A New Disease !

Australia's farmers are sounding the alarm.   A new disease which the medical profession has chosen to call " Q Fever "is ravaging the farming community and showing every indication that it may spread into the general population..    The farmers are calling for research to develop a vaccine - and for this to be included on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Q Fever is a mysterious disease that made its appearance in recent years, possibly as a divergence from some other disease that has acclimatized to our increasingly hot summers.  In its initial stages is presents with flu like symptoms but it is a bacteria that does not respond to the usual range of anti-biotics.  Many sufferers require intensive care and it is common to leaver an aftermath of long term fatigue.  Some people have given up driving cars for fear of falling asleep behind the wheel.

Initially, it was restricted to those working with livestock as the common factor was birthing fluids or blood as the source of transmission, but it has since widened and there is suspicion that it is spreading to native animals.  The risk has increased to abattoir workers, butchers and people who prepare meat dishes in their own homes.

The farming industry thinks this is a disease rapidly gaining a threshold.   There were 225 confirmed cases last year and that was an increase from 180 the year before.     It first appeared in 2012 with just ten cases - hence  we have a growing danger.

It may be more prevalent than we think. An extraordinary number of people present to their doctor with what they call " long term fatigue " for which no cause can be found.  In many cases this inertia leads to liver and heart damage and if left untreated can be a cause of early death.   It is quite possible that Q Fever has escaped the farm scene and is now rampant in the city, but undiagnosed.

If the research people are correct and Q Fever is spread through contact with animal blood we have a problem because of the wide availability of raw meat in butchers and supermarkets that just about every family handles in meal preparation.

Developing a vaccine to thwart a disease usually takes time and the farmers are urging the giant drug industry to put Q Fever high on their target list.   The disease front is never static and it seems that rising world temperatures are producing opportunities for old diseases to take new forms.

Will We Ever Learn ?

Australia suffered from some disastrous decisions in the past.  Some of the early settlers thought it would be nice to have a few rabbits to hunt - and imported some English bunnies.   They quickly adapted to our warmer climate and within a few generations they were in plague proportions.   They competed with livestock for grass feed and cost our farmers millions.

Then there is the problem of the Cane Toad.   We imported that to get rid of a bug affecting our sugar cane industry, but like the rabbits it got completely out of control and now it is spreading across northern Australia and decimating many native species.  All attempts to eradicate it have failed and with a rapidly warming climate it may eventually colonise the whole country.

Many years ago fish ponds were a popular garden feature and someone got the bright idea of importing European Carp as an attractive fish to stock in these ponds.   Breeding Carp became a commercial venture to supply both the plant nursery trade and as a commercial fish, but Carp were not popular as a dining item.   Inevitably, some Carp escaped into our inland river system.

We now have a major European Carp problem   Both the mighty Murray and the Darling river systems are clogged with Carp which are decimating native fish species and starving native wildlife in the process. The estimated economic impact runs to five hundred million dollars a year.   These European Carp constitute eighty percent of the aquatic biomass of our inland rivers.

Now there is a plan to deal with these Carp by attacking them with a strain of Carp herpes which some scientists think may successfully thin out the species.   It is thought that this strain of Herpes would leave native fish stocks unharmed and decimate ninety-five percent of European Carp in our waterways.

Unfortunately, we have absolutely no idea what unforseen events may result if this plan is carried out.    Our rivers empty into the oceans and it may be that this form of Herpes may adapt to some of the fish stocks so vital to the worlds fishing fleets.   We would be taking a step into the unknown - and anything that reduced the fish stocks that feed the world would be a catastrophe.

Another aspect of this eradication plan that seems to have escaped notice is the effect it may have on our vital tourist trade.  If this Herpes virus goes to plan we will have mega tonnes of dead Carp floating around in our river system, and the smell of rotting carcases will be awful.   Tourists will stay away in droves - and it will not be pleasant for the residents of towns that are near rivers.

This plan is scheduled to be implemented in 2008.  It is perilous for it to go ahead while so many questions go unanswered.   It would be plain stupid to repeat the disasters of both the rabbit and the Cane Toad now that the risks are so clear !

Clearing " Your Name " !

When a member of the public becomes " Newsworthy " the image projected relies entirely on how the media decides to portray them.  It all depends on the circumstances and how an individual journalist decides to writeup the story.  For most people there is no redress short of gong to court and suing whichever form of media printed the report.   It is a very brave soul who takes on the deep pocketed media in a court of law.

Things are very different if you are the richest woman in Australia and possibly one of the richest people in the world.   The Nine network decided to produce a two part series which dealt with the family of Gina Rinehart which was called " House of Hancock ".   It traced the Hancock fortune from the days when her father - Lang Hancock - discovered iron ore in Australia to the present time when the export of this mineral underpins the Australian economy.

It was not a flattering presentation and it received no input from Mrs Rinehart.   When it went to air in February, 2015 is attracted a massive audience and it was widely promoted. Mrs Rinehart took exception to details about her weight, insinuations her father cheated at tennis and even conjecture on the colour of her mothers hair.   The series also went into detail about money disagreements between her and the inheritance of her children.

Gina Rinehart sued Channel Nine for injurious falsehood and misleading and deceptive conduct.  The parties agreed to an out of court settlement and each party will pay their own costs.   The television network has also agreed that the series would not be again shown on air or streaming for public viewing, nor would a version with four minutes of contentious matter removed be described as a " true story ".

Channel Nine also delivered what is described as a " grovelling apology " for the portrayal of mining magnate Gina Rinehart and her family, and this is an outcome that will have wide repercussions throughout the entire television industry.   The fact that the series is precluded from any further form of  commercial use in delivering a revenue stream represents a significant loss to the production company.

Television drama is costly to produce.  Big name actors are paid handsomely to make the series attractive to viewers and the behind the scenes work crews are huge.  A successful production can go on earning rewards for years as it becomes sought after material to fill daytime viewing across regional networks and for showing in other countries.    That revenue stream has now halted !

It is highly likely that finance for the production of portrayals that might offend public figures will become skittish and both the film and television industries will have problems attracting investors. Gina Rinehart's success in clearing her families name will encourage others and this has introduced a risk factor that was previously thought to be negligible.

The mighty television networks now have reason to listen carefully when ordinary people complain about how they are portrayed !

" Fat Cat " Salaries !

At the same time as many weekend and public holiday workers are losing the full extent of their pay margins for penalty loadings it is revealed that the managing director of Australia Post is enjoying a salary of $ 5.6 million a year.  That is throwing the spotlight on the huge discrepancy between those at the top of the pay pyramid - and those scraping by at the minimum wage.

Ahmed Fahour can claim to have righted what was a sinking ship when he took command at Australia Post.   Under his watch this government entity has returned a profit of $ 131 million in the six months to December 31, from just $ 16 million in the previous corresponding period.

Most importantly, letter deliveries are now at breakeven and that is a recovery from catastrophic losses.   But the recovery did come at a cost.  The price of a postage stamp rose to a dollar and the actual delivery time extended out by several days..   We are paying a lot more for a slower service and in the long term that simply makes the further retreat of the postal service inevitable.  Commerce has switched from sending a bill in the mail to demanding automatic bank payments to settle their bills.

