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

6 ht Pornin pferalb FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 1998 Our on-the-nose politicians score the donkey vote Poor management of crowds and the staging of events -leading to the periodic closure of the Dome at peak times is worryingthe Olympic Coordination Authority. International Olympic Committee representatives will visit the site today to assess such issues as crowd flow. The OCA'S director-general, Mr David Richmond, said the Royal Agricultural Society "was obviously going to have to look at how to manage some of the more popular A "classic example" had been putting an attraction promoting the popgroupthe Spice Girls "near one of the The resultant congestion had prompted closure of the pavilion, even though pedestrian traffic "at the other end of the hall" was negligible. Mr Richmond said the RAS needed to consider whether the popular and congested woodchop program "might be extended into the evening" to provide "more opportunity for people to see what is a very popular He conceded the RAS had had possession of the site for only two months, and that "we have all got a lot to learn about how we work the crowd The RAS chief executive, Mr Roger Perkins, said exit and entry points into the Dome precinct of the Showground would be realigned, with "substantially more exit points and Today, 400 buses and 20 trains per hour will handle crowds of up to 60,000 an hour by rail and 20,000 an hour by bus, the biggest test so far for the Olympic Park transport infrastructure. ANTHONY HOY down.

Equal second are Keating and Bart Simpson. And who attracts the least interest? "Fred Flintstone and Derryn Hinch," says Joy. "The kids of today have never seen Fred, and Derryn's sort of died out now." Joy does a pretty good job of spruiking on, hit Paul in the but she's no match for Marie Gleeson, with her throw-the-ball-into-the-milk-can stall down at the other end of Sideshow Alley. Indisputably, Marie is The Greatest Spruiker at The Show. She's right when she says: "Everyone copies off me, all around the Showground." Her high-speed spiel includes: "Only one dollar to play, one dollar today.

You'll never never know if you don't have a go. Come on in from near and far, this is where the prizes are. One of the oldest games in town, one of the oldest games around. Come a little bit closer and you will see, come a little bit closer, win a prize on me. Come on over, come on in, grab a ball and pop it in." And so on.

You'd think Marie Gleeson had been spruiking all her life. In fact, she found her calling only five years ago, when she was 40. Before that she was a car detailer. She was on a stall at the Show hen the two men alternating as spruikers both lost their voices, and she had to fill in. Now she tours the country nine months of the year (her car number plates say yelling from 8.15 am to 1030 pm, with half-hour breaks for lunch and dinner.

Yes, she gets hoarse, and she gets headaches. But she loves it: "I'll never give this up till the day I die." By DAVID DALE So it has come to this. One of the hottest stalls in Sideshow Alley at the Show this year features Paul Keating's face on the buttocks of a mule. The words "Ya scumbag" are emerging from his mouth. If you hit his nose with a baseball, the mule kicks a fluffy purple slipper into the air and you win a stuffed animal.

If you don't fancy whacking Keating, other mules' bums are decorated with Saddam Hussein, Bob Hawke, Derryn Hinch, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Bart Simpson and Fred Flintstone. Joy Davenport, a sideshow person from way back, runs the stall. Her dad used to build merry-go-rounds, and he operated one on Manly Pier for years. Joy spends 44 weeks a year taking her Kicking Mules round Australia. Before the Mules, she toured Laughing Clowns and Pluck a Duck.

So why isn't John Howard available for whacking? "The lady who paints the faces for us has just had a baby, so we're a bit behind the times," says Joy. "But by the time we reach the Brisbane show in August, John Howard will be there, and we'll also have John Laws and Pauline Hanson. We get our most requests for Pauline Hanson." It's apparent that Joy's mules need some updating from the fact that Bart Simpson is labelled "Kerry Packets" and Kylie Minogue is labelled "Sirgio Those names will also be fixed before Brisbane. At Homebush this year, the favourite face for whacking is Saddam Hussein so much so that yesterday his mule broke "momentous" case was an important test of the legal status of Western Division leases, which cover about 40 per cent of NSW. The association had advice that these leases extinguished native title.

