A new year - old problems !

Tonight - as we watch the fireworks and have a few drinks to bring in a new year - many will wonder what is in store for us in 2011.

Is the recession finally fading from the scene, or will disturbing events in Greece, Ireland and many other countries morph into a collapse of world finance ?

Will the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ever end - or will the hostility between Israel and the Palestinians - and between Islam and the rest of the world - flare out of control and lead to world war three ?

On the home scene, will jobs become more plentiful - and will the cost of basics such as electricity, gas and water spin further out of reach ? And then there is the ever present threat of mortgage interest rates taking the roof from over our heads.

We live in a troubled world and there are fresh threats on every front. The world population is soaring past seven billion people - and there is a doubt that the food supply can accommodate that many . The science people claim that global warming will change the weather pattern and we can expect more droughts and severe storm activities.

It seems that 2011 paints a dismal future ahead, but we can gain some comfort from the fact that every new year down the long lane of history has been beset with potential problems - and we have survived them all !

Perhaps a truism from a past year sums it up well. " Life is not meant to be easy " !

Water safety !

Swimming was once synonymous with Australian kids. Whether it was at the beach or in rivers or dams Aussie kids took to the water like proverbial ducks - but that is not the case any more.

The percentage of people who have not learned to swim is rising, and it is a well known fact that once a person leaves primary school as a non swimmer - the chances are that they will never learn to swim.

It seems that learn to swim classes are being dropped by more and more schools because it can not be fitted into their busy curriculum's - or in many cases cost is involved in using a swimming pool and this can not be afforded by parents.

Then there is the religious factor.

Many people who migrate to Australia come from land locked countries and belong to religions which forbid stripping down to a swimming costume. Not only is swimming an unfamiliar activity, there is a positive bias against learning to swim. This seems to be another reason schools are dropping swimming classes - to appease groups from a non swimming culture.

As a result, drowning figures in this country are steadily rising. If this situation is to be reversed we need to get swimming classes back into the school system - and we need positive action to convert religious leaders to the danger facing their flock in this water saturated land.

There is nothing wrong with teaching a kid wearing top to toe covering to swim. What is important is to ensure all kids are water safe !

No escape !

We live in the " information age. " Laptop computers - Blackberries - Smartphones - and of course - emails keep us connected. Information portability has it's rewards, but there is also a downside !

What we do at our jobs earning a living is increasingly intruding into our private time - and in many cases it even follows us when we take our annual holidays.

Some employers take a reasonable attitude and try to insulate us from work when we are on leave. Others expect us to " be available " to deal with important matters, and then there are work colleagues who just carry on as if nothing has changed.

The smart thing to do would be to leave the Smartphone and the laptop at home when we go on leave, but that would offend some employers - who insist in maintaining contact to deal with emergencies. Closing down communications could even have promotion repercussions.

There is also the depressing knowledge that while we are spending time on the beach, back at the office the list of unanswered emails is reaching gigantic proportions - and will need urgent attention on our return.

It seems that communications is a double edged sword in this ever changing world. We have to learn to live with the insistent beep of an incoming email on a 24/7 basis until the day that we finally leave the office on retirement day.

But even then, can we really turn our backs on Facebook and Twitter ?

Changing times !

Just as the " corner store " has been displaced from most neighbourhoods by supermarket chains - the same thing is happening to the little stores that supplied our reading glasses.

Two aggressive discounters have established chains that offer not only heavily reduced prices, but additional pairs of spectacles with sun proofing qualities at no extra cost. The glasses they offer are usually within the refunds available from the health insurance industry.

Within the next year or so we are destined to see a culling of competition in this industry. The small independents can simply not compete because these majors have the clout to demand huge discounts from spectacle frame manufacturers - and as everyone knows - doing anything in bulk reduces costs.

It seems that the private spectacle industry is about to join the dwindling ranks of petrol stations, butchers, and hardware stores that have been forced to close their doors because of competition from " super stores ".

It's a sobering lesson from those about to leave school - and make a decision on their future employment. Movement in the market place is making much of traditional venue streams a " dead end " proposition !

Those " other " boat people !

Australia has just spent over $ 500,000 deporting 119 Papua New Guineans who arrived by boat at Horn island - and demanded Australian citizenship. This - it seems - is another hangover from our past colonial era.

Papua New Guinea was originally colonised by Britain and Germany. The German part was forfeited to Britain after the first world war, and when Britain began to shed colonies after the second world war this island country was dumped on Australia. It gained independence in 1975.

The question seems to be whether during the time that Papua New Guinea was under Australian control it's people became Australian citizens. They were certainly subject to Australian laws - but their status is not clear.

The flotilla that set out to land in Australia and demand Australian citizenship claim that there was no referendum held to officially sever their ties to Australia, and that they therefore did not have a say in their country being granted independence.

This seems to be a murky can of worms that will eventually find it's way through the legal system. If the courts find for the people of Papua New Guinea then there is every chance of mass migration from that undeveloped land - to what must seem the utopia of Australia.

There is dispute as to how many people our land can hold - and maybe we will need to add a few million people from the land to our north to the official population census if the courts give this claim the nod.

It seems that those heading for Christmas island are not the only " boat people " seeking to make Australia their home !

Sneaky tactics !

One of the good things to develop from the great recession was a more productive approach to gift buying. This year the retailers saw a huge jump in customers opting for gift cards - to allow the recipient to make a choice instead of being lumbered with unsuitable music, clothing or novelty items.

In the distant past gift cards were as good as money, but in recent times the retail industry has chosen to apply restrictions on how long they are valid. In most cases this is just twelve months. Once that fatal date is reached - the credit disappears.

It is a reasonable question to ask - why ?

What is the difference between a customer handing money over at the time of purchase and another customer pre-paying for the goods - and picking them up sometime in the future ? In both instances, the shopkeeper has the money in the till at precisely the same time.

It seems to be based on the fact that a percentage of gift cards get lost or forgotten, and are never presented for redemption. By placing a time limit the shopkeeper can avoid such cards suddenly appearing when relatives deal with a deceased estate or similar property search.

There have also been instances when gift cards have been refused as payment for goods price discounted in a sale. The legality of that ruse has yet to be tested, but it seems that many of the restrictions applied are simply bluff.

It is time that the law was made clear and both those selling and those giving gift cards had a clear understanding of what rules legally apply.

At the moment, the matter is untested !

Our lucky country !

By world standards Australia is a rich country. The vast majority of it's citizens have a roof over their heads, access to electricity and a reliable water supply. There are charities that serve to make sure that those who can not provide food for themselves have access to regular meals.

Australia is no longer a solely Christian country. We are home now to a great many religions and yet Christmas is something that is celebrated here universally. Christmas day is a public holiday that all share - and the custom of gift giving is creeping into the lives of other faiths.

Unfortunately there is a small minority in most religions that seek to dominate - and aspire to force their particular religion on others. No religion seems to be free of this curse and over the centuries huge numbers of people have been put to slaughter in the holy name of religious ascendancy.

The guy who gets the blame - is God ! All sorts of excesses and every imaginable abomination is excused as " carrying out God's will ! "

We could be confused as to just which " God " these people are talking about because all the religions seem to have a certain amount of common ground - when all the dogma is excised and we get down to basics.

Unfortunately it seems to be a human trait that the two things that can never be discussed and agreed upon are - religion and politics !

Duck and dodge !

Kristina Keneally's tactic to prorogue parliament is clearly designed to close down an enquiry into the partial privatisation of the state electricity industry.

This $ 5.3 billion deal is controversial on many counts. For a start, the sale price is hugely lower than the initial estimates of it's worth and it removes the price charged for this basic necessity from the public to the private sector.

There are conflicting opinions on whether the enquiry can legally continue, but in the eyes of many this will be seen as an attempt to hide disgraceful facts from the public prior to the March election.

A last, desperate attempt perhaps - because this government is so on the nose that defeat seems certain, so what further damage can an adverse report finding possibly deliver ?

It seems like an attempt to try and hold those final few safe Labor voting seats to at least preserve the rump of the party elite to form an opposition - and retain party leaders with their snouts in the gravy train.

For the next three months there will virtually be no government actively working the levers of power in this state. It will have withdrawn into it's inner fortress - to await the power of the people !

James Hardie fiasco !

The courts have released the James Hardie directors from their fines and the restrictions on holding directorships - because of a small technicality, but at the same time they have confirmed that the firm remains " guilty as charged ".

