World worst child porn suspect in custody

A MAN described by the FBI as being the largest facilitator of child porn on the planet has been remanded in custody after being refused bail for a second time.

Eric Eoin Marques is wanted in the United States on four charges linked to website images described as being extremely violent, graphic and depicting the rape and torture of pre-pubescent children.

Justice John Edwards, sitting at the High Court in Dublin where extradition proceedings are under way, accepted evidence from the FBI and Irish police that the 28-year-old is a flight risk or likely to destroy evidence if released.

Marques, who has Irish and US citizenship, is wanted in connection with four counts involving the advertising of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, conspiracy to advertise child pornography, and conspiracy to distribute child pornography.

If convicted in the US on all four counts he could be jailed for up to 100 years.

The judge said that despite taking into account that Marques was entitled to the presumption of innocence, was an Irish citizen with a family network around him and was not a fugitive on the run from another country, he could not grant bail even with stringent conditions.

Marques, of Dublin's north inner city, is accused of being the sole administrator of an anonymous hosting server called Freedom Hosting, where the FBI claims thousands of members allegedly posted millions of images of child pornography.

Mr Justice Edwards said the charges were very serious and carried substantial sentences.

He said Marques had already attempted to interfere with evidence when gardai went to arrest him by "making a dive" for his computer to try to turn it off.

Investigators also claimed that after he was initially questioned by gardai, Marques managed to get back on the Freedom Hosting server - which had been taken over by the FBI - and change the passwords.

Elsewhere, the judge raised concerns over the creation of a false identity online and a scan of a US passport that had been found.

He said the factors against bail outweighed the factors for bail.

Dressed in a grey hoodie and jeans, Marques listened intently as the judge delivered his 50-minute ruling a day after he heard the bail application brought by defence barrister Remy Farrell.

The judge said there had been no major change in the circumstances of his case since another judge refused bail on similar grounds the day after his arrest on August 1.

Marques was remanded in custody until October 22 when the case will be mentioned again, and nodded to family members in the court as he was led away.

FBI special agent Brooke Donahue was on Thursday asked by Patrick McGrath, barrister for the Attorney General of Ireland, if the bureau still believed Marques was the largest facilitator of child porn on the planet.

"Yes, that is still true today," the agent told the court.

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Operation Zombie arrests Argentine hacker

ARGENTINE police say they have arrested a 19-year-old alleged hacker on suspicion of leading a network specialised in fraud and complex financial transactions that led to security breaches at numerous websites.

The youth, whose identity has not been revealed, is the son of an information systems engineer.

He was initially detained at his home in Buenos Aires in July as part of Operation Zombie, which included five raids in the capital and the city of Rosario, about 300km north, the Security Ministry reported Friday.

Experts believe the "super-hacker" diverted about $US50,000 ($A54,290) a month to his bank account, using the "technological cave" he assembled at his home.

Police raiding his Buenos Aires residence seized sophisticated computers and other technological equipment.

Officials identified six more people who were involved in the criminal network.

The police department's Operation Zombie began in 2012, when a businessman who offered hosting services for personal web pages on his servers said that a hacker was remotely entering the servers to intercept monetary transfers.

Former criminal lawyer Graciela Gils Carbo, who is now Argentina's chief prosecutor, ordered the federal police to begin an investigation that uncovered that the same person was stealing from money transfer and online game sites.

"Internet users were victims of a 'malware' virus that the hacker hosted in a server for downloading online gaming applications," said a ministry statement.

To complete the job and avoid alerting victims to an illegal money transfer, the suspected hacker carried out a "denial of service" manoeuvre that used a network of thousands of "zombie" computers to saturate the platform for payments so users could not access their accounts around the time of the attack.

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Leadership contest a civil affair: Shorten

LABOR leadership candidate Bill Shorten is flagging a civil contest with colleague Anthony Albanese for the party's top job.

The outgoing education minister says the most important thing for Labor is to work in unity and "draw a line under the discord of the past".

"We will not seek to publicly disparage each other in our efforts," Mr Shorten told reporters of an agreement he has reached with his opponent ahead of the contest.

Both men on Friday made a pitch for the leader's position, addressing Labor caucus, which in combination with a ballot of rank and file party members, will be responsible for deciding a victor.

