Corrimal progresses.

At last the creation of a decent shopping centre in Corrimal is about to be realised. The huge, vacant block of land in the centre of the suburb is about to become " Corrimal Central ", the home of a major supermarket, discount variety store - and about fifty speciality shops.

All that stands in the way is a final decision by Wollongong council - and as there is not an elected council in this city - that means the nod of the government appointed administrators.

At least this decision means the end of encroachment on Ziems park and the distortion of the shopping centre complex away from central Corrimal. That may have suited the traders of Corrimal Court, but it would have ignored the reality of a central concentration defining a shopping centre.

The only disadvantage is the loss of car parking on that central vacant land, but that will be partly offset by parking on the roof of this three story complex.

It seems that destiny is to be fulfilled and Corrimal will become the major shopping centre for the northern suburbs. This was set in place years ago when the banks began closing branches - and designated Corrimal as the only northern banking centre.

Along with shops - Corrimal will now start to attract the range of offices and services that go with concentrating business activity around the hub that attracts people.

Unsafe money !

The crash of the National bank's computer system illustrates just how dependent we are on the silicon chip - and the electricity that powers it - to maintain a normal way of life.

When the system came to a halt and the ATM's stopped delivering money and the EFTPOS system declined to let us pay for groceries and petrol - our world virtually came to a stop. We could not travel or even feed ourselves !

The ramifications will be felt for weeks - long after the fault has been rectified. Some people will be forced into a legal breach that is not their fault - but then the law that enforces payment dates and consequences was not designed to accommodate a systems failure. Buying shares - settling a home purchase - all sorts of transactions contain an escape clause if payments are not made precisely on the due date.

In this electronic age, disruption of the money supply could even be a legitimate weapon of war. What better way to cause chaos in a country than to attack the electricity supply system - or to hack into the computers that manage the money supply.

What happened this past weekend proves that we are vulnerable to either a normal malfunction or a deliberate attack on the electronic complex that is modern living. If we are so clever that we can develop such systems, then surely we need to take this risk into account and have back-ups in place to share the load.

This weekend should be a wake-up call to evaluate the entire system !

The demon grog - and New Year !

It used to be a tradition. A few beers - watch the fireworks - and bring in the new year !

Unfortunately the actions of inebriated anti-social people are pushing this celebration to the brink. Vast public viewing areas of Sydney harbour are being designated alcohol free - and in Wollongong the midnight fireworks are no more !

This year there will be the 9 pm fireworks display - which will please the kids - but the midnight show has been cancelled because of the damage and injuries caused in previous years by drunken louts.

Sydney had this same problem for many years and for some time the television channels did not cover the midnight fireworks. It was assumed that many drunks increased their obnoxious behavior for the cameras - but the ban has been dropped and TV coverage continues.

Sadly - what was great fun for families is becoming a thing of the past because some spectators drink to excess and bring danger to festive crowds. It seems that further down the track - bringing in the new year may cease to be a public activity.

A " shaky " government !

Independent Andrew Wilkie's threat to " pull support :" for Julia Gillard's government if it reneges on a promise to impose binding limits on the amount that individual members of the public can gamble on poker machines illustrates just how tenuous a hold the government has on the treasury benches.

Australian voters did not have poker machine limits as an option when they went to the last election. This was one of many " deals " cobbled together to get the support of the Greens and the independents to form government.

There has been no consensus on this proposal. There has been no indepth survey of the implementation costs - and what change it would bring on the finances of the pub and club industry - let alone the finances of the various state governments.

Do we want - or do we need - a limit placed on how we can spend our own money ?

And what comes next ? A limit on the amount we can bet on a horse race ? Restrictions on how many lottery tickets we can buy ? A limit on the number of bottles of alcohol we can purchase each month ? A ration on tobacco purchases ?

All of the above could be justified by the health and wealth people as promoting a healthier lifestyle - but is that the level of interference in our daily lives that we will accept ?

If Andrew Wilkie " walks " it may be a good thing. A government that is beholden to the demands of a small power circle is not a government of the people - and this government lacks the ability to make decisions without the nod from these power lords.

