Demise of the ETS !

The announcement that an Emissions Trading Scheme ( ETS ) will be deferred until 2013 comes as no surprise !

It was dead - and awaiting burial - when the world conference at Copenhagen decided that keeping the economies of the major polluters humming along would take precedence over rising sea levels and the other aspects of global warming.

It is pure political spin to suggest it will be revisited in 2013 - after this coming election has been safely concluded - because as a dead issue the matter of carbon reduction will have entered a new phase.

We will settle for lesser measures. Money will be spent on increasing the number of wind and solar power generating units, and some existing coal fired power stations will be converted to natural gas.

Unfortunately, a far greater danger to life on this planet is being totally ignored.

We are rapidly reaching a population explosion that will exceed the food supply - and this will happen in already overcrowded countries. History tells us that famine turns loose the four horsemen of the Apocalypse - and our future seems to contain a mass exodus of the hungry - looking for greener pastures - for which Australia will be a sure destination.

The arrival of " boat people " at Christmas island is merely the first trickle of what is to come.

Unfortunately we have embraced a policy of living for the moment - and turning a blind eye to the future !

Tobacco - the hidden product !

Cigarette displays in supermarkets are now conspicuous by their absence. Tobacco has become an " under the counter " product - that has to be specifically asked for.

This is reminiscent of contraception back in the 1950's. For some strange reason this product - then called " French Letters " - could not be advertised or displayed, and asking for it implied some sort of stigma.

At that time tobacco was widely advertised on radio and in cinemas. Now we have the reverse. Cigarettes are an under the counter product - and condoms are freely displayed in our supermarkets.

New laws will come into force in 2012. The government will force all brands of tobacco to market their product in a plain white packet with only black printing - the majority of the displayed surface containing lurid health warnings. The actual name of the product will only be permitted in very small letters.

The idea is to further reduce the appeal by removing colour and design.

Anti smoking action has certainly reduced the percentage of people who smoke, but surely the time must come when the government bites the bullet and makes tobacco an illegal product.

When it does, nicotine will join that other range of illicit drugs that can be obtained from your friendly neighbourhood drug pusher - and the government will have lost that lucrative flow of tax money.

A form of progress - perhaps !

Priced out !

There are three basic essentials ever person needs. These are a roof over their head - food on the table - and a job !

Affording a home is quickly slipping away from those on low salaries and the release of vast tracts of building land at West Dapto was supposed to bring some relief.

Unfortunately, the imposition of developer contribution levies of $ 622,000 per hectare - which translates to about $ 41,000 to each house built - pushes this land out of reach of the lowly paid.

As a consequence, those at the bottom end of the pay scale not only find renting private property beyond their means, but any form of shelter can only come via the long waiting line for public housing.

These " developer contributions " are designed to provide all the amenities needed for a new housing estate, but there is no guarantee that the money will be spent where it is needed. In many cases, this money is siphoned off and spent on previously developed areas - or remains banked and earning interest for the council.

Time perhaps to have a long, hard look at the cost of developing land and get our priorities in line.

Not much value in creating home sites that remain vacant because they are out of reach of many people.

A Vacant site !

The vacant mess that was formerly the Dwyer's site on the corner of Crown and Corrimal streets, Wollongong is fast becoming an embarrassment to this city.

It was the scene of a battle between two developers - and this battle can be considered lost. There seems little chance that the old Dwyer's site will become a major shopping precinct now that plans to develop a similar complex in Keira street - at the other end of town - are set to proceed.

The old Dwyer's site seems the perfect answer to a problem bedevilling our sporting, recreational and art centres located nearby - a place to park a car !

The present owner of Dwyer's site is in financial difficulties and an approach by Wollongong council to buy the site would probably be welcome.

Obviously council would need to go into debt to obtain this land, but whatever price paid now would surely lead to a huge capital gain as the years roll by, and eventually the cost could be recouped by a mixed development of shops with a multi story parking station above.

This is probably the only hope of providing the parking necessary to ensure the success of Win Stadium and the other venues attracting people.

Is council brave enough to make this move ?

Wood fired power plant.

The Greens are protesting about plans to build a wood fired electricity generating plant at Eden on the far south coast.

