Diggers depart East Timor

SIG Marty Gleave brings the flag down for one of the last times as Australian soldiers prepare to pull out in the coming weeks / Pic: Adam Taylor Source: The Daily Telegraph

DIGGERS lower the flag over Camp Phoenix in Dili, marking the setting of the sun on one of Australia's longest and most significant military deployments.

The ceremony signifies that the world's first new democracy of the 21st century, one of the poorest countries on the planet, faces a new dawn.

Thirteen years after leading the first international forces into war-torn East Timor, the last Aussie troops have begun the final phase of withdrawal from the dusty streets of Dili, leaving behind the smiling faces of a grateful people.

Within weeks, Australia's defence role in the new democracy of Timor Leste, one which redefined our role as a regional peacekeeper, will come to end when the last of 300 army, navy and airforce personnel return home.

Today the people of this start-up nation will also farewell the Australian Federal Police contingency attached to the UN.

East Timorese kids playing with the Australian flag / Pic: Adam Taylor Source: The Daily Telegraph

Acting commander of the Joint Task Force 631, Mandon Page, said it was a sad day for the remaining troops at Camp Phoenix, most of whom would be home before Christmas.

They will miss the laughing children who mob them in the streets, and the men and women of the resistance who fought for east Timor's independence.

"This is the end of an era. It's sad - we always knew we would be drawing down," he said..

"But this is one of the longest deployments of the ADF, if you include INTERFET (International Force for East Timor).

"But they can now stand on their own feet and it is time for us to step back. There is a sense of sadness on both sides. It really does feel like the end of an era."

It has been a difficult mission, largely under the radar of many Australians, but one that has been instrumental in helping create a country of one million people less than an hour's flight from Darwin.

Often overlooked is the role played by Australia's women in uniform, who make up almost 10 per cent of troops on the ground in East Timor - and 30 per cent of the AFP contingent's officers.

Lance Corporal Peta Reeves said a special bond had developed between the troops and locals - and also among the 35 female soldiers.

"It's great to have so many women here, we go on girls' nights out," she said.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr at Camp Phoenix in Dili / Pic: Adam Taylor Source: The Daily Telegraph

"We are treated no differently, although we have different skills. But we are soldiers. And the stigma is slowly being lifted."

She said the most rewarding part of the operation in Timor was the relationship that Australian forces had built with the East Timorese people: "I was out a couple of weeks ago a man came out of his home in tears and thanked me for being here. It was a really moving experience."

More than 5500 Australian troops led the first international force into East Timor in 1999 as the country descended into civil war following its declaration of independence from Indonesia.

The ADF has had boots on the ground ever since.

Now, with a functioning military, police force and successful democratic elections in July, the East Timorese are ready to stand on their own feet.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr yesterday said Australians should not forget the significance of our contribution to the creation of Timor Leste. Extending an invitation to the country's Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao, to join the Commonwealth, Mr Carr described Australia's role in Timor as one that was instrumental in Australia being elected to a seat on the UN Security Council: "Societies that have been through savage conflict often lapse back into it in seven years. We think the peace building and nation building here has been robust enough to steer these people and this country forward.

"Our role has been very important. It's been a text book example of peace building."

East Timorese kids playing with the Australian flag / Pic: Adam Taylor Source: The Daily Telegraph

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Gillard is up for the fight

Julia Gillard in her office at Parliament House in Canberra during the interview with Phillip Hudson. Picture: Kym Smith Source: News Limited

"YOU'VE always got to start the year full of optimism that you can take the big prize," said Julia Gillard.

"We've got some fairly big building to do."

The Prime Minister is talking about her footy team, the Western Bulldogs, after they finished in the bottom four this season. Yet her comments could easily apply to her other team - the ALP.

As captain she's taking Labor into an election year facing opinion polls predicting a wipeout but Gillard believes voters will start to see the upside of her most controversial policy, the carbon tax, with jobs and investment for the new clean-energy economy of the future.

Her pitch for re-election is based around big-spending programs for education and disabilities and using the May Budget as a springboard to promote her plan to make Australia a winner in the Asian Century.

