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

I II II II ILJI I nit 1 1 MPMAY.SEPTE Nq.49,933 HRSTPUBUSHED. 90c You, your child the DIGITAL CLASSROOM SPECIAL REPORT PAGES 12 13 TINA BROWN OF THE NEW YORKER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW PAGE 8 nynn i v. JA3X need. Now 490 mi grant COLUMN SOME COMPUTER companies think they're plumbers. Bill Drakopoulos, of Harbour Watch restaurant at Pier One, Walsh Bay, phoned a company at Chatswood for a service call.

$50 a half-hour, he was told. That's OK. Plus an hour each way travelling time. That's an extra $100 each way. Whaaat? The explanation: The serviceman would be coming by train then walking from Wynyard.

GREAT Australian export? Roenn Schulz, of Erskineville, says his father has sent him a label from a bottle of beer he bought in Elblag, Poland, his father's birthplace. The brewery is Elbrewery Co Ltd, and the beer is powerful 12.5 per cent Roenn's father was surprised at the coat of arms on the label and so are we. Does anyone know the connection? Howard Government is looking at penalising applicants with skills already in oversupply. It has already increased the points penalty for medical professionals, effectively making it impossible for them to pass. The latest tightening of the rules follows other measures including a substantial reduction in the size of the intake, introducing a one-year "cohabitation" requirement for overseas spouses, and making it harder for people to fight decisions in the courts.

screen immigrants will be toughened, making entry harder for those with qualifications in occupations already oversupplied. The changes address what is referred to in the Government as the "Sri Lankan psychologist taxi driver syndrome" a crude reference to the problems encountered by many skilled immigrants in finding work in their chosen fields. Departmental figures show that in 1995-96, under the "independent" skilled category, Australia allowed in 625 engineers, 403 teachers, 476 accountants, 184 public relations officers, 558 computer professionals, 34 economists and 16 psychologists. The new requirement that applicants must have sufficient means to provide for themselves and their families has been made necessary by welfare reforms which deny skilled immigrants access to the dole and other payments for their first two years. Mr Ruddock is understood to have argued that it is not unreasonable for skilled immigrants to be required to have access to at Cry for help as our neighbours start 'SvSfe2X 'V to die No food, no money and no hope a woman weeps in despair on her dried-out vegetable mounds in the hard-hit Kandep region of Enga Province in Papua New Guinea, where the added scourge of frost has delivered a fatal blow to the subsistence lifestyle and caused many to flee to the towns with their families.

Photograph by PALANI MOHAN dent" skilled. Another 8,000 are set aside for categories such as siblings, non-dependent children, and nephews and nieces, who are also screened under the points test These two groups make up nearly two-thirds of the total skilled category. The Opposition spokesman on immigration, Mr Martin Ferguson, has called for a shift from untargeted skilled migration to programs which require immigrants to be placed directly in jobs where demonstrated shortages exists. million people, from the densely populated central Highlands to the coastal and island communities, might be affected by the drought caused by the El Nino weather pattern. Hundreds of schools around the country have closed, and large-scale mining operations such as Ok Tedi and Porgera have been forced to halt parents ers and received six in the last roll out, it will now get four.

The president of the Parents and Citizens Federation, Ms Ros Brennan, welcomed the change and said it would help to redress the anger of parents who felt they had been penalised for fundraising enthusiasm. "Ideally, the ratio ought to be one to eight but one to 14 is a good ratio and if it means more equitable distribution and doesn't penalise schools where parent have been active, you are picking up more equity than you are losing access," she said. Mr Aquilina said the decision to set the ratio at 1:14 was not a backdown and would allow schools to replace outmoded equipmert bought by parents with new computers. Under the previous Labor Government, some attempt was made to match independent skilled immigrants with job shortages, with applicants awarded extra points for being in "priority But this was quietly dropped in late 1995, with the Employment Department unwilling to list any occupation as a priority, given high unemployment and the difficulty of establishing that national shortages existed. It is understood that the production as river levels hit record lows.

But it is the added scourge of high-altitude frosts which destroyed gardens and caused severe famines in 1941 and 1 972 which has most severely affected pockets of land in Enga Province, the Southern Highlands and the Western Highlands. In the Kandep region of Enga, the resilient old people, whose lives have never been easy, say the frost has delivered a fatal blow to their subsistence lifestyle. A local councillor, Mr Hen-son Andamal, says the vast and impressive patchwork of vegetable mounds and drainage channels which dominate the high Kandep plateau normally sustain about 60,000 people. Only six months ago, Continued Page 5 Plain grave for Mother Teresa India has said farewell to Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the humble nun whose work with the poor touched the hearts of millions around the world. She was buried in the Indian national flag, in a simple grave under concrete slabs in a room of her Calcutta, headquarters.

