Global Warming ?

The Global warming question stirs a mixed reaction in Australian minds, but even those who deny it is a risk to the planet concede that we are experiencing weather change.  The ice at the north pole is retreating, we are getting more severe storms and temperatures continue to break records.  Whether this is a natural phenomenon or - as scientists contend - the direct result of increasing the amount of carbon dioxide ( Co2 ) in the air we breathe is where battle lines are drawn.

It really all started in 1781 when James Watt invented the steam engine - and set off the industrial revolution.   From that point factory chimneys sprouted and discharged smoke and the manufacturing age began.  The horse gave way to the internal combustion engine  and the catalyst for the world we know today - electricity - required the burning of fossil fuels for it's generation.

For a long time, planet earth's defences could cope with the Co2 generated because the tree cover allowed photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen and that other great carbon sink - the oceans - soaked up the excess.  By the 1980's the amount of carbon in the air had reached 350 parts per million - and today it is greater than 400.   If we continue to burn fossil fuels, astronomical future levels are probable.

The problem is that this industrial revolution was not evenly spread.  Europe, America, Australia and Canada grew rich while India, China and most of Asia remained poor and agrarian.  Now those countries are moving into the industrial age the Co2 output is pushing the world temperature above a 2 degree rise and causing the oceans to become acidic.

We have had world conferences to try and bring Co2 under control.   Kyoto in 1997 produced suggested guide lines but lacked any form of enforcement, and Copenhagen in 2009 was a complete disaster.   The countries trying to catchup refused to curb their use of fossil fuels and the repercussions in the rich world were too awful to contemplate.  The conference ended with a meaningless promise to give the issue further thought.

Very powerful interests surround coal - oil - and gas, the three main components that are generating Co2.   Huge amounts of money are invested in the mining companies that extract this resource and it is the life blood of industry generally.  The natural outcome was for industry to fund denial propaganda and this has resulted in eminent scientists on both sides of the argument creating doubt in the minds of the public.

Much in the way the tobacco industry managed for years to obscure the dangers of smoking by challenging the validity of health warnings, global warming has suffered a similar fate.  At the same time, rational science is telling us the awful price we will have to pay if we seriously expect to hold global warming to just two degrees above industrial levels.

We would probably have to revert to a carbon tax and the damage that would do to industry profits and dislocation.  Wind and solar are touted as the answer to electricity generation, but they can not guarantee a reliable base load and some nuclear power generation would need to replace coal and gas to make this possible.   Electric cars - or possibly a hydrogen module - would be needed to quickly replace the internal combustion engine - and that's suitability for use in the heavy trucking industry is doubtful.

The big problem is that there will be a heavy financial cost to each and every Australian if we do bite the bullet and do what is necessary to stabilize the carbon content.  Australia mines and exports coal, oil and gas and we would need to retract from our way of earning a living.  The cost of change would be heavy and carry a bigger tax burden and we would no longer be the "lucky country " in the eyes of the world.   Our wealth - and that includes where our superannuation and investment funds are invested - are in the very products that product this harmful Co2.

Once again the world will meet - this time in Paris - to try and resolve the global warming question. Once again the implacable forces that underpin fossil fuels will combine with the industries that profits from their use to prevent any sort of binding United Nations protocol with teeth from coming into effect.

It is so easy to put off firm decisions when it is the existing people of this planet who will only suffer the marginal effects of global warming.   We are a selfish lot !  We will probably adopt some marginally improved outcomes, but by doing little we will flick pass the misery on to future generations !

Death Spiral !

In an ever changing world old technology gets the flick and that is exactly what is happening to the daily letter delivery service.  We are about to see a whopping forty cent increase in the price of a postage stamp - and delivery to the average home letterbox take another two days.

The reason for sticking a stamp on an envelope and mailing a letter is in a death spiral and the post office system is now making calamitous losses on mail deliveries, only mitigated by increases in parcel deliveries as Online shopping gains momentum.

The move to a one dollar postage stamp will only increase the appeal of paperless billing and the use of email for communications, and it will probably see the end of print magazines such as The Economist and Time, etc.   Mailing rate increases will drive up subscription prices and there is little point in news magazines if they take a huge time lag behind the news services instantly available on Smartphone screens.  The electronic version of these magazines is now in the ascendancy.

A likely casualty will eventually be the delivery of a letter anywhere on this vast Australian continent for a common posting rate.   That applies in few other instances and it was only possible when the sheer volume brought economy of scale - and that familiar postman with his mailbag was a common sight on every Australian street.  Today, the biggest mail volume goes to post office boxes in the centre of each state's capital city.  Personal letters flow becomes ever fewer.

We are fast heading towards the post office morphing into a courier service.   It is certainly successfully competing with the field of companies in the parcel delivery business and who charge for their services on the basis of the size and weight of the delivery item - and the distance to where delivery will take place.    Eventually, this principle must apply to each letter.  Exactly the same costs apply to having the service in place to convey an item from one place to another - and costs vary only by size and distance.

The big question waiting to be answered is exactly what happens to the vast post office network that covers every Australian city, suburb, town and village ?   A long time ago each post office was clearly a government instrumentality but today the average local post office is in private hands and is probably simply a counter is a newsagency or a corner store.    The fact remains, it serves as the focal point of a distribution network that covers the Commonwealth - and that has few parallels.

Even tiny little post offices are busy places with a steady stream of customers using them to pay bills - and recently they added the ability to dispense money from the range of any of the big four Australian banks.  In the past, this was limited to just the Commonwealth bank, but it seems that commerce is waking up to the universality that this vast network has to represent many forms of business on the widest possible scale.

There is every chance that the post office network may become the focal point of access and take advantage of one of the weaknesses of the computer age - the inability of many people to fully comprehend a transaction sitting at a keyboard terminal.   Many who are quite literate in using a computer, would prefer to have their questions answered by a human being who attends to their needs by doing the actual input processing.

There is a welcome opportunity for post offices to become a source of knowledge and the access point for a whole host of government and commercial services - with it's unique spread of outlets that encompass this entire country.   There is simply nothing else that delivers such a commercial opportunity !

Whistling "Dixie " !

Incredible as it may sound, the investigation into serious misconduct at the top echelon of the New South Wales police force has been shelved and the culprits allowed to fade away whistling "Dixie " !
In a face saving gesture the incompetent Police Integrity Commission will be replaced by a new body - the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission  ( LECC ) and the Ombudsman's overlapping ability to investigate police abolished.

Well over a decade ago false documents were signed off by a judge and this allowed the phones, homes and offices of over a hundred serving New South Wales police officers to be bugged.  This intrusion led to failed marriages, false accusations of misconduct over trivialities - and suicides.  It was clearly a ploy to damage competitors in the race to become the next police commissioner.

Millions of dollars and over a decade of court time was spent on a pointless investigation that was programmed not to reach a conclusion.  It is simply laughable that our prime investigative body was unable to follow a clear trail or ask the right questions that would bring a conclusion.   In the murky world of politics and police powers the prospect of justice being served was too awful to contemplate - because of the risk of schism shaking the established order.     We are now told to be satisfied that the investigators have concluded that "nobody did anything wrong " !

What a laugh !  When someone raises false documents they leave a trail and that should result in a quick sheeting home of the blame and remedial action.   The one body with the power to dispense justice to ordinary citizens needs to be squeaky clean and to keep it that way it is overseen by what is often termed "Internal Affairs " but sometimes various other terms.   It seems that the politics of policing in New South Wales consists of power groups capable of intimidating all forms of oversight - and that is really frightening !

The greatest dodge in the world is to simply discontinue one form of control and recreate it in a new form.  Tart it up.  Slap on a new coat of paint and give it a promising new name - and then go back to business as usual !

This Law Enforcement Conduct Commission ( LECC ) will have within it two divisions with power over "Integrity "and "Oversight " and it will be headed by a Commissioner who is either a serving or a retired judge.   The nitty gritty is just what terms of power it will be given, and that is yet to be disclosed.   Having power is one thing.  Being politically able to use that power without hindrance is another - and this shameful investigation that has just ended in a whimper is not an encouraging portend of things to come.

We live in troubled times.  It seems that there is a very real prospect of a world religious war washing up on our shores and common crime is always present.  The police force stands between us and mayhem and keeps us safe at great personal risk.   The men and women who put their lives on the line every time they report for duty have a right to expect integrity from those who command their actions. What we have witnessed in this fiasco is not encouraging !

What Does it Take ?

The road crash assessors calculate that using a mobile phone while driving increases the crash risk by a volume of twenty times.  In particular, driving while texting is the most dangerous, but even having a phone conversation delivers risk because the driver's attention is being diverted from the surrounding traffic conditions.

Progressively, the penalties for this breach of the law have been steadily increased and it now brings a $298 fine, but it is still widely ignored.  Now the New South Wales government has upped the ante and added the loss of demerit points to the penalty, and taken a draconian approach for the coming high risk Christmas period.

