EVENTS ARE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER AND IN LOCAL TIME UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED.
SYDNEY
0930 - Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index for December 2002 to be released.
1130 - Reserve Bank of Australia to release its December commodity price index.
ADELAIDE
No items listed.
BRISBANE
No items listed.
CANBERRA
No items listed.
MELBOURNE
No items listed.
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A leading child protection advocate says the reaction to abuse claims levelled at Sydney'sCatholic Archbishop GEORGE PELL could discourage victims of paedophile priests from comingforward.
Associate Professor CHRIS GODDARD wants the federal government to set up an independentinquiry into claims Dr PELL molested a 12-year-old boy at a church summer camp in Victoria41 years ago.
Dr PELL denies the allegations and has stood aside to await the results of a church-initiatedinvestigation by retired Victorian Supreme Court judge ALEC SOUTHWELL QC.
But Professor GODDARD says an inquiry by a church-appointed judge is open to questionand he wants an inquiry set up by the federal government that is perceived to be entirelyindependent.
Professor GODDARD, the director of the Child Abuse and Family Violence Research Centreat Monash University, says Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD's support of Dr PELL is also inappropriate.
He says the accused is found innocent by the prime minister and the complainant isfound guilty by the media because of his alleged criminal record -- and that may discourageother complainants from coming forward.
AAP RTV bja/gfr/ldj/rp
KEYWORD: PELL CLAIMS GODDARD (MELBOURNE)
New South Wales police are investigating the death of an officer in a car crash nearGosford north of Sydney last night.
Police say the senior constable in his 30s was on highway patrol when his car collidedwith a power pole at Woy Woy at about 6.10pm (AEST).
They say the officer based at Woy Woy was killed instantly -- but they've not yet releasedhis name.
Outgoing Police Commissioner PETER RYAN and Deputy Commissioner DAVE MADDEN have bothvisited the accident scene.
Police say they're investigating the crash but so far there's no indication that anothervehicle was involved.
AAP RTV tnf/ge/wz
KEYWORD: DEATH (SYDNEY)
It's been revealed that a mother of three and her de facto husband were shot in thehead at close range in an apparently drug-related double murder in Adelaide.
Police say 45-year-old LEILA HOPPA and her partner were likely to have known whoeverkilled them at their Parafield …
