Two WA unis announce fee freeze

Murdoch University and Edith Cowan University have announced a fee freeze for students starting their studies in 2014. Source: Supplied

Murdoch University vice chancellor Richard Higgott. Source: Supplied

TWO WA universities have announced that they will freeze fees for all students starting their studies this year.

Edith Cowan University has joined Murdoch University in making the commitment to domestic students to "provide fairness and certainty".

In this month's Federal Budget, the Abbott Government announced plans to introduce higher education reforms that will deregulate fees and make students pay back loans sooner and with higher interest.

Today, ECU announced that the freeze would apply to all domestic students who start in semester 2, 2014.

"Our decision to freeze fees recognises that many students had already decided to study at ECU but had not yet enrolled before the Budget was announced. We want to give them the chance to study with us under the current fee structure," ECU vice-chancellor Kerry Cox said.

"It also ensures that those who have been considering university studies, but had been put off by the discussions about fee increases, have the chance to commence studying at ECU and have certainty that the cost of their degree will not change."

The announcement comes after Murdoch University announced earlier today that it would also "protect" this year's students from fee hikes.

The move to freeze fees for students starting in 2014 at Murdoch and Edith Cowan universities was made to "provide fairness and certainty" to students. Picture: File image Source: Supplied

"Murdoch has acted speedily to bring about certainty for new students on their fees in 2016 when the Government's 20 per cent funding cut applies," Murdoch vice chancellor Richard Higgott said.

"Our move means that no student who commences a bachelor degree at Murdoch in 2014 will be worse off.

"This will ease concern and bring much needed fee certainty to all students commencing an undergraduate degree at Murdoch in the second half of this year.

"If we had not taken this decision, there would have been a disproportionate impact on the cohort of students considering mid-year entry and that was something we were determined to avoid.

"Failure to act would have adversely affected the high proportion of mature age learners and returners to education who are typically represented in this cohort at Murdoch."

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GP found guilty over serious crash

Christine Caffrey, who was today found guilty of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm, leaves court earlier this week. Source: News Corp Australia

A WESTERN suburbs GP has been found guilty over a serious crash which left a Coles delivery driver with an amputated leg.

Christine Marie Caffrey was this afternoon found guilty of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm against Matthew Chapman.

A Perth magistrate convicted Caffrey following a three-day trial.

While driving to pick up her daughter, Caffrey hit Mr Chapman as he unloaded the back of a Coles delivery truck on Vincent Street in Nedlands on August 8 last year.

While one of his legs had to be amputated, the other was also severely injured.

She was fighting the charge arguing that while she hit Mr Chapman, she was not driving dangerously.

The prosecution argued phone records showed Caffrey had been distracted by her mobile at the time of the crash – a claim the doctor rejected.

This afternoon, Magistrate Michael Wheeler found Caffrey guilty, fining her $5000 and suspending her driver's licence for two years.

The magistrate could not conclude Caffrey was on the phone at the time, but said it was inevitable she was either totally distracted by something or driving with such inattention which led to a catastrophic accident.

"The truck was there to be seen, and should have been seen and must have been seen – it was not a hidden obstacle," Mr Wheeler said.

After the verdict, Mr Chapman told Seven News he was pleased with the result, which would offer some closure.

But he said he had been hurt that Caffrey had not tried to contact him and was offended by claims in court she was remorseful, but still forgave the doctor.

He said the court case was difficult to endure and it was "hard not to have relapses of what happened that night."

"It has totally changed our lives, but we have to move on and try live the best way we can now," he said

Victim Matthew Chapman is relieved at the guilty verdict against Dr Christine Caffrey. Source: News Corp Australia

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Wife ‘shattered’ at MH370 setback

Danica Weeks with her two sons Lincoln and Jack. Source: News Corp Australia

THE Perth wife of a passenger on ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight 370 says she has difficulty processing news that searchers have given up on an area of the Indian Ocean where acoustic "pings" were detected.

Underwater drone Bluefin-21 has completed its scouring of the zone off the West Australian coast where the man-made sounds were picked up, and come up with nothing.

A massive broadening of the search area is now expected, based on a fresh analysis of data that led British satellite firm Inmarsat to conclude the plane crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.

New Zealander Danica Weeks, whose mechanical engineer husband, Paul, had boarded MH370 on his way to start a new job in Mongolia, remains in Perth, where their family moved after the Christchurch earthquakes in 2011.

Ms Weeks said she had "cried a lot of tears today".

"It just is another slap in the face, it's just another long road for us and I'm just shattered by the news, I'm absolutely shattered," Ms Weeks told the Seven Network.

"When your child cries for their father, it just breaks your heart and I can't tell them the truth because I don't know.

"I still haven't reconciled that he's not coming back, because I've had nothing.

"When you don't have anything – not even a piece of the plane, just nothing, and so many different stories – how can you not have a little piece of hope?"

The couple have two boys, Lincoln, 3, and 13-month-old Jack.

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Rolf tells of family’s shock

Trial appearance. Australian born veteran TV and music entertainer Rolf Harris arrives at court with his daughter Bindi. Picture: Matt Dunham Source: AP

BINDI Harris had become so incensed with allegations her father Rolf sexually abused a school friend of hers she was banging her head against a wall and later sought counselling, a London Court has heard.

Rolf Harris took to the witness stand for a third day to be cross examined over who knew what and when in relation to claims he indecently assaulted a 13-year-old friend of Bindi's during a holiday in 1978 as well as other women.

The 84-year-old agreed his daughter had become upset when she heard the claims in 1997, almost 20 years after the alleged incident, and was "beside herself" when she rang him on the telephone while he was in Australia to accuse him over the sexual child abuse claim.

"She was in such a state she was banging her head against a wall she was beside herself with shock," prosecutor Sasha Wass put to Harris to which he agreed she was bedside herself in shock.

He told the court he couldn't recall her head banging or receiving counselling but was aware she had smashed two paintings he had done for her.

Harris, has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of indecently assaulting four females over almost two decades, from 1968 to 1986.

Harris told Southwark Crown Court all the women, including the four alleged victims and up to a dozen other witnesses who have claimed they had been or witnessed indecent assaults, were lying.

But he told the court he couldn't say why they would do that.

Ms Wass yesterday set out five points of a "common theme" between all the alleged independent victims and witnesses as: Harris meeting them all in public; sexually assaulting them from a friendly gesture like a hug; each victim being unable to move or protest; other people present or close by and then he behaving after the assault as if nothing happened.

The prosecutor told the court what Harris found attractive about touching children was they would not judge him like adults.

Harris denied the claim and suggested there were holes in all of the women's stories with many of the alleged acts just "not physically possible". That included allegedly molesting a girl sitting on his lap at a pub bench which he said was physically not possible because the bench was tight to the wall, indecently assaulting a girl while signing her an autograph because he had no free hands, assaulting a girl after he had been on all fours and barking like a dog because he had never been to the venue and tongue kissing an 11-year-old girl with Harris claiming it was physically impossible to tongue kiss anyone who didn't want to partake in the act.

The case continues.

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Uproar over MH370 ping ‘mess’

Today's top trending stories and news.

Koji Kubota of the Japan Coast Guard keeps watch for debris from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Photo: AFP. Source: AFP

REVELATIONS that the underwater pings heard in early April were not from the MH370 black box has left family members of those on board angry and demanding answers.

The area where the supposed black box pings were heard later became the focus of an intensive ocean search by an underwater vehicle over an 850 square kilometre zone.

But oceanographer Dr Erik Van Sebille warns against criticism, saying deep ocean searches are massively difficult tasks.

Selamat Osman, whose son was on board MH370, said he had been informed by Malaysian Airlines about the doubt now surrounding the supposed black box pings.

Mr Osman said from his home in Malaysia that he was disappointed in the efforts to find the plane and his son and the other 238 on board.

"I feel really disappointed. The attempt to search for the plane is not optimal yet," Mr Osman said.

"They should be working harder rather than talking and talking. In my opinion, they have too much talking rather than working. It doesn't make us really feel sure about their work."

Mr Osman said it was his big hope that the renewed search would yield some results.

FLIGHT PATH: MH370 report confirms search delays

"I am really disappointed that the search operation hasn't found anything."

Sarah Bjac, whose partner Philip Wood was on board the plane, leads a group of relatives of passengers who want more answers.

She said yesterday the latest black box twist was "consistent with the tangled mess that is this supposed investigation". Ms Bajc said from her home in Beijing: "It is a sad commentary on the situation that family members are rejoicing that there is still a chance that our loved ones are being held hostage by hijackers. It is a better option than dead at the bottom of the ocean."

She said the family members were being managed and intentionally distracted.

