What the new year may bring !

A new year on the horizon - and a new government in Canberra. Unfortunately all the old problems will still be around when the fireworks herald in the new year at midnight.

One of those problems will be the question of Sydney airport ! The previous government successfully stone walled on a solution - hoping that quieter aircraft engines at some future date would resolve the issue.

Kevin Rudd gives the appearance of a leader who will not duck unpopular decisions. Badgerys Creek is no longer an option, nor is any other site in the greater Sydney basin. A second airport for Sydney will need a sweep of a broader brush - and this may be seen as an opportunity.

If a second airport eventuates there will be a major problem with the allocation of flights landing there. All the airlines want to land at Kingsford-Smith right in the heart of Australia's largest city.

Obviously freight will be quarantined to the new airport - but there would be a tendency to favour Australian owned airlines at the old facility and shunt overseas carriers to the out of town site.

Maybe this is the time to " think big ".

An ideal airport site exists near Goulburn. Just suppose the government located the new airport there - and delivered passengers to Sydney by a very fast train. The technology exists. Japan has it's " Bullet trains ", the French have the GTV and an experimental Maglev line in China is proving successful.

Now just suppose the government thought even bigger - and extended that very fast train line from Goulburn to Canberra - and on to Melbourne ! Later, a link to Brisbane would not be out of the question.

It would cost money - a huge amount of money ! But just suppose the government thought really big - established the new airport - and then closed Kingsford-Smith. Can you imagine what that huge acreage, right in the city would command as a site for housing and industry?

It would be a solution that should please nearly everyone. Sydney residents would be spared aircraft noise. All the airlines would be delivering to one airport to service Sydney - and Australia would have a transport system that would be the envy of the world

New years eve is a time for making resolutions. Perhaps this is one for Kevin to ponder !

The difference between two countries !

Just over a month ago Australians went to the polls to select a government. There were no assassination attempts. There were no suicide bombings. The public was continuously assailed with advertising by both sides of politics - but the issues spanned the running of the nation in either a conservative or a socialist manner.
Absent as an issue was - religion ! It is doubtful if the average voter had the faintest clue as to the religious preference of any of the candidates.

Just twelve days away from an election to restore democracy in Pakistan things are very different. An embattled president is retreating from virtual martial law and former leader Benazir Bhutto returned to the country to contest the election.

There have been numerous assassination attempts against the president - all of them unsuccessful - but the second attack on Bhutto saw her shot dead - and the assailant then detonated explosives that killed many of her supporters.

The problem is a hard core of al Qaeda fanatics who refuse to accept any form of democratic government. They will continue to bomb and kill in the hope that one day the Pakistan people will revolt - similar to the happening in Iran - and elevate them to power.

If that happens Pakistan will become a theocracy. The ruling fanatics will dictate who will be educated. What people may view or listen to. What form of dress will be worn nationally - and what will become of that county's nuclear arsenal.

It may never happen - but if it does then world war three is almost inevitable !

The illusion of freedom.

Today David Hicks ( 32 ) will emerge from South Australia's Yatala prison - but he will not be a free man.

Hicks will be required to report to police three times a week, live in a designated dwelling and observe a midnight to six am curfew. He will also be restricted to the use of any telephone or computer registered with the authorities - and he will have given an undertaking not to associate with terrorists or commit terrorist crimes.

David Hicks is an enigma. He converted to Islam and joined an al Qaeda terrorist network which took up arms against western troops engaging the Taliban in Afghanistan.

He was captured - and spent five and a half years in " Gitmo " - Camp X-Ray at the American prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. As a result of a " deal " he pleaded guilty to aiding terrorism and was repatriated to Australia to serve a final seven month sentence in Yatala.

So - Where is his future after today's release ?

He will probably register with Centrelink for " Newstart " - formerly known as "the dole " and receive $ 465 a fortnight while he looks for a paid job. He has supporters in Australia and the majority of people believe in " a fair go " - so he may not have too much trouble settling back into the Australian way of life.

What happens after that is entirely up to him. If his experience with terrorists was a rush of blood as a young man he will turn his back on his former life. He is an Australian citizen and he is entitled to the services this country provides, but many will remain suspicious - and for the remainder of his life he can expect that ASIO observers will not be far away !

The death that stalks us !

Tragedy strikes when little kids and water coincides. Sometimes it is at the beach - sometimes in a river - but all too often in the apparent safety of our treasured back yard swimming pools.

A usual, the finger pointing tries to evade blame. There are ample rules in place and if they were observed death by drowning would be rare.

It is necessary to get council approval to build a swimming pool - and it takes the consent of Sydney Water to fill it. There are regulations governing fences and gates - and all pools must have a resuscitation poster on display.

So - why is there a problem ?

Councils are lax in inspecting fencing and gates. An annual inspection would cost them resources - and they fear the backlash from angry pool owners who may resent an inspection as an intrusion.

If the state government is serious about pool safety it should legislate to require councils to inspect all pools annually - and if necessary - charge a fee to cover that cost. This is the only way that fences will be adequate and gates fitted with self closing devices and child proof locks.

Ratepayers will certainly moan about an inspection fee, but after all a pool is a measure of wealth and what price can be put on the life of a child.

Unfortunately inspections and a tightened law will not stop all drownings. The biggest user of pools are kids - and older kids have a habit of quick dashes back to the house for cold drinks - a visit to the toilet - or pool toys.

Older kids resent the child proof locks on pool gates - and in many cases prop the gate open to make for quick passage. This opens the opportunity for younger - non swimmers - or the kids next door - to access the pool.

The biggest safety device that can prevent drownings is parent supervision of all children using swimming pools - but unfortunately that is the one thing that can not be guaranteed by legislation !

The " Ranger " bandits !

It is said that only two things are certain in life - death and taxes ! Get ready for a sharp increase in taxes !

Councils have discovered a new pot of gold. Their " Ranger " workforce has been tasked with increasing revenue by issuing on the spot fines for a vast array of " offences ".

It all started several years ago when the police force decided to quit the policing of parking fines. This became a council matter and councils increased the number of rangers in their employ.

It didn't take long for greed to take over. Find more offences for rangers to discover - and the flow of money to council coffers would become a river of gold.

Councils are now petitioning the government to permit their rangers to increase the scope of motoring offences under their control - but the things ordinary citizens are noticing is that rangers have become active in areas which were not previously policed.

For instance, if your dog or cat is discovered not wearing an identity tag you can cop a hefty fine. If you live in an area with parking problems and you park on the nature strip - expect a brown envelope under the windscreen - and if you contravene water restrictions then that eager ranger will be quick to hand you an infringement notice.

All areas of government - and that includes local government - are desperate for more money and the one source of revenue that has no logical limit is law enforcement.

Councils are eagerly sifting through their by-laws to discover a treasure trove of fineable offences. Life just became a little more difficult - and expensive - for the average citizen !

The day after !

Christmas day dawned bright and clear - and there was evidence that the jolly man in the red suit had completed his rounds. Inevitably - there were a few problems.

In many households there were wailing kids whose parents had wrapped - but not read the small print that said " batteries not included ". On Christmas morning the world is a commercial desert. On this one day of the year finding a shop open that sells batteries is worse than finding a needle in a haystack.

Then there were the people of mature years presented with a laptop, perhaps an I-Pod - or even a nice, shiny new mobile phone - with furrowed brow and anguished expression as they tried to figure out the operating instructions - which seem to be written in Swahili !

From today there will be a steady stream of people returning to retailers with a great assortment of clothing. Too big ! Too small ! The wrong colour !

But these are small problems compared to the joy of Christmas day. In most households Christmas dinner is a feast to remember - and the excuse to have perhaps a drink too many - or a puff of something denied by the law.

And what is even better is the absolute certainty that it will return in twelve months time - once again on December twenty-five - 2008.

Desperation Day !

Christmas Eve ! The last shopping day before Christmas - and for many people that equates to desperation day !

Shopping for that special Christmas present is something that often causes procrastination. We think of something - and then reject it. We spend hours looking at gifts in shops - and the more worldly wise do the same thing on their computers - but in the end we find ourselves on Christmas eve with no gift to wrap !

Today the shops will see a steady stream of people with a desperate glint in their eye - because the evil hour is fast approaching. Now is decision time - and depending on that decision tomorrow will be either joy or disappointment.

It's strange that Christmas has evolved into the biggest shopping spree of the year, followed only by individual birthdays - and of course - Mothers Day.

Amid all this gift giving and feasting it might be nice to give a thought to some of the less fortunate people in the world. There are many who will not manage to eat - because they have no food. For many more , any sort of gift would be a first experience.

We in this country are lucky people - and this is often called " the lucky country ". Christmas might be a nice time to be generous with our donations to overseas aid !

The cut that delivers safety.

Raymond Barry Cornwall ( 52 ) is not the sort of person you would welcome into your community. Cornwall is a sex pervert who preys on young boys.

Cornwall was recently released from gaol. This release was not without strings. Cornwall was required to wear a security bracelet 24/7, report to police three times a week, reside at an approved address - and honour a curfew.