"The choice for the election will be a very, very simple one," Gillard said in an interview with the Herald Sun.

"Do people want a government that's got a clear plan for the future, that's got the policies to make that plan happen and to make sure that this country's a place of jobs and opportunity in this century of change? Or do they want to embrace the politics of negativity and no plan?"

It's a version of the line she used successfully against Kevin Rudd. She has a "plan" for the future and her opponent doesn't. Tony Abbott, who this week visited Australian troops in Afghanistan, has been trying to re-work his negative image by promoting "positive plans".

The election will be a battle of the blueprints.

With the Coalition saying it will not adopt the education changes proposed in the Gonski review, Gillard intends to make this "one of the biggest issues that the 2013 election is fought on" and cast herself as every child's champion.

"Do you genuinely believe every child should get a chance ... and we'll be the only ones with plans to make a difference."

Gillard calls this a "crusade" but what is still lacking is the detail, especially where the money's coming from in a Budget where the wafer-thin surplus is vanishing fast.

It's the same question for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Gillard will have to spell out the answers before election day.

The PM today begins a short holiday and will spend Christmas with partner Tim Mathieson and mother and sister in Adelaide - the first without her dear dad, who died earlier this year. Like many other families coping with grief this Christmas, it will be a tough one.

While she may get some time to read or watch the cricket, her mind will never stray far from the looming election.

The carbon tax, leadership, controversies surrounding Craig Thomson and Peter Slipper and questions about her past as a lawyer 17 years ago have dogged Gillard in 2012, and raised questions about her judgment and performance, but she never once thought the personal toll was too much.

"I'm a resilient person. I always understood every day of this year that we were just going to see ferocious, personal, ugly politics from the Opposition, and one of the reasons they do that is to try and wear you down and hurt you. I don't ever let it wear me down and hurt me."

Gillard says the Government has maintained a "careful stewardship of the economy" with good growth and low unemployment that is the envy of many other countries. She is particularly proud of the skills package giving people an entitlement to a training place and the qualification that will make a difference to their long-term job prospects and earnings.

"This has been a year when we've got some very big things done that matter to the nation's future," the PM said.

She divides the carbon tax into the pre-July 1 scare campaign and the post-July 1 reality after it was introduced.

Abbott says the election will be a referendum on the carbon tax. Gillard believes not only was the scare campaign over-done, but carbon pricing will turn in Labor's favour.

"What they'll increasingly see is the upside of our nation getting into renewables, into clean energy, being in the businesses, having the jobs and opportunity that are going to be a feature of this century and a feature of our world," Gillard said.

She also nominates the aged care reforms as a feature of the year, reflecting that she has first-hand experience of the ageing population.

"I know what it's like to see your parents age, obviously after the year I've lived through personally, and I know what it's like to struggle for options and choices for them when they do. We've made a big difference to that."

On January 16, Gillard will overtake Rudd's two years, six months and 21 days in office.

Some Labor MPs are still convinced he is Labor's only option for victory despite Gillard thrashing him, 71-31, in the February ballot.

Various "deadlines" suggesting a new move against Gillard have come and gone. The leadership issue was considered settled when Labor clawed its way to be 50-50 with the Coalition twice in Newspoll, although ALP hard-heads don't think the position is that good.

The recent tumble in support has re-ignited chatter about a move next year, although Gillard's supporters believe her strong polling among women, particularly after the "misogyny speech" in Parliament, will be important in the election.

For her part, Gillard hangs on to Rudd's statement after he lost the ballot that there would not be another challenge.

"It was done and dusted in February and that's it, full stop," she said.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the death of Jill Meagher in Brunswick was a heartbreaking tragedy. Picture: Kym Smith Source: Herald Sun

Meagher killing awoke out 'deepest fears'

JULIA Gillard has spoken for the first time about the death of Jill Meagher, saying it was ``like an incredibly chilling, horrible movie come to life''.

Ms Gillard said Ms Meagher's alleged murder as she walked home from a Sydney Rd bar in Brunswick was a heartbreaking tragedy.

