Tuesday, 31 December 2002

Deaths in three states drive toll to 40, The Australian, 31 December, 2002.

Deaths in three states drive toll to 40: [1 All-round Country Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 31 Dec 2002: 6.
AUSTRALIA'S holiday road toll stands at 40 after deaths in NSW, South Australia and Western Australia yesterday. The toll is down from 44 for the same period last year.
NSW has shown spectacular improvement, cutting its road toll in half. A spokesman for NSW Police said: "Eight fatalities have been recorded on NSW roads so far this holiday period. That is compared to 16 for the same period last year.
The NSW toll rose to eight after the death of a 59-year-old man in far-western NSW on Saturday afternoon.

Full Text

AUSTRALIA'S holiday road toll stands at 40 after deaths in NSW, South Australia and Western Australia yesterday. The toll is down from 44 for the same period last year.
Victoria and South Australia have suffered the highest number of road deaths.
At this time last year Victoria had seen nine deaths, in contrast to 14 this year. Seven people have died on the roads in South Australia compared with three for the same period last year.
NSW has shown spectacular improvement, cutting its road toll in half. A spokesman for NSW Police said: "Eight fatalities have been recorded on NSW roads so far this holiday period. That is compared to 16 for the same period last year.
"Whilst there has been a major improvement in this figure, we are still appealing for motorists not to become complacent. We will remain vigilant in ensuring that drink driving and speeding will not be tolerated."
The NSW toll rose to eight after the death of a 59-year-old man in far-western NSW on Saturday afternoon.
Police said the man from Broken Hill died instantly when his MG soft-top coupe left Silverton Road, hit a ditch and rolled, about 12km from Broken Hill. The vehicle came to rest upside down, killing the driver instantly.
The West Australian toll rose to two after a woman was killed in a head-on collision north of Perth yesterday. Police said the 53- year-old woman was alone in her vehicle.
In South Australia, a male motorcyclist died yesterday afternoon 10km east of Terowie in the state's mid-north.
An incident in which a man was hit by a bus has been reclassified as a suicide rather than a road casualty.
Nine people have died on Queensland's roads.
Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory remain fatality- free.
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Monday, 30 December 2002

The Good The Bad The Ugly: 2002 The Year That Was, Dads On The Air, 30 December, 2002.

Better Version of Print Out: Page One Only at this point:






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Friday, 27 December 2002

Jihad sites target prayer centre veto - War on Terror, The Australian, 27 December, 2002.

Jihad sites target prayer centre veto - War on Terror: [1 All-round Country Edition]

John Stapleton, Patricia Karvelas. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 27 Dec 2002: 5.
Show highlighting
THE decision by Sydney's Baulkham Hills Council to reject an application for a Muslim prayer centre has been highlighted on some international jihad web sites.
Abbas Aly, who proposed the prayer hall, was concerned to hear that Islamic radicals had taken up his cause on websites like almuhajiroun, closely linked with al-Qa'ida, and islammemo, also seen as a reliable source of al-Qa'ida information.
Islammemo.com, which was one of the first sites in the world to post al-Qa'ida's claims of responsibility for the Mombasa bombing in Kenya, quoted Muslim leaders saying the rejection reflected "the spread of feelings of hostility against Muslims".

THE decision by Sydney's Baulkham Hills Council to reject an application for a Muslim prayer centre has been highlighted on some international jihad web sites.
The placement of news reports on some of the world's most militant sites has raised fears in the northwestern suburban Bible belt community that it could become a terrorist target and has alarmed the man who lodged the prayer centre development application that drew 5000 objections.
While Mayor John Griffiths has denied the rejection of the application was racially motivated, Muslim coverage has focused on theissue of racism.
Abbas Aly, who proposed the prayer hall, was concerned to hear that Islamic radicals had taken up his cause on websites like almuhajiroun, closely linked with al-Qa'ida, and islammemo, also seen as a reliable source of al-Qa'ida information.
"I don't like this support, I don't want it and I don't need it," Mr Aly said. "This country has great laws, people here are not racist."
He said the people behind the sites belonged to an Islamic sect he described as "dangerous".
"They harass other Muslims, we don't want them anywhere Baulkham Hills or anywhere near Australia.
"I would be more than happy to have these websites shut down."
The Baulkham Hills news was placed prominently on the home page of www.almuhajiroun.com under a banner incorporating Osama bin Laden, George W. Bush and the words "Focus on Jihad".
Al-Muhajiroun, run by Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, contains an elaborate intellectual justification of jihad as an obligation on all Muslims. The site says the council was "accused of racism" over the rejection.
Islammemo.com, which was one of the first sites in the world to post al-Qa'ida's claims of responsibility for the Mombasa bombing in Kenya, quoted Muslim leaders saying the rejection reflected "the spread of feelings of hostility against Muslims".
"Many have expressed in an ambiguous manner feelings of `fear' without referring clearly to the fears that have escalated in Australia since 11 September," the report states.
Illustration
Caption: Accusations: Al-Muhajiroun reports the council decision; Photo: Photo

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Thursday, 26 December 2002

Ex-detainees die as road toll hits 20, The Australian, 26 December, 2002.

