AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Aug 22

AAP General News (Australia)
08-22-2001
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Breakfast, Aug 22
Breakfast Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 0430

ETHNIC WONG (SYDNEY)

Community leaders outraged at New South Wales Premier BOB CARR's recent focus on ethnicity
in relation to gang crime in Sydney will meet tomorrow to address the issue.

Upper House MP PETER WONG says the leaders of the Arabic, Lebanese, Chinese and Vietnamese
communities and peak welfare groups will meet to come up with their own solutions.

Dr WONG compares Mr CARR's tactics to those employed by One Nation leader PAULINE HANSON.

And he's accusing the Premier of failing to listen to solutions already being proposed
by ethnic community groups.

Dr WONG says the focus on ethnicity in crime has incited racist sentiments towards
Asian and Arabic communities.



POLLNT CLAIM (DARWIN)

Labor Leader CLARE MARTIN hopes to claim victory in the Northern Territory election today.

Labor scrutineers say the Country Liberal Party could be in a unwinnable position in
the undecided Darwin seat of Millner by midday.

Ms MARTIN then expects a firmer picture of whether she can form government, or whether
she must ask either of the two independents to support her minority government.

Yesterday, Labor lawyer MATTHEW BONSON was trailing CLP incumbent ALEX MITCHELL in
Millner but if independents' preferences continue to favour Mr BONSON, Labor could be
in an unbeatable position.

But if the CLP closes the gap, the result could come down to the final postal votes
counted on Friday night.



ENTITLEMENTS POLL (MELBOURNE)

A national poll has found nearly three quarters of Australian employees think the government
should guarantee entitlements from companies that go broke.

Nearly half of the 1,000 workers interviewed in the quarterly Employee Sentiment Survey
say the money for this guarantee should come from a levy on all employers.

A further 40 per cent of those surveyed believe the fund should come from the government's
own tax revenue, and seven per cent say it should come from a levy on wage earners.

The Saulwick employee poll also shows nine per cent of the surveyed workforce -- including
the unemployed -- think unemployment will fall in the next 12 months, and 42 per cent
think the rate will increase.

Only 11 per cent of workers think they're not paid a fair wage, while seven per cent
say their workplace is unsafe.



AFGHAN AUST (CANBERRA)

Australia will continue efforts to visit two aid workers detained in Afghanistan despite
the failure of a diplomatic attempt to convince the ruling Taliban to allow access.

Australian consul ALASTAR ADAMS and diplomats from the United States and Germany boarded
a Red Cross flight out of the capital, Kabul, yesterday.

West Australians DIANA THOMAS and PETER BUNCH, two Americans, four Germans and 16 Afghanis
were arrested by the Taliban's religious police more than two weeks ago for allegedly
spreading Christianity.

They've been held ever since with no visits from friends, colleagues or diplomats allowed.

Despite constant efforts and many meetings with Taliban officials, diplomats have only
been able to pass on some personal items for the aid workers.



POLL (CANBERRA)

The government continues to trail the Labor Party in the latest Bulletin-Morgan poll.

The poll, to be published in The Bulletin today, shows Labor holding a 10 per cent
lead over the government on a two-party preferred vote.

It shows primary support for the government down half a per cent to 35 per cent, while
Labor's primary support has dropped a point to 41 per cent.

There's a 0.5 per cent drop for the Australian Democrats to 8.5 per cent, the Greens
are up one point to five per cent, while One Nation has grabbed an extra 0.5 per cent
to climb to five per cent.

On a two-party preferred basis, the Coalition's gained one point to 44.5 per cent while
Labor dropped a point to 55.5 per cent.



US RATE

US Federal Reserve has cut interest rates for the seventh time, lowering the federal
funds rate by a quarter-point to 3.50 per cent.



MENINGOCOCCAL (BRISBANE)

A memorial mass is being arranged for 16-year-old CHRISTOPHER D'ARCY, the latest victim
of meningococcal disease in Queensland.

CHRISTOPHER, the son of former Wallaby prop TONY D'ARCY, died in Brisbane's Holy Spirit
hospital yesterday after being diagnosed with the disease last week.

CHRISTOPHER is the second student from Brisbane's Nudgee College to die from the disease
in recent weeks after the death earlier this month of Year 8 student DANIEL LAHERTY.

Acting Nudgee Principal MIKE SENIOR says the entire school community is deeply saddened
by the deaths.

Queensland Health's communicable diseases unit manager Dr LINDA SELVEY says about 1,800
students and staff at Nudgee have been vaccinated against one strain of the disease.



COURIERS (SYDNEY)

Courier owner-drivers have won their battle to be excluded from a new tax ruling they
claim will send them bankrupt.

The Australian Tax Office has confirmed that courier owner-drivers who operate under
typical industry contracts will be considered independent contractors.

But the Transport Workers Union says while the announcement is a major step forward,
the union will wait to read the fine print before declaring victory.

The ATO announcement follows a state-wide courier strike in New South Wales against
the controversial rulings.



FAMILIES (CANBERRA)

A new report has found families with dependent children have become the forgotten people
of the tax system, with many households coping with incomes equivalent to welfare.

A study by the Centre for Independent Studies released today says changes to family
payments over the past decade have left many working parents on incomes little different
to social security.

In contrast, even low-income families without children enjoy after tax earnings well
above single welfare benefit payments.

Report author LUCY SULLIVAN says while social security spending is on the rise, expenditure
to shore-up family income levels has decreased.

She says that, in effect, middle income families have paid for an expanded welfare system.



NEWS IN BRIEF
Former Prime Minister BOB HAWKE will today try to broker an end to an industrial dispute
that threatens Sydney's train system.



Liberal Party federal president SHANE STONE will continue testifying today in a court
challenge to his appointment of the Northern Territory's chief magistrate.



Up to 1,000 nurses will walk off the job at two of Sydney's largest hospitals today to
protest low salaries and staffing levels.



Victoria's police union and Chief Commissioner CHRISTINE NIXON will resume marathon talks
today, with no immediate end to police work bans in sight.



IN SPORTS NEWS


CRICKET RATINGS (LONDON)

GLENN MCGRATH has equalled the highest rating achieved by any Test bowler over the
past decade, but ADAM GILCHRIST has dropped one place in the batting following Australia's
loss to England in the fourth Test.

MCGRATH increased his lead as world No.1 with a rating of 915, up two points to equal
West Indian great CURTLY AMBROSE's career-best rating.

GILCHRIST dropped from No.4 to No.5, with India's RAHUL DRAVID sneaking up to fourth
behind the unchanged top three batsmen of SACHIN TENDULKAR, STEVE WAUGH and ANDY FLOWER.



HOCKEY WOMEN (AMSTELVEEN, Netherlands)

The Australian women's hockey team has suffered a shock 2-1 defeat by Argentina in
the Champions Trophy tournament in the Netherlands.

Both teams have two wins and a loss with two matches to play in the six-team round robin.




ENDS BREAKFAST ROUND-UP



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