MURDOCH'S MOTHER BACKS CARBON PRICE

On Wednesday 15 June 2011, 5:56 EST

A group of prominent Australians has published an open letter calling for a price on carbon to help deal with climate change.

The letter is signed by four former Australians of the year - including Professor Fiona Stanley, Ian Kiernan, Professor Pat McGorry and Sir Gustav Nossal.

It is also signed by Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, the philanthopist and mother of News Corporation boss Rupert Murdoch.

Last month, Australian actress Cate Blanchett fronted an advertising campaign for a carbon price.

Professor David de Kretser, a former governor of Victoria, organised the letter and says he hopes it leads to climate change action "to ensure that we have an environment and a planet which actually is there for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren." The letter says a carbon price is fundamental to reducing emissions and driving low-carbon technologies.

Sir Gustav says he expects to cop some criticism for publicly supporting a price on carbon.

He says he is no expert on climate change, but has followed scientific developments closely.

"I think it's important in a free and democratic country like Australia for people, who for whatever reason have achieved a little prominence in their lives, to speak out, to make their views heard, then carefully to listen to dissenting views, so the debate goes on," he said.

The group says it is confident that given the incentives, sustainable industries will flourish.

NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK SAYS BANK BASHING IS UNFAIR

AAP. On Thursday 16 December 2010, 14:22 EST

National Australia Bank Ltd (NAB) has described the political and public backlash against recent mortgage rate rises by the major banks as unjustified and unfair.

The bank also repeated its call for major banks to move their interest rates independently of moves by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).

NAB chairman Michael Chaney told Wednesday's annual general meeting the bank's borrowing costs were higher due to tighter offshore wholesale funding markets and competition for deposits.

He repeated comments made earlier this week by NAB managing director Cameron Clyne that the RBA's cash rate movements had little bearing on the borrowing costs of the major banks.

"Such criticism is unjustified and unfair," Mr Chaney said of the backlash against the major banks.

"The fact is that the fundamental premise upon which bank bashing is based that Australia's banking sector is insufficiently competitive, and that it is less competitive than before the GFC - is false," Mr Chaney said.

"This is a fiercely competitive industry and one in which profit returns have fallen markedly since before the GFC."

Mr Clyne told the Senate committee inquiry into banking competition on Monday banks should change their variable mortgage interest rates independently of the RBA's cash rate movements.

Mr Chaney added to those comments on Thursday, saying "there have been a few out-of-synch moves and I suspect that is what you'll see a bit more of, going forward".

Thursday's meeting was told NAB would continue to achieve steady profit growth in the years ahead.

A gradual improvement was expected in NAB's troubled UK assets, while the board has had lengthy discussions of future growth strategies for Asia, Mr Chaney said.

"In due course we will have a significant presence there," he said of Asia, but added NAB was focused on "logical, incremental growth".

Mr Clyne said he was pleased with NAB's response to its recent technical glitch that delayed transactions and payments.

"We are now focused on delivering on our commitment to ensure those affected by the delays are not left out of pocket as a direct result," he said.

"In many cases, this has already started."

NAB's remuneration report, which reported that Mr Clyne received a package worth $5.6 million in the year to September 30, was overwhelmingly approved by shareholders.

NAB shares were up three cents at $24.48 at 1418 AEDT.

CALIFORNIA MOM SUES McDONALD'S OVER HAPPY MEALS

AFP ©

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A mother-of-two from California launched a class-action lawsuit against McDonald's, claiming the toys given out with Happy Meals unfairly lure kids into eating unhealthy food.

Monet Parham is spearheading the suit backed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), aimed at stopping the fast-food giant's use of toys in marketing aimed directly at small children.

The CSPI says such marketing illegally exploits children. Parham says the main reason her six-year-old daughter, Maya, asks to go to McDonald?s is to get toys based on Barbie, i-Carly, Shrek, or Strawberry Shortcake.

"I am concerned about the health of my children and feel that McDonald?s should be a very limited part of their diet and their childhood experience," said Parham, from Sacramento.

