These changing times !

Structural changes at both Fairfax and it's Murdock competitor signal the possible ending of newspapers as we know them, ushering in a no-print era where we access our need for information by way of the Internet.
This was forecast as inevitable by some pundits when the " Kindle " was invented, but it took the release of the I-Pad to put a virtual Kindle in so many people's hands to make this a possibility.

There is no doubt that the old printed newspaper format is extremely wasteful.   On average, most people discard at least half the pages of their daily paper unread, because it contains matter that does not interest them.   For instance, would a person who does not bet on horse races be really interested in the racing pages ?    If you don't own shares, would you really want to wade through the share market reports and study the daily stock prices ?   How many male readers avidly scan the social pages ?

Some years ago, the Illawarra Mercury readers were given the option to decide if they wanted the massive racing supplement covering the weekend race meetings included in their home delivered Friday edition.   Those with no interest in racing probably saved a great number of trees from becoming newsprint as this supplement usually ran to twenty-four pages.

The newspaper proprietors seem to be stuck on the horns of a dilemma.  There are vast numbers of elderly people who will never purchase an I-Pad because they are not new technology literate, nor will they ever adopt this technology.   The real force behind newspapers - the advertisers who use them to reach their customer audience - would suffer a media deficit of reach if the printed papers ceased.

Perhaps there is still a market for print - if it can reinvent itself into a format that meets people's needs.
Perhaps the present "one size fits all " format needs to be discarded into individual sections that are each offered separately on the newsagents counter.   The most popular would naturally be that which contains world and local news, the original reason for the development of newspapers.    Sport would closely follow as a desired segment, with other sections separately covering finance, social events, gambling interests and of course the listing of births, deaths and marriages.

Customers would have the option of buying the sections that interest them - at a price consistent with the number of pages involved - or of taking the entire paper as it exists in it's present format.   It would deliver a benefit of a cheaper price option to the public and a lower production cost to the newspaper company, and it would certainly reduce waste by way of unread newsprint.

Eventually, the electronic age must win, but there is an opportunity to delay the inevitable if this industry meets the challenge by reinventing itself.

" Intervention " or " Justice " ?

The question seems to be - " Does a government have the right to manage the financial affairs of it's citizens when they are deemed to be out of control ? "    Many people argue that we are each responsible for the way we choose to live, but do we have the right to force those dependent upon us to share that same fate ?

Put bluntly, the Federal intervention programme was caused by concern for what was happening in our remote Aboriginal communities.   Alcoholism was rife and as a result many Aboriginal children were not getting regular meals or attending school.   There seemed to be a danger that we would raise a " lost generation ", lacking the tools with which to sustain themselves and destined to repeat the lifestyle of their elders.

The intervention took the form of isolating a percentage of social security income into a special account which could only be accessed for approved spending.    This money could not be used to buy tobacco or alcohol, but was quarantined for the purchase of food, clothing and household essentials.   It simply reduced the amount of discretionary spending available to ensure the availability of the basics.

The fact that this scheme was initially used to manage the lifestyle of Aboriginal people caused accusations that it was " racist ".    There have been calls for it to be extended nation wide and applied to all citizens - of all colour.     That again raises the question of whether any government has the right to manage it's citizens financial affairs, and yet that has been an acceptable fact of life for most of the last century.

If a person suffering Dementia enters an institution, the government watchdog takes control of their affairs, as also happens when a person is certified with a  mental illness.   Alcoholism is a form of mental illness.  Under it's influence the victim loses spending control and brings disaster into the lives of any children depending on that person for survival.    It may be impossible to alter the lifestyle of the alcoholic, but it is possible to repair some of the harm done to dependent children - and that seems to be the aim of this legislation.

One of the outcomes of alcoholism is a disregard for the obligation of having children attend school regularly. Education is the key to a better life and withholding money can be a decisive factor in gaining compliance. In some cases, it is the only way to ensure that children of deprived households get at least a basic education.

Both sides of politics seem to be in rare agreement with the principles involved.  We can only hope that this question is not mired in accusations of racism and that it is implemented in a sensible manner to help those of any race or creed - who have fallen through the cracks.      Justice and need are are twin issues !

Local knowledge saves lives !

The relentless pressure to reduce the cost of services often squeezes out the contribution local knowledge can play in saving lives.   The Wollongong fire emergency centre that used to despatch fire crews to blazes is now shut and calls are handled by despatchers in either Sydney or Newcastle.

When cases are handled by a person far removed from the local scene and lacking geographical knowledge, mistakes can occur.   It is reported that fire crews have been ordered to attend fires up to eight hundred miles from where their station is located.   Distance might look perfectly reasonable to someone looking at a map, but that is the type of mistake that involves lost time - and lost time can equate into lost lives.

When someone picks up the phone to send for a fire crew or to call an ambulance, they are often in a state of panic.  Sometimes it is a small child on the end of that line.  Sometimes it is someone who is emotionally distressed and incapable of giving rational directions.    It helps if the person trying to unscramble that distorted information has local knowledge and can ask questions that clarify precisely where this help is needed.

When it comes to reducing the cost of services,  a theoretical approach is not always in the best interests of safety.    Sooner or later the principle of having this state's emergency services controlled from a central point  can lead to the type of thinking that has sent data processing overseas.    When cost is the only criteria, then moving those services to a call centre in a low wages country makes a lot of sense - even if it delivers life or death decisions to people who lack even a basic knowledge of the local scene.

There is no doubt that this centralised despatch system will work well - most of the time.   The present  000 number for police - fire - ambulance removes the need to try and find individual numbers for each of the services, but that still works best if the 000 controller connects the caller with a local call room for each service.

There is no substitute for local knowledge when lives are at stake !

Time to flip a coin !

The fact that a Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel  ( SIEV) capsized and drowned nearly a hundred asylum seekers is making ordinary Australians both ashamed and angry.   Border protection has become a political football and both sides of politics seems more interested in point scoring and denigrating remedial plans  than actually stopping the boats.

Achieving consensus is impossible without a working compromise being reached between the Labor government and the opposition Coalition.   Any solution will be blocked by the Greens unless the two main parties deliver the numbers, and the Greens are totally opposed to any solution that involves asylum seekers being assessed in a third country.

The main stumbling block seems to be an agreeable destination.  Labor is adamant that it wants the boat people sent to Malaysia.  The Coalition is equally firm that they be sent to Nauru.   The only thing the two sides seem to actually agree on is that moving asylum seekers offshore will destroy the people smuggler's myth that once asylum seekers reach Australian soil they will be allowed to stay.   There will be no incentive to risk their lives on a leaky, overcrowded little boat if they will immediately be deported away from that treasured Australian landfall.

It is not hard to see why a workable plan remains out of reach.   This is the classical political clash of ego's.
When Kevin Rudd won office he inherited a working solution devised by John Howard that had virtually stopped the boats.   This plan offended Labor principles and so it was scrapped and replaced.  The replacement has clearly failed, but to change course would involve Labor admitting it made a mistake - and in politics that is unthinkable !

No solution has been reached because a decision that favours either Malaysia or Nauru delivers a win for one leader and a loss for the other, and human life runs a long way second to the ego's of our political leaders.   They would prefer to see people drown at sea than suffer the humiliation of being the one who is seen to back down.

