US wildfire burns into fourth week

A wildfire in the US near the Yosemite national park is burning into its fourth week. Source: AAP

THE cost of fighting the wildfire burning in and around Yosemite National Park has risen to more than $US89 million ($A98.01 million) as the blaze enters its fourth week.

The US Forest Service reported on Saturday that the Rim Fire has burned 1020 square kilometres, 28.5 more square kilometres than the day before when it became the third-biggest wildfire in modern California history.

It remains 80 per cent contained.

The fire started in the Stanislaus National Forest on August 17.

There are still more than 3400 people fighting it as hotter and drier weather arrived on Saturday.

Officials say it could cost tens of millions of dollars more to restore damaged habitat and waterways before the fall rainy season.

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Palmer a new king maker in Aussie politics

Clive Palmer says his party's preferences handed Tony Abbott victory. Source: AAP

CLIVE Palmer already sees himself as a kingmaker, poised to win himself a seat in the lower house and claiming Tony Abbott would not have won the federal election without his help.

The eccentric entrepreneur stands a strong chance of winning the Queensland Sunshine Coast seat of Fairfax on preferences, which would make him Australia's richest federal MP.

With his party's star Queensland Senate candidate, rugby league great Glenn Lazarus, also on track for a win, Mr Palmer expects to be a political kingmaker in Canberra.

The Palmer United Party leader said his group's strong primary vote had helped deliver victory for the coalition in a number of seats.

"We had six per cent and we preferenced the Liberal Party. The swing against Labor was 4.5 per cent," Mr Palmer told AAP.

"Without Palmer United's preferences, Tony Abbott would not be prime minister."

He also predicts his party will win up to three seats in the lower house and another three Senate spots, possibly giving them a share in the balance of power from July next year.

Palmer preferences could also decide knife-edge seats in Queensland.

Just 600 votes separate the two major parties in the Labor-held northern Brisbane seat of Petrie, and the Liberal National Party's Luke Howarth is hopeful Palmer preferences will help him beat incumbent Yvette D'Ath.

In Rockhampton-centred Capricornia, LNP candidate Michelle Landry says she had underestimated the popularity of Mr Palmer.

"They were more voting for Clive than anything else. They certainly weren't voting for the candidate," she told AAP.

Mr Palmer believes his party will win the Sunshine Coast seat of Fisher, which former Howard government minister Mal Brough is confident he's bagged for the coalition.

He also claims Senate candidate Jacqui Lambie will win a spot in Tasmania, as will Dio Wang in Western Australia.

And he says his party has a chance in the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay-based seat of Hinkler.

Mr Palmer said that like Mr Abbott, he would have some sway over any Palmer party candidates elected to the Senate.

"Well I am the parliamentary leader of the party, just like Tony Abbott is the leader of his party, and my relationship will be similar to his relationship with his senators," Mr Palmer said.

The Palmer party, formed four months ago, had outpolled the century-old Nationals, said Mr Palmer, who once worked as a media adviser for the late Queensland premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

Peter Beattie, another former Sunshine State premier and failed Labor candidate for Forde, said Mr Palmer was sure to shake up parliament.

"No one will be able to ignore Clive," he said.

"If Clive has got the balance of power (in the Senate), all I've got to say to all of you is you're gonna have to say a big prayer. But you're going to have a lot of fun."

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High price for Duke of Windsor HRH letter

A LETTER in which King Edward VIII described his wife's lack of an HRH title as an "insult" has sold at auction for well over its expected price.

The 1939 letter from the Duke of Windsor sold to a private collector in Britain on Thursday for a hammer price of STG12,000 ($A20,623).

It had only been expected to fetch as much as STG8000.

The letter to Daily Express newspaper proprietor Lord Beaverbrook aimed to correct an article published in the Sunday Express which claimed the former monarch, who abdicated in 1936 to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson, wished to live in France.

In response to the article, Edward writes: "While the Duchess and I have received the greatest courtesy in all the countries, especially France, where we have resided since our marriage, I have not lived out of England for over two years by preference.

"It is true that there exists no law to prevent my returning to my country whenever I wish to do so, but I have remained away out of deference to my brother in order to leave the field clear for him to establish himself on the throne, which it is admitted he has succeeded in doing."

