Fire at Vic car firm

A FIRE has destroyed a number of imported cars in Melbourne.

The blaze at a high-performance car importer in Clayton South burned four modified Nissans, but two large 'Mr T-style' vans got away with just some smoke damage.

The fire at Auto Project caused $500,000 damage on Sunday, with fire investigators unable to immediately determine the cause.

Firefighters got the Fairbank Rd fire under control within 30 minutes.

A large quantity of oils and lubricants helped fuel the blaze but firefighters managed to stop the flames reaching a bank of acetylene cylinders.

Mr T's character B.A. Baracus drove a large, black GMC van in the 1980s tv series 'The A-Team'.

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Reasonable chance of finding plane: RAAF

Three planes have left Perth to continue the search for a missing Malaysia Airlines plane. Source: AAP

THERE is a reasonable chance of finding something in the Indian Ocean in the search for the missing Malaysian Airline plane MH370, Royal Australian Air Force group captain Craig Heap says.

Acting Prime Minister Warren Truss said from Perth's north on Saturday afternoon the Australian search effort had so far covered some 500,000 square kilometres.

There had been no finds of note since some large debris was defined last week, he told a large international media contingent at the RAAF Pearce air base.

Mr Truss said there had already been 15 sorties from the base, mainly Australian and New Zealand Orion aircraft.

US and civilian aircraft are also involved, and will be joined by two Chinese aircraft that arrive in Perth on Saturday afternoon to begin searching on Sunday.

Japanese aircraft will take part on Monday, and several vessels from around the world are en route to Western Australia to assist.

HMAS Success is also expected to reach the search area later on Saturday.

"This search is an intensive operation," Mr Truss said.

"While these aircraft are equipped with very advanced technology, much of this search is actually visual."

Mr Truss said the search for debris would keep going as long as there was hope.

"It is important from the perspective of those who have families, whose whereabouts are unknown ... and indeed for the future of the aviation industry, that we do whatever we can to firstly confirm whether or not the sightings as a result of the satellite imagery are indeed connected in any way with the Malaysia Airlines flight," he said.

"And then if so, what can be recovered so we can learn more about what has happened on this flight and learn any lessons that are necessary to make sure this doesn't happen again."

He said the debris was the most promising lead so far and he was confident it could be found.

"There's a reasonable chance of finding something," Capt Heap said.

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Australians urged to join digital detox

CAN you go unplug yourself from digital technology for 48 hours?

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten reckons he can only do it for a day.

On Friday he joined calls for Australians to join a digital detox and "clean the bloody garage" instead.

The 48-hour digital detox is part of a campaign to stamp out cyberbullying by the Bully Zero Australia Foundation, which provides care to bullying victims.

"Today really is about Australia taking a step back and detoxing," foundation boss Oscar Yildiz told reporters on the national day against bullying.

"Just to see what life's really like whether it's cooking for mum, whether it's going for a run, whether it's actually going outside and kicking the football.

"Clean the bloody garage.

"We want people to go back to some of those things that they miss out on and take for granted."

Money raised from the campaign will be spent on anti-bullying programs in schools.

The foundation says one in three Australians have been cyberbullied and 70 per cent are using social media to an extent "that they can't let go".

Mr Shorten, who was on hand to acknowledge a partnership between Essendon Football Club and Bully Zero Australia, said he would love to give the detox a try.

"I reckon I can go 24 hours," he told reporters in Melbourne.

Modern Australians did not need to have their phones by their bed every night, he said.

"Adults carry their smart phones around with them closer than they even carry their wallets these days.

"Australia will not have a bad day if Australians turn off their social media.

"A 48-hour digital detox will do more for the mental health of Australians than a lot of other options we've got in our busy crowded lives."

The detox call coincided with the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence on Friday.

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Labor seeks ICAC info on party donation

Labor's Queensland branch received a donation from AWH during the 2010 federal election campaign. Source: AAP

LABOR'S Queensland branch won't be paying back a $2200 donation from Australian Water Holdings until it gets some clarification from the NSW anti-corruption watchdog.

AWH is at the centre of a NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry into alleged improper dealings involving former NSW state politicians and the state-owned Sydney Water.

One of the allegations is that AWH disguised political donations and other expenses as administration costs and charged them back to Sydney Water - effectively using taxpayers' money for party purposes.

The inquiry heard Sydney Water had "unwillingly, unknowingly been a principle donor to the Liberal Party".

The Liberal Party has begun the process of paying back donations received from AWH dating back to 2009.

But Queensland ALP secretary Anthony Chisholm told AAP on Friday his party would not immediately pay back $2200 donated during a July 2010 federal election campaign fundraising function.

"If there's evidence it is public money we are happy to give it back," Mr Chisholm said.

"We haven't seen the evidence that it was and we are writing to ICAC to seek clarification."

The $2200 is understood to have paid for a ticket to the function.

While one of the figures at the heart of the ICAC inquiry, Eddie Obeid jnr, was involved in AWH's Queensland subsidiary it is understood the donation was not made by him.

