KEVIN RUDD’s resignation and his expected Labor leadership confrontation with Julia Gillard has provoked a frenzy of chatter across Australian social media. Here’s a sample:

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From multinational companies being globally embarrassed thanks to the millions of tweeting tweeters (see Qantas, Skittles, McDonalds) to the little blue bird phenomenon seemingly becoming more popular than a Mr Zuckerberg Facebook ‘Like’. The world is currently atwitter about Twitter.

I guess that is the age we live in. An age where headlines can break around the globe because old Rupe Murdoch has something to say on the social media site. An age where ‘trending topics’ are more frequently discussed in the workplace than that X Factor performance from the night before. An age where ‘followers’ are an even hotter commodity than FB ‘friends’. If you want to hit the current Tweet spot and be in with the cool crowd, well, you better get on Twitter. And get on it quick.

Twitter is a wonderful resource. For breaking news stories and getting information out there quicker than even the most lightening-speed newsrooms. For checking out what bizarrely insane acts and comments our comical celebrities are coming up with now. For seeing what your mates are up to or into, or where they are, or who they are with, or what they had for lunch (yep – that’s where Twitter can let itself down a little).

In the age of instancy – Twitter is currently king. Hey, where else can you learn 100 quick, weird and wonderful facts, in the time it would take you to type “T-w-i-t-t-” into Google.

People have found themselves jobs on Twitter. Hell, people have been accepted for jobs via Twitter. People have proposed via Twitter, broken up via Twitter, found partners through Twitter. It’s incredible the powers this little media platform holds across the world.

So, don’t be a Twit. Get on Twitter, get tweeting and tell the world what you know. Just not what you had for lunch…

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“Kevin Rudd has confirmed two things – that the faceless men are running the Labor Party and that the instability at the top of this government is damaging our country,” Mr Abbott said in a statement.

“Kevin Rudd’s statement tonight confirms that this government is unworthy to continue in office.”

Mr Abbott said only the coalition can provide the strong and stable government that will address the issues facing our country and restore hope, reward and opportunity for all Australians.

The surprise announcement was made at a press conference in Washington on Wednesday, with Mr Rudd saying he could not continue as foreign minister because he no longer had the confidence of Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Lower house MP Bob Katter declined to comment, with his office saying he was focused on the Queensland state election.

“In response to inquires regarding the federal Labor leadership, please note that Bob is not one of the crossbenchers who delivered the present government, nor is he interested in the machinations of other parties,” a spokeswoman said.

Key independent MP Tony Windsor said should Mr Rudd become prime minister again, it would most likely lead to an early election.

And if Mr Rudd did try to command a majority on the floor of parliament, he could not rely on Mr Windsor’s support.

“If the Labor Party suddenly want to change arrangements in the middle of the stream all bets are off,” Mr Windsor told Sky News.

“I’m not going to place myself in the middle of some sort of Fantasy Glades (a theme park) game that’s going on and expect to just keep endorsing people whoever the revolving door produces.

“I did a deal with the current prime minister.”

Mr Windsor said the negotiations he and fellow independents Rob Oakeshott and Andrew Wilkie held in 2010 on who should form government were with Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott and no one else.

“If one of those parties wants to suddenly change that and act as though they have a majority in the House of Reps that’s fair enough,” he said.

“But they can’t count me in on playing that game.”

Mr Windsor said Ms Gillard was doing a good job as prime minister and negotiating Labor’s legislation through the parliament.

He said changing prime minister was a high risk strategy that would most likely to lead to an early election “which would only advantage the coalition, probably”.

Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt tweeted he was sorry to hear the news.

“Sorry to hear that Australia FM Kevin Rudd is resigning. He has been a good partner on many issues,” Mr Bildt said on Twitter.

Labor senator Doug Cameron said the “faceless men” in the Labor had forced Mr Rudd’s resignation and this was “unacceptable”.

“This must just stop within this party,” the senator told ABC television.

He said these were the same faceless men who set about to replace Mr Rudd as prime minister in 2010.

“It’s bad for the party, bad for the nation and bad for the government,” he said.

“We just can’t afford to have (Opposition Leader) Tony Abbott given a free ride to the prime ministership of this country.”

He did not believe Mr Rudd had been campaigning for his old job.

His advice to Prime Minister Julia Gillard would be for her to express her support and confidence in Mr Rudd and try get him back as the foreign minister.

But he doubted this would happen if the faceless men were “pulling the strings”.

Bruce Hawker, a Labor strategist and backer of Mr Rudd, said he would contest the party’s leadership.

“That is just my view about it,” Mr Hawker told Sky News on Wednesday.

“Kevin Rudd is very concerned about the future of the Labor government and the Labor Party, but more importantly what might happen if Tony Abbott become prime minister.”

The former foreign minister was popular in the polls and in the electorate, Mr Hawker said.

“He has got real support out in the electorate out there,” he said.

“It is probably much greater in the electorate than it is in the party room at the moment.”

Mr Hawker said backbenchers would consider their self-interest in retaining their seats at the next election when deciding on the Labor leadership.

“When you take everything else away from this equation is whether Kevin Rudd is popular with his colleagues or people get along with him or not,” he said.

“One question any backbencher has to ask himself is who is best to lead us to a win against Tony Abbott, because far too much is at stake for the government and the country if Abbott wins the next election.”

Former Labor Queensland premier Peter Beattie said Mr Rudd did the right thing, he was more concerned about the impact on the Queensland state election.

He said if the state Labor vote continued to haemorrhage, Labor premier Anna Bligh “has no chance”.

“I would hope whatever consideration that Kevin gives, he actually does think about the vote in Queensland and what it means for the future,” he told Sky News.

“There is a federal election in 17 months and whatever happens in Queensland will have an affect on that.”

He said it was up to the federal Labor caucus who they elect if there is a challenge, but that he had never hidden his support for Julia Gillard, “and I don’t now”.

However, Queensland Liberal National Party leader Campbell Newman says Mr Rudd’s resignation from his role of foreign minister confirms faceless men still run the Labor party.

“Whatever leader, the problem is Labor – the distractions, the scandals, the waste, the taxes and the politics,” Mr Newman said in a statement.

“We need real change to a united party and Queenslanders get to do that on March 24 if they vote for the LNP team.”

Labor backbencher Andrew Leigh praised Mr Rudd’s work as foreign minister but said he would support Ms Gillard if it came to a ballot.

“I’ve always said that I’m a strong supporter of the prime minister,” he told ABC radio.

“I think she has done an excellent job in very tough circumstances.”

But he did not want to get into “extended speculation” about what might happen next since he had only just heard the news of Mr Rudd’s resignation.

“I do feel it’s important for us as progressives to be talking about policy,” he said.

“It’s the conservative side of politics who wants to drive the notion that politicians are only interested in power plays and themselves.”

He said Mr Rudd had been one of Australia’s most effective advocates overseas as foreign minister.

Environment and Water Minister Tony Burke did not believe Mr Rudd had enough support in caucus even to bring on a leadership ballot next week.

“The overwhelming support within the parliamentary party is for the prime minister,” he told ABC TV.

“People have talked up (Mr Rudd’s support) in the media and got away with some pretty significant lies to journalists claiming high levels of dissent within the government.

“What they thought they had as support has actually been peeling away rather than growing.

“I don’t believe Kevin could bring it on.”

He said Ms Gillard was the best person to put up against Opposition leader Tony Abbott.

“We’ve got a parliament that demands people who can negotiate … to be able to deliver outcomes.

“That is the exact reason that we have Julia Gillard as prime minister now.”

Mr Burke said it had been no secret that Mr Rudd was campaigning to take back the leadership.

But he said most of the front bench thought there was so little support for that kind of undermining that “we believed that it would go away naturally”.

He said Mr Rudd’s resignation speech was not aimed at being constructive, particularly when he claimed there was a counter-campaign being run by “faceless people”.

“It’s a really desperate last ditch argument,” Mr Burke said.

“I would have thought when colleagues have such an overwhelming view, there has to be a point where you stop doing Tony Abbott a favour.”

Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said Mr Rudd should have made his announcement on Australian soil rather than from nearly 16,000 kilometres away in Washington.

“It strikes me as strange he didn’t make the announcement before he left or wait 36 hours until he came back here to Brisbane to make it here in Australia,” Senator Brown told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday.

“It is a very important domestic matter.

“It would have been better if he had told Australians on Australian soil.”

