Justice Denied !

The government has announced that there will be an increase in police numbers in the coming state budget and the constant advance in technology is aiding crime detection and arrests.  What is not keeping up is the court system in dealing with those charged.

In 2017,  141,024 defendants appeared before the New South Wales courts on criminal charges and ninety percent were found guilty on at least one charge.  The median time between being arrested and the case being finalised for matters proceeding to trial in the District Court is now 716 days.   Because that is the median timing, in some instances the longest time for those awaiting trial must run to a discrepancy measured in many years.

This growth in convictions  has primarily been for traffic and drug offences, and for breaching court orders.   The consequence of this waiting time is long court delays and a larger prison population.  In many cases the accused will not get a custodial prison sentence but will have served its equivalent - or  more -while on remand.   The innocent have to wait a long time before their name is cleared.

It also has an effect on the quality of justice meted out. Not only are the accused waiting for trial but witnesses tasked with giving evidence face a similar waiting period. Memories fade and often witnesses die or move interstate and can not be found when the case finally reaches trial.   That old adage that " Justice delayed is justice denied " applies.

To a very large degree these delays are caused by procedures necessary before the trial begins.  The police forensic branch needs time to evaluate the evidence and there is a flight risk if the accused is granted bail.  The prosecution says it needs time to evaluate the case and brief the barristers who will present it to the court.   The legal fraternity in defence is well known for " judge shopping ", finding delaying tactics in the hope of getting the case on the docket of a judge with a sympathetic outlook to the nature of the matter to be heard.

The court system also tends to be ponderous and beset by custom.  It usually commences at ten in the morning and conducts its business according to what used to be " bankers hours ".   There seems no valid reason why night court hearings could not help terminate these endless delays.  Such an extension of hours would be opposed by many in the legal fraternity.

What is clear is that the legal system as it now stands is not meeting expectations of delivering justice.   A prisoner on remand - or even on bail while awaiting trial - is often precluded from earning their normal living because they are stood down awaiting a result.   If the case offends public morality, their entire family may endure hardship.   In cases where the finding is acquittal, the long period of public accusation may have cemented guilt in the publics mind.

If nothing else is to change, then we obviously need more courts and additional judges.  Otherwise our ever increasing population will stress the courts further.

A New Irish Conundrum !

As if British Prime Minister Theresa May doesn't have enough problems trying to sort out that Brexit negotiation with the EC, a referendum in Ireland has dumped fuel on the fire and created an impossible situation.  It has the ability to reignite the issue of the British hold on Northern Ireland and at the same time cause a major split in the ruling British Conservative party.

The power of the Roman Catholic church in Ireland saw draconian abortion laws that applied on both sides of that divided islands border.  For many years abortion was refused even when that refusal would result in the death of the mother and consequently there seemed an endless stream of
pregnant Irish women travelling to Britain where abortion was virtually freely available.

Despite vehement opposition from the Catholic church an Irish referendum voted sixty-six to thirty-three to overturn those draconian laws and the government of Ireland has promised to enact laws accordingly.  That raises the question of what happens to those strict abortion laws that will now continue to apply in Northern Ireland ?

The problem is that Northern Ireland at present lacks a government.   The power sharing agreement in place since the Good Friday accord has collapsed and many Irish questions are being settled in Westminster, and to further complicate matters, the British government needs the support of the socially conservative Democratic Unionist party of Northern Ireland to hold a positive balance in the British parliament.

It would be unthinkable for Britain to impose softer abortion laws in Northern Ireland without the consent of the Northern Ireland people, and that would involve a referendum result similar to the one held across the border, but with its government in abeyance Northern Ireland lacks the constitutional power to authorise such a referendum.

That power sharing agreement collapsed in 2017 and shows no signs of resumption.  The IRA fought a long and bitter war over the issue of a united Ireland and that issue is still a powder keg just waiting for reignition.  Already, the matter of a border between the two Irelands is festering as this British withdrawal from the EC seems to leave no chance of a soft border remaining.

The only hope of this being settled peacefully would be the resumption of the peace pact to restore Northern Ireland home rule and this issue being settled locally.   It is such an integral issue that it would need a referendum to clearly signal the wishes of residents and there is every hope that such a plebescite  would deliver a similar result.

It seems that Theresa May is heading to a showdown with some ministers and lawmakers in the British parliament who demand that she intercedes to implement softer abortion laws in Northern Ireland.  That could lose the support of the Democratic Unionist party and bring down her government.

For centuries Britain and Ireland have been locked in a deadly embrace.   That union now hinges on what sort of prosperity their people will share when this Brexit is finally settled.

The " Obesity Crisis " !

There is a very good chance that today's Australians may have a shorter lifespan than their parents. We are simply consuming too much sugar, salt and saturated fat in our diet and the resulting obesity crisis is responsible for the health problems that are causing earlier deaths.

It seems to be an impossible battle because our taste buds are our worst enemy.   We crave the sweetness that sugar imparts to soft drinks and food manufacturers know that adding salt to their product gets the cash registers ringing a happy tune, and anytime that saturated fats are replaced with a healthy alternative the sales graph drops sharply.

This problem started to multiply soon after the end of the second world war.  The food industry started to offer pre-packed ingredients to save time and reduce the preparation effort  and that coincided with the start of the fast food industry.  The Australian culture quickly changed from a steak or a chop with three vegetables to either eating out or bringing home a meal in a cardboard box. We now face an amazing product choice with many offering a home delivery service.

Today, fast food restaurants cover sixty-seven percent of the food market.  A university survey had a look at this spectrum with regard to their marketing policies and content disclosure.  There have been threats to enact legislature to force the industry to adopt healthier food standards and many outlets doubt that it could survive if this became reality.  It is the taste that keeps the customers coming back for more !

Fast food was examined and rated on a scale of one to a hundred on six factors.  These included policies on marketing to children, disclosure of nutrient information on menus, plans to reduce " nutrients of concern " and commitment to health in corporate strategies.  That all important content of sugar, salt and saturated fat content of the food offered was taken into account.

The worst outcome from this survey was Domino's Pizza with a score of just 3 in 100.  McDonald's, KFC, Nando's, Hungry Jacks, Pizza Hut, and Red Rooster ranged from 10 to 42 and the clear winner was Subway with 48 out of 100, although there was criticism of their policy of offering free soft drink refills.

Some health conscious people will read this survey with interest and resolve to both reduce their content of fast food fare and promote Subway to the top choice because of their excellent result, but come Saturday night and the crowd gets together to have some fun the most likely outcome is that they will gorge on beer - with a salt content that makes it so appealing - and send out for Pizza because that is a universally popular snack.

It seems to be an unwinnable war.  The food industry long ago learned that human taste buds react to drinks sweetened with sugar or made tangy with salt and that for unknown reasons saturated fats add to the taste better than healthier alternatives.   The food industry is in the market to make sales and the best policy they can devise is to " Give the customers what they want - and what they ask for " !

Ideally, this warning should result in these unhealthy products being restricted to occasional treats to reduce the harm, but that runs contrary to human nature. The longer the break between satisfying the taste buds, the greater the urgency those taste buds demand.   Not even the threat of a shorter life span seems to dampen these magic ingredients that now rule our lives !

It seems that fast food is the fare we are literally dieing to eat !

Human Frailty !

Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto is a fifty-four year old Australian grandmother who has just been sentenced to death by hanging by a Malaysian appeals court.  Her crime was having 1.5 kilogram of methamphetamine detected in her luggage when she passed through Kuala Lumpur airport in 2014.

Malaysia has strict narcotics laws and in the past it has not hesitated to execute lawbreakers.  It has just undergone a change of government for the first time since independence from Britain sixty-one years ago.  It is too early to determine what changes are likely to the Malaysian criminal justice system as this new government decides its policies.

Unfortunately, Ms Exposto has fallen into a trap which is common in the high profit drug trade.  The wonderful world of computers enable those looking for romance to correspond with others across the world and she was persuaded to travel to China to meet such a friend face to face.  The meeting went so well that she was given presents to bring back for her family and unfortunately she was duped into transporting narcotics concealed in the suitcase in which they were packed.

Strangely, her arrest was pure bad luck.  When she arrived in Kuala Lumpur on a flight from China she was a transit passenger going on to Australia and there was no requirement for her baggage to pass customs.  Because she misread a sign she entered the customs area and presented her baggage for a search - and that mistake could result in her life ending.

Her first court appearance had a happy ending.  The judge found that she was an innocent woman who had been duped and acquitted her of the charges, but the state lodged an appeal with the appeals court and that has reversed that decision and imposed the death penalty.   That will be subjected to a further appeal, but the final decision could go either way.

The narcotics trade has used what they call " mules " for transporting drugs through the customs barriers for a long time.  In some cases the drugs are hidden in body cavities or even swallowed to avoid detection and should the covering burst the mules face instant death.  People undertaking this risk do it for money and the trade has progressed to duping people into becoming unwilling accomplices.

