The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 1

fiiFffiiliM 4 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1997 No. 49,922 RRST PUBLISHED 1831 -1 -1 -X. i 1 "-civ i ft i i 1 a COLUMN IF YOU missed it in some editions yesterday: From What's In A Name? An Australian Dictionary ofEponyms, by Richard Trahair: paparazzo: An intrusive journalist; after Paparazzo. Paparazzo (fl 1959) was a minor but important character in Federico Fellini's film La. Dolca Vita (1959).

The main character, played by Marcello Mas-troianni, is an opportunistic gossip columnist He is accompanied by Paparazzo, who intrudes on the personal lives of others in a sleazy and alarming way. His name is given to any photographer who snaps members of the fast set to get some unflattering pictures of them off-guard. SOME more Brushes With Fame and Mel Gibson (Column 8, yesterday). The Westleigh Players cast Mel in perhaps his first stage role, in 1973. Possibly persuaded by his sister Mary, a players' member, he played Harold Compton in Spring and Port Wine at the Pennant Hills Community Centre.

AS A NIDA student, he was not allowed to appear in other productions, so he used the name "Mel The program said of him "First time on stage. Lived in Australia for seven years, originally from the USA. First-year student at the University of NSW." A younger brother, Don, appeared under his own name. The players are now Theatre 2120 (the. local postcode), with Educating Rita coming up next month.

THE MONUMENT is a 61.5-metre-tall pillar in the City of London, designed by Wren and built between 1671 and 1677 to mark where the Great Fire of London of 1666 began. Inside it are 311 steps to a viewing platform. John Holland, of Castlemaine, Victoria, who climbed it on July 30, believes that July 28 must have been a big day for a Sydney woman "she gave us 15 reminders in Texta along the wall of the John provides us with the name someone scrawled. IT WILL BE one of the quietest demonstrations ever held in Martin Place. Next Thursday, the Deaf Education Network and the NSW Department of Ageing and Disability will hold demonstrations and classes in Auslan the Australian Sign Language.

Book for a lesson on 9367 6839. There will also be "sign-singing" and All very restful MORE anniversaries in sci-fi (Column 8, August 28). Mikala Oakes, of Engadine, points out that in Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 A Space Odyssey, Hal, the computer, became operational on January 12, 1997. "Maybe this is the real reason there have been so many problems on the space station Mir," she suggests.

THREDBO has been host to many jazz and blues festivals, the Thredbo Jazz Festival in May being one of them. The musos are returning the compliment on Thursday night at the Sydney Town Hall, a Jazz and Blues Concert will raise money for the Thredbo Family Relief Fund, with Don Burrows, Julie Anthony, Julian Lee and John McCarthy performing. Ticketek or 9266 4800. Australia mourns a princess Australia's thoughts yesterday were with Princess Diana, who died in a Paris car crash at the weekend. Federal Parliament was suspended briefly as a mark of respect and the Opposition called on the Prime Minister to fly to London for the funeral.

In Sydney, people attended a memorial serv ice and signed a condolences book at the British Consulate. In Canberra, Claire Drinkwater was one of many who left flowers at the British High Commission. Photographs by ANDREW MEARES and ANDREW TAYLOR TODAY: 12-page Diana tribute. By MICHAEL MILLETT Chief Political Correspondent The Federal Government has shelved plans for a shake-up of media ownership laws, effectively thwarting attempts by Mr Kerry Packer to take over the Fairfax newspaper group. The Prime Minister won Cabinet backing for the retreat yesterday, arguing that the Government could not afford to spend the rest of the year bogged down in a confrontation with the Senate.

Cabinet will not return to the issue this term, although Government strategists last night etbaick for Packer opposed to any sale of Fairfax to Mr Packer, had vowed to fight the changes in the Senate. Mr Howard's retreat has been influenced by internal polling showing the electorate regarded the media overhaul as marginal -and taking up too much of the Government's time. The issue was also fuelling a public perception that the Government, particularly Mr Howard, was too beholden to big business. Cabinet had been considering a package of reforms drafted by Senator Alston which watered they have been heavily criticised as paving the way for a Packer takeover of John Fairfax Holdings Ltd. Mr Packer and his son, James, have made no secret of their desire to own Fairfax, with the younger Packer admitting in an interview with his own Nine Network in May that he would like to own it by Christmas.

