Monster storm hits Philippines, three dead

The world's strongest typhoon of the year has slammed into the Philippines. Source: AAP

THREE people have been killed as one of the most intense typhoons on record whipped the Philippines, terrifying millions as monster winds tore roofs off buildings and giant waves washed away flimsy homes.

Super Typhoon Haiyan smashed into coastal communities on the central island of Samar, about 600 kilometres southeast of Manila, before dawn on Friday with maximum sustained winds of about 315 kilometres an hour.

"We've had reports of uprooted trees, very strong winds ... and houses made of light materials being damaged," Philippine Red Cross chief Gwendolyn Pang said on Friday afternoon as Haiyan swept across the archipelago's central and southern islands.

The government said three people had been confirmed killed and another man was missing after he fell off a gangplank in the central port of Cebu.

But the death toll was expected to rise, with authorities unable to immediately contact the worst-affected areas and Haiyan only expected to leave the Philippines in the evening.

"The winds were so strong that they flattened all the banana plants around the house," university student Jessa Aljibe, 19, told AFP by telephone from the Samar city of Borongan shortly after Haiyan made landfall.

All telephone contact to the island was later lost as the typhoon moved inland.

"We have put rescue teams ad equipment at different places, but at the moment we can't really do much because of the heavy rain and strong winds. There is no power," Pang said.

The Philippines suffered the world's strongest storm of 2012, when Typhoon Bopha left about 2000 people dead or missing on the southern island of Mindanao.

But Haiyan's wind strength made it one of the four most powerful typhoons ever recorded and the most intense to have made landfall, according to Jeff Masters, the director of meteorology at US-based Weather Underground.

Haiyan generated wind gusts of 379km/h on Friday morning, according to the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

Masters said the previous record for the strongest typhoon to make landfall was Hurricane Camille, which hit Mississippi in the US with sustained winds of 190 miles an hour in 1969.

The US expert said he expected the damage in Guiuan, a fishing town of about 40,000 people that was the first to be hit on Friday, to be "catastrophic".

Communication lines with Guiuan remained cut off in the afternoon, and the civil defence office said it was unable to give an assessment of the damage there.

In Tacloban, a nearby city of more than 200,000 people, corrugated iron sheets were ripped off roofs and floated with the wind before crashing into buildings, according to video footage taken by a resident.

Flash floods also turned Tacloban's streets into rivers, while a photo from an ABS-CBN television reporter showed six bamboo houses washed away along a beach more than 200 kilometres to the south.

President Benigno Aquino on Thursday had warned his compatriots to make all possible preparations for Haiyan.

"To our local officials, your constituents are facing a serious peril. Let us do all we can while (Haiyan) has not yet hit land," he said in a nationally televised address.

More than 125,000 people in the most vulnerable areas had been moved to evacuation centres before Haiyan hit, according to the national disaster management council, and millions of others huddled in their homes.

Authorities said schools in the storm's path were closed, ferry services suspended and flights cancelled.

In the capital Manila, which was on the northern edge of the typhoon's path, many schools were closed amid forecasts of heavy rain.

Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and other carriers announced the suspension of hundreds of flights, mostly domestic but also some international.

One particularly vulnerable area in Haiyan's path was the central island of Bohol, the epicentre of a 7.1-magnitude earthquake last month that killed 222 people.

At least 5000 survivors were still living in tents on Bohol, and they were moved to schools that had been turned into evacuation centres.

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Ken Levy re-appointed CMC chair

THE Queensland government has extended the contract of the head of the state's crime and corruption watchdog despite criticism he was biased.

The opposition wanted Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) Chair Dr Ken Levy to resign after he penned an opinion piece that said the new bikie laws reflected the will of Queenslanders.

His contract has been extended to May 22, 2014.

Dr Levy has written to the head of the parliamentary committee which overseas the CMC, in a letter tabled on Friday, to insist he wasn't pressured to write the article.

When asked last week whether he'd consulted anyone about the article, he said: "No, it's my composition".

But Dr Levy's revealed the head of the government's media unit, Lee Anderson, called the CMC media unit a week before the article was published to ask if the CMC was going to do any media interviews on the legislation.

