Telstra split bill passes Parliament on feisty final day

LABOR may be on the nose in Victoria but Julia Gillard was smiling today after legislation to structurally separate Telstra's wholesale and retail arms finally passed federal parliament.

The House of Representatives had to be recalled today to vote on the bill, and at 2:15pm the Gillard Government finally had its way.

The passing of the bill paves the way for Labor's proposed National Broadband Network (NBN).

After a feisty afternoon of debate, the vote passed on the voices without the Coalition calling for a division.

Leader of the House Anthony Albanese said structurally separating Telstra was "historic micro-economic reform".

"We know that the structural separation of Telstra has been an issue that has been talked about from every telecommunications commentator, academic and many of the operators themselves, having acknowledged that this reform is vital," he said in Parliament.

Parliament was feisty for its final day, with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott trading barbs.

"2010 is ending very badly for the Australian Labor Party," Mr Abbott said.

Ms Gillard accused the Federal Opposition of being "empty of ideas", a "weather vane" and having "a temper tantrum", and said it displayed "bitterness" and "negativity".

Mr Abbott interjected, labelling Ms Gillard's slurs "outrageous".

Speaker Harry Jenkins warned Mr Abbott, and two other MPs were warned as the volume within the chamber soared.

Independent MP Rob Oakeshott slammed some members of the Coalition for not turning up to work, while pointing out all of the independents had returned to Canberra for the afternoon sitting.

"Where are your members who are supposed to be here working," Mr Oakeshott thundered.

"I did not come here for rhetoric over reality."

At one point independent MP Andrew Wilkie tried to shut Mr Turnbull down by calling a vote.

"So much for the sunshine," Mr Turnbull said.

Independent Bob Katter voted with the government, along with Mr Wilkie, to shut the debate down but their crossbench counterparts Rob Oakeshott, Adam Bandt, Tony Windsor and Tony Crook voted with the Coalition to allow debate to continue.

However at 2:15pm, after two hours and 15 minutes, it was all over, with Ms Gillard and Mr Albanese left smiling, while the Coalition benches looked somewhat bleaker.

Speaker Harry Jenkins said he hoped when Parliament resumed in February next year it would be more "robust" and "efficient", and a "less adversarial place".

Parliament resumes on February 8.

Source http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/telstra-split-bill-passes-parliament-on-feisty-final-day/story-e6freuy9-1225962789425

Parents 'share' photo of suicide pact twins Candice and Kristin Hermeler

THE parents of Candice and Kristin Hermeler have released a recent photo of their daughters as they try to deal with the tragic outcome of the identical twins' suicide pact in the US.

Candice survived but Kristin died when the 29-year-old twins from Surrey Hills in Melbourne shot themselves at a shooting range in Denver, Colorado, last week .

The twins had hired .22 calibre handguns and ammunition and, after shooting targets for more than an hour, turned the guns on themselves.

Candice remains in a serious condition in Colorado's Swedish Medical Centre, where her parents are at her side after flying from Melbourne at the weekend.

“Our family asks that you respect our privacy during this difficult time but wanted to share a recent photo of our daughters with you,” parents Ernest and Kelsay Hermeler said in a statement today.

Candice told investigators the twins had planned to kill themselves, but has refused to explain why.

Colorado police have formally closed their investigation into the double shooting, saying there was “not any more that can be done on this case”.

The closure of the case comes after the discovery of links between the twins and the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.

In letters to Columbine shooting survivor Brooks Brown, Kristin said she was someone who had “been rejected, victimised and ostracised”.

Mr Brown's father told The Australian he believed police had prematurely closed the investigation into the twins' shooting.

The Hermeler twins completed Year 12 at Melbourne's exclusive Methodist Ladies College, where classmates recalled them as quiet, socially awkward and withdrawn.

One Year 12 classmate said she wouldn't have been surprised if the twins has been bullied at school. “It was a bitchy school,” she said.

Source http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/parents-share-photo-of-suicide-pact-twins-candice-and-kristin-hermeler/story-e6frg6nf-1225959420855

McKay to play for Australia A

Pace bowler Clint McKay will replace Mitchell Starc in Australia A's injury-hit lineup for their four-day game against England starting on Wednesday at Hobart's Bellerive Oval.

Starc, 20, has withdrawn because of a side strain and the home side have also been forced to find a replacement for injured West Australian opener Shaun Marsh (back), giving an opportunity to Tasmania's Ed Cowan.

Queensland quick Ryan Harris, who was a candidate to replace Starc, has also been ruled out with an ongoing knee complaint after taking nine wickets in last week's Shield win over Tasmania in Hobart.

Cricket Australia physio Kevin Sims said Starc has a "low-grade side strain" which the NSW left-armer suffered in last week's Shield match against Victoria at the SCG.

Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said Starc and McKay had both been impressive in taking nine wickets between them in Australia's one-day international win over Sri Lanka in game three in Brisbane on November 7.

"It's obviously very disappointing for Mitch who had been bowling well, as we saw in the last (ODI) match against Sri Lanka," Hilditch said on Monday.

