R[0]="2359"; T[0]="Vaile protests over proposed increase in beef tariff for Japan"; A[0]="By ... Editor"; Dn[0]="20030123"; Dt[0]="Thursday 23 January 2003"; Acats[0]="a05a07a08a27a62"; B1[0]="      Trade Minister Mark Vaile will write to the world's largest beef producers urging them to follow Australia's lead and pressure Japan not "; B2[0]="to go ahead with a large tariff increase on beef imports... "; B3[0]=" "; B4[0]=" "; B5[0]=" "; S1[0]="      Trade Minister Mark Vaile will write to the world's largest beef producers urging them to follow Australia's lead and pressure Japan not "; S2[0]=" to go ahead with a large tariff increase on beef imports.
      Mr Vaile said yesterday he would be writing to his counterparts "; S3[0]=" in the United States, Canada and New Zealand asking for their support.
      Under the Uruguay agreement, Japan has the option of increasing "; S4[0]=" chilled and frozen beef tariffs from the present 38.5 per cent to 50 per cent if imports rise 17 per cent above the level of "; S5[0]=" the previous year.
      Japanese Agriculture Minister Tadamori Oshima has claimed he is bound by the Uruguay rules to implement the tariff increase.
"; S6[0]="       But Mr Vaile rejected that, saying it was only an option that would hurt Japanese consumers far more than any benefits afforded "; S7[0]=" to the country's producers.
      'Australia has worked hard to restore Japanese consumer confidence in beef, contributing $5 million towards a $16 million "; S8[0]=" industry campaign to promote beef consumption in Japan,' Mr Vaile said.
      'It would be disappointing if Japan were to punish Australian producers "; S9[0]=" for helping to restore Japanese consumer confidence in beef.' Mr Vaile will meet Agriculture Minister Warren Truss and beef industry representatives next month to "; S10[0]=" formulate Australia's plan of attack, before flying to Japan to meet with Mr Oshima.
      Japanese beef consumption dropped off sharply last year "; S11[0]=" following the discovery of mad cow disease in September 2001.
      With the market returning to normal, the 17 per cent increase is "; S12[0]=" assured.
      'Invoking the beef safeguard in these circumstances would be contrary to the spirit of the beef safeguard agreement,' Mr Vaile said.
"; S13[0]="       A study by the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics has estimated that the tariff hike would cost Japanese consumers more "; S14[0]=" than twice as much as the benefits it would provide to Japanese beef producers.
      The Japanese Parliament is expected to consider invoking "; S15[0]=" the safeguard in its current sitting on August 1, 2003... "; R[1]="2356"; T[1]="Queensland cattle prices plummet"; A[1]="By ... Editor"; Dn[1]="20030123"; Dt[1]="Thursday 23 January 2003"; Acats[1]="a07a08a27a66"; B1[1]="      Cattle prices crashed yesterday as graziers were forced to sell cattle because of water and fodder shortages and high fodder prices.... "; B2[1]=" "; B3[1]=" "; B4[1]=" "; B5[1]=" "; S1[1]="      Cattle prices crashed yesterday as graziers were forced to sell cattle because of water and fodder shortages and high fodder prices.
  "; S2[1]="     At Dalby saleyard, cattle numbers doubled to almost 7000 head –forcing prices down to panic-selling levels.
      Prices fell about 10 "; S3[1]=" per cent across most classes of cattle.
      Bullocks fell from $1.80/kg last week to $1.66/kg yesterday.
      Cows that were "; S4[1]=" $1.34 last week were down to $1.18/kg yesterday.
      National Livestock Reporting Service reporter Trevor Hess said conditions had been bad 'but they're "; S5[1]=" getting disastrous very quickly'.
      The number of buyers at yards has fallen to only a dozen compared with bidders standing four or "; S6[1]=" five deep on both sides of the selling pens in better seasons.
      'Sellers are watching their animals sold off and they are "; S7[1]=" very disappointed in the prices,' Mr Hess said.
      'They have put a lot of expensive feed into cattle and then they have "; S8[1]=" to sacrifice them.' A record yarding at Dalby last week of 9000 head topped up abattoirs, giving them more cattle than they can handle; and "; S9[1]=" buyers who normally take young cattle to supply to feedlots have very little fodder left.
      Mr Hess said if there was no "; S10[1]=" rain before next week, the sell-off would continue and prices would be forced further down... "; R[2]="2354"; T[2]="EU Office Proposes Overhaul of Farm Subsidy"; A[2]="By ... Editor"; Dn[2]="20030123"; Dt[2]="Thursday 23 January 2003"; Acats[2]="a05a07a08a61"; B1[2]="      The European Union head office on Wednesday proposed reforms of its contentious $45 billion agricultural subsidy program, diverting money away from handouts "; B2[2]="based on production to payments aimed at promoting rural development and food quality... "; B3[2]=" "; B4[2]=" "; B5[2]=" "; S1[2]="      The European Union head office on Wednesday proposed reforms of its contentious $45 billion agricultural subsidy program, diverting money away from handouts "; S2[2]=" based on production to payments aimed at promoting rural development and food quality.
      ``This reform has one objective, making sense of farm "; S3[2]=" subsidies for our farmers, consumers and taxpayers,'' said EU agriculture commissioner Franz Fischler.
      The plan aims to end the decades-old practice of "; S4[2]=" subsidizing farmers based on output, which is widely criticized for encouraging wasteful overproduction regardless of market conditions.
      Instead, farmers will be given "; S5[2]=" a single payment based on the size of their farm, rather than production levels, but Fischler made clear the plans ``were not going to pay "; S6[2]=" farmers for doing absolutely nothing.'' Subsidies will also be linked to farms meeting standards of food safety, environment protection and animal welfare.
      "; S7[2]=" Direct payments to big farms will be scaled down gradually from 2007, with the aim of freeing up more money for rural development in the "; S8[2]=" EU's poorest farming regions.
      Cuts will also be made in the fixed prices which the EU guarantees for products including cereals, milk "; S9[2]=" and rice.
      Fischler said the reforms would make the system fairer and less wasteful, and strengthen the EU's hand in negotiations within "; S10[2]=" the World Trade Organization where the subsidy program is a frequent target for criticism from competitors such as the United States and Canada.
    "; S11[2]="   ``We don't think it goes far enough.
      It isn't substantial enough,'' said Allen Johnson, the chief U.S.
      agriculture "; S12[2]=" negotiator in the WTO talks from Geneva.
      ``The cuts in domestic support leave in place the great disparities that have existed...
  "; S13[2]="     We don't accept that that is as far as Europe can go.'' Poor countries also attack the EU's Common Agriculture Policy, saying it "; S14[2]=" unfairly harms their exports.
      ``The new single farm payment will not distort international trade and hence not harm developing countries,'' Fischler said.
"; S15[2]="       ``This will maximize the negotiating capital of the EU in the WTO.'' However, Fischler will face a fight to get his reforms "; S16[2]=" approved by the 15 EU governments, with France almost certain to battle for a better deal for its powerful farm lobby.
      Already "; S17[2]=" on Tuesday, France and Ireland blocked agreement on an EU plan to open markets to agricultural imports from developing nations.
      That proposal "; S18[2]=" is now likely to be discussed by EU farm ministers next week.
      The European farmers association, CPE, said in a statement that "; S19[2]=" Fischler's plans would not benefit farmers but rather industry.
      ``The main purpose of this proposal is to lower farm prices first to "; S20[2]=" supply at a cheap rate the agro-industry and the supermarkets,'' said the CPE.
      ``The competitiveness seen by Mr.Fischler is just a lie "; S21[2]=" with respect to farmers and taxpayers.'' Environmentalists also criticized Fischler's plans, claiming opposition from EU governments have forced him to dilute more radical proposals floated "; S22[2]=" last year.
      ``Funding needs to be directed to those areas where maintaining farming means preserving nature,'' said the World Wildlife Fund.
  "; S23[2]="     ``This is a missed opportunity.'' European officials acknowledge that the sweeping changes Fischler first proposed in July had to be rethought to take "; S24[2]=" account of an agreement among EU leaders in October.
      That effectively freezes farm spending through 2013, although millions more farmers will be "; S25[2]=" eligible for EU subsidies after the Union takes in Poland, Hungary and eight other new members next year.
      However, Fischler said the "; S26[2]=" proposals would still offer a better deal to consumers who have long complained the EU's policy has artificially inflated food prices and drained away tax "; S27[2]=" money.
      By giving farmers more flexibility on what and how much they produce, farm incomes will also improve with the reform, he "; S28[2]=" said.
      Small farmers who receive less than 5,000 euros ($3,360) a year from EU coffers will not have their subsidies cut under "; S29[2]=" the plan, but handouts to larger farms will be gradually reduced over seven years to 2013 with an eventual fall of almost one-fifth for the "; S30[2]=" largest holdings... "; R[3]="2348"; T[3]="The Brewery with no Barley"; A[3]="By ... Editor"; Dn[3]="20030123"; Dt[3]="Thursday 23 January 2003"; Acats[3]="a07a08a10a24"; B1[3]="      Beer without barley is like wine without grapes - but Australia's beer manufacturers are facing the prospect of a barley shortage due "; B2[3]="to the drought... "; B3[3]=" "; B4[3]=" "; B5[3]=" "; S1[3]="      Beer without barley is like wine without grapes - but Australia's beer manufacturers are facing the prospect of a barley shortage due "; S2[3]=" to the drought..
      The difficulty in sourcing barley will also be responsible for a common malady facing beer drinkers - a price "; S3[3]=" rise.
      A spokeswoman for Lion Nathan said barley prices were expected to rise 40 per cent after a 30 per cent fall "; S4[3]=" in barley crops in drought-affected regions of Queensland and Victoria.
      The brewer of brands such as XXXX, Hahn and Tooheys said the "; S5[3]=" barley would now be sourced from crops in Western Australia - leading to a further price increase due to transport costs.
      The "; S6[3]=" price increase had yet to be quantified by Lion Nathan, said the spokeswoman, but 'any increase would also be up to retailers'.
      "; S7[3]=" Carlton and United Breweries said its products, including Cascade and VB, would also be subject to a price rise in line with inflation... "; R[4]="2347"; T[4]="Food price jumps trigger surge in inflation"; A[4]="By ... Editor"; Dn[4]="20030123"; Dt[4]="Thursday 23 January 2003"; Acats[4]="a07a10"; B1[4]="      The drought has added to household shopping bills across the country, with new inflation figures revealing a jump in food prices caused "; B2[4]="by lack of rain... "; B3[4]=" "; B4[4]=" "; B5[4]=" "; S1[4]="      The drought has added to household shopping bills across the country, with new inflation figures revealing a jump in food prices caused "; S2[4]=" by lack of rain.
      Despite the increases and higher travel costs in the wake of the Ansett collapse, inflation fell within the "; S3[4]=" Reserve Bank's 'comfort zone' in the December quarter, ensuring interest rates will stay low for months.
      The consumer price index rose 0.7 "; S4[4]=" per cent in the three months to December 31, and 3 per cent over the year - down slightly from the year to September - "; S5[4]=" Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed.
      Food prices rose 1.7 per cent in the quarter, with vegetables (up 5.5 per cent), cakes "; S6[4]=" and biscuits (up 2.8 per cent), fruit (up 2.5 per cent) and milk (up 2.5 per cent) all recording big drought-induced price increases.
    "; S7[4]="   Tourism and accommodation prices leapt 15 per cent last year - five times the rate of consumer prices generally - due, in part, to "; S8[4]=" Qantas reducing discounts.
      Deutsche Bank share analysts said Qantas had been given more leeway in setting prices because of 'more rational pricing "; S9[4]=" from Virgin' after the collapse of Ansett in late 2001.
      Offsetting these price rises were big falls in the cost of high-technology "; S10[4]=" products, which were cheaper, in terms of consumers' purchasing power, than ever.
      Prices for audio, visual and computing equipment dropped 5 per "; S11[4]=" cent last quarter and computer prices fell 10 per cent last year.
      The easing of the drought will help push down some "; S12[4]=" food prices in the months ahead, helping to further lower inflation and easing pressure on interest rates.
      Economists also predicted that the "; S13[4]=" slowing economy and rising dollar - which lowers the Australian dollar price of imported items - will cause inflation to continue to drift down.
  "; S14[4]="     Some analysts expect that falling inflation will allow the Reserve to tilt its interest rate levers down by the end of the year.
"; S15[4]="       'We continue to look for the RBA to remain on hold in 2003,' said UBS Warburg's chief economist in Australia, Mark "; S16[4]=" Ryder.
      'If there is to be a move in rates this year, with our expectation of falling inflation and below trend "; S17[4]=" economic growth, it will be down, not up,' he said.
      The Reserve Bank aims to keep inflation between 2 and 3 "; S18[4]=" per cent.
      It has recently forecast inflation will drift down to 2.5 per cent by the end of the year.
    "; S19[4]="   Underlying inflation, which excludes prices of volatile items such as food, has already dropped to the middle of the Reserve's target band.
    "; S20[4]="   Yesterday's inflation figures showed that competition is squeezing profit margins again.
      Prices for services, which had been rising more than twice "; S21[4]=" as fast as goods prices, moderated in the December quarter, rising 0.6 per cent.
      The chief economist in Australia for Salomon "; S22[4]=" Smith Barney, Paul Brennan, said: 'It's good news for the consumer and good news for the RBA [Reserve Bank], so if they need to lower "; S23[4]=" interest rates they can do it because inflation is no longer a constraint.'.. "; R[5]="2346"; T[5]="Sugar growers accept need for reform"; A[5]="By ... Editor"; Dn[5]="20030123"; Dt[5]="Thursday 23 January 2003"; Acats[5]="a05a07a20"; B1[5]="      The peak body of sugar cane farmers has accepted the need for a radical overhaul of the embattled industry.... "; B2[5]=" "; B3[5]=" "; B4[5]=" "; B5[5]=" "; S1[5]="      The peak body of sugar cane farmers has accepted the need for a radical overhaul of the embattled industry.
      "; S2[5]=" However, many individual farmers are still arguing for more direct subsidies as a solution to their problems.
      The Canegrowers group commissioned "; S3[5]=" a report on the future of the industry after strongly criticising an earlier report - at the behest of the Queensland Government and undertaken by "; S4[5]=" Canberra-based consulting firm CIE - which argued for deregulation of the industry.
      But the latest report, presented to Canegrowers yesterday by "; S5[5]=" the Boston Consulting Group, argued that the industry should still be partially deregulated and that 'radical reforms' need to be put in place.
    "; S6[5]="   A spokeswoman for the Queensland Government said it would examine the BCG report.
      But she said the Government was consulting with "; S7[5]=" farmers over their future and did not expect to take a firm course of action before April.
      The BCG report argues "; S8[5]=" that total deregulation could lead to a better industry performance but it would also result in millers making more money at the expense of farmers.
"; S9[5]="       'Nonetheless, there is no doubt that there is a need for radical reforms including targeted deregulation, co-operative industry action and potentially, "; S10[5]=" far-reaching changes to industry structure,' the report says.
      The report also claims the industry can become more efficient by combining farms, "; S11[5]=" improving the yield from each cane plant, and improving the industry's infrastructure in areas such as transport and harvesting.
      Canegrowers general "; S12[5]=" manager Ian Ballantyne said that the industry was already implementing many of the recommendations.
      'We agree that change is necessary, but "; S13[5]=" we think that any change should be considered and not rushed into,' he said.
      Outside the Canegrowers offices in the Brisbane "; S14[5]=" CBD, however, 20 cane farmers claimed that their peak body was selling them out by agreeing to deregulation.
      Lester Paul, a "; S15[5]=" cane farmer near Mackay in central Queensland, said that deregulation would mean the death of the industry.
      'They put that levy "; S16[5]=" of 3c a kilogram on sugar - that's bullshit in a billion-dollar industry, it's only going to bring in $60 million,' he said.
    "; S17[5]="   'Australians get their sugar very cheap and we're not getting a fair return on that for our labour.
      'The "; S18[5]=" levy should be at least 18c with that money going directly to growers.'.. "; R[6]="2335"; T[6]="Flood of Outback cattle if drought continues"; A[6]="By ... Editor"; Dn[6]="20030122"; Dt[6]="Wednesday 22 January 2003"; Acats[6]="a07a08a27a35"; B1[6]="      A torrent of cattle from Outback areas in South Australia to market is expected in the next six weeks unless heavy rains "; B2[6]="relieve the drought... "; B3[6]=" "; B4[6]=" "; B5[6]=" "; S1[6]="      A torrent of cattle from Outback areas in South Australia to market is expected in the next six weeks unless heavy rains "; S2[6]=" relieve the drought.
      Keith Greenfield will be among those forced to further destock as the dams on his 4960sq km Billa Kalina "; S3[6]=" station near Woomera continue to dry up.
      Mr Greenfield told the Adelaide Advertiser yesterday he would send another 600 cattle to "; S4[6]=" market from Billa Kalina within six weeks, unless it rains.
      He sold 60 cattle at the Adelaide Plains Livestock Market at "; S5[6]=" Dublin this week and his stock numbers already are down by one third on his normal herd of 4000 head.
      Only "; S6[6]=" about 10 of the 30 dams on Billa Kalina still had water in them and half would dry up if it did not rain in "; S7[6]=" the next six weeks, he said.
      Billa Kalina received just 43mm of rain last year, the driest since 1962 when the "; S8[6]=" total reached only 34mm.
      Mr Greenfield said he never had seen it so dry in 40 years on the land.
  "; S9[6]="     'Emotionally, it gets pretty wearying during a drought as your feed gets less and less and your water supply drops,' Mr Greenfield "; S10[6]=" said.
      'You know it's going to rain some time, it's just a matter of when.
      'But we're "; S11[6]=" nowhere near as badly off as the North East yet and most of the people in our area are coping reasonably well.' Mr Greenfield "; S12[6]=" and wife Lorraine moved to another property near Port Pirie shortly before Christmas, leaving their son Colin to manage Billa Kalina.
      "; S13[6]=" Mr Greenfield said part of the problem in selling stock during a drought was the demand for store stock was fairly limited and prices were "; S14[6]=" reduced.
      He is confident, however, about the outlook for the cattle industry, especially when the drought ends.
      The "; S15[6]=" live cattle market and the domestic and export beef markets all looked sound, particularly when the rains come, he said.
