Hopeful view of the Mugabe victory
Don't you haven't you got any brains in your head to know what you've done?
How do you feel about mr. Mugabe's victory? I think it stinks and the British stink with it because she just didn't know
victory to bloody Russia you idiot
Bishop Mazzare was supporters showed real anger
They couldn't let anyone else near their headquarters and there were a few violent incidents
They claim they've been cheated as much by Britain as anyone else
Later in the day lorries set off into the suburbs packed with the bishops men who went on the rampage
Attacking anyone they thought might have been a supporter of their rival mr. Mugabe
The Prime Minister said today statements made by mr. Mugabe following his election win should encourage
Rhodesians and the world community
Mr. Fraser said the African leader had spoken of the need for peace and stability and of his determination to uphold the Rhodesian Constitution
I've sent mr. Mugabe messages today and you would have heard what was said in the Parliament
It does need to be congratulated on what was a resounding electoral win and one of the things that I think we need to have in mind
The processes for the election were established
But 93% of the people voted they've been judged free and fair and mr. Mugabe has won the election
now whether people
support mr. Mugabe's personal political philosophy or not
he has been judged by the people of Zimbabwe as the person that they want to run the government and
Against that background if we have the kind of confidence that we ought in the democratic process
The judgment has certainly got to be respected and therefore mr. Mugabe
congratulated on what's plainly a very significant electoral win an
Announcement on cuts in income tax is expected from the federal government tomorrow. The treasurer mr
Howard is to make a statement on the economy in Parliament late tomorrow morning
There's been no comment from the treasurer on what he will be announcing tomorrow
But I'm told that cabinet decided yesterday
There should be tax cuts paid for out of the government's windfall revenue from oil
The government's gathering hundreds of millions of dollars extra as oil prices rise
But just how much of this money will be handed back to taxpayers is not yet clear nor is the timing though a logical
Starting date would be July the 1st so that tax cuts would apply over a full financial year
Government sources say the aim is to provide tax relief across the board with the most benefit going to those on the lower end of
The income scale I'm told the most likely way this could be achieved is by raising the tax-free threshold at present
$3,893 a year so that people can earn more dollars before having to pay tax on them
This would give a proportionately greater saving to those on low incomes
Another benefit from the government's point of view is that this would retain to some extent the concept of indexation
To which the government remains committed
Against that approach there's been pressure on cabinet from government backbenches
For the oil money to be spent on higher family allowances and on relief for single income and other disadvantaged families
But by spreading tax cuts across the board the government could expect the maximum political advantage in an election year
Duncan Fairweather Canberra
The Prime Minister said today two officers from his intelligence branch the Office of National Assessments had leaked information on
Afghanistan for use by the opposition
The Prime Minister revealed the action by ONA officers during an answer to Parliament in which he said evidence today
Indicated the Soviet Union was using chemical weapons in Afghanistan
This follows a series of press reports of alleged differences over Afghanistan between mr
Fraser and ONA headquarters and a report today that the office had censored information on Russian use of nerve gas
Mr. Fraser rejected the allegations that the intelligence office had withheld information
He then revealed what he described as a serious situation with the two officers admitting they'd knowingly supplied material for mr
Hayden's speech
The Prime Minister quoted some of the information alleged to have been supplied and this strongly supported mr
Fraser's often stated views on the blatant aggression of the Soviet invasion
He and the director general of the ONA considered the actions to be ill judged and damaging and a move against the officers was up
to the director general
Any repetition of these events in any branch of the public service?
