AAP National News Wire Round Up for Midday, Feb 17

AAP General News (Australia)
02-17-2000
AAP National News Wire Round Up for Midday, Feb 17
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130

MANDATORY JUDGES (MELBOURNE)

The Federal Government is under mounting pressure to intervene in mandatory sentencing
regimes, with retired judges and a Liberal backbencher joining calls for the laws to be
scrapped.

Former High Court chief justice Sir GERARD BRENNAN says the mandatory sentencing laws
in Western Australia and the Northern Territory are immoral.

And a second former High Court judge, Sir RONAD WILSON, has slammed the laws, saying
the two governments have their heads in the sand.

The judges' criticism comes ahead of planned protests today around the country on the issue.

In the latest mandatory sentence to attract condemnation, a 21-year-old man was jailed
at Groote Eylandt in the NT for one year for stealing $23 worth of biscuits.

South Australian Liberal MP CHRISTOPHER PYNE has joined fellow Liberal BRENDAN NELSON
in saying the sentence proves the Territory's sentencing regime should be scrapped because
it's inhumane.

The Senate inquiry into mandatory sentencing laws holds its final hearings tonight,
with a final report due on March 9.

TAX (CANBERRA)

Treasurer PETER COSTELLO has reaffirmed the government's commitment that prices won't
rise by more than 10 per cent under the GST.

Mr COSTELLO's also ruled out any GST exemptions for tampons.

He's told Sydney radio 2GB the Australian Democrats didn't ask for tampons to remain
tax-free during negotiations on the GST package.

Prices watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has forced retailing
giant Woolworths to remove price tags which indicated prices would increase by the full
10 per cent when the GST starts on July 1.

ACCC chief ALAN FELS says he hasn't yet seen any product which should carry a full
10 per cent price increase.

Meanwhile Opposition Leader KIM BEAZLEY says the government is being deceitful and
is trying to confuse consumers about the impact of the GST.

And Opposition deputy leader SIMON CREAN says Labor remains committed to rolling back
the tax in cases where it's most unfair.

HUNGARY CYANIDE EU (BRUSSELS)

A cyanide spill in Hungary's Tisza River is expected to cost a part-owned Australian
mine hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A European Commission initial report says the 40 km blight has totally destroyed fauna
and flora on the river.

The cyanide apparently leaked from a Romanian mine which uses the toxic chemical to
extract gold from ore.

The cyanide-tainted water travelled through Hungary and Yugoslavia, and has now entered
the Danube, Europe's second-longest river after the Volga.

The mine is 50-per cent owned by Australia's Perth-based Esmeralda Exploration Ltd,
while the Romanian government owns 45 per cent and Romanian business interests the remaining
five per cent.

Hungary has announced it will initiate compensation claims against Esmeralda Exploration.

BUILDING REITH (CANBERRA)

Federal Workplace Relations Minister PETER REITH has blamed Victoria's industrial problems
on Premier STEVE BRACKS, saying he's a union man.

Mr REITH says investment and jobs are leaving the state because Mr BRACKS is weak.

And Mr REITH says yesterday's bashing of a union official, which lead to an angry strike
by workers, is a matter for police to determine.

The Federal Minister says the Premier hasn't been strong enough in rejecting building
union calls for a 36-hour working week.

He says Victoria's lost a bid to attract Virgin Airlines headquarters and a billion-dollar
Mirvac project because of the unions.

COLLINSVILLE (BRISBANE)

A Queensland mining union says the loss of 49 jobs at a coal mine will devastate the
local economy at Collinsville.

Operator Thiess Contractors have said the job cuts were forced because the mine was
no longer competitive in the export market.

But Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union spokesman ANDREW VICKERS says the
cuts signal the start of potential job losses throughout the mining industry.

The Collinsville mine workforce has fallen to 70, down from about 700 six years ago.

Mr VICKERS says the recent price drop in coal sold to Japan has put even more pressure on jobs.