"I've been saying this since the first weeks. We are being managed and intentionally distracted. Lead, redaction, lead, redaction, lead — until three months later there is not a single solitary fact or piece of evidence that has been proven to be true, not one. Both the leads and the redactions come from a mix of official sources and "leaks". Nothing is logical or consistent or according to standard expected protocols much less common sense."

Mystery disappearance ... it is now believed the pings came from a source not related to the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. Source: AFP

'INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TASK'

But oceanographer Dr Erik Van Sebille warns against criticism of authorities in the search.

He said deep ocean research, particularly in a place like the southern Indian Ocean, was an incredibly difficult task.

He said oceans were full of sounds and it was not easy to discern them.

'Sounds are made at all different frequencies. The ocean is more a cacophony of these different sounds. You might think you hear one thing but it is another," Dr Van Sebille, from the University of New South Wales said yesterday.

"I think we should be very careful with our criticism. There is no team in the world that could have done a better job than this. Navies know their sounds in the ocean like nothing else," he said, adding that the Australian Navy were among world experts in underwater sounds.

Dr Van Sebille said so many things in the ocean made sounds and it was very difficult to differentiate them.

"Everything in the ocean makes sounds, from whales to shrimps that actually make clicking sounds. Biologists use instruments that make sounds to track animals," he said.

He said that while the 850quare kilometres search by Bluefin-21 did not sound like a lot, searching that amount of ocean floor was a painstakingly slow task.

No sign of the plane ... specialists prepare to launch the Phoenix Autonomous Underwater Vehicle 'Artemis' Bluefin-21 from the vessel Ocean Shield. Source: AFP

PRIMARY SEARCH ZONE 'DISCOUNTED'

Australian authorities today discounted an area that had been considered the most likely zone.

The triangle of water in the Indian Ocean was seen as the prime area largely as a result of the acoustic pings picked up last month, and thought to be from the missing plane's black box.

But the Australian Transport Safety Bureau today advised that the search in the vicinity of the acoustic detections can now be considered complete and that the area can be discounted as the final resting place of MH370.

Transport Minister Warren Truss told parliament the hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane will continue in the Indian Ocean even though it was not found in the recent search zone. He said search is about to move into a new phase and Australia was committed to doing everything it can to find the plane.

"We are still very confident that the resting place of the aircraft is in the Southern Ocean," he said.

SEARCH TEAMS HEAD HOME

The ATSB said Bluefin-21 completed its last mission yesterday afternoon searching the remaining areas in the vicinity of the acoustic signals which were detected in early April by the Towed Pinger Locator deployed from ADV Ocean Shield.

"The data collected on yesterday's mission has been analysed. As a result, the JACC can advise that no signs of aircraft debris have been found by the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle since it joined the search effort," it said in a statement.

HUNT TO CONTINUE

The next search begins in August and is expected to take about 12 months.

"Unfortunately this is a painstaking effort in a very large ocean." The next area could be 800 kilometres long and 70km wide, he said.

Manager of opposition business, Tony Burke, said the hopes of many had been dashed by the failure to find the plane in the most recent search zone.

"Once again we offer our condolences and words of comfort to the families and friends of the passengers on MH370 who still await more news," he said.

It's over ... the search for the plane in the Indian Ocean has come to an end. Source: AP

SHOCK CIRCLES THE GLOBE

The news has come as a shock and disappointment for relatives who are still searching for answers.

New Zealander Danica Weeks, whose mechanical engineer husband, Paul, had boarded MH370 on his way to start a new job in Mongolia, remains in Perth, where their family moved after the Christchurch earthquakes in 2011.

"When your child cries for their father, it just breaks your heart and I can't tell them the truth because I don't know," Ms Weeks told the Seven Network.

"I still haven't reconciled that he's not coming back, because I've had nothing.

"When you don't have anything — not even a piece of the plane, just nothing, and so many different stories — how can you not have a little piece of hope?" The couple have two boys, Lincoln, 3, and 13-month-old Jack

US BREAKS THE BAD NEWS

The official word came after a US Navy official told CNN this morning that the pings are now universally believed to have come from a man-made source unrelated to the missing jetliner, and not from the plane's data or cockpit voice recorders.

Michael Dean, the Navy's deputy director of ocean engineering, said that if the pings had come from the recorders, searchers would have found them.

"Our best theory at this point is that (the pings were) likely some sound produced by the ship ... or within the electronics of the Towed Pinger Locator," Dean said.

"Always your fear any time you put electronic equipment in the water is that if any water gets in and grounds or shorts something out, that you could start producing sound."

When asked if the other nations involved in the search effort also believed the pings were unrelated to MH370, Dean answered "yes".

No sign of the plane ... specialists prepare to launch the Phoenix Autonomous Underwater Vehicle 'Artemis' Bluefin-21 from the vessel Ocean Shield.

He went on to tell CNN that it is not possible to categorically rule out that the pings came from the black boxes but that there is no evidence to suggest they did.

The US Navy later dismissed Mr Dean's comments as "speculative and premature" — but that was before the ATSB's announcement this afternoon.

"The US has been working cooperatively with our Malaysian, Australian and international partners for more than two months in an effort to locate MH370," US Navy spokesman Chris Johnson said in a statement.

"Mike Dean's comments today were speculative and premature, as we continue to work with our partners to more thoroughly understand the data acquired by the Towed Pinger Locator.

"As such, we would defer to the Australians, as the lead in the search effort, to make additional information known at the appropriate time."

'Debacle' ... Prime Minister Tony Abbott with search co-ordinator Air Chief Angus Houston. Source: News Corp Australia

REQUEST FOR DATA

The latest revelation comes after News Corp Australia last week revealed that underwater scientists have labelled the search for MH370 a "debacle" and say Prime Minister Tony Abbott was playing politics when he prematurely announced the black box pingers had been found.

The acoustic experts, who do not wish to be identified, said the four crucial signals detected by a US pinger locator were almost certainly not from the missing Malaysian Airlines plane's black boxes, but from another man-made source.

They insisted that the signals were in the wrong frequency and detected too far apart to be from the boxes.

"As soon as I saw the frequency and the distance between the pings I knew it couldn't be the aircraft pinger," one scientist said.

That conclusion is supported by the lack of success from a detailed search of the area conducted by the US deep sea drone Bluefin 21.

In answer to questions from News Corp Australia the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) said that the signals were "likely" sourced from electronic equipment and were "believed to be" consistent with the Flight Data Recorder.

However the scientists said the 33.3 kilohertz frequency of the signal was very different to the 37.5 kilohertz generated by underwater acoustic beacons. The signals were also detected some 30km and four days apart.

The JACC has refused a request to release recordings of the signals for independent analysis and it did not release the exact location or precise depth of the signals.

Agency head retired defence chief Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said the signals were still being analysed to ensure nothing was overlooked.

Meanwhile the families of passengers aboard missing flight MH370 accuse Malaysia of a cover-up over newly released satellite data, saying it is incomplete and does not prove that the plane crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.

This comes as the first stage of the search off the west coast of Australia concludes without finding any debris from the missing Boeing 777.

The Malaysian Airlines flight, with 239 passengers and crew on board, disappeared in the early hours of March 8 on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Since then no trace of the jetliner has been found, despite a multi-million dollar search effort.

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Obese toddler put into state care

A MORBIDLY obese child has been taken into state care amid fears her life is at risk.

The Department of Child Protection and Family Services had confirmed an East Kimberley toddler has been placed with a foster family in Perth so she can receive urgent medical treatment.

Department acting director-general Emma White said the child was at signficant risk of death and was not receiving the appropriate care.

"The Department is faciliating ongoing contact between the child and the family," she said.

"Medical professionals have clearly stated that the child needs to reside close to a

hospital which has the necessary breathing equipment which is required if she gets into

breathing difficulties.

"The only hospitals with this equipment are in Perth, Broome and Kalgoorlie."

The ABC reports the three-year-old child weighs at least 30kg and is believed to have been hospitalised in Broome several times in the past 12 months.

She was flown to Perth last week after a court order to place her in foster care was secured.

It was reported that her family, who live in a remote Aboriginal community, have refused to move to Broome or Perth so the child could be near a hospital with breathing equipment.

A spokeswoman for WA Health confirmed the child had been discharged from Broome Hospital, but said all other inquiries should be directed to the Department of Child Protection and Family Services.

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Rolf ’admired’ bikini teen

Rolf cross examined ... The entertainer admitted to a prosecutor in court today that comments about a 13-year-old's bikini may have been sexual. Source: AFP

ROLF Harris has conceded his admiration of the bikini of a 13-year-old girl he later allegedly indecently assaulted during a beach holiday may have been a sexual reference to her body, a court has heard.