Road safety - and perception !

Five " red light " cameras in Wollongong are to be upgraded to serve a dual purpose - detect both those speeding and those running red lights.



No doubt this added capacity will also improve the revenue flow from fines, but there is something lacking when the only evidence of a driving infringement is the appearance in the mail of a demand for money letter.



This relates to something that happened - and has been long forgotten - weeks previously. It is usually met with a shrug of the shoulders - and a few well chosen swear words - but does nothing to improve road safety.



In comparison, the sight of a marked police car causes most drivers to urgently look at their speedometer - and the sight of a police car - lights flashing - behind a driver being booked - causes law conformity to improve instantly.

It seems that road safety is caught in a money squeeze. It is cheaper to buy and install more cameras and they give a better money return than police officers patrolling in marked cars. That is the reason we progressively see less police on our roads.

It is also the reason why the police patrol has disappeared from our streets. In today's IT age - the street cop has been replaced by a cctv camera !

And all this is happening in the guise of - progress !

" Catch 22 " situation !

Interesting case in a Victorian court this week.

A police officer pulled over a Muslim woman driver wearing a hijab and demanded she remove it to be identified. She refused - and later made a formal complaint that he tried to forcibly remove it.

This complaint fell apart when the video from the police car was introduced in the hearing - and this clearly showed that no such action occurred. The woman was charged with making a false statement.

Now the woman's solicitor is applying for the matter to be thrown out of court - because the police can not prove that the woman before the court is the same person who committed the offence - because the officer did not see her face and can not positively identify her.

Which is where events turn full circle !

The law requires every citizen to be identified when approached by a police officer - and wearing a hijab breaks this requirement.

In future cases, arrest must be an option until the offender complies with the law.

A Royal bride !

The engagement of Kate Middleton to Prince William will signal the next generation of the royal family, but the life of this young commoner will change forever.

From here on in she will live in the constant glare of publicity. The urge to scratch an itchy nose - the slightest wardrobe malfunction - her perceived moods will be recorded by not only the press, but the ever present paparazzi - and splashed across newspapers and television screens.

There will be constant pressure, not the least of which will be to produce a royal heir to the throne. It will be a daunting task and unfortunately the track record of happy marriages is not evident in the royal family.

Looking back at history, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and a host of lesser royals have been less than successful in finding happiness.

The choice of an engagement ring will be met with horror by some royal watchers. This was the ring given by William's father to Princess Diana - and that was the ultimate in unhappy marriages.

Kate must have given long and careful thought to her life ahead before accepting this proposal, and she seems a stoic type of girl who will knuckle down to royal duties. No doubt she will compare herself to our Tasmanian Princess Mary - who married into the Danish royal family and has managed a degree of normalcy between her royal and private lives.

Let us hope she has not under estimated the unchanging attention to protocol that revolves around the British royal family - and the unforgiving verdict bestowed by it's subjects who judge the players on the royal stage !

The " Village Green " ?

What can be done with McCabe park ? At the moment it is a prime piece of land in the middle of Wollongong, broadly ignored by residents because it is a dangerous place at night - and rather boring during daylight hours.

It certainly has potential - provided we can get our heads around the necessity of introducing commercial activity to make it interesting and to get people to use it.

Perhaps a top class restaurant - similar to " The Lagoon " ? Perhaps kiosks selling such pleasures as ice cream, hot chips and sandwiches ? Perhaps an open air movie house similar to the " drive-in " era - but without motor cars ?

The sticking point is likely to be opposition to allowing commerce into a " people's park ", but then what is the use of a vacant piece of land if the public declines to make use of it ?

Surely we can learn something from the debacle that is the Wollongong Mall ! A place that is totally deserted once the shops close - and where citizens literally take their life in their hands if they visit after dark.

People will only use McCabe park if it has something to offer. It must become a " place to go " because there is something to see - and something to do - and people feel safe going there !

