Drug Pushers !

Perhaps there is a fine line between the people who make illegal drugs available and are sought by the police and the legitimate industry that serves the big pharmaceutical companies.  The entire commercial world employs a sales force to move its products and nowhere is this more hotly contested than in the drug world.

The medical profession is well served by medical journals which provide indepth analysis of new drugs entering the market and expert comment on their benefits.   In some cases a new entrant is replacing an older treatment, but very often it is simply providing an extra benefit to other drugs and may be at a much higher price to generic counterparts.   That is something a medico may take into consideration when writing scripts.

Big Pharma employs well trained sales Representatives who visit doctors in their surgeries and promote their companies products.   In many cases these representatives come bearing gifts that may include expensive new diagnostic equipment or even items like a new Smartphone.   The aim is to achieve a cordial relationship and the hope that the doctor will favour that company's products.

A decade or so ago pharmaceutical promotions came under the spotlight when it was learned that many companies were holding medical conferences at exotic resorts.   Invitations to key doctors and their wives included air fares and while the conferences spanned several days, the actual medical briefings were sparse, leaving much time for holiday activities.  It was concluded that these were little more than bribes to influence the movement of the sponsors products - and they fell into disfavour.

Bringing a new drug to market comes at enormous cost.   The development process contains many hazards and there is a long delay while the testing process seeks any side effects and then come the work to gain a patent.  The company owning that patent can expect protection during the patent period and that will be a time of big profits, but once the patent expires competitors will be able to copy that formulae and market a generic product.   In most cases, the price will fall precipitously.

It is in the company's interest to heavily promote their patented drug during patent protection and that is why they deploy a sales force to achieve maximum penetration.  Many doctors do not readily accept new drugs and prefer to stick with older drugs that have served them well.   It is the task of the drug task force to change their minds.

We now learn that the drug companies are targetting nurses with lengthy medical conferences held at luxury resorts.   While nurses do not write scripts, they are hugely influential in most medical practices.  This seems to have been the line of approach with promoting the newly released Hepatitis C drug Daklinza.   That encompassed bringing seventy nurses to an educational conference at the luxury Langhams hotel in Melbourne.

The industry needs to watch carefully to ensure that product promotion remains within commercial guidelines.   Should it stray order the border and bring accusations of bribery - there will be consequences !

Life - After IS !

The "Caliphate " that  IS staked out in Iraq and Syria is shrinking.  Its creation was a matter of sheer luck.  A small band of Wahabist terrorists from Saudi Arabia took advantage of social media to project themselves as an unstoppable force and the western trained Iraqi army fled in panic, abandoning tanks, artillery and a trove of weapons that allowed IS to attract recruits and arm them with modern weapons.

The various tribes pushing them back are becoming more organized and IS is fast losing territory. When it seemed an unstopable force it attracted many western converts and it deliberately engaged in sickening cruelty which some young men felt as an attraction.    It is still attracting zealots, but the numbers of western converts is shrinking as the news depicts death and destruction reigning down on this terrorist army.

The western powers hoped to see the Middle East emerge as secular democracies.  Exactly the opposite happened.   The " Arab Spring " certainly deposed tyrants and there was a brief hope that better regimes would emerge, but everywhere except Tunisia new dictators seized power or the country remained a fighting mass of opposing tribes.   This Arab " revolution " simply changed the faces of those oppressing the masses.

This mess which is the Middle East was primarily caused by the victors of the first World War drawing lined on a map to designate countries with no regards to the religion or tribal loyalties of the people who lived there.  These divisions were drawn to suit their national interests and were maintained with military force.

Now the west is locked in battle trying to maintain those unrealistic divisions of territory into National countries.   This is fast developing into a power play.  America is training and arming the tribes which suits its purpose while Russia has committed air power to assist the Syrian dictator hold on to his divided capital.

Logic insists that if both the western countries and Russia completely withdraw then eventually the Middle East will settle into national groupings dictated by religion, race and customs.  Unfortunately, it will probably take years of internal warfare as regimes try and hold onto land that was never originally part of their domain.   It is also inevitable that there be vast movements of people as what will be new countries emerge.  At present, the dispossessed are heading to Europe in the hope of a better life.   That can be turned around once the prospect of tribes amalgamating along religious and customary lines becomes a reality.

Unfortunately, this will never happen.  Theoretically, the United Nations was supposed to be a symposium of equals who would adjudicate world problems as a world court.   The fact that five nations were granted super powers and equipped with the power of veto completely negated that possibility.    The oil in the Middle East and the control of that commodity ensures that there will never be great power agreement.

