Cable Briefs

Press, 14 April 1980, Page 8

Cable Briefs

Aust, attracts Near-record numbers of families are leaving Britain to settle in Australia, according to a report in the “Sun” newspaper. The “Sun” says that by the middle of summer (northern) some 22,000 Britons will have emigrated to Australia in a year — the highest level since the boom period of 1974/75. The paper says that, according to figures released on Friday, this 22,000 estimate compares with only 12,773 the previous year. Written enquiries to Australia House in London are well above the normal rate. — London. Minister goes Japan’s Vice-Minister for Posts and Telecommunications has announced his resignation, in the wake of a scandal surrounding Japan’s overseas telecommunications monopole Kokusai Denshin Tenwa. Mr Fumio Kamiyama told a press conference that he and another high-ranking ministry official would resign today in an effort to “carry out a personnel reshuffle to remove a stagnant mood from the Ministry.” The publiclyowned Japan Broadcasting Corporation and the Japanese news agency, Kyodo, said the reason for their departure from office was to take responsibility for the scandal, involving alleged expense-fiddling, embezzlement, political influence-buy-ing, and smuggling.—Tokyo. Oil'price policy The Australian Government will not diverge from its policy of world-parity pricing for oil, the Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) has told the Federal Liberal Council of Australia meeting in Canberra. The Government’s energy policy and world parity pricing had been criticised by the Victorian Premier (Mr Dick Hamer) and the West Australian Premier (Sir Charles Court). Mr Fraser said it was worth noting that the North West Shelf and the Rundle shale oil projects were dependent on the parity policy. “If that policy were breached or broken, neither project would go ahead,” he said. — Canberra.