AAP Internet Bulletin 1200 Thursday, Dec 10, 1998

AAP General News (Australia)
12-10-1998
AAP Internet Bulletin 1200 Thursday, Dec 10, 1998
[T][CRICKET BRIBES][CRIK]

ICC knew about Warne-Waugh betting scandal

LONDON - Cricket's world governing body had known about the Waugh-Warne betting scandal for
almost four years but kept silent at the request of the Australian authorities, International
Cricket Council chief David Richards said today.

Richards said he and then ICC chairman Sir Clyde Walcott had been informed by the
Australian Cricket Board "as a matter of courtesy" when they were in Sydney for a meeting in
February 1995.

"It's always been the historical right of a country to determine and control the discipline
of the team and the players and that was the situation in 1995," he said.

"We had no choice but to respect the confidentiality request."

"These sort of issues are very contentious, they are damaging to the image of the game of
cricket, there are legal issues involved and it's quite a complex issue," Richards said.

He said the betting scandal, in which Ausralian Test stars Mark Waugh and Shane Warne
accepted money from a bookmaker in return for providing pitch and weather conditions, would
strengthen a push to boost the ICC's disciplinary powers.

Richards said proposals would be circulated to directors ahead of a board meeting on
January 10 and 11 in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan cricket captain Salim Malik said the admissions by Waugh and

Warne proved he was innocent of bribery charges.

Top Pakistani officials expressed shock that the payments episode and the fines levied on
Waugh and Warne had been kept secret, especially during a Pakistan government-ordered probe
into Australian allegations that Malik had tried to bribe them to fix a match in 1994.

Malik said he was the victim of a conspiracy and was considering legal action against Waugh
and Warne after they said today they had accepted money four years ago from a bookmaker in
return for providing pitch and weather conditions.

The judge in charge of the Pakistan probe said the statements by the Australian Test stars
had changed the "scenario" completely and cast doubt on their credibility.

The scandal does not appear to be affecting Warne's bottom line. Sporting goods giant Nike
will continue to pay him to promote
their products.

In a statement, Nike said Warne made a serious misjudgment, but the company says its
discussed the matter with Warne and it thinks the champion legspinner has
matured in the last four years and learnt from his mistake.

But Nike says it doesnt condone Warne's actions.

Warne makes more from endorsements than any Australian cricketer in history; he is rumoured
to earn $1.1 million a year, with more than half coming from sponsorships with companies
including Nike, the Quit campaign, Just Jeans, Foxtel, Oakley sunglasses, Gunn and Moore bats
and Sony Music.



[A][INSURANCE SENATE][FED]

Parties wait to see the Harradine insurance compromise

CANBERRA - All parties remained on tenterhooks today waiting to learn what compromise
independent senator Brian Harradine might reach with the federal government on the private
health insurance rebate legislation.

Senator Harradine held discussions last night with federal Health Minister Michael
Wooldridge on the controversial 30 per cent non-means-tested rebate costing about $1.5 billion
a year, due to be voted on in the Senate today.

"I dont know where were going now," Australian Democrats leader Meg Lees, whose own
compromise proposal has been rejected, told reporters.

Asked if she was concerned Senator Harradine was watering down the Democrats proposal on
means-testing, Senator Lees said: "Very much so.

"If we lift the (income) level that we have very much then we lose an enormous amount of
money and we simply wont have the money to clear waiting lists from the public system.

"We wont have the money to reinstate the dental program.

"Hopefully today we will see this either defeated or a realistic amount be set as the
compromise and the money go public."

Senator Lees said she hoped to have discussions with Senator Harradine this morning about
his proposed amendments.

She and other senators expected to be sitting well into the early hours of tomorrow.

But Senator Lees said the government would also be "perfectly happy" to see the bill come
back before the Senate before the New South Wales election next March.





[A][CONFIDENCE][NSW]

Business confidence in economies surges - survey

SYDNEY - Businesses were emerging from the gloom of the Asian financial
crisis, showing increased confidence in the state and national economies, a survey has found.

The NSW State Chamber of Commerce survey of 620 respondents from every business size and
sector in NSW found confidence had leapt by 26 per cent from the September to December
quarter.

Chamber chief executive Katie Lahey said the survey, released today, found 79 per cent of
respondents expected the Australian economy to strengthen or stay the same, compared with 53
per cent in the September quarter.

The news was even better for the NSW economy, with 83 per cent expecting the economy to
strengthen or remain steady, compared with 65 per cent in the last survey.

