After turmoil, Maldivians go to polls

The Maldives is voting 19 months after the ouster of its first democratically-elected president. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA isn't the only country at the polls.

Asia's smallest nation, the Maldives, was voting on Saturday in the hope questions about the legitimacy of its government will finally be answered.

About 240,000 people were eligible to pick a leader from four candidates, including the country's first democratically elected president who says he was ousted in a coup d'etat 19 months ago.

Mohamed Nasheed, who won the country's first multi-party election in 2008, ending a 30-year autocracy, resigned last year after weeks of public protests and slipping support from the military and police.

He later said he was forced to resign at gunpoint by mutinying security forces and politicians backed by the country's former autocrat.

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We're in for a belting, says Katter

Many locals in Mount Isa turned out to vote in similar attire to Akubra-wearing MP Bob Katter (L). Source: AAP

BOB Katter believes he can hold his seat but his fledgling party is in for a "terrible belting".

He says he believes he can retain his north Queensland seat of Kennedy, despite a swing against him in early counting.

But he conceded that could change as the count goes on.

He said his party was not faring well in early counting.

"We are expecting a very bad result. They said a vote for us is a vote for the ALP in an election where the ALP was on the nose," Mr Katter told the Seven Network.

"And we were totally unable to answer that. We had no money."

"We are expecting a terrible belting. We know we're in a lot of trouble here."

He said Clive Palmer's party, which is polling strongly, was visible all the time, but "we weren't".

He added: "It's no secret we had massive disorganisation" internally, and in relation to the party's finances.

He said he did not regret forming his own party.

"Absolutely not. The party's still there."

With Mr Katter behind in the count in Kennedy, coalition MP Christopher Pyne said things were looking uncertain for the veteran MP.

"Bob won't be able to rely on all of the preferences to come from Labor and Green voters. So that will be quite messy," Mr Pyne told the Seven Network.

"I don't think Bob will know for some time whether he's back in parliament or not."

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Battle for Melbourne will be close: Bandt

THE battle to retain the Australian Greens' only lower house seat will come down to a handful of votes, deputy leader Adam Bandt says.

Mr Bandt is confident of claiming victory against Labor's Cath Bowtell in the seat of Melbourne which he holds by a six per cent margin, but admits it will be a close call.

"We've probably got our noses in front at this point but it is going to be very close and it will come down to a handful of votes," he said outside a polling booth in Melbourne.

In 2010, Mr Bandt wrested the seat from Labor for the first time in a century but won via Liberal preferences.

This time the Liberals have preferenced the Greens last and the minor party needs a four per cent boost in primary votes to win.

"We know that we are trying to do something that hasn't been done before and that is win a lower house seat here in our own right," Mr Bandt said.

Mr Bandt says voters "certainly don't want Tony Abbott" and are fed up in a race to the bottom by the major parties.

He says voters have a choice between a Labor backbencher likely to be in a demoralised opposition or a party who will be in the balance of power in the Senate and be an insurance against Mr Abbott's "brutal" agenda.

"Unlike the Labor Party, I won't vote Tony Abbott to send refugees offshore," he said.

Ms Bowtell agrees voters are worried about getting a Liberal government, but only Labor can form government and protect voters from what she says will be the impacts of the East West tunnel, expand the rail network and invest in education.

"The only party that can form government and keep the Liberals out is the Labor Party," she said, after casting her vote in Melbourne.

She says the Greens are making lots of pledges they cannot deliver on.

"The Greens are promising lots of things but that is a dishonest promise that you make to people because the Greens will not form government and you have to form government to do the things that people want," she said.

"If I'm elected, I'll be a strong voice in the Labor caucus in government or in the alternative government and really, at election day, we choose the government."

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Bright poll day ends in chaos for Abbott

TONY Abbott started in God's country, but has passed through hell before a likely finish in election paradise.

The targeting of Labor's southern Sydney seat of Barton backfired spectacularly on the opposition leader, who had to be whisked away by security after being jostled by angry protesters.

As soon as he stepped out of his car at Athelstane Public School at Arncliffe, Mr Abbott was surrounded by Labor faithful, refugee supporters and backers of a local independent.

