" Dumbing Down " Sport !

The Australian Sporting Commission complains that kids are opting out of sport because games are becoming " too serious ".      They want the entire sporting spectrum reorganized to " make it fun " for those lacking performance skills.   They are calling for " equality ", regardless of skill levels.

This seems to be an " everyone deserves to win a prize " attitude - and it runs contrary to the way life works.
From the time we are born, we start a " sorting out " process that constantly evaluates our life progress and qualifies us for where fate will take us.   The school system grades us towards our career choices.   Some develop skills that take them into an academic world and others are more suited to the practical scene where the skill of their hands delivers a living.

At the close of the school gate, some go on to university and others learn a trade, but personal evaluation does not stop there.   The truly gifted will rise to the top of their profession - and they will be the "few".   The " many " will be further down the scale and that level will be dictated by their " ability ".

This same " grading " applies to sport.   In every group there is a person who stands out above the herd and is destined to achieve fame and fortune at that sport's pinnacle.    They are the people adored by sports writers and become the select  few who make it into the nation's cricket team or wear the national colours overseas in all the sporting codes.

We would do sport a serious disservice if we restructured the team structures to give each team a mix of skilled and unskilled players, and in doing so - removed the opportunity for future champions to rise to prominence.   Most sports already contain a " grading " system, whereby teams compete at various skill levels to ensure they are equally competitive.   There are opportunities for the lowly skilled to enjoy such sport - if it interests them !

Perhaps the Australian Sports Commission is misreading the situation.   Lesser numbers of young people are indulging in organized sport than half a century ago - but that period of time was very different from the world of today.

The advent of the computer, the internet, electronic games - and the skills and challenges they provide compete with time spent on the sporting field.   Purists lament the lack of exercise this involves but it is just part of the " sorting out " that is now a constant in our lives.

Taking rewards for skill out of sport will probably make games less attractive to those with natural attributes - without a compensating gravitation to sport by computer " Nerds ".

That old adage that " You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink "  comes to mind.

" Catch 22 " !

Fare evasion is costing the New South Wales transport system a lot of money.   Some people simply fail to buy a ticket, but checks by the newly appointed " Transport Officers " reveal a cunning ploy to avoid detection when ticket checks are in operation.    Some travellers buy a " concession " ticket to which they are not entitled, but which sends the right signal when they pass through a point where ticket scrutiny is operating.   In a short space of time, demanding to see the authority for concession use has resulted in 1,834 people being fined $ 200 for falsely travelling on an invalid rail ticket.    This scam is much greater than the rail authorities realised.

It has been decided that the concession button on all ticket machines will be disabled.   Legitimate concession ticket users will be required to present themselves at the ticket window to buy a ticket and they will have to show the correct concession authority to the ticket seller for that to be issued.

This is a heavy handed solution to the problem.   It ignores the fact that many stations are unattended and others only have a ticket seller on duty at peak times.   The very nature of automatic ticket machines was supposed to overcome this deficiency and speed up the ticket process.   It seems inevitable that some people entitled to a concession fare will find it impossible to obtain a legal ticket unless they pay full fare. We already have existing problems when malfunctioning ticket machines fail to issue tickets and this leads to confrontation between travellers and transport officers.    Transport officers tend to disbelieve such claims.

The logical solution would be for the concession traveller who had to pay full fare to present at the ticket office at the station of destination and present both the ticket and the concession authority for a refund.   The problem with that solution is that it could introduce a new scam where discarded tickets are used to gain a financial benefit.   It opens an avenue of claim that would be hard to discredit.

Closing off the concession button on ticket machines is probably an over reaction.   Many concession holders may lack sufficient funds to pay for a full fare ticket and the sheer inconvienience will not make rail travel more polular.   It makes more sense to utilise the new technology coming on line to make concession fare cheating too risky to contemplate.

The " Opal " card seems certain to replace banknotes as the way tickets will be purchased by most people and the new turnstyle gates at stations not only " reads " the nature of tickets presented, but alerts station staff by illuminating a coloured light whenever a concession ticket passes through the machine.   It is not necessary to inspect all tickets to identify concession ticket travellers - and obviously a healthy looking young person travelling on a concession ticket would alert a transport officer to conduct a concession authority inspection.   In that manner, a small number of ticket inspectors could make using that scam unrewarding.