At first glance this protest seems justified. The proposed plant would burn 51,000 tonnes of fuel annually and this would come from logging operations.

But deeper thinking presents a different picture.

We already have a logging and wood chip industry in Eden and what the people behind this plan are suggesting is that the plant use sawdust and offcuts which are produced as waste to create a useful product.

An interesting question ! What happens to this waste material if the electricity plant is denied ?

If it is burnt as waste or simply piled up and left to rot then we are losing a golden opportunity to recycle. This would be similar to a proposal to use the run off gases from the Wollongong steelworks to fire up a generator producing electricity - instead of what
is happening now when this gas is simply burned off in a flare.

Those objecting seem to have a vision problem.

Perhaps they can't see the wood for the trees !

A new door opens !

The relentless march of modern technology !

Software provider Skype is offering cut price phone calls through home computers, but where both parties have Skype technology installed - calls are free !

Not only free, but with the addition of a cheap Webcam and a microphone, these calls can be between two people whose faces are instantly live on the computer monitor.

And installing that Skype software on your computer ? Yes. That is also free !

It seems that this is just one more nail in the coffin of the fixed line phone people, and it certainly should give a few sleepless nights to the mobile phone companies, all of whom make their money by charging for phone calls.

It is not that many decades ago that the very idea of a video phone hookup was comic book stuff - reminiscent of Dick Tracey or the Jetsons.

It seems that tomorrow has arrived - today !

Good news - bad news !

It seems that good news is eagerly proclaimed by the prime minister - but bad news is delegated to lesser mortals.

A key election promise was the creation of three hundred child care centres to support working mothers. The minister responsible was left with the job of announcing that a mere thirty two had been delivered - and the project was now abandoned.

In similar fashion, Greg Combet was stuck with the job of announcing a policy change on insulation. The public and the insulation industry had been eagerly awaiting the recommencement of work on a revamped scheme from June. It has been completely axed - and as a result insulation firms will face bankruptcy - and jobs will be lost.

Timing of announcements also seems to be tactical. Treasurer Wayne Swan has finally disclosed that the Henry Tax Review will be made public - at 4-50 pm on Friday afternoon of May 2.

This review is supposed to deliver vast improvements to the tax system to make it less complicated - but assuredly it will mean good news for some people - and bad news for others.

Like all political announcements, care is being taken to shield it from public scrutiny by releasing it at the time most news outlets are easing down for the weekend - and the government will be hoping that some sort of world event may grab the headlines about that time to mask the release.

Such is the way of politics !

It's only a game !

It would be interesting to know just when winning a game of football moved from being a fun thing to an almost deadly encounter which involved cheating, accounting deception, subterfuge - that risked public humiliation - and even jail !

Football long ago moved into the area of big money. No longer do amateur players knock off work and play sport for fun and prestige. Every aspect of the game attracts big money - and that money depends on teams regularly winning games.

Football players are professionals and they live lifestyles of the rich and famous - and as a result they are frequently in the media - and in the courts - for the excesses that such lifestyles bring.

Five years ago management of one club decided that winning games was so important that ethics and fair play no longer mattered. The way to win was to attract the best talent that money could buy, and that could not be achieved within the salary cap.

So started a regime of corruption and deceit. The club had two sets of books - one for the public - and another kept in secret which recorded secret payments to players - and this resulted in two grand final victories.

Now it has all come crashing down - and the survival of that club is even in question.

And there is more to come !

The Taxation office follows media stories closely, and those players who have been getting extra payments will certainly have their tax returns closely scrutinised.

There are no winners in this debacle - and the ultimate loser is the sport of Rugby League !

Coincidence - and murder !

The death of gangland figure Carl Williams leaves behind a strange string of coincidental happenings.

Why a high profile prisoner not supposed to mingle with other prisoners was in a room with no guard present.

Why the cctv system that is supposedly fully manned was without a watcher when this murder took place.

Why prisoners had to seek and find a prison officer to report that an injury had taken place.

Why there was a substantial delay before an ambulance was called.

All these strange lapses happened at the same time, and during them a prisoner pulled apart an exercise bike and used the metal seat support to bash to death a prisoner whose evidence could pose a risk to both Melbourne's criminal fraternity - and possibly any corrupt police assisting with their activities.

