The High court has struck down legislation denying the vote to prisoners incarcerated within the prison system - but upholding that denial for those serving in excess of a three year sentence.
Gaining the vote has been an emotional issue over hundreds of years. In particular, women only gained the vote during the twentieth century - and then only after vigorous action that saw many derided - and in some cases gaoled.
It sounds reasonable that prisoners serving life sentences for despicable crime should lose the vote along with their liberty but that same criteria does not necessarily apply to those sentenced for lesser crimes.
Because a person is a prisoner does not mean that they have abandoned their interest in politics or their right to choose the government under whose laws they are expected to obey.
In particular, prisoners have an acute interest in drug laws because in many instances these are the very laws they have transgressed. Drug laws are not uniform between countries - let alone states - and some people are in prison for crimes that mandate a gaol sentence in one state but are treated as a minor matter only attracting a fine elsewhere.
They would have a very real interest in who is elected to office, particularly when the party involved stands on a platform of revising drug laws.
It seems strange to deprive a prisoner of his or her voting rights when at the same time society is adamant that they should retain their dignity as a person and be afforded the protection of their civil rights in other respects.
It seems that the wisdom of the High court has once again struck the right balance in interpreting the laws that govern our lives !
Friday, 31 August 2007
Thursday, 30 August 2007
The pong from the gong !
To put it mildly - Wollongong's Lake Illawarra stinks !
Like most lakes with an entrance to the sea Lake Illawarra is subjected to regular closures when sand buildup blocks the channel. When this happens the lake becomes stagnant - until heavy rainfall raises it's level and removes the blockage.
This tends to annoy those who live by the lake. When it is closed to the sea there is no fresh nutriment and fish stocks fall. There is also a problem of flooding as the level rises but before it can dislodge the blockage of sand.
To solve the problem huge amounts of money have been spent to create a permanent opening. Bulldozers have artificially removed the sand blockage and now a double sea wall has been constructed to lengthen the entrance to deeper water.
The theory is that with a permanent entrance the lake will again become a paradise for those seeking fish and prawns and the tidal movement will flush the lake on a regular basis - with a vast improvement in water quality.
There is now a new problem - and it is driving away tourists and holiday makers - and making life miserable for those living near the lake and enjoying it's immense water views.
Now the lake is again tidal the sea grasses that are so important for fish stocks become uncovered at low tide - and with the baking effect of the sun they start to rot - and that creates a smell that many compare with an abattoirs or a garbage dump.
The smell is so bad that many claim outdoor BBQ's are out of the question, and that windows must be tightly closed on even a moderately warm day.
Unfortunately, if the objective is a healthy lake teeming with fish then these sea grasses are necessary - but if they are allowed to remain there is no prospect of removing that offensive smell.
It seems that lake residents have to make a choice. Have the lake authority use chemicals to poison and remove the grass beds - and end up with a lake devoid of fish - but with magnificent views - and no pong !
Or - enjoy the fishing and the sparkling water - and the view - but accept that the pong goes with the territory !
Like most lakes with an entrance to the sea Lake Illawarra is subjected to regular closures when sand buildup blocks the channel. When this happens the lake becomes stagnant - until heavy rainfall raises it's level and removes the blockage.
This tends to annoy those who live by the lake. When it is closed to the sea there is no fresh nutriment and fish stocks fall. There is also a problem of flooding as the level rises but before it can dislodge the blockage of sand.
To solve the problem huge amounts of money have been spent to create a permanent opening. Bulldozers have artificially removed the sand blockage and now a double sea wall has been constructed to lengthen the entrance to deeper water.
The theory is that with a permanent entrance the lake will again become a paradise for those seeking fish and prawns and the tidal movement will flush the lake on a regular basis - with a vast improvement in water quality.
There is now a new problem - and it is driving away tourists and holiday makers - and making life miserable for those living near the lake and enjoying it's immense water views.
Now the lake is again tidal the sea grasses that are so important for fish stocks become uncovered at low tide - and with the baking effect of the sun they start to rot - and that creates a smell that many compare with an abattoirs or a garbage dump.
The smell is so bad that many claim outdoor BBQ's are out of the question, and that windows must be tightly closed on even a moderately warm day.
Unfortunately, if the objective is a healthy lake teeming with fish then these sea grasses are necessary - but if they are allowed to remain there is no prospect of removing that offensive smell.
