From: brad@eeyore.cs.adelaide.edu.au (Brad Alexander )
Newsgroups: soc.culture.australian
Subject: Oznews, 25th of January, 1993
Date: 26 Jan 1993 11:06:20 GMT
Organization: The University of Adelaide
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: eeyore.cs.adelaide.edu.au

 Monday's news this week... Mostly politics with the federal election
drawing nearer (still no date announced). There's an article of raw trivia
at the end. 

                  News from "The Australian" (25-1-93)              
                  -------------------------------------------
"Hewson attacks PM's 'fair' platform" - The federal Opposition has begun an
assault on Labor's claim to be the party of social justice - the theme at
the centre of its re-election strategy - as a new poll shows the Coalition
losing much of its Fightback II electoral gain.
  The Leader of the Opposition, Dr Hewson yesterday signalled the Coaliton
would use Labor claims to a social justice platform as a vehicle for
keeping the Government's record in office to the forefront of the election
campaign...
  His comments came as the Morgan Poll published by Time Australia and the
Seven Network showed the Opposition leader's electoral support dropping
sharply and the Coalition losing to Labor the small lead Morgan gave it
immediately after the launch of Fightback Mark II.
  The poll put support for the Coalition at 42.5 per cent, down three
percentage points, on December 22-23 - the weekend after the launch of
Fightback II - while support for Labor had dropped one percentage point to
43.5 per cent. 
  Of greater concern to the Coalition would be the slump in Dr Hewson's
rating on the question of who would make the better prime minister.
  The latest poll shows 40 per cent of the electorate believes Dr Hewson
would make the better prime minister, compared with 45 per cent in the
December 22-23 poll, but compared with 38 per cent in a poll taken between
November 28 and December 5.
  Mr Keating's rating on the question of who would make the better prime
minister remained steady from December 22 at 47 per cent but down three
points from the November/Early December poll.
-------------

"Court woos youth with promise of hope" - The West Australian Coalition
went courting the youth vote yesterday when it launched its official
campaign to end 10 years of Labor rule.
  The State Liberal Party and Coalition Leader, Mr Richard Court, promised
a Coalition government would bring integrity, innovation and inspiration to
the State.
  But its greatest challenge, Mr Court said would be to bring optimism to
the young...
  As with Thursday's formal ALP launch by the Premier Dr Lawrence, Mr
Court's speech contained few initiatives that had not been flagged
previously.
  It iterated that the Coalition's proposed labour market reforms would not
include the abolition of penalty rates or leave loadings, and nor would
they force people to "sign or re-sign" employment contracts...
  Like Labor's policy the Coalition's economic plan includes a greater
focus on trade with Asia, attracting more investment and encouraging
downstream processing of food and timber as well as minerals.
  But Mr Court did signal a renewed attempt by the Coalition to encourage
the establishment of a cotton industry in the State.
  Such an attempt has been tried before in the north of the State - during
the premiership of his father, Sir Charles - but failed due to pests. 
---------

"AMA concerned about income: rival" - Debate over health policy has created
a rift in the medical fraternity with the Doctors Reform Society accusing
the Australian Medical Association of mounting a self-interested political
campaign to boost specialists' incomes.
  A war of words flared last night after the AMA president, Dr Bruce
Shepherd, released a survey which claimed three quarters of all adults
would take out private health insurance if the government offered tax
incentives.
  The results appear to support the Coalition's plans to provide up to $800
in tax incentives for adults with private insurance if it wins government.
  The survey, carried out for the AMA last month by Quadrant Research
Services, asked 744 adults in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth about the need
for private health insurance.
  Releasing the results, Dr Shepherd said 76 per cent of people were likely
to take out private insurance if incentives were offered.
  "The survey shows that people are clearly concerned about the state of
our health system and want the Government to provide encouragement for
people to have private health insurance," Dr Shepard said.
  He said the disintergration of private health insurance could be seen
almost daily with reports of crisis gripping the public system.
  But the vice-president of the Doctors Reform Society, Dr Con Costa,
condemned the AMA for conducting "the most self-interested political
campaign in memory".
  He said specialist doctors would gain more than $1 billion if the Hewson
Fightback health policy was introduced after the election.
  Challenging the AMA to a formal debate on health issues, Dr Costa said
patients would be the losers. 
  Their doctors' bills would be 50 per cent higher and they would be forced
to take out private health insurance at about $2000 a family.
-------------

