Fed: Queensland student wins award for drug video

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Fed: Queensland student wins award for drug video

CANBERRA, Dec 19 AAP - A Queensland film student today won a $5,000 award for a videoraising awareness of problems surrounding the use of party drugs like alcohol and ecstasy.

The award was sponsored by the Australian Medical Association (AMA), to promote a positivehealth message to a young audience.

Carl Baker, a student from the Queensland College of Art in Brisbane, used 3-D animationfor his 30 second video.

AMA president Kerryn Phelps said that the AMA did not condone the use of illicit drugsbut recognised that it did happen.

"As a community we need to work to ensure the harm associated with party drugs is minimised,"

she said.

AAP so/kjp/cjh/de

KEYWORD: PARTY (PIX AVAILABLE)

Fed: Telstra denies bungle but admits mistakes possible

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Fed: Telstra denies bungle but admits mistakes possible

Telstra has denied it mistakenly published hundreds of silent numbers in the White Pages.

Sydney's Daily Telegraph claims a mistake in Telstra's data entry systems resultedin the numbers appearing in the online and hard copy versions of this year's directory.

Telstra spokesman MICHAEL HERSKOPE says the report is wrong but admits mistakes are possible.

He says while there's always a chance of a mistake being made, checks are in placeto ensure Telstra customers' initial instructions are followed.

Mr HERSKOPE says Telstra expects a minute fraction of requests that are in error, addingthe chance of an error is one in 10,000.

But NSW Council of Civil Liberties president CAMERON MURPHY says if the mix-up didhappen, it's an irreparable breach of people's privacy.

(EDS: CORRECTS FIGURE IN PAR EIGHT TO ONE IN 10,000, NOT ONE IN 1,000 AS ORIGINALLYSENT.) AAP RTV ld/arb/jtb/rp

KEYWORD: TELSTRA SILENT (SYDNEY)

NSW:Brogden says he's station police officers at schools

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NSW:Brogden says he's station police officers at schools

SYDNEY, April 3 AAP - Police officers would be stationed at 10 NSW schools on a trialbasis to help combat gang related violence and drugs under a coalition policy announcedtoday.

The program would involve a police officer patrolling schools identified by the Departmentof School Education and the police.

Unveiling the details in Sydney's west, opposition leader John Brodgen said the movewas in response to rising violence in schools.

Last week, more than 30 youths clashed outside a southern Sydney high school.

Machetes, knives and steel poles were used in the street battle which left four teenagerswounded, two of them seriously.

Mr Brodgen said similar schemes were already operating successfully in the NorthernTerritory, Western Australia and Queensland.

"If elected next year we will implement a trial program of 10 police in 10 schoolsacross NSW ... to keep the drugs and the knives and the gangs out," he told reporters.

"The events of last week in Sydney make it clear that there are gangs in our schoolsand that violence is spilling over into our communities."

Mr Brogden said the presence of police officers on school grounds would also buildtrust between students and officers.

NSW opposition education spokeswoman Patricia Forsythe said she had been inundatedwith letters from concerned parents over the safety of their children.

"This isn't something new and radical ... this is about providing safe schools," she said.

The NSW opposition estimated the cost of an initial trial would be $100,000.

It called on the state government to immediately introduce the scheme.

AAP ls/rp/arb/bwl

KEYWORD: BRAWL BROGDEN

Vic: Power outlook stable, NEMMCO

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Vic: Power outlook stable, NEMMCO

The Loy Yang power plant will reduce power when a second turbine is taken off-lineat 11.30 (AEDT) tonight, after getting the all-clear from the national electricity controllers.

But Victorians have been told there's no need to panic because the state had an amplesupply to meet its needs and there was no threat of a power crisis.

The National Electricity Market Management …

NSW: State government released minor works plan

AAP General News (Australia)
08-23-2001
NSW: State government released minor works plan

The NSW Government has released a list of minor capital works for government schools
after criticism parents had to pay for toilets and shade shelters.

The government announced a $100 million program for 2001-2002, arguing the funding
was up 85 per cent on last year, the Sydney Morning Herald says.

The paper says $36.2 million worth of projects across 750 schools are detailed in the list.

Last month the Herald reported a survey of 90 primary schools showed almost half of
the local Parents and Citizens Associations raised up to $30,000 to fund shade areas for
their schools.

The NSW Teachers Federation criticised the government for "continuously recycling"

information about its spending priorities to give an impression that more was being done
in the maintenance and building program, the paper says.

AAP RTV gmw/psm/

KEYWORD: SCHOOLS WORKS (SYDNEY)

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Fed: Govt says headline Budget surplus $5.18 billion to Feb

AAP General News (Australia)
04-06-2001
Fed: Govt says headline Budget surplus $5.18 billion to Feb

The government says the federal Budget headline cash balance was a surplus of $5.182
billion for the year to February 28, 2001.

The announcement has come from Acting Finance Minister ROD KEMP.

He says the underlying Budget surplus stood at $896 million for the first eight months
of the current 2000/01 year.

He says the fiscal balance was a surplus of $1.785 billion.

The government has also announced that $3.264 billion in GST was collected in the month
of February.

This brings the cumulative total for GST collected in the 2000/01 year to $16.514 billion.

AAP RTV jph/daw/wz A

KEYWORD: SURPLUS (CANBERRA)

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.

Vic: King Island bushfire again set to shroud Melbourne in smoke

AAP General News (Australia)
01-15-2001
Vic: King Island bushfire again set to shroud Melbourne in smoke

MELBOURNE, Jan 15 AAP - Smoke haze from a bushfire on King Island was set to shroud
parts of Melbourne and regional Victoria late today, authorities said.

Last week smoke from the Tasmanian fire cloaked the city of Melbourne in a thick pall
of smoke - its worst air quality for almost 20 years.

Smoke from the fire was once again heading towards the Victorian coast, the Country
Fire Authority (CFA) warned.

"Smoke is beginning to drift across Bass Strait from the fire on King Island due to
a southerly wind change late today," …