And now it seems that the investigation will be met with a shake of the head and " no comment " by all concerned !

This troubled earth !

Some people think it strange that we are seeing a huge increase in seismic activity in recent years. Earthquakes have always been an occasional event, but they seem to be increasing in frequency.

Not only earthquakes - such as the one in China that killed a large number of people - but also volcanic activity. A volcano in Iceland has paralysed world air traffic, and now we have one rumbling in Vanuatu - with the potential to create similar problems in the Pacific ocean area.

Then - to cap it off - we have an earthquake in the West Australian desert, one of the most stable seismic places on the planet.

Surely all this is somehow connected !

But it seems that sin is really the cause. A senior cleric in Iran has started preaching that all this earthquake activity is caused by women who dress and act promiscuosly.

So - now we know !

Sex really does rock the earth.

Travel insurance.

A remote volcano in Iceland has virtually shut down the aviation industry - and left thousands of people stranded around the world.

The lucky ones have taken out travel insurance against just this sort of calamity, and with any luck at least some of the costs of an enforced stay will be reimbursed.

Spare a thought for the many others who must be close to panic as their available funds run low - and they have no idea what will happen to them. If credit cards are maxed out and the money in their wallets exhausted - they face the prospect of becoming beggars - denied accommodation, food and the very necessities of life.

This must be the ultimate nightmare for any traveller.

Hopefully the Australian government is using it's consular representation to distribute emergency money to those in dire distress - and again hopefully - the insurance industry is not using that old perennial excuse - " Act of God " - to avoid meeting it's obligations.

MyZone chaos.

Things will run slowly this morning as public transport travellers try to adjust to the new MyZone ticketing system.

Part of the problem will be a lack of traditional ticket selling venues which no longer offer tickets for sale.

The state government simply cut the commission on such ticket sales in half - taking it from 5% to 2.5% - causing many newsagents which previously sold tickets to discontinue the service.

Selling transport tickets imposes certain costs on the seller - and delivers some advantages.

Customers who buy a transport ticket may also buy other items, but there are also direct costs that apply - and one of these is insurance. Insurance premiums are based on the risk, and MyZone ticket stocks - like " Scratchie " gambling tickets - are a negotiable item.

It is unreasonable to expect resellers to stock, sell and reimburse the government for what is a government service without a reasonable handling charge.

If this mornings rush turns to chaos because of ticketing problems, one of the causes will certainly be lack of business expertise on the part of the transport minister !

Death by numbers !

The future population of Australia is generating furious debate, but what seems to be missing is a serious evaluation of the future population of planet earth.

At present earth is home to a little over seven billion people. We have a warming planet which will cause change in the availability of fresh water for drinking and agriculture and we are seeing wars and genocide in some countries as people fight for living space.

There must come a point where the population of the earth is simply unsustainable. The numbers will be greater than the ability of the planet to feed it's population - and when that point is reached - death for many is inevitable.

We express concern for the many children who die before their fifth birthday of hunger or disease, and we fund missions to send aid so that many will survive. Those that do grow to maturity - and continue to breed !

At the same time, some of the world's great religions blindly ignore the threat of over population - and in fact encourage more and more children.

The Catholic church stupidly bans contraception and Islam encourages huge families. In other parts of the world, poverty and ignorance dash any hope of implementing a sane family planning regime.

In the animal kingdom Mother Nature culls the numbers when they get out of hand by either plague or starvation.

The human race is supposedly superior, but are we about to eat ourselves - and breed ourselves - out of house and home ?

And is the only answer ultimately a fight for survival - with our numbers culled by war - and a nuclear exchange ?

That Shuttle bus !

One of the best things to happen in Wollongong for decades was the introduction of the free Shuttle bus. Every month the passenger numbers grow and now the combination of parking meters and the Shuttle provide a service that compliments each other.

The Shuttle links important city points such as the Mall, the railway station, the hospital and the university. The concept of free travel seems Utopian. Perhaps this is the way of the future and the day will come when the railways also offer free travel.

The installation of parking meters has surely caused many car drivers to rethink their travel plans. It makes sense to park the car on the free bus perimeter and hop on and ride rather than fork out money - and then have to keep track of time to avoid an overstaying fine.