He could barely move in the crush, as protesters screamed "you're not welcome here Tony - f*** off!", "go away Tony" and "shame Tony shame".

The opposition leader tried to soldier on, as Liberal supporters countered the abuse with their own chants of "Tony, Tony".

But after five minutes, security staff were forced to put a stop to the increasingly rowdy polling booth visit, ushering a rattled Mr Abbott through the throng and back into his car.

The debacle at the school - in outgoing Labor MP Robert McClelland's seat - was a rare blemish in the coalition's five-week campaign.

The opposition leader voted just after 8am at Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club, flanked by an at times emotional wife Margie, and daughters Bridget, Frances and Louise.

"The rhythm of life is always better on the beach, isn't it?" Mr Abbott said as he mingled with well-wishers on the glorious spring morning.

Asked who he had voted for, an upbeat Mr Abbott couldn't resist a joke at his expense.

"It's a secret ballot," he said.

Not everyone on Sydney's northern beaches was welcoming of Australia's possible next PM.

"F*** Tony Abbott. F*** that s***," said one women as she walked from the Freshwater polling booth.

Another woman held up a sign "TONY ABBOTT SEXIST RACIST BIGOT".

"Don't go there Australia," she repeatedly yelled out.

"This is the 21st century, not the 1950s."

Later, Mr Abbott handed out how-to-vote cards at Maroubra Junction Public School, in a last-minute show of support for Kingsford Smith candidate Michael Feneley.

The coalition are hoping to snatch the once safe Labor seat in southeast Sydney, vacated by Peter Garrett.

"It's a beautiful day for a spring clean," one Liberal volunteer told him.

"Absolutely," the opposition leader agreed.

"For a clean out of our parliament."

Labor's candidate, former Senator Matt Thistlethwaite, handed out how-to-vote cards nearby.

The morning was "going well" he said, but added: "It's going to be tight".

"We're not taking it for granted, and we're campaigning as hard as we can," he told AAP.

Asked if he minded being targeted by Mr Abbott, he said: "No."

"Welcome to paradise mate."

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Peaks to be named after Hillary, Tenzing

Two Himalayan peaks will be named after Sir Edmund Hillary (R) and Tenzing Norgay. Source: AAP

NEPAL will honour the men who first conquered Mt Everest by naming two Himalayan peaks after Sir Edmund Hillary and his climbing partner, Tenzing Norgay.

The two were the first to make it to the top of the world's highest mountain in May 1953.

A Nepalese government panel has recommended two unnamed mountains be called Hillary Peak and Tenzing Peak, the panel's head Ang Tshering Sherpa told Reuters on Friday.

"This is to honour their contribution to mountaineering in Nepal," he said.

The two peaks - Hillary's at 7681m and Tenzing's at 7916m - have never been climbed, but are expected to be opened to climbers in March.

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Fiji passes new constitution

Fiji's president has signed a new constitution in another step towards free elections next year. Source: AAP

FIJI'S military regime has passed a new constitution in a step that's raising both hopes and concerns among many who want democracy restored to the South Pacific island nation.

The regime that seized power in a 2006 coup says the constitution is another step towards holding free elections next year. The document lays out the framework for a democracy, including a parliament consisting of 50 representatives elected every four years on the basis of one person, one vote.

But many say the constitution also curtails freedoms and is self-serving to the regime. The constitution allows for some freedoms to be suspended when leaders perceive a threat to public safety, order or morality - exemptions that critics say are broad enough to allow rulers to repress opponents.

Fiji police on Friday arrested about a dozen people, including a former prime minister, who were apparently peacefully protesting the new constitution, highlighting the restrictions that opposition groups continue to face.

It's the country's fourth constitution since 1970. It was signed by President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau and will take effect on Saturday. It comes after a draft prepared by an outside expert, Yash Ghai, was discarded by the regime, which then came up with its own version.

Fiji's leader, Frank Bainimarama, said the constitution enshrines principles including an independent judiciary, a secular state, and a range of civil, political, and socio-economic rights. He said it provides a blueprint for the country to move forward.