One of the Liberal bodies that has already refunded money from AWH is a fundraising group in Treasurer Joe Hockey's North Sydney electorate, which to date has paid back $33,000.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said in Melbourne on Friday there were clear laws for campaign funding in Australia and everyone had to abide by them.

"The laws have got to be adhered to. Full stop. No excuses. No exceptions," Mr Shorten said.

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Qld health officers plan mass resignation

HUNDREDS of doctors are prepared to drop a nuclear bomb on the Queensland government and walk away from their work in public hospitals, a union says.

About 950 senior medical officers will meet on Wednesday night to vote on individual work contracts at the heart of a bitter dispute with the government.

Their union says the contracts are an offensive attack on working conditions and believes doctors will reject them despite last-minute concessions by the government.

Australian Salaried Medical Officers (SMO) Federation president Tony Sara says he already has hundreds of signed resignation letters.

If there's consensus tonight on rejecting the contracts, they'll be lobbed onto the desk of Health Minister Lawrence Springborg.

"When we perceive there's enough of those resignations to make a nuclear option available to us, your representatives, then we will exercise that nuclear option," he told angry officers at the Royal Brisbane Women's and Children's Hospital.

Australian Medical Association president Steve Hambleton urged officers to stand up for their rights, saying harsh contracts never delivered good outcomes.

"But there are plenty of jurisdictions in the world that show partnerships with senior intelligent individuals will deliver benefits," Dr Hambleton told the crowd.

Anaesthetist Dr Rob Elliot said he felt let down and betrayed by the Newman government.

"It's now legal in this state, in this state alone, to have a contract of employment that is unfair, unjust and unreasonable," he said.

"Who wants to sign a contract? Put up your hand? No-one does, it's rubbish. Throw it in the bin."

In a bid to get doctors to sign the contracts, Mr Springborg has promised the Hospital and Health Boards Act will be amended so the director-general has less power to change contracts.

Other amendments include changes that can only be made if they don't disadvantage SMOs.

The changed contracts also set out a new dispute resolution process, give doctors a say over roster changes and transfers, and say what key performance indicators involve.

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Internet job ads fall 3.3 pct in February

Job ads on the internet in February fell by 3.3 per cent to be one per cent down on the year. Source: AAP

JOB ads on the internet fell 3.3 per cent in February, official figures show.

The Department of Employment's internet vacancy index fell to a seasonally adjusted 61.9 points in the month, and was one per cent lower than a year ago.

Seven of the eight occupational groups monitored by the department fell in February, with demand for technicians and trades showing only a a slight 0.1 per cent rise.

The weakest demand was for sales workers, which fell by 5.7 per cent.

Job ads fell in all states, apart from Tasmania, which recorded an increase of 0.4 per cent.

Western Australia recorded the largest fall in ads in the month, down 5.8 per cent.

Job ads in the Northern Territory jumped by 11.7 per cent, while they rose by 3.1 per cent in the ACT.

However, over the year the ACT was one of the weakest jurisdictions for job ads, down 12.8 per cent, while they were down 16.8 per cent in WA.

Victoria saw the strongest annual rise, up 5.7 per cent.

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Anger over Victorian coal fire clean-up

PROFESSIONAL cleaners will help some people return to their ash-damaged homes in the Victorian country town of Morwell.

But others who will have to clean up themselves are unhappy about it.

Ash and smoke from a burning coal mine forced people from their homes more than two weeks ago.

The state government is providing $2 million to help clean up the town, with professional help given to those who need it most - over-65s, young children, pregnant women and those with heart and breathing disorders.

The others are being left to do their own cleaning.

"Asking residents to clean up the toxic coal ash is just exposing us to further risk," says Simon Ellis, who represents householders in the area.

Hundreds of people have been forced from their homes since bushfires ignited the nearby Hazelwood coal mine last month, spewing ash and smoke over the town.

In announcing an assistance package in the Latrobe Valley town on Tuesday, Premier Denis Napthine said priority would be given to the most vulnerable.

The package will provide vacuum cleaners and high-pressure hoses for other householders to use.

"These are high-quality vacuum cleaners that are able to deal with particles and the ash associated with this incident," Dr Napthine said.

Latrobe City Council will co-ordinate the program and also distribute buckets, gloves, dust masks and goggles.

Mr Ellis, who is president of residents advocacy group Voices of the Valley, accused the government of shirking its responsibility by not offering professional cleaning to everyone.

"Coal ash is toxic and needs to be professionally cleaned from the whole house and roof cavity," he said in a statement.

"Any relief package should include the costs of a comprehensive professional clean-up.

"People are crying out for help - it's just not good enough."

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BHP pledges $10m for Mozambique farmers

BHP Billiton has committed almost $10 million to help Mozambique farmers over five years. Source: AAP

MINING giant BHP Billiton has committed almost $10 million to help farmers in Mozambique.

BHP pledged $US8.8 million ($A9.72 million) over five years to a new agricultural initiative to benefit smallholder farmers from three districts in Maputo Province.

"The project will work with more than 50 producer organisations that represent farmers to increase their income and business opportunities, improve production capacity through farm-level training and facilitate access to financing," BHP said in a statement.

