Australian National
(anotd)
Monday 24th August 1998
This on-line paper is now archived for perpetuity in the
National Library
of Australia
Subscriber's password
check (have your subscription number handy)
Subscribers get free access to the monthly "The
Strategy" on-line from April 1998.
Recent stories exclusive to
(how to)
subscribe/rs of the Australian National News of the Day now at the
bottom of this page.
"ON NOW" weekly abbreviated anotd
fax-back
-
Dial: 1902 211037 and follow the instructions.
(Note: costs 0.75 c per minute will be billed to your phone account
under "ON NOW NEWS LETTER")
Current topical links (available to all readers):
[Links to the MAI]
[One Nation on-line
DISCUSSION forum] [One
Nation Federal Web Site]
Archive of weekly features (available to all
readers):
[The
Canberra Column]
[Economic
Rationalism]
Today's
Headlines
an Aussie's viewpoint on Australia's
first daily Internet newspaper.
Since
October 1995
Between the One Nation lines
Now the Australian army has become politicised. Pauline Hanson was invited
to hand out trophies at a weekend shooting competition at which several members
of the Australian army had been expected to participate. But it was not to
be. They were instructed by their commanders not to attend the competition
because Ms Hanson would be there.
Meanwhile military personnel were allowed to attend another shooting competition
at which Liberal MP David Jull handed out the trophies at the same rifle
range.
Senior rifle club officials and Ms Hanson are outraged at the ban.
Five defence personnel who flew from Townsville to participate in the
Hanson-event were ordered back to the Enoggera barracks shortly after they
arrived at Brisbane's Belmont rifle range. Their commanding officer had given
them permission to attend - a decision which was overruled at the last moment
by someone higher up the tree.
Other military personnel from Canungra were allowed to participate as long
as they did so out of military uniform.
Ms Hanson yesterday demanded to know who had made the political stand against
a Federal MP.
"It is a disgrace and I was very upset for these members of the defence forces
who were denied the chance to compete. The officer responsible should be
spoken to about his actions and asked to apologise to those soldiers who
were not allowed to attend this competition.
"I am the patron of this military rifle club, a position I accepted gratefully,
and was very hurt that competitors were not allowed to attend because of
my presence. This is an extremely serious situation where the military of
this country has taken a stand against an elected federal member - what will
they do next?"
The organiser, Christopher Ray of the Queensland Military Rifle Club, said
that the competition had run for the past five years and were part of traditions
dating back over 100 years.
"We felt it was unfortunate that our choice of patron has led to concerns
within the defence force with regards to defence personnel participating
in our competition," he said.
Politically correct falling apart at the seams
As One Nation starts having a major impact on the unjustified power and influence
of the now squealing politically correct lobbies they are turning to a new
tack.
Yesterday the Human Rights Commissioner Chris Sidoti warned that the party
had destroyed any hope of "reconciliation" between Aboriginal and non-indigenous
Australians before the year 2000.
At yet another conference about reconciliation in Mackay Sidoti
said, "All I can see now by the beginning of 2001, and all I can hope for,
is a strong national commitment to righting the wrongs that have been done
to indigenous people. I had hoped eight years ago that we may have done a
lot by then but there has been a set back. The conflicts of the last few
years have certainly been major set backs and we have a long way to go."
The four day tax payer funded conference is one of these politically correct
gems where favoured senior bureaucrats go into tut-tut sessions which achieve
nothing but form the backbone of their "busy" agendas and the impression
that they are working in the interests of Australians and, in this case,
reconciliation - whatever that might be.
Courier Mail wrong on One Nation director
There is one thing that we have come to learn about the predictable unethical
ramblings of the News Limited/Murdoch Courier Mail - that is that
old stories get trotted out and cemented to present a negative image of those
involved with One Nation.
Today we have a classic by Matthew Horan headed "One
Nation director backed tax avoidance". It is worth transcribing
- the old bits being thrown into create a new denigrating
story on David Ettridge exemplify exactly what I am talking about. This morning
David Ettridge expressed no surprise when I informed him on the nature of
the content. (Look for the news highlighted in blue - the balance of the article, the text in red, is history - some of it incorrect):
One Nation director David Ettridge once promoted a
tax avoidance scheme that promised a $1 million tax deduction for a Au$150,000
investment.
