Comedy Bamboozled wins Tropfest

AFTER winning a prize in the DSLR category at the last Tropfest, Australian filmmaker Matt Hardie can now add Tropfest 22 winner to his name.

Hardie has taken home the top prize with his comedic short film Bamboozled.

The event on Sunday night was actually the second Tropfest this year - the date change meant there was one in February and one in December - and Hardie was selected as a finalist at both.

"I thought this one wasn't going to do as well to be quite honest," Hardie told AAP about Bamboozled after his win at Sydney's Centennial Park.

"We did it so quickly. We thought it was good but I really didn't think it was going to go all the way."

How wrong he was.

Not only did he win 1st prize, which includes $10,000 in cash, a new Toyota car, a trip to LA, a Nikon DSLR and lenses, but he also received Best Male Actor, an award he shares with his co-star Aaron Tsindos.

Hardie's film was announced as the winner out of 16 finalists by Legally Blonde director Robert Luketic, who made the decision along with a panel of judges including Red Dog director Kriv Stenders, filmmaker Nash Edgerton, Milk producer Bruna Papandrea, actress Susie Porter and Oscar-winning filmmaker Adam Elliot.

Tropfest founder and director John Polson also took to the stage during the announcements to reveal the TSI (Tropfest Signature Item) for next year's festival - Mirror.

Polson says he was delighted at the turnout, with thousands embracing the new date in December and the new location at Centennial Park after years at the Domain.

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Alcohol sends 30,000 Vics to hospital

NEARLY 30,000 Victorians were hospitalised in a 12-month period due to the effects of excessive alcohol consumption, new data shows.

Men make up the majority of those hospitalised, but there has been a big jump in the number of women ending up in hospital due to alcohol.

The data, compiled by the organisation Turning Point, shows that during 2010/11 there were 29,694 alcohol-related inpatient hospitalisations.

On average, each of those people are staying in hospital for nearly four days, meaning 113,117 hospital bed days were taken up as a result of excess alcohol consumption.

Turning Point director professor Dan Lubman said the figures were a timely warning of the dangers of alcohol as Victorians prepare for the Christmas holiday period.

"While most people are able to consume alcohol in moderation, the decision-making part of your brain becomes less effective the more you drink," Prof Lubman said.

"There is a clear link between intoxication and increased rates of road accidents, injuries and assaults."

Prof Lubman said there was a big jump in the number of women being hospitalised.

In 2001/02 there were 6727 women hospitalised for alcohol-related incidents, but by 2010/11 that number had jumped to 11,484.

Men aged between 50 and 60 years were the most likely group to be hospitalised, the research showed.

For women, those aged between 40 and 44 years and 50 and 54 years are the most likely to end up in hospital for alcohol related reasons.

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Catholic response to abuse under spotlight

THE internal process used by the Catholic Church to compensate victims of child sexual abuse is under the microscope at a national inquiry this week.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse starts public hearings into the Church's Towards Healing process in Sydney on Monday.

It will be the fourth case study by the commission and the first of a number of public hearings which will examine the application of Towards Healing.

Towards Healing was established by the Catholic Church in 1996 and was seen as a watershed moment in the Church's approach to dealing with child sexual abuse within the institution.

It has been reviewed and reformed twice since then.

Abuse victims can approach the Church with allegations and then go through a mediation and compensation process if deemed appropriate.

Royal Commission CEO Janette Dines said this hearing would focus on the experiences of four people who took part in the process.

"These people are Queensland residents whose claim of child sexual abuse was dealt with through the Towards Healing process," Ms Dines said in a statement.

"The accused at the time of the abuse were priests and brothers of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Diocese of Lismore and the Marist Brothers.

"As the commission continues, we will hold more public hearings into peoples' experience with Towards Healing and its application in different parts of Australia."

The commission called for submissions to an issues paper on the Church process and have published 20 on its website.

Some are highly critical of Towards Healing, saying it re-traumatises victims.

The submissions may be viewed at:

http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/view-submissions-to-issues-paper-2-towards-healing/

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Woman over limit with 6-year-old in car

A WOMAN who was driving her six-year-old son to a birthday party has lost her licence for six months after she recorded a positive breath test in Melbourne.