From December 24 to January 3 those caught using a mobile phone while the car engine is switched on - even though the car may be stopped on the side of the road - will have double demerit points apply - and lose six points on the spot.  For the 2016 year a three demerit point loss will accompany the monetary fine during normal non holiday policing.

Some people are bemused by that " engine switched on " rule, but it is designed to make it clear that making a call while the car is stopped at lights or parked but waiting to enter traffic will not be tolerated as a valid excuse.  That makes it clear that the car must be totally immobilized for phone traffic to be legal.

All of this legislation applies to mobile phones which are either in a driver's hand or sometimes cupped between shoulder and ear.   It is perfectly legal to have a phone conversation if the phone is attached to a hands free cradle which meets legal requirements - and they are cheap and readily available.   It just seems that few bother to buy and install them, and a view of the road scene reveals widespread abuse of this law.

It will be interesting to see how drivers react to the demerit point penalty.  It could result in an attitudinal change, but probably over a longer time period as license loss consequences sink in. Such was the case when DUI breath testing sought to reduce the incidence of drink driving.   The percentage of drivers caught over the limit has been steadily decreasing and it is now regarded as socially unfavourable.   The tolerance of the past - has evaporated.

There is another even more draconian answer waiting in the wings if the adding of demerit points fails to curb the risk imposed.  A simple electrical addition will introduce a static component that would make mobile use impossible within a vehicle with it's engine running, but that would also impose the same curb on passengers as the driver.   As a last resort, that could become a necessity to be signed off in working order when each annual registration mechanical check is carried out.

It seems that we mere mortals are risk takers.   It stands to reason that having a texting exchange requires a driver to check the screen for a reply - and take his or her eyes off what other traffic is doing, and concentration is definitely shared if a driver is having a heated phone call with his boss or an argument with a family member.   In none such incidents is the proper attention being given to safely navigating the car in traffic.

Unfortunately, we are now accustomed to availability 24/7.   The ubiquitous mobile phone has become a monster that rules our lives.   We need to tame it in the interests of our personal safety !

A New Toy " Menace " !

It seems that the principle of the Segway has been incorporated in the latest fashion toy expected to fly off resellers shelves this Christmas.   They are called " Hooverboards " - motorised two wheelers that look something like a Skateboard that has been designed to go sideways.   They are priced at about five hundred dollars - and they are capable of reaching speeds of 25 kph.

The rider changes direction by leaning in the direction they want to go, and obviously this is a skill that will only be learned by practice - and there is no braking system.   The dangers will be obvious to any reasonably thinking person.    Commonsense dictates that all riders need to be wearing a safety helmet to avoid head trauma.

This concept horrifies the New South Wales Road minister.   It is illegal to ride them on any road or street in this state and conviction comes with a $637 fine, but past history shows that Skateboard riders ignore that law and there is every likelihood that these Hooverboards will be treated in a similar manner.

Even riding them on a footpath or a shared bike track brings problems.  A speeding Hooverboard will be a hazard for other pedestrians, specially the elderly, and like Skateboards it will become unusual to see a rider wearing a safety helmet.   There is the expectation that emergency room traffic will peak as receivers of this year's Christmas presents come to grief during their learning process.

This latest marvel from the toy manufacturers brings inevitable conflict with the framers of our safety laws.   We are quick to ban items that pose a safety hazard from sale in the shops and inspectors regularly check stock and confiscate items they deem illegal.  Electrical wiring that does not meet our safety standards will bring such a ban and toys with detachable components that a child may swallow are disallowed.  Loose button batteries are now high on the list for removal from sale.

It seems that these Hooverboards fall into a strange category.  They are not unsafe in themselves - but are merely a danger in the hands of irresponsible users.    That takes them into a similar category to what are called " Monkey bikes " - miniature motorbikes with a functioning petrol engine that can not be registered for road use, but are sold as a " toy " quite legally.

Kids agitate to get them as presents - as kids will certainly agitate for Hooverboards now that the stores are advertising them as the new " go-go " item, and many parents take the least line of resistance - and completely fail to supervise how they will be used.   There is no point supplying a safety helmet - unless it's use is strictly enforced at all times, and we know how kid's react when conditions of use are imposed.

It seems inevitable that we are about to have a new Skateboard era burst upon us, but this time it is a motorised version.   The Segway never took off for general use, but it found niche appeal as a novelty and now there is the expectation that the Hooverboard will go gangbusters - because it will appeal to a far younger age category.

There is every chance that this year's first item on kid's wish list will leave a litany of serious injuries in it's wake  !

No Winners !

Sometimes it seems that fate conspires to deliver shocking adversity despite our use of reasonable precautions.   A Sydney woman asked her GP to arrange a pre-marriage test for an inherited genetic disorder which had once appeared in her family line.   This was known as Fragile X Chromosone and the tests proved negative, assuring her that she was not a carrier.

She subsequently married and had sons, one born in 2008 and the other in 2011, and later they were alarmed when both failed to meet expected development guidelines.  Testing revealed that both were suffering Fragile X  abnormality, and that will be a handicap that will affect them for the rest of their lives.

Fragile X causes the sufferer to be unable to filter out background noises or visual stimulation, leading to anxiety and emotional breakdown.  They will need intensive care and the family is now suing the testing clinic for it's failure to detect the abnormality, but it is unlikely that the court process will be able to reach finality for several years, until the full extent of the disability becomes clearer with the age of the boys.   The family is asking for an interim pre-trial part payment to help with the costs of caring for the disabled sons.

There are no winners when these tragedies occur.   Somehow a test failed and obviously that was crucial in making a decision on having a family.  Now the outcome is a family saddled with ongoing care and expenses that may last a lifetime and two boys who will never reach their natural potential.  Litigation will wind through the courts for years and will probably be defended by lawyers for the clinic involved.

In the legal arena this will devolve into the usual adversarial contest.  Such is the system of " justice " in our courts.  Lawyers from both sides will delve into the law books and look for precedent - and the final outcome will be far from certain.   Hopefully, the clinic involved will have adequate public liability insurance. Without that, the financial ability to pay could come into question.

It is the human tragedies that will lurk behind the headlines.  A mother and a father whose lives have been turned upside down.  They are facing a lifetime task of caring for handicapped sons and it seems likely that neither of these children will ever attain the sort of life that could be termed " normal ".  The financial costs involved simply don't bear thinking about !

What is so disheartening is that despite this couple making a very sensible decision to have their genetics checked before committing to marriage, the outcome still delivered a tragedy.   Every year, medical science extends the parameters of knowledge and new frontiers are reached.  New fields open up and with them the ability to filter out diseases that were once thought to be part of life's lotto.

Unfortunately, this well publicised outcome will cause a sharp drop in confidence in all forms of testing procedures.  We are likely to see a demand in cases where a family history exists for patients to demand testing at two independent clinics - to eliminate the risk of a single test failure.

War on Weight Loss !

We have become an obese nation and our health authorities are alarmed at the growing numbers afflicted with Diabetes.  The medical profession implores us to change our lifestyles - and adopt a daily regimen that includes a little regular exercise.

That's easier said than done and many people find that working with a personal trainer is the only way to maintain a regular training rhyme.  This is becoming a growing industry, but it is being frowned upon in the city of Sydney.  There are plans to inflict an annual licensing fee on personal trainers and ban them from using beaches, public parks and facilities like stairways.

Sydney council - which insists that we need to replace cars with bike paths - has a very different outlook when it comes to men and women in groups working on weight loss under the guide of a personal trainer.  It plans to limit the group size to just eleven people and impose strict time restrictions.   There will be noise limits to ban the use of whistles and any form of music, exercise equipment will face restrictions on how and where it can be used and stored and there will be distinct limits on the amount of time such groups will be allocated for exercise sessions.

The council seems concerned at the stress that exercise will impose on the grass in parks and public places and there is thinking that if personal trainers are being paid for their services they are running a business - and the council is justified in imposing fees to cover the use of public land by any public profit enterprise.

Sadly, it looks like a very promising way of actually getting people to lose some weight and improve their health is going to get smothered in red tape and restrictions.  It is the " Fun " aspect of group training that gets people started and then the competitive edge kicks in as they compare weight loss between group members.  In a time starved city it is important that this activity be sited in a convenient place - and that means on public land, be it on a local beach or on our vast areas of grassed parkland.

The council claims that the sight of people training in parks is offensive to some people and many activities are restricted for the common good.  Signs warn that it is an offence to kick footballs, play cricket or take a leashed dog into most parks and that bans on exercise groups is maintaining that standard.  That seems to miss the point of why we have parks in the first place - as a venue for public use.

Getting people to take care of their health has had a big boost from television shows like the " Biggest Loser " and at any time there are probably a dozen weight loss diets in vogue.  Currently, finding a personal trainer to plan a weight loss regime is all the rage and this is achieving the results the health industry so desperately needs.   The last thing we need is for a council to deliberately place obstacles in the way to close down such a promising movement.

