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Wallan locals wait out fire at the pub

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 10 Januari 2013 | 00.04

A helicopter water bombs the Wallan fire near Taylors Lane. Picture: Zoe Phillips Source: Herald Sun

WALLAN residents are sitting in the pub, waiting, as a fast-moving grassfire burns in the town of 12,000 people north of Melbourne.

The CFA issued an emergency warning about 1.45pm (AEDT), advising a small blaze had broken out at Taylors Lane.

The fire was brought under control just after 3pm, a State Control Centre spokeswoman said.

The emergency warning was downgraded to a watch and act alert about 3.30pm.

The CFA alert said the grassfire was about five hectares large and travelling north.

"The fire has already impacted Rowes Lane, Old Sydney Road, and is now being controlled," the alert said.

It said smoke may be visible from the Hume Highway and Northern Highway.

Wallan is about 60km north of Melbourne.

Karen Buckley who works at the local pub, Hogans Hotel, said people had gathered there to wait.

"I can see the smoke from the window here," she said.

"We have a couple of local residents actually here with their little dogs, just waiting it out.

"Everyone is just sitting back and just watching."

Ms Buckley said she could see several planes and two or three helicopters dumping water.

Her property is in an estate off Taylors Lane, where her 19-year-old daughter is looking after the family's show dogs and cats.

"She is just worried more about our animals," Ms Buckley said.

A State Control Centre spokesman said two helicopters and nine trucks were on scene.

"Residential properties could be impacted, but as far as I've heard so far they have not been," he said.

Ms Buckley said the smoke had started to dissipate.

"It's not as heavy as what it was, so we're hoping that containment is progressing," she said.


 


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Mum says son's killer 'can go to hell'

Police and SES volunteers hunt for clues near the scene of the murder of a man thought to be Navarone Hutchins, off Emu Flat Rd near Keith. Picture: Peter Brookman Source: adelaidenow

THE mother of murder victim Navarone Hutchins says she will "never ever forgive the bastard" who killed her son.

As police await post-mortem results - expected tomorrow - to confirm how Mr Hutchins, 23, was murdered, his mother Susan Hutchins has spoken of her grief.

A State Emergency Service volunteer discovered the body partially hidden by bushes during a search about noon yesterday.

Ms Hutchins said her son's death would be a nightmare for the rest of her life.

Navarone Hutchins has been missing since Friday, January 4, from his home at Keith.

"He (the killer) can go to hell. I will never ever forgive that bastard - whoever they are," she said.

"Whoever made this they will pay (a) big price."

Mr Hutchins' body was found on the side of Emu Flat  Rd, about 5km east of  Keith, on Tuesday, and police have described the murder as "particularly violent".

Police search near the scene of the murder of a man thought to be Navarone Hutchins, off Emu Flat Rd near Keith. Picture: Peter Brookman

They spent yesterday combing the crime scene for clues with State Emergency Service members but were unable to find any evidence or possible weapons.

Mr Hutchins last was seen leaving a house on Gaynor Ave, about 600m from his family home, and walking towards the Keith Hotel between 10pm and 10.30pm on Friday. However, he did not arrive at the hotel that night.

Major Crime Investigation Branch Detective Inspector Mark Trenwith said Mr Hutchins was a popular member of the Keith community.

"This is a particularly violent crime and we are most concerned about it," he said.

"He was not known to the police. He has no criminal history and as you can imagine, his family are extremely distraught about what has occurred."

Police are now reviewing CCTV footage from businesses in the town and have conducted extensive door knocks. Friends and relatives of Mr Hutchins continued to pay their respects on Facebook yesterday.

SES volunteers and police search near the scene of the murder of a man thought to be Navarone Hutchins, off Emu Flat Rd near Keith. Picture: Peter Brookman

"Families of the Hutchins family, our thoughts are with you all," one friend posted.

"Nav was a gorgeous young  man and he will never  be forgotten, my love to u (sic) all.

