Britain walks away from Democracy !

It is quite clear that consensus on the Brexit withdrawal from the EU is impossible to obtain in the United Kingdom.   The deal former prime minister May worked out with EU leaders was repeatedly rejected in the Westminster parliament and that led to Boris Johnson, a " no deal " proponent moving into 10 Downing street.

Johnson has embarked on a bold and dangerous ploy.  He proposes to prorogue the British parliament for the five critical weeks before the deadline for Britain to exit the EU  on October 31.  Basically, that takes the decision making out of the hands of the men and women elected to run the country and puts the final decision entirely in the hands of the prime minister and his cabinet.

Technically, a British prime minister acts as Lord President of the Privy Seal and has the power to dissolve parliament but must first gain the approval of the Sovereign.   It is reported that Queen Elizabeth has granted that approval.   In the eyes of many of her subjects, Britain has turned its back on democracy and Boris Johnson is assuming the role of a dictator.

There is little doubt that this dismissal of parliament will find wide disfavour from most of the factions with a view on Brexit.  It is already bringing protesting crowds into the streets and this could easily grow to the extent that it paralyses the economy.  The EU has firmly stated that no further extensions will be granted and it now seems inevitable that Britain will leave the EU on October 31. Without an agreement in place, a "no deal " exit will automatically happen.

The original  referendum narrowly decided on withdrawal and the voters were assured that this could be achieved fairly harmoniously.  A " no deal " withdrawal now seems to deliver the worst possible outcome.  It is a complete step into the unknown and it might deliver the sort of chaos that increases unemployment and delivers a shortage of food and pharmaceuticals.  Unfortunately, Britain's leaders have stubbornly refused to put the matter to another referendum now that the cost of Brexit is becoming clear.

There is every chance that discontent may see a repeat of the unrest that is roiling Hong Kong.  This is the sort of issue that draws massive civil disobedience and the final outcome can not be predicted.  We may see police manning water cannons and firing tear gas on the streets of London.  This has the seeds of " revolution " and the mood of the crowd may change rapidly.   The Britain we know may be swept away and the very cohesion that resulted in a " United Kingdom " may come to an end.

Britain reached its zenith in the heady days of empire.   That empire is now gone and Britain is trying to find a new standing in world affairs. It is obvious that its people hanker for the glory of their past and they have a distaste for incorporation in Europe.  Unfortunately, this is leading to a lack of wisdom and the rest of the world will be mere spectators at this saga runs its course.

Buying Votes !

The latest scandal to emerge from an ICAC enquiry is about to cost the ALP's general secretary her job.  It seems that a Chinese billionaire with close ties to Beijing simply trotted into ALP headquarters bearing an Aldi shopping bag that contained a hundred thousand dollars in Australian banknotes and Kaila  Murnain accepted the cash and did nothing.

The new leadership of the ALP professes to be " shocked " that this illegality was allowed to happen. Political parties are always desperate for donated money to pay for advertising prior to elections and we have firm laws about who is - and who is not - allowed to donate.   That law is supposed to stop grubby little exchanges where money in paper bags are exchanged in a "nod and a wink " arrangement that the donor's interests will get favourable treatment in the parliament.

The ALP was considered in with a good chance of winning both the state and the last Federal election and the unexpected loss unseated both the leaders who took the party to those elections. Both of the new leaders will be very keen to disassociate themselves from this breach of the electoral code and obviously the axe must fall on an appropriate head.  The general secretary's admission of guilt makes that choice obvious.

It will be interesting to see if the general secretary's demise is enough to lay the matter to rest.  This was clearly a law breach and she allegedly reported it to a rather controversial Labor Senator and consulted a lawyer for advice, and both are keeping a low profile.  Political donations that are outside the law are a constant source of innuendo across the entire political spectrum.

In the past this donation of money was usually from local institutions trying to buy political favour.  The emergence of Facebook and the internet has widened that intrusion and we have both China and Russia actively using social media to influence thinking when it comes to the election results in foreign countries.   It is suspected that Russia succeeded in swaying the outcome in the 2016 American presidential election.

The Australian voter is a lot more discerning that the politicians give them credit for. Now that the " fake news " epidemic has been exposed it will be much less effective but we will never entirely rid the system of money interests seeking to guide the way we vote.  Money can always be disguised in a form that is legally acceptable unless public donations are entirely barred.

The more stories like this hundred thousand dollar bribe in an Aldi bag emerge the more people make their election choice after careful consideration. They are an exceptionally canny lot.   Looking back over past history they usually managed to put the appropriate party into office to deal with the circumstances that prevailed at that time.

Politics are in safe hands when it comes to the Australian voters choice  !

 

The Risk of Travel !

When we visit a foreign country we do so in the understanding that we will be subject to that country's law for the duration of our visit.  That law may be quite different to the law that applies here in Australia and ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Most Australians who visit China emerge unscathed and enjoy their visit but the arrest of an Australian citizen is now straining relations between the two countries.   The difference is that this citizen had Chinese ancestry before becoming an Australian citizen and he is a writer who is critical of the Chinese government.    He and his wife were frequent visitors in recent years until he was detained - and has now been charged with espionage.

Yang Hengjun has been held in a Chinese prison for seven months without any reason being given and without any charges being laid, and during that time he has been refused access to his lawyers or to visits from his wife and other family.  His wife is an Australian citizen and she has been prevented from leaving the country.  She is not under arrest, but she has been refused process through any Chinese airport.

The Chinse justice system is opaque.  Statistically, ninety-nine percent of those who appear before a court are found guilty and judges obey the instructions of the government.   In many cases the hearings are held in a closed court and are not reported in the Chinese press.  The death penalty is on the books for espionage cases, but in reality most sentences are for a term in prison, with the longest recorded  for twelve years.

That word " espionage " has a lot of different interpretations in the mind of the Chinese Communist government.   Dissent is forbidden and the media is tightly controlled. This arrest and charge comes at a difficult time for China's Communist rulers.   The old British colony of Hong Kong is in open rebellion against a law that would allow Hong Kong residents to be taken to the mainland and dealt with in a court there.  Nearly half the population has turned out in protest marches and China has marshalled police and troops at the border and is threatening force to restore order.

There is deep suspicion that what Yang Hengjun has written is what has riled China's  Communist rulers.  No doubt when his case goes to court he will be accused of obtaining " state secrets " and that  could be anything from photographing government buildings to taking extracts from the official census.  Espionage is anything the government chooses to be a state secret.

Our diplomatic representatives in Beijing will continue to demand access to Mr Yang and the Australian press will follow the story, but China will claim that espionage is an internal matter and there is really no action Australia can take, except vigorous protest.

That is the risk we take when we decide to visit another country.   When he are on their territory we are subject to their law.  That is something to be taken into account when contemplating travel.  We would be wise to think through if anything we have said or done could be construed as a threat or could arouse their enmity.   Otherwise, the fate that overtook Mr Yang may await us !

A " Person of Interest " !

There is no doubt that the disappearance of William Tyrrell, the " Boy in the Spiderman outfit   " has gripped public interest since he went missing from his grandmothers home in 2014.   Every twist and turn of the search has been carried out under the gaze of television cameras.  There has been wide speculation about how this crime may have occurred and who is responsible.   There is deep suspicion he may have been the victim of a paedophile.

Unfortunately, investigations that attract public interest also have the ability to brand perfectly innocent people as perpetrators when they are named as a " person of interest " during the investigation.  That can be devastating when no further explanation is forthcoming and in the public mind there remains a widespread notion of " guilt ".

Just such an association befell a man named Bill Spedding.   On the day of the abduction, he called at the grandmothers house to give a quote for the repair of the family washing machine.  Mr Spedding is a self employed repair contractor and he drives a white van which a neighbour  reported seeing suspiciously moving on a bush track that day.   That report was later amended to " a van similar to the one used by Mr Spedding ".

Naturally the police investigated Mr Spedding.   They searched his home and his van but did not publicly clear him. Calls to his repair business fell away sharply when that " person of interest " designation appeared in the news.  It seems that the police are taking no action to publicly clear his name and let him get on with his life.  Families are not likely to ask a repairman to come to their homes when publicity appears to name him as a possible criminal paedophile.