Perhaps the only way out of this mess is to invoke the Australian national character.    We are a people known for our love of sport - and our affinity to wager on events.   If both sides agree to let fate decide the destination of the asylum seekers, that decision can be made on the flip of a coin.    Heads - they go to Malaysia.  Tails - they go to Nauru.

At least it removes politics from the decision !

Saving the planet !

If global warming is fast becoming a matter of human survival for the population of planet earth, then surely there is a better way than just imposing a carbon tax.   One of the objectives of this coming carbon tax is to convince the electricity generating industry to move from burning coal to renewable energy.   The coal fired electricity generators are the biggest source of carbon dioxide release and their elimination would go a long way towards resolving the problem.

It may take a case of " push " moving to " shove " to have that happen in the short term.  We already encourage householders to install rooftop solar energy installations and buy back excess power generated at a premium price, but surely the time has come to make solar energy a requirement in the specification of all new homes.

Present laws make it compulsory to connect to water and sewerage.  Would it not be reasonable to require every new home to be capable of  generating at least it's own energy needs, with any excess returned to the grid for the same credit rate as the price charged to the householder when that home draws from the grid ?

Comparing the price of an average solar energy collector with that of the average new dwelling reveals a minuscule cost to comply, and brings the benefit of at least a highly reduced power bill - or perhaps no power bill at all.   It would not be unreasonable to add the requirement of installing solar as part of the approval process for renovations or extensions to existing homes.   The aim would be to eventually have every home in this country contributing to the national electricity grid.

This could certainly be achieved by extending the requirement that all existing homes being offered for resale must have solar power fitted before a contract can be exchanged.   Once again, in comparison of the sum of money about to change hands, the cost of such installation is trivial.

It is all a matter of urgency of need.   If those predicting coming disaster are right, then we are facing a national emergency and we need take drastic steps to save the planet- and ourselves.    But if the pundits are wrong - at least we will have solved the power problem - and ensured long term cheap electricity for all !

The " Money/Roads/Cars " triangle !

There is something depressingly familiar about the " Money/Roads/Cars " triangle.   The more money we spend to built new roads and widen existing ones seems to be instantly negated by the increase in car numbers - which fill the space we have created.

The statistics deliver a litany of bad news.  Each survey reveals that Sydney's arterial road traffic runs a bit slower each year, despite toll increases delivering more money to the roads pool.  We are urged to leave the car at home and use public transport to commute to work.  We urge industry to relocate jobs to smaller cities and towns.   We talk of altering start and finish times to spread commute drive times.   We once hoped that the computer would eliminate the need for a commute as people worked from their homes - but like the notion of a " paperless office " - this failed to materialise.

Now the road planners are having a re-think on the toll question.   The original idea was to charge a toll to pay for each new road and then discontinue the toll when the debt reduced to zero.   Now the thinking is along the lines of " Distance rated tolling ", which means reintroducing tolls on those roads now toll free and extending tolling incrementally from the distant suburbs to the city centre.

This concept seems to adopt a two stage plan for car taxation.   The money you pay for registration and green slip insurance permits you to legally drive within your home municipal area.   That's just fine for getting the groceries or dropping the kids off at school, but if you use the city arterial road system, then a new charge based on distance comes into effect.    The more distance you travel - the more toll you pay !

The statisticians predict that we need to spend $ 30 billion over the nest twenty years to give the city of Sydney a decent arterial road system.   The only way that sort of money can be found is by installing a distance rated toll that will apply to all road users.

For the people of Wollongong it probably means the re-installation of a toll booth on the F-6 at Waterfall to pay for the eventual extension of the F-6 to St Peters in inner Sydney, but like all such improvements, that could be long term - and many years from now.

Unfortunately, no matter how promising the plans to fix the road system seem, most people know that the " Money/Roads/Cars" triangle will always be with us.    The equation that matters is - increased population means more people driving more cars - irrespective of how many new roads we build.

That is an unalterable " fact of life " !

Demolition man !

Survivors of the Bali bombing and relatives of those killed will have mixed feelings about the twenty year sentence handed down to Umar Patek, the master bomb maker who helped construct the car bomb used in the October 12, 2002 blast.

Known as " Demolition Man", Patek admits that he helped construct the bomb that killed two hundred and two people, eighty eight of them Australian.   He expressed regret for his past actions and it was noticeable that he sat quietly throughout the long hearings and there were no outbursts of Islamic tirades against westerners or perceived injustices.  This was obviously taken into account by the presiding judges.

Patek is forty-five years old and with good behaviour and parole, he will probably be released after fifteen years of incarceration.  If he walks out the prison gate at age sixty he will have served a vastly lesser punishment than the execution carried out on Amrozi, Mukhlas and Iman Sumudra, the  three people who actually placed and detonated the bomb.

This October will bring the tenth anniversary of the bombing and much has changed in Indonesia in that time. The Indonesian state has cracked down hard on terrorist cells and on the wider scene al Qaeda has taken some powerful hits with the elimination of Osama bin Laden and many of his key associates.  Terrorist cells are still active in Africa and the Middle East, but the former frenetic energy is missing from the Indonesian scene.

If that is the sign of some form of truce it is welcome.  Indonesia is one of our closest neighbours and the fact that it is a predominantly Muslim country should be no obstacle to a close trading relationship. We fought a bitter war with Japan within living memory and now that country is one of our biggest trading partners. Hopefully,  Indonesian religious activists may be starting to realise that Australia poses no threat to their religion and that the only hope for world peace is a world where many religions live in peace with one another.

The tenth anniversary of the Bali bombing may be the time to draw a line.   The guilty have been punished - and now the world has moved on.

Risk - and injury compensation !

For five hours yesterday, the city of Sydney was without fire protection.    The fire appliances and the crews that operate them were gathered in front of state parliament objecting to changes to their injury compensation scheme.   This was the first time in fifty-six years that the fire brigade has been on strike !

Inevitably, there was a house fire and instead of a response measured in minutes, it took under an hour for the first fire appliance to arrive.  During this strike the city was being serviced by rural bushfire brigades, backed up by one of the appliances from Sydney airport.   There was no loss of life, but the building received extensive damage because of the delay.

 The problem that caused this strike is an attempt by the state government to reign in a disastrous deficit in the compensation scheme that applies to police, paramedics and fire crews.   It is billions of dollars in the red - and rapidly spinning out of control.    The government seeks to legislate changes that would limit injury compensation from the present 100% of normal pay for twenty-six weeks, to a reduced figure after just thirteen weeks.

What infuriates the Fire Brigade Employees union ( FBEU) is that this change only applies to fire employees and paramedics.   The police have been exempted, no doubt because the government fears a police strike and the total chaos that would bring.

One of the problems with all forms of compensation schemes is the tendency for " cover creep " to advance the cost.   This usually takes the form of a finding by a judicial official that something rejected should be included, and an example of that is :" travelling to work cover ".    Initially, work cover commenced when the employee clocked on and ceased at the end of the shift.    Now that cover seems to include everything between when that person slams the home  front door shut in the morning, and reopens it later in the day.  Of course, the extended cover comes at a cost to those paying for the scheme.

The decision to retain the existing scheme for police and substitute a lesser scheme for fire crews and paramedics is untenable.   All three services lay their lives on the line for the good of the general public and to offer a lesser form of compensation is an insult.

At the same time, the government can not let stand a ever enlarging black financial hole.  The solution will inevitably be the result of negotiations and " give and take " bargaining to arrive at something that is mutually acceptable - and fair !

