From: brad@winnie.cs.adelaide.edu.au (Brad Alexander )
Newsgroups: soc.culture.australian
Subject: Oznews, 26th of September, 1992.
Date: 27 Sep 92 07:15:18 GMT
Organization: The University of Adelaide
NNTP-Posting-Host: winnie.cs.adelaide.edu.au

The front pages of both papers were dominated by sport. There was a chance that 
both the AFL premiership cup and the Rugby League trophy could go interstate. 
At the time of writing the first has. The second is contested today. The news 
starts from page 2...
-----------------------
               News from "The Weekend Australian" 26-9-92                     
               ------------------------------------------
"Keating opens door to early election"- The Prime Minister, Mr Keating
yesterday fuelled speculation that the Government had revised its thinking
on election timing by refusing to rule out a federal poll before Christmas.
  Mr Keating's remarks indicate the Government is keeping an open mind
about possible election dates in the wake of the Opposition's difficulties over
its negligible tariff policy and a number of recent opinion polls suggesting a
limited Labor resurgence.
  While some senior Labor strategists, including Senator Graham Richardson,
still believe the Government should leave the election until may next year.
Mr Keating's comments yesterday represent a shift in the Prime Minister's
position.
  When asked on August 5 about poll dates, Mr Keating reaffirmed that
he intended to run full term. This meant an election after March 1993,
he said...
  But asked yesterday during the Singapore leg of his Asian tour
whether he was ruling out an election before the end of the year, Mr
Keating replied: "It will be whenever it suits the Government."...
------------

"Veal's out, pork and vegies are in"- Australians are putting pork on
their forks and vetoing veal as the long-term downward trend in meat
consumption levels off, figures released yesterday show.
  And the mantra of mothers from generations past - eat more
vegatables - has finally hit home, with vegetable consumption reaching
a record high in 1989-90, the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures
show. 
  Putting another shrimp on the barbie is also becoming passe, with
people opting for domestically produced fish at the expense of
imports, crustaceans, and molluscs.
  In 1989-90, the average Australian munched through at least 579.4 kg
of food and 125 eggs, drank 1.1 kg of tea and 2 kg of coffee, consumed
87.2 litres of aerated waters, 111.6 litres of beer with an alcohol
content of 4.97 litres and swigged 18.8 litres of wine, 2.13 litres of
which was alcohol.
  Overall consumption of meat and meat products rose by 1.6 kg a
person to 85kg a year by 1989-90.
  Pork and pigmeat products such as bacon are appearing more often at
mealtimes, with the average Australian eating 18.4 kg of pork and pork
products and 7.4 kg of cured pigmeat (ham and other products). 
  Beef-eating patterns remained about the same in the six years to
1989-90 but veal consumption fell by 28.6 per cent to 1.5kg a person a
year, down from 2.1 kg a person....
------------

"BCA cheif backs Hewson on trade"- One of Australia's most important
business organisations has backed the federal Opposition's criticisms
of the Government's interest in multilateral trade talks and has
supported in principle the idea of Australia seeking to join the North
American Free Trade Agreement.
  The executive director of the Bussiness Council  of Australia, Mr
Paul Barratt, has accused the Government of investing far too much
effort in GATT, where he believes we can have little influence. 
  "There has been far too much of an atomoshpere of waiting for
something dramatic to happen to reverse our trade problems," he told
"The Weekend Australian". 
  "A country with an intractable balance of payments problem and a
haemorraging debt should be concentrating on what we can do this year
and next, not on creating a perfect world."...
  He agreed it would be unlikely that Australia would be allowed to
join NAFTA on anything like acceptable terms at the moment...
------------

"Tokyo daily backs PM's Asian thrust"- One of Japan's leading
newspapers has praised the thrust into Asia by the Prime Minister, Mr
Keating, and urged the Tokyo Government to heed his call for a closer
partnership between Australia and Japan to promote regional stability.
  An editorial in the country's most influential financial daily, said
Mr Keating's strong support for a higher international profile for
Japan has warmed his welcome appreciably in Tokyo.
  The paper also heartily approved of his support for Japan in its
territorial dispute over the Kurile islands with Russia, an issue
which prompted Russia's President, Mr Yeltsin, to cancel his visit
with Tokyo this month...
  The favourable coverage granted to Mr Keating may be cited by him as
evidence of the benefits of his policy to emphasise positive issues in
relations with Japan. 
  But the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Hewson, who advocates a more
aggressive approach to Japan similar to that adopted by the United
States, might see the reports more as evidence of flattery than good
policy.
------------

"Keating reaffirms alliance with US"- The Prime Minister, Mr Keating,
has stressed the importance of Australia's alliance with the US in an
apparent attempt to redress the perception over recent days that his
new policy alignment with Japan extends beyond trade issues.
  Mr Keating told Australian and Singaporean business leaders here
that like Sinagpore, Australia shared a deep interest in a continued
US involvement in the region "both as the worlds largest economy and
as its only superpower".
  "There is no need for Australia, which shares a long-standing
security treaty with the United States, to re-emphaisise its belief
that the continued involvement of the US forces in the Pacific region
is a powerful stabilising influence and a significant contribution to
the remarkable stability and growth we have witnessed in recent
decades," Mr Keating said...
  Washington has yet to respond to Mr Keating's statements in Japan,
where he described US trade policy as "manipulative", and the US
faltering in its commitment to free trade.
  He suggested the problem was a failure of political will as the US
gradually lost its industrial and competitive pre-eminence.
  Mr Keating last night said his talks with Singapore's Prime
Minister, Mr Goh, had shown that that country too, was committed to
the multilateral trading system...
-------------

