Single parents to protest payment cuts

Single mum Wendy Tucker and daughter Jessie, 10, will be affected by the Government's cuts to her welfare payments. Source: News Limited

WELFARE advocates are planning to protest around Australia next month over the Federal Government's cuts to single parent benefits.

From January 1, single parents have not been eligible for the Parenting payment once their youngest child has turned eight years old and have been transferred to the lower Newstart allowance.

More than 60,000 single parents now receive between $60 to $100 a week less under entitlement changes.

The single parents action group (SPAG) are organising rallies in all major cities on February 5 to push for the government to reverse its decision, with the main protest at Parliament House in Canberra.

Protest organiser Samantha Seymour said the payment changes would have a detrimental impact on single parent families.

"Our purpose is to show the government that we will not tolerate their decision to further deprive and isolate Australians whose only crime is being single parents," Ms Seymour said in a statement.

Families spokeswoman for the Australian Greens, Rachel Siewert, said she was concerned about the long-term impact of the lower Newstart payments on parents and their children.

"We shouldn't be condemning people to poverty," Senator Siewert said in a statement.

She said the government should reverse these payment cuts and also boost the Newstart allowance by $50 a week.

The government introduced the changes, worth around $728 million in savings over four years, in its bid for a budget surplus in 2012/13.

Last December, Treasurer Wayne Swan said the government was unlikely to have a surplus this financial year due to lower than forecast tax revenue.

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Cyclone Narelle moves closer

Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle at 5:45pm on Friday January 11. Picture: BOM Source: PerthNow

CAPTURED ON FILM: Spectacular weather patterns are forming off WA's northern coast as Tropical Cyclone Narelle closes in. Picture: Sam Woodcock. Source: news.com.au

West Australians have witnessed a wild dust storm off the coast of Onslow as they brace themselves for tropical cyclone Narelle

FEARS about the potential impact of Cyclone Narelle on Western Australia's north are easing, although the category four storm is continuing to move closer.

The Bureau of Meteorology has now listed the storm as a category five.

According to the latest update from WA's Department of Fire and Emergency services, an all-clear was issued for Roebourne, Wickham, Point Samson, Karratha and Dampier in the state's far north.

A blue alert remains for people in or near the coastal and island communities from Mardie to Coral Bay including Onslow, Exmouth and Coral Bay.

At 5am, Cyclone Narelle was estimated to be 445 kilometres north-northwest of Exmouth and 730km north of Carnarvon, and moving southwest at 11km/h.

Gales with gusts to 100km/h could develop in coastal areas between Mardie and Exmouth later on Friday, then extend south to Coral Bay on Saturday, forecasters are warning.

Winds are likely to increase in the Exmouth area on Sunday, with damaging wind gusts to 125km/h possible if the cyclone tracks closer to the coast.

Although winds near the cyclone centre may reach 275 km/h, these winds are not expected on the coast.

Gales may extend south to Carnarvon and Shark Bay on Sunday and Monday.

Widespread heavy rainfall is not likely, however isolated heavy falls can be expected along the Pilbara coast.

Tides along the west Pilbara coast are also likely to rise above the normal high-tide mark tonight and on Saturday, with flooding of low-lying coastal areas possible.

Motorists travelling on the North West Coastal Highway are asked to avoid entering the Shark Bay area.

People travelling to Coral Bay this weekend should contact their accomodation provider before they leave to ensure their booking is still current.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle is the second cyclone of the season after Tropical Cyclone Mitchell in December but is likely to be the first to have an impact on the WA coast.
 

Resources industry takes precaution

Earlier, WA's multibillion-dollar resources industry already reacted, with iron ore ports at Cape Lambert and Dampier due to close, and Apache closing down the Stag and Van Gogh oil fields on Thursday.

Chevron is also getting ready to evacuate workers from Barrow Island.

Thunderstorm activity will increase about the Pilbara coast today with isolated heavy rainfall and squalls possible. This activity will extend into the western and southern Gascoyne over the weekend.
 
Tides along the west Pilbara coast are likely to rise above the normal high tide mark tonight, and during Saturday with flooding of low lying coastal areas. A very dangerous storm tide is possible Saturday night if the centre of the cyclone passes close to the coast, however it is now unlikely to occur.
 
SES and VES volunteers from Roebourne, Wickham, Karratha, Exmouth, Coral Bay and Carnarvon are on standby.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Lex McCulloch on Thursday warned companies on land and sea that it was crucial to be prepared.

"The worst thing people can do is underestimate the power of a cyclone. Seven people died as a result of Cyclone Bobby in February 1995, and three more lives were lost during Cyclone George in March 2007,'' Mr McCulloch said on Thursday.

Airlines, including Cobham and Qantas, are scheduling flights to evacuate workers from North West drilling platforms and mining sites.

