Minister admits prisoner transfer 'dumb'

WA police have recaptured two violent prisoners who escaped from a security van in Perth. Source: AAP

IT was "very dumb" to allow a rapist, who later escaped a security van, to be transferred from Perth to another prison to be near his family at Christmas, WA's corrective services minister says.

Rapist Cameron John Graham, 22, and 23-year-old Kelden Edward Fraser, who was on remand, escaped while being transferred from Greenough Regional Prison, in the state's mid west, back to Perth on Friday afternoon.

The prisoners were not handcuffed and the external door of the van was not locked.

The pair allegedly stole a car and were captured at 1am (WST) on Sunday when police used a plane to find their camp around Mullewa, near Geraldton.

Graham was jailed last November for 11 years after breaking into a woman's home, threatening to murder her sleeping children, repeatedly raping her and forcing her to drive to an ATM and withdraw cash.

The victim and her family have since moved overseas.

Prisoners can be temporarily transferred to another facility to maintain family relationships if it is deemed helpful to their rehabilitation.

But opposition spokesman Paul Papalia told AAP on Sunday it was a "failure of the system" that such a dangerous offender, who had been in jail for a short time, would be allowed a transfer.

Corrective Services minister Joe Francis admitted someone had made a "very, very dumb" decision and Serco, a private company, had failed in its obligation to provide a secure transfer.

"I didn't authorise the transfer," he said.

"It was, quite frankly, one of the dumbest decisions."

Department commissioner James McMahon has put a ban on all non-essential transfers, and on Saturday, took the blame for the incident.

But Mr Papalia said while it was a "noble sentiment", it was ultimately the minister's responsibility.

Mr Francis accepted he was responsible to the people and parliament, but not for the day-to-day running of the department.

He said when he took over the portfolio, he wanted to create a new leadership team to address concerns about the integrity, procedures and structure of the department, which was what the new commissioner was doing.

Mr Papalia wants a parliamentary inquiry and a transparent review of the government's deals with Serco when parliament resumes.

"Will the failures of Serco be made public?" he asked.

"There should be an open and thorough inquiry."

Mr Francis said he would not prejudge what the parliament might do, but was aware of the increasing number of failures by Serco.

"They are skating on thin ice," he said.

The minister said the least he could do for the victim was call her and say he was sorry.

"This poor woman will probably be reliving a horrific crime," he said.

"Of course it would cause her grief. My heart goes out to her."

The escapees are expected to be charged with offences including escaping legal custody and stealing a vehicle later this week.

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Race to find India collapse survivors

Thirteen bodies have been pulled from the wreckage of a building that collapsed in India. Source: AAP

INDIAN rescuers are racing to try to save up to 20 people still feared trapped in the ruins of a partially constructed building that collapsed "like a pack of cards".

Emergency workers have pulled 13 bodies from the residential building that crumbled mid-afternoon on Saturday while poorly paid labourers were working on the site in a coastal village in the tourist state of Goa.

A senior officer overseeing the rescue told AFP 15 to 20 people were feared still buried but the chances of finding anyone alive were "getting bleak" as time passed.

"There were some 40 people working when the building collapsed," said the officer, who did not give his name as he is not authorised to speak to media.

"We have pulled out 25 dead or alive, so we believe (up to) 20 to be still inside."

The accident is the latest in a string of deadly collapses in India that have highlighted shoddy construction standards.

Huge demand for housing and pervasive corruption often result in cost-cutting and a lack of safety inspections.

In September a run-down residential block in Mumbai collapsed, killing 60 people.

The officer said the death toll for the latest collapse remained at 13 but was expected to rise.

Rescue workers using cranes, bulldozers, shovels and bare hands struggled to shift concrete slabs and other debris to try to free the labourers trapped under the building in the seaside village of Canacona, south of the state capital Panaji.

Photos showed workers tunnelling under pancaked floors of smashed bricks, rocks and dirt to reach those trapped, after one witness told AFP the building collapsed "like a pack of cards".

