LegCo reform push goes cute

A GROUP pushing for Upper House reform is using kittens to change the public's mind about the powerful house of review.

The Transform Tasmania Alliance has launched an online campaign "A Compelling Case for The Reform of Tasmania's Legislative Council brought to you by Kittens" on Facebook.

The web booklet features pictures of kittens with a range of issues being raised about the Upper House.

"Kittens are the most popular thing on the internet so we figured if you can't beat them, join them," Transform Tasmania Alliance spokesperson Brian Mitchell said.

"Reforming the Legislative Council is an important issue, but there's no reason you can't read all about it while looking at pictures of kittens."

Mr Mitchell said the campaign urges voters to support candidates who promise to reform the Legislative Council so it is more attuned to Tasmania in the 21st century, promise to be full-time MLCs and promise to open an office in their electorate.

"It beggars belief that many MLCs do not have local offices," Mr Mitchell said.

"Last year the Legislative Council sat just 50 days, and with all that spare time on their hands, many MLCs choose not to work full-time, instead doing other things like practising law.

"The TTA urges voters in those electorates to support candidates who will reform the Legislative Council so it stops being a 19th century drag on the state."

The call comes as candidates for the seat of Nelson are set to face off in the first public debate of the campaign next Wednesday at the Dr Syntax hotel on Sandy Bay Road in Sandy Bay at 7pm.

Sitting member Jim Wilkinson will debate Greens candidate Tom Baxter and independent candidate Helen Richardson.

matthew.smith@news.com.au

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Woman goes missing again

A LAUNCESTON woman who went missing for four days before being found on a busy roadside dazed and confused in late 2011 has disappeared again, leaving police with grave concerns for her welfare.

Kathy Barbara Lindner was reported missing on Monday but police fear she may have been missing for up to a week before anyone realised.

She is described as short and slim with a fair complexion and short, light brown hair.

She usually wears prescription glasses.

Police do not know what she may have been wearing at the time she disappeared.

"Ms Lindner may be in a poor physical condition and may need medical attention," Const Duffy said.

The 55-year-old from Newnham sparked a large-scale search in September 2011 before being found on a city roadside minutes before a police press conference was to be held.

Information can be given to Launceston police on 6336 3945 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Gas main ruptures

FIREFIGHTERS are on site at Patrick St, North Hobart, after the smell of gas was detected shortly after 11.30am.

Senior station officer Andrew McGuinness said crews had located a broken gas main and were working to determine what had caused the rupture.

There is no immediate threat to surrounding homes or businesses but people are advised to stay clear of the area until the situation is resolved.

Workplace Standards is investigating.

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Man dies in farewell surf

A Hobart man died while surfing at Greens Beach yesterday afternoon, the day before he was due to leave for a job in Western Australia.

A HOBART surfer who took a farewell surf with a local mate yesterday failed to make it out of the water.

The 30-year-old had been staying with a friend in Smithton and was due to leave Tasmania for Western Australia today.

Tasmania Police said the man got into difficulty while surfing off Greens Beach at Marrawah about 5pm.

A Greens Beach resident said he had spotted the man floating face down in the water.

He and his son got the surfer out of the water and tried to revive him but to no avail.

"We live right on the beach," said the resident, who did not want to be named.

"We saw the guy face down and got him to shore to try and revive him.

"We did all we could -- what anyone would do in the situation -- but sadly it was too late."

Tasmania Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious and a report was being prepared for the Coroner.

Marrawah is renowned for its wild surf but Greens Beach is regarded as one of the safest spots to surf in the area.

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Boost for state's police force

TASMANIA Police is reopening its doors to new recruits with Police Minister David O'Byrne today confirming the Government will pay to boost frontline numbers.

The surprising move comes just a fortnight after the police union staged an event at the Rokeby police academy to mark two years since the last recruitment course graduated.

Now Commissioner Darren Hine has confirmed police expect to have at least 20 to 25 new recruits in the academy before Christmas.

"It's good news," Commissioner Darren Hine said.

