The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 1

qrTWTM 'mm'. Acmw FRIDAY 143rd Year No. 44,407 10 OCTOBER 1997 COc 1 Yeunir A wmeir jarv-iv. 1 'i -g (I II tl 3 Crombie, -hangs one of Serrano's ft rate to fal i 1 it i A fl ,1 Wmmmm for Piss Christ to hang alongside other Serrano photographs at the National Gallery of Victoria from tomorrow. But Dr Pell was not conceding defeat.

Although disappointed with the decision, he said the bid to ban the work had been "very qtjjiywua church fcwly Work Hang time: The senior curator at the National Gallery, hobel photographs while, below, Dr George Pell reflects on the controversy. Picture: MICHAEL CtAYTON-JONES 0, but Pell claims moral win Serrano 1, By GARETH BOREHAM, state political reporter Most Victorian property owners and pensioners will save money while tenants and low-income families could be hit with significantly higher bills in a $1.3 billion shake-up of the state's water industry. As the state moves to a user-pays system, it will abolish property value-based water and sewerage charges and replace them with a flat fee and a charge based on consumption. Announcing his promised financial reward for Victorians, the Premier, Mr Jeff Kennett, said the package would provide a fairer system and encourage conservation of "liquid Mr Kennett denied the changes, which come into effect fron January, were a precursor to the privatisation of water. Government says the changes will cut water bills by ah'average 18 per cent, or $120, year.

While water and sewerage rates will be cut, usage Charges will increase. iThe system was criticised as inequitable by welfare groups and financial counsellors. Family of 5 down $200,000 house Single parent family $198 $80,000 flat down $1 $16 Small business down $800,000 office $1624 $1662 i Detailed table PgeA4 1 1 1 r- 'I Ml 1 PS tion as "serious Christians" would not want to attend. In his ruling, Justice Harper said he had no doubt the photograph would be deeply offensive to many Christians, but there were a number of reasons not to grant an injunction. Dr Pell, in his submission to the court, had said the publication of the photograph would amount to a common law misdemeanor of blasphemous libel and was indecent or obscene under the Summary Offences Act.

Justice Harper said Piss Christ showed the crucified Christ as if enveloped in a mist infused with the colors of a red Continued: PAGE A2 PAGE A2: More reports. PAGE A18: Editorial, Latinlg. PAGE A19: Blasphemy or bad taste? METRO 5: ArtSDML Beacqn Cove Cm. Sum Mm Picture: JASON SOUTH symbols, whether religious or irreligious," Dr Pell said. He described the Piss Christ as a "disgustingly entitled" and "very, ordinary piece of art" that aimed to insult Christians.

But he said it was unnecessary to urge church members to boycott the exhibi The Labor leader, Mr John Brumby, said the package was the greatest con job in five years of coalition rule. "The winners out of this will be the Premier's millionaire mates and wealthy householders in blue-ribbon Liberal areas like Toorak, Brighton and Kew," he said. In Parliament, Mr Brumby produced an analysis showing that a Frankston family in a $110,000 home would pay $52 a year more for water while a Brighton household would save $826. Mr Kennett conceded there would be some increase for "people with low-value properties but high But for 5000 properties adversely affected the rise would be less than $1 a week. Mr.

Gavin Dufty, a Victorian Council for Social Services policy adviser, said up to 400,000 homes could be disadvantaged. The Government's claim that 85 per cent of homes would be better off related only to property owners, not tenants, he said. The Treasurer, Mr Alan Stock-dale, said the increased charges for tenants and the scrapping of rates for landlords would "reduce the fuel" for rent rises. But a spokeswoman for the Tenants' Union, Ms Lisa Wil-kins, said experience showed rents did not reflect decreases in landlords' water costs. The package also invests $450 million into regional authorities to improve rural water quality and infrastructure, creating more than 500 jobs, Mr Kennett said.

The Government estimates 90 per cent of properties owned by pensioners will have reduced water bills. Traditionally low users of water, pensioners have been disadvantaged because property values do not necessarily reflect their ability to pay. PAGE A4: Reports. PAGE A18: Editorial. was time to abandon using veins in the grafting process and opt instead for artery grafts.

