Tuesday, 29 May 2001

Nine defends 'invasion of privacy' claim - The HIH collapse, The Australian, 29 May, 2001.

Nine defends 'invasion of privacy' claim - The HIH collapse: [1 Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 29 May 2001: 4.
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She described the broadcasting of the interior of her home to the nation as "a gross invasion . . . My family's privacy and basic human rights have been abused". But presenter Mike Munro denied the accusations, saying their news gathering was entirely legitimate as the house was a "financial asset ready for sale". A Current Affair brought together a small group of people whose lives had been devastated by the HIH collapse, showed them footage of the house and asked for their comments.
CHANNEL Nine's A Current Affair milked its controversial expose of the Williams family home in Sydney's Balmoral for all it was worth.
The luxurious $7 million home is in the name of Rita Williams, wife of former HIH director and founder Ray.
The interior was clearly everything money could buy. In the master bedroom, electronic curtains opened to expansive views. Large white couches, ottomans, and expensive tables were all part of the immaculately decorated house.
Mrs Williams has condemned the "overall newsgathering philosophy, credibility and ethics" of the show for impersonating a potential buyer to get inside footage of the house.
She described the broadcasting of the interior of her home to the nation as "a gross invasion . . . My family's privacy and basic human rights have been abused". But presenter Mike Munro denied the accusations, saying their news gathering was entirely legitimate as the house was a "financial asset ready for sale". A Current Affair brought together a small group of people whose lives had been devastated by the HIH collapse, showed them footage of the house and asked for their comments.
"It leaves me speechless to see people living like this," said one. Another said: "The contrast between our situation . . .
sticks in your stomach." Perched on a cliff-top high above Balmoral with spectacular views of Sydney harbour, the luxurious dwelling has six bedrooms, four bathrooms, two kitchens, a formal lounge room and dining room, manicured gardens, a pool and a bar.
"All we have is uncertainty and debt," said another victim of the collapse.
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Monday, 28 May 2001

Head over heels about starring role, The Australian, 28 May, 2001.

Head over heels about starring role: [2 Edition]

Lynden Barber, John Stapleton. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 28 May 2001: 5.
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SHE has only just made her first movie in a supporting role. Now Sarah O'Hare has been cast as the lead in a Hollywood romantic comedy likely to be filmed in her home town of Sydney.
The model-turned-actor revealed the news at yesterday's red carpet premiere in Sydney of her debut film, US comedy Head Over Heels, in which she plays a ditsy Australian model.
O'Hare also revealed she had another new role, as the patron of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Proceeds from the premiere are going towards cancer charity Fashion Targets Breast Cancer.
SHE has only just made her first movie in a supporting role. Now Sarah O'Hare has been cast as the lead in a Hollywood romantic comedy likely to be filmed in her home town of Sydney.
The model-turned-actor revealed the news at yesterday's red carpet premiere in Sydney of her debut film, US comedy Head Over Heels, in which she plays a ditsy Australian model.
Having enjoyed the experience of making Head Over Heels -- which stars Freddie Prinze Jr and Monica Potter -- she has set her sights on following the career path of that former model turned Hollywood star, Cameron Diaz.
"I'm up for anything that challenges me. The best thing in life is when you have a goal and you're there achieving it. My thing is to try and live life, like I don't have any fear, and just go for it."
O'Hare said her husband Lachlan Murdoch, the chairman of News Limited (publisher of The Australian), was unable to accompany her because "something came up with work".
She is now based in the US, where she is represented by powerful Hollywood agent Mike Ovitz. O'Hare is still a Revlon spokeswoman and is doing some work with Bonds in Australia, but that is the extent of her fashion work.
When she met Ovitz -- after she had signed on to Head Over Heels - - he told her she should sign with his agency, quit modelling and concentrate on making movies. "That was all the nudge I needed," she said.
"I'd been modelling for a while and I was at the peak of my career and I thought that this is a great time to stop and try something new."
When offered her first movie, she was initially nervous. Apart from a guest role in TV sitcom Friends, she had never acted, and worried "what if I'm terrible?" before deciding that "you can't do things because of what other people think".
She need not have worried. Trade journals Hollywood Reporter and Variety gave her debut movie performance "great reviews -- I was so shocked".
She looked every bit the movie star as she swanned down the red carpet at the Sydney Hoyts Cinema Complex earlier in the evening.
Wearing a beaded pink Collette Dinnigan creation, she posed for photographers, signed autographs and stopped several times to talk to friends in the crowd.
O'Hare also revealed she had another new role, as the patron of the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Proceeds from the premiere are going towards cancer charity Fashion Targets Breast Cancer.
Head Over Heels is to be released nationally on Thursday.
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Tuesday, 22 May 2001

The struggle to get by goes on - HIH ROYAL COMMISSION, The Australian, 22 May, 2001.

