Senate inquiry into health impacts of air pollution, said Premier Denis Napthine needed to ask Prime Minister Tony Abbott for disaster relief assistance.

Mine operator, GDF Suez, had a social responsibility to the residents but was also missing in action, he said.

Health Minister David Davis said the situation was being handled professionally, based on best advice.

"The chief health officer has issued advisories on the basis of the evidence that's available, on the basis of the best possible advice," he told reporters.

Mr Davis said the government will provide whatever assistance is reasonable and health department officers will individually assess each family.

Chief Health Officer Rosemary Lester advised on Friday that people over 65, preschool-age children, pregnant women and those with a pre-existing heart or lung condition should move from Morwell South as the fire will most likely not be extinguished in the next 10 days as first thought.

The state government will hold an independent inquiry into the fires.

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CleanUp Australia back at work

Around 550,000 volunteers will focus on cigarette butts and drink bottles for CleanUp Australia day. Source: AAP

CLEANUP Australia's Ian Kiernan and more than half a million of his mates will spend Sunday applying his newly developed formula, E=1.

Operating out of Tasmania in 2014, Mr Kiernan is leading the 24th annual CleanUp Australia day and more than half a million volunteers will scour the scrub, sand, parks, creeks and bush at 7000 sites across the country.

"I have 550,000 close, personal friends now," he said.

Many other clubs and groups across the country participate but don't register, so the true figure is probably much larger, he said.

Mr Kiernan said the environment is the "absolute, primary issue" and since being awarded an honorary doctorate in science from the UNSW, he's developed a formula to help everyone remember and act with nature in mind.

"E=1, not E=mc2, that's very good, but E=1 comes long before that," he said, clarifying that E was in fact an abbreviation of environment.

The group's focus this year is cigarette butts and drink bottles.

"They're a real problem," Mr Kiernan told AAP from the group's Tasmanian headquarters

"They've got toxic material in them, they've got plastic in them and they just accumulate."

As well as improving the environment, CleanUp Australia day encourages people to live more sustainably and is great for business, Mr Kiernan said.

"Tourists won't return to degraded destinations," he said.

Mr Kiernan also wants to see South Australia's incentive-based recycling scheme replicated nationally.

"The recovery rate on beveridge containers is in excess of 85 per cent. In other cities and towns, less than 30 per cent

"Instead of seeing a bit of rubbish on the beach or beside the road, you'll see money."

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Calls for more Korean family reunions

SOUTH Korea's president has proposed the rival Koreas hold reunions of Korean War-divided families on a regular basis, saying time is running out for the elderly separated by hostilities and politics.

South Korea has made similar proposals in the past, but President Park Geun-hye's latest overture came after the two Koreas last month held their first reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War in more than three years.

"There are separated families in North Korea as well. I believe North Korea should also ease the anguish and pain of its people," she said in a speech marking Korea's 1919 uprising against Japan's colonial rule.

North Korea didn't immediately respond to Park's proposal. Analysts say North Korea has been reluctant to increase family reunions due to worries that doing so could open the country to influence from more affluent South Korea and threaten its grip on power.

The latest six-day family reunions were arranged after North Korea began calling for better ties with South Korea in what outside analysts say is an effort to win foreign aid and investment.

North Korea earlier threatened to cancel the reunions in anger over annual military drills between Seoul and Washington that it calls a preparation for invasion. The North let the reunions proceed after high-level talks with South Korea, though the drills went ahead as scheduled.

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Vic pilot unharmed after plane flips

A PILOT has escaped unharmed after his plane flipped over while he was making an emergency landing in a Victorian paddock.

After encountering difficulties the male pilot of the light plane sought permission to land in a paddock in Lethbridge, near Meredith.

While attempting to land, the aircraft hit a rock which caused the plane to flip onto its roof about 2.15pm (AEDT) on Saturday, police say.

The lone pilot aboard the plane escaped uninjured.

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Qld teen's disappearance baffles police

MORE than 80 people have spent almost a week desperately searching for a northwest Queensland teen whose disappearance has baffled police.

Kyle Coleman, 17, was last seen at a house in the Soldiers Hill area of Mount Isa about 6am (AEST) on Saturday.

It's believed he'd earlier attended a party and was intending to walk the three kilometres from Soldiers Hill to his Parkside home, but he never arrived.

On Wednesday, police found the body of Kyle's 21-year-old friend, who'd been involved in the search for the teenager.

