US extends visa law for Iraqi war aides

President Barack Obama has approved special visas for Iraqis who risked their lives to help America. Source: AAP

US President Barack Obama has signed into law a measure providing special visas for Iraqis who risked their lives to help the United States.

The special visa has allowed more than 12,000 Iraqi contractors, interpreters and others who aided US efforts, and their family members, to move to the US since 2007.

It expired earlier this week, with about 2000 applications still pending.

In a rare instance of bipartisanship, both chambers of congress passed the measure within hours of each other this week.

The program was created during the worst years of the Iraq war, with Iraqis who helped US forces facing targeted killings and death threats.

The goal was to resettle them in the US faster than the general refugee process might allow.

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Irish voters consider scrapping senate

An Irish referendum on a proposal to abolish the country's senate has had a low turnout. Source: AAP

VOTER turnout has been low in an Irish referendum on whether to abolish the country's upper house of parliament.

As polling stations closed at 10pm on Friday - with counting due to start on Saturday morning - the percentage of those casting their ballots was estimated to be less than 40 per cent.

An electorate of 3.1 million were eligible to have their say.

Latest opinion polls suggested a majority of voters would back Prime Minister Enda Kenny's call to get rid of the Seanad, or senate, in a historic move that would hand power exclusively to the lower house.

A poll in the Irish Times on Monday put the Yes vote - in favour of abolition - at 62 per cent, with 38 per cent backing the retention of the upper house, after excluding those who were undecided.

But more than a fifth of the electorate were undecided at the start of the week, while another 8 per cent said they did not intend to go to the ballot box.

Results in the referendum are expected by around mid-afternoon on Saturday.

The Taoiseach says abolition would create a leaner, more effective and more accountable system.

Opponents, led by the largest opposition party Fianna Fail, say the Seanad is necessary to serve as a government watchdog and to hold the ruling cabinet ministers to account.

The Irish parliament, the Oireachtas, is currently made up of the lower house, the Dail, from which government operates, and the upper house, the Seanad.

The senate has 60 members, with most elected from vocational panels by local councillors and by university graduates.

Eleven are appointed by the prime minister, generally ensuring a government majority.

It is not the first time the Irish have toyed with abolishing their upper house.

Eamon de Valera gave it the chop in 1936 when he was prime minister, before bringing it back a year later.

Historically, many senators tend to be politicians who failed to gain election in a general election or those hoping to win a seat in the lower house at a future election.

The upper house is the less powerful house of parliament, often reduced to rubber-stamping legislation from the lower house.

Its ability to delay bills passed by the lower house for 90 days is its most powerful function, but that has only occurred twice in 75 years.

Comparable upper houses have been abolished in New Zealand, Denmark and Sweden.

Irish voters are also being asked whether the state should set up a Court of Appeal.

Fine Gael, Labour, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein have all backed the court proposal, which could result in more basic appeals from the High Court going to the Court of Appeal instead of the Supreme Court.

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Gunmen kill 15 Libyan soldiers

GUNMEN have attacked a Libyan military post southeast of the capital Tripoli, killing 15 soldiers, an official and Libya's state news agency report.

The attackers rode vehicles topped with machine guns, the military official said.

The highway between the towns of Tarhuna and Bani Walid, on which the post was located, was closed immediately after the attack in an attempt to track down the attackers.

The official said the attack took place at Wishtata area, 60 kilometres from the entrance to Bani Walid, early on Saturday.

The town was one of the last strongholds for supporters of Muammar Gaddafi in the country's 2011 civil war, and was besieged again by pro-government militias last year.

More recently, Libya has been hit by a months-long wave of attacks targeting military officers, activists, judges and security agents. Much of the violence is blamed on armed groups with their origins in the anti-Gaddafi rebel movement.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity according to the regulations.

The Libya News Agency said another five soldiers were wounded.

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Gunman kills NATO service member

A GUNMAN, possibly a private security guard, has shot dead a member of the US-led international coalition in southern Afghanistan before himself being killed, according to NATO.

A coalition statement blamed Saturday's shooting on an "alleged contracted security guard." It did not say if he was an Afghan or foreign national and provided no other details.

It also did not provide the service member's nationality.

"The scene of the incident is secure and the suspected gunman has been killed," the statement said. It added that coalition and "Afghan officials are assessing the incident and more information will be released as appropriate".

The perimeters of many coalition facilities, embassies and international organisations are guarded by Afghan guards contracted from a government agency that provides such services.

Internal security at many facilities is provided by foreign guards contracted from multi-national security corporations.

Last year also saw a spike in "insider attacks" by uniformed Afghans against foreign soldiers and civilians. In some cases, militants have donned Afghan army or police uniforms to attack foreign troops, but a number have been carried out by members of Afghan security forces against their own comrades.

The coalition also said that one of its service members died of a non-battle related injury in the south. It provided no other details.

The two deaths bring the total among foreign forces to 128 so far this year, of which 98 are from the United States.

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Planned Qld coal ports in doubt

Plants to build two central Queensland coal ports are in doubt due to a downturn in the coal market. Source: AAP

PLANS to build two central Queensland coal ports are in doubt due to a downturn in the coal market.

However, proponents of the ports, at Dudgeon Point near Mackay and Port Alma at the mouth of the Fitzroy River near Rockhampton, say the plans will go ahead if the market recovers.

Both projects are still seeking government approvals.

North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, which is developing Dudgeon Point along with Indian coal giant Adani, says progress is continuing "but at a slower pace".

"The Environmental Impact Statement for the project is currently paused," a statement from the firm said.

"The coal market is down as is the current appetite for investment in infrastructure of this type."

Bulk Ports said they will continue finalising environmental studies as the firm doesn't want to be caught out if the market improves.

The port will have the capacity to export up to 180 million tonnes of coal each year.

Peter MacTaggart of Mitchell Ports, which is developing Port Alma, told News Corp Australia the project won't go ahead until demand increased.