Data collated by a University of Melbourne group shows that, after 13 years, only 1.5 in 10 artery grafts become blocked. Surgeons from countries such as Japan and France yesterday carried out operations at. the hospital to show the gathered experts at the Conference on Complete Arterial Grafting other potential sites for harvesting arteries for grafting. In future, patients are likely to have three artery grafts per procedure, rather than one artery and two vein grafts. One combination involves grafting two internal thoracic arteries and a radial artery (from the arm).

Another involves two radial arteries and an internal thoracic artery. But using a gastroepiploic artery (from the stomach) also has promise. Further, "skeletonised" arterial grafts involving thoracic arteries from which tissue is removed also promise to give patients more mileage. mm support given to our stand right across the community." While the legal action had directed extra attention to the Serrano exhibition, it had also "guaranteed front-page discussion of the rights of minorities, the rights of the majority and the importance of sacred New surgery to Business supports gas emission cuts survival rate "I have been heartened by the immense support given to our stand right across the community." Archbishop Dr George Pell "You might ask what was achieved," Dr Pell said. "There is now a heightened awareness of the necessity for public standards in our Australian society and useful discussion on just where the limits should be set.

I have also been heartened by the immense sands of jobs and billions of dollars in potential investment in energy and energy-intensive export industries. The survey on environmental realism, by KPMG and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, found that 69 per cent of directors regarded environmental measures as a cost but also as an opportunity for innovation leading to improved commercial performance, And 87 per cent believed environmental action was good public relations. Australia's call for leniency has found little support among OECD nations in the lead-up to December's climate change conference in Kyoto, Japan. Europe is pushing for a uniform 15 per cent reduction below 1990 levels by 2010, while Japan has put forward a 5 per cent target with flexibility so that Australia's target would be 1.8 per cent. Other countries support differentiation but on the basis that the worst polluters, like Australia, are penalised.

PAGE A10: Job loss questioned. Hue 4 Bedroom Tl 1 TT By TIM PEGLER and PETER GREGORY As public brawls go, yesterday's main event involving the archbishop v. the artist was a curious affair. Neither the Archbishop, Dr George Pell, nor the object of his fury, the American artist Andres Serrano, bothered turning up at the Supreme Court of Victoria to hear the decision. Serrano, who had just arrived from New York, probably wanted to sleep, or hide.

And perhaps the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne had a hunch which way the decision would go. Officially, he lost. Yesterday morning, Justice David Harper formally rejected Dr Pell's plea to ban the public display of Piss Christ, Serrano's controversial photographic depiction of the crucifix immersed in urine. The decision cleared the way KlinVs world record blitz Melbourne's Michael Klim (above) last night broke the world 100 metre butterfly record at the Australian swimming titles In Brisbane. His record came after a controversial false start when the finalists swam 65 metres before being stopped by officials.

SPORTS FRIDAY: Report Jims TIKI i I I JDavsiae nouses. By STEVE DOW, health editor New coronary artery surgery techniques that promise to dramatically improve patients' survival were unveiled at a Melbourne conference yesterday. The new techniques will fundamentally change the way Australian surgeons perform bypass grafts to improve blood flow through the heart, the most common operation in adult cardiac surgery. The standard practice in Australia is for surgeons to graft a vein taken from each leg as well as one artery (the internal thoracic artery from inside the chest) to a key coronary artery. But local data presented to the conference shows that, after 13 years, seven out of 10 vein grafts become blocked.

Blocked grafts can lead to heart attacks, further operations and death. A world leader in the field, Professor Brian Buxton of the Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre, where the conference began yesterday, said it By CLAIRE MILLER, Canberra The Federal Government's hard-line stance against greenhouse gas reductions has failed to win the support of Australian business. Two-thirds of 630 company directors in a national survey across a range of sectors supported global reduction targets for Australia, with 70 per cent of those favoring a legally binding agreement. However, directors were almost evenly divided on how targets should be set, with 50 per cent supporting a uniform goal across all countries and 48 per cent supporting different targets reflecting local economic conditions. The Prime Mr John Howard, said this week the Government would not sign an agreement unless Australia was allowed to continue increasing emissions.

He said binding, uniform targets would unfairly damage the economy, costing tens of thou J. jC'A a lit 0 9 I Big, briUiant, freestanJing home Two ftoieya of gun-nlleJ luxury with magnificent city views, JesigneJ to maximize the wonder of seaside living. Impeccably finished and meticulously detailed throughout, a io J'': phis private courtyards and gardens. mu 1 i if I ffonvif it 1.