When we examine that profit breakup it reveals that Australia Post has virtually become a leading figure providing a courier service.  Internet shopping has vastly increased the flow of goods from warehouses to private homes and Australia Post has grabbed a significant share of this trade. It is a logical upgrade for an existing delivery service concentrated on letter delivery.

What is causing adverse comment is the fact that the salary accorded to the managing director of Australia Post seems way out of whack with comparison with other leading figures on the Australian landscape.   He gets many times the salary of the Australian prime minister, and that $ 5.6 million seems excessive when compared with just one million drawn by the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia and the $ 900,000 a year drawn by the managing director of the ABC.

Mr Fahour has now tendered his resignation.  He will receive a massive termination package and he claims to have achieved the objectives he set when he undertook the job - and it is now time to move on and seek new challenges.   It is very clear that whoever succeeds him will not be offered anything near that $ 5.6 million stipend.

Setting the pay for the managing director of Australia Post was at the discretion of the Australian Post board and they acted independently.   That decision will now fall under the control of the Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal.   That sets salaries with regard to the pecking order and the skills required, but it will be within a framework that is in accord with the rest of the public service.

It will be interesting to see how this salary revision is received in the private sector.   Shareholders and the public have expressed alarm at the escalating amounts paid to chief executives of banks and major corporations and question whether any human being is worth that amount of money.  In many instances it does raise the " value for money " question   !

The Insurance " Industry " !

When it comes to complaints about short changing payouts and settling claims in the insurance industry the stories are legion.  There is a serious shortfall between the glossy promises the brochures offer and the reality of lodging a claim and having it assessed and paid out in a time of need.

It is well over a year since what was termed a " Tornado " struck the Sydney suburb of Kurnell, unroofing houses and generally leaving a track of damage.  Individual residents had their homes insured with many different insurance companies and consequently some homes have been efficiently repaired, while others are covered with tarpaulins and still fighting their insurers to even
get work started.

The insurance industry is the master of delay - and it is all about their deep pockets when it comes to litigation.  In most cases they tend to wear you down with numerous reasons why your claim will be denied and the sure knowledge that if you resort to the courts they will spare no expense in hiring a brilliant legal team to present their case.   There is the prospect of a losing claimant being bankrupted by costs.

House and contents insurance is usually at the lower end of the complaints scale.  Personal injury and loss of earnings insurance is a minefield for the unwary.   There are miles of very fine print attached to each policy and the interpretation of exactly what that all means is often left to functionaries who are not medical people.

The insurance industry is really a form of gambling.  The industry knows that statistically events only happen to a small section of the community and they make a profit when the weather and other events insured against have a year of happenings below the odds.   They usually spread the risk over many cities and a very wide area to avoid the financial hit that struck Canberra a few years ago when a bushfire roared into the city and destroyed homes in many suburbs.

At the moment a parliamentary enquiry is examining the life insurance industry and finding serious misgivings.  It has labelled some policies as " junk " which bestows little coverage to their policy holders, and alarmingly this shortfall is being sheeted home to some of the biggest names in the industry.

Once again, The mighty Commonwealth bank is coming in for censure.  Its Cominsure insurance arm is taking flack for the mishandling of claims and there has been comment that avoiding payouts of legitimate claims is widespread.  An earlier enquiry found mishandling of financial advice resulting in customers going to it for help with investing for their retirement losing money and being forced to remain in the workforce.   Millions were paid out in compensation.

Hopefully, the parliamentarians will take steps to clean up this industry.   What is obviously needed is an Ombudsman - with teeth.   The Ombudsman's office would need staff trained in insurance law to make a decision on matters referred to it - and their decision would be binding.  Honest and legitimate insurance companies would have nothing to fear from such an arrangement !

The " Entertainment " Issue !

In the 2015/16 financial year eight billion dollars was lost on poker machines in New South Wales.  The actual spending on poker machines was eighty billion, hence the figures do support the contention that these gambling machines are not entirely black holes.  They do return a high percentage of the money played to the player.

Poker machine statistics are carefully compiled by NSW Liquor and Gaming and a further breakdown reveals that $ 5.4 billion was lost by people playing the machines in registered clubs. These clubs usually support one of the sporting codes or have an altruistic reason for being and poker machine profits have long been the main financial support base that keeps sport alive in Australia.

The Greens are keen to pass legislation to require the monthly publishing of gambling data to individually show what amount of money was wagered at each of this states clubs and pubs and what profit was gained by the registered owner of the machines.   In Victoria, this information is published by that state's regulator on a bi-monthly basis.

We do have a number of politicians in Federal parliament who aim to outlaw poker machines in Australia and obviously this information appearing in national newspapers would add grist to their mill.   It could be seen as the thin edge to a wedge.   We have always been a gambling nation and there has always been a wowser element keen to make any form of wagering illegal.

It is a fact of life that the average person seems to enjoy at least the odd flutter in which they either win or lose money.   Every year the amount wagered on the famous Melbourne Cup reaches new heights, and most people remember the glory days when poker machines in NSW were the only licensed " slots "  permitted.   Every day bus loads of tourists poured over the borders from Victoria and Queensland for the sole purpose of accessing these machines in this states clubs.

Inevitably, the lure of a state tax bonanza saw these machines become legal in most other states and they have become a burr under the saddlecloth of the anti gambling crowd.   Unfortunately, some people become addicted to gambling and this extends to its many forms.   It seems that the purists have poker machines firmly in their sights and usually that includes politicians who claim the right to tell the public how they must spend their money.    They usually have very constricted ideas as to what they consider " entertainment " !

There are some countries where all forms of gambling are illegal just as there are some countries that forbid any form of intoxicating liquor.   That demand is met by criminal elements who make a lot of money by providing out of public sight facilities. Inevitably, this is cushioned by graft and corruption of public officials who are paid to " look the other way ".    That is not the form of entertainment we would like to see established in Australia.

This push to restrict gambling in Australia is doomed to fail.  History gives the best lesson on how abstinence was rewarded with crime.   Before the days of the TAB illegal SP bookies held court in the back bar of most pubs every Saturday - and most people are aware of the United States " prohibition " experience.

When Relationships Sour !

Personal relationship breakups are legion, as evidenced by the number of marriages that end in the divorce court.  Mostly, divorce boils down to a squabble about the division of spoils from what the couple accumulated together and this is divided along the lines put in place by the Family Court of Australia.

What the public find titillating is a public falling out between lovers who are not married and whose jobs make them figures of contention in the business world.   This is also loved by the media because it introduces that component that sells newspapers and keeps eyes glued to television screens - scandal !

Despite the loosening of moral restrictions in this permissive age we are all agog when a love affair between two people becomes a public brawl.  Feminists jump to the defence of the " wronged woman " and if they both work for the same firm decisions are made at boardroom level to deal with the damage to public relations.   Usually a settlement for a large sum of money ensures discretion.

It doesn't always work out that way, as a case now wending through the courts tends to illustrate.  This lovers brawl involves the chief executive of a leading media company and a woman who held a senior executive position reporting to him.   The media company closed ranks behind its highly valued decision maker and the women was paid  $380,000 bonus to leave and find other employment.

This woman did not believe that she had been treated fairly - and she went public with her accusations.  Every aspect of this steamy love affair got a public airing and aspects of the machinations of the media company came under public scrutiny when it was suggested that this woman executive had misused her company supplied credit card.   Matters that were embarrassing to the media company began to be aired in public.

