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

jr iff JiiwiiifleMi Late Edition 60 cents 54 Pages First Published 1831 Editorial 282 2822; General 282 2833; Classifieds 282 1122 Friday, September 4, 1992 KIDS SMOKING: THE GRIM FACTS SHjia FEATURES AGENDA 6 Federal MP faces sex charges ivdliv (C3) By GREG ROBERTS BRISBANE: A senior Federal Labor MP, Keith Wright, appeared in court here yesterday on nine charges of indecently dealing with three girls under the age of 16 and one charge of rape. A spokesman for Wright said last night that despite the charges, he would continue with his "normal electoral and would not be closing his office. The 50-year-old Member for the Rockhampton-based seat of Capricornia and former State Opposition Leader pleaded not guilty to the charges through his counsel, Mr John Robertson, when he appeared in Brisbane Magistrate's Court. The magistrate, Mr Neil Cronk, remanded Wright on bail of his own undertaking to appear at a five-day committal hearing beginning on November 30, and ordered him not to make contact with the three complainants. Wright is charged with nine counts of indecently dealing with the three girls between March 26, 1983, and July 2, 1990, and with raping one of them between August and December, 1986.

He is charged under the Criminal would be little chance of him remaining in Parliament. It is understood discussions will be held in Canberra next week over his future as head of the joint Parliamentary Committee on ASIO and his planned trip to New Guinea as the leader of a parliamentary delegation. The Queensland police took the unusual step of issuing a statement warning the media of its obligations under the Children's Service Act, which prohibits the publication of material which identifies or helps to identify the child victims of crime. The Queensland ALP secretary, Mr Wayne Swan, refused to comment on speculation that Wright may be forced to resign, forcing a by-election before the next Federal election. However, the view in Labor's upper echelon is that if Wright has the matter hanging over him in the approach to the next election, he will be asked to announce his departure from Parliament.

Although this runs counter to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, Labor power-brokers were adamant last night that the charges meant there if. Keith Wright will continue Govt slams Biush wheat Blam $7 50m blow to export earnings Law Sexual Offences Act If convicted, he faces a maximum 12-year jail sentence for each of the indecent dealing charges, and a 14-year sentence for the rape charge. Wright refused to comment to waiting journalists as he hurriedly left the court. His spokesman said he would not be commenting further. Under Section 44 of the Constitution, an MP is "incapable of sitting" if he or she is convicted and under sentence, or subject to be sentenced, for an offence attracting a jail sentence of 12 months or more.

impact is like a war there mmx'' OUR embarrassment reaches even the corn country of Iowa. Neil Inall, who produces rural TV programs, got a fax at his North Sydney office from a friend, Mike Walster, of Cedar Falls, Iowa: "Neil heard on the radio they closed the new Harbor tunnel at rush hour to fix a pothole! Tell me it isn't so!" ANOTHER aspect of how Australia reaches into US homes: John Dyett, an Australian living in New-York, was channel-hopping on cable TV one night. He found, to his amazement, that on Public Interest CSPAN Cable he was watching Question Time from the House of Representatives, Canberra. Tim Fischer (old school mate) and Hewson were lashing into Keating," he says. The Opposition MPs had Australian flags on their desks.

With 24-hour programming, cable TV stations have to fill the void with something, but Parliament? RAMON Williams has faxed a picture that appeared in the Christian Herald, published in Worthing, England. Unfortunately it's not good enough to reproduce, but we can tell you that it was taken in the Channel Island of Sark, 5.5 sq km, shows a kangaroo silhouette and says "KANGAROOS next 1 THE SAVE the Children Fund's shop at Crows Nest went through a busy time the other day. When things quietened, they found on the counter a large ice-cream container of coins. They've counted $150 in 50c pieces and will do the rest when they get the chance. In the meantime, thanks.