The struggle to get by goes on - HIH ROYAL COMMISSION: [2 Edition]

John Stapleton, Ashleigh Wilson. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 22 May 2001: 2.
Show highlighting
[Patricia Purcell] said she wanted the royal commission to ask why HIH bought FAI when it appeared to be in such poor financial circumstances.
Another victim of the collapse, Brisbane resident Jim Punchard, 61, also welcomed the news but said he doubted whether anything could now be done to alleviate his already hopeless position.
"I certainly haven't got any better yet," said Mr Punchard, who was forced to quit his job after he lost feeling in his feet and legs through diabetes. "I'm still a bloody invalid. Just because they've called a royal commission, that doesn't get you any money."

HIH collapse victim Claire Purcell yesterday welcomed the announcement of a royal commission but said she could not see that it would benefit her.
Ms Purcell, 19, is struggling to cope with work and medical bills after a netball accident four years ago. "The royal commission may or may not affect my claim, but hopefully it will stop this happening again, putting people through the emotional and physical pain that I have been through," she said.
Even now Ms Purcell is off work, on crutches and using painkillers. Later this week she is due to have an MRI scan at an upfront cost of $500. Her insurance claim is now with the liquidator.
Her mother Patricia Purcell said the royal commission was an excellent idea. "Under oath we hope to hear the truth," she said. "This will not help our family, going through the suffering we have, but hopefully (it) will stop others going through the same. The whole matter is wrecking my daughter's life. The kids are the one's being affected the most, being eaten up by the big boys."
Patricia Purcell said she wanted the royal commission to ask why HIH bought FAI when it appeared to be in such poor financial circumstances.
"What have the independent auditors been doing through all these processes? I blame them. They must have been called in to study the FAI books before HIH purchased the company," she said.
Another victim of the collapse, Brisbane resident Jim Punchard, 61, also welcomed the news but said he doubted whether anything could now be done to alleviate his already hopeless position.
"I certainly haven't got any better yet," said Mr Punchard, who was forced to quit his job after he lost feeling in his feet and legs through diabetes. "I'm still a bloody invalid. Just because they've called a royal commission, that doesn't get you any money."
Mr Punchard receives $140 a week from Centrelink, a far cry from his previous salary as a senior manager at Consolidated Bearing Company.
Mr Punchard said the federal Government had not done enough when the problems first emerged.
"You cannot convince me this hasn't got the smell of something about it," he said.
"There are too many people in ASIC, APRA and the Government who knew what was going on, and if the media, the Opposition and the hundreds of people put out hadn't said anything, I believe they would have shoved it under the table."
Illustration
Caption: Suffering:; Alan Pryke; Photo: Photo
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Collapse of insurance company HIH and its impact, The Australian, 22 May, 2001.



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Too little too late, say victims - HIH ROYAL COMMISSION, The Australian, 22 May, 2001.

Too little too late, say victims - HIH ROYAL COMMISSION: [1 Edition]

John Stapleton, Ashleigh Wilson. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 22 May 2001: 2.
Show highlighting
HIH collapse victim Claire Purcell yesterday welcomed the announcement of a royal commission but said she could not see that it would benefit her.
[Patricia Purcell] said she wanted the royal commission to ask why HIH bought FAI when it appeared to be in such poor financial circumstances.
"What have the independent auditors been doing through all these processes? I blame them. They must have been called in to study the FAI books before HIH purchased the company," she said.
HIH collapse victim Claire Purcell yesterday welcomed the announcement of a royal commission but said she could not see that it would benefit her.
Ms Purcell, 19, is struggling to cope with work and medical bills after a netball accident four years ago. "The royal commission may or may not affect my claim, but hopefully it will stop this happening again, putting people through the emotional and physical pain that I have been through," she said.
Even now Ms Purcell is off work, on crutches and using painkillers. Later this week she is due to have an MRI scan at a upfront cost of $500. Her insurance claim is now with the liquidator.
Her mother Patricia Purcell said the royal commission was an excellent idea. "Under oath we hope to hear the truth," she said. "This will not help our family, going through the suffering we have, but hopefully (it) will stop others going through the same. The whole matter is wrecking my daughter's life. The kids are the one's being affected the most, being eaten up by the big boys."
Patricia Purcell said she wanted the royal commission to ask why HIH bought FAI when it appeared to be in such poor financial circumstances.
"What have the independent auditors been doing through all these processes? I blame them. They must have been called in to study the FAI books before HIH purchased the company," she said.
Another victim of the collapse, Brisbane resident Jim Punchard, 61, also welcomed the news but said he doubted whether anything could now be done to alleviate his already hopeless position.
"I certainly haven't got any better yet," said Mr Punchard, who was forced to quit his job after he lost feeling in his feet and legs through diabetes. "I'm still a bloody invalid. Just because they've called a royal commission, that doesn't get you any money."
Mr Punchard receives $140 a week from Centrelink, a far cry from his previous salary as a senior manager at Consolidated Bearing Company.
Mr Punchard said the federal Government had not done enough when the problems first emerged.
"You cannot convince me this hasn't got the smell of something about it," he said.
"There are too many people in ASIC, APRA and the Government who knew what was going on, and if the media, the Opposition and the hundreds of people put out hadn't said anything, I believe they would have shoved it under the table."
Illustration
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Friday, 18 May 2001

Victorian retreat up for tender, The Australian, 18 May, 2001.