At the time, Dr Levy told his staff "we would not be spooked" by the call as they were already discussing doing broader media on the issue.

"I certainly have never had any pressure from the Premier or the Attorney General, or anyone else from government for that matter, trying to pressure me about any issue," Dr Levy wrote.

In his letter to parliamentary crime and misconduct committee chair Liz Cunningham, Dr Levy expresses regret and apologises for not remembering the contact the CMC had with Mr Anderson when he was grilled last Friday.

"In the embarrassment on Friday afternoon, I indicated to you that perhaps I should consider standing down, particularly in light of the call by the leader of the opposition," he wrote.

But Dr Levy says Mr Anderson's call only referred to the broad area of the CMC's powers to deal with the outlaw bikie gangs and there was no pressure to write the opinion piece.

Instead, Dr Levy was inspired by imbalanced press, which was pitting judges and lawyers against politicians and ignoring the community.

"My article was not politically motivated," he wrote.

"As I said to the Committee last Friday, Criminal motorcycle gangs are really criminal cartels. The Government was being responsible in legislating."

Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie says he is supportive of the CMC being more open with the public, but any decisions regarding media is clearly a matter for them.

"The Newman government respects the independence of Queensland's judiciary and statutory bodies," Mr Bleijie said.

The acting role is effective up to and including May 22, 2014 and a permanent appointment is expected next year.

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NGA disappointed over UK Stubbs sale

THE National Gallery of Australia is "extremely disappointed" at the sale of historic paintings of a kangaroo and dingo to a museum in London.

A UK government export ban has blocked the NGA from buying the 18th century works by George Stubbs, which were secured by London's National Maritime Museum on Wednesday.

Kongouro from New Holland and a companion painting, Portrait of a Large Dog, are the first non-indigenous paintings of a kangaroo and dingo and have been on the NGA's acquisition list for more than 40 years.

They were commissioned by Joseph Banks, the botanist who accompanied Cook on his 1768 voyage to Australia and made sketches of the then-unknown specimens.

The NGA has been negotiating to buy the works for the past three years and says the export ban had deprived Australian audiences of "two of the most historically significant works of art in the story of our nation's visual heritage".

"The National Gallery of Australia is extremely disappointed with the outcome of this British process," the gallery said in statement.

"The two Stubbs works represent the beginning of Australia's rich visual culture and the Gallery believes they have much greater relevance to the development of Australian imagery and art than to Britain's maritime history."

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Tas offers first home builders $30,000

Tasmania has announced the country's most generous first home builder grant of $30,000. Source: AAP

TASMANIA has announced the country's most generous first home builder grant, doubling its offering to $30,000.

Premier Lara Giddings says the First Home Builder Boost could result in people priced out of housing markets in Sydney and Melbourne heading to the struggling island state.

"This assistance is now the most generous in the country and will act as a significant incentive for interstate migration which, in itself, is an important economic driver," Ms Giddings said in a statement.

The state government previously doubled the grant to $15,000 last year.

The premier said the grant, which will be available for 12 months, was part of her response to a jobs forum convened to address the state's nation-high 8.2 per cent unemployment rate.

The Northern Territory offers $25,000 and other state governments $10,000-15,000, including $7000 from a federal scheme.

The Housing Industry Association has welcomed the Tasmanian boost.

"If you're going to do something, I think you need to do something that's bold and brazen and has a bit of courage to it and I think this is it," spokesman Stuart Clues told the ABC.

"If this doesn't get people excited, you might as well give the game away."

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New NSW system targets firebugs

AFTER a month that saw bushfires ravage parts of NSW, police are hoping a new computer system may help hose down the activities of arsonists.

For the first time in the state's history, police have been given access to the Arson Trends Analysis System (ATAS), which allows investigators to compare fires.

With more than 35 per cent of bushfires believed to be deliberately lit, Police Assistant Commissioner Geoff McKechnie said it would be a fabulous tool to help track down firebugs.

"There are obviously a significant number of people out there with a propensity to light fires and cause damage," he told AAP on Wednesday.

"We are aware of a lot of those people and can target them where we can."

The program will bring together the databases of the Rural Fire Service, the Fire Service and NSW Police.

