On the Edge !

The Queensland State Labor government is teetering on the edge of losing it's majority now that Premier Annastacia  Palaszczuk has sacked Billy Gordon from her party.   It seems that this newly elected member has a long criminal history that includes break and enter offences,  breach of probation and bail conditions, two suspended driving license incidents and now there are claims that he may face domestic violence charges.   Incredibly, none of this surfaced when the Labor administration conducted it's research to select candidates to represent the party at the last Queensland state election.

Premier Palaszczuk is incensed that Billy Gordon deceived her and has called on him to resign from parliament.  He admits that he faced many challenges as "a young indigenous boy " and this situation is unprecedented.   The choice of resigning or remaining in parliament is purely up to Mr Gordon to decide - and that leaves many questions unanswered.

Billy Gordon's past is seeing him cast out from membership of the Labor party, but it in no way precludes him from remaining a member of parliament.  He could continue to hold his seat as an independent and if he chose to vote along Labor lines the government could survive.  On the other hand, if he remains and switches allegiances to the opposition that would create an interesting " numbers game "involving the two Katter's Party seat holders.   It seems that the fate of the Queensland parliament rests in Billy Gordon's hands.

The reaction of the Queensland public will be interesting.   That fact that Billy Gordon has an indigenous background may work in his favour.   Some may see him as an underprivileged young man who overcame diversity to rise and become an elected member of parliament - who should be forgiven youthful sins.   It is quite possible that his cause will be taken up by the Queensland indigenous community and he may emerge as an indigenous leader.  It is certain that his criminal history will be dissected - item by item - and the severity of each crime questioned.

There are clear rules that apply to whoever sits in a parliament.  Those that have been convicted and served a prison term of a given length are automatically excluded, as are people whose affairs are held in bankruptcy, but lesser matters are merely at the discretion of the voting public.  In recent times, a parliamentary member convicted of drink driving is seen as committing a serious ethical offence and any sort of marital discord is a sure turn off for the public.

The main impetus of this sudden and unexpected turn of events will be to shine the spotlight on the ALP's selection of candidate's process.   How did this criminal activity escape scrutiny ?   What other secrets are lurking in the past of others, waiting to spring a surprise and perhaps terminally change the numbers game ?   And the biggest question of all ?   Who is responsible ?

This is not the first time that a state parliament has been rocked by an unexpected disclosure and party selection committees have taken steps to make sure that their candidates are "squeaky clean ". Apparently, that has not extended to the processes in Queensland, and now the party is paying a heavy price for that laxity.   There is every expectation that the fate of the government will play out like a Hollywood soap opera !

The " Mandate " Question ?

Clearly the main issue in last Saturday's New South Wales state election was the government's proposal to lease forty-nine percent of the state's "poles and wires " delivering electricity to consumers to gain over twenty billion dollars to upgrade the state's transport, schools and hospitals.

This was opposed by the Labor party who tried to mislead the public by claiming that Mike Baird was "selling "a public asset.  In fact, poles and wires will remain in public ownership.  The deal is for a ninety-nine year lease with the rent up front and that money available for immediate use - and the poles and wires revert to public ownership when the lease expires.

Mike Bairds's Liberal/National coalition won the election easily.  Luke Foley's Labor party clawed back some seats lost at last election's landslide, but Baird can claim his win as a "mandate  "for his poles and wires proposal.  This raises the question of exactly what is involved in a "mandate "and how does it apply ?

Baird went to the people with poles and wires as the main - indeed some would say "sole " item - on the government's agenda.   Foley claimed that the vast majority of New South Wales people were against the proposal.  The election was billed as a referendum on this issue - and clearly it was not rejected in the vote.

A plethora of past Labor prime ministers and state premiers  branded acceptance of the poles and wires issue as essential to the state - and publicly endorsed it.  Labor luminaries fulminated at the union featherbedding and rorting they had imposed on this state instrumentality.  It was an issue past Labor regimes had tried to implement - and failed because of union pressure within the party movement.

The issue of gaining a mandate is certainly mired in controversy.  Certainly not every voter who voted for the coalition on Saturday favoured poles and wires - and most definitely not all those who voted Labor rejected it, but when an issue is the prime plank of a political party - and they win an election handsomely - they have a right to to put that plan into effect.

Despite this election win, the issue will still face a stumbling block in the upper house.  The voters were presented with a form as big as a tablecloth containing the names of 394 candidates vying for election in just 42 seats.  Before the election, the Liberal/Nationals held seventeen seats, Labor fourteen, the Greens five,  and two each were held by the Shooters and Fishers, Christian Democrats and the Independents.  The balance of power was in the hands of the minor parties.

Mike Baird has a point when he claims that Luke Foley lost the referendum on poles and wires - and should join the government in pushing the legislation into law.   Foley may claim that he would be going against the wishes of those who voted Labor and must remain committed to it's rejection.  Once again, the issue of a mandate seems lost in the fog of politics.  Finality will rest on horse trading in the upper house to gain the plurality needed for success.

Such seems to be the way of the parliamentary system that contains a "house of review " in one form or another.   In Federal parliament it is termed the "Senate " and rarely does one side of politics have a majority in both the lower and upper houses.

Originally it was hoped that these upper chambers would  be the domain of gifted people far removed from the hardball of party politics and they would discuss issues before them in a fair and consistent manner.  In recent times the composition of such upper houses has become the focus of single issue groups who gain a seat far in excess of the volume of support.  Their voting intentions then become contradictory - and often tinged with malice.   They are capable of bringing the business of government to a halt.

Some may contend that a mandate is only possible if these upper houses are removed and that when the voters go to the polls they are bestowing a mandate on whichever party gains a majority.  That party is then free to implement the issues they took to the election.  The sole purpose of an election is for the majority to decide on the issues put before them.

In it's purest form, all legislation would need prior approval by way of a mandate decided by what a political party proposes when seeking office !

A New "Flying " Fear !

The voice recorder tape recovered from a Germanwings aircraft that crashed into the French Alps delivered a chilling message.  When the captain left the cockpit to visit the toilet the co-pilot locked him out and sent the plane to it's doom.   The captain can be heard hammering on the door and demanding admittance.  Then comes the shriek of the "ground proximity "warning alarm and the screams of the terrified passengers - and then an abrupt silence.  It seems that the likely cause was an emotional breakup between the co-pilot and his fiancee - leading to a suicide that included one hundred and forty nine other innocent people.

This was not an entirely isolated incident.  Since 1976 there have been at least eight plane crashes that have been deliberately caused by a crew member.  In April 1994 a Federal Express employee hitched a ride on a DC10 freighter flying from Tennessee to California, a privilege sanctioned by the company.  He attacked the three pilots with a spear gun and metal hammers and two of the wounded crew grappled with him while the pilot - drifting in and out of consciousness - managed to safely land the plane.  The attacker had ambitions to become a pilot but was failing his grades and believed that the insurance involved in his death in a plane crash would provide the security for his estranged wife and child he could not deliver.  He is now serving a lengthy prison sentence.

In December 1997 a Silk Air plane flying over Indonesian territory broke the sound barrier when it dived at maximum power and crashed into a muddy river, killing all one hundred and four people aboard.  The captain sent the co-pilot out of the cockpit and locked the door, before deliberately crashing the plane.  It was later revealed that he was a former high ranking air force officer who played the stock exchange, trading on margins.   The Asian economic crisis had left him short and he was just days away from bankruptcy - and in an Asian society that is socially untenable.  He hoped that insurance from his death would solve his financial problems and spare his family humiliation.

In October 1999 an Egypt Air Boeing 767 mysteriously crashed into the ocean on a flight from New York to Cairo.   One of the relief crew pilots was known to solicit sex on American city stopovers and on this trip his boss was amongst the passengers.  When he solicited sex from a chambermaid at a city hotel this resulted in a complaint made to his boss.   He was carpeted - and perhaps unwisely - his boss told him his flying days were over and when they returned to Cairo he would be demoted to a desk job.   When he was along in the cockpit on the return flight he took the aircraft off autopilot and killed all the two hundred and seventeen people aboard.

The ghosts of Malaysian Airlines flight MH 370 lingers in the minds of many people.  It seems inconceivable that a modern airliner can stray off course and disappear without trace, but so far the mystery is beyond solution.  Untold millions are being spent searching for the wreckage - and there is suspicion that this disappearance could have been a bizarre form of suicide by a crew member. The entire airline industry is beefing up cabin procedures.  In future, it is unlikely that the rules will allow a single person to be alone in the plane's cockpit under any circumstances.

Unfortunately, the publicity surrounding the MH 370 disappearance may have put this form of suicide into other people's minds.  It seems certain that passengers will wonder what pressures and anxieties exist in the life of those piloting planes they are carried in - and it is a fact that events that excite the news media tend to invite repetition.   In a disturbed mind, crashing a plane may seem an entirely reasonable method of suicide.   That is often termed the " copycat "syndrome.