      Then, "; S16[6]=" he believed, prices for store cattle might reach the same level as prime stock, as a couple of years ago... "; R[7]="2332"; T[7]="Bushfire insurance bill will top $140m"; A[7]="By ... Editor"; Dn[7]="20030121"; Dt[7]="Tuesday 21 January 2003"; Acats[7]="a07a48"; B1[7]="      The cost of this summer's bushfires continues to escalate, with the insurance industry now expecting the combined damages bill from the Canberra "; B2[7]="disaster and recent Sydney fires to exceed $140 million... "; B3[7]=" "; B4[7]=" "; B5[7]=" "; S1[7]="      The cost of this summer's bushfires continues to escalate, with the insurance industry now expecting the combined damages bill from the Canberra "; S2[7]=" disaster and recent Sydney fires to exceed $140 million.
      The Insurance Council of Australia said damages from the Canberra fires would top "; S3[7]=" $100 million - triple initial estimates - after major insurers were inundated with 1000 claims from residents yesterday.
      Hundreds more claims are "; S4[7]=" expected; 402 homes are confirmed as destroyed and many more are damaged.
      'Once motor vehicles and commercial losses, including not only property "; S5[7]=" loss but business interruption, are added to the damage to homes and contents, we expect the figure could reach $100 million,' Insurance Council executive director "; S6[7]=" Alan Mason said.
      He also revised the damages bill for the Sydney blazes before Christmas, doubling the original cost from $20 million "; S7[7]=" to $40 million.
      The largest insurer in the Canberra area, Insurance Australia Group, has received some 600 claims so far, although the "; S8[7]=" company said its losses would be limited to $70 million, $42 million after tax, due to new reinsurance contracts.
      'Our core business "; S9[7]=" is pricing risk fairly and paying claims,' IAG's chief financial officer, George Venardos, said in a notice to the Australian Stock Exchange yesterday.
    "; S10[7]="   'We can assure our customers and shareholders that we adequately provision for major catastrophes such as this bushfire.' Mr Venardos said the group's reinsurance "; S11[7]=" covered losses of up to $1.5 billion per event and the fires would affect earnings per share by a maximum of 2.5 per cent with "; S12[7]=" no effect on targeted operating ratios.
      advertisement Australia's four major banks have announced a variety of relief measures to assist those "; S13[7]=" affected by the Canberra bushfires.
      The ACT government also repeated its pledge to provide up to $10,000 to replace home contents, with "; S14[7]=" further assistance measures expected to be announced later this week.
      The ANZ said customers who had lost their homes would receive a "; S15[7]=" cash gift of $10,000, while customers whose homes had been partly damaged would receive a $5000 gift.
      ANZ also offered to suspend "; S16[7]=" repayments on all loans for three months and waive fees associated with restructuring business loans considered necessary due to the impact of the fires.
  "; S17[7]="     Westpac said customers who had lost their homes would be offered the chance to defer mortgage repayments for up to three months or "; S18[7]=" accept a discounted interest rate over 12 months.
      The bank said bank fees and charges would be waived on loan restructuring, while "; S19[7]=" customers wishing to access fixed-interest term deposits would not face early withdrawal penalties.
      National Australia Bank said it would suspend home loan "; S20[7]=" repayments for its customers, and provide relief on credit card repayments and fee waivers for early term deposit withdrawals and new home and personal loan "; S21[7]=" applications.
      Commonwealth Bank said it had set up a hotline to assist fire victims and had pledged $100,000 for a public appeal... "; R[8]="2331"; T[8]="Access Economics predicts boom times for WA"; A[8]="By ... Editor"; Dn[8]="20030121"; Dt[8]="Tuesday 21 January 2003"; Acats[8]="a07a67"; B1[8]="      Acting Premier Eric Ripper today said new economic forecasts predicting the State was on the cusp of a development boom after a "; B2[8]="‘decade of lost opportunities’ was good news for Western Australian families and job seekers... "; B3[8]=" "; B4[8]=" "; B5[8]=" "; S1[8]="      Acting Premier Eric Ripper today said new economic forecasts predicting the State was on the cusp of a development boom after a "; S2[8]=" ‘decade of lost opportunities’ was good news for Western Australian families and job seekers.
      Mr Ripper said the latest forecast by Access "; S3[8]=" Economics of seven per cent growth in 2002-03, meant WA was the strongest economy of all States and Territories and was likely to double the "; S4[8]=" national rate of growth.
      'The robust economic outlook is welcome news.
      It means more jobs and a better standard "; S5[8]=" of living for Western Australians,” he said.
      The Acting Premier said the Access Economics forecast was considerably higher than Treasury’s latest forecast "; S6[8]=" of three per cent, delivered in the mid-year Budget review last month.
      “While the Access forecast is a vote of confidence in "; S7[8]=" WA, the Government is acutely aware that, as an exporting State, we are vulnerable to the vagaries of international markets,” he said.
      "; S8[8]=" “That is why the Gallop Government is doing everything possible to sustain the economic growth in the long term by broadening the State's economic base "; S9[8]=" and improving our competitiveness as an investment location.” Mr Ripper said key measures included: · pushing ahead with electricity market reform to increase competition in "; S10[8]=" electricity supply and reduce power prices for industry; and · investing in common user infrastructure on the Burrup Peninsula to support investment in gas processing "; S11[8]=" projects.
      “Just last week the Government reached an historic settlement with native title parties in the Pilbara to clear the way for "; S12[8]=" billions of dollars in industrial developments on the Burrup,” Mr Ripper said.
      “As part of the agreement, native title issues have also "; S13[8]=" been resolved over the proposed Maitland industrial estate and residential and light industrial land around Karratha.
      “This cements the Pilbara’s position as "; S14[8]=" the economic powerhouse of the nation and provides a solid foundation for future growth in WA.” The Access Economics business outlook, released today, says: ‘Access "; S15[8]=" remains sufficiently optimistic on the global outlook that we think a growing development boom will be centred in the West.
      If so, "; S16[8]=" then the path ahead involves a return to growth in WA’s share of the Australian economy, following a decade of lost opportunities’.
      "; S17[8]=" According to Access Economics, WA was forecast to have seven per cent growth in 2002-03, followed by Queensland (4.8 per cent) and South Australia (4.6 "; S18[8]=" per cent).
      The national forecast growth rate is 3.2 per cent... "; R[9]="2327"; T[9]="Blazes threaten four states"; A[9]="By ... Editor"; Dn[9]="20030121"; Dt[9]="Tuesday 21 January 2003"; Acats[9]="a07a35a37a48"; B1[9]="      Authorities in four states - ACT, NSW, Victoria and WA were bracing for the most dangerous bushfire conditions many areas have experienced "; B2[9]="in 20 years... "; B3[9]=" "; B4[9]=" "; B5[9]=" "; S1[9]="      Authorities in four states - ACT, NSW, Victoria and WA were bracing for the most dangerous bushfire conditions many areas have experienced "; S2[9]=" in 20 years.
      Over the next six days forecast conditions will be conducive to major bushfire outbreaks north of Sydney, east of "; S3[9]=" Perth and in Victoria's northeast, where authorities have been unable to contain a fire that has burned 80,000ha of bush.
      By the "; S4[9]=" weekend Victorians will face conditions fiercer than Ash Wednesday's with high winds and temperatures soaring beyond 40C in many parts of the state.
    "; S5[9]="   The Country Fire Authority and the Department of Sustainability have warned conditions are now worse than the fires of February 16, 1983, which claimed "; S6[9]=" 71 lives.
      Western Australia also faces serious risk.
      'We will have very hot temperatures with strong winds aloft which "; S7[9]=" will mix down and create a very dangerous fire weather situation,' said forecaster Matt Boterhoven.
      And South Australia's Country Fire Service warned "; S8[9]=" yesterday the state was facing a 10-week period when high temperatures and tinder dry fuel could trigger large-scale bushfires.
      Both John "; S9[9]=" Howard and ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope yesterday urged residents and commentators to avoid apportioning blame for the fires, while Canberra residents were still confronting "; S10[9]=" the loss of four lives and at least 402 homes.
      'There will be a time when, sensibly and reflectively and accurately, we "; S11[9]=" can have a look at causes and have a look at methodology,' Mr Howard said.
      'But not in a spirit of blame "; S12[9]=" and acrimony.' Mr Stanhope urged angry residents to blame him, not frontline emergency services whom he said had performed heroically.
      He was "; S13[9]=" backed by several Duffy residents, among them Pat Shaw who beat back the blaze from his home with a garden hose and buckets.
    "; S14[9]="   'There was nothing they could have done,' he said.
      'It all came much too far, too fast.' ACT Emergency Services Bureau "; S15[9]=" director Mike Castle told ABC radio that residents in the north of city were being warned of the possibility of approaching bushfires today amid changing "; S16[9]=" weather conditions... "; R[10]="2321"; T[10]="NSW beach houses breaching land tax threshold"; A[10]="By ... Editor"; Dn[10]="20030123"; Dt[10]="Thursday 23 January 2003"; Acats[10]="a05a07a48"; B1[10]="      New land valuations sent out this summer have trapped owners at Callala Beach firmly in the NSW Government's land tax net for "; B2[10]="the first time... "; B3[10]=" "; B4[10]=" "; B5[10]=" "; S1[10]="      New land valuations sent out this summer have trapped owners at Callala Beach firmly in the NSW Government's land tax net for "; S2[10]=" the first time.
      The valuations in the area on Jervis Bay, with its sweeping strip of beachfront that looks out through the "; S3[10]=" heads to the Tasman Sea, have risen by 285 per cent since land valuations were last carried out, in 1999.
      Land tax "; S4[10]=" bills for many beachfront holiday shacks are now about $6400 a year.
      Callala Beach recorded the state's highest rise in land valuations "; S5[10]=" over the past three years, with typical beachfront blocks up from $163,000 in 1999 to $628,000.
      The valuations reflect recent property sales "; S6[10]=" of between $940,000 and $1.28million.
      Tax is payable on land valued at more than $261,000 on any property other than the principal "; S7[10]=" place of residence, which is exempt if the land is valued at less than $1.68 million.
      'It wouldn't be unreasonable to expect "; S8[10]=" some people to be shocked,' said Warwick Watkins, director-general of the Department of Information Technology and Management, which administers valuations.
      'Nobody could "; S9[10]=" have predicted the type of growth over the last couple of years.' 'It was a shock,' said Ina Cook, who owns a beachfront holiday house "; S10[10]=" on Quay Road with her husband and lives in Sydney at Grays Point.
      'We phoned and objected to the last rise because "; S11[10]=" we thought that was too high, but now it's gone through the roof.' Another Quay Road resident, Zina Shvets, was expecting a rise but "; S12[10]=" could not believe the valuer's orange slip she received: the value of her land soared from $179,000 in 1999 to $628,000.
      Ms "; S13[10]=" Shvets, who owns two properties in the area, has moved into the beachfront one because, as it is her main residence, she can avoid paying "; S14[10]=" land tax.
      The value of her second property in the area, her former home, rose only from $32,300 to $90,400 and "; S15[10]=" so is under the tax threshold.
      However, she is organising an objection to the land tax among neighbours who may be affected.
"; S16[10]="       Owners have until mid-February to lodge objections to their new land valuations, with land tax bills payable in March.
      "; S17[10]=" 'Many pensioners have shacks on the beach that they practically bought for nothing in the 1950s.
      They are already paying huge rates "; S18[10]=" and now they have to pay huge taxes.
      It may force some pensioners to sell,' she said.
      Pieter "; S19[10]=" Ebbeling is considering renting out the two-storey Callala Beach holiday house his father built in 1968 because he is facing land tax of $3500, double "; S20[10]=" what he previously paid.
      'It's a decision that I feel forced into,' he said.
      'Ideally, we would not "; S21[10]=" have to rent it out, so that our family has the flexibility to use the house when they want.' Mr Ebbeling won't sell, because "; S22[10]=" he wants to leave the property to future generations.
      He is liable for land tax because he owns an industrial property in "; S23[10]=" the Blue Mountains and the combined value of the properties is enough to push him above the threshold.
      Cabarita Beach, in the "; S24[10]=" Tweed Shire, is not far behind Callala Beach, with the value of beachfront blocks having risen by an average of 275 per cent, from $160,000 "; S25[10]=" to $600,000.
      Even the owners of neglected fibros at Budgewoi on the Central Coast will receive valuations over the next few weeks "; S26[10]=" that will force them to pay land tax.
      The average Budgewoi waterfront block has jumped from $153,000 to $285,000, an 86 per "; S27[10]=" cent increase.
      Mosman, Manly and Hunters Hill are among 49 local government areas included in valuations that will trigger higher tax "; S28[10]=" bills and council rates.
      Valuations are dated July 1, 2002 and are sent out in December and January.
      Land "; S29[10]=" values of about $261,000 roughly equate to a property price of $400,000, just below Sydney's $417,000 median house price.
      In Mosman, land "; S30[10]=" values have risen 53 per cent since 1999, from $1.8million to $2.75million.
      Land values at Maroota and Wisemans Ferry have risen well "; R[11]="2314"; T[11]="NSW opposition pledges to pay compensation for lost water"; A[11]="By ... Editor"; Dn[11]="20030117"; Dt[11]="Friday 17 January 2003"; Acats[11]="a05a07a40a91"; B1[11]="      In its most important rural policy announcement for the state election, the Coalition yesterday committed itself to paying farmers full compensation for "; B2[11]="any water rights they lose... "; B3[11]=" "; B4[11]=" "; B5[11]=" "; S1[11]="      In its most important rural policy announcement for the state election, the Coalition yesterday committed itself to paying farmers full compensation for "; S2[11]=" any water rights they lose.
      It is a promise that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars if the community decides large "; S3[11]=" amounts of water must be taken back from farmers to restore the health of the state's waterways.
      The Coalition also promised to "; S4[11]=" scrap any existing water-sharing plans if they were unsatisfactory and spend more money collecting better scientific and socio-economic data so communities can make more informed "; S5[11]=" choices about water management.
      Under a Coalition government, only local representatives on committees looking after natural resources such as water and native "; S6[11]=" vegetation would have a final say.
      The leader of the National Party, George Souris, said rural communities were being 'devastated' by the "; S7[11]=" Carr Government's 'draconian, radical, extreme green approach'.
      Also on the banks of the Peel River at Tamworth to make the announcement, the "; S8[11]=" Opposition Leader, John Brogden, gave farmers 'an iron-clad guarantee' of compensation, saying: 'You simply can't take away water rights without compensation or structural adjustment [payments].' "; S9[11]=" Thirty-six river catchment management committees made up of irrigators and representatives from the environmental movement, the bureaucracy and local government have been working for years "; S10[11]=" to come up with plans that return water to stressed river systems.
      But many rural communities have been infuriated by the process, "; S11[11]=" saying it has been based on biased or non-existent research, with committees loaded with bureaucrats and environmentalists.
      The State Government denies the "; S12[11]=" claims.
      The water-sharing plans are supposed to take environmental, economic and social impacts into account, but farmers claim the only outcome the "; S13[11]=" Carr Government is interested in is environmental.
      Some farmers are set to lose more than 80 per cent of their water entitlements.
"; S14[11]="       While the Government has insisted the social and economic impacts of changes will be minimal, irrigator groups claims thousands of jobs and "; S15[11]=" billions of dollars will be lost in rural communities.
      So far the State Government has promised $20 million for irrigators in the "; S16[11]=" hard-hit Namoi River catchment, where water use is at its most unsustainable.
      According to the State Government, even in the Namoi 66 "; S17[11]=" per cent of groundwater irrigators face no water cuts, but the Coalition yesterday pledged $40 million to help those who will.
      Mr "; S18[11]=" Souris insisted compensation would be a last resort, but said the cost of recognising water as a property right in NSW could be as high "; S19[11]=" as $300 million over the next decade.
      Water rights would be bought back from farmers at commercial prices.
      The "; S20[11]=" Land and Water Conservation Minister, John Aquilina, attacked the Opposition plan.
      'The Coalition simply does not understand what is happening with water "; S21[11]=" sharing and the long-term benefits it will bring for water users, rural towns and the environment,' he said.
      Environmentalists also condemned the "; S22[11]=" policy, saying water belonged to all Australians, not just farmers... "; R[12]="2298"; T[12]="Dairy groups discuss merger"; A[12]="By ... Editor"; Dn[12]="20030115"; Dt[12]="Wednesday 15 January 2003"; Acats[12]="a07a26"; B1[12]="      Two leading east coast dairy cooperatives, Murray Goulburn and Bonlac Foods, have proposed a $3 billion merger that would create the biggest "; B2[12]="dairy group in Australia... "; B3[12]=" "; B4[12]=" "; B5[12]=" "; S1[12]="      Two leading east coast dairy cooperatives, Murray Goulburn and Bonlac Foods, have proposed a $3 billion merger that would create the biggest "; S2[12]=" dairy group in Australia.
      The corporate watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, immediately signalled it would investigate the implications of any "; S3[12]=" merger, which would greatly consolidate the Australian dairy manufacturing sector.
      'It would be a matter of interest to the ACCC,' a commission "; S4[12]=" spokeswoman said yesterday.
      'There is quite an intricate tie-up between the companies and an investigation would take some time.' In a joint "; S5[12]=" statement yesterday, the Melbourne-headquartered businesses said the two boards had agreed to start preliminary talks about 'a potential transaction' between the two groups.
    "; S6[12]="   If the merger, which would be an effective takeover by Murray Goulburn, goes ahead, it should be completed by the middle of the year.
"; S7[12]="       New Zealand's Fonterra Co-operative Group, which owns 25 per cent of Bonlac, said it was aware of and supported the discussions.
  "; S8[12]="     Murray Goulburn, whose brands include Devondale, has annual turnover of more than $2 billion.
      The figure for Bonlac is between "; S9[12]=" $800 million to $900 million.
      The two groups have agreed to a due diligence process, which is expected to start soon.
  "; S10[12]="     The outcome of the due diligence will determine whether more talks on the merger go ahead.
      The merger would only "; S11[12]=" proceed 'if the transaction is in the best interests of the farmers and milk supplier shareholders of both Murray Goulburn and Bonlac', the statement said.
"; S12[12]="       The two groups said it would be several months before due diligence was completed and they were in a position to decide "; S13[12]=" on whether the merger would go ahead.