The revelation comes just days after One Nation
said tax avoidance was one of the biggest problems with the current tax
system.
Mr Ettridge, who receives a 12.5% commission from all
One Nation donations, told investors they could claim the Au$1 million tax
deduction by investing in films, according to a Federal Court judgement.
But he failed to tell them his company gained a 94%
commission from collecting the money.
At least one of his investors was forced to repay thousands
of dollars to the Government after a Tax Office investigation of the scheme
was upheld in the Federal Court. The man had claimed a Au$20,009 tax deduction
after investing just Au$3,000 in the scheme.
One Nation finance committee member Neil Baird last
week spoke out about tax avoiders when the party responded to the Government's
tax reform package.
"To fix our tax system you must address tax avoidance,"
he said.
Mr Ettridge said he was "only a salesman" for the company
and worked on a commission basis.
Mr Ettridge went bankrupt after being prosecuted by
the Tax Office in 1992 for Au$25,135 in unpaid taxes.
Earlier this year, Treasurer Peter Costello also accused
Mr Ettridge in Parliament of tax avoidance by using a foreign tax haven on
the island of Vanuatu.
Mr Ettridge's earlier tax scheme is revealed in a Federal
Court judgement of 1989, upholding a Tax Office decision to strip an investor
of two tax deductions totaling Au$22,242.
In his judgement, Justice Murray Wilcox detailed the
"tax avoidance scheme" promoted by Mr Ettridge in 1979.
Mr Ettridge was employed by a Melbourne based company
called Tasman Developments, which put together partnerships to finance films
made by a company called Andromeda Productions.
Justice Willcox said Ettridge convinced a business
acquaintance to get together 20 people to invest Au$150,000 in three films,
with the rest of the money made up from an Au$850,000 loan from a company
called Media Finance.
"Mr Ettridge.... did not tell the applicant that
only 6% of the total budgeted cost was to be spent on the actual production
of films," Justice Wilcox said.
This is particularly interesting because this same paper had gone out of
its way to ensure that the facts of Labor's
Shreddergate debacle
remain hidden because they are "history" and have already been "covered by
this paper in the past".
MD
Let's see how long it takes them to blame One Nation
for this
The Financial Review have predicted that Asia will become anti-Anglo Saxon
(racist?) following the bad handling of their currencies by the IMF.
Here
is an extract from the Financial Review:
Australia is among the countries which should be prepared
to suffer a backlash.
"Anti-Anglo-Saxon feeling will rise," Krugman said.
"This has ended up being a situation where Westerners, and predominantly
English-speaking Westerners, have been laying down harsh conditions. The
favourable outcomes that would have justified such conditions have not
eventuated. There will be debts to pay in terms of future diplomatic
relations."
The flaw in Howard's GST
COPY OF THE MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE NATIONAL TAX & ACCOUNTANTS ASSOCIATION
AS AUTHORISED BY RAY REGAN 10th MAY 1998
GST RATE GOES UP AVERAGE INCREASE 42%
The National Tax & Accountants Association released the results of its
detailed investigation into the increases in the GST tax rates. The report
has confirmed that GST rates increased around the world by an average of
42% with reference to the 26 countries reviewed.
Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Luxemberg, U.K., Japan & Italy recorded the
highest increases ranging from 150% down to 58%, Canada has been compelled
to permanently hold it's GST rate at 7% due to fierce resistance from it's
citizens, while Singapore has agreed to freeze it's rate at 3% for five years.
According to Ray Regan, President of the National Tax & Accountants
Association "the Australian public is already highly skeptical that the Tax
Reform under the GST regime for it means three negative things:-
-
It will cost them extra money for the rest of their lives.
