Demountable Classroom Logic !

Schools have long been a political battleground in ever growing Sydney.  We create new suburbs to house our growing numbers and that creates pressure on the transport system to move them to employment sources and for new schools to accommodate their children.  The problem is that suburbs tend to change their identity within a couple of decades and what is provided for one era becomes surplus in another.

We have all seen suburbs popular with young families change character as the kids grow up, finish their schooling and enter the workforce.  Streets that were once full of kids playing at weekends no longer have that activity.  The suburb changes character and now becomes the residential home for middle aged people heading towards retirement, and that is a huge challenge for government planners.

There is a very logical preference in school planning for the use of demountable classrooms as opposed to permanent school buildings.  These demountables can speedily provide the classrooms needed as suburban numbers grow and can be moved to new locations when that demand declines. That is the degree of flexibility evident in todays school planning.

Permanent brick and mortar school buildings have a budget of $4.2 billion to be spent in the next four years and this will be concentrated where the new transport lines will provide mobility and there is the expectation that high rise will provide living density.  There is the expectation that more Sydney families will live in high rise blocks in the future and that child numbers will remain high in such suburbs.

The New South Wales education system presently has five thousand one hundred demountable classrooms in use.   There is the expectation that school numbers will rise by 175,000 extra children by 2030.  These children will be accommodated with an increase in the demountable stock to six thousand one hundred units between next year and 2020.

Some parents have a very unreasonable distaste for demountables.   They prefer multi room school brick and mortar blocks from their own childhood, but that inflexibility is no longer relevant to todays changing needs.   The demountable - with attached air conditioning - can quickly expand to serve the numbers needed and can be moved from place to place as those numbers change.

We have seen a past era where brick and mortar schools were far apart and kids were expected to travel long distances to attend.   The thinking today is to create schools close to where the demand exists and create flexibility so that can change as circumstances change.

Love them or hate them.  Those demountables are the schools of the future !

A " Near Miss " ?

It seems that Earth is an angry planet judging by the threats that are being exchanged between nations.  America and North Korea are threatening one another with nuclear weapons and Spain is in turmoil because the Catalans want to break away and form their own nation.   We have a very complicated shooting war in the Middle East and that has been morphing into a religious crusade that brings terrorist attacks on civilians in many world cities.

Even where nations are at peace there are tensions over trade and the latest flash point is the tide of refugees fleeing war zones or in many cases escaping the economic hardship of poor countries which can not finance even enough basic food to keep their citizens alive.   Their perilous journeys are finding closed frontiers and they are fast becoming the world's " unwanted " !

Unfortunately, not even a threat to this planet from the mystery of the universe in which it circles the sun in our galaxy is able to bring the nations to consensus to try and avert danger.  We are aware that millions of years ago just such an object collided with earth, creating a dust cloud that enveloped the world and not only wiped out the Dinosaurs but most of the creatures that existed in that time frame.  The few survivors went on to create the world we know today.

An amateur with a private telescope based in Hawaii discovered an unusual object - thought to be either a meteorite or a comet - that had entered our solar system from what is termed the " Kuiper belt " - an area where debris left over after the big bang circles in endless orbit.   Sometimes these collide, sending matter on a new course which may enter our solar system and pass close to earth.

This object was given the designation A/2017/U1 and it is estimated that it is about four hundred metres in diameter.  Should it collide with earth a mass of that size would create a titanic nuclear explosion and deliver a giant tsunami and a dust cloud that might obliterate sunlight for a period of years.  It could eliminate human life on this planet.

Science tracked its journey with trepidation.   When it passed near the planet Mercury the massive gravity effect of our sun caused it to be slung into a new orbit which caused it to pass earth at a distance of just fifteen million miles - and in space equations that is considered a " near miss " !

From time to time our planet does get hit with objects from outer space.  Many burn up before they hit the surface but the history books record devastation that can only have been objects from space hitting this planet.    One such meteorite struck a remote region of Russia and flattened hundred of miles of forest.  There is evidence that this is not unusual and there is the expectation that similar hits will occur in the future.

Astronomers track most large meteorites sith a possible earth orbit, but visitors like A/2017/U1 can appear at very short notice.   Had it be destined to strike earth we would have had only a few months to prepare or take action to divert its course.

Perhaps it will take such a fast approaching Armageddon to makes the tribes of earth forget their differences and combined their efforts to survive such a catastrophe.  It seems that A/2017/U1 failed to deliver such a message !

That " Gambling " Issue !

It seems to be a human frailty that most humans are attracted to " games of chance " in which they may win or lose money.  Gambling - in its many forms - even gets a mention in the Bible and some religions regard it as a " sin " !

There is no doubt that some forms of gambling can be equally as addictive as narcotics.  We regularly hear of people who have gambled away their entire fortune and sometimes it is money stolen from an employer which means that gambling losses will land them in a prison cell.  Both the Federal and state governments impose restrictions to try and regulate how gambling may be kept to a relatively safe level.

The gambling industry sees it differently.  As long as it is legal they employ tactics to encourage people to gamble because all forms of gambling deliver a hefty winning margin to the gambling organizer.  Those profits are heavily taxed by the licensing authorities and these tax returns are important to both Federal and state Treasuries.

Poker machines have long been in the sights of the anti gambling fraternity.   They are present in huge numbers in pubs, clubs and casinos and the machine manufacturers are very canny in making them attractive to patrons.  The question being asked by an enquiry into the industry is whether this attraction has crossed the border and become " compulsorily addictive  ".

What drew the ire of the inquiry was a feature built into most poker machines that convinces a player that they have won - when in fact exactly the opposite has occurred.   It seems that what attracts and keeps players sitting at their machines is the constant euphoria of flashing lights and symbols across the screen, accompanied by frenzied music that signals a win.  Often, this " win " being signalled is less than the amount being gambled in that roll of the wheels.

For instance, the gambler may be committing a dollar bet riding on each roll of the symbols on the screen and the combination win on that play may deliver a return of just twenty-five cents.   The player has actually lost seventy-five cents, but the machine is applauding that twenty-five cent win with bell and whistles to convince the player that the opposite has occurred.

Another incentive is the lure of a huge Jackpot that may be possible if the correct winning sequence is obtained on one of many linked machines sited in a number of venues.   The actual odds of such a win are in the millions to one category, but that is not apparent to most players.  As with most forms of gambling, that big win is an allusion that attracts media attention when it " goes off " after very lengthy intervals.

Now the Internet and the home computer have brought the reality of the " virtual casino " to computer screens.  It is a rare computer owner who has not received unsolicited offers to play a wide variety of gambling games and in many cases this offer includes either a free cash inducement to start the process - or an offer of many " free spins " as an introductory offer.   It usually demands the establishment of a credit card account - on the guise of where winnings will be paid, but both the ethics and reality of what is being offered remains in the hands of unknown people in a distant foreign country.

Government authorities face a dilemma.   If they impose restrictions that make gambling unattractive to the public that reduced flow of tax dollars cripples the economy.  Gambling is a purely voluntary option that most people choose as a form of entertainment and it is a well known fact that the odds are heavily in favour of whoever owns and suppliers the gambling option.  Most people expect to lose money when they gamble.

The odds are that this enquiry will provide fire and fury, and a lot of froth and bubble  - and little will change !

" Ownership " of Australia ?

For a very long time the Indigenous people who lived on the Australian continent before the British decided to create a penal colony in Botany Bay were virtually ignored.  That is a grievance they have every right to protest, but that is also not the situation today.  They now have exactly the same rights as any other of the twenty-four million people who call themselves " Australian " !

During the last census about six hundred and seventy thousand people claimed to be " Aboriginal or Torres Strait islanders ".   That represents three percent of the Australian population, but the true figure is probably much greater.  It is not certain how many people with some degree of Indigenous blood in their ancestry chose to tick that question box - and how many elected not to.

One of the problems our original Australians have in being heard is their uneven distribution within the Australian states.  In the Northern Territory they represent thirty percent of the population and  that can not be ignored, but in some other states their numbers are not significant - and they find it hard to mount a forum.

There seems little doubt that past injustice is both recognised and a subject of regret across the wider community and some form of restitution is favoured - but exactly what will achieve that end has not emerged as a possible solution to either community.

The latest proposal was to create what was termed a " Voice to parliament " in the form of a separate chamber from which Indigenous people would debate their concerns and bring forward plans for adoption by the Australian parliament.   It would have no power of veto over the deliberations of that parliament and it would be unlikely to gain the support of a referendum needed to bring it into existence.   At most it would be a powerless " talking shop " while others may claim it as a " third chamber of parliament ".

A proposal to include Indigenous people in the Australian Constitution has wide general support, but exactly what form that should take has become the stumbling block.  Unfortunately, the integration of our Indigenous citizens into a prosperous Australian culture has been very uneven.   Some have chosen to retain a traditional tribal life remote from urbanization and this has made it difficult to provide both education and health services.  It is unlikely that either will reach all strata  of the Indigenous communities by the middle of this century.

