Beds face axe at major hospital

Opposition health spokesman Roger Cook. Source: News Limited

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Source: News Limited

ONE of WA's biggest hospitals will lose at least 8 per cent of its beds under a plan to get patients in and out quicker.

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital workers were this week told 81 full-time jobs would be lost as part of a bid to reduce "length of stay" at the hospital.

The Sunday Times has learnt staff were also told this would require closing hospital beds, which was last night confirmed by North Metropolitan Health Service chief executive Shane Kelly.

Dr Kelly said 48 of the hospital's 615 beds would go.

But, the Health Services Union has warned it could be as many as 100 beds.

The Australian Medical Ass-ociation (WA) said cutting beds made "no sense" given it believed the state was 400 beds short, while a top WA Health insider told The Sunday Times the public health system had descended into a "complete shambles".

Dr Kelly said the process of closing the beds would "init­ially be gradual" and done in small groups of "pods". "The beds would be available for reopening if there was demand," he said. "However this is not anticipated given the expansion of Joondalup Health Campus."

The insider said claims pat­ient care would not be affected were "ludicrous".

"You've got people who are on long waitlists, people who can't meet targets, you still can't get into beds at appropriate times and you're going to make that situation worse," the insider said. "That will clearly affect patient care.

"It's a complete fiasco. To do it like this, just to slash and burn will destroy great services and great people and lose all cohesion in the system. We will watch patient outcomes go backwards."

The Sunday Times revealed in October the hospital was poised to slash the equivalent of 250 full-time jobs, 81 of which are part of a plan to cut "length of stay."

Dr Kelly said patient levels at SCGH had been "reasonably steady" in the past few years and existing staffing levels were "unsustainable".

"One way SCGH will achieve the staff reductions is through reducing the average duration of patients' stays in hospital (known as average length of stay) in some specialties to bring them into line with those at other high performing hospitals," he said.

"These hospitals demonstrate that this can be achieved without any impact on safety or patient outcomes. Through the process of reducing the length of stay, the number of hospital beds needed to deliver the same amount of activity reduces. As a consequence, staffing requirements also reduce."

AMA (WA) vice-president Michael Gannon said it was "laughable" to suggest the hospital could close beds and still meet its emergency and elective surgery targets.

"All year the hospital has been barraged with complaints and pressured about the fact that it's not meeting its targets," he said.

"If they take 50 beds out of that hospital, there is no chance they would reach those targets this year."

Health Services Union secretary Dan Hill believed the reduction of 81 full-time equivalent positions would result in a loss of about 100 beds. There was a "real danger" in getting patients in and out of hospital.

"If you get them out of hospital quicker there is the higher risk of re-admissions within a short period of time," he said.

Opposition health spokesman Roger Cook said: " This is a retrograde step and another indication of the chaotic mess which is the Barnett Government's approach to health."

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‘Mad heat proof of climate change’

Sisters Ange and Steph Coote with dog Ila, watering their veggie patch, which they've had to water tirelessly every day through the dry and hot Perth summer. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: News Limited

THE weather bureau says Perth's record-smashing summer was "madness" and it has used temperature and rainfall data to lash out at climate change sceptics.

And the state's top meteorologists are warning West Australians they face decades of rising temperatures – with hotter, drier and more extreme summers.

The 2011-12 summer was Perth's hottest on record and this summer was the second hottest on record, tied with both the 2009-10 summer and the 2010-11 summer with an average maximum of 32C.

This summer was also the driest in five years for Perth, with just 2mm of rain, and the driest on record for Mandurah.

Perth had only three days where rain fell and not one drop fell last month – the first dry February since 2000.

It might have been the start of autumn but there was no respite yesterday, with temperatures nudging 37C in Perth.

The weather bureau is normally conservative, but Bureau of Meteorology climate expert Neil Bennett said the data was staring climate change sceptics "in the face".

"It's climate change. It's warming. It's staring you in the face," he said.

"This is crazy. This is madness, what's going on now.

"The climate doesn't change like this. This is really remarkable. The last four summers have all either been the hottest or second hottest on rec­ord.

