A-League tickets up for grabs

GET in quick or miss out -- that's the message for Tasmanian soccer fans keen to watch Melbourne Victory take on the Western Sydney Warriors next month.

Tickets for the blockbuster clash at the Kingston Twin Ovals will go on sale at 9am tomorrow.

The two A-League heavyweights will go toe to toe at 2.30pm on September 29 after a Tasmania state squad battles it out with a second Victory side at noon.

Football Federation Tasmania chief executive John Boulous today said nearly 8000 tickets would be available from Optus stores in Hobart, Rosny and Launceston as well as the FFT office and the Kingborough Council.

"Tickets will be limited, so I recommend football fans get in quick or they may not get in at all," he said.

"Contingents from Melbourne Victory's and Western Sydney Wanderers' strong supporter bases have indicated their desire to attend and ... tickets could be snapped up very quickly."

Ticket prices are $15 for an adult and $7 for a child.

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Youths sought after house fire

POLICE are searching for two youths suspected of stealing guns from a house in northern Tasmania which was later destroyed by fire.

Tasmania Fire Service and police were alerted to the fire in Rookery Rd at Winkleigh, near Exeter, late yesterday afternoon.

No one was home at the privately owned weatherboard house at the time of the fire and the dwelling was gutted.

While the cause of the fire is still being investigated, police are concerned guns may have been stolen from an open safe found inside the smouldering remains of the house.

Fire scene examiners are at the scene this morning trying to determine the cause of the blaze.

Police believe the fire and possible gun theft could be linked to another incident at nearby Flowery Gully Rd earlier in the day.

A house was broken into at 4.40pm and jewellery was stolen.

The offenders were disturbed when the owner returned home and fled in a white, early-90s bubble-shaped Ford Laser hatchback.

Police are looking for two male youths aged about 16-17, of slim to medium build.

Both of the suspects were wearing grey hoodies at the time of the offences.

Anyone who saw a white Laser in the Winkleigh or Flowery Gully area yesterday afternoon are asked to contact Northern CIB on 6336 3911 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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RBA cuts rates to new low

THE Reserve Bank board has cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point to a record low of 2.5 per cent.

The cut, widely tipped by the majority of economists, comes after low June quarter inflation figures were followed with bearish rhetoric from Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens last week.

Mr Stevens said subdued business confidence was a concern and needed to improve in order to help rebalance Australia's economy as the mining investment boom winds down.

"There are clearly signs of policy working in this respect, though not, to date, by so much that we see a serious impediment to further easing, were that to be appropriate from an overall macro-economic point of view," he said.

Mr Stevens' comments indicated a cut was on the cards at the RBA's August meeting, HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham said.

"The first critical piece of information he gave us was that the RBA's interpretation was that inflation is low enough to leave them with scope to cut rates further," Mr Bloxham said. "The other part of the story was a fairly downbeat take on the rebalancing that's happening in Australia's economy."

RP Data national research director Tim Lawless said the further reduction in the cash rate comes at a time when the housing market is already responding to the low debt servicing environment.

"Since the housing market reached a recent low point in May last year we have seen dwelling values rise by 6.5 per cent. That equates to a gross profit of around $30,000 for the average home owner.

"Transaction numbers are up by almost 18 per cent compared with the same time last year which highlights that home buyers, particularly investors and upgraders, are moving off the sidelines and into active buying mode."

Mr Lawless said the difficulty for the RBA going forward will be how to keep a lid on excessive housing market growth while also providing sufficient stimulus for the broader economy.

Lower mortgage rates are likely to provide further motivation for buyers to become active, however with values rising it is going to be more difficult for prospective owners, particularly those without equity behind them, to come up with a deposit.

This affordability challenge is likely to be most felt by the first home buyer segment and it may be the factor that continues to prevent prospective first time buyers from entering the housing market, he said.

-- with AAP

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Robbery at TOTE

A 38-YEAR-OLD Moonah man is currently assisting police with their inquiries in relation to a robbery that occurred at the TOTE, Main Road, Moonah, earlier today.