They immediately went to court and obtained an injunction, banning the woman from making further statements and disclosing any confidential information, talking to journalists or making adverse statements about the media company or appearing on social media.    It was a complete information shutdown !

That injunction is of a temporary nature and the matter will be heard in court.  There is now the suggestion that the media company may require the return of a claimed  $262,000 of unauthorised spending on the womans company credit card and no doubt this may be examined - item by item - to determine authenticity.    This will raise the matter of executive privilege that may cause adverse comment across the business world as the latitude of how individual purchasing power is  distributed to those holding executive positions.

This is becoming a nightmare for the business world. Nomatter what rules are put in place, when two people develop an attraction to one another all restraint is abandoned if the chemistry of sex rears its head and can not be denied.   No doubt many company boards will be casting a speculative eye over their management teams and wondering if this imbroglio making its way through the courts could ever apply to them ?

Airport Restrictions !

It took many decades and a host of public enquiries before a final decision was made to site Sydney's second airport at Badgery's Creek.  Before the building even starts we are entering a new row about just what status this will have in relation to the existing Kingsford Smith airport in the heart of the city.

There is a suggestion that Badgery's Creek may be termed a " regional airport " and be subjected to movement restrictions similar to those in force at Kingsford Smith.   Because Kingsford Smith is surrounded by tightly packed residential suburbs the government has seen fit to impose a landing and taking off curfew in the interests of noise abatement.

This is anathema to the world airline industry.  There is the expectation that national airports operate on a twenty-four hour basis and the airport serving Sydney is seen as our national airport on the world scene.   The basis for the construction of Badgery's Creek was to allow the number of services to grow in quantity and to do away with the restrictions that encumbered the old airport in its city location.

One of the reasons for the Badgery;s Creek decision was that the site was located on farming land on  the outskirts of the city.  As such, it is isolated from the noise problem and there was the expectation that the surroundings would adjust to the airport, rather than the other way around which is what had to happen at Kingsford Smith.

It is expected that the new airport at Badgery's Creek will attract surrounding industry and that will create much needed jobs.  No doubt workers will desire to live close by, but whatever housing moves into proximity to the airport will need to be adjusted to the conditions that apply, and that means that items like heavy insulation and double glazing will be mandatory to control airport noise.

There is also the expectation that aircraft engine development is getting quieter.  There is the expectation that because of its location this new airport will distribute a more moderate noise pattern over a wider area at a much reduced level.   Some distant suburbs may experience a muted noise level that they did not experience from Kingsford Smith.

Sydney has experienced a limitation unheard of in most major world cities.  It is served by a single airport - and that is most unusual.  Badgery's Creek is long overdue and even now it will be at least a decade before it is fully operational.  It is very important that we get the planning right and all forms of restrictions are kept to a minimum.   It is likely that this new airport will quickly become the official entry to Australia.

This political pressure for restrictions should be resisted.  Once they are installed they are almost impossible to remove. Eventually, we will need a third airport.   That may be as much as half a century away, but it will become a need a lot sooner if we botch the Badgerys Creek project and weigh it down with restrictions that limit its operations.

Duty of Care !

When we employ someone we are undertaking a legal duty of care that is well beyond the average persons grasp of its limitations.  How far that extends and in what circumstances it applies is usually decided by a judge sitting in a courtroom - who is often far removed from reality.

The New South Wales Court of Appeal has just quashed a $ 3.9 million damages case awarded in 2015 against Telco Optus for an incident that happened at one of their training centres in Sydney. The victim was not even an Optus employee.   Optus was providing training to the staff of sub contractors who did the telco's installations and a twenty year old man found himself on a high balcony with another trainee he had just met at this course.  This other person invited him to view a car parked far below, and when he did - grabbed him and tried to throw him off the balcony.  Other people intervened, but the victim claimed to suffer chronic severe post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and social phobia.

The offending co worker claimed to have had a desire to kill and had selected the person he had just met as his victim.  The judge ruled that Optus owed the victim a duty of care analogous to that owed to an employee and that duty extended to protecting him from the  criminal acts of others in the workplace.  He awarded $ 3.9 million in damages.

The Appeals court saw it differently.  Optus argued that the offenders behaviour suggested only that he was a risk to himself and challenged the primary judges finding that a reasonable response would have been to remove him from the premises.  It seems that the offender had left the training room without permission and was found to be in a trance like state.

The court allowed the Telco's appeal ruling that it was not probable that any of the Optus staff knew, or should have known that one trainee might attempt to kill another and none of them owed the victim a duty of care with respect to his mental harm.

The cost of those court cases is unknown but the fees for court filings would have to be added to the bevy of silks who attended and submitted learned arguments for the judge to consider.  All of that is reflected in the premiums insurance companies charge for the policies the prudent maintain to protect themselves from just this sort of calamity.

That is something the big end of town accepts as part of the cost of doing business, but it is a heavy burden on the " little people " who run shops and make a living from the myriad businesses in local shopping centres.   Then there are " the public " -  men and women who may employ someone to cut their lawn.   Even a tradesperson making a delivery at your home and who trips and falls over a carelessly discarded garden hose may sue for damages.

Fire and contents home insurance usually has a degree of public liability cover, but then nearly half of Australian homes are uninsured.   It seems that a huge proportion of the population is blissfully unaware of just what sort of risk they run from the calamity of personal injury happening to someone else on their property.   We are all at risk on the capricious  decisions handed down by judges with little grasp of fiscal reality !

The Silent Kiler !

A tragic farm accident this week left three people dead. On a country property near Gunning the brother of the owners was helping to clean a concrete water tank.  This tank was empty and a ladder was used to reach its depth and a pressure spray powered by a small petrol motor was used to wash the walls.

When this man collapsed his brother rushed to give assistance - and promptly collapsed alongside him, causing that mans wife to call for help on her Smartphone before trying to revive them both.  Unfortunately she also fell victim to the silent killer and all three were found dead when the rescue people arrived.

The cause of death was that petrol motor powering the spray equipment.  It had been lowered in to sit on the bottom of the water tank and in a confined and unventilated space it churned out carbon monoxide gas - which is both colourless and odourless.  It is also deadly to humans.

Unfortunately, carbon monoxide is a risk that is not apparent to many people.  All petrol motors need adequate ventilation to be safe and it should be remembered that this is a heavier than air gas.   Had that spray cleaning equipment been left in the open air at the top of the water tank on a day of still air, it is quite possible that the gas could have seeped into the shaft - with deadly results.

It is a good safety rule to always use electrically powered equipment when work is required in a confined space, and if this needs to be powered by a petrol  generator, make sure that the generator is located in a ventilated area where fumes can not contaminate the working area.   Never use petrol powered equipment in any sort of pit or structure that prevents the free flow of fresh air.

Carbon monoxide can also cause death when unventilated fires consume the oxygen in the air and replace it with this gas.   Each winter we see tragic results when outdoor barbeques are brought indoors during a very cold spell and lit to bring warmth.   Even perfectly legal unflued gas heaters need a small external air supply to be perfectly safe for indoor use.