Within hours, he had cut off the security bracelet and fled the scene. He was recaptured days later on a beach at Stanwell Park, ogling young boys playing in the surf. For this breach of parole he will be returned to gaol.

This raises the question. " Where do we go from here ? "

Inevitably, some time in the future Cornwall will again come before the parole board. The Civil Liberties people will urge that he be given another chance. The prison people and medical people who know him and supervise him daily will be horrified at the thought of his release into an unsuspecting public domain.

It is time the state government bit the bullet and decided on a plan to deal with this sort of person. There seems to be only two options available.

Option one would be to keep them in prison for the duration of their lives

A second option would be to cure those deviant urges - by castration !

No doubt the Civil Liberties people will holler blue murder - but the children of this state also have civil liberties - and one of those liberties is the right not to be a victim of a sex pervert.

Maybe the loss of testicles would be a reasonable swap for the right of such a person to walk through the prison gates as a free man !

Divided views on health !

The report on the shambles that is Royal North Shore hospital has finally been filed. It was chaired by a politician - and it seems that the main objective was not to make waves - and not to rock the boat.

Few would be surprised to find that the report failed to sheet home the blame for this mess to anyone. It was not the fault of the state government. It was not the fault of the doctors and nurses. It was not the fault of the Health Commission. With a shrug of the shoulders - maybe just serendipity !

At the same time new prime minister Kevin Rudd is taking a serious look at eliminating the long waiting time for elective surgery. Two options are being explored.

It is suggested that vouchers may be used to enable those at the end of a long queue to have the job done in a private hospital - at public expense.

There is also a suggestion that rivate hospitals be asked to quote on a tender basis for accepting some of the load for knee replacements and cataracts.

It is a bold move, but if adopted there could be an unfortunate backlash. Many insured people might be offended to find a public patient in the next bed - scheduled for the same operation - and getting it for free.

After all, that insured patient has been forced to take out insurance by the Medicare levy impost - the purpose of which was to free up the public hospital system by making private hospitals affordable for the insured.

All it proves is that there is no easy answer to the health mess !

The creeping veil of secrecy.

One of the basic tenets of a democracy is transparency. The public have the right to view the workings of government - even when that includes blunders that the politicians seek to hide.

Over the years the right to transparency has been the subject of many battles resulting in the passing of the " Freedom of Information act ". Ever since governments have been hatching plots to restrict that information.

The latest battle is between the government and it's police force. Frustration has resulted in some officers leaking information to the media. The Police Integrity Commission ( PIC ) has now moved to permanently plug that leak.

It is proposed that no police officer will be allowed any form of comment other than that authorised by the Police Media Unit. As a result, the public will only have access to whatever information the spin doctors choose to release !

The penalties are draconian. An officer who breaks that edict can be dismissed from the force and may even serve time in gaol.

The fact that such comment is " true and accurate " - and " in the public interest " will be no defence. The intention is to permanently gag our police and force them to work behind a wall of silence.

If this edict becomes law the morale of New South ales police can only sink lower. Obviously there must be balance in comments - otherwise indiscretion could wreck a police investigation if the crooks become aware of surveillance - but the police should have the same rights as ordinary citizens when it comes to expressing opinions.

The fact tha recruitment is barely keeping pace with resignations indicates that there are serious problems with policing in this state. If this " gag policy " becomes law then job satisfaction may pass beyond the point of no return !

The road toll.

We are approaching the best time of the year - Christmas and the holiday season - and summer. Unfortunately it is also the time when more of us will die or be critically injured in road accidents.

Fortunately there is every reason to think that the annual death toll will continue to fall. Slowly and surely we are getting better roads - with more and more of the state highways divided multi carriageways - and at the same time cars are getting better too.

As older cars head for the wreckers yard the proportion of cars equipped with air bags, traction control and better braking and handling systems becomes the majority. Each year as new models enter the marketplace the safety factor follows a steep upward curve. We can not blame our cars as the main cause of accidents !

As somebody once observed The main cause of road accidents " is the nut behind the wheel "!

That seems to be true. This holiday season there will be a percentage of drivers sharing the roads with us who are over the limit for alcohol consumption.
There will be others travelling well above the posted speed limit - and some drivers will be showing a degree of aggression better suited to a boxing ring.

No matter what laws are passed by parliament - and no matter how many police patrol cars supervise our roads - there will be a percentage of drivers who will act in a suicidal manner.

The only thing between us and an accident is sheer good luck - and the hope that these " accidents looking for a place to happen " are driving on some other road !

One flew over the Cuckoos nest !

Gilbert and Sullivan specialised in writing farcical theatre - but it would be hard to trump the efforts of Shellharbour council when it comes to stupidity !

This council has been noted for in-fighting between people with big ego's and small minds. It culminated in a dispute over supposedly leaked confidential matters concerning the renumeration package of the council's CEO - which became a matter of public record anyway !

Push came to shove and the matter became a court case with three people the subject of litigation. Ratepayers - and the state government - became alarmed as costs quickly elevated and the council was warned - Put your house in order and get out of this mess - or face being placed in administration !

Sanity seemed to be prevailing when three Labor councillors sponsored a motion to drop the matter and retreat from further cost - but then party politics entered the fray. Dissenting Labor councillors decided to caucus on the matter - and because one councillor in favour was unable to be present - the decision was to oppose the motion.

We now have the situation where the three Labor councillors will propose and second the motion - but will be unable to vote for it because the caucus decision would see such a vote as against the policy of the ALP.

We are therefore back to square one - but at least this illustrates the stupidity of party politics having a place in local government !

The sub-prime flow on !

In the past few years the finance world went mad ! There was simply too much money offering in a fast expanding home sector and so the standards for loans for housing dropped to zero.

Lenders ignored the old formulae of at least a twenty percent deposit, repayments no more than twenty-five percent of income - and the total loan over no more than twenty-five years.

One hundred percent loans became the norm - and ability to pay was totally ignored.

We are now paying the price for that madness. The sub-prime fiasco in America has the ability to create huge losses - and we are not immune here in Australia because exactly the same procedure was followed by a fast expanding plethora of mortgage brokers.

Unfortunately the fall-out will not be quarantined to the home lending area - and that is already becoming apparent in the general financing market.

One of the first casualties has been Cosco - a developer of shopping centres and malls. This firm is highly leveraged and needs to continually re-finance to fund it's increasing expansion.

This week the money market shut it's purse. We can expect a similar fate to overtake any company that has a similar structure - and any new company looking to establish in the market will face an intense scrutiny before money starts to flow.

A lot of this is simply money market nerves. There is no real reason for a panic, but a little bit of bad news seems to generate a tsatsumi of fear and the reaction is to slap the lid of the money bin shut - and stop spending.

Like all such downturns - there will be rich opportunities for the canny investor who is cashed up and has the nerve to jump in when prices of quality investments are low.

2008 may be the year of dread for many companies with a volatile money market - but those opportunities will see many people turn disaster into a huge personal advantage.

It offers better odds than betting on race horses !

Insensitive !

The Indonesian government appears particularly insensitive to world feeling by letting Abu Bakar Bashir - spiritual leader of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah - publicly visit and commend the three terrorists responsible for the 2002 Bali bombing that killed 202 tourists - 88 of them Australian.

Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country, but it officially condemns Islamic terror and it has passed the death sentence on those who committed murder in the name of Islam. Passing sentence is one thing - carrying it out is another - and so far that has not happened !

There seems to be an air of indifference towards the Bali bombing. Perhaps the fact that the residents in Bali are not Muslims - and the people murdered were western tourists has something to do with that separation of guilt.

There also seems to be a lack of outrage amongst ordinary Indonesians that followers of a violent brand of Islam are trying to force their way of life onto the entire country. Indonesia follows a secular path that allows freedom of choice as to way of life in many ways - and that includes the freedom to watch television, listen to music and educate women - something that the extremists would forbid if they managed to install Sharia law.

When a bigot like Bashir is featured in the media smiling and conferring blessings on those who have confessed to murder - but shown no contrition - then many observers must wonder how sincere are the Indonesian government's efforts to suppress terrorism.

An end to the beach holiday !

Many years ago - in a kinder and gentler age - a holiday home near the beach was a reality for many families. These ranged from affluent homes - built with retirement living in mind - to rough shacks built by battlers with a scarcity of both skill and money.

Land was cheap in those days and council rates in most areas a mere pittance. Change overtook this idyllic scene with land prices reaching and in some cases surpassing city levels - and council rates pushing the holiday home from dream to nightmare !

Many owners saw deliverance by way of offering the holiday home as a rental property when not in use by the family. The rental income covered out-goings - and so the status quo was maintained.

In recent times rents for these properties have reached ridiculous levels. In peak season rents in excess of two thousand dollars a week are common - and as a result the complexity of those renting has changed.

Now it is common for a mixture of families in excess of twenty people to share a beach house. This large group descends on the beach house with additional sleeping accommodation - including tents and caravans - and as a result there is often a noise problem for neighbours - and the lease ends with a large amount of rubbish left behind.

There is now pressure to ban short term tenancy in beach front areas. Councils are exploring options open to them under existing legislation - but they are also salivating at the prospect of slapping " Section 94 Contribution Fees " on beach properties offered for rental.

