Bridges Bros blaze 'suspicious'

The full impact of the overnight blaze (inset) becomes clear in the morning light. Picture: KIM EISZELE

POLICE believe a $10 million fire in Hobart's CBD early this morning was deliberately lit.

Fire crews were called to Bridges Brothers, between Elizabeth and Argyle streets, about 3.15am today.

The fierce blaze in the 1928 building, which also houses several other smaller businesses, took about four hours to bring under control.

To view the picture gallery, click here.

Tasmania Fire Service district officer Mark Dobson said units from Hobart, Bridgewater, Clarence and a volunteer crew from Mt Nelson tackled the blaze.

"The whole building's gutted. It's been destroyed," Mr Dobson said.

"A building of that size could be up to $10 million."

Graham Woodward, who has owned the building since 1988, said it was going to be a huge clean-up job.

Structural engineers would assess whether the façade could be retained, but the interior was completed gutted.

"It's very sad because it's quite an attractive building at the front," he said.

"I've been associated with it for 50 years and owned it since 1988.

"It's more of a concern about the tenants and where they can relocate to.

"It leaves a big hole in the block."

Police said the cause of the fire was considered suspicious.

Hobart detectives and the TFS fire scene examiner were at the scene today to search for clues.

Bathurst St between Elizabeth and Argyle streets will remain closed to vehicular and foot traffic until further notice.

Business owners in the affected area are encouraged to contact TFS for further information.

Residents of the inner-city area are advised to remain indoors with doors and windows shut because of residual smoke and those who suffer from breathing difficulties should avoid the city for the next few hours.

Hobart has not witnessed a fire of such ferocity since a fire ripped through Myer in 2007, causing about $50 million damage.

Any person with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Read more in tomorrow's Sunday Tasmanian.

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Masses flow to MOFO

CROWDS came from all directions to enjoy the third day of MONA FOMA.

Hundreds flocked to the sold-out MOFO Eastern Shore performance at the Rosny Barn last night.

Indian tabla player Bickram Ghosh, who has played with the late George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, took the audience on a wild ride with his drumming combined with electronics and Hindustani vocals.

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra trombonist Don Bate, tuba player Tim Jones, saxophonist Danny Healy and berimbau player Christine Guidici improvised traditional folk songs.

And the crowd was spooked by the eerie ghost story of a lonely shipwright's bargain with a banshee.

The story featured live drawings by Christopher Downes and a soundtrack by Joshua Santospirito.

MOFO devotees rushed back across the river to catch Brooklyn band Dirty Projectors play their lyrical melodic indie pop songs at MOFO central at PW1.

And many capped off a perfect balmy Hobart evening by taking a magical mystery ride through FAUX MO the after-hours festival club at a secret city location.

Tonight, an 11-piece orchestra will bring a children's novel to life with the sound of instruments including saxophone, violin, synthesizers, percussion, and a vacuum cleaner.

Conductor Ben Walsh said Shaun Tan's book The Arrival, which tells the story of a refugee, had had an immediate impact on him and he wanted to share it with audiences.

"The novel is projected picture by picture, then we add the emotive response of music for a filmic experience," he said.

MONA FOMA curator Brian Ritchie said the festival had so far drawn big crowds that had seen some great performances and there was plenty still to come.

"The morning meditation concerts at the cathedral have been popular. We've had to turn people away," he said.

"People should check out All Fires -- they are one of the best of the local bands."

Australian band Graveyard Train will play last tonight at PW1.

"They are my favourite Australian band, they've got a raw Australian bush sound," Ritchie said.

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New hurdle to forests peace

FEDERAL Environment Minister Tony Burke fears the Tasmanian Forest Agreement may fall apart if the Legislative Council prevents a World Heritage nomination going ahead by the end of this month.

Mr Burke turned up the pressure on the Legislative Council to finalise its position, saying yesterday Australia had until the end of January to make the nomination part of the TFA.

