This on-line paper is now archived for perpetuity in the National Library of Australia
Sunday 14th September 1997
Associated links:
Search entire news archive by day | Search entire news archive by text |
Definitive Lifestyle Guide to over 5000 Australian webs | Global Web Builders Gold |
The Kid's Locker Room | World Wide Websters |
The Federal Government has paid out Au$272 million in compensation and another Au$63 million administering the buyback operation.
The 0.2% increase in the Medicare levy which was used to fund the buyback will, you guessed it, remain -despite the buyback operation being completed - and the Au$200 million odd left over from the revenue raised through the Medicare increase - well that will disappear into consolidated revenue.
The largest number of guns returned is in Victoria with 191,000; followed by New South Wales with 114,000; Queensland with 101,000; South Australia with 52,000; Western Australia with 36,000 and finally Tasmania with 27,000.
Research into gun ownership suggests that there are about 2.5 million guns privately owned in Australia - with only 75% of firearm owners so far complying with the new outlawing of certain guns.
The buyback period ends on September 30th this year.
The media-inspired race debate in Australia has reached farcical proportions with one of the most blatant acts of reverse racism played out live in television yesterday in an Australian Football League (AFL) semi-final match between West Coast and North Melbourne.
I was peeved to see a senior Aboriginal player in the West Coast team deliberately barging, pushing, poking and verbally abusing his opponent during the final quarter of the match. The North Melbourne player wanted nothing to do with the West Coast player and, despite the television cameras recording the abuse live for several minutes, the referee did nothing about it.
In the end the West Coast player was taken off the field by his coach just before the match ended - but if the roles had been reversed there would have, without doubt, been a tribunal about racial abuse... this has already happened on several occasions in AFL matches this year with players being fined for verbal taunts against Aboriginal players.
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission (HREOC), which Ms Hanson refers to as a "kangaroo court", appears to have come to the same decision as Ms Hanson regarding the claim that she made a comment which was racially motivated. It is very likely that the chairman, Sir Ronald Wilson, will find her not guilty - despite her refusal to appear before him on the charge.
Hanson has always claimed that she was innocent - with politically motivated complaints being registered by three parties including Ms Patricia Thompson from the Ipswich Aboriginal Legal Service.
Making the
news" -
Have a good one.
Return to Australian National News of the Day