It seems a classic example of the boomerang coming back and delivering an unexpected blow to the thrower. Neil Prakash was born in Melbourne and is now twenty-seven years old. When Islamic State was formed he embraced their savage ideology, left Australia and became one of their recruiters. In particular, he became a media celebrity in Syria and Iraq and was hailed as the IS poster boy seeking to influence young Australian men to abandon their country and join the fight in the middle east.
Put plainly, Neil Prakash is a terrorist. He held a high position in the IS management team and as such bears responsibility for the crimes they committed on the people they enslaved. This included the summary execution of those who did not readily accept their twisted view of Islam and the sale of captured women in the slave markets that still exist in that part of the world.
Prakash had a direct influence on several terrorist attacks here on Australian soil, resulting in Australia issuing an arrest warrant for his capture in 2015. At that stage, IS had captured a lot of territory and had a growing accumulation of people in its grasp. It was not reticent in filming the repression it inflicted and waging a war of almost unimaginable savagery.
When the tide began to turn those IS " masters " began to fear the repercussions from their freed victims and many headed for the border with surrounding countries. Prakash got caught trying to slip into Turkey in October, 2016 and is now awaiting trial, with the prospect of a long prison term.
A queue of other countries have extradition orders seeking his presence to answer for the crimes he committed in their countries.
Prakash is pleading for mercy and wants to be returned to Australia. We don't want him and along with about sixteen other terrorists he was stripped of his Australian citizenship. Strangely, an extradition order is in place to put him before an Australian court but that is unlikely to happen before the middle of this century.
Prakash - and other IS recruits - made war on the country of their birth and people who committed that crime during the second world war were usually executed as war criminals. Stripping away citizenship rights is controversial but it does seem to fit the crime for which Prakash is accused. He successfully persuaded a number of innocent young Australian men to sacrifice their lives in a foreign war and others to attempt to commit murder on Australian streets. As a consequence, Australia has now renounced his claim to live amongst us.
This breaks new ground. Australian citizenship is an honour that comes with mutual obligations. Joining in a foreign war against the citizenship holders country of birth is probably the ultimate reason for that right to be rescinded. It should make no difference whether that citizenship was gained by birth in the country, or as a gift exchanged with a migrant for an oath of fidelity.
Neil Prakash chose to become a stateless person. We no longer apply the death penalty for heinous crime. If this terrorist ever comes before an Australian court he will serve his sentence - and then be deported.
Monday 31 December 2018
Sunday 30 December 2018
An International Crime Ring !
It was probably inevitable, but Australia is becoming a victim of an international crime ring of young people who arrive here on study or tourist visas and carry out a well coordinated plan to rob affluent homes and steal high value goods from shopping centres.
The warning came from Canadian police and as a result New South Wales police pounced on members of a Chilean gang that is suspected of carrying out a crime spree in Victoria and Queensland, and who were posting the loot back to Chili in the mail. A number of arrests have been made and several key gang members are still at large.
It is not hard to pick suburbs where affluent people live and now the information that people freely give on Facebook helps to fine tune targets. What the bandits are after is expensive jewellery, cash, items like Rolex watches and high end clothing brands. They are highly skilled at breaking into well secured homes and such well disciplined raids are over in minutes.
They also target high end clothing salons and police have disclosed the specialised nature of these raids. Such expensive clothing usually has a security device attached which will sound a warning if it is taken out of the shop. The bandits roll such items in a protective shield which isolates that warning device and allows them to innocently walk away with the goods.
These gangs comprise young people in their twenties and upward and often the thefts go unreported. Often the victim is under the impression they must have mislaid a missing item because the thieves are very selective and leave little evidence of their visit. It seems that wealthy people are rather careless in securing items of high value.
Commercial television is now carrying advertisements from the police warning that high end car theft has moved up a notch from the days of thieves hot wiring cars. Not only are the pricier models now equipped with more sophisticated anti theft devices but the stolen cars are usually shipped off overseas and replacing a broken security device is expensive. That irritating expense can be avoided if the owners key is used to facilitate the theft.
Once again it is not hard to identify likely targets. The prestige of driving a very expensive car magnifies the risk, specially in two car families. If the family are at an event in one car, the other is probably left at home and the key is somewhere in the house. The police note an upsurge in break and enter crime where the sole purpose has been to gain the key and steal the car.
Alarmingly, that has now extended to specific break and enter when the owner is home and in bed asleep. It is now not unusual for a thieve to enter a bedroom to secure the car key to facilitate the theft of a targeted car needed to fulfil an overseas order. In some cases, car colour is a specific on the thieves shopping list.
Clearly, crime is becoming more sophisticated and we need to elevate our defences a notch or two accordingly.
The warning came from Canadian police and as a result New South Wales police pounced on members of a Chilean gang that is suspected of carrying out a crime spree in Victoria and Queensland, and who were posting the loot back to Chili in the mail. A number of arrests have been made and several key gang members are still at large.
It is not hard to pick suburbs where affluent people live and now the information that people freely give on Facebook helps to fine tune targets. What the bandits are after is expensive jewellery, cash, items like Rolex watches and high end clothing brands. They are highly skilled at breaking into well secured homes and such well disciplined raids are over in minutes.
They also target high end clothing salons and police have disclosed the specialised nature of these raids. Such expensive clothing usually has a security device attached which will sound a warning if it is taken out of the shop. The bandits roll such items in a protective shield which isolates that warning device and allows them to innocently walk away with the goods.
These gangs comprise young people in their twenties and upward and often the thefts go unreported. Often the victim is under the impression they must have mislaid a missing item because the thieves are very selective and leave little evidence of their visit. It seems that wealthy people are rather careless in securing items of high value.
Commercial television is now carrying advertisements from the police warning that high end car theft has moved up a notch from the days of thieves hot wiring cars. Not only are the pricier models now equipped with more sophisticated anti theft devices but the stolen cars are usually shipped off overseas and replacing a broken security device is expensive. That irritating expense can be avoided if the owners key is used to facilitate the theft.
Once again it is not hard to identify likely targets. The prestige of driving a very expensive car magnifies the risk, specially in two car families. If the family are at an event in one car, the other is probably left at home and the key is somewhere in the house. The police note an upsurge in break and enter crime where the sole purpose has been to gain the key and steal the car.
Alarmingly, that has now extended to specific break and enter when the owner is home and in bed asleep. It is now not unusual for a thieve to enter a bedroom to secure the car key to facilitate the theft of a targeted car needed to fulfil an overseas order. In some cases, car colour is a specific on the thieves shopping list.
Clearly, crime is becoming more sophisticated and we need to elevate our defences a notch or two accordingly.
Saturday 29 December 2018
This Escalating Arms Race !
When the United States and the Soviet Union first faced off against each other shortly after the end of the second world war the means of delivering atomic weapons was the bomber. Both sides had gathered German scientists involved in Hitler's V2 rocket programme and that was the start of what became a race to perfect intercontinental ballistic missiles.
That seemed the ultimate weapon. By the time the Soviet Union imploded both sides were in instant nuclear readiness and those missiles were impossible to pin point because they were capable of being fired underwater from opposing submarine fleets. We had arrived at what was known as the " MAD doctrine " - Mutually Assured Destruction in the event of war.
For a time it seemed that peace was on the horizon. Mikhael Gorbachov was the new leader of Russia and that was an era of several treaties that stood down nuclear weapons, but when Vladimir Putin rose to power the animosity was revived and we are now in a new arms race to gain the advantage of taking the art of warfare into space.
Russia is now crowing that it has perfected what is termed a " space glider " capable of eluding missile defences because it travels at hypersonic speed and has the agility to swiftly change direction in flight. It is claimed that this is composed of newly created composite materials that can withstand temperatures of 2000 Celsius. There is the prospect that such a system could evade all known forms of missile defence.
Donald Trump recently threatened to develop space warfare and it is likely that a similar system is well advanced in the American arms industry. Russia has named its weapon the "Avanguard " and claims it can travel at twenty times the speed of sound. The weapon is launched into space with a rocket and in glider form it returns to earth to destroy multiple targets.
It seems to be an act of imbecility that two of the most powerful nations on earth are engaged in an arms race to develop weapons that would destroy each other at a time when the very existence of planet Earth is in question. Air pollution is sending global temperatures to catastrophic levels and ever rising population numbers threaten to exceed the food supply. The measures to avoid these problems are not being taken because world politicians fear the backlash from the public because of the inconvenience they would cause.
There seems the prospect that if global warming alters rain patterns to create a world food shortage we will see migration in the biblical scale and powerful nations may use these weapons to defend their borders. It is ironical that the money this world spends on the production of military weapons would quickly solve the problems facing planet Earth.
Of course, the human race is too stupid to grasp such logic !
That seemed the ultimate weapon. By the time the Soviet Union imploded both sides were in instant nuclear readiness and those missiles were impossible to pin point because they were capable of being fired underwater from opposing submarine fleets. We had arrived at what was known as the " MAD doctrine " - Mutually Assured Destruction in the event of war.
For a time it seemed that peace was on the horizon. Mikhael Gorbachov was the new leader of Russia and that was an era of several treaties that stood down nuclear weapons, but when Vladimir Putin rose to power the animosity was revived and we are now in a new arms race to gain the advantage of taking the art of warfare into space.
Russia is now crowing that it has perfected what is termed a " space glider " capable of eluding missile defences because it travels at hypersonic speed and has the agility to swiftly change direction in flight. It is claimed that this is composed of newly created composite materials that can withstand temperatures of 2000 Celsius. There is the prospect that such a system could evade all known forms of missile defence.
Donald Trump recently threatened to develop space warfare and it is likely that a similar system is well advanced in the American arms industry. Russia has named its weapon the "Avanguard " and claims it can travel at twenty times the speed of sound. The weapon is launched into space with a rocket and in glider form it returns to earth to destroy multiple targets.
It seems to be an act of imbecility that two of the most powerful nations on earth are engaged in an arms race to develop weapons that would destroy each other at a time when the very existence of planet Earth is in question. Air pollution is sending global temperatures to catastrophic levels and ever rising population numbers threaten to exceed the food supply. The measures to avoid these problems are not being taken because world politicians fear the backlash from the public because of the inconvenience they would cause.
There seems the prospect that if global warming alters rain patterns to create a world food shortage we will see migration in the biblical scale and powerful nations may use these weapons to defend their borders. It is ironical that the money this world spends on the production of military weapons would quickly solve the problems facing planet Earth.
Of course, the human race is too stupid to grasp such logic !
Friday 28 December 2018
Just a " Big Fish " !
Australia and much of the rest of the world is aghast at Japan's decision to resume commercial whaling. Japan has announced that it will withdraw from the International Whaling Commission which has the dual function of overseeing the commercial killing of whales and protecting these sea animals.
The good news is that Japan will not hunt whales in the southern hemisphere and that will specifically include the whale sanctuary in Antarctic waters. Whaling will begin in July 2019 and be restricted to Japan's territorial and economic waters. Japan still hides behind the fiction that the hunt for whales is a form of scientific research rather than a commercial operation.
Just a few years ago it seemed likely that whales numbers were in such decline that extinction beckoned. Restrictions on whaling so improved the herd that each year we see ever increasing numbers moving up and down our coast and this has created a huge whale watching industry geared to tourism.
We are simply fascinated by whales and they seem to belong to two worlds. Fish breathe underwater, but whales need to surface to get air, just like land animals. We pour onto the water in boats to watch these leviathans " breach " and that is a truly amazing spectacle. Our fascination with whales has become a love affair.
Perhaps a time to be realistic. We plunder the oceans for fish because they are a critical food source in an increasingly hungry world. Whales are simply the biggest type of fish in the oceans and just as fishing quotas are needed to protect fish stocks, the extent of Japan's whale hunt in their coastal waters will not threaten the survival of the species.
Japan does have a point when they remind us that they are a race of people in great numbers, living on a very small land area of islands with limited agricultural space. Strangely, whale meat was once a food staple in Japan but now has little appeal for many Japanese. Japan seems to be saying that whaling is being maintained as a survival technique to counter an expected coming world food shortage.
We are horrified at the killing method used in whaling. When a whale surfaces for air a whaling ship fires an explosive tipped harpoon into its body and the whale thrashes in agony while its blood stains the surrounding sea. The carcass is dragged aboard and dismembered, but then all forms of fishing seem a form of cruelty. Baiting fish with a hook and forcing them to fight for life would not be a pleasant experience.
Whale numbers have recovered to the point where limited harvesting is ecologically possible and Japan has restricted the taking of whales to its own territorial waters. Now a lot depends whether outfits like Greenpeace will accept that decision and cease their attacks on Japan's whaling fleet.
It also depends on whether the rest of the world will accept that whales are just another big fish in the seas and shut their eyes to the catching method used ?
Distasteful as it may be, perhaps whales are relatively safe if they swim in international waters. But if they wander into the territorial waters of some countries they could end up on a dinner plate !
The good news is that Japan will not hunt whales in the southern hemisphere and that will specifically include the whale sanctuary in Antarctic waters. Whaling will begin in July 2019 and be restricted to Japan's territorial and economic waters. Japan still hides behind the fiction that the hunt for whales is a form of scientific research rather than a commercial operation.
Just a few years ago it seemed likely that whales numbers were in such decline that extinction beckoned. Restrictions on whaling so improved the herd that each year we see ever increasing numbers moving up and down our coast and this has created a huge whale watching industry geared to tourism.
We are simply fascinated by whales and they seem to belong to two worlds. Fish breathe underwater, but whales need to surface to get air, just like land animals. We pour onto the water in boats to watch these leviathans " breach " and that is a truly amazing spectacle. Our fascination with whales has become a love affair.
Perhaps a time to be realistic. We plunder the oceans for fish because they are a critical food source in an increasingly hungry world. Whales are simply the biggest type of fish in the oceans and just as fishing quotas are needed to protect fish stocks, the extent of Japan's whale hunt in their coastal waters will not threaten the survival of the species.
Japan does have a point when they remind us that they are a race of people in great numbers, living on a very small land area of islands with limited agricultural space. Strangely, whale meat was once a food staple in Japan but now has little appeal for many Japanese. Japan seems to be saying that whaling is being maintained as a survival technique to counter an expected coming world food shortage.
We are horrified at the killing method used in whaling. When a whale surfaces for air a whaling ship fires an explosive tipped harpoon into its body and the whale thrashes in agony while its blood stains the surrounding sea. The carcass is dragged aboard and dismembered, but then all forms of fishing seem a form of cruelty. Baiting fish with a hook and forcing them to fight for life would not be a pleasant experience.
Whale numbers have recovered to the point where limited harvesting is ecologically possible and Japan has restricted the taking of whales to its own territorial waters. Now a lot depends whether outfits like Greenpeace will accept that decision and cease their attacks on Japan's whaling fleet.
It also depends on whether the rest of the world will accept that whales are just another big fish in the seas and shut their eyes to the catching method used ?
Distasteful as it may be, perhaps whales are relatively safe if they swim in international waters. But if they wander into the territorial waters of some countries they could end up on a dinner plate !
Thursday 27 December 2018
A Financial Disaster !
The evacuation of Sydney's Opal Tower on Christmas eve was an event that headed the world news. There was a real fear that this thirty-three storey building that was just four months past completion might self destruct. Residents reported hearing loud cracking noises and discovered that " movement " had resulted in wall damage and doors jamming shut.
Literally, hundreds of people found themselves marooned in the nearby park with just the clothes on their backs. They watched as an investigative frenzy erupted with council workers, structural engineers and police trying to determine the cause. It was finally established that the building had move two millimetres and some residents were allowed to return to their apartments. An ongoing risk factor means that 51 apartment residents did not receive that clearance and will be locked out indefinitely.
For the residents of Opal Tower, this was not a happy Christmas. Many chose not to return and spent the night in their cars or being accommodated by friends or relatives. The spectre of building collapses in other parts of the world is haunting the memories of people who so recently purchased their dream home in one of this city's signature buildings.
