The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 6

Ehe jSjjbnejj Pontine 6 www.smh.com.au THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2000 Federal landlord to share the pie Dismayed director pleads for removal of film ban Unlikely American duo in one mind about jazz fa- By LAURA TINGLE 1- -i- VI irtiTiii i naniMiri'i i -nniT -rw i i 1 1 in li iirii" I i) i iff mm a 1 11 lira mir in i inti -n i niiiiimiiin i rr i 'i -nnrTi By GARRY MADD0X Film Writer The director of the French film Romance says she is "shocked and hurt" by the film's banning in Australia. In a letter to be sent to the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the review panel that will hear an appeal, Catherine Breillat says she regards Romance as among the most accomplished of her six films. "Though the film is more visually radical than my previous films, what I wanted to show was not provocative but deeply thought and felt as a female director," Breillat wrote. "Nudity, love and sex are part of our daily life and if my film is sexually explicit, it has nothing to do with a porn movie. "It is rather the opposite approach, as a critic of the prestigious UK magazine Time Out has well noticed, calling it an 'anti-porn movie'." The film, about a woman who embarks on a series of explicitly filmed sexual encounters after being rejected by her boyfriend, has been refused classification on a split vote.

The OFLC says that although it is a serious artistic work, it contains "explicit depictions of actual sexual activity, an implied depiction of sexual violence and adult themes of very high Distributor Mr Mark Spratt, from Potential Films, says he has forwarded an appeal and expects it By PETER GOTTING When Gary Burton arrived at the Sydney Opera House yesterday, he looked like a typical American tourist Dressed in a striped polo shirt, chino shorts and white sandshoes, he could have been just another holiday-maker seeing the sights of Sydney. But not for long Burton was soon on the stage of the Concert Hall, practising with a fellow jazz legend, Chick Corea, Burton and Corea, a vibraphone and piano duo, had not played together since September, but almost immediately they tuned in to each other. They had only one hour to rehearse yesterday afternoon before their first Sydney Festival concert last night but that was more than enough time. "I haven't played that one in a while," Burton said casually to Corea during rehearsal. "It was good." It was very good.

At one stage Burton stopped playing and apologised, saying "my but to most ears no discernible mistake had been made. "If you make a lot of mistakes, people might not realise it but the music will have lost clarity and communicate less," Burton said Burton on the vibraphone jamming at the Sydney Opera House before one of their rare concerts. Photograph by Patrick cummins Political Correspondent The Howard Government is looking to share lucrative profits from the management of its $2.5 billion overseas property portfolio with a private-sector contractor. The Department of Finance and Administration is in the final stages of selecting a private-sector manager for the portfolio of 600 properties in 50 countries. It says it is looking at a deal that is a "true where risks and rewards are shared between the Commonwealth and the property management organisation, rather than just a fee-for-service arrangement The profits for the successful bidder for the business could be substantial During 1997-98, the sale of 1 1 properties raised $483.5 million and in 1998-99, property sales netted $361 million.

Despite big sell-offs in recent years, Australia has vast property holdings in some of the most expensive cities in the world, including approximately $240 million worth of Tokyo real estate, more than $100 million worth of property in London and $150 million worth of property in Paris. The department's general manager of property and contract management, Mr Phil Bow en, says although details how the deal are yet to be finalised, the profit-sharing arrangement could be achieved by tying management fees to a variety of factors which the manager clearly influences and which may, in turn, influence the price of the property. "It's not just a matter of cutting costs but optimising the value of the properties, which is ultimately of benefit to the Commonwealth," Mr Bowen said. He. said the deal was "pretty exciting for the "Whoever gets the business will have in place a global platform they can use for other property management alliances with other countries and other businesses." The department has just sent six people overseas to assess the management credentials of the short-listed candidates for the job groups led by Lend Lease Real Estate Investments; Pricewater-houseCoopers and Leighton Properties.

So far, the trip taking in New Delhi, Riyadh, London, Paris, Port Moresby, Beijing, Tokyo, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco and Los Angeles has cost the department- $37,000 for the three senior officers it sent But Mr Bowen says it is still to be billed for the cost of the three consultants who went on the trip. An officer from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also went on one leg of the trip suggesting the total cost could be as much as $100,000. said. "The vibraphone is like a piano keyboard so we are going through similar thinking processes as we are playing. "We have always found it easy to jump back, into the program.

