Fed: Howard committed to spending more on defence

AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-2000
Fed: Howard committed to spending more on defence

CANBERRA, Dec 6 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard was confident a white paper due for
release today would prove the coalition's commitment to improving Australia's defence
capabilities.

Mr Howard will release the government's Defence White Paper, which is expected to
commit at least $500 million extra to defence next year, at 1100 AEDT today.

"I'm very committed to more spending on defence, this is the biggest revamp of our
defence capability in the most comprehensive white paper in decades," he told Radio 2UE.

"It will commit billions dollars of extra spending over the next decade."

Defence funding increases of about three per cent annually are also expected for the
rest of the decade.

Recent instability in the region meant Australia needed a defence capability that equipped
it to do what it needed to do in a non-threatening way, Mr Howard said.

"We certainly have a different strategic climate than we might have anticipated a few
years ago," he said.

Mr Howard believed the revamp would strike the right balance between the defence of
Australia role and action in the region.

AAP eg/mjm

KEYWORD: DEFENCE HOWARD

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Qld: Poker machine growth in Queensland out of control Oppn

AAP General News (Australia)
04-24-2000
Qld: Poker machine growth in Queensland out of control Oppn

BRISBANE, April 24 AAP - Gambling had reached epidemic proportions in Queensland because
there were too many poker machines, the Opposition said today.

"The number of poker machines in this state have more than doubled since Labor came
to office," Families Youth, Community and Disability Services spokesman Denver Beanland
said today.

"At the rate they're going, gaming machines will touch close on 40,000 by the end of
the current financial year. That will be a 150 per cent increase since Labor came to office."

The state government recently announced the number of poker machines would be capped
at 40 in hotels and 280 in clubs from July.

Treasurer David Hamill also said all forms of credit betting would be banned within
12 months and note acceptors on poker machines would be limited to $5, $10 and $20 denominations.

An industry code of practice, education programs, advertising guidelines and extra
funding to support services for problem gamblers would also be introduced.

Mr Beanland said Mr Hamill's "soothing words" has done nothing to reduce the number
of sites allowed to have poker machines.

He said gambling addiction in the state was now on a par with the illicit drugs use.

"Gambling has reached epidemic proportions in Queensland and urgent action is needed
in order to stop this situation from spiralling even further," Mr Beanland said.

AAP ch/it

KEYWORD: POKIES

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: BHP coal stirke in defiance of Commission order

AAP General News (Australia)
02-08-2000
Fed: BHP coal stirke in defiance of Commission order

Four thousand coal miners have gone ahead with a snap 24-hour strike, despite an Austrlalian
Industrial Relations Commission order outlawing the action.

Mining unions have called the strike in reaction to BHP's announcement of a five per
cent drop in the export price of coking coal.

And the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union warns there could be more action
after mass meetings at mine sites today.

Unions say the price drop, which follows an 18 per cent decrease last year, will lead
to thousands …

Kuala Lumpur Closing Stock Prices Dec 6

AAP General News (Australia)
12-06-1999
Kuala Lumpur Closing Stock Prices Dec 6

Prices in ringgit

Close Prior Change % Change
AMMB Holdings 8.05 8.15 -0.10 -1.23
Cycle & Carriage Bintang 7.30 7.50 -0.20 -2.67
Edaran Otomobil Nasional 12.80 13.00 -0.20 -1.54
Genting 11.50 12.30 -0.80 -6.50
Golden Hope 3.24 3.22 +0.02 +0.62
Hicom Holdings 2.28 2.28 Unch Unch
IGB Corp 1.16 1.14 +0.02 +1.75
Land & General 1.60 1.61 -0.01 -0.62
Malayan Banking 12.80 13.00 -0.20 -1.54
Malaysian Airline System 3.20 3.24 -0.04 -1.23
Petronas Gas 7.70 7.65 +0.05 +0.65
Proton 6.75 6.50 +0.25 +3.85
Public Bank 3.16 3.18 -0.02 -0.63
RHB Capital 3.36 3.26 +0.10 +3.07
Renong 2.01 2.05 -0.04 -1.95
Resorts World 8.60 9.05 -0.45 -4.97
Rothmans 26.75 26.50 +0.25 +0.94
Sime Darby 4.36 4.38 -0.02 -0.46
Tanjong 7.15 7.20 -0.05 -0.69
Telekom Malaysia 11.80 11.70 +0.10 +0.85
Tenaga Nasional 8.70 8.55 +0.15 +1.75
UMW Holdings 6.55 6.55 Unch Unch
United Engineers 5.85 5.95 -0.10 -1.68
YTL Corp 6.10 6.00 +0.10 +1.67
Source: Reuters Group PLC
(END) DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 06-DEC-1999

KEYWORD: KUALA LUMPUR CLOSING STOCK

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

WA: Labor criminal for blocking WA native title law: Howard

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-1999
WA: Labor criminal for blocking WA native title law: Howard

KALGOORLIE, WA, April 20 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard today said the West Australian
Labor Party's blocking of state native title legislation was little short of criminal.

Mr Howard took the argument for the Court government's complementary native title
legislation to the heart of the Australian mining community today.

He told a Liberal Party lunch in Kalgoorlie that after the 18-month battle to pass the Wik
legislation through federal parliament, he never considered that complementary state
legislation would be blocked in the WA parliament.

He said that some state Labor MPs privately backed the state legislation but would not
support it publicly.

"What is happening here in Western Australia in political terms is little short of
criminal," he said.

"We went through the debate at the national level, we had it resolved at a national level,
and it is beyond belief to me that a collection of upper house members in the Labor Party in
Western Australia should be blocking the complementary legislation presented by the Court
government".

The Labor Party blocked the legislation late last year and introduced its own amendments.

However, it led to deep divisions within the party with state leader Geoff Gallop staking
his job on opposing the legislation.

Mr Howard also remained non-committal on business tax reform, saying he would wait for the
final recommendation of the Ralph Committee.

However, he said he was aware that the mining industry did not favour trading off
accelerated depreciation of assets for a 30 per cent company tax rate.

AAP pr/dd/bm/de

KEYWORD: WIK HOWARD

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

VIC: Drag racer theft devastates family

AAP General News (Australia)
01-12-1999
VIC: Drag racer theft devastates family

By Bryan De Lacy

MELBOURNE, Jan 12 AAP - A $30,000 drag racing car named after the dead son of champion
driver Peter Merrigan was stolen from outside the family home in Melbourne today.

Mr Merrigan said the theft had left his family devastated.

The 1927 model T Bucket Altered dragster and its trailer was stolen between midnight and
8am (AEDT) today from outside the Merrigan's address in Fern Court, Eltham North.

"We feel we have lost some of the family again, I'm very pained," 50-year-old Mr Merrigan
said.

He bought the drag …

ACT:Fire at university in Canberra

AAP General News (Australia)
12-19-2011
ACT:Fire at university in Canberra

Fire has forced the evacuation of about 80 people from a building at the Australian
National University in Canberra.

Fire authorities say the blaze started in a cupboard used for storing commercial-grade
cleaning solvents this afternoon and spread to the roof of the three-storey building.

A 44-year-old man has been treated for smoke inhalation, but there have been no other
reports of injuries.

The fire has now been extinguished.

AAP RTV ms/sw

KEYWORD: FIRE (CANBERRA)

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.