The police time William's disappearance as happening at 10-15 am on that day and give a possible ten minute each way window.  Bill Spedding is able to prove that he and his wife, Margaret paid for coffee, a citrus tart and a croissant at a Laurieton café at 9-42 on that morning.   They paid with the couples joint bankcard which recorded the exact timing.

They then went across the road to Laurieton public school to witness an assembly in which a family relative received an award.  A local milkman gave evidence that he observed them at that event.  There does seem conclusive proof that Bill Spedding could not possibly have been at Benaroon drive when the abduction took place.

It seems that the only way Bill Spedding can get relief from this association with the William Tyrrell disappearance is to sue the police, either for malicious prosecution or for tort of misfeasance in public office.  If that happens the police will defend the action and engage high profile lawyers to act in their interests - paid for from the public purse.  Bill Spedding is put in the position of having to go to court to prove his innocence.  What happened to that maxim of "  Innocent until proved guilty "  ?

Naming a person as being a " person of interest " carries with it an association of guilt.   We need a law change to prevent the police naming " persons of interest " unless they are prepared to actually lay charges.  Otherwise, police carelessness can ruin innocnt livers  !

A " Skills " Shortage !

We hear constant gripes that there are no jobs out there and yet the New South Wales Chamber of Commerce tells us that there were 82,000 job advertisements this year compared to just 54,000 last year and that a 2019 Workforce skills survey found that 55.4% of employers can not find the people with the right skills to employ.

One thing that seems to be outstanding is the failure of our education system to produce students who are ready for the job market and it seems that too many of our educators have a fixation on university study.  This is coupled with many parents telling their children that the only way to higher paid jobs is to train at university.   As a result, we are seeing a drop out rate and many disillusioned young people with no job prospects and a big HECS bill hanging over their head.

Some of this is a throw back to an old image of " class ".  The " professional " was seen as a cut above a " working class " job holder and hence those employed in what were termed " the trades " were " blued collar workers " as opposed to " white collar professionals ".   In todays world, the trades are desperately short of workers and those with skills now earn a better living than many professions.

Perhaps one of the problems is the preponderance of women in the teaching profession.  Many kids encounter mainly female teachers throughout their school career and traditionally the trades were a male enclave.   They are unlikely to find teachers from a trade background who can explain the benefits of the apprentice system and the job opportunities offering, and this is where there is a big skills shortage waiting to be filled.

It is usual that career choice occurs during the final years kids are at school and it is vitally important that this mix of university or the trades gets adequate exposure, and that is not happening at present. If the only people dealing with career choice are pushing university then it is inevitable that many who would be better suited temperamentally to the trades will never discover the opportunities for the promising work career they offer.

Sadly, our education system is now skewed in favour of university and this is doing a serious disservice to those better suited with working with their hands as opposed to working with their heads.  We are now seeing many choosing university study that does not have a promising career path or which may be overtaken by the threat of redundancy caused by the constant innovation that is taking place.

Employment is waiting for those who can bring the right skills to the job front.  We need to reform the education system to open up the training opportunities so that the right choice can be made from all the opportunities offering.

A Timely Warning !

When homo sapiens first emerged from the jungles of Africa they were few in numbers and their " hunter/gatherer " lifestyle had little impact on the planet.  Now the world census is somewhere about the seven billion mark and it is a reasonable question to ask just how many people is this earth capable of sustaining ?

That is not the problem in the developed world.  Family size has shrunk to below replacement numbers and it is not uncommon for many families to make a conscious decision to remain childless.  The wonders of birth control have not penetrated to many parts of the planet, or are not permitted by quite a few religions and consequently we are fast heading towards an over populated planet.

The need for both food and wealth is creating a new danger to the human race.  We are fast clearing away the lungs of the planet and nowhere is this more evident than in Indonesia and Brazil.  Desperate farmers are using fire to clear trees and vegetation to create new cropland and when the weather conditions permit this can be clearly seen from the space station.

During the fire season in Indonesia this chain of islands is wreathed in smoke from deliberately lit fires.  This is a combination of corporations clearing land for new palm oil plantations to individual farmers trying to crib a bit more land for subsistence farming.  It is against the law but the perpetrators mask their arson and claim natural causes.

The situation in Brazil is even more perilous.   The Amazon is the biggest patch of untamed greenery on the planet and it is fast disappearing.  Once again the reason is commercial land clearing for the valuable timber and for food crop land.   The Brazil government has come under pressure from world leaders and the army is being deployed to help stamp out these fires.  Unfortunately, a deliberately dropped match in the right wind and weather conditions can result in uncontrollable fires.

We are well aware that we have a problem with human activity increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and that this is responsible for global warming.  Science is now telling us this removal of plant matter will have a reduction in the amount of oxygen we breathe.   This oxygen is being constantly replenished as vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide and replaces it with oxygen.   If we seriously reduce the plant matter growing on this planet we will reduce the ability to refresh the air we breathe with new oxygen.

It can't get more basic than that.  Trees and other vegetation are the lungs of the planet.   The process of photosynthesis absorbs carbon dioxide and generates oxygen, and we are seriously altering the ratio of plants necessary to maintain the balance necessary for human life.  A planet without oxygen would be very similar to Mars.

The higher we go in the air the less oxygen we encounter and where the jet planes fly there is insufficient for humans to survive.   Unless we provide sufficient tree cover we will eventually have thinner air at ground level.

That is a very good reason to put those fires out  !

A " Volcanic " Visitor !

Next year the east coast of Australia will receive a phenomenon that some religious people may construe as a plague heralding the end of the world.  A massive field of floating pumice stone will wash onto our beaches and the continuous wave action will erode it away until it becomes beach sand.

Pumice is something we equate with volcanoes and it is something to be feared.   In 79 AD the Mount Vesuvius volcano on the Italian coast erupted and sent a shower of pumice high into the air.  This drifted across a waterway and settled on the coastal city of Pompeii.   Those pumice flakes coated both the houses and the population and they were entombed and forgotten, until in recent times we started to exhume this relic from the past.   We now have a window into the type of society that existed at the time of the great Roman empire.

The world is encircled by volcanoes in what we call the " ring of fire " and that runs through Indonesia to our north.  We envisage a volcano as a mountain with smoke coming from its peak but the biggest surface of planet earth is the sea and there are many volcanoes hidden beneath the oceans.
It is one of these in the Pacific that has erupted and disgorged a huge amount of pumice that is now floating on the surface,

The timing of its arrival here can not be accurately predicted because its movement will be governed by wind and currents, but there is an expectation that it will be early next year and probably during the height of our summer.  It is quite probable that it will take the form of a huge carpet of floating pumice stone, giving the impression of land stretching to the horizon.   That is not so unusual as we would suppose.    We regularly get pumice washed up on our beaches, but this is in far greater volume than we have experienced before.

This news is creating excitement amongst scientists tasked with trying to save the Great Barrier reef from bleaching caused by increasing air and sea temperatures.  There is the expectation that a floating raft of pumice may save the reef by shading it from the sun and allowing it time to regenerate, but that will depend on how long it takes wave action to grind it back to sand.   Even a brief respite this coming summer would be helpful.

We are a nation versed in water sports and what is heading our way is a step into the unknown.  We will have to learn to live with a raft of pumice on the water surface and we have no idea how long this will last.   It will obviously be subjected to the actions of wind and tide and beach deposits will vary accordingly.   Mixed with cement, this pumice may be a useful ingredient where sea walls are needed to stop beach erosion.   Ground to a powder it may become a useful ingredient for the building industry.

This seems to be another of nature's blessings.  It will certainly be welcome if it saves the Great Barrier reef.  Undoubtedly, some clever people will find a way to make money from its presence.

A " Hotter " Planet !

When the first fleet arrived in 1788 one of the first things sought was coal.   Without that mineral the blacksmith could not apply his trade and such a source of energy was vitally important to the new colony.  Fortunately the problem was solved early when a group of sailors became shipwrecked on the  south coast.

They wisely surmised that if they followed the coast they would arrive safely in Sydney and on the way they discovered a seam of coal sticking out of a cliff at a point they named " Coalcliff ".  Initially, this was mined and supplied to Sydney by small boats but eventually it resulted in the railway linking Sydney and Wollongong.