The council admits that it gets between 30 to 40 complaints a year against training regimes that residents find offensive.   That is minuscule in a city of this size.  Reasonable restrictions on class sizes and venues will prevent excess, but this is activity that should be encouraged - not gazetted out of existence !

Blame it on " God " !

Poor old God must despair at the things being done in his name.   Islamic State in the Middle East insists that he demands that they cut off the heads of Christians and deviant Muslims that fall under their control - and he is definitely a misogynist.  Women they capture only have a use as sex slaves or as servants for holy warriors.  Literally millions have gathered their families and headed for the borders in holy fear as Islamic State threatens fresh territorial gains.

It seems that we in the West got our image of God wrong.  He is diametrically opposed to all things that give humans pleasure.  As a result, they ban all forms of music, movies, television - even kite flying - and insists that human activity be given solely to prayer and praising his image.

The people of planet Earth adopted a variety of religions and the one thing they had in common - was a belief in God !   When countries went to war against their neighbours the chaplains of all religions served their soldiers - and insisted that God was on their side.  For centuries, a belief in God was the mainstay of law and order.  We believed in a benevolent God who was just and fair.  Different religions just had a few different rules in their thinking - and the main thing underpinning religion was the expectation that good people would be welcomed into Heaven in an afterlife.

Now the Islamic State view of their God is seen as a threat to the rest of the world and at the same time the place that God served in ordinary people's lives is ever weakening - and with it the allegiance to the country in which we live.    That old toast to "  God - King - and Country " no longer has meaning.

It seems that God is now about to be withdrawn from the promise young men make when they are enrolled into the Scouting movement.  This encompasses about seventy thousand people who in the past raised their right hand and promised to " do my duty to God and to the Queen of Australia ".

Present thinking is that this conflicts with the " mixed beliefs " that many people hold and may make some feel " uncomfortable " - in both committing to God and pledging allegiance to the Australian nation.   A possible replacement may be a vaguer " be true to my spiritual beliefs " - which covers all bases.

Somehow this rejection seems to be a fellow traveller  with the concepts of multiculturalism  and joint nationality passports.   The very same people who desperately seek the protection of becoming an Australian national and make a solemn vow to uphold the laws of this country when that is granted are quick to attach conditions - after that promise has been made unconditionally.

It was once thought that when a person put their hand on a bible or a Koran and swore an oath to give truthful evidence, the wrath of God would send them to eternal damnation if that evidence was a lie.  That was the basis of our court system and it still applies when people are elected to form a government, officers are inducted into the military - or when citizenship is granted to an applicant.

Now it seems that not only is God to be banished from the Scouting movement but even a reference to serving this nation is considered repugnant and too much of an obligation to impose.  How much longer will those giving evidence in court be required to undertake that traditional pledge of truth  ?

Perhaps God has given up on us earthlings - packed his bag and gone off on a holiday.  Could we blame him ?    These days he seems to get the blame for just about everything that goes wrong !

Dangerous Politics !

The United States has been dragging it's feet in agreeing to accept just ten thousand Syrian refugees and now even that trickle is on shaky ground when Congress voted 289 to 137 to disallow President Obama's bill passage in the house.  It may take a Presidential Veto to force this issue into compliance.

Of all the world's nations, the United States was the country that opened it's doors widely to the dispossessed and homeless.  For more than a century Ellis Island saw an endless stream of the unwanted from other countries create the " melting pot " that became the richest and most powerful  nation on the planet.   This mix of people was immensely creative and America became the source of inventions and trends that changed the world.

That was an America that cherished the " can do " culture.  After the end of the second world war it was the Marshall plan money that rebuilt Europe and whoever held the position of president was freely acknowledge as the leader of the free world.  That was also an era when partisan politics took second place to the national interests.  Compromise and deal making across the aisle was political reality.

That is not the situation today.  The Republican party has captured a majority in both Congress and the Senate and has developed an implacable hatred of all and everything that the President proposes, and a small hard core of Republicans seems prepared to shut down the government and let America default on it's bills, rather than compromise and do " deals " !

Government in America has become " unworkable " at a time when the economy is on a fine balance and major issues need resolution.  Vast numbers of over stayers are illegally in the country and many have been there for generations.  A path to legal citizenship is urgently needed, but that is anathema to one side of politics.   The national budget needs to be balanced and critical money bills resolved but at best these issues are simply " kicked down the road " and left to be settled at a future date.

Next year will be an election year in America and all the indications are that little will change.  Years of boundary gerrymandering mean that few seats have any practical hope of being contested and the main issue will be from which party the president is chosen.    Even if the new president is of the same stripe as the majority in both houses, so deeply partisan has politics become that stalemate will probably remain.   The views held by a small minority do not correspond with the will of the people.

Unfortunately, this political failure in America is happening at a time when American leadership is critically needed to deal with changes in world affairs   China is emerging as the major power in the world economy and fast building a military might that will achieve world parity.   Russia is embracing nationalism and has shown a worrying expansionist propensity, and we now have a religious war in the Middle East that seems likely to develop into guerrilla action delivering civilian terrorism attacks by Muslim extremists.   American has been sending confusing signals about it's intentions.

Vladimir Putin has stepped into the Middle East cauldron with his military might and that could influence matters in ways that we in the West dislike, but if American politics continues in disarray Russia may seize the moment and adopt the foremost leadership role.   Europe is distracted by both the EU problems and the tsunami of refugees flooding in over it's frontiers - resulting in a political vacuum on the world stage.

Basically, a religious rebellion that originated in the mind of a man named Osama bin Laden has expanded to create a growing insurgency that is drawing in players from world countries and has become a declaration of war against the rest of the world.    We look to America to lead the world's response and it is now apparent that political disharmony has neutered the United States decision making process.

Nature is said to abhor a vacuum.  From sheer necessity, the baton of power will pass into other hands !

Our Retreating Medical Defences !

The world got a scare when Ebola broke out in Africa and caused a frantic search for a cure.  We had been warned that the overuse of antibiotics was narrowing their effectiveness and that many diseases were building immunity which would make them " untreatable " !   Despite that, their use in agriculture continued at an undiminished rate and many patients fail to complete the full course, allowing the pathogen to regroup and build immunity.

It seems that there are many new diseases laying dormant in the world and Australians love of travel is bringing some of them home to this country.  A Melbourne man enjoying a hot spring in Macedonia had the misfortune to encounter Pseudomas bacteria which entered his ear canal.   It caused deafness, delivered unbearable pain and started to eat the bone at the back of his skull - and it did not respond to any of the antibiotics we have in our armoury.   Fortunately, a world search cobbled together Ceftolozam, a new combination that suited this particular disease, but we are fast running out of options because few new antibiotics are entering the drug market.

The biggest offender in the overuse of antibiotics is the agricultural industry.  Huge quantities are automatically fed to cattle, pigs and poultry to ward off a range of afflictions and bring them to market size faster, and many animal diseases have a close affinity with those that attack humans. Despite warnings, this industry regards antibiotic use as essential to it's economics and has no plans to curtail use - and that will deliver a human price.

We may be about to see the return of an old scourge - Tuberculosis !    In the early years of the twentieth century this was rampant in Australia and a diagnosis was a virtual death sentence.  It was highly contagious and the only means of slowing it's progress was rest and mountain air.  Many Australians ended their days in sanatoriums high in the Swiss alps, but the states build special hospitals purely for Tuberculosis sufferers and the one in New South Wales still exists as a nursing home at Waterfall.

Tuberculosis is endemic in Papua New Guinea - and the distance across the sea between that country and Cape York is easily accessible by canoe or a dingy, and there is a constant exchange of people trading goods that is impossible to police.  In the past, Australia has provided medical help aimed at Tuberculosis prevention on the offshore islands and this has helped prevent the disease obtaining a foothold on the Australian mainland, but now the disease in Papua New Guinea is developing into a new and virulent strain.  This does not respond to any of the known antibiotics and the medical profession despairs that it is " untreatable " !    There is a very real prospect that this very contagious version will spread to the wide Australian community.

In the Twentieth century we wiped out Tuberculosis in this country.   Mobile X-Ray vans toured cities and towns and the people were urged to have a safety check because the antibiotics available at that time were hugely effective in providing treatment.   If this new format that has developed gets loose in the general community we could see the beginning of a plague similar to that which scourged Europe several centuries ago.

What we badly need is incentives for pharmaceutical research to develop new antibiotics.  The costs are huge and patents deliver a short profit window, hence there has been a decrease in R&D spending. With Tuberculosis again knocking on our door, the urgency to develop an effective treatment is critical  !

Consumer Protection Laws !

A house fire in Newcastle this week has thrown the spotlight on our weak Consumer Protection Laws.  The massive South Korean Samsung conglomerate sold 144,000 washing machines in Australia and in 2013 it issued a recall because moisture was liable to penetrate the control mechanism, resulting in the machine bursting into flames.

