The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 3

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1997 ACTU launches new wage claim Bench of the commission to increase all minimum pay rates of full-time adult employees by $20.60 a week from April next year. While this means that all workers on the bare minimum of pay classifications would get this rise under the terms of the claim, the ACTLPs chief object is to increase the lowest minimum pay rate from $359.40 to $380 a week. This would represent increasing the minimum hourly rate from $9.49 to $10. The ACTU also wants the commission to guarantee that all workers who gain nothing from enterprise bargaining, even if they earn above minimum pay rates, will receive a $20-a-week "safety net" rise. The ACTU failed in the first stage of its "living wage" claim.

Last April the Bench instead granted just $10 a week for workers with no enterprise bargain and set a new minimum pay rate of $359.40 for full-time adult workers. The new claim for a $380 minimum is a reworking of the original claim. Mr Greg Combet, said the claim was aimed at providing a decent standard of living to low-paid workers on minimum wage rates who failed to gain improvements in pay from enterprise bargains. Mr Combet said the cost impact of the claim on inflation would be minimal and would be fully tested after it was lodged in the commission later this week. Mr Reith said last night that the claim would jeopardise the jobs of Australia's lowest paid workers.

"A wage claim of this size average wage growth and would not see underlying inflation rise above 2 per cent. Any scrutiny by the Reserve Bank which criticised the ACTLTs first "living wage" claim should be tested up front in the commission and the bank would be asked to provide a formal submission. The new "living wage" claim is the second of a three-stage attempt by the ACTU to lift minimum wage rates for workers who gain nothing from enterprise bargaining. The ACTU will ask the Wage sor to Mr Bill Kelty as ACTU secretary, dismissed the Government's rejection of the claim. "The Howard Government says it stands for battlers if that's so, it should accept this claim.

It's affordable, responsible and targeted to low-paid workers. So that's our challenge to them." Mr Combet said the ACTU was prepared to put the claim to proper tests in the commission in a range of industries if necessary. He did not believe it would affect a target of 4.5 per cent in simply cannot be sustained," Mr Reith said. "If granted, the claim would not only see jobs put at risk, it could also threaten the low inflation environment that is benefiting all Australians." The ACTUs new claim presents another major issue of political conflict with the Government after a strong stand taken by unions in resisting government-backed attempts by companies to extract major changes in the unionised waterfront and coal industries. Mr Combet, who is widely regarded as an eventual succes Paul Kelly Best Male Artist xlnHo 0 TPS Monique Brumby Best Female Artist By BRAD NORINGTON Industrial Editor The ACTU opened another front in its union battle with the Federal Government yesterday by announcing a $20-a-week wage claim for up to 1.5 million workers.

The wage push, which was immediately rejected by the Minister for Workplace Relations, Mr Reith, is the second stage of the ACTLPs "living wage" claim to be lodged in the Industrial Relations Commission. An ACTU assistant secretary, $500,000 to boost spirit of Canberra Canberra has long had an image problem as the seat of Federal political power, every tough decision is blamed on it. Now it has decided to hit back with a little reverse psychology. Yesterday, the ACT launched its new image, based around a new slogan: Feel the Power of Canberra. Political power doesn't get a mention.

The $500,000 promotion highlights the power of Canberra as a research and education centre and as the home of powerfully evocative national institutions such as the Australian War Memorial, the National Gallery and the Australian Institute of Sport. It was, said the ACT Chief Minister, Mrs Carnell, "time to take the chip off the shoulder" and present Canberra as "the one city in the country about which every Australian can say this is my city, my national capital'." The promotion is an attempt by the ACT Government and Canberra business to attract tourism and investment to offset the economic downturn that has followed massive Federal job cuts. Mrs Carnell said it was also important to rebuild confidence within the Canberra community. The campaign was launched at the Australian Institute of Sport by a number of well-known people, including the former world champion marathon runner Mr Robert de Castella. Mr de Castella also knows something about being a victim of Howard Government policies last week he was one of those purged from the Australian Sports Commission board.

TONY WRIGHT Savage Garden reaps a rich ARIA harvest Why clubs can be bad for your health By JULIE DELVECCHIO Some nightclubs had removed taps in toilets to force customers to pay for overpriced bottled water, according to one of the first studies into the health and safety of night spots. One venue had a large stainless-steel bucket with ice for patrons to cool down or wash their hands in, posing a serious risk of spreading infectious disease such as hepatitis. The study of nightclubs, bars and dance parties found that more than one-third failed to provide cheap and accessible water or regular security patrols. The Commonwealth-funded study of 29 venues in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide found nightclubs tended to be riskier than bars or dance parties. The study, by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, found "most venues provide an environment which is moderately risky, with minorities providing quite safe or very unsafe The study is the first part of a national report into the drug ecstasy, to be released this year.