Perhaps we have awakened a sleeping giant.  It is not only the airline industry that puts the lives of others at risk.   Should the driver of a packed commuter train decide to end his or her life in a blaze of glory and open the throttle to maximum speed and ignore all signals - the end result would be catastrophic.    The opportunity for mayhem exists with tourist buses and with the drivers of all sorts of heavy transport.  The main danger is that this form of personal annihilation involving taking down a group of other people as company may appeal to disturbed minds.  Unfortunately, it is hard to see how any reasonable defence is possible.

Fortunately,  taken in the context of the entire airline industry the incidence of suicide at the controls of an aircraft is minimal in relation to the numbers of flights that occur daily.   Horrifying as that concept may be, it simply reinforces the claim that flying is still the safest form of transport when all risks are taken into account !

Voting Rights - and Responsibilities !

Today the people of New South Wales will go the the polls and select the government which will run this state for the next parliamentary term.  We are one of the few world countries that demand that every citizen of voting age at least attends a polling station on voting day for Federal, state and council elections and have their name ticked off and receives voting papers.  They are perfectly entitled to place that in the ballot box blank, or even write "None of the above " and thus record an invalid vote.   Failure to attend on voting day without a good reason usually involves a  fine.

In countries where voting is purely optional the election of a government can dip as low as thirty percent of eligible voters bothering to attend and make a choice.  Where apathy rules, the way is open for radical elements to marshal a rump of supporters and sweep into office.  Our founding fathers wisely decided that choosing the government was a civic duty that should be prescribed in law.

It is heartening to know that when the polls close this evening and the counting of votes begins there will be universal acceptance of whatever result is revealed.   We are not a country where ballot box stuffing is rife nor standover  tactics used to force the vote in given directions.  The Australian Electoral Commission is a statutory body tasked with voter registration and the supervision of the vote.  Political parties are entitled to have scrutineers in the tally room to watch the counting of votes and it is universally accepted that this system is fair.

Each individual voter needs to make up their own mind as to which candidate they will choose and in many cases that decision will be determined by liaison to a political party.  Very often, the composition of the party winning government is decided by "swing voters " who judge issues on their merits and ignore party affiliation.  When support for both of the main political parties is fairly even, a small percentage of uncommitted voters can tip the balance.   Many electorates are decided on a wafer thin margin.

Politics has always been a matter of promises.  Each political party has a manifesto that details it's intentions should it win office and individual candidates are expected to answer voter's questions on issues of interest.   Unfortunately, there is no legal compunction for such assurances to be enforced when in office and such plans are always reliant on both after election will - and the availability of supporting finance.  In many cases, there is a huge gap between credibility and reality in the end result.

People grumble about both broken promises and waste when the levers of power attempt to implement change.  Governments are like elephants,  ponderous and slow to move, but wielding great power and often capable of causing huge damage in their wake.   Rarely do policies go precisely to plan and the trickle down effect is often entirely different to what was intended.  Such is the way of implementation passing through the many hands necessary at various levels - and the blocking action by those in opposition.

Hopefully, before the clock turns to midnight the outcome of today's election will be apparent.  The victor will be celebrating and the loser drowning it's sorrows.   There are many parts of the world still subjected to the rule of a dictator and who will eventually turn to armed rebellion to move to the form of government selection that we enjoy.

When selection is by way of a universal vote - we get the government that we deserve !

Living with a Time Bomb !

It is estimated that thirteen thousand Australian families are blissfully sleeping in houses with a ticking time bomb heading towards detonation.   Between 2010 -2013 Infinity brand electrical cable imported from China was used in the wiring of new homes and in replacement and extensions across the renovation market.  This cable has a fatal flaw.

It fails to meet the appropriate Australian standard because the insulation protecting the wires in the cable that carry electricity is not up to standard and will inevitably become brittle, resulting in the insulation breaking - leading to house fires and electrocution for anyone unfortunate enough to come into contact with the wiring.

A total recall of Infinity cable has been ordered by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ( ACCC ) but so far only one percent of restoration has been achieved, and there is just nine months remaining before the faulty insulation starts to break down.  This urgency is causing the ACCC to go public with warnings to alert householders and speed up the restoration process.

Unfortunately, tracking down just where this cable has been used is proving difficult.  Many electricians are poor record keepers and trying to remember which brand of cable was used in precisely which home jobs over a time period of three years is not possible with pin point accuracy. There is a risk that many homes will escape detection - with possible fatal results.

This disaster is likely to run to over a hundred million dollars in rectification costs and it throws a spotlight on the need for imports into this country to be checked to ensure they meet Australian standards.  We have just had a health scare over contaminated food and where an Australian safety standard exists it should be compulsory for the importer to provide documentation to guarantee that these standards are being met.    Without such documentation, the material would need to be tested here for compliance before being released by customs.

The big question is what comes next in the search to rectify this Infinity cable problem.  With just nine months remaining before insulation breaching starts to occur and only one percent of restoration achieved, it is almost inevitable that most of the affected homes will not be remedied before the danger threshold arrives.   The ACCC is concerned that it will remain a forgotten issue - until a house fire brings it to public attention.

Hopefully, raising this question in the media will jog the memory of those who are now living in a home built in the danger period or who have had even minor electrical wiring done during that time. Infinity cable carries a brand and it would certainly be worth the trouble to have a look in the roof space to determine what brand of cable has been used, or to pay for an electrician to check and ensure the house you live in is safe.

Wiring that meets the Australian standard has a guaranteed life of at least forty years.  In this case, it seems that a lower grade insulation was used to keep costs down and now thirteen thousand home owners are at risk and it is quite possible that despite the ACCC warning much of the faulty cable will go undetected.  In the years ahead, faulty wiring will be a hazard quietly waiting to claim a victim.

This clearly sends a signal that our import checking procedures need review !

A Sane Compromise !

It is one of the strange aspects of life in Australia that we have a vast number of unemployed young people - and at the same time many in the business community still operate on a five day week and miss the profit opportunity of opening on Saturday and Sunday.

It doesn't take the brain power of  Albert Einstein or a Stephen Hawking to figure out why.  The imposition of penalty rates for those working outside the old "nine to five " work configuration simply make opening unprofitable.

Finally, a group of business owners in South Australia have sat down with some forward thinking union leaders and thrashed out a deal.  In exchange for a higher rate of pay and improved working conditions time and a half pay rates on a Saturday will be abolished and double time on Sunday halved.

That is the sort of compromise that is badly needed on a national basis.  Penalty rates that normally apply result in many juniors earning fifty dollars an hour on a Sunday and that makes opening a business unprofitable on a weekend.  In the past, the union movement disregarded the need for profit by those running a business in their thinking.  It was their contention that anyone who ran their own business was "rich " and they demanded compensation for what they termed "irregular " hours.  It didn't seem to occur to them that times have changed and Australia is no longer chained to that old "nine to five "working week !

One of the reasons that we have a big pool of unemployed young people is because the imposition of penalty rates have priced them out of the job market.  The Australian workplace half a century ago began to diverge.  The public service and the offices of big commercial companies worked a five day week within the customary business hours, but the retail and service world began to attract custom by opening late at night and over the weekend.   The age of the seven day supermarket had arrived and with that the vast array of services that once slammed the door shut at closing time on a Friday.

The problem is that the unions are implacably opposed to ending penalty rates.  That agreement has been reached with the union involved in South Australia is almost a miracle and already it is being roundly condemned by national union leaders.  The unions see any work performed outside of that old "nine to five "time frame as an imposition that should be richly rewarded.  They fail to see that the world has evolved into a twenty-four hour work cycle and that job distribution within that cycle is now a balance between the needs of the employer and the lifestyle aspirations of the employee.  The opportunity for leisure activities is now spread over a wider time frame.

The likely outcome in South Australia will be more businesses open on Saturday and Sunday - and with that more job opportunities to shrink the unemployment roll.  More importantly, a better balance of pay scales will attract those thinking of starting a business to take the plunge.  We are likely to see a more vibrant shopping scene and less premises with a "For Rent "placard on their front window.

Hopefully, this sensible compromise will spread to the wider business community of this country !

A "Good " Dictator !

Singapore mourns the death of it's "Founding Father " with the passing of Lee Kuan Yew at 91.  For over thirty years this one man seemed to have total control of what was otherwise a democracy in Asia.  He was a visionary who turned a sleepy little backwater into a wealthy, bustling financial hub that financially dominates trade despite being a tiny city state.

In his long lifetime Lee Kuan Yew faced many challenges and had his share of disappointments.  Initially his city was a remote outpost of the mighty British Empire until the Japanese invasion led to a humiliating surrender and several years of occupation.   There was a brief period of Federation with Malaysia, but that proved unworkable because of race tensions and differing objectives and it was the negotiating genius of Lee Kuan Yew that achieved separation with a degree of harmony.

The rise of Singapore was a lesson that economists preach to their students.  The island state was not hesitant to diverge from the frusty old regimen of commerce and adopt new ways of doing things, and very often those changes were adopted by the rest of the world.   Singapore was clearly the leader and it's taxation and business administration laws drew world companies to locate to the skyscrapers that made it a world city.

