There is a lesson to be learned from the massive bushfire summer we have just experienced. Homes and lives were lost when a fire season went on for weeks despite the ranks of firefighters being augmented by members of the defence forces. For individual home owners the choice was often a decision of whether to stay and defend the property or get out while the way was clear and shelter in a designated safety zone.
Many such safety zones fell victim to the ferocity of this fire and there were instances where fire victims were forced to wade into the sea or the waters of a lake to escape the flames. It was a harrowing experience and we are warned that the fire season will be longer each year and with increased intensity because of global warming caused by the increase of carbon dioxide in the air.
After the end of the second world war the use of the atomic bomb to force a Japanese surrender brought fear of its use in future wars. Many safety conscious citizens invested in an underground shelter stocked with survival supplies. Fortunately, the wide development of nuclear weapons across the political divide has saved us from a nuclear confrontation and those remaining shelters are now rare. Perhaps they should again feature in the plans of those rebuilding after their homes were lost in last summers inferno.
Fire in Australia is now an annual threat. In what is known as the " Tornado belt " across inland America it is common for residents to have an underground shelter to which the family can retreat when a Tornado threatens. A similar underground shelter with a filter to remove smoke from breathing air would be a welcome safety measure in coming fire seasons and it could be economically included in the plans for homes to be replaced after last seasons fires.
The inescapable fact delivered last summer was that homes in many country towns and those in the suburbs surrounding cities are vulnerable to cinder attacks which can advance miles ahead of the actual fire front. Citizens who have the home prepared to repel fire can usually save the building if they remain to extinguish embers, but that is unsafe if the fire gathers unexpected strength and leaves them with mo way of escape.
The idea of an underground safety area on the property is now a feasible option for property owners. It can be quickly and cheaply constructed with modern earth moving machinery and should become an integral part of modern living. If nothing else, it removes that agonising decision of whether to flee or stay when the fire season erupts.
That personal safety aspect is important to those who live in a fire zone.
Saturday, 4 April 2020
Friday, 3 April 2020
Home Schooling Assistance !
In Australia we still have many homes that lack a computer or have access to the internet, but there would be few homes that do not have television, and that seems to be the logical starting point to assist parents now that home schooling has replaced classrooms because of the virus threat.
It is obvious that many families are ill placed to deliver a teachers role when it comes to educating their kids because of either the education level they obtained in their youth or the difficulty in learning a new language when they arrived in Australia. We do not know how long this state of emergency will last, but it certainly has the capacity to retard the educational level some kids were attaining in the school system.
It looks like the ABC is the national broadcaster with the coverage to fill that gap and already plans are under way to work with state and territory educational authorities to create teacher-led mini lessons which will be broadcast on the ABC educational portal and ME channel to support student learning at home.
This will commence from April 27 and take the form of educational programming between 10 am and 3 pm, It is envisaged that this will be directed at primary students in the mornings and switch to secondary students in the afternoon. It will cover a range of subjects and it is expected that it will be of great help for parents struggling to provide an agenda.
What is glaringly obvious is the lack of a common educational standard in Australia. The states and Territories can't even agree on holiday timing, let alone a curriculum. Everything is different in each state and that even includes the books set for reading on which examinations will be based. As a result, the ABC will either have to create a separate educational programme for each state or put together a common programme which will have gaps caused by these differences.
Reaching uniformity has been a failed goal because of state bickering and each state claiming to attain the highest educational standard. This present crisis simply highlights that shortcoming and it is hoped will cause the Commonwealth to move education out of state hands to create uniformity. The present educational system harks back to an earlier age when there was little movement between the states. We are now a very mobile nation and education needs to adapt to that mobility.
This unexpected virus has created an opportunity to reform the educational system and we are fortunate in having both the ABC and SBS as national broadcasters who can reach almost every home in Australia. That will relieve the load from the shoulders of many parents who are not suited to performing both the duties of parent and schoolteacher.