Key findings include: Some venues had removed cold-water taps in toilets, few offered free water at the bar and water was at least twice as expensive as in supermarkets. The median cost of water was $2.50, with water in clubs more expensive than water sold in dance parties or bars. Some charged as much as Few had regular security patrols looking for obvious signs of trouble throughout the venue; Sixteen of the 29 venues had a chill-out area, a cooler, less noisy environment, but many were not less active or quieter. One of the researchers on the project, Mr Paul Dillon, said: "This is not simply an illicit drug issue, we are talking about public health. Thousands of people all over Australia attend these venues and many of these do not use illicit drugs.

"All patrons who attend these venues need to have adequate water supply to keep cool." Fourteen of the venues in Sydney, eight in Adelaide and seven from Melbourne were visited earlier this year. Mr Dillon said that at one venue the tap water was "so hot you couldn't put your hands under it Clearly they were doing that to sell more water." He said the' Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services was developing an information kit for venue operators to reduce risks, to be launched later this year. The deputy chief executive at the Australian Hotels Association of NSW, Mr Kerry Keogh, said: "We'd be interested in the outcome of this study to integrate it into our strategy to minimise risk for employees and customers." (J rj go I Ir- Uf 0 r- vV ooo oooo OOQO QO QO Talent last year, was upgraded to Best Female Artist. "It was totally unexpected and out of the blue, I'm totally spun around," she said. Adelaide four-piece The Superjesus received a major boost by inning Best New Talent and Best Debut Single (Shut My Eyes).

Spiderbait, the brilliant three-piece from Finley in rural NSW, won Best Alternative Release for its debut album Ivy The Big Apples. Those who went missing in action included Brisbane guitar band Powderfinger, hich failed to capitalise on seven nominations. It was also a quiet night for Newcastle's favourite sons silverchair, who earned six nominations and opened the show, but won only one ARIA for Best Artwork (Freakshow). Elsew here, Archie Roach won the ARIA for Best Indigenous Release (Hold on Tight) and David Bridie's My Friend the Chocolate Cake took out Best Adult Contemporary ith the album Good Luck. Neil Finn's Crowded House, ho reformed briefly to honour Kelly ith a rendition of his song Leaps and Bounds, had the Highest Selling Album with its hits compilation, Recurring Dream.

Inducting Kelly into the ARIA Hall of Fame, Midnight Oil's Peter Garrett described him as a "real and enduring By RICHARD JINMAN Entertainment Writer It was easier to name the categories Savage Garden didn win at last night's 11th annual ARIA -Awards, as the Brisbane synth-pop duo rewrote the record books by taking home 10 awards. Their haul shattered the record of six ARIAS set by John Farnham in 1986 and matched by You Am I last year. Collecting all the top aw ards, including Best Album and Best Group their hit Truly, Madly Deeply also on Song of the Year and Best Single Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones seemed to ear a groove in the Capitol Theatre's carpet ith their repeated trips to the stage. Hayes said: "Awards are a bonus, the icing on the cake. "It's fashionable to trash awards show but we're really pleased, e're jazzed." In the short intervals hen Savage Garden weren't collecting awards, Paul Kelly accepted the Best Male Artist ARIA, or "King of Pop" as Dave Graney dubbed it.

The Melbourne singer-songwriter was also inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame, along with the Bee Gees and jazz legend Graeme Bell. In a recorded message the Bee Gees' Barry Gibb said: "It's a wonderful surprise and e're overw helmed by it all." Tasmanian-born singer-songwriter Monique Brumby, ho on Best New I Vl I nD lL Tracks and cars don't mix The Roads and Traffic Author If ity is to continue monitoring the intersection of George and Hay streets, where many motorists Best on the night Darren Hayes of Savage Garden performs at the ARIA Awards last night. turn left to find themselves Photograph by PAUL MILLER driving on tram lines. iS () (tj fji a IVX AIDS vaccine guinea pigs say the risks are worth it lelbourne Business School Yesterday morning a driver panicked after turning left onto the tram lines instead of the adjoining road, which is separated from the light rail by a concrete island. A police spokesman said the man tried to get back onto the road, and ended up hitting a sign on the median island.

He then reversed hurriedly, smashing into a tram pole, which holds up power lines, and damaged the back of his car. "There have been some minor accidents there, nothing major but we're keeping our eye on it," an RTA spokesman, Mr Ken Boys, said last night. Traffic engineers were considering installing another vibra-line at the intersection a device which makes a car shudder to let motorists know they were wrong to be turning there. He said driving had improved as more motorists realised the tram lines were there. ANDREW CLENNELL By LEIGH DAYTON and agencies A group of doctors and public health advocates say AIDS research is so important that they are willing to risk their lives by being the first humans to be injected with a vaccine consisting of a live, though weakened, strain of HIV should one ever become available.

