An Australian news roundup



Rice thanks Australia for 'steadfast' friendship: "US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has thanked Australia for its support in the war on terror. Dr Rice spent the morning meeting Prime Minister John Howard and the National Security Council. She said the relationship between the US and Australia is bound by the deepest values and friendship. "As we continue to fight the war on terrorism, as we continue to try and supplant that ideology of hatred that has produced terrorism with the hope of democracy and liberty for people around the world," Dr Rice said. "It is wonderful to have a steadfast friend like Australia." Dr Rice is heading to Melbourne this afternoon, to personally thank Australian solders who served in Iraq and Afganistan."






Disgusting druggie gets long overdue jail: "An elderly man who asked that his grandson be jailed has had his wish granted. Bill Miller, 82, was bashed and robbed in his own home earlier this month by grandson Brett Russel, who was seeking money to pay for drugs. Mr Miller told a court last week that he wanted his grandson to spend time in prison "to clean up his act" and provide a circuit-breaker for his drug addiction. Sitting at the back of Sunshine Magistrates' Court yesterday, Mr Miller watched as magistrate John Doherty sentenced Russel to a minimum of 12 months' jail on charges including theft, recklessly causing injury, using heroin, making threats to kill and criminal damage. Russel, 27, pleaded guilty to the charges. The court had heard that the Melton South man, who lived with Mr Miller, stole about $500 from his frail grandfather. The court was told that Russel later returned to the house and bashed Mr Miller after he refused to hand over another $100. Sen-Constable Jeff Yeo said an enraged Russel then smashed Mr Miller's TV and damaged a door before shooting up heroin in his grandfather's lounge room. The court heard that, when police arrived, Russel was asleep on the couch, with his syringe and drugs still on the table".






Victoria. More multicultural propaganda trying to hide real differences: "The State Government will today launch a $260,000 campaign to promote multiculturalism and fight racism. It will comprise TV, radio and newspaper advertisements featuring volunteers from ethnic and religious groups. Premier Steve Bracks said yesterday the Just Like You campaign would remind all Victorians of the things they shared. "In the current international climate it is easy to forget that regardless of cultural or religious differences, we all care for our families, value friendship and work together," he said. It is believed the Government is keen to highlight the success of cultural diversity in Victoria. The campaign follows the race riots in Sydney and Treasurer Peter Costello's comments about "mushy multiculturalism".






Strange homework: "Doing the dishes, aromatherapy and shopping with mum are all considered homework under a new policy adopted by some Victorian schools. Known as the Homework Grid, the policy has been tried in at least a dozen primary schools across the state. The grid defines homework as not just studying, but incorporates meditation, sport and housework. St Joseph's School in Chelsea is one school that has assigned it to grade 5 and 6 students. Principal Christine Ash said the school decided to use the grid after surveying parents on their expectations of homework. The school's grid recommended 10 minutes a night of reading and 20 minutes a night of other activities such as sport, housework and shopping. A weekly grid is given out on a Monday and parents are required to sign off on it. Ms Ash said there had been a positive response from parents, students and teachers".






Labor has learnt hard lessons: Beazley: "Opposition Leader Kim Beazley says Labor has learnt some hard lessons from a fortnight of disastrous factional brawling. Polls show Labor has lost its lead over the government and Mr Beazley's personal approval rating has plummeted following fighting over preselections in several safe Victorian seats. But Mr Beazley, who has held a series of private meetings with frontbenchers following the crisis, says there's a silver lining from the experience. "I think the party will have learnt a good lesson out of the last couple of weeks and that is if you do talk about yourself, even when you're putting out good policy, your chances of cutting through are non-existent," Mr Beazley told Macquarie radio... But Mr Beazley said that the factions had to learn to work together. "Nobody ought to manoeuvre at the expense of the party's progress internally," he said. The reality of politics is that there are often different groups within political parties ... and they fight each other over the issues of the day and the political spoils."

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