Sierra Leone vote in test of recovery

SIERRA Leoneans vote on Saturday in the country's third election since the end of a brutal civil war, a high-stakes poll which will hand the victorious party stewardship of a lucrative mining boom.

The presidential, parliamentary and local elections are being closely watched by the international community which has helped the west African nation rebuild after a devastating 11-year conflict ended a decade ago.

While still one of the world's poorest nations, Sierra Leone is rich in mineral resources and massive iron-ore stores are expected to add 21 per cent growth in 2012 to its $US2.2 billion ($A2.14 billion) gross domestic product, the International Monetary Fund estimates.

This raises the stakes for the next five year presidential term which is seen as a two-horse race between incumbent Ernest Koroma (APC) and ex-military leader Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP).

Eight political parties are contesting the presidential vote and ten are taking part in parliamentary elections.

The election will be the first to be conducted entirely by the Sierra Leone government, and also marks the first time presidential, parliamentary and local elections are held together.

In the capital Freetown, a hodge-podge of new construction, newly paved roads and slums recently ravaged by a cholera outbreak, the stakes are equally high for citizens for whom life is still a daily struggle.

President Koroma, 59, of the All People's Congress (APC) has been praised for the infrastructure boom, although his detractors say it has been marred by rampant corruption. He hopes to use the impending windfall from mineral resources to finish his government's projects.

Despite a somewhat murky past as a putschist who briefly held power in 1996, Bio has amassed significant support amongst those who feel Koroma's development has not improved grinding poverty and sky-high unemployment levels.

Bio, 48, sells himself as the father of Sierra Leone's democracy for a peaceful transfer to democracy under his rule and has promised free education and gender equity.

His reputation is tarnished by the killing of 29 alleged coup plotters in 1992 by the then-junta of which he was a part.

While Koroma is seen as the favourite, Bio has garnered significant support and the vote is expected to go to a run-off.

Both parties have tried to cut across a traditionally factionalised political system in which voting tendencies are according to regional and ethnic lines.

Bio's SLPP is typically supported by the Mende - one of the country's main tribes -- and other southern tribes. Koroma's APC is favoured by his Temne tribe and others in the north and west.

It has been a decade since the end of the war which left the world with images of child soldiers and rebels funded by the sale of "blood diamonds" hacking off the limbs of their victims.

Starting from scratch, its infrastructure devastated in the conflict, Sierra Leone has come a long way in the past decade.

Koroma, 59, came to power in 2007. While that election was marked by several incidents of violence, they were followed by a peaceful transfer of power between the ousted Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) and the APC.

The country's 2.6 million voters were registered for the first time on a biometric system to prevent multiple voting and avoid electoral fraud.

According to the National Electoral Commission, 55 per cent of the vote is needed to avoid a run-off, second round vote. Final results are expected by November 26 and a potential second round of voting is planned for December 8.

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'Do Not Track' privacy at crossroads

A MOVEMENT by privacy activists to curb tracking of internet users' browsing habits scored a major victory last month when Microsoft launched its new browser with "do not track" as the default, or automatic setting.

But some advertisers are in revolt against the move, certain websites are skirting the Microsoft effort and the debate over online privacy and tracking is heating up.

The controversy stems from practices used by websites and marketing partners to track browsing activity to be able to deliver ads targeted to individuals.

The ad industry argues that tracking is done anonymously without violating privacy, but some say it is easy to connect the person's anonymous IP address or mobile device to a real person.

"It is trivial to make those connections," says Jim Brock, a former Yahoo! executive who now heads a venture called PrivacyFix which offers browser plug-ins for privacy and other services to consumers and businesses.

Websites and mobile device use a variety of software to determine a user's browsing habits. Marketers can then use that data for "behavioural ads" designed with people's habits in mind.

In some cases, these electronic tags can predict if a consumer is price-sensitive, allowing sellers to charge more or less for a product or service.

Privacy activists say a simple web search can make consumers a target for marketers, and that viewing certain websites may identify them as homosexuals, AIDS patients or suffering from another disease.

"That is one of the scariest things, and it shakes people's faith in the marketing industry," Brock said. "There is very little protection for targeting based on health conditions. This is information that can get in the hands of insurance companies and employers who might not use it in a way we would expect."

Most web browsers allow users to activate a "do not track" privacy feature, and Microsoft designed its internet Explorer 10 with the feature as the default setting.

"We believe consumers should have more control over how data about their online behaviour is tracked, shared, and used," Microsoft chief privacy officer Brendon Lynch said in announcing the move.

Advertisers see the issue differently, arguing that Microsoft should not make the decision for consumers.

The Digital Advertising Alliance, a consortium of the largest US media and marketing associations, told its members they can ignore or override the default settings in Microsoft or other browsers.

