Highlights of the AAP National Wire at 14:45, Aug 26

AAP General News (Australia)
08-26-2001
Highlights of the AAP National Wire at 14:45, Aug 26

CANBERRA - Internal Liberal Party documents showed branches were told in June last
year they could not charge the GST or claim tax refunds on their expenses, Labor said
today. (Tax Crean)

CANBERRA - Defence Minister Peter Reith today defended Small Business Minister Ian
Macfarlane over claims he misled parliament in relation to the alleged Liberal Party GST
rort. (Tax Reith) Also see Tax Hockey, Tax Small and Tax Watts.

Tax Nightlead to come



CANBERRA - Opposition Leader Kim Beazley did not exaggerate the tale of his daughter's
experience in a Perth public hospital, opposition treasury spokesman Simon Crean said
today. (Hospitals Crean) Also see Hospitals Hannah.

Hospitals Nightlead to come



CANBERRA - Afghanistan's ruling Taliban has agreed to allow an Australian diplomat
to travel to Kabul to visit two arrested aid workers, foreign affairs officials said today.

(Afghan Aust)



CANBERRA - The National Australia Bank (NAB) will cut interest rates on fixed-rate
home loans by 0.1 percentage points from tomorrow. (Rates National)



SYDNEY - The unearthing of a fossilised Tasmanian Tiger in South Australia is one of
the most significant archaeological finds of the past century - and it was made by an
amateur palaeontologist. Thylacine to come



CANBERRA - The number of asylum seekers appealing to courts and tribunals jumped by
26 per cent in the past year, Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said today. (Detention
to come)



SYDNEY - Tough new laws to put pack rapists in jail for life look certain to come into
force in NSW with State opposition leader Kerry Chikarovski pledging support for the government
crackdown. (Gangs)



DILI - East Timor resistance Xanana Gusmao has declared he is prepared to become his
nation's first president but also questioned the level of his apparent ubiquitous support.

(Timor Gusmao. Backgrounder) Nightlead to come.



CANBERRA - Financial Services Minister Joe Hockey today vowed to crack down on any
crooks in the $500 billion superannuation industry. (Super)



CANBERRA - There would not be an increase in aircraft noise after the sale of Sydney
Airport, Financial Services Minister Joe Hockey said today. (Airport Hockey)



CANBERRA - Financial Services Minister Joe Hockey today called on state and local governments
to use the Sydney Olympics process as a model for how to plan for the future. (Population
Hockey)



DILI - East Timor resistance Xanana Gusmao has declared he is prepared to become his
nation's first president but also questioned the level of his apparent ubiquitous support.

(Timor Gusmao. Backgrounder) Nightlead to come.



SYDNEY - A group of cleaners at Sydney's largest theme park were threatened with arrest
during a protest over a pay dispute, their union said today. (Wonderland)



SYDNEY - NSW Police Commissioner Peter Ryan has taken a swipe at his critics, accusing
them of wanting to tinker with law enforcement and treating it like a social experiment.

(Ryan)



SYDNEY - Five teenagers were hurt, two critically, when their small sedan struck a
tree in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, late last night. (Crash)



MELBOURNE - Work bans by Victorian police are costing taxpayers around $1.5 million
a week in lost revenue as the police union today called on the state government to make
the next move in enterprise bargaining negotiations. (Police Vic). Nightlead to come.



MELBOURNE - Disability workers are to step up their campaign of industrial action this
week, with a major stoppage in country Victoria on Wednesday and one in Melbourne on Friday.

(Disabled Vic)



MELBOURNE - Several major public hospitals in Melbourne had been unable to take emergency
patients for unacceptable and dangerous lengths of time during the recent nurses dispute,
the Victorian opposition said today. (Nurses Vic)



MELBOURNE - Two girls who spent last night alone and cold in a central Victorian forest
have been found safe and well after a large-scale search. (Girls)



BRISBANE - The search for six men missing at sea off the far north Queensland coast
widened today with 10 fixed wing aircraft and four helicopters taking part. (Search) Nightlead
to come.



BRISBANE - The federal and Queensland governments should mount a $4 million, two-year
campaign to eradicate the destructive Crown of Thorns starfish from the Great Barrier
Reef, the Australian Democrats said today. (Reef Democrats)



BRISBANE - Sex offenders should be given mandatory jail sentences and repeat offenders
should be handed maximum sentences, Queensland opposition leader Mike Horan said today.

(Offenders)

BRISBANE - Queensland Emergency Services Minister Mike Reynolds today paid tribute
to two fire fighters killed on duty in the past two days. (Firefighter)



BRISBANE - Former federal Liberal minister Sir James Killen is to remarry. (Killen)



PERTH - A private investigator who doled out $450,000 on behalf of Gina Rinehart for
"dirt" on Rose Porteous - before handing the payment details to the other side - will
appear at the Lang Hancock inquest tomorrow. (Hancock with factbox)



ADELAIDE - A 40-year-old man is recovering in hospital after a drive-by shooting in
Adelaide's western suburbs last night. (Shooting)



FINANCE:



SYDNEY - BHP Billiton Ltd was not selling its Ekati diamond mine, chief executive Paul
Anderson said today. (BHP Billiton)



SYDNEY - Financial services giant AMP Ltd today did not rule out a merger with a large
British funds manager and dual listing in the UK. (AMP)



SYDNEY - Commonwealth Bank chief David Murray today described the market's negative
reaction to the company's full year profit result as "fair". (Commonwealth Bank)



SYDNEY - Supermarket giant Woolworths Ltd will defy Australia's economic gloom with
another record full year profit result tomorrow. (Woolworths)



SYDNEY - Markets Preview to come



SPORT:



NEW YORK - Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt will shoulder even more than their usual large
portion of Australian expectation in the US Open starting here on Monday. (Tennis Open
Nightlead)

LONDON - Legendary England allrounder Ian Botham believes Shane Warne will overtake
Courtney Walsh as the world's most successful bowler before his rollercoaster Test career
is finished. (Cricket Aust Nightlead. Also see Cricket Aust Warne)

LUCERNE, Switzerland - The Australian women's coxless fours crew has won gold at the
world rowing championships here today. (Rowing World)

AFL and NRL wraps



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