Police have said the death is not considered suspicious.

The man is thought to be the last person to see Kyle and the pair had visited a property near Camooweal, west of Mount Isa, the day before Kyle disappeared.

Mount Isa Inspector Trevor Kidd says there is no evidence to suggest the case is a murder-suicide.

"There's no information or evidence to suggest there's anything untoward but we've got very extensive investigations going on," he told AAP.

Insp Kidd says police are baffled by Kyle's disappearance and are urging anyone with information to come forward.

"That's the bottom line - we need people to come forward," he said.

"The reality is it's nearly been a week - but there's always hope."

Kyle's parents Rob and Sonia Coleman say they're desperate for news of their son.

"Somebody has got to have seen something - kids just don't go missing out of the blue," Mr Coleman told the ABC on Friday.

Mrs Coleman is clinging to hope her son is ok.

"Kyle if you can come home, come home - if you can't, we're going to get you," she said.

Police have thrown huge resources behind the search for Kyle, a popular young man who enjoys the outdoors.

More than 20 police officers, including investigators from Cairns, Brisbane and Townsville, along with 60 locals have joined the search.

Eight helicopters spent Friday searching a large area in and around the Camooweal property Kyle and his friend visited last Friday.

Insp Kidd says no new information has come to light and police are looking over areas they've focused on over the past week.

Kyle's disappearance has had a "massive" impact on the Mount Isa community with many locals taking days off work to join the search, Insp Kidd says.

The search will continue on Saturday.

Kyle was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with a white motif, a white flat Obey cap, a pair of light coloured shorts and skate shoes.

He is Caucasian with sandy coloured short hair, hazel eyes, of a slim build and approximately 173cm tall. He may have been carrying a green sleeping swag and backpack.

* 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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Morwell locals angry at govt response

Authorities are advising vulnerable residents in the south of Morwell to move temporarily. Source: AAP

MORWELL locals say smoke is making their lives impossible and authorities have been slow to act on the impact of the coalmine fire that's clouding the Victorian town.

People aged over 65, preschool-age children, pregnant women and anyone with a pre-existing heart or lung condition have been advised to temporarily move out of Morwell South, the residential area closest to the mine.

But others in the town are angry with the response by authorities, and heckled them in Morwell during their Friday media conference about the temporary relocation.

"We can't sleep, we can't go outside, we can't breathe," said Estelle Landy through tears.

"There's people in the street wearing masks every day.

"Everyone here shows you there's a problem and nothing's done at all.

"They tell us to stay and we can't.

"You can't continue to allow this to happen."

Chief health officer Rosemary Lester said the advice for those deemed vulnerable was a precautionary measure.

"This is not an evacuation," she said. "It is an advice for a temporary relocation until the air quality improves."

Dr Lester defended the timing of the stepped-up advice, given fire authorities had already said it would take at least another fortnight to get on top of the blaze.

"The advice up until now has been appropriate for the length of exposure," she said.

"Because we know now that the exposure is likely to continue, we think now is the right time to increase the advice to temporary relocation."

It's expected to take at least another 10 days to get on top of the fire in the Hazelwood open-cut mine, which has been burning for nearly three weeks.

Dr Lester said moving temporarily would be the best way for vulnerable people to avoid the continuing smoke.

The continued advice to other residents is to take temporary breaks from the smoke, to stay indoors and avoid physical activity outside.

New weekly government grants of up to $1250 will be available to those deemed eligible for the duration people need to be away from their homes.

Dr Lester said the effects of medium-term exposure to the smoke was unclear, and there had been no serious health problems in Morwell as yet.

"We know it can produce health effects for everyone, but we do know that some groups are at higher risk than others."

Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley said in the best case it would be another 10 days before the fire stops putting significant smoke and ash over Morwell, but authorities are concerned about two hot and windy days next week.

Premier Denis Napthine urged people to follow the chief health officer's advice, but said there was no compulsion for people to relocate.

The fire has forced a judge to twice move a criminal trial 50km away to Sale, while Australia Post has suspended delivery to Morwell street addresses and several schools, kindergartens and childcare centres in Morwell have also been closed or relocated to nearby towns.

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Johnston queries $50b defence budget

AS much as he might like it to be true, Defence Minister David Johnston is sceptical about a seeing a $50 billion defence budget in a decade.

