This program was brought to you by Coulter Park Thunderdome and Tip Top High Fibre.
They've got the Logie, now Hei Hei's giving it all back to you with a Llamas Barra set.
Plus, we cross live to Kieran Perkins' do or die swim to make the Olympics.
Mackens present Hei Hei, live 6.30 on Nine.
Nightline has proudly brought you by Ansett Australia, one of the world's great airlines, and The National, tailoring banking to your needs.
Welfare payments targeted in the search for budget savings.
ASIO accused over a woman's marriage to a Syrian defector, and health worries for Kieran Perkins as his Atlanta deadline nears.
Good evening. It now seems to be a question of not whether the new government will break promises, but how many.
Public sector job cuts have already burst through the election promise barrier.
Welfare payments look like being next.
The Social Security Minister today refused to rule out changes to welfare benefits, but insists the needy would be protected.
Laurie Wilson has our report.
The government's message during the election may have been no cuts in welfare, but now it seems the need to slash spending could mean at least some welfare benefits will be reduced.
Well, it could. I just don't want to set hairs running now that I'm in no position to discuss because, as I said, decisions haven't been taken.
That's outraged the welfare lobby.
The Prime Minister wrote to ACOS telling us that Social Security would not be cut.
But there does seem to have been a subtle shift in Mr Howard's commitment.
One group in the community is not going to be heard of the most vulnerable now.
We're not going to play around with the levels of sole parent benefits and their entitlements and things like that.
John Howard promised to retain the existing childcare rebate, but Jocelyn Newman has refused to rule out the possibility it could become subject to a means test.
Well, anything is on the table at the moment. I can't rule things in or out at this stage.
Welfare groups have warned there'll be strong opposition to any attempt by the government to back away from its election promises.
Concern, too, at a meeting in Brisbane to discuss the government's review of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission.
My office has been inundated with complaints about mismanagement and the misuse of money, fraud, favoritism and nepotism.
And that is coming from indigenous people themselves.
But Democrats leader Cheryl Kernow criticised the way the government has handled the issue.
There's a perception being perpetrated that all blackfellas are either crooks or bludgers or can't handle money.
Let's not forget Alan Bond and Christopher Skye.
Laurie Wilson reporting for Nightline.
The government is investigating claims by a Brisbane woman that Asio was involved in her marriage to a man who later turned out to be a Syrian defector.
The woman says the intelligence agency put her life in danger without her knowledge and she fears for her safety.
Laurie Oakes reports.
This was the wedding in November 1994.
The groom, claiming to be a businessman from Lebanon, was married under the name Kaiz Monza.
But according to the bride, Monica, who took her story to 60 Minutes, he told her months later he was actually a Syrian defector,
living in Australia under a false identity and protected by the Australian security intelligence organisation, Asio.
Well, I was just so mortified and I thought, well, who is this man that I've married?
She says he told her he was a MiG fighter pilot in the Syrian Air Force who escaped to Israel,
handed over military secrets and was then sent to Australia with a forged Lebanese passport.
In her letter to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer last month,
Monica claimed an Asio agent posing simply as a friend of her husband's helped to persuade her to marry him
without revealing his real background or that her life could be in danger.
I fear for my life and I don't know which direction it's coming from.
I did the right thing and made sure that her letter was passed to the Attorney General.
60 Minutes reporter Richard Carlton was summoned to Asio's Canberra headquarters on Tuesday
by Director General David Sadlier and asked to suppress the defector's nationality.
He will possibly, in Mr Sadlier's words, be hunted down and murdered here in Australia
and back in Syria there will be reprisals against his family.
But Carlton said the man had already blown his own cover.
Over a three-day period he had a thousand dollars' worth of telephone calls to his family in Syria.
Now there's no question in the world those phone calls will be tapped.
The key question though is did Asio, on behalf of the Israelis,
help to hoodwink an Australian woman into a sham marriage, one that could have put her in danger?
Attorney General Daryl Williams has ordered the Inspector General of Intelligence and Security
Ronald McLeod to conduct an immediate investigation.
Prime Minister John Howard is believed to have been fully briefed.
Coincidentally today, before his lunchtime walk around Parliament House,
he spent an hour with former Prime Minister Bob Hawke discussing, among other things, the Middle East.
Laurie Oakes for Nightline.
The first Australian pedophile charged over sexual offences committed overseas
has been jailed for a minimum of six years.
He pleaded guilty to seven charges including the molestation of a three-year-old Sydney girl
and a five-year-old in the Philippines.
The 44-year-old man is identified only as ARC because he was bashed in jail.
Last year he was charged for indecently assaulting a three-year-old girl in a Sydney shopping mall.
After the arrest, police searched his home and found videos of naked children,
including one showing a five-year-old girl ARC says he bought for $40 in the Philippines.
ARC was sentenced to four years jail for the Sydney offences
and a further two for the crimes in the Philippines.
Two years seems inadequate considering the maximum term is 17 years under the child sex tourism law.
At the Wood Royal Commission today, a British expert on the sexual abuse of children
gave an insight into the minds of pedophiles.