Severe Tropical Cyclone (TC) Narelle has the potential to affect main arterial roads. Motorists need to revise travel plans and be prepared for significant diversions.
 
If travelling to and from the Pilbara, or the northern parts of the Midwest Gascoyne region, motorists are recommended to begin your journey as soon as possible.
 
Motorists travelling south on the North West Coastal Highway are asked to avoid entering the Shark Bay area.
 
MEANWHILE, in an unrelated weather occurrence, a huge wall of reddish cloud, topped off with billowing white rose up from the ocean.

Tug boat worker Brett Martin, who captured the fearsome pictures 25 nautical miles from the town of Onslow, reported conditions were glassy and flat before the storm hit late Wednesday.

But when the wild weather arrived, the swell lifted to two metres, winds increased to 40 knots and visibility was reduced to 100 metres.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Austen Watkins told media the stunning view was created as wind and rain caused the storm to dump the sand and dust it had ingested while passing Onslow.

The Pilbara region is an important resources hub, with major iron ore and gas facilities. Cyclones are common in northern and western Australia during the warmer months of summer.

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Men transferred to PNG and Nauru

Asylum-seekers at the Topside camp Nauru waving posters protesting their detention. Picture: Clint Deidenang Source: Supplied

ANOTHER 40 men have been transferred to an offshore processing centre, this time to Manus Island.

It follows 30 men being moved to the offshore processing centre on Nauru earlier today.

The single men, mostly Iranians, Iraqis and Afghans, arrived at the Papua New Guinean island about 1230 (AEDT) today, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) said in a statement.

The group went through relevant immigration, customs and quarantine processes before being moved to the centre on the island.

DIAC said transfers would continue as part of the government's policy of regional processing and that there would be no advantage for those people arriving in Australia by boat.

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Smooth switch for Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia logo is making the switch to a new check-in and reservations system this weekend. Source: Supplied

VIRGIN Australia's transition to a new check-in and booking system is creating longer queues than normal but no flight delays.

The airline is making the switch to a new check-in and reservations system this weekend.

Passengers have been asked to arrive extra early and warned to expect delays at the check-in desk because online check-ins are unavailable.

Virgin Australia spokeswoman Emma Copeman says there have been some longer queues, including at one international flight in Melbourne, but nothing major.

''At most airports, including Brisbane and Sydney, it is running really smoothly,'' Ms Copeman told AAP today.

''On-time performance is sitting between 80 and 90 per cent, which is really good for an airline.''

She said extra staff have been rostered on to cope with the increased workload.

Domestic travellers are advised to arrive 60 minutes before departure time, while international travellers are urged to arrive three hours before departure.

The advice will be especially important for those flying tomorrow as internet, mobile and kiosk check-in will be unavailable and passengers will have no option but to head to an airport counter to pick up their boarding pass.

Passengers are also advised to bring a copy of their e-ticket or itinerary.

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Bushfires still threaten five states

A total fire ban is in place across NSW as temperatures are predicted to soar into the 40s.

Firefighters face the Dean's Gap fire on a property near Wandandian, south of Nowra in NSW. Picture: Dan Himbrechts Source: The Australian

THOUSANDS of firefighters continue to battle bushfires across five states and territories, with blazes threatening homes and scorching hundreds of thousands of hectares of bushland.

NSW is under the worst threat with more than 90 fires that have burned more than 350,000ha.

Seven of those fires continue to burn out of control.

A 9800ha blaze near Cooma threatened 15 homes on Saturday as more than 100 firefighters worked to contain the inferno.

Crews are battling two other major fires near Yass and Sussex Inlet that have threatened homes but eased thanks to cooler weather conditions.

Firefighting crews in Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT also fought blazes on Saturday.

More NSW updates from The Daily Telegraph here.

 

Authorities in Tasmania issued a watch and act alert as a bushfire between Forcett and the Tasman Peninsula strengthened.

The Tasmanian Fire Service (TFS) issued the alert on Saturday for communities near the blaze, noting increasing activity on the fire's boundary in the Kellevie, Bream Creek and Marion Bay areas.

TFS senior station officer Phil Douglas said the fire had expanded to cover 23,600 hectares, and fire crews were back-burning to contain the blaze.

Tasmanian emergency services have been fighting fires since January 4.

Several fires were burning across Victoria but they were under control, including a blaze at Kentbruck in the state's southwest, where 66 fire crews remained stationed.

A State Control Centre spokeswoman said the Kentbruck blaze had increased to 11,890 hectares, due to backburning as part of containment efforts.

A 13-hectare blaze at Kangaroo Ground on Melbourne's outskirts had been declared safe despite going close to a number of properties.

In Queensland, there were 34 bushfires across the state but none threatened homes.

Volunteer crews were using earth moving equipment to contain a fire in bush near Undullah south of Brisbane.

Firefighters continue to monitor three fires sparked by lightning strikes on Thursday, west of Gympie.