Strangely, the danger of carbon monoxide is well known as a means of suicide.   It is common for intended suicides to drive their car to a remote area and insert a length of garden hose into the exhaust pipe with the other end into the cabin of the car - and sit and wait until the idling engine generates enough gas to cause death.    In other instances, some people simply sit in their car with the engine running while it is in the garage - with the doors closed.

Unfortunately, it is the danger from small petrol motors in confined and unventilated spaces that usually goes unnoticed.  Generators and small petrol appliances carry warnings about the carbon monoxide danger but they go unheeded.    The only benefit from this tragic farm accident is that the wide publicity will foster awareness.

Risk Factors !

At the end of the second world war nearly half of all Australian men smoked some form of tobacco.  A that time it was not known to have a health risk and cigarette advertising featured heavily on masculinity to promote the product.  The American Surgeon-General dropped a bombshell when it was claimed that smoking was directly related to lung cancer.

The giant tobacco industry fought a long delaying war to stave off legislation to curb smoking, but medical exposure was relentless. In Australia the advertising of cigarettes was banned, the tax on the product sharply increased and eventually a draconian law made the appearance of the product repulsive to discourage use.  Smoking rates have been steadily dropping but appear to have stabilized at near twenty percent.

There seems little more that an be done to curb smoking.  Areas where smoking is not permitted has extended from cafes and dining rooms to beaches and open air venues and even smoking in the smokers own home is facing restrictions if the smoke manages to penetrate a neighbours home.  It is illegal to smoke in a car if children are also passengers.

Perhaps the greatest change has been the public attitude to smoking.  Lighting up in public is now seen as a social sin.  Simply walking down the street smoking a cigarette attracts hostile stares and even many teenagers no longer find it " cool " !

We seem to have reached the stage where what remains is a hard core of smokers who will continue to use this product as long as it is legally available, and will probably gain supply from the people who smuggle drugs if we ever bite the bullet and make it a prohibited item.

The ever resilent tobacco industry sought to rebrand its product with " E " cigarettes.  The tobacco was heated instead of being burned to produce a " vapour " to which various flavours could be added.  It was claimed that this eliminated the risk factor but the product was either banned or heavily restricted in most Australian states.

Now Philip Morris is proposing a new version of this " no smoke " cigarette which differs from the " E " cigarette. The company has spent $ US 3 billion on research and development and claims that they have eliminated all the health risks associated with burning tobacco.  Sight unseen, this innovation has been banned in New Zealand.

Australia must weigh the risks of permitting sales here.  There is a chance that it could convert existing smokers to the new product, but if it is advertised heavily it may create a renewed interest in smoking.  No doubt the tax imposed on conventional tobacco will apply to this new product, but smoking imposes a heavy cost on the health system and the medical lobby would like to see all forms of tobacco completely banned.

No doubt the health aspect of this new product will be contentious.  The most likely outcome will be a ban and continuation of the progressive programme to price tobacco out of existence.   It seems to be the aim of government to steadily increase sales tax to the point where continuing to smoke becomes an intolerable cost burden to most smokers.

Of course, this has unintended consequences.   Tobacco smuggling has joined illicit drugs as a profit line for the illegal importing trade.  " Chop Chop "  - as it is called - seems freely available where drugs are traded.   It seems unlikely that the government will ever completely rid Australia of the tobacco health menace !

The Public School System - and Religion !

Australia is a secular country.  We recognise no paramount religion and we are proud of the religious freedom which allows all faiths to be practised by their adherents.  Religion is not part of the education system and yet different rules apply from state to state.

In New South Wales many schools integrate religious instruction within the teaching schedule and in class time.   Special Religious Education ( SRE ) is delivered by invited religious groups on a scheduled basis and applies to all pupils, unless parents specifically ask that their children be withdrawn.  In such cases, the school arranges alternative activities.

Strangely, the education department keeps no record of the numbers of students who attend SRE lessons, nor does it authorise or oversee the material taught.   Religious providers choose the material used and self certify once a year that the content is appropriate.  The particular religion having access to SRE seems to be at the whim of the school principal.

Most religions claim that they don't use SRE to  proselytise individual religions.  The sessions are aimed at promoting good citizenship and tolerance, but it is obvious that religious instruction must encounter a degree of conflict between the widely held forms of religion that exist.  In the school systems many other forms of extracurricular interest groups, including music and sport, hold activities outside of school hours.   It seems strange that religion occupies time focussed on delivering a formal education timetable.

Traditionally, religious instruction for the young was the basis of what was called " Sunday School ".
Individual churches usually held sessions for the children of parishioners on Sunday mornings and these were a mix of fun and religious learning.  They are becoming rare and no longer attract great numbers.

In Victoria, parent groups have successfully had SRE removed from the public school system, and now moves are underway to bring it to an end in New South Wales.   This comes at a time when our public education is falling short of international standards and more time is needed to extend teaching in maths and science.

Many religions compete with the public education system by providing their own religious schools.  In many cases the teaching staff are also ordained in the appropriate order and that religion is actively promoted.  Students from non religious families and from other religions accept that their children will be exposed to the dogma that applies to the religion running the school.

Religion seems to be a fading belief across middle Australia.  Congregations in churches are dwindling but religions not previously represented here are making a stronger appeal.  Perhaps there is an opportunity to retool SRE away from the teaching of individual religions and use it to promote religious tolerance.

That is certainly something that is desperately needed.  What better than to use a small segment of public school time than to reduce the chasm between the worlds religious beliefs ?

Herbal Medication !

Before the start of the industrial age every little village seemed to have a smart woman who dabbled in medication derived from mysterious mixtures of herbs and what was then known of natural vitamins. They acquired a local reputation quite separate from the registered doctors of that time, but it was a dangerous trade because in times of national stress they could be accused of " witchery "  - and face summary execution.

Today it is estimated as many as one in every three Australians regularly take what is known as " alternative medication ".   This is a virtually unregistered array of vitamin supplements and herbal mixtures that are said to relieve various ailments or improve lifestyles.   They are available to the public via  direct marketing, specialist stand alone stores and increasingly alongside regular medication in chemist shops.

There are restrictions on what their makers can claim.  It is illegal to state that a medication can cure cancer unless such a claim can be supported by evidence, but most claims are carefully worded to suggest that the substance " can be helpful " without crossing that line.   This trade is supported by a vast anecdotal history that has passed down through the generations and is firmly accepted as " fact"  in many families.

This is a billion dollar industry and it seems to be ever expanding. There is concern that these forms of alternative medicine are increasingly appearing in pharmacies and in many cases are being recommended to users by pharmacy staff.  This is despite there being absolutely no proof that they can deliver any of the proposed benefits claimed.   In some cases, they are preferred as an alternative to prescriptions prescribed by the patients doctor.

Alternative medication usually comes with a healthy profit margin and this is attractive to the owners of chemist shops.   The government is proposing to implement its own laboratory testing of what is on offer against the claims made and apply certification where a benefit can be proven.  It is hoped that products that lack this " tick of approval " would face public rejection.

At present, listing on the register of Therapeutic Goods Administration only means the product is safe, not that it meets the claims made for it.   The testing that the government is considering is intended to support whatever benefit this product is expected to deliver.

This is probably long overdue. With our growing migrant population, remedies from both Europe and Asia are becoming common in Australia's growing alternative medication listings and some of these involve animal parts from endangered species.  Body parts from Lions and Tigers are highly favoured in some medication, and the world Rhino population is facing devastation by hunters seeking to remove its horns.

