Australia raises piracy case with Russia

FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop has called on Russia to treat Australian Greenpeace activist Colin Russell, who is facing piracy charges, with fairness.

Ms Bishop has met with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Bali.

"I registered our concern about the charges and also our desire to ensure that he's afforded full due legal process and consular assistance," she told reporters in Bali's Nusa Dua.

Worldwide protests are being held on Saturday for the so-called "Arctic 30", who were detained in the port city of Murmansk after their ship the Arctic Sunrise was boarded at gunpoint by Russian authorities.

Mr Russell, from Tasmania, could face up to 15 years in prison if Russian authorities persist with the piracy charge.

He was among 30 Greenpeace activists charged with the offence for their roles in a protest against oil drilling in the Arctic Circle last month.

Mr Russell's wife Christine addressed a rally in Hobart on Saturday, calling on the Australian government to support the Dutch government's legal efforts to initiate arbitration in the United Nations to secure the crew members freedom.

"I urge Minister Bishop and Prime Minister Abbott to support Colin, with a letter of guarantee to help secure his release," Mrs Russell told the protest.

His daughter Madeleine said his irrepressible sense of humour would keep his spirits up in the jail cell.

Ms Bishop said she is taking a keen interest in the case, which is shaping up as her first major consular challenge since taking over as foreign minister.

She says Australian officials have met with Mr Russell in recent days and plan to do so again soon.

"I understand he is well, his conditions of detention are adequate," she said.

Asked if she believed the piracy charge was too extreme, Ms Bishop said: "We're seeking advice as to whether this charge is appropriate.

"I do note that (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin said in one press conference that they were clearly not pirates," she said.

"It's a very serious charge."

At a Melbourne protest, around 100 people chanted "Free the Arctic 30" on the steps of Flinders Street Station.

Others circulated a petition to put more pressure on the federal government to take serious action.

Organiser Julien Vincent said the piracy charge was ridiculous and Greenpeace never expected a protest involving ropes and banners could balloon into such a serious incident.

"They are being detained on a charge that is completely unjustified," he said.

"You can understand why there is such an outpouring of support."

Similar rallies were also held in Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane.

A British-born Australian resident and a New Zealand man who lives in South Australia have also been charged.

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US man sets himself on fire in capital

A man has set himself on fire near the US congress, a fire official says. Source: AAP

A US man has been flown to hospital after setting himself on fire on the National Mall, a fire official says.

Fire crews responded on Friday afternoon to a report of a man on fire.

A witness said she saw a man dump a red canister of petrol on his head and then set himself on fire.

Fire Department spokesman Tim Wilson said the man has life-threatening injuries.

His name and age were not immediately known.

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

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Valentine wins big at the AWGIE Awards

Playwright Anna Valentine has won three gongs at the AWGIE Awards in Melbourne. Source: AAP

PLAYWRIGHT Alana Valentine, who likes to gives audiences a kick up the arse in a witty way, has swept the Australian Writers' Guild Awards (AWGIEs).

Valentine picked up three gongs, including script of the year, at the awards ceremony on Friday night.

The AWGIEs are judged solely by writers on the basis of the script.

Valentine scooped the Major AWGIE, for Most Outstanding Script of 2013, and took out the community and youth theatre category for her play Grounded.

Set in Newcastle, Grounded is a coming-of-age tale about teenager Farrah, who wants to be a marine pilot.

Valentine began her winning streak by picking up the inaugural $25,000 David Williamson Prize for quality new Australian works for the stage.

"I'm very proud to be part of a guild which actually encourages and celebrates writers who want to look at what's happening in our culture right now, on our watch," Valentine told the audience at Melbourne's Plaza Ballroom.

"I'm really proud of all the writers in the guild who chose to, as cleverly and wittily as they do, give our audiences a kick up the arse and rub their noses in what we think is not working about this country."

In television writing, Robert Connolly picked up the best Telemovie Adaption award for Underground: The Julian Assange Story.

The Underbelly: Badness team - Niki Aken, Peter Gawler, Felicity Packard and Jeffrey Truman - were honoured for writing the stand-out original television mini-series.

Andrew Knight won the best television series AWGIE for the Rake series 2 episode R v. Floyd. The Good News Week writers received their ninth AWGIE for the final season of the comedy/light entertainment series.

The $25,000 Foxtel Fellowship, awarded in recognition of an impressive body of television work, went to Jacquelin Perske for a career including TV dramas The Secret Life of Us and Love My Way.

In the movie arena, Kim Mordaunt won the AWGIE for best original feature film script for The Rocket.

That film, about a 10-year-old boy trying to help his family in Laos' war-torn north, is Australia's selection for the best foreign-language film at next year's Oscars.

The Rocket also took out the audience awards at both the Sydney and Melbourne film festivals.

Best short film script went to husband and wife team, Matthew Moore and Genevieve Hegney, for The Amber Amulet, based on Craig Silvey's novella.

