Cyclone warning for coastal and island NT

A WARNING continues for north-eastern parts of the Northern Territory over concerns ex-cyclone Gillian may re-intensify.

The Bureau of Meteorology extended the cyclone warning to coastal and island communities from Elcho Island to Cape Shield, including Nhulunbuy, on Saturday afternoon.

The bureau reports that, while ex-tropical cyclone Gillian had weakened below cyclone intensity, it is now expected to move west, passing to the north of Nhulunbuy on Sunday.

It is expected to then move west off the north coast of the Top End.

There is a risk it may re-intensify into a cyclone, the bureau said.

Gales with gusty winds to 110km/h may develop at Cape Shield and Elcho Island.

Communities under watch have been advised to begin home shelter preparations.

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Jet disappeared 'deliberately': Malaysia

Some experts theorise one of the pilots or someone else hijacked the missing Malaysia Airlines jet. Source: AAP

THE missing Malaysian airliner was apparently deliberately diverted and flown for hours after vanishing from radar, said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, stopping short of confirming a hijack as the "excruciating" jet drama moved into uncharted new territory.

Najib said on Saturday that investigators believed "with a high degree of certainty" that Malaysia Airlines flight 370's communications systems were manually switched off, and that the plane veered westward in a fashion "consistent with deliberate action" after dropping off primary radar.

But he told a highly-anticipated press conference watched around the world that he could not confirm rising suspicions that the plane had been forcibly taken over.

"Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, I wish to be very clear: we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path," he said.

The investigation data appeared to cast aside a host of theories attempting to explain the plane's disappearance, which has transfixed the world and left the families of the 239 passengers and crew distraught, enraged and baying for information that authorities have not been able to provide.

These include the notion of a sudden mid-air explosion or a catastrophic equipment or structural failure, or a crash into the South China Sea.

At the same time, it opened a whole new avenue of possible speculation, including an attempted 9/11-style attack, enhancing the twist-and-turn mystery surrounding one of the biggest enigmas in modern aviation history.

Final satellite communication with the Boeing 777 flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing came more than six-and-a-half hours after it vanished from civilian radar at 1.30am on March 8, Najib said.

He said investigators had concluded the plane was indeed diverted to the west from its original flight path, and as a result search operations in the South China Sea were being called off.

But the remaining area remained dauntingly large. Najib said the plane could be anywhere from "Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, or a southern corridor stretching approximately from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean".

Earlier, a senior Malaysian military official said investigators now believe the plane was commandeered by a "skilled, competent and current pilot," but stopped short of specifying whether a hijacker or member of the crew was suspected.

"He knew how to avoid the civilian radar. He appears to have studied how to avoid it," the official said.

As the search for the plane continues, the focus in the gripping saga will shift to who would have diverted the plane and why.

Malaysian security officials were already embarrassed by revelations earlier in the week that two Iranian men had managed to board the plane using stolen European passports.

It could also bring new attention on Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, and his First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27.

An Australian television report broadcast an interview with a young South African woman who alleged Fariq and another pilot colleague invited them into the cockpit of a flight he co-piloted in 2011 - a breach of post-9/11 security rules.

The Boeing 777 vanished over waters between Malaysia and southern Vietnam. The night was clear and no distress signal was received.

Even with attention now firmly on the Indian Ocean, the search parameters pose enormous logistical challenges.

The vast Indian Ocean has an average depth of nearly 3,900 metres and any debris would have been widely dispersed by currents after a week.

"Wind and sea conditions are definitely going to play a very big part if there is wreckage, and if it happens to be in the Indian Ocean. It is an immense area," said Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor for aviation industry magazine FlightGlobal.

The plane has one of the best safety records of any jet, and the airline also has a solid record.

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Liberals win majority government in Tassie

Over 360,000 Tasmanians will vote in 305 polling places from Hobart to King Island in Bass Strait. Source: AAP

TASMANIA'S Liberals is set for a crushing election victory and a return to office in the island state for the first time in 16 years.

Will Hodgman has led the party to victory at his second attempt and will become the first Liberal premier of the state since Tony Rundle.