"It's not just Perth – in Bunbury eight of the hottest summers have occurred since the turn of the century.

"What we are saying is when you look and see the trend is going up, it seems foolish to try to ignore that trend.

"This is really, really unusual. It's a sign that the temps across Australia are warming. There is no getting away from it."

Mr Bennett said the climate models for "30, 40 and 50 years ahead" were also all "pointing upwards".

Water Corp said Perth's water use has surged above target as homeowners tried to keep thirsty gardens alive.

Perth sisters Ange and Steph Coote said their vegetable patch needed water every day through summer.

SUMMER SCORCHER

Ave max - 32C

Rainfall - 2mm

Rain days - 3

Record - 2nd hottest summer ever recorded

SUMMER WATER USE

Perth's daily – 1 billion litres OR

equal to 444 Olympic pools

HOW TO BE WATER WISE

* Perth has a two-day a week sprinkler roster before 9am or after 6pm.

* Apply a 5-10cm layer of mulch to your garden.

* Apply soil improver for water retention.

* Check Water Corp's H2O Assist program to see if your irrigation system is set right.

* See Water Corp's waterwise plants for those suited to WA.

* Re-use water that would otherwise be wasted.

* See watercorporation.com.au for your roster days.

Source: Water Corporation (www.watercorporation.com.au/save-water)

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Obesity ‘next frontier’ after smoking

Health Minister Kim Hames says obesity is the next frontier for public health campaigns. Picture: File image Source: News Limited

OBESITY is the "next frontier" and should be tackled as aggressively as smoking was, WA's Health Minister says.

Speaking with The Sunday Times this week in support of our Get Active Get Healthy campaign, Kim Hames said the obesity epidemic wasin WA's was the biggest public health battlegroundfacing public health since smoking.

FULL COVERAGE

● GET ACTIVE GET HEALTHY

● TRUTH ABOUT KIDS LUNCHES

● CHEF BLAMES POSH PRICES

● EATERIES RISE TO CHALLENGE

"(It's)Obesity is the next big epidemic that's coming in the same way smoking was,'' he said. "It will need the same sort of combined efforts of state and federal governments and the population itself to target it.

"While we're still getting people with respiratory diseases and cancers from smoking that chew up a lot of hospital time and space, more and more it's becoming related to obesity.''

Dr Hames, a former GP, said one of the biggest problems contributing to the disturbing incidence of obesity in children was big portion sizes.

"Mums and grandmums need to realise that they're not doing their children any favours by dishing them up large servings at a meal, or encouraging them to have seconds,'' he said.

"By continually stretching children's stomachs you just encourage them to eat more, to feel hungry all the time and to need to have more food to feel full.

""The fewer times you stretch a child's stomach, in particular, the less likely they are to be obese when they get older.''

He said parents had a responsibility to help their children maintain a healthy weight and learn how to eat healthily, including not having treats, such as like potato chips and soft drinks, readily on hand.

"Those are things no parent should have in the cupboard waiting for kids when they come home,'' Dr Hames said.

"Not to say you should never have it. But if you're going to have them, they should be well hidden away and pulled out on rare occasions, not have your child come home and know exactly where the pack of potato chips is.

"They need to recognise that overweight children will almost inevitably become overweight adults unless they learn sensible eating habits along the way.''

As reported in The Sunday Times last week, new Heart Foundation research shows WA is the second-fattest state in the country, with 65.2 per cent of adults overweight or obese.

But Dr Hames said he did not believe the State Government should subsidise healthy food or gym memberships.

"While it does become a burden on the state when people are unhealthy, the same way as smoking was, we're not going to start wielding the whip,'' he said.

"We're not a nanny state; people have responsibility for their own health and their own wellbeing.''

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Law to target professional beggar gangs

People walk past a beggar in the Perth CBD. Source: News Corp Australia

A CRACKDOWN on begging in Perth is being planned amid fears a syndicated cartel of professional beggars is operating on the city's streets.

Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said there was strong anecdotal evidence some "professional beggars" were potentially earning hundreds of dollars a day.