However, the State Government instantly branded the case a A spokesman for the Minister for Land and Water Conservation, Mr Amery, claimed the Federal Government had orchestrated the test case with the NSW Fanners' Association. The State Government had different legal advice to that of the fanners' body. Following the High Court's Wik finding that 1' Whacko Joy Davenport's mules, top, Marie Gleeson in action, right. Photos by andrew taylor Test case in 'momentous' native title battle Farming family fires first There has been a native title claim on our land for nearly two years, which has resulted in a lot of uncertainty for us about the future. below left, and Sideshow Alley, having to fight native title issues through the courts, the council favoured an over-arching agreement with the NSW Fanners' Association and the Government "There are legal problems, but it comes back to the intransigence of the State Government in not wanting to process applications for change of use on these leases in case they have to pay any compensation to native title holders in the future," he said.

Mr Ridgeway, a member of the National Indigenous Working Group, said the Federal Government was also to blame for legal uncertainties about Western Division leases because By AMANDA PHELAN and DEBRA JOPSON A farming couple yesterday began a Supreme Court test case which could last two years, aimed at proving native title does not exist in the State's western pastoral leases. Doug and Annette Wilson of Lightning Ridge assisted by legal aid and backed by the NSW Farmers' Association are opposing a native title claim on their sheep and wheat farm, claiming they have not been able to change the way they use their land. The chief executive of the NSW Farmers' Association, Mr Peter Comensoli, said the traditional activities of grazing sheep and cattle," he said. "Sustainable agricultural developments such as horticulture, irrigation, viticulture and farm tourism are all on hold until we know for certain whether or not native title exists on this land." The executive director of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, Mr Aden Ridgeway, said the issue of whether native title existed in pastoral leases in NSW needed to be clarified. However, instead of TODAY'S JUDGING SHOW JUDGING Cats (Persian, Birnian, Exotic, Ragdoll, Turkish Van and Maine Coon) Dogs (Pomeranian, Tibetan Spaniel, Yorkshire Terrier, Brittany, Labrador, Retriever, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Fauve De Bretagne, Basset Hound, Bloodhound, Blueb'ck Coonhound, Foxhound, Hamittonstovare, Harrier, Otterhound, Petite Basset Griffon Vendeen, Bullmastiff, Samoyed, Keeshond, Pekingese) Horses Horticulture (roses, foliage flowering or berry plants, orchids, ferns, decorative, bridal class, floral art display) Woodchopping (1.12pm 325mm world championship tree felling, 3.28pm 300mm standing cut handicap, 4.24pm 325mm Show championship standing cut, 5.16pm GOOmm team of two, standing cut butchers block handicap) TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS 1pm Precision driving team 1.15pm The Flying Gollans 1.25pm Skyshow Spectacular 1.35pm Stunt cars 4.35pm Easter Polo Challenge 5.35pm The Flying Gollans 6.30pm Grand Parade 7.45pm Fireworks 8.00pm Motor Bike Stunt Rider 8.25pm Chariot Racing 8.40pm Precision Driving Team Students' bid for suicide soap story University students have sent the producers of two popular television soapies a storyline they say shows the potential disastrous consequences of the Federal Government's common youth allowance.

The University of South Australia Student Association (USASA) released an open letter yesterday to the producers of Neighbours and Home and Away with a story idea it said was more realistic than the Government's idea of presenting the allowance in a positive light. The move came in response to a leaked government document revealing suggestions -that Department of Social Security staff negotiate with television producers to include storylines on the common youth allowance in the soaps. The USASA's storyline involves an 18-year-old unemployed person who is dependent on his or her family until the age of 21. The family become annoyed because they cannot support the teenager, causing the young person to leave home. The unemployed person lives on the streets and turns to theft or prostitution, develops a drug dependency and commits suicide.

"We understand that this storyline is pretty heavy and may actually cause some distress to viewers," the letter said. "However we remind you that as Australia has one of the highest teenage suicide rates in the world, we are sure that a large proportion of your audience will identify strongly with it" USASA president Mr Joe Hay said the students felt they had to go to the worst extreme to get their point across. "It was a statement to the producers that this is a more realistic scenario, but mainly to the Australian community that, the Government would stoop to this level of propaganda," Mr Hay said. AAP judges "He said he made no allegations to you orDrC another witness codename that a video existed at all," Mr Jones said. Another committee member, Mr Peter Primrose, questioned Mrs Arena over an allegation that she attempted to dissuade one of her witnesses, a convicted pedophile and armed robber codenamed from recanting previous evidence.