He also dispels claims that he had set conditions for his return to England, including that his new wife be accorded the title of Royal Highness.

Edward wrote: "I have never made any such announcement nor would I ever set conditions upon my return to England. Regarding the two stipulations I am alledged (sic) to have made, I wish to say firstly, that while naturally the matter of witholding (sic) the title of Royal Highness from the Duchess is an insult which I as her husband and a member of the Royal Family have always resented far more deeply than she has, we have too many other more important interests to worry over such a triviality.

"Secondly, whatever may be the behaviour of Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth towards the Duchess, it would in no way affect any plans we might make for going to England."

The item was among 200 lots of royal memorabilia auctioned by International Autograph Auctions in Nottingham.

A letter in which George VI expresses his dislike of public speaking, written after his first Christmas broadcast as king in 1937, sold for STG3200. King George had a stutter he struggled with, captured in the film The King's Speech.

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Deadly wind change blamed for fire death

FIREFIGHTERS who battled a bushfire in Western Australia last summer were not warned about a deadly wind change until moments before the flames engulfed their vehicles, killing firefighter Wendy Bearfoot.

Ms Bearfoot, 45, died and several others were injured when their trucks were trapped by a fast-moving firestorm at Black Cat Creek last October.

A report into the deadly bushfire near Albany revealed vital weather forecasts showing dramatic changes in conditions were not passed on in full to the firefighters in the heat of the battle.

And the investigation, released by the state's Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), concluded firefighters were left stranded in the so-called 'Dead Man's Zone' when the wind shifted, pushing flames towards the crews in moments.

"Within about four minutes, firefighters were trapped in a burnover," the report says.

"The nature of the terrain, thick vegetation and that the fire approached the crews on an angle from behind meant that they may not have been immediately aware ... until the fire was close, giving them a short time to react."

While the fire was jointly managed by the City of Albany, DFES and the former Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) none "had a direct line of control", the report revealed.

Plus the stranded crews had no in-cab radiant heat shields to protect them from the flames, and were not recently trained in what to do when they were trapped by a burnover.

The report made 10 recommendations, including all vehicles entering the fireground to be fitted with one accessible fire blanket per person, and fire managers receive more training about how to properly interpret weather forecasts.

Ms Bearfoot, a mother of three, suffered burns to more than 60 per cent of her body, and died three weeks later despite intensive treatment in Royal Perth Hospital's world-renowned burns unit.

Colleague Charlene Hordyk, 25, suffered severe burns to 20 per cent of her body.

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Hydro Tasmania appoints new CEO

ENERGY company Hydro Tasmania's acting CEO has been appointed to the job permanently.

Steve Davy will take up the position immediately after acting in the role since June 30.

He was previously Hydro's chief commercial officer after joining the government-owned company in 2005.

Hydro Tasmania chairman Dr David Crean said Mr Davy had played a key role in transitioning the business into the national electricity market.

"The board believed he was the best choice, in particular to handle the many complex issues and regulatory risks presented by the current national market in which we operate," Dr Crean said in a statement.

Mr Davy replaces Roy Adair, who left Hydro in June.

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Vic motorcyclists escaping fines: report

ALMOST 20,000 speeding Victorian motorcyclists have escaped fines over the past three years because they don't have front number plates.

Road Safety Camera Commissioner Gordon Lewis says it is intolerable so many motorcyclists are getting away with speeding.

He has called for steps be taken immediately to ensure motorcycles and motor scooters have front identification, in his 2012/13 annual report tabled in state parliament on Thursday.

Mr Lewis made the recommendation last year and says he is surprised it has still not been adopted.

"I am satisfied that the case for identification of motorcycles is inarguable," he says.

Between the 2009/10 and 2011/12 financial years, about 20,000 of 50,000 motorcyclists found speeding couldn't be identified because they had no frontal identification, the report says.

"That situation cannot be tolerated," Mr Lewis said.

Mr Lewis also recommends that road safety camera images of allegedly speeding motorists be made free to motorists.

At the moment motorists must pay $7.50 to see images of alleged offences.

Mr Lewis says providing the images for free makes the system fairer and more transparent for motorists.

Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews says both Labor and the coalition pledged in 2010 to remove the fee motorists pay for road camera images but the Napthine government has failed to act.

