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Thursday 2nd May 1996

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International:

The Australian nation stopped at 10.30am with a minute of silence yesterday as the tragedy in Tasmania remembered.

The Australian stock exchange halted trading; the New South Wales Parliament rose for 35 minutes, 1 minute for each victim; the Queensland Parliament observed 1 minute of silence; the trams in Melbourne stopped and commuters stood in the street with their heads bowed in prayer for the victims of the senseless killing; the noise in the Australian city centres died away and an eery silence replaced the hum of car and people; in Hobart more than 5,000 people packed the stone cathedral and the streets outside as the official memorial service was held.

And during it all a newspaper reporter read the private tributes written by loved ones on their bouquets left for the dead and published them on the front page of the paper. SHAME ON YOU!

Rest in peace children and loved ones of the Australian nation we mourn your passing and this dark hour in Australia's history.

Political:

John Howard faced his first question time in Parliament yesterday. He was strangely quiet for a man who is renowned for his debating excellence while in opposition. His subdued manner is put down as a direct result of the impact that the church service in Hobart earlier in the day had on him. Howard had been deeply moved earlier in the day when he comforted the survivors of the Port Arthur shooting and relatives of the dead.

Business:

The big Australian, BHP, is investigating a proposal to construct a Au$130 million explosives plant in central Queensland, building on its Au$860 million expansion plans in this state. The plant would supply the eight main coal mines owned and operated by BHP in Queensland.

Sport:

Crushers Rugby League chief executive, Alan Graham, said yesterday that his club was prepared to work out a release for former Springbok Pieter Muller to enable him to join the club of his choice, Penrith. He said "We don't want players who don't want to be here." Makes sense to me!

Social:

Parents will be liable to pay up to Au$5,000 for damage caused by their children under sweeping changes planned for the Queensland Juvenile Justice Act. This would be the case if parents had not exercised proper parental care. Another move is to allow children over 15 years of age who appear in the children's court to be named as well as the judge taking into account the prior offences committed by a juvenile once an adult.

The system we have at the moment is crazy. A juvenile can go out and burn down a school at 17 years and 363 days of age and be treated as a juvenile - a week later the same offence would bring the full force of the law against that same individual - but as an adult.

Personal trivia, from the global office:

Rain, rain and more rain... In fact we are close to being cut off from the rest of the world as the low bridge at College's Crossing gets close to going under the rising waters of the Brisbane river. The river is looking very swollen, sluggish and brown. It's ugly nature has returned..


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