G'Day China is next for Australia

Prime Minister Julia Gillard with China's President Xi Jinping. Source: Supplied

AUSTRALIA will use big-name celebrities to lure Chinese tourists Down Under to create jobs and cash in on Asia's economic boom.

In Shanghai today, Prime Minister Julia Gillard will announce a "G'Day China" tourism campaign based on the successful "G'Day USA" scheme.

Ms Gillard is targetting tourism as a massive way for Australia to benefit from the Asian Century.

G'Day US has featured big name Australian and American celebrities including Hugh Jackman, Olivia Newton John, Paul Hogan, Miranda Kerr, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban and John Travolta.

A record 625,000 Chinese visited Australia last year, but the market is set to soar. China's President Xi Jinping yesterday predicted 400 million Chinese would travel abroad in the next five years.

Ms Gillard held formal talks with President Xi while First Bloke Tim Mathieson scored an audience with China's First Lady, Madame Peng Liyuan.

Madame Peng requested the meeting to discuss Mr Mathieson's work promoting men's health and her campaign to cut smoking rates in China.

Australia and China will strike a landmark currency agreement today.

The Australian dollar will be the third major currency after the US dollar and Japanese yen to be directly traded in China with the yuan.

The PM says this will boost Australia's banks, super funds and the financial services sector.

The $1.75 million G'Day China campaign will begin next year and aim to boost tourism, trade,  investment and Australia's reputation as a world leading destination.

The Chinese event will be a week of cultural activities showcasing contemporary performing and visual arts and a gala dinner in Shanghai.

Ms Gillard, who is on a five-day visit leading the most senior Australian political delegation to ever visit China, is seeking to deepen the relationship with Australia's biggest trading partner.

In a speech in Shanghai today she will pay tribute to China's "vast and vibrant society" and confidence.

"This is the China which I believe can embrace and manage future change," she said.

The PM will praise China's network of high-speed rail to connect growing cities, its running of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and its space program.

Ms Gillard yesterday spoke at the Bo'ao business pow-wow attended by Mr Xi,  Microsoft founder Bill Gates, former PM Bob Hawke and hundreds of business and political leaders.

She warned that rising economic growth in Asia "will keep changing the strategic order of our region".

Mr Xi told the forum he was pro-growth and investment and China needed to "abolish outdated mindsets and unleash all potential for development".

He did not name North Korea or its recent nuclear threats but he talked about "regional hot spots" and said China called for world peace through "dialogue and negotiations".

Billionaire mining boss Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest, whose company Fortescue was a top sponsor of the Bo'ao forum, said "we salute the china dream".

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Slipper forced to plead not guilty

Former Speaker Peter Slipper faces faces charges relating to three occasions in which he allegedly dishonestly used Cabcharge dockets.  File picture: Ray Strange Source: news.com.au

UPDATE: FORMER parliamentary speaker Peter Slipper has been ordered to enter a plea of not guilty over the alleged misuse of taxpayer-funded taxi vouchers.

Mr Slipper's Queensland-based lawyer Peter Russo today asked for a further adjournment of the matter which was denied by ACT magistrate Bernadette Boss.

Ms Boss entered a not guilty plea for Mr Slipper to progress the matter.

The former Liberal MP-now-independent will be required to front the court on May 23 at 11am for a case management hearing.

Mr Russo said he was seeking a five week adjournment over the matter.

"We are in a situation where we are awaiting advice from counsel in relation to the matter," Mr Russo told the court.

Ms Boss said due to the matter having been adjourned twice before in February and March she could not justify pushing the matter back any further.

Prosecutor Karen Musgrove said she was awaiting evidence from a geospatial expert in order to complete the brief of evidence on the matter.

Peter Slipper's lawyer, Peter Russo, addresses the media after an earlier hearing. Picture: Gary Ramage

She said she envisioned it would be complete in six weeks time.