It also sounds a warning, illustrated by the situation that has evolved in several European countries which are virtually bankrupt  - and being forced to accept humiliating terms in exchange for bailouts.   In most cases this dire situation arose because they lacked the courage to come to terms with difficult decisions when they needed to be made.   We would not want a similar fate to happen here !

The " Spy Game " writ large !

The Julian Assange story reads like the plot from a James Bond movie.    This young Australian computer geek and friends develops a taste for using computer skills to reveal secrets that important people would prefer to be kept hidden away.   Early successes bring WikiLeaks - the name of his organization - into media prominence and Assange becomes something of a celebrity.

Somewhere along the line he manages to recruit a low level member of the American defence forces who happens to be working in military data processing.   This young man successfully penetrates the inner sanctum of American diplomatic cables and other sensitive material, which he records under the guise of pretending to be listening to Lady Ga-Ga discs.

WikiLeaks publishes this on the Internet and sets off a diplomatic storm.  In American security eyes, Assange becomes that country's prime enemy, replacing the late Osama bin Laden at the top of the " wanted " list. State security plots ways and means to take him down, and Assange takes his security seriously.  He retains a public profile, but he moves from country to country constantly.

Suddenly, a threat emerges.   Two Swedish women file a sexual complaint against Assange and this is investigated by the Swedish police - and dismissed.     It is claimed that America exerted diplomatic pressure on Sweden and suddenly this sexual complaint takes on new life and an extradition order is served on Britain to deport Assange for trial.   It is widely believed that this is a ploy to get Assange onto Swedish soil where a deportation to America would be successful.

Aware that under the American court system he could be tried for espionage and face the death penalty, Assange begins a series of appeals within the British court system, each failing and steadily reducing his chances of ever again tasting freedom.     When the last appeal is quashed, Assange plays his trump card.
He flees to the safety of the Ecuadoran embassy in London, and applies for Asylum under the United Nations Human Rights declaration.

Of course this is a novel still to be completed.   If Ecuador grants his request he will probably be moved to that country under diplomatic protection, but that is not entirely a guarantee of safety.   Assange is firmly in the sights of the American defence system - and they have ways of settling problems.   Osama bin Laden thought he was safe in Pakistan - until the Navy Seals came knocking at his door.  Many of America's enemies have assumed that they were out of reach of it's long arms - until a silent drone released a Hellfire missile !

The only question is whether the Assange story will feature in a movie now, or whether Hollywood will keep it's powder dry - and wait for the inevitable final conclusion before filming starts !

Where angels fear to tread !

If there is an award for " Brave Souls " it should surely go to the elected councillors of Wollongong Council.  They are proposing to spend half a million dollars of public money - on some form of " art " to become the centrepiece of the Mall refurbishment.

The very word " Art " tends to raise the hackles of many people.  Even getting consensus on what the word means will  attract a diversity of opinions and whatever form this proposal takes will  certainly create for and against controversy.

About the only things we seem to remember when the art subject is broached are items such as the Mona Lisa and the statue of David.    The passage of time seems to smooth away opposition and to reach true significance - the item in question needs to be many centuries old.     That introduces the divide between " traditional " art - and " Contemporary " art !

That raises another divisive question.   Will council spend the money buying something from overseas that has the blessing of the art world at large, or will the money be spent on an emerging Australian artist ?
Size would be another significant factor.   If this piece of " art " is to be the focal point of the Mall it would need to be big enough to stand out and attract attention.

If this question had arisen a century ago, the choice would probably have been for a bronze statue of somebody important sitting on a horse.  Even then, the choice of subject would have brought divisive opinions - and probably politics would have become an issue.    Far safer to opt for some form of sculpture that resembles no human being.

The biggest hurdle to surmount will be the spending of public money on what some will describe as " rubbish " - when this city has a long list of projects awaiting funds to repair roads, clear blocked drains and provide amenities.   These are difficult times.   This proposed " art " spendup is taking our civic leaders into territory - where angels fear to tread !

A fading Egyptian dream !

The people of Egypt willingly shed their blood to remove a dictator and hoped to replace him with a secular, modern society based on democracy and the rule of law.   The success in this revolution came when the armed forces stood aside and stopped slaughtering protesters.  Mubarek fell - and the army promised free elections and it's willingness to hand over power when a civil administration took office.

Many doubted that the Council of the Armed Forces ( SCAF ) ever intended to relinquish power and this intensified when a parliamentary election gave the most seats to the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist underground persecuted by the old regime.

Then came the selection of a president, and this quickly morphed into a contest between Mohammed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood and Ahmad Shafiq, the former prime minister under Mubarek.  Mursi won - and immediately SCAF enacted a law giving itself the power to enact legislation and at the same time the Egyptian High court dissolved the recently elected parliament, throwing all forms of power into the hands of SCAF.

The future is uncertain.  Egypt is a country without a constitution and SCAF now decrees that there will be no new election until a constitution is decided.   Obviously, without a sitting parliament, the terms of a new constitution will be entirely in the hands of SCAF.    Egypt may have elected a president, but without a parliament to decide laws and with the elected president unacceptable to SCAF the question of democracy is at a stalemate !

Power corrupts - and having tasted the rewards of power the generals are unlikely to step aside. It has the men with the guns under it's control and the only way Egypt is likely to see change is if it undergoes another revolution - and that means public disorder and a great many innocent deaths.

We are seeing the slaughter of women and children in nearby Syria as it's armed forces use genocide to put down a revolution.   This is precisely the reason the United Nations was formed - to regulate excess and use the combined power of many countries to curb violence.   Vested interests and the use of the " Veto " has emasculated the UN and it is now reduced to proffering a small group of unarmed observers as it's contribution to the peace process.

Events in Syria can only demoralise those who shed their blood in Egypt to create a new, democratic country in the Middle East.   Their victory has been snatched away - and the prospect of help from the great powers is now a distant dream !

The end of the " Bowlo " era !

Shortly after the end of the second world war, Australian towns and the suburbs of cities saw a rapid expansion of community bowling clubs.   Land was  cheap and soon the number of " social members " far exceeded those who actually played bowls.    The " Bowlo " became the gathering place for a nice meal, perhaps a" flutter " on the poker machines - and a few drinks.   They became the social hub of each community.

The rot set in when attitudes to drinking and driving changed.  When .o8 was the standard it was possible to have a drink or three - and drive home without the expectation of being stopped by the police.   The introduction of .05 - and the start of random breath testing ( RBT ) - saw numbers dwindle, and then the GFC of 2008 put the final nail in the lid of the Bowlo coffin.

Most of these clubs were asset rich - cash poor !    They owned incredibly valuable land and in some cases they were able to sell off excess to improve their finances.  Paid staff were reduced in numbers and elected officials manned the bar and took over cleaning duties, but ever decreasing patronage declines made profitable operations impossible.

The latest club to feel the pinch and consider amalgamation with the local golf club is the Bowling club at Jamberoo.    It joins a long list of bowling clubs that have either shut their doors and gone into liquidation, or found a partner to share expenses by way of amalgamation.

This often raises a thorny question.   Who owns the assets of a defunct bowling club ?   In most cases the deed to the land is lodged with a bank which provided operating capital by way of an overdraft, but clubs usually have a constitution that vests ownership in it's members, and that can raise some interesting legal questions in the case of either a sale or an amalgamation.

