Dame Edna Everage bids 57-year stage career adieu

If the global gladioli market took a tumble yesterday the cause was to be found at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne. There, resplendent in red, dazzling in diamantes, was Dame Edna Everage, back from whatever royal soiree she has most recently graced to announce ''that's all, possums''. After 56 years on the stage (and film and TV and even, occasionally, record), she's calling it a day.
''I feel quite old when you mention that,'' says Edna, when reminded — as if it were necessary — how long it has been since she made her stage debut in a Melbourne University revue in December 1955.
''It's been a journey,'' she adds. ''It began in Melbourne and I'll be achieving closure in Melbourne with this beautiful show. But it will linger in people's minds, like a virus.''


Another of Humphries’ characters, drunken Australian cultural attache Sir Les Patterson, will join Dame Edna on the farewell tour.


Dame Edna’s career began as the more dour Mrs. Edna Everage when she first stepped onto the stage of a Melbourne University review in 1955 in Humphries’ hometown of Melbourne.


She was “Auntie Edna” in the 1974 Australian comedy movie “Barry McKenzie Holds His Own,” in which she was made a dame — a British title that is the female equivalent of a knighthood — as part of the plot during a cameo appearance by the then-Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.


Dame Edna was a staple of television and stage in Britain and Australia before Humphries won a Tony Award in 2000 for his Broadway show “Dame Edna, The Royal Tour.” Its sequel, “Dame Edna, Back with a Vengeance,” was also nominated for a Tony, the leading U.S. theater award, in 2004.
Humphries was not available for an interview on Tuesday.


The show’s producer, Dainty Group, described the show in a tongue-in-cheek statement as an all-singing, all-dancing spectacular in which Dame Edna promises to empower audiences as she meditates on the big issues of gender, ethnicity and climate change.

Rabbits rampant as Greg Inglis is now Maguire's No 1 man

It was in 2005 when Inglis was 18 and they were playing for Melbourne. Billy Slater was injured, so Craig Bellamy called up Inglis to debut.

"And after the game," King said, "we all sat there scratching our heads wondering where Billy was going to play when he came back."


It makes you wonder why it took this long for someone to switch the light on at Souths.


Bellamy said for years if he didn't have Slater, Inglis would have been wearing No 1 long ago. At one point he considered switching Slater to the wing permanently.


When Michael Maguire was appointed as the Rabbitohs' new head coach, one of the first calls he made from England was to Inglis to float a possible move.


Now, one of the game's most naturally gifted athletes has the chance to reach his potential - and we have the stats to prove it.


Not only will Inglis get more ball at fullback, but better ball, which in turn helps teammates like John Sutton play to their strengths.


Every Rabbitohs fan will tell you one of their biggest gripes before last Sunday was that their highest-paid player didn't see enough action and too often when Inglis did get involved, the defence was already in his face.


"I think the last time I played that position was 07," Inglis said. "Madge (Maguire) has come through during the week and asked if I wanted to go back there and I was more than happy to. In the end we had to find a way to get my hands on the ball more and that was my job today.


"I'll play anywhere which is best for the team. (But) being back there I found my rhythm."


Inglis effectively broke the Panthers' spirits in the second half. With his team up 22-12, he latched on to a clever pass from John Sutton and made a beeline for the tryline, trampling over the top of poor Panthers fullback Lachlan Coote in the process. It gave Souths a comfortable lead at 28-12 and it was only onwards and upwards from there.


The only question that deserved to be asked of Souths after the game was whether Maguire would leave Inglis at fullback when Merritt returns from a toe injury. The coach probably knew the right answer but toed a diplomatic stance yesterday.


"At the moment I'm pretty lucky," Maguire said. "I've got Nathan Merritt who is pretty close to coming back. He's unfortunately still having trouble with his toe. While Greggy's there and the opportunity is there for Merritt coming back, there's some good pressure on the team and on me to make some decisions." Inglis wasn't the only standout player for the Rabbitohs in a performance that franked their form against Melbourne and proved they are legitimate finals contenders this year. Backrower Dave Taylor came up with two tries including an enterprising effort in which he grubber kicked ahead for himself.


Sutton has long been an enigmatic player for the Bunnies but turned in a strong game while rookie halfback Adam Reynolds looks more polished with each match he plays.


In the rival camp, Penrith coach Ivan Cleary lamented his side's slow start in both halves but said his players never completely gave up hope.

Inglis at centre of Griffin's concerns

 Brisbane NRL coach Anthony Griffin has devised a game plan he hopes will keep South Sydney dangerman Greg Inglis in check in Friday night's NRL clash in Perth.

The Broncos wrapped up preparations ahead of their long-trip to Western Australia on Thursday with their focus very much on containing Inglis.