The 84-year-old entertainer in his second day in the witness box was softly spoken, barely audible in part, as he was placed under cross-examination by prosecutor Sasha Wass QC.

That was in marked contrast to his testimony yesterday in which he sang a verse of his hit tune Jake the Peg and mimicked a wobble board sound.

Prosecutor Wass today reminded him his trial was not a "talent show" nor was his "polished performance" ever in question. But Ms Wass said that couldn't disguise Harris' darker side and the court had to decide how dark that side was.

The court had earlier heard one of his alleged victims was a sporty 13-year-old and on holiday with the family in 1978 when she was allegedly indecently assaulted by Harris after she stepped out of a shower wrapped in a towel and later on the beach after she went swimming.

Harris denied he ever assaulted her but said he had during the holiday complimented her on her bikini.

Ms Wass said when he said that it could have meant "you've got a great body" as opposed to admiring the material of a couple of small triangles.

"I suppose so," Harris said.

"And she was 13?" Ms Wass asked.

"Yes."

He was then asked whether that could be seen as a sexual comment.

"In hindsight I suppose it is," he replied.

"You admired (alleged victim's) body during that holiday … you admired her sexually during that holiday?"

"It's possible yes."

Ms Wass reminded the court that Harris had admitted having an affair with the girl when she turned 18, and he was aged in his 50s, and also a secret sexual affair with a housekeeper/chauffeur staying with his family.

"You are pretty good Mr Harris aren't you at disguising the darker side of your character aren't you?" Ms Wass asked.

"Yes"

"The issue that we have to decide in this court is how dark is that dark side."

Harris yesterday admitted he had said "it takes two to tango" when the brother of the alleged victim rang him up to abuse him decades later.

But Harris said that was in reference to their consensual relationship when she turned 18. Ms Wass branded the remark as arrogant and dismissive.

Harris denied visiting the alleged 13-year-old — who was a friend of his daughter Bindi — after the holiday when the family returned to England.

He said the victim and her family, despite being decent people, were now lying.

"I think she's probably supporting her daughter's story," Harris said of the mother's testimony in which she said Harris visited her home, asked to see the schoolgirl then when directed upstairs abused her once in her bedroom and again in an upstairs sitting room.

Ms Wass said he was grooming her and she had "nowhere to hide".

Referring to his behaviour on the holiday, Ms Wass suggested Harris "played with her like she was a toy".

He replied: "I would never do that."

He said their later sexual encounters when she was 18 was borne out of "mutual love and affection"

Harris has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of indecently assaulting four women from 1968 to 1986.

The case continues.

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Jim’s Mowing man found after crash

Parkerville man Leigh Anthony Morgan, 52, a Jim's Mowing franchisee, has been found. It is understood he had been involved in a traffic accident. Source: Supplied

MISSING Parkerville Jim's Mowing man Leigh Morgan has been found after a traffic crash in the Perth Hills, police revealed.

Police said Mr Morgan had been "involved in a traffic crash'' at Bailup, near Wundowie, about 45km east of Perth.

"At about 10.25am this morning, police were called to a crash, where a car had collided with a tree on Bailup Road, Bailup,'' Police said.

"The male driver of the vehicle (Mr Morgan) was taken to Swan District Hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.

Mr Morgan had not been seen since about 4.30pm Monday, when his white Mitsubishi Triton and Jim's Mowing trailer, were spotted on Great Eastern Highway, Ascot.

Parkerville man Leigh Morgan, 52, a Jim's Mowing franchisee, has been found.

Given he was not found till just after 10am today, police are trying to piece together the missing 40-odd hours.

Bailup is a bush area just west of Wundowie, off the Toodyay Road and just a few kilometres from his Parkerville home.

Earlier today Mr Morgan's wife Debbie made a public plea for information to help police find her husband.

Debbie Morgan last saw her husband of 30 years at 8.15am on Monday, when she left for work.

She was expecting to see him home that evening, but when she left for netball at 6pm he had not yet returned home.

"I already had dinner ready, he knew what we were doing for dinner — I was expecting to cross paths with him on the way out," Mrs Morgan said.

"When I got home at 7.30pm and he was still not there, that's when I knew something was wrong."

Mrs Morgan said it was "absolutely" out of character for Mr Morgan not to let her know where he was, and she was "extremely worried".

The 52-year-old operates a Jim's Mowing franchise, and usually gets home from his mowing round between 4pm and 6pm.

"If he is not going to be home by six, he would always ring first," Mrs Morgan said.

The last sighting of Mr Morgan is at 4.30pm on Monday, when he was driving on Great Eastern Highway in Ascot in his white 2004 Mitsubishi Triton ute, registration number 1BWO625, and towing a Jim's Mowing trailer, registration 1TKC571.

Mrs Morgan said none of Mr Morgan's family or friends had seen the father of two and were all very worried for his welfare.

"He is the most easygoing person you would ever meet," she said.

"Everyone loves Leigh."

Mr Morgan is in Royal Perth Hospital in a stable condition.

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One step closer to ‘waste dump’ shut down

The Department of Environment Regulation today served Bio-Organics Pty Ltd with a "draft decision" to revoke its licence. Source: News Limited

Industrial effluent pouring out of a culvert on a property next to the Bio-Organics facility at Oakford. Source: Supplied

WA's environmental watchdog is one step away from shutting down an Oakford composting business that neighbours complain has become a dumping ground for noxious liquid wastes.

The Department of Environment Regulation today served Bio-Organics Pty Ltd with a "draft decision" to revoke its licence.

The company, which is paid by industry to receive a range of liquid wastes, has ten business days to respond.

A DER spokeswoman said: "After considering any response, DER's Acting CEO will make a final decision."

Bio-Organics has been the subject of an investigation by The Sunday Times. In February, the newspaper revealed:

● THE plight of neighbouring residents, who claim their idyllic corner of rural Oakford, 36km south of Perth, had been ruined by putrid smells and other impacts from the Bio-Organics site. They complained of nausea, headaches, burning eyes and nosebleeds;

● LIQUID had been pouring from the site into a creek that drains into the Serpentine

River. Samples collected by the DER showed high concentrations of a range of chemicals, including arsenic, cadmium, chromium VI, lead, nickel, nitrogen and phosphorus; and

● AN environmental scientist, hired by the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale to test groundwater quality on a neighbour's property downstream from Bio-Organics, reported results "suggestive of industrial effluent contamination".

● THE site is just 250m from the Jandakot Mound, one of Perth's main drinking water supplies.

Industrial effluent pouring out of a culvert on a property next to the Bio-Organics facility at Oakford. Source: Supplied

Although the DER has taken steps to revoke Bio-Organics' licence, neighbours complain they are still in the dark about exactly what types of liquid waste have been tanked there for mixing with green waste. They say it's disgraceful they haven't been told.

A Freedom of Information application to the DER by The Sunday Times failed to shed any light on the waste types, because the regulator – which has permitted the waste to go there – has determined that the information is a trade secret of Bio-Organics. Though it confirmed "the waste types are not widely used in the composting industry."

The newspaper is in the process of appealing the FOI decision.

The Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale is taking court action against Bio-Organics, claiming it doesn't have planning approval. Meanwhile Bio-Organics is suing Shire president Keith Ellis over comments he made about the company on radio.

Oakford residents have kicked up a stink over the Bio-Organics site, which they claim is affecting their health and well being. Picture: File image Source: News Limited

The DER spokeswoman today said that if the licence is revoked, a closure notice will be served on the company.

"This enables DER to manage the environmental implications of the materials on Bio-Organics' site during the closure period," the spokesman said.

"Such a notice would require Bio-Organics to continue managing, reporting and auditing its operations, under the provisions of the closure notice."

The spokeswoman added: "The matter of possible site contamination is being managed separately under the provisions of the Contaminated Sites Act 2003.

"DER will review the reports documenting the investigations and will update the classification of the site based on the information provided. If contamination to the soil or groundwater is identified, which represents a risk to human health or the environment, DER will require that remedial or management measures are implemented to mitigate the risk."

Bio-Organics denies causing any pollution.

PerthNow sought comment from the company earlier today.

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Serial traffic offender jailed

Serial traffic pest Mitchell Walsh has been sentenced to nine months prison for his eighth charge of driving under a suspended licence.

Mitchell Walsh leaves court following a previous court appearance. Picture: File image Source: News Limited

SERIAL traffic pest Mitchell William Donald Walsh has been sentenced to nine months prison for his eighth charge of driving under a suspended licence.