And that will only happen when commercial interests feel confident to spend their money to provide such attractions - and make a profit from them.

Dragging McCabe park into the twenty-first century is really that simple !

A classic " Sea rescue " !

It's nice to know that our sea rescue services come together to seamlessly aid mariners in distress - and that this was demonstrated off Wollongong this week.

Dennis and Sarah Smith were sailing to Fiji on their yacht " Barakee " when they suffered a steering problem - and then discovered that the yacht was taking in water. They activated their emergency beacon at 3-15 pm, resulting in a search plane arriving above them at 5 pm.

This drama was occurring 170 nautical miles off Wollongong and they were relieved to see the police launch " Falcon " appear over the horizon at 9.05 am the next morning. It was a difficult rescue in treacherous seas, but the Smiths made it safely back to shore - and the entire rescue service can be commended for a job well done.

Surely one aspect that deserves mention is the good sense of the Smith's in having an emergency beacon on board. Without that, the Barakee might have been just another vessel that disappeared without trace - and with it it's master and crew.

Unfortunately, there are still mariners who put to sea and rely on a mobile phone for rescue. Not only is that now illegal - it flies in the face of common sense !

The lady by the lake !

The Generals of the junta that rules Burma have every reason to feel fear. For decades the flame of freedom has been kept alive by Aung San Suu Kyi, the charismatic leader of the National League for Democracy ( NDL ) who in 1990 won an election to govern in a landslide.

The junta ignored this result and placed Suu Kyi under house arrest - and incarcerated the leaders of her democracy movement. They denied her dieing husband a visa to visit and have kept her separated from her children for over ten years.

Suu Kyi has been like the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. The great mass of the people yearn for relief from autocratic rule and the Generals know that despite their massive armies and tight laws Burma is ever on the edge of revolt - and they can never sleep easily in their beds.

They have conducted a sham election to try and present a democratic face and have released Suu Kyi from house arrest. Unfortunately it will inevitably take massive loss of life to end their despotic rule.

The Generals live in mortal fear - from this charismatic symbol - a slightly built, ageing woman who has the support of the people - and who they refer to in awe as " the lady by the lake ".

They may have the guns - but the people have the numbers - and it is only a matter of time before Suu Kyi prevails !

A sad tale !

It is hard to reconcile Zahra Baker's beaming smile with the harsh events of her early life.

Zahra was rejected by her birth mother and then developed bone cancer. This resulted in her having a leg amputated at age five, and further misery descended when chemotherapy caused her loss of hearing. Despite this, she was a happy little girl and a new life beckoned when she moved to the United States with her father.

It was not to be ! Zahra became a missing person, and now police have discovered body parts containing her DNA in a North Carolina timber area. It seems that Zahra was murdered and her body dismembered to hide the crime.

Most children are loved and nurtured by their parents, and yet all too often some unfortunate child slips through the net and suffers an awful fate. We have government agencies that are supposed to keep watch and prevent these sort of things, but the combination of over-work and human frailty leaves gaps - and there are failures.

No doubt the justice system will grind slowly - and eventually someone will face court and pay a price for Zahra's murder.

It is just so sad to think that despite all the systems in place to ensure that children grow up to achieve their dreams a small percentage will go unnoticed - and suffer an end like Zahra.

Rehabilitation.

The rehabilitation of offenders took a big step forward this week with the opening of a new gaol in the Shoalhaven. This $ 155 million facility will have 611 beds for prisoners, including 62 for women. A " mixed gaol " offers a kinder, more sociable type of detention option.

It seems that this project was achieved " on budget and on time ", and it will deliver 220 jobs to the region.

The new gaol will primarily house offenders from Helensburgh in the north to the Victorian border, and inland to the Hume Highway. As a result, prison visits will be a lot easier for the families of offenders, and keeping in touch with loved ones is a valuable tool of rehabilitation.

In the past residents feared having a gaol thrust upon them, but in a more enlightened age many see the vast array of benefits such an institution brings with it. Detention is a fact of life - and now the Illawarra has one to the highest of modern standards.