Whatever the final outcome, the people who bought apartments in Opal Tower face financial disaster. This was a prestige address with sweeping views of the city, and the apartments on sale were priced accordingly. Even if repairs restore stability, the reputational damage that has been done will be ongoing. The banks will certainly be hesitant to approve mortgage finance when owners offer their apartments for sale.
There is a distinct similarity here to the Grenfell Towers calamity in London when that building was fitted with flammable cladding. Well over a year later we have buildings in Sydney with a similar danger that remain unrepaired because the cost factor is still undecided. Whatever the cost to fix the Opal Tower problem, the identity of who picks up the tab is yet to be resolved.
It is very clear that the first step in erecting a new building is to have the plans approved by the relevant council, and in this case it was Auburn council, which has since merged with Parramatta city council. Construction and occupation certification was carried out by a private certifier and not by the council, throwing another distraction into the mix. This new building is still subjected to the warranties that apply to both the developer and the builder and this raises the question of their financial ability to meet such costs.
In the end, fixing the problems of a faulty building usually settles on the shoulders of the present owners and this can amount to a crippling debt. Existing apartments will be hard - if not impossible - to sell and owners will not expect to receive the value they originally paid for them because of the doubt on the buildings structural safety.
This Christmas eve evacuation may have a resounding effect on the new property market. All new building offerings may be treated with suspicion and a preference returned to buildings that have stood the test of time. The government may have to legislate a new era of insurance cover to restore faith that construction methods are sound and buyers have their rights protected. This present disaster will not help an already slowing Real Estate market !
Literally, hundreds of people found themselves marooned in the nearby park with just the clothes on their backs. They watched as an investigative frenzy erupted with council workers, structural engineers and police trying to determine the cause. It was finally established that the building had move two millimetres and some residents were allowed to return to their apartments. An ongoing risk factor means that 51 apartment residents did not receive that clearance and will be locked out indefinitely.
For the residents of Opal Tower, this was not a happy Christmas. Many chose not to return and spent the night in their cars or being accommodated by friends or relatives. The spectre of building collapses in other parts of the world is haunting the memories of people who so recently purchased their dream home in one of this city's signature buildings.
Whatever the final outcome, the people who bought apartments in Opal Tower face financial disaster. This was a prestige address with sweeping views of the city, and the apartments on sale were priced accordingly. Even if repairs restore stability, the reputational damage that has been done will be ongoing. The banks will certainly be hesitant to approve mortgage finance when owners offer their apartments for sale.
There is a distinct similarity here to the Grenfell Towers calamity in London when that building was fitted with flammable cladding. Well over a year later we have buildings in Sydney with a similar danger that remain unrepaired because the cost factor is still undecided. Whatever the cost to fix the Opal Tower problem, the identity of who picks up the tab is yet to be resolved.
It is very clear that the first step in erecting a new building is to have the plans approved by the relevant council, and in this case it was Auburn council, which has since merged with Parramatta city council. Construction and occupation certification was carried out by a private certifier and not by the council, throwing another distraction into the mix. This new building is still subjected to the warranties that apply to both the developer and the builder and this raises the question of their financial ability to meet such costs.
In the end, fixing the problems of a faulty building usually settles on the shoulders of the present owners and this can amount to a crippling debt. Existing apartments will be hard - if not impossible - to sell and owners will not expect to receive the value they originally paid for them because of the doubt on the buildings structural safety.
This Christmas eve evacuation may have a resounding effect on the new property market. All new building offerings may be treated with suspicion and a preference returned to buildings that have stood the test of time. The government may have to legislate a new era of insurance cover to restore faith that construction methods are sound and buyers have their rights protected. This present disaster will not help an already slowing Real Estate market !
Wednesday 26 December 2018
Credit - in Australia !
Seventy years ago, buying something in Australia required cash money up front in most cases. The exceptions were wealthier citizens who were granted a charge account at local stores. For the milieu it was the custom to secure wanted goods by a process known as " lay-by ". The customer paid a small deposit and the shopkeeper put the goods into storage until the full asking price was paid in instalments.
About that time acquiring more expensive items such as refrigerators and washing machines involved what was known as " hire purchase ". Finance companies entered into agreements whereby the goods were installed in the customers home and paid for by regular monthly instalments. Should the customer fail to pay on time, equity was regained by the finance company when the goods were repossessed.
The arrival of television in Australia in 1956 delivered the frightening prospect of a huge surge in credit. To view television required the purchase of a television set and the government decided to stage the release to spread those purchases over a longer period. Consequently there was a one year gap between the arrival of television viewing in state capital cities - and its commencement in the rest of the country.
Exposure to the use of credit cards arrived for the masses in 1974 when the Australian banks began issuing what they termed " Bankcard ". Unsolicited cards were mailed to customers with credit limits arbitrarily imposed and for the first time many Australians found that the world of finance had arrived on their doorstep. Bankcard was only applicable to Australian purchases and soon the big international credit companies were vying for business here and the era of holidays to world destinations began.
Credit has expanded exponentially from those times. The big discount houses are offering a strange arrangement when goods purchased are on the basis of a long credit holiday. No repayments are required for several years, but this can become a money trap if the interest applicable then rises to a higher level. Many people find themselves over committed on credit and we now find a new form of credit arrangement called " Pay Day loans " offering cash loans at extortionate rates of interest. Many people in financial distress are turning to this arrangement as a last resort.
Now this world of finance has moved up another notch, prompting a warning from the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education ( FARE ). Two new finance companies are specifically targeting customers to receive alcohol on the basis of extended time payment. There is a risk that this will increase alcohol and credit dependency among vulnerable customers.
FARE is concerned that a " buy now - pay later " application to alcohol sales will be abused by both alcoholics and young people on the party scene. Alcohol is an addictive product and if temptation is provided by the enticement of lower prices by buying in bulk the outcome can only be detrimental nationally.
The regulations that govern credit are in the hands of the government. It seems essential that limits apply to maintain a degree of control. Unlimited credit is a monster that could devour the financial stability of many families.
About that time acquiring more expensive items such as refrigerators and washing machines involved what was known as " hire purchase ". Finance companies entered into agreements whereby the goods were installed in the customers home and paid for by regular monthly instalments. Should the customer fail to pay on time, equity was regained by the finance company when the goods were repossessed.
The arrival of television in Australia in 1956 delivered the frightening prospect of a huge surge in credit. To view television required the purchase of a television set and the government decided to stage the release to spread those purchases over a longer period. Consequently there was a one year gap between the arrival of television viewing in state capital cities - and its commencement in the rest of the country.
Exposure to the use of credit cards arrived for the masses in 1974 when the Australian banks began issuing what they termed " Bankcard ". Unsolicited cards were mailed to customers with credit limits arbitrarily imposed and for the first time many Australians found that the world of finance had arrived on their doorstep. Bankcard was only applicable to Australian purchases and soon the big international credit companies were vying for business here and the era of holidays to world destinations began.
Credit has expanded exponentially from those times. The big discount houses are offering a strange arrangement when goods purchased are on the basis of a long credit holiday. No repayments are required for several years, but this can become a money trap if the interest applicable then rises to a higher level. Many people find themselves over committed on credit and we now find a new form of credit arrangement called " Pay Day loans " offering cash loans at extortionate rates of interest. Many people in financial distress are turning to this arrangement as a last resort.
Now this world of finance has moved up another notch, prompting a warning from the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education ( FARE ). Two new finance companies are specifically targeting customers to receive alcohol on the basis of extended time payment. There is a risk that this will increase alcohol and credit dependency among vulnerable customers.
FARE is concerned that a " buy now - pay later " application to alcohol sales will be abused by both alcoholics and young people on the party scene. Alcohol is an addictive product and if temptation is provided by the enticement of lower prices by buying in bulk the outcome can only be detrimental nationally.
The regulations that govern credit are in the hands of the government. It seems essential that limits apply to maintain a degree of control. Unlimited credit is a monster that could devour the financial stability of many families.
Tuesday 25 December 2018
Christmas !
In the western world, this is the one day of the year when the shops are closed and the only day that no newspaper waits on the doorstep when we awake. When we open Christmas presents a lack of batteries may send some searching for the odd petrol station or corner store that may still be trading. It is a religious holiday in what is now an unreligious world.
Each year many of the traditional Christmas events and practices dwindle further. We used to receive Christmas cards in the post from distant friends, but today that is more likely to take the form of an email. There are still many families that insist that Christmas dinner follow the traditional style where Christmas falls in winter and serve up turkey with all the trimmings, followed by a plum pudding. In the hot Australian summer that is fast changing to prawns and a few beers at a BBQ.
Christmas is supposed to be a season of goodwill and yet for many it will be a tragedy. The movement of people on holiday means the roads will be crowded with cars and crashes are inevitable. There is always an upsurge in death and serious injuries during the Christmas break and the police urge us to be careful - but few listen. It also usually brings an increase in domestic violence in many households. A mix of over indulgence in alcohol and the financial pressures of Christmas create tensions that result in a very unhappy festive season for some people.
Unfortunately, Christmas is a miserable time for children in households where money is very scarce and presents are an impossible luxury. Even having any sort of Christmas dinner relies on the goodwill of one of the charities and that depends entirely on donations from the public. In the days before Christmas those charities are busy delivering food items that make all the difference - and high on the list is a small present to delight the children of families doing it hard.
Christmas and Easter are now the only times when we see a vast surge in church attendance. A lot has changed since we became a multicultural country that welcomed other religions. We seem to assume that Christian icons would be offensive to those of other faiths and even the word " Christmas " is often avoided and replaced with " Holiday season ". Nativity scenes have disappeared from shop windows and carol singing has been condensed into a single event. The practice of street decorations is now muted.
The commercial world continues to encroach on Christmas. Boxing day sales mean many shop employees need to work on Christmas day to get the stock ready and emergency services like hospitals, fire services and the police must remain on duty.
Christmas in Australia is ever changing and will no doubt continue that change into the future. Hopefully we will never reach the day when as we knock off for the Christmas break we cease to wish friends and work colleagues a " MERRY CHRISTMAS " !
Each year many of the traditional Christmas events and practices dwindle further. We used to receive Christmas cards in the post from distant friends, but today that is more likely to take the form of an email. There are still many families that insist that Christmas dinner follow the traditional style where Christmas falls in winter and serve up turkey with all the trimmings, followed by a plum pudding. In the hot Australian summer that is fast changing to prawns and a few beers at a BBQ.
Christmas is supposed to be a season of goodwill and yet for many it will be a tragedy. The movement of people on holiday means the roads will be crowded with cars and crashes are inevitable. There is always an upsurge in death and serious injuries during the Christmas break and the police urge us to be careful - but few listen. It also usually brings an increase in domestic violence in many households. A mix of over indulgence in alcohol and the financial pressures of Christmas create tensions that result in a very unhappy festive season for some people.
Unfortunately, Christmas is a miserable time for children in households where money is very scarce and presents are an impossible luxury. Even having any sort of Christmas dinner relies on the goodwill of one of the charities and that depends entirely on donations from the public. In the days before Christmas those charities are busy delivering food items that make all the difference - and high on the list is a small present to delight the children of families doing it hard.
Christmas and Easter are now the only times when we see a vast surge in church attendance. A lot has changed since we became a multicultural country that welcomed other religions. We seem to assume that Christian icons would be offensive to those of other faiths and even the word " Christmas " is often avoided and replaced with " Holiday season ". Nativity scenes have disappeared from shop windows and carol singing has been condensed into a single event. The practice of street decorations is now muted.
The commercial world continues to encroach on Christmas. Boxing day sales mean many shop employees need to work on Christmas day to get the stock ready and emergency services like hospitals, fire services and the police must remain on duty.
Christmas in Australia is ever changing and will no doubt continue that change into the future. Hopefully we will never reach the day when as we knock off for the Christmas break we cease to wish friends and work colleagues a " MERRY CHRISTMAS " !
Monday 24 December 2018
The " Intern " Era !
A new word has entered the lexicon as young Australians try and bridge the gap between ending school and finding their first paying job. That word is " Intern " and it holds the promise of " on the job " training with the prospect of the intern gaining permanent employment at the conclusion of that intern period.
The target was to enrol 120,000 vulnerable young Australians and in the 2017-18 year it attracted 56,433 participants and of these 2918 moved to permanent employment when their intern period ended. The programme was termed PaTH and its cost to the taxpayer was $840 million.
PaTH certainly had impressive ideals. The idea was to match young Australians with prospective job opportunities by providing an incentive for businesses to take them on and evaluate the skills they could provide. The incentive for business was that the cost of employing these interns was heavily subsidized, enabling them to increase their workforce at little direct cost.
The intern period was negotiable and the business received a grant of one thousand dollars for each intern they agreed to train, and they were absolved from paying wages for the fifty hours a fortnight the intern would spend on the job. For the intern, this arrangement delivered a payment of $200 each fortnight in addition to whatever Centrelink payments they were receiving. It was a " win win " arrangement that should have delivered happy outcomes.
That the results achieved were meagre could be attributed to deficiencies on both sides. Some interns were less than impressive in their job punctuality and performance, and some employers saw the scheme as a way of obtaining cheap labour, with no intention of increasing their workforce. In one instance a business successively attracted seventeen interns over a period of time, without offering even a single permanent job opportunity.
The term " internship " is relatively new to Australia and it originated in America. In fact it is one of the perks of government there when politicians grant internship to the children of favoured citizens who often then go on to a rewarding career in government employ. The term became familiar here when Monica Lewinsky's internship led to a disastrous relationship with president Bill Clinton.
We are heading into an election year and both the government and the opposition will shortly present their plans for consideration by the voters. There is obvious value in a scheme where job seeking young people gain an opportunity to show their skills and " slot in " seamlessly to the workforce of an employer who could gain from enhancing that business. It offers employers the opportunity to evaluate potential staff before risking the unknown of simply advertising and recruiting when additional people become a necessity.
Making taking on an intern a valuable opportunity for both the job seeker and the employer has mutual benefits and needs rethinking in how it is presented to both sides. Obviously interns need to extol their virtues to a prospective employer and job opportunities need to be genuine. Whatever the outcome of the coming election, this is an outcome that needs nurturing and expanding on a sensible basis to increase job opportunities for young people.
The target was to enrol 120,000 vulnerable young Australians and in the 2017-18 year it attracted 56,433 participants and of these 2918 moved to permanent employment when their intern period ended. The programme was termed PaTH and its cost to the taxpayer was $840 million.
PaTH certainly had impressive ideals. The idea was to match young Australians with prospective job opportunities by providing an incentive for businesses to take them on and evaluate the skills they could provide. The incentive for business was that the cost of employing these interns was heavily subsidized, enabling them to increase their workforce at little direct cost.
The intern period was negotiable and the business received a grant of one thousand dollars for each intern they agreed to train, and they were absolved from paying wages for the fifty hours a fortnight the intern would spend on the job. For the intern, this arrangement delivered a payment of $200 each fortnight in addition to whatever Centrelink payments they were receiving. It was a " win win " arrangement that should have delivered happy outcomes.
That the results achieved were meagre could be attributed to deficiencies on both sides. Some interns were less than impressive in their job punctuality and performance, and some employers saw the scheme as a way of obtaining cheap labour, with no intention of increasing their workforce. In one instance a business successively attracted seventeen interns over a period of time, without offering even a single permanent job opportunity.
The term " internship " is relatively new to Australia and it originated in America. In fact it is one of the perks of government there when politicians grant internship to the children of favoured citizens who often then go on to a rewarding career in government employ. The term became familiar here when Monica Lewinsky's internship led to a disastrous relationship with president Bill Clinton.
We are heading into an election year and both the government and the opposition will shortly present their plans for consideration by the voters. There is obvious value in a scheme where job seeking young people gain an opportunity to show their skills and " slot in " seamlessly to the workforce of an employer who could gain from enhancing that business. It offers employers the opportunity to evaluate potential staff before risking the unknown of simply advertising and recruiting when additional people become a necessity.
Making taking on an intern a valuable opportunity for both the job seeker and the employer has mutual benefits and needs rethinking in how it is presented to both sides. Obviously interns need to extol their virtues to a prospective employer and job opportunities need to be genuine. Whatever the outcome of the coming election, this is an outcome that needs nurturing and expanding on a sensible basis to increase job opportunities for young people.