There is one small fly in the ointment. Residents have noticed a huge increase in parked cars in suburban streets along the Shuttle bus route.

Parking meters have discouraged those who work in the CBD from trying to park in the city and walk to work. It makes more sense to park where there are no restrictions and hop on the Shuttle to and from their workplace.

Sooner or later street parking capacity is going to influence council to install timed parking in these streets along the Shuttle route - as now exists in suburban shopping centres.

This could seriously cripple or kill the whole idea of the Shuttle. Council should be looking to create new parking stations along the Shuttle route to avoid resident anger at being " parked out " in their suburban homes.

It would be a tragedy if the Shuttle created the anger and confusion that presently is inflicted on residents who live in streets surrounding our University.

Action now would be " a stitch in time " !

Volcano peril.

Air travel in Britain and parts of northern Europe will cease for a few hours today while an ash cloud from a volcano in Iceland passes over the continent.

This ash is capable of shutting down a jetliner's engines, as the crew of a British Airways jumbo discovered in 1982 when the aircraft flew through such a cloud. Fortunately they managed to restart the engines at a lower altitude before the plane crashed into the sea.

There will be another unusual effect felt in areas beneath this ash cloud. People with solar panels providing electricity or hot water will find a drop in performance as the ash acts as a filter to reduce sunlight input.

In this instance the interference will be temporary - and minor.

Volcano's have the capacity for violent explosions that sometimes girdle the earth with a dust cloud that persists for years, and may have been responsible for the ice ages that once persisted for centuries.

A sobering thought for those who demand that we shut down coal fired power stations and rely exclusively on wind and solar for our energy needs.

The wind may continue blowing, but regular sunlight is not guaranteed !

The buck stops - where ?

A former American president had a sign on his desk which famously said - " The buck stops here ! "

It seems that sort of thinking has been replaced in sorting the blame for the disgraceful F-3 incident on Monday that saw a traffic jam that extended for up to twelve hours - because a relief factor was not promptly used.

The person at the top of the transport totem pole is the minister, David Campbell - but the axe fell on the head of the Roads and Traffic Authority ( RTA ), who has been suspended on full pay - while the minister walks away " whistling Dixie ".

Politicians seem immune from responsibility for the wrong doing of their departments and the classical example of this was the insulation disaster presided over by Peter Garrett.

That cost the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and is still causing uncertainty in people's minds as to the fire safetyof their homes - and yet the responsible minister has just been shunted sideways.

Just what level of disaster does it take for responsibility to find a home at the apex of power ?

F-3 madness.

On Monday thousands of people sat in their cars for most of the day when a crash involving a B-Double tanker closed the F-3, the expressway that connects Sydney to the Central coast and Newcastle.

This crash occurred at 11-40 in the morning and drivers waited for the promised " Contra-flow " arrangement to be put in place to get traffic flowing again.

They waited - and waited - and waited some more !

Despite a ten kilometre traffic jam, the Roads and Traffic authority ( RTA ) didn't even start implementing contra-flow until 9 pm that evening, resulting in some drivers being trapped in their cars for anything from eight to twelve hours before reaching their destination.

The government apologised, but declined to offer any guarantees that this situation will not be repeated in the future.

One thing is certain. Sitting in a stalled car because of a traffic jam - with no provision for food, water or toilets - hour after hour with nothing being done to fix the problem gives adequate opportunity for a little deep thinking.

It would be interesting to know how many of those drivers - and some were families with kids - used this thinking time to refine their voting intentions for the coming state elections ?

" Drip feed " health policy.

Kevin Rudd's attempt to take over the national hospital system seems remarkably similar to a blood transfusion. It occurs one drip at a time !

Instead of presenting the proposal with all the relevant details to the state premiers the prime minister has offered a vague outline - and then proceeded to offer cash inducements to try and win their approval.

It almost seems like some sort of auction, with the latest offer being an injection of $ 650 million to finance 90,000 elective surgery procedures, using public patients in private hospitals where necessary to relieve the backlog.

This joins a previous $ 739 million for aged care and brings the " incentives " for the states to climb aboard to $ 2.97 billion.

If the state premiers can not be certain just what this Federal offer really means, then the general public is left completely in the dark !

