Use everything against violence: NSW oppn

MORE police on the beat and public transport throughout Sydney's Friday and Saturday night hot spots are initial steps in battling alcohol-related violence, the NSW Opposition says.

The call for action to tackle drunken violence on Sydney streets comes after Kieran Loveridge was sentenced for delivering the king hit that killed a teenager in Kings Cross.

Loveridge was sentenced to serve four years behind bars for Thomas Kelly's manslaughter in July 2012 - a sentence Mr Kelly's family labelled a joke.

The sentence has reignited debate over how the NSW Government can deal with alcohol-related violence on Sydney's streets.

Opposition leader John Robertson said everything should be on the table.

He said George St in the CBD and Kings Cross needed to be treated as "major events" on Friday and Saturday nights.

"The second thing you do is you put more police on the streets and the third thing you do is you increase public transport options to get young people out off those streets," he told reporters on Saturday.

War veteran robbed while collecting for RSL

A GOSNELLS store manager was attacked as he tried to stop thieves who had robbed a 94-year-old war veteran collecting money for his RSL.

'More than 100 dead in typhoon'

A CIVIL aviation official in the Philippines says he's received a report that more than 100 bodies are lying in the streets of a central city ravaged by Haiyan.

"Nothing should be ruled out and everything should be on the table because we just can't allow these sorts of tragedies to continue."

While sentencing of those behind alcohol-fuelled violence was important, the government needed to be proactive, Mr Robertson said.

He labelled Loveridge's sentence as "appalling".

NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith said on Friday he had asked the DPP to consider appealing the manslaughter sentence.

Earlier this month a Brazilian man died in hospital after he was punched in the head outside a bar in Haymarket.

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US judge backs gay conversion therapy ban

A US judge has upheld a New Jersey law barring therapists from trying to turn gay youth straight. Source: AAP

A US federal judge has upheld a New Jersey law barring therapists from trying to turn gay youth straight.

Judge Freda L. Wolfson said in the ruling that the law does not violate free speech or religious protection.

The law "on its face does not target speech, and "counselling" is not entitled to special constitutional protection merely because it is primarily carried out through talk therapy," Wolfson wrote.

Gov Chris Christie signed a ban on the controversial practice, known as gay conversion therapy, in August. Christie, a Republican, said health risks of trying to change a child's sexual orientation, identified by the American Psychological Association, usurped concerns about parental choice.

Christie, however, said it is an area where the government should "tread carefully."

War veteran robbed while collecting for RSL

A GOSNELLS store manager was attacked as he tried to stop thieves who had robbed a 94-year-old war veteran collecting money for his RSL.

'More than 100 dead in typhoon'

A CIVIL aviation official in the Philippines says he's received a report that more than 100 bodies are lying in the streets of a central city ravaged by Haiyan.

California was the first, and the only other, state to ban the practice. In August, a federal appeals court upheld the state's statute.

The New Jersey lawsuit, filed by two therapists, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality and the American Association of Christian Counselors, argued the law violates the right to free speech because counsellors are barred from talking about conversion therapy.

Plaintiffs also argued that it infringed upon the right to exercise religion and parents to "direct the upbringing and education of their children according to their sincerely held religious beliefs."

Demetrios K. Stratis, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Wolfson ruled the plaintiffs' argument could be stretched to mean that regulation of any professional counselling could violate First Amendment rights, a result that "runs counter to the longstanding principle that a state generally may enact laws rationally regulating professionals, including those providing medicine and mental health services," she wrote.

Wolfson granted a motion to allow Garden State Equality to intervene in the lawsuit.

Its president, Troy Stevenson, said in a statement the ruling is a "huge victory for New Jersey youth."

A New Jersey couple filed a separate lawsuit Monday claiming their constitutional rights are being violated because they cannot seek gay conversion therapy for their 15-year-old son.

The couple said their right to equal protection is being violated because the law is "denying minors the opportunity to pursue a particular course of action that can help them address the conflicts between their religious and moral values and same-sex attractions, behaviours or identity."