Mr. Fraser said would do real harm to the apolitical nature of the service
Mr. Hayden said later that mr
Fraser's statement was a most serious challenge to the Parliament
It could only be interpreted as a blanket prohibition on any contact between the public service and the parliamentary library and research staff
There was no suggestion of any leakage of classified information. Mr
Hayden said the mere fact of contact was the point of the Prime Minister's objection
Graham Dobell Canberra
There's a prospect of further industrial unrest in the oil industry as New South Wales petrol supplies dry up
Sydney's petrol tanker drivers are to meet on Friday to consider industrial action
The ABC's industrial reporter Bob Wirth says the immediate future of Sydney's fuel supplies looks grim
Following yesterday's indefinite strike by Shell's Stormon and Packers
Queuing for petrol was the order of the day in Sydney today
The Stormon and Packers want the right to man the Sydney to Newcastle fuel pipeline
And want payment for delegates who have held meetings on the issue
One-third of Sydney's petrol pumps are now dry according to the service stations association in a survey today the
Association found that another third of the city service stations were closed to conserve fuel stocks for later in the week
While the remaining third were open with queues building up all the time
Mr. Alf Parker the president of the association says oil companies just cannot keep an adequate supply of petrol
He said an overtime ban by Stormon and Packers wasn't helping the situation either a
Second dispute in the oil industry blew up at the Amaco terminal at Banks Meadow in Sydney today
When Amaco drivers met to consider a federal court order against secondary boycotts
The federal court ordered the Amaco drivers to drop their boycott against an independent fuel distributor at Leppington
The controversial legislation which prevents unionists from boycotting businesses other than their own employers is currently causing ferment in
Trade unionism generally so the Amaco delegates today decided to widen the issue and sort an emergency meeting of all
Oil industry transport delegates at the Union's transport house in the city
Transport union delegates met here for two hours this evening and decided that Amaco drivers would go back to work tomorrow
Amaco drivers have been on strike for the last eight days
However, the delegates decided that all tanker drivers in Sydney would hold a stop work meeting on Friday over the controversial
secondary boycott issue and so the prospects for more
Industrial unrest in the oil industry at the moment seemed to be very great indeed from the transport workers union headquarters in Sydney
Bobworth reporting
Still to come in tonight's bulletin call for a change in our approach to drug problems former chief stipendary magistrate
Mr. Murray Farquaad denies links with organized crime and oversees the latest in the American presidential primaries
also special reports from the ABC's Paul Nokia at Khmer Rouge headquarters in Campuchia and
Peter Monkton on bidong island off Malaysia his subject goodwill turns to black market
The first pan-pacific conference on drugs and alcohol closed in Canberra today with a call for a major change in Australia's approach to drug problems
The National Body the Australian Foundation on alcoholism and drug dependence
Said it would give urgent emphasis to reducing demand for drugs rather than fighting supply
The new approach aimed at educating people to withstand pressure and live a normal life without drugs is
Partly an admission that stronger laws haven't stopped drug abuse the executive director of the drug foundation
Mr. Pierre Stoltz said some experts believed increased drug controls had only encouraged the black market
Well, I think that from what we have learned in the 70s where we have essentially tried to use law enforcement as a means of
drug control also
Tried to eliminate supply and try to educate children about alcohol drugs and so on
In the 80s I think that we're going to try to reduce demand as well in other words
We're not going to try to eliminate what we have certain of the things that we have done in the 70s
By reducing supply, but we also are going to try to reduce the demand in the community by rallying the community behind
The the projects that we propose in the next few years
The former chief stipendary magistrate of New South Wales mr.
Murray Farqua is undecided whether he should resign as chairman of the drug and alcohol authority the opposition leader mr
Mason told state parliament yesterday that mr. Farqua had been involved in a two-year scandal over his open links with organized crime
Today mr. Farqua talked to Richard Paul Freeman
Do you as the opposition has alleged have friends in criminal circles certainly not?
It's patently absurd and the remarkable thing is that in the 18 years that I served as a stipendary magistrate
there was never one complaint about me or my handling of cases and I think the
Certainly the opposition would acknowledge while they are in power that there was never any so that's what the first
14 years of my services as stipendary magistrate
It is nonsense and how do you react to the suggestion made in Parliament yesterday that you should now retire from your part-time?