This impost was originally designed to apply to new hotels, motels and boarding houses as a means of developers contributing to the tourist facilities that would be needed. The impost was a whopping $ 7,500 per bed !

It seems that the battle is about to be joined between neighbours - who want a little peace and quiet - holiday home owners - who want to offset the cost of maintaining their beach side asset - and councils - who simply see a new bag of money within grabbing range !

Whatever the outcome - a holiday by the sea can only cost a whole heap more !

Fair go for renters !

The state government has agreed to review the Residential Tenancy Act, but is dismayed that so far there has been little input from renters and their associations.
The majority of the submissions have come from strata managers and real estate agents - and they view the rental laws from an entirely different perspective !

The Residential Tenancy Act has not been changed for over twenty years, but in that time there have been major movements in the market place.
The surge in home prices in recent times caused many to invest in residential property and place that property on the rental market while awaiting a possible future capital gain.

Tenants who have the security of a signed lease have been dismayed to find the Sheriff at their door, demanding that they vacate in a matter of days.
This happens when the owner defaults on a mortgage and the mortagee files for immediate repossession. In such cases, the default laws take precedence over any lease in place - and the renter is the loser.

This anomaly needs legal clarification - and at the same time it would be a good idea to cleanup the " black list " that applies to so called " bad tenants ".
Once a tenant is named on the " black list " the chances of renting diminish to zero - and yet the rules for declaring a tenant " bad " seem to be entirely at the discretion of the landlord or the landlord's agent.

There have been cases when such listings has been malicious and unfounded, and yet the procedure for removal is vague and without teeth.

An opportunity now exists to bring the act up to date. It would be a shame if apathy prevented progress because the vast array of people renting failed to make their case.

The drug " Supremos " !

Law enforcement has watched the increasingly sophisticated methods used to bring drugs to market in all parts of the world.
Drug supply has come a long way from the enthusiast growing a few Marijuana plants in the backyard - to the " doctored " electricity meters and hydroponic setups in suburban homes - to state sponsored narcotic empires delivering their cargos to our shores.

Law enforcement has just cracked a Canadian/Asian based drug syndicate that has moved the goal posts and set a new benchmark in sophistication.
Forty people have been arrested - fourteen in Australia - and $ 13.7 million of Ecstacy and Ice confiscated.
Internationally, real estate worth $ 6.7 million - and $ 2.3 million in cash - has been seized as the profit from drug crime.

This drug organization has been formed around a number of " cells " - none of whom know or have any contact with one another. This is reminiscent of the way terrorist organizations operate - and there is a chance that the principals may be spy masters from a foreign power - or disenchanted religious fanatics - who have decided to go into business for their own profit.

Whatever the background, this will make penetration by the police harder to accomplish. The " Supremos " are quite ruthless. They discard without mercy those who get caught and simply target a new cell to maintain an uninterrupted supply.

It is obvious that the world of drugs will never be completely defeated. There is simply too much money involved and that sort of money brings out the best in criminal minds.
There is no answer - only continued vigilance !

Crime and punishment.

Recent events confirm that the wheels of justice grind unevenly in this country.

In north Queensland nine young men are charged with the rape of a ten year old girl.
No gaol time will be served and the inference is that the girl was a willing accomplice. This flies in the face of the law - which states that the age of consent is sixteen.

In Sydney, a judge is accused of perjury by nominating others as the driver of his car which was detected by cameras speeding and running red lights. If true, it would seem to be a case of arrogance to avoid what was a minor fine and loss of points.

The principle of law is that it should be fair - and equally available to all.
Clearly - that is not the case. A defendant who has the money to engage what is known as " a silk " - a Queens Councillor or other highly placed lawyer - has a much better chance of beating the charge than a person who has to rely on a court appointed lawyer - or worse still - represent himself or herself !

Now we have the added distortion of justice - plea bargaining. A person charged with a serious crime that carries a heavy penalty is often offered " a deal ".
Plead guilty to a lesser charge and receive a nominated lesser penalty as a reward for saving court time - and saving the prosecution time and money in preparing the case.

In many cases that person has no option than to accept the deal. No money for a smart lawyer ! No expectation of proving innocence - and a convincing prosecutor who contends that he is being lenient and acting for the prisoner's benefit.

Equality for all before the law - is a joke !

For the prosecution it is a relentless march of cases before the court - to be disposed of in the shortest possible time.

For the judiciary it is a balance of equating sentences to the availability of cells within the prison system.

To the legal profession - it is a money machine. When was the last time you saw a lawyer driving a beat-up old car - or living in a Housing Commission flat ?

Opportunity knocks !

The severe hail storm that hit Blacktown, Baulkham Hills and Hornsby a few days ago resulted in three thousand calls to the SES for help, eight thousand insurance claims - and sixty five million dollars in damage - and still counting !

Analysis of the damage reveals a lot of damaged cars caught in the open, but the main loss is associated with roof damage. Not only will there be a huge bill for roof repair, but water entry wrecked appliances like sound systems and wide screen TV's and ruined carpets. In many cases, saturated plaster ceilings collapsed, adding to the loss.

Storms containing destructive cells that produce hail as big as cricket balls are becoming more common - and if the global warming predictions are correct - we will see more of them in the years ahead on a more frequent basis.

It is time the building industry had a long, hard look at the materials we have been using for roofing for centuries. Clay roof tiles were in use when the pyramids were under construction - and they have served us well. There are instances in Europe where such tiles are still in good condition centuries later.

The problem is that clay roof tiles do not withstand large hail - and what is needed now is for the building supply industry to use it's ingenuity to develop a way to protect the millions of tile roofs in this country from the coming hail storms.

Many new houses in recent times have abandoned tiles in favour of metal sheeting. This will be badly dented by large hail, but it will prevent water entry - and it is cheaper to replace than damaged tiles - with the added bonus of no interior damage.

What is needed is for building science to develop an overlay that will give clay tiles the strength to resist hail damage. The market is huge, considering the existing stock of homes with clay tile roofing far exceeds that using sheet metal roofing.

Such an addition will not be cheap - but in the long run home owners will need to bite the bullet and protect their roofing - or face an added insurance premium for clay tile roofed homes - and the chance of facing ruin from a storm !

Escape from future oblivion !

The decision by the New South Wales government to sell power generation and distribution to the private sector is a canny political move to avoid future oblivion !

There is no doubt that unless generation capacity is enhanced there will be a shortfall leading to rolling blackouts during peak load periods some years in the future. To avoid that, new generating stations costing over fifteen billion dollars will need to be started now - to be certain of coming on line in ten to fifteen years time.

If power generation is still owned by the government that decision would be on the horns of a dilemma. Power generation is one of the greatest contributors to increasing carbon emissions - so the decision would need to be between coal or gas - or nuclear.

To adopt nuclear would mean an even bigger initial outlay, but would also create confrontation with Kevin Rudd's Federal government, a fight with the left wing of the Labor party - and bring the anti-nuclear forces to do battle for the minds of the general public.

Whatever the decision - there is still the spectre of enforceable carbon credit trading becoming binding somewhere in the short term. This introduces a big, new cost into power generation - and ultimately means a steep rise in the retail power price is unavoidable.

The state government advisers are savvy people and can see that this is a scenario that would signal oblivion for whatever government was in office when the bad news arrived.

So the decision has been made to distance the state government from the coming disaster by selling off power - and gaining a twenty five billion dollar windfall.
The unions will be bought off by the offer of a $ 40,000 " bonus " per worker for transferring from the public to the private sector - and the public will be insulated from power price hikes until 2015. After that - all bets are off !

There is also the opportunity to cement the government's hold on power by using that twenty five billion dollar windfall to do showcase improvements in the hospital system, education - and possibly build a few more roads - not to mention the abysmal rail system.

No doubt the wavering local politicians have been brought into line by a private revelation of the doom that lies ahead if power is not shed to the private sector, but to many it is a case of a great public asset and source of revenue being lost to the ownership of the people - and as a result - a sharp increase in each individuals cost of living when the inevitable price rises hit !

The peril above !

When it rains the first thing we do is seek shelter. In the city and suburbs the available shelter is usually a shop awning. Events of this week have caused us to stop and think after a man was crushed to death when such an awning fell on him.

Shop awnings are something that we take for granted. Unfortunately, many belong to a past era and many adorn the front of failed shops which became victims of the rise of supermarkets. Shops with boarded up windows exist in many suburbs - a reminder of the times when " the corner shop " supplied most of our needs.

Why did this awning fail ? A lot of reasons have been suggested. Some think the awning became too heavy when pigeons used it as a roost. A pigeon can drop up to a kilo of guano a day - and given the number of pigeons in the city that can cause a mind boggling weight increase.

Another reason could be lack of maintenance. Old awnings eventually allow the entry of water, and wet timbers increase in weight. In the instance of the awning that caused death the whole front of the store collapsed, indicating that there may have been a further fault in the restraining brickwork.

This tragedy is a timely reminder to all the councils in this state. Building inspectors now have a duty to inspect shop awnings - and where danger is detected they should either be demolished - or work done to make them safe.