Police say the man threatened a female attendant at 10.40am before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The man was captured on CCTV footage as he conducted the daylight robbery.

Police say no weapons were seen or threatened to be used during the hold-up.

Anyone with information about the hold-up is asked to call Glenorchy CIB on 6230 2881 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Cyclist dies in Channel crash

A 57-YEAR-OLD man from Pelverata has died as the result of a collision between a ute and a bicycle on the Channel Highway south of Huonville today.

The accident occurred about 10.30am.

The cyclist was riding a black and silver bicycle north on the Channel Highway when a white Holden utility travelling in the same direction collided with the rear of the bicycle on the exit of a right-hand corner.

The cyclist died while being transported to the Royal Hobart Hospital by ambulance.

The cyclist was riding with a 64-year-old man from Huonville. The utility driver, a 49-year-old Ranelagh man, was the only occupant of his vehicle at the time of the crash.

Investigations into the crash are continuing and police would like to hear from any person who may have seen the cyclists or the utility before the collision, or witnesses to the collision itself. Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Volcano Land blog, week 1

Sulphurous gasses billow from Garabuna volcano in Papua New Guinea. Picture: ANDREW HUGHES

A NARROW isthmus joins two equally small outcrops of tropically draped rock to form Wulai Island, Papua New Guinea.

From my tent doors I can see out both sides to the ocean just a few metres away. The south-easterly trade wind is blowing in a storm, and we're off and paddling for the seventh expeditionclass.com program, Volcano Land.

The week began with a very soft landing at Walindi Resort, just outside Kimbe, West New Britain. A renowned scuba diving location, I flew in to skim above the water - not below it.

Cheyne Benjamin, a friend who filmed part of the 2010 Tassie Tiger Hunt in remote PNG, has tentatively put down the camera and taken on the family business at Walindi. His Australian-born parents, Cecilie and Max, came to New Britain before independence as agricultural field officers and have been here since.

I had good reason to linger in the waterfront bungalow for a few extra nights. Apart from buying supplies, there is an active volcano, Garbuna, right behind the resort.

A local landowner guide took us steeply through gardens that quickly gave way to pure rainforest. The dense canopy hid a wild assortment of bird life. Two that we spotted among the screeching were the whooshing thornbill and a deftly camouflaged male (green) eclectus parrot.

The whiff of sulphur preceded a dead band of trees and then we were standing before a barren moonscape of hissing vents and bubbling thermal springs. Garbuna exploded unexpectedly in October 2005 and shows potential to be a growing feature of the local landscape.

With our first volcano inspected I've now hit the water. After two days of blighted headwinds I'm sporting some new blisters and have random sun burns where the I missed with the zinc and cream.

Students have been piling into the online adventure portal, especially the interactive forum. Over the next week I'm aiming to paddle to Ulawun, a towering strato volcano. Along the way we'll drop in at villages and maybe a few more deserted islands too.

• Expedition Class is a program of the Bookend Trust. This project is supported by the Tasmanian Department of Education, Pennicott Foundation, UTAS SET, Mercury NIE, IMAS, Sea to Summit and friends. Follow Andrew's daily reports at www.expeditionclass.com

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Senator hits out at green-mail

HEALTHY CHOICE: Salamanca Market stall holder Jonathan Cooper says more people are choosing to buy organic produce. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

THE proliferation of green labels, stamps and logos is leaving grocery shoppers baffled.

Apart from compulsory nutritional labels, front and backs of packs are cluttered with paid-for endorsements, green ticks and sustainability stickers.

Even health organisations, which fought to have labelling improved, now see the need for clarity.

Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia has raised concern some manufacturers and food service providers continue to ignore the demand for food label standardisation.

Coeliac Australia, which has a fee-based tick of approval logo, said it would prefer labelling to address medical issues rather than "lifestyle choices".

Queensland Nationals Senator Ron Boswell says "green-mail" stamps by organisations such as the Marine Stewardship Council are unnecessary and force producers to bear the cost, despite government authorities carrying out similar research.