"I really cannot believe this has happened, makes me so very sad but so very angry coz (sic) like his dad said, he would of never hurt a fly.

"Nav was a happy-go-lucky young man just starting out his adult life that was cut way too short."

 Anyone who may have seen Mr Hutchins is asked contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.sa.crimestoppers.com.au.


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Vintage Slipper accused of fraud

More allegations ... Peter Slipper / Pic: Gary Ramage Source: The Daily Telegraph

FORMER speaker Peter Slipper sought to conceal $1200 in luxury hire-car trips to visit Canberra wineries and the office of the Pope's representative in Australia by "dishonestly" adjusting Cabcharge vouchers, the Australian Federal Police has alleged.

Documents filed in the ACT Magistrates Court show the AFP will allege Mr Slipper signed multiple Cabcharge dockets despite knowing he "was not entitled" to use his parliamentary entitlements to visit the wineries in 2010.

Over three dates in January, April and June the Queensland MP allegedly used taxpayer-funded hire cars to visit some of the national capital's best wineries and restaurants, including Clonakilla, whose award-winning shiraz viognier has won multiple medals and retails for around $100 a bottle.

The man who stood down from parliament's highest office last October after graphic text messages were published faces the possibility of a jail sentence, with the offences carrying a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.

The Daily Telegraph in April 2012 revealed Mr Slipper had extensively used Canberra Hire Cars for transport around Canberra. One driver with the hire car firm also confirmed an arrangement with Mr Slipper, under which he would insist on filling out multiple dockets to cover a single trip.

Canberra Hire Cars was used by Mr Slipper on two of the three days cited by the AFP in its nine-page filing with the court. According to documents, the MP allegedly visited some of Canberra's best-known wineries, including Doonkuna, Jeir Creek, Yass Valley Wines and Shaw Estate on January 20, 2010 but "deliberately did not fill in in the actual fare" - $337.

Instead, he allegedly filled out four paper dockets with destinations filled in as "suburbs to suburbs", "Parliament House to suburbs" and "suburbs to Parliament House".

"The details were false, to his knowledge. His intention was to hide from the Department of Finance and Administration the fact that he had used the Cabcharge card when he knew he was not entitled to do so," the AFP alleges.

The allegations are a major setback for the former speaker, who three weeks ago secured a victory when allegations of sexual harassment were thrown out in the Federal Court. His accuser, former adviser James Ashby, alleged he saw Mr Slipper signing blank Cabcharge dockets on visits to Sydney in early 2012. Those allegations are not the subject of the court action.

The MP still faces another tough court battle during an election year, with the AFP and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions claiming he breached section 135.1 (5) of the Criminal Code Act. The matter is set down for an initial court hearing on February 15 in Canberra, when Mr Slipper will be charged by the AFP with "dishonestly (causing) a risk of loss".


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Cool change relief from hottest day

A COOL change has arrived across southeastern Australia after scorching temperatures on Tuesday sent people flocking to beaches and air-conditioning, as elsewhere bushfires scorched vast tracts of land.

After sweltering through 40-plus temperatures and bushfires on Tuesday, much of southeast Australia has woken to balmy temperatures in the low 20s, and they are not expected to rise significantly from there.

Residents in Victoria's Mount Hotham were stunned when snowflakes began falling early this morning as the cool change hit.

With a wind chill factor of -3C, the flakes fell but it wasn't cold enough for them to settle on the ground.

OFF THE SCALE: The current heatwave has forced the Bureau of Meteorology to adjust its colour scale. New colours representing 50-52C and 52-54C have had to be added.

Meanwhile, Sydney is today forecast to be 25 after hitting 41 on Tuesday.

The hottest place was Oodnadatta in South Australia at 48.2 degrees, but temperatures well into the 40s were also recorded in South Australia, Western Australia, NSW and Queensland.

It was so hot in Oodnadatta, the service station in the outback town stopped serving petrol.

Sydney-siders haved flocked to Bondi Beach to cool down with a dip. Picture: Twitter/Jess Deewriter

And in Sydney, it was so hot overnight hundreds flocked to Bondi Beach for a midnight swim to escape the heat.

