Flowing with festive cheer

Revellers packed Salamanca Place last night.

THOUSANDS of Hobart revellers started putting the "merry" into this year's Christmas holiday period last night.

There was a bumper and boisterous crowd at Salamanca for the traditional Christmas break-up drinks.

Police estimated about 10,000 people took advantage of the mild weather and clear skies to converge on the Hobart waterfront.

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The Salamanca lawns were transformed into a street party, with live music, barbecues and vans serving alcohol.

Police Inspector Glen Woolley, officer in charge of Hobart, said it was a lively but orderly crowd.

"Overall the crowd is well behaved, considering the large number of people," he said.

"So far it's a jovial crowd and we just hope it stays that way," he said.

Insp Woolley said the good behaviour was partly because of the strong police presence, with 22 police patrolling the waterfront last night.

Police had made four arrests for disorderly conduct up until 9.30pm.

Insp Woolley said it was the largest gathering he had seen in the three years he had been patrolling Salamanca pre-Christmas Friday nights.

The holiday drinks have been a tradition in Salamanca for nearly 30 years, with thousands gathering on the lawns across from Knopwoods Retreat.

While the outside drinking area was still enclosed by a 1.2m barrier fence last night, the area was less fortress-like than the past seven years when a 1.8m "cage" had been erected.

Knoppies licensee Kate Cawthorn praised the lower barriers.

"It has more of a festival feel, we're really happy with it," she said.

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Snapshot shows healthy state

THE latest snapshot of Tasmania is in, and the news is mostly good.

We are richer and smarter than two years ago. We call ourselves optimists, but we can be a little tight with the purse strings. We don't trust governments, but we reckon we lead full and busy lives.

Every year leading advertising company Clemenger puts together a comprehensive snapshot of the habits and mood of the nation.

Based on quarterly Roy Morgan surveys of more than 50,000 people, it identifies the traits we share and the things that set us apart from each other.

Clemenger's report, The State of Tasmania, reveals locals are generally upbeat about their lives, particularly in Hobart, where the proportion of people counting their glass as half-full approaches 80 per cent. But drill down deeper and the picture becomes more nuanced.

While Tasmanians are more likely than other Australians to feel financially stable and are less likely to have cut down on their spending, a strong and growing majority believe the gap between rich and poor is growing.

And despite the global financial crisis receding in the rear view mirror, the number of people believing the economy is in freefall is growing.

Far more than Australians elsewhere, Tasmanians don't trust governments. Only a small minority in each region report that they trust the current Federal Government and distrust is significantly higher in the state's North-West, something that may spell trouble in the key marginal seat of Bass.

And we are more likely to believe corruption is a major problem, with up to 60 per cent agreeing.

The Clemenger report revealed distinct differences between the state's three regional centres of Hobart, Launceston and Burnie/Devonport.

"The Hobart region showed optimism in terms of the economy and the future of Tasmania, despite a feeling of financial instability. The Hobart demographic is characterised by older households of white-collar workers, managers and professionals who value social interaction, new opportunities and knowledge," the report concluded.

Interestingly, Launceston emerged as a more liberal, health-conscious, environmental hub.

"The Launceston region showed an increase in income and a shift towards a more health-conscious consumer," the report said.

"This involves the consumption of organic and additive-free foods, as well as increasing concern for the environment.

"The Launceston demographic is characterised by the mid-life households of skilled workers who value security, reliability and family.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the state's North-West emerged with its own distinct identity too.

"The Burnie/Devonport region showed increasing disregard for their health, as well as a large degree of distrust and dissatisfaction with the Government," the report said. "[The] demographic is characterised by young-parent households of skilled workers who value security, reliability and family."

READ THE FULL COVERAGE IN TODAY'S SATURDAY MERCURY ...

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Driving passion for justice

LEADER: Gavin Mooney was passionate about social justice. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

GAVIN Mooney moved to Tasmania from Western Australia looking for the good life, and was in no doubt that he had found it.

The nation's leading health economist and his partner, academic Dr Del Weston, were captivated by the beauty and tranquillity of the expansive home they bought in the hamlet of Mountain River, about 30 minutes' drive south of Hobart.