Souths coach Michael Maguire shifted Inglis from the centres to fullback against Penrith last week and the giant international ran riot with the Rabbitohs belting the Panthers 40-24.


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Griffin admitted he'd rather Inglis played in his usual position.


"I'd prefer he was in the centres because he gets a lot of early clean ball now and you saw what he did to Penrith last week," Griffin said.


"We'll just have to be very good with our kick-chase and our edge defence when he comes into the line."


Griffin dismissed talk of young winger Dane Gagai, who extended his contract by two years this week, being a late addition to the 17-man squad.


The Broncos are next on his hit list after finishing their final training session this morning and heading west this afternoon on the five-hour flight to Western Australia.
Coach Griffin was another fan of the performance of Inglis last week and admitted he'd rather see the Queensland and Australian star in the centres, where he was slightly easier to contain.
"He gets a lot of early, clean ball now. You saw what he did to Penrith last week. We'll just have to be very good with our kick-chase, with our wedge defence when he comes into the line," Griffin said.
"If he gets that space, if he gets that line break, he's very hard to stop. He's going to give them some real strike back there at fullback.
"I'd prefer him playing in the centres, from an opposition coaching point of view. We've got to do a job on him."
Brisbane are without influential lock Corey Parker but will bank on their mobile, active pack against the direct style Souths coach Michael Maguire has employed through huge forwards Dave Taylor, Sam Burgess and Roy Asotasi.
Griffin said the new direction Souths had taken was along the lines of the Melbourne Storm, a side that sets the standard for disciplined play with the ball and quality defence.
"They're in great form. They ripped Penrith apart last week. That's the challenge defensively – to get in front of them and shut them down," he said.
Griffin confirmed Dane Gagai would be 18th man despite some suggestions this week he would be promoted to the starting side in the place of winger Gerard Beale, who is heading to the Dragons next season.
"He's 18th man, Dane. There's a rumour going around that he's playing. I'll go and find out for you," Griffin joked.
"He's (Gagai) had seven or eight games last year. He'll get a spot when he earns it, just like everyone else. Gerard will be selected on his merits."

Libby Trickett confident of improvement

“I’m through comfortably to the semi-final in the fastest time that I’ve done in my comeback, the first time under the minute since I’ve come back,” said Trickett.

“To do that in a heat is exciting and hopefully with a little more rest and recovery ansd freshness I can go faster tonight.”


Trickett in the past has always either had to psyche herself up or calm herself down before but for this meet she is taking an entirely different approach.


“I’m aware of how to get my body ready and my body knows how to get me ready to race so I’m sort of letting it do its thing which I’ve never done before,” she said.


“I’m sort of just letting things happen naturally which sounds a little peculiar but after this long in the sport if you can’t just let things happen a bit more than you’re probably doing the wrong thing.”


Coutts , the five-times gold medallist at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, took the opportunity of the heat swim to test a new Arena swim suit. The suit only arrived two days ago and while she would not normally use such an important race as a trial run, she decided it was far safer to experiment in the heats rather than in the semis or final.


“I haven’t decided,” said Coutts, when asked if she would use it at the business end of proceedings. I’m just going in there to see what I can do, do some pb’s and secure some spots in the team.”

Libby Trickett in search of individual berth LIVE tonight

 She might be renowned more as a 100m freestyle-butterfly specialist but it is the one-lap splash-and-dash that has always delivered for her and who’s to say it’s not going to happen again after her excellent heat swim at the Olympic selection trials in Adelaide this morning.


With the pressure of making the London Olympic team removed from her shoulders after she qualified as a relay swimmer with her fifth placing in the 100m freestyle last night, Trickett free-wheeleed for a 25.12sec clocking.


That placed her third overall but with Swedish veteran Therese Alshammer (25.06sec) not permitted as a foreigner to progress beyond the heats, that leaves only Alexandra Purcell of the Gold Coast (25.05sec) ahead of her heading into tonight’s semi-finals.


But a sister act of Cate and Bronte Campbell stands in her way after leading the field into the final. 


Trickett, a two-time world champion and Athens Olympic bronze medallist in the 50m, has already achieved her biggest goal of selection and admitted earlier today the prospect of a top-two finish was in the back of her mind.

RENEGADE MALI SOLDIERS IN COUP BID

BAMAKO, Mali—Disgruntled soldiers have stormed state TV and radio in Mali's capital and cut off broadcasts in a growing fallout over a northern rebellion where Tuareg separatists are besting the military.


Soldiers say Defense Minister Gen. Sadio Gassama was visiting a military camp near the presidential palace in Bamako on Wednesday when unhappy young troopers started firing into the air. They then stoned the general's car, forcing him to leave the camp in haste.