Two small grassfires were the only blazes in the ACT on an extreme fire danger day.

Both, one at Hall and the other at Kambah, were extinguished, the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) said.

A milder weather forecast allowed ACT authorities to end the total fire ban across the territory on Saturday night.

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Spies want powers to hack into PCs

New powers allowing Australian spies to hack into personal computers would target suspected terrorists, says a spokesman for the Attorney-General's Department.

SPY agency ASIO wants to hack into Australians' personal computers and commandeer their smartphones to transmit viruses to terrorists.

The Attorney-General's Department is pushing for new powers for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation to hijack the computers of suspected terrorists.

But privacy groups are attacking the ''police state'' plan as ''extraordinarily broad and intrusive''.

A spokesman for the Attorney-General's Department said it was proposing that ASIO be authorised to ''use a third party computer for the specific purpose of gaining access to a target computer''.

''The purpose of this power is to allow ASIO to access the computer of suspected terrorists and other security interests,'' he told News Limited.

''(It would be used) in extremely limited circumstances and only when explicitly approved by the Attorney-General through a warrant.

''Importantly, the warrant would not authorise ASIO to obtain intelligence material from the third party computer.''

The Attorney-General's Department refused to explain yesterday how third-party computers would be used, ''as this may divulge operationally sensitive information and methods used by ASIO in sensitive national security investigations.''

But cyber specialist Andrew Pam, a board member of the Electronic Frontiers lobby group, predicted ASIO could copy the tactics of criminal hackers to seize control of target computers.

Australians' personal computers might be used to send a malicious email with a virus attached, or to load ''malware'' onto a website frequently visited by the target.

''This stuff goes on already in the commercial and criminal world, and security agencies could be using the same techniques to commandeer people's computers and use them to monitor a target,'' Mr Pam said.

''Once you get control of a computer and connect to their network you can do whatever you want.''

The ASIO Act now bans spies from doing anything that ''adds, deletes or alters data or interferes with, interrupts or obstructs the lawful use of the target computer by other persons''.

But ASIO wants the ban lifted, so Attorney-General Nicola Roxon can issue a warrant for spies to secretly intercept third-party computers to disrupt their target.

The departmental spokesman said the federal government had made ''no decisions'' about whether to grant ASIO the new power.

The government would first consider advice from the federal Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, which is reviewing national security legislation.

Victoria's acting Privacy Commissioner, Dr Anthony Bendall, has told the committee that ASIO's proposed new powers are ''characteristic of a police state.''

''To access a third party's computer, which has no connection with the target, is extraordinarily broad and intrusive,'' his submission states.

But the Attorney-General's Department insists that ASIO will not examine the content of third-party computers.

''The use of the third party computer is essentially like using a third party premises to gain access to the premises to be searched, where direct access is not possible,'' it states in response to questions from the committee.

''It involves no power to search or conduct surveillance on the third party.''

The department said technological advances had made it ''increasingly difficult'' for ASIO to execute search warrants directly on target computers, ''particularly where a person of interest is security conscious.''

Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman yesterday said ASIO should have to seek a warrant from an independent judge, rather than a politician.

He warned that ASIO might be able to spy on individuals - including journalists protecting a whistleblower - by tapping into their computers.

''I'm concerned they will access all sorts of information on a computer that has nothing to do with terrorism,'' he said.

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Aussie survivors drowning in memories

THE semi-submerged remains of the biggest cruise ship ever capsized is still at sea. The besieged captain awaits trial and the biggest salvage mission ever undertaken has begun.

AS the one-year anniversary dawns for the 23 Australians on board the doomed Costa Concordia cruise liner, the horror of what happened that night still remains far too raw.

Today on the Tuscany island of Giglio survivors and the families of some of the 32 people who died when the ship hit a reef and sank are coming together for a memorial service.

There is not expected to be any Australians there, the painful memories and scars holding them back from travelling to see the 114,000 tonne ship still lying on its side at the entrance to the Giglio port.

While there were no Australians killed for some of the survivors the past 12 months have been a living nightmare.

Perth couple Rob Elcombe and Tracey Gunn took the cruise in a bid to save their marriage but in the end saved each other from scenes that they described as just like the movie Titanic.

Perth couple Tracey Gunn and Rob Elcombe. Picture: Daniel Wilkins

They survived the sinking but now are drowning in the mental trauma of it all.

Mr Elcombe had a successful career as a miner but has had to give his job up and now works as a driver earning $60,000, less than half what he was on in the mining industry.

''We are both suffering post traumatic stress, depression and it's been a pretty bad years for us,'' Mr Elcombe said yesterday.

''I was having nightmares and all sorts of things and a psychiatrist whacked me on these pills to mellow me out. I was angry for a long time. I just wanted to hurt myself or somebody else. I was on suicide watch. That's how bad it got.''

