Tuesday 11th March 1997
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Issues - The banking system under the spotlight. Prime Minister John Howard had a four hour lunch time meeting with the PNG leader yesterday at Kirribilli on Sunday. A spokesman for Sir Julius Chan said, "It was a very positive meeting and certainly set things moving in the right direction."
The biggest cyclone in 20 years has been sitting a few hundred kilometres of the north east Queensland coastline for some 48 hours now. The cyclone, called Justin, which is not moving at present is currently categorised as a category two - the second highest.... and the cyclone has been described as being four times as strong as the devastating cyclone Tracey.
If it moves towards the northern Queensland coastline the cyclone is expected to pick up in intensity. Already, 500 kilometres away in seaside towns like Bowen king tides and large waves are lashing the coast with 2 metre waves crashing on to the ocean side roads.
Tourists have been evacutaed from island in the region, with 120 being taken off Long Island, and 18 from Hook Island in the Whitsundays. Holidaymakers at Hayman and Hamilton Island have remained with all ferry services being suspended until the cyclone clears.
Homes in some of the Cairns seaside suburbs were being pounded by waves.
The hero of the day has got to be a former Ipswich councillor and helicopter pilot, Peter Hope, who flew his machine into the eye of the storm to save a Canadian couple Robin and Maggi Ansell who were stranded on their boat... a task that America's finest were unable to achieve.
(The US and Australian defence forces are currently involved in a joint military exercise in northern Queensland. Their response to the drama has been to move their aircraft south to military airfields like Amberley at Ipswich - because they did not want to risk damage to their million dollar aircraft.
The exercise "Tandem Thrust 97" is costing Au$60 million and despite the weather will continue in a few days with a parachute drop, mock dog-fights and other air activities involving about 250 aircraft.
Perhaps the most amusing aspect of cyclone Justin is that the US navy in their might aircraft carriers have left town "in fear" of this natural event.)
(You might recall that we reported yesterday that the Australian tax payer will effectively fund a Supreme Court case through funding to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) to demand Au$400 million effectively from the Australian tax payer....)
Howard said that the Federal Government wanted to avoid the "nightmare of years and years of costly litigation as farmers and native title claimants argue over different tracks of land around Australia".
In his interview on the Sydney based John Laws radio program Howard also said that the proposed native title changes should be in place by Easter even if he was unable to achieve an agreed outcome in talks with both Aboriginal and pastoral industry representatives.
He also asserted that Parliament did have the right to overturn all or part of the High Court's Wik decision which found that a grant of a pastoral lease did not automatically extinguish native title. His comments were supported by the former chief justice of the High Court Sir Harry Gibb who said that Parliament had every right to interfere in a High Court decision if it believed that such a course was in the public interest.
The leader of the Labor opposition, Kim Beazley, has gone strangely quiet saying, "The court has made a decision and that requires us in the political process to respond to it. There's no sense in rallying against it."
Now normally Beazley would be thumping the political drum with all his might in the other direction.
ATSIC's Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Dodson, attacked Howard saying "I'm not really satisifed that he's (Howard) putting enough effort in (to resolve this)".
Extensive political commentary and links can be found on Palmer's Australian Politics page.
Dear Sir,
At the risk of sounding like "illiterate redneck vituperation" as one of your respondents so elloquently put it, I offer the following advice to the Department of Immigration and Ethnic affairs. I am not a redneck, but I admit that I have "had my moments in the sun". This advice is good, and its free of charge.
For Onshore Illegals, I propose immediate deportation. When we catch them, the Commonwealth of Australia should purchase a one-way air ticket to the Illegal Immigrant's home country. The money spent catching and returning the illegals should be deducted from that country's annual aid allocation through AusAid. This should occur as soon as possible after they are caught.
This then gives foreign governments whose subjects are "escaping" to Australia an incentive not to send us their riff-raff.
Redress for the "victims" should be nil. If they want in to Australia with refugee status, then they can apply through the Australian Embassy/High Commission like everyone else.
Cheers
Brian White.
Another day in the "big smoke"... have a great day.
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