Alcohol !

As long as the human race has existed, alcohol has been one of it's problems.   The trouble is that it is addictive and yet at the same time it is quite capable of making our daily troubles fade into obscurity.  So many people use it as a crutch - to blot out an unhappy relationship or to shield us from the reality of an unrewarding job that bores us to near insanity.

Over the centuries various control measures have been applied.  These have ranged from restricted hours in which liquor could be sold or consumed, to that experiment with prohibition that the United States tried - with disastrous results.   The first law of commerce applies.  If there is demand for a product, supply will inevitably follow - legally or illegally.   That is clearly illustrated with the failed attempt to stem the flow of drugs on our streets.

The introduction of what have been termed the "Lockout laws "have certainly cleaned up problem areas such as Kings Cross in Sydney.  The powerful liquor industry is resisting making them widespread, but they seem to be a step in the right direction.  The Temperance people are railing about the increased availability of alcohol and demanding both a sharp reduction in the number of outlets offering it for sale - and an increase in the price.

That price issue raises many questions.  It assumes that if the price rises sales volumes will drop because the customers can no longer afford to buy it in excess.  In reality, alcohol consumption often remains constant and the extra cost is simply deducted from the purchase of household essentials. That thinking  ignores the addictive nature of alcohol and in many households it becomes the first priority in the spending of money - and putting food on the table becomes a casualty.

There is a move to couple the price of liquor to it's alcohol content, and the finger is often pointed at the popularity of cask wine.  Wine sold in five litre casks is often on special for a price as low as ten dollars, making the content available at just two dollars a litre.  Critics claim this is a spur to excess drinking - and some even question whether cask wine should be allowed.  The price fluctuates and the massive wine industry in Australia has adopted cask marketing to even out the surplus from bumper grape crops.

The idea of hiking alcohol prices as a health measure must be tempting to a Treasury beset with budget problems.   That needs to be considered with extreme caution, because it could easily cause the second law of commerce to apply.  Whenever a popular item is deemed expensive, a similar lower cost alternative will undercut that product.   We could easily see a rise in "Moonshine " and the quality of illicit alcohol could create an even bigger health problem.  

This is illustrated with the outcome of plain packaging for cigarettes and a huge rise in the retail price.   We are now seeing a contraband market supplying "chop chop "- loose stranded tobacco smuggled into the country and sold way below the price of legitimate cigarettes.  There have been impressive customs seizures, but they have had little impact on the availability of supply.

The one thing that counters all control measures that apply to any product - is herd instinct.  If the broad mass of the people have a desire for something that the authorities try to ban or strictly control, then the ingenuity of some and the greed for profit from others will ensure that this demand is met.  Even draconian punishment - like the death penalty that applies in some countries - simply becomes an acceptable risk in relation to the rewards available.

Something that our law makers would do well to ponder !

Our Road Traffic "Fragility " !

Sydney is Australia's biggest city and an event this week underscored just what a fine edge our road transport balances.  At 6-40 am a woman driving a rental van across the Sydney Harbour bridge fell asleep at the wheel, drifted into oncoming traffic and collided with a Taxi, resulting in a multiple car accident.   Emergency services rushed three people to hospital, the wrecks were removed and the lanes reopened by 8 am - but the chaos this caused lasted for another three hours.

That's all it takes to create a traffic snarl that extends for twenty-one kilometres and reaches into the suburbs from Epping to Eastlakes. Economists calculate that it probably cost the economy about fifty million dollars and the ripples reach far and wide.  Very many people on their way to the airport missed their flight.   The entire Sydney Tax fleet sat idle and without income for a vital portion of the day, and the Transport industry will be a long time sorting out the cost of missed "Just in time "deliveries to production factories and the supermarkets of the city, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of ordinary people who arrived seriously late for work.

Every time this sort of thing happens we hear calls for more spending to widen existing roads and create new highway systems.   The point that seems to be missed is the "interconnectivity " that ensures that any blockage on any of the vital arterial roads will have a knock-on effect and snarl the interchange that inevitably occurs when these traffic streams converge.   Once the traffic stream comes to a standstill - the "shunting effect "comes into play and it takes a lot of time to return to an even flow.

It is probably amazing that the event that had countless drivers fuming this week does not happen more often.   We consider it a "normal commute "when we creep along at a snails pace and often see pedestrians on the footpath making faster progress than the car stream, but what Sydney experienced with that bridge crash was -  Gridlock.   That is fortuitously rare.

Usually we only get gridlock resulting from a major traffic accident.   Someone tries to drive a high load truck through one of the Sydney road tunnels or a semi trailer with an inflammable cargo catches fire on an expressway.  Unfortunately, no amount of road widening or the provision of new road links will remove that problem.  None of our road systems exist in isolation - and when one stops it is inevitable that the flow on connection will radiate widely.

This fuels the debate between the public transport lobby and our love of the automobile.  It is a fact of life that whenever we do manage to create an unobstructed roadway that allows car traffic to move freely - it sends more people to drive their cars and depletes the numbers travelling by train or bus. On the other hand, congested roads and slow commutes compel many to abandon the car and seek the reliability that public transport delivers.

Right at this moment the debate in the political world is between selling off this state's "poles and wires "to private equity to free up money for the infrastructure that is so badly needed - and yet the big ticket items are divided between better public transport and a bigger and better road network.

On the one hand, we are reinstalling trams in the inner city and building a new rail structure to service the western suburbs, and at the same time planning to deliver more cars into the city by way of a vast new road network.

That seems to be the way of politics - to cover all options !

Speaking with a Forked Tongue !

New South Wales goes to an election next month and the big ticket item is a government plan to divest  Sydney's "poles and wires " from public ownership to fund the billions of dollars of roads, transport and general infrastructure improvements that are otherwise financially impossible.

The Unions that cover electricity workers are spending millions of members funds on television advertising opposing this move.  There are dire predictions of massive hikes in electricity charges if this goes ahead, and yet utter silence when it comes to comparing the situations in both Victoria and South Australia, where just such a scheme is in place - and power charges have actually decreased.

These same power unions are made ridiculous when their superannuation funds pour members money into investing with the very firms that are now the owners of poles and wires in Victoria and South Australia.   The wise people who plan superannuation investment can see both safety and good dividends from such investments, but of course the union bosses and the moneymen are seeking very different outcomes.

Where the government is the employer the unions use pressure tactics to gain both pay rises and outrageous working conditions that are only a dream in the private sector.  This is particularly evident when the commodity produced is electricity.  The threat of a power strike would cripple industry and turn the state into chaos, and so the government usually is forced to compromise, resulting in a bulging work force and fat pay packets.

If poles and wires in New South Wales go private, the days of the gravy train are over.  The work force will slim down and there will be pressure on awards to set more reasonable terms.  Private enterprise has to achieve a profitable result, and it is a fact of life that profit is a word that does not seem to exist in the government lexicon.

The unions want to keep poles and wires as a government employed industry to preserve the conditions they have gained by the use of their muscle, and they know the only way to achieve that objective is to frighten the voters into believing a lie.   Hence the prediction of rate hikes for electricity prices when exactly the opposite has been the reality where poles and wires have passed into the hands of private firms.

The Australian experience with government control of essential services is something that voters would do well to consider.  When the second world war ended, telephone services were a monopoly controlled by the Postmaster Generals Department ( PMG ) and the waiting time for a phone connection was measured in months - and sometimes years.    We were a laughingstock in comparison with Canada and places overseas - and this only improved when that PMG control passed into the private sector.    Strangely, the implementation of Broadband follows a similar pattern.  Way over budget and years behind in schedule.   A familiar - government controlled - story !

Political commentators must at least get a chuckle from the dilemma facing the power unions.  On the one hand, they are opposing the privatization of poles and wires and trying to sell the story that the sale will lead to big price increases and mayhem for families - and at the same time the superannuation that their members will rely on for retirement is pouring money into the very industry that controls poles and wires in other states.

It is said that politics is the art of speaking with a forked tongue !

Ending in a "Whimper " !

The Parliamentary Committee report on the bugging of a hundred New South Wales police on dodgy warrants has ended with a split finding along political lines.  Labor, the Shooters Party and the Greens released a majority report with the fanciful recommendation that " the premier and police minister demonstrate to the community that the two deputy commissioners can maintain a professional relationship. "  It is perfectly clear that Nick Kaldos was the wronged party - and the finding called for him to receive an apology.   The government will soon table it's own minority report.

This curious matter has been simmering in police ranks for more than a decade. Over a hundred senior police had their homes and offices bugged, but the real targets were Deputy  Commissioner Nick Kaldos and Channel 7 journalist Steve Barrett.  Both the present police Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Police Internal Affairs received adverse criticism for not settling this matter sooner - but both will keep their jobs - and as the Commissioner is retiring in several months, it leaves the matter of his successor in limbo.

This has been a dogs breakfast as far an enquiries go - and as is usual when politics intrude on rationality - it is ending in a pitiful whimper.   There is a vague suggestion about setting up some sort of new administration to oversee the issuing of future warrants.   The use of a corrupt police officer wearing a wire to circulate at a social function and attempting  to trap police into making indiscreet comments is deplorable.  The warrants used to authorise these buggings were seriously deficient under the existing rules - and yet it seems nobody has been called to account and that issue has lapsed.