Unfortunately the end result will probably be the expenditure of a lot of government money for no detectable improvement.    The Shamans of past centuries had a strong hold on the minds of the folk they served and that manifests itself in a rejection of the edicts issued by all forms of government. Along with fortune telling and the way tea leaves gather in the bottom of a tea cup, the way of combatting illness is deeply engraved in the memories of many people.

At least this testing regime may lead to the removal of substances that actually do harm to sections of the public who support alternative medicine.

Taxing " Natural Resorces " !

One of the reasons that Australia is referred to as the " lucky country " is because we are blessed with a vast treasure trove of minerals that we export to the world.  In the early days, Australia was said to be " riding on the sheep's back " because at that stage of our development wool was the wonder product that we had exploited because of our vast grazing acreage.

China's change from an agrarian to a manufacturing country saw the price of iron ore and coal rise to unprecedented heights and across the world new mines came into being to tap into that money stream.   When demand tapered off the price retreated but we are still reliant on those minerals for a major part of our national income.

Today, natural gas is fast becoming the major commodity that we supply to the world and we are on track to become the world's biggest exporter of LPG by 2020.   We have massive reserves, but it is quite possible that new discoveries may extend our export market well into the next century but we do recognise that all minerals have natural limits.   One day that gas will run out.

Traditionally, we extracted a premium for the use of our natural resources by way of a " Royalty " levied on the tonnage of coal or iron ore extracted.   This was seen as a form of compensation to the public by way of taxation for the reduction of what was public ownership of our natural minerals.   It seems strange that this does not apply to the extraction of natural gas.  Instead, the compensation is based on a percentage of the profit gained from the sale of that commodity.

That is very different from a Royalty.  The extracting company is entitled to claim all exploration costs in establishing extraction facilities and the ongoing costs involved with the shipment of that gas to its end user.   This can be contentious when the extracting company is partly owned by the same nation that is the end user of this gas.  There is suspicion that Australia is losing billions of dollars in credits that would be forthcoming if a royalty system was in place rather than this profit share arrangement.

The taxation office has been calling on the Australian government to implement a Petroleum Resources Rent Tax ( PRRT ) as the method of gaining a meaningful royalty reward from this natural resource.   There is a degree of urgency because of the expectation that natural gas will continue to grow in size and may eventually become the prime form of export from this country.

There is also a need to establish a severance between the terms that apply to bulk natural gas and the fracking process that is delivering gas locked in rock deposits in many parts of the country.   Fracking is widely opposed because of potential harm to the water table and we do have a need to ensure that we can isolate sufficient gas for our domestic needs at a reasonable price to power the national infrastructure.

Applying a PRRT has many advantages.   We live in a fast changing world and it is evident that other minerals may come into bulk use in the future.  It is essential that we have a price structure in place to ensure that a consistent reward for any public amenity automatically comes into play.   Otherwise what is happening with natural gas may happen again and rob the Commonwealth of legitimate revenue.

The " Love " Scams !

Valentines Day !   The one day of the year when by tradition the lady is entitled to make the first move.   Such was the earlier protocol that governed the "mating game ".   Of course, customs change in various other parts of the world.  In some countries the vast majority of unions are "arranged marriages " and the two families dicker and barter over things like the dowry and the "bride price " in a manner similar to a stock auction.

Here in Australia we are very proud that our young people have the right to make their own decisions.  Many guard that fiercely and there is often contention with families who disprove of their sons or daughters choice.   We also have a burgeoning divorce rate and many question the wisdom of marriage and opt for life with a partner without the sanctity of a church blessing

Unfortunately, relationship failures generate a vast trove of middle aged people who still nurture. the wish to meet that "perfect somebody " who will make their life complete.  It seems that this is generating an ever growing commercial industry tasked with filling that need - for a price !  The "Introduction agency " is alive and well and aggressively soliciting trade using all forms of media.

Everyone with a computer - and these days that means virtually every person in Australia because the computer is now part of the mobile phones we all carry - is familiar with the torrent of junk mail that flows into their inbox daily.  This is the age of the professional "matchmaker ", the company who will put you in touch with that special person you have been seeking and they have a whole list of attractive candidates from which you can make a choice.

Some - in fact, many - of these dating agencies are genuine, but romance scams are becoming more sophisticated and it is estimated that in 2016 alone more than $25 million was lost to various deceptions and that is probably just the tip of the iceberg.  Many people value their privacy and are reluctant to divulge details when a love affair goes wrong.

Crime agencies are becoming alarmed at the sophistication of the scams being inflicted on unwary people.  The oldest scam is an introduction to a person in a distant city who by phone, letter or email goes to great length to create a warm relationship with the victim.   Either the scammer has a severe financial problem which the victim is asked to fix, or needs an expensive air fare to make a visit.  Usually all contact ceases once the money is received.

In some cases, the scam now extents to blackmail as a form of extortion.   The scammer actually visits the victim and in many cases wines and dines them to the point where sex occurs, and this is captured on video.   The victim is threatened with the film version being released on the Internet, or mailed to friends and associates if a continuing ransom is not paid.  This is rapidly becoming an operation favoured by Middle Eastern crime gangs.

Crime investigators report that people most likely to be affected are usually aged forty-five or over and the method of contact from scammers breaks down as Internet 12%,  Emails 18%, Mobile apps 6% and a further 12% scattered over mail and random phone forms of contact.  Both genders are victims of these scams.

Perhaps on this one day of the year the lonely would be better to buy a red rose and stand on a busy street corner of a city - and see what eventuates.   As with all matter of romance, luck seems to be the determining factor !

Profits from Adversity !

There is no doubt that Mother Nature delivered a scorcher to Australia this past weekend and it is not without warning. The pundits have been talking about global warming for years and our coal fired electricity generators have given way to solar and wind because of public pressure.

We came perilously close to widespread blackouts.  In particular, demand for air conditioning in the eastern states threatened to exceed generating capacity and the government stepped in and demanded big industrial users reduce their usage to supplement power to homes and retail businesses. Of course, this came at a cost to the bottom line of those same industrial users.

This states biggest industrial user is Tomago which consumes between ten and twelve percent of all the power generated and has a price contract that goes back to 1991 with AGL which shields them from the imposition of spot pricing during power shortages.  The terms allow AEMO to demand they lower usage in emergency situations.

It seems that just such a requirement saw Tomago shut each of its three potlines in sequence for seventy-five minutes and that may have been the reason we avoided rolling blackouts at the height of this heat wave.  Tomago warns that its profitability rests on continuous production and that restarting potlines in times of high heat is a dangerous task for the workers involved.  World aluminium production has problems and many plants have closed.  We need to be careful not to undermine the viability of this Australian manufacturer.

Electricity generation in Australia used to be a state matter.  It is now part of a national grid and is a mix of coal fired power stations, natural gas power stations, hydro electric generators,  wind farms, solar arrays - and the solar input from the roof assemblies on many Australian homes.  This mix of power is transferred from state to state when demand in highest - and when supply is lowest the spot price charged spikes.  At the height of this emergency it reached $ 14,000 for each Megawatt hour.

