Bali victims remembered 11 years on

The 88 Australians who died in the first Bali bombings 11 years ago have been remembered in Sydney. Source: AAP

LITTLE children clambered around the Bali bombing memorial in Sydney on Saturday, knocking the flowers laid by the friends and family of those killed.

One boy asked his new playmate, "Which one is yours?"

And she, a girl no older than seven, pointed to one of the names of the dead and said "He was my uncle".

They were not yet born when the bombs exploded at Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club on October 12, 2002, but they have grown up in the shadow of the attacks.

Eighty-eight Australians were among the 202 people killed in the attacks on Bali's tourist hub Kuta, and 43 of the dead were from NSW alone.

"The Bali bombing was our September 11," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a message read out to the hundreds who gathered at Coogee to mark the 11th anniversary of the blasts.

Randwick mayor Scott Nash said 20 of the dead came from Sydney's eastern suburbs, from Bondi to Malabar, and few locals had not been touched in some way by the attacks.

"The beautiful people that we lost were sons, mothers, fathers, daughters and friends," he said.

"Tough times often bring out the very best in humanity and we can see that today, as we see it each year."

Waves crashed and tourists frolicked on the beach below as mourners gathered at the Dolphins Point headland observed a moment's silence.

Among them was Kristie McKeon, who was just 12 when her mother, big sister and several family friends were killed in the bombings.

She and her father were injured but escaped with their lives.

"It was our last night in Bali," the 23-year-old recalled.

"I remember the bomb going off, being on the floor and trapped under the roof, escaping in panic through a hole and then reaching the back wall and being hoisted over as the fire grew."

The graphic designer said she had been forced to grow up without the two most important women in her life to guide her.

They will not be here to watch her marry next year.

"Family is something I lost, but something I look forward to finding again," she said.

"My only wish is that my mum and sister were here to be a part of it.

"I will never forget.

"I will always remember."

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ALP leadership contest drawing to a close

Mark Latham believes Anthony Albanese (pic) will emerge the victor of the Labor leadership contest. Source: AAP

LABOR has called it historic, democratic and energising, but in less than a day the month-long leadership contest between Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten will be just one thing - over.

Both the party caucus and rank-and-file members have cast their vote for the next parliamentary leader, with ballots now closed and counting underway before Sunday's announcement.

ALP members and supporters will be the first to know the result when party headquarters sends out an email at about 2pm.

Under reforms introduced by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, caucus and members are given a 50-50 say in determining who will lead the fight against the Abbott government from opposition.

Mr Shorten is believed to have won the caucus vote and is "quietly confident" grassroots members will back him, while Mr Albanese will be hoping his popularity among the rank-and-file gets him over the line.

After a month of friendly debates and largely similar campaigns, both potential leaders laid low on Saturday ahead of learning their fate.

But former Labor leader Mark Latham had no qualms offering his tips, saying he believed Mr Albanese would prevail.

"I voted for Bill Shorten in the ballot and I'm hopeful he might win tomorrow, but on the balance, probably Anthony Albanese will get the job," he told the Seven Network on Saturday.

"The important thing is for Labor to get behind one leader who will be there at the next election."

Sunday's victor will be the party's seventh leader in four years, but it's hoped the new leadership process will stabilise Labor and end the revolving door of leadership.

Mr Latham said the process was designed to put the "sub-factional warlords" who control Labor's caucus out of business.

Shadow parliamentary secretary Matt Thistlethwaite, who backed Mr Shorten, said the caucus vote had been genuinely open and free of factional interference.

He didn't know who would emerge the victor, but said that was the "great beauty" of the new-look process.

"What we now can say is the Labor Party has a much more democratic, transparent and accountable system for electing our leader," he told Sky News on Saturday.

"I think overall it's been a win for the Labor Party."

About 30,000 of the party's 43,000 members are believed to have voted under the new rules, which senior Labor figures credit with renewed interest in the party in the wake of their election defeat.

ALP president Jenny McAllister said the leadership contest had been "incredibly energising".

"In the process we've also had about 4500 people make inquiries about how to join," she told the Seven network.

"People like to see us talking in positive ways about what we could contribute to the Australian public rather than tearing ourselves apart."