Sunday 23 December 2018
Commercial Extortion !
This week a news item from overseas must have induced a state of terror to both the airline industry and our vast tourist trade. London's Gatwick airport was closed down for many hours, cancelling flights and inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of passengers right at the start of the Christmas rush.
The closure was on security grounds. Drones were seen flying down and across the main runway and the risk of collision with aircraft causing a catastrophe was just too severe to allow normal operations to continue. The airport was briefly reopened at 3 am to allow some flights to resume, but when the drones reappeared that was the end of flights until full daylight.
This was not an incident related to kids playing with toy drones. Two commercial type drones were seen making no effort to avoid observance and it can be construed that they were deliberately flown to disrupt operations by introducing a risk factor. They would have been under remote control and the operators could be anywhere.
It does illustrate the exceptional vulnerability of Sydney airport at Botany. It opens up the possibility of terrorists using a drone packed with explosives to deliberately collide with an aircraft about to land or a new crime method of threatening disruption by drones unless extortion is paid to remove that threat.
It is quite possible that Gatwick incident was a trial run by either terrorists or a crime syndicate, but it is equally certain that the result will be carefully noted by both the terrorist and crime fraternities. It can be both a terror weapon and an extortion implement and we need to be ready to deploy adequate defences to meet this threat.
That raises some interesting questions. Drones are under radio control and the obvious method is to disrupt that control and force the drone to land. But such a disruption is likely to interfere with the critical communications between the control tower and aircraft and meet a range of laws to safeguard that function. It is unlikely that security firms would be allowed to deploy anti drone radio technology in close airport vicinity.
Perhaps the best deterrent would be a guard with a gun who would disable the drone with a shot but again this would need caution because of the risk to aircraft. A downed drone would be of high value in allowing technicians to trace its construction back to the manufacturer - and from there to its owner operator.
What that incident at Gatwick revealed is that a drone intrusion in airport air space can affectively shut down flying operations. It is now impossible to shield drone construction from commercial availability and even the bigger toys sold in toy shops are able to carry out a disruptive function. It seems inevitable that sooner or later we will experience a drone interruption to airline flights here in Australia.
The closure was on security grounds. Drones were seen flying down and across the main runway and the risk of collision with aircraft causing a catastrophe was just too severe to allow normal operations to continue. The airport was briefly reopened at 3 am to allow some flights to resume, but when the drones reappeared that was the end of flights until full daylight.
This was not an incident related to kids playing with toy drones. Two commercial type drones were seen making no effort to avoid observance and it can be construed that they were deliberately flown to disrupt operations by introducing a risk factor. They would have been under remote control and the operators could be anywhere.
It does illustrate the exceptional vulnerability of Sydney airport at Botany. It opens up the possibility of terrorists using a drone packed with explosives to deliberately collide with an aircraft about to land or a new crime method of threatening disruption by drones unless extortion is paid to remove that threat.
It is quite possible that Gatwick incident was a trial run by either terrorists or a crime syndicate, but it is equally certain that the result will be carefully noted by both the terrorist and crime fraternities. It can be both a terror weapon and an extortion implement and we need to be ready to deploy adequate defences to meet this threat.
That raises some interesting questions. Drones are under radio control and the obvious method is to disrupt that control and force the drone to land. But such a disruption is likely to interfere with the critical communications between the control tower and aircraft and meet a range of laws to safeguard that function. It is unlikely that security firms would be allowed to deploy anti drone radio technology in close airport vicinity.
Perhaps the best deterrent would be a guard with a gun who would disable the drone with a shot but again this would need caution because of the risk to aircraft. A downed drone would be of high value in allowing technicians to trace its construction back to the manufacturer - and from there to its owner operator.
What that incident at Gatwick revealed is that a drone intrusion in airport air space can affectively shut down flying operations. It is now impossible to shield drone construction from commercial availability and even the bigger toys sold in toy shops are able to carry out a disruptive function. It seems inevitable that sooner or later we will experience a drone interruption to airline flights here in Australia.
Saturday 22 December 2018
A New Travel Danger !
A few days ago we learned from news broadcasts that Meng Wanzhow had been taken into custody in Canada awaiting extradition to the United States on charges of breaking the international ban imposed on trade with Iran. What made this news interesting is that Meng Wanzhow is the chief financial officer of the giant Chinese communications conglomerate Huawei and the daughter of its founder.
This arrest skirts the legalities of international law. Meng Wanzhow was not technically " in " Canada when the airliner in which she was a passenger touched down to make a refuelling stop. Such passengers are regarded as " in transit " and usually avoid customs inspections and any taxes that apply. In this case, Canada seems to be the unwitting victim of where by sheer chance that arrest happened.
Huawei is itself controversial because it is banned from many world communication systems because inclusion of its products may lead to eavesdropping by China's Communist government. This arrest has touched a sensitive nerve in China and within days two Canadian tourists in Beijing were taken into custody and charged with an amorphous " engaging in activities that endanger national security ".
Now a third Canadian has been arrested in China and all this seems to be a series of diplomatic moves very reminiscent of the days of the " Cold War ". Meng Wanzhow has been freed on bail in Canada and the fate of the Canadians in China awaits the decision to extradite her to America.
Perhaps a timely warning to Australian travellers. China is now a favoured tourist destination and so are many other countries where issues are mired in controversy. We need to be fully aware that should one of these issues suddenly evolve into acrimony because of something an Australian politician said, or a local event brings the issue to prominence we may become a pawn in the actions that follow.
Acrimony can have many causes. Religion is always a powder keg waiting to blow and we would be wise to avoid countries where religion is an issue that may be dangerous preceding the holding of elections. Many of our Asian neighbours have an uneasy relationship between the government and the governed and are quick to impose martial law. There is little our diplomatic missions can do to help if one of these situations suddenly arises.
This Canadian imbroglio illustrates how quickly a diplomatic storm may erupt without prior warning. Canada has had the bad luck to be the venue where a Chinese woman of quasi government importance was served with an arrest warrant and it is its courts that will have to determine where the issue progresses from there. It is those Canadian courts that will determine if she is freed, or if she is put on a plane in handcuffs and sent over the border into the United States.
Australians in holiday mode would be well advised to pick their destination carefully and pay close attention to world news while staying in another country. The wise would decide to leave abruptly when they see danger signals brewing.
This arrest skirts the legalities of international law. Meng Wanzhow was not technically " in " Canada when the airliner in which she was a passenger touched down to make a refuelling stop. Such passengers are regarded as " in transit " and usually avoid customs inspections and any taxes that apply. In this case, Canada seems to be the unwitting victim of where by sheer chance that arrest happened.
Huawei is itself controversial because it is banned from many world communication systems because inclusion of its products may lead to eavesdropping by China's Communist government. This arrest has touched a sensitive nerve in China and within days two Canadian tourists in Beijing were taken into custody and charged with an amorphous " engaging in activities that endanger national security ".
Now a third Canadian has been arrested in China and all this seems to be a series of diplomatic moves very reminiscent of the days of the " Cold War ". Meng Wanzhow has been freed on bail in Canada and the fate of the Canadians in China awaits the decision to extradite her to America.
Perhaps a timely warning to Australian travellers. China is now a favoured tourist destination and so are many other countries where issues are mired in controversy. We need to be fully aware that should one of these issues suddenly evolve into acrimony because of something an Australian politician said, or a local event brings the issue to prominence we may become a pawn in the actions that follow.
Acrimony can have many causes. Religion is always a powder keg waiting to blow and we would be wise to avoid countries where religion is an issue that may be dangerous preceding the holding of elections. Many of our Asian neighbours have an uneasy relationship between the government and the governed and are quick to impose martial law. There is little our diplomatic missions can do to help if one of these situations suddenly arises.
This Canadian imbroglio illustrates how quickly a diplomatic storm may erupt without prior warning. Canada has had the bad luck to be the venue where a Chinese woman of quasi government importance was served with an arrest warrant and it is its courts that will have to determine where the issue progresses from there. It is those Canadian courts that will determine if she is freed, or if she is put on a plane in handcuffs and sent over the border into the United States.
Australians in holiday mode would be well advised to pick their destination carefully and pay close attention to world news while staying in another country. The wise would decide to leave abruptly when they see danger signals brewing.
Friday 21 December 2018
An " Ethics " Watchdog !
The man who should have been our police commissioner has compiled a report which will result in the implementation of a " health check " on the massive planning system that rules the spending of public money in this state. His report was so compelling that all nineteen recommendations were accepted and will be put into place.
Nick Kaldos was one of this states former deputy police commissioners when jockeying within senior ranks by those hoping to attain the top job on the retirement of the police commissioner implemented illegal internal bugging of phones and surveillance that destroyed the reputation of many innocent police. The guilty culprit was never publicly revealed, but all senior police were disregarded for promotion and the job went to a ranking outsider.
Nick Kaldos resigned in disgust but his many loyal supporters have been heartened as he has retained his interest in reforming the system in which self interest plays a big part in much of the decision making. This is rife when councils are involved in making decisions along ethics lines and a number of parliamentarians are either in prison or have left parliament under a cloud because of their misuse of power.
The decision making system is understandably very complex and is usually subjected to complaints by whistle blowers. Mr Kaldos is suggesting that where council decisions involve development applications these should be subjected to a close examination by a totally independent investigative panel. In many cases, the matter to be decided involves outcomes that will sustain the incomes of the very people making those decisions.
What Nick Kaldos is suggesting is that the people who make decisions on matters of public interest should have an independent scrutineer looking over their shoulder, both at the parliamentary level and in local government. All too often the result of decisions that fall outside normal guidelines result in public disfavour and break the ethics laws that are supposed to prevent the distortion of guidelines.
As we have learned to our chagrin, power corrupts and when power is put in human hands there is always a degree of temptation. That temptation is diminished whenever the decision to be made is subjected to a close review by an independent observer who will demand the reasons that a departure from normal is occurring.
Now it remains to be seen if this report is implemented in its entirety, of if the implementation leaves a little " wriggle room " for an escape from scrutiny.
Nick Kaldos was one of this states former deputy police commissioners when jockeying within senior ranks by those hoping to attain the top job on the retirement of the police commissioner implemented illegal internal bugging of phones and surveillance that destroyed the reputation of many innocent police. The guilty culprit was never publicly revealed, but all senior police were disregarded for promotion and the job went to a ranking outsider.
Nick Kaldos resigned in disgust but his many loyal supporters have been heartened as he has retained his interest in reforming the system in which self interest plays a big part in much of the decision making. This is rife when councils are involved in making decisions along ethics lines and a number of parliamentarians are either in prison or have left parliament under a cloud because of their misuse of power.
The decision making system is understandably very complex and is usually subjected to complaints by whistle blowers. Mr Kaldos is suggesting that where council decisions involve development applications these should be subjected to a close examination by a totally independent investigative panel. In many cases, the matter to be decided involves outcomes that will sustain the incomes of the very people making those decisions.
What Nick Kaldos is suggesting is that the people who make decisions on matters of public interest should have an independent scrutineer looking over their shoulder, both at the parliamentary level and in local government. All too often the result of decisions that fall outside normal guidelines result in public disfavour and break the ethics laws that are supposed to prevent the distortion of guidelines.
As we have learned to our chagrin, power corrupts and when power is put in human hands there is always a degree of temptation. That temptation is diminished whenever the decision to be made is subjected to a close review by an independent observer who will demand the reasons that a departure from normal is occurring.
Now it remains to be seen if this report is implemented in its entirety, of if the implementation leaves a little " wriggle room " for an escape from scrutiny.
Thursday 20 December 2018
Another Cancer Breakthrough !
Scientific research is ever closing the gap on the treatment of Cancer and now the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved what is known as CAR-T therapy for use in paediatric and young adult patients with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and adult patients with DLBCL who have failed to respond to other treatments , including chemotherapy.
This has been available overseas for some time and global trials have delivered amazing results. These clinical trials delivered an incredible sixty-two percent relapse free survival rate at twenty-four months in paediatric patients suffering ALL and a forty-three percent probability of overall survival for adult DLBCL patients. It delivers hope where previously a diagnosis of this type of Cancer was virtually a death sentence.
Car-T therapy involves extracting a patient's own immune cells and genetically re-engineering them before infusing them back into the body. The treatment is known commercially as Kymriah and is owned by the Pharmaceutical giant Novartis. Similar approval has been granted in the European Union, Canada and Switzerland.
Unfortunately, medical breakthroughs of this nature are hideously expensive for the laboratory involved. They often take years to perfect and involve medical trials designed to reveal side effects that may take ages to appear. The owners have just the remaining period of patent protection to recoup these development costs and so the treatment is expensive.
At this stage, Kymriah will not be available here on the Pharmaceutical Benefits scheme. It is so new that it doesn't fit into existing categories such as " drugs " and is therefore ineligible for funding. It's approval means it will become available at three treatment centres and patients may face a potential cost of $ 598,000.
It all depends on how quickly the government can find the money to include such new innovations into the PBS. We recently had several inclusions that took the treatment cost from thousands of dollars to just six dollars and forty cents for a pensioner patient. Obviously, Kymriah will have priority for similar listing.
Unfortunately, many big pharmaceutical firms are losing their appetite for research to develop new treatments because of the cost factor. By rule of thumb, it is now estimated that bringing a new major drug to market will involve the outlay of a billion dollars and it will be copied by countries that do not respect the intellectual rights of others. Recouping costs must be made during the patent protection period and then it may be copied freely as a generic version.
Development may take many years of costly research and often reasons emerge that mean the project is abandoned. Research firms need deep pockets and infinite patience because only a meagre amount of research delivers a successful bonanza.
Let us hope the investors who fund these chemical firms hold their nerve and allow the research to continue. It is the success stories like this one that keeps the research going to deliver the impossible.
This has been available overseas for some time and global trials have delivered amazing results. These clinical trials delivered an incredible sixty-two percent relapse free survival rate at twenty-four months in paediatric patients suffering ALL and a forty-three percent probability of overall survival for adult DLBCL patients. It delivers hope where previously a diagnosis of this type of Cancer was virtually a death sentence.
Car-T therapy involves extracting a patient's own immune cells and genetically re-engineering them before infusing them back into the body. The treatment is known commercially as Kymriah and is owned by the Pharmaceutical giant Novartis. Similar approval has been granted in the European Union, Canada and Switzerland.
Unfortunately, medical breakthroughs of this nature are hideously expensive for the laboratory involved. They often take years to perfect and involve medical trials designed to reveal side effects that may take ages to appear. The owners have just the remaining period of patent protection to recoup these development costs and so the treatment is expensive.
At this stage, Kymriah will not be available here on the Pharmaceutical Benefits scheme. It is so new that it doesn't fit into existing categories such as " drugs " and is therefore ineligible for funding. It's approval means it will become available at three treatment centres and patients may face a potential cost of $ 598,000.
It all depends on how quickly the government can find the money to include such new innovations into the PBS. We recently had several inclusions that took the treatment cost from thousands of dollars to just six dollars and forty cents for a pensioner patient. Obviously, Kymriah will have priority for similar listing.
Unfortunately, many big pharmaceutical firms are losing their appetite for research to develop new treatments because of the cost factor. By rule of thumb, it is now estimated that bringing a new major drug to market will involve the outlay of a billion dollars and it will be copied by countries that do not respect the intellectual rights of others. Recouping costs must be made during the patent protection period and then it may be copied freely as a generic version.
Development may take many years of costly research and often reasons emerge that mean the project is abandoned. Research firms need deep pockets and infinite patience because only a meagre amount of research delivers a successful bonanza.
Let us hope the investors who fund these chemical firms hold their nerve and allow the research to continue. It is the success stories like this one that keeps the research going to deliver the impossible.
Wednesday 19 December 2018
Refund Denials !