"The trade associations that lead the DAA do not believe that Microsoft's IE10 browser settings are an appropriate standard for providing consumer choice," said the alliance, which includes the Better Business Bureau.

"Machine-driven do not track does not represent user choice; it represents browser-manufacturer choice."

Yahoo! has also broken ranks with Microsoft, saying it "will not recognise" the "do not track" settings by default.

A Yahoo! blog post said Microsoft acted "unilaterally" and that "this degrades the experience for the majority of users and makes it hard to deliver on our value proposition to them."

Representatives Edward Markey and Joe Barton, who head the House privacy caucus, expressed disappointment over the actions by advertisers and Yahoo!, saying they highlight the need for better privacy laws.

"If consumers want to be tracked online, they should have to opt-in, not the other way around," the two lawmakers said in a statement.

Some analysts argue that wiping out all online tracking would undermine the economic model of the internet.

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a Washington think tank, recently modified its website to warn visitors with "do not track" enabled with a pop-up message which asks them to enable tracking.

ITIF analyst Daniel Castro said most consumers do not object to online tracking if they understand that ads support the websites they visit.

"You can't say you don't want targeted advertising but you do want free access to websites," Castro said.

"People like free content and they are willing to make some tradeoffs."

Richard Frankel, president of the ad technology firm Rocket Fuel, said that even though "everyone claims to hate online advertising" there would be very little content on the internet without it.

Frankel said that imposing tracking restrictions would cut revenues and thereby "would stifle investigative reporting, dissuade open discussion and commentary, and muffle free speech."

Brock acknowledges that revenue will be lost if without behavioural ads, but that the industry has failed to persuade consumers of their value.

"There will be less data to monetise," said Brock, who describes himself as "a former tracker."

"But what the industry has not done is to explain why we benefit from targeted advertising."

Brock argues that with industries unable to reach agreement on privacy standards, consumers may face confusion and it may be time for the government to step in with legislation.

"I believe in ad-supported media, but the industry is giving us no choice," he said. "They need a kick in the butt from the government."

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Light and sound used against Rome's birds

Sound-and-light attacks are being used in Rome to rid the city of starlings. Source: AAP

TIRED of bird droppings on the city's most famous monuments, local authorities in Rome are resorting to unusual measures to try and scare off a million starlings that migrate to the Eternal City every year.

Armed with loudspeakers and light projectors, workers dressed in white overalls and masks have been seen walking around at sunset along the tree-lined embankments of the Tiber River where starlings tend to congregate.

The loudspeakers blast out shrieks of alarm used by the starlings and the projectors are shone into the trees to scare off the birds.

"Their reaction is immediate," city hall said in a statement on Friday.

"The starlings abandon the area and get as far away as possible from the area, which they consider dangerous," it said, adding that the method "respects the environment and the birds and does not create a nuisance for residents".

The sound-and-light attacks last around an hour and are always carried out at dusk for three days in a row to ensure the desired effect.

Rome has the highest number of starlings in Italy - around a million are estimated to migrate there every autumn and winter.

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Drugs, body found in Australia-bound yacht

AUTHORITIES have found 200 kilograms of cocaine and a dead body in a yacht bound for Australia that ran aground in Tonga.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) says it received intelligence from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency in August that an organised crime syndicate had launched the vessel from Ecuador.

The drugs were concealed in the hull of the 13-metre yacht, named JeReVe.

The AFP says the drugs were ultimately bound for the Australian market with an estimated street value of $116 million.

The AFP joined with the Tongan and Cook Islands police forces to search for the vessel.

They found it run aground on the island of Luatatifo, in the northern Vava'u province of Tonga.

A badly decomposed body of a man was recovered and is now the subject of a Tongan coronial investigation to determine a cause of death.

Australian forensic experts are assisting Tongan authorities with this process.

The AFP's acting national manager for serious and organised crime, David Sharpe, called the operation an "outstanding" example of global and regional police co-operation.

"Had the vessel reached Australia, the street value of the narcotics seized is estimated to be up to $116 million," Commander Sharpe said.

"The public health impacts alone on such a large seizure illustrate the importance for a collaborative approach to disrupting transnational crime."

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Fed govt will support sacked Ford workers

THE Australian government will do everything it can to support sacked Ford workers, federal Treasurer Wayne Swan says.

Mr Swan told reporters in Melbourne his thoughts went out to workers affected by Ford's decision to axe 212 jobs at its two Victorian plants.

"The government will do everything it possibly can through our programs to assist those workers," he said.

The workers at the Broadmeadows and Geelong plants found out their fate on Friday, after the company received a $103 million assistance package, including $34 million from the federal government.

When asked if the package was a good investment, Mr Swan said the government had been working hard with the auto industry to secure its place in the global supply chain.

"That's what we're working on and that's what we'll continue to work on," he said.

