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Police Officer Assaulted In Toowoomba A police officer has been assaulted by a man wielding a metal implement in southern Queensland. Read Now
 
 
 
 
Warehouse Closure a ‘Blow to Local Economy‘ The southern Queensland chamber of commerce says job security in the retail sector is the worst it has ever seen. Read Now
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Potential Labor Candidates For Twmba South With the recent retirement announcement from LNP Member for Toowoomba South Mike Horan, the field is open for candidates from both of the major political parties. Read Now
 
 
 
 
Clare And Her Farmer Have Spark WHAT started out as a spur-of-the-moment idea is about to turn into a lifetime commitment for former Toowoomba girl Clare Spark. Read Now
 
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Govt Ignores UN Ruling On Aust-Swedish Man The federal government is refusing to allow a Swedish-born Australian-raised convicted criminal to return home to Australia after deportation. Read Now
 
 
 
 
Chinese Should Be Allowed To Stay: Greens The Australian Greens say a group of Chinese nationals on their way to New Zealand should be given every opportunity to stay in Australia. Read Now
 
 
 
 
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NSW Police In Legal Battle With Software Giant An extraordinary legal battle is shaping up in the Federal Court, with a multinational software company suing NSW Police for wide-scale copyright piracy.UK software company Micro Focus is demanding at least $10 million in damages from NSW Police.It claims NSW Police has been using pirated copies of their computer software for more than a decade to run their COPS (Computerised Operational Police System) - the largest criminal intelligence database in the country.It was a routine request from the NSW Ombudsman‘s office back in August 2010 that first set off alarm bells for Bruce Craig, the Australasian managing director of Micro Focus."Our team was out at the Ombudsman‘s and in a conversation they said they were accessing the COPS database using our software," he told 7.30."And we said what software - you don‘t own our software?"The software in question is called ViewNow. It is a mainframe computer program NSW Police began using in 1998 to access the COPS database, which holds the highly confidential details of just about every citizen in the state.Cybercrime investigator Michael Speck says the COPS database operates like the "nervous system" of the NSW police and holds critical intelligence on everything from criminal histories to victims of crime.Micro Focus says after the Ombudsman‘s query they started investigating and were astounded to discover police had been duplicating their software, then sharing the stolen booty with other law enforcement agencies. And not just the Ombudsman‘s Office, but two other state untouchables - the Department of Correctives Services and the Police Integrity Commission."When someone pirates your software you think who am I going to call, the police?" Mr Craig said."In this case, they‘re the pirates."Mr Craig says Micro Focus‘ contract with police was very specific.He says police were allowed to use up to 6,500 ViewNow licences and if they wanted any more, they would have to pay for them."The licenses were for police only. Yet police were out there handing out our software like confetti," he said.‘Out of control‘But it gets worse. Micro Focus say when they asked police just how many of the 6,500 ViewNow licenses they were using, a police employee allegedly told them: "Oh f--k. We‘ve rolled out 16,000 devices"."They did not pay for those extra licenses," Mr Craig said."It‘s incredible. It shows an organisation that‘s completely out of control."Mr Craig says police have spent the past 18 months stalling. At first, he says, police claimed they had lost the contract. He says they then told him it was impossible to tell exactly how many of the 20,000-strong police workforce had been using the software over the past decade.Mr Speck, a former NSW detective, says the idea that NSW Police - the fifth largest police force in the world - cannot track every piece of software they are using seems extraordinary."Cant find the license is the pirates‘ equivalent of the dog ate my homework," he said. "Let‘s just get that out in the open straight away."A lot of money - a lot of the public‘s money - is being spent here defending what appears to be indefensible."