"But as other busy, working moms and dads know, we have to say 'no' to our young children so many times, and McDonald?s makes that so much harder to do.

"I object to the fact that McDonald?s is getting into my kids? heads without my permission and actually changing what my kids want to eat."

The CSPI cited the Institute of Medicine and the American Psychological Association as saying that "kids as young as Maya do not have the cognitive maturity to understand the persuasive intent of advertising."

"Every time McDonald?s markets a Happy Meal directly to a young child, it exploits a child's developmental vulnerability and violates several states' consumer protection laws," said CSPI litigation director Steve Gardner.

McDonald's said it would defend itself against the lawsuit, which Parham and the CSPI said they were filing in the California Superior Court in San Francisco.

"We are proud of our Happy Meals and intend to vigorously defend our brand," spokeswoman Bridget Coffing told the LA Times newspaper, adding that Happy Meals offer quality foods in smaller portions appropriate for children.

"We are confident that parents understand and appreciate that Happy Meals are a fun treat, with quality, right-sized food choices for their children that can fit into a balanced diet," she added.

The action came after San Francisco last month agreed to ban promotional toys served with food that doesn't meet strict nutritional standards, following a similar move in nearby Santa Clarita in April.

ASSANGE HINTS AT UFO CABLE RELEASE

Yahoo!7 December 6, 2010

Julian Assange has hinted at revealing confidential UFO information in a soon-to-be-published group of Wikileaks cables.

The founder of the notorious website revealed the information during a chat with readers of the UK's Guardian on Friday.

Assange was asked whether he had ever been forwarded documents that deal with the topic of UFOs or extraterrestrials, to which he answered:

"Many weirdos email us about UFOs or how they discovered that they were the anti-christ whilst talking with their ex-wife at a garden party over a pot-plant. However, as yet they have not satisfied two of our publishing rules: 1) that the documents not be self-authored; 2) that they be original.

However, it is worth noting that in yet-to-be-published parts of the cablegate archive there are indeed references to UFOs." Assange said.

Wikileaks revelations continue to flow, this week embarrassing Kevin Rudd locally with a cable describing his foreign policy views on China.

According to a leaked WikiLeaks when Prime Minsiter Mr Rudd warned US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be prepared to use force against China "if everything goes wrong".

Mr Rudd also told Ms Clinton during a meeting in Washington on March 24 2009 that China was "paranoid" about Taiwan and Tibet and that his ambitious plan for an Asia-Pacific community was intended to blunt Chinese influence.

SHORTEN SAYS NO POLICY FOR ONLINE TAX

From AAP

On Wednesday 24 November 2010, 11:11 EST

The federal government is playing down reports it is considering applying GST on more imported goods in an attempt to help retailers struggling to compete against online shopping.

"There is no policy proposition about GST on online shopping," Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten told ABC Television on Wednesday.

Local retailers want the government to help them as the rising Aussie dollar entices shoppers to access online sites overseas for the GST-exempt purchases.

Imported goods worth less than $1000 are exempt from the 10 per cent tax.

However, Mr Shorten acknowledged the concerns of retailers.

"We'll have to work something out to see if it's administratively feasible," he said.

The opposition accused Mr Shorten of creating unnecessary uncertainty for local consumers and business in the lead-up to Christmas.

"Yesterday, he was considering imposing GST ... Today's he's not," opposition frontbencher Mathias Cormann said.

"Shorten tax policy doesn't even last from dinner last night to breakfast today."

Senator Cormann said the government always was looking for an opportunity to impose more taxes.

Current GST arrangements on online purchases from overseas did not need to be changed, he said.

US TOP OFFICIALS EXEMPT FROM SCREENING

From AAP

On Wednesday 24 November 2010, 11:10 EST

Cabinet secretaries, top congressional leaders and an exclusive group of senior US officials are exempt from toughened new airport screening procedures when they fly commercially with government-approved federal security details.

Aviation security officials would not name those who can skip the controversial screening, but other officials said those VIPs range from top officials like Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and FBI Director Robert Mueller to congressional leaders like incoming House Speaker John Boehner, who avoided security before a recent flight from Washington's Reagan National Airport.