Weather forecasters believe Tuesday may have been Australia's hottest day on record but they won't know until Wednesday morning then they calculate the average.

So far, Monday remains the hottest day since records began with an average maximum temperature across Australia of 40.33 degrees, beating the previous record of 40.17 degrees set in 1972, the Bureau of Meteorology's David Jones told AAP.

Trevor Clare of Limestone Station near Broken Hill, where yesterday's high was over 44C. Picture: Braden Fastier

Average maximum temperatures have risen above 40 degrees only three times in recorded history.

"We had the hottest day on record for Australia (on Monday) and today it looks like we may well go better again," Dr Jones said.

Not everyone could evade the oppressive heat, with NSW paramedics responding to a spate of heat-related casualties as Sydney recorded a peak temperature of 42.5 degrees.

We're not even at the half-way mark and it's already looking like the cruelest of summers, with catastrophic weather conditions on the cards over the next 24 hours

Much of NSW also broke the 40 degree barrier, with Bega on the south coast the first town to hit the mark at 11.30am (AEDT).

Michael Clunie, who works for Forests NSW, was ordered out of the Bomballa State Forrest in the morning when the temperature topped 41 Celsius in Bega.

''It's a relief,'' he said of the southerly.

This image posted on Twitter shows a frazzled pooch enjoying a cold spray during the heatwave. Picture: Twitter/Craft Ledger

''People were worried about the whole area.''

Jo, a local business owner in the town's main strip, said takings were down by 75 per cent when she went to the bank after closing shop.

''The people just didn't come out or were evacuating and a lot of people who work in offices in Bega left because they were worried about their homes,'' she said.

These kids took a practical approach by cooling off in buckets. Picture: Twitter/Raven Zech

Boss: 'It's too hot, go home!'

Heat related call-outs rose across the state, with 17 patients treated for heat exposure in Sydney alone, eight of whom were aged 70 years and over.

Many took refuge from the NSW heatwave by staying indoors, while the more adventurous headed to the beach.

AS temperatures soar across Australia, Canadian YouTuber Frankie MacDonald and the internet have the hot tips to keep you cool

Icy treats for hot zoo animals

While workers luxuriated in their air-conditioned offices, holidaymakers found other ways to cool down.

Extra surf lifesavers volunteered today at beaches that are not normally patrolled on weekdays.

In Melbourne children were being rescued after being locked in cars with the windows closed, as the temperature inside exceeded 50 degrees.

Ambulance Victoria operations manager Paul Holman said since last Friday, when the temperature exceeded 40 degrees in Melbourne, between seven and 12 children have been found locked in cars each day, with passersby alerting authorities.

Hanna Basso with daughter Brigitta Whilbey at Brighton beach in Adelaide on another hot day. Picture: Calum Robertson

Some of the children have been hospitalised.

"I am a little bit astounded that we're still dealing with this and particularly that we are dealing with it on a day of, you know, 40-degree heat," Mr Holman told reporters today.

"It's like putting a gun to your child's head."

Ouyen farmer Brent Morrish walking across scorched Victorian earth with dogs Beau and Lucky.

he ACT Ambulance Service treated 19 people for heat related illnesses while in Adelaide, the Zoo was taking special steps to keep the animals cool including ice blocks filled with meat, fish or fruit as well as providing water misters and wading pools.

In Queensland, Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Michael Knepp said a trough behind NSW's hot temperatures is making its way to southern Queensland, which will trigger a rise in temperature across the state next week.

Brisbane can expect a maximum of 36 degrees tomorrow, Alice Springs will have a scorching 43 degrees, Darwin is heading for 32 and Perth 30.

But there will be a cooler respite in other capitals.

Sydney should have 25 degrees, Melbourne 20, Adelaide 25, Canberra 28 and Hobart a cool 16.


