The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 16

16 THE AGE, Friday STATE POLITICS 18 October 1985 Cathie, teachers to meet! again today Cain stonewalls on Nunawading question The State Government and Victoria's main teacher unions will meet again today. The State Education Minister, Mr Cathie, said separate meetings with individual teacher unions today would aim to provide the basis for further negotiations to settle the long-running dispute. But teacher unions warned last night that a one-day statewide strike planned for primary, secondary and technical government schools next Tuesday would go ahead. The president of the Victorian Secondary Teachers Association, Mr Brian Henderson, said last night that the Government made teacher unions that they were prepared to negotiate over staffing levels from 1987 and beyond because the Government was to introduce a wider curriculum and the Victorian Certificate of Education, which i would replace the Higher School Certificate. Responding to the secondary teacher association's plan to seek estimated secondary school enrolment numbers under the Victorian Freedom of Information Act, Mr Cathie said that it was difficult to estimate accurately how the expected drop of 12,000 dents would be spread among primary, secondary: and technical schools.

JILL BAKER themselves in the political pro-; cess if they Mr Cain has said that one of his ministerial advisers, Mr Mike Sal-varis, has been interviewed by police investigating the Nunawading card. Be has said outside Parr liament that Mr Salvaris was ready to speak to police again, following an explanation of the ALP'S involvement in the matter by the ALP state secretary, Mr Peter Batchelor. Mr Cain said in Parliament yesterday that he was not going to bother himself answering questions such: as Mr Brown's. He said the Opposition could pursue the Nunawading tickets is- the Police Association had passed a motion of no confidence in him at its annual meeting. Mr Mathews launched himself into extravagant praise of his and the Government's efforts to improve police manning, equipment and accommodation.

His voice cracking, he said: "I go on to say that under my period as minister, the police force in Victoria has done better than in any comparable period of this state's history." The Speaker, Mr Edmunds, interrupted to note that "the house has worked itself up into considerable excitement It is fairly obvious the minister is not going to sue if it wished but said, "I am not 1 going to waste my time on rubbish i that you trot out here every Mr Cain's answer preceded an i extraordinary exchange between a National Party MP and the Min-i ister for Police and Emergency Services. Mr Mathews, whose 10- minute long, highly-colored answer to the MP's question had the Assembly in amused uproar. The speech served to break the strained atmosphere which has i clouded the Parliament this week, with angry exchanges between i the leaders of the three parties. The National Party's police spokesman, Mr McNamara, asked Mr Mathews if he would resign as By SIMON CLARKE The Premier, Mr Cain, yesterday declared that all public servants had the: right to get involved in political activity. Mr Cain was answering a question in Parliament from an Opposition frontbencher, Mr Brown, who asked if Mr Cain had been' interviewed by police investigating the Nunawading how-to-vote cards matter, or if he would volunteer himself for interview.

In a wide-ranging response in which he did not answer Mr Brown's specific point, Mr Cain said "all public servants have a right to work for and involve I 1 1 Mr Mathews; colorful speech broke strained atmosphere cattlemen links challenged Union representatives attack CainV policies The Premier, Mr Cain, came under fire from a number of unions last night when he addressed the Victorian Trades Hall Council on the Government's relationship with the union movement Unions representing nurses, teachers, painters, metalworkers and entertainment workers questioned the Government's stand on issues ranging from superannuation to the handling of disputes. During a rowdy question and answer session, a Builders' Laborers Federation member called out that Mr Cain belonged "with the and another BLF member reminded the Premier of the ALP's call for a public inquiry into the jailing of the BLF general secretary, Mr Norm Gallagher. Mr Cain defended the Government's record and said he was concerned that some employers and unions wanted to opt out of the wage indexation system. He warned that while there may be some short-term gains for the stronger unions in the long term such action would put at risk economic growth and the strategy of the accord. Mr Cain said all workers had gained from the Labor Government and reminded the Trades Hall Council delegates of what industrial relations would be like under a Liberal government TV reporter's By LOUISE BELLAMY A State Government backbencher, Mr Norris, claimed last night that Channel 10 reporter Jim Brown was reporting on the mountain cattlemen while simultaneously! being employed as a media adviser to the Mountain Cattlemen's Association during the Nunawading election campaign.