The Australian airline industry has been lying to its customers when it claimed that this country's consumer protection laws do not apply to discounted air fares. In many cases refunds have been refused even though the flight has either been cancelled by the airline or has been subjected to such a delay that the traveller has missed the overseas connections that were the reason for the booking.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ( ACCC) has intervened and handed out fines of over two million dollars as the penalty for misleading customers about their legal rights. It has been made clear to the airlines that no matter how cheap the fare price offered the consumer protection laws of this country still apply.
In many cases the airlines have claimed that consumer rights only apply to higher priced services and one of the restrictions applied to heavily discounted prices was the unavailability of refunds in most circumstances. Under the law, consumers may be entitled to a refund if a flight is significantly delayed or cancelled and the airline can not put the passenger on an alternative flight in a reasonable time.
That word - " Reasonable " - is not spelt out in black and white. The law does not entitle customers to a refund if they change their plans or miss their flights. Should a road accident create a traffic jam that prevents the customer reaching the airport in time that would not constitute a valid refund reason and each case would need to be treated on its individual merits.
Airline travellers have often complained that when a refund has been granted it is not serviced by the actual return of the money paid but by the issue of a travel voucher with a twelve month use-by date. The ACCC law is quite clear that " refund " means return of the money involved.
Each Australian airline has its own policy on how it will compensate passengers for delayed or cancelled flights but the laws of the ACCC apply. Variations are common in other countries and in some cases fixed compensation rates apply. In the European Union passengers who land more than three hours late can claim a refund of about $600 Australian dollars. New Zealand also has a fixed compensation agreement in place.
The important thing is that the ACCC has stepped in and made it quite clear that the evasion claimed by the airlines is not legal. The fines imposed have forced the airline industry to lift its game and passengers who think they were entitled to a refund are urged to raise the matter again with the airline concerned.
There is the expectation of a vast improvement in airline behaviour because the fines that apply are draconian. They range from $ 1.1 million for each individual breach to more than ten million or ten percent of the airline turnover for very serious cases.
This enforcement of consumer rights will be seen as an added cost of doing business by the airline industry. Perhaps heavily discounted fares may not be so readily available but reliability of connection is important to passengers and that also should show improvement.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ( ACCC) has intervened and handed out fines of over two million dollars as the penalty for misleading customers about their legal rights. It has been made clear to the airlines that no matter how cheap the fare price offered the consumer protection laws of this country still apply.
In many cases the airlines have claimed that consumer rights only apply to higher priced services and one of the restrictions applied to heavily discounted prices was the unavailability of refunds in most circumstances. Under the law, consumers may be entitled to a refund if a flight is significantly delayed or cancelled and the airline can not put the passenger on an alternative flight in a reasonable time.
That word - " Reasonable " - is not spelt out in black and white. The law does not entitle customers to a refund if they change their plans or miss their flights. Should a road accident create a traffic jam that prevents the customer reaching the airport in time that would not constitute a valid refund reason and each case would need to be treated on its individual merits.
Airline travellers have often complained that when a refund has been granted it is not serviced by the actual return of the money paid but by the issue of a travel voucher with a twelve month use-by date. The ACCC law is quite clear that " refund " means return of the money involved.
Each Australian airline has its own policy on how it will compensate passengers for delayed or cancelled flights but the laws of the ACCC apply. Variations are common in other countries and in some cases fixed compensation rates apply. In the European Union passengers who land more than three hours late can claim a refund of about $600 Australian dollars. New Zealand also has a fixed compensation agreement in place.
The important thing is that the ACCC has stepped in and made it quite clear that the evasion claimed by the airlines is not legal. The fines imposed have forced the airline industry to lift its game and passengers who think they were entitled to a refund are urged to raise the matter again with the airline concerned.
There is the expectation of a vast improvement in airline behaviour because the fines that apply are draconian. They range from $ 1.1 million for each individual breach to more than ten million or ten percent of the airline turnover for very serious cases.
This enforcement of consumer rights will be seen as an added cost of doing business by the airline industry. Perhaps heavily discounted fares may not be so readily available but reliability of connection is important to passengers and that also should show improvement.
Tuesday 18 December 2018
Civil Disobedience !
Stand beside any road carrying a high volume of traffic and it is not hard to spot drivers illegally using their mobile phones. This is despite opinion polls giving a seventy-four percent approval for the use of cameras to detect this law breach. Often it is the very people who support the law who continue to break the law.
The mobile phone is a truly insidious device. Once we have one in our hands the urge to use it becomes unstoppable. We often encounter people driving at high speed with their attention directed at their phone as they text a message - and common sense clearly indicates the danger this poses.
We are now in the testing stage of advanced camera technology capable of detecting, photographing and identifying drivers at the wheel and using mobile phones. A test at one spot with a high volume traffic flow detected eleven thousand law breakers in just the one day. No fines are being issued in this test stage, but the question arises as to whether this form of civil disobedience can be brought under control by the use of law enforcement techniques.
Given the prevalence of illegal phone use, the figures speak for themselves. In the five years to 2017 there were 184 crashes in New South Wales that can be attributed to mobile phone use at the wheel. These resulted in seven deaths and one hundred and five serious injuries. That could hardly be termed catastrophic.
At present it is perfectly legal for a fully licensed driver to speak or receive a voice message on a mobile phone while driving if that phone is installed in a legal holder. It becomes illegal if the phone is held in a persons hand. It seems that the urge to receive and send messages simply overwhelms the danger factor and this must be the most disobeyed law in the land. At present, it is out of control and the only answer seems camera use to inflict fines and demerit points. That will become a government revenue raiser without a drop in resulting car crashes if this disobedience continues.
There is another option that the politicians could use if they thought the crash danger required it - and they were prepared to face the wrath of many ordinary citizens. The modern car is fitted with electrical suppression of static to allow technology like mobile phones to operate when the engine is running. Mandated removal would make all phone use impossible in a moving car.
Obviously, this would need to be implemented at the Federal level rather than state level to avoid confusion at state borders and it would also reduce the cars passengers to phone silence - along with the driver. If there was an urgent need to make a phone call it would require the car to pull over, stop and switch off the engine. Whether that is the price to pay for the safety issue it would confer is a moot point !
It seems more likely that the main outcome of accidents from mobile phone use is probably low speed rear-enders in commuter traffic while drivers are distracted using their phones. Often high speed crashes also have the contributing factor of drug or alcohol use and consequently the vehicle is in the hands of a person who is out of normal control.
Mobile phone use while driving does enhance the crash risk, but given how widespread it is that risk seems to be over stated. The only control measure open to the government seems to be the " fear factor ". At present, the fear of a savage fine and loss of demerit points is not curbing phone use.
Perhaps a good reason to carefully re-examine the whole strategy of the law that applies to mobile phones.
The mobile phone is a truly insidious device. Once we have one in our hands the urge to use it becomes unstoppable. We often encounter people driving at high speed with their attention directed at their phone as they text a message - and common sense clearly indicates the danger this poses.
We are now in the testing stage of advanced camera technology capable of detecting, photographing and identifying drivers at the wheel and using mobile phones. A test at one spot with a high volume traffic flow detected eleven thousand law breakers in just the one day. No fines are being issued in this test stage, but the question arises as to whether this form of civil disobedience can be brought under control by the use of law enforcement techniques.
Given the prevalence of illegal phone use, the figures speak for themselves. In the five years to 2017 there were 184 crashes in New South Wales that can be attributed to mobile phone use at the wheel. These resulted in seven deaths and one hundred and five serious injuries. That could hardly be termed catastrophic.
At present it is perfectly legal for a fully licensed driver to speak or receive a voice message on a mobile phone while driving if that phone is installed in a legal holder. It becomes illegal if the phone is held in a persons hand. It seems that the urge to receive and send messages simply overwhelms the danger factor and this must be the most disobeyed law in the land. At present, it is out of control and the only answer seems camera use to inflict fines and demerit points. That will become a government revenue raiser without a drop in resulting car crashes if this disobedience continues.
There is another option that the politicians could use if they thought the crash danger required it - and they were prepared to face the wrath of many ordinary citizens. The modern car is fitted with electrical suppression of static to allow technology like mobile phones to operate when the engine is running. Mandated removal would make all phone use impossible in a moving car.
Obviously, this would need to be implemented at the Federal level rather than state level to avoid confusion at state borders and it would also reduce the cars passengers to phone silence - along with the driver. If there was an urgent need to make a phone call it would require the car to pull over, stop and switch off the engine. Whether that is the price to pay for the safety issue it would confer is a moot point !
It seems more likely that the main outcome of accidents from mobile phone use is probably low speed rear-enders in commuter traffic while drivers are distracted using their phones. Often high speed crashes also have the contributing factor of drug or alcohol use and consequently the vehicle is in the hands of a person who is out of normal control.
Mobile phone use while driving does enhance the crash risk, but given how widespread it is that risk seems to be over stated. The only control measure open to the government seems to be the " fear factor ". At present, the fear of a savage fine and loss of demerit points is not curbing phone use.
Perhaps a good reason to carefully re-examine the whole strategy of the law that applies to mobile phones.
Monday 17 December 2018
Rental Scammers !
The short term rental of properties that overlook desirable events such as the New Year fireworks in Sydney and the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne offer owners the chance to make a lot of quick money. Short term rental is a fast growing business in competition with the big hotels and resort companies that service the tourist trade.
It was inevitable that it would also attract the scammers preying on the vast rental market to satisfy housing needs. Home prices have eased in Australia but demand is strong for rental properties and they are generally in short supply. This is specially true of good quality apartments in prime locations.
It seems that scammers gaining possession of such an apartment on a short term lease immediately offer it on the rental market and pose as either the Real Estate agent or the owner. They are well prepared with very authentic looking identity checks and offering the length of lease desired by applicants.
Often, the lease of the same property is negotiated with several people and in each case a bond commensurate with the property value is obtained and often securing that valuable lease requires months of rent paid in advance to swing the deal. Often the amount handed over by the unwitting renter can run to twelve thousand dollars.
Often, the agreed move-in date is extended with the excuse that renovations are taking longer than expected or because asbestos has been discovered on the property. Usually that serves to allow cheques to clear and money to move from bogus accounts to where it is impossible to trace. It is estimated that losses from this type of scam are running close to eighty thousand dollars each month.
It is a fact of life that some owners of valuable property prefer to avoid Real Estate agents and negotiate leases personally. These scammers go to great lengths to fit that mould and gain the confidence of the people they intend to dupe. Quite often there is the suggested connection to a well known business name which is unaware that it is being used to gain authenticity.
The fact that this scam has received publicity and one scammer will shortly face court will help to make rental customer cautious, but it is hard to see what degree of authenticity is open to potential renters. Enquiries with neighbours are usually less than forthcoming in this very anonymous day and age.
Perhaps that old adage is the best protection renters can use to avoid being scammed. If it looks too good to be true - it probably is ?
It was inevitable that it would also attract the scammers preying on the vast rental market to satisfy housing needs. Home prices have eased in Australia but demand is strong for rental properties and they are generally in short supply. This is specially true of good quality apartments in prime locations.
It seems that scammers gaining possession of such an apartment on a short term lease immediately offer it on the rental market and pose as either the Real Estate agent or the owner. They are well prepared with very authentic looking identity checks and offering the length of lease desired by applicants.
Often, the lease of the same property is negotiated with several people and in each case a bond commensurate with the property value is obtained and often securing that valuable lease requires months of rent paid in advance to swing the deal. Often the amount handed over by the unwitting renter can run to twelve thousand dollars.
Often, the agreed move-in date is extended with the excuse that renovations are taking longer than expected or because asbestos has been discovered on the property. Usually that serves to allow cheques to clear and money to move from bogus accounts to where it is impossible to trace. It is estimated that losses from this type of scam are running close to eighty thousand dollars each month.
It is a fact of life that some owners of valuable property prefer to avoid Real Estate agents and negotiate leases personally. These scammers go to great lengths to fit that mould and gain the confidence of the people they intend to dupe. Quite often there is the suggested connection to a well known business name which is unaware that it is being used to gain authenticity.
The fact that this scam has received publicity and one scammer will shortly face court will help to make rental customer cautious, but it is hard to see what degree of authenticity is open to potential renters. Enquiries with neighbours are usually less than forthcoming in this very anonymous day and age.
Perhaps that old adage is the best protection renters can use to avoid being scammed. If it looks too good to be true - it probably is ?
Sunday 16 December 2018
A New Threat !
Babies born in these early years of the twenty-first century will live many years longer than those born a hundred years earlier. Not only have medical skills advanced to take care of diseases that led to early death, our lifestyle has changed for the better and now the average person can expect to reach the age of eighty. There is the expectation that those born today will live even longer.
Unfortunately, one of the afflictions that go with advanced age is Alzheimer's disease which is also termed " Dementia " ! It often manifests itself by memory loss and progresses to the point that the victim needs constant care in a nursing home. Despite many promising research breakthroughs, no cure is yet in sight. It seems to be a disease that has random affliction and dementia is just as likely to strike down a country's king or president as it is to affect a commoner.
Now science has discovered a new threat that will put fear into those who have at some time in their life needed a blood transfusion. It is quite possible that the threads of dementia may pass from person to person in the blood that is used in surgery to make many operations possible, despite the detailed screening that already takes place.
The clues fell into place when researchers at the University College of London noticed that patients who developed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) after treatment with human growth hormones also showed signs of Alzheimer's after death. It was reasoned that this blood link contained misfolded proteins capable of setting off this deadly chain reaction.
Obviously, research is urgently needed to improve the screening of blood donated by the public to keep the blood bank supplied. Given the propensity of dementia to be already in progress in the aged it seems possible that donation age may be further reduced and offers rejected from those where a family history of dementia is present.
For most people, blood transfusions are a calculated risk. A patient would be unwise to reject a procedure to reverse a life threatening situation because of fear of dementia. In its mildest form it usually is present in most aged people in one form or another and it is a form of age degeneration that we expect. To die at an earlier age would not be an acceptable form of dementia avoidance.
What does seem possible is preparation for a coming procedure by storing blood from an acceptable age group of people to avoid this dementia risk. This would be both cumbersome and costly and it would reduce the value of the public donations that are crucial to keeping the blood bank supplied.
A very similar fear erupted across the community when AIDS first arrived on the medical scene and the blood screening process was quickly re-evaluated to remove that threat. Hopefully, medical science may quickly be able to introduce new procedures to eliminate this risk and restore the public confidence on the blood banks ability to save lives - risk free !
Unfortunately, one of the afflictions that go with advanced age is Alzheimer's disease which is also termed " Dementia " ! It often manifests itself by memory loss and progresses to the point that the victim needs constant care in a nursing home. Despite many promising research breakthroughs, no cure is yet in sight. It seems to be a disease that has random affliction and dementia is just as likely to strike down a country's king or president as it is to affect a commoner.
Now science has discovered a new threat that will put fear into those who have at some time in their life needed a blood transfusion. It is quite possible that the threads of dementia may pass from person to person in the blood that is used in surgery to make many operations possible, despite the detailed screening that already takes place.
The clues fell into place when researchers at the University College of London noticed that patients who developed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) after treatment with human growth hormones also showed signs of Alzheimer's after death. It was reasoned that this blood link contained misfolded proteins capable of setting off this deadly chain reaction.
Obviously, research is urgently needed to improve the screening of blood donated by the public to keep the blood bank supplied. Given the propensity of dementia to be already in progress in the aged it seems possible that donation age may be further reduced and offers rejected from those where a family history of dementia is present.
For most people, blood transfusions are a calculated risk. A patient would be unwise to reject a procedure to reverse a life threatening situation because of fear of dementia. In its mildest form it usually is present in most aged people in one form or another and it is a form of age degeneration that we expect. To die at an earlier age would not be an acceptable form of dementia avoidance.
What does seem possible is preparation for a coming procedure by storing blood from an acceptable age group of people to avoid this dementia risk. This would be both cumbersome and costly and it would reduce the value of the public donations that are crucial to keeping the blood bank supplied.
A very similar fear erupted across the community when AIDS first arrived on the medical scene and the blood screening process was quickly re-evaluated to remove that threat. Hopefully, medical science may quickly be able to introduce new procedures to eliminate this risk and restore the public confidence on the blood banks ability to save lives - risk free !