Walsh, formerly known as Mitchell Walsh-McDonald, was caught driving his work vehicle to a job in January this year, despite being banned from driving in 2013 for two years.

It was his eighth such charge and his 14th driving-related charge to go to court since 2008.

Walsh first came to the public's attention in 2003 when he struck and killed schoolgirl Jess Meehan.

He went to trial over the matter and was acquitted because the prosecution did not successfully prove the alcohol in Walsh's system had any impact on his driving.

This afternoon, the Perth Magistrates Court was told Walsh's latest charge occurred when the father-of-one got behind the wheel because his lift to work phoned to say he was sick and could not come.

This afternoon, Magistrate Joe Randazzo said Walsh had "put your personal interests ahead of the rule and sanction of the law."

Magistrate Randazzo described Walsh's criminal record as "appalling" and imprisonment was the only appropriate punishment.

"I would be failing in my duty to not impose an immediate term of imprisonment," he said.

"It is unbelievable that you have not received the message it is not OK to drive."

In sentencing submissions, Walsh's lawyer Oliver Paxman said his client had cognitive issues that were not picked up until a psychological report was done for this afternoon's sentencing hearing.

He said Walsh was living with a "constant level of stress and anxiety" following the death of Jess Meehan.

Mr Paxman suggested a pre-sentence order to monitor Walsh's behaviour and give him an opportunity of counselling for substance abuse and grief before sending him to prison.

"I don't think sending him to jail is going to stop him offending," he said.

Police prosecutors opposed any option other than a jail term.

Walsh's prison sentence was back dated to April 16 when he was remanded in custody are pleading guilty to the charge.

He will be released in January.

His 15 months driving suspension is cumulative on a current suspension that ends in June 2015.

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Holden recalls 42,000 Commodores

Safety concern ... Holden is recalling 42,000 Commodores due to a possible seatbelt fault. Source: Supplied

HOLDEN is recalling 42,000 Commodores — almost every one since the new model went on sale in May last year — over a potential fault with the front seatbelts.

Holden issued the recall Monday afternoon after a confidential bulletin was sent to its network of 230 dealers late last week, instructing them not to sell any new Commodores or transfer them to other showrooms.

Holden says the seatbelt pre-tensioner module can make contact with the seatbelt buckle assembly under the seat, causing an electrical short that can disable the seatbelt pre-tensioner mechanism in a crash.

Pre-tensioners are designed to take up the seatbelt's slack milliseconds before an airbag deploys, giving the driver and front passenger the best chance of survival in a serious crash.

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Holden says there have been no customer reports of the seatbelt pre-tensioners not working.

"The investigation began following an isolated report received from the (production line)," the Holden statement said.

The airbag warning light may appear in the instrument cluster on affected cars.

Holden says the other airbags and safety systems are unaffected.

This is the fourth Holden recall so far this year (of the 33 vehicle recalls to date) but this is the first sign of trouble for the new Commodore, which went into production in May 2013 and has enjoyed 10 months in a row of year-on-year sales growth.

Commodore sales so far this year are up by 62 per cent, albeit off last year's record low base.

The previous generation Commodore was recalled 10 times between 2006 and 2013, two of which were in the first three months of going on sale.

On the up ... new Holden Commodore has had 10 months of sales growth. Source: News Limited

In March 2006, more than 129,000 Commodores, Monaros and Statesmans were recalled after Holden discovered the seat-mounted side airbags in 13 customer cars activated "under circumstances which did not warrant inflation".

In 2004, Holden recalled 115,000 Commodores in Australia (and 20,000 overseas) to replace faulty power steering hoses.

But the Holden recalls are small compared to those issued by market leader Toyota.

In April 2014, Toyota recalled almost 300,000 cars and utes for faults including a potential airbag failure and seats that may slip forward.

Owners of 179,000 Hilux utes built between April 2004 and the end of 2009 and 118,600 Yaris small cars made between June 2005 and May 2010 have been caught up in global recall of 6.76 million Toyotas.

In October 2012, Toyota Australia recalled almost 300,000 cars — from a 7.4 million global batch — across six models including the Corolla, Kluger, RAV4, Yaris, Aurion and Camry built between 2006 and 2010.

That recall was to replace the electric window master switch because "the switch assembly may overheat and melt".

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling

22.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Eagle Yeo faces $70,000 dental bill

West Coast Eagles youngster Elliot Yeo has coughed up a couple of teeth in a sickening collision with Collingwood's Jarrod Witts.

Elliot Yeo (second from left) walks off the MCG with two fewer teeth than when he started. Source: Getty Images

ELLIOT Yeo's lifetime dental bill could top $70,000 after the West Coast midfielder had his two front teeth fractured in a sickening collision with 113kg Magpie Jarrod Witts.

A leading dentist who forecast the mammoth cost also said adjacent teeth could be affected by the trauma, causing Yeo to remain under observation for at least the next two years.

But the Eagles are confident Yeo would line up against North Melbourne on Sunday and said it made no difference that the former Lion's teeth were not recovered from the MCG turf.

Unlike Dustin Fletcher in 2004 — who had two teeth placed in milk to preserve the nerves — Yeo's teeth splintered and did not completely dislodge, meaning the roots remained in place.

Ed and Derm catch up with Dr Peter Larkins for the latest update on player injuries from round 10 of the AFL.

That could allow the 20-year-old to escape with caps placed on the existing base, if there are no cracks, although further complicated dental treatment will be required.

Yeo, who tweeted after the loss to Collingwood "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth ..." could also need implants, or false teeth, inserted.

"It's a lifetime injury, not an isolated event," a Melbourne dentist said yesterday.

"Somebody will have to fork out over his lifetime something in the order of $30-35,000 potentially per tooth, plus inflation.

"If the tooth has been broken off at the gum and the root has remained then the nerve of the tooth is exposed it means every time he breaths air in it will be painful (depending on the condition of the teeth pre-accident)."

The expert said it was the "height of stupidity" for players to not wear mouthguards in collision sports, although warned they only lessened the severity of traumas.

"And that's being generous. If the tooth is fractured at gum level then the root needs to be dealt with either by extraction or by having the nerve removed."

He said implants, which are placed on a device and screwed into the bone, could need to be redone more for cosmetic reasons than once when gum level drops.

Elliot Yeo feels his cracked tooth after crashing into Jarrod Witts. Source: Getty Images

Eagles coach Adam Simpson said: "I think he rates himself, too, with the looks.

"So he's going to have to get that fixed pretty quick. It was a big knock, but he should have taken the mark."

Witts' shoulder cannoned into Yeo on the halftime siren, while Magpies defender Nick Maxwell urged youngsters to ensure they always wore mouthguards.

"It's no fun (loosing teeth). I've watched Clinton Young for three weeks have soup for every meal after in the NAB Cup losing his front tooth."

22.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Parents’ frantic search for killer

The alleged Isla Vista shooter, Elliot Rodgers wrote a chilling 140 page document providing graphic details of his murderous plot. Courtesy: Fox News

Scene of the shooting ... in California. Picture: France Kirsten, Twitter Source: Supplied

WHILE Elliot Rodger was out killing innocent people his parents madly tried to find him after receiving a chilling manifesto from their son, it's been revealed.

The 22-year-old sent a 140-page document via email to his parents — as well as a dozen others — just before the shootings began, family friend Simon Astaire told CNN.

Devastation ... Peter Rodger is seen in public for the first time since his son went on a deadly drive-by rampage. Picture: Splash Source: Splash News Australia

Rodger's mother, Lichin, who saw the e-mail at 9.17pm, immediately went to Rodger's YouTube page, where he had been known to post videos about himself.

According to Astaire, that's when Rodger's mother saw her son's latest video, called "Retribution," that he posted Friday, the day of the shootings.

Grieving mum ... Lichin Rodger, the mother of killer Elliot Rodger, called 911 after seeing her son's chilling YouTube video. Picture: Splash Source: Splash News Australia

In the video, Rodger outlined his plan of "slaughtering" women at a sorority house at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

His mother called her former husband, British-born director Peter Rodger, and said he had to watch the YouTube video. At the time, Peter Rodger had not yet seen the manifesto.

In cold blood ... Elliot Rodger killed six people before taking his own life. Source: Supplied

FULL TRANSCRIPT: Read Rodger's hate-filled YouTube rant

'WHY DID CHRIS DIE?': Father lashes out

KILLER WAS A 'VERY DISTURBED BOY': grandmother tells of fears

Lichin Rodger called 911, and the parents set off for Santa Barbara from Los Angeles, according to Astaire.

En route, they heard there was a shooting. Later that night, they found out their son was behind the violence.

Rodger began his deadly rampage by fatally stabbing his room-mates George Chen, 19, and Cheng Yuan Hong, 20 inside their Isla Vista apartment.