It seems that with a host of other policy failures hanging over the " Education Revolution " school funding plan and the debacle of the insulation scheme the government is desperate to get some runs on the board to go to an election with some sort of credibility.

" Drip feeding " the details of hospital policy sounds more like spin - and smoke and mirrors - than a practical, well thought out policy.

The states are justified in treating it with caution !

Refugees - and violence !

It is now inevitable that we will see acts of violence from refugees held at the detention centre on Christmas Island.

Most boat people will see the plan to delay processing of arrivals from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan as the first step in a policy change that will see them denied settlement in Australia - and removal to their country of origin.

The stated reason is that both countries are supposedly returning to normal and therefore refugees are not fleeing persecution, as they claim.

Things may be improving in Sri Lanka, but by no stretch of the imagination can Afghanistan be considered a safe and settled country.

Forty one asylum boats have arrived in Australian waters this year - and there is no evidence that this flow will cease in the future. We have a problem - and ignoring it is not going to make it go away !

The weakness in this plan of delaying processing is that it destroys hope of a better life - and when hope is lost violence inevitably follows.

Desperate people resort to desperate measures - which will shortly appear as newspaper headlines !

The worst of the worst !

A very dangerous plan is brewing in the minds of the New South Wales state government. It plans to introduce a review of " the worst of the worst " prisoners in our gaols - with the view of incarcerating them indefinitely even when their sentences expire.

No doubt the impending elections have a lot to do with this proposal. It would appeal greatly to the " lock them up and throw away the key " mentality of many victims of crime.

The idea is to target those who refuse to accept responsibility for the crime for which they have been convicted - and those who refuse any form of rehabilitation while housed in the prison system.

Basically, it introduces the notion of a second trial and a form of re sentencing !

When the original judge and jury has done it's job the prisoner may come under the scrutiny of a panel of politicians who will second guess the original punishment - and may keep that prisoner incarcerated indefinitely.

If the public can be whipped up to a frenzy by the media when a person serving time for a heinous crime is nearing release, the politicians can make capital by keeping that person in prison.

It simply throws " habeas corpus " and " Magna Carta " out the window and introduces a new prison sentence - " Trial by politician ".

It sounds good in theory, but then prison was never intended to become a popularity contest. And that is precisely what it would become if this measure of law was to become the norm !

Rainwater tanks.

The humble rainwater tank of yesteryear has made a huge revival in recent times. It has become a mark of conservation to buy a tank and connect it to flush the toilet and service the washing machine - plus reduce the strain on town supplies by using this free water for the garden.

Unfortunately tank water is not suitable for drinking !

We live in an age of air pollution and a toxic basket of chemicals - including lead - settles on the roof from which this water is collected. Ideally, the first twenty litres of roof water should be discarded before the flow goes into the tank, but even when this happens the tank water is not safe for drinking.

That raises an interesting question !

The cost of fruit and vegetables has caused many people to invest in a vegetable garden and obviously the pollution that settles on roofs also settles on the surrounding ground.

How safe are vegetables grown in polluted soil ? The cocktail of toxic chemicals that pollutes the air also settles on plants such as lettuce and cabbage, but there is also a danger that root vegetables will absorb toxins from the soil - and make their way into our digestive systems.

The health people who are supposed to be looking after our safety have been silent on this question.

Maybe now would be a good time to ask - why ?

International driving licenses.

A recent case in a Wollongong court has raised concern about the safety of international driving licenses.

An Indian student, driving on an international driving license - failed to exchange details and left the scene after an accident that left another driver's car damaged.

He claimed that in his home state such a requirement did not exist and that gaining an international driving license was as simple as having it mailed out on request.

The whole purpose of international driving licenses was to recognise a travellers driving skills by accepting the license issued in his own country as a temporary driving license for the period of stay in Australia - much as driving licenses issued in each Australian state and New Zealand are recognised everywhere in Australia.

There is a presumption that all drivers undergo some sort of test before a home country license is issued, and that as part of gaining an international license the holder will be aware of different road rules in the country they visit.

It now seems that license standards are extremely lax in some parts of the world, and as a result there are drivers here using international driving licenses that have no idea of our road requirements - and may not have the skills to safely drive on our roads.

