Hugh Jackman to get Hollywood star

Australian actor Hugh Jackman is set to be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Source: AAP

HUGH Jackman has been a bona fide Hollywood star for years and in a fortnight he will have one to prove it.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced on Friday the Australian actor will be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

"Fans from around the world have been consistently asking when this star will be dedicated," Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez said.

"We are happy to say that now is the time. Hugh is one of the world's most popular actors and we are excited that he is joining our Walk of Fame family."

The 44-year-old is a Tony Award winner and a big tip to score an Oscar nomination for his performance opposite Russell Crowe in the new adaptation of the stage musical Les Miserables. However, Jackman already has some Hollywood Boulevard real estate.

In 2009, about 20 metres away from where his star will be laid, Jackman got stuck into wet concrete outside the famed Grauman's Chinese Theatre, leaving hand and footprints alongside the likes of Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Clark Gable and Bing Crosby.

Jackman has built up a huge following for his role as Wolverine in the X-Men franchise, including the spin-off X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Jackman has just wrapped the shooting for another chapter, The Wolverine, in Sydney.

The star ceremony will take place on December 13.

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Homes destroyed, power cut in Vic storms

Several hundred homes have been damaged after severe thunderstorms swept through Victoria. Source: AAP

HUNDREDS of homes are still without power and some have been rendered uninhabitable after severe thunderstorms that ripped through Victoria's southwest.

Power was cut to 9000 homes and the State Emergency Service (SES) received 250 calls for help within an hour from residents at Ballarat - that's more than four calls per minute - from 9pm (AEDT) as the storm hit on Friday night.

By Saturday afternoon, 708 homes were still without power in Ballarat and Ararat.

Gordon Badham, spokesman for electricity distributor Powercor, said repair crews were expected to have everyone's power restored by Saturday night.

"We're hoping to get everyone back by tonight but that depends upon the conditions and circumstances," he said.

"We've had downed lines and trees across lines, we've had trees blocking roads and other obstructions, so it has been complicated.

"(The storm) was short and sharp but it certainly produced some serious impact."

SES spokesman Lachlan Quick said more than 300 calls for help were received, mainly from residents at Sebastopol, Mount Helen and Mount Clear.

He said the calls concerned building damage from heavy wind, rain, hail and fallen trees, as well as trees fallen onto roads.

A handful of homes at Mr Clear had been rendered uninhabitable when they were damaged by falling trees.

Neighbouring SES units as well as those in Melbourne and Geelong had been helping to clear the backlog of calls but there were still 70 people waiting for help on Saturday afternoon.

"We expect it will take all of today and potentially some of tomorrow to clear it all up," he said.

"They are certainly not 15 minute jobs. Many of them will take several hours."

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster James Taylor said thunderstorms were expected to hit north of Ballarat on Saturday evening, with the potential for more storms in the areas that were battered on Friday night.

But the storm front would be much less severe, he said.

"It should stay north of Ballarat and not affect the areas that were hit last night but there is a chance, so we have briefed emergency services about that," he said.

"It's extremely unlikely that it would be anywhere near as severe as what they got last night."

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Govt won't act on sixth TV channel

The federal government has decided not to allow a fourth commercial free-to-air television network. Source: AAP

THE federal government has decided not to allow a fourth commercial free-to-air television network.

The decision came as Communications Minister Stephen Conroy on Friday unveiled the government's initial response to the Convergence Review, promising more changes to come in 2013.

Senator Conroy said no spectrum or broadcast licences will be made available to enable a fourth free-to-air television network.

But he said in the long-term the government would consider potential uses of the "sixth channel" as broadcasting and online technologies evolve.

The government will allow community TV to use the spectrum intended for the sixth channel until at least December 31, 2014.

The existing networks would benefit from an extension of their current rebate on broadcasting licence fees by a further 12 months, ahead of moving to reduce the fees permanently by 50 per cent, to a maximum of 4.5 per cent of revenue.

Senator Conroy also announced the government would seek parliament's approval to remove the restriction on a person controlling a network of commercial television stations that has an audience reach of greater than 75 per cent of the Australian population.

He said the removal of the so-called "75 per cent rule" would be subject to written undertakings about local content obligations in regional areas.