The trade now relies heavily on human frailty.  Those looking for romance are specially vulnerable. Recruiters can spend months grooming a likely target and spending money is a useful tactic to gain acceptance.  Drugs can be hidden in a variety of disguises but which appear to be perfectly innocent to the intended victim.  This cost is negligible compared with the rewards the drugs bring in Australia.

No matter how many warning signs are displayed at airports and how many relatives warn those going overseas, affairs of the heart usually overcome common sense.  Mostly the outcome from such an unfortunate encounter is a lengthy prison sentence, but in some parts of the world it can involve the death penalty.

When We Were All Black !

People who gloat because they have white skin will be alarmed to learn that their distant forbears were as black as the Earl of Hell's waistcoat.   Science tells us that the tribe that has just a two percent genetic difference to the great Apes and went on to become Homo sapiens, originated  in the Rift Valley of Africa, close to the equator.

Mother Nature equipped them accordingly. They had black skin because the tropical sun has damaging ultra-violet rays that encourage skin cancer and that dark skin provides protection to people who would have little use for clothes or body covering.We also need the sun to provide vitamin E which delivers Melanin to aid bone growth - and which is responsible for the colour of hair, skin and eyes.  Too much Melanin is harmful and again that black skin provided a filter to ensure that the supply was regulated.

That worked well while Homo sapiens were few in numbers and remained in the tropics, but as their numbers grew the need for food and curiosity made them wander north and south of the equator to see what was over the next hill, and they found something that they called " Winter "  !

That caused them to use the skins of animals they killed for food to cover their bodies and keep them warm and so the rays of the sun now shone on just heads, hands and feet.  This black skin which used to regulate Melanin was not letting enough through and evolution kicked in.  Over many successive generations the skin colour lightened as the distance Homo sapiens travelled lengthened away from the equator increased.   In todays world, where do you find people with the whitest skin ?   In the far Nordic countries - close to the Arctic circle we encounter those with fair hair, blue eyes and the whitest skin on Mother Earth.

Of course, evolution is a slow process.  We Homo sapiens have been around for more than 70,000 years and we tend to record our recent history from about the days of the Roman Empire - and that was just two thousand years ago.  Two thousand years is a mere hic-cup in the way evolution works. The people who remained along the earth's equator retained their black skin and those that travelled far away grew progressively lighter and those living in cold Europe had the good fortune to make discoveries that allowed them to travel and create empires.

In the last two centuries this world has changed more than in those seventy thousand years.  The steam engine produced both the train and the passenger ship and then the aeroplane and the automobile further eroded the shackles of distance.  The tribes of the Earth are now homogeneous.

That does bring an interesting thought.  The Homo sapiens are moving about the Earth with a rapidity never before seen, and evolution is still a work in progress.    Light skinned people who now make their home in the tropics may find that their following generations have gradually darkening skin as evolution replaces the sun protection inherent in the human gene.

When it comes to skin colour, the permanency is transient.  Where we live will eventually be the deciding factor, but evolution is usually measured in hundreds - and sometimes thousands - of years !

White Flight !

Luke  Foley is being ostracised for using the term " white flight " to describe the rebalancing of Sydney's suburbs as a new wave of settlers finds a particular suburb attractive and move there in droves.   The original inhabitants object to hearing a different language spoken in their streets  and may also find the culture, dress standards, religion and even the skin colour of those newcomers unwelcome.  They tend to sellup and move to where they are surrounded by familiar faces.

This is not new.  When the second world war ended we opened our door to the dispossessed of Europe and very quickly Sydney's inner suburbs found favour with different nationalities.   It was often difficult to hear English spoken when the linga franca was Greek or Italian and the food in the markets was decidedly different.  The original Australian residents decamped and resettled elsewhere, until the end of the Vietnam war brought another influx of new Asian Australians and Cabramatta became an Asian city.

This time the dispossessed are from the Middle East and from Syria and Iraq.  When that European wave of settlers arrived their religion was Christian and now we are experiencing a cultural change with the building of Mosques to accommodate the expansion of Islam in Australia.  We are experiencing a repeat of that old culture of the kids quickly learning English and acting as interpreters for their parents.  We should remember how the passage of time assimilated the Europeans into the Australian culture so that they have almost invisibly blended.

What is causing outrage is Foley's choice of phrase to describe the people moving because they find having a Middle Eastern migrant living next door as " white flight ".   We are very sensitive to any colour reference because of the days when this country had a clearly defined White Australia policy.   That is long gone, but the memory lingers.

Our new Middle East refugees are settling in inner west suburbs because they feel comfortable with neighbours who speak a similar language and the shops sell the type of food with which they are familiar.  This can be disconcerting to the original inhabitants because that was exactly the same reason they found that suburb appealing in the first place, and now it no longer suits their tastes.  The newcomers are reluctant to assimilate with Australians with a different culture, and the originals see no reason to change to blend with the newcomers.

The colour of a persons skin now seems to have less to do with culture rejection.  Pairings across colour lines is now common and there is the expectation that this will increase as future generations come to maturity.  The melting pot of races present in Australia seems to determine that eventually we will become a race of olive skinned people.

Far more important in deciding the suburban mix is income. House price increases are rapidly making home ownership impossible for low income earners and many newcomers fall into that category.  As wealth grows, the distribution of people of different cultures spreads across the entire suburban spectrum, but the lower priced suburbs will always be in the distant and less attractive areas.

Perhaps Luke Foley made a poor choice of words when he described the exodus of older Australians from suburbs where Middle Eastern migrants are accumulating as " white flight ".  That flight is more likely to be because of culture change and the culture mix changes rapidly in shopping style, entertainment, schooling and cuisine when the nationality of any one race starts to predominate.

We have seen it all before and it is a natural phenomenon.  It dissipates naturally as the first wave of kids reach maturity, and by the time they become grand parents total assimilation has magically happened.

China's " Displeasure " !

Federal Liberal MP Andrew Hastie was courageous when he made a speech in parliament in which he identified Chinese billionaire Chau Chak Wing as identity " CC-3 " in an American FBI report on the bribing of a senior UN official.    Mr Chau donates generously to politics in Australia and it is known that he has contributed four million dollars to the major political parties in recent times.

Mr Hastie chairs the important committee  looking into political interference into due process in Australia by foreign governments and his speech came as a surprise to the prime minister.  This FBI report is not classified but the revelation will certainly intensify scrutiny of the political movements of overseas agents and what laws need to be enacted to bring their activities under control.

The reaction from China has been hostile.  It denies any wrongdoing but even a hint of criticism usually brings a sensitive reaction from its upper echelon of government.  If this speech ignites intense media interest and shines the spotlight on the activities of foreign governments we can expect China to show its displeasure and that could be both swift and brutal.


China is the primary destination for our iron ore and coal exports and there is a growing trade in our food exports to that country.  We also have the expectation that China will be a key customer disposing of our wool clip.   This growing Chinese middle class is also fuelling a major portion of our tourist trade and now accounts for a quarter of its dollar value.   Chinese students make up a major portion of the students gaining qualifications in our university systems.

In China, the Communist party uses the levers of power to impose its will on all aspects of trade. The private sector is completely subservient to its wishes and obeys without question.  We may remember what happened when North Korea was threatening war against South Korea and the Americans offered a missile system to beef up South Korean defence.   China objected because the radar of this system could possibly see deeply into China and when South Korea proceeded against their wishes they forced the closure of a giant South Korean grocery supermarket chain in Chinese cities and abruptly stopped the tourist exchange.  That had a dramatic effect on the South Korean economy and only lasted a short time, but the threat was obvious to all nations where trade with China is important to their economy.

Perhaps Mr Hastie thought it important that ordinary Australians be aware of the threat that countries like China and Russia impose when they manipulate our media and use political donations to sway the intent of legislation.  Perhaps he wants to make it known how much manipulation is already taking place and beef up resolve to enact the necessary laws to protect our legislation from outside influence.

What happens from here depends on several factors.  Usually the government and the opposition  employ traditional bipartisanship when relations with other countries are involved but Bill Shorten may decide to seek political advantage with this issue.  If this becomes a wedge in Australian politics China may seek to exploit the opportunities offering by ramping up the damage it can inflict on the Australian economy.

That is something we would be wise to endure.  It is vitally important that we maintain our posture as an independent and well armed nation delivering stability in the lower south Pacific.  The laws that govern this land will not be influenced by the actions of foreign money interests dictated from puppet masters acting for outside interests.    It is important that the laws we pass to control outside interests originate in this country.

Asbestos Continues to Kill !

One of the most common building materials in Australia was asbestos-cement sheeting.  There were few homes built before  1987 that did not have it somewhere and cheaper housing had asbestos-cement outer walls and often even roofing.  The trouble was if this asbestos content was disturbed by drilling or sawing the fibres released lodged in human lungs and this led to a disease called mesothelioma.  Unfortunately, this could occur from just a single exposure and lay dormant for thirty or forty years before becoming active and subjecting the victim to an agonising and lingering death.