Samsung's remedial action consists of placing a plastic bag taped over this control mechanism to prevent moisture entry and the network manual instructs service crews to dry these components with either a hair dryer or a paper towel to remove any moisture present.   Clearly, this is far inferior to replacing the faulty part with a new and improved component.

Sadly, only 67,000 faulty washing machines have been repaired with this method and a vast number of owners are still using machines which are liable to burst into flame at any moment - and the plastic bag repair has failed in twenty-two instances, two of which ended in a destructive house fire.

Whatever happened to out famous " Three R " Comsumer protection policy ?   The purchaser of faulty goods is entitled to return them to the point of sale and make a choice from one of the three R's.     Repair - Replacement - or Refund.   That choice is entirely at the discretion of the customer.

It seems that about 20,000 canny customers have availed themselves of that choice of options, but seeking redress for faulty goods remains reliant on the customer making a claim, and obviously many people are either unaware that they have a lethal washing machine in their home - or are too apathetic to take the trouble to respond to the recall.  There have been hundreds of house fires caused by this fault and surely public safety requires Samsung being required to seek out and fix the problem ?

It seems strange that the Consumer Protection laws that cover all manner of electrical and electronic goods - do not apply to motor vehicles.   We still lack " Lemon " laws, despite them now being in place in many other countries.  A buyer of a new car which is constantly stuck in the dealer's workshop for warranty repairs is entitled to hand it back and demand either a refund - or a replacement.   This has often been promised by our politicians, but the legislation has so far failed to make it onto the floor of parliament.

The Volkswagen saga is a case in point.  The owners of Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda diesel powered vehicles were fitted with deceptive technology designed to give a false reading during emission tests. As a result, these engines are far more " dirty " during routine driving than their owners were led to believe and the scandal has decimated the trade-in value when replacement becomes due.

Volkswagen has agreed to repair this fault, but it comes at a cost to the car owners. Lowering emissions will come at a cost to vehicle performance, and they will use more fuel, and this is on top of a further scandal that fuel economy tests generally bear no relation to the actual fuel use in normal driving. All manufacturers dupe potential customers by specially preparing vehicles to return an economy level that it will be impossible to duplicate in actual traffic driving.

That produces a " Catch 22 " situation.  Many owners will not present their vehicles for rectification because to do so will result in a performance drop and they will continue to harm the ecology by spitting out increased nitrates in our congested cities.   It may take a refusal of registration to round up all these faulty vehicles - and those who bought for their performance value will be far from satisfied.

It is evident that we need to fine tune our Consumer Protection laws.  It is simply unforgivable that thousands of Australians are living with a ticking time bomb in their laundry and that no redress is still available when the second most costly purchase most make in their lifetime - turns out to be a " Dud " !

Weasel Words !

It is generally accepted that speeches made by a country's leader are the official version of that country's view on matters.  For that reason, the content is couched in diplomatic terms and carefully scrutinized by experts beforehand.    The same applies to religion.   The Pope speaks for the world's Catholics and each of the Protestant branches of Christianity have their own supreme leader.

Islam is different.   There is no world leader heading that faith - if you ignore the murderous bandit who has appointed himself  Caliph ruling over what he terms his Caliphate in captured areas of Syria and Iraq.    In Australia, Muslims are led by Ibrahim Abu Mohammed - who is termed the Grand Mufti.

The Grand Mufti has chosen to speak of the terror attacks in Paris last weekend and contrary to both the heads of foreign countries and the range of religious leaders he carefully avoided condemning the carnage caused by cold blooded murder.   He offered his sympathy to the victims and their families, and then went on to try and shift the blame by referring to racism against Muslims and widespread " Islamaphobia"  in the west.

This is in contrast to moderate Islamic leaders in this country who have clearly voiced their rejection of the aims of Islamic State.  The Grand Mufti's words will be seized upon by the small minority of IS supporters and it will do grievous harm to the Muslim refugees that Australia has agreed to settle here.  What many will see an an endorsement of terror will not be helpful in convincing ordinary Australians to accept those displaced by that war and it will foster mistrust that some refugees are terrorists masquerading as refugees.

The aims of IS are quite clear and openly stated.  It is their intention to raise a revolutionary army and conquer the UnIslamic nations of the world and impose a Wahabist version of Islam by force.  The style of this regime is not hidden and they glory in releasing video of the beheading of those they capture and the use of captured women as sex slaves, or being sold off for profit in slave bazaars. They have bizarre beliefs that ban music, television, dancing and most forms of entertainment.  It is their intention to force Sharia law on the world.

The sheer cruelty imposed on those under their control is overwhelming.  Doctors and nurses tending the wounded from both sides and workers from charities feeding the starving are put to death when captured.  The terror attack in Paris which was delivered by a hard core of trained jihadists was planned to create the maximum amount of carnage and was a suicide mission, because each of the attackers wore a  suicide vest and detonated that when capture beckoned.

The duplicitous  use of weasel words by the Grand Mufti must cause dismay in the Islamic community here in Australia - and many will question his motives.   Possibly he may fear for his life if he publicly condemned IS terrorism.  Self preservation is a powerful emotive and there is no question that IS has both the will and the means to do harm to opponents.

There is also the option that he personally supports both the aims and the methods that Islamic State employs in it's mission to force Islam on the world.  If so, he risks driving a wedge into Islam's adherents in this country, many of whom fled their old country to avoid the sectarian violence and oppression that made life a misery.   Nothing will enhance secularism more than a religious leader with views that the faithful totally oppose.

This surprising reluctance to  condemn willful murder for religious purposes will have many Australian Muslims questioning how an Islamic leader gains office ?   Nobody voted Ibrahim Abu Mohammed into power and yet he purports to speak for all Muslims in Australia.    This lack of balance may see moderate Muslims question his relevance !

He has since recanted and finally condemned te Paris attack, but the delay is simply too little and too late to undo the damage done !

Choke Point !

Probably the most dangerous confrontation on earth - apart from the Middle East - is the South China Sea.  This stretch of water bounded by China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines carries a vast volume of the world's sea traffic and it is ruled by the United Nations "Law of the Sea "!

That law confers certain rights to countries and these include a twelve mile territorial limit and a wider economic zone, but it also sets down an interpretation of what actually constitutes the boundary of a nation's sea property.  Islands that are permanently above sea level are included, but rocks and shoals visible above high tide and otherwise submerged - are not !

That brings both the Paracel islands and the Spratleys into contention because many of them are jointly claimed by all of the surrounding countries.  China is ignoring the Law of the Sea and has claimed all of the South China Sea as being under it's jurisdiction by way of what it calls "the Nine Dash Line " which is a mark on an ancient map of dubious origin.

Alarmingly, China has started dredging work on some of these rocks and shoals to reclaim sand and buildup an above water content, and some of the new "islands " are now forming protected anchorages for naval ships and airstrips to accommodate military aircraft.   We seem to have an emerging arms race in the South China Sea.

This has resulted in an ideological clash between China and the United States.  The United States insists that the South China Sea is an international waterway and while China has not moved to obstruct ship movements it is claiming that the passage of a United States warship within the twelve mile limit of some of these islands is both a "provocation "and a "threat " !

A similar situation exists in the East China Sea to the north.   These contain rocky uninhabited islands that  Japan and China both claim - called Senkaku by one country and Diaoyu by the other, and with an interest also claimed by South Korea.  Clashes at sea have caused Japan to rescind it's pacifist constitution and America to plainly state that they form part of the defence agreement between America and Japan.

The logical solution to ending these disputes would be for the matter to be settled by the United Nations under the terms of the Law of the Sea, but America has not endorsed this law and China claims it does not extend to what it considers it's sovereign territory.   It is a classical standoff between two military powers.

China has also claimed the air above the South China Sea.  Commercial aircraft travelling in what is regarded as international air space are urged by China to check in with China air control, but this is ignored by most nations.  The United States makes a point of flying it's military aircraft through claimed Chinese air space and is constantly verbally threatened, but so far there have been no armed confrontations.

This seems to be a danger point for the future.  China is trying to establish a choke point on world shipping traffic which could be used to it's military advantage in a future confrontation.  That old tenet that "possession " counts as nine points of the law comes into play.  China is now occupying the islets that it claims and while it's navy is not as extensive and powerful as America's, parity is likely to be achieved some time in the future.

Once again the United Nations is exposed as a toothless tiger when it comes to settling disputes between the great powers.   What eventuates in the South China Sea - and probably in the East China Sea in tandem - will be settled by the actions of those who head the two great powers involved.

We can only hope that commonsense prevails !

The Age of Terror !

The world was transfixed when images of airplanes being deliberately crashed into New York's World Trade centre flashed on television screens, killing over three thousand people.  It was clear that the Wahabist thinking followers of Islam were declaring war on the rest of the world.