It's thought some are part of an organised "cartel" working together to profit from the generosity of workers and visitors in the CBD.

WA Police said it had received complaints some beggars were becoming more forceful and aggressive towards people they approach for money.

City of Perth officers are working on a potential bylaw to give rangers and police more power to deal with beggars.

"There is a suggestion there is a group of people making a living out of it, commuting into the city like every other worker does, for the purpose of begging," Ms Scaffidi said.

A beggar asks for money in Perth city.

"They live in a home and they are using the collections from their begging to pay their way in life. It's pretty shocking."

She said there was no short-term fix and called on the public to stop giving money to beggars, saying there were services to provide food and shelter to the genuinely homeless.

"As harsh as it sounds, people walking past beggars have their heartstrings pulled thinking 'there but for the grace of God could go anyone one of us'," she told The Sunday Times.

"But the reality is that it's so easy to put 50c or a dollar in the cap and if that person is potentially a professional beggar you are just helping them pay for their rent."

Perth councillor James Limnios said the number of beggars had risen dramatically over the past three years and there were now "five on every street".

A beggar in the Perth CBD.

"I believe that there could be some genuine cases, but I also believe there are more non-genuine cases. I have been led to believe by certain people that this is actually a bit of an organised scenario," he said.

Inspector Craig Parkin said residents, businesses and visitors to the CBD had raised concerns about anti-social behaviour linked to begging and confirmed there was anecdotal evidence some were "professional beggars".

"Recent complaints suggest some beggars are becoming more forceful and aggressive towards people they are approaching for money. WA Police is working closely with the City of Perth to identify solutions to this issue," he said.

Salvation Army spokesman Warren Palmer said evidence indicates the rise in begging was linked to the growing number of people falling into poverty.

Mr Palmer said the charity was investigating the underlying causes of begging in Perth and that legal action should not be the first response.

"While we acknowledge that begging can be very confronting, we need to be careful that in our response to address this, we do not inflict further humiliation on genuine people in need and have to then deal with legal issues such as fines," he said.

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Guess who’s coming to dinner?

Jamie's Italian in Perth. PICTURE: Jordan Shields Source: Supplied

British TV Chef Jamie Oliver Source: Supplied

THE queue outside his popular Perth eatery will morph into mass hysteria this month when Jamie Oliver comes to town for first time in 13 years.

The tightly kept secret was confirmed this week by staff at Oliver's Sydney office.

Ashleigh Miller, of the Pacific Restaurant Group, said the British health food crusader, TV star and the man behind 10 million cookbook sales was looking forward to coming to Perth after missing out on the opening of his restaurant, Jamie's Italian, last year.

First stop for the king of pukka tukka – now worth an estimated $225 million – will be to meet restaurant staff at the William St venue.

The 240-seat outlet has become the most popular restaurant in Perth since opening at the redevelopment last March. It has regular queues of people seeking a cheap and cheerful house-made pasta and fresh salad.

For weeks now staff have been whispering to customers "Jamie is coming" as they work the floor of the restaurant, the biggest in the 34-strong global chain that stretches from Dubai to St Petersburg.

Since roaring onto international TV screens on his trusty Vespa as a 23-year-old Naked Chef (his first series), the boy from Essex has enjoyed a quick ride to fame.

Dates for his tour, which includes overseeing two new restaurants – one in Adelaide and one in Brisbane – have not been officially announced.

He is a long-time campaigner for education on healthy eating and cooking skills, and challenged Australians last month to nominate their home town to host a pop-up kitchen for 12 months.

● Read more about Jamie Oliver in today's STM

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Qantas planes collide at LAX

Qantas planes, pictured at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

TWO Qantas passenger jets have collided with each other at Los Angeles International Airport, damaging both aircraft.

The wing tips of a superjumbo A380 and a Boeing 747 struck around 4pm AEST as the planes were being towed out of a hangar. No passengers were on board.

The damage was substantial enough to force the cancellation of flight QF94 to Melbourne and QF16 to Brisbane.