Changes will also be made to increase Australian content.

Commercial TV multichannel broadcasters will be required to show 730 hours of local content in 2013, increasing to 1095 hours in 2014 and to 1460 hours in 2015.

This includes an incentive for first-release drama by allowing an hour of first-release drama premiered on a digital multichannel to count for two hours under the transmission hours requirement for multichannels.

The 55 per cent Australian content quota for the commercial television broadcasters' primary channels will be retained.

Julie Flynn, chief executive of Free TV Australia, which represents the nation's commercial free-to-air networks, welcomed the changes.

"Today's announcements are a welcome first step towards ensuring that all viewers can continue to see quality Australian programming for free in a rapidly changing market," she said.

The laws will be drafted by March 2013.

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RBA boss says he's not going anywhere

CENTRAL bank governor Glenn Stevens concedes the authority could have better handled allegations of corruption at its two note-making firms, but isn't considering stepping down before his term ends next year.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) chief on Friday faced an ongoing parliamentary inquiry into the commonwealth's overseas law enforcement operations, which largely raked over the bribery scandal that has engulfed the bank for more than three years.

Agents of the RBA's wholly-owned subsidiary, Note Printing Australia (NPA), and part-owned note-making firm, Securency, have been accused of offering bribes to overseas officials to gain business.

Internal investigations of the two companies in 2007 after a whistleblower alleged corruption at NPA found no wrongdoing, and it was not until 2009 that the RBA brought in the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

Mr Stevens said he deeply regretted that the governance arrangements in the companies did not prove strong enough to detect and prevent the events that occurred.

"To the best of our knowledge the companies had appropriate policies, but clearly in the end if these matters occurred then one can only conclude for all that ... it wasn't good enough. There is no way around that," Mr Stevens told the hearing in Canberra.

He also told the joint committee on the Australia commission for law enforcement integrity that the two companies had since done a great deal of work to reform policies and compliance.

"A key learning point for the Reserve Bank from these events is the extent of possible risks that can come from operating commercial ventures which export to a range of foreign jurisdictions," he said.

"This has caused the Reserve Bank to re-evaluate its risk appetite insofar as such entities are concerned."

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne, a committee member, questioned whether the RBA was naive or had turned a blind eye to corrupt acts because of the difficult jurisdictions in which the companies were working.

"I really think the Australian community is going to be wondering how we have such a failure of governance at the corporate level inside the Reserve Bank," she told reporters outside the hearing.

But Mr Stevens dismissed reports he was considering an early exit from his position as the RBA's boss.

"The mooted idea that I would retire at the end of my seven-year term, that that's an early exit, strikes me as a little odd," Mr Stevens said.

"But it won't be before then."

Mr Stevens seven-year term ends in September next year.

Millions of dollars were paid to the agents of NPA and Securency, but former deputy governor Ric Battellino told the hearing every company in Australia pays commissions.

"I know the word secret gets thrown in there, but there is nothing secret about it. It was there in the contract," he said.

The agents were paid to market products in the relevant countries.

However, he said the episode showed that economic policy institutions like the RBA don't have any business being involved in commercial operations, and why the RBA has been trying to sell its share in Securency for two years.

"It's imperative that the (Reserve) Bank get out of that," he said.

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Two Qld govt MPs quit LNP

THE last day of parliamentary sittings for the year has climaxed with two Queensland government MPs quitting the Liberal National Party (LNP) to become independents.

Brisbane MP Carl Judge and Gold Coast MP Alex Douglas simultaneously threw in the towel on Thursday afternoon, both saying their decisions were made with heavy hearts.

Mr Judge, who represents Yeerongpilly, announced his decision during parliament while Dr Douglas addressed reporters outside the chamber.

"I simply cannot continue to serve this government and I cannot serve with people who lack respect, who want to yell abuse across the chamber, who won't allow mature debate to take place," Mr Judge said.

"I won't be part of that team."

He said he disagreed with the government's mass public service axing and believes it broke an election promise.

His resignation comes after government MPs voted to have him disendorsed from the party after he refused to pledge 100 per cent loyalty to Premier Campbell Newman.

