What Australian newspapers say on Saturday, April 8, 2006

AAP General News (Australia)
04-08-2006
What Australian newspapers say on Saturday, April 8, 2006

SYDNEY, April 8 AAP - The plight of West Papua is forcing Australia's relationship
with Indonesia, however reluctantly, into the 21st century, The Weekend Australian says
in its editorial today.

Just as Australia respected the verdict of an Indonesian court in sentencing Schapelle
Corby to 20 years in prison, Indonesians must respect Australian law when it comes to
freedom of association and to the processing of asylum seekers, such as those who recently
turned up from Papua.

If Indonesia wishes to retain West Papua, some sort of autonomy arrangement will have
to be engineered (as in Aceh) with the consent of the army and the legitimate acceptance
of the Papuan people.

But even this might not be enough, and West Papua may eventually achieve independence.

Melbourne's Herald Sun says the Papuan asylum seeker issue has placed the biggest strain
on Australia's relationship with Indonesian since East Timor.

Australians feel "uneasy" about human rights problems in the troubled province, but
time cannot be turned back to 1969, when this mineral-rich province's chance of independence
was lost.

Strong relations between the neighbour nations are needed at a time when al-Qaeda,
and aligned terrorist groups, are gaining grip in the region.

It would be catastrophic for both nations if political tensions from West Papua were
allowed to disrupt joint intelligence operations. Only Jemaah Islamiah could benefit.

The Weekend Australian Financial Review says despite ample evidence over the years
that advice given by financial planners often does not meet the standards savers would
expect, the securities and investments commission (ASIC) seems to treat financial planners
with kid gloves.

The latest "shadow shopping" survey of advice given by 259 financial planners looks
as if it will bring more of the same.

ASIC says it will follow up with 14 licensees whose advice raised particular concerns
about legal compliance, and send the survey results to everyone else, with the expectation
they will "act quickly to fix any problems".

Financial planners have a long way to go to avoid having more regulation imposed on them.

The Sydney Morning Herald says in the new Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad, the
more perceptive will see the NSW police force being co-opted into the political process,
its operations and organisation finely tailored to respond to public anxiety more than
to crime.

Of course crime exists in Middle Eastern communities and must be fought strenuously,
that ethnic profiling is legitimate, and it's quite possible Middle Eastern gangs are
more violent than others and more prepared to use firearms.

Yet these do not justify institutionalised targeting of one ethnic community. Police
policy should not be set, nor should organisations be shaped, by the public's transient
prejudices about particular groups. The force should police all groups equally.

Ironically, the government lacks the resources to back up its words. The new squad
will have 53 permanent members, and 50 others on a three-month posting. The squad it
replaces, Task Force Gain, started with 160 members. How is that beefing up?

Sydney's The Daily Telegraph says a convicted cocaine dealer is not the kind of person
to be employed as an airport baggage handler.

While this might be common sense, the ridiculous has happened -- at Sydney airport.

Qantas may not have been aware of his past conviction, and he may have been rehabilitated
and trying to "go straight", but it is not in the best interest of the airline's -- nor
in passengers' -- best interests to have a suspect employee placed in a position of such
easy temptation. Nor would be in the employee concerned's best interests.

It's not Custom's fault if it fails in its background checks; the airline has ultimate
authority to offer employment and to terminate it. So it should carry the responsibility.

Melbourne's The Age says the Howard government's latest response to the Papuan asylum
seeker issue has the ugly echo of a time when human suffering was ignored for political
expediency.

It would be a mistake to imagine that turning away the West Papuans to appease Indonesia
will solve the problem by pretending there isn't a problem.

Indonesia has no right to seek to interfere, as it has, in determinations on applications
for asylum in Australia.

The diplomatic row with Indonesia follows Australia's granting of protection visas
to 42 Papuans who said they were fleeing persecution.

Brisbane's The Courier-Mail says the most extraordinary, and worrying, aspect of the
errant activities of psychologist Theresa McHugh is her professional disciplinary body's
decision to suppress the fact she had been caught.

The Psychologists Board of Queensland found grounds for action against Ms McHugh after
colleagues complained Ms McHugh was using grossly inadequate techniques to diagnose serious
medical conditions in children.

Ms McHugh had acted outside of her area of competency and expertise as she had had
no formal pharmacological or medical training. However, the board ruled that the disciplinary
action taken and details of the undertaking would not be recorded in its register.

The decision undermines a key principle of justice -- that it be seen to be done. After
the furore over the registration of errant doctor Jayant Patel, the executive officer
of Queensland's health registration boards, Jim O'Dempsey, should appreciate better than
most the dangers of concealing vital information.

The McHugh case demonstrates other organisations within his domain require urgent attention.

AAP dr/rs

KEYWORD: EDITORIALS

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.