The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 4

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1997 "Ban on tickets as police seek pay deal Recent pay increases by the Fire Brigade Employees' Union, which won an 18 per cent pay rise over three years, and public servants, who won a 16 per cent rise over the same period, both without significant changes to their working conditions, are the new benchmark for the police, who deserve more, Mr Burgess said. He said police had undergone substantial changes to their work practices and accountability and should receive significantly more an amount By MATTHEW RUSSELL Police across the State will not issue traffic or parking tickets and will refuse to collect money for warrants and licences from 7 am today as an industrial campaign for a 30 per cent pay rise begins. Anyone caught speeding will be given a lecture on road safety rather than a ticket After the Police Association's pay-rise ultimatum expired at 5 pm yesterday without an offer from the Government, the executive of the 1 police union made the decision to take industrial action starting this morning. The deputy president of the Police Association of NSW, Mr Mark Burgess, said yesterday: "We have been short-changed by the Government and we are going to turn the tables on them. "In our estimation, the Government's new speed cameras can generate $288,000 per day alone our focus on safety rather than revenue will let the Government know what it's like to be short-changed." similar to the Commissioner's increase.

His pay jumped by more than 30 per cent when Commissioner Ryan replaced Mr Tony Lauer. "A 30 per cent pay rise was good enough for him, so why shouldn't it be good enough for the rest of us?" Mr Burgess said. The average officer's base wage is $28,000 a year. The Premier, Mr Carr, the Minister for Police, Mr Whelan, Commissioner Ryan and even Justice Wood in his royal commission report recommended a pay rise for police, Mr Burgess said. In the past three weeks, hundreds of police have met in Newcastle, Wollongong and Fairfield to express their anger over what they interpreted as stalling on behalf of the Government over the pay issue.

The association's secretary, Mr Peter Remfrey, said the industrial action would continue until the Government made a decent pay offer. "We have not engaged in a process of ambit claims we want the Government to get this right first time. It seems they are having trouble doing their sums, but they've had plenty of time and our members are sick of the delays," he said. A spokeswoman for the acting Minister for Police, Mr Knowles, said: "We are expecting a pay offer tonight to be finalised. No offer has been made to date but the service and the Government are finalising the offer and we expect to make one shortly." Mr Whelan was not available yesterday and is expected Tourist killing; move to calm Japanese fears Ryan refuses to say spying doesn't go on By DAVID HUMPHRIES State Political Correspondent The Police Commissioner, Mr Ryan, has declined an opportunity to guarantee that NSW police are not spying on community groups.

On Monday it was revealed that between 1985 and 1992, Victoria Police infiltrated the Melbourne community radio station 3CR and spied on the Council for Civil Liberties, Greenpeace, the Wilderness Society, Friends of the Earth, the Women's Information and Self-Help Group and the Koori Information Centre. Yesterday, the NSW Premier, Mr Carr, said the activities in Victoria were "an absolute affront to civil liberties in a democratic society" and justified a royal commission. "We have the assurance of the NSW Police royal commission that no such practices were found here." He said he had no need to seek Mr Ryan's assurance that the same methods were not used in NSW because the "former Special Branch got a very good going-over by the royal commission and none of these practices were found to When the Herald asked Mr Ryan's office for an assurance, however, it was given a four-sentence statement which did not address the issue, apart from acknowledging use of "intelligence" practices. "The VIP Security Unit is an interim measure following closure of Special Branch on March 1 2," the police statement said. "The interim unit has continued to carry out threat From Page 1 portfolio earlier this week following the ministerial reshuffle.

Ms Okuyama's body covered by palm fronds and leaves, was found on Saturday in the swamp in suburban Manunda, about two kilometres from the city centre. The time of death was estimated at some time between September 20, the day she went missing, and September 25. A police spokesman, Mr Brian Swift, said evidence found at the scene suggested Ms Okuyama, who had arrived in Australia six days before she went missing, was killed elsewhere then carried in a "wheelie" bin to the swamp. "Following amazing public response to media coverage, particularly this morning's radio discussion regarding a wheelie bin, police visited a city premises and located a suspected crime scene," police said. Ms Okuyama, from Yokohama, had come to Cairns on a 12-month working visa to upgrade her scuba dhing qualifications.

Mr Thomson said he did not think Ms Okuyama's murder was racially motivated and that it would probably have no impact on the number of Japanese tourists visiting Australia. More than 600,000 Japanese tourists visited Australia in 1995-96 with 77 per cent of them going to Queensland. The Australian Tourism Commission's managing director, Mr John Morse, said the commission would not delay a $13 million advertising campaign scheduled to be launched in Japan in three weeks to promote Australia as a safe and friendly holiday destination. "The relationship between Australia and Japan is a close one and we are reassuring the Japanese public that Australia is still a safe country to visit," Mr Morse said. "It as an isolated event and could have happened anywhere, but it happened in Cairns.

