Bali victims remembered 11 years on

The 88 Australians who died in the first Bali bombings 11 years ago have been remembered in Sydney. Source: AAP

LITTLE children clambered around the Bali bombing memorial in Sydney on Saturday, knocking the flowers laid by the friends and family of those killed.

One boy asked his new playmate, "Which one is yours?"

And she, a girl no older than seven, pointed to one of the names of the dead and said "He was my uncle".

They were not yet born when the bombs exploded at Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club on October 12, 2002, but they have grown up in the shadow of the attacks.

Eighty-eight Australians were among the 202 people killed in the attacks on Bali's tourist hub Kuta, and 43 of the dead were from NSW alone.

"The Bali bombing was our September 11," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a message read out to the hundreds who gathered at Coogee to mark the 11th anniversary of the blasts.

Randwick mayor Scott Nash said 20 of the dead came from Sydney's eastern suburbs, from Bondi to Malabar, and few locals had not been touched in some way by the attacks.

"The beautiful people that we lost were sons, mothers, fathers, daughters and friends," he said.

"Tough times often bring out the very best in humanity and we can see that today, as we see it each year."

Waves crashed and tourists frolicked on the beach below as mourners gathered at the Dolphins Point headland observed a moment's silence.

Among them was Kristie McKeon, who was just 12 when her mother, big sister and several family friends were killed in the bombings.

She and her father were injured but escaped with their lives.

"It was our last night in Bali," the 23-year-old recalled.

"I remember the bomb going off, being on the floor and trapped under the roof, escaping in panic through a hole and then reaching the back wall and being hoisted over as the fire grew."

The graphic designer said she had been forced to grow up without the two most important women in her life to guide her.

They will not be here to watch her marry next year.

"Family is something I lost, but something I look forward to finding again," she said.

"My only wish is that my mum and sister were here to be a part of it.

"I will never forget.

"I will always remember."

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ALP leadership contest drawing to a close

Mark Latham believes Anthony Albanese (pic) will emerge the victor of the Labor leadership contest. Source: AAP

LABOR has called it historic, democratic and energising, but in less than a day the month-long leadership contest between Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten will be just one thing - over.

Both the party caucus and rank-and-file members have cast their vote for the next parliamentary leader, with ballots now closed and counting underway before Sunday's announcement.

ALP members and supporters will be the first to know the result when party headquarters sends out an email at about 2pm.

Under reforms introduced by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, caucus and members are given a 50-50 say in determining who will lead the fight against the Abbott government from opposition.

Mr Shorten is believed to have won the caucus vote and is "quietly confident" grassroots members will back him, while Mr Albanese will be hoping his popularity among the rank-and-file gets him over the line.

After a month of friendly debates and largely similar campaigns, both potential leaders laid low on Saturday ahead of learning their fate.

But former Labor leader Mark Latham had no qualms offering his tips, saying he believed Mr Albanese would prevail.

"I voted for Bill Shorten in the ballot and I'm hopeful he might win tomorrow, but on the balance, probably Anthony Albanese will get the job," he told the Seven Network on Saturday.

"The important thing is for Labor to get behind one leader who will be there at the next election."

Sunday's victor will be the party's seventh leader in four years, but it's hoped the new leadership process will stabilise Labor and end the revolving door of leadership.

Mr Latham said the process was designed to put the "sub-factional warlords" who control Labor's caucus out of business.

Shadow parliamentary secretary Matt Thistlethwaite, who backed Mr Shorten, said the caucus vote had been genuinely open and free of factional interference.

He didn't know who would emerge the victor, but said that was the "great beauty" of the new-look process.

"What we now can say is the Labor Party has a much more democratic, transparent and accountable system for electing our leader," he told Sky News on Saturday.

"I think overall it's been a win for the Labor Party."

About 30,000 of the party's 43,000 members are believed to have voted under the new rules, which senior Labor figures credit with renewed interest in the party in the wake of their election defeat.

ALP president Jenny McAllister said the leadership contest had been "incredibly energising".

"In the process we've also had about 4500 people make inquiries about how to join," she told the Seven network.

"People like to see us talking in positive ways about what we could contribute to the Australian public rather than tearing ourselves apart."

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Truck loses asbestos on NSW highway

A TRUCK has lost several tonnes of asbestos before crashing into a guardrail in Sydney's west, police say.

A Mitsubishi tipper truck was driving along the M7 at Eastern Creek on Saturday morning before the crash unfolded.

As it travelled along an off-ramp, the truck allegedly lost a load of asbestos waste, believed to be between three to five tonnes, and crashed into a cement guard rail.