It's about time our learned judges considered a few facts of life !

A company is an inert object. It has no capacity to make decisions - and therefore it's direction is entirely in the hands of those who direct it's activities. It is therefore impossible for a firm to take illegal action on it's own volition. It can only do that - at the instigation of those who control it.

Which raises an interesting question at law !

If the directors are innocent of any crime - but the company is guilty - how can that guilt be sustained if the company is unable to make any decision in it's own right ?

And if a crime has been committed, how can blame not be sheeted home to those who were in charge at that time ?

A conundrum that can only remain unanswered - which leads to a well known adage.

The law is an ass !

Mineral royalties - and tax !

As part of their income stream, the states impose royalties on minerals extracted from the ground by miners. Now this is under attack by the Federal government as part of it's new rental tax on our mineral wealth.

The royalties that mining companies pay serves as a credit against their tax liability on profits. The Federal government is seeking to impose a freeze - and in future will only credit these payments on the level that was in effect at May 2, 2010.

The Treasurer is looking to stop the states increasing their revenue stream by increasing royalties - in the sure knowledge that it will not hurt the miners because they will use it as a tax offset.

Queensland and West Australia are certain to cry foul and fight this imposition. In effect, it isolates their return from minerals to a level that will become increasingly uncompetitive as inflation bites over the coming decades. The Reserve bank has set a 3% limit as the yardstick against which it measures interest rate rises. Even if that 3% is met, the value of money decreases 3% annually as a result.

From the Federal point of view, allowing royalties to be a tax offset unchecked gives the states open slather to increase their revenue flow without protest from the mining companies - because the miners simply write it off against the money flow to the Federal tax man !

This will almost certainly result in the matter going to the high court for a decision. It all boils down to the basics of state and Federal taxes - and that is an interesting can of worms that defy even the best lawyers !

Broadband cost structure !

The government has just released it's business plan for the roll out of the National Broadband Network ( NBN ) - and cynics will suggest that this be taken with a large grain of salt.

The commercial distributing companies will pay $ 24 a month, but they will charge consumers at least $ 56 a month for the most basic, low end service. Superior service levels will attract a much higher monthly charge.

The government is spending $ 35.9 billion to lay NBN across the nation and all the distributors will be doing is installing monitoring equipment to measure the use of each consumer - and for that they are going to charge over double their access cost !

We are not going to get Broadband tomorrow. The roll out completion will not happen until 2021 - and we would be unwise to think that figures projected that far into the future are any more than a figment of the imagination - but on the surface it looks like Broadband is going to be a very expensive option for users.

The sad thing is that it is going to be forced on consumers anyway. If the government is spending that sort of money they will not leave ADSL or wireless as an alternative. They claim that their figures return a margin of 7% to taxpayers - something to again take with that grain of salt.

The main problem is the vast chasm between what governments plan - and what they deliver. The NBN seemed like a very good idea when it was first mooted, but we live in a fast changing world and we live with incredibly fast changing technology.

Let us hope that before the 2021 roll out is complete the boffins have not made broadband redundant and moved on to another form of communication technology.

It is a brave soul that has faith in their crystal ball's future projections in this day and age !

Post office closures !

The new year will bring the closure of twenty-seven post offices across Australia. The steady erosion of letter traffic is making post offices unprofitable and this will be just the start of the demise of this service.

It seems that contraction is inevitable. At present, every town, suburb and village has it's post office, but a decade from now there will probably be only a central post office to service a large area - and even then profitability will not be guaranteed.

Efforts have been made to save the postal service by increasing it's range of services and the most spectacular is it's prominence as a bill paying centre, but even this is faltering as direct debit becomes more widely accepted.

All logic suggests that the post offices become a bank. We badly need a government owned bank to curb the excesses of the " big four bandit banks " and here we have the ideal existing network - in place and ready to offer service.

What is needed is for the Federal government to admit that selling the Commonwealth bank was a mistake - and the courage to redress that error and get back into the banking business to provide an independent alternative.

Whether that happens will be a test of government resolve. Unfortunately time is of the essence. The disintegration of the post office system has begun with those twenty-seven closures. Unless the government makes an immediate decision - and backs it with action - we will quickly pass the point of no return.

There is no other alternative - if this valuable service is to survive !

The duty free enigma !

The $ 1000 threshold at which Australian consumers can buy duty free on the Internet needs to be approached with caution. We are nearing the point when computer saturation makes just about every household a potential customer.

Myers and Harvey Norman are crying foul - and they do have a point !

Goods sold duty free must be at east ten percent cheaper than merchandise sold through conventional stores because it is not subject to the 10% GST, but there is much more involved in the costs equation.

The conventional store attracts custom by TV and newspaper advertising - and this is costly. In comparison, setting up a newsletter on the Internet can be achieved for a fraction of those prices - and the people processing the sales can be sourced in low income countries - avoiding the Australian wage system applied to those manning stores here.

The response of the government is to suggest Myers and Harvey Norman set up a similar direct sale operation - on the basis that if you can't beat them - join them !

That is a very dangerous suggestion. Both Myers and Harvey Norman are clever business people and if they set up a direct marketing deal they will most likely be successful - and that will mean a diminishing of their retail operations in our cities - and a reduction in their staffing arrangements.

It really boils down to a choice to be made by retail customers. Do we want to examine the goods before we buy and deal with an Australian sales person ? Or will we prefer to buy from a computer monitor image and click a mouse to make the sale from an anonymous person sitting at a computer several countries away ?

It isn't a level playing field if the local shop has to charge GST and pay Australian award wages - and the Internet shop pays no tax and can therefore seriously undercut the price of goods in Australia.

How we shop in the next decade will depend on the decisions about to be made !

Name change waste !

On January I the " Fire Brigade " will cease to exist ! It will have a new name - " Fire and Rescue NSW "

Emergency Services minister Steve Whan insists that this is necessary because in this modern day and age the service does much more than just put out fires. It has the added responsibility of carrying out rescue work previously the realm of other services.

A name change carries with it a heavy cost. Everything from the stationery used to the signwriting on fire appliances, the emblems on uniforms to the station buildings will need to be renewed - at a cost of fifteen million dollars !

What will this achieve ? In all probability - very little. The average person will continue to refer to it as " the fire brigade " because old habits die hard.

The biggest concern will be the cost because we live in a state where a lot of urgent things go begging because of a lack of money. It seems that politicians have a habit of changing names because it suits their egos - and in recent years the police force has changed to the police service - and then back again - and the oddly named MWS&DB ( Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board ) became " The Water board " - and now it has changed to " Sydney Water ".

It is an interesting thought to dream of what that fifteen million dollars might have produced had it been spent on something that would have directly helped the citizens of this state.

Like accommodation for the homeless !

Tell it like it is !

A headline in today's paper will please many people. A criminal who bashed a female police officer with a brick was given a twenty-one year prison sentence. The problem is - that is not what will be served !

The offender was a drug addict and he callously bashed the officer walking through King's Cross on her way to work. He dragged her unconscious body into a park - and left her for dead. Her injuries were so severe that part of her skull had to be removed and she was put into an induced coma. She still faces complications that prevent her from returning to work.

Twenty-one years sounds like a severe sentence - until you learn that it contains a non parole element of just fifteen years and nine months, and that this will commence from the time of arrest.

Add to that the usual deductions for things such as supposed " good behaviour " - and the actual time served will most likely be just eleven and a half years.

It costs a lot of money to keep a person in prison and there is a very real incentive for governments to regularly commute sentences to keep costs down, but when a criminal - who was on parole for other crimes at the time of this offence - leaves a serving police officer with permanent injuries - severity is warranted.

We could well do without the spin to convince us that justice is being served. The actual time behind bars is really what it is all about !

The blame game !

Yesterday twenty-seven asylum seekers lost their lives when an Indonesian fishing boat carrying them crashed onto rocks on Christmas island in the Indian ocean. This tragedy will provoke endless argument over the legality of " boat people ".

Australia has signed various United Nations agreements with legal binding that obliges us to offer sanctuary to those fleeing from oppression. These United Nations protocols also contain rules that asylum seekers are obliged to follow.

Asylum seekers must declare themselves and seek shelter at the first country of landfall after they exit their home country. Once they do this, they become a United Nations responsibility and will be under UN control as to their accommodation and care - and onward passage to a country that will accept them.

Unfortunately there are more refugees than accepting countries and this usually results in applicants spending long periods in refugee camps - and some never ever find a permanent home.