Raymond Wire, who was on VideoLink thousands of kilometres away in Birmingham,
used a chilling story of a young patient to refute claims of pedophile groups that children aren't harmed by sex.
She put her hands sort of down below saying, it felt nice here.
She pointed to her tummy and said, you know, I felt sick here.
She pointed to her heart and said she felt guilty here.
And she pointed to her head and said, I don't understand it here.
Also today, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference has released a nine-point plan
to deal with sexual abuse by priests and brothers.
This follows evidence to the Wood Royal Commission showing that senior churchmen
failed to act against suspected pedophiles in the priesthood.
Among the initiatives included in a pastoral letter to Catholics
are a program to treat priests suffering from psychosexual disorders.
Fiona Pye for Nightline.
One of the greatest crime mysteries of Australia has been the disappearance of the three Beaumont children in Adelaide.
Now, 30 years later, claims by a Dutch psychic who said he knew where the children were buried are being re-investigated.
Adelaide businessman, Kon Polites, is financing the excavation of an Adelaide factory.
Mr Polites believes the original dig was in the wrong place.
Kieran Perkins' coach has revealed there are concerns about the champion swimmer's health
as he fights for a berth in the Australian team for the Atlanta Games.
Perkins' chances improved today when he qualified second fastest
for tomorrow night's 1500 final in the Olympic trials.
Everyone wants our best-known swimmer to surface from his slump.
This morning's 1500 metre heat was the perfect way for Perkins to loosen up and work on his troublesome stroke.
Coach John Carew didn't miss a beat and at last found a positive.
Much better performance. He's starting to get back into his stroke.
Perkins' time of 15 minutes, 26.46 seconds, is second fastest for tomorrow night's final.
Daniel Kowalski heads the field, Glen Houseman is third quickest, the top two place-getters go to Atlanta.
But right now, Perkins is the headline act and the headlines continue to scream,
What's wrong with the world record holder?
Carew now believes it could be very low iron levels
and Perkins will have a full medical examination after the trials.
If he wasn't an athlete and so fit, I have been told by a medical person
that it could mean that he's very sick with something.
And if Perkins qualifies for the Olympics, his camp says they won't be part of any deal
to replace Malcolm Allen with Perkins in the 400 freestyle.
I'm pretty sure that Carew wouldn't accept any deal and I'm sure that I wouldn't like him to.
Live coverage of the 1500 metres final on the Nine Network tomorrow night.
Peter Overton for Nightline.
After the break, Chernobyl. Ten years later, could it happen again?
And the death of AFL champion Trevor Barker.
I made it 6.25 to Brisbane.
It's boarding now, but I think we can sneak you on Mr. Barry.
Will I miss it?
No one can miss that sir. We'll do our best.
Gate three. Have a great flight.
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More of them are coming.
Mitsubishi presents Roswell, Sunday, 8.30 on Channel 9.
Former AFL star Trevor Barker died today after a battle with cancer.
He was just 39.
St Kilda will honor Barker by naming the club's best and fairest award after him.
Tony Jones has our story.
Model for thousands of youngsters.
Hollywood looks and a ton of football talent.
That talent, quite literally, put him head and shoulders above teammates and opponents alike.
Recruited from Cholton, Barker played his first senior match in 1975.
He went on to play 231.
He won the club's best and fairest twice and represented his state on seven occasions.
Yet he never experienced the adrenaline rush of a finals match.
He went part of the way to remedying that by taking VFA club Sandringham to premierships in 92 and again in 94.
Just walking onto that ground after the game was one of the best feelings anyone could ever experience.
Following those successes, Barker was lured back to Moorabbin in an assistant coaching role.
I like to think of the way he was.
Not a couple of days ago, you know, a lot of people seem to think of the present,
but I think the wonderful thing about being a great mate with a guy is the memories you have with him.
It had become evident in recent months that Barker was gravely ill.
He'd had a growth removed from his stomach last year, and although the cancer was spreading,
was able to continue with his work at the club.
He helped me personally quite a lot, especially through hard times, and you've got to miss someone like that.
With the flag flying at half-mast, there was an outpouring of grief at the home of the Saints today,
supporters trying to come to terms with their loss.
That loss came soon before 8 o'clock this morning,
shortly after Barker's family left his bedside.
To the end, he displayed the courage which made him one of the game's greats.
Iran's Foreign Minister visiting Lebanon has advised US Secretary of State Warren Christopher
to quit his Middle East peace shuttle and go home, which is exactly what Mr Christopher is likely to do this weekend.
His efforts to broker a peace deal between Israel and Hezbollah apparently stalled.
The true strength of the IRA bomb found yesterday under London's Hammersmith Bridge has now been revealed.
The explosion which occurred was actually only a small charge meant to detonate the much larger main bomb,
two briefcases crammed with a plastic explosive Semtex.
Security officials say the bomb was potentially the most powerful ever planted by the IRA.
We've done some terrible things to our home planet,
but the greatest desecration must be contamination with nuclear radiation.
Ten years ago this week, the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl frightened the world.
But have we learnt our lesson? It seems not.
They are engineers, construction workers, secretaries on their morning commute.
A commute through some of the most devastated land in the world.