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Sydney transport passes fleet review test

The warships in Sydney for the International Fleet Review will leave Sydney Harbour on Friday. Source: AAP

AS Sydney farewells visiting naval ships, the harbour city's transport workers are being hailed for their performance in one of the biggest events the city has seen.

There were 2.3 million journeys on Sydney public transport during the October long weekend, NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said.

More than 5000 extra services were provided, as road closures and clearways required people to leave cars at home.

The Fleet Review coincided with a number of major events including the NRL Grand Final and a One Direction concert.

"Behind the scenes there was tremendous work by a number of hardworking teams making sure Sydneysiders and visitors could move around seamlessly," Ms Berejiklian said.

The Fleet Review also made for a busy period for the Australian National Maritime Museum, with more than 85,000 visitors over the nine-day celebration.

Sydney Harbour hosted 16 tall ships, about 40 Australian and international warships, aircraft displays, and of course, Prince Harry, during the commemorations to mark 100 years since the Royal Australian Navy fleet entered the harbour.

The warships - from afar as Nigeria, India and the United Kingdom - left the harbour on Friday morning.

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Asylum seekers get message: Morrison

A FEDERAL government decision to deny asylum seeker boat arrivals any right to settle in Australia is working to deter people from making the journey, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says.

Mr Morrison this week visited a government detention centre on the Pacific Island of Nauru, where he held talks with officials and inspected building work and delivered a direct message to detainees.

He told them people smugglers had ripped them off and that under the new coalition regime they would not be coming to Australia.

"I was pleased to learn while I was there that there are around 30 people who are already now in the process of looking to go back to where they come from," Mr Morrison told reporters in Sydney.

"Offshore processing, you know, is working when people decide to go home."

In the week since October 4, only one asylum seeker boat had arrived in Australian waters.

Operation Sovereign Borders Acting Commander, Air Marshal Mark Binskin, said the boat was intercepted on Thursday off the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

The number of people on board the boat, which likely came from Sri Lanka, was not released because they were still being processed at Christmas Island.

"But I do want to emphasise that the people who came to Australia on board this boat by now already understand that they will not be settled in Australia," Air Marshal Binskin said on Friday.

For the October 4-11 reporting period, a total of 111 people were transferred to the offshore processing centres on Nauru.

Since the new government's Operation Sovereign Borders began three weeks ago, a total of 215 arrivals have been transferred to the centres, including Papua New Guinea's Manus Island.

As of Friday, there were 1059 detainees on Manus, 800 on Nauru and 2176 on Christmas Island.

The government also emphasised further moves to tackle people smuggling.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Tony Negus said there had been 17 "disruption" operations in Indonesia in the past three weeks, result in the arrest of five crewmen and three facilitators.

It's estimated this has stopped more than 550 people from getting on rickety boats to Australia.

Meanwhile, the High Court handed the government a victory by upholding the validity of mandatory prison terms for convicted people smugglers.

The case, brought by an Indonesian crew member from a boat which transported 52 asylum seekers to Australia in 2010, was seen as a test case for mandatory sentencing.

Aged 19 and described as a simple fisherman recruited just to steer the vessel, crewman Bonan Darius Magaming was jailed for five years with a non-parole period of three years under mandatory sentencing laws.

"If people seek to break those laws than they can expect to suffer the consequences of those penalties," Mr Morrison said.

Human Rights Law Centre spokesman Daniel Webb said international human rights law required that the punishment fit the crime.

"Mandatory minimum sentences for young cooks and deckhands from impoverished fishing villages won't stop people smuggling. These kids are not the ringleaders," he said.

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WA trio face $6m property fraud charge

Three men will face a WA court over an alleged property fraud worth $6.3m. Source: Supplied

THREE men are facing court over a property fraud in Western Australia which is alleged to have netted them more than $6 million.

The Major Fraud Squad said today it had charged the men - a 70 year-old from York, a 43 year-old from South Perth and a 45 year-old from York - with fraud.

They are all due to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court later this month.

Police will allege the men profited unlawfully from the sale of six rural properties worth more than $17 million from 2008 to 2011, located in the state's Mid West Region.

The men are accused of buying the properties on behalf of international vendors but misrepresenting the price offered and siphoning off the excess into various shelf accounts, police say.

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Tassie judo club wants Putin as patron

A JUDO club in Tasmania has written to the Kremlin to ask Vladimir Putin to be its patron.