One of the sticking points between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities is the  contention that white people " stole the land ".   The settlers certainly did not ask permission and the arrival of the first fleet was a form of " invasion " but such were the protocols that existed in that day and age.  Similar dangers exist today.

During the second world war this country faced imminent invasion by the Japanese and our small population seemed unlikely to be able to beat back such overwhelming numbers.  We are heading towards an overcrowded planet and it is quite likely that in the future we will come under stress from other nations jealous of this great lands food production capacity.   We only have ownership of this land as long as we can defend it from others.

Perhaps the best we can offer our Indigenous people is help to educate their kids and bring them good health.  The Australian society is prosperous and Indigenous people are scattered through all walks of life and that is rapidly increasing.  Instead of a separate chamber of parliament, Indigenous people can best be served by standing for office and winning seats - and making their voices heard as we advance this country together.

New Islamic State Tactic !

Islamic State is not short of ready cash.  It has support throughout the Islamic world and its clever manipulation of social media in the west ensures a steady trickle of donated funds.  Now that its " Caliphate " dreams in Iraq and Syria have imploded it is devising new tactics to keep its revolution firmly in the headlines of world news.

The seizure of the Philippine city of Marawi seems a textbook illustration of what we can expect in the future.  Marawi was in a part of the Philippines which is heavily Islamic and it took a force of just nine hundred supporters to take control and create fear to send police and other defenders fleeing.  Once in control, the black flag was prominently displayed and they were able to maintain control during a 154 day siege before the army gained the upper hand.

While Islamic State ruled that city it seems that their experience in Mosul was the template for civic control.  The killed or departed Islamists left behind many videos illustrating the regime put in place in Mosul and bundles of cash money had been provided to allow this administration to secure the support of locals.

It was certainly a bloody occupation.  At least three hundred thousand refugees fled the city and when the army sought to regain control this led to a street by street battle which destroyed entire neighbourhoods.  Islamic State casualty figures are unknown, but at least 165 police and army fighters lost their lives and forty-five civilians were caught in the cross fire.  The city is now a blackened shambles and it will take both years and millions of dollars to rebuild.

Many Asian governments fear this will be the IS plan for the future.  The IS leaders regards their freedom fighters as expendable.  It only took nine hundred to gain control of Marawi and refusal to give ground resulted in the death of many defenders, but many others managed to mix with civilians and make an escape.   Because this civilian population was used as human shields, the invading Philippine army could not use the heavy weapons usual in a war situation.   The advantage was heavily with the Islamists.

IS must keep its name before the public or it will wither away.  It seems certain that its prominence in Iraq and Syria is ending and its extreme Wahabist views on how Islam should be practised bring it into opposition with the Islamic government in many countries.   The targets selected could be equally spread across many countries in both Asia and Africa, all of which guarantee maximum exposure on the world news scene.

Unfortunately, it seems that Islamic State will continue to be a toxic presence long after its influence wanes in the war zones of the Middle East.   Its ambitions find resonance in the minds of many in countries which purport to be friendly with the west and a steady stream of money flows from this source.

As long as Islamic State manages to maintain this war the settlement of peaceful Islamic followers in western countries will be viewed with suspicion.

Rental Tenancy Certainty !

In Sydney, the number of  rental properties available falls far short of the people looking for a place to call " home ".  For every listed vacancy, a horde of applicants apply and when someone is successful it results in many disappointed people being rejected.  Unfortunately, once the period of the lease expires, tenants have no certainty that their tenancy is secure.

A case in point recently made newspaper headlines.  A family with two small children lived in a two bedroom rented apartment and when the marriage fell apart the husband moved out and obtained his own flat across the road.  Both the husband and wife held jobs and the split was amicable because of the needs of the children.

The original rental was taken out in the husbands name and the fact that his wife was now the tenant imposed certain legal difficulties.   The wife complained to the landlord about a fifty dollar rent increase because her rent had increased four times - from $ 290 in May 2014 to $ 750 on June 2016.  She was given the option of applying for a new lease -  at a market rental rate of $840.

She was then served with a " No grounds eviction order " requiring her to vacate the premises within ninety days.  Such orders do not require any reason to be stated but the agency told her it was because she was not named on the property lease.  She also claims she was told she " shouldn't bother " to apply for other properties managed by that rental company.

This tends to illustrate the " low profile " dictum that most tenants now believe is necessary to avoid bringing themselves to the attention of landlords.  Complaints about rent increases or demands for repairs now often bring eviction and replacement with more docile customers.  Where an individual agency has a big share of the rentals in a district it has the power to virtually blacklist an evicted person from living in that suburb.

In this instance, the rental agency does have a point that once a lease expires it is the duty of its management role to adjust the rental rate to market value.  The price of property and the scarcity of available rentals has sent rents soaring in the past few years.  This is an obvious hazard for those intending a lifetime of rental tenancy.

The law does require landlords to maintain rental properties in good working order. Utilities that form part of the property must be replaced or repaired if they cease to function and in todays competitive world many tenants are reluctant to demand their rights because of fear of eviction.  That " no cause " eviction order is a catch-all option that can be deployed without the need to state a reason for the eviction.

Of course, in the combative nature of politics the party not in power will promise all sorts of remedies that they may abandon should they ever win office, but there does seem room for the government to introduce a degree of fairness by way of legislation.

Perhaps that " no cause " eviction notice may have passed its use-by-date and should be rescinded.  It would not be unreasonable for tenants to expect to hear why they are being asked to leave rather than just being served an unstated eviction order and perhaps rent increases should be limited to half yearly intervals.   Constant rent changes can be oppressive and impossible to budget and market changes rarely occur with such necessity.

We would do well to remember the draconian imposition of "rent control " imposed at the start of the second world war.  Decades later, we had " protected tenants "  paying rentals that failed to even meet the outgoing for council rates on the properties they occupied.   This is an area to be legislated with great caution.

A Bunch of Thieves !

The fact that just four major banks totally dominate the Australian banking industry is a cause for concern by many people.   Their power is enormous and they operate in lockstep when setting the terms of trade that result in them accruing ever increasing annual profits.  There are constant calls for these " money factories " to be examined by a Royal Commission.

So far that has been denied and we are assured that the conduct of our banking industry is safely monitored by the regulator - which  in this country is the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. ( ASIC ).

A case in the process of being settled casts doubts about whether the " public interest " is being served, or if ASIC is merely ensuring that the needs of the Australian Treasury take prominence.
ASIC has accused three of our four banks of rigging what is called the " swap rate " - the key rate of interest banks charge each other for exchanging money to settle business loans, and of course this has a direct influence on the rate charged to bank customers negotiating loans.

It is reported that ASIC and ANZ Bank are close to agreeing on a $50 million fine as settlement and that this will influence the outcome expected on both Westpac and National Australia bank who have this same transgression settlement pending.   What is angering the purists looking for a fair outcome is the failure of this settlement to include pressure for the bank to admit wrongdoing.   Such an admission would open the way for a class action by bank customers to reclaim excess interest charged.

This certainly does not appear to be a fair outcome.   The banks connived together to " fix " the swap rate in their favour and as a result the average bank customer was disadvantaged.   When ASIC swooped on this irregularity and deemed it illegal a carefully drafted settlement seems to protect the banks from class actions that could cost them an enormous amount of money.   Instead, they will each escape with a mere fifty million paid into the Federal Treasury.

That fifty million is just " loose change " to the banks that record their annual profits in billions. It certainly has little incentive for the bank bosses to change their ways and it is unlikely to affect the bonuses the banks awards for accruing those billions.  The most likely outcome is mild annoyance that they were clumsy enough to get caught and assurance that they will avoid detection in the future.

When a class action shaves a significant portion off the bottom line and causes a drop in the annual dividend paid that certainly gets the attention of shareholders - and they hold the people who run their bank responsible.  Job losses send a clear message to the lower ranks - and ethics need to be part of the culture at the highest level.

This ASIC result fails to deliver that message !

Our " Communications " Enigma. !

Ask any senior citizen about the Australian telephone system after the end of the second world war and you will probably get a tirade of very unhappy memories.   At that time the only option was a fixed line cable connecting your home to the nearest telephone exchange and all this was totally in the hands of the Postmaster General's Department.- a government department.

Inertia and gobbledegook wrapped in an impenetrable cocoon of bureaucracy.  The wait for a new phone connection could go on for months - if you were lucky - and in many cases it involved wiring new suburbs and constructing exchanges and that would be years into the future.  It was often compared with telephone services in Canada which was in private enterprise hands - and phone connections happened in just hours.

Today those fixed line connections are fast being replaced by the miracle of the Smartphone and our computers are being connected to what are advertised as incredible data speeds through the National Broadband Network.  This NBN was a national project that was deemed essential to achieving a modern Australia - and the projected cost was in billions of dollars.

It would be fair to say that the NBN has so far been a national disappointment.  Vastly over budget and miles behind schedule and those with fibre connection in place report abysmal data speeds.  The NBN Ombudsman's complaint line is simply choked with irate users reporting poor service and lack of information.