Senator Brown said the speculation about the Labor leadership had not taken up his time, while it had been a distraction for the big political parties.

“They should get their mind back on to policy issues pretty quickly,” he said.

He said Australians were sick of the discussion over the Labor leadership.

“At least this is a circuit breaker that Kevin Rudd has decided to stand down,” Senator Brown said. - AAP

The former Labor leader, who is overseas but will return to his home city of Brisbane on Friday, said he would consult his family and colleagues before making his final decision and heading to Canberra for the next federal parliamentary sitting.

Mr Rudd made the surprise announcement at a late-night press conference in Washington on Wednesday, saying he could not continue as foreign minister because he no longer had the confidence of Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

He said there were “similar factors at play” in June 2010 when he lost the prime ministership to Ms Gillard.

“It’s time for some plain speaking on this,” Mr Rudd told reporters at the 1am (US time) media conference in Washington DC.

“The truth is, I can only serve as foreign minister if I have the confidence of Prime Minister Gillard and her senior ministers.

Frontbencher Simon Crean and “a number of other faceless men” had publicly attacked his integrity and fitness to serve as a minister in the government, he said.

“When challenged today on these attacks Prime Minister Gillard chose not to repudiate them,” Mr Rudd added.

“I can only reluctantly conclude that she therefore shares these views.”

Mr Rudd said the Australian people regarded the continuing speculation as little more than a soap opera.

“They are right,” he said.

“Under the current circumstances, I won’t be a part of it.”

It would also be distracting for the government for him to continue in the job, Mr Rudd said.

The foreign minister said he was sad to leave the job.

“The simple truth is I cannot continue to serve as foreign minister if I do not have Prime Minister Gillard’s support,” he said.

“I therefore believe the only honourable thing, and the only honourable course of action, is for me to resign.”

Mr Rudd also took aim at Labor’s factions and those who helped Ms Gillard into power.

“I promise you this – there is no way, no way, that I will ever be part of a stealth attack on a sitting prime minister elected by the people,” he said.

“We all know that what happened then was wrong, and it must never happen again.”

It was now up to caucus to decide on the federal party’s leadership.

“There is one overriding question for my caucus colleagues, and that is who is best placed to defeat Tony Abbott at the next election,” Mr Rudd said.

“Mr Abbott, I believe, does not have the temperament or the experience to ever be elected to hold the high office of prime minister of Australia.

“But at present and for a long time now he has been on track just to do that.”

The Queensland MP said the leadership speculation was also harming Queensland Premier Anna Bligh’s chances of winning the March 24 state election.

Mr Rudd’s daughter Jessica tweeted: “Effing proud of you, Dad xxxx”.

His wife Therese Rein responded: “Me too, Kevin xxxx”.

Earlier in the day, Industry Minister Greg Combet called for the leadership issue to be resolved as soon as possible.

“Enough is enough. It is time this matter is resolved,” Mr Combet said.

Ms Gillard earlier on Wednesday declined to comment on reports she planned to call a leadership spill next week and remove Mr Rudd as a minister if she won.

As of Wednesday afternoon it was understood Mr Rudd could bank on the support of between 30 and 35 caucus members in a ballot, while Ms Gillard had about two-thirds of the caucus on her side.

Gyngell, 47, the sister of Channel Nine chief executive David Gyngell, has this week left the Petersham Nurseries Cafe in southwest London, after opening the popular business in 2004.

“We can confirm that after eight years of success in leading the team, Skye Gyngell is off to pursue other interests,” a cafe spokesman told British newspaper The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday.

In an interview carried out in 2011 and published by Fairfax Media last Saturday, Gyngell said that since the cafe’s award last year, increased patronage as a result of the honour had not always proven to be a benefit.

“It’s been a curse,” she told Fairfax.

“Since we got the star we’ve been crammed every single day, which is really hard for such a tiny restaurant. And we’ve had lots more complaints.

“People have certain expectations of a Michelin restaurant, but we don’t have cloths on the tables, our service isn’t very formal.”

Gyngell, the author of three award-winning books who was named Australian Woman Of The Year In The UK for 2011, will be replaced at the Cafe by fellow Australian chef Greg Malouf, until a permanent replacement is found. - AAP

On the anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake, those emergency taskforce members will be honoured with a plaque at a memorial service in the still damaged city.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW), who lead the two Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Australian task forces, will represent emergency workers at the service on Wednesday, with Deputy Commissioner John Benson accepting the plaque.

A total of 185 people were killed when a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 10 kilometres from the centre of Christchurch on 22 February one year ago.

Australian task forces, which included paramedics, doctors, firefighter rescue specialists and other trained personnel, landed in the city one day later and were the first international rescue team to arrive.

FRNSW Commissioner Greg Mullins said the task forces worked tirelessly searching for people and assisting those in need.

“The scale of the emergency was incredible,” he said in a statement.

“Over 23 days, the task forces worked for hours on end searching for people in the rubble…

“NSW firefighters were able to rescue one person from the Pyne Gould Building, which was a wonderful experience given the extent of the damage around them.”

The city has been hit by a series of aftershocks and earthquakes since February last year, including another 6.3 magnitude earthquake in June.

Several buildings around the city have been torn down as rebuilding continues.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the people of Christchurch as they continue to rebuild their homes and businesses,” Commissioner Mullins said.

The plaque will be presented to Deputy Commissioner Benson by the Mayor of Christchurch, Bob Parker.

Flags in the New Zealand city are flying at half-mast in commemoration of the 185 people who died following the 6.3 magnitude quake last 22 February.

Ms Gillard said she visited Christchurch after the earthquake and saw the “eerie” empty and damaged CBD.

“It is hard in words to convey what that picture was like,” Ms Gillard told reporters in Adelaide.

“I think today Australians will want to mark this one year by thinking about our New Zealand family and how far they have come during this 12 months and how much more needs to happen.

“Our thoughts are with New Zealanders today, and the people of Christchurch.”

Fresh hand dived scallops from the pristine waters off the coastline of Scotland are considered the best in the world. So much so, suppliers to our restaurants have to divide their catch when delivering so no one will miss out.

This makes for a lucrative industry but one not without its hazards. Teams of divers will spend hours collecting scallops in freezing waters and traitorous conditions in near blackout conditions on the sea bed.

Hand dived scallops are more environmentally friendly than the dredging method that will destroy the precious ocean floor. The effects of scallop dredging means the sea floor can take years to repair – so when buying scallops make sure they are “hand dived scallops”.

The distinctive fan shaped shell is home to the succulent flesh/meat of the scallop. The firm white meat is easily removed from the shells and in our kitchen alone, we will open up to 300 scallops per week.

Most scallops are sold already removed from their shells. However scallops purchased in their shells are the best for guaranteed freshness and most likely found in a good fishmongers or farmers market!

Choose scallops that have a creamy white appearance and smell of the sea. If you are feeling confident, you can clean and open the scallops at home. I would suggest having the fishmonger do this for you as opening scallops can be quite dangerous and not worth the tears and cut fingers.

Ask to keep the shell, as we are going to serve the scallop in its shell for this week’s recipe.

You can also keep the orange roe (soft scallop eggs), which makes a fantastic addition to sauces when serving fish or you can even pan fry the roe gently and serve with the scallops. It may be an acquired taste but is well worth it.

Once you have the scallops at home give them a quick rinse in cold, cold water to remove any sand and shell. Rinse and scrub the shell with a course scourer until clean. Set aside for serving.

Now we are ready to prepare this week’s feature recipe.  Lets get started and enjoy one of the best ingredients this great ocean has to offer. Enjoy and happy cooking!

Baked hand dived scallops with ginger and chili 

What you need:

½ dozen hand dived scallops

1 thumb size knob of fresh ginger finely grated

100ml sesame oil

2 tbls of soy sauce

1 tsp of fish sauce

¼ bunch of spring onions finely chopped

1 small chili finely chopped

¼ bunch of fresh coriander leaves

½ teaspoon of white sugar

What to do:

A real easy no fuse recipe this week.

Turn the oven up to 200 degrees.

Take a mixing bowl and combine all the herbs and spices.

Mix well until all the ingredients and blended together.

Place the white scallop meat back into their shell and spoon over the mixture. About a table spoon each.

Place the scallops onto a baking try. Place the tray in the oven.

Cook for about 5 mins. They won’t take long and will continue to cook once out of the oven. Scallops are best eaten on the rare side – otherwise they become tough and tasteless.