Weihan Wang, 20, was also killed in the apartment but it is unclear if he was a room-mate or was visiting.

Rodger then got into his black BMW and drove to a nearby deli where he shot student Christopher Michael-Martinez, 20.

He then shot dead University of California students Katie Cooper, 22, and Veronika Weiss, 19, in a drive-by shooting outside the Alpha Pi sorority house.

Less than 24 hours after the bloody rampage that left six innocent victims dead in the California college town, the manifesto also arrived at a local TV station.

In the rambling document, titled "My Twisted World", Rodger outlined his plans to take vengeance against those female students who had rejected him.

Elliot Rodger details the reasons behind his mass shooting, the day before carrying out the horrific attack. WARNING: Some viewers may find disturbing.

He had sent the document to a friend who then passed it on to KEYT-TV Channel 3 in Santa Barbara, which provided a copy to The Los Angeles Times.

"All of those beautiful girls I've desired so much in my life, but can never have because they despise and loathe me, I will destroy," wrote Rodger, the son of Peter Rodger, an assistant director on The Hunger Games.

"All of those popular people who live hedonistic lives of pleasure, I will destroy, because they never accepted me as one of them. I will kill them all and make them suffer, just as they have made me suffer. It is only fair."

Rampage ... a Facebook selfie of Elliot Rodger, who stabbed to death three of his room-mates before killing three students in a drive-by shooting in Santa Barbara. Source: Supplied

The Santa Barbara City College student took his own life after his deadly rampage, which began in his own apartment.

"I would have to kill my housemates to get them out of the way," he wrote in his manifesto. "In fact, I'd even enjoy stabbing them both to death while they slept."

It appears as though Elliot Rodger was planning the killing spree "for at least a year," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told CNN on Sunday morning.

In his manifesto, Rodger divided his rampage up into three parts.

Deadly ... Elliot Rodger in his black BMW, which he drove during his killing spree. Source: Supplied

"On the day before the Day of Retribution, I will start the First Phase of my vengeance: Silently killing as many people as I can around Isla Vista by luring them into my apartment through some form of trickery," he wrote.

CHILLING VIDEO: 'I will slaughter you like animals'

His Second Phase, he said, would represent his "War on Women".

"I will punish all females for the crime of depriving me of sex. They have starved me of sex for my entire youth, and gave that pleasure to other men," he wrote.

"In doing so, they took many years of my life away.

"I cannot kill every single female on earth, but I can deliver a devastating blow that will shake all of them to the core of their wicked hearts. I will attack the very girls who represent everything I hate in the female gender: The hottest sorority of UCSB."

Senseless killing ... student Chris Martinez was shot dead in the gun rampage. Source: No Source

The final phase, he said, would be his "ultimate showdown in the streets of Isla Vista".

In this section, he spoke of killing his family and using his parents' Mercedes SUV as "killing machines against my enemies."

Rodger also spoke of his plans for "retribution" in a chilling video posted on YouTube.

"On the day of retribution I am going to enter the hottest sorority house ... and I will slaughter every single spoiled single stuck up blonde s--t I see inside there," he said.

Earlier, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown detailed how the horror of Rodger's rampage unfolded.

Rodger "repeatedly stabbed" three male victims at his apartment prior to the shootings in the town of Isla Vista, near the University of California's Santa Barbara campus.

Grief ... students attend a candlelight vigil in the college town of Isla Vista. Source: AFP

Once outside, Rodger targeted three women from across a street, killing two of them aged 22 and 19, Brown said.

Driving in his car, a black BMW, Rodger found his next victim, a 20-year-old student named Christopher Martinez, shooting him dead.

Police then went after him, Brown said, as Rodger shot indiscriminately at passers-by — injuring at least 13 — and drove all over the road.

Rodger was shot in the hip in a shootout, before zooming off once more and hitting a cyclist, throwing him onto the hood of his car.

"The suspect's vehicle then collided with several parked cars and came to a stop," said Brown, but Rodger "was obviously dead with an apparent gunshot wound to the head."

So much grief ... Students gather at the University of California's Santa Barbara campus in Isla Vista to pay tribute to the victims. Source: AFP

Three nine-millimeter semiautomatic handguns were recovered from the BMW — all legally purchased and registered — and Rodger had dozens of unused rounds of ammunition.

It has emerged that police had "contacts" with Rodger on three separate occasions before Friday's killings, the first time in July 2013, Brown said.

Richard Martinez, father of Christopher, choked up several times as he paid tribute to his son and blamed politicians and the gun lobby, asking in an emotional and at times angry speech:

Father's pain ... Richard Martinez, whose son Christopher was killed in the mass shooting, breaks down as he talks to the media. Source: AP

"When will this insanity stop?" "Our family has a message for every parent out there: you don't think it'll happen to your child until it does," he said, his face contorted with despair and rage.

"Chris was a really great kid, ask anyone who knew him. His death has left our family lost and broken." His voice shaking with emotion, Martinez rounded on politicians and the powerful National Rifle Association.

Hollywood family ... Elliot Rodger's father, British director Peter Rodger. Source: Getty Images

"Why did Chris die? Chris died because of craven, irresponsible politicians and the NRA," Martinez said, raising his voice.

"They talk about gun rights. What about Chris's right to live? When will this insanity stop?"

The bloodshed was just the latest in a string of gun massacres that have rocked the United States in recent years and is likely to trigger more passionate debate about gun rights.

Horrific ... Elliot Rodger took his own life after his deadly rampage in Santa Barbara. Source: Supplied

Anti-gun campaigner Michael Moore responded to the massacre by posting a statement on his Facebook profile describing America's national symbol as "the gun, not the eagle".

"With due respect to those who are asking me to comment on last night's tragic mass shooting ... I no longer have anything to say about what is now part of normal American life," Moore wrote.

A community in mourning gather for a candlelight vigil to honour the victims of Friday night's mass shooting in Santa Barbara, California. Courtesy: Instagram

"Everything I have to say about this, I said it 12 years ago: We are a people easily manipulated by fear which causes us to arm ourselves with a quarter BILLION guns in our homes that are often easily accessible to young people, burglars, the mentally ill and anyone who momentarily snaps."

Devastated students from the University of California's Santa Barbara campus hugged each other and wept as they gathered at a candlelight vigil for those killed in the rampage.

Katie Cooper, shooting victim. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

Veronica Weiss, shooting victim. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

Earlier, residents at the Alpha Phi sorority reported hearing loud and aggressive banging on the front door that lasted for about two minutes. Shortly afterwards witnesses reported seeing young women standing outside shot by Rodger from across the street.

Those inside who refused to open the door were saved from certain death.

"He [Elliot] banged on the door, but no one opened the door so he just drove off and opened fire everywhere," said one student.

Alan Schifman, the lawyer for the Rodger family, said the 22-year-old was being treated by several therapists. He added that his parents and a social worker knew of his difficulties and had been so alarmed by his behaviour they had reported him to police.

Schifman said Rodger was a high-functioning patient with Asperger syndrome who had faced bullying through his schooling and had difficulty making friends.

Mass shooting ... bodies are seen covered on the ground after the mass drive-by shooting. Picture: AP Photo/KEYT, John Palminteri Source: AP

In the YouTube video, Rodger rants about women who have allegedly rejected him, saying he doesn't understand why he is a 22-year-old virgin and wanted to seek his revenge.

He says: "Tomorrow is the day of retribution, the day in which I will have my revenge against humanity, against all of you.

"For the last eight years of my life, ever since I hit puberty I've been forced to endure an existence of loneliness, rejection and unfulfilled desires all because girls have never been attracted to me.

"Girls gave their affection and sex and love to other men, but never to me.

"I'm 22 years old and still a virgin. I've never even kissed a girl.

"I've been through college for two and a half years … and I'm still a virgin. It has been very torturous. I've had to rot in loneliness. It's not fair.

"Girls have never been attracted to me. I will punish you all for it. It's an injustice, a crime."

Murder ... paramedics at the scene of the rampage next to the University of California. Picture: NOOZHAWK Source: Supplied

Bloody scene ... Seven people, including the suspected gunman, died during the shooting rampage. Picture: AP//KEYT, John Palminteri Source: AP

A student said he saw shots fired from a BMW, fatally striking one woman and critically injuring another woman.

"I heard shots, scream, pain," Michael Vitak said.

"All emotions. I hope she is going to be fine."