That war took a new turn in Paris at the weekend.  In a carefully coordinated attack terrorists launched killing raids designed to create the maximum number of casualties at six event points in that city.  Four of those were launched at restaurants where diners were sprayed with bullets, one was at a soccer match attended by the French president, where France and Germany were in competition - and the other was the most deadly as it happened in a concert hall where fifteen hundred fans were enjoying a rock concert.

Four terrorists cooley and methodically fired AK47's into the crowd, reloading fresh magazines several times and shooting eighty patrons dead.   They took hostages and continued the executions and when armed resistence arrived they detonated the explosive vests they were wearing.  More than 120 people died in the city as a result of these deliberate attacks.

Here in Australia we have endured both the Lindt cafe siege and the public execution of a civilian worker at the Parramatta police headquarters, but the dark forces of al Qaeda or Islamic State have served notice that they will continue to wage their war on civilian targets.   We can expect more random attacks and it is clearly their intention to push Islamic propaganda by the very unexpected nature of where they will strike.

Religion is a very powerful motive to many people.   Over the centuries, countries have gone to war against each other to try and impose their religion by way of conquest.  There seems little doubt that the Paris attackers had no illusions that they would survive this weekends attacks.  They were willing to die and they had been conditioned to expect that they would be instantly welcomed into Paradise, with the pleasures and prestige accorded holy warriors.  No doubt the expectation that they would each be served by seventy-five dark eyed virgins on their arrival was a comforting thought to young men in their prime of life.

Like most religious dogma, the message is a matter of interpretation. The Wahabist creed is uncompromising and dictates that Islam must be imposed on the point of a sword.  It extols the heavenly rewards for those who offer up their lives in achieving that end.  This strikes a chord with both the ultra religious, and those who are deemed life's failures.   Those with no prospects for earthly success can be persuaded to seek after life glory - from martyrdom !

For a while, Paris will be a subdued city with many citizens reluctant to mix in crowded venues, but similar to New York after 9/11 life will eventually return to normal.  Unfortunately there is every prospect that the religious wars that are being enacted in the Middle East will continue indefinitely and the extremists will continue to recruit disillusioned young people from the west.  They have been very clever in using social media to spread their message and they now have an active core in most world countries.

It seems that random attacks are the price we have to pay to maintain our Australian lifestyle and not bend to Wahabist rule.  It is important that we keep a balance and not blame all Muslims with the sins of these extremists.  Every time one of these atrocities occur they cause moderate Islam to break the code of silence and it is noticeable that our security services have been keeping terror in check.   Our local terrorists are well aware that there is an unseen presence - watching and waiting !

In today's world, what used to be termed " the civilian population  " is now just as much in the war front as the troops in uniform.  Such is life in this twenty-first century !

Starting School Age !

Once again the age that children start school is under the microscope.  In New South Wales the minimum is set at four years and six months and that is the lowest for all the Australian states and Territories.  There is a strong body of opinion that it should be raised to six years.

A study of Danish children returned a finding that those starting their schooling at age six had a seventy-three percent decrease in inattention and hyperactivity.  It was reasoned that this increased maturity of young minds allowed children to quickly settle into the school routine, particularly as mental development is not uniform in it's timing.   Some children may be "ready " for school months earlier than others, and a poor start may influence the outcome over their entire school life.

It is one of the peculiarities of Australia that we have entirely different curriculum's as well as starting ages across the range of states and Territories.  All efforts to achieve uniformity have so far failed and we can not even agree on the books that are required reading. Families that move from one state to another for employment reasons have the daunting task of trying to assimilate their children into an entirely different schooling system.   The logic of achieving uniformity in education is unassailable.

Unfortunately this entails a clash of ego's.  Each state education system claims that it is superior and should be the standard chosen.  It also occupies an important segment of the job market with both the number of teachers as well as the huge support bureaucracy that underpins education.   This involves strong unions which are resistant to any sort of change.

This question of the age at which children start school has interesting ramifications.  It is closely tied in with the scarcity of pre-school and kindergarten facilities, and the cost associated with gaining access for a child.   It is a huge expense for a working parent and obviously this is lifted the moment their child can make the move and start his or her education in a state provided free public school.  Should the entry age be increased to six years, many parents face a fee impost from which the entry age presently delivers relief.   Having children remain in pre-schools and kindergartens for many additional months will also aggravate the existing place shortages.

The benefits of a school starting age increase to six years are hard to quantify, but as every parent knows children quickly settle into a class pattern that endures for their entire school life.  There are some children at the leading edge of learning - and some dragging along at the tail of the field.  It stands to reason that any child struggling to adjust to schooling because of immaturity is likely to fall into that lower category, and once there - remain at that level indefinitely.   We may be doing harm if we send a child to school before they are ready to meet that challenge.

There is growing concern that Australian education may be out of step with the rest of the world, and in particular - with the standards that apply in Asia.   The hours of schooling here are minuscule in comparison with many of our near neighbours and it is these people we will need to compete with in the jobs market of this globalized age.

We will do our young people a disservice if we fail to meet the challenge and create a national education system that delivers a world standard !

Unlicensed Tradespeople !

It seems to be a very familiar lament.  A householder engages what he or she believes is a licensed professional to do work on their home, only to find that the quality falls far short of expectation and the contractor walks off leaving the job unfinished.   Very often, the work done is so shoddy that it requires demolition and a completely new start.

Fair Trading urges people to be very careful and obey good business practice before letting any contract - but that is easier said than done.   It is common for a license number to feature prominently on business cards, quotation documents and invoices, but in many cases this relates to a valid professional who has retired, or someone who has long gone out of business.   Unless the contractor has a sordid business history it is unlikely that Fair Trading will be aware of this deception.

Contractors are legitimately entitled to a deposit before the start of work and generally ten percent of the contract price is normal, and progress payments are required as the work proceeds to pay for the materials used.   It is a clear warning sign if the contractor is demanding excess payments far in advance of work completed, or asking for the entire contract money to be paid prior to completion.

One of the scams commonly used by unscrupulous builders is to contract for work far in excess of their qualification ruling.  It is normal for the less skilled to be limited to jobs under $1000 to allow them to do maintenance work in the capacity of carpentry, but in some instances they have undertaken contracts to build home extensions in the $200,000 price range.  Working beyond their skill set creates a litany of mistakes that multiply as they use desperation measures by way of recovery action.   The end result is usually a financial disaster.

Another scam involves constant business name changes.  A shonky builder finding that his company is gaining notoriety simply chooses a new name and has appropriate business identification cheaply printed.  In many cases, trading continues under a multiplicity of names to muddy up past business history and make references hard to check.

We go to a lot of trouble to authenticate documents such as driving licenses and passports.  The expertise exists to make these difficult to forge and the same technology should apply to business licensing.   We need to provide valid identification to gain both a passport and a driving license and a similar requirement should apply to a photo identification card that not only names the person who is licensed to provide the type of service for which he or she is registered, but also the trading name of the company involved.

Should a licensed contractor register the name of a new company, the entire card issue regimen would need to be repeated to ensure that both the person and the company undertaking work is identified clearly on the license they show to prove their qualification to contract.

A license to trade is an important document intended to safeguard  the public.   It is equally important that it be subjected to the same security at point of issue as driving licenses and passports.  That is the only way we have a hope of driving dodgy contractors out of business !

The " Nuclear Waste " Question !

It seems ridiculous that for sixty-five years successive Australian Federal governments have been putting the question of nuclear waste disposal - in the "too hard " basket.  Of all the world's countries, we are unique in having an entire continent at our disposal and it is probably populated with the lowest number of people per square mile than anywhere else on earth !

A number of remote places have been nominated over the years and in every case this has resulted in a huge scare campaign by the residents of the state involved.   The Greens and other environmental groups whip up a fanciful scenario which panics otherwise sensible people and threatens a political backlash.   Governments cave in - and decisions are put off until another day.

It would be helpful to understand exactly what is involved.   We are talking about nuclear waste that would occupy the area of two Olympic size swimming pools and this is what is termed "low level nuclear waste ".   It may pose a hazard to those who come into contact with it for many hundreds of years, but properly shielded it is harmless.   At present it is stored in the basement of hospitals and universities in steel drums, and at the only Australian nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights in Sydney - and has been for years without incident !

Now the government has short listed six possible permanent disposal sites that range from New South Wales to Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory.   One of them is Sally's Flat, 260 kilometres west of Sydney.   Expect a furious political campaign from the anti nuclear movement to convince residents of this state that if this proceeds we will all die of ground water contamination or terrorist action that will release the nuclear genie to wreak havoc with our health.

There are a few basic rules that apply to nuclear waste disposal.   It is not a good idea to bury it in the ground because it could leach into ground water, and for the same reason dumping it in the sea is out of the question.   The safest method would be in an above ground warehouse type building - with adequate security from intruders. The waste is contained in steel drums and represents used hospital isotopes and university science laboratory waste, and of course spent fuel rods from the Lucas Heights reactor.