The committee will decide if Mrs Arena should be expelled from Parliament after claiming last year that the Premier, the Opposition Leader, Mr Collins, the Police Royal Commissioner, Justice James Wood, and senior ALP figures had conspired to cover up pedophilia in high places. The committee's report is expected to be prepared early next month. QC's idea might have saved Despite the bluster, PM no rush for an native title can exist in pastoral leases, the State had proceeded on the basis that this included Western division leases, he said. The Wilsons, who have three children, claim they, like thousands of other farmers, have been hamstrung by the Wik decision. "There has been a native title claim on our land for nearly two years, which has resulted in a lot of uncertainty for us about the future," they said in a statement.

"It means we're not sure what compromise leaving the Government's "threshold test" to register native title claims intact Harradine let the Government keep its lucky break to sweeten any right-to-negotiate arrangement. On Tuesday, the day before the final Senate vote, at a meeting attended by Howard's native title adviser Catherine Murphy, the PM's Wik Task Force gave Harradine the PM's offer on the "right to It comprised a more restrictive procedure, but with a rider the committee could make rights anyone else may have on our land, and whether we can continue to choose what sort of things we can do to keep ahead of changing markets." Western Division properties were affected by at least 20 native title claims, Mr Comensoli said. "The NSW Government is currently unable to process development applications which require a change in lease purpose, meaning fanners are effectively unable to diversify away from the the day not decisions, and the recommendation would go to the State mining minister for approval. The difference was crucial -Harradine was incensed that the Government would put up something that was simply not credible, and that the constituency Howard was so faithfully serving at the expense of blacks the miners was made so overt. The next morning, Harradine's lawyers met Minchin in his office with a checklist of differences in the two ideas.

Harradine again gave away everything, except the "recommendatory" demand. Yesterday afternoon, Howard met Harradine, indicating he would do his best to sell the plan to the States. Harradine visited Howard's office one more time. He was shattered when he left at 7.20 pm. Queensland and Western Australian had said no.

After taking his conscience to the brink to avoid a race election and achieve a national consensus on a great moral issue, Harradine left Parliament House a broken man. The Prime Minister in the House of Representatives during the special sitting yesterday. Photograph by andrew meares shot it had rejected Senate amendments yesterday which would have gone a long way to solving the problems. The secretary of Australians for Native Title, Sydney banister Mr Simeon Beckett, called on farmers to resist getting into "an endless round of litigation" and to negotiate instead. "You can throw your hands up and say we will run off to the High Court' on every minor issue to do with native title, or you can sit down and negotiate.

Plenty of Aboriginal people in the Western land division who are maintaining they have native title want to negotiate." election an even worse position in the Senate than if it held a "normal" half-Senate election. John Howard knows that the world may look very different, and the pressures on him may change dramatically, in coming months. So, despite telling Cabinet and the party room that there would definitely be a double dissolution, despite government MPs and observers in Canbena believing there will be a double dissolution, John Howard was not prepared to commit himself to one yesterday. And as for the possibility of using race as an election issue, he doesn't see any relevance in what the Liberal Party does with Pauline Hanson's preferences. A race election, he said, depends upon attitudes, words and the use made of political differences in relation to race.

But not, apparently, whether the Government gives any comfort to, or gains any succour from, Pauline Hanson's attitudes or words. of newspaper clippings, letters, Hansard reports, statutory declarations and personal notes, contained large slabs of censored evidence and code-names so on-going court proceedings were not jeopardised. Transcripts of her evidence to the committee on March 24, also released yesterday, show Mrs Arena was repeatedly asked to answer questions put to her by committee members. Mrs Arena maintained that her answers were contained in her submission. Committee member Mr Richard Jones told Mrs Arena that one of her informants, codenamed who had made allegations to her about a pedophilic video being made at a hotel, had phoned his office earlier that day and made abusive comments.