The people who arrive by boat at Christmas island ignore this UN requirement and pay people smugglers money to transport them to a country of their choice. Before they embark on these boats, they have landed in several interim countries and neither declared themselves - or sought protection.

It is worth noting that the countries they have passed through and rejected do not offer the standard of living their are seeking. They may be avoiding persecution, but they are demanding access to a rich country - and superior living standards.

Death at sea is just part of the risk that goes with flouting the asylum laws and avoiding the UN rules that govern placement in a new land.

Both sides of the argument ignore this mutual aspect - and only dwell on Australia's obligations under the UN agreements. As a result, we will never find common ground for agreement !

A " Doom " message !

It is a good idea to heed the message coming from those people in the NSW electricity industry who are in a position to evaluate the sale of it's assets as forced by the state government.

Directors of Delta Electricity and Eraring Energy have chosen to resign from their boards because of " insufficient cover " provided in the indemnity letter from the government. They state that this is a " personal and moral decision "

We are already reeling from sharply increased electricity prices - and we are assured that there is much more to come. The owner of our electricity assets - us the taxpayers - are being sold short by a government that has underspent on keeping production up to date and is now getting out from under by selling to overseas buyers.

Once this is complete, there is no way back !

The politicians who made this disastrous decision will simply walk away whistling Dixie - and collect their massive superannuation and other perks - and leave us with the mess they have caused.

Men of integrity who from their board positions can see what lays ahead are sending us a clear message. We are about to see a calamitous drop in our living standards !

The pain of decision !

Spare a thought for the jurors in the Keli Lane trial. It must have been traumatic to decide the fate of another human being in a case where there was no body - and everything hinged on a course of action that could not be proved either way. Some of the jurors openly wept when the " guilty " verdict was announced.

Being forced to sit on a jury is something many people fear - and it is something beyond their control. The Sheriff picks at random from the voter rolls, and once selected there are few avenues of escape. The law demands attendance on the lofty principles of " duty as a citizen ".

Jurors are paid for their attendance, but this bears no reality to the stress that is involved. In some cases the jurors are sequestered - locked away from their families for the duration of the trial - and some trials go on for weeks - and in rare instances - months.

It is said that after the most difficult cases the minds of those unfortunates forced to hear harrowing evidence are never the same again. There is coercion in the jury room to achieve a result - and some are forever haunted that they gave in when they were not truly convinced.

In this case, the judge said that these jurors would be forever freed from the obligation to ever have to sit on a jury again. Maybe a case of shutting the stable door - after the horse has bolted !

Sign of the times !

Anna Watson, the newly minted ALP preselection candidate for the seat of Shellharbour made a telling remark when commenting on her election. She said she would be " an effective opposition if that's going to be the case ".

Normally politicians extol the certainty of a win before any election and this seeming acceptance of a loss gives some indication of the malaise suffered by the ALP.

Unfortunately, human nature being what it is - there is every chance that a losing government party will dig into it's bag of dirty tricks in the dieing days of holding office.

The Clinton whitehouse left many booby traps for the incoming regime of George W Bush, and we can hardly expect the outgoing regime in New South Wales to bestow benevolent acts.

Watch for hasty, last minute appointments to key public service posts and the announcement of extensions to national parks and other use of public land that may thwart the plans of the new government.

Normally an election is neutral ground because even if the governing party is on the nose, there is always the expectation of a miracle. In the eyes of many ALP people - it would take the intercession of Mary McKilllop to save this government next March.

It is when all hope has gone that politicians lay plans for sabotage - with the hope that future shortfalls will be blamed on their successor. Such is the world of politics !

Electrical safety switches.

Legislation is imminent in New South Wales to force those small businesses that use portable electrical equipment to install safety switches - and these will attract a rebate of up to $ 500.

Firms that use items that range from angle grinders to vacuum cleaners, and include hair dryers and electric drills must have the safety switches in place within twelve months, and the rest of industry must be compliant by 2014.

These safety switches cut the supply of power in the event of a malfunction - and thereby save the user from being electrocuted.

A safety switch could cost as much as $ 2000 to be installed in a complex business, but would cost a mere $ 200 to be installed in the average home. It seems reasonable to expect that the state government would be looking to get them into every home in this state.

For a start, they should be mandatory in every new building application, considering that an extra $ 200 is negligible in the cost of a new home these days - and it would be a good idea to require installation as part of the exchange agreement whenever an existing home changes ownership.

At least such a scheme would start the ball rolling - and eventually every householder could be expected to live in a home that was electrically safe !

Take it with a grain of salt !

The state government has produced a new website which shows a rosy picture on elective surgery waiting times. This is not surprising just a few months out from an election.

Like most government announcements, MyHospitals is the product of the host of spin doctors those in power employ to create a good image - and what you see is not necessarily what you get !

The detail is in the small print, and that small print requires doctors to only add a patient to the waiting list if surgery can be scheduled within the current twelve month period. If not - the patient is placed on a second waiting list - and this is a waiting list to be placed on the official waiting list.

It's all smoke and mirrors. How fast the waiting list progresses depends entirely on money. If the funds are available the theatres handle more patients and the lists grow shorter - and the availability of money depends on what other government spending is taking priority over health.

It's a big juggling act ! A tradeoff between bread and circuses for those not needing elective surgery weighed against the squawks of those condemned to pain and suffering - and a long wait !

And no matter who is in office - nothing changes !

People power !

The world watches with bated breath as " people power " does battle with the awesome legal machinery of the greatest country on this planet.

It all started when a person of little personal power worked a government computer somewhere in Afghanistan - and decided to secretly download information from that government's immense store of archives.

The information was passed to activist Julian Assange, who devises the Wikileaks concept - and published the secret material on the net - where any citizen with a computer had free access.

This brought into play the immense power of world governments - and their desire to put the cork back in the bottle and secure sensitive information from prying eyes.
A decidedly suspicious rape charge was levelled against Assange, investigated - and dropped. Immediately consular cables began to appear on Wikileak it was dragged into the public domain - and became the supposed reason for an arrest order. Assange is now in a British prison.

Government power would seem to be behind the pressure on three of the world's money movers to shut off the cash flow to Wikileaks - and to clip Assange's legal defence team of funds to defend the charges against him.

On the same day Mastercard, Visa and Pay-Pal announced that they were banning handling payments through their channels to Wikileaks. This despite no evidence of any illegality on the part of Wikileaks in making information available to the public.

This time - People Power struck back ! The power of big numbers of people using their computers to overwhelm these three money movers with inward contact caused their servers to crash. The ultimate weapon was in use - the ability to stop their cash flow - and reduce their profits.

Pay-Pal was the first to crumble, but the battle is far from mover. It seems to be a case of an unmovable object coming into collision with an unstoppable force.

The end result of that is usually a huge explosion !

Of men - and women !

Last nights national news brought a new image of Julia Gillard. Our first female prime minister is usually impeccably coiffured - but viewers must have noted that the parting line in her hair was distinctly outlined with the evidence of age - or stress.

Gray hair and it's first appearance is something to be dreaded by many people, but this is specially so if that person is of the female gender. The male can get away with a tinge of gray by claiming it as a sign of wisdom. For the female it is evidence of declining beauty - to be covered by the vast array of cosmetic wash and rinse products in our chemist shops.

It is all about image - and when you are the prime minister that image is vitally impiortant. It would be hard to think of Kevin Rudd with gray hair because that would detract from his boyish appearance, once the cornerstone of his appeal to many voters.

Julia Gillard is at the point in her career where she will establish a lasting impression in the minds of citizens. Thinking back to other women who held the pinnacle of power, Margaret Thatcher comes to mind with a pugnacious jaw - and that always present handbag - and Golda Meir's lined face and mop of grizzled hair.

Will Julia forsake the colour wash that replaced her fiery red hair with a muted auburn and allow nature to dictate her image ? Or will her note of distinction be that classic " Aussie drawl " with which she delivers her lines ?

It seems that decision time has arrived - and when image is concerned there is a vast difference between the options open to men - as opposed to women.

The media - and the women's lobby - will await Julia's decision with bated breath !

Water compromise.

Michael Taylor, chairman of the Murray/Darling Water Authority has resigned over the interpretation of the Water Act. Taylor insists that preserving the health of the river system must take precedence over social and economic issues.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard disagrees - and in this instance she is right !