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Emma Thompson gets Hollywood honour

BRITISH actress Emma Thompson has cemented her place in Hollywood, by adding her hand and shoe prints to the fabled pavement outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

The Oscar winner was overcome with emotion at the ceremony on Thursday, recalling a childhood visit to the tourist attraction with her father.

She said, "When I was 14 I came to Hollywood with my dad, who was directing the Norman Conquests, and he brought us here, to the Grauman's, and showed us all the people's hands and feet and the signatures and it was so other-worldly that for me to be here now feels not at all real!"

The 54-year-old was joined by her Saving Mr Banks co-star Tom Hanks at the ceremony and he used the occasion to jokingly try and convince Thompson to give up her British citizenship and become an American.

He quipped, "We wish to convey the following message to Emma - Please Emma, leave England, come here, live with us, live amongst us! Los Angeles and Hollywood needs your sense and sensibility. England, they don't appreciate you like we do."

War veteran robbed while collecting for RSL

A GOSNELLS store manager was attacked as he tried to stop thieves who had robbed a 94-year-old war veteran collecting money for his RSL.

'More than 100 dead in typhoon'

A CIVIL aviation official in the Philippines says he's received a report that more than 100 bodies are lying in the streets of a central city ravaged by Haiyan.

The ceremony didn't go completely to plan - Thompson took a tumble from an elevated box just as she was about to place her hands in the wet cement, but laughed off the moment and continued chuckling as she was immortalised outside the iconic cinema on Hollywood Boulevard.

And she was more than a little upset about the fact she would have to throw away the designer black shoes she wore to the ceremony, explaining, "They were covered in cement."

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Bikie blitz dries up drugs for schoolies

MORE schoolies are expected to stash drugs in their suitcases as the bikie crackdown dries up Gold Coast supplies.

The region's top bikie cop Superintendent Jim Keogh says it will be harder for school leavers to buy drugs on the glitter strip, so more are likely to risk bringing their own.

"They would be aware of the police crackdown here on the Gold Coast and it may promote some foolhardy action like bringing some form of drug which is just ridiculous," Supt Keogh told AAP.

"They'll eventually get caught."

Supt Keogh says police intelligence suggests drugs filter down from criminal motorcycle gangs to subsidiary suppliers and into the hands of schoolies.

He says the crackdown on bikies has severely disrupted the Gold Coast's drug distribution network.

This was evident when a drug sniffer dog failed to detect anything during a recent two-day operation at Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, he said.

'Cold, shocked beyond disbelief'

THOMAS Kelly's parents say they're "heartbroken", as the four-year sentence given to their son's killer is met with widespread outrage.

US man charged over $4m drug haul

A 69-year-old American allegedly tried importing four kilograms of methamphetamine worth $4 million in to Australia through Perth Airport yesterday.

"We detected no drugs on people which is a first," Supt Keogh told AAP.

Police won't say if the drug sniffer dog will be used during schoolies.

However there will be more than 300 officers from around Queensland in town for the annual end-of-school celebrations, which begin next week.

Already Gold Coast police have made a number of arrests for drug offences, but it is unclear whether the marijuana and various tablets were destined for schoolies holiday spots.

Authorities are warning school leavers against taking drugs, but have told them they won't be prosecuted if they fess up to paramedics.

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Govt sets sights on public service cuts

THOUSANDS of federal public servants face a bleak Christmas after government department chiefs were shown how to make 12,000 job cuts.

Treasurer Joe Hockey is unable to say exactly which departments would be hit, but the details will be revealed in the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook to be released in December.

The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) on Friday released guidance for agencies in helping the government meet its target of 12,000 jobs cut by natural attrition.

Mr Hockey told a business forum in Sydney on Friday the government was going through each department "balance sheet by balance sheet" to find savings.

"Strong economic growth in partnership with more prudent and focused public sector spending will be the key to improving our standard of living," Mr Hockey said.

"It is our best chance of returning the budget to surplus and paying down our record debt."

'Cold, shocked beyond disbelief'

THOMAS Kelly's parents say they're "heartbroken", as the four-year sentence given to their son's killer is met with widespread outrage.