The creation of jobs will be an added blessing.

Tax deductions - and students !

We can expect a rush of legislation to close a loophole concerning tax deductions available to students.

For some reason the taxman believes that students, artists and musicians deserve to be poor - and in tax matters treats them differently to other wage earners. Now a court has ruled that they are entitled to claim deductions for expenses associated with getting themselves educated - and that the youth allowance formed part of assessable income.

This claim went all the way to the High court and the ruling will cost the government money by way of a new, allowable tax deduction.

It also highlights the wide discrepancy between the treatment of students and other wage earners. Increasing work skills by way of education gets preferential treatment when it is done by adult wage earners - and yet this was previously denied to students.

It seems that old habits die hard !

End of " the great war "!

Today we celebrate the end of the first world war - at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month,

That war was so terrible in terms of loss of life that it was dubbed " the war to end all wars ". It didn't - and there is the prospect of even greater future slaughter should nuclear weapons be used in conflict.

What happened to peace ?

After the first world war ended the nations of the world formed the League of Nations. That failed - and so we moved on to the second world war. Again the objective was world peace when the United Nations arose out of the ashes of the old League of Nations - and it suffered the same fate.

Korea. Vietnam. Iraq. Afghanistan - and a dozen more little local wars in remote parts of the planet.

So - what is today's " Remembrance day " really about ?

It should be about the end of war, but in reality it seems to illustrate the inevitability of war - and set many people wondering just which future war will come next !

Deportation - and the death penalty !

An interesting can of worms is opening in Queensland.

American tourist Gabe Watson is nearing completion of an eighteen month prison sentence for the manslaughter of his wife Tina. He was here on a tourist visa, and on his release he would normally be deported back to the US of A.

The problem is that his home state of Alabama wants to charge him with murder - and Alabama still has the death penalty on it's books for murder trials.

Australia says that - under it's international obligations - it can not deport a person to a country where that person may face the death penalty. So - what happens to Gabe Watson ?

It looks like Australia could be stuck with him. He can probably legitimately claim asylum because of the threat of the death penalty, in which case we will have no option other than to grant him permanent residency.

It also raises a few other interesting questions. Are we not interfering in the justice system of another country if we try and impose our views on crime and punishment on them - by denying them access to one of their citizens ?

Could we not deport this character to a US state that does not have the death penalty ?
In that way we wash our hands of the matter - and leave the legal fight to be determined by the higher courts of America !

Or does Gabe Watson end up behind the razor wire at one of our detention centres while our courts try to unscramble his right to remain here as an asylum seeker - all at the expense of the Australian taxpayer ?

Another can of worms that we could well do without !

Water safety !

There are some alarming rumours circulating about Sydney's desalination plant. It is suggested that the water coming from this plant and into our drinking water is contaminated by E-coli.

The state government has issued a denial.

It seems to be a matter of " where there's smoke - there's fire ! " The inlet for the desalination plant and the outlet from the sewage treatment facility are only a kilometre apart - and that raises many questions.

It would not be an issue if the sewage was fully treated to a pristine condition before being discharged into the ocean, but can we guarantee that this is so ? Or is it a fact that in overload conditions - such as in major weather events - raw sewage is going into the ocean ?

A mix of sewage and drinking water is simply disaster waiting to happen. This can not be left to " spin " to make the problem go away. Perhaps the inlet to the water treatment plant needs extending further out to sea - or the opposite to carry pollution further into the ocean.

Whether this is fact or fiction needs to be established. It is certainly not an option to be ignored !

Nurse practitioners.

The establishment of nurse practitioner clinics will get a mixed reception. Some will see it as a dumbing down of the health system - while others will see it as a logical extension to meet a doctor shortage.

Both may be partly right. It will all depend on whether the relationship between doctors and nurse practitioners develops on an amiable basis - or degenerates into a poisonous battle of personalities.

It is presently a fact of life that we have to take up a doctor's valuable time when all we want is a script renewed or a new referral to a specialist. These can be serviced by a trained nurse just as easily.

