Qld A-G had private dinner with Carmody

Queensland's controversial next chief justice had a private dinner with the state attorney-general. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND'S attorney-general had a private dinner at an upmarket Brisbane restaurant with Tim Carmody a week before he officially took over as chief magistrate.

MR Carmody, who this week was controversially appointed as the state's next chief justice, is being criticised for being too close to the government.

He was announced as Queensland's new chief magistrate on September 5 last year, and four days later he had a private dinner with Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie at Urbane Restaurant, documents obtained by AAP show.The personal dinner between Mr Bleijie and Mr Carmody between 7pm and 8.30pm on September 9, which took place a week before he officially took over as chief magistrate, does not feature on the public diary of ministerial meetings.But Mr Bleijie told AAP through a spokesman that personal diary events were usually exempt from public reporting rules, adding the dinner with Mr Carmody was social."I do see various members of the judiciary socially from time to time," he said."That particular dinner was a congratulatory catch-up following his honour's appointment as chief magistrate."Premier Campbell Newman announced in November 2012 a policy whereby he and his cabinet would publicly release their diaries every month.Meanwhile, former solicitor-general Walter Sofronoff QC said Mr Carmody needed to reconsider his Supreme Court chief justice appointment."He shouldn't be chief justice. He should do the gracious thing and realise that all of this has been a horrible mistake and say that he wouldn't accept the appointment," he told ABC television."Judge Carmody is somebody who has, by his own actions, identified himself too closely with the government."As chief magistrate in late 2013, he angered the legal profession by issuing a directive that only he would deal with disputed bail applications made by alleged bikies.Mr Bleijie resisted calls at the time for Mr Carmody to step down as chief magistrate, while the Queensland Law Society and civil libertarians slammed Queensland's anti-bikie laws.The attorney-general's spokesman clarified that Mr Carmody's directive last year stipulated that bikie bail matters be heard in one court room.

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Abbott lays wreath at war cemetery

Prime Minister Tony Abbott (C) has laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, as his government drops the idea of creating a national war cemetery in Canberra to commemorate the Anzac centenary in 2015.

THE tomb is in the Arlington National Cemetery.

Mr Abbott on Friday viewed the elaborate changing of the Army soldier guard ceremony at the tomb, before laying the wreath."It's fitting that I should lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier here," Mr Abbott told reporters."I should pay tribute to the Americans who have fought for their country because many of them have been fighting for our country."He said Americans, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders and Britons had all made sacrifices over the past century.The cemetery is the final resting place of more than 400,000 active-duty service members, veterans and their families.Mr Abbott raised the idea of creating a similar cemetery in Australia in 2013 at Legacy's national conference in Brisbane, describing it as "Australians' Arlington".The concept would involve interring significant ex-soldiers.But it is understood the concept has now been ditched after feedback from the veterans' community.The prime minister, who will host the G20 summit in November, also on Friday discussed financial and economic issues with US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen.Mr Abbott will receive a military welcome when he visits the Pentagon for talks with Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey.He will then head to Houston, where he will deliver a speech to the Asia Society. Liquefied natural gas is also likely to be discussed during Mr Abbott's visit, with the biggest project occupying the minds of LNG industry figures being the Panama Canal expansion.It will allow massive Post-Panamax ships to take American LNG to the booming markets of Asia to compete against the Australian product.

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Qld legal head quits over chief judge row

QUEENSLAND'S Bar Association president has resigned over the appointment of Chief Magistrate Tim Carmody to chief justice.

PETER Davis sent a resignation letter on Friday to members citing concerns about the process that resulted in Mr Carmody's appointment.

Mr Davis criticised the leaking of confidential discussions between him, Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie and one of Mr Bleijie's senior staff about Mr Carmody's possible selection.He also said the president of the Bar Association ought to be involved in the process of appointing judges and he had "no faith in the integrity of the process".

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Sam Ibrahim jailed over death threats

FORMER Nomads bikie boss Hassan "Sam" Ibrahim has been sentenced to at least 16 months in prison for making death threats to a businessman and for intimidating NSW police officers.

THE older brother of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim was charged after he made a number of threats over the phone to a businessman after a lucrative drilling and mining deal went sour in March last year.