"We will never give up supporting Australian workers and ensure we've got competitive Australian industry.

"We're proud of what we've done over a long period of time to support the auto industry in this country."

Mr Swan attacked remarks by opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey that Australian car makers are not producing vehicles consumers want.

"I heard some really derogatory comments from Mr Hockey today. I just say to Mr Hockey, 'have a bit of heart'.

"The fact is we do produce a good product in this country and it employs tens of thousands of Australian workers.

"I respect the hard work that they've put in and I believe that other people in the political system ought to do the same and not be out there talking down the industry."

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Dead body found on refugee boat

AUSTRALIAN authorities have discovered a dead man on board a suspected asylum seeker boat near Christmas Island.

HMAS Launceston intercepted the boat, with 62 people on board, northeast of the island on Thursday.

Just before boarding, officials received reports that thee was a person with a medical condition on the vessel, Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said in a statement.

"Upon boarding the vessel, the boarding party located a male passenger who appeared to be deceased and attempted to revive him without success," he said on Friday.

"The deceased passenger has been transferred to the custody of Australian Federal Police on Christmas Island."

Police on Christmas Island are investigating the cause of death.

The passengers run the risk of being transferred to offshore processing centres in Nauru or Papua New Guinea.

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Obama unveils second-term prototype

BARACK Obama has wheeled out a lean and punchy prototype for his second-term presidency, his purpose clarified by the voters who re-elected him a week ago.

In his first post-election news conference, Obama was a man in a hurry as he faces a year-end fiscal showdown with Republicans and anticipates the ebbing power that afflicts all second-term presidents.

During his first four years, Obama, although Washington's dominant player, often came across as an almost passive observer of his own presidency.

Not so on Wednesday, as he ditched his former professorial pose to hit the same point over and over again.

"I've got one mandate. I've got a mandate to help middle-class families and families that are working hard to try to get into the middle class," Obama said.

"That's what the American people said."

This was not the drained figure who trudged through the last year before putting in a listless convention speech and sleepwalking to disaster in his first debate against Republican foe Mitt Romney.

Since that debacle in Denver, Obama has pioneered a more concise style of argument, seeking to express focus and resolve.

With his job in peril, this no-nonsense Obama showed up when he directed the relief effort during superstorm Sandy.

He described the federal relief effort as "aggressive and strong and fast and robust, and a lot of people have been helped because of it".

"That's a pretty good metaphor for how I want the federal government to operate generally," Obama added.

The president, whom foes deride as arrogant, took pains to avoid hubris, despite being clearly energised by his election win.

"I'm more than familiar with all the literature about presidential overreach in second terms. We are very cautious about that," he said.

His message was simple and oft-repeated: Republicans must accept the verdict of voters and allow tax cuts for the rich, which were passed by George W Bush, to expire to permit deficit reductions that do not hammer the middle class.

Obama's demeanour suggested that unlike his first term, which began with massive expectations and an almost messianic zeal to forge "change", his second four years will be characterised by action on a few major issues.

If Obama is as punchy, passionate and nimble after another year waging war with Republicans in the gridlocked US capital, he will confound his critics.

The president signalled that after a hoped for deal with Republicans to avert the "fiscal cliff" he would proceed quickly to immigration reform.

"We need to seize the moment," he said.

In the past, Obama often raised expectations of action on sweeping and historic reforms - some of which passed, and some of which foundered, causing disappointment.

But the new Obama took care to lower expectations on one huge issue - global warming - following predictions he would take another shot at passing comprehensive legislation limiting carbon emissions.

He made it clear that if tackling climate change distracted from his central purpose he was not on board.

"If the message is somehow we're going to ignore jobs and growth simply to address climate change, I don't think anybody is going to go for that. I won't go for that," he said.

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Airports expansion has benefits: Albanese

TRANSPORT minister Anthony Albanese says those who oppose the expansion of Australia's airports fail to grasp the economic benefits air transportation brings to the Australian economy.

As the rising middle class of emerging Asian economies such as China, India and Indonesia brought a new wave of travellers, Mr Albanese said Australia risked losing out to other countries unless its airports had the capacity to cater for the forecast growth in air traffic over the next two decades.

"The two biggest drivers of economic activity - and studies have shown this as well in terms of spin-off - are an airport or a university," Mr Albanese told reporters during a media briefing in Dubai on Wednesday (Dubai time).

"They bring high-skill, high-value jobs.

"In terms of the region where we are located, the opportunity for us is enormous."

A recent report from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) showed the number of passengers passing through Australia's airports was expected to double by 2030.

"Passenger numbers are forecast to increase by 3.7 per cent a year over the forecast period, from 135.1 million in 2010-11 to 279.2 million in 2030-31," BITRE said on November 13.