It’s that simple, so open a bottle of white and enjoy!

Compiled by Rob Flude

L
Laughing gear: your mouth (“wrap your laughing gear around that one”)
Larrikin : a bloke who is always enjoying himself, harmless prankster
Long paddock : the side of the road where livestock is grazed during droughts
Lucky Country, The : Australia
Lunch, who opened their? : OK, who farted?

M
Maccas (pron. “mackers”) : McDonald’s restaurant
Mappa Tassie : map of Tasmania – a woman’s pubic area
Mate : buddy, friend
Matilda : swagman’s bedding (a swagman is a nomadic farmer), sleeping roll, swag
Metho : methylated spirits
Mexican : a person from south of the New South Wales border
Middy : 285 ml beer glass in New South Wales
Milk bar : corner shop that sells takeaway food
Mongrel : despicable person
Mug : friendly insult (“have a go, yer mug”), gullible person
Mystery bag : a sausage

N
No drama : same as ‘no worries’
No worries : no problem; forget about it; I can do it
No wuccas : same as no worries (from ‘no wucking furries’)
No-hoper : somebody who’ll never do well
Nun’s nasty : dry (“as dry as a Nun’s nasty”)
Nut out : hammer out or work out (an agreement, say)

O
Ocker : a stereotypical Australian (“that bloke was so ocker”) or strong Aussie accent
Old fella : penis
Olds : parents (“I’m taking the new missus to meet my olds”)
Op shop : opportunity shop, thrift store, place where second hand goods are sold
Open slather : free-for-all, anything goes

P
Pash : a long passionate kiss, snog
Pav : Pavlova – a rich, creamy Australian dessert
Perve (noun & verb) : looking lustfully at the opposite sex
Piece of p*ss : easy task
Pig’s ar*e! : I don’t agree with you
Piker : someone who doesn’t want to fit in with others socially, leaves parties early
Pink slip, get the : get the sack/be made redundant (from the colour of the termination form); also to get approval from your missus to have a boys’ night out
Pokies : poker machines, fruit machines, gambling slot machines
Porky : Lie, untruth (pork pie = lie)
Pot : 285 ml beer glass in Queensland and Victoria
Pozzy : position (“We got a great pozzy at the MCG”)
Prezzy : present, gift

Q
Quid, make a : earn a living – “are you making a quid?”

R
Rack off : push off! get lost! get out of here! also “rack off hairy legs!”.
Rapt : pleased, delighted
Rego : vehicle registration
Rellie or relo : family relative
Right, that’d be : accepting bad news as inevitable (“I went fishing but caught nothing” “Yeah, that’d be right”)
Righto: used to express cheerful concurrence, assent, or understanding (“Righto mate, head this way”)
Rip-snorter : great, fantastic (“it was a rip-snorter of a party”)
Ripper : great, fantastic (“it was a ripper party”)
Ripper, you little : exclamation of delight or as a reaction to good news
Roadie : a beer you buy to take away with you for the car/train/general journey
Roo : kangaroo
Roo bar : stout bar fixed to the front of a vehicle to protect it against hitting kangaroos (also bull bar)
Root (verb and noun) : synonym for f*ck in nearly all its senses: “I feel rooted”; “this washing machine is rooted”; “(s)he’s a good root”
Ropeable : very angry
Rort (verb or noun) : cheating, fiddling, defrauding (eg. expenses, the system). Usually used to describe politicians’ actions
Rotten : drunk (“I went out last night and got rotten”)

GROWING UP IN AUSTRALIA, even in rural New South Wales, it was easy to immerse yourself in fresh Aussie music. Thanks to the nearly national coverage of the sainted Triple J, and the thriving gig and festival culture, any interested punter could stay on the cutting edge of cool. It was almost as if we used to listen to bands that didn’t even exist yet.

After half a decade doing the London thing though it can get a little tricky to keep a finger on the Oz music pulse. Who are these whipper-snappers Cloud Control? What’s a Gotye?

Ok maybe it isn’t quite that dire, but if you really want to stay plugged in to the current musical renaissance at home you need to devote a lot of energy, and as energetic as Aussie expats can be, there are also plenty of distractions. That’s why, in a particularly industrious drunken fit of productivity, two London based Australians decided to fight the good fight and make things a little easier for all you Antipodean music fans.

Enter BackpackSounds.com – London’s newest music site and the only one dedicated to unearthing Oz music gems, wrapping them up nice and presenting them to the Australian population in the UK’s capital, and beyond. It’s like if Australian Times just did music!

We founded Backpack Sounds in January 2012 with two main goals; promote the acts from home that European based audiences might not have heard yet, and let people know which Aussie artists are touring around our way. And, so far, we’ve had a hell of a time making it happen.

We aren’t talking about gig listings for your local AC/DC cover band, or even reviewing the latest Hilltop Hoods album – for us this is about what is new, exciting and surprising in Australian music. Of course this means we’ve expanded our social lives to encompass a lot more shows; from watching London based Aussie band The Dark Lights to catching Grinspoon’s acoustic set at the Walkie – we’ve been out and about trying to find the best content for our growing reader base. And God bless Spotify, we’ve been getting our listening on too, with new music coming from some of our hot tips for 2012 – try Jonti, Seekae, Steve Smyth, San Cisco, Lanie Lane and Jack Ladder for a start (and come back each week for more).

We’ve met some great people already, just by being out and about, getting to gigs and dropping in on other events in the UK. You’ll hear from some of these new friends over the coming weeks as Backpack Sounds guest edits your Australian Times Music From The Motherland entertainment section. We’ve got London based Bonfire Nights, tickets in hand for this year’s South by South West, ready to talk to you. We’ve harnessed our favourite Antipodean electric-harpest Tara Minton. APRA’s London rep Cathi Ogden is going to give you the lowdown. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll have some other big surprises in store for you. It has been exciting to see the community of Aussie musicians and music-lovers that already exists in London. This community is thriving, and believe it or not, it parallels the incredible scene our friends back home are enjoying.

It hasn’t all been giggles – for a couple of technological novices it has been a challenge beating WordPress into a shape we liked, the page design took some work and the hangovers have been encroaching with greater frequency. We’ve had a lot of help from friends though and couldn’t be happier with the response we have been receiving. There is so much love and positivity for a project like this and it has made all the hard work worthwhile.

2012 is going to be a massive year for Australian music, and with a bit of luck it will be immense for us as well. Come check us out at Backpacksounds.com, follow us on Twitter @backpack_sounds (don’t forget to follow @AustralianTimes too) and come say hi at the next great Australian gig in London. We’ll be there. Enjoy!

The future British king and Duchess of Cornwall will travel to Norway on 20 March to begin a week-long tour, including Sweden and Denmark, Clarence House said on Monday.

While palace officials remain tightlipped about details of the couple’s travels Down Under, Prime Minister Julia Gillard told federal parliament in early February that Australia’s royal visit is due some time after September.

During his March tour, Prince Charles, 63, will focus on economic, environmental and military issues with his Scandinavian counterparts, while promoting the UK as a centre for business opportunity.

In Denmark, he and Camilla will meet with Queen Magrethe – herself celebrating 40 years as monarch in 2012 – and is likely to be joined at an official dinner by Tasmanian-born Princess Mary, who is the wife of Magrethe’s son, Crown Prince Frederik.

“These visits, to other monarchies linked by common royal descent, mark the start of their Royal Highnesses official overseas celebrations of the Queens Diamond Jubilee,” a statement from Clarence House said.

In Denmark, a tour of sustainable and organic farms is sure to engage the environmentally minded Charles.

In Norway the royal couple will meet survivors of the 2011 shooting massacre at Utoya.

Back on UK soil the Prince is taking on a significant role in the many events planned to celebrate his mother’s 60 years as Queen.

He is patron for a 3 June River Thames pageant of some 1000 vessels to be held in honour of the Monarch, and is expected to attend another pageant in May and concert in June, each staged for the Diamond Jubilee.

Charles and Camilla’s tour schedule for 2012 also includes New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Canada, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

All senior members of the royal family will undertake tours, with Prince William and his wife Catherine due to visit Singapore, Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu at dates to be confirmed.

While the federal Labor leader admits Australia should again hold a referendum on its constitutional status, she added it should not happen “at the moment”.

“Right now I think in the life of the Australian nation, it is not the question at the forefront of people’s minds,” Ms Gillard told a BBC documentary aired on Monday night.

