Radio and Television Evening Round Up

AAP General News (Australia)
02-15-1999
Radio and Television Evening Round Up
EVENING ROUND-UP: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1630.

TAX DEMOCRATS (CANBERRA)

The Australian Democrats have warned that a vote on the government's tax package may take
place after the key June 30 deadline.

The Democrats, who want food exempt from the proposed 10 per cent GST, will regain the
balance of power in the Senate from July 1.

Democrats leader MEG LEES says that while the Senate tax inquiry is due to report on April
19, the complexity of the tax legislation means there's no guarantee of the Senate dealing
with it before July 1.

RORTS ELLISON (CANBERRA)

Special Minister of State CHRIS ELLISON has defended himself against travel rort
allegations, saying he's done nothing wrong by voluntarily repaying $9,063 worth of charter
allowance.

Senator ELLISON's told parliamentary question time that he repaid all the money because he
wanted to avoid the perception that there had been some change in the rules which may have
benefitted him and decided to repay the money in full.

Senator ELLISON also says the Remuneration Tribunal last year ruled that non-MP travel on
chartered aircraft could be a legitimate part of a member's electoral duties for which
allowance could be claimed.

FARINA DECISION (SYDNEY)

A Sydney Court has ordered the extradition of a man wanted in Italy on attempted murder and
kidnapping charges.

Magistrate ELWYN ELMS has signed a warrant for the surrender of 48-year-old GIOVANNI FARINA
to Italy on nine charges dating back to 1980.

FARINA has 14 days to lodge an appeal to the Federal Court.

He appeared in Central Local Court after being arrested in Australia in August last year
under the name of LUIGI VALIANTE.

Police said he failed to declare $138,000 in foreign currency which was discovered in his
luggage.

MCKINLEY (MELBOURNE)

A Melbourne court has heard a woman charged with stealing an eight-day-old baby had offered
other pregnant women $3,000 so that she could fake her own pregnancy.

Melbourne Magistrates Court was told 35-year-old JULIE KAY MCKINLEY of Werribee, had
suffered a miscarriage but continued to pretend she was pregnant.

Last Saturday, police alleged MCKINLEY posed as a community services worker, stole the
eight-day-old Doncaster baby and set fire to the family's home.

The court heard MCKINLEY earlier had contacted two pregnant women and offered $1,500 to
take ultra-sound, blood and urine tests and a further $1,500 for the baby to be photographed
with her when it was born.

Magistrate BRIAN BARROW has adjourned the hearing until tomorrow.

POLLNSW POWER (SYDNEY)

The New South Wales coalition says its plan to hand out $1,000 to every household if it
sells the state's electricity industry will not be taxed.

But Treasurer MIKE EGAN says legal advice from accountants Ernst and Young shows the sale
of any electricity shares will attract capital gains tax.

The opposition is promising all electricity account holders $1,000 cash or $1,100 in shares
if it wins power at the March state poll and sells the $25 billion electricity industry.



NSW Public Service Association president MAURIE O'SULLIVAN has written to the Independent
Commission Against Corruption asking it to investigate whether the $1,000 handout is a bribe.

TENT (CANBERRA)

Aboriginal tent embassy protesters have lit another fire on the lawns outside New
Parliament House and rejected an offer to meet Reconciliation Minister PHILIP RUDDOCK.

Mr RUDDOCK earlier cancelled a meeting with the group saying it had become a publicity
stunt and instead offered to meet with them in his office.

The protesters rejected that offer and embassy spokesman MICHAEL ANDERSON says the
protesters want to meet Mr RUDDOCK on neutral ground.

The protest began outside New Parliament House last week following speculation the
government was considering moving the tent embassy from its site opposite Old Parliament
House.

OLY BRIBES SPONSORS (SYDNEY)

The corruption scandal surrounding the International Olympic Committee is continuing to
jeopardise Olympic sponsorship, with South Korean conglomerate Samsung now reportedly
expressing doubts about its continuing support for the Games.

Samsung Electronics' sports marketing senior manager KIM SE-HUN has told The Sydney Morning
Herald the company's $77.5 million Olympic sponsorship is in doubt because of negative
publicity surrounding the votes-for-bribes scandal.

KIM says Samsung will evaluate the reports of the various judiciary committees before
deciding whether to withdraw sponsorship funds.

PIC (SYDNEY)

A public hearing into claims New South Wales police officers were supplying and using
illegal drugs has heard the probe is just part of a wider investigation.

The Police Integrity Commission has been told a public hearing which began today will touch
on a broader probe covering a specific area of Sydney.

Counsel assisting the commissioner GREG BARRATT says he expects to call a number of
witnesses to give evidence, including police officers and a director of a security company.

One of those officers, former Constable RODNEY PODESTA, who shot Frenchman RONI LEVI at
Bondi Beach in June 1997, will appear at the commission on February 22.

In July last year the Director of Public Prosecutions said no charges would be laid against
either Constable PODESTA or partner TONY DILORENZO over the fatal shooting.

DROWNING (PERTH)

A 53-year-old man has drowned during a fishing trip off Safety Bay, 50 kilometres south of
Perth this morning.

Police say the recreational fisherman was pulled overboard when his legs got caught in the
ropes attached to craypots he was throwing off the side of his boat.

His long-time fishing companion jumped into the water after him but was unable to save him.

RAPIST (BRISBANE)

A Queensland man who allegedly carried out a series of vicious rape attacks on elderly
women asleep in their beds has appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court.

The 46-year-old housepainter from the Brisbane bayside suburb of Manly West can't be named
for legal reasons.

He is facing a total of 27 charges including two of rape, four of indecent assault and 11
of break and enter.

There was no bail application and he was remanded, without a plea required, to reappear for
mention on April 6.

BRIEFLY IN OTHER NEWS...

A Melbourne Magistrates Court judge has given former Mexican banker CARLOS CABAL PENICHE
until April to provide reasons for opposing his extradition on multi-million dollar fraud
charges.

The Chain Valley coalmine in the New South Wales Hunter Valley has been shut down with the
loss of 51 jobs.

The Community and Public Sector Union says it will lodge unfair dismissal claims on behalf
of 38 Victorian WorkCover Authority inspectors who lost their jobs in a restructure.

IN SPORT...

ATHS INDOOR RECORD (BIRMINGHAM, England)

HAILE GEBRSELASSIE of Ethiopia has broken the world men's indoor 5,000 metres record when
he clocked 12 minutes 50.38 seconds at the Birmingham indoor grand prix.

The previous mark of 12:51.48 was set by Kenyan DANIEL KOMEN in Stockholm on February 19,
1998.

TENNIS US (SAN JOSE, California)

Australia's MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS has had a convincing straight sets win to claim his first
ATP Tour title of the season at the Sybase Open in San Jose, California.

He defeated American CECIL MAMIIT 6-3 6-2.

TODD WOODBRIDGE and MARK WOODFORDE took out the doubles final.

TENNIS MEN (DUBAI, United Arab Emirates)

JEROME GOLMARD of France has won his first ATP Tour title by defeating GERMAN NICOLAS
KIEFER 6-4 6-2 in the Dubai Open tennis tournament final.

KIEFER, who beat ANDREW ILIE of Australia 6-3 7-6 in a rain-marred semi-final earlier, was
rather tentative and struggled to find his first service.

ENDS ROUNDUP

AAP RTV jv/jn

KEYWORD: EVENING ROUND-UP

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