"On any fair reading, it safeguards the rights of every Fijian and finally lays the basis for the development of a modern, progressive and enlightened state," he said.

Bainimarama plans to contest next year's elections.

Mick Beddoes, a spokesman for the opposition group United Front for a Democratic Fiji, said the constitution was not a document of the people. He and former prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry were among those arrested and taken into custody for about two hours during Friday's protests.

Advocacy group Human Rights Watch said provisions in the constitution that grant forgiveness for past abuses and coups will give complete immunity to coup leaders.

"Rarely has a whitewash of past rights abuses been so sweeping and absolute," said Phil Robertson, the group's deputy Asia director, in a statement.

He said Bainimarama's government has consistently attacked its critics and that the military and police have indiscriminately arrested and detained human rights defenders, journalists, and labour leaders.

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Xenophon launches attack on the Greens

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has accused the Greens of lying over his preference deals. Source: AAP

INDEPENDENT Senator Nick Xenophon has launched a stinging attack on the Australian Greens, accusing the party of lying over his preference deals.

On the eve of the federal poll, Senator Xenophon said he would "rather lose an election than lie."

"By only telling half the truth the Greens are telling a lie," the South Australian senator told reporters on Friday.

His comments continued his stoush with the Greens which has been waging for most of the election campaign after the two groups failed to do a deal on preferences in the state.

SA Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young probably needs Senator Xenophon's help to retain her seat in the parliament.

He has decided instead to split his preferences between the Liberal and Labor parties.

Senator Hanson-Young says that gives the Liberals the opportunity to take a third Senate seat in SA and possibly take control of the upper house.

"Nick Xenophon has done the wrong thing in this election campaign," Senator Hanson-Young said.

"He is giving (opposition leader) Tony Abbott the opportunity to take another seat.

"I know Nick's been a bit upset about me going and telling the truth. The fact is I wanted to work with Nick ... he decided to work with Tony Abbott."

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie backed Senator Xenophon, saying the Greens were running a misleading campaign about the hardworking South Australian.

"I've worked closely with Nick Xenophon over the past three years and I know for a fact that he is fiercely Independent and not beholden to anyone," Mr Wilkie said in a statement.

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North and South Korea restore hotline

NORTH Korea and South Korea have reopened a cross-border military hotline, paving the way for the reopening of their shared Kaesong industrial complex, officials in Seoul say.

"The first test call was successfully made between the two Koreas this morning," said an official at South Korea's Unification Ministry on Friday.

The call was made after the two sides agreed on Thursday to restore the telephone and fax lines used for cross-border communications, which North Korea shut down on March 27.

Kaesong has been shuttered for the past 163 days amid heightened tensions on the peninsula.

The two Koreas agreed in August to work towards reopening the Kaesong industrial complex, which hosted 123 South Korean factories and employed more than 53,000 North Korean labourers before Pyongyang closed it in April.

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SA man arrested over Vic indecent assaults

A MAN who allegedly followed two women in the Melbourne CBD and indecently assaulted them will be charged on summons.

A 22-year-old South Australian man was arrested over the two incidents on Queen Street on July 26.

He will be charged on summons with two counts of indecent assault and will appear in a Melbourne court at a later date, police said on Thursday.

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Harbour Bridge robots are winners

ROBOTS that do most of the dirty work on the Sydney Harbour Bridge have been recognised in a prestigious science award.

The Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) and the Sydney University of Technology collaborated on the technology and are the finalist in the ANSTO Eureka Prize for innovative use of technology.

"It's a fantastic recognition for the two grit-blasting robots which help carry out two-thirds of the dirty work to maintain our iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge," an RMS spokesman said.

"The 25 kilogram robots use internal sensors and cameras to locate old paint and grit to then blast the material away as part of the $20 million annual maintenance program on the bridge."

The technology is a culmination of six years of development and can be applied to any steel infrastructure around the world.