‘Investigating the investigators‘But according to former police computer forensics investigator, Clinton Towers, trying to "investigate the investigators" is going to be a major challenge for Micro Focus.When Micro Focus asked to come in and do their own audit - one of the conditions of the contract - police refused, and called in their lawyers instead."They said if we wanted to audit them we would require a court order," Mr Craig said."The minute we advised police there was an issue they began de-installing our software. They de-installed it without keeping records."In essence, the NSW Police defence is that it has all been a terrible misunderstanding.In its statement of defence before the Federal Court, NSW Police say on their reading of their contract, Micro Focus had not limited them to 6,500 ViewNow licenses. Rather, it gave them the right to reproduce as many licenses as they wanted."No software company would give away their IP forever for unlimited use," Mr Craig said. "In this case its quite clear what their usage limit is, it‘s 6,500 and they have clearly gone way beyond that number."Mr Speck agrees the idea any company would give away its copyright for free is "just implausible"."You think about copyright like a hire car agreement," he said."When the agreement runs out you can‘t continue to drive the car and you certainly can‘t give it to your mates. And that‘s what happened here."When the case first landed in the Federal Court last July, the Police Integrity Commission settled out of court almost immediately.It was quickly followed by the NSW Department of Corrective Services and the NSW Ombudsman‘s Office. But so far NSW Police have refused to blink."This is the first time in 30 years we‘ve ever required a lawyer," Mr Craig said."I would estimate they have probably spent over $1 million in taxpayers‘ money so far in the legal system and all they have done is delay the inevitable."Mr Speck says Micro Focus has "nobody to go to but the court"."This is potentially a crime that has to be handled as a civil matter because everybody‘s got their hands dirty," he said."The victims can‘t go to police - it‘s the police who are doing the stealing."This case has attracted surprisingly little attention so far.Fresh lawsuit loomsBut it is about to get even uglier. Micro Focus plans to launch yet another lawsuit, this time accusing the police of trying to replace the first batch of pirated software with another batch of pirated software which also belongs to Micro Focus.The company claims this latest version of pirated software - a NetManage Applet - was provided by NSW Police to Corrective Services last year as they were scrambling to delete the ViewNow software.But what Micro Focus now wants to know is how widely the pirated Applet is being used to run the COPS system."What‘s incredible is that they‘ve gone to any length to try and avoid discovery of what‘s being used in there," Mr Craig said."They‘ve been continually deleting our product, they need to replace it with something. "And that they‘ve replaced it with another license they have no right to use, its just astonishing. It‘s madness."NSW Police have denied the latest allegations by Micro Focus, and have vowed to "vigorously defend" any future court action.But Micro Focus says Police already face a bill of at least $10 million if they lose the case in lost earnings, legal costs and damages.In a statement from NSW Police to 7.30, they said even if Micro Focus did have damages awarded to them, the $10 million figure did "not concur with the company‘s calculation of costs to the Force should [the] company be successful with its civil action".NSW Police followed that statement with another that relates to the fresh accusation against them."NSW Police denies these fresh claims in relation to the NetManage Applet and will vigorously contest the matter," the statement said. Read Now
 