Polls had predicted a bloodbath for Labor, who shared power with the Greens for the past four years, and experts were calling the result with barely 10 per cent of the vote counted.

Labor was hard hit in the north and the Greens had also lost electoral support.

Under Tasmania's unique Hare-Clark electoral system, where five members are elected in each seat, the Liberals needed to pick up three for a majority in the 25-seat lower house.

They looked set to win 14, while Labor had won five, the Greens two with four still in doubt.

But in the popular vote it was a landslide, the Liberals claiming at least 53 per cent, a swing of 14, and Mr Hodgman the highest personal tally of any candidate.

The 44-year-old father of three young children comes from a long line of Hodgmans involved in Tasmanian politics, but will be the family's first premier.

His late father Michael was a popular Fraser government minister and state politician.

His grandfather Bill Hodgman and uncle Peter were also members of the state parliament.

Also in Mr Hodgman's electorate of Franklin, Labor premier Lara Giddings looked likely to hold her seat but leadership hopeful David O'Byrne was under threat.

Greens leader Nick McKim also looked safe.

Polls taken in the final weeks of the campaign had the Liberals flying.

A Newspoll had the party at 53 per cent to the ALP's 23 and the Greens' 16.

Mr Hodgman was trumpeted as "Mr 54.6 per cent" by Hobart newspaper The Mercury.

The Liberals have promised boosts to health and education as well as the axing of 500 public service positions and budget savings of $500 million.

But they confront unemployment of 7.3 per cent, the nation's highest, and a budget blowout of $450 million over the forwards estimates.

Earlier, Ms Giddings appeared resigned to a loss.

"Of course it's going to be a difficult day, a tough day for Labor, but one where we won't give up until the very last," she told reporters as she voted in Hobart.

The ALP reportedly mounted a last-ditch campaign blitz with early morning text messages on Saturday morning.

Mr Hodgman questioned their use of robo-calls during the campaign.

"The Labor party have used my voice in their robo-calls," he said.

"I think that's unfortunate but it's part and parcel of campaigning."

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SA election still too close to call

About one million people are set to cast their ballots to decide the next state government of SA. Source: AAP

THE South Australian election is neck and neck with almost a quarter of the vote counted, as swings varied widely across the state.

The early results had both Labor and Liberals winning 19 seats each in the 47-seat parliament with two others also likely to remain in the hands of independents.

That left seven in doubt with opposition leading in several of those but Labor looking set to win the inner suburban seat of Adelaide from the Liberals.

On the primary statewide vote the swing to the opposition was three per cent with the swing away from Labor 1.6 per cent.

Going into the election the Liberals needed to pick up six seats to govern in their own right or at least three to have any chance of forming a minority government.

Labor held six of its seats on a margin of 2.7 per cent or less.

Despite the result remaining in doubt, Labor looks set to lose a number of ministers even if they can hang onto government.

Transport Services Minister Chloe Fox in Bright and Employment Minister Grace Portolesi in Hartley were both in trouble while Manufacturing Minister Tom Kenyon was behind early but could hang on.

Labor was also trailing in a number of other seats including the seat of Ashford, but was leading in Elder where the Liberals accused the government of a racist slur against their candidate Carolyn Habib by distributing a pamphlet which just featured her surname on the cover.

Earlier today Premier Jay Weatherill said he expected the result to be close with the election to be decided in a number of key seats.

"Obviously there are a range of seats that are going to be battleground seats. A large number of them this time," he said.

With the count so close a hung parliament also remained on the cards.

Mr Weatherill said he was focussed on winning a majority of seats, while Liberal leader Steven Marshall said the opposition had not ruled out forming a minority government.

"I've never ruled that out but I do say that it would be great for a government to govern in their own right here in South Australia," Mr Marshall said.

Just over 1.1 million South Australians were enrolled to vote.

About 70,000 of those cast their ballots early at voting centres across the state with about 86,000 people also expected to lodge postal votes.

Those votes could ultimately prove crucial.