The miner produces aluminium, manganese and nickel at Maputo in Mozambique.

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Perth Zoo helps save rhinos in the wild

THIRTY five critically endangered Sumatran rhinos now have a better chance of survival after Perth Zoo donated $30,000 to an anti-poaching team in Indonesia.

There are now fewer than 100 Sumatran rhinos left in the wild due to poaching and loss of habitat.

The elusive animals live deep in the jungle and are the smallest rhino species.

Perth Zoo chief executive Susan Hunt said the plight of Sumatran rhinos was particularly shocking, prompting the zoo to donate to the Asian Rhino Project.

Project director Clare Campbell said the funding would go towards an anti-poaching team protecting Sumatran rhinos in Indonesia's Way Kambas National Park.

Perth Zoo has two southern white rhinos - Memphis, aged 26 and weighing 2.2 tonnes, and his son Bakari, aged nine and weighing 2.4 tonnes.

Their species was also on the brink of extinction with about 100 left in the wild in 1895, before numbers were boosted to 20,000 in 2010 after a conservation push.

But rhinos are again in decline after a recent increase in poaching.

The South African government reported more than 1000 white rhinos were killed last year and a further 146 were slain in the first two months of this year.

"It's quite a devastating loss and it is one of the most critically endangered large mammals that exist today, so we really are looking at potentially the dinosaur of our generation," Ms Campbell said.

Poaching was on the rise again because there had been a surge in demand for rhino horns, Ms Campbell said.

"It's now considered a hangover cure in some Asian countries, so they're just appealing to the younger generation and finding any way that they can to sell rhino horns," she said.

Ms Campbell said people should avoid buying wildlife products because they were supporting the trade.

Perth Zoo's Wildlife Conservation Action fund raises about $300,000 each year and allocates money to different projects helping endangered wildlife around the world including sun bears, orangutans and numbats.

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Tas could go back to forest 'war': Greens

The Tasmanian Greens are urging the new government not to take the state back to forestry war. Source: AAP

TASMANIAN Greens leader Nick McKim is warning the incoming Liberal premier Will Hodgman not to take the state "back to war" by tearing up the forestry peace deal between the timber industry and environmentalists.

Mr Hodgman had pledged to abandon the peace deal, and signatories to it are reportedly meeting in Hobart on Monday to discuss its future.

"He knows what the implications of his decisions are," Mr McKim told reporters in Hobart on Monday.

"If there is a return to the dark days of conflict division, it will be one person's responsibility and one person's only, and that will be Will Hodgman."

The deal, signed in November 2012, took almost three years to negotiate.

Conservationists and the timber industry in Tasmania have been in conflict over logging for 30 years.

Mr McKim would not be drawn on whether the Greens would join other environmental groups in protest action if the agreement was torn up.

But he said the Greens would always defend the state's "wild places".

"What people can expect from the Greens is that we will stand up strongly in defence of the forests," he said.

The Liberals' forestry spokesman Peter Gutwein is due to address media on Monday afternoon.

Mr McKim's comments come after the Liberals stormed to victory in Saturday's state election, grabbing 52 per cent of the primary vote, a swing of 12 per cent, to win at least 14 of the lower house's 25 seats.

With more than 80 per cent of the vote counted, the ALP has secured six lower house seats, the Greens probably three, while two are in doubt.

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Stolen BMW crashes into driver: police

POLICE in Perth are investigating a pursuit that ended with a 51-year-old man in a critical condition after his car was hit by a stolen BMW driven by a teenager.

Police say officers tried to stop the BMW on Albany Highway in East Victoria Park on Saturday night, but the 16-year-old driver sped off.

A brief chase by officers on the ground was taken over by the Police Air Wing, which continued to pursue the car.

Police said the BMW ran a red light at the intersection of McDowell Street and Orrong Road in Welshpool and struck another vehicle.

They said the young BMW driver ran off after the crash but Air Wing officers spotted him hiding in bushes and he was arrested a short time later.

He remains in custody.

The 51-year-old man is in Royal Perth Hospital in a critical but stable condition.

Investigators from WA's major crash unit have been called in to investigate the crash, which will also be probed by the WA police internal affairs unit.

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Newman told to sideline health minister

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman is being urged to sideline his health minister. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman is being urged to sideline his health minister as doctors at public hospitals threaten to resign en masse over individual contracts.

Mr Newman returns to Queensland this weekend after a 10-day trade mission to the US.

But with senior medical officers continuing to resist plans for individual contracts, Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk says the premier needs to intervene.

"The premier today needs to sideline his health minister and take action, take control of the health crisis and fix it," she told reporters in Brisbane.

"This is a crisis that has been building for a period of months and the government has been failing to listen."

The Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation of Queensland is understood to be in the process of sending out mass resignation letters to its medical specialist members, working in public hospitals, from Monday.

The Australian Medical Association is also opposed to plans for local hospital boards to have more power in dismissing senior medical officers.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg last week held talks with doctors' groups but the government is adamant it won't revisit legislation, which has removed the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission from disputes resolutions.

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