Qld man's body found with gunshot wounds

A BRISBANE man's body was found riddled with gunshot wounds in a park south of Brisbane, police say.

Members of the public found the body of Mitchelton man Julian Neuendorf, 38, in the Logan River near the Logan Reserve boat ramp at Henderson Park, about 9.15am (AEST) on Friday.

Detective Superintendent David Hutchinson said Mr Neuendorf, who was known to police, had "sustained a number of gunshot wounds", probably on Thursday evening.

"He's had involvement with police over a number of years and he does have a few questionable associates," Supt Hutchinson told reporters.

"He has an assorted criminal history."

Det Supt Hutchinson said police believed Mr Neuendorf was murdered in the park.

Police would like to speak with anyone who saw anything suspicious in the Logan Reserve area on Thursday evening or who may have knowledge about the movements of Mr Neuendorf, who was last seen alive in Mitchelton earlier that day.

"Why was he in the Logan area that night; he's from Mitchelton?" Det Supt Hutchison said.

Officers are also appealing for public information regarding the movements of Mr Neuendorf's black 2007 Ford Falcon GT sedan, which was found in the park.

Detectives and forensic officers, as well as police divers and members of the State Emergency Service, returned to the boat ramp area on Saturday to search for clues.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Suspect killed in Indonesian terror raid

INDONESIAN police have shot dead a suspected militant and seized bombs during a raid in a district that has been at the centre of an anti-terror crackdown in the past week, a spokesman says.

The raid on a house was conducted by local police and the anti-terror unit at sunrise in Kayamaya village in Sulawesi island's central district of Poso on Saturday.

"One suspect was killed in the raid and another has been arrested and taken to police headquarters in the city of Palu," national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar told reporters.

"The suspects resisted arrest and began throwing explosives toward the police, who opened fire in response."

Amar said police had seized several assembled bombs and other materials from the home.

Witnesses, who declined to be named, said the men had attended morning prayers at the neighbourhood mosque and were shot outside a school as they tried to run from the house.

An AFP photographer saw a pool of blood in the school courtyard after the shooting.

The raid came after an alleged militant was killed, two others arrested and explosives seized in a raid in Poso on Wednesday.

There have been three failed bomb attacks in the district in the past week.

Two policemen were found dead in Poso last month, with their throats slit, after disappearing while investigating an alleged terror camp linked to extremist Islamist group Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT).

Poso was the site of sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians between the late 1990s and mid-2000s that left thousands dead. It has since been described by police as a hotbed of terrorism.

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Man dies, nine injured in Melbourne crash

A MAN has been killed and at least nine people injured in a collision between a train and a truck in Melbourne.

Emergency services say the man died at the scene after being found and treated by paramedics near the main engine of the train.

A driver of the train was in a serious but stable condition after being freed from the wreckage and taken to The Alfred Hospital with lower body injuries, Victorian Ambulance services said.

He was trapped inside the train for more than an hour after it collided with a truck at Abbotts Road at Dandenong South in Melbourne's south at 11.40am (AEDT) on Saturday.

An ambulance spokesman said eight other injured people, believed to have been passengers on the train, had been taken to hospitals nearby.

Paramedics gave the driver fluids and oxygen as emergency services worked to free him.

"Our team were treating his injuries while he was in there," an ambulance spokesman told AAP.

The spokesman said passengers were being taken to Frankston and Dandenong hospitals with a number being treated at the scene.

Metro Trains said train services on the Pakenham line between Dandenong and Cranbourne will be suspended, with buses to replace trains.

The deceased man was suffering a heart attack when emergency services found him, police said in a statement.

Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are at the scene, where carriages lie on their side across the tracks after the train jackknifed on hitting the truck.

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Junior miners struggling in Qld: report

START-UP miners in Queensland are struggling with a cumbersome exploration permits system and falling commodity prices, a report says.

The market value of the state's smaller mineral explorers has fallen by 42 per cent in 2012, compared with an average 11 per cent decline for listed Australian companies, the Queensland Exploration Council report said.

Coal and mineral explorers were also finding it harder to gain exploration permits, while resources firms had a poor opinion of Queensland's exploration permits system.

