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Since October 1995

Thursday 11th April 1996

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International:

Indonesia's new ambassador, Wiryono Sastrohandoyo, attacked Australian critics as "lily-white angels" yesterday over human rights issues in East Timor. He also said that Australia was part of Asia but excluded from the Association of South-East Asian nations for political reasons. (touch of the old Paul Keating legacy in there somewhere.)

In other news from our Asian neighbour it appears that nepotism is the way to go with a member of President Suharto's family scoring an extraordinary deal - this time in the motor industry. President Suharto's son Tommy, a very recently wealthy yong man, has just scored what can only be called the "Sale of the Century". The Indonesian government has given him an exclusive deal to make cars in the country with a 60% tax break for countrymen buying the Tommy Suharto cars. Must be his birthday present from daddy.

Reminds me a bit of the days of Marcos and the Philippines.

Political:

Tough new accountability measures have been announced on the annual Au$1 billion Australian Torres Straits and Islander Commission budget. ATSIC regional councils would be cut to between 8 and 12. Commission members and the chairman would be elected by the government.

There was an immediate outcry from displaced parties that the Aborigines were being patronised and being treated like the boys from the bush who had to be taken care of by the whites.

Yes fellows, but whose money are you playing with? I recall a few years ago back in Western Australia that I received a call from ATSIC in Perth who wanted a book put into an interactive format on floppy disk. I still have that book somewhere. The fellow from ATSIC said that he had to "burn up his budget" so that he could justify an equally large one for the next year.

Well we didn't do the job because when we asked the question as to who would ever use it.. the futility suddenly became apparent and the Aboriginal fellow pursued other ways to spend tax payers money. Controversial Oxley MP Pauline Hanson also had something to say about the issue. Her letter to the editor in the Queensland Times yesterday is worth reading.

Business:

AMP, Australia's largest superannuation company, has joined the big league with a profit of Au$1.95 billion in the calendar year ending December 1995. The profit was a massive increase on last year's Au$504 million. The group's investment assets increased by a whopping Au$6.9 billion over the same period.

Sport:

Rugby League is all set for a massive clash between the Queensland giant teams of the Brusbane Broncos and the Crushers. Should be interesting. The Crushers supported the Australian Rugby League and saw themselves as the Premier's elect while the Broncos were behinf the failed Super League.

Social:

Short of breath residents should seek shelter in air-conditioning if smoke from bush fires continued to choke Brisbane, Queensland Ambulance warned yesterday. Hundred of people were treated with respiratory problems as the city was enveloped by dense brown smog from burn-offs at Brisbane's Forest Park and bush fires in Eaglesby to the South and Ipswich to the West.

Personal trivia:

Lovely day enjoying the view and the relaxation of life from the Global Office. Another big one in the city today. Guess those are the breaks!

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