It is obvious that many families are ill placed to deliver a teachers role when it comes to educating their kids because of either the education level they obtained in their youth or the difficulty in learning a new language when they arrived in Australia. We do not know how long this state of emergency will last, but it certainly has the capacity to retard the educational level some kids were attaining in the school system.
It looks like the ABC is the national broadcaster with the coverage to fill that gap and already plans are under way to work with state and territory educational authorities to create teacher-led mini lessons which will be broadcast on the ABC educational portal and ME channel to support student learning at home.
This will commence from April 27 and take the form of educational programming between 10 am and 3 pm, It is envisaged that this will be directed at primary students in the mornings and switch to secondary students in the afternoon. It will cover a range of subjects and it is expected that it will be of great help for parents struggling to provide an agenda.
What is glaringly obvious is the lack of a common educational standard in Australia. The states and Territories can't even agree on holiday timing, let alone a curriculum. Everything is different in each state and that even includes the books set for reading on which examinations will be based. As a result, the ABC will either have to create a separate educational programme for each state or put together a common programme which will have gaps caused by these differences.
Reaching uniformity has been a failed goal because of state bickering and each state claiming to attain the highest educational standard. This present crisis simply highlights that shortcoming and it is hoped will cause the Commonwealth to move education out of state hands to create uniformity. The present educational system harks back to an earlier age when there was little movement between the states. We are now a very mobile nation and education needs to adapt to that mobility.
This unexpected virus has created an opportunity to reform the educational system and we are fortunate in having both the ABC and SBS as national broadcasters who can reach almost every home in Australia. That will relieve the load from the shoulders of many parents who are not suited to performing both the duties of parent and schoolteacher.
Thursday, 2 April 2020
An Untimely Price Increase
Both the state and the Federal government are shelling out to provide money assistance to the people forced out of work by the Coronavirus crisis and billions more are being spent to ensure that the employers forced to close their doors will reopen when it is finally over. This Pandemic threatens to deliver a swathe of death around the world and there is the expectation that the hardship imposed on both commercial interests and individuals will be accepted with good grace in the interest of saving lives.
It is with astonishment that most people learn that the company imposing tolls on Sydney's urban roads is implementing a toll increase which came into effect yesterday. Transurban, which owns all four toll roads is refusing to budge on its pricing for the Cross City tunnel, Eastern Distributor, M2 and Lance Cove tunnel.
Tolls for cars using the M2 rose by fifty percent in the six years to 2019 to $7.62 for those driving the full length. That increased to $7.83 yesterday. The Eastern Distributor has increased from $7.61 for cars and $15.22 for trucks to $7.92 and $ 15.84 respectively. The Harbour bridge and the Harbour tunnel have not increased since 2009.
The toll operator is entitled to these price increases as part of its contractual arrangement with the state government, but in nonconformity with the many others who have held back price increases to aid this world crisis the new rates were applied regardless of the hardship they will cause. The toll operator claims that work is still progressing during the lockdown on the North Connex and the West Connex and this seems to disobey the lockdown order.
With so many people out of work the traffic stream each day is much lighter, and so is the revenue from the toll, but the operator seems intent on gouging out every last cent it can legally apply. The only concession to the Coronavirus seems to be cessation of debt recovery during the crisis. People behind in their toll repayments may get support through Linkt Assist.
The implementation of many laws have been relaxed to give relief during this time when many people are facing personal hardship. It is quite possible that this hard hearted attitude applied to a price increase may eventually come back to haunt this company. The business world is a complex jungle and sometimes companies need a favour from the government, and governments have a long memory.
It is with astonishment that most people learn that the company imposing tolls on Sydney's urban roads is implementing a toll increase which came into effect yesterday. Transurban, which owns all four toll roads is refusing to budge on its pricing for the Cross City tunnel, Eastern Distributor, M2 and Lance Cove tunnel.
Tolls for cars using the M2 rose by fifty percent in the six years to 2019 to $7.62 for those driving the full length. That increased to $7.83 yesterday. The Eastern Distributor has increased from $7.61 for cars and $15.22 for trucks to $7.92 and $ 15.84 respectively. The Harbour bridge and the Harbour tunnel have not increased since 2009.
