Griffith denies jab test Griffith denies jab jibe Griffith denies jab jibe GP advises parents to vaccinate

preschoolers Clinics offer free 'catch-up' immunisations to youth No immunisation, no job in public health under policy PRESS DIGEST-Australian General News - April 11 PRESS DIGEST-Australian Business News - April 11 Perth girls first for free cancer vaccine

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Griffith denies jab test By BRENT MELVILLE 394 words 21 February 2007 Gold Coast Sun NLGCSU C - Central 39 English Copyright 2007 News Ltd. All Rights Reserved GRIFFITH University's Gold Coast medical school has rejected claims that medical students face expulsion if they are not vaccinated. But students risk failing courses which require them to be vaccinated to undertake clinical experience. The anti-vaccination group, Australian Vaccination Network, is urging medical students and health workers who object to vaccinations to consider taking legal action against `forced vaccinations'. It is starting a legal fighting fund to support their objections. The group says no one should be forced to take vaccines and points to a recent case where several public servants in Canberra fell ill after having flu shots. "We intend to test this in the courts," said network president Meryl Dorey of Bangalow. "We heard from the federal Health Minister's office that compulsory vaccines are being planned for across Australia." A spokesman for State Health Minister Stephen Robertson said Queensland health workers were advised to take only a vaccination for Hepatitis A, but a mandatory check was required for Hepatitis B and TB. Ms Dorey said students who objected to being vaccinated would be encouraged to get legal assistance through her group. She was planning to meet a Lismore barrister last Friday to launch an appeal for funds for the campaign. The barrister, who did not want to be named, is offering his services free of charge, but needs funds to cover disbursements and other expenses. The acting head of medicine at Griffith's School of Medical Science, associate professor Michelle Groves, said most students were getting vaccinated before their clinical experience. She said one student could not be vaccinated because of a congenital illness. "She provided a letter from her GP and an immunologist and we have to take that into account," said Ms Groves. "But most students who want to do medicine and do what's required for a degree, will get vaccinated." Ms Groves said vaccinations were required to protect both medical students and patients from infectious diseases. She said it was not a case of students `being heavied' into getting vaccinated as had been suggested in the anti-vaccination group's newsletter. The group said that since the beginning of the school year, there had been `a flood' of medical students getting `kicked out of their courses' because they refused to be vaccinated. [GCS_T-20070221-C-039-682264 ] Document NLGCSU0020070221e32l00068 Page 2 of 16 2012 Factiva, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Griffith denies jab jibe By BRENT MELVILLE 386 words 21 February 2007 Gold Coast Sun NLGCSU U - Upper North 26 English Copyright 2007 News Ltd. All Rights Reserved GRIFFITH University's Gold Coast medical school has rejected suggestions medical students face expulsion if they are not vaccinated. But students risk failing courses which require them to be vaccinated to undertake clinical experience. The anti-vaccination group, Australian Vaccination Network, is urging medical students and health workers who object to vaccinations to consider legal action against `forced vaccinations'. It is starting a legal fighting fund to support their objections. The group says no one should be forced to take vaccines and points to a recent case where several public servants in Canberra fell ill after having flu shots. "We intend to test this in the courts," said network president Meryl Dorey of Bangalow. "We heard from the federal health minister's office that compulsory vaccines were being planned for across Australia." A spokesman for Health Minister Stephen Robertson said Queensland health workers were only recommended to take a vaccination for Hepatitis A while a mandatory check was required for Hepatitis B and TB. Ms Dorey said students who objected to being vaccinated would be encouraged to get legal assistance through her group. She met with a Lismore barrister last Friday to launch an appeal for funds for the campaign. The barrister, who did not want to be named, is offering his services free of charge but needs funds to cover disbursements and other expenses. Acting head of medicine at Griffith's School of Medical Science, associate professor Michelle Groves, said most students were vaccinated before their clinical experience. She knew of one student who could not be vaccinated because of a congenital illness. "She provided a letter from her GP and an immunologist and we have to take that into account," she said. "But most students who want to do medicine and do what's required for a degree, will get vaccinated." Ms Groves said vaccinations were required to protect both medical students and patients from infectious diseases. She said it was not a case of students `being heavied' into getting vaccinated as suggested in the antivaccination group's newsletter. The group said since the beginning of the school year, there had been `a flood' of medical and allied students getting `kicked out of their courses' because they were not vaccinated. [GCS_T-20070221-U-026-083855 ] Page 4 of 16 2012 Factiva, Inc. All rights reserved.