Saturday 15 December 2018
HSC RESULTS !
This week thousands of Aussie kids learned how they fared when the results of their Higher School Certificate examinations appeared on computer screens and were published in the newspapers. This will be a time of either anguish or ecstacy for many.
In todays world, that HSC ranking either opens the door to university entry or closes off a lot of professions of which the HSC is the starting point. Unfortunately, many people will make unwise decisions and find themselves enrolled in an expensive university course for which they have little talent, drop out along the way and end up with a massive debt in their name - and no job !
The pundits have been relentless in painting a gloomy picture of the future for those who fail to gain " qualifications " in one form or another, and many parents see this as making a university course essential. That is fine if the young person has the right aptitude for such study and the course chosen has a clear career potential, but such decisions are fraught with danger.
We live in a world of ever changing technology. The average person may need to change career direction and learn new skills many times in their working lifetime. The one thing that has never changed over the centuries is the fact that humans evolved into two separate mind sets - those that earn their living with their hands - and those with the skills in their heads.
In the past, one set of skills directed people to the " professions " and the other to the " Trades " ! There was a degree of snob appeal. It was assumed that the professions paid a higher reward than the trades and had a higher social standing. In the days when going to university meant up front money it was the sons and daughters of the wealthy who exercised this option. Today, a university option simply means a debt to be repaid when earnings reach a certain level and we are experiencing a shortage of people entering the trades.
In the past, the trades usually involved an apprenticeship. Trainees worked for several years for a skilled boss who taught them their profession and eventually they gravitated to running their own business. Today, such qualified tradespeople often are higher earners than those competing in the professions. Their scarcity has pushed the fees they charge for their services to extraordinary levels.
The pundits are right when they preach that " qualifications " are a necessity in the coming world, but " qualifications " come in many shapes and forms. Many with inclinations that favour working with their hands rather than with their heads would be wise to consider a trade career. It is all a matter of aptitude and a skilled career adviser can help with those decisions.
One of the dangers kids face now that their HSC results are published is pressure to choose a university career by parents who have good intentions but fail to see their unsuitability for that option. Family members who have no experience of higher learning are unaware of the pressures involved.
HSC results face the student at an important cross roads. The right decision can deliver a rewarding career. The wrong decision can bring debt and disaster !
In todays world, that HSC ranking either opens the door to university entry or closes off a lot of professions of which the HSC is the starting point. Unfortunately, many people will make unwise decisions and find themselves enrolled in an expensive university course for which they have little talent, drop out along the way and end up with a massive debt in their name - and no job !
The pundits have been relentless in painting a gloomy picture of the future for those who fail to gain " qualifications " in one form or another, and many parents see this as making a university course essential. That is fine if the young person has the right aptitude for such study and the course chosen has a clear career potential, but such decisions are fraught with danger.
We live in a world of ever changing technology. The average person may need to change career direction and learn new skills many times in their working lifetime. The one thing that has never changed over the centuries is the fact that humans evolved into two separate mind sets - those that earn their living with their hands - and those with the skills in their heads.
In the past, one set of skills directed people to the " professions " and the other to the " Trades " ! There was a degree of snob appeal. It was assumed that the professions paid a higher reward than the trades and had a higher social standing. In the days when going to university meant up front money it was the sons and daughters of the wealthy who exercised this option. Today, a university option simply means a debt to be repaid when earnings reach a certain level and we are experiencing a shortage of people entering the trades.
In the past, the trades usually involved an apprenticeship. Trainees worked for several years for a skilled boss who taught them their profession and eventually they gravitated to running their own business. Today, such qualified tradespeople often are higher earners than those competing in the professions. Their scarcity has pushed the fees they charge for their services to extraordinary levels.
The pundits are right when they preach that " qualifications " are a necessity in the coming world, but " qualifications " come in many shapes and forms. Many with inclinations that favour working with their hands rather than with their heads would be wise to consider a trade career. It is all a matter of aptitude and a skilled career adviser can help with those decisions.
One of the dangers kids face now that their HSC results are published is pressure to choose a university career by parents who have good intentions but fail to see their unsuitability for that option. Family members who have no experience of higher learning are unaware of the pressures involved.
HSC results face the student at an important cross roads. The right decision can deliver a rewarding career. The wrong decision can bring debt and disaster !
Friday 14 December 2018
Bringing Sydney Back to Life !
There is no doubt that night life in Sydney is highly restricted in comparison with Melbourne and Brisbane and this is because of our unique " lockout " laws. Unfortunately, they were necessary because this city had managed to concentrate its night time frivolity in the inner city suburb of Kings Cross. It became the Mecca for late night carousing with huge crowds moving between the various venues and drunken behaviour resulting in numerous deaths.
What became known as " the Golden Mile " was making fortunes for venue owners and it was totally out of control. When the lockout laws came into force Kings Cross simply died, and what now constitutes Sydney nightlife moved to dispersal in the suburbs. Those laws have served their purpose and if they are relaxed there is no danger of a Kings Cross revival. The dispersal to the suburbs is permanent.
Along with the lockout laws Sydney has seen a contraction of live music. Most of the great Australian bands got their start playing gigs in suburban pubs and drawing a following. The imposition of strict noise laws have closed those venues and in many cases live music has been replaced by poker machines.
New South Wales will have a state election next year and Labor leader Michael Daley is campaigning with a promise to rejuvenate the live music scene. In many cases these noise laws are connected to liquor licenses and this has resulted in an over sensitive approach to any form of entertainment. The noise restrictions apply to motor traffic when patrons leave a venue and their late night conversation in suburban streets. The authorities seem to err on license restriction imposition to satisfy even the most mundane noise complaints.
In the past, suburban pubs were the epicentre of local entertainment and noise was an accepted outcome. The relentless search for living space has seen high rise surround these venues and immediately clamour for noise restrictions. This is illustrated by the experience of Luna Park on the north shore. It has been in place since the 1930's but now surrounding high rise owners are demanding early closure and restrictions on rides. They were well aware they were living next to a fun park when they purchased their units.
The Sydney lockout laws are a result on a phenomenon that applied uniquely to Sydney. Kings Cross was this city's " red light " district and during the years of the Vietnam war this city became the leading " R and R " centre for American and Australian troops being rested from combat. As a result, venues adopted a raunchy flavour and this carried over to civilian titillation when the war ended. Kings Cross became a concentration of " girly " shows that drew big crowd numbers who moved between competing venues late at night. Drunken fights between inebriated patrons set an ugly scene that demanded rectification.
These strict laws have already been eased and the need for their abolition seems clear. They served their purpose and along with live music this city is ready to rejoin its place as a sophisticated entertainment venue. This coming election is where the necessary law changes will be put to the test.
What became known as " the Golden Mile " was making fortunes for venue owners and it was totally out of control. When the lockout laws came into force Kings Cross simply died, and what now constitutes Sydney nightlife moved to dispersal in the suburbs. Those laws have served their purpose and if they are relaxed there is no danger of a Kings Cross revival. The dispersal to the suburbs is permanent.
Along with the lockout laws Sydney has seen a contraction of live music. Most of the great Australian bands got their start playing gigs in suburban pubs and drawing a following. The imposition of strict noise laws have closed those venues and in many cases live music has been replaced by poker machines.
New South Wales will have a state election next year and Labor leader Michael Daley is campaigning with a promise to rejuvenate the live music scene. In many cases these noise laws are connected to liquor licenses and this has resulted in an over sensitive approach to any form of entertainment. The noise restrictions apply to motor traffic when patrons leave a venue and their late night conversation in suburban streets. The authorities seem to err on license restriction imposition to satisfy even the most mundane noise complaints.
In the past, suburban pubs were the epicentre of local entertainment and noise was an accepted outcome. The relentless search for living space has seen high rise surround these venues and immediately clamour for noise restrictions. This is illustrated by the experience of Luna Park on the north shore. It has been in place since the 1930's but now surrounding high rise owners are demanding early closure and restrictions on rides. They were well aware they were living next to a fun park when they purchased their units.
The Sydney lockout laws are a result on a phenomenon that applied uniquely to Sydney. Kings Cross was this city's " red light " district and during the years of the Vietnam war this city became the leading " R and R " centre for American and Australian troops being rested from combat. As a result, venues adopted a raunchy flavour and this carried over to civilian titillation when the war ended. Kings Cross became a concentration of " girly " shows that drew big crowd numbers who moved between competing venues late at night. Drunken fights between inebriated patrons set an ugly scene that demanded rectification.
These strict laws have already been eased and the need for their abolition seems clear. They served their purpose and along with live music this city is ready to rejoin its place as a sophisticated entertainment venue. This coming election is where the necessary law changes will be put to the test.
Thursday 13 December 2018
What an Unholy Mess !
In the face of certain defeat, the vote on the deal the United Kingdom has negotiated with the European Union for its " Brexit " withdrawal has been postponed. Instead, prime minister Theresa May will cross the channel and seek to persuade EU leaders to offer better terms. That idea has been soundly rebuffed and the best cards are in EU hands.
At best, this Brexit move has been a giant leap off a high cliff on a dark night for the British economy. David Cameron made an unwise move when he offered a referendum on the issue with the expectation of a resounding " remain " victory. It has been all downhill from there.
The problem is that many residents of Britain are thinking back to the great days of the mighty British Empire and hope for a return to the days when the Royal Navy ruled the waves and Britain was the most prosperous country in the world. That empire has been dispersed and Europe has become a trading block so integrated that an independent Britain would be reduced to orphan status.
One of the bastions of British wealth is its domination of the finance world. The city of London is the apex of world finance and it seems certain that both France and Germany will seek to steal that away to their own financial centres. Without a deal in place by the coming of March, London will remain behind a tariff barrier that will set the erosion pattern.
This whole Brexit thing originated in British " tribalism ". Many people strongly objected to residents of poorer EU countries moving to Britain for a better lifestyle and Brexit was supposed to regain control of the country's borders. The other gripe was the imposition of the edicts of the European Court of Justice on the hallowed customs of law and trade. Many people voted to gain freedom from these restraints.
Across the Channel, President Emmanuel Macron romped to an unexpected victory in the French election a few months ago. Today the streets of Paris are littered with burned out cars and the debris of massive riots as the " yellow shirts " reject his reforms. His approval rating is now dismally low and the euphoria about his victory has disappeared. Similar discord is likely in Britain if a " no deal " Brexit leads to job losses and a lowering of living standards. Precisely how the economy will react is impossible to determine in advance.
Pressure is building for a second referendum and it is quite likely that the fear factor would bring a reverse of that previous result, but that would also socially divide the nation and probably end with Scottish independence. The decision to enter the EU was a time of deep divisions and the British have never thought themselves as " European ". What we are seeing today is a strong return to that "individualism " outlook and a rejection of the " closer union " that prevails in Brussels.
The world is fascinated, watching the machinations on both sides of the Channel as this divorce moves to its fateful conclusion. Whatever outcome prevails, it is certain that it will leave Britain deeply divided.
At best, this Brexit move has been a giant leap off a high cliff on a dark night for the British economy. David Cameron made an unwise move when he offered a referendum on the issue with the expectation of a resounding " remain " victory. It has been all downhill from there.
The problem is that many residents of Britain are thinking back to the great days of the mighty British Empire and hope for a return to the days when the Royal Navy ruled the waves and Britain was the most prosperous country in the world. That empire has been dispersed and Europe has become a trading block so integrated that an independent Britain would be reduced to orphan status.
One of the bastions of British wealth is its domination of the finance world. The city of London is the apex of world finance and it seems certain that both France and Germany will seek to steal that away to their own financial centres. Without a deal in place by the coming of March, London will remain behind a tariff barrier that will set the erosion pattern.
This whole Brexit thing originated in British " tribalism ". Many people strongly objected to residents of poorer EU countries moving to Britain for a better lifestyle and Brexit was supposed to regain control of the country's borders. The other gripe was the imposition of the edicts of the European Court of Justice on the hallowed customs of law and trade. Many people voted to gain freedom from these restraints.
Across the Channel, President Emmanuel Macron romped to an unexpected victory in the French election a few months ago. Today the streets of Paris are littered with burned out cars and the debris of massive riots as the " yellow shirts " reject his reforms. His approval rating is now dismally low and the euphoria about his victory has disappeared. Similar discord is likely in Britain if a " no deal " Brexit leads to job losses and a lowering of living standards. Precisely how the economy will react is impossible to determine in advance.
Pressure is building for a second referendum and it is quite likely that the fear factor would bring a reverse of that previous result, but that would also socially divide the nation and probably end with Scottish independence. The decision to enter the EU was a time of deep divisions and the British have never thought themselves as " European ". What we are seeing today is a strong return to that "individualism " outlook and a rejection of the " closer union " that prevails in Brussels.
The world is fascinated, watching the machinations on both sides of the Channel as this divorce moves to its fateful conclusion. Whatever outcome prevails, it is certain that it will leave Britain deeply divided.
Wednesday 12 December 2018
Conservative Opposition to Law Reform.
New South Wales is now the only Australian state where abortion is still a criminal offence after Queensland rescinded a similar law in October. Of course, that situation does not mean that abortion is impossible to obtain in this state. It is virtually freely available because the interpretation of how a pregnancy is ended is surrounded by such gobbldegook that this ending is covered by masking medical terminology.
Now at long last it seems that our timid parliamentarians are likely to actually amend the law to ensure that women in New South Wales have an entitlement to a safe and legal termination if that is their choice. There is still a hard core of religious objectors but the mood of public opinion is overwhelmingly in favour of granting that right.
That raises the subject of how public opinion is thwarted by conservative minded politicians who use their own inclinations to decide on issues in parliament. We may remember how the right for the terminally ill to ease their suffering by a medically assisted death was lost by a single vote.
One of the problems is party politics. Our parliament is an implacable battle between two main forms of ideology who rarely agree on what is good for the country. The people who seek office under their banners are indoctrinated into voting along party lines and there are severe penalties - including loss of preselection - for those who dare cross party lines.
Occasionally, an issue is deemed so important that it is subjected to a referendum and the politicians ignore that decision at their peril. Such was the situation when the " Same Sex Marriage " law became a legal entity in this country. To further complicate matters, we are governed by two entirely different set of laws - Federal law applicable nationally, and State law which has jurisdiction only within our state borders.
The opinion of the governed is regularly proclaimed by public opinion polls but individual politicians claim that the people of their electorate think differently, and use this to oppose legislation. Going to the polls in Federal, state and council elections is a legal necessity in this country and this offers an excellent opportunity to test opinions by linking such elections to a vote on important issues pending.
Asking the public to show a separate preference at the ballot box for issues of major importance makes them impossible for politicians to ignore. We obviously don't want minor issues settled this way and it would be wise to let the High Court decide what subjects go for public decision along with Federal and state elections.
The decisive factor is this delivers a decisive opinion in each politicians own electorate and it would be a brave politicians who voted against what the people who voted him or her into office decided on a national issue.
We vote to send politicians to do our bidding - and we pay them well for their services. Its about time we had the means to direct their vote on issues they prefer to avoid. The meaning of that word - Democracy - is implementation of the will of the people !
Now at long last it seems that our timid parliamentarians are likely to actually amend the law to ensure that women in New South Wales have an entitlement to a safe and legal termination if that is their choice. There is still a hard core of religious objectors but the mood of public opinion is overwhelmingly in favour of granting that right.
That raises the subject of how public opinion is thwarted by conservative minded politicians who use their own inclinations to decide on issues in parliament. We may remember how the right for the terminally ill to ease their suffering by a medically assisted death was lost by a single vote.
One of the problems is party politics. Our parliament is an implacable battle between two main forms of ideology who rarely agree on what is good for the country. The people who seek office under their banners are indoctrinated into voting along party lines and there are severe penalties - including loss of preselection - for those who dare cross party lines.
Occasionally, an issue is deemed so important that it is subjected to a referendum and the politicians ignore that decision at their peril. Such was the situation when the " Same Sex Marriage " law became a legal entity in this country. To further complicate matters, we are governed by two entirely different set of laws - Federal law applicable nationally, and State law which has jurisdiction only within our state borders.
