In The Herald: 1988

Sydney Morning Herald

Tuesday January 1, 2008

Jonathan King

* The prime minister, Bob Hawke, strongly denied any impropriety in his role in the events leading to the resignation of the tourism minister, John Brown. He rejected Opposition suggestions that he knew Brown had misled Parliament when explaining the proceedings of a committee in charge of tenders for a $5 million contract for Brisbane's Expo 88.

* Australia may soon run the world's first trial of a "morning-after pill" to prevent AIDS. Work had already begun on the trial guidelines at the National Health and Medical Research Council's Special Unit in AIDS Epidemiology and Clinical Research in Albion Street, Sydney. The trial would ascertain if the drug Retrovir (formerly AZT) could prevent infection if given within two weeks of a person being exposed to the AIDS virus.

* A 1957 cabinet paper released under the 30-year rule showed the ANZUS powers had considered secret military action against Indonesia if it had come under communist control. The prime minister, Robert Menzies, had sent a cable to the US government asking it to intervene directly in Indonesia.

* An analysis of 1694 births from 16 IVF clinics found that between 1979 and 1986 six infants had been born with spina bifida, when the incidence in the general population was one in 1000. Dr Ismail Kola, a member of Professor Carl Wood's pioneering IVF team in Melbourne, was worried by the statistics that were published in The Lancet.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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