      'Any transaction will be subject to the approval of the supplier shareholders of both companies "; S14[12]=" and the ACCC,' the statement said.
      Ratings agency Standard & Poor's said that if the process led to a formal offer to "; S15[12]=" shareholders, Bonlac's ratings could be placed on creditwatch with positive implications, and raised if the transaction were to proceed.
      The new entity "; S16[12]=" would dominate dairy processing in Victoria, which produces two-thirds of the nation's milk, and also in Tasmania, South Australia and the Riverina.
      "; S17[12]=" Murray Goulburn takes about half Victoria's milk, and Bonlac processes 15 per cent of Australia's milk supply.
      Bonlac's managing director and chief "; S18[12]=" executive, Peter Myers, said Bonlac had been looking at a change in strategic direction for some time.
      'We have been under some "; S19[12]=" financial stress, but have made inroads,' he said.
      'We need to look at other strategic options.' In 2001-02, Bonlac suffered an effective "; S20[12]=" loss of $33 million and hedging losses of $70 million, and has been constrained by a milk shortage due to the drought.
      "; S21[12]=" Two years ago, Murray Goulburn and National Foods made a $870 million takeover bid for Bonlac, but were defeated when Bonlac allied itself with New "; S22[12]=" Zealand Dairy Board, now Fonterra.
      Bonlac products include cheddar, gouda, cream and mozzarella cheeses, milk powders and butter... "; R[13]="2297"; T[13]="Merger talks for wine companies"; A[13]="By ... Editor"; Dn[13]="20030115"; Dt[13]="Wednesday 15 January 2003"; Acats[13]="a07a13"; B1[13]="      BRL Hardy shareholders may get a chance to own shares in the world's biggest wine business if their company and Constellation Brands "; B2[13]="of the US successfully combine their assets into a $5.8 billion entity... "; B3[13]=" "; B4[13]=" "; B5[13]=" "; S1[13]="      BRL Hardy shareholders may get a chance to own shares in the world's biggest wine business if their company and Constellation Brands "; S2[13]=" of the US successfully combine their assets into a $5.8 billion entity.
      The companies confirmed yesterday they were in 'advanced discussions' about "; S3[13]=" either a merger or Constellation acquiring BRL Hardy, Australia's biggest winemaker with brands including Banrock Station, Stonehaven, Nottage Hill, Hardys, Houghton and Moondah Brook.
  "; S4[13]="     Shares in the Adelaide-based group surged to an intra-day high of $9.30 before closing up $1.28, or 16.7 per cent, at a four-month "; S5[13]=" peak of $8.95.
      Constellation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and has a successful US joint venture marketing business, Pacific "; S6[13]=" Wine Partners, with BRL Hardy.
      'If an agreement is reached, the combined BRL Hardy and Constellation wine operations will create the world's "; S7[13]=" largest wine business with leadership positions in the world's key markets and annual wine sales of around $3 billion,' BRL Hardy's managing director, Stephen Millar, "; S8[13]=" said.
      Although the companies confirmed the talks, they were not immediately able to provide details on the likely structure of the transaction "; S9[13]=" or the price.
      However, to underline commitments to the deal, BRL Hardy chairman John Pendrigh said 'no solicitation' and 'break fee' agreements "; S10[13]=" had been signed.
      The break agreements make the parties liable for financial penalties if they pull out.
      The companies "; S11[13]=" are expected to issue final details on the transaction's structure in a matter of days, possibly this week.
      The deal will value "; S12[13]=" BRL Hardy at between $9.50 and $10.50 a share, ascribing a worth for the entire company of up to $1.9 billion compared with Constellation's market "; S13[13]=" capitalisation of $3.9 billion.
      Investment bank Credit Suisse First Boston said that, based on the prices paid in other wine transactions during "; S14[13]=" the past two years, an offer of $10 a share was a starting point.
      BRL Hardy peaked at $11.63 last February.
  "; S15[13]="     BRL Hardy shareholders are expected to have the option of taking scrip in the enlarged group either in exchange for their own stock "; S16[13]=" or as part of a $US300 million ($513 million) equity issue by Constellation to pay for the takeover.
      A dual listing is "; S17[13]=" a possibility.
      However, most analysts insisted a straight cash offer was more attractive, given the low-growth nature of Constellation and the value "; S18[13]=" the offer is expected to place on BRL Hardy.
      'Until we know the full structure of the transaction it is hard to "; S19[13]=" assess, but at the current share price we think BRL Hardy is fully valued,' UBS Warburg analyst David Roberton said.
      Analysts' values "; S20[13]=" for BRL Hardy shares range from JBWere's $6 a share to CSFB with $9.88.
      The numbers have dropped in recent months because "; S21[13]=" of concerns about the sustainability of growth in Europe and a build-up in inventories.
      Analysts doubt that a rival bidder will emerge, "; S22[13]=" given the difficulty and cost involved for an outsider in breaking up the Pacific Wine Partners venture... "; R[14]="2286"; T[14]="$5.7b damages bill from drought"; A[14]="By ... Editor"; Dn[14]="20030113"; Dt[14]="Monday 13 January 2003"; Acats[14]="a07a08a35"; B1[14]="      The severe drought is expected to cut $5.7 billion from the value of agricultural production in 2002-03, according to the Australian Bureau "; B2[14]="of Statistics... "; B3[14]=" "; B4[14]=" "; B5[14]=" "; S1[14]="      The severe drought is expected to cut $5.7 billion from the value of agricultural production in 2002-03, according to the Australian Bureau "; S2[14]=" of Statistics.
      It has predicted a 25 per cent drop on last financial year's national total of $22.6 billion, seasonally adjusted.
  "; S3[14]="     The bureau tipped a similar fall in the gross added value for prices - from $21.1 billion to $15.8 billion.
      "; S4[14]=" It said the secondary effects of the drought, such as less road and rail freight to move produce, were likely to be offset in part "; S5[14]=" by extra transport of stock to market for destocking, transport for agistment and stock feed.
      Trade deficit widens to 18-month high SYDNEY "; S6[14]=" AUSTRALIA'S monthly trade balance widened to its biggest deficit in 18 months as a strong domestic economy and sluggish global economy combined to impact on "; S7[14]=" it in November.
      Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the November balance on goods and services came in at "; S8[14]=" $1.141 billion, the largest monthly deficit since August 2000.
      Economists said that while the result itself was better than expectations, it does "; S9[14]=" not change the overall outlook for trade.
      'It was a little bit better than consensus expectations but it doesn't really change the "; S10[14]=" overall picture,' RBC Capital Markets senior economist Su-Lin Ong said.
      'The underlying trend has obviously been deteriorating for a while, essentially reflecting "; S11[14]=" what has been a pretty healthy and resilient domestic economy.' The data showed exports were flat on the month, hampered by a seven per cent "; S12[14]=" fall in rural exports.
      This was driven by a 16 per cent fall in cereal and cereal preparations and a 21 per "; S13[14]=" cent decline in wheat exports.
      Economists also noted the drought was beginning to flow into the trade data, evidenced by the weak "; S14[14]=" performance on the rural goods side.
      'We are caught in the classic pincher effect if you like of strong domestic economy and "; S15[14]=" weak global economy and underlying that you have got the drought,' Commonwealth Bank chief economist Michael Blythe said.
      Blythe also added that "; S16[14]=" the strong domestic economy was driving the import side of the equation, with machinery and industrial equipment imports up firmly.
      Consumption good "; S17[14]=" imports rose by five per cent in November although forward looking signs suggest that imports may begin to moderate into 2003.
      Still, "; S18[14]=" the consensus is that the trade deficit is going to get worse before it gets better, particularly given that November was the 12th consecutive monthly "; S19[14]=" trade deficit, in seasonally adjusted terms.
      'The key themes evident in the November trade figuring are likely to underpin a further widening "; S20[14]=" in the trade deficit through the first quarter of 2003,' SG Australia chief economist Glenn Maguire said.
      Mr Blythe concurred.
    "; S21[14]="   'It is a very large number and I suspect it is going to remain a large number for a while yet,' he said.
  "; S22[14]="     'I suspect those $1 billion plus numbers are here to stay for a while yet.' The data also indicated net exports would continue "; S23[14]=" to detract from economic growth and that the current account deficit is likely to widen further in the December quarter.
      Ms Ong "; S24[14]=" said the trade data is unlikely to begin to turn around for at least another six months.
      'It probably won't be until "; S25[14]=" the second half of this year when domestic demand starts to moderate a lot more here and the global picture looks a little bit better "; S26[14]=" that we will see some improvement,' she said... "; R[15]="2284"; T[15]="Concern over trade impact of drought, war and dollar"; A[15]="By ... Editor"; Dn[15]="20030113"; Dt[15]="Monday 13 January 2003"; Acats[15]="a07a08a35"; B1[15]="      Australia's gaping trade deficit is about to get worse, as drought, the resurgent dollar and wheat sanctions by Iraq cut deeply into "; B2[15]="exports this year... "; B3[15]=" "; B4[15]=" "; B5[15]=" "; S1[15]="      Australia's gaping trade deficit is about to get worse, as drought, the resurgent dollar and wheat sanctions by Iraq cut deeply into "; S2[15]=" exports this year.
      November's deficit blew out to $1.14 billion - the largest since August 2000 and the 12th deficit in a "; S3[15]=" row - Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, released yesterday, showed.
      The Melbourne Institute's assistant director, Don Harding, said: 'It's quite possible that "; S4[15]=" we could look at a deficit of around $2 billion or $2.5 billion a month towards the end of this year.' Economists said the deficit "; S5[15]=" reflected Australia's economic strength but also the risks ahead.
      'This inexorable trend is an inevitable outcome of the current economic mix,' said "; S6[15]=" the Commonwealth Bank's chief economist, Michael Blythe.
      'The domestic economy is strong, the global economy is weak.
      Overlaying "; S7[15]=" this classic pincer effect is the drought.
      Further, $1 billion-plus deficits are likely over the months ahead.' The export outlook deteriorated further "; S8[15]=" this week when an Iraqi official confirmed Baghdad had carried out its threat to slash Australian wheat imports by $400 million this year - equivalent "; S9[15]=" to 7 per cent of last year's total wheat exports - as a consequence of the Government's support of the Bush Administration's war plans.
  "; S10[15]="     'We asked the people of Australia why they help America - we haven't heard an answer,' the official said.
      Australia's "; S11[15]=" monopoly grain exporter, AWB, said yesterday that Iraq had halved its Australian wheat imports to 1 million tonnes this year.
      It said "; S12[15]=" drought would not have affected its ability to deliver.
      The new figures show goods exports slumped 2 per cent in the year "; S13[15]=" to September, in contrast to 9per cent average annual growth over the previous decade.
      The slide was attributable to a 4.4 per "; S14[15]=" cent drop in exports to East Asia.
      The Government highlighted strong export growth to China, but Chinese figures reveal Australian exports "; S15[15]=" have fallen as a proportion of China's overall imports - from 2.5 per cent in 1996 to 2 per cent last year.
      "; S16[15]=" Analysts fear the cost to exports of war in Iraq could hit the wider Middle East region, which is Australia's fastest-growing market.
      "; S17[15]=" The Middle East bought $7.7 billion in Australian goods last year, mostly in livestock, grain and cars.
      And economic strength means "; S18[15]=" Australia is likely to continue to import more goods and capital than it exports.
      The director of the Centre of International Economics, "; S19[15]=" Andy Stoeckel, said: 'We're running a very large trade deficit because ...
      Australia is a very good place to invest in.' "; S20[15]=" The acting Trade Minister, John Anderson, said the economy was on track to meet Government forecasts of 2 per cent growth this financial year.
  "; S21[15]="     He attributed most of the export slump to drought.
      The Government's agriculture research bureau, ABARE, has forecast that drought will "; S22[15]=" cut agricultural exports from $31 billion to $27 billion this financial year.
      But Labor's trade spokesman, Craig Emerson, said diminishing exports "; S23[15]=" reflected the Government's 'neglect' of East Asian markets and a failure to diversify exports away from mining and rural commodities.
      The dollar "; S24[15]=" has risen 10 per cent against the American dollar in the past five months, which will add competitive pressure to Australian exporters.
      "; S25[15]=" It was at US57.6 cents late yesterday... "; R[16]="2283"; T[16]="Seachange becoming an epidemic"; A[16]="By ... Editor"; Dn[16]="20030113"; Dt[16]="Monday 13 January 2003"; Acats[16]="a07a48a50a51"; B1[16]="      Seachange has become a tidal wave as Australians choose lifestyle over income.... "; B2[16]=" "; B3[16]=" "; B4[16]=" "; B5[16]=" "; S1[16]="      Seachange has become a tidal wave as Australians choose lifestyle over income.
      Is the 'aspirational voter' of election campaigns "; S2[16]=" transforming into a selfless drop-out? And just how many of us are prepared to take a popular television series seriously enough to adopt it as "; S3[16]=" a model for living? Nearly a quarter of us, according to new research on the SeaChange phenomenon, which has found that 23 per cent of "; S4[16]=" Australians aged 30 to 59 have sacrificed income for the sake of a more balanced lifestyle in the past 10 years.
      "; S5[16]=" And we have done it by downshifting - by switching to a less demanding job, reducing work hours or dropping out of the workforce altogether "; S6[16]=" - in search of our personal Pearl Bay.
      The quest for wellbeing, the search for fulfilment and wanting to spend more time "; S7[16]=" with the kids are the motivators, says The Australia Institute's report, Downshifting in Australia: A sea-change in the pursuit of happiness.
      "; S8[16]=" While many are pursuing nirvana, that does not mean we are all about to move to Nimbin, says the institute's executive director, Clive Hamilton.
  "; S9[16]="     'This is about putting lives in front of incomes.
      These are people who certainly do not view themselves as drop-outs; "; S10[16]=" they're ordinary people from the mainstream, who are rejecting over-consumption and deliberately reducing their income in search of a more balanced lifestyle.' With data collected "; S11[16]=" through a national survey by Newspoll, Dr Hamilton and his team found that even when three big groups - new retirees, those returning to tertiary "; S12[16]=" study to improve their job prospects and women temporarily leaving work after the birth of a child - were removed from calculations, 23 per cent "; S13[16]=" of Australians over 30 had made permanent and significant changes involving a reduction in their standard of living for the sake of their quality of "; S14[16]=" life.
      And it has worked.
      While one-sixth of the downshifters surveyed admitted they were happy despite severely struggling "; S15[16]=" financially, only 7 per cent said they were downright unhappy.
      Barbara Pocock, director of the Centre for Labour Research at the University "; S16[16]=" of Adelaide and an Australia Institute board member (she joined the board after the research was completed) said the findings presented a strong argument for "; S17[16]=" much needed greater flexibility in the workforce.
      'People are choosing radical solutions resulting in significant shifts in income just in order to "; S18[16]=" find a reasonable and decent balance in their lives,' Dr Pocock said.
      But the chief executive of Employers First, Garry Brack, rejected "; S19[16]=" the institute's findings, describing them as 'compellingly similar' to those in previous reports used in the ACTU's campaign to reduce working hours.
      "; S20[16]=" 'In the end, if it is the aim of these ACTU acolytes to persuade Australia to become less productive and competitive, then this is the "; S21[16]=" way to go about doing it,' he said... "; R[17]="2251"; T[17]="Albany’s Whale World gets funding grant."; A[17]="By ... Editor"; Dn[17]="20030109"; Dt[17]="Thursday 9 January 2003"; Acats[17]="a07a44a67"; B1[17]="      Tourism Minister Clive Brown today visited the Great Southern region to present a Lotteries Commission cheque for $522,729 to the popular tourist "; B2[17]="attraction -Whale World in Albany... "; B3[17]=" "; B4[17]=" "; B5[17]=" "; S1[17]="      Tourism Minister Clive Brown today visited the Great Southern region to present a Lotteries Commission cheque for $522,729 to the popular tourist "; S2[17]=" attraction -Whale World in Albany.
      Whale World has been owned and operated by the Jaycees Community Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation for the "; S3[17]=" past 23 years.
      “The grant will facilitate the restoration of the whaling station’s derrick, barometric tower and cutting up deck to near-original "; S4[17]=" operating condition, with an audio simulation of the way it was,” Mr Brown said.
      “Part of the grant will also help restore "; S5[17]=" the Panorama Tower or Hall of Fame, which will help to recreate characters that used to work at the station or on the whaling ships.” "; S6[17]=" Both of these new exhibits are scheduled for official opening in July, 2003.
      While in the Great Southern, Mr Brown also unveiled "; S7[17]=" a plaque to celebrate the completion of the Wilson Inlet Foreshore Project in Denmark.
      The project included construction and provision of seating, "; S8[17]=" cycle racks, planting and interpretive signage, pontoon floating bridges and shelter.
      “The aim of the project is to enhance visitors’ use and "; S9[17]=" experience of the Prawn Rock Channel, by using the dual-use pathway for cycling or walking,” the Minister said.
      He also visited Mount "; S10[17]=" Barker to present a cheque and open the extensions to the Refresh Gallery.
      The block-mounted photographic gallery combines anecdotal stories from the "; S11[17]=" early 1900s, with historical facts about the region.
      “The gallery promotes the district’s history by incorporating historic displays into this magnificent building,” "; S12[17]=" Mr Brown said.
      “The Great Southern region is becoming more of a drawcard for tourists not only because of the wines here, "; S13[17]=" but because it is so rich in history.”.. "; R[18]="2248"; T[18]="Farming, forestry jobs go due to drought"; A[18]="By ... Editor"; Dn[18]="20030109"; Dt[18]="Thursday 9 January 2003"; Acats[18]="a06a07a35a48"; B1[18]="      Almost 70,000 farming and forestry jobs have been wiped out in the past year as the drought has shut down jobs for "; B2[18]="shearers and other farm workers, Bureau of Statistics figures show... "; B3[18]=" "; B4[18]=" "; B5[18]=" "; S1[18]="      Almost 70,000 farming and forestry jobs have been wiped out in the past year as the drought has shut down jobs for "; S2[18]=" shearers and other farm workers, Bureau of Statistics figures show.
      But the figures reveal that non-farm employment, even on the smoothed trend "; S3[18]=" figures, jumped by 263,000 in the year to November, reflecting the heat of fast-growing domestic spending with interest rates low.
