Gang hits cashed-up bank customers: police

AN organised criminal gang may have snatched nearly one million dollars from Australian bank customers after they made large cash withdrawals.

Victorian detectives have linked 11 incidents in Melbourne and Sydney but fear there are many more victims across the country yet to come forward.

The gang is believed to have ties with South America and may even be flying in and out to commit robberies anywhere in Australia, fleeing with thousands of dollars in cash each time.

"It's a smart, well-organised crime gang," said Detective Sergeant Nathan Kaeser, in warning the public on Thursday.

"We generally deal with a lot of street robberies, armed robberies and home invasions, but this seems to be methodically thought out, planned and gaining a lot of money without hurting innocent people."

Police say four to six men have been working together to steal big cash withdrawals by distracting customers as they leave their bank.

Some members watch customers inside banks and tip off the others.

In one often-used ruse, one gang member slashes the car tyres of the targeted customer, another pretends to offer help with the flat, and yet another steals the cash and flees undetected while the victim is distracted.

They may also spray an oil-based or foul-smelling substance on a customer's jacket containing the cash, and another member alerts them to the stain so they take off the jacket for an easy theft later.

Police say the gang has been active since 2009, but an investigation is under way to see if they have been operating even earlier.

Detectives also believe long periods of apparent inactivity may indicate the group moving on to commit crimes elsewhere in the country.

Det Sgt Kaeser said there are fears the group is nearing $1 million in stolen cash, considering the likelihood of many more victims yet to come forward and the large sums already stolen.

This year alone, there have been two such robberies in the Sydney suburb of Burwood, and two in the past month in Melbourne.

Security camera footage has been released in a bid to identify the thieves.

Police are also warning bank customers to be careful when they make large withdrawals and encouraging them to use internet transfers instead.

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Qld A-G seeks advice on slasher's sentence

QUEENSLAND'S attorney-general is seeking advice on the sentencing of a man who sliced off a part of his ex-girlfriend's tongue during a 2010 attack.

Mohammed Tasleem Tahir was sentenced to a maximum eight-and-a-half years' jail in Southport Magistrates Court earlier this month after pleading guilty to charges arising from the attack.

Tahir, from Adelaide, was convicted of grievous bodily harm for beating his ex-girlfriend with a bottle, slashing her mouth and severing her tongue.

Judge Katherine McGinness ruled the 23-year-old would be eligible for parole from September 12 next year, taking into account the 703 days he had already spent in custody, his youth and the lack of a previous violent criminal history.

Queensland Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie said on Thursday he was asking for advice on whether the sentence can be appealed on the grounds it is manifestly inadequate.

Mr Bleijie said the sentence "does not set an adequate deterrent" and isn't in line with the expectations of the community as a penalty for such a serious offence.

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Carbon tax has 'modest' impact: Swan

LABOR'S controversial carbon tax might not push up consumer prices in its first year by as much as the federal government expected.

Economists believe the price impact could actually undershoot Treasury modelling of a contribution of 0.7 per cent in 2012/13.

They also believe the bulk of the impact of the carbon price regime, which came in on July 1, on inflation, might have already been seen in the September quarter.

Following the release of September quarter consumer price (CPI) index figures on Wednesday, Treasurer Wayne Swan said that three months in, the pollution price was having only a "modest" effect.

"Contrary to the campaigns launched by the Liberal party there is nothing in today's figures that suggest any evidence of a significant broad-based price increase due to the impact of the carbon price," Mr Swan told reporters in Sydney.

"At this stage the result remains well within our expectations of the carbon price impact on electricity."

The CPI jumped 1.4 per cent in the September quarter for an annual rate of two per cent.

While quarterly electricity prices surged 15.3 per cent, Mr Swan insisted the carbon price wasn't the only factor because regulators had increased prices to pay for "poles and wires" infrastructure investment.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia said the Australian Bureau of Statistics report does suggest the impact of the carbon price on inflation was less than expected.

Chief economist Michael Blythe compared the average contribution of higher utility prices on third-quarter CPI growth over the past two years with the 2012 figure of 0.48 percentage points.