US man charged over $4m drug haul

A 69-year-old American allegedly tried importing four kilograms of methamphetamine worth $4 million in to Australia through Perth Airport yesterday.

The APSC guidelines say agency heads will ensure that "existing non-ongoing employment arrangements cease at the end of their current term, and refrain from entering new arrangements".

A contract should only be extended if it is a job which involves a "critical business demand".

As of June 2012, there were 14,273 non-ongoing employees in the public service.

Most were women and the biggest users of the positions were the Australian Taxation Office, Department of Human Services and the Australian Electoral Commission.

The majority of these workers are APS 1 and 2 - the lowest pay position for a public servant - and one in five are aged under 25.

The commission says that, before any worker is recruited to the public service for any position, agencies should "undertake careful and objective analysis of the role and whether it actually needs to be filled".

One of the agencies to be hit is the CSIRO, where an estimated 1400 people are on casual or term arrangements.

Acting opposition leader Tanya Plibersek says Prime Minister Tony Abbott had pledged before the election not to touch health and medical research.

"The top quality international research that they (CSIRO) produce is threatened," she said.

"This is a contrast to what the prime minister said before the election."

Assistant Treasurer Arthur Sinodinos says the number of jobs to go at CSIRO is "a bit fluid" but he has been advised the figure is "about 500 or 600 non-ongoing positions".

"The CSIRO ... will ensure it is not compromising its core responsibilities and flagship programs," he said.

CSIRO Staff Association secretary Sam Popovski says the agency had already lost 200 positions earlier this year.

"Our smartphones are powered by wifi technology pioneered by CSIRO," he said.

"How can CSIRO develop the next generation of Australian innovation if their capacity to conduct research and development continues to be cut?"

Meanwhile, Mr Abbott announced the abolition of 12 non-statutory bodies and changes to nine others.

He said many had outlived their original purpose or weren't focused on the government's policy priorities.

"We certainly won't be stopping here," Mr Abbott said.

"What you see is a government that is taking significant early steps towards ... reducing the size of the bureaucracy."

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Bureaucrat suspended after Obeid argument

A WATER licensing specialist who was suspended after arguing with Eddie Obeid's eldest son was told by her boss not to inspect a property owned by the family of the former minister.

Sue Heaney, who worked in the water authority for more than 10 years, gave evidence at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Friday.

The watchdog is investigating whether Obeid used his position to influence the review and granting of water licences for Cherrydale Park, a property his family owned in the Bylong Valley.

An assessment of the valuable unrestricted licences was triggered when the Obeids bought the farm for $3.65 million in November 2007.

After almost a year of inactivity, Ms Heaney was asked by her manager, Hemantha Desilva, to assess the property's water use and impose an annual quota.

In November 2008, she called Obeid's eldest son looking for details of the farm's water use for irrigation.

'Cold, shocked beyond disbelief'

THOMAS Kelly's parents say they're "heartbroken", as the four-year sentence given to their son's killer is met with widespread outrage.

US man charged over $4m drug haul

A 69-year-old American allegedly tried importing four kilograms of methamphetamine worth $4 million in to Australia through Perth Airport yesterday.

Her conversation with Damian Obeid became "heated" and "ended in a disagreement", the ICAC heard.

Damian Obeid earlier told the ICAC he "possibly" spoke to his father and brothers about the call with Ms Heaney.

Within a few days of the argument, Ms Heaney was suspended from work on full pay.

Ms Heaney initially thought her suspension was "harassment and bullying from senior managers" but she now believes it was due to an error she made in her paperwork.

Before her suspension, she had arranged to inspect Cherrydale.

On November 20, Ms Heaney emailed her boss, Brian McDougall, seeking approval to visit the property.

"The only way to resolve this confusion was to actually go out there myself," she told the ICAC.

Mr McDougall authorised the trip, but on November 25, the day Ms Heaney was due to visit, she found a note on her desk telling her not to go, the ICAC heard.

Ms Heaney eventually took a redundancy and now works as a remedial masseur.