The danger may come if we continue to consult that nurse instead of a doctor and we develop a disease that is beyond that nurse's capacity to recognise. The success - or failure - of the scheme will depend of the right mix of doctor/nurse attendance to cover the whole medical spectrum.

And that brings us right back to the doctor/nurse relationship ! In an ideal world the nurse would steer the patient to see the doctor at reasonable intervals and the doctor would steer the patient to the nurse for routine script/referral matters.

This will eventuate in some practices, but unfortunately in many others it will develop into a turf fight. Some doctors will dig in their heels and forbid their patients to go elsewhere, despite a patient overload - and some nurses are going to jump on the feminist bandwagon and declare doctors an unnecessary band of parasites !

In the end, it will all come down to patient intelligence. The right choice is in the hands of the patient to regulate his or her visits between the two.

Gaol time - without a conviction !

There is something disturbing about the remand numbers in comparison between New South Wales and Victoria. NSW has over 2500 people on remand. Victoria has less than 1000.

The purpose of remand is to secure a person who the prosecution seriously expects to flee it's jurisdiction, or who is highly likely to commit a further offence.

Unfortunately, it is open to abuse. A person held in prison on remand gets no compensation if they are later put before a judge and jury and acquitted - and about thirty percent of those on remand walk free from trial - and even more who are found guilty are released on a bond.

Police regularly oppose bail for trivial reasons - and prosecutors can delay coming to trial for months - and in some cases years. During such extended remand periods the unfortunate prisoner earns no income - and in many cases is dismissed from whatever job he or she held. This can lead to the loss of property - and even bankruptcy, not to mention family breakdown and divorce.

It seems that remand can be a de facto punishment if the police or prosecution are in a vindictive mood. Our politicians have tightened bail laws to look good to the public, but in doing so they have created a monster that is running out of control in comparison with the other states.

By all means lock up the bad guys - but first make sure that they are promptly put before a court and duly convicted. Remand is merely an end run around that principle !

A great escape.

Over four hundred passengers and crew came perilously close to death when near disaster happened in the skies over Indonesia.



Qantas flight QF32 was an almost new Airbus A 380, the biggest passenger aircraft type in the world - when an engine exploded and speared shrapnel through the wing section. Miraculously - there was no fire despite these shards rupturing control lines that prevented the other undamaged engine on that side of the plane from being shutdown - and the full fuel tanks bursting into flames.



The crew performed according to their training, dumped fuel and safely returned the aircraft to Singapore - and now the enquiry is under way.



The incident is a blow to Airbus. The A 380 is the flagship of their fleet and the last thing they need is a doubt over it's safety. Qantas acted magnificently and passengers praised their calm and cool handling of a dangerous situation.



The other loser is Rolls Royce. This prestigious company manufactured the BR 211 engines fitted to the A 380 and doubts are emerging about their function. Whispers of previous " problems " with these engines will not instill confidence in passenger minds.



The best that can be said is that Airbus, Rolls Royce, Qantas - and all those passengers and crew - had a close call from which they emerged safely. Now it is up to the boffins to figure out just what went wrong - and make the necessary corrections to see that it doesn't happen again.



Perhaps this one could be chalked up to Mary McKillop !

Censorship !

When a suspicious child death occurs the Ombudsman conducts an enquiry - and prepared a report. Unfortunately, that report is not what the public reads - nor does it necessarily support the Ombudsman's findings.

The New South Wales state government puts a filter between it and the release of details. That is done by the " Commissioner for Children ", despite the 2008 Wood Commission of enquiry into child protection delivering a finding that it should be the Ombudsman's report that takes precedence.

Our state government has refused to transfer this power and prefers to have it's own proxy dilute any bad news that may be politically damaging.

This is simply a form of censorship. There is not much point in having an enquiry if the results are to be watered down and hidden from public view - and surely the safety of children must rank higher than most issues in the eyes of the public.

The best defence against government censorship - is publicity. Now would be a good time to deliver that message !

Potholes - and other hazards !

