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Wednesday 4th September 1996

International:

The president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), Jenny George, refused to accept any responsibility for the violence at Parliament House last month.

She declared that the ACTU would not be drawn into further debate with the Government over who was to blame for the incident.

"I could not accept responsibility for actions I did not approve, did not witness and was not aware of, and by individuals which harmed the union movement.

"I can never allow the minority to determine my accountability," she said.

She said that she was responsible for the rally's political strategy, not the violence.

Industrial Relations minister, Peter Reith, responded by saying that union predictions of violent demonstrations against the Howard Government would encourage violence.

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) is at the centre of investigations into the riot.

Yesterday a 26 year old man was arrested at Yass, north-west of Canberra, on four countsw of assaulting police.

Political:

Last night on television the renegade Labor Party - come Independent Senator, Mal Colston, gave the strongest indications yet that he would support the one-third privatisation of Telstra in the Senate. His casting vote will ensure the bill's successful passage through the upper house.

Colston said that he was no longer bound by the policies of the Australian Labor Party because he was elected on a different platform three years earlier.

"When I was elected it wasn't an issue so one can't say that I was elected on the basis on the decision of the Labor party not to sell Telstra. It certainly wasn't an issue when I was elected in 1993," Senator Colston said.

Colston continues to claim that his Liberal Party backed appointment as deputy leader of the Senate and all the accompanying cosy salary and superannuation benefits have not forced him to do a deal with the Liberals.

Business:

There is increasing speculation that there could be another one half percent cut in bank interest rates by the end of this calendar year. This is indeed good news for investors in property and new home buyers. The rates have already dropped over one percent since the Liberals took over power in March this year, with one year fixed rates as low as 7.75% (Suncorp Building Society).

Variable rates are the lowest that they have been since the 1970s and it is now possible to get introductory loans as low as 7.25%.

Sport:

In a surprise move the chairman of the Australian Rugby League (ARL) has been prompted to comment that the ARL was under financial pressure but not broke. Ken Arthurson gave the assurance that the Au$2,100,000 prize money would be paid to the top eight rugby league clubs who made it to the play-off series about to get underway.

Other factors fuelling doubts over the ARL's financial viability were:

Global Gripe of the day:

Starfleet commander or global bully?

Well the "illustrious leader" of the Western World and browny point catcher of anything that may or may not be coming his way has once again embraced political expediency. Such is the manipulation of the western media that we will now be bombarded with misinformation about the cruel and inhumane rule of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

The bad boy from Iraq in the one corner, and starfleet commander and president of the US, Bill Clinton, (hero... scrape, scrape, bow stuff) in the other.

Isn't it strange how quickly Bill reacted to soften up Saddam Hussein after he sent his forces into a Kurdish village in northern Iraq. Not with men on the ground, no with unmanned cruise missiles so that there would be no loss of American life.

That would have been fatal eight weeks before the people of the US decide whether to vote him back in as President. The whole event leaves so many unanswered questions, but one thing I know for sure. This was not a move in response to policing the world - it was a blatant attempt by the starfleet commander to score browny points with the American people who will now be told what a strong and decisive leader he is.

Well Billy boy I reckon that you are just a pumped up bully manipulated by the lobby groups like a puppet on a chain.

Personal trivia, from the global office:

Beautiful day outside, but cold overnight.

Had a sorry experience in the big smoke yesterday. Was stopped for speeding by the men in blue.

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