"At the moment our customers are telling us that their priority is cutting costs rather than expanding, and we won't be going ahead until there's the demand for it."

Once completed, up to 22 million tonnes of coal per year would be exported from the port.

Environmental groups are calling on Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt to stop all mega-ports along the Queensland coast.

Of particular concern is the Port Alma project as it would be built on the pristine Fitzroy River Delta, the largest estuarine ecosystem feeding into the reef.

"We're calling on the Australian and Queensland governments to work together and rule out this totally unnecessary development once and for all," WWF spokesperson Richard Leck said.

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Keysar Trad to launch love poetry book

Muslim community spokesman and polygamy supporter Keysar Trad is releasing a book of love poetry. Source: AAP

OUTSPOKEN Muslim community spokesman Keysar Trad is making a foray into the literary world, releasing a book of love poems.

Mr Trad, who has previously said polygamy should be recognised, will launch his book Forays of the Heart at Glebe, in Sydney's inner-west, on Sunday.

The poems are described as "paeans of unrequited love directed at women other than his wife".

The well-known Australian Muslim said the poetry was written in a "sense of fantastical lyrical compulsion".

"I felt the need to share them so that others can benefit from these journeys," Mr Trad said.

The book is due to be launched by Liberal MP Philip Ruddock.

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GrainCorp decision due in December

The government will decide on the takeover of Australia's largest grain handler by December 17. Source: AAP

TREASURER Joe Hockey has given the new federal government more time to consider the implications of a takeover of Australia's largest grains handler, GrainCorp.

A decision on a $3.4 billion offer from US grain giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) will now be made by December 17, Mr Hockey said.

"Given the size of this transaction and the complex nature of the issues involved, I have decided to extend the statutory time period," he said.

"This will allow sufficient time for the new government to carefully consider all the relevant issues and advice from the Foreign Investment Review Board before making a decision."

The Nationals are opposed to the sale, as it would mean ADM, Cargill and Glencore would control almost 60 per cent of Australia's wheat shipments and put most of the nation's grain export infrastructure in foreign hands.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in June it would not oppose the $3.4 billion takeover.

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PR guru Clifford denies child sex charges

CELEBRITY British publicist Max Clifford says his "nightmare continues" after appearing in a London court to deny a string of historical indecent assaults.

The 70-year-old faces 11 counts relating to seven alleged female victims between 1966 and 1984.

Clifford denied all charges. Speaking outside Southwark Crown Court after the hearing, Clifford repeated that he was innocent.

"The nightmare continues, it has done since last December," he said.

"It is a nightmare for myself and everyone close to me. I am totally innocent.

"Next March (the date of Clifford's trial), as long as the truth comes out, it will be fine and I can get back to a normal life."

Clifford, famed for representing celebrities including Simon Cowell and Jade Goody, spoke only to confirm his name and to enter not-guilty pleas to the charges during the 40-minute hearing.

He was released on bail until his trial next March, which is expected to last for up to five weeks.

Clifford, who was arrested last December and charged in April, was released on conditional bail and told he must live at his home address.

Judge Anthony Leonard told Clifford that he is not allowed to contact prosecution witnesses.

"I'm OK," Clifford told reporters before heading into court for the hearing.

"Obviously I am totally innocent of these charges from seven ladies."

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Leighton's King denies knowing of bribes

Former Leighton Holdings boss Wal King denied knowledge of the company's alleged corruption in Iraq. Source: AAP

FORMER Leighton Holdings boss Wal King has denied he had knowledge of the construction giant's allegedly corrupt dealings in Iraq.

Fairfax Media has reported senior Leighton executives, including Mr King, were aware of alleged kickbacks paid to a Monaco firm with close ties to Iraqi officials that awarded the company a $750 million oil pipeline contract.

The allegations caused Leighton shares to suffer their heaviest one-day fall in more than two years, losing $2.04, or 10.4 per cent, to $17.54.

The fall wiped almost $700 million from the company's market value.

But Mr King has denied the claim, and says he is seeking legal advice.

"I deny the allegations that I had any prior knowledge of circumstances in Iraq," he told ABC Radio.

Corruption allegations involving Leighton are not new.

The company referred accusations it paid bribes in Iraq to the Australian Federal Police in November 2011, before making the issue public three months later.

But senior executives had not previously been linked to alleged illegal payments.

In a statement, Leighton said it was still cooperating with the AFP on the ongoing investigation, and wasn't aware of any new allegations or instances of a breach of its code of ethics.

"The directors of Leighton's subsidiary companies and of Leighton Holdings are aware of their responsibilities and have at all times executed their duties with the appropriate care and diligence, and in the best interests of each relevant company," it said.

Federal Greens MP Adam Bandt criticised the AFP over the length of time its investigation has taken.

In response, the AFP said the Leighton investigation remained a priority, but the process of investigating claims of foreign bribery was a complex and lengthy one.

Leighton sacked a senior executive in July 2012 after its own investigation into the alleged breach of its code of ethics in Iraq.

The company has also launched court action against a former employee to recover $5.6 million for alleged breaches of contractual and fiduciary duties relating to the construction of a barge in Indonesia.

It says it has since changed its management structure and tender process.

"That Leighton self-reported the matter which is the subject of the AFP's investigation ... is evidence of the culture of integrity and openness that has been established across the Leighton Group," the company said.

"The company is focused on ensuring that its values are consistently applied across the Leighton Group and any deviation from those values will not be tolerated."

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The Gambia pulls out of Commonwealth

THE Gambia has pulled out of the Commonwealth of Nations, accusing the organisation of "colonialism".

"The government has withdrawn its membership of the British Commonwealth. The Gambia will never be a party to any institution that represents an extension of colonialism," the government said in statement delivered on national television late on Wednesday.

The move marks the first African departure from the group in 10 years. Zimbabwe withdrew its membership in 2003.

The Gambia joined the 54-strong association, mostly made up of former British colonies, in 1965, shortly after gaining independence.