Ex-detainees die as road toll hits 20: [1 All-round Country Edition]

John Stapleton, Andrew McGarry. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 26 Dec 2002: 3.
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TWO former Woomera detention centre inmates on their way from Adelaide to Melbourne for a holiday were killed instantly when their car hit a tree near theVictoria-South Australia border late on Christmas Eve.
Wali Hanifi, a spokesman for the Afghan Islamic Cultural Association of South Australia, said: "We don't think they had any relatives in Australia. It's very sad."
The NSW toll was four, less than half the toll last year. Queensland led the list of fatalities with seven.
TWO former Woomera detention centre inmates on their way from Adelaide to Melbourne for a holiday were killed instantly when their car hit a tree near theVictoria-South Australia border late on Christmas Eve.
Police said three people were in the car when the accident occurred at Bordertown in South Australia. A 12-year-old boy identified only as Abdullah and 16-year-old Mohammad Ali were killed instantly.
The driver of the car, 19-year-old Mirza Alizadah, was taken to Bordertown Hospital before being transferred to Adelaide's Flinders Medical Centre, where he remained last night in intensive care.
It is believed the three had been released into the community for less than a year.
Wali Hanifi, a spokesman for the Afghan Islamic Cultural Association of South Australia, said: "We don't think they had any relatives in Australia. It's very sad."
The death of a middle-aged woman in a single-vehicle accident south of Perth early yesterday brought the national Christmas road toll to 20.
West Australian police inspector Gary Kosovich said it appeared the woman's sedan failed to negotiate a bend. The vehicle mounted the curb and rolled several times. The driver was killed instantly.
Also yesterday, a Victorian man aged about 20 died in the state's west after a car ran off the Glenelg Highway about 4am and rolled. Two passengers were taken to nearby Hamilton Hospital.
Despite the deaths, the national road toll as of yesterday showed a marked improvement on last year, with 28 people killed in the same period in 2001, and follows intensive police campaigns in all states.
The Northern Territory showed the biggest improvement with no deaths, compared with three last year.
The NSW toll was four, less than half the toll last year. Queensland led the list of fatalities with seven.
Five people had died in Victoria, three in South Australia and one in Western Australia. Tasmania and the ACT had no fatalities.
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Tuesday, 24 December 2002

Merry Christmas! Even if you are a Separated Dad, With Matilda Bawden and Mark Bourne, Dads On The Air, 24 December, 2002.




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Friday, 20 December 2002

PM's plane forced down, The Australian, 20 December, 2002

PM's plane forced down: [3 All-round Metro Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 20 Dec 2002: 2.
Show highlighting
AN RAAF plane carrying Prime Minister John Howard and Defence Force chief Major-General Peter Cosgrove from Perth to Sydney was forced to turn back to Perth last night.
AN RAAF plane carrying Prime Minister John Howard and Defence Force chief Major-General Peter Cosgrove from Perth to Sydney was forced to turn back to Perth last night.
A Defence Force spokesman said the RAAF Challenger plane was diverted because of a hydraulic leak.
An Air Transport Safety Bureau spokesman said a hydraulic leak could affect a plane's landing gear or brakes.
Planes suspected to have mechanical difficulties are routinely diverted to the nearest airport.
A staff member travelling with Mr Howard said the incident happened about 4.40pm when the plane was about an hour into its flight. "The PM was on a plane with General Cosgrove," the staff member said.
"About an hour out of Perth, on its way back to Sydney, the pilot said they were turning back.
"He only did it as a precautionary measure. We arrived back in Perth safely."
Mr Howard and General Cosgrove were travelling to Sydney after announcing new counter-terrorist measures in Perth as he and other political leaders welcomed 150 Special Air Service Personnel back to Australia after a 12-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.
John Howard will be spending Christmas and New Year in Sydney.
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Proposal to monitor jihad sites, The Australian, 20 December, 2002.



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Thursday, 19 December 2002

Radical Islam websites recruit for jihad, The Australian, 19 December, 2002. Page One.




