The Age du lieu suivant : Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 1

ACTE 4 FRIDAY 7 NOVEMBER 1997 144th Year No. 44,430 COc Comedy from the Trainspotting team Love hate and rovongo Jcnot speaks her mind Why the Kiwio are in trouble SPORTS FRIDAY EG METRO NEWS TIHI iTX fie iMtadl message mm joMess dnve OUT OF WORK underpinned a strong fall in the overall state unemployment rate from 9 per cent in September to 8.4 per cent last month. But the job figures again sent mixed messages. There were 10,200 new jobs for men, nearly all full-time, and 9300 fewer jobs for women, nearly all part-time, leaving overall job growth of just 900 in the state. The real improvement came because an estimated 13,300 people vanished from the unemployment queue last month.

This cut the number of job seekers in Victoria to fewer than 200,000 for the first time since July last year. The national unemployment rate fell from 8.6 per cent in September to a 15-month low of 8.4 per cent. This was primarily due to almost 19,000 people giving up looking for work. The news came as the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Mr Ian Macfarlane, hinted at the possibility of another interest-rate cut if inflation remained low. Mr Macfarlane spoke confidently about the economy to a parliamentary committee, paying he believed it was already By PHILLIP HUDSON and TIM COLEBATCH, Canberra Victoria's unemployment rate has fallen to a 20-month low due to a surge in full-time jobs for men and disgruntled job seekers giving up.

the search. The. jobless rate for men in the state plunged from 9.3 to 8. 1 per cent to be at its lowest level since December 1990, the Bureau of Statistics revealed yesterday. The dramatic improvement growing at 4 per cent a year with more stimulus in the pipeline from five interest-rate cuts over the past 18 months.

But he said that growth would be reduced by Asia's financial crisis, although it was too early to tell by how much. And he warned that unemployment would fall only slowly. Yesterday's job figures marked the first time since April 1996 that Victoria has matched the national jobless rate. The Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry policy director, Mr Ste 15 to 19-year-olds looking for a full-time job. ANZ securities economists said the job figures were disappointing and said another interest-rate cut would be needed.

"We estimate that as many as 160,000 people who have left the labor force will re-enter when employment finally picks up, implying an adjusted unemployment rate of 9.9 per cent, so the unemployment rate should remain high for some time an incentive for the RBA to cut rates one more time." PAGE B1: More reports. ven Shepherd, said the increase in full-time jobs for men would have been generated in the automotive parts industry and across the services sector. He suggested the loss of part-time jobs for women would have been mostly from textile, clothing and footwear cutbacks. The unemployment rate for Victorian women rose from 8.7 to 8.9 per cent. The federal Employment Minister, Dr David Kemp, said the October figures were pleasing, given that the number of people with a job fell by only 200 nationwide after the 74,700 new-job surge in September.

"The general prospects for the economy are very optimistic," he said. The Federal Opposition employment spokesman, Mr Martin Ferguson, said: "The fall in the (national) unemployment rate to 8.4 per cent is almost entirely due to another fall in the participation rate as people give up hope of finding work." The teenage jobless rate rose from 26.9 per cent in September to a three-month high of 27.7 per cent in October, with 87,300 States seek $10b income tax share i-f1 mmmr i 1 1 ir sjaf i iir 'js i at any serious tax reform package must include a broad-based indirect tax. Although all leaders agreed the tax system needed fundamental reform, continued opposition from NSW and Queensland blocked the Prime Minister's attempt to secure unanimous backing for a significant widening of the tax net. It is understood that during the meeting, the NSW Premier, Mr Bob Carr, did not explicitly express his opposition to a broad-based indirect tax, but reminded coalition leaders that Labor policy was to oppose a GST, a stance that wduld -not change. "I will be campaigning against it," he said later.

The Queensland Premier, Mr Rob Borbidge, soon to face a state election, told the meeting he was not opposed to the tax in principle, but believed the concept remained deeply unpopular with voters. It is understood Mr Howard sought endorsement for a draft communique that included a reference to open dialogue in support of a broad-based tax, but this was rejected. However, most leaders emerged claiming significant progress had been achieved in establishing a clear framework for the tax reform debate. Mr Kennett said he was convinced the Howard Government was serious about tax reform. "They have the commitment to do what is necessary and I'm excited by it," he said.

PAGE A7: Reports. aB SSSSSSSSSBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBSllMsMasJlTsI If -fc SlSMa S1 I Ml llUMIIIM sTM Fashionable place: Fasfiion was a Hfgf fntmtif at yesterdays Ladies Day at SJemutttej. where a record 75.000 people enjoyed The Oaks: lipstick, stylish runners and a winning filly .815 (Wn 4 '810 80S am i79Q, Source: ABS Picture: JOE ARMAO use the word "cruising" to describe Kensington Palaces win and they got It just right. Melbourne, or more specifically Its women, have taken the Oaks and Its trappings to their bosom. The train to the races Is full of women In hap- ContlnuedrPAGE A SPORTS FRIDAY: Report.

i i3T 1 of those races and more. But you never build up a resistance to the drug of victory. Your hands shake, your mind rattles. The only antidote is defeat After Kensington Palace had won the VRC Oaks like a Rolls-Royce would win a billy-cart race, Halns was asked about the filly's dam, Reganza. His mind in a muddle, he pulled out a record of all his horses to jog his memory.