Mr Shorten said he has energy and enthusiasm with a history as a "builder and a campaigner", shown during his two terms in parliament and six years as national secretary of the AWU.

But if unsuccessful Mr Shorten said he will happily work with Mr Albanese in whatever role he is given.

"I think Anthony Albanese is a very good (leadership) candidate," Mr Shorten said.

"I believe this ballot should be conducted with a civilness which perhaps hasn't marked all of the Labor party's exchanges.

"Because we have a chance, if we get this right, to demonstrate to Australians that we have already learnt one of the lessons from the last election."

Nominations for the Labor leadership remain open for seven days as candidates enter a 30-day campaign before the member ballot, followed by the caucus vote.

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Independent Vic MP shows interest in PUP

INDEPENDENT Geoff Shaw has been accused of "bidding up his price" to the Victorian government, which relies on his vote, by expressing interest in the Palmer United Party.

The Liberal turned independent, who holds the balance of power in the Victorian coalition-led parliament, has over the past two months shown interest in mining magnate Clive Palmer's party.

"He was interested in the development of the party, we weren't on the scene and here was a new party," Mr Palmer told AAP.

"He never expressed an interest in joining the party."

But opposition scrutiny of government spokesman Martin Pakula accuses Mr Shaw of shoring up his bargaining position with the Victorian coalition.

"Geoff Shaw is simply playing Denis Napthine on a break, bidding up his price, making sure that the premier knows that if he wants to continue to receive the loyal service and vote of Geoff Shaw, he's going to have to pay with Victorian taxpayers' money," Mr Pakula told reporters.

Mr Shaw's office was contacted for comment.

Mr Shaw was grilled by parliament's privileges committee on Thursday after an ombudsman found he misused his taxpayer-funded vehicle to further his business.

The committee can recommend to parliament that Mr Shaw be reprimanded, suspended or removed from parliament.

Labor was critical of the committee meeting for being closed to the public, saying it should have been open for transparency reasons, given most members are from the government, which is reliant on Mr Shaw's vote.

Mr Shaw says he repaid $1250 over the misuse of his taxpayer-funded vehicle as a gesture of goodwill and looks forward to the allegations being finalised.

But Mr Pakula says Mr Shaw acts like he has done Victorians a favour by repaying the money rather than admit he's done wrong.

A separate police investigation into Mr Shaw for misconduct in public office is continuing.

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boy's penis prank may put him on register

A 13-YEAR-OLD boy who took a photo of his genitals and sent it to his school mates could be placed on a sex offenders' register, the South Australian parliament has been told.

Independent MP Bob Such raised the issue on Wednesday and said he believed the boy took the picture in question with a school iPad.

The teenager has since been reported by police for producing and disseminating child exploitation material.

The case showed the current laws, which placed sex offenders on a register and restricted their future work and activities, were flawed, Dr Such said.

He and called on the government to make changes.

The laws were not designed to turn silly 13-year-olds into criminals, he said.

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said the government would look into the issues raised by the case.

"We need to make sure that the mischief that the sexual offenders' register was seeking to address is not diluted in any way," he told reporters on Thursday.

"But also we don't want to label young people for life for some silly prank."

Attorney-General John Rau said at present there were no children on the sex offenders register and the default position for judges in the Youth Court was not to put convicted offenders on the register.

"The judge has to be convinced that their behaviour is so bad that they need to be on the register," Mr Rau said.

"That's completely different to an adult person, they automatically go on the register."

In the case raised by Dr Such, the children concerned would need to first be convicted of an offence, Mr Rau said.

But even then, the chance of a judge ordering their names be placed on the sex offenders' register was "very, very small".

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

SA to change bushfire guidelines

SOUTH Australia will develop stricter guidelines on when bushfire seasons should start and end after an investigation into an Adelaide Hills blaze.

The Cherryville fire was sparked by a burn-off on private property in May last year, after the close of the official bushfire danger season.

It raised concerns over whether the season should have been extended or whether a total fire ban should have been declared on the day.

But Emergency Services Minister Michael O'Brien said on Thursday the investigation into the blaze had found no justification for either an extension of the fire season or the declaration of a total fire ban given the risks posed by the conditions on the day.

However, Mr O'Brien said the investigation did find the processes used to determine when fire seasons should start and finish in various districts were inconsistent across the state.

