What the nations newspapers say today, Sat, Dec 12, 1998

AAP General News (Australia)
12-12-1998
What the nations newspapers say today, Sat, Dec 12, 1998

SYDNEY, Dec 12 AAP - The passage through the Senate of the federal governments 30 per cent
private health insurance premium rebate delivers a key pre-election promise, and a victory for
democracy, The Daily Telegraph says in its editorial today.

The legislation, passed after the government accepted an amendment by Tasmanian independent
Brian Harradine, will result in increased private health fund membership and the reality of
gap-free health insurance, the newspaper says.

And, "come the time to vote on legislation for the introduction of the GST and associated
measures for necessary taxation reform, it is to be hoped senators remember their place -
which is to allow the government to deliver the policies for which it was elected," it says.

Australias health system "is no disaster" in terms of the care it provides, but its means
of funding "teeters dangerously on the verge of crisis," The Weekend Australian says in its
editorial today.

"But if the (30 per cent rebate) initiative does not boost private health fund membership -
stemming the health fund exodus is not enough - it will fail the test of practical
justification," the newspaper says.

"It will be a waste of taxpayer funds that only delays a politically distasteful but
necessary review of funding for the entire public and private health system.

"No discount will be adequate incentive if the product is not worth the asking price," the
newspaper warns.

The Courier-Mail praises the governments health insurance rebate as the most serious
attempt yet to stem the flow from private health funds - but it questions its use of
taxpayers money.

In its editorial it asks if the $5.6 billion plan is the best way to spend taxpayers money.

"While the Howard governments attempts tp stem the flow of private health care members are
welcome, they are not a panacea," the newspaper says.

"Dr Wooldridge and Mr Howard need to take some far-reaching decisions about the nature of
the system ... the AMA can be a very noisy lobby group at election time."

Cricket, and elite sport generally, long ago lost their virginity to the seductions of
Mammon, The Australian Financial Review says in its editorial today, referring to the cricket
bookmaker scandal involving Shane Warne and Mark Waugh.

"With such large incomes for players in the modern era, the decision of Mr Warne and Mr
Waugh to accept a relatively measly few thousands dollars from someone who turned out to be a
shady Indian sports bookie seems, to the outsider, to have been either stupid and naive (their
own description) or plain greedy," the newspaper says.

"However, their actions should be seen against the background of the commercial fixation
and commoditisation of the sport and the individuals who play it."

A High Court ruling that battered wife syndrome is not enough to secure an acquittal on a
murder charge will disappoint those who have seen the concept as much needed to ensure abused
women are not unfairly convicted, The Sydney Morning Herald says in its editorial today.

"All five judges hearing the appeal by Marjorie Heather Osland against her conviction for
the murder of her husband Frank expressed reservations about the possible relevance of the
syndrome in a defence to murder," the newspaper says.

But the paper defended the judges decision, saying "a close reading of Thursdays judgement
shows how carefully the court has balanced the complicated factors involved in such cases".

The question of whether its reasonable to use force in defence of life and property can
only be answered by each instance being fully investigated and going to court, The Adelaide
Advertiser says in its editorial today.

In each case, there are special factors, the paper says.

"Virtually the only thing which can be said without qualification of such cases is that
they demonstrate the value of trial by jury with a presiding judge," it says.

"As a general principle, no-one has the right to use lethal force or lethal weapons,
certainly no one lacking the formal authority of the state, such as police or defence forces.

"But here the qualifications begin. If someone genuinely feels in fear of his or her life

and the threat is immediate, hot blooded, and a lawfully owned lethal weapon is to hand,

what then?

"The only appropriate means of finding an answer is investigation and trial."

The VCE exams are testing enough without students having to cope with mistakes by the
Victorian Board of Studies and the board trying to make a buck, the Herald Sun editorial says
today.

The board had made a bad misjudgement in releasing VCE results yesterday through a
telephone hotline and the Internet before the state-wide mailout next Monday, the paper says.

"It compounded its error by charging students $7.50 to register for its Internet site or
$2.40 a minute for its hotline.

"The board claims this was not a scheme to make money from anxious students. But parent
groups, principals and teacher unions are sceptical and rightly angry.

"Making a buck out of the students at a time like this is rude and crude."

The Age editorial says todays state ALP conference offers Labor the chance to clean up its
act and to put behind it the hostility over allegations of branch-stacking and pre-selection
rorts.

"Without implementing ... changes, it is difficult to see how Labor will be able to reform
itself in such a way that will allow it to present a united front to voters come the next
state elction," the newspaper says.

"It is a challenge Labor must address urgently, beginning today."

AAP cdh

KEYWORD: EDITORIALS

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