Document NLGCSU0020070221e32l00079

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Griffith denies jab jibe By BRENT MELVILLE 393 words 21 February 2007 Gold Coast Sun NLGCSU 1 - GC Sun North 31 English Copyright 2007 News Ltd. All Rights Reserved GRIFFITH University's Gold Coast medical school has rejected suggestions medical students face expulsion if they are not vaccinated. But students risk failing courses which require them to be vaccinated to undertake clinical experience. The anti-vaccination group, Australian Vaccination Network, is urging medical students and health workers who object to vaccinations to consider legal action against `forced vaccinations'. It is starting a legal fighting fund to support their objections. The group says no one should be forced to take vaccines and point to a recent case where several public servants in Canberra fell ill after receiving flu shots. "We intend to test this in the courts," said network president Meryl Dorey of Bangalow. "We heard from the federal health minister's office that compulsory vaccines were being planned for across Australia." A spokesman for Health Minister Stephen Robertson said Queensland health workers were only recommended to take a vaccination for Hepatitis A while a mandatory check was required for Hepatitis B and TB. Ms Dorey said students who objected to being vaccinated would be encouraged to get legal assistance through her group. She was planning to meet a Lismore barrister last Friday to launch an appeal for funds for the campaign. The barrister, who did not want to be named, is offering his services free of charge but needs funds to cover disbursements and other expenses. Acting head of medicine at Griffith's School of Medical Science, associate professor Michelle Groves, said most students were getting vaccinated before their clinical experience. She knew of one student who could not be vaccinated because of a congenital illness. "She provided a letter from her GP and an immunologist and we have to take that into account," said Ms Groves. "But most students who want to do medicine and do what's required for a degree will get vaccinated." Ms Groves said vaccinations were required to protect both medical students and patients from infectious diseases. She said it was not a case of students `being heavied' into getting vaccinated as had been suggested in the anti-vaccination group's newsletter. The group alleged that since the beginning of the school year there had been `a flood' of medical and allied students getting `kicked out of their courses' because they were not vaccinated. [GCS_T-20070221-1-031-022849 ] Document NLGCSU0020070221e32l0000z

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GP advises parents to vaccinate preschoolers 269 words 30 January 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News ABCNEW English (c) 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Northern Rivers Division of General Practice is urging parents to vaccinate children, particularly preschoolers. The division's manager, Dr Sue Page, says two preschool boosters are needed to prevent the spread of diseases like diphtheria, whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella. Dr Page says four-year-olds about to start school are at greater risk of contracting those diseases. "The four-year-old vaccine is the one that's most easily forgotten, and I know this from experience because my four-year-old was two years late with hers as well," she said. "But this is a time of life when the preschooler is going to be going into a group setting, sometimes for the first time ... every time they go to the park or the playground they meet thousands of germs, but now they're going to be meeting specific germs that you catch from other people." Meanwhile, the president of the Australian Vaccination Network says calls to vaccinate children are based on irrelevant statistics. Meryl Dorey says the vaccines used can cause complications or be ineffective. "What Dr Page and the division of general practice are saying is that four-year-olds are at a greater risk of contracting these diseases, and that's not true," she said. "Vaccination is not compulsory for any reason and you only vaccinate if you feel you should. "Just because they've been given the vaccine does not mean they're not going to get the disease. "The majority of children in Australia who get these diseases are fully and appropriately vaccinated against them." Document ABCNEW0020070130e31u0003h