The army joined fire and emergency workers to dig through the rubble and cut through iron rods immediately after the collapse, efforts that continued through Saturday night.

Goa police are searching for the builder and the contractor who have gone missing since the tragedy.

Officers have registered cases of endangering human life, causing death and negligence against them and others involved in the building's construction.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday pledged to "immediately arrest" those found responsible for the collapse of the building, which reports said was five storeys high.

In June, 10 people were killed when an apartment block collapsed in Mumbai, while in April 74 people died after a seven-storey building collapsed during construction on the city's outskirts.

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Body found in Canberra unit

DETECTIVES are trying to determine whether foul play was involved in the death of a man discovered in an ACT home unit.

A friend of the 52-year-old found his body at lunchtime on Saturday at a building in Bega Flats, Reid, police say.

A crime scene has been set up, with investigators working to establish the cause of death.

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Chinese man gets death for child deaths

A CHINESE man who hacked three children to death and injured 13 others at a daycare centre in southern China has been sentenced to death.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday that Wu Yechang was convicted of intentional homicide in the Guigang Intermediate People's Court in China's Guangxi region for the September 2012 attack that horrified the country.

It was one of several violent attacks on children in China in recent years that have resulted in tighter security at schools and kindergartens.

The attacks also have led to calls for more attention to mental illnesses and prompted concern over rising stress in Chinese society.

Wu suffered from illness and loneliness when he targeted the children at the Red Apple daycare centre in Guangxi's Pingnan county, Xinhua said.

He told police in 2012 he initially wanted to kill himself but decided to do something bigger.

Reports say the jobless man bought an axe and was wandering when he saw the daycare centre.

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NSW towns post record-breaking temps

EIGHT hinterland NSW towns have baked through their hottest day on record.

The Bureau of Meteorology says records were broken across northern and central inland regions of the state on Friday.

In Walgett, residents sweltered through temperatures not experienced anywhere in the state for more than 70 years.

There the mercury reached a record 49.1 degrees Celsius - the highest temperature posted anywhere in NSW since 1939, when 50C was recorded in Wilcannia.

Other NSW records set on Friday include 47.8C in Mungindi and Narrabri and 47.6C in Coonamble.

In Moree temperatures climbed to 47.3C, smashing the previous record of 46.1C set in 1932.

Tamworth, Coonabarabran and Mudgee also hit their highest-ever temperatures on Friday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

The bureau says further records could be revealed on Saturday, when official maximum temperatures are transmitted from additional climate monitoring stations.

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Replacement party cancelled at Wet n Wild

THE recently opened Wet 'n' Wild theme park in Sydney won't be hired out for big events in the near future following the last-minute cancellation of a New Year's Eve music festival.

Thousands of people who bought tickets to ring in the new year at the western Sydney theme park were let down at the last minute when the organisers, One Cube Entertainment, cancelled the event six hours beforehand, citing technical issues.

After announcing the cancellation on Facebook, One Cube Entertainment promised an "even better" festival would take place on Australia Day.

However, Wet 'n' Wild owners, Village Roadshow Theme Parks, on Friday said that event would not go ahead.

Ticket-holders are being refunded, with One Cube Entertainment working with promoters to ensure they are processed as quickly as possible.

Village Roadshow Theme Parks spokesman Darrin Davies said they were extremely disappointed at the cancellation.

He could not comment on media reports One Cube Entertainment was vastly inexperienced for such an event, having been set up four months ago.

"We entered into a commercial agreement with them to hire a venue and that's all it was," Mr Davies told AAP on Friday.

"From our point of view we are not currently entertaining more requests for hiring the venue."

Mr Davies said the decision was not linked directly to the New Year's Eve incident.

"We've had this event cancelled and we're focusing now on what we do best, which is running a theme park," he said.

Annual music festival the Big Day Out takes place in Sydney on Australia Day, which also played a role in the decision not to host the festival, he added.