Perhaps this anomaly needs to be tightened - and international driving licenses be only granted to residents of countries with similar driving standards to our own.

Fear of the unknown !

This coming winter will be a miserable experience for some people.

Scare stories in newspapers and on television about a huge leap in electricity prices will result in some old people sitting in the dark and refraining from using their heaters.

There has been talk of a sixty percent price increase for electricity, but this will be phased in over three years. Unfortunately some people misunderstand and think this has happened now - and therefore they expect that the next power bill will be something they can not pay.

The problem is that electricity use is something that happens out of sight. Outside our house a meter is ticking remorselessly away and we have no idea of the final outcome - until the bill arrives.

Perhaps the time is approaching when technology will address this concern.

Just like pumping petrol at the local service station, it should be possible to devise a meter that shows the cost of power used to the present date - and allows households to adjust usage accordingly.

The present meters showing revolving wheels are meaningless to most people. It would be a far better approach if the electricity meter delivered an outcome measured in dollars and cents.

Surely that is not beyond human ingenuity !

Recording a crime ?

What a weird world we live in !

If we hear a criminal confessing to a crime - and we record it - we can end up before a court charged with making an " illegal recording ". The law says we must first get the criminal's permission to make that recording.

The Channel 9 " A Current Affair " team rigged recording instruments in a car when a reporter posed as a " hit " man and was being contracted to main or kill a person for money. Now it seems they will be heavily fined for aiding the implementation of justice.

It appears that privacy takes precedence over justice, and this even extends to aiding and abetting a criminal in covering up a crime.

If a vehicle hits and damages your car - and fails to stop - and you manage to get the license number - forget going to the police to find the name and address of that person.

The police will refuse that information - on the grounds that to do so would infringe the privacy of the person who has just committed a criminal act.

The way this law is framed the rights of the victim come a long way second to the rights of the criminal.

So much for justice for all !

Death by drowning !

Once again a rock fisherman gets swept off rocks and drowns in the sea - and once again there is a proposal to ban fishing from locations deemed dangerous.

That seems to go hand in hand with Wollongong council's signs declaring it illegal to swim at unpatrolled beaches - and suggesting fines for those caught doing so.

Following this trend would soon result in people being barred from taking a walk in our national parks. After all, hikers often become lost and cause expensive rescue searches - and in some cases they die.

We have a huge plethora of existing laws intended to save us from ourselves. We are already prevented from owning a gun unless we are prepared to jump through hoops to prove that we are legitimate hunters.

We absolutely must wear a seat belt when we travel in a car - with draconian penalties unless we comply.

Whatever happened to the right to make our own decisions and accept the acceptable ?

That probably went south a long time ago when the government decided that it owned all the fish in the sea - and declared that it was illegal to fish in salt water without first paying for a fishing license.

That same l0gic now extends to telling the angler where and when he or she can dip a line !

For our own good - of course !

Barrier reef oil spill !

It sounds like the plot of a disaster movie !

A giant bulk carrier containing sixty five thousand tonnes of coal and with 975 tonnes of heavy fuel oil in her bunkers is stuck fast on a shoal in the waters of the Great Barrier reef.

Salvaging this ship will present huge problems. She hit the shoal at full speed and the coral virtually tore the bottom out of her - and now that fuel oil is leaking into the pristine waters of our greatest marine national park. There is every chance that the wreck will breakup.

The shipping channel through the waters of the Great Barrier reef is a known hazard, and yet we do not demand that shipping using this route be under the command of an experienced pilot.

It would be a reasonable question to ask - why is this allowed ?

No doubt the Chinese owners of the ship will be saddled with salvage and rehabilitation costs, but it is also evident that beaches on the Queensland coast and nearby Great Keppel island will be damaged - and our vital tourist industry will be threatened.

This ship was fifteen miles off course outside the shipping lane. Either incompetence or a lack of local knowledge could have been prevented had an experienced pilot been at the helm.

Surely a requirement that must be immediately implemented for all Barrier reef shipping !

Paedophilea - and the Catholic church.

What a curious response to claims of paedophilia by priests of the Roman Catholic church !

There seems to be a concerted campaign to dismiss the torrent of charges pouring out of Ireland, Germany and the USA as a mischievous " smear " attack by enemies of the church.