Falling base metal and coal prices, and high funding costs, had hindered the ability of mining projects to progress from the exploration to production stage.

Responding to the report, Queensland Mines Minister Andrew Cripps said the government was committed to simplifying the approvals process for mining exploration.

"Already two bills that seek to reduce the regulatory burden on resource companies and shorten approvals processes from exploration through to full-scale production, have passed state parliament," he said in a statement, adding they had industry support.

Mr Cripps was present at the Queensland Exploration Breakfast in Brisbane on Friday as Australian Securities Exchange chief executive Elmer Funke Kupper called on the federal government to introduce a Canadian-style exploration tax credits scheme for start-up resources firms.

"A similar scheme in Canada has been extremely successful," he said.

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Elephant in S Korea imitates human speech

SCIENTISTS say an elephant in a South Korean zoo is using his trunk to imitate human speech.

An international team of researchers says Koshik can reproduce five Korean words by tucking his trunk inside his mouth and modulating the sound coming from his throat. The discovery was reported online on Friday on the website Current Biology.

Koshik can say "annyeong" (hello), "anja" (sit down), "aniya" (no), "nuwo" (lie down) and "joa" (good).

Researchers believe the Asian elephant learned to speak out of a desire to bond with his trainers after he was separated from two other elephants.

In 1983, zoo officials in Kazakhstan claimed their elephant could reproduce Russian words. But there was no scientific study.

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Newman knew of LNP's donation worries

QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman knew weeks ago that the Liberal National Party was worried about a political donation to his transport chief.

But Mr Newman kept silent about his party's concerns, even as his government forced Michael Caltabiano to step aside amid claims he misled parliament on another issue.

The LNP has referred to police concerns about past political donations to Mr Caltabiano and federal Liberal Party vice president and lobbyist Santo Santoro.

On Friday, the premier said he learned of his party's concerns some time ago, before Mr Caltabiano was forced to step aside over a separate matter.

"I have been made aware of their (the LNP's) sort of concerns a couple of weeks ago and they've taken it to police," he told reporters.

Mr Caltabiano stood aside last week from his job as the director-general of transport and main roads.

The Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) is investigating possible official misconduct relating to the appointment of Arts Minister Ros Bates's son Ben Gommers as a liaison officer in Mr Caltabiano's department.

Meanwhile, parliament's ethics committee is considering if Mr Caltabiano misled a budget estimates hearing about whether he had a previous professional relationship with Mr Gommers.

Mr Newman said he didn't know if Mr Caltabiano had offered to resign.

"I simply don't know," he said.

"I in no way want to be accused of contaminating any investigation so I have not, at any time, had a conversation with him."

It's been alleged private investment company Brescia Investments financed a long-running slush fund for selected candidates and MPs within the Liberal Party and later within the LNP.

The Australian newspaper has cited documents showing the company declared to the Queensland Electoral Commission that Mr Caltabiano received a $20,400 donation in 2009 - purportedly to cover the cost of a campaign billboard.

At the time, Mr Caltabiano was not a party official or candidate, although his wife Andrea was running for the eastern Brisbane state seat of Chatsworth.

LNP officials have reportedly told police they were unaware of the donation and that it should have been directed through party headquarters.

The premier said he had no regrets about hiring Mr Caltabiano - a former Liberal Party president - for the transport job.

He said he'd done a good job sorting out the department.

"But I am concerned about these issues raised. That's why they're being investigated," he said.

"If there is a police investigation, a CMC investigation and an ethics inquiry, guess what? Someone's going to work out what's gone on here and I think we should wait and see."

Mr Newman was asked on Friday if he'd ever received donations from Brescia Investments.

He said if that had happened, he assumed they would have been declared.

Brescia is a private investment vehicle for developer Silvio Pradella, a generous donor to the Liberals, and to a lesser extent Labor.

Mr Pradella was appointed to the Brisbane City Council Urban Futures Brisbane board when Mr Newman was mayor.

But the premier said he was not concerned about the fact that donations from Mr Pradella's company had been referred to police.

He said CMC investigations during the election campaign had cleared him of any wrongdoing.

"Don't you think by now that anything like this is more of the same?"

