Australia Travel News 08/31/2010

CLUBS Australia began lobbying Julia Gillard against $1 limits on poker machines long before newly elected independent MP Andrew Wilkie forced the issue onto the political agenda.

THREE people were arrested in connection with the Pakistan cricket scandal yesterday as it emerged that Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson, two of Australia's highest profile cricketers, were approached by match-fixers during last year's Ashes series.

This seemed quite a revelation from a trained lawyer. Lawyers in court tend to have a very particular view about relevance when a witness strays a millimetre from the subject, and it's not unusual for barristers to demand a yes or no answer.

Australia has recorded its smallest current account deficit since the first quarter of 2002, as commodity exports boost earnings.

A TEENAGER has been jailed over an aggravated burglary that a judge likened to a scene from the movie "Reservoir Dogs".

BENEATH a blue tarpaulin, off a deserted fire trail in a remote section of the Belanglo State Forest, lies the hopes and fears of more than a dozen families.

Most air travelers would prefer to see a "families only" section on planes, according to a new poll. Skyscanner, a Scotland-based cheap fare comparison website, says 59 percent of travelers responding to its survey agree with the idea of seating families with kids in their own section on planes.

Police will return to Belanglo State Forest in the southern highlands of the Australian state of New South Wales after the discovery of skeletal remains there.

AUSTRALIA is a police state that makes the Soviet Union look attractive, according to Paul Hogan's California-based talent agent, who expressed outrage that the tax commissioner has barred his star client from leaving Australia.

SYDNEY squandered its success in hosting the 2000 Olympic Games and has become a prime example of missed opportunities.

Sydney train commuters will get a free ride today with another one possible next week.