"Coalition will reverse ban on nuclear plants" - The federal Opposition
yesterday left the door open for privately owned nuclear power plants in
response to government pressure for it to spell out its energy policy in
the lead-up to the federal election.
  The leader of the National Party, Mr Tim Fischer, yesterday reaffirmed
the Coalition's policy to remove Labor's ban on nuclear power stations.
  This move would allow companies proposing to build nuclear power plants
to be treated on the same footing as other forms of energy under the
Coalition's plans to privatise the electricity grid.
  The confirmation came from a spokesman for Mr Fischer in response to
criticisms yesterday from the Minister for the Environment, Mrs Kelly.
  Mr Fischer stressed later the Coalition did not have nuclear power on its
adgenda and had not any discussions with companies interested in building
nuclear plants in Australia.
------------

"Evans, aid body split on Khmer Rouge role" - A dispute has broken out
between the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Evans, and an aid group
over the Khmer Rouge's role in the Cambodian peace process, to which
Australia has committed peacekeeping troops.
  Australian Catholic Releif has demanded the Khmer Rouge be denounced as
terrorists and immediately excluded from the United Nations-brokered peace
agreement. 
  But Senator Evans has dissmissed the call as simplistic adding that if he
had followed the advice of some aid groups there would never have been a
peace agreement.
  Australian Catholic Relief national director Mr Micheal Whiteley said in
Phnom Penh yesterday the Khmer Rouge - under whose rule 1 million
Cambodians were killed between 1975 and 1979, and which is now refusing to
comply with the UN peace process - should be treated "as the terrorist
force they are"...
  Senator Evans, speaking during a visit to the Cambodian capital at the
weekend, dissmissed the calls by the aid body to denounce the Khmer Rouge.
  "It is a matter of all the organisations ... recognising the complexity
of the situation and recognising the need for a lot of balanced judgment ..
and not being excessively impressed by simple solutions," he said.
  Following the advice of some aid groups who had rejected the inclusion of
the Khmer Rouge in the UN-brokered peace accord would have made the peace
deal impossible and Cambodia would have been left with no hope of lasting
peace after more than two decades of fighting, he said.
------------

"Hollows fine after setback" - Professor Fred Hollows, who was reported to
have suffered a serious setback in his battle with cancer on Saturday, was
sitting up last night eating scrambled eggs and vowing to attend Australia
day celebrations at Admiralty House in Sydney tommorrow. Professor
Hollows, who was named Australian of the Year in 1990 for his work with
Aborigines and those suffering eye diseases in Third World countries, said
he had had an adverse reaction to chemotherapy treatment.
-----------

"The decisions of the former Hawke government to cut protection levels
have been vindicated by research which shows lower tarrifs have encouraged
more investment in manufacturing.
  The research, from the University of Western Sydney, shows investment in
manufacturing plant and equipment increased sharply between 1984-85 and
1989-90 as effective protection levels declined.
  However the researchers warn both the Keating Government and the Hewson
Opposition that the prospects for further investment and efficiency gains
depend on continued micro-economic reforms at home to help industries
adjust and the level of protection overseas...
  The university research shows investment levels increased slowly in the
early years of Australia's tarriff cutbacks between 1971-72 and 1979-80. 
  A sharp jump in manufacturing investment followed between 1979-80 and
and 1981-82, but those gains were lost almost as quickly because of the
1982-83 recession.
  The research reveals another sharp improvement from 1984-85 which held
on until 1989-90 when the most recent boom ended.
  The last availible figures, for 1990-91, showed investment levels had
slipped back to 1988-89 rates...
----------

"Atlas maps out ills that keep nation awake" - Inner Sydney residents are
the worst sleepers, West Australians suffer the most hayfever and fatter
women live in poorer suburbs, a new social atlas shows.
  The atlas, drafted by the South Australian health commission with
federal funds, also identifies Victoria and Western Australia as the
states hardest hit by unemployment in the past three years.
  And it shows a striking association between high unemployment and poor
health.
   The Atlas shows:
   There are more obese women living in disadvantaged areas such as
western Sydney and north-western Melbourne, while higher income suburbs
have a high proportion of underweight women.
   Half a million people reported sleeping problems, with double the
number or insomniacs in inner Sydney than any other place and one third of
Tasmainians reporting restless nights.
   Higher levels of infections and parasitic diseases among people in
Sydney, Brisbane and the Northern Territory.
   Common use of tranquilisers and sedatives among the residents of the
outer suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. 
   People in disadvantaged areas are more likely to smoke or have a
disability.
   Western Australia appeared to be the hayfever State, though the
condition was also high among Adelaide and Canberra residents.
   The Atlas is the second volume produced by researchers and is based on
data from the 1989-90 National Health Survey, the 1988 Survey of Disabled
and Aged Persons, and a socio-economic profile from the 1986 Census...
----------

Brad Alexander


Newsgroups: soc.culture.australian,soc.culture.british