
Issue No 86		02 March 2001

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

Satire

Bradman Latest: Family In Dramatic Court Action

The family of the late Sir Donald Bradman yesterday sought a restraining order against Prime Minister John Howard after it became apparent that he wants to be involved in every single detail of the The Don's funeral.

Howard had sought to take the body for a series of photo opportunities at the National War Museum where he has planned a full state funeral at which he will officiate.

The PM flew back from New Zealand on a supersonic F-111 RAAF jet to claim the honor of the first photograph with the mortal remains of Bradman - at his post mortem.

A grief-stricken Howard told reporters he had held the great man's man, said a prayer and then removed some strands of the Don's greying hair which he will place in a locket for Mrs Howard.

Standing next to her husband, Janet Howard sobbed: "This is a terrible moment for John and I. We haven't cried so much since the death of Sir Winston Churchill, or Winnie as we used to call him.

Bradman's relatives launched a dramatic legal action in the Supreme Court to stop Howard's intervention in funeral arrangements.

The restraining order prevents Howard from being a pall bearer at the state funeral and bans him from making a two-hour graveside eulogy.

If successful, the action will prohibit the Prime Minister from using the name Bradman in his speeches in the forthcoming federal election and stop him from wearing shirts, coats and hats bearing the Bradman autograph.

Lawyers for the Prime Minister said the Bradman family's legal action was regrettable. "Our client has only ever sought to become Sir Donald's most trusted confidant and friend," a statement said. "All he ever wanted was to bask in the reflected glory of a great Australian."

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  Issue 86 contents

Interview: Master of Opposition
Over the past five years, John Faulkner has turned the Senates Estimates structure into his own House of Pain. He explains the art of Opposition.

Politics: Beazley the Bridge Builder?
As the Howard Government flounders, Brett Evans looks at the challenges Kim Beazley faces as his hour of destiny approaches.

Unions: Lashing & Loathing at Patricks
Three years since one of the Howard Government�s most infamous episodes, the Waterfront War, Zoe Reynolds discovers how casuals are now doing the doing the dirty work on the docks.

Legal: Workers Without Rights
Mark Morey outlines the legal status and (lack of) rights for foreigners in Australia on working visas.

International: Dispatch from the Dispossessed
Mahendra Chaudhry, Leader of the People's Coalition and the Fiji Labour Party comments on this week�s court decision.

Economics: Business Power and Mobility
The US election season makes it patently clear how Big Business is able to transform its financial resources into political power via campaigncontributions.

History: The Spoilers and the Split
The Movement, Groupers, the DLP and The Doc. All have been blamed in various ways for the ALP split in the 1950s, ensuring the ALP was kept out of federal government until 1972. Can One Nation return the favour?

Review: The New Hard Politics
Dennis Glover argues that policy has taken over from spin as the political battleground of the new century.

Satire: Bradman Latest: Family In Dramatic Court Action
The family of the late Sir Donald Bradman yesterday sought a restraining order against Prime Minister John Howard after it became apparent that he wants to be involved in every single detail of the The Don's funeral.

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