From that humble beginning, Australia has developed a massive coal export industry.   It is Australian coal that keeps the lights on in China, Japan and India and consequently we are indirectly responsible for the buildup of  carbon dioxide that is causing global warming.   At a time when global warming is becoming critical, we are opening new mines and expanding the amount of " black gold " we are sending oversea

A warmer planet means rising sea levels and many of our Pacific ocean neighbours will lose their land mass to the sea.   They implore us to save their homes by cutting back on coal exports but unfortunately that can only be done by a substantial impact on our standard of living.   Coal mining delivers many well paid jobs for the Australian workforce and is an important contributor to our economy.

We defend our reliance on coal exports by claiming that the Australian contribution would be quickly replaced by exports from other countries if we ceased exports.   It is true that coal is mined widely throughout the world, but here in Australia it is near the surface and can be mined economically.  Those new mines due to come on stream will grossly expand the volume of Australian coal that is adding to carbon problem.

The attitude of the Australian population is quixotic. Those near coal mining centres are enthusiastic for the jobs and income mining will deliver and the attitude of those further away swings behind the ecology factor.   The " Global warming is crap " sentiment is fading as temperature records are broken and it becomes evident that we are living on a hotter planet.

The market for coal is about to change dramatically.  China is in a deepening tariff war with America and this may lower their energy needs, but at the same time India seems likely to take up the world manufacturing slack as it power grid expands.   That expanding Indian coal market could deliver an extra four thousand well paid Australian mining jobs and put another $ 3.4 billion into the Australian economy.

It looks like we will become a pariah to our little Pacific neighbours as we ignore their plight and cater to our economic advantage.   What is becoming abundantly clear is that despite all the promises and lip service no real effort is being undertaken to halt global warming.   We are rapidly passing the point of no return and the world will have to learn to live with a hotter planet.

When push comes to shove all the major countries that are polluting the world are too scared of the backlash from their citizens if they did implement the measures that would hold world temperature to a 1.5 degree increase.     Any change in that situation seems unlikely  !

The " George Pell " Appeal !

This week  George Pell's appeal failed and instead of walking out the door of Victoria's highest court a free man he will return to his prison cell where he spends twenty-three hours of each day in protective custody.

That may not be the end of the matter.   His legal team and his many supporters are now considering a further appeal to the High Court of Australia and that will depend on the High Court agreeing to review his conviction.

Pell will certainly be encouraged that his appeal was not unanimously rejected.  Three senior judges heard the case and two decided he should remain in prison while the other gave a dissenting opinion. It all boiled down to the evidence of elderly victims in contrast to the claim that the Cathedral where the offences allegedly took place would not be without observation - and the robes worn by a Cardinal would preclude such sexual activity.

It is rare for the convicted in the Australian legal system to simply accept the sentence handed down by their judge and serve that sentence without  launching an appeal.   They are encouraged by the number of times a technicality uncovered results in the conviction being set aside or the prison sentence being substantially reduced.   It is usual for this review to be the sought in many courts and for a high number of reasons.

Any appeal to the High Court of Australia involves punishing legal costs.  To be successful it contends the applicants team of highly paid barristers  doing combat with the legal minds that will decide the issue.  This is not something undertaken lightly and many people will be curious about who will be paying George Pell's legal bill  ?

A priest takes a vow of poverty and chastity and in old age becomes the recipient of the grace and favour bestowed by his church.  In retirement, George Pell would normally look forward to church provided accommodation in a comfortable home with other elderly priests. Instead, he is a convicted prisoner and will spend several years in a prison cell.

Many people think that George Pell's conviction was more a case of public opinion being placated by him being offered up as a substitute for the sins of his church in covering up paedophile activities within the priesthood.  It was Pell who had his hand on the amount of compensation offered and he could certainly be criticised for parsimony.

Like any other convicted criminal, he has the right to appeal his conviction.   As his employer, the Vatican could reasonable be expected to provide a degree of financial support and it is likely that prominent legal barristers may make their services available pro bono because of the publicity this man will inevitably attract.

Unfortunately, in many minds  George Pell and the Roman Catholic church are inextricably moulded together as the transgressor of church paedophile activity that has persisted for centuries.  This conviction relates to a specific event of which he is accused and that alone is the reason he is now a convicted prisoner.

He is entitled to that evidence review  !

That " Asset Test " !

There is an enigma facing the average home owner when it comes time to implement some sort of retirement plan.  Under the rules that govern the aged pension the value of that home is excluded from the assets test - as long as they continue to live in it.

The price phenomenon that covers homes is all about where that home happens to be located. Sometimes a very modest little home on a quarter acre block of land could sell at a multi million price tag if it is located where the rich and famous have chosen to live.   As any Real Estate agent will tell you.   Price is all about " position  "  !

If the home is sold with the owner moving into aged care some of that asset money changes into a refundable bond.  That bond continues to be part of the pension asset test and that usually means the recipient receives  a part pension, reduced because their assets exceed the limit for a full pension.  At the same time, the fee charged for aged care accommodation is set by the government and attracts a daily premium based on that persons assets.

Not only does that pensioner receive a lower pension, the fee for aged care whittles away what is left.  As a consequence, we have many extreme aged pensioners struggling to live in their homes because they are frightened to sell - because of that pension asset test.  It seems inevitable that the government will eventually have to include the family home so that the asset test covers every thing that person owns - without exclusions.

When compulsory superannuation was introduced the aim was to create an asset that would tide the average wage earner over as a self funded retiree but the move to casual employment replacing the old concept of permanent employment is changing that geographic.   The privilege that applies to housing and the asset test is further distorting the true nature of " assets "  !

The time is fast approaching where this whole question of retirement income needs a reappraisal with longevity as part of that review.  In particular, the provision of concessions for pensioners needs a wider application because we now have many self funded retirees struggling with a reduced asset base but which excludes them from the pension.

In fact, home ownership is now becoming a form of superannuation in its own right.  Many expect to be paying off that asset for the majority of their working lives and when they face retirement that will be their major asset.  It is essential that the rules in place allow conversion from home ownership to managed aged care be undertaken within a clear working formulae. The present distortions make that impossible.

This housing price phenomenon seems to be a work in progress.   The degree to which it has progressed in recent years is amazing and nobody can accurately predict where it will be in the future.  It is certainly distorting the entire pensioner spectrum.

Is " Bodyline " Bowling Back ?

When former test captain Steve Smith took a hit on his neck and fell to the pitch cricket fans looked on in horror.  Memories flooded back to November in 2014 when a similar accident killed Australian great Philip Hughes.   Cricket is supposed to be a contest between gentlemen.  Some may be wondering if this is the return of that infamous " bodyline " bowling tour from 1932-33.

That was when Don Bradman regularly made centuries and in desperation the touring English side decided that bowling at the stumps was so ineffective that a change of tactics was required.  Their fast bowlers were tasked with bowling at the batsman in the hope that contact with a fast delivered bowling ball would be their undoing.

Cricket today remains a contest between bat and ball but what the crowds come to see is the skill of the fast bowlers.  Ball speed is actually measured by radar and commentators are jubilant when a really fast ball is delivered.   If that delivery is a shade " short " then the ball is likely to make contact with the batsman's head and that is considered  a legitimate delivery.

All Australian sports are now conscious of the risks of concussion.   The rules have been changed and it is now required that players must leave the field after a head clash.  Steve Smith was cleared of concussion and returned to play, but later a second evaluation detected damage and he was rested for a day.   The fact that he was not wearing special neck protection and relied on the standard players helmet is now a talking point in cricket circles.

A batsman would not think of going to the crease without pads to protect his legs from the impact of cricket balls, and most would also wear groin protection and a helmet is now standard attire.   Some have added neck protection which came into vogue as a result of Philip Hughe's death, but it is far from universally accepted.   Some find it uncomfortable and constricting but we are now seeing regular contact with cricket balls that pose a risk of serious injury.

That " bodyline " bowling tactic back in 1932-33 was considered unsporting but it is evident that bowlers today have the expectation that some deliveries may make contact with the batsman - and not the bat.   The umpires would intercede if they considered that too many of a bowlers deliveries had that intent.

There is no suggestion of putting a limit on bowling speed, but it also seems possible that safety regulations may end up with batsmen shuffling to the pitch encased in body armour.  That would certainly detract from the appeal of the game as a spectator sport but is seems reasonable that helmets with neck safety may be made mandatory.

The degree of protection required must be a decision by the individual and that depends on the skill acquired.  What the spectators go to watch is the contest between bowlers and batsmen and cricket is not supposed to be a blood sport  !