International traffic was forecast to grow 4.9 per cent per year over the next 20 years, with the number of domestic passengers expected to rise 3.3 per cent a year over the same time period.

The forecasts underscored the need for airports around the country to increase capacity, Mr Albanese said, given industry estimates that for every one million passengers, 1000 jobs were created.

"I think people don't quite comprehend there is an underestimation of, firstly, the extent to which aviation is a driver of economic activity," Mr Albanese said.

"Secondly, the extent to which this growth will occur regardless of anything else happening and thirdly the opportunity that's there particularly because of the region where Australia is situated."

Mr Albanese said he supported new runways at both Perth and Brisbane airports.

While in Dubai, Mr Albanese and Australian government officials toured the new Concourse A at Dubai International Airport - a purpose-built facility for Airbus A380 aircraft with 20 gates dedicated to the double-decker superjumbo - that was slated to open shortly.

The minister also held talks with officials from the United Arab Emirates, including minister for the economy Sultan Al Mansouri and Emirates Airline chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

The government has backed Qantas's proposed 10-year alliance with Emirates, which is currently being considered by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

However, Mr Albanese said there were no plans to amend the Qantas Sale Act, which restricts the level of foreign ownership in the Australian flag carrier.

"We think that Qantas needs to maintain itself as an Australian company," Mr Albanese said.

"We don't propose any change to the Qantas Sale Act nor are Qantas asking for any publicly or privately."

* The reporter travelled to Dubai courtesy of Qantas and Emirates.

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Mander replaces Flegg in Qld minister

Former NRL referee Tim Mander (pic) will replace Bruce Flegg as Queensland's housing minister. Source: AAP

FORMER National Rugby League referee Tim Mander says he isn't surprised by his elevation to the Queensland cabinet after only eight months in politics.

Premier Campbell Newman announced on Thursday Mr Mander would replace Bruce Flegg as the state's housing and public works minister.

Dr Flegg stood down voluntarily on Wednesday amid allegations he misled parliament over the amount of contact he had with his lobbyist son Jonathon, who works for communications and business advisory firm Rowland.

Mr Mander says he has aspired to a cabinet role since winning the Brisbane seat of Everton in March, although he expected the process to take longer.

"I've learned very quickly in my short time in politics that a day is a long time in politics, and I'm just delighted to be able to take up the challenge," the former referee and Scripture Union CEO told reporters.

The reshuffle also sees Mirani MP Ted Malone assume the newly created role of assistant minister for police and community safety.

Former police minister David Gibson was named to chair the Parliamentary Committee for State Development.

The Gympie MP was sacked as police and community safety minister weeks after the election over unpaid speeding fines.

But Mr Newman said the appointment did not necessary herald Mr Gibson's return back to cabinet.

"I can't leave his talents sitting there on the backbench any longer," he told reporters.

"David has paid the price for the things that have been canvassed before."

Mr Gibson said the new role was "an opportunity to serve".

"I've always been willing to serve in the parliament in whichever capacity has been extended to me at whatever the time," he said.

Mr Mander's former role as assistant minister for sport and racing will not be filled.

"We already have enough assistant ministers," Mr Newman said.

Water and Energy Minister Mark McArdle will take responsibility for housing and public works until Mr Mander is sworn in.

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China's Communist Party conclave closes

CHINA'S Communist Party has brought its pivotal conclave to a close in largely choreographed steps, a day before unveiling its leaders for the coming decade.

President Hu Jintao is expected to step down as party chief in favour of the anointed successor, Vice President Xi Jinping, in what would be only the second orderly transfer of power in 63 years of communist rule.

The new leaders of the world's second-largest economy will face slowing growth, rising unrest among increasingly assertive citizens and delicate relations with neighbouring countries.

The party's 2200-plus delegates filed into Beijing's Great Hall of the People on Wednesday morning to select members of the Central Committee, a panel of a few hundred people that approves leadership positions and sets broad policy goals, ahead of the scheduled close of the congress later on Wednesday.

But the next lineup in China's apex of power, the Politburo Standing Committee, will be announced only on Thursday.

Though congress and Central Committee delegates have some influence over leadership decisions, most of the lineup is decided among a core group of the most powerful party members and elders.

The congress votes are "fully democratic" but "there is a degree of inevitability", said party delegate Song Guofeng of Liaoning province as he entered the hall.

"We need to have continuity in leadership to carry on. They are already in the leadership core. The stability of the party and of the country is important."

The voting concluded in the late morning, and the state Xinhua News Agency said in a brief report that Xi and premier-in-waiting Li Keqiang had been voted onto the Central Committee - an expected result.

Hu and senior leaders mostly in their late 60s are handing over power to Xi, 59, and colleagues of his generation over the next several months.

Li, currently vice premier, was tapped five years ago to be the country's next premier, China's top economic official. But other top positions were up for grabs.

