Thursday 31st July 1997
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Rescuers have not been able to get to the injured which happened last night because of the instability of the ground following the slip.
It appears that buildings sitting on terraces on a steep hill concertinaed one on top of the other.
A few days ago we expressed our views on Emily Lau who did a report for Sixty Minutes on Pauline Hanson's effects on trade with Asia.
What Sixty Minutes didn't mention is that Emily Lau heads a fringe political group in Hong Kong called Frontier who are active in Hong Kong, here is what she has to say in her letter to Hong Kong on 6th July this year, and I quote:
"Howver (sic) freedom loving people from all over the world can rest assured that the freedom fighters in Hong Kong will not let the side down."
"Many foreign governments do not support Peking's decision to appoint a provisional legislature to replace the Legislative Council and have publicly voiced their reservation.
"However these governments still decided to send representatives to attend the inauguration of the provisional legislature which took place in the early hours of July first. When political leaders claim they support freedom and democracy but
fail to back up their statements with actions, they invite contempt. Thus it is not a question of Hong Kong being let down but these political leaders exposing their own hypocrisy and inconsistency.
"Like many other governments, London's top priority is getting a slice of the huge China market. We have also not forgotten that trade was the reason why the colony of Hong Kong was founded in the 19th century.
"1997 is not only a challenge for the Hong Kong people, it is also a challenge for humanity. It shows up the ugly side of human nature - greed, duplicity, hypocrisy and downright malice, people who want to crush all dissenting views simply because they want to make money and please Peking."
If Emily Lau was fair dinkum why did she not have a go at the Coalition Government for sending Foreign Minister Alexander Downer to the handover of Hong Kong to China? And what about Bob Hawke, or why did she not question the extensive coverage that Channel Nine gave to the handover of Hong Kong?
Here is a comment by the Singapore Times on, to quote Sixty Minutes, "one of the world's most 100 powerful women".
SINGAPORE STRAITS TIMES March 23, 1997 No more protests are held on the Japanese occupation of the Diaoyu islands; protests against the Provisional Legislature and calls for the release of Chinese dissidents have also died down. There seems to be an air of anticipation as Hongkongers adopt a wait-and-see attitude with the biggest event of their lives just round the corner. Even the ever voluble independent legislator Emily Lau has not been heard from for some time. Meanwhile, the Democrats have seized on the lull to raise funds in the United States -- something they are unlikely to be allowed to do in future under proposed changes to the law which aims to outlaw association with foreign powers. The calm is not surprising.
The launch of the Ipswich Branch of One Nation took place last night in the same building as the Humanities Centre from which the Ipswich City Council barred the meeting.
There were over 100 guests attending the launch - which closed peacefully at 9pm. There were people of all ages and all races and from all major parties signing up to join One Nation - no wonder the Labor and Liberal parties are afraid.
This is how the Queensland Times reported the event (catch the poetic license),
Heading: "Supporters nearly swamped by police" "Pauline Hanson's supporters were almost outnumbered by police and media personnel at One Nation Party Ipswich Branch's inaugural meeting last night.
"A One Nations spokeswoman said the meeting was held to introduce members to party policy and to canvass nominations for the branch's electorate.
Elections would take place at the next Ipswich branch meeting.
"About 70 supporters signed up for the meeting, but a quick headcount revealed about 40 police had turned up to provide security, about 20 media personnel came to report and about seven protesters came to heckle supporters."
As a Labor (ex) member said to me at the meeting, the ALP would "wet themselves" if they were able to attract just thirty people to a local branch meeting.
There were actually over 100 supporters based on an accurate head count made by myself during the meeting.
What was interesting was that the anti-racism campaign told the media that they would not set up protest action outside - resulting in only four or five protesters attending and no violence - thus no need for police or the Ipswich City Council staff to be "afraid".
Wonder what Cr Paul Tully has to say for himself now?
Pauline Hanson's One Nation, quite correctly, considers the move by the Ipswich City Council to be a breach of simple democratic principles.