The heightened new security procedures by the Transportation Security Administration, which involve either a scan by a full-body detector or an intimate personal pat-down, have spurred passenger outrage in the lead-up to the Thanksgiving holiday airport crush.

But while passengers have no choice but to submit to either the detector or what some complain is an intrusive pat-down, senior government officials can opt out if they fly accompanied by government security guards approved by the TSA.

"Government officials travelling with approved federal law enforcement security details are not required to undergo security screening," TSA spokesman Nicholas Kimball said, speaking about checkpoint security at airports. "TSA follows a specialised screening protocol for federal law enforcement officers and those under their control, which includes identity verification."

The TSA would not explain why it makes these exceptions. But many of the exempted government officials have gone through several levels of security clearances, including FBI background checks, and travel with armed law enforcement, eliminating the need for an additional layer of security at airports.

Armed law enforcement officials who travel commercially are also allowed to skip airport security after they fill out the proper paperwork at the airport.

A few politicians have called for investigations into the intimate pat-downs, and some refuse to go through the full-body imaging machines when they travel. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who has blasted the procedures, avoids the scanners but goes through security and takes the pat-down if it's required, according to his spokeswoman Alisia Essig.

The TSA's administrator, John Pistole, is treated like any other traveller when he flies, waiting in security lines and walking through X-ray machines, including the full-body imagers, his spokesman said.

Even as he has led a publicity campaign in recent days to urge cooperation from air travellers, Pistole's agency is preparing for long lines at airports Wednesday, the busiest travel day of the year.

Security checks at some US airports could be slowed this year by a loosely organised campaign for travellers to opt out of going through the full-body imaging machine, a 10-second process. By opting out, travellers would be choosing to undergo a pat-down which can take up to four minutes.

This year's pat-downs are different from last year. The new version includes a rigorous screening that includes agents running their hands inside a passenger's legs and along the cheek of the buttocks as well as direct contact with the groin area.

The terrorist threat to commercial aviation, including a failed attack on a Detroit-bound jet last Christmas, prompted the Obama administration to develop a more invasive pat-down on air travellers.

The American Civil Liberties Union has received more than 600 complaints over three weeks from passengers who say they were subjected to humiliating pat-downs at US airports, and the pace is accelerating, according to ACLU legislative counsel Christopher Calabrese.

SCANNERS AT US AIRPORTS 'MAY BE DANGEROUS'

AAP November 13, 2010, 6:23 am

US scientists have warned that the full-body, graphic-image X-ray scanners being used to screen passengers and airline crews at airports around the country may be unsafe.

"They say the risk is minimal, but statistically someone is going to get skin cancer from these X-rays," Dr Michael Love, who runs an X-ray lab at the department of biophysics and biophysical chemistry at Johns Hopkins University school of medicine, told AFP on Friday.

"No exposure to X-ray is considered beneficial. We know X-rays are hazardous, but we have a situation at the airports where people are so eager to fly that they will risk their lives in this manner," he said.

The possible health dangers posed by the scanners add to passengers and airline crews' concerns about the devices, which have been dubbed "naked" scanners because of the graphic image they give of a person's body, genitalia and all.

A regional airline pilot last month refused to go through one of the scanners, calling it an "assault on my person" and a violation of his right to privacy.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began rolling out full-body scanners at US airports in 2007, but stepped up deployment of the devices this year when stimulus funding made it possible to buy another 450 of the advanced imaging technology scanners.

A group of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) raised concerns about the "potential serious health risks" from the scanners in a letter sent to the White House Office of Science and Technology in April.

Biochemist John Sedat and his colleagues said in the letter that most of the energy from the scanners is delivered to the skin and underlying tissue.

"While the dose would be safe if it were distributed throughout the volume of the entire body, the dose to the skin may be dangerously high," they wrote.

The Office of Science and Technology responded this week to the scientists' letter, saying the scanners have been "tested extensively"by US government agencies and found to meet safety standards.