"The committee has tendered advice to government that this process be improved by using a stringent and documented system of assessment," the minister told state parliament.

Mr O'Brien said this was likely to include greater consideration of the weather outlook and consultation with private landowners.

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Congress honours KKK bombing victims

US House and Senate leaders have awarded Congress' highest civilian honour to four girls killed in the Alabama church bombing nearly 50 years ago that became a watershed moment in the civil rights movement.

The Congressional Gold Medal went to Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, who were all 14, and Denise McNair, who was 11.

The ceremony came five days before the 50th anniversary of their deaths inside the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.

"Their names remain seared in our hearts," said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California.

The girls were killed in the explosion of a bomb planted outside the church by white supremacists.

The attack shocked the nation and helped spur passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Three Ku Klux Klan members were convicted of the bombing years after the attack and sentenced to prison. Two have since died; one remains in prison.

The four victims of the Birmingham bombing are not the only children to be honoured with the medal.

Earlier this year, the Senate approved the measure to posthumously honour the Birmingham girls on a voice vote. The House passed the bill by 420-0.

The legislation specifically recognised how the children's deaths marked a turning point in the years-long fight for equal rights for the nation's African American citizens.

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aussie speared in PNG horror

Tour leader Christina King. In the background is the jungle area where the horror unfolded. (Digitally altered image) Source: Supplied

ONE Australian trekker was speared in a leg and another's arm was slashed in the PNG attack that claimed the lives of two porters.

The trekking group, including eight Australians and a New Zealander, were attacked by bandits on the Black Cat Track in Morobe province in the country's remote and mountainous north on Tuesday.

Two of their porters were slaughtered with machetes and knives.

It is believed one of them was killed in his tent at the camp - indicating the attack was sudden.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has recommended trekkers avoid the Black Cat track. Read the advice on New Guinea here.

PNG police spokesman Dominic Kakas said six men armed with guns, a spear and bush knives struck between 1pm and 2pm.

One gun was homemade while the other was a .303 factory-made rifle.

Mr Kaka said there were no reports anyone was shot.

Bandits have attacked a group of Australian and New Zealand trekkers in PNG, killing two local porters.

"Three of the porters suffered lacerations to their arms and eyes, one was wounded on both legs," he said.

One of the Australians had his left arm slashed, he said.

THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS PLACES

"They all had their passports stolen. One man was speared in the left leg. Another has a head laceration, cuts on left elbow and bruises and cut on his back."

Some walked for hours to seek help and all the injured were later treated at a clinic in Wau, where they spent the night.

Rescue operator Morobe Mining Joint Venture spokesman Stanley Komunt told AAP the 10 surviving porters have been flown to Lae hospital for treatment.

The jungle terrain in which the attack took place.

"We were told one porter had been killed, then found it was two," he said.

"They are all at Lae receiving medical treatment."

Trek leader Christie King, the only woman in the group, led some of the Australians through the bush to find assistance after the attack.

Wau is a three- to four-hour walk from where they were camped, at the Donkey Trail along the Black Cat Trek.

"Some of them did leave to get help, they were led out by the team leader," Mr Kakas said.

He said PNG's Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga condemned the attack.

"All police resources are being utilised," he said.

The old prospecting track is extremely remote.

Local villagers were tracking the attackers now, he said, and about 20 police officers and the Airborne Unit had been sent to the area.

The injured tourists were to drive to Buolo village and on to Port Moresby.

"They have cuts and abrasions and are in shock,"  PNG Trekking boss Mark Hitchcock told News Corp.

"They are taking stock but want to stay together," he said.

Mr Hitchcock said that while he didn't want to speculate on the cause of the attack he confirmed "all the trekkers had everything stolen".

"They had arrived into the village about one o'clock in the afternoon and had set their tents up," Mr Hitchcock said.

Armed bandits attacked an Australian trekking group in the PNG highlands, killing two guides.

"The attack occurred somewhere between three and four o'clock."

"The first village they went back to is quite some distance as well…they were met there at 8 o'clock at night.

"We mobilised assistance from a nearby mining joint venture and they sent medics as well as local porters."

Helicopters have been sent to airlifted the injured porters from the village.

"They all have knife wounds,'' said Morobe Mining Joint Venture spokesman Stanley Komunt, referring to the porters.