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Clinics offer free 'catch-up' immunisations to youth 250 words 27 November 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News ABCNEW English (c) 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation A series of free immunisation catch-up clinics will be held on the north coast this week. The clinics at Lismore, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie will provide shots for measles, mumps and rubella, meningococcal C, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. The Area Health Service's immunisation co-ordinator, Marian Trent, says the clinics are aimed at the 16 to 24-year-old age group. "Most people in this age group will have been offered it at school but a lot of them missed it at school for various reasons and we know there's quite a large number of people in the 16 to 24-year-old age group that are vulnerable now," she said. "With the Boostrix, which is diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, most people would not have had that since they were in their childhood and the effect of that tends to wane over time." But Meryl Dorey, from the Australian Vaccination Network, says most of the catch-ups are aimed at diseases which pose no serious health risk. "Rubella can be dangerous if you're a woman who's in the first trimester of pregnancy, but measles, mumps and rubella were never considered to be dangerous diseases in healthy, well-nourished people," she said. "Whooping cough can be a bit of a pain but it's certainly not a killer disease for adults. "Tetanus is not an infectious disease and diphtheria doesn't exist in Australia any more." Document ABCNEW0020071127e3br0003x

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News and Features No immunisation, no job in public health under policy Bellinda Kontominas Medical Reporter 439 words 11 April 2007 The Sydney Morning Herald SMHH First 3 English 2007 Copyright John Fairfax Holdings Limited. HEALTH-CARE workers who refuse to be vaccinated against infectious diseases could be confined to desk jobs, under a policy recently introduced by NSW Health. The February policy change was opposed by university students, health-care groups and civil libertarians, who say it forces people to choose between immunisation and their job. Under the policy, public health-care workers in hospitals, clinics, laboratories and morgues must be assessed and immunised against diseases including hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough before they can come into contact with patients or specimens. Dr Kerry Chant, deputy chief health officer for NSW Health, said the policy change ensured "rigorous programs [were] in place to protect the safety of our staff and patients as well". The policy also states that university students who are not immunised cannot undertake clinical work or complete their degree, and new job offers will not be made unless there is acceptable evidence of protection. Alternatives for staff who do not want to be vaccinated include being transferred to another clinical area or to administrative or management support roles. This would effectively pressure people to have the vaccines, said Meryl Dorey, president of the Australian Vaccination Network. "These are the sorts of [immunisation] tactics you would expect in concentration camps, not the sort of tactics you would expect in the Australian health-care system," she said. Global warming has led to a rise in the rate of infectious diseases, according to Associate Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, director of the NSW Hospital Infection Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit at the University of NSW. However, the risk of adverse reactions to vaccinations was much smaller than the risk of the diseases themselves, she said. Some health-care students are paying the price of not being immunised. Andrew, 25, and Esther Nelson, 19, of Pambula on the far South Coast, refused to be immunised for religious and health reasons. Andrew was forced to drop out of a nursing degree at Wollongong University, and Esther had to transfer from nursing to a bachelor of naturopathy, which does not require immunisation. "It is really disappointing," Andrew said. "It takes away any choice I had." Their parents, both nurses, are not yet affected by the policy as they work in a private nursing home. But they would be unable to get a new job in public health or undergo further training. Brett Holmes, general secretary of the NSW Nurses Association, which contributed to the policy, said he had been assured no one would lose their job. Document SMHH000020070410e34b0003s