Victorian retreat up for tender: [1 Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 18 May 2001: 41.
STAN Perkins started sketching out his grand plan for Cammeray Waters while floating several hundred feet above the property in a hot-air balloon.
They didn't stay still for long. Once the idea of building Cammeray Waters took hold the Perkins committed themselves to doing the job properly.
The owners say Cammeray Waters' proximity to Melbourne and Tullamarine airport has contributed significantly to its success.

Full Text

RURAL
STAN Perkins started sketching out his grand plan for Cammeray Waters while floating several hundred feet above the property in a hot-air balloon.
That was 15 years ago. The 42 hectares of bush and farmland below is now a $5 million conference centre carved out of wombat forest in the Macedon Ranges west of Melbourne.
Stan and his wife Heather were successful urban professionals who decided to get out of the rat race.
They didn't stay still for long. Once the idea of building Cammeray Waters took hold the Perkins committed themselves to doing the job properly.
Stan's background in advertising and marketing proved to be invaluable in the early stages of assessing the viability of a high- level bushland conference facility catering to the national corporate conference market.
They identified a growing niche market of medium to large companies requiring a professional, fully equipped out-of-town conference facility for groups of between 15 and 50.
Cammeray Waters was purpose built to service that increasingly profitable market. The business grew quickly from the outset.
Today it has 34 ensuite rooms, three corporate conference rooms, tennis courts, a gymnasium, a pool room, a four-hole golf course and comfortable wood-panelled lounge rooms with open fires.
There is also a 4ha lake stocked with rainbow trout.
"We have kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and wombats on the property, which are a great attraction," Mr Perkins said. "We are surrounded by state forest. We get snow in the winter.
"What appeals to most people is the isolation. There is no traffic. We have tried to avoid a commercial feel at the same time as having first-class facilities.
"We built this from nothing. It will be an emotional move. We have 35 staff, mostly casual, who are all local women who live within 10km or so of the property. They are all very capable, homely people who know all about home cooking.
"They make everybody feel welcome."
The Perkins have decided to sell because, both being in their late-60s, they have decided to retire.
"We have trained our staff and we are stepping away from the operation," Mr Perkins said. "I always wanted to be a landscape painter all my life, and that's what I'm retiring to do.
"I've been painting seriously for about two years and I've already 80 paintings, they sell for $400 to $500 each. I love it."
The owners say Cammeray Waters' proximity to Melbourne and Tullamarine airport has contributed significantly to its success.
The centre caters for up to 800 guests per month, and the owners say as many as half again are turned away because the business regularly operates at full capacity. The property goes to tender through the agents Elders with a closing date of June 7.
The owners have decided to go to tender rather than auction because they wish to be in the position of choosing a future owner who will care for the property and the staff.
Illustration
Caption: Picture perfect:; Photo: PhotoV
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Wednesday, 16 May 2001

Treachery and 'lies' to survive, The Australian, 16 May, 2002

Treachery and `lies' to survive: [2 Edition]

John Stapleton, Leah Creighton. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 16 May 2002: 3.
Show highlighting
A FORMER AFL footballer double-crossed an inseparable ally to win the first Australian-made Survivor last night, pocketing $500,000 in the reality TV phenomenon. The good guy-turned rat, Rob Dickson, 37, ultimately triumphed over a 49-year-old pilot, Sciona Browne, amid rivers of tears and accusations of betrayal and treachery.
A FORMER AFL footballer double-crossed an inseparable ally to win the first Australian-made Survivor last night, pocketing $500,000 in the reality TV phenomenon. The good guy-turned rat, Rob Dickson, 37, ultimately triumphed over a 49-year-old pilot, Sciona Browne, amid rivers of tears and accusations of betrayal and treachery.
Dickson, who played 19 AFL games for Hawthorn and Brisbane, won admiration from many of his fellow contestants -- who were unaware of his secret alliance -- for the way he played the game and the integrity and graciousness he displayed under pressure.
But 24-year-old Katie Gold, from Sydney, who had secretly formed a pact with Dickson early in the 38-day reality TV ordeal, set on therugged South Australian coast, was furious at the outcome.
Distraught and in tears, Gold spat "thanks for nothing" when she was voted out of the game and accused Dickson of being a "perpetual and continuous liar".
Survivor has been a worldwide hit but the Australian-made version has produced disappointing ratings for the Nine Network. Last night's finale was filmed live and was hosted by network golden boy Eddie McGuire.
Fittest test -- Media
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