"It spoke to some people's deepest fears about a loved one not coming home and not knowing what's happened to them. I'm not surprised that it really moved people.

"People actually used that emotion to get out and say something positive about the way in which they want to see our community care for each member, and to send the message that women should be safe when they're doing something pretty simple like having a drink with mates and trying to get home,'' she said.

"I think it spoke to us all on a really deep level, and it was heartwarming to see the response.''

Hard to live a normal life

JULIA Gillard says she only gets the "illusion of shopping" by looking at items online. 

She can't browse the stores and she's not allowed to drive, but the PM does try to do "normal things" such as catch a movie with partner Tim Mathieson.

"You can't wander around shopping, but being able to look on the internet and actually see things has probably made it easier for me than prime ministers in the past," she said.

Last Sunday she saw the latest James Bond film Skyfall, albeit with security. "You don't get to drive. I can well and truly understand why former prime minister Howard ended up having driving lessons at the end of his prime ministership."

phillip.hudson@news.com.au

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Face scratches focus of Baden-Clay murder

A packed court room has heard accused wife killer Gerard Baden-Clay's bid to be home for Christmas

THESE are the facial injuries that confronted police when they first arrived to talk to Gerard Baden-Clay about his missing wife.

Documents released by the Supreme Court last night show the major police focus on the wounds on Baden-Clay's right cheek as the search began for his wife Allison.

The father of three, who maintains his innocence, told officers he cut himself shaving but the prosecution says the marks are consistent with fingernail scratches.

Allison's diary: The days before she disappeared

Bail fail: Gerard Baden-Clay to spend Christmas behind bars

As it happened: Baden-Clay's second bail application

Photographs of the prominent scratches are contained in a report by senior Queensland Health forensic medical officer Robert Hoskins, who was asked by police to comment on the facial injuries.

The report was among a batch of documents released last night by the Supreme Court following Baden-Clay's unsuccessful bail application on charges he murdered Allison.

Mr Hoskins was provided with photographs of Baden-Clay taken at about 10am on April 20, the day he reported his wife missing, and the following day. He was also provided with images of the razor said to have been used by Baden-Clay.

The medical officer was asked to comment on the "possibility that they were caused by the use of a Gillette Mach III razor".

Images from evidence which has emerged from Gerard Baden-Clay's second bail hearing.

He relied on information that Baden-Clay woke at 6.15am, could not have shaved earlier and "is said to have used a blunt razor hastily".

The injuries appeared to have been caused "between about 6 and about 24 hours earlier" than the photographs taken on the 20th April.

"This means it is highly unlikely that they occurred after 6.15am," he wrote in a July 19 report.

"The main facial injuries have all the hallmarks of fingernail scratches.

"It is impossible for me or anyone else to say that they were caused by fingernails: they could, for instanced (sic), also have been caused by scratching with the blunt end of a pencil from which a rubber had been removed.

"In over 50 years of life and 30 years in medical practice I have never seen nor heard of injuries of this type being caused by the modern type of disposable razor or razor blade.

"Each of the main injuries has features making it implausible that it was caused by shaving. The main injuries were not caused at the same time as the more trivial injuries. Those more trivial injuries are fairly characteristic of razor cuts."

In a separate document, Baden-Clay's barrister Peter Davis says the scratches were circumstantial and there was no definitive cause and age of the marks.

The released bail documents also provide details for the first time of Baden-Clay's emergency call to report his wife missing at 7.15am on April 20.

Copy of images from evidence which has emerged from Gerard Baden-Clay's second bail hearing.

"I don't want to be alarmist. I tried the 131 number but it went on forever," he told the operator. "My, my wife isn't home . . . I don't know where she is."

Asked when he last saw her, he said the previous night.

Allison's diary: The days before she disappeared

Bail fail: Gerard Baden-Clay to spend Christmas behind bars

As it happened: Baden-Clay's second bail application

"And I got up ah this morning and she, she wasn't there. And that's not unusual. She, she often goes for a walk in the morning . . . I've texted her and called her a number of times."

Baden-Clay told the operator his wife had a seminar in the city and she was planning to leave by 7am.