Long and detailed, the columns specified sire, dam, trainer, goal and a column "As of October 1997." As helpful as this was, he could not read It clearly for the papers danced in his hands. They were as undisciplined as "In a way, we have bought back the farm." While Coon cheese is only made in Australia, the cheese, In fact, takes its name from an American, Dr Edward William Coon, In honor of his special cheese ripening techniques. The cheddar was first manufactured in 1935. Kraft also still owns Australia's best-loved spread, Yfegemlte. Coon and the other former Kraft labels are manufactured In Victoria at the Simpson and Allansford plants.

The 250 staff at the two plants will be retained and the plants are likely to be expanded, Mr Tooth said. Dairy Farmers also owns the Ski and Oak, Bornhoffen and Malanda brands. The group made a net profit of $31.8 million In the 199697 financial year, on sales of $992 million. gm ii i III I I 11 1 iia in wi UIJU 11111 1 By TONY PARKINSON and PHILLIP HUDSON, Canberra State governments would get a guaranteed $10 billion share of personal income tax collections under a radical tax reform option put to the Howard Government at yesterday's meeting of the Council of Australian Governments. It is understood the Victorian Premier, Jeff Kennett, floated a proposal for the states to receive five-cents-in-the-dollar of all income tax receipts.

The plan acknowledges the handover to the states of this revenue stream could only occur in a reform package that included a broad-based tax on goods and services. It would involve a trade-off in which the states would surrender their untied grants, and would no longer levy financial institutions duties and conveyancing taxes. Mr Kennett raised the plan during a three-hour discussion of tax reform with the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, the Treasurer, Mr Peter Costello, and all state and territory leaders. One of Mr Kennett's counterparts revealed later that the proposal was given "a big thumbs-up" by his state colleagues, although neither the Prime Minister nor Treasurer gave a firm commitment in response. At the meeting behind closed doors at Parliament House, Mr Howard appealed to the premiers to demonstrate "cooperative leadership" and accept that ARtNiiooneAfepuje EeM VMS I () iivinw.iw ree get A NAB profit hits record Outstanding growth by the National Australia Banks overseas Interests drove the group to a record $2.22 billion net profit for the year to September.

The resultthat con- firms NAB status Australia's most profitable company, was a S.8 per cent improvement on last year, an outcome that dli- gulsed a dismal return from the core Australian business. PAGE B1: Report. 'I if! -'-'J Children see mum killed in ambush Farmers unite to buy back the farm his mind. It Is the drug. The win was perfect for lots of reasons.

The filly was the best in the race, Damien Oliver's ride was perfect, Lee Freedman Anally got his second group one win after five seconds this spring and it was in front of the biggest Oaks crowd In history 75,482 up 7000 on last years record. Cool MODEL TLS0 9h i Oaks Day. Oliver says 'geez, shes a good little horse" Jockeyspeak for "I think I may have ridden a budding Freedman, rendered speechless after Tuesday's Melbourne Cup when Dorie-mus lost on the line, said: "We'll never forget the one Tuesday but this helps make, up for it." The Halns family fiti M. 7 i By PATRICK SMITH David Halns has a lipstick kiss on his cheek and a tremble In his hands. It happens when you own the winner of the Oaks.

Even if you have done It twice before. Even if you have won Melbourne cups. Cox plates and derbies. Halns has bred the winners The gunman and his driver fled in the Commodore. It was later discovered burnt out in Farrell Street, Niddrie.

The three children ten-year-old Scott, five-year-old Ashley and three-year-old Holly were taken from the car after the shooting to a nearby fish and chip shop, where they were looked after by staff. The two boys; still in school uniforms, and their sister, clutching a teddy bear, were later taken away by police for counselling. Police last night said they knew of no-motive for the killing. Detective Senior Sergeant Ron Iddles, of the homicide squad, said at least two and pos-" sibly three shots were fired at Ms Thurgood-Dove. He did not know what kind of gun was used.

He said the offenders' car, a metallic blue VN Commodore, registration DUKB26, had been seen in the area since about Continued: PAGE A2 iiiV 1 T' Aim A vvi ri By STEPHEN CAUCHI A woman was ambushed and shot dead in front of her three young children outside their home in Melbourne's northwest yesterday. Ms Jane Thurgood-Dove was gunned down in the driveway of her home in Muriel Street, Nid-drie, about 3.50 pm, when she returned after picking up two of her children from a local primary school. Police said Ms Thurgood-Dove had just parked her four-wheel-drive vehicle in front of the house when two men drove up behind her in a stolen blue Commodore and stopped across a neighbor's driveway. As she got out to open the gates, a man emerged from the Commodore and chased her briefly before shooting her two or three times. Ambulance officers who arrived shortly afterwards tried to revive Ms Thurgood-Dove, aged In her 30s, but she died at the scene.

"Ir-, i. VI If By KIRSTY SIMPSON Australlas flourishing dairy Industry has bought back sdme of Its oldest cheese brands, Including Coon and Cracker Barrel, reversing the trend of local Icons moving offshore. Tun Tarns, Aeroplane Jelly, Four 'N, Twenty pies and numerous other homegrown favorites have been sold off to foreign firms in recent years. But this time, American food giant Kraft has sold Its Coon, Cracker Barrel, Mil Lei and Fred Walker labels to Dairy Farmers, a collective of local farmers. "Dairy Farmers Is one hundred per cent Australian-owned by over 3000 Australian farmers and this acquisition reverses the trend of teeing Australian brands go offshore," the managing director, Mr Alan Tooth, said.

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