However, the Legislative Council committee has scheduled hearings for the week after next and is unlikely to meet the deadline.

There was to be a World Heritage nomination for 130,000ha within 500,000ha of proposed reserves by January 31.

Mr Burke said he was not sure the agreement would stand up if a World Heritage nomination was made before the forestry industry achieved job and other gains. He said the spirit of the agreement was that gains by environmentalists and industry move in tandem.

"That means a decision needs to be made before the end of the month."

Mr Burke flew to Tasmania yesterday to talk to signatories about the looming deadline.

He met the Legislative Council president Sue Smith but said it was a coincidence his visit clashed with the Legislative Council hearings.

Mr Burke said he had not foreseen a situation where the Legislative Council did not pass the Bill and sent it to a committee.

"The change of timing throws that entire process on its head," he said.

"An end of January deadline is now extraordinarily difficult to navigate.

"Some people say that if a nomination does not go ahead it will blow the agreement apart, but if it were to go forward it runs the risk of upsetting the balance."

Mr Burke said that if a nomination went ahead it would not be withdrawn but it might be possible to get industry support by other means and it was likely he would come back to Tasmania before the end of the month.

Forest Industries Association chief executive Terry Edwards and Wilderness Society campaigner Vica Bayley could not be contacted for comment. Neither could Sue Smith or council committee chairman Paul Harriss.

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Cameras will see you: police

PETTY criminals, graffiti vandals and those responsible for anti-social behaviour have been warned: you will be caught.

Big brother is watching and his view has just improved dramatically with the roll-out of 20 hi-tech cameras in Glenorchy and five more in Sandy Bay. The new cameras mean Tasmania has reached a CCTV milestone with more than 500 tiny eyes now monitoring every move on the state's busiest streets.

Hobart's CBD and surrounds now boast more than 90 cameras. Launceston, Burnie and Devonport CBDs are equally wired up, and smaller municipalities in the South Kingborough and Clarence boast more than 20 cameras each.

For some, it is not enough.

"I'd have 190 if I could," Hobart Deputy Mayor and long-time CCTV camera proponent Ron Christie said.

"If it was up to me, they'd be monitored 24-7, especially on weekends."

Inspector Grant Twining, demonstrating the cameras' capabilities and crystal-clear pictures yesterday, said there was no doubt cameras constituted an excellent tool for police, both as a deterrent and an investigatory aid.

"It's right through from the serious crimes like armed robbery, to incidents such as a man drinking from a stubbie of beer in the bus mall yesterday at noon," he said.

"We see something happen on the screen and we can go straight out and deal with it.

"The message to those inclined to do the wrong thing is this we're watching."

Launceston City Council general manager Robert Dobrzynski is equally full of praise for the cameras.

"What we know from long experience is that if you have CCTV in an area where a crime occurs, the likelihood of that offender being caught is substantially increased," he said.

"CCTV is a part of life now, both in Tasmania and around the world. It adds a layer of reassurance to the community that their safety will be protected."

Ald Christie is among those who reject notions of gross privacy invasion, labelling the Australian Privacy Foundation's concerns as "total rubbish".

Foundation vice-chairman David Vaile said the concern was there was a lack of investigation into the true value of CCTV cameras compared with the public perception that they drastically increase safety.

"Vendors and proponents of CCTV cameras tend to sell them as a big emotional you'll-feel-better ploy but if people are still dying, you can't say they're this great safety saviour," he said.

Mr Vaile said the rape and murder of Melbourne woman Jill Meagher was a tragic example of the limitations of CCTV footage.

"Yes, the alleged killer was caught on CCTV footage," he said. "And that might help police, but did it help her? No."

Glenorchy Mayor Stuart Slade is a huge fan of the tiny cameras.

"It's been a 16-year labour of love, but we've done it. We've joined the ranks of other cities with CCTV," he said at the switch-on event yesterday.

