Today's Headlines
Thursday 25th April 1996
International:
Gulf Aborigines will take their campaign against Century Zinc to the world. Representatives from the Carpentaria Land Council
will travel to North America and Europe to lobby church and human rights groups.
The newly appointed Carpentaria Land Council co-ordinator and
rabble rouser, Murrandoo Yanner, said yesterday the council planned to embarrass the Queensland and Federal Governments.
That's his right but the only thing that bothers me greatly is who is paying for his trip? Me, a taxpayer or him out of his own savings.
Somehow I don't think it is the latter!!
Political:
The sale of Telstra by the new Coalition Government could force another Federal election.
The Democrats are standing firm on their decision not to support the sale of a third of Telstra. If they forced a double dissolution in
the Senate the government would be forced to go to the people again.
It appears a smart move to me for the Coalition to go through with controversial plan, because if another election was forced I think the
Labor party would be totally annihilated and that the Senate would fall into the hands of the Liberal party in its own right.
This would remove the fillibuster approach and threats of the small group of Democrats who try to run the minds of the greater majority
of Australians.
The Labor Party would recover in a few years time but these Democrats bother me greatly.
Business:
Yesterday I spoke of the confusion about Australian interest rates, well here we go again. The markets surged yesterday at the prospect
of another interest rate cut. On Tuesday the All Ordinaries index jumped by 32 points and yesterday the climb continued to a record
2340.59 climbing 16 points on the day.
Stockbrokers said that the low inflation figures (3.3%) supported a domestic interest rate cut in the third quarter of this year would
underwrite the growth in the stock market.
Sport:
One of Australia's greatest swimmers blew it again last night at the Homebush Pool in Sydney. Kieren Perkins could only manage third
place in the 400m freestyle - a race in which he holds the world record. His third eliminated him from the Atlanta team in that event.
Perkins now has only one more chance of making the Olympic team to Atlanta - the 1500m freestyle, his best race. He was beaten
yesterday by his nemesis, Daniel Kowalski, who recorded a time of 3min 50.6 sec and Malcolm Allen 3 min 51.6. Perkins time of
3 min 52.56 sec was way off his best.
Perkins was not alone with Samantha Riley only being able to gain second place, but make the Olympic team, in the 200 metre
breastroke final.
Social:
Prime Minister John Howard made good his election promise to protect the Australian flag which dumped Prime Minister Paul Keating
had threatened to replace as part of his republican push. Mr Howard used his ANZAC day address to announce legislation which would
be introduced in the first sitting of the new parliament which would ensure that the flag could not be changed without a majority vote
of Australians in a referendum.
Horror day yesterday - had to visit the big smoke in the big wet. The traffic was awesome, for a home body who telecommutes (like his
staff) this event could be likened to going to the headmaster's office when a student, facing the bank manager when you need to borrow
money or getting the telephone bill after a month of long distance calls!
Today I will be ensconsed in the global office - how sensible.
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