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Friday 12th July 1996

International:

It's all happening at Atlanta!

Australian officials including coaches and medical officials have stormed out of the accommodation provided to them by the Atlanta Olympic Games Committee claiming that the houses are sub-standard and unsafe.

Australian Olympic team chief, Joan Coates, and more than 50 other team leaders took a swipe at the organisers over the standard of the accommodation provided to extra officials - mostly junior coaches and support staff - at a satellite housing facility in one of Atlanta's toughest areas.

Coates said, "We are most concerned about the personal safety of our officials as they move around the rough part of town."

Coates has moved all the effected support staff into the accommodation provided to the team leaders - who are housed in the main Olympic village at Georgia Tech Campus.

"The rooms are not big enough for two to a room. The ratio of officials to toilets is 13 to 1," Coates said.

Could be pay back time for the US support staff at the Sydney 2000 Olympics - can just imagine the outrage if they were placed in the middle of Redfern!

Political:

Gough Whitlam, Labor's living icon, celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday and told guests, "I do admit I seem eternal."

At the launch of a book of Whitlam anecdotes Life with Gough he told guests, "each of you will quote it not only for the rest of your life, but for the rest of my life."

Asked once if he would have sacked Sir John Kerr if he had known in advance that the Governor General was just about to do that to him, he said, "Of course I wouldn't have.

"That would have made me the monster and him the martyr.

"At any rate it was 1pm in Australia, three in the morning at Buckingham Palace.

"What was I to do? Ring "Her" in the middle of the night? Anyway I couldn't remember her bloody number."

Business:

News Corporation Limited has rejected claims that it broke the law by failing to disclose an agreement to buy Kerry Packer's shares in newspaper publisher John Fairfax Holdings Limited.

In a letter to the Australian Stock Exchange yesterday News Limited said its dealings with Mr Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd (PBL) related to News buying a 14.09% stake from PBL. Coupled with its current holding of 4.9% that would have taken its equity to 18.99% - below the 20% threshold at which a full takeover bid must be made.

Sport:

Australian swimmer Hayley Lewis must quickly come to terms with one unpleasant reality before the Olympic 800 metre freestyle is swum at Atlanta on July 26. If she wins she is likely to become the most unpopular gold medalist of the Atlanta Games.

The reason is that she is competing against that American swimming icon, Janet Evans, in the 800 metres.

This will be Evans' final bow as an international swimmer. Her achievements in the past have been the stuff of legends, three world records in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle - have stood for the best part of a decade. Practically unheard of in today's remarkably competitive sporting environment.

Social:

Queensland has failed to reflect an overall improvement in Australia's jobless rate, with 6,000 people joining the State's unemployment queues last month.

Figures released yesterday showed Queenlsand's jobless rate rose to 9.4% in June - well ahead of the national rate of 8.3%.

In other states the unemployment rates were as follows:

The national unemployment rate at 8.3% is at its lowest level since December - however the drop in June was almost entirely due to a drop in the participation rate - the proportion of people actually looking for work.

Personal trivia, from the global office:

Good day in the big smoke yesterday - today on matters more pleasant - will be staying and enjoying the Brisbane river from the Global Office. Beautiful sunny day outside. Cold overnight but warming up fast now.

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