"I'm now driving the streets. My, my father's come over and, to look after the children," he said.

Responding to questions from the operator, he described his wife and says has "blondey, browney, redish" hair just "done" the previous night.

Copy of images from evidence which has emerged from Gerard Baden-Clay's second bail hearing.

The operator committed to putting a broadcast out for police to look for Allison and said officers would be out to see him.

One of the first officers to respond to the emergency call was Constable Kieron Ash from Indooroopilly station.

In a witness statement, he said he arrived at the Baden-Clay's Brookfield residence at about 8am with Constable Leah Hammond.

Constable Ash said he first saw a woman he now knows to be Baden-Clay's sister Olivia Walton walk three children down the stairs and put them in a car.

Baden-Clay told Constable Ash his wife went for a walk each morning for around 2km but he was not sure what time she got up that morning because she "sometimes slept on the couch" or in another room.

"I then asked Gerard if everything was OK between him and Allison? Gerard then said 'Look there is something I should tell you'. He then explained . . . he had recently admitted to having an affair with another female. Gerard said 'because I have had an affair things aren't great between Allison and I . . . she no longer trusts me'."

Baden-Clay asked for the information to be kept confidential "stating that his father and sister did not know" about the affair.

Constable Ash asked Baden-Clay how he came to get the scratches on his face, the statement says.

"He said 'I cut myself shaving this morning as I was in a hurry, trying to get the girls ready'," the documents say.

Inside the house Constable Ash "could not see any evidence of tissues, towels or blood that was consistent with Gerard previously stating that the scratches on his face was a shaving cut he had received that morning".

Outside the house, Constable Ash made a phone call to a senior officer and said he was "uncomfortable with the version" Baden-Clay had offered, the statement says.

Two senior officers arrived at 8.45am and began talking to Baden-Clay, whose sister Ms Walton returned to the home.

"I asked her what the girls had been told this morning," Constable Ash said.

"She said 'that Gerard told the girls shortly after 6am that mummy had gone for a walk and probably fell down a hole (and) would not be back'."

Other released documents reveal Baden-Clay went to the Kenmore Clinics Medical Practice at 8.30am the day after reporting his wife missing. He asked Dr Candice Beaven to look at cuts on his face.

"He told Dr Beaven that police had advised him to have his injuries documented," the documents state.

"No police officer on the brief stated that they advised the applicant to do this."

That afternoon, Baden-Clay went to a clinic in Taringa and again asked a doctor to look at scratches.

That night he was examined a third time on this occasion.

Allison's diary: The days before she disappeared

Bail fail: Gerard Baden-Clay to spend Christmas behind bars

As it happened: Baden-Clay's second bail application

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Two dead in NSW petrol tanker crash

A FATAL petrol tanker crash that shut down the Princes Highway in New South Wales has claimed two lives.

The tanker and a ute collided on the highway south of Berry, in southern NSW, just after 1am today.

The male ute driver, who has not yet been identified, died at the scene.

The male truck driver, 59, was rushed to St George Hospital but died later this morning.

One of the petrol tanks ruptured in the crash, causing ethanol to leak on to the road.

Hazmat crews are mopping up the spill and an exclusion zone is still in place.

The Princes Highway is closed in both directions between Bomaderry and Gerringong and the NSW Transport Management Centre is warning of half-hour delays.

Police from Shoalhaven Local Area Command will establish and process a crime scene once the area is deemed safe and have urged witnesses to come forward.

The road is expected to stay closed until midday.

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Fatal umbrella hit at packed public pool

A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl died hours after allegedly being hit by a wind-blown umbrella at a school break-up party at a Bundaberg pool.

Police said the child was struck in the head by an umbrella that had blown over at Anzac Pool on Quay Street in Bundaberg about 11am Thursday.

They said the girl was taken to Bundaberg Base Hospital before being later flown to the Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane.

Police confirmed the girl died at the Brisbane hospital early Friday morning.

Bundaberg mayor Mal Forman said staff had faced a tough time at the pool due to the number of people attending the function.

"From my understanding, the pool had been at capacity on Thursday, with around 360 bathers in the water," Mr Forman told ABC Radio.