Whatever facility is finally chosen, it will require a building with security features and a permanent deployment of guards to ensure it is safe from intruders.   Even this low level waste is of interest to terrorists because it could be used in a "dirty bomb " when mixed with conventional explosives.  In that regard, it is probably less secure at present because it is scattered over more than a hundred sites, none of which have special security in place to prevent it's removal.

There would be a degree of logic at storing this nuclear waste at one of the sites where atomic bombs were detonated in Australia at the dawn of the nuclear age.   In particular, Woomera has a decreasing nuclear area of contamination and is still partially closed to the public.   It has good permanent roads to allow easy transit of materials and is within easy reach of existing Australian defence facilities.

For far too long the nuclear bogey has been exaggerated by nuclear opponents.   We have a small degree of nuclear waste and we will continue to generate more as medical science uses this life saving technology, and we need to bite the bullet and create a storage facility where it can be safely stored into the foreseeable future.

Anti Dog Laws !

Sydney councils are virtually legislating dogs out of existence in this city.   Bondi Vet Christ Brown comments that we are "forty to fifty years behind the rest of the world "!   In Europe and the United States it is perfectly legal to take your dog with you when you drop by for a cup of coffee in a cafe or restaurant, but that is banned by a thicket of by-laws in this city.

The ban extends to dogs carried in taxis or on public transport and the number of areas designated for "off leash " exercise is noticeably dwindling.  This is despite clear evidence of the necessity of allowing dogs the freedom to run free as part of the training that creates good social manners and makes them cooperative social animals.   The number of households with a dog as a pet has steadily declined in recent years.

Few dog owners who do not own or drive a car can access an off leash area.  What few exist are remote from living areas and are usually subject to strict timetables, only open in the early morning or late evening.  At the same time, motoring by-laws demand that even the tiniest lap dog carried in a car must be secured by a special animal harness, similar to the seat belt regime required for humans. Draconian fines are imposed for ignoring this law.

It is freely acknowledged that a companion animal has enormous value in combating stress and the pressures of city living.  It is a cure for loneliness and is a useful tool in treating various types of mental illness.  It is in the nature of dogs to be loyal and attentive to their owners and a custom has developed of having a resident dog in many retirement villages for the benefit this brings to the aged residents.

Strangely, we have just amended the laws that apply to apartment living to stop body corporates issueing total "no pets " bans that prevent residents sharing with a dog or a cat as a companion.  It makes little sense to allow the freedom to own a pet and at the same time impose a regime that virtually forbids most forms of exercise.   Taking a leashed walk on a city street is a poor substitute for chasing a ball or running free in a park.

The days of owning a house on a quarter acre block is fast diminishing for city residents.  The future is clearly more of the "vertical village " concept and with the relaxation of pet ownership laws for apartment living we are likely to see more conflict between the owners of pets and the councils where they reside.

It seems to be human nature to break what we consider "bad laws "!   Desperate owners are likely to resort to giving their dog a run in a city park late at night - and their revenge motif could be not picking up after their dog has done it's business on park lawns.  Would it be too much to ask to set aside a dog exercise area in reasonable proximity to where the mass of people live ?

The dog is allowed to live harmoniously with humans in Europe and the rest of the world and yet we seem determined to legislate it out of existence here in Australia.   Perhaps an attitudinal change would go a long way to solving some of the problems that can be alleviated by the presence of a companion animal !

A " Foreseeable " Event !

This week the long suffering Australian taxpayer got an at least million dollar hit in the pocketbook when a riot left our detention centre on Christmas island - a smoking ruin.  With hindsight, this was an almost inevitable event given the change in circumstances that had occurred.

Christmas island is our foremost holding centre for asylum seekers who arrive here unannounced by boat - and it is constructed accordingly.   It is not a prison, and it is held to a level of security consistent with housing civilized people. The guard and service force comes from a private security company and their men and women are lightly armed with batons and capsicum spray.  There is the expectation of demonstrations from time to time, but Christmas island has not ever been considered a major security risk.

All that changed when a decision was made to hold people we intend to deport at this centre. Many of these were hardened criminals who have served time in Australian prisons and most were actively opposed to being deported.   It was sheer inevitability that they would react by creating a riot and they had the skill and resources to take control and force the civilian security people to retreat for their own safety.

One of the asylum seekers at this centre had the misfortune to fall to his death from a cliff after he tried to escape and this was the excuse for the riot.  Windows were smashed and fires lit and a huge damage toll taken of buildings and their fittings.  A big contingent of Federal riot police was flown to the island to regain control.

The aftermath is telling.  Of the 119 awaiting deportation, 113 had been convicted of serious crime and their residency permits withdrawn - and in some cases their citizenship cancelled. 11 were held because they were previously armed robbers. 27 had committed serious assault.  5 were child sex offenders. 9 had a history of grievous bodily harm to others. 2 had been convicted of manslaughter.  4 of rape and 9 for common theft.

This hard core criminal group completely changed the nature of a detention centre to that of a prison - and nothing else changed.  What the people who designed the Christmas island holding facilities intended as a "soft " facility to hold convivial refugees hopefully awaiting a decision on their acceptance status faced hardened criminals mixed with the general population and no extra upgrade of the security force to maintain order.

Moving deportees to Christmas island seemed to be a desperation move.  Our turgid court system seem to countenance endless appeals and our overloaded prison system completely lacks the facilities to contain the prisoners flowing through the courts.   Many of these deportees are rich from the proceeds of crime and they will engage the best lawyers to play delaying tactics.  If given bail, they will simply disappear into the diaspora of overstaying visa holders and the criminal element hovering on the fringe of society.

What is urgently needed is a law change.   Once a deportation order is served it should be acted upon immediately.   Then the lengthy appeals process can run it's course - from whichever country the applicant is now calling home !

The " Crowdfunding " Option !

So - You have a brilliant new idea that nobody else has thought of and you see yourself as becoming fabulously rich like Mark Zuckerberg or Donald Trump.   There is just one small obstacle standing in your way.   You lack the money necessary to develop this promising innovation and bring it to market !

You could go to one of the banks and seek a loan, but unfortunately our banks are not the most innovative people.  Their lending practice is stuck to a precise formula that only seems interested in collateral.  What you need is what is called an "Angel Investor " - someone with both money and the foresight to share your dream - and bring it to fruition.

In recent times an innovation called "Crowdfunding " has appeared overseas.  Clever people have the option of appealing to the public to fund their startup on a direct basis rather than through a company listed on the stock exchange.   Perhaps this is the answer to both parties.   Interest rates offering are so lousy that many people are prepared to accept a higher risk in exchange for an opportunity to increase returns.   Unfortunately, until now that option was not available in this country.

Legislation is proceeding to make Crowdfunding here a reality.  Mum and Dad investors will be limited to placing funding to a maximum of $ 10,000 in local businesses needing to expand or to startups that they consider have merit and are likely to succeed.   It is likely that there will be a restriction on size and companies with assets above five million dollars will be excluded from seeking this form of finance, and intermediaries who process the legalities will need to be licensed.

This is a whole new ball game.  Equity financing by using the stock exchange is a mystery to many people, but buying into the needs of traders in your local shopping centre who wish to expand or modernise is an entirely different equation.  More importantly, the people investing can keep track of progress because their money is going to work locally, right before their eyes.

There is certainly a risk factor, but Crowdfunding will offer a wide spread of different sized opportunities.  The capital needed for some projects will pool many investors to reach the required funding level but others may involve a single investor to get a project off the ground - and therefore the lender could expect to be involved in day by day decisions.

Hopefully, this legislation will be phrased to offer protection against " fly by night " operators trying to fleece the public.  Investors need to carefully consider each funding proposal and evaluate what is being offered.  It may be a nominated rate of interest on the funds invested, or it may be on a profit share basis - with the investor owning what is really a share of the business equity.   That is the great value of Crowdfunding to both parties.   It offers "opportunities " that are not available in the general money market.

Crowdfunding is not for the faint hearted.  Not every "great idea " actually morphs into a viable business, but it does offer an opportunity for the the wise and far sighted to invest outside the limited returns offered by fixed term deposits and government bonds.   Hopefully, common sense will prevail and that old maxim of "not putting all your eggs in the one basket " will apply !

Mental Health Backwater !

What was the outcome when a twenty-five year old man made a totally unprovoked attack on a woman who is a successful author innocently walking an Australian street ?   He was grabbed by the police and put before a court - who decided he was mentally ill and sent him to a psychiatric ward for evaluation

That destination - and often the repository for murderers who are deemed insane - is usually Cumberland hospital in Sydney's west.  This 1960's built institution is crumbling, overcrowded and is a danger to the nursing staff.  It is not unusual for staff to suffer personal attacks and recently ten of the nation's worst mentally ill were crammed into a six metre by six metre lounge and dining area. That is a certain recipe for disaster, and this hospital has no backup generator in case of a blackout.