Fields that grow nothing, forests that are stunted, villages long since abandoned.
These people are among the 6,000 workers who travel every day to jobs at Chernobyl.
The explosion that ripped apart Reactor 4 that April day unleashed 200 times as much radiation
as the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs combined.
For days the fires raged, and for days the Soviet leaders did not tell the world or their own people.
When finally villages around the plant were evacuated, the radiation had already spread.
Today visitors are advised to wear protective clothing at several places,
including this dump site for equipment that was used in the cleanup.
It's farming. It's dirty.
Radiation levels here are still many times higher than what's considered safe.
Ten years later this is still some of the most contaminated ground on earth.
People who work here are limited as to how long they can stay,
and for an 18-mile radius around, no one is supposed to live. But they do.
We found some of them in the village of Elintsy.
Maria and Fyodor Muzichenko were forced from their home nine days after the accident.
Authorities then moved them three times more.
In the end they said it was easier just to come home.
The city of Pripyat, where most of the Chernobyl workers used to live, is today a ghost town.
In the months after the accident, the workers and their families were moved to a new city,
built especially for them on the edge of the zone.
But this place is known to be contaminated too.
Valentina Salakova had to make a wrenching choice.
She worries about the health of her children, but says as much as she'd like to, she can't leave.
In a country with widespread unemployment, Chernobyl means work.
Eight times Ukraine has promised to shut down Chernobyl, eight times it has changed its mind,
because the cost in lost energy and jobs would be too high.
Those who run the plant insist that despite what the rest of the world thinks, it is safe.
But that's exactly what they said ten years ago.
Former international cricket star Imran Khan has made his debut in Pakistani politics by launching a movement for social justice.
He says he'll battle corruption and injustice in Pakistan.
The move comes 12 days after a bomb destroyed part of his charity cancer hospital in his hometown Lahore.
The Kennedy garage sale in New York continues to rack up huge bids.
Jackie O's string of fake pearls, worth only a couple of hundred dollars, went for almost a quarter of a million.
JFK's golf clubs, complete with monogrammed bag, sold for almost a million dollars.
A Perth couple has suddenly found itself in the midst of a large family with the arrival of quads.
The three girls and a boy arrived eight weeks early and were delivered by Caesarean.
For Shari and Steve Nelson, it was a big relief when all the quads were safe and sound.
The Nelsons already have a son, now they have to name the new kids on the block.
In a moment, Paul Linum's wrap up of the Week in Politics.
Exclusive on 60 Minutes, an Australian security scandal.
My husband said he would kill me for revealing him.
Our spies caught red-hammered, an international plot to hide a traitor here.
I'm not allowed to know your name.
And the Brisbane housewife.
And I thought, well, who is this man that I've married?
An innocent pawn in a web of deception.
What can you say? This man has taken part in destroying my life.
Is that you?
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Good evening.
This final week before the opening of the new parliament has seen the political soap opera quicken its pace.
The new ministers are speaking out more readily.
We've had some good economic news.
Prime Minister Howard's waved the flag.
And former Prime Minister Keating walked away from politics,
sending a clear message to his constituents who'd faithfully supported him at the March 2 election.
He always did have a way with words.
The week began with a virtual parade of ministers pronouncing on all sorts of issues.
Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock suggested that one way to clear the refugee detention centres
would be to limit the refugees' access to our legal system.
It adds very significantly to the costs that we have to meet as a community.
And these are the people who are confronting our compassion.
Well if we eliminate the compassion presumably there won't be anything left to confront.
A neat solution and cheaper too.
There's nothing cheap though about the idea of forcing Optus to stop aerial cabling
and go underground in the race to hook us up to pay TV.
I've had estimates given to me of four or five billion dollars for metropolitan Adelaide alone.
And that doesn't even count the free set of steak knives for each new subscriber.
Also expensive, the Navy's $46 million purchase of two secondhand helicopter landing ships from the Americans.
It looks to me as though there is at least $23 million worth of extra expenditure
in fixing up the rust as you say or the deterioration around the water line and other places.
Somehow deterioration around the water line sounds a lot better than rust, don't you think?
Especially when you're talking about a multi-million dollar warship.
But however you describe it, the Minister insists the Navy will have to pay for it.
On a brighter note, the PM and Aboriginal leader Mick Dodson had a friendly chat this week.
Mr Dodson said Mr Howard had been very receptive and attentive.
It's pointless talking at odds with each other if we are essentially all on about the same thing.
Precisely. Another thing many people were on about through the week was pedophilia,
which seemed to be lurking everywhere.
In Bangkok, Foreign Minister Downer announced an independent inquiry into the behaviour of our diplomats.
We need our diplomatic service to be squeaky clean.
And in Sydney, Family Services Minister Judy Moylan, meeting with her state counterparts,
discussed a national strategy against pedophiles.
Particularly where it involves pursuing abusers across boundaries, across state borders.
On the economic front, it was Good News Week, with inflation falling sharply to 3.7%.
Today's inflation result is a very good thing for Australia.
It certainly re-endorses the case for continued wage restraint.
Hey presto, the next day there was good news on that front too,
showing wages and salaries rising by only 4.2% over the year.