Prior to the system, police were often unaware of blazes attended by fire crews, making it difficult to make links.

Now, the characteristics of each fire can be cross-checked with known arsonists and their personal details, such as their location.

If a particular car, for example, is spotted at the location of a number of fires, this will be entered into the database, possibly helping to trace a firebug.

"If we know where arsonists are likely to strike we can put strategies in place to prevent the senseless loss of land - and in many cases people's livelihoods," Mr McKechnie said.

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Jail for WA mum over false drug test

A MOTHER involved in a custody battle has been jailed for a year after convincing her daughter and a friend to falsify the results of a hair drug test she was required to submit to the Family Court.

Belinda Anne Heard, 47, admitted to fabricating evidence with intent to mislead a court after the scheme was uncovered by Western Australia's corruption watchdog.

The Corruption and Crime Commission accused Heard of submitting the false hair strand drug analysis as part of a custody battle over her 10-year-old son.

Perth's District Court was told Heard was worried the test would show she had recently used marijuana, which might impact on her ability to retain custody of her son.

She recruited her adult daughter Sophie Anne Blakemore to provide a hair sample and asked her friend Rebecca Olson, 37, to take it to her workplace at PathWest to be certified.

The hair and the test was sent to South Australia to be completed and then sent to the Family Court, but the scheme unravelled when Heard's ex-partner discovered PathWest did not routinely do drug tests on hair samples.

In sentencing the trio, Judge Michael Bowden said the offence struck at the heart of justice.

"Everybody is entitled to rely on tests being honestly conducted," Mr Bowden said.

Olson, who was subsequently sacked by PathWest, was sentenced to 12 months jail, suspended for 18 months.

Blakemore, 24, was fined $5000, with the judge accepting she had initially declined to help her mother and felt "compelled" to assist even though she knew her actions were wrong.

Heard will be eligible for parole in six months.

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Aussie police head to PNG

THE first 30 Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers to be deployed to Papua New Guinea (PNG) under a new agreement have arrived in Port Moresby.

The AFP officers will provide frontline advisory support to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary in a bid to strengthen effective and visible policing in Port Moresby and later in PNG's second largest city, Lae.

Another group of AFP officers will arrive before the end of the year to bring the total number engaged in PNG to 50.

"The goal of our enhanced mission is, in partnership with the RPNGC, to continue to develop the capacity of the RPNGC to provide sustainable and quality policing to the people of PNG," AFP Commissioner Tony Negus said in a statement.

"I would like to particularly thank Commissioner Kulunga, whose support to the PNG-APP has been fundamental to its recent success. Without his strong leadership and vision for the future of policing in Papua New Guinea, all of this would not have been possible."

PNG Police commissioner Tom Kulunga told local officers the newcomers would be giving advice and training only.

"The AFP officers are not here to take your jobs, nor will they undertake executive policing functions or arrest or charge any person for an offence against PNG laws," Mr Kulunga said.

"Together and in partnership and cooperation we can make our world a safer, secure and better place."

Australia has had police in PNG in the past but they were kicked out by the PNG Supreme Court in 2006 after it was found their role was unconstitutional.

Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and former Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd announced the deployment in September, the Australian government pledging to fund up to 150 police officers.

The deployment, led by Commander Alan Scott, complements Australia's $35 million support this year for broader law and justice system improvements that are increasing access to justice in PNG.

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No charges over clip aimed at Qld premier

THE man behind an online video that targeted the Queensland premier over his anti-bikie laws won't be charged.

Police say they have identified and interviewed the man who was involved in posting the YouTube clip.

"The QPS (Queensland Police Service) has not identified any criminal offence in relation to this matter as a result of its inquiries at this time," police said.

The four-and-a-half minute clip was allegedly posted by activist group Anonymous Australia, who say the government's new anti-bikie legislation goes too far.

The clip is linked to the YouTube account of "Trojan Walker" and that is linked to the Facebook account of Daniel Walker.

Trojan Walker responded to the media attention on Monday to say that reporters and Premier Campbell Newman's staff skewed the group's motto "expect us" into a threat.

"I have never hurt anyone, nor has anyone I associate with, but we are watching and he can expect his lies to be made public," he wrote on YouTube.