"In the long-term, I don't think it ill affect our visitations from Japan." nr ir (b ik if I yf if-. to return from overseas today. The Opposition spokesman on police, Mr Andrew Tink, said yesterday the Government had provided for only a 1 per cent increase in the Budget for non-commissioned officers. "Mr Whelan's long absence has prolonged the latest pay dispute," he said. "The Can-Government promised some time ago to increase police salaries in line with longstanding proposals from Justice Wood and the Police Commissioner." assessments, close personal protection and intelligence to support those two functions.

"The commissioner has appointed Carolyn Smith as temporary commander of the VIP Security Unit A proposal for the formation of a permanent unit is currently being developed for the consideration of the commissioner and the minister." When told this statement was hardly a denial, a police spokesman said: "It's the only statement that will come out We're not entering a debate about what's going on in Victoria." The president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, Mr John Marsden, who was on the disbanded Police Board, said yesterday that he was unaware whether such practices were still employed, although "these things happened in the Mr Marsden said he and the council's secretary, Mr Ken Buckley, had applied unsuccessfully under freedom of information legislation for their files compiled by Special Branch, which was disgraced by the royal commission and disbanded. He said access to the files was being investigated by the Ombudsman's office. Mr Carr said the Victorian practices were "the kind of thing we're assured ended a very long time ago in "It's totally contrary to the practice of any civil society to have police carrying out surveillance of environmental groups, of parents and citizens' organisations and it certainly justifies an inquiry, perhaps a royal commission, in the Victorian context" PAGE 14: Editorial. New car figures accelerate by 25 New car registrations rose more than 25 per cent in September compared with the same month last year as Toyota grabbed market leadership. The 64,011 tally was up more than 13,000 over September 1996, lifting new vehicle registrations for the first three quarters of the year by 8.4 per cent Figures by the motor industry statistician TACTS show a strong car sales comeback after a poor August The month also saw big changes in rankings.

Toyota, with a new Camry and heavily discounted Starlet small car selling strongly, was market leader, displacing Ford. Hyundai bore the brunt of the resurgent Japanese brand. Its Excel small car was outsold by its Toyota rival for the first time. Demand for the Excel, which was the No 3 selling car in Australia and the most popular among private buyers, fell by one-third compared with the first half of the year. Improved business confidence and lower interest rates lifted commercial vehicle sales.

Light truck registrations grew 23 per cent over September 1996, with heavy trucks and buses up 31 per cent PHIL SCOTT FCB FAIS79461 1 SMH Mr Carr investment in "practical crime Carr digs in over law on loitering By ARDYN BERNOTH The Premier, Mr Carr, has refused to repeal the controversial Parental Responsibility Act, despite a resolution by the NSW ALP conference at the weekend to dump the law. It gives police the power to pick up children loitering on the streets at night and return them to their parents or a safe house. It was passed last year. Councils must apply to obtain the extra power for their local police and persuade the Government that measures to help the children- have been attempted first. Mr Carr said guidelines on how this could be achieved had been sent to councils and much of the response so far had been positive.

"We're encouraging local authorities to invest in practical crime prevention this is part of multi-pronged approach to street crime in rural NSW," he said. "It's appropriate to see how the legislation works in practice. Conference concerns would be placated if they did, as I did, speak to country mayors." The act is due to be operating in regional centres across the State by the end of the year. It has been criticised by civil liberties and Aboriginal groups but welcomed by regional local government. On Monday, the ALP conference passed a resolution moved by Young Labor delegates calling for the law to be repealed.

The president of NSW Young Labor, Mr Matt Thistlewaite, said the group wanted changes to ensure that the law was not racially discriminatory. Nevertheless," many of the group's outstanding concerns had been dealt with and he predicted the law would meet with the approval of the Young Labor executive in the next month. An ALP left-wing Upper House MP, Dr Meredith Burg-mann, said she and several other MPs would maintain pressure on Mr Carr to repeal the act. There was a lot of opposition to it in Caucus and she would raise the matter there, she said. "It's a piece of Liberal Party legislation that we never liked.