"The concerns people had previously were how will we pay for it and who will monitor them.

"Both of those issues have now been solved we've used criminals' money via the Proceeds of Crime Fund, and Tasmania Police is watching."

Senator Carol Brown, who was instrumental in securing the $123,000-plus to pay for the high-definition tilt and zoom cameras at Glenorchy, said the roll-out was good news for Glenorchy residents.

The cameras would enhance public safety and facilities in the Glenorchy area," she said.

"And we are using money taken from criminals to clean up graffiti and stop it happening in the first place."

zara.dawtrey@news.com.au

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Teen hurt in gorge tumble

A 16-YEAR-OLD girl was taken to hospital with a dislocated knee last night after falling down an embankment at Launceston's Cataract Gorge.

Police were called out at 8.30pm and arrived to find the teen about 500m from the suspension bridge towards the Duck Reach Power Station.

Officers said the girl had been attempting to climb out of the gorge when she slipped on rocks and fell 10m down an embankment.

Northern police rescue officers said it was necessary to "extract her from the gorge", because of her injury and the difficult terrain, and take her to Launceston General Hospital.

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All eyes on Glenorchy crime

FROM GRAFFITI bandits to seasoned criminals, those doing the wrong thing are now on notice -- the police are always watching.

Glenorchy Mayor Stuart Slade today turned on 16 fixed CCTV cameras and four mobile camera units designed to keep the city safe.

The cameras were made possible by a $123,000-plus Federal Government grant using money from the Proceeds of Crime Fund.

"We're using criminals' money to catch criminals," Alderman Slade said.

"It's been a long time coming but it's now very pleasing to see that the Glenorchy city -- like other Tasmanian cities -- is providing additional safety measures for its local community."

Demonstrating the cameras this morning at the Glenorchy Police Station, Inspector Grant Twining said police would monitor the cameras and deal with offenders caught red-handed.

The footage from all fixed cameras is recorded around the clock and will be stored for about a month.

"These cameras are a great tool for day-to-day policing and will also help police investigating serious crime," he said.

Tasmanian Labor Senator Carol Brown, who was instrumental in securing the funding for the cameras, said their installation was certain to enhance public safety.

"I want to congratulate the Glenorchy City Council and their partner organisation, the Moonah-Glenorchy Business Association, on the successful implementation of the project," she said.

"I know the council, in particular Mayor Stuart Slade, has been a tireless advocate for the introduction of CCTV cameras in the Glenorchy CBD."

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My name's been cleared

THE Nubeena shop owners at the centre of profiteering allegations have had their names cleared by Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading and the Australian Federal Police.

Everyday Nubeena shop owners Branko and Roza Alilovic had been the subject of a social media campaign accusing them of profiteering as bush fires raged around the southeast township last week.

The accusations prompted IGA to strip the store of its branding and issue a statement on its Facebook page saying the franchise was appalled by the accusations.

Consumer Affairs Minister Nick McKim issued a statement saying he would use the full force of the law to deal with anyone engaging in profiteering.

But yesterday the Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading Director Chris Batt said the accusations Mr Branko had sold donated goods and overcharged for items in the days following the fire were without substance.

"Mr Alilovic has co-operated fully with our investigation, initiating contact and meeting with us voluntarily to address the allegations made against him," Mr Batt said.

"It was obvious in these discussions that he is deeply troubled by the allegations and has suffered greatly as a result of them, including being harassed and berated by people within the community and on social media.

"I am pleased to find that there is no evidence to suggest any dishonesty or profiteering on the part of Mr Alilovic."

Despite a harrowing week of bushfires and false allegations, Mr and Mrs Alilovic were yesterday looking forward to the future.

"We are very happy to be cleared of all allegations from all of the authorities," Mr Alilovic said. "But I don't have negative thoughts at all. They were all just rumours that were unfounded."

He said it was difficult dealing with rumours on social media.