Tne End Of - Oil !

It seems that we are on the cusp of an avalanche of electric cars pouring out of the car factories and the petrol station will disappear from the landscape.  We would do well to remember that the era of oil is a component of our more recent history.

At the start of the 1700's the oil we craved came from whales.  Used in oil lamps, it delivered a white light and an absence of smoke but it was expensive and only available for rich people.  The peasants made do with candles that they made from wicks immersed in cooking fat.  In those days they went to bed when the sun set.

The oil bonanza started when American settlers discovered it under the prairie and this coincided with the start of the industrial revolution  and James Watt's steam engine created locomotives capable of bringing the newly discovered oil to refineries, but what they distilled was not petrol.   It was kerosene that fuelled the lamps of that era and brought in the innovative age of education and enlightenment.  Steam driven trains were the means of delivering kerosene across nations.

The start of the twentieth century saw the start of the car era and Henry Ford created the assembly line that brought personal transport into the reach of ordinary citizens.  The search for new oil deposits became frenetic and the advent of two world wars saw it firmly embedded in the arms industry.  Military strength can not move without an adequate supply of both petrol and oil to fuel its engines of destruction.

No wonder car manufacturers and governments are reluctant to force electric cars on the public.  This immense oil industry is structured around the petrol tax dividend to governments offsetting the other oil raw material that flows to the huge plastics industry.  Without the tax levied on petrol the refining of crude oil would need to be spread across everything else derived from that oil base - and that is everything from the thin membrane wrapped around the food we buy to most of the garments we wear.  Just look around the home and office.   The world of plastics is everywhere and the price is subsidized by the tax we pay on petrol.

Perhaps the electric car will alleviate one of the thorniest problems afflicting humankind.  Plastic is so cheap that it is widely used so indiscriminately that our wasteful habits with it are polluting not only the world oceans, but the land and even the air we breathe with minute particles.  Within half a century we anticipate the waters of the ocean will contain so much plastic that it will equate with the quantity of fish.

We may be heading into an era that sees the end of "cheap" plastic.   If the price doubles or trebles we will have an incentive to use other less polluting material, and we will have to fit those price increases into our standard of living.   The move to electric cars will not be without cost.   It is probably inevitable, but we would be wise to contemplate the costs and balances before we wave goodbye to the internal combustion engine  !

A Misogynist Comment !

" Shock  Jock  " Alan Jones chose to target the prime minister of our closest ally across the Tasman when he suggested that Scott Morrison should "  shove a sock down her throat ".   Apart from the crudity, that remark would probably have gone unchallenged except that the target of his ire is a woman.

Jacinda  Ardern was a surprise appointment when New Zealand's election  delivered a change of government and this young woman became one of the few world leaders to have a child while holding her country's top job.   She is also one of the few women to appear in the lineup of powerful men who represent the nations of the world at power forums.

A lot of anger has been vented at the internet and the Facebook phenomenon for the distribution of fake news to influence the way we think but before this electronic marvel burst on the scene we had that old perennial - the radio, and with that came influence changers like Alan Jones.

In the world of radio the presenters live or die according to their standing in " the ratings ", and that depends on how many listeners they draw each time they go to air.   Alan Jones draws listeners to his station because he is controversial. He deliberately goes out of his way to inflame public opinion because that is the bait that gets listeners to tune to his radio station.

What is surprising is that Jones if still drawing audiences.  That shock jock era was back in the latter half of the twentieth century and in that era he did battle with a man named John Laws.  Laws was probably the more famous and was widely known as the " Golden microphone ".  It was not uncommon for either to be threatened with law suits for what they were saying publicly on air.

The older generation may remember the day when a chance comment suggested that a big building society was in financial trouble and might soon be closing its doors.  That was taken so seriously that within an hour queues were forming outside branches and citizens desperately sought to withdraw their money.   It became evident that a " run on the bank " was in progress and it took New South Wales premier, Neville Wran speaking to the crowds with a loud speaker to assure them that their money was safe.

It seems that this misogynist comment by Jones drew a response from station management and he has been told that a repeat could see his contract terminated. Jones is on dangerous ground when he insults the powerful women's movement.  Political affinity is put aside whenever a woman attains a position of power and the sisterhood rallies to her defence.  It will be interesting to see what effect this has on his listening audiences.

The " Dismissal " !

It was a " breaking news "  moment that coincided with the anniversary of the end of the first world war.  On November 11, 1975 the Governor General of Australia dismissed Gough Whitlam as prime minister and consequently removed his Labor government from office.

That was a time when some people feared Australia might be facing civil war.  The rebellious Senate had blocked the money supply the government needed to govern and the nation had slipped into a constitutional crisis.  The governor general was the monarch's direct representative and had what is termed the " reserve power " to step in and adjudicate in such a matter.

This dismissal brought angry crowds onto the streets.  The voters who had put Gough Whitlam into the Lodge in Canberra and installed his Labor government in office were incensed that a monarch in another country could reverse their decision.  It was claimed by the other side that Whitlam was in breach of the constitution and his government was certainly creating lurid news headlines.   It was claimed he was trying to borrow money from an Arab source to fund his government to overcome the Senate blockade of funds.

The crisis was finally settled with a general election that upheld the governor general's decision, but this dismissal still rankled.   Now - forty-four years later - it is again in the news because the correspondence between Governor General  John Kerr and Queen Elizabeth is safely locked away in our National Archives.   Under the terms of Kerr's will it will not be released until 2027 and even then it is possible the Queen may forbid disclosure.

This has degenerated into a court battle which has reached the High Court.   This correspondence was between the Monarch and her direct representative in Australia and as such it is claimed to be " personal ".   It can also be construed that the governor general was an employee of the Monarch and as such he was seeking instructions on how he should proceed.   That question could reengage hostility to our acceptance of " the Crown " as our formal head of state.

Queen Elizabeth has wide affection by the Australian people and it is generally accepted that thought of becoming a republic will await the end of her reign.   It is highly unlikely she will still be alive in eight years time when this correspondence will receive public scrutiny and that would be a fitting end to the controversy.

When a different monarch sits on the throne in London it will be an appropriate time to revisit those events of 1975.  The fact that it remained unresolved for forty-four years indicates the lack of urgency  !

The " Prescription " Obstacle !

We are well aware that many country towns and the suburbs of our biggest cities have a long waiting time to access a doctor.  This shortage of general practitioners has caused some country areas to provide positive incentives to try and attract medical services to setup in their area but in Australia  doctors seem to prefer to practice in the wealthier suburbs.

Even when the number of GP's offer bulk billing there are still many people who rarely see a doctor and rely for their health needs on the local pharmacy.  The training for both doctors and pharmacists is similar and the only difference is that pharmacists do not charge for that advice.

Pharmacists are now calling for the right to provide GP-like services for which the public can claim rebates on the Medicare system.   In particular, they want to provide vaccinations for people who intend to travel overseas, prescribe the contraceptive pill  and treat common complaints such as urinary infections and erectile function.

The medical profession will fight this proposal tooth and nail.  Doctors hold a honoured place in our society and they claim that if pharmacists want to be doctors they should go to medical school.  Doctors claim that they have the diagnostic skill to detect underlaying causes and refer patients to the next tier of specialists who treat those diseases.  Anything less would put patients at risk.

All this boils down to that emotive word - competition.   Doctors claim a stranglehold on providing medical advice and this is cemented in place by law, but that impregnable wall has already been breached.  Pharmacists have been granted the right to prescribe and administer flu shots as a necessity to get the public immunised before the peak of the flu season.

It is surprising that the contraceptive pill is still an item that needs a prescription.  In most other countries it is now an " over the counter " item but here we still insist that women see a doctor and that is fast becoming an unnecessary experience.   Similarly, if we intend to travel overseas the vaccinations necessary relate to the country to be visited and this is public information.

Ideally, the pharmacist should be the conduit between the public and their doctor.  The pharmacists training enables them to detect symptoms that indicate the need for medical intervention and they urge such people to consult a doctor.  Often, it is such advice that results in doctor adverse people finally getting the medical help that they need.

There seems a certain inevitability about this reform.  We are seeing areas which lack doctor availability and medical services which have past the need for a doctors signature on a prescription.. Good medical practice will be achieved by putting such supply in pharmacists hands.

