Today's Headlines
an Aussie's viewpoint on Australia's first daily Internet newspaper.
Since October 1995

This on-line paper is now archived for perpetuity in the National Library of Australia

Friday, 23rd January 1998
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Archive of weekly features: [The Canberra Column] [Economic Rationalism]

International:

Australian Labor Party's Left Link promoting violence again

The upcoming One Nation meeting at Mortdale in Sydney is being targeted by the ALP with their Left Link on-line radicals once again posting messages encouraging the "rent-a-crowd" mob who frequent their web pages to protests at the meeting being held this Saturday.

Here is a censored copy of the post.

Japanese tuna fishermen sent home

The Federal Government yesterday banned a 55 strong Japanese tuna fleet from fishing in Australian waters after talks broke down.

The decision came after three days of talks in the South Australian capital of Adelaide broke down when the Japanese advised the Australian negotiators that they were increasing their tuna catch by 3000 tonnes to 9095 tonnes "for scientific purposes".

One bluefin can fetch up to Au$60,000 on the Japanese sashimi market.

Resources minister Warwick Parer yesterday lashed out at the Japanese saying, "Japan's position is completely unacceptable to Australia.

"The SBT (Southern Bluefin Tuna) stock is severely depleted and our fisheries scientists have grave concerns about its future unless global catches are brought under control.

"Japan's proposed experimental fishing programme is nothing more than a pretext for increasing its catch.

"It will do little to assist the commission's scientific work and poses a threat to the recovery of the stock.

"It is as spurious as scientific whaling."

Young Australian of the year - another example of elitist ploys

This year's young Australian is none other than a 20 year old Vietnamese girl, Tan Le, from Melbourne who won the recognition for her work amongst the Vietnamese community in Footscray.

Her work? Combating "racism" - and she publicly and vocally blames Pauline Hanson for causing an increase in Asian taunts that she and others have received.

Ms Le said, "I have noticed more aggressive behaviour towards people of Asian origin.

"Although we come from Vietnam we are Australians and many people fail to realise and acknowledge that."

So just what has Ms Le done? No one apparently knows - but a large Vietnamese group voted her in - so it would appear. Amongst those she defeated was Karrie Webb who was recognised as the world's best golfer last year.

Reminds me of the manner in which they selected the winner for the Best web site for children at the Australian Internet Awards last year... "multicultural aspect" a new voting consideration not mentioned in the voting guidelines but being referred to when the decision of the judging panel was announced that night.

Violent Dandenong protesters to face court

Three men accused of assaulting 59 year old Keith Warburton who had come to attend a One Nation meeting at the Dandenong Town Hall were yesterday ordered to stand trial.

Warburton was kicked, punched and elbowed during a confrontation with the men as he left the hall. Warburton told the court he had taken Korean and Malaysia friends from overseas to the meeting to see what One Nation had to say.

When he left the rally he was jeered and called anti-Asian. About 50 metres from the entrance the three men attacked him without provocation, with Warburton saying he felt numb from the waist down and then losing consciousness.

Magistrate Rodney Crisp committed Hakki Eker (26), Jiovanni Michel Louise (25) both of north Dandenong and Michael Brian Onezime (26) of Doveton to stand trial in the county court over the attack.

The three have pleaded not guilty to the court although a photographer said he observed the men heckling Mr Warburton. “As he walked away the hecklers pounced on their victim,” Richard Cisar-Wright said.

The men were released on bail to appear in the County Court in May.

Who runs the world today?

Here is an excerpt:

THE world economy as a whole is being dominated by speculators. Of more than $1 trillion that circulates the globe every day, only 2.5% is used to conduct business in the real economy. The rest is utilised for speculative purposes. The current currency crisis in ASEAN countries has served to refocus public attention on this problem. The power and control exercised by financial speculators has to be addressed and what is required is a new international financial order with a coherent structure of financial regulation and intergovernmental cooperation. In the meantime, the South should take steps to protect their economies from such speculative attacks. A reappraisal of this whole issue is timely in view of the recent resumption of financial services negotiations at the WTO where the WTO and governments of the North have been pressuring the South to further liberalise their financial services sectors.

Exploiting Asia's crisis:

Extract from the Washington Post article:

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Southeast Asia's currencies have collapsed and stock prices have plummeted. Businesses are filing for bankruptcy, banks are going belly up. And in the midst of the regionwide turmoil, Taiwan is on a shopping spree.

In a major policy move with long-term implications for the region, Taiwanese businesses are fanning out through the hardest-hit countries of Asia, hoping to take advantage of the crisis by buying up assets at fire-sale prices. Luxury hotels and cash-strapped financial firms are among the most tempting takeover targets, with one deal reported to involve a Taiwanese bid for the purchase of Bangkok Bank and another said to involve two five-star hotels in Thailand and South Korea.

One of aus.politics biggest anti-Hanson proponents sees the light at last.

Post by David Moss:

I agree with your definition but it does not apply to what I wrote.

You (Martin Gleeson) wrote:

"They can vote independent, and they have a better chance of having their views represented. Hanson's message is simplistic and ugly at best, but I am pleased that people have realised that they can and should vote for someone other than the ALP and the Libs."

You clearly stated that you believe Pauline Hanson would make a better representative than a member of either the Liberals or the ALP. You may have been able to wriggle out of it had you not specifically named her. Naming her changed what might have been a general statement about the merits of Independents into an endorsement of Pauline Hanson.

Political:

News Limited's Courier Mail displays it's ALP hand

If I was a betting man, which I am not, I would place a bet that in the lead up to this year's federal election Beazley's bovver boys are going to be made out to be some sort of saving grace for Australia.

Let us remember that the rot of deceit starts right at the top with the current leader Kim Beazley being Finance Minister when Australia started negotiating the MAI agreement with the power-hungry multinationals.

In today's paper we have article after article expounding the greatness of Beazley - with one by Wallace Brown headed "Beazley setting the national pace" topping the lot.

The classic comment by Brown is the following, "Labor's national conference in Hobart has been strong on pragmatism, populism, professionalism, presentation and personalities - but pretty damned weak on policies and passion.."

Now let us remember that it is Pauline Hanson who is normally accused of making "populist" statements and being accused of having "no policies"... and for this she is eternally damned by the media.

Here we have an entrenched political party who when accused on "Hansonism" is suddenly rewarded by the biased reporter thus, "The conclusion, therefore, has to be that maybe Beazley can win this year. In electoral terms Labor has set the pace."

Am I missing something here? 

Social:

Personal trivia, from the global office:

Have a good one.

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