China's leadership transitions are always occasions for fractious backroom bargaining, but this one has been further complicated by scandals that have fed public cynicism that the leaders are more concerned with power and wealth than government.

In recent months, Bo Xilai, a senior politician seen as a rising star, was purged after his aide exposed that his wife murdered a British businessman.

An ally of Hu's was sidelined after his son died in the crash of a Ferrari he shouldn't have been able to afford. And foreign media recently reported that relatives of Xi and outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao had amassed vast wealth. The scandals have weakened Hu, on whose watch they occurred.

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Consumers win from Qantas deal: Emirates

QANTAS will be vindicated within three years for its massive jobs cuts, withdrawal from loss-making routes and deferred aircraft orders, the flying kangaroo's new partner Emirates says.

Emirates chief executive Tim Clark told reporters he supported the shake-up by Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, adding that if he was in the same position he would have done the same things.

Mr Clark backed Mr Joyce's approach, saying the struggling Australian carrier would emerge from this period of restructuring with the "basis for something solid".

"Alan knew he had to take out the big knife and make some surgical changes to the way the Qantas group was organised," Mr Clark said.

"If it was me in the same position, I wouldn't be able to do anything else.

"That's why, I think, probably I support what he is doing."

He said those critical of Mr Joyce's performance and agitating for management change - there has been constant speculation some former Qantas executives were looking to buy a stake in the airline - would be "eating their words" in three years time.

"Within three years, given the Qantas strategy, given its link to Emirates and us to them, things will be completely different for Qantas," Mr Clark said.

"As things start to pick up, I think share value will rise, investor interest will increase, respect for what the management are doing and will do will increase."

Shares in Qantas fell to a record low of 97 cents in May, although it has recovered since but the stock was down about 16 per cent so far in calendar 2012.

Qantas and Emirates announced in September plans to co-ordinate schedules, pricing and marketing on routes between Australia and Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and across the Tasman.

In addition, the two carriers would offer reciprocal frequent-flyer benefits and enter into an extensive codesharing arrangement.

The 10-year alliance was regarded as a key plank in Mr Joyce's bid to turn around the Flying Kangaroo's international operations, which reported a $450 million loss in 2011/12.

Mr Clark said Australians would be the big winners should the competition regulator give the green light to Emirates' alliance with Qantas and Virgin Australia's takeover of Skywest and Tiger Airways Australia.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman Rod Sims is reviewing both deals which, if approved, would return Australia to a previous era where flyers were served by two big airline groups.

Qantas, regional operator QantasLink, low-cost subsidiary Jetstar and Emirates would sit on one side, with Virgin Australia, its international alliance partners such as Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand, Tiger and Skywest on the other.

"The winner is the consumer," Mr Clark told reporters during a media briefing in Emirates head office in Dubai on Tuesday (Dubai time).

* The reporter travelled to Dubai courtesy of Emirates and Qantas.

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NSW police accept Curti recommendations

NSW police will adopt all of the recommendations that the coroner has handed down in relation to the death of Brazilian student Roberto Laudisio Curti.

State Coroner Mary Jerram handed down her findings on Wednesday and said some of the actions by officers, including the tasering of Mr Curti 14 times before his death, showed that excessive and at times "thuggish" force had been used in an attempt to subdue him.

She recommended five of the 11 officers involved in restraining Mr Curti in Sydney's CBD on March 18 be considered for disciplinary charges.

She also referred the actions of the officers to the Police Integrity Commission and recommended a review of taser use and training.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said the police accepted Ms Jerram's recommendations.

"We will immediately adopt all five of those recommendations handed down today by the coroner," Mr Scipione told reporters in Sydney.

Mr Scipione said Tasers would remain a vital option in a police officer's arsenal, despite the coroner recommending that a review be carried out into the force's procedures around their use.

"They're not toys," he said.

"These weapons save lives."

In her findings, Ms Jerram also challenged the evidence of a number of officers involved in the incident, and said some of the information was not credible.

Mr Scipione said that since the coroner had already referred the matter to the police watchdog, an internal police review of the incident would be unnecessary.

"That's why these matters have been referred to the Police Integrity Commission (by the coroner)," he said.

"They'll get to the bottom of that."

The police commissioner said he did not agree that Mr Curti should have been tasered 14 times.

"I'm not sure that is appropriate," he said.

Mr Scipione also said the officers involved were still on active duty, but those with frontline responsibilities had had their Taser accreditation revoked.

They would have the option to undergo Taser training and be re-accredited, he said.

The officers had not been stood down.

"We will assess their ongoing workplace arrangements," Mr Scipione said.

"Then we will make a decision."

He acknowledged that the coroner criticised the most senior officer present at Mr Curti's death, Inspector Greg Cooper, who held the rank of sergeant at the time.