OUR Adelaide correspondent reports the South Australian police radio codes include such regulars as: "403 intruder on "506 indecent "605 excessive "704 rubbish fire" and so on, up to 901. 901? "Pick up ELI DANOX, of Vaucluse. was dancing at a wedding reception at The Regent the other night with Shirley Lewis, of Point Piper, when a heel came off one of her shoes. Mr Danon asked a waitress, named Kirsty, if she could find a hammer so he could fix it. Better than that, she said, took the shoe away and was back with it in 15 minutes, mended.

Does The Regent keep a resident cobbler? Not quite but the shift engineer keeps shoe glues and repair gear for just such an emergency. BUSINESSMAN Brook Reber, of Vaucluse, heading into the Harbour Tunnel, expected to lose signal on his hands-free mobile phone. Instead, he got 100 per cent reception even in the middle of the trip. Why not, asks Telecom? It has repeaters at both ends and in the middle so motorists will get better reception than at many outside locations. THE AUSTRALIAN National Flag Association, which promoted Flag Day yesterday on the 91st anniversary of the first raising of our flag, is flying high itself.

The Federal Opposition, through Senator Warwick Parer, spokesman on administrative services, has told it that a Hewson Government will officially declare September 3 as National Flag Day as well as retain the present flag. MILK in first or milk in last? This problem has exercised the minds of tea-drinkers for centuries. We asked a man we thought might be able to pronounce on it, a man whose family has been turning out teatime crockery (as well as other more essential porcelain items) for yonks. Michael Doulton was at David Jones's Market Street store yesterday having morning tea and signing Royal Doulton figurines for the customers. "I don 7 know, he said.

"I don't take milk at all." INSIDE By PAUL CHAMBERUN and PIUTA CLARK The Prime Minister, other Government ministers -and farming industry groups fired a volley of angry protests to the United States yesterday after President Bush announced a huge extension of wheat export subsidies. The President's action may cost Australia up to S750 million in lost exports and will leave our wheat farmers in danger of losing many of their major and traditional markets. It comes in the light of assurances from Mr Bush in January that he would do everything possible not to hurt Australian farmers, and is a departure from his pledges to sort out world trade in GATT talks. Mr Bush, in election-driven mode, announced that the US would expand its Export Enhancement Program (EEP) to $US3 billion (SA4.19 billion) over 1992-93 to subsidise 30 million tonnes of wheat. This represents subsidies on almost all of the United States' exports.

Mr Keating said Australia strongly objected to and deeply regretted the decision, which was "hard to square" with assurances from the US Administration that Australia would not be hurt by US trade policies. The Leader of the Opposition, Dr Hewson, who was highly critical of US protectionism on Wednesday, said "offsets" should be considered by the US, such as better access to the US for Australian sugar and beef exports. The Leader of the National Party, Mr Fischer, wants valuable aviation rights given to US airlines put up for negotiation. The Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Dr Blewett, said Australia would raise both US and European Community subsidies at the GATT Council, which meets later this month. Before then, the Minister for Trade and Overseas Development, Mr Kerin, will take up the issue bilaterally in talks in Washington and Brussels.

Ostensibly to combat European Community subsidies, the raising of US subsidies effectively strikes at free-trading wheat producers "normal electoral duties' SPECIAL such as Australia.The new program targets 28 nations for US exports, including South Africa, India and Pakistan, to which the US has not sold EEP-subsidised wheat before, and which are steady if minor Australian markets. And the new subsidies may be broadened to more world markets in coming months. A White House background paper issued yesterday says: "The President has stated explicitly that additional countries may be made eligible during the course of the year." A spokesman for the US Department of Agriculture, Mr Doug Adair, told the Herald last night that this meant the EEP may be extended to other markets, as the Administration saw fit. As President Bush made his announcement to South Dakota farmers, he specifically denied that Australia was a target of the plan. "Now let me make this comment to those friends of ours overseas," he said.

"This action is aimed at those who subsidise, not at those such as Australia and others, who do not subsidise." The US Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Ms Ann Veneman, also tried to alleviate concerns. "The wheat initiatives announced in today's EEP package have been carefully limited to leave room for the continuation of previous sales levels by non-subsidising competitor countries," she said. "The US will continue to obtain assurances, where appropriate, from importing countries that such trade will not be disrupted." But officials at the Australian Continued Page 6 PAGE 6: Kansas boys got us beat. PAGE 10: Editorial. led the plug on the pre-taped program.