The broad deck looks out on the rugged peaks across the scattered homes and the steep, timbered ridges rising up to Collins Bonnet.

The couple had big plans. Both wanted to be involved in social justice as they had in Western Australia, where Prof Mooney had helped found the WA Social Justice Network.

They wanted to expand their vegetable garden and their small flock of chickens and enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle.

Prof Mooney, a passionate and energetic advocate for those less well-off, regularly contributed the benefit of his experience in health economics to the Mercury's coverage of health issues.

In August he launched the Social Determinants of Health Advocacy Network and was involved in facilitating "citizens' juries" as a more democratic way for people to participate in setting priorities for the heath systems.

Dr Weston did her PhD at Curtin University in WA.

She had been a visiting scholar at the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban, South Africa, and an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Tasmania in the School of Geography and Environmental Science.

Tony Reidy from TasCOSS said Prof Mooney had been a driving force behind the organisation's submission to the State Government this year.

"We're really quite devastated. Gavin Mooney was making an enormous contribution to social justice in Tasmania," he said after hearing of the couple's brutal murder yesterday.

"He was a real leader in his field. His death is an enormous tragedy for the state."

Miriam Herzfeld set up the Social Determinants of Health Advocacy Network with Prof Mooney this year.

She said he and Dr Weston were passionate, caring and had worked to make a contribution from the moment they arrived in their new home.

"He was passionate about creating a more equal society and giving everybody the opportunity to lead a healthy and good-quality life," she said.

"Gavin and Del had been in Tasmania for a short period of time but they'd made an enormous impact."

UTAS Provost David Rich said the news had shocked and saddened the staff of the Menzies Research Institute, where Prof Mooney held a voluntary position.

"The academic community is deeply saddened by this news," Prof Rich said.

Before moving to Tasmania Prof Mooney had been Director of the Social and Public Health Economics Research Group and Professor of Health Economics at Curtin University in Perth.

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Couple murdered in paradise

Dr Del Weston was found dead. Inset: Officers at the scene of the alleged double murder in Bennetts Rd, Mountain River, this morning.

THE nation's leading health economist and his academic partner are dead after being murdered at their idyllic Mountain River property, south-west of Hobart.

Professor Gavin Mooney, 69, and Dr Del Weston, 62, were found dead in their Bennetts Rd home early today after their alleged killer rang 000. They had severe blunt force injuries to their heads.

The 27-year-old man charged with the murders is Dr Weston's son by a previous relationship, Nicolau Francisco Soares. He did not enter a plea when he appeared in the Hobart Magistrates Court today and has been remanded in custody.

Prof Mooney and Dr Weston moved to Tasmania from WA last year to enjoy semi-retirement and were enthralled by the beauty of their new surroundings.

Their alleged killer arrived in the state three weeks ago, sources say, and had been staying at their home.

It is the second double murder in the state's South in four days and the third this year. A Hamilton couple was shot dead on Sunday and a man and a woman were stabbed to death in Launceston in August.

Police say the latest horror was a particularly gruesome crime. A hammer and sledgehammer used to inflict the fatal wounds was found next to the bodies. The alleged killer was waiting in another room when police arrived early this  morning.

"The only person who really knows what occurred in that house now is the man we have in custody," Detective Inspector Peter Powell alleged.

"There was some sign in the room of a disturbance, some furniture overturned.

"But as to who was attacked first or how the altercation commenced, we don't know."

He said there was no obvious motive at this stage.

"We hope to discover it as we go through the investigation," he said.

 "Certainly, we would like to know more about his movements.

"The area where they lived is a remote area and there are no houses close to the location but obviously we're making inquiries in the area to see what people know of this couple and this young man.

"We've been doorknocking down there this morning and making inquiries in the Kingston area too."

Although police asked neighbours not to comment publicly yesterday, it was apparent those living close by were deeply shocked.

Det Insp Powell said it was a terrible thing to have two double murders within days of each other  and both allegedly committed by people known to the victims.

The man believed to be responsible for the Hamilton shootings remains in a medically induced coma in hospital after shooting himself in the head on Sunday.