-
The initial GST rate to be announced by the Government will obviously be
increased, and
-
Individual rates of tax to be reduced by the Howard will soon go up again"
COMPARISON OF STANDARD GST RATES AS AT MAY
1998.
| COUNTRY |
ORIGINAL RATE |
CURRENT RATE |
% INCREASE |
| 1. DENMARK |
10.00% |
25.00% |
150.00% |
| 2. SWEDEN |
11.10% |
25.00% |
125.23% |
| 3. FINLAND |
11.10% |
22.00% |
98.20% |
| 4. LUXEMBOURG |
8.00% |
15.00% |
87.50% |
| 5. UNITED
KINGDOM |
10.00% |
17.50% |
75.00% |
| 6. JAPAN |
3.00% |
5.00% |
67.67% |
| 7. ITALY |
12.00% |
19.00% |
58.33% |
| 8. GERMANY |
10.00% |
15.00% |
50.00% |
| 9. MEXICO |
10.00% |
15.00% |
50.00% |
| 10. TURKEY |
10.00% |
15.00% |
50.00% |
| 11. NETHERLANDS |
12.00% |
17.50% |
50.00% |
| 12. THAILAND |
7.00% |
10.00% |
42.86% |
| 13. SPAIN |
12.00% |
16.00% |
33.33% |
| 14. IRELAND |
16.40% |
21.00% |
28.05% |
| 15. AUSTRIA |
16.00% |
20.00% |
25.00% |
| 16. NEW ZEALAND |
10.00% |
12.50% |
25.00% |
| 17. ICELAND |
22.00% |
24.50% |
20.45% |
| 18. BELGUIM |
18.00% |
21.00% |
16.67% |
| 19. SOUTH
AFRICA |
12.00% |
14.00% |
16.67% |
| 20. NORWAY |
20.00% |
23.00% |
15.00% |
| 21. GREECE |
16.00% |
18.00% |
12.50% |
| 22. PORTUGAL |
16.00% |
17.00% |
6.25% |
| 23. FRANCE |
20.00% |
20.60% |
3.00% |
| 24. CANADA |
7.00% |
7.00% |
0.00% |
| 25. SWITZERLAND |
6.50% |
6.50% |
0.00% |
| 25. SINGAPORE |
3.00% |
3.00% |
0.00% |
IT TAKES AN ACT OF PARLIAMENT TO BRING IN A GST, BUT ONLY THE STROKE OF
A PEN TO INCREASE IT.
NO MORE BAILOUTS -- ABOLISH THE IMF!
If the people of South Korea were starving, Americans would send food. If
they were victims of a natural disaster, an earthquake or typhoon, planeloads
of American doctors and nurses, shiploads of medicine and supplies, would
be instantly on the way.
But Asia's financial crisis is not a natural disaster; it is man-made, the
work of corrupt and incompetent political elites, crony capitalists and
idiot-investors who deserted their own countries to chase hot profits in
Asia. Obligations of charity do not apply here. What these avaricious bankrupts
want Americans to do is to pick up the hotel and bar bills from their decade-long
orgy. No thanks.
Ask yourself: Why does Seoul suddenly need $20 billion? Is it because Koreans
are suffering? No. South Korea needs $20 billion pronto because it has $20
billion in short-term loans coming due by year's end. Korea hasn't got the
cash, and its creditors are howling.
The IMF bailouts of Korea, Thailand and Indonesia, which could put Western
taxpayers on the hook for $100 billion, are to save the faces of these Asian
regimes and the fannies of "investors" who want back every dime they put
up -- without missing a payment. When you know who is holding that $20 billion
in debt, you will know for whose benefit the Global Economy is designed to
work.
But why should U.S. taxpayers be put on the hook by the IMF, to make good
failed Asian investments? Let those who made the hot profits in Asia eat
the losses. Let the market work. Let the Asian debtors and their creditors
negotiate themselves the terms of repayment, and keep U.S. taxpayers out
for once.
The hour is at hand for Congress to run a sword through this corrupt global
system. All we need do is follow the counsel of ex-Treasury Secretary Bill
Simon, the Heritage Foundation, and the American Enterprise Institute, and
kill the IMF. Then the gods of the markets can rule again. Don't our free
traders believe in that?
This November, in a courageous act, the House voted down Mr. Clinton's request
for $3.5 billion to replenish the funds of the IMF. Prediction: Mr. Clinton
will come back from Vancouver Asia-Pacific summit and demand even more money
to bail out Robert Rubin's Wall Street buddies. But if Congress will hold
firm and deny the White House another dime for the IMF, it can strike a mortal
blow against a system crafted to endlessly loot the American nation of its
wealth.