"We want to get them out quickly," Mr Hitchock said.

"We are deeply shocked by what happened."

Christina King in a family picture.

Mr Hitchcock said police had sent a helicopter carrying four specialist police officers to the scene of the attack and the trekking group were expected to arrive in Port Moresby this afternoon.

"They're in transit now from Lae to the Bulolo airport. They should be getting in to the hospital between two and three this afternoon.

"They'll be in Port Moresby overnight.

"It's a shock for tourism in New Guinea...the trek is nowhere near the other treks people do in New Guinea.

"The incident is an isolated incident."

Daniel King, husband of trek leader Christie King, said: "Everything's okay, in terms of the group.

"A few of them have cuts and bruises and stitches. We have a plan now to get them out."

The Australian High Commission will meet with the group when they return to Port Moresby.

Elmore Lumpay was the medical officer on duty at the Lae International Hospital when the call came through about the attack.

"We organised a team to go up right away," Mr Lumpay said.

"They told us it was a bad attack.

"There is a surgeon up there as well as a nurse.

"The surgeon called us and said they would be here sometime today with the tourists...they only have minor injuries."

Mr Lumpay said that he had heard the PNG nationals were all still at the site as they were "too injured to be moved".

POSSIBLE MOTIVE

Dr John Garap, who has a medical clinic in Morobe Province, said he suspected local jealousy was behind the attack.

"I suspect (the violence) was probably between the tribes themselves. They were probably arguing over whether they should have taken turns being carriers for the trekkers," he said.

"The road that they were walking on is an old wartime track. It's very mountainous and goes through several villages and I think they (the locals) were arguing that they should have taken turns in assisting the trekkers across the mountain as porters."

The 60-year-old GP, who was educated in Queensland, said the trekking company contacted him after the incident.

"There was an incident last night and a helicopter was going out there to pick them up," he said.

"One of the relatives of the trekking team wanted me to recommend an emergency facility for them.

"I have not treated them but I referred them to the emergency department of the Angau General Hospital in Lae.

"I think they basically just had first aid and then were transferred to Port Moresby on their way to Australia."  

Meanwhile Kokoda Track trekking company operator and NSW Liberal MLC Charlie Lynn said he believed a serious attack was "an inevitability".

"I believe that what has happened on the Black Cat Track is a direct result of the failure of the Australian Government to appreciate that more Australians will want to follow the footsteps of our veterans in PNG," Mr Lynn said. "They have a duty of care to ensure they can do it safely and that the wartime integrity of the places they will visit is protected."

"This is something that was inevitably going to happen.

"They've refused to listen to people who've had experience in PNG."

It is unknown how many bandits were involved.

BLACK CAT TRACK

The Black Cat track is a rough overland track in Morobe Province. It runs from the village of Salamaua on the coast of the Huon Gulf, south into the mountains to the township of Wau, about 220km north of Port Moresby.

The track started out in the 1920s and 30s as a trail for prospectors seeking to get rich on the gold in Wau.

They traveled from the port Salamaua on a treacherous three to four-day hike through leech-infested territory, a trail that has been described by trekking agencies which run walks in the area as "suitable only for masochists and Israeli Paratroopers".

It is an area rarely frequented by tourists.

Mr Hitchock said there had never been any trouble in the past on the trek.

"This has shocked us all," he said.

It was the scene of bitter fighting between Australian and US troops and Japanese forces in 1943. It is regarded as one of the most arduous walks in PNG.

Earlier this year, then home affairs minister Jason Clare and coalition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison walked the track, accompanied by a pair of wounded soldiers.

Violence against foreigners is not unknown in PNG. In April, an Australian man was killed and a woman gang raped by a mob in the Western Highlands.

Robert "Bob" Purdy, 62, from Melbourne, died instantly after being shot at point blank range when a group of up to 10 men confronted him at a house on the outskirts of Mt Hagen.

The men then raped a female guest at the house.

Additional reporting Simon Black and Kristin Shorten

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Voting system ripe for corruption: Palmer

Clive Palmer says his party will block policy agenda in the senate unless there's electoral reform. Source: AAP

MINING magnate Clive Palmer says Australia's voting system is corrupt and UN observers would have declared the federal election unfair.