      Australian Workers "; S4[18]=" Union national secretary Bill Shorten said yesterday the drought had hit shearers particularly hard, as well as affecting wool scourers, fence wirers and grain handlers.
"; S5[18]="       'There have been lay-offs and downsizing right across farm-based industries,' Mr Shorten said.
      'Farmers have been sending sheep to "; S6[18]=" the abattoirs, so there's less shearing work around, and shearers who have work are doing fewer sheep.' National Farmers Federation economist Michael Potter said it "; S7[18]=" also appeared that fewer farmers were taking on casual seasonal workers.
      'They might not need as much help on the farm, because "; S8[18]=" the drought means there's less to do,' he said.
      Yet the bureau figures also show big job growth in the past year "; S9[18]=" in areas such as real estate and business services (57,300 more jobs), manufacturing (52,600) and retailing (50,300).
      But employment in government-funded sectors "; S10[18]=" is growing even more rapidly, as Australia's record tax levels are financing record public sector employment.
      The bureau figures show that in "; S11[18]=" the past three years, half the growth in Australian employment has been in the three sectors that government dominates: 135,600 jobs have been added in "; S12[18]=" the health and welfare sector, a 17 per cent rise.
      Federal, state and local governments have added 80,200 workers in public administration "; S13[18]=" and defence, a growth of 23 per cent, making bureaucracy the fastest-growing sector of the workforce.
      47,800 jobs have been added in "; S14[18]=" education, in contrast to job losses earlier in the '90s... "; R[19]="2245"; T[19]="$675m Cost for Murray River Environmental Flow"; A[19]="By ... Editor"; Dn[19]="20030109"; Dt[19]="Thursday 9 January 2003"; Acats[19]="a05a07a40a42"; B1[19]="      The cost of saving the ailing Murray River could be up to $675 million, but scientists and environmental groups believe it will "; B2[19]="only be a temporary solution... "; B3[19]=" "; B4[19]=" "; B5[19]=" "; S1[19]="      The cost of saving the ailing Murray River could be up to $675 million, but scientists and environmental groups believe it will "; S2[19]=" only be a temporary solution.
      State and Federal governments are considering three rescue packages - measuring 350 gigalitres, 750 gigalitres or 1500 "; S3[19]=" gigalitres - to return water to the country's most important river system .
      The different options come with price tags of $157 "; S4[19]=" million, $337 million and $675 million, according to figures provided to the Federal Opposition by a Senate estimates committee and based on buying out existing "; S5[19]=" water licences.
      The 1500 gigalitre option is being pushed by scientists, environmentalists and the Opposition as a way of returning water that "; S6[19]=" is extracted for industrial and agricultural use.
      But scientists say this is enough to give the river only a moderate change of "; S7[19]=" recovering from the ecological damage caused by excessive diversions, unseasonal flow patterns due to irrigation demands and the creeping salinity.
      Professor Gary "; S8[19]=" Jones, a member of the Wentworth Group of scientists and economists and the head of the Co-operative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology, said it would "; S9[19]=" take 3000 gigalitres to give the whole river system a high chance of returning to good health.
      'Lower options will address specific "; S10[19]=" problems but not the health of the whole river system,' he said.
      'Between 1500 and 1600 gigalitres will give the river a "; S11[19]=" moderate chance but less than that will only provide benefits to specific areas.' A meeting of federal and state environment ministers last April agreed the "; S12[19]=" Murray Darling Basin Commission should investigate the potential to return between 350 and 1500 gigalitres to the Murray over the next decade.
      "; S13[19]=" A decision is not expected until next year after the commission has considered a report by Professor Jones, due at the end of May.
  "; S14[19]="     But the Opposition's environment spokesman, Kelvin Thomson, said the decision could not afford to wait.
      'The Government has been going "; S15[19]=" around in circles and has not tackled the issue with anything like the urgency it requires,' he said.
      'The decision should have "; S16[19]=" been made last year.' South Australia, which bears the brunt of the problems suffered by the Murray, has already committed itself to pursuing the 1500 "; S17[19]=" gigalitre option.
      The Australian Conservation Foundation has predicted Adelaide's drinking water would be unsafe on two out of every five days if "; S18[19]=" lower options were chosen.
      Victoria and NSW have yet to commit to an option and won't suggest who should foot the bill.
"; S19[19]="       But Victoria and South Australia have already agreed to put $15 million towards the cost of increasing the flow of the Murray "; S20[19]=" by 30 gigalitres while the Federal Government has contributed $75 million for an extra 70 gigalitres.
      The conservation foundation's campaign director, John "; S21[19]=" Connor, said any option under 1500 gigalitres was unacceptable.
      'This is an affordable option that is only one third of this year's "; S22[19]=" budget surplus,' he said... "; R[20]="2242"; T[20]="Trade in Australian Irrigation Water Rights Proposed"; A[20]="By ... Editor"; Dn[20]="20030108"; Dt[20]="Wednesday 8 January 2003"; Acats[20]="a07a40"; B1[20]="      Australian government scientists are proposing an unprecedented national water trading framework to define water rights for irrigation.... "; B2[20]=" "; B3[20]=" "; B4[20]=" "; B5[20]=" "; S1[20]="      Australian government scientists are proposing an unprecedented national water trading framework to define water rights for irrigation.
      'Water trading "; S2[20]=" and allocation systems contain serious flaws.
      It's time for Australia to bring together all existing licenses into a form that is consistently "; S3[20]=" robust,' says Professor Mike Young of the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial and Research Organization (CSIRO).
      Young and CSIRO Research Fellow Jim McColl have "; S4[20]=" identified a way to allocate and manage water resources, that is robust enough to expect the water resources to last for centuries.
      "; S5[20]=" None of the current systems do this, they say.
      'Current systems were not designed for water management in an environment where periodic "; S6[20]=" drought is the norm, water resources are scarce, climatic conditions change and pressures on the environment are large,' says Young.
      Young and "; S7[20]=" McColl propose a water rights system based on banking, share trading and Torrens Title registration procedures.
      This would allow water to be "; S8[20]=" traded via electronic transfers, with licensed brokers and clear trading rules.
      But the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), the country's largest environmental group, "; S9[20]=" says strengthening property rights and entrenching rights to compensation for irrigation water would be going too far - it would diminish community rights to healthy "; S10[20]=" rivers and water resources.
      The ACF does not support the expansion of existing private rights to water and vegetation.
      "; S11[20]=" 'While private rights to land and water resources are already well defined in our legal system, the rights of the environment remain poorly defined,' the "; S12[20]=" ACF said in a position paper on the property rights dilemma.
      'In our view any increase of farmers’ rights to land and "; S13[20]=" water resources can only come at the expense of the natural environment,' the ACF said.
      The system proposed by CSIRO has three "; S14[20]=" components, an entitlement, an allocation and a use license.
      Entitlements - the periodic receipt of water allocations received by farmers - are "; S15[20]=" managed in a system that mimics the share registry systems used by companies.
      These shares could be mortgageable and interests recorded.
  "; S16[20]="     Entitlements must also specify risks such that their holders understand precisely what can and what can not be compensated through the courts.
  "; S17[20]="     Share systems make it clear that risk is involved and that circumstances may change.
      'Allocations need to be managed separately "; S18[20]=" as a common pool resource.
      Much like the management of money in banking system, allocations should be credited to a formal account, "; S19[20]=" similar to a bank account,' says Dr.McColl.
      'Trades and extractions from the pool for irrigation, for example, would be debited from these "; S20[20]=" accounts and people should be able to write water checks and/or trade over the Internet at very low cost,' McColl said.
      The "; S21[20]=" final component is a use licence - the right to apply water to land.
      This is where impacts on the environment, impacts "; S22[20]=" on neighbors and impacts on downstream water users are managed.
      When defining entitlements, land use changes that affect the amount of water "; S23[20]=" in the river need to be managed, the CSIRO scientists say.
      An advantage of the proposed system that separates entitlement, allocation and "; S24[20]=" use issues is that it can be controlled as climatic, economic and technical circumstances vary.
      'It's also important to limit trading opportunities "; S25[20]=" to the amount of water consumed,' says Young.
      'In many irrigation systems as much as 50 percent of the water pumped on "; S26[20]=" to the land returns to rivers via groundwater and drainage.
      Trading pumping rights without regard to the amount of water that is "; S27[20]=" returning to the system for use by others and the environment is eroding current systems,' Young said.
      'Where major changes are required,' "; S28[20]=" the ACF said, 'we believe a compact must be struck around the imperative of healthy rivers on the one hand, and the genuine socio-economic difficulties "; S29[20]=" faced by irrigators on the other.
      While ACF supports structural adjustment funding in some cases, the group said in its position paper, "; S30[20]=" 'we oppose any general requirement to compensate farmers for changes to environmental policies and regulations.' Irrigation is by far the largest user of water from "; R[21]="2238"; T[21]="Building boom falters"; A[21]="By ... Editor"; Dn[21]="20030108"; Dt[21]="Wednesday 8 January 2003"; Acats[21]="a07"; B1[21]="      A record drop in building approvals in November has added to expectations that the five-year housing boom is coming to an end.... "; B2[21]=" "; B3[21]=" "; B4[21]=" "; B5[21]=" "; S1[21]="      A record drop in building approvals in November has added to expectations that the five-year housing boom is coming to an end.
"; S2[21]="       Total dwelling approvals slumped 25.6 per cent, reversing a large jump in the previous month, as the brakes were finally applied to "; S3[21]=" one of the strongest sectors of the economy.
      The larger than expected fall left the monthly approvals figure at its lowest level "; S4[21]=" since February, confirming forecasts that the market is finally cooling.
      While activity is still healthy, industry participants in several states said it "; S5[21]=" was now definitely lower than the past year or so, particularly for the period since Christmas.
      Peter Hayes, the managing director of "; S6[21]=" one of Victoria's biggest home builders, the Henley Properties Group,told the Australian Financial Review that inquiries since Boxing Day were about 30 per cent to "; S7[21]=" 40 per cent down on a year ago.
      Harry Triguboff, managing director of Meriton Apartments - the nation's most prolific apartment developer "; S8[21]=" - agreed that inquiries were down, but said the market would bounce back after the holiday season.
      'The agents who made so "; S9[21]=" much money last year are still on holiday,' Mr Triguboff said.
      Approvals for privately owned houses - considered the best guide to "; S10[21]=" underlying trends in housing activity - fell 11.6 per cent during November to their lowest level since June 2001.
      Meanwhile, approvals for "; S11[21]=" medium density developments, which have skyrocketed during the boom, fell 45.2 per cent to the lowest level in four months.
      While "; S12[21]=" approvals for houses are now trending downwards, approvals for medium-density developments are still rising, adding to concerns that an oversupply could emerge in that sector.
"; S13[21]="       Industry watchers say some of these medium-density projects may be shelved in the coming months as investor demand for units and apartments "; S14[21]=" eases.
      UBS Warburg economist Scott Haslem said: '[Yesterday's] data would appear to mark the beginning of the correction in housing activity we "; S15[21]=" have been expecting for some time.' After the housing market contributed about one-third of the economy's growth in recent years, economists expect its slowdown will "; S16[21]=" reduce Australia's economic growth by up to 1 percentage point in 2003.
      Last financial year, construction work began on about 165,000 new "; S17[21]=" houses.
      That figure is expected to drop by about 10 per cent to about 147,000 in 2002-03.
      "; S18[21]=" The slowdown - which will affect industries such as construction, manufacturing and retailing - will help limit growth to about 3 per cent, down from "; S19[21]=" 3.8 per cent in 2002.
      As a result, most observers believe the Reserve Bank of Australia will leave the official cash rate "; S20[21]=" on hold at 4.75 per cent for the time being.
      'The November drop will allay fears that the new housing market is "; S21[21]=" heading into dangerous territory and should give comfort to the Reserve Bank,' Wilhelm Harnisch, chief executive of Master Builders Australia, said.
      However, "; S22[21]=" not everyone is convinced the market is slowing.
      Some economists pointed out that, based on an average for October and November, approvals "; S23[21]=" are still near boom-type levels.
      Commonwealth Bank chief economist Michael Blythe said: 'While many commentators are calling the turn, we suspect that "; S24[21]=" we are not quite there yet.
      'It is clear that house approvals are trending down, but the direction of the medium/high-density "; S25[21]=" segment is unclear.' While building approvals are slowing, construction work is still proceeding apace.
      In the detached-house market, for example, builders "; S26[21]=" expect the slowdown in approvals will not be seen in reduced work until at least March.
      'We are still struggling for sub-contractors,' "; S27[21]=" Lev Mizikovsky, executive director of Queensland's largest detached home builder, Tamawood, said.
      Where the slowdown is beginning to show is at the "; S28[21]=" beginning of the pipeline, with a number of planned projects being deferred and an increasing number of sites up for sale.
      In "; S29[21]=" Melbourne, at least five apartment projects have been delayed or abandoned when required levels of pre-commitments were not obtained, while one has been put on "; S30[21]=" hold in Brisbane.
      HSBC economist Anthony Thompson cautioned that the medium-density investor market was now facing oversupply, high vacancy rates and weak "; R[22]="2235"; T[22]="Super funds negative returns: Scare for Baby Boomers"; A[22]="By ... Editor"; Dn[22]="20030107"; Dt[22]="Tuesday 7 January 2003"; Acats[22]="a07"; B1[22]="      Superannuation funds suffered their worst performance in more than 25 years last year, with volatile equity markets ensuring that not one fund "; B2[22]="manager posted a positive return in 2002... "; B3[22]=" "; B4[22]=" "; B5[22]=" "; S1[22]="      Superannuation funds suffered their worst performance in more than 25 years last year, with volatile equity markets ensuring that not one fund "; S2[22]=" manager posted a positive return in 2002.
      According to the latest survey from asset consultants Intech, it was the first time in "; S3[22]=" eight years that every super fund posted a negative result.
      The best performance was from the more value-orientated investment manager Maple-Brown Abbott, "; S4[22]=" which managed to limit its losses to just 1 per cent against a 7.3 per cent loss by the typical growth-orientated fund.
      "; S5[22]=" It was the third successive year that Maple-Brown Abbott has topped the Intech survey.
      It was also the third year in a "; S6[22]=" row that international equities have posted negative returns and the domestic sharemarket has outperformed its international counterparts, though it still lost ground.
      "; S7[22]=" Maple-Brown Abbott's John Kitely attributed the fund manager's success to an underweight position in international equities, an overweight position in property trusts - the best "; S8[22]=" performing asset class last year - and careful selection of stocks trading on low price/earnings ratios with high dividend yields.
      'We haven't "; S9[22]=" done well.
      We just haven't done as badly as the others,' Mr Kitely said.
      Stocks that the fund manager "; S10[22]=" has held for some time and that have boosted the portfolio over the past few years include Goodman Fielder, Orica and Newcrest Mining.
    "; S11[22]="   Westpac investors will be alarmed to see that BT Funds Management and Sagitta Rothschild posted the worst performances of 2002.
      Westpac "; S12[22]=" bought both fund managers earlier this year in a bid to boost its wealth management arm.
      Andrew Brown, head of equities at "; S13[22]=" Sagitta who is running the enlarged fund management operation for Westpac, was unavailable to comment on the challenges that lie ahead.
      Both "; S14[22]=" Intech and rival researcher Mercer Investment Consulting acknowledged that fund managers with a bias away from growth stocks and an underweight stance in international equities "; S15[22]=" tended to outperform.
      In 2002 Australian shares fell 8.8 per cent compared with the 27.4 per cent fall by international equities.
  "; S16[22]="     The best performing asset class was listed property trusts at 11.8 per cent, while bonds were up 8.8 per cent.
      "; S17[22]=" Despite the domestic sharemarket's reasonably buoyant start to the new year, Mr Kitely continues to view any move back into equities with trepidation.
    "; S18[22]="   'We have reduced our underweight stance in overseas equities slightly as their valuations have gone down,' he said.
      'But they are "; S19[22]=" still reasonably expensive plus the Australian dollar still looks a bit cheap.
      We don't anticipate any major improvement in the coming year.' "; S20[22]=" One fund manager defying the overall trend was Colonial First State which, despite its growth style and exposure to international shares, was still ranked "; S21[22]=" 14th with a negative return of 7 per cent beating the average.
      Intech said an exceptional performance in international equities had helped "; S22[22]=" Colonial beat the rest of its growth-orientated peers... "; R[23]="2232"; T[23]="Rising dollar an extra burden for exporters"; A[23]="By ... Editor"; Dn[23]="20030107"; Dt[23]="Tuesday 7 January 2003"; Acats[23]="a07a08"; B1[23]="      The recent rise in the Australian dollar was welcome but too much of a surge would hurt our exports, Labor said today.... "; B2[23]=" "; B3[23]=" "; B4[23]=" "; B5[23]=" "; S1[23]="      The recent rise in the Australian dollar was welcome but too much of a surge would hurt our exports, Labor said today.
"; S2[23]="       The Australian dollar reached its highest level since late June early this morning after a combination of a weak US dollar, "; S3[23]=" strong domestic economic data and a renewed interest in growth currencies.
      Opposition treasury spokesman Bob McMullan said the rise seemed to "; S4[23]=" be based on speculation that the United States economic recovery could be stronger than expected.
      'While I hope that that assessment "; S5[23]=" about the United States economy is true, because it would be good for the world economy and good for Australia, if the dollar strengthens a "; S6[23]=" lot ...
      that will make our exports less competitive and take away what's been one of the key elements of our economic "; S7[23]=" success over the last couple of years,' he said.
      'The small increase so far won't have that affect but if it's "; S8[23]=" sustained it will start to impact on the competitiveness of our exports and our domestic production.'.. "; R[24]="2230"; T[24]="Aussie roads get poor safety ranking"; A[24]="By ... Editor"; Dn[24]="20030107"; Dt[24]="Tuesday 7 January 2003"; Acats[24]="a05a07a51"; B1[24]="      Australia ranked eighth out of 27 nations in an international road safety study just released.... "; B2[24]=" "; B3[24]=" "; B4[24]=" "; B5[24]=" "; S1[24]="      Australia ranked eighth out of 27 nations in an international road safety study just released.
      The research, released "; S2[24]=" by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, compared road fatalities in 27 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations with the United Kingdom, Norway and "; S3[24]=" Finland topping the list as the safest.
