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$1.20* Includes GST Freight Extra ($1.40 Tas)THURSDAY MAY 26 2005

GRAEMEBLUNDELLHow we

worshippedGra-Gra

PHILLIPADAMS

Tracing thetracks ofhis tears

NOELINEBROWN

Our smallintimateaudience

MEDIA & MARKETING

GRAHAMKENNEDYTRIBUTE

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INSIDEFeatures 9Editorial, Letters 10Opinion 11Arts 12TV, Crosswords 13Media 15-22Weather 30Classifieds 33Sport 34-36

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This newspaper participates in recyclingFIRST EDITION NUMBER 12,648

Irony of a funny man we wished was happier

Graeme Blundell

A head of his time: Graham Kennedy playing up in the early days of the long career in which he became Australia’s Mr Television

IN 1994, a young journalistasked Graham Kennedy:‘‘Are you any closer to discov-ering the meaning of life?’’ Towhich the great televisioncomedian crisply replied; ‘‘At60, I’m more interested in themeaning of death.’’

Kennedy, who died yester-day at the age of 71, alwaysunderstood that irony is com-edy’s favourite means of ex-pression. The day John F.Kennedy was assassinated in1963, a passenger said to aMelbourne taxi driver, ‘‘Pityabout Kennedy being shot.’’Without a pause, the driversaid, ‘‘Yeah, but now it’ll giveBert Newton a chance.’’

Graham’s gone now, finally,mercifully. And the past 24hours have been a time, not ofmourninga lost talent,orevena friend, but a celebration of asingularman.Andthepassingof an era.

On talkshows all over Aus-tralia, people joyfully remem-bered how the sets always fellon him in the studios of hisshowsandall sortsof cruelactsperpetrated on him; how hewasn’t justa talkingheadbutacomedian who still loved prat-falls and who sported so manyfunny hats you could imaginehis temples were alwaysbruised. And the way he al-ways treateduswithdeferenceand curiosity thoughhewasn’tafraid to slag off at the dead-arses (he loved swearing ontelevision) who offended himby their failures of propriety.

He showed us that thepower of television resides inits normalcy, and he was al-ways there at the push of abutton as we grew up. Any-thing we didn’t know, thepress filled in, though nobodyever explained why he wasalways so solitary and oftenseemed lonely. Even when hewas rich, lived in big houseswith chauffeurs, boastedabout his wine collection andwas the cream of upper-classelegance, we wanted him toseem happier.

He wasn’t all that happyaboutmewritinghisbiography10 years ago, though in, I felt, acoded message through hisagent, he suggested ‘‘Be kind’’.

Two years ago, after mybookwaspublished, I travelledto see a very ill Kennedy in anursinghomeon the outskirtsofBowral inwhichhis friends,Noeline Brown and Tony Sat-tler had placed him. Flakes ofsnow were drifting in thewind. ‘‘You won’t recognisehim, of course,’’ Sattler said.

And I almost didn’t. He waswearing heavy blue pyjamas,some sort of undershirt be-neath, and Ugg boots. Un-shaven, he stared out thewindow, his beard wispy andorange in colour, his thin,patchy shiny white hair plas-tered across his scalp, andthere were large triangularblack patches on both hischeeks. They were so darkthey lookedas if theyhadbeenapplied with make-up.

‘‘I’ve brought someone tosee you.Do youknowwho thisis?’’ There was a slight pause.‘‘Of course I do, Tony,’’ Ken-nedy said scathingly, still look-ing out of the window. ‘‘HelloGraeme Blundell,’’ he said ex-tendinghishandashe turned.He was extraordinarily thin

Continued — Page 4More reports — Page 4Editorial — Page 11

Howard’shard lineon unfairsackingsBrad NoringtonSamantha Maiden

JOHN Howard will gomuch further thanexpected in his workplacereform package to beunveiled today by boost-ing the size of businessesexempt from unfair dis-missal claims to thosewith 100 employees.

Increasing his electionpledge by five times, thePrime Minister’s decisionmeans that not just smallbusinesses with up to 20 work-ersbutmediumto large enter-prises that account for morethan 90 per cent of employerswill no longer face claims forunfair dismissal.