The group's publications include The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial Review and The Age, Melbourne. The changes to the foreign ownership laws were seen as an Fears of downturn as foreign liabilities hit an all-time high Lesbian minister quits Uniting job would not rule out a detailed reform plan being put to the electorate at the next election. It is understood that both Mr Howard and the Minister for Communications, Senator Alston, insisted during the meeting that they still believed the existing cross-media laws to be flawed. However, Mr Howard said the Government could not afford to be distracted from mainstream issues like jobs, the legislative response to Wik and tax reform, or held hostage to a long Senate committee hearing on the matter. The Opposition parties, firmly Yrf Dr McRae-McMahon: "Some people will feel triumphant." While there is personal sadness, we accept it was the best way for her and for the Church." Intense pressure was put on Dr McRae-McMahon to resign after she outed herself during a speech at the Church's national assembly in Perth.

The Rev Dr Gordon Moyes from the Wesley Mission has been one of her harshest critics and called for her resignation from the Church leadership and the ministry. Dr Moyes said Dr McRae-McMahon's resignation "does nothing to solve the crisis within the In her letter to the Church, Dr McRae-McMahon said that "some people will feel grateful and even triumphant at this moment Many others will feel anger, betrayal and One person angry with yesterday's development was the Rev Harry Herbert, executive director of the NSW Synod Board for Social Responsibility, who called the resignation an "unfortunate episode" in the life of the Church. Dr McRae-McMahon said she plans to write a book on the meaning of life. X. 4 down the existing restrictions on the right of proprietors to own television stations and newspapers in the same city.

The plan would have allowed the proprietors to apply for waivers, with decisions to be made by a beefed up Australian Broadcasting Authority. Senator Alston also proposed a relaxation of foreign ownership laws, allowing foreign concerns to own up to 25 per cent of local television companies. Despite Mr Howard's continuing assertions that the changes were not "mogul spe WHAT WE OWE THE WORLD 180 -120 Source: ABS June 1992 -June 1997 $27 billion, marking one of the biggest asset sell-offs in any one year in Australia's history. These liabilities are partly offset by Australian ownership of overseas assets, but in net terms Australia's foreign ownership rose last financial year by $10 billion to $105 billion. Net foreign debt also rose sharply, up $15 billion to $202 billion.

The new signs that economic activity has nose-dived in recent satellites and other spacecraft, an ability the Pentagon regards as crucial in time of war. But US arms control advocates say the test might set off a space weapons race that would endanger the nation's own satellites. And the maker of the satellite, which is owned by the Air Force, says it has years of life left and that its destruction would be a waste. The US has no demonstrated method of shooting down satel SAbn 240 attempt to placate the News Ltd chief, Mr Rupert Murdoch, who had expressed concerns about the impact of any Packer expansion. News Ltd was keen to extend its interest in the Seven Network, capped at 15 per cent by the existing laws.

Mr Murdoch and his son, Lachlan, are believed to have lobbied aggressively against the changes over the past few weeks, arguing that the relaxation of the foreign ownership laws would not be enough to offset gains by the Packer empire in the associated changes. year the other plank in the Government's Budget strategy. The shadow Treasurer, Mr Gareth Evans, said the Government had achieved "a rare feat a sharp rise in foreign debt in a flat He reminded the Government that before the election the Coalition "went around the country with their debt truck, promising to reduce Australia's foreign Housing industry groups described the result as "disappointing" but they hoped that interest rate cuts would finally have an impact within the next three months. The Housing Industry Association said "Australia's long-awaited housing recovery is being hampered by a lack of job The bureau also reported that stock levels held by Australian companies rose 1.1 per cent in the June quarter, partly offsetting a 1.3 per cent fall in the previous quarter. The rise will help boost the economic growth result in the June quarter, to be released tomorrow, but this is expected to be about 1 per cent on par with the previous quarter.

PAGE 21: Building slowdown points to weaker economy. even private companies have begun efforts to send up their own spy satellites. The laser, at a base in New Mexico, is run by the Army and the test would have it hit the satellite designed to improve ways to track missiles to see what it takes to destroy it The Air Force says it no longer needs the satellite and plans to switch it off. PAGE 6: Full report. A spokesman for Senator Alston confirmed the backdown late last night, saying Cabinet had decided to "put the issue on the The chairman of John Fairfax Holdings Ltd, Sir Laurence Street, last night welcomed the news.