Trying to reach a conclusion on this war within the upper ranks of our police force costs millions and involved a long and tedious enquiry by the Ombudsman, which left many questions unanswered.  It is quite clear where the feelings of rank and file police stand in this matter.   The fact that when Nick Kaldos took the stand the room broke into applause is something the government would be wise to consider.   They will shortly have the task of selecting a new commissioner - and surely the best way to settle this present unease would be to promote a person who has the confidence and support of the men and women who look to the commissioner for leadership.

It seems to be the way of parliamentary enquiries to be discreet and not ruffle too many feathers.  This was clearly a case of a power struggle at the very top of our police force - and the methods used to blacken reputations and stymie promotion could be termed as "running a vendetta ".   In fact, the aspersions cast caused some senior people to leave the force in disgust - and led to at least one case of suicide.   The finding merely calls for apologies - and no heads roll.   Are we seriously expected to believe that the tensions that led to this tactical war between senior ranks has now been settled and goodwill prevails - with the shaking of hands - and good relations restored ?

Years of turmoil and millions of dollars spent - and all we get is a mild reproof that "more should have been done ".   Instead, a "Don't rock the boat " ethos prevails and exactly the same people will have their hands on the levers of power.

Whatever happened to the notion of delivering "justice " ?

The " Silent Epidemic " !

The term "Sexually Transmitted Diseases "sends a chill through most people.  It conjours up visions of diseases such as Syphilis, Gonorrhea and Genital Herpes, all of which are unpleasantly evident when contracted.   Unfortunately there is also another very common STD which shows few symptoms - and if left untreated - leads to infertility.

Chlamydia is on the rise in Australia.   Researchers think that it claimed about 356,000 victims in 2013 and these were four times the number that were actually diagnosed.   The fact that it does not reveal itself by noticeable symptoms means that it usually is dormantly unrecognised while it silently does damage that will prevent it's host from bearing children later in life.

Chlamydia is prevalent in young women in the fifteen to seventeen age grouping, and this is where many gain their first sexual experience.   Whether we like it or not, we live in a world where change of attitudes is constant and sex is now prevalent between young people.  There is an expectation that dating couples will engage in sex very early in the relationship and casual sex is now about on the same level as the shaking of hands from a few decades ago.

The health message that is repeatedly drummed into the public is that condom use  prevents both STD's and unwanted pregnancies.  When AIDS burst onto the scene decades ago it certainly advanced the use of condoms but unprotected sex is again in the ascendancy - particularly amongst our young people.   Statistics show that if a condom is available it is usually used, but few take the trouble to seek out such protection before the act.

Wise heads in the health department advise that we need to increase the availability of condoms.  The rest rooms of most pubs and clubs now have coin operated condom vending machines and they are widely and openly sold in supermarkets and even small corner stores.  It is suggested that such machines be installed in the girl's toilets of the school systems - and that will provoke heated controversy.

The thinking of the older generation is out of kilter with the sexual revolution that exists in young minds.  We grudgingly accept that most young people live together without the sanctity of marriage but most feel that teen sex should be forbidden.  In particular, the churches are vehement in their opposition to sex outside of marriage and some even forbid the use of condoms by married couples. Their message is a demand for abstinence - and obviously that falls on deaf ears.

This silent epidemic that is Chlamydia can cut a swathe through the ranks of today's young women and in a generation leave them childless.   No amount of finger wagging or lecturing is going to turn back the clock and teenage sex is now a fact of life.   Health realists accept that the only way to stop this epidemic in it's tracks is to promote the use of condoms - and to achieve that they must be readily available when they are needed.

To do that, it is necessary to make that availability within instant reach and hence the idea of condom machines in the toilets of schools is no longer fanciful.    Achieving it is another matter.  It is inevitable that there will be howls of protest from a big sector of the public and it will receive unrelenting opposition from the churches.   It is almost impossible to envisage condom vending machines in the girl's toilets of Catholic schools.

The meat in the sandwich will be the state education systems.   The warnings from the health department will come into conflict with what moralists will call "the silent majority " who will see such a health initiative as encouraging promiscuous sex.  Stuck in the middle will be the politicians - who will probably need to move legislation through parliament if such vending machines are to become a reality.

So the health people are stuck on the horns of a dilemma.   We have an increasing epidemic that can only be stopped by an action that will be blocked by both the churches and a significant portion of society.   The politicians will be reluctant to move if they feel that it reduces their chances of continuing to hold office - and it is absolutely certain that today's teenagers are not going to change their habits when it comes to sex.

That seems to be a case of an unstoppable force coming into collision  with an immovable object !

Cleaning up the State !

Mike Baird has made an election promise.  If his government is returned in the March election he will impose a deposit on all bottles and cans and install " reverse vending machines " so that people can recover their deposit money.   This is similar to legislation that has been in place for many years in both South Australia and the Northern Territory.

In a broad brush approach, the deposit has been set at ten cents on each can or bottle, and there will be a need for at least eight hundred reverse vending machines scattered across Sydney and every town and village in the state.

This is a great idea - in theory.  In practice, there may be problems.  Presumably these reverse vending machines will disperse cash in return for deposits and this will obviously become a target for thieves.  Perhaps it may be wise to borrow an idea that the banks use for accepting small change.  Coins are tipped into a machine that sorts and counts them, and delivers a receipt to the customer which may be converted to cash by the bank tellers - or deposited into an account.  We seem to be headed towards a cashless society - and this avoids the task of repeatedly loading the machines with money to trade cash for cans.

Perhaps now would be a good time for a little navel gazing to determine exactly what we hope to achieve.  After any public event, the ground is littered with throw away rubbish - and certainly cans and bottles are part of that mess.  How we deal with cans and bottles seems to be split into the categories of - at home or away.

Most people use the yellow top recycling wheelie bins for the disposal of recyclables, hence this is not where we have a cans and bottles problem.  If we hike the price to include that ten cent deposit is that going to change the present thinking ?  Will we see wheelie bins put out for collection overturned and rubbish strewn on the road as opportunists search for cans and bottles to put back through these reverse money machines ?

It is unlikely that crowd behaviour will change at public events. Even if the lure of money reduces the number of cans and bottle left behind, there will still be the usual trash of food containers, fruit peelings and the vast array of debris that people seem to accumulate in a picnic atmosphere.  Cleaning up after the New Year fireworks takes an army of people and a fleet of garbage trucks.  Do we really expect that a ten cent deposit will change that situation ?

A very long time ago, soft drink bottles did come with a refundable deposit for return - and that was a major headache for many shops.   They were required to repay the deposit and store the bottles until the owning company made a collection, and space was a big problem.   It was also very unsuccessful because parks and beaches were still littered with what the kids of that day thought to be " uncool " to be seen collecting.   We would be wise to deeply consider how this vending project will sit with the youth of today.

Perhaps there is a simpler way to rid the world of those pesky cans and bottles.   Right now the charities are very keen to collect aluminium cans and cash them in at metal recyclers for their metal value - and that is far less than the proposed ten cent bounty on each can or bottle.   If this deposit applies to all and every liquid container it is most likely that everybody from the Surf Life Savings movement, Boy Scouts and the huge range of charities who mail us and bewail their need for a donation will jump on the bandwagon - and organize collectors.

Of course, the present thinking revolves around the public being able to reclaim the deposit they pay when they buy goods in cans and bottles.  Human nature being what it is, a lot of the public will probably not go to the trouble of seeking refunds - and this entire reverse vending machine project will cost a mint of money to establish - and operate.

Perhaps a smaller deposit  - five cents comes to mind - may be sufficient to galvanise the charities to rid us of cans and bottles and that extra dollar or so we have to outlay at the supermarket for our drinks could be considered the imposition we have to pay for a cleaner state.

The idea has worked is South Australia and it is certainly worth considering for New South Wales, but sometimes innovative thinking can achieve an even better result.

Rising Rates Bill !

One third of the local councils in New South Wales have applied to to the ratings regulator for permission to hike their rates for the 2015/16 year above the general level set for all councils.  What will alarm residents struggling with static pay levels is the extent of the rises sought.  Nineteen councils want a rate rise from sixteen percent - to a whopping fifty percent - and the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal ( IPART ) has set the general  rise for the coming financial year at just 2.4%.

There has been pressure for councils to achieve economies by amalgamation, but in the vast majority of cases this is being resisted, and yet sheer logic says that it is inevitable.  Originally, what are now suburbs were individual villages and each had a council responsible for maintaining local roads and footpaths, collecting rubbish and removal of what was quaintly termed "night soil "- before the era of sewage systems.

Over the years, both state and Federal governments have dumped a host of responsibilities back onto councils.  They now provide libraries and health centres.   They have health inspectors who check hygiene wherever food is prepared and sold. Off street parking and policing of parking restrictions are council responsibilities and child care facilities have been added to the list.  Most now lack the land to provide a local landfill and have to freight their rubbish to an out of town facility.  Most are drowning in a sea of costs and face an ever lengthening list of essential maintenance postponed because of lack of funds.   Many claim that the wolf is at the door - and bankruptcy is threatening.

