The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 2

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1997 "Downer call to fisht and States to be consulted on High Court appointment destroy Hansorfs views 1 3M By MICHAEL MILLETT and CRAIG SKEHAN The Federal Government has split over tactics to counter the rising popularity of the Queensland Independent MP Ms Pauline Hanson, with the 'Foreign Minister, Mr Downer, yesterday arguing it was critical to "fight and destroy" her intolerant views. In an address to our ambassadors to Asia, Mr Downer said the Hanson policies of banning foreign investment and implementing a racially discriminatory immigration policy would cripple Australia in its attempts to engage in the Asian region. Mr Downer's stance, vigorously endorsed by the Minister for Trade, Mr Fischer, is at odds with the Prime Minister's refusal to confront Ms Hanson, based on a belief that she will not endure politically. It leaves the Government open to criticism that it cannot agree on a strategy to counter the momentum of Ms Hanson's One Nation Party or is trying to deliver different messages to different audiences. But Mr Howard made it clear last night that he would not alter his approach to Ms Hanson.

On the ABCs 7.30 Report, Mr Howard said that while he was prepared to sees her policies as job-destroying and offensive. The Attorney-General, Mr Williams will not support any veto from States on appointments to High Court. By BERNARD LAGAN Justice Writer The process of consultation for High Court appointments could be widened to involve circulating a list of candidates around Australia. Following criticism by conservative States of the High Court's Wik decision, the Federal Attorney-General, Mr Williams, said he planned to provide all State and Territory attorneys-general with a list of the candidates being considered to replace Justice Sir Daryl Dawson, who is to retire in August. Mr Williams said last night the list would be compiled from candidates suggested by each State and Territory and would also include any names the Federal Government wished to consider.

He said he' planned to consult with the States' judiciaries and members of the High Court, Family Court and the Federal Court. "There will undoubtedly be consultations with others, including former judges, leaders of the legal profession and my ministerial and other parliamentary colleagues," Mr Williams said in a lecture at the Monash University Law School Foundation. The consultation process outlined by Mr Williams considerably broadens the requirement under the High Court Act that only State attorneys-general needed to be consulted before new appointments are made to the High Ms Hanson and Mr Downer, who attack "stupid policy prescriptions" advanced by her, there was a danger of giving the Queensland Independent too much publicity. He also disputed claims by the South Australian Liberal Premier, Mr John Olsen, that the issue was seriously damaging Australia's image abroad. In other developments yesterday: The Victorian Premier, Mr Kennett, accused Ms Hanson of abusing democratic traditions by Photomontage by WILLI AM MOTTRAM lia's future with Asia," he said.

"Those views promote an insular Australia separate from the region. This is the concept of a little Australia, inward-looking, narrow-minded, protectionist and disconnected from our own neighbourhood." He said the Hanson policies were "job-destroying" and offensive to people of all backgrounds. PAGE 17: Time to hammer Hanson. trying to divide society; The head of Tourism Australia, Mr Bruce Baird, warned that electoral success for the Hanson party would "devastate" the tourism industry; and A former Fraser government minister, Professor Peter Baume, said national leaders were putting "populism before principle" in refusing to condemn racism and other extreme views. Government sources said Mr Downer had spoken to Mr Howard's office before delivering his speech but the talks did not cover the detail of his address.

Mr Downer said a crucial element of foreign policy was to promote Australian values such as tolerance and a respect for cultural diversity. "There are dissonant voices in our society, most notably Pauline Hanson and the One Nation Party, which do not see Austra- criticisms that it "made law" -a frequent complaint made by those opposed to the Wik decision saying the court could not refuse to deal with a matter before it even if it thought Parliament ought to legislate. "The justices have no choice but to play the hand that they are dealt, deciding on the constitutional or legal merits," he said. The court can and did make decisions which prevented governments from implementing what they considered to be good policy, but such "perceived inconvenience" was not a legitimate reason to criticise the court, he said. PM attacks 'ludicrous' media ownership laws Court.

Mr Williams invited Opposition MPs to make their views known to him, saying he wanted wide consultations "so that it could not be suggested at the end of the process, either that a suitable candidate has been overlooked or that all reasonable steps to identify the best candidate were not Mr Williams made it clear he would not support a States' veto on High Court appointments, saying that would politicise the appointments process. And he would not agree to limit High Court appointments to a 10-year term because it could be seen to compromise the independence of the court. He defended the court from company is now $2.5 billion. Mr Howard said arguments that scrapping the cross-media laws would reduce diversity assumed that media owners determined the diversity of media opinion on their channels. Talkback radio hosts were more influential, he said.