It seems that when IS fades into history the Middle East will still roil the world.

The " Boomerang " Comes Back !

Mike Baird thought he was on a winner when the sordid story of Greyhound trainers using live bait to "blood " their dogs broke in the media.    There was a wave of revulsion from animal lovers and this was concentrated in the city of Sydney.  It was more of a knee jerk reaction than a carefully thought out action plan when Baird suddenly announced that he was banning Greyhound racing from this state in 2017 and he expected plaudits from the voters.

The problem was that while Greyhound racing was losing appeal with city folk it was still widely supported in the bush.   It was the " battlers " sport and for those financially unable to even consider racing a thoroughbred horse owning a champion Greyhound was their ticket to fame and fortune.  They reacted badly to the ban.

How badly is now coming to back like the proverbial Boomerang and seems likely to hit the premier where it hurts most - causing a loss of votes.    It is also causing a damaging split in coalition ranks. The Liberals tend to hold city seats while their National partners are strongest in country electorates. Polling is revealing a disastrous drop in National support and the party is aware that the issue is this dog ban.

The issue that is causing panic in National circles is a coming by-election in the seat or Orange.   Voters go to the polls on November 12 and from a previously "safe seat " advantage support has dropped to just 34%.    If that same result was to spread across the country at the next election, the government would lose office.

The lights are burning far into the night in Macquarie street as ministers go into a huddle and try and find ways to mitigate this disaster.   It has been suggested that the ban date be extended from 2017 to 2020 to give more time to implement counter measures.   The option with the most appeal seems to be the idea of offering compensation for Greyhounds stripped of their racing earning capacity.  A payment of $ 1500 for each racing dog has been suggested, with a lesser amount for retired champion dogs now at stud in the breeding stakes.

One of the promises Mike Baird made with his Greyhound racing ban announcement was that valuable land now used for Greyhound racing circuits would be quarantined and retained for public use.   The Mecca of Greyhound racing in Sydney is Harold Park and the development vultures have been gathering.   There is a strong rumor that the government will quietly dispose of Harold Park and use the multi million gain for other state projects.  The government is firm with a denial, but public opinion seems to believe that rumor.

Mike Baird seems stuck between a rock and a hard place.  To back off and lift the ban would be embarrassing, but to go with the compensation option would involve a lot of public money. The better option may have been a draconian crackdown on the few low lifes who were giving the industry a bad name.   Solid prison terms and an industry ban for life may have weeded out those who persist in animal cruelty, but instead the entire industry was put to the sword.

It seems that the government now has the task of extricating itself from this mess that arose from its own decision making  !

Foster Care !

Once again the fate of children under the care of the state is getting a bad press.   A girl in a care institution was repeatedly raped by the very people tasked with looking after her.  She later died of a drug overdose and the DPP is resisting putting her rapists before a court despite overwhelming evidence of their guilt.

In another instance a young girl living with a carer family succumbed to the sexual advances of a male step-brother and there was the fear of a pregnancy.   The family response was to murder the girl and leave her naked body on a beach.   The step-father is facing a murder charge and the step-brother a charge of rape on a person under the age of consent.

The government is threatening dire action to cleanup the stench that has long hovered over foster care.   Government run care homes have had their share of scandal and those run by the various church denominations seem to have been rife with rapist priests and ministers.   Perhaps the greatest safety has come from ordinary families who have opened their hearts - and their homes - to take in the needy and give them the benefit of their happy home, but even here the occasional mismatch has ended in tragedy.

The government faces an impossible task.   Those needing care range in age from newborn babies to juveniles in their teens.   Many little kids have experienced violence and suffered the fighting between parents addicted to alcohol or drugs.  Many have suffered deprivation and hunger - and regularly gone to bed cold and hungry.   They have developed survival tactics - and that can not merge swiftly when they encounter a caring facility.

It is not unusual for some families to have a tolerant attitude to sex.  Many experience sexual intrusion by so called "uncles " or other family members and actual incest is prevalent in some cultures.   Many teens are of the "wild child " sort who have developed a craving for alcohol or drugs - and think casual sex is perfectly normal.   Providing care for such a mix would test the outer limits of any care institution.

Probably the safest option is some sort of government run institution that is run by professional staff and is subjected to strict oversight.   The problem is that it can only be seen as an "institution " and that can not provide the individual love and care that each waif so badly needs to gain confidence and develop their potential.   It is also impossible to mix the range of ages in a single care home without the possibility that the older children will become the predators of the younger age group.