"This will remove the uncertainty and speculation coming from Canberra over the last nine months and enable Fairfax to get on with our growth and consolidation program," he said. PAGE 5: Margo Kingston -Fairfax off Christmas wish-list. Warder stabbed with syringe dies A former prison officer who was stabbed in the buttocks with a syringe filled with HIV-positive blood four weeks after completing his training at Long Bay Jail seven years ago has died of an AIDS-related illness. PAGE 3: Full report. Backpacker curb Foreign backpackers have been accused by a parliamentary committee of taking Australian jobs.

The committee recommends that working-holiday visas be limited for three more years. PAGE 3: Full report. FNL TVW0455SMH Don't get uptight about the limited time only, it's free in making the world's coolest 5 Volkswagen Golf with Gotf CL 1.81 manual excluding dealer and By PAUL CLEARY Economics Correspondent Australia's foreign liabilities blew out by $21 billion last financial year to a record $307 billion, but instead of reflecting a booming economy there were new signs in the housing industry that Australia may be sliding into a downturn. The Treasurer, Mr Costello, admitted in Federal Parliament that there was no end in sight to the inexorable rise in Australia's foreign liabilities. He said it would take years to stabilise foreign debt as a share of gross domestic product (GDP).

Total liabilities stand at 60 per cent of GDP, making Australia, after New Zealand, the Western nation most exposed to foreign ownership, while foreign debt is at 40 per cent The rise in foreign liabilities reflects the burden of Australia's current account deficit, which is running at $20 billion a year. Australia is paying for this by incurring foreign debt or selling assets such as property and businesses. Foreign ownership of Australian equity surged by $14 billion in the June quarter alone, reaching a total of $217.4 billion. Over the year to June it rose by a massive months were contained in the bureau's survey of building activity for July. It showed the third consecutive slowdown in the number of new dwelling approvals.

In July they fell 2.8 per cent with private houses down 4.6 per cent to 11,439, from a recent peak of 12,500 in April. This outcome was at odds with the market expectation of a 5 per cent rise, and it suggests that the five cuts in interest rates since the middle of last year have failed to inspire confidence in the community. The board of the Reserve Bank is expected to meet today to review the economy and interest rate settings. Some financial market pundits say the Reserve may cut rates for the sixth time since the election before the end of the year. When asked in Parliament yesterday about warning signs of a slowdown, Mr Costello affirmed that the Government's policies would deliver "strong, sustained growth through The result is a blow for the Government because it was counting on 8 per cent growth in housing activity this year to help jump-start the economy, and it follows a downward revision in business investment plans for this lites, although experts speculate that it might have a secret emergency plan.

In theory, a laser weapon would allow it to dominate space reconnaissance. The US military wants an anti-satellite weapon mainly to stop enemies with orbiting cameras from spying on its weapons and troops during combat. For years, the US dominated reconnaissance from space, but recently other countries and By MINH BUI The Rev Dr Dorothy McRae-McMahon, who revealed in July that she is a lesbian, resigned from the second-highest office of the Uniting Church yesterday, saying the focus on her sexuality was affecting the reputation of the Church. She quit as the national director for mission but decided to remain as a minister, saying that she would never resign her ordination because "it is of Dr McRac-McMahon's position was discussed at a meeting of the Church's National Standing Committee last weekend after a complaint was made following her announcement that she was a lesbian living in a committed relationship. She told the committee that "her continuing presence in the senior position may be putting in jeopardy the mission tasks of the Church and may be distracting the Church from its real After a long discussion, the committee accepted her decision to resign.

Dr McRae-McMahon said in an open letter to the Church issued yesterday that she did not want to be seen as a martyr or as a "noble" person. Her action was based on leadership: "It is about leadership which sees a much bigger vision than the holding of some position." The President of the Church, the Rev John Mavor, said Dr McRae-McMahon felt that the discussion of her homosexuality was focusing on the person and not the principle. "She felt that to continue in her role is 'hindering the things she believes and' stands for," he said. "She has been a colleague, my superior officer and a friend. Internet www.smh.com.au Home delivery ISSN 0312-6315 llll (02)92823800 0y if Beam them down: laser targets spies in space By WILLIAM BROAD of The New York Times The developer of the most powerful military laser in the United States wants permission to fire it into space at a SUS60 million air force satellite in what is believed to be the first test of its kind.

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