Qld: Police optimistic for holiday road toll

00-00-0000
Qld: Police optimistic for holiday road toll

Queensland police say that despite a horror start to the state's holiday road toll,the number of people injured in road accidents is dramatically lower than last year.

No deaths have been recorded on Queensland roads in the last 24 hours, providing policewith reason for optimism.

And State traffic support branch Superintendent TIM FENLON says injuries are on theirway to being down by nearly two thirds.

He says there have been about 110 people injured in car crashes this holiday seasonso far, compared to almost 280 by this time last year.

The death toll for Queensland remains at seven since the holiday safety campaign startedon Friday, including five people killed in a horror smash in north Queensland last weekend.

(Eds: National road toll figures are for the period 0001 December 20 to 2359 January5 AEDT. Some states and territories have different periods).

AAP RTV nt/rk

KEYWORD: TOLL QLD (BRISBANE)

Fed:WA Nats vote not to disaffiliate with Fed body over Telstra=2

00-00-0000
Fed:WA Nats vote not to disaffiliate with Fed body over Telstra=2

The motion reflects growing rural anxiety about the possible sale of Telstra beforebush telecommunications are at a service level which is comparable to those in urban areas.

The vote came just hours after the Nationals leader Acting Prime Minister John Andersontold the delegates that government ownership of Telstra was not essential to ensuringsatisfactory telecommunications services for the bush.

Delegates who spoke against the motion did not dispute that telecommunications werea problem in rural WA, but said they were concerned their voices would not be heard shouldthey disaffiliate.

South West regional director Vicki Brown said she was disappointed about the loss of the motion.

"But I'm glad it has brought our concerns out into the open," Ms Brown said.

Mr Anderson had another engagement and did not stay for the vote.

But before he left the Nationals leader assured the conference that party policy onthe government sale of Telstra had not changed.

"We've said no further sale until and unless services are at a satisfactory level andwe have a living, dynamic set of arrangements to ensure we don't fall behind in the future,"

Mr Anderson said.

However, outside the conference Mr Anderson said the eventual sale of Telstra was inevitable.

"In the medium to long term I believe that sooner or later a government will sell it yes, I do."

He said rural telecommunications services, not ownership of Telstra, was the key issue.

"I simply wanted to make the point, that to me, public and private ownership seemsto have little to do with whether we get satisfactory services in the country.

"It's a question of having the right universal service obligations and customer guarantees- and then policing them.

"That's the key to getting services right, as I see it."

MORE lk/cjh/de

KEYWORD: TELSTRA NATIONALS WA 2 YORK

Fed: PM explains attendance at Queen Mother's funeral

00-00-0000
Fed: PM explains attendance at Queen Mother's funeral

Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD says his attendance at the Queen Mother's funeral is anopportunity to salute Australia's relationship with Britain during the second World War.

He's told ABC radio the relationship between the two countries was particularly strongduring the war and today's funeral is seen as an appropriate time to recognise it.

Mr HOWARD, who will become the first Australian prime minister to attend a royal funeral,has paid Australia's respects to the Queen Mother lying in state in London.

In the book of condolence, he wrote: "Australians who remember with affection the QueenMother's links with our country give thanks for a long life of steadfast service and commitmentto duty which won the admiration of millions."

AAP RTV so/ld/jmt

KEYWORD: ROYALS MOTHER HOWARD (CANBERRA)

SA: Premier Kerin accused of hiding by Australian Democrats

00-00-0000
SA: Premier Kerin accused of hiding by Australian Democrats

ADELAIDE, Jan 16 AAP - South Australian Premier Rob Kerin was today accused of tryingto hide by the Australian Democrats, who challenged him to a series of debates.

Democrats SA parliamentary leader Mike Elliott said he was concerned at the "strictcontrol" placed on Mr Kerin when he announced the state's February 9 election yesterday.

Mr Kerin, who announced the minimum 25-day campaign period, held a media conferenceyesterday which was halted after nine minutes by a media minder.