It seems that lake residents have to make a choice. Have the lake authority use chemicals to poison and remove the grass beds - and end up with a lake devoid of fish - but with magnificent views - and no pong !
Or - enjoy the fishing and the sparkling water - and the view - but accept that the pong goes with the territory !
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
A free ride !
Those needing an ambulance today are the lucky people - they get to ride for free !
The Ambulance service is on strike. They will still respond to 000 emergency calls and they will provide their full service in life threatening emergencies - but what they will not do is fill in paperwork that allows the state government to bill their customers.
Our paramedics are fed up with a hospital service that is unable to clear emergency patients and leaves them languishing in ambulances - and under the care of ambulance crews - for hours because of bed shortages.
They are fed up with work loads that see trainees thrust into decision making roles simply because there are no senior people to supervise their work. Morale is at such a low ebb that resignations are seeing an out flow faster than recruits can be trained as replacements.
And now - of all times - the state government is trying to implement a reduction in penalty rates that will result in a ten percent reduction in take home pay - or over $ 80 a week.
Paramedics are under constant pressure to improve their qualifications and the training to do that is conducted in their own time - and at their own expense. They are the first line of defence when a medical emergency arises.
The ambulance delivers trained people to asses the medical needs and provide care on the way to hospital - and yet those paramedics earn forty percent less than a hospital nurse.
Ambulance crews - along with police and firemen - are the essential services that can not simply walk off the job like employees in other industries. They adhere to their moral obligations to provide life saving skills - but this tactic is going to hit their employer - the state government - where it hurts most. As long as this strike lasts it will put a mighty dent in the bottom line of government revenue.
That is one sure way to get the government to sit up and take notice !
The Ambulance service is on strike. They will still respond to 000 emergency calls and they will provide their full service in life threatening emergencies - but what they will not do is fill in paperwork that allows the state government to bill their customers.
Our paramedics are fed up with a hospital service that is unable to clear emergency patients and leaves them languishing in ambulances - and under the care of ambulance crews - for hours because of bed shortages.
They are fed up with work loads that see trainees thrust into decision making roles simply because there are no senior people to supervise their work. Morale is at such a low ebb that resignations are seeing an out flow faster than recruits can be trained as replacements.
And now - of all times - the state government is trying to implement a reduction in penalty rates that will result in a ten percent reduction in take home pay - or over $ 80 a week.
Paramedics are under constant pressure to improve their qualifications and the training to do that is conducted in their own time - and at their own expense. They are the first line of defence when a medical emergency arises.
The ambulance delivers trained people to asses the medical needs and provide care on the way to hospital - and yet those paramedics earn forty percent less than a hospital nurse.
Ambulance crews - along with police and firemen - are the essential services that can not simply walk off the job like employees in other industries. They adhere to their moral obligations to provide life saving skills - but this tactic is going to hit their employer - the state government - where it hurts most. As long as this strike lasts it will put a mighty dent in the bottom line of government revenue.
That is one sure way to get the government to sit up and take notice !
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
A GST rate increase ?
A shiver down the spines of most citizens at the suggestion that there might be an increase in the rate at which the GST is levied !
There will be a Federal election later this year and both sides of politics have been circling the nation's hospital system with the view of a possible Federal takeover.
If that were to happen it would mean a complete renegotiation of Federal/state funding. The states could not expect the same level of Federal monies if one of their most expensive outlays - hospitals - was removed from the state to the Federal sphere.
And there lays the great divide ! To compensate for a Federal hospital takeover the states would need to relinquish about forty percent of the taxes raised and paid to them from the GST.
It is almost beyond belief that the states would give this the nod. Their track record on the GST is not impressive. When this tax was negotiated it was agreed that in return for a new source of income the states would reduce some state taxes and abolish others. They were given several years grace to implement this arrangement.
When that time came - they reneged ! They took the beggar's stance and claimed they simply could not afford to do without those state taxes - and so the public were subjected to double dipping.
The Treasurer has suggest - mischievously - that if Kevin Rudd were elected he would probably raise the GST from the present 10% to 14% to recoup the loss of hospital funds to the Commonwealth.
Rudd emphatically denies this - but the voters will hope that now the subject has been raised both sides of politics will set in stone a promise that under no circumstances will there be a change in the rate of the GST.