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Prince wows Sydney on first official visit

Prince Harry has arrived at Sydney's Garden Island Naval Base for the International Fleet Review. Source: AAP

HE may like to party, but Prince Harry was all business as he greeted adoring fans, inspected warships, and met the prime minister and his family on his first official visit to Australia.

Thousands of Harry fans turned out to catch a glimpse of the fourth-in-line to the British throne in Sydney as part of the International Fleet Review.

The 29-year-old prince is the big drawcard of the eight-day navy extravaganza, which marks 100 years since the Royal Australian Navy fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour.

Dressed in a white tropical dress uniform of the British Army and a blue Army Air Corps beret, the 29-year-old began the day by saluting naval officers before being greeted by navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs at Sydney naval base Garden Island.

Captain Wales, as he's known in the British military, then boarded the HMAS Leeuwin where Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Defence Minister David Johnston and a host of other dignitaries were waiting for him.

After being welcomed on the harbour by a 100 gun salute, Harry spent the next few hours on board HMAS Leeuwin inspecting the warship fleet alongside Governor General Quentin Bryce.

The prince's appearance on the harbour coincided with a dazzling display by navy aircraft and helicopters, thrilling thousands lining the foreshore.

Back on land and donning a crisp navy-coloured suit, blue tie and white shirt, Harry turned his attention to his Sydney fans.

Making a surprise appearance at the Rocks, there were screams, smiles and waves as the red-haired prince emerged from his car at Sydney Harbour to greet a heaving crowd of fans.

In the 10-minute stop, Harry shook hands and said hello to hundreds who were hugging the barricades in an effort to see him.

Linda Wickens handed him a stuffed dingo as a present for his nephew Prince George.

The prince then stopped for a quick photo with her 12-year-old daughter Annabel who summed up the experience in one word: "awesome".

From there, the prince took a boat to Kirribilli House, where he was greeted by Mr Abbott, his wife Margie and daughters Bridget and Frances.

They posed for official photographs and walked through the gardens before greeting a crowd that had gathered at the gates of the prime minister's Sydney residence.

"What do you think of your new neighbour?" Harry asked one of the locals, referring to the newly-elected Mr Abbott.

Inside, the prime minister reflected on the special day, joking that Prince Harry appealed to even those Australians who aren't royalists.

"Prince Harry, I regret to say not every Australian is a monarchist," he said.

"But today everyone feels like a monarchist."

The prince is understood to be later hosting a private function for injured veterans of Afghanistan, a cause he actively supports.

He is due to leave Sydney for Perth on Sunday morning for the next leg of his Aussie tour.

The Fleet Review's Fireworks and Lightshow Spectacular is due to start at 7.30pm (AEST) at Sydney Harbour.

Up to one million people are expected to gather on the foreshore for the event.

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Daylight savings to begin on Sunday

WEEKEND workers, churchgoers and Wallabies fans - here's an important reminder for you all.

Daylight savings starts at 2am (AEST) Sunday morning.

In NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT, set your clocks forward one hour before going to bed on Saturday night to avoid missing any important appointments early on Sunday.

That means Wallabies fans will have to wake up earlier than expected to catch the kick-off against Argentina at 9.40am (AEDT) on Sunday.

On the topic of the game they play in heaven, churchgoers will also get less sleep.

Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory can rest easy - there will be no need to head out to Spotlight for new curtains in six months' time.

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Qld police nab five more Bandidos

Five more Bandidos have been arrested as the police crackdown on bikie gangs continue in Queensland. Source: AAP

FIVE more Bandidos have been arrested as the police crackdown on bikie gangs continues in Queensland.

The arrests were made during police raids in Brisbane and Logan on Friday morning, that seized cash and drugs.

Officers from Taskforce Hydra, which targets outlaw bikie gangs, executed search warrants at Birkdale, Alexandra Hills and in the Logan suburb of Crestmead on Friday morning.

They seized money, drugs and drug producing equipment.

Three men, aged 32, 29 and 25, and a woman, 27, are facing drug charges.

Officers from the Gold Coast also arrested a 27-year-old man from Birkdale for rioting.

The charge is related to last week's violent bikie brawl on the Gold Coast.

He will face Southport Magistrates Court on October 25.

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Heart transplant milestone at Vic hospital

Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital has marked 25 years of heart transplant for Australian kids. Source: AAP

REBECCA Peters is part of a small but close-knit club.

Along with 115 others she has the Royal Children's Hospital's pioneering heart transplant service, which marked its 25-year anniversary in Melbourne on Friday, to thank for her life.

"It's an incredible milestone because in the scheme of things it's within a lot of people's lifetimes and the outcomes keep getting better and better," Ms Peters said.

Ms Peters received her life-saving transplant just two days after her seventh birthday.

Fourteen years later, she's back at the hospital working as a mentor to adolescent patients.

"I'm living the dream. I'm giving something back to young people who have been through similar journeys."

Nadia Cozmescu and Tyler Aerey, who received heart transplants in 2009 and 2010, are now being mentored by Ms Peters.

