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Wednesday 30 June 1999

SHIPLEY PRAISES FISCHER FOR ROLE IN WORLD TRADE

Prime Minister Jenny Shipley praised the work of Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Tim Fischer who today announced his plans to resign next month.

"Australia will lose one of its most colourful and capable Ministers and New Zealand a great friend," Mrs Shipley said.

"I regret that Mr Fischer will not be able to continue in his political roles which he performed so admirably.

"He has worked hard to advance free trade and has been a champion of the CER (Closer Economic Relations) agreement between Australia and New Zealand.

"Mr Fischer is undoubtedly a man of great integrity and character who has left a large and positive footprint on the international stage. We will miss him very much," Mrs Shipley said.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>