The move is designed to "further cut ties with Britain", regional political analyst Abdou Aine told DPA from Dakar.

According to Gambian government figures, about half of the 100,000 tourists who holiday on the country's sandy shores each year are British.

Despite ongoing reports of human rights violations and limited freedom of the press, the Gambian government has invested heavily in tourism.

Foreign holiday-makers account for about a fifth of the tiny country's economy.

President Yahya Jammeh, who came to power in a 1994 coup, is known for announcing controversial plans and ideas without warning.

Last year, the 48-year-old leader used a national address during a Muslim holiday to announce plans to execute death row inmates. The decision was widely condemned by rights groups and members of the international community, including the British government.

In 2007, Jammeh claimed he could cure HIV and Aids through herbal treatment that requires patients to abandon anti-retroviral therapy.

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Woman drowns after NT houseboat sinks

A WOMAN has drowned after a houseboat sank on the Mary River, east of Darwin.

Police attended just before 5pm (CST) after receiving reports that strong winds from a storm front tipped over one houseboat that was moored to another.

Police believe the woman was trapped under water in the capsized vessel.

Duty Superintendent Daniel Shean said members of the group dived in the water to recover her and began CPR.

They then took the woman in a tinny to the boat ramp where they met police.

Police continued resuscitation until paramedics arrived but the woman was unable to be revived.

The other eleven members of the group are accounted for and safe.

Police are investigating the incident on behalf of the coroner.

The Mary River is about 100 kilometres east of Darwin.

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Church sex abuse process fails victims

A Catholic Church spokesman has announced proposals to reform the approach to clerical sexual abuse. Source: AAP

LACK of oversight and accountability by the Catholic Church in handling child sex abuse complaints has led to mixed outcomes for victims, a church spokesman says.

Francis Sullivan, chief executive of the church's Truth Justice and Healing Council has announced proposals to reform the approach to clerical sexual abuse.

The reforms would include a separation of the pastoral and compensation elements of the Towards Healing process, which deals with victims of Catholic Church abuse.

"There has been a contamination of the pastoral approaches by legal approaches," Mr Sullivan told AAP on Thursday.

This was contrary to the whole design of Towards Healing, he said.

He also said the church had not properly managed how the process actually happened on the ground.

"There has not been enough oversight, transparency and accountability back to some type of authority".

This resulted in "variable outcomes for victims on all sorts of levels".

Towards Healing has been operating in the Catholic Church for 17 years and has undergone several reforms.

The council, which Mr Sullivan heads, was set up to engage with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and has been looking closely at the process.

The council's recommendation for an independent church board to develop national child protection standards came on the same day the commission published submissions on the efficacy of the Towards Healing process.

The process came under heavy fire in those submissions, especially from organisations representing people who had been through it.

The submissions can be viewed on www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au under issues papers in the Our Work hyperlink.

Mr Sullivan said he had not yet read the submissions to the commission but the council was aware of the many complaints. This was why they were recommending a significant overhaul.

"It is a whole governance change that was not there in the beginning and has not been there since Towards Healing started," Mr Sullivan told AAP.

"In our proposals we are talking about a national board that would have reporting, oversight and monitoring powers over the various components of the Catholic Church in this whole area - including how they conduct Towards Healing."

He said the motivation was to ease the process for victims, who if they go through the courts, face the rigours of the legal system.

There was also the fact that royal commission recommendations could take many years to establish and might face significant constitutional hurdles, whereas the church proposals could be put in place as soon as late next year, he said.

He stressed though that they were only at concept level and had to be put to the church leadership.

Mr Sullivan said if the commission did recommended a national system of redress the church system could morph into it.

There has been criticism from lawyers that the recommended reforms by the Catholic Church are a bid to avoid making its trustees liable for the conduct of its priests and therefore able to be sued.

The Catholic Church is one of the institutions in Australia which is set up as a property trust and cannot be sued over crimes like child abuse.

The Australian Lawyers Alliance welcomed the church council's concession on the failure of the Towards Healing process.

It said however it remained concerned at the independent body recommendation.

"The bitter experience of victims suggests no body appointed by the church is truly independent," Australian Lawyers Alliance spokesman Dr Andrew Morrison SC said in a statement.

"There already exists a truly independent body to deal with compensation - it is called the court system," he said.

"All the Church needs to do is concede that its trustees (who hold its immense wealth) are its secular arm and are liable for the conduct of its priests and therefore able to be sued. That is the law in the rest of the common law world. Why not here?

"These are the reforms the Church should accept forthwith or the Royal Commission should urgently recommend be imposed by law."

Mr Sullivan said the council was not trying to stave off such challenges.

"The trust arrangement applies to all churches.

"This question may well and truly come up during the commission and we need to see how that goes," he said.

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Baby found dead outside WA daycare centre

THE death of an 11-month-old boy who was found in a car outside a daycare centre in Perth's eastern suburbs is being investigated by police.

Officers were called along with paramedics to the Ladybugs Child Care Centre in Helena Valley just after 4pm (WST).

According to reports from the scene, the baby wasn't brought in to daycare on Wednesday morning and was found dead in a car parked nearby when one of his parents arrived to pick him up in the evening.

Police said inquiries into how the boy died were being under way.

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US deadlock risks higher Aussie dollar

FINANCIAL markets are taking the partial shutdown of the US government in their stride in hope of a swift political breakthrough.

Australian shares ended Wednesday's trading session 0.2 per cent higher, while the Australian dollar was modestly lower at around 93.5 US cents.

US Congress failed to reach a compromise on its budget ahead of the US financial year-end on September 30, prompting the shut down that sent about 800,000 public servants home without pay and left only essential government services open.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch economist Saul Eslake said, if the shutdown lasts a few days, there should be only a minor impact on the world's largest economy.

Longer than that and the consequences become more significant. If it extends to a couple of weeks it could reduce US growth in the December quarter by 0.5 per cent.