The toll operator is entitled to these price increases as part of its contractual arrangement with the state government, but in nonconformity with the many others who have held back price increases to aid this world crisis the new rates were applied regardless of the hardship they will cause. The toll operator claims that work is still progressing during the lockdown on the North Connex and the West Connex and this seems to disobey the lockdown order.
With so many people out of work the traffic stream each day is much lighter, and so is the revenue from the toll, but the operator seems intent on gouging out every last cent it can legally apply. The only concession to the Coronavirus seems to be cessation of debt recovery during the crisis. People behind in their toll repayments may get support through Linkt Assist.
The implementation of many laws have been relaxed to give relief during this time when many people are facing personal hardship. It is quite possible that this hard hearted attitude applied to a price increase may eventually come back to haunt this company. The business world is a complex jungle and sometimes companies need a favour from the government, and governments have a long memory.
Wednesday, 1 April 2020
Panic in Asia !
Different countries - different reactions to the Covic-19 virus. Human Rights watch reports that authoritarian regimes in Asia are using it as cover to tighten their grip on what citizens can say or do in public.
The rulers of Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar are taking actions against their critics. They are taking advantage of the moment to go after people in a targeted manner. It is not sweeping crackdowns or mass arrests. That's because it would lead to a backlash that would undermine their position.
What they are trying to do is make examples of some people to scare everybody into submission. People who have expressed concern about the virus' impact have been arrested for spreading fake news online and this usually includes any form of official opposition party. Usually this runs in tandem with an official denial that the virus poses any sort of threat to that nation's population.
These are the very countries that have the greatest reason to fear the virus. A great mass of very poor people do not have the luxury of staying home and not going to work because what they earn dictates what they eat. They do not have well stocked pantries to see them through a crisis. In most cases the money they earn and the food that buys are consumed in the time span between morning light and the going down of the sun. Even a day off work delivers hunger.
As a consequence, these authoritarian regimes are doing little to halt the spread of the virus. The people live and work in close proximity to one another and the most likely outcome of a heavy death toll will be migration. Unfortunately, in this part of the world the target country to which migrants tend to head is Australia with its advanced life style.
The Australian response to this virus crisis has been a virtual shutdown of society and industry. The measures taken are unprecedented and the public purse will take a massive hit but there is the expectation that we will weather the crisis well. The big danger is that our near neighbours may not be able to prevent a huge death toll and the panic that causes. This could result in refugee boats arriving unannounced on our shores and add to the refugee problem.
The aftermath of Covic-19 may go on long after the health concern finally subsides !
The rulers of Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar are taking actions against their critics. They are taking advantage of the moment to go after people in a targeted manner. It is not sweeping crackdowns or mass arrests. That's because it would lead to a backlash that would undermine their position.
What they are trying to do is make examples of some people to scare everybody into submission. People who have expressed concern about the virus' impact have been arrested for spreading fake news online and this usually includes any form of official opposition party. Usually this runs in tandem with an official denial that the virus poses any sort of threat to that nation's population.
These are the very countries that have the greatest reason to fear the virus. A great mass of very poor people do not have the luxury of staying home and not going to work because what they earn dictates what they eat. They do not have well stocked pantries to see them through a crisis. In most cases the money they earn and the food that buys are consumed in the time span between morning light and the going down of the sun. Even a day off work delivers hunger.
As a consequence, these authoritarian regimes are doing little to halt the spread of the virus. The people live and work in close proximity to one another and the most likely outcome of a heavy death toll will be migration. Unfortunately, in this part of the world the target country to which migrants tend to head is Australia with its advanced life style.
The Australian response to this virus crisis has been a virtual shutdown of society and industry. The measures taken are unprecedented and the public purse will take a massive hit but there is the expectation that we will weather the crisis well. The big danger is that our near neighbours may not be able to prevent a huge death toll and the panic that causes. This could result in refugee boats arriving unannounced on our shores and add to the refugee problem.
The aftermath of Covic-19 may go on long after the health concern finally subsides !
Tuesday, 31 March 2020
Risk To Our Drinking Water !
