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Tuesday 20th August 1996
Tuesday 20th August 1996
The faces of disgraceIt was a sad day for Australia yesterday.
What started as a peaceful rally of 10,000 unionists gathering and chanting outside Parliament House in Canberra to voice their feelings about the Budget, which is to be released today, ended in a violent and bloody confrontation.
The rally, initially centered on the vast rolling lawns around Parliament House, moved towards the massive front doors. Police gathered inside to protect the Parliament as a large section of the crowd, mainly Aboriginal, took up positions on the outside. Stirred on by the other unionists the Aborigines started trying to open the bolted doors using a trolly, then a large pole which eventually gained the desired result at about 12.45pm.
The windows were smashed as the rioters became looters and cleaned out a book store stealing tapes and other goods from the helpless store owner.
In the ensuing clashes a large number of police (over 60) and rioters were injured, some by broken glass, others by fighting. Police were kicked, punched, abused and even had urine thrown in their eyes at one stage.
Rally organisers pleaded with the out of control hard core mob of looters who simply ignored the calls, swarming over the inside hallways of Parliament House. The police, supported by growing numbers of reinforcements, formed a human blockade against the mob who failed to gain access to the main floor of Parliament.
At about 3pm after several arrests had been made and the crowd had been dispursed the Prime Minister angrily condemned the unionists - echoing the sentiments of the vast majority of Australians.
Mr Howard told unionists who had organised a meeting with him before the events of the day that the meeting was terminated... and the meeting never took place.
The big losers out of yesterday's events are the Australian Council of Trade Unions and, by association, the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It will now be even harder for the ALP to mount a strong campaign against government labour market reforms - because the media will now visual the events of yesterday's ramapage when reporting on these discussions.
Having said all that it is sad indeed that the State and Federal politicians see fit to have two sets of rules when it comes to such an important area as superannuation.
Paul Keating invested just over Au$100,000 in superannuation while he was a politician and now has a tax payer funded lump sum of Au$2.6 million!
This and other related revelations at a time when the disadvantaged are being told that they will lose in the upcoming Budget have struck home causing outrage and astonishment.
The Labor politican who became governor in the early 1990s, Bill Hayden, did even better. His Au$65,000 investment netting him a similar amount to Keating.
For once I agree with the leader of the Democrats, Cheryl Kernot, who has called for an inquiry into parliamentary superannuation. Our thought for the day sums this situation up I believe.
The Budget is expected to hit high income earners and big business but will deliver promised family tax breaks. Measures that Peter Costello is expected to announce today include:
"Ill health cannot become a licence to commit crime and offenders generally must not expect to escape punishment because of the condition of their health," Mr Martin said.
"Anything less than a substantial term of imprisonment would fail to reflect the seriousness of these offences," Martin went on to say.
After a full day of hearing arguements and counter arguements, District Court Judge Antoinette Kennedy reserved her decision on sentence to 11.30am Western Standard Time today.
To add fuel to the fire, Mr Nisbet representing the liquidators of Southern Equities Corporation was rattling around at the edges looking for his pound of flesh, or in this case an amount of between Au$9.7 ,illion and Au$10.5 million. Nisbet wanted restitution of Bond's bankruptcy under Section 719 of the Criminal Code. True to form, Bondy offered Southern Equities Au$190,000 to close the deal.
This move drew a swift response from Mr Nisbet who said, "Whenever Mr Bond has got his back against the wall, he's come up with significant amounts of money."
Well said I reckon but Bondy's Council didn't like it describing the comments as outrageous and utterly inappropriate. Guess we'll hear later today how long one of the world's most notorious businessmen will land up in the slammer...
About time someone caught up to him after all the pain and financial distress he has caused dinky di Aussies around Australia.
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