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'Miracle-working' firefighters in control

Stunned resident Ray Ellen returns to the scene of the Carngham blaze in western Victoria. Picture: Andrew Brownbill Source: Herald Sun

A FIRE that has scorched more than 17,000 hectares of bush continues to advance on a town in southwestern NSW.

The Cobbler Road fire was 18km west of Yass this morning but advanced to within 11km of the town by this afternoon.

As bushfires burned out of control across Australia, more than 120 firefighters battled the Yass blaze with 51 trucks and 10 aircraft. 

The fire may threaten properties in Black Range Road and the Ferndale, Sunnyside, Spring Vale, Wattle Valley, Yowerweema, Katandee and Euralia areas.

Yass Mayor Rowena Abbey said unofficial estimates suggested about 21,000 animals had been lost in the blaze so far.

An evacuation centre has been set up in Yass, but most landholders have chosen to stay to defend their properties.

NSW residents in 37 communities affected by bushfires will be able to access natural disaster assistance.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell announced the assistance measures as 135 fires continue to burn across the state.

The blaze at Deans Gap crosses the Princes Highway on Tuesday night. Picture: NSW Rural Fire Service

"Yesterday across the state we faced extreme bushfire conditions and the threat remains with more than 130 fires still burning," Mr O'Farrell said.

"Thankfully there has been no loss of life or large scale loss of houses, however, the bushfires have had a devastating effect on livestock and farmland."

A range of assistance grants are in the process of being made available, including disaster relief grants to eligible individuals and families whose homes and essential household items have been destroyed or damaged.

The bushfires sweeping NSW are another cruel blow for farmers whose livelihoods are at the mercy of Australia's unpredictable climate.

After years of drought, farmers across NSW suffered major floods in 2010 and 2011, and now bushfires.

About 10,000 sheep, worth $1 million, have died in the fires so far, and there is also expected to be significant damage to farm buildings and machinery.

But it is the loss of pastures and fodder that could hit farmers hardest, with existing shortages across the state expected to send prices sky high once the fires are out.

RFS fire fighter Adam Skennar of Tabourie RFS brigade puts out flames near Princess Highway Shoalhaven - NSW Rural Fire Service fire fighters hold the line of the Shoalhaven fire at Princess Highway near Sussex Inlet. Picture: Craig Greenhill

''The livestock farmers are the ones who are going to bear the brunt of the fires,'' NSW Farmers' Association policy director Angus Gidley-Baird told AAP.

Mr Gidley-Baird said if there was no significant rain this summer, it would take a long time for pastures to regrow.

''That means for those who haven't had livestock losses, they're going to have to seek fodder from somewhere else,'' he said.

''But there's not a lot of fodder about.''

Meanwhile, a bushfire that threatened homes at Lithgow in NSW may have been deliberately lit.

Police Inspector Colin Cracknell said the fire was being considered as suspicious.

''There is some evidence this fire has been deliberately lit and a number of items of evidence have been collected,'' he told Fairfax media today.

Tony Abbott prepares to help contain the Deans Gap fire. Picture: Dan Himbrechts

''At this stage the investigation is ongoing.''

According to a NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman the fire, which has destroyed about 40 hectares of bushland, has been controlled.

He said earlier in the day some isolated properties in the region had been under threat, but had been saved by firefighters.

Variable winds and terrain have made the Lithgow fire difficult to contain.

Three helicopters have undertaken extensive water bombing and three dozers are on the ground enforcing containment lines.

And a NSW handyman whose angle grinder caused a large bushfire during a statewide total fire ban in NSW will face court later this month.

The 76-year-old was charged after sparks from an angle grinder he was using near Mudgee on Tuesday caused a fire, which has damaged about 140 hectares of farmland. The fire is still burning.

The man has been charged with failing to comply with fire ban directions, setting fire to the property of another and using an angle grinder without safety equipment.

He is due to face Mudgee Local Court on January 23.

In a separate incident, a landowner at Middle Dural in NSW will be issued with an infringement notice after lighting a fire today to burn off some logs.

