AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 5

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2010
AAP National News Wire Round-Up for Midday, Aug 5
Midday Round-Up: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP RTV FILE AT 1130


Poll10 Economy Wrap(CANBERRA)

Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD has accused TONY ABBOTT of trying to "sneak" into power
without an economic plan.

Campaigning in Townsville today .. Ms GILLARD's again challenged the opposition leader
to a second leaders' debate .. but limited to the economy.

She says voters are entitled to hear from him on the economic questions for the future.



Ms GILLARD has also praised KEVIN RUDD as a man of enormous capability .. after her
predecessor urged voters to stick with Labor.

A philosophical Mr RUDD says he can't sit idly by and watch the coalition win government
by default .. and he's urged the electorate not to let what happened to him stop them
from voting Labor.

Ms GILLARD says she welcomes his pledge to campaign for the re-election of the Gillard
government.

Meantime both Deputy Prime Minister WAYNE SWAN and Health Minister NICOLA ROXON have
welcomed Mr RUDD to the Labor campaign trail.

He's recovering at home following gall bladder surgery.



Poll10 Health (CANBERRA)

Opposition Leader TONY ABBOTT has promised to deliver more hospital beds if he wins
government .. but won't give the states any money for them upfront.

Mr ABBOTT's expected to unveil the 3.1 billion dollar package for 28-hundred new public
hospital beds over four years in Sydney today.

Mr ABBOTT's told the ABC if they want to get the money .. they'll have to produce the beds.



Poll10 Hung (CANBERRA)

An analysis of recent opinion polls suggests the chances of a hung parliament are growing.

The Reuters Poll Trend shows support for Prime Minister JULIA GILLARD and her Labor
government has dropped 2.5 percentage points .. to 51.5 per cent .. since campaigning
started.

Ms GILLARD continues to outpoll Mr ABBOTT by 13.3 points as preferred prime minister
in the the Reuters Poll Trend.



Poll10 Tax (SYDNEY)

Assistant Treasurer NICK SHERRY says the federal government will reshape Australia's
taxation system if it's re-elected.

Senator SHERRY says a Tax System Advisory Board would be set up at the Australian Taxation
Office to make it more responsible .. accountable and accessible for Australians.



Poll10 (CANBERRA)

Australia's east coast could eventually be linked by a high speed rail network if Labor
wins the next federal election.

Infrastructure Minister ANTHONY ALBANESE says a re-elected Gillard government would
carry out a 20-million dollar feasibility study into the project later this year.



In Other News ..



Kiesha (SYDNEY)

Police will spend a fifth full day searching waterways and bushland for missing six-year-old
KIESHA ABRAHAMS .. with detectives tight-lipped about any potential new leads gained from
interviews with her parents.

KIESHA's mother .. KRISTI .. her stepfather ROBERT SMITH and her biological father
CHRISTOPHER WEIPPEART spent several hours being questioned at Mount Druitt police station
last night.

Detectives say police divers and officers will continue searching the area in western
Sydney and door-to-door inquiries will also continue.



Trains (SYDNEY)

Hundreds of Sydney rail workers are attending a mass rally today .. as a three-day
campaign of strikes over pay and conditions gets under way.

RailCorp maintenance and administration staff want a five per cent pay hike and assurances
that the increase won't have an impact on staffing levels.

They stopped work at 10am and 11am respectively and gathered at Burwood Park in Sydney's
inner west and are expected to return to work at 2pm.

RailCorp's warned the industrial action could have a knock-on effect to peak hour services.



Jobs IPA (SYDNEY)

Nationwide job vacancies increased for the first time in three months in July .. with
employers expecting a stable industrial relations landscape no matter who wins the federal
election.

Data from IPA recruitment shows job vacancies increased 13.9 per cent last month ..

the first increase in jobs on offer since March this year.



Celebrity DeRossi (LOS ANGELES)

Australian actress PORTIA DE ROSSI and her American TV talk show wife ELLEN DEGENERES
have joined the celebration in the US .. after a judge overturned California's gay marriage
ban.

Geelong-born DE ROSSI legally married DEGENERES in 2008 .. shortly before Californians
voted for Proposition 8 .. which ended gay marriage in the state and sparked furious public
debate and a legal challenge.

Two gay couples have now successfully challenged Proposition 8 .. claiming it violated
their civil rights.

De ROSSI has tweeted to fans that she's ecstatic that Proposition 8 has been overturned.



Briefly in other news ..



Closed (BRISBANE)

The Bruce Highway in central Queensland could be blocked for the rest the day after
a B-Double truck rolled on a bridge ... the incident happened between Rockhampton and
Calliope.



Cliff (MELBOURNE)

A Japanese couple have escaped almost unscathed after their car rolled end-to-end 70
metres down a cliff in western Victoria yesterday.



in Finance ..



Finance Markers Morn RADIO MORNING

At 1133 AEST, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was UP 23.2 points at 4,565.3 points,
while the broader All Ordinaries Index was UP 24.0 points at 4,583.7.

The Australian dollar was at 91.58 US cents, UP from 91.34 US cents at Wednesday's local close.

It was at 69.59 euro cents, UP from 69.07 euro cents on Wednesday.

The spot price of gold in Sydney was $US1,195.95 per fine ounce, UP $US2.20 from Wednesday's
close of $US1,193.75.



in Sport ..



AFL Tigers (MELBOURNE)

Richmond could take an unchanged side into Sunday's AFL match against Melbourne as
they try to continue their improved form in the second half of the season.

The Tigers are coming off a win over Adelaide and are now two games clear of last spot,
while the Demons are making an unlikely bid for the top eight with four rounds left.

Coach DAMIEN HARDWICK said at training today that ANDREW COLLINS, TY VICKERY and DAVID
GOURDIS are all pushing for senior recalls, but it will be tough to change the team.



Tennis ATP (WASHINGTON)

LLEYTON HEWITT'S US Open build up suffered another setback when injury forced him to
retire during his first match at the ATP Washington Classic.

Colombia's ALEJANDRO FALLA was leading 11th seed HEWITT 7-5 3-2 in their second round
clash when the Australian pulled out with a sore right calf muscle.



Tennis WTA Stosur (SAN DIEGO)

World No.5 SAMANTHA STOSUR has defeated American MELANIE OUDIN 6-4 6-4 to advance to
the quarter-finals of the WTA San Diego Open.



Golf PGA Allenby (AKRON, OHIO)

Australian golfer ROBERT ALLENBY has withdrawn from this week's World Golf Championships'
Bridgestone Invitational after undergoing knee surgery for a fishing injury.

ALLENBY slipped on his boat while on a fishing expedition in the Bahamas last weekend
and suffered torn ligaments.

He expects to be sidelined for at least three weeks, also ruling him out of the year's
final major, the PGA Championship next week.



ENDS MIDDAY ROUND-UP

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