"People can say whatever they want and you can't control it," he said.

Adding to a very difficult week, Mr Alilovic required three stitches to his head after a man hit him with a motorcycle helmet.

But the couple said they were comfortable they would continue to have strong support in the community.

"We want to say thank you to the local community, our loyal customers and our loyal staff," Mrs Alilovic said.

The couple have called the peninsula home for 10 years after first moving to Australia from Croatia in 1969.

"All of the people who live on the peninsula are very beautiful people," Mrs Alilovic said.

matthew.smith@news.com.au

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Cherry export coup for Tassie

ALMOST half the production of one of Tasmania's biggest cherry growers is now being exported to China.

From tomorrow, 20 tonnes of quality cherries will be sent daily to Beijing and Shanghai from Reid Fruits Packing sheds at Huonville.

After months of finalising protocols, the first shipment of 10 tonnes left today for Beijing.

The Tasmanian cherries, packed in 2kg and 5kg boxes, will be on Beijing supermarket shelves by lunchtime on Friday.

The importer for premium large cherries will pay up to $85 for a 5kg box.

"Every day to the end of the season we will be shipping 10 tonnes of quality cherries to each city," Reid Fruits managing director Tim Reid said.

"This is a big outcome for the Australian cherry industry.

"We have been working on this project for more than a decade.

"It will be a whole new market for the industry leading to more jobs."

The cherries are ripe for gift-giving as the Chinese celebrate New Year on February 10.

Mr Reid said Tasmania's disease-free status satisfied stringent quarantine requirements.

Fruit Growers Tasmania business development manager Lucy Gregg said the Chinese market presented huge opportunities for Tasmanian growers.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for Tasmanian cherry growers and exporters to access another key Asian market. We currently have access to Taiwan, South Korea and Japan due to our area-free status for fruit fly and a range of other non-protocol markets across Asia, Europe and other regions," Ms Gregg said.

Ten Tasmanian growers have indicated that they would like to send cherries to China this season but more than 50 growers may consider sending fruit into the Chinese market next season.

Read more rural stories in Tasmanian Country, out on Friday.

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Upper House inquiry opens

LEGISLATIVE councillors will be able to vote on each of the 295 lots to be reserved under Tasmania's forest peace deal.

From today, the Upper House begins three days of public hearings into the Tasmanian Forests Agreement Bill, which was passed by the House of Assembly last year.

State Government representatives tabled 158 pages of amendments to the original 60-page Bill this morning. The amendments also include maps of the areas to be reserved.

The move came in the first session of the Legislative Council Inquiry into the Tasmanian Forest Agreement Bill 2012.

The amendments have been approved by a Cabinet sub-committee, made up of Premier Lara Gidding, Deputy Premier Bryan Green, Greens leader Nick McKim, Infrastructure Minister David O'Byrne, Attorney-General Brian Wightman and Craig Farrell, Leader of Government Business in the Upper House.

The Federal Government will commission a social and economic impact study of the agreement.

The Legislative Council will hear from and question signatories to the agreement as well as a number of industry bodies outside the negotiations.

They include the Tasmanian Tourism Industry Council, Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association, Tasmanian Minerals Council, Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Forestry Tasmania, Forest Practices Authority, Tasmanian Conservation Trust, Tasmanian Sawmillers Association and Australian Forest Growers.

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Recall likely as nation hots up

SOME of the interstate firefighters helping fight Tasmania's devastating bushfires may be sent home as temperatures rise in their home states.

Dozens of firefighters have been sent to Tasmania from across the country after the state's worst fires in 45 years destroyed more than 130 homes, concentrated in the town of Dunalley, in the state's south-east.

Among them was Victorian man Peter Cramer, 61, who died while working on foot to identify potential containment lines on the southern boundary of the Forcett fire on Sunday.

A fresh contingent of about 68 interstate firefighters arrived in Tasmania yesterday to help local crews battle five major bushfires still burning across the state.