It seems that the only available option is to stick with the mix of what we have - government care institutions supplemented by care homes provided by the various church and charitable organizations, and the wide mix of private citizens who make themselves available to offer shelter in their own homes.

The missing link is the creation of a supervising body of people with the training to regularly visit each place of care and have the time to spend conversational periods with each of those under care and also liaise with the carers.  It is essential that these people have the ability to generate the confidence of the cared and not be seen as government "inspectors " merely carrying out a government function.

Obviously, creating such a body will cost money, but in the long run it will be the cheapest option to resolve the problem.   What we have in place is workable.   What it needs is a conduit to listen to those in care and have the power to make whatever changes are necessary, and to provide guidelines where necessary to those people who are  providing care.

If that is going to work it will need the government to be realistic on numbers.  There is no point in having liaison people with such workloads that they can make a one minute call once every three months.   There may be a tendency to appoint those with tertiary qualifications in child care.  It may be better to recruit from charitable members of the public who would provide their services free of charge, or in exchange for a petrol allowance.

 The main attribute such "visitors "will need is a kind heart and a wise mind - and the ability to be good listeners - and to range over the full spectrum of care facilities !

Fire Safety Certification !

When the expansion of cities causes a scarcity of new building sites the price of land rises and the only option to house more residents is to adopt the phenomenon known as " the vertical village ".
The city of Sydney now has a skyline of huge apartment towers and these are fast becoming the style of building in its suburbs.

Concern is growing that this construction boom is far outstripping the laws that apply in ensuring that apartments meet fire safety standards and this was illustrated by a fire fatality in Bankstown in 2012.
In that instance a very ordinary flashover fire in a BBQ on an apartments balcony trapped two female overseas students from their escape because the lounge room had been illegally subdivided to provide an additional bedroom,

The rapidly advancing fire forced them into a bedroom with a single window with a several floors drop to the street outside.   They were forced to hang from this window with the aluminium frame actually melting in their hands before the heat forced them to let go and take the fall.   One died instantly and the other received severe permanent disabilities.

The coroners report was scathing.   This relatively new building had never attained the necessary fire safety rating even at the fitting out stage and subsequent work had been carried out without authority to further increase the fire hazard.   This building is still occupied - and even today it fails to meet the relevant fire safety standards.

One of the failings that the government seeks to correct is a multiplicity of organizations who are permitted to issue fire certification certificates.   In many cases, these can involve a conflict of interests and it seems likely that the numbers will be reduced to those hard core entities with the expertise to demand strict compliance.

Another issue is the timing of inspections.  A fire safety certification is required before any new building is cleared for occupation by residents, but there seems to be few - if any - followup requirements.   Some buildings rely on fire certification that may have been issued decades earlier.

The government plan is not clear, but there have been calls for a new fire certification every time a unit in a tower block changes hands.  Just what that involves is controversial.   It could apply to just that single unit, but many would like to see such certification renewal applied to the entire building.  That would certainly flush out the many units furnished with false walls and many beds and rented on a " hot bed " basis to multi tenants.

An entire building re-certification would also ensure that the full fire safety code got a thorough check.  Exit doors must swing outwards and escape routes must be clear.  Fire extinguishers must be in working order and under present regulations smoke detectors must be installed - and in working order.   Where sprinkler systems are installed, renewal compliance should be on an annual basis as a bare minimum.

Of course such a regimen will involve cost and inconvenience but it seems certain that many of Sydney's stock of high rise apartments would fall short of what the law requires.   That tragedy at Bankstown was a wakeup call.    The fire safety laws are not meeting standards and urgently need renewal.  Many living in high rise apartments will sleep soundly at night in the knowledge that their building meets fire safety standards if the government toughens the requirements.

Simply A Bad Tax Idea !

It is generally conceded that Joe Hockey's 2015 budget was not his finest hour.   One of the concepts  awaiting implementation is a proposal to change the way foreign workers are taxed when backpackers provide the essential labour to bring in Australia's fruit crop and harvest the vast agricultural enterprises that keep the fruit and vegetable markets fully stocked.

The present tax regimen allows an $18,200 tax free threshold for each worker before the ordinary tax scale cuts in.   Unlike most of the working public, backpackers are constantly on the move following the crop ripening cycle and most alternate this means of sustenance with their holiday regimen of seeing the country as tourists.

