Fed: Key elements of the ACTU's test case

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Fed: Key elements of the ACTU's test case

Key elements of the ACTU's test case

The ACTU's redundancy test case seeks to increase severance pay in line with the NSW standard:

* One to two years service - four weeks pay (no change) or five weeks if aged over 45.

* Two to three years service - seven weeks pay (instead of six weeks) or 8.75 weeksif aged over 45.

* Three to four years service - 10 weeks pay (instead of seven weeks) or 12.5 weeksif aged over 45.

* Four to five years service - 12 weeks pay (instead of eight weeks) or 17.5 weeksif aged over 45.

* Six years or more - 16 weeks pay (instead of eight weeks) or 20 weeks if aged over 45.

The test case also seeks to extend redundancy entitlements to casual employees withmore than 12 months service.

AAP bja/gfr/cjh

KEYWORD: REDUNDANCY FACTBOX

SA: Adelaide welcome Games athletes

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SA: Adelaide welcome Games athletes

ADELAIDE, Aug 13 AAP - Enthusiastic crowds cheered 16 Commonwealth Games athletes inSouth Australia today.

The athletes, along with two Games officials, walked along red carpet at Adelaide'sRundle Mall, to be welcomed by about 3,000 spectators waving streamers and "hand clappers".

Local netballer Kathryn Harby-Williams, who captained the Australian netball team ina cliffhanger final against New Zealand, said she was still elated at winning gold.

"I have been lucky enough to have a lot of highlights but it would be right up there,equally with the best, if not the best," she said.

"Whilst I was on the court I thought we'd lost it on at least two occasions, so itwas very special."

Others taking part in the occasion included walker Liam Murphy, gymnast Jacqui Dunnand table tennis player Tammy Gough.

Gold medallist and marathon runner Kerryn McCann said she was ecstatic to be involved,particularly after missing an earlier ceremony in Sydney.

South Australia-based Tatiana Grigorieva, who won a gold medal in the pole vault, wasabsent from today's ceremony, believed still to be overseas.

The athletes were greeted by state Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson, Premier Mike Rannand Adelaide City mayor Alfred Huang.

Ms Jackson-Nelson, who set 10 world records as a sprinter between 1950 and 1954 andbecame known as the "Lithgow Flash", praised the athletes for their achievements and toldthe crowd that it could also achieve great feats.

"There's no such word as `can't'," she said, to loud applause.

"It's not in my dictionary and it shouldn't be in your's.

"You can do anything you want to ... we are still SA great."

The parade, Australia's sixth welcome home party, was followed later today by a civicreception for the athletes at Adelaide Town Hall.

AAP la/pw/sb

KEYWORD: GAMES PARADE SA (PIX AVAILABLE)

Fed: Genetics poineer praises Howards stem cell approval

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Fed: Genetics poineer praises Howards stem cell approval

Genetics pioneer ALAN TROUNSON has welcomed today's announcement by Prime MinisterJOHN HOWARD, supporting stem cell research in Australia.

Mr HOWARD has written to state premiers proposing the Commonwealth and states allowsurplus IVF embryos to be used for stem cell research.

Professor TROUNSON has told ABC radio the support means a lot to all of the scientistsinvolved in the research.

Last week, the professor held talks on the issue with the prime minister, later sayinghe believed he and other scientists had persuaded Mr HOWARD towards supporting stem cellresearch.

Today Professor TROUNSON, from Monash University's Institute of Reproduction and Development,says he expects a proposed conscience vote in federal parliament to support the legislation.

And he says there'll be no argument with Mr HOWARD's stance that only existing embryosfrom IVF programs can be used for stem cell research.

AAP RTV db/gfr/tb/rp

KEYWORD: STEMCELL TROUNSON (MELBOURNE)

Vic: Main points of the coronial finding into the Linton fire

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Vic: Main points of the coronial finding into the Linton fire

GEELONG, Vic, Jan 11 AAP - Main points of the coronial finding into the Linton bushfire.

CONCLUSIONS:

* the CFA and DNRE used two systems of management for the Linton bushfire, leadingto dysfunctional command and control.

* the CFA and DNRE did not properly supervise, inform and instruct the Geelong strike team.

* the CFA failed to properly supervise and train strike team leader Simon Scharf.

* Simon Scharf exposed the Geelong West and Geelong City tankers to potentially themost dangerous section of the fire.

…

Fed: Govt lost control of boat people - oppn

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2001
Fed: Govt lost control of boat people - oppn

SYDNEY, Aug 24 AAP - The federal government had lost control over people smuggling
and should set up a coast guard to stem the number of vessels arriving, the opposition
said today.

The largest single shipload of illegal immigrants, 364, landed this week at Christmas
Island, with the asylum seekers scheduled to be moved into detention centres on the mainland
today.

Nearly 1,000 boat people have arrived in Australia in the past week, prompting federal
government plans to build three new detention centres around the nation.

But opposition immigration spokesman Con Sciacca said the government had lost control
of the situation.

He said in the past decade, 13,000 unauthorised boat people arrived in Australia, 10,500
of them since the government came to power in 1996.

"Now I don't say it has anything to do with the government. The fact is that whatever
the government is doing ... it's not working so we need to have a fresh approach," Mr
Sciacca told Channel Nine.

"So all Labor is saying is, look you've lost control of the situation. Obviously the
people smugglers think we're a soft touch and we need to send a strong signal, and a coast
guard is one way of doing it."

Mr Sciacca said Labor would set up the coast guard using existing resources such as
fisheries management, customs and air and sea search rescue vessels.

"The very fact that the people smugglers know that we do have a maritime police force
that's guarding our shores should form a disincentive, certainly better than passing a
few laws here," Mr Sciacca said.

Under water protection legislation, officers could board vessels and warn the crew
that they face 20 years jail in Australia for people smuggling, Mr Sciacca said.

"They then have the option as to whether they want to continue.

"I can't see that anybody would want to be certain of going to jail for 20 years (and)
having the boat confiscated," he said.

AAP sal/nf/ldj

KEYWORD: DETENTION SCIACCA

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

Fed: Greens to push Labor for rollback

AAP General News (Australia)
04-08-2001
Fed: Greens to push Labor for rollback

The Australian Greens will be pushing the Labor Party to roll back as much of the GST
as possible.

Greens Senator BOB BROWN says his party would withdraw the new tax system altogether
if it could, but admits that's impossible.

He's told Channel 10 that the Greens will push Labor even harder than the Democrats
to roll back the GST on more than just books.

He says the impact of the GST on education and the wine industry are just two areas
he'll be targeting.

Senator BROWN says he also wants the diesel fuel rebate removed from the transport,
mining and logging industries.

AAP RTV eg/jmt

KEYWORD: TAX GREENS (CANBERRA)

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

Vic: Possible leukaemia cure uses body s own cells

AAP General News (Australia)
01-16-2001
Vic: Possible leukaemia cure uses body s own cells

Australian researchers are developing a revolutionary cure for leukaemia which uses
the patient's own immune cells to fight the disease.

News of the technique -- the work of researchers at Melbourne's Alfred Hospital --
follows British research which uses an injection to boost the body's immune system against
the disease.

British doctors are about to start trials on a one-off injection that strengthens the
body's immune system.

They say their technique may be widely used as a cure …