What is the IMF? It was created At Bretton Woods in 1944 as a fund from which
governments could borrow to maintain the fixed rates of exchange of their
currencies. But in 1971, Richard Nixon took America off the gold standard;
the exchange-rate system broke down; the dollar and other currencies were
allowed to "float" in a free market. The need for an IMF was over. But the
IMF refused to fold its tent. It set itself up as overseer of the Global
Economy and lender of last resort to bankrupt regimes. Four times since 1970
the IMF has bailed out Mexico. In the last bailout, the IMF gave $17 billion
in fresh loans to enable President Zedillo to pay off his New York creditors,
who thus walked away from their risky loans, while American citizens are
now exposed to the lion's share of that $17 billion.
How is Mexico to repay the IMF? The devaluation of the peso by 50 percent
doubled the price of U.S. goods in Mexico and cut by 50 percent the price
of Mexican exports. Devaluation thus wiped out the tiny U.S. trade surplus.
And when U.S. companies saw the price of Mexican labor had been cut in half
in dollars, they laid off their workers, shut down their U.S. plants and
headed south for the Rio Grande.
This, then, is the great trade-off of the Global Economy: Wall Street gets
reimbursed, while Main Street loses its export market, its factories and
its jobs, and is put on the hook by the IMF, so "investors" on Wall Street
do not have to swallow really big losses. We do it all -- to make the world
safe for Goldman Sachs!
The Global Economy is like a high-stakes poker game, where the big players
pocket their winnings, while the "house" -- i.e., the taxpayers -- makes
good their losses at the end of a bad night.
To do in Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea what it did in Mexico, the IMF
will need billions more in lending authority from the U.S. government We
ought not let this happen. The looting of our country must stop. And it can
be stopped, if the agencies that thieve and redistribute U.S. wealth -- the
IMF and World Bank -- are denied all power to put at risk the credit of the
American people.
Time for Congress to end these bailouts, privatize the World Bank and
abolish the IMF.
Commentary by Patrick J. Buchanan, USA
Making the
news" -
an indepth exposé of media and political collusion at the highest
possible levels in Australia.
Political:
You say:
Subject: bankrupt politics
Nothing better illustrates the political and moral
bankruptcy of The Liberal and Labor parties than the spectacle of the current
de-facto election campaign degenerating into the usual sordid bidding for
votes. Though Australia is being sold off without the citizens' consent -
which is surely treasonable - these clowns are waving fistfulls of dollars
at the voters in a bid to bribe their way back into office. Once re-elected
they will continue the destruction of Australia's economy and
sovereignity.
Howard assures us that nobody will be worse off under
his tax reform package. How come? If Australia's txation system is so inefficient
and is not raking in enough money, how will making everybody 'better off'
help? It dosn't really add up. If he was genuine about tax reform why didn't
he tackle the multinationals who pay little or no tax? Not to be outdone
in the bribery stakes, Beazley has promised more money for the battlers.
Like Howard, he's going to use the budget surplus to finance his bribery.
Most householders would regard this plan of using the surplus as highly imprudent
given the Asian economic crisis.
It is obvious that Liberal and Labor care nothing for
Australia, and that all they are interested in is getting elected. The reason
they cannot fathom One Nation is because they do not have the personal morality
to understand that some people think more of their country than they do of
the hip-pocket nerve. Themselves globalists, the elites have no understanding
of patriotism and the deep levels at which it runs. We want our country
back.
Antonia
Subject: Hello
Just a quick email to congratulate you on your victories
so far and to wish you well for the future. Unfortunately I am a "closet"
One Nation supporter because I am too afraid to state publicly that I support
the majority of your policies. The reality for me is that a large Aboriginal
hostel is around the corner from my house. A whisper that I was a One Nation
supporter reached some Aborigines from this hostel and I was in fear for
my life in my own home before I was able to convince them that the rumour
they had heard was wrong. I'm telling you this because I think you will find
that you probably have a great many more supporters out there who, like me,
are unwilling to be publicly branded a racist simply because we agree with
a lot of things you are saying. Mud sticks and all that. Living here in Darwin
would be almost impossible if I was publicly branded a racist so I must remain
in the closet. Luckily voting is confidential!
Cheers
Caroline
Subject: Re: Lessons Australia should listen
to.....
Here are some home truths about the GST and these are
lessons which Australia should heed. Everyone should remember that the any
form of money or impliment for exchange is just that (an implement) Don't
let Australians become PRODUCTS of a New World Order. Let us as a Nation
(of diverse cultures and traditions) integrate only those systems and reforms
which will be good for the people as a NATION not for the Nation as a
PEOPLE.