 
 
 
ACCC Approves Foxtel-Austar Merger The competition regulator has approved pay television giant Foxtel‘s $2 billion takeover of regional operator Austar. The approval, which was granted subject to an eight-year restriction on future acquisitions by Foxtel, was the last major hurdle to be cleared before the takeover could proceed. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman Rod Sims said the commission wanted to ensure there was competition in the national subscription television market, particularly in the developing internet protocol television (IPTV) market.Mr Sims told The World Today he also was concerned about diversity in the fixed-broadband and fixed-phone markets in regional areas, given that Telstra owns half of Foxtel."The merger was about two regional monopolies that didn‘t really compete against each other, so it wasn‘t so much pay TV delivered over cable and satellite that was ever the concern here, it was more how the market would evolve as Telstra increasingly was going to offer not just its phone and voice services, or its phone and data services, but also content to its customers," Mr Sims said. "We had to make sure that the competitors to Telstra also had access to compelling content so that they could compete with Telstra."As part of the agreement, Foxtel will be banned from holding the exclusive rights to a range of TV programs and movies offered as part of video-on-demand and mobile services, including programs from Nickelodeon, National Geographic, Discovery and Disney."The concessions in the undertaking from Foxtel were really ones they didn‘t want to give," Mr Sims said."They would like to be able to get as much programming as possible on an exclusive basis." Job losses likelyBoth Foxtel and Austar have welcomed the approval, which came nine months after the deal was first proposed in July last year.Austar says it will cease trading on the Australian Securities Exchange late this month and it expects Foxtel to assume control in late May.Foxtel chief executive Richard Freudenstein said in a statement that the takeover would create a company with the scale to deliver innovative new digital products and services.It would also allow regional subscribers to access the same products and services as subscribers in capital cities.While the deal is a lucrative one for Austar, it could come at a heavy cost for workers, with the company saying job losses are likely.Austar executive Deanne Weir says the number of jobs to be axed will be in Foxtel‘s hands."Foxtel has also made it very clear that our operations centre on the Gold Coast is very important to them," she said."Inevitably there might be some job losses, but I think that will be a matter for Foxtel to work through over time."BBY media and telecommunications analyst Mark McDonnell says the deal makes commercial sense."You had two companies effectively providing the one service across different parts of the country and by putting it into one company you‘ve got a far more efficient, cost effective means for delivering pay TV," Mr McDonnell said.Last month, Austar shareholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the takeover, which must gain final approval at a Federal Court hearing on April 13.Foxtel is half-owned by Telstra. James Packer‘s Consolidated Media Holdings and Rupert Murdoch‘s News Corporation each hold a 25 per cent stake. Read Now
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Music To The Ears As School Promised Help The Australian National University and business groups say they are working together to try to secure the financial future of the School of Music.The University has faced strong protests since it announced it will cut jobs and funding for the School. Students were particularly upset at a reduction in one-on-one tuition sessions. The Australian National University has now announced a reversal of its decision to cut in half one-on-one tuition, though it is sticking by its plan to cut 10 jobs.Vice-chancellor Ian Young says discussions are underway with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry to build a consortium to support the School and the wider ACT music community.ACT Chamber of Commerce chief executive Chris Peters says this will help ensure the School‘s ongoing viability. "Not only have we solved the existing problems for the students at the ANU School of Music, but I think there‘s a very clear opportunity to further develop the very successful Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and that as well will give the School of Music increased access to the musicians who are here on a full time basis," he said."It‘s not just the Orchestra and the School of Music, it flows broadly through our communities. Our schools for example draw on both teachers and students to teach in schools," he said. Mr Peters was a member of the School‘s board for about seven years, but resigned in anger to the budget cut announcements. He now says he is pleased with the progress."It‘s a win for our broader arts community particularly music," he said. ANU deputy vice-chancellor Marnie Hughes Warrington says the University has been overwhelmed at public support for the School.She says the University has been able to restore the level of individual tuition for students because of donations. "We guarantee that students will get 13 hours of one-to-one. What we‘ve realised is that we can make that possible through philanthropic support for that one-to-one teaching," she said. "The problems around funding constraints haven‘t gone away but there are other ways of addressing them." Read Now
 
 
 
 
Purple, Red And Yellow Wiggles Leaving Aussie Band Purple, Red and Yellow Wiggles to leave popular Australian preschool band at end of year Read Now
 
 
 
 
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Last 50 Years Were Australia‘s Hottest: Study For the first time scientists have provided the most complete climate record of the last millennium and they found that the last 50 years in Australia have been the warmest. The researchers from Melbourne University used 27 different natural indicators like tree rings and ice cores to come to their conclusion, which will be a part of the next United Nations intergovernmental panel on climate change report. The findings show that no other period in the last 1,000 years matches the temperature rises Australia and the region has experienced in the last 50 years.Report co-author Joelle Gergis says the findings are significant."It does show that the post-1950 warming is unusual in the Australasian region," she said."A lot of these sorts of studies have come out of the northern hemisphere and for the first time we have been able to say ‘well we have collected all of our natural records from our region and this is what it shows and the warming is real and it is in the Australian region. It is not in some far away place‘," she said.Dr Gergis says the study used decades of work from 30 scientists who had been collecting natural data to reconstruct temperatures before human records started in 1910. "So really what these are are climate proxies. They are not direct temperature records but we use them as stand-ins or surrogates for temperature records," she said. "What we do is compare these natural records with the observed temperature records and then develop a statistical relationship and take that relationship back centuries into the past."Co-author Professor David Karoly says the strength of the study is that it relied more on direct observations and measurements than climate modelling."Nothing is absolutely certain in science, but we say with very high confidence because we have repeated the analysis alone for the uncertainties that the warming in the last 50 years is very unusual and very likely cannot be explained by natural climate variability alone," he said. Dr Gergis says the scientists have minimised the variability in their model by crunching the data 3,000 different ways. "What we were able to see is that in 95 per cent of the reconstructions, we actually see that the post-1950 warming observed in the region is unprecedented in the context of the last millennium so it is not dependent on a loss of records back in time or the different combination of record," he said.The government-funded study will be Australia‘s contribution to the fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report due in 2014. Read Now
 