But Sedat told AFP Friday that the official response was "deeply flawed."

"We still don't know the beam intensity or other details of their classified system," he said, adding that UCSF scientists were preparing a rebuttal to the White House statement.
Some 315 "naked" scanners are currently in use at 65 US airports, according to the TSA.

COURT ACQUITS KEATING OF TRAFFIC CHARGE

Former prime minister Paul Keating has been acquitted of driving through a red traffic light in central Sydney, with a magistrate finding there was "reasonable doubt" about the allegation.

The 66-year-old appeared at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday to defend the charge that he ran a red light on Australia Day this year as he was driving from his Potts Point home to visit his mother in the city.

Mr Keating, who was driving his daughter's green Peugeot hatchback, was issued a ticket by police officers who say they saw him drive through the red light at the intersection of Park and Pitt streets.

In his evidence, Mr Keating said he had accelerated through the intersection and the light was yellow when he crossed the stop line.

"The light was yellow, not a doubt in the world," he told the court.

He denied police allegations that he was impatient on the day and in a hurry after being held up by Australia Day celebrations, which had caused traffic congestion.

However, he admitted to driving in a bus lane in an attempt to "shuffle" through "bumper to bumper" cars.

"I must find reasonable doubt. I dismiss the allegation," Magistrate Carolyn Barkell said.

Outside court, the grey-haired Mr Keating told reporters he was pleased with the outcome.

"I think it's important that ordinary people in the community, having received an infringement notice for an offence they didn't commit, basically understand that the system is not loaded against them, that they're entitled to have the courage of their convictions and I hope today there is some social good in that outcome," he said.

SIX MEN ARRESTED IN LONDON DURING POPE'S VISIT

LONDON (Reuters) in black, Tetractys Merkaba in red.

News item provided by Reuters which is owned by Rothschild. Is this the classic Hegelian dialectic being played out?

- Anti-terrorism police -otherwise known as a government/banker/nwo hit squad with badges- on high alert during a visit by Pope Benedict to the British capital, arrested six men on Friday on suspicion of preparing an attack. Arrested for committing a 'pre-crime'. Arrested by the thought police for thinking about a crime. How very appropriate that this Orwellian activity is taking place in London!

Police -anti-terrorism police, actually, the employment of the word 'police' hoping to confuse the public into thinking that these two groups are the same. THEY ARE NOT, otherwise they would merely be 'the police'- moved quickly to make the pre-dawn arrests of five men who worked as street cleaners in the area in central London near parliament where the pontiff later spoke.

A sixth suspect was arrested about eight hours later but it was not clear if he worked for the same cleaning company contracted by the Westminster area of London. Important to note two things.

1. What is 'the Westminster area of London"? Is this a deliberately vague statement designed to deflect attention away from the fact that these people were more than likely contracted by the City of Westminster? In this so-called terrorist age, what checks and balances were employed by this council in their employment processes? Given that the Pope's London visit was only just announced, did these street sweepers gain employment after the announcement was made? If so, then, would the Council really hire anybody to be in a position to attack the pope? Or, were these so-called terrorist street sweepers contracted before the announcement in the hope that the Pope might visit London one day? If these street sweepers were hired before the announcement of the Pope's tour, this is a good indication that they were placed there by someone who did know, someone like a secret service organisation. Were these street sweepers set up like Bali, 9/11, 7/7 & the 1993 attack on the WTC car park?? We don't now yet, but, something seems to be rotten in the state of London. Events like this offer proof that there is a need for these anti-terrorist activities, and that the government may try to capitalise on the manufactured situation by taking away more public freedom via statutory legislation, which is actually an offer to contract with them, reducing your sovereignty in the process.

2. The City of Westminster, like all government structures are for-profit corporations. That is why they were following the profit driven path of using contracted labour, rather than providing gainful employment that would allow for their employees to live and participate in a community. The priority for this Council is profit, not the welfare of the people they are supposedly serving.