Radical Islam websites recruit for jihad: [1 All-round Country Edition]

John Stapleton, Patricia Karvelas, Martin Chulov. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 19 Dec 2002: 1.
Show highlighting
An Islamic website regarded as a credible source for al-Qa'ida information has canvassed the possibility of Australia -- which it says "persecutes" Muslims -- becoming an Islamic state.
Terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna yesterday said radical Islamic websites had tried to recruit Muslim Australians to a jihad over thepast five years.
Professor Gunaratna said more than 1000 jihad websites were registered worldwide, many going unmonitored, allowing terrorists to recruit free from scrutiny. "Some of those websites have been playing a role in politicising, radicalising and mobilising the Australianmigrant communities and people have joined these groups from accessing their websites," he said.

THE internet is becoming a virtual forum for radical Islamic exchanges, with many sites specifically targeting Australia to recruit followers and plan terrorist attacks.
An Islamic website regarded as a credible source for al-Qa'ida information has canvassed the possibility of Australia -- which it says "persecutes" Muslims -- becoming an Islamic state.
Islammemo.com is among the websites causing increasing concern to Australian and Indonesian authorities, who fear terrorists are using web traffic to sell their cause and disseminate information, including coded messages.
Indonesia is investigating the sources of a number of sites, but is finding it difficult to close them down.
The oldest and most famous of the fundamentalist sites, Azzam Publications, hosted at islamicawakening.com, has already been removed from various US, Canadian and southeast Asian servers.
The site, named after a mentor of Osama bin Laden, mentions Australia in the context of bin Laden's mid-November threats of further attacks.
Terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna yesterday said radical Islamic websites had tried to recruit Muslim Australians to a jihad over thepast five years.
Professor Gunaratna said more than 1000 jihad websites were registered worldwide, many going unmonitored, allowing terrorists to recruit free from scrutiny. "Some of those websites have been playing a role in politicising, radicalising and mobilising the Australianmigrant communities and people have joined these groups from accessing their websites," he said.
He also claimed some people running such websites in Australia have developed relationships with terrorists and terrorist networks overseas.
"Australia has been tolerating the establishment of these radical websites, they haven't even questioned these people."
Since sending troops into Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks, Australia has been mentioned in the same sentences as theUS and Israel on the Islamist and jihad sites.
On islammemo.com, the story suggesting Australia will become a Muslim state says there are already more than 100 mosques and 30 Islamic schools in Australia.
It says the numbers indicate Australia, "which is persecuting and fighting Islam and Muslims who live on its land, will one day become a state with a majority Muslim population".
Taliban Online, now hosted at muslimthai.com/talibanonline, has called for Muslims worldwide to send a message of support to thefamily of David Hicks, the Australian Taliban held by the US.
A spokeswoman for federal Attorney-General Daryl Williams said Australian links to al-Qa'ida and other terrorist organisations had been the main focus of ASIO investigations since September 11.
Editorial -- Page 10
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Wednesday, 18 December 2002

Surveillance of jihad websites, The Australian, 18 December, 2002.



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Tuesday, 17 December 2002

Transport operator pulls out, The Australian, 17 December, 2002.

Transport operator pulls out: [3 All-round Metro Edition]

The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 17 Dec 2002: 5.
Show highlighting
A LEADING operator of Victoria's privatised transport system announced yesterday that it would be handing back to the state Government control of significant parts of the metropolitan train and tram network, along with the country passenger lines, two days before Christmas.
The rail and tram privatisation, initiated during the Kennett era, has been plagued by operational turmoil and massive financial losses.
Yesterday the British-based National Express issued a statement saying it would be withdrawing from all train and tram operations in Australia effective next Monday.
Alison Crosweller
John Stapleton
A LEADING operator of Victoria's privatised transport system announced yesterday that it would be handing back to the state Government control of significant parts of the metropolitan train and tram network, along with the country passenger lines, two days before Christmas.
It is believed the multinational National Express Group pulled out after the Bracks Government rejected demands for a more than $100 million bailout, thesecond such grant in less than 12 months.
National Express was the part-beneficiary of a $110 million government bailout of the three public transport operators earlier this year.
The rail and tram privatisation, initiated during the Kennett era, has been plagued by operational turmoil and massive financial losses.
Difficulties with the ticketing system meant operators were losing up to $50 million a year in fares.
The Labor Government has previously ruled out buying back Melbourne's public transport network.
Yesterday the British-based National Express issued a statement saying it would be withdrawing from all train and tram operations in Australia effective next Monday.
Chief executive Phil White said the Victorian subsidiary had been in negotiation with the state Government for more than a year in an attempt to put their train and tram businesses on a firmer footing.
He said the company had become increasingly concerned at the future viability of the operations and they were not prepared to fund further losses. Thecompany had an operating loss of $6.4 million for the first half of this year, despite government assistance of $46.2 million.
The operations were forecast to incur significant losses through 2003 and beyond.
The one-off cost to National Express of writing down its investments in Australia is estimated to be $378 million.
Mr White said it was not in the best interests of the group or its shareholders to continue.
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