Michelle Barraclough with husband John Sultana and their daughter Katherine were pushed aside by screaming people as they tried to board a lifeboat on the sinking Costa Concordia.

''It's top of the list, I think about it everyday. On the side (of the ship) that was underwater we were the last ones off … it was supposedly the life boat the captain (Francesco Schettino) was on but I didn't see him there on our boat. I saw him standing on the rocks there talking on the phone when we came in.''

Ms Gunn added: ''We had to basically change our lives but we don't hold any malice against him, he made a mistake. In the light of day Costa is responsible for it, putting an (Indonesian) helmsman who didn't speak Italian or English and the captain the way he acted.''

The couple has this week launched court action in Genoa against the Costa owners for unspecific damages including the mental trauma as well as the physical injuries Mr Elcombe suffered, including a torn and crushed leg.

To date they have not received an apology from the cruise liner nor any offer for compensation other than a general $14,000 for loss of their luggage, clothes, passports, and jewellery.

If there was one positive from the cruise, Mr Elcombe said it was that he was still together with his wife; the disaster having brought them closer together.

''We have been pretty close since then, it's been pretty good," he said.

''Since then we have been working things out together and everything, so it's all good, looking positive."

He said in their submerged cabin was still his wife's grandmother's wedding ring and when the boat refloats he doesn't know whether it's recoverable.

''I wouldn't mind getting that ring back from in our room if they come across it but I don't know what the chance of that is," he said.

Melbourne man John Sultana was with his wife Michelle Barraclough and now 13-year-old daughter Katherine when the ship sank.

He said yesterday that he had drawn a line under the entire terrifying event.

It was over as far as he was concerned.

''But it's going to make the next cruise hard,'' he said.

''We are going, not with Costa, on a cruise in October to Japan and Asia. It's going to be interesting getting on that boat but we'll see how we go.''

The family recalled the horror of the scramble to get off the ship, grown men mostly shoving them out of the way to get out first.

It was every man, literally, for themselves at the expenses of women and families.

He said Katherine doesn't talk about the shocking experience much but they may have to raise the issue after booking another cruise.

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Blame miners for Aus hotel price surge

The Great Barrier Reef has become a popular destination for mining workers taking a break from work. Picture: Australia Tourism Source: Supplied

HOLIDAY accommodation prices across Australia have risen by more than 25 per cent in the past five years, thanks largely to the mining boom.

The cost of an overnight stay has risen by nearly $30 per night to around $140 on average at hotels, motels, resorts and serviced apartments, new research shows.

Queensland's Great Barrier Reef recorded the biggest jump, rising 74 per cent to $271 per night, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.

Prices in Outback NSW also soared by 65 per cent to $134 per night, while Queensland's Fitzroy region rose nearly 64 per cent to $153.

Travel experts said the biggest rises were in mining areas benefiting from business travellers.

Average prices in the Great Barrier Reef had also been pushed up by the development of new luxury resorts, such as the $500 million luxury retreat qualia on Hamilton Island, and the loss of several resorts after Cyclone Yasi.

''Taking them out of the inventory and other guys reinvesting into the higher end has probably shifted the price more than normal,'' Accommodation Association of Australia CEO Richard Munro said.

Mr Munro said the Great Barrier Reef had become a popular destination for workers from nearby mines looking for R&R.

''Operators are trying to keep ahead of expenses - employees expenses have been up three to four per cent a year,'' he said.

''But just because you put your prices up to try to cover your expenses doesn't mean consumers are going to pay it... with the strong Australian dollar more Australians are heading overseas to places like Thailand, Fiji and Bali.

''Wages in Indonesia are $2 an hour but they're $20 an hour in Australia.''

Mantra Hotels and Resorts marketing director Ken Minnikin said it was difficult to balance the need to keep prices competitive internationally with keeping up with expenses.

''Domestic tourism is tough but there are definitely signs of improvement,'' he said.

Outback Western Australia and North West Tasmania were the only two regions to suffer falls.

Mr Minnikin said people travelling to Western Australia's Outback had to travel via a very busy Perth airport where hotel rooms were expensive and often hard to find.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive officer Daniel Gschwind said the research shows how resilient the travel and tourism industry is.

''The industry is in an upward trend notwithstanding that we have had some of the toughest couple of years in our history in the middle of that,'' he said.

''The industry needs increases in yields and revenue.''