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Life sentence for Daniel’s killer

Years before Brett Cowan abducted Daniel Morcombe he appeared in this interview from Front Up in 1999. Courtesy: SBS

Daniel Morcombe was abducted and murdered by Brett Cowan. Source: News Corp Australia

THE serial pedophile found guilty of murdering Queensland schoolboy Daniel Morcombe has been sentenced to life in prison, with the judge saying he is "beyond rehabilitation".

Brett Peter Cowan, 44, will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.

In an emotional address, Supreme Court Justice Roslyn Atkinson set a minimum non-parole period of 20 years, but added he should never be released.

Cowan showed no emotion as sentence was passed.

Justice Atkinson was required to sentence Cowan to a non-parole period of at least 15 years, but said she felt Cowan's crimes warranted a harsher penalty.

"Everything about what you did to that child was horrific and disgraceful,'' she told Cowan in the Brisbane courtroom.

"This is not just a murder, but a terrible murder. It has had widespread and shocking impacts.''

She said it was important to also make it clear the community denounced the conduct in which he was involved and to protect the Queensland community from him.

"For the offence of murder the only sentence available is life imprisonment and yours is a case where that sentence is certainly appropriate,'' she said.

"For the reasons set out by the learned prosecutor in his addres I am able to set a parole eligibility date later than 15 years, which is the statutory minimum.''

She said in view of his criminal history and ``enormity'' of the crimes he had committed it was appropriate to set parole eligibility after 20 years served in jail.

"They should take into account that you are a plausible and opportunistic liar before they consider any view you might have about whether or not you have been rehabilitated,'' she said.

She said on count two, the charge of indecently dealing with a child, she sentenced Cowan to 3.5 years in jail to be served concurrently with the life sentence.

Justice Atkinson said she sentenced him to misconduct with a corpse at the maximum available penalty, two years in jail to be served concurrently.

She took into account 945 days Cowan had served in pre-sentence custody.

Jurors on Thursday found the 44-year-old father of three guilty of indecently dealing with 13-year-old Daniel, murdering him and interfering with his corpse after luring him from a Sunshine Coast bus stop on December 7, 2003.

The Morcombes did not wish to be present for sentencing. They were instead at a fundraising event for the Daniel Morcombe Foundation at Carbrook Golf Club.

A clearly emotional Justice Roslyn Atkinson addressed Cowan before passing sentence.

She said Cowan saw an opportunity on the day he took Daniel Morcombe.

"You were, in your own words an opportunistic offender, you were waiting for an opportunity,'' she said.

Supreme Court Judge Roslyn Atkinson made an emotional closing statement before sentencing Cowan. Source: News Limited

She said Cowan offered the boy a lift, a plausible story and told him you were waiting for a friend.

"You didn't look like a monster, you didn't look like a paedophile you looked like an ordinary persona and you persuaded him that would be a safe thing for him to do,'' she said.

Justice Atkinson said Cowan took Daniel to an isolated area off Kings Rd.

"He didn't know what your intentions were. When you got him inside, you indecently dealt with him, you attempted to pull down his pants, he was obviously horrified, he resisted and tried to run away,'' she said.

"You knew that if he ran away he would be able to identify you, your car, the place where you'd taken him, your registration number, you knew if he ran away you'd be caught so you killed him.

"Killed him because you didn't want to get caught. Killed him intending to kill him.''

MORE NEWS:

WHAT THE JURY WASN'T TOLD ABOUT BRETT COWAN

'DANIEL'S KILLER RAPED ME TOO'

SPECIAL FEATURE: CATCHING THE DEVIL

Justice has been served for the family of Daniel Morcombe, with Brett Peter Cowan found guilty of his murder

Justice Atkinson said it would have taken more than ``a few seconds'' to kill him.

"You put his body in the back of a car, drove to the old sandmining site…,'' she said.

"You covered him with branches and left him. When you returned a week later his body was for the most part gone, no doubt disturbed and torn apart by wild animals.''

She said everything about what Cowan had done to the boy was ``horrific and disgraceful''.

"This is not just a murder but a terrible murder. It has had widespread and shocking impacts of course and primarily, on his family, his parents and of course his two brothers, particularly his twin brothers.