Lee Kuan Yew had the respect of Singapore citizens and they kept him in office despite his implementation of strict rule.   He had no favour for the corruption that was endemic in most Asian countries and he insisted on high standards - often resulting in local laws that ran contrary to world custom.   When a world fad resulted in young men wearing shoulder length hair Lee Kwan Yew took measures that quickly made it disappeare in Singapore.  He was disgusted by wads of chewing gum dropped on the pavement, sticking to the shoes of passers by - and chewing gum became simply "unavailable "in Singapore.

There is no doubt that this prime minister was an autocrat.  Dictators were common in Asian society and in many instances their rule was dysfunctional and little short of kleptocracy.   Lee Kuan Yew was not a man to be crossed with impunity.  He was quite capable of crushing opposition but the fact that his regime stuck rigidly to the rule of law and was basically fair made it stand out as the prime place to do business in Asia.

He was also blunt with his criticisms.  He was appalled when Australian politics at one stage became a shambles, resulting in legislative dysfunction and warned us that we risked becoming "the poor white trash of Asia ".   That certainly stung, but it also caused many to review the policies we were following and compare them to the progressive nature of Singapore's continuing rise.

Lee Kuan Yew left Singapore in good hands and he will be remembered as the man who made it's transformation from a fishing village to a city state possible.   There are lessons to be learned - and much of the technique he applied in Singapore would be of benefit in this country !

The " Morality " Question !

Prostitution is said to be the world's oldest profession and a century ago it was illegal in most countries. Holland and the Nordic countries were the first to allow legal brothels and gradually laws relaxed in many countries.  Today it is still an offence in many American state jurisdictions and here in Australia we have a variety of state laws but it is widely not illegal for a woman to sell her body for money.

Strangely, when female prostitution got law relief this did not extend to homosexuality.  In today's Russia the state is hounding both male and female homosexuality, but seems indifferent to female  hookers selling their wares.  All aspects of the sex trade are usually fully prohibited in most Islamic countries - and in some cases getting caught may invoke the death penalty.

A new twist in the outlook on morality has arisen when SBS used it's judgement to allow one advertisement to go to air - while banning another.   The one that was banned was aimed at marriage and claimed that kids enjoy a better and well balanced life when their parents are both a mum and a dad.   It was clearly promoting traditional marriage and disparaging same sex couples.

The ad that got the nod was virtually a dating service for married men and women who wanted to have an affair.  It was similar to the traditional introductory dating service for singles, except that it unmistakeably coupled those who wished to cheat on their partner with a willing accomplice.  This was a business venture and a fee would be charged for the service provided.

Clearly, this is not illegal, but many would consider it immoral, and yet it is simply a way of serving that age old matter of "supply and demand ".    Since Biblical days the lure of illicit sex has wrecked families - and in some cases led to war between countries.  Cleopatra and Helen of Troy were women who attracted powerful men.  Their liaisons caused the clash of armies - and in today's world sex problems are the given reason in many divorce cases.

Unfortunately, interest in sex varies widely and it is often a disaster if a marriage mates one person indifferent to sex with another who has a wide sexual drive.  If this causes an unhappy marriage it is usually detrimental to family life and the happiness of any children of that union.  Society's answer seems to be - divorce and try again !   Now there seems to be a suggestion that if the marriage is otherwise happy - release can be found with casual sex with another party and all this service is doing is making the necessary connections.

No doubt the churches are horrified that this is being advertised because it will surely interest some people because of the anonymity it offers.  If sex can be contracted by a discreet phone call it is surely better - and safer - than  attending known "pickup "bars in pubs or other sex hot spots.  Many who would not consider such action may be tempted.  If it gains traction, competition from rival competitors seems inevitable.

That old saying "Who dares wins " applies !   Someone with imagination grasped the nettle and invested his or her money to promote a service that simply did not exist.   The holy grail for any entrepreneur is to find an under supplied market - and fill that gap.   Just another step on the long journey that sex is leading us !

Healthy Laws - and Enforcement !

In New South Wales it is an offence to smoke within four metres of a hospital entrance - and that carries a fine of three hundred dollars as the penalty.  So far, not a single person has been put before a court and convicted.   Now the Cancer Council is calling for that law to be enforced.

This anti smoking crusade has been slowly tightening the screws.  It is no longer permissible to light up on a public beach.   Smoking is banned on railway platforms and around bus stops. Ash trays have long disappeared from banks and supermarkets and all enclosed food outlets are entirely smoke free. The numbers of people who continue to smoke is steadily dwindling.

The greatest change has been in public perception.   Drawing nicotine into your lungs is still a legal option and the government draws millions from the tax on cigarettes and tobacco products.  They are no longer allowed to be publicly displayed in shops and the actual packaging has been deliberately designed to repulse buyers.  Today's smokers are conscious that public opinion has changed and that smoking in public is seen by many as a form of "social etiquette " breach !

Officialdom has wisely taken the "softly softly "approach to enforcement.  People smoking on public beaches are more likely to get a mild reproof from lifesavers and council officers than a harshly written demand for a court appearance.   All forms of tobacco are still a perfectly legal product and to some people restrictions on where smoking can take place is seen as an infringement on their civil liberties.  The health people counter this with medical facts.  It is proven that those exposed to "sidestream smoke " suffer similar medical disabilities as actual smokers.

So far, hospital staff have more or less ignored the people who cluster outside their entrances for a quick puff, and that is a humanitarian gesture.   Many are the "walking wounded ", those recovering from surgery and wearing a dressing gown over pyjamas.   The addiction to nicotine is specially intense when the person is under stress in a hospital and at least occasional relief assists recovery.  If the patient is a habitual smoker, enforced abstinence may do more harm than good if that person is suffering intense pain and concern and has a need for the relief that nicotine delivers.   Enforced abstinence could be seen as a form of cruelty that delays recovery.

This call for enforcement of the smoking ban within four metres of hospital entrances raises the responsibility question.  In most cases, those entrances empty onto a public street and this raises the option for fines to be levied by whatever council has that street within it's jurisdiction.  There is a very real possibility that a new form of revenue will see Council Rangers tasked with policing the areas outside of hospitals to glean $300 fines for Council coffers.

Some Councils deliberately milk every fine opportunity to assist their revenue flow.  Their Rangers are under unrelenting pressure to meet fine quotas and they dwell on trivialities to impose fines.  Will we see chalk marks on pavements to determine which offender was within that magic four metre mark from hospital entrances - to become eligible for a smoking ban fine ?

When this four metre embargo was being considered it was supposed to stop cigarette smoke  being drawn into a supposedly sterile hospital environment when the doors were opened.  It also probably offended officialdom to see a bevy of smokers puffing away on their doorstep.  The medical people who actually interact with their patients know what stress a stay in hospital can cause and welcome any measure that brings relief.

It is doubtful if hospital staff are going to commence handing our fines and enforcing this law, but there is a very real danger that avaricious councils will sool their rangers on what they see as a new revenue flow.    It seems that the "If it aint broke - don't fix it " rule best suits this situation !

Who Watches the Watchers ?

The legislation to retain megadata has been passed in the parliament but it is unlikely to ease suspicions that story sources and information between journalists and whistleblowers is fully protected.   Warrant access applications will be heard by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and Public Interest Advocates will be allowed to appear and state their objections, but the media will not be automatically advised that such a request for information is being processed.

That is the sort of secrecy that worries journalists working on a story that will have huge political ramifications when it breaks.   They would much prefer to have their own legal people oppose such a request for information in open court.   A host of agencies will be seeking information for a wide range of reasons, and that will be from national security to cases of child abuse investigations.  The fact that a person under investigation will not be aware of an access request proceeding through the system is troubling.

What is also unclear is the protocol that will surround the tabling of a request to access megadata. Does this need to be accompanied by the reason for the request, and will it apply to a specific form of communication ?    Or will it open the door for an intrusion into the entire array of that persons communication needs ?

Few could argue against the need to crack terrorist networks and prevent attacks on home soil and we need to balance national security against personal privacy, but our greatest guarantee against corrupt officialdom and crime in the public service has always been the media.   The wrongdoer is fearful of public exposure and the retribution that brings. Usually, such a disclosure starts when a whistleblower has the courage to leak the story to an investigative journalist and often massive official obstacles are put in place to kill the story.   The safety of the whistleblower is paramount to the journalist involved.

Of course we would not let a potential terrorist know that we are carrying out an investigation but once started investigations can lead into many directions.  They are open to manipulation if a wrongdoer provides a bogus link to a journalist to try and discover who sparked the disclosure of criminal activity.  The missing security aspect is the secrecy involved.   How can a journalists sources be protected if an investigation is launched without the subject being aware that it may intrude into a parallel compilation of evidence - provided by a whistleblower ?

