AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 16

AAP General News (Australia)
04-16-2007
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, April 16
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


Poison Benetas (MELBOURNE)

The head of the organisation running the Melbourne aged nursing home Broughton Hall
.. where four people died over the Easter break .. has denied there was an outbreak of
food poisoning there.

Benetas chief executive SHARON CALLISTER says it wasn't food poisoning .. but gastroenteritis
which struck the nursing home patients.

The denial comes despite one of the victims being diagnosed with salmonella in hospital
.. and a Department of Human Services statement on Saturday saying the deaths were a result
of food poisoning.

Victoria's Opposition has called on state Health Minister BRONWYN PIKE to resign ..

saying she must accept responsibility for the debacle.



Workplace Combet (CANBERRA)

ACTU boss GREG COMBET has dismissed government claims unions will spend 70 million
dollars attacking Work Choices ahead of the next election .. as absurd.

Workplace Relations Minister JOE HOCKEY says Labor and the unions plan to spend 100
million on their anti-Work Choices campaign .. with two-thirds of the money coming from
unions.

Mr COMBET's told ABC radio that's ridiculous .. and the ACTU doesn't have anywhere
near that sort of money.

He won't say how much is in the kitty .. but for the last two years the ACTU's levied
each union member five dollars 50 a year .. to fight the federal government's workplace
laws.



Malu (BRISBANE)

An inquest into the death of five people on board an Immigration Department boat ..

in the Torres Strait in far north Queensland .. will resume on Thursday Island today.

The Malu Sara .. which has never been found .. was carrying two immigration agents
and three locals .. when it sank on its 74 kilometre journey from Saibai Island to Badu
Island on October 15 2005.

It was one of six boats purpose-built for the then Immigration Multicultural and Indigenous
Affairs Department .. and was issued a seaworthy notice just one month before the tragedy.



Barnett (MELBOURNE)

An artist who planted a fake bomb outside the National Gallery of Victoria will spend
three months behind bars.

46-year-old COLIN DOUGLAS BARNETT of Cranbourne North had earlier pleaded guilty in
the Victorian County Court to creating a bomb hoax .. causing a public nuisance .. and
making a false report to police.

He'd admitted placing a clay vase-shaped sculpture .. which he called a peace bomb
.. outside the gallery .. and alerting police to a suspicious package.

Judge LEO HART says it's a "bizarre" case .. and BARNETT had the dual aim of getting
recognition for his work and sending an anti-terrorism message.

He's jailed BARNETT for 15 months .. with 12 months suspended for 15 months .. and
ordered him to pay more than six thousand dollars in compensation to police who had to
close part of busy St Kilda Road during the operation.



Indigenous (CANBERRA)

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission's been blamed for holding back
reconciliation with Indigenous Australians.

In a new push .. JOHN HOWARD's asked all Commonwealth departments to explain what they're
doing to help improve the living standards of Indigenous Australians.

Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister MAL BROUGH has told ABC Radio ATSIC is ineffective
.. corrupt and inept nad has held the government back on reconciliation for a decade.



Sunrise pollies (SYDNEY)

Federal Opposition Leader KEVIN RUDD and Workplace Relations Minister JOE HOCKEY have
ended their weekly spot on Seven's Sunrise program.

Mr RUDD's been tarnished by a controversy over Sunrise's plans for a live broadcast
from Long Tan in Vietnam on Anzac Day .. and talk of a fake early dawn service to tie
in with peak viewing times.

The program's MELISSA DOYLE says both men have decided they should no longer continue
with their weekly appearances of the past five years .. co-host DAVID KOCH says politics
can sometimes be a pretty nasty game.



Tennis Graf (HOUSTON)

Women's tennis great STEFFI GRAF's needed three stitches in her lip after her husband
ANDRE AGASSI accidentally hit her in the face with his racket during a fundraiser in Houston
today.

GRAF and AGASSI were holding hands while rallying with a couple of children when AGASSI'S
follow-through struck her in the face.



Briefly in other news ..




The PM's announced a 150 million dollar funding boost for the Royal Flying Doctor Service
.. and he's called on state and territory leaders to lift their support of a true Australian
icon.




The body of a man found in a gorge west of Sydney yesterday .. has been winched out
and taken to Bathurst hospital .. it's believe he was a bushwalkerwho set off on a trek
on Good Friday.




Five members of the Bandidos motorcycle gang will appear in a Brisbane court today
.. charged with setting fire to the Rebels' clubhouse.




Amnesty International is calling on western countries to help avoid a new humanitarian
crisis in the Middle East .. where four million Iraqis have been uprooted by the current
conflict.





In Finance ..



Tattersalls (MELBOURNE)

Gaming firm Tattersall's has agreed to buy the Golden Casket Lottery Corporation from
the Queensland government .. for 530 million dollars.




At 1106 AEST, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was UP 40.4 points to 6,176.2, and the
all ordinaries index was UP 38.2 points to 6,162.0.

The Australian dollar was trading at 83.35 US cents, UP from 83.24 US cents at Friday's close.

It was at 61.49 euro cents, DOWN from 61.59 euro cents on Friday.

In Sydney, gold bullion was trading at $US684.60 per fine ounce, UP $US6.70 from $US677.90
at the local close on Friday.



In Sport ..



League Aust Mason (SYDNEY)

Rugby league star WILLIE MASON has apologised to a Sydney sports reporter for humiliating
her while she was trying to do her job.

MICHELLE KEIGHRAN, who reports rugby league for Sydney radio station 2GB, says MASON
belittled her when she attempted to interview him at Sydney airport last night.

The Test and Bulldogs star has since phoned her to apologise.

He is in Brisbane with the Australia team ahead of Friday night's Anzac Test against New Zealand.

Team media manager TRISTAN HAY says Keighran has accepted Mason's apology and everyone
has moved on.



Motor Champ (LONG BEACH)

Australian WILL POWER has backed up his season opening Champ-car win at Las Vegas last
week with a third place at the Long Beach Grand Prix.

France's SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS won his third consecutive Long Beach title, holding off
Spain's ORIOL SERVIA.

POWER leads the series on 59 points from Canadian ALEX TAGLIANI on 44 and BOURDAIS on 40.



ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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