Despite an August 2008 draft document from the water authority recommending Cherrydale Park's water use should not exceed 150 megalitres, a licence for an annual consumption of 860 megalitres was granted in October the same year.

The inquiry is expected to continue for another week.

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United allows wider use of e-devices

UNITED Airlines is allowing passengers to use portable electronic devices throughout domestic flights.

The move by United, the world's biggest airline, matches new policies at Delta, JetBlue and American.

United Continental Holdings said on Wednesday it expects to expand the gate-to-gate use of electronics to passengers on United Express regional flights by the end of the year.

Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that it was relaxing rules that had required passengers to turn off devices while planes were below 10,000 feet.

Voice calls from mobile phones are still prohibited during flights including during taxiing, takeoffs and landings.

Chicago-based United said it will let passengers on its mainline planes use lightweight, handheld devices including tablets, e-readers and smartphones unless a crew member tells them otherwise, such as during low visibility. Laptops must still be securely stowed away during takeoff and landing, the airline said.

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Port growth needs transport spending: ACCC

AUSTRALIA'S competition watchdog has recommended reforms to ensure ongoing business growth at the nation's major ports.

In its 15th annual monitoring report of stevedoring, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found that the sector is poised for further development but will need assistance.

"The ACCC considers that further economic reform is required to ensure that related transport issues do not create bottlenecks in and around our growing container ports, and supports initiatives by various governments and other agencies to address these issues," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said.

The recommendations include government spending on heavy vehicle road provisions, and encouraging truck companies to access port terminals at off-peak times.

Mr Sims said the considerations are important as Australia welcomes new port activity with an additional terminal opened in Brisbane early in 2013, soon to be joined by another at Sydney's Port Botany.

The Victorian government is also tendering out the rights for a new terminal in Melbourne.

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Man arrested over 1990 SA murder

A MAN has been arrested for the murder of a 16-year-old girl last seen more than two decades ago in the South Australian outback.

Police said the 42-year-old man was arrested on Thursday in Mount Gambier, was refused bail and will appear in court on Friday.

Karen Williams, whose body has never been found, was last seen in the early hours of August 4, 1990, after spending the night with friends at the Opal Inn in Coober Pedy and at a local restaurant.

More than 115 statements were taken at the time and police enquiries extended to the Northern Territory and New South Wales.

Police acted on new information in July and excavated a series of old mines at Coober Pedy in renewed efforts to find her remains.

Detectives have since interviewed people from Sydney, Adelaide, Mt Gambier and Coober Pedy, and major crime boss detective superintendent Des Bray said they received valuable information that had progressed the investigation.

"We believe Karen's body was left in the boot of a burnt-out white Ford on the edge of town," Supt Bray said in August.

"Information is leading us to believe that Karen's body was removed from this car and placed down a mine shaft about 20 metres away."

A $200,000 reward was offered last year for information leading to an arrest in the case.

Police said on Thursday they will be returning to the town within weeks to recommence the search for Ms Williams' remains.

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ABC exec exits to head up Screentime

The head of ABC TV's entertainment division has resigned to take up a role with Screentime. Source: AAP

THE brains behind a number of ABC TV hits including the Gruen series, Shaun Micallef's Mad As Hell and Adam Hills Tonight has resigned.

Jennifer Collins, who was ABC TV's head of entertainment, will depart the network next month to become head of non-fiction at Screentime.

Although Collins has jumped to Screentime she will still have a close hand in several upcoming ABC productions.

Screentime is making the Crownies spin-off Janet King, starring Marta Dusseldorp, and Anzac Girls for ABC TV.

Before being made head of entertainment at the ABC, Collins spent three years as head of factual where she commissioned one of the ABC's biggest hits of 2013 - The Checkout.

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Labor slams Abbott's Indonesia 'missteps'

LABOR says the coalition government's insults, loose comments and lack of consultation have run Australia's relationship with Indonesia into the ground.

It is now imperative that Foreign Minister Julie Bishop rebuilds Australia's ties with Indonesia during her time at the Bali Democracy Forum starting on Thursday, opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Tania Plibersek says.