The optimism stemmed from reported improvements in general business conditions, sales
revenue, export sales, selling prices, profits and investment in buildings and plant
equipment, Ms Lahey said.

"Business in NSW may well be emerging from the gloom created by the Asian financial
crisis," she said.

The survey found strong support for the Howard Governments GST, with 84 per cent of
respondents supporting the tax package. And 54 per cent of businesses did not believe the
Senate had a mandate to block or amend the passage of the GST.

Businesses signalled reservation about the Job Network, with just 39 per cent satisfied
that the government has listened to their concerns about the new system.





[F][Australia-Nomura]

Court finds Nomura manipulated market

SYDNEY The Federal Court found on Thursday that investment house Nomura International Plc.
had manipulated the Australian stock market by creating a "false and misleading appearance" of
active trading in a series of trades in March 1996.

On the day in question, the Japanese investment giant offloaded $587 million worth of
securities, selling in large parcels in the last few minutes of trade and allowing some 12,900
futures contracts to expire.

Justice Ronald Sackville on Thursday upheld allegations by the
Australian Securities and Investments Commission that Nomura knew
its actions would cause a fall in both the benchmark All Ordinaries
Index, the nation's basic stock market indicator, and the March
share price index (SPI).

Sackville said Nomura's actions on March 29, 1996, had
contravened both the Corporations Law and the Trade Practices Act.

He said the series of transactions made by Nomura, including the
creation of a bid basket for all securities in the benchmark all
ordinaries index at 5 to 20 percent below the previous day's
trading price, gave a false and misleading appearance of active
trading on the ASX in illiquid securities.

"It also engaged in conduct intended to create a false or
misleading appearance with respect to the price of the illiquid
securities held by it on the same day," he said.

Sackville said Nomura knew that its actions would cause a fall
in the closing level of the all ords and the expiry price of SPI
contracts.

He also found that Nomura's creation of the bid basket was part
of its plan to lower the price of illiquid stocks at the close of
trading by engaging in "self-trades at depressed prices."

Nomura had traded with itself in respect to two securities and
were only saved from carrying out more such transactions by the
failure of various broking houses to fully carry out orders, he
said.





[A][XMAS STRIKES][FED]

Unions talk up holiday season strike threats

SYDNEY - Unions today threatened industrial action affecting Qantas and Ansett flights,
mail deliveries and Centrelink welfare offices during the Christmas season.

The planned actions in coming days and weeks have surfaced despite tough new federal
workplace laws banning strikes except in periods of negotiation for workplace agreements.

Unionised Centrelink staff walked off the job in Canberra yesterday afternoon amid a series
of rolling stoppages across the country. The strikes continue at 1:30pm today in NSW.

The Community and Public Sector Union said the strikes were in protest against federal
government plans to axe 5,000 jobs.

More half-day stoppages are set for New South Wales today, Tasmania on Friday, South
Australia on December 15, Western Australia and Northern Territory on December 16 and in
Victoria on December 17.

Postal workers warned Christmas deliveries were under threat as they considered strike
action for the first time in 20 years over a breakdown in negotiations over wages and
conditions.

The Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Unions Queensland branch said meetings in
recent days had overwhelmingly endorsed strike action after a stalemate in talks.

Further meetings over the national award are planned with Australia Post today and next
week.

Qantas flight attendants warned of possible disruption to flights this weekend after six
colleagues were stood down after being found with containers of alcohol in a search in Los
Angeles last week, the Flight Attendants Association of Australia (FAAA) said.

Members had not been properly informed of a new rule whereby members were not allowed to
carry alcohol in their luggage, the union said.

Qantas said it would apply to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) today
for an order preventing stopworks.

Meanwhile, talks in the AIRC late yesterday appeared to have removed the immediate threat
of industrial strife for rival airline Ansett.

Plans for a strike that would have halted Ansett flights on Friday have been put on hold,
after a clutch of 12 unions and the company agreed to another week of talks before the
commission.





[A][SOLAR][NSW]

Solar radiation rises up to 7 percent over Australia

SYDNEY - Radiation levels over Sydney had risen by up to seven per cent due to the
destruction of the upper atmosphere over the city and southern parts of Australia, it was
reported today.

The increased exposure levels, comparable to cities close to the equator, were being
experienced year-round, The Daily Telegraph reported.