It's just two of us." phonist (a vibraphone is like a xylophone, but its keys are metal rather than wood) with a country background. But one day back in 1972, they were asked to "play a tune" together at a jazz festival and the From a flea circus to fine art plenty of choice for festival visitors The KeeneTaylor Theatre Project: (Playhouse, two programs, 6.30 pm and 8.30 pm): Daniel Keene's writing, with its flashes of humour and ironic juxtapositions, is among the best of its kind. Bryce Hallett. Tickets available. The Sunshine Club (Drama Cardoso Flea Circus (The Studio, Opera House, 3 pm, 6.30 pm and 8.30 pm): Lilliputian creatures performing "human" tasks on cue -wonderfully silly stuff, best taken with a rather large grain of salt.

Doug Anderson. Tonight sold out, tickets available for tomorrow. tat to act urgently Chick Corea at the piano and Gary later. "We kind of pride ourselves on our precision." The two US jazz musicians seem an unlikely pairing. Corea is a pianist heavily influenced by Latin styles of music, and Burton is a vibra- The Weir (Theatre Royal, 8 pm): Despite my misgivings about the venue, Conor McPherson's simple ensemble piece -with its distinct humour, torrents of abuse and tone of affection -should not be missed.

Bryce Hallett. Tonight sold out, some tickets available for rest of season. told either incident and there will be inquires into both of them. But Mr O'Farrell said there were too many incidents to be ignored and very little was being done to deal with them. He said he had no information on progress in the much-vaunted audit of the rail system announced by the Government a month ago, and being conducted by Richard Oliver International.

"I have not seen their terms of reference and I have put in a request under Freedom of Information legislation to get them," he said. "I have been seeking information on which Richard Oliver representatives are in charge and how many days they have spent in Sydney. I am told it is a single figure. "My argument is that there is a lack of urgency. The Government has a catch-all public relations response but where is the action, and how long have we got to say, 'Another day, another Opera House audience will not be just fans but fanatics, who would not miss the duo's first Australian performance together for anything.

"We actually have a lot in common as players," Burton Standover tactics must have been used to secure such magnificent loans full-bore masterpieces from sources as diverse as the Louvre, the Uffizi, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Metropolitan Museum, the British Museum, the Tate, the National Gallery of Scotland and Windsor Castle. Bruce James. engineers' office at Wagga telling them to inspect it "A mate of mine told me that travelling on the XPT from Sydney to Melbourne, the track between Wagga and Albury was so serious that everyone on the train was shaken awake." Mr Boehme, who has taken his private campaign onto the front pages of the Wagga Advertiser, said he would not be surprised if the conditions existed on a Statewide basis. A spokeswoman for the Rail Access Corporation, which is responsible for track maintenance, said the State's 8,500 kilometres of track were in the best condition for the past 10 years.

She said that since the early 1990s, the number of speed restrictions due to track condition, had dropped by 25 per cent, and that was because of a continuous program of track maintenance. The St Marys derailment had occurred on a section of track outside the State system. a more trains leave the crowd went wild. "Then we did an album together and we thought that would be it," Burton said. But more than 25 years and five albums later, they have attracted a worldwide cult following.

Many of those in the Theatre, 8 Enoch and John Rogers new Australian musical radiates warmth, openness and joy. The STC-QTC production has jazzy rhythms, dry-witted characters and a naive charm. Bryce Hallett. Tickets available. Michelangelo to Matisse (Art Gallery of NSW, 10 am to 5 pm): She said Richard Oliver personnel had been in Sydney this week and that Mr Andy Waters, the British expert doing a review of driver training, though he had not yet arrived in Australia, had been fully briefed and was starting his review based on material supplied to him.

There are two other reviews in progress, as well as a coroner's inquest. One involves the inspection of all rail wheels, following an incident when the wheels of a National Rail train did not make proper contact with the track and the train temporarily disappeared from the controller's board. The system is not without outside critics. Mr Clive Boehme, a retired railwayman from Henty, in southern NSW, said a derailment at Junee station in December and this week's in the Junee shunting yard were symptoms of a widespread problem. "The conditions at Henty are so serious that I can see a serious derailment occurring here any time," he said.