The 43-year-old woman, from Patterson Lakes, returned the positive test when she was pulled over on the Nepean Highway at Cheltenham, about 10.15am on Sunday (AEDT), police say.

She then recorded a reading of 0.099 at a local police station and was issued with a penalty notice for $433, which also carries a loss of licence for six months.

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Motorcyclist dies on NSW mid-north coast

A 67-YEAR-OLD motorcyclist has been killed in an accident on the NSW mid-north coast.

It's believed the man attempted to take a sweeping bend on the Dondingalong Road at Dondingalong, about 20 kilometres southwest of Kempsey, when he lost control and was thrown from his bike late on Sunday afternoon.

Emergency services were called, but he died at the scene, police say.

A report is being prepared for the Coroner.

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Watkins bandmates unaware of abuse

THE ex-bandmates of paedophile rocker Ian Watkins insist they did not know about the abuse.

The Lostprophets frontman has admitted a string of sex offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

Speaking for the first time since Watkins' last-minute change of plea on Tuesday ahead of what would have been his trial at Cardiff Crown Court, his former bandmates revealed on Saturday night that they were "heartbroken, angry and disgusted".

They said in a statement to their fans: "Many of you understandably want to know if we knew what Ian was doing. To be clear: We did not.

"We knew that Ian was a difficult character. Our personal relationships with him had deteriorated in recent years to a point that working together was a constant, miserable challenge.

"But despite his battles with drugs, his egotistic behaviour and the resulting fractures and frustrations within our band, we never imagined him capable of behaviour of the type he has now admitted."

Watkins pleaded guilty to sexually touching a one-year-old and encouraging a groupie to abuse her own child during a webcam chat.

The 36-year-old, from Pontypridd, south Wales, also admitted possessing and making child porn as well as launching the plot to rape a baby.

The remaining band members announced in October that they had split up.

Their statement went on: "We are heartbroken, angry and disgusted at what has been revealed. This is something that will haunt us for the rest of our lives.

"Being in a band has always been a labour of love and a platform to inspire people, not to take advantage of them.

"It's still hard to believe this is happening and that someone we were once so close to has destroyed so many lives, lying every step of the way."

They added: "Our hearts go out to Ian's family, the fans and friends he betrayed, and most importantly, the victims of his crimes and others like them.

"We hope for justice, but also that Ian will truly take responsibility for what he's done. We would urge any other victims to contact the authorities."

The message was signed by lead guitarist Lee Gaze, rhythm guitarist Mike Lewis, bass player Stuart Richardson, keyboard player Jamie Oliver and drummer Luke Johnson.

Watkins will be sentenced on December 18.

Meanwhile, the Independent Police Complaints Commission has announced that it is investigating how South Yorkshire Police handled allegations against Watkins made last year.

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Second body removed from UK pub

THE body of a second victim has been removed from the Glasgow hotel which collapsed when a police helicopter crashed through its roof.

At least eight people were killed when the helicopter crashed into the Clutha Vaults pub in Scotland's largest city on Friday night, including the civilian pilot and two police officers.

Work to remove the chopper from the site is under way.

Police Scotland said on Sunday it would be a "painstaking process" expected to take some time, stressing the need to ensure the safety of the operation and emergency workers.

The body was removed from the crash scene at the same time as a service to remember the victims was being held in the city.

Hundreds of people were at Glasgow Cathedral, where prayers were said and candles lit.

Police Scotland have so far named only one of the victims as Gary Arthur, 48, from the Paisley area.

His daughter, Celtic and Scottish women's footballer Chloe Arthur, 18, wrote on Twitter: "RIP dad. you'll always mean the world to me, I promise to do you proud, I love you with all my heart.

"'Thanks to everyone who has tweeted me, text me etc, means so much, I have the most amazing friends ever."

John McGarrigle, 38, said an eyewitness told him his father, also John McGarrigle, 59, had also been killed.

Reports have also named helicopter pilot David Traill and police officer Kirsty Nelis as among the dead.

A post on the Facebook page of Mr Traill's cousin Heather Lawson read: "RIP David Traill my lovely big cousin away far to soon xxx"

Many of Mrs Nelis' friends on the social networking site changed their profile pictures to a black square cut across by a thin blue line in remembrance.

Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick said on Sunday: "We hope to make further formal identifications as the operation continues today.

"Our casualty bureau has already handled more than 600 calls and we are working hard to piece together information that will allow us to progress that.

"Clearly the processes involved take time."

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Salvos snapshot shines light on homeless

THEY'VE been reaching out to the homeless for 130 years, but for the first time the Salvation Army is releasing data on the people they help.

The Salvation Army on Monday released its first National Homeless Report, revealing how many people are accessing its help and their circumstances.

The largest provider of homeless services in Australia, the Salvos provide around 25 per cent of the support available for people living on the streets.

Dr Bruce Redman says it's hoped the data can reveal the extent of the homeless crisis in Australia and help plan a response.

"It's important to pinpoint the determining factors behind homelessness," he told AAP.

"From that we can then tailor our response in collaboration with the governments."

Dr Redman, who has been working with homeless people for more than 35 years, says the face of homelessness is changing.

While many Australians still figure the typical homeless person is an elderly man, perhaps with mental health or alcohol issues, the Salvos are actually seeing many types of people.

Dr Redman is particularly concerned about the number of young children arriving at Salvos centres with their mothers.

"They aren't able to settle into school or get any sort of stability in their lives and that's a real concern," he said.

The homeless reports will be released annually.

The inaugural report shows the Salvos helped 22,594 people in the six months from July 1 2012 to December 31 2012.

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Three Qld men in court for bashing murder

THREE young men will appear in a Sunshine Coast court on Monday charged with murder after allegedly killing a man in an early morning bashing.

The 45-year-old victim sustained head injuries when he was attacked outside the Factory nightclub in Maroochydore just after 3am (AEST) on Saturday, police say.

He was rushed to Nambour Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A 25-year-old North Arm man, a 27-year-old Coolum man and another 27-year-old man from Buderim will face Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Monday.

The men reportedly attacked the victim following an argument.

He was knocked to the ground, then kicked and punched in an attack that lasted less than 20 seconds and was captured on CCTV cameras.

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Government data found on old memory sticks

USED memory sticks being sold on the internet have been found to contain sensitive Australian government data, according to a new study.

The research paper, to be presented at a cyber security conference in Perth, reveals how researchers discovered the government information amongst a "treasure trove" of confidential material on the discarded memory sticks.

And the results have prompted authors Patryk Szewczyk and Krishnun Sansurooah, of the Security Research Institute at Perth's Edith Cowan University, to urge sellers to beware they are not handing over their secrets by taking money for old memory sticks.

"The results show that sellers are sending memory cards with no evidence of erasure, poor attempts to erase data - or simply asking the buyer to erase the data prior to use," the study concluded.

"The data recovered is not only of a personal nature, but also appears to originate from Australian government departments and business."

A total of 140 second-hand memory cards were purchased during the year, with each having its data recovered and subsequently analysed - with some sellers not even bothering to delete their old data themselves.

Previous similar studies by the same authors have also revealed government data on memory sticks sold, with authors concerned sellers were not learning the lessons of increasingly common cases of identity theft.

Last year's analysis of dozens of cards purchased online also revealed nearly 20 per cent of all the memory devices contained suggestive or sexualised images.

And the authors are now suggesting sellers such as eBay need to issue warnings when data storage devices are being offered online.

"It is evident that actions must be taken by second hand auction sites, and the media to raise awareness and educate end-users on how to dispose of data in an appropriate manner," the study says.

The Security Research Institute conference, to be held over three days, will discuss all aspects of cyber security, and expert concerns about it.

These include an investigation into the possibility of hacking into the controls of a remote control aerial drone, with the results finding devices are open to attack, which means they could be controlled by a third party.

The influence and potential deception on Twitter - through fake tweets and automated 'netbots' - and how it affected the 2013 federal election was also studied.

An analysis of the open source Twitter activity for the two major party leaders was examined, with the results showing fake online personas and fake bots deploying automated Twitter dissemination.

The authors concluded the existence of a tolerance of new media "slacktivism", where Twitter users mistake auto-narrative for genuine political sentiment.

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