It took a death to put the spotlight on a source of danger. It would be sheer negligence if this danger was ignored.
A council that decides to take no action may face a charge of culpability if a further death or injury occurs !

The disenchanted !

Last year the big push was converting cars from petrol to natural gas. The government was offering a two thousand dollar incentive - and the conversion industry was so overwhelmed that it refused to accept new bookings.

How things change ! That industry is now working month to month with just a steady stream of new customers. There are a number of reasons why car owners are having second thoughts.

Some see liquid gas as a bigger explosive danger than petrol. Some dislike losing boot space to accommodate that gas cylinder. Some are wary because gas outlets in country areas are not expanding at the same speed as the conversion industry - and some simply do not trust government not to claw back the savings when gas powered car numbers rise !

They have a point. Petrol prices are rising fast with the Christmas holiday traffic surge ahead - and gas prices are keeping pace. The difference is that petrol is supposedly priced in tandem with the Mayasian benchmark - and Australia has local supplies of natural gas measured in availability for centuries to come.

There is an old saying that nothing is certain - except death and taxes.
One certainty is that governments never relent on extracting the maximum tax possible from all and every avenue of opportunity.

On that basis, once the level of gas powered cars - or cars using ethanol - decrease the tax now obtained from petrol - the tax mix will immediately change to deliver precisely the same return to government coffers.

The only question remaining is just what new form taxation will take when hybrid cars travel more miles on electricity than they do on petrol - ethanol - or gas !

The next rail disaster.

Commuters from the north coast and the Illawarra have for years put up with peak rail travel in cars designed for inner city use, packed in like Sardines and without water or toilets.

Relief was promised when the Millennium train was being built, but that turned into a disaster when it simply was not reliable enough to be run on main lines. It was back to years of the infamous Tangara travel.

It seemed that a new dawn was breaking when the first of the OSCARS - outer suburban carriages specifically designed for the inter-city running began to come on line. These had more space, comfortable seats - and the greatest blessing of all - toilets and the chance to access drinking water.

It seems that the government has chosen to break the bad news slowly. There are seventy-eight OSCAR eight carriage set trains on order - but many will be diverted from the north coast and Illawarra run to service the new Epping to Chatswood line that will be completed next year.

The government and it's planners must have known - but chose to remain silent during the state election earlier this year - that the Tangara trains were incapable of handling the length and steep grade of the tunnels involved in this new line.
Their drive motors would overheat and burn out - hence the OSCARS will be diverted to solve the problem.

What will not be solved is the dilemma faced by commuters from the Illawarra and the north coast. With the OSCARS confiscated to run this new inner Sydney line many inter-city services will have to make do with the reviled Tangaras - again without toilet facilities for journeys of an hour and a half.

This is simply another case of bad planning by the government and the railway bosses.
Once more promises have been blatantly broken and the relief offered snatched away at the last moment.

No wonder many people are cynical and subscribe to the notion that when it comes to efficient planning of future events - this government would be hard pressed to successfully raffle a duck !

The money merchants !

Finding the best interest rate return for your investments is relatively easy. Financial institutions from banks to building societies - to credit unions and investment houses are prolific advertisers on radio and TV - and in newspapers and journals.

Beware those that offer a rate of interest well above the average. They may look good on paper - and from the size and scope of their advertising they appear rock solid - but they could be nothing more than an in-house financier for a builder speculating in apartment blocks. Great while the market is booming ! A disaster when the market cools !

Now a new flam is making an appearance. Interest offers are usually on the basis of a wide choice of investment terms. The rate of interest varies depending on the number of months - or years - chosen.

Most people settle for the period offering the best return - and when that investment matures they usually get a reminder letter from the company involved offering the opportunity to reinvest.
This is where the unwary face a trap. This letter gives them a short period to add money, withdraw funds or select a new investment term. It also suggests that if ignored the funds will be automatically reinvested - and the unwary assume that this will be on the same terms as the initial investment.

Not so ! This is where the mix of terms and corresponding interest rates suddenly begin to vary. The old term is no longer the one attracting the best return. That is now a month longer - or a month shorter - than the previous offer.

It is a wise idea to review every investment that matures and carefully check the new terms being offered to ensure that you are getting the return you expect. Otherwise - you may find that your investment is earning as much as two percent less interest than the market benchmark !

" HO - HO - HO "

For centuries Santa Claus has remained unchanged. Ask any little kid and you will learn that Santa lives at the North Pole, travels in a sleigh pulled by reindeers - one of which is named Rudolph and has a red nose - makes toys all year with the help of elves - and is easily recognisable by his hearty greeting of " Ho - Ho - Ho "!

This week the biggest department store chain in Australia sacked a store Santa for continuing to greet kids by saying " Ho - Ho - Ho " !

It seems that one of the sub cultures in the United States has taken to denigrating women by referring to them as " Ho " !
Presumeably this is an abbreviation of the word " Hoare " !

What this has to do with the culture of Australia is anyone's guess. It is not a term used here and it seems an example of political correctness gone wrong to think that senior store executives are seeking to have Australia's Santas abandon tradition and substitute the greeting with " Ha - Ha - Ha " or possibly an imbecilic " He - He - He ".

Many will remember a similar incident several years ago when store and mall managers banned nativity scenes from public display - on the grounds that other religions might be offended. At the same time, the streets of the city of Sydney were suddenly bereft of Christmas decorations and even the word " Christmas " seemed to make retailers uncomfortable.

That madness has passed. The nativity displays are back in public view and we are promised a return of street decorations in the days ahead.

Maybe the shareholders of that company that sacked Santa need a rethink. Maybe the store sacked the wrong person !

A moral dilemma.

In most cities and towns in this country a clash of wills is under way on the subject of legal brothels. Governments faced reality and agreed that since the earliest days of civilization no administration had succeeded in stamping them out. Coming to terms with reality - brothels are legal, provided they meet planning and conduct laws.

In Auburn street, Wollongong an illegal brothel has served it's clientele for the past four years. It is discreet and it's staff of three sex workers provide in-house services and do " outsourcing " on a 24/7 basis.

There have been no problems and other residents are probably unaware of it's presence. Council efforts to close down brothels have faced many problems, but recent legislation has made it easier to establish legal identity - and shut off power and water as a measure of closure. For that reason, many brothels have taken steps to legalise their activities.

And that raises a huge problem. The moment a council takes steps to advertise it's intention to grant legal status to a brothel a host of critics crawl out of the woodwork. In the main, they are people with religious objections - and such objections have no status in the acceptance or rejection of an application - but they make a lot of noise and they hog the media, putting pressure on councillors and council officers who are vilified if they accept what the law allows.

The result is usually delay - sometimes picketing of the site involved - and threats of withholding votes if decisions go against the wishes of some objectors.

The whole concept of democracy is that the will of the majority will prevail. The average person accepts that brothels are a way of life and probably serve as a safety valve in the community.

That same democracy preserves the right of protest against any decisions made by a ruling body. In this case, such provisions contradict each other !

THe silent assassin !

One of the things most people find unacceptable is domestic violence. The courts come down heavily upon it - and in recent years it has been dragged screaming into the open and disclosed for all to see.

Unfortunately the equal balance of justice is not a factor when guilt is assessed. We have this stereotype of a huge male savagely beating a defenceless female - and this springs to mind whenever the subject arises.

Now it seems that a claim of domestic violence has become a political weapon employed to destroy an opponent. The mere whisper of violence against such a person can destroy a career - and leave a permanent tarnish.

Such a case appears to be directed against state minister Phil Koperberg. This man was an illustrious fire commissioner, stood as a Labor candidate and is now a minister in the Iemma government.

It has been suggested that domestic violence occurred in 1987 during a relationship breakup. Koperberg denies this, but agrees " there were many blues. It was a turbulent time ".

How is it possible to prove or disprove something that happened twenty years ago ?
To muddy the water, it appears that the claim may have originated from a political opponent within the same political party - who also had a relationship with this same woman.

The minister has stood aside during the enquiry that will follow, but this case illustrates the huge damage that occur when a rumour finds it's way to the media - and in the minds of many - that rumour becomes fact !

There simply is no answer. We will never condone domestic violence, but as long as we immediately associate guilt with innuendo then the tools are there for a political assasination.

Hopefully we will get to the stage of carefully considering that there are usually two sides to every argument !

The " Mirage " hospital.

For maternity patients Shellharbour hospital is like a mirage on the horizon. You can see it - but the moment you have a need it simply fades from sight !

In 1986 the maternity ward had twenty-two beds. Since then those beds have reduced to eighteen - then twelve - then ten - then six - and finally the ward was entirely closed.
It is expected to reopen on December 21 - with just four beds !

At the same time the maternity facilities at Wollongong hospital are under such stress that four experienced midwives have thrown in the towel, resigned for a less stressful life. It wouldn't take a brain like Einstein to figure out that there is a lot wrong with the maternity system in the Illawarra.

The main problem is that specialist doctors simply refuse to travel to Shellharbour. They live in the affluent suburbs near Wollongong hospital and their credo is - " Make the patients travel to us " !
Such doctors are in such short supply in Australia that they rule the roost - and what they want is what they get !