The Ulverstone Judo Club, in the state's north, says President Putin's prowess in the sport and no-nonsense approach make him the perfect candidate.

"I often say (at the club), look, Vladimir Putin doesn't put up with crap like this," head coach Chris Palmer told AAP.

"He's got plenty of backbone, he makes a decision and away he goes."

Mr Palmer said members of the club came up with the idea when they spotted the Russian president at the world championships in Rio last month.

They wrote to him this week and are hopeful of receiving a reply.

"We've gone to the Kremlin now," Mr Palmer said.

"If we don't do any good with getting a reply ... I'll shoot it back through the European judo.

"We might be able to get something that way."

President Putin began judo as a teenager and holds a sixth 'dan' red and white belt.

He has been the president of his boyhood club in St Petersburg and co-authored a book on the sport.

Mr Palmer, who earned his fifth 'dan' black belt last weekend, said the president's appearances practising judo on TV showed he had a sound knowledge of the sport.

"You can tell straight away that he has done a bit," he said.

"We have kids one night a week, some might do two.

"In Russia you're four nights a week or bugger off."

Mr Palmer said while he admired President Putin's lack of political correctness, he didn't agree with some of his more controversial policies.

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Pair charged over Sydney home invasion

A MAN and woman who allegedly broke into a Sydney man's house, tied him to chair, cut him with a knife and robbed him have been charged.

They allegedly demanded money before ransacking the house at Oatley in Sydney's south and making off with a laptop, mobile phone, bank cards and fishing rods.

The victim, 34, was able to alert a neighbour, who cut him free, police say.

He was treated at St George Hospital and received stitches to cuts on his face and neck.

A 23-year-old woman and a 49-year-old man were arrested at Arncliffe on Wednesday and charged with aggravated break and enter and attempting to obtain financial advantage by deception.

Police say a further arrest and charges are expected.

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Small firms listened to on regulation

SMALL business believes it is finally being listened to with a Productivity Commission report making recommendations to ease the regulatory burden on the sector.

The commission says regulators must make more effort to understand how regulation impacts small business because it feels the burden of regulation more than larger businesses.

A lack of staff, time and resources means small business don't always understand and fulfil their compliance obligations.

"A regulator's culture and attitude towards business can be as important as the content of the regulation itself," Commissioner Warren Mundy said in a statement on Wednesday.

"There is still significant scope for improvement in the way regulators engage with small business."

Council of Small Business Australia (COSBA) executive director Peter Strong described it as a landmark report that sets up a template for regulators to better work with small business.

He said small business people are tired of rhetoric about the importance of small business people, because it has rarely been matched by outcomes.

"This report is a positive and constructive response that shows we have been heard," Mr Strong said in a statement.

"The message from this report is loud and clear - stop and consider the impact of regulation on the small business person, their business and their capacity to continue in business."

The report proposes a suite of changes which need to be implemented by the federal, state and territory and local governments.

These include adopting communication practices with small business that focus on "brevity, clarity and accessibility of information".

Regulators should also be resourced to do their job effectively to avoid the shifting of direct and indirect costs onto business.

Small Business Minister Bruce Billson said the government looks forward to considering the commission's recommendations as part of its broader commitment to reducing the regulatory burden.

"The commission's report represents a significant body of work that can inform broader work on deregulation," Mr Billson said in a statement.

"If implemented properly, improved engagement strategies have the potential to result in a win-win situation for small businesses and regulators."

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Online IPO 99wuxian goes gangbusters

SHARES in Chinese mobile marketplace operator 99wuxian have soared after debuting on the Australian market.

99wuxian has more than 20 million registered users and allows consumers to shop on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Shares in the company gained as much as 50 per cent in their first day of trade, and at 1510 AEDT were up 10 cents, or 25 per cent, at 50 cents.

However, their value fell away somewhat, closing five cents, or 12.5 per cent, higher at 45 cents.

99wuxian's Australian listing was aimed at raising $20 million to complete an agreement with its mobile payment provider.

Chairman Ross Benson said the company's initial public offering (IPO) ahead of Tuesday's listing was oversubscribed.

"It's a very strong endorsement of the interest that the Australian public have, particularly in m-commerce and within some of these very exciting consumer growth areas in China," Mr Benson said.

He said the company had listed in Australia because of its rapid growth and positive cash flow, but there were no plans to list the company in China at this stage.