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Bird still waiting for visa to return home

Australian Dominic Bird, acquitted of drug charges in Malaysia, could be back in Perth within hours. Source: AAP

EDS: Adds details of possible appeal in final pars

By Karlis Salna and Rebecca Le May

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 AAP - A Perth man acquitted in Malaysia on drug-trafficking charges won't be home in time for dinner as hoped because his legal team is still scrambling to secure his visa.

Dominic Bird, 33, was taken into custody in Kuala Lumpur on March 1 last year, accused of supplying an undercover policeman with 167 grams of methamphetamine.

The possession of more than 50 grams carries a mandatory death penalty in Malaysia.

On Wednesday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court found him not guilty, with Justice Kamardin Hashim saying the prosecution had failed to prove its case and the defence had raised reasonable doubt.

The swift verdict was a surprise because only closing submissions were expected.

However Mr Bird hasn't been able to return home because his visa expired while he was in prison.

His lawyer, Tania Scivetti, has been working furiously to arrange a new visa since 9am (1100 AEST), and had earlier in the day said she hoped he would return to Perth "before dinner".

But at about 4pm (1800 AEST), she said the matter was still unresolved.

If her client was not able to catch a plane on Thursday night, it was hoped he would be home within days, Ms Scivetti said.

"We are waiting for a reply from the immigration department," she told AAP.

"Once we receive a reply - I'm hoping it's going to be a favourable reply, and I don't see why it wouldn't be a favourable reply - then he'll be back on the next plane back to Perth.

"We've sent a letter to immigration informing them that there was no offence committed by our client on the basis that when he entered Malaysia, he had a valid visa and the reason why his visa has since expired is because of his detention.

"On that basis they should ... do what they've got to do so he can exit the country."

It's understood Mr Bird is not being held behind bars.

"They shouldn't be holding him for much longer, but we have to await the decision," Ms Scivetti said.

The defence team, led by barrister Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, argued during the trial Mr Bird had been set up by Inspector Luther Nurjib - the prosecution's star witness - who was last week found guilty of contempt of court for threatening and attempting to bribe another witness.

Insp Nurjib could face further charges.

If the prosecution wants to appeal the verdict, it would need to do so by September 14.

"We are still considering whether or not to appeal," prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib told AAP.

"We have 10 days to decide."

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Coalition will turn budget around: Hockey

Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey will release the coalition's full list of costings on Thursday. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIANS can go to the election confident a coalition government can afford its policies and improve the federal budget, shadow treasurer Joe Hockey says.

The opposition waited until two days before the election campaign to release its policy costings and announce a bottom line injection of $6 billion by 2016/17, if it wins government.

"We are turning around the direction of the budget," Mr Hockey said in Melbourne on Thursday.

But Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Mr Hockey's costings amounted to a few "flimsy bits of paper" that didn't give voters the necessary detail.

"What are they hiding?" he said.

If Mr Hockey becomes treasurer, he says federal budget spending of $33 billion will be more than offset by cuts or savings of $40 billion over four years.

The biggest single saving - $14.7 billion - will come from scrapping Labor's mining tax package and related spending measures, such as the Schoolkids Bonus, small business tax breaks and the low-income superannuation top-up.

Scrapping the carbon tax will cost about $6 billion, because a coalition government will have to forego revenue of $13.6 billion and still pay for household compensation and pension increases.

But the Parliamentary Budget Office, which assessed the coalition's costings, estimates the budget would be $1.1 billion better off due to a "surge" in economic activity from dumping carbon pricing.

The estimate wasn't included in the opposition's costings tables.

The coalition estimates its $5.5 billion a year paid parental leave scheme, to be partly funded by a 1.5 per cent levy on 3000 companies, will generate a net $1.7 billion budget benefit by 2016/17 as that tax revenue begins to outstrip running costs.

However, Mr Hockey said the current growth rate of Australia's foreign aid budget wasn't feasible so this would be reduced to free up $4.5 billion for other priorities such as road projects.

"Only the coalition will live within its means and get Australia back on the path of strong economic growth," he said.

Mr Albanese criticised the aid budget cut and warned the coalition was also planning to dump $4.7 billion worth of rail infrastructure projects.