      Korea had the worst safety record with 7.8 fatalities per 10,000 registered vehicles.
  "; S4[24]="     Australia's overall fatality rate was 1.5 per 10,000 registered vehicles but the figures varied significantly between states and territories.
      "; S5[24]=" The ACT had the nation's safest roads while the Northern Territory was the worst, recording five fatalities per 10,000 registered vehicles.
      "; S6[24]=" The report comes a day after acting Prime Minister John Anderson ordered an inquiry into the cause of the Christmas/New Year road fatalities.
  "; S7[24]="     Road crashes between December 20 and January 5 have claimed 71 lives.
      Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Senator Ron "; S8[24]=" Boswell said while Australia compared favourably with other countries, there was no room for complacency.
      The International Road Safety Comparisons report "; S9[24]=" used figures from the International Road Traffic Accident Database, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the ATSB to compare road fatality rates for 2000.
  "; S10[24]="     In the 25 years to 2000 the rate of road fatalities in Australia fell significantly from 5.9 per 10,000 registered vehicles in "; S11[24]=" 1975 to 1.5 in 2000, Senator Boswell said... "; R[25]="2229"; T[25]="Study to investigate economic value of recreational fishery"; A[25]="By ... Editor"; Dn[25]="20030107"; Dt[25]="Tuesday 7 January 2003"; Acats[25]="a07a34"; B1[25]="      Wondai Shire’s Boondooma Dam and Bjelke-Petersen Dam in the Murgon Shire will be the focus of a 12-month study to place a "; B2[25]="value on recreational freshwater fishing to the local economies... "; B3[25]=" "; B4[25]=" "; B5[25]=" "; S1[25]="      Wondai Shire’s Boondooma Dam and Bjelke-Petersen Dam in the Murgon Shire will be the focus of a 12-month study to place a "; S2[25]=" value on recreational freshwater fishing to the local economies.
      Department of Primary Industries Queensland Fisheries Service extension officer, Rod Cheetham, Kingaroy, said "; S3[25]=" the DPI-funded South-East Region initiative was being conducted in cooperation with Dr John Rolfe, head of Central Queensland University’s (CQU) Emerald Campus.
      "; S4[25]=" Mr Cheetham said no previous attempt had been made to gather the comprehensive data to estimate the value of either the Boondooma or Bjelke-Petersen Dam "; S5[25]=" fisheries where freshwater anglers primarily targeted stocked Australian bass and golden perch (yellow belly).
      The CQU conducted study will complement a program "; S6[25]=" being carried out at Fairbairn Dam near Emerald where visitors primarily target redclaw crayfish.
      Mr Cheetham said all three studies would use "; S7[25]=" the same travel-cost methodology to determine the financial spin-offs to the respective communities including expenditure on travel and accommodation and associated purchases such as fuel, "; S8[25]=" vehicles and boats, bait and ice.
      “This study will be built around data gathered from boat and shoreline anglers and boat ramp "; S9[25]=" trailer counts for the 12 months,” Mr Cheetham said.
      “Survey data will be collected on two days each fortnight.
      "; S10[25]=" One will be on a Saturday or Sunday each fortnight and the other weekday will be randomly selected.
      “Data will be collected "; S11[25]=" in two-hour blocks, also randomly selected from 10am-12noon, 12noon-2pm, and 4pm-6pm.” Mr Cheetham said anglers returning from a day out on the dams were asked "; S12[25]=" to spare a few minutes to answer some quick questions.
      Anglers were likely to be approached by Les Kowitz at Bjelke-Petersen Dam "; S13[25]=" or Lance Frahm at Boondooma Dam.
      “Queensland’s freshwater recreational fishery has grown significantly in the past decade.
      The latest "; S14[25]=" statewide recreational fishery survey indicates that freshwater angling participation within dams has expanded from 99,000 anglers in 1996 to 123,500 anglers in 2001,” he said.
"; S15[25]="       Mr Cheetham said the survey information would greatly assist Queensland Government agencies, local authorities and stocking groups to manage the fishery impoundments "; S16[25]=" as well as help the wider community and local businesses to have a better understanding of travel and accommodation needs and for bait and tackle "; S17[25]=" sales requirements.
      “An effort will also be made to determine what motivates anglers to fish in freshwater impoundments in preference to coastal "; S18[25]=" estuarine and offshore fishing,” he said.
      “Initial findings have shown that the relative ease of access and the lower costs associated with "; S19[25]=" inland fisheries are major drawcards.
      “We also believe freshwater angling is attractive to families as it is a relatively safe, low cost "; S20[25]=" venture without the hassles of tides and weather influences.” Mr Cheetham said for many busy people, freshwater angling fitted into a short break holiday pattern "; S21[25]=" that was attractive to their lifestyle.
      “Local regions with well stocked dams may well be able to take advantage of the tourism "; S22[25]=" generated by comprehensive and effective stocking programs.
      Both Wondai and Murgon Shires are attempting to do this already,” he said... "; R[26]="2222"; T[26]="All go for BassGas project"; A[26]="By ... Editor"; Dn[26]="20030107"; Dt[26]="Tuesday 7 January 2003"; Acats[26]="a05a07a36a69"; B1[26]="      The $400 million BassGas project got the green light yesterday after the joint venture partners gave the final go-ahead.... "; B2[26]=" "; B3[26]=" "; B4[26]=" "; B5[26]=" "; S1[26]="      The $400 million BassGas project got the green light yesterday after the joint venture partners gave the final go-ahead.
      "; S2[26]=" The decision of the Bass Strait joint venture partners to proceed followed the granting of state and federal environmental approvals and approval from each joint "; S3[26]=" venture party to commit $400 million in expenditure over the next 18 months.
      Partners in the joint venture include Origin Energy Resources, "; S4[26]=" Australian Worldwide Exploration, CalEnergy Gas (Australia) - ultimately owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway - and Wandoo Petroleum.
      The BassGas project, which "; S5[26]=" involves the development of gas resources in the Yolla and White Ibis fields offshore from Victoria, will be the first major alternative to the dominance "; S6[26]=" of Esso-BHP Billiton in the supply of Bass Strait gas.
      The Yolla project is expected to provide gross revenues from gas and "; S7[26]=" liquids sales of more than $1.5 billion over 15 years.
      AWE and Origin are leading the project, which will initially produce a "; S8[26]=" minimum 20 petajoules of gas per year, which is about 10 per cent of Victoria's current consumption.
      The project will also produce "; S9[26]=" about 13.5 million barrels of condensate and 1,000 kilotonnes of liquefied petroleum gas over a 15-year period, with first production scheduled for the third quarter "; S10[26]=" of 2004.
      Origin Energy Retail has agreed to purchase 100 per cent of the 20 petajoules of gas produced each year for "; S11[26]=" its retail business through individual contracts with each joint venture party.
      The plan is for condensate to be despatched by road tanker "; S12[26]=" to Shell's refinery at Geelong and LPG sold to Elgas and Origin Energy Retail.
      Construction of the gas plant near Lang Lang "; S13[26]=" in south-eastern Victoria will commence later this month.
      The offshore gas platform will be constructed in South-East Asia and transported to Bass "; S14[26]=" Strait.
      Origin's shares closed 6c higher at $3.76 and AWE shares finished 1c better at $1.01... "; R[27]="2220"; T[27]="Rewards for rainwater tanks and other water saving methods"; A[27]="By ... Editor"; Dn[27]="20030106"; Dt[27]="Monday 6 January 2003"; Acats[27]="a07a40"; B1[27]="      Victorians who install rainwater tanks and other water-efficient products will be financially rewarded for their water-saving efforts from today.... "; B2[27]=" "; B3[27]=" "; B4[27]=" "; B5[27]=" "; S1[27]="      Victorians who install rainwater tanks and other water-efficient products will be financially rewarded for their water-saving efforts from today.
      "; S2[27]=" The Minister for Environment and Water, John Thwaites, said the $10 million initiative was designed to increase the community's awareness of the importance of "; S3[27]=" saving water around the house and garden.
      'Victoria is now in its seventh consecutive year of below-average rainfall, with Stage One or "; S4[27]=" a greater level of water restrictions in force across much of the State,' Mr Thwaites said.
      'It is more important than ever "; S5[27]=" for all of us to use water wisely.
      The Bracks Government is providing a practical incentive to every member of the community "; S6[27]=" to use water more efficiently.' Mr Thwaites said two types of rebates would be offered under the Water Smart Gardens and Homes rebate scheme, which "; S7[27]=" starts today and will initially run for 12 months.
      They are: - A one-off rebate of $20 per household for purchases "; S8[27]=" of more than $100 on eligible water-efficient products (such as mulch, drip watering systems, tap timers, flow restriction devices or temporary grey water diverters) and "; S9[27]=" · A $150 rebate for installing rainwater tanks of 600 litres or larger, and permanent greywater systems.
      These rebates, which will "; S10[27]=" be administered by the State's metropolitan and regional urban water authorities, will apply to households connected to urban reticulated supply areas.
      "; S11[27]=" Mr Thwaites said eligible customers must send receipts, or proof of purchase, to their water authority and would then receive a rebate on their water "; S12[27]=" bill, not a cash rebate.
      Under the scheme: · Households will be limited to a maximum rebate of $320, that is "; S13[27]=" $20 for purchasing water efficient products and $150 each for the purchase and installation of a permanent greywater system and a rainwater tank and · "; S14[27]=" A plumber's certificate is required to receive a rebate to ensure all rainwater tanks and permanent greywater systems have been correctly installed and are operational.
"; S15[27]="       'We hope the rewards will encourage Victorians to install water-efficient devices around their home, reducing the demand on our precious water resources "; S16[27]=" across the State,' Mr Thwaites said.
      Under the scheme, customers will need to apply on a prescribed Application Form providing original receipts, "; S17[27]=" which must be dated between January 1 and December 31 2003.
      The forms are contained in an information brochure available from major "; S18[27]=" hardware, plumbing stores, local water authorities and on the Internet at www.nre.vic.gov.au/waterrebate ... "; R[28]="2218"; T[28]="Overseas buyers snap up vineyards"; A[28]="By ... Editor"; Dn[28]="20030106"; Dt[28]="Monday 6 January 2003"; Acats[28]="a07a13"; B1[28]="      Overseas investors, including South African immigrants looking for a new life in Australia, have set their sights on our booming wine industry.... "; B2[28]=" "; B3[28]=" "; B4[28]=" "; B5[28]=" "; S1[28]="      Overseas investors, including South African immigrants looking for a new life in Australia, have set their sights on our booming wine industry.
"; S2[28]="       Vineyard sales in South Australia are close to an all-time high, Colin Gaetjens & Shaw vineyard broker Phil Shaw said yesterday.
  "; S3[28]="     While agents are happy to talk about the boom in sales, buyers and sellers are more reluctant because of the commercial, competitive "; S4[28]=" nature of the industry.
      Mr Shaw said failed investment scheme vineyards accounted for about half the $30 million worth of property "; S5[28]=" the brokers sold last year.
      He also sold established vineyards - including Talc Hill in the Adelaide Hills to a European "; S6[28]=" investor for $3 million - and helped secure deals in the emerging trend of major wine companies leasing vineyards from investors.
      "; S7[28]=" 'There has been quite a lot of overseas interest in vineyard properties,' Mr Shaw, who sells property Australia-wide, told the Advertiser.
      "; S8[28]=" 'We've had a lot of inquiries from South African immigrants and a number of major wine companies are now looking to lease vineyards long term.
"; S9[28]="       'That way they don't have capital tied up in vineyards - they have their capital invested in marketing wine.
    "; S10[28]="   It works very much the same as an industrial or rental lease.' More than $77.661 million worth of vineyard was sold in 2001 "; S11[28]=" while, in the first 11 months of 2002, sales topped $57 million.
      With most sales in December still to be included "; S12[28]=" in the annual figure, sales last year are expected to top $80 million.
      Mr Shaw said his company dealt mainly with "; S13[28]=" properties valued at more than $1 million but believed smaller vineyards set up by hobbyist vignerons and 'lifestyle investors' also had been selling well.
  "; S14[28]="     In the Barossa Valley, Homburg First National Real Estate sold about $6 million worth of vineyard in December.
      "; S15[28]=" Real estate agent David Braunack sold a 74ha vineyard, one of the largest offered in the Barossa Valley for some years, to European interests for "; S16[28]=" an undisclosed price.
      Mr Shaw said the number of vineyards being offered for sale was relative to the amount of vineyard "; S17[28]=" in South Australia, which reached a record 62,000ha last year.
      Colin Gaetjens & Shaw sold vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, Langhorne "; S18[28]=" Creek and South-East, totalling 328.4ha during November and December..
      A Langhorne Creek investment scheme property with 28.5ha of vines and infrastructure "; S19[28]=" to plant a further 300ha was sold in December with vine trellis left only partially erected.
      'Vintage has a little bit "; S20[28]=" of impact on price.' Mr Shaw said... "; R[29]="2214"; T[29]="Australian economy looks good in 2003"; A[29]="By ... Editor"; Dn[29]="20030103"; Dt[29]="Friday 3 January 2003"; Acats[29]="a07"; B1[29]="      Australia's economy has made a strong start to 2003, with manufacturing buoyant, business confidence high and the outlook for farmers brightening after "; B2[29]="the recent rains... "; B3[29]=" "; B4[29]=" "; B5[29]=" "; S1[29]="      Australia's economy has made a strong start to 2003, with manufacturing buoyant, business confidence high and the outlook for farmers brightening after "; S2[29]=" the recent rains.
      As well, consumers and home-buyers continue to borrow at record levels, underpinning strong spending and growth.
      "; S3[29]=" 'In contrast to other industrial countries, we've got quite a bright future this year,' said the chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and "; S4[29]=" Industry, Peter Hendy.
      But analysts warn that the health of the economy may rest on the pace of growth in the rest "; S5[29]=" of the world, which continues to falter.
      UBS Warburg's chief Australian economist, Mark Rider, said: 'Domestically, the economy's got decent momentum but "; S6[29]=" the global economy's in a patchy recovery.' Figures released yesterday show that Australia's manufacturing sector finished 2002 on a high, setting the scene for continued "; S7[29]=" growth.
      The Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI), registered 56.7 for December - down 1.9 points from the previous month but still "; S8[29]=" showing strong growth.
      A result above 50 indicates expansion.
      It was the third consecutive result showing job growth, and "; S9[29]=" NSW recorded the highest index among the states, at 64.1.
      Another survey, by the state Chamber of Commerce and NRMA Insurance, showed "; S10[29]=" NSW businesses remaining optimistic about the year ahead.
      Eighty per cent of businesses expected to perform as well or better than in "; S11[29]=" 2002 and nearly 40 per cent believed they would perform better over the next three months than they had in the last quarter.
    "; S12[29]="   However, this confidence did not extend to the economic outlook, with 40 per cent believing the state economy would perform worse this year and "; S13[29]=" 43 per cent holding similar fears for the national economy.
      Reserve Bank figures released this week show that consumers and home-buyers continue "; S14[29]=" to bolster the economy with record borrowing.
      Total credit card and personal debt rose by 1.1 per cent in November and housing "; S15[29]=" credit by 1.4 per cent.
      Over the year, personal credit grew by 12 per cent to $88 billion while housing credit expanded "; S16[29]=" 20 per cent to $367 billion.
      Last year the Federal Government revised its economic growth forecast for 2002-03 down to 3 per "; S17[29]=" cent, citing the drought as the major cause.
      However, growing signs that the drought is breaking will help support growth.
    "; S18[29]="   The president of the National Farmers Federation, Peter Corish, said the rain over most areas of NSW in the past week had raised hopes "; S19[29]=" for the winter sowing of grain crops and an end to the culling of livestock.
      'We will need follow up falls for "; S20[29]=" significant pasture growth, but it will certainly give people confidence to hang on to stock in the hope of follow-up rain,' he said.
    "; S21[29]="   But farmers caution that months of good rain will be needed to ensure the rural sector's contribution to growth.
      In contrast "; S22[29]=" to the local manufacturing results, indexes in the United States, Europe and Japan have all indicated a decline.
      Adding to the woe, "; S23[29]=" US retailers reported poor trading conditions over Christmas and a sharp fall in consumer confidence.
      Sales of cars and homes - which "; S24[29]=" have driven the US economy over the past year - have slowed, despite interest rates of just 1.25 per cent.
      'Putting it "; S25[29]=" altogether, it does suggest the Australian economy will slow down as we have a reconvergence between the Aussie and global economies,' Mr Rider said... "; R[30]="2212"; T[30]="Proud farmers refusing drought aid"; A[30]="By ... Editor"; Dn[30]="20030102"; Dt[30]="Thursday 2 January 2003"; Acats[30]="a07a35"; B1[30]="      Pride and fear are preventing tens of thousands of drought-stricken farmers from seeking government drought assistance.... "; B2[30]=" "; B3[30]=" "; B4[30]=" "; B5[30]=" "; S1[30]="      Pride and fear are preventing tens of thousands of drought-stricken farmers from seeking government drought assistance.
      Despite more "; S2[30]=" than 68,000 farmers being eligible to apply for taxpayer-funded relief, only a fraction have taken up the offer.
      Federal Government figures "; S3[30]=" released before Christmas show just 5000 calls to the Centrelink drought hotline.
      The Government and farming bodies said this was because farmers "; S4[30]=" did not like to ask for hand-outs.
      'There's traditional reluctance .
      .
      .
    "; S5[30]="   for farmers to access what is regarded as welfare,' a spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson said.
      For a lot "; S6[30]=" of people, the circumstances were difficult, 'but not dire' and 'they don't access (assistance) until they really need it'.
      NSW Farmers "; S7[30]=" Association president Mal Peters said pride and independence got in the way of farmers seeking aid.
      'To be out in the "; S8[30]=" bush and to survive you have to be very self-reliant, so the circumstances have to be very dire for them to approach (for help),' he "; S9[30]=" said.
      Applications for interim income support and interest rate relief are available from Centrelink offices or by calling 132 316... "; R[31]="2210"; T[31]="WA drought aid criteria made easier"; A[31]="By ... Editor"; Dn[31]="20030102"; Dt[31]="Thursday 2 January 2003"; Acats[31]="a07a35"; B1[31]="      The State Government has changed its $6.8 million drought assistance package after only 10 farmers applied for assistance in the first seven "; B2[31]="weeks of the scheme... "; B3[31]=" "; B4[31]=" "; B5[31]=" "; S1[31]="      The State Government has changed its $6.8 million drought assistance package after only 10 farmers applied for assistance in the first seven "; S2[31]=" weeks of the scheme.