Some pundits claim that there was a gap between public use and availability caused by this Tomago load lowering and that AGL had the opportunity to invoke the spot price market and make a quick million dollars profit.  This is in keeping with what happens in all other forms of commerce in which a spot price is compounded by shortages, but making a profit from an emergency will rankle with many people.

Mother Nature just delivered a warning we would be wise to heed.   We need to get our act together and decide how we generate enough electricity to cover our base load, and that will never be possible with renewables.  This country is not big enough to provide areas where the sun is always shining and having a favourable wind to turn windmills is unreliable.  It is perfectly clear that the options are either coal, natural gas - or nuclear.   Nothing else can provide the reliability to deliver a base load in all conditions, day or night on a 24/7 basis.

There is now every expectation that the conditions we have just experienced will return again each summer.  We are courting the disaster of retreating to third world conditions of unreliable power supply unless we make decisions and put in place the generating capacity to meet our needs under heat wave conditions.

We no longer have the choice of fudging the hard decisions between coal and nuclear with endless discussions.  The future prosperity of this nation is now at stake !

Death Duties !

After the end of the second world war the two most hated taxes in Australia were the license fee for listening to radio or watching television - and death duties !   When television arrived in 1956 detector vans roamed the streets seeking unlicensed receivers and a death in the family brought a visit from government inspectors to value the personal effects of the deceased.

The astronomical cost of housing in Sydney and Melbourne has socialists salivating at the prospect of a return of death duties to level the playing field for young people.  At a recent meeting of the Fabian society a representative of the left wing Australian Manufacturing union proposed that death duties be applied to wealthy estates to provide a capital grant to every young Australian on attaining their twenty-fifth birthday.  The value of this grant was not stated, but it was proposed to be sufficient to either act as a deposit for a home or to totally repay HECS education expenses.

It seems that starry eyed socialists expect that every young man and woman in this country will have attained wisdom at age twenty-five to spend this dividend well. Obviously there are some who will dissipate it wildly in an orgy of drugs, drink and high living, but what will strike fear into the hearts of most economists is the prospect of this largesse becoming another "entitlement " !

It is suggested that this "gift " would be of no concern to the average Australian wage earner.  The collection of a new form of death duties would only apply to the twenty-five thousand families with assets of ten million dollars - or more.   A thirty-five percent death duty would raise $ 3.5 billion and still leave these "donor families " well able to live a comfortable life style.

The wise would do well to remember that the first form of income tax was deemed a "temporary tax "to pay for a war, and it too was not levied on the lowly paid.   Once it was successfully in place it was just too valuable to the political mind to ever be relinquished and when whatever war it was implemented to pay for vanished from awareness, income tax was here to stay - and it encroached across all income brackets.

We should have learned by now how the public build their lives around "entitlements ".  The Socialist mind seems to think that taxation is a way of levelling society and that with the right policies we will eliminate what we call " the Poor ".

That has never happened in the long history of the human race.  It seems that we are hard wired at birth in how we will evolve.  A few are destined to become very rich.  The great mass of people gain average wealth - and in every society here on planet earth we have that bottom tier of humanity who simply fail to achieve a decent living and struggle to keep their heads above financial water.  It is a certainty of life that the poor will always be part of every society.

Another certainty is that every strata above " the poor " will protect their way of life with skill and ingenuity.   They will turn to lawyers and accountants who will devise a multitude of legal schemes to protect their money by utilising whatever laws are in place..  Their wealth will be beyond the reach of the tax man.

Time an again we have seen the poor gain sudden and unexpected wealth - by way of a lottery win or the death of a relative - only to slowly withdraw to their former state because of poor decision making ability.

This utopian socialist plan to reward every citizen with wealth on their twenty-fifth birthday will quickly be quashed by realists, but should it ever become reality you can be certain that society will  evolve protocols for spending that do not included becoming a home owner of paying off HEC bills.

You can also be assured that the reach of death duties will creep ever closer to the average family wealth.   The politicians never lose their enthusiasm for spending other people's money !

The " Unemployables " !

According to the bureaucrats who run the Federal Department of Health Services ( DHS ) there is no disability that totally precludes a sufferer from fitting in somewhere in the work force.   The assessment criteria has been tightened and we are assured that qualified health professionals identify the impact of a persons permanent physical, intellectual or psychiatric impairment on their ability to work.

It was not always that way.  That decision once rested with the doctor treating the patient and as a result the gaining of a disability pension was assessed on a variety of factors.   Age.  Mental ability. Workskills gained - and the condition of the job market.  So many just a few years short of pension age were so unlikely to gain work even if perfectly fit that any sort of disability doomed them to become permanently unemployed.  Most doctors were merciful, and a few were perhaps a little too benevolent because the numbers on disability pensions alarmed a government trying to reign in a huge budget deficit.

The difference was that while a private doctors assessment had to gain the nod from a government medical panel that was more a formality.   Today the decision of that government panel is paramount and as a result the majority of applicants are refused - and transferred to receiving Newstart allowance, which is about one hundred and fifty dollars a week less than the disability pension.

The treatment of one applicant which drew the glare of the media spotlight in a national newspaper will bring despair to those languishing in the queue waiting for their disability application to be assessed by the DHS.

A sixty-three year old man who has received a DHS pension for the past fifteen years because of a brain injury caused by a stroke. has been transferred to Newstart and told to go and look for a job. This is despite recently suffering a heart attack that left him clinically dead and having had a leg amputated above the knee.   Amazingly, the medical panel has suggested a litany of work that he may find suitable, and that includes a taxi driver, tram or train driver.   Other suggestions included  he consider becoming a mobile security guard, telephone nursing adviser, gaming attendant or a sales representative.   There is also one other rather vital consideration that the DHS seems to have completely ignored.   This applicant lives on Norfolk island, way out in the Pacific Ocean.

That a supposedly competent and benevolent medical panel could come up with these work suggestions is ludicrous.  Apart from the fact that Norfolk island has no tram or train services, they should be aware that any person with a brain injury would be unsuccessful in gaining a commercial license to drive a taxi, let alone a tram or a train.   It is also unlikely that a security company would consider sending a one legged man to patrol warehouses and other dangerous areas where he would be expected to physically confront thieves.

Even avenues of appeal of these decisions is daunting.  His application was rejected last August and he has since been depleting his savings.  He was advised to lodge an appeal using the Freedom of Information laws - and has since been told that appeal was rejected, but without being given any sort of reason.

Perhaps in the past the granting of disability pensions became a tad lax, but this crackdown seems intent on making them totally disappear. There are people in our community who genuinely lack the ability to work.  They deserve a serious appraisal of their condition and an expectation that pensions will be granted on their merits.  This case did not meet an acceptable standard.

Intellectual Property !

Last week saw an assault on intellectual property that puts the whole future of entertainment in doubt.   The Danny Green/Anthony Mundine fight was an event that fans had waited for years to happen and it was certain to attract a maximum audience.

Both Green and Mundine expected to gain a fee of several million dollars each for putting their health on the line and to accumulate that sort of prize the promotors sold viewing rights to the highest bidder.  Foxtell - which provides subscription television and computer screen entertainment in Australia was successful and put the fight on  viewer access for a sixty dollar fee.  Seats in the auditorium also attracted premium prices.

A member of the public who paid for Foxtells service recorded the fight live on his camera phone and promptly transferred the images directly to input on Facebook.  The word travelled quickly, and an immense audience logged onto Facebook and watched the event free of charge.  This is clearly a breach of the law and Foxtell is threatening legal action for recovery of what amounts to its stolen property.

