Scott Morrison says 157 Tamil asylum seekers are *economic migrants* not in danger of persecution in India, calls Labor and Greens *surrender monkeys* (ABC)

The 157 Tamil asylum seekers who were held on a Customs ship for almost a month are economic migrants and do not face persecution if they are sent back to India, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says.

The asylum seekers, including 37 children, are at the centre of a High Court challenge and have been transferred to Western Australia's Curtin Immigration Detention Centre.

Indian consular officials will be at the detention centre to help determine identity and residency, but Mr Morrison says asylum claims for the group will not be processed.

"I would be surprised if anyone was seriously suggesting that people were being persecuted in India by the Indian government, apart from [Greens senator] Sarah Hanson-Young, which is just an absurd and offensive claim." he told AM.

Mr Morrison described India as a safe country and a "vibrant democracy".

"If we can't take people back to India, what is next? New Zealand? India ... [is] a good partner, they're working closely with us." he said.

"They have come from India and as a result, a passage to Australia here is nothing more than an economic migration seeking to illegally enter Australia."

India may not take any of the Tamils back

India's high commissioner to Australia Biren Nanda says India has not been officially asked yet to interview the 157 Tamils at Curtin, although he says staff are ready.

He says India will take back any of the asylum seekers who are Indian nationals.

But it is not known how many people will be sent back, and the high commissioner has indicated it could be none.

"First we have to make a determination of who these people are," he has told The World Today. "For all we know there may not be Indian nationals involved.

"We do not know whether the people have come from India or whether they have been living in camps from India."

India has previously said it would consider the cases of any Indian residents.

But the high commissioner says Tamil people who live in Indian refugee camps are generally refugees, not residents.

"We have a large number of Tamil refugees in India, it is a well known fact, and they have been living in camps and some of them have voluntarily agreed to go back to Sri Lanka."

Mr Nanda has indicated no one will be forced back.

"Generally speaking we do not repatriate anybody against his will."

Greens leader Christine Milne says the asylum seekers' claims have not been properly assessed.

"Scott Morrison says a lot of things, and a lot of them are baseless," she told reporters in Hobart.

"Both he and Tony Abbott seem to think that Sri Lanka is some sort of democracy these days. In fact, there are people disappearing in Sri Lanka as I speak."

High Court challenge resumes

The group of Tamils was brought ashore at the weekend and taken to the detention centre after nearly a month detained on the Customs vessel.

This sparked an urgent hearing of the High Court this afternoon.

Advocates argued that the group was detained unlawfully, with Justice Kenneth Hayne saying they may have a case for unlawful detention.

He granted approval for an application for compensation and the Government has until Thursday afternoon to file its defence case.

Mr Morrison says the Tamils did not make asylum claims to Australian officials while being held over for the past few weeks on the Customs ship, the Ocean Protector.

He says their health will be assessed today, but says they have been in good care.

The Government has refused to say exactly where they were held during this time.

The Immigration Minister says the transfer to Curtin is not related to the High Court challenge to the Tamils' detention.

"These issues are completely separate matters," he told AM.

Describing the Opposition and the Greens as "surrender monkeys", Mr Morrison told Macquarie Radio the Government was standing firm against people smugglers.

"Every time they try it on, they will know that this Government just won't send out the water taxi at the first whistle and just roll over," he said.

"The surrender monkeys in the Labor Party and Greens would have had the water taxi out there in a heartbeat."

The Minister said the transfer of the asylum seekers to an onshore detention centre was not a broken promise on offshore processing or stopping the boats.

"I think the fact there has been so much interest in this one venture - the first venture since December 19 last year - where this process has been undertaken, demonstrates the success the Government has had," he said.

Senator Milne says after recent losses in the High Court, the Immigration Minister is trying to avoid another defeat.

She says the Tamils should have been brought to Christmas Island for processing from day one.

"The Curtin detention centre was supposed to be closed because it was such an appalling facility," she said.

"It just shows that as far as Scott Morrison and the Prime Minister are concerned, it's all about chest-beating and saying nobody can land in Australia rather than dealing with people appropriately."

People will go back to India: Morrison

Mr Morrison says the Indian government did not ask for anything in return for its co-operation over the asylum seekers. However, he says India must be involved in the process of identification.