"I hold the view that the media organisation that has the most concentrated clout is the ABC," he said. The ABC had the largest reach but the narrowest range of opinions, he said. But Mr Howard denied he was criticising Fairfax management when he said earlier in the week: "You really don't have anybody running the company It's an unstable situation." Staff at John Fairfax yesterday expressed their anger at the Prime Minister's attack and have written inviting him to visit before he decides to scrap the cross-media rules. I mi i I I 1 1 i 1 1 It- 4 L. I "I I "1 a rC Jo- vt -L 5 "lf v.

Serial attacker fears after boys abducted, drugged By ANNE DAVIES in Canberra The Prime Minister, Mr Howard, last night described Australia's cross-media rules which at present bar Mr Kerry Packer from taking over John Fairfax Holdings as "ludicrous" and "This idea that there is some sort of virtue in having a law that, no matter the modernity of the media, that if you own a television station in Sydney you can't own a newspaper in Sydney is a completely outdated law," he said. But he denied his decision was tied in any way to Mr Packer's support for him at the last election, saying he had always opposed the cross-media rules since they were introduced in 1987. Shares in Fairfax rose 10 cents to $3.27, a three-year high, as investors anticipated a bid by Mr Packer. The market worth of the Murder charge A man whose wife was strangled and dumped in a Padstow car park on February 25 has been charged with her murder. Francis Leung, 39, of Padstow, was refused bail in Bankstown Local Court charged with the murder of Jin Lee Leung.

Young boy shot A four-year-old boy who was shot in the throat in north-west Victoria was in a critical condition last night after being wounded when a man, 20, accidentally discharged a .22 rifle in WarracknabeaL Cruise line sinks CTC Cruise Lines, operators of the holiday ships Kareliya and Southern Cross, is to go into receivership. New Labor chief The secretary of the NSW Labor Council, Mr Peter Sams, was elected unopposed as the party's president yesterday. Killer deported Triple murderer Archie McCafferty was yesterday released from Long Bay jail and deported to Britain. bharp regrets The Federal Minister for Transport, Mr Sharp, yesterday apologised to an elderly The Opposition said Mr Howard's claims about Fairfax were "a clear indication of his intention to hand the Fairfax papers to Mr Packer on The lengthy letter to Mr Howard from the house committees representing all Fairfax staff endorsed the comments of the chief executive, Mr Bob Muscat, that the management structure now in place was not only stable but was also engaged in critical, long-term planning. "In the light of proposed changes to media laws in this country, we can only wonder at your motives which seem clearly designed to destabilise the company to the advantage of potential purchasers," the letter said.

To declare on radio "you really don't have anyone running" John Fairfax is an egregious misrepresentation of the it said. PAGE 25: Fairfax shares climb to three-vear high. An attacker who abducted two boys at gunpoint, bashed them and force-fed them a cocktail of drugs in two separate incidents, may have attacked others in Sydney's west, police said yesterday. One of the boys, aged 15, was sexually assaulted, while the other has no recollection of events after taking the drugs. The incidents took place at Penrith and Leonay.

The attacker is believed to be in his mid-to-late 20s, 180 centimetres tall, slim to medium build, with short dark hair. JULIE DELVECCHIO sioner Jeff Jarratt in relation to an improper internal affairs investigation and corruption in the North West Region. The Herald accepts that the incidents referred to in each case predated Deputy Commissioner Jarratt's appointment to the then command positions of Commander, Professional Responsibility and Commander, North West Region, respectively. Powerball Winning numbers: 39, 19, 29, 44, 12. Powerball: 17.

Fir (3Sxs asm? fe Wm mmmy fe A police photo-fit of the suspected attacker. protester who was knocked over by his Commonwealth car during an anti-airport protest on Wednesday. Kennett fowled A chicken-suited man on a cherrypicker interrupted the weekly radio broadcast of the Victorian Premier, Mr Kennett, by knocking on the window of his first-floor office yesterday. Clarification The Herald on February 1 referred to Deputy Commis- i Ml TOMORROW SPORT I MOTORING 1 51m 3gw Prci3 ljftat TBie herald DLoLNbSS RhAL LS 1AI li SPECTRUM ht Svfontv Jtbrning ralb How to contact us Mall GPO Box 506, GPO Sydney, 2001 Home Deliveries Herald Customer Hotline 9282 3800 7am to 7pm, 7 to noon weekends News 9282 2019, fax 9282 3253 Business 9282 2817, fax 9282 3005 Sport 9282 2103, fax 9282 1741 Letters fax 9282 3492, email letterssmh.com.au Features 9282 2941, fax 9282 2481 Classified 132535, fax 9282 3121 Display Advertising 9282 4002, fax 9282 1748 Fee-based research of Herald articles 9282 3052, Fax 9282 3656 Email cpretelFairfax.com.au emment! GOOD WEEKEM 1 COVfTCl HI 2 i.