Any longer could wipe out all growth in the quarter.

The bigger concern will be if the US Congress doesn't agree to lift its debt ceiling by the middle of this month, risking default for the first time.

"If Congress isn't able to resolve this impasse before the US hits the debt ceiling, one of the possible consequences could be a fall in the US dollar and further unwelcome (upward) pressure on the Australian dollar," Mr Eslake told ABC radio.

"The Reserve Bank clearly wants a lower exchange rate and is quite frustrated about its inability to fulfil that."

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) left the cash rate unchanged at 2.5 per cent at its monthly board meeting on Tuesday.

But RBA governor Glenn Stevens said a lower currency would assist in rebalancing growth in the economy.

Economists believe that after slashing the cash rate to an all-time low, the central bank will be reluctant to cut much further.

National Australia Bank has pushed back its expectation of a further rate reduction to February 2014, rather than next month.

But NAB still expects economic growth to slow to around two per cent by the end of the year, and well below trend at around three per cent.

This will put pressure on employment and with the new federal government shedding public servants the jobless rate could hit 6.75 per cent in the second half of 2014.

The rate was 5.8 per cent in August.

"With the big picture still unmoved, we continue to see a cut coming but right now there is no rush," NAB group chief economist Alan Oster said in a note to clients.

The improvement seen in confidence, retail spending, manufacturing and house prices since the August interest rate cut failed to extend into August building approvals, which fell by a larger than expected 4.7 per cent.

Housing Industry Association chief economist Harley Dale said, while approvals are still trending higher, the recovery has been too slow and too narrow geographically.

"This has been the case for some time and the situation simply isn't changing," Dr Dale said in a statement.

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Truck company hit with 26 defects

Police have issued defect notices to the trucking company believed to be involved in a fatal crash. Source: AAP

POLICE have issued 26 defect notices to the trucking company believed to be involved in Tuesday's horrific fuel tanker crash on Sydney's northern beaches.

Emergency crews have removed the charred remains of a tanker from the crash scene on Mona Vale Road, where it ploughed into a power pole and four cars on Tuesday before erupting in a fireball.

Two men died in the blaze and six others were taken to hospital.

A police spokeswoman said 12 heavy vehicles from the company believed to be involved in the crash had been checked by 5pm (AEST), and that officers had issued 26 "major defects".

She said the defects were for a range of offences, including brakes, wheels and suspension faults.

RMS and police said on Wednesday they are inspecting more than 80 fleet vehicles from Cootes Transport, which have been directed to checking stations in Sydney and Newcastle.

RMS has previously said that the inspections "will inform a decision on whether or not other vehicles in the Cootes' fleet will be subject to roadworthiness inspections".

In a statement, Cootes said it would "cooperate fully" with investigations into the incident.

Earlier, Assistant Commissioner John Hartley said it was still unclear what caused the truck to lose control, overturn, then explode into flames.

"We're investigating why the truck was out of control what the lead up to the crash was, whether that was driver error or a mechanical failure," Asst Cmmr Hartley told AAP.

"Obviously gear failure, brake failure, all those sorts of things could stop a truck from pulling up."

He said the investigation would take "many weeks", and that police were still waiting on the return of blood and urine tests from the driver.

Police believe the truck appeared to have lost control, hit a power pole and four other cars before turning on its side and dousing the road in fuel.

It's likely the huge explosion that followed was caused by a spark from the friction of the crash.

The two men killed in the incident, a 73-year-old from Turramurra and a 71-year-old Western Australian, are believed to be the driver and passenger of a Subaru.

Other passengers, two women aged 67 and 72, are both in a stable condition, while a 69-year-old Warriewood man is in a serious but stable condition.

A 75-year-old woman has also been discharged.

The truck driver, a 47-year-old from Wagga Wagga, is in a stable condition at Royal North Shore Hospital.

About 300 litres of petrol were spilled onto the road in the process of getting the truck upright, and an unknown amount ran into local drains.

The cleanup is expected be completed within days.

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Is Perth about to be putting on the Ritz?

There is speculation the Ritz Carlton hotel brand is to be a part of Perth's Elizabeth Quay project. Source: AAP

PERTH could soon be putting on the Ritz, with speculation the iconic hospitality brand has won the right to build a luxury hotel at the city's new multi-billion dollar riverside development.

The Elizabeth Quay development is one of the controversial flagship developments being undertaken by the Barnett government with the aim of transforming the riverside section of the city at a public cost of $440 million.

It is hoped more than $2 billion of private investment will flow into the precinct, where an inlet is being cut into the Perth foreshore to create a waterside CBD centre for 200,000 sq m of office space, 35,000 sq m for shops and 1000 luxury apartments.

Since September last year, the state government have been calling for expressions of interest for the hotel and residential portion of the development, with a short list believed to include the Brookfield/Frasers Property Group, Leighton in partnership with Sheraton, and Hong Kong-based Far East Consortium.

The latter is thought to have included the involvement of Ritz Carlton in its bid.

If the Ritz Carlton were to come west, it would fit with the hotel's dramatic recent expansion, with three properties opening in Puerto Rico, Abu Dhabi and Vienna in the last 12 months.

Six new Ritz Carlton hotels are scheduled to open in the December quarter, including two properties in China. More will follow in Japan, China, Morocco, Egypt, India and Bali in 2014.

Elizabeth Quay is due to be completed in spring 2015.

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Holden talks seek to save company in Aust

Talks are set to start in Adelaide to help secure the future of the embattled car maker Holden. Source: AAP

TALKS involving federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill and Holden boss Mike Devereux are set to start in a bid to secure the future of the embattled car maker.

The trio are trying to thrash out a deal on support for the car producer to ensure it continues to build vehicles in Adelaide.

The company was promised $275 million last year but is now thought to need more, possibly close to $500 million before committing to develop and build two new car models from 2016.

Before the recent federal election the coalition stood firm on a plan to cut $500 million from total auto industry assistance.