Shonky Apartment Buildings ~!

An enquiry into the New South Wales building industry starts this week and high on the agenda should be the disaster that has engulfed the one hundred and thirty two families who have the misfortune to be owners of apartments in Mascot Towers.   These are now homeless people because they have been locked out because building faults have been discovered and it will take at least a ten million dollar levy to make the complex once again habitable.

All the concerned authorities who have input in how this has been allowed to happen seem to be whistling " Dixie " and studiously avoiding questions about who is financially responsible for clearing up this disaster.  Eventually, that is something that will have to be decided in a law court.

As things stand, individual apartment owners are being asked to contribute their share of that ten million dollar repair cost or walk away from the investment, but even so they could be pursued by the body corporate and face bankruptcy.   The alternative would be decided by gaining approval for such a loan and undertaking the weight of its repayment for the rest of their lives.

As a matter of common justice the area of responsibility is quite clear.  The building regulations that apply in this state are put in place by the parliament and over the years that has been  the province of changing political parties.  Those laws divest responsibility to councils to apply the law and they in turn require compliance from builders, building product manufacturers and statuary bodies such as the fire brigade.  Each is required to sign off on the finished building to signify it is ready for human occupation.

Quite obviously that procedural requirement has failed in the case of Mascot Towers.  The government is the body with the power to enforce the regulations it puts in place, and so the rectification cost of returning this building to habitability lays at parliaments door.   The fact that an unknown number of buildings may have similar faults does not alter that responsibility.

The one certain outcome of putting this rectification on the public purse is the motivation for the parliament to tighten its oversight of building regulations to ensure building stability.and that is the expectation that citizens have when they sign up for the biggest purchase of their life when they buy a home.

It is the lack of adequate supervision that has allowed building practice to deteriorate and only the government has the deep pockets to pay for rectification.  The people who bought apartments in good faith have a right to expect protection.

The government enacted the building code. If they didn't enforce it they are stuck with the job of fixing the outcomes  !

Carnage in the CBD !

Without warning, the Sydney CBD  became a killing zone on Tuesday when a twenty-one year old man with a history of mental illness launched a knife attack on anyone within his reach.   In six minutes of terror one woman was dead and another stabbed in the back as she innocently made her way along a city footpath.

Spectators heard the killer shouting " Allahu  akbar " which in Arabic means " God is great " and had every reason to believe that this was a terror attack.  Three brave men tackled the crazed man, brought him to the ground and pinned him down with street furniture until the police arrived.  The stabbed woman was then rushed to hospital by paramedics under lights and siren.

A search revealed that the knife attacker carried a USB stick with footage of recent terror attacks in the United States and New Zealand.  He had no known links to terrorist sources but did have a long history of mental illness.   This could be construed as a " copycat " incident sparked by the recent news headlines around the world.

In many ways, this is a testament to firearm safety in Australia.  The mentally ill are not able to simply walk into a sporting goods store and buy an assault rifle with a multi round magazine.  There certainly are guns being traded on the black market but they are very expensive and mostly consist of hand guns and stolen sporting rifles, unable to deliver the carnage of a military weapon.

The weapon this man was able to arm himself with was the type of butchers knife found in most kitchens.  That is a deadly weapon, but it has the limitation of only being able to be used on one victim at a time.  This rampage was restricted to one dead and one wounded before brave citizens took down the killer.

Unfortunately, this type of incident is not unusual.  A policeman was stabbed by a mentally disturbed man at Central station recently and there have been several incidents where people armed with knives have been shot by police when they posed a threat.  The relatives of the mentally ill complain of inadequate services to bring a mentally ill loved one under control when help is needed.

There are few restrictions on the availability of knives and the mentally ill can access a range of individual weapons.   One woman recently walked into a Seven Eleven armed with an axe and attacked several people.  Unfortunately an attack by the mentally ill can occur anywhere - even on the streets of the central city where we would expect to be safe.

Despite the horror of this Sydney attack, we can have a degree of satisfaction in the knowledge that our gun safety laws limited the casualties to just two people.   Hopefully, this will lead to improvements in the medical response to treating the medically ill in urgency situations.

The Fate of Hong Kong !

There were such high hopes back in 1997 when Britain handed Hong Kong back to China.   What was in  place was a fifty year deal under the maxim of " One country - two systems " which would allow the people of Hong Kong to have their own legal system, run their own affairs and have independent relations with other countries.  Of course that deal was signed off by the man then running China and Deng Xiaoping was a reformer quickly taking China into a golden age when capitalism was mixed with communism and China was creating a new middle class of rich people.

Xi Jinping has an entirely different outlook.  His China is more aggressive and its economy is directed at building military strength to reinforce the grip of the Communist party both within and without the country.  That freedom in Hong Kong is something of a burr under his saddlecloth and he has been systematically stripping it away since he assumed power - and the people of Hong Kong have been resisting.

Suggested imposition of a law that would allow Hong Kong people to be placed before a court in mainland China and tried and convicted under its opaque justice system brought nearly half the entire population of the old colony onto the streets in protest, and it caused the Beijing appointed administration to back off in alarm.

That protest is continuing unabated and a new objective is taking hold.  That " One country - two systems " agreement with Deng Xiaoping had a time duration of fifty years and was not unlimited.   It is due to expire in 2047, in just twenty-eight years time and if Xi Jinping has the patience to wait rule from Beijing will automatically curb Hong Kong's freedoms.

This is fast building into a fight to carve Hong Kong permanently off from the mainland and give it its own independent entity, and that would be anathema to Xi Jinping.  The Chinese media is not reporting this Hong Kong unrest but it would be impossible to suppress if the PLA was sent into Hong Kong with orders similar to the massacre in Tiananmen square in 1989.   Those protesters are playing a dangerous game in the hope that they can reach some sort of compromise that will preserve their limited freedom from further encroachment by Beijing.

This is fast developing into brinksmanship of a very dangerous nature.  The millions of people who are still demonstrating in Hong Kong have certainly got world attention and they are showing no inclination to disperse and all this is coming at a time when this tariff war could bring job losses in mainland China if exports are restricted.   The Communist ruling elite are getting nervous  that dissent could spread to the masses and eventually there must be a military solution.

The protesters must realise that complete independence is impossible and settle for a reasonable compromise.  Otherwise, the  incursion of the PLA will set off a massive refugee outflow which will further inflame the anti-immigrant element in other countries and create a hostile diaspora of Han Chinese with ill will to their mother country.

Unfortunately, the people who have tasted freedom are reluctant to knuckle down to the conformity that the Communist system imposes.

" School Zone " Speed Limits !

It seemed a good safety idea to limit the speed of traffic near school entrances where kids concentrate at the start and finish of the school day.  The only problem seems to be getting drivers to obey that forty kph speed limit.

New South Wales is the only state to have backed school zone speed restrictions with a combination of flashing light speed limiting signs and what are called " Dragon's teeth " road markings to alert drivers and yet these zones are still constantly disobeyed.  The state has installed 127 fixed speed cameras to calm traffic and of these  57 are in school zones and the heavy fines and loss of demerit points automatically apply to offenders..

One of the areas of confusion is that school speed zones only apply when schools are active and the school year is heavily divided with a number of long school holidays and there is a curious application of restrictions on days when schools have what are called " pupil free days ".  Only teachers are attending school and the pupils are still on holiday, and yet speed restrictions are still enforced.

Fine analysis delivers some interesting statistics.  On an average school day 8.8 percent of the traffic stream is travelling above that 40 kph speed limit, but on the first week of resumption after school holidays that jumps to 15.5 percent and only reduces to 14.1 percent in the second week.  It seems that only drivers with school kids in their families are aware of the timing of school holidays.

Another peculiar anomaly is that often the speeding car is driven by a parent either dropping their kids off at school or arriving to collect them after and that car will also ignore both parking and stopping restrictions that apply as school safety measures.  The very people who should be most aware of school safety are often the worst offenders.

A lot of people take issue with the timing of school area restrictions.  That one hour and a half  between 8 and 9-30 generally covers when kids arrive  at school but most schools cease at 12 noon on some days with the afternoon given to sport.   That is not a school activity, hence the kids either go home or attend a distant sporting venue.  There is also wide variation in timing during that 2-30 to 4 pm restricted speed when it comes to school closure.   It seems to be a " one size fits all "  timing that seems to apply.