Does the original roll of membership retain ownership in perpetuity, or does this ownership rest with those who were paid-up members of the club at the time it ceased to function ?

The fact that such land parcels can run into a multi-million value in some cases ensures that these questions will be examined from all angles by the legal profession.

Drink container deposit schemes !

That hoary old chestnut - legislating a refundable deposit on all types of drink containers is again causing rumbling in the New South Wales parliament.   Some see it as a way of reducing the appalling amount of litter we leave behind at any social event, while others see it as helping the ecology by making recycling more attractive.

If the government does choose to implement a mandatory deposit scheme it would be wise to think it through from all angles.  When we last had such an arrangement in this state it applied to glass cordial bottles and the shop selling them was required to refund the deposit and store the bottles when they were returned.   The law was vague, and some retailers would only refund bottles bought from their store.

The scheme fell into disuse - because most people simply declined to go to the trouble of returning bottles for a refund.  In particular, school kids decided that it was not " cool " to be seen returning bottles and this enraged many parents.   They were forever whining for more pocket money, but refused to do a simple task that would swell their wallets.

This time around the refund suggestion is twenty cents per item - and that is enough to gain the interest of the unemployed.   Picking up five beer cans for a dollar or taking a stroll beachside with a  rubbish bag to collect plastic cordial bottles could become a useful adjunct to the dole, but it could also create a new problem.

We already have the wheelie bin system in place and residents are encouraged to recycle all types of glass and plastic bottles, plus aluminium beer cans in the yellow top bins.   Many people will not avail themselves of the rewards from a deposit system and we could see the unemployed rummaging through bins on rubbish night to reclaim this loot - leaving behind a scattered mess of other rubbish.

A refundable deposit will not be popular with shop keepers if they are legally obliged to participate in the scheme.   Storage and security would be a problem, and then there is the time lost and wages paid to administer it.   It seems certain that this cost would be passed on to consumers, either by an initial higher margin on the product sold or a reluctance to stock products within the scope of the scheme.

South Australia has had such a scheme in place for many years and we could learn a lot by studying the highs and lows.of their experience.  A lot will depend on whether we intend to slap a deposit on all forms of liquid containers - and that includes milk and other dairy products, or whether it's range will be limited to wine, beer and soft drink bottles and cans..

The " Clean up Australia " people could probably accurately nominate the prime targets - because they record what they collect on clean-up day !

Teaching - a dangerous profession !

Figures just released  reveal that in the first half of this year there were fifty seven serious incidents of students causing harm to their teachers - and that was just in the Illawarra and southern area alone.  It is likely that this figure is actually much higher because many teachers do not report incidents because to do so merely invites further retaliation.

It seems to be a daily occurrence for teachers to be sworn at and abused verbally by their students, but this can escalate into punching, pushing and shoving and other forms of physical attack.   One teacher was sprayed with urine.  Another was threatened with a replica pistol and teachers cars are regular targets for revenge damage.

Teaching used to be an orderly, respected profession - but that was back in the days when parents maintained discipline in the home and insisted on their children showing respect to others.  Discipline seems to be a thing of the past now, and the one thing children learn very quickly is the mantra of  " kid's rights ".
They are very aware that a parent can be charged for applying any form of corporal punishment, and that attempting to impose a curfew or other rules are usually denied by magistrates and judges.   Children of a young age are free to leave the family home when they please, and if they refuse to live under the family roof and claim " abuse " they will be supported by the state.

These deteriorating standards are having an effect on teacher placement.   There are no problems attracting teachers to " good " schools in " nice "  suburbs, but schools deemed to be " bad " and located " on the wrong side of the tracks " need a form of bribery to attract staff.   Do the required time in a disadvantaged school and you get your next choice of placement as the reward !

Now there is a move to make parents and teachers legally and financially responsible when children under their control bully others.    It seems likely that victims who suffer damage from bullying will be able to sue both the parent and the teacher of the bully - and be awarded compensation - because those people failed to apply measures to stop it happening.

This seems to be an impossible requirement unless parents and teachers have the right to maintain discipline restored.  As things stand, the greatest penalty a student can face is suspension from school for a limited period.  Many accept that with glee - as an unexpected holiday.  It certainly does nothing to improve behaviour.

We are in danger of losing teaching as an honourable profession of choice for those selecting a career.  If financial risk is added to physical danger in teaching school - then fewer people will be making that decision .
Common sense must enter the equation. - or we could find ourselves following what is happening in some American schools - where uniformed armed police are part of the school administration body.    They are tasked with maintaining order, detecting illicit drug use and controlling entry and exit points to deter intruders.

It seems that the " civil liberties " pendulum has swung too far in one direction !

Return to " the Dark Ages " !

Fifteen days from now every electricity meter in New South Wales will start recording power usage and calculating the amount owing eighteen percent higher than it is doing today.  The Federal government accepts that most of that increase will be due to it's carbon tax but insists that it's compensation scheme will cover the extra cost to every household.

What many people do not understand is that there are different prices charged for electricity to commercial users than domestic households.   " Commercial users " covers everything from giant factories to the corner shop, struggling to make a living in these difficult times.   Even tiny little offices pay a much higher rate than  the meter attached to our homes, and very quickly we will see this price hike trickle into the cost of living.

Next time you are in a supermarket, count the number of neon tubes on the ceiling lighting the store and consider the power bill for all those refrigerated displays in the frozen goods section.  Behind the " Staff Only " doors there are more cool rooms and refrigerated spaces holding reserve stock - and then there are the scanners and other electronics at the checkouts.

That amounts to a lot of electricity - at commercial rates - that will increase eighteen percent on July I, and you can be sure that the supermarket chains - who do not get compensation like householders - will protect their bottom line and move prices upward.

It wouldn't be so bad if this was simply a one-off price increase, but the pundits assure us that this is the start of things to come.  The power generators are being sold off from the government to private owners and the poles and wires have been under serviced for decades.  Massive new spending is necessary to keep the lights burning.

It seems inevitable that the number of people unable to pay their power bills will increase beyond the ability of the charities to provide help.  For many people, it will mean a return to " the dark ages ".   There are some older Australians still living who remember the days when the electricity grid did not reach the far corners of this country - and when night saw their home lit with candles and kerosene lamps.   There are others to whom turning on a tap for hot water was only a dream - and reality involved firing up a chip water heater in the days when Saturday night was " bath night " for the family.

We are heading into a new era and what we once took for granted - affordable electricity - is going to absorb a much bigger slice of the family budget.  We can expect real estate advertising to feature items such as a home being offered for sale having a chimney and a fireplace, and the demolition of  old timber fences or a house knocked down bringing a scramble of eager people  to acquire the waste timber for winter heating.

The main change is simply one of concept.  In a past age both state and Federal governments accepted that it was their duty to provide the essentials of life for their citizens.    Those were the days when telephones were a government monopoly, building dams to ensure water was available was handled by the public works  departments - and electricity was generated and distributed by subsidized government instrumentality's.  At the same time, private enterprise was kept in check by way of government owned competition.  In the banking sector, the Commonwealth bank acted as the rule maker on fees and charges, and in the travel industry TAA provided the rationale for air fare prices.

Those days are long gone.  Both political persuasions have retreated from the concept of government ownership of life's essentials.   We live in an open market place.   We are expected to make our own way in life and the role of governments has changed to that of provider of sustenance to those who fall through the cracks.

Let us hope that this safety net can accommodate the return of " the Dark Ages " !