In 1987 it was banned and the main manufacturer, James Hardie was required to setup a compensation fund for victims.  There was the expectation that mesothelioma would mainly occur amongst members of the building trade who worked these products, but decades later the numbers are still rising and we are leaning just what a monster asbestos has become.

It was such a convenient product that it was widely used in schools and hospitals as heat insulation and pipe lagging and people who would have no known contact with it are developing this dread disease.  The toll of asbestos victims continues to rise at the rate of over five percent each year and shows no sign of stopping even though it is not present in new building products.

Perhaps the biggest danger from this silent killer is the immense stock of homes constructed prior to 1987. In most cases old asbestos-cement sheeting is covered by layers of paint and would not be recognizable to the householder.  Any sort of minor renovation that involves drilling a hole or cutting a sheet can release asbestos fibres that may lodge in the lungs and ultimately cause a painful death. There is no such thing as a " harmless exposure " to asbestos.

We live in an age when demolition and building a new home is common, dictated by the land costs.   Fortunately government ordinances require demolition to be in the hands of licensed contractors who wet down material containing asbestos, bag it and safely remove it to special tips, but neighbours are exposed to the homeowner who does even a small DIY renovation.  A broken sheet can release fibres that float in the breeze and contaminate surrounding homes.  Given the long lead time with this disease, few would accurately nominate how and when they were exposed.

Perhaps the ultimate safety is to buy a new home in an estate being established on former farming land.  None of these new homes contain asbestos, but those same residents face a risk where they shop or work, or where their children go to school.   We are literally surrounded by old asbestos products from the days when that was a legal and commonly used building product.

This danger will be with us well into the next century. Perhaps the best defence is to be very aware of where asbestos may be lurking and to be active in spreading the word if dangerous activity is happening in your vicinity.  The biggest danger now is the invisibility of this product in many peoples minds.

The " Aged Care " Enigma !

The big worry for those tasked with finding aged care for their parents as their ability to live at home slips away is care quality and that varies widely across the aged care spectrum.   The media regularly deliver shocking stories of neglect and the government is quick to close down offending institutions that fail to meet its monitoring standards.

Aged care is a mix of " for profit " homes and those provided by charitable organizations and churches.  They range from lifestyle villages to nursing home accommodation and both staff ratios and the food standards have a lot to do with resident appeal.   The rate charged is very much in government hands but the standard of care depends on the outlook of the provider.

One of the problems is that the needs of residents vary as continuing age decreases their abilities and most aged care providers need to cater for individual requirements.  Some residents need more attentive care than others and eventually some need to be hand fed to achieve an adequate nutrient intake.  Often, this need changes dramatically the longer the resident is in care.

Of concern is the decision by a " for profit " aged care provider with forty-four homes nationally to make a change to its " overnight care " policy.   It is the policy of most aged care homes to look in on residents during the night to ensure that they are breathing and have not fallen out of bed.  Usually the check ratio is once on every four hour cycle.

It is simple, but effective.  A nurse with a torch opens the door and checks the patient without turning on the main light or disturbing their sleep.  If they find a patient awake they see if there is a problem keeping them awake.  In some cases they may turn the patient to avoid bed sores or elevate the bed to aid breathing.

This aged care group is deciding to cease this practice.   It claims that checking that a resident is still breathing and has not fallen out of bed is based on hospital culture and  is not a home environment routine.  It also directs staff not to wake residents unnecessarily and prioritise residents physical, emotional and personal comfort care needs over other tasks.

This will create concern in nursing circles.  The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Association said the document was obviously just a mechanism to cope with a reduction in staff.  It warned that nurses who followed this guideline would expose themselves  to actions for professional negligence if someone fell or if dangerous bed sores developed because a patient was not turned.

All this is of concern for those seeking aged accommodation for a family member.  The aged care industry is waging a constant battle to contain costs and very often this impinges on the standard of meals or the staff numbers employed to provide services.  That is something that is not apparent from glossy brochures and the wise will make personal checks and evaluate by their observations.

Most aged care homes have a call system beside each bed to summon a nurse if needed and the state of the patient can be monitored electronically if motion sensors or impression mats are provided but a regular call by a trained person is the best safety standard.

Ensuring care is adequate is best maintained by regular family visits with a wide spread of timing so that meals are checked.   When standards slip a call to the regulatory authority can usually bring results.  Unfortunately, checking if night care is still practised can not be ascertained by observation.

Modernizing " Royalty " !

There is no doubt that this weekends Royal Wedding at Windsor Castle attracted a world audience that ran into billions.  Many people across the world are fascinated with British royalty but this wedding was a break with tradition.  Prince Harry was marrying a commoner who is not only a woman of colour, but an American actress who has played a major role in a much watched television series.

Royal marriages in the past were arranged affairs that carefully paired the Royalty of surrounding countries to achieve hopefully harmonious political relations.  The obligation was " Duty " rather than " Romance " and everything was stiff and formal.   That was a time when the monarch rarely set foot outside of Britain.

That began to change during the second world war.  The king and queen visited bombed areas of the city and mixed with ordinary people.  When Elizabeth ascended to the throne the royal mystique was further relaxed and the television cameras were allowed into Buckingham Palace. It shocked many when her children found partners and lavish royal weddings ended in divorce.

This is the new era of royalty.   The young Prince of Wales married a commoner and they have three children, George , Charlotte and Louis.  It is very obvious that Harry and Meghan have a love match and royal watchers will be fascinated as these four young royals play out their lives in the public spotlight.

Queen Elizabeth is now ninety-two years old and she is gradually retiring from royal duties.  Her partner - Prince Phillip no longer officiates in royal events and the world news cameras will concentrate on William and Kate, Harry and Meghan and those two little princes and a princess.

The forgotten figure in this royal cavalcade - is Prince Charles, who will automatically ascend to the throne on the death of the Queen.  He stepped into the spotlight when Meghan's father was unable to walk her down the aisle because of a heart attack, but he is becoming a remote figure known for eccentricity,  His personal life was wracked by scandal and his wife may not be acceptable as queen by some sections of the public.

All this is happening during a critical time for Britain.  The withdrawal from the EC is fraught with economic peril and this uncertainty will be spread over many years. Queen Elizabeth has the affection of her subjects, but it remains doubtful if that feeling will automatically transfer to Charles. The line of transgression that was automatically followed in the past may not meet public approval when Queen Elizabeth's reign ends.

This will not be helped by the longer the time gap before the accession becomes a necessity.  Charles is fading into obscurity and the media is fascinated by the young royals.   The lives of William and Kate and now Harry and Meghan will play out and command public attention.  Unfortunately, Charles shows no sign of acceding to public opinion and abdicating the line of accession.

A lot will depend on how smoothly this EC withdrawal proceeds.  If it gets bogged down and creates a loss of living standards a constitutional crisis  over accession is very likely.  Monarchies are now a rarity in the world and this one needs  continuing popularity to continue.

Fixing the Banking Mess !

This latest Commonwealth Bank scandal seems best described as " much adoo about nothing ! "  Bank staff activated dormant kids accounts by putting in a few cents to improve their performance statistics for the annual salary review and earn a small bonus by achieving goals under the banks incentive programme.

Older Australians will remember the bank visits to their school back in their school days.  The Commonwealth bank had the right to visit public schools and lecture on the merits of saving money.   They handed out shiny metal money boxes and implored kids to save their one and two cent coins to achieve a bright future and many opened savings accounts under this " Dollarmites " programme.

Those money box giveaways are long gone along with the one and two cent coins but thousands of kids have inactive accounts with the Commonwealth bank.  A few bright minds thought up an ingenious plan to extoll their personal efficiency in bank eyes by getting the credit for activating dormant accounts - and they did that by depositing a few cents of their own money.  The bank customer was totally unaware that this was happening.

This has been heavily criticised and the bank has announced that in future any such action will result in instant dismissal, but nobody has suggested any actual harm that it has caused.  It seems that the bank knew about this and condoned it with a chuckle.

A few decades ago Australia was served by about a dozen commercial banks.  Several British banks had branches in Australian cities and each state had a bank in its own name that traded widely in the cities and country towns.  Although trading hours were restricted, it was a time of intense bank competition for custom.

These banks competed with Building Societies and Credit Unions for funds and we saw an era of takeovers diminish the bank numbers until Australia had the " big four " dominating the banking scene.   Those building societies have since taken out banking licenses and a number of small" community banks " have emerged but the power of the big four is undiminished.

Perhaps we had the best of both worlds when the publicly owned Commonwealth bank competed with three major private banks.  This government owned bank was the pacesetter on how the money market operated and what rules applied.   When the Commonwealth was privatised and needed to deliver dividends to shareholders this need for profits saw  integrity suffer until the entire banking spectrum was involved in the depth of criminal activity revealed by this current Royal Commission.