“We are a wonderful democracy, a vibrant democracy, and ultimately I believe Australians will have their say again on our ongoing constitutional arrangements, but it’s not the centre of national life or national debate at the moment.”

Her comments drew a response from interviewer and respected British journalist Andrew Marr, who said: “Even that republican Prime Minister doesn’t see a republic looming anytime soon.”

Ms Gillard has said previously she believes when the Queen’s reign comes to an end, it would be the appropriate time to consider separating from the monarchy.

Interviewed as part of a documentary series – The Diamond Queen – marking the monarch’s 60-year reign, Ms Gillard poured praise on the 85-year-old sovereign for her efforts as head of the Commonwealth.

“She’s been referred to as the glue that binds the Commonwealth together and I think the stability and certainty of her role and her pursuit of Commonwealth values, of democratic values, has helped bind the Commonwealth together.”

The PM also spoke of how Prince William “touched the hearts” of Australians when he visited flood-affected areas of the country in early 2011.

But the republicans also had a say in the matter as Marr spoke with John Warhurst from the Australian Republican Movement.

“We think that we’ve outlived the role that a British Queen can play in Australia … that to have a British monarch as our Head of State and to have her representative the Governor General as the de facto Head of State is probably a system that’s worked well enough in the past but the time to move on has come,” he said.

The documentary showed footage of the Queen’s first visit to Australia – as the first reigning monarch to do so – in 1954, and of her most recent and 16th trip Down Under in October 2011.

“… Wherever she goes, the mood on the streets is sunny,” said Marr after telling his British audience that the Queen visited Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

And in a tongue-in-cheek dig at her Australian experience, the sovereign, looking dreary, was shown being driven in a golf buggy, “complete with with equerry and royal crest” and described by Marr as “something else”.

“In the past the Queen has explained away her dour expressions by saying that often she’s just trying not to giggle. Well, this may be one of those moments,” he said.

A few scenes later the Queen is heard referring to her “beautiful” Australia. - AAP

THE top travel deals for you to scratch those itchy feet and save a pretty penny, as spotted this week by the Australian Times editor.

Buy one, get one free Peru

Until the end of March, you can book the trip of a lifetime to Peru with Intrepid and take a friend for free!

The deal is available on four of Intrepid’s best Peru adventures: Classic Peru, Inca Trail Express, Majestic Peru, and Sacred land of the Incas trips, plus selected departures on some others.

Tours must be booked by 31 March for travel by 30 September 2012 to get the buy one get one free offer. If you’re a solo traveller though, you can still receive a 30% discount off one of the 4 trips.

For details go to: IntrepidTravel.com/perusale

20% off Ultimate Egypt

Topdeck are offering 20% off their 19 day Ultimate Egypt tour, departing 27 March.

Discover the land of the pharaohs, with excursions to the Egyptian Museum, Pyramids, Sphinx, Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, the Valley of the Kings plus the Karnak and Luxor temples.

Includes fifteen nights twin share in 4 star hotels, two nights aboard a felucca sailboat and one night aboard a first class overnight train.

Was £599. Now just £479 plus local payment.

For full details, go to: Topdeck.Travel/africa-trips/egypt-pyramids-red-sea-resorts-htueg/ultimate-egypt-tour

Save on Uncle Sam

As part of their The Great Adventure Sale, Round The World Experts are offering up to £161 off trips to North America.

From sunning it in Miami, to dancing in New Orleans and trekking the amazing landscapes of Yosemite National Park; live the American Dream.

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Image: Machu Picchu, courtesy WikiCommons T029248

By Simon West

Well, the town itself is not actually sent burning to the ground but a few hundred large statues called Ninots are. Ninots are made from cardboard, wood and plaster and depict either people or scenes of current or historical interest, which obviously gives quite a lot of scope. Local and international celebrities may find themselves depicted in a colourful satirical form while scenes of recent events, local customs or the economy may also be made into an elaborate, creative satire. Combine this with around the clock festivities and you have Las Fallas -Europe’s, not to mention Spain’s, most wild Spring time festival.

Valencia is burning
Valencia is Spain’s third largest city and although it has a reputation for a frenzied nightlife, Las Fallas brings a totally new dimension to what is already there. The population of roughly half a million erupts to three million during the festival, so it is not surprising that the town has an anarchic feel to it during this celebration.

The history of this distinctly wild event is somewhat distorted. Put simply, it officially begins on the first Sunday of March to commemorate St Josephs Day, for the patron saint of Carpenters. This however, doesn’t start to explain or justify why large sculptures need to be set alight and destroyed. The connection apparently comes from the towns older times when wooden lamp posts were burnt as the days became longer and they were not seen as necessary. This happened at the beginning of spring, and St Josephs Day became the logical day with which to mark it.

More than just a Fire Festival
There is however, far more to Las Fallas than fire and the burning of Ninots. They are placed around the city from 15 to 19 March, and it is only on this final day that they are set alight. There is plenty to do during those days leading up to ‘La Crema’ or the final day. Daily events consist of bullfights, paella contests (Valencia is the unofficial paella capital of Spain), beauty pageants, outdoor concerts and street parties so the city has a buzz, and an atmosphere of constant excitement.

One of the most popular events takes place at2pmeach day. This is where the Mascleta are held in the cities main square, Plaza Ayuntamiento. Mascleta is a series of smoke bombs and firecrackers which draws loud crowds that wait in anticipation. The event is certainly not hard to hear as what begins with a few ‘pops’ or ‘bangs’ escalates into what sounds like a firing squad. A competition is held each day, as groups try for the loudest and most impressive fireworks, usually creating the type of explosion that causes a shudder through the ground.

To Ninot or not to Ninot
When not involved in one of the many Las Fallas events, it is a good idea to make time to simply walk the streets and get a good look at as many Ninots as possible before they are destroyed. They vary greatly in colour, decoration and complexity so if you have seen one, you certainly have not seen them all. Each year people vote for one Ninot to be saved from a fiery conclusion and it is later displayed in a museum along with other winners saved from a fiery end.

Although some of the Ninots are difficult to comprehend and may require some understanding of Spanish, they are so elaborate and interesting it does not really matter. Teams of local artists, craftsmen and carpenters design and create them all and whether you do find them either grotesque or beautiful, they are at the absolute least very impressive. It is the sheer size and cost of these statues that truly amazes, they range from a few feet to around fifteen metres (city building size) and can cost more than £80,000! A few require cranes to move them, while others are on wheels and work like a float from a Mardi Gras parade.

The BIG day
19 March is the big day every year, and is the day that puts other firework orientated holidays to shame. Local neighbourhoods labour for months on end to create the Ninots only to have them stuffed with fireworks and left to burn to the ground – all the hard work usually disappears in mere minutes!

The days schedule runs surprisingly smoothly and work finishes early as the community is brought together for the spectacle. The small Fallas are burnt down at around10pmand they work towards the large figures that garner the most attention. These are set alight at midnight. The firing sequence is quite basic, little explosives are ignited and fireworks catch the original flames that burn down the Ninots at rapid pace.

Staying safe amongst the chaos
The obvious question arising once hearing about all these events is how can all this happen without widespread mayhem and the city burning down along with the arty structures? Well, despite sounding incredibly dangerous and hard to regulate this festival is actually well managed and kept under control. Teams of firemen control the route and guard the flames, which prevents any surrounding infrastructure from catching alight. The firemen also try to keep the people safe although this is much harder given the partying nature of the festival. Regardless of the mindset of the revellers, the flames are not so much an issue for the claustrophobically packed crowds as when a decent amount of smoke floats into the masses.

For this reason, ambulances are close by, with it not uncommon for people to faint, especially pregnant women, asthmatics or young children lost in the commotion and abundance of cheering bodies. This however, should not deter people from going to Las Fallas, but is meant to warn that this fun-filled festival is not for the faint hearted or the holiday maker planning to lie on a beach away from distractions.

Valencia bound
Unfortunately, getting to Valencia for Las Fallas is not nearly as cheap as you may find at other times of the year. If you can go a couple of days early and maybe come back a day later – you may just save yourself quite a few pounds.

Las Fallas is an event that Valencians take great honour and satisfaction in. It is a festival that is marketable yet feels less commercial than others. Revellers will find it well-organised but also run to keep a free-spirited smorgasbord of tradition and passion that the Spanish are so well known for. If your idea of a decent few days away is a loud, explosive and non-stop party then Valencia during Las Fallas could be just your kind of holiday.