The incident comes after the troubled airliner this week announced plans to slash more than 5000 jobs, retire ageing planes and sell off terminals in an attempt to cut costs by $2 billion over three years.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce announced the drastic cuts on Thursday. Picture: AAP Source: AAP

Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association federal secretary Steve Purvinas - whose members are responsible for some of the airline's maintenance - said on Twitter he estimated the repair bill would run into the millions.

"Qantas A380 and B747 will be on the deck for a long time after accident in LAX," he said. "Thankfully the collision was on the ground."

A Qantas spokeswoman told news.com.au the damage bill claims were "unsubstantiated".

QANTAS ANNOUNCES 5000 JOBS AXED

WHAT THE QANTAS CUTS MEANS FOR YOU

The airliner has launched an investigation and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has been notified.

CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said the agency deployed extra safety inspectors to the Qantas bases across Australia following yesterday's announcement.

Qantas said customers would be put up in hotel rooms and accommodated on the next available flight.

While uncommon, collisions between taxiing aircraft do occur.

In August, a Virgin Australia plane carrying 175 passengers collided with an empty Jetstar plan at Melbourne Airport, causing $3 million damage.

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Perth is ‘hipster heaven’: NY Times

Perth at night: "Could a city really be so easy, breezy, green and pristine — so positively livable?,''asks The New York Times. Source: Supplied

PERTH is more "hip and happening'' than the coolest corner of New York, says The New York Times.

A New York Times travel writer claims that Brooklyn's coolest neighbourhood — Williamsburg — "pales beside" Perth.

In an article published today, the New York newspaper has boasted about WA's capital as a "city embodying all things right about cities".

"Conjure up a city embodying all things right about cities," the article reads.

Drawcard: The Cottesloe Beach Hotel

"Assuming you lean toward the progressive, I'll wager your rendering includes the following: multiple parks and waterfronts; spotless subways and free public buses; restaurant menus with organic, locally sourced food and wine; cool bars in heritage buildings; and pop-up everything, from farmers' markets to cinema and yoga.

"Welcome to Perth. The capital of Western Australia, where some 1.8 of the state's two million residents live, left this New Yorker mesmerized: Could a city really be so easy, breezy, green and pristine — so positively livable? I'd thought Williamsburg was hipster heaven; it pales beside Perth."

The article names several local highlights, including The Terrace, Cottesloe Beach Hotel and Print Hall.

Hipster haunt: Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York

Read the full article here.

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WA back to polls on April 5

After recounts and missing votes, the High Court has declared the 2013 Western Australian Senate election void and will send voters back to the polls.

WESTERN Australia will go back to the polls on April 5, after the state's governor Malcolm McCusker confirmed the date of the re-run of last year's Senate election.

After meeting with WA Premier Colin Barnett and electoral affairs minister Peter Collier today, Mr McCusker revealed the date of the election.

The September 2013 result was declared void by the High Court after some ballots were lost.

The High Court, operating as the Court of Disputed Returns, ordered the fresh poll following the loss of 1370 votes, discovered during a recount requested by Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, who narrowly lost out in the initial count.

Because of the close result, a full recount was ordered but the loss of those votes meant Justice Kenneth Hayne could not determine who was duly elected.

Zhenya "Dio' Wang, expected to be announced as a Palmer United Party Senate candidate in WA. Picture: Theo Fakos

The ballot bungle, which was investigated by former Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty, forced the resignation of the AEC's WA Electoral Commissioner Ed Killesteyn and State Manager Peter Kramer.

The election re-run is expected to cost taxpayers as much as $20 million, nearly double initial estimates of $10-13 million.

Acting electoral commissioner Tom Rogers told Senate estimates earlier this week the lower figures had been an early estimate of the cost.

The key dates in the build up to the poll include the closing of electoral rolls on March 7, and nominations closing on March 13.

MP Clive Palmer of the Palmer United Party will reveal his WA Senate candidates today. Picture: Strange Ray

Greens senator Scott Ludlam said the poll was a ``unique and extraordinary opportunity'' for the electorate to a message to Tony Abbott not to take WA for granted.