We are fast reaching the stage where the accessories in modern cars include communication equipment capable of alerting drivers to speed restrictions that apply in their immediate location.. Perhaps those afternoon restrictions need to apply to the timing applicable to individual schools. Then those flashing warning lights would have the degree of urgency that drivers would heed.

Contact Sports !

It seems that there is a " Barbarian " instinct buried deep in the psyche of humanity that was recognised by the type of entertainment available to the public in the days when the Coliseum was the focal point of the ancient Roman empire.   Slaves fought one another to the death and the victor looked to the emperor for a sign that decided his fate.   If the emperor thought he fought well and signalled " thumbs up " he lived.   Thumbs down rejection meant immediate death.

We live in a more enlightened age today.  In most civilized countries the death penalty has been struck from the law books, but what attracts big crowds is still the physical clash that delivers injuries.   Crowds pay big money to gain a seat at world heavyweight boxing tournaments where big, muscled men do their utmost to deliver physical injury to one another.   The aim is to do sufficient damage to prevent the bout continuing and the spectators salivate and applaud as each blow lands.  The sight of blood brings a crescendo of applause and the fighters earn huge rewards for putting their lives at risk in this sort of contest.

Some of the contact sports that draw crowds in Australia originated in the schoolyards of England.  This game between schoolboys became a contest between grown men and today the players are recognised as " professionals " and they earn the sort of salaries normally bestowed on movie stars.  Rugby League and Rugby Union draw big crowds to matches and an even bigger audience watches the games on television.   The highlights that draw applause are clashes where individuals come into bodily contact with one another.  We are now finding that these often result in life threatening long term injuries that shorten the life span of the contestants.

Now what were termed " men's " sports are being played by the fairer sex and these clashes are delivering similar injuries.   The combination of fame and monetary rewards is a big incentive to players and the pundits are surprised at the audience numbers women's sport is drawing.  There is a growing movement to bring money equality to parity between the genders.

At the same time, sports administrators are working to  reduce the damage delivered by concussion.  The rules now require players to leave the field after a head clash and the long term solution may be helmets added to the uniform but the big question is whether safety will quell the blood lust of the watching crowd.

Sport is a huge business interest in Australia and the enigma is whether contact sport can survive if the clashes are diminished.  The big money and fame will always attract young men to put their lives on the line but if regulations delete the action the crowds pay money to watch these contact sports will go into decline.

It seems that audience interest is little changed since the days when the Coliseum was the big event in Rome !

The " Justice " System !

Once again we have a criminal ending the sentence imposed by a judge and technically ready to be released back into the community.  The problem is that the people tasked with judging his rehabilitation are certain that he has not been reformed and they are trying to find ways to delay his release on parole.

This man was the leader of a rape gang that horrified Sydney when the details emerged in his trial.   He was seventeen at that time and his speciality was luring schoolgirls to an isolated location.  Car loads of other young men were then summonsed by mobile phone to where he and  several raped the girl while others watched and cheered.  Weeping girls were asked if they liked it " Leb style " and were usually humiliated by being called an " Aussie Pig ".

In 2000 this man received a prison sentence of 33 years, reduced to 22 years on appeal and with an 18 year non parole period. Reviews by the Serial Offenders Review Council conclude that he still blames the victims for his offending, has no victim empathy and refuses to take responsibility for his actions

This is the paradox of our legal system. Our definition of justice insists that when the prison term imposed for a convicted crime expires the offender is automatically released, despite the prison people who know him being certain he will return to his former way of crime.   No doubt he will be required to wear a location bracelet for a time, but there is a limit to the degree of supervision that can be imposed.

It is inevitable that this man will regain his freedom to walk the streets of Sydney and given his known state of mind, it is probably equally inevitable that he will reoffend.  We are deliberately setting a rapist loose - simply because we have no other option under the law.   What does that say to the victims who will have the misfortune to encounter this person when that freedom is gained ?

It is surgically possible to ensure that a rapist is unable to repeat that crime but we seem squeamish in handing that option to the courts.  We would actually be doing a favour to a person with an over developed sex drive that was out of control and would inevitably spend more   time in prison for repeated offences.

It would also provide the courts with a sentencing option.  A reduction in the time served in exchange for the surgical procedure that ensured the crime would not be repeated.  It would serve the admirable purpose of making the punishment fit the crime in a practical way !

Threat to Pharmacies !

The Health Minister is negotiating a new five year agreement with the powerful Pharmacy Guild of Australia.  This is expected to be concluded by December and will come into effect in the middle of 2020.   One of the questions being debated is whether there are too many chemist shops serving the public and  whether health costs would improve if the numbers were reduced ?

That argument revolves around discounting.   In recent years the pharmaceutical industry has been challenged by the emergence of bulk supply warehouses offering cut prices to move stock quickly.  They are prolific advertisers and one of the incentives offered it a one dollar reduction on the price they charge for pensioner scripts under the PBS.  That price is set at $6.50 and all pharmacies are entitled to offer the discount, but few do.

The Pharmacy Guild represents the 5,700 local pharmacies across Australia and it is usual to find several  competing for business in each shopping centre.  Many have expanded their range of merchandise widely and there is some criticism that many stock very doubtful alternative health products with higher profit margins.   We are constantly seeing folk medicines and herbal supplements taking up additional shelf space.

Pharmacies are under pressure from supermarkets who increasingly offer non prescription medication at discounted prices.  It is the friendly pharmacist who often is the sole provider of medical advice to the vast number of people who never see a doctor, either because of cost or the lack of available services in their area.  Sometimes it is whole families that rely on the local pharmacy for medical advice and this is a service that has high value.

We would be well advised to remember what happened to the electrical goods industry when the discount chain phenomenon rolled into Australia.  Every suburb had electrical shops selling refrigerators, washing machines and the full electrical assortment and customers were enticed away by the Norman Ross chain offering almost unbelievable discount prices.  They and their competitors formed a sales group that forced those small electrical shops to close their doors and today we no longer shop locally for those big ticket items.   It would be very easy to see pharmaceuticals contract to a similar bevy of discounters in close proximity to one another.

Unfortunately the outcome of this battle between the existing pharmacies and the discounters will be decided by public support and not by government diktat.  It seems inevitable that some weaker pharmacies may close if trade ceases to deliver a living to their proprietors but we now live in the discounting age and the discounters will attract those prepared to suffer a little inconvenience in exchange for a price saving.

That is a conundrum best left to settle by natural attrition.   The sheer volume who rely on pharmacies for medical advice are likely to preserve the status quo  !

Postal Service Retreat !

At the time of Federation in Australia the post office was the principal means of communication and the purchase price of a stamp ensured that a letter would be delivered for that price anywhere in the country.  That could range from the letterbox of a house in the same street to the most remote village on the other side of the country.

In those early days it was the reliability factor that was important.   The mail travelled by whatever means of transport then existed but the post office had a reputation for integrity.  Eventually, the introduction of air mail shortened that time span and we are now accustomed to our mail bridging the difference between countries in just a matter of hours.

Towards the end of the twentieth century it became glaringly apparent that letter distribution was under stress.  The commercial world was changing its billing practice at the same time that mobile phones and the computer were changing the way we communicated with one another.  The number of letters in the post dropped dramatically - and the price of stamps steadily increased.

That reached its zenith four years ago.  To remain viable the cost of a postage stamp increased from seventy cents - to a dollar.  That increase in billing cost was the incentive for most Australians to embrace other communication methods and the rate of letters processed by the post office is now making the cost of stamp price increases imperative.   It will shortly cost an additional ten cents.

The postal service has found a competitive edge in parcel delivery.  As the letter flow continues to decrease it seems inevitable that eventually letter delivery will be integrated with those vans delivering parcels and we will see the discontinuation of the delivery person calling at each house in every street on a daily basis.  Each letter will then be a courier item and priced accordingly.

It is now apparent that the main user of the postal service is the aged demographic which has not embraced the mobile phone, computer or tablet and which  is stubbornly  resisting direct debit means of paying bills.  The passage of time constantly thins this aged component and postage costs have been discounted for those on an aged pension and for the traditionalists who continue to exchange Christmas cards.   Concession stamps are available at just sixty cents and the Christmas card rate at the end of this year will be set at 65 cents.

