Trade not aid key to Asian support: Abbott

TRADE, not aid, should be Australia's policy when it comes to assisting Asian neighbours, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said, as the opposition called for an inquiry into his government's $4.5 billion aid program cuts.

Speaking in Melbourne on Thursday night, Mr Abbott said foreign aid should be better targeted and Australia should help developing nations stand on their own feet.

He said the growing economic strength of the region needed to be matched in Australia by strengthening of the economy.

Australia's international clout doesn't rest on the size of its aid budget, but on the size of its economy, Mr Abbott said.

"As far as possible, Australian aid should be designed to enable other countries to stand on their own two feet as quickly as possible," Mr Abbott said.

"Trade, rather than aid, is the best way to sustainably boost poor countries' prosperity."

He said reducing the rate of increase in the aid budget would enable the government to ensure it was being targeted effectively.

His comments followed an announcement by Labor senator Ursula Stephens the opposition would be referring plans for $4.5 billion of cuts to Australia's international aid program to a Senate Committee for inquiry.

The matter will be moved in the Senate on Monday.

Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek said Australians deserved to know why the government had decided to slash aid funding and where the cuts would be made.

"We know Australians support a strong international aid program. Australia is a rich, generous country that can afford to lend a helping hand," Ms Plibersek said.

Mr Abbott also spoke about the importance of fostering strong relationships with the booming economies of China, India and Japan and in particular, Indonesia, which he said was Australia's, "important overall relationship."

He said the media made the relationship with Indonesia difficult.

"Being Indonesia's "trusted partner" is easier said than done, given the media's tendency to play to stereotypes and past disagreements over East Timor," Mr Abbott said.

On Thursday, the government agreed to a six-point plan aimed at repairing relations with Indonesia two weeks after the suspension in co-operation on November 26.

23.09 | 0 komentar | Read More

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Storm hits Europe, kills one in Scotland

GALE-FORCE winds have hit Scotland, causing a fatal truck accident, halting all trains and leaving tens of thousands of homes without electricity as much of northwestern Europe braced for a storm that was expected to bring flooding to coastal areas.

Winds gusting up to 229 kilometres per hour were measured overnight in the Scottish Highlands, and many roads and bridges were closed. All train services in Scotland were suspended; Network Rail spokesman Nick King said that "there's too much debris and too much damage to equipment to continue".

A truck driver was killed and four people were injured in an accident west of Edinburgh when high winds toppled his vehicle on to several cars, police said.

A number of flights serving Scotland were also cancelled, and power companies said up to 100,000 homes were without electricity.

Glasgow's central rail station was evacuated after debris smashed glass in the roof, though no one was hurt.

Weather forecasters predicted winds gusting up to 140km/h on Germany's North Sea coast. Britain's Environment Agency said tidal surges could bring "significant" coastal flooding, and the Thames Barrier was closed to protect London.

Ferry operators cancelled services to some of Germany's North Sea islands and the country's national railway, Deutsche Bahn, warned of likely disruption across a swathe of northern Germany.

The Netherlands braced for the storm by closing water barriers that protect the low-lying country from high tides. The Oosterscheldekering in the southwestern delta region of the country was being closed to protect the land behind it for the first time since 2007.

National carrier KLM cancelled dozens of flights to European airports as a precaution.

The German Weather Service said the storm front, which was gathering strength as it headed eastward from the Atlantic Ocean off Greenland, would also bring polar air to Europe - meaning that it could bring snow to low-lying areas.

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Govt, opposition deny Holden pull out plan

THE federal government and the opposition have quickly poured cold water on speculation Holden will pull out of Australia from 2016, both saying no decision had been made on the company's future.

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Shark blamed for NSW surfer's injuries

A SURFER who showed up at a NSW mid-north coast hospital with cuts to his hand and leg has received a surprising diagnosis: shark attack.

Police say the 26-year-old was in the water at Port Macquarie about 6.15pm (AEDT) on Thursday, when he felt something hit his right hand.