"We've listed here because there is a very strong local demand to participate in China for good quality opportunities to participate in the consumer space," Mr Benson said.

"Within the next couple of years we anticipate we'll be staying in the Australian market."

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Plea for Indian student's safe return

THE husband of an Indian post-graduate student missing in Tasmania since Friday has made an emotional plea for her safe return.

Natasha Narang was last seen on CCTV footage at the University of Tasmania in Launceston.

Police say there has been no sign of the 30-year-old education student since.

Her husband, Sandeep Narang, last saw his wife when he dropped her at the campus on Friday afternoon.

"Every second is killing me, I have sleepless nights, I am trying to search everywhere ... we don't have any close friends here, so I am stressed," Mr Narang told Launceston newspaper The Examiner.

Inspector Michael Johnson said Ms Narang had not made preparations for any kind of overnight stay, but police had no reason to suspect foul play.

He said threats to foreign students in other states had not been an issue in Tasmania.

"There's no evidence to suggest that that's an issue in this particular matter," he told AAP.

"We've got no reason or information to suspect or point to foul play."

Mr Narang has said study stress in a Sikh community that values high achievement could have caused his wife to run away.

Inspector Johnson said police were treating that as a possible explanation.

"There is some suggestion that her studies weren't going as well as they could have been," he said.

"That was potentially an issue."

The couple have been in Tasmania for several years, with Ms Narang completing much of her study at UTAS.

Natasha Narang is described as about 165cm tall, of medium build, with long black hair and olive skin and last seen wearing a long-sleeved black top, grey coloured jeans and black shoes.

Anyone with information relating to her whereabouts should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Launceston police on 03 6336 3945.

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Fraud trial starts for 5 ex-Madoff staff

JURY selection begins Tuesday in the New York fraud trial of five former employees of imprisoned Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff.

The trial of Madoff's long-time secretary and other back-office workers is expected to unfold over five months in federal court in Manhattan. It's the first trial to result from the unprecedented fraud that was revealed to thousands of investors in December 2008 with Madoff's arrest.

Madoff is serving a 150-year prison sentence in Butner, N.C.

Prosecutors say the defendants played critical roles in helping Madoff conceal a fraud that squandered nearly $20 billion in investor money over several decades.

The defendants have pleaded not guilty. They are expected to argue through lawyers that they were victims of the fraud as well.

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Abbott says Papua better off under SBY

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has reiterated his support for Indonesia's sovereignty over Papua while insisting three activists who breached the walls of the Australian consulate in Bali left the compound voluntarily.

The three men - Rofinus Yanggam, Markus Jerewon, and Yuvensius Goo - climbed the walls of the consulate in the early hours of Sunday morning to highlight claims of abuse and ill-treatment of West Papuans in the restive Indonesian province.

The men, who hoped to gain the attention of world leaders in Bali for the APEC summit, left the compound before 7am but it has since been alleged they were threatened with arrest by Australian Consul-General Brett Farmer.

Mr Abbott on Monday insisted the activists left of their own accord after a "lengthy discussion" and warned Australia would not be party to protests aimed at undermining Indonesia's authority over West Papua.

"We have a very strong relationship with Indonesia and we are not going to give people a platform to grandstand against Indonesia," he told reporters on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

"And people seeking to grandstand against Indonesia, please, don't look to do it in Australia. You are not welcome."

Mr Yanggam claimed consular officials threatened to call the Indonesian military unless the trio of protesters left.

"We don't accept you to stay here. If you stay here for five minutes, I will call the Indonesian army to come and take you out", Mr Yanggam quoted Australian officials as saying.

Australian Greens Senator Richard Di Natale said the three "effectively had a gun to their head".

"After hearing directly from the West Papuans involved, we now know the truth is that they only (left) after being threatened with being handed over to the Indonesian police," he said in Melbourne on Monday.

Senator Di Natale, the founding co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of West Papua group, said West Papuan protesters would face imprisonment if handed over to the Indonesian authorities.

Indonesia, which took control of Papua from the Dutch in 1963, has for a long time fought a separatist movement in the province and faced various allegations of systematic abuse of the native population.

There have been numerous incidents of torture committed by the Indonesian military while the local population also complains that much of the wealth generated in the resource-rich province flows back to Jakarta while West Papuans remain poor.