"If she doesn't come back from Indonesia with the obvious goodwill of the Indonesian government behind her, you would have to judge very harshly the series of steps that have occurred over the last few months," Ms Plibersek said.

Labor's newly-appointed foreign affairs spokeswoman says the coalition has made numerous missteps, including failing to consult with Indonesia over asylum-seeker policy such as boat turnbacks and buybacks.

She also cited Tony Abbott's lock out of Indonesian journalists at a press conference during his first visit to the country as prime minister in September.

In the past week, diplomatic relations between the countries have soured further as news leaked that Australia's top secret Defence Signals Directorate has been gathering intelligence from the country's embassy in Jakarta as part of a US-led operation.

Ms Plibersek refused to comment on security issues.

"We handed over a relationship that was in a very good working order and now we've got the Australian foreign minister having to fly to Indonesia to explain herself and apologise," she said.

"(The relationship) really has deteriorated to a great extent"

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Jobs - it's not all about the baby boomers

THE ageing baby boomer generation is reducing participation in the labour market, but excessive focus on this by over-zealous policymakers could put economic growth at risk.

The Reserve Bank of Australia wants the economy to grow as fast as possible, generating as many jobs as possible, without causing wages-driven inflation as unemployment falls.

That potential growth rate - what RBA boffins refer to as "trend" - is limited by growth in the supply of labour.

That's where the baby boomers come in.

The proportion of the working-age population aged 60 or over, and more likely to retire, rose from 21.5 per cent to 24.5 per cent over the past decade.

The participation rate - the proportion of the working age population active in the labour market - fell to a seven year low of 64.9 per cent in September.

It peaked at 66 per cent three years ago.

That fall took 215,000 people out of the hunt for a job.

If it hadn't, the unemployment rate would be 7.3 per cent rather than the reported 5.6 per cent.

A bigger pool of unemployed jobseekers would give more scope for growth before the RBA puts the brakes on by lifting interest rates.

It seems reasonable to put two and two together and conclude that the ageing population has reduced the economy's potential to grow.

That makes it worthwhile to check by crunching some numbers.

Here are some I prepared earlier, using Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

The table shows, for each year ending September, how much the unemployment rate was affected by changing participation rate.

It's broken down into the impact of the population's changing age structure and all other effects.

2003 Population: -0.2 Other: +0.1

2004 Population: -0.2 Other: +0.4

2005 Population: -0.2 Other: +1.6

2006 Population: -0.2 Other: +1.1

2007 Population: -0.2 Other: +0.4

2008 Population: -0.1 Other: +0.3

2009 Population: -0.1 Other: -0.2

2010 Population: -0.2 Other: +0.6

2011 Population: -0.3 Other: +0.4

2012 Population: -0.3 Other: -0.1

2013 Population: -0.3 Other: -0.5

The effect of the ageing of the population is clearly rising.

It's shaved 0.3 percentage points from the jobless rate in each of the past three years.

Other effects have mostly worked in the opposite direction, tending to push participation up, most notably early last decade.

But more recently those "other" effects have tended to reduce participation, shaving as much as 0.5 points from the jobless rate in just the latest year.

It turns out that these "other" effects are strongly correlated with employment growth.

So, when the economy picks up over the coming year or two, the increasing number of jobs on offer will encourage potential workers into the market.

The participation rate will stop falling in line with the ageing of the population and probably even push higher for while.

So the economy's scope to grow is greater than it might seem to be.

Let's hope the policymakers don't assume the baby boomers are all that matters for the participation rate.

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LAX gunman acted alone, targeted TSA staff

The gunman charged in a deadly shooting at LA International Airport told authorities he acted alone. Source: AAP

THE gunman charged in the deadly shooting at Los Angeles International Airport lay bloodied and handcuffed on the floor of Terminal 3 after being gunned down by police, but he replied to critical questions that helped authorities lock down the scene.

Paul Ciancia, 23, was hauled away moments later on a stretcher and later heavily sedated for medical reasons, but not before he told investigators he had acted alone when he opened fire in the terminal, a law enforcement official said on Sunday.