That opens an interesting can of worms.   Basically, it requires a determination that no access to megadata of a journalist should be allowed without that person being first informed and permitted to negotiate limits.  Of course, that then raises the question of what constitutes the official designation of a "Journalist " ?    Is that someone employed by a news organization, or will it also apply to a blogger who occasionally writes a comment on Facebook ?    Strangely, it is sometimes the rank amateur who launches an investigation that reaches into high places !

These unanswered questions will probably slow leaks to journalists to a mere trickle.  As long as there is uncertainty about information security many potential whistleblowers will stay their hand or insist that the passage of information take place only in personal interviews - and totally avoid telephone or email traffic.

It seems that the storage of megadata is  now ensured.   The only question is by whom - and how - and where it may be accessed without providing criminal elements with the cover they need to mask their activities from the probing investigations of journalists.

A Dangerous Decision !

Benjamin  Netanyahu is claiming victory in the Israeli election but the issue is far from settled.  It looks like his Likud party has gained only about thirty seats in the 120 seat Knesset and who becomes prime minister will depend on whether "Bibi "- as he is known to his supporters, or Isaac Herzog of the Labor party can cobble together the sixty-one votes in coalition with a host of minor parties needed to have a majority.

The one thing that looks absolutely certain is that whatever form of government finally emerges, it will lack stability.  The Knesset is a cauldron of special interest parties, each with a limited agenda but a very wide variety of outlooks. Whoever governs will head a coalition of perhaps a dozen individual political parties and keeping to a firm course will be almost impossible.

If Netanyahu again becomes prime minister he will be serving a fourth term and will eclipse the record held by Israel's first premier, David Ben Gurion.   Israel was formed by a United Nations mandate and was immediately attacked by it's Arab neighbours.   The fact that it has continued to exist seems almost a miracle.  Surrounding countries vow to wipe it from the map and today it seems particularly vulnerable with the entire Middle East aflame with religious war.

Netanyahu broke new ground just before the election when he  reneged on his 2009 endorsement of a Palestinian state  as a "two state "solution to its grievances with it's Palestinian citizens.  Bibi is a hardliner and this seems to run  in tandem with his continued support for settlement building on occupied Palestinian land.   Many doubted his sincerity to that "two state "vow because under his rule the land necessary to create a new state was being gobbled up by new Israeli housing, in many cases dividing Palestinians from accessing their farming land.

Endless negotiations to settle the "Palestinian question " have included world leaders and the United Nations - and many times they have seemed close to success.  This final rejection will certainly inflame the Arab world and drive a wedge between Israel and it's protector, the United States of America.  Netanyahu's snub to President Obama when he addressed Congress without an invitation from the president has made that country's relations with Israel a new political issue.  If Hilary Clinton wins the next presidency there is every chance that relations with Israel may cool along political lines - at a time when Israel may face more threats to it's borders.

Then there is the matter of world opinion.  Israel came into being on a wave of sympathy when the Holocaust was revealed.  It won applause as a brave little country when it won wars against mass attacks by Arab countries trying to drive it's people into the sea, but in recent times it's actions have been repressive.    It rules with a rod of iron in the West Bank and Gaza by control of border access and there is considerable bias against Palestinians in the Israeli legal system.  Hard line Palestinians are waging a terrorist war against the Israeli occupation and there are excesses  on both sides, but the balance of Palestinian/Israeli deaths is such that Hamas may achieve bringing Israel before the ICC to face war crimes charges.  Consensus between the two sides seems impossible.

Now that the eventual creation of a new Palestinian state is off the table it seems that all bets are off. The Palestinians have no reason for restraint.  They know that the creation of new settlements on land they claim as their own will intensify and in a few years they will simply be misplaced foreigners, barely tolerated in what is fast becoming an exclusive Jewish state.   They now have every reason to launch terror against their oppressor - in the sure knowledge that massive military force will be used against them.

Netayahu has nailed his colours to the mast and at least it is all now out in the open, but it is a dangerous decision.  It seems that Israel is determined to make conditions so unpleasant for it's Palestinian citizens that they will move elsewhere.   The more brute force is used against them, the more sympathy from other Arab countries and increasing displeasure heaped on Israel by the rest of the world.   Israel may find itself alone - in a cold and unfriendly world.

The notion of two independent states was never going to be a total solution nor would it abate the hostility enemating from both camps - but it would have delivered at least some concept of fairness. By burning that bridge, Israel is taking a step into the unknown and placing it's fate entirely in the hands of it's defending military.   That's a big ask for a small country that is a small enclave - and totally surrounded by mortal enemies.

Another Labor/Greens Coalition ?

Cynics will see the spectre of another toxic combination of a Labor/Greens coalition now that Luke Foley has announced that his party will exchange preferences with the Greens in twenty-five seats at the state election on April 28.  A similar preference deal with apply in voting for the state upper house.

It seems that there are short memories in politics, or perhaps some choose to forget Julia Gillard's emotional farewell speech in which she blamed her unwise decision to go into coalition with the Greens for Labor's defeat - and forcing the "Carbon tax "issue onto the public despite a promise to the contrary.

Others may remember Lara Giddings experience with a Labor/Greens government in Tasmania that nearly brought our smallest state to bankruptcy.  It's former timber industry lays in ruins and there is massive unemployment in the many small towns that were previously prosperous.  To the Greens, principle always takes precedence over practicability !

This preference deal seems a sure indication that if voting delivered a result where the minority Greens held the balance of power, Labor would not hesitate to do a deal and form a state coalition government.  Under such an arrangement, we could expect a massive input of Green's policies, far greater than their influence measured in voter support.

Foremost on the Greens agenda is scrapping the mining of coal, despite this $18 billion industry being a big employer and a valuable source of our export dollars.   Of course closing down the New South Wales coal industry would not reduce coal use by Japan, China and India by a single tonne.  It would merely transfer supply to other countries because the world is not short of coal.  If the Greens ever manage to get their way, it would be Pyrrhic victory for the Australian economy.

The Greens policies call for the removal of horses and other domestic livestock from all National parks.  It seems to be a preference for restricting access to just groups of hikers because this same policy seeks to close roads and totally restrict the use of trail bikes and quad vehicles, and snowmobiles in alpine areas.   This is despite farmers using the high country for summer grazing without issue since the early days.

A Green influence would see the end of widening of Sydney's access roads and probably the end of the West Connex project.  Their full impetus is on more public transport, despite the fact that Sydney lives and breathes by the necessity of it's commercial traffic.   The Greens also have semitrailers and B-Doubles in their sights, intending to force the removal of all goods onto the railways and marine traffic.  This is despite the world experience that a stable distribution network requires a mix of all these options to combine economics and reliability.

Their social aspirations would see the cessation of police sniffer dogs being used to detect illegal drugs.because they consider that "an infringement on personal space ".  Of course they see the inflicting of their policy ideas on the general public by using their numbers in a balance of power situation as ethical - and remember that the disastrous carbon tax was solely at their instigation.

The main avenue of attack by both Labor and the Greens will be the sale of poles and wires to finance badly needed infrastructure.    The scare campaign will threaten a hike in power charges, despite the evidence that those states that have already made that move have seen exactly the reverse happen.

To many undecided voters, the mere thought of the dreaded Greens having any sort of input into state policy decisions will decide their vote !

Law Court Security !

When the First Fleet arrived here in 1788 it was English law that was applied to maintaining order in this new colony.  Since Federation, Australian law has been added to that base and many new protocols have been applied to our court system.   In the higher courts, barristers, counsel and judges wear wigs and robes that hark back to the court system that prevailed in earlier centuries.

Trying a person in a law court is supposed to be a very civilized affair.  The basic contention that a person is " innocent until proved guilty " applies.  It is expected that if the person is a prisoner he or she will be allowed to wear clothing of their choice.  A remand prisoner would not be presented to a court wearing prison greens for fear of this infringing impartiality.  It is expected that any person charged with a crime will have access to defence representation.

Our system is very different to that of other countries.  Television viewers would have noted that the three Al Jazeera journalists tried in an Egyptian court were housed in a metal cage like wild animals and that they were forced to wear demeaning prison clothing.  Australian courts bend over backwards to present an air of civility.  Part of that protocol requires those police attending court to shed their firearms and remain unarmed.

We are now encountering a very different era.  The waging of religious war both overseas and on home soil has brought a huge increase in violence and the emergence of bikie gangs vying for profit from the drug culture has increased criminality that is evident in gun crime in our suburbs.  The law courts are no longer isolated from this trend.

When an accused jihadist or a bikie gang member appears in court to answer charges it is not unusual for the spectator section to be packed with supporters - many of whom threaten violence if the finding of the court is not to their liking.  Most of our courts now process those entering through security screens which are supposed to detect concealed weapons, but the world of technology is fast overtaking this protection.   3D Printing can produce a plastic pistol which will pass such a screening and the police are concerned at the development of credit card style blades which would be lethal in the hands of a violent person.   There are calls for the protocol to be overturned and for armed police to be allowed into the court system.