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Trial over teen's road death

A NEW Norfolk man will face trial next year over the road death of a schoolgirl in the Derwent Valley last February.

Bradley John Chaplin, 27, has pleaded not guilty to negligent driving, driving without due care and attention, speeding, and driving with an illegal drug in his system.

The charges were laid after the death of Glenora High School student Ashley Edmonds on February 29.

The 13-year-old was killed when she was hit by a utility after getting off a school bus on Gordon River Rd at Karanja.

The Hobart Magistrates Court today heard the case would take up to five days and involve a number of young witnesses.

Defence lawyer Chris Gunson said he was discussing with the prosecution ways to take evidence from those witnesses without causing additional trauma.

He said he had also sought a reconstruction of the crash from an accident expert and would be calling into question evidence of his client's reading for tetrahydrocannabinol -- the active ingredient in cannabis.

Magistrate Olivia McTaggart said she would conduct a visit to the scene of the crash as requested by the defence before a further mention of the case on February 26.

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Smoking bans extended

TASMANIAN smokers will be further stigmatised with the State Government banning smoking at a raft of festivals and events next year.

Government banning smoking at a raft of festivals and events next year.

The Government is making no apologies for the move, saying it is time Tasmanian children grew up thinking of smoking as abnormal behaviour.

From January 2, an additional 30 public events will be smoke free, including Australia Day celebrations, Launceston's Festivale, North Hobart's Estia Greek Festival, New Norfolk's Autumn Festival, the Wooden Boat Festival, Cygnet Folk Festival and music events such as Falls Festival, Breath of Life, Day on the Green and Symphony Under the Stars.

Lighting-up will also be banned at regular markets such as Salamanca, Evandale, Glenorchy and Sorell.

Organisers of the events will have the option of setting up a maximum of two outdoor smoking areas, which will need to be well clear of food stalls and children's activities.

The Health Department's Environmental Health manager, Stuart Heggie, said tobacco control officers would conduct random checks to ensure patrons complied with the new rules.

"These smoke-free [events] are in addition to the completely smoke-free Carols by Candlelight services held in the state this Christmas, as well as the bans that already exist in a range of locations where children play and families gather, and the recently added patrolled areas of Tasmania's beaches," Mr Heggie said.

Cygnet Folk Festival artistic director Erin Collins said the change was a "logistical challenge" but would most likely be welcomed by the audiences.

Mr Heggie said penalties would be a "last resort" but anyone who persisted in smoking after being asked to stop would be fined.

TASMANIA'S smoke-free areas:

• Public events (from January 2).

• Workplaces including offices, gaming venues, nightclubs and shopping centres.

• Public buildings (smoking is banned within three metres of the buildings' entrances).

• In cars with children and inside work vehicles.

• Outdoor dining areas during food service times (in addition to state laws, the Hobart City Council has banned smoking at all times in outdoor dining areas within the city).

• Pedestrian malls.

• Bus malls and shelters (smoking is banned within three metres of a bus shelter).

• Within 10 metres of playgrounds.

• Patrolled beaches and public swimming pools.

• Outdoor sports grounds.

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Worker hurt in Bicheno blast

A MAN in his 60s has been badly injured in an industrial accident near Bicheno, Tasmania Police say.

Officers were sent to the scene on the state's East Coast this afternoon after reports of an explosion.

The incident occurred about 2pm in a quarry on a farming property about 5km south of Bicheno, police said in a statement.

The injured worker, who is in a critical condition, has been flown to the Launceston General Hospital by the Westpac Police Rescue helicopter.

No one else was injured in the incident, with police forensics officers and a mines inspector set to examine the scene this afternoon.

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My sister didn't have to die

A COUPLE might still be alive today if police had acted to impose a family violence order against their alleged killer, says Melissa Wilton, right, the sister of the dead woman.

The family of the woman slain in a double killing and attempted suicide at Hamilton on Sunday, demanded answers yesterday after they said the dead woman reached out to Tasmania Police months ago.