Unfortunately, stamp costs impinge on more than just letter delivery.  Many magazines are delivered through the postal service and we are seeing the end of print versions that are being replaced by online versions.  Similar online news distribution is affecting the sale of printed newspapers.  It is inevitable that increased postage costs will result in the commercial world embracing other means of direct personal contact and the letter rate will continue to retreat.

The days of seeing a post person on a motorbike putting mail in your letterbox is fast coming to an end.

" Unfair Dismissal " Law Review !

Many business owners are reluctant to fill vacancies with " permanent employees " because if that person turns out to be unsuitable they may face a long and costly action under the " Unfair Dismissal " code.  They seek safety by filling such vacancies with " casual " employees and we now have thousands whose job could be described as " permanent casual ".   They have worked for the same  employer for a number of years without a status change.

Under Australian law a permanent employee is entitled to superannuation cover to build a retirement nest egg while a casual gets an increased hourly rate to compensate for that omission.  Most working on a casual basis encounter a reluctance by the banks to approve home loan applications.  That " permanent " classification is the test of stability that the lending institutions very obviously favour.

Now the Ombudsman has called for a change to those unfair dismissal laws to make it easier for employers to terminate staff who steal or are drunk at work without having to face a lengthy tribunal hearing.  The present unfair dismissal laws are  slanted very sharply in favour of the employee and the Ombudsman is in position to view whether the law is presently fair to both sides.

The sheer number of cases proceeding to examination is a worry.  In the first three months of this year 3583 unfair dismissal complaints were received and just 172 were presented to the commission for judgement.   Another 111 were dismissed because they were without merit or deemed legally invalid and the rest were settled by mediation.   Less than one percent were backed by the industrial umpire.

An employer expects that the people who work in his or her business are honest and diligent.  It is expected that they will be reliable and turn up on time and be dressed appropriately.  That is not an unreasonable expectation and if it is not met the employer has a legitimate reason for the termination.  It now seems that even the most glaring misconduct by the employee will result in an unfair dismissal claim.

Those unfair dismissal laws were put in place to protect employees against arbitrary dismissal, but some employees think they have a right to a job in almost any circumstances.  Unfortunately, it is this reliance on unfair dismissal laws when some sections of the workforce refuse to comply with reasonable standards that is killing off permanent jobs and replacing them with casual positions.

Th Ombudsman does have a point.  Unfair dismissal does impose obligations on both employer and employee - and there are circumstances where dismissal is justified !

Caring for our Most Vulnerable People !

Aged care is a business and like every other sort of business it needs to pay the wages of its staff on time to keep the doors open.  Having the money in the bank to meet the costs depends on whatever level of aged care it provides having a healthy fee structure in place and being run by management on an economic budget.   When that fails the outcome for the residents involved and their loved ones is simply a disaster.

The places that can never close their doors and cease providing services are our hospitals and many would argue that nursing homes fit into a similar category.  A nursing home is usually the last stage of aged care and their residents are helpless people who rely on the care provided to survive.   That is a level of care that can not be interrupted for even an hour without the possibility of fatal consequences.

We now learn of the incredible events that overtook the sixty-eight residents of a nursing home on the Gold Coast which closed without warning in July.  It had been wracked by a dispute over wages with the result the staff walked off the job while lunch was being served when it became clear that any further pay was uncertain, and at the same time creditors were arriving to recover service items subjected to unpaid debt.  The computers and patient records disappeared from the nursing home office and removalists were on site with instructions to remove patients beds.

Fortunately, a sub contractor providing services had the good sense to phone 000 and ask the ambulance service to come and collect as many residents as possible.  This dispersal saw some residents moved to a nearby motel and others reclaimed by their loved ones and it is quite possible that ownership of the nursing home may change hands and see services restored.

This is a timely warning. There are a vast number of privately owned nursing homes scattered across Australia and these are a similar essential service to the emergency department in hospitals.  In this case the end result of financial instability saw staff simply walk off the job and helpless patients becoming abandoned.  That is an intolerable situation which could quickly result in fatalities.

A nursing home needs a license to operate and as part of that licensing regime its financial health needs monitoring.  If a nursing home is unprofitable there is every chance that food and patient care will deteriorate and government intervention with the threat of the license being revoked  may bring a change of ownership or management improvement.  It should not be allowed to deteriorate until the event that happened on the Gold Coast becomes inevitable.

Nursing homes are essential emergency services,.  As such, their financial ability to operate needs to be as closely monitored as the level of patient care provided.  If either falls short of the standard required intervention would ensure that closure happened in an orderly manner and avoided that near disaster on the Gold Coast.

Carnage - for Fame !

The two most recent mass shootings in the United States were carried out by relatively young white men and each had a different conclusion.  In one event the gunman was shot dead by the police, and in the other he dropped his weapon and raised his hands in surrender immediately he saw law enforcement officers arrive.

It is very easy to know what is in store for that gunman in police custody.  He will be inundated with offers from lawyers keen to represent him because he is now a celebrity and when he goes to trial the case will be heavily featured in the nation's media.  Representing a celebrity reflects fame on a spokesperson and such publicity builds the persona lawyers are desperate to create.

Despite the witnesses and photographic evidence, it is almost certain that this offender will plead not guilty.  His childhood and school days will be carefully dissected in court as the public tries to understand what caused him to inflict mass murder on unsuspecting shoppers.  He will have gained a forum from which he can exploit the racist agenda or white supremacist outlook that he will claim underpins his action programme.  It is probable that this will find affinity in other young minds because he presents himself as a hero.

The trial will become a public spectacle and the El Paso shooter will be tried under Texas law which may result in the death penalty.  All aspects of the trial and sentence will be subject to appeal and it is likely the shooter will spend decades awaiting the outcome of these endless appeals.  It is quite possible that he will become the subject of a book or a movie to exploit the public fascination with the death he inflicted on innocent people.  His face will become instantly recognisable because he will attract similar media exposure to the men and women who govern America.

What is chilling is the shortening time cycle in which mass shooting crime  is now occurring in America.  Coupled with the shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas was the  garlic festival carnage in Gilroy, California just a few days earlier.  In a country where access to automatic weapons is virtually without restriction the lure of fame may be drawing others into a race to see who can achieve the most casualties.     There is a very thin divide between fame and notoriety.

So far, America has rejected any meaningful restriction on the availability of military grade assault weapons.  The fact that a depressed economy is generating many people who lack hope of a well paying job and a bright future is fuelling the miasma of discontent that results in this type of atrocity that delivers fame that can not be otherwise achieved.

Sadly, this is now becoming the new normal so that a mass shooting will soon to pass to an inner page in the daily media presentation.  Along with the statistics on how many people die in accidents on America's congested highways.  Mass shootings are losing their news value.

Animals in Plague Proportions !

There is no doubt we have an escalating problem in our Kosciuszko National park.  Great herds of feral horses are destroying the bogs and streams that form part of the headwaters of the Murray/Darling rivers and there has been a hiatus in the programme to catch and relocate an estimated six hundred horses during the June and July window of opportunity.

Mustering wild horses can be dangerous and these winter months are usually the low point of the year for visitors to our alpine national park, and if the programme is carried out later it is more likely that the mares will be in foal.   Investigations show that many in this growing herd are in poor condition because the alpine meadows do not provide enough feed for the growing numbers,

The horse is an introduced species to Australia.  The early settlers brought horses and sheep to introduce a European lifestyle and this had a dramatic effect on soil compaction and the spread of unwanted horticulture.   What these animals ate was represented in their droppings and as they had the ability to roam over vast distances this pollution was widespread.

There are two distinctly separate problems.  Feral horses in the alpine high country of the Kosciuszko national park and feral Camels in the inland desert areas.  Both originated when animals escaped their masters and mated with fellow escapees to breed wild and free.  Both are reaching plague proportions and public opinion is sharply divided on how reduction in numbers should be handled.

There was a public outcry when the media ran pictures of marksmen in helicopters shooting horses to reduce the numbers.  It was inevitable that some would be wounded and face a painful and prolonged death and that approach was promptly banned.  In its place came a programme of containment and capture with the aim of domestication and a return to private ownership.   That is now awaiting the selection of members of an independent  community panel which is supposed to advise on this horse management programme.

