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an Aussie's viewpoint on Australia's first daily Internet newspaper.

Tuesday 19th November 1996

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International:

That intrepid Star Fleet commander and Mars explorer, none other than US President Bill Clinton, burst into our lives in a big way yesterday... phoning Prime Minister John Howard to warn him that a Russian Mars probe had failed and was destined to re-enter earth space and hit Australia - with the location identified as a swamp near Tibooburra on the northern border of New South Wales.

and today he arrives in Sydney.... see below.

But getting back to the probe, travelling at 26,000 kilometres per hour, missed by a factor of thousands of kilometres crashing into the sea near Chile. Howard was more than a bit irky as he seemed to be the last person on earth to know about the perils associated with the wayward missile - carrying a large amount of radioactive plutonium.

The probe, known as Mars-96 was to play a key role in the star wars quest to find life on Mars. NASA's chief space scientist Wesley Huntress said, "It is a real disaster for the Russians to have lost this mission and it is a real loss for Mars exploration."

Leading Aboriginal activist Gary Foley yesterday labelled the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) as an undemocratic, unrepresentative organisation which should be abolished.

He said that ATSIC and its predecessor, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, had misspent over Au$25 billion of tax payers money - or about 12% of Australia's current account deficit...

Mr Foley, correctly said, that Aboriginal people had not prospered in the past 15 years under these departments and the Australian Labor Party's "veneer of tolerance" between white and indigenous Australia had been underpinned by the spending of millions of dollars on public relations companies in Sydney and Melbourne.

He also delivered a surprising endorsement of the views of Oxley independent MP Pauline Hanson claiming that an Aboriginal industry did exist.

Mr Foley said, "If every Aboriginal person in Australia dropped dead tonight there would be one million non-Aboriginal people on the dole queues tomorrow. That's the extent of the Aboriginal Industry.

"Where do you think the Au$25 billion or Au$30 billion went? You know and I know it didn't go to us."

On matters Michael Jackson, we received the following unsolicited piece of email which we will carry only because he arrived in Brisbane yesterday..... and without sporting his face mask! The weather and pollution levels in this state must be low!!

PRESS-RELEASE FOR ALL INTERNATIONAL MICHAEL JACKSON WEB-SITE MASTERS:

This afternoon, monday november 18th, at 16.00 hours (CET) Mystery and The Legend Continues will open 3 new site at:

Link one
Link two
and
Link three

For all info about these pages and sites go to the info-section at Link three

We hope you'll like the sites and the database of the first Michael Jackson domain on the Internet.

Bye,

The Legend Continues board

I haven't got the time to check out the links... but there they are!

Oh yes, getting back to the Star Fleet Commander, Bill Clinton, he arrives in Sydney tonight and will meet with Prime Minister John Howard.

Matters to be raised will include the trade imbalance with Australia importing Au$17.85 billion pa from the US compared to exports of only Au$4.7 billion to the US.

There are some good reasons for this trade imbalance too, the tariffs placed on Australian goods. For example wool growers (one of our most important exports) have a major trade barrier up with wool sales to the US being effectively blocked. The wool growers would receive an additional Au$157 million boost in the first year US tariffs and quotas were abolished... but Australia just has to mention reciprocal treatment and the US Senators threaten everything short of an invasion of our country.... Some friendship!

Final word on things "out of this world" from "San Siro 1" in Spain:
Subject: Your article on Mars dated 12-Aug-96
Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1996 16:11:05 +0100
Demagogs everywhere!!

We are feeding billions thanks in part to the Apollo project. Research is needed in every area. Space money is not money wasted. Research your data banks. Who do think invented nylon or velcro? Why donīt you lobby for milytary budget cuts worldwide?

Thanks for your time.

Political:

Prime Minister John Howard has vowed not to take the Aussie battler for granted and promised to reamin humble about the privilege of leadership.

In Melbourne last night he said that he would follow the example of Robert Menzies who built his success on his affinity with Australians between 1949 and 1966.

Howard was delivering the 1996 Menzies lecture when he talked about the new constituency of battling families and others who did not want their government to respond to the "loudest clamour ot the noisiest minority" as was evidenced in the bureacracy of the Labor years.

In an attack on previous Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating Howard said Sir Robert had been subjected to a dishonourable and vindictive attempt to rewrite history.

Howard said,
"The fact that the Menzies era provided good government of integrity, high achievement and strong leadership - which Australians returned to office again and again because it was attuned to the aspirations of the great mainstream of Australian society."

"Australian history should never be the source of smug delusions or comfortable superiority. But nor should it be a basis for obsessive and consuming national guilt and shame."

You say:

The controversy over ATSIC and it's spending habits just won't go away.

Cyber feedback:

Do you think that ATSIC as we know it today should be disbanded?:

Please email any views or related information on the above.


Business:

Dumped ANI director Ross Palmer has sold his 5% in the company - realising a Au$25 million loss on his investment in the shares. The shock move followed his failure to overhaul the ANI board. He has retained just 600,000 shares and pledged to continue with his campaign.

He said, "They haven't heard the last of me."

His stock was sold at Au$1.27 a share 63 cents lower than the price he paid for the stock in August 1994.

Social:

University graduate starting salaries have dropped to the lowest levels in almost 20 years according to a new report by the Graduate Careers Council of Australia.

The report reveals the following average starting salaries:
ProfessionAverage Starting Salary in A$
Dentistry42,000
Medicine40,000
Optometry34,000
Engineering31,000
Earth Sciences30,100
Computing29,500
Veterinary Science28,000
Education27,600
Social Work27,300

Personal trivia, from the global office:

Beautiful day outside, once again to be enjoyed in the global office... isn't life hard!

Take a moment to reflect on my view!

Have a great Webster day...


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