Residents also hate the idea of amalgamations.  They fear the loss of jobs and the ability to talk directly with the people who can achieve results.  Many in older suburbs fear that their rate money will be squandered in creating new housing estates elsewhere and their services will suffer.  Amalgamation is a touchy subject - and politicians handle it with great care.

Getting elected to council has been a pathway to both state and Federal politics.  Each councils mayor reaches a pinnacle of social standing and will be regularly featured in the media.  Becoming an elected councillor brings elevation - and invitations to social events.   Unfortunately, it sometimes encourages gradiose ideas far beyond the financial realm of a small council and these can become a burden on ratepayers.

Merging councils into sensible economic units would reduce waste and achieve the better use of costly mechanical equipment.  There is no doubt that amalgamation would see a reduction in the work force needed, but we are in an age of labour saving devices replacing the old days of pick and shovel maintenance - so contraction of numbers is inevitable.   It is also the only way that costs can be contained.

It seems that both councils and the government are between a rock and a hard place.  Council finances are going backward and eventually some bankruptcies will be inevitable unless a better system evolves.   It is unlikely that amalgamations to achieve economy of scale will be achieved by consensus.   It will take brave politicians to apply the legislation needed to make this happen - and they will face a backlash from both residents, councils and the unions involved.

In the meantime, worried residents will be sweating to await the decision IPART hands down on those rate increase requests !

The " Live Baiting " Issue !

It seems to be an over reaction to suggest that Greyhound racing be banned in New South Wales because some trainers have been caught "blooding " their dogs by tying live rabbits or other small animals to the lure.   This form of cruelty is banned - along with cock fighting and dog fights on which bets are placed on the winning animals.

Unfortunately, when gambling and sport come together it opens the door for all sorts of malpractice. It is up to the sports administrators to impose strict rules and usually the ultimate penalty for the most serious infringements is to ban the person concerned from participating in that sport for life.   That would be a more realistic punishment in this "live baiting "case than shutting down a sport with a huge following and which employs thousands.

It is said that horse racing is the "Sport of Kings ".   It certainly takes immense amounts of money to buy, train and field a race horse and this is clearly the prerogative of wealthy people.  In contrast, Greyhound racing is said to be the "Sport of Battlers ".   Very ordinary people buy a promising dog and often feed it better than they feed themselves, spend countless hours in the wee small hours of the morning exercising the animal to race fitness - and if they are lucky - produce a champion that brings in lucrative winning cheques.

Racing Greyhounds is different to most other animal sports.   The aim is to get the dogs to compete with others and race around a track for a given distance - and to do that they require something to chase.  In this case, it is a mechanical lure - usually referred to as the "Hare " - and quite clearly the intention is to fool the dog that it is chasing some sort of animal.   In the distant past, many trainers considered that the only sure way to get a dog excited enough to consistently compete was to allow it to catch and tear apart a real live animal as bait.   This was referred to as "blooding "the dog and it drew the ire of many people and was legally banned.

It is suspected that some trainers substituted "road kill " to overcome this ban.   Placing a dead animal on the lure certainly allowed the dog to taste victory during the training regime and it technically circumvented the law, but it would also be repugnant to many people.   Greyhounds are a breed feared by many.  They are required to be muzzled when exercised by long walks on public streets and because of their training they sometimes attack other dogs or cats they encounter.   There are also limits on how many Greyhounds can be exercised in a bunch by a single trainer.

Greyhound racing is a national sport and is widely covered by the media.  Betting facilities are provided by both the TAB and bookmakers and the industry is supported by a range of government inspectors who take blood samples from dogs to check for illegal stimulants.  Racing takes place at racing tracks dedicated to that particular sport and the annual turnover amounts to many millions of dollars.

Old folklore remedies die hard and some old hands are adamant that a Greyhound must taste blood to create the excitement to beat others in chasing the hare.   It seems that in this instance a minority have broken the law and brought the industry into disrepute.   If sufficient evidence can be obtained, they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and serve at least a lengthy suspension from further  participation in Greyhound racing.   That would be the expectation of followers of this sport.

To simply ban Greyhound racing because of the actions of as small minority makes no sense !

Enforcing a Religious Lifestyle !

Australia does not have a state religion.  We were originally a Christian country, but we welcomed those of other faiths and our laws specifically demand that all people have the right to follow the religion of their choice under the protection of the law.   Different religions have a very wide interpretation of what is just and moral under their teachings and all are tolerated, provided they remain within the conformity of how laws are framed in this country.

The Roman Catholic Church is proposing to insert an "Ethos" clause into new enterprise agreements which will apply to those employed as teachers in Catholic schools.  Basically, this is a requirement that not only will such teachers promote Catholic values in their style of teaching but they will also live their personal lives within the boundaries of Catholic religious law.

Not all teachers in Catholic schools belong to the Catholic faith and even those that do are horrified. It seems that this seeks to arbitrarily impose all the restrictions of church outlook and teachings as a condition of employment - and this comes into conflict with many Australian laws and what is commonly accepted practice within the Australian lifestyle.

The church deplores those couples who live together without the sanctity of marriage.  It totally forbids abortion, even to save the life of the mother.  It is opposed to in vitro fertilization for infertile couples.   It rejects gay rights and same sex marriage - and it is irrationally totally still opposed to all forms of contraception.

It seems that the Vatican is demanding the right to hold sway in the bedrooms of all it's employees and dictate the lifestyle they must maintain as a condition of employment.  Of course the church elders will dismiss this claim as an over reaction and insist that no teacher will be dismissed because they are in a de facto relationship or are using the contraceptive pill as a means of family planning.

What is not so clear is the effect that lifestyle outside of Catholic morality will have on promotion prospects.   Will a " straight "teacher who openly supports gay rights be denied elevation because of those beliefs and will secretive investigations into an applicants private life become part of the hiring practice for new teachers ?

The authority of the church various widely from country to country.  In some places the law of the church is also the law of the land.  In Australia, a sort of "smorgasbord " approach is embraced by many Catholics.   They accept the majority of church dogma and simply reject the parts they choose to discard.   As a result, the majority of young Catholic women openly use the pill, embrace in vitro procedures to counter infertility - and sometimes resort to abortion.   It seems that this "ethos "clause is an attempt to crack the whip and bring the congregation into line.

It is curious that this imposition of morality as espoused by the church is directed at the teaching profession.  Catholic schools are an institution in Australia and are widely used by non Catholic families - and in fact there are 58,000 pupils from other religions in NSW Catholic schools.   The fees charged are usually lower than other private schools and teaching standards - and results - are claimed to be higher than in the state school system.

Non Catholic parents accept that their children  will be exposed to Catholic dogma as part of this tradeoff with the benefits that the Catholic education system brings and it has long been evident that Catholic schools are much more disciplined - and many believe that this plays a big part in the good education results they achieve.

Many will see the hand of Cardinal George Pell in this attempt to impose church authority on all who depend on it's payroll.  He is of an authoritarium nature and was recently elevated to a position of greater power in the Vatican.    This attempted imposition clearly crosses both secular and legal jurisdictions - and will most likely be finally decided in the High Court.

Fact ? Or Fiction ?

Residents on the New South Wales Central coast are alarmed that Gosford Council is proposing to "sterilise " their homes by imposing restrictions they claim are necessary because of rising sea levels. They will simply draw "danger zones " on maps and refuse building permits - or even allow existing homes to be renovated, and many with beach outlooks carry a five million dollar price tag.

The problem is inconsistency. Gosford bases it's action plan on an assumption that sea levels will rise by 40 cm by 2050 - and 90 cm by the end of this century.   Other councils up and down the coastline expect more moderate rises in sea levels and the respected  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a modest 25 cm rise.

The only inescapable fact is that there will be some sort of rise in sea levels, but the exact nature is impossible to predict.  The worst ecology zealots are spreading alarm and our best scientists are divided in their predictions.  It certainly seems premature to virtually reduce the value of people's homes to near zero by enacting draconian legislation on the basis of a worst case scenario.

In the Gosford area more than four thousand home owners will find themselves stuck in a time warp if this goes ahead.   Those who purchased recently and have a long mortgage repayment will face an impossible situation.  It would be inevitable that values would drop precipitously.  By a stroke of the pen, the council would impose financial ruin on many.

It also seems to show a defeatist attitude.   There seems to be an assumption that low lying land will not be protected - and that flies in the face with what has been done in Holland.  More than half the entire country is below sea level and the Dutch have lived with that problem - successfully - for hundreds of years.

One of the encouraging things about global warming is the fact that it is incremental.  We are not going to wake up one morning and find the tide has swallowed half the country.  Our best minds are going to be applied to building the necessary defences and it is not impossible to predict that global warming may be reversed.   Planet earth suffered several ice ages and we are well aware that when volcanoes go on the rampage the particles they emit pollute the atmosphere and filter the heat of the sun across the entire world.   Some sort of artificial shield of that nature may be within the reach of science.