Right now the Murray/Darling system is in flood and has more water than it can comfortably hold - but inevitably it will return to drought sometime in the future. This may be accelerated if we continue to pump excessive amounts of water for agriculture.

Common sense dictates that compromise is the only solution. Three important factors are involved. There must be an increase in the river flow to keep the river healthy. Australia needs the agriculture produced by this river's water to feed itself - and the towns along the river system are sustained by the system providing their water supply.

All three will have to cope with a reduction - so that all three will survive.

Agriculture will have to make changes to the crops grown and the irrigation methods used to sustain them. Towns will need to adjust to water use - and probably accept strict water restrictions on use to fit into the scheme - and the river system itself will get more flow than in the past - but not the unlimited flow that conservatives want.

It's called - compromise !

A dangerous world !

World leaders must be holding their breath with great concern at the erratic signals coming from North Korea. There seems to be a leadership change taking place and perhaps this is the reason for the hermit kingdoms strange actions.

It seems that North Korea does not fear starting a major war with the west, despite the fact that if it does it faces nuclear destruction.. It has a small number of nuclear bombs and the missiles to deliver them, but faced with the might of the western powers these are puny.

It was sheer brinkmanship to torpedo the Cheonan, a South Korean Corvette and to shell the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, causing loss of life. With that sort of attitude to aggression it is quite possible that Kim Jong Il could launch an attack on Seoul - the South Korean capital.

Either Kim is fantastically clever at weighing up the risks and rolling the dice, or else he is a madman with a self destruction urge. The key to moderating his actions seems to be China, but so far the Chinese leadership has stood aloof .

If push comes to shove and North Korean action leaves no option other than war - the response from China may well decide if we live in a peaceful world or one suffering a nuclear winter.

The scenario has never been so doubtful since the bad old days of the cold war !

Violent video games !

There are moves to introduce a R I8+ plus category for violent video games. At present our highest classification is MA I5 +.

It is doubtful if any classification change will prevent unsuitable games from reaching the hands of young people. We have restrictions on alcohol, tobacco and drugs that do little to restrict supply. While ever there is market demand - supply will follow.

It seems possible that violent video games are fuelling many growing social evils. Some games are a training ground for those disposed to avoiding the police in stolen cars. Young kids actually learn the mechanics of driving a car using game controls. Is it any wonder that when the situation becomes real and they are behind the wheel of a stolen car with the police in hot pursuit - they think nothing of driving up a one way street against oncoming traffic. On the console - it is only a game. In the real world - it brings death to somebody !

Then there is the use of firearms. Many violent video games are little more than a training manual for civil war. The aim is to kill as many of the enemy as possible. Is it any wonder that regular users lose any sense of responsibility ?

Introducing a R I8 + category may help, but regulations to tone down the material in those extra violent games would help more - if it could be achieved !

That would be an unlikely dream. Once again the law of supply and demand applies. If games are not violent enough to satisfy today's game users - then you can expect an underground industry to fill that gap - just as XXX rated porn is circulated against the present laws.

What the politicians have to realise is that applying a ban on anything simply does not work ! All it does - is to create a new illicit industry !

A cryptic man !

Many people will have mixed feelings about Julian Assange, the Australian who founded Wikileaks. He has made powerful enemies by leaking confidential American internal dispatches revealing secrets from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars - and now embassy cables that often denigrate other world leaders.

To some, this is a breath of fresh air blowing through the secret backwaters of government, releasing information that we have a right to know. To others, it is a form of espionage that puts at risk the lives of foreign citizens who have worked with us in bringing democracy to foreign regimes.

Wikileaks would not be possible without informers - often lowly placed men and women who process documents in the computer world and who for their own reasons disclose confidential information. The vastness of the IT world is such that we may never know their identities.

Julian Assange has no such modesty. He clearly nominates himself as the head of Wikileaks - and as such must be high on the list of enemies in the sights of foreign security departments from many countries. It is quite possible that he could be a target of assassination.

In these circumstances the charge of rape coming from Sweden must be viewed with suspicion. It would be a simple measure to induce someone to lay such a charge to create an arrest warrant - and should that warrant be served and Assange be taken into custody - the charge dropped and he be deported to the United States to face more serious espionage charges.

Perhaps Assange has bitten off more than he can chew with Wikileaks. He has deliberately put himself at the centre of the stage in the murky world in which governments play - and now he finds himself well outside the normal tenets of law.

How this finally plays out will no doubt be the theme of many a novel - and most certainly a television series. It is still to be decided whether he plays the role of hero - or villain !

" Ambience " restored !

Two years after work ceased the " Ambience " construction in Fairy Meadow has been bought by a consortium - and it will begin reaching finality next year.

There will still be some difficulties. It is reported that Coles has withdrawn as the anchor tenant, but there are fortunes to be made with the right approach to bankrupt constructions. The site was purchased for $ 7.75 million back in 2005 and the building is three parts finished. The purchase price paid by the consortium is rumoured to be less than $ 10 million - hence if the estimated finished value of $ 40 million is realised - not only will the new owners make a nice profit but Fairy Meadow will gain an attractive new shopping centre.

There is one niggling problem to be addressed. Ambience and the Fraternity club car park are not far apart and on level ground. The council has declared the car park flood prone and banned building, and yet Ambience has underground parking.

In the event of a repeat of the 1998 rain storm that caused massive flooding, warning measures will be needed to ensure that any underground car park has sufficient evacuation procedures.

No doubt this has been taken into account by the new owners !

Police car chases !

A man is dead - and his death will revive the controversy over police car chases.

A 22 year old with two juvenile companions was driving a stolen Holden Commodore when police detected it as unregistered - and gave chase. The criminal tried to evade capture by driving the wrong way up an access ramp - and collided head-on with the innocent motorist - killing him instantly.

Perhaps we are looking the wrong way when we consider how to deal with the crime of car theft !

How is it possible that we have reached the twenty-first century, but we have not managed to make stealing a motor vehicle impossible ?
Over the years all sorts of innovations have been claimed to deter theft - one of the latest being the " immobiliser " - which is supposed to shut down all systems unless it is either activated by a remote control, or has a code number punched in.

Modern cars have an on-board computer and a host of sophisticated refinements - but they are still capable of being stolen by a teenage kid with a screwdriver and a bit of wire.

It seems to be a conspiracy by car makers, the insurance industry and the government to avoid spending the huge amount of research money that would provide the ultimate theft deterrent.

It may be impossible to stop car theft by sophisticated thieves prepared to invest serious money in code breaking equipment, but it must be possible to devise a system that will defeat teenagers and kids.

It seems that all that is missing is - determination and resolve !

A potential danger.

The plan to site a ventilation shaft from a coal mine just six hundred metres from Appin primary school would normally not attract much attention.

Recent events at the Pike River coal mine in New Zealand have changed all that !

Coal mines are dangerous places and the Pike River mine ventilation shaft has been shown on television as a roaring flame pit, belching smoke and noxious gases from the fire below.

What would be the effect on child safety if a primary school was sited just six hundred metres away from that Pike River shaft ?

That is a reasonable question to ask when this plan is considered, because mine accidents can happen very quickly and there can be no guarantee that a similar situation could not arise at Appin.

Hindsight is usually 20-20. Before this ventilation shaft goes ahead it would be wise to consider all the possible scenarios that may arise - and opt on the side of safety. It may cost a little more to move it further from the school - but if there is even a slight risk - that should be the course undertaken !

The right decision.

There were rumblings of criticism when rescuers were prevented from rushing in to the Pike River coal mine in New Zealand, following an explosion that trapped twenty-nine men.

It is now abundantly clear that this was the right decision. Had a rescue attempt been mounted at that time it is almost certain that the rescuers would be amongst the dead.

This mine has become an ongoing disaster. Explosions have continued as a volatile mixture of poisonous gas and methane roils through the galleries and now there is a fire burning in the coal seam that may take years to extinguish.

It is time to put an end to further risk and seal the mine, abandon attempts to retrieve the bodies and make Pike River mine a memorial grave for those that died there.

Underground mining is one of the riskiest jobs on this planet. Every miner reporting for duty faces the prospect of entering a tomb from which they may never return. No mine can be made totally safe because a huge range of risks is permanently present.
For that reason, mining pay is high because of the risks involved.

Coal is one of the most dangerous minerals mined because of the ever present risk of gas - and the fact that it is a combustible product. Hopefully, one day coal mining may be phased out because a less dangerous form of heating and industrial use may have made it redundant.