Unfortunately mental health is not a fashionable aspect of medicine.   The media are quick to run a news story detailing amazing new drugs that offer hope to sufferers of formerly incurable diseases and the relentless march of science in surgery and procedures is the sort of "good news " that sells magazines and newspapers.

The mentally ill are something the public do not wish to dwell on.  In many cases they are relegated to a similar status to those who abuse drugs or alcohol.   Usually, when they appear before the courts because their affliction has drawn the attention of the police, we dismiss them as mere criminals.  We assume that they will be processed through a psychiatric ward somewhere, and probably end up in a prison.   We are only concerned when mental illness strikes family or friends.

Once again Cumberland hospital missed out in the recent allocation of health funds.   Nearby Westmead got nine million dollars for an upgrade, but Cumberland is still on the waiting list for urgently needed renovations - and replacement seems an impossible dream.  The conditions staff work under can be described as life threatening.

One of the nurses has spoken out after being attacked by that man who attacked that author in the street.  She suffered facial injuries, eye damage and was diagnosed with bleeding on the brain, and this was just the most recent injuries inflicted by out of control patients.  In past incidents she has received a broken nose - and her life nearly ended in a strangulation attempt.

Basically, Cumberland hospital is simply what used to be called a "lunatic asylum ".   That is no longer a fashionable term.   Our main psychiatric hospital was closed down years ago and now the mentally ill are treated in suburban day centres, but we still need a place of restraint for those who threaten to inflict unprovoked violence - and it seems that Cumberland hospital is a ghost from the past that the authorities choose to ignore.

There are no votes to be gained from a news report that funding has been allocated for repairs to a mental hospital.   That pales into insignificance beside the introduction of a new wonder machine that diagnoses the depths of the human body and costs millions to install.   There is a distinct perception in public minds that spending on psychiatric patients is somehow a waste of funds that should be diverted to mainstream medicine.

We are big on demanding workplace safety - and we have statutory authorities that police worksites to ensure that the rules are followed.    The conditions staff endure in Cumberland hospital would not be tolerated by either the unions or the public - if a trained nurse lost her life in a patient attack.  Unless improvements are urgently made - that is a distinct possibility !

Curbing I.C.A.C. Arrogance !

When New South Wales premier Nick Greiner setup the Independent Commission Against Corruption it was intended to delve into levels of crime that pervaded the world of politics and big business, and to achieve results it was given powers similar to that of a Royal Commission.  It's powers to extract answers from those called before it were draconian - and it's head once described it's methods of gaining evidence as being similar " to pulling wings off a butterfly " !

It is said that " power corrupts - and absolute power corrupts absolutely ".   Many who have fallen victim to an ICAC investigation charge that it has moved beyond the realm of conduct that we associate with the courts and has become dictatorial - and that it's findings can not be challenged. That the very power in it's hands is now a weapon of arrogance and is used to serve personal vendettas.

A case that drew the full ICAC firepower tended to illustrate that complaint.  Margaret Cunneen was a gifted public prosecutor who worked closely with ICAC.  When her sons girlfriend was involved in a minor car accident ICAC claimed that Cunneen had advised her to claim chest pains so as to be taken to hospital and avoid a breath test at the scene.  It was claimed that this was a " perversion of the cause of justice ".

This was denied by all the parties involved and when the accident victim was taken to hospital she was automatically given a blood test, which revealed that she was alcohol free.  That was an outcome that would have been perfectly clear to Cunneen, hence such advice - if given - would not have avoided the test required by law.

ICAC was relentless in it's pursuit of Cunneen.  Eventually the matter found it's way to the High Court, who delivered a verdict that ICAC had exceeded it's powers and cleared Cunneen.   Despite this, the vendetta continued and it seemed clear that ICAC considered itself above the highest court level in this country.   It was a clash of monumental egos.

This Cunneen vendetta has come full circle and now it is ICAC which is in the sights of parliament taking aim to curb it's arrogance.  There is a move to increase the powers of the person tasked with being the ICAC Inspector to publicly rebuke the body - and where necessary reverse it's decisions.

This is probably a classical example of the dictum of " who watches the watcher " !   When ICAC was formed the whole attention of it's creation was on giving it the powers to go after and seek out evidence to deal with crime at the highest level.   It would be dealing with people of power and influence and it would need coercive methods to compel them to produce documents and answer intrusive questions on their business activities.

As so often happens when excessive power is granted, the " end justifies the means "  philosophy comes into play.  Margaret Cunneen suffered humiliating persecution in what could be termed high level bullying that took the action of the Australian High Court to adjudicate.   The natural outcome of that clash is putting the curbs in place to reduce ICAC'S formerly unlimited powers !

Privacy - and Computers !

There is no doubt about the benefits of having every Australian's medical records on a national database.  When we change general practitioners a quick mouse click will put our new medico much more aware of our medical history than we could possible remember, and should we be unfortunate and end up unconscious in the hospital emergency department that information could be life saving.

The sticking point is that the hacking industry is capable of breaking through even the most secure firewall, as the Ashley Madison scandal shockingly indicated.  People using that website to cheat on their partner and arrange an " affair " had the details publicly exposed for all to see.  The privacy people warn that a similar disclosure could await each individuals medical records.

There is a big difference between national espionage, the salacious peccadilloes of men and women exchanging forbidden sex - and the boring medical records of the ops and medication very ordinary citizens experience during their lifetime.  That may be of interest when it involves celebrities but the trial of a medical database set to start in 2016 has been moved from an " opt in " to an " opt out " choice for each individual.   It will be a personal choice whether you consider the benefits worth the risk that someone could one day have a look at your medical records - and if you have privacy doubts you need to express that option.

The crime industry has reason to worry now that computers are being tasked with tracking the source of wealth.  For a long time, successful criminals flaunt their lifestyle by living in great mansions, driving exotic cars and owning " toys " that cost a fortune - but having no discernible sources of income.

All the states and territories are in agreement on implementing a national law that requires any person to explain the legal acquisition of what they own - with the outcome that it can be confiscated - if it can not be explained.   That delivers their worst nightmare to drug bosses and those in receipt of bribes in unions, industry and the public service.

In the past, criminals usually explained the sudden acquisition of money as a gambling win.  This recent running of the Melbourne cup by a hundred to one rank outsider would be a typical " miracle " win that delivered a motza, but today the computer will quickly disprove such an alibi.   The claimant would need to detail exactly what bet - placed at exactly which TAB terminal or with which bookmaker - and at what time - and have that correspond with the the computer payout records.  The net is tightening - and the tax commissioner will no doubt be just as interested as the police in determining if the appropriate tax has been paid on that income.

It seems that privacy is a double edged sword.  We are reaching the stage of accepting that no data base is secure from hackers if it has an outside connection to the Internet.  No assurance that a system is " safe " is now credible and hence when something like that medical data base becomes a reality it is up to each individual to evaluate the benefits against the " risk " involved.   In that respect, medical records are simply just another item accompanying our financial records kept in our banks database and the files of the taxation department, all of which are also vulnerable to disclosure should hackers penetrate those institutions.

The fact that putting our medical records on the Internet will be an " opt out " probably means that only those with advanced privacy concerns will bother.   The average person will rightly concede that their medical records are of little interest to others !

Defining " Crime " !

The New South Wales prison system is at crisis point.  Put simply, our jails are full and holding 12,140 prisoners and the overflow is now spending up to three hundred hours in the cells of police stations, with police officers tasked with both guarding them and ferrying in fast food to keep them fed.

We tightened bail laws after it was found that many granted bail were continuing alarming criminal activities and a " lock them up " mentality from voters put politicians under pressure.  At the same time, budget shortfalls led to the closure of Parramatta prison in 2011 and Kirkconnell in 2012 and the downgrading of Grafton.  To ease pressure, Kirkconnel has been reopened to provide 260 additional beds and Grafton extended to take an extra 90 prisoners - but our prison system is still below the capacity to hold those who are refused bail.

Corrective Services are contemplating increasing capacity by ramming three prisoners into cells originally designed to hold a single prisoner.  At present, such cells have been doubled up to hold two people and with three it will be similar to Sardines in a can.  Considering that many in the prison population have psychiatric problems and are seriously unbalanced, this will actually put prisoners in danger and elevate the liklihood of riots and bedlam that are a scourge of many overcrowded prison hell holes in other countries.

Prison should be the last resort available to a judge considering the sentence to be imposed on a person who has committed a crime - but defining a " crime " means many different things to different people.  Many people serving time in our prisons are guilty of  offences like habitually driving a car when their license has been suspended, while others are there for what really amounts to failure to pay money owing.

