Australian Observer


June 22 - 15







Milat denies murders In his first public comments since being charged with the seven backpacker murders in the Belanglo State Forest, Ivan Milat has denied having any part in the killings and has claimed that at least some of the evidence was planted. Questioned for the first time in the 3-month long trial, Milat claimed that many of the items allegedly found in his home were not his own and must have been placed there by someone else.
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Opposition to gun laws growing Opposition to the Federal and State Governments' new gun laws is growing, particularly inside the Federal Coalition, leading to speculation that the laws may be watered down to accommodate dissenting views. Much of the hostility is coming from within the National Party and is being directed leader Tim Fischer. Both Mr Fischer and Prime Minister John Howard have suggested that a referendum may need to be held to settle the question.
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Immigration too high - poll A poll conducted by the Sydney Morning Herald and AGB McNair has found that many Australians want the immigration level cut and that a large percentage is unhappy with the number of Asians entering the country. A report in the Herald says that 65 per cent of those surveyed felt the current immigration level of about 100,000 was too high, most of them citing unemployment as the main reason for their stance.
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Proposals to lift university fees The Federal Government is considering a range of proposals on the future of the student contribution to higher education, most of which would see students and graduates paying more for a tertiary education. One proposal is that students who do not pay their fees up front would have to pay market interest rates, while other proposals would see increases in the basic HECS level on many courses.
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Tax on bank withdrawals proposed The NSW Government is considering introducing a new tax on withdrawals from bank accounts, expanding the existing tax on transactions in cheque accounts. The proposal has been put forward as one means for the State Government to make up some of the revenue it will lose from Federal Government cuts in State funding.
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June 15 - 8








Rates war continues The banks have continued their interest rate price-cutting war with several banks slashing a further 0.2 per cent from their variable housing interest rate. After the ANZ dropped its rate down to 9.75 per cent, the Commonwealth Bank and several others lowered their rates as well. Some of the rates now being offered by major banks are below those offered by the new cut-price specialists, including Aussie Home Loans.
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Commonwealth backs down on State sales taxes Premiers' Conference manoeuvring has seen the State Governments offering to have their grants frozen by the Commonwealth if the Federal Government abandons its plans to raise up to $1.2 billion through State government sales taxes. The rejection of the Commonwealth's proposals is being seen as a significant defeat for the Treasurer, Mr Costello.
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More women and Aborigines in unis The number of women and Aborigines going on to higher education has increased in recent years according to a new Federal Government study. However the report, commissioned by the Department of Employment, Education, and Training has found that the level of people from lower socio-economic groups has not increased.
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Ryan appointed NSW Police Commissioner A police officer from England, Mr Peter Ryan, has been chosen to fill the controversial role of NSW Police Commissioner, despite comments by the Premier, Mr Carr, that an overseas appointment would not be appropriate for the position. Mr Ryan's appointment, which follows criticism of his predecessors and the exposure of widespread corruption in the force, has been well received despite the fact that he has already shown a lack of knowledge about some aspects of the recent history of the NSW police force.
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ACTU fails in bid for equal pay for women A test case brought by the peak union body, the ACTU, to help establish equal pay rates for women has failed because of opposition from the powerful Metal Trades Industry Association (MTIA). The Industrial Relations Commission has rejected the ACTU's moves to establish equal over-award pay rates for women on the basis of technical arguements presented to the commission by the MTIA.
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Eighteen die in air disaster Australia suffered its worst peace-time military air disaster when two Balckhawk helicopters collided with each other during military exercises near Townsville, killing 18 soldiers and air crew members. The cause of the tragedy, which occurred during SAS training exercises for anti-terrorist units, is still a mystery, but officials believe it is unlikely that the accident was caused by a technical problem in one of the helicopters.
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June 8 -May 26