When the man discovered cuts to his right hand and blood on his leg he took himself to Port Macquarie Hospital, where doctors told him his wounds were consistent with a shark bite.

"He did not see a shark and was unaware at the time that he could have been bitten by one," NSW police said in a statement.

The man was treated for puncture wounds to his hand and a laceration to his leg, but was expected to be released.

Police said the northern end of Shelley Beach, where the suspected attack happened, was isolated and not widely used.

Officers could not find anyone else in the water when they visited the beach.

An expert is now set to visit Port Macquarie to try to identify the species of shark involved.

The suspected attack came just five days after Port Macquarie teenager Zac Young was killed by a shark while body-boarding further up the NSW coast.

The 19-year-old was in the ocean with three friends at Riecks Point, near Coffs Harbour, on Saturday when a shark bit off his legs.

He died shortly after his friends managed to drag him to shore.

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Manufacturing decline is limited: report

AUSTRALIA'S manufacturing sector has faced difficult economic conditions over the past decade but new research has pin-pointed a sharp downturn in overall productivity to just three key areas.

A staff working paper by the Productivity Commission found that while investment in manufacturing has risen over the long term, hours worked and employment in the sector have declined.

The report found no "overarching systemic reason" for the decline in manufacturing's rate of multi-factor productivity growth.

It declined by 1.4 per cent a year between 2003/04 and 2007/08 compared with 1.3 per cent productivity growth a year between 1998/99 and 2003/04.

"However, three of its sub-sectors - petroleum and chemicals, food and beverages, and metal products - collectively accounted for two-thirds of this decline between cycles," the report released on Friday shows.

One influence has been from the appreciation of the Australian dollar and changing competitive conditions.

It also noted that there has been a lag between new capital investment in these sub-sectors and the output from that investment.

In particular, additional investment in petroleum refining to meet new environmental standards, while improving the quality of outcomes, did not raise output.

Changes in consumer preferences have also had an impact on productivity, such as significant growth in smaller-scale bakeries that use more labour-intensive processes.

23.09 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boy dies in Queensland road accident

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Blue Mountains families want repair action

SOME 70 Blue Mountains families who lost everything in the October bushfires are on track to have their blocks cleared, ready for rebuilding, just in time for Christmas.

NSW Services Minister Andrew Constance on Thursday night fronted residents who lost their homes seven weeks ago when flames ripped through bushland communities west of Sydney, promising 60 blocks will be cleared by late January.

But he told AAP the clearing operation could come earlier - December 23 - for about 70 NRMA-insured families.

Local councillor and teacher Brendan Luchetti says for those residents who lost their homes, a fresh start is "the Christmas present they really want".

More than 200 homes were lost in the fires, but locals say despite promises of a speedy response from government at the height of the fire emergency, not a single block has yet been cleared.

Mayor Mark Greenhill wants an apology from the O'Farrell government, which has been negotiating with insurers.

He says the government could have moved faster by engaging a single contractor to clear up fire-affected properties and reconciling costs with insurers later.

"It's a hodge-podge, piecemeal approach," he told AAP.

"I think possibly there was a bit of penny-pinching going on; looking for a cheaper option, rather than the faster option."

Mr Constance, who on Monday was handed oversight of the Blue Mountains clean-up, which is being coordinated by ex-Rural Fire Service boss Phil Koperberg, acknowledged locals were hurting.

"Obviously I'm very sorry that the delays occurred," Mr Constance told AAP.

"My hope is now that we are moving through and I'm optimistic that we will see this progress incredibly quickly."

There were emotional scenes as locals spoke of their distress at waiting for burned-out homes to be cleared away.

"I'm one of the ones where people say, 'You're one of the lucky ones', because my house is still standing," Winmalee resident Fran Elston said.

"I don't feel like I'm one of the lucky ones ...

"Seven weeks is a long time when you have lost everything.

"Seven weeks is a long time when I hate walking out the front door, because all I see is ash."

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