The opinion of the governed is regularly proclaimed by public opinion polls but individual politicians claim that the people of their electorate think differently, and use this to oppose legislation. Going to the polls in Federal, state and council elections is a legal necessity in this country and this offers an excellent opportunity to test opinions by linking such elections to a vote on important issues pending.
Asking the public to show a separate preference at the ballot box for issues of major importance makes them impossible for politicians to ignore. We obviously don't want minor issues settled this way and it would be wise to let the High Court decide what subjects go for public decision along with Federal and state elections.
The decisive factor is this delivers a decisive opinion in each politicians own electorate and it would be a brave politicians who voted against what the people who voted him or her into office decided on a national issue.
We vote to send politicians to do our bidding - and we pay them well for their services. Its about time we had the means to direct their vote on issues they prefer to avoid. The meaning of that word - Democracy - is implementation of the will of the people !
Tuesday 11 December 2018
Mood Altering Drugs !
Another music festival on Saturday night attracted a big audience of young people- and it seemed inevitable that one young man died of a suspected drug overdose and sixteen others were rushed to hospital but survived. Incredibly, another one hundred and thirty attended the medical facilities on site for adverse reaction to illegal drugs. Earlier this year there was a threat to ban music festivals after two people died at the Defquon music festival, then it was realised that such a move would simply revive the concept of secretive events in the bush where the location was a last minute secret.
The government has dug its toes in and refuses to even consider drug testing at music events. The entire anti drug strategy is based on preventing illicit drugs reaching users and that has been an abject failure because strong demand continues to exist and drug supply is a very profitable money earner for the criminal fraternity. The people churning out illicit drugs couldn't care less about safety aspects. To them, the law of supply and demand applies.
Before this drug culture took hold, alcohol was the magic ingredient that produced euphoria - and it was legal for those of a legal age. Unfortunately, it also dulled the senses and made the user vulnerable to robbery or sexual attack. Drugs delivered this euphoria while still keeping the mind visibly alert when the quantity imbibed was at a safe limit. The problem today is the user has no idea of either the ingredients used or their mind altering strength.
Why is it illegal to supply euphoria inducing drugs when the alcohol equivalent is freely available ? Isn't it time something with the title of " Legal Ecstacy " was available in chemist shops with a prescribed quantity use related to body weight ? This same over use situation applies to alcohol. Anyone who glugged down an entire bottle of whiskey would probably slip into an alcohol induced coma - and die. Those that recklessly over used such a legal drug would suffer a similar fate.
Its time we faced reality and accepted that people are going to die from illegal substances when demand continues and is being supplied by the illegal drug trade. On that Saturday night the majority listening at that music festival probably took some sort of drug stimulant without ill effects. Isn't it time we ensured that a " safe " product of predictable strength was legally available and left the drug decision to the user ?
Despite the best efforts of the police and customs illegal drugs are freely available in this country, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. A lot of the effort is aimed at stopping Marijuana and this is fast becoming a perfectly legal produce in the rest of the world. It is sold and used legally in Canada and Ecuador and now in America's most populous state, California. A change to legality here would put a big dent in the drug trade.
Where drug testing has been tried at music festivals the reaction of the public has been enthusiastic. It is not acceptance of the drug culture but merely a means of ensuring that the worst efforts of the drug cooks can be eliminated before they kill someone. If we continue to stubbornly resist all safety measures we are simply condemning deaths to roll on relentlessly. Its time we re-evaluated this entire drug question.
The government has dug its toes in and refuses to even consider drug testing at music events. The entire anti drug strategy is based on preventing illicit drugs reaching users and that has been an abject failure because strong demand continues to exist and drug supply is a very profitable money earner for the criminal fraternity. The people churning out illicit drugs couldn't care less about safety aspects. To them, the law of supply and demand applies.
Before this drug culture took hold, alcohol was the magic ingredient that produced euphoria - and it was legal for those of a legal age. Unfortunately, it also dulled the senses and made the user vulnerable to robbery or sexual attack. Drugs delivered this euphoria while still keeping the mind visibly alert when the quantity imbibed was at a safe limit. The problem today is the user has no idea of either the ingredients used or their mind altering strength.
Why is it illegal to supply euphoria inducing drugs when the alcohol equivalent is freely available ? Isn't it time something with the title of " Legal Ecstacy " was available in chemist shops with a prescribed quantity use related to body weight ? This same over use situation applies to alcohol. Anyone who glugged down an entire bottle of whiskey would probably slip into an alcohol induced coma - and die. Those that recklessly over used such a legal drug would suffer a similar fate.
Its time we faced reality and accepted that people are going to die from illegal substances when demand continues and is being supplied by the illegal drug trade. On that Saturday night the majority listening at that music festival probably took some sort of drug stimulant without ill effects. Isn't it time we ensured that a " safe " product of predictable strength was legally available and left the drug decision to the user ?
Despite the best efforts of the police and customs illegal drugs are freely available in this country, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. A lot of the effort is aimed at stopping Marijuana and this is fast becoming a perfectly legal produce in the rest of the world. It is sold and used legally in Canada and Ecuador and now in America's most populous state, California. A change to legality here would put a big dent in the drug trade.
Where drug testing has been tried at music festivals the reaction of the public has been enthusiastic. It is not acceptance of the drug culture but merely a means of ensuring that the worst efforts of the drug cooks can be eliminated before they kill someone. If we continue to stubbornly resist all safety measures we are simply condemning deaths to roll on relentlessly. Its time we re-evaluated this entire drug question.
Monday 10 December 2018
The " Wise Lady " of Europe retires.
For over a decade Angela Merkel has been the chancellor of Europe's strongest economy and the steadying influence within the EU. It seems that she has chosen a gradual retirement and a close ally has won leadership of Germany's biggest political party, the CDU. Merkel will hold the top job until she chooses to relinquish that post, probably before the next election.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenhauer is widely known as " AKK " and is presently the party's general secretary. Merkel has signalled that she will not contest the next election and it is evident that AKK will have some big shoes to fill. If she is to become a " Mini Merkel " she will have to establish herself as a clear leader within the body politic of the EU.
These are changing times within Europe. Britain is on the cusp of leaving the EU and the leadership of many European countries has swung sharply to the right. Germany's close neighbour - Austria - has elected Sebastian Kurz as its Chancellor and at 31 he is the youngest leader to attain that post and he rules in conjunction with the Freedom party, which was founded by unrepentant Nazis in the aftermath of the second world war.
Unfortunately, National Socialism is rising again in Europe. The far right came close to gaining the presidency in France and several European countries have closed their borders to repel the flood of refugees that have poured ashore in Greece and Italy. The mood has darkened and the traditional political parties that have held sway for many decades are being swept aside as populism takes hold.
Europe is gaining a " fortress " mentality. The glorious dream of a Europe where people were free to travel across borders without the need for visas and passports or the need to change currency seems to be fading. Along with that right to travel was the right to settle and the problem was that migrants mostly wanted to live in prosperous Germany. Merkel's generosity in throwing open the German door rebounded as refugee hordes threatened to change the German demographic.
It usually takes generations for foreign migrants to fully accustomise in a new country and one of the problems seems to be gaining approval for Islam in mostly Christian Europe. The fact that an extreme branch of Islam has resorted to terrorist atrocities in western countries has diluted acceptance of the peaceful majority who simply want to practice their religion in peace.
The aftermath of recession has seen a jobs shortage in many countries and refugees are blamed for taking jobs and depressing wages. This hostility is encouraging populist political parties to emerge to fan the flames of resentment and in some countries this has brought illiberal regimes to power. In many cases, justice and law and order are being erased in favour of radical anti refugee legislation. The principles of democracy are being set aside.
There is great danger awaiting if we slip into another severe recession. Those were the conditions that resulted in the rise of Hitler and Mussolini in the 1930's when decent people could see no other alternative to the chaos that was happening. Populism has a siren call when it offers an easy answer to an otherwise intractable problem.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenhauer is widely known as " AKK " and is presently the party's general secretary. Merkel has signalled that she will not contest the next election and it is evident that AKK will have some big shoes to fill. If she is to become a " Mini Merkel " she will have to establish herself as a clear leader within the body politic of the EU.
These are changing times within Europe. Britain is on the cusp of leaving the EU and the leadership of many European countries has swung sharply to the right. Germany's close neighbour - Austria - has elected Sebastian Kurz as its Chancellor and at 31 he is the youngest leader to attain that post and he rules in conjunction with the Freedom party, which was founded by unrepentant Nazis in the aftermath of the second world war.
Unfortunately, National Socialism is rising again in Europe. The far right came close to gaining the presidency in France and several European countries have closed their borders to repel the flood of refugees that have poured ashore in Greece and Italy. The mood has darkened and the traditional political parties that have held sway for many decades are being swept aside as populism takes hold.
Europe is gaining a " fortress " mentality. The glorious dream of a Europe where people were free to travel across borders without the need for visas and passports or the need to change currency seems to be fading. Along with that right to travel was the right to settle and the problem was that migrants mostly wanted to live in prosperous Germany. Merkel's generosity in throwing open the German door rebounded as refugee hordes threatened to change the German demographic.
It usually takes generations for foreign migrants to fully accustomise in a new country and one of the problems seems to be gaining approval for Islam in mostly Christian Europe. The fact that an extreme branch of Islam has resorted to terrorist atrocities in western countries has diluted acceptance of the peaceful majority who simply want to practice their religion in peace.
The aftermath of recession has seen a jobs shortage in many countries and refugees are blamed for taking jobs and depressing wages. This hostility is encouraging populist political parties to emerge to fan the flames of resentment and in some countries this has brought illiberal regimes to power. In many cases, justice and law and order are being erased in favour of radical anti refugee legislation. The principles of democracy are being set aside.
There is great danger awaiting if we slip into another severe recession. Those were the conditions that resulted in the rise of Hitler and Mussolini in the 1930's when decent people could see no other alternative to the chaos that was happening. Populism has a siren call when it offers an easy answer to an otherwise intractable problem.
Sunday 9 December 2018
Widening the PFAS Net !
Here we are in the early days of summer and new danger signals are being broadcast over the danger spread by that fire fighting foam which has neutralised land adjoining military establishments and airports. The spectre of an urgent health warning has sent a jarring note to the operators of tourist amenities in that "Jewel of the South Coast " - Jervis Bay.
Just as the usual invasion of holidaymakers is about to descend on this favoured retreat, parts of Jervis Bay are being closed to human use. This warning includes several popular areas deemed unsuitable for fishing and the collection of seafood. This shadow of PFAS contamination is spreading over the entire Jervis Bay peninsula.
Mary creek is of the greatest concern, but the warning also mentions Flat Rock creek, iconic Hyams beach, Captains Lagoon and Summercloud creek. These are at the peak of tourist popularity and the idea of a holiday where fishing and prawning is banned and swimming in the local waters is questionable is likely to seriously deplete tourist numbers.
Th cause of this health warning points the finger at HMAS Creswell at the northern tip of Jervis Bay and the firing range facility well to the south. The fire fighting foam used at these facilities contains per and poly fluoroalkyl chemicals ( PFAS) which do not break down in the environment. To make matters worse, these creeks drain into Jervis Bay and there is every chance that the contamination will be ever widening. We may have to write off Jervis Bay as a holiday destination.
It is also thought that the contamination is being spread by the local sewer network. Treated water is used to irrigate a local golf course and traces have been found in lake Windermere which is the source of drinking water for the Jervis Bay township.
Sadly, the risk factor of PFAS to humans is still subject to clarification. The Australian Department of Health denies that it causes health effects in humans but scientists in the United States of America disagree. They warn that the weight of evidence indicates that PFAS causes adverse health outcomes, including immune, hormonal and development effects and potentially - cancer.
This warning is a disaster for the owners of tourist facilities built to service the holiday trade. They gain the major portion of their annual income during the Christmas and Easter holiday seasons and this warning will have a dampening effect on numbers. Widespread cancellations are possible and the tourists who do come may inhibit the type of activities that are usually popular.
Jervis Bay's popularity is because of its turquoise water and unblemished white sand. Now that a doubt exists about swimming and both fishing and prawning the attraction is diminished, and if that threat can not be removed by some sort of remedial process the damage will be permanent.
A compensation decision has just been reached for property owners adjoining airports and defence facilities. If that has to be extended to the providers of tourist facilities at Jervis Bay the cost in dollars will be astronomical. Just one of the hazards of seemingly innocuous chemicals in wide use that turn out to have latent harmful tendencies.
It is an interesting thought to wonder how many more are waiting to have their moment in newspaper headlines ?
Just as the usual invasion of holidaymakers is about to descend on this favoured retreat, parts of Jervis Bay are being closed to human use. This warning includes several popular areas deemed unsuitable for fishing and the collection of seafood. This shadow of PFAS contamination is spreading over the entire Jervis Bay peninsula.
Mary creek is of the greatest concern, but the warning also mentions Flat Rock creek, iconic Hyams beach, Captains Lagoon and Summercloud creek. These are at the peak of tourist popularity and the idea of a holiday where fishing and prawning is banned and swimming in the local waters is questionable is likely to seriously deplete tourist numbers.
Th cause of this health warning points the finger at HMAS Creswell at the northern tip of Jervis Bay and the firing range facility well to the south. The fire fighting foam used at these facilities contains per and poly fluoroalkyl chemicals ( PFAS) which do not break down in the environment. To make matters worse, these creeks drain into Jervis Bay and there is every chance that the contamination will be ever widening. We may have to write off Jervis Bay as a holiday destination.
It is also thought that the contamination is being spread by the local sewer network. Treated water is used to irrigate a local golf course and traces have been found in lake Windermere which is the source of drinking water for the Jervis Bay township.
Sadly, the risk factor of PFAS to humans is still subject to clarification. The Australian Department of Health denies that it causes health effects in humans but scientists in the United States of America disagree. They warn that the weight of evidence indicates that PFAS causes adverse health outcomes, including immune, hormonal and development effects and potentially - cancer.
This warning is a disaster for the owners of tourist facilities built to service the holiday trade. They gain the major portion of their annual income during the Christmas and Easter holiday seasons and this warning will have a dampening effect on numbers. Widespread cancellations are possible and the tourists who do come may inhibit the type of activities that are usually popular.
Jervis Bay's popularity is because of its turquoise water and unblemished white sand. Now that a doubt exists about swimming and both fishing and prawning the attraction is diminished, and if that threat can not be removed by some sort of remedial process the damage will be permanent.
A compensation decision has just been reached for property owners adjoining airports and defence facilities. If that has to be extended to the providers of tourist facilities at Jervis Bay the cost in dollars will be astronomical. Just one of the hazards of seemingly innocuous chemicals in wide use that turn out to have latent harmful tendencies.
It is an interesting thought to wonder how many more are waiting to have their moment in newspaper headlines ?
Saturday 8 December 2018
Mixed " Moral " Law Decisions.
In Australia this week the first and only representative of the Catholic Church to be convicted of failing to report child sexual abuse by one of his priests had that conviction overturned on appeal and walked away free from a term of home detention.
Philip Wilson was the former Archbishop of Adelaide. He is now an old man and an appeals court judge has determined that he appeared truthful in giving evidence and claiming no knowledge of the crime committed. Initially, he was sentenced to a twelve month jail stint in August but this was quickly reduced to a six month period of home detention.
One of the reasons for this prosecution was to make it abundantly clear that the days of paedophile priests being moved to a different parish and their crime covered up by the church - are over. Many of the victims have faithfully sat through this trial and it is disheartening to find that their clear evidence has been dismissed and once again the church has distanced itself from legal responsibility.
Our legal system seems reluctant to lock horns with church power but the Catholic Church is not the monolith it once was. Ordinary men and women are walking away in droves in western countries and the once trusted priests are being shunned. It is quite likely that this appeals court decision will hasten that exit flow.
On the other side of the world an arrest was made in the transit lounge of a Canadian airport. This was no ordinary matter because it heralds fresh hostilities between China and the United States of America. The person arrested was Meng Wanzhow and she is the chief financial officer of the giant Huawei corporation of China - and the daughter of its founder. The arrest was at the instigation of the United States and the charge she will face is violating international sanctions against Iran.