Since the poll, Mr Macfarlane has been more supportive of Holden, suggesting he was willing to see what the new government could do.

But extra government help is likely to be linked to Holden increasing its export sales.

Premier Weatherill said the state government wanted to secure the car producer's future in SA and the early signs were encouraging.

"We'll be advancing the case very strong to Mr Macfarlane," Mr Weatherill told reporters on Tuesday.

The premier, Mr Macfarlane and Mr Devereux are scheduled to front the media at Holden's Elizabeth plant on Wednesday.

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Winds batter NSW and Vic, man dies on roof

A SYDNEY man has been apparently electrocuted and roofs have been ripped from houses as high winds lash NSW and Victoria.

NSW Police found a 31-year-old man injured on the roof of a Bexley property about 3.30pm (AEST) on Tuesday.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate the man, but he died at the scene.

Police said initial inquiries suggest electricity may have played a part.

The strongest winds in the state were recorded at Thredbo where a gust clocked in at 135 km/h.

However, winds of up to 140 km/h have battered Victoria bringing down powerlines and trees.

Electricity companies are battling tough weather conditions as they continue to restore power to almost 19,000 properties throughout the state.

More than 150,000 homes and businesses experiencing outages early on Tuesday.

Thousands of homes and businesses throughout NSW were also hit by power blackouts.

The State Emergency Services (SES) in NSW and Victoria have received a flood of calls as a result of the wild weather.

Since 8am, the NSW SES has responded to 700 jobs, most of which are for roof damage and fallen trees.

The Central Coast is one of the worst hit areas and a home in Long Jetty had its roof ripped off.

SES spokeswoman Danielle Wearne said the roof damaged other homes and ended up in the middle of a road.

A roof was also ripped off a home at Avalon on the Northern Beaches and at a mosque on the Central Coast.

The SES said a large tree had come down on a house on NSW's south coast and another tree had partially blocked the Princes Highway at Batemans Bay.

SES Victoria were called to about 3500 jobs on Monday night and Tuesday.

Altona, Frankston and Wyndham were among the worst hit areas in greater Melbourne, SES spokesman Toby Borella said.

"Fairly widespread, lots of trees down, lots of traffic hazards, lots of building damage as well, as a result of these damaging winds," he told AAP.

A severe weather warning for damaging winds is still in place for southeastern NSW and the ACT.

However, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Chris Webb said winds had already eased.

"The winds have already eased pretty significantly but the back edge of the front is still going through with the possibility of wind gusts in the next one or two hours but it will ease off in the evening," he said.

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US health insurance program rolls out

MILLIONS of Americans will be able to shop for the first time on the insurance marketplaces that are at the heart of President Barack Obama's health care reforms.

They are entering a world that is supposed to simplify the mysteries of health coverage but could end up making it even more confusing, at least initially.

Whether consumers will be pleased with the experience, the premiums and the out-of-pocket costs of the plans offered to them will finally start to become clear.

Tuesday's rollout comes after months of build-up in which the marketplaces, also known as exchanges, have been both praised and vilified.

Illustrating the heated political disagreements over the law, the opening of the exchanges comes the same day as the shutdown of the federal government, led by congressional Republicans who want to block the health insurance reforms from taking effect.

The shutdown will have no immediate effect on the insurance marketplaces that are the backbone of the law, because they operate with money that isn't subject to the annual budget wrangling in Washington.

The marketplaces opening in all 50 states represent a turning point in the US approach to health care, the biggest expansion in coverage in nearly 50 years.

The Obama administration hopes to sign up seven million people during the first year and has a goal of eventually signing up at least half of the nearly 50 million uninsured Americans.

But if people become frustrated with predicted glitches in the computer-based enrolment process and turn away from the program, the prospects for Obama's signature domestic policy achievement could dim.

"The promise of the law is that no one will go bankrupt because of medical bills," said Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, which helped work for passage of the law. "It won't happen in the first day or the first year. But when the law is fully operational, it will provide an economic benefit to roughly 30 million Americans."

Tanden cautioned against rushing to judge the marketplace's success on its first-day performance.

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ASIC clarifies action on RBA

The corporate regulator has clarified its stance on its investigation into corruption in the RBA. Source: AAP

THE corporate regulator has backed away from suggestions it has thoroughly investigated potential breaches by senior public servants over an alleged corrupt deal linking the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said on Tuesday the bribery allegations would be considered, though a statute of limitations applied.

The clarification came after it issued a statement on Monday about potential Corporations Act breaches by directors of the RBA's subsidiaries Securency and Note Printing Australia (NPA).

The regulator said charges had been laid over allegations that representatives from the NPA attended business meetings in Iraq at the height of UN sanctions with the Middle East country.

ASIC said it had worked with federal police to determine if company directors had breached the Corporations Act by trying to set up a deal to upgrade Iraqi currency by supplying polymer bank notes.

On Tuesday, ASIC said its Monday statement mentioned that it had reviewed more than 10,000 pages of documents provided by Australian Federal Police before deciding not to take the matter further.

ASIC says some media organisations were now suggesting those 10,000 pages related specifically to Iraq bribery allegations.

"This is not the case. The material ASIC examined related to alleged conduct in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Nepal," ASIC's statement said.

"The Iraq bribery allegations will be considered but it must be stressed that a six-year statute of limitations applies to civil penalty cases."

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Vic govt moves ahead with East West Link

THE construction phase of Melbourne's East West Link may already be underway by the time Victorians go to the polls next November.

The Victorian government on Monday revealed a shortlist of building consortia which have submitted bids to build the $8 billion tollway, despite the efforts of protesters, the Greens and the state opposition to delay the project.

In unveiling the shortlist, Treasurer Michael O'Brien said each bidder had strong financial credentials that "would support the project moving quickly to the construction phase in 2014".

The opposition has called on the government to delay the project until after the November 2014 election so Victorians have an opportunity to vote on it.

But Premier Denis Napthine said the three guaranteed bids demonstrated the confidence local and international markets had in the project.