In that respect Australia is one of the few countries in the world to have kept it's GST promise. When the tax was introduced in most other countries it was accompanied by a solemn promise that the rate would remain unchanged - and that promise was broken within the first few years - and is now well over twenty percent.
Lets hope that both sides of politics leave the GST at ten percent !
There will be a Federal election later this year and both sides of politics have been circling the nation's hospital system with the view of a possible Federal takeover.
If that were to happen it would mean a complete renegotiation of Federal/state funding. The states could not expect the same level of Federal monies if one of their most expensive outlays - hospitals - was removed from the state to the Federal sphere.
And there lays the great divide ! To compensate for a Federal hospital takeover the states would need to relinquish about forty percent of the taxes raised and paid to them from the GST.
It is almost beyond belief that the states would give this the nod. Their track record on the GST is not impressive. When this tax was negotiated it was agreed that in return for a new source of income the states would reduce some state taxes and abolish others. They were given several years grace to implement this arrangement.
When that time came - they reneged ! They took the beggar's stance and claimed they simply could not afford to do without those state taxes - and so the public were subjected to double dipping.
The Treasurer has suggest - mischievously - that if Kevin Rudd were elected he would probably raise the GST from the present 10% to 14% to recoup the loss of hospital funds to the Commonwealth.
Rudd emphatically denies this - but the voters will hope that now the subject has been raised both sides of politics will set in stone a promise that under no circumstances will there be a change in the rate of the GST.
In that respect Australia is one of the few countries in the world to have kept it's GST promise. When the tax was introduced in most other countries it was accompanied by a solemn promise that the rate would remain unchanged - and that promise was broken within the first few years - and is now well over twenty percent.
Lets hope that both sides of politics leave the GST at ten percent !
Monday, 27 August 2007
Holding our breath !
With a week to go before APEC there must be some intense crystal ball gazing going on in the security command centre. We know that there is going to be a huge demonstration aimed mainly at US president George Bush - but exactly what tactics the feral organizers will use is still a mystery.
A darker problem concerns the intentions of Muslim jihadists in Australia. Obviously APEC is a magnet that will draw their attention because whatever happens here during that week will be world news.
A recurring worry is the whereabouts of those M 72 rocket launchers stolen from a defence armoury and sold to a terrorist group. It is suspected that they were sealed in plastic pipes and buried underground - waiting for the right occasion to be used for maximum effect.
World leaders will be flying in to Australia - and what better targets than aircraft carrying important people ?
Flight plans and movements are a closely guarded secret, but it is unlikely that Sydney airport will be the destination. The airport is surrounded by suburbs and the risk of such a weapon being fired from any one of hundreds of thousands of unit patios would be too much of a risk.
Incoming leaders will more likely land at defence department air fields - which are isolated and much easier to lock down.
So - that leaves a handful of hotels that will house world leaders - and open up an interesting cat and mouse game between those wishing to do harm and the security forces standing guard.
A lot of people will be holding their breath until the last leader safely exits our shores !
A darker problem concerns the intentions of Muslim jihadists in Australia. Obviously APEC is a magnet that will draw their attention because whatever happens here during that week will be world news.
A recurring worry is the whereabouts of those M 72 rocket launchers stolen from a defence armoury and sold to a terrorist group. It is suspected that they were sealed in plastic pipes and buried underground - waiting for the right occasion to be used for maximum effect.
World leaders will be flying in to Australia - and what better targets than aircraft carrying important people ?
Flight plans and movements are a closely guarded secret, but it is unlikely that Sydney airport will be the destination. The airport is surrounded by suburbs and the risk of such a weapon being fired from any one of hundreds of thousands of unit patios would be too much of a risk.
Incoming leaders will more likely land at defence department air fields - which are isolated and much easier to lock down.
So - that leaves a handful of hotels that will house world leaders - and open up an interesting cat and mouse game between those wishing to do harm and the security forces standing guard.
A lot of people will be holding their breath until the last leader safely exits our shores !
Sunday, 26 August 2007
A racing calamity.
Yesterday brought a shock to most Australians - a Saturday when there was no horse racing anywhere in the country !
Equine Influenza ( EI ) has broken out and this spells disaster for the racing industry - and for a whole flock of associated industries depending on this sport.