A CSIRO report revealed the Antarctic "ozone-hole" this spring was the largest on record,
covering 25 million square kilometres.

It was reported that a new investigation by the Bureau of Meteorology into the destruction
of the ozone layer, which shields the Earth from solar radiation, found a general decline of
between five and seven per cent, resulting in increased radiation of up to 10 per cent over
the past 20 years.

A CSIRO spokesman said Sydneysiders this month would get the same levels of UV radiation to
people living in Darwin.

"International scientists suggest that UV levels over northern Australia are likely to have
risen by approximately five per cent," the spokesman said.

"However, measurements of UV radiation trends are difficult and these figures are
preliminary and may not be statistically significant."



[T][GOLF PRESIDENTS][GOLF]

Presidents Cup match-ups released

Greg Norman will partner fellow Australian Seve Elkington for the International team in the
opening round of the Presidents Cup against the United States tomorrow morning at Royal
Melbourne Golf Club.

Norman and Elkington are pitted against John Huston and Jim Furyk in the second match of
the foursomes format where each player plays alternate shots.

World number one Tiger Woods and Fred Couples will clash with South African Ernie Els and
big hitting Fijian Vijay Singh who represent the International team.

Starting the three day tournament at 8am will be New Zealanders Frank Nobilo and Greg
Turner, who both gained a start through invitation, against Americans Mark OMeara and David
Duval.

The International team is aiming for its first victory, having lost the two previous
events, the last in 1996, by one point.





[S][SPORT LIST][SPO]

World's most important sporting figure: Murdoch

ST LOUIS - Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch has been voted the worlds most
powerful person in sport.

Murdoch tops US weekly magazine The Sporting News' annual list of the 100 Most Powerful
People In Sports.

Murdoch is the chief executive of News Corporation, the global holding company for his
interests including BSkyB and Fox television outlets.

But he is one of the few international figures on the list, which omits FIFA president
Joseph Blatter, IAAF president Primo Nebiolo and Formula One president Bernie Ecclestone in
favour of Sandra Ortiz-Del Valle, a teacher-coach at Humanities High School in New York City
(98th), American sportscaster Bob Costas (83rd) and US sports statistical analyst Jeff Sagarin
(82nd).

The highest ranking non-American, other than Murdoch, is Dominican baseball player Sammy
Sosa, who plays for the Chicago Cubs (24th).

International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch of Spain is listed 29th
and IOC vice president Richard Pound of Canada is 36th.

Only one soccer figure is listed, Philip Anschutz, owner of the Los Angeles Galaxy,
Colorado Rapids and Chicago Fire of US Major League Soccer and the Los Angeles Kings of the
North American National Hockey League. He was listed 18th.

Among the other foreigners is South Korean golfer Pak Se-Ri (90th). Pak finished second in
her first season on the US LPGA tour's money list behind Sweden's Annika Sorenstam.

Sorenstam, who won more than $US1 million ($A1.63 million) in purses this year, is not
listed.

Also on the list at No.100 was Glory, a "Beanie Baby" stuffed animal toy which was used as
a promotional at many US Major League Baseball games this past season. The toy was cited for
significant increases in attendance at games where the item was given away.





[A][THELMA][WA]

Headed to sea, Cyclone Thelma still menaces NT

PERTH - Residents along the north Kimberley coast were on full alert as Cyclone Thelma swept
the northern tip of Western Australia, generating destructive winds with gusts up to 140 kph.

The latest Bureau of Meteorology warning said the cyclone had taken a northerly tack and was
about 120 km north of Kalumburu and headed out to sea.

State Emergency Service volunteers worked overnight to help residents in the small
Aboriginal coastal community, 3,055 km north of Perth, prepare emergency supplies for todays
expected onslaught.

About 150 residents were evacuated, while 200 stayed put as Thelma continued moving toward
the coast.

The bureau said gale force winds are current off the Kimberley coast on a drilling transfer
island that was evacuated two days ago.

Cyclone Thelma was expected to bring heavy rain and may lead to widespread flooding in the
north Kimberley.

A cyclone warning for the coastal and island communities between Wyndham and Kuri Bay in
Western Australia had been extended to the Cockatoo Island.

The Bureau had also extended a cyclone watch to Broome in Western Australia.





[F][jobless]

Analysts expect reversal in employment gain

CANBERRA - A big rise in Australias jobless rate is tipped when the November unemployment
figures are released later this morning.