Mr Slipper was originally given leave not to attend today's hearing on the proviso he enter a plea.

Mr Slipper, who stood down from the role of Speaker of the House of Representatives amid controversy last year, faces charges relating to three occasions in which he allegedly dishonestly used Cabcharge dockets to visit Canberra wineries in hire cars in 2010, amounting to $1194 in charges to the taxpayer.

He faces the possibility of a jail sentence, with the offences carrying a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment if he is found guilty.

Mr Slipper last year denied misusing Cabcharge dockets, saying allegations against him were a "complete farbrication".
 

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Crash driver 'taught by PowerPoint'

A Commission of Inquiry into the vehicle crash that killed Sapper Jordan Penpraze is under way in Sydney. Picture: Ross Schultz Source: News Limited

Sapper Jordan Ronald Penpraze died from injuries suffered in a crash at the Holsworthy army barracks. Picture: Defence Department Source: Supplied

A YOUNG army engineer had just three hours of cross-country driving experience in a Unimog truck when the vehicle he was driving crashed last October killing 22-year-old Sapper Jordan Penpraze.

A Commission of Inquiry into the incident in Sydney today, before former Magistrate Warren Cook, was told that the truck driver, Sapper Alexander Gall, had a mere 14 hours of total experience of the heavy vehicle when the Unimog rolled on October 8, 2012 at Holsworthy army barracks near Sydney.

Sapper Penpraze, from Mount Martha in Victoria, was just a few days away from graduating from the School of Military Engineering when he suffered massive head injuries in the rollover and died three days later.

After establishing that his client could remain in the hearing room throughout the two-week inquiry, Counsel representing Sapper Gall, Lieutenant Colonel David McLure said that at no point during his 14 hours of training did Sapper Gall have unrestrained personnel in the back of a Unimog.

PowerPoint slides were the only training aides used to teach him how to drive a vehicle with people in the back, Colonel McLure said.

He said the entire lesson on speed and passengers involved 33 slides and took just 20 minutes.

Army doctrine specifies that unrestrained personnel must not be carried in the back of a Unimog when the driver was under training.

Under questioning from Colonel McLure the Officer in Command of the Engineer Training Squadron, Major Adam Kavanagh told the inquiry that he was not a qualified Unimog driver and he accepted that drivers trained by the Army School of Transport were qualified to operate the vehicles listed on their licence.

He said he did not know that drivers only completed 14 hours of training to become qualified on the Unimog.

When asked if he was surprised by that he replied: "Yes.''

When asked if believed it was adequate, he said: "I have to believe that when they come back to me qualified that they are correctly trained.''

Counsel assisting the Inquiry Colonel Frank Hollis objected to the line of questioning on the basis that Major Kavanagh was not qualified but inquiry president Mr Cook allowed the questions to continue.

When asked if he considered driver training adequate, particularly in relation to speed and passengers, Major Kavanagh said: "They should be driving to the road rules and conditions.''

Sapper Penpraze's parents Kathleen and Daryl and his fiancee Jacinta Thomas attended the opening day of the inquiry.

Police said at the time of the accident that they were examining whether or not speed was a factor.

Sapper Gall has been charged with unspecified offences under the Defence Force Discipline Act.

The inquiry continues.

    
 

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Vodafone plans for fastest 4G network

Vodafone has announced plans for the fastest 4G mobile network in Australia. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

THE smartphone speed war is poised to intensify as Vodafone today announced the country's fastest 4G mobile phone network due to launch in June, outpacing rivals Telstra and Optus.

The smallest of the major telcos will launch its 4G network in all mainland state capitals and three regional centres, and promises speeds that are "up to 15 times faster on average than our current 3G network".

But Vodafone's 20MHz network will be equipped to deliver downloads as fast as 150 megabits per second, a spokeswoman said - 50 megabits per second faster than the top speed on Telstra's 15MHz network.

That top speed could theoretically let users download an album in one second or a high-definition movie in fewer than 30 seconds.