"But you gave no thought to them and its not apparent to me that you've ever given any thought to that or to them.

"I've seen no evidence in the months you've been in this court … that you ever felt any remorse for what you did apart from feeling sorry for yourself that you might get caught.''

She said the abduction of a child in broad daylight by a stranger was very unusual and for that "we can all be extremely grateful''.

"The fear of the stranger drives fear into the hearts of everyone in the community that vulnerable children might be taken by a predator like you and dealt with in this way,'' she said.

"These are chilling and disgraceful crimes.''

Media swarm the prison van carrying Brett Cowan to jail after his sentencing Source: News Corp Australia

She said Cowan was now aged 44, but was 34 when he killed Daniel Morcombe.

Justice Atkinson said he had committed terrible crimes throughout his life, escalating in offending.

"When I talk about your upbringing of course it reminds me of other victims of these crimes: your family, your parents, siblings and most terribly your own children who will forever be associated with you and your name,'' she said.

She said Cowan's criminal history commenced when he was 17 and convicted for break and enter and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

Justice Atkinson said Cowan was convicted in the District Court in Brisbane with indecent dealing with a boy under 14 on September 8, 1989, a crime committed on December 5, 1987.

She said the boy was seven-years-old and Cowan was acquitted of the offence of sodomy.

"You were sentenced to two years imprisonment,'' she said.

She said Cowan continued to offend in minor ways, but most importantly went to the Northern Territory and committed a ``horrific'' series of offences against a small boy who was only six.

"Again you just took advantage of an opportunity to commit acts of sexual violence against this child,'' she said.

Justice Atkinson said Cowan was convicted of an aggravated act of gross indecency, deprivation of liberty and another offence in relation to the offence.

She said Cowan was sentenced to seven years and ``pretended to be keen to be rehabilitated''.

"You are a convincing, plausible and adaptive liar and you are prepared to lie to advance your own interests,'' she said.

Killer Brett Peter Cowan. He is responsible for sex attacks on up to 30 children and was previously jailed for nearly killing a young boy in a brutal frenzy. Source: Supplied

"None of the Morcombe family wish to be present for the sentencing proceedings, for reasons that are personal to them,'' Crown prosecutor Michael Byrne QC said.

He said the family had asked him to pass on their gratitude to the court.

Detectives who worked the case sat in the seats at the front of the public gallery that Bruce and Denise Morcombe had filled since the commencement of the trial on February 10.

Cowan, also known as Shaddo N-unyah Hunter, stood in the prisoner's dock wearing the same grey suit jacket he has been dressed in over the past five weeks.

Justice Atkinson had words to those who called for longer or harsher sentences against sex offenders.

"People who call for longer or harsher sentences against sex offenders need to consider the evidence in this case that Mr Cowan killed Daniel Morcombe to avoid detection and if the sentence for a sex offence is the same as a sentence for murder, my concern is that would act as a perverse incentive to offenders to kill victims,'' she said.

"Killing a victim is worse than sexual offending against a victim and this case is an example of that.

"I just want to ensure that I have said that, so that those who call for greater sentencing of sex offenders have to be aware that this is not an area where there are simple solutions.

``That is not to suggest the courts should or do go easy on sex offenders whose behaviour is of course, entirely abhorrent.''

Justice Atkinson first heard then rejected an application from The Courier Mail and other media to broadcast the sentencing.

The crown prosecution had argued that Cowan should be jailed without parole for longer than the mandatory minimum 15 years.

Jurors on Thursday found the 44-year-old father of three guilty of indecently dealing with 13-year-old Daniel, murdering him and interfering with his corpse after luring him from a Sunshine Coast bus stop on December 7, 2003.

Decades before the disappearance of schoolboy Daniel Morcombe, his killer, Brett Peter Cowan was abducting and molesting children.

After deliberating for almost eight hours, the jury was discharged on Thursday after reaching a unanimous verdict.