Diplomatic Passport protection !

The arrest of Australian Janelle Taylor and three other officials of the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) in Libya brings the matter of diplomatic immunity into question.   It has long been the accepted custom that diplomats and government officials travelling on official business are protected from all forms of arrest and incarceration by the immunity conferred by their diplomatic passports.   They may not be searched by customs or law officials, and any vehicle bearing diplomatic plates is deemed to be  the territory of the country that issued those plates.

Of course this assumes that there is a civilized government in power and that it accepts the concept of International law.   :Libya has just emerged from a protracted civil war, and while there is an interim government in the capital, Tripoli - it's control does not extend to the entire country.

The ICC legal team is in Zintan where they had been sent to provide defence for  the deposed dictator's son  Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who is held by members of a militia which does not accept control from Tripoli.   The sticking point with this militia is refusal to hand Saif al-Islam to the ICC for trial because they believe that he should be tried and punished in the land where his crimes were committed.

They do have a point.   The ICC is prevented by it's  charter from imposing the death penalty, and if Saif al-Islam is convicted he will serve his sentence in the prison system of a western power - where conditions will be more pleasant than the treatment he could expect in a Libyan gaol.    The question of jurisdiction seems to be entirely separate from the reason the ICC team has been arrested.

This militia claims that they are in " preventive detention " while evidence of " spying " is being investigated.  The details are still sketchy, but there is the suggestion that a camera pen was involved, and that papers were served on the prisoner which pose a " threat to national security ".

According to the concept of " Diplomatic Protection " there are no circumstances in which a person holding diplomatic immunity can be in any way restrained.   When the Japanese Ambassador delivered a declaration of war to the government in Washington - the day after Japan attacked Pearl Harbour - he and his diplomatic staff were allowed to safely leave the country and return home.

The problem in Zintan is that the ICC team is in the hands of an excitable, highly volatile militia group who probably have little understanding of international law.    A rescue mission could be dangerous and it is doubtful if the Libyan government can bring much pressure to achieve a favourable outcome.

The good news is that the militia have allowed consular access and communication lines are still open.  It will take a lot of diplomacy and the " softly softly " approach to bring this situation to a close - and it may mean that the ICC has to back-off and allow Libya to deliver it's own form of justice to Saif al-Islam as the price of achieving freedom for it's people.

Just one of the dangers of relying on a diplomatic passport in places removed from the rule of law !

The " Azaria " saga finally ends !

This week a coroner's court concluded a final inquest into the death of baby Azaria Chamberlain and found that the child had been " taken by a Dingo ".   This ends a thirty two year inquisition for her parent's, Michael and Lindy Chamberlain, which included Lindy being convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

What is unusual about this case is the vitriol it engendered in Australian minds.   The Chamberlains were visiting Uluru- then known as Ayer's Rock - when on August 17, 1980, nine week old Azaria went missing from her parent's tent in the camping ground.  Lindy said she saw a Dingo walking away with the baby.

From that moment on the case went steadily downhill.  Lindy was a stoic person and soon there was comment that she was not "  upset enough " about the baby's disappearance.   The fact that the Chamberlains were members of the Seventh Day Adventist church brought a flurry of speculation that Azaria's death was somehow connected to some sort of mysterious church ritual.    The rumour mill ran in overdrive.  It was even suggested that the name Azaria meant " sacrifice in the desert ".

The first inquest delivered an open finding, but public clamour kept putting on the pressure and the Chamberlain's car was literally torn apart in the search for evidence.  Amazingly, the police forensic people claimed that they found foetal blood and an expert witness testified that the most likely cause would have been someone holding the baby between their legs while in the front passenger seat - and using a knife to sever it's head.    It is hard to imagine how science could make such an error because it was later proved that no such blood existed - and what was thought to be a blood smear was actually paint !

Lindy was tried for murder, convicted - and sentenced to life imprisonment.  She was pregnant during the trial and her baby was born in prison and later removed from her custody, and she served three years before events in other parts of Australia began to put the Dingo theory to the test.   It had been claimed that Dingo's were harmless animals which did not threaten humans, but a series of Dingo attacks on children disproved this theory - and then Azaria's bloodied jump suit was found in a Dingo den at Uluru.

Lindy was released - but the last inquest delivered an open finding.  Now the entire matter has been put to rest with a final inquest offering the courts sympathy for the loss of a child - and the official cause of death recorded as " taken by a Dingo. "

Unfortunately, this long running saga throws a strange light on the ability of many Australian minds to condemn where no clear evidence exists - and to hold that point of view when  emerging facts point to the contrary.    Lindy Chamberlain became a villain because she didn't weep and wail in the manner expected.  The fact that she and her husband belonged to a non mainstream church fed the rumour mill with conjecture - and then there was the bizarre explanation of " death by Dingo ".

The sad thing is - despite this making headlines in all forms of media for thirty-two years - there are still big numbers of Australian people who have  not changed their minds - and think that Lindy Chamberlain is
guilty !

The " Bail Out " myth !

Many people in Spain think that the granting of a $125 billion bail out of the banks will restore the good times.   The banks will be awash with money and they will again be lending, financing expansion of existing businesses and backing new ventures that will soak up the unemployed and lift living standards.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  This bail out does nothing to remove the source of the great financial problem facing Spain - and other Common Market countries.   That all stems back to the pre-2008 era when the world was enjoying record low interest rates, the banks had AAA credit ratings - and the western world was experiencing a housing boom.   Astronomical amounts were poured into new housing construction and the price of property was on an upward roller coaster - and then the bubble burst !

Suddenly, the banks were facing a sea of red ink from non-performing loans.  There were acres of unfinished housing developments and more acres of finished developments which could not find buyers - and most damaging - hundreds of thousands of unfortunate people who had bought into this boom market and now had a mortgage far higher than the value of the property on the deed.   To make matters worse - rising unemployment was causing these people to renege on loan payments.

Lets be realistic about this bail out money.   The World bank and the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) get their capital from the countries in the EU.    It does not take the form of an exchange of cash.   Each government makes a pledge and uses this as a reason for cutting back national spending.  In the case of Spain, no sacrifice is asked from the general public because the bail out specifically applies to the banking sector.

Where the danger of financial collapse enters the picture is the loans coming due from the Spanish banks acquisition of funds from the big international banks, pension and superannuation funds of various countries - and the array of institutions - such as hedge funds - which place money at interest in  the world monetary system.    If those bonds can not be repaid the entire system will collapse.

The bail out money will redeem these loans and pay the interest due on maturity, but these loans will be immediately renewed - with a new maturity date and at a new rate of interest.   In effect - the exchange of that bail out money will merely be an exchange of pieces of paper from the World Bank and IMF to the Spanish banks, and then on to satisfy their obligations and renew the old loans.   Nothing really changes, except that default has been technically avoided - and the interest rate has been increased due to changed credit ratings and risk.

There is one other significant change.   As things stood before the bail out, the party responsible for the debts  was the banks.   If they folded and declared bankruptcy the money they owed was lost - and that could have brought down the entire world monetary system.   Under this new arrangement, the bail out money is guaranteed by the Spanish government.    If the banks fail, the people of Spain owe that money.

In the commercial world this rearranging of debt by a series of " paper moves " is called a " Round Robin " - and it is illegal.   The directors of a company employing that strategy could expect to do serious gaol time !