But telecommunications experts say the company, widely dubbed "Vodafail" by disgruntled users, will have to prove its claims before winning new and old customers.

Vodafone chief executive Bill Morrow said the 4G network announcement was part of a larger move to win back consumers' trust and improve services.

"Our customers have said they want faster speeds, more coverage, and a dependable network," he said.

"We are proud to be able to deliver our customers Australia's fastest 4G network in metro areas, backed by a solid 3G+ experience."

Vodafone's 4G network will cover large parts of Sydney and Perth when it launches in June, with coverage in some parts of Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Newcastle and Wollongong.

But, unlike other networks, Vodafone is able to use the widest 4G bandwidth that can deliver faster download speeds than competing networks. Customers must use a Category Four smartphone or USB modem to access faster downloads, however.

Telsyte research director Foad Fadaghi said demand for 4G smartphones and services had been "phenomenal" in Australia and Vodafone needed to announce a 4G network just to compete.

But he said the company should be careful not to promise faster speeds it could not deliver.

"Vodafone have called its 4G network 'potentially the fastest' and that's important," he said.

"There are inherent risks in claiming specific speeds. Nevertheless, it's important for them to have that speed leadership to get back in the market."

Mr Fadaghi said Vodafone could not simply rely on a faster network to win back customers, however, and would also need to announce competitive plans, discounted 4G handsets and prove that its new network was reliable.

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Parents from hell ruining junior AFL

A lack of coaches is hurting junior sport. Picture: Eugene Hyland Source: Leader

• 'Ugly parents' pushing away volunteer junior sport coaches 
• Many coaches are over 50, with few young coaches coming through
• Study suggests lack of coaches could affect future of Australian sport 

UGLY parents are pushing coaches away from junior sport and creating a national coaching crisis, a landmark Deakin University study reveals. And no sport has uglier parents than AFL.

The AFL has an official 12-point Code of Conduct for parents and spectators at all junior matches which includes such helpful pointers as:

- "Recognise the value and importance of volunteer coaches"

- "Demonstrate exemplary behaviour by not using foul language, or harassing players, coaches or officials"

But The Deakin Uni study reveals that these and other points on the code of conduct are being shunned by loudmouth parents desperate to see their offspring achieve the successful footy career which eluded them. As the study says:

"Parents appeared to be an issue in particular for AFL coaches with most of the comments focused on parents' negative comments about their coaching, lack of support and living vicariously through their children."

In a first for Australian sport, researchers from Deakin's Centre for Exercise and Sports Science conducted a thorough survey of country's coaching workforce.

They found that 38 per cent of coaches rated dealing with players' parents as having a negative impact on their coaching.

About 42 per cent also struggled in their dealings with administrators and other adults involved with the club.

"The key message I got out of the research was that the most stressful component and tricky part of working with a team was not with the (junior) players, but with other adults, whether parents or administrators," researcher Dr Andrew Dawson said.

Many "mum-and-dad-type-coaches" reported they had been shocked to discover that despite giving their time for free to the club their efforts were not appreciated, he said.

"It was a shock because they had gone into it believing they'd be appreciated for the job they did," he said.

Parents often had unrealistic expectations not only of their children's sporting abilities, but also of the coach's skills, he said.

In many cases, junior sports coaches did not have a vast amount of coaching experience.

The study revealed more than half of all coaches had less than 10 years' experience.

It also showed more than 40 per cent of coaches were aged above 50.

The combination of aging coaches and pressure from parents and club officials on volunteers who were not adequately supported was leading to a decrease in the number of future coaches, Dr Dawson said.

"That we are seeing a drop in the number of next generation coaches is concerning for the future of Australian sports," he said.

The issues highlighted in the Deakin study needed to be addressed if the future of Australian sport was to be ensured, Dr Dawson said.

This meant there had to be better support for coaches and their enthusiasm had to be nurtured.