A " Community Service " sentence was supposed to weed out minor criminals from the herd and have them serve their time on a sort of weekend detention.  They would report at a given time to Corrective Services officers who would supervise them doing tasks such as clearing overgrown long abandoned cemeteries or doing civic projects that were beyond the financial resources of local councils.  This was partially successful, but many failed to show and it seems that this crowding problem prevented a prison penalty for such a failure to eventuate.

We need to consider an intermediate option that has been very successful in Scandinavian countries. Prisoners under sentence for non violent crimes and what are termed " social issues " serve their time on a prison farm with low security.   These are productive units tasked with supplying the needs of both the hospital system and other prisons and are a reward for good behaviour, but should a detainee escape, automatic imprisonment for a much longer sentence would be served upon recapture.

Our present prison system lumps together those who committed shocking murders with white collar criminals who fiddled the books and stole an amount of money.  The only differential is the grade of prison to which they are committed - with the very worst housed in the Supermax at Goulburn.  Our prisons are often termed the " University of Crime " because young men serving their first term often emerge as hardened criminals.  It would be helpful to break that nexus.

Isolation from family and friends is in itself a form of punishment and many would respond well to entering into a trust arrangement, serving time with lower security, but with the certainty that abusing that privilege will see them inside a very grim prison for a very long time.

Perhaps our " once size fits all " method of imprisonment needs thought !

Sharks - and the Economy !

The recent spate of shark attacks on the New South Wales north coast has caused people to avoid the water and this is having a detrimental effect on the multi-million dollar tourist industry.   A survey of eighty nine businesses serving that industry reveals that over fifty percent have seen a savage downturn in customer numbers - and consequently business turnover.

Hotels and resorts have seen a drop in booking numbers as customers choose a different mode of holiday and in particular, dive schools and surfing training clubs have seen numbers drop precipitately - the fear of sharks is the stated reason for cancellations.

This business community is hanging on by it's teeth with the start of summer just weeks away.  The promise of shark nets and other forms of water safeguards is critical to restoring confidence, but any form of surfer protection is being vigorously opposed by Global Warming alarmists and the Greens. Some scoff and attribute this drop in business to poorly trained business owners who fail to give good service and charge extortionate prices.

The Greens seem to think that the ecology should take precedence over the economy.  Great White sharks are at the apex of the food chain and anything that decreases their numbers is likely to hasten global warming.   According to that argument, sharks maintain the balance of other sea creatures and if their numbers drop we will see a vast increase in bottom dwellers - Stingrays, Turtles and Crabs - which eat the marine vegetation which sequesters huge amounts of carbon dioxide.   The odd surfer getting eaten by a shark is the price we have to pay for a cooler planet !

Marine scientists have not been able to explain why our north coast has been the venue for recent shark attacks, while a similar occurrence has not been happening in other areas.  It could be that the great schools of bait fish have chosen to swim closer to the coast, attracting the sharks to follow or it could be an expansion of Great White numbers making it necessary for these solitary predators to establish new territorial waters.

Plans are in play to try a variety of measures to try and deliver beach protection.  One of them will be shark nets off some beaches, but there will also be trials of bubble curtains and electrical inhibitors to persuade sharks to turn away from populated areas.  At the same time, visual sighting methods will be employed to give surfers early warning - and we may see the return of the old time " shark bell " to clear the water when a shark approaches.    Regular fixed wing aircraft and helicopters will surely convince many people that it is safe to return to the water.

The important thing is to get these protective devices in the water - fast.   Too much time is elapsing in argument over the various methods to be employed and time is being wasted hearing specious arguments from those opposed to any new measures.   These shark attacks may be a natural phenomenon associated with some unknown factor that applies to the north coast, or it may be a change of shark activity that will broaden over a period of time, but what we need for this coming summer is a trial of combative measures - in place quickly - to restore confidence and repair the damage that is being done to the economy.

What potential swimmers and surfers are waiting to hear - is that safety measures are now in place and being tested to repel sharks.   The sheer survival of many north coast businesses also depends on that happening !

Bat - Out of Hell !

Some people think they are cute !   Others of a more superstitious mind associate them with witches, along with black cats and broomsticks.   They are something that is rarely seen but every night in summer the skies over Sydney are alive with Bats on their journey from their roosting places in trees to feast on fruit - wherever that can be found.

We even have laws to protect them and many a development project has been shelved because it might interfere with Bats who have residence nearby.  Unfortunately, they have disgusting personal hygiene habits and anyone living near a Bat colony is well aware of the smell from their droppings and the dangers that they pose.

Their depredations cost fruit growers big money and even private citizens with a few fruit trees in their gardens know that the harvest will be lost unless they go to the trouble of putting nets in place to ward off Bats.  They are nomadic animals, and have a tendency to change roosting places with little notice, usually because food has become scarce in proximity to where they previously lived.

Unfortunately, the common fruit Bat is also known to be a carrier for Lyssavris, which is a disease very similar to Rabies.  Recently a WIRES animal handler encountered a Bat exhibiting very aggressive tendencies and this was found to be affected by Lyssavris and was put down, but there is every chance that this disease may spread through Bat colonies - and summer is the Bat breeding season.

Essentially Lyssavris is a disease with similar characteristics to Rabies - and it is fatal to humans.  So far this year 383 New South Wales residents have been treated for Lyssavris exposure and in every case the common source of the infection was by way of exposure to Bats.  It is quite possible that the climatic change associated with global warming may hasten the incidence of Lyssavris spreading through the Bat population.

It is worrying that we are seeing this form of aggression present in infected Bats.  It is a clear warning to avoid these animals and in particular children should be taught to not approach a Bat caughtup in any form of netting or which may have managed to snag itself on wire netting.  Handling any Bat should be left to the experts in WIRES who have the training and equipment to safely deliver aid to an injured Bat.

It also raises the issue of the existing Bat colonies scattered through Sydney and in other parts of this state.  From time to time new exotic diseases manage to make their way to our shores.  The Hendra virus with it's link to horses has caused the death of a growing number of people and this is tending to cripple riding schools and other horse interests.   It raises the question of what action the state should take when a new form of harm gains the potential to go on a killing spree amongst our citizens.

We are careful to screen the import of dogs from those parts of the world inflicted with Rabies - and Australia is thankfully Rabies free.    It seems likely that Lyssavris is close to tipping point and either a weather change or pure genetics may see it spread widely through the Bat population.

It would seem prudent to reevaluate both our attitude and the prevailing laws pertaining to Bats with this danger in mind !

" Off the Plan " Sales !

The ever increasing prices of Australian housing have made buying "Off the Plan " popular in this country, but in many cases the final outcome is not what the buyer expected.  The concept involved is quite clear.  A developer offers a proposed plan to construct an apartment building on a site that appeals to prospective buyers.  Glossy architectural drawings and illustrations extol the layout of apartments and the view that will be delivered and the buyer puts down a deposit and signs a contract of purchase before the first sod is turned.

In many cases, all this is before the relevant council has signed off on final approval for the plans and council by-laws may dictate change.  Building heights may become higher or lower and the entire aspect of the building changed to fit in with council rules and regulations.  It may even take a zoning change to allow construction to proceed - and in many cases the expected completion date may be extended by months - or even years.

In some cases, the chosen apartment may be vastly changed from the concept on which a deposit was paid.   It may contain less rooms or even move to another facing of the building, and in some cases the builder may opt not to continue with the deal and simply refund the deposit and call the deal off.  In that case, the buyer has lost the opportunity to live in that chosen suburb and position, and the deposit money has been unproductive while it has been waiting in limbo.

The amazing surge in Sydney unit pricing may have induced some developers to deliberately opt out of these "Off the Plan " contracts.  Ever rising prices mean that an apartment sold at a fixed price before construction can be resold at a much higher price when the building is eventually completed.  The loser is the customer who has patiently waited for his or her dream home to finally emerge, only to find the sale is off and the deposit returned.

Now the state government is tightening the Conveyancing Act of 1919.  No longer will the developer be able to cancel an Off the Plan contract without the explicit approval of the buyer.  The legislation is still being drafted and hopefully it may outlaw this form of sale until the plans for the building have actually been approved.  In some cases, the concept plans are way outside the present zoning for the area concerned and the height and floor ratios do not meet the relevant guidelines.  In such cases, it is unlikely that the concept plan will ever fully proceed and hence the offer of units off that plan is not realistic.

Many such developments are based on "an expectation of a rule change ", but that is not a valid reason for accepting a deposit and entering into a binding contract.  It is also hoped that these "binding contracts " will have teeth.   In cases where changes to the building cause a three bedroom apartment to shrink to two bedrooms and the floor ratio to contract sharply, what is being delivered bears no relation to the concept on which a deposit was paid.

Off the Plan must deliver certainty to both parties.  It is not a viable excuse that planning laws caused changes to building plans - if those laws were in force when the concept plan was offered to the public.  We have an ideal opportunity to clean up this "Off the Plan " style of selling to ensure that what is offered has a realistic hope of becoming the eventual outcome !