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12 NT NEWS. Saturday, July 27, 2013. www.ntnews.com.au PUB: NT NEWS DATE: 27-JUL-2013 PAGE: 12 COLOR: C M Y K Roper Highway Road Update Sherwin Iron has commenced the transport of its bulk sample of iron ore from its Roper River Project to the Port of Darwin later this week as part of its ongoing exploration and testing program. This will mean up to 24 road trains per day will be transporting the ore along the Roper Highway through to Mataranka and north to Darwin for a period of six months. Safety is our priority To make the journey as safe as possible, road trains will be formed into convoys of four and escorted along the Roper Highway by pilot vehicles. This will give oncoming or passing motorists plenty of warning before they come across the trucks. Once on the Stuart Highway at Mataranka, the trucks will continue the journey north to Darwin without escort. Safety tips for travel on the Roper Highway If you come across one of the convoys you should: UÊ Pull over to the side of the road UÊ Let the road trains pass UÊ Obey any directions given by the pilot vehicles. Upgrades to the Roper Highway As part of its commitment to safety, Sherwin Iron will be progressively upgrading the Roper Highway over coming months. This will involve reforming and maintaining the gravel section of the road from the end of the bitumen to 200m past the Roper River Project turn off. Sherwin has also committed to more substantial upgrades to the highway before it commences mining, likely in early 2014. This includes widening and the construction of passing lanes. These upgrades will considerably improve safety of the highway. We regret any inconvenience Sherwin Iron is a Northern Territory company that is committed to our local community. We regret any inconvenience that may be caused as we work together with Territorians to create a new iron ore province. Our project is already providing 50 jobs, which will rise to 200 as mining commences. Contact us for more information For more information about the project, telephone (08) 8941 3844 or email [email protected] NATION l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l Protesters gather at the entrance to the Spirit of Tasmania yesterday Picture: CHRIS SCOTT Jobs row not in the spirit, say activists MELBOURNE: About 100 dock workers and supporters blockaded the Spirit of Tas- mania in Melbourne to protest against staff sackings. The protesters were stop- ping trucks loading cargo on to the Spirit of Tasmania, which was due to depart Mel- bourne’s Station Pier at 7.30pm (AEST) yesterday. David Schleibs of the Mari- time Union of Australia (MUA) said the community members wanted stevedore company QUBE which em- ployed the workers to nego- tiate their return to work. ‘‘The company has termin- ated them and they believe it’s been unfair,’’ Mr Schleibs said. He said that six men may have an unfair dismissal case. The MUA believes the wor- kers were sacked because they had raised safety con- cerns but the company said they had refused to carry out duties for which they had been trained, and had pre- viously performed. A QUBE spokesman said only one worker had been dismissed and the action ta- ken by the union was illegal. QUBE will take the MUA to court over the protest, the spokesman said. The rally was not expected to delay the ship’s departure. Kidnap baby safely back By VINCENT MORELLO and SAM MCKEITH SYDNEY: A dramatic search for an eight-month-old Sydney boy abducted at knifepoint by his father has ended in relief, with a family member hand- ing him over to police. Zhaiden Mifsud was handed in about 5pm (AEST) yester- day — about 20 hours after he went missing — at Campbell- town police station by a female relative of his father. ‘‘He seems well and unin- jured,’’ a police source said.‘‘It’s a good result.’’ The baby was checked by ambulance officers and may go to hospital as a precaution. His father, Steven Hume, is known to police, to commun- ity services and is subject to an AVO. Police yesterday continued to search for the 24-year-old. He allegedly forced his way into the Chester Hill home of his ex-girlfriend Casey Mif- sud, 16, and their son about 8.30pm on Thursday. He allegedly grabbed them at knifepoint and put them in his Toyota Camry before as- saulting Ms Mifsud at a high- way rest stop, and driving off with the baby, police said. Zhaiden was in a booster seat and Mr Hume had no supplies for the baby, who was lightly dressed when abducted. His car was found on Avon Dam Rd at Bargo, south of Sydney, on Friday morning after it slammed into a tree. Local police, PolAir, the Dog Squad and volunteers from the State Emergency Service and Rural Fire Serv- ice scoured the area, but were unable to find the pair. Superintendent Dave Eard- ley made a last plea for anyone with information to come for- ward minutes before Zhaiden was turned in to police. He also said Mr Hume had a number of associates in the Bargo area who had been as- sisting police. Supt Eardley defended the eight hour gap between the ab- duction being reported to pol- ice and a public alert. ‘‘I be- lieve the investigation that we conducted was thorough and proper and we followed the correct processes,’’ he said. He said Ms Mifsud had been released from hospital after treatment and was distraught. Ms Mifsud’s sister, Jade Lee, said she reported the cou- ple to the Department of Fam- ily and Community Services as recently as two weeks be- fore the abduction. Her con- cern was directed at Mr Hume and the safety of the baby. ‘‘Just so everyone no’s (sic) yes I did report my sister to docs,’’ Jade Lee wrote on her Facebook page on July 10. She also said her sister re- acted negatively to the action. Speaking about Mr Hume’s abduction of Zhaiden, she wrote: ‘‘This is what I didn’t want to happen this is why I called docs cuz I new (sic) what was gonna happen.’’ Community Services Min- ister Pru Goward and the de- partment declined to com- ment about any action taken. State of emergency as bombs detonated BRISBANE: Controlled blasts will continue into the night as bomb squad officers destroy homemade explos- ives which have already clai- med a man’s fingers. Police late yesterday de- clared an emergency situ- ation at the home in West Ip- swich and surrounding areas after finding more dan- gerous chemicals. Officers declared it an emergency situation after an explosion on Thursday even- ing, but this was revoked for most of yesterday. It had to be reinstated after police found suspicious liquids and chemicals in the house inside small jars wrap- ped in tape. Police say they’ll detonate the jars in the home’s back- yard and residents within 500m have been advised to stay inside. Acting Inspector Geoffrey Noller earlier told reporters two men were injured in the initial blast. One man, 43, was dis- charged from hospital with minor injuries. But a 37-year-old man re- mained in hospital late yes- terday with severe injuries to his hands and groin. Rudd still to close schools deal with WA PERTH: Kevin Rudd has not secured a breakthrough deal with West Australian Prem- ier Colin Barnett on the Fed- eral Government’s school funding plan. But Mr Barnett said the newly re-installed prime minister was already proving a lot easier to deal with than predecessor Julia Gillard, and he was confident the state could be involved in the DisabilityCare program in coming months. The WA Liberal leader emerged from his Perth office after a one-hour meeting with Mr Rudd on Friday afternoon refusing to accept the prime minister’s insist- ence the scheme formerly known as Gonski would not involve Canberra wresting control of schools from states and territories. That remains the main sticking point for Mr Barnett. Victoria and Queensland continue to hold out, and Ed- ucation Minister Bill Shorten concedes a deal with the Territory is unlikely. Mr Barnett said WA could become involved in Dis- abilityCare, however. Eight hurt in car yard fuel tank explosion SYDNEY: A witness has de- scribed hearing a sound ‘‘like a big bomb’’ as an underground fuel tank ex- ploded in Sydney’s north- west, injuring eight people and shattering windows. Three people were working on the disused tank on Blax- land Rd, Eastwood, when it exploded about 12.20pm yes- terday, a fire spokesman said. It’s understood they were attempting to remove the underground tank. Alan Chan, who was driving an ex- cavator at the site, said it was a terrifying experience. ‘‘It was a very big ex- plosion, like a big bomb, it was a very big explosion,’’ he told Macquarie Radio. The tank was reportedly at a car dealership, which had all its windows blown out. An ambulance spokesman said the injured included lo- cals and passersby, and some had possible hearing damage. The fire spokesman said there was an explosion at the site but no fire. ‘‘There have been some in- juries and some damage to surrounding buildings with broken glass and windows.’’