"In particular, we need to find better ways to develop the volunteers the mum and dad coaches who are the backbone of sports in this country.

"The recent focus on coach development has been on the performance of our elite and professional coaches, but this research reveals there is a much bigger problem emerging in the long-term development of Australia's coaching workforce," Dr Dawson said.

The Profiling the Australian Coaching Workforce study involved a survey of 1374 coaches and interviews with 40 coaches from grassroots community and school sport level through to senior and professional levels. 

The majority of survey respondents were from Victoria, with most respondents coming from the sports of athletics, Australian football and netball.

About 60 per cent of the coaches interviewed were volunteers and therefore unpaid for their efforts, but coaching could hit them in the back-pocket, as they covered travel and other costs themselves, the report found.

"Overall, coaches enjoy their work," Dr Dawson said.

"They began coaching because they wanted to give something back to their sport and continue to coach because of the intrinsic rewards such as seeing their athletes develop and succeed. "However, coaches did say the stress of coaching can take a toll on their health and personal finances." 

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Conroy admits to false NBN claim

Source: The Daily Telegraph

COMMUNICATIONS Minister Stephen Conroy has admitted making a false claim about the National Broadband Network as he tried to defend the project over allegations it faces massive cost blowouts.

Senator Conroy told ABC Radio this morning that the Coalition was a "fact-free zone" but wrongly claimed the NBN's corporate plan was audited by the Auditor-General as he attempted to justify its price tag.

The Coalition estimates the final price tag of the NBN could more than double to $90 billion-plus, and that it will take an extra four years to complete.

The claims are made in the Coalition's broadband policy, obtained by The Daily Telegraph, which Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull has promised will be released soon.

The NBN Co last year released a revised corporate plan which admitted to a $1.5 billion cost blowout in the capital cost of the project - to $37.4 billion - with a total cost to taxpayers of $44.1 billion.

But, using modelling from key telcos and finance industry analysis of the NBN Co's 2012 corporate plan, the Coalition has estimated the project will take four years longer to finish and potentially cost an extra $45 billion to complete.

Senator Conroy told the ABC that the coalition was relying on misleading statistics and data to try and create a scare campaign against the project.

"We have nearly a million homes under construction at the moment,'' he said.

"The corporate plan, audited by the Auditor-General, is produced each year, and what you're seeing in that corporate plan is $37.4 billion is the cost of building the NBN - not, as today the Coalition is claiming, $90 billion. I mean, the Coalition are a fact-free zone. They don't have any facts to support these claims.''

But Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull tweeted: "The NBN Co's corporate plan has NOT been audited by the auditor general.

"Conroy's statement that it has been is false and he knows it."

An Australian National Audit Office spokesman confirmed the office had not audited the corporate plan.

"We audit the financial statements so the expenditures of NBN are properly recorded,'' he said.

"While we make reference to the corporate plan, we don't audit the corporate plan.''

Senator Conroy told Sky News this afternoon he had made mistake and mis-spoke, meaning to say the annual report and not the corporate plan.

"I meant to say the annual report,'' he said.

Senator Conroy told the ABC of the $90 billion price tag alleged by the opposition: "They have no analysis behind these claims; no analysis or facts behind $90 billion, no analysis or facts behind 2025 as a finish date. They're just making false claims about the National Broadband Network."

It comes as Prime Minister Julia Gillard denied the cost for the National Broadband Network will blow out to more than $90 billion.

Asked if the figure is in the ballpark of what the major infrastructure project will eventually cost Ms Gillard responded simply: "no".

Ms Gillard was pressed on the matter at a press conference in Shanghai in China. It was the last question she took.

The Australian Industry Group says the $90 billion figure, if true, is "extraordinarily high" and it wants the government to conduct a rigorous cost-benefit analysis.

"It's a project that the business community broadly supports, as long as it's done properly and with the proper costings in place," AIG boss Innes Willox told ABC radio on Monday.