In Victoria's southwest, fire crews are battling to get on top of a blaze in Kentbruck  before forecast severe fire danger conditions on Friday.

The blaze began in Kentbruck last Friday and is still covering more than 6500 hectares, including 1150 hectares of a blue gum and pine plantation.

Country Fire Authority operations officer David Harris said about 600 firefighters were at the blaze and more could be sent on Friday.

"Crews have been working today to establish a good perimeter around the fire to prevent it spreading,'' he told AAP.

The CFA contained a blaze that was threatening homes in a town north of Melbourne - but warned sudden wind changes could re-ignite the fire.

Nine tankers and two fire-bombing aircraft battled the grassfire, which was first reported in Wallan, about 50km north of the capital, at 12.20pm.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Julia Gillard described the nation's firefighters, emergency services and volunteers as miracle workers.

Ms Gillard said she was amazed by the community spirit on display in areas hit by fires.

A watch and act alert has been issued for some residents of Bribie Island north of Brisbane, where a bushfire continues to burn out of control.

The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service says residents near White Patch, north-west of Wrights Creek, should finalise their bushfire plans and prepare for a bushfire in the area.

Anxious townsfolk from bushfire-ravaged Dunalley in southeast Tasmania could be back at their properties by Friday.

Bush fire at Carngham. CFA officers put out spot fires at Carngham station. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Tasmania Police plan to start allowing people to return to the state's worst-hit town in stages.

Acting Commissioner Scott Tilyard said an information and registration session would be held for Dunalley residents on Thursday.

"At this stage we are hopeful we can have some people in a staged approach returning on Friday to Dunalley and the immediate area around there,'' Mr Tilyard told reporters.

"If all goes to plan on Friday that will give us a clearer idea of how quickly we can expedite the return of people to other areas.''

Up to 90 homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged in and around the Tasman Peninsula fishing village.

Health and safety concerns have meant residents who fled the area have not been allowed back and the Arthur Highway to the peninsula has stayed closed.

Police continue to search damaged properties but are still to confirm any deaths.

Shaz Harrison-Shaw with her daughters Zen, 6, and Tahnee, six months, at the Evacuation Centre in Sussex Inlet RSL Club, Sussex Inlet. Picture: Craig Greenhill

NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said the greatest concern was at Bookham, and further down east at Cooma.

"We've also got the fire in the Shoalhaven that continues to burn," he said.

In the Hunter region, firefighters managed to contain a bushfire close to the  Bayswater power station near Muswellbrook.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts a return to hot conditions across NSW tomorrow, with maximums in the low-40s in some parts of the state's south and west on Saturday.

In Victoria,  

Eight homes and up to 1000 livestock have been lost in a grassfire that swept through Victoria's central west and the figure could rise as emergency services continue mopping up after the blaze.

A Country Fire Authority (CFA) spokesman said police had confirmed that the number of homes destroyed by the 1150-hectare blaze had doubled from four to eight by midday (AEDT), including the 120-year-old Carngham Station homestead.

The number of livestock lost was between 600 and 1000, but losses could increase as emergency services continue assessing damage after the blaze, which saw the farming community of Carngham evacuated on Tuesday.

The CFA spokesman said two hay sheds had also been confirmed as destroyed as well as 12 pieces of farming machinery.

CFA operations officer Ian Morley said a farmer's ute being used for harvesting operations in a paddock was believed to have sparked the blaze, which was brought under control on Tuesday night, allowing residents to return to their homes.

Investigations were continuing, but the cause was believed to be accidental, he said.

Mr Morley said cooler conditions today had brought relief to firefighters who would work through the day to build mineral earth breaks to fully contain the fire ahead of warmer temperatures forecast for Friday.

At least six people, including a Carngham father and son who suffered radiation burns to their face and hands, were admitted to the Ballarat Base Hospital for treatment.

A 6651-hectare bushfire at Kentbruck in Victoria's far southwest continues to burn, but is not threatening any communities.