"The ongoing intensive bidding between these three bidders will drive significant financial advantage and cost savings for the taxpayers of Victoria," Dr Napthine said.

More detail on the planned East West Link will be revealed in November for the public to comment on, Mr O'Brien said.

The three consortia will have until April 2014 to provide their proposals to the government ahead of a final decision in July or August.

Mr O'Brien said he was confident the contracts would be signed in time for the election next November.

"We've kept to our timetable. In fact, we're slightly ahead," Mr O'Brien said.

The final design won't be known until the tender process is finalised.

Protesters rallying against the link were out again on Monday, after they delayed preliminary drilling last week.

More than 90 homes and businesses will be bulldozed to make way for the proposed tunnel and freeway, which will cut across the city to connect the Eastern and Tullamarine freeways.

Dr Napthine said protesters were free to express their views but they were not free to interfere with the business of others.

The groups vying for the contract are East West Connect, which contributed to Melbourne's Peninsula Link, Inner Link Group, which was involved in EastLink, and Momentum Infrastructure, which worked on EastLink and CityLink.

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Palmer vows to make difference in Senate

CLIVE Palmer is hopeful of holding the balance of power in the Senate and vows to give Prime Minister Tony Abbott a run for his money.

The mining magnate already has two Palmer United Party Senators.

Former soldier Jacqui Lambie has won a Tasmanian Senate spot and former rugby league player Glenn Lazarus a Queensland Senate seat.

WA Senate candidate Zhenya Wang may win the party's third slot.

"I think having the balance of power in the Senate does make us significant in the decision-making process," Mr Palmer has told ABC's The Australian Story which aired on Monday night.

"Nothing can be passed unless we vote for it. That's the reality."

He said if Mr Abbott gave his party the same resources the Greens were given it would be able to work efficiently.

"If he doesn't, well nothing will go through the Senate until we understand it," Mr Palmer said.

Former Queensland premier and Labor's unsuccessful candidate for the seat of Forde, Peter Beattie, told the program that Mr Abbott would be very nervous if the Palmer United Party held the balance of power in the upper house.

"I think Clive Palmer has not only rained on Tony Abbott's parade a little, I think Tony will be saying a little prayer if indeed the Palmer United Party ends up with the balance of power in the Senate," Mr Beattie said.

"Because Tony will need divine help over the next three years."

Mr Beattie said Mr Palmer would run his Senators agenda and they would do exactly what he said.

"This will be his party, not just in name but in practice," he said.

Mr Palmer finished 36 votes ahead of Liberal National Party candidate Ted O'Brien when the Australian Electoral Commission completed initial counting after the September 7 poll.

A recount is underway because the margin is less than 100.

He currently leads by a mere three votes.

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Gillard takes swipe at Rudd's takeover

FORMER prime minister Julia Gillard has taken a swipe at Kevin Rudd, saying a key difference in their leadership takeovers was that she spent all of her time in the lead up genuinely trying to help Labor prosper.

Speaking to Anne Summers at the Sydney Opera House on Monday, Ms Gillard made her first major public appearance since being dethroned on June 26.

When asked if her dumping was a reflection of her takeover of Mr Rudd in 2010, Ms Gillard replied it was her view that you should always ask the leader for a legitimate leadership ballot.

"To do things continuously that undermine the Labor party and the Labor government, then of course that shouldn't be done by anyone," she said.

"The key difference is every day I was deputy PM I spent all of my time doing everything I could to have the Labor government prosper."

Ms Gillard said she intentionally stayed out of the media until recently to give Labor the "gift" of silence during the recent federal election.

She said a "perfect political storm" formed following the 2010 election that ultimately led to her being dethroned by Mr Rudd.

This included being forced to hold together a minority government, the legitimacy of which was questioned daily by a hard hitting opposition.

"You had the wildcard of gender, being the first female PM, and then internal instability in the Labor party, so it all came together to create this very difficult environment," she said.

Ms Gillard also zeroed in on Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who triggered her famous misogyny speech last October.

"I thought, 'After everything I've had to see on the internet, after all the gendered abuse that I've seen in newspapers, that has been called at me across the despatch box, now of all things I've got to listen to Tony Abbott lecture me about sexism," she said.

She said while she suffered plenty of abuse from the opposition during federal parliament sessions, most of it wasn't from Mr Abbott.

"Occasionally he would get involved, but more the people behind him, so Christopher Pyne in particular," she said.

Ms Gillard declined to publicly state whether she'd prefer Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese as the new Labor leader.

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Pent-up demand for new cars will end

THE boom in sales of new cars in the US has been fuelled by consumers replacing vehicles they kept through the recession.

But a top auto industry executive says that the pent-up demand likely will be satisfied by late next year.

Jim Lentz, Toyota's North American CEO, said the demand for new cars from owners of older models could dry up sometime late in 2014. If the economy isn't creating jobs at a faster pace when that happens, the boom could screech to a halt.

"The market then has to work off a much better economy, an improving economy," Lentz said. "If we don't have that, I think the market may flatten out."

New car and truck sales hit a three-decade low of $US10.4 million ($A11.24 million) in 2009 as the financial crisis dried up money for car loans and US-based auto companies nearly went out of business. Consumers, many who feared they could lose their jobs, refused to buy new cars and instead kept their old ones on the road.

Sales, though, gradually rebounded and now are running at an annual rate of around $US15.6 million, just below pre-recession levels.

Lentz, speaking at the AP's New York headquarters, said the average car and truck in the US is now more than 11 years old. At the same time, the supply of coveted used cars that are one-to-five years old is down to levels not seen since the 1980s. Used car prices have jumped, making their monthly payments as high as those for new cars, Lentz said. That's brought more buyers into new-car showrooms, he said.

But as people replace their cars at a faster rate, the used-car supply increases. Eventually, prices will drop and lure buyers out of the new-car market, he said.