When the United States bailed out it's " too big to fail " financial institutions, there was bitter comment that the bankers did not do their part of the deal - and start lending to get the economy moving.   Do not expect a  spending spree in Spain either.

This bail out seems little more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.    The ice berg is still ahead - waiting for the moment of contact to arrive !

Parenthood - and paranoia !

It is suggested that children who throw tantrums, become reclusive or unusually shy may be showing the early signs of mental disorders.  There are calls for all small children to be screened because early intervention can prevent these mental conditions developing into forms of psychosis in later life.

There is also every chance that this suggestion may spawn a new wave of medical hysteria.  It is almost a certainty that some talented doctor will write a book detailing his or her opinion on the matter - and because of the nature of what will be described as " a new disease " such a book will be widely reviewed, with the writer regarded as a guru on that subject.   In the past, a lot of such " guru's " have been discredited - long after they have done damage !

Parents have a built-in reflex that causes them to be protective where their children are concerned.   The slightest sign of an abnormality will see them rushing to a doctor and this new suggestion will have all those normal childhood vagaries branded as instant mental disorders.   Once such a suggestion has been planted in parent's minds the deductive power of thinking will run riot.

Such a new area of opportunity will not be lost on the drug companies.   Expect a new class of drugs to quickly emerge, offering remedies.  Perhaps a drug that relaxes the mind will help reduce shyness.   Does your child need stimulants to suppress anger - and prevent tantrums ?    It will be easy for the marketing people to devise scenarios that sound reasonable, but make no hard and fast promises.   Clever advertising campaigns can make parents feel neglectful if they are not offering their children every opportunity to grow into mentally well adults.

Unfortunately, peer pressure can quickly take hold and create a mental attitude where something that has no logical foundation can be totally believed.   This is evidenced by the fact that a wide section of parents now reject all forms of immunisation because of a rumour that doing so can cause autism - and every time there is a need for a new mobile phone tower parents mass in the streets in protest, despite eminent scientists conclusively proving that they cause no harm to nearby residents children.

In the Millennium of evolution there have always been shy children - and few parents will claim that their offspring never threw a tantrum when they were denied something that they wanted.  Unfortunately, a small segment of the adult population suffers various mental disorders and if these can be identified and treated at an early age that would be a step forward.

What would be a great step backward would be to create a mental problem that doesn't exist - and then generate a medical and drug fraternity to try and solve it.

Medical paranoia is the price we pay in the " information age " !

Opportunity ? Or an illusion !

Yesterday, the " Resources Sector Jobs Board " went online.   The mining industry is now required to list all jobs becoming available at their mine sites and thus offer them to Australian job seekers before they make application to bring in foreign guest workers.

In particular, this has been a response to Gina Rinehart's need for 1,700 workers to build and run her Roy Hill iron ore mine in Western Australia.   The " Jobs board " is certainly a good idea, but it only goes part of the way in offering opportunity to Australia's unemployed.     Roy Hill is a " Greenfields " site.   It is an entirely new mine and it will be located in a part of Australia with no nearby town or facilities.   Those considering applying for a job there will need to know exactly what is involved before they can make a decision.

There are two types of job opportunities involved.  Probably years of work for those whose job it is to construct the mine, and then jobs for the permanent workers who will run it operationally.  Applicants need to know just what facilities will be provided by way of accommodation - and whether these jobs will offer relocation for them and their families.

If the guest worker option goes ahead the work force will probably be entirely composed of single men housed in barracks style accommodation.   That is certainly reasonable in the initial construction stage, but family applicants will need to know if they are being offered " fly in/fly out " conditions, or whether they will be separated from their families indefinitely.

Employees will also need to know if the company has plans to create a " mining town " to operate it's mine, or whether the operational stage will be on a fly in/fly out basis.    That will involve the state government. No family can reasonably be expected to move to a remote region unless there is a time specification to provide amenities such as schools, housing and medical facilities.

Along with the listing of skilled jobs, there is a need to have a clear plan of how this mine and it's work force will live

 - and that seems to be the missing component.   Without that, the number of people willing to move from the south eastern states to the remote mining areas will obviously dwindle to a very few - and that could suit the mining companies if their preference is for guest workers.

The cheapest alternative is either barracks style accommodation or a fly in/fly out arrangement and that favours guest workers.   It will cost a lot of money to create a mining town with all the necessary facilities - and that will be at a cost to both the mining company and the state government involved.

At present, this " Jobs Board " only does half the job !

This could be a ploy to slant the application results in a favoured direction, unless along with the job descriptions comes a detailed plan of what living facilities will be provided.

Crime - and punishment !

Some people will be astonished at the penalty handed down to a pair of swimmers selected to compete at the London Olympics.   The nature of their " crime " seems more of a case of offending " political correctness " than any conflict with the law.

Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk used their days off from a swim meeting in the United States to visit a gun shop  It seems that they were invited to try a few shots at a firing range within those premises and afterwards a photograph was taken showing the pair holding both a pistol and high powered automatic shotguns.  There was nothing illegal about any of these activities.  No laws - either here in Australia or in America were broken.

D'Arcy and Monk both have a history of activities that rub a lot of people up the wrong way.  D'Arcy was banned from the Commonwealth games because of a physical conflict that saw another swimmer suffer long term facial damage.  This resulted in the court awarding damages against D'Arcy - and he declared himself bankrupt to avoid that payment.   Monk made a false statement to police and instigated a costly police investigation to avoid embarrassment when he fell off a skateboard and suffered an injury.

The pivot point of the uproar that followed this visit to a gun shop in America was the posting of the photograph on Facebook and Twitter.     The Australian Olympic committee claims that " they brought themselves into disrepute " by that action, and promptly imposed a draconian penalty.

They will be permitted to swim for Australia at the Olympics, but immediately their races are completed they will be required to fly home.  They will miss the closing ceremony and any celebration of Australia's success at the games.   In addition, they are totally banned from any " social media activity " during the games.  In effect, they are silenced from any comment on Facebook, Twitter - or writing a blog for publication.

Some people will applaud this punishment because publishing that photo would seem to be a case of rubbing the Olympic Committee's " nose in it ! "    Both swimmers were on shaky ground after previous incidents and they would have been wise to keep a low profile - and stick to winning swimming races.   Other people may disagree.  If they broke no law then the objection seems to be a case of infringing " political correctness " - and that would not sit well with libertarians !

A lot depends on what happens next.   These two would be wise to accept their punishment and keep a low profile while the fuss blows over, but there is always the chance that it may be challenged in the courts - and that could lead to future Olympians being saddled with iron clad contracts - with all the i's dotted and the t's crossed to create a legal straight jacket.

" Political Correctness " and the law make strange bed fellows !

Tax rumblings !

The Grattan Institute has suggested that the time has come to consider changes to the Goods and Services Tax ( GST ).    It wants the GST to be expanded to apply to health, education and fresh food, and claims that this would inject an additional $ 20 billion a year into Treasury coffers.

These are the sort of rumblings that opponents of the GST voiced way back in 2000 when the concept was first mooted. At that time, a tax of 10% was set in concrete and what were considered " the essentials of life " were excluded.   Despite changes  in the political parties holding office since, these promises have been honoured by both sides of politics - and Australia must be the only country in the world which has not increased the rate of it's consumption tax - nomatter what name is used to describe it.

