Fed: Boehm says met Baird staffer twice

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-2000
Fed: Boehm says met Baird staffer twice

CANBERRA, Dec 5 AAP - An independent candidate in federal backbencher Bruce Baird's
seat said today he had met with the former NSW minister's staffer twice to discuss a preference
deal.

Darren Boehm, an independent candidate in the southern Sydney seat of Cook, claimed
a staffer of Mr Baird's offered to cover his $7,000 in printing costs in exchange for
preferences.

"In printing, if they were to pay for the printing of further promotional material,
about $5,000," Mr Boehm told ABC Radio.

"That's what they were prepared to look at printing at the time because that was what
was still to come."

But last night, Mr Baird and his former staffer denied the claims, describing them
as baseless and untrue.

"Never at any time were such proposals considered, discussed or acted on and such a
suggestion is a fantasy of Mr Boehm's imagination," he said.

Mr Boehm said he was sorry to hear the staffer could not remember him because he had
met him twice and spoken to him on the phone three times.

"I'm sorry to hear that he can't remember given the fact that just after the actual
nominations were drawn he and I were actually introduced to each other by the current
federal member for Cook," he said.

"We had met all up two to nearly three times, I'm sure it is two times at least face
to face. Three phone calls and face to face we've met twice."

Mr Boehm collected just 1.35 per cent of the vote in the election.

AAP eg/mg

KEYWORD: ELECTORAL COOK

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Qld: Four killed on Queensland roads

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2000
Qld: Four killed on Queensland roads

Four people have been killed in three separate accidents on Queensland roads during
the Easter break.

A 57-year-old man from Elinbah died in a single vehicle accident in Kenmore, in Brisbane's
western suburbs, yesterday about 4.20pm.

The man's car swerved on Ranger Street through bushes and into a car port.

Two people died and two others were injured when their car slammed into a concrete
pylon on Brisbane's Storey Bridge earlier yesterday afternoon.

Witnesses say the car mounted a concrete median strip before hitting the pylon, killing
a woman in the front passenger seat and a male driver.

Police say two males, aged 18 and 17, remain in a serious, but stable condition in
the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

The crash followed the death earlier on Friday of a 22-year-old New South Wales man.

The man from Griffith was killed on the New England Highway near Severnlea, about 5km
south of Stanthorpe, in southwest Queensland before 6am.

Police say 19 people have been injured in car accidents and officers have reported
almost 4500 traffic offences over the break, down by almost 500 on this time last year.

No accidents have been reported in the Northern Territory over the holidays.





(Eds: AAP's Easter national road toll figures are for the period 0001 April 20 to April
25. Some states and territories have different periods)

AAP RTV pjo/dmc

KEYWORD: TOLL QLD (BRISBANE)

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Qld: Leaded fuel out next year

AAP General News (Australia)
02-07-2000
Qld: Leaded fuel out next year

BRISBANE, Feb 7 AAP - The Queensland Government will phase out leaded fuel next year
and offer motorists driving older cars an alternative, Environment Minister Rod Welford
said.

The change would be part of tough new regulations on petrol and diesel to be unveiled
by the state government today, The Courier-Mail newspaper reported.

After the end of leaded fuel in March next year, motorists driving cars which used
the fuel would be offered lead replacement petrol in a bid to improve Queensland's air
quality.

Sulphur levels in diesel also would be reduced …

WA: Navy divers return home from Timor

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-1999
WA: Navy divers return home from Timor

PERTH, Dec 5 AAP - The first group of navy clearance divers to be stationed in Timor
flew home to WA today.

The contingent had been deployed to support the Australian peacekeeping missing in East Timor.

Navy spokesman Vic Jeffery said the group's activities in Timor included conducting
beach clearance operations and clearing all of the major ports and beach landing sites.

"They were also involved in two clandestine operations which were carried out under
the cover of darkness in Aidabeleten and in the Oecussi enclave located within West Timor,"

Mr Jeffery said.

He said one of the major tasks the divers were required to complete was to utilise
their battle damage skills to assist a merchant ship which had fouled a mooring cable.

Mr Jeffery said although the officers had not openly admitted they were in fear of
their lives in Timor, he said they had been in a number of `scary' situations.

"Obviously they are relieved to be home safely and are glad that it all went OK," he said.

Mr Jeffery said the group was replaced in Timor by a Sydney contingent who will take
on a caretaker role in the region.

AAP ajm/bdm

KEYWORD: TIMOR DIVERS

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

WA: Perth Lord Mayor snubs gay press

AAP General News (Australia)
04-18-1999
WA: Perth Lord Mayor snubs gay press

PERTH, April 18 AAP - Perth Lord Mayor Peter Nattrass has been urged to resign by the
homosexual community after claims he refused to talk to the gay press.

Gay and Lesbian Equality spokesperson John Derry said homosexuals were outraged and
insulted by Dr Nattrass' snub to the Westside Observer, WA's gay community newspaper.

"The only comment in the gay press from Dr Nattrass is that he refuses to comment and as
voting is likely to be very close in this election, the so called gay vote could be the
deciding factor," Mr Derry said.

Dr Nattrass has denied the claim, saying when approached by the Westside Observer it was
about the Gay and Lesbian Pride parade which fell under the jurisdiction of a fellow
councillor.

However Mr Derry said the Lord Mayor's snub was a symbolic slap in the face for
homosexuals.

"Dr Nattrass is a man who has a history of antagonising the gay community," he said.

AAP ajm/trm

KEYWORD: MAYOR

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

NSW: Whelan blames inadequate border control for drug problem

AAP General News (Australia)
01-10-1999
NSW: Whelan blames inadequate border control for drug problem

By Lorna Knowles

SYDNEY, Jan 10 AAP - NSW police would remain losers in the war against drugs until the
federal government toughened border controls, a spokeswoman for Police Minister Paul Whelan
said tonight.

The spokeswoman was responding to NSW Police Commissioner Peter Ryan's admission to
Britain's Daily Mail newspaper that his officers were "not winning on the drugs front".

"Until we adequately resource the borders - customs and AFP (Australian Federal Police) -
to control the flow of hard drugs such as heroin and …

NSW:ICAC could investigate V8 Supercars move

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2011
NSW:ICAC could investigate V8 Supercars move

SYDNEY, Dec 17 AAP - The NSW Greens are set to force a corruption inquiry into the
former Labor government's decision to spend $45 million to help move V8 Supercar races
to Sydney's inner-west.

NSW Greens MP John Kaye said he would move a motion when parliament resumes that the
decision, which was made by the department of disgraced former Labor minister Ian Macdonald
in 2009, be referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

"Then minister Ian Macdonald's State Development Department pushed its way in and cut
a deal with a company that has close associations with his friends," Mr Kaye said in a
statement on Saturday.

"Professional advice was ignored, timetables rushed and cabinet resolutions leaked."

Last year the Auditor-General found the advice given to the government about the proposal
to move the races from Eastern Creek to Homebush was inadequate and that the economic
benefits were well below what was expected.

"The people of NSW are pouring $45 million into an event for which there was no adequate
business case and no independent probity checks," Mr Kaye said.

If parliament agrees, ICAC will be compelled to undertake a full investigation.

AAP ct/jnb

KEYWORD: SUPERCARS

� 2011 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.