The probation period fornew employees will also risefrom three to six months soemployers have more time tosack non-performing workerswith impunity.

MrHowardwill promote thechanges to unfair dismissallaws as a significant incentivefor employers to hire moreworkers.

The new exemption levelwill deny the right of mostemployees to seek redress ifsacked and abolish up to halfof the workload of the Aus-tralian Industrial RelationsCommission in ruling onunfair dismissals.

Workers will still be able tomake breach-of-contract claimsin court under common law, orresort to anti-discriminationlaws, but will have to pay theirown legal bills.

After formal approval bycabinet this week, MrHowardwill today announce thedetails of thepackage ofwork-place reforms that will alsochange the way minimumwageratesareset,waterdownaward employment condi-tions, limit the powers of theAIRC as a dispute-settling tri-bunal and impose tough newrestraints on unions.

Business groups, which havebeen consulted extensively bythe Government over manymonths about ways to improveworkplace flexibility andincrease productivity, willstrongly back the package.

But unions, outraged by theextent of the changes and

shocked at losing the right tounfair dismissal claims in allexcept some cases, will be tornapart with pressure for strikesand street protests.

Mr Howard will unveil thepackage in time to present it toLabor premiers at the Councilof Australian Governmentsmeeting on June 3. He will askthe premiers to hand over theirstate industrial relations re-gimes to the commonwealthand foreshadow a hostile take-over if, as expected, they refuse.

UsingtheGovernment’sSen-ate majority after July 1, MrHoward plans to introduce areform bill by August so thenewworkplacesystemcanbe inplace by the new year.

Realising his ambition of 20years to completely transformthe industrial relations system,Mr Howard’s package willtransfer the AIRC’s power toset minimum wages to a newFair Pay Commission.

While a decision to cut backthenumberof itemscoveredbyawards from 20 to 16 will not goas far as employers wanted,theywillbeverypleasedaboutamuch more flexible ‘‘no disad-vantage test’’ enabling them totrade off award conditions innegotiations with workers.

Over time, a complex systemof award classifications linkedto the skill levels of workers isalso to be broken down so payrates can be determined moreby the labour market.

The AIRC will remain as atribunal that settles disputes,but its powers to intervene willbe limited and it won’t be per-mitted to tamper with awards.

New restraints will be placedon union bargaining rights,with secret ballots beforestrikes, tougher penalties forillegal industrial action andrestrictions on the access ofunion officials to worksites.

Unions will no longer be per-mitted to launch industry-widewage claims, which will bebanned in favour of negotia-tions specific to workplaces.

The Government will heav-ily promote non-union em-ployment contracts, calledAustralian Workplace Agree-ments, which currently ac-count for 2 to 3 per cent of theworkforce but are expected toincrease considerably.

‘Compassionate’ PM softens on detention

Georgiou

Elizabeth ColmanDennis Shanahan

JOHN Howard yesterday signalledfurther changes to immigration anddetention laws amid growing Gov-ernment disarray and backbenchunease over the fate of a baby bornunder guard in Perth.A day after a group of Liberal

moderates demanded further soften-ing of the Government’s hardlinedetention laws, the Prime Ministersaid the Governmentmight considermodifications on compassionategrounds, tellingparliamentdetentionpolicy was ‘‘an ongoing process’’.

‘‘It’s not something that isregarded as having been com-pleted,’’ he said.

However, Mr Howard emphati-cally ruled out any change to man-datory detention, which is the basis

of the private mem-ber’s bill called for byLiberal backbencherPetro Georgiou.

MrGeorgiou yester-day said he believedthe system treatedpeople unfairly.

‘‘We can move onfrom the process

where someone remains in deten-tion until they are either removedfrom the country or accepted,’’ TheMP said.The bill, to be debated in the

Liberal partyroom next week, willhave the support of at least threeother backbenchers, includingNSWMP Bruce Baird and Western Aus-tralia’s Judi Moylan.MrHowardmet thedissidentMPs

this week, to discuss the privatemember’s bill on detention, and

some in the group insisted it was aconstructive meeting.