Have you been to Las Fallas? Tell us about your experience below:

Monday, 19 March, close to midnight, Valencia

A PYROMANIAC STANDS in the street. There’s a party going on, but he doesn’t notice. He is focused on an immense statue fabricated with timber. Smoke starts to fill the Valencian night sky. A bulge forms rapidly in his pants.

Las Fallas is about burning stuff. Burning extravagant, beautifully crafted, timber statues to be precise (and all types of firecracker wicks). It’s the biggest fiesta on the Valenciano calendar, a festival that takes the best aspect of rioting (burning shit) and combines it with the best aspect of being black-out-drunk (kissing strangers). Las Fallas is a street party the likes of which you’ve never seen, an extravaganza of building and burning, of love, life and lust, of sangria and the sanguinity associated with the end of winter.

They say Las Fallas is a celebration of carpentry and of the decline of winter. We add to that and say that it’s one helluva grand old time. The Valencianos close the city to all vehicles that aren’t associated with the extinguishing of infernos, so the streets are claimed by the drinkers, the dancers and the maker-outerers. We party the night away with the locals, we drink until we’re sure we can tango, we lock lips with señors and señoritas and we have a whale of a time.

Stoke Travel hearts Las Fallas. Like all of our festival setups we pride ourselves on having the best pre and post festival parties, on you getting more bang for your buck, on creating a truly international environment and on making our number one priority having FUN. We’ve been coming here for a while now, so we know what’s going on. And we have an open bar, so you can drink all the beer, wine and sangria you can stomach (or liver) for only 5€ a day.

Stoke Travel runs its Las Fallas camp from 15 – 20 March. The big nights are the Saturday night, duh, and the Monday night, which is when they actually burn the statues. Trips start at 25€ a night. For more information visit StokeTravel.com

Johnson won the award for best ODI Bowling for his performance against Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Pallekele in August 2011. Johnson produced the fourth-best figures in Australia’s one-day history to set his team on the path to a seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka. It was taken for granted that spin would be the dominant force – so much so that Johnson was only the sixth bowler Michael Clarke turned to after losing the toss. Johnson struck with his third delivery, and ran through the middle order to finish with 6 for 31 – figures surpassed for Australia only by Glenn McGrath, Andy Bichel and Gary Gilmour.

Established in 2007, this year’s ESPNcricinfo Awards were voted on by a jury of cricket greats and experts, which included Ian Chappell (former Australia captain), Sanjay Manjrekar (former India batsman), Geoffrey Boycott (Former England opener), Ramiz Raja (Former Pakistan cricketer) and Russel Arnold (Former Sri Lanka allrounder).

Chappell said this particular devastating display by Johnson showed what the Aussie fast bowler is capable of.

“With Mitchell Johnson, it seems to be all or nothing when he’s bowling. He’s either very, very good, or very, very bad. On this day at Pallekele, he destroyed Sri Lanka with some magnificent bowling. This was the day when Mitchell Johnson was really on. He had the ball swinging into the right-handers, which is when he’s at his best. He was also fiery, bowling at good pace, and as we all know, he can get the odd ball to lift off a pretty good length and cause the best of batsmen problems. He came into the attack bowling well down the order. He was used late but boy was he successful. Ten overs, one maiden, 6 for 31. He destroyed Sri Lanka after they’d made a good start.”

The other winners were India’s Sachin Tendulkar, winning the best individual Test Batting performance for his 146 against South Africa in the Third Test in Cape Town. Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien claimed the best individual ODI Batting performance for his 113 against England at last year’s ICC World Cup in Bangalore. And Doug Bracewell from New Zealand was awarded best individual Test Bowling performance for his 6 for 40 against Australia in the Second Test in Hobart.

Will Mitch make it back into the Australian cricket team? Comment below:

By Tim Martin

Commenting online to a story we ran in August last year, about how Aussie Group (formerly Aussie Man & Van) and their chairman Brian Burgess were willing to give “anyone” a chance and a job in the wake of the London riots, one disgruntled Aussie Group client let rip.

“Brilliant stuff Brian. I’m on the verge of rioting too. I entered into a contract with your company in August 2011. I paid you to ship my entire household contents from London to Melbourne.

“I paid for this service in full but unfortunately never saw my household contents again. They were never shipped to Melbourne. I believe they remain in London.

“I emailed / phoned your company; even asked to speak to you numerous times but never received a reply to my enquiries. I am at my wits end with trying to get my entire household contents back.

“You quote that all people need to do is get off their backsides. Well Brian, can you get off your backside, do the right thing and ship our things to Melbourne, just like you promised….please?”

The comment was posted by Sonya Rand, an Australian mother of three. After Australian Times got in contact with her, Ms Rand told us she posted the above comment on our website after she had “had a gut full” of getting the run around from the company she had entrusted to move her family’s belongings home.

Her next comment on our website was much more of an emotional plea to Aussie Group and their chairman. It was also a warning to other expat Australians thinking of shipping their goods back to Australia.

“I am writing this story to hopefully help others who wish to undertake international removals. Engage with any company carefully and ensure that you are confident that they will fulfil their contractual obligations.”

She went on to post, “I see from the [Australian Times] article that Brian Burgess has a place in Bali.

“Brian, would you mind if my family and I camp out there, because it’s lonely in our house with no furniture, toys or clothes.”

Ms Rand told Australian Times that telephoning and emailing weren’t her only methods of trying to make contact with the Mr Burgess and his company.

“I have posted quite a few things on the Aussie Group [Facebook] site as well. Nothing nasty, just genuine enquiries. Some of my comments have been deleted.

“I have been back in Australia for a good few months now. I have a family with three very young children. We are living in a place with no furniture, no toys, no anything. It really is a nightmare.”

Not long after Ms Rand made contact with Australian Times, another Aussie expat approached us. Matt Braybon had a similar story.

“I’m an Aussie, I moved back to Oz from London late last year. I shipped stuff with Aussie Group and had no end of trouble with them.

“I escalated my complaints and dealt with the [General Manager] Sean Tillery to try get things on track. My stuff was picked up [from London] in August,” Mr Braybon informed both Australian Times and the BBC’s Watchdog program.

“Cut to now, I’m in Oz and have just found out that Aussie Group have gone bust, though there are still websites in operation and a company trading as ‘Aussie’. The phone is answered Aussie.

“All of my worldly possessions are currently god knows where…”

After some quick investigation, Australian Times found that Aussie Group had indeed actually “gone bust”. They were entered into administration on 23 December 2011.

Mr Braybon said the whole ordeal was akin to an “Aussie man and van sham”.

“Some info that I gathered from other people involved included admissions from former employees that pretty much they knew that the company was going under as they were still taking money from us all and taking on international consignments,” Mr Braybon said.

Investigating the matter further, Australian Times made contact with the company that had essentially bought the ‘Aussie Group’ and ‘Aussie Man & Van’ brand names.

It emerged that Ward Thomas Removals has acquired the brands and assets and has started a new trading company called Aussie Man And Van Limited.

Following our investigations, the story took a happy twist.

Speaking to Charles Richards, Chief Financial Manager of Wards Thomas Removals, Australian Times learnt that the inconvenienced Aussie Group customers may actually now be close to being reunited with their belongings. It seems this many months long saga may be actually heading towards a solution.

“As you already know, Aussie Group went into administration on 23 December 2011,” Mr Richards told Australian Times.

“The owner, Brian Burgess, bought it out of administration. Basically, he then approached us to see if we could help. They bought themselves out of administration but were short of cash so we acquired the assets of the new company they had established.”

Mr Richards said it was not a very hard decision for Ward Thomas Removals to step in and buy the beleaguered company.

“We looked at it and saw it was a good company with a good reputation so we said ‘let’s give it a go’ and threw some money at it.”

When drawn on why he thought Burgess and Aussie Group had gotten into trouble in the first place, Mr Richards said it was a case of wanting to be ‘too successful’.

“Here was a very successful company who were running 70 vans a day through summer last year. That was from a standing start of just one van seven years ago.

“They were going on all cylinders but they expanded too quickly. They tripped up and got into trouble.”

He said that it was lucky Ward Thomas Removals stepped in at all.

“We saved most of those jobs that would have been lost.

“Not all jobs but we saved about 40 or 50.”