The very nature of rising sea levels is something that will eventually have to be tackled at a national level - if the worst case scenario proves to be correct.   It is quite possible that the city of Sydney could become a number of densely populated islands with all of the lower level suburbs under water. We might even be forced to abandon this city - and start again at a much higher level.   That is a problem that may never arise - and if it does - it will concern the people and their government at that time.

There is danger in allowing individual councils to implement action plans based on their own interpretations of coming events.  This reeks of inconsistency and surely if hardship is to be imposed it should apply at the national level.   At this stage, science has not produced the smoking gun evidence of what sort of future we face to conclusively convince the population to accept draconian legislation that will drastically change the lives and fortunes of the multitude.

Food Security !

Packs of mixed berries are being removed from supermarket shelves and the public are advised to dump any suspect brands they have in their freezers because of a health scare.  Several Australians have contracted Hepatitis A and this has been traced back to contamination in mixed packs of Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries imported into this country.

Hepatitis A can be fatal but it is expected that our health system will result in full recoveries.  This incident has thrown the spotlight on food standards that apply in countries exporting food to Australia.   Where Hepatitis A is involved the cause is usually sewage coming into contact with the food or a person infected with the disease being involved with it's preparation.

In this instance, the source was from China and it seems that the various berry components were grown in different parts of the country and shipped to a central point where they were collated, processed  and packed.  This will make it hard to specifically discover where the hygiene breakdown occurred.

It is quite possible that in a country as vast and as populous as China old farming methods may still be used in remote areas. In past centuries it was quite common to use both human and animal waste untreated to nourish crops.  Just a single farm growing one of these berries could be responsible for their small input contaminating a vast amount of export food being mixed together at a central point - and it also only takes one person infected with Hepatitis A involved in food processing to do similar damage.

That is one of the risks that come with globalization.  Our diet has expanded and both air transport and freezing products have freed us from the restrictions of seasonal crops.  We now draw a continuous supply because it is always peak growing season somewhere in the world and global trade encourages exports to balance economies.

Considering the contribution made to the world food supply from small farming communities in Asia and the remote parts of Europe and South America, it is remarkable that similar forms of contamination are not happening more frequently.   This incident will be a serious embarrassment to the Chinese government and they can be expected to back track the supply chain to find and eliminate the problem.  It is likely that this scare will result in a sharp drop in the sale of all forms of berries here in the short term - and probably take many months to recover.  It is also likely that the contaminated product has been distributed more widely than just Australia, and the implications  on the brand names involved could be terminal.

In this instance Hepatitis A has passed to a mere handful of people and the source was quickly identified.  The public was warned when it became the prime item on the national news and it was quickly withdrawn from sale across the nation.   That will eliminate risk from the main supermarket chains, but there is still a chance that it will escape detection in some of the small grocery stores scattered across the country.   In some cases their proprietors do not speak English - and may be unaware of the recall.

From a security point of view, it would be ideal if the sales records of all foodstuffs from distributors  to even the smallest retailer could be instantly available to the health people in an emergency.  It is well within the capability of computer programmers to isolate a particular brand and pack size and nominate where and when that item was sold.

It is unlikely that anyone will die from this Hepatitis A contamination, but should something instantly deadly slip through the safety net - and warrant forcible seizure by the health authorities -  that list of where sales have occurred would be critical.    Having that information in place would be a timely precaution - because accidents do happen !

The Lost Arts !

Purists lament that society is fast losing the ability to do "in the head " mathematics or even put together a coherent sentence using a pen or pencil.  In today's world,  those tasks are taken care of by the new breed of cash registers that handle money transactions and by the keyboard which has replaced old fashioned writing instruments.

Even coin and banknotes are fast being replaced with the electronic chip.  The inconvenience of having to put a card into a machine and then tap in a PIN has been replaced by a tap on the terminal with the card completing the transaction, and of course the scanner has replaced  collating items by hand.

The first bulky old computers came with a keyboard and this resulted in the entire population developing at least some basic typing skills, but now the development of - first the mobile phone - and now it's replacement by the "Smartphone "have shrunk that keyboard to fit in the palm of ones hand and with that has come cyphers - a single word that conveys what previously took a long sentence to explain to the person receiving that message.

The days when primary schoolkids were meticulously taught "script "writing are long gone.  That was a graceful form of calligraphy with thick and thin strokes and arching loops, but the type face alphabet interacted more closely with the printed world - and the development of the ball point pen  removed the writing innovations possible with a pen with a nib and ink.

It seems strange that we now have little reason to write on paper.  A lot of the communications between people takes place on social media such as Facebook and Twitter and individual messaging between people is usually done by text between their mobile phones or tablets.   This is the electronic age.   The computer and the tablet first invaded the high school system but now it is fast becoming the mode of learning from the early days in kindergarten.

Long gone are the days of massive cash registers in which pressing on keys threw numbers in the viewing window for all to see - and the cashier was expected to calculate and proffer the correct change between the tender received and the price charged.   Transactions in the average coffee shop are mostly by some form of debit or credit card and when there is an occasional cash settlement, the cashier enters the amount of the banknote proffered -- and the machine calculates the change needed. We now allow our mechanical aids to do the thinking for us.

Unfortunately, convenience comes with a price.   The principle of "use it - or lose it " applies.  Whenever a malfunction results in power loss in a city centre we are completely helpless and unable to cope without the electricity to run our serving machines.  Supermarkets and department stores are obliged to usher shoppers into the street and close their doors.   Worse - such a power loss leaves petrol outlets unable to pump petrol - and the ATM goes down and will not allow us access to funds to pay for any goods that are available.

Change has always been with us - from the days when the horse was the means of transport - to the day we managed to cross continents using air travel.   The difference now is the speed of change.
The time factor that applies to new forms of innovation often is measured in months or even weeks before an upgrade delivers an improved version.   The giant strides being made in artificial intelligence will drive this further and as it encompasses new realms the consistent casualty is the jobs of human beings that it replaces.

We face the prospect of eventually making ourselves redundant in the age of the machine !

Growing Shark Menace !

Decades ago a shark attack would automatically result in banner headlines in the nation's newspapers. It was a rare event, but today it merely gets a mention on one of the inside pages.  Sharks deaths in Australia took a toll of thirty two lives between 1982 and 2011 - but last year the figures jumped to six deaths in that one year.   The reason for this raised figure is unclear.

The Green movement is quick to blame it all on global warming.  Perhaps warmer oceans are affecting the great gulf currents that wash by our shores and causing bait fish to congregate close to shore - and this is attracting sharks.   Others see a correlation between the return of huge numbers of whales using what is termed the "Humpback Highway " along our shores for their annual migratory travel   Whales, seals and Sea Lions are traditional fare for the big sharks - and whale numbers are growing exponentially since the whaling industry contracted to just the Japanese and a handful of other nations.

Shark deaths have certainly triggered a volatile debate between the ecology people and those demanding shark nets and drum lines to kill big sharks that venture close to our beaches.  When we swim in the sea we are encroaching on the territory of the shark and as they are at the top of the marine food chain our fisheries would collapse if they were completely eliminated.  Many people accept that argument, but still demand a cull to keep our beaches safe.

Having a swim at the beach is still a safe habit - provided we take reasonable precautions.  Nobody has ever been killed on an Australian beach when swimming in a patrolled area and remained between the flags overseen by the surf lifesaver movement.   The people most at risk are surfers who wait for a wave offshore, particularly if they are alone or in a very small group.  It seems to be a fact of life that there is safety in numbers.

Strangely, the majority of surfers accept this situation and those who have had an encounter with a shark - even those who have suffered shark bite injury - are usually keen to get back in the water.  They have a philosophical outlook when it comes to sharks and the very conditions that make their sport so enjoyable puts them at most risk of all water users.

For the average swimmer a few simple rules will seriously reduce the risk of becoming a shark victim.   Under no circumstances swim at night.   A human thrashing about in the water could easily be mistaken for an injured seal by a prowling shark - and in the dark the eyesight of both is far from helpful.

Do not share the water by swimming with dogs.  It is known that the swimming action of dogs acts as a signal to sharks and they probably have a sense of smell as well.   Avoid swimming on dull, cloudy days and remember what most keen fisherpeople know - that the fish are usually biting well first thing in the morning or towards early evening.    Perhaps that meal routine applies to sharks as well.

Despite last years sharp increase in shark attacks, most Australians are at far greater risk driving to the beach than actually getting eaten by a shark.   Provided they take reasonable  precautions and stick with the patrolled areas their risk drops to near zero.    That safety in numbers credo applies, but if they take up the sport of offshore surfing, the risk rises accordingly.

Managing that risk is entirely a matter for each individual !

Counting "Watts " !

Decades ago the government promoted a form of energy efficiency recognition by the allocation of a star rating for electrical appliances.      Customers in electrical stores are now familiar with a sticker on the front of fridges and washing machines.  The more stars on that sticker the better because those products with the most stars are the cheapest to run by way of the electricity used.