When the NBN was first proposed many industry insiders had doubts.  It involved laying fibre cable to make all connections and some people envisaged wireless services making this cable redundant.  Perhaps that fear is now becoming reality.  The NBN is protesting loudly that it will need protection from the coming 5G phone technology if it is ever going to return a profit.   Even the present 4G is milking business away from the NBN.

That magic word " subsidy " is being invoked as the answer.  At present the NBN collects about $43 a month from the service providers who sell the product to individual households.  In order to recover costs and make a profit it would need to raise this to $52 - and obviously that means bigger bills for NBN users.

The danger waiting in the wings is the fact that the government owns the NBN and it has been constructed with oodles of public money, and governments have the ability to protect their investments by way of legislation.   One way to do that would be to place restrictions on the coming 5G network to ensure that it does not compete unfavourably with the NBN.

We would then have the worst of both worlds.   A clunky, shambolic NBN that was delivering less than an optimum service and charging a premium because it was protected from viable competition, and restrictions on the technology that the new generation  of Smartphones are able to deliver because of advances in world improvements banned in Australia.

Communication is at the apex of todays business world.  The only answer is a hands off approach to let efficiency and innovation decide the outcome.

" Civic Duty " Problems !

For many people, the arrival in the mail of a summons to jury duty is an unwanted headache.  The names of the pool of people who will serve on juries in each state is usually drawn from the electoral roll and its random selection is designed to draw across all age groups and gather a representative spectrum of the general population.   This ensures that the accused is judged by a jury of his or her " peers " !

The problem is that trials are becoming longer. It is simply the luck of the draw to which court and which case a juror will be allocated and many dread finding they are going to serve on a sex or drugs case likely to run anywhere between twelve weeks and  six months.   The ultimate horror is to be selected for a terrorist trial - that could take up to a year.

While jury duty is a civic duty, it is not time demanded of citizens without compensation.  In New South Wales a juror is paid $ 106.30 for each day required in court and if the trial is protracted that increases to $ 242.30 a day.   That can be very attractive for the lowly paid and the unemployed, but for higher earners it represents an earning loss.   Those on a pension are required to tell Centrelink of jury payments and usually have their pension adjusted accordingly.

The chances of actually finding yourself in the jury box are rather slim.  Each year the jury roll contains the names of about 250,000 people and about 9,000 - or 3% - get called and selected to serve.   Finding that you are on the jury roll can be a hazard for anyone planning a special event such as a wedding or making arrangements for an overseas holiday.

It is possible to get an exemption from duty, but you will need an exceptional reason.  Claiming deafness will certainly be rejected because courts today have ear phones with amplification available for jurors.   Trial lawyers have the right to challenge and dismiss individual jurors without reason during the empanelling process and some people have adopted a bizarre clothing choice or openly carried copies of Hitler's  Mein Kampf in the hope of being thought unsuitable and challenged.

The worst thing a potential juror can do is to ignore a call to present at court for possible jury selection.   The law takes a dim view of non attendance and what follows is the usual imposition of a substantial fine.   Last year 21,942 people were fined for failing to appear and so far this year the fine total has reached 13,568.   That jury service notice is not a request.  It is a demand - and the court system is relentless in following through.

One interesting aspect is that jury service has the protection of the law.  An employer who sacks a worker because he or she has to be absent for jury duty will be hauled into court and fined and forced to reinstate that worker.

Most of the people who have actually served on a jury end up supportive of the jury system.   Those frightened that they will be unable to understand complex legal argument or the intricacies of some evidence given see that it is ordinary people like themselves that legal counsel need to convince to obtain the verdict they are seeking - and this applies equally to both the prosecution and the defence.
If that evidence is opaque or lacking in clarity, that becomes the basis for the jury to reach a logical decision.

Love it or hate it, jury service is one of life's experiences, and usually a juror only serves once in their lifetime.

A Dog-Gone Stupid Law

The law in New South Wales is quite clear when it comes to where owners can take their dogs.  They must not be closer than ten metres from any area where food is being prepared or consumed - and "beer " is technically "food "in the eyes of the law.

That is an ordinance that is either widely ignored, or rigidly imposed across Sydney suburbs.  Many fashionable coffee shops welcome customers and their dogs and it is common to see people enjoying brunch with their faithful pooch sitting placidly under the table.   Other restaurants rigidly bar dogs and often even the blind and their guide dogs are turned away, even though they are legally exempt from that law.

Up until now, the acceptance of dogs in pub bars was very much a matter for each publican.  There was usually at least one pub in every suburb where dogs were welcome but lately council rangers have been conducting a crackdown.   There have been reports of owners being hit with a six hundred dollar fine and publicans have been fined for condoning this law breach.

Now a private members bill has been introduced into the state parliament by a Greens supporter to specifically allow dogs in pub bars.  It will probably not make it into a law change but it is an attempt to preserve the friendly dog culture that has made so many old pubs a welcome haven for men who escape weekend drudgery with the excuse that "they are taking the dog for a walk "!

At the same time a peculiar new ordinance has been applied to Asylum seekers with regards to pets. Leaked guidelines reveal that asylum seekers receiving government support will now be required to seek the approval of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection before buying a household animal.   They may be required to furnish evidence that they can cover the cost of pet ownership.

What is unclear is to what extent this direction applies.   Does it simply extend to adding a dog or a cat to the household ?   Or will it also include the acquisition of a caged bird, Guinea pig or a bowl containing Goldfish ?   And more importantly, what does this imposition hope to achieve ?

Many animal lovers will claim it is counter productive.  Gaining the right to remain in this country is a long process and those with children would benefit from having a pet.  That is an Australian custom that we would be better seeking to pass on to new citizens.  Advocates of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre are scathing and claim it is "another terrifying display of arbitrary power to decide the rights of people seeking asylum ".

Dog and cat ownership in Australia is declining as fewer people live in a home with a backyard. It will decline further if we erect more barriers to where pets may be taken and make ownership more onerous.  There must obviously be restrictions on large and savage dogs, but most pets under the control of their owners fit well into the café and pub scene.  Their presence in dining establishments in Europe is legendary.

Perhaps the best advice to the lawmakers would be to "loosen up " and have a second look at restrictions on the law books.

A Personal Decision !

A lot of people are frightened of the inevitability of death that awaits them.   If they are religious they expect they will encounter a strange afterlife that they do not fully understand.  The bible tells them that they will be judged - and many fear that they may be found wanting.  The one thing that is common is that most people hope for a painless death.

At present, that is not assured.  The lucky ones nearing life's end may meet death in a hospice where palliative care workers will do their best to alleviate pain,but if they stick to the precise letter of the law the terminal pan of some diseases will prevail over the medication level they may lawfully apply.

Until recently, compassionate doctors have eased that passing by giving sufficient morphine to balance pain relief at the cost of shortening the patients life span by a few hours.  That is technically illegal and the practice is ceasing because an awakening of " ethics " in many people may see such compassionate doctors reported to the authorities.  That could result in loss of practising license - or even a prison term.

A law change to legalise euthanasia is proceeding through both the New South Wales and Victorian parliaments.  These bills are opposed by the Catholic church and now Paul Keating, Australia's twenty-fourth prime minister and a Catholic has chosen to speak out against this legislation.  Opinion polls show this is a minority view because Australians generally support assisted death for the terminally ill.

Paul Keating does make a valid point.  He says that it is inevitable that the rules will be bent by doctors and families when it becomes more convenient for carers or beneficiaries to see a gravelly ill person die sooner.

No doubt that will happen in some instances, and the guidelines need to be strict to prevent just that eventuality, but pain relief at death will certainly stop many people contemplating an awful death from saving themselves from such an end by suicide.  This legislation brings the relief that when a patient learns that he or she has contracted what will be a terminally painful disease, relief from a painful death is assured if they make the necessary end arrangements.   This is not something that will be imposed on people against their will.   They will need to consciously and thoughtfully put it in place at their own volition.

Paul Keating also condemned the parlous state of geriatric and palliative care in Australia and said that was where the priority ought to be.  There is no hope that this will magically improve in the immediate future and its lack condemns many people in country areas to move away from friends and relatives for death relief - or suffer the indignity of a painful death.

This impending legislation is not perfect.  It is simply a big improvement on how death arrives for many people today.  It eases minds that a painless death is possible if they bother to make the right arrangements and it is up to the authorities to see that is not abused.  Most importantly of all, it is a personal choice to be made by the individual concerned.

Protest Action gets the Green Light !

Bob Brown is a hero to many people in the protest movement and some regard him as the " Father " of the Greens in Australia.   Many years ago he took a leading part in the nation wide protests to prevent the damning of the Franklin river in Tasmania to enhance electricity generation.

Now retired, it seems he still maintains close links with the protest movement.   He was arrested last summer for failing to obey a move-on order while filming an anti-logging video in the Lapoinya state forest. The police put him in handcuffs and took him away, but later dropped the charges.  Dr Brown was sufficiently incensed to challenge that law in the High Court and this week he was victorious with justices ruling that part of the Tasmanian law cracking down on protests breached  the implied freedom of political communications protected by the constitution.