      Agriculture Minister Kim Chance said yesterday changes to the package's eligibility criteria would make farmers in another 12 "; S3[31]=" shires eligible, with the closing date for applications put back to March 31.
      The new shires are Moora, Goomalling, Tammin, Cunderdin, Northam, "; S4[31]=" York, Beverley, Brookton, Pingelly, Gnowangerup, Tambellup and Albany.
      Production loss requirements have also been relaxed, with farmers now having to show a "; S5[31]=" 70 per cent fall in 2002 production measured against their 1995-99 production years.
      Previously, farmers needed to suffer substantial losses for three "; S6[31]=" consecutive seasons to be eligible for aid.
      Mr Chance said although about 250 farmers had contacted the Department of Agriculture to ask "; S7[31]=" how they could get assistance under the scheme, only 10 applications had been lodged.
      He said he still expected about 550 WA "; S8[31]=" farmers to receive assistance under the package, which allows each farm business to claim a grant of up to $6000 for water carting and feedlot "; S9[31]=" infrastructure.
      The package also includes a $1.5 million boost to the farm water grants scheme and $1.6 million to assist claims made "; S10[31]=" under the Commonwealth's Exceptional Circumstances scheme.
      Mr Chance claimed the lack of applications had more to do with the quiet Christmas-New Year "; S11[31]=" period than the failure of the scheme.
      'While the slower than expected take-up rate can be expected at this time of year, "; S12[31]=" the announcement of the ($368 million) Commonwealth package necessitated a review of our criteria,' Mr Chance said.
      'The changes will address concerns "; S13[31]=" expressed by the farming community while ensuring the State package continues to be targeted at those farmers in greatest need of assistance.' However, farmers who "; S14[31]=" received Exceptional Circumstances assistance remain ineligible for State aid, as do those whose assets exceed $2 million.
      The changes were welcomed yesterday "; S15[31]=" by the WA Farmers Federation, which said many deserving farmers had been unable to qualify for assistance under existing criteria.
      'They really "; S16[31]=" needed to make some changes because it was just far too difficult for people to access,' WAFF president Colin Nicholl said.
      'Farmers "; S17[31]=" were throwing their hands up in the air and they did see it as a political stunt - it was costing them $2000 in accountancy "; S18[31]=" fees and other research to back up their applications and it just wasn't worth it.' WA National Party agriculture spokesman Murray Criddle said the Government "; S19[31]=" was tinkering at the edges of a package that still had major flaws.
      'Six thousand dollars gets you very little when it "; S20[31]=" comes to transporting livestock or carting water,' Mr Criddle said.
      'This is a token gesture which might help a few individuals in "; S21[31]=" a minor way, but that is all.'.. "; R[32]="2209"; T[32]="Food price rises an 'attack on families'"; A[32]="By ... Editor"; Dn[32]="20030102"; Dt[32]="Thursday 2 January 2003"; Acats[32]="a05a07a10"; B1[32]="      Food prices have risen at double the inflation rate and threaten to push low-income families deeper into financial crisis, Democrats Senator John "; B2[32]="Cherry said... "; B3[32]=" "; B4[32]=" "; B5[32]=" "; S1[32]="      Food prices have risen at double the inflation rate and threaten to push low-income families deeper into financial crisis, Democrats Senator John "; S2[32]=" Cherry said.
      He said there did not appear to be a justifiable reason for the rises and called for the Australian Competition "; S3[32]=" and Consumer Commission to investigate immediately.
      Factors such as the industry domination of Coles and Woolworths and the efficiency of markets needed "; S4[32]=" to be examined.
      'It is quite extraordinary that over the last six years the food price rises have been twice the price "; S5[32]=" rises of all other goods combined,' he said.
      'There is a very serious problem that is continuing and we have to get "; S6[32]=" to the bottom of it.' Senator Cherry said food costs had outstripped the consumer price index by an average of 1.4 per cent a year, "; S7[32]=" even before the drought started affecting the markets.
      Milk had risen by 6 per cent over the past six years, bread by "; S8[32]=" 18.5 per cent, beef 16.5 per cent and pork 20.4 per cent, he said.
      Fruit rose 17.3 per cent and the price "; S9[32]=" of eggs 11.2 per cent.
      In contrast, the average prices paid to Australian farmers for their produce had fallen, he said.
  "; S10[32]="     'When the milk industry was deregulated two years ago, we were told the price would fall,' Senator Cherry said.
      'Milk "; S11[32]=" prices have actually risen faster than inflation while the price paid to producers has fallen by more than 10 per cent.' He said the ACCC "; S12[32]=" needed to step in and investigate why food prices were rising so fast when Australia was one of the cheapest and most efficient food producing "; S13[32]=" nations in the world.
      WA Council of Social Service president Tony Pietropiccolo said he would support any investigation into the price of "; S14[32]=" food.
      Any increase in the cost of basic needs put an extra burden on families who were already finding it hard to "; S15[32]=" cope, Mr Pietropiccolo said.
      'When we look at the increase in separation between rich and poor in our communities, the pressure is "; S16[32]=" really great,' he said.
      'Some families feel the need to keep up appearances even though they can't afford it and they are "; S17[32]=" just lagging further behind.' He said food rises coupled with other increasing costs, such as bank fees, created an escalating situation which left many people "; S18[32]=" struggling to cope with day-to-day living... "; R[33]="2200"; T[33]="Doctors get indemnity relief"; A[33]="By ... Editor"; Dn[33]="20021226"; Dt[33]="Thursday 26 December 2002"; Acats[33]="a07a09"; B1[33]="      The troubled medical indemnity sector will win taxpayer-funded relief from crippling claims under changes starting on New Year's Day.... "; B2[33]=" "; B3[33]=" "; B4[33]=" "; B5[33]=" "; S1[33]="      The troubled medical indemnity sector will win taxpayer-funded relief from crippling claims under changes starting on New Year's Day.
      "; S2[33]=" A range of federal government programs starting early in 2003 will also see prices of some pharmaceutical scripts, alcohol and tobacco products and stamps go "; S3[33]=" up.
      Organisations that insure doctors against negligence lawsuits can rely on the Government to pay half of any successful claims over "; S4[33]=" $2 million.
      The measure was part of a package announced in October after insurer UMP almost collapsed and doctors who were "; S5[33]=" unable to secure cheap cover threatened to quit.
      The cost of drug scripts on the pharmaceutical benefits schedule will also rise "; S6[33]=" by 10c to $3.70 for health-care card holders and by 70c to $23.70 for others.
      The "; S7[33]=" 3.2 per cent increase for those drugs listed is due to an annual adjustment for inflation.
      Key criminal justice changes will "; S8[33]=" establish the Australian Crime Commission on January 1 and introduce new laws to allow the Commonwealth to seize the proceeds of crime.
      "; S9[33]=" The Australian Crime Commission is the successor to the National Crime Authority, which was controversially downgraded by the Federal Government.
      "; S10[33]=" The ACC will be staffed by a mixture of investigators from state forces and its own law enforcement officers and will investigate major crime "; S11[33]=" including drug smuggling and terrorism.
      The new proceeds of crime laws will mean that criminals who profit from their own stories "; S12[33]=" -- such as Chopper Read -- will risk forfeiting any gains.
      The laws allow seizure of assets even without a criminal "; S13[33]=" conviction or identification of an offender and allow the recovery of goods or cash from overseas.
      From New Year's Day, consumers "; S14[33]=" will pay an extra 3c a kilogram for sugar to fund a $150 million industry rescue and restructure package.
      Stamps will "; S15[33]=" also rise by 5c to 45c after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission approved Australia Post's bid for an increase.
      Drinkers "; S16[33]=" and smokers will have to dig deeper from February 1 when the next six-monthly 'sin tax' rises kick in.
      After the "; S17[33]=" inflation-linked excise increases, the price of a slab of beer is tipped to rise by at least 15c and a bottle of spirits by at "; S18[33]=" least 20c.
      Indexed changes to youth allowances and Austudy on January 1 are expected to deliver increases to about 440,000 people.
"; S19[33]="       Depending on the recipient's age and whether he or she lives at home, the youth allowance increases are expected to range "; S20[33]=" from between $4.60 to $11.10 per fortnight.
      The allowance for an under-18 youth at home will rise $8.40 per fortnight to "; S21[33]=" $310.10.
      Austudy increases will range from $8.40 to $11.10 per fortnight.
      Changes to family law will allow divorcing "; S22[33]=" couples to split their superannuation for the first time.
      Existing laws don't allow super to be divided in property settlements.
    "; S23[33]="   As of Saturday, couples will be able to agree to split their super.
      If they can't agree, the Family Court "; S24[33]=" will decide for them... "; R[34]="2198"; T[34]="Community cover in for another price jolt"; A[34]="By ... Editor"; Dn[34]="20021226"; Dt[34]="Thursday 26 December 2002"; Acats[34]="a07a52"; B1[34]="      Community and volunteer groups taking out public liability insurance face further price shocks despite NSW laws restricting the right of the injured "; B2[34]="to sue and caps on payouts and lawyers' costs... "; B3[34]=" "; B4[34]=" "; B5[34]=" "; S1[34]="      Community and volunteer groups taking out public liability insurance face further price shocks despite NSW laws restricting the right of the injured "; S2[34]=" to sue and caps on payouts and lawyers' costs.
      Local insurers report that their international re-insurers are passing on increases of between "; S3[34]=" 30 and 50 per cent, a cost that partly governs the price paid for cover.
      And with the investment market languishing, a "; S4[34]=" survey of Australian insurers, brokers and underwriters sees no immediate end to the rises.
      It expects premiums to rise by at least "; S5[34]=" 30 per cent over the next two years before levelling off in 2004.
      For some regional arts and community groups, the extra "; S6[34]=" costs are likely to mean higher membership fees and costs to stage events - as they did immediately after the September 11 terrorist attacks and "; S7[34]=" the HIH collapse.
      Pensioner and hobbyist associations may also be hit.
      The findings are a blow to the Premier, "; S8[34]=" Bob Carr, who undertook the most radical rewriting of negligence laws in 70 years.
      He hoped this would at least stabilise prices "; S9[34]=" and make insurance more readily available to community groups and organisers of fetes and festivals.
      The president of the Law Council of "; S10[34]=" Australia, Ron Heinrich, said state and federal leaders had been 'conned'.
      'We have been saying from the start this had nothing to "; S11[34]=" do with tort law and everything to do with insurance practices, the fall in equities markets, large number of natural disasters and one-off events like "; S12[34]=" September 11,' Mr Heinrich said.
      'The insurance industry has what they wanted for years and that is an end to a lot "; S13[34]=" of small claims which make the bulk of their business.' This month a Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and JP Morgan general insurance industry survey predicted premiums "; S14[34]=" would rise for at least 18 months.
      But a slower rate of increases for a two to three years was more likely, "; S15[34]=" it said.
      Premiums for commercial lines of insurance such as public and private liability, professional indemnity and directors' and officers' insurance are "; S16[34]=" expected to increase by more than a fifth next year.
      After a 51 per cent rate rise in 2002, public and product "; S17[34]=" liability premiums could leap by between 23 and 27 per cent next year and 13 per cent in 2004.
      The market has "; S18[34]=" not been helped by poor investment returns from a sluggish stockmarket.
      Ninety per cent of insurers' reserves are invested in local and "; S19[34]=" overseas bonds.
      Duncan West, head of general insurance at Royal & Sun Alliance, is expecting to wrap up talks with his overseas "; S20[34]=" re-insurers this week.
      He said the State Government's reforms to rein in negligence claims had slowed the rate of premium rises.
  "; S21[34]="     Even so, consumers could expect more pain, he said, with Royal & Sun Alliance now factoring in an expected increase in reinsurance costs "; S22[34]=" of between 30 and 50 per cent.
      Some, but not all, of these extra costs would flow through to the retail end.
"; S23[34]="       Noel Pettersen, of the National Insurance Brokers Association, said he expected premium rises over the next 12 months to two years, depending "; S24[34]=" on the insurance class.
      'We have seen incredible increases of between 30 and 300 per cent in the last 12 months.
"; S25[34]="       Hopefully, we will see a levelling off in extreme cases at the back end of next year but no doubt about it, "; S26[34]=" costs will generally be up.' Mr Petterson said there were some signs the international reinsurance market was softening in the commercial classes but it would "; S27[34]=" take at least two years before the Government's negligence laws would impact on public liability claims.
      This was because of the "; S28[34]=" time it takes for cases to be heard in court.
      Australia represented a mere 2 per cent of the global market and "; S29[34]=" policy holders were as dependent on international sentiment as they were on domestic reforms.
      Mr Carr said the Government had done all "; S30[34]=" it could to ease pressure on premiums and stabilise prices.
      A spokesman said the Government had never claimed premiums would fall overnight "; R[35]="2197"; T[35]="Farm savings hit for $153m"; A[35]="By ... Editor"; Dn[35]="20021226"; Dt[35]="Thursday 26 December 2002"; Acats[35]="a07a35"; B1[35]="      Drought-ravaged farmers are rapidly drawing money from their special low-tax bank accounts as the cost of running their properties mounts.... "; B2[35]=" "; B3[35]=" "; B4[35]=" "; B5[35]=" "; S1[35]="      Drought-ravaged farmers are rapidly drawing money from their special low-tax bank accounts as the cost of running their properties mounts.
    "; S2[35]="   The latest figures on the accounts, sanctioned by the federal Government as a way of averaging income across several years, show farmers are withdrawing "; S3[35]=" money at 2 1/2 times the rate they did last year.
      Funds in the Farm Management Deposits scheme doubled to $2 billion "; S4[35]=" at the end of the last financial year on the back of two strong seasons.
      But with feed and water trucking costs "; S5[35]=" now soaring, farmers have withdrawn $153 million during the three months to September.
      Overall 1479 accounts were closed, with an average withdrawal "; S6[35]=" of $103,000.
      The advantage of the scheme is that income tax is paid when the money is withdrawn rather than when it "; S7[35]=" is earned, allowing farmers to average their income across good and bad times.
      The federal Government yesterday confirmed full Exceptional Circumstances relief "; S8[35]=" would be available for the western division of NSW, covering Hillston Balranald and Broken Hill.
      Parts of the Cobar rural area will "; S9[35]=" be counted as a buffer zone, allowing farmers to apply for aid on an individual basis.
      Normally money must be held in "; S10[35]=" an account for 12 months but recent amendments mean farmers in an EC area can withdraw money without losing the tax advantage.
      "; S11[35]=" 'Many farmers find themselves less financially stressed and more able to manage the effects of this devastating drought,' federal Agriculture Minister Warren Truss said yesterday.
"; S12[35]="       National Farmers Federation president Peter Corish said the figures showed farmers were dealing with the extremes of the farming cycle more professionally.
"; S13[35]="       'The figures are working proof that farmers are willing to take any informed approach to business risk management and prepare for situations "; S14[35]=" such as drought.' He said the amount still remaining in Farm Management Deposits accounts suggested some farmers would have resources to restock and replant when "; S15[35]=" the drought broke... "; R[36]="2194"; T[36]="Envirofund to the rescue for drought recovery"; A[36]="By ... Editor"; Dn[36]="20021219"; Dt[36]="Thursday 19 December 2002"; Acats[36]="a07a35a42"; B1[36]="      The Commonwealth Government is inviting community groups and individuals to apply for funding for drought-related environmental works under a special $10 million "; B2[36]="Drought Recovery Round of the Australian Government Envirofund... "; B3[36]=" "; B4[36]=" "; B5[36]=" "; S1[36]="      The Commonwealth Government is inviting community groups and individuals to apply for funding for drought-related environmental works under a special $10 million "; S2[36]=" Drought Recovery Round of the Australian Government Envirofund.
      The Federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Dr David Kemp, the Federal Minister "; S3[36]=" for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Warren Truss, and the Federal Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation, Senator Ian Macdonald, said the Envirofund is the community "; S4[36]=" component of the Commonwealth's $2.7 billion Natural Heritage Trust, which helps thousands of Australians undertake on-ground works such as tree planting, fencing, weeding and seed "; S5[36]=" collecting.
      The Ministers encouraged groups and individuals to apply for funding to undertake much needed environmental works in these tough times.
  "; S6[36]="     The Drought Recovery Round of the Envirofund is one of a series of new measures acknowledging the effect the drought is having on "; S7[36]=" industry, the environment and communities around Australia.
      Mr Truss said funding under the special Drought Recovery Round targets works to protect our "; S8[36]=" land and water and vegetation from drought-induced environmental damage or projects that are best undertaken when water levels are low.
      Priority will "; S9[36]=" be given to applications from areas declared as Exceptional Circumstances (EC) areas, or under consideration for EC.
      'This special round of the "; S10[36]=" Envirofund is designed to help individuals and community groups get on with practical activities to help protect the natural environment from degradation caused by the "; S11[36]=" widespread and severe drought - recognising that communities need a helping hand to respond,' Mr Truss said.
      Dr Kemp said projects funded "; S12[36]=" may include waterway protection, erosion control, or fencing to protect habitat of endangered animals and vegetation.
      Funding may also be available to "; S13[36]=" relocate watering points to prevent stock damage to fragile river frontage, and to control feral animals to reduce grazing pressure or protect native plant and "; S14[36]=" animal life.
      'This special Drought Recovery Round is about providing assistance when and where it is most needed,' Dr Kemp said.
  "; S15[36]="     'It will help protect our biodiversity resources on which farming activity is heavily reliant.' To maximise the fund's effectiveness, applications received before the "; S16[36]=" end of January will receive priority processing so that community groups who are ready to undertake action quickly can start once the project is approved.
"; S17[36]="       'Envirofund recognises that every idea and every effort - no matter what size - can make a difference.
      Small "; S18[36]=" local projects help ensure that our unique biodiversity is protected even under severe drought conditions, and our rich resources are sustained for the next generation,' "; S19[36]=" Dr Kemp said.
      Senator Macdonald said the Drought Recovery Round of the Australian Government Envirofund continued the work of the Natural Heritage "; S20[36]=" Trust - the largest environmental rescue effort ever delivered by any Australian Government.
