Wednesday, 31 March 2004

Truckies blockade 'deadly' highway, The Australian, 31 March, 2004.

Truckies blockade `deadly' highway: [2 All-round First Edition]

Michelle Gilchrist, John Stapleton. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 31 Mar 2004: 2.
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MOST road deaths on the Pacific Highway in NSW result from head- on collisions, with almost half of the major link between Sydney and Brisbane still to be upgraded to a four-lane dual carriageway despite a 10-year, $2.2 billion investment program.
MOST road deaths on the Pacific Highway in NSW result from head- on collisions, with almost half of the major link between Sydney and Brisbane still to be upgraded to a four-lane dual carriageway despite a 10-year, $2.2 billion investment program.
The findings by a NSW government inquiry into the Pacific Highway add new urgency to calls to improve the road within a decade.
The highway was at flashpoint last night, with truck drivers in a blockade at Macksville on the northcoast, protesting against the condition of the highway.
"We have to stop the carnage of workplace accidents in our industry," said Australian Long Distance Owners and Drivers Association chief executive Jerry Brown-Sarre.
Last year 56 people were killed in 44 accidents between Hexham, north of Sydney, and Queensland.
Some of the highway's worst blackspots will be divided by wire barriers to reduce head-on collisions under a $14million program announced yesterday by theNSW Government.
The money will be spent between Grafton and Byron Bay, where most of the highway remains a two-lane road.
A spokesman for NSW Transport Minister Carl Scully said the projects to divide two-lane sections of the road were an urgent measure, prompted by the first findings of the study by new RTA safety general manager Professor Soames Job.
But the $14 million is only a fraction of the $4 billion needed to make all the highway a four-lane dual highway.
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Thursday, 25 March 2004

Uranium scare hits mine staff, The Australian, 25 March, 2004. Page One.

Uranium scare hits mine staff: [2 All-round First Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 25 Mar 2004: 1.
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AUSTRALIA'S most controversial mine, Ranger in Kakadu National Park, was shut down yesterday following a uranium scare affecting 20 staff.
The federal Government's supervising scientist at Ranger, Arthur Johnston, whose field station receives water from the mine, said his staff were at the mine helping owner Energy Resources Australia investigate the incident and were sampling water in surrounding creeks.
The open-cut Ranger mine, 250km east of Darwin, is bordered by a uranium processing plant. It has been the subject of repeated demonstrations by conservationists. A Senate inquiry last year found regulation of the site to be "flawed, confusing and inadequate".
AUSTRALIA'S most controversial mine, Ranger in Kakadu National Park, was shut down yesterday following a uranium scare affecting 20 staff.
The scare occurred after workers coming off the night shift complained the water in the showers was making them itchy. The water was found to contain levels of uranium up to 400 times safe drinking levels.
The uranium mine's water systems were shut down and all non- essential staff sent home. Most concern is held for several workers who took prolonged showers. There are also fears some staff
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may have drunk the water. Ranger is expected to stay shut at least until the weekend.
The federal Government's supervising scientist at Ranger, Arthur Johnston, whose field station receives water from the mine, said his staff were at the mine helping owner Energy Resources Australia investigate the incident and were sampling water in surrounding creeks.
It is the most serious uranium incident since the spill of 110,000 litres of radioactive waste liquid at Olympic Dam, South Australia, last October.
The open-cut Ranger mine, 250km east of Darwin, is bordered by a uranium processing plant. It has been the subject of repeated demonstrations by conservationists. A Senate inquiry last year found regulation of the site to be "flawed, confusing and inadequate".
ERA said it had immediately advised the airport and other businesses near Ranger whose water supply is provided by the mine.
A spokeswoman for ERA said investigators were still interviewing workers and going over the mine last night in an attempt to understand what happened. She said it was believed that late on Tuesday night a change in the water supply made by one or more night shift workers may have led to the incident but exactly how this happened was still uncertain.
Environmental and Aboriginal groups called for urgent government action.
The Australian Conservation Foundation said yesterday's incident was the latest in "a history of spills, leaks and breakdowns" at Ranger.
"There have been over 100 leaks and spills since the mine commenced operation in 1981," ACF nuclear campaigner Dave Sweeney said.
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Wednesday, 24 March 2004

Faith embraced in times of trouble, The Australian, 24 March, 2004.