"Ripping billions of dollars out of the infrastructure budget ... would be an act of economic vandalism," he said.

Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia CEO Lee White said while budget cuts were necessary due to the challenging fiscal conditions, cutting foreign aid was a "big step in the wrong direction".

"We have a moral responsibility as a wealthy nation to support those that need assistance," he said.

As previously announced, the coalition also plans to lower the company tax rate to 28.5 per cent, from 30 per cent, at a cost of $4.9 billion.

BDO national tax director Lance Cunningham said the coalition was "tinkering round the edges" of a tax system that needed more fundamental reforms.

The Tax Institute's tax counsel Deepti Paton agreed, saying without a commitment to reform, the tax system would become "a handbrake on growth over the coming decades".

The coalition didn't commit to a timeframe to deliver a budget surplus.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has previously said a coalition government would be on track to a "believable" surplus by the end of its first three-year term.

The pre-election economic and fiscal outlook forecast a $4.2 billion surplus in 2016/17.

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Boss denies harassment claims in court

ENERGY Australia's managing director denies he promoted a culture of sexual harassment at the company, saying he previously enjoyed a very good relationship with a woman who has made claims against the supplier.

Kate Shea claims she was wrongfully sacked from Energy Australia for highlighting a culture "where sexual harassment is condoned".

Ms Shea, 47, has accused the company's managing director Richard McIndoe of commenting on the weight and appearance of employees and joking about pornography in the workplace.

Mr McIndoe denied the claims in the Federal Court, saying the only time he commented on a staff member's appearance was to request that one woman wore less revealing clothes into the office.

Ms Shea also alleges a human resources manager had to follow Mr McIndoe around the 2010 company Christmas party to ensure he didn't sexually harass staff.

But Mr McIndoe said he was released from hospital with 120 stitches just days before that party after having a tumour removed from his neck.

"I was in a great deal of pain and quite frail," he told the court on Monday.

Mr McIndoe said he and Ms Shea had shared a good personal and professional relationship before she made the accusations in mid 2011.

He said the pair often went out for lunch and drinks and had dined together with their partners.

Ms Shea has alleged in court that Energy Australia's chief financial officer Kevin Holmes, who has since left the company, touched her inappropriately on a work trip to Hong Kong in February 2010.

The former corporate affairs director is claiming compensation for loss of earnings and reinstatement to her role.

Energy Australia says Ms Shea lost her job in February 2012 as part of a necessary restructure.

The trial continues.

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Firefighter arsonist appeals jail term

A FORMER Rural Fire Service volunteer who lit a string of fires before helping to put them out has walked from court, hours after he was sentenced to a minimum 12 months in jail.

Magistrate Michelle Goodwin on Monday sentenced 20-year-old Joshua Staples to 18 months' jail with a non-parole period of one year.

But the offender has been let out on bail while he waits for his appeal to be heard next month.

Moments after the sentence was handed down, Staples' father shook his head as his son was handcuffed and led from Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court.

His mother grinned and called out "You right mate?" to her boy.

The Badgerys Creek man was later released on bail.

He was convicted of deliberately starting multiple grass and bin fires at Bringelly, Badgerys Creek and Greendale in January 2011.

In several cases, Staples doubled back to help fellow RFS firefighters extinguish the blazes, the court heard.

His lawyer had pushed for a part-time or non-custodial sentence.

"The offences are out of character for him, he's unlikely to reoffend, and has positive prospects for rehabilitation," Michael Coroneos told the court.

Mr Coroneos said his client was barely 18 when he lit the fires.

"He was one month and 21 days over the cut-off mark," he said.

Ms Goodwin said a psychiatrist's report showed there were "no psychiatric issues apparent" but "the offender still maintains his innocence".

"It is therefore difficult to assess any prospects for rehabilitation," she said before handing down her sentence.

"I am firmly of the view that the only appropriate sentence ... will be a sentence of full-time custody."

Staples' grandmother Veletta Heron, who crucially told Staples' hearing that her grandson had broken down at her kitchen table and confessed to lighting the fires, was not in court to see him sentenced.

