Today's Headlines
Saturday 20th April 1996
International:
Radical plans are afoot in the Catholic church in Australia to deal with the growing problem of a lack of resources both in priests and
places of worship. Under the plan priests would be answerable to lay administrators who would co-ordinate the sharing of the same building
for worship by both Catholics and Anglicans.
Political:
The Federal Government plan could cut 25,000 jobs over the next two years. The plan effectively freezes recruitment and targets
temporary workers and special allowances.
As public servants come to grips with the government's move to cut Au$8 billion from the budget deficit over 2 years:
- The Public Servants Commission sustained a cutback of staff of up to 70 employees rising to 100 the following year.
- The Federal Department of Health has proposed that it be subject to a 10%, or Au$2 billion, budget cut rather than lose the programs which the Department of Finance has earmarked to be abolished or handed back to the states.
- Universities were warned to be prepared for cuts of Au$250 million to Au$500 million across this sector,
Business:
The Reserve Bank has warned that if the Unions and the ACTU pushed for higher wages andd salaries that interest rates would have to rise.
The bank's declaration prepared the battleground for a wages push against inflation.
Sport:
The Brisbane Bears gave the unbeaten North Melbourne team a lesson in
a great Australian Football League match played out at the Gabba (in
Brisbane) yesterday. The Bears ran away by 31 points putting them 3rd out out of 16 teams with only Adelaide and North Melbourne
above them in the ladder.
Social:
Young women at the start of their adult lives suffer more from stress than older women juggling jobs and children a national portrait
of women's health in Australia says. The preliminary results of the 20 year survey to examine the effects of social factors on women's health
shows almost 4 out of 10 women aged 18 to 22 rate themselves highly stressed compared to almost 3 in 10 women aged 45 to 49 years.
Personal trivia:
Wow, what a big day yesterday! Alex Balson launched his business Alex's Scribbles
and gained great media attention on radio and in the press. We had a group of about 10 at the launch wearing his splendid
Koala trouble t-shirts.
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