Mr Norris said Brown was responsible for stories on the cattlemen, one of which included footage of the actor Tim Burlinson from 'The Man From Snowy River. He questioned Brown's ethical standards and said that his link with the Liberal Party and the cattlemen should be investigated. The statements were made during the adjournment debate in no offer at yesterday's meeting that would resolve the dispute. Yesterday the ministers reminded the unions that the Government had tight budget constraints and priorities that had already been set in the budget "We had to provide new; money for nurse education, which is moving out of the hospitals into the colleges; for pre-school education, for three new TAFE colleges and additional staff in the TAFE sector for the youth guarantee scheme, youth traineeships; and for a 27 per cent increase in apprenticeship places," Mr Cathie said. y.

The. ministers again told the TELEPHONE: (03) vMU '(- i0 HtJaaH till fitful i tify (Kiii Malaysian PM You probably know us better as Civil Civic, Project Managers, but we're much more than that Lend Lease Victoria Inc. comprises II Civil Civic Lend Lease Technology Lend Lease Development Lena Lease Leisure all members of Australia's No. 1 property group. Because we've grown so much over the years, we have to find new, modern and suitable premises for our organisation, so we developed our own at 601 ST.

KILDA ROAD, MELBOURNE and that's exactly where you'll find us from MONDAY, 21 st OCTOBER, 1985. apartheid hypocrisy 522 6222. i By MICHELLE GRATTAN NASSAU, 17 Oct The Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir, who has boycotted two Commonwealth conferences, made his debut yesterday with a stinging attack on the Commonwealth itself, likened Israel to South Africa, and condemned; the United States. He was especially bitter about rich countries which criticised racism but would not bite the bullet when it came to action. Dr Mahathir, who only plans to stay for i half the CHOGM conference, has come for one purpose to protest about South Africa.

In his address as one of the seven opening speakers, he said he had a "jaundiced" view of the Commonwealth, which had failed to live up to its promise. "Malaysia's experience of the Commonwealth has not endeared the organisation to it" he said. "The bnly episode that we appreciate about the Commonwealth is when it expelled and made a pariah of South Africa." Dr Mahathir got the most enthusiastic reception of the speakers from guests at the opening. Gaii dhi and Rock want more Aboriginal rangers, guides i By KATE LEGGE CANBERRA. Representatives of the traditional Aboriginal owners of Uluru National Park said yesterday they hoped to use their influence on the new board of management to increase the number of Aboriginal rangers and tourist guides.

A legal adviser to the Pitjantjatjara Council, Mr Phillip Toyne, claimed it was wrong to assume that the handover was a symbolic gesture simply because the owners had agreed to lease the park back to the Commonwealth. "The handover is not mere tokenism," said Mr Toyne. "With the owners having a majority on the board of management they will have an important input into the park, and Aboriginality is going to be emphasised, with more Aboriginal rangers." A traditional owner, Mr Tony Tjamiwa, speaking through an interpreter, Mr Yami Lester, said the handover would give Aboriginal people more control. Mr Tjamiwa said: "It will make Aboriginal owners become strong and look after the park. Before, they were living by the woodheap down the back and tourist operators were in the front This time Aboriginal people will be controlling things." Mr Tjamiwa and Mr Lester stressed that all Australians would be free to visit Uluru just as they had in the past, but said they hoped tourists would respect Aboriginal ways.