What brought this to a head was a recent incident when police gained intelligence that a revenge attack was planned when a criminal made a court appearance.  Heavily armed police surrounded the court, supported by the Bearcat light tank and police helicopters, but it was reaslised that even in an emergency they were not allowed to actually enter the courthouse - armed !   Fortunately, this attack failed to materialise - but it delivers a chilling warning.

The door is wide open for a Lindt Cafe style siege unless we increase court security.  At the very least, armed police must be allowed to enter courthouses to respond to violence and the presence of armed police in close proximity to the court room would be a wise precaution.   This would not extend to police in uniform called to the witness box to give evidence because arms openly carried in such an instance could create impartiality in some minds.  It is all a matter of balance.

We live in a changing world and new threats need new solutions.  Unfortunately, a sensible compromise will probably become a political issue !

Defence Costing !

The Collins class submarines we last purchased for the Royal Australia navy were a disappointment.  From day one they fell short of our expectations.  They were noisy - and that makes them vulnerable to anti-submarine measures and they suffered innumerable breakdowns.  Rarely were more than one or two available for sea patrol at any given time.   They are now ending their service life and the subject of their replacements is deeply enmeshed in politics.

There is pressure from the unions to build them at the ASC Shipyard in South Australia and the Defence department is hesitant.  When this shipyard was awarded the air warfare destroyers contract it's performance was abysmal - way behind the delivery date and miles over budget.  There is a contention that the union deliberately ordered a "go slow " to eke out the jobs and keep the payrolls coming in for the workforce.   The navy is hoping for twelve new submarines and this will be a very big defence outlay - probably somewhere between $36 and $80 billion, depending on where the contract is sourced.

There are two probable options.  Build them completely in Australia - and that means using the existing workforce at ASC shipyards, or buying the shell and engine component from another country and fitting them out in Australia.   All the costings indicate that this latter option will be the most economical in money terms.

Unfortunately, there is another issue that must come into contention.  The ASC shipyard employs the people with the skills to do important defence work and unless they are awarded the submarine contract it is certain that they will be dissapated.  If that happens, we will no longer be able to meet our own defence needs for want of a skilled workforce.   Of course, exactly the same argument would reappear when the last submarine was completed.

It is reasonable to suppose that most of this skilled workforce would be required if the fitting out were done here in Australia.  Japan has a reputation for building very good submarines and their costings are attractive.  Turning a shell into a formidable weapon involves the selection of kit and combining it to create a cohesive fighting unit to our own design.  It is likely that the unions are overstating the loss of skills to enhance their claim on this contract.

We can not afford a repeat of the Collins class fiasco.  The submarine has emerged as the prime fighting force of the world's navies and it clearly has the edge in both an offense and a defence role. We are totally reliant on our sea lanes for the import of petroleum products, and without those our structure would crumble in a very short time.   There is a subtle arms race in the south Pacific and we would fall behind at our peril.

The biggest problem seems to be reaching a political solution, making a decision - and awarding a contract.  We can not afford a gap in maritime services and if this gets hung up in parliament that would be a likely outcome.

Sex - in the Medical Profession !

Feminists were outraged when a leading woman doctor advised her colleagues to "submit to sexual harassment or their careers would suffer "!    She was commenting on a case where a female Neurosurgeon refused the advances of a fellow surgeon and the matter went to court, where she was awarded $ 100,000 damages.   Since this case went public, she has been refused work in every public hospital in Australia.

It was claimed that the Royal Australian College of Surgeons is an "Anglo Saxon Boy's Club " and reacts unfavourably to anything that reflects on it's good standing.   It has the ability to stop a career in it's tracks because of the power it holds over training and the appointment of entrants to jobs that advance their career.   The fact that a court found in this woman's favour was not sufficient to have this "blacklist "lifted.

In many respects, "Medicine "is a closed shop !   It is one of the most sought after training venues at University and only entrants with near perfect SATS have a hope of gaining a place, and eventually the lucky ones start work as a registrar in a hospital on their way to lucrative private practice.  The vast majority spend their medical lives as general practitioners.

Once a newly minted "doctor "is qualified, he or she faces the prospect of perhaps one day becoming a "specialist ".   In the vast array of medicine each branch dealing with specific parts of the human body or treating specific diseases has evolved into a fraternity with closely guarded entrance rules. In particular, the number of doctors permitted is kept low and as a consequence it's members are highly valued in the community - and charge fees accordingly.

Specialist fraternities insist that the limited numbers accepted for training each year is not an attempt to safeguard incomes, but a means of ensuring standards are met.  In most cases, joining such a fraternity as a trainee is by invitation and that is only issued after a vigorous investigation of habits and lifestyle has got the nod from the existing clique.

For a woman, this training follows a perilous path.  Her advancement is totally in the hands of her peers and personal accord is essential.  Her mentors have the power to stop advancement in it's tracks if they decide she lacks the skills for the level of competence demanded, and that is a decision when made that usually results in the speciality closing ranks to achieve solidarity.   It is claimed that some lecherous senior doctors abuse this power by demanding sexual favours.

Feminists are deeply affronted that a leading female Neurosurgeon has seen fit to comment on what she thinks is a common problem in the medical profession by advising women  to simply fold and acquiesce when asked for sex.   Her take on this particular case - where the victim is denied work in the public hospital system - was a laconic "realistically she would have been much better giving him a blow job "!

No matter what laws the parliament passes the motivation for sex will continue to be a driving force in the relationship between men and women - and the seeker of sexual favours will not always be the male.  What seems to have upset this medical speciality is not the fact that one party declined sex, but that the matter went to a public court hearing where medical dirty linen was aired in public.

Sexual relationships will always be a point of contention wherever seniority gives one party an advantage, but a simple refusal will usually end the matter.   However, when an affronted party chooses to drag the matter into the limelight by way of a court appearance and the publicity that ensures,  it takes the matter to an entirely new level.   Matters of sex are best kept confidential by both the parties involved !

Sanity Finally Prevails !

The  "  Palmer United Party " came from nowhere when an incredibly rich mining magnate decided to use his money to bankroll a bid to claim the balance of power in the Australian Senate.  He gathered together a slate of people and fielded political aspirants nationally and actually managed to gain three Senate seats.   Jacqui Lambie,  Glenn Lazarus and Dio Wang were joined by Motoring Enthusiast party's Ricky Muir to form a voting block that served as a wrecking ball to the passage of legislation.

The problem was - and is - the convoluted mind of Clive Palmer.  Having given both his name and his money to PUP, Palmer insisted that he call the shots and direct his Senators on how they should cast their votes.  He quickly found that this was much in the same category as "herding cats ". 

The policy directions of PUP were impossible to understand.   Basically, they were dependent on how Clive Palmer felt on any particular day, whether he had enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and how his financial empire was performing - and very much on what slanging match outcome was being reported in the media between this individual and the rest of the world.

Formerly stated policy changed in the twinkling of an eye and it became painfully obvious that Australia was fast becoming impossible to govern, nomatter which major party held the balance of power in the lower house.  Not only did Palmer use his power irrationally but these constantly changing directions began to grate with the individual aspirations of his Senators.  Defections from the party were inevitable.  First Jacqi Lambie.  Ricky Muir distanced himself - and finally Glenn Lazarus became an "independent ".   PUP was left holding the support of just Dio Wang.

Had PUP been a rational party it would have been to the advantage of whoever was in government to gain support for legislation with a single entity.   It quickly became obvious that the policies that Palmer took to the people prior to the election were opaque and everything was on the table for negotiation if they served to create the compromises that Palmer sought.  In many cases, these came into conflict with the personal thinking of individual Senators.

It will be harder now to cobble together consensus with a bunch of individuals, but at least PUP is no longer under the control of a millionaire with delusions of grandeur. His influence seems hitched to a fast waning star and will probably totally implode at the next election.  Most of the public have become disenchanted with his antics.

It will be interesting to see how the former PUP Senators adjust to their new role as independents.  They can no longer hide behind the cohesive obscurity of belonging to a political party and having to toe the line on it's policies.  Now their vote on each and every issue will be subject to intense scrutiny and they will be called upon to explain their reasons for making that choice.

At the next election, they will either live or die on the reputation they have achieved and the support of the voting public that those decisions may attract.  They will no longer have the support of Clive Palmer's millions thrown into media advertising to win them votes.   If they wish to retain the title of " Senator " before their name they will need to act responsibly and create a favourable image to have any hope of reelection.

It is quite possible that we will see a taming of former inflammatory language and impractical policies in exchange for a practical approach to considering legislation on it's merits.   If sanity prevails, we may be entering a new age where a government is again able to govern !

A Form of Torture !

Here in Australia the entire emphasis of the media is concentrated on the fate of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran awaiting execution in Indonesia, but in reality there were sixty-four prisoners on death row in that country, now reduced to fifty eight because six were recently placed before the firing squad.

The latest news is that all the remaining prisoners have been granted at least another week of life because three State Administrative Court judges have demanded a letter from the Indonesian Attorney General validating that President Joko Widowo authorised the legal team that will appear before them.