Queensland police have confirmed they've received a complaint regarding the allegations against Mr Caltabiano and Mr Santoro, and the matter is being considered.

AAP has sought comment from both men.

Mr Santoro has told The Australian he took a "loan" from Brescia and the money had since been repaid.

"There was nothing political about that loan, it was a commercial transaction which was declared at the time," he said.

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New China stealth fighter in test flight

CHINA'S second stealth fighter has made a first test flight, state media reports.

The J-31, the second stealth plane to be unveiled by China in less than two years, flew for 11 minutes on Wednesday morning, the state-run Global Times cited an eyewitness as saying.

Photos posted on online by Chinese military enthusiasts appeared to show the black-painted combat plane in mid-flight. The first photos of the aircraft were leaked online last month.

China unveiled its first stealth-fighter, the J-20, in early 2011. Its first aircraft carrier entered service in October and others capable of carrying aircraft like the J-31 are expected to follow.

"The J-31 is almost certainly designed with the intention of operating on aircraft carriers," the Global Times cited a Chinese military expert as saying.

China said its defence spending will top $US100 billion ($A97 billion) in 2012, the latest in a series of budget increases to the country's 2.3 million strong military.

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Green groups slam govt reef strategy

GREEN groups have slammed the Queensland government's draft strategy for development near the Great Barrier Reef, saying it flouts United Nations guidelines.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney tabled the draft 10-year Great Barrier Reef Ports Strategy in parliament on Wednesday.

It proposes to have fewer, but larger ports.

Expansion will be allowed at five sites in or adjoining the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, while significant development at other sites is to be restricted.

Mr Seeney says the draft plan balances environmental protection with economic prosperity, but green groups say it flies in the face of recommendations by the UN's environmental arm.

The Australian Greens say two of the areas earmarked for development - Port Alma and the north of Curtis Island - were supposed to be protected.

"The selective reading of the UNESCO's recommendations for the survival of the Great Barrier Reef is a disgrace," Greens Senator Larissa Waters said in a statement.

"...(It) invites UNESCO to follow through on their warning that the reef will be listed as 'World Heritage In Danger'."

The Australian Marine Conservation Society said the government's strategy would pave the way for "massive, unprecedented and extraordinary industrialisation" along the Queensland coast.

AMCS director Darren Kindleysides said the Newman government was thumbing its nose at UNESCO.

"The state government must rethink its development at all costs approach, or risk wrecking the future of the Great Barrier Reef and the six billion dollar tourism industry it supports," he said in a statement.

WWF Australia said the plan puts the government on a collision course with UNESCO.

Spokesman Richard Leck said it paves the way for a Gladstone-to-Rockhampton "mega-port".

"The last thing Queenslanders want to see for the Great Barrier Reef is the type of massive, unfettered development that occurred in Gladstone Harbour being repeated along the coast," he said in a statement.

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Rayney acquitted of murdering his wife

PROMINENT Perth barrister Lloyd Rayney has been found not guilty of killing his estranged wife, Corryn, following one of the most high-profile murder trials in Western Australia's history.

The prosecution had alleged Mr Rayney murdered the former Supreme Court registrar at their suburban home after her weekly dance class on August 7, 2007 before burying her head-first in a grave at Kings Park.

However, Justice Brian Martin dismissed the allegation on Thursday in the WA Supreme Court judge-alone trial, ending Mr Rayney's five-year ordeal to prove his innocence.

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Elderly man pleads guilty to mercy murder

AN 81-year-old man has pleaded guilty to the murder of his de facto wife, whom he has admitted killing as part of a failed "mercy" suicide pact.

Herbert Erickson was charged with the murder of Julie Betty Kuhn, 73, in January this year after her body was found at the home the couple shared in the Perth suburb of Joondanna.

Erickson is alleged to have smothered Ms Kuhn, before killing his two dogs and attempting to electrocute himself as part of the couple's suicide pact.

The pensioner suffered severe burns to his hands and lost both index fingers, but survived - and was then charged with aggravated grievous bodily harm, which was later upgraded to murder.

He had been Ms Kuhn's carer for many years after she suffered a stroke.