Dr Douglas, who previously spoke out against the government's plans for a cruise ship terminal on the Gold Coast, said he was best suited to serve his electorate of Gaven as an independent.

He said the electorate did not want to see a "blunder through" method of governance.

"There are better ways of running government than this approach," he said.

Dr Douglas' dispute with the premier came to a head after he was taken off two committees, including an ethics committee that's investigating transport chief Michael Caltabiano.

He was appointed as chair on another committee but was stripped of that role as well, after warring with the government over the committee reshuffle.

Dr Douglas and Mr Judge were seen earlier lunching with mining magnate Clive Palmer who is considering launching his own party.

Mr Palmer threw in his LNP membership last week after a long-running war of words with the government's leaders.

On Saturday, Condamine MP Ray Hopper resigned from the LNP and joined Katter's Australian Party.

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Clive Palmer considers creating new party

Mining magnate Clive Palmer reportedly plans to set up his own political outfit to rival the LNP. Source: AAP

CLIVE Palmer says he is too fat to become premier, but he will spend the weekend considering whether to give birth to a new political party for Queensland.

"I think you'll see things happening in the coming weeks," he told reporters at a press conference on the steps of Parliament House.

"It's more than (a) 50 per cent (chance it will happen)."

He would call his new body the United Australia Party, reviving the name of the party his father belonged to.

As it happens, his nephew owns the trademark to the name.

Mr Palmer said he didn't have a hand in the resignations of Alex Douglas and Carl Judge from the LNP on Thursday afternoon, despite lunching with them just an hour earlier.

He has also made no approaches to unite with Katter's Australian Party.

Mr Palmer is confident, however, he would have the numbers to set up a United Australia Party, which he would not limit to Queensland.

It would could target the next election as he believes the community is ready for a new party.

He said voters are "disgusted" at the Newman government's behaviour.

"What we're seeing in the electorate is a great amount of concern for the civil liberties of Queenslanders and their right to be able to express their point of view," he said.

Mr Palmer said he wouldn't get rid of his business interests if he set up a party, but either way he's not interested in becoming premier.

"I'm a reluctant warrior, I don't really want to get involved in politics," he said.

"I think I'm too fat to be premier, you want to have a nice tanned guy as premier to promote the tourist industry."

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Thai PM survives no-confidence vote

THAILAND'S Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has survived a no-confidence vote in parliament.

Wednesday's vote came after a censure debate, and four days after a demonstration by thousands of anti-government protesters.

The opposition is outnumbered in parliament, however, and MPs voted 308 to 159 to keep Yingluck in power. One deputy premier and other two ministers also comfortably survived no-confidence votes.

Among the issues brought up against Yingluck and other ministers were alleged irregularities in the government's rice-pledging scheme, flood management budget, canal-dredging projects and the procurement of combat systems on two navy frigates.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubumrung was also accused of serving the interests of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck's brother. Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup and lives in self-imposed exile following a corruption conviction.

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Protesters escorted from Toro's WA office

ANTI-NUCLEAR protesters have been escorted by police from a uranium explorer's West Perth office after they staged a brief demonstration in the company's reception area.

Toro Energy, which plans to develop Western Australia's first uranium mine with its Wiluna project, said about half a dozen protesters from the Anti Nuclear Association of WA emptied three bags of dyed yellow sand onto the floor and spread it throughout the office.

"During this time, protesters intimidated and filmed Toro staff, and refused to cease filming when requested to do so," the company said.

"Police were called and the protesters were escorted from the building."

Protesters claimed they were "locked" in the office but the company said this did not happen.

"The entire episode took less than 10 minutes," Toro said.

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Police in Punchbowl after shooting reports

Police are conducting and operation in Sydney's southwest after a man was shot multiple times. Source: AAP

A MAN has been shot in southwestern Sydney.

An ambulance was called to Punchbowl just after 4pm (AEDT) and one person was taken to hospital, an ambulance spokesman told AAP.

Police said they were called to Lumeah Avenue just after 4pm on Tuesday where they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds.

The man's condition is not known and investigations are continuing.

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Holden would keep grant, coalition says

GM Holden can expect the federal coalition to honour the $215 million grant it was given by the federal government to keep making cars in Australia until 2022.