Indonesia is fast looking ridiculous in the International community.  This matter of executions has descended into an unseemly tussle between a newly elected president and a former strongman who is now opposition leader to determine who has the prime "tough guy " image.   Having stated that he will not grant clemency, Widowo has painted himself into a corner.  He is being assailed by everybody from the leaders of Islam to figures such as the Pope. Richard Branson, United Nations agencies and vast sections of the world public to show mercy and grant reprieves.  There is even a growing consensus within Indonesia that sending drug offenders to the firing squad is now out of step with the democratic process.

It has been stated that no executions will take place until all the appeals in the system have been finally settled, and that looks likely to drag on for weeks - and possibly months.   The two Australians have been moved from Bali to Nusakambangan prison on an island off the coast of Java, known as "Indonesia's Alcatraz ".   It seems that Chan and Sukumaran will wait in the death cells as events play out in the court system and their loved ones will be forced into penury, stranded across the water and only allowed periodic visits to this forbidding island prison.   In the eyes of many, this seems a form of torture.  The promise of remission forever dangles before their eyes - and is constantly snatched away.

A new drama is entertaining the world masses following these events.   Andrew Chan and a beautiful Indonesian girl have found love together and it seems likely that they may seek permission to wed on that grim prison island.  Such a "last request " may be acceded - or denied, but it will certainly have the world media in a frenzy.  Already, the issue of "rehabilitation "of those who have committed a crime is fast overtaking the notion of ending a life as the preferred punishment.  The list of countries still holding out the death penalty is steadily dwindling.

It has not been helpful that some Indonesian politicians have suggested that their country may end cooperation with Australia and send a "Tsunami " of asylum seekers to our shores unless we drop appeals for clemency.   Chan and Sukumaran have spent the past ten years living in a virtual goldfish bowl.  Their life in a Bali prison has been open to the media and they had become the poster boys of rehabilitation - living a new life helping other prisoners and increasing their skills and education.  Sukumaran in particular has emerged as a promising artist.

Basically, the fate of those fifty eight human beings slated for execution in Indonesia is a matter of pure politics.   The decision of whether they live or die rests in the hands of just one man, President Joko Widowo.   He came to power in a struggle between the military side and the civilian side of thinking in his country - and he promised change.

At the moment, his decision has been on the side of executions.  In the annals of world history, many great men have received acclaim because they have had the courage to change their mind and take their country on a new course.   That opportunity awaits this President !

Interpreting the Law !

The relentless march of technology has given us the marvels of "3D Printing " which opens a whole new avenue of ability to design and produce "one off "items without the costs involved in former methodology.  Now these machines are to be offered for sale in Australian with a price tag of just $1200.   It is claimed that anybody owning one of these would have the ability of reproduce an exact copy of an AR-15 Assault rifle and the time involved would be just three hours - at a cost of $ 500.

Law enforcement is alarmed.  It was an AR-15 Assault rifle used in the Port Arthur massacre that caused this class of weapon to be totally banned in this country.  The founder of the company considering selling this machine here - Cody Wilson - is aware of it's capacity to produce firearms but says "Neither legally or morally do I have concerns about it ".

Unfortunately, machinery of this nature seems to fall betwixt and between the laws that apply. Many individual pieces of machinery could be used to make a firearm, but they are also capable of a host of other functions.  They only cross a legal boundary when their operator decides to use them for a purpose that breaks an Australian law, and that is already happening.  There is already a contraband industry churning out various weapons that form a black market in supplying criminals. Those people with a well equipped workshop that contains a metal turning lathe and other innocuous tools - and a flair for design - can produce anything from pistols to a very efficient light machine gun.   The prospect of heavy calibre assault rifles being used on our streets is frightening.

The fact that this 3D printer gets a mention as a means of constructing AR-15 Assault rifles might be a promotional gimmick.  To achieve that purpose, it would need to have such an assault rifle available to copy or at least the detailed drawings from which such a design would emerge.   Should it come with the wherewithal to churn out such a weapon it would be a special purpose machine that could be stopped at the border and declared an illegal import.

It all boils down to the purpose for which it is used.  There seems no doubt that 3D printing is a new industry that will find a place in the manufacturing spectrum.   Such machines are already here in Australia and initially they made news overseas when someone used one to produce a plastic pistol. It was crude - and potentially dangerous - but since then the process has been refined and there is promise that the 3D option will find it's way into everything from the development of human body parts to industrial innovations that are otherwise beyond our ability.

We would be wise to treat the import of these machines with care.  They are a new innovation and it is likely that human ingenuity will discover an ever widening field of application - and some of this may be less desirable.  It would not be unreasonable to require them to be licensed, hence the government would have the ability to know where and in what numbers they exist in the community - and whose hands are at their controls.   Such licensing would require notification in the event that ownership changed.

There is also the probability that this Cory Wilson is a very canny businessman.  The reference to his 3D printers ability to copy assault rifles pricked the ears of the media and the message that he intends to offer 3D printers in Australia for just $1200 got a mention in most of this country's newspapers.  The wonders of Google and the Internet would enable prospective buyers to quickly make contact with Mr Wilson, and it is likely that without any further business expense a waiting market will beat a path to his door.

The intent to which new innovations are put depends entirely on the objectives of the purchaser !

The " Food Safety " Issue !

There are a multitude of brands of Tuna on the shelves of Australian supermarkets, but none of them are processed and canned in this country.  Tuna processing is concentrated in Thailand and we are now experiencing a safety scare.  Cases of food poisoning have been traced back to contaminated Tuna and this has thrown the spotlight on the working conditions and hygiene in place where most of the world''s Tuna begins it's journey to world markets.

It is not a pretty picture.  The term "sweatshop "could describe the living conditions of the huge migrant workforce and all the impetus is on speed and cost savings.  There are reports of the process being carried out in warehouses baking in the tropical sun and lacking air conditioning and stock waiting for transport without the protection of refrigeration.  A huge factory processes the multitude of brands, including those we know and have trusted for generations, but there is little difference in the way this range - from prestige to "El Cheapo " are treated in the canning process.

It was not always that way.   We used to have a vibrant Tuna industry here on the south coast of New South Wales.   The fishing town of Eden was home to the Safcol cannery and it employed over two hundred locals and was serviced by a fleet of forty Tuna boats working our offshore waters.  It is claimed that Thai Tuna was deliberately under priced to reduce Australian Tuna sales and force the closure of our cannery - and that happened in 1999.   Another Australian cannery at Port Lincoln in South Australia suffered a similar fate in 2010.

When such an industry closes - it is gone forever.   We live in a world where the vast bulk of groceries are in the hands of giant conglomerates and the bean counters who run them make decisions based on cost savings as fine as a percentage point in the dollar.  An entire industry and the workers who rely on it for a living can be sacrificed in one country if relocating improves the bottom line by a fraction.

That is rationalized by the outlook on globalization.  By that credo we do not make products that require intensity of labour in high wage countries, but this is being distorted by the steady rise of automation.  The workers who attracted industry to low wage countries are being displaced by forms of automation - and such industries constantly relocating to even lower wage areas to keep shaving production costs to the minimum.

The end result is the food safety problem we are now experiencing with Tuna.  The relentless pressure to lower production costs and increase volumes leads to short cuts and unsafe handling of the product.  No doubt the publicity will result in a sharp fall in Tuna purchases in Australian supermarkets and Tuna dishes will be scarce in the catering trade to allay the fears of diners. That would seem an inevitable aftermath of a food poisoning scare, and eventually sales will return to normal once the memory fades.

What concerns many people is the fact that Australia's self sufficiency in food is slowly slipping away.   We are a food growing nation - but now not a food processing nation.   There was uproar when a fruit canning company was threatened with closing it's doors, but the withering away of the many firms that processed Australian produce seems relentless.   Entrepreneur Dick Smith tried to kindle a passion for Australian branded products when he setup production facilities and shamed the grocery duopoly into putting these Australian brands on their supermarket shelves - but the Australian public virtually ignored them - and they no longer exist.

If world events ever threaten the transportation of commerce, we will sorely miss the self sufficiency that once made this country an independent "stand alone "when it came to it's food supply !

Ringing Alarm Bells !

The report by the state Deputy Coroner into the fire at the Quaker's Hill nursing home in  November, 2011 is scathing.   The senior nurse on night duty started the fire that resulted in the death of eleven elderly and helpless patients, despite being the prime suspect in the theft of drugs from the drug cabinet for which he held the security key.   Roger Dean subsequently admitted guilt and is now serving a life sentence.

The coroners report was critical of the depth of security investigation prior to Dean's engagement by the nursing home.  He was terminated from a previous employment because of drug use and this went unrecognised when the nursing home was desperate to fill a night duty slot.  As a consequence, Dean was the employee trusted with the access key to the drug room.

The enquiry also revealed that the nursing home was aware of a drug discrepancy and Dean was suspected of the theft,  but he was not stood down and removed from the premises, and setting the fire was intended to cover his tracks and destroy incriminating records to cover his crime.