She also suffered from chronic arthritis, a severe form of paralysis, and was confined to a wheelchair.

In Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Erickson pleaded guilty to murder.

He will be sentenced on January 18 next year.

"I don't want to go to jail, I want to be with my partner, but I am here - worse luck," Erickson said outside court.

His lawyer David Manera said he would argue against a life jail term because of his "genuine love" for his partner.

"We will be doing our best to get the most lenient and fair outcome for Mr Erickson," Mr Manera said.

"He is trying to get on with life without his life partner. He deeply loved and genuinely loved his partner.

"He devoted himself to caring for her and he misses her deeply."

Mr Manera said a psychiatric report on Erickson's state of mind had already been prepared, and a pre-sentence report would be compiled.

Erickson's bail, which was granted earlier this year on the grounds of his age and ill health, was continued.

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US executes man for murder of girl

A HAS US man has been executed for the 1990 rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl who disappeared after leaving her home to buy sugar for lemonade.

Sixty-year-old Donald Moeller received a lethal injection on Tuesday night in Sioux Falls, marking South Dakota's second execution this month.

Moeller kidnapped Becky O'Connell from a Sioux Falls convenience store in May 1990, then raped and stabbed her. Her naked body was found the next day near the Big Sioux River.

Becky's mother, Tina Curl, has been steadfast in her wish to watch Moeller die. She raised money so she could travel from her New York home to watch the execution.

Curl says Moeller watched her daughter take her last breath, and she wanted to watch him take his.

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Melbourne man dies in Syria 'crossfire'

AN Australian kickboxer believed to have been killed by crossfire in Syria had not joined rebel fighters in the ongoing conflict, the Islamic Society of Victoria says.

Roger Abbas, 23, of Melbourne's northern suburb of Meadow Heights, had shown no interest in taking up arms before he left Australia, said society vice president Baha Yehia, and he wasn't in Syria long enough anyway to be trained by the rebels before his death.

"He ended up overseas after hearing it was possible to do some aid work," said Mr Yehia, who knew Mr Abbas and his family through the Preston mosque.

"The situation is very desperate there. People have had to flee their homes and he wanted to go there and help out."

Mr Abbas had been at aid camps near the Turkish and Syrian border for about a month and is believed to have been shot and killed earlier this week.

"He got caught in the crossfire. It's a very hostile area," Mr Yehia said.

Mr Abbas's family is paying tribute to him as a hero who died as a humanitarian helping others.

A Facebook site in his memory has been shut down amid speculation that he had actually been fighting with Syrian rebels - suggestions his family denies.

"I would appreciate it if you guys can stop making rumours about my baby brother. Just to set the story straight, he was in Syria on refugee camps doing aid work where he got caught in crossfire," Mehedin Abbas said in a post.

"He got shot and taken to hospital where he died."

The kickboxer's cousin wrote on Facebook: "Roger Abbas passed away aiding the people that needed it ... my cousin is a hero in my eyes and all my family and friends eyes."

Mr Yehia said he realised it was hard to portray a kickboxer as a soft and caring person, "but that's what he was like".

"He was a very humble person."

It's not clear where in Syria Mr Abbas died.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is trying to verify what the family has been told, but is unable to confirm any reports at this time, including the Australian's death.

"We do not have a diplomatic mission or permanent diplomatic presence in Syria," a spokesman said.

The latest travel advice for Australians in Syria warns of civil unrest and threats of attacks on airports in Damascus and Aleppo.

"We continue to advise Australians not to travel to Syria at this time because of the extremely dangerous security situation, highlighted by ongoing military operations, protests and terrorist attacks," the latest DFAT travel warning said.

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Aussies cosy in NY bars as Sandy looms

THE wind from the outer reaches of Hurricane Sandy gusted ominously, public transport shut down and the warnings were grim, but AFL and rugby replays were keeping the clientele happily camped at several Australian bars in New York City.

With authorities expecting the merging of the hurricane and another two storm fronts to create one of the biggest weather events in memory - dubbed a "Frankenstorm" - thousands of New Yorkers were expected to evacuate low lying areas, heeding Mayor Michael Bloomberg's warnings to prepare for the worst.