Mr Palmer says there is a staggering lack of security provisions around the election, claiming unsecured bags of pre-poll ballot papers were left in a building owned by a Liberal National Party member for two weeks.

"There's absolutely no way I will win based on voting irregularities and the security of the ballots," he told AAP on Tuesday.

"If there were UN observers here, this would be regarded as an unfair election."

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) could not confirm where the ballot papers were kept, but said they may be kept in plastic bags, but must be stored in secure rooms before counting.

Mr Palmer said he was disturbed to find out that in the Sunshine Coast seat of Fairfax, which he's contesting, those rooms weren't guarded and LNP members could have accessed them.

"In one instance, bags of unsecured ballots were left for up to two weeks at premises in Nambour owned by a prominent LNP member who had access to the building," he said in a statement.

"Why weren't they secure?

"The AEC needs to publish who owns these buildings and there needs to be tighter security to prevent unattended votes being tampered with."

He says that if he fails to win Fairfax, the two members of his party bound for the Senate will block Tony Abbott's policies unless electoral reform is promised.

"We think it's a corrupt system. Until that's sorted out Abbott won't be getting any legislation through the senate with our support," Mr Palmer said.

Mr Palmer said that electoral officials in Fairfax had constantly misled him during the count.

"The AEC said in writing before the election that pre-polling would be counted before Saturday night, but that never happened," he said.

He said his party's scrutineers weren't told about a recount on Sunday either, and only Labor and Liberal National Party scrutineers were invited.

He also questioned the legitimacy of some votes, which had already been counted.

"A lot have not got AEC signatures on them so who knows what's been added and taken out of that box. They should be informal," Mr Palmer said.

"The Australian electoral system needs major reform to implement more measures to reduce voter fraud like having all voters register with proper identification, doing away with the antiquated pencil and paper system, and properly securing ballots."

The AEC said voters don't need to show identification and AEC divisional officers have control over most aspects of elections, including the count, ballot security and access for scrutineers.

On Tuesday, Mr Palmer was ahead of the LNP's Fairfax candidate Ted O'Brien, 51.8 to 48.2 per cent, after preferences, with counting continuing.

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abbott chief escapes drink driving fine

Tony Abbott's chief-of-staff, Peta Credlin, has escaped a minor drink driving charge without a fine. Source: AAP

PRIME minister-elect Tony Abbott's chief-of-staff has escaped without a fine or driving licence suspension after admitting to low-range drink driving.

Peta Credlin, 42 returned a blood alcohol reading of .075 after being stopped while returning home in Canberra in the early hours of May 17, following Mr Abbott's budget reply speech to federal parliament.

She pleaded guilty and could have faced a fine of $500 plus a two-month driving suspension.

ACT Magistrate Maria Doogan found the charge proved but dismissed it without conviction, and imposed the standard $69 towards court costs.

Outside the court, Ms Credlin said she had admitted doing the wrong thing from the outset.

"I haven't made any excuses," she told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.

"I have fronted the court like anybody else. I did the wrong thing. I made a mistake and I asked for the matter to be dealt with in the usual way and that has been done today."

In court, Ms Credlin's lawyer Ben Aulich cited a personal reference from the likely incoming attorney-general George Brandis.

Senator Brandis wrote she was a person of the utmost professionalism and integrity, respected by both sides of politics and had a deep sense of personal responsibility.

Mr Aulich said there were no aggravating factors in the case and the low reading was not the highest to come before the ACT Magistrates Court.

He further submitted Ms Credlin was a person of good character who had been driving for 21 years, had a clean record, and that no conviction should be recorded.

"This is just a very big mistake by Ms Credlin," he told the court.

"It is not just good character. It is exceptional character."

Mr Aulich said her case had attracted significant media attention, which was itself a punishment.

Ms Credlin, the wife of Liberal Party director Brian Loughnane, said she was heading back to work.

"I accept there is media attention," she told reporters.

"Justice doesn't have to be done, it has to be seen to be done.

"Now that the matter's resolved, you'll understand I have got no further comment to make."

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Coalition ahead in 86 seats: AEC

THE Liberal-National coalition is ahead in 86 seats as counting of votes from Saturday's federal election continues.

Labor is ahead in 57 seats, with the Greens' Adam Bandt holding Melbourne, Bob Katter retaining his seat of Kennedy, and independent Andrew Wilkie returning in Denison.