The era of rooftop solar panels to generate electricity for home owners has changed the game.  When those solar panels are installed they come with a meter that shows exactly how many watts of power the panels are delivering, and that depends on whether it is a day of full sun or if the weather is cloudy.  Many home owners quickly learn to estimate the likely meter reading by a quick glance out the window - and plan their energy use accordingly.

The key to understanding energy usage is the term "Watts "which describes the amount of power, just as litres describes liquids and kilos describes weights.   We need to know how many Watts of power each electrical item uses to balance this against what our solar panels are delivering.   For instance, can we run the washing machine at the same time as we vacuum the carpets - or should be vacuum first before we start the washing machine  ?    The Watts delivered by our solar panels are free - and we save money by using them rather than using power charged through the electricity meter - but to do that we need to know more about how much each electrical item consumes.

That star rating was a good idea in an earlier age, but now it would be a better idea if the manufacturers of all electrical items - including everything that runs on electricity - were required to display a notification of exactly how many Watts that item consumes if run constantly for one hour. In that way, people could balance the input from their solar panels with the output required to match use with the electrical items that they wish to use - to obtain maximum cost efficiency.

It could be said that this would only benefit those with solar panels, but in reality we are already becoming conscious of what the Watt implies.   When electricity prices surged most people replaced the old incandescent light bulbs with the new - but more expensive to buy - low energy units and discovered that a mere 20 Watt bulb would deliver the same amount of light than the previous 100 Watt globe.

At present, the vast array of electrical items in the average home delivers little knowledge of it's electrical efficiency.   The Watt usage per hour should be a required display on computers, printers, televisions, and even on the charging stations for accessories such as mobile phones and tablets.   Where such items have a "stand by " capacity, both stand by and off at the switch mode should both be displayed.    The world has advanced beyond the need of a star system for major items.   We need the precise consumption rates for all electrical items in our household to better manage electricity usage - whether solar or charged through the meter.

As most canny shoppers well know.   Items with a single star are usually the cheapest of the products on display, because they cost the most to run.  We need a law change to require electricity usage in Watt terms because the manufacturers of inefficient energy products will not voluntarily display that information.   Such a requirement will also be a huge incentive to upgrade the product to make it more competitive.

That old star system served us well in the past, but it applies only to major items and our needs are fast changing as innovation increases the electrical items in use.   If we are to gain control over our electricity consumption we need legislation to mandate the energy use of all forms of electricals - and that can only be achieved by national legislation !

Saving the Farm !

New limits have been imposed on foreign ownership of Australian farmland.  Previously, the cut-off point was $ 252 million before a foreign purchaser needed the approval of the Foreign Investment Review Board and now that has been reduced to just $ 15 million.   The Australian Taxation office has been ordered to "stocktake " the current foreign ownership position and report on the present situation.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this review is the fact that the new $ 15 million limit is cumulative.  The past $ 252 million applied to each purchase, hence a foreign buyer could accumulate any number of additional farm properties to acquire a large holding, provided each purchase did not exceed that $ 252 million price tag.   Now foreign holdings carry just a $ 15 million limit on a foreign investors entire ownership of land anywhere in Australia.

There is suspicion that this move is directed mainly at China, but many world countries are prudently trying to acquire overseas  agricultural land to safeguard future food supplies for their own citizens, but in the case of China we need to look further at land acquisition policies because of the closed nature of the Chinese form of government.

A centralised Communist government may try and get around our holding limit by using it's vast numbers to acquire ownership by individuals which fall under that $ 15 million cap, but which in reality become the property of the Chinese state because each purchase is really held in proxy by the nominated purchaser.

There is a danger that such a tactic could result in a piecemeal patchwork of farms rather than the broad acres style of farming which applies in the big agricultural nations that supply the world food supply.   Japan has a costly and inefficient farming situation because it's family farm lobby protects small holdings and high tariffs limit overseas competition.  A similar scenario exists in much of Europe - and it seems that feeding a growing and hungry world will fall to the lot of countries like America, Australia, Argentina and South Africa.

A century ago, farming was mainly a family affair and when sons grew up and married it was the custom to give them a piece of the farm, resulting in some farms eventually becoming too small and uneconomic.   Today, the need is for the expansion of farming land to allow the efficient use of costly machinery and to bring in the crop sizes needed to meet world demand.   The fragmentation of farms is the exact opposite of best farming practice and yet if we are not careful that is precisely what applying a low foreign ownership limit may create.

Perhaps we should be encouraging farm ownership to be in the hands of big public companies - in which foreign interests may invest money - but which remain Australian entities tasked with profitably producing food for the Australian and export markets.   The sticking point in many Australian minds is the concept that some foreigner may "own " the soil of Australia and dictate what will be grown on it - and where that product will end up.

There seems no doubt that food will be a future item of friction in world affairs and we would be well advised to plan for that future - now.   Keeping the ownership of Australian farms in Australian hands by placing reasonable limits on foreign ownership would have a high priority in most citizens minds.  The government should think long and hard to ensure that this objective is met !

A Choice of Evil !

Alcohol is addictive and it kills a lot of people, but we would ban it at our peril.  The Americans tried that when they passed the Volstead Act in 1920 and until 1933 the United States was "dry ".   In reality, it was awash with grog  !   It poured into the country over unsealable borders and illicit breweries flourished in every state.  It was the era of "Speakeasies "- hidden bars operated by criminals to provide the liquor that ordinary people craved. 

Vast sums were spent and the police tried to stop the flow - to no avail, and in 1933 prohibition was lifted - and it became legal to drink alcohol.

Temperance societies tried to ban alcohol in Australia and for many years we had very restrictive laws - and these were constantly broken.  Alcoholics have a shortened life span and many die of cirrhosis of the liver.   Alcohol features in many fatal road accidents and is the cause of much "death by misadventure ", but taking the broad brush approach reveals a very different picture.

A huge number of Australians use liquor sensibly.  Most of us can remember an occasion when  we had "one too many "at a party and there are some who go on a regular Saturday night "bender ", but are totally sober for the rest of the week.   The drunken hooligans who give Kings Cross a bad name usually calm down in later life.   Alcohol is a problem we have learned to live with.

There seems a strange correlation between prohibition in America and the war we are steadily losing here with drugs.   Just as people demanded their liquor and broke the law to get it, those that crave a "high " on the party scene are just as determined to get it - and law enforcement here has been just as unsuccessful as the US cops in imposing prohibition.

What if we accepted that it was lawful to buy a drug that delivered a high on demand ?  At least it would be a product produced in a legitimate factory to a known strength, unlike the volatile products produced by untrained people that now flood the market - and often kill users.

Our laws encourage the crime scene because big money can be made.  We spend a fortune on law enforcement trying to stop drugs and we fill our prisons with drug people, but all that does little to stop the endless flow reaching willing customers - and that is the salient point of the whole exercise.

We will never win the drug war as long as people crave the high drugs deliver - and can we really claim that there is much difference between popping a pill for a high - or consuming a vast amount of alcohol  ?   At least those pills legally available would be of a known quality - and as a new product it would be contributing to the tax net.

Drugs would certainly continue to be abused - just as alcohol is abused - but just as now it is only a segment of the population that abuses both products, and we would have completely deflated the drug crime scene.   Making such drugs legally available is a big risk, but eventually defeat has to be faced.

Making such a decision sends politicians of all stripes blanching in horror  !

Lindt Cafe Aftermath !

It was inevitable that every aspect of the Lindt Cafe siege would be sifted through and carefully evaluated to see what could have been done better.   It was a "pressure cooker "situation and unfortunately two hostages met their death as well as the perpetrator.

The police were the first on the scene and they cleared the area and evacuated buildings.  This was the correct response because there was the threat of bombs - and a claim that a number of bombs were placed around the city.  A police sniper was positioned with a view of the cafe windows but an actual shot through toughened glass would have been a last resort because of collateral damage to the hostages.

The main criticism seems to be on who should take control during the sixteen hour siege that followed.  Siege response was part of police training, but they had little actual experience of live situations and it may have been better to call in the Army's Tactical Assault Group  ( TAG ).  The TAG has taken down sieges in other parts of the world where the army has been operating and they carry special weapons suited for such missions.

Attention is being concentrated on the actual assault immediately the terrorist executed one of the hostages.  The police raiding party fired twenty-seven rounds and this is being compared to the response that would have been expected from the TAG.    The police were equipped with assault rifles while the TAG would use Heckler and Kock MP7's and are trained to fire just two rounds - the famous "double tap " that kills hostage takers.

Considering that one of the hostages died of a ricochet from police fire and several others sustained minor wounds this is valid criticism.  It is essential to clearly define who has the ultimate decisive control in hostage emergencies to ensure that the best action is taken to bring the matter under control with the least risk.  Sometimes, taking that decision may cross traditional command boundaries.  It is absolutely essential that loyalties do not lead to commanders making the wrong decisions.

The lindt Cafe siege was a timely warning.   It is quite possible that Islamic terrorists may strike again and that could happen in other states and even in other that capital cities.   We need to establish command protocols that ensure that the response is both timely and adequate - and that it cuts through command structures to achieve the best result.

