Good Morning, Natalie McGregor with ABC News 2 March, 2004
The Victorian Opposition has the Bracks government’s legislative agenda as state parliament prepares to . The government plans to pass more than 50 pieces of legislation during the Autumn session. Improving at ATMs, toughening up the security industry, and giving of crime a say when their offender is up for release, are among the legislative , but Opposition leader, Robert Doyle, says it all means little:
no real coherent program of, you know, Labor philosophy or anything like that, it seems to me to be a lot of piddling at the edges. Meantime of course the real issues, are the industrial in Victoria and what the government’s going to do about it. It seems that almost every section of our community is on strike or protesting this week.
Hundreds of nurses this afternoon to consider the next step in their campaign for a pay rise and improved nurse-patient . Lisa Fitzpatrick from the Australia Nursing Federation hasn’t industrial action:
I’d be hoping the meetings of our nurses throughout during the month of January and February and certainly the nurses attended those meetings have really been in disbelief and are angry at what is being proposed by the government thus far.
Police are investigating at the family home of the man charged over the death of Victorian cricket coach David Hookes. Jim Murphy reports:
The fire occurred on Sunday morning at the home of Zdravko Micevic who’s been charged with manslaughter and assault the death of David Hookes. The fire has severely damaged at the back of the weatherboard house, melted roof , and blackened the roof. Police are still investigating. A is yet to be determined. Jim Murphy, St Albans.
Police have charged Queensland men with more than a thousand sex offences. Sharon Chapman reports most of the charges relate to Internet child pornography:
A -year-old south Brisbane man is facing 700 counts of possessing child images, after officers from Queensland police and the Crime and Misconduct Commission searched and businesses as part of a nationally coordinated . A 66-year-old man from Meribah, in far north Queensland, has been charged with counts of possessing child abuse images, and a 48-year-old Brisbane man is facing 75 counts of child abuse images. Two men from central and north Queensland have also been charged with more than child abuse image possession offences. They’re due to appear before the courts . A serving police officer is also under CMC investigation.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer the government will make the final decision on who will head an independent into intelligence provided by Australian agencies the war in Iraq. Labor’s demanding it be consulted before a former intelligence expert is chosen l the investigation. Mr Downer says he mind consulting the Opposition but says the government will choose a broadly acceptable and person:
the government, elected at the last election, win the last election, and I think um, on the basis of ah, us being the government make the decision, but we won’t be appointing some controversial figure, and I think at the whoever we consult. The point is be looking for a controversial figure to head the inquiry.
Official interest rates to the top of the financial market agenda today with the Reserve Bank holding regular monthly board meeting. Finance reporter Adrian Thursk a majority of economists expect rates to be on hold again:
The strength of the Australian dollar is a with the Australian Industry Group arguing it’s causing manufacturers significant , but some economists suspecting the worst is over. The housing sector is another in the debate, while housing finance has slowed over the past three months there’s some suggestion that of a slowing in actual activity is only anecdotal. the domestic economy is performing strongly and a sustained recovery in the global economy is . The Reserve Bank has also clearly stated that it regards current interest rate settings as mildly accommodative, and although inflation remains low concerned about the longer-term outlook. JV Morgan Chief Economist Andrew Peeve is of the minority expecting rates to be raised tomorrow morning in the today’s policy meeting:
I still say that the market is probably underestimating the odds that are tightening on Wednesday.
Investigations are into the cause of last night’s collision between a Westcoast rail train and a truck the Regional Fast Rail Project. The Warrnambool bound train hit the abandoned at Little River near Geelong where it *become stuck on the tracks.
An Australian cricket delegation has to Zimbabwe to check security measures for Australia’s scheduled tour of the in May. Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association representatives have two days in the African nation.
And in tennis: Australia’s Mark Phillipoussis has in the first round of the Dubai Open.
This is ABC News.
NOTE:
*Performance error – Correct usage is became (past tense)