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

6 THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1997 The old toast rack scrubs up well nimi ttp Eg Moves to save 10 of worlcPs forests Labor to fight Wik title 'theft' By JODIE BROUGH in Canberra The Opposition pledged to oppose the Government's draft amendments to the Native Title Act yesterday as Aboriginal leaders accused die Coalition of being "intent on completing the final theft of land" from Aborigines. After a briefing on the legislation, to be publicly released today, the Opposition's Aboriginal affairs spokesman, Mr Daryl Melham, accused the Government of "gutting" Aborigines' right to negotiate over land subject to claim. Mr Melham foreshadowed a major Senate battle over the issue, saying the legislation was discriminatory, unbalanced and "negative to Aboriginal "It explodes the myth that the Prime Minister has propagated that he would be fair," Mr Melham said. "Some of the points offend such basic principles there's no way we could support them." The National Indigenous Working Group on Native Title declared that the right to negotiate had been rendered "meaningless" after being shown the detailed legislation by the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Secretary, Senator Nick Minchin. The working group said the legislation would "cater to the rights of every party except those of potential native title holders" and called on the Senate to oppose it Working group member Mr Peter Yu, of the Kimberley Land Council, said the Government wanted to go beyond the High Court's Mabo and Wik decisions in reducing Aboriginal rights.

"The draft bill ignores any recognition and reduces our customary law rights to that of irrelevance and that equated to other freehold title holders in this country," he said. Senator Minchin said the working group's response was "a disappointing "The Government believes in equality and justice for all landholders," he said. "The 10-point plan is a fair and reasonable balance of all the various interests involved in dealing with the Wik decision." Back on the rails the sight of a 100 year-old D-class electric tram rattling into Sydney's Haymarket yesterday brought back memories for 81-year-old Wally Heil, who 36 years ago, on February 25, 1961, was the driver of the city's last tram. The D-class, owned by the Sydney Tramway Museum, was in use as a scubber car, using an abrasive pad to polish the rails for the new light rail vehicles due to go into operation at the end of July. Sitting alongside the sleek new model, the "old toast rack" was remembered as noisy, wet and cold with hard wooden seats, but more reliable than the buses which replaced it.

Photograph by steven siewert Mr Peacock follows Mr Howard in Washington on Wednesday. Former foes a winning team at last By MICHAEL MILLETT in Washington It has been a long, strange journey. A decade ago, this pair were bitter rivals, their seemingly endless squabble over power consigning the Liberal Party to a generation in Opposition. Yesterday, they shook hands in Washington, one man at the zenith of his political power and the other comfortable to share at least a part of it. Australia's Ambassador in Washington, IIr Andrew Peacock, had turned out to welcome the Prime Minister, Mr Howard, formally on his first official visit to the United States.

Mr Howard had flown in from rainswept London to the intense humidity of mid-summer ashington for a three-day visit, the highlight of which will be a meeting and working lunch with President Bill Clinton today. Mr Peacock was there to greet him at Dulles International Airport and then the pair adjourned to Mr Howard's suite at the luxurious Willard Intercontinental Hotel, only a brisk walk from the hite House. It was a private meeting, ostensibly to allow Mr Peacock to brief his Prime Minister on the local political layout. But there was no doubt both men were aware of the piquancy of the situation a testament to the first law of politics that "anything is Their animosity, extending back to Mr Howard's stint as deputy leader in the Peacock Opposition of post-1983, lasted virtually until Mr Peacock tired of politics in 1994. By JAMES WOODFORD in New York The World Bank and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have announced an unprecedented alliance and a decision to fund the acquisition of 50 million hectares of forests around the globe by 2005.

If successful, this would be the biggest single attempt to protect forests yet made. The WWF and the bank are supporting the establishment of an "ecologically representative network of protected areas, covering at least 10 per cent of each of the world's forest types by the year The president of the World Bank, Mr James Wolfensen, yesterday also announced an overhaul of its controversial environmental programs, the establishment of an internal, independent environmental auditor and major greenhouse initiatives. More than $27 million would also be made available to ensure that the remaining seven CFC-producing factories in Russia were shut down within the next 18 months. CFCs are an ozone-destroying chemical that have left a hole in the Earth's protective ozone layer. Mr Wolfensen said "this is not a pie-in-the-sky plan.