Gov to press ahead with gun laws The Federal Government is determined to go ahead with its plans to legislate tough gun control laws despite a growing backlash from the gun lobby and many National Party MPs. The Prime Minister, Mr Howard, pledged to push ahead with the new laws when about 100,000 people took to the streets to protest. The Queensland Premier, Mr Borbidge, has suggested that he may not support gun control laws if they fail to win the support of the National Party conference next month. But the NSW Government is so intent on strengthening its gun control laws it may recall Parliament for a special sitting during the present recess.
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Commonwealth Bank to be sold The Coalition Government is to go ahead with the previous Labor Government's plan to sell off the Commonwealth Bank. The Minister for Finance, Mr Fahey, said that more than 50 per cent of the bank would be sold off in what is being billed as the country's biggest ever sharemarket float, probably in November.
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Banks cut home loan rates Major banks have entered a home-loan rate cutting war, cutting their variable interest rate from 10.5 per cent to 9.9 per cent. The rate war was begun by the Commonwealth Bank , which was quickly followed by the ANZ and Advance Banks. The war is partly in response to the consistently lower rates offered by non-bank lenders like Aussie Home Loans, which is currently offering rates of 8.9 per cent.
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NSW Premier opposes overseas police chief The appointment of an overseas police officer to head the NSW Police force has been thrown into doubt following reservations expressed by the Premier, Mr Bob Carr. Mr Carr's comments, indicating that he thought that an overseas officer would find it difficult to get on top of the job, have raised questions about the suitability of the proposed head, Mr Peter Ryan, the present head of Bramshill Police College in England. Mr Ryan's appointment has been supported by the Minister for Police, Mr Whelan, and the NSW Police Royal Commissioner, Mr Justice Wood.
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NSW takes out State of Origin The NSW Rugby League team has won the second State of Origin match, tying up the 1996 series against Queensland.
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Mixed signals on the economy Australia has had mixed news on the financial front with the latest figures showing that the economy is growing at a faster rate than expected, but that the Current Account deficit is also growing. The current account deficit for April was $2 billion, more than half a billion dollars more than for the previous month. But the growth figure for the Australian economy in the March quarter was 1.8 per cent, indicating that the economy is now growing at an annual rate of 4.8 per cent. The news means that it is now unlikely that that there will be any early fall in interest rates.
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University protests University staff and students are continuing to oppose the Government's proposed cuts to spending on Higher Education in the coming Federal Budget, with thousands of students taking to the streets around the nation to protest against the moves. It is estimated that 70,000 staff members walked off the job and 30,000 students marched in the protest which saw the entrances to many campuses blocked by picketers.
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Cars to undergo pollution test Cars in NSW will need to pass an exhaust emissions test under new rules being legislated by the State Government. The tests, which would be carried out on all cars at the time of re-registration, would seek to identify cars which are emitting high levels of pollutants. Those cars which fail the test will need to undergo a tune up before qualifying for a pink slip.
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MP convicted over death threats Former Federal MP, Mr Barry Morris, has been convicted on four counts of making threatening phone calls and faces a jail term of up to 20 years. Morris, who was the Liberal Party Member for the seat of Blue Mountains between 1988 and 1995, was accused of making phone calls threatening to kill a Blue Mountains councillor and to blow up the offices of the Blue Mountain Gazette. He is due to be sentenced on June 24.
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Merger thwarted Plans for two of Australia's biggest financial institutions - the St George Bank and Metway Bank - have been thwarted by a merger between Metway and two other Queensland institutions, Suncorp and the Queensland Industry Development Corporation. The latest merger is expected to create Australia's fifth largest financial body.
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Twins: identical deaths Idential twin brothers who had lived together, dressed the same way, and lived similar lives died within minutes of each other - both from heart attacks. Medical researchers have been amazed by the deaths of Bill and John Bloomfield, aged 61, who collapsed at Perth's Burswood Casino within two minutes of each other. Researcher's say that twins often die very close to each other, but described the Bloomfield case as "spectacular".


Copyright June 1996 The Australian Observer.

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