Sydney and Wollongong are both fast growing Australian cities served by finite sources of drinking water. We rely on predictable rain to replenish those water levels and from time to time residents face water restrictions, as happened with a recent drought.
A past dry spell convinced the government to invest in a desalination plant that creates drinking water from sea water by removing the salt. It sits idle when we experience normal rainfall and as storage levels fall it is only capable of contributing a fraction of the daily usage. Science warns that we are gaining an added population density that exceeds the capacity of existing water storage to service the city needs.
The catchment area that collects that falling rain and delivers it to storage is precious and seriously protected by law. In the past mining has been refused permission to tunnel under water catchments because of the fear of subsidence. When cavities are created deep in the earth there is a long term tendency for the land above to subside and this opens cracks through which the water may drain away. It is not unusual for this to occur twenty-five years after the cavities have been created.
That has long created an ongoing battle between mining interests and conservationists over extending long wall mining under water catchment areas. Mining is permitted underneath housing land but subsidence is reduced by the implementation of restrictions on the type and weight of permitted building materials used. The mines are also taxed to provide a fund for restoration where subsidence harms homes.
Now there are two mining applications before the parliament to extend long wall mining into catchment areas. The Planning Department has given Peabody Energy permission to extend its Metropolitan mine long walls under Woronora reservoir and South32's Dendrobian mine will also be granted permission to extend under a Sydney catchment area.
The miners are adamant that this is safe and the applications were confirmed by the Independent Experts Panel on Mining in Water Catchments. A recent report shows Metropolitan has no evidence of a connected fracture regime to the surface.
This is the usual battle between well paid mining jobs being maintained if existing mine facilities are extended. There is definitely coal under those reservoir lands but if mining proceeds and the experts are wrong there is no possibility of rectification if a fault develops and the water drains away and reduces storage.
It is a fact of life that we know very little about the land beneath our feet and one of the basic essentials for life is a constant supply of water. Any interruption to the water supply would be disaster for metropolitan Sydney. Surely a basic on which we can not afford to be wrong !
A past dry spell convinced the government to invest in a desalination plant that creates drinking water from sea water by removing the salt. It sits idle when we experience normal rainfall and as storage levels fall it is only capable of contributing a fraction of the daily usage. Science warns that we are gaining an added population density that exceeds the capacity of existing water storage to service the city needs.
The catchment area that collects that falling rain and delivers it to storage is precious and seriously protected by law. In the past mining has been refused permission to tunnel under water catchments because of the fear of subsidence. When cavities are created deep in the earth there is a long term tendency for the land above to subside and this opens cracks through which the water may drain away. It is not unusual for this to occur twenty-five years after the cavities have been created.
That has long created an ongoing battle between mining interests and conservationists over extending long wall mining under water catchment areas. Mining is permitted underneath housing land but subsidence is reduced by the implementation of restrictions on the type and weight of permitted building materials used. The mines are also taxed to provide a fund for restoration where subsidence harms homes.
Now there are two mining applications before the parliament to extend long wall mining into catchment areas. The Planning Department has given Peabody Energy permission to extend its Metropolitan mine long walls under Woronora reservoir and South32's Dendrobian mine will also be granted permission to extend under a Sydney catchment area.
The miners are adamant that this is safe and the applications were confirmed by the Independent Experts Panel on Mining in Water Catchments. A recent report shows Metropolitan has no evidence of a connected fracture regime to the surface.
This is the usual battle between well paid mining jobs being maintained if existing mine facilities are extended. There is definitely coal under those reservoir lands but if mining proceeds and the experts are wrong there is no possibility of rectification if a fault develops and the water drains away and reduces storage.
It is a fact of life that we know very little about the land beneath our feet and one of the basic essentials for life is a constant supply of water. Any interruption to the water supply would be disaster for metropolitan Sydney. Surely a basic on which we can not afford to be wrong !
Monday, 30 March 2020
Land Clearing !
The New South Wales government conducted a secret report on land clearing which was branded " cabinet in confidence " until legal action forced it to be tabled in parliament. This audit revealed a " catastrophic failure " of land management that added to the threats facing wildlife.