The alacrity with which the public ignores the law and seeks free entertainment is threatening the financial structure of the entire entertainment industry.  In particular, it takes millions of dollars to film the average movie and the production company expects to recover that cost and make a profit by the fee the public pays to sit in a theatre and watch the film.

In today's world the moment a new film is released people in the audience with hidden cameras record both the viewing and soundtrack - and hours later copies are being sold on the streets for a fraction of the price of a theatre seat.   The quality is usually awful, but it serves the purpose and dilutes the flow of paying customers into theatres and robs the film company of its just rewards.

The music industry has been hard hit by illegal copies of recordings.  High quality recording equipment is both plentiful and cheap. Various "sharing "schemes purport to allow people to access music without paying royalties, which are included in the price of music sold in traditional form.  Those royalties compensate the artists who created the music.  Because of its individuality each artist has the protection of copyright to charge for their intellectual property.

Putting the Green/Mundine fight free on Facebook will send a shudder through the promotors of all live events.  Most people have a Smartphone and they are encouraged to use its camera to record interesting events which they can download onto Facebook for the entertainment of others.  In this instance, the viewer chose to record the fight he was paying Foxtell to watch - and to transfer this directly to Facebook for all to see.

This threat will not be lost on those negotiating viewing rights for all manner of sport and special events.   The fee they pay is for exclusivity and this determines what they can charge onward to others.  This is a new risk factor that may lower price bids, and such fees are the mainstay of most sporting codes.

It also says something about public morality.   The person who put the Green/Mundine fight live on Facebook must have known he was breaching the law, and the people who gleefully watched the fight for free would be aware that this was an invasion of someone elses intellectual property - but they participated without regret.

All this will influence the future of the entertainment we value so dearly.  It is important that the artists are rewarded for their success and that relies on control of the material produced on its journey to the public.  In the world of electronics, the process of evolution is fast diminishing the protocols that have served us well in the past.

We seem to be on the cusp of format change that will shape entertainment to the mores of this twenty-first century.

Office Romances !

There seems no doubt that we human beings are hard wired to go in pursuit of sex from about the time we reach puberty.  In the dim past each and every sexual encounter carried the risk of pregnancy but the huge advances of contraception have removed that danger.

In today's world many couples live their lives together and raise children without the blessing of a marriage certificate.  In fact, nearly half those who choose to marry officially in a church also later terminate that union in a divorce court.  What used to be called "the courting scene "is now a constant combination of intermingling couples in search of that mysterious element called "love " !

The age of "feminism " has changed many of the courting rules.  Women are now more likely to show interest and start a relationship and often that is with someone they meet in their workplace.  Older and wise heads urge caution.  It is very hard to return to a platonic relationship once that attraction fades and often one of the partners feels the need to seek other employment.   These "office romances " are less harmful where both employees are of equal status.

One old shibboleth remains from the days of classical separation of the sexes in the company structure.  Society does not approve of romance between a person of higher authority and another who reports to that person.  In the majority of cases when such a liaison becomes known there are repercussions at both the company and personal levels.

Just such a case has been wending its way across the storylines of national newspapers.  The chief executive of a powerful media group and a woman who was a senior staffer of that company found mutual attraction and it is claimed that this led to regular sex.   When the attraction faded and the association became public knowledge it instigated an internal enquiry and the woman was offered a hundred thousand dollar separation contract fee to leave the company and destroy all evidence of these trysts.  That was later increased to three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

The sticking point to the feminist movement is a decision by the company to exonerate and keep its chief executive because of his undoubted value by way of his grasp of company management.  The loser - in this and many other similar cases - is the woman and she has been accused of irregularities in the use of her company credit card.  At the same time, she has carefully kept her SMS phone messages recording trysts with her lover for her own protection.   Allegations of the use of cocaine surfaced when this affair went public.

Somehow these sort of liaisons project an image of an unfortunate woman being brow beaten into sex by a man wielding unlimited power.  That ignores the reality that many attractive women are attracted to the type of man who has risen to the top of the power pyramid and are the instigator of the first move in this game of sex for advancement.

Strangely, sex is also frowned upon when the senior figure is a woman  and the liaison is with a male who reports to her, and yet this does not generate the frenzy where this role is reversed.  There seems to be an assumption that the male is always the aggressor and holds an unfair advantage.  It becomes a win/lose situation.  Sex is a win for the man and somehow a defeat for the woman.

It seems that the feminist attitude to sex is very much tongue in cheek.   They preach sexual equality but fall back on the old stereotype image of the dominant male forcing himself on the defenceless and compliant female.    When will they accept that it takes two to tango " ?

Picking a Top Cop !

It has long been glaringly obvious that all is not well in the upper ranks of the New South Wales police force.  For well over ten years a criminal act went unresolved despite a public enquiry and a separate investigation by the Ombudsman - which failed to reach a conclusion.

We have had the farcial situation of the present police commissoner remaining in office by numerous extensions simply because the logical hierarchy to replace him from the upper ranks is tainted by in-fighting and making a selection will reward a victor in the fight for the top job.

Some may wonder if this enigma was part of Mike Baird's reason for quitting as premier.  Having a loyal police force is critical to any government because they are the first line of defence when the public become unruly.   They stand between raging mobs to enforce unpopular government decisions and should they fail to prevail the outcome would be anarchy.

Commissioner  Andrew Scipione was due to finally retire in July, but he has chosen to bring that departure date forward to April 2.    This has pitchforked new premier Gladys Berejiklian into the necessity of selecting and naming his replacement at shorter notice than she expected.  No reason has been given for Scipione's decision to step aside before that July retirement date.

The premier will receive pressure from the powerful Police Association of New South Wales to make that appointment from within local ranks.  The public will remember the fiasco that resulted years ago when a top entrant from London's Scotland Yard got the job - and found the politics within the New South Wales police force totally unreadable.

The rumour mill now has it that the head of the Australian Border Force is the front runner for selection, along with senior officers from other state police forces.  That would probably not please the NSW Police Association, but it would at least ensure that the job went to an Australian rather than the uncertainty of trying to enmesh a foreigner in the nuances and customs that are part of Australian life.

The premier has made it clear that those involved in the bugging scandal that erupted in the rivalry battle for selection years earlier are still in contention, despite one very senior office having left the force.  Media speculation favours  Roman  Quaedvileg, head of the Border Force because he would be a clear break from the divisions  roiling within the state police and it would introduce a breath of fresh air.

It is an interesting factor that the pay scale for the head of the Border Force stands at $ 730,000, a hundred thousand dollars higher than the present pay of the NSW Police Commissioner.   If Roman Quaedvileg is appointed, either he has to take a pay cut or the salary for the police commissioner needs to be increased.    It could be inferred that making a selection at this higher pay level elevates the job seniority well above the capability of the local contenders.

If the pick selects from within the New South Wales police it seems inevitable that the warring division fighting will continue.  If it brings in an outsider that will need to be a person with exceptional skills to  bring those divisions together and unify the police force.   To a very large degree it may be the decisive factor that determines Gladys Berejiklians outcome as state premier.

Residents ? Or Shareholders ?