Ciancia, an unemployed motorcycle mechanic who recently moved to Los Angeles from the small, working-class town of Pennsville, New Jersey, also told police a friend had dropped him off at LAX on Friday just moments before he shot a Transportation Security Administration officer at point-blank range and wounded three other people, including two more TSA workers.

Officials do not believe that the friend knew of the shooter's plans. Ciancia arrived at the airport in a black Hyundai and was not a ticketed passenger.

Ciancia was under 24-hour armed guard at the hospital on Sunday after being shot four times, the official said. He was sedated for medical reasons, the official said, adding that one gunshot to the mouth blew a molar out of his jaw.

Ciancia is facing charges of murder of a federal officer and committing violence at an international airport. The charges could qualify him for the death penalty.

In court documents and interviews, authorities spelled out a chilling chain of events, saying Ciancia walked into the airport, pulled a .223-calibre assault rifle from his duffel bag and fired repeatedly at point-blank range at 39-year-old TSA officer Gerardo I. Hernandez, killing him.

He then fired on at least two other uniformed TSA employees and an airline passenger, who all were wounded, before airport police shot him as panicked passengers cowered in stores and restaurants, authorities said.

It wasn't clear why Ciancia targeted TSA officers, but what he left behind made it clear he intended to kill any of them that crossed his path, authorities revealed.

The shooter's duffel bag contained a handwritten letter signed by Ciancia stating he'd "made the conscious decision to try to kill" multiple TSA employees and that he wanted to "instill fear in their traitorous minds", FBI Agent in Charge David L. Bowdich said.

"Black, white, yellow, brown, I don't discriminate," the note read, according to a paraphrase by a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

The screed also mentioned "fiat currency" and "NWO", possible references to the New World Order, a conspiracy theory that foresees a totalitarian one-world government.

The letter also talked about "how easy it is to get a gun into the airport", the law enforcement official said.

Authorities believe the rifle used in the shooting was purchased in Los Angeles. Ciancia also had two additional handguns that he purchased in Los Angeles, but which weren't at the crime scene, a law enforcement official said.

The purchases themselves appeared legal, although authorities were still tracing them, and it's unclear if the shooter used his own identification or someone else's, the official said.

"He didn't buy them on the street. He didn't buy them on the internet," the official said. "He bought them from a licensed gun dealer - the rifle and the two handguns."

Hernandez, a three-year veteran of the TSA, moved to the US from El Salvador at age 15, married his sweetheart, Ana, on Valentine's Day in 1998 and had two children.

The other two TSA officers wounded in the attack have been released from the hospital. On Sunday, the TSA identified them as James Speer, 54, and Tony Grigsby, 36.

Brian Ludmer, a Calabasas High School teacher, remained in fair condition at Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the leg.

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Ender's Game blasts to top of box office

Sci-fi film Ender's Game, starring Harrison Ford, has topped the US weekend box office. Source: AAP

WEEKEND moviegoers chose sci-fi over slapstick.

Ender's Game scored the No. 1 slot at the weekend box office, earning $US28 million ($A29.69 million) in its opening weekend and sending Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa into second place, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

Lionsgate's Ender's Game, based on the novel by Orson Scott Card, stars Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford as intergalactic soldiers.

Comments made by Card expressing opposition to gay marriage led some to call for a boycott of the film. But a strong first-place opening met the studio's pre-weekend expectations.

However, ticket sales didn't come close to the opening weekends of other young-adult science-fiction adaptations such as Twilight and The Hunger Games. It did fare better than Beautiful Creatures and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.

A representative for Lionsgate declined to be interviewed for this story.

Paramount's candid-camera comedy starring Johnny Knoxville disguised as an old man brought in another $US20.5 million in its second weekend, with a domestic total reaching more than $US62 million.

Other films opening this weekend didn't generate as much enthusiasm.

Last Vegas, featuring an all-star cast of silver screen veterans including Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline, opened in third place, with $US16.5 million.

Relativity Media's 3D animated kiddie flick Free Birds, with characters voiced by Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson and Amy Poehler, debuted in the fourth spot, with $US16.2 million.

