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

COLUMN 8 Senate set to throw out right-to-die bill Colston reprieve after blaming manager By MIKE SECCOMBE and STEPHANIE PEATLING The Federal Government has accepted Senator Mai excuse that by a staffer was responsible for his claiming $6880 in travelling allowance for 43 days on which he did not travel Senator Colston responding to the report of a Senate inquiry which found he had been overpaid travel allowance on 31 occasions over that period said his office manager Mrs Christine Smith was responsible for the errors Mrs Smith in an attached statement accepted the responsibility but claimed of were responsible However it was Senator Colston who filled out and signed the claim forms He has repaid the money ith a cheque drawn on the Bank of Queensland and carrying date made out to the receiver of public moneys The President of the Senate Senator Reid will now consider the report as well as matters raised by both sides of the chamber yesterday before determining whether it should be passed to Federal Police for further investigation The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Senator Faulkner accused Senator Colston of and systematic of his travelling entitlement Other Opposition speakers said the claims amounted to deliberate fraud However Government Senators continued to defend the Senator as the victim of a Labor vendetta following his defection from the party last year is no credibility in the case they bring when they acknowledge their motive is the repayment of the Government Leader in the Senate Senator Hill said The Opposition also moved to have details of a separate investigation into Senator alleged abuse of other entitlements conducted by the Department of Administrative Services tabled in the Senate This was defeated when the Government and the Independent Senator Brian Harra-dine and Senator Colston himself opposed the tabling In his response to the findings Senator Colston said he wished make it perfectly Continued Page 2 PAGE 2: From the Gallery The staffer who dropped Mai in it SIC TRANSIT and on a Monday The old GPO building in Martin Place used to be the heart of the city Now a sad sight All the postal activity has gone the colonnades have been boarded up and a face on the clock over George Street has been smashed and gone unrepaired for months Just to top it John Meadows of Wah-roonga reported yesterday that the tower clock by which the city used to take its time was running two minutes fast A COLLEAGUE notes that John Howard and Alexander Downer pronounce it PAPP-UA New Guinea others pronounce it PAH-PUA What does the PNG Consulate say? Its preferred pronunciation: PAH-PUA Eether eyether neether neyether call the whole thing off SOMEONE had better check their files Jill Clifton who lives in Brunei says the Borneo Bulletin on January 27 (mail takes some time to get to us from Borneo) reported: Felicitations to Australia HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Dipertuan of Brunei Darussalam has sent congratulatory messages to Australia's Governor-General Bill Haden and Prime Minister Bob Howard on the occasion of Australia Day yesterday WE hope the messages got through even to Bill Deane and John Howard WHEN you go on safari you never know whether get on with your fellow tourists Maybe why this ad found by Marie Jenkins of Burwood in Travel section for a safari in Zimbabwe covers every eventuality: 1 Msifc: LaklrlSnbA 'STVidona t-aTl Includes: Luxury safari accommodation gameviewing transfers internal fights laundry ALL meals and drinks SEEN in traffic on Military-Road Cremorne waiting in his red Falcon for the lights to change: a driver playing a harmonica We are not surprised When we noted a similar sighting in Collaroy in November 1992 we had phone calls naming three separate drivers who play the harmonica when at rest We trust this sighting was not of Larry Adler he is after all 83 He puckers up on April 1 1 for his first Opera House concert on his many many previous visits here he has performed at venues from the old Tivoli to the Town Hall but never the Opera House all the rage with actors and rugby league players and now-students are into it head shaving This week nearly 100 students and staff across six campuses of the Sydney Institute of Technology will have their heads shaved to raise money for the haemotology and oncology unit at Sydney Hospital Good on By JODIE BROUGH and GAY ALCORN The Senate late last night was poised to throw out the Northern Territory's world-first voluntary euthanasia law as heated debate continued over the Liberal MP Mr Kevin Andrews's bill As pro-euthanasia and antieuthanasia camps held candlelight vigils outside Parliament House the Senators debated passionately over whether to quash retrospectively the right to pass laws allowing euthanasia The Senate narrowly dumped a Greens amendment to allow two Northern