The Courier Mail is now able to reveal Cowan's perverted sexual past, which includes horrific sex attacks on boys in Brisbane and Darwin in 1987 and 1993, for which he served nine years in jail.

During sentencing submissions before Supreme Court justice Rosyln Atkinson, crown prosecutor Michael Byrne QC argued Cowan deserved a longer sentence.

He cited Cowan's previous convictions, which the jury was not told about, including the rape of boys aged six and seven.

But Cowan's defence lawyer, Angus Edwards, argued his client deserved a more lenient sentence because he didn't intentionally kill Daniel.

Daniel's parents Bruce and Denise have tendered victim impact statements describing the anguish of losing their son at the hands of a child molester.

With Cowan present in the courtroom, Denise Morcombe described him as a ``perverted soul'' who underestimated the Morcombe family's drive to catch Daniel's killer.

"That was your mistake, you evil, evil, unhuman thing,'' she wrote.

Cowan isn't listed with the Supreme Court for Friday but a Department of Justice spokesman said the judge would be delivering a sentence.

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Smoke still troubles Vic town of Morwell

A CFA volunteer has been struck by a tanker while fighting a grassfire in central Victoria. Source: AAP

VULNERABLE residents who have been forced to leave a smoke-affected Victorian town will likely spend another weekend away from home.

The town of Morwell in the Latrobe Valley has been blanketed by thick smoke since a fire began at the nearby Hazelwood open-cut coalmine on February 9.

Victoria's chief health officer, Dr Rosemary Lester, said that weather permitting, the advice for at-risk people to stay away from the town - people over 65, pregnant women, preschool children and people with pre-existing heart and lung conditions - could be lifted within a few days.

"The air quality unfortunately has not been quite good enough for us over the past couple of days for us to lift our temporary relocating advice. I think we are almost there," Dr Lester said on Friday.

The fire at the brown coalmine was brought under control last weekend but is yet to be extinguished.

CFA regional controller Steve Warrington said crews were working on a number of hot spots beneath the mine's surface.

"We are focused on eliminating the remaining hot spots. This is one of the last steps in the mine fire fight," he said.

The Victorian government announced this week that former Supreme Court justice Bernard Teague would head an inquiry into the response to the fire.

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Iraq tries to legalise child marriage

A CONTENTIOUS draft law being considered in Iraq could open the door to girls as young as nine getting married and would require wives to submit to sex on their husband's whim.

The measure, aimed at creating different laws for Iraq's majority Shi'ite population, could further fray the country's divisions amid some of the worst bloodshed since the sectarian fighting that nearly ripped the country apart after the US-led invasion.

It also comes as more and more children under 18 get married in the country.

"That law represents a crime against humanity and childhood," prominent Iraqi human rights activist Hana Adwar said.

"Married underage girls are subjected to physical and psychological suffering.

Iraqi law now sets the legal age for marriage at 18 without parental approval. Girls as young as 15 can be married only with a guardian's approval.

The proposed new measure, known as the Jaafari Personal Status Law, is based on the principles of a Shi'ite school of religious law founded by Jaafar al-Sadiq, the sixth Shi'ite imam.

Iraq's Justice Ministry late last year introduced the draft measure to the cabinet, which approved it last month despite strong opposition by rights groups and activists.

The draft law does not set a minimum age for marriage. Instead, it mentions an age in a section on divorce, setting rules for divorces of girls who have reached the age of nine years in the lunar Islamic calendar.

It also says that's the age girls reach puberty.

Since the Islamic calendar year is 10 or 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, that would be the equivalent of eight years, eight months old.

The bill makes the father the only parent with the right to accept or refuse the marriage proposal.

Also under the proposed measure, a husband can have sex with his wife regardless of her consent.

The bill prevents women from leaving the house without their husband's permission, would restrict women's rights in matters of parental custody after divorce and make it easier for men to take multiple wives.

Parliament must still ratify the bill before it becomes law. That is unlikely to happen before parliamentary elections scheduled for April 30.

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NSW man charged with grooming girl, 15

A NSW man who allegedly tried to groom a girl through a social networking site has been charged. Source: AAP

A NSW man who allegedly tried to groom a 15-year-old girl through a social networking site has been charged and granted conditional bail.

