Crispin Hull

The National Party should oppose the privatisation of the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporatisation if it would “”cause harsh economic and social trauma to the Cooma community”, according to the party’s candidate for Eden-Monaro, Tom Barry.

Mr Barry was speaking at the opening of his campaign office in Queanbeyan yesterday.

The joint Liberal and National Party Fightback program says on p273: “”The following organisations have been targeted for sale in our first year. the operations of the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation.”
Continue reading “1993_02_february_barry”

“”And needless to say the XXX Bank can kiss my business goodbye in 1995.”

This is voice of many consumers over the past month angry at being hit with huge, unexpected fees when wanting to sell their homes.

The history of it shows how the best laid plans and intentions go astray.

When Stephen Martin, MP, brought down his report into banking in November, 1991, one of a dozen or so recommendations attracted little limelight.
Continue reading “1993_02_february_banks”

The ABC would be happy to vacate its present site and go elsewhere if it got enough money for a new studio, the ABC’s manager for Canberra, Philip Koch, said yesterday.

In seeking expressions of interest for the redevelopment of its present site, the ABC was only following advice from ACT planning officials in its attempt to seek more suitable premises for its future ACT role.

“”The ABC does not want to be a developer,” Mr Koch said. “It just wants premises to suit its present and future functions.”
Continue reading “1993_02_february_abc”

Australia’s current account deficit of $1.6 billion in November, 1992, announced yesterday put an end to hopes for a fall in interest rates.

The figure was issued by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The Acting Treasurer, Bob Collins, said: “”In light of this, and economic circumstances more generally, the Government has no plans to change current monetary-policy settings.”

The Opposition said Australia was drifting alarmingly.
Continue reading “1993_01_january_trade”

The chief executive of the ACT TAB and its former chairman have attacked the proposal by

the Minister for Sport, Wayne Berry, to convert the TAB from corporation to a statutory

authority.

The former chairman, Jim Colquhoun, said yesterday that the move was ideological. As a

corporation the TAB ws running better than it had ever done. It was the only TAB in Australia

to increase turnover in the face of a casino opening. Because he had opposed the change, his

appointment as chairman had not been renewed.
Continue reading “1993_01_january_tabauth”

This is the story of gamblers’ anonymous. That means the sources are anonymous and of varying reliability. And it is a story about gamblers _ namely the ACT TAB, its clients and the ACT Government.

But it is more than a story about horse racing, it is about bureaucracy, politics and public money.

It has been an interesting seven months. Around the middle of last year, someone who had the interests of ACT racing and the ACT TAB dear to his heart (for altruistic and sentimental reasons as much as anything) thought that the ACT TAB faced a very big challenge. In these days of modern telecommunications, people can put bets on interstate TABs very easily. Interstate TABs, with their higher turnover, could over a much wider range of “”services”. One could bet on flies going up the wall in Gulargambone as well as the horses going around a track in Randwick, not to mention extraordinary combinations of football outcomes.
Continue reading “1993_01_january_tab”

1. Australians going overseas get no medicare cover, but must pay the levy and cannot get deduction for private health cover, Dept Health tells Canberra academic.

2. How to make money out of real estate through negative gearing_ finance page.

3. How Hewson made money out of real estate and negative gearing and how he knows all the flaws in the tax system and is in a good position, he said sarcasically, to reform it.
Continue reading “1993_01_january_slist”

The tyres tell the story. Strips of rubber litter the Kings Highway. Repairs of repairs of repairs result in a grey and black quilt in the parts of the road.

The 135km of road from the outskirts of Queanbeyan to Bateman’s Bay occasionally offers the motorist the sudden choice between dodging an ankle deep pothole or breaking a double yellow line.

Queanbeyan police highway patrol cars chew up tyres in a little over half the time than their colleagues at Bateman’s Bay who cruise the Princes Highway and the better part of the Kings below the Clyde.
Continue reading “1993_01_january_roads.doc”

The recession is still here, according to wages and building statistics issued yesterday.

The value of non-residential building starts was down 18.2 per cent from the June to the September quarters 1992. Non-residential starts are at their lowest since the September quarter 1984. They are down 30.3 per cent on the same quarter the previous year.

The value of work done on non-residential building fell 10.1 per cent June to September and has been consistently down since the September 1989 quarter, with one small exception.
Continue reading “1993_01_january_recess”

It’s too late for if onlys after the sickening scrunch of metal and aftershock of shattered glass. Forewarned is forewarned. The following are some DOs and DON’Ts for before and after car crashes. Essentially, it comes down to protecting life, limb and property in that order.

First to some pre-accidents DOs. Make sure you always carry a first-aid kit, blanket, fire-extinguisher, two litres of water, torch and pen and paper. If you can afford it a car phone is worthwhile.

Make sure your car is registered with third-party personal-injury insurance. It is an offence not to have it (fine up to $500 and order your car off the road for up to 12 months.) As a minimum have third-party property insurance. You never know when you might run into a Rolls Royce.
Continue reading “1993_01_january_prangs”