"We're trying to understand them and respect their requests, but it's got to be a two-way thing," Mr Lester said. He denied reports that the owners wanted to remove a chain which enables visitors to climb the face of Ayers Rock. "They are not happy about people climbing up, but they accept that now," Mr Lester said. I The new board of management to be set up after the handover will comprise 11 members, including six Aborigines nominated by the owners. ii Mr Lester was concerned that the ceremony on 26 October might be disrupted by demonstrations because of the Northern Territory Government's campaign against the handover, which he de- Scribed ss racist Mr Tjamiwa said the NT Chief Minister, Mr Tux-worth, should cancel his plans to visit a tourist complex outside the park on the day before the handover.

"He's been going around like a sulky child," said Mr Tjamiwa. "On the celebration day be should not come." Parliament Mr Matthews, representing the Attorney-General, said Brown's "pro-Liberal story" should be referred to the police. Brown said he was friendly with people in the cattlemen's association but had never acted as a media adviser for them. Opposed He said his first connection with the cattlemen had been in September last year when he reported their walk to Parliament where they opposed the proposed continuous alpine park from Victoria to NSW. "That was the last news story I have done on them," he said.

Brown also denied that he bad ever met Burlinson, or done a news story on him. CHOGM He said that if the Commonwealth was to continue, it must achieve tangible and meaningful results for its members. "It must give some substance to the term 'common wealth', particularly for poorer members," he said. Dr Mahathir lashed out at Israel for "hideous" behavior and lambasted "powerful countries who applauded it "We do not approve of international terrorism by individuals or organisations, whatever the reasons," he said. But in a reference to the US's initial approval of Israel's raid on Tunisia, he said, "for any rational administration to approve of terrorism by the governments of countries is to desert completely international wait for persuasion to work? The Pretoria regime is impervious to reason Zimbabwe's Prime Minister, Mr Mugabe, said the United Nations general assembly had already voted for the imposition of economic sanctions against South Africa.

(This is withost force unless endorsed by the security council.) "It is our conviction, therefore, that an unequivocal and ed. These include bans on the sale of krugerrands and on bank loans and some investment Mr Hawke urged that the pro-' cess should start soon. "We haven't, got unlimited time," he said. The first range of sanctions should start if there was no progress by the end of the year or i early next year. Mr Hawke, who meets Mrs Thatcher this morning, before the South African debate starts, said it was important to try to get Britain to understand "that we are not here wishing to talk about sanctions for the sake of Mr Hawke is promoting a two-pronged approach: the negative prong is escalating sanctions and the positive one is his committee of eminent people who would lay down an agenda for reform in South Africa.

Australian officials still have little idea of what chance there is of Mrs Thatcher moving. Mr Hawke said he believed that the Commonwealth would still act even if Britain held out But everyone recognised that to have maximum effect Britain had to agree ylHMz. ulifilinpj I 5 Mugabe demand mandatory sanctions He said he did make a documentary on the poet Banjo Pater-son entitled 'Banjo's Australia', which was televised on 12 August this year. This was about the poet not the cattlemen. Brown said the documentary was filmed on a Mansfield property owned by the cattlemen's liaison officer, Mr Graeme Stoney.

because "it was a perfect The director of news at Channel 10, Mr John O'Loan, said he was not aware that Brown had acted as a media adviser for the cattlemen. i -i; i He said Brown, like; other reporters, had done stories on the mountain cattlemen, but the story which included footage of Burlinson had been reported by another Channel 10 reporter, Jane Phelan. slams Turning to South Africa, Dr Mahathir said it was a regime unlike any other, a total pariah, which legalised what was morally "Minority is majority. Slavery is freedom. Ghettos are nations.

Like Israel, they respect no international norms. Boundaries are not sacred to the racists of South Africa," he said. But the racist regime continued to survive, he said, "because people who are fond of criticising alleged racism in developing countries are not prepared to do anything about the most blatant racist regime in the j- "Malaysia does not trade with South Africa," be said: We deprive ourselves of substantial revenue by so doing. But those whose applications of sanctions are likely to bring South Africa to its knees have any number of arguments why they should not apply sanctions. i "It sanctions can help destroy a despicable policy like apartheid, then sanctions must be applied and they must be applied by those who can hurt most; by the countries with the biggest economic clout" collective voice of the Commonwealth in support of the general assembly wUl go a long way towards demonstrating to the intransigent racists in Pretoria that the civilised world can no longer tolerate its horrid policies and practices," Mr Mugabe said.