Territory patients who have already completed the necessary paperwork for voluntary euthanasia to end their lives The Greens Senator Bob Brown made a moving plea for the wishes to die to be respected saying: are dying tonight They are suffering tonight They have made their determination in the last few days or weeks about how they want to handle their suffering and their indignity make that plea again that you do not move into the homes to the bedrooms to the dying circumstances of these people and their families and say retrospectively 'We are going to retrospectively override your signature on that certificate and turn down the request that you have But the anti-euthanasia forces spoke against the Brown amendment with the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Senator Herron saying he had been authorised to say the Sisters of Charity were to take in these people for assessment and care and they will look after Senator Barney Cooney said: we do it make an exception for these two people only fair that we do it for everybody in that situation they are not dead The pro-euthanasia crusader Dr Philip Nitschke said that whatever the Senate vote he would not abandon his patients declaring that he might defy decree and help them to die anyway He said that if necessary they would throw themselves on the mercy of the Governor-General Sir William Deane to delay giving assent to the bill so that they could die with dignity at a time of their choosing Dr Nitschke revealed that media organisations had offered him up to $250000 for access to his dying patients which he said was and illegal The Senate rejected overwhelmingly two amendments one of which would have suspended Pleas in the night Julia Dunne 9 and Susan Dyer hold candles for their right-to-life cause while below from left Dr Philip Nitschke Mr David Mills and Senator Bob Brown conduct a pro-euthanasia vigil Photographs by Andrew Campbell and jason south hours are ticking Sir Wiwa Korowi Heat on Sir Julius as five ministers resign By CRAIG SKEHAN in Port Moresby and agencies Five Papua New Guinea Cabinet ministers reportedly resigned late last night increasing the pressure on the Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan to quit over the foreign mercenaries affair The five who were all opposed to the mercenaries plan said three more ministers in the 28-strong Cabinet were expected to resign ahead of a proposed resolution against Sir Julius in Parliament today Those who quit were the Lands Minister Sir Albert Kipalan the Works and Transport Minister Mr Peter Yama the Police Minister Mr Castan Maibawa the Agriculture Minister Mr David Mai and the Provincial Affairs Minister Mr Peter Barter They backed the army in its demand that Sir Julius the Deputy Prime Minister Mr Chris Haiveta and the Defence Minister Mr Mathias Ijape all resign before Parliament resumes at 2 pm local time Earlier the Governor-General Sir Wiwa Korowi made a dramatic bid to stave off military intervention by calling on Sir Julius to step aside while the mercenaries deal is investigated there is no compromise between now and tomorrow and the hours are ticking away we have to find something to cool it he said As the standoff continued the Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Any-aoku flew to Port Moresby last night offering to mediate The Opposition pushed yesterday for the Speaker of Parliament the former Prime Minister Mr Rabbie Namaliu to be installed as caretaker leader But sources said Mr Namaliu had not given his approval and would limit his role to mediation Big demonstrations are planned as Parliament meets for its last session before the June elections and Opposition parties prepare to put a motion calling on Sir Julius to step aside The Prime Minister cannot be forced out of office from the floor of Parliament within 12 months of a national election but a successful motion would further isolate him politically Sir Wiwa called an unprecedented meeting of constitutional office-holders including the Chief Ombudsman the Clerk of Parliament and the Public Service Commissioner yesterday and said later that there must be compromise Ordinary people had become meat in the in a confrontation between Sir Julius and the Defence Force and failure to resolve the crisis would leave a scar on the nation Sir Wiwa said he would like to organise a face-to-face meeting between Sir Julius and the sacked military leader Brigadier-General Singirok But General Singirok maintained his tough line calling for the resignations of Sir Julius Mr Haiveta and Mr Ijape am no he told soldiers at Murray Barracks in Port Moresby am only an instrument I humble myself I intend to get this glory but I cannot put up with PAGE 10: More reports PAGE 16: Editorial PAGE 17: No way to run a country INTERNET wwwsmhcofflau HOME DELIVERY (02)92823800 As the undeclared senators chose sides the Government Leader in the Senate and