Wrecked car ... a BMW sedan sits wrecked on an Isla Vista sidewalk after the driver — who allegedly gunned down six people during a blocks-long shooting rampage Picture: Urban Hikers Source: Supplied

Andrew Jun, a third year economics and accounting student who witnessed the rampage, told AFP the situation was "pretty surreal." "It's unbelievable that this kind of thing can happen," he said. Other witnesses said they initially mistook the gunshots for fireworks or firecrackers.

Sienna Schwartz, her voice breaking, recalled how she came face-to-face with the gunman.

At first, she mistook the attacker's "little black pistol" for an airsoft gun. "I turned around, and I started walking the other way. He shot, and I felt like -- I just felt, like, the wind pass right by my face," Schwartz told CNN as she choked back tears.

Nine crime scenes ... night-time drive-by shooting in a student enclave next to the University of California. Picture: NOOZHAWK Source: Supplied

By grisly coincidence, in 2001, the son of Ally McBeal and The Wire television series director Daniel Attias ran down four pedestrians with his car on a crowded street just a block away from the scene of Friday's assault.

Witnesses said that part-time college student David Attias got out of the car after his deed and shouted "I am the angel of death." He was ruled insane and locked up in a state hospital after being initially convicted of second-degree murder.

If you or someone you know may be at risk of suicide contact Lifeline 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36, or Salvo Care Line 1300 36 36 22.

22.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Whale’s head closes Perth beach

The 3m head of a sperm whale has washed up at Sorrento beach. Picture: Twitter/Matt Tinney, Nine News Source: Supplied

A NORTHERN suburbs beach has been closed after a decomposing whale head washed onshore.

The 3m head, believed to be from a sperm whale, was found this morning on Sorrento Beach.

The beach has been closed over fears the carcass could attract sharks.

The Department of Parks and Wildlife are investigating. They are planning to remove the carcass tomorrow morning.

The Fisheries Department warns water users between Ocean Reef and Scarborough beach to be extra cautious of sharks.

"It is possible that the whale carcass may act as an attractant that could lead to sharks coming close in to shore along this stretch of coast," the department said.

DPaW senior marine operations officer John Edwards said the whale head, which was likely to weigh up to 10 tonnes, was in an area that was difficult to access quickly with machinery.

"Removal of the carcass is taking some time due to its size and the logistics involved, and removal operations will again resume tomorrow," he said.

"It's possible that the sperm whale initially died of natural causes and the skull has come away during the breaking down process.

"When the whale carcass is removed, it will be disposed of at an approved refuse site."

People are reminded that removing or interfering with the whale carcass is an offence under the Wildlife Conservation Act carrying a maximum penalty of $4000.

Shark sightings should be reported to Water Police on 9442 8600.

22.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

GP ‘distracted’ before Nedlands crash

Dr Christine Caffrey (in red coat) leaves court after an appearance in September last year. Source: Supplied

Victim Matthew Chapman leaves court after the first day of Christine Caffrey's Perth Magistrates Court hearing. Source: PerthNow

A NEDLANDS GP received, dialled and missed five calls on her mobile phone from her daughter in the minutes surrounding the crash that claimed the leg of a Coles delivery truck driver, a court has been told.

Christine Marie Caffrey is on trial in the Perth Magistrates Court, fighting one charge of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.

The doctor is accused of crashing her Subaru Impreza into Matthew Chapman as he was unloading from the back of a Coles grocery delivery truck on Vincent Street in Nedlands on the night August 8 last year.

Mr Chapman had to have the lower part of his left leg amputated and his right leg was severely injured in the crash.

Police prosecutors are arguing Dr Caffrey was distracted by her mobile at the time of the crash.

This afternoon, Detective Senior Constable Craig Kelly, of the Major Crash Unit, gave evidence of calls registered to Dr Caffrey's phone from the night.

He said Dr Caffrey's phone had made a 17-second call to her 16-year-old daughter Niamh Swingler's phone at 7.15pm.

Det Sen Const. Kelly said Dr Caffrey's phone received a five-second call from Niamh's phone at 7.16pm, and then three missed calls from her at 7.17pm, 7.18pm and 7.19pm.

He also said a witness made the triple zero call about the crash at 7.16.58pm.

Det Sen Const. Kelly said he could not say whether conversations were had on the 17-second and five-second calls.

Earlier this afternoon, Niamh told the court she had called her mum about 6.30pm when her mum had not come to pick her up from a friend's house.

She said they spoke, but it was only a brief conversation.

A 6.34pm phone call of 13 seconds was received by Dr Caffrey's phone from Niamh's, Det Sen Const. Kelly had said.

However, Niamh said she "could not recall" making a call at 7.16pm and talking to her mother.

She did say she made "more than one" phone call though when her mum did not come and get her.

Earlier today, Mr Chapman gave evidence in the trial, describing the pain he was in when he was the by a car in the night.

22.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Inside a killer’s twisted world

The alleged Isla Vista shooter, Elliot Rodgers wrote a chilling 140 page document providing graphic details of his murderous plot. Courtesy: Fox News

Scene of the shooting ... in California. Picture: France Kirsten, Twitter Source: Supplied

LESS than 24 hours after Elliot Rodger carried out the deadly rampage that left six innocent victims dead in a California college town, a 140-page manifesto penned by the mentally disturbed 22-year-old arrived at a local TV station.

In the rambling document, titled "My Twisted World", Rodger outlined his plans to take vengeance against those female students who had rejected him.

He had sent the document to a friend who then passed it on to KEYT-TV Channel 3 in Santa Barbara, which provided a copy to The Los Angeles Times.

In cold blood ... Elliot Rodger killed six people before taking his own life. Source: Supplied

FULL TRANSCRIPT: Read Rodger's hate-filled YouTube rant

'WHY DID CHRIS DIE?': Father lashes out

KILLER WAS A 'VERY DISTURBED BOY': grandmother tells of fears

"All of those beautiful girls I've desired so much in my life, but can never have because they despise and loathe me, I will destroy," wrote Rodger, the son of Peter Rodger, an assistant director on The Hunger Games.

Elliot Rodger details the reasons behind his mass shooting, the day before carrying out the horrific attack. WARNING: Some viewers may find disturbing.

"All of those popular people who live hedonistic lives of pleasure, I will destroy, because they never accepted me as one of them. I will kill them all and make them suffer, just as they have made me suffer. It is only fair."

Rampage ... a Facebook selfie of Elliot Rodger, who stabbed to death three of his room-mates before killing three students in a drive-by shooting in Santa Barbara. Source: Supplied

The Santa Barbara City College student took his own life after his deadly rampage, which began in his own apartment.

"I would have to kill my housemates to get them out of the way," he wrote in his manifesto. "In fact, I'd even enjoy stabbing them both to death while they slept."

It appears as though Elliot Rodger was planning the killing spree "for at least a year," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told CNN on Sunday morning.

In his manifesto, Rodger divided his rampage up into three parts.

Deadly ... Elliot Rodger in his black BMW, which he drove during his killing spree. Source: Supplied

"On the day before the Day of Retribution, I will start the First Phase of my vengeance: Silently killing as many people as I can around Isla Vista by luring them into my apartment through some form of trickery," he wrote.

'I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU LIKE ANIMALS': chilling video

His Second Phase, he said, would represent his "War on Women".

"I will punish all females for the crime of depriving me of sex. They have starved me of sex for my entire youth, and gave that pleasure to other men," he wrote.

"In doing so, they took many years of my life away.

"I cannot kill every single female on earth, but I can deliver a devastating blow that will shake all of them to the core of their wicked hearts. I will attack the very girls who represent everything I hate in the female gender: The hottest sorority of UCSB."

Senseless killing ... student Chris Martinez was shot dead in the gun rampage. Source: No Source

The final phase, he said, would be his "ultimate showdown in the streets of Isla Vista".

In this section, he spoke of killing his family and using his parents' Mercedes SUV as "killing machines against my enemies."

Rodger also spoke of his plans for "retribution" in a chilling video posted on YouTube.

"On the day of retribution I am going to enter the hottest sorority house ... and I will slaughter every single spoiled single stuck up blonde s**t I see inside there," he said.

Earlier, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown detailed how the horror of Rodger's rampage unfolded.

Rodger "repeatedly stabbed" three male victims at his apartment prior to the shootings in the town of Isla Vista, near the University of California's Santa Barbara campus.

Grief ... students attend a candlelight vigil in the college town of Isla Vista. Source: AFP

Once outside, Rodger targeted three women from across a street, killing two of them aged 22 and 19, Brown said.

Driving in his car, a black BMW, Rodger found his next victim, a 20-year-old student named Christopher Martinez, shooting him dead.

Police then went after him, Brown said, as Rodger shot indiscriminately at passers-by - injuring at least 13 - and drove all over the road.