PAGE 10: Full report. Telstra forecast The float of one-third of Telstra began in" earnest yesterday with one prospectus forecasting a record $2.8 billion profit this year. It appeared as the Government revealed 23 million pre-registra-tions had been sent in for the float PAGE 37: Full report By MICHAEL MILLETT Chief Political Correspondent Skilled immigrants will have to prove they have at least $40,000 to provide for themselves and their families and will face tougher screening over their job prospects under tighter entry rules. The shakeup, to be announced by the Minister for Immigration, Mr Ruddock, later this month, is aimed at easing concerns that untargeted skilled immigration is contributing to unemployment. The points system used to Pension plan lets trapped farmers retire By DIANE ST0TT in Canberra Several thousand elderly farmers will be given the chance to retire under the Federal Government's new $5 1 7 million rural package to boost flagging bush morale.

A three-year moratorium is available to elderly farmers from today to give their property it can be worth up to $500,000 to their children and be eligible to receive the age pension immediately. The policy, costing $78 million over the next four years, is an admission that the age pension assets test has trapped farmers on their properties by excluding those who pass on their property to the next generation from receiving the pension at age 65 for five years. Unveiling the rural plan yesterday with an extra $200 million in farm assistance $317 million has already been budgeted for the Prime Minister said the package would help farmers who want to leave their land to do so with dignity. Addressing local farmers near Queanbeyan, Mr Howard said: "The policy has been built on our understanding of the difficulties through which many areas of rural Australia have passed and are continuing to pass." The Minister for Primary Industries, Mr Anderson, said the poor conditions in the bush were leading to greater marriage breakdown and suicides. He blamed much of the pessi mism to the impending effects of El Nino the warming of the eastern faciiic, which causes drought in Australia.

"It's like having cancer you never know how it is going to affect you, or how bad, or when it is going to hit, he said. The Government will spend an extra $3.5 million on research into the the effects of climate change, and the development of a forecasting model to help farmers better manage weather changes and drought. The package also includes extra tax deductions, worth $60 million, to encourage farmers to put money aside into Farm Management Deposits from bumper seasons to help with leaner times. But continuing assistance to help farmers adjust, the Rural Adjustment Scheme, will be slowly phased out, in an attempt to wean them from a welfare Instead, farmers will be encouraged to become self-suffi cient through extra business training in risk management and help in seeking new export market opportunities. An extra $120 million will be spent to help up to 23,000 farm families leave their unprofitable land.

Farmers can receive $45,000 re-establishment grant and will be allowed to claim the unemployment benefit for a year without trying to find work. Australia's 115,000 farmers were already benefiting from lower interest rates, Mr Howard said, which helped save each farm $6,125 a year. PAGE 2: PM woos farmers. Internet www.imh.com.au Home delivery (02)92823800 ISSN 0312-6315 I'll least $40,000 to tide them over if they cannot find work. But this requirement would deter immigration from less developed countries where many applicants would find it difficult to raise such an amount The toughening of the points system, following an internal departmental review, follows pressure from the Opposition for a reduction in the untargeted skills category.

Under the present program, 14,700 places are reserved for immigrants entering as "indepen estimated national death toll of 80 will rise and disease will spread quickly, if relief does not come soon. "It's the people who don't have the strength to go out into the bush and look for food, they'll be the first to get sick, then the young children." Some Government officials estimate that as many as one was inequitable and penalised schools that had raised funds and made technology a priority. Under the previous system, the best equipped schools were entitled to the least number of computers and many schools, including disadvantaged schools in Sydney's west which used scarce resources on technology, received as little as one computer. Now the ratio will be based entirely on Government supplied equipment Primary schools with between 101 and 200 students will be entitled to between 8 and 14 computers, while schools with more than 500 students will receive between 33 and 65 computers. This means if a school is entitled to a total of 10 comput TOMORROW Sydney Mostly dry INSIDE wnn an expecxea maximum oi A), NSW: Showers and thunderstorms in the north-east.