"I believe the young girl who was unfortunately killed was sharing a pizza on the lawns with some schoolmates."

The incident is now being investigated by Workplace Health and Safety.

Police are also preparing a report for the coroner.

- additional reporting by AAP

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Man drowns in surf on Sunshine Coast

A MAN has drowned on Teewah Beach north of Noosa after he and four other swimmers had to be rescued from the surf when their inflatable pool overturned.

Rescue services said the group from Gatton, who were holidaying with friends at Fresh Water, south of Double Island Point, decided to use an inflatable pool as a boat to paddle out through the surf.

But two of the men were taken by a rip when the blow-up pool capsized. Emergency services said the other three men got "stuck in the break".

"After attempting to rescue each other, three of the men scrambled to shore, while a 21 year old and his 25 year old mate were later pulled from the water," an AGL spokesman said.

A 21-year-old male was declared dead at the scene after a failed attempt at CPR.

The 25-year-old, who was pulled unconscious, was treated by the helicopter's flight doctor and paramedic.

He was airlifted to Nambour Hospital on the Sunshine Coast, along with a 19-year-old, by AGL Action Rescue Helicopter and one was transported by road to Nambour Hospital.

Both were in a stable condition. Two other men were taken by ambulance to Noosa hospital.

There were initial reports the drowned man was believed to be 16 years old, but AGL has since said the man was aged 21.

Teewah Beach is a popular camping beach located on Noosa North Shore popular with four-wheel drivers.

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Asylum seekers arrive en masse

On Friday a boat carrying 101 people was intercepted north of Christmas Island by HMAS Pirie, pictured, operating under the Border Protection Command.

THREE boats carrying a total of 214 people have been intercepted off Australia's north-east coast since Friday.

The boats were carrying between 54 and 101 people each.

HMAS Maryborough, operating under the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC), helped a vessel that sought assistance north-east of Christmas Island early on Saturday.

The vessel had earlier been detected by a Customs and Border Protection surveillance aircraft.

Initial indications suggest 54 passengers were on board.

On Friday a boat carrying 101 people was intercepted north of Christmas Island by HMAS Pirie, operating under the Border Protection Command, after being detected by an RAAF maritime patrol aircraft.

Border Protection Command said 97 passengers and four crew were on board.

A third boat carrying 56 passengers and three crew was intercepted by HMAS Bathurst northeast of the Ashmore Islands, also on Friday.

Passengers from all three boats will be transferred to Christmas Island for the usual security, health and identity checks.

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NSW healthcare system 'working well'

The NSW healthcare system is performing well when compared internationally, according to the annual Healthcare in Focus 2012 report.
  Source: The Australian

RATES of premature death from cancer, heart disease and stroke have fallen across NSW, but further improvements could be made in the state's health care system, a report says.

Results from the third annual Healthcare in Focus 2012 report, which compares the performance of the NSW health care system with other states and countries, found fewer years of life are lost to cancer and heart disease in NSW than in most other countries, Bureau of Health Information chief Kim Browne said.

"NSW is performing quite well when we compare internationally," Ms Browne told AAP.

"(But) there are areas where we've got opportunities to improve compared to international comparators."

The report indicated NSW has one of the lowest rates of potential years of life lost to cancer, outperforming France, The Netherlands, New Zealand and the US.

Only Sweden has a lower rate, Ms Browne said.

Fewer years of life were lost to cardiovascular disease and stroke in NSW than in most other countries, the report found.

Ms Browne added fewer years of life were lost to heart attack in NSW than in any of the 10 other countries examined in the report.

But there are areas of the health care system that can be improved, she said.

"Unplanned readmissions for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are mid-range ... but they're higher than places like Canada, the UK and Switzerland," she told AAP.

NSW also has a high rate of hospitalisation for diabetic, medical and surgical care complications, a statistic Ms Browne would like to see decrease.

"It's a bit of a mixed picture but overall when we look internationally NSW tends to perform fairly well," Ms Browne said.

Health care system users were surveyed as part of the report and the majority rated their experiences and treatment positively, she said.

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