The Pope has apologised but dismisses responsibility and stubbornly refuses to submit erring priests to the same retribution that awaits lay people accused of that heinous crime.

The church refuses to hand priests to the police or dismiss them from the priesthood. Punishment - if any - is decided by the church and in most cases the offender is simply moved to another parish - where he may continue to offend.

It seems that this revolves around the claim that the Vatican is a state - and therefore the Pope as head of state - is beyond having to answer to international law.

This raises an interesting question.

The International court of justice has issued apprehend orders for various rogue heads of state and it is quite possible that his order that priestly misconduct be not referred to the police could result in an arrest order issued against him in many foreign countries.

It is unlikely to happen, but when the Pope travels abroad he would be wise to think long and hard before setting foot on foreign soil.

At present the spokespeople for the church are busily trying to shoot the messengers. One thing made very clear is that there is no question of trying to deny that many crimes of paedophilia have occurred.

Whatever the outcome, the issue will leave an indelible stain on this Pope's years in office !

A fading dream !

For most of the last century, the residents of Thirroul had King's theatre as a place of entertainment. It was the local movie theatre during the great years of Hollywood movies - and suffered decline as that era morphed into the style of multi-screen cinema complexes.

Demolition seemed on the cards until business man John Comelli bought the old theatre and undertook a complete re-build to create a live theatre which he named to honour his late wife Anita, who died of cancer in 2005.

Anita's theatre was refurbished to a style of charm and elegance reminiscent of some of the world's great theatres - and this cost over six million dollars. Unfortunately the world has fallen on hard times with this recession - and now Mr Comelli must part with this treasure.

The theatre is on the market with an asking price of two and a half million dollars, but a question mark hangs over it's future.

Are we to lose a nine hundred seat live theatre that can also double as a movie house simply because artistic tastes no longer apply ?

Or can lovers of the arts and the various tiers of government find enough money to preserve something that would be great value - far in excess of the asking price considering what has been spent on it's refurbishing ?

Sadly - a dream is fading. The likely outcome is loss of a link to more gracious times.

Crazy bail laws !

Two dangerous men are on the run in Australia because - despite being accused of very serious crimes - they were granted bail.

Graham Gene Potter was convicted of a vicious Wollongong murder and served fifteen years in prison. On release, he was involved in the supply of illicit drugs and is presently awaiting a court decision on a charge of " conspiracy to commit murder ".

Dragan Vasiljkovic is awaiting a court decision on an application from Croatia for him to be deported to face war crimes charges.

In both cases, conviction will inevitably lead to a long prison sentence - which makes it highly questionable why bail was even considered. It would be a reasonable assumption that both men would do anything possible to continue their freedom.

Two dangerous men are on the run and this will put at risk both the police tasked with their capture and the general public who may become involved in a siege or hostage scenario.

Part of the problem is the protracted time our courts take to dispense justice. Some prisoners end up spending years on remand - which in itself is a de facto gaol term - before they get their day in court.

That is often the reason that magistrates take the risky choice of granting bail.

What is needed is a tightening of court procedures so that those charged will be promptly put before a court - the case dealt with - and a guilty or innocent decision made.

Justice delayed - is justice denied !

The speeding rich !

Demerit points were originally introduced to create a level playing field between the rich and the poor when it came to speeding penalties.

Just a fine for speeding the rich would pay with impunity - while that same fine would financially cripple a poor family. The addition of demerit points was supposed to create a second reason for better driving manners - the loss of a driving license !

Way down in the fine print was a clause that the rich have learned to exploit.

Where a car is owned by a company and driven by many people there is a chance that the actual driver can not be identified. In such cases, no demerit points can be allocated, but an additional fine of about a thousand dollars applies.

It seems that the rich exploit this escape route mercilessly - and we have cars with numerous speeding convictions but no identified offenders.

Time to close the loop holes - and maybe cancel that vehicles registration until the driver presents himself or herself as the culprit.

Unfortunately that is likely to create a new industry that will favour the rich. The creation of the " fall guy " - someone who is retired and rarely drives but has a full license - and is prepared to be the nominated offender and accept that loss of points - for a " consideration ".

Somehow - it seems the rich always win !