After GM Holden on Tuesday warned a policy change might force it to review its commitment to keep building cars in Australia, the opposition said it was critical of the grant when it was made in March, but it would honour government contracts if elected.

"We have always complied with contractual arrangements that previous governments have entered into, and there is no reason to deviate from that good practice," opposition innovation, industry and science spokeswoman Sophie Mirabella told AAP.

GM Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux told reporters at a briefing in Melbourne that without government assistance there would be no car-making industry in Australia at all.

In March GM Holden committed more than $1 billion over the next 10 years to keep building cars in Australia, in return for $275 million in state and federal funding.

Mr Devereux said if that was put at risk by a change of government, GM Holden would review its commitment.

"If there is a change in government, then make no mistake, yes, Australia needs to have contemporary policy that gives us certainty over time and that is competitive with other countries.

"We need that kind of policy to be able to build things here between 2015-2022."

The opposition is yet to reveal its auto policy, but it has said it would cut $500 million from a $3.4 billion government automotive scheme to subsidise auto plant upgrades.

Mr Devereux said he hoped the opposition would change its public statements on the issue, because international managers were asking questions about the country's long-term business plans.

He noted industry assistance was a big factor in the re-election of President Barack Obama in the USA, predicting it would figure also in next year's federal election.

"It became an election issue, it was front and centre," Mr Devereux said.

"I believe 2013 will be a year that Australia decides whether it wants to have an auto industry or not."

He called for an independent review of the industry.

Ms Mirabella welcomed the call, saying a Productivity Commission review was coalition policy and had been scheduled for 2008 but was abandoned by the Rudd government.

"What we want to do is work with the Productivity Commission and the industry to have this review and come up with a better way forward, because we think there is a better way and we want to support the car industry and have a viable industry," Ms Mirabella said.

The Australian automotive industry employs about 55,000 people and supports another 200,000 jobs, with Holden accounting for about 40 per cent of output nationally.

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Aust share market edges higher

THE Australian share market has closed slightly higher as investors await more movement on addressing Greece's debt and the so-called fiscal cliff in the United States.

On Monday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index edged up 11.2 points, or 0.25 per cent, to 4,424.2 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index firmed 12 points, or 0.27 per cent, to 4,443.5 points.

On the ASX 24, the December share price index futures contract was 12 points higher at 4,432 points, with 16,099 contracts traded.

Investors are awaiting the outcome of a meeting of euro zone finance ministers later on Monday aimed at finalising a bailout deal for debt-hit Greece.

Investors are also focused on whether US President Barack Obama can negotiate a deal with Congress to avoid automatic tax increases and spending cuts - the fiscal cliff - at the start of next year.

OptionsXpress market analyst Ben Le Brun said the market had managed on Friday to hang on to some small gains but had performed disappointingly given the stronger lead from US markets on Friday.

"The market is just crunching gears at the moment," he said.

"We've got the European ministers' meeting tonight. We've got an important economic data week in front of us in the US and here locally."

Mr Le Brun said the fiscal cliff in the US was of concern to investors but they believed that there would be a resolution.

If the Greek debt issue could finally be put to bed later tonight, investors may regain some confidence to drive markets higher, he said.

Among the major banks, National Australia Bank improved seven cents to $23.70, ANZ eased three cents to $23.57, Commonwealth Bank advanced 20 cents to $59.15 and Westpac dumped 18 cents at $24.76.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank gained eight cents at $7.90 after announcing it would buy the majority of assets of regional finance company Southern Finance Group for $290 million.

In the resources sector, global miner BHP Billiton was 26 cents richer at $34.01 and Rio Tinto found three cents at $57.21.

Among other stocks, Melbourne IT plunged 19 cents, or 10.92 per cent, to $1.55, after the company warned of lower earnings in calendar 2012, delays on its transformation plans and flagged the sale of some assets.

Retirement funder Challenger picked up three cents to $3.22 as it reiterated its financial targets and said the performance of its investments had improved.

New listing Shopping Centres Australasia Property Group, a real estate investment trust created by Woolworths, finished its first day of trading at $1.44, four cents above the issue price of $1.40 per unit.