It has been suggested that the Reserve bank of Australia should occupy that dominance once held by the Commonwealth bank and to do that it would need to actively compete with the big four.  It is hoped that this Royal Commission will have the wisdom to demand action necessary to reign in the excesses and that these will be implemented by the government.   The sorry state of affairs uncovered by the Royal Commission illustrate how far banking may descend when supervision and ethics are not being actively enforced !

China's Long Tentacles !

The Pacific is the biggest ocean in the world and China has the most mouths to feed.    It has concluded an arrangement with the French Polynesian authority to establish a giant fish farm at the island of Hao.  Unfortunately, fish farms are known for their waste polluting surrounding water and making it imperative that the operation move frequently to a new position.

The island of Hao will be of interest to the military of other Pacific nations.  It contains little more than a massive four mile airstrip created by the French government when they were conducting nuclear tests in that area.  It came to infamy when French DGSE agents bombed Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour in 1985.   A man died in that bombing and agents Dominique Prieur and Alain Mafart were caught and jailed.   The French bullied New Zealand by decreasing imports of lamb and dairy products from that country until the jailed agents were transferred to supposedly French imprisonment on lonely Hao island.  After a short stay, the French broke the agreement and returned them in triumph to Paris, where they were feted and promoted.

Few allied governments will be thrilled to find that China may ultimately gain access to an airstrip capable of handling its military aircraft in the middle of the Pacific ocean.   Use of the airstrip is not part of the deal, but China id adept at using finance as a weapon to gain what it wants, and the little Pacific territories are prone to falling into that money trap.

China is generous in providing development loans to improve facilities and these usually have a long repayment cycle.   The terms are tempting and impoverished small nations are prone to overreach and encounter repayment difficulties, in which case China is quite happy to convert the loan to some other form of equity.   Recently, just such an arrangement in the Indian ocean resulted in China gaining control of a strategic port in Sri Lanka after that country defaulted on its loan repayments.  China is expanding its military bases and has shown interest in establishing a military presence in Vanuatu.

A fish farm on Hao will undoubtedly require a permanent Chinese presence on the island to run the facility and it will be in Chinese hands because the French military withdrew when nuclear tests ceased.  At that time the French presence was minimal, with just a weather station.  The main reason for the airstrip was to provide a safe landing for any French military aircraft experiencing difficulties crossing such a lonely stretch of water.

China has deep pockets when it comes to financing improvements to insert a wedge in the economies of target nations, and this comes at a time when both Australia and America are cutting back on overseas aid.  Neither has an economy that is capable of winning an aid distribution war with China and it seems inevitable that China will gain the footholds it desires for a military presence worldwide.

That opens a whole new ball game.  China is very active in claiming territorial interests outside the rule of law, as we have seen in the South China sea.  The growing human numbers on planet Earth are making the food supply an integral component of property acquisition.   Perhaps a new form of creating an empire by stealth.

The " Sexual Consent " Issue !

A lurid court case in which the issue of consent to sex was the pivotal issue of guilt or innocence has certainty brought this to public attention.  There is no universal protocol in place and the legal requirement differs state to state and in the Australian territories.   Sexual relations between a man and a woman is a delicate matter and if rape is claimed it usually becomes the task of a court to decide this consent issue.

Basically, Victoria and Tasmania have the clearest law on consent for sex.  They require " active consent ", meaning that there must be an active communication and it is not consent if they " do not say or do anything to communicate consent ".

In the case that sparked this controversy an eighteen year old woman visited a night club and encountered the son of the owner.  He offered to conduct her on a tour of the premises and when they were in an alley behind the club he proposed sex.  The woman told him she was a virgin and he persuaded her to adopt a position on hands and knees and had anal sex with her.  She claimed that at no time did she give consent.

After a retrial in 2017 the NSW District Court granted an acquittal on the grounds that the accused had a genuine and honest belief that this eighteen year old virgin was consenting, though " in her own mind " she was not.

Despite the clarity of those Victorian and Tasmanian law requirements this issue is far from settled.  It would be most unusual for a third party independent witness to be present to verify that verbal consent and so it becomes reliant on the honesty of the two people involved.  In crimes of passion honesty is usually missing.  It also raises the question of consent being given because of fear of violence if it is refused.

To be perfectly legal it seems necessary that two consenting people need to either verbally agree to sex by recording a message on their phones - or sign some sort of paper agreement to that effect. Either would certainly dull the romance  aspect of what had become a perfectly normal social custom in this day and age.

Now this particular case has broken new ground.  The young woman was interviewed on an ABC national programme in which her accused is portrayed as " getting away with a crime " .  It was further claimed that " in the court of public opinion he was viewed as scum ".  This seems to be a form of vilification that ignores the finding of a court.

Finding an acceptable protocol for sexual consent would be all the better if adopted on a national basis but that is reliant on the people concerned being rational and honest, and both characteristics are usually absent in the heat of passion.

What is probably merciful to the legal profession is the very few issues of consent that find their way into the courts, consistent with the amazing number of times that sex takes place in Australia.  It is usually amicably sorted out by the people involved, and perhaps wisely should be left that way !

Our Live Sheep Trade !

The pictures that shocked Australia from the sheep and cattle ships transporting live animals to the Middle East ensure that some sort of change is now inevitable.  There is no doubt that this form of travel is cruel and that even in good times a percent of the animals do not survive the journey.  In rough weather and when extreme heat conditions occur a high proportion of dead sheep are tossed overboard and fed to the sharks.

This live animal trade revolves around the special ships designed and built for the purpose.  They are multi decked and not enclosed to allow the free passage of air and the animals are tightly packed and forced to stand for the entire journey.  Troughs containing food and water are provided, but because of the density many animals would fail to access any nourishment.  A weakened animal would be engulfed in the herd and trampled to death.

Obviously, the economics of the trade apply. The shipping companies are in the business of transporting as many animals as possible at the cheapest possible rate and the casualty rate varies from trip to trip depending on the weather.  The sea journey from Australia to the Middle East is measured in weeks.

This live sheep and cattle trade is an important component of the Australian economy.  It employs a lot of people from the pasture companies that breed the animals to the huge transport network that moves them from the country to the docks.  This distance to the Middle East is just part of the equation.  We also ship sheep and cattle to our near neighbour Indonesia and other nearby markets. There is both a political and a humanity movement that wants to shut down this industry and we should remember the disaster that caused when Julia Gillard suspended all shipments in 2011.

The crux of this problem is how the animals are packaged for the journey.   The problem of excessive heat passing through the tropics would be better served if the animal decks were enclosed and the ship air conditioned but that would not solve the problem of journeys in unexpectedly rough weather. These are animals that are used to a firm surface under foot and a ship rolling and pitching in a gale needs the animals to be in close proximity to one another to enable them to retain their balance.

It is likely that pack density will become subjected to legislation.  The numbers permitted in a given area should allow animals sufficient freedom to access food and water, and yet provide sufficient density to cushion them against their neighbours in rough seas.   Live animals are valuable merchandise and it is the responsibility of the shipping companies to ensure that they arrive at market - both alive and in saleable condition.

A legislative change will not be welcomed by the ship owners.  It will probably reduce the numbers carried each trip and hence the profitability, but that would be countered by the survival rate which must be taken into account when heavy loss of life occurs.  One of the likely outcomes is the withdrawal of existing vessels from the trade and the entry of specially built ships designed to safely deliver living cargo.   That is exactly what happened when the car export trade expanded to deliver cars to world markets.   The live sheep and cattle trade is simply a market waiting for the ship builders to create the modern ship that the industry needs !

A " Bloody " Anniversary !

In 1948 the United Nations made a decision that created the state of Israel.  It is probable that this vote was heavily influenced by sympathy for the Jews murdered in Nazi concentration camps during the second world war, but in creating a homeland for the Jewish diaspora it disposed the Palestinian people who lived there for hundreds of years.

The Palestinian people call it " nekba ", their word for " catastrophe " and this seventieth anniversary of the creation of Israel is being celebrated by what is little better described as open warfare between the two sides.  The site of this clash is Gaza, a piece of land occupied by Palestinians with a fortified border with Israel.  Thousands of angry Palestinians have been trying to tear down that fence and return to where they lived before Israel was formed. The Israelis have defended that border with gunfire and tear gas and at least 58 Palestinians have been killed and 2700 others have been injured.

Gaza is administered by Hamas and it is sacrificing Palestinian lives to keep this grievance in the public eye. Protesters are burning tyres to create thick black smoke and forays to breach the border defences are accompanied by missiles from slingshots and stone throwing.  The throwing of fire bombs is common and those trying to dismantle razor wire barriers are being summarily shot.

This anniversary would be sufficient cause for demonstrations but the accelerant is the move of the American embassy from TelaViv to Jerusalem.   Donald Trump is supportive of Israel and his sponsorship of Jerusalem as the Jewish capital was an unexpected move.  The Palestinians want Jerusalem as their capital if they ever achieve their own state alongside Israel.