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PRESS DIGEST-Australian General News - April 11 1,423 words 11 April 2007 07:49 Reuters News LBA English (c) 2007 Reuters Limited (Compiled for Reuters by Media Monitors) THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW (afr.com.au) United States buyout firm, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is preparing a counter-offer to Wesfarmers' A$19.7 billion bid for Coles Group, as Woolworths waits in the wings for its retail archrival. Woolworths is reportedly considering a partnership with private equity, international retailers or local grocery wholesaler, Metcash, giving the Coles board a third sale option. News of the impending fight for Coles sent its shares to a record high of A$17.42 during trading yesterday. Page 1. -Facing increased Taliban activity in south-central Afghanistan, Australia will deploy an extra 300 soldiers to Oruzgan province, Prime Minister, John Howard, announced yesterday. Mr Howard said the move would double Australia's commitment to a peak of 1000 troops next year, including a Special Air Service detachment for frontline duty. There was 'the distinct possibility of casualties and that should be understood and prepared for by the Australian public,' Mr Howard said. Page 1. -Platinum Asset Management founder and managing director, Kerr Neilson, has launched a A$2.8 billion float of the boutique funds manager to capitalise on booming equity markets. The former Bankers Trust of Australia executive will add three-quarters of the A$561 million share-raising to his personal fortune, retaining a family stake worth A$1.74 billion. His family interests received the bulk of A$160 million in dividends paid to 17 staff last year. Page 1. -The Group of Nine (G9) telecommunications consortium has assured Federal Communications Minister, Helen Coonan, its proposed national broadband rollout will offer cheaper access prices than a rival Telstra network, as it steps up pressure on the Government to reject Telstra's plan. The Optus-led consortium flagged a wholesale charge as low as A$21 a month, half the rate Telstra is expected to charge Internet providers. The G9 consortium includes AAPT, PowerTel, iiNet, Primus and Macquarie Telecom. Page 3. -THE AUSTRALIAN (theaustralian.news.com.au) A near-record 153 coal freighters were queued off the east coast yesterday as delays at Port Kembla, Newcastle and Queensland's Dalrymple Bay cripple Australia's coal industry. While heavy rain in Queensland set back production in February, miners attribute ongoing bottlenecks at the Dalymple terminal to a lack of rail infrastructure. The Federal Government this week threatened to take over regulation of the ports to tackle the problem, a proposal dismissed by Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie, as 'inoperable.' Page 1. -The Federal Opposition has promised free health checks for pre-schoolers under an Australian Labor Party government, focusing on problems such as obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, said the 'Healthy Kids Checks' program would begin next year, accompanied by a 'Healthy Habits for Life' guide for parents. Mr Rudd said this 'investment' in a child's well-being would be 'returned 100-fold later on.' Page 1. -Page 10 of 16 2012 Factiva, Inc. All rights reserved.

A A$300 million-plus initiative to monitor the impact of climate change on coastal areas and farmland will be considered at the Council of Australian Governments meeting on Friday. Prime Minister, John Howard, has proposed a 'wide-ranging discussion' with state premiers on the environment, including a potential carbon emissions trading scheme. Last week, a United Nations environmental taskforce warned that one-third of the world's plants and animals face extinction if global temperatures continue to rise. Page 1. -The Lebanese political leader whom Taj Din al-Hilali claims to have given US$10,000 in donations has denied receiving the cash from the Australia mufti. 'Not one penny went to me,' said Bilal Shaaban, who drove Sheik Hilali around southern Lebanon last November in the wake of the 34-day Israel-Hezbollah conflict. Sheik Hilali may have listed him as the recipient because it was an easier way of accounting for the money, he said. Australian authorities are investigating how A$70,000 in donations was distributed by Sheik Hilali in Lebanon. Page 1. -THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD ( www.smh.com.au ) Andrew Johns shocked the rugby league fraternity yesterday after announcing his retirement from the game. Widely regarded as the sport's greatest player, Johns struggled to contain his emotions as he told a news conference at his team's home ground in Newcastle that a protruding disc only uncovered during a CAT scan to assess a recent neck injury could not be alleviated with surgery. Johns will now holiday with his family over the next few days before helping his Newcastle Knights team-mates prepare for their matches for the rest of the season. Page 1. -Russian-born conductor and pianist, Vladimir Ashkenazy, will succeed Sydney Symphony Orchestra chief conductor, Gianluigi Gelmetti, whose tenure expires at the end of 2008. Mr Ashkenazy, who has appeared regularly with, and is highly regarded by, Sydney Symphony's musicians, will assume a modified role to accommodate music directorships he will continue to hold with other orchestras in Asia and Europe. His appointment was welcomed by music critic, Peter McCallum, who said 'There is nothing of the self-indulgent weeper about what he does.' Page 3. -Anti-vaccination group, the Australian Vaccination Network, has expressed outrage at a new New South Wales (NSW) Health policy requiring healthcare workers to be vaccinated against infectious diseases or risk being confined to desk jobs. 'These are the sort of tactics you would expect in concentration camps, not in the Australian healthcare system,' said the network's president, Meryl Dorey. NSW Health spokesperson, Dr Kerry Chant, defended the policy, saying it had been implemented to protect the safety of both staff and patients. Page 3. -Couples who smoke when they conceive a child are almost twice as likely to have a girl, according to research by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in Britain that suggests tobacco 'kills' male foetuses. After an analysis of 9000 pregnancies between 1998 and 2003, researchers believed that chemicals in cigarettes could inhibit sperm carrying male, or Y, chromosomes from fertilising eggs. Fertility Society of Australia spokeswoman, Dr Anne Clark, said couples who wanted a child should not smoke at all. Page 5. -THE AGE ( www.theage.com.au ) A New Zealand mother has revealed Qantas Airways stopped her two unaccompanied children from boarding a direct flight from Wellington to Sydney because the plane's load was too heavy. Seven or eight passengers were asked to take a flight to Auckland and then transfer to Sydney, Qantas confirmed yesterday. Victoria Read said her children had to wait 90 minutes for the Auckland flight and then another hour for a flight to Sydney. 'They got there in the end but I did think it was really bad,' she said. Page 2. -Victorian State Skills Minister, Jacinta Allan, will ask the Commonwealth Government to fund extra university places at a meeting of education ministers tomorrow. Ms Allan said the Commonwealth was damaging Victoria's economy by failing to allocate the state its share of places. Federal Education Minister, Julie Bishop, refuted the claim, challenging Victoria to 'put its money where its mouth is' and abolish payroll tax on universities. 'This would give the universities an extra A$93 million a year,' Ms Page 11 of 16 2012 Factiva, Inc. All rights reserved.