Meagan Wilton, 31, and popular Ouse cricketer Ben Eyles, 34, were yesterday named as the couple killed early on Sunday morning.

Meagan's sister Melissa, 30, of Claremont, says her much-loved sister, a mother-of-three, went to police late last year after her then-de facto partner, 59, assaulted her, leaving her with black eyes and bruising to her body. Ms Wilton has photographs of her sister's injured face saved to her phone.

"I am very angry," she said. "[Tasmania Police] never put the family violence order that should have been in place through -- and if they had done [the alleged shooter's] guns would've been taken off him and my sister would still be alive. I want something done about this. I demand an investigation."

Detective Inspector Colin Riley said there was no record of any such violence being reported.

"If the sister has any evidence to suggest there was family violence it is recommended she bring that information to police to investigate rather than providing it to the media, and once we have that information we will obviously include it as part of the investigation," he said.

"[Ms Melissa Wilton] was in the presence of investigators yesterday and none of that information was provided to those investigators."

He said this was "clearly a traumatic set of events for the family and extended family" and said if there was any further information that could assist police in "clarifying what has occurred" then "we would appreciate it if they came to police with any such information".

Ms Wilton said her sister Meagan left the older man, the father of her 19-month-old son, in April this year.

"That's why she got out. She didn't want the kids to grow up and see violence," Ms Wilton said.

"She lived for her kids. She was struggling but she lived for them and she was a lovely girl."

Meagan Wilton formed a relationship with Mr Eyles a few months ago and the couple moved into a rented home at Hamilton.

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Police suspect parental dispute

Police officers are continuing to search a home at Hamilton after a double murder yesterday. Picture: KIM EISZELE

POLICE believe a 59-year-old man suspected of a double murder at Hamilton was motivated by a dispute over his one-year-old child.

The only suspect in the killing remains in a critical condition in a medically-induced coma after undergoing surgery this morning at the Royal Hobart Hospital.

The two victims -- the 31-year-old mother of his child and her 34-year-old de facto partner -- were allegedly shot dead as they tried to flee when the alleged shooter entered the woman's Hamilton home about 5am yesterday.

The woman's nine-year-old daughter is understood to have witnessed the incident and called police on a mobile phone.

The suspected gunman was found next to his ute at Lachlan, about 40km from the murder scene.

The one-year-old infant was inside the vehicle.

Police today revealed officers had phoned the man, identified as the suspect by the nine-year-old, and were talking to him on his mobile phone moments before he shot himself in the head an hour after the double murder.

The New Norfolk, Ouse, and Hamilton communities were still in shock, locals said today, after learning of the couple's death yesterday via social and mainstream media.

The dead man's family lives in Ouse, while the woman is believed to be from the New Norfolk area.

Police officers remained at the Hamilton house today, searching the property and vehicles parked in the driveway for clues.

They are also trying to piece together the timeline leading up to the suspected shooter's arrival at the isolated homestead.

Anyone with information is urged to contact investigators on 1800 333 000.

zara.dawtrey@news.com.au

Read the full story in tomorrow's Mercury.

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Body found in Howrah dunes

SES volunteers comb the Howrah site where the body of a man was found by a member of the public earlier today. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

THE body of a man believed to be in his 60s has been found in sand dunes at Howrah, on Hobart's Eastern Shore.

Police said the body was found about 10am today in dunes adjacent to Wentworth Park at Salacia Ave.

The man's death is not believed to be suspicious and his identity has not yet been established.

"At this point there is no evidence to lead us to believe there are any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death," Detective Senior Sergeant Cameron Bessell said in a statement.

"Police are inquiring into the circumstances. A thorough examination of the scene, including a line search, is being undertaken.

"Until we can determine the cause of death … we will continue to examine how the body came to be in the location and attempt to establish how the man died."

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Disability aid push

WITH just six months until the launch of the National Disability Insurance Scheme in Tasmania, pressure is mounting on the State Government to sign a deal for a fully implemented scheme.

In Tasmania the NDIS will provide funding to 15 to 24-year-olds with a disability during the launch phase from July next year. By 2016 it is due to be rolled out to all eligible people aged up to 65.

