Flight Centre to reap record profits

Flight Centre founder and managing director Graham Turner at an inner-city Flight Centre travel agency in Brisbane. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen Source: The Australian

THOUGHT travel agents were a thing of the past thanks to the internet? Flight Centre seem to be bucking the trend.

The company has upgraded its full year profit forecast and is looking to record earnings from holidaymakers in Australia and the United Kingdom.

The travel company now expects its full year underlying profit before tax to be between $325 million and $340 million, compared with the $305 million to $315 million it previously forecast.

If the current guidance is achieved it will represent a 12 to 17 per cent growth on the record $290.4 million profit it achieved in 2011/12.

Managing director Graham Turner said Flight Centre had made 8 per cent profit in the first half and had started the second half strongly especially in Australian and UK non-business travel. ``Year-to-date, our 10 countries are profitable and several are on track for record full-year earnings before interest and tax contributions,'' he said.

"This includes Australia and the United Kingdom, which are typically our largest profit generators.''

In Australia the leisure business rebounded during the second half which offset a slightly weaker domestic corporate travel market.

Similarly in the UK, Flight Centre's leisure business performed well while corporate clients were spending less.

Its US business had recovered its losses during its seasonally weaker first half and was expected to deliver its third consecutive full year profit.

Flight Centre shares were up 3c at $38.20 yesterday. 

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Youths damage detention centre

POLICE, paramedics and fire crews were called to a Townsville detention centre following reports youths had damaged the facility.

Emergency services personnel were on standby for five hours after trouble broke out in the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre on Old Common Rd about 5pm Wednesday night.

An emergency services spokesperson said overnight they were assisting the Department of Attorney-General and Justice and could not comment on what occurred.

Police however released a statement on Thursday to confirm they were investigating damage caused to the facility.

It is understood a “small number of youths” were involved in the incident, which was resolved about 10.15pm.

A spokesman for the Department of Justice said the centre is a “youth justice facility” but the matter has now been turned over to police.

He confirmed there had been an incident overnight and said it was contained with the assistance of police, including negotiators.

Emergency services confirmed they were at the scene last night however paramedics and fire crews were not required to assist.

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Turmoil for centre as Driscoll's mate bolts

A COMMUNITY centre in Redcliffe associated with local MP Scott Driscoll is under investigation by the Department of Communities.

The Redcliffe Community Association of Moreton Bay, a not-for-profit organisation, was thrown into turmoil yesterday after staff were told another member of its voluntary board, chairman Bruce Mills, had resigned.

Mr Mills, a close friend and business associate of Mr Driscoll, resigned his post citing health reasons.

Geoff Jamieson, the RCAMB's treasurer, has also quit. The centre has been without a chief executive since July. Mr Driscoll is honorary patron.

Mr Mills did not return calls.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the Department of Communities has launched an investigation of the RCAMB.

A spokesman for the department said yesterday it was "reviewing information it requested and received from the organisation" after receiving a complaint.

The Courier-Mail understands staff raised concerns with the Department of Communities over the RCAMB's expenditure on marketing. Financial records show expenditure on marketing rose from $6000 in 2011 to $47,000 last year.

The centre last year received about $1.4 million in State and Federal Government grants.

The paper understands staff at the centre, which provides support to the homeless and victims of domestic violence, have not been paid and were yesterday locked out of the Redcliffe building.

Calls to the centre were not returned.

A spokesman for Moreton Bay Regional Council said it was concerned the centre, which operates from locations in Redcliffe, Caboolture and Petrie, would be unable to function without board representation or a chief executive. Council planned to ask the State Government how the gap in service provision would be filled, the spokesman said.

Mr Mills is secretary of the Queensland Retail Traders and Shopkeepers Association, the employers' organisation where Mr Driscoll was executive director before he became an MP. Mr Mills and Mr Driscoll are also jointly directors of the Outsourcing Council Asia Pacific.

Former treasurer Mr Jamieson said there had been "a lot of rumour and innuendo ... but none of it is true". He said he had resigned because of other commitments.

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Woman robbed in shopping centre carpark

A WOMAN has been threatened and robbed by a man at Robina shopping centre on the Gold Coast.

About 6.15pm Friday the woman was standing next to her parked car on Robina Town Centre Dve when a man approached her from behind.

The man allegedly threatened the woman with an object and demanded her keys and cash during the robbery.

He fled the scene with another man in a black Holden Commodore after allegedly stealing her wallet.

Investigations are continuing.

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Roo found at shopping centre carpark

The wallaby found on the fourth floor of a shopping centre in suburban Doncaster. Picture: Shaun Campbell, Leader Source: Leader

WILDLIFE carers have rescued a wallaby that was found on the fourth floor of a shopping centre carpark in suburban Doncaster.

Wildlife Victoria spokeswoman Amy Amato said the wallaby was found at the high-rise Westfield shopping complex this morning.

Carer Lee Ferraro said six people from Wildlife Victoria set up nets to stop the wallaby jumping off the roof of the carpark after it jumped on a ledge next to a 50m drop.

Once the tranquilisers took hold, rescuers covered the wallaby with blankets and took him to a wildlife shelter for assessment.

Manfred Zabinskas, who darted the wallaby, said it was slightly underweight and had some paw injuries from hopping on concrete but its prospects for recovery were good.

“He could have jumped either way when he was on the ledge,” Mr Zabinskas said.

He said kangaroos were much more likely to jump than wallabies, when in the same position..

“We were lucky he was a wallaby as if it had been a kangaroo it would have been 4-5 times worse.”

The top two levels of the Myer/ David Jones carpark off Williamsons Rd are closed.

It is not known how it got into the carpark or up to the fourth floor. It was earlier thought to be a kangaroo.

“We get a lot of wildlife dispersed in urban areas,” Mr Zabinskas said.

“There’s small pockets of bushland with a lot of people with dogs off leads, they (kangaroos and wallabies) can end up anywhere.”

Mr Ferraro said it may have come from Westerfolds Park, to the north, or nearby bushland.

Anyone seeing injured wildlife is urged to call Wildlife Victoria on 13 000 94535.

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