It is a fact of life that otherwise law abiding people will be tempted to save money if the odds of getting away with it is heavily in their favour.    Once the risk ratio moves to the other side of the scale, the risk is no longer worth the small amount saved - and the practice is discontinued.

Making that concession button inoperative is similar to taking a sledge hammer to crack a walnut.   There are other - and better - ways available !.

Falling short !

It is encouraging that the highest ranking Catholic in Australia, Cardinal George Pell has been more open in discussing the failings of the Catholic church in dealing with incidents where priests sexually abused children. He has apologised on behalf of the church and agrees that fear of scandals damaging the good name of the church resulted in offending priests being moved to distant parishes and all matters sexual being subjected to " cover up ".

This evidence, given at the Victorian Parliamentary Enquiry suggests that the church has turned over a new leaf and such things will be handled differently in the future.   It is what was not said that will have some people convinced that deep down the church still believes that such sexual matters are best handled " in house " - and at the discretion of senior church people.

Many of those following the events of this enquiry are waiting for a commitment that all and every incident of priests sexually molesting children will be instantly referred to the police.   Lack of such a hard and fast commitment - is the " Elephant in the room " that nobody seems to want to recognise !

Sexually abusing a child by a person in authority is a major crime.  The public has a right to expect that person to be investigated and charged - and put before a court for punishment.   That is the basic rule of law in this country.  A person who commits such a crime against children needs to be publicly exposed and placed on the sex register so further control over children is impossible.  Such a commitment from the church has not been forthcoming !

The matter of compensation  also seems to have been evaded.  The church has placed a $ 75,000 limit on such payments in this country, which is far lower than money offered to church victims in the United States.   Those more generous compensation payments have cost the church $ 33 billion over the past fifteen years. When this question was raised, it was claimed that the Australian amounts " compared favourably with compensation paid in other parts of the world ".    That seems to be a deliberate attempt to equate compensation with the lower living standards in third world countries.   This is a rich church - and it fully intends to stay that way.

This enquiry has the church moving in the right direction, but it will probably avoid it's full obligations until legal authorities bite the bullet and charge a church elder with deliberately avoiding bringing a known offence to the notice of the police.   It is only when not doing so involves actual time in a prison that the church hierarchy will fully obey the law.   They are servants of the church - but they are also bound by the laws of this country.

Finding a balance !

Football games have always been lively affairs with encouragement from the crowd.  Spectators who follow teams have their favourite players and their success in adding to the score often results in derogatory remarks from followers of the other team.  Unfortunately " sledging " has taken on a racist element in recent times.

Two incidents marred this weekends games.   A thirteen year old girl was removed from the ground by the security people when she called Sydney Swan's player Adam Goodes an " Ape ".   Goodes is indigenous and he took umbrage at the insult.   The girl has since apologised - and that apology has been accepted.

Another spectator used a mobile phone camera to record an adult male yell  " Give it to Goodes - because he is black ".   Club officials are trying to identify this person, and if successful he will probably be banned from getting a seat at future games for a period of time.  All the sporting codes are trying to eliminate racist chants to improve crowd behaviour.

This is not just an Australian problem.   World wide, sporting event crowds contain an element with racist views on the colour of players skins.   Soccer crowds in Europe are well known for throwing bananas onto the grounds and making " monkey " sounds when black players are part of a team.

We need to be very careful that we do not stifle crowd participation by being too " thin skinned " on remarks that may not be deliberately offensive.    Calling somebody a " bastard " can in some cases be a term of affection, but calling that person a " black bastard " would be an entirely different matter.   Whenever the word " black " appears in conversation, it evokes sinister undertones.

We should also be aware that being deliberately racist can be a weapon to smear the good name of an opposing team.   Just as football hooligans provoke fights in stadiums, some followers deliberately adopt the opposing teams colours and mingle in the crowd,  yelling racist remarks which are blamed on the opposing team.   They get a strange satisfaction from stirring up trouble - and then disappearing into the crowd.

The good thing is that football crowds generally support action against racist chants.  That was evidenced by crowd behaviour