In a further sign of disquiet overthe Department of Immigration’spractices, a Government-controlledjoint committee yesterday blocked aplan tomore thandouble thebedsatthe Maribyrnong Detention Centrein Melbourne.

The committee report, handeddown last night, recommendedguidelines be set for building deten-tion centres.

Ms Moylan, chair of the commit-tee, said last night that normalbuilding codes weren’t good enough.

‘‘You can’t just build detentioncentres thewayyoubuildhostels forbackpackers because the reality ispeople in detention aren’t free tocome and go,’’ Ms Moylan said.

Earlier, Immigration Departmenthead Bill Farmer apologised for a

succession of embarrassing casesinvolvingAustralianswrongfullyde-tained and deported, and childrenheld for years in detention.

And Immigration MinisterAmanda Vanstone unveiled a seriesof measures Mr Howard indicatedcouldbethestartof furtherreforms.

She told a Senate estimates hear-ing the Government would appointdetention review managers in everystate and appoint more psychiatriststo immigration facilities.

Senator Vanstone told the com-mitteeanother200 suspectcaseshadbeen referred to the Government’sinvestigation into the Departmentof Immigration, adding to LaborleaderKimBeazley’s calls foraroyalcommission into the detention

Continued — Page 2More reports — Page 2Opinion — Page 12

Golden intercept try seals Maroons extra time winWayne Smith

Hard-fought: Carl Webb takes on Luke Bailey

IT might have been the silveranniversary of Origin football,but it ended in a golden pointvictory to the Mighty Maroonsafter Queensland winger PaulBowen swooped for an inter-cept try to break a 20-20 dead-lock — and NSW hearts — atSuncorp Stadium last night.

Ononeofthewildestnightsoffluctuating fortunes in thequarter-century since the originof Origin, Queensland firstappeared to be heading for theeasiest of victories, then fornear-certain defeat only to scorea last-gasp field goal to send the

match into extra time. Whencaptain Darren Lockyermissed with his shot at a tie-breaking field goal, the Blueswere handed their chance toreply, only for Bowen to swoopout of the line and pluck aBrett Kimmorley pass out ofthe air and race away for a trythatwill forever live inmemory— well, Queenslanders’ memo-ries at least.

‘‘Iknewhewasgoingto try toget the ball outside,’’ said Bo-wen, explaining his bold deci-sion to come out of the line. ‘‘Itwas one of those plays you’vejust got to come up with.’’

Cartwheeling cheerleaders

preceeded the Maroons ontoSuncorp Stadium but after a‘‘Knee of God’’ try on debut towinger Ty Williams midwaythrough the first half, 52,000Queenslanders were doingcartwheels in the grandstand.

Maradonna might havescored an immortal ‘‘Hand ofGod’’ goal in the soccer WorldCup, but Innisfail’s Billy Slaterhappily didn’t get a hand to aLockyer inside pass but hisright knee instead to create anOrigin moment no less memo-rable.Theball richocheted overthe beseeching hand of Bluesfullback Anthony Minichelloand bounced kindly for Wil-

liams, another Innisfail flyer.

Referee Paul Simpkins hadno option but to refer thefreakish event to the videoofficial Graeme West who, see-ing no reason not to award it,made a ‘‘fortune favours thebold’’ ruling in favour of theQueenslanders.

Luck might have played ahand in that score but other-wise there was nothing at allfortuitous about the halftimescoreline of 13-0 in favour of theMaroons after the Queenslandside turned in almost a perfecthalf of rugby league.

Full coverage — Page 36

Council sackedover slush fundTWEED Shire Council in north-ern NSW has been sacked afteran inquiry found it was improp-erly influenced by developers inv-olved in a coastal property boom.

The inquiry found a majorityof councillorswere ‘‘puppets’’ofadeveloper-controlled groupcalled Tweed Directions, whichhad constructed a campaignfunded by money primarilysourced from developers andintended to secure a pro-development majority.

Three administrators will runthe council until the next elec-tion in September 2008.

Full report — Page 3

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