Faith embraced in times of trouble

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 24 Mar 2008: 4.
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"Christians don't believe that Easter is for Christians only, as Catholics don't believe that Easter only brings salvation to Catholics," he said.
At St Andrew's Cathedral, Anglican Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen said: "Being born again is not a new idea created by an American tele-evangelist. Being born again is the phrase Jesus used to summarise Christian hope and promise."
Australian Intercultural Society general co-ordinator Emre Celik said the invitation of Muslims to Christian churches helped break down barriers. "It was very significant to see Muslims in the churches because they sometimes feel isolated from the Australianmainstream," he said. "This helps the wider community to accept Muslims and to overcome any misunderstanding or prejudice that may exist.
CHURCH leaders attributed a strong turnout at Easter services to people turning to religion during a time of uncertainty over economic pressures and global conflict.
Brisbane-based Anglican Primate Phillip Aspinall said attendances at the Easter services had been well up.
"Maybe with the turmoil in the world, and with clashes between different cultures, people do think about what matters," he said.
"As personal pressures come on ... people start looking for what's really valuable, what counts deep down in their lives, and that puts them back in touch with their faith."
In his homily during Easter Sunday mass at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, Cardinal George Pell emphasised the broad appeal of his faith to a standing-room only congregation.
He was applauded when he welcomed a delegation of Muslims from the group Affinity Intercultural Foundation, which he said promoted "the worthy project" of friendship between the faiths.
"Christians don't believe that Easter is for Christians only, as Catholics don't believe that Easter only brings salvation to Catholics," he said.
"It brings about the possibility of eternal life for all good people. There are many rooms in the father's house after death."
Cardinal Pell urged everyone to be "agents for the spreading of goodness" and said that God's grace was not limited by accidents of birth.
At St Andrew's Cathedral, Anglican Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen said: "Being born again is not a new idea created by an American tele-evangelist. Being born again is the phrase Jesus used to summarise Christian hope and promise."
In Melbourne, Father Tom Knowles said more than 5000 people had passed through St Francis Catholic Church. "It's grown a lot in thepast few years and seems to be keeping growing," he said.
"We're really delighted with the interest and participation."
Adelaide Catholic Archbishop Philip Wilson addressed packed Easter masses. He said it was "really wonderful" to see large numbers of young people attending the services.
"The moment of his resurrection was the moment of re-creation of the world with new possibilities, and those possibilities are about trying to overcome violence and bitterness and he gives us the power to do that," Archbishop Wilson said.
"It begins at the door of our own lives and every time that we make a choice to forgive or to seek reconciliation we are actually contributing to the power of peace in the world."
Australian Intercultural Society general co-ordinator Emre Celik said the invitation of Muslims to Christian churches helped break down barriers. "It was very significant to see Muslims in the churches because they sometimes feel isolated from the Australianmainstream," he said. "This helps the wider community to accept Muslims and to overcome any misunderstanding or prejudice that may exist.
Many Muslims have little understanding of what happens inside Christian churches, so this leads to better relationships between all communities. Ignorance is our common enemy.
"The dialogue is about two communities coming together over something they have in common, a belief in one God. A lot of people don't realise that Jesus Christ is accepted as a prophet of God in the Islamic faith and it is accepted he will return to earth as a messiah.
"This weekend's events were all the more significant because next week the largest mosque in Australia, the Sunshine Mosque in Melbourne, is having an open day next Sunday. We have already had hundreds of people register. This will reciprocate what happened today."
Worldwide -- Page 12
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Monday, 22 March 2004

Fugitive Byrne murder 'witness' named, The Australian, 22 March, 2004.

Fugitive Byrne murder `witness' named: [2 All-round First Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 22 Mar 2004: 4.
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THE second man believed to have fled Australia after the 1995 death of model Caroline Byrne at a notorious Sydney suicide spot has been confirmed by The Australian as Gary Redding.
Police are still trying to speak to the former tattooist, who may have been a witness to Byrne's death at TheGap in Sydney's east.
Police are reported to believe the heavily tattooed Mr Redding, a former partner in the Sydney tattoo shop Skins and Needles, was also present at The Gap on the night Byrne died.
THE second man believed to have fled Australia after the 1995 death of model Caroline Byrne at a notorious Sydney suicide spot has been confirmed by The Australian as Gary Redding.
Police are still trying to speak to the former tattooist, who may have been a witness to Byrne's death at TheGap in Sydney's east.
After the incident, Mr Redding, an associate in the late 1990s of the now disgraced stockbroker Rene Rivkin, fled Australia, travelling first to New Zealand and then to Britain.
He is reported to have been tracked to New Zealand, where he agreed to be interviewed by Sydney detectives, but had subsequently disappeared.
Earlier this month The Australian reported that a brief of evidence prepared by NSW police recommended charging former Rivkin chauffeur Gordon Wood with murder. The brief was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions on March 9.
It is understood not to mention Mr Redding, who was an acquaintance of Mr Wood's.
But police are reported to believe the heavily tattooed Mr Redding, a former partner in the Sydney tattoo shop Skins and Needles, was also present at The Gap on the night Byrne died.
A police spokesman said last night that Taskforce Irondale, set up to investigate Byrne's death, would not make any more statements on the issue.
Officers from the taskforce are understood to be upset that the contents of the brief of evidence were leaked to The Australian, which ran a front-page story on the preparation of charges against Mr Wood and which subsequently tracked him down to the skiing village of Megeve in France.
NSW Premier Bob Carr said last week he believed there was a prima facie case for extraditing Mr Wood.
Credit: Caroline Byrne
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Cleric named as terror recruiter, The Australian, 22 March, 2004. Page One.