Mr O'Byrne said after examining the Budget, the State Government could afford to boost numbers to 1120, with the current total workforce sitting just below 1100.

Budget suts imposed two years ago resulted in a 9 per cent reduction of police officers.

But Mr O'Byrne was unable to rule out cutting numbers again if Labor wins next year's State election.

"If there's another significant reduction in GST receipts, we'd have to have another look at the Budget," he said.

Both he and Mr Hine denied the announcement was prompted by the union condemning the Government and personally targeting Mr O'Byrne.

"It's something we've been looking at for about six months," Mr O'Byrne said.

Mr Hine said he was unaware of the budget boost until now.

The police union said it found out about the new intake of recruits via the Mercury.

The State Government would not say how much the recruit course would cost and said the details still need to be worked out with police management, but Mr O'Byrne confirmed the bonus would likely be in the millions.

A recruitment website will be set up soon.

zara.dawtrey@news.com.au

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Tigers name their new coach

Dan Marsh, seen here in action for the Tasmanian Tigers in 2009, has been named the new coach of the team, replacing Tim Coyle.

SON of a gun Dan Marsh has been appointed coach of the Tasmanian Tigers for the next three years.

The son of Australian cricket legend and Test selector Rod Marsh, 39-year-old Dan will steer the Tigers until 2015-16.

Marsh replaces Tim Coyle, who walked away as the state's most successful coach and one of the best in the country over the past seven years

Cricket Tasmania had 25 applications for the job, with applicants from Australia and New Zealand as well as India and South Africa.

"We made this decision following a very thorough process," said CT chairman Tony Harrison.

"We advertised the position throughout the cricket network and we received applications from around Australia and overseas.

"We believe the appointment we have made is the right appointment to continue the great culture of Tasmanian cricket which has rewarded us substantially over the past six years.

"Dan is the man that will continue the job Tim Coyle has done here.

"We are very pleased about that and we congratulate Dan on his appointment."

Under Coyle's tenure, Tasmania won three Shield titles and triumphed in two one-day cup deciders, while also reaching another two coloured clothing finals and last year's Shield loss to Queensland at the Gabba.

"Dan has been part of that success, firstly as a player and captain of the Tigers, and latterly on our coaching staff," Harrison said.

"But it was never a foregone conclusion.

"We were very confident we had quality coaches in our system, like Allister de Winter and Michael Di Venuto who are now coaching in the national system, and before them Troy Cooley.

"So we are developing very professional and competent coaches.

"We were confident we had the right coach in the system but we wanted to be sure and the board wanted to go through a proper due diligence process.

"Dan came out on top and that's fantastic."

Marsh started his new job immediately after today's announcement at Blundstone Arena.

"I'm very excited and honoured to be given the role and I can't wait to get started," he said.

The Hurricanes coaching role is still vacant, and Marsh will also be considered for that job.

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Top cruise complaints revealed

COMPLAINTS by cruise ship passengers include one by a woman who moaned about the sea being "too loud", it has been revealed.

And a couple accused a captain of being "rude" for sailing off when they had left a note saying they needed more sightseeing time in port, according to cruise travel agency bonvoyage.co.uk.

One woman, having seen that Take That star Gary Barlow had been on her ship on an earlier trip, demanded an explanation as to why the singer was not on her voyage.

Then there was the man who complained about not getting "an impressive tan" and being unable to swim in the pool each day ... while on a trip around Alaska.

A woman travelling with the company called Celebrity Cruises asked for a refund as there were "no celebrities on board", while a couple wanted compensation after forking out "a lot more money than planned" on staff tips due to the excellent service.

The woman who complained about the loudness of the sea said she had not been able to sleep well on her Mediterranean cruise.

She demanded cabins be "better sound-proofed against the sounds of the sea".

Another female traveller, having booked an inside cabin, then complained about not having a view of the sea and asked for a window to be installed.

Bonvoyage.co.uk cruise development manager Steph Curtin said: "From time to time we come across a few quirky complaints that we can do little to help.

"I'm afraid we can't be held responsible for the sea being too loud or the lack of celebrities on board."

