Crispin Hull

The ACT has recorded the largest fall of people in custody over the past four years of any state or territory, prompting the ACT shadow attorney-general to say people are walking the street who in the states would be put away.

The 40 per cent fall was recorded in a survey by the Australian Institute of Criminology, details of which were published yesterday.

The fall prompted the ACT shadow Attorney-General, Gary Humphries, to say it was a mixed blessing.

“”It is of concern to me that people are walking the city that in the states would have been put away,” he said, “”We may be either more enlightened, or more naive.”
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The Australian Bureau of Statistics is to conduct a survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from March to June next year.

The survey was recommended by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

It will enable Aborigines and Islanders to provide data about their aspirations, objectives and needs and provide a way of measuring progress towards them.

A draft survey has been issued after extensive consultation.
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The new shadow attorney-general, Daryl Williams, QC, said yesterday that the republican debate had been without direction because the Government’s participation in it had been random.

Until the Government came up with an agenda he would not be launching into taking positions.

Mr Williams, a Perth barrister, makes the rare trip from candidate straight to the front bench. He will also assist the leader, Dr Hewson on constitutional affairs.
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Three thousand extra people in under the ACT Government’s draft plan for North Watson would place unacceptable demands on existing shops, roads and schools in existing suburbs, according to a community group.

The Watson Community Association said yesterday that the plan provided for no new schools or shops in the new area, so those people would come to Watson creating awful traffic congestion.
The draft plan was made public last week.
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The “”Aboriginal Provisional Government” has warned the Federal Government against getting an agreement with selected Aboriginal groups about land rights following the Mabo case.

The chairman on the APG, Bob Weatherall, said yesterday that the Government was talking to groups like the National Reconciliation Council. He had no objection to those discussions, but they could not bind the Aboriginal people.

“”If the Federal Government is purporting to hold its selected Aborigines up as the representative voice of Aboriginal people, then they are wrong,” he said. “”Any agreement reached between the Federal Government and the selected Aborigines will not be binding on any future moves by Aborigines to explore our inherent rights.”
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South Africa would not break down into a one-party state after majority rule, like other African states, according to visiting South African journalist Allister Sparks.

He said yesterday that the country had a strong base of independent institutions, including the media, whereas when colonial powers withdrew from black African countries they left an institutional vacuum. This was invariably filled by the single independence political party which took over everything, including the media.

South Africa, however, had strong unions, strong professional groups, including human-rights groups.
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Cost: take a company car 1600kms 80 litres at 70c equals $112.00, plus wear and tear, break-down risk etc and less one car at the office for three-four days.

Good one-liners seldom work in print. But they make a good night of theatre. There were dozens last night as Paul Lyneham, Bronwyn Bishop and Andrew Denton argued the uses of the Royal Family and Malcolm Turnbull, Wendy Harmer and Graham Richardson argued for the Republic.

Denton stole the show. But the audience let him down, as he knew it would, come time to vote at the end. He said they would vote for the republic because it was trendy.

But trendy things go out of vogue and untrendy things become trendy.
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A challenge to the first order under the ACT’s new planning legislation is to go before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal today (Friday).

The order was made on March 10 by the Department of Environment Land and Planning against Authentic System Pty Ltd to stop what the department said was a breach of a lease-purpose clause in Hume by food retailing in an industrial-wholesale area.

A nearby business, Hill Station, which had asked the department to make the order, has been notified of the appeal against it. Hill Station which has a retail-food-outlet purpose for a cafe said its business is being affected by a canteen, which opened on Monday, being run a kilometre away .
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Canberra must put aside petty rivalries and work co-operatively with other cities and states, according to the managing director of the Commission for the Future, Susan Oliver.

Ms Oliver warned of the dangers of internal competition in the face of changes in Asia.

“”Australia is poised on the very precipice of international irrelevance,” she said.

She was speaking at the National Gallery of Australia last night in the “”Canberra. Face of the Nation” series sponsored by the National Capital Planning Authority, the ACT Government, the Canberra Business Council and the University of Canberra.
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