Another aspect of this enquiry is chilling.  The nursing home was a modern, purpose built building and yet when emergency services commenced rescue attempts it was not possible to wheel beds and their occupants to safety - because of building defects.   There were difficulties progressing through doors and a ramp exiting one block was too narrow to allow the passage of beds.

This raises the question of how this could be allowed to happen.  A whole host of authorities are involved in the licensing of a nursing home and a strict protocol applies when it comes to the required safety measures that must be in place.  How could a nursing home with access defects be granted approval to operate by both the local council and the Department of Health.   Surely such premises must pass a safety inspection on building completion, and at the time of annual licensing renewal ?

The big question is - how many other nursing homes have similar, undetected problems that will only see the light of day when a tragedy similar to Quaker's Hill occurs ?  As a result of this fire, all new nursing homes are required to have automatic sprinkler systems installed and existing nursing homes have a time frame which requires this fire safety measure.   The burnt building was demolished and there is now a new nursing home on the site - with fire sprinklers - and it has been subjected to a name change.

The coroners report should certainly upgrade the level of security checks carried out on all staff recruited by nursing homes , but this is a case of shutting the gate after the horse has bolted.  Treating the elderly requires the use of all manner of drugs and these include powerful pain killers - and that must be a huge attraction to anyone suffering a drug dependency.  It is essential that the person who serves as the gatekeeper to this drug supply be above reproach, and that can only be ensured if the selection process involves the deepest security analysis.

It would also make sense if every nursing home in this state was subjected to an evacuation check by both council building inspectors and the Department of Health to ensure that there are no inward opening doors to halt the evacuation process and that all exitways are of the required width.

The only good thing about the Quakers Hill tragedy is that it revealed shortcomings that had gone undetected.  Putting that knowledge to use should ensure there will not be a repeat !

Sydney Harbour Bottleneck !

It is not unusual to see up to a dozen ships at anchor off Port Kembla, waiting their turn to use the coal or the grain loading facilities.  It is now becoming a common sight to see giant cruise ships standing idle in Sydney Harbour, moored at the Athol buoy in mid harbour because there simply is no available space at the Overseas Passenger terminal or other points suitable to load and discharge passengers.

The cruise industry has been growing at the rate of at least twenty percent a year and new ships are getting bigger.  The obvious solution would be to open up new facilities on the western side of the Harbour bridge - but the ships likely to come on line in the near future will be too big to fit under our famous bridge.  It looks like we will need to extend the accommodation available in the harbour east of the bridge.

A logical solution would be to allow cruise ships to dock at Garden Island, and in fact there is a two year agreement in place that permits three cruise ships a year to use that facility.   Garden Island is the home port for the Royal Australian navy - and a mix of warships and cruise ships poses obvious security problems. The navy is adamant that Garden Island is essential to our security needs.

There is every indication that the cruise industry will continue to expand. It's popularity seems ever increasing and Sydney is a popular Pacific ocean destination for ships serving world travel needs. The entire planning process of setting itineraries and matching that to ships is at least two years in advance and there is a real danger that if we allow this docking bottleneck to remain unfixed we may lose Sydney as the Australian port of call - to another Australian city.

That would be a financial disaster.  When a cruise ships is in port for a day it disgorges thousands of cashed up passengers eager to see the sights - and spend some money.  The tour operators, restaurants, bars, cab companies - not to mention the vast retailers of the city - make a bonanza, and a huge network of ship providores swings into action to replenish the cruise ship's needs.  The cruise industry is big business to Sydney.

The answer to this problem would seem to be obvious.   For some time the government has been encouraging industry to transfer from harbourside land in Sydney to either Botany Bay or Port Kembla.  Numerous sites are vacant - or about to become vacant - and there is an opportunity to create a new shipping hub to accommodate cruise ships and this will probably involve the creation of new wharfs jutting into the harbour.  Unfortunately, any form of building activity these days seems to stir the public ire and bring forth an army of ecological naysayers !

Sydney has a beautiful harbour, but it must serve the interests of the people and a harbour is the ideal place for a shipping industry.  In the distant past, Sydney served as the hub for our imports and exports, but now that these have been placed elsewhere it is taking on a new role as the home for a fast developing tourist industry.  If cruise ships breathe new life into Sydney harbour, the harbour must make change to allow that to happen.

Immediately this state election is concluded the incoming government needs to bite the bullet and make decisions on how the cruise industry is to be accommodated - and where the required wharf space will be sited.   If we allow this question to get bogged down in party politics or ambushed by special interest groups there is a very good chance that this city will be bypassed as the Pacific port of choice by the growing cruise industry.

The Forgotten Weapon of War !

A century has passed since the outbreak of the first world war and it's incredible loss of life when modern weapons were used on the battlefield for the first time.  Fortunately, one of those weapons was not used when war again enveloped Europe in 1939, but the spectre of "Poison Gas " still haunts military planners.  It is still a very effective weapon - and many old stockpiles still exist.

Asphyxiating gas is legally a war crime because it was outlawed by the Hague Declaration of 1899. It was first used by the German forces on January 31, 1915 against Russian troops.    The chemical used was Chlorine, and it was ineffective because it froze in the frigid temperature prevailing.

Chlorine was used again on April 22, 1915 against French troops at Ypres. It caused panic and opened a seven kilometre gap as the gas killed defenders and caused a general retreat.  This brought no gain because the German troops refused to advance because the gas lingered, and eventually the status quo was restored.   Behind the lines, chemists on both sides were desperately trying to develop an advanced form of gas warfare - and this evolved into the dreaded "Mustard Gas ".

In July 1917 Mustard Gas was used against the British, causing over a thousand casualties.  Unlike Chlorine and Phosgene this heavier than air gas is odourless. Gas masks offer little protection because when it comes in contact with the skin it  results in blisters and exposure, destroys the lining of the lungs and causes blindness.  It is more likely to cause massive debilitation than immediate death, and after the war many victims were totally incapacitated for the remainder of their lives.

Gas proved a capricious weapon. A change of wind direction could turn the attack back on the attacker and it tended to linger in the bottom of trenches - where soldiers were sheltering from enemy fire.  In the first world war it was strictly applied to the battlefield, but if it were to be used against civilian populations living in cities the death tolls could be enormous.   During the second world war, civilians were required to carry a gas mask as a precaution.

Making lethal gases is something freely listed in books on chemistry and we know many countries keep reserves of such weapons.  Warfare has also changed and today civil wars are more likely than giant encounters on the battlefield between conventional armies.  In the Middle East, lethal gases have been used on several occasions in both Syria and Iraq and we are seeing a growing tendency for hostilities to move in and against civilian populations.   If the intention is to cause mass casualties, poison gas would be a credible weapon.

The opponents in the second world war wisely decided to refrain from the use of gas, even in the last stages of the war when desperate measures may have been considered to stave off defeat.  As a result, poison gas has slipped from the mind of most people.  It has become the "forgotten weapon of war "  from a distant age.   We can be sure it has not escaped notice by the present belligerents facing off and urging their adherents to strike at the home base of their enemies.

That is a scenario that must give those tasked with our protection sleepless nights.  Nearly a full century has passed since poison gas was used as a weapon of war.  It would be a mistake to underestimate it's potential as a terror weapon !

Real Estate Law Change !

The rules that apply to the buying and selling of Real Estate in New South Wales are subjected to the interpretation of the "Property, Stock and Business Agents Act "of 2002.   It is noticeable that practically no prosecutions have occurred in recent times, despite the Sydney market far outstripping the rest of Australia with price increased for housing stock.

One of the practices that have become common is to advertise a property on the basis of " Offers over "a nominated price.   This is considered misleading and the revised act will require a firm estimate in dollar terms.   There is also a tendency to mislead the seller with an over generous appraisal of the expected selling price.   If several agents are seeking a contract to manage the sale the one offering to attain the highest return for the owner will obviously have an advantage.

The amended act will make it an offence if the price quoted in the agent's agreement is higher than the price the agent advertises the property.  Agents are required to nominate the price they expect the property to bring when they negotiate the selling agreement which is the basis of the contract for sale.

This revision of the act is aimed at fair play for both buyers and sellers.  Home seekers complain that they are often seriously out of pocket because they have paid for preliminary property searches prior to an auction, only to find that the actual price achieved has been way above their price range - and way above the price range the agent has led them to believe the property would fetch.

To some extent, Real Estate agents may be unfairly blamed because the red hot Sydney property market has been delivering unexpected results.   There are indications that another drop in interest rates is likely and if so there is every chance that it will tempt a new surge of buyers to try and join the home owning bandwagon.  It would take a brave soul to even try and estimate what the median price for a home in Sydney may be a decade from now.

Some people may be disappointed that the scale of commissions for selling a home has not been brought into line with the huge increase in home pricing.  A quarter century ago the average home price was a tiny fraction of what it is today, and the scale of commission was much more realistic. That same scale has been constant despite rising prices and is now out of kilter with the actual costs involved, but it is negotiable - if the seller realises that it is not a fixed cost and seeks a contract of sale on terms in the sellers favour.