The CFA said light rains overnight allowed firefighters to take a well-deserved break from fighting the blaze, which started in pine plantation on Friday.

They will resume backburning on today in anticipation of wind changes and pending warmer temperatures, a spokeswoman said.

The full story of Carngham Station.

Full coverage from Victoria.

In NSW, the RFA continues a nervous watch for new fires.

"We will have building impact analysis teams working with locals right across the fire grounds,'' NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said this morning.

He said the bushfire threat was also making its way towards northern NSW.

"Right now we've also got that other challenge today of very hot dry windy conditions causing severe to above fire danger ratings for most of the northern areas of NSW,'' he said.

"We are going to see severe fire dangers extending from the Greater Hunter all the way to the Queensland border and all the way out to our western areas in places like Moree.

"Accordingly we have a statewide total fire ban in place and people need to heed that advice.''

Meanwhile, the Berkendale farm manager reported as not seen since Tuesday during a fire east of Bungendore, near the Kings Highway, has been found safe and well. The 10,000ha fire has also been brought under control.

Full coverage from NSW.

In Tasmania, authorities say the bushfire threat in the south east of the island remains high, despite cooler conditions across the state.

The fires have destroyed at least 128 homes across the state since last Friday, with the damage concentrated on the Tasman Peninsula, east of Hobart.

There have been no confirmed deaths, but police are conducting property-by-property searches for human remains in affected areas.

Confidence is rising that the worst bushfires in Tasmania in nearly half a century could be fatality free.

Police had held grave fears for up to 100 people but now say they have no concerns for any specific missing person.

Acting Commissioner Scott Tilyard said police were still to account for everyone but hopes were rising after searches of 850 sites.

''As time goes by that confidence gains but we're still yet to complete our searching process,'' he told reporters today.

''Until such time as we have then we really can't confirm that no one has passed away.

''The indications up until now are good and we hope that that continues.''

Victoria police have sent 20 officers to Tasmania to aid in the search efforts.

Temperatures were much cooler in southern Tasmania today, with Hobart only expected to reach a top of 16 degrees and snow forecast for mountainous areas.

A watch and act alert remains in place for the Forcett fires, which continues to burn out of control.

The Tasman Peninsula is still isolated from the rest of the state, with the Arthur Highway and several other major thoroughfares closed.

Hundreds remain at evacuation centres in Nubeena and at the Port Arthur historic site.

Energy supplier Aurora says thousands of staff are working to restore power to the area, but have warned residents could be in blackout for weeks to come.

Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings says the disaster is one of the state's worst since the devastating fires of February 1967, when 62 people lost their lives and thousands of homes were destroyed.

"People have lost everything. We can't comprehend that devastation unless we are in their shoes," Ms Giddings said on Tuesday.

Ms Giddings has established an interim bushfire committee to help co-ordinate the early stages of recovery and to appoint a taskforce with a full time chair.

The fires have consumed over 80,000 hectares since last week - more than one per cent of the island state's total land mass.

The Victorian police will be in Tasmania until at least the weekend.

Acting police commissioner Scott Tilyard said more than 700 properties had now been searched.

He said those regarded as missing may have just moved to different areas without registering their details with the National Registration Inquiry System.

"It's important to note that at this stage, police have no official missing persons reports," Mr Tilyard said.

"At this point, more than 2200 individuals have been identified as safe and well.

Full coverage from The Mercury

In the Northern Territory, the bushfire threat is relaxing with major blazes moving away from property and winds easing.

Bushfires NT senior fire control officer Geoff Kenna said that while there were several large fires still burning in central Australia none were threatening life or property.

''It (the bushfire threat) has certainly eased,'' Mr Kenna said.

''Fires are totally unpredictable but what is happening at this stage gives us confidence that property and life are not in danger,'' he said.

On Tuesday 110 guests and staff at the Kings Canyon Resort were evacuated as a fire reached the site, damaging buildings.

Mr Kenna said that from tomorrow staff would commence returning to the site, although the resort was closed to guests indefinitely.