In this instance it was clearly handled well, but with a little fine tuning there could have been improvements.    It was a valuable learning experience and from that we should be able to coordinate both the police and the military to combine in a joint operation that uses the special skills available to get the best result.

The " Terror " Dividend !

We are naturally concerned at the prospect of battle hardened terrorists returning to Australia from the IS war in the Middle East but the methods IS uses to control it's troops could deliver a huge intelligence dividend.   It is encouraging to learn that in Germany about two hundred jihadist fighters have returned to that country and about one in five are giving active assistance to the intelligence services.

The IS recruitment appeals to impressionable young men with dreams of adventure.   The reality of their inclusion in IS ranks is completely different.   They are treated with suspicion and absolute submission is demanded.   Passports and mobile phones are confiscated and it is made quite clear that they will obey all orders given, even if those orders go against their moral conscience.   The penalty for refusing an order is instant death.

The IS recruiters and trainers use a "test of courage " to ensure their message gets through.  A prisoner is picked at random and the new jihadist is ordered to commit murder - and often in a grisly manner by using a knife instead of a gun - and that's where human nature works in our favour.

It seems that this brutality fails to connect some of these recruits to the IS cause.  They have no option than to obey, but it is done with revulsion.  It is evident that those returning to their home countries contain a percentage who can be easily "turned " - and as the German experience shows, that can be the turning of the tide when it comes to terror on the home front.

A jihadist sickened by the sheer brutality of IS and the slaughter of other Muslims just because they do not embrace the fanatical concept of the religion that IS favours will quickly lose the iron grip exerted on the battlefield.   Back in normal surroundings that is a person who knows the "who "and the "where "and the "what " of what is being planned in the mosque.   In the eyes of IS, that person is a trusted convert - and that could prove to be the "Achilles heel "of  home grown terrorism.

The IS leadership seems intent in glorifying brutality and is quick to place videos on the Internet for all to see - and terrify their enemies.   The fiery death of a downed Jordanian pilot probably had a counter reaction from many Muslims.  That man was clearly a prisoner of war and IS was signalling that it was conducting total war.   In place of terror it probably produced disgust in the broad Muslim diaspora.   Perhaps those that plan their propaganda are a little lacking in the psychology department.

We need to use psychology in establishing liaison with returnees to take advantage of the revulsion IS is creating in their better cultured recruits.   The olive branch will be more productive than the whip.  We certainly need to maintain vigilance, but we should be careful to nurture a welcome for those who have turned away from the violence to which they have been exposed.  It would be a tragedy if a heavy handed interrogation from the security people undid the softening that being reunited with loved ones and a return to the placid life of the Australian community was having as a comparison with the death and violence of the IS battlefield.

It is evident that the gung-ho which many recruits take with them when they choose to fight for IS quickly evaporates when they experience the reality of mindless terror.   Carefully marshaled this resentment can be turned into a tool to allow us to fight back and destroy from within.   Perhaps IS has more to fear from returnees - than the Australian community at large !

The "Fad " Era !

People who jump aboard the latest "Fad " have always been with us.   Miracle weight loss diets are common but sometimes the subject becomes more serious.    We are seeing over protective parents withdrawing their children from NAPLAN testing because they fear that sitting a simple test will cause harm by increasing anxiety.  Even more worrying, an ever growing cult is refusing to have children vaccinated against childhood diseases, allowing once vanquished scourges to regain
 a foothold.

This latest Fad has some self opinionated  mothers refusing baby formulae and replacing it with a formulae of their own construction - known simply as "bone broth ".  It seems to have the approval of a few trend setting Naturopaths and of course it is fast becoming a talk topic on the Internet.

A vast number of recipes are going the rounds and many include boiling up a broth that includes bones, chicken feet, chicken necks, apple cider, vinegar and filtered water.  Pseudo intellectuals make amazing claims and we are hearing from Mums who declare that they "would not think of giving their child that artificial commercial product ".

Long suffering dieticians who work for the commercial formulae companies know that human infants are less prepared for the world that their animal kingdom counterparts.  Human breast milk is engineered by the human body to provide just the right balance to develop blood and brain tissue and develop kidneys that are under strength at birth.  Balancing the formulae for newborns is an exacting task that is a constant subject of research.

Commercial greed in China saw cow's milk adulterated with Melamin to improve profits and this filtered through into Chinese manufactured formulae - with fatal results for some babies.  This brought a demand rush for Australian and New Zealand formulae and quickly emptied supermarket shelves.   Rationing was introduced and limits applied at airport customs to prevent overseas visitors using infant formulae as contraband - to sell for profit back home in China.

It seems that Australian and New Zealand baby formulae remains the most trusted product in the most populated world country and all our manufacturers have increased production to meet that demand.  It seems that all it takes to tear down that enviable reputation is for the emergence of a few "visionaries " to extoll a theory of their own - and denigrate a product that has been tested and recommended by the world of science and has a proven track record.

It also seems that these emerging visionaries are short on academic qualifications, and long on what some call "the gift of the gab "  - the ability to sound convincing.   Their spiel is attractive to conspiracy theorists, those who distrust governments and all forms of industry and rely on folklore more than scientific fact.   These same folk often claim to have the knowledge to cure diseases such as cancer and claim that commercial powers are keeping such discoveries from becoming known to suit their own interests.

Those who uphold the principle of free speech usually impose limitations.  Someone who shouts "fire "in a crowded theatre and starts a deadly stampede could not rely on that as a defence, and surely there must be limits on claims made on health grounds that deliver known risks.

Righting other Wrongs !

The Parliamentary enquiry into the bugging of over a hundred police officers grinds on.  Next week the two combatant deputy commissioners return for further grilling and a statement from the Commissioner seems to be tilting the balance towards the enquiry reaching a conclusion.

The fact that there is tension at the pinnacle of policing draws attention away from other problems the public is having with law enforcement.  When police clearly break the law and give false evidence they seem to do it with impunity. Every complaint results in an "enquiry "- but these never seem to reach a conclusion.    A case in point.

On March 13, 2011 several young people got off a train at Cronulla rail station.   Transit officers accused them of fare evasion.  A scuffle resulted in the police being called.   The police were led by an acting sergeant and a young woman claims that her feet were kicked out from under her and she fell to the platform, badly injuring her knee.   A Transit officer was ordered to sit on her and she was placed under arrest and put in a paddy wagon.

She asked the police to call an ambulance and this request was denied.  She was driven past a local hospital and taken to Sutherland rail station - ten kilometres away - and released, despite the handicap of a broken knee.  Her complaint to the police brought a denial.   The police claimed that she had assaulted them and she had been subdued by a "leg sweep "which they claim to be a permissible police procedure.  The matter went to court.

This young woman obtained video evidence of the confrontation with police on the platform of Cronulla station.  It showed the sergeant run towards her, speak while she remained motionless for seven seconds, and then kicking her legs out from under her and throwing her to the ground.  Lawyers for the police then sought to amend their evidence.  Other police present claimed to have no memory of the events depicted in the video.

Clearly, the police lied and were prepared to have her punished by a court for assaulting police.  She would no doubt have been convicted - and have a criminal record.   The fact that she had sustained an injury and been refused treatment should be a matter of concern to the public.  This fate was only averted because she managed to obtain crucial evidence - and as a result she was later awarded $ 243,000 and a similar amount for costs.

The fact remains that next month four years will have elapsed and this police "enquiry "is nowhere near resolved.   The Sergeant involved remains on active duty and it is unclear whether perjury and assault charges will be laid.

Cases of this nature erode our confidence in the police.   They do a tough job and they are often falsely accused by criminal types trying to evade justice, but the fact remains that a police officer deliberately lied about an event in which a member of the public sustained a serious injury - and was prepared to give false evidence to obtain a conviction.  He has escaped penalty for four years and it is doubtful if charges will ever be laid.

It seems strange that a case of alleged corruption at the very top of the police hierarchy  is making banner headlines and has cost several million dollars so far - and yet day to day police excesses, and blatant false evidence convictions go unpunished - even when such falsification is exposed in court and costs the state damage awards to the victims.

The police will lie and pervert justice as a matter of course if they know they will get away with it.  It seems that the state is frightened of the power of the police union.  We will not get a squeaky clean police force until the wheels of retribution make getting caught unthinkable.

The job of the police is to keep the public awed and frightened to commit crimes.   That same fear needs to apply to the very people tasked with upholding the law !

Supply - and Demand !

The law of "Supply and Demand "has been with us since the first trade in goods began along the old Silk Road at the beginning of time, and it is perfectly simple.   When supply falls short of demand - the price goes up !

One of the most sought after commodities in New South Wales is a place in a childcare centre - and this is in short supply.   There is constant parent anguish at rising prices and for some mothers taking on a job is only marginal because childcare fees eat up the major portion of the salary earned.