Yesterday the TAB missed out on turnover of seventy million dollars, bookmakers walked away without recording a bet, jockeys found themselves unemployed and the betting facilities of pubs and clubs were deserted.
It doesn't stop there. This is the breeding season and the embargo on horse movements means that sires can not be transported to mares and the future of the sixty million dollar industry will be in jeopardy.
A lot now depends on how long the embargo will be necessary - but there has already been speculation that the spring racing calendar will be in doubt - and that it may be necessary to delay the Melbourne cup - and hold it in December.
The fallout will be far and wide - and it will also include APEC. One of the most effective means of crowd control has been the mounted police. It is likely that come September the police horses will have to remain in stables. This is also the time of year when pony clubs and dressage events take place, not to mention the livelihood of riding schools and tourist ranches.
Somehow our quarantine service slipped up and an infected horse passed through quarantine while still affected by this highly infectious disease. The cost will run into the millions - and for many this spring will not seem like the Australia they knew of old !
Equine Influenza ( EI ) has broken out and this spells disaster for the racing industry - and for a whole flock of associated industries depending on this sport.
Yesterday the TAB missed out on turnover of seventy million dollars, bookmakers walked away without recording a bet, jockeys found themselves unemployed and the betting facilities of pubs and clubs were deserted.
It doesn't stop there. This is the breeding season and the embargo on horse movements means that sires can not be transported to mares and the future of the sixty million dollar industry will be in jeopardy.
A lot now depends on how long the embargo will be necessary - but there has already been speculation that the spring racing calendar will be in doubt - and that it may be necessary to delay the Melbourne cup - and hold it in December.
The fallout will be far and wide - and it will also include APEC. One of the most effective means of crowd control has been the mounted police. It is likely that come September the police horses will have to remain in stables. This is also the time of year when pony clubs and dressage events take place, not to mention the livelihood of riding schools and tourist ranches.
Somehow our quarantine service slipped up and an infected horse passed through quarantine while still affected by this highly infectious disease. The cost will run into the millions - and for many this spring will not seem like the Australia they knew of old !
Saturday, 25 August 2007
Carcinoma danger !
A new scare on the cancer front - tanning booths !
It has been revealed that overuse of tanning booths can cause users to suffer the most deadly skin cancer - Carcinoma.
At present, the use of tanning booths is subject to a voluntary code of conduct, but the evidence shows that this is being disregarded in the quest for profit.
The biggest problem is young people who seek a golden tan and over use tanning booths as a way of achieving their dream.
No amount of publicity is going to persuade them to opt on the side of moderation. We only have to look at the millions expended to warn of the dangers of drugs, alcohol and speeding while driving to know that young people consider themselves bullet proof - and ignore warnings.
Probably the only way to regulate this industry is to enact legislation - and it would be useful if this could be done on a national basis rather than leaving it to individual states - requiring proof of age before gaining access to a tanning booth - in a similar manner to the requirements for purchasing alcohol or cigarettes.
It would not be necessary to ban the use of this medium, but to merely moderate the exposure time to a safe level.
Unfortunately sanity will fly out the window and the matter will become a political football between the Federal authorities and the states - but the losers will be young people pursuing an impossible dream - and ending up a medical statistic !
It has been revealed that overuse of tanning booths can cause users to suffer the most deadly skin cancer - Carcinoma.
At present, the use of tanning booths is subject to a voluntary code of conduct, but the evidence shows that this is being disregarded in the quest for profit.
The biggest problem is young people who seek a golden tan and over use tanning booths as a way of achieving their dream.
No amount of publicity is going to persuade them to opt on the side of moderation. We only have to look at the millions expended to warn of the dangers of drugs, alcohol and speeding while driving to know that young people consider themselves bullet proof - and ignore warnings.
Probably the only way to regulate this industry is to enact legislation - and it would be useful if this could be done on a national basis rather than leaving it to individual states - requiring proof of age before gaining access to a tanning booth - in a similar manner to the requirements for purchasing alcohol or cigarettes.
It would not be necessary to ban the use of this medium, but to merely moderate the exposure time to a safe level.
Unfortunately sanity will fly out the window and the matter will become a political football between the Federal authorities and the states - but the losers will be young people pursuing an impossible dream - and ending up a medical statistic !
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