Jessica Mauboy adds to Deadlys haul

JESSICA Mauboy has done it again taking home two more gongs at the 19th Deadly Awards at the Sydney Opera House.

The pop sweetheart won Female Artist of the Year and Single Release of the Year for Something's Got A Hold on Me, bringing her total tally of Deadlys to nine, having triumphed in five of the past six ceremonies.

Award-winning drama Redfern Now took best Television Show of the Year at the Tuesday night ceremony while one of its stars, Luke Carroll, was awarded Male Actor of the Year.

Carroll also hosted the evening which celebrates and recognises the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the areas of music, sport, entertainment and community.

Popular film The Sapphires - which just missed last year's cut-off for nominations - won Film of the Year and its star Deborah Mailman was named Female Actor of the Year.

The Album of the Year was awarded to Archie Roach for Into the Bloodstream and the iconic singer/songwriter was also given the Lifetime Contribution Award for Healing the Stolen Generations.

Roach was also due to perform at the event, backed by a 20 piece gospel choir.

All eyes will be following the careers of the up and comers who won in the most promising categories.

Queanbeyan based group Stik n Move won the Deadly for Most Promising New Talent in Music, while it was hockey player, Mariah Williams, who was awarded Most Promising New Talent in Sport.

There were other familiar faces who won in the sports categories including Adam Goodes for AFL Player of the Year and Johnathan Thurston for NRL Player of the Year.

Goodes was also given the Ella Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sport.

A tribute to the late Dr Yunupingu, the lead singer of Yothu Yindi, was set to open the ceremony.

A special rendition of his hit song Mainstream was to be performed by his grandson Rrawun Maymurru, to honour the late singer and former Australian of the Year.

Singer Christine Anu, who is currently playing Bloody Mary in the production of South Pacific at the Sydney Opera House, is scheduled to do a double take on the night as she switches auditoriums to perform at the Deadlys.

Anu's performance of Bali Hai will make history at the Opera House, making her the first to appear in two productions at the venue on the same night.

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"Albo4Leader" campaign under way

A SOCIAL media campaign is underway backing Anthony Albanese as the next federal Labor leader, with supporters convinced he would defeat powerbroker Bill Shorten if the choice goes to party members.

A day after being launched, the "Anthony Albanese for Labor Leader" Facebook page had attracted more than 700 "likes" on Tuesday evening.

The "albo4leader" Twitter handle meanwhile was reporting a spike in "albomentum".

The group claims it isn't connected to the outgoing deputy prime minister, and understands the Sydney-based MP hasn't yet thrown his hat in the ring.

"But it's obvious he's the best candidate to unite and lead Labor!" states a message on the Facebook page, below an image depicting a young, long-haired Mr Albanese from his university days.

One of the group's co-convenors Luke Whitington, a NSW Labor Policy Forum member, said Mr Albanese was a strong parliamentary performer and the best person to return the party to federal government quickly.

Mr Albanese had always proven he'd put the party before himself and had the trust of its rank and files members, he added.

"I think that if given the chance, he'd win a vote amongst the party members overwhelmingly," Mr Whitington told AAP on Tuesday.

The group is appealing for Mr Albanese to contest the top job under new rules which give grassroots members a say.

If there are two or more candidates, the leadership for the first time will be decided in a ballot weighted 50 per cent to the caucus and 50 per cent to grassroots members of the ALP.

Party heavyweight Bill Shorten appears on track to take the federal Labor leadership at a caucus meeting in Canberra on Friday.

But the unendorsed group backing Mr Albanese has demanded there be no backroom deals, warning Labor's rank and file members will be palpable if Mr Shorten were installed without a ballot.

"I think there should be more elections, there should be more democracy, members should have more of a say," Mr Whitington said.

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Fake products may be dangerous: CHOICE

AUSTRALIAN customs last year seized more than 700,000 items of fake merchandise worth about $48.5 million, it has been revealed.

The haul was part of the $272 billion annual global trade in potentially dangerous bogus goods.

And it's not just products being ripped off.

Groups selling counterfeits "lure consumers to their sites with paid online advertising and images from a brand's most recent advertising campaign," Tom Godfrey from consumer advocacy group CHOICE says.

"Counterfeiters also fake tags, receipts and authenticity cards making it even more challenging for consumers to work out the real deal."

About two per cent of world trade is in fake goods and while imitation accessories, like shoes or handbags, aren't dangerous many others could harm people, Mr Godfrey says.

"Pharmaceuticals and cosmetics sold overseas online are unregulated with no requirement for them to be produced in sanitary conditions," he said.

"If you're lucky, counterfeit perfume will only stain your clothes, but it may cause skin allergies, burns and trigger respiratory problems."

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Le Vell cleared in UK child sex case

ONE of Britain's top soap stars, Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell, has been cleared of 12 charges of child sex abuse, including five counts of rape.

The 48-year-old, who has played car mechanic Kevin Webster for three decades in the ITV soap, was found not guilty by a jury in the northern city of Manchester, where Coronation Street is set.

All the charges related to one 14-year-old girl.

They also included three counts of indecent assault, two of sexual activity with a child and two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Le Vell's lawyer said the case had been a "prosecution by cliche" and that the actor was an innocent man accused of "the most unbelievable and terrible thing".

