Fed: Patterson to discuss smallpox issue this week

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Fed: Patterson to discuss smallpox issue this week

Health Minister KAY PATTERSON will discuss Australia's approach to the smallpox terrorismthreat with departmental officials this week.

Australia acquired 50,000 doses of smallpox vaccine last week under an $11.4 millionprogram to stockpile vaccines to deal with a bioterrorism attack.

The government expects to receive another 50,000 to 100,000 doses in the first partof the new year.

A spokesman for Senator PATTERSON says chief medical officer RICHARD SMALLWOOD andothers will brief the minister about the smallpox issue and plans of readiness later thisweek.

The spokesman says the department is constantly on the look-out for other vaccine supplies,if required.

AAP RTV so/jmt

KEYWORD: SMALLPOX (CANBERRA)

Fed: Labor women urge review not to water down rights

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Fed: Labor women urge review not to water down rights

Labor women have warned of damage to the party's standing if an internal review watersdown affirmative action policies.

Former Victorian premier JOAN KIRNER and CHERYL DAVENPORT, a former Western Australianstate MP, have written an open letter to the HAWKE-WRAN review.

They say they are disappointed with reports that Labor targets for female preselectionin winnable seats may not be lifted.

An internal review by former prime minister BOB HAWKE and former New South Wales PremierNEVILLE WRAN will be released tomorrow.

Media reports have suggested the affirmative action plan could be scrapped to ensurethe survival of a reform package by Opposition Leader SIMON CREAN.

Some Labor women want female representation targets lifted from 35 per cent to 50 per cent.

AAP RTV so/wz/psm/

KEYWORD: ALP (CANBERRA)

Fed: Labor calls for better reliability for mobile text messages

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Fed: Labor calls for better reliability for mobile text messages

CANBERRA, Feb 27 AAP - Phone companies should develop rules to make sure mobile phonetext messages arrived at their intended destinations, Labor said today.

Opposition communications spokesman Lindsay Tanner said Australians sent about 170million text messages a month, but there were no industry standards to ensure they gotthrough.

With the average cost of 16 cents per message high by international standards, Mr Tannersaid it was time phone companies stopped just taking customers' money and improved servicereliability.

"This issue is not just …

NSW: Forecast downgraded but firefighters well prepared

AAP General News (Australia)
12-30-2001
NSW: Forecast downgraded but firefighters well prepared

Firefighters have welcomed a slight downgrade in the weather forecast and say they're
as ready as they can be to fight expected flare-ups.

Today is tipped to be the worst day of the bushfire crisis to date, with temperatures
in some parts of the state heading towards 40 degrees and gusty winds expected to build
through the morning.

But strong winds forecast for yesterday and overnight failed to materialise, allowing
firefighters to carry out more backburning in an attempt to build buffer zones for properties
considered most at risk.

Meanwhile, Premier BOB CARR will tour Sydney's south and visit the emergency services
centre at Heathcote.

A fire in the Shoalhaven on the south coast continues to burn out of control after
breaching its containment lines late yesterday.

And as residents in fire affected areas brace for the worst, a man will appear in Armidale
Local Court charged with lighting fires.

He is the sixth person to be charged since the bushfire crisis.

The greatest concern today is the green belt from Spencer through to the Hawkesbury,
Blue Mountains, Picton and the Illawarra.

AAP RTV sal/jtb

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES NSW (SYDNEY)

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

Fed: Aust to send official election observers to East Timor =2

AAP General News (Australia)
08-17-2001
Fed: Aust to send official election observers to East Timor =2

Mr Rudd said it would be his fourth visit to East Timor in two years.

During his most recent visit in June, he visited Australian Electoral Commission officers
there, helping with preparations for the vote.

"I was advised they were well in hand," Mr Rudd told AAP.

"This is the single most important event in the new democracy which is East Timor -
that is to ensure the elections are free and fair."

The largest areas of difficulty had been voters' lack of familiarity with the large
number of parties contesting the election and with the low level of literacy among the
people.

"Our job (as observers) is to do what we can to ensure that the ballot is free and
fair and to provide confidence that it is so for the East Timorese."

AAP kjp/was/de

KEYWORD: TIMOR OBSERVERS 2 CANBERRA (REOPENS)

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

VIC: Main Stories in today s Melbourne newspapers = 2

AAP General News (Australia)
04-03-2001
VIC: Main Stories in today s Melbourne newspapers = 2

THE AGE

Page 1 - Former tv funnyman, Steve Vizard, took over as head of the Victorian Major
Events Company; A $158 million surge in retail spending has delivered positive economic
news to the federal government and dented hopes the Reserve Bank will decide on a large
interest rate cut today; A Pakistani man protesting the delay in his family's immigration
application, set himself on fire in front of Parliament House in Canberra yesterday.

Page 2- Retiring Major Events company head Ron Walker has undertaken to raise more
than $130 million for the Commonwealth Games.

Page 3 - A man with chronic schizophrenia died of a heart attack after being punched,
put in a judo hold and hit with batons, the Coroner's Court was told yesterday; Federal
Liberal MPs described tensions in the Victorian Opposition as unhelpful for the Howard
government's re-election prospects.

World - Prince Edward's wife apologised to Cherie Blair, the wife of the British Prime
Minister about her comments to a tabloid journalist; American and Chinese planes have
been tailing each other on flying patrol missions off the Chinese coastline for five decades,
a retired rear admiral said yesterday; Palestinian leaders warned Israel it was playing
with fire by abducting five Palestinian security force members from the Palestinian controlled
West Bank.

Finance - The Spotless Group will make inroads into high-retailing in Europe after
spending $350 million to buy a British company, Braitrim Holdings; The Australian dollar
sank to a new low yesterday with no end in sight to the record breaking collapse.

Sport - St Kilda defended its discipline policy yesterday after deciding not to penalise
defender Barry Hall for his arrest outside a Melbourne nightclub on Sunday; Collingwood
recruit Chad Rintoul and Fremantle's Jason Norrish were cleared of indiscretions at a
tribunal last night; David Coulthard put an end to Michael Schumacher's six-victory run
by taking the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday.

AAP jmw/

KEYWORD: FRONTERS VIC 2 MELBOURNE

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

Vic:Libs deny talks with Russell Mark over Ballarat preselection

AAP General News (Australia)
01-10-2001
Vic:Libs deny talks with Russell Mark over Ballarat preselection

The Victorian Liberal Party says there have been no formal discussions with Olympic
shooting medallist RUSSELL MARK, following speculation the athlete will contest next month's
Liberal preselection for the federal seat of Ballarat.

Liberal state director BRIAN LOUGHNANE says if Mr MARK is interested in running for
the seat, the party will be …