Unfortunately, many more miners are likely to die before that day arrives.

Corrimal progresses.

At last the creation of a decent shopping centre in Corrimal is about to be realised. The huge, vacant block of land in the centre of the suburb is about to become " Corrimal Central ", the home of a major supermarket, discount variety store - and about fifty speciality shops.

All that stands in the way is a final decision by Wollongong council - and as there is not an elected council in this city - that means the nod of the government appointed administrators.

At least this decision means the end of encroachment on Ziems park and the distortion of the shopping centre complex away from central Corrimal. That may have suited the traders of Corrimal Court, but it would have ignored the reality of a central concentration defining a shopping centre.

The only disadvantage is the loss of car parking on that central vacant land, but that will be partly offset by parking on the roof of this three story complex.

It seems that destiny is to be fulfilled and Corrimal will become the major shopping centre for the northern suburbs. This was set in place years ago when the banks began closing branches - and designated Corrimal as the only northern banking centre.

Along with shops - Corrimal will now start to attract the range of offices and services that go with concentrating business activity around the hub that attracts people.

Unsafe money !

The crash of the National bank's computer system illustrates just how dependent we are on the silicon chip - and the electricity that powers it - to maintain a normal way of life.

When the system came to a halt and the ATM's stopped delivering money and the EFTPOS system declined to let us pay for groceries and petrol - our world virtually came to a stop. We could not travel or even feed ourselves !

The ramifications will be felt for weeks - long after the fault has been rectified. Some people will be forced into a legal breach that is not their fault - but then the law that enforces payment dates and consequences was not designed to accommodate a systems failure. Buying shares - settling a home purchase - all sorts of transactions contain an escape clause if payments are not made precisely on the due date.

In this electronic age, disruption of the money supply could even be a legitimate weapon of war. What better way to cause chaos in a country than to attack the electricity supply system - or to hack into the computers that manage the money supply.

What happened this past weekend proves that we are vulnerable to either a normal malfunction or a deliberate attack on the electronic complex that is modern living. If we are so clever that we can develop such systems, then surely we need to take this risk into account and have back-ups in place to share the load.

This weekend should be a wake-up call to evaluate the entire system !

The demon grog - and New Year !

It used to be a tradition. A few beers - watch the fireworks - and bring in the new year !

Unfortunately the actions of inebriated anti-social people are pushing this celebration to the brink. Vast public viewing areas of Sydney harbour are being designated alcohol free - and in Wollongong the midnight fireworks are no more !

This year there will be the 9 pm fireworks display - which will please the kids - but the midnight show has been cancelled because of the damage and injuries caused in previous years by drunken louts.

Sydney had this same problem for many years and for some time the television channels did not cover the midnight fireworks. It was assumed that many drunks increased their obnoxious behavior for the cameras - but the ban has been dropped and TV coverage continues.

Sadly - what was great fun for families is becoming a thing of the past because some spectators drink to excess and bring danger to festive crowds. It seems that further down the track - bringing in the new year may cease to be a public activity.

A " shaky " government !

Independent Andrew Wilkie's threat to " pull support :" for Julia Gillard's government if it reneges on a promise to impose binding limits on the amount that individual members of the public can gamble on poker machines illustrates just how tenuous a hold the government has on the treasury benches.

Australian voters did not have poker machine limits as an option when they went to the last election. This was one of many " deals " cobbled together to get the support of the Greens and the independents to form government.

There has been no consensus on this proposal. There has been no indepth survey of the implementation costs - and what change it would bring on the finances of the pub and club industry - let alone the finances of the various state governments.

Do we want - or do we need - a limit placed on how we can spend our own money ?

And what comes next ? A limit on the amount we can bet on a horse race ? Restrictions on how many lottery tickets we can buy ? A limit on the number of bottles of alcohol we can purchase each month ? A ration on tobacco purchases ?

All of the above could be justified by the health and wealth people as promoting a healthier lifestyle - but is that the level of interference in our daily lives that we will accept ?

If Andrew Wilkie " walks " it may be a good thing. A government that is beholden to the demands of a small power circle is not a government of the people - and this government lacks the ability to make decisions without the nod from these power lords.

Road safety - and perception !

Five " red light " cameras in Wollongong are to be upgraded to serve a dual purpose - detect both those speeding and those running red lights.



No doubt this added capacity will also improve the revenue flow from fines, but there is something lacking when the only evidence of a driving infringement is the appearance in the mail of a demand for money letter.



This relates to something that happened - and has been long forgotten - weeks previously. It is usually met with a shrug of the shoulders - and a few well chosen swear words - but does nothing to improve road safety.



In comparison, the sight of a marked police car causes most drivers to urgently look at their speedometer - and the sight of a police car - lights flashing - behind a driver being booked - causes law conformity to improve instantly.

It seems that road safety is caught in a money squeeze. It is cheaper to buy and install more cameras and they give a better money return than police officers patrolling in marked cars. That is the reason we progressively see less police on our roads.

It is also the reason why the police patrol has disappeared from our streets. In today's IT age - the street cop has been replaced by a cctv camera !

And all this is happening in the guise of - progress !

" Catch 22 " situation !

Interesting case in a Victorian court this week.

A police officer pulled over a Muslim woman driver wearing a hijab and demanded she remove it to be identified. She refused - and later made a formal complaint that he tried to forcibly remove it.

This complaint fell apart when the video from the police car was introduced in the hearing - and this clearly showed that no such action occurred. The woman was charged with making a false statement.

Now the woman's solicitor is applying for the matter to be thrown out of court - because the police can not prove that the woman before the court is the same person who committed the offence - because the officer did not see her face and can not positively identify her.

Which is where events turn full circle !

The law requires every citizen to be identified when approached by a police officer - and wearing a hijab breaks this requirement.

In future cases, arrest must be an option until the offender complies with the law.

A Royal bride !

The engagement of Kate Middleton to Prince William will signal the next generation of the royal family, but the life of this young commoner will change forever.

From here on in she will live in the constant glare of publicity. The urge to scratch an itchy nose - the slightest wardrobe malfunction - her perceived moods will be recorded by not only the press, but the ever present paparazzi - and splashed across newspapers and television screens.

There will be constant pressure, not the least of which will be to produce a royal heir to the throne. It will be a daunting task and unfortunately the track record of happy marriages is not evident in the royal family.

Looking back at history, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and a host of lesser royals have been less than successful in finding happiness.

The choice of an engagement ring will be met with horror by some royal watchers. This was the ring given by William's father to Princess Diana - and that was the ultimate in unhappy marriages.

Kate must have given long and careful thought to her life ahead before accepting this proposal, and she seems a stoic type of girl who will knuckle down to royal duties. No doubt she will compare herself to our Tasmanian Princess Mary - who married into the Danish royal family and has managed a degree of normalcy between her royal and private lives.

Let us hope she has not under estimated the unchanging attention to protocol that revolves around the British royal family - and the unforgiving verdict bestowed by it's subjects who judge the players on the royal stage !

The " Village Green " ?

What can be done with McCabe park ? At the moment it is a prime piece of land in the middle of Wollongong, broadly ignored by residents because it is a dangerous place at night - and rather boring during daylight hours.

It certainly has potential - provided we can get our heads around the necessity of introducing commercial activity to make it interesting and to get people to use it.

Perhaps a top class restaurant - similar to " The Lagoon " ? Perhaps kiosks selling such pleasures as ice cream, hot chips and sandwiches ? Perhaps an open air movie house similar to the " drive-in " era - but without motor cars ?

The sticking point is likely to be opposition to allowing commerce into a " people's park ", but then what is the use of a vacant piece of land if the public declines to make use of it ?

Surely we can learn something from the debacle that is the Wollongong Mall ! A place that is totally deserted once the shops close - and where citizens literally take their life in their hands if they visit after dark.

People will only use McCabe park if it has something to offer. It must become a " place to go " because there is something to see - and something to do - and people feel safe going there !

And that will only happen when commercial interests feel confident to spend their money to provide such attractions - and make a profit from them.

Dragging McCabe park into the twenty-first century is really that simple !

A classic " Sea rescue " !

It's nice to know that our sea rescue services come together to seamlessly aid mariners in distress - and that this was demonstrated off Wollongong this week.

Dennis and Sarah Smith were sailing to Fiji on their yacht " Barakee " when they suffered a steering problem - and then discovered that the yacht was taking in water. They activated their emergency beacon at 3-15 pm, resulting in a search plane arriving above them at 5 pm.