Police say that in March 2013, they began investigating allegations the man sent inappropriate images to the girl via a social networking site and had asked her to reply with similar photographs of herself.

On Friday, police seized a laptop, a mobile phone and clothes after raiding a home at Albion Park, south of Wollongong.

The 31-year-old was arrested near Kiama and later charged with grooming a child under 16 for unlawful sexual activity.

Bail with strict conditions was granted and he is due before Albion Park Local Court in April.

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Native title and mining leases co-exist

THE High Court of Australia has made a landmark ruling in favour of traditional owners following a long-running native title dispute in Western Australia's Pilbara region.

The Ngarla people were granted a native title claim in the East Pilbara in 2007. But there was a dispute over whether a mining lease extinguished their rights.

The Federal Court ruled in favour of the traditional owners in 2012, however, that decision was challenged by the WA government.

On Wednesday the High Court dismissed the appeal and determined that native title rights were not extinguished by 50-year-old mining leases.

Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Simon Hawkins said it was "very disappointing" that the state government had challenged the Federal Court ruling.

"The courts had been clear all along that the native title rights did not prevent mining companies from doing anything they were lawfully allowed to do under their mineral leases," he said.

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Mystery surrounds Qld teen's disappearance

NORTHWESTERN Queensland teen Kyle Coleman vanished last month and police have no clues as to what has happened to him.

A police search spanning thousands of kilometres around Mount Isa and a nearby cattle station was called off earlier this week.

However, the 17-year-old's desperate family and friends continue to look for him.

"They're clinging for hope for anything at this stage," Mount Isa Inspector Trevor Kidd told AAP.

"It's very difficult at the moment, to be blunt ... this is one of the more challenging cases."

Kyle's best mate told police he last saw his friend when he left his Soldiers Hill house to walk the three kilometre journey home during the early hours of February 22.

But Kyle, who enjoys camping and lives with his parents, never arrived home and he hasn't been seen since.

There have been no other confirmed sightings of Kyle in Mount Isa since the day he disappeared.

Four days later, on February 26, Kyle's best mate took his own life.

Insp Kidd says there's no evidence to suggest the 21-year-old's death is in anyway linked to Kyle's disappearance.

Detectives are baffled by the case and say they are desperate for any new information.

It was initially believed Kyle attended a party in Mount Isa on the night of February 21 but this has since been ruled out.

Kyle's best mate told police the pair had driven to Undilla Station at Camooweal, west of Mount Isa, the day before Kyle disappeared and witnesses have told police they saw the pair at the station.

The teen's disappearance has gripped the town with some residents taking time off work to help with the search.

Kyle's parents, Rob and Sonia Coleman, have made a public plea for information, while posters of the missing teen are plastered on shopfronts around the outback city.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.

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Talks before new resources policy: Shorten

Bill Shorten says Labor will consult the mining sector before revising its resources policies. Source: AAP

FEDERAL Labor stands firmly behind the minerals resource rent tax (MRRT) but has promised to consult the sector before formulating future mining policy.

Party leader Bill Shorten insists Labor will oppose in the Senate coalition moves to repeal the MRRT.

"The principle of the resources-based rent tax is a good principle and one which Labor supports," Mr Shorten told Sky News on Wednesday from Perth.

The opposition leader is in Western Australia - where Labor's MRRT policy has proven widely unpopular - on the campaign trail ahead of the state's April 5 Senate election re-run.

"In terms of what we do in our policies affecting the resources sector for the next election, we will engage in a dialogue with the resources sector," Mr Shorten added.

Labor acknowledges there is more work to be done with the sector over coming years in the lead up to the 2016 federal election, a spokesman for Mr Shorten told AAP.

Labor and the Australian Greens have the numbers in the upper house to block the coalition's proposed repeal but from July a new-look Senate could approve the tax scrap.

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Police search for missing north Qld man

DETECTIVES are appealing for information to help find a northwest Queensland man missing for over a fortnight.