``It is a chance for West Australians to say they've had enough of the Abbott government and we want our country back,'' Senator Ludlam said.

``Bring it on.''

Senator Ludlam said it was not clear whether the AEC had fully implemented the recommendations of the Keelty report.

Federal Liberal MP Julie Bishop casts her vote at last year's election.

``And now with the resignation of two key officials, it's not clear whether those procedures will be in place,'' Senator Ludlam said.

``You'd have to hope so because people's confidence has been dented.''

Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten urged voters to back his party, saying it would stand up to the prime minister's ``harsh and short-sighted cuts to health and education''.

He also haunted Tony Abbott with his own words, citing the Liberal leader's March 2013 comment that he wanted to run a government like WA Premier Colin Barnett, who has suffered fierce criticism since being re-elected.

The AEC again apologised for the botched count, saying it had implemented key recommendations of the Keelty investigation, particularly relating to parcelling, labelling and transporting ballot papers.

But improving the AEC's training and culture would take time, acting electoral commissioner Tom Rogers said.

'IGNORE FINGE DWELLERS' -LIBERALS

West Australians have been urged to ignore ``fringe dweller'' candidates at the re-election of the state's Senate seats.

Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop and Defence Minister David Johnston launched the Liberal Party election assault, after the April 5 poll date was announced for the historic Senate election re-run.

Senator Johnston, who will again be the number one candidate on the Liberal's ticket, said the new poll would be a chance for WA to voice its displeasure at the carbon and mining taxes.

And Ms Bishop urged voters to turn away from minor parties if they wanted to ensure a strong voice for the state in Canberra.

``What we need to do is ensure there is a strong representation from WA inside the government - Labor senators can't deliver that, minor parties can't deliver that, fringe dwelling parties can't deliver that,'' Ms Bishop said.

``The minor parties can create chaos, but they cannot deliver the positive changes that Western Australia needs.''

Ms Bishop said she was expecting to see some effect of election fatigue in WA, whose voters will have been to the polls four times in just over twelve months following the new election.

``We did not ask for this election, and we did not seek it. The only people calling for this election were the Greens,'' Ms Bishop said.

``The circumstances are unfortunate, and regrettable but we have no choice but to go to the electorate.''

Michaelia Cash, Linda Reynolds and Slade Brockman comprise the rest of the Liberal ticket.

PALMER UNITED TO REVEAL CANDIDATES

Zhenya ``Dio'' Wang, Chamonix Terblanche and Des Headland have been named as the Palmer United Party (PUP) candidates for the re-run West Australian Senate election.

Mr Wang, who led the party's ticket at the September poll and will do so again, is an executive at a mining company majority-owned by Clive Palmer, ASX-listed Australasian Resources.

He initially pushed out Greens Senator Scott Ludlam for the sixth Senate seat but lost out in a recount following the missing votes debacle.

Mr Headland is an AFL premiership player with Brisbane and former favourite with the Fremantle Dockers.

He previously ran for the House of Representatives for PUP but is this time vying for the Senate.

Former One Nation MP for WA's Agricultural Region, Frank Hough, missed out.

He was hopeful of being first or at least second on the party's ticket.

Before the September poll, PUP dumped devoutly religious former teacher Theresa van Lieshout as a candidate less than a fortnight after endorsing her, with Mr Palmer dubbing her an ``opportunist''.

He admitted he had backed her before he met her.

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Mercy dashes as two kids hurt in Jurien Bay

A girl was believed to have been bitten by a brown snake — one of the world's deadliest — in Jurien Bay. In a separate incident in the coastal town, a boy was hit by a car. Both were flown to Perth. Source: News Limited

The girl bitten by a snake in Jurien Bay was flown to Perth by the RAC rescue helicopter. Source: News Limited

THE small coastal town of Jurien Bay was gripped by a double emergency today involving children, with a girl bitten by a deadly snake and a boy hit by a car.

Both children are now being treated at Princess Margaret Hospital after both were airlifted to Perth in separate mercy dashes.