While he was on bail for that matter, the former bikie boss was also charged with threatening to break two police officers' jaws after they pulled his son over outside a rival bikie clubhouse.At Parramatta Local Court on Friday, Magistrate Georgia Knight sentenced him to a maximum of two years for two counts of using a carriage service to threaten to kill and for one count of intimidating a police officer.The 45-year-old is eligible for parole in October next year.It is understood he plans to appeal the sentence.

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Sydney girlfriend stomper jailed

A SYDNEY man who stomped on his girlfriend's head and attacked her with a pot plant has been sentenced to at least five years in prison.

TRENT Wainwright, 32, from Mortdale in southern Sydney, was handed a maximum sentence of eight years and one month at Downing Centre District Court on Thursday.

Wainwright had pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent for throwing his girlfriend onto a concrete driveway and stomping repeatedly on her head during a domestic dispute on January 16, 2010.The then 27-year-old then threw a terracotta pot at her.The 19-year-old was left with fractured jaw bone and eye sockets, loose teeth and lacerations to her face.MORE TO COME

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EX-SA treasurer returns to opposition role

FORMER South Australian treasurer Rob Lucas and five new faces, including an ex-TV sport presenter, are part of the Liberal's expanded and revamped shadow cabinet.

MR Lucas, a veteran member of the upper house, will become opposition treasury spokesman, just a week before new Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis delivers his first budget.

The reshuffle by Opposition Leader Steven Marshall was prompted by the defection of Martin Hamilton-Smith to a government ministry and the upcoming retirement of former treasury spokesman Iain Evans."My renewed shadow cabinet strikes a balance between experience and regeneration," Mr Marshall said on Thursday as he expanded his frontbench from 12 to 14 to match the number of ministers.Mr Lucas, state treasurer between 1997 and 2002, said he was committed to serving a full eight-year term.He told reporters he hoped to be judged on the basis of merit."I've had experience of a bit over four years of being state treasurer and probably close to a decade shadowing treasurers or finance minister."If the Liberals won the 2018 election, Mr Lucas would be the only member to have experience in government.Mr Marshall will take on treasury in the lower house.Former Network Ten sport presenter and parliamentary newcomer Corey Wingard will take on transport and road safety.The opposition has been critical of the transport portfolio going to another newcomer, Labor's Stephen Mullighan, who they describe as an "L-plate minister".But Mr Marshall said being a shadow minister came nowhere near the amount of responsibility faced by Mr Mullighan.Rachel Sanderson will become the third woman in the frontbench and her responsibilities will include higher education and families and child protection.The other new faces are John Gardner, who takes on police, correctional services and justice; regional MP Tim Whetstone, with investment and trade, recreation and sport, and racing; and Peter Treloar will became shadow cabinet secretary.Deputy Liberal leader Vickie Chapman will shadow the attorney-general, while Stephen Wade will take on health."This is an important time for renewal within the state Liberal team and I'm looking forward to the contributions they will each make over the coming years," Mr Marshall said.

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Harbour crossing may start in three years

Labor is ramping up its attacks on NSW's planned power sale, branding the premier's proposals a con. Source: AAP

WORK on Sydney's second harbour rail crossing could start in two or three years if the NSW government wins the next election.

But the government has stopped short of saying how much the Sydney Rapid Transit project will cost.

Premier Mike Baird says he is confident $20 billion raised from selling off the state's electricity network poles and wires will be enough to contribute to the rail extension and other infrastructure across NSW.

"The difference between this plan and previous plans is we have announced the funding to go with it," he said of the rail project on Wednesday.

Forty nine per cent of the state's poles and wires will be sold on 99-year leases under a policy approved by Liberal and Nationals MPs following heated party room meetings on Tuesday.

The coalition will take the sale to the March 2015 election and if it wins approval, Mr Baird said he anticipates the transaction being completed by the end of 2016.

A second harbour rail crossing would be created with proceeds from the sale, extending the North West Rail Link through the CBD and on to Bankstown.

There will be new stations in the CBD, including at Pitt Street, and the government is also looking at a station at Barangaroo.