That has long been the dream of the peacemakers and several times it has seemed close to achievement. One of the stumbling blocks is the refusal of the Palestinians to recognise the Israeli state and steady encroachment of Israeli settlements on land won in earlier wars is making such a settlement unlikely.

It seems likely that Hamas is trying to capitalize on the rejection by other Arab states of the American embassy move to Jerusalem  to bring the lack of a Palestinian state to the fore.  Gaza is an island of Palestinians surrounded by a fortified Israeli presence and movement in and out is strictly controlled.  Life within Gaza is hand to mouth and the main occupation seems to be digging tunnels to access contraband denied by Israel.

It seems that Hamas is prepared to condone the death of Palestinians killed by Israeli bullets to keep the world news cameras recording this clash, and it is evident that many Palestinians are prepared to face death by repeatedly attacking the border.  It is a fight for world opinion and it has been going on for seventy years - and it is no nearer reaching a point of settlement.

The point is near where Israel will have annexed what is needed for a Palestinian state and it is improbable that the United Nations will ask Israel to vacate, disband its country and move somewhere else.  Some Palestinians will continue to live within the state of Israel but many others will eventually need to find accommodation with surrounding Arab countries.

The sad thing is that this merciless war will continue indefinitely because a settlement that suits both sides is clearly impossible.

Identity Theft !

It seems that eight thousand New South Wales residents have reason to be worried that the tools to enable identity theft are in the hands of potential criminals. That information was given to a government department in the course of accessing the important service it provided and the security breach occurred when bandits tried to extort a fifteen thousand dollar dividend by locking down the website and denying all access until the ransom was paid.  In the course of gaining entry, they had access to client confidential information.

That government department website was Family Planning New South Wales and what was accessed was the name and address, contact, date of birth and reason for the service required.   The majority of callers would be seeking an appointment or sought advice on abortions, contraception or other medical services.   Fortunately, other information including sensitive medical records were kept within an inner system which was immune from this attack.

What has become very clear is that it is impossible to guarantee the total security of any computer system that holds information that could be off value to criminals.  The very nature of the electronics involved have weaknesses that can be exploited by talented hackers and we know that foreign governments employ the most talented people to try and penetrate the systems in other countries for commercial and military information.  Security is an ongoing battle to plug leaks in a system that is ever expanding and this expansion is creating new penetration opportunities.

The problem is that we can not do without computers and they are now so embedded in every aspect of commercial life that we can be sure that the base information that enables identity theft is recorded in dozens of places where it has been freely given in the course of accessing the services we need to live our lives.   The information service providers need to accurately identify us in providing essential services is exactly the same as bandits require to assume our identity for criminal purposes.

The weakness of personal identification is that we need to establish who we are simply by providing details to a third party who has limited means of checking that those details are correct.  If we are to achieve a higher degree of personal security we will have to accept a degree of privacy invasion that many will find disturbing.   That will probably involve our countenance held on a data base so that when we present at any form of commerce and state our name that image will be called up on a computer screen and compared with the person requesting service.  It may also involve us placing our hand on that screen so that a comparison of our unique fingerprints can add to photographic recognition.

The technology has evolved to make that possible but the privacy loss would be immense, and yet the first steps in that direction are already in place.   When we are asked for ID we cheerfully produce our driving license for facial recognition, and that is secured by holograms and other security devices.  Driving licenses are as difficult to forge as banknotes.

The day is rapidly coming when that phone we hold in our hand will become imperative in establishing our identity where security is an issue.  Facial recognition and the transfer of fingerprint comparison can make birth dates and passwords totally irrelevant.   Its just a matter of coming to term with the privacy loss involved.

The Battle of the Sexes !

There are about twenty percent of women holding Liberal/National party seats in the Australian parliament compared with Labor with nearly forty-eight percent.  This imbalance is being highlighted because a woman who holds a ministerial position in government has just been disendorsed from recontesting her safe seat at the next election.

Jane Prentice holds the Brisbane seat of Ryan and served as assistant minister for disability services.  In a move that surprised many people, the party committee who comprise her electorate management decided that they preferred another person as their candidate and declined to endorse her as their preferred nominee at the next election.

What has further enraged the women's movement on both sides of politics is their choice of a Brisbane man who is nearly twenty years junior to Ms Prentice. Julian Simmonds won the battle for party selection at the party meeting last weekend.

The Prime Minister has praised Ms Prentice's performance in her ministerial role and this has been echoed by similar praise from the opposition, although opposition praise of a minister is decidedly tongue in cheek.  The opposition is hoping that dumping a woman for a younger man will infuriate the women's movement and swing a few votes their way.

At times the women's movement has been shrill in demanding quotas to ensure that parliament consists of an even balance of men and women, but this has been rejected on the grounds that the best person holding that seat is more important than the sexual balance.  Who sits in the parliament is essentially the choice of the voters and party selection is heavily influenced on presenting a candidate who will gain that support at the ballot box.

This decision to dump Jane Prentice has been made by a small group of people within the Ryan electorate.  At the next election it will be tested by the voters and as it is considered a safe electorate the decision will most likely be endorsed.   It could very easily become a three candidate election if Ms Prentice decides to run as an independent candidate and splits the LNP vote to bring a Labor win. Or the voters may reject Mr Simmonds appeal and re-elect Ms Prentice as their member.

It can be hard for a woman to win endorsement in an electorate with a heavy misogynist content in either the party selection committee or its voter content and in the past it was very evident that many women voters declined to support a woman running for office in politics.  Fortunately that has changed although many inner city electorates still maintain a very conservative attitude to candidates.

The reason why Ryan will not have Ms Prentice as their LNP candidate rests within the minds of that selection committee.The final decision will be made when the voters go to the polls, and this is the very reason why we have elections.   The parliament that runs the nation is composed of those who   have gained the vote of the public - and that is the way it should be.  The balance of the seats attained will determine what political party will hold office.

The gender of those sitting in parliamentary seats is entirely a matter for the voters !

The Perils of Politics !

Many years ago a wise man made a witticism that applied to politicians. " One day a crowing Rooster - the next - just a feather duster ! "   Such is the temporary nature of the hold on power and the uncertainty that follows when that power ends.

The world watched enthralled in 1990 when the Soviet Union imploded and reactionary forces imprisoned Michael Gorbachov.  The unlikely figure of Boris Nikolayevick Yeltsin came to his rescue and Yeltsin ruled Russia as president from 1991 to 1999 when he handed the reins of power to Vladimir Putin.

Yeltsin was addicted to vodka and his administration was beset with corruption.  It is rumoured that he chose Putin in a deal that ensured that he and his family would be free of recriminations for excesses from when he headed government.   That obligation was repaid and Yeltsin died peacefully in 1999.

It seems that the world has entered a new era of strongman politics and this time it is the former democracies that are electing leaders who rule with an iron fist.  Rogrigo Duterte is the man in power in the Philippines who condones the summary execution of those in the drug trade.   Victor Orban is firmly in control of Hungary and he has installed an illiberal regime that is dismantling the rule of law and in Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan is abandoning a secular state and moving towards Sharia law.

In every case these extreme leaders won power at the ballot box and the undercurrent of unrest that propelled them to office was either the threat of refugees pouring over their borders or a latent civil war brewing on religious grounds.  Then to compound the issue the United States elected Donald Trump to office and he has completely reversed the roles expected of the leader of the free world. Trump is an enigmatic mystery who seems to govern purely on impulse and rejects the wise counsel of all who advise that office.

Vladimir Putin has just won a fresh election and all credible opposition were either in jail or intimidated from running for office.  Putin is carefully stoking foreign adventures to promote nationalism as the antidote to growing unrest and he has an ever expansive China on his border to contend with.  Russian threatens its neighbours as it tries to regain the hegemony it held over them in its Communist era.

The eyes of the world will be focussed on events in Malaysia.   This south east Asian nation has just had an election that unseated the government that has ruled continuously since it gained independence from Britain in1957.   The dumping of the ruling UMNO party was completely unexpected because it has jailed any opposition and had control of the media to stifle all forms of opposition.

This reversal at the ballot box can be attributed to an unsolved crime where billions disappeared from the IMDB Sovereign wealth fund and several million dollars was discovered in the reigning prime ministers bank account, and that has never been satisfactorily explained.  Now former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife have been served with orders forbidding them to leave the country as they planned departure on a holiday.

Considering that the man expected to become prime minister is awaiting release from prison on a trumped up sodomy charge it is unlikely that he will be reticent in ordering an examination of the former prime ministers accountability.   That is a turn of events that will make many holding office in various foreign countries extremely nervous.    It can portend what can happen when public opinion turns unexpectedly - unfavourable.

There is another witticism that applies.  " Uneasy lays the head that wears a crown " !

Miracle in South-East Asia !