Rodger was shot in the hip in a shootout, before zooming off once more and hitting a cyclist, throwing him onto the hood of his car.

"The suspect's vehicle then collided with several parked cars and came to a stop," said Brown, but Rodger "was obviously dead with an apparent gunshot wound to the head."

So much grief ... Students gather at the University of California's Santa Barbara campus in Isla Vista to pay tribute to the victins. Source: AFP

Three nine-millimeter semi-automatic handguns were recovered from the BMW — all legally purchased and registered — and Rodger had dozens of unused rounds of ammunition.

It has emerged that police had "contacts" with Rodger on three separate occasions before Friday's killings, the first time in July 2013, Brown said.

Richard Martinez, father of Christopher, choked up several times as he paid tribute to his son and blamed politicians and the gun lobby, asking in an emotional and at times angry speech:

Father's pain ... Richard Martinez, whose son Christopher was killed in the mass shooting, breaks down as he talks to the media. Source: AP

"When will this insanity stop?" "Our family has a message for every parent out there: you don't think it'll happen to your child until it does," he said, his face contorted with despair and rage.

"Chris was a really great kid, ask anyone who knew him. His death has left our family lost and broken." His voice shaking with emotion, Martinez rounded on politicians and the powerful National Rifle Association.

Hollywood family ... Elliot Rodger's father, British director Peter Rodger. Source: Getty Images

"Why did Chris die? Chris died because of craven, irresponsible politicians and the NRA," Martinez said, raising his voice.

"They talk about gun rights. What about Chris's right to live? When will this insanity stop?"

The bloodshed was just the latest in a string of gun massacres that have rocked the United States in recent years and is likely to trigger more passionate debate about gun rights.

Horrific ... Elliot Rodger took his own life after his deadly rampage in Santa Barbara. Source: Supplied

Anti-gun campaigner Michael Moore responded to the massacre by posting a statement on his Facebook profile describing America's national symbol as "the gun, not the eagle".

"With due respect to those who are asking me to comment on last night's tragic mass shooting ... I no longer have anything to say about what is now part of normal American life," Moore wrote.

A community in mourning gather for a candlelight vigil to honour the victims of Friday night's mass shooting in Santa Barbara, California. Courtesy: Instagram

"Everything I have to say about this, I said it 12 years ago: We are a people easily manipulated by fear which causes us to arm ourselves with a quarter BILLION guns in our homes that are often easily accessible to young people, burglars, the mentally ill and anyone who momentarily snaps."

Devastated students from the University of California's Santa Barbara campus hugged each other and wept as they gathered at a candelight vigil for those killed in the rampage.

Katie Cooper, shooting victim. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

Veronica Weiss, shooting victim. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

Earlier, residents at the Alpha Phi sorority reported hearing loud and aggressive banging on the front door that lasted for about two minutes. Shortly afterwards witnesses reported seeing young women standing outside shot by Rodger from across the street.

Those inside who refused to open the door were saved from certain death.

"He [Elliot] banged on the door, but no one opened the door so he just drove off and opened fire everywhere," said one student.

Alan Schifman, the lawyer for the Rodger family, said the 22-year-old was being treated by several therapists. He added that his parents and a social worker knew of his difficulties and had been so alarmed by his behaviour they had reported him to police.

Schifman said Rodger was a high-functioning patient with Asperger syndrome who had faced bullying through his schooling and had difficulty making friends.

Mass shooting ... bodies are seen covered on the ground after the mass drive-by shooting. Picture: AP Photo/KEYT, John Palminteri Source: AP

In the YouTube video, Rodger man rants about women who have allegedly rejected him, saying he doesn't understand why he is a 22-year-old virgin and wanted to seek his revenge.

He says: "Tomorrow is the day of retribution, the day in which I will have my revenge against humanity, against all of you.

"For the last eight years of my life, ever since I hit puberty I've been forced to endure an existence of loneliness, rejection and unfulfilled desires all because girls have never been attracted to me.

"Girls gave their affection and sex and love to other men, but never to me.

"I'm 22 years old and still a virgin. I've never even kissed a girl.

"I've been through college for two and a half years … and I'm still a virgin. It has been very torturous. I've had to rot in loneliness. It's not fair.

"Girls have never been attracted to me. I will punish you all for it. It's an injustice, a crime.

"On the day of retribution I am going to enter the hottest sorority house ... and I will slaughter every single spoiled single stuck up blonde s**t I see inside there."

Murder ... paramedics at the scene of the rampage next to the University of California. Picture: NOOZHAWK Source: Supplied

Bloody scene ... Seven people, including the suspected gunman, died during the shooting rampage. Picture: AP//KEYT, John Palminteri Source: AP

A student said he saw shots fired from a BMW, fatally striking one woman and critically injuring another woman.

"I heard shots, scream, pain," Michael Vitak said.

"All emotions. I hope she is going to be fine."

Wrecked car ... a BMW sedan sits wrecked on an Isla Vista sidewalk after the driver — who allegedly gunned down six people during a blocks-long shooting rampage Picture: Urban Hikers Source: Supplied

Andrew Jun, a third year economics and accounting student who witnessed the rampage, told AFP the situation was "pretty surreal." "It's unbelievable that this kind of thing can happen," he said. Other witnesses said they initially mistook the gunshots for fireworks or firecrackers.

Sienna Schwartz, her voice breaking, recalled how she came face-to-face with the gunman.

At first, she mistook the attacker's "little black pistol" for an airsoft gun. "I turned around, and I started walking the other way. He shot, and I felt like -- I just felt, like, the wind pass right by my face," Schwartz told CNN as she choked back tears.

Nine crime scenes ... night-time drive-by shooting in a student enclave next to the University of California. Picture: NOOZHAWK Source: Supplied

By grisly coincidence, in 2001, the son of Ally McBeal and The Wire television series director Daniel Attias ran down four pedestrians with his car on a crowded street just a block away from the scene of Friday's assault.

Witnesses said that part-time college student David Attias got out of the car after his deed and shouted "I am the angel of death." He was ruled insane and locked up in a state hospital after being initially convicted of second-degree murder.

If you or someone you know may be at risk of suicide contact Lifeline 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36, or Salvo Care Line 1300 36 36 22.

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Fears over patient info sent offshore

Hospital staff fear sending patients' ­information inter­state and ­offshore for typing is putting confidentiality at risk. Source: News Limited

HOSPITAL staff fear that a program to send patients' ­information inter­state and ­offshore for typing is putting confidentiality at risk.

An investigation by The Sunday Times can reveal that 12 health facilities — including Royal Perth and Fremantle hospitals — now outsource ­typing.

GP referrals, discharge papers and internal reports are some of the documents being typed up by workers in the eastern states, New Zealand, Canada and the UK.

Audio recordings made by doctors are sent to a private company whose employees work from home to transcribe and type letters.

They use their own computers, but the company claims specialised software prevents them from saving "final copies of letters" on their hard drives.

Australian Nursing Federation state secretary Mark Olson has warned it is a "recipe for disaster."

Osborne Park Hospital will start using a private transcription company this week.

The company, NTS Transcriptions, is based in Melbourne but employs work-from-home typists in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK.

Under the hospital agreement, NTS Transcriptions will be paid 25c a line.

OPH staff have told The Sunday Times they fear doctors and specialists will be pressured to be brief when dictating reports to help keep costs down.

This could mean important medical history could be left out.

NTS Transcriptions director Mike Scales said staff were put through a "very stringent" screening process and had to sign a confidentiality agreement.

And according to the company's website, its server is located in Chicago Illinois which has "substantially similar" privacy laws to Australia.

Mr Scales said the company did work for six hospitals in WA.

The Health Department has confirmed other health facilities also outsource medical typing, but said they "engage other providers when required". A spokesman said the service was used by facilities on an "ad hoc basis" when there was a backlog of work. He could not provide more specific details.

Mr Olson said there was a "risk that sensitive patient information can go astray".

"This is a quick fix that has the potential for patient information to be compromised and West Australians do not want their personal data floating around unknown countries, with unknown people," he said.

Opposition health spokesman Roger Cook said he was concerned standards were being lowered in favour of cost cutting.

"It means we cannot be confident about the privacy issues, and it means that local jobs are being lost," Mr Cook said.

"It's time the Barnett Government stopped cutting costs and started protecting standards."

Dan Hill, WA secretary of Health Services Union, the union which represents medical typists, said it was "much safer and more productive" to keep medical typing close to the source.

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Parents pay $147/day for child care

Some parents are paying up to $147 a day for childcare in WA. Source: Supplied

PARENTS are paying up to $147 a day for childcare in WA, with 29 centres now charging three-figure fees.