"Three years on, the traffic camera commissioner Gordon Lewis is still calling for the government to do what they said to do three long years ago," he said.

Police Minister Kim Wells says the report showed the state's speed camera system to be excellent and he will consider all recommendations.

Roads Minister Terry Mulder says the government has asked its agencies to look at how to make motorbikes identifiable to road safety cameras.

He says work is continuing on a way to provide infringement-related images for free to motorists but this will only happen when the government is presented with an affordable IT model that works.

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Rudd, Abbott battle over 'recession'

A new poll shows the coalition is on track to win Saturday's federal election. Source: AAP

KEVIN Rudd and Tony Abbott have both used the "r-word" while exchanging blows over the potential threats posed to the Australian economy by their policies, taxes and spending cuts.

Australia has avoided technical recession since the early 1990s despite rocky global economic conditions.

The prime minister said the latest official report showing annual growth of 2.6 per cent - well below the long-term average - underlined the need to avoid taking public spending out of the economy.

"Most of all, I fear an Australian economy which through Mr Abbott's massive cuts would risk triggering the economy into recession, with huge hits on jobs and huge hits on growth," Mr Rudd said while on the campaign trail in Melbourne.

The coalition plans to release its final spending and savings measures on Thursday, two days out from Saturday's election and in the electronic advertising black-out period.

Treasurer Chris Bowen on Wednesday released an updated list of the government's costings, declaring only Labor had properly followed the election accountability rules set up by former Howard coalition treasurer Peter Costello.

Mr Abbott said Labor's figures were a fudge because some policy costings were still to be released while other plans like that for a low-tax zone for the Northern Territory hadn't been costed at all.

The opposition leader said the last politician to lead Australia into recession was former Labor leader Paul Keating.

"Labor are the recession experts," Mr Abbott said while campaigning in Sydney.

"If you want strong economic growth, you know who to turn to."

The legally-enforced blackout for TV and radio advertising from midnight on Wednesday means Labor will not be able to use ads to counter the coalition's final costings.

As the latest ReachTEL poll gave the coalition a 52-48 two-party preferred lead over Labor, Mr Abbott said he was feeling confident about the election outcome.

"I am confident, but I am not cocky or complacent, because anything can happen in these last few days," he said.

Meanwhile, the Australian Greens released advice showing one of the coalition's key promises - to shut down the $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) - may not be easy.

The CEFC was set up by Labor to make commercial loans to finance clean energy projects.

Senate clerk Rosemary Laing said in written advice that legislation would need to be repealed to shut down the corporation, not simply a ministerial edict.

She wrote that a minister "who declined to carry out a statutory function ... contrary to the will of the parliament, would risk serious legal consequences, in addition to any legal action that could arise if lack of funding led to defaulting on specific contracts".

A CEFC spokeswoman said the corporation would consult with any incoming government.

But the corporation would continue to meet its legal and contractual obligations, including in relation to payments.

Greens Leader Christine Milne told the National Press Club in Canberra that voters were looking to the minor parties because the "old parties" were almost identical in terms of their policies and offered no new ideas.

However, despite never having met formally with Mr Abbott, Senator Milne said she was open to working with a coalition government on issues like paid parental leave, gun control and childhood obesity.

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Growth data highlights challenges: Bowen

FEDERAL Treasurer Chris Bowen believes the latest national accounts highlight the challenges facing Australia as the economy moves from the mining investment boom to broader economic growth.

Even so, the data released on Wednesday shows the economy has grown continuously over the six years Labor has been in power "in the face of the most difficult global circumstances since the Great Depression", he told Sky News on Wednesday.

The national accounts show the economy grew at a slightly stronger pace than economists expected - by 0.6 per cent in the June quarter and by 2.6 per cent annually.

While this was below the long-term trend of above three per cent, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the data still showed Australia's comparative strength in an uncertain global economic environment.

A report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development on Tuesday found that while there has been an improvement in growth momentum among major economies, "a sustainable recovery is not yet firmly established and important risks remain".

Mr Rudd said Australia had posted 22 years of continued positive growth - 11 under Labor.

"This is a good record for Australia," he said.

"What I fear most of all is if the consequence of (Opposition Leader Tony) Abbott's massive cuts, his hidden massive cuts, impact the health of our economy and run the risk of triggering a recession."