Emergency services closed the off-ramp while the asbestos sheeting was hosed down and contained.

A police spokesman said whether the load of asbestos was secured or not would be part of an investigation.

Police have warned motorists about the dangers of unsecured loads leading to accidents and serious injury.

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'Chopper' Read to have Melbourne funeral

Crime figure turned author Mark "Chopper" Read will be sent off at a funeral in Melbourne next week. Source: AAP

CRIME figure turned author Mark "Chopper" Read will be sent off at a funeral in Melbourne next week.

Read, who died aged 58 on Wednesday after a battle with liver cancer, will be farewelled at a funeral in the inner Melbourne suburb of Clifton Hill next Thursday.

Read spent more than 23 years in jail for crimes including armed robbery, assault and kidnapping, including trying to abduct a Victorian County Court judge at gunpoint.

He once claimed he was involved in killing 19 people and the attempted murder of 11 others.

He was famously portrayed by Eric Bana in the 2000 film Chopper.

Read was also Australia's best selling true crime author, with copies of his first book Chopper: From the Inside selling more than 300,000 copies.

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Child abuse inquiry back in NT

THE national inquiry into child sex abuse will return to the Northern Territory to continue private hearings with people affected by child sexual abuse while they were in institutions.

The Royal Commission spent time in the territory this week meeting with members of the Stolen Generation who had suffered abuse in institutions when they were children.

Royal Commission CEO Janette Dines said: "Around 40 people attended the meetings which were an opportunity for people to speak with trained investigators in an informal setting where they could feel safe.

"The Royal Commission wants to make it easy for as many people as possible to tell their story, and be heard and believed," Ms Dines said in a statement.

The commission was not due to be in the Northern Territory until next week but provided extra sessions to hear from members of the Stolen Generation after community lobbying, the ABC has reported.

Ms Dines said the Royal Commission would also hold private sessions in Darwin from October 15.

"This is a chance for any Territorian affected by child sexual abuse in an institution to tell a Royal Commissioner what happened to them.

"We've had a strong response from Territorians wanting to tell their story. People have different reasons for coming forward. Many people want the Royal Commission to know what happened to them as a child and the impact it has had on their lives," Ms Dines said.

On Wednesday, October 16 the Chair of the Royal Commission, Justice Peter McClellan, will be meeting with support services in Darwin to talk about the Royal Commission's work.

Ms Dines said the forum would focus on how community organisations can help their clients engage with the Royal Commission.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse said it would return to other parts of the Northern Territory for further private sessions in the future.

Anyone wishing to tell their story to the commission can find out more by visiting the website www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au

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Gun seized after Vic woman shot dead

A MAN who allegedly shot dead a woman at a home in Sunshine North has been charged with one count of murder.

Police charged Nelson Lai, 34, of Sunshine North, at an out-of-sessions court hearing in Melbourne.

He was remanded to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Paramedics were called to a house on Meadowbank Drive in Sunshine North about 9am (AEDT) on Friday to treat a woman for upper body wounds, but were unable to enter until police declared the scene safe.

By the time they reached her in a rear bedroom of the home, the woman had died.

Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen McIntyre said the Sunshine North man, who is known to police, is believed to have known the woman but the extent of their relationship is yet to be determined.

Det Sen Sgt McIntyre said police were in possession of a firearm.

Police have not revealed how many shots had been fired or how many wounds the woman, who is yet to be identified, sustained.

He said he was unsure how long paramedics had to wait before they were able to enter the house.

"The scene had to be made safe prior to their entry," Det Sen Sgt McIntyre said.

"Given the fact that there was a firearm involved in this incident they obviously had to wait for police to attend."

In a bizarre twist, the bodies of two women, one elderly and one middle-aged, were found in a house in the same street soon after the shooting, but their deaths are not being treated as suspicious.

Police said their deaths were unrelated to the shooting.

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German wine wins Canberra riesling award

A GERMAN wine from maker Weingut Georg Muller Stiftung has been judged the best drop in Canberra's annual International Riesling Challenge.

Ten judges tasted 487 wines from eight countries as part of the challenge, with the Schutzenhaus Trockenbeerenauslese 2011, from the Rheingau region of Germany, winning the Best Wine Award.

The top Aussie drop was the Pikes Traditionale Riesling 2013 from the Clare Valley in South Australia.

The awards were presented at a ceremony on Friday night at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra.

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Measles warning for WA's tourists to Bali

BALI holidaymakers have been warned to watch for measles symptoms after four West Australian travellers contracted the disease in the past week after returning from Indonesia.