By MARGO KINGSTON In a NSW Bar Association conference room in February, Ron Castan, QC, acting free of charge for Aborigines, floated the idea that nearly saved Australia from a race election. Labor lawyers, indigenous leader Noel Pearson, shadow attorney-general Nick Bolkus, and Brian Harradine's barrister Jeff Kildea, had gathered yet again to try to find a way out for John Howard. Castan proposed a partly semantic exercise to remove the emotion from the "right to negotiate" with miners on pastoral leases. Instead, it would be called "the non-exclusive area impact The States would oversee a procedure of notification and mediation with native title claimants. As a last resort, an independent committee would make a ruling, subject to override by the State Government if the decision was in the "State It was a big symbolic concession, but Harradine agreed to absoi the flak he was in the unique position of being answerable to no-one but his conscience.

By Tuesday, after weeks of John Howard may appear to have brought us to the brink on native title. But as befits his politically cautious nature, he is in reality leaving his options open about election timing and election strategy. Despite his talk about how Wik must be settled, about the right of the people to decide, and his angry rejection of suggestions that a Wik poll would be a race poll, Mr Howard is not in a hurry for an election. Yesterday he wouldn't even lock himself into definitely holding a double dissolution polL The reason? The Prime Minister says there is plenty of "policy water to flow under the political bridge before the next election takes place" specifically the May Budget, and the tax statement a couple of months after that There is also the Queensland election, which could change everything, and there are the Coalition's numbers in the Senate. John Howard's tough posi- private talks with government lawyers, Harradine and Labor believed the deal was done on the other sticking points.

On the sunset clause, the Coalition would wear its abolition, dressed up with a "Clayton's sunset clause" to save face for Howard. On subjecting the bill to the Racial Discrimination Act, after the Senate voted to keep the clause, the Government offered to wear it with a technical amendment. hen the Greens and Democrats voted down a Harradine Arena submission names five LAURA TINGLE ANALYSIS tion on Wik has always been driven by pressure from the Queensland National Party. The Queensland poll which could be called any time between now and September is likely to be heavily influenced by Wik. The Borbidge Government is lagging significantly behind Labor so the outcome could have a huge impact on the internal dynamics of the Coalition.

It should also tell us a lot about the influence in the north of race and Pauline Hanson. At the same time, the political reality is that a double dissolution will put the Government in knitting needle jabbed "into his willy" by a Melbourne woman; another letter warned Mrs Arena that "certain top Protestant North Shore lawyers" were out to get her for "exposing Judge The attachments, consisting EUROPEAN DESIGNER CLOTHING SALE WINTER 1 998 NEW COLLECTIONS AT up to Child fourth dingo victim A three-year-old Norwegian girl has become the fourth victim of a dingo attack on Fraser Island, off the south-east Queensland coast. Park rangers shot the dog after it bit and scratched the girl, who was camping with her family at Lake McKenzie on Saturday afternoon, said a spokeswoman for Queensland's Environment Minister, Mr Brian Littleproud. The incident, which came to light yesterday, was the second dingo attack on Fraser Island last Saturday and less than a fortnight after attacks on two British tourists. The Department of Environment has increased its public awareness campaign about the dingoes on the island and new brochures Be Dingo Smart will be issued with camping permits.

By DAMIEN MURPHY Documents tendered by the Upper House MP Mrs Franca Arena in support of her claims of a judicial and political cover-up of highly placed pedophiles comprise a compendium of bizane tales and practices and second- or third-hand information and allegations. Mrs Arena's submission forms the basis of her allegations to the Upper House Standing Committee on. Parliamentary Privileges and Ethics investigating her claim of an executive-level cover-up. Mrs Arena had accused investigating MPs of bias in publication of edited transcripts of her evidence but yesterday the committee released her entire submission, 57-page statement and a five- SUMMER DESIGNER IMPORTS at BELOW COST PRADA COMME DES GARCONS JOSEPH LAWRENCE STEELE MARTI NE SITBON VALENTINO ROMEO GIGLI CIO MM 6 SOES SAGS PFSflMfS DON'T MISS OUT PADD1M6T0M TOWN HALL page supplementary statement with 42 attachments. She named five judges in the documents.

Among her letters tendered to the committee was one relating how a masturbating man on a train who preyed on girls had a (OXFORD STREET, PADDINGTON) OPEN TODAY ENDS MONDAY 7PM.