Today's Headlines
Thursday 21st March 1996
International:
The Queensland State Government yesterday promised to spend Au$200 million on new sports infrastructure and facilities if it
won the right to stage the 2006 Olympic Games. It would attempt to recover Au$85 million from selling the television rights.
Mr Davidson, the State Minister for Tourism launched Brisbane's Commonwealth Games bid with an initial pledge of Au$300,000.
Brisbane is estimated to still be in debt to the tune of Au$50 million from hosting the 1982 Commonwealth Games.
Political:
Well it appears that Carmen Lawrence, the politician who was found guilty of
lying to the Royal Commission into the Penny Easton affair, has been dumped from her senior role in the new opposition
Labor party. She has landed up with the environment and the arts - a big demotion from her heady days as health minister under
Paul Keating. Her health portfolio has landed up with Michael Lee the former communications minister.
Business:
MIM Holdings Limited has discovered an additional one million ounces of gold at its Ravenswood mine in north Queensland.
The Sarsfield deposit boosts the resources held by MIM and Haoma Mines Limited at Ravenswood to two million ounces.
The news pushed MIM's share price to a 1996 high of Au$1.86 with 15 million shares being traded.
Sport:
Well we had the Australian Rugby League (ARL), the Super League and now we have the Global League. This new rugby league venture
involves the English rugby league Super League equivalent underwriting the project showcasing the players involved in the old Super League.
The ARL have threatened to go straight back to the
courts to demand that the old Super League clubs take their players to court for not meeting their obligations to them.
What a lovely legal mess.
In an interesting development Rupert Murdoch is in Sydney to have a look at what is left of his shattered dreams. When asked
about Super League he said that he and Kerry Packer had an agreement - by implication Packer had pulled out of it.
So what else is new in big business Rupert?
Social:
Australia's population reached 18 million in 1994/95 with a total of 83,600 immigrants adding to the total. This means that in the last 5
years the total population has increased by one million. 23% of the Australian population was born overseas, mainly from Britain and Ireland.
The population currently stands at 18,054,000 representing a national population growth rate of 1.2 per cent since June 30, 1994.
Global Gripe of the day:
Does power equal corruption?
One of the world's most admired senior politicians, Nelson Mandela is also
one of South Africa's richest citizens according to latest press reports. Personally I find it quite remarkable that a man, who until a few years
ago was locked away in a prison on Robben Island, can acquire such a fortune in such a short period of time. His wife, the renegade
Winnie Mandela, tried to get half of his fortune at the time of their divorce - an estimated Au$13 million.
That equates to about Au$500,000 in nett earnings every month. Not bad to be able to build a personal fortune that quickly
when you are supposed to be running a country.
Personal trivia:
Another day in the big smoke today.. I am getting to miss the global office here in paradise. Telecommuting is becoming a distant
memory at the moment. As I look out my window on the banks of the Brisbane river and enjoy the happy chatter of birds in the trees and
air I can enjoy the panorama of the water and the magnificent gums and the abundance of birds.
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