澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2016-04-06

 

Australia's corporate¹ regulator has accused WestPac of the multimillion dollar rigging of interest rate trading. Now, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, known ASIC, has brought charges against WestPac for what it calls unconscionable conduct in relation to the bank bill swap² rate between 2010 and 2012. The charges follow similar action against ANZ last month, but WestPac has rejected the allegations, saying it will rigorously defend the court action. Resources Minister Josh Frydenburg says the allegations are very serious and they need to be thouroughly investigated. 

I think these changes are starting to take hold but with their serious allegations. You would expect our independent corporate regulator to investigate them. 

Mr. Josh Frydenburg is there. 

Meanwhile, former Commonwealth³ Bank chief David Murray has launched a scathing⁴  attack on ASIC for championing the idea that company directors should be held legally responsible for poor company culture. Now Mr. Murray said attempts to regulate these matters had parallels to Nazi⁵ Germany. 

There have been people in the world who've tried to enforce culture. Oh, Adolf Hitler comes to the mind. You, you cannot sure, if you want to say...

I'm not sure if ASIC would appreciate the comparison.

If you want people to be free, you cannot do that. 

The Dow fell 0.8 percent, the NASDAQ and S&P 500 were both down 1 percent. While in London the FTSE fell 1.2 percent. Checking commodity prices. WTC is traded at 34 US dollars a barrel, Tapis' crude is 38 US dollars a barrel, and gold is 1229 US dollars an ounce. The Australian dollar is currently buying 75 US cents, 66 euro cents, and 53 pence sterling⁶. 

1 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

2 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

3 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

4 scathing   

adj.（言词、文章）严厉的，尖刻的；不留情的adv.严厉地，尖刻地v.伤害，损害（尤指使之枯萎）( scathe的现在分词)

参考例句：

• a scathing attack on the new management 针对新的管理层的猛烈抨击
• Her speech was a scathing indictment of the government's record on crime. 她的演讲强烈指责了政府在犯罪问题上的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

6 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。