The proposal seeks to abandon that tax free threshold and apply a tax of 32.5 cents in the dollar on the first dollars those backpackers earn.   There is consternation in backpacker circles and a fear in fruit and vegetable growing areas that foreign backpackers will abandon Australia and instead bestow their patronage on another foreign country.

Few of the public realise that this backpacker stream is essential to bringing in the harvest in Australia - and without it a major portion of the crop will rot on the trees and the vegetable supply will be seriously truncated.  This is hard work in the hot sun and youthful backpackers cheerfully accept it as a means of financing their holiday in Australia.   It is work that many Australians reject and at the same time as there are labour shortages in bringing in the crops, there are also many people drawing unemployment benefits in fruit growing areas.

This uncertainty is having an effect on farming schedules.  There are reports that Queensland lettuce growers have reduced plantings because they fear they will not be able to attract sufficient workers to process the crop.  Summer is fast approaching and it is essential that the tax regimen that will apply to backpackers be settled quickly.   Decisions on coming to Australia - or to another country - are being made now and obviously a punitive tax to lower earnings is a topic being discussed in backpacker circles.  Uncertainty will not work in our favour.

There is speculation that a different approach is under consideration.  Because backpackers are an essential service to this country it is envisaged that they be able to apply for a special visa describing them as temporary farm workers.  There seems reluctance to continue to grant that $18,200 tax free threshold, but there seems to be support for a lower tax of somewhere between 15c and 19 c in the dollar to apply.

The fate of the Australian fruit harvest depends on how this is received in backpacker circles. If the tax regimen is judged heavy and unfair by the journalists who cater to backpacker opinion we may  see a sharp cutback in numbers this summer and a consequent rejection of this country as a welcoming host.

It is essential that the Treasurer get the tax mix right.   Hopefully, the people who know what is happening in backpacker circles are whispering in his ear - and the farm lobby is accurately predicting the numbers needed to harvest the crop.

Once a country loses favour as a destination, it usually takes both time and a lot of money to restore that situation !

Legal Obscurity !

There is no doubt that a well turned out prisoner in a court will create a favourable impression on a judge and jury.  Defence Counsel usually strive to have their client suitably attired and those who stand confidently and promptly answer questions in a clear voice are more likely to be believed. It is often felt that such a presentation influences the length of the sentence handed down.

That opportunity to impress a judge is fast becoming a thing of the past.   It is being replaced with a video appearance whereupon the prisoner is sitting before a camera in a prison and the image is simply pixels on a small screen within the courtroom.   In most instances, the picture shown is only the accused persons face and there is no indication of height or other attributes.   Usually, the prisoner is attired in "prison Greens " which reinforce the fact that he or she is under lock and key.

The use of video in this way is sharply increasing as the equipment is installed in more prisons and courts and in recent times it has increased by four hundred percent.   There were 8605 instances of such use in 2002 and this increased to  44,802m in 2014.

Prior to the use of video, each prisoner had to be transported physically to each court appearance by prison transport.   This required being locked in holding cells under the courthouse until the hearing and most prisoners found it a very disagreeable experience.    Increasingly, video has replaced live appearances for such minor matters as "mention ", bail applications, pre- sentencing hearings and now even sentencing is delivered in this manner.

Disturbingly, the very confidential briefings between the accused and their counsel are being conducted by video.  This certainly frees counsel from the long drive to country prisons but the loss of face to face contact in person makes it harder to achieve a more intimate relationship in which nuances and nods and winks can impart information.   Some prisoners doubt the security sanctity of video conversations with their counsel.   We live in an age of electronics and in some jurisdictions the police are known for "bending"  the rules.

We are living in an age of overcrowded prisons and a lack of judges to speed cases through the courts.   The past procedure of transporting prisoners to court for each and every procedure was time consuming and a waste of court time.  Video certainly speeds things up, but at a cost that is yet to be measured.  In some instances, judges barely glance at the video screen and rely entirely on the audio.  It is almost impossible for a prisoner to demand attention in the same manner as if he or she is standing in the dock and giving evidence.

Another outcome of video presentation is a sharp rise in the accused entering a guilty plea.   Many feel that their inability to be present in court and exert a favourable influence on the outcome means that the justice system is "rail roading " them to an inevitable conviction.   They simply plead guilty in the hope of a lesser sentence.

We have a court system that is supposed to dispense justice. It requires the intervention of the boffins to improve the electronics to the extent that the video appearance of an accused in court meets much the same standards as an actual physical appearance.

Anything less is justice denied !