We can put up the money and on the ground we can win the The announcement was made on day three of the New York Earth Summit and is a signal of the intense frustration that the United Nations, which runs the bank, and conservation groups are feeling at the inability of politicians to act decisively to protect forests. It is the first substantive initiative that has been made this week and was warmly welcomed by Australia's Environment Minister, Senator Hill, who said the World Bank's decision rep resented a significant change in direction. "This is a good document in my view," said Senator Hill, who is leading the Australian delegation to the Earth Summit. "It's good on forests, it's good on climate change." But speaking yesterday, as the chairman of a meeting of Commonwealth Environment Ministers, Senator Hill said consensus among Commonwealth nations had not been achieved on issues such as binding greenhouse gas reduction targets or on the need for a forest convention. Australia has been diplomatically isolated this week over its refusal to endorse binding international greenhouse gas reduction targets.

The Prime Minister, Mr Howard, yesterday pledged that his Government would not sign a climate change convention in Tokyo in December which was detrimental to Australia's economic interests. "I'm not going to be part of an agreement that damages Australia, ever," Mr Howard said. "This is a simple question of Australia's national interest." At present, 6 per cent of the world's 3,300 million hectares of forest is protected. To reach 10 per cent, another 129 million hectares needs to be conserved. According to the chairman of the WWF's Forest Group, Mr Don Henry, 50 million hectares is half of what is needed to get to 10 per cent.

"There's been a lot of talk at the summit but not a lot of action," he said. "What we have got here is a bank and a conservation group coming together to deliver very concrete benefits for forests." The World Bank spends more than $350 million on forests annually. This money will now be rechannelled into the protection of forests. sacked: here's why Prosser Back when John Howard's Code of Ministerial Conduct was new, poor John Herron, the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and a fine surgeon, sought permission to continue to see a few breast cancer patients whom he had been treating before the election. Ridiculously, Howard insisted he give up his practice lest it interfere with his other duties.

Shortly afterwards, two frontbenchers, the Assistant Treasurer, Jim Short, and Parliamentary to the Treasurer, Brian Gibson, fell on their swords over decisions they had made that might have affected companies in which they had minor shareholdings. Then the Industry Minister, John Moore, refused to quit over a much more serious breach. He owned Ralsten Pty Ltd, a share trading company, in clear breach in Bunbury a clear conflict in itself he also: Met at least fortnightly with his brother and co-director to discuss matters; Spoke weekly to his manager about the business; Discussed business at "any function" he attended in Bunbury; Lobbied Bunbury City Councillor John McCourt about a supermarket proposal; Had contacts with five other councillors in relation to the shopping centre development; Discussed with two councillors "parking requirements in the central business district of (In other words, they colluded to spike a competing shopping centre proposal over lack of parking space for its development.) Made representations to State and Federal ministers about a "wide range of issues that may affect me personally andor my companies in With his manager, his brother, a Bunbury Shire councillor and the shire clerk considered plans for a shopping centre in "the architect's office Mr Discussed with the former West Australian Planning Minister (Richard Lewis) a proposal from his company for the rezoning of some land. Add in sundry other meetings and dealings and you have at least 119 admissions of influence-peddling in support of his private interests. When did this man have time to be minister? And at the end, he continued to claim he'd done nothing in breach of guidelines.

The Government backed him. It's a disgrace. He should be sacked. must be Mike Seccombe from the gallery of the guidelines. Howard let him off the hook after his business partner made a written promise not to tell Moore anything at all about company business.

The code has been in disrepute ever since. But yesterday, a new low standard was established. Geoff Prosser admitted that while he was Minister for Small Business and simultaneously the landlord to some 40 small businesses cm S-coVER NOTE APPLICATION NAME MRMRSMS POSTCODE PHONE H( W( SINGLE CODPLE FAMILY A ARE YOU COVERED BY ANOTHER FUND? DYES NO ARE YOU AN EXISTING MBF MEMBER? YES NO oo see e23 mm afi ILr i 1 1 1 1 1 1 (ME urn UV7U WL If you're single, earning a taxable income above $50,000, or a family earning a taxable income above $100,000 (and you're without private hospital cover at present), you can avoid paying the extra 1 Medicare levy that will be introduced by the Government on July 1st. In fact, you can actually save money. Phone now or fax the completed form on 1300 366 623.

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