"The gap of 0.2 percentage points should represent the bulk of the carbon tax impact on consumer prices," he wrote in a client note.

"This outcome suggests the price impact will fall short of earlier Treasury modelling work that put the CPI contribution in 2012/13 at 0.7 percentage points."

Mr Swan expects the impact will pass through the economy relatively quickly.

"We won't necessarily have all of the impact of the carbon in this quarter (but) we'll certainly have the great bulk of it," he said.

JP Morgan chief economist Stephen Walters noted the carbon tax was contributing to soaring electricity and gas prices, although the precise extent of the impact was hard to determine.

However, a "back-of-the envelope" estimate suggests it added 0.3 to 0.4 percentage points to the headline September figure.

Westpac agreed with that. In terms of underlying inflation the bank estimated the price impact would be around 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points in the quarter.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey said the CPI numbers confirmed Labor's carbon tax was have a devastating impact on living costs.

But Climate Change Minister Greg Combet told an investment conference carbon pricing had not caused prices to "rise unimaginably as some of the more fanciful and deceitful forecasts in the political market place had claimed".

Treasury has estimated the carbon tax will push up consumer prices by 0.7 per cent in 2012/13 with a second increase of 0.2 per cent by 2015/16. It also said electricity prices would jump 10 per cent.

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Govt to spend $8.5m on truck filters

THE NSW government will spend $8.5 million retrofitting exhaust filters on trucks that regularly use the M5 tunnel, despite tests showing pollution in it does not exceed standards.

Roads Minister Duncan Gay says a trial air filtration plant in the tunnel will be shut down because it "only (had) a minor impact on air quality and its ongoing operation is not value for money."

"The study indicated around five per cent of total haze pollution and three per cent of nitrogen dioxide in the tunnel was being removed via the filtration plant," he said on Wednesday.

Air quality in the heavily-used tunnel had been monitored 24 hours a day and pollution doesn't exceed World Health Organisation standards, Mr Gay said.

While the government sees no need to persist with the air filters, Mr Gay said it's necessary "to focus on cleaner vehicles, primarily heavy vehicles, to promote fewer emissions and cause less pollution," despite tests showing pollution was not at unacceptable levels.

It will use the $8.5 million to subsidise half the cost to assess, repair and fit trucks with particle traps.

"Smoky vehicle cameras inside tunnel ... will use number plate recognition to identify and target the smokiest heavy vehicles, with the owners contacted and offered the retrofit program," Mr Gay said.

The cameras caught 300 trucks with excessive levels of emissions in the past year - an offence for which owners could be fined $2000.

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Gillard dismisses budget negativity

A MODEST tightening in the federal government's budget position adds to the case for lower interest rates but a reduction in November still hinges on another benign inflation reading.

Labor on Tuesday was out selling its budget update, which spearheads $16.4 billion in extra savings to keep intact its promise of a budget surplus in 2012/13 and the next three years.

Amid declining tax revenues in a subdued global economy, the measures include a cut in the baby bonus for second and subsequent children, and a further reduction in the private health insurance rebate.

Business chiefs have been particularly angered by the decision to change the timing of company tax payments to monthly, from quarterly, to raise more than $8 billion.

But Prime Minister Julia Gillard is confident the budget bills will be passed by parliament and has dismissed the concerns of the opposition.

"Our experience in the past has been (they pass the bills), even though they are negative until they are blue in the face," she told ABC radio.

"They have come into the parliament and backed the government's legislation."

While Opposition Leader Tony Abbott hasn't ruled out backing the measures, he believes they will hurt families.

"We don't like them ... (but) we'll make a decision on what our attitude to these will be when the relevant legislation comes before the parliament," he told the Seven Network.

Treasurer Wayne Swan says it would be irresponsible to oppose changes that will give the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) more flexibility to cut official interest rates.

"It's important for the surplus. It's important for the future of interest rates," Mr Swan told reporters in Sydney.

Financial markets are pricing in a 25 basis point RBA rate cut in November, especially if the September quarter inflation report due on Wednesday is satisfactory.