British broadcaster Sky cited unnamed sources as saying the six were Algerian -Sky offers no investigative journalism into this alleged incident whatsoever, but, are oh so quick to offer a culprit's nationality. Another example of a Rupert Murdoch owned company prioritising profit over truth? Remember, this is the company that took BBC off it's Chinese cable package to gain access to the Chinese market, that, for the last ten years, offered absolute lies and fabrications when talking about, both the participants in, as well as the importantly successful S11 protests against the World Economic Forum, and, who started the FOX News network in the United States that spins its political opinions as news. Were these 'unnamed sources' the real culprits? but police said they could not comment on the report and the Algerian embassy said it had not been notified of the arrests of any of its nationals.

Police, who searched eight homes and two businesses in London, reviewed security arrangements after the arrests but decided they remained "appropriate."

The BBC reported that the men had posed "a possible threat to the pope" but police refused to confirm or deny that. The Vatican said the trip would go ahead as planned and that the pope was calm.

Security is expected to be tight on Saturday when demonstrators protesting against the pope plan to march from Hyde Park to Downing Street, the prime minister's official London residence.

Pope Benedict is due to meet British Prime Minister David Cameron, his deputy Nick Clegg and acting opposition leader Harriet Harman, before attending a prayer vigil at the park.

POPE SPEAKS TO CIVIC LEADERS

The pope on Friday visited the parliament area, where he met with the Archbishop of Canterbury and addressed British leaders.

Hundreds of protesters along the route called him the "anti-Christ" and shouted "shame" as they held up pictures of children who were sexually abused by priests in a scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic Church worldwide.

Similar protests were held at a Catholic university the pope visited on Friday morning.

The six unnamed men, aged between 26 and 50, were arrested on "suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism," according to police statements.

The pope has been heavily protected during his four-day visit to Britain, traveling in a custom-built bulletproof car surrounded by security officials.

Benedict has not been the target of any serious attacks but his predecessor was almost killed in an assassination attempt in 1981 and was the subject of several other attacks.

When the pope travels outside the Vatican he is protected by the host country's police forces plus a small contingent of about a dozen Vatican security men.

In July 2005, four British Islamists killed 52 people and wounded hundreds by setting off suicide bombs on London's transport system.

An Islamist cell attempted a car bomb attack on Glasgow airport in June 2007, in which one of two would-be suicide bombers was killed. WHAT HAS THIS GOT TO DO WITH ANYTHING? This is an attempt to link Islam in as the perpretrators of some type of thought crime that the police refused to confirm was an attack on the Pope in his bullet-proof car surrounded by security that could only be compromised by someone on the inside.

Then again, many of you think a bloke in a cave in a third-world country orchestrated the simultaneous hi-jacking of four airliners and using them to take down three buildings in New York, not to mention impact on the Government HQ of the country that spends the most money on its military, so many of you will willingly swallow this so-called attack on the Pope.

"We are totally confident in police and there are no plans to change the program," said Father Federico Lombardi. He said the pope was calm and looking forward to the rest of the visit.

The pope held talks at Lambeth Palace with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual head of the world's 80 million Anglicans.

Williams and the pope, whose Churches split in 1534, both spoke of the importance of faith in society and agreed that Christianity should not be seen as a threat to freedom.

In a joint statement, they said they were committed to continued dialogue but acknowledged obstacles to unity "from within the Christian community," One of the biggest problems for Christianity is that Christians cannot agree on who exactly is a Christian, what Christianity is, and what actually constitutes the Christian bible. a reference to divisions over Anglican women priests and gay bishops.

Later, the pope told British leaders, including four former prime ministers, that religion had to be a "vital contributor" to national debate on a host of issues.

(Additional reporting by Maria Golovnina, Adrian Croft, Stefano Ambrogi and Bill Maclean; Editing by Andrew Dobbie)

TEEN BANNED FROM US FOR LIFE OVER OBAMA EMAIL

Yahoo!7 September 14, 2010, 9:24 am
A British teenager has been banned from America for life for sending Barack Obama an abusive email.

Luke Angel was reprimanded by police on both sides of the Atlantic after firing off a drunken message to the White House calling the president a "pr**k".