However, hours after a deluge was expected to envelop the Big Apple, barely a drop had fallen except in the lively bars around Manhattan where locals gathered to watch the New York Giants pip the Dallas Cowboys and tourists hunkered down close to their hotels, which could be without power in the next 12 hours.

"We've got a decent crowd," said manager Josh Lambie at The Australian bar on West 38th Street.

"We'll probably stay open until midnight then try and open again normally in coming days, if possible.

"We'll just keep playing footy replays and keep it going for anyone who wants to drop by. It's mostly tourists who don't want to be stuck in their hotel rooms, I think."

The Australian, owned by former Manly rugby league player Matt Astill, is located in a relatively safe part of midtown Manhattan.

The Sunburnt Cow, an Aussie bar and eatery on the lower east side is in the mandatory evacuation zone and shut up shop for the night and possibly the next few days.

The Cow's sister establishment, The Sunburnt Calf on the upper west side, however, was serving drinks until midnight or "four o'clock if the locals want it," said one of the owners, Tim Harris.

"We've got about 20 in here and it's kind of low key," he said.

"I had to let the kitchen staff go early because public transport shut down, but I'll hang around as long as I can.

"If I can get in tomorrow, I'll get my wife to serve drinks and I might get in the kitchen and turn out fish and chips."

The storm was expected to engulf New York on Monday morning and last into Tuesday, with meteorologists forecasting sustained winds of 75 km/h and regular gusts of over 100.

Up to 13cm of rain was expected to fall, but the big threat was a tidal surge which could be between 2.5 and four metres.

Mayor Bloomberg feared a high tide on Monday morning would make a bad situation catastrophic and ordered residents to leave low lying parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, designated Zone A.

Police vehicles prowled the streets under the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges and officers issued orders over public address systems for residents to leave on Sunday afternoon.

But early indications were that many residents would attempt to ride it out, with only a few hundred people reportedly heading to 76 evacuation centres, able to accommodate tens of thousands.

More than 45,000 people live in housing authority apartments, run by the city, in Zone A.

Electricity and running water were cut in the buildings in advance of the storm, yet the majority of tenants seemed to stay put.

Many luxury apartments in lower Manhattan and the financial district were also expected to cut power and the streets around Wall Street were bustling with residents competing for fewer than the normal number of cabs.

New Zealand themed bar Nelson Blue remained open on Sunday night despite being in the evacuation area only 100 metres from the banks of the East River under the Brooklyn Bridge.

"We're ready. We'll see what happens," said Paul Morgan, an owner of the Seaport neighbourhood bar and eatery which has been heavily sandbagged and smothered with thick protective tarpaulin.

"It's quiet now, down here, but we've got a few in.

"We'll assess the situation tomorrow, and if we can, we'll open."

Tourists and visitors who failed to get out before New York commenced lockdown were left to contemplate the possibility of spending up to three days stranded in the city, with airlines cancelling hundreds of flights and the prospects for Monday departures remote.

"I called my sister in Australia, she's an executive travel agent. You have to try everything at this stage," said insurance executive Andrea Sutter after spending hours unsuccessfully trying to find a way to her Zurich base.

"I have to get back, but it's not looking good."

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Foreign students to get transport discount

INTERNATIONAL students will get a 35 per cent discount on NSW public transport after a report said they were at risk of being attacked and mugged.

A report also highlighted allegations of abuse at some student accommodation in NSW, including instances of negligence and underfeeding.

Acting NSW Premier Andrew Stoner announced the travel discount - equivalent to about $811 a year - on Monday as part of the state government's response to the International Education and Research Taskforce report.

The government commissioned the report last year to assess ways of boosting the state's multi-million dollar higher education export industry, which slumped during the global financial crisis.

The report, authored by a panel of higher education experts, made 21 recommendations including the transport concessions.

It said the expensive cost of accommodation often forces students to live far away from colleges or universities.

As a result, some students save cash by walking home at night - putting themselves at risk of theft or assault.

The report also highlighted serious welfare issues for overseas students staying with Australian families.

"Within the homestay sector there have been troubling reports of negligence and abuse," it said.