Jurors took just under five hours to reach their verdicts.

Judge Michael Henshell said they faced a stark decision on the truth in that either the girl had entered the witness box to recall traumatic events she had suffered or she was a dishonest person who had come to court to "quite literally destroy" the life of the defendant.

The "demons" in Le Vell's private life were laid bare in the trial - his alcoholism and womanising while his wife battled breast cancer.

But while Le Vell might be described as a "weak, stupid and drunk man" and a "bad husband", he was not a child rapist, his barrister told the jury.

Le Vell, who had mouthed "thank you" to the jury as the verdict was read out, had told police the girl's accusations were "an absolute pack of lies".

Emerging from the court, an emotional Le Vell thanked his family, fans and ITV for their support, and said he was "delighted" with the verdict.

He has not appeared in Coronation Street since legal proceedings were launched earlier this year, but is expected to return.

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Conditions ease but NSW fires might flare

HIGH temperatures and warm winds across northwest Sydney where bushfires are burning have eased, but authorities are preparing for possible flare-ups on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday a significant part of the city's northwest was under threat from bushfires that have claimed two houses and injured several firefighters.

But the temperature has since dropped from a high of 32 degrees celsius down to between 16 and 18 degrees, a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman told AAP on Tuesday night.

And a gentle southerly wind change is blowing at 15 km/h, down from peak speeds of up to 80 km/h during the afternoon.

While conditions have eased, police are asking parents of the 900 children at Winmalee High School, in the Blue Mountains, to keep their kids at home on Wednesday in case the fires flare up.

The Department of Education has also been asked to close the nearby primary school.

Staff will be present at the schools to look after children whose parents can't make other arrangements, a Department of Education spokesman told AAP.

Earlier on Tuesday a house was destroyed at Winmalee and two firefighters battling the blaze there suffered minor burns, the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) said.

Another home was lost at Marsden Park in Sydney's west, and a shed has been destroyed near Castlereagh, where a fire raged through about 60 hectares of dry bush.

About 300 students from St Paul's Grammar School at Castlereagh were evacuated to Penrith's Whitewater Park after an emergency warning was issued for nearby properties.

More than 2000 people were evacuated from a University of Western Sydney (UWS) campus after a power outage and the RAAF base at Richmond lost power due to a problem with an Endeavour Energy substation.

About 1000 firefighters with 350 trucks and 14 aircraft are fighting 63 bush and grass fires across the state, 31 of which are uncontained, NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell told parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

Five firefighters have been treated for smoke inhalation, he added.

Emergency Services Minister Mike Gallacher said "a significant part of northwestern Sydney" where there are "large numbers of homes" was threatened by the fires.

"These are all heavily urbanised areas," he told AAP.

Earlier on Tuesday smoke billowed over Windsor Downs Nature Reserve as water bombing helicopters and crews battled grass fires.

An RFS spokesman told AAP "it's certainly been a monster effort".

Emergency warnings remain in place for three large uncontained fires in Sydney's northwest.

The warm winds, gusting at up to 80km/h and fanning the fires are likely to ease on Tuesday evening, a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman told AAP.

And firefighters are hoping the southerly change lowers temperatures.

Crews will work thorough the night and probably the next few days to try and contain the fires, the RFS spokesman said.

"But that's still dependent on the weather and how strong the southerly change that comes through (is)," he told AAP.

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Violent dog shot by police in Canberra

A DOG has been shot and injured by a police officer after it violently attacked three people in a Canberra suburb.

Police were called to Dunlop on the city's outskirts on Tuesday to reports a tan-coloured dog had set upon a group of people.

One woman was "bailed up" by the attacking dog, police said, while a man who came to her rescue was left bleeding after the animal turned on him.

A 17-year-old male also had his clothing ripped as the dog tried to bite him.

A police officer at the scene opened fire on the dog, injuring it.

The dog retreated to a nearby home where it was contained in the backyard until the owner returned home.

The dog has been taken to a vet for treatment.

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Housing key to retail recovery: Deloitte

THE performance of the Australian housing sector will play a key role in any recovery in consumer spending and retail sales growth, an independent economic forecaster says.

Deloitte Access Economics believes the election of a majority government should allow for more certainty around political policy and improve general confidence.

This should see retail spending pick up in the September quarter, with a more sustainable improvement kicking into 2014/15.

Deloitte Access' quarterly retail report on Wednesday showed there was a promising start to 2013 before sales turned "tragic" by mid year, with overall weak growth.

This was likely due to a drift higher in the jobless rate and the marking down of economic growth prospects by both Treasury and the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Now a retail sales recovery may be on the way as house prices start to lift.

"When people are bidding up the price of housing they are also lifting their rate of retail spending," Deloitte Access partner David Rumbens said in the report.

"With housing affordability much improved from two years ago, this channel may form a powerful driver."

Home building is also lifting on the back of population growth and low interest rates.

The forecaster expects real, or inflation adjusted, retail sales to expand by 2.4 per cent in 2013/14, after 2.8 per cent growth in the previous financial year.

Then sales should grow by up to 3.6 per cent in 2014/15, helped again by low interest rates and a modest improvement in the jobs outlook.

Mr Rumbens expects low interest rates will especially benefit NSW, Victoria and the ACT in terms of spending lifts.

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