Last week brought a change of government in Malaysia and it came at the ballot box and not by way of civil war and it brought to an end sixty-one years of one party rule.  What is significant is that this change of government came from within that ruling party when a former prime minister emerged from retirement to rally the population and reform a regime of endemic corruption.

This resurrection reads like something from a Hollywood movie.  When the state of Malaya gained independence from Britain it joined with Singapore as a united entity which soon fell apart. Singapore ended the relationship and went its own way very successfully while Malaysia tried to balance the aspirations of its predominantly Malay population with its Chinese and Indian minorities.

As its former prime minister, Mathathir Mohamad was an acerbic leader who frequently clashed with other world leaders.  He groomed his deputy, Anwar Ibraihim as his successor but the two men fell out and Mathathir had Anwar jailed on a trumped up dishonesty charge

.  When Anwar emerged from prison he quickly became the leader of the opposition to  Najib Razak, another who Mathathir had sponsored for leadership before his retirement.

Malaysia has increasingly become adept at holding onto power by the old guard.  Critical newspapers have been silenced and standing in opposition brings peril.  Anwar was on the cusp of winning power when he was jailed again on trumped up sodomy charges - and is still in prison.  The king of Malaysia has indicated that he will issue a pardon and Mathathir has  promised to step aside for his elevation to the prime ministership.  Mathathir is ninety-two years old.

The defeat of this long standing government came as a shock.  They seemed unassailable. with control of the media that virtually closed down most forms of opposition communication with the public, but a festering case of sensational fraud was foremost in voters minds.  An ingenious  electronic robbery had stolen billions of dollars from the states IMDB sovereign wealth fund and millions unexpectedly reappeared in the prime minsters personal bank account.   This was unconvincedly explained away as a personal loan from an unnamed Middle Eastern friend, but the robbery remains unsolved.

There is the expectation that Malaysian politics will now tread a predictable path.  Mathathir will await Anwar emerging from those sodomy charges and hand over power to his former deputy.  Sixty-one years of corruption will be swept away and a shining new administration will emerge that takes Malaysia to prosperity in this twenty-first century.

That old guard is dug in deeply and it will resist change.  One of the problems is that the government apparatus has had no experience of doing things in any other way than under the direction of the people in power and it will take time and immense effort to change course to new directions.  There is also the risk that in adopting change the balance between the more populous Malays and the other ethnic minorities may become unsettled.

Those with high expectations might be well advised to wait until the dust settles to see how this change of tack turns out !

Lunatic Asylums !

A century ago we set aside specific institutions for the care of patients with psychiatric problems.  They were grim places, somewhere between a hospital and a gaol and anything to do with mental health brought a stigma that families dreaded.

Today those places are long gone and mental health is treated in the general hospital system.  The problem is that few hospitals have adequate facilities to deliver the restraint and seclusion that is sometimes necessary to restrain an out of control patient from self harm, or delivering injury to carers.

This came to a head when cctc footage emerged of a patient in a rural hospital naked, drugged, disoriented and covered in faeces  hours before she died of a traumatic hypoxic brain injury caused by banging her head against a hard surface wall.  Sometimes patients are isolated for long periods in seclusion rooms with no access to bathroom facilities or fresh air.  When punitive restraints are used they feel trapped and helpless.

The state health department has released an implementation plan to bring this problem under control.  Hospitals are ordered to reduce their use of seclusion to fewer than 5.1 episodes for each 1000 bed days - a twenty-five percent reduction on the present standard.  They must ensure that episodes of seclusion last less than four hours and all patients must have 24/7 supervision by managerial staff with unit visits mandatory during each shift.

All hospitals will be required to collect and publicly report seclusion and restraint data every quarter and this will form part of annual agreements with local health districts.   It seems that this problem is to be solved by diktat.

We have reached the stage where paramedics are no longer safe attending emergency calls alone because of patient irrationality and often this is caused by drugs. In particular, users of Ice are prone to highly aggressive behaviour and launching serious attacks on police and hospital staff.  Any hospital may encounter a number of people in this state when a social function is held in their area.

It is grossly unfair to expect hospitals to treat the drug deranged who the police deliver to their care simply to be relieved of the problem.  This is a temporary condition that usually abates when the effect of the drug wears off.  That can be accomplished equally well in a police cell as a hospital ward bed.

Perhaps the answer to this problem can be resolved by the decision on hospital treatment being in the hands of the attending paramedics.  Minor injuries should be treated while the patient is under police control and the drug affected exhibiting paranoia left in police custody.

There is a danger that our hospitals are being overwhelmed by the temporarily deranged drug users who need restraint, where their limited restraint facilities would be better used for those with genuine psychiatric problems.  When the numbers are fewer the limitations on the overuse of seclusion rooms and physical restraints can be better managed.

The End of " Trust " !

Donald Trump's decision to walk away from the deal with Iran that stopped its development of nuclear weapons was an international agreement that was co-signed by not only America but Britain, France, Germany and the European Union.  It throws a big question mark over the coming negotiations with North Korea for the dismantling of their existing nuclear arsenal.

The United Nations Atomic Energy people have the task of monitoring Iran's compliance and they have found no fault. Iran has stuck to its end of the bargain, but this American decision throws doubt on the integrity of all future multi party agreements.   Are they good for only as long as the people who sign on the dotted line remain in office ?

Woodrow Wilson's vision of a world ruled by that old League of Nations was a splendid vision that failed to prevent the second world war and its successor, the United Nations appears to be a similar fangless beast.  The Blue Helmets engage in national disasters and minor conflicts, but the power of veto in the Security Council makes it useless where major issues are involved.

Kim Jong-un is an absolute dictator who has managed to amass nuclear weapons and a delivery system that threatens most of the world.  His country has a shame full past of reneging on agreements.  This unusual Communist dynasty has made war on its neighbour and earned a living by counterfeiting the currency of other nations and running illicit drugs.  If this disarmament offer is genuine it will require a high degree of trust on all sides to reach settlement.

Unfortunately, Donald Trump's decision to walk away from that agreement with Iran is not the only instance of broken trust in what seemed guaranteed pledges of safety.   When the Soviet Union imploded it had a  nuclear arsenal pointed at the west and some of the missiles were sited in Ukraine. The world was expecting Russia to become a normal country integrating trade with the west and Ukraine hoped to join the EU.   It was fearful of the Russian oppression that had held it in an embrace since the Communist revolution and agreed to give up its nuclear weapons for dismantling and destruction only when these same nations that signed off on the Iran deal guaranteed its safety in the event of Russian aggression.

When Vladimir Putin's Russia annexed Crimea and a covert invasion penetrated the Donbas region those same signatories claimed it was not an invasion but a civil war, completely ignoring the Russian special forces with insignias removed from their clothing deploying Russian weapons  in the conflict, including that BUK missile battery that shot down a Malaysian airlines jet and killed its passengers and crew.   Ukraine now lives with a partial Russian occupation and those guarantees have proven worthless.

The perfidy of the great powers has a scattered resonance in the history books.  During the first world war the British induced the Arabs to revolt against the Ottoman empire with the promise of an Arab state in the Middle East after the war.   The moment the armistice came into effect the British and French empires carved the Middle East map into interest zones that took no interest in tribal identities, religion or the mixing of disparate people under unfamiliar rule.   Much of the present warfare in the area has its roots in those decisions.

Perhaps the outcome of this decision will be Iran entering a new arms race to gain a nuclear deterrent, and North Korea deciding that guarantees are not sufficient to convince it to renounce the nuclear weapons it already has.  On both counts, the world will be the loser !

Saving Young Lives !

There was something unusual at a recent Canberra music festival that was very attractive for young  people.  The crowds arriving at " Groovin the Moo " encountered the usual bag searches at the gates but inevitably some drugs got through and the usual pushers were working the crowds.

What was extraordinary was the presence of a drug testing booth where scientific staff were offering to test illicit drugs to determine their purity.  The big risk people take when they buy drugs from unknown sources is what they may contain.  The drug pushers are only interested in making money and often the drugs offered are " cooked " in a home kitchen somewhere by an incompetent cook.

Between 2011 and 2015 there were 2145 deaths associated with  oxycodone, morphine, codeine, fentanyl. tramadol and pethidine while just 985 were caused by heroin.   In todays drug world, fentanyl is becoming more common and it is a hundred times stronger than morphine.  Added to the drug brew is it capable of producing an overdose - and  death.

These drug testing chemists produced interesting results.  Some tablets contained absolutely no narcotics at all.  The pushers were con merchants making a fast buck by deception.  Most passed the safety check, but several were potentially fatal and were destroyed with their owners acquiescence. This safety check was angrily condemned by the Police minister.

We adults are a perverse lot.  When we " party " we look for that same level of euphoria that teenagers are seeking, but we satisfy it with alcohol - from which young people are barred until they reach the age of eighteen.  Those same teenagers are famous for not obeying the orders or instructions of their elders - and yet we demand they simply say " no " to narcotics.