Mr Baird said the cost of the rail project was close to being finalised, with some money also drawn from government transport funds.

"We will also be inviting the private sector to participate, just as they are in the North West Rail Link," the Premier told reporters at Bankstown train station.

Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said before the asset sale announcement, the rail extension would not have been able to go ahead until the North West Rail Link project was finished.

"Because of yesterday's announcement and if we get a mandate at the next election I am hoping we are able to start construction on the next two to three years on this project," she said.

Meanwhile, the NSW opposition is ramping up its attacks on the state's planned power sell-off and accused Premier Mike Baird of trying to "con" the public.

"Mike Baird has simply put forward an infrastructure mirage that will come at the cost of every family across NSW through their electricity bills," opposition leader John Robertson added.

The mud slinging continued with Treasurer Andrew Constance calling Mr Robertson fiscally illiterate and accusing him of deliberately seeking to confuse debate.

He pointed to an Ernst & Young report commissioned by the NSW treasury department showing network costs had declined in states where power was privatised.

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Post-budget confidence slump still lingers

AUSTRALIANS are having a tough time swallowing Joe Hockey's budget medicine, and it doesn't look like they'll acquire the taste for it anytime soon.

Two separate surveys show that consumer confidence remains in the doldrums, with households worrying about the impact of the May budget's spending cuts on their finances.

Despite the government's repeated attempts to convince people of the need for widespread cuts, consumers aren't happy about them.

"The consumer response to the federal budget is quite clear - they don't like it and confidence around family finances has fallen as a result," Commonwealth Bank economist Gareth Aird said.

The monthly Westpac-Melbourne Institute Index of Consumer Sentiment rose by just 0.2 per cent in June, but remains stuck around two-year lows.

The index plunged seven per cent in May after the budget.

Meanwhile, the latest ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index was steady for a second week, but it too is down 14 points from mid-April.

Mr Aird said if it wasn't for the harsh budget measures, the small fall in the unemployment rate at the beginning of 2014 would normally have lifted consumer sentiment.

With consumers feeling gloomy, retailers are braced for a drop in sales.

The dive in consumer confidence combined with the warmer-than-usual autumn temperatures could spell trouble for those selling clothes and household goods.

Discount chain The Reject Shop and the company behind Bonds clothing, Pacific Brands, issued profit warnings this week, largely blaming the budget and warm weather for hurting sales.

The Westpac index revealed the number of people feeling positive about their family finances fell 5.4 per cent in June.

And while there was a five per cent rise in how many felt upbeat about their household finances in the year ahead, the result was off a 23 per cent slump in May and was the second lowest reading since Australia's last recession in 1991.

One thing people did feel good about was buying property, with the result bouncing back from substantial declines in the previous three months.

Westpac senior economist Matthew Hassan said the responses about the time to buy were more about market conditions rather than actual purchase intentions.

"Whether interest rates are low or affordability is good or bad and what expectations they have about price gains," he said.

"You can have positive assessments on the time to buy that don't necessarily translate in a pickup in activity if people are worried about their finances or job losses."

Mr Hassan said it could take a while for consumers to recover from their current gloom.

Initial responses to a budget can sometimes be an overreaction, one which reverses in following months, he said.

In the meantime, many economists believe there is little chance of the Reserve Bank lifting interest rates this year.

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Budgets weigh on WA consumer confidence

A FALL in consumer confidence in Western Australia is further evidence that federal and state budgets have hit taxpayer sentiment hard, member for Perth Alannah MacTiernan says.

The latest WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Curtin Business School survey of consumer confidence shows sentiment remains at record lows.

Almost 90 per cent of respondents said they expected the economy would remain the same or deteriorate over the next three months.

While high living costs was the most significant issue on 53 per cent of consumers' minds, 49 per cent of respondents rated the political environment as a major concern, up from 40 per cent in March.

Ms MacTiernan pounced on the figures, saying the survey was taken at a time where pre-budget speculation dominated, so consumer confidence might have fallen even lower, given households would have since digested the numbers.

"The Abbott government promised to 'turbo charge' consumer confidence and what we have seen in the lead up and with the May budget is the exact reverse, with the treasurer making it clear that the budget was about hitting household consumption," Ms MacTiernan said.