"Concern at failed Qantas bid"- The Australian trade union movement
was concerned by the Industrial Relations Commission's rejection of an
enterprise bargaining agreement for Qantas but there was scope for
renegotiation, the president of the ACTU, Mr Martin Ferguson, said
yesterday.
  In recognising the importance of the showcase deal to the Federal
Government's enterprise bargaining reforms, Mr Ferguson said a further
200 agreements were already in place to endorse the approach. 
  The IRC announced on Thursday that it had rejected the agreement for
a 10 per cent pay rise to 18,000 employees. It was the first such
rejection under the new laws to scale down the commission's power to
vet workplace deals. 
  Mr Feguson said there was still scope to come to an agreement
outside the commission...
-------------

"Mystery clouds hitchers last days"- The mystery surrounding the last
days of murdered backpackers Joanned Walters and Caroline Clarke
deepend yesterday when police confirmed the women were last seen three
days later than previously thought - at a pub in Bowral, south west of
Sydney.
  The sighting decreases the probability the English tourists, both
22, were murdered while hitch-hiking and throws attention onto the
picturesque town best known for the holiday homes of the rich and
famous and for the tulip festival now under way. 
  Police want to know why the women - apparently in a rush to get to
Yass to go fruit picking - stayed at least three days in Bowral.
  The identity of those in the group they were seen with and where
they stayed remain mysteries...
  Police say a woman identified the travellers from photographs. The
sighting changes the whole complexion of the murder senario. 
  Previously the last known person to have a conversation with the
women was Susan Burns, who gave the two English backpackers a lift on
Tuesday, April 21, after picking them up on the road at Waterfall on
the southern outskirts of Sydney. The backpackers, who were on their
way to Yass, were dropped off at Bulli Tops about 6pm...
  Bowral is about 20 km from where the women's bodies were found in
the Belangio State Forest and is not on the Hume Highway...
-------------

"Hawke writes off defiant Kirner"- The former prime minister Mr Bob
Hawke has embarrased the Victorian ALP by writing off the prospects of
the Kirner Government at next Saturday's State election. 
  Mr Hawke said yesterday even the Premier, Ms Kirner, probably did
not believe she could win.
  In his second brief entry into the seven-week State campaign, Mr
Hawke said the task during the remaining days was to ensure the party
was not decimated.
  "It would be bad for Government in Victoria if Labor were left with
a rump, and may I say that, although I have had my differences with
Joan Kirner, I think just about everyone, including those who are not
going to vote for her, would have to admire the courage and tenacity
with which she has conducted herself," he told Melbourne radio.
  Asked if he thought the ALP could win next week, Mr Hawke said: "No,
but I don't think she (Ms Kirner) does."
  Ms Kirner immediately dismissed Mr Hawkes blunt assessment which she
said would not " make an iota of difference to the election"...
--------------

             News from "The Advertiser" (Adelaide) 26-9-92
             ---------------------------------------------
"Drink-drive MP fined $1500"- Hobart: A Tasmainian Labor MP was fined
$1500 yesterday and disqualified from driving for 28 months after
pleading guilty to a drink-driving charge.
   Paul Lennon, the Opposition police and emergency services
spokesman, had recorded a blood alcohol level of .18 It was his second
drink driving offence.
--------------

"Mine closure costs 289 jobs"- Brisbane: one of central Queensland's
largest coal mines, the Cook Colliery near Blackwater, will close on
November 27 with the loss of 289 jobs. 
  A mine management spokesman said difficult conditions had hampered
productivity at the mine and changes aimed at streamlingin the
underground operation had been unsuccessful.
-------------

"Seven escape slaying"- Brisbane: Seven children have survived a
family murder-suicide at Miles, about 375km north-west of Brisbane.
Invalid pensioner Glen Reeves, 34, is believed to have shot his de
facto wife, Brenda Ball, 29, and his daughter Maria Jane, 18 months,
before turning the gun on himself. The other children were taken by
welfare workers last week. 
-------------

"British hint at talks on Maralinga"- London: The British Government
had indicated it was prepared to hold discussions with the Australian
Government over the clean-up of traditional lands in Maralinga, South
Australia, Aboriginal community officials said yesterday. 
  A delegation of Maralinga Aborigines met Lord Cranborne, the
Parliamentry Under-Secretary of State for Defence, at Whitehall.
  "The British Government was at the stage of getting the issue off
their table and pointed out they would like the Australian and British
Governments to get that rolling," said delegation leader Mr Archie
Barton.
  But he added that no time period had been given by Lord Cranborne...
  The delegation yesterday presented Lord Cranborne with 8kg of soil
contaminated with low levels of plutonium...
  The cost of cleaning Maralinga lands was estimated at around $A80
million.
--------------
Brad Alexander
Newsgroups: soc.culture.australian