Member for Blair Shayne Neumann; Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy; and the Member for Oxley, Bernie Ripoll, in Goodna where the National Broadband Network rollout is ramping up.

The government should have conducted a cost-benefit analysis from the beginning, but releasing the true figures now would do no harm, he said.

"It can only instil further public confidence in the rollout of a broadband network which we support," he said.

Mr Turnbull told The Daily Telegraph that Australia had some of the most expensive communications costs in the developed world.

He criticised the government for handing the network builder, NBN Co, a blank cheque.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy denies the NBN will cost as much as $90 billion, accusing the coalition of running a scare campaign.

The policy was costed every year by the auditor-general's office, which determined the price tag was $37.4 billion.

Senator Conroy said the coalition was making baseless claims about the NBN.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has denied the cost for the NBN will blow out to $90 billion. Picture: Luke Marsden

"They rely on misleading statistics and misleading data to try and make these scare campaigns," he told ABC radio on Monday.

"What you've seen today is a classic policy-free zone claim by the coalition."

The benefits of the NBN would outweigh the costs, and revenue from the scheme would eventually be paid back to taxpayers, with interest, Senator Conroy said.

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Get ready for ClickFrenzy the sequel

Click Frenzy director Grant Arnott says the retailer is taking every measure possible to ensure another meltdown doesn't occur. Picture: Stuart Walmsley Source: News Limited

GRANT Arnott's plan to avoid a repeat of last year's Click Frenzy online meltdown is simple: make the website big enough to handle the job.

To do that, the Melbourne-based retail marketing company has hired global technology firm Akamai.

Akamai is a content delivery network company that hosts a version of its client's website on most ISPs. It manages content for most of the world's major banks, media companies and major retailers.

Ian Teague, Senior Manager, Australasia at Akamai, said the Akamai distributive computing model involved creating a cached version of a website on individual ISP servers so that the load was spread around.

Last year, the Click Frenzy website was offline for hours as it crumbled under the weight of 1.75 million shoppers wanting a bargain.

"That's a big number but it would hardly rate a blip on our whole platform," Mr Teague said.

Mr Teague said the Click Frenzy website handled by Akamai could "absolutely" handle 10 times the number of people who hit it last year.

"We virtually have an unlimited capacity," he said

"We deliver about 25 per cent of all internet traffic every day."

But Mr Teague said his company's involvement in the sale could not ensure the event was trouble free for every retailer involved.

While Akamai could ensure the Click Frenzy portal remained active during the sale, any individual retailers involved who were not Akamai clients had to ensure their systems were able to cope with the extra traffic.

"We are not a panacea," Mr Teague said.

Mr Arnott has announced four Click Frenzy events this year, starting with the Mother's Day Frenzy on April 23 and culminating in a week-long ClickFrenzy e-carnivale beginning on November 19.

"We're back because we're confident," Mr Arnott said yesterday.

"We're not gluttons for punishment – we believe we have a good idea that we would like to continue.

"I think retailers and customers could benefit.

"We don't want a repeat. We know we have to prove ourselves. We will always have our critics. I continue to get some harsh emails and some harsh messages coming through and I've stopped reading some of the commentary on social media.

"We're only back because it was a successful event, it wasn't a complete failure. We believe in the business and we're excited about what it offers the retail landscape in Australia.

"If everything had gone smoothly with the technology then it wouldn't be such a talking point. But we've got to wear that, dust ourselves off and get back into it.

"We've got a good opportunity to continue and to prove ourselves.

"What happened last year was not exactly what we wanted to unfold. I think the premise behind this event, creating a 24-hour online shopping mega sale, is clearly what Australia is looking for and we've got exciting things in store."

"We're certainly taking every measure to ensure that doesn't happen again. If everything works smoothly, it's actually a great way for people to come and inspect all the goods in the one location at a central starting point, and then go and explore the retailers site.