An on-air announcement blamed technical difficulties for the show's abrupt ending. The station immediately started showing the American sitcom Cheers. Within minutes of the show being taken off the air, industry gossip was being faxed between Brisbane and ydney claiming knowledge of Mr Packer's direct intervention. Nine's affiliates across the country had their switchboards jammed last night as viewers called to express their views. The Herald also received numerous calls from people complaining about the content and others demanding to know why the program had been dropped.

Australia's Naughtiest Home Video Show had been billed as an adults-only version of Australia's Funniest Home Video Show, a family show which regularly attracts high ratings for the Nine network. It was recorded last week. Despite numerous attempts, Mulray could not be reached last night at the Fijian island resort where he is staying. The Mac Smith family among the young wheat "The are plenty of innocent victims. It's the last straw for our grain belt "It is irrelevant who they are targeting.

The impact is like a war there are plenty of innocent victims." The Mac Smiths are not critical of all the failed lobbying by Australian farming groups. "It can't do any harm, but it hasn't had the desired said Bob. His father Lance, 69, said that while the cockies came out from their meeting with George Bush in Canberra at the start of the year relatively positive about the outcome, "I never believed that going to see Bush would achieve anything''. "The farmers' lobby is powerful in America. It is a tragedy that this has happened during a recession Nine pulls the plug on Uncle Doug The enforcer, Neddy and the $50,000 fix Picture by ROBERT PEARCE farmers America, with concerts to raise money and the Government bending over backwards to help them, here they are almost disregarded.

There are few votes in the bush for a Labor Government. Eleven-month-old Thomas Mac Smith's great-great-grandfather, the Honourable John Smith, first settled in the Central West in 1851. His grandpa Lance's mother, Mrs Bertha Mac Smith, who died in 1984 at the age of 93, wrote a book about her family's triumphs and struggles on the land called Quench Not the Spirit Her descendants may well need plenty of their forebears' spirit to see them through. he would face "any number" of further charges if he told the truth about his past criminal activities. Henry and Smith have reportedly made detailed allegations about corrupt police.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption will hold a public hearing beginning either later this year or early 1993. Mr Terracini described Henry as "an enforcer" who belonged to the "general milieu of experienced criminals who are very experienced business operators and they mix, regrettably, with corrupt police officers and corrupt The court rejected Henry's argument that his conviction should be quashed because he had been too scared to tell the truth. It reserved judgment on whether the jury's verdict at his trial was "unsafe and 6.10 CD Moon: Sets 12.31 am rises 10.38 am. details appear on Page 34. thousands of wheat farmers like them: dollars off the bottom line.

For many in more marginal areas it may well mean planting this year was a waste of time, or has cost them more than they will make. The decisions over how much wheat to plant were made early in the year, and though their profits will be halved if the price drops $15 a tonne, as they expect, it is too late to turn back. To the Mac Smiths it does not matter whether America intends to hurt Australia or not. "George Bush would wonder if it was Australia or Austria complaining, we are so insignificant," Bob Mac Smith, 33, said. Mulray too naughty.

f- By JOHN STAPLETON The Mac Smiths' wheat crop has not looked so good in years. Their property, Little Boree, on the red basalt soil beneath Mt Canobolas near Orange, with its mix of sheep, wheat and the yellow flowering canola, is rich farming country. Following an excellent season, the market moving up encouragingly and lower rates halving their interest bill, their hopes were high for a good return on their 500 hectares of wheat until they heard the news yesterday. The American subsidies mean only one thing to them and The cancellation appeared particularly abrupt as earlier in the evening Nine had screened station promotions, featuring interviews with the studio audience as they left the taping of the show. Late last night, the Nine Net- work issued a statement apologising to viewers for the decision to shut down the Naughtiest Home Video Show.