"I think it's always good to have that connection with other people who have gone through it. It makes the whole experience a whole lot easier because it's a really scary thing," Nadia said.

Ms Peters hopes the anniversary will put a spotlight on organ donation.

"One of the problems with the low organ donation rates is that Australians don't know much about it and they just don't get around to filling out the forms," she said.

The hospital's former director of cardiac surgery Roger Mee completed the first paediatric heart transplant in Australia back in 1988.

He remembers the day clearly.

His colleague was in England at the time and as a result Dr Mee had to do the job of two teams by himself.

"The CEO drove me in his car and I picked up the donor heart, then I came back and put it in the patient," Dr Mee said.

Paediatric transplant surgery has come a long way since Dr Mee's pioneering first transplant.

Few know this better than Samantha McGowan, the mother of four-year-old transplant recipient Scarlett.

In 2009 Scarlett was the recipient of Australia's first paediatric ABO incompatible heart transplant.

After going into end-stage cardiac failure, baby Scarlett was listed for transplant with a heart from an incompatible blood type to increase the chance of finding a suitable donor.

"Scarlett behaves like any other four-year-old now, so much so that most people are in disbelief when they hear her story," Samantha said.

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$3m paid out by defence abuse taskforce

Victims of abuse in the defence force who are yet to lodge key paperwork are being warned to act. Source: AAP

VICTIMS of assault and mistreatment in the defence force yet to lodge paperwork are being warned to act soon, with more than $3 million already paid out in 70 cases.

People who have made complaints to the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce have until November 30 to provide all relevant documentation.

A budget of $70 million has been allocated to the reparation payments scheme, and 981 complaints are at various stages of the assessment process.

As of September 16, the taskforce's reparations assessor had approved in excess of $3 million in payments over 70 cases, 50 of which were for the maximum $50,000 payment.

Slater and Gordon's military compensation lawyer Brian Briggs warned time was nearly up for victims.

"When the scheme was established, it was always made clear that it would run for a set period of time," he said.

Complainants may also have the opportunity to meet with senior defence leaders in conferences.

The third interim report by the taskforce was tabled to federal parliament on Friday, providing an update on the progress of outcomes to individual complaints of abuse in the military.

The outcomes may include a referral to counselling, reparation payments, referral of appropriate matters to police or military justice authorities, referral to the chief of the defence force for administrative action or participation in a restorative engagement conference.

"The conferences will give people who have suffered abuse in defence a powerful opportunity to have their stories heard," said taskforce chair Len Roberts-Smith QC.

More than 2400 complaints have been made to the taskforce about abuse suffered in defence prior to April 2011.

As of September 16, 10 matters had been referred to police and 11 matters had been resolved in other ways.

The taskforce's crime group also has a further 41 active matters under assessment.

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Australia agrees to take Syrian refugees

Australia will over the next months accept 500 Syrians forced to leave due to the ongoing conflict. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIA will take in 500 Syrian refugees in response to a global call to assist people fleeing the bloody conflict in the Middle Eastern country.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison confirmed Australia would join 16 other countries in a resettlement program driven by the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.

"The Australian government will work with the UNHCR to identify those offered the resettlement places, which will be targeted for highly vulnerable people in urgent need of protection," he said in a statement on Thursday.

Syria's neighbours - Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq - have absorbed the majority of the refugees, but as numbers grow to more than two million, the influx has strained resources and caused tensions.

Of the 17 countries, including the United States, signed up to the UNHCR program to offer 10,000 a total resettlement places, France has agreed to accept 1200 Syrian refugees.

The first refugees are expected to arrive in Australia before the end of 2013.

Mr Morrison says the coalition's crackdown on asylum seeker boat arrivals means the federal government is better positioned to help those "most in need".

But Australia's offer of assistance to Syrian refugees should not be misinterpreted.

"The Australian people's generous support should not be interpreted as an encouragement to those seeking to enter our country illegally," he said.

Australia has provided more than $100 million in humanitarian assistance to the Syrian crisis, including some $45.5 million to support humanitarian activities in neighbouring countries.

"Our funding has supported UNHCR and other agencies to provide shelter, food and clean water to refugees and host communities," Mr Morrison said.

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NSW fire breaches containment lines

AN out-of-control bushfire burning near a small town on the NSW mid-north coast has breached containment lines, the Rural Fire Service says.

The scrub fire is burning in the Crowdy Bay National Park, north of the town of Harrington in the Greater Taree region.

The RFS on Thursday night said the blaze had crossed containment lines and was burning close to properties at Coralville Road and Diamond Head Road.

More than 80 firefighters, and six aircraft, have been battling the blaze, which began on Wednesday.

The fire has so far burnt through about 3000 hectares of scrub, the RFS said on its website.

Firies are backburning where they can and hope forecast storm activity will help them get the upper hand.

Earlier, about 40 holidaymakers had to be evacuated from a camping area at Diamond Head due to the blaze.

A number of roads in the area are closed.

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