"For example, there have been instances of under 18-year-olds being underfed."

Mr Stoner said the travel discounts would be equivalent to those already received by Australian students and bring NSW into line with other states.

He said the government would respond to the action plan's other recommendations, which include greater regulation of student accommodation, later this year.

"Safety is the number one concern for parents ... and it's important we address the total package for life as an international student here in NSW," Mr Stoner added.

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NZ dollar holds above 82 US cents

THE New Zealand dollar held above 82 US cents as the nation's relatively high yields and economic growth stronger than in Europe or the US helps underpin demand for the currency.

The kiwi recently traded at 82.16 US cents from 82.21 cents on Friday in the US. The trade-weighted index was at 73.33 from 73.39.

The dollar may rise this week on the relative appeal of parking funds in the local currency, according to a BusinessDesk surve.

New Zealand 10-year bonds are yielding 3.56 per cent, or 182 basis points more than comparable US Treasuries and new Reserve Bank governor Graeme Wheeler last week appeared to rule out any easing in interest rates or intervention in the currency market.

The New Zealand and the Australian dollars "are a bit better supported by their better fundamentals and high yields", said Peter Cavanaugh of Bancorp Treasury Services.

"It is looking increasingly like New Zealand has a less dire story to tell than the rest of the world."

Also helping stoke demand for the kiwi this week is the settlement on October 31 of the Debt Management Office's sale of $2.5 billion of 2025 inflation indexed bonds with a coupon of 2 per cent and a real yield of 1.96 per cent.

That means offshore buyers, who may have scooped up $1.5 billion of the debt, would need to buy kiwi dollars to pay for it.

Traders are also looking ahead to the Bank of Japan decision tomorrow, which may ease monetary policy via a 10 trillion yen top-up to its asset purchase programme, according to Bank of New Zealand.

The kiwi traded at 51.06 British pence from 51.11 pence on Friday in New York and bought 79.24 Australian cents from 79.27 cents. It traded at 63.51 euro cents from 63.54 cents.

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Govt aims to boost Asian trade links

AUSTRALIA'S trade with Asia will rise significantly under the federal government's new Asian century policy blueprint.

The government's long-awaited white paper sets the goal of increasing the value of Australia's trade with Asia to one third of national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025, up from about one quarter currently.

Trade Minister Craig Emerson says the government will also position Australia as a "connecting rod" between Asia and Latin America as part of its long-term goal of securing an Asia-Pacific free trade deal.

Dr Emerson says Australia has been in talks with Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile about the possibility of a trade deal with these countries that could extend to others in the Asian region.

"These nations are like-minded with Australia as open traders and are interested in Australia connecting them to dynamic Asian economies through our familiarity with countries of the region," he said.

The white paper says Australia should aim to make its economy more open and integrated to ensure the easier flow of goods, services, capital, ideas and people.

The government says it will continue to push for tariff reductions and improved access for Australian investment across the region.

It will continue to advocate in favour of further market-based reforms in Asia and work towards the establishment of direct trading between the Australian dollar and the Chinese renminbi in mainland China.

Dr Emerson also announced a $6 million grants scheme - called the Asian Century Business Engagement Plan - to boost business links in Asia.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has appointed Dr Emerson to assist her in delivering the white paper's objectives.

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Greenwich 'passionate' about many issues

NEWLY elected independent MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich has denied coalition claims he is a single-issue politician after his landslide by-election victory.

More than 48 per cent of voters chose Mr Greenwich in Saturday's poll, with the Clover Moore-backed candidate finishing with a two-party preferred vote of just under 65 per cent.

The result was a stinging defeat for the O'Farrell government and its candidate Shayne Mallard.

Mr Greenwich, who campaigned strongly in favour of same-sex marriage, on Sunday shrugged off coalition claims he was singularly concerned with pushing a marriage equality agenda.

"(The coalition) ran a campaign calling me a single-issue candidate. They've even attacked my age, saying I'm too young," Mr Greenwich, 31, told reporters in Sydney.

"I feel passionately about a number of issues, including animal welfare, strata reform, better transport alternatives.

"Yes, I am very proud of my record about progressing the marriage equality debate, and that's something that is supported across this electorate as well."