When Mike Baird decided to quit politics perhaps the most important issue he left unresolved was the council amalgamation issue.   This has been festering for years and clearly the majority of people have at least reservations about forcing neighbouring councils to pool their resources in the name of efficiency.

The reasons are many and varied.  Topping the list is the fear that the resulting super council will be a vast bureaucracy with impenetrable decision making far removed from where they live.  In particular, those councils that include older, settled suburbs think that their rate money may be diverted to the gentrification of lesser suburbs that have become part of the new council mix and their services may suffer.

There is almost a tribal identity linking many older residents with the name of their suburb and the council that administers it.   The people elected to council are personally known to them and council jobs are wide spread in the local community.   They have input that will be lost if the council administration is widened.

The reason for council amalgamations seem to have fallen on deaf ears.  The backlog of work deferred because of lack of funds is reaching critical proportions in many administrations and some of these councils are struggling to even take care of the basics that fall under their control.  It is a case of ever rising rates accompanied by the cost of services slipping further from control.  Where debt is accumulating, the prospect of bankruptcies loom.

A council is just like any other commercial business.  It is obliged by law to pay its bills and if it slips into serious arrears its creditors take steps to wind it up.  It is the legal position and how ratepayer residents fit into the picture that needs urgent thought as this amalgamation is resolved.

New premier Gladys Berejiklian is anxious to bring this amalgamation matter to a head and at present some councils have merged while others are vigorously fighting through the courts to retain their autonomy.   Options being considered are to cease forced amalgamations and take the matter back to residents by way of a plebiscite.  On the present mood of voters, it would be likely that such a poll would bring in a negative result.

What is not clear is the precise position ratepayers of a bankruptcy by their council would find themselves in relation to the debt owing.  It could  be construed that as the voting force that elected the council to office they are its shareholders - and cumulatively responsible for the debt.

That could involve a levy on each individual household, and that is something that should be made abundantly clear before any vote is held on forcing councils to achieve efficiency by amalgamating to spread the load.

There seems a vague feeling that councils are somehow exempt from normal bankruptcy practice, and that in such an event the government would be forced to bail them out anyway - but that is not necessarily correct.

It is a matter of some importance that if this goes to a vote, the ratepayers know precisely they are letting themselves in for financially.

Living in a Corrupt World !

Here in Australia we are shielded from the "What's in it for me " syndrome that plays out so openly in much of the rest of the world.  In a lot of countries the cops are notorious for threatening some sort of mythical infringement that can be bought off with a bribe.   In India even minor clerical procedures fail to proceed - unless palms are greased to ensure progress.

Pity the hierarchy of companies based in the western world intent on competing in the international marketplace.  They are beholden to their shareholders to get results and yet they are bound by anti corruption laws with draconian fines and the threat of prison sentences if they compete within the terms that apply in the international marketplace.

Just such a fate has befallen both the chief executive and the chief finance officer of an Australian company competing for a major contract in Dubai in the Middle East.  Apparently it took a fifteen million illegal bribe paid to a crooked consultant who had the power to ensure that they were the successful bidder.   Such an arrangement would be commonplace in the Middle East, but completely illegal under Australian law.

The people with the fancy titles and big salaries at the top of companies with wide name recognition live a precarious life.  In the event of things going sour and disclosure occurring the finger pointing will swing into action and the politicians will condem.   These two executives are facing two year prison threats, heavy personal fines and the liklihood that they will be banned from managing companies for up to five years.   Their business careers will be virtually extinguished.

The value of a company is complicit with what the share market is prepared to pay for it and that depends on its level of prosperity.   When it gains a big new contract the media makes much of the jobs that will attract and it is seen to be adding to the national wealth.  When times are tough and the work is running out the public are quick to condem.    The firm is advised to " sharpen their pencil " and bring home the bacon !

Even when the tendering process is perfectly legal and the jobs have been obtained purely on merit a new area of corruption is awaiting.  The balance between profit and loss is often entirely conducive in successfully negotiating a work agreement with the unions - and very often that requires arrangements on the wrong side of the law.

To further complicate matters, industrial peace usually involves the multiplicity of subcontracting firms that will work on the project.   Should one of them be unacceptable to the unions it can spell disaster if conflict brings the job to a standstill despite an overall union agreement being in place.Very often, it will take an amount of money changing hands very quickly to restore order - and get the job back to schedule.

At the moment, one of Australia's biggest national companies is in the toils of an investigation by both ASIC and the Federal police.   The executives of its many competitors will be watching this progress with qualms - and the mantra "There but  for the grace of God go I "!

Death by Imports !

Back in the 1980's Australia took a massive step in public safety when it banned the use of asbestos. There was scarcely a house in this entire country that was not riddled with at least a degree of asbestos in its building materials.  The outer surface of many homes was clad in asbestos/cement sheeting, and this same product was used for internal lining in kitchens, laundry and bathrooms.  In thicker grade is was the base for wet areas and even in corrugated form it was used as a roofing material - and it had been the mainstay of the building trade for many decades.

This asbestos was deemed safe because it was bonded with cement to form a sheet, but the danger came when that sheet was worked - by drilling or sawing.  Released asbestos particles floated in the air and when breathed into the lungs can cause Mesothelioma, which results in a protracted and agonisng death.  It cost the building products industry millions to replace asbestos and many tradespeople thought the new product inferior to the old asbestos/cement sheet.

Today, we are constantly warning people living in homes built before the 1980's to be very careful when doing renovations.  Even a simple task like drilling a hole in an asbestos/cement sheet to run a wire can release deadly asbestos fibres.   Demolition of such older homes must be done by a licensed asbestos removal contractor and the sheets are wet down to reduce the hazard and safely disposed of in pits immediately covered with soil.

This Australian ban was much wider than just building products.  Asbestos was the main component in car brake linings and every time a car braked the friction released asbestos fibres.  Mechanics working on cars were in danger of Mesothelioma.  Asbestos was used in a multitude of products and was widespread in the marine industry, where it was deemed the perfect insulation for steam pipes in ships.

Strangely, this Australian asbestos ban was not duplicated in many other countries.  Some placed lesser restrictions on asbestos products, while others made no changes at all.   We are now seeing the result of that inertia coming home to this country with asbestos making a reappearance in many imported building materials and similar products.

CFMEU officials have sounded the warning that asbestos is appearing in building products imported into the country and which have been used in constructions in Brisbane and Perth.  In part, this is a result of the "Globalization "phenomenon where major companies in places like America and Russia - which do not have asbestos restrictions - contract for their world products to be manufactured in low wage Asian countries and exported from there on a wide basis.

This is compounded when those Asian manufacturers decide to produce their own brand of a similar product for export.  They obviously look for the cheapest base material to make their product price competitive, and asbestos falls into that low end price range.  Rarely would the asbestos get a mention in any brochure that accompanies the goods.

The sheer volume flowing in over our wharves makes detailed inspections impossible.  The building trade is always looking for the best price to remain competitive and we are now seeing vast amounts of asbestos circumventing the bans we have in place.  In the majority of cases, the buyer would have no reason to suspect that asbestos is present in the product they are buying.

It is certainly a point for our trade commissioners to ponder.   Perhaps a need for a statutory declaration to accompany any import guaranteeing it is asbestos free, with a substantial fine and withdrawal of future import licenses for discovery of non  compliance !