The FBI intercepted the message and contacted police in the UK who went to see the 17-year-old at his home in Silsoe, Bedfordshire.

Luke, a student, is now on a list of people who are banned from visiting the US.

The teenager told the Bedfordshire On Sunday newspaper that he had sent the email after watching a TV programme about September 11.

When asked about the ban, Luke said he did not care.

"My parents aren't very happy about it," he said.

"The police who came round took my picture and told me I was banned from America forever."

Joanne Ferreira from the US Department of Homeland Security said there are about 60 reasons a person can be barred.

"We are prohibited from discussing specific cases," she said.

US 'POPCORN LUNG' SUFFERER COMPENSATED

AAP September 5, 2010, 9:09 am

A US factory worker suffering from a life-threatening disease known as "popcorn lung" is bracing for an appeal after a jury last month awarded him $US30.4 million ($A33.4 million) against a supplier of a chemical found in butter-flavoured microwave popcorn.

The verdict on August 13 was thought to be the largest award in the country to an individual in a lawsuit involving diacetyl, according to the man's lawyer, Ken McClain. Lawyers for the supplier, BASF, are appealing.

Gerardo Solis, 45, has worked for various popcorn and popcorn-flavouring plants in the Chicago area since 1987. Over time, Solis, a father of three, developed bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare respiratory disease that has destroyed 75 per cent of his lungs, leaving him with the minimum lung capacity a person needs to live. Fireworks displays or second-hand smoke can send Solis into brutal coughing fits, which can cause him to pass out.

Eventually, he'll need a lung transplant, his lawyer said.

"His pain suffering, the loss of life expectancy, these are quality-of-life issues that you can't always put a dollar amount on," McClain said. Solis declined to comment.

Initially, 15 companies and one trade organisation were named in the complaint filed in 2006. All companies but BASF settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

"BASF disputed the claims and is disappointed with the jury verdict," Maureen Paukert, a spokeswoman for the company, wrote in an e-mail. "The company will appeal and is confident its position will be vindicated on appeal if not corrected before by the trial judge."

According to the lawsuit, BASF failed to warn Solis and his co-workers about, among other things, the health and safety hazards associated with diacetyl, failed to conduct adequate testing on the harmfulness of the chemical, and failed to advise workers to wear respirators and chemical suits. The result, the lawsuit alleged, was that Solis continues to suffer physical pain and emotional distress while losing his wage-earning capabilities.

McClain alleged that BASF was particularly culpable because it knew of diacetyl's harmful effects as far back as 1993 when its parent company, BASF AG, found the chemical damaged the lung tissue of rats in a laboratory experiment.

Paukert declined to comment on the alleged study.

Diacetyl is a naturally occurring compound that gives butter its flavour. Studies have shown that the heated vapours of the chemical diacetyl lead to a breakdown of the airway branches deep in the lungs. The lung scarring is irreversible and can be fatal.

In 2002 a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health investigation of a popcorn plant in Jasper, Mo., found a direct link between former workers who developed "popcorn lung" and their exposure to the chemical.

California and the Federal Drug Administration are now considering banning the chemical, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is considering limiting the level of exposure workers can have to the chemical, although no new rules or laws have been enacted despite years of study.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

ARMY TO EVACUATE VICTORIAN FLOOD VICTIMS

ABC September 5, 2010, 4:49 pm

User submitted © Enlarge photo

The Defence Force will help evacuate residents in Victoria's north as the flood crisis worsens and scores of homes remain under water.

Floodwaters are expected to rise in Gippsland and the north-east, particularly around Benalla and Wangaratta, in what residents are calling the worst floods in more than a decade.

Hundreds of homes have already been evacuated and residents are taking shelter at the six relief centres that have been set up across the state.

Victorian Premier John Brumby has been briefed by the police, fire and emergency chiefs.

He says 150 extra police and 50 federal Defence personnel are being deployed to northern Victoria.

"We've been in touch with the Federal Government - there'll be some Defence deployment tomorrow," Mr Brumby said.