The eight-year-old girl was bitten by what is believed to have been a brown snake — one of the world's most venomous snakes — near a beach earlier today.

She was flown to Perth by the RAC rescue chopper to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. The girl was then rushed to PMH where she is in a stable condition.

In a separate incident in Jurien Bay, a 10-year-old boy was seriously injured when he was hit by a car while riding his bike on Hasting Street.

He was flown to Perth by the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The boy is in a serious but stable condition at PMH.

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Pair face court as bus attack video goes viral

A 17-year-old girl accused of attacking an elderly man on a bus pleaded with police saying 'I don't want to go' as they walked her to a police van.

SHAMED on social media, two young girls filmed allegedly attacking a frail man took themselves to police before they were charged yesterday.

Larna Watmough, 21, and her friend Layni Cameron, 17, wept as they were arrested, having been identified hundreds of times online after amateur mobile phone footage of the incident went viral.

The pair is accused of punching, kicking and spitting on 77-year-old Paul Buttigieg in an attack that has outraged the nation.

Both girls have been charged with serious assault and public nuisance.

Layni, 17, screamed "I don't want to go" as she was led to a police wagon in handcuffs yesterday.

Mr Buttigieg yesterday wept as he recounted his bus ride, describing how he couldn't tell how many people were allegedly hitting him because he is vision-impaired. The Tweed Heads West man is blind in his right eye and can barely see from his left.

He wears a jacket at all times to alert people, but the New South Wales girls who attacked him allegedly came from behind.

"I didn't know if there was one or two of them hitting me," Mr Buttigieg said.

The girls, who had earlier been at the Murwillumbah races, reportedly abused several passengers before turning on Mr Buttigieg after he told them to go home.

Both will face Southport Magistrates Court this morning after an extraordinary level of condemnation of the incident on social media. Posts on The Courier-Mail's Facebook page reached a record three million users.

The duo were identified by scores of people on Facebook and Twitter and by yesterday morning police knew exactly who they were.

Police made contact with Mr Buttigieg early yesterday and he visited Coolangatta police station, wearing an "I have low vision" badge, to make a formal statement.

When Layni arrived hours later she was arrested and charged with serious assault. As she was being transferred to the Southport watchhouse in the back of a police wagon, Watmough handed herself in to Southport police station, flanked by defence lawyer Jodi Allen.

YESTERDAY'S REPORT:

A TEEN who allegedly assaulted a man on a bus wailed "I don't want to go!" as police took her away.  The girl has been charged, while another is in custody.

The teen screamed at police as she was led to the police transport vehicle.

"I don't want to go," she wailed.

An elderly man who was attacked by two women on a bus will make an official complaint.

She was taken to Southport Watchhouse.

A blonde 21-year-old woman who was allegedly involved in the attack handed herself in to police at Southport. 

The two have been charged with serious assault and public nuisance.

The women remain in custody tonight and will appear before Southport Magistrates Court tomorrow.

Earlier, the brunette girl accused of attacking an elderly man on a bus has handed herself in at a Gold Coast police station and is being questioned over the alleged incident.

The 17-year-old, who was allegedly with a blonde 21-year-old on the bus, arrived at about 1.50pm and rushed past waiting media into the police station.

Earlier, Gold Coast police Acting Superintendent Brian Swan said police believed they had identified the women, and it was with the help of a slew of public tip-offs.

Police are expected to charge the two young women who bashed and racially vilified a partially blind indigenous man on a Gold Coast bus.

A passenger has filmed two women physically and racially abusing a male passenger on a Gold Coast bus.

Gold Coast District Acting Superintendent Brian Swan said the victim had made a statement to police and wanted to press charges.

Supt Swan said police suspected the perpetrators were aged 17 and 21 but were yet to locate and interview them.

"We did receive a lot of calls from the public," he told reporters.

"Quite quickly this morning we were able to identify who we believe were responsible."

Supt Swan said the man suffered bruising to his arm.

"As you can imagine, he is quite upset and shaken by the incident," he said.

He said the women could face serious assault charges, which carry a maximum sentence of seven years' jail.

The women appeared intoxicated in the video, he said.