That decision was arrived at with a six to one verdict in the High Court and it will have obvious ramifications for similar laws in the other states.  It is causing consternation in New South Wales legal circles where protesters face a cumulative fourteen year prison sentence for their part in rendering useless a road belonging to a mine and hindering equipment belonging to that mine at the Wilpinjong Coal mine in the Hunter valley.  Each charge carries a maximum seven years jail sentence.

There seems no doubt that this decision will send shivers through the management of some of Australia's biggest companies.   This seems to open the door for protesters to do more than just picket and wave signs advertising their objections.  By closing an entrance road and preventing the use of machinery necessary for the operation of a mine they effectively close it down and inflict financial loss.  There are very wide implications for this to cause behaviour changes in not only coal mining interests, but in gas extraction and a host of other issues that are high on the protest movements hit list.

This " move-on " legislation has been a very handy weapon in keeping protests non violent.   One of the aims of the protest movement is to gain publicity and the media comply by filming people being placed in handcuff restraint and packed into police wagons and taken away for questioning.  In many cases, once they arrive at the local police station they are released without further charges.  The protest movement has gained its free publicity.   The restriction on whatever activity that sparked the protest has been removed - and everything returns to normal.

Unfortunately, some in the protest movement are zealots who believe that the " end justifies the means "  and resort to what can only be called terror tactics.  In the past, heavy machinery that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars has been sabotaged by engine contamination and at one stage anti-logging protesters were spiking trees with large nails driven into the timber to snap the chain of chain saws - and potentially kill the user.   This High Court ruling will be interpreted in different ways by many in the protest movement.

This seems to be a situation in which the law finds it impossible to differentiate.  Clearly, the public have the right t protest at what they consider to be harmful, but equally the companies that employ people and deliver a profit to their shareholders have a right to engage in what is a lawful activity. We mine coal and we sell it to the world.   We will only stop doing that when the parliament passes a  law that makes coal mining illegal - and that is unlikely in the near future.

It seems that the parliamentarians need to get to work and sort out new protest laws that separate the rights of both the protest movement and the industries they target to achieve a workable relationship with a clear set of rules.   That will also have to survive the inevitable challenge in the High Court.

Fame - and Fortune !

Many people struggling to live on casual work paying less than fifteen dollars an hour envy the stars on our television screens who make more in an hour than they do in a complete working year.  That is part of the celebrity world in which we live.  A very few rise to the top of the pack and bask in public adulation - and the rest of the herd provides the support that maintains their lifestyle.

Channel 9 star Lisa Wilkinson has grabbed newspaper headlines with a refusal to agree with her bosses and sign a new contract.  The reason will draw support from the feminist movement because she is demanding equal pay with her male co-host of the top rating " Today " show.  The earnings of both these media stars are a closely kept secret, but Nine seems to think that Karl Stefanovic shines a shade brighter - and consequently earns a higher figure.

It is rumoured that Lisa Wilkinson has demanded a salary of two million dollars a year and Channel Nine would have to cut nine producers jobs to meet that figure.  As a consequence of that refusal, Wilkinson dropped a bombshell when she went on air to announce that she was leaving the network - and would soon be joining rival Channel Ten.

That certainly has industry tongues wagging.  For many years Channel Ten was the laggard in the three network competition for audiences and was recently placed in receivership.  It seemed likely to become part of Rupert Murdocks media empire until at the last minute US television giant CBS swooped in with an offer and wrapped up the deal.

Lisa Wilkinson is fifty-seven years old and shows no sign of losing her audience attraction.  She has a huge audience following and it is likely that many will follow her to whatever show she heads with the Ten network.  Quite obviously, Nine will select a new face to replace her and the vast resources of that network will be tasked with making that person appealing and retaining the Nine audience.  In television, everything lives or dies with the rating results.

Usually, when television stars jump ship it is between the two top running networks - Nine and Seven - and this move to lowly Ten could be a strategic master stroke.   When it comes to financial backing, CBS completely outguns both Nine and Seven and is the source of many top rating shows already on Australian television.  The television world is waiting with trepidation to discover what plans CBS have for their entry into this country.

Ordinary people envy movie stars and sporting people in the public limelight who are classed as " Celebrities " and automatically invited to public events.   They earn big money, but they pay a price for that fame.  Their personal privacy disappears.  They are stalked by paparazzi and often completely false claims are made in sensational magazine stories with the intent of increasing retail sales.  They are regarded as " public property " by many low grade journalists looking to make a fast buck.

There is also a physical danger. Besotted fans and people with mental impairment can be dangerous, as the death of John Lennon illustrated, and the bigger the star - the greater the danger.  That appearance in the limelight on a television screen is usually preceded by an early arrival at the studio and hours of presentation procedure by a trained staff.   Those network employers demand high performance standards for the big money they pay.

Lisa Wilkinson has made an interesting decision.  Australian audiences will follow the outcome with interest !

The End of " Trust " !

When Donald Trump was running for office he portrayed himself as one of the worlds greatest " dealmakers ".  He suggested that the majority of America's problems could be solved by sitting down with the people blocking legislation and generally preventing progress and resolving such matters by way of a " deal ".

In office, his main intent seems to be to dismantle everything and anything that his predecessor - Barak Obama - created during his two terms in office.  Obamacare has been in his sights despite millions of Americans facing life without health cover insurance if he succeeds in dismantling this universal health scheme, but perhaps the greatest damage  to world peace has been his action to " decertify " the nuclear deal with Iran.

This is not just an American deal.  This was thrashed out by Obama in conjunction with China, Russia, Britain, the EU and with complicit input by the United Nations.  It stopped Iran's progress towards building nuclear bombs and created more than a year time gap should the accord lapse. International Atomic Energy inspectors have access to Iran's facilities to ensure that there is no cheating.

These signatories to what is really an international treaty are all adamant that Iran is meeting its obligations but Trump disagrees without presenting any evidence and shunts the deal back to Congress to allow fresh sanctions to be imposed.  He wants to add new measures to stop Iran updating its missile programme and create limits on help that country provides to regimes the United States regards as terrorists.

It is America which is backing away from its " deal "  obligations and the repercussion may be disastrous.  We have a very dangerous confrontation with North Korea hanging in the balance and this deal backsliding will probably absolutely kill any chance of that being settled by some sort of accord.   That does seem remote, but it also seems the only chance to avoid an exchange of missiles by mistake or misinterpretation.

An even bigger damage component is being done to the trust held by nations sheltering under the American nuclear umbrella.   For decades, many countries have held their hand in developing their own nuclear weapons because America has offered them its protection should they be attacked. That was a promise renewed by every American president elected to office, until President Donald Trump started to add conditions and voice reservations.

If Trump can walk away from the Iran nuclear deal, many will question their safety under the American nuclear umbrella.   Would America go to war if they were attacked ?   That was never a doubt in the past, but this is a new America - with a very different type of man residing in the oval office.

In particular, both Japan and South Korea will now have their doubts and the countries with Russia as a neighbour will be nervous.  The fact that both India and Pakistan successfully joined the nuclear club and the world accepted their right to nuclear arsenals will be encouraging.  We may be on the cusp of a nuclear arms race.

It is quite possible that Donald Trump will go down in history for all the wrong reasons.  Deals are important, but only if there is trust that they will be fully honoured.  That is a question that our own defence people will need to ponder.

Implementing the Will of the People !

" Democracy " is a word that means different things to different people.   What is supposed to get implemented is what more than fifty percent of the people decide, but in practice that is what rarely happens.    Decision making is subjected to both politics and the individual moral judgements of the people we elect to represent us in parliament.

This " Same Sex Marriage "  issue is a case in point.  Repeated opinion polls reveal that the vast majority of the Australian people approve, but it has not become law because one side of politics resists and it has never come to a vote in our parliament.  We are now in the middle of a non-binding postal vote and even when that delivers a clear verdict there is no guarantee that the men and women we sent to parliament to represent us will abide by our decision.

Now another important matter is about to go to a vote in the New South Walers Legislative  Council.  This is a law change to allow voluntary euthanasia  for terminally ill people.  Unfortunately, many life ending diseases deliver an agonising death and the medical profession faces a dilemma. In the past, many compassionate doctors gave relief by the use of what was termed the " double effect " of applying morphine to ease that relentless pain - but is also indirectly hastened death for the patient.

Many doctors are now reluctant to adopt that procedure because they fear that now medical ethics has become an issue with some of their colleagues they may be reported.  The prospect of facing a tribunal for what at present is regarded as a breach of the law gives pause to their feelings of compassion.  A law change is needed to sanctify a much needed act of mercy.

Even if voluntary euthanasia gets the nod in the Legislative Council, it will still have to pass to the lower house where both sides of politics may allow a conscience vote.  It is personally opposed by both the premier and the leader of the opposition, and by one of the smaller  political parties.  If the people we send to parliament to do our bidding refuse the will of the people, perhaps it is time to give a new strength to " people power ".

