Today's Headlines
Monday 25th March 1996
International:
The three Australians arrested in Thailand at the international airport claim that it was a set up. It was interesting that a Thai national
accompanying the group was allowed by the Thai police to continue on to Sydney even though he had been identified as part of the group.
The man was arrested in Sydney by the Australian authorities.
One of the women arrested made a heart renching appeal to her mum back in Australia:
I just don't want mum to separate my children.... I don't want mum to separate my babies.
Life can be so hard... and yet it can, I guess, be so easy to make a life changing mistake. As the old philosopher Omar Khayam once
wrote:
"The moving finger writes and having writ moves on...."
Political:
The new Federal Coalition government will allow more foreign workers into Australia on working holiday visas. Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said
yesterday that he planned to raise the limit to the number of working holiday visas by about 9000 raising the total to 42,000.
Business:
Australia's superannuation system is unlikely to deliver projected increases to national savings and and requires extensive changes to
taxation arrangements according to saving expert Vince Fitzgerald.
Household savings by asset type have been identified as follows:
- Real estate: 12%
- Consumer durables: 7%
- Deposits: 13%
- Equities: 4%
- Superannuation and Life Insurance: 12%
- The Family Home: 50%
- Other: 3%
Source Reserve Bank of Australia 1991.
Sport:
The turmoil in rugby league was reflected by dismal attendances at the four Australian Rugby League (ARL) matches. A total of only
30,198 fans bothered to go to the Optus Cup matches. The matches were all one-sided with the better teams drilling the lesser knowns.
The game has become what we expected, a farce. Compare the attendance of over 70,000 at one Australian Football League match
and over 21,000 at a small stadium where a Super 12 rugby union match was played.
In other related news 60 minutes (Packer's voice) gave an interesting slant on the picture with new boy, and heir to the Packer
empire, James Packer saying that they only had the interests of the game and the Australian public in mind. A cut from an interview with Rupert Murdoch on the
same program was not so kind. Murdoch was quoted as saying that it was only a matter of time before he controlled the game.
The ARL are back in court today trying to prevent the Super League's players "Global League" from kicking off this Friday. If it does get off the ground that will be the
end of the ARL for sure.
Social:
A University of Queensland survey has found that Korean tourists are not adequately catered for in Australia. The lack of Korean speaking
tourist workers and dissatisfaction with shopping were the two main problems. "People can't distinguish between Korean, Japanese
and Taiwanese and this can be very insulting" researcher Bruce Prideaux said.
If you visit the Gold Coast you might as well be back in Japan - as an Aussie I can't understand a word on the shop windows which are
all emblazaned in Japanese! Great for the local Australian tourists...
Global Gripe of the day:
Corrupt police:
A former Australian Federal Police (AFP) officer has claimed on Channel 9's popular 60 minutes show that at least 5% of the force is corrupt.
The shocking allegations were made to a national audience last night. The man, who spent 20 years in the AFP before retiring as a
detective sergeant, admitted to robbing suspects, fabricating evidence, dealing in drugs and assaulting prisoners.
The officer who is facing unrelated criminal charges said that he could identify many other corrupt AFP officers.
Chris Payne from the AFP is calling for an official investigation into the force to clear their name.
In Victoria it has been claimed that 8% of the police are corrupt and a major investigation is getting under way to investigate the
health of the that state's force.
Personal trivia:
We had a few drops of rain yesterday afternoon, but it has now cleared and today we have returned to sunny skies and crystal clear air above
and Brisbane river water below. You can smell the freshness in the air! Yesterday I sat outside and watch as a parade of the most
gorgeous butterflies, big and small, flitted across the river bank below. Today we were entertained by the mud larks who plucked up
enough courage to attack the spiders underneath the roof top. They had an absolute banquet! I really must get to those webs under the
eaves of the house!
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