Ms Jerram rejected Insp Cooper's evidence and said he had failed to display sensible leadership or objectivity during the incident.

"They're the coroner's views," Mr Scipione said.

"The coroner has rightly used strong language."

He also noted that the PIC would investigate the incident and it would be inappropriate to take any disciplinary action against Insp Cooper before those investigations had concluded.

"To pre-empt an outcome from them (PIC) may be problematic," he said.

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Labor has seen better days, says Iemma

Former NSW Premier Morris Iemma admitted Labor has seen "better days", during an ICAC hearing. Source: AAP

FORMER NSW Premier Morris Iemma has admitted Labor has seen "a lot better days", after giving evidence at a corruption inquiry.

Speaking to reporters outside the hearings in Sydney, Mr Iemma lamented the latest scandal to dog his party in which former MP and right factional powerbroker Eddie Obeid allegedly reaped millions on dodgy mining deals.

The quietly spoken former premier was careful not to comment specifically about corruption claims.

But asked if Labor had seen better days, he wryly noted, "A lot better days, yes."

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is investigating former resources minister Ian Macdonald's decision to open up the Bylong Valley, in central NSW, to coal mining.

The decision, and Mr Macdonald's rigging of the tender process, profited Mr Obeid and his family to the tune of $100 million, ICAC has heard.

Mr Iemma told the hearing it was "unusual" Mr Macdonald had limited the tender process to smaller miners, and had not advertised the tender but only invited certain companies to participate.

The decision, relating to coal resources worth hundreds of millions of dollars, should also have been raised with cabinet, something Mr Macdonald failed to do, he said.

"If a minister made a decision which could cost the people of NSW tens of millions of dollars, which had the effect of prohibiting the participation by the giants BHP, Xstrata and the like, which closed off open advertising of the process altogether, and did that without referring it to cabinet ... to the budget committee (or) the caucus, would you think that was unusual?" asked counsel assisting the inquiry Geoffrey Watson SC.

"Yes," Mr Iemma replied.

"That's ... something in the sense of the dollars involved that a budget committee at a minimum ought to be made aware of."

Neither Mr Macdonald nor Mr Obeid, who owned a farm in the Bylong Valley, had declared that conflict of interest, Mr Iemma also said.

Mr Obeid made $13 million from the sale of Cherrydale Park alone, and for $60 million offloaded his hidden interest in the company which eventually won the exploration licence for the area.

Another former premier, Nathan Rees, who succeeded Mr Iemma, told the inquiry he would have been "concerned" if he had known Mr Macdonald had limited the tender for some mining exploration licences.

He said he could not recall Mr Macdonald drawing the attention of cabinet or its budget committee to decisions to limit tendering on mining exploration licences.

If he had been aware of Mr Macdonald's actions, Mr Rees said, there would have been a spirited discussion about whether it was going to deliver the best result for the people of NSW.

Speaking to reporters outside ICAC, Mr Rees said he was shocked by the corruption allegations.

"I was staggered by the magnitude of what was revealed yesterday," he said.

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Business conditions at three-year low

BUSINESS conditions have slumped to their lowest levels in three years - and things could get worse in the months ahead.

However the gloomy outlook does not guarantee a pre-Christmas interest rate cut from the central bank in December, a survey says.

The National Australia Bank (NAB) monthly business survey, released on Tuesday, showed business conditions in October fell two points to minus five on the index.

Business confidence also dropped on point to minus one in October.

NAB said the decline in conditions reflected weaker conditions in the mining, manufacturing, wholesale and construction sectors.

On a state-by-state basis, confidence levels deteriorated across the country while Queensland and NSW recorded the worst business conditions.

And NAB doesn't see a change in the near future.

"Consistent with the subdued level of business conditions in October, forward indicators of demand (especially forward orders) and employment remained well below average levels, pointing to little improvement in near-term activity," NAB said.

Forward orders rose marginally, to minus five in October from minus seven the previous month.

NAB said the drop in business confidence was mainly prompted by global concerns, including a belief that US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank economic stimulus measures had not solved those economies' wider problems.

It added that the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) decision in October to cut the cash rate a quarter of a percentage point to 3.25 per cent may have highlighted underlying concerns about the domestic economy.

However, NAB does not expect the RBA to cut rates again until February - and then only by a quarter of a percentage point to help mitigate weakness in near-term demand.

But JP Morgan economist Ben Jarman said the central bank could still cut in December, given the implications of weak business conditions on the wider economy.

"With the mining capex boom winding down over the next year or so, the remainder of the (considerably more numerous) firms operating in the non-mining economy need to wake from their slumber," he said.

NAB also released its forecasts for global and Australian growth on Tuesday, saying it expected activity to remain sluggish overall, with Australia's economy weakened by a high exchange rate and the slowing mining boom.