Ms Mary Hennessy, Nine's director of publicity, said that on seeing the program on air, management had decided not to proceed with it, a move which was in accordance with the wishes of viewers who had telephoned stations in all States. Ms Hennessy said that Nine wished to emphasise that the move to shut down was in no way an implied criticism of the performance of the host, Doug Mulray. "We hope to announce a new vehicle for his extraordinary talents in the very near future," she said. She made no comment on Mr Packer's involvement. when people are budgeting for a good crop." Bob said that yesterday's announcement of enhanced American subsidies would make a difference to what they sowed next year.

Bob's brother Peter said: "If the wheat industry collapses, you are looking at the collapse of the wheat infrastructure, the machinery dealerships, the fertiliser manufacturers, the small towns." Nor are the Mac Smiths critical of George Bush's decision to help American farmers. They would love to receive similar assistance. Whereas wheat farmers in States like Dakota and Arizona are lauded as the heart and soul of 1988. Mr Terracini argued before the Court of Criminal Appeal that Henry should have the conviction quashed because he was too frightened of police to tell the truth at his trial last year. Mr Terracini said Henry had not revealed why he met Sergeant Spence outside the Ultimo pub because he had feared for his life and the safety of his family.

In fact, he and Spence were arranging the deposit of $50,000 in an attempt to advantage Neddy Smith at his murder trial. Smith was ultimately convicted of the 1987 murder of a tow truck driver in Coogee Bay Road and sentenced to life imprisonment. Mr Terracini said that if the jurors at Henry's trial had been told the truth, they might well have decided not to believe Sergeant Spence. But he conceded that Henry had also lied because he feared H'gh Sun: Rises High "sets5.39. (0.6): Full weather Agenda 13 Arts 12 Business 11 Cash Chase 33 Chess 34 Comics, Crosswords, Puzzles 34 Editorials 10 Eisteddfod 34 Entertainment Guide Metro Features 11 Law Notices Lottery J'Pot No.

4745 27 Lottery 'Pot No. 4746 27 Mails 34 Personal Notices 25 Shipping 34 Sport 40 Stay in Touch 20 Television 20 Classified Index 40 By JENNIE CURTIN A criminal "enforcer" and one of the key informants in the coming ICAC inquiry into police corruption has claimed that he met a senior police prosecutor outside a pub to arrange a $50,000 payment to fix Arthur "Neddy" Smith's murder trial. Graham "Abo" Henry, who is serving six years in jail for stabbing the prosecutor, Sergeant Mai Spence, has also admitted committing crimes with senior police. Henry, who once worked as Smith's bodyguard, has been given immunity by the State Government for every crime except murder, according to his counsel, Mr Winston Terracini. The information emerged in the Supreme Court yesterday when Henry appealed against his conviction for wounding Sergeant Spence outside the Lord Wolseley Hotel in Ultimo on December IS, By ROBIN OUVER It was billed as Australia's Naughtiest Home Video Show and it was rather strong on bare bottoms children's, adults' and chimpanzees' and featured a sequence of a child touching a kangaroo's genitals.

Couples were seen in the distance making love, a dog was seen doing something extraordinary though unexplained with a bird, and a rather ample naked lady appeared with a man's head held firmly between her bosoms. His face was electronically concealed. "We've only had one phone call of complaint so far," said host Doug Mulray during the recorded program. "We were expecting 500,000." According to sources within the television industry, he didn't have long to wait. The next phone call was apparently from Mr Kerry Packer, the boss of Channel Nine.

"Take that show off the air at once," is one version of what Mr Packer is said to have told the station last night. Channel Nine immediately pul KWaMiiltMtl 3 The sea: Slight on'a low swell. Tides: 1.40am n.n: Low 7.21am Tomorrow: Dry. Sunday: Dry. Monday: Dry.

CT Metropolitan: Cool to mild, sunny Light to moderate winds. Temps: City 11-18. Liverpool 7-18. Pollution: low. Yesterday: City 10-21.

Liverpool 6-21. Pollution: low. NSW: Cool to mild. Showers inland clearing except for the Ranges. Light to moderate winds.

pm (1 Low 9.04 pm (0.5). i.