The clip, which has racked up 318,000 views and 2800 likes since it was posted days ago, is delivered by a person wearing the Anonymous Guy Fawkes mask.

He says the laws are a assault on fundamental human rights and warns: "We do not forgive, we do not forget, Campbell Newman expect us."

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NSW teen's killers get max 45-year term

COREY Loveridge and his teenaged accomplice have received one of the harshest sentences possible for the "cowardly, sadistic, pitiless and deadly attack" on a complete stranger.

The 20-year-old and his co-offender, who can be identified only as AB because he was a juvenile at the time, were both given a maximum 45-year jail sentence, with a minimum 30-year non-parole term, for the random murder of 17-year-old Alan "Ray Ray" Gordon.

Mr Gordon was stabbed in front of his brothers outside a service station in the western Sydney suburb of St Marys and had his Achilles tendon severed to stop him trying to kick them away.

He was stabbed more than 40 times and died from massive blood loss.

Justice Michael Adams described the 2011 murder as an "appalling crime" and a "cowardly, sadistic, pitiless and deadly attack".

He said the men not only intended to kill their victim but also to torture him, causing him "excruciating pain".

Loveridge, whose cousin Kieran Loveridge is awaiting sentencing for the manslaughter of Thomas Kelly in a separate Kings Cross king hit attack, was found guilty of murder by a jury in April.

AB pleaded guilty before the matter came to trial.

Justice Adams said the pair derived "unimaginable satisfaction or pleasure" from the murder.

"This makes them very dangerous individuals," he said.

He said Loveridge had lied constantly and threatened witnesses, and that the pair show no remorse for what they had done.

The two men were sat at opposite ends of the courtroom and had several Corrective Services officers around them after AB attacked Loveridge in a previous court appearance.

When the victim's family began to clap after the sentences were handed down, Justice Adams stopped them, saying it was "a sad matter" and not a time for rejoicing.

The pair's sentences also take into account a string of offences including the robbery and bashing of an elderly woman on the night of the murder.

Alan's father, Ronald Hussey, told reporters outside the court that he couldn't ask for more than what had been handed down.

"He would do anything for anyone," Mr Hussey said.

"My son was doing the same thing he did for years, which was to go down for his mother early in the morning to get her money out.

"Wrong place, wrong time."

Mr Hussey said his son's death had destroyed his family.

"He just started working; he just loved his job. He just never got a chance," Mr Hussey said.

"I no longer live at home. (His death) has pulled the family apart."

The maximum sentence given to Loveridge and AB was nearly twice that handed down to another killer on Friday, in the next Supreme Court room.

Sydney man Gavin Anthony Bell was jailed for a maximum 27 years and 10 months after he shot dead teenager Devril Leuthwaite in front of his family during a violent home invasion three years ago.

Loveridge and AB will serve the same minimum sentence as teen killer Matthew Milat - a great-nephew of serial killer Ivan Milat - who pleaded guilty to murdering schoolmate David Auchterlonie.

Milat was handed a maximum 43-year maximum term.

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WA Senate result to be revealed

Greens senator Scott Ludlam says the AEC should hold off declaring the WA Senate election. Source: AAP

THE Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is set to announce the result of the West Australian Senate vote recount, despite more than 1300 ballots still being missing.

AEC state manager Peter Kramer says the results of the WA Senate recount and distribution of preferences will be known on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Kramer said he had advised the Senate candidates the distribution of preferences to decide six WA Senators would start at 2pm (WST).

"In accordance with electoral procedures, candidates have been invited to appoint scrutineers to observe the process on their behalf," he said.

The AEC said the distribution of preferences would incorporate all formal recounted votes as well as all formal below-the-line votes that were not subject to the recount.

It admitted on Thursday that 1255 formal above-the-line ballots and 120 informal votes could not be located, rechecked or verified, despite searches of every electoral premises where the ballots were stored or transported from.

Electoral Commissioner Ed Killesteyn has asked former Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty to investigate how the 1375 votes were misplaced.

Several candidates, including Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, and Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer decried the process.

Mr Palmer has already flagged his intention to challenge the result in court, with the potential of a by-election if the Senate result was ruled invalid by the Court of Disputed Returns.

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