Position as chairman of the drugs and alcohol authority. Well, this is a mixed situation
I'm quite appalled by this. I know that my family are deeply hurt
One doesn't know what people will do. I'm torn between two
Feelings I don't propose to make up my mind in any hurry
As I see it if I were to
retire from that now
Which incidentally isn't terribly financially rewarding let me hasten to say and that's not important
I've been doing it because I've had a genuine interest in people who are affected by the
abuse of both alcohol and drugs and it's not a recent interest I've exhibited that over
Many many years and I've written many papers on it whether I was correct in
things I said that's beside the point but
My feeling is to say yes. Let me get out of the thing
And but some people might interpret that as like a whip care with his towel between his legs
And I'm certainly guilt perhaps. Well, that's right. And I certainly am not that
Mr. Mason has agreed to provide police with all the information in his possession concerning the allegations against mr
Farqua in Parliament today. The premier mr. Rand said mr
Mason would be a despicable coward unless he produced the information he claimed would back up his allegations
Late this afternoon. Mr. Mason issued a statement saying he would pass on to the police commissioner all available information on the drug case in question
In the American presidential primaries
Senator Edward Kennedy has scored his expected home state win over President Carter in Massachusetts
But in neighboring Vermont the president turned the tables on his challenger on the Republican Party side
Congressman John Anderson of Illinois has produced a double-barrel surprise
Putting up a strong showing against the party's frontrunners in both states on last report. Mr
Ronald Reagan was barely ahead of him in Vermont. Mr. George Bush held an equally thin advantage in Massachusetts
The ousted Khmer Rouge regime in Campuchia says it's looking to Australia to help fend off moves to unseat it in the United
Nations General Assembly later this year the Prime Minister of the government of Democratic Campuchia has told the ABC's Paul Nokia that
Continuing Australian support of the Khmer Rouge is vital to prevent further Vietnamese expansion in Southeast Asia
It's from this base more than 20 kilometers inside
Campuchia that much of the military strategy and political policy making of the ousted Khmer Rouge regime is now decided
It's virtually the seat of government of the Khmer Rouge
The government of Democratic Campuchia as its forces try to hold on to small areas of the country from the Vietnamese advance
With two other correspondents
I was invited to the base for long briefing sessions with the Khmer Rouge leadership the Prime Minister of Democratic
Campuchia Kier Sam Phan was at pains to stress a switch towards moderation by the Khmer Rouge
The leadership hopes that those policy changes which included the removal of Pol Potters Prime Minister late last year
Will improve the international image of the Khmer Rouge an image tarnished by the hardline policies
It pursued while in power the new Phnom Penh administration claims those policies cost the lives of two to three million
Campuchians Kier Sam Phan denies that he says the people died at the hands of the invading Vietnamese forces
Foreign Minister Yang Sari a survivor of successive Khmer Rouge regimes admits that the government of Democratic
Campuchia may have a fight on its hands to retain its seat in the United Nations General Assembly
When it reconvenes later this year the leadership says Australia was a great ally in mobilizing world opinion
Against the Vietnamese invasion and it looks for further support from Australia to maintain its presence in the United Nations
Malaysian authorities are reported to have arrested more than 100 local fishermen and burned their boats for smuggling goods to
Vietnamese refugees living on Bidong Island
30 Vietnamese have also been arrested in an attempt to stop black market trading but as the ABC's Peter Monkton reports
It's still business as usual the island houses more than 12,000 refugees
As part of its official refugee policy Malaysia allows no contact between the boat people in the mainland
Other than that undertaken by relief organizations
Some of the long-term refugees are already receiving money from relatives and friends abroad
They've become desperate for almost any consumer goods after existing for months on handouts of basic commodities such as rice
Dried fish salt and powdered milk
The stalls that have sprung up all over the island are a reflection of that demand
Many of the Chinese among the refugees are enterprising people with a common interest in trading
In fact some actually said they were quite content working back home in Vietnam even under a communist government
Until such time as private ownership and trading were being phased out
Here on Bidong many have set themselves up in quite profitable although illegal business
However it's a far cry from the high profits of the old days in Saigon's flourishing business districts or black market
Here everyone knows exactly what each commodity is worth and markups are often only a few cents
Money is exchanged again illegally at rates not too far from official Malaysian bank quotes
Some refugees still have dollars smuggled out of Vietnam but few return them to the mainland