For many decades every event that attracts young people has a familiar fantasy.  Cops with sniffer dogs at the gate, conducting bag searches and patting down likely looking suspects while inside paramedics are treating overdose cases and ambulances are rushing them to hospital.  The law of supply and demand applies - and the supply people have long ago masterminded the tricks of getting their merchandise into events.

Are we being realistic in demanding those under eighteen abstain from both alcohol and drug stimulants by closing down checking facilities at future events ?  That is a challenge young people overcome by risk taking - and inevitably there are sometimes fatal results.  This drug testing event in Canberra did prove that many cautious young people will have what they bought tested before popping the pill - and putting their life at risk.

Perhaps parents need to adopt a different mantra when they suspect their children may be joining the party drug scene.  " Always have it tested first "  would be wisdom rather than an appeal for abstinence that they know will be ignored.

Those testing booths need to be encouraged rather than forced to close by legislation.   They are the last line of defence in the world of reality !

Quad Bike Risks !

What exactly is a " Quad Bike  "  ?   Some would describe it as a motorbike with four wheels, and that is probably close to the truth,  although the fact that it weighs about three hundred kilograms puts it in an entirely different safety category.

They range widely in price and they rate highly on many teenagers gift wish list, but they are also fast becoming a " work horse " on many farms - and they are literally replacing the horse as the farmers means of moving around.  A quad bike is capable of transporting supplies and equipment to where they are needed on the property.   They have a much larger load capacity than a motorbike and they are sold with the claim that they can " go anywhere " !

Unfortunately, they have a dismal safety record here in Australia.  Between 2011 and 2017  we had 114 deaths directly related to quad bike accidents and in most cases death caused by the machine rolling and crushing its rider.  There have been strident calls for these machines to be required to be fitted with a roll bar as basic safety equipment and a Federal government enquiry has been considering the legislation needed to achieve that aim.

This enquiry has faced stiff resistance from the quad bike manufacturers.  One of the joys of riding these powerful machines is the feeling of freedom.  Few wear a safety helmet and somehow the feeling of being encircled by a safety cage brings with it a lack of rider enthusiasm.   It is also a fact of life that the tooling and redesign of the quad bike industry will cost its makers millions of dollars.

Now quad bike representatives and those from the automotive manufacturing industry have walked out of that enquiry over the installation of a five star safety rating, as is the benchmark safety evaluation in the car industry.  That rating has an important impact on new car sales.  Five stars is the maximum rating and vehicles that achieve a lesser standard are becoming hard to sell.

Few quad bikes are manufactured here and what Australian standards apply will have a direct impact on the rest of the world.  The best economics relate to selling a single machine model on a universal basis and this manufacturing industry is aware of increasing concern in the giant American recreational Quad bike market.   That has been experiencing 600 deaths and over a 100,000 serious injuries each year and pressure is building for an improvement in safety standards.

One of the limitations is the fact that Quad bikes can not be registered for road use.  Because they are used on private property it is hard to enforce regulations on age use - or what the riders are required to wear.  Enforcing new safety standards is fast becoming a whole new ball game.

What is inescapable is that a person sitting atop a three hundred kilo piece of machinery that can travel at high speed over all types of surfaces and inclines is vulnerable to rollover and crushing.  As a bare minimum, that machine would be safer with at least a single roll bar over the riders head.

When all the huffing and puffing and vested interest opposition to change subsides, that would be an intelligent addition to the safety standard that applies to Quad bikes that may be imported and sold in Australia.  It is important that it should be part of the integral design and incapable of being removed without the use of an acetylene torch.

Such legislation would do the world a favour !

Putting this Nation at risk !

Australia is an oil producing country, but we are fast losing the capacity to refine that oil into the petrol, diesel and aviation fuel we need to keep our transport industries moving.  The economics of the refining industry favour the giant refining plants located overseas and as our smaller facilities close we become a nation that relies on the shipping trade for our fuel security.

That is an unacceptable risk because if some world event closed down those sea lanes this country would quickly grind to a halt.  Under International agreements we are supposed to have a ninety day fuel reserve but the latest survey shows that this has shrunk to just forty-nine days.   The latest figures are alarming.  At present Australia holds just twenty days of petrol usage at the current demand rate,  twenty-one days of diesel and nineteen days of aviation fuel.

Fortunately, our refined products come from forty-seven different countries spread around the world and at any time there are up to forty-five oil tankers on their way here with twenty days supplies of fuel in their tanks, but it is an inescapable fact that we are vulnerable to any outbreak of hostilities that interrupt world shipping.

That should focus Australia's attention on the events unfolding in the South China Sea.  China claims sovereignty over most of this stretch of water and has created dredged islands in the Spratly chain.  It often reaches flash point when naval ships of other nations pass through what the World Court has defined as International waters, rejecting that claim by China.   Now the Chinese have installed missile technology on Fiery Reef,  Subi Reef and Mischief Reef, enabling it to threaten other users if it tries to implement its claim with military force.   The chance of a clash with the United States navy has been steadily growing.

Apart from the huge disruption to our domestic economy an interruption to our fuel supplies would wreak havoc with our defence posture.  There is no point in having an advanced army, navy and air force if we lack the fuel to enable them to protect our country, or assist an ally overseas.   The South China sea is one of the worlds major transport corridors and its closure to all shipping in a conflict would be catastrophic for Australia.

This situation is entirely governed by money.   Those giant refineries overseas can refine oil products more cheaply than the old and diminutive by comparison facilities we have here in Australia.  The oil majors are not prepared to renew and expand facilities here, so they are being closed down.  We are not far off being entirely devoid of refining capacity.   That would be a sorry day because our defence capability would entirely rely on overseas goodwill to remain effective.

Perhaps we may have to pay a few cents more at the petrol pump to keep refining capacity active in Australia, but it would keep fuel security in Australian hands.  We would be foolish to rely on the expansion of electric cars to reduce our petrol needs because that is unlikely to apply to the military or to aviation or heavy transport in the immediate future.  It is a fact of life that the crude oil we gain from the ground in Australia is of little use without the ability to refine it to the products that keep transport moving.  We should legislate to prevent further refinery closures !

Illegal Laser Weapons !

One of the biggest fears at the outbreak of the second world war was the question of poison gas warfare.  It was banned by international treaties, but the Germans first used it as a battlefield weapon in the first world war and consequently British civilians were issued with gas masks in case the Luftwaffe began dropping gas on British cities.

Gas and similar chemical weapons use bans have been strictly observed by the great powers ever since but they have appeared in several civil wars and chemical warfare laboratories are constantly developing updated versions in a technology race.   Many military arsenals contain a reserve of banned weapons so they can respond if subjected to a surprise attack, if that eventuates.

One of the developments since the second world war has been the laser and that is subject to bans to prevent its use on battlefields to blind opposing troops.  It would be a cruel and inhumane weapon and most nations have signed on to agreements that forbid its use as a battlefield weapon.

China has established its first overseas base in  Djibouti and this is just twenty-nine kilometres from America's Camp Lennonier which is the headquarters of the US Africa command.  It is inevitable that military aircraft from both bases must share common airspace and it is reported that China has aimed lasers at American pilots to partially blind and disorient them.

This is a claim that China rejects and the Chinese  Defense Ministry has released a statement claiming " China always strictly abides by international law and the law of the country of residency and is committed to maintain regional security and stability ".

That statement is in direct contravention of its actions in the South China Sea.  The international court has rejected China's claim to sovereignty and yet it has created artificial islands from shallow sand and rock protrusions and challenges ship and aircraft movements in what is an international trade route.  Despite specifically promising to maintain these islands in a civilian capacity it has installed radar and missile threats and projected power over what are international waters.

Trade wealth is enabling China to rapidly expand its naval presence and it seems likely that to service the ships it will require more bases and negotiations are underway to establish one in the lower south Pacific area.   It is likely that China will claim that these are needed to protect its trade routes with the rest of the world.   It seems inevitable that this will rub friction with the US navy which is clearly the worlds biggest sea power.

This laser use is alarming. It seems likely that the Chinese may be experimenting to see if limited use can disorient opposing pilots and cause malfunction to enemy weapons systems but if the principle of unlimited warfare is being adopted it will certainly extend to all sides.  We would be opening a juggernaut of unpreceded proportions.

It is encouraging that we managed to end the second world war without gas being used as a doomsday weapon.   The nuclear bomb has probably been the main reason we have not progressed to world war three.  It remains to be seen if we have the courage and common sense to convince the powers who compete for military advantage to keep chemical and biological weapons locked away from combat and lasers being used to turn blindness into a war weapon.

Some of the scenarios possible might make the end of the human race seem a blessing !

The " Gold Coast " - in Tasmania ?

The island state of Tasmania has been carefully nurturing its tourist image very successfully over many decades.   People from all over Australia flock there because it is " different " !  That is a mix of amenities that have been carefully managed to provide the luxury that tourists expect without damaging the natural beauty that visitors admire.  Now a massive development is waiting final approval and that has the capacity to change everything.