They relieved 67 Victorian firefighters, who returned to Melbourne on this morning.

Several advice notices remain in place, but no emergency or watch and act warnings have been issued.

Tasmania Fire Service spokesman Paul Symington said the fires did not present a major threat but crews would be working hard to strengthen containment lines, especially around the Forcett fire.

"Things have quietened down but, having said that, it will get hotter on Thursday," he said.

Hobart is expected to reach a top of 30 degrees on Thursday, but the Bureau of Meteorology says there is also a strong possibility of rain.

The temperature is predicted to soar across south-eastern Australia on Thursday.

Mr Symington said this would prompt a review of the use of interstate firefighters.

"We're looking at what resources we need," he said.

"If possible, we'll start to release some of them because we know they'll be getting short up there as well."

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Unit fire sparks arson inquiry

AN arson investigation has opened after an overnight fire in the Launceston suburb of Ravenswood.

Fire crews were called to the blaze at a unit in Pioneer Parade about 10.50pm yesterday.

The unit was badly damaged but no one was home at the time.

Tasmania Police today said the blaze had been deliberately lit, with the Launceston CIB taking charge of the investigation.

Anyone with information is urged to contact CrimeStoppers 1800 333 000 or the Launceston Crime and Drugs squad on 6336 3910.

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Tributes flow for fallen fireman

A VICTORIAN man who died while fighting bushfires in Tasmania has been described as a remarkable person.

Peter Ronald Cramer, 61, from Tyers in Victoria's Gippsland region, died yesterday while assisting backburning operations at Taranna, east of Hobart, on the Tasman Peninsula.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment firefighter had been working on foot to identify potential containment lines on the southern boundary of the Forcett fire about 3km from the active fire edge.

DSE chief fire officer Alan Goodwin said Mr Cramer had been a DSE firefighter for more than 30 years and a CFA volunteer for more than two decades.

He was a DSE training co-ordinator who also volunteered his time to train CFA volunteers.

"Peter was a well-respected and trusted member of the DSE community," Mr Goodwin told reporters in Melbourne.

"He was a very experienced firefighter.

"He spent a lot of time training and advising a lot of our younger firefighters coming through.

"He knew the bush, and it's a sad loss."

Mr Cramer was one of more than 70 Victorian emergency services workers sent to Tasmania on Thursday to help fight the state's devastating fires, which have destroyed more than 130 properties since January 4.

He was due to return home tomorrow but was found dead at 5pm yesterday on a bush track after he failed to make a scheduled call-in.

Mr Goodwin said the cause of death was unknown, and Mr Cramer had recently passed a fitness test.

"Certainly all our firefighters that we send away, all our firefighters go through our fit-for-fire program, through medical testing and so forth, and Peter was certainly part of that," he said.

Mr Goodwin said he first met Mr Cramer on a deployment to the US in 2003.

"He was always fun, he greeted you with a smile and a solid handshake, and that's how I will remember him," he said.

Mr Goodwin said the most important thing now was to support Mr Cramer's wife Julie and their children.

In a statement, Mr Cramer's wife and family said they wanted to "express how truly well-loved Peter was by everyone who knew him".

Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley said losing a firefighter had come as a shock.

"To lose someone in active duty is something you don't plan for," he said.

"We take our caps off to what Peter has done in three decades of service to Victoria through firefighting."

A CFA spokesman said Mr Cramer's colleagues at Swifts Creek and Tyers, where he was a member, had been devastated by the news.

He said Mr Cramer was very well known and well regarded in the Gippsland region because of his work as a trainer.

Mr Cramer would volunteer his time to work with "dozens and dozens and dozens" of new recruits, he said.

"He was a pretty remarkable person," the spokesman said.

"He really dedicated his life to fire management.

"We're supporting his brigade and those in Gippsland who will be feeling his loss pretty deeply."

The Tasmanian and Victorian premiers have sent their condolences to his family.