The Commonwealth has a collective moral responsibility to assist towards meaningful change in South Africa." to any measures, he said, i He said Mr Ramphal had indicated that he hoped Mr Hawke could act as a bridge! and President Kaunda thought Australia's role would be important Mr Ramphal wants to use Mr Hawke because of Australia's strong record on Africa and because of Mr Hawke's own commitment to the issue. r- Mr Hawke said Britain was concerned about Us economic investments in South But Mrs Thatcher should understand two points about Britain's economic interests there, he A First it would be important for a new and just society in South Africa to retain economic capacity. If Mrs Thatcher could understand that black Africans, including President Kaunda, recognised this, that "may help to change her Second, the British interests that existed in South Africa were "infinitely" more likely to be maintained if there was peaceful evolution than if there was no dialogue and an eventual Cabinet and now it has lost control of the Parliament" Sir William confirmed that the Premier had told him to get out of his seat but would not be drawn on the question of Sir Joh using physical force. Sir Joh attacked the Liberals outside Parliament saying they had perpetrated a "dirty trick" by defying the agreed order of business of Parliament but it had backfired with the Government walkout "These people through their tactics have been trying to shift the onus of voting with the socialists onto us," he said, Sir Joh admitted, however, that the Government bad voted with the ALP "on one or two occasions, but I haven't counted." Comprehensive and mandatory sanctions against South Africa were demanded by two leaders the opening of the meeting. India' Prime Minister, Mr Gandhi; said that full sanctions must be demanded.

"Let not the Cammoowealth be i charged with cowardice In action and bravery in words," he said. The question cannot be deferred. "Howl much longer will we i Thatcher holds out against sanctions THIS PLACE IS OVERRUN BY TRUE cd)TCHMEN From PAGE But President Kaunda of Zambia, chairman of the African front-line states, indicated in a BBC interview that the realistic goal was to get some sanctions rather than the unattainable full sanctions. "If comprehensive sanctions are not acceptable, we'd look favorably at selective sanctions, provided they are meaningful," he jsaid. "If that would help out, then we are prepared to go along that way." 1 Mr Hawke said he proposed a "graduated step-by-step If the first range of sanctions failed to bring South African change, then, "we nave got to be looking right through the spectrum to widepread sanctions and using the language of the United If the pressure continued to fail it would be appropriate eventually to move to "universal mandatory Although he did not specify what should be the stage one sanctions, he indicated that these could be measures that some countries had already implement Uproar as 1 After a seven-minute absence, the entire National Party returned to the Government beeches and JSiri Joh then made a ministerial statement attacking Federal Liberal taxation policies.

Asked' with Sir; I about the confrontation William, Sir Joh said he had no right to be in his seat "He did something that he had no justification in doing," Sir Joh said. "He acted wrongly. He had no right to stand in there. No right to speak for the Government" The Premier also confirmed elbowing Mr Gygan "Of course, I did. I said: 'Get out of this place because jjthis is not where you should be sitting'.

Do you want me to tread on his toe?" THE FIRST CHOICE OF mUES(X7UWEARO I 3 Sir Joh leads walkout The Leader of the Opposition, i Mr Warburton, told a news confer-; ence later that he was disgusted with the proceedings in Pariia-! meat "Today what we witnessed re- minded us that the leadership of the National Party is now in some form of senile decay," he said. Sir William described the events at a news conference later as absolutely disastrous. "Vacat-i ing the Treasury benches and con-i trol of Parliament is very serious indeed, so serious I thought it ap-i propriate to move the House ad-i journ. I moved that simply to save the Government," Sir William said. "It simply indicates the Govern-! ment does not know what it is doing.

It has lost control of the.