It seems that some childcare centres have hit on a new way to increase profitability beyond the scope of daily charges.  Parents are now being asked to pay a "Reservation Fee " when they seek to enrol a child and this is usually in the vicinity of $ 400.   This brings with it the expectation that when a vacancy occurs, the replacement will come from this waiting list, and some desperate parents enrol at a number of childcare centres to enhance their chances of securing care for their child - and some are finding that this fee is nonrefundable.

Now this reservation fee idea has been raised another notch.   Some centres are now offering an upgrade to a "Priority Reservation Fee " at a cost of $ 1,500.    The expectation is that when a vacancy occurs this extra payment will "queue jump " that applicant and secure placement ahead of all those on the lesser waiting list.   Again, it is usually nonrefundable.

New South Wales Fair Trading comments that complaints about childcare doubled from 2013 to 2014.    This refusal of refunds applies to a variety of circumstances.  In some cases, the child reaches school age without being offered a placing and it is very hard to justify that waiting list charge.   In some other cases, parents have flocked to reserve a place at a new childcare centre advertised as opening shortly - only to find that the project stalls and does not proceed.   Retention of a reservation fee in such cases may be negotiated by Fair Trading, but without a degree of certainty.

It would be a good idea if the New South Wales parliament passed legislation to clear up this reservation fee mess.   Some would question the morality of a priority listing at an enhanced fee and others might wonder why any fee should be charged when placement should be on a "first come - first served "basis.   The imposition of any nonrefundable policy is certainly open to question.   There is the expectation that paying a fee will result in an outcome and when that outcome does not eventuate the justification for the fee vanishes.

Leaving the option of refundable registration fees in the hands of childcare proprietors is to invite anomalies.    Applicants have a right to know where they stand on such issues and have the protection of law.  Clearly, such a law change is urgently needed !

Debt Crisis !

When the Governor of the Reserve Bank and the Head of Treasury tell Australia that we have a debt crisis, that is something the people of this country should take to heart.   Glenn Stevens and John Frazer briefed cabinet with a twenty page slide show and predict that if we can not reign in our spending we will reach the stage of never being able to achieve a balanced budget - and the consequences of that will deliver misery without relief.

Perhaps we should cast our mind back to the start of the twentieth century.  At that time, the prospects of two countries emerging as future world leaders in trade and prosperity were Argentina and Australia.  Both had the land and the climate to feed the world and both were finding vast mineral wealth to create jobs and prosperity.

Today, the people of Argentina and Australia face very different scenarios.   Argentina had a troubled century that included a civil war and the emergence of a dictator.  It has defaulted on it's national debt several times, and is a pariah in economic circles.  It eventually returned to democracy, but it's leaders sparked a ruinous war when it invaded the Falkland Islands and this venture ended in defeat.   It is facing crippling inflation and it's essential services are crumbling.  The future of Argentina can only be considered "uncertain " !

In comparison, Australia has led a charmed life.   Since Federation we have retained a Westminster form of government and this has been a prosperous nation.   Our way of life is famous and we are high on the list of destinations for those fleeing troubled countries.  The only cloud on our horizon appeared when we entered this twenty first century.  Our spending is out of kilter with our income, and we are borrowing $ 110 million a day to pay our bills.

It must be apparent to even the most basic student of mathematics that we either cut our spending or increase our income - or do a little of each.  Unfortunately, this comes into conflict with the politics that underpin the Westminster system of government

The Westminster system is adversarial.  Whoever has the greater numbers forms government and those with the lesser numbers opposes as "the Opposition ", and this is now fragmented by the appearance of several minor parties and a few independents.  This tussle for power has degraded common sense and we seem to have reached deadlock on passing bills to enable rectification of our fiscal imbalance.

The opposition denies that there is a financial crisis and it seems that whatever is proposed as a solution will automatically be denied passage by the combined votes of the Senators in the upper house.  As a result, the government can not govern and the nation faces a crisis as outlined by Messrs Steven and Frazer.

This is a situation that is fraught with danger.   In other parts of the world, we are seeing the emergence of extremist political parties which quickly gain public support because the citizens have lost faith in those bogged down in trench warfare.   We expect the politicians we send to parliament to work for the common good as opposed to simply playing party politics.  In desperation, it is possible for those with a strange sense of order to come to power and deliver governance that was not the intention of the people when they cast their vote.

Two very senior heads of our economic levers of power have delivered a clear warning.   The answer to our economic problem - is compromise !     Those we have entrusted to represent us in parliament should heed that warning.   The fate that befell Argentina beckons !

The NAPLAN Crisis !

When NAPLAN was introduced it made a lot of sense to a lot of people.  The idea was to test all children on their reading and numeracy skills when they reached years 3, 5 , 7 and 9.  This overall picture would identify areas that needed more resources and give our educators a picture of how we compare with other world countries.

It seems that we are facing an ever increasing withdrawal rate as NAPLAN is attacked from both ends of the education system.   Some teachers are suspicious that it will be used to grade teaching skills and there has been a tendency for the weakest pupils in their class to be encouraged to take a "sickie " on test days.  On the opposite side of that spectrum, other teachers run their charges through virtual "boot camps " before the test and concentrate their classroom efforts into what amounts to "cramming " to achieve a better result - and of course this tends to skew the test results.

Now we are seeing a growing fad amongst some parents who believe that any sort of testing increases fear and anxiety in their children - and demand that they be voluntarily withdrawn from the tests.  This withdrawal rate rose from 1.7% in 2013 to an overall 2.1% now and the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Authority ( ACARA ) believes that even a one percent drop out nullifies the accuracy of the results.

We have seen how unproven ideas swiftly gain currency in the minds of parents with the growing rejection of vaccinations that are allowing some almost forgotten diseases to make a comeback. It seems to be an "over protection "syndrome, but the reality is frightening.  As the percentage of those vaccinated drops, we open the door for horrors like Polio to regain a foothold.  That disease has been almost eliminated on a world basis - until a handful of countries found religious objections to vaccination.

The danger is that rejection of NAPLAN may become a cause taken up by some people with social standing, just as actual associations have formed to publicly oppose any form of vaccination.  This message can quickly take hold and if misguided people withdraw an ever growing number of children from testing NAPLAN will simply collapse.

There is also a danger that shielding children from any form of competitive testing will fail to prepare them for what is inevitable at the end of their school years - the time when they will sit for their Higher School Certificate.   That is crucial to the income level that young adults may attain and it is the dividing point between university or the more mundane work force.  As the years progress, the doors to a vast range of professions are closing to those who can not provide at least basic tertiary qualifications.

The people at ACARA have a problem.  They need to "re-sell " NAPLAN to both parents and the teaching profession.  It would be desireable if teachers could constantly improve their teaching skills by refresher courses and such upgrades should be reflected in pay levels.  Unfortunately, that is anathema to the thinking of the teaching unions.

We probably need a campaign by people of stature in the business community to extoll the NAPLAN ideals and the benefits that will accrue.  This testing rejection is still in it's infancy.  Well presented logic would be helpful in countering the mindless innuendo that the "against everything " mob peddle and try to endow with legitimacy.

NAPLAN is worth saving !

Left Behind !

Peter Greste (40) is a free man after four hundred days in an Egytian prison.   He is resting up in Cyprus and enjoying pork and beer, neither of which was customary fare in an Islamic country. He can expect world attention when he returns to Australia and recounts his story to a wide audience.

Journalism has become a dangerous occupation in our divided world.  Greste worked for Al Jazeera, a television network based in Doha and his arrest on trumped up charges reflects the religious divide that sets Sunni and Shia at each others throats in the volatile Middle East.  Doha and Egypt support opposite sides of this spectrum and Greste was accused of "spreading false information and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood ", which is banned in Egypt.

The fact that Greste holds Australian citizenship brought the full force of the Australian government's diplomatic service to pressure Egypt for his release, and because he is a world famous award winning journalist this was supported by other world leaders, including Barack Obama.   A trio of Al Jazeera employees were part of the arrests, trials and sentencing and while Greste is now free, Mohamed Fahmy, who holds joint Canadian/Egyptian nationality, and Baher Mohamed - an Egyptian - remain in prison.

It seems likely that Mohamed Fahmy will soon gain freedom because the release of Greste was under a rather opaque protocol that simply calls for those with foreign nationality to be expelled from the country rather than held in prison.    The problem is that Baher Mohamed lacks that protection.  As an Egyptian citizen, it is likely that he will remain in prison to serve the balance of his ten year sentence.

When demand for the release of these prisoners was a daily news item on Al Jazeera and protest groups were active across the world it was Peter Greste's name at the forefront.  It would be a tragedy if Egypt releases the two foreigners in it's prison and leaves the Egyptian to rot for a further number of years - and the world forgets him !

No doubt Peter Greste will use his talents to keep that issue alive and Al Jazeera can be expected to maintain the demand in it's daily news sessions, but it was surely the intense lobbying and condemnation from a range of world leaders that brought unbearable pressure on the Egyptian president to move on this matter.   In the interests of justice, this mans release should not be allowed to go on the back burner.