The West Australian Government has committed $14 million to have its fishing industry MSC-certified.

"The green aspects are strictly controlled, the Government is getting paid to do it," Senator Boswell said.

"So why does the Government do it and then ring up [a third party organisation] for another 5 per cent [cost] and you get a green tick. I call it green-mail and I don't retract from it.

"This idea that a government spends all this money on research and science, and everyone says, 'That's nice but let's get a green tick', I just can't understand it."

While the labels attract a premium price, do shoppers get what they pay for?

In a recent ACCC decision, seven bottled water brands were told to remove the word organic from their labelling and the Federal Court recently found Baiada Poultry, owner of Steggles, engaged in false, misleading and deceptive conduct in claiming its meat chickens were "free to roam" in large barns when stocking densities were less than the size of an A4 sheet of paper.

Food labelling is an important aspect of Jonathan Cooper's Hobart business.

The organic grocer has operated his stall at Salamanca Market for the past 10 years and seen the public interest in food origins grow.

"More and more people are becoming aware of their options around food and they are choosing organic, but also local food," he said.

"People are much more aware of the benefits of fresh, clean products, but they want to support robust economic practice which offers fair prices for farmers."

For this reason, Mr Cooper uses a labelling system on his stall which indicates price, what the product is, its origin and its certification.

"We use third parties to certify our product. There's about eight or nine different ones these days. It's a quality assurance system for customers.

"Some smaller growers aren't certified, but we have built up relationships with them over the years. We know them and have been to their farms, so we can verify them," he said.

On a broader level, he said labelling was also a high priority as the GMO debate heats up.

"People should have the opportunity to make informed decisions. Labelling should be stringent, we need strong laws."

Branding expert and industry stalwart Austin Begg of Traffic, who launched famous labels such as SPC Baked Beans and Spaghetti and Sorbent toilet paper, says the final say on compliance and labelling should be with the major supermarkets as they have the expertise and a corporate responsibility to uphold the law and honesty in packaging to protect consumers.

While icons and devices can be helpful in winning client trust and loyalty, some manufacturers use tricks to lure customers -- but such deception is uncovered more quickly today, Mr Begg said.

"Just look what happened to the Heart Foundation Tick. The credibility and integrity of the tick was questioned by many consumers when it went to McDonald's," he said.

The Australian Food and Grocery Council says the labels products carry are closely regulated.

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Digger's view of life in trenches

A REMARKABLE collection of 180 photographs depicting a Digger's eye view of life in the trenches during World War I has surfaced almost 100 years later.

The pictures were taken on a Kodak vest pocket camera and vividly illustrate conditions at Gallipoli in 1915 and the stark contrast with more relaxing times for soldiers in Egypt between campaigns.

In one photograph, a group of six soldiers poses on the beach at Anzac Cove in front of a barge with a large shell hole in it.

In another, a rum flask washes up on the rocky shore behind them as several Diggers bathe naked in the clear water of the Mediterranean Sea, oblivious to the camera and seemingly to the death and destruction on the hills above.

Yet another shows dozens of troops relaxing on the hillside above the cove away from the hell of the trenches.

A striking image features two soldiers relaxing on sleeping platforms cut into the side of a trench. Their faces show the strain of war as a book lies closed in the trench.

Digger's view of life in trenches

Private George (Eric) Cherry served with the 6th Field Ambulance at Gallipoli from August 1915 until the Australians retreated in December of that year.

When he returned to Melbourne to resume studying for a medical degree, the collection of films from his camera that survived five months in the trenches was in his kit.

The collection remained in the possession of his older daughter Lois until the mid-1980s when she handed them to Michael Lean, a photographic expert at Queensland University of Technology.

Lean produced some proof sheets for her, but she never returned to collect the negatives and they remained with him until this year when he gave them to the Maroochy RSL Museum at Maroochydore, on the Sunshine Coast.

Museum volunteer Drew Wall couldn't believe his eyes when he examined the negatives and the powerful, grainy images depicting life on the frontline and the tourist spots of Egypt, including the sphinx.