It is suggested that by widening the tax, a decrease would be possible in both corporate and income tax levies.  This seems to ignore the fact that both of these are Federal taxes, and the GST is really a state tax, collected by the Federal government and disbursed to the states under a per capita formula.

This suggestion ignores the fact that extending tax coverage to health, education and fresh food would widen the net to pensioners, low income earners and those with children at school - who would get no benefit from helping the corporate sector or a decrease in personal taxation.  Tax exemption levels now no longer require  such people to even fill out and lodge a personal tax return each year.

Fortunately, both the major parties - and even the Greens - have given this suggestion a resounding " No ".

We are seeing entire countries on the brink of bankruptcy when we watch the television nightly news and in most cases these are caused by  continued deficit spending coupled with an inefficient tax system.   We are also seeing the type of human reaction when fiscal measures that are deemed grossly unfair are imposed on the citizens.    We are not seeing this type of rioting on Australian streets because - while nobody likes paying taxes - our system is basically fair and accepted.

That situation could change if the tax man invaded the " essentials of life " arena with a tax extension !

The " Blame Game " !

It seems to be an all too familiar problem.   Long after a site has been vacated the new owner finds that costly remedial work is needed to remove contaminants before it can be used for a new purpose.   It raises the question of why wasn't this work ordered at the expense of whoever caused the contamination in the first place ?

We are seeing this in instances where  petrol stations once stood.   Seepage from underground tanks often poisons the ground on adjacent private property.   In some cases, the oil company involved buys that property as part of the remedial process, but the stigma drives down prices and innocent people are hurt financially.

A case in point concerns the massive Barangaroo development in Sydney.   It was once the site of the city gas works, and now - years later - 600,000 tonnes of soil has to be excavated and trucked away because it is contaminated with lead, copper, zinc and a number of other minerals.

It is too late to resolve the inadequacy  of  past laws but there is a new problem looming that needs to  get the attention of law makers.    The Shell Oil company has announced that it will soon shut down it's refinery in Sydney and refine the petrol Australian motorists use from low cost labour sources in Asia.

When this refinery closes, it will leave behind land that is hugely contaminated by the very nature of what was done on these premises.   The question is -  Does the existing law require the owner to restore the land to a pristine state that will allow it to be reused without further remedial action ?      And if not, why should  that not be a condition imposed on the owner ?

It rankles many people to see an oil producing country like Australia shedding it's refining capacity and becoming reliant on overseas refineries to service our petrol market.   When the cost of restoring sites is taken into account, the economics of closure may not be so attractive, but we certainly should not allow a polluter to simply walk away and leave the mess for someone else to manage.

Now would be a good time to micro examine site restoration laws to see that they are adequate.  Otherwise, we will again be playing the " blame game " and allowing offenders to escape their responsibilities !

A poisoned chalice ?

At first glance it seems a good deal.  Lend Lease is developing a huge project at Barangaroo in Sydney and is offering to excavate 600,000 tonnes of soil and donate this - free of charge - to Port Kembla to be used in the reclaiming of foreshore for port expansion.   Lend Lease is picking up the bill for moving it here by sea transport.

The only catch is that Barangaroo was once the site of the Sydney gas works and some of this soil is contaminated with lead, zinc, copper and a host of other potentially dangerous minerals.

If this offer goes ahead, it needs to be carefully considered with all aspects covered.  Will contaminated soil used as fill in a port expansion leach into harbour waters and cause harm to the environment, or will it be safely contained under concrete decking when the expansion is complete ?

What treatment - and what costs will be involved - in ensuring that this fill is quarantined from leaching ?  That is a question that needs answering by qualified scientists and the specification should take into account that such containment must be effective on a very long term basis.

It would be easy for this offer to be rejected on emotional grounds.   The very thought of " contamination " raises the ire of many people and there have even been suggestions that if this goes ahead we may end up with nuclear waste being used as fill.   Rumour and exaggeration can quickly create a scenario out of reach with reality.

Properly handled, this offer can deliver huge savings to both parties.    Port Kembla is going to require fill to expand and it will cost a lot of money if it has to be sourced from a quarry at commercial rates.  Lend Lease will need to pay disposal fees if it has to find a suitable site to accept what is dug out to allow the foundations  of the Barangaroo development to proceed.   This could be a win-win-win situation - if it is handled correctly !

What is needed now is the compilation of a group of people with the technical expertise to evaluate what is needed - and to come to terms with both the risks - and what action can be taken to ensure that this proceeds safely.

Unfortunately, the more logical outcome is hysteria - and the intrusion of politics interfering in the decision making process !

Winter - the house fire season !

Fire brigade statistics clearly show that winter is the peak season for house fires and one of the main causes is careless use of heating appliances.  It is just so easy to position a heater close to flammable curtains, or forget to turn off an electric blanket that has become worn and wrinkled - and known for delivering "hot spots. "

Now there is a new menace bringing danger into our homes.   The relentless march of cheap imports is seeing new electric and gas heaters turning up in discount stores - many of which do not meet the electrical safety standards of this country.   Random checks by the people tasked with checking the validity of goods for sale reveal imports that have escaped customs scrutiny - and many are simply accidents waiting for a place to happen !

In some cases, the safety standards would not meet the laws of any country.  It is a case of a factory in a third world country designing and making a heater that defies any logical standards - and selling it at a price to a bulk exporter to move in world markets.   What is alarming is the ease with which such items are slipping through customs inspections and appearing in retail outlets.

Dangerous goods can take many forms.   We have an annual influx of toys with easily detachable small parts that could choke a child and games with sharp objects that do not pass our safety standards,  Each year, just before Christmas safety inspectors do the rounds of retail outlets and order such items to be removed from sale, but often the only respite is brief because they tend to reappear at weekend " flea markets ".

We need a better regulatory system for heating appliances.   Fire safety in the home is just so basic that no appliance should be allowed into a store without it having passed an appropriate safety inspection - and that means a law change.

Perhaps all forms of heating appliances - both gas and electric - should require a compliance sticker to be legally offered for sale, with appropriate penalties for any breach of that law.   If the nature of that sticker was so prominent that it's absence would generate alarm in buyer's minds we would be well on the way to introducing a meaningful safety standard.

As things stand, dubious heating items are freely available - and about to add to this winter's house fire statistics !

An opportunity awaits !

Former Council chief Rod Oxley makes a lot of sense when he appeals to Wollongong Council to buy the vacant plot of land at the intersection of Crown and Corrimal streets.   It is unusual for there to be vacant land measuring a whopping 12,000 sqm in the heart of an Australian city.

When Dwyer's moved their auto franchise to a new site it started a battle between two shopping centre developers.  One was interested in expanding the Gateway shopping precinct at the top of the Mall and the other was proposing a totally new shopping option with it's " Gravity " proposal at the other end of Crown street.   Gravity is now history - and the Gateway expansion is under construction.

Rod Oxley is proposing a conference venue for this site.  That is certainly a possibility, but the biggest gain would be to get this parcel of land into public ownership while the options are considered.  The worst outcome would be for it to be broken up into individual titles and lost as the site for whatever Wollongong needs the most.

The most glaring need at the present time - is parking to service the  concentration of entertainment venues in that part of the city.  We have the new sporting stadium about to open with an expanded grandstand and a new roof, plus the nearby entertainment centres - and when any of these hold an event there is total chaos because of the lack of adequate parking.