Cleric named as terror recruiter: [3 All-round Metro Edition]

Martin Chulov, John Stapleton. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 22 Mar 2004: 1.
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THE Sydney-based Islamic preacher who married alleged terrorist Willie Brigitte and his Australian wife was named last night as thechief recruiter of an informal Australian terror network.
Sheikh Abdul Salam Mohammed Zoud, Imam of the Lakemba prayer room, strongly denied the claims and said that he met his accuser, Brigitte, only once.
Citing the dossier, prepared by French counter-terrorist judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere, the Telegraph said that Sheikh Zoud had contact with the alleged leader of Spain's al-Qa'ida cell, Abu Dahdah, and a terror cell based in the US state of Virginia.
THE Sydney-based Islamic preacher who married alleged terrorist Willie Brigitte and his Australian wife was named last night as thechief recruiter of an informal Australian terror network.
However, Sheikh Abdul Salam Mohammed Zoud, Imam of the Lakemba prayer room, strongly denied the claims and said that he met his accuser, Brigitte, only once.
Sheikh Zoud insisted the allegations, contained in a French intelligence dossier and published in Sydney's The Daily Telegraph, were false.
He is not considered to be a person of interest to Australian authorities. Sheikh Zoud claims the only time he met Brigitte was when he married the Frenchman and Melanie Brown.
Citing the dossier, prepared by French counter-terrorist judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere, the Telegraph said that Sheikh Zoud had contact with the alleged leader of Spain's al-Qa'ida cell, Abu Dahdah, and a terror cell based in the US state of Virginia.
"He denies the allegations," said one of the sheikh's relatives.
The Telegraph also published the name of a Sydney man alleged to have been Brigitte's chief contact during his six months in Sydney, which ended with his deportation last October.
Stephen Hopper, the lawyer for the man, whose alias Abu Hamza has already been published, said: "I will be seeking instructions from my client first thing Monday morning.
Many of the details of the dossier have leaked in the four months since Brigitte's detention in France.
However, the dossier contains several revelations, such as Brigitte's alleged claim that he came to Australia to produce a "bomb of great size".
The SAS base at Perth's Swanbourne Barracks was also added to a list of mooted targets, which included the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor, the Garden Island Navy base and Holsworthy army barracks in Sydney.
The dossier claims that alleged Chechen bomb expert Abu Salah twice attempted to get to Australia.
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Land council votes in rogue lawyer, The Australian, 22 March, 2004.

Land council votes in rogue lawyer: [1 All-round Country Edition]

Elisabeth Wynhausen, John Stapleton, Steven Scott. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 22 Mar 2004: 3.
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DISGRACED Aboriginal barrister Paul Coe may soon head Sydney's Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, less than a decade after an indigenous legal service he ran as his personal fiefdom was wound up with debts of $2 million.
Yet Dr [Andrew Refshauge], the state member for the inner-western Sydney electorate of Marrickville that includes the strife-torn Aboriginal district of Redfern, had no comment on the prospect that Mr Coe would become general manager of the Metro council.
Mr Coe was disbarred in 1997, after allegations he had "deliberately" and "dishonestly" billed the Aboriginal Legal Services for thousands of dollars while holidaying overseas with his family. The ALS had been wound up that year, mired in debts of $2million.
DISGRACED Aboriginal barrister Paul Coe may soon head Sydney's Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, less than a decade after an indigenous legal service he ran as his personal fiefdom was wound up with debts of $2 million.
The Australian understands members of the council voted last week to appoint the disbarred Aboriginal barrister as general manager.
"Metro" as it is known, is the land council that spans metropolitan Sydney, from the Hawkesbury River in the north to the Georges River in the south.
An investigator appointed by the NSW Government last year found the council had paid Mr Coe $3000 for legal advice, despite the fact he had been disbarred.
And the NSW Bar Council is looking into allegations that the flamboyant Mr Coe continued to practise as a barrister although he has no licence to do so.
The move to install Mr Coe comes as land councils in the state are under considerable scrutiny. Last November, the state Government dismissed the peak body, the NSW Land Council, appointing an administrator to run it after a report revealed financial mismanagement had cost the organisation millions of dollars.
"I have made this decision to protect the long-term future and viability of the land council system," Deputy Premier Andrew Refshauge, the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, said at the time.
Yet Dr Refshauge, the state member for the inner-western Sydney electorate of Marrickville that includes the strife-torn Aboriginal district of Redfern, had no comment on the prospect that Mr Coe would become general manager of the Metro council.
Instead, he ducked for cover: "It's a matter for the land council," said his spokesperson. "They are entitled to appoint whoever they choose. It's a democratic process." The process in question involves an organisation that has come under fire from Robert Jackson, the government investigator, who recommended appointing an administrator to run it. According to his report, the land council's procedures for costing projects, dealing in land, allocating houses and appointing staff bordered on mismanagement.
Mr Coe was disbarred in 1997, after allegations he had "deliberately" and "dishonestly" billed the Aboriginal Legal Services for thousands of dollars while holidaying overseas with his family. The ALS had been wound up that year, mired in debts of $2million.
Mr Coe lives with his wife and children in a big Metro-owned house in Alexandria, lavishly renovated by the land council in recent years.
Approached at home for a comment on his appointment as general manager, Mr Coe had only three words for the reporter from The Australian. The first word was "Go" and the last was "yourself".
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