But Mr Abbott called Labor the "recession experts", noting the last one was under former prime minister Paul Keating.

He said growth remained subdued, demonstrating the need for a coalition government to abolish the carbon and mining taxes, cut red tape, and shift the industrial relations pendulum back to the sensible centre.

"This it what our country needs if we are going to have the growth and prosperity and the decent government services that people have a right to expect," he told reporters.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey also pointed to the World Economic Forum's latest global competitiveness report for 2013/14 in which Australia dropped one place to a ranking of 21.

Mr Hockey said that was influenced by wasteful government policy.

"The Australian economy continues to be fragile and business confidence remains below long term averages as business and consumers deal with a chaotic and dysfunctional government," Mr Hockey said in a statement.

Australian Industry Group chief economist Innes Willox said there was also further slippage in cost competitiveness.

"These results highlight ... the pressing need to improve key areas, including industrial relations, business regulation and company tax in order to lift our international competitiveness," Mr Willox said in a statement.

Professional accounting body CPA Australia chief executive Alex Malley said the continued slide in competitiveness should be a wake-up call for urgent and decisive action by an incoming government.

"It shows that the election campaign's fixation on costings has been at the expense of a genuine policy debate on substantive and necessary reform issues," he said in a statement.

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Turnbull rejects NBN house price 'scare'

OPPOSITION communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull has swatted away Labor's claims the coalition's NBN scheme could affect property prices.

Communications Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday said the Liberal scheme could cause discrepancies in house prices.

He said that in any one area some homes could be connected to fibre while others were left relying on copper.

But Mr Turnbull rejected the comments and accused Mr Albanese of trying to run a "property price scare".

"I would say by Friday ... he will be saying that the coalition's NBN if implemented will make your teeth fall out and your hair turn white."

Mr Turnbull said there were already "huge differences" between broadband speed availability in Australia.

"There is no sign at present that broadband availability has made any discernable difference on property prices," he told reporters.

At a press conference earlier in the day, Mr Albanese highlighted the inconsistencies between the two schemes, and said "common sense tells you which house has the more value".

"People will have a choice of two houses: one in which you have high speed broadband and the other identical house but with a dirty big fridge cabinet outside the house connecting up wire, that then costs $5000 to connect to the home," Fairfax Media reported him as saying.

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Palmer unlikely to win Fairfax

Billionaire Clive Palmer says there is a "massive movement" in support of his Palmer United Party. Source: AAP

CLIVE Palmer has close to zero chance of winning the seat he's contesting but that doesn't mean he won't have an influence in parliament.

Former footballer Glenn Lazarus and fellow Palmer United Party (PUP) Senate candidate Clive Mensink say they will both seek the mining magnate's advice if they snare spots in the Senate.

Mr Lazarus said he would consult Mr Palmer in deciding how to vote in the upper house.

"Clive's a very successful businessman ... I'd be silly not to ask for his advice," Mr Lazarus told ABC radio on Tuesday.

Mr Mensink told AAP he was confident Mr Palmer would segregate his business interests from the interests of the nation.

"Clive would still be the leader of the party and Glenn (Lazarus) and I would still be aligned to the party," he said.

"He is dedicated to the country. He would do whatever benefits the country."

Griffith University political analyst Paul Williams says Mr Palmer has "close to zero" chance of winning the seat of Fairfax.

"I think the realist in Clive would admit that but the idealist in Clive would still think he has a chance," Dr Williams said.

But Mr Palmer is playing up his party's chances of winning two Senate seats in Queensland plus a swag of other seats in the lower house.

However, he's playing down the amount of influence he would have over any potential PUP Senators or MPs.

Mr Palmer has ruled out giving members of his party advice on social issues such as gay marriage, but says he will advise them on other policy matters, including those relating to the economy.

"I would like to (state my position on gay marriage) but I can't because I'd intimidate our members when exercising their free conscience," Mr Palmer said on Tuesday.

He told reporters his own party's polling of 40 seats indicated a result which would outdo Katter's Australian Party.

"I believe we will get two Senate candidates in Queensland and House of Representatives candidates in every other state of the Commonwealth," he said.

A Nielsen poll suggests the party will get eight per cent of the primary vote in Queensland and Mr Lazarus will be elected on preferences.

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