There is also the matter of such problems being swept under the carpet by the state government.
This government is vocal on the need for whistleblowers to be protected, but at the same time it has written into hospital employees contracts the provision that speaking publicly on any matter can result in instant termination.

Whatever happened to free speech ?

The lack of maternity facilities at Shellharbour bucks against statistical trends. The Illawarra population is expanding and that growth is concentrated in the new suburbs south of Shellharbour. These house young people who are starting their families - but for the convenience of the government and the doctors the maternity facilities are concentrated at a hospital a half hours drive away.

It is time for a change of thinking - and a reallocation of services to where they are most needed !

The freeloaders !

The fire services in this state - the New South Wales Fire Brigade - which serves metropolitan areas - and the Rural Fire Service cost $ 484 million a year to maintain. Unfortunately, this cost is not spread over all users !

Due to a curious arrangement the fire service gets government grants - but the main source of income is a hefty levy imposed on all household insurance policies.
The problem is that many people simply do not bother to insure their property - and as a result these freeloaders get the services of the fire brigades for free !

When the fire alarm rings the brigades do not look up a list of those insured before responding. All property receives the same service and therefore a disproportionate share of the cost falls on those to have an insurance policy.

Local councils have raised a proposal to share the load equally. They propose abolishing the fire levy on insurance policies and add it to the rates applicable to all property.

It sounds good in theory, but many will be suspicious. The councils will probably require a hefty administration fee to administer this levy - and the insurance industry is known for dirty tricks. Many fear that the old levy would not be completely abolished - and rather given a new name and absorbed under a new guise !

There is no doubt that the old levy on insurance premiums is both inefficient and unfair. Conversion to a property tax would achieve uniformity - but before we rush into such a scheme it would be wise to examine all the loop holes - and ensure that insurance premiums receive the full reduction once the levy ceases !

The poisoned chalice !

Once again this city's Methadone centre - the facility regional chambers of commerce are anxious not to attract - is in the news !
The original consent hours were 7 am to 5 pm - Monday to Friday, and 7 am to 1 pm Saturday.
The centre has contravened these hours, opening at 6 am and attracting protests from surrounding businesses.

A Methadone clinic is a necessity in any city. The problem is one of location. This centre is in Denison street, basically an industrial area and home to a major fire station - but it is also adjacent to the Picadilly centre - a former group of shops that have now fallen on hard times.

The patrons of a Methadone clinic are obviously drug addicts, and their presence is not conducive to a mix with the shopping public. It is not unusual to see a person overcome with drugs lying on the footpath, or to see acts of violence and anger.

All logic supposes that such a facility should be located at the city hospital - just over a block away - but this falls foul of local politics. The hospital is surrounded by specialist doctors consulting rooms - and doctors have political clout and would not tolerate a mix of drug addicts and their patients.

Now a new opening schedule is being negotiated and the likely outcome is 6 am to 2 pm, Monday to Friday - and 7 am to 11.30 am Saturday.

Whatever the hours - the main problem remains. A Methadone clinic is not compatible with surrounding retail businesses and as long as it remains in it's present location in Denison street there is little chance of a rejuvenated and prosperous Picaddilly centre.

The shopkeepers and property owners are the holders of a poisoned chalice !

The orphan " freebie " !

Once again that venerable institution - the local library - is in the news. There is a suggestion that " the user pays " principle apply - and that some time in the near future borrowers may be asked to put their hand in their pocket.

Libraries are really a product of a by-gone age. They came at a time when books were expensive and way beyond the means of the masses. Paperbacks had yet to be invented and the idea of providing free access to books seemed a great way of extending education to those with limited schooling.

In particular, libraries were a source of information for school children working on projects. Today, those children get their information from the Internet.

Originally the government was heavily involved in the funding of libraries - but that has shrunk over the years. In 1980 the government picked up the tab for 23% of operating costs, but today that figure is just 7%.

This past week black clad Librarians converged on state parliament to protest twenty-five years of funding cuts. Arts minister Frank Sartor was " not available " to meet with them and hear their grievance.

The state government has dumped libraries onto local councils and is withdrawing from the contribution of funding. Councils either have to pick up the tab - or pass on some of the costs to borrowers. This will not be popular - but in reality the imposition of a small fee to borrow an expensive book is not unreasonable.

In considering this question the public should reflect on the encroaching fee for service that is now part of the twenty-first century. Not that long ago taking rubbish to the tip was free. Today a trailer load costs over twenty dollars to dump.

Remember when buying items from a department store came with free delivery ? And when every day bread vans and milko's visited every street with their wares ?

It seems that the free library is destined to join those services of yesteryear which have succumbed to rising costs. The day of " the freebie " is over !

The protest turns ugly !

Protests against the plan to create an Islamic school catering for 1200 students in Camden turned ugly when someone staked two pig's heads bracketing the Australian flag on the site.

The Community Relations Commission ( CRC ) labelled it " a display of hatred ".

Camden is a peaceful, rural village and the plan to establish a major school in Cawdor road has inflamed residents. Most cherish it's peaceful isolation and fear that if the school goes ahead their little piece of heaven will never again be the same.

For some, the objection is the Islamic nature of the school. They fear that a school with that many pupils will need a faculty staff and other crew running into the hundreds - and there is a certainty that many will seek to live in close proximity. That raises the prospect of Camden eventually becoming an Islamic community - similar to the Islamic enclaves at Punchbowl and Greenacre in Sydney.

Then there is the fear by some uninformed people that this school will simply devolve into a " madrassah " - the Islamic schools run by militants in Indonesia, Pakistan and many other Muslim countries.
These " schools " are not seats of learning. Pupils are subjected to nothing else but the endless reciting of the Koran and instruction in hatred for all not of their faith. Their sole purpose is to recruit and train " holy warriors " for the conquest of the world.

There would certainly be objections from some if the proposed school was linked to the Catholic or Anglican churches, but the Islamic " label " intensifies opposition. One of the problems is that Muslims look different from other Australians. Their code of dress - and in some cases the burqua - set them apart and even moderate Muslims women can be identified by the head scarf.

Other nationalities have blended into the Australian scene after a period but in almost every case they have adopted the Australian mode of attire and way of life. The exception would be Indian women - some of whom still favour the Sari. Other religions do not stand out in public like the followers of Islam.

Having schools associated with religion is an established Australian way - and those schools attract financial help from the government. There is no question that Muslims are entitled to establish similar schools - the only sticking point is - where !

Eventually the Camden question will be resolved, but not everyone will be happy.
If the school is not located there - it will be somewhere else - and that will provoke a whole new protest movement.

Pity the person or department that has to make that decision !

Builder beware !

A decision by Justice Peter Biscoe in the Land and Environment court has overturned a century of thinking when it comes to approving development proposals.
The court has rejected Planning Minister Frank Sartor's decision to approve a development by Stockland and the Anglican Retirement Villages on land at Sandon Point.

In the past development approvals have been a constant battle between local councils and the authority of the Land and Environment court. Councils have been under pressure from resident groups and in many cases have heaved a sigh of relief when the responsibility for approval has passed from their shoulders to the court. This has removed them from blame if the decision went against local feeling.

Flood prevention has long been an issue in development proposals. Councils have had the responsibility for considering whether a new development would suffer damage from rain causing creeks and rivers to swell and cause flooding - but consideration of issues such as global warming and a rise in sea levels has not been something that councils have had to take into account.
Following this ruling - they now have to !

Justice Biscoe has served notice that new developments must be assessed on their vulnerability to rising sea levels - and this will not only affect Sandon Point - but also the huge proposed major development at West Dapto.

It has opened up a can of worms that will be widely felt. In fact, the whole subject of housing near the coast is now in doubt and as this new line of thinking takes shape nothing in the way of past assumptions can be considered set in stone !

It's a whole new ball game. Councils will now have to consider the projections on rising sea levels - and they vary widely from less than a metre to a towering height - when considering housing approvals.

Obviously, with such variances coming from so many quarters not all of them can be correct, hence the councils - and the Land and Environment court - will face an impossible situation.

Justice Biscoe has set in motion a monster that is going to make rational planning on siting a home impossible - and cost councils, government, the courts - and individual land owners - an incredible amount of money !

A new beginning !

Saturdays electoral defeat of the Conservative parties is heralding a new approach in politics. The presumed new leader of the Liberals - Peter Costello - and the leader of the Nationals - Mark Vaile - have both announced that they will not be standing for the leadership. It is a time for new blood !

Who can blame them ? Traditionally the Australian voters give any new government at least two - and sometimes three - terms to establish their credentials. Being in opposition is a soul destroying drag. Costello and Vaile are both entitled to hefty superannuation payouts - and both will be welcomed by business in their new capacity as crystal ball readers.

The Conservative parties will need to do a little navel gazing. They ran a successful economy, but their focus did not include " the little people ". Just as Labor moved from being a left wing champion of " the Comrades " to a political party heavily engaged with the business world - so the Conservatives need to move in the opposite direction and embrace the needs and values of the ordinary citizen.

The future direction of the Conservatives will largely depend on who emerges as leader. If the choice is Turnbull, Nelson or Abbot then there is little chance of change in the near future. They are " old ideology " people caught in a time warp far removed from the way Australia thinks today !