"I have been to the print the handbook from their own budget and distribute it on campus in O-week and on enrolment days. The UTS student president, Mr Ryan Heath, said the university's actions were selfish and weak. "The reason why we want to push the limit on issues we raise in the handbook, such as the Olympics, is because people are dying on hospital waiting lists," Mr Heath said. "Thousands are likely to be thrown out of their homes because they can't pay the rent, and the rights of indigenous people of Australia are once again being ignored. Billions of public money is being spent on an elite and corrupt sporting event "People entering university are at least 17 years old and some as old as 70.

They are mature and capable of analysing information and determining what ideas they wish to take on and what they wish to reject" Favourites: Margaret Olley and Barry Humphries choose from private and public Galler, 11 am to 5 pm): Two living National Treasures select a show of favourite art works. A nuanced, serene exhibition with many beautiful works. -Sebastian Smee a Off the tracks Dec Thousands of commuters stranded after front carriage of Tangara comes off the track at Waverton. Dec 23, 1999 Empty passenger train slips off track as it leaves a holding yarc at Hornsby. Dec 23.

1999 Train wagons dumped on the southern platform at Junee. Dec 24, 1999 Goods train carrying metal ore derailed and one carriage set alight in Nyngan. Jan 11,2000 Train derails after it runs a red light at Hornsby. Several passengers thrown from seats. JajLl8j20go 1 Goods train derailed at Junee station as it reportedly tries to reverse to connect with freight containers director of KFC's parent company, Tricon, told the Herald the courts had given the operators of the George Street restaurant time to solve the problem before the matter went further.

The restaurant backs onto one of the city's largest construction sites and is opposite entrances to Town Hall railway station both major sources of cockroaches in the CBD. Court papers said KFC had been attempting to seal gaps, cracks and crevices throughout its building. "In a nutshell, it's next to a building site, next to a railroad station and it's a heritage building," Mr Nilsen said. "We apologise for the problem but we have been working with the best experts out there to make it completely clean. "We think we've got 98 per cent of the way there and we're working on that last little bit to Appeal Catherine Breillat to be heard in the next few weeks.

Breillat notes in her letter, which a colleague in Paris says "has already been sent to a few difficult censorship that the film has been screened at festivals in Jerusalem, New York, Montreal and Toronto and has been sold to "all major and minor Mr Spratt says he has been overwhelmed by media and public support for the overturning of the ban. "It's put the OFLC under a huge spotlight the way they're operating, the way the Government wants them to operate." He says he is not "100 per cent confident" of winning the appeal but hopes the review panel will take into account the level of support for the film and realise "it's not offensive enough to community standards to go to the lengths of banning Meanwhile, the association representing the country's film critics, the Film Critics' Circle of Australia, has called on the censors to reverse the ban. The circle's president, Mr John Hanrahan, says the OFLC overreacted and made a serious error of judgment in assessing Romance. "The film should have serious classification and appropriate warnings about its content, but it certainly should not be banned," Mr Hanrahan said. no finger city store make sure it's completely clean.

"We've made a great deal of effort and the court clearly recognises that effort," Mr Nilsen said. In papers lodged with Downing Centre Local Court, the council states it inspected KFC's Town Hall outlet, near the George Street cinemas, about 11.30 am on October 14. As well as the pests found in the food preparation area, the inspectors reported seeing "numerous" live cockroaches in the garbage room below. During another check on December 30, inspectors found more cockroaches. Live ones were seen running along the postmix conduit in the basement and under the chicken preparation bench.

Others were spotted on a wall behind the upright warmers, and numerous dead ones were seen. The matter will be back in court next month. By MALCOLM BROWN The deputy leader of the State Opposition, Mr Barry O'Farrell, has attacked the Government over the state of the rail system, which despite a series of inquiries has seen two derailments in two days and seven in four weeks. Mr O'Farrell accused the Government of putting up a smokescreen, by announcing inquiries but not giving specifics about how they were being run. His attack follows a derailment at St Marys yesterday, when a train carrying sandstone to a development site turned off onto a siding privately owned by ADI Ltd.

