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Saturday 27th April 1996

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International:

The Federal Labor Party (what is left of it after the March election) turned out to pay tribute to Paul Keating who resigned his seat after 27 years in Parliament. The true believers headed up by the new Labor leader, Kim Beazley poured praise on Keating while former governor Bill Hayden said that Keating "was a truley remarkable person". What was talked about as a major detraction to his popularity was the amazing financial success that he had while treasurer, building up a personal financial empire worth millions of dollars. Sounds almost like Nelson Mandela's amazing rise to enormous wealth!

Personally I remember him best for one line put-downs. Perhaps his greatest was recorded in Parliament in 1993 just before the Federal Election in which John Hewson lost the unloseable election.

Who will ever forget Keating putting his finger above his lip while on the floor and blowing a rasberry at Hewson in a manner refering to Hewson's continued stumbling while questioned over the GST!

Political:

The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, John Herron, cited the guilty plea by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) comissioner to four charges of fraud as just "one of the reasons" why he believed that all was not well within ATSIC.

Since the blue over ATSIC and the threats, abuse and rabble rousing by some ATSIC commissioners it appears that hundreds of complaints against the commissioners by indigenous Australians have been made to John Herron's department. They include allegations of fraud, nepotism and much worse.

Cheryl Kernot, leader of the Democrats, took the easy and politically correct line saying that the Federal Government review of ATSIC was creation a perception that "all blackfellows are either crooks or can't handle money".

No Mrs Kirnot I don't agree. We all know that there are some great and straight Aborigines just like there are some great and straight Europeans, Asians, Indians etc... but if there is someone abusing the system why treat them differently because they are indigenous? It is that past preferential treatment which has allowed ATSIC to become the centre of this scandal as some commissioners appear to have abused the trust. This reflects on all the others, unfortunately.

Business:

Gold is in the spotlight at the moment with labour problems in South Africa apparently having a powerful effect on the price - which is moving steadily upwards. The stock market in Australia is going through a mini-boom with rises being recorded every day.

Sport:

Tonight at exactly 7.25pm Eastern Standard time Kieren Perkins will be swimming the race of his life as he has one last attempt to make the Australian swimming team to go to Atlanta. Kieren will be swimming the 1500 metre race against two very strong competitors, Daniel Kowalski who recorded the fastest time in the heats and Glen Houseman. Only two swimmers can make it in this event and it will indeed be a tragedy if Kieren does not make the Australian Olympic Team.

It was revealed yesterday that Kieren was found to be suffering from low iron levels - the apparent problem that he is currently facing and the reason for his poor form in his earlier events.

Somehow I think that Kieren is going to trounce Kowalski and Houseman in the final as he is a true champion and not, as some reporters would have us believe, a "chocker" an ailment that Greg Norman reportedly suffers from.

Social:

Australia and New Zealand should outlaw the smacking of kids in the home according to the Professor of Psychology at New Zealand's University of Waikato, Professor Jane Ritchie.

Speaking at a conference in Adelaide yesterday the Professor said that imposing correctional treatment such as smacking kids was against a UN convention on the rights of the child.

Sorry sweetheart but neither you nor some trumped up committee I have never heard of are going to tell me how to bring up my kids. The UN is a total farce, everybody realises that - look at their performance in the Balkans, their lame duck approach in Ruanda-Urundi and their failure in Somalia.

The UN is just a political vehicle for the heavyweight bureaucrats in the heavyweight countries. It should be treated with justifiable scorn and distrust.

Personal trivia, from the global office:

We are enjoying a really lovely rain break at the moment. We had soft falling rain again yesterday. There was trouble in the large mangoe tree next door yesterday. Reports eminating from the verandah outside our first-floor bedroom state that two Corella's had taken possession of the tree and were attempting to fend-off, somewhat unsuccessfully, about 20 sulpur crested cockatoos who have lived there for years. After an hour or more of foul language and raucous threats the tree was vacated by the Corellas in the face of numbers.

They put up a good stand and a good show while it lasted!

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