The report revealed that 37,000 hectares were approved to be cleared in the 2018-9 years, or almost thirteen times the average rate of approval to clear 2700 hectares in the decade prior to a law change in 2016-7. Much of this clearing has involved approvals for " thinning " to allow pasture expansion. Under this rule, such clearing has amounted to a " state wide risk to biodiversity", and the policy intent of the reforms have not been achieved.
We are fast reintroducing the native animals that existed here before 1788 and it is essential that breeding colonies can intermix to strengthen biodiversity. Cleared land is an obstacle to free movement needed to strengthen bloodlines.
We have just had a combination of intense bushfires and the worst drought in recorded memory that scorched about 5.5 million hectares across the state, burned a vast number of homes and killed a number of citizens. There is the expectation that those rebuilding will want to clear a safety perimeter around their homes and the bushfire brigades that heroically fought the summer fires need to establish fire breaks if the expected future fires can be kept under control.
Science is telling us that eating meat derived from animals is an inefficient way of feeding the ever growing world population. We are already seeing meat substitute derived from vegetables appearing as an option and it seems inevitable that meat as we know it will become an item that is fast moving out of reach of the average family. Economists predict that because of cost meat will steadily retreat from the average family menu.
We are urged to plant more trees as a way of slowing global warming. Trees are natures way of absorbing carbon dioxide and replacing it with oxygen. Unfortunately, food production is replacing the great rain forests of South America and Asia with farming land and every year what some call the " lungs of the planet " grow ever smaller.
This presents our parliaments with a vexing problem. Most farms are a mix of cleared and uncleared land and farmers are anxious to bring more of their holdings under production. The demand to clear trees to create pasture is an economic concern that the decision makers fear to resist. At the moment the balance favors land clearing.
With the horror of this last summer fire season fresh in people's minds any plan to create more fire breaks will be publicly supported. It is hard to see this tree clearing reduced by law.
The report revealed that 37,000 hectares were approved to be cleared in the 2018-9 years, or almost thirteen times the average rate of approval to clear 2700 hectares in the decade prior to a law change in 2016-7. Much of this clearing has involved approvals for " thinning " to allow pasture expansion. Under this rule, such clearing has amounted to a " state wide risk to biodiversity", and the policy intent of the reforms have not been achieved.
We are fast reintroducing the native animals that existed here before 1788 and it is essential that breeding colonies can intermix to strengthen biodiversity. Cleared land is an obstacle to free movement needed to strengthen bloodlines.
We have just had a combination of intense bushfires and the worst drought in recorded memory that scorched about 5.5 million hectares across the state, burned a vast number of homes and killed a number of citizens. There is the expectation that those rebuilding will want to clear a safety perimeter around their homes and the bushfire brigades that heroically fought the summer fires need to establish fire breaks if the expected future fires can be kept under control.
Science is telling us that eating meat derived from animals is an inefficient way of feeding the ever growing world population. We are already seeing meat substitute derived from vegetables appearing as an option and it seems inevitable that meat as we know it will become an item that is fast moving out of reach of the average family. Economists predict that because of cost meat will steadily retreat from the average family menu.
We are urged to plant more trees as a way of slowing global warming. Trees are natures way of absorbing carbon dioxide and replacing it with oxygen. Unfortunately, food production is replacing the great rain forests of South America and Asia with farming land and every year what some call the " lungs of the planet " grow ever smaller.
This presents our parliaments with a vexing problem. Most farms are a mix of cleared and uncleared land and farmers are anxious to bring more of their holdings under production. The demand to clear trees to create pasture is an economic concern that the decision makers fear to resist. At the moment the balance favors land clearing.
With the horror of this last summer fire season fresh in people's minds any plan to create more fire breaks will be publicly supported. It is hard to see this tree clearing reduced by law.
Sunday, 29 March 2020
When Thinking Turns To Action !