Mr Richards wasn’t too keen to comment on doing business with Mr Burgess, who has a very chequered history, because he said he had only known the convicted drug trafficker “for a couple of weeks”. But he said that “he showed signs of being a reformed character” and that Burgess was now only involved in the new company in a “consultancy role”.

The good news for Ms Rand and Mr Braybon is that Mr Richards said their individual situations were now being looked after.

“As you can imagine, when a business goes bust it gets a bit messy but we’re trying to do the right thing by getting everything to its end destination.

“Two or three people were caught in the trap [when Aussie Group went into administration]. They’d paid their money in full into the Aussie Group bank account and their goods were still in transit when the company went into administration.

“Two very nice people came out saying ‘we paid our money in advance and our goods weren’t shipped…’.

“The first person, we have located their goods and it turns out the goods had already been shipped to Australia. We’re now arranging to get them from Sydney to Adelaide.

“The second lady, we are making very good progress with.”

Australian Times confirmed this was the case with both Mr Braybon and Ms Rand who were equally ecstatic that their “Aussie Group ordeal” may now finally be over.

However, Mr Braybon had some sage advice for those thinking of engaging in an international shipping contract.

“I would recommend that people be very careful with people who claim to ship stuff anywhere and only use internationally affiliated and recognised shipping companies.

“If something like this happens and you are faced with replacing your much loved stuff, you actually realise the costs of doing so will be way more than you imagined.

“I used Aussie Group because they purported to be Aussie and as an Aussie living in London not only do you feel ‘safer’ thinking you are dealing with Australians, you clearly also want to support fellow patriots.”

Aussie Group were trading on the well known ethos that Australians are hard working and reliable, and therefore any brand or business built on this premise is ‘reliable too’.

Unfortunately, events like Aussie Group “going bust” can threaten to tarnish the hard earned ‘Australian reputation’. The irony in this instance is that it took a British company, in Ward Thomas Removals, to save the ‘Aussie’ way.

Have you had your own international shipping horror story or know someone who has? Comment below:

View Australian Times, issue 400, 21 February 2012

By Phillip Browne
In winter Tag Rugby action across London, players were glad to be back playing above zero degree temperatures on Thursday producing a lovely 10 degrees. Meanwhile, Finsbury Park will be hosting London’s first one day Tag Rugby festival of the year.

With only two more rounds remaining in most winter leagues, this week we head into the business end of the season.

At Borough, Scrum & Coke (Mixed) and The Hardy Boyz (Men’s) are still undefeated, producing some great form of late and are both favourites to take out the title.

Across at Rotherhithe, Finished Roving Your Mum is back on top and looking in fine form to defend their autumn title. Three teams are equal in front over at Wood Green with this evenly fought out competition looking like any team can win on their day!

Moves Like Tagger (Barnes), Double Scrum & Coke (Bermondsey A grade) and The Try Tag Cobras (Bermondsey social grade) all lead their respective competitions.

In other news, Try Tag Rugby’s most popular venue, Finsbury Park will be hosting London’s first one day Tag Rugby festival of the year. The Finsbury Park Tag Rugby Festival will be held on Saturday, 31 March. The day will include a round robin Tag Rugby tournament with great prizes to be won and a legendary after party at one of London’s best pubs, The Faltering Fullback! Registrations are now open and all details can be found at Trytagrugby.com

Meanwhile, the registrations for the Spring Tag Rugby competitions starting 4March are now open. If you would like to get involved in one of the fastest growing sports in London, new team and individual registrations are welcome. This is a great chance to develop a network of friends if you are new to London.

To register for a Try Tag Rugby competition, go to www.trytagrugby.com or email info@trytagrugby.com for more details.

KEVIN RUDD has ruled out a leadership challenge to Julia Gillard, for now, as the prime minister maintained she had the strong support of caucus.

After a day of political toing and froing among their respective supporters, Mr Rudd landed in Mexico for a Group of 20 foreign ministers’ meeting and denied a spill was in prospect when federal parliament resumes next week.

The shift in momentum for the Rudd camp on Monday came as Ms Gillard insisted she didn’t need to put her leadership to a vote because she had the “strong support” of the Labor caucus and was getting on with the job of government.

“I’m getting on with the job with the strong support of my caucus colleagues,” she told reporters in Canberra.

“I’m getting on with my job. Kevin Rudd’s getting on with his.”

Later, Mr Rudd referred to her remarks when asked if he would challenge Ms Gillard.

“That is not in prospect, because we have a prime minister and I am the foreign minister,” he told reporters.

Mr Rudd’s apparent climbdown comes after a weekend in which persons unknown released a video on the online portal YouTube of the then-prime minister swearing and banging a table in frustration while trying to record a message.

It’s not clear when the footage was recorded, but it was before Mr Rudd was rolled by Ms Gillard in June 2010 amid MP complaints about his leadership style and the government’s decline in the polls.

The video release heightened expectations Mr Rudd would soon challenge Ms Gillard, who is herself presiding over poor polling for Labor.

Rudd supporters told AAP on Monday they have mustered 30 votes in the caucus – well short of the 52 needed for a win.

Backers of the prime minister dispute this figure, saying Mr Rudd more likely has 20 votes, against Ms Gillard’s support base of around 50. A further 20 to 30 are undecided.

One senior Labor source said it was in neither Mr Rudd nor Ms Gillard’s interest to have a leadership vote next week.

“If Rudd gets 30, that kills her in the long term,” the MP said.

“Her best strategy is to ignore the elephant in the room.

“Kevin’s best tactic is to wait. He is picking people up … and will keep picking up people.”

He said many of those who currently back the prime minister have set her an August 2012 deadline – after a budget surplus and carbon tax compensation are delivered – to improve the party’s stocks or face a challenge.

On Monday, cabinet minister Simon Crean again went into bat for the prime minister, saying Mr Rudd was not a team player.

Mr Rudd said he was disappointed by Mr Crean’s remarks because “they are based on an untruth” that he had raised the leadership issue with independent MP Andrew Wilkie last November.

“Can I say with absolute clarity, at no stage during that conversation – or any other conversation – have I sought anyone’s support for any concern on that matter as far as the leadership is concerned,” Mr Rudd said.

Mr Wilkie concurred, saying he had raised the issue when chatting with Mr Rudd about other matters and at no stage did the foreign minister ask for his support.

However, Mr Crean warned Labor was in danger of “mutual destruction” if the leadership question was left unresolved.

Queensland Labor backbencher Graham Perrett repeated his threat to quit if Ms Gillard was dumped, which would trigger a by-election in his seat of Moreton that could threaten the government.

On Monday, he used Twitter to reinforce his message: “Looking fwd (sic) to a late election campaign in 2013 with PM Julia Gillard out front of a great Labor record and team”.

Meanwhile, former Queensland premier Peter Beattie says the speculation is killing Labor’s chance of retaining government in the state election on March 24.

“It’s time that there was a caucus meeting and the matter was dealt with once and for all,” he said. - AAP

It took until the 16th minute for the first score of the match. After some sustained pressure from Hull, Tom Briscoe stepped inside his man just metres from the try line and touched down to give the home side the lead. Danny Tickle missed the conversion.

Broncos had struggled to get a foothold in the game but a moment of class from Aussie duo Chad Randall and Michael Robertson leveled things up. Randall received the ball from captain Craig Gower and looped it out to Robertson on the right wing who squeezed over tight to the touchline. After much deliberation from the video ref the try was awarded but Michael Witt failed with his conversion.

Hull quickly regained their lead after a smart offload from former Cronulla Shark Brett Seymour allowed Joe Westerman in to score. The try however came at a cost as Joe Westerman immediately left the pitch with a dislocated shoulder. Tickle converted.

The Black and Whites increased their lead before half time as a smart kick from Richard Horne on the fifth tackle was deflected into the path of Australian journeyman Wade McKinnon who ghosted in for the try. Tickle again converted to take the scores to 16-4 at the interval.

Hull FC were quick out of the traps in the second half. A powerful run from Willie Manu opened up the Broncos defense and he released Kirk Yeaman for the try.

The tide of game changed however in the 60th minute when Sam Moa saw red for a reckless high tackle on Julien Rinaldi. The big Tongan led with his shoulder and the tackle left Rinaldi out cold.

With Hull reduced to 12 men London Broncos came back into the match and enjoyed a great amount of possession in the home team’s half.

Luke Dorn capitalised on a gap in the Hull defense and jinked his way through to score his first try of the season.