The data is expected to show annual inflation remains below the central bank's two to three per cent target band.

However, shadow treasurer Joe Hockey says the budget "fiscal mess" creates uncertainty for business and there's no guarantee the government's new surplus of $1.1 billion, which is down $400 million from May, will be met.

"Wayne Swan is running away from a surplus faster than the road runner is running away from, you know, the coyote," Mr Hockey told reporters in Melbourne.

Woolworths, AGL and Queensland Gas on Tuesday attacked the company payment changes that apply to medium to large enterprises after 2014.

Woolworths boss Grant O'Brien told the Australian Institute of Company Directors the government shouldn't be relying on big business to fill its budget holes.

"If you're shackling businesses then you're tying the hands of the very things that are going to lead to the growth," he said.

ANZ economists estimate the "fiscal drag" on the economy from new budget measures will increase by 0.25 percentage points to the 0.75-1.0 per cent range forecast in the May budget.

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Chinese make formal offer for Discovery

CHINESE suitors have made a formal takeover offer for minerals explorer Discovery Metals at a price already rejected by the Discovery board.

Cathay Fortune Corporation (CFC) and China-Africa Development Fund (CADFund) announced on Tuesday that they would offer $1.70 in cash for each Discovery share that is not already owned by CFC.

At $1.70 per share, Discovery Metals is valued at about $830 million.

The offer is subject to acceptance by at least 51 per cent of Discovery shareholders.

Earlier this month, Discovery rejected a non-binding proposal by CFC and CADFund to acquire Discovery shares at $1.70 each.

The Discovery board said the proposal undervalued the company.

"The decision of the Discovery board to refuse access to due diligence and further engagement without any reasonable basis has prompted CFC's decision to bypass the Discovery board and present the offer directly to the Discovery shareholders," the founder and largest shareholder of CFC, Yong Yu said in a statement.

"The Discovery board has not provided any information to justify a valuation above $1.70 per share."

Australian-based Discovery is focused on the exploration and development of the Kalahari copper belt in northwest Botswana in Africa.

The company produces copper at its 100 per cent-owned Boseto copper project.

CFC currently owns 13.78 per cent of Discovery.

CFC and CADFund said their joint offer represented compelling and certain value at an attractive premium, at a time when there was significant uncertainty over the costs and mine expansion plans of the Boseto copper project.

The Chinese suitors said that just three months ago, the Discovery board had issued new shares to institutional shareholders at $1.20 per share.

"This action alone should have suggested that a $1.70 per share offer in cash, a price that is more than 40 per cent greater than the placement price, provided a strong rationale for the Discovery board to engage," they said.

Discovery said on Tuesday that it had received no formal documents from the bidder.

"Accordingly, shareholders do not need to take any action in respect to the proposed offer," Discovery said in a statement.

CFC and CADFund require approval for the offer from the Foreign Investment Review Board of Australia, which they said was expected to be granted in late October.

Shares in Discovery Metals were eight cents higher at $1.73 on Tuesday.

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Stun gun mugging alarms Melbourne police

ILLEGAL imports of stun guns are in the spotlight after police revealed one of the prohibited weapons was used in a violent street attack in Melbourne.

There are fears the weekend robbery, which put a 37-year-old man in hospital with a dislocated shoulder, could be the start of a new crime wave as thugs exploit the availability of the electro-shock devices from overseas.

Melbourne youth worker Les Twentyman said a growing black market was emerging for such weapons as drug addicts become more desperate.

"It's a major concern with these kids being involved in robberies," he told AAP on Monday.

"Having a stun gun has become a fad. They're just getting them off the internet."

Melbourne comedian Richard McKenzie was jolted from behind with a stun gun in the city's inner-north as he walked home from the Lord Newry Hotel in Fitzroy North in the early hours of Sunday.

A group of men who had jumped out from a following car assaulted him and used the stun gun twice more before fleeing with his bag.

"My arms and legs just wouldn't work. I couldn't grip anything. I couldn't hold on to my bag. I couldn't stand up," Mr McKenzie said.

"They left me in the middle of the road and I tried to roll off into the gutter so I wouldn't get hit by a car."