Unemployment plummeted to an eight year low in October,
with many economists attributing the improvement to one-off
factors such as casual employment for the October 3 election.

Most are expecting the jobless rate to jump back to eight
per cent, a forecast strengthened by gloomy economic news
yesterday on consumer confidence and long term employment
forecasts.

Despite last weeks cut in interest rates, a Westpac
Banking Corp/Melbourne Institute survey found a 1.6 per cent
fall in consumer confidence this month.

But Westpac chief economist Nigel Stapledon said despite
the surprising fall, over the long term confidence was still
rising, with consumers remaining relatively upbeat.

"The December reading is a little surprising, coming as it
did after the Reserve Banks cut in official interest rates,"
Mr Stapledon said in a statement.

"(But) in trend terms consumer sentiment has been rising
for six consecutive months - consumers still remain upbeat."

However, another survey which forecasts long term trends in
employment, the Department of Employment, Workplace Relations
and Small Business leading indicator, fell for the fifth month
in a row in October.

The fall was mainly due to a decline in job vacancies,
indicating jobs growth is likely to falter.



[A][TAX KENNETT][FED]

List taxes on price tags, says Kennett

MELBOURNE - Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett today supported a proposal to list the GST as a
separate cost on price tags.

Woolworths chairman John Dahlsen has called for the GST to appear as a separate item on
dockets instead of being hidden in the price, a proposal supported by the federal opposition.

Mr Kennett said while he did not oppose the idea, the "beauty" of the GST was that it was a
flat 10 per cent.

"What would have been more interesting (would be) to have had the tax that we are all
paying on every item that we're buying now, because some of the times (they) have no tax, some
of them have 32 per cent," he told radio 3AW.

He said the next six months would be crucial to Australia's future, as the details of the
tax package came up for debate.

"We're going to know over the next six months whether this country's going to be able to
leap ahead with confidence or whether the senate is going to exercise its will and totally
neuter what the Prime Minister (John Howard) is going to achieve," he said.

Mr Kennett again urged the senate to pass the federal government's private health insurance
rebate, warning knocking it back would affect the tax package.





[A][NATION FUNDING][FED]

One Nation candidates want money: campaign director

CANBERRA - A claim that One Nation members could take legal action against their leaders
over alleged failure to distribute electoral funds was fabricated, party director David
Ettridge said today.

The funding was received by Mr Ettridge, who controlled it with party president Pauline
Hanson and adviser David Oldfield.

One Nation campaign director for the Victorian seat of Corio, Horst Pfeiffer today said
candidates were considering launching a class action to recover the money.

But Mr Ettridge said there was no substance to the claims and Mr Pfeiffer was not even a
member of the party.

Mr Pfeiffer said the party had indicated in a letter before the election that the
candidates would get at least $4,000 back.

"We understand that that money should now be distributed," he told ABC radio.

"We made a submission to Sydney that we be given the full amount that we expended and weve
given them details and we havent heard from them and that was ... six weeks ago."

Mr Pfeiffer said many One Nation members were disappointed in the delay in distributing
funds.

"I told the others prior to the election that that was probably what was going to happen -
that theyre not going to get any money from there.

"It stays with One Nation Pty Ltd and Ettridge and Pauline and Mr Oldfield will control
it."





[A][MOTOROLA][SA]

SA Liberals postpone decision on rebel MP

ADELAIDE - Rebel state Liberal MP Peter Lewis today raised the possibility of an imminent
leadership challenge to South Australian Premier John Olsen.

Mr Lewis said he expected a party room meeting to be called today as part of moves to
discipline him for speaking out recently against Mr Olsen over his handling of his
controversial dealings with communications company Motorola.

But he told ABC radio that if government members were looking for a chance to introduce a
leadership spill the meeting could also be the ideal the opportunity.

"They wont get much better," he said.

Mr Lewis said he had been surprised at the level of support offered to him in recent days
in his stand against Mr Olsen, coming from all sides of state politics.

He said he now viewed as allies some MPs he thought would never have backed him.

Whatever the outcome of todays meeting, the clash between Mr Olsen and Mr Lewis was
looming as a serious challenge to the Premiers hold on the Liberal leadership.

Should the issue be put to a vote, the likely challenger was former premier Dean Brown, who
was himself replaced by Mr Olsen in a party room spill two years ago.

Last night, moves to discipline Mr Lewis were postponed by Liberal officials at a meeting
of the party executive.