SACKED REITH (CANBERRA)

Workplace Relations Minister PETER REITH is pressing the New South Wales government
for funds before assisting Hunter Valley meatworkers left out-of-pocket by a company collapse.

About 80 sacked meatworkers from Scone Fresh Meats are owed about $600,000 in entitlements
by the company.

And they're seeking assistance like that given to 340 workers at the collapsed National
Textiles factory 100 km away, which was chaired by Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD's brother
STAN.

Mr REITH says regional assistance has been extended to the Scone workers, but he's
written to the NSW government seeking a dollar-for-dollar commitment -- as in the National
Textiles case.

KALEJS MEETING LATVIA (RIGA)

Latvia has asked Australia to fast-track an extradition treaty which would allow the
return of suspected war criminal KONRAD KALEJS to his native country for trial.

KALEJS is accused of being involved in Nazi atrocities during Germany's 1941-44 occupation
of the Baltic country.

Investigators from Australia, the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany and Israel
are gathering in the Latvian capital, Riga, to compare notes on the Latvian-born 86-year-old.

KALEJS was deported from the United States and Canada in the 1990s for lying about
his wartime record.

Nazi hunters found him in a British nursing home last year and he subsequently fled
to Australia in January, where he has had citizenship since 1957.

BRIEFLY.................................................

UN Secretary-General KOFI ANNAN has ended a protest-peppered, two-day visit to Indonesia,
urging the government not to use force against separatist rebels and warning Jakarta to
bring East Timor rights abusers to trial or face UN action.

A former Bank of New York executive and her husband have pleaded guilty to money laundering
charges, admitting they accepted $A2.85 million to arrange a scheme linked to the Russian
mob.

Police are investigating two drive-by shootings in Sydney's west overnight in which
two families had lucky escapes.

A search is under way in the Gulf of Carpentaria for a 29-year-old diver who's been
missing since yesterday.

KERRY PACKER's Nine Network says it's reached a deal with India's national broadcaster
DOORDARSHAN to produce television coverage of all international cricket in India to 2002.

FINANCE..................................................

At 1120 AEDT the all ordinaries index was DOWN 20.6 points at 3127.70.

Qantas Airways today posted a half year net profit of $337.8 million, up 51.5 per cent
on the previous corresponding half.

And paper and packaging group Amcor and financial services group Lend Lease have also
released half year profit results today.

Amcor's announced a 41.3 per cent lift in first half net profit to $210.5 million and
plans to split into two businesses and float its paper operations.

Lend Lease has recorded a half year net profit of $276 million, up 34 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Australian dollar is worth 63.09 US cents UP from yesterday's close of 63.23

Gold in Sydney is trading higher at $US301.75 an ounce, from $298.25 last.

SPORT....................................................

ATHS DOPING QLD (BRISBANE)

Former Australian champion RON CLARKE has reiterated that beleaguered British sprint
star LINFORD CHRISTIE is welcome to train at his Queensland resort.

CLARKE's described as ridiculous the New South Wales government ban on the 1992 Olympic
100m champion who is under a drug investigation.

CLARKE has training facilities at Couran Cove resort on the Gold Coast.

CHRISTIE, currently banned from competing while under investigation by the International
Amateur Athletic Federation for testing positive to the steroid nandrolone, was coaching
seven British athletes at the Sydney Academy of Sport.

CRICKET AUST WEATHER (WELLINGTON)

Australia's opening one day cricket match with New Zealand looks set to go ahead after
yesterday's play was washed out without a ball bowled.

Yesterday's rain has lifted to fine weather today, enabling the match to be moved to
the reserve day.

NSL GLORY (PERTH)

Perth Glory says coach BERND STANGE will leave the soccer club at the end of this season
after chair NICK TANA refused to renew his contract, which expires in June.

ENDS BULLETIN
AAP RTV/rp/rt

KEYWORD: MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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