"That is something for any government to do, who is the host government, who is determining their citizenship or residency. It is not for Australia to do that."

"At the end of the day, people will go back to India where India is prepared to accept them back in these circumstances, and that obviously requires co-operation and the involvement of their officials."

It is not clear what will happen to the asylum seekers if they are not found to be Indian citizens or residents.

Mr Morrison says the work of the Indian consular officials at Curtin will take some time.

"We will work through that process when we come to it, but the Government has available to it all of the options," Mr Morrison said.

The options include the offshore processing centres of Nauru and Manus Island.

Human rights lawyer David Manne, who has been asked to represent the group of asylum seekers, says they are entitled to independent legal advice.

"We must be able to allow these people to explain why they came here, to establish why they left and what they may have fled," Mr Manne said.

"It's crucial here that that happens first before any steps are taken to make them speak to authorities of any other country."

Mr Manne says he is concerned about India's involvement in processing of the Tamil asylum seekers.

"It's completely unclear what role India could properly play in this process. It's a fundamental principle of refugee law that no-one, no person, should have to deal with the authorities of another country from which they may have fled."

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24562122/scott-morrison-says-157-tamil-asylum-seekers-are-economic-migrants-not-in-danger-of-persecution-in-india-calls-labor-and-greens-surrender-monkeys/

Orica fined $768,000 over chemical spills and safety breaches in NSW (ABC)

The chemical company Orica has been fined $768,000 over a series of chemical spills and safety breaches at two of its sites in New South Wales.

The NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) took the company to court for breaching its licence conditions.

Orica pleaded guilty to nine charges.

Eight of them relate to the company's Kooragang Island facility in Newcastle while the other involved the company's plant at Botany in Sydney's south.

The EPA said the incidents resulted in pollution being released into the air and water near both sites.

The incidents at the Kooragang Island facility included the emission of hexavalent chromium, a toxic chemical which affected a nearby residential area, as well as an ammonia leak later that year.

The EPA said it is a significant penalty and a strong deterrent.

More to come.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24568751/orica-fined-768-000-over-chemical-spills-and-safety-breaches-in-nsw/

Australia, Netherlands plan fresh attempt to reach MH17 site (AFP)

AFP Australia, Netherlands plan fresh attempt to reach MH17 site

Sydney (AFP) - A team of Dutch and Australian police will on Monday again attempt to reach the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a senior Australian official said, although he warned the situation was volatile.

An unarmed team of Dutch and Australian officers was forced to drop their plans to visit the site in eastern Ukraine Sunday as heavy bombardments rocked towns close to the area where the plane was shot down, killing all 298 on board.

And tensions led the Netherlands to scrap a plan to send an international armed mission in to secure the site in the rebel-contested area, with the Dutch Prime Minister saying it was "not realistic".

Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner Andrew Colvin said another attempt would be made Monday.

"As you know, the mission was aborted overnight due to the intensity of the fighting occurring both on the route into the crash site as well as at the crash site itself," he told reporters.

"I recently got off the phone from our commander in Ukraine about the activities expected again for today and again in company with our Dutch counterparts and the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) monitors we will attempt again to gain access to the site today.

"Of course it is a highly volatile area and I should stress that safety is paramount in our minds, safety of the Australian and Dutch officials and the OSCE officers as well."

Earlier Monday, Colvin cautioned that if fighting in the area was a genuine offensive to take back ground, "we may be some days before we can feel safe and secure to go back in there".

He added that Australian police would have no role in securing the site and would only be involved in a detailed examination of the crash area, which Colvin estimated would take five to seven days initially.

Dutch authorities on Sunday said the team was currently in Donetsk, a rebel stronghold about 60 kilometres (35 miles) from the crash site.

- Armed mission 'not realistic' -

So far investigators have visited the site only sporadically because of security concerns, even though a truce had been called in the immediate area around the site by both the Kiev forces and pro-Russian separatists.

The Netherlands and Australia together lost some 221 citizens in the crash.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop arrived in Kiev on Sunday for talks with the Ukrainian government to try to ensure the safety of the Dutch and Australian team.