"So in time, as that one- to five-year base builds its way back up, I think we're going to reach that equilibrium, probably sometime near the end of 2014," he said.

Jesse Toprak, senior analyst for the TrueCar.com auto pricing site, disagrees, saying pent-up demand isn't close to tapering off.

Consumers have not yet made up for four years of lower-than-normal auto sales, and won't for another three or four years, Toprak said. He also believes that consumers and businesses have just started to replace old pickup trucks that were held through the recession.

If auto sales do slow, that could be bad news for the US economic recovery. The auto industry has created thousands of jobs as sales have recovered, helping to keep the economy afloat for the past two years.

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Kings Of Leon's new album debuts at No.1

Kings of Leon have landed their third consecutive No.1 album on the ARIA chart. Source: AAP

KINGS of Leon have landed their third straight No.1 on the ARIA albums chart after their new album Mechanical Bull debuted at the top.

The Nashville rockers' sixth studio release bumps off Keith Urban's album Fuse, which drops down two spots to No.3.

Another new entry is Drake's Nothing Was the Same at No.2, which becomes his first Top 10 entry and highest charting album all in the same week.

Jason Derulo's third album Tattoos has debuted at No.5, becoming his third Top 10 album.

Jack Johnson is down three places to No.6 with From Here to Now to You, while the fourth Top 10 debut is Jessie J with Alive at No.7.

Pink's The Truth About Love has dropped two spots to No.8 and Rudimental's Home moves up five places to No.9.

Avicii's album True plummets eight places round out the Top 10.

Meanwhile Katy Perry's Roar has spent another week at No.1 on the singles chart.

The top three all hold steady this week, with Miley Cyrus at No.2 with Wrecking Ball and Redfoo at No.3 with Let's Get Ridiculous.

The big mover is John Newman with Love Me Again, which charges up four places, pushing Derulo's Talk Dirty down to No.5.

OneRepublic spends a third straight week at No.6 with Something I Need, Lana Del Rey is down a couple of places to No.7 with her Summertime Sadness and Drake climbs a place to a new peak of No.8 with Hold On, We're Going Home.

Avicii has slipped to No.9 with Wake Me Up, while Lorde is back up two places to No.10 with her EP The Love Club feat Royals.

AUSTRALIAN SINGLES CHART

1(1) Roar - Katy Perry (CAP/EMI)

2(2) Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus (RCA/SME)

3(3) Let's Get Ridiculous - Redfoo (INR/UMA)

4(8) Love Me Again - John Newman (ISL/UMA)

5(4) Talk Dirty - Jason Derulo Feat. 2 Chainz (WAR)

6(6) Something I Need - OneRepublic (INR/UMA)

7(5) Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Rey vs Cedric Gervais (INR/UMA)

8(9) Hold on, We're Going Home - Drake Feat. Majid Jordan (UNI/UMA)

9(8) Wake Me Up - Avicii (UNI/UMA)

10(12) The Love Club Feat. Royals - Lorde (UNI/UMA)

AUSTRALIAN ALBUMS CHART

1(-) Mechanical Bull - Kings Of Leon (RCA/SME)

2(-) Nothing Was The Same - Drake (UNI/UMA)

3(1) Fuse - Keith Urban (CAP/EMI)

4(3) AM - Arctic Monkeys (DOM/EMI)

5(-) Tattoos - Jason Derulo (WAR)

6(3) From Here to Now to You - Jack Johnson (UNI/UMA)

7(-) Alive - Jessie J (UNI/UMA)

8(6) The Truth About Love - Pink (RCA/SME)

9(14) Home - Rudimental (WAR)

10(2) True - Avicii (UNI/UMA)

AUSTRALIAN STREAMING CHART

1(1) Roar - Katy Perry (EMI)

2(2) Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus (SME)

3(3) Wake Me Up - Avicii (UMA)

4(4) The Love Club EP - Lorde (UMA)

5(6) Counting Stars - OneRepublic (UMA)

6(5) Talk Dirty - Jason Derulo Feat. 2 Chainz (WAR)

7(9) You Make Me - Avicii (UMA)

8(7) Burn - Ellie Goulding (UMA)

9(8) La La La - Naughty Boy Feat. Sam Smith (EMI)

10(10) Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke Feat. T.I. & Pharrell (UMA)

AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY CHART

1(1) Fuse - Keith Urban (CAP/EMI)

2(2) The Very Best Of Slim Dusty - Slim Dusty (EMI)

3(-) The Buegrass Album - Alan Jackson (SME)

4(3) The Great Country Songbook - Troy Cassar-Daley & Adam Harvey (SME)

5(-) A.M - Chris Young (RCA/SME)

6(6) Red - Taylor Swift (BIG/UMA)

7(3) 40 Years Of Pride - Charley Pride (RCA/SME)6 (WAR)

8(6) A Hell Of A Career! - John Williamson (WAR)

9(7) Crash My Party - Luke Bryan (CAP/EMI)

10(8) The Story So Far - Keith Urban (CAP/EMI)

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Morrison rejects claims of boat delay

The Greens want an inquiry into the government's delayed response to the latest asylum seeker boat. Source: AAP

IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison has defended Australia's response to an asylum seeker boat that sank off Indonesia as survivors claim the tragedy could have been prevented.

With Prime Minister Tony Abbott flying to Indonesia on Monday for his first overseas visit, his government is under fire for its handling of the disaster, which left up to 50 people dead or missing.

Indonesian authorities say there is little hope of finding more survivors from the boat that sank off Java on Friday, with searchers being hampered by rough seas on Sunday.

Twenty-eight people, including seven children, have so far been confirmed dead while more than 20 remain missing.

One survivor told ABC TV that a GPS location was sent to Australian authorities when multiple distress calls were made on Thursday.

"We called the Australian government for 24 hours. They were telling us 'we're coming, we're coming, we're coming', and they didn't come," he said.

"This is because of the Australian government. I want them to know that," he said of the tragedy.