"We are a portal to a wide range of different stores. What we're doing is creating a really cost effective way for retailers to meet a mass audience.

"We definitely have to address the technology issues, we're doing all of that. Our mission is to get everything right and to continue to improve forever. That's certainly what we see as imperative to the success of Click Frenzy – just keep improving and refining it and listening to our customers to make sure we get it right.

"I'm as confident as I can be. I'm confident that we've invested in the best providers available. We've certainly taken every measure to ensure we don't have a repeat of last time."

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Workers gutted as Holden cuts 500 jobs

Car maker Holden will axe 400 jobs from its South Australian operations.

Holden has announced it will cut 500 factory and engineering jobs. Source: Supplied

HOLDEN has announced it will offer voluntary redundancies for 500 factory and engineering workers - its biggest round of job cuts since the Global Financial Crisis.

The car maker will lose 400 workers from its car assembly line at Elizabeth near Adelaide and a further 100 engineers based in Melbourne.

It is the first time in memory Holden has publicly announced a redundancy program for engineers. The move comes as most of the work done on the new Commodore has been completed before it goes on sale in June.

Workers told of their shock at the job cuts this afternoon. One worker said he didn't know until he was told by the Herald Sun.

He then said he was surprised but refused to comment further.

Another said he was sad at the announcement.

"It's not good mate, it's not good," he said.

But many said they could not comment, in what appeared to be a scripted response from management.

The announcement comes just one week after Holden released figures that showed it had received $2.17 billion in government funding over the past 12 years, roughly twice as much as what Ford ($1.1 billion) and Toyota ($1.2 billion) received over the same period.

The engineering losses are also confirmation that Holden is no longer the engineering "home room" for any particular General Motors vehicle, and its future locally-made cars will instead be adaptations of global models.

The 500 job losses announced this afternoon follow 180 job cuts at Elizabeth in November 2012, and a further 40 at the Port Melbourne engine plant in March 2012.

Victorian Manufacturing Minister David Hodgett said the job cuts were distressing.

He said that it reflected the challenging times for the car industry.

AMWU Victorian vehicle division secretary Paul Difelice said Holden Cruze sales had fallen up to 40 per cent.

He said the engineering cuts were a sign of an overall slow down.

"There's no new models on the horizon," he said.

"They always used to get overseas work but that's all dried up."

He said the work would go overseas.

"It will probably be China or Thailand," he said.

It is the biggest single redundancy program since Holden axed 500 positions in July 2009 in the wake of the GFC, after exports of the Commodore to the USA ended when the Pontiac brand was shut down.

The latest cutbacks take the Holden factory workforce down to 1750 jobs, while engineering will shrink from 675 positions to 575. By comparison, Ford Australia employs about 1100 engineers, most of whom work of overseas vehicle programs even though they are based locally.

The latest job cuts are yet another grim reality facing the Australian car industry as it struggles to compete with cheap imported cars aided by the strong Australian dollar.

Last year Ford axed 340 jobs (to take its workforce at Broadmeadows and Geelong to 1500) while Toyota axed 350 manufacturing positions, to take its head-count to 2500 at its Altona facility.

Holden said the job cuts were due primarily to a reduction in demand for its locally-made Cruze small car "led by the high Australian dollar, combined with one of the most open and competitive car markets in the world".

The restructure will see Holden build 350 cars per day from August, instead of the 400 cars a day it currently builds during each daily eight-hour shift.

A statement from Holden boss Mike Devereux said: "A workforce reduction is always the last resort and Holden has taken every possible step to address our challenges over the past 12 months. This is a very difficult decision because people and their families are involved. These are hard working Australian men and women and we will be doing everything in our power to help them make informed decisions about their future."

Holden says it has committed to local car manufacturing until 2022, while Toyota is negotiating for the next generation Camry it plans to build to 2024.

Ford is yet to apply for government assistance for a locally-made car beyond the 2016 deadline set for the Falcon sedan and Territory SUV.

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