This renaissance needs to swiftly trickle down to the state Conservative parties. The Australian voters are prone to " have two bob each way " and rarely allow a single party to hold sway in both the Federal and state arenas. The only reason Labor is in office across the board is the inability of the state Conservative branches to present a credible alternative to government. The recent New South Wales election was a case of a clearly incompetent government being returned because the alternative was worse !

We are in a period of change. The only question is how soon the Conservative side of politics can regroup - adopt new ideas and a fresh approach - and begin the job of convincing the voters that what they offer is the way ahead.

The price of silence !

This past Saturday night a man paid with his life for simply requesting that a neighbour turn down loud music that was preventing his small children from getting to sleep.
The enraged neighbour produced a gun and shot him in the chest. Two of his children witnessed his death on his own front lawn.

It was a senseless killing and when the facts become known it is likely that alcohol or drugs will play a part. The other factor will certainly be the presence of a firearm in this quiet, suburban neighbourhood.

Firearms were once a normal part of many households. During the great depression some families only survived because the out of work breadwinner was able to shoot rabbits and hares in the surrounding bush to supplement the food supply.

Today, there must be thousands of unregistered firearms stashed away because the process for legally registering as a shooter has been made progressively more difficult. For a city shooter, the requirement is written consent from a farmer to be able to shoot on a country property.

Apart from the civil liberties types who refuse to give up their guns there are also many souvenirs - usually pistols - brought back by troops returning from the second world war.

Huge efforts have been made to cull these prohibited weapons. These included a " no questions asked " buy-back amnesty - which netted a large trove of guns of various types to appeals accompanied by short term amnesties.

Now we are seeing the " get tough " approach. Any person caught in possession of an unregistered firearm faces a gaol term - but even this does not seem to have got through to many people.

The pity of it is that on Saturday night one firearm in the community robbed a decent, family man of his life and left four children fatherless. When will we ever learn ?

A new era dawns !

Yesterday Australia voted overwhelmingly for a new Federal government. The people rejected the Liberal Coalition with a swing of 7%, the same margin that installed the Whitlam Labor government back in 1972.

Government casualties included prime minister John Howard, whose seat of Bennelong fell to newcomer Maxine McKew - and it was noticeable that the Green vote expanded solidly from the level of the last election. Despite this, not a single Green won a seat in the lower house. Green preferences flowed to Labor and made the difference in many knife edge electorates.

Kevin Rudd will form a government and the electorate has served notice that they want action on climate change, improvements in the areas of health and education - and restoration of worker's rights in employment.
This latter poses something of an enigma. Rudd has been careful to avoid promising restoration of the " unfair dismissal " laws because they removed the right to " hire and fire " essential to a healthy economy - and were the cause of high unemployment.
Despite anathema from the unions, AWA's are welcomed by many workers and there will be no immediate cancellation. Most will run their course and be dealt with at a later stage.

The big question is whether Rudd can maintain discipline in the faction ridden Labor party. Will his government be able to control the inevitable cluster of trade union figures who will serve as ministers or will events swing out of control as happened to Whitlam, leading to his dismissal three years later ?

A change of government is an opportunity for this country to take a fresh stance on many issues. Rudd is charismatic and we can expect a sharp change of direction in everything from our foreign affairs policy to internal management of services and facilities.

Changes will not please everyone - but that is the whole purpose of our democratic system. The majority have spoken - and when the term of this new government has run it's course they will speak again. On such occasions the signal of a thumbs up - or a thumbs down - will depend on how that government's performance is perceived !

Voting day !

Today all Australians over eighteen years of age will stream into voting booths and elect the next Federal government. The choice will be between a sitting Conservative government - which is seeking a fifth term - and a Socialist government which has been out of office for twelve years.

By tradition each side of politics is usually afforded several terms in office. Opinion polls indicate a likely change as the Socialists have a charismatic new leader.

Conservative governments are usually big of fiscal management and create a strong economy, but they are slow to implement social change. By contrast Socialist governments tend to adopt a " tax and spend " philosophy. They implement social benefits, but usually amass debt and create economic obstacles.

One unusual factor of this election is the preponderance of ex-union leaders in the makeup of the Socialist candidates. Union endorsement has increased slowly over many years and now non-union sitting members are being disendorsed to make way for union heavyweights.

This will be a crucial factor in voter's minds. The Conservative government has implemented an industrial relations policy that has removed the draconian " unfair dismissal " laws that made employers reluctant to enlarge the workforce. This restored the right to " hire and fire " as market conditions changed.
The new law also allowed workers to " cash in " award conditions such as holidays and penalty payments for a fatter pay cheque - but at the same time these decreased the bargaining power of the young and powerless.

By late evening any shift should become evident as the figures are put on the board in the tally room. Whatever the outcome in the lower house all eyes will be on the results in the Senate. At present, the sitting Conservative government has a Senate majority - but there is a strong chance that the balance of power may be held by the Greens or other minor parties when all the votes are counted.

It will be a historic day for the Australian voters. Their decision will colour the type of government that will set the agenda during the difficult times ahead !

The new medical frontier !

During the past century the centre of medical research and excellence was indisputably America and Europe. That is about to change.

China is offering opportunities that the old regime is unable to match. It has a population of 2.8 billion people - living under the most rudimentary system of medical health. The GDP of the country is a mere $ 7600 per head - making access to advanced medicine out of reach of most people.

Restrictions on drug research are not measured by the stance of the church or those with ethical viewpoints. A Communist government is not restricted by the need of maintaining consensus or being voted out of power. The brakes are off when it comes to advancing science.

In this atmosphere the big western drug companies are seeing opportunities denied them in their home bases. Not only does China offer trained technicians at a fraction of the cost in the western world but there is an unlimited supply of eager patients willing to undergo testing of new drugs - in the hope of a cure for their own ailments.

The one drawback has been the Chinese unwillingness to accept the legality of intellectual property rights - but even that is now changing. In the past, Chinese entrepreneur's have been eager to knockoff western innovations for quick profits, but the boot will be on the other foot when those innovations have been created in China - and they need protection from the producers in other low cost countries !

The benefit to the world will be accelerated progress in the area of new drugs and new medical breakthroughs. The moral restrictions of the west do not apply in China - and in coming decades we will see that country leading medical advances !

Double dip disaster.

Most Australians have the utmost respect for Bernie Banton, the sixty-one year old afflicted with Peritonal Mesothelioma who led the fight for compensation from the James Hardie company and it's asbestos contaminated products.

The fight was long and hard, and at one stage many suspeced that Hardie's were about to abandon this country when they moved their headquarters overseas. Eventually, a deal was thrashed out whereby Hardies would pay a significant portion of their profits into an ongoing compensation fund. This fund is now up and running, and Bernie Banton has received an $ 800,000 payout.

Bernie is now living the last few weeks - and more probably - days of his life as his disease reaches it's inevitable conclusion - but he is also in the courts seeking extra " exemplary damages " - money over and above the money received as a result of the settlement.

The case is pure theatre. If Bernie dies before a decision is reached - the case dies with him - but there is also the prospect of financial disaster for thousands if he succeeds.

If Bernie Banton receives an award - which could run into the millions of dollars - for " exemplary damages " then thousands of other sufferers will follow suit.
Hardie's shareholders thought long and hard before agreeing to the scheme already in place. It is most unlikely that the firm could survive financially if a new, open ended series of claims were to enter the courts.

Few would disagree that victims of asbestos deserve compensation. The question is whether moves to seek further money beyond the scheme in place will see Hardie's throw in the towel - and close it's doors in this country.

If that happens, the money tap will be turned off for thousands of deserving victims !

Japanese whale piracy !

Four Japanese whaling ships have left their home port and are sailing to the great southern ocean - where they intend to kill over a thousand whales - including Humpbacks this year - for " scientific purposes ".

What an epic case of hypocrisy ! There is no " science " involved in this slaughter and the whale meat will be offered in the butcher shops of Japan for human consumption.

It is not even popular. Vast amounts of unsold whale meat from previous expeditions are stored in warehouses - and now there are moves to include it in school lunch menus to try and restore it's appeal - and remove an embarrassment to the government.

This whale hunt is nothing short of Japanese arrogance. If they destroy enough whales to dilute the migration to and from warmer waters and the great southern ocean they will also destroy a fast developing tourist sport - whale watching.

Thousands of people spend big money to be transported offshore to watch these majestic creatures breach and play for their amusement. The last thing they wish is to cause them harm - and the very idea of Japanese crews firing explosive headed harpoons into their bodies - and then watching their agonising death throes before hauling them aboard and slicing them up is totally repugnant.

We abhor terrorism and the slaughter of innocents by car bombs and suicide bombers, but if these whaling ships happened to hit an iceberg or otherwise meet a sticky end - few would mourn their demise !

The road to the ballot box !

There can be very few weary and shell shocked citizens who are not heartily sick of the never ending litany of political advertisements spewing forth from TV and radio !
With just a few days before we make that trip to the ballot box the flow has increased to frenetic proportions. At each commercial break it is now unusual to view and hear an advertisement for other than a political message. It seems that commerce is on hold - until the election is decided.