Premier Lara Giddings signed a bilateral agreement with the Commonwealth confirming the operational and funding details for the roll out of the NDIS launch at last Friday's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in Canberra.

"The NDIS will be a real game-changer for people living with a disability, " Human Services Minister Cassy O'Connor said.

She said the 15 to 24 age cohort was chosen for the trial as that group was vulnerable during the transition from school to the adult world.

"We're convinced that picking the 15 to 24-year-olds to test the system is a good way to do it," Ms O'Connor said.

NDIS funding packages will be individualised and the amount given will depend on the needs of the recipient - whether it be equipment, respite, recreation activities or personal care.

While the launch is set to provide funding for about 1000 people the estimated size of the age cohort Ms O'Connor said the number of funding packages available certainly was not capped.

"If there is 1050 or 1200 people who come forward to be part of the launch they will be included, and the Commonwealth will meet any extra costs as a result of that," she said.

"These young people deserve to be given every chance to live [happy] and successful lives feeling valued and connected in their communities.

"If we don't enable that and we don't harness the capacity of these young people, they miss out, their families miss out."

Ms O'Connor said while full implementation of the NDIS in Tasmania was necessary, it would also need a "very significant" allocation of funding from the state. "We can't go through this process of raising expectations to say after three years 'actually we don't have the money'," Ms O'Connor said.

Catherine Viney, chief executive of Cosmos, which offers learning and leisure opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, said she had faith the NDIS would work, but it meant turning the current disability service model completely on its head.

Now the State Government funds organisations to provide services to people with disabilities. Under the NDIS, people with disabilities will receive funding that they can then spend how they choose.

"We're completely reforming the sector, we're [changing] from someone with a disability having to suck it up and take what they can get ... people will be able to say what's important to them," Ms Viney.

Tasmania Disability Lobby convenor Jane Wardlaw said while the launch for people aged 15 to 24 was welcome, older people already on waiting lists for services would now have to wait until at least 2016 until a full NDIS was put in place to benefit them.

Ms Wardlaw said the State Government should now take separate action to address the other urgent shortfalls in disability support.

"We need to have a strategy for those people that fall outside the cohort," she said.

While she commended the Government for signing up, she said New South Wales was the only state so far to sign an agreement for full implementation of an NDIS by 2018.

"Last week when New South Wales came out and signed their deal with the Federal Government to fully implement the NDIS, I could have kissed [NSW Premier] Barry O'Farrell," she said.

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Man, woman feared murdered

A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl called police after the apparent shooting murders of her mother and her mother's partner northwest of Hobart this morning.

Police said the bodies of  the woman, 31, and the man, 34, were found at a property on Hamilton Plains Rd, Hamilton -- about 30km northwest of New Norfolk -- about 5am.

Police said the alleged offender, a 59-year-old man, was later found at Lachlan, just south of New Norfolk, with a gunshot wound to the head.

He is in the Royal Hobart Hospital in a critical condition.

Police said the nine-year-old girl told them her mother and her mother's partner had been shot and a one-year-old boy had been taken from the property, ABC reports.

The boy was found in a car unharmed.

Police have set up a command post at the scene.

Read more in tomorrow's Mercury.

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Adoption hits low

ADOPTION is fast becoming a thing of the past, with just six Tasmanian families successfully adopting a child in the past year.

National adoption rates are at the lowest level in 25 years, with 333 adoptions Australia-wide in 2011-12, the latest figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show.

It's a drop of almost 80 per cent from the 1500 adoptions that took place in 1987-88.

The head of the AIHW child welfare unit, Tim Beard, said foster-care alternatives, contraception, changing social attitudes and welfare support for single parents had contributed to the drop in adoptions.

The six Tasmanian adoptions contrast with the 1000 Tasmanian children in foster care last year.

They were removed from their families because of neglect or abuse.

State Government figures showed the number of children in foster care doubled in the past eight years.

Two of the children adopted in Tasmania last year were from Australia, while four were from overseas countries, including the Philippines, Ethiopia and South Korea.

Nationwide, 184 of the 333 children adopted were Australian, marking the first time in 12 years that Australian adoptions outnumbered adoptions from other countries.

