Giddings ready to sign Gonski

PREMIER Lara Giddings is still confident of signing on to Gonski education reforms before the end of the week -- despite Kevin Rudd toppling Julia Gillard as Prime Minister.

Ms Giddings, who was expected to announce Tasmania had signed on to the reforms with Ms Gillard at the Labor State conference at the weekend, said yesterday she was confident Mr Rudd was also dedicated to the Gonski reforms.

"I was pleased today to see the Prime Minister acknowledge the role of the former Prime Minister Julia Gillard in the Australian Parliament," she said yesterday.

"He very much acknowledged the role she has played in driving education reform and additional resources into the education system.

"I am confident, with the number of states that have already signed up to Gonski and the intention of Tasmania to sign up to Gonski, that we will see this reform continued to be rolled out."

Ms Giddings said she was still confident Tasmania could sign on to the Gonski reforms before Sunday, the June 30 deadline.

"I am hopeful we will be able to sign up to Gonski in coming days," she said.

"My confidence is based on the fact that Kevin Rudd has already acknowledged the legacy of the former Prime Minister and the importance of the education reforms and the increased funding for education."

Ms Giddings said she was confident Tasmania would not lose $100 million in GST payments if the state signed on to Gonski.

However, she did say the State Government had not received written confirmation from the Federal Government about the GST guarantee.

She said she wished she had been in a position to sign on to the Gonski reforms "many, many weeks ago".

"Neither side has deliberately stopped signing," she said.

"We have had real issues that we have had to talk through and negotiate.

"It would have been wonderful to sign up with the former Prime Minister who has driven these reforms."

matthew.smith@news.com.au

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Labor MPs keep mum

MOST Tasmanian Federal Labor politicians have dodged questions over who they voted for in the federal Labor spill.

The integral votes of Tasmanian Labor politicians that had Julia Gillard ousted and replaced by Kevin Rudd have cited the need to look to the future, but failed to tell the Tasmanian people who got their vote.

Tasmanian senators Lisa Singh, a Rudd backer, and Gillard supporters Catryna Bilyk and Helen Polley were the most forthright.

Carol Brown's office also confirmed the Labor Left powerbroker voted for Mr Rudd.

Tasmanian senator Lisa Singh released an early morning statement saying she had switched her vote to Mr Rudd "in the best interests of the Labor Party and the nation".

Ms Bilyk said she voted for Ms Gillard, but would fully back Mr Rudd.

Amid obvious criticism Tasmanian MPs had switched their allegiance to Mr Rudd in a bid to save their careers, other MPs were not so forthcoming.

Lyons MP Dick Adams, Bass MP Geoff Lyons and Braddon MP Sid Sidebottom, all of whom the polls are suggesting are in serious trouble, said yesterday the vote was a secret ballot.

Mr Adams said he believed the Tasmanian vote was split 50-50.

Mr Lyons and Mr Adams were both big supporters of Mr Rudd's parliamentary performance yesterday describing it as succinct and positive.

However the Mercury understands Ms Bilyk and Ms Polley were the only Tasmanian politicians to support Ms Gillard.

The most senior Tasmanian in the Commonwealth government, Franklin MP Julie Collins, would not be drawn on who she supported, but remained on the front bench yesterday, which supported rumours that she had switched her allegiance to Mr Rudd.

Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings came under fire for comments she made in a newspaper interview in March 2011 where she said she "wasn't a great fan personally of the Kevin Rudd COAG process as a minister".

Yesterday afternoon she said she would have no trouble working with Mr Rudd.

"I have no problem in congratulating Kevin Rudd," she said.

"Kevin Rudd himself has acknowledged some of these criticisms, but he has said himself that he is a changed man.

"I look forward to working with Kevin Rudd."

Mr Rudd is now not expected to attend the Tasmanian Labor conference in Burnie at the weekend.

matthew.smith@news.com.au

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Boy drowns in fishing tragedy

A FATHER and son fishing trip has ended in tragedy at Bicheno with a man and his six-year-old son being swept off rocks by a wave.

Police last night confirmed the boy had drowned, while the search for his father was ongoing late last night.

The father and son, who were understood to be holidaying at Bicheno, on the state's East Coast, were reportedly fishing from rocks near the esplanade boat ramp when they were swept into the sea about 5pm.

Witnesses raised the alarm, sparking a major air and sea search involving a police rescue boat and the Westpac Police Rescue Helicopter. The body of the boy was pulled from the water about 7pm.

Bicheno By The Bay motel owner Andrew Thomas said the father and son were visitors who had been staying at the motel as part of a group.

The wife and mother of the two is believed to have been with the group.

Mr Thomas said the father and son had been fishing off rocks across the road from the motel when they were swept away.

He said although the weather was fine at Bicheno yesterday, there was a large swell that had been created by recent bad weather.

He described the spot where the pair were swept away as a sloping, rocky area.

He said while it was not a popular fishing spot, people did fish there from time to time and the water off the rocks was frequented by snorkelers and divers.

Mr Thomas said while the rocks were not known to be particularly dangerous, the surface of the rocks could be slippery.