This drama was occurring 170 nautical miles off Wollongong and they were relieved to see the police launch " Falcon " appear over the horizon at 9.05 am the next morning. It was a difficult rescue in treacherous seas, but the Smiths made it safely back to shore - and the entire rescue service can be commended for a job well done.

Surely one aspect that deserves mention is the good sense of the Smith's in having an emergency beacon on board. Without that, the Barakee might have been just another vessel that disappeared without trace - and with it it's master and crew.

Unfortunately, there are still mariners who put to sea and rely on a mobile phone for rescue. Not only is that now illegal - it flies in the face of common sense !

The lady by the lake !

The Generals of the junta that rules Burma have every reason to feel fear. For decades the flame of freedom has been kept alive by Aung San Suu Kyi, the charismatic leader of the National League for Democracy ( NDL ) who in 1990 won an election to govern in a landslide.

The junta ignored this result and placed Suu Kyi under house arrest - and incarcerated the leaders of her democracy movement. They denied her dieing husband a visa to visit and have kept her separated from her children for over ten years.

Suu Kyi has been like the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. The great mass of the people yearn for relief from autocratic rule and the Generals know that despite their massive armies and tight laws Burma is ever on the edge of revolt - and they can never sleep easily in their beds.

They have conducted a sham election to try and present a democratic face and have released Suu Kyi from house arrest. Unfortunately it will inevitably take massive loss of life to end their despotic rule.

The Generals live in mortal fear - from this charismatic symbol - a slightly built, ageing woman who has the support of the people - and who they refer to in awe as " the lady by the lake ".

They may have the guns - but the people have the numbers - and it is only a matter of time before Suu Kyi prevails !

A sad tale !

It is hard to reconcile Zahra Baker's beaming smile with the harsh events of her early life.

Zahra was rejected by her birth mother and then developed bone cancer. This resulted in her having a leg amputated at age five, and further misery descended when chemotherapy caused her loss of hearing. Despite this, she was a happy little girl and a new life beckoned when she moved to the United States with her father.

It was not to be ! Zahra became a missing person, and now police have discovered body parts containing her DNA in a North Carolina timber area. It seems that Zahra was murdered and her body dismembered to hide the crime.

Most children are loved and nurtured by their parents, and yet all too often some unfortunate child slips through the net and suffers an awful fate. We have government agencies that are supposed to keep watch and prevent these sort of things, but the combination of over-work and human frailty leaves gaps - and there are failures.

No doubt the justice system will grind slowly - and eventually someone will face court and pay a price for Zahra's murder.

It is just so sad to think that despite all the systems in place to ensure that children grow up to achieve their dreams a small percentage will go unnoticed - and suffer an end like Zahra.

Rehabilitation.

The rehabilitation of offenders took a big step forward this week with the opening of a new gaol in the Shoalhaven. This $ 155 million facility will have 611 beds for prisoners, including 62 for women. A " mixed gaol " offers a kinder, more sociable type of detention option.

It seems that this project was achieved " on budget and on time ", and it will deliver 220 jobs to the region.

The new gaol will primarily house offenders from Helensburgh in the north to the Victorian border, and inland to the Hume Highway. As a result, prison visits will be a lot easier for the families of offenders, and keeping in touch with loved ones is a valuable tool of rehabilitation.

In the past residents feared having a gaol thrust upon them, but in a more enlightened age many see the vast array of benefits such an institution brings with it. Detention is a fact of life - and now the Illawarra has one to the highest of modern standards.

The creation of jobs will be an added blessing.

Tax deductions - and students !

We can expect a rush of legislation to close a loophole concerning tax deductions available to students.

For some reason the taxman believes that students, artists and musicians deserve to be poor - and in tax matters treats them differently to other wage earners. Now a court has ruled that they are entitled to claim deductions for expenses associated with getting themselves educated - and that the youth allowance formed part of assessable income.

This claim went all the way to the High court and the ruling will cost the government money by way of a new, allowable tax deduction.

It also highlights the wide discrepancy between the treatment of students and other wage earners. Increasing work skills by way of education gets preferential treatment when it is done by adult wage earners - and yet this was previously denied to students.

It seems that old habits die hard !

End of " the great war "!

Today we celebrate the end of the first world war - at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month,

That war was so terrible in terms of loss of life that it was dubbed " the war to end all wars ". It didn't - and there is the prospect of even greater future slaughter should nuclear weapons be used in conflict.

What happened to peace ?

After the first world war ended the nations of the world formed the League of Nations. That failed - and so we moved on to the second world war. Again the objective was world peace when the United Nations arose out of the ashes of the old League of Nations - and it suffered the same fate.

Korea. Vietnam. Iraq. Afghanistan - and a dozen more little local wars in remote parts of the planet.

So - what is today's " Remembrance day " really about ?

It should be about the end of war, but in reality it seems to illustrate the inevitability of war - and set many people wondering just which future war will come next !

Deportation - and the death penalty !

An interesting can of worms is opening in Queensland.

American tourist Gabe Watson is nearing completion of an eighteen month prison sentence for the manslaughter of his wife Tina. He was here on a tourist visa, and on his release he would normally be deported back to the US of A.

The problem is that his home state of Alabama wants to charge him with murder - and Alabama still has the death penalty on it's books for murder trials.

Australia says that - under it's international obligations - it can not deport a person to a country where that person may face the death penalty. So - what happens to Gabe Watson ?

It looks like Australia could be stuck with him. He can probably legitimately claim asylum because of the threat of the death penalty, in which case we will have no option other than to grant him permanent residency.

It also raises a few other interesting questions. Are we not interfering in the justice system of another country if we try and impose our views on crime and punishment on them - by denying them access to one of their citizens ?

Could we not deport this character to a US state that does not have the death penalty ?
In that way we wash our hands of the matter - and leave the legal fight to be determined by the higher courts of America !

Or does Gabe Watson end up behind the razor wire at one of our detention centres while our courts try to unscramble his right to remain here as an asylum seeker - all at the expense of the Australian taxpayer ?

Another can of worms that we could well do without !

Water safety !

There are some alarming rumours circulating about Sydney's desalination plant. It is suggested that the water coming from this plant and into our drinking water is contaminated by E-coli.

The state government has issued a denial.

It seems to be a matter of " where there's smoke - there's fire ! " The inlet for the desalination plant and the outlet from the sewage treatment facility are only a kilometre apart - and that raises many questions.

It would not be an issue if the sewage was fully treated to a pristine condition before being discharged into the ocean, but can we guarantee that this is so ? Or is it a fact that in overload conditions - such as in major weather events - raw sewage is going into the ocean ?

A mix of sewage and drinking water is simply disaster waiting to happen. This can not be left to " spin " to make the problem go away. Perhaps the inlet to the water treatment plant needs extending further out to sea - or the opposite to carry pollution further into the ocean.

Whether this is fact or fiction needs to be established. It is certainly not an option to be ignored !

Nurse practitioners.

The establishment of nurse practitioner clinics will get a mixed reception. Some will see it as a dumbing down of the health system - while others will see it as a logical extension to meet a doctor shortage.

Both may be partly right. It will all depend on whether the relationship between doctors and nurse practitioners develops on an amiable basis - or degenerates into a poisonous battle of personalities.

It is presently a fact of life that we have to take up a doctor's valuable time when all we want is a script renewed or a new referral to a specialist. These can be serviced by a trained nurse just as easily.

The danger may come if we continue to consult that nurse instead of a doctor and we develop a disease that is beyond that nurse's capacity to recognise. The success - or failure - of the scheme will depend of the right mix of doctor/nurse attendance to cover the whole medical spectrum.

And that brings us right back to the doctor/nurse relationship ! In an ideal world the nurse would steer the patient to see the doctor at reasonable intervals and the doctor would steer the patient to the nurse for routine script/referral matters.

This will eventuate in some practices, but unfortunately in many others it will develop into a turf fight. Some doctors will dig in their heels and forbid their patients to go elsewhere, despite a patient overload - and some nurses are going to jump on the feminist bandwagon and declare doctors an unnecessary band of parasites !

In the end, it will all come down to patient intelligence. The right choice is in the hands of the patient to regulate his or her visits between the two.

Gaol time - without a conviction !

There is something disturbing about the remand numbers in comparison between New South Wales and Victoria. NSW has over 2500 people on remand. Victoria has less than 1000.