      'To date, almost 400,000 Australian volunteers have been involved "; S21[36]=" in over 12,000 projects funded through the Howard Government's Natural Heritage Trust,' Senator Macdonald said.
      'These projects have achieved significant on-ground outcomes, "; S22[36]=" including the planting of more than 26 million seedlings, the protection of 7,730 square kilometres of native vegetation and the erection of 36,000 kilometres of "; S23[36]=" protective fencing along our waterways.
      'We strongly encourage community groups around the country to apply for funding from the Australian Government Envirofund "; S24[36]=" Drought Recovery Round to help make a real difference in their local areas,' Senator Macdonald said.
      Community groups and individuals interested in "; S25[36]=" applying for funding of up to $30,000 under the Australian Government Envirofund Drought Recovery Round should obtain a copy of the Guide to Applications by "; S26[36]=" calling toll-free on 1800 065 823, or by looking on the internet at www.nht.gov.au.
      Applications must be received by 14 February 2003.
"; S27[36]="       Applications received by 30 January 2003 will get priority processing and early announcement.
      It is expected that the "; S28[36]=" remainder of the projects to receive funding under this round will be announced late March 2003... "; R[37]="2193"; T[37]="$10 million for drought recovery works in Queensland"; A[37]="By ... Editor"; Dn[37]="20021219"; Dt[37]="Thursday 19 December 2002"; Acats[37]="a07a42a66"; B1[37]="      Queensland community groups and individuals are being invited to apply for funding of up to $30,000 for drought-related environmental works under a "; B2[37]="special $10 million Drought Recovery Round of the Australian Government Envirofund... "; B3[37]=" "; B4[37]=" "; B5[37]=" "; S1[37]="      Queensland community groups and individuals are being invited to apply for funding of up to $30,000 for drought-related environmental works under a "; S2[37]=" special $10 million Drought Recovery Round of the Australian Government Envirofund.
      Federal Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation, and Queensland-based Senator, Ian "; S3[37]=" Macdonald, said the Envirofund is the community component of the Howard Government's $2.7 billion Natural Heritage Trust, which helps thousands of Australians undertake on-ground works "; S4[37]=" such as tree planting, fencing, weeding and seed collecting.
      The Drought Recovery Round of the Envirofund is one of a series of "; S5[37]=" new measures acknowledging the effect the drought is having on industry, the environment and communities across Australia, and adds to the more than $1 billion "; S6[37]=" Howard Government drought funding already announced.
      'The $10 million will be used to target works to protect our land, water and vegetation "; S7[37]=" from drought-induced environmental damage, or for projects that are best undertaken when water levels are low,' Senator Macdonald said.
      Priority will be "; S8[37]=" given to applications from areas declared as Exceptional Circumstances (EC) areas, or under consideration for EC.
      Projects eligible for funding may include "; S9[37]=" waterway protection, erosion control, fencing to protect the habitat of endangered animals and vegetation.
      It may also be available to relocate watering "; S10[37]=" points to prevent stock damage to fragile river frontage, and to control feral animals.
      'Envirofund recognises that every idea and every effort "; S11[37]=" - no matter how big or small - can make a difference,' Senator Macdonald said.
      To maximise the fund's effectiveness, applications received "; S12[37]=" before the end of January will receive priority processing.
      Senator Macdonald said the Drought Recovery Round of the Australian Government Envirofund continued "; S13[37]=" the work of the Natural Heritage Trust - the largest environmental rescue effort ever delivered by any Australian Government.
      Those interested in "; S14[37]=" applying for funding can obtain a copy of the Guide to Applications by calling toll-free on 1800 065 823, or by visiting www.nht.gov.au... "; R[38]="2192"; T[38]="Free access to dry season book"; A[38]="By ... Editor"; Dn[38]="20021219"; Dt[38]="Thursday 19 December 2002"; Acats[38]="a07a35a66a72"; B1[38]="      As a gesture to assist Queensland's cattle producers through the current drought, Department of Primary Industries has opted to make the previously "; B2[38]="saleable publication - Dry season management of a beef business - freely available... "; B3[38]=" "; B4[38]=" "; B5[38]=" "; S1[38]="      As a gesture to assist Queensland's cattle producers through the current drought, Department of Primary Industries has opted to make the previously "; S2[38]=" saleable publication - Dry season management of a beef business - freely available.
      DPI Queensland Beef Industry Institute director, Dr Greg Robbins, "; S3[38]=" said the 52-page booklet provided producers with management plans and practical advice for supplementary feeding during dry seasons.
      Dr Robbins said the "; S4[38]=" A5-size booklet released in late 2001 carried the pooled experience of 10 statewide DPI beef cattle extension officers.
      Bonefide cattle producers can "; S5[38]=" acquire the book through the DPI Call Centre on 13 25 23.
      Alternatively, the complete book can be accessed via the Internet "; S6[38]=" at www.dpi.qld.gov.au.
      Visitors to the DPI web page should look for 'Dry Season Management' at the on-line bookshop and follow the link "; S7[38]=" to download a free copy of the publication.
      'This year there has been an unprecedented demand for all forms of supplementary feed "; S8[38]=" including hay, grain, whole cottonseed, concentrates and lick blocks.
      The booklet contains advice on basic supplementary feeding relating to ration formulations.
  "; S9[38]="     This includes a practical weight and volume ready-reckoner to help producers make up their own cost-effective supplementary feed mixes,' Dr Robbins said.
  "; S10[38]="     Dr Robbins said the book gave the guidelines for long term dry season management plans that took into account the effect on the "; S11[38]=" land, pasture, property finances and the people.
      'Droughts are a fact of life and early planning sets the benchmarks for good decision-making.
"; S12[38]="       Cattle should be used as a tradeable asset to maintain the land resource and to ensure the business is well placed to "; S13[38]=" restock after an extended dry period.
      Flexible management plans can reduce the environmental, financial and social impacts and when the drought does "; S14[38]=" break, the recovery process can be well underway,' he said.
      Dr Robbins said the advice for implementing long term strategies to tackle "; S15[38]=" drought was free but to actually have those management plans and infrastructure in place was invaluable... "; R[39]="2188"; T[39]="EU offers WTO farm subsidy cuts"; A[39]="By ... Editor"; Dn[39]="20021218"; Dt[39]="Wednesday 18 December 2002"; Acats[39]="a07a08a61"; B1[39]="      Farm subsidies make up almost half of the EU budget.The European Union has offered to cut tariffs on agricultural products by 36% "; B2[39]="as part of a talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO Opening markets for farm goods is a key element in the current round of "; B3[39]="world trade talks... "; B4[39]=" "; B5[39]=" "; S1[39]="      Farm subsidies make up almost half of the EU budget.The European Union has offered to cut tariffs on agricultural products by 36% "; S2[39]=" as part of a talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO Opening markets for farm goods is a key element in the current round of "; S3[39]=" world trade talks.
      Developing countries have demanded farm and textile industries, which are among their most important exports, be opened by the "; S4[39]=" EU and US.
      'We are ready to put our money where our mouth is,' said EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy.
    "; S5[39]="   The US and aid groups have said the EU proposals are a public relations exercise and do not offer serious reforms.
      "; S6[39]=" European offer EU Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler said the cuts were already incorporated in adjustments made to the Common Agricultural Policy.
      Farm "; S7[39]=" subsidies account for just under half of the EU's 90bn euro ($91.8bn) annual budget.
      It has also offered duty-free, quota-free access for "; S8[39]=" farm exports from developing countries.
      The cuts in subsidies and tariff are conditional on similar cuts from other developed countries, particularly the "; S9[39]=" US.
      The US, Canada, Japan, Australia and the 15 EU members would also cut export subsidies by 45% and domestic subsidies as "; S10[39]=" part of the deal.
      Policy criticism Aid groups said it fell far short of what was needed to help poor nations.
  "; S11[39]="     Oxfam described the Commission proposals as a public relations exercise leaving subsidies for the diary and sugar industries in tact.
      "; S12[39]=" 'It has produced a vacuous public relations document designed to paper over differences between member states,' said Justin Forsyth, Oxfam's Policy Director.
      "; S13[39]=" The Commission has offered to cut export subsidies for wheat, oilseeds, olive oil and tobacco.
      The US said the Commission proposals failed "; S14[39]=" make a serious change.
      'The EC's proposal, while welcome, does not embrace fundamental reform in world agricultural trade,' the US Trade Representative's "; S15[39]=" office spokesman, Richard Mills, said in a statement.
      In July Washington unveiled its agriculture proposals and President George W.
      "; S16[39]=" Bush in May approved $173.5bn in domestic farm subsidies over 10 years... "; R[40]="2176"; T[40]="SA's Central North East and Mallee eligible for Federal drought relief"; A[40]="By ... Editor"; Dn[40]="20021218"; Dt[40]="Wednesday 18 December 2002"; Acats[40]="a05a07a35"; B1[40]="      Federal Agriculture Minister Warren Truss today announced that a further 6,000 farmers in three drought-affected areas of South Australia and Victoria can "; B2[40]="now apply to Centrelink for interim income support and interest rate relief... "; B3[40]=" "; B4[40]=" "; B5[40]=" "; S1[40]="      Federal Agriculture Minister Warren Truss today announced that a further 6,000 farmers in three drought-affected areas of South Australia and Victoria can "; S2[40]=" now apply to Centrelink for interim income support and interest rate relief.
      Mr Truss said he was satisfied prima facie cases had "; S3[40]=" been made for drought Exceptional Circumstances (EC) assistance for areas in the Central North East Pastoral Region and the Southern Mallee in SA, and the "; S4[40]=" North Western Victoria (Mallee) region.
      The applications have been referred to the National Rural Advisory Council (NRAC) for a full assessment.
"; S5[40]="       In addition, EC applications for the NSW North-West, Riverina and Casino areas, and the Victorian Goulbourn Valley irrigation district, have been "; S6[40]=" referred to the NRAC.
      'With today's approval of prima face cases for EC, about 300 farm families in the South Australian Central "; S7[40]=" North East, and 400 farm families in the Southern Mallee, are eligible to apply for interim income support and interest rate relief on new loans "; S8[40]=" of up to $100,000,' Mr Truss said.
      About 5,300 farmers in the Victorian Mallee area are also eligible to apply for "; S9[40]=" assistance.
      The Government's decision of 9 December 2002 to provide interim assistance to areas of low rainfall covered all of NSW and "; S10[40]=" parts of Victoria, including the Goulbourn Valley Irrigation District EC application area.
      Farmers in these areas are already eligible to apply "; S11[40]=" for interim assistance.
      'The South Australian Government's EC application for the Central North East states that events over the past six years "; S12[40]=" will make recovery from the drought slow and expensive.
      'Major floods in 1997 have been followed by five years of below average "; S13[40]=" rainfall, most of which has fallen outside the peak growing season of April to August.
      From 1997 to 2000, plague locusts and "; S14[40]=" grasshoppers caused significant damage to pastures across the region.
      'The application also states the 12 months to October 2002 were the driest "; S15[40]=" on record for many properties across the region.
      'In the Southern Mallee, the impact of severe frosts in 2000 and 2001 has "; S16[40]=" seriously reduced the capacity of properties in the application area to cope with the region's drought conditions.
      'The Victorian Government's Mallee EC "; S17[40]=" application showed that much of the area qualified for interim assistance as this year's rainfall deficiency followed several years during which rainfall had been below "; S18[40]=" average, severely depleting subsoil moisture.
      'The major rainfall deficiency over the 2002 growing season led to a substantial decline in grain "; S19[40]=" production.
      Average farm losses are expected to exceed $100,000 for much of the area this year.
      'The thorough assessment "; S20[40]=" process associated with EC applications will ensure that all the causes of an exceptional circumstance can be brought forward for independent consideration.
      "; S21[40]=" 'I compliment the new Victorian Agriculture Minister Bob Cameron on his prompt completion of EC applications for areas hard hit by the drought ensuring the "; S22[40]=" needs of farmers are addressed as quickly as possible.' 'Arrangements for EC have not been changed as a result of the new one-off Commonwealth drought "; S23[40]=" assistance measures announced by the Prime Minister on 9 December.
      'The Commonwealth Government will continue to assist areas that meet the EC "; S24[40]=" criteria - having suffered a rare and severe event which has led to a severe and prolonged downturn in farm income.' EC assistance includes income "; S25[40]=" support and interest rate subsidies of up to $100,000 per year for two years.
      The major impact of the current drought and "; S26[40]=" lack of action by state governments prompted the Commonwealth to provide immediate interim relief (for six months) to communities suffering from the effect of a "; S27[40]=" one-in-20-year rainfall deficiency from March to November 2002 (as announced on 9 December).
      Application forms for Interim Income Support and Interest Rate "; S28[40]=" Relief are available from local Centrelink offices or by calling 13 23 16... "; R[41]="2173"; T[41]="Banks pledge to give farmers a break"; A[41]="By ... Editor"; Dn[41]="20021217"; Dt[41]="Tuesday 17 December 2002"; Acats[41]="a07a35"; B1[41]="      The banking industry says it will continue to provide special measures for drought-affected farmers.... "; B2[41]=" "; B3[41]=" "; B4[41]=" "; B5[41]=" "; S1[41]="      The banking industry says it will continue to provide special measures for drought-affected farmers.
      Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson "; S2[41]=" called a meeting with banks today to make sure drought-affected farmers are not penalised by fees and foreclosures like they were in the drought of "; S3[41]=" the mid-1990s.
      Australian Bankers Association chairman David Murray says the meeting attended by seven banks was very constructive.
      He "; S4[41]=" says the banks gave assurances that measures started six months ago will continue and farmers will not pay penalty interest rates for restructuring their loans, "; S5[41]=" otherwise government assistance packages could be swallowed up in fees.
      Mr Murray says there have been very few foreclosures... "; R[42]="2172"; T[42]="CWA offers farmers $1m lifeline"; A[42]="By ... Editor"; Dn[42]="20021217"; Dt[42]="Tuesday 17 December 2002"; Acats[42]="a05a07a48a49"; B1[42]="      The Federal Government has teamed up with the Country Women's Association to throw a $1 million lifeline to Australia's drought-stricken farmers.... "; B2[42]=" "; B3[42]=" "; B4[42]=" "; B5[42]=" "; S1[42]="      The Federal Government has teamed up with the Country Women's Association to throw a $1 million lifeline to Australia's drought-stricken farmers.
  "; S2[42]="     The CWA will dole out emergency cash assistance to struggling families too proud or shy to formally apply for other forms of financial "; S3[42]=" help to survive the drought.
      Federal Agriculture Minister Warren Truss today said the CWA would help reach families who otherwise might "; S4[42]=" battle on unassisted.
      Families simply had to approach their local CWA branch to get grants of up to $1000 for non-farm "; S5[42]=" purposes, with essentially no paperwork involved.
      'They have a close personal knowledge of the circumstances of people who live in country "; S6[42]=" areas,' Mr Truss said as he handed the money to the CWA in Sydney today.
      'The CWA has a particular closeness "; S7[42]=" with the women of the outback.
      Perhaps sometimes the women might be prepared to ask for help when husbands may be too "; S8[42]=" proud.' CWA national president Marie Lally said the organisation's 1800 branches would make sure the money reached those most in need.
      "; S9[42]=" 'This money will go to families.
      It won't go on stockfeed,' Mrs Lally said.
      'Things like schoolbooks, "; S10[42]=" registering the car, hopefully they won't need it for food on the table, but if that is the need, then food on the table.
  "; S11[42]="     'A lot of people are shy, a lot of people are proud ...
      we are hoping we can get "; S12[42]=" to those needy people.' Mrs Lally, a wheat farmer from the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, said people in the bush remained resilient despite "; S13[42]=" feeling the effects of the worst drought in a century.
      But she warned a flood of new financial aid would be "; S14[42]=" needed if the drought did not break soon.
      'I think this money coming from the Government to the CWA is a "; S15[42]=" signal that the message is getting through,' Mrs Lally said.
      'We live in hope the drought will break but if it "; S16[42]=" doesn't, that's when it will be absolutely drastic and the Government will have to really get behind the rural people then.'.. "; R[43]="2170"; T[43]="Drought worst in a century"; A[43]="By ... Editor"; Dn[43]="20021217"; Dt[43]="Tuesday 17 December 2002"; Acats[43]="a07a35"; B1[43]="      What has turned out to be the worst dry spell in a century has destroyed 80 per cent from farm production in "; B2[43]="a year, and cut the nation's sheep flock to the lowest levels since the 1920s... "; B3[43]=" "; B4[43]=" "; B5[43]=" "; S1[43]="      What has turned out to be the worst dry spell in a century has destroyed 80 per cent from farm production in "; S2[43]=" a year, and cut the nation's sheep flock to the lowest levels since the 1920s.
      The average broadacre farm, which raked in "; S3[43]=" a profit last financial year of $51,800, is tipped this year to record a loss of $54,000, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and "; S4[43]=" Resource Economics.
      ABARE figures, released yesterday, show farm incomes almost as low as the early 1990s.
      And Australia's "; S5[43]=" sheep flock is predicted to fall by more than 10 million animals to 91million this financial year -- the smallest since the 1920s.
    "; S6[43]="   As the federal Government yesterday pleaded with banks for clemency for overdrawn farmers, the official government forecaster warned that domestic and export producers "; S7[43]=" would suffer further from the drought.
      ABARE said farm production income would fall 78.6 per cent, after warning a month ago "; S8[43]=" that crop production figures would fall drastically this year.
      Yesterday's estimate is worse than the 62 per cent fall forecast in "; S9[43]=" September and the 40 per cent decline predicted in June.
      Total farm export values will fall 12.8 per cent, down from "; S10[43]=" the previous prediction three months ago of a 7.4 per cent fall, the ABARE figures show.
      Crops will be the worst-hit export, "; S11[43]=" down 18.7 per cent for the year, in a blow to the economy.
      While agriculture makes up only 3 per cent of "; S12[43]=" the economy, it accounts for 25 per cent of exports.
      But, despite a flurry of recent announcements offering farmers special assistance, "; S13[43]=" Agriculture Minister Warren Truss conceded yesterday that only 30 per cent of farmers would receive special aid if they applied.
      After "; S14[43]=" meeting the banks, federal ministers conceded that many farmers had not drawn on extensive reserves and so far were coping with the stress.
