November 2006 in Oceania

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November 1, 2006 (Wednesday) The Prime Minister of Fiji Laisenia Qarase reportedly meets with his security chiefs this morning after yesterday trying to sack Fiji's military commander Frank Bainimarama. Alexander Downer, the Foreign Minister of Australia, has raised concerns about a coup. (ABC News Australia) November 4, 2006 (Saturday) Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase drops amnesty provisions for the leaders of the 2000 coup after threats from the military to remove him from office. (NZ Herald) November 5, 2006 (Sunday) The Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, calls State Premiers to a crisis meeting to discuss the current drought and problems in the Murray-Darling Basin. (ABC Australia) November 7, 2006 (Tuesday) The Country Brand Index rates Australia as the world's most marketable brand and New Zealand as the best destination for natural beauty and outdoor activities. Australia was second for outdoor activities, and New Zealand was second for family activities and authenticity of culture. (NZ Herald) (SMH) November 8, 2006 (Wednesday) A conscience vote in the New Zealand Parliament rejects the bill to return the minimum age to purchase alcohol to 20 years. The Government announced a review on the impact of underage drinking. (NZ Herald) November 10, 2006 (Friday) Western Australian state MP Norm Marlborough resigns from parliament after being found to have lied to a corruption inquiry. November 13, 2006 (Monday) New South Wales state MP Milton Orkopoulos resigns from parliament after being charged with child sex offences. November 14, 2006 (Tuesday) In a 5-2 judgment, the High Court of Australia dismissed arguments that the federal WorkChoices legislation was constitutionally invalid. November 16, 2006 (Thursday) Rioters smash windows and overturn cars in Tonga's capital Nukuʻalofa following a pro-democracy rally. (BBC) Icebergs drift northwards within 100 km of the Otago New Zealand coast. The icebergs originated in a single iceberg 167 km long which broke off the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica six years earlier. This is the closest icebergs have been to the New Zealand coast in 75 years. (Courier Mail) November 17, 2006 (Friday) Australian and New Zealand military forces are on standby to fly to Tonga following riots in the Tongan capital Nukuʻalofa yesterday. Eight people died in the riots. The Tongan government declares a state of emergency and passes emergency laws giving security forces the right to stop and search people without a warrant. (NZ Herald) (Radio NZ) (Radio NZ) Don Brash, Leader of the Opposition in New Zealand, obtains an interim injunction to prevent the publication of emails he believes to have been stolen from his computer in 2005. (NZ Herald) Papua New Guinea Police Minister Alphonse Willie is sacked after he fails to deal with tensions within the senior police hierarchy. (The National) November 18, 2006 (Saturday) About 150 soldiers and police officers from Australia and New Zealand have arrived in Tonga following an appeal for help to restore order after riots. (BBC) November 19, 2006 (Sunday) The 2006 meeting of the G20 industrial nations in Melbourne ends, with discussions centering on the global economy and climate change. Protesters clashed with police during the event. (The Age - discussions) (The Age - protests) The annual APEC meeting in Hanoi concludes with a call for the resumption of World Trade Organization talks, but references to climate change were removed from the final statement. (International Herald-Tribune) A leader of the Tongan pro-democracy movement, MP Akilisi Pohiva, criticises the intervention of Australian and New Zealand peacekeepers following riots. (ABC News Australia) November 20, 2006 (Monday) The CSTNC union is described by New Caledonia's economic development minister as a terrorist movement. The union has been on strike over living costs and foreign labour for almost two months. (Radio NZ) November 21, 2006 (Tuesday) Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe, winner of five Olympic, eleven World Championship, and ten Commonwealth gold medals, announces his retirement at age twenty-four. (SMH) November 23, 2006 (Thursday) Don Brash resigns as leader of the New Zealand National Party, saying ongoing speculation about his leadership is damaging to the party. (NZ Herald) The Auckland City Council votes for construction of Stadium New Zealand on the Auckland waterfront to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but recommends it be located to the east of the Government's proposed site. (NZ Herald) New Zealand ranks first equal on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. Last year it ranked second. Australia ranks ninth. (Transparency.org) November 24, 2006 (Friday) The Cole Inquiry delivers its report to the Australian Government to be tabled in the Parliament of Australia on Monday. It was inquiring whether Australian companies notably AWB Limited paid bribes to the Government of Saddam Hussein in order to sell wheat to Iraq. (The Australian) The Auckland Regional Council unanimously votes against supporting the construction of Stadium New Zealand on the waterfront, opting instead to lend their support to an upgrade of Auckland's current rugby venue, Eden Park. (NZ Herald) Nicky Hager's book, The Hollow Men: A Study in the Politics of Deception, is published after a court injunction to prevent it is lifted. The book details events in the New Zealand National Party since Don Brash became leader. (NZ Herald) November 25, 2006 (Saturday) Steve Bracks-led Australian Labor Party wins the Victorian election with a reduced majority. November 27, 2006 (Monday) John Key is elected leader of the New Zealand National Party, with Bill English as his deputy. Both were unopposed. (NZ Herald) The New Zealand Government has switched its support to the redevelopment of Eden Park as a site for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, dropping the proposal for an Auckland waterfront stadium. (NZ Herald) November 28, 2006 (Tuesday) The Prime Minister of Fiji Laisenia Qarase flies to New Zealand to hold talks with Commodore Frank Bainimarama as part of efforts sponsored by the New Zealand government to avert a coup d'etat. (AFP, AAP via News Limited) The New Zealand Government introduces the Telecommunications Amendment Bill to split Telecom New Zealand into three business units, with network access separated from the wholesale and retail units. (NZ Herald) November 29, 2006 (Wednesday) An Australian Army Blackhawk helicopter operating off HMAS Kanimbla crashes off the coast of Fiji (ABC) The Prime Minister of Fiji Laisenia Qarase meets with Fijian military commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama in emergency talks in Wellington, New Zealand aimed at averting a coup. (News Limited) November 30, 2006 (Thursday) Former New Zealand National Party leader Don Brash resigns from Parliament. (NZ Herald) The Prime Minister of Fiji Laisenia Qarase partially agrees to demands by the head of the Fijian military Commodore Frank Bainimarama in order to avert a coup. Bainimarama rejects the compromise and issues a deadline of noon on Friday. (News Limited) (ABC News Australia and AFP)

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