The amount of advertising money involved is staggering. Television advertisements are not cheap - and apart from the propaganda from the two major parties there is a constant flow from special interest groups on both sides of politics.

Then there are the opinion polls. On past performance, these should be taken with a grain of salt. When asked on their voting intentions many are influenced by those surrounding them - and " go with the flow ".
When it comes to making contact between pen and ballot paper in the privacy of the voting booth that choice can be very different, and the intelligence of voters is something that politicians constantly under rate !

This is probably the most advertising intensive election in Australian history. The voters will make a choice on two widely diverging political philosophies and put in place a Senate which will act as a brake on any form of excess.

Saturday will be decision day. The future direction is in the hands of the people !

Wet paint !

Watch where you sit or stand ! The whitewash brushes are being vigorously applied at the Parliamentary Enquiry into Patient Care at Royal North Shore Hospital.

This enquiry - presided over by the " independent " Reverend Fred Nile has just one more day to run - and yet it will not hear evidence from two nurses who are too frightened of retribution to take the stand unless they are served with a subpoena !

They have good reason to fear for their careers. In 2004 there was a similar enquiry into ghastly mistakes and patient deaths at Camden/Campbelltown hospital.
Five courageous whistleblower nurses gave evidence - and were promptly sacked !
The enquiry corroborated their evidence - but when the enquiry was over the government took no action to reinstate them. They remain pariahs - locked out of their profession for having the courage to tell the truth and unveil injustice.

Supposedly there is legislation to protect whistleblowers who reveal government coverups but in the case of the sacked five there was resentment from many of their colleagues. It seems that when medical disaster strikes the profession closes ranks and tries to sweep the blame under the carpet.

No doubt this enquiry will suggest remedies, but the hearing will only be presented with the spin from the government and the profession. The most likely outcome is that it will disappear into some dusty pigeon hole - never again to see the light of day !

So much for truth and justice - and the desire to provide the people of this state with a safe hospital system !

Paternity testing !

Startling claims from the company offering paternity testing. There has been a huge jump in the " not biological father " result - which has risen from one in every ten tests ten years ago - to 4.5 in every ten tests today - revealing that the parent tested is not the biological father of the child.

It has been suggested by medical people that such testing should be mandatory at the time of birth because genetic technology will play an increasingly important part in health treatment now and into the future.

Horror from those associated with marriage preservation. Automatically revealing the mystery of paternity at the birthing unit would result in many non-fathers walking away from the marriage. The damage done to any relationship would be more that the purely clinical benefits of future health treatment.

It is a bag of worms from every angle of view. There would certainly be a benefit from requiring a paternity test before the Child Support Agency ( CSA ) ordered maintenance from a parent.
The history of this arm of the Taxation Department is tarnished with instances of the CSA demanding years of payment when they were aware that the persecuted " father " was not liable to pay support - and in one instance when the mother had dumped the child as a ward of the state - and continued using child support payments as her personal piggy bank.

But - even here there are difficulties. Once a person is outed as " not the biological father " that person loses all rights to maintain contact with the child. A person who loves the child and would willingly maintain fatherhood is stripped of all further forms of contact.

A demand for a paternity test before the CSA could take any action would be reasonable - provided the law was changed to allow such a person who willingly continued to support such a child the same rights as a biological father.
When child support is sought - the marriage is over anyway !

Whatever outcome eventuates from this increase in technology you can be certain that the dead hand of both politics and the churches will muddy the waters. Common sense will fly out the window and the likely result will satisfy nobody !

It was once said that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. Expect a very strange sort of animal to emerge from the deliberations on this subject !

End of the " cheap " holiday !

Decades ago the typical " Aussie battler " took his wife and kids on a summer holiday and managed to keep the cost within his budget.
That typical holiday involved packing camping gear into a trailer and heading off to one of the numerous camping grounds along the coastline.

These camp sites cost just a few dollars a week - and they were primitive. There was usually a shower and toilet block, but cooking was either on a spirit stove or on a fire at a communal BBQ - and after dark lighting was by way of a Hurricane lamp.

Things changed - and some councils decreased camping sites in favour of caravan facilities. These cost more, but power was supplied and water available - and they had the added attraction of privacy.

Now there is further change. Camping sites have almost disappeared - and caravan facilities are fading as councils - with dollar signs in their eyes - replace cheap holiday facilities with cabins.
Sure - these are more luxurious. They have their own refrigerators and the rooms have bunk beds - but in peak season - such as Christmas and Easter - the rental asked can run to well over a thousand dollars a week.

The days of a cheap, family holiday by the sea are a relic of a past age. The councils claim that holiday makers are more sophisticated now - and they demand a level of luxury that is far in excess of the camping days.

Maybe - and then again - maybe not ! Many will fondly remember those camping grounds where fellow travellers reunited year after year - and often watched each other's kids grow up. Friendships blossomed and a few beers around the campfire while the kids played was a relaxing way of life.

Unfortunately, there is no way back. In a few years a camping ground will be entirely a thing of the past - and on present indications - a place to park a caravan will follow not long after.

Holidays are destined to be a luxury only the wealthy can afford. The typical Aussie battler can look forward to spending his holiday break at home - with a beer in hand watching the world on TV ! Pity about the kids !

The library question.

Howls of protest in some quarters from Wollongong Council's suggestion that it may consider closing two of it's regional libraries. The move would be a response to state government reductions in the grants council's receive to run their library services.

Perhaps this may be a good time to have a long, hard look at the whole question of libraries. Who uses them ? And are they necessary in this day and age ?

The most common stereotype is of school children filing into the library under the stern gaze of the librarian and silently looking through books to research homework questions.
That is as outdated as button up boots and buggy whips ! Today's kids download information from their computers using Google or Yahoo.

The greatest user of libraries seems to be the elderly - and those who are not computer literate. This is a shrinking pool which will ultimately reach the point where libraries are no longer viable.

Science and innovation are also steadily invading the library province. There is now a machine that holds the contents of hundreds of thousands of titles in it's memory - and can download and print a book in minutes - for a cost of just three dollars.

Given the number of people using libraries, it would probably be cheaper to install such machines and issue books free of charge rather than maintain library buildings, their huge stock of books and the personnel necessary to run them.

The public will resist library closures at this stage, but the winds of change are blowing and we would be wise to plan for the future - and that means keeping a close watch on customer numbers and the alternatives that become available !

Dicing with death !

The citizens of New South Wales have every reason to be worried. All is not well within this state's ambulance service and we are losing trained personnel faster than recruits can replace them.

" The Ambos " - as they are affectionately called - are the first - and sometimes the last - line of assistance when medical disaster strikes.
Theoretically they give first aid and provide speedy transport to the nearest emergency room, where a Triage nurse takes over and emergency room doctors and specialists give expert and immediate attention.

Unfortunately it doesn't often happen that way. The hospital emergency rooms are under staffed and lacking backup beds and as a result declare " Situation Red " - accepting only life threatening patients. As a result a patient with serious medical problems can spend hours in an ambulance in the hospital car park - waiting for the backlog to clear - and relying solely on the skills of those marvellous Ambos to treat their condition.

The Ambos are overworked and under paid. They have demanded an enquiry into the facilities available and this was promised by Health Minister Reba Meagher. What was delivered - by the Performance Review Unit - was something inferior designed to fob off their grievances but look good to the public.

The government has offered a meagre pay offer of 4% - refusing to recognise that these are highly skilled medical professionals. This has angered the Health Services Union ( HSU ) who have setup a blog site which has attracted over a thousand contributions detailing the skill required and the frustrations encountered by the Ambos simply doing their jobs.

There are a lot of things that governments are responsible for. Keeping the traffic flowing. Running a decent train service. Providing an adequate education system, Funding public libraries - and many, many more.

But surely the most important government function is to deliver first rate health care to the citizens of this state. All others pale into significance beside keeping the citizenry alive and in good health.

The hospitals are a disgraceful mess. The least the government can do is to maintain troop numbers and morale within the ambulance service. At present this is the only facility delivering immediate medical help. Without it - we are literally dicing with death !

A police state ?

A police state does not happen overnight. It comes in tiny steps as the safeguards to civil liberties are abandoned - one by one - for what seems to be good and valid reasons at that time !

Many were concerned when restrictions on the planting of listening and tracking devices allowed police unrestricted action for five days without a warrant.
Previously, each application had to be made before a judge or a magistrate with the reasons for the application given - and approved.

We now learn that the emergency measures put in place following the Cronulla race riots are to become a permanent police power. Police will have discretion to summarily order a pub, club or a bar to cease trading and close it's doors, set up roadblocks and halt traffic - and stop and search any person or vehicle without giving a reason.

No police jurisdiction in the world is entirely free of corruption. The very reason there are safeguards to limit police excesses is because of the enormous opportunity for individual police to use the power invested in them for personal gain - or to influence the outcome of events they are overseeing.

The freedom to place listening devices at will can lead to police " fishing expeditions " and the right to stop and search a vehicle or an individual for no stated reason can lead to persecution at the whim of a police officer.