Soon after, they stormed the offices of the state broadcaster, yanking both TV and radio off the air.


The soldiers said that the campaign in northern Mali is badly managed, short of arms and food supplies. They also said the government must take better care of the families of soldiers killed in the rebellion that started mid-January. Tens of thousands of people have fled within Mali and others to four neighboring countries.


The Obama administration said it is monitoring the unrest in Mali, including reports of a possible coup in the African nation the U.S. has long held up as an example of a thriving democracy.


Meanwhile an independent source said President Amadou Toumani Toure, earlier holed up in the palace as shots were traded outside, had managed to leave the premises.


A mutiny over the way government is handling a Tuareg insurrection in the north began on Wednesday afternoon and turned into an apparent coup attempt as soldiers seized control of the government broadcaster and attacked the presidential palace.


After an hours-long media blackout, a message flashed on television promising "a declaration from soldiers in an instant" from just before midnight local time while music videos played in the background.


At 1530 AEDT, a group of uniformed soldiers appeared on the screen. However, the sound equipment appeared not to be working and shortly afterwards the view again switched to music videos.


The one speaking was identified on the screen as Lieutenant Amadou Konare, spokesman of the National Committee for the Establishment of Democracy.

Nathan Tinkler hits a billion on the rich list

Gina Rinehart has topped off a dramatic 12 months by sweeping to top place on the BRW Rich 200 list with a fortune of $10.3 billion.

It is the first time any member of the Rich 200 has broken through the magical $10 billion mark and underlines the dramatic impact the mining boom has had on the ranks of Australia's wealthy.

Rinehart was well ahead of the surprise second place on the list Ivan Glasenberg, the South African-born, Swiss-based chief executive of Glencore. His wealth was estimated at $8.8 billion courtesy of last week's float of the world's biggest commodity trader.

Andrew Forrest, the head of Fortescue Metals Group, was in third place with a fortune of $6.18 billion, while Anthony Pratt, who succeeded his late father as head of packaging giant Visy Industries, was in fourth with $5.18 billion.

Clive Palmer – who is set to list his coal company Resourcehouse on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in the next few weeks – was ranked fifth with a fortune of $5.05 billion.

While Gina Rinehart has never been far from the headlines in the last 12 months thanks to her strident opposition to the Government's mining tax and her surprise investments in media companies Ten Network and Fairfax Media, the sheer size of the increase in her fortune is staggering.

Not only is she the first woman in the list's 28-year history to lead it, but she also made the biggest fortune ever to be recorded by the BRW Rich 200, with her wealth more than doubling from $4.75 billion last year.

Overall, the rich list gained a 23 per cent rise in wealth to $167.25 billion, and five new billionaires took the total to 35.

Most appearances on this year's list were self-made, with only 17 per cent inheriting their wealth. The number of women in the list remained at 15 in line with last year, BRW said.

Greens: immigration inquiry a witch-hunt

Australia's Government has dismissed an Opposition move to set up an inquiry into the immigration detention network as a political stunt.

Simon Cullen reports from Parliament House the Opposition says the detention network is out of control... and there needs to be a wide-ranging parliamentary inquiry.

The Greens Senator, Sarah Hanson-Young, says she's open to the idea.

She says, "We need to make sure that any inquiry would look at how to get people out of detention - not just find ways to keep them in."

A spokesman for the Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, says the Coalition's move is just a stunt.

There is some support inside Labor - Government backbencher, Ed Husic, says he'd be happy to back an inquiry, "I think that we do need to have this process open.

While the Greens said they would try to negotiate with Mr Morrison in the coming days, Senator Hanson-Young took aim at the Liberal Party record.

"Let's not forget that this is the party of children behind razor wire . This is the party who has driven, in this term of government, a very nasty approach with their simple slogan of stop the boats but no solution to deal with the humane needs of asylum-seekers, she said.

"I'm not interested in just allowing for an inquiry that ends up being a witch-hunt and is simply a propping-up of what is a failed and inhumane system.

Regional independents Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor did not return calls from The Australian yesterday, however Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie said he was inclined to support the opposition's motion".

I look forward to discussing the matter with Scott Morrison in Canberra this week," he said.

The independent member for Kennedy, Bob Katter, said he was willing to listen to the opposition, however he thought inquires in general were a "waste of taxpayer money".

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen yesterday said the Coalition push was not an attempt for genuine reform.

This government is open and accountable about its immigration detention system, unlike the Howard government," a spokesman for Mr Bowen said.

Real inquiry would look at the Coalition's terrible record on detention."

On the Greens aversion to the inquiry, Mr Morrison said the issue of mandatory detention was already covered in the terms of reference. "I've said clearly that, and I quote, 'impact of existing and prospective government policies' would be looked that includes mandatory detention.