As the Broncos began seeing more of the ball, Gower’s influence on the game grew. The former Penrith man followed up his own grubber kick behind Hull’s tryline and his tackle on Will Sharpe saw the ball spill kindly for Chris Melling to score the simplest of tries.

The Broncos went out in search of further tries but were met by a resolute Hull backline and any thought of a comeback was dashed when a promising move was called back for a dubious forward pass decision. The London team were unlucky to finish eight points short at 14-22 but showed a lot of promise and that first elusive win won’t be too far away.

Don’t miss the London Broncos at home this weekend against Nathan Brown’s Huddersfield Giants. Kick off 2pm Sunday, 26 February at the Twickenham Stoop.

An expert panel led by businessman David Gonski says Australian governments must significantly increase funding, by at least $5 billion a year, to help the nation’s students achieve their best.

About three-quarters of the outlay would go to government schools under the Gonski review’s recommendations.

Public schools should get full government funding plus any loadings – with the split between the commonwealth and states and territories to be negotiated, the review said.

For non-government schools, it said government funding should make up any shortfall in the resource standard not provided by private funding sources such as fees.

NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli said the government supported the review’s call for every child to have the best education “regardless of where they live, the income of their family, or the school they attend”.

However he cautioned against using funding reforms to “pit public schools against private schools”.

“Australia needs a system of school funding that can lift attainment across schools – public or private,” Mr Piccoli said in a statement.

“Schools with higher needs should receive additional funds, regardless of what sector they are in.

“New South Wales looks forward to participating in discussions with the commonwealth, state and territory governments to progress the next steps towards reform of the school funding system.”

The NSW Teachers Federation says it is imperative the reforms don’t become a “political football”.

“What is clear is that resources delayed are resources denied,” president Maurie Mulheron said in a statement.

“The underfunding of our public schools cannot be allowed to continue.

“We call on all state and federal politicians, across all parties, to work together in the common interest of Australian school children.”

The NSW Greens said the Gonski report squandered an opportunity to redirect funding from private to public schools.

“The panel had before it proposals that would have addressed the inequity between the public and non-government sectors,” Greens MP John Kaye said.

“Instead it has folded to the loudest voices in the debate, the private school lobby.

“The recommendations would drag the NSW government into the federal government’s funding formula, leaving in place and in some cases increasing the subsidies to the state’s extremely wealthy private schools.”

The Public Education Foundation (PEF) welcomed the Gonski Review’s support for philanthropic fundraising for education.

“Crucially, the review recognises that an even playing field does not currently exist between public and private schools when it comes to philanthropy,” PEF chief executive Verity Firth said.

The review recommends the establishment of a national fund to promote philanthropy for the government school sector, Ms Firth said.

“We call on the federal government to implement this finding from the review.”

The independent schools sector said further detail was needed before it could assess the recommendations.

Dr Geoff Newcombe, executive director of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, said he was pleased the review recognised there was a special case for improving funding for disadvantaged students, including those with a disability.”

“However, it is now critical for the government to respond in detail to the recommendations,” he said.

“This includes attaching actual dollars to a new funding model so that independent schools know as soon as possible if there will be any changes to their funding arrangements.”

THE international career of former captain Ricky Ponting could be over after the 37-year-old was dumped from Australia’s one-day squad.

Just a day after standing in as skipper in Australia’s crushing victory over India at the Gabba, Ponting was informed his services in the one-day arena were no longer required.

Ponting’s tri-series return of 18 runs at an average of 3.6 against India and Sri Lanka proved to be his downfall, with the 37-year-old now considering whether it’s worth staying on in the Test arena.

National selector John Inverarity said it was unlikely Ponting would be able to force his way back into the one-day set-up given the need to prepare the squad ahead of the 2015 World Cup.

But he hoped Ponting would continue his Test career after the batsman’s stunning return to form in this summer’s 4-0 Test whitewash of India.

It is expected Ponting will hold a press conference to discuss his future in Sydney on Tuesday.

“Ricky is going to consider his future over the next couple of days and he’ll talk it over with his family and with his manager,” Inverarity said on Monday.

“He made a double century in his last Test match and we are hoping that he remains available for Test match cricket, but there can be no guarantees in elite sport and in the Australian cricket team.

“If he drops out of the ODI team then there’s a possible lack of momentum there.

“There are three Test matches in the West Indies (in April), then as I understand it there are no more Test matches until October or November.”

Ponting’s 13,704 runs at an average of 42.03 in 375 ODIs ranks second only to Sachin Tendulkar, while his 13,200 runs over 162 Tests makes him the third highest run scorer in Test history.

Inverarity described Ponting as a gem of a human being, and said the Tasmanian took the news of his dumping “on the chin”.

But he added the decision to axe Australia’s finest player since Don Bradman was a unanimous one.

“You don’t put your heart to one side, but the head has got to dominate,” Inverarity said of Ponting, who captained Australia to World Cup crowns in 2003 and 2007.

“In elite sport, there’s no place for sentiment.”

Wade confirmed over Haddin as preferred ODI keeper

In other big team news, Inverarity confirmed Matthew Wade had officially taken over from Brad Haddin as Australia’s preferred ODI wicket-keeper.

Haddin’s demise was poorly handled by Cricket Australia, who initially claimed the 34-year-old was rested for the start of the triangular series before later admitting he had been dropped.

The 43-Test veteran made a pair of ducks in NSW’s Sheffield Shield loss to Western Australia last week, and faces a fight to retain his spot in the Test XI ahead of Wade.

Michael Clarke named in Australian squad for Friday’s ODI in Hobart

Meanwhile, skipper Michael Clarke is on track to make his return from a hamstring injury against Sri Lanka at Bellerive Oval on Friday after being named in Australia’s 13-man squad.

But fit-again allrounder Shane Watson, who also earned inclusion, is more likely to return against India in Sydney on Sunday.

In the other change to the squad, paceman Ryan Harris replaced Mitchell Starc.

Australia’s squad to play Sri Lanka in Hobart on Friday and India on Sunday in Sydney: Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, Peter Forrest, Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Clint McKay, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

FORMER Dragons coach Nathan Brown has been named as a candidate for boss of English Super League club St Helens.

Brown, 38, who has coached rival English club Huddersfield for three years, had been expected to return to Australia when his contract expires with the Giants at the end of the current season.

However Brown is keeping his options open, according to British tabloid the Daily Star.

The speculation comes after admissions from current St Helens coach and fellow Australian Royce Simmons, that his club needs to produce a result this season.

“I’d better hold a bit of silverware up this year or I’ll be on the plane,” said Simmons, whose two-year St Helens deal is up at the end of the season.

“You’ve got to be a winner or you don’t exist too long.”

Brown, who at age 29 became the Dragons youngest non-playing coach in 2003, held the position until Wayne Bennett arrived in 2009.

In his first season at Huddersfield he took the team to the 2009 Challenge Cup final.

Come the end of this season, Brown is due to be succeeded by his Giants number two, Paul Anderson, the Star said. - AAP

The Force have been installed favourites by at least two Australian bookmakers to win the wooden spoon in 2012.

The Brumbies, Lions and Cheetahs are also tipped to struggle.

But it is the Force, who lost star Wallaby James O’Connor and first-choice five-eighth Willie Ripia over the off-season, that many expect will prop up the table.

The Force’s pre-season form, in which they copped hidings at the hands of the Brumbies and Reds, certainly haven’t changed wider opinions.

But Stiles said betting on the Force to finish last would be as good as flushing money down the toilet.

“You’d be wasting your money I reckon,” Stiles said on Monday.

“So keep your hard earned in your pocket or put us to finish a bit higher than that.”

Former Brumbies prop Salesi Ma’afu, who switched to the Force over the summer, was also surprised how quickly everyone was writing off the Force.

“It makes me feel good if all those people are going to put their money on it and lose their money,” Ma’afu said.

“I think we’ve got a good team.”

Ma’afu will temporarily put friendships on hold on Friday night when the Force take on the Brumbies in Canberra.

The 28-year-old notched 52 games at the Brumbies, but felt the time was right to switch to the Force.

“I’d been there six years and things seem to get pretty dull,” said Ma’afu, who has tallied 14 Test caps since making his Wallabies debut in 2010.

“That’s the way life is. I needed a change. I’m happier now with my rugby and my life and enjoying it.”

Reds halfback Will Genia and flanker Beau Robinson both stressed on Monday there was plenty of improvement to come from a young squad which is virtually unchanged in 2012.