The chance of showers on the South Coast. FULL DETAILS Page 23. Classified Amusements Arts Business El Nino's fiery path Crucial seasonal rains in the tropics are facing disruption because of the El Nino weather phenomenon, which might have a major impact on rainfall across Australia this summer. El Nino is caused by increased sea temperatures in the eastern Pacific and brings drought to Australia and South-East Asia. On the right is a picture taken from a weather satellite revealing the haze from burning rainforests in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

The PNG Government is worried about the impact of the weather pattern on its Highlands, where failed crops threaten thousands with starvation. PAGE 5: The threat from El Nino. WORKERS at Exodus Mission, Ashfield, are not surprised by the findings of the literacy study by the Bureau of Statistics. Exodus runs a free restaurant for the needy, with 200 to 400 guests a day. "Very soon after opening," says the Rev Bill Crews, "we realised a large percentage could not read or write.

Whenever a 'regular' dies, we circulate a condolence card for signature, and many guests sheepishly tell us they cannot even write their own name. We are asked to fill in pension applications, etcetera, in pencil for the guest to trace over the writing with a ballpoint pen. Some recipients of our food parcels ask for tins with pictures, as they can't even read 'baked beans'." WHEN HE got forms from AMP Superannuation, John Young, of Oatley, was baffled. Did it apply only to Catholics and Anglican High Church TTie purposes for collecting Tax File Numbers currently include: Taxing Eligible Termination Payments at confessional rates. ODD THEFTS (Column 8, Friday).

Monique Franz, of Mona Vale, came home to find her home had been burgled. Of course, the VCR, TV and microwave were gone and six packs of lavatory paper, some of four rolls, some of six. The thief must have had a real problem. DRIVING home last Tuesday night about 11, Ellen Horacek, of Kurrajong, noted five naked men walking away from the city on Parramatta Road by the Footbridge Theatre. An explanation? Every year we're told of naked joggers from a university college being sighted in the Glebe-Forest Lodge area late at night Our money is on an exhausted group of our future leaders flip-flopping home.

Bank By LUCY PALMER in Mount Hagen Amid the withered gardens and scorched earth of Papua New Guinea's drought-stricken and frost-ravaged Highlands, the weak and elderly are beginning to die. The purple-leaved mounds of sweet potato, the staple food, are now a rotten black. Everywhere the gardens are in desolation and the air is filled with the thick, acrid smell of burning vegetation. In another month, our closest neighbours could be facing their worst famine this century. The PNG Government has announced emergency funding for crisis relief, and has asked.

Emergency Management Australia to send experts this eek to help authorities formulate a plan. "We want to respond quickly to try to avert a major disaster," School computers win for said the director of AusAID in PNG, Ms Annmaree O'Keeffe. "We've been asked to provide technical assistance, and we're very keen to respond as positively as we can. Action is required now." Mr Peter Ipatas, governor of Enga Province, one of the high, cold regions hit hardest by the crisis, believes that the present ITH DIG ITAP6 IASS RQQM Inside the plugged-in schools Switching on to laptops The battle to win the technology race Does your child need a home computer? 1 puters, laptops or other equipment such as network servers as part of the package. The change comes after intense pressure from schools and parent groups who believed the first allocation of computers 24 Richmond 10 to 24.

I By STEPHANIE RAETHEL Education Writer An extra 30,000 computers will go into NSW public schools from next year under a new formula which will end the controversial system of counting equipment bought by schools in their allocation. But the change, to be announced today by the Minister for Education, Mr Aquilina, means a promise to reduce the computer-student ratio to 1 :8 in State schools will be scrapped. Instead, the allocation will be based on enrolments, with each school receiving enough free computers from the Government to provide a minimum of one free machine for every 14 students. Schools will also be able to choose between desktop com- Which bank's term deposit rate is this big? Call into any Commonwealth Bank branch for details or phone: Weather today sydney 13 to 24 Rain with the chance of storms. A high fire danger.

Bridge, Chess 41 Mails, Shipping 41 PHONE Crosswords 23 Opinion 17 Index 50 20-22 Education 12 Law 41 Personal notices 41 Editorial ..92822822 Sport 25-36 Classified Liverpool 11 to niw: Katcny north-east. 14,15 Letters 16 Television Guide 132535 rain contracting to tne vv Showers and storms in the east. Sunrise 5.55 am Sunset 5.46 pm. I This offer is available for a limited time on amounts from $5,000 to less than 100,000 for 4 month term deposits. Standard and compound interest options only.

Full terms and conditions are available on application. Government charges may apply. Visit our Internet site at www.commbank.com.au Commonwealth Bank of Australia ACN 123 123 124 APLCDP 3286 3740 $2 Lottery 6341 47 World 9-11 General. ...9282 2833 1.