Huawei is deeply involved in the 5G network being run out across the world and is suspected of integrating spying devices in its technology. It has been banned from several western countries because the company has close integral links with the Chinese Communist party. In fact, suspicion of Huawei eavesdropping has caused some countries to remove its existing technology from the present 3G and 4G systems already in place.
It seems likely that America will apply to have Meng Wanzhow extradited to appear before a New York district court for a bail hearing. This will obviously enrage China and the arrest is unusual because Meng Wanzhow was simply passing through Canada on her way to another country and the landing was to allow her carrier to replenish fuel. Such passengers are not technically " in " that country when such transit exchanges occur.
A charge of violating international sanctions will also be controversial. Many countries disagree with the United States stance on Iran and given the trade war between America and China this act of plucking a transit passenger off an international flight is outside the scope of usual arrest warrants. A person with CFO credentials for such a giant corporation as Huawei is a very important person in the world of finance. It is unusual that she was not travelling with a diplomatic passport - which would have prevented that arrest.
It seems that Donald Trump may have simply ratchetted up the tempo of his trade war with China by this action. With the world showing signs of a possible coming recession such an irritation will be unhelpful. No doubt it will be reflected in world sharemarket prices when trading commences next week.
Philip Wilson was the former Archbishop of Adelaide. He is now an old man and an appeals court judge has determined that he appeared truthful in giving evidence and claiming no knowledge of the crime committed. Initially, he was sentenced to a twelve month jail stint in August but this was quickly reduced to a six month period of home detention.
One of the reasons for this prosecution was to make it abundantly clear that the days of paedophile priests being moved to a different parish and their crime covered up by the church - are over. Many of the victims have faithfully sat through this trial and it is disheartening to find that their clear evidence has been dismissed and once again the church has distanced itself from legal responsibility.
Our legal system seems reluctant to lock horns with church power but the Catholic Church is not the monolith it once was. Ordinary men and women are walking away in droves in western countries and the once trusted priests are being shunned. It is quite likely that this appeals court decision will hasten that exit flow.
On the other side of the world an arrest was made in the transit lounge of a Canadian airport. This was no ordinary matter because it heralds fresh hostilities between China and the United States of America. The person arrested was Meng Wanzhow and she is the chief financial officer of the giant Huawei corporation of China - and the daughter of its founder. The arrest was at the instigation of the United States and the charge she will face is violating international sanctions against Iran.
Huawei is deeply involved in the 5G network being run out across the world and is suspected of integrating spying devices in its technology. It has been banned from several western countries because the company has close integral links with the Chinese Communist party. In fact, suspicion of Huawei eavesdropping has caused some countries to remove its existing technology from the present 3G and 4G systems already in place.
It seems likely that America will apply to have Meng Wanzhow extradited to appear before a New York district court for a bail hearing. This will obviously enrage China and the arrest is unusual because Meng Wanzhow was simply passing through Canada on her way to another country and the landing was to allow her carrier to replenish fuel. Such passengers are not technically " in " that country when such transit exchanges occur.
A charge of violating international sanctions will also be controversial. Many countries disagree with the United States stance on Iran and given the trade war between America and China this act of plucking a transit passenger off an international flight is outside the scope of usual arrest warrants. A person with CFO credentials for such a giant corporation as Huawei is a very important person in the world of finance. It is unusual that she was not travelling with a diplomatic passport - which would have prevented that arrest.
It seems that Donald Trump may have simply ratchetted up the tempo of his trade war with China by this action. With the world showing signs of a possible coming recession such an irritation will be unhelpful. No doubt it will be reflected in world sharemarket prices when trading commences next week.
Friday 7 December 2018
Public Housing Damage Bill !
The cost of owning a house in Sydney has risen to astronomical levels and owners putting property on the rental market demand assurances that their valuable asset will be well cared for. It helps if the prospective tenant has references covering past rental agreements and there is a need for a substantial bond to be held in trust against damage or rent shortfalls.
When it comes to what is called " public housing " the landlord is the government and a very different set of rules apply. The waiting list for public housing stretches back years and the NSW Land and Housing Corporation has the task of managing the 144,000 properties which consist its rental stock. The rent charged is based on a nominated percentage of the tenants income, hence a person on a pension pays little accordingly.
Thousands of public housing tenants meet their obligations as tenants in an exemplary manner. The rent is paid promptly and on time. The lawns are mowed and there is little to distinguish these properties to owner occupied housing nearby. Unfortunately, a small percentage of public housing tenants can best be described as " the tenant from Hell " !
No attempt is made to maintain the property in an orderly manner. The lawns are unmown and the yard is littered with rubbish and partly disassembled motor vehicles. Holes are punched in the walls and the relationship with neighbours resembles a war footing. When the renter is eventually evicted a massive repair bill faces the government.
An audit report reveals that rectification costs from tenant damage increased from $ 223 million in 2014 to $ 413 million in 2017/18, and the stock of public housing properties is ever increasing as the sale of old housing at Millers Point results in the construction of 250 new homes to be added to the social housing list in this state.
One of the problems is the disparity between those waiting patiently on the public housing waiting list and the " special housing need " people who are bumped up the queue because they are deemed to be in need of emergency housing. Usually that is a person with kids found to be homeless and living on the streets where the kids are in danger from both a health and a moral point of view.
Sadly, there are about 92,000 children at risk of significant harm in 2017-18 and this is an increase of 5,600 from the previous year. It seems that the task of the Land and Housing Corporation is split between coordinating the orderly flow of eligible citizens into public housing and being the conduit for emergency housing when no other avenue is possible. In the majority of cases those seeking public housing would not be in a position to lodge a bond if that became a requirement similar to the private rental market.
It seems to be a fact of life that some people are " uncivilized " by nature and others face pressure by their lifestyle that makes them difficult to house. It seems to be the lot of public housing to sort out this mix and that comes with a cost. That seems to be one of the imposts that go with living in a humane society. We continue to bear the cost of human failure !
When it comes to what is called " public housing " the landlord is the government and a very different set of rules apply. The waiting list for public housing stretches back years and the NSW Land and Housing Corporation has the task of managing the 144,000 properties which consist its rental stock. The rent charged is based on a nominated percentage of the tenants income, hence a person on a pension pays little accordingly.
Thousands of public housing tenants meet their obligations as tenants in an exemplary manner. The rent is paid promptly and on time. The lawns are mowed and there is little to distinguish these properties to owner occupied housing nearby. Unfortunately, a small percentage of public housing tenants can best be described as " the tenant from Hell " !
No attempt is made to maintain the property in an orderly manner. The lawns are unmown and the yard is littered with rubbish and partly disassembled motor vehicles. Holes are punched in the walls and the relationship with neighbours resembles a war footing. When the renter is eventually evicted a massive repair bill faces the government.
An audit report reveals that rectification costs from tenant damage increased from $ 223 million in 2014 to $ 413 million in 2017/18, and the stock of public housing properties is ever increasing as the sale of old housing at Millers Point results in the construction of 250 new homes to be added to the social housing list in this state.
One of the problems is the disparity between those waiting patiently on the public housing waiting list and the " special housing need " people who are bumped up the queue because they are deemed to be in need of emergency housing. Usually that is a person with kids found to be homeless and living on the streets where the kids are in danger from both a health and a moral point of view.
Sadly, there are about 92,000 children at risk of significant harm in 2017-18 and this is an increase of 5,600 from the previous year. It seems that the task of the Land and Housing Corporation is split between coordinating the orderly flow of eligible citizens into public housing and being the conduit for emergency housing when no other avenue is possible. In the majority of cases those seeking public housing would not be in a position to lodge a bond if that became a requirement similar to the private rental market.
It seems to be a fact of life that some people are " uncivilized " by nature and others face pressure by their lifestyle that makes them difficult to house. It seems to be the lot of public housing to sort out this mix and that comes with a cost. That seems to be one of the imposts that go with living in a humane society. We continue to bear the cost of human failure !
Thursday 6 December 2018
Public - or Private !
There is no doubt that the economy of Australia has changed in recent years. The global economy has robbed this country of vast numbers of middle class jobs that used to pay good wages and the general wage is not keeping up with inflation. As a result, young people are being urged to stick with gaining a higher level of education because having a " qualification " is now essential in a limited job market.
Education has become a mesmerising subject for most parents. They must decide whether to send their kids to private schools - or go with the flow in the public school system. The problem for many is the cost. A private school education usually means a financial sacrifice for most parents and in the past the reward has been what is conceived as a " better education ". Most private schools had a connection to one sort of religion or another and discipline was stricter. In comparison, the public sector seemed more chaotic.
We now seem to be entering a turning point. Each year the cost of a private school education increases and it is estimated that about one in four families are close to abandoning the private education choice if fees continue their upward momentum. If that happens, the public system would not be comfortably able to accommodate the numbers involved and would require an immediate expansion.
Unfortunately, the public school system has been a victim of demographic changes. Some suburbs have gracious public schools with limited student numbers because the area has undergone " gentrification " as the domain of the elderly retired. Younger families are now concentrated in newer suburbs and their schools are crammed to overflowing.
The education authorities are giving though to adopting the " doing more with less " mantra by simply dividing overcrowded schools into a separated system of individual morning and afternoon shifts. The hours at school would remain the same because the morning class would start earlier and end their school day at noon, and the afternoon class would commence at noon and finish their day in the early evening.
It would have the benefit of extracting more value from existing school buildings and creating a much wider dispersal peak to lower public transport overcrowding problems. Obviously, the issue of extended teacher hours or the duplication of the teacher system would need to be resolved, but this has been in place successfully in some other countries.
There is another outcome that hinges on private school costings. Should a quarter of existing parents supporting private schools withdraw their kids to the public system the cost of private school fees would have to accommodate an income drop that would inevitably push fees even higher. That could see the end of most of the private school system.
The government needs to decide whether subsidizing the private school system is a better outlay of public funds than the money that would be needed to bring the public school system up to the standard required to accommodate the students displaced if the private system went out of business. The idea of dividing schooling on a " morning " and " afternoon " basis does have the benefit of making existing schools avoid the cost of expensive replacements.
How that would sit with students - and their parents - remains to be seen !
Education has become a mesmerising subject for most parents. They must decide whether to send their kids to private schools - or go with the flow in the public school system. The problem for many is the cost. A private school education usually means a financial sacrifice for most parents and in the past the reward has been what is conceived as a " better education ". Most private schools had a connection to one sort of religion or another and discipline was stricter. In comparison, the public sector seemed more chaotic.
We now seem to be entering a turning point. Each year the cost of a private school education increases and it is estimated that about one in four families are close to abandoning the private education choice if fees continue their upward momentum. If that happens, the public system would not be comfortably able to accommodate the numbers involved and would require an immediate expansion.
Unfortunately, the public school system has been a victim of demographic changes. Some suburbs have gracious public schools with limited student numbers because the area has undergone " gentrification " as the domain of the elderly retired. Younger families are now concentrated in newer suburbs and their schools are crammed to overflowing.
The education authorities are giving though to adopting the " doing more with less " mantra by simply dividing overcrowded schools into a separated system of individual morning and afternoon shifts. The hours at school would remain the same because the morning class would start earlier and end their school day at noon, and the afternoon class would commence at noon and finish their day in the early evening.
It would have the benefit of extracting more value from existing school buildings and creating a much wider dispersal peak to lower public transport overcrowding problems. Obviously, the issue of extended teacher hours or the duplication of the teacher system would need to be resolved, but this has been in place successfully in some other countries.
There is another outcome that hinges on private school costings. Should a quarter of existing parents supporting private schools withdraw their kids to the public system the cost of private school fees would have to accommodate an income drop that would inevitably push fees even higher. That could see the end of most of the private school system.
The government needs to decide whether subsidizing the private school system is a better outlay of public funds than the money that would be needed to bring the public school system up to the standard required to accommodate the students displaced if the private system went out of business. The idea of dividing schooling on a " morning " and " afternoon " basis does have the benefit of making existing schools avoid the cost of expensive replacements.
How that would sit with students - and their parents - remains to be seen !
Wednesday 5 December 2018
The " Culling " Question !
It would be a tossup whether dogs or cats are the most favoured animal in the minds of us humans, but horses would certainly take third place. There is something about the grace and beauty of a galloping horse that appeals to the human psyche. Perhaps a form of nostalgia when we think back to the centuries when the noble horse was the only alternative to walking. It was once our primary means of transport.
Today it has been displaced by the automobile. There are still riding schools in the outer suburbs and near country areas but the sight of horses grazing on vacant land has almost disappeared from our cities. The only place where they are now plentiful seems to be in the Kosciuszko National Park - and that is causing an ecology problem.
There were no horses in Australia before the First Fleet arrived in 1788. They are an introduced species to this country and the first to escape into the bush happened in 1804, sixteen years after their introduction. That was the start of the massive herd of wild horses that now run free in the high country and whose hooves are doing irreparable damage to the delicate wetlands and slow growing alpine vegetation. We estimate that there are at least four hundred thousand wild horses in central Australia and six thousand are breeding in the high country and the numbers are completely out of control.
These alpine and sub-alpine areas are particularly vulnerable to the hard hoofed horse. It compacts the earth around streams and ruins the soil, and horses distribute the seeds of invasive plants and weeds to areas they visit. One of the endangered species under threat from horses is the Corroboree frog.
A battle has raged between scientists seeking the protection of our alpine areas and conservatives protecting these wild horses as to what needs to be done to reduce the numbers. In the past, culling programmes have mainly been by way of poison baits or marksmen shooting horses from helicopters. Both are seen as cruel and bring heated opposition from horse lovers.
There are ongoing plans to capture young horses and domesticate them for sale but progress is slow and this will never substantially lower the ever growing numbers. The final determination of the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee comes into conflict with a decision by the state government to protect the wild horses in the Kosciuszko National park. As a result, conservative elements will boycott nominations to sit on the Wild Horse Community Panel tasked with finding a solution to this problem.
It is obvious that the numbers need to be reduce and that can only happen by some sort of culling. Finding a method that is socially acceptable to horse lovers seems to be an impossible task. Farmers and graziers have had their sheep and cattle locked our of the high country because of the damage caused by their hooves. Access is a thorny question which is not helped by the ever growing herd of wild horses which have claimed the high country as their preserve.
Today it has been displaced by the automobile. There are still riding schools in the outer suburbs and near country areas but the sight of horses grazing on vacant land has almost disappeared from our cities. The only place where they are now plentiful seems to be in the Kosciuszko National Park - and that is causing an ecology problem.
There were no horses in Australia before the First Fleet arrived in 1788. They are an introduced species to this country and the first to escape into the bush happened in 1804, sixteen years after their introduction. That was the start of the massive herd of wild horses that now run free in the high country and whose hooves are doing irreparable damage to the delicate wetlands and slow growing alpine vegetation. We estimate that there are at least four hundred thousand wild horses in central Australia and six thousand are breeding in the high country and the numbers are completely out of control.
These alpine and sub-alpine areas are particularly vulnerable to the hard hoofed horse. It compacts the earth around streams and ruins the soil, and horses distribute the seeds of invasive plants and weeds to areas they visit. One of the endangered species under threat from horses is the Corroboree frog.
A battle has raged between scientists seeking the protection of our alpine areas and conservatives protecting these wild horses as to what needs to be done to reduce the numbers. In the past, culling programmes have mainly been by way of poison baits or marksmen shooting horses from helicopters. Both are seen as cruel and bring heated opposition from horse lovers.
There are ongoing plans to capture young horses and domesticate them for sale but progress is slow and this will never substantially lower the ever growing numbers. The final determination of the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee comes into conflict with a decision by the state government to protect the wild horses in the Kosciuszko National park. As a result, conservative elements will boycott nominations to sit on the Wild Horse Community Panel tasked with finding a solution to this problem.