The survivor has also implicated Indonesian authorities as playing a role in getting passengers to the boat.

"The army took us," he told the ABC. "The army was driving the cars."

A spokesman for Mr Morrison said suggestions Australian authorities were slow to act were "absolutely and totally wrong".

"The government completely rejects allegations of a 26-hour delay in response to this tragic incident by Australian agencies," Mr Morrison's office said in a statement issued on Sunday.

"Australian agencies acted on the information provided on this tragic incident."

Mr Morrison said initial searches failed to find the boat, which was reported to be about 25 nautical miles off the Indonesian coast.

"The Australians who work for our rescue and border protection agencies respond to all such events with great professionalism and a keenly felt sense of duty, as they did on this occasion," the statement said.

"This is a tragic event. The Australian government's thoughts and sympathies are with those affected by this tragedy. The government will continue to provide any assistance required by the Indonesian government."

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne called for an immediate inquiry into the government's involvement in the "heartbreaking" tragedy.

"I would expect that to happen before the next parliament sits," Senator Milne told Sky Agenda on Sunday.

Labor leadership candidate Bill Shorten criticised the Abbott government's approach to asylum seekers, saying "sooner or later they're going to work out that three-word slogans don't solve issues, and don't solve refugees or immigration".

People smuggling is expected to be high on the agenda when Mr Abbott meets with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta.

Indonesia's foreign minister Marty Natalegawa last week warned any violation of his country's borders could damage neighbourly relations, in a pointed criticism of the coalition's policy to turn back the boats.

Mr Shorten accused the coalition of "bagging" Indonesia in the stand-off over asylum seeker policy.

"One of the key platforms or planks to making sure we've got a safe and sustainable policy is to have a good relationship with Indonesia," he told ABC television.

"I'm not sure that getting out and bagging the Indonesians is really helpful.

"If they can't work out that Indonesia and working co-operatively with Indonesia's important to handling the challenging issues of asylum seekers and refugees, then that's a worry."

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NSW firefighters contain most fires

FIREFIGHTERS have managed to contain a majority of the 60 bushfires burning across NSW after a day of favourable conditions.

The Rural Fire Service expects the milder temperatures and slight winds to flow into Monday but Tuesday could see more winds.

"There has been an indication from the Bureau (of Meteorology) that Tuesday may be warm and windy," RFS spokesman Brendan Doyle said.

"But we are keeping a close eye on these conditions tomorrow..."

On Sunday, firefighters remained at the Barrenjoey Headland on Sydney's Northern Beaches where a blaze broke out a day prior and threatened an iconic lighthouse.

Fire crews managed to save the structure but a nearby cottage sustained some damage.

Visitors to the headland were warned to shelter near its historic lighthouse after an access trail was cut off but no one was injured.

The fire burned through 17 hectares of bushland around Summer Bay, made famous in the long-running television soapie Home and Away.

There are still 60 fires burning across the state, but Mr Doyle said only 25 were uncontained and not threatening properties.

One major fire is still burning in the Great Lakes area.

The blaze burning through forested country near Bulahdelah has burnt more than 458 hectares.

Residents in the Markwell Valley area are urged to know what to do if the fire impacts property.

Meanwhile, a RFS truck returning from battling a blaze on the Northern Tablelands crashed on Sunday.

The truck, driving through thick smoke and haze, left the road and crashed into a tree, police said.

The driver was taken to Walcha Hospital with minor injuries.

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Italy grapples with new Berlusconi crisis

Five cabinet ministers from former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi's party have quit the government. Source: AAP

ITALY is mired in a fresh political quagmire after Silvio Berlusconi pushed his party's ministers to quit the fragile coalition government, a move Prime Minister Enrico Letta has called a "crazy act".

All five ministers from the People of Freedom (PDL) party on Saturday took the decision to step down at Berlusconi's urging, said deputy prime minister Angelino Alfano, the number two in government who was among the resignations.

Italy newspapers put the blame for the new government crisis squarely at the ex-prime minister's feet.

"The convict has made Italy fail," read the headline in the leftist daily Il Fatto Quotidiano, alluding to Berlusconi's conviction for tax fraud.

The centre-right La Stampa and business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore decried "the madness" of the actions taken by the media mogul who has dominated Italian politics for most of the last two decades.

The flamboyant billionaire, who turns 77 on Sunday, dismissed as "unacceptable" a demand by Letta on Friday for parliament to express support for the government next week, in a bid to end a crisis that has plagued the bickering ruling coalition.

Now President Giorgio Napolitano will have to mediate to find a way out of the latest political impasse. He is expected to meet Letta on Sunday.

Letta's government was cobbled together following a two-month stand-off after an inconclusive general election in February.

The premier of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) had won the confidence of financial markets by managing to keep together the improbable right-left coalition.

Italian media on Sunday speculated that if the crisis deepens there could be a reversal in market confidence, making it harder for Italy to deal with its economic difficulties and enact needed reforms.

The revolt among Berlusconi's backers boiled over on Thursday when they first threatened to resign over the former leader's legal problems.

A Senate committee was preparing to vote on whether to eject Berlusconi from the chamber after he was sentenced to a year in prison for tax fraud, a ruling that was upheld by Italy's top court in August.

Letta on Friday told a cabinet meeting tasked with approving key measures to rein in the recession-hit country's budget deficit that no further legislation would be enacted until the political crisis was resolved.

The cabinet had convened to determine how to delay a controversial planned rise in value-added tax, but the meeting ended in disarray amid the escalating tension over Berlusconi's conviction.

As a result, the VAT hike from 21 per cent to 22 per cent will go ahead, with effect from Tuesday, as economists worry that it will dampen consumption.

In encouraging the PDL ministers to resign, Berlusconi said they should not be "complicit in the latest vexation imposed on Italians by the left".

Letta retorted: "To try to justify his crazy and irresponsible act, aimed fully at protecting his personal interests, Berlusconi is... using the VAT as an alibi."

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