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17 Mar 2000
Northern Territory News headlines
'Teen car surfer dies'
The teenager from Palmerston who was flung on to a road after car surfing last week has died. Police have issued a stern warning to those who wish to car surf with penalties for both surfers and drivers of up to 10 years jail.
'Fancy your very own jellyfish?'
Trust the Japanese to come up with this one. Japanese toymaker Takara has unveiled its new 'Aquaroid' jellyfish, a robot propelled by a solar-battery powered motor. The jellyfish is expected to retail in Japan for about $140. And just in case the jellyfish is lonely, you can also buy a fish, shrimp or crab.
'Clean-up in Mall for the Queen'
What Clean-Up Australia misses - the Mayor won't. 'Alice Springs Mall will be cased for "undesirables" when the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visit the Territory'. Up to 100 police will remove anyone considered to be offensive or a nuisance or drunk.
'Burke blasts WA death penalty call'
'Chief Minister Denis Burke has angrily rejected the reintroduction of the death penalty'. But the reality is that the Territory does not have the power to introduce it. Meanwhile, Richard Court, Premier of Western Australia has illustrated that quality politics isn't only the province of the Northern Territory with this quote about capital punishment 'I am a Christian but I still say that in extreme cases there has to be a deterrent. I've always seen capital punishment as a good deterrent to have on the books for those very, very severe cases of murder or terrorism'. I must have missed those verses in the Bible and secondly, is the victim of a less severe case of murder any less dead?
'27-hour wait for emergency surgery'
A six-year-old girl was forced to wait 27 hours for emergency surgery after falling on a broken chair and receiving a 5cm gash in her vagina. The superintendent of Darwin Hospital put the delay down to priorities - there were life threatening cases and hers was not. But while the girl was in hospital, her mother was told that one surgeon had been working 35 hours straight. Seems like a terminal case of economic rationalism here.
'Lizard-slaying tourist fined'
Our German tourist who killed the Buley rockhole water monitor was fined the paltry sum of $500 for his crime. Apparently he had hunted them elsewhere and simply wanted to show his brother that they tasted nice. Scowl.
'Another cyclone warning for QLD'
'River level to drop'
Weather stories have been relegated to page four today. The Katherine River had peaked at 15m and was now expected to drop. The Daly River was also dropping. However, North Queensland had been put on Cyclone Watch with a deepening tropical low off the coast which could develop into a cyclone.
NT and Beyond
And while many in the world starve away, a Brinkin woman (Brinkin is one of the 'elite' suburbs of Darwin) has been offended by a bag of hot cross buns with a stamped number 666. She said she had been insulted and the bakery should be embarrassed. No wonder the poor buns were hot and cross.
'Between a rock and a hard place'
'Treasurer denies Budget blow-out'
The Labor Opposition has been having a go at the Government for being over-budget at the half-way mark of the year. The Treasurer replied 'It's a case of the Opposition Leader taking part in Play School economics', blaming seasonal and other factors. Interestingly one of the other factors seemed to be an 'unexpected' purchase and installation of a power generator on Channel Island. Like one day it was not needed and then the next it is.
A rare mineral collection is set to move to a museum in Tennant Creek. Well it would if there was a museum to go to. The collection has been held at the NT Museum for three years. Apparently $60,000 was committed to building a museum but plans have stalled. And now it appears that the funding for the Museum is dependent on the May budget. No wonder so many people get divorced with our leaders displaying this level of financial commitment.
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