Not a bad legacy from a Labor government that was supposed to be economically incompetent.
Mr Howard's challenge is to get a wages policy that matches one,
which delivers to the Australian economy, delivers the possibility of low interest rates,
and delivers a decent and socially just wage outcome to all Australian workers.
So there. Talking of workers, there'll be many more on the dole by July 1,
with 1,300 permanent public servants and 600 temps to be cut from the Department of Employment alone.
And insiders say that's just the start.
On the other side of the ledger, the tax office is facing a $3.5 billion bonanza on Monday,
the deadline for companies to file returns for fringe benefits tax.
Tax expert Ray Regan says many will get it wrong because the rules covering perks are too confusing.
To start with, the tax man's identified 46 different types of entertainment.
We've got legislation that was only passed on the 12th of December 1995,
but is backdated to the 1st of April 1995, and golly gosh, virtually no one annotates.
In other words, they don't break up their American Express or Visa cards when they go out to meals,
and really nobody knows what to do.
Clearly expert advice is called for. What would a former treasurer suggest?
I mean, he's got to stop doing that. Jim.
Still to come on Nightline, the finance and weather at Eddie Maguire's sport,
and Eddie, a great performance by Queensland in the Super 12 rugby tonight.
Certainly was, Jimmy, as the Reds have handed out a thrashing to the star-studded Auckland side.
Also tonight's AFL action, Olympic swimming trials, and in league, Canberra takes on the Bulldogs.
Monday on A Current Affair, why doctors don't want you to see your medical records.
PIA, meaning pain in the ass.
The nasty labels and secret codes hidden in your files.
SOB, silly old thug, sitting on bed short of breath.
That could jeopardise your health.
Did not enjoy seeing my son suffer.
Thus moving down under.
Americans escaping the convent.
I don't know what to do.
Thus moving down under.
Americans escaping the concrete jungle.
No walls?
No walls.
And Londoners lured by those Aussie soaps.
Do you recognise all these places here?
Is that Cheryl's?
Yeah.
On A Current Affair.
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Good evening. More finals at the Olympic swim trials tonight
and highlights, of course, straight after Nightline.
So if you're waiting up for that, we suggest
you make yourself scarce for a few moments.
And plenty of action in and out of the pool tonight.
Firstly, news that coach Scott Volkers has had his two-year ban
for giving an illegal painkiller to Sam Riley Haft,
but he'll still be unable to officially coach Riley in Atlanta.
In the pool, Hailey Lewis took out the 800 metres freestyle
for a fourth time in a row.
There's Scott Volkers after hearing the good news.
The 22-year-old clocked just over 8 minutes 36,
finishing almost two seconds ahead of the Commonwealth champion
Stacey Gartrell.
Both were under the Olympic qualifying time.
Making a comeback tonight, Julie McDonald came in in third place.
In rugby league news, the Canberra machine looked back on track tonight
as they crushed the reigning Premier's Canterbury.
The Raiders ran in seven tries, but victory has come at a heavy price.
Another starts are coming to what appears to be a serious injury.
Both Canberra and the Bulldogs have had poor starts to the season.
In front of their home crowd and on coach Tim Sheen's 300th game,
the Raiders were determined to turn that around.
Canterbury fought back but couldn't cross the Raiders' line.
Noah Nandruku stole his way through for a second.
He gets his second try.
Boyle's suspect try late in the half took the Raiders into the break up 14-0.
The second term couldn't have started worse for the Bulldogs.
Tries first to Mullins.
Mullins will be hard to stop.
And a minute later to Nagus, putting the game beyond their reach.
In and away and over.
In and away, that's as good as you'll ever see, that one.
The final score, 34-4, but the Raiders didn't have it all their own way.
Lock Bradley Clyde receiving a serious ankle injury late in the game.
Meanwhile at Ballymore in Queensland,
in the top of the table Super 12 clash between Queensland and Auckland,
Queensland started fast.
Morgan!
And just got faster, running in five tries to one in the first half
in a classic display of running rugby.
Auckland hold on, another one, takes a little.
Have we ever seen a better performance from the Queensland side?
The red tide slowed but didn't stop in the second term,
crushing Auckland by an incredible 51-8.
Tune!
Yes!
Mark Barland for Nightline.
Two AFL now and a six goal to one final quarter has set up victory
for the Fremantle Dockers over Melbourne at the Whacka in Perth.
The Dockers getting home by 37 points.
Final score is 13-18-96 to Melbourne, 8-11-59.
Three goals to Winston Abraham who took one of the marks of the year
was the catalyst for the Dockers.
Matt Dowling with all the action.
Players observed a minute's silence for the war fallen before the match.
Moments later Fremantle was showing battle scars.
A free gave Melbourne the first goal for the game,
but the Dockers hit back with the next two,
including a great kick from Ridley.
That's a fantastic goal.
The high-flying demons however weren't daunted.
Three more goals giving them a handy quarter time lead.
Left foot snap by Greg Turley is a beauty.
The Dockers wasted chances early in the second term
and showed poor judgement elsewhere,
but kick it made amends with a great snap,
followed soon after by Abraham who kicked two for the quarter.
Abraham clever.