Biggest price rises over past five years
Destination, percentage increase, average hotel price (per night)
Great Barrier Reef +74% $271
Outback NSW +65% $135
Fitzroy, Queensland +64% $153
Perth, Western Australia +58% $205
East Coast Tasmania +54% $165
Coral Coast Western Australia +52% $159
Whitsundays, Queensland +46% $201
Darling Downs, Queensland +45% $122
Victoria's High Country +45% $149
Northern Queensland +41% $134

Falls/smallest rises
Outback Western Australia -7% $121
North West Tasmania -2% $110
Northern Rivers region, NSW +2% $126
Tropical North Queensland +2% $123
Blue Mountains NSW +4% $165
Kakadu/Arnhem Land, Northern Territory +7% $170
East Melbourne, Victoria +8% $154
Peninsula, Victoria -11% $143
South West Western Australia +12% $142
Victoria Lakes region +13% $110
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics tourist accommodation figures June quarter 2012

Overseas destinations average prices (per night)
Bali $153
Thailand $107
Fiji $177
Singapore $222
Vietnam $88
Source: Hotels.com Hotel Price Index for first half of 2012

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Devastating Tasmania fire downgraded

Tasmanian Fire Service has issued an emergency warning alert for the fire on the Tasman Hwy, Bicheno.

THE major fire at Bicheno in Tasmania's east has been downgraded and the Tasman Highway has been reopened.

The Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) has issued an ''advice'' alert level for the fire, which was earlier classified at an emergency warning level.

The TFS says the fire danger rating in the area is low to moderate, and there is no immediate threat to communities.

The Tasman Highway has been re-opened and motorists are being urged to be cautious due to possible smoke and emergency services vehicles in the area.

The fire is still not under control and authorities say people may experience embers, smoke and ash falling on Coles Bay Road, south of Apsley River, and the Tasman Highway, south of Bicheno.

Back burning off the Cole Bay Road will continue through the night and residents are advised that they should not be alarmed if there is more smoke in this area.

Earlier, the fire at Forcett, east of Hobart, was downgraded to a watch and act level as cooler weather spread across the island state.

The Forcett fire, which has scorched about 15,000 hectares, was earlier classified at an Emergency Warning level.

A eucalptus tree ignites near Dunalley, Tasmania. PIC:: Richard Jupe

More than a dozen properties have been lost south of Bicheno, with more than a 100 feared lost overall.

Victoria was planning to send 65 firefighters to help tonight.

Thousands flee areas of Tasmania as fires spread

The Tasman Peninsula fire claimed at least 80 properties and left thousands of people isolated yesterday night.

Police and commercial boats were being used to ferry in supplies and ferry out people most in need.

No deaths or serious injuries have yet been confirmed, but Deputy Police Commissioner Scott Tilyard earlier said a team was on the ground at Dunalley to investigate a fire crew's concerns that a man may have been trapped while trying to defend his house.

Dunalley has been destroyed by fires in Tasmania. Photo: Channel 9 Source: Supplied

Dozens of homes have been destroyed by bushfires in the Australian island state of Tasmania. Paul Chapman reports.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the federal government was supporting the fire effort.

''We are working with the state government to support people and make sure that they get through,'' Ms Gillard told ABC radio.

''My message is there's only one you.

''Everything else in life at the end of the day, no matter how precious, can be replaced.

''What can't be replaced is a human life.''

A truck loaded with water dashes up to a hill top house 200 meters from these trees. A major bush fire swept through Copping and Dunalley in South East Tasmania. Picture: Richard Jupe Source: The Mercury

Insurers declared the bushfire-hit towns a catastrophe and police powers were increased when the Tasman Peninsula was declared a serious-incident site.

Clouds from a nearby bushfire are seen over Mount Wellington during day one of the Hobart International at Domain Tennis Centre on January 4, 2013 in Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

The Insurance Industry Council of Australia's declaration included the towns of Dunalley, Connellys Marsh, Forcett, Copping, Murdunna, Boomer Bay, Primrose Sands, Susans Bay, Eaglehawk Neck and Taranna.

Electricity company Aurora told people whose power had been cut off to expect delays of several weeks before it was restored.

About 300 poles were down on the Tasman Peninsula.

Property losses from the peninsula fire have been huge, with 30 per cent of the buildings in the small community of Dunalley, 55km southeast of Hobart, destroyed.

These included the school, police station and bakery.

A major bush fire swept through Copping and Dunalley in South East Tasmania. Picture: Richard Jupe Source: The Mercury

At Connellys Marsh, 40 per cent of the buildings are gone, including three houses at Copping and several at Primrose Sands.

Reports of a death in a huge bushfire in the Tas town of Dunalley as up to 65 buildings have been damaged.

Twenty houses have been lost around Murdunna.

Several thousand people, many of them tourists, are stranded with access roads closed.

Around 700 are taking refuge at the Port Arthur historic site, another 2000 at a community centre at Nubeena and more than 50 at the Dunalley pub.

And a flotilla of boats is the lifeline for thousands of people stranded on the Tasman Peninsula as bushfires continue to rage out of control.

Recreational and commercial vessels are being used to bring in thousands of meals and other essential supplies and to evacuate people most in need.

Police said today that 600 people, many of them visitors to the area, were set to spend a second night at convict ruins.

There were 2000 people at a temporary refuge in Nubeena and another 100 at the Dunalley Hotel.

