AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Aug 25

AAP General News (Australia)
08-25-2008
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, Aug 25
EVENING ROUND-UP: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1630


WELFARE WRAP (CANBERRA)

The Greens say cutting the welfare payments of parents whose children aren't in school
.. will produce more homeless kids.

The federal government says it will introduce laws this week to cut the welfare payments
.. with Education Minister JULIA GILLARD saying there's no excuse for not having children
regularly attending school.

Ms GILLARD says as many as 20-thousand children could be regularly missing classes.

And Community Services Minister JENNY MACKLIN says at least two thousand children in
the Northern Territory are not even enrolled.

The plan .. which will be trialled in eight communities before being expanded nationally
.. has already been backed by New South Wales Premier MORRIS IEMMA .. who says parents
must live up to their responsibilities.



DISABILITIES (CANBERRA)

The federal disability commissioner has threatened to name and shame government departments
and agencies which don't make public information accessible to people with disabilities.

Commissioner GRAEME INNES says there have been several occasions when public information
hasn't been made available to the hearing- or vision-impaired.

These included the green paper on a planned carbon emissions trading scheme and the
GroceryWatch website.



WORKPLACE TELSTRA (MELBOURNE)

Telstra will today offer its wholesale division staff a 12.5 per cent pay rise over
three years .. after walking away from union negotiations in July.

The company is also offering the option for annual performance bonuses of up to 7.5
per cent and new options for salary packaging.

There are about 750 employees in Telstra's wholesale division .. with more than half
on individual contracts.



GUSMAO RUDD (CANBERRA)

Dili and Canberra will discuss ways East Timorese workers can come work temporarily
in Australia .. but there are no immediate plans for the country to take part in a guest
worker scheme.

East Timor is keen to be a part of a trial scheme .. launched by the federal government
earlier this month ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Under the pilot program two thousand 500 workers from Tonga .. Vanuatu .. Kiribati
and Papua New Guinea will be given temporary work visas to do seasonal agricultural work
.. like fruit picking.

Earlier today Mr RUDD indicated East Timor is ineligible to take part because it isn't
a member of the forum.



CHINA RUDD (CANBERRA)

KEVIN RUDD says Australia must play an active role in shaping the "century of the Asia-Pacific"

.. by developing a culture of cooperation with regional giants like China.

The Prime Minister says the Olympic Games has been the opening act of what he calls
the great unfolding drama of the 21st century.

He says there are large new emerging economies and foreign policy players like China
.. and the challenge for Australia is to actively participate in the region to underpin
his proposal for an Asia-Pacific community.



OLY08 AUST FUNDING (BEIJING)

The chairman of the Australian Sports Commission wants state institutes of sport to
be amalgamated into a national system .. to ensure Australia remains competitive at an
international level.

PETER BARTELS says sports funding is spread too thinly across too many sports.

Meanwhile .. there are more than a few Australian athletes with sore heads .. today
after a night out celebrating the end of the Beijing Olympic Games.



CHURCH (BRISBANE)

Members of a renegade Catholic church will meet tonight to consider an ultimatum from
the Brisbane Archbishop to toe the line or face closure.

Archbishop JOHN BATHERSBY has labelled the 700-strong parish of St Mary's in South
Brisbane an authority to itself .. and is contemplating shutting it down over some of
its practices he says separate it from the Roman Catholic Church.

At St Mary's .. unorthodox masses are conducted .. women can preach and homosexual
couples are blessed .. while there's even a small statue of a Buddhist monk praying inside
the church.



PAKISTAN (ISLAMABAD)

Pakistan's ruling coalition is at risk of being pulled apart today .. setting the stage
for a major political showdown two weeks before the country's politicians choose a new
president.

Former prime minister NAWAZ SHARIF .. head of the second-largest party in the coalition
.. has made today the deadline for the reinstatement of judges sacked by PERVEZ MUSHARRAF
.. who resigned as president last week.

But it's unclear if the coalition's other main party will agree.



US VOTE MADONNA (DENVER)

JOHN McCAIN'S campaign has hit back at MADONNA .. after she began her world tour with
a concert that bracketed the US presidential candidate with ADOLF HITLER.

McCAIN's camp has condemned the segment of MADONNA's concert in Cardiff as outrageous
.. unacceptable and crudely divisive.

Madonna's swipe at McCAIN came during a performance of the song Get Stupid .. when
his photo was flashed up alongside images of destruction .. global warming .. HITLER and
Zimbabwe dictator ROBERT MUGABE.

Towards the end of the song pictures of JOHN LENNON .. former US vice-president AL
GORE .. MAHATMA GANDHI and BARACK OBAMA appeared.



KYLIE (MELBOURNE)

Pop star KYLIE MINOGUE would have no trouble finding a seat on a tram .. train or bus
.. according to a survey of Melbourne commuters.

But the Queen would possibly find herself standing.

The survey's found that .. given a choice .. commuters of all ages would rather sit
next to MINOGUE than MEGAN GALE .. BARRY HUMPHRIES .. KEVIN RUDD .. EDDIE McGUIRE .. and
the Queen who was the most unpopular.



BRIEFLY IN OTHER NEWS ..




Australia has sent extra police and diplomatic staff to Somalia .. to probe the kidnapping
by militia of a group of freelance journalists .. including Australian NIGEL BRENNAN.




Japanese-owned National Farmers will acquire Dairy Farmers .. a farmers' co-operative
based in New South Wales .. for an enterprise value of 910-million dollars.




A 69-year old grandfather .. charged with murdering his wife and two grandchildren
in Cowra .. has again faced court today .. and made no application for bail which was
formally refused.



The condition of an Australian man HAYDEN ADCOCK .. who spent 11 days lost in a jungle
in Laos .. has deteriorated.




More than 200 people have paid tribute to Brisbane vet BEN CUNNEEN who died last week
after a month-long battle with the Hendra virus.



IN SPORT ..



BIRD CLUB (SYDNEY)

Cronulla five-eighth GREG BIRD has been stood down indefinitely by the Sharks .. after
he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend.

Sharks chief executive TONY ZAPPIA says it's highly unlikely BIRD will play again this season.

BIRD has been charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on 24-year-old
KATIE MILLIGAN .. who suffered a fractured eye socket when she was allegedly hit in the
face with a glass yesterday morning.



MOTOR INDY (SONOMA, CALIFORNIA)

Australian driver RYAN BRISCOE has finished second in the IndyCar Grand Prix in California.

Team Penske teammate HELIO CASTRONEVES crossed the finish line in front of BRISCOE
- for his first victory in 30 races.



CRICKET AUST (BRISBANE)

Opening batsman MATTHEW HAYDEN has been ruled out of Australia's one-day series against
Bangladesh starting on Saturday in Darwin due to his long recovery from an Achilles tendon
injury.



LEAGUE SHARKS (SYDNEY)

Cronulla five-eighth GREG BIRD has been stood down indefinitely by the Sharks pending
further investigation of an alleged assault at his apartment.



ENDS EVENING ROUND-UP


BROADCAST DESK INQUIRIES 24 HOURS: 02 9322 8714


AAP RTV wz/ibw

KEYWORD: EVENING ROUND-UP

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.