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Thursday 15th August 1996
Thursday 15th August 1996
The leaders yesterday held a news conference where they threatened massive disruption of the Sydney 2000 Olympics in reply to the cuts. They accused the Federal government of racism and trying to destroy the Aboriginal culture.
Pauline Hanson was once again upping the anti by suggesting that all special Aboriginal programmes should be ended and that they be treated just like any other Aussie.
She really hit on a raw nerve by suggesting that ATSIC itself should be abolished...
Ouch... I wonder what "Sugar Ray Robinson" would do then?
ATSIC chairperson, Ms Lois O'Donoghue said that 30,000 Aborigines would be thrown out of work following the proposed Budget cuts ( the same people that would be used to disrupt the Olympics - according to Sugar Ray)... that there would be a dramatic increase in the number of Aborigines going to jail and that many more would be taken into custody.
Now the only reason that would happen is because the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS), which acts like a guardian angel for the Aboriginal gangs, has kept them out of jail while they go and plunder fair-dinkum businesses in the cold light of day... now this is fair dinkum! The Aboriginal youth in some areas only NOTE... are out of control and the police are scared to act because as soon as they do they are labelled racist and are pulled into court by the tax payer funded ALS.
The Budget, he said, would also deliver Au$1.5 billion in sweeteners.
In the lead up to the March 2nd election Howard had promised a means tested Au$1 billion annual tax cut for Australian families, worth about Au$4 a week for each child, and a Au$500 million rebate to encourage people to take out private health insurance.
ATSIC chairwoman Lois O'Donoghue was less than impressed saying that while the mining and rural sector had been promised a Au$1.3 billion tax break through the retention of the diesel fuel rebate the lifestyle of the indigenous Australian people would dramaticaly fall.
She said, "The primary industries lobbies have managed to dissuade the Government from any significant changes to the diesel fuel rebate scheme, a fuel subsidy that consumes more than the ATSIC budget."
The court case continues.....
One has got to wonder while all the media moguls are fighting over the fairly tattered remains of the once powerful Fairfax group.
The company blamed higher newsprint prices and redundancy payments to staff and executives to a 40.6% slump in earnings.
Fairfax posted a net profit of Au$87.5 million for the year to June compared with Au$147.3 million in the previous year.
Hey I knew that Bob Mansfield, that US import doing the rounds in the top echilons of business in Australia today, was onto a good thing... but I didn't realise that his salary package was THAT GOOD!
Mansfield was pushed to resign after continuing clashes Fairfax's major shareholder - Conrad Black.
The most sought after star appeared to be swimmer Kieren Perkins whose cavalcade required a number of body guards to keep the crowds at bay.
One amusing incident on television was that of a young woman rushing up to swimmer and silver medalist Scott Miller - planting a kiss on his cheek and giving him a big hug... now one wonders where the young man would be now if "he" had tried to do that to one of our female stars?
Equality of the sexes - I doubt it!
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