If enough of the population is sufficiently moved to sign a petition on an important issue like voluntary euthanasia or same sex marriage then that issue needs to be resolved by the people by way of a binding referendum that requires the parliament to accept that decision.  Such a vote of the people would clearly take precedence over the politics of political parties and the personal wishes of sitting parliamentarians.  Where there is doubt about an issue, and it is sufficiently important to be taken out of the hands of individual politicians, it would best be settled by being put to an  referendum for settlement.

Obviously, we would not want vocal critics pushing minor matters to such a solution and probably the necessary filter to determine what is sufficiently important to be decided by a national  binding referendum would be the High court of Australia.   Clearly, both same sex marriage and voluntary euthanasia meet the criteria for such a referendum.

In fact, knowing that such a sword of Damocles hangs over their heads would probably make those parliamentarians less pedantic and more likely to obey the will of the people.

Technology Loss.

The last car rolls off the assembly line at Holden's Elizabeth plant in South Australia on Friday, October 20.  Ford is gone and Toyota is going.  We will no longer be a country with a manufacturing car industry and that means several thousand well paid jobs will come to an end.

That was probably inevitable because the car industry is an international enterprise and they never seriously intended to base exports from Australia. Tariffs to protect our car manufacturing helped beat off competitors in this home market and the car companies were extracting ever increasing subsidies from the government.  At all times the government was keeping its eye on those well paid manufacturing jobs and every new car built here was becoming a drain on the public purse.

Now we have emerged from behind that defensive tariff shield the new cars on offer here have sharply dropped in price.  The used car market has been decimated because new cars are now within the price range of ordinary people.   The car fleet on our roads is newer and safer now that we are " customers " of the world car industry.

Unfortunately, what seems to have been forgotten is the fate of a vast industry that supplied individual parts that became part of those cars we manufactured here.  It was heavily based in Victoria and South Australia, but it also had factories here in New South Wales.  It emerged in Australia some years back when the car industry cut costs by eliminating stock holdings and converted to a " just in time " manufacturing formulae.  Parts were scheduled to arrive at the factory timed to go immediately into the production lines, delivering a saving.   This encouraged a local supply industry which has now lost its market.

Some of those factories are huge and employ hundreds of people, but a lot are tiny outfits making small trim items and employing just half a dozen people. When we think of cars we visualise metal but a surprising number of components are made of other materials, and this Australian industry has developed the technology needed to make some amazingly complex items.  It is essential that this technology not be dissipated and lost.  The opportunity exists to turn this engineering know-how into new developments and this needs help by way of government support.

Much of this car part manufacturing originated when entrepreneurs saw an opportunity and developed a way to produce what the industry required.  It has been clear for some time that the car industry here was terminating and many of these organizations are probably well advanced in converting car industry production to something entirely different, but it takes time to develop a new product and even longer to have that become commercially viable.

If such people simply close their doors and cease to exist, the people they employed will join the dole queue.   It would make more sense for the government to consider " development grants " to help pay the wages and keep those same people employed while new markets and new products are in the development stage.

This presents an opportunity to restore some of the Australian manufacturing industry that withered away when Chinese cheap labour enticed factories to relocate overseas.  Wages are rising sharply in China and the age is changing to robotics as the means of supply, and that is precisely how small Australian industries managed to secure a place in car manufacturing.   Much of the car component industry comprised technically trained people operating and servicing specially built machines that produced the precision part required in car assembly.   Now that skill needs to be turned in new directions.

Some see the end of car manufacturing here as a disaster, but it does open us to a wider range of car choice and if we can redirect that parts manufacturing sector into entrepreneurial thinking it may restore that past age of manufacturing in this country.

Creating a " Legend " !

The rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne got notched up to a higher level with the running of " The Everest " at Randwick race course.    This is billed as " the richest horse race held on turf " and has a ten million dollar prize pool.

Quite clearly, it  is an event that its promoters hope will take the shine off the famous Melbourne cup as the premier horse race in Australia.  It is based on a famous United States horse race called " the Pegasus " and there is the expectation that in coming years it will attract entrants from the worlds most illustrious racing stables.

" The Everest " is a twelve hundred metre weight-for-age race and the entrants are restricted to just twelve barrier slots.   What is unusual is that obtaining a barrier slot will be open to competition and the winner will have the right to run a horse that they own, or deal with other stables to select a runner which will be competitive.   This could become a hotly contested lottery between the big money interests of the world racing scene.

The winner receives a prize of $ 5.8 million, plus a trophy valued at $ 320,000.   The horse running second receives $ `1.42 million, third $ 800,000 and each of the rest of the field receives $ 175,000 .
It is expected that competition for one of those racing slots will become the news story that precedes the race every year as racing identities with deep pockets seek the prestige that comes with winning what will be the worlds richest horse race.

This first race is testing the water to see how it is received on the world stage, and for the promoters this is a big gamble.   Why some events become a " legend " and others fail to make that grade is not something that can be explained by science.  Even when the best minds put together an event that is backed by astronomical money there is no guarantee that what is planned will attain that special " magic " in people's minds that bestows the term " legend " and makes it memorable.

That is illustrated by the phenomenon that is the Melbourne cup.   Every state capital has a horse race run in its name and each is well supported, but the race that " stops Australia " occurs in Melbourne on every first Tuesday in November.   The money bet on that race across Australia breaks records each year and in many cases it is the only racing bet that many members of the public place each year.   Pubs and clubs are packed in cities and country towns - Australia wide -  to watch the race run on television.

If Sydney interests are hoping that " The Everest " will cause interest in the Melbourne cup to recede they will probably be disappointed.  It is an entirely different type of race, a short sprint compared with a distance event in Melbourne requiring entirely different competitors.  How " The Everest " fares in public minds will rely heavily on luck.  Hopefully, future races will attract a field of competitors that catch the public imagination - and nothing sparks interest like a good old  spat between leading racing interests.  If that all comes together, this race will take a leading role in the Australian racing calendar.   But is in unlikely to shade the Melbourne cup.

Equal Pay. Equal Benefits ?

When women started to enter the workforce the social thinking of that time set pay standards lower than for men.  That has slowly improved over recent decades and the maxim of " equal pay for equal work " is starting to apply, but women's work seems to be concentrated in industries where lower pay standards are essential in balancing the economy.   The government has a need to avoid restoring this pay balance by legislation because to do so would bring a sharp cost of living increase across the board.

What is more alarming, but mostly ignored is the vast difference between the sexes when it comes to retirement incomes.  Few women in the general workforce receive a retirement payout similar to that of a male doing a similar job - because the system is stacked against them.

In earlier decades most superannuation schemes worked on what was called a " Defined Benefit " - the pension on retirement was based on a proportion of the actual salary the retiree was drawing at that time.  Todays retirement schemes work on a different system.  Both the worker and the employer contribute to a " pot "  and what the retiree receives on termination depends on how much that pot has accumulated over that period of time.

This is where women lose out badly.  Most women suffer a work interruption during their child bearing years and often relocate to a lesser work category to balance family needs.  They are less likely to be granted promotion to higher responsibility levels as male counterparts and in many companies there is a distinction between " executive " and " weekly paid " retirement contribution levels.

That difference is stark.  " Salaried " staff are generally in supervisory roles and they are paid by a monthly transfer of funds directly into their bank account.  They enjoy greater sickness benefits and often are beneficiaries of company cars and expense accounts.  Working conditions are more relaxed and often company travel is involved and catered at luxury level.

The weekly paid people live in a more regimented environment.  That pay packet comes with a strict application of sickness absence dictated by award conditions and often arrival and departure is required to be recorded by use of a time clock.   Because of the past reluctance to promote women to supervisory positions many women remain at this level for their entire working lives.   The amount of money they receive at retirement is significantly less than that enjoyed by their companies salaried staff component,

As a result, most retired women live a more frugal life.  They have a life expectation five years longer than men and they are generally more cautious with their investments.  Many opt for a small guaranteed annuity rather than make investment risks and in particular, women living alone in retirement are often subjected to an austere mode of living.

The women's movement seem to be concentrated on achieving equal pay and that is commendable, but the retirement issue is becoming more important because of changing lifestyles.   In the past, it was assumed that most people retired as a couple sharing common retirement funds.   Divorce or separation is now a fact of life and many of both sexes are likely to need to finance their final years alone.

The present superannuation regimes are not meeting this need.  Perhaps a new frontier that needs urgent attention

Unintended Consequences !

The public wholeheartedly support  law enforcement methods to catch and punish paedophiles.  As the law presently stands, men who use social media to groom children for sex are tracked by specialised police officers posing as a child and when sufficient evidence has been gained, the offender is put before a court.  If the evidence convinces a magistrate, that person is found guilty and given punishment commensurate with the crime.

The Crimes Act is now being overhauled and toughened in what has been termed " the greatest crackdown on paedophiles in a generation ".  This takes the form of mandatory minimum sentences and that leaves the Law Council of Australia aghast because it removes the right of magistrates and judges to consider all the aspects of the case - and deciding what suitable punishment should apply.

There is a danger that in framing a law that includes  jail terms of at least five years the definition of offences blurs the difference between the actions of paedophiles and what could be described as " ordinary teenage behaviour ".  Once a legal statute is on the books that is the law that must be applied, even though the people tasked with upholding the law may think that it some cases it is an over reaction.