A statement from the resort said there was smoke damage but only limited structural damage to the buildings.
Watarrka National Park was re-opened by authorities today.

Central Australia has been sweltering in recent days under a record-breaking heatwave, with heat records set in Alice Springs and at Yulara, near Uluru.


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MP sorry over Abbott 'stunt' remark

Tony Abbott prepares to help contain the Deans Gap fire. Picture: Dan Himbrechts Source: News Limited

FEDERAL Labor minister Brendan O'Connor has apologised for calling Tony Abbott's volunteer fire fighting a "stunt".

Mr Abbott has delayed his annual holiday to volunteer with the Davidson Rural Fire Brigade at Nowra, in southern NSW.

Mr Abbott has been a volunteer with his local brigade since 2000, served as its deputy captain before becoming Opposition Leader in 2009 and has direct experience fighting fires.

The Opposition Leader said yesterday on Twitter: "I'm now on my way to Sydney to be on standby with my local fire brigade."

Mr O'Connor retweeted Mr Abbott's message but added the tag "standbystunt".

Tony Abbott is briefed by the fire commander at Nowra RFS headquarters with the Davidson Rural Fire Service team. Picture: Dan Himbrechts

The minister deleted the message from his Twitter account and issued an apology today.

"Apologies for any offence. I respect and acknowledge the critical work of all our volunteer firefighters including Tony Abbott," Mr O'Connor wrote.

Mr Abbott issued a five-paragraph media release stating that he had been deployed to Nowra to assist with the bushfires.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott arrives at the Nowra RFS headquarters with the Davidson Rural Fire Service team. Picture: Dan Himbrechts


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Cyclone rapidly developing off WA coast

A closer look at Tropical Cyclone Narelle. Picture: Courtesy of the Bureau of Meteorology Source: Supplied

A TROPICAL cyclone is developing off Western Australia's north coast and could impact communities in the next few days.

Residents in areas from Whim Creek to Coral Bay in the Pilbara and Midwest Gascoyne regions have been warned to prepare their homes and family for severe storms.

This includes people in Whim Creek, Dampier, Karratha, Onslow, Exmouth and surrounding areas.

Tropical Cyclone Narelle is now 840km north of Karratha and 1000km north north-east of Exmouth, and is moving south-west at 10km per hour.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the category three cyclone was expected to intensify in the next few days as it moved towards Northwest Cape.

"Gales with gusts to 100 kilometres per hour are expected to develop in coastal areas between Whim Creek and Onslow including the Karratha area on Friday morning, then extend west to Exmouth and Coral Bay later on Friday or early Saturday,'' the bureau said.

Thunderstorm activity will increase around the Pilbara coast on Friday with isolated heavy rainfall possible, while winds are likely to increase further during Saturday around the west Pilbara coast.

The State Emergency Service advises residents to review their family cyclone plan and know the community cyclone alert system.

Residents have also been reminded to organise an emergency kit with a portable battery operated radio, torch, spare batteries and first aid kit.


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Australian tourist missing in NZ river

A man believed to be an Australian tourist is missing in the Waikato River in New Zealand. Source: Supplied

AN Australian tourist is missing after getting into trouble while swimming downstream from a dam on New Zealand's North Island.

The man, in his 20s, went for a swim in the area known as the Full James Rapids, downstream from the Aratiatia Dam on the Waikato River near Taupo, New Zealand police said this evening.

He started calling for help.

A female companion ran to the riverbank but he disappeared from view.

Police were called about 6.15pm (1615 AEDT).

A jetboat, jetski and inflatable are searching the river.

Police spokeswoman Kim Perks told AAP the search would continue tonight for as long as realistically possible.

She would not say where in Australia the man was from while his next of kin were being contacted.

The gates of the Aratiatia Dam, about 14km downstream from Lake Taupo, are opened several times a day to create temporary but spectacular rapids.

The last opening each day is at 4pm, which meant the rapids would have died down by the time the man went swimming.

It was not known if the man was a strong swimmer, Ms Perks said.


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