AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, April 7

AAP General News (Australia)
04-07-2009
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Evening, April 7
EVENING ROUND-UP: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1630


RATES RBA (SYDNEY)

Another drop in interest rates today means even lower mortgage repayments for families
and even better rates for business in general.

The Reserve Bank cut the cash rate by 25 basis points this afternoon to 3.0 per cent
.. bringing rates to a 49-year low.

The news was immediately greeted by Treasurer WAYNE SWAN .. who says the cut will help
the Australian economy .. and he's called on banks to pass on the cut to consumers.

However .. in a first reaction .. the Commonwealth Bank has cut its standard variable
home loan rate by only by 10 basis points.

The latest cut in interest rates comes as the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
predicts unemployment to top nine per cent by the end of this year.

And a survey says Australian employers are considering enforced leave without pay to
cut costs .. and are also looking at reducing contract staff and changing part-time and
flexitime working hours.

Meanwhile .. Rio Tinto announced today it's shedding 705 jobs after slashing bauxite
production and pulling back on a refinery expansion project in Queensland.



BROADBAND WRAP (SYDNEY)

Australian business has reacted positively to the government's surprise plan to set
up its own high-speed national broadband network .. but the opposition sees problems.

Prime Minister KEVIN RUDD announced the new plan this morning .. saying none of the
bidders in the tender process was willing or able to do the job.

The government will hold a majority share in the company that'll put 43 billion dollars
into the project over eight years.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry says building a high-speed broadband
network will provide a substantial stimulus for the nation's economy.

Australia's second largest telco Optus has called the move visionary and a big step
forward .. and Telstra says it's looking forward to working on the plan.

But the opposition says the proposal .. while needed .. will burden Australians with
tens of billions of dollars of debt.

Opposition Leader MALCOLM TURNBULL says high speed broadband services are essential
for education .. communication and trade .. but the government's proposed plan is ill-thought
out.



PHONE (DARWIN)

Phone and internet services have been restored in the Northern Territory .. after two
faults in remote areas caused a communication blackout overnight.

Mobile .. internet and STD calls on landlines went down after hardware failures near
Kununurra in Western Australia .. and in Marla in South Australia.

Telstra says full services were restored late this morning .. but technicians are still
trying to figure out what caused the problems.



NEWSPOLL TURNBULL (SYDNEY)

Federal Opposition Leader MALCOLM TURNBULL is attempting to ignore his plummeting popularity
.. saying he's focussed on holding the government to account.

The latest Newspoll in The Australian shows support for KEVIN RUDD as preferred prime
minister climbed to 67 per cent from 65 .. while Mr TURNBULL'S dropped two percentage
points to 18 per cent.

Meanwhile .. 42 per cent of respondents said they're dissatisfied with Mr TURNBULL'S performance.

Mr TURNBULL refused to comment on the results .. instead saying he's focused on ensuring
the opposition holds the government to account.



BIRCH (SYDNEY)

An extra firearms charge has been laid against a Hell's Angels bikie .. allegedly arrested
with a loaded semi-automatic pistol tucked down his pants.

Today prosecutors charged 39-year-old CHRISTIAN MANU BIRCH with possessing an unauthorised
firearm .. in addition to several other firearm and driving offences he already faces.

Stopped while riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle and wearing full Hells Angels colours
.. BIRCH was pinned to the road during his arrest on Friday in the inner Sydney suburb
of Eveleigh.



STEWART (SYDNEY)

Manly rugby league star BRETT STEWART is fighting sex charges relating to a 17-year-old girl.

He's pleaded not guilty in the Manly Local Court today to having sex with the teenager
without consent on March 6 in North Manly.

The matter's been adjourned until May 26 in the Downing Centre Local Court.

STEWART'S been banned from approaching or contacting the teenager for three months
under a Apprehended Violence Order.

Despite the case .. he will make his first appearance for Manly this weekend.



SWIM D'ARCY (SYDNEY)

Controversial swimmer NICK D'ARCY has been kicked off the Australian swimming team
for this year's world championships in Rome after being found guilty of recklessly causing
grievous bodily harm.

D'ARCY was convicted in the Downing Centre Local Court last month for his attack on
former swimmer SIMON COWLEY following the 2008 Australia Olympic trials.

He received a suspended sentence of 14 months and 12 days.



RAIN NSW (SYDNEY)

A woman and child have been rescued from flood waters on the New South Wales north
coast .. after heavy rainfall hit the area.

SES workers and police rescued the pair from flood waters west of Mullumbimby .. on
the far north coast .. this morning.

94 millimetres of rain has fallen in Mullumbimby in the last 24 hours .. 131 in nearby
Myocum and 112 at Cudgera Lake.



STORES (CAIRNS)

An inquiry has heard residents of remote Aboriginal communities are routinely being
sold rotten and overpriced food.

Torres Strait and Cape York residents in Queensland have told a federal parliamentary
inquiry into community stores that their local shops often sell substandard food.



BRIEFLY IN OTHER NEWS ..



SKIMMING NSW (SYDNEY)

Two men have been refused bail after equipment used in an alleged Sydney ATM skimming
scam was discovered by an airconditioning technician.



Commissioner (ADELAIDE)

South Australia's Police Commissioner MAL HYDE will stay on as the state's top cop
for another three years.



AIRPORT (CANBERRA)

Canberra airport bosses say a three-year .. 350-million dollar makeover will make it
the best airport in Australia.



KOREA MISSILE Photo (SEOUL)

A US-based research institute has released what are believed to be the first publicly
available satellite photographs of North Korea's rocket launch.



IN SPORT ..



AFL TRIBUNAL (MELBOURNE)

Four players will fight charges at the AFL tribunal tonight .. while Sydney co-captain
BRETT KIRK will also face the judiciary after being charged with making reckless contact
with an umpire.

KIRK's case has been referred directly to the tribunal after the AFL issued a warning
to clubs before the season began that rules against umpire contact would be strictly enforced.

The strict interpretation means KIRK can be penalised entirely at the tribunal's discretion
if found guilty.

Essendon's ADAM MCPHEE .. Port Adelaide's DANIEL MOTLOP and North Melbourne's MICHAEL
FIRRITO will challenge striking charges tonight .. while the Brisbane Lions' LUKE POWER
will contest a charge of making contact with an umpire.



DIVE (ADELAIDE)

The Australian free-diving record has been smashed .. with WALTER STEYN diving 92 metres
in a single breath.

The 36-year-old held his breath for two minutes and 43 seconds for the dive during
the Vertical Blue competition in the Bahamas.



SUPER MACKAY (SYDNEY)

South African police will reportedly treat the accident which hospitalised Brumbies
player SHAWN MACKAY .. who died later .. as culpable homicide.



SUPER BRUMBIES CHISHOLM (CANBERRA)

Brumbies lock MARK CHISHOLM will miss the remainder of the Super 14 regular season
after suffering a dislocation in his wrist in Saturday's win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.



LEAGUE JUDICIARY (SYDNEY)

Cronulla's wretched start to the NRL season looks set to continue with PAUL GALLEN
.. MISI TAULAPAPA and KADE SNOWDEN to miss Saturday's clash with Canberra after entering
early guilty pleas to weekend charges.



AFL BOCK (ADELAIDE)

Adelaide captain SIMON GOODWIN says suspended defender NATHAN BOCK has tarnished the
image of the club and the AFL and is paying a heavy price.



ENDS EVENING ROUND-UP


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