"We are aware this plane was shot down over a war zone and that news of the fighting has intensified is perhaps inevitable, but we are planning for those risks," she said.

"We will mitigate those risks and make sure that police investigators are safe when they go in. We won't take steps that will put them in danger."

On Sunday, the Netherlands said plans to send an international armed mission to secure the site were "not realistic" amid fears a deployment risked being dragged into the conflict in east Ukraine.

"Getting the military upper hand for an international mission in this area is according to our conclusion not realistic," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told journalists in The Hague.

"We concluded... there's a real risk of such an international military mission becoming directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine."

Colvin confirmed that the Australian police would be unarmed.

"Quite frankly, I think taking firearms into this situation really only exacerbates it and puts us at more risk so we're satisfied that not taking arms is the best way to reduce the risk for us at the moment," he said.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24565341/australia-netherlands-plan-fresh-attempt-to-reach-mh17-site/

Families SA*s David Waterford resigns after misleading superiors regarding alleged child abuser (ABC)

ABC David Waterford says he "inadvertently mislead" his superiors after skim reading source material.

The South Australian Education Department's deputy chief executive has resigned for "inadvertently misleading" his boss and the Minister over a sexual abuse case involving a Families SA carer.

The carer has been charged over the abuse of seven preschool-aged children under his care at a Government residential facility.

Families SA deputy chief executive David Waterford last week said no complaints had been made against the man during his employment.

It was later revealed the charged man had been investigated a year ago for alleged improper conduct against a toddler, but the claims could not be substantiated.

Today, Mr Waterford said in light of the claims he retrieved and revisited a number of "source documents", and realised he had misinterpreted a critical section.

He said this failure caused him to honestly but inaccurately brief Minister Jennifer Rankine and departmental CEO.

Mr Waterford said he had resigned because he fell well short of the standards of a public servant.

"Due to so few staff within Families SA knowing about the alleged offences and the arrest of the Families SA employee, no consolidated, written briefing was in existence on Tuesday 22 July," he said in a statement.

"My briefing of the chief executive and the Minister was from my memory of reading certain source documents.

"In hindsight this was a fundamental shortcoming in process for which I was responsible.

"In light of new claims that emerged in the media on Thursday and that were raised with the department on Friday afternoon, I retrieved and revisited a number of these sources on Friday night.

"With regard to one of those documents, revisiting it caused me to remember that I had only skimmed it and on Friday night I quickly came to the realisation that I had misinterpreted information on one page because I had not read another critical section.

"This failure caused me to honestly but inaccurately brief the minister and chief executive."

The Government said Mr Waterford's resignation was "unsolicited and unexpected".

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24566226/families-sas-david-waterford-resigns-after-misleading-superiors-regarding-alleged-child-abuser/

Hodsons* son early suspect in Vic murders (AAP)

The son of slain police informer Terence Hodson was considered a suspect over the execution-style murder of his parents, a Victorian inquest has been told.

Terence and Christine Hodson were found shot dead at their Kew home in May 2004, before Mr Hodson was to give evidence against drug squad detectives Paul Dale and David Miechel in a criminal trial over a burglary at an Oakleigh drug stash house.

Former homicide squad detective Cameron Davey told an inquest into the couple's deaths that a number of people, including the Hodsons' son Andrew, were treated as suspects.

"Andrew Hodson was also the subject of a thorough investigation," Mr Davey told the Victorian Coroners Court on Monday.

"We did and still suspect that the killer or killers had knowledge of the layout of the house and security systems.

"But I don't believe he was personally responsible for the murders."

Mr Davey said police spoke to more than 100 people in relation to the deaths, particularly the people who had been named by Mr Hodson in his informer reports.

Mr Davey also said the woman who was "babysitting" the Oakleigh stash house told police that the man running the operation knew that Terence Hodson was going to be murdered.

The woman said she was instructed to leave her house on the night of the murder and to make sure she was seen, Mr Davey said.

Mr Dale and convicted hit man Rodney Collins were charged with the Hodsons' murders in 2009, but the charges were dropped. Both deny any involvement.

Mr Davey said Collins had once offered to give information about the murder, but only on the condition that he be granted immunity from prosecution, a deal that police rejected.