State director Jim Bonner said the meeting had not come to a decision and further meetings
would be held over coming days.



[A][STOWAWAY][QLD]

Stowaways body washes ashore

BRISBANE - The body of a Chinese stowaway who escaped a locked cabin and jumped overboard
from a coal ship was found washed ashore near Mackay in Queensland, police said today.

The man hid on the Scandinavian registered vessel Silvretta when it left the Chinese port
of Shekaw last week, bound for the Queensland bulk coal port of Hay Point.

Mackay police said the stowaway had been discovered by the Silvrettas crew and was locked
in a cabin until he could be handed over to authorities in Australia.

"Apparently the man picked a lock on the cabin window, stole a life belt from the ship and
jumped overboard about five km offshore some time on Tuesday," a Mackay police spokesman said.

It was some distance from the ships deck to the water and the man might have broken his
neck on impact, the spokesman said.

The body of a Chinese man, aged in his mid-20s, and wearing a Silvretta lifebelt, was found
yesterday washed ashore at Armstrong Beach, 20 km south of Hay Point.

Police said a post mortem would be carried out later today.





[I][UN-Iraq]

Weapons chief says Iraq blocked legal inspection

UNITED NATIONS Chief U.N. weapons inspector Richard Butler accused Iraq on Wednesday of
blocking a completely legitimate inspection after promising unhindered access and full
cooperation.

"This was an absolutely legal no-notice inspection and they
blocked us," he told The Associated Press. "It was a blockage and
it's wrong."

Despite the Iraqi interference, Butler plans to continue the
surprise searches, which began Tuesday and are expected to conclude
late this week or early next week, said U.N. spokesman Fred
Eckhard.

Butler said Monday he wanted to complete a series of tests of
Iraq's compliance before reporting to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi
Annan on whether Baghdad has kept its promise of full cooperation
with inspectors in the search for banned weapons.

"He has told us that he will not make an assessment of overall
Iraqi compliance on the basis of a single incident, and he expects
to give his final report on that assessment early next week,"
Eckhard said.

State-run Iraqi radio disclosed the incident, saying a U.N.
weapons team tried to get into an office of President Saddam
Hussein's ruling Baath party Tuesday "in a provocative manner ...
without previous announcement."

The party official in charge demanded that the head of the U.N.
team give him a written declaration "on the banned items" the team
was seeking, according to the broadcast, which quoted the official
Iraqi News Agency. "The team rejected this and withdrew," it said.

Iraq's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Saeed Hasan said the building was
the headquarters of the Baghdad branch of the Baath party, which he
called "a sensitive site."

The Iraqis in the past have tried to block or thwart some
unannounced inspections, calling them provocative and an
infringement of sovereignty.





[I][Britain-Pinochet]

Britain gives go ahead for Pinochet extradition

LONDON Saying Gen. Augusto Pinochet is fit enough to face charges of genocide and torture,
Britain on Wednesday allowed Spain to start extraditing him, leaving the 83-year-old former
dictator to fight a long legal battle from a rented English mansion under police guard.

Chile immediately announced the withdrawal of its ambassador in
protest as relations with Britain, a longtime ally, fell to a new
low.

In announcing his decision, Home Secretary Jack Straw rejected
complaints that a judge who swung a 3-2 court ruling against
Pinochet was biased because he heads the fundraising arm of the human rights organisation
Amnesty International.

"The Spanish request for his extradition will now be considered
by the courts," Straw said.

Bombarded by governments, lawyers, legislators, widows of
victims of Chilean police torture and widows of policemen slain by leftists, Straw had agonised
over the decision since Britain's highest court, the House of Lords, ruled Nov. 25 that
Pinochet has no immunity from arrest under English law.

Pinochet, who has not been seen in public since his arrest Oct.
16 while recuperating from back surgery during a routine visit to
Britain, is scheduled to appear before a London magistrate Friday
afternoon.

Because of the expected crush of interest, court officials moved
the hearing routine under extradition law from central London to Belmarsh Magistrate's
Court, 10 miles (15 kms) from the centre of the capital.

Pinochet's lawyers may apply to a judge Thursday for an
emergency review of Straw's decision on the grounds that it is
wrong in law.

In Chile, amid the joy of his opponents and anger of supporters,
there was caution that the crisis could endanger the democracy
built on compromise since Pinochet stepped down in 1990 after 17
years in power armed with immunities from prosecution in his
native land.

KEYWORD: NETNEWS 1200

1998 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.