The Dockers star was being paid some close attention.
After half time he let his leap do the talking.
Great fly by Abraham.
Magnificent.
The supporting goal put Fremantle in front,
Bandy extending the margin after leading Stein's a merry dance.
And goes the goal and kicks it.
With Viney off the ground it didn't look good for Melbourne,
but desperation and skill kept the demons in the hunt.
Pretty good by Turley, he's got it.
Early in the last quarter Alan put the home team 10 points up,
then Coops in his AFL debut made his mark.
Magnificent goal.
Matt Dowling for Nightline.
Great win there for the Dockers.
New Andre Agassi has been booed by the crowd
as he went down to Spain's Alberto Costa during the Monte Carlo Open.
Agassi was beaten in straight sets in less than an hour.
He said he was just as disappointed as the crowd with his performance.
A soccer friendly between Holland and Germany has turned sour
when rival fans clashed in Rotterdam.
The animosity spilled over onto the ground
with the fans trashing the stadium as Germany claimed a 1-0 win.
71 people were arrested and the trouble has organisers worried
about security for the upcoming Euro Cup in Britain.
And Jim also on soccer.
It seems one of the game's great mysteries has finally been solved.
England's World Cup hero Geoff Hurst is to finally get the ball
he booted to a hat-trick in the 1966 final against Germany at Wembley.
Helmut Haller scored the first for Germany and afterwards kept the ball.
The English claim tradition demanded it went to Hurst,
and the London tabloids recently joined the fray.
Haller has now flown to England to hand the ball over
in return for a donation to a children's cancer charity.
Jim, that is the day in sport. Have a great weekend.
Same to you, Eddie. Thank you.
In finance news, the Australian share market closed nine points up today.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei was up four points.
In London tonight, the FT100 is 12 points up in morning trading.
Gold is fetching $393.65, US announced.
And in European trading tonight, the Australian dollar is buying
79.08 US cents, 1.21 Deutschmarks, 84 yen and 52p.
The national weather and a high continues to dominate much of Australia,
although cold fronts are bringing unsettled conditions
to parts of the southeast.
Forecasts, showers for Brisbane, fine in Darwin,
fine also for Sydney, Canberra and Adelaide,
some rain for Melbourne and Hobart, and for Perth, a fine day ahead.
That's the news this Friday night.
To finish tonight, the barbecue sauce from hell.
In the US state of Iowa, Big Daddy Seymour is offering 500 greenbacks
to anyone who can eat a burger dripping with his secret superhot recipe.
Challengers first sign a legal waiver so they can't sue for bodily damage.
988 people have tried, only one has succeeded.
And he, like many of the other challengers, wound up in hospital.
With stomach problems. Good night.
With the biggest entertainers.
It was planted right at the Royal Bar.
And one hit wonders.
Catch it live.
We're on a live show tonight.
And preserve for all time.
You got it, big fella.
In a two-hour television treat.
The very best of the Tom Lane Show 2, 8.30 Monday, here on Channel 9.
The 1996 Telstra Australian Open Swimming Championships.
Proudly brought to you by Telstra.
Proudly advancing Australia.
Tonight, at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre,
all eyes are on Atlanta as our finest swimming stars race
in the Telstra Australian Open Swimming Championships.
At stake, not only those national gold medals,
but selection in the Australian team for the Olympic Games.
A cast of world-class swimmers hits the water in the meat of the year.
Gold-class swimmers hits the water in the meat of the year.
Right here on Wide World of Sports.
And a very good evening, everyone.
We are in day six of the Australian Olympic trials
coming to you from the Sydney International Aquatic Centre.
Terrific to have you with us.
Of course, all the talk around town still surrounds Kieran Perkins.
He has to come first or second in the 1500 metres tomorrow night.
Today, in the heats, he was the second fastest qualifier
behind Daniel Kowalski.
Glenn Hausman was the third fastest.
But that's tomorrow night.
And the other news I have for you is that you'll be able to see that live.
Hey Hey at Saturday will be bringing it to you live
as part of their program tomorrow night, so you won't miss out on a thing.
But that is tomorrow night.
Before that, we've got some terrific races tonight.
The women's 800 metres freestyle.
What a grueling event that will be.
The other extreme, we've got the men's 50 metres freestyle.
Don't blink or you'll miss it.
The women's 200 metres backstroke as well.
And the men's 200 IM.
That's the bill of fare for you tonight.
Again, former Olympian Janelle Elford joins me.
Good to see you again.
Last night you tipped Hailey Lewis to win the 800.
Has anything changed in the last 24 hours?
No, I'm still going to stick with Hailey.
She'd kill me if I didn't.
Stacey Gartrell, a little bit worried.
She doesn't look very excited.
I don't think she's excited enough to win.
Well, we sent Nicole Stevenson out to work for us.
She hasn't been doing much else, has she?
Much.
She did some interviews for us and she spoke to Hailey
after her heats yesterday morning.
And this is what Hailey had to say about that race.
I felt pretty good in my heat.
So hopefully I'll go really well tomorrow night
and go under the selection time and win.
What time are you looking for?
Low 8.30 so I think we'll need to win it.