We tried to amend it, but it hasn't really worked." riCi A C) QJ Road blitz nets drunks Almost 75,000 motorists were breath-tested in NSW during the long-weekend police road-safety campaign, Operation Slowdowa Police said the operation snared 389 drunk drivers and 7,670 for speeding. Those travelling too fast included 135 truck drivers and 1 1 drivers of tourist coaches, a police spokesman said. In addition, 727 people were charged with not wearing a seatbelt Despite a massive high-tech police operation and the doubling of demerit points for the weekend, seven people died on NSW roads in the 72 hours to midnight on Monday two more than for the same period last year. Japanese-speaking Mr Thomson tries to reassure the Japanese media in Champions of a republic stand up to be counted By MIKE SECCOMBE and SHAUN CARNEY Some of Australia's best-known identities, including Mrs Hazel Hawke and Mrs Janet Holmes a Court, will stand for the Australian Republican Movement when nominations are announced tomorrow for the Constitutional Convention. The republican team, which also will include former NSW Premier Mr Neville Wran, former Victorian Premier Sir Rupert Hamer and former Federal Attorney-General Mr Michael Lavarch, will be announced at a launch at the Opera House.

The founding leader of the Australian Democrats, Mr Don Chipp, 72, is spearheading the anti-republican cause in Victoria in the election for delegates to next year's convention. Among others, Mr Chipp is Cairns yesterday. For change Janet Holmes a Court and Hazel Hawke. joined by a former National Party leader, Mr Peter Ross-Edwards, and a former Victorian Government minister, Mr Jim Ramsay, on the Victorian ticket of the Australians for Constitutional Monarchy. Mr Chipp, who retired from the Senate in the mid-1980s, predicted that if the minimal-change model of republicanism was adopted, Australia would find itself in "diabolical trouble" because it would give a president the power to veto bills passed by both Houses of Federal Parliament of the inquiry, said a ruling by himself and Justices Meagher and Handley would be made as soon as possible after legal argument ended "at least by the end of the Following Mrs Arena's failed application for an injunction last Friday to stay the inquiry until after the validity question '1 i The bars go up against German coach From Page 1 pressure to sack Arbeit because he was considered "the messiah" who would deliver a swag of medals at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Only Arbeit's refusal to take up his position later this month or Federal Government intervention could now prevent his appointment. Athletes, coaches and sporting officials reacted swiftly against Arbeit's appointment iast week because of his doping past. During the 1980s, until the fall of the Berlin Wall, Arbeit was East German's head throwing events coach and later the head athletics coach. He has admitted he worked within a State-backed systematic doping system but stated he was not directly involved and that he was now anti-drugs. These personal assurances have not allayed fears that Australia's athletes and their future success may be undermined by Arbeit's appointment.

Arbeit's assurances has been dubbed "a joke" by German investigator Werner Franke. "Arbeit was, for most of the time, until the very end of the GDR German Democratic Republic, involved in an all-embracing system for doping and scientific methods to evade international controls," Franke said. Nominations for election close at noon tomorrow. The deadline for the enrolment of voters passed at 8 pm yesterday, with the Australian Electoral Commission reporting a strong indication that Australians were keen to be involved in the process. Although the ballot will not be compulsory, some 160,000 enrolment forms had been processed in the past week.

This compared with about 430,000 in the week before enrolments closed for the last Federal election. Candidates have until noon tomorrow to prepare their statements, telling the electorate who they are and what they stand for. Midday Friday marks the cutoff for groups to lodge their tickets. After the Electoral Commission prepares the voter packs and ballots, they will be mailed out on November 3. be held up had been determined, a day of grace until yesterday was granted to allow her to appeal.

Late yesterday Justice Priestley extended until this afternoon the agreed grace period under which Mrs Arena's failed injunction application has been temporarily stayed. JENNIFER COOKE Postgraduate Certificate in Management Marketing and Management streams 30 weeks part-time Evening lectures Sydney CBD Information Evening Tonight Wednesday 8 October at 6.00pm Advance Bank Conference Centre Level 4, 35 Pitt Street, Sydney For further information, or to register for this session please contact: Shannon Bennett ph: (02) 9850 9027 or 9017 fax: (02) 9850 9022 email: shannon.bennettmq.edu.au Website: http:www.gsm.mq.edu.au Arena hearing may Another possible delay to the Nader inquiry into parliamentary claims by the Upper House MP Mrs Franca Arena of high-level protection of NSW pedophiles was foreshadowed yesterday. Justice Bill Priestley, heading the NSW Court of Appeal Bench convened to hear Mrs Arena's challenge to the validity a (B fg ftp (S gj tB 0 Tf NSURE WWWITH FAT. With the launch of FAI's new website, the world of insurance has changed forever. Now, for the first time you can purchase your Car, Home and Contents Insurance over the Net.

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