Richard Mutimbe, 59, was last seen at Mount Isa Mines on February 28 and was reported missing last Thursday by his boss at the mining firm.

A police spokesman told AAP teams are searching a Mount Isa caravan park where Mr Mutimbe lives on his own and nearby bushland.

Mr Mutimbe is 180cm tall, solid, with black hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion.

Anyone with information about his disappearance is asked to contact police.

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PNG treasurer sacked by PM O'Neill

PAPUA New Guinea's treasurer has been sacked for creating instability within government, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill says.

Don Polye was sacked on Monday along with industrial relations minister Mark Maipakai.

"Mr Polye's conduct as Minister for Treasury and a senior partner in the government has been ongoing concerns for the government," Mr O'Neill said in a statement on Monday.

"The sacking of Polye has been done in the best interest of the government and the country."

Mr Polye is leader of Triumph Heritage Empowerment (THE) party, the second largest party in Mr O'Neill's 105 MP strong coalition government.

Mr O'Neill said the sacking of Mr Polye would not effect the role of THE party in government.

Mr O'Neill last week sacked long-serving energy minister William Duma and replaced him with former aide Nixon Duban.

It is uncertain what long-term ramifications the sacking of Mr Polye - long thought of as a potential prime minister - will have on the O'Neill government.

Mr O'Neill will assume the Ministry of Treasury and Deputy Prime Minister Leo Dion will hold the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations until permanent appointments are made.

Comment is being sought from Mr Polye.

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Serco worker told court 'pack of lies'

A FORMER Serco immigration detention centre employee who took his supervisor hostage and executed her brother and his dogs told "a pack of lies" about a fabricated alibi, the Darwin Supreme Court has heard.

Matej Hoi Stung Vanko, 37, has pleaded not guilty to depriving Noelene Stevens of her liberty, and to murdering her brother Donald on April 23, 2012.

He allegedly held her captive for several hours that evening, handcuffed and tied up with strips of teatowel and a mobile phone charger cord while, unbeknownst to her, her brother lay dead in another room, stabbed in the back of his head.

Vanko felt his work ambitions were being thwarted by Ms Stevens, crown prosecutor David Morters told the jury in his closing submissions on Monday.

"What the accused told you is a pack of lies," he said.

Towards the end of the trial it was announced that Vanko had a never-before-mentioned alibi for the day of the murder.

He said he was with a friend called Bridget Tomlins in Palmerston for nine hours that day but did not have her number in his phone and had never called her, phone records showed.

Despite saying he had visited her at home on four occasions, he could not recognise her house in photos, did not remember where he parked, whether they sat in the lounge or the bedroom or whether other people were in the house.

He said she had a newborn baby when in fact her daughter was two.

"He can provide you with only the vaguest details about where he met Bridget Tomlins on 24 April, 2012, even though it's got to be the most important day of his life," Mr Morters said.

He told the court that Vanko had befriended Ms Tomlin's brother Jack in prison and that the two men used her to fabricate an alibi before the trial began.

Telephone conversations played to the court between Jack Tomlins and his girlfriend showed how he tried to get his sister to visit Vanko in prison in September before his trial was due to start.

Vanko had previously admitted to casing the house the Stevens siblings lived in together, by having a friend drive to the property the month before the attack, while he hid in the backseat.

His DNA was found on the teatowel used to bind Ms Stevens as well as on the curtains in her bedroom.

But he said he had visited Don Stevens, whom he had met through work, and wiped his hands on a teatowel and had been in the bedroom because Don had given him a tour of the house.

"It's so contrived it demonstrates the desperation of the accused to provide you with a false story to explain the overwhelming evidence (against him)," Mr Morters said.

The trial continues.

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Inquiry told Pell backs right to sue

A NSW hearing will examine the response of the Catholic Church to John Ellis's claim of child abuse. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA'S most senior Catholic Cardinal George Pell believes victims of child sex abuse should be able to sue the church.

Revealed at a hearing of the federal Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney on Monday, Cardinal Pell's position represents a major policy change from the church.