Further, due to all the unrest which our nation is
going through, we MUST look at our own backyard and manage ourselves first
before we look at taking upon any forms of reform which place us at the mercy
of the TYRANTS of the day (i.e. Big Banks, MultiNationals, and unscrupulous
Corporations).
Carlos
Subject: MULTI-NATIONALS
Dear Sir,
We always listen to what you have to see and
write.
Re your comments about foreign-owned companies etc.,
a friend in the Garage business, with a large retailing outlet for Shell,
said that for 18 months certain big oil companies and the Fed. Govt. have
been consulting, to decrease the price of petrol and to push out the "little"
guys. This particular garage runs 24 hours a day, has to employ only
a skeleton staff to make a profit, has to hand over a cheque on the spot
for their supply of petrol and diesel - or none is given. Why should these
large companies control our country and business so?
Re Bank staffs - (you perhaps already know these things)
I feel it important to say that the Bank Managers are promised shares and
profits if they can reduce staff. So one hears all the time of 2,000 staff
in one bank to be dismissed and the other banks are the same. There should
not be this gap of possibility, profit, career or no jobs between the upper
eschelon and the ordinary workers.
The best way to improve job chances, business and
profits is to promote small businesses. To do this, such places should
not be burdened with all the extra demands of various Governments regarding
e.g. Pay-Roll Tax and all the other things that add to their unnecessary
work load, all from Government Red Tape and other demands.
One is aware of the lies the Labour Parties and politicians
have told and do tell and also in their promising impossible dreams. Please
do not be like them. One expects honesty, sincerity, straight talk and proper
evaluations.
Peter Faulk
Subject: the survival of nations
I have occasionally engaged in fanciful speculation
as to what would happen if by some miracle Australia decided to pull out
of the globablisation push.
The difference between Australia and most everywhere
else in the world is that we have everything we need right here. As Australia
has always been at the vanguard of social and political reform why don't
we continue with the tradition? Why don't we lead a worldwide movement for
the reclamation of national sovereignity? Things used to work much better
when there were independent nation states minding their own business, and
trading if and when they saw fit to. The experimemnt in globabalisation has
resulted in nothing but the impoverishment of millions of people and the
humiliation of whole nations at the hands of financial pirates who are far
more ruthless than the cut-throats of the Spanish Main ever were.
The mainstream media, elites and political parties
deride One Nation for hearkening back to the past. That is rubbish. One Nation
is the only party which sees that the political scene is dividing into those
who want independent nations to prosper by the generation of real wealth,
and those who want unelected multinationals to prosper by immoral financial
speculation. The current economic rationalist policies of Liberal and Labor
are resulting in the destruction of Australian sovereignity and the enrichment
and empowerment of the multinationals. For objecting to this, One Nation
is vilified and its members even persecuted by the publications of lists
intended to intimidate them.
JK Galbraith had a good description of economic
rationalism. He said that if one feeds the [multinational] horse enough oats,
some of it will pass through onto the road for the sparrows. That is about
the best Australians can hope for under current policies. Perhaps it's time
to imagine something better.
Antonia
Another perfect day in paradise.
Have a good one.
Recent stories exclusive to
(how to)
subscribe/rs of the Australian National News of the Day:
One Nation
Federal Fund Raiser - 21st August
1998
B'nai B'rith's
discriminatory and un-Australian "Racewatch" - 18th August 1998
Four Corners become
"Flawed" Corners - 11th August 1998
The Nicholas
Street Rally - 4th August 1998
Their first
day in Parliament - 28th July 1998
The 60 Minutes debate/debacle - 26th July 1998
Hawthorn - where
the hooligans won - 21st July 1998
The Ipswich City
Council re-institute a ban against Pauline Hanson - 19th July 1998
The One Nation
mailing list published in the Australia/Israeli Review - 9th July
1998
The Barbara Hazelton
betrayal - 2nd July 1998
Pauline Hanson's
One Nation Queensland State MPs meet in Parliament - 27th June 1998
QANTAS censor Pauline
Hanson - 24th June 1998
Return to Australian National
News of the Day
#
See GLOBE International for
other world news.
anotd