The purpose of remand is to secure a person who the prosecution seriously expects to flee it's jurisdiction, or who is highly likely to commit a further offence.

Unfortunately, it is open to abuse. A person held in prison on remand gets no compensation if they are later put before a judge and jury and acquitted - and about thirty percent of those on remand walk free from trial - and even more who are found guilty are released on a bond.

Police regularly oppose bail for trivial reasons - and prosecutors can delay coming to trial for months - and in some cases years. During such extended remand periods the unfortunate prisoner earns no income - and in many cases is dismissed from whatever job he or she held. This can lead to the loss of property - and even bankruptcy, not to mention family breakdown and divorce.

It seems that remand can be a de facto punishment if the police or prosecution are in a vindictive mood. Our politicians have tightened bail laws to look good to the public, but in doing so they have created a monster that is running out of control in comparison with the other states.

By all means lock up the bad guys - but first make sure that they are promptly put before a court and duly convicted. Remand is merely an end run around that principle !

A great escape.

Over four hundred passengers and crew came perilously close to death when near disaster happened in the skies over Indonesia.



Qantas flight QF32 was an almost new Airbus A 380, the biggest passenger aircraft type in the world - when an engine exploded and speared shrapnel through the wing section. Miraculously - there was no fire despite these shards rupturing control lines that prevented the other undamaged engine on that side of the plane from being shutdown - and the full fuel tanks bursting into flames.



The crew performed according to their training, dumped fuel and safely returned the aircraft to Singapore - and now the enquiry is under way.



The incident is a blow to Airbus. The A 380 is the flagship of their fleet and the last thing they need is a doubt over it's safety. Qantas acted magnificently and passengers praised their calm and cool handling of a dangerous situation.



The other loser is Rolls Royce. This prestigious company manufactured the BR 211 engines fitted to the A 380 and doubts are emerging about their function. Whispers of previous " problems " with these engines will not instill confidence in passenger minds.



The best that can be said is that Airbus, Rolls Royce, Qantas - and all those passengers and crew - had a close call from which they emerged safely. Now it is up to the boffins to figure out just what went wrong - and make the necessary corrections to see that it doesn't happen again.



Perhaps this one could be chalked up to Mary McKillop !

Censorship !

When a suspicious child death occurs the Ombudsman conducts an enquiry - and prepared a report. Unfortunately, that report is not what the public reads - nor does it necessarily support the Ombudsman's findings.

The New South Wales state government puts a filter between it and the release of details. That is done by the " Commissioner for Children ", despite the 2008 Wood Commission of enquiry into child protection delivering a finding that it should be the Ombudsman's report that takes precedence.

Our state government has refused to transfer this power and prefers to have it's own proxy dilute any bad news that may be politically damaging.

This is simply a form of censorship. There is not much point in having an enquiry if the results are to be watered down and hidden from public view - and surely the safety of children must rank higher than most issues in the eyes of the public.

The best defence against government censorship - is publicity. Now would be a good time to deliver that message !

Potholes - and other hazards !

One thing is evident about the streets of Wollongong. There is little liasing between the council and the Water authority !



Progressively the council is undertaking a restoration plan to reseal the Wollongong street system to eliminate potholes that have been long overdue for attention. Unfortunately the manholes and isolation tap access points in the road are being totally ignored, and as a result the new surface is far above, creating a major safety problem.



The same goes with footpaths. Most have telephone cabling channels beneath and the manhole covers are old and broken, providing a walking hazard for elderly pedestrians or kids on bikes.



It seems to be a case of divided responsibilities. The council is responsible for the road surface, but another government department has the job of rectifying the alignment of access manholes - and a similar situation occurs with the phone system.



Surely some sort of regular joint planning meetings could eliminate these differences.

Emergency powers.

The government of any country has almost unlimited power to pass emergency legislation as circumstances demand. In time of war or natural catastrophe it may need to bring in controls that are far outside the normal range of civil law.

Right now Australia has a challenge from one of a group of four institutions which hold an essential service in their hands. The Commonwealth bank has decided to hike interest rates in excess of the controls instituted by the Reserve bank - and against the wishes of the government.

Interest rates can be either a brake or an accelerator on economic activity. When they apply to home mortgages they directly affect the spending power of the public, and as such they either slow or speed up retail activity - and that affects employment and profits down the supply chain.

The other three vulture banks are sitting on the fence posts - waiting to see if the Commonwealth bank gets away with this challenge - or if Treasurer Wayne Swan will act - or simply cave in !

Gathering fresh funds overseas is a rising cost, but at the same time the big three banks in Australia have been making record profits - and they could afford to show restraint to help the Australian economy recover.

What they are doing is exploiting their control of a natural resource - the money supply needed to finance business and allow people to buy homes. Their primary interest is profit - and to keep those profits coming they will disregard the common good - and the responsibilities that go with it.

Most people go along with the notion of free markets, but if the banks become predators out of control - then it is time to apply restraining measures.

Treasury dictates the amount of tax we must pay. It would not be unreasonable if that same Treasury slapped a " super profits tax " on banks that hike interest rates outside it's guidelines.

After all, interest rates have a critical bearing on the Australian economy - and that is worthy of invoking emergency powers !

A change of target !

The al Qaeda tactic of placing bombs in air freight will change the rules of the security game. Passengers and their luggage are far easier to search than the huge volume of freight moving around the world daily.

The economics of running an airline rest on a fine balance between passengers and freight. The cargo holds expedite urgently needed freight items such as the postal parcel trade - and this is now a high risk area.

The first casualty will be passenger numbers. Some people will avoid flying because there is a chance that they are sharing an airplane with a bomb. Lower passenger numbers will mean more reliance on freight to balance airline profitability.

No doubt the technology boffins will go into overdrive to create sophisticated detection equipment, but the task of screening each and every item consigned as air freight will be not only a daunting - but an impossible task.

We grizzle about the security checks when we travel by air. Get used to an expanded regimen at the post office and forwarding agency when next we seek to send little Suzy a birthday present.

The time is fast coming when the best present will be to send money - and let her buy her own !

Trick or treat !

Last night a lot of doorbells in Australia announced the arrival of Halloween ! It is an American custom but it was quite inevitable that Aussie kids would eventually get around to " trick or treating ", given the influence of American produced shows on our television screens.

Unfortunately is does have a dark side.

Most kids get quite a kick out of dressing as goblins or monsters - And few householders mind giving out some biscuits or lollies, but it would help if the kids managed a smile - and said " thank you ".

There is also the usual few who spoil it for the many.

Some ' trick or treater's " seem to consider a response a right, and when they encounter a home that does not answer the doorbell they take revenge. Sometimes this takes the form of smashing garden ornaments such as gnomes, pulling up prized plants - or generally making as much mess as possible.

Last night both types of kids were on the streets. Let us hope that Halloween develops here as a social event enjoyed by both children and householders alike - and that the young children " trick or treating " are escorted by watchful parents looking out for both their manners - and their safety.

Food price war !

A food retailer claims that their recipes can feed a family of four for just ten dollars. Inevitably there is a counter claim that this is pure twaddle - and that the actual cost would be nearly four times that amount.

The crazy thing is - both are correct !

That second claim relies on those cooking that meal doing so in a bare kitchen, the cupboards of which contain nothing in the way of the usual kitchen ingredients. No salt and pepper. No tomato sauce. Bare shelves.

It also suggests that the cost of providing such incidentals must be fully added to the meal cost, not merely the portion used in the meal.

This is all part of the advertising game - and the advertising industry is a master of allusion.

Perhaps the greatest purveyors of allusion are those promising weight loss. A huge proportion of the junk mail flowing through our mail boxes and going to air on radio and TV is concerned with shedding kilos.

The promises all seem to resolve around comely young women - who used to be fat and ugly - and are now several dress sizes smaller and have amazingly gained attractive curves.

The wise know to discount these promises - in similar manner to the spiels emanating from the real estate promoters, used car salespeople - and door to door canvassers.

And - yes - it is possible to create a cheap meal if you cook wisely - and stick with modest portions !

Crime - but no punishment !

Many people will remember an event that made headlines late last year. On December 31 a twenty-one year old drug addict committed an armed robbery of two liquor stores in a thirty-five minute period. Fleeing arrest he led police on a high speed chase through the suburbs - and this ended when he crashed into a family car, killing a nineteen month old girl riding in her safety capsule in the back seat.

Enraged citizens put pressure on politicians and this resulted in a law change.