The three men wore hooded jackets and there are so far no identified suspects.

Police say prohibited weapons can be purchased online from overseas and enter the country undetected.

"The use of Tasers for an assault like this is very rare," Detective Senior Constable Sean Schimizzi told reporters on Monday.

"It is rare, but we are very concerned."

In 2010, police in Victoria seized 200 stun guns, and South Australian authorities found hundreds more shipped from China and disguised as battery-operated torches.

"There is no legitimate use for stun guns in the community," states the latest Customs and Border Protection Service annual report.

Customs officials are forecasting a surge in imports entering the country, with sea cargo deliveries expected to nearly double by 2020.

Mr McKenzie said he was alarmed to learn stun guns were appearing on the streets.

"Give me a week or so to maybe get some perspective away from it, then maybe I could see something funny about it," the comedian said.

"But right now, I just hope to see these guys caught."

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Sydney set to host foreign sailor invasion

SYDNEY will become warship central and be awash with foreign sailors next October for a fleet review to mark 100 years since the first entry of the Royal Australian Navy's fleet into Sydney Harbour.

Up to 10,000 invited sailors in more than 40 foreign navy ships are set to take part in the event, from October 3 to 11 next year.

The event is expected to inject $50 million into the NSW economy.

The International Fleet Review 2013 was officially launched aboard the frigate HMAS Parramatta on Sydney Harbour on Monday.

At the launch, Jean Nysen, 89, recalled her father Donald McKenzie describing how spectacular it was to enter Sydney aboard HMAS Australia in 1913, leading the fleet as tens of thousands of onlookers waved and cheered from the shore.

The event was seen as a sign of the new nation of Australia coming of age.

"It was very, very spectacular," said Ms Nysen, recalling the description of her father who was a telegraphist on the flagship.

"That must have been something very special.

Ms Nysen followed her father into the navy, becoming a wireless operator with the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service during World War II.

Next year's review will involve dozens of Australian and foreign navy vessels, 12 tall ships and thousands of naval personnel from over 20 nations.

Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, said the review would be the final part of the navy's centenary celebrations.

He said it would be an opportunity for Australians to see the navy that served them "out of sight over the horizon" and often at great cost.

Vice Admiral Griggs said the review would be held at the same time as a multi-national naval exercise off the NSW coast, Exercise Triton Centenary, which will be the largest exercise in Australian waters in 25 years.

It will also coincide with the navy's Sea Power Conference and the Pacific 2013 maritime trade show, both being held in Sydney.

The navy has budgeted about $10 million for the event with the NSW government contributing around $2 million and the City of Sydney about $1 million.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said the government was happy to support the event to acknowledge the navy's contribution to the state and to Sydney.

He said the event would bring an estimated economic boost of around $50 million to NSW, making the government's contribution a "good investment".

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the review would be "enthusiastically embraced" by Sydneysiders and be seen around the world.

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WWII bomb successfully defused in Tokyo

AN unexploded 220-kilogram World War II bomb has been defused and removed from Tokyo's business district after a delicate hour-long operation, officials say.

Around 200 residents evacuated their homes within a 100m radius of the 230kg bomb, which was found at a construction site in Motoakasaka area of Minato ward, as soldiers worked on removing the device.

Japanese Self Defence Force members started to defuse the rusty ordnance, which was discovered 4.5m underground, local officials said.

The area was declared safe shortly afterwards, they added.

Tokyo was a target of intense US air raids near the end of the World War II and around 70 unexploded bombs are found in the capital every year, according to the local administrative office.

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Condolences for WA worker buried alive

THE owner of building and mining company BGC, Len Buckeridge, has offered his condolences over the death of a Perth man buried alive in a sand silo at one of his company's sites.

The man was moving sand from a pile when it collapsed on him at BGC Precast Concrete in Naval Base around 12.15pm (WST) on Saturday.

Emergency services were unable to save the man.

Mr Buckeridge told the ABC on Sunday that the incident was an "unmitigated disaster" and was the first fatality at his group of companies in more than 50 years.

WorkSafe is now investigating the incident.

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