Preferences have yet to be posted on the Australian Electoral Commission website in four seats: Fairfax, Fisher, Indi and Mallee.

Among the seats listed as close is the NSW seat of Barton, with Labor candidate Steve McMahon 62 votes ahead of the Liberals' Nic Varvaris.

In Eden-Monaro, former minister Mike Kelly is 634 votes behind Liberal candidate Peter Hendy.

Labor MP John Murphy is trailing Liberal challenger Craig Laundy by 619 votes in the NSW seat of Reid.

In Victoria, Labor MP Rob Mitchell is 72 votes ahead of the Liberals' Donna Petrovich in McEwen.

Two Queensland seats are also close.

Labor candidate Peter Freeleagus is 141 votes ahead of the Liberal National Party's Michelle Landry in Capricornia.

Former parliamentary secretary Yvette D'Ath is 600 votes behind the LNP's Luke Howarth in Petrie.

Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella is 359 votes in front of independent rival Cathy McGowan in results posted for the Victorian seat of Indi on the AEC website on Monday afternoon.

The Nationals' Andrew Broad is 301 votes ahead of Liberal Chris Crewther in the Victorian rural seat of Mallee.

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Finance data show housing market improving

The number of home loans approved rose for the seventh month in a row, official figures show. Source: AAP

HOME loans approvals have risen for the seventh month in a row, and the housing sector is expected to strengthen further in the coming months.

The number of home loans approved in July rose 2.4 per cent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said, which was better than the market forecast of a 2.0 per cent rise.

CommSec chief economist Craig James said he expects the housing market to make more gains as consumer and business confidence improves now that the federal election is out of the way.

"What we would hope that, in a more settled environment, people will start spending, investing and hiring," he said.

"Of all the sectors in the economy, clearly one of the healthiest is housing.

"Housing is best placed to take over the leadership role from mining as the nation's key economic driver.

Loans made for the purchase of new dwellings rose 5.9 per cent in the month but loans for the construction of dwellings fell 2.1 per cent.

"While construction loans fell, it was only the first fall recorded in eight months," Mr James said.

"Low interest rates and the skewing of state government grants to new building should continue to support the outlook for building material stocks and developers.

"Certainly we should have construction rising at a faster rate than established dwellings, so we don't get caught with unsustainable growth."

Mr James said the data and continued signs of strength in the housing sector will ensure that the Reserve Bank will hold off on another interest rate cut until 2014.

Total housing finance by value rose 1.1 per cent in July, seasonally adjusted, to $24.180 billion.

JP Morgan economist Ben Jarman said that although the figures came in stronger than expected, the rise was being driven by investors rather than first-home buyers, who typically take out bigger loans.

"Average loan sizes are falling," Mr Jarman said.

"At the same time, what you're getting is activity that is tilted more towards the investor and less toward the first-home buyer, so you're not getting that uplift in overall credit growth that you get when first-home buyers come into the market.

"It seems like there's a lot of turnover happening in housing but not enough homes being built and not enough credit growth to make it genuinely stimulatory.

"Without that piece of the puzzle moving we don't think this will really change the path of the real economy."

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mirabella fighting for political life

THE electoral plight of noted parliamentary pugilist Sophie Mirabella is promoting ghoulish intrigue among her political colleagues.

For her sworn opponents in the Labor Party with whom she has grappled so vigorously during her 12 years in parliament, the notion of Mrs Mirabella fighting for her political life draws undisguised pleasure.

From the National Party that directed its preferences to her independent opponent Cathy McGowan, there came thinly-veiled satisfaction.

And even from Liberal Party colleagues who didn't need her to secure their victory, it prompted treasonous mutterings.

The stoush between Mrs Mirabella and her independent rival for the electorate of Indi proved one of the most intriguing battles of the election.

In a seat she had occupied since 2001, Mrs Mirabella has seen the 61 per cent two-party preferred margin she inherited shrink to the point that she could become a rare commodity in this election - a Coalition casualty.

Mrs Mirabella accepts she has the capacity to polarise. She puts it down to a forthright and passionate parliamentary style.

Others prefer caustic, cutting or worse.

It was her parliamentary style that prompted the totally unacceptable slur from similarly strident Labor MP Belinda Neal to a pregnant Mrs Mirabella: "Your baby will be turned into a demon by evil thoughts."