A spokesman for Freightrail said the accident, at 10.15 am, left most of the train still on the western line, briefly disrupting other rail traffic. The second derailment was at Junee railway yards on Tuesday night, during the shunting of a train carrying grain to Port Botany. Nobody was injured in Student By ILYAGRIDNEFF Instructions on how to make a bomb to protest against the Sydney Olympics have been scrapped, but how to write a computer virus remains. Multinational corporations are defamed, as are politicians, religious leaders and SOCOG officials. Editors of the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) Orientation Handbookhave sparked controversy for the second year running, with UTS administration refusing to publish and distribute their guide.

free handbook for UTS students is edited and published by the Students' Association, elected representatives of the student body. But this year's guide is said to include breaches of copyright, material deemed to incite violence, and to defame individuals and major corporations such as Coca-Cola and ShelL guide gets another rocket 0 Mr O'Farrell too many incidents. A spokeswoman for the Minister for Transport, Mr Scully, who is on holidays until the end of this month, said the terms of reference had been released a month ago when the audit was announced. Fitzgerald, said the university did not intend to censor the handbook. "We acted on legal advice," he said.

"Our lawyers went through the content and their advice was that we would be crazy to print and publish it. "We informed the Students' Association that, on legal grounds, we would not be publishing the guide. "As a university we have to respect the law, we don't want libel or defamation suits," he said. Dr Fitzgerald said the university would not publish or distribute the handbook. "I do not know what course of action the university would take if students were handing out the guide," he said, but he did not rule out police involvement "Students bear the responsibility as publishers and distributors," he said.

But student representatives are defying the calls and say they will Cockroach invasion lickiri good for KFC Tourists flee riots in Lombok From Page 1 Mr Ross Tysoe, who returned to Denpasar from Lombok early yesterday, estimated that fewer than 20 of the 210 Australians registered as living on Lombok were still there. About 1,200 foreign nationals and Indonesians had joined the 24-hour exodus, he said. Most of the Australians who have stayed behind are believed to be married to locals or to have businesses there. Another 55 Australians are registered as living on Sumbawa island. The Newmont Mining company chartered the catamaran to evacuate about 50 dependants of mine workers, many of whom were living on Lombok, and other foreigners on Tuesday morning.

The Batu Hijau mine's medical adviser, Dr Tony McMullan, said he treated some of the local and expatriate staff who fled to Ball Some staff based in the town of Mataram were suffering from posttraumatic stress after their homes were burnt or ransacked, including one Indonesian man who fled when 250 people attacked his home. "A number of people that were in their houses and were actually targeted. It seems there is a systematic targeting of Christian people in the community," he said. Dr McMullan said there were reports that violence had spread to Sumbawa, with locals attacking a church near the mine. "It's a bit disturbing," he said.

"I've also got a house in Mataram but I'm not sure what's happened to it" Mr Tysoe said he and two Jakarta-based Australian defence officers, Colonel Ken Brownrigg and Captain Noel Henderson, had gone to the island on Tuesday to help Australians and other foreign nationals. Our lawyers went through the content and their advice was that we would be crazy to print and publish it. Dr JEFFREY FITZGERALD UTS registrar By STEPHEN GIBBS Sydney City officers allegedly found cockroaches throughout KFC's main George Street outlet during two recent inspections. A pest report used in court action yesterday showed that during a check late last year, dead cockroaches were found squashed on a wall over a stainless steel bench used for preparing chicken. As well, a live cockroach was found on a food storage container under the same bench and three live cockroaches and a build-up of cockroach excreta were seen in a corner under the kitchen exhaust ventilation system.

The council is prosecuting Kentucky Fried Chicken Pty Ltd for failing to keep premises clean and free from vermin. Mr Bob Nilsen, the managing Information on how to write a computer virus is included, as is information on sex and drug use. The university administration has refused to print and distribute this year's guide at official UTS events, including Orientation Week (O-week.) Last year, anti-drug campaigners labelled the 1999 UTS handbook a "do-it-yourself guide to drug with graphic depictions of intravenous drug use being displayed in the book. While students say it is political satire and good fun highlighting social justice issues, university officials are not laughing. The UTS registrar, Dr Jeffrey i.