Sarturday 1st February 1997
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Issues - The banking system under the spotlight.
The report states:
"In practice, however, indigenous Australian continue to experience higher rates of imprisonment, inferior access to medical and educational infrastructures, greatly reduced life expectancy rates, elevated levels of unemployment, and general discrimination which contribute to an overwhelming feeling of disenfranchisement.
"Nationally, indigenous people are imprisoned at over 15 times the rate of non-indigenous people. Over 45% of Aboriginal men between the ages of 20 and 30 have been arrested at some times in their lives.
"Indigenous groups claim that the Government's lack of response to a series of recommendations by the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody contributes to these disturbing statistics.
"Human rights observers claim that socio-economic conditions give rise to common precursors of indigenous crime eg unemployment, homelessness and boredom.
"During a 12 month reporting period ending in July 1996, 21 Aboriginal people were reported to have died in custody or during police operations."
Interesting that the same report does not cover the disgraceful living condition of native Americans who have to be the most disenfranchised people in the world today.
Tell you what Yanks this is the sort of one-sided bull**** which gives you such a bad name elsewhere in the world. Guess it justifies the existence of the the social welfare academics who were probably paid squillions to do the "research". By the way one can always tell a Yank in a crowd - he/she is the one making the most noise (take that as loudest voice).
On the eve of his meeting with the National Farmers Federation (NFF) Howard said, "The farmers have a fair amount of justice at stake too because (of) the effect of the High Court's (Wik) decision.
"The effect of the High Court's decision on the expectations of many of those farmers in relation to their leasehold estates is massively retrospective.
"At the time... most of the pastoral leases were issued in this country, the idea that native title existed was just not present in anybody's minds.
"The difficulty, of course, with that proposition (that native title can co-exist with pastoral leases) is that almost without exception when leases were issued.... it was no part of the law of Australia that there was such a thing as native title.
"So, almost by definition, the terms of the issue of those leases didn't contemplate the inter-relationship netween leasehold estates and native title interests."
The NFF yesterday maintained a hardline stance calloing on the Prime Minister to introduce retrospective legislation giving pastoralists exclusive occupancy of their leases. This would effectively extinguish native title rights over pastoral leases and would involve a significant winding back of the Wik decision.
The NFF President Mr Don McGauchie yesterday called on the Prime Minister to honour "the agreement reached between the NFF and the Keating Government in 1993" that pastoral leases extinguish native title.
The chief executive of Optus Communications, Dr Ziggy Switowski, confirmed yesterday that Optus Vision was prepared for a long and bitter legal battle with the television network over the issue.
"(Seven chairman Mr Kerry) Stoke's legal antics are bothersome and needlessly destructive," said Dr Switowski, "we look forward to our day in court.
"We remain open to discussion with Mr Stokes but the February 24 court date looms now on the horizon."
An 8% leap in exports reduced the country's trade performance by over Au$500 million in December. Main exports were wheat, gold, boats, iron ore and gas reduced the monthly current account deficit to Au$1.4 billion from Au$1.89 billion in November.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics said that it was the lowest seasonally adjusted deficit figure since July.
The West Indies have won all their previous encounters against the Australians at Perth's WACA cricket stadium.
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