And with their title defence kicking off against arch-rivals NSW on Saturday night, Genia indicated motivation wouldn’t be a concern following Matt Burke’s comments at last week’s Waratahs season launch.

Former Test and NSW fullback Burke, the Waratahs kicking coach until this year, tipped the Reds would stumble in round one without injured five-eighth Quade Cooper and struggle to continue their success.

“They have obviously fired off the first shot by saying we will have second-year syndrome so we’ll just wait and see,” Genia said.

“We are so young and we’re not like older players who have won a title and we’ll rest our careers on that.

“We’re still full of motivation and still want to play well and do well for Queensland.”

The Reds have acknowledged they flew under the radar for much of 2011 as they swept the competition with a 15-3 record and must step up further going from the hunters to the hunted.

But Genia also didn’t mind pointing out they have sipped from a trophy the Waratahs have never touched.

“The Brumbies are the only other (Australian) side to have won a title so it’s better to be a one-year wonder than a no-year wonder,” the Wallabies No.9 said.

Cooper (knee), winger Rod Davies (hamstring) and reserve lock Adam Wallace-Harrison (knee) will miss the ANZ Stadium grudge match while NSW have Test quartet Rocky Elsom, Dan Vickerman, Drew Mitchell and Lachie Turner sidelined and Berrick Barnes and Adam Ashley-Cooper under fitness clouds.

Queensland coach Ewen McKenzie indicated flanker Scott Higginbotham was likely to overcome a back problem while hooker Saia Fainga’a (ankle) is also desperate to start.

Former Waratah Robinson is adamant the Reds will lift to another level in 2012 if they’re attitude is right.

“Why not? That’s the question that I pose to people. Why wouldn’t it be?” he said.

“The blokes here are better, fitter, stronger, faster so that (motivation) would be the only thing that would be stopping us.”

The workaholic back-rower said a season-opener against NSW was ideal considering Queensland were smashed 30-6 in the corresponding match in 2011.

“A few of the boys might have been a little complacent last year due to how well they’d improved from the previous year and played entertaining rugby,” Robinson said.

“They were just hoping it would all come together again without putting in the hard work.”

Contiki Launches Interactive Online Game ‘This Way To Amazing’

Contiki Holidays is taking the online social community by storm with the launch of their innovative new online game, This Way to Amazing. Beginning February 15^th, Contiki is giving away a European tour every week for a month to the follower lucky enough to find the youth brand’s travellers in four of Europe’s hottest destinations.

Follow along as the Contiki team posts video clues featuring adventurous Contiki travellers exploring the sights, sounds & backstreets of Europe. Mixing video with Google Maps and Street View, the game allows users to hunt for the travellers’ locations and enter for a chance to win. Each week will feature a different traveller to follow as they explore a new city, uncovering the local and authentic experiences only discovered on a Contiki trip. Once a user tracks down one of the Contiki travellers, they will automatically be entered to win a European trip for themselves, with the opportunity to check out some of the amazing locations featured in the game.

In true Contiki fashion, the game integrates the hottest music from up-and-coming artists to keep users entertained as they digitally weave their way through European streets. The Contiki crew also know how much their youth travellers look for the latest in food, fashion, music and lifestyle, so the game includes the most current trends and styles.

Fans vying for a chance to win can ensure they don’t miss out on the video clues by following any of Contiki’s social media platforms to get reminders.

To get the most up-to-date news on the contest, simply visit Contiki on:

Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest or Foursquare

Good luck!
no
Click here to sign up or play the This Way To Amazing game.

A video posted on YouTube shows Kevin Rudd losing his temper in a frustrated tirade of vitriol and venom. Just dirty language or a dirty escalation of the Rudd versus Gillard leadership war?

In the embarrassing clip posted on Friday, Mr Rudd fumes about embassy staff and Chinese officials, swearing repeatedly and banging on the desk.

An exasperated Rudd is shown saying, “And tell these dickheads in the embassy to just give me simple sentances.”

Hands in the air, Rudd rages, “This f**king language! He just complicates it so much. Y’know?”

View the full leaked swearing Kevin Rudd video from YouTube, below:

It appears the video is made from out-takes of a message Kevin Rudd recorded during his time as prime minister.

The embarrassing leak comes amid intensifying speculation about a possible challenge by Mr Rudd to wrest back the Labor leadership and prime ministership from Julia Gillard, raising suspicions that forces loyal to Gillard may be responsible for its posting on YouTube.

Earlier on Saturday, opposition leader Tony Abbott accused the Labor Party of being in disarray over the leadership issue, demanding an election be held immediately.

If you aren’t a member there is a fee of £10 to get in however they often have fairs, markets and special days where they encourage the public to come in to view the gardens.  Luckily for my friend Shea and I we decided to check out the gardens on a gorgeous sunny winters day and stumbled across a market fair and were encouraged upon entry to take up one of the guided tours. We soon found our guide – a rather eccentric but very passionate lady whose accent (whether real or put on) was extremely posh and therefore extremely entertaining.  We set off about the gardens for a bit of a guided tour.

We soon got stuck into the history of the gardens and I was surprised to find that they were called the Physic Gardens because they were used to grow medicinal plants – as in for ‘Physicians’ and ‘Apothecaries’.  To be honest I just thought it was one of those weird and wonderful names that pop up around London. Once I learned where its name really came from, I was pretty interested in what kinds of plants and herbs they grew to use and how they developed them.  However after a little while, my interest started to fade for as much as I love sitting and appreciating pretty gardens – I’m not one for growing plants and once our lovely tour guide started her detailed talk about why certain plants were pruned a certain way we decided to ditch the tour and wander ourselves.

We wandered through the gardens chatting and pausing occasionally to look at a certain plant or read a little plaque but as neither of us are particular green thumbs we had little or no idea exactly what we were looking at. I did manage to find a section dedicated to Sir Joseph Banks – who most Aussies know was a part of the ‘Endeavour’ crew (and on our old five dollar notes).

During the winter the gardens are popular for their ‘Snowflakes’ which are little white flowers that come out after the cold in early spring. The gardens are currently hosting their Snowflake Extravaganza with two for one tickets and tours of the snowflake trail. Unfortunately when Shea and I went there were none to be found.

The gardens really are gorgeous and extremely interesting if you are into science and gardening however for those of us who like their gardens and parks for sitting on benches, laying on the grass or walking around for fresh air, you’re better off sticking to the not so secret gardens.

But the reigning premiers’ coach Geoff Toovey is confident his players can shake off their pre-season rust in time for their testing start to the NRL season.

The Sea Eagles lacked composure at crucial times in front of a vocal full house as the Rhinos romped to a convincing victory in a heated encounter.

Manly won’t have the home comforts of playing at Brookvale Oval for the opening five NRL rounds this season as the suburban ground is renovated.

“We’ve spoken about the first two or three games,” Toovey said.

“It is a difficult schedule but that is just the way it is and nothing we can do about it.

“It is difficult we play the Warriors over in New Zealand in a grand final rematch.

“Then five days later we are playing the Tigers on Friday night.

“It is a tough start.

“Our players have been training well and we think we are more than capable of winning both matches.”

The Sea Eagles open their season against the Warriors at Eden Park on March 4 before taking on the Wests Tigers five days later at Gosford.

In his first true test in the coaching hot seat following Des Hasler’s controversial departure to the Bulldogs, Toovey was bitterly disappointed with the loss.

He said his players must quickly reduce their error rate or find themselves in deep trouble this year.

“It is always hard being premiers the following year people tend to raise to the occasion trying to match you,” he said.

“It does take a little bit of juice out of you coming over here but that is part and parcel of it.”

Manly will be desperate to avoid a repeat of their disastrous start to their title defence in 2009.

Following the infamous season launch, the Sea Eagles lost their opening four matches of the season.

They clawed their way back only to be bounced out in the opening round of the finals by Melbourne.

After beating Leeds at Elland Road 28-20 in the WCC in 2009, Manly’s lack of sharpness was evident from the kickoff on Friday night as co-captain Jason King fumbled his side’s second touch of the ball.

Star Leeds winger Ryan Hall bagged a double and was named man of the match in a tough night for David Williams on the Wolfman’s return from a broken neck.

Leeds coach Brian McDermott praised his players for their try-line defence with the home side two players down for most of the second half.

“Some of the defence was as scruffy as anything,” he said.

“We had to do everything we could to keep them out, Sometimes it is like that on your own try line.

“It was brave and courageous.”