That hiatus is purely political.   We are a nation of horse lovers and there is an adverse reaction to most plans that result in some form of extinction.  That ignores the damage horses are inflicting on the alpine park and the  competition camels have on both grass and water across the marginal grazing lands of our interior.   We also have a surplus of another introduced species - deer - in our national parks and this is intruding into the outer reaches of both Sydney and Wollongong.   It is not unusual for residents to find deer grazing in their gardens.

It is simply not possible to do nothing and allow these numbers to increase to the stage where sick and starving animals begin to self destruct.  Nature can be very cruel when it steps in to cull numbers out of step with the food supply.  A well planned human intervention would be the lesser end result to achieve the harmony of numbers.

" Sin " Taxes !

It was once the traditional end to the working day for men to drop by the pub and have a beer on their way home.  Those were the days when we faced " budget night " with fear.  Too often the bad news was a price increase in beer and cigarettes.

Over the years there has been a dramatic change in our drinking habits.  That visit to the pub has been replaced with taking a beer from the fridge when we arrive home and this is because of aggressive policing of the drink driving laws.  Both the advent of roadside breath testing and the immediate license loss for those exceeding .05 brought this change in drinking habits.

What is surprising is that the cost of having a beer in Australia compares very unfavourably with its price is many overseas countries and the reason is the tax levied by the government.   When we buy a carton of full strength beer this amounts to forty-two percent of the price we pay and that includes the GST.   Beer tax contributes $3.8 billion to the Federal budget's bottom line.

It is about to get worse.  The price of beer is subject to indexation and next week the twice yearly indexation will kick in and increase the price of draught beer by twenty one cents a litre.  The price of packaged beer will increase by thirty cents a litre and that will affect cans, stubbies and the long necks we traditionally keep in the fridge..

Surpisingly, the beer tax in Australia is much higher than the rate levied in most other developed nations.  The rate of $ 2.15 a litre for packaged beer compares with just 70 cents a litre elsewhere and we pay eighteen times more beer tax than Germany, eight times more than the US and  37.5 % more than the Brits.

Over the years both the consumption of beer and cigarettes were regarded by the Treasury as luxury items we chose to indulge and they were seen as subject to a " sin " tax.  By this measure, it was argued that the tax could be avoided by the taxpayer simply reducing  the amount consumed. It seems that these sin taxes have risen to draconian levels,.

The majority of both draught and packaged beer in Australia is now foreign owned.   The government is looking to ease beer taxation by lowering the rate charged to Australian owned craft brewers who battle to gain representation in pubs and clubs.   This industry segment has doubts that a tax decrease would result in cheaper prices at the bar.     Most owners think the saving would be invested in expanding their volume output and hence little would change in beer pricing.

It seems to be an inescapable fact that we are paying too high a price for our beer  !

Declining " Church Powers " !

The clash between the law and religion is in sharp focus here in New South Wales.   We are the last Australian state to still have a law that dates back to colonial days on our law books that forbids abortion and stipulates a ten year prison sentence.  This is a law that is widely disobeyed because in practice abortion here is freely available from abortion clinics because we choose to allow it in mitigating circumstances.

That stipulation contends that it is lawful when it is necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman or the fetus and it is in the attending doctor's discretion to decide whether mental health fits that exclusion from the law - and many do.  What has stirred the religious community is a private members bill to remove that antiquated law from the law books and give women the personal freedom to decide how many children they will deliver.

It is likely this law change will be decided by way of a conscience vote in the state parliament and religious leaders are lobbying to have it struck down.  If that were to happen, we would have the ridiculous situation of human practice continuing to disobey a state law and the abortion industry would be unabated.

It is quite clear that the population of Australia is becoming less religious and this is illustrated in each census.  The number of people who tick the " no religion " box is ever growing and the number who attend church services mirrors that decline.  When a voluntary plebiscite on same sex marriage was held the result ran contrary to the view expressed by the religious community and same sex marriage became the law.

Despite its retreat, religion is still a motivating force with many Australians but religion does not speak with a united voice.   Some religions were content to express their opposition to abortion but disregard the availability that was taking place.  The Catholic church is an implacable opponent and is leading the movement to disallow this law review.

What we should remember is that this is a vote to rescind a law that is not being obeyed, not a vote to put in place a new law that forbids abortion.   If this vote fails then virtually nothing changes, until public opinion forces it again to be considered by the parliament.  Politicians who resist the will of the people who elect them usually suffer accordingly in support at the next election.

There is a certain inevitability that this abortion restriction will be removed from the law in New South Wales.   It just depends if the current politicians are courageous  !

Abuse of the Elderly.

It is said that "money is the root of all evil " and nowhere is that more true when someone with a lot of it is nearing the end of their life.  A surprising number of people die without making a will and their estate is distributed according to the letter of the law.  Often this involves extensive research to discover who is related to the deceased.

Many families are split by acrimonious feuds and have not been on speaking terms for years.  As their health deteriorates they rely on close friends and they are often advised to sign a " power of attorney  " to authorise that person to act on their behalf.  That is a very powerful document and it transfers the ability to spend the money of the subject entirely at that power of attorney holders discretion.  No rules apply.

Often, at the time of the death of a wealthy relative, the rest of the family discover that his or her fortune has been dissipated.  Usually they have no recourse if a power of attorney was in force but if money has been gifted it can be subjected to a court challenge on the grounds that the mind of the owner had deteriorated beyond the ability to make rational decisions.

Just such a case is proceeding through the Supreme Court of New South Wales.  A man claims that his step daughter used her influence with her dieing mother to have two million dollars transferred to her account.   This 91 year old man is suing his 58 year old step daughter for skimming the  estate of her mother who was his wife for 27 years.

The withdrawals are alleged to have been made while his wife was suffering a cognitive impairment following brain surgery and the daughter was managing the couples financial affairs.  In this case, the fate of that missing money will depend entirely on the decision reached by the court.  No power of attorney is involved in this money transfer.

It delivers a powerful warning to people not to wait until extreme old age to make a  will.   That is a simple document that details how your estate will be distributed after your death and that can either be accomplished with the help of a solicitor, or by buying a will form from a newsagent, filling it in and having two people witness your signature.

In todays world Dementia is often a scourge that accompanies old age and a person suffering Dementia can not legally make a will or confer power of attorney.  It is common for people to select someone they trust and have a power of attorney lodged with their solicitor naming that person to act if Dementia affects their decision making ability.  Usually, that arrangement has been discussed with the person so named.

Unfortunately, estate abuse is rife amongst family members where money is concerned and the elderly are usually the victims.  It is a very good idea to put your estate in order at an early stage and not take the risk that health may impair your ability to do so at a later life stage.  A little pre-planning will ensure your wishes are carried out without interference.

Return of the Trams !

Trams served Sydney from 1879 until 1961 and ours was the second biggest tram fleet in the world, being only exceeded by the city of London.  By the end of this year they will return to our streets and these new monsters are the longest trams in the world at 67 metres, capable of carrying nearly five hundred passengers each at full capacity.

At present they are engaging in testing and speeds are limited to twenty kph but that sixty year gap between services is revealing a dangerous lack of tram culture.  In the years when we lacked trams we became accustomed to crossing gridlocked streets by walking through the stalled car stream. The innovation of both the mobile phone and the entertainment it provides makes us less aware of the world around us.

The motoring public are going to have to adjust to that old perennial - the tram stop.  At designated places each tram stops to enable new travellers to come aboard and those reaching their destination to alight.  That means anything from a lone pedestrian to a large group occupying the roadway and they will have right way over motor traffic.  That is a new form of road etiquette that we will need to learn.

In this testing stage it has become quite evident that car drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are finding the presence of trams a new experience.  There have been many near collisions because trams run very quietly.  Tram drivers are able to sound a warning signal but that can be masked by the usual traffic noise.  It is important that all forms of the travelling public become tram conscious and integrate this into their movement patterns.

  The battle between the car and public transport has developed into a matter of convenience.   The long daily commute and the battle to find a parking space when you reach your destination makes public transport an acceptable option.  This addition of trams to the mix of rail, bus and ferry transport improves both the time and cost factor that is adding more customers to the public system.

The car is still essential at the city perimeter to get people to the traffic hubs that intersect the city but the numbers using public transport daily now speak for themselves.   The return of the trams will restore that inner city equilibrium that no other form of transport can provide.

Now all we have to do in get used to them and avoid conflict as they come into service.