The appeal is set to be heard in the Downing Centre District Court on October 23.

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Sica could seek High Court appeal

CONVICTED Queensland triple murderer Max Sica could seek to have his conviction overturned by the High Court of Australia.

It would be the 43-year-old's final avenue of appeal, after the Supreme Court of Queensland dismissed an appeal on Monday.

Sica was last year jailed for a minimum of 35 years for the murders of former girlfriend Neelma Singh, 24, and her siblings Kunal, 18, and Sidhi, 12.

Their bodies were found in the spa of their family home in the outer Brisbane suburb of Bridgeman Downs in April 2003.

Sica was not in court on Monday but family members told reporters outside court there would be a High Court appeal.

"We lost the battle but not the war," Sica's father Carlo Sica said.

Mr Sica and his wife Anna Sica had loudly protested in court when Justice John Muir delivered the decision.

"There is no justice. Shame on you," Mr Sica called out.

Outside court Sica's brother Claudio said there was "irrefutable" evidence the Singh siblings were murdered by someone else.

Mrs Sica said her son had been set up by police.

Sica has always maintained his innocence.

He appealed his conviction on the grounds that he should have been given a judge-only trial and that some evidence should not have been admitted during his trial.

The evidence included police interviews with Sica and the evidence of expert witnesses concerning footprints found at the scene of the crime.

Sica also sought leave to appeal his sentence on the grounds it was excessive.

But the Court of Appeal ruled on Monday there was no error by the trial judge concerning the admission of evidence.

The three appeal judges also did not accept that the trial judge's refusal to make a no-jury order was grounds for an appeal.

Justices Muir, Robert Gotterson and Peter Applegarth also disagreed that Sica's sentence was excessive.

"Neelma, Kunal and Sidhi Singh were deprived of the possibility of having long and fulfilling lives," they wrote.

"Their parents and surviving sibling were deprived of their companionship, love and support ... they were condemned to lifelong misery and suffering."

Sica or his legal team have 28 days to apply to the High Court for leave to appeal.

They would need to show the matter is of general public importance.

It's understood that if leave to appeal is refused the court is unlikely to change its mind at a later date.

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Man guilty of rioting at Sydney protest

A MAN who gave an emotional apology for failing to stand for a magistrate in court has been found guilty of rioting at a Sydney protest over an anti-Islamic film.

Mohammed Issai Issaka claimed he got caught up in the violence during the September 2012 protest in Sydney's CBD and only lashed out at police officers in self-defence.

He had pleaded not guilty to rioting, resisting arrest and assault.

But on Monday Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge found Issaka had been a rallying figure and had helped lead the chanting.

"This mob, and it turned into a mob, was screaming and chanting as one organism," she said.

Issaka's lawyer Stephen Hopper told the Downing Centre Local Court that police had not made their case, and could not say that Issaka's wide eyes and wild gestures warranted his arrest.

"The defendant was probably scared as hell that he was going to get beaten up by the riot squad," Mr Hopper said.

Ms Milledge agreed that some protesters had probably planned on joining a peaceful protest and must have been bewildered by the shouting, violence and the placards saying "Behead all those who insult the prophet".

"But Mr Issaka is not one of them, he's captured on that footage leading and jumping and chanting," Ms Milledge said.

"Not even the other members of the protest could stop him from carrying on the way he was ... I find all the offences proved."

Her decision came hours after Issaka delivered an emotional apology to the court for failing to stand for the magistrate during his last appearance.

Dressed in a kufi cap and white robes, Issaka broke down after offering his "unreserved apology".

"I had formed a sincere religious belief that I did not have to stand for any man or woman," he said.

"It was never my intention to show contempt or disrespect to the court or your honour by not standing."

He stood and sobbed as Ms Milledge accepted his apology.

Issaka pulled a white cloth over his head and shoulders before stepping outside court, where he refused to comment to the waiting media, telling reporters simply to "speak to my lawyer".

He remains on bail to be sentenced on November 12.

Police prosecutor Matthew Baker asked that Ms Milledge consider a custodial sentence but would not comment further outside court.

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