 
 
 
Scientists Chew Over How To Breed Better Crocs Scientists are meeting in Darwin to discuss how to create the perfect domesticated crocodile.Saltwater crocodile eggs are harvested in northern Australia and the crocodiles hatched are farmed and sold for their skins.Researcher Sally Isberg says the industry is trying to work out how to genetically regulate the growth and skin quality of captive crocodiles."The industry benefits to come out of this are going to be reducing growth variability so we can get animals out quicker and also increasing survivability, so those animals that we hatch, more of them will survive until harvest," she said.Northern Territory Primary Industries Minister Kon Vatskalis told delegates the the Territory is a leader in exploiting crocodiles for tourism, meat and skins."We are the supplier of some most perfect skins to the world," he said."That is why international companies come to the Territory, specifically for our products, and we want to improve our products."But a Darwin scientist says the push to create a better domesticated crocodile could threaten the species in the wild. Professor Grahame Webb says that, while the aim is possible, it could threaten efforts to preserve the creatures in their natural habitat."To maintain a position in the international market, with the highest level of fashion products, we need to have the best possible skins," he said."But we also need to have, from a conservation point of view, the reliance on eggs that come in from landowners and from the wild so they have an incentive to put up with crocodiles."In Thailand, where the whole population of crocs is in captive breeding, the wild population is extinct," Professor Webb said. Read Now
 
 
 
 
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Regional Hospital Gets Government Funds Injection The State Government is to provide Keith Hospital in the upper south-east of South Australia with a one-off $350,000 grant to help shore up its future.The hospital says it has struggled since the SA Government withdrew a subsidy last year.SA Health Minister John Hill says the Keith Hospital board has accepted the one-off grant while it recruits GPs, after having been presented with two options. The other was a proposal for the facility to become a government hospital.Mr Hill said the offer was made to the hospital‘s CEO and board chairman and the grant will help establish a GP practice, with two doctors supported by a practice nurse."Mr De Barro and Mr Hender took these options to the Keith and District Hospital Board last night and I am pleased to report that the Board agreed with the second option," he said."At the end of 12 months the outcomes will be reviewed."The offer for the State Government to take over the Keith and District Hospital remains on the table throughout the term of this Government."The Keith community has been involved in a long-running campaign for support since the Government withdrew the subsidy. Read Now
 
 
 
 
Canberra Doctor Loses Court Bid A prominent Canberra doctor has failed in a legal bid to have a case against him dropped because of an unreasonable delay in having it brought to court.Obstetrician, gynaecologist and urogynecologist Andrew Foote has been fighting two complaints against him from 2005 and 2006.The complaints were received from two women on whom Dr Foote had performed procedures, in which it is alleged he failed to demonstrate an appropriate standard of practice and failed to keep clear and accurate records.The ACT Supreme Court case has been delayed because of the time it is taking to gather evidence from expert witnesses.Dr Foote has used the Humans Rights Act to argue there has been an unreasonable delay in the case, and it should be dropped.But Justice John Burns has ruled the delay has not been unreasonable and there is a significant public interest in complaints against medical practitioners being appropriately investigated. Read Now
 
 
 