Mr Greenwich, who is openly gay, married his male partner in Argentina in May this year.

Until recently he was also the convener of Australian Marriage Equality (AME), a group that advocates same-sex marriage.

The result showed voters had punished the NSW government for forcing Sydney Lord Mayor Moore out of parliament with laws that prevented NSW MPs also sitting on councils, he said.

"I was encouraged throughout the entire campaign about the amount of support there was out there to keep Sydney independent and the amount of outrage there was out there that our sitting member had been removed," said Mr Greenwich, who runs a recruitment business in Sydney.

NSW Labor did not put up a candidate in the by-election, but shadow special minister of state Walt Secord said the result was a "referendum on Barry O'Farrell's leadership".

"The people of Sydney democratically elected Clover Moore and Barry O'Farrell got rid of her," Mr Secord said on Sunday.

"Whether you like Clover Moore or not, she was democratically elected."

Greens MP John Kaye said he was pleased with the performance of his party's candidate, Chris Harris.

The Greens won 18 per cent of the primary vote on Saturday, representing a five per cent swing towards it.

"Yesterday saw a good result for the Greens," he said.

"It was an outcome that said a lot about the O'Farrell government on the skids.

"The people of Sydney were very cranky about the way Clover Moore was pushed out of that seat."

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Asia strategy needs joint effort: business

BUSINESS is calling for bipartisanship over the broad direction of the federal government's Asian century white paper, as Australia sets course to ramp up its engagement with Asia.

The Business Council of Australia (BCA) and Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) said the challenge will be to implement the policies to fulfil the goals for 2025 of the white paper given the long time frame.

"There will be debate about the specific policy solutions to the challenges outlined in the white paper, but what is needed is bipartisanship on the broad direction," BCA head Jennifer Westacott said in a statement.

"Clearly the government must take the lead in adhering to and delivering on many of the policy commitments, but equally the business community plays a significant and critical leadership role."

ACCI chief Peter Anderson said governments, the federal opposition and the finance sector needed to follow through on goals to improve competitiveness, trade finance, Asian language and cultural learning.

"It sets the right ambition and points to more than enough economic, trade and social pathways for regional prosperity to keep both government and opposition away from the gender wars or partisan politics from now until the next election if they have enough will and discipline," he said.

But Mr Anderson said while the paper stated the "bleeding obvious", the federal government's response was a surprise packet of practical first measures.

"The exceptions are a failure to have saved the money to now afford what needs to be done, and lack of willingness to turn away from domestic policy errors that have eaten away at industry competitiveness like labour market re-regulation and the carbon tax," he said.

Accounting body CPA Australia was disappointed there was no provision in the white paper for a dedicated cabinet minister for the Asian century.

"Such a minister would enable more effective coordination at a policy and budgetary level and in doing so, ease the path to implementation," chief executive Alex Malley said.

Global law firm Baker & McKenzie said all Australian companies looking to grow their business - particularly in services such education, law, accounting and finance - need an Asian strategy.

"Building relationships at all levels is critical, from school children to business leaders and government," Australia managing partner Chris Freeland said in a statement.

"A better understanding of Asian cultures and languages, and building professional exchanges, is vital to better do business across this diverse region."

Meanwhile, National Farmers' Federation President Jock Laurie welcomed the paper's recognition of the opportunities for the agriculture sector in Asia.

"And it has recognised that to capitalise on this, greater investment is needed to boost output and research, adapt to regulatory change and build capacity," he said.

Educators also liked the skills and training thrust of the paper, saying Australian government must overhaul education funding and foreign student visa provisions.

Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop said there was nothing groundbreaking about the paper.

"I think it's a disappointing effort," she told Sky News.

Ms Bishop said the paper did contain some laudable goals.

"What's missing is the funding to back it up, or any detailed steps on how they would achieve some of the strategic visions," she said.

"There's nothing profound here, there's no insight beyond what governments are already doing."

Ms Bishop also commented on the paper's political nature.

"It's main theme seems to be that to prepare for the Asian century, we need to embrace Labor's current policies.

"I fear it's been re-written by a posse of Labor spin doctors."

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