The WA Health Department director of communicable disease control Paul Armstrong said people were also potentially exposed to infection at general practice surgeries where the infected cases were seen.

He said other risk areas were pathology collection centres and emergency departments at Royal Perth, Sir Charles Gairdner and Armadale-Kelmscott hospitals.

One case was contracted while working on Barrow Island in the state's north, he said.

Measles is highly infectious and is spread by airborne respiratory droplets.

Symptoms include fever, runny nose, inflamed eyes and a cough, followed by a red blotchy rash.

It is contagious for up to five days before the rash and for four days after it starts.

"Individuals who have returned from Bali or think they may have been exposed, and who develop symptoms of measles should stay away from others and promptly consult their doctor," Dr Armstrong said.

"A person is considered immune to measles if they have received two doses of the Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccine or were born before 1966."

Dr Armstrong said the incident was a reminder of the importance of adults being fully vaccinated against measles and other infectious diseases, especially before travelling overseas.

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RAAF looks to high-end electronic warfare

THE RAAF is developing advanced electronic warfare capabilities to play a vital role in future operations.

RAAF chief Air Marshall Geoff Brown told an Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) dinner in Canberra that Force Level Electronic Warfare (FLEW) would involve new Growler electronic warfare aircraft and Wedgetail surveillance and control aircraft.

It could also include proposed new P-8 maritime patrol aircraft and Triton unmanned surveillance aircraft, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft and the Navy's air warfare destroyers (AWDs).

All possess significant ability to deceive, confuse or attack an enemy through electronic means.

Air Marshal Brown said these capabilities could improve current defence forces but that their real value would be to future governments.

Air Marshal Brown said FLEW could assure theatre and national operations over air, land and sea, in peace and in conflict.

"The confluence of Growler, P-8, Wedgetail, Super Hornet and JSF, Navy's Aegis-equipped AWD and Army's special force operations presents an extraordinary development for Australia. It assures relevance in operations across time," he said.

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Caucus votes on leader in Labor ballot

Labor is waiting on thousands of voting papers from rank and file members for the leadership ballot. Source: AAP

LABOR MPs have voted and the caucus ballots are under lock and key in preparation for the completion of the ALP's historic new-look leadership contest.

The MPs met in Parliament House on Thursday afternoon to cast their vote for the next parliamentary leader, with the Right's Bill Shorten tipped to get about 60 per cent of caucus support.

Rival Antony Albanese's chances now hinge on a strong showing among the vote of rank-and-file members, who have until 5pm on Friday to get their vote to returning officers.

Continuing the civil spirit of the month-long contest, the contenders walked together to the meeting.

Mr Shorten said the leadership process, which takes into account the wishes of grassroots members as well as MPs for the first time, is going a "long way towards healing" party divisions after its devastating election loss.

"Normally when you lose an election, there tends to be a bout of recriminations and a blame game," he said.

"Hopefully, in this process we've moved to absorb the lessons from the Australian public." Mr Albanese told reporters the ALP had done the right thing by "opening up to our membership, by empowering the membership".

"Three weeks after a significant election defeat, Labor is stronger, more united," he said.

Interim leader Chris Bowen said the leadership process had energised the party after its September 7 federal election defeat, with 4000 new membership applications received.

"It's an indication by Labor supporters across the country saying, 'if the Labor party is prepared to be open and inclusive, then I want to be part of the process'," Mr Bowen said.

Mr Bowen rejected claims MPs had voted along factional lines, which would make a mockery of claims the new leadership process had democratised the party.

"There were left wingers voting for Bill, right wingers voting for Anthony based on their decision about who is best placed to lead the Labor Party into the next election," he told reporters after the vote.

Labor chief whip Chris Hayes said he would keep the caucus votes under lock and key until they were tallied with the rank and file votes ahead of Sunday's announcement of the new leader.

ALP members and supporters are likely to be the first to know when party headquarters sends out an email at about 2pm.

Mr Bowen, Mr Hayes and Labor's National President Jenny McAllister will then meet the media.

Labor National Secretary George Wright said 27,000 votes had been cast so far from 43,000 members.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we get 30,000 votes to count tomorrow and Saturday," he told Sky News.

"This sort of participatory democracy, there is a big appetite for it. It will be a very good thing for our party. It's a good thing for democracy in Australia."

But senior Liberal Christopher Pyne said the ballot was another example of Labor "talking about themselves".

"They engage in this myopic discussion about Labor and who's going to be leader," he told Sky News.

"The truth is, it is just two factional warlords fighting it out, one from the left, one from the right."

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