Some still have dollars smuggled out of Vietnam but few retain any gold after successive raids by pirates
Small boats built from packing cases brave the monsoon seas to bring the refugees fresh fish
The trade goes on undisturbed for most of the time but occasionally officials swoop on the stalls and everything is lost
Adizans lead a less risky business there are tailors and watchmakers and bakers who can turn coarse grain rice into flour for delicate rice cakes
But these are luxuries that only those receiving considerable sums from abroad can hope to buy
As in all refugee centers some of the aid supplies have gone astray
This sugar was meant to be distributed free of charge but instead it's been sold to a dealer
And in the tough camp conditions the refugee traders of Bidong Island perhaps more than anyone else know the real value of a dollar
This is Peter Monkton reporting from Bidong Island
The New South Wales inquiry into police administration has heard a call for a major reshuffle of police powers
A submission by the local government and Shires associations recommends the creation of an entirely new domestic enforcement agency
The association secretary Mr Graham Miles says the establishment of the new force would involve a proper definition of the role and responsibilities of local officers
An adequate training course conducted in conjunction with the police force and a common clearly identifiable local enforcement officer's uniform
We think that the community expects the police to be able to concentrate on the major problems they have like crime, drugs and so on
So it seemed to us a logical suggestion to make that some of the bottom end so to speak of the police activities
Should be reappraised to see whether they wouldn't be better and more economically done at a local level
What activities are you speaking of?
We're looking particularly at things like litter, vandalism, local parking offences and the old problem of abandoned motor vehicles
And to police these matters what powers would you give local government police?
Probably the powers already exist if the council staff, the new domestic police force, call it what you like
Simply had delegated powers under existing acts, the powers are there
It would be more effective legally though to put it into one neat piece of legislation
The mother of Melbourne's Kisane Quintuplets, Dr Josephine Kisane, is expected to go home at the weekend
Dr Kisane has declined any public appearance since the birth of the quints 12 days ago
The medical director of the Mercy Maternity Hospital, Dr Jim Brainy, says the condition of the three surviving quints, Mark, Justin and Anthony, is slowly improving
Cricket now and the third test between New Zealand and the West Indies at Auckland ended in a draw when bad light stopped play
New Zealand was 4 for 73, chasing 180 to win
Earlier today the West Indies second innings was declared at 9 for 264
Now the scores in detail, West Indies 220 and 9 for 264, New Zealand 305 and 4 for 73
New Zealand won the three match series 1-0
In Sydney today about 100 general practitioners attended a symposium on sleep disorders
An American expert on insomnia and one of three overseas guest speakers, Dr Thomas Roth, warned the doctors against merely prescribing sleep inducing drugs to patients
He cited an example where the right dose of a sleeping pill had immediately overcome a person's insomnia
But after two weeks constant use of the drug, the disturbed sleep pattern had returned
Sleep disorders, particularly insomnia, are amongst the most common complaints presented to doctors
And yet few GPs have the knowledge to identify the cause or choose the best course of treatment
Many people have seen some sleep disorders in the past as being emotional or psychologically based
How accurate is that kind of assumption?
That's typically wrong. What happens is since most of these people have not been treated adequately in the past
and have to live with this problem for long periods of time, they develop emotional problems
But typically they're the consequence of the sleep disorder, not the cause of it
So very clearly many people have sleep problems, are caused, called emotional, but that's inaccurate in many situations
The Federal Government wants to deregister the Stormon and Packers Union over the current dispute in the wool industry
The Minister for Industrial Relations, Mr Street, said a short time ago that their strike had dragged on for too long
He said the Government would give its full support to any application for deregistration of the Union by the woolbrokers, a move which should be initiated tomorrow
Australia's latest model cars have been given something of a thumbs down from the motoring magazine Wheels
For according to the editor of Wheels, Mr Peter Robertson, none of the cars released on the Australian market last year was worthy of the title Car of the Year
What's the criteria that you use to judge the Car of the Year?
It needs to have been a new car which was released during the previous calendar 12 months
It must represent an advance in design, in innovation
It must be a safe car, needs to offer value for money, needs to perform its intended function reasonably well, needs to utilise resources in a responsible manner
Well let's run through the top six, the Falcon XD, what was wrong with that?