Buying houses is also subjected to the usual risks of market variance.    What rises in price - can also decrease in price - as we saw when the 2008 recession hit the economy.   That same warning applies to interest rates.   Over a period of time they tend to range through a cycle, and at the moment we are at a low point in that cycle, but if the world economy picks up it will carry interest rates higher as part of that cycle.

Cleaning up the rules that apply to Real Estate is timely.  It is a highly competitive market - and very volatile.   Both buyers and sellers will appreciate firm rules that govern how properties are presented when it comes to expected prices.  Bidding at auction will still be a lottery and no doubt there will be many occasions where the reserve will be massively exceeded.   Such is the law of supply and demand !

Testing Legal Limits !

It seems that a case will soon be set to make legal history in a New South Wales court.  In June last year two young men accompanied by two teenage boys coerced a sixteen year old girl to accompany them into an underground car park in the Sydney suburb of Liverpool.   The teenage boys waited outside and one of the young men brutally raped the girl.    She managed to call police on her mobile phone and when the police arrived the two young men were arrested - and DNA evidence linked a rapist to the victim.

That is where the investigation faced an impossible situation.   The two men were identical twins, and while the DNA match to the crime established that the owner of that DNA was the rapist, the DNA of identical twins - is also identical.   At this stage of technology, it is impossible to differentiate which twin raped the girl with any degree of certainty.

If the testimony from the victim establishes that she was raped by only one person, then the prosecution has a dilemma.   Obviously the girl can not tell one identical twin from the other and yet the physical evidence clearly proves that both are the guilty party.  It would go against all the tenets of both common sense and justice to charge both with this crime, and yet as far as the principles of science indicate, in a biological sense they are one and the same person.

This conundrum has resulted in bail being granted because magistrates are not comfortable with the lack of certainty provided by the prosecutors when it comes to establishing a case for the matter to go to trial.   No doubt it is also sending both sides of the legal fraternity scrambling for precedence in the law books.   Identical twins have existed for as long as the human race has populated planet earth and it is possible - indeed likely - that some sort of identification issue has vexed the law in the past.

The time factor is now working against a solution.  The crime will soon be over a year old and testimony collected at that time would not have concentrated on identification evidence because it would have been assumed that DNA would have proved guilt.  The recollection of those present is now unlikely to be sharp or clear, and would most likely be successfully challenged by the defence if presented.

No doubt this matter will have attracted keen interest from the judiciary.  Some judges may be keen to sit on such a case and make legal precedent with their decision.   Some defence counsel may be equally keen to deliver the sort of summation that goes into the history books - and elevates their standing to bring them both fame and fortune.

Society being what it is, there is an even better chance that this will never grace the inside of a courtroom.   It is a subject that will be eagerly devoured by the shock jocks of talkback radio and on Facebook and Twitter.    When the public become involved it automatically  moves into the political arena - and here we have two conflicting scenarios that seem ripe for political gamesmanship.

On the one hand an innocent  young girl has been raped - and is seeking justice.   On the other, an innocent young man and a guilty one can not be separated.  Unless the prosecution can find some new form of compelling evidence, a fair trial seems impossible.

It may be that society will have to fall back on an old wisdom that is said to be the cornerstone of our justice system.      " It is better that a hundred guilty men remain free than one innocent serve imprisonment for a crime he did not commit. " !

Poor Judgement !

The ICAC case against leading Crown Prosecutor Margaret Cuneen is nearing collapse.   The hearing was postponed for ninety minutes because ICAC had failed to lodge key documents and this impelled the Chief Justice to describe the omission as a "scrappy hand up ".

This whole matter reeks of personal scores being settled and the NSW Deputy  Premier has seen fit to accuse ICAC of "pretty poor judgement " in pressing ahead with a case that clearly lacked merit.  It comes at a time when decision making in senior police ranks is also under fire.  The people we look to be be totally impartial and deliver justice without bias are showing the propensity to settle personal scores by using their power to involve the courts to blacken characters by guile and innuendo.

Another case of the "tall poppy syndrome " ended up with a judgement by the High Court which will have uncertain repercussions.   Back in December 2012 when the Duchess of Cambridge was suffering morning sickness and was hospitalized  Radio Station 2DayFM Dejay's Mel Greig and Michael Christian pulled an audacious stunt by phoning the hospital and pretending to be the Queen and Princes Charles.    They convinced a nurse who answered the phone to connect them to the Royal patient's ward.

Unfortunately, the nurse that connected that call was mortified - and committed suicide, and since then the matter has swirled around between an examination of the legal aspect - and what punishment should be inflicted on what some consider an "act of gross stupidity "!   The DJ's have apologised and it seems an unfortunate coincidence that the particular nurse involved was highly strung and had previously attempted to take her own life - and this incident finally pushed her over the edge.

It quickly became evident that competitive radio would milk this incident for all it was worth.  It became an issue in the courts and last year the Federal court found in favour of the station and decided that the Australian Communication and Media Authority ( ACMA ) had overstepped it's boundaries in handing out punishment.   This was then appealed to the High Court, and that court has upheld the ACMA contention that it had the power to to make an administrative finding - or express an opinion that a person had committed a criminal offence ".

It seems that 2DayFM may be stripped of it's broadcasting license under this finding.  It is one of the leading stations and if it is forced off the air this will seem a huge overreaction to what was intended to be a fairly harmless gag.  It certainly was not intended to do harm and by pure chance the person who picked up that phone was somebody whom fate had disposed to suffer a nervous disposition that would lead to tragedy.  Hundreds of others may have chanced to take that phone call - and the incident would have been treated as pure comedy on both sides of the world.

Radio lives and dies by the ratings bestowed by listeners.  Performers who drag in audience numbers earn big money - and keeping those numbers tuning in depends on the crazy entertainment offered.
Competitors using this issue to try and damage a rival couldn't care less about the unfortunate death of a nurse.   To them, it is a chance to score a victory and destroy a rival - and that is an aim they will pursue even if it takes years and involves a huge expenditure.

It seems that those in high places who should be earning our respect - in places like the courts, law enforcement and the big end of town -  are just as prone to run personal vendettas and play fast and loose with the truth as the criminal milieu they profess to despise.

Snail Mail. Dearer and Slower !

The writing has been on the wall for letter post since the electronic age ushered in emails and the ability to pay bills with the click of a mouse.  Postage stamps have had four price rises since 2008 - and now the price is about to jump to a dollar and the delivery will take an extra two days. There is the expectation that not only will mail volumes shrink further - faster - but whole industries will see this thrust change upon them.

We are heading into a two speed letter rate.  The present 70 c will increase to a dollar for "Standard "delivery, which will take two days longer to arrive in your letter box, but for those who need a faster service a yet not disclosed "priority " price will apply.  Pensioners and concession card holders will be shielded by a 60 c post charge and Christmas cards will receive a 65 c discount rate.

It seems inevitable that this will convince the last holdouts still paying bills by posting a cheque to move to the cheaper electronic alternative and industry will become more aggressive in moving their accounting to direct debit and electronic billing.  It is quite possible that those who lack computer access will be still offered the old mail billing, but at a premium cost  for what will be termed a "special "service.

An array of magazines still reach readers through the post and these are negotiated on a bulk rate by consultation, but it seems inevitable that this rate will also rise and that can only mean an increase in subscription rates that will drive many to embrace the "e " version in replacing print.  The proprietors of titles such as Time magazine, the Economist, The Monthly, National Geographic - will all face  decisions now that transmission costs are running against the print version.

Then there is the giant greeting card industry, the mainstay of most newsagencies.  Will the increased cost of postage doom the habit of mailing birthday cards ?  Even Christmas cards are fast becoming age sensitive.   The volumes are dropping as the younger generation embraces the novelty aspect offered by the many apps enabling colourful messaging.

The postal service is a big employer of labour and we are yet to learn what cuts will occur to trim the workforce to this new delivery timetable.  It seems likely that the sorting of mail will be reduced to a day shift to avoid the present overtime paid for night sorting, and mail transport between delivery centres will be less frequent.  It is possible that road transport may replace air cargo as a cost measure and mail box clearance times may face time extensions.

We are still retaining the universal cost of mailing from any point in Australia to any address in this country, but now there is a speed option geared to the stamp cost.  A vast quantity of business mail passes directly into post office boxes, but the post office is still required to retain a vast network of mail delivery people and their equipment to hand deliver an ever diminishing volume of letters to every mailbox in every city, town and village in this huge continent.

Basically, Australia post is fast morphing into a courier service.  As the number of postal items needing delivery to a suburb decreases the cost of handling each item steadily increases.  There was talk that mail deliveries might be restricted to each alternative day, but that has not been implemented - so far !   Instead, delivery has been slowed to reduce costs and the letter rate increased - and it is likely that hard headed decisions will see that rate rise further.

We live in a time of great change.  The urgency of what arrives through the mail is steadily decreasing as faster means of communication fill that gap.   Now it is a matter of industry and the public adjusting to a new reality !