Its forecasts for Australian gross domestic product was unchanged at 2.3 per cent for 2012/13, below Treasury and RBA's expectations of three per cent.

Global growth would be 3.1 per cent for 2012, and 3.3 per cent for 2013.

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Newman wants to break up LNP, says member

QUEENSLAND Premier Campbell Newman wants to break up the Liberal National Party (LNP) and establish a competing alternative political party, a complaint to the party's state executive says.

Party member Blair Brewster wrote to LNP state director Brad Henderson on November 12, making six allegations that Mr Newman breached the LNP's constitution and should be disciplined.

Mr Brewster, who is chief executive of Clive Palmer's company Gladstone Pacific Nickel, alleges Mr Newman recently approached former federal Nationals president David Russell and former Northern Territory chief minister Shane Stone about forming an alternative political party to affiliate with the federal Liberal Party at the expense of the LNP.

"Apparently it is Mr Newman's intention that such a party should be formed with a base of the LNP parliamentary members," Mr Brewster says in the letter obtained by AAP.

Mr Brewster also alleged that Mr Newman had attempted to remove LNP president Bruce McIver and had approached Mr Stone to ask him to consider standing against Mr McIver.

Mr Brewster says Mr Newman has given directions to LNP members in the government not to attend or take part in LNP policy committees.

And he says Mr Newman gave them directions to raise their own money so as not to rely on the LNP.

"Mr Newman clearly wishes to remove all possible influence of the LNP over those candidates that it has worked tirelessly to nominate, fund, and get elected as members of the current state government," Mr Brewster said.

Mr Brewster was also critical of Mr Newman for making unacceptable comments and being antagonistic and aggressive towards Mr Palmer.

He said Mr Newman had threatened the very existence of the LNP and his behaviour required "the strictest possible disciplinary action".

"Mr Newman is not, as he seems to think, free to use the party to win office and then to trample over the party and its members," Mr Brewster said.

Billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer has also said Mr Newman wants Mr Stone to be the party's president.

Mr Palmer told reporters some LNP members were upset with the premier.

"I think that there was an application lodged yesterday at the LNP headquarters against the premier for certain activities he's been undertaking," he said.

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Falling aluminium prices hit Rusal

RUSSIAN aluminium giant Rusal has posted a third-quarter loss of $US118 million ($A114.03 million), blaming Europe's economic turmoil and China's slowdown for sinking global demand for the metal.

"The growth in the global demand for aluminium moderated in the third quarter of 2012 due to slower economic activity in China and the persistent impact of the financial crisis in Europe, as well as seasonality factors," the company said.

The world's largest aluminium producer told the Hong Kong stock exchange the outlook was uncertain but aluminium consumption should improve in the fourth quarter with an uptick in Chinese growth and rising demand from US carmakers.

The company said its net loss for the three months to September 30 was $118 million compared with a net profit of $432 million a year earlier. Revenue fell 19 per cent to $2.56 billion from $3.16 billion.

An "outbreak of unrest in China" over a territorial dispute with Japan had "brought about a partial retreat by Japanese carmakers" from the huge Chinese market, contributing to weaker demand.

Meanwhile new European passenger car registrations fell for a 12th straight month in September, with demand for new cars dropping 7.6 percent this year compared to the same period last year.

Chinese government subsidies were encouraging Chinese smelters to boost production despite slowing global demand for the metal, contributing to oversupply, Rusal said.

"The operating profitability and underlying results of the company in the third quarter of 2012 were seriously hit" by falling prices for the metal used in everything from cans to cars, chief executive Oleg Deripaska said in a statement.

Rusal last month appointed Matthias Warnig, Russian President Vladimir Putin's old KGB friend and a former member of East Germany's Stasi security service, as its chairman.

Warnig replaces interim chief Barry Chung, who took over after the shock resignation of powerful chair Viktor Vekselberg.

Vekselberg at the time said Rusal was in "deep crisis" amid internal conflict over how to handle more than $10 billion of debt incurred in the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

The appointment of Warnig should make it easier for Rusal to maintain close terms with the Kremlin at a point when it is trying to stave off disintegration.

Warnig has long been reputed to have special personal ties to Putin despite his refusal to go into the subject in any great detail.

Rusal, which listed in Hong Kong in January 2010, in August posted a net interim profit of $37 million, from $779 million a year earlier.

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Man, 84, charged over train sex assault

AN elderly man has been charged with sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman on a passenger train in central Queensland.

Police say the 84-year-old man and the young woman were travelling north on the Sunlander near Mackay when the assault took place early on Monday.

The man, from Eagleby in southeast Queensland, was charged with indecent assault and will appear in Mackay Magistrates Court on November 29.

Police say the woman was not physically injured.