The teenage world has always been rife with kids pushing the boundaries as they develop their individual sexuality.  Fondling in the back row of a cinema was a usual sexual experience many decades ago and today that has become more open.  Many parents were astonished to learn that children as young as primary school age were exchanging nude photographs as a normal part of the " coupling " procedure.   That became known as " Sexting "  !

That was probably inevitable with the development of the digital camera.  No need to have a film " developed " by strangers and todays kids have their own computer and its email service to take care  of distribution.  But exchanging nude photographs between a paedophile and a child victim is a crime, but we would not want sexting kids put into a jail cell for five years because the law makes no difference in the way of definition.

This law also strays into the murky world of under age sex.  The present law deems the " age of consent " for girls to be sixteen, but is  an inescapable fact that sex is prevalent well before that age in many instances.  In todays teenage world the exchange of sexual favours is often seen as a normal part of the constant interchange of " coupling " that takes place as early as the school yard.  Young people may have had several sexual experiences before they reach the age of consent.

The rate of teenage pregnancies has dropped sharply in recent times.  Contraception is now freely available and some wise parents who are aware of the commonality of sex in todays teen world make sure that their daughters have pregnancy protection at an early age.   We may remember one lurid story where it was revealed that sex was a normal activity at one school during the lunch break.  For lack of contraceptives, the kids were using the cling wrap from their sandwiches for that purpose.

Some people who work with kids see a danger in this legislation delivering " unintended consequences ".   Where investigations of suspected paedophile activity uncover a teenage admission of what is illegal sex with another under age kid that admission may automatically lead to prosecution - without the right of the magistrate to judge the degree of punishment.   A mandatory jail term is just that - time in a prison.

The law has never stopped kids having sex in the past - and it is unlikely to do so in the future. The whole purpose of having a judge or a magistrate is to deliver an outcome that suits the circumstances.
Mandatory minimum sentences imposes the " one size fits all " approach !

Talking " Crap " !

This week Australia's reputation as a modern, first world country was trashed in London when a man who had been this country's prime minister gave a speech that claimed that global warming was actually good for the planet.  He qualified that remark with an observation that " far more people die in cold snaps "

Of course he was speaking to a bunch of nuts with commonly sceptical views who gather under the title of the  " Global Warming Policy Forum " but Tony Abbott chose to compound this exercise in imbecility by reminding his audience that " primitive people once killed goats to appease the volcano gods - and we are more sophisticated now ".

Few thinking people doubt that we have been adding more carbon dioxide to the air since James Watt invented the steam engine and set the industrial revolution in motion, and then Henry Ford gave us the age of the motor car and we started refining oil to keep them running.  Ordinary men and women have noticed that recent Australian summers have been hotter and that heat records have been broken.

The ice at the north pole has been retreating and for centuries the Europeans sought what was termed " the North West Passage ", the ability to sail around the top of Canada and link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.  That has now become a reality in high summer.

Polar bears are facing extinction.  They are a land based animal and they need floating sea ice from which they hunt their food.  The ever thinning ice can no longer provide this sanctuary and these desperate animals are congregating near human settlements and threatening human life.

A warmer ocean adds strength to tropical storms that we call Cyclones, Hurricanes or Typhoons and we have seen this phenomenon grow in both number and intensity.   The overwhelming opinion of Earth's scientists is that we have a heating planet and this will change rainfall patterns and affect food production.  It brings with it the expectation that sea levels will rise and flood many coastal cities.

Tony Abbott is famous for once stating that " Global warming is crap " !  He is a man who trained to be a priest and religion plays a big part in his outlook.  Perhaps his reference to goats being sacrificed to the volcano gods was unfortunate.   The church he supports and whose dogma he tries to inflict on the Australian population does not have a good record of supporting science or of admitting its mistakes.

It once insisted that the universe revolved around the earth. When Galileo invented the telescope and proved that the planets revolved around the sun, his reward was imprisonment for the rest of his life.
The church was also the instigator of what came to be called the " Inquisition ".   For centuries it sent forth " inquisitors " to seek and punish " heretics ".   That's was anyone who in any way disagreed with the church's teachings.  It was a regime of torture, with many innocents burnt at the stake as the inquisition was used to settle scores.

To suggest that such inequities are long past is nonsense.  Many societies still exist where clever women who know the healing power of forest herbs can be accused of witchcraft - and summarily executed.  Tony Abbott casts shame on the high office he once attained when he chooses the gobbledygook of religion to cast doubt on what is fast emerging as a world threat !

A Logical Choice !

Here we are on the cusp of summer and the power provided by one of our biggest coal fired electricity generators is in doubt because of a ruling by the Court of Appeal in August that a mine extension approval was invalid.    Springvale coal mine in the Hunter Valley near Lithgow is the sole source of energy for the mighty Mount Piper Power station.

If Mount Piper is forced to stop production at the height of the summer demand for electricity, blackouts in New South Wales are certain.   The 1400 mega watts of power it delivers is essential to keep the grid running and for that to happen the Springvale coal mine needs to keep delivering coal.

The Court of Appeal issued that notice because mine pollution is deemed a risk to Sydney's water supply.  The mine is in the upper Cox valley and this forms parts of the catchment area where runoff finds its way into the Warragamba dam.  It is feared that pollution may damage the upland swamps which drain water than eventually enters Warragamba.

This looked like becoming a face off between the zealots of the conservation movement and the realists trying to keep the lights on and industry humming in this state.  Work is already underway to create an answer to that pollution problem.  A water treatment plant is under construction and this will come online in 2019 - at which time all forms of water pollution will cease.

Rational people will be satisfied that the amount of pollution involved will be minor over the period until this solution is up and running and keeping the lights on must take precedence, but it is likely that the ecology lobby may go to court to try and have that ban imposed.  It could devolve into a messy court challenge in which the power supply is held hostage.

The New South Wales government has intervened.  Legislation will be introduced into parliament this week to nullify that ruling by the Court of Appeal.  Critics will claim that this weakens the laws protecting our water supply, but the government thought it was necessary to resolve this issue immediately.  It would not be unusual for high heat to appear unexpectedly as early as this month and the power supply can not be left to the deliberations of the courts - which may consider their verdicts over a length of time.

Politics and vested interests clash in establishing a cohesive power policy.   The non polluting solar and wind form of power generation seem the answer to the global warming question, but they fail to deliver the base load need.  We have been looking at both storage batteries and an extension of the Snowy river hydro scheme as alternatives, but there seems no choice other than to stick with coal fired generation in the short term.

The politicians at all levels should clearly understand that the Australian public will not forgive the disruption of power blackouts.  If politicians of all persuasions want to continue to  hold office they had better cease this squabbling and agree on a cohesive and practical power generating policy and put that into effect.   Without that, Australia's status as a first world country is challenged !

That Spanish Confrontation !

What is happening in Spain is a danger humankind has faced dating back centuries.  Catalonia is a part of the country based on Barcelona in which the people speak a different language and have different customs.  There has been agitation to breakaway and form their own nation for a very long time and now a declaration of independence seems imminent.

This confrontation has overtones from a grim period of Spanish history.  This nation fought a bitter civil war in 1936-39 when politicians with Fascist leanings battled Communist ideology for control of the country.  The winner was a government headed by Francisco Franko who ruled with a rod of iron until his death many decades later.  Spain then returned to democracy, but the Catalonian question remained unanswered and it has now returned to centre stage.

The history books illustrate the misery such conflicts can deliver when the argument devolves into civil war.  In America the Confederacy resisted Abraham Lincoln's demand for unity and now - centuries later - that conflict is still a cause for agitation in the southern states. A military victory does not always ensure peace.

More recent civil wars in Sri Lanka and South American countries have left a toll of dead people and ruined economies.  In some cases the insurrection has brought freedom.  In others the governing forces have prevailed, but at a cost of imposing a reign of suppression on the rebels that merely forces hostile compliance.   The economic consequences last long after the last shot is fired.

In Spain this acrimony is not being handled well.   The Catalonian government called for a referendum on their future and the courts ruled that this was not permitted by the country's constitution.  The Catalonians decided to hold it anyway, and the central government sent in heavy handed national police to seize ballot boxes and voting material - and roughup and arrest those found organizing the vote.  The vast majority overcame these obstacles and recorded a vote, which was heavily in favour of independence.

If Catalonia declares independence it will not be recognised in Madrid and probably not by most of the rest of the world.  Madrid is threatening to dismiss the Catalonian assembly and impose its own rule and that could easily lead to armed conflict.  This whole mess would be better served by negotiation to achieve a peaceful outcome.

Spain is a member of the EU and if Catalonia achieves independence it would not be an automatic EU member.   Catalonia would be better served by achieving statehood within a Spanish Federation and Madrid would be wise to accept that course rather than impose its rule by force on an unwilling constituent.  Catalonia has a legitimate gripe that the tax regime takes more from the region than it returns in services.

Now it all depends on whether the people heading both the Spanish Madrid government and the Catalonian independence movement have the good sense to back off - and negotiate.   It might be helpful to involve other world leaders in a forum to make concessions more paletable  in achieving a working agreement.