Police lead a 17-year-old girl to a police transport vehicle. The girl has been charged with assaulting an elderly man on a bus. Picture: Jeremy Pierce

Police Minister Jack Dempsey said the incident was an "absolute disgrace".

"It's deplorable to think that an individual can think they can use this type of violence against an elderly person on a public transport vehicle," he said.

Footage of the incident where two drunk teenagers assaulted and racially abused a man, who is almost blind and aged in his 70s, has gone viral overnight.

Video of the ugly incident has attracted thousands of comments, the majority expressing disgust at the despicable behaviour, with many naming and shaming the girls believed to be responsible.

The man. 77, was found by southern Gold Coast detectives this morning and is being interviewed about the incident.

The elderly victim did not stop to talk to reporters and was driven home by detectives.

He suffered bruising to his arms and plans to make an official complaint to police

Police say they have identified his assailants, who live across the border in northern NSW.

A 17-year-old girl is led by police to a transport vehicle after being charged with assaulting an elderly man on a bus. Picture: Channel 9

The girls reportedly abused several people on the bus before the elderly man told them they should go home.

Footage from Channel 9 shows one of the girls saying "we're in abo land now" before they punch and kick the elderly man.

The man tried to fight back until a passenger came forward to kick the girls off the bus.

After the incident the elderly victim had to be helped to his seat, crying 'I'm blind, I can't see."

WHY MEN MUST STAND UP TO THIS VILE VIOLENCE

The incident was recorded on a camera phone by schoolgirl Rebecca Ribbons at the back of the bus.

The 13-year-old said she was shocked that no one on the bus did anything to help the man.

"I yelled 'somebody stop it' and a man from behind me stood up, picked up their hats and pushed them off the bus. He was the only one who did anything."

One of the girls who allegedly attacked a man on a bus enters a Gold Coast police station.

Rebecca said the bus driver didn't move or say anything during the entire incident.

"He didn't even look back. Even when the man was getting off the bus I didn't hear him say 'are you alright?'."

Rebecca got off the bus at the same stop as the man and said he was still crying as he hobbled home.

"I don't think that man will catch the bus much anymore."

Rebecca's mother Sharon Kendell said they took the footage of the incident to show to police.

"You never expect two young girls to beat up an old man on a bus in the middle of the day, it's unheard of."

"Shame on the girls, shame on the men on the bus and shame on the bus driver for not doing anything."

But Surfside Buslines Head of Operations Les Manson commended the driver for his actions that 'helped ensure safety of those on board'.

The elderly man who was attacked by two teenage girls on a Gold Coast bus leaves the Coolangatta police station after making a complaint.

"All Surfside drivers are trained in de-escalation techniques and the quick actions from this driver has mitigated an incident quickly and successfully."

Mr Manson said Surfside took all incidents of abuse seriously.

It's understood Surfside did not report the incident to police.

Acting chief superintendent Des Lacy said the incident was 'abhorrent'.

"We're asking anyone who knows the identity of the man who was assaulted or anyone who knows the identity of the offenders to ring the Coolangatta police or Crime Stoppers."

Mr Lacy also asked the man involved to come forward to police to make a complaint.

"It's very clearly an assault, what they've done and the fact that he's blind would be a circumstance of aggravation, which means a more significant penalty can be given by the courts."

"What surprises me is that its women who have done this, and its completely unacceptable."

Two girls attack elderly indigenous man on Gold Coast bus.

Kirrawe indigenous Corporation CEO Rosemary Norman-Hill called on the girls to apologise to the man.

"Bring them back when they're sober, bring them back to apologise and make them responsible for their behaviour."

"You may not be aboriginal but he's still an elder, would you do this to your grandfather?"

She said it was unfortunate that young people were growing up without respect for the elderly.

"Once upon a time people would get up for elderly people on the train, on the bus, we don't appear to be instilling that in our young people." 

Additional reporting Meagan Weymes, Melanie Petrinec 

The man racially abused and punched by two teenage girls on a Gold Coast bus with detectives at Coolangatta police station.

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