The inquest, before State Coroner Judge Ian Gray, continues.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24565191/hodsons-son-early-suspect-in-vic-murders/

Ramadan ends: Muslims celebrate Eid al Fitir at Lakemba in Sydney*s south-west (ABC)

View Comments ABC The perfect shot! A young man captures the huge crowd gathered at Lakemba for Eid al Fitir celebrations.

Huge crowds lined the streets of Lakemba in Sydney's south-west this morning to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Australia's Muslim communities gathered at mosques for morning prayers as the festival of Eid al Fitir began, bringing an end to a month of fasting from sunset to sunrise.

Eid al Fitir is also know as "the feast of breaking the fast" and occurs with the sighting of the new moon.

Dozens of stalls set up in Lakemba's streets were this morning selling traditional food.

New South Wales Premier Mike Baird was among the dignitaries invited to attend the festival.

He said he wanted the Muslim community to know they would always have an ally.

"A friend here in New South Wales, a friend leading the Government. We will always listen to them and always respond to them," he said.

As part of the festival, children are traditionally given presents, and money is given to the poor.

The festival runs for three days.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24562987/ramadan-ends-muslims-celebrate-eid-al-fitir-at-lakemba-in-sydneys-south-west/

Tasmanian ALP leader Bryan Green vows to start afresh in bid for re-election (ABC)

View Comments ABC Bryan Green is vowing to make Labor's stint in opposition short.

Tasmania's Opposition Leader has called for fresh policy ideas as the party tries to rebuild and reclaim government.

Bryan Green has delivered his first speech as Labor leader to the party's annual conference in Launceston since the ALP was roundly defeated at the March poll.

Yesterday, Labor delegates voted to tear up the party's decades-old policy document and start afresh.

Mr Green used his speech to rail against the State Government and to call for suggestions for new policy positions for Labor.

"Once the platform is established and our policies set in stone, we will implement those policies when we return to Government," he said.

He vowed that Labor's stint in opposition would be short.

"[We will be] elected in 2018 so we can throw the conservatives to where they belong - on the scrap heap for another 12 or 16 years."

"My mission over the next four years is to ensure that the party and the broader community are fully engaged in the development of Labor's policies to ensure that they do reflect our shared goals.

"Part of the process is to revitalise the party."

The party has vowed to never again have non-members in cabinet.

An internal review after the March defeat found a power-sharing deal with the Greens in 2010 turned voters away.

Mr Green told the conference Labor represented the middle political ground between the Greens' Kim Booth, whom he labelled radical, and Will Hodgman, whom he said was under control of the Liberals' right wing.

"We can be the party that fits in between those two extremes that appeals to the majority of Tasmanians," he said.

"We are the party that can focus on the economy without losing sight of the importance of social reforms to make our community more inclusive and more compassionate."

The Greens' Kim Booth dismissed Labor's ban on ever again sharing cabinet positions as a stunt and childish.

"It's likely after the next election that we're going to have another power-sharing Parliament of some form," he said.

Privately, some in Labor agree with delegates pointing out Labor's new rules on power-sharing can always be voted on again and changed.

Mr Booth repeated the Greens' call for the number of MPs in Parliament to be extend from 25 to 35.

That bid was last voted down by Labor and the Liberals last year.

Voting age for party members drops to 14

Labor has also voted to lower the voting age for party members.

Yesterday, Labor's federal candidate for Lyons Brian Mitchell moved to lower the age for voting on internal party matters from 18 to 16.

The party eventually agreed to take it even lower to 14.

Debate continued at the conference on a range of bills being introduced by the State Government.

Labor delegates slammed the Government's anti-forest protester laws, which Mr Green decried as poorly drafted.

The forestry union's delegates used their contribution to condemn the plan, which has been welcomed by the Forest Industries Association.

The Government's plan to freeze public sector salaries for 12 months also drew scorn.

In another new policy platform passed yesterday, Labor delegates at the party's next national conference will be forced to vote in favour of gay marriage.

The party agreed to scrap existing rules which give Tasmanian delegates a conscience vote on the issue.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/24559485/tasmanian-alp-leader-bryan-green-vows-to-start-afresh-in-bid-for-re-election/