Mr Davies said while the park had no current booking requests, it would take any on their merits.

About 8700 people bought tickets for the event, described by One Cube Entertainment as a "world first", "new and fresh" way for Sydneysiders to celebrate New Year's Eve.

Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe assured all ticket holders they would receive full refunds.

Mr Davies said Village Roadshow Theme Parks returned the hiring fee to One Cube Entertainment on the grounds that refunds would take place.

The Fair Trading hotline is 1800 213 428.

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Violence mars Australian NYE celebrations

New Year celebrations around Australia have been marred by deaths and violence among revellers. Source: AAP

ONE man died and two others are in critical condition after violence marred New Year's Eve celebrations in Western Australia, NSW and South Australia.

While millions of people rang in 2014 without incident, there were ugly scenes in Victoria, where revellers clashed with police at an out-of-control Melbourne party.

In the most serious incident in the country, a man died after a fight at a beach party on tiny Wedge Island off the West Australian coast.

Police say the man died after being assaulted just before 1.30am on the 400-metre-long island, 160 kilometres north of Perth.

Two other people were injured, with one flown by rescue helicopter to Royal Perth Hospital.

In the state's southwest, a woman died after a suspected drug overdose, WA police said.

In Sydney, an estimated two million people lined Sydney Harbour to view the 12-minute midnight fireworks display, with pyrotechnic displays also going off at 9pm and 10.30pm.

But in nearby Kings Cross, 18-year-old Daniel Christie was left in critical condition after being hit in an allegedly unprovoked attack about 9pm.

He is fighting for life at St Vincent's Hospital.

His alleged attacker, Shaun McNeil, 25, was refused bail on Wednesday, with a Sydney court told Mr Christie was shielding others when he was struck.

In Adelaide, a 63-year-old man was left in critical condition after being stabbed several times.

Police charged a 55-year-old woman with attempted murder over the stabbing.

More than 100 people were arrested in Adelaide suburbs, authorities said.

More than 170 were arrested in NSW during festivities, charged with offences including assault and robbery. Ninety-seven people were charged last New Year's Eve.

NSW Ambulance Deputy Commissioner Mick Willis said more than 1000 patients were treated in the metropolitan region overnight.

"Overall the crowd was very good ... but sadly, again, through the use of alcohol and drugs we saw a number of violent clashes," he told reporters.

On the water, more than 100 New Year's Eve revellers had to be rescued from boats across Sydney, with three people taken to hospital.

Further south, at least two police officers were assaulted at a New Year's Eve party in Melbourne.

About 15,000 people attended the monster bash at Edinburgh Gardens in North Fitzroy that forced authorities to set up a triage facility to treat about 20 revellers.

Twenty-three people were arrested in Melbourne's city centre, while at least 160 people were treated by ambulance officers in the city surrounds.

In Queensland, more than 80,000 people packed Brisbane's inner city about midnight and 44 people were arrested, down from 62 last New Year's Eve.

The Gold Coast recorded less crime, with 92 arrests compared with 121 during the previous celebrations.

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Man, 20, killed at WA New Year beach party

A 20-year-old man from Perth was killed in a brawl at a New Year's Eve party on a remote WA island. Source: AAP

A MURDER investigation is under way after a 20-year-old man died following a fight at a New Year's Eve beach party in Western Australia.

Police say the man from Kelmscott, in Perth's southeast, died after being assaulted on the remote Wedge Island, 160 kilometres north of Perth, shortly before 1.30am (WST) on Wednesday.

A man and a woman, both 25, were injured in the brawl.

The man was flown by rescue helicopter to Royal Perth Hospital with a serious arm injury, while the woman was taken by ambulance to the Joondalup Health Campus in Perth's north.

A police spokeswoman would not confirm reports the dead man was attacked with a machete.

She said reports that the fight involved hundreds of people were incorrect.

Wedge Island is 400 metres long and lies just off the coast.

WA's Major Crime Squad is investigating the man's death.

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