A major bushfire swept through Dunalley in Tasmania. Picture: Richard Jupe

The road into the peninsula, the Arthur Highway, has been closed since Friday.

Boats delivered 3000 meals as well as fuel, water and health workers.

A generator was being sought as power is out in much of the area.

Acting police commissioner Scott Tilyard said he was hopeful some vehicles could be escorted from the peninsula.

He said tourists were obviously keen to get out.

It had been ''a long night for many people but the main thing is that they have been safe'', he said.

Up to 1000 people were reported to have been taken out by boat overnight, but police could not confirm the number.

Fire-fighters at the fire near the Glen Esk Rd, Conara Picture: Chris Kidd

''I would imagine there'll be numerous stories about the heroic and risky approaches that were taken out there,'' TFS chief commissioner Mike Brown said.

The view of the Tasman Peninsular as the fire jumped the Dunalley Canal. A major bush fire swept through Copping and Dunalley in South East Tasmania. Picture: Richard Jupe Source: The Mercury

No deaths or serious injuries have been confirmed.

A fire in the Derwent Valley northwest of Hobart was affecting the communities of Ellendale and Karanja, but the extent of property damage was unknown.

Conditions across southern Tasmania today were cooler than yesterday, when Hobart reached 41.8C - its hottest since record keeping began in 1883.

State fire chief Mike Brown said similar conditions in 1967 had resulted in the loss of 2000 homes and 62 lives.

''I would imagine there'll be numerous stories about the heroic and risky approaches that were taken out there,'' he said.

Hobart, Melbourne and Adelaide are all sweltering with temperatures over forty degrees

''The big outcome for us ... is that at the moment there looks to be no loss of life or injuries.''

He said this was because of the way ''we put out our warnings, and clearly a lot of people did heed those warnings''.

People concerned about relatives and friends can call a police hotline on 1800 567 567.

Firefighters near Strathalbyn-Goolwa Rd, South Australia. Picture: Dylan Coker Source: The Advertiser

SA prepares for continued threat

A number of total fire bans have been implemented across South Australia.

The bans will be in place tomorrow in the Northwest Pastoral, Northeast Pastoral, West Coast, Flinders, Mid North and Yorke Peninsula districts.

Smoke plume from a bushfire burning at Forcett in Tasmania. Photo: Twitter, @foodsideoflife

Today, 50 fire crews controlled flare-ups from a controlled bushfire on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula as the threat of more fires across the state eased.

A bushfire at Finniss was brought under control late on Friday night, with firefighters remaining in the area to control flare-ups.

Adelaide sweltered through its fourth-hottest day on record yesterday, while temperatures soared past 48C in some parts of the state.

Firefighters near Strathalbyn-Goolwa Rd, South Australia. Picture: Dylan Coker Source: The Advertiser

CFS state co-ordinator Malim Watts said people needed to remain vigilant.

Total fire bans have been issued in three districts today, with severe fire conditions forecast in the Northeast Pastoral, Northwest Pastoral and Flinders districts.

Firefighters near Strathalbyn-Goolwa Rd, South Australia. Picture: Dylan Coker Source: The Advertiser

A bushfire rages out of control near Copping, in southern Tasmania, as temperatures in the state top 40C. Picture: Killick David

The Bureau of Meteorology said temperatures in Adelaide would drop to the low 30s on Saturday but forecast a return to very hot conditions for most of next week.

Victorian fire latest

A body has been found following a house fire near Kerang in northern Victoria.
Firefighters were called to a house on Kerang-Murrabit Road at Capels Crossing just before 4pm (AEDT) today and were searching debris when they found the body.

Police and fire investigators are examining the scene.

Meanwhile, Victorian firefighters are making the most of cooler conditions as they battle to bring two out-of-control bushfires within containment lines.

A total of 38 trucks and several aircraft were at the scene of a major bushfire at Kentbruck, in the state's southwest today.

The blaze northeast of Portland, between Port Fairy and the small town of Nelson next to the South Australian border, ignited about 18km southeast of the Mt Richmond National Park along the Princes Hwy yesterday afternoon.

Smoke from a fire at Forcett, Tasmania. Photo: Twitter, @SussanSays

It burned more than 2000 hectares.

No property is under threat, but smoke from the fire is visible several hundred kilometres away.

Firefighters near Strathalbyn-Goolwa Rd, South Australia. Picture: Dylan Coker Source: The Advertiser

State Control Centre spokeswoman Sonia Maclean said no homes or property were threatened by the fire, and aircraft account of the scene overnight had revealed the blaze was tearing through the pine forest and had swelled further than the 1200ha circumference initially reported.

A precautionary advice message was issued to Portland residents and nearby communities earlier this morning.

"Coming into the daylight, aerial crews have been able to establish a better indication of the fire and it appears it is across 2000ha, but it has also spread quite quickly," she said.