One thing is evident about the streets of Wollongong. There is little liasing between the council and the Water authority !



Progressively the council is undertaking a restoration plan to reseal the Wollongong street system to eliminate potholes that have been long overdue for attention. Unfortunately the manholes and isolation tap access points in the road are being totally ignored, and as a result the new surface is far above, creating a major safety problem.



The same goes with footpaths. Most have telephone cabling channels beneath and the manhole covers are old and broken, providing a walking hazard for elderly pedestrians or kids on bikes.



It seems to be a case of divided responsibilities. The council is responsible for the road surface, but another government department has the job of rectifying the alignment of access manholes - and a similar situation occurs with the phone system.



Surely some sort of regular joint planning meetings could eliminate these differences.

Emergency powers.

The government of any country has almost unlimited power to pass emergency legislation as circumstances demand. In time of war or natural catastrophe it may need to bring in controls that are far outside the normal range of civil law.

Right now Australia has a challenge from one of a group of four institutions which hold an essential service in their hands. The Commonwealth bank has decided to hike interest rates in excess of the controls instituted by the Reserve bank - and against the wishes of the government.

Interest rates can be either a brake or an accelerator on economic activity. When they apply to home mortgages they directly affect the spending power of the public, and as such they either slow or speed up retail activity - and that affects employment and profits down the supply chain.

The other three vulture banks are sitting on the fence posts - waiting to see if the Commonwealth bank gets away with this challenge - or if Treasurer Wayne Swan will act - or simply cave in !

Gathering fresh funds overseas is a rising cost, but at the same time the big three banks in Australia have been making record profits - and they could afford to show restraint to help the Australian economy recover.

What they are doing is exploiting their control of a natural resource - the money supply needed to finance business and allow people to buy homes. Their primary interest is profit - and to keep those profits coming they will disregard the common good - and the responsibilities that go with it.

Most people go along with the notion of free markets, but if the banks become predators out of control - then it is time to apply restraining measures.

Treasury dictates the amount of tax we must pay. It would not be unreasonable if that same Treasury slapped a " super profits tax " on banks that hike interest rates outside it's guidelines.

After all, interest rates have a critical bearing on the Australian economy - and that is worthy of invoking emergency powers !

A change of target !

The al Qaeda tactic of placing bombs in air freight will change the rules of the security game. Passengers and their luggage are far easier to search than the huge volume of freight moving around the world daily.

The economics of running an airline rest on a fine balance between passengers and freight. The cargo holds expedite urgently needed freight items such as the postal parcel trade - and this is now a high risk area.

The first casualty will be passenger numbers. Some people will avoid flying because there is a chance that they are sharing an airplane with a bomb. Lower passenger numbers will mean more reliance on freight to balance airline profitability.

No doubt the technology boffins will go into overdrive to create sophisticated detection equipment, but the task of screening each and every item consigned as air freight will be not only a daunting - but an impossible task.

We grizzle about the security checks when we travel by air. Get used to an expanded regimen at the post office and forwarding agency when next we seek to send little Suzy a birthday present.

The time is fast coming when the best present will be to send money - and let her buy her own !

Trick or treat !

Last night a lot of doorbells in Australia announced the arrival of Halloween ! It is an American custom but it was quite inevitable that Aussie kids would eventually get around to " trick or treating ", given the influence of American produced shows on our television screens.

Unfortunately is does have a dark side.

Most kids get quite a kick out of dressing as goblins or monsters - And few householders mind giving out some biscuits or lollies, but it would help if the kids managed a smile - and said " thank you ".

There is also the usual few who spoil it for the many.

Some ' trick or treater's " seem to consider a response a right, and when they encounter a home that does not answer the doorbell they take revenge. Sometimes this takes the form of smashing garden ornaments such as gnomes, pulling up prized plants - or generally making as much mess as possible.

Last night both types of kids were on the streets. Let us hope that Halloween develops here as a social event enjoyed by both children and householders alike - and that the young children " trick or treating " are escorted by watchful parents looking out for both their manners - and their safety.