eAdelaide

. John Malony, mayor of the small mining town of Mount Isa in Queensland, earned headlines worldwide this year for his plea for female "ugly ducklings" to move to the town as a result of a shortage of women. His comments have now won him the gold prize at the Ernie Awards, an annual event that recognises outrageous sexism by men - and women - in Australian sport, politics, industry and the media. Mr Malony infuriated women in August with the suggestion that "with five blokes to...

.Welfare advocates want some of the Federal Government's moves to end discrimination against same-sex couples to be brought in gradually. From July next year, gay and lesbian couples must declare if they are living in a de facto relationship, meaning their welfare payments could be reduced. Centrelink will then be able to investigate if couples fail to declare they are in a de facto relationship, in the same way it investigates heterosexual couples now. She says these changes will have a sudden impact on some couples and...

.Emergency Services are gearing up for what could be a hectic weekend in south-east Queensland, with more storms forecast to hit the battered region. Premier Anna Bligh toured Blackwater in central Queensland today inspecting last night's storm damage, and she says residents across the state should prepare for more storms. Tonight's storms are not expected to bring much rain to the south-east. "We are battening down the hatches for a very rough weekend," she said. "Ground as wet as it is and root systems already affected,...

.Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has told the Telstra board it should reconsider its decision on executive pay. Telstra's chairman has defended the $13.4 million remuneration package for chief executive officer Sol Trujillo. Senator Conroy says the Telstra board should take shareholder and public concern about executive salaries into account. Shareholders voted against the pay package at last year's annual general meeting, but the board went ahead with the deal. "I think the Telstra board have to have a good, hard look at...

.Crime, cannibalism, and confession. A Tasmanian documentary opened this week that sheds light on a grotesque chapter in the state's history. Pearce was the only survivor but the authorities thought his story of cannibalism was too grotesque to be true. In 1822 eight convicts escaped from a prison on Sarah Island and got lost in the bush. It's hard to believe but The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce is based on a true story. He proved them wrong, and the film about that gory episode opened in...