It is obvious that the numbers need to be reduce and that can only happen by some sort of culling. Finding a method that is socially acceptable to horse lovers seems to be an impossible task. Farmers and graziers have had their sheep and cattle locked our of the high country because of the damage caused by their hooves. Access is a thorny question which is not helped by the ever growing herd of wild horses which have claimed the high country as their preserve.
Tuesday 4 December 2018
Saving Babies !
A century ago childbirth was an event of high risk to mothers and such deaths were quite common. The mortality rate for babies born prematurely was also high because we simply lacked the ability to care for them. In todays Australia, survival rates for both mothers and babies achieves comparison with the top of world standards.
Unfortunately, even when the birthing process was successfully achieved some infants died young because their mothers lacked the ability to produce enough breast milk. In that day and age the answer was a " wet nurse ". The family would engage a young woman who was still breast feeding a child and pay her to share it to save their child.
Modern medicine has progressed to the stage that incredibly immature babies are successfully saved with the use of mini-cribs and advanced resuscitation. Some born at just nineteen weeks gestation and weighing as little as 260 grams not only survive but grow to be healthy adults.
Todays early arrivals are immediately transferred to the maternity hospitals neonatal intensive care unit ( NICU ). The problem is that the mother's body is not yet prepared and ready to commence milk production because of the early nature of the birth. It seems a fact of life that natural mother's milk helps lower the risk of life threatening gastrointestinal Necrotising enterocolitis ( NEC) compared to milk formula. NEC is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in infants in ICU's and in 2016 thirty-six babies died of NEC in Australia.
Last weekend the NSW Health Minister opened a milk bank in Sydney that will go a long way to solving this problem. It will be run by the Red Cross and it will seek donations from mothers with excess to supply this desperate need. The bank would abide by international best practice and safely collect, process, test and distribute the milk which would be pasteurised to destroy bacteria and viruses. Only four of the twenty-five NICU's in Australia have a milk bank on site.
This seems to be an area of life saving appeal which is destined to grow. Our medical system would grind to a halt without the services of the blood bank and that is run entirely on a volunteer basis. It is comforting to know that should we have the misfortune to be involved in an accident where survival rests on a blood transfusion the blood bank stands ready to supply that need.
This milk bank requires the support of nursing women who find they are producing more than their child's need. Exactly the same mantra applies to milk donations as to that other institution - the blood bank. Eventually, someone in our family or a close friend is likely to have a need of that same service.
Unfortunately, even when the birthing process was successfully achieved some infants died young because their mothers lacked the ability to produce enough breast milk. In that day and age the answer was a " wet nurse ". The family would engage a young woman who was still breast feeding a child and pay her to share it to save their child.
Modern medicine has progressed to the stage that incredibly immature babies are successfully saved with the use of mini-cribs and advanced resuscitation. Some born at just nineteen weeks gestation and weighing as little as 260 grams not only survive but grow to be healthy adults.
Todays early arrivals are immediately transferred to the maternity hospitals neonatal intensive care unit ( NICU ). The problem is that the mother's body is not yet prepared and ready to commence milk production because of the early nature of the birth. It seems a fact of life that natural mother's milk helps lower the risk of life threatening gastrointestinal Necrotising enterocolitis ( NEC) compared to milk formula. NEC is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in infants in ICU's and in 2016 thirty-six babies died of NEC in Australia.
Last weekend the NSW Health Minister opened a milk bank in Sydney that will go a long way to solving this problem. It will be run by the Red Cross and it will seek donations from mothers with excess to supply this desperate need. The bank would abide by international best practice and safely collect, process, test and distribute the milk which would be pasteurised to destroy bacteria and viruses. Only four of the twenty-five NICU's in Australia have a milk bank on site.
This seems to be an area of life saving appeal which is destined to grow. Our medical system would grind to a halt without the services of the blood bank and that is run entirely on a volunteer basis. It is comforting to know that should we have the misfortune to be involved in an accident where survival rests on a blood transfusion the blood bank stands ready to supply that need.
This milk bank requires the support of nursing women who find they are producing more than their child's need. Exactly the same mantra applies to milk donations as to that other institution - the blood bank. Eventually, someone in our family or a close friend is likely to have a need of that same service.
Monday 3 December 2018
The Big Con !
Boxing fans who paid big money to sit ringside at the Horn-Mundine fight might have mixed feelings on whether they got their moneys worth. The event didn't last the full first round and was over in less than two minutes, and it was hardly an even contest between two boxers.
A scowling Mundine whetted attitudes for a grudge match when he mildly assaulted Jeff Horn at the obligatory press conference days before the event, but that is part of the showmanship that fight promotors demand to entice people to put bums on seats ringside and pay big money for the privilege.
At 43, Mundine is far past his best as a boxer and that was evident when he failed to land a single decent punch on his opponent and this " fight " could best be described as Mundine defending himself from a cascade of punishing blows. A left hook connection sent him crashing to the canvas - and the fight was clearly over.
Anthony Mundine is known as " the Man " because he has been controversially in the limelight for most of his life. He extols his Aboriginality and the media can rely on a controversial comment to raise the ire of many on just about any subject. He was particularly outspoken and made many enemies over his views on the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers.
If any label can be attached to Mundine is would probably be " news junkie ". He had his time playing Rugby League, but without any spectacular success. He was more successful as a boxer with 48 wins and nine defeats, although most of these fights were not memorable. " The Man " was better known for his tongue than his fists.
Anthony Mundine made it clear before this match that he would retire if he lost the bout. In all probability this was a calculated risk. He was risking his health stepping into the ring with a younger and fitter opponent with clearly superior boxing skills. The reward each fighter will receive has not been disclosed, but perhaps Mundine regards it as his superannuation payout to cover his old age. The risk factor was to survive the fight without permanent physical damage.
Mundine and Horn were gracious after the event. Some of his detractors will get a degree of satisfaction at his summary defeat but the public is interested in what he has to say and on a lot of subjects he does make a lot of sense. What seems certain is that Mundine will continue to voice his opinion - and the media will report it.
Anthony Mundine is one of those " characters " which find a place in Australian folklore. He has the ability to constantly " reinvent " himself and while his boxing days may be over he will still loom large on the Australian scene.
A scowling Mundine whetted attitudes for a grudge match when he mildly assaulted Jeff Horn at the obligatory press conference days before the event, but that is part of the showmanship that fight promotors demand to entice people to put bums on seats ringside and pay big money for the privilege.
At 43, Mundine is far past his best as a boxer and that was evident when he failed to land a single decent punch on his opponent and this " fight " could best be described as Mundine defending himself from a cascade of punishing blows. A left hook connection sent him crashing to the canvas - and the fight was clearly over.
Anthony Mundine is known as " the Man " because he has been controversially in the limelight for most of his life. He extols his Aboriginality and the media can rely on a controversial comment to raise the ire of many on just about any subject. He was particularly outspoken and made many enemies over his views on the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers.
If any label can be attached to Mundine is would probably be " news junkie ". He had his time playing Rugby League, but without any spectacular success. He was more successful as a boxer with 48 wins and nine defeats, although most of these fights were not memorable. " The Man " was better known for his tongue than his fists.
Anthony Mundine made it clear before this match that he would retire if he lost the bout. In all probability this was a calculated risk. He was risking his health stepping into the ring with a younger and fitter opponent with clearly superior boxing skills. The reward each fighter will receive has not been disclosed, but perhaps Mundine regards it as his superannuation payout to cover his old age. The risk factor was to survive the fight without permanent physical damage.
Mundine and Horn were gracious after the event. Some of his detractors will get a degree of satisfaction at his summary defeat but the public is interested in what he has to say and on a lot of subjects he does make a lot of sense. What seems certain is that Mundine will continue to voice his opinion - and the media will report it.
Anthony Mundine is one of those " characters " which find a place in Australian folklore. He has the ability to constantly " reinvent " himself and while his boxing days may be over he will still loom large on the Australian scene.
Sunday 2 December 2018
Youth Input on Global Warming !
This week thousands of schoolchildren walked out of their classrooms and gathered in central Sydney for a noisy demonstration protesting the inaction on global warming. Like most of the rest of the world, Australia is dragging its feet in making the legislative changes that are necessary if we are to halt and turn back this relentless rise in world temperature.
In many ways this inaction is an age demographic. The pundits are prophetising the calamities that will hit humankind in increasing severity from about mid century and middle aged people have a comforting feeling that they will be dead by the time the worst of this happens. The politicians know that action plans will be disruptive and unpopular and so they avoid making practical decisions now in the hope that they will be out of office by the time it happens. Without doubt, it is the children of today who will encounter the effects of their inaction.
In Australia, the problem is clear to see. The electricity sector remains the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions but the tally continues to shrink as coal fired power stations close and renewables take up more of the load. Unfortunately it is counter balanced by the rapid increase of natural gas production emission gains, which include those from oil, coal and gas extraction and processing. These jumped 5.2% for the year just ending.
The other big annual increase came from stationary energy sources which take in the manufacturing, mining and commercial sectors. These also rose by 5.2% over the year and seem likely to continue that rise in the future.
A critical issue awaiting decision is the fate of the proposed Adani coal mine in Queensland. World finance has walked away from providing the funds to develop this new mine which involved a new train line to bring the coal from the rich Galilee basin to the coast for export to India. We now know that the mine is likely to be self financed and reduced in size, but opening a new coal mine is the exact antithesis of what is needed if greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced.
The lure for Australia is the likelihood of about seven thousand well paying jobs and the royalties that will be gained from coal extraction. Had the original mine proposal gone ahead this would have been our biggest coal mine and even in its present form it will still see a massive increase in national coal production. Science is warning us of the calamity we will face unless we reduce gas emissions by leaving coal in the ground.
No doubt some of those kids attending the Sydney demonstration were enjoying the freedom of a day off school but there is little doubt that global warming is sending warning signals right before our eyes. The nightly news brings evidence of raging forest fires and homes destroyed. Weather events are moving off the scale and the north pole is fast becoming ice free in the northern summer. Those claiming global warming is " crap " are fast losing a following in the minds of intelligent people.
The fact that the kids are now involved is likely to raise the global warming issue a notch or two. What sort of world are we leaving for our kids and grandkids ? Kids demanding action on global warming may be the stimulant that forces action where it has been missing for a very long time !
In many ways this inaction is an age demographic. The pundits are prophetising the calamities that will hit humankind in increasing severity from about mid century and middle aged people have a comforting feeling that they will be dead by the time the worst of this happens. The politicians know that action plans will be disruptive and unpopular and so they avoid making practical decisions now in the hope that they will be out of office by the time it happens. Without doubt, it is the children of today who will encounter the effects of their inaction.
In Australia, the problem is clear to see. The electricity sector remains the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions but the tally continues to shrink as coal fired power stations close and renewables take up more of the load. Unfortunately it is counter balanced by the rapid increase of natural gas production emission gains, which include those from oil, coal and gas extraction and processing. These jumped 5.2% for the year just ending.
The other big annual increase came from stationary energy sources which take in the manufacturing, mining and commercial sectors. These also rose by 5.2% over the year and seem likely to continue that rise in the future.
A critical issue awaiting decision is the fate of the proposed Adani coal mine in Queensland. World finance has walked away from providing the funds to develop this new mine which involved a new train line to bring the coal from the rich Galilee basin to the coast for export to India. We now know that the mine is likely to be self financed and reduced in size, but opening a new coal mine is the exact antithesis of what is needed if greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced.
The lure for Australia is the likelihood of about seven thousand well paying jobs and the royalties that will be gained from coal extraction. Had the original mine proposal gone ahead this would have been our biggest coal mine and even in its present form it will still see a massive increase in national coal production. Science is warning us of the calamity we will face unless we reduce gas emissions by leaving coal in the ground.
No doubt some of those kids attending the Sydney demonstration were enjoying the freedom of a day off school but there is little doubt that global warming is sending warning signals right before our eyes. The nightly news brings evidence of raging forest fires and homes destroyed. Weather events are moving off the scale and the north pole is fast becoming ice free in the northern summer. Those claiming global warming is " crap " are fast losing a following in the minds of intelligent people.
The fact that the kids are now involved is likely to raise the global warming issue a notch or two. What sort of world are we leaving for our kids and grandkids ? Kids demanding action on global warming may be the stimulant that forces action where it has been missing for a very long time !
Saturday 1 December 2018
Defining " Sexual Assault " !
The Medical Board of Australia has seen fit to announce revised boundaries to regulate the physical examination of patients by doctors. It seems that there is a fine line between what could be termed " unwarranted physical examinations " which could be defined as sexual assault. These guidelines give clear parameters for physical examinations and social media use.
Many male doctors insist on the presence of a nurse when examining a female patient and it now explicitly requires the patient's consent if any other person is present. Emergency room doctors face the dilemma of not being able to obtain that consent when an unconscious patient is delivered by ambulance. Frequently, such a patient is being attended by several medical people simultaneously.
The Royal College of General Practitioners warns that these guidelines could deter doctors from performing routine examinations, delaying diagnosis and putting patients at risk if they are misused to support unwarranted claims of sexual misconduct. That " consent " obligation also applies to doctors doing rounds in hospitals accompanied by medical students which often involves the examination of wounds to determine the healing process.
The prevalence of sexual assault claims in the general community make safeguards necessary but a court just dismissed a sexual assault charge against an elderly patient suffering from dementia.
This 96 year old man had paid carers treating him in his own home and he was accused of sexually touching them inappropriately. Dementia is an insidious disease that destroys both reasoning and guilt and sexual indiscretion is common in group homes caring for dementia patients..
In one recent case, two such patients clashed and this led to a physical confrontation in which a man in his nineties was attacked by a man in his seventies, causing the death of the older person. It is most unlikely that a charge of either murder or manslaughter will proceed because of the diminished mental responsibility involved. If death in a fist fight by those suffering dementia is so excused it is hard to see how sexual assault can not receive similar treatment. People suffering advanced dementia are clearly not responsible for their own actions.
Unfortunately, there are a small number of doctors in a highly regarded profession who misuse their examination of patients for sexual gratification. As a consequence, the professional standards that apply to doctors are quite explicit and this Medical Board revision takes them further. In conducting a physical examination the doctor must very carefully explain what he or she intends to do and why that is necessary. Consent must be ongoing.
Perhaps the most important thing is the feeling of rapport between doctor and patient. If that is missing the patient would be well advised to terminate the consultation - and seek the services of another doctor.
Many male doctors insist on the presence of a nurse when examining a female patient and it now explicitly requires the patient's consent if any other person is present. Emergency room doctors face the dilemma of not being able to obtain that consent when an unconscious patient is delivered by ambulance. Frequently, such a patient is being attended by several medical people simultaneously.
The Royal College of General Practitioners warns that these guidelines could deter doctors from performing routine examinations, delaying diagnosis and putting patients at risk if they are misused to support unwarranted claims of sexual misconduct. That " consent " obligation also applies to doctors doing rounds in hospitals accompanied by medical students which often involves the examination of wounds to determine the healing process.
The prevalence of sexual assault claims in the general community make safeguards necessary but a court just dismissed a sexual assault charge against an elderly patient suffering from dementia.
This 96 year old man had paid carers treating him in his own home and he was accused of sexually touching them inappropriately. Dementia is an insidious disease that destroys both reasoning and guilt and sexual indiscretion is common in group homes caring for dementia patients..
In one recent case, two such patients clashed and this led to a physical confrontation in which a man in his nineties was attacked by a man in his seventies, causing the death of the older person. It is most unlikely that a charge of either murder or manslaughter will proceed because of the diminished mental responsibility involved. If death in a fist fight by those suffering dementia is so excused it is hard to see how sexual assault can not receive similar treatment. People suffering advanced dementia are clearly not responsible for their own actions.
Unfortunately, there are a small number of doctors in a highly regarded profession who misuse their examination of patients for sexual gratification. As a consequence, the professional standards that apply to doctors are quite explicit and this Medical Board revision takes them further. In conducting a physical examination the doctor must very carefully explain what he or she intends to do and why that is necessary. Consent must be ongoing.
Perhaps the most important thing is the feeling of rapport between doctor and patient. If that is missing the patient would be well advised to terminate the consultation - and seek the services of another doctor.
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