The price of gold in Sydney was $US1,750.15 per fine ounce, up $US19.60 on Friday's closing price of $US1,730.55.

National turnover was 1.35 billion securities worth $2.83 billion, with 485 stocks up, 471 down and 358 unchanged.

On Wall Street last Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 172.79 points, or 1.35 per cent, to 13,009.7 points.

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Qld beef 'safe' despite rare disease

IT'S safe to eat Queensland beef despite a rare bovine disease being detected on a property near the state's beef capital, an agriculture lobby group says.

Bovine Johne's Disease (BJD) causes chronic diarrhoea in older cattle, which can lead to emaciation.

The disease cannot be transmitted to humans and has a one per cent mortality rate in cattle.

AgForce announced on Tuesday the disease was detected on a beef property outside Rockhampton and there is some risk of it spreading.

The Queensland government is contacting producers who could be affected.

Queensland's chief vet, Rick Symons, told the ABC the property had been placed under quarantine. Biosecurity Queensland would be contacting about 160 property owners who had purchased cattle from it.

"We will be tracing the animals that went off the property to other properties and we will be contacting the other property owners to let them know what has happened," he said.

Agforce Cattle Board president Howard Smith says the outbreak will not have a big impact on producers.

"The safety of eating beef and associated products will not be impacted," he said in a statement.

"It is important to note BJD is present in most of the countries Australia trades with and should not place the Queensland industry at any commercial disadvantage."

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New Sydney transport ticketing - by 2015

Sydneysiders will be able to use the Opal card to pay for all the public transport tickets by 2015. Source: AAP

AFTER more than a decade of delays, public transport tickets in Sydney are finally set to go electronic - but not for another year or three.

NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said on Sunday commuters would be able to use a single card to pay for tickets on ferries, trains, buses and light rail by 2015.

The so-called Opal card will be available on all Sydney ferries and some trains in 2013, with buses and light rail to come on line two years later, Ms Berejiklian said.

"This is something that will change the way we use public transport," she told reporters at Neutral Bay on Sydney's north shore.

"It will be an easy system where commuters simply have to tap on and tap off, and it will be like having an e-TAG in your pocket."

The announcement has been a long time coming, with an e-ticketing system first proposed by the former Labor government in 1997, to be in place in time for the 2000 Olympics.

That plan was scrapped and a long-running dispute between the NSW government and the sacked developer of the previous e-card was only settled in February this year.

Ms Berejiklian said the first commuters to have access to the card would be patrons on the Neutral Bay ferry route in a trial of the system from December 7.

She said fares would remain the same during the Neutral Bay trial, while further announcements on charges would be made during the system's roll-out.

The Opal card itself would be free, with public transport users putting money on it in a similar way to the e-TAG for cars, Ms Berejiklian said.

She said a big benefit of the Opal card will be that after eight journeys using it in a given week, all further trips will be free.

She also said there would be a daily travel cap of $15.00 from Monday to Saturday for Opal card customers, with a cap on Sundays of $2.50.

She expected there would be a "few glitches" during the roll-out and said that's why the single card system was being implemented progressively.

Opposition Transport spokeswoman Penny Sharpe said the government was running behind schedule on the project.

Ms Sharpe told reporters the government had initially planned to have the system in place by 2014, but had now pushed it back.

"Passengers will be disappointed at the slow rollout," Ms Sharpe said.

She said commuters should also be worried that the government had not ruled out hiking fares once the Opal card was fully introduced.

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Swimmer missing from Perth beach

POLICE fear a man last seen swimming at Trigg Beach in Perth is missing.

The beach inspector saw the man wave for assistance from the water around 11.30am (WST) on Sunday but he has not been seen since.

Police said it was not known whether the man, believed to be aged between 40 and 60, was now missing or was able to make it to the shore without assistance.

The beach has been cleared to see if there is any unclaimed personal property on the shore.

Surf lifesavers are searching the area with boats and jet skis, while police search with a helicopter.

Police are asking members of the public who know of loved ones who may have been swimming and not returned home to call 131 444.

Surf Life Saving WA said a 1.5 metre hammerhead shark was spotted 300m offshore from South Trigg around 1.50pm (WST).

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