Sadly, the history books recount that this is rarely the outcome to such conflicts.

The " Copycat " Syndrome !

The western world was forced to install street bollards to stop vehicles being deliberately used to run down pedestrians when this became part of the Islamic State playbook.  The massacre of crowds watching a music festival in Las Vegas had nothing to do with IS but you can be sure that they will welcome the scenario because of the scale of suffering it delivered.

Stephen Paddock was a wealthy sixty-four year old retiree who was addicted to gambling.  There are no obvious signs of mental disability and he seems to have been living a normally comfortable life. He had a livein girlfriend, who he sent on a holiday to the Philippines as he put this massacre into motion and it now seems like Las Vegas was just one of the venues that he investigated.

It was a dastardly clever plot,  He amassed over twenty assault rifles and converted most to fully automatic fire.  He booked a room on the thirty-second floor of a Los Vegas hotel with a view of where an open air music festival would be playing across the street.  He setup surveillance cameras to screen the approach to his room and then broke the window and commenced to direct automatic fire onto the twenty-thousand people gathered below.

For eleven minutes he was undisturbed as he either used a fresh assault rifle or slapped a new magazine into others and that unrelenting fire  killed fifty-eight people and wounded five hundred more. He then killed himself as a police SWAT team began to break in to his room.   We do not know what reason drove him to that act of insanity, but it seems unlikely that it had anything to do with religion or was in support of Islamic Sate.

Obtaining even one assault rifle will be more difficult in Australia, but there is a very active arms smuggling operation in place here and we will need to be cautious whenever any event involving mass crowds is planned.  Just as the use of vehicles to deliver mayhem quickly became an item in terrorists minds, the lesson learned in Los Vegas will not be missed by those urging converts to kill and maim in the name of Islam.

For a long time IS was occupied with establishing a Caliphate and capturing territory in Syria and Iraq.  That war is now a lost cause and they are being forced out of their last few strongholds.  To remain relevant, they need to show that they are active and consequently we can expect an increase in terrorist acts in the western world.

Legislation has just been enacted to allow the holding of terrorism suspects in police custody for fourteen days without charges being laid.  Some people claim that this offends our view on civil liberties, but getting killed in terrorist assaults is an even greater infringement on our right to remain alive.

Some people are aghast that this legislation will allow children as young as ten to be scooped up in this detention order.  It must be remembered that IS deliberately targets such young minds and that under Australian law ten is the age of criminal responsibility.  Children in an IS family are likely to be indoctrinated and if we get to them early enough there is a chance they can go on to lead a normal life.

We do not know what possessed Stephen Paddock to commit mass murder in Las Vegas, but he pioneered a new act of terrorism which will attract the " copycat " syndrome.   Unfortunately, the necessity to apply counter measures does contain some elements that restrict our usual application of civil liberties.   That is a safety measure that is necessary.

Awaiting Action !

The Grenfell Tower disaster in London certainly shone the spotlight on high rise building safety but we had already had a taste of this danger with a fire at the Lacrosse building in Melbourne.  Flames raced up thirteen floors of this apartment building which was clad in this same aluminium and polyethylene sandwich.

Now the politicians are rowing about how this material should be controlled.   The Labor Opposition and the Property Council of Australia want it to be declared a prohibited import but this is being resisted by the Federal government.  It is also  being manufactured here in Australia so an import ban would not eradicate the risk, and it does have legitimate uses as the base for signage where  fire is not the problem.

There are two distinctly important problems that the tragic loss of eighty lives in London brought to the attention of the rest of the world.  There are 2500 low rise buildings in New South Wales and thousands more in Victoria clad in this material and firm action is needed to reduce that risk.   At the moment, this seems to remain in place because the responsibility issue has not been settled.

There is no doubt laws have been broken.  It is illegal to clad a building with a flammable material and building specification starts with the architect.  The company erecting the building is required to abide by the law, and before any apartment building can be legally occupied it has to be signed off by the relevant council as having legally met those standards.    The resident owners of such apartments have a very good case to expect the guilty parties to foot the rectification bill.

The cost we are looking at here is massive.   To remove this cladding and replace it could run to millions of dollars and if it is sheeted home to building companies and councils many would be forced into bankruptcy, and if it is not recoverable from those sources, the cost falls on individual apartment owners.  Not only will many be unable to pay, the impost would probably cause the valuation of affected buildings to fall to catastrophic  levels.

It is equally evident that we can not just continue to ignore the risk because if we do it is inevitable that eventually there will be serious loss of life as another Grenfell Tower type incident happens in Australia. That would be just too horrible to contemplate.

The other glaring need is to tighten the building code.  Originally, this aluminium faced product was perfectly safe, but the race for cost reduction saw a flammable core replacing the original inner material.   There is evident weakness in the building code that allowed this downgrading to pass unnoticed.

This has been a wake up call.  Individual building products need to pass a safety evaluation rather than a class of products receiving approval.  The entire architect/builder/council chain of supervision needs tightening if we are to eliminate similar disasters in the future.

The politicians need to do better than this knee jerk reaction to simply slap an import ban on a potentially dangerous product.  We need to settle this cost question of how the rectification bill is settled to allow apartment owners to get on with their lives.   Until we bite the bullet and get the courts to make decisions it is only a matter of time before fate puts an Australian fire horror on the nightly news !

Pawning the Family Silver !

High finance is not something the ordinary citizen understands but - hopefully - the government people who control our finances know what they are doing.   The only problem is that simple minded folk are coming to believe that " finance " really means pawning the wealth earlier generations generated for this state.

It all started with what seemed like a very reasonable proposition.  We badly needed a decent road system to overcome the ever slowing traffic flow in Sydney and the public transport system was not up to scratch.  It was argued that if we sold the means of producing and distributing electricity the billions of dollars it would provide  would pay for this upgrade.

Unfortunately, Newtons law applied.  Work is now well advanced on a splendid arterial road system of widened roads and new tunnels and we have not only returned trams to the streets and complimented them with a brand new metro system to speed the working public to their jobs.  But, of course the investors who bought the electricity system and the poles and wires need to also make a profit, and somehow the price we pay for electricity has gone through the roof.

One of the peculiarities of the road system like the West Connex is that despite it being financed from that electricity sale, the public will still be charged a toll to use it.   What is even more peculiar is as fast as it is being built, it is being sold off to other investors.

The original concept of using tolls to finance roads worked on the principle that this was a temporary charge which would cease once the road was paid for.  The difference now is that another group of investors will pay billions to have toll access to that road and the toll will bring them a profit over a very long period of years.

We now hear that there is doubt about what investors may be prepared to pay for a fifty-one percent purchase of the toll rights for the West Connex.  The final cost of construction remains an unknown factor, but sixteen billion has been suggested as the likely outcome.  It is suggested that this may be sold for a mere five billion dollars - and the lease period may be extended from 2026 to 2060 to sweeten the deal.

The reason given for this lease extension is doubt that  the traffic using the road and paying a toll will be lower than the original estimate.  It seems that nobody took into account how those new trams and the new metro will lower the number of people who choose to drive their car on the daily commute.  The road system and public transport are actually in competition with one another.

Of course, the sale of the West Connex will mean the government is again flush with money, and once again we can expect more wonderful plans of how new infrastructure will improve or lives.
Unfortunately, all this sounds like a new version of the " magic pudding ".   It creates the illusion of a generous helping for everyone - going on forever.

Reality is a little different.  Access to these new improvements comes at an added cost !

An End to the Cemetery !

A hundred years ago there was little other option for the disposal of the dead than to dig a hole six foot deep in consecrated ground.  We called that a " Cemetery ".  The problem is that land set aside for that purpose in Sydney is fast reaching the point where no further burials will be possible.  It will soon reach capacity.

The biggest cemetery in Sydney is Rookwood and the Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Trust is looking to buy new land to create new burial sites.  One of the sites under consideration is the heritage listed  Fernhill estate in western Sydney and this is bitterly opposed by many people, including the   New South Wales branch of the National Trust.

Fernhill Estate was once the home of colourful Sydney property tycoon Warren Anderson and it contains the Georgian mansion  in which lavish parties were once held.  It is considered iconic and owners of surrounding properties are dismayed at the thought that is may be converted into a panorama of ugly headstones and monuments.   Every second house in Mulgoa road has a  " No cemetery in Fernhill "  sign on its front lawn.

The decision rests in the hands of the Minister for Lands, Paul Toole and it is being opposed by two former Liberal politicians who once held that seat, together with both the present member, Tanya Davies and the Minister for Western Sydney,  Stuart Ayres.   It is quickly building into a movement to end the custom of burials in the confines of greater Sydney.

The problem with cemeteries is - longevity.  Graves that are well tended shortly after burial fall into decay as generations pass and eventually old cemeteries become a wasteland. Cremation  is fast overtaking burials because it is more efficient and cheaper and memorials that were once hugely expensive works of art are now replaced with a simple plaque or the scattering or ashes in a favoured location.