"There is lichen and moss and algae there, it's slippery and people do have to be careful," Mr Thomas said.

Police investigations into the incident are continuing and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

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Nude swim a cheeky event

EXHILARATING. Freezing. Amazing.

That is how Dark MOFO artistic director Leigh Carmichael described his festival's inaugural nude swim which took place at first light off Long Beach in Sandy Bay today.

Hundreds of hardy souls wearing nothing but red swimming caps took to the River Derwent for the event.

Approaching the beach en masse with a cheer that broke the dawn silence, the group discarded their white towels as orange flares signalled the beginning of the winter solstice celebration.

Then began a mad charge for the water, which at 12C was considerably warmer than the heavily frosted beach the swimmers left behind.

After three minutes it was all over, as swimmers waded back out of the water.

Some raced for towels, while others were content to huddle naked around the barrels of fire dotting the beach.

Keeping a close eye on proceedings were two police boats and a small flotilla of surf lifesavers on boards.

Safety concerns meant the nude swim was staged in two parts -- 150 swimmers at dawn, followed by another 50 half an hour later.

"I don't normally swim at all in the ocean, so that was pretty brave for me," Mr Carmichael said.

"The community spirit was amazing. I think we've had a community spirit the entire festival and this really finishes it off. I'm really happy.

"This was about embracing the cold and the winter, and just celebrating as a community this time the year and the solstice."

Hobart Lord Mayor Damon Thomas was one of the first into the water, which took place on the shortest day of the year.

"It was a fantastic community effort," a bare-chested Mr Thomas told the media.

"This is just Hobart. We've broken so many barriers this week. We've proven that people will start looking to come here for weekends, rather than the old idea of pushing people away.

"I'd go out again"

Finally, a small group of about 20 clothed swimmers took to the water for the "prude" swim.

Then it was straight back to a heated room for hot chocolate, hot water bottles and most importantly, clothes.

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WAG tales hit myths for six

HAVE you ever wanted an insight into the life of a cricket WAG?

Being married to an Australian cricketer has its perks, including plenty of travel and invitations to exclusive red-carpet events.

But there are downsides, such as being away from loved ones for months and missing family birthdays and weddings because of tour schedules.

Life as a cricket wife or girlfriend is never dull, which is why Virginia Lette, wife of Tasmanian cricketer Ed Cowan, has started a Girls on Tour blog to give cricket fans an insight into what life is like on tour with the team.

Ms Lette is in the UK with her husband for six months. Cowan has been playing county cricket for Nottinghamshire for the past three, but will this weekend join the Australian Test team in preparation for the Ashes series.

Travelling with the couple is 10-month-old daughter Romy, who was born in England last August so Cowan, who was captaining the Australia A side, didn't miss the birth.

"If I had a dollar for every time someone said 'So, you're a WAG?' when they find out I'm married to a professional cricketer, I would be a very rich woman," Ms Lette, a TV and radio presenter, said.

"I'm bemused by people's fascination with 'the women behind the men' and the common perception that we're all a cross between Desperate Housewives and Victoria Beckham."

But Lette spent most of the past year at home in Tranmere in her polar-fleece onesie looking after Romy alone while her husband travelled.

The blog has already attracted over 3000 views.

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Tassie beckons for Mary

HOPES are high Crown Princess Mary and Prince Frederik will visit Tasmania this year.

The Danish royals will lend their star power to the 40th birthday celebrations of the Sydney Opera House in October and there is a chance they could extend their visit to Mary's home state.

By then it will have been nearly two years since Princess Mary, now 41, visited her home city, Hobart.

The Opera House was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and Mary and Frederik are expected to promote Danish design while taking part in celebrations from October 20-28.

Opera House chief executive Louise Herron said mother-of-four Mary was "absolutely loved by the Australian public" and the pair embodied the enduring links between Australia and Denmark.

The royal couple's love bloomed during the 2000 Sydney Olympics after they met in a pub.

In Tasmania, Mary's sister Jane Stephens was politely mum on any details.

"We don't know their travel plans at this stage," she said.

The couple and children Christian, Isabella and twins Vincent and Josephine visited in December 2011 on a private holiday.

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Health costs beyond many

TASMANIA is one of 32 areas in Australia where at least one in 10 people has put off seeing a doctor, filling a prescription, or both because of the cost.

The state was also among 14 locations listed in a National Health Performance Authority report in which at least 25 per cent of residents had delayed or avoided seeing a dentist because they could not afford it.

A NHPA report, released today, is the first national attempt to examine how well access to health services aligns with local needs.

The report, for 2011-12, found that where people lived made a big difference to their access to, and use of, medical and dental services.

It also showed the areas where people had poorest average health were not receiving a larger share of health-care services, shorter waiting times for specialist attention or lower cost barriers to visiting a GP, dentist or specialist.

More than half of Tasmanians (52 per cent) were reported to have long-term health conditions in 2011-12.

The report found 27 per cent of Tasmanian adults referred to a specialist in the preceding 12 months felt they had waited longer than acceptable for an appointment. Elsewhere the proportion of people who felt they waited too long ranged from 19 to 35 per cent.