Minister for Environment Senator Hill joined his Cabinet colleagues Senator Jocelyn Newman and Senator Amanda Van-stone as the only Senate ministers to oppose the bill The only ministers to swim against the political tide in the House of Representatives vote were the Minister for Industrial Relations Mr Reith and the Minister for Defence Mr McLachlan the bill in lieu of a national referendum on euthanasia The other called on Mr Andrews to withdraw his bill and redraft it so that it covered the whole of Australia But the Senate approved an amendment by the Greens Senator Dee Margetts which called on the Government to provide extra funding for palliative care The Government made huge cuts to palliative care in the last Budget and workers in the field say that its funding is again under threat offer: run your own branch ICAC told of railway bribes A State Rail official was given cash expensive shoes alcohol and knives by a contract cleaning company so he would not inspect dirty carriages the Independent Commission Against Corruption was told yesterday PAGE 2: Full report $600m boost for small business The Federal Government will spend $600 million to cut taxes on small businesses and partially exempt them from fringe benefits tax in a package it says will reduce unemployment PAGE 8: Full report Cyclone death toll still rising The trail of destruction in the wake of Cyclone Justin has left 33 people dead and 10 missing in Papua New Guinea and North Queensland and an anticipated damages bill in Queensland of more than $150 million PAGE 3: Full report commitment to it than people who are simply employed our knowledge this is the first time there has been true financial services But the executive director of the Franchising Association of Australia and New Zealand Mr Berridge Hume-Phillips said the plan did not meet its definition of franchising mainly because those running the branches would not share in any capital gain A partner with Haines Norton Franchise Services Mr Frank Giannuzzi said the plan was very unusual suppose it could motivate them to improve their service I know most of my clients are always complaining about their The Reserve Bank has approved the franchises as all credit checking will be handled by Colonial central office The bank has told the State Government and the Finance Sector Union of the plan have some said the FSU secretary in charge of the employees Mr Joe Cahill are interested in staffing levels and we want to make sure there a PAGE 29: Bank shake-out By TOM ALLARD Banking Writer Colonial State Bank launched a radical scheme yesterday giving Australians the chance to run a bank branch and make up to $200000 a year doing it The plan to offer most of its branches throughout the country for franchising is part of the strategy to cut costs and reduce its present 300 branches to about 60 main branches Staff and outsiders will have the opportunity to run a main branch with responsibility for three or four nearby mini-branches Franchisees will pay the bank $60000 plus $45000 for staff training and a refundable $200000 security deposit for a five-year tenancy Colonial managing director Mr Stuart James estimated that their annual income would be $80000 to $200000 depending on performance At the end of the five years the agreement would be renegotiated but the bank would not share any profit with the franchisee if there was a capital gain in the value of the franchise The bank hopes to have all but three of the 60 branches Shopfront banking a Colonial mini-branch at Chatswood ft Worldwide Sensation Test Drive Today from Sd()9()0 in the hands of franchisees within 18 months with the first operating by September At the same time up to 200 traditional branches will be closed reconfigured or relocated as mini-branches or and kiosks Colonial State believes the restructuring will give it more points of contact although many tradi tional branches will be replaced by ATMs and mini-branches there could be some redundancies that result Mr James said The benefits would be a more dedicated staff with greater incentive to increase sales and fee income and reduce costs franchisee who runs and owns the business has a greater TOMORROW Sydney Mainly fine with south-easterly winds and a maximum of 24 degrees NSW: Showers persisting along the coast fine and dry inland DETAILS Page 27 Inside Amusements Arts Business Classified WEATHER TODAY Sydney Partly cloudy with showers developing later South-easterly winds i Liverpool 11 to 24 Richmond 9 to 24 NSW: Showers developing along the coast (T( riles Ill'll Features 13 Opinion 17 PHONE 24-26 Law notices 43 Personal notices 40 1415 Letters 16 Sport 4448 Editorial 92822822 29-35 $5 Lottery 406 42 Television 28 Classified index 48 $2 Lottery 6213 42 Uni results 38 132535 Crosswords 27 Mails Ships 43 World 10-12 General 9282 2833 Remaining fine inland with southerly winds Sunrise 702 am Sunset 700 pm SHi.