Tasmania's east coast comprises a string of fishing villages that charm the tourists because they  blend so naturally with the stunning  landscapes and exciting beaches and present a vision of yesteryear.   That is an image that is being carefully preserved by preventing over development.

Now a consortium of Australian and Chinese financial interests is proposing to develop 3185 hectares of farmland between Dolphin Sands and the historic town of Swansea, with its just 645 residents.  This includes a period farmhouse that dates back to an earlier century and is heritage listed and the foreshore  overlooks Great Oyster Bay and the granite peaks of the Freycinet national park.

The intent of this development is to lure cashed-up Chinese tourists and the plan includes up to 70 villas, 120 rooms and 240 units, plus golf courses, conference facilities and palliative units - with an airstrip on the longer term horizon to allow direct flights in and out.  The construction bill will top a hundred million dollars.  It is receiving spirited opposition from local residents.

This is a development that could totally change the nature of tourism on the Tasmanian east coast.  It envisages bringing in packaged tours of Chinese visitors who will exclusively use this resort and this will attract competitors to develop similar facilities nearby to cash-in on the overseas advertising potential. It could easily become a mini version of the Gold Coast.

It will certainly provide local jobs and may slow the movement of younger people out of the area but it will create a bustling hub that is completely out of character with why tourists find Tasmania so charming.  The resort will generate massive sewage waste which will be treated and then dumped in the pristine sea. Tasmania needs to consider whether this development is compatible with the image it has created that is attracting the burgeoning tourist trade to is shores.

In some ways this is  reminiscent of " Club Med " very many years ago.  Resorts designed to attract a specific group of people who were flown in and nurtured exclusively within its confines and who had few outside contacts or experiences.   The aim was to concentrate the tourist dollar spend in company owned premises to enhance profitability, and that resulted in its failure.  Clive Palmer's Dinosaur themed tourist resort in Queensland suffered a similar fate - for the same reason.

Tasmania would be wise to give this project very deep thought before making a final decision !

Face Recognition Technology - Risks and Rewards !

Identity theft is a growing concern to our financial security. Mailbox theft seems a common way thieves manage to obtain the sort of information that allows them to assume our identity and rack up bills and purchases in our name.  Victims often find that their financial standing is permanently discredited if they become a victim.

A long time ago it was suggested that we need what amounted to an internal passport to counter this threat.  It was called " the Australia card " and it would have a photograph of the holder to certify identity whenever that was required.  The idea was howled down politically as an " invasion of privacy " and was quietly dropped.

Since then the advances of computer technology have made rapid progress.  It is now possible to scan a crowd and recognise an individual face amongst the multitude. Every day we are photographed a vast number of times as we pass the  array of cctv cameras that screen city streets and transport terminals.  Law enforcement will find this a useful tool when looking for a person of interest.

It is suggested that this technology would be very useful if shared between all levels of government, including local government to put a face to a name  and end identity theft.  Obviously, the collection of individual photographs would be seen by some as an invasion of privacy, but for most of us those photographs are already held in government archives by way of driving licenses and passports.  It has become  increasingly necessary to surrender our image to obtain many of lifes necessities and that image is already held by a government department.

In the course of each year ever person on several occasions are asked to provide their ID.  Perhaps picking up a parcel from the local post office or seeking service from a bank.  Without question we pull out our driving license because that is universally accepted because the photograph can be scrutinised and compared with the holder.  Is the sharing of that image and information between government and local government departments too radical a change to be rejected on privacy grounds ?

Along with the development of artificial intelligence has come the power of the data collected on each person and the uses to which it can be put.  Some theorists claim it is a form of mind control where fake news is inserted into public information arenas such as Facebook to influence voting intentions.  In a close vote, this intervention could manage to swing the election outcome.

With our photograph in government hands we open the potential to where computer technology is leading us.  There is no reason to think that face recognition can not in the future track each individual to know where they go and what they do.  The data that could deliver on their lifestyle, habits and preferences would be commercially very valuable.  We are fast reaching the stage when every moment in a public space is under some sort of scrutiny and the marvellous world of  advancing technology has the ability to track our journeys.

When this proposal is debated in parliament the privacy issue will probably result in its rejection, but whether we like it or not, it will most likely surreptitiously become reality in the future.  The number of photographs already in government hands means that at least a partial interchange of information between government departments is inevitable.

Perhaps privacy is a myth that belongs in a former century !

Airbag Apathy !

Apparently a lot of Australian car owners are prepared to play a game of " Russian Roulette " indefinitely as they continue to drive cars fitted with  potentially deadly Takata airbag systems. This Japanese built safety system was installed in many makes of cars, ranging from the base models to luxury cars at the top of the price range.

It was discovered that a manufacturing fault had the potential to shatter the surrounding fittings when the airbag inflated in an accident, causing shrapnel to fly into the head and neck of the person protected by the airbag.  Across the world this fault has caused both a number of deaths and serious injuries. All the cars fitted with this Takata airbag system are subject to a recall to have the air bags replaced under warranty.

This recall has been in place for many months and it is disturbing to learn that many owners are failing to contact the selling agent to have the airbag replacement work done free of charge.  It is estimated that thirty thousand cars have so far ignored the recall notice and those driving them face a similar danger to having a shotgun pointed at their head.

What is probably causing this apathy is the knowledge that only a very small percentage of the airbags in use will deliver this danger.   The vast number will work perfectly and there is no way of knowing the outcome in a crash and so the odds are heavily in favour of surviving a crash without airbag injuries or death.   The reverse also applies.   If the airbags operate because of a very low speed tailender, the driver or passenger may be fatally injured if he or she has the misfortune to have an airbag with this fault.

The car industry has gone to great lengths to put recall notices in the hands of owners but many cars may have changed hands or their owners have changed addresses.   The Federal Chamber of Automotive  Industries ( FCAI ) is looking at what more can be done to ensure that this problem is fully resolved.  It seems that the recall will fall far short of all the vehicles affected unless stronger measures are taken.

The logical intervention to scoop up unrepaired cars would be to include that airbag replacement requirement as a specific item to be checked on the annual car registration safety examination by a registered motor mechanic - known as the " pink slip " in most states.  Cars would not be cleared for registration renewal unless that recall work had been completed.

That would not be an onerous task for the mechanics undertaking those tests. Car manufacturers keep a tally online of all vehicles affected, together with notification of when this task was completed.  A simple call to the local brand agent would instantly divulge this required information.  Registration renewal checks are a state responsibility and it would require individual states to ensure this requirement was added to the checklist.

That seems the only certainty that airbag safety will be extended to all the affected vehicles on Australian roads !

Citizenship Rights !

Every resident who has the right - and the obligation by law - to vote in a Federal, State or council election thought they also had the right to stand to be elected to public office.  It was long thought that the only impediment was failure to hold legal citizenship in this country.  Newly arrived immigrants could not vote or stand for office until they gained official recognition as a citizen.  All those born within Australian borders were automatically granted that status.

To our consternation, we recently found that this is not so when it comes to  seats in the Federal parliament, and that is because of section 44 of the Australian Constitution.  When the Constitution was drafted 118 years ago it prevented " any person who is a subject or a citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or a citizen of another power from running for office.  It also bans anyone  who has a direct or indirect pecuniary interest with the Commonwealth from standing for office.

Recently eight members of the Federal parliament had their right to sit as elected representatives declared invalid because of section 44 and a further four had their standing questioned. The ruling opened a complex can of worms because in many cases the laws of other countries confer citizenship rights there by way of the tenure their parents - and in some cases grandparents- have passed automatically to their offspring.  Many had no idea that those citizenship rights in another country existed.

That interpretation of section 44 cost Australia millions of dollars to hold by-elections.  A lot of parliamentarians searched their ancestry and went to the trouble of renouncing any claims to foreign citizenship.  Some parliamentary members fell foul of that " pecuniary interest " clause because they leased their parliamentary office from a department in a government owned building.

The government setup an enquiry to examine ways to reform section 44 because clarity is essential.  When the Constitution was drafted the concept of dual citizenship was unknown and now it bars such people from parliament.  We are a nation of migrants and perhaps the only qualification necessary to legally contest and win a seat in Federal parliament should be the possession of a valid affirmation that such a person holds legal citizenship in Australia, either by birth or through the formal citizenship process.

To achieve that, we need to change the Constitution, and that involves a referendum.   That enquiry will soon present its findings and it is most likely that this will be their recommendation.  If that referendum intent gets the approval of the various political parties represented in the Federal parliament, there is no reason why it should not be decided in a tandem vote at the next Federal election.

It is important that this question be clarified by Australian law.  Some countries do not recognise the validity of citizen rights being renounced when their former citizens gain Australian citizenship and this can throw a legal doubt on parliamentary membership while ever section 44 remains unchanged.