That follows a media report in The Australian newspaper pointing to a $50 billion defence budget in 10 years as funding is progressively raised to two per cent of gross domestic product.

At present, the defence budget is $26 billion, which is about 1.6 per cent of GDP.

Senator Johnston said he didn't know where the $50 billion figure came from as the Defence Capability Plan (DCP), which outlines planned spending on new equipment, was in disarray because so much money had been taken away.

"For anybody to put a figure on where we are going and a time frame of where that place will be ... is quite questionable and impossible," he told reporters.

"I think it is wrong because I can't see how those figures can carry any credibility."

Senator Johnston said the government was set to launch a new defence white paper and DCP in 2015, which would establish benchmarks for defence spending.

He said it would be extremely hard to lift defence spending to two per cent of GDP.

"But we are going to do it," he said.

Senator Johnston said 21,000 public servants ran 56,000 uniformed personnel and that was unsustainable.

"My portfolio is just one of very many that is carrying that sort of burden," he said. "We have got to get lean and mean. No one is saying two per cent of GDP for defence in 10 years is gong to be easy."

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Downer EDI settles legal claims

POTENTIAL legal action against engineering firm Downer EDI has been settled before it reached the courts.

Litigation funder Bentham IMF said a conditional settlement had been reached in its claims against the company, related to Downer EDI's difficulties with its NSW train manufacturing contract.

A shareholder class action was being prepared, alleging the company misled investors by failing to properly disclose issues with its Waratah Train Project in 2010.

Bentham IMF said the terms of the settlement were confidential, but would generate it revenue of $11.3 million.

Downer EDI said the settlement was reached without admission of liability, and would have no impact on the company's financial guidance.

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Missouri executes another prisoner

A MISSOURI inmate has been executed for abducting, raping and killing a Kansas City teenager nearly 25 years ago.

Michael Taylor was lethally injected just after midnight on Wednesday. He was the fourth Missouri prisoner executed by the state in as many months.

His lawyers had argued the state's execution drug, bought from a compounding pharmacy, could have caused Taylor inhumane pain and suffering.

But his last-minute appeals were denied by federal courts and the governor.

Authorities say 15-year-old Ann Harrison was waiting for her school bus on March 22, 1989, when she was abducted by Taylor and Roderick Nunley. The men took the girl to a house where she was raped and stabbed to death.

Nunley is also on death row.

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Tap-and-go to higher Vic crime rate

Victoria's crime rate has risen with drugs, family violence and deceptions among the causes. Source: AAP

TAP-AND-GO technology is helping make credit card fraud the fastest growing area of crime in Victoria.

Drugs and family violence also contributed to an overall 1.2 per cent jump in the crime rate for the 12 months to December 2013.

Deception offences rose by 42 per cent and drug offences jumped by 12.3 per cent.

The introduction of tap-and-go credit cards has made deception easier and police have again expressed concern about the technology, which allow customers to make purchases without a PIN or signature, and say negotiations continue with the banks about a solution.

The 42 per cent figure is up about 12 per cent on quarterly figures released last November.

"It is not a policing issue, it is a whole of community issue and everybody should be working together to try and address these issues and to make it very, very difficult for people to commit offences," Deputy Commissioner Lucinda Nolan said.

A Mastercard spokeswoman said the company is surprised police are concerned about tap-and-go technology since industry data reveals there's been no increase in fraud specifically relating to such cards.

"We have asked Victoria Police to clarify the source and nature of their crime statistics," she said.

Family violence is also up with a big jump in the number of intervention order breaches which have caused the category of other crimes to rise by 15.5 per cent.

Ms Nolan said breaches of intervention orders had significantly increased, but that did not mean they were not working, just that police were stronger in enforcement.

"So that when there are breaches, whether they are minor or major police are taking action," she told reporters on Wednesday.

Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said 40 per cent of crimes committed against a person occurred in the home.

"This underlines the impact of family violence," he said.

There were 12,607 more offences overall committed in Victoria over the year, a rise of 3.1 per cent.

Ms Nolan said methamphetamines are challenging cannabis for the drug related to the most offences, with ice continuing to have a very bad impact on the community.

"You see the impact it has, particularly on the regional centres and rural communities, it is absolutely huge, how it has impacted on those families and those local communities," she said.

But there was some good news for police, with robberies down by 15.4 per cent and property crimes decreasing by 2.6 per cent.

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