Bishop said. Page 3. -The Australian Communications and Media Authority has accused Sydney radio host, Alan Jones, of inciting resentment towards people of Lebanese and Middle Eastern background in the week before the Cronulla riots in December 2005. The regulator cited Jones' suggestion that 'biker gangs...be present at Cronulla railway station when these Lebanese thugs arrive,' and his statement that 'we don't have Anglo-Saxon kids out there raping women in western Sydney.' Jones' comments were likely to have encouraged violence, the regulator said. Page 3. -The Victorian Government yesterday announced a A$1 million bounty for fugitive drug lord, Tony Mokbel, who fled Australia while on bail last year. It came as a new rumour surfaced that Mokbel had been tracked by global positioning technology to the Ural Mountains in Russia, a report dismissed by Police Deputy Commissioner, Simon Overland. 'No one knows [where he is],' Mr Overland said. 'We're working very hard to find him and we think the A$1 million reward is going to be very helpful in that process,' he said. Page 6. -Looking for more information from local sources? Factiva.com has 112 Australian sources including The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. DIGEST-AUSTRALIA-GENERAL|LANGEN|AUF|G|RBN|REVU|RNP|DNP|PGE|PMF Document LBA0000020070410e34a001rr

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PRESS DIGEST-Australian Business News - April 11 1,423 words 11 April 2007 07:37 Reuters News LBA English (c) 2007 Reuters Limited (Compiled for Reuters by Media Monitors) THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW (afr.com.au) United States buyout firm, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is preparing a counter-offer to Wesfarmers' A$19.7 billion bid for Coles Group, as Woolworths waits in the wings for its retail archrival. Woolworths is reportedly considering a partnership with private equity, international retailers or local grocery wholesaler, Metcash, giving the Coles board a third sale option. News of the impending fight for Coles sent its shares to a record high of A$17.42 during trading yesterday. Page 1. -Facing increased Taliban activity in south-central Afghanistan, Australia will deploy an extra 300 soldiers to Oruzgan province, Prime Minister, John Howard, announced yesterday. Mr Howard said the move would double Australia's commitment to a peak of 1000 troops next year, including a Special Air Service detachment for frontline duty. There was 'the distinct possibility of casualties and that should be understood and prepared for by the Australian public,' Mr Howard said. Page 1. -Platinum Asset Management founder and managing director, Kerr Neilson, has launched a A$2.8 billion float of the boutique funds manager to capitalise on booming equity markets. The former Bankers Trust of Australia executive will add three-quarters of the A$561 million share-raising to his personal fortune, retaining a family stake worth A$1.74 billion. His family interests received the bulk of A$160 million in dividends paid to 17 staff last year. Page 1. -The Group of Nine (G9) telecommunications consortium has assured Federal Communications Minister, Helen Coonan, its proposed national broadband rollout will offer cheaper access prices than a rival Telstra network, as it steps up pressure on the Government to reject Telstra's plan. The Optus-led consortium flagged a wholesale charge as low as A$21 a month, half the rate Telstra is expected to charge Internet providers. The G9 consortium includes AAPT, PowerTel, iiNet, Primus and Macquarie Telecom. Page 3. -THE AUSTRALIAN (theaustralian.news.com.au) A near-record 153 coal freighters were queued off the east coast yesterday as delays at Port Kembla, Newcastle and Queensland's Dalrymple Bay cripple Australia's coal industry. While heavy rain in Queensland set back production in February, miners attribute ongoing bottlenecks at the Dalymple terminal to a lack of rail infrastructure. The Federal Government this week threatened to take over regulation of the ports to tackle the problem, a proposal dismissed by Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie, as 'inoperable.' Page 1. -The Federal Opposition has promised free health checks for pre-schoolers under an Australian Labor Party government, focusing on problems such as obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, said the 'Healthy Kids Checks' program would begin next year, accompanied by a 'Healthy Habits for Life' guide for parents. Mr Rudd said this 'investment' in a child's well-being would be 'returned 100-fold later on.' Page 1. -Page 13 of 16 2012 Factiva, Inc. All rights reserved.

