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.

RELATED: Hyundai recalls 32,525 cars

MORE: Holden Commodore sales surge

VIDEO: New Holden Storm

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

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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."

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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.

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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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