So if I could get down there, I'd be pretty happy.
8.30.
What do you think about that?
I don't think they can go much faster than 8.35.
I hope they can.
Still a long way off the Australian record,
which is held by Julie McDonald.
It's been held for something like seven or eight years now.
Julie is still in this race too.
She's in lane six and it's the last chance
for another swimmer, Stacey Gartrell.
And on the blocks is Mike McCann.
So it's Gartrell, the fastest qualifier,
a time of 8.47.03, Lewis 8.49.21, McDonald 8.58.6.
If they are those times in the final,
they will be much, much quicker.
And it's my great pleasure to introduce to our commentary team
this evening a man who knows all about distance swimming,
the man who won the gold medal over 1500 metres
at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
And I'm referring to John Conrad.
Welcome, John.
Nice to be here, Mike.
This is going to be a hell of a battle, I think,
between Stacey and Hayley.
Both girls are great competitors.
Hayley particularly is a fierce competitor.
They're just holding those two speeds fast and faster.
And it should be very exciting.
In lane two, this is Chloe Flutter,
800-metre freestyle bronze medallist
at the World Student Games.
Christina Thorpe is in lane three.
She won the silver in the 400.
And the finalist at the Panpacs.
Not to be discounted,
but you would think the race is going to be
between lanes four and five.
This is Stacey Gartrell.
Winner of the 15, as I mentioned.
Commonwealth Games champion over 800 metres.
She has a PB of 830,
so much quicker than that heat time.
And the Brian Sutton stable is Duncan Armstrong.
Puffing and puffing up the stairs as usual.
How are you, Mike? How are you, John?
Very well, thanks. Thank you.
And looking forward to this race,
the first of four tremendous races.
The men's 53 to come,
the women's 200 back,
and the men's 200 medley.
This is Hayley Lewis now in five.
She won the 200 metres World Championship
a few years ago.
A couple of medals from the Olympic Games in Barcelona.
She's really liked it.
She'd really like to complete the collection, though, wouldn't she?
One silver, one bronze,
and wouldn't she like to pick up a gold?
Wouldn't Australia like her to pick up that gold as well?
We really need it.
Plenty riding on this race.
PB of 826.
Well inside the schedule.
Now, this is Julie McDonald.
She's been to the 88 Olympics
and also the 92 Olympics.
She picked up a bronze medal.
A pretty slow peak time,
but you'd expect that.
Her personal best, though, the Commonwealth Record,
822.93, and I mentioned the fourth
fastest time in history.
Well, it's a sensational effort,
and I was there for that race.
It was fantastic to watch her get up a bronze medal
in Seoul.
She'll be finding it tough to get back to her personal best
here, bud.
This is Rachel Harris.
She was at the World
Short Course Championships in Rio,
that very successful Australian side,
and a finalist in both the 400
medley and also the 800 free.
This is Elizabeth Phillip. Now, she could be interesting.
She was the silver medalist over 1500,
and she went out really
quickly, didn't she? She did a great job to
pick up the silver from
behind Stacey Gartrell.
I think she gave herself every chance and
really came up the goods in the 1500m.
She's given herself a lot of confidence over
the 800m now, and although she's
in lane eight, she'll give it her best shot.
Take your marks.
The women's 800m
free, Danielle Woods in
one, Chloe Flutter, Christina Thorpe,
Stacey Gartrell, Hayley Lewis in
five, Julie MacDonald, Rachel
Harris, and Elizabeth Phillip.
And the time they're looking at,
the Olympic selection time,
8.08,
and certainly those
leading swimmers, Gartrell, Lewis,
MacDonald, shouldn't have any problems with that.
They go up towards the first 50m
mark. We'll just watch them go through
and a very even start
there right across the pool. At the moment, the leader
though in five is Hayley Lewis, and just
in front of MacDonald, who started well, and also
Stacey Gartrell there.
Well, Hayley Lewis has to take the initiative off
Stacey Gartrell. I'm not too sure what Brian
would have sent. Brian Sutton,
Stacey Gartrell's coach. I don't know what the
game plan is, but for Lewis, I believe that she
has to get out and try to steal this race
and take away the advantage of Stacey
Gartrell's long distance.
Well, they're completing the first 100m,
and Hayley Lewis really has
gone out hard, hasn't she? In fact, she goes through the
first 100m in a split of 102.29.
That's a very good first split.
In second place at the moment, it's Julie MacDonald,
who has a lot to prove, and not
too far away, Stacey Gartrell and Christina Thorpe.
Well, Julie MacDonald's
sitting in a very handy position there, just
trailing off her training partner.
That's Hayley Lewis. They've been training together
for about the last 18 months, so if
Julie MacDonald's going to make this team, she has to
hang on to her partner, Hayley Lewis,
and she's doing just that.
Coming up to complete the 150, and Hayley Lewis
out in front, but Julie MacDonald, what
a comeback this would turn out to be
if she can make the team, because she's been
out of the scene for quite
some time, 26 years of age, but she's
got a long way to go yet. It's Hayley Lewis
in front of Julie MacDonald, back there in third
place at the moment, Stacey Gartrell, and
then it's Christina Thorpe. Laurie.