The arrest of journalists for simply doing their job and presenting the news must raise the question of what protection their country of origin can provide.  Australian journalists accredited to news sources such as the ABC gather news in an official capacity and it would not be unreasonable for them to travel overseas under diplomatic cover.   There is a vast difference in the protocols that apply between the holder of a diplomatic passport and the passport issued to ordinary Australian citizens.

Peter Greste was working for the news service of a foreign country and as such he would not be entitled to this form of Australian protection, but it could be argued that Doha was sending him into a danger zone which could require the cover of that country's diplomatic immunity.

It would probably be unwise to issue diplomatic cover widely to journalists, but if the practice of arresting journalists as a means of shutting down the news to suit the interests of the parties in power becomes common - and it is certainly increasing in much of the world - then at least an official foreign correspondent needs that cover.

A lot will depend on what happens now to Baher Mohamond ?

For the Common Good !

A lot of people stuck in the commuter gridlock that affects Sydney roads were delighted when both the Federal and State governments signed off on the West Connex motorway.   Finally we are to get a thirty-three kilometre tollway to connect the western suburbs with the Sydney CBD and this will cost $ 11.5 billion.

On Sunday a thousand inner city residents held a protest march in Enmore which they dubbed "the King Street Crawl ".   Amazingly, the objective of this small band of people is to prevent work getting under way on the West Connex because they claim it will "dump traffic into the inner city and clog local streets ".

If that sort of thinking becomes the norm, what hope do we have of ever creating a vibrant city with the facilities that attract residents, create jobs and builds an efficient business hub.  It completely ignores the reality that our inner city can not function without a traffic flow.   All the goods that make it onto the shelves of city stores make that journey by truck, the bus fleet carries passengers to and from their city jobs and the taxi fleets are an essential service for those without a car.  There is a movement to ban private cars from the city centre and rely entirely on public transport and we are reintroducing trams under the guise of "light rail " to make inner city travel easier, but the car will still be needed in it's present form to a lesser degree when the public transport system is finally installed.

The biggest obstacle to progress in all it's forms is the NIMBY factor. No matter what is proposed, the benefits that accrue to the majority of people are almost certain to deliver some sort of detraction to a small number of others.  It seems to be human nature for those others to use public protest and the media to resist change and retain the status quo.   In many cases, they succeed in causing delay and hugely increase the price of whatever is planned.

Exactly this same NIMBY factor is plaguing the new metro rail corridor presently under construction. There is agitation to oppose the siting of stations on the line because residents fear that traffic will increase in their streets and the convenience of a rail station will increase residential density.  They expect that this will increase pressure for leafy residential suburbs to go high rise and that private homes will be replaced with unit blocks.

It is unrealistic to expect that a major city can remain stagnant and without change.  It is impossible to maintain an outward spread indefinitely and the obvious answer is more of the "vertical village "concept - and that means some people need to move to make that possible.  In most cases, a surge in land value where this is happening more than compensates for any inconvenience.

Those thousand people who demonstrated in Enmore are simply swimming against the tide.   The factor that led to the West Connex approval was that it was deemed "for the common good ".
That is the principle that must guide all public works decisions !

Back to Basics !

It seems that the Federal government has scrapped the $ 200  Marriage Counselling vouchers that were supposed to save people from divorce.  No new applications will be processed after February 9 and those with existing vouchers have until the end of June to put them to use.

It seems strange that we are spending money trying to preserve marriage at a time when marriage as an institution is fast falling out of favour.   There was a time when having that ever important marriage certificate was almost a compulsory legal document to allow any couple to apply for a housing loan or access any of the services that a moralistic society provided.  An unwed couple had problems gaining a rental property and were usually shunned by society.

How different it is today.   The vast majority of couples cohabitate and many raise a family without the burden of marriage.   Strangely, while the "straight "couples of this world are abandoning marriage, the "gay " community is demanding access to that piece of paper that proves that they are legally bonded in the eyes of the state.   It is an issue that is confounding politicians and the churches, but it is also gaining legal acceptance on an ever wider front.

Exactly what those Marriage Counselling vouchers were supposed to achieve was unclear.  Much publicity surrounded the supposed benefits of making estranged couples more compatible and this seemed to be aimed at providing " sex and desire "lessons.

That seems to bring the whole issue of "marriage "full circle.  Neither the churches or the good burghers of the community were ever comfortable with the "sexual act ".  It seemed a good idea to contain it within marriage and consequently it was seen as a "sin "if it were performed in any other circumstances.   We enacted laws that punished "adulterers "and "fornicators " and swept even the suggestion of homosexuality under the carpet.   The moral tone of the world tried to ignore sex and during the Victorian era it was unspoken in decent society.

The problem was that sex was - and is - something that has an overwhelming appeal to most people.  Back in those days of sexual repression the sexual undercurrent moved freely and widely, but the "eleventh commandment "applied - do not get caught !   An exposed sexual liaison brought shame and disgrace, and a heavy financial punishment if it resulted in divorce action.   Today - despite the common herd freely indulging in sex -  it remains a danger to those at the pinnacle of society.  A president narrowly escaped impeachment over an affair with an intern and a man who was probably the best military strategist on the planet stood down from office because of marital infidelity.

So - we have a two tier system.  Politicians. Presidents. Kings and the vast array of those that rely on public support to remain in power are expected to be dutifully married - and faithful.  The screen world, sports stars and  celebrities in all other areas of entertainment actually burnish their image and gain supporters from the publicity their peccadillo's draw in the media - and they change partners more often than they renew the cars in which they travel.

Strangely, the marriage business is still a burgeoning industry.  Very ordinary people pay extraordinary sums of money to stage an extravaganza fit for a movie star.   Once,  marriage was the end product of courtship.  Today, "try before you buy " is the theme that sometimes ends in marriage - and sometimes simply becomes a way of life that no longer raises eye brows.

The money saved by curtailing those marriage counselling vouchers would be better spent in subsidizing the cost of child care facilities.   Along with marriage, the notion of a home maker and a breadwinner lost favour as the economy made double incomes essential.  The essential now facing Australia is to create the conditions that allow the modern family to work and still raise children.  The ability to remain childless is now a fact of life.

Much of the thinking of government is still influenced by the morality that existed a century ago.  Both the churches and the lawmakers need to clear the cobwebs and accept that sex is no longer the bogey of a distant age.   Trying to corral sex within artificial boundaries didn't work in the past and it certainly won't work in the future.

The wise will accept reality - and legislate accordingly !

Delivering Justice !

It is an inescapable fact that the senior ranks of the New South Wales police are in disarray and this comes at a critical time because we are just a few months away from the retirement of the present police commissioner.  The two people locked in battle are the deputy commissioners from whom the government would be expected to select the present commissioners replacement.

There is no doubt that about ten years ago the Police Special Crime and Internal Affairs ( SCIA ) division persuaded a judge to sign off on multiple search warrants that lacked the evidence required to support such action, and as a result over a hundred very senior police had their homes and offices bugged, and were subjected to a turned criminal policeman wearing a wire trying to trap them at social functions.

It is concluded that when the Ombudsman was tasked with holding an enquiry, the direction of this enquiry ignored the wrongdoing of SCIA and concentrated on harassing the victims and minutely examining the rectitude of every minor decision these officers had made in the execution of their duties.    It took the form of a witch hunt that resulted in at least the suicide of one senior police officer and the attempted suicide of several more.

One of the deputy commissioners involved in this matter was the head of SCIA at that time and the other was the victim of the bugging. In the interests of justice, it is important that all the facts be tabled - and guilt determined.  If there are suspicions of corrupt conduct, those should be clearly stated - and dealt with.  This is a major police operation that can not be explained away by blaming "mistakes " by underlings.   As that saying goes :   The buck stops on the desk of the person in charge !

There is a very real danger that the government may decide that tension within seniority levels in policing makes it impossible to recruit a new commissioner from within.   We could see a search for a new commissioner from other states or even overseas.   Many will remember when we previously recruited from Britains Scotland Yard - and what a disaster that proved to be.

This present parliamentary enquiry is supposed to settle what has been lurking in the shadows for over a decade.   There is no doubt that many of the actions taken crossed the bounds of legality and the bugging of phones and emails extended beyond police ranks.  Some journalists were caught in the net and their sources compromised.   This could rightly be called a personal vendetta - and that has no place in the structured operation of a modern police force.

Unfortunately, the ugly reality of politics usually intrudes into enquiries of this nature and there is a tendency to reach an inconclusive finding.  Various searches over a ten year period have delivered nothing and it will be a complete travesty of justice if this present enquiry peters out with a whimper and is consigned to a musty report hidden away somewhere in the state archives.

Justice demands that guilt be determined - and if that means that the guilty person gets the sack - then so be it.   Justice also demands that if the other party is innocent, then that person be exonerated.  It is the job of those assisting this enquiry to diligently pick apart the web of facts and establish the truth, and if that offends some sensitive souls -  such is the outcome of getting to the truth.

This has been a particularly ugly imbroglio and a lot of careers have been compromised and a lot of family lives wrecked.  Unless it is cleared up, lock stock and barrel - it will continue to fester away in the shadows.   We do a serious disservice to our police force if we allow that to happen !