PRESS DIGEST: Australian General News: Dec 11 06:59, Monday, 11 December 2006
(Compiled for Reuters by Media Monitors) THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW (www.afr.com)
-- The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) will build a new A$30 million surveillance system to better monitor share trading on the stockmarket. The system will provide a third means of scrutinising suspect trading on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), following the establishment of an independent enforcement unit earlier this year. Up until recently, the ASX had been solely responsible for market monitoring, investigations and referrals to the ASIC. Page 1.
-- Federal Finance Minister, Nick Minchin, has dismissed calls from the Nationals for extra spending on infrastructure in next year's budget, saying a 'disciplined fiscal position' is required due to inflationary pressures. Senator Minchin said the states were rushing into public-private partnerships to fund their infrastructure after 'years of neglect.' This was 'pushing up prices in that area substantially,' he said. Nationals leader, Mark Vaile, is pushing for a A$3 billion inland freight link between Melbourne and Brisbane, among other projects. Page 1.
-- Federal Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, has retained Wayne Swan as shadow treasurer in a new-look front bench unveiled yesterday. Six days after ousting Kim Beazley as leader, Mr Rudd promoted former Midnight Oil singer, Peter Garrett, to environment spokesman, Joel Fitzgibbon to defence and Victorian Left senator, Kim Carr, to the industry portfolio. However, he assured business groups 'there will be no lurch to the left on economic policy with Kevin Rudd as leader.' Page 1.
-- New South Wales (NSW) Opposition Leader, Peter Debnam, will offer tax concessions for first-home buyers and a A$1 billion infrastructure fund to combat the drought under new Liberal Party policies for next year's state election. Mr Debnam yesterday criticised the government for a series of advertisements highlighting his past dealings with failed businesses. 'The campaign is very much underway with the [Australian] Labor Party running negative ads,' Mr Debnam said. NSW goes to the polls on March 24. Page 4.
THE AUSTRALIAN (www.theaustralian.news.com.au)
-- Bushfires continued to burn out of control in regional Victoria over the weekend, razing an estimated 220,000 hectares in the northeast and Gippsland. Fires also broke out in the state's southwest at Stonyford, near Camperdown, destroying one home. Last night, more than a dozen fronts in the northeast were described by authorities as 'very active,' with a dangerous wind shift forecast for today. Firefighters are concerned this could cause the fires to merge into an inferno, increasing the threat to several towns in the region. Page 1.
-- Prime Minister, John Howard, yesterday acknowledged the Opposition's newly announced shadow ministry by talking up the political careers of Treasurer, Peter Costello, and Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer. 'They build a record of experience and responsibility with difficult issues over a period of years,' Mr Howard said. He warned that an Australian Labor Party government under Kevin Rudd would scr ap a million Australian Workplace Agreements, reversing 'deals which suit both you and your boss.' Page 2.
-- A letter published today in the Medical Journal of Australia questions the endorsement of over-the-counter drugs on television by doctors, amid claims the advertisements undermine the public's trust in the profession. An increasing number of advertisements have appeared featuring doctors since a ban on the practice was overturned last year, promoting products such as Nurofen and Children's Panadol. Last month, the Australian Medical Association changed its non-binding code of ethics to voice its disapproval of the advertisements. Page 3.
-- A 79-year-old woman was allegedly beaten to death by an Australian sailor in Noumea at the weekend, only hours after the man had arrived in the New Caledonian capital on survey ship, HMAS Melville. Noumea police were holding the 29-year-old sailor in temporary detention yesterday for 'aggravated deadly assault on a particularly vulnerable person.' The sailor, who was reportedly drunk at the time of the incident, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Page 3.
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (www.smh.com.au)
-- A New South Wales (NSW) Coalition government would sell NSW Lotteries to help fund its A$1 billion water strategy while preserving payout levels to lottery winners, Opposition Leader, Peter Debnam, said yesterday. Mr Debnam said the sale was necessary because the economy was sliding into recession and 'we are in the middle of a water crisis. Mr Debnam will announce today a plan to sell the company, possibly by public float, if it wins the state election in March. Page 1.
-- Students' performance can excel under the influence of a good teacher, but school principals are just as important in getting results, a Wollongong University study has found. Page 2.
-- A New South Wales Government plan to build a A$500 million desalination plant has been endorsed by a six-member advisory panel, who said construction should proceed as soon as Sydney dam levels fell to 30 per cent capacity. 'Sydney's water security could be significantly eroded if the plan is not implemented,' the panel warned. The government has planning approval for a desalination plant at Kurnell in Sydney's south, and has invited tenders to construct it within 26 months of commencement. Page 3.
-- Infrequent drinkers rather than alcohol abusers take most alcohol-related sick-leave due to hangovers, a study has revealed. More than 2.6 million workdays each year are lost to hangovers, at an annual cost of A$473 million, according to the Flinders University study. 'Low-risk drinkers and infrequent or occasionally risky...drinkers accounted for 49 to 66 per cent of alcohol-related absenteeism,' reported head researcher, Kenneth Pidd. Dr Pidd's study appears in today's Medical Journal of Australia. Page 3.
THE AGE (www.theage.com.au)
-- The Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne is seeking regulatory approval to prescribe the abortion drug, RU-486, for women with special medical needs. This includes women who have fibroids - where there are benign tumours in the womb - making surgical abortion difficult and more likely to fail. Page 3.
-- Victoria Police will monitor recently released prisoners and identify crime hot spots using an intelligence system trialled in the state over the past 18 months. Under Project Nimbus, 58 tactical intelligence officers will identify urgent problems that have previously been under-investigated, including road-rage incidents. Victoria Police may also employ university-trained staff as strategic analysts. 'We are really set for a radical change of culture,' said head of Nimbus, Commander David Sprague. Page 3.
-- It is likely smoke pollution in Melbourne reached its highest level on record due to the weekend bushfires, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said yesterday. The authority said levels of airborne particles were higher than those recorded during the 2003 bushfires, which destroyed 1.3 million hectares. At worst, on Saturday afternoon, the number of airborne particles were 10 times normal levels. The EPA downgraded its smoke advisory for Melbourne from high to moderate after a wind change last night. Page 4.
-- Fires continued to push towards the Thomson Dam in Victoria's east yesterday, threatening to contaminate Melbourne's waters supply with ash and debris. The fires jumped containment lines and were bearing down on the reservoir, which supplies 60 per cent of Melbourne's water. Last night, they were within 12 kilometres of the catchment area. Authorities warned the dam could be taken out of service it ash or silt contaminated the supply. Page 5.
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