Tuesday 3rd June 1997
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The program showed the dramatic development of Shanghai with billions of dollars being poured into the city which has commercially "exploded" during the last three years. All the big names were there - General Motors, Mitsubishi etc....
No mention was made of the reason why the multinationals had been attracted there like bees to the honeypot - ie the world's cheapest labour. Neither was any mention made of the attrocities committed by the Chinese government at Tienamen square or the manner in which "dissidents" are silenced.
It was ironic that the story preceded a report by the Australian Broadcasting Commission's Four Corners program the one that recently questioned one Kerry Packer... Last night Four Corners exposed the tax "avoidance" schemes employed by the big multinationals (like General Motors, Mitsubishi etc...) in Australia. Yes, that's right the same companies exploiting the cheap labour in Shanghai.
What was particularly interesting was an anonymous email displayed during the program from the Australian Tax Office (ATO) referring to the ATO's lack of guts in taking on the super-wealthy who allegedly owed tax because of the delaying tactics employed by their teams of lawyers and accountants.
What a pity the Ray Martin show doesn't explore the story behind those rumours- without shooting the messenger.
Australia congratulates Brigitte Muir who became the first woman in the world to tackle the world's seven tallest mountains.
Her last hurdle, Mt Everest, was the hardest - it took Mrs Muir three attempts - but she finally made it last Thursday.
On her return to Victoria yesterday Mrs Muir said she thought while on the top of Mt Everest, "I thought about how beautiful the world is and how lucky we are to belong to Australia, which is a very unique place and how we really should look after it."
Last year while she was attempting to climb Mt Everest several paople died near the summit prompting her to say, "It was a totally different world from last year because the weather was perfect this time."
The religious battle between the scientist and the minister ended in the Federal Court in Sydney yesterday with a "sort-of" win for the theory of creationism.
Melbourne University geology professor Ian Plimer sued Christian lecturer Dr Allen Roberts for alleging that he had evidence that Noah's Ark had, in fact, existed.
Plimer sued Roberts under the Fair Trading Act claiming that the Christian lecturer had misled people.
In his ruling Justice Ronald Sackville said that although some of Robert's documents were false they did not breach the Fair Trading Act as Roberts was not involved in "trade or commerce".
"The judgement... preserved the free speech of anyone who has something important to say publicly," Dr Roberts said.
An interesting breach of copyright was raised during the court against by Roberts costing him Au$2,500. A diagram from David Fasold's book, The Ark of Noah, had been unlawfully copied.
The big losers were the bank accounts of Roberts and Plimer with the geologist having to sell his home to pay his legal bills and Roberts allegedly being near bankruptcy.
Here are the results of the latest political Newspoll:
Primary Vote:
Pauline Hanson's One Nation Official home page.The delegation was represented by the head of Ford - David Morgan, Toyota president - Sam Komori, Toyota vice-president - John Conomos, the head of Mitsubishi's corporate affairs department - Rex Keiley, and the head of Holden Engine Co (General Motors), - Peter Thomas.
Car tariffs currently stand at 22.5%.
Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor's poor form continued but he seems stubbornly determined to play in the first Ashes test no matter the cost to the australian team...
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