The free Shuttle bus option opened up a new dimension when it began service.   It would certainly link a major parking station on the old Dwyer's site with the shops at the top of the Mall and the CBD generally, plus providing a service for those visiting the hospital.

The GFC has driven the price of property to the lowest we can expect for many decades and buying that 12,000 sqm parcel now would be a good investment for the city.   It would surely be a pessimist who expects future city sites to decrease in value - given the fact that as cities expand their core space expands exponentially.in value.

Opportunity is knocking !  

The " money trap ! "

When the average person breaks the law and receives a fine it is usually quickly paid - and forgotten.   That same fine can blight the life of the homeless, those with mental illness or an intellectual disability - or those suffering severe economic hardship.   There is no statute of limitations when we owe money to the government - and governments are relentless in pursuing those debts.

Often the fine hanging over a person's head is an indiscretion from their teenage years.  Perhaps they tried to make a train journey without buying a ticket - or they rode a bicycle without wearing a safety helmet.  Once this debt  reaches the government agency tasked with recovering money owed a ban is imposed o getting a driver's license or legally registering a motor vehicle in that person's name.   In many ways, this reduces the options of getting a job and being able to pay the debt owing.

It is a fact of life that there are people in the community who will never be able to function normally, get a paying job and settle any fines on the government's books.  Handing out fines is simply a lost cause that will continue to haunt them indefinitely.

Someone finally did something to ease this situation and created the " Work or Development Order scheme " which allows those in that situation to come to terms with an arrangement that gives something back to the community in exchange for chipping away at any unpaid fines.

There are no hard and fast rules.  The basic intention is to ask the debtor to undertake something that will improve their coping ability - such as group counselling or using a latent skill to improve future job prospects.  Each time they continue with this plan a proportion of the debt is erased and the aim is to proceed until they are debt free.

It recognises the fact that some debt on the government's books is unrecoverable and it simply wastes the time of the Debt Recovery office in pursuing it.   It is a better option to try and improve the lot of the debtor by a positive reduction programme.

A tale of two cities !

The proposal to privatise the State Transit Authorities fleet of 2250 buses highlights the disparity that exists between bus services in inner and outer Sydney.  The difference is so great that it is hard to imagine that these are not two totally different cities, sitting side by side, but inhabited by different races between the sea and the Blue Mountains.

It all started a long time ago when the state government decided that in addition to rail transport, it would run a bus service connecting those suburbs not connected to rail with the city.    The original intention was to eventually extend this service to other parts of New South Wales and so the government bus service was born in Sydney and Newcastle.

When the second world war ended the government was faced with a dilemma.   A housing boom caused by returning service people and our population explosion from war damaged Europe was creating new suburbs far faster than telephone services, shopping centres and schools could be built to service them - and it was decided that extending the bus services was simply beyond state resources.

These new suburbs were serviced by private bus companies.  The state run service was restricted to the old, pre-war Sydney that stopped at the inner west and included the city centre, the eastern suburbs and the northern beaches.   There was simply no comparison with the difference  the services provided.

The state service ran buses day and night and throughout the entire weekend.  It ran at a loss, but keeping to schedule was more important than money.   Sometimes buses ran empty at unpopular times, and sometimes they were unable to cope at peak times, but schedules were relentlessly maintained in the name of " providing a service ".

In the west it was a different matter.   Private buses either made a profit - or went broke !   Bus companies tailored services to demand, hence there were no buses running late at night - on weekends or at times when patronage was uneconomic.   Dwellers in western Sydney could only drool at the bus service their city cousins were experiencing - and all this was paid for from the public purse.

Now the entire planet is facing tough times and a reality check means that fat has to be trimmed from public spending - and it seems that the loss  making Sydney Transit Authority bus fleet is facing the chop.   If it passes into private hands it will face the same conditions that apply in Sydney's west.  Services will be trimmed to economic levels - and there will probably be some price increases.

Welcome to the twenty-first century !    We are now in a time of economic rationalism and in the years ahead many things that we have long taken for granted will go under the economic microscope.   The catch word for this generation is likely to be -  "  Use it - or lose it ! "

Risk factors !

It would be nice to think that all risk factors had been taken into account as we go about our daily lives, but that will never be possible.   There will always be the unexpected - waiting out there to claim our lives - despite the most stringent precautions.

Such was the case back in 2007 when a thirteen year old schoolboy attended a camp as part of his school cadet training.   His school had been warned that he suffered from a dangerous peanut allergy and it was presumed that this was taken into account when meals were planned.

In this instance, meals were sourced from the Australian Defence Forces ( ADF ) and comprised " C " rations. The meal in question was " Beef Satay ", and upon eating it the cadet suffered Anaphylaxis - and died !

The subsequent investigation revealed a chain of factors that combined to bring about this death.  The law requires food products containing traces of peanuts to be clearly labelled to alert users, but the C rations do not contain such a warning because they are not commercial food offered for general sale.

The ADF sees no need to have a warning on it's own C rations because no member of the Australian Defence Forces could be susceptible to Anaphylaxis because all allergies are screened out and recruits are rejected if these are evident at a medical screening.

The supervisors at the school cadet camp would reasonably expect that warning labels would apply to all forms of food - and finding none - would expect to proceed with safety.

No doubt this tragedy will result in many  procedural reviews.   The ADF may have second thoughts about it's labelling needs, with a review of where it's C rations may end up being used, and schools will need to think long and hard about their extra curricular activities and precautions with food.

The chance of such an accident happening again will be reduced, but it certainly serves as a warning that there are untold hazards out there - just waiting for the right combination of time and circumstances to claim an unwary life.

" Three Strikes " policy !

The " Three Strikes " policy to reduce alcohol fueled violence at late night clubs and pubs seems to have had limited success, but we still have the problem of drunken brawlers using police and ambulance crews as punching bags.

The idea was to transfer responsibility for the responsible serving of alcohol back to the venue owners by way of time restrictions on opening hours if patrons racked up street disturbances.   This seems to be subjected to a wide degree of interpretation.   It seems to be one thing if a brawl erupts in or at the doors of a venue, but quite another if it occurs half a block away.   This seems to be why some violent venues seem to be able to disregard the three strikes law with impunity - whilst others manage to achieve results.

Alcohol fueled violence has resulted in a lot of law changes.  Plastic replaces glass in most late night watering holes and there are restrictions on double and triple measures of spirits, plus the " lock out " laws that are meant to curb drunks wandering from one venue to another late at night.

Perhaps the only way to impose meaningful restrictions on the amount of alcohol consumed is to implement a time factor on various alcoholic beverages.   Perhaps midnight should be the end of full strength beer availability and patrons wishing to drink after that hour be restricted to the low alcohol product.    At least this would make it harder to reach the degree of insobriety that leads to violence.

Would it be unreasonable to withdraw wine and spirits from patrons choice completely in the lead up to the time the venue closes ?    If the only alcohol available after a certain hour was low alcohol beer, that would be a good reason for many people to go home - hopefully in a more sober state.

Perhaps such an imposition would be a big incentive for venue owners to clean up their act.   Perhaps enquiries of from where the alcohol was consumed should be the criteria of applying the " Three Strikes " law, rather than where the brawl occurred.     Obviously, the more alcohol sold, the greater the profit for venue owners, but if that results in restrictions that reduce profitability - then the incentive to comply with the law increases.

We have a problem !    Fixing it is going to result in measures that will be unpopular with many people. It simply depends on whether we have the fortitude to implement measures that will do the job !