"The issue in fighting this tricky fire is that the ground is wet and quite boggy so firefighters are using an air-focused attack.

A worker tries to keep flames away from infrastructure at Repulse Dam. PIC: Sam Rosewarne

Smoke sightings of the inferno have been reported from as far away as Hamilton, about 85km northeast of the blaze.

CFA spokesman Chris Clugston said campgrounds Lake Monibeong and Swan Lake were evacuated and the Cobboboonee National Park was closed.

Meanwhile, residents of Ensay, in East Gippsland, were told to remain vigilant as a blaze burned out of control around 7km north of the town.

A CFA spokeswoman said crews hoped to have both fires under control this afternoon.

''The crews on the ground are putting measures in place to create containment lines and are doing some backburning,'' she told AAP.

No new bushfires were recorded today.

Temperatures today were much cooler than Friday, when the mercury peaked above 40C across much of the state.

Firefighters are on high alert with parts of Australia tipped to have seven days above 40C.

Work was also under way to restore Victoria's Country Fire Authority website to full capacity.

The crash occurred as the state sweltered through its hottest day in several years. At some points up to 700 people a second tried to access the website and FireReady App.

In a statement late on Friday, Victoria's fire services commissioner Craig Lapsley said he had asked CFA chief Mick Bourke to investigate why some people were still experiencing delays on the website.

Mr Lapsley said the CFA would work throughout the weekend to respond to the issue as a "key priority".

"We recognise it has been frustrating for people who rely on the website and app for fire information," he said.

"Seeking out the appropriate information is exactly what we have been asking the community to do and we know people are relying on this technology to keep themselves updated about their fire risk."

The capacity of the website and the FireReady App were increased after the crash.

Work is under way to restore Victoria's Country Fire Authority website to full capacity.

Mr Lapsley says important fire information is also available from ABC radio, SKY NEWS, and CFA social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter as well as the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667.

NSW fought bushfire 'deliberately lit'

The NSW Rural Fire Service has established total fire bans in the northern and southern Riverina districts and the lower and upper Central West plains.

The bans come into effect from midnight and end midnight Sunday.

A fire service spokesman said the fire risk would ease on Monday but would again escalate on Tuesday.

Today firefighters fought a blaze on the mid-north coast in the Booti Booti National Park near Forster, forcing the closure of roads in the area and isolating the town of Green Point.

The fire has been brought under control.

Teens charged over another arson attack

Specialist crime scene officers and Fire Investigators from the Rural Fire Service will examine the area today to pinpoint what caused the fire, which are being treated as suspicious.

Police from Manning Great Lakes are appealing for public assistance as they continue their inquiries into the incident.

All roads have now been reopened.

But while the heat records tumbled across the country - including Thursday's 48.2C scorcher in the Nullarbor border town of Eucla - only sea-breezy Sydney was bringing the nation's average top temperature down.

Sydney city hit a high of just 26.6C yesterday, and 34C in the west, compared with peak temperatures of 45.1C in Wilcannia and 45C in Bourke in the state's far northwest.

SE Queensland escapes worst of heat

Southeast Queensland escaped the brunt of the heatwave, but areas to to the west were not so lucky.

Locals in the western Queensland town of Birdsville reported the 47.3C temperatures made it too hot to even go to the pub for a thirst quencher.

Brisbane and the Gold and Sunshine coasts recorded temperatures of around 30C, but Weather bureau senior forecaster Michelle Berry said temperatures in the west soared to 7C above average.

"We were one of the cooler capital cities," Ms Berry said.

"Many other capitals had a very hot day, but Brisbane had mild temperatures."

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Stories of heroism amid Tassie fires

Fire-fighters at the fire near the Glen Esk Rd, Conara Picture: Chris Kidd Source: The Mercury

TALES of heroism, heartbreak and miracle escapes are emerging from the destruction of bushfires ravaging Tasmania.

More than 100 properties have been destroyed, thousands of hectares of bush blackened as fires continue to burn around the state.

The Tasmania Fire Service was still battling major blazes on the Tasman Peninsula at Bicheno, and Lake Repulse last night, with about 20 other fires burning across the state.

Somehow, against the odds, there have been no confirmed reports of loss of life.

Lower temperatures yesterday allowed fire fighters to make inroads as they battled blazes - the worst of which was raging south of the devstated fishing town of Dunalley.

A eucalptus tree ignites near Dunalley, Tasmania. PIC:: Richard Jupe

As stunned residents examined the damage, the human stories emerged from an day of horror.

Some were cut off by the speed with the fires spread and fought alone to save their homes.

Others were saved by neighbours or by the heroic efforts of fire crews or waterbombing aircraft turning up in the nick of time. Or luck.

There were tears and trauma, but overwhelmingly a sense of optimism and community and gratitude that things weren't worse.

Dozens of homes have been destroyed by bushfires in the Australian island state of Tasmania. Paul Chapman reports.