The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care, based in Chicago, sees this as a critical step in the development of AIDS vaccines. In response to a request placed in a medical journal, about 50 members of the AIDS research community have said they would consider participating. Still, Dr Sean Emery, clinical trials co-ordinator with the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research in Sydney, has noted that "as far as I'm aware, there are no such materials available for human studies, but I welcome the bold initiative suggested because issues related to live vaccine research have to be The Chicago group intends to talk with National Institutes of Health officials about the idea. Mr Gordon Nary, executive director of the Chicago group and one of the trial's volunteers, said the risks of being in the study were offset by what could be learnt from it. AIDS vaccine development is a slow process because of the safety measures and rigorous animal testing needed before injecting humans with a trial vaccine.

"Vaccine development has really dragged on because there is an assumption by conservative scientists that people won't step up and do this," Mr Nary said. AIDS research efforts have focused on vaccines that do not involve a live virus because of fear that even a weakened, live human immunodeficiency virus strain might be capable of causing AIDS or other problems. Dr Mark Grabowsky, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said it was premature to talk about injecting healthy people with a live vaccine. Dr Charles Farthing, the study's leader, said the Chicago group wanted approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but would proceed even without it INFORMATION SESSION Thursday 25th September 1997 at 6pm Hotel Inter-Continental 117 Macquarie Street, Sydney If you are interested in learning more about Melbourne Business School's MBA and Postgraduate Programs for 1998, come along to our information evening with Professor Philip Williams, MBA Program Director. Our courses offer an exceptional learning experience with high quality international teaching and are designed to develop your business skills and enhance your career opportunities.

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? Now with offices in Sydney and New York, Frank Monte is the world's most successful Private Investigator. And, yes, Monte can still be reached personally at his Sydney number. FOR business investigations undercover work missing persons matrimonial and custody evidence background checks corporate intelligence. Kennett 'muscled in on share deal' WHY FOOL AROUND? r- I Call FRANK MONTE (02)9252 1200 Tower Building Australia Square, Sydney If you cannot make it, simply call for a prospectus on (03) 9349 8100 or fax on (03) 9349 8133. Admissions Officer, Melbourne Business School, 200 Leicester St, Carlton, lc 3053-Email: a.sankeymbs.unimelb.edu.au Home page: http:www.mbs.unimelb.edu.au The Rockefeller Center 630 Fifth Ave, New York NY 212794 3000 Since 1966 The Best In The Business" Larry King, CNN THEl'MVERSITYOF MELBOURNE Australia i By IAN VERRENDER The ABC's Four Corners program claimed last night that the Victorian Premier, Mr Kennett, had stifled debate within the community, used his influence to gain allocations in share floats and unsuccessfully attempted to kill an adverse story on a Seven Network current affairs program last year.

According to Mr Stephen Mayne, a former press secretary to the Victorian Treasurer, Mr Alan Stockdale, Mr Kennett had regular conversations with him about he share market and pursued investments in two companies earmarked for floats on the stock exchange. Both companies, Guangdong Corporation and Yates, were heavily oversubscribed before the Premier's wife, Ms Felicity Kennett, applied for shares. "Jeff came around and asked if I'd heard about this. Chinese company that was floating," Mr requested an allocation of 100,000 shares. Mr Li, who already had sent a notice to the stock exchange saying the float was fully subscribed, offered the Premier 20,000.

The Premier reportedly was ecstatic when his wife was allocated 50,000. It was that transaction that formed the basis of a report on the Seven Network's Today Tonight program last year. At that time Sino Securities chairman Mr Bruce Mathieson held the largest number of poker machine licences in Victorian hotels. Despite being vetted by a team of lawyers, the program was pulled by Seven management just minutes before going to air. Presenter Jill Singer then collapsed on air.

When asked why she thought the program had been pulled, Ms Singer last night replied: "To placate the Premier." According to Greg Hoy, the Today Tonight reporter who worked on the story, and the program's executive producer, Warren Wilton, senior management at Seven became nervous when they viewed the story, saying that it would be difficult to do business in Victoria if it was run. Although cleared by the lawyers, Hoy claimed the story was dropped after Mr Kennett rang a producer, threatening court action. The story eventually ran the following night The Seven Network's Mr Kerry Stokes told Four Corners: "The simple facts of the matter were, in regard to that particular item, is that those journalists didn't go through our corporate legal structure." Mr Kennett said the Four Corners report was a beat-up and a new bit of slime. The share dealing information had been on the public record since 1996. He denied making a phone call asking for the program to be pulled.

Get your ads done (created would be a better word) at Billy Blue. Just ads. No media. No double entendres. No holidays in the south of France.

Mr Kennett "totally rejected by me and by commentators." Mayne said. "He said, 'I want to get into this Chinese company, I think it's gonna go well'. Apparently the shares are hard to get, and all the signs were that it was going to be a good thing to get into." Mr Mayne said Mr Kennett then phoned Sino Securities head Mr Richard Li, who was organising the Guangdong Corporation float, and BILLY BLUE DESIGN ADS) 9957 2844 HARCIA MARSENEY 3.