A A$300 million-plus initiative to monitor the impact of climate change on coastal areas and farmland will be considered at the Council of Australian Governments meeting on Friday. Prime Minister, John Howard, has proposed a 'wide-ranging discussion' with state premiers on the environment, including a potential carbon emissions trading scheme. Last week, a United Nations environmental taskforce warned that one-third of the world's plants and animals face extinction if global temperatures continue to rise. Page 1. -The Lebanese political leader whom Taj Din al-Hilali claims to have given US$10,000 in donations has denied receiving the cash from the Australia mufti. 'Not one penny went to me,' said Bilal Shaaban, who drove Sheik Hilali around southern Lebanon last November in the wake of the 34-day Israel-Hezbollah conflict. Sheik Hilali may have listed him as the recipient because it was an easier way of accounting for the money, he said. Australian authorities are investigating how A$70,000 in donations was distributed by Sheik Hilali in Lebanon. Page 1. -THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD ( www.smh.com.au ) Andrew Johns shocked the rugby league fraternity yesterday after announcing his retirement from the game. Widely regarded as the sport's greatest player, Johns struggled to contain his emotions as he told a news conference at his team's home ground in Newcastle that a protruding disc only uncovered during a CAT scan to assess a recent neck injury could not be alleviated with surgery. Johns will now holiday with his family over the next few days before helping his Newcastle Knights team-mates prepare for their matches for the rest of the season. Page 1. -Russian-born conductor and pianist, Vladimir Ashkenazy, will succeed Sydney Symphony Orchestra chief conductor, Gianluigi Gelmetti, whose tenure expires at the end of 2008. Mr Ashkenazy, who has appeared regularly with, and is highly regarded by, Sydney Symphony's musicians, will assume a modified role to accommodate music directorships he will continue to hold with other orchestras in Asia and Europe. His appointment was welcomed by music critic, Peter McCallum, who said 'There is nothing of the self-indulgent weeper about what he does.' Page 3. -Anti-vaccination group, the Australian Vaccination Network, has expressed outrage at a new New South Wales (NSW) Health policy requiring healthcare workers to be vaccinated against infectious diseases or risk being confined to desk jobs. 'These are the sort of tactics you would expect in concentration camps, not in the Australian healthcare system,' said the network's president, Meryl Dorey. NSW Health spokesperson, Dr Kerry Chant, defended the policy, saying it had been implemented to protect the safety of both staff and patients. Page 3. -Couples who smoke when they conceive a child are almost twice as likely to have a girl, according to research by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in Britain that suggests tobacco 'kills' male foetuses. After an analysis of 9000 pregnancies between 1998 and 2003, researchers believed that chemicals in cigarettes could inhibit sperm carrying male, or Y, chromosomes from fertilising eggs. Fertility Society of Australia spokeswoman, Dr Anne Clark, said couples who wanted a child should not smoke at all. Page 5. -THE AGE ( www.theage.com.au ) A New Zealand mother has revealed Qantas Airways stopped her two unaccompanied children from boarding a direct flight from Wellington to Sydney because the plane's load was too heavy. Seven or eight passengers were asked to take a flight to Auckland and then transfer to Sydney, Qantas confirmed yesterday. Victoria Read said her children had to wait 90 minutes for the Auckland flight and then another hour for a flight to Sydney. 'They got there in the end but I did think it was really bad,' she said. Page 2. -Victorian State Skills Minister, Jacinta Allan, will ask the Commonwealth Government to fund extra university places at a meeting of education ministers tomorrow. Ms Allan said the Commonwealth was damaging Victoria's economy by failing to allocate the state its share of places. Federal Education Minister, Julie Bishop, refuted the claim, challenging Victoria to 'put its money where its mouth is' and abolish payroll tax on universities. 'This would give the universities an extra A$93 million a year,' Ms Page 14 of 16 2012 Factiva, Inc. All rights reserved.