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Festival expects lots of folk

Nardi Simpson and Kaleena Briggs of the Stiff Gins.

THE tiny town of Cygnet will come alive today as thousands of music fans roll in for the 31st annual Cygnet Folk Festival.

More than 110 acts are set to perform during the weekend of the festival, a timely distraction for Tasmanians left tired and traumatised by bushfires this week.

Festival artistic director Erin Collins is expecting record crowds in excess of 6000, with pre-sale tickets well up on last year and commercial accommodation booked out months ago, although some campsites are still available.

"We're hoping that people will want a little break from all the dramas that have been going on and will come down and enjoy themselves," she said.

This year's program has a strong indigenous element, with highlights to include performances by "the voice of the Australian desert", multilingual singer and guitarist Frank Yamma, and the female duo Stiff Gins (Nardi Simpson and Kaleena Briggs).

Festival organisers have also joined the fundraising effort to support people affected by the bushfires.

Patrons will be able to make contributions at several concerts, and musicians have donated items for a music lovers' raffle.

Money raised at tomorrow night's Festival Cabaret concert at Carmel Hall was originally to be donated to the Mines Victims and Clearance Trust but the trust has asked that the money go to bushfire victims instead.

kane.young@news.com.au

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Gamble that put us on map

WHEN it comes to attractions in Hobart, one venture stands out above the rest literally.

It was a tall order for Tasmania when the Federal Group proposed Australia's first casino be built on our shores, but luckily the vote in favour of Wrest Point narrowly won out .

Hospitality Association general manager Steve Old remarks that it's "scary" to imagine what Hobart would be like had the vote swung the other way.

The MONA of its day, Australia's first legal casino put Tasmania on the international map.

Since it opened in 1973, big entertainers, high-rolling gamblers, conferences and visitors from all walks of life have been drawn to Tasmania.

"Many years ago we didn't have Princes Wharf No. 1 or the Derwent Entertainment Centre," Mr Old said. "Wrest Point was the place to be."

Australia's first legal casino allowed owners the Farrell family to build a tourism empire taking in Cradle Mountain, Launceston, Strahan and Freycinet and to become the state's major private employer.

Federal's push to gain Australia's first casino licence began in the 1960s. A motivation for seeking the licence was a problem that still plagues many Tasmania's tourism operators the long, quiet "off-season".

Federal Hotels, now the Federal Group, reasoned that a casino would be the catalyst to attract more visitors and invigorate infrastructure Tasmania lacked.

On February 10, 1973, Australia's first legal casino opened its doors.

Staff had trained for a month ahead of the grand opening, a process that culminated in a full staff dress rehearsal staged in the brand-new tower that had changed the city's skyline.

It was one of biggest nights in Hobart's modern social history.

The evening featured one of the largest fireworks displays the city had seen, a bevy of bigwigs and celebrities including opening act Jerry Lewis. All the excitement was televised nationally.

But it was almost the night that never happened.

In 1969, Premier Eric Reece announced a statewide referendum to establish whether Tasmanians wanted a casino.

The results came back narrowly in favour of Federal Hotels' proposal.

Federal Group general manager Greg D. Farrell said the company was thrilled to be celebrating Wrest Point's 40th birthday in 2013.

"When Wrest Point opened in 1973, it provided a central point for tourism and entertainment in Hobart and was a highlight experience for many people visiting the state," he said.

"Forty years later we believe Wrest Point still holds its own as a premium provider of accommodation, entertainment, hospitality and conference experiences, as well as the boutique casino for which the property was initially so well-known."

Mr Old said the Farrells were great supporters of Tasmania.

"They could have left Tasmania and sold up, but they haven't. They're very loyal to the state," he said.

The first building on the Sandy Bay site was a home built in 1808 by Norfolk Island settler Thomas Chaffey. Chaffey's son William built an inn there in 1839, the beginning of the site's long association with hospitality.

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