"Clint ... has been a regular member around Australia's limited overs squads for some time now and I know he will be looking forward to this challenge against England."

Australia A batsman Callum Ferguson, who played for South Australia in last week's drawn game at Adelaide Oval, says the tourists are in excellent form.

"They're going to be a tough work out here but we've got some serious talent in this Australia A side and we'll be taking it right up to them, no doubt," Ferguson said.

England announced on Monday they would be resting their four frontline bowlers Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Steven Finn and spinner Graeme Swann from the Australia A game and sending them straight to Brisbane to acclimatise for the first Ashes Test starting on November 25 at the Gabba.

Source http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-sport/mckay-to-play-for-australia-a-20101115-17ts8.html

Gillard: Australian Banks 'Arrogant' In Raising Rates Beyond RBA's Hike

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard Wednesday harshly criticized two Australian banks as "arrogant" for raising their rates on mortgages beyond the central bank's benchmark.

Gillard, in Seoul for the meeting of leaders from the Group of 20 major nations, said higher capital standards for banks globally under the Basel III accord would not justify the banks' rate hikes, because Australia has already secured special considerations for its well-capitalized banks.

"We don't want Australian banks to have any excuse from these new financial rules to excuse their arrogant conduct in putting up interest rates above and beyond reserve bank movements," Gillard told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting.

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ.AU), Australia's third-largest lender to home buyers, Wednesday increased its variable mortgage interest rate by 39 basis points a week after rival Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AU) hiked rates beyond a 25 basis point tightening by the Reserve Bank of Australia, the country's central bank.

Gillard said that in a meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, she and Lee both expressed their desire to "rapidly conclude" talks on an Australia-Korea free trade agreement, but she declined to give a specific timetable for the conclusion of talks.

On exchange rates and imbalances, which have already become highly contentious in G-20 discussions here, Gillard reiterated Australia's position that the world should move over time to "market-based mechanisms" for exchange rate movements.

-By Aaron Back, Dow Jones Newswires; 8610 8400 7799; aaron.back@dowjones.com

Source http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20101110-705258.html

House of horrors adults named by Supreme Court of South Australia

THE identities of three men and a woman who bound, starved, punished and neglected five innocent children in an Adelaide home can finally be revealed.

Supreme Court Justice Kevin Duggan today said there was no longer any reason the names of Luke Andrew Armistead, Robert Armistead, Michael Benjamin Quinlivan and Tania Marie Staker should be obscured.

Armistead, Armistead and Quinlivan were last week found guilty, by a jury, of two counts each of aggravated acts to endanger life, and three counts each of aggravated acts creating a risk of serious harm.

Staker - the mastermind of the cruel regime - pleaded guilty to the same charges prior to trial.

Although no suppression orders had been placed on the group's identities, AdelaideNow chose not to name them so as to ensure the trial proceeded without impediment.

Today, Justice Duggan commended the media on their approach to the difficult case.

"The media have, quite properly, taken a careful attitude towards this matter," he said.

"But I think the court should now say something to indicate that publication of the names of these prisoners will not identify the victims."

Staker and the men committed their crimes in a northern suburbs home between February and June 2008.

They were among 20 adults and children who lived in the house.

During the trial, the jury heard Staker masterminded "a cruel regime" to punish the children.

They had been fathered by her then-partner, Luke Armistead, and another woman - whose identity is suppressed to protect the children.

That woman subsequently had a relationship with Michael Quinlivan, who also lived in the house.

Staker and Quinlivan are siblings, while Robert Armistead is Luke Armistead's former step-father.

The children suffered starvation, malnutrition, emaciation and scabies.

Authorities became aware of the situation when one child was taken to hospital with a head injury and severe hypothermia.

During the trial, jurors heard the children survived on chips and noodles when they were permitted to eat.

One day, they were given dog food and told "if you're hungry, eat this".

The children's mother - who also pleaded guilty to criminal neglect - said she lived in fear of Staker, claiming to be "numb" because of her own dysfunctional childhood.

One of the five children, who gave evidence before the jury, said they were fed enough to keep them alive "but not that much".

Source http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/house-of-horrors-adults-named-by-supreme-court-of-south-australia/story-e6frf7l6-1225947410200

Kids' TV star admits keeping child porn

A former Queensland policeman and television presenter has admitted storing footage of naked boys at his workplace.

David Warren Moore, 55, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court on Tuesday to one count of possessing child exploitation material.

Moore, who was known as "Constable Dave" in the 1980s when he appeared alongside the puppet Agro on the children's television program Wombat, was busted with the vintage film when police went to his Brisbane workplace in May last year.

The court was told on Tuesday that Moore directed officers to a box of porn he had stored in his office, telling them it contained a video that had child exploitation material on it.

The court was told the tape contained about 13 minutes of video showing naked boys rock climbing and boating, with the focus on their genitals.

Judge Leanne Clare will sentence Moore on Wednesday morning, remanding him in custody until then.

Source http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/kids-tv-star-admits-keeping-child-porn-20101102-17bxo.html