Mr Beard said this reflected changing international attitudes towards adoption, with many countries now seeking to have children adopted within their own country.

Despite this, eight Tasmanian families were among the 203 applicants to register their interest in inter-country adoptions last year.

"Despite social changes and medical advancements, we're still seeing the number of people looking to adopt go up every year," Mr Beard said.

"However, the numbers would probably be even bigger if we didn't have people looking at options like IVF or surrogacy."

The AIHW report showed most Australian birth mothers were unmarried and their median age was 22 nine years younger than the median age of all mothers who gave birth in 2010.

The age range for birth mothers was 15 to 43.

Relationships Australia Tasmania chief executive Mat Rowell said forced adoptions in the 1950s to 1980s had contributed to a shift in government policy about adoption.

He said there was now a stronger focus on keeping children in their family unit or supporting extended family members to care for them.

"We've seen the Government apologise for past policies and now we've seen the Tasmanian Government apologise to parents affected by [forced] adoptions," Mr Rowell said.

"This has changed the way society thinks about adoption, [and] now of course there is a whole stack of government support and practical support for people when they have children unexpectedly.

"Socially it's much more acceptable for people to raise children in a range of different circumstance we see single parents and gay couples raising children, and blended families."

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Disability aid push

WITH just six months until the launch of the National Disability Insurance Scheme in Tasmania, pressure is mounting on the State Government to sign a deal for a fully implemented scheme.

In Tasmania the NDIS will provide funding to 15 to 24-year-olds with a disability during the launch phase from July next year. By 2016 it is due to be rolled out to all eligible people aged up to 65.

Premier Lara Giddings signed a bilateral agreement with the Commonwealth confirming the operational and funding details for the roll out of the NDIS launch at last Friday's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in Canberra.

"The NDIS will be a real game-changer for people living with a disability, " Human Services Minister Cassy O'Connor said.

She said the 15 to 24 age cohort was chosen for the trial as that group was vulnerable during the transition from school to the adult world.

"We're convinced that picking the 15 to 24-year-olds to test the system is a good way to do it," Ms O'Connor said.

NDIS funding packages will be individualised and the amount given will depend on the needs of the recipient - whether it be equipment, respite, recreation activities or personal care.

While the launch is set to provide funding for about 1000 people the estimated size of the age cohort Ms O'Connor said the number of funding packages available certainly was not capped.

"If there is 1050 or 1200 people who come forward to be part of the launch they will be included, and the Commonwealth will meet any extra costs as a result of that," she said.

"These young people deserve to be given every chance to live [happy] and successful lives feeling valued and connected in their communities.

"If we don't enable that and we don't harness the capacity of these young people, they miss out, their families miss out."

Ms O'Connor said while full implementation of the NDIS in Tasmania was necessary, it would also need a "very significant" allocation of funding from the state. "We can't go through this process of raising expectations to say after three years 'actually we don't have the money'," Ms O'Connor said.

Catherine Viney, chief executive of Cosmos, which offers learning and leisure opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, said she had faith the NDIS would work, but it meant turning the current disability service model completely on its head.

Now the State Government funds organisations to provide services to people with disabilities. Under the NDIS, people with disabilities will receive funding that they can then spend how they choose.

"We're completely reforming the sector, we're [changing] from someone with a disability having to suck it up and take what they can get ... people will be able to say what's important to them," Ms Viney.

Tasmania Disability Lobby convenor Jane Wardlaw said while the launch for people aged 15 to 24 was welcome, older people already on waiting lists for services would now have to wait until at least 2016 until a full NDIS was put in place to benefit them.

Ms Wardlaw said the State Government should now take separate action to address the other urgent shortfalls in disability support.

"We need to have a strategy for those people that fall outside the cohort," she said.

While she commended the Government for signing up, she said New South Wales was the only state so far to sign an agreement for full implementation of an NDIS by 2018.

"Last week when New South Wales came out and signed their deal with the Federal Government to fully implement the NDIS, I could have kissed [NSW Premier] Barry O'Farrell," she said.

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