The less-than-savoury incident was one of the few in her parliamentary career in which Mrs Mirabella has been beaten to the punch.

From a savaging of Malcolm Fraser in which she likened him to a "frothing-at-the-mouth leftie" to her expulsion from parliament on the eve of a crucial vote on the carbon tax, Mrs Mirabella has regularly been close to controversy.

The incident that probably alienated most, however, was her deliberate absence from the parliament in February 2008 when Kevin Rudd read his motion apologising to Aboriginal people for the removal of indigenous children.

Mrs Mirabella maintained there was no evidence that any children were "truly stolen" and no formal policy of removal ever existed in Victoria. On the second count at least, she was blatantly wrong.

A tempestuous period in her private life also resulted in the children of a one-time partner threatening court action over her handling of his affairs before his death and his estate afterwards.

But Mrs Mirabella is also one of the opposition's most energetic performers and her profile in her north-east Victorian electorate is undeniably high.

A staunch ally of incoming prime minister Tony Abbott and also a supporter, although less staunch, of Malcolm Turnbull before him, Mrs Mirabella's first political experience came as president of the Melbourne University Liberal Club.

After entering federal parliament in 2001 Mrs Mirabella got her first elevation in the Liberal Party following Mr Turnbull's ousting of Brendan Nelson as opposition leader in 2008, becoming opposition spokeswoman on early childhood education, childcare, women and youth.

She duly supported Tony Abbott in his move against Mr Turnbull and was rewarded with a place in the shadow cabinet as spokeswoman for innovation, industry, science and research.

It is a portfolio she will hold for at least another few days.

Mrs Mirabella went into the election with a notional nine per cent advantage over Ms McGowan who a week ago correctly tipped the result in Indi would take days to be decided.

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australia again open for business: Robb

Liberal front bencher Andrew Robb believes the new government will "reboot" the mining boom. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S new government has promised to "massively" grow jobs by restoring investment confidence through the ditching of two major imposts impacting business.

Business groups were quick to congratulate prime minister-elect Tony Abbott and welcome the ascension of his Liberal-National coalition government, which is traditionally seen as more pro-business.

Senior Liberal Andrew Robb, who was finance spokesman in opposition, said the last six years was marked by a dysfunctional government riddled with waste.

"We can get Australia open for business, we will restore an appetite for risk and investment (and) people's jobs will grow massively," Mr Robb told ABC television on Sunday.

Bill Shorten, who was a minister in the defeated Labor government, defended his party's economic credentials but conceded division within it ranks gave the coalition an advantage in the political debate.

"When I hear the Liberals say that somehow Australia has been in a never never land for the last number of years, the facts contradict that," he told ABC television.

Mr Shorten, who is seen as a contender to lead Labor in opposition, points to an economy that is still growing at 2.6 per cent, has low inflation and a stock market that is above 5000-mark that is helping to generate double-digit returns for superannuation accounts.

"We will not allow the conservatives to steal the last five years and pretend it didn't happen," Mr Shorten aid.

But Mr Robb says the coalition government will "reboot" the mining boom that was finished under Labor by scrapping the carbon tax and the minerals resource rent tax (MRRT).

Minerals Council of Australia CEO Mitch Hooke agreed ditching the impost taxes would be a positive first step for an industry where its international competitors face no such comparable imposts.

"The carbon tax has been a dead-weight on the economy that has failed to achieve its environmental objective while adding massive new costs on the minerals sector," he said.

"Repeal of the MRRT will make a material difference to industry confidence."

Mr Abbott is likely to face a hostile Senate trying to get his agenda through.

While the make-up of the upper house yet to be decided, Business Council of Australia (BCA) president Tony Shepherd says the new government has been given a clear mandate that should be respected by the parliament.

"It's time to stop politicking," Mr Shepherd said in a statement for the group that represents the nation's top 100 CEOs.

The Australian Institute of Company Directors CEO John Colvin said the new government should move decisively in its first term to reduce unnecessary regulation and red tape, which is "strangling business and stifling investment and job creation".

Australian Industry Group Chief Executive Innes Willox said the election outcome has the potential to deliver a much-needed period of political stability and certainty and lay the groundwork for strong gains in productivity and competitiveness.

13.39 | 0 komentar | Read More