The erosion of civil liberties has accelerated since the advent of terrorism - but the danger is that these new powers will simply be widely used to create a police state in which individuals no longer have the protection of the rule of law - but will be subject to the whim of police who have the power to interpret the law according to their own view and advantage.

A government who abandons public protection is the enemy of the people it governs !

Street racing hoons !

One strange phenomenon is the fad ! A course of action suddenly appeals to a wide range of people - and suddenly a fad is formed. From that point onward the only way to be " cool " is to be a follower of that fad !

Racing cars on public streets has achieved that status in the past year. Young men - and now some young women - pit their cars against their rivals without the slightest concern for their own safety - and even less for the safety of the general public.
This achieves the accolade of their peers - who consider it a " sport " and bestow hero status on the winners.

The public has expressed concern at the mounting death toll of participants and citizens mown down by these juggernauts. It seemed like the answer when the government announced that hoons street racing would have their cars confiscated - and crushed !

Now it seems that this was just another of those political statements designed to look good and appease the voters - and would bear absolutely no relation to reality.
It is now revealed that last year two hundred and ninety cars were confiscated for dangerous behavior - and almost all were handed back to their owners after a short spell in the pound.

The government now admits than under present legislation - only ten cars - at the most - will suffer destruction in the crusher. To become eligible for that fate these cars will have to be detected committing a second offence.

As usual, the devil is in the detail. It seems that the onus is on the car - not the driver. After the first offence a driver can simply change cars and once again become a first offence statistic.

If the government is serious about stopping street racing in it's tracks it needs to enact tough legislation - and have the will to carry it through. When a hoon's pride and joy is certain to meet it's fate in the crusher there will be the incentive to abandon racing on public streets and redirect it to public raceways where competition is welcome - and legal !

Combat sport !

Ugly scenes at the soccer yesterday when rival Sydney and Melbourne supporters seemed more interested in supporter combat than watching the teams on the field.

Soccer in Australia has seemed an enigma. Before the second world war soccer didn't exist in this country. There was no organised competition - and the newspapers virtually ignored it.
The flood of new arrivals from England showed little interest in a local competition. They still followed their clubs in the old country - and still put a wager on the Pools - but most turned to Rugby or Australian Rules.

All that changed when the huge post war migration of settlers from Europe got under way. They were Soccer mad - and they quickly established teams and got a competition under way.
Soccer was still ignored by the media, and this was not helped by the new clubs adopting names reminiscent of their original homeland. Clubs like Croatia and Marconi tended to draw concentrated supporters from Yugoslavia and Italy - and for that reason were labelled " Wog " clubs by many Australians.

Time was the great healer. As the original migrants aged it was their sons and daughters - now integrated into Australian society - that took to the sport and with new interest and money behind Soccer it reached the stage when the media could no longer ignore it - and then came entry into the World Cup.

This was the catalyst that drew Soccer into the spotlight in Australia - and now it is a sport getting equal attention to the other two football codes.
Hopefully it will not degenerate into the " warring tribes " code of anti-social behaviour that has diminished Soccer as a spectator sport in matches between the United Kingdom and Europe.

The coming electricity crisis.

The government has finally taken steps to head off the coming crisis in electricity peak loadings by implementing plans to decrease usage.
Householders have been invited to take advantage of an offer to replace all old incandescent light globs with the new, fluorescent globes. A work crew will call on all homes taking up the offer and replace every globe in the house - and at the same time replace old water wasting shower heads with new, improved models that use less water - and this is at no cost to the householder. The added benefit is that this will reduce running costs for the recipient.

Unfortunately, despite this plan electricity use per household continues to increase. The popularity of wide screen HD television sets use more power - and most of these models have a stand-by mode that is less efficient than turning them off at the power point. The increasing incidence of computers in homes is also an added drain on power.

Perhaps the biggest new power user is the attraction of household air conditioning. Cheaper models from China combined with hotter summers is seeing more homes air conditioned.

There is a rumour that the government is considering a plan to require all new air conditioning to be connected to a separate metering arrangement - similar to the off-peak controls that apply to hot water systems. These offer power at a reduced rate in exchange to water heating being timed to periods of lesser demand.

The advantage would be putting control in the hands of the electricity suppliers. In times of an excessive hot day when power is peaking at critical levels the supplier would be able to shut down domestic air conditioning on a rotating basis - suburb by suburb - to ease the chance of blackouts.

It seems to be an admission that power demand will exceed manufacturing capacity until decisions are made on additional power supply - and whether this will be by way of new power stations or the introduction of such renewable measures such as wind, wave or solar.

The only thing that is absolutely certain is that in the short term the cost of electricity will be subject to regular and substantial cost increases !

The scales of justice ?

What strange laws find their way onto the statute books ! Few would disagree that we have a right to privacy - but it seems that the law has stretched that right to include the right to privacy when committing a crime.

Consider this scenario. You are sitting in a cafe with friends when a car reversing into a parking spot misjudges - hits and damages your car. Your have a clear view of the driver - and you record the registration number. The offending driver hastily leaves the scene.

Not a problem, you would think ! You go to the nearest police station with your witnesses and make a report of the incident. You expect that the police will check that registration number in their computer and give you the name and address of the car owner.

Wrong ! Wrong ! Wrong ! The police tell you that it is against the law for them to divulge that information - because to do so would infringe the privacy of the driver - who damaged your car and fled the scene.

That raises some interesting legalities. The driver who hit your car is obliged under the accident laws to exchange driver license particulars because damage to a vehicle is considered an " accident ". The fact that this did not happen - and the driver fled the scene - involves criminality.

The police - now in possession of facts pertaining to the crime - are shielding the criminal. This could be construed as " aiding and abetting " the crime - or it could be considered " obstruction of justice ".

The crazy thing is that is required of them - by the same law they are sworn to obey !

Now let us look at a reverse scenario.
You are in that same cafe with friends when a masked bandit rushes in, points a gun at the cashier and robs the till. You recognise the voice, note a familiar tattoo on the bandit's forearm - and realise that the crook is someone you know.
The police arrive and you refuse to divulge the bandit's name - even though you admit that you made recognition.

You will very quickly find yourself before a magistrate charged with " concealing a crime " and a whole host of other charges. You will be lucky if you don't end up doing time in the slammer - and yet the privacy laws that extend to the criminal and the police don't extend to you should you choose not to cooperate.

It is evident that many laws on the statute books lack balance - and it is about time that the whole system got a close examination to weed out some of the ridiculous anomalies that make the law a farce !

Union busting !

The Federal government terminated the practice of requiring all university students to become members of the student union.
This was probably reflecting it's political philosophy which rejected the " No ticket - no start " - closed shop union stance which applied to the workplace.

University students have previously been slugged union dues in excess of $ 300 per student, resulting in funds of $ 1.5 million applying to the University of Wollongong. These monies served a variety of purposes, including funding a variety of small sporting clubs, subsidising meals and library content - and in some cases finding their way into political activities.

The change from Compulsory Student Union ( CSU ) membership to Voluntary Student Membership ( VSU ) has resulted in three of the fourteen sporting clubs at the university ceasing operations. The clubs that have folded include touch football, netball and basketball. None of these had a big membership - and are duplicated by existing similar clubs outside the university orbit.

The aftermath of the change from CSU to VSU seems to vindicate that change. Students are free to join - but have elected not to. They are free to spend their money on options of their choice, rather than having those options dictated by a small clique running the union. At the same time, union funds can not support a political party that may not be each individuals choice.

Not all agree with making membership of the student union voluntary, but few could argue that the withdrawal from activities not supported by the majority is anything but freedom of choice.

If an individual wished to join the student union - and some did - then there was no impediment to paying the membership fee and joining. The fact that the vast majority chose not to is called freedom of choice - and in our society there is another word for that. It's called democracy !

Unpaid heroes !

The New South Wales Rural Fire Service Association has issued a timely warning ahead of the looming summer fire season. There will be financial pressures affecting that army of volunteer fire fighters who have served us so well over past decades.

The ranks of volunteers have long been a source of pride in country towns with employers gladly releasing them to fight fires - and handing over their pay packets on pay day as their contribution to the community spirit.

Now we have the worst drought in living memory - and businesses in country towns are doing it tough. The men and women who are members of the Rural Fire Service are usually key employees and their absence in the present circumstances will be crippling to small business barely making ends meet.

According to the experts on global warming we can expect more and bigger fires - and that means fire fighters will be required in greater numbers - and the time taken to control a blaze can be a matter of days - and sometimes weeks.
That could be an impossible impost on employers - and the government needs to consider easing the burden.

The Association is not suggesting that volunteers be paid, but there is scope for relief in several forms. Employers could be offered tax relief by way of a hefty credit to compensate for time taken fighting fires - and obviously payroll tax should cease when an employee is on fire duty.

The Federal and state governments contribute to providing fire tenders and equipment - and in return they get a huge saving in costs because the fire crews fight fires in their own - and their employers - time.

It would not be unreasonable for both levels of government to open their purse strings and return something to keep this valuable service viable.
Without relief there is a chance that an iconic institution could slip beyond the reach of the men and women who contribute their time - and their employers who continue to pay them !