As a pall of smoke hung over the state yesterday, the Tasmania community rallied in to support those stricken - with appeals launched, donations flooding in to refugees and a rescue flotilla ferrying food in an people out of communities still cut off.

Tasmania Fire Service chief officer Mike Brown said Friday's high winds and 42-degree record temperatures matched conditions on the day of the state's 1967 bushfire disaster and it was very fortunate none had died.

''The conditions of yesterday were comparable with that terrible day and on that day we lost 2000 homes and 62 lives, so I think it speaks volumes for the really hard work that was done yesterday and our more advanced operational and warning systems that we are able to use,'' he said.

Thousands of people remain displaced, sheltering in refuges and or with family and friends, many not knowing if their homes had survived the fires.

Clouds from a nearby bushfire are seen over Mount Wellington during day one of the Hobart International at Domain Tennis Centre on January 4, 2013 in Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

A report of the possible death of one person at Dunalley yesterday has not been confirmed.

The bushfire that started at Forcett laid waste to town, destroying over 30 per cent of the town's buildings - including its school, its police station and its bakery.

Dunalley was a ghost town yesterday, with around 100 people who remained gathered at the local pub.

Twenty homes were destroyed at Murdunna, with about 40 per cent of the structures in Connellys Marsh also burnt down, along with homes in Copping, Boomer Bay, Dodges Ferry and Primrose Sands.

A major bushfire swept through Dunalley in Tasmania. Picture: Richard Jupe

At least 12 properties had also been destroyed by the bushfire near Bicheno, which yesterday was downgraded to an 'advice alert'.

The fire at lake Repulse in the Derwent Valley slowed down overnight and has been downgraded to a watch and act alert level.

Search teams were yesterday investigating the ruins of every destroyed and damaged home to ensure no one had died.

Until every property has been checked, people would not be allowed to return to their homes.

Smoke plume from a bushfire burning at Forcett in Tasmania. Photo: Twitter, @foodsideoflife

Yesterday afternoon fire affected areas on the Tasman Peninsula were declared a Serious Incident Site by police for public safety, security of evacuated homes and to preserve evidence.

The Forcett bushfire, which was affecting communities as far down the peninsula as Taranna yesterday afternoon, will continue to burn for many days.

''It will be days (before the fire can be controlled) because the fire is burning in many areas that are very difficult to get to, there's a lot of very heavy forest and heavy fuel,'' Chief Officer Brown said.

The Arthur Highway was still closed yesterday and while efforts were being made to reopen the only road to the Tasman Peninsula, police could not confirm when it might reopen.

A bushfire rages out of control near Copping, in southern Tasmania, as temperatures in the state top 40C. Picture: Killick David

Acting Commissioner Tilyard said Aurora and Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources workers had been working to remove power lines and trees from the Arthur Highway in an effort to allow the home to be reopened.

''We're hopeful of, if not opening the highway fully, at some point in the near future at least having some form of escorted access for people particularly coming off the Tasman peninsula during the day,'' he said.

Acting Commissioner Tilyard said he was confident most people sheltering at Nubeena who wanted to leave the peninsula would have been evacuated by boat by last night.

An estimated 2000 people sheltered at the community refuge centre at Nubeena amd 600 people at Port Arthur.

A worker tries to keep flames away from infrastructure at Repulse Dam. PIC: Sam Rosewarne

On Friday night and throughout yesterday tourist cruise boats, ferries and private vessels picked up people stranded at Nubeena and took them to Hobart.

A boat arrived at Dodges Ferry yesterday morning carrying 3000 meals, fuel, bottled water and ambulance and other health workers.

The team headed to Nubeena where they distributed supplies and aid to people around the area.

''There's a great sense of community out there, people are helping each other and coming together as happens in these circumstances,'' Acting Commissioner Tilyard said.

Acting Commissioner Tilyard could not confirm when residents in affected areas would be allowed to return to their homes to assess the damage.

He said power outages had occurred across the Tasman Peninsula. This was affecting communication between people in the area and their loved ones elsewhere.

''There are certainly many many residences and areas that do not have power and people with mobile phones some of them have found that their batteries would have run out and they have no capacity to (charge their phones),'' he said.

People unable to contact their loved ones can call a police hotline Acting Premier Bryan Green, who took a helicopter flight over burnt areas of the Tasman Peninsula yesterday afternoon, said it was a devastating sight.

''It's fair to say that (Friday) must have been a terrible experience for those people living on the Peninsula and surrounding areas,'' he said.

Mr Green said as uncontrolled bushfires were still burning, preserving life was still the authorities' main focus.

''People must put in place their fire plans,'' he said.

The fire at Bicheno is thought to have been started by a lighting strike and the fire at Lake Repulse was thought to have been started by a camp fire.

The cause of the Forcett fire is being investigated, but so far there is not evidence that it was deliberately lit.

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