We are a small population in a giant continent and for cultural and religious reasons it is unlikely that burials will totally cease, but the cemeteries that are available for burial may soon be far away from the Sydney city confines.  Land in Sydney is expensive as its use is sought for both industry and housing.  A new custom must emerge that those demanding a burial must be prepared to accept a location in what we would now describe as " near country ", possibly a considerable car journey away from the nearest city suburb.

Country towns which avoid the price expansion for land my still continue burial practices and those within reasonable distance of a city may benefit by providing this service, but it seems inevitable that city ordinances may soon legally prevent land acquisition for new cemeteries.

Despite objections,  the government approved the recent purchase of Wallacia Golf course by Catholic Metropolitan Cemeteries for creation of a new cemetery.  It is quite possible that the rejection of this Fernhill proposal will be the turning point where the creation of new cemeteries in Sydney ceases.   The funeral industry would be wise to adapt to this change to a distant venue and plan accordingly.

Essential Services !

We live in a hard old commercial world and while the threat of being thrown into a debtor's prison no longer exists, drastic things still happen when we don't pay our bills.  The banks are quick to foreclose if our home mortgage falls into arrears.

There is a vast difference in how commercial firms treat delinquent customers that owe them money.  Phone service companies are quick to disconnect services but what we consider " essential services " are treated very differently.  Their providers offer many forms of relief, including extended payments to cushion reducing arrears.  Government agencies disperse emergency grants where applicants are suffering hardship - and every effort is made to avoid disconnection.

But, when all else fails, it seems that disconnection is the only option.   Where these are government supplied services, the rules that apply differently state to state.  Unpaid water bills in some states result in a partial disconnection.  The supply is reduced to the extent that there is insufficient pressure to use a washing machine or have a shower, but enough remains to gradually replenish the toilet flush or to deliver a glass of water.   Legislation ensures that the occupants must never be deprived of the life preserving availability of drinking water and toilets must be flushed at least daily as a hygiene measure.

Obviously, electricity presents a very different problem.  It is not possible to provide a partial supply and the supplier has passed from government hands into those of a commercial entity in recent years. The prospect of families with little kids being left in the dark is chilling.  In most cases they are left without the means to cook or heat food, keep supplies refrigerated or provide warmth from the cold of winter.  This is now a problem putting immense pressure on charitable agencies to whom these people appeal.

The fact that the charge for electricity has doubled in recent years threatens a huge surge of disconnections when we next suffer an economic downturn - and they happen on a very predictable cycle.   We are part of the world economy and events in other countries can cause fluctuations in the price we gain from exports or generally disrupt trade to our disadvantage.   We are at present suffering static wage levels despite high employment and an ever lowering unemployment pool.

It is reassuring to know that some rules are in place when it comes to electricity disconnection to shield people who rely on life support equipment that is powered by electricity.  Several electricity suppliers have disconnected customers despite being aware that such life preserving equipment would cease operating when the electricity supply was terminated.  It could deliver a death sentence to the person who relied on that system for life support.

Electricity suppliers in all states are obliged to give at least four full days notice of intended disconnection to allow the customer to make other arrangements.  Where these failures have occurred, the supplier has been slapped with a twenty thousand dollar fine for each failure.  That seems sufficient to make each supplier stick closely to the rules.

Unfortunately, it does nothing to bring electricity prices into affordability for average people.  A lot of people are struggling to pay their power bills and if it surges to a crescendo in an economic downturn it could be fatal for the government.   Electricity is an essential service and the government needs to do whatever is necessary to stabilize prices and bring them within reach of the average wage earner.   The survival of the government hinges on that happening.

Death by - Salt !

The statisticians tell us that when we ingest too much salt it makes us prone to increased blood pressure and that delivers stroke and hear disease.  Salt is linked to the annual death of 1.65 million people who die each year from cardiovascular disease.

The problem is that salt makes food taste better, and for that reason the people who make the food we eat deliberately add salt to enhance the sale of their product.  That seems to be a fact of life across the entire food spectrum, but extra salt is particularly prevalent in the " fast food "  segment, both what is available at those convenient restaurant chains and in the food we buy and prepare ourselves.

Australia is amongst many world countries that have embarked on a safety programme to reduce the average salt intake by thirty percent by 2025.   Pressure is being applied to the food industry to lower the salt content in bread, breakfast cereals, soups, sauces and processed meats.  As a result, we are seeing food labels that proclaim that the product is " salt reduced ", but in many cases the salt contend is still at a dangerous level.

Many food manufacturers can point to decreased sales of products that have had salt reduced.  Our taste buds seek that tangy salty flavour and if it goes missing we are prone to seek another brand or product that restores the taste.   We seem to be perverse creatures who on hot days partake of drinks like beer to satisfy our thirst, and compliment that with salty potato chips or salt encrusted pretzels. The average Australian eats about nine grams of salt a day, nearly double the WHO's limit.

Ask anyone who has had an ominous warning from their doctor and as a result has set out to reduce their salt intake just how difficult that can be.  Salt taste is really an addiction.  We complain that without salt food is " tasteless "  but if we persevere that addiction fades and our taste learns to do without it, but an occasional salt breakout can set the process right back to zero.

Government agencies are reluctant to use legislation to force lower salt levels on the food industry but eventually some sort of maximum standard may be necessary, but so many people have an ingrained taste for salt that they add it as a matter of course whenever they decide to eat.

In any restaurant it is curious just how many people reach for the salt shaker and add salt to whatever food they have ordered.  It seems more a reflex action than a result of thought and perhaps it is rooted in that addiction process.  The sight of the salt and pepper shakers on the table may prompt the subconscious.

Along with pressure on the food industry to reduce the salt in food products, maybe the answer to the salt problem is to legislate to make it illegal to have salt shakers at any food source.    If they were removed from restaurant tables - and unavailable for even requests - a major source of salt ingestion would be removed.

It would also probably result in a lot of angry people.  We already know that too much salt will eventually kill us and that too much sugar will have a similar result.  But we are a perverse species. Woe betide anyone who tries to force a change of lifestyle to enable us to live longer.  We insist on being masters of our own destiny - whatever that delivers !

The " Capitalist " Economy !

The Australian economy has weathered good times and bad.  The aim of the union movement has been to gain better pay for its members by " collective bargaining ".  This is very effective when demand for goods is strong and the union can deliver greater productivity in exchange for a fatter pay packet.  The usual outcome is an " enterprise agreement " hammered out between the union and the employer that covers both wages and conditions.

Unfortunately, this delivers mixed results. Aggressive unions in key industries have managed to negotiate very favourable pay and conditions for their members, often by using the strike weapon to force the decisions they seek, but weaker unions have not had this same success.  There are many industrial segments where pay is low.  Usually this is where the work is unskilled and the employer can replace numbers that leave from a vast unemployment pool.

In recent decades the strength of the union movement has been declining.  In the past, many industries were referred to as a " closed shop ".  The union had the power to insist that all that worked there join the union.  That is now illegal and the numbers in unions in Australia has withered away sharply.   We still have some very militant unions, but they are clustered in a small number of important industries.

The Australian economy entered a new cycle with the recession that started in 2008.  We came out of that better than most other world countries with much less employment loss, but wages have remained flat despite a huge jump in housing costs and increases for essentials such as gas and electricity.  Pressure is building to increase the minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour.

One of the tenets of the Capitalist system in place in Australia is that employers have the right to make goods by engaging labour at whatever price is dictated by demand and availability.  The government maintains a degree of control by the establishment of the Fair Work Commission which ensures that pay meets standards of national accountability and working conditions remain within guidelines.  The Fair Work Commission is the umpire which sets the supposedly level playing field between boss and worker.

Now a new eventuality is intruding into that arrangement.  Unilever is a giant world company that owns Streets Ice Cream, one of our national brands.   Over the years the union covering Streets workers have negotiated award conditions which are contained within an " enterprise agreement " currently in place.   Under this, output has not been interrupted by strikes and employment and output has been stable - and harmonious.   Many of the work conditions in place were negotiated before the 2008 downturn.

Now Unilever is demanding that this enterprise agreement be terminated - and that working conditions at Streets Ice Cream revert to the award safety net.  If that happens, it is estimated that the pay for those working in the ice cream factory will be cut by forty six percent.

This is " Capitalism " in its ultimate form.  It seems that Unilever thinks it is paying its workers more than it needs to get the same work done and that there is a sufficient unemployment pool to replace them if they object  and leave.   Of course their workers have bought homes and established lifestyles commensurate with the pay levels they have been earning in what they considered " permanent " jobs.  It is unlikely that they could replicate those same pay and working conditions in the present employment malaise.

There are rumblings that moves to terminate similar enterprise agreements are being heard in other industries where production facilities here are owned by a world wide behemoth with little interest in its workers lives and every intent on improving its bottom line.

A lot depends on how the Fair Work Commission reacts and whether this sends workers fleeing to join unions for their protection.  If this pay cut comes into effect many will face the prospect of home loss if they can not pay mortgages and it could lead to a drop in pay and conditions across employment generally.   It certainly throws the spotlight on the capitalist system that has always been the basis of Australian employment.