"[They will be] relatively small numbers, but there'll be 50 Defence personnel in the north of the state assisting with things like relief, evacuations or relocations and assisting with things like sandbagging and holding back the water."

Mr Brumby says about 250 homes in the north-east and central region have already been inundated with water, but he says it is set to get worse.

"We expect the number of houses to increase particularly in the west of the state and running up the Goulburn again through the north-east tonight and tomorrow so there could be hundreds of more that are affected," he said.

Mr Brumby will soon head to Wangaratta, in the north-east, where flooding has lead to scores of evacuations.

About 40,000 Victorian residents are without power due to strong winds.

Powercor and SP Ausnet have brought in extra crews to repair fallen powerlines in areas stretching from Melbourne's outer-east to Gippsland and around Warrnambool, Ballarat and Daylesford.

SP Ausnet spokesman Joe Adamo is urging people to be patient.

"At this stage, some customers may experience lengthy delays," he said.

"We don't have an actual timeframe. Due to the winds and the weather forecast, crews are working as safely as possible to restore power.

"We do stress and advise people to keep clear of all or any fallen powerlines or hazards that they come across and report them immediately to our 24 hour faults hotline which is 13 17 99."

The ABC's television signal and radio services in Ballarat have also been affected by storms.

The signals went down about 11pm when trees fell on powerlines at the Lookout Hill transmitter site.

The service is expected to return tomorrow, when it is safe enough to set up an emergency transmitter.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says the thoughts of all Australians are with those who are dealing with the flood damage in Victoria.

She says she has spoken with Mr Brumby to convey her sympathies.

Homes evacuated

About 70 properties at Benalla in the state's north-east have been evacuated and the flooding has isolated some homes.

In nearby Nagambie, a caravan park has been evacuated, while floodwaters have cut off about 20 people at Dargo.

The manager of the Paradise Island Caravan Park at Wangaratta, Shane Downey, says the water levels are rising at a rate of about half a metre per hour.

"It's come over the levy bank from the Ovens River and it's also come through the back water," he said.

The park has been evacuated, but nearby houses are not currently under threat.

Floodwaters have also engulfed Wangaratta's Painters Island Caravan Park, with water levels expected to peak in the region on Tuesday.

SES spokesman Lachlan Quick says new flooding in Myrtleford, Bright and Mt Beauty will peak today, but the flooding emergency will remain widespread.

"Shepparton will be affected from about Monday onwards," he said.

"Wangaratta will peak above moderate flooding on Tuesday, Horsham will be affected from Monday and Tuesday.

"Charlton will rise to major flood level later today and the Macalister River will have impacts today and tomorrow and Sale is a potential one.

"Possible further releases could see the flooding of Newry."

Gippsland residents are being warned to prepare now, with Sale being identified as possibly being under threat.

Jen Wilkinson, who lives at Dargo in Gippsland, says melted snow and debris from the storms are rushing through the Wonnangatta River near her home.

"We can see the river, the brown flooding river with logs speeding down and occasional trees floating down so it's a moderate flood here," she said.

Mr Quick from the SES says there have been more than 2,000 calls for help so far this weekend.

"We have used emergency alert several times - I think we're up to four or five times now statewide," he said.

"That's the emergency message that will come across as either a text message or on landlines - it'll come across as a recorded voice message.

"We do alert the communities that look like they'll be severely affected using that. We do ask that you be prepared to relocate if necessary if you're in low lying or flood prone areas."

Emergency relief

Meanwhile, the Victorian Government has announced relief funds for people affected by the floods.

People who cannot go home and need basic financial help will be eligible for grants of about $1,000.

Larger grants of about $26,000 will be available for those whose homes have been structurally damaged.

SES operations manager in Wangaratta, Alan Barnard, says the grants will be a welcome relief for people whose homes have flooded.

"From what I can see at the moment I think there's certainly going to be a significant number of people who are going to be able to take up those grants," he said.

"I think it's great the Government has got on board so quickly to assist our people in their greatest time of need."