This stage, Lewis is out
turning MacDonald pretty much.
I think Lewis is cruising along nicely
in front, looks pretty good, well balanced with a
stroke, but Donald is
bouncing along nicely.
I'd like to see her turns a little bit better,
and looming up now is Gartrell.
It's going to be a race for the silver, I reckon,
between MacDonald and Gartrell.
Lewis looking pretty good in these early stages,
through the 200 she goes in 206.68,
in second place it's still MacDonald,
and third place Gartrell, who is closing
the gap. Well this is a very important 200
coming up, she has to set up
the last 400 metres, the last half of the race
has to be set up now, coming through this
200 metres, and
Stacey Gartrell's just applying a little
pressure here, and she could move up on
Hayley Lewis, so Stacey
Gartrell's into a stroke, and stroking very
nicely. But at the moment it's Hayley Lewis,
she really does look a cut above them at
the moment, through the 250 she goes,
and very tight, absolutely nothing
between the next two, in fact just
14 hundredths of a second, and it's Gartrell
who's taken up in second place there against
MacDonald. John, how are they looking?
I've never seen Hayley Lewis look so good,
John through her coach has been working on
a technique for the last six to eight months,
since she took over, since he
took over coaching her from Joe King,
who retired, and I've never seen
Hayley look so good, she's stroking
longer than she used to, she's looking
powerful and very relaxed, and she's averaging
time that should bring around about the 8.30
mark. Well that's the sort of time
she'll be looking at I'm sure, she has a PB of
8.26, and that qualifying time
8.40, through the 300 in
3.11.9, Gartrell
putting a little bit of distance there between
her and Julie MacDonald, who's dropping
back a little bit at this stage. Laurie?
Yes sir, MacDonald's
turns have been letting her down, but Lewis
still bowling along out in front, Gartrell
is applying a little bit of pressure,
I think what you're saying up there Duncan,
it could come down to that, because
Gartrell, a noted negative
splitter, but I'd like to see her within a
body length of Lewis, at the 400
metre mark, if she's going to get Lewis,
she's got to see her when she gets
to that 400 metre mark. At
this stage Lewis is
one body length clear, she's got
to get up to her feet, if she hopes to
overtake Lewis. Well this is the crucial
next 30 metres then for that to happen,
they'd look to go through in round about
4.18, the 400 metre mark, to make
the qualifying time, I think there's a little doubt about
that, more importantly, whether they
can get round about the
8.30 time, which will be pretty competitive
on the international stage. Let's watch
Hayley Lewis as she goes through the halfway
mark now, there's the time,
4.17.18, so just a
tick under that 4.18,
just a tick over the 4.18 at Stacey
Gartrell, and still Julie MacDonald there in third
place. Well this is
where the race is going to be long, one in the
next 150 metres, if Stacey
Gartrell can use her distance swimming to
get within range of striking
at Hayley Lewis, Hayley might find herself
a little bit short, she went 4.14 in the
400 metres to win that gold medal,
so if she's long for the 800 metres she won't
have a problem here because she's got two body
lengths lead on her main rival, Stacey
Gartrell, who sat back a little bit in this race
and let Hayley Lewis go thinking
she's going to come over the top of her, if she's going to
come over the top of her, it's got to be in the next
150 metres. It's a pretty handy lead
that Julie MacDonald,
or rather that Hayley Lewis has at the moment, round
about a length and a half, Laurie.
Lewis has still got control of this race,
she's bowling along out in front,
a stroke looks smooth, she's got good
balance, good shoulder roll, you can
see her rolling from side to side, breathing
every stroke, Gartrell forcing
it along a little bit, she's going to have to make
a big impression in the next 100
if she's going to beat Lewis. Well she does
come home hard, they've got 300 metres to swim
and it's Hayley Lewis out
in front in 5.22.56.
Gartrell in second place,
two seconds back and another three seconds
further back, it is Julie MacDonald
who is losing ground, fourth place
at the moment, perhaps back there in
lane seven, it'll be Rachel
Harris. Well this is turning out to be an enormous
swim by Hayley Lewis, she's
set this win up beautifully, she's got about five
laps to swim but Gartrell can't scratch her
at the moment. Lewis is out there
and it's great news for the Karoo camp considering
the pressure they've been in under all
week with the Kieran Perkins situations,
I think John Karoo their coach must be
very very happy with this performance he's seeing
at the moment.
Well Hayley Lewis has done a
great job so far, they've had some tremendous battles
Laurie. Made up
0.3 of a second down that 50
which is a nice little gap, she's two and
a half seconds in front, five laps
to go, 1.5 seconds
she needs more than 0.3
a lap if she's going to make it.
Let's see how many seconds behind she is
with 200 metres to go and
we'll cut it down lap by lap.
Here goes Lewis in now. Through the 600
Lewis in 6.27.94
let's look at the margin there
6.30.29 so it's still
two and a half seconds, back
in second place Stacey Gartrell, Julie
McDonald still clearly in third, that
won't be good enough to make the team though.
This is a very good performance
by the girl out in front, Hayley Lewis.
We've had some great battles over the years.