 
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Unions Warn Of More Job Cuts Public sector unions in Tasmania are expecting hundreds of job cuts to flow from this year‘s state budget.The Premier and Treasurer, Lara Giddings, has handed down her second budget, delivering more cuts for government departments as she deals with another big deficit. The mega departments of health, police and education may have been quarantined from extra cuts but unions are warning it is nothing to celebrate.Unions say they still have to find hundreds of millions of dollars in savings and the smaller departments are being hit even harder.The head of Unions Tasmania, Kevin Harkins, says there is little to be positive about."You could argue that it‘s a marginal softening but that‘s all it is at best; the cuts are still there, the job cuts are still to come.""We don‘t know where it‘s going to end."It was a very difficult budget to understand, I have to say, because I think there‘s a fair bit hidden in it but we‘ll work through that in the days to come," he said. While the Premier has pitched it as the budget with a heart, the public sector union‘s Tom Lynch says it is anything but."I couldn‘t find the heart in those budget documents anywhere," he said.Mr Harkins agreed."The only positives in this budget are about cats and plastic bags."Tim Jacobson from the Health Services Union predicts mass job cuts."Based on the figures that are there, we think there‘s probably another 800 jobs still to come out of the public sector," he said.He predicts that the demand on public hospitals will not ease."What the Tasmanian community can expect is, on top of the cuts that have already taken place, the same again for the next financial year.""It‘s not good news, it‘s not good news at all for Health and Human Services."Mr Jacobson says the State Government can not take credit for spending $4 million on clearing the endoscopy waiting list."That‘s not state money. The elective surgery money that is in this budget is money that came from the Federal Government so the State Government can‘t take any credit for that," he said.While health, police and education have been quarantined from smaller cuts there is concern the focus has now turned to smaller departments.Extra squeezeEconomic Development, Tourism and the Arts, Primary Industries, Parks and the Environment will be slashed by an additional $70 million.Tom Lynch says increasing the pressure on the budgets of smaller departments will be devastating."This is going to decimate Economic Development when the economy‘s running at a growth rate of 1.5 per cent.""It‘s going to cut the heart and soul out of Tourism, it‘s going to destroy Parks and Wildlife.""They are all frontline services and the Government‘s simply abandoned them so they can get a front-page headline saying we deferred some of the cuts in health," he said.The Tourism Industry Council‘s Luke Martin is disappointed there is no extra money for much-needed tourism marketing, while half a million dollars was spent selling the forest peace agreement."Tasmania is more dependent on tourism for it‘s economic growth for our employment," he said."We have 2,000 small businesses around the state that are dependent on tourism and $10.5 million against the Northern Territory‘s is not going to cut it."The Education Union is questioning the amount set aside for school amalgamations.Spokesman Chris Lane says the $3.5 million is not enough."We don‘t see it as being a carrot or an incentive for that process to occur."The Property Council‘s Mary Massina says increased taxes are expected to hurt the property market.The inflated stamp duty will add about $385 to the cost of buying an average home."It‘s gone up to about 12.5 per cent that means that that impacts upon every Tasmanian who wants to buy a house," she said.The increased insurance duty will add an extra $40 a year to the average family insurance bill.As already revealed $5 million from the sale of TOTE Tasmania will go towards cost of living pressures, but Noel Mundy from the Council of Social Service says it is not nearly enough."There doesn‘t seem to be any new money for things like Child Protection and mental health as well."On the environmental front, the budget contains almost $1 million to introduce a ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags and $240,000 for the long-awaited coastal strategy.There is support for responsible cat ownership, ban battery hen farming and sow stalls. Read Now
 
 
 
 
Sharks To Keep Circling West Coast Tourists The Environment Department has renewed the licences of three shark diving tourism businesses which operate off Port Lincoln in South Australia, despite concern from the CSIRO about their use of berley to attract great white sharks.There had been a proposal to reduce the number of operators and limit cage diving to 200 days annually.But the operators have restricted their use of berley and new licences will let them offer cage diving five days per week.Upper House MP Robert Brokenshire said it would end a period of uncertainty for the businesses."For many weeks now they‘ve been there wondering if they would continue to have a business and this business actually value-adds into the other beautiful tourism iconic opportunities within South Australia," he said."To have cut this back I think would have been a mistake and I think the Government have now made the right decision."We now have an outcome where three operators will be licensed and that is a better option than having one or two of them cut out. In fact one of the operators works with another operator, so my understanding [is] all of the operators will be able to get on with business as usual and for that I commend the Government." Read Now
 
 
 
 
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Aussies In Control Of Third Test V Windies Ed Cowan and Ricky Ponting have made half-centuries as Australia took control of the third Test against the West Indies, with a 310-run lead on day three. Read Now
 
 
 
 
Aussies Stun Windies In 1St Test Australia are closing in on an astonishing Test win after turning the tables on the West Indies on day four of the clash at Kensington Oval. Read Now
 
 
 
 
 
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