The premier said he would make himself available to the media during the campaign butleft …

FED: Norway ship line considers piracy charge against Australia

AAP General News (Australia)
08-29-2001
FED: Norway ship line considers piracy charge against Australia

SYDNEY, Aug 29 AAP - Australia could be charged with piracy if it tried to steer a
Norwegian container ship and its 438 rescued asylum seekers back to sea, the ship's owners
said today.

Australian Special Air Service (SAS) troops today boarded the MS Tampa just off Christmas
Island where the ship's captain was trying to take the refugees ashore because he was
concerned about their health.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen shipping line spokesman Per Ronnevig said he was angered by the
military invasion of his ship.

Mr Ronnevig said captain Arne Rinnan sent his crew downstairs and the troops ordered
the ship out to sea.

The captain refused to comply but he was still in charge of the vessel, as far as Mr
Ronnevig knew.

Speaking from Oslo, Mr Ronnevig told Sydney radio 2GB any attempt to take the ship's
controls by force and turn it back to international waters would be regarded as piracy
"and we would act thereafter legally".

"It's totally unheard of, to use military force in a situation like this," Mr Ronnevig said.

"The Australian government is putting up a brand new standard in established international
rules as far as behaviour at sea is concerned.

"But of course this is a situation, 44 heavily armed soldiers boarding the ship, that's
not an everyday thing for us."

Mr Ronnevig rejected Prime Minister John Howard's assertion that the ship's captain
broke an agreement to stay out of Australian territorial waters in return for Australia
sending medical help for the asylum seekers.

"He didn't (break any agreement) because requests for medical assistance and medicine
was sent off 48 hours ago to the Australian government and there was no response," Mr
Ronnevig said.

"We were told there was a doctor in Christmas Island who was coming on board but he
claimed the ship was too big so he couldn't come on board."

Mr Ronnevig said the Tampa was now caught up in a stand-off because it had properly
responded to a call for help from Australian rescue authorities.

"One has to bear in mind that the ship Tampa was on its way from Fremantle to Singapore
and he (the captain) was then asked by a rescue centre, an Australian rescue centre, to
assist in a rescue operation," Mr Ronnevig said.

"We steamed over there and we rescued some 438 people.

"We just did what everybody else should do at sea - if somebody is in distress, go
ahead and save them."

AAP gmw/ge/jc

KEYWORD: BOAT OWNERS

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

QLD: Delay likely for plane crash body removal

AAP General News (Australia)
04-12-2001
QLD: Delay likely for plane crash body removal

Rescuers say it may take several days before four bodies are removed from a plane crash
in far north Queensland due to rough terrain and bad weather.

The plane -- a twin engine Aero Commander 500 -- crashed on Tuesday morning near the
top of Thornton Peak.

Killed were the pilot, 44, of Cairns, and three Telstra workers from Townsville and Lucinda.

The charter plane was taking the Telstra technicians to Hicks Island near the tip of
Cape York Peninsula for maintenance work on a communications facility.

The wreckage of the plane was found late yesterday in thick rainforest near the top
of Thornton Peak in Cape Tribulation national park.

Rescuers spent the night at the crash site and had hoped to fly in a disaster victims
identification unit today.

But a Queensland Rescue Service spokesman says the weather conditions may cause a delay
of several days before the bodies can be removed.

AAP RTV geb/jtb

KEYWORD: PLANE (BRISBANE)

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: Footballer Carey gets perfect match in hometown Wagga Wagga

AAP General News (Australia)
01-20-2001
Vic: Footballer Carey gets perfect match in hometown Wagga Wagga

Wagga Wagga residents have turned out to see AFL star WAYNE CAREY marry longtime sweetheart
SALLY MCMAHON.

An estimated 300 onlookers, some sporting CAREY'S famous Kangaroos No 18 guernsey,
gathered outside Wagga Wagga's St Andrews Presbyterian Church, to witness the celebrations.

A busload of 29-year-old CAREY'S teammates arrived at the church, with club coach DENIS PAGAN.

At 3pm, 26-year-old Ms McMahon …