An Australian news roundup



The Queen of Australia welcomed: "Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have arrived in Canberra to begin a five-day visit to Australia. It is the Queen's 15th visit to Australia, after last visiting in 2002 for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The royal couple arrived in Canberra about 9am (AEDT) where they were met by Prime Minister John Howard and his wife Janette, as well as Governor-General Michael Jeffery and his wife. A crowd of about 400, mainly family groups, were at Fairbairn airport to greet the royal couple, who spent some time chatting to the crowd and accepting bunches of flowers. There is intense speculation that it will be the Queen's last major overseas tour as she approaches her 80th birthday on April 21 and may hand over more duties to Prince Charles.""

Any guesses about who it was that arranged for the Queen to be known as the Queen of Australia while she was in Australia? It was Leftist hero Gough Whitlam








The girl in person: "Tourism ambassador Lara Bingle arrives in London today on a mission to persuade British regulators to reverse their decision to censor the advertising campaign in which she features. Ms Bingle, 18, and Tourism Minister Fran Bailey will try to rescue the $80 million campaign, despite the British broadcast regulator's continuing refusal toallow parts of it to air. Although the chances of the decision being reversed are slim, Ms Bingle's mother, Sharon, is confident British authorities will overturn the ban once they meet her daughter. "It seems a little bit silly," Mrs Bingle said. "I'm sure that once they see Lara, it will be fine." The campaign features the slogan, "So where the bloody hell are you?" Tourism Australia has refused to take the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre's advice to edit out the word "bloody"."






Sad news for food faddists: "More than 10 meals billed as 'healthy' by fast food chains are worse for you than a Big Mac. Research by the Sunday Herald Sun into the nutritional values of seven of Australia's fast food outlets has uncovered most fall short of health recommendations. Of 70 meals suggested as healthier or lighter options, only 17 made the grade according to Nutrition Australia guidelines. New franchise Sumo Salads fared best, with nine of its menu choices passing. But a further 11 fast-food meals were found to be unhealthier than a Big Mac when kilojoules, fat, sugar and salt levels were compared. They included sandwiches, baguettes, a pie and two salads. None of McDonald's Deli Choices or Salads Plus meals passed, generally due to high sugar and saturated fat levels. And none of Hungry Jack's new range of baguettes and salads passed, all being too high in salt".






Corrupt and lazy NSW police finally twitch: "Liverpool, in Sydney's south-west, has become the city's new drug "Mecca". Hundreds of addicts and dealers flood the suburb every day. Families are scared to walk the main street, fearing it is now "the new Cabramatta". Shopkeepers say the dealing and anti-social behaviour now rife in the suburb is ruining their livelihoods. Residents blame senior NSW police, saying they sat on their hands for years and let the problem develop. But, after years of inaction, police have launched an aggressive bid to reclaim the streets. Last week, The Sunday Telegraph watched as uniformed and plain-clothes officers repeatedly swept though Macquarie Mall, the main shopping precinct. Dozens of suspects or offenders, some of them teenagers, were stopped, searched, arrested, handcuffed or told to get out of the area. Despite the strong police presence, some of those ordered to leave later returned and resumed drug dealing.... Marthe Chehade, 22, whose family runs a cake shop and cafe in Macquarie Mall, said she was surprised by the amount of drug dealing when they opened around December. "They were absolutely fearless, sometimes dealing out in the open, swapping money, counting pills and stuff like that." She said she had been threatened by addicts and one had tried to rob the shop at gunpoint..."






Pensioners cash in on drugs: "Drug-savvy pensioners are making up to $5000 a week selling their Medicare morphine. Sales of morphine-based drug MS Contin - nicknamed "greys" - are at an all-time high on Brisbane's streets. Pensioners are faking symptoms of extreme pain and "doctor shopping" to get the tablets, which they sell on the street for huge profit. Police say the pensioners are exploiting a legal loophole and they are powerless to stop the black market. The drug is issued under the Pharmaceutic Benefits Scheme and a box of 20 costs just $4.70 with a prescription. Sold illegally, the drug fetches $50 a tablet. Queensland President of the Guild of Pharmacists Tim Logan says pensioners can get four or five boxes a week. "Most of these people are on welfare. "It is just an enormous cash flow for them," he said".

(For more postings from me, see EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS and DISSECTING LEFTISM. My Home Page. Email me (John Ray) here.)

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