Stacey Gartrell the Commonwealth Games
champion but she was knocked off
by Hayley Lewis at last year's Panpacks.
Laurie.
Gartrell has lifted a rating
she's out after Lewis, she wants this
spot real bad. If she can't win it
she's got to get inside qualifying time
of 840 points.
So that's why she's going. The crowd
starting to get behind her, they can see
her attacking Lewis. But Lewis
out in front, just cruising.
John, can you see Stacey get up?
I think that she's going to
have to make, she should have made a move
the lap before, I can't see her coming up now.
They're on a pace of about 8.35
for Hayley and I guess
Stacey will be about two or three
seconds behind that. Well they've got just over
100 metres to swim and Hayley
Lewis goes through in 7.32.7
what can she bring it home in?
It's a pretty good margin there
back to second place, almost three
seconds, Stacey Gartrell not really
making an impact. So it's Lewis
one, Gartrell two and back a fairway
back it's Julie McDonald.
Now Hayley Lewis has got this by
the straight away she had in the first 200
metres and she's going away with it, she's not
slowing down, the crowd is starting to buoy her up
she's going to make this team and qualify.
Now the question mark is on Stacey
Gartrell, can she get under 840?
Laurie she's looking good. Yes, Lewis
has got it stolen but we look to
young Gartrell, we need her under 840
we want the crowd behind her
she's got to break 104 for the last
100, it's very difficult.
Ok let's watch Lewis bring it home
then, Hayley Lewis out in front
they've got 30 metres to swim
Gartrell trying to close the gap
there's no doubt about the winner it's going to be Hayley Lewis
the time all important, Lewis's PB
826, well the clock
has passed that already, 840
is the qualifying time, they'll both be
under that I reckon, Lewis is going to touch
in first in the 800 metres
Gartrell will take second place, there's the winning
time 836.72, 830
845, they're both qualified
pretty slow times having
said that though, but they are both
inside the A schedule. Yes, very
slow times there, the girls won't be happy with the
times but Hayley Lewis has said right from the outset
that this is a racing meet and she came
here to race and she did just that
836, not a
happy time but John Carew, you've
got someone qualified for the Olympic Games
congratulations to his club and Hayley
Lewis and her family, a great win
there, she stole in the first 200
and raced away with it and Gartrell
was left floundering but Gartrell
came home with a wet sail to qualify
as well. And a huge embrace there
between the two stable mates
the Carew stable mates, Lewis and McDonald
McDonald finished in third placing
seven seconds away from that A standard
time in 847.08
and this could well be the last time we
see Julie McDonald such a fine performer
at the Nationals
I think she's almost waving a farewell
This has been a big comeback by the
26 year old, two Olympic Games, she's
picked up a bronze medal at the Olympics
but she won't
make it to Atlanta. No, unfortunately
not, there can only be two going to
Atlanta and they're the two on your screen at the moment
Stacey Gartrell took a lot of ground
off Hayley Lewis in the last 100 meters
but really Lewis had it won after 200
meters into the 800, straight into
the wall, she's still on top of the water, she's still bouncing
along so she really won this brace and
won it well
836 and Gartrell racing
into the wall and we've got two
in the first race to qualify for Atlanta
and it's great news for Australian distance
because around the world the girls aren't swimming that
well, we'll probably have a look at the world times a little
later on but that's a great effort
great effort by Hayley Lewis, she's come here
to win races and she's done that
414 for the 400 now, 836
for the 8. Yeah Duncan I think
the important thing also is how well Hayley looked
she really looked well, she's not
in form according to John Carew
maybe it's the pressure or whatever it is but she still looked
very well and I think she's got plenty of time to take
off that performance of hers tonight
Well Hayley Lewis
second at the Commonwealth
Games, she won the Pantacks
and now she's won four in a row
of the national 800 meter
titles, Lewis wins from
Gartrell and McDonald, here's Laurie
I've got
the champ down here, gold and silver
Hayley at the last Olympics, now she's
got a chance to go to the next one
Yeah I'm pretty glad that race is over
four seconds under qualifying time
so that's all I'm happy about and winning
That's excellent and a well
controlled race love, a well controlled race
Yeah I wasn't sure how to swim and I knew
that a couple of them would sit on me
and I took the risk
and I went out there and luckily enough
I was lucky enough
to stay on. Hayley, sensational
tough, great race
getting away from the race, you've made the ultimate commitment
down here on your leg
I love holding girls legs
she's got the tattoo, the Olympic tattoo
are all girls going to get that?
No I got it about a year ago so
I don't know, I think I wish
I hadn't got it now but I don't know
it's there forever so I have to put up with it
Well your Olympics and if you get the gold medal
it's there forever. Yep, that's right
Thanks love
Well both Hayley Lewis and Stacey Gartrell off to
Atlanta but Janelle you were right about that time
Oh yeah I was, considering what time they did in the
I didn't think they'd go much faster than 8.36
I would have liked to have seen them go faster
Hayley did look good so
to be competitive in Atlanta they'll have to
go an 8.30 at least
Well we'll keep our fingers crossed, but coming up after the break
Australia's fastest men in swimming
go for the splash and dash, it's the Men's
54
Men's 54
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