In Tasmania, the number of GP attendances per person was 5.1 a year.

This compared with only 2.4 in the remote Kimberly-Pilbara region of Western Australia or 7.4 in southwestern Sydney.

The average amount spent over those visits in Tasmania was $210.83.

The report is based on Medicare statistics as well as survey data from almost 27,000 Australian adults.

Authority chief executive Diane Watson said the NHPA's website, which allows comparisons to be made between Medicare catchments, was a good starting point to inform the public and make it easier for health leaders to see where improvements could be made.

helen.kempton@news.com.au

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Skywhale to take to skies

CITY COMMUTERS were in for an unexpected treat this morning when a change of plan saw Dark MOFO's latest exhibit launched high over the Hobart Regatta Ground during peak-hour traffic.

Motorists were given an excellent view of the $300,000, 34m-long Skywhale as it lifted off just before 9am.

The artwork created by Patricia Piccinini to celebrate Canberra's centenary was meant to be launched from Parliament Lawns in Salamanca at 8am.

But slight winds and the proximity of tall trees prompted the specialist crew tasked with getting the awe-inspiring hot-air balloon airborne to move the controversial artwork to a more suitable site.

Piccinini was on hand this morning to witness the Skywhale's maiden Tasmanian voyage and said she hoped people would embrace the work.

"It's about nature and our own interpretation of what it is," she said.

"It's not a whale but it's giving people something recognisable and that's important."

Flights aboard the artwork are dependent on the weather and times are subject to change.

On Saturday the sky sculpture is scheduled to move to Long Beach, Sandy Bay, from 8am, and it will venture north to Royal Park in Launceston on Sunday, again hitting the sky at 8am.

For more details visit www.darkmofo.net.au/program/the-skywhale

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Wake-up call on homeless

HOMELESSNESS not only makes life hard, it can also cut life expectancy.

Bethlehem House chief executive Patrick Carlisle says the average age of death of former residents of Bethlehem House over the past decade was only 47.49 years old.

Exposure to the elements, an inadequate, ad-hoc diet, stress and a lack of basic health care were all contributing factors.

Mr Carlisle will be one of about 50 Tasmanian business people who will sleep rough at Launceston's Aurora Stadium tomorrow night as part of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout to raise money for essential homeless services.

"The forecast is for -1C overnight, so we will certainly know we are sleeping out," Mr Carlisle said yesterday.

He has been writing to Tasmanian businesses asking them to donate $47.49 as he strives to raise $4749 to pass on to St Vincent de Paul Society.

At the last Census, more than 100,000 Australians were counted as experiencing homelessness.

Of those, 58 per cent were under 35 years of age. Twelve per cent were children under 12.

To support his campaign and make a contribution to his sleepout, please visit www.ceosleepout.org, click on CEOs, then TAS CEOs, where you will find his listing.

Business leaders from around Australia will be taking part in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

Participants are given a beanie, a sheet of cardboard to sleep on and a cup of soup before they bed down.

helen.kempton@news.com.au

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Hoteliers raise drink age fears

RAISING the legal drinking age would see widespread closures of venues and almost destroy the Tasmanian hospitality industry, the state's leading hospitality association said yesterday.

With more than 70 per cent of alcohol consumed away from licensed premises, the age lift would do nothing to change the culture of binge drinking, Tasmanian Hospitality Association general manager Steve Old said.

The response follows a survey by the Federal Government that revealed public support for raising the drinking age had risen from 40 per cent to 50 per cent over the past decade.

However, Mr Old said the proposal would have far-reaching consequences.

"It would make many venues go bust because a lot of them are frequented by 18 to 21-year olds," he said.

"And they don't go there just to drink but also to eat and socialise more generally. They wouldn't be able to go into a licensed venue without a consenting adult so it's not only going to deal with the drinking side but could stop people that age from going out altogether.

"We want people drinking in licensed venues where they can drink safely because venues have a responsibility to patrons. The problem is people drinking at home where it is unrestricted, which would only get worse if the legal age is raised."

Mr Old said raising the drinking age would also mean staff in pubs and clubs would also need to be at least 21 years of age, which could impact on youth unemployment.

Tasmania has the highest rate of youth unemployment, with more than 22 per cent of 15 to 19-year-olds not working or enrolled in study.

Holyoake chief executive Sarah Charlton said the drug and alcohol counselling agency supported the move, but found the best way of tackling alcohol issues with young people was through education.

"Science has proven a young person's brain is still developing into their mid-20s so if we can delay any detrimental effect of alcohol on those vulnerable brains then let's do it," she said.

Ms Charlton said she understood why the hospitality and other industries would object, but changing societal attitudes to drinking had to be a priority due to Tasmania's high alcohol consumption rate.

"If you go down to Salamanca on a Friday or Saturday night you see a lot of young people in that age group who are drunk," she said.

"The majority of crimes committed against another person are by a young male when they are drunk. Anything we can do to change this is a plus."

jessica.howard@news.com.au

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