Today's Headlines
Monday 6th May 1996
International:
The S E Queensland floods peaked yesterday after rising at least
15 metres in the valley below the global office. It is still overcast but only light rain is now falling.
At least two people were killed yesterday in the floods including a six year old boy who
was swept away while playing on a golf course at Gailies near Ipswich. Several houses have lost their foundations and are now
uninhabitable.
Here are some rainfall statistics for the last week:
- Mt Tamborine, south of Brisbane: over 1,000mm.
- Over 600 mm in most of the remainder of S E Queensland.
Political:
The Coalition Federal Government moved closer down the path of a double dissolution over the refusal by the Democrats and the Labor senators
to work with them over the new role of the Industrial Relations Commission.
The government leader in the Senate, Robert Hill, said that the Coalition would not tolerate any moves to stop new legislation in the Senate.
This puts the option of another Federal election later this year firmly back on the agenda. If this was to happen I believe that the
Labor Party would be dessimated as they are but a shadow of the force they were a year ago and have had no time to re-group but
are still licking their very deep wounds.
Business:
Australia's unemployment levels will hit 9% before the economy recovers in 1997 according to a study by leading forecaster Access
Economics. Access Economics expects that the Au$4 billion in promised Federal Budget cuts will stagnate the economy in 1996 -
halting employment growth
The weakest areas in employment are expected to be housing and the public sector as jobs are cut to restrain the government's spending.
Sport:
What a great Super 12 match! Natal and Queensland, both at the top of the ladder played out an exciting match in Durban yesterday.
The Sharks, as the Natal team are called, narrowly lost to the Reds after leading in the match right up to the very end. There were
some silly mistakes made by both teams but the standard of driving forward play was equal with the very best in the world.
The Queensland Reds won the match 21 points to 20.
Well another wet one yesterday with constant rain and rising water in the Brisbane river being the order of the day. We are still cut off
from civilisation... thank God for the Internet!
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