The state's peak childcare body said centres have been forced to push up their fees by as much as 20 per cent over the past 18 months because of the costs of implementing new ­national regulations.

It comes as the Federal Government is under fire for freezing the income eligibility threshold for the Child Care Benefit in this month's Budget, cutting $230 million that would have gone to Australian families.

Childcare Association of WA executive officer Rachelle Tucker said they were continuing to lobby the Federal Government for increases to government subsidies for families.

"The families that are finding it hardest are those that are not eligible for the Child Care Benefit, yet living costs mean they need to work," she said.

Ms Tucker said the qualification requirements for staff under the new regulations were the biggest cost for centres, which now need to employ an early childhood teacher.

"This has been our biggest cost, along with having to have full-time administration staff to meet all the red tape that has come along with these new regulations and law,'' she said.

"Many centres are struggling with the costs as they are trying to minimalise the impact this has for the families that are already struggling with childcare costs.''

But she warned fees would continue to increase this year.

The average daily fee for long day care in WA is about $85. But The Sunday Times analysed the 262 long day care centres with fee information available and found 29 centres across the state charging $100 or more per day.

In the metropolitan area, this included 20 centres in a range of locations, including Leeming, Southern River and Subiaco.

The West Leederville and Nedlands School of Early Learning facilities are the state's highest-charging centres, both asking $147 a day, according to the Federal Government's online childcare directory.

This is equivalent to three-quarters of the average daily take-home pay of the WA woman.

The Federal Government has rebates available for parents to subsidise the cost. The Child Care Rebate pays half of the out-of-pocket annual childcare costs up to $7500 a year.

But for families paying $100-a-day child care five days a week, 48 weeks of the year, the annual cost including the rebate is still a whopping $16,500.

Assistant Minister for Education Sussan Ley said the Federal Government was "committed to making childcare more affordable, flexible and accessible''.

"(We) are increasing investment in fees assistance payments for families to $28.5 billion in this Budget,'' she said.

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Two years without work: Welcome to Rockingham

Tenielle Edwards, 18, is one of Rockingham's struggling young adults looking for work. Picture: Theo Fakos. Source: News Corp Australia

TENIELLE Edwards has applied for 20 jobs in six weeks without any luck.

The Year 12 graduate moved to Rockingham from Victoria with her father after he got a fly-in, fly-out job with a mining company.

"I've been applying online and in person, I've got a decent resume and I'm doing everything I can to find a job," the teenager, who described walking through the Centrelink doors as "demoralising", said.

"But every boss says they're looking for someone with experience.

"How am I expected to get experience if no one gives me a go in the first place?

"If someone will consider me, if they'll train me, I'll do just about anything and I won't let them down."

Australian Bureau of Statistics labour force figures for April show almost one-in-five jobseekers aged between 15-24 in Rockingham and Kwinana cannot find work.

That's more than double the youth jobless rates in some parts of Perth and compares to a state jobless average of one-in-10 young people.

The ABS figures show WA has the country's lowest unemployment rate but young people are overrepresented – nowhere more so than in the southwest metropolitan area of Rockingham, Kwinana and Cockburn. This is despite it being a backbone of heavy industry.

The youth jobless rate comes on top of a Federal Budget blow forcing some young people to wait six months for the dole.

The Sunday Times hit the streets of Rockingham to speak with young people looking for work.

Outside the local Centrelink, youths insisted they were desperate to work and were willing to do "anything" for a wage, begging: "Just give us a job".

Nathan McDermott, 20, uses his motorbike as a taxi. Picture: Theo Fakos Source: News Corp Australia

Third-year apprentice boilermaker welder Nathan McDermott is so desperate for work he's been forced to use his motorcycle as a taxi to offer people lifts around town.

He also pleads with family friends for handyman work and doorknocks the streets of Rockingham offering discount lawn mowing.

It is a big fall from eight months ago when he was "loving" his job and was looking forward to becoming a fully qualified boilermaker. But his company "lost all their work", mass lay-offs followed and Mr McDermott was axed.

He said there was "no way to get back in" to the industry because every boss told him they were hiring either first year apprentices or fully qualified welders.

"It's been hell. I'm barely scraping by. I do any odd job I can," he said.

Meanwhile, the feeling of worthlessness from not being able to get a job pushed Ashlee Brown "over the edge" and led to a suicide attempt.

And while the single mother says she now no longer thinks about taking her own life, she has been two years without work and fears she may never get a job.

Ashlee Brown says employers don't want to hire a single mum. Picture: Theo Fakos Source: News Corp Australia

Ms Brown left Kwinana Senior High School in Year 11 and worked for a supermarket chain for three years before she lost her job following a battle with depression. At the time, she was pregnant but did not realise it.

In the two years since then, she said she'd tried to get "every kind of job" from retail to cleaning.

"But as soon as I say I'm a single mum, bosses don't want to know about me," said Ms Brown, who is caring for her two-year-old daughter Matilda and her grandmother who recently had a mastectomy.

"I can't afford childcare all week and that affects the hours I can work. But I'd like to tell every employer out there – if you've got a job, I'm willing to work. I'll give anything a shot."

Josh Bullock, 18, completed Year 12 but he said not being able to find a job is so soul-destroying that he "pretty much spent a month in my room and didn't want to come out".

The teenager finished school and worked at IGA but said he was forced to quit because of anxiety and stress as a result of a handful of customers who gave him a hard time.

"I was boisterous and loud at school but something changed. I felt useless, just useless. I'd walk into Centrelink and they'd tell me I was only worth $80 a fortnight and it made me feel like I was worthless," he said.

The Kwinana teenager is now planning on going to TAFE and becoming an interior painter but he says bosses need "give young people a chance" and "not judge a book by its cover".

"I'd work retail, painting, lifting boxes… whatever. It's depressing when you want to work but nobody wants you," he said.

Josh Bullock, 18, says bosses need to "give young people a chance". Picture: Theo Fakos. Source: News Corp Australia

There were just 206 jobs across all salaries and industries advertised on Seek.com this week in the Rockingham-Kwinana area.

That compared to more than 10,600 jobs advertised in greater Perth.

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WorkSafe probe into fire truck safety

Emergency Services Minister Joe Francis was unaware there was a safety probe into WA's firetrucks. Source: News Limited

EMERGENCY Services Minister Joe Francis is unaware WA's safety watchdog is investigating claims our fire trucks have design faults.

Documents leaked to The Sunday Times reveal concerns firefighters are being sent to blazes in vehicles that are hundreds of kilograms overweight, have water pressure problems, are equipped with tyres not meant to go off-road and even have water tanks in the wrong place.

The documents also claim the rollout of vital safety features such as heat shields and sprinkler systems is "flawed".

WorkSafe has confirmed it is investigating these claims. And, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services confirmed it is replacing tyres on many vehicles because the manufacturer said they were "not suited for cross-country driving".

Mr Francis conceded up to one in four fire trucks had weight issues, which affects braking and manoeuvrability.

Yet he said he was unaware of the WorkSafe investigation into other concerns, such as tyres and water pressure fears.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "Let's be realistic, I'm the Minister – I'm not the chief mechanic for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

"It's not a cop-out, but it's not my job to micromanage the types of tyres that are fitted to fire trucks."

Mr Francis said ensuring trucks were safe was Fire Commissioner Wayne Gregson's responsibility.

"His job is to make sure (trucks are safe)," he said. "Now, if he said to me, 'I need more money to provide resources or modify trucks', well that's where my job kicks in."

Opposition emergency services spokeswoman Margaret Quirk said she was appalled by Mr Francis's lack of responsibility.

"He is more than happy to have a photo opportunity in front of a fire truck, but not ensure the safety of its occupants," Ms Quirk said.

The documents obtained by The Sunday Times reveal a catalogue of concerns dating back to 2005. A recent complaint warns hundreds of vehicles are so overweight they are "illegal", some by as much as 800kg.

Another says the rollout of vital safety features was adding to the weight problems. "More weight, no matter how small, increases the risks," it says.

The leaked document also says the rollout of safety features has been inconsistent. "This will lead to end-users putting faith in a safety feature that is flawed," it says.

Another complaint says potentially fatal issues, such as reports of a "water pressure spike problem" in hundreds of vehicles, have been ignored for years. The tyre bungle was first raised more than three years ago, one complaint claims.

Mr Gregson said he ordered a fleet review in June 2012 after realising he had inherited "a number of longstanding issues, concerns and areas for improvement".

He said he was addressing the weight issues with "urgency and transparency", but denied they were affecting the rollout of safety features, which he said had a "consistent standard".

Mr Gregson said "water spiking" fears had been investigated by an independent engineer who found "there were no concerns".

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