AAP np/ba

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Cassar-Daley, Britt nominated for awards

A TRIO of sisters, a married duo and two solo artists have taken centrestage at this year's Aussie country music award nominations.

Troy Cassar-Daley, who already has 21 Golden Guitars under his belt, has earned himself seven nominations for the 2013 Country Music Awards of Australia (CMAA) including Album of the Year for his record Home.

Equalling Cassar-Daley's tally, singer/songwriter Catherine Britt, has also grabbed seven nominations for her album Always Never Enough.

Husband and wife team Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson earned themselves five nominations with their second album as a duo, Wreck & Ruin, four of those for the single Adam & Eve.

Also up for five Golden Guitars for their album Two Worlds Collide is sister trio The McClymonts, who are back in the country after a year touring overseas.

Announced in Sydney on Monday, the CMAA nominations highlighted a new generation coming through the ranks - artists such as Travis Collins, Camille and Stuie and Lyn Bowtell.

Cassar-Daley, who toured this year with another nominated newcomer Harmony James, said the list offered a reassuring appraisal of Australian country music.

"I think the country music scene is a lot closer than many other genres and there's certainly none of the back stabbing," Cassar-Daley said.

"We're always looking out for each other and giving younger artists (a chance) by bringing them out on tour with us. It's like one big family."

Another artist Cassar-Daley has previously mentored is two-time Golden Guitar winner Catherine Britt who said she was surprised with her share of the nominations.

"I'm that artist who doesn't usually get recognised so to be a frontrunner with Troy who I just adore and love is a real shock," she said.

"I produced this record and wrote all the songs and it's more me than any record I've ever made and to get this recognition is amazing."

The 27-year-old singer said the tight-knit culture of the country scene meant winning an award in Tamworth was secondary to having a good time.

"We're all mates who've toured together countless times so it means you're happy even when you lose because your mate's just won," Britt said.

"There's no bitchiness about it."

The CMAA's will be held on the final night the Tamworth Country Music Festival on January 26 next year.

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Govt should unite not divide, says Abbott

The Opposition Leader has accused the government of pitting Australians against each other. Source: AAP

TONY Abbott has accused the federal government of the "political crime" of deliberately pitting Australians against each other.

Addressing the Country Liberal Party (CLP) conference in Alice Springs on Sunday, he said that as leader of the federal opposition one could be the "leader of a tribe" but prime ministers had to be leaders of a nation.

"Bad though the performance of this government has been, this government has committed the even greater political crime of deliberately setting out to divide Australians against each other," he said.

"Every time this government plays the class war card, every time the government plays the gender war card, they are seeking to divide Australians from Australians for their own political game."

He said that was "unworthy" of a government and a prime minister.

Mr Abbott attacked the government's economic policy, the carbon tax and the temporary ban on live cattle exports.

He said the live exports ban in particular had damaged Australia's relationship with Indonesia.

"If there is one thing that I want you to understand about the first few weeks of an incoming coalition government: I will be in Jakarta ... to ensure that this relationship is put on a firm footing once again," he said.

Mr Abbott also twice urged the party to choose the "right candidate" to take on Labor minister Warren Snowdon in the Northern Territory seat of Lingiari.

Mr Snowdon has held the seat since its redistribution in 2001 and won it in 2010 with 53.7 per cent of the vote.

"With the right candidate in Lingiari we won't just change Lingiari, we can change this nation," Mr Abbott told the conference to applause.

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Overdose in NSW police van investigated

NSW police have launched an investigation into an incident where a man allegedly overdosed on drugs while in the back of a police van in the state's far north.

Police said they stopped a car at Tweed Heads and arrested a 27-year-old male passenger at about 1.30am on Sunday.

When officers were taking the man out of the back of the caged truck at the border city's police station they found a quantity of illegal drugs on the floor.

Police suspect the man had also consumed some of the drugs.

The man was assessed by paramedics and kept in police custody but later had to be rushed to Tweeds Heads Hospital.

He remains in a serious condition, police said in a statement.

The critical incident investigation will examine how the man managed to access drugs after he had been arrested, Fairfax Radio reported.

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Minister would welcome Rudd's help

FORMER prime minister Kevin Rudd's media blitz in the past week is just him being a "hard-working backbencher", Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says.

The minister was one of Mr Rudd's high-profile backers during the February leadership challenge.

Mr Ferguson said on Sunday he would welcome Mr Rudd's help campaigning in his own electorate if the opportunity came up.

But he said he didn't believe Mr Rudd was making another play for his old job.

"We have got a tough election ahead of us and I think it's all hands on deck," he told Network Ten on Sunday.

"All of us are required to put our head down and do everything we can to make sure Labor wins, be it Kevin, Julia, myself or any other member of the caucus."

Mr Ferguson said he believed Prime Minister Julia Gillard would still lead Labor at the next election, due to be held in late 2013.

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