The XD is an Indigenous Australian car, it's probably the last Indigenous Australian car
It's a good car, it's not good enough, the steering has limitations, it's too big, the rear seat isn't very comfortable, turning circle is too wide
It uses too much fuel, the boot is poorly shaped, it doesn't cope with Australian roads very well, rough Australian roads very well
What about the Alfa Sud Sprint, what's wrong with that?
Well the Alfa Sud Sprint and the Honda Prelude, same sort of common supply to them
There are sedan versions of both, and both are very good little cars which do everything just as well as the coupes and cost a whole lot less
The Mazda RX-7, why was that eliminated?
It's a fine sports car, uses a rotary engine, wonderfully smooth engine, but still doesn't achieve European standards in its dynamics
The Renault 20TS?
Another good car, too expensive in Australia, but it doesn't really do anything that much better than its predecessor, the 16, which was half the price
The Subaru Leon?
The Subaru was one of the disappointments of the year, we had hoped for a great deal from it, we had suspected it might have been a favourite for the car of the year
But disappointing seats, poor performance, generally a disappointing car
Well on that disappointing note, that's where we end our May News Bulletin tonight, be back with our Mid-Evening News tonight about 25 past 9, till then, goodnight
Good evening, hopefully cloud over central and southern Queensland in the next two or three days will move south into the northern part of the state
And having the right conditions, we may see some thundery rain in the north, as I said, hopefully, but we'll see that in the next two or three days
But for tomorrow, still remaining hot on the ranges and west of them, and down along the coast, still warm and humid, with a few showers on the north coast
And for the central and south coast, some showers tonight and early tomorrow morning, but returning to dry conditions tomorrow
While we're talking about rainfall for yesterday and last night, there was just no rain recorded throughout the state for that period, and today a few drizzle patches along the central coast
But all recordings below one millimetre, overnight minimum of eight degrees recorded at Coomber, and today out here in the west, several centres with 39 degrees, Tipperborough, also Whitecliffs and Forbes
Onto the cloud chart, and that's the cloud I was talking about, already some of that higher cloud is moving into northern New South Wales, but the main body of it, with that thundery rain, is situated about here
But it'll at least take two or three days to move southwards, and again, if there's enough feed-in of moisture, we may see that rain falling in the north, where it's certainly needed
But for the remainder, these fronts moving through well south of the continent, in fact, some of them are even missing Tasmania
So the surface chart, what's happening is two strong highs down here in the south, they're having a blocking effect on any of these fronts moving through, and as I've mentioned, most of the fronts are moving past Tasmania and down to New Zealand
We've got a trough line down here, and that's the trough line at an upper air low, situated about here, which if it moves southwards, as well as a feed-in in the next two or three days of moisture, not only along the coast, but feeding in further into the state, then we may see that rain
But for the next two or, well in fact, two days, we're going to see hot conditions out here, a few showers down along the coast, and certainly humid conditions continuing on the coast
So the forecast for tonight and tomorrow for the state, in many areas of the state, a very high fire danger, especially west of the ranges, it'll be hot on the ranges and west of them
Sultry thunderstorms in the area just about here, and that's because of that trough line, fogs down along the ranges and slopes, warm and humid on the coast with some showers continuing up here on the north coast, winds north-easterly swinging around to the south-easterly in the south
Top temperatures in the regions tomorrow, on the north coast, three to four degrees cooler than today, but in the remainder of the state, one to two degrees warmer
However, in Sydney at seven o'clock, the temperature's still 23 degrees, three degrees above normal, humidity high at 74%, winds from the east northeast and the barometer of 1,018 millibars and rising
The forecast, it'll be humid, warm to very warm day tomorrow, one or two overnight or morning showers, and a chance of an afternoon thunderstorm, moderate northeast to south-easterly winds, a moderate to high fire danger
Temperature range for the city, warm 22 tonight to a top tomorrow of 27, and in the western suburbs 21 to 29 degrees. Good night