From: brad@eeyore.cs.adelaide.edu.au (Brad Alexander )
Newsgroups: soc.culture.australian
Subject: Oznews, Tuesday, 15th of December, 1992
Date: 15 Dec 1992 13:11:29 GMT
Organization: The University of Adelaide
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: eeyore.cs.adelaide.edu.au

The news is a bit late this week so I took it from today's paper. Probably 
the most reported news of the week was the federal Opposition's decision to 
change some of the more unpopular parts of its Fightback policy (the stories
that mention the changes are a couple of articles down)...
 
This is the last oznews for the year, I should be starting up again on the 9th
of January.. Merry Christmas.


                     News from "The Australian" (15-12-92)                    
                     -------------------------------------
"Both sides lack answers: Reserve chief" - The governer of the Reserve Bank,
Mr Bernie Fraser, has expressed concern over the direction of the political
and economic debate, saying neither side of politics is offering Australia a
positive agenda for the future.
  "The (Federal) Government is running with a very negative agenda to knock
off an irrelevant (Opposition) adgenda," Mr Fraser said.
  In an interview with "The Australian", Mr Fraser said doubts about the
outlook had led him to suggest, in a speech delivered in Melbourne earlier
this month, that Australia needed to define its long-term economic priorities
- particularly for growth - in a White paper. 
  At the time of the speech, the Government suggested Mr Fraser's comments
were an endorsement of its own policies and that the governor was not calling
for any new policy direction.
   But his comments in the interview suggested Mr Fraser is as concerned about
the lack of a positive policy adgenda from the Government as he is about the
Coalition's policies.
   He also expressed his concern about the present hiatus in policy-making and
about the need to speed up many areas of reform, despite good work to date in
many areas...
-------------

"Labor stretches lead to five year record" - The first poll taken since the
Leader of the Opposition, Dr Hewson, announced planned changes to his
Fightback package shows the Government has extended its lead over the
Coalition to a five-year record margin.
  According to a Newspoll conducted exclusively for "The Australian", Labor
has increased its primary vote margin by 3 percentage points to 10 points. 
  The poll is the first to canvass voter sentiment since Dr Hewson revealed
last week that he intended to unveil substantial amendments to the Fightback
package this Friday.
  During the period running up to the poll, the main elements of Dr Hewson's
proposed changes were well canvassed, including the removal of the goods and
services tax on food, a softening of the nine-month cut-off period for those
on unemployment benifits and the deferral of planned income tax cuts for
high-income earners.
  The latest survey, conducted last weekend, shows support for Labour at 49
per cent, up 2 points, with the Coalition support at 39 per cent, down 1
point.
  The result marks a dramatic shift in voter opinion since late October, when
Labor rated 37 per cent and the Liberal and Nationl parties were on 49 per
cent...
  When asked who would make the better prime minister, 43 per cent nominate Mr
Keating compared to 34 per cent for Dr Hewson, with 23 uncommitted.
  In the past fortnight, Dr Hewson's level of support on this question is up 4
points... 
-------------

"More Fightback changes mooted" - Welfare and church groups yesterday
accelerated their demands for changes to Coalition policy as the Leader of the
Opposition, Dr Hewson said he would "probably" modify his changes to Fightback
after a meeting yesterday afternoon with the Australian Council of Social
Service which along with the Uniting Church, presented him with a list of
changes going far further than those the Coaliton is considering
  Dr Hewson has said criticism form church and welfare groups that Fightback
was unfair, as well as the protracted recession, prompted him to amend his
program so that it had "broad support"...
--------------

"Decision today on troops for Somalia" - Federal Cabinet is expected to agree
today to a United States request to send a large contingent of Australian
troops as part of relief efforts in war and famine ravaged Somalia.
  Cabinet will consider a number of options for greater Australian assistance
to Somalia, ranging from financial help to the commitment of a full battalion
group - as requested by the US - of between 700 and 900 troops.
  There is understood to be support in Cabinet for Australia to make a strong
response by providing a large number of troops to Operation Restore Hope, the
relief enforcement operation...
--------------

"Humiliated husband abandons marriage" - The Japanese man who was deserted on
his honeymoon in Sydney last week when his wife staged her abduction to escape
him has declared the couple's relationship over.
  Mr Yoshihiro Fujeiada's mother told "The Australian" yesterday her son had
not realised until he returned to Japan and met his friends on Saturday night
how much attention the affair had got in the media.
  "His university friends got together at his new apartment and showed him the
TV tapes and newspaper stories. After that, my son telephoned her and said 'we
can't get married'," she said.
  Although the couple's union had been blessed at a wedding ceremony they had
never legally registered their marriage and so don't need to get a divorce...
  After apologising at a press conference in Sydney on Friday for the trouble
her stunt had caused the couple held another one at Osaka airport on their
return, when Mr Fujieda declared he planned to register the marriage...
  The Osaka press conference was held at the instigation of Japan's largest
travel bureau, JTB, concerned its lucrative honeymoon trade to Australia might
be jeopardised by the affair...
--------------

"Graduates fall behind in hunt for jobs" - More first degree university
graduates are looking for full-time employment than at any other time in the
past 18 years, according to a survey released yesterday.
  A job market shrunk by the economy has meant 18.6 per cent of new graduates
are unable to get full-time work.
  The graduate unemployment rate would have been worse but for a rise in the
number of students opting to undertake further tertiary study.
  Only 44.7 per cent of all new first degree graduates are employed full-time,
according to the 1992 survey by the Graduate Careers Council of Australia.
Last year 50.8 per cent of new graduates found full time work.
  The study reveals that 24.7 per cent of graduates will continue with further
full-time study compared with 23.2 last year.
--------------

"7000 jobs axed by Christmas if strike action continues: Brown" - Victorian
industry was yesterday crippled by the State's second 24-hour rail,tram and
government bus strike in a month, costing retailers up to $10 million in lost
sales. 
  The Government warned it could result in more sackings, threatening the
unions' promise of a quiet  Christmas-New Year as the Victorian Trades Hall
Council announced a print media campaign urging employees not to sign
employment contracts until the Federal Government's plan to give State workers
award coverage became law.
  The secretary of the VTHC, Mr John Halfpenny, said unions wanted to
co-operate and solve problems in transport and elsewhere, but if the
Government "keeps using the blunt end of the axe we can respond in kind"...
  The Premier, Mr Kennett, said yesterday the Government would increase the
level of job cuts in the public transport sector if transport unions persisted
with industrial action. 
  He said the public was "sick and tired" of the action, which was also
testing the patience of the Government...
  The Minister for Transport, Mr Brown, said yesterday the Government was
prepared to sack up to 7000 transport workers by Christmas if industrial
action continued...
--------------

"Kennett returns chuch serve" - The Victorian Premier, Mr Kennett, has hit
back at criticism by the influential Anglican Church newspaper, Church Scene,
and accused the church of supporting the damage caused to the State economy by
the former Labor government.
  Mr Kennett said he was "not overly concerned" by the leading article in the
newspaper, which called on the State Liberal Party to replace the Premier with
a "more reasonable leader". 
  The paper, which is not controlled by the church but often reflects a broad
congregation view, said the Government's "ham-fisted" approach was polarising
the community...
--------------
Brad Alexander
Newsgroups: soc.culture.australian