"That inevitably meant pensioners, students and families relying on basic services and payments to get ahead would suffer."

In the state budget, which was handed down five days before the federal budget, WA households were slugged on average an extra $324.18 a year for electricity, water, public transport and car registration.

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Vic teen 'forced into sex work': police

A 17-YEAR-OLD girl may have been forced into sex work for three months, Victorian police say.

A 33-year-old Warrnambool North man was arrested over the claims, but was released pending further inquiries.

He was interviewed on Monday over charges of procuring and inducing a child to take part in sex work, allowing a child to take part in sex work and living on the earnings of a sex worker.

Police on Tuesday said they had reports a girl had been forced into sex work, and appealed for anyone else in the same situation to come forward.

Detectives want to speak to anyone who has information about the girl or illegal sex work in Victoria's southwest.

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Global rally helps NZX edge higher

NEW Zealand stocks edged higher in a global rally as data showed signs of economic growth.

The NZX 50 Index rose 4.912 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 5187.349. Within the index, 25 stocks gained, among them NZ Oil & Gas, Nuplex, Pacific Edge and A2 Milk Company, while 11 fell and 14 were unchanged. Turnover was $112 million.

The rise follows benchmark indexes closing at a record high on Wall Street on Friday as US unemployment remained steady at 6.3 per cent and the country added more than 200,000 workers for the fourth straight month. Stocks across Asia were also boosted.

NZ Oil & Gas rose 2.5 per cent to 81.5 cents, leading the market higher. Pacific Edge gained 2.4 per cent to 86 cents. Nuplex, the specialty chemical maker, rose 1.5 per cent to $3.36 and A2 Milk advanced 1.3 per cent to 78 cents.

A Reuters' survey of economists showed 16 of 17 predicting central bank governor Graeme Wheeler will lift the OCR by a quarter point to 3.25 per cent on Thursday.

The governor's commentary surrounding the pace of future hikes will be studied closely as inflation has accelerated at a lower-than-expected 0.3 per cent in the first quarter, while there are signs heat in the housing market is dissipating.

"It's really a double edged sword because interest rates going up is showing there is good growth in the economy, therefore companies' earnings should be improving," Hamilton Hindin Greene director Grant Williamson said.

"But on the other side investors will start to favour leaving money in the banks, rather than put it into the share market because the banks are offering better rates to them.

Fletcher Building, New Zealand's largest listed company, slipped 0.4 per cent to $9.15. Xero, the cloud-based accounting software firm, rose 0.03 per cent to a near two-month low at $29.42.

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Vic Labor to stall legislation over Shaw

VICTORIA'S parliament is set for a showdown, with Labor insisting independent MP Geoff Shaw be dealt with before any legislation is examined.

Labor is calling for the balance of power MP to be expelled for contempt of parliament and wants the lower house to debate the issue as soon as parliament is recalled on Tuesday.

Shadow Treasurer Tim Pallas said it was the most important issue facing the house.

"When a member is the subject of a contempt consideration, that matter should be resolved as quickly as possible," he told reporters on Sunday.

A parliamentary privileges committee last month found Mr Shaw breached the MP code of conduct by misusing his parliamentary car for his private hardware business.

The committee, which was dominated by government members, recommended Mr Shaw repay the money but face no further sanction.

Premier Denis Napthine has since fallen out with Mr Shaw, after the former Liberal MP declared he no longer had confidence in the government.

Dr Napthine responded by accusing Mr Shaw of making demands for a judicial appointment.

The government now says it is carefully considering legal advice about the parliament's powers to expel an elected member.

Labor says it has obtained advice from constitutional expert George Williams saying the state parliament could do precisely that.

"There is no doubt that a properly structured resolution to either expel or suspend Mr Shaw can be put," Mr Pallas said.

Mr Pallas said Mr Shaw had blackened the name of all politicians.

He said any other Victorian would expect to lose their job if they had been found to have misused a work credit card.

Treasurer Michael O'Brien last week said passing the budget was a "million times more important" than Mr Shaw.

Mr Pallas said Labor would pass the budget, and that it could be dealt with before the end of the sitting week.

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