"When I first saw them I was quite emotional, they reflected a soldier's view of the world," the ex-CMF artilleryman said.

One person who was as surprised as anyone about the collection's existence was Dr Cherry's second daughter, Elizabeth Skerman, who lives in Brisbane.

"I never saw the photos until Drew Wall printed them out," she said.

"They are amazing but my father never spoke about them or about the war."

Mrs Skerman, whose husband Douglas was a member of bomber command during World War II and died in a plane crash in South America in the 1970s, said her father was a quiet man.

Dr Cherry joined the Repatriation Department in the late 1930s and he died in his mid-70s, taking the story of his photographs to his grave.

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It's on: Rudd calls election

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has visited the Governor-General and has called for a federal election for September 7.

Mr Rudd said in a statement to supporters that he believes the nation faces a clear choice when it goes to the polls.

"A few moments ago I saw the Governor-General ans asked that she dissolve this parliament and call the Federal Election for September 7, "the Prime Minsiter said in a statement to supporters posted on Facebook.

"Australians now face a choice. And the choice couldn't be starker."

Mr Rudd - who travelled to the national capital in his official VIP plane earlier this afternoon - drove to Yarralumla to meet with Quentin Bryce.

Yesterday, Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz said the Coalition is "election ready".

Senator Abetz said Liberal candidates would not take anything for granted as they prepared for one of the most significant election campaign battles in recent memory.

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Election speculation grows

SPECULATION is growing that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is planning to visit the Governor-General tomorrow or on Monday seeking approval for a September 7 election.

Sources have told media Mr Rudd has settled on the date and is ready to start one of the most anticipated political contests in memory.

The possibility of an official start to campaigning follows Friday's delivery of an update to May's budget predicting weaker economic growth, growing unemployment and more government debt.

Another budget shambles - we're $30bn in the red

L-plate Treasurer's bad news in red

More than 800,000 Australians will be out of a job by the middle of next year, the highest level since 2002. The budget will fall further into the red, with the revelation it had already blown out by $12 billion in just 80 days.

Invoking desperate measures to cushion the economic shock, Treasurer Chris Bowen announced a further round of tax hikes and Budget cuts worth $17 billion to limit the damage.

He blamed the economic slowdown on China for a further $33 billion in revenue losses, bringing writedowns to almost $100 billion over the next four years. Almost $18 billion of that, however, was caused by lower income tax receipts as workers' wages continue to stagnate.

The May budget forecast a $18 billion deficit for this year will now reach $30.1 billion, Mr Bowen revealed. And the national debt will soon surpass $300 billion. But he suggested any attempts to stem the revenue losses in the face of slower economic growth with more savage spending cuts risked killing the economy and adding to further job losses.

Unemployment is set to rise from 5.45 per cent to 6.25 per cent this year, with economic growth also expected to contract from 2.75 per cent this year to 2.25 per cent.

Citing optimistic Treasury forecasts, Mr Bowen claimed things would improve by 2015-16, with a return to surplus of $4 billion for 2016-17 and a miraculous drop in unemployment to 5 per cent.

Claiming the economy was not in crisis but in "transition", Mr Bowen released the Government's economic election plan yesterday by allowing the budget to book $54 billion in deficits over the next two years.

Mr Bowen admitted his statement was the economic plan Labor would take to the election. He challenged the Coalition to adopt the measures.

"This is our economic plan. It has our bottom line in it, it has our costing and our funding proposals," he said.

"The Government is doing this in a transparent way. The alternative government should be doing the same. Australia is undergoing an economic transition, not a crisis, a transition which needs careful economic management. The world is growing more slowly and is having an impact on Australia."

Coalition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey accused the government of losing control: "The budget is in free-fall. The budget has fallen $3 billion a week over the last 10 weeks.

"It's blatantly obvious - Labor has lost control of the Budget and is losing control of the economy."

However, economists and business groups are questioning whether the outlook is still too optimistic in forecasting a surplus within four years.

-- with AAP

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