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YouTube to shut for judging

IN an elaborate April Fool's prank, YouTube announced it was going dark for a decade, and that the site was merely an eight-year contest to find the best video.

"It's finally time to pick the winner," YouTube representatives announced in a 3:32 minute video posted on its homepage.

The message was simple: the world's most popular video-sharing website would close at the end of the day to review all the video submissions it has received over the years, and would announce the best one in 2023.

"We are so close to the end. Tonight at midnight, youtube.com will no longer be accepting entries. After eight amazing years, it is finally time to review everything that has been uploaded to our site and begin the process of selecting a winner," said Tim Liston, named as "competition director".

YouTube CEO Salar Kamangar said that "we started YouTube in 2005 as a contest with a simple goal: to find the best video in the world."

Users have uploaded more than 70 hours every minute to the site, YouTube estimated.

"I encourage everybody to watch as many videos as possible before YouTube deletes everything tonight," said Antoine Dodson, who became an internet sensation when a musical version of his 2010 TV interview about a house intrusion was posted on YouTube.

"Distinguished" film critics, YouTube celebrities and some of the site's "most prolific" commentators are on the judges' panel, according to Liston.

The Google-owned online video sharing venue said less than two weeks ago that more than a billion people now use YouTube each month, with viewing on smartphones helping drive growth.

The YouTube team noted that nearly one out of every two people on the internet visits the website, which has grown into a global hit since its launch.

Google bought YouTube in 2006 for $US1.65 billion and has yet to disclose whether the service has turned a profit.

YouTube has gradually added professional content, such as full-length television shows and movies to its vast trove of amateur video offerings in a bid to attract advertisers.

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Wildlife disaster action plan

THE loss of wildlife in Tasmania's summer bushfires is driving the push for a statewide emergency response unit.

Over the past 12 months, Southern Wildlife Rescue & Care has been working with emergency organisations and government departments to create a standard operating procedure in line with Victorian protocols.

Group secretary Rachel Meyers said the devastation caused by fires at Dunalley and Molesworth has proved the need for a strategy that will allow wildlife carers to work in a response, rather than recovery, category.

Rather than waiting until weeks after the event, the protocols would allow rescuers to respond much earlier, working alongside other emergency personnel.

The unit has more than 150 volunteers from a variety of backgrounds including retired nurses, wildlife carers and vets.

"With properly trained personnel and the right tools, we feel the wildlife emergency response unit will assist the emergency services to do their job," Ms Meyers said.

"It makes our effort easier by treating animals quickly and handing on to vets for specialised care."

The group is developing a mobile triage unit that it hopes will be ready before next summer. The trailer will be the first of its kind in the state and will act as a first-aid station for the rescuers.

"This trailer will help to rescue and rehabilitate injured wildlife with a safe, efficient and timely response that will ensure a higher rate of survival," Ms Meyers said.

When not in use in a disaster the trailer will be used as an educational tool.

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Men answering the Avon call

AVON is still calling but not as you might once have known it.

Avon has been delivering cosmetics to Tasmanian homes for 50 years.

In the early days, Avon representatives were almost exclusively women or "Avon ladies" as they were affectionately known.

But today husbands are teaming up with wives to run Avon businesses and few people raise a plucked eyebrow when a man delivers the goods or catalogues.

In fact, the first "Avon lady" to knock on a door to sell cosmetics was a bloke.

It was 1886, and struggling New York door-to-door salesman David McConnell decided he would do better selling perfumes than selling books.

Avon started operating in Australia in 1963 and is still the top direct-selling company in the nation.

Hobart Avon representative Frayne Higgins teamed up with his wife Jo-Anne to sell cosmetics 11 years ago.

He enjoys the job and says he has never been ribbed by other men for selling cosmetics.

"Also, I never run out of shampoo or deodorant," he said this week before making deliveries in Hobart.

"The No.1 sales team in Australia is a husband and wife.

"There is another man selling Avon full-time in Southern Tasmania and a number of smaller operators starting out around the state."

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