The television cameras left the One Nation meeting early - maybe they should have gone to Brothers League Club in Silkstone (a suburb of Ipswich) where an Aboriginal Rugby League team tried to beat up the referee in the car park after they lost a match. The incident happened at about 9.30pm.... but there again that would be "politically incorrect" no reports of this ugly scene was reported in today's media.
In the meantime Lord Mayor Jim Soorley has got on the bandwagon proclaiming that One Nation will not be allowed to hold meetings in the city's venues.
"Pauline Hanson is unwelcome in Brisbane", Soorley said, "She peddles racism and she is destroying the social fabric of our society and our future. Pauline Hanson can speak in King George Square but she is not welcome in council buildings."
Soorley, is of course, a member of the Australian Labor Party.
Yesterday Queensland State Premier Rob Borbidge called the Ipswich City Council's decision stupid giving them the "dodo award" - wonder what he will give Soorley!
"We live in a democracy and I think it is very dangerous for a city council, or any authority, to say that people can't express a point of view, even though they may disagree with that point of view."
Pauline Hanson jump station.The drop means that, for the first time since deregulation in 1983, interest rates are lower than those in the US, now standing at just 5.5%.
Several banks immediately dropped their home lending rates following the announcement.
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31 July 1997
The Editor Dear Sir/Madam The issue of long term access to online publications is creating interest among librarians around the world. The National Library of Australia aims to retain in perpetuity a copy of all titles published in Australia in printed form in order to ensure that Australians will have access to the accumulated knowledge, activities and achievements of its citizens in all forms of human endeavour. In line with the objective, the Library is also committed to preserving selected electronic publications of lasting cultural value for access by the Australian community now and in the future. For some months, we have been assessing online electronic materials and identifying those that we consider have national significance. We have set up a project named PANDORA (Preserving and Accessing Networked DOcumentary Resources of Australia) to develop and implement procedures for managing the archiving and provision of long term access to online Australian publications. We realise that this needs to be done in cooperation with publishers and authors. With your permission ,we would like to include the title, Australian National News of the Day, in the Project. I would be grateful if you would let me know whether you are willing to assist us to achieve the goal of an online archive of Australian electronic publications. If you would like additional information about the Project, you may wish to visit the PANDORA site on the Library's server Yours sincerely
Paul Koerbin
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MEDIA RELEASE
Attention Chief of Staff, Newsroom:
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS CONDEMN IPSWICH COUNCIL BAN ON PAULINE
HANSON'S ONE NATION
"Ipswich Council's attempt to effectively ban the use of Council
facilities by the racist Pauline Hanson's One Nation party is an
attack on freedom of political expression and assembly", said
Democratic Socialist national spokesperson, Mr Peter Boyle,
today.
"Like the Howard government's attempt to deport US black activist
Lorenzo Ervin, this decision seriously threatens democratic
rights in this country. It sets a very bad precedent," Mr Boyle
added.
The Democratic Socialists believe that racism can only be
defeated politically.
"This anti-democratic move does not advance the anti-racist
movement which we strongly support and are actively building."
"Restricting the access to council facilities for any political
group is political censorship. Censorship merely drives racist
ideas underground and makes them harder to defeat. In addition,
censorship threatens everybody's democratic rights", said Mr
Boyle.
I have just heard that the Democrats have set up an educational pack to be
distributed to secondary schools to teach against Pauline Hanson and her
attacks on Aborigines and asians. I, not long ago left school and I believe
that teaching about the support or disapproval of a political party is not
part of the curiculam.
The democrats know with the support One Nation has at the moment, if there
was an election in the near future they would lose the balance of power in
the senate.So sorry Cheryl there is a new woman on the block and she cares
for the nation not herself.
Stevie
July 30, 1997
23 Abercrombie Street Chippendale NSW 2008 Australia
Post Office Box 515 Broadway NSW 2007 Australia
Tel: 61 2 9690 1230 Fax: 61 2 9690 1381
Email links@peg.apc.org
National Office
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