Bishop said. Page 3. -The Australian Communications and Media Authority has accused Sydney radio host, Alan Jones, of inciting resentment towards people of Lebanese and Middle Eastern background in the week before the Cronulla riots in December 2005. The regulator cited Jones' suggestion that 'biker gangs...be present at Cronulla railway station when these Lebanese thugs arrive,' and his statement that 'we don't have Anglo-Saxon kids out there raping women in western Sydney.' Jones' comments were likely to have encouraged violence, the regulator said. Page 3. -The Victorian Government yesterday announced a A$1 million bounty for fugitive drug lord, Tony Mokbel, who fled Australia while on bail last year. It came as a new rumour surfaced that Mokbel had been tracked by global positioning technology to the Ural Mountains in Russia, a report dismissed by Police Deputy Commissioner, Simon Overland. 'No one knows [where he is],' Mr Overland said. 'We're working very hard to find him and we think the A$1 million reward is going to be very helpful in that process,' he said. Page 6. -Looking for more information from local sources? Factiva.com has 112 Australian sources including The Australian, Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. DIGEST-AUSTRALIA-BUSINESS|LANGEN|AUF|G|RBN|REVU|RNP|DNP|PGE|PMF Document LBA0000020070410e34a001r9

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GENERAL Perth girls first for free cancer vaccine DEBBIE GUEST 430 words 4 April 2007 The West Australian TWAU METRO 56 English (c) 2007, West Australian Newspapers Limited Perth Modern schoolgirls were among the first in the world to receive a free cervical cancer vaccine yesterday, paving the way for 90,000 WA girls who will be offered the vaccine. The official roll-out of the school vaccination program will begin in term two and Health Minister Jim McGinty believes there will be a big uptake from parents keen to prevent their daughters from developing human papilloma virus. Known as Gardasil, the vaccine developed by former Australian of the year Ian Frazer protects against some strains of HPV, the cause of 70 per cent of cervical cancer and genital warts. Mr McGinty said despite calls from the Right to Life Association WA that the jab might encourage sexual promiscuity, he had not heard of concern from parents or schools. "This is about protecting people from a disease ... it should not in any way promote promiscuity or change sexual behaviour in any way. It should save lives," he said. "The answer to those people on the religious Right: would you prefer your daughter to die of cervical cancer, that's really the question." Medical director of the Australian Medical Association's WA Youth Foundation Rosanna Capolingua said the vaccine was a public health issue and not about the age girls began having sex. The Catholic Education Office supports the vaccination program, saying anything that improves the health of young women is a good thing. "The evidence is it could be life-saving for girls and it is a worthwhile initiative of the Government," Catholic Education Office director Ron Dullard said. But anti-vaccination group Australian Vaccination Network maintains there is no proof the vaccine will prevent cervical cancer and no long-term study has been done to ensure the safety of the vaccine. For 16-year-old Perth Modern student Madison Kirke, the jab was a slightly painful birthday present. "I hate needles but it's a prevention for cervical cancer, so why would you second-guess about getting it?" she said. Her mother, Rachel Daniels, said she was especially keen for Madison to get the vaccine as her mother had cervical cancer. Public and private schools are sending out consent forms to parents of girls in Years 10, 11 and 12 and next year vaccinations will be offered to girls in Years 7 to 10. Women from 18 to 26 will have access to free vaccinations from July this year to June 2009 through their GP. The vaccine is given in three jabs over four to six months. Document TWAU000020070404e3440003u

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