New Zealand is a peaceful little country in the South Pacific and it received world attention for all the wrong reasons on March 15 last year. Brenton Tarrant, a 29 year old Australian who had migrated to that country went on a shooting rampage that left fifty-one people dead and many others wounded. It was a hate crime that shocked the world and now Tarrant is facing justice in the New Zealand court system.
Tarrant is facing fifty-one charges of murder, forty charges of attempted murder and a charge of engaging in a terrorist act in the High Court in Christchurch, the city in which he committed these crimes. Appearing by video link from prison, he changed his plea from " not guilty " to " guilty " and this will save relatives of his victims from enduring a long trial in which the ghastly events of mass murder will be played out in court.
This was a crime that people on both sides of the Tasman sea are unable to understand. Tarrant is both a white supremacist and a religious bigot. He amassed an arsenal of guns, ammunition and petrol bombs and drove from his Dunedin home on March 15 to the Al-Noor mosque where Friday prayers were being held. He sprayed automatic gunfire on those at prayer, got back in his car and drove across town to the Linwood mosque where he repeated that shooting spree. He was on his way to a third mosque when police rammed his car and arrested him.
In all other respects, Tarrant seems to be a perfectly sane, ordinary citizen and unfortunately there are others with his outlook on both sides of the Tasman. Not only did he commit mass murder, he filmed those events as they happened and brought the crime to world attention by posting it live on the internet. There is no doubt those with similar interests will be encouraged to consider similar crimes. It will have appeal to those who detest skin colour that is other than white and hate the Muslim religion.
Tarrant is yet to be sentenced, but both Australia and New Zealand have ended death sentences and the only outcome will be for this mass murderer to be locked away for the rest of his natural life.He will be considered a martyr by those with a similar white supremacist, racist outlook and will no doubt continue to spread his views within the New Zealand prison system.
Sadly, the democracy under which we live allows residents to hold view that are repugnant to their fellow citizens. Our freedom of speech law allows them to spread those views openly.and the law only comes to our aid when a crime similar to that which happened in New Zealand brings death and harm to victims of that style of thinking..
In some parts of the world the " secret police " are active in discovering thinking that is itself a crime and removing those people from society. This New Zealand crime is the price we have to pay for allowing freedom of thought.
Tarrant is facing fifty-one charges of murder, forty charges of attempted murder and a charge of engaging in a terrorist act in the High Court in Christchurch, the city in which he committed these crimes. Appearing by video link from prison, he changed his plea from " not guilty " to " guilty " and this will save relatives of his victims from enduring a long trial in which the ghastly events of mass murder will be played out in court.
This was a crime that people on both sides of the Tasman sea are unable to understand. Tarrant is both a white supremacist and a religious bigot. He amassed an arsenal of guns, ammunition and petrol bombs and drove from his Dunedin home on March 15 to the Al-Noor mosque where Friday prayers were being held. He sprayed automatic gunfire on those at prayer, got back in his car and drove across town to the Linwood mosque where he repeated that shooting spree. He was on his way to a third mosque when police rammed his car and arrested him.
In all other respects, Tarrant seems to be a perfectly sane, ordinary citizen and unfortunately there are others with his outlook on both sides of the Tasman. Not only did he commit mass murder, he filmed those events as they happened and brought the crime to world attention by posting it live on the internet. There is no doubt those with similar interests will be encouraged to consider similar crimes. It will have appeal to those who detest skin colour that is other than white and hate the Muslim religion.
Tarrant is yet to be sentenced, but both Australia and New Zealand have ended death sentences and the only outcome will be for this mass murderer to be locked away for the rest of his natural life.He will be considered a martyr by those with a similar white supremacist, racist outlook and will no doubt continue to spread his views within the New Zealand prison system.
Sadly, the democracy under which we live allows residents to hold view that are repugnant to their fellow citizens. Our freedom of speech law allows them to spread those views openly.and the law only comes to our aid when a crime similar to that which happened in New Zealand brings death and harm to victims of that style of thinking..
In some parts of the world the " secret police " are active in discovering thinking that is itself a crime and removing those people from society. This New Zealand crime is the price we have to pay for allowing freedom of thought.
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