After its fifth weekend at the box office, the Warner Bros. 3D stunner Gravity is still holding in the fifth position. It banked $US13.1 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $US220 million.

Overseas, Disney's Thor: The Dark World, starring, earned an impressive $US109.4 million in its first international weekend. The Marvel superhero sequel opens domestically next weekend.

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A hundred TVs stolen in Melbourne

TWO brazen thieves have driven away with more than 100 televisions from a Melbourne shopping centre.

The 111 TVs were delivered to a loading area at Chadstone shopping centre on Friday morning and were to be transferred to a warehouse at Oakleigh South.

Two men turned up in a white truck about 5pm (AEDT) under the guise that they would deliver the TVs to a large retail store.

They loaded up the truck and took off with the loot, worth more than $200,000.

Detective Senior Constable James Howden said the thieves were very brazen and seemed to be well organised, knowing the delivery times.

"They were very confident," he told reporters on Monday.

"They did it during the day. They didn't try and mask their faces or disguise themselves."

Det Sen Const Howden said the thieves will be looking to offload the large flat-screen TVs of varying sizes, all still in their boxes.

"If someone's trying to sell one to you in the pub I'm sure you'll be aware it's stolen," he said.

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Climber dies after fall on NZ's Mt Cook

An experienced climber has plunged 600 metres to his death in NZ's Aoraki Mt Cook National Park. Source: AAP

AN experienced climber has died after falling 600 metres in New Zealand's Aoraki Mt Cook National Park.

A climbing companion raised the alarm on Sunday morning.

Members of the Department of Conservation alpine rescue team responded quickly but the foreign male climber died as a result of the fall.

The name and country of origin of the dead climber are yet to be released.

Rescuers returned with the uninjured climbing partner and the body was recovered.

The climbing pair went into the park on Saturday with the intention of climbing Aoraki Mt Cook and were skiing and traversing at 3700m towards the lower summit of the mountain when the accident happened.

Climbing conditions were good and the weather was fine.

The climbers were very experienced and had earlier successfully scaled the east face of the mountain.

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Max Redden's cheeky smile remembered

THE grieving family of a boy who was killed when a slide fell on him has remembered the six-year-old as "being the last one ready for school in the morning" and "the highest one up the tree".

Max Redden died on October 26 when an unsecured slippery dip tipped on him at a rural park at Farrell Flat, about 20km west of Clare, in South Australia.

It happened during a gathering of families at the Mintaro Tennis Club.

Max's distressed family has not spoken publicly about his death, but they remembered him in personal notices placed in The Advertiser on the weekend.

His parents Tom and Jessica, who have three other children, said it had been an absolute joy and privilege to watch "our little Maxy boy" grow during his six-and-a-half fun-filled years.

"We will miss your cheeky smile, your non-stop energy, being that last one ready for school in the morning or the highest one up the tree.

"We have so many special memories that we will hold close and you will live on in our hearts forever."

Notices from other family members and friends included one which said described him as living every day "to the Max", just like his name.

Police are preparing a report for the coroner.

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Dozens helped on first day of abalone hunt

THE first day of the abalone fishing season in Western Australia has passed without tragedy - but only just.

WA's surf lifesaving authorities reported a busy morning on Sunday, with dozens of potentially disastrous incidents averted.

After posting a large number of volunteers at popular abalone fishing spots, lifesavers performed 106 "preventative actions" in the waters off WA, with no major incidents or injuries.

"We have had a busy morning keeping abalone fishermen safe," a SLSWA spokesman said.

For just five one-hour sessions on the first Sunday of the months from November to March, members of the public are allowed to fish for the marine delicacy.

Last season, two men died and another had his life saved during the recreational abalone season.

In November 2012, a 20-year-old Malaysian was swept out to sea in treacherous conditions while searching for the large edible sea snails north of Perth.

In late December, a Chinese man in his 40s drowned in the waters near Cape Leeuwin in the state's southwest.

And in January, the swift actions of a beach inspector saved a 50-year-old man hunting for abalone at Trigg Beach in Perth.

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