The commission is examining the experiences of victim John Ellis who unsuccessfully pursued civil litigation against the church and Cardinal Pell for the abuse he suffered while an altar boy.

It's been told the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney spent $1.5 million to defeat Mr Ellis' $100,000 claim stemming from the hurt and distress he suffered at the hands of Father John Duggan at Christ the King's Church in Bass Hill, Sydney from 1974 to 1979.

He lost his case when the court ruled the church was not a legal entity which could be sued and Cardinal Pell could not be held responsible.

The case has been viewed as a barrier to future compensation attempts.

In her opening remarks to the commission on Monday, Gail Furness SC, counsel advising the commission, outlined Mr Ellis' costly fight.

She said when Cardinal Pell gives evidence later in the hearings he will say that, on reflection, some of the steps in Mr Ellis' case caused him concern.

In his submission to the royal commission, she went on, Cardinal Pell will say: "Whatever position was taken by the lawyers during the litigation, or by lawyers of individuals within the Archdiocese following the litigation, my own view is that the church in Australia should be able to be sued in cases of this kind."

Mr Ellis lost his action in 2005 and the church and its solicitors pursued him for more than $550,000 costs for three years, before they were finally waived.

Ms Furness said Mr Ellis, a lawyer, was first told his claim could not be resolved because the alleged abuser, Fr Duggan, had dementia.

Before any mediation began he was informed by Raymond Brazil, a facilitator for the church's Professional Standards Office (NSW/ACT) that any "financial gesture would be in the form of a gratuity and not compensation in the legal sense".

There was a cap of $50,000 and only the most serious cases receive the maximum amount.

The commission has heard the church's Towards Healing program which is meant to be compassionate and pastoral in its approach does not have a financial cap on redress.

Mr Ellis told the inquiry the impacts of the abuse were still unfolding for him and his wife Nicola at the time.

He had been asked to resign from his position as partner in the law firm Baker and McKenzie and in the initial stages of therapy, was living away from home.

He requested $100,000 but was offered $25,000.

The offer was upped to $30,000 and he considered accepting this because he was financially strapped.

Mr Ellis said he was told the offer was less than he wanted because: "The impact on you is considered to be less because the abuse continued after you were 18."

He was also told the church authority questioned the casual links between his present issues and the abuse.

"I felt the impacts on me were being minimised in that response", Mr Ellis said.

He told the commission: "I had no desire to engage in legal proceedings against the church.

What he wanted was a payment of something like the suggested $100,000, an apology from the Cardinal, acknowledgment of the church's failure to protect him and counselling.

He also wanted honest information about how Father Duggan had come to be placed at Bass Hill.

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Minister yet to get Corby parole report

An Indonesian minister will decide if Schapelle Corby remains on parole or be sent back to jail. Source: AAP

INDONESIA'S justice minister is yet to receive a report on whether Schapelle Corby should be sent back to jail because of a controversial Australian television program.

Corby walked from Bali's Kerobokan prison one month ago, on February 10, after the minister, Amir Syamsuddin, granted her parole.

But he may now take it back, after a flurry of bad press followed a Seven Network program about her release.

A report is being prepared on the contents of the interview and if the minister deems it has upset the community, Corby could return to jail.

On Monday, Mr Syamsuddin told reporters in Jakarta the document was still with parole officials but he hoped to get it soon.

"The sooner the better," he said.

"It all depends on the decision made by the parole board, the parole board consists of many."

Last week, Bali parole official Sunar Agus argued for Corby to remain in the community, after witnessing the 36-year-old take a knife to her arm in an apparent bid to self-harm.

He described her condition as "unstable" and said it could be "reckless" to put her behind bars again.

In the Seven program, which Indonesian officials advised the family against, Mercedes said the marijuana found in her sister's bag in 2004 could have come from Indonesia.

She has since apologised publicly if the remarks caused offence.

Corby served more than nine years for drug smuggling and battled mental illness while in jail.

The family blames the media spotlight for her current condition.

* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 or follow @LifelineAust @OntheLineAus @kidshelp @beyondblue @headspace_aus @ReachOut_AUS on Twitter.

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