This week - back in the real world - this child killer was sent to prison for two years and three months, not for the killing but purely as a result of charges relating to robbing two liquor stores. No charges have been laid as a result of the child's death.

Justice delayed is justice denied. Being addicted to drugs is not an excuse for robbing a child of her life.

There is every chance that because of the vagaries of the law - and the strange thinking of those whose job it is to prosecute offenders - that these charges may never eventuate.

The parents of that child must wonder what value the law puts on their daughter's life !

The banks - and their profits !

It's the reporting season - and the ANZ bank has disclosed a record $ 5.133 billion profit, and this has caused a political frenzy.

The question seems to be - Should there be a reasonable limit on how much the banks can earn ?

Any firm that fails to make a profit will not be in business for long, but surely when four institutions have cornered the market there needs to be some sort of oversight of their behavior - and this is where opinions differ.

There are options for those who are repulsed by the gouging bank charges, but changing to a building society or credit union is a big hassle - and the banks make sure that this is not easy. Periodic payments need to be cancelled and reordered - and most people simply grizzle - and do nothing.

On the other hand, all other forms of financial business are subject to strict rules. The buying and selling of shares - and the insurance industry generally is subject to regulations. Is there any reason why the banks should not be forced to trade ethically ?

Bank excesses led to the financial meltdown that is still causing us grief. The bank bosses are not repentant - and they show no signs of having learned from that debacle.

The only thing standing in the way of a sensible accounting regime to reign in bank excesses is - politics ! Neither side of the house wants to agree to a suggestion from the other side - and so we have stalemate !

Whatever happened to looking after the best interests of the ordinary citizen ?

Electricity price debacle !

Is there anything this state government can't mismanage ?

The Federal government thought it would be a good idea to promote the installation of solar energy panels on the roof of homes. To achieve that they offered huge rebates to people who made the investment - and the scheme was an outstanding success. So much so, that it was scaled back when the government became alarmed at the outlay involved.

The New South Wales state government had a different problem. It needed more power stations to meet demand, and saw these solar panels as a way of dodging the need to spend on new infrastructure.

To make solar panels even more popular it agreed to buy back the unused power they generated at a rate of 60 c per kilowatt hour ( kWh ) - a figure far more generous than that of any of the other states.

Now this bought back power is the same electricity that they are selling to you and me - and at 60 c a kWh they would need to hike our electricity bills by at least another $ 100 a year - and this at a time when most people are really struggling to pay their bills.

So - they are locked in to 60 c a kWh for existing contracts until 2016, but for everyone else the buy back will drop to 20 c kWh.

And it seems that despite this - we will get hit with an extra $ 100 on the power bill anyway.

If the outcome was not so serious for struggling families - it would be hilarious !

Is bigger - better ?

The Singapore Stock exchange ( SGX ) has launched a bid to buy the Sydney based Australian Stock exchange ( ASX ). That is not the term being used. The more sympathetic " merger " is suggested, to create the world's fifth largest bourse.

This is something to be approached with great caution. The first question should be - " Whats in it for us ? "

Existing ASX shareholders will make a motza. The offer is generous, but what is unclear is what rules will prevail in the merged body. The Singapore government owns twenty-five percent of the SGX - and has an appalling human rights record. Can it be trusted to run a honest and reliable institution dealing with the public's money ?

It is suggested that such a merger will open the flood of Asian money available to create new ventures here in Australia. Our door is open to those who want to invest in this country - but they are required to do so within our rules and that is why the ASX has a reputation for being open and honest.

Before this acquisition goes any further Canberra needs to know precisely what source of regulations will govern the merged body - and what standards will apply.

Bigger is not necessarily better ! The last thing we need is a stock exchange with dodgy ethical standards and a lack of accountability.

This offer needs to be put under the spotlight !

Parking - our future city !

Wollongong is facing a " once in a lifetime " opportunity to secure the future of our city. Right in the heart of the CBD - close to our premier sporting venue and the entertainment district the old Dwyer's site lays vacant and covered in weeds.

This is the only suitable land on which to provide the car parking our city desperately needs. If this opportunity is allowed to slip away, Wollongong will never solve it's parking problem.

There is a plan to lease this land short term and allow parking for 195 cars, returning income with a charge of $6 per day. That is a short term solution.

What we need is a bold decision to buy this land. To do it we will need to go into debt, but vacant land in this city would be an investment that can only grow in value and it would give us the breathing space to accommodate increasing population.

At present the land can park 195 cars, but as the need increases the city would own the base on which to built multi-level parking to handle many times that number.

By all means secure the hire of this site, but think long term and bite the bullet. Buying is the way to go - and debt is not a bad thing if it secures an asset that is vital to the future of the city of Wollongong.

An Aboriginal " White elephant " !

Concern is being expressed that the Jumbulla Aboriginal Discovery centre at Bulli Tops may close because of unfavourable visitor numbers. On average this attracts just four people a day - compared to a flood of people visiting the adjacent visitor's centre and restaurant.

Perhaps the product being offered is not what interests the public. Entry costs $ 15 per adult and entitles them to a forty-five minute audio-visual display on Aboriginality in the Illawarra. Basically - they are paying for a history lesson !


Maybe now is a good time to go back to the drawing board and re-think what this centre if trying to achieve. Visitors visit a visitor's centre to find out what attractions an area offers. Remove the entry charge and Jumbulla will be crowded with people - and could be the stimulus for directing those same people to Aboriginal attractions in the Illawarra - if they existed.

And thats the point. We do not have such things as an Aboriginal cafe offering traditional food or even an Aboriginal museum filled with interesting artifacts - but the opportunity exists for our Aboriginal people to create an industry here - as has happened in other parts of Australia.

The cries of distress seem the prelude for a demand that the ratepayers of the Illawarra shell out to keep Jumbulla operating. Bulli Tops visitor's centre was badly planned and had massive cost over-runs, and it's place in the road system does not invite those from the south to stop and visit.

To be viable Jumbulla needs to recreate itself and find something to sell. Perhaps as an outlet for the Aboriginal art which has become popular in recent years - or perhaps as a directing point to newly created Aboriginal businesses in the Illawarra.

Whale watching tours ? We have some interesting gun emplacements here from the second world war - Time for creative Aboriginal minds to stop and think creatively.

What is certain that Jumbulla in it's present form is a failure. Now we all need to think outside the nine dots !

An unfair tax break !

Australian shop owners must wonder whose side the tax office is on. The people offering us goods online do not have to charge that ten percent GST.

One of the loopholes in the Australian tax code allows no GST to be charged on purchases up to one thousand dollars - provided that purchase is made outside this country.

There is no doubt that when you shop online the transaction meets that criteria.

Not only is a vast amount of money lost by the government, but the very people providing goods and services within the Australian community are trading at a grossly unfair disadvantage. All the plethora of charges and taxes that go with running a shop are levelled against them - while the online traders get a free run.

It seems that this is a case of old laws being outstripped by the advances in computer technology. When this law came into force the intent was to protect Australian travellers returning to this country with the items they had purchased on holiday.

Online trading developed into big business - and nobody thought to bring the tax laws up to date.

Surely this should he high on the list of things to do !

The lost lakes !

It seems that Mother Nature is sending us a warning. Fool around with our water supplies - at our peril !

Thirlmere lakes - near Picton - have been a favourite with those who race speedboats, but now the water level is relentlessly dropping. These five fresh water lakes have existed for about fifteen million years according to scientists - but now their future is in grave doubt.

Low water levels were not unusual during the recent drought, but in recent months we have had above average rainfall - and for reasons unknown the lake levels are still in sharp decline.

There will be conjecture that Thirlmere lakes are a victim of nearby longwall coal mining. This is barred under our water supplies but many critics contend that it will have long term effects that may not become clear for decades into the future.

Longwall mining leaves behind huge empty caverns in the earth where the coal has been removed. Nature abhors a vacuum - and over time the land above tends to subside. This subsidence can open cracks in many directions - and produce unknown results.

New mining methods are also being developed that include fracturing the base rock to release valuable gases and the economics of longwall far exceed conventional mining practices. We need to be certain that this form of progress is not at the expense of future water availability.

It is essential that our state government not ignore the problem of Thirlmere lakes. This could be the proving point that determines the safety or otherwise of longwall mining - and the need for a safe distance from rivers and water storage to be framed by law.

The writing is on the wall. Mother Nature has issued a clear warning. Ignore it at our peril !