Radio and Television Evening Round Up

AAP General News (Australia)
08-06-1999
Radio and Television Evening Round Up
EVENING ROUND-UP: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1630.

MEDICARE WRAP (SYDNEY)

The federal opposition has called for a Senate inquiry into the public hospital system.

Opposition health spokeswoman JENNY MACKLIN says the inquiry should consider the adequacy
of health funding to the states, the private health insurance rebate and overlapping roles
between the states and the commonwealth.

Ms MACKLIN says she's asked Democrats leader MEG LEES to support her call.

Queensland Premier PETER BEATTIE says agreement from a majority of states and territories
should be enough to instigate an inquiry.

New South Wales Premier BOB CARR has called for an independent review after the federal
government's decision NOT to endorse a Productivity Commission inquiry into the health system.

And Tasmanian Premier JIM BACON has joined the demand for a Productivity Commission
inquiry.

But Victorian Premier JEFF KENNETT says he sees no value in states and territories
conducting a private inquiry, saying there's no point in the states doing it on their own.

SWISS RIVER (LONDON)

Family and friends have said goodbye to the 21 victims of the Swiss canyoning disaster at
an emotional church service in Interlaken.

Some 250 people packed the SCHLOSSKIRCH church, including Swiss president RUTH DREIFUSS,
Australian Governor-General Sir WILLIAM DEANE, the families of the victims, and a number of
young travellers who were in the backpacking haven.

They watched as a red candle for each of the victims - 14 of them Australian - was laid at
the foot of a mini representation of a mountain stream.

TIMOR ATTACK (DILI)

The UN Mission in East Timor says a group of men hurled rocks and chunks of concrete at
United Nations staff in a town in East Timor, injuring a UN civilian police officer.

The police officer was injured when a group of around 20 men entered a meeting between UN
staff and students in the town of Ainaro in southern East Timor.

UNAMET spokesman HIRO UEKI says the attack was swift and vicious and appeared to be well
organised.

REPUBLIC WRAP (CANBERRA)

Opposition Leader KIM BEAZLEY has urged all republicans to unite, vote YES in November's
referendum -- and let the details to be worked out later.

Mr BEAZLEY says current issues like the method of electing the president and the powers of
the Senate could be debated afterwards.

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD says Treasurer PETER COSTELLO and Workplace Relations Minister
PETER REITH are NOT sniping at each other over the republic.

He says they are just expressing different viewpoints, and he's not worried about the
reported divisions between them over how a president should be chosen.

TANKER WRAP (SYDNEY)

An inspection of the tanker which poured more than 80,000 litres of oil into Sydney Harbour
early this week has shown the leak wasn't caused by tampering or technical deficiencies.

Monaco-based V-Ships managing director ROBERTO GIORGI says the Italian flag ship LAURA
D'AMATO was in first class condition and crewed by highly experienced officers and crew.

Mr GIORGI says the ship has been inspected by the Australia Maritime Safety Agency and has
received a clean bill of health - with no technical deficiencies nor evidence of tampering.

He says legitimate claims lodged against the company and the cost of the clean-up will be
met.

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD has given the thumbs down to calls from environmental groups for
a Senate inquiry into the Sydney Harbour oil spill, saying the matter should be handled by
NSW.

Meanwhile, New South Wales Greens have dumped a bucketful of oil sludge from the Harbour at
Shell Australia's Sydney headquarters in protest against the spill.

FESTIVAL CANCEL (MELBOURNE)

The Melbourne Festival has cancelled its controversial opening ceremony at the Shrine of
Remembrance, giving way to pressure from the RSL, former diggers and their families.

Festival arts director SUE NATTRASS says no decision has yet been made on an alternative
site or if there will be an opening ceremony at all.

SECRET (SYDNEY)

The New South Wales auditor-general has attacked the excessive secrecy of Australian
governments, saying a bill of rights may be needed to fix it.

Auditor-General TONY HARRIS says Australians have far less access to government information
than Britons or Americans.

FIREFIGHTERS BANS (SYDNEY)

A spokesman for the New South Wales Fire Brigades says firefighters have voted to continue
bans on attending fires until next Friday.

The bans apply to those professional firefighters -- about 1,500 of the state's 3,000 --
who are covered by an inferior death and disability scheme which came into operation in 1985.

The Fire Brigade Employees Union has been fighting to have equity introduced into a
situation where half their members would be better compensated than the other half in the
event of injury.

BARRATT (SYDNEY)

A judge has been told the proposed sacking of Defence Department secretary PAUL BARRATT was
one of the most unjust and insensitive acts of government perpetrated on a loyal public
servant.

Mr BARRATT'S barrister, ROBERT ELLICOTT, QC, has also described notice of the dismissal as
bland, blunt and crude.

The defence secretary has gone to the Federal Court in Sydney to try and stop Defence
Minister JOHN MOORE terminating his five-year contract, of which he has served 18 months.

BRIEFLY:
The death toll from floods and landslides spawned by days of torrential rain in the
Philippines has reached 90, with another 36 people missing.

The effort to establish self-government in Kosovo has overcome an early obstacle with top
ethnic Albanian political party League of Democratic Kosovo agreeing to participate after a
three-week boycott of the Kosovo Transitional Council.

In Japan, the mayor of Hiroshima TADATOSHI AKIBA has honoured survivors of the war-time atomic
bomb which flattened the city in 1945 on today, the 54th anniversary of the detonation.

For the first time in more than a decade, figures show crime in New South Wales is falling.

Melbourne's high profile GROLLO family is taking another shot at building the world's tallest
building - a 113 storey tower housing apartments, a luxury hotel, shops and offices.

IN SPORT:

CRICKET AUST (CANBERRA)

Australian Cricket Board chief executive MALCOLM SPEED has confirmed this month's tour of
Sri Lanka will go ahead.

SPEED made the announcement after being briefed by Foreign Affairs officials in Canberra on
the security situation in Sri Lanka following recent terrorist attacks by Tamil separatists.

CYCLING JUNIOR (MELBOURNE)

Australia has won another two gold medals on day two of the world junior track cycling
championships in Athens.

Victorian ANDREW MASON beat South Australian NICK GRAHAM by less than half a wheel in the
final of the 3000m individual pursuit.

The team of JOBIE DAJKA, BEN KERSTEN and MARK RENSHAW also showed character to come back
from qualifying third-fastest to beat Italy in the final of the Olympic sprint.

LE MANS (ADELAIDE)

Adelaide looks set to host a Le Mans-style sportscar race next year as part of an extended
series of races in the United States, Europe and Asia.

US entrepreneur DON PANOZ, who holds the rights to the Le Mans series, says Adelaide is his
chosen location for an Australian round, calling it the motor racing capital of the nation.

ENDS THE EVENING ROUNDUP

AAP RTV kbw/wz

KEYWORD: EVENING ROUND-UP

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