Mr Abbott says the "situation in West Papua is getting better not worse".

"I want to acknowledge the work that President (Susilo Bambang) Yudhoyono has done to provide greater autonomy, to provide a better level of government services and ultimately a better life for the people of West Papua," he said.

The protest had threatened to overshadow what was Mr Abbott's first involvement in a meeting of world leaders since he was elected prime minister last month.

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Prince, PM and premier meet up in Perth

Prince Harry has waved goodbye to Sydney following his visit for the International Fleet Review. Source: AAP

SPECIAL forces and surfing spots were on Prince Harry's mind as he completed his whirlwind tour of both sides of Australia with a brief stopover in Western Australia.

After the fleet and fireworks in Sydney on Saturday, the 29-year-old Prince made his first visit to WA accompanied by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, saying he had always wanted to visit the state.

After sharing a Royal Australian Airforce flight across the country, the Prince and the PM were met by WA premier Colin Barnett and his wife Lyn, both avowed royalists.

And after an amiable chat on the tarmac, the premier and the prince spent 30 minutes discussing the state and it's attractions - with the best surfing spot high on the prince's agenda.

"Prince Harry was charming, a very nice young man and we just chatted about his trip and how pleased he was to be here," Mr Barnett said.

"He said it was a short visit because he had to be back to work on Thursday - a delightful young man, full of energy and enthusiastic.

"His query was where is the best surfing spot ... I should have said Cottesloe (where Mr Barnett lives) but I told him Margaret River. He showed close interest in the state and I am sure he would like to have a closer look around in the future."

The prince also commented on his relief to be out of the Sydney heat.

After his meeting with Mr Barnett, the Prince Harry along with Mr Abbott was whisked away in a ten-car armed convoy to the home of the SAS at the Campbell Barracks in the coastal suburb of Swanbourne.

The prince even managed a quick wardrobe change, ditching the dark-blue navy suit he arrived in to don combat fatigues for his meeting with the SAS troops, who have been based in Swanbourne since 1957.

"It is a great thing he is spending some time with the SAS regiment - they have spent some time in Afghanistan, as he has, Mr Barnett said.

Despite no official public functions for the prince in WA, a small crowd of well-wishers did gather at the airport to greet the royal, along with a troop of photographers and a helicopter from a local TV network.

Before his departure from Sydney, Prince Harry told reporters Australia already felt like a second home and he was very sad to be leaving.

"I just can't get the time off work these days," he said.

"The next time I come back you will be struggling to get rid of me I am sure."

The prince will leave Perth later on Sunday evening en route to Dubai, where he is scheduled to attend the Sentebale 'Forget Me Not' ball on Monday.

Prince Harry was a co-founder of Sentebale - a charity set up to help vulnerable children.

Mr Abbott is also due to fly out of Perth at 2pm (WST), to take his place at the APEC Summit in Bali.

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Abbott to meet China's president

A MEETING with China's president will be Prime Minister Tony Abbott's first order of business when he arrives in Bali for Asia-Pacific economic talks.

Mr Abbott is scheduled to have his first formal meeting with Xi Jinping within hours of arriving on the Indonesian holiday island on Sunday for the annual APEC leaders summit.

The prime minister is also expected to meet with the leaders of Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Thailand, Canada and Mexico on the summit's sidelines in the coming days.

But a planned meeting with Barack Obama was cancelled after the US president decided to stay in Washington to deal with the ongoing government shutdown.

Mr Abbott is expected to meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry instead.

He will also be in a position to hold further talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is hosting APEC. The pair met earlier this month when Mr Abbott travelled to Jakarta.

APEC is Mr Abbott's first international summit since winning the top job last month, and only his second overseas trip.

Trade will be high on his agenda, particularly the ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, which seek to establish a grand free trade area that would include Australia and 11 other Asia-Pacific nations.

But there are doubts about whether the TPP talks will be able to make much progress without Mr Obama.

APEC wraps up on Tuesday, and Mr Abbott will head to the sultanate of Brunei for what's known as the East Asia Summit on Wednesday.

It brings together the leaders of the 10 ASEAN Southeast Asian nations, plus Australia, New Zealand, the US, Russia, China, India, Japan and South Korea.

The EAS will be focused more in regional and global security issues, such as North Korea and tensions in the South China Sea.

Mr Abbott returns to Australia on Thursday.

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