    "; S15[43]="   'Some don't ask for the special aid,'' Mr Truss said.
      'We have always budgeted for only a 30 per "; S16[43]=" cent uptake (of exceptional circumstances funding).' Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson said yesterday he was surprised at the small number of farmers who had "; S17[43]=" drawn down on the low-tax, government-backed Farm Deposit Scheme, and that many had not looked at refinancing their operations.
      But Mr "; S18[43]=" Anderson said farmers could suffer most financial stress when the drought broke.
      'Our fears (are) there'll be real difficulties when the "; S19[43]=" drought breaks and farmers go to replant their crops, that is when the stress will come,' he said.
      Mr Anderson said "; S20[43]=" the Government would consult MPs about farmers in their electorates complaining of bad treatment by the banks.
      After meeting Mr Anderson, "; S21[43]=" Australian Bankers Association chairman David Murray said banks should not counteract government financial assistance by increasing fees or applying 'penalty' interest rates.
      "; S22[43]=" ABARE's latest figures suggest the drought will cut economic growth by 0.75 per cent.
      Dairy farmers who stayed in the "; S23[43]=" industry after deregulation are facing a particularly sharp drop in prices and exports.
      But the ABARE figures include positive outlooks for "; S24[43]=" minerals and energy, with growth forecasts for iron ore and steel, gold, aluminium and nickel after recent declines.
      The ABARE forecasts "; S25[43]=" depend on an Australian dollar around US56c.
      Any sudden fall in the greenback, and with it a loss of competitiveness of the "; S26[43]=" Australian dollar, may dramatically alter the predictions... "; R[44]="2159"; T[44]="Relief funds for 400 more farming families"; A[44]="By ... Editor"; Dn[44]="20021216"; Dt[44]="Monday 16 December 2002"; Acats[44]="a05a07a35"; B1[44]="      Four hundred wheat, barley and canola farming families in the southern Mallee have won access to drought-relief funds.... "; B2[44]=" "; B3[44]=" "; B4[44]=" "; B5[44]=" "; S1[44]="      Four hundred wheat, barley and canola farming families in the southern Mallee have won access to drought-relief funds.
      The "; S2[44]=" Federal Government announcement yesterday extends in less than a week drought relief to 700 South Australian families.
      The Advertiser reported on Wednesday "; S3[44]=" that 300 northeast cattle country farming families would also benefit.
      Under the exceptional circumstances scheme they are eligible to apply for interim "; S4[44]=" income support and interest rate relief on new loans of up to $100,000.
      SA Farmers Federation president John Lush yesterday welcomed the "; S5[44]=" EC decision as a 'relief' after the farmers were previously denied assistance.
      The two areas that had missed out before 'were as "; S6[44]=" badly affected by drought as any areas in South Australia', Mr Lush said.
      'They are desperate, they are as bad as anywhere "; S7[44]=" in the eastern states, they've got nothing.' Banking bosses will also be urged today to support farmers at a meeting in Sydney with Deputy Prime "; S8[44]=" Minister John Anderson.
      Mr Anderson called banks to the meeting amid fears the drought could ultimately lead to a repeat of the "; S9[44]=" mass foreclosures that occurred during the early 1990s.
      Applications for interim income support and interest rate relief are available from local Centrelink "; S10[44]=" offices or by calling 12 23 16.
      Anyone wanting information on how to apply for EC in SA should call Primary Industries "; S11[44]=" and Resources Australia on 1800 182 235... "; R[45]="2150"; T[45]="Political torrent on drought relief"; A[45]="By ... Editor"; Dn[45]="20021213"; Dt[45]="Friday 13 December 2002"; Acats[45]="a05a07a35"; B1[45]="      Federal Agriculture Minister Warren Truss is disappointed that Labor State Governments are not doing more to meet their duty of care to "; B2[45]="farmers by providing a serious commitment to drought relief to match their rhetoric... "; B3[45]=" "; B4[45]=" "; B5[45]=" "; S1[45]="      Federal Agriculture Minister Warren Truss is disappointed that Labor State Governments are not doing more to meet their duty of care to "; S2[45]=" farmers by providing a serious commitment to drought relief to match their rhetoric.
      Mr Truss was responding to State Labor Government rhetoric "; S3[45]=" suggesting more areas of Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland should get Commonwealth assistance.
      The State Governments between them have so "; S4[45]=" far committed only $1 for every $25 offered by the Commonwealth.
      'If State Governments had not been so tardy with their Exceptional "; S5[45]=" Circumstances (EC) applications, the Federal Government would not have had to step in to help out struggling farmers in this way,' Mr Truss said.
  "; S6[45]="     'Monday's extension of interim relief to large areas of the country was based on the rainfall deficiency over the previous nine-month period - "; S7[45]=" what actually fell or did not fall in the rain gauges.
      As a farmer, I know that on occasions rain that falls "; S8[45]=" and is registered by the Bureau may not come at a useful time.
      That is part of the reason why we have "; S9[45]=" a more thorough assessment process for EC applications.
      It is purely because the States have been unhelpful that we have had to "; S10[45]=" use simple data meet the objective of getting the funds out quickly.
      Questions about the boundaries could be resolved by comprehensive EC "; S11[45]=" applications.
      'When a State brings forward an EC application on behalf of a group of farmers, that triggers on-the-ground inspections by an "; S12[45]=" independent committee of farmers and agribusiness professionals - a detailed assessment of the real situation locally, which can effectively discount rain that may not have "; S13[45]=" been useful.
      'In this particular instance, we wanted to move quickly, we wanted to provide benefits to as many farmers as we "; S14[45]=" could in drought situations in as simple a way as possible with a minimum of paperwork.
      But public money is involved and "; S15[45]=" the distribution must have a basis in science.
      'For those whose rain gauges may have recorded enough rain to preclude them from "; S16[45]=" this measure but who still consider themselves in drought, the option for going down the EC route remains and the Federal Government stands ready to "; S17[45]=" help them.
      'I encourage State Governments to lodge EC applications for those areas which they consider would qualify for assistance if factors "; S18[45]=" other than weather bureau rainfall data were taken into account.
      'The interim relief for about two-thirds of the country announced on Monday "; S19[45]=" is not a substitute for EC.
      It is something in addition that we could do quickly with a minimum of fuss to "; S20[45]=" enable farmers to receive benefits while they and others wait for an EC application to be lodged.'.. "; R[46]="2148"; T[46]="Baby-boomers' super: inadequate"; A[46]="By ... Editor"; Dn[46]="20021213"; Dt[46]="Friday 13 December 2002"; Acats[46]="a07a51"; B1[46]="      The superannuation scheme requires major surgery if Australians are to have enough money to live when they retire, a Senate inquiry has "; B2[46]="found... "; B3[46]=" "; B4[46]=" "; B5[46]=" "; S1[46]="      The superannuation scheme requires major surgery if Australians are to have enough money to live when they retire, a Senate inquiry has "; S2[46]=" found.
      The Senate committee on superannuation reported yesterday that the decade-old scheme was too complex and was unlikely to provide an adequate "; S3[46]=" income for most retirees.
      It highlighted the plight of the baby-boomers who are about to retire but have not had the benefit "; S4[46]=" of super for their full working life.
      It warned the retirement income of most baby-boomers was likely to fall 'well short' of "; S5[46]=" the target level of 70-80 per cent of pre-retirement expenditure.
      To address the shortfall, the committee recommends reforming the way superannuation is "; S6[46]=" taxed, encouraging more voluntary contributions and investigating ways the super system can be used to meet the rising cost of health care and social security.
"; S7[46]="       Consumer groups, super funds and economists welcomed the recommendations, but the Australian Council of Social Services said they would do little to "; S8[46]=" benefit low-income earners.
      Recognising that the current tax regime eats into super savings as they accumulate, the committee suggests phasing out the "; S9[46]=" tax on contributions in favour of taxing super when it is cashed in.
      It called for the surcharge on contributions from high-income "; S10[46]=" earners to be gradually removed.
      It says economic and employment circumstances now mean it is not viable to increase the compulsory 9 "; S11[46]=" per cent employer superannuation contribution.
      Similarly, it says imposing compulsory member contributions will reduce living standards.
      Instead it believes "; S12[46]=" the Government should provide incentives to encourage further voluntary contributions, such as raising the threshold to people on average wages and removing the work test "; S13[46]=" for those people under 75 making voluntary contributions.
      Acknowledging Australia's ageing population - the number of people aged 55-64 is expected to "; S14[46]=" increase by half over the next two decades - and the extra burden this will place on the health care system, the committee believes the "; S15[46]=" Government should look at ways the super system can be used to meet health costs.
      It raised the idea of voluntary health "; S16[46]=" insurance through superannuation.
      To reduce reliance on the pension, the Government should work towards adequate super coverage for all Australians, with a "; S17[46]=" focus on low- and middle-income earners.
      It should also encourage more people to stay at work beyond the superannuation preservation age.
  "; S18[46]="     The Association of Super Funds of Australia welcomed the 'bold statement' that the super system was flawed.
      'The sooner the "; S19[46]=" Government acts to implement these, the better,' its policy director, Michaela Anderson, said.
      The Australian Consumers Association supported the tax changes, but "; S20[46]=" warned improved disclosure of superannuation fees and charges was needed.
      'While fees and charges are high and while taxes continue to take "; S21[46]=" a large bite out of contributions, increasing contributions just increases the pool from which the government and industry take their cut,' the body's senior policy "; S22[46]=" officer, Catherine Wolthuizen, said.
      The association said it was concerned about growing debt, as people tended to use their super pay-out to "; S23[46]=" pay off debts rather than provide an income.
      ACOSS criticised the committee for not addressing the needs of low-income earners, saying it "; S24[46]=" would be better to make the tax on super contributions equal to the marginal tax rate.
      The Government could then use the "; S25[46]=" extra revenue it gets from higher-income earners to fund rebates for those on low incomes... "; R[47]="2135"; T[47]="Victoria claims its farmers are disadvantaged with drought funding"; A[47]="By ... Editor"; Dn[47]="20021212"; Dt[47]="Thursday 12 December 2002"; Acats[47]="a05a07a35"; B1[47]="      Premier Steve Bracks has accused the Federal Government of treating Victorian farmers as second-class citizens because of limits applied to the Commonwealth's "; B2[47]="$368 million drought assistance package... "; B3[47]=" "; B4[47]=" "; B5[47]=" "; S1[47]="      Premier Steve Bracks has accused the Federal Government of treating Victorian farmers as second-class citizens because of limits applied to the Commonwealth's "; S2[47]=" $368 million drought assistance package.
      Mr Bracks yesterday wrote to Prime Minister John Howard to express disappointment over the details of the "; S3[47]=" package and to reiterate his offer to take him on a tour of Victoria's drought-stricken north-west.
      'I believe if he sees first-hand "; S4[47]=" the plight of farmers in the Wimmera Mallee, I believe he'll change his mind,' Mr Bracks said.
      'I cannot understand why you "; S5[47]=" can get assistance one side of the Murray River and not get assistance the other side of the Murray River.' Farmers and businesses throughout New "; S6[47]=" South Wales are eligible for aid under the package but in Victoria assistance is available only in a narrow strip running through the centre of "; S7[47]=" the state, along with a small area around Maryborough.
      The state's own $40 million drought package is available to farmers in Victoria's "; S8[47]=" north-west.
      'Why should we be treated as second-class citizens when NSW get the benefit of drought relief?' Mr Bracks said.
    "; S9[47]="   A spokesman for Mr Howard said NSW was 'clearly hardest hit' by the drought and would therefore receive more aid.
      'More "; S10[47]=" than 80 per cent of NSW farmers are facing a one-in-20-year rainfall deficiency,' he said... "; R[48]="2132"; T[48]="Tax on sugar given all clear"; A[48]="By ... Editor"; Dn[48]="20021212"; Dt[48]="Thursday 12 December 2002"; Acats[48]="a05a07a20"; B1[48]="      Sugar prices will rise from January 1 after the Federal Government yesterday finally won support for its controversial sugar levy and cane "; B2[48]="industry rescue package... "; B3[48]=" "; B4[48]=" "; B5[48]=" "; S1[48]="      Sugar prices will rise from January 1 after the Federal Government yesterday finally won support for its controversial sugar levy and cane "; S2[48]=" industry rescue package.
      The Australian Democrats, who had threatened to block the package, promised their support in exchange for a multimillion-dollar boost "; S3[48]=" for the environment.
      The deal involves up to $31 million being spent over five years on improving water quality on the Great "; S4[48]=" Barrier Reef, and buying and managing environmentally sensitive properties and coastal wetlands.
      In return, Agriculture Minister Warren Truss has secured Senate support "; S5[48]=" for a $150 million plan to drag the sugar industry out of the crisis created by low world prices and lack of reforms.
    "; S6[48]="   The plan will be funded by a 3¢ a kilogram levy on domestic sugar sales.
      The levy will apply to retail "; S7[48]=" buyers and wholesale sugar users from January 1.
      Mr Truss said the Democrats 'constructive' negotiations were 'in stark contrast' to Labor which "; S8[48]=" had wanted to disrupt Coalition attempts to help the Queensland sugar industry.
      But many cane farmers say the assistance does not go "; S9[48]=" far enough and some Coalition MPs quietly hoped the plan, also unpopular with the food manufacturing industry, would fail.
      If the plan "; S10[48]=" had failed in the Senate, the Government could have slashed the funding and dropped the unpopular tax while blaming Opposition and minor parties.
    "; S11[48]="   Labor claimed the rescue should be funded by general revenue and not a new tax.
      Democrats agriculture spokesman John Cherry said "; S12[48]=" the promised environmental measures made the previously unpalatable sugar rescue plan 'more supportable'.
      'What this package is about is trying to encourage "; S13[48]=" the industry to at least do what reform it can do whilst we wait for the world sugar price to reform and for the corruption "; S14[48]=" in the world sugar prices to be undone,' Senator Cherry said.
      He said the Government had agreed to move back the deadline "; S15[48]=" for the first round of levy payments, and to introduce a five-year sunset clause for the new tax.
      Democrats leader Andrew Bartlett "; S16[48]=" said the Federal Government had pledged to allocate the funds to regional development projects openly and fairly.
      'We've used our balance of "; S17[48]=" power to ensure funding is directed in a way that maximises the benefits for the Reef and for water quality, and also maximises the accountability "; S18[48]=" of the overall package,' he said.
      Queensland Conservation Council co-ordinator Felicity Wishart said the council welcomed the new focus on protecting coastal "; S19[48]=" wetlands.
      'We've seen a lot of clearing and loss of wetlands in the Great Barrier Reef catchment over a number of years,' "; S20[48]=" Ms Wishart said.
      'And despite recent policy and laws that are supposed to protect that vegetation type, they haven't been very well "; S21[48]=" policed or managed.' Under the Government-Democrats deal, $16.5 million will be spent over five years striking conservation agreements with private farms, and the acquisition, restoration "; S22[48]=" and management of coastal wetlands.
      The Federal Government also offered $7.5 million from its Natural Heritage Trust for further protection of coastal "; S23[48]=" wetlands, on condition the amount be matched by the Queensland Government... "; R[49]="2127"; T[49]="Mallee farmers plea for drought aid"; A[49]="By ... Editor"; Dn[49]="20021211"; Dt[49]="Wednesday 11 December 2002"; Acats[49]="a05a07a35"; B1[49]="      The State Government has not applied for emergency drought relief funding from the Commonwealth for farmers in the state's parched north-west corner "; B2[49]="because the area has not suffered a 'prolonged drought', Victorian Agriculture Minister Bob Cameron said last night... "; B3[49]=" "; B4[49]=" "; B5[49]=" "; S1[49]="      The State Government has not applied for emergency drought relief funding from the Commonwealth for farmers in the state's parched north-west corner "; S2[49]=" because the area has not suffered a 'prolonged drought', Victorian Agriculture Minister Bob Cameron said last night.
      Under the Federal Government's tough "; S3[49]=" 'exceptional circumstances' assistance rules, farmers must suffer a severe downturn in farm income for more than a year.
      It seems last year's "; S4[49]=" bumper grain crop in the Wimmera and Mallee regions is counting against them.
      Because the 'EC' rules were so hard, Mr Cameron "; S5[49]=" said, the state had applied for funding for only two areas, the Goulburn Valley and an area in the Eastern Mallee.
      Under "; S6[49]=" the federal rules, a district must be suffering a 'one in 20-25-year event', and a significant number of farmers in the region must have suffered "; S7[49]=" a severe downturn.
      Mr Cameron's comments follow criticisms from farmers in the state's north-west angry at the bickering in recent weeks between "; S8[49]=" the state and federal governments over their drought response.
      The Wimmera and most of the Mallee missed out on a $368 million "; S9[49]=" relief package announced this week by Prime Minister John Howard.
      Ron Hards, president of the Victorian Farmers Federation's grains council, said there "; S10[49]=" had been an unhelpful stand-off between the two.
      'There have been political games played over the drought and I think we have "; S11[49]=" got to be big enough to get past that and stop playing games with peoples livelihoods,' Mr Hards said.
      Mr Cameron said "; S12[49]=" the State Government recognised that farmers in the north-west were hurting badly, and had pledged to assist them via the state's $27.7 million drought package.
"; S13[49]="       'Our concern is that we have had a new drought package released by the Federal Government yesterday, and we have these communities "; S14[49]=" which are hurting which have not been included on the federal map.' A federal source said Victoria's application for 'exceptional circumstances' funding for the Eastern "; S15[49]=" Mallee and Goulburn Valley did not put boundaries on the two 'EC' areas in question and did not say how many farmers in those areas "; S16[49]=" had been affected or describe the financial impact.
      Meanwhile, Victorian Premier Steve Bracks called on Mr Howard to join his tour of "; S17[49]=" the drought-affected Wimmera and Mallee for a first-hand account of the effects of low rainfall and to urgently review access limits on the federal package.
"; S18[49]="       Offering to act as Mr Howard's guide, Mr Bracks said it was 'inconceivable' that farmers and businesses would be denied aid.
  "; S19[49]="     He said the Federal Government had applied the law 'to the letter' and not considered that the test was not appropriate in hard-hit "; S20[49]=" areas.
      'This is a severe problem which needs an immediate response, and I'd urge the Federal Government to reconsider as a matter "; S21[49]=" of priority,' he said... ";