Today's Headlines

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

Monday 23rd December 1996

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What the "professional" Australian journalists say about (Australian) News of the Day - and our response.

International:

China has elected 33 of the members - all known to be pro-Chinese, leaving the people from Hong Kong with the selction of the remaining 27 representatives who will form the minority party.

Downer said, "It is disappointing that China and Britain were not able to to agree that Hong Kong's current Legislative Council serve out its full four year term and that China has thought it necessary to establsih a provisional legislature."

His stand contracts markedly with that of Prime Minister John Howard who recently refused to meet with Hong Kong's most popular politician - Democratic Party leader Martin Lee.

Hong Kong falls under China's control on the 1st July 1997.

Political:

Already 6,300 bureaucrats have lost their jobs and another 15,000 will follow in the next 18 months. Welfare agencies are particularly concerned about the reduction in numbers of public servants saying that the move will result in reduced services to rural areas.

In Queensland five Medicare and nine Commonwealth Employment Service offices will close.

Telstra which has already announced job cuts of over 22,000 expected to shed about 10,000 more when it is partially privatised some time next year.

Major job losses are expected in the following areas:

• Telstra: 22,000
• Australian Taxation Office and Child Support Agency: 4,012
• Administrative Services Department: 3,775
• Social Security Department: 1,400
• Australian Broadcasting Service: 1,200
• Defence Department: 1,200
• Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs Department: 1,200
• Australian National Railways Commission: 900
• Health and Family Services Department: 600

Sport:

The four decided to give it a go only a few minutes earlier after realising that their combined times, clocked up at the Australian short-course championships in Melbourne, could reach the magic mark.

Adrian Radley (back-stroke), Ryan Mitchell (breast-stroke), Geoff Huegill (butterfly) and Michael Klim (freestyle) combined to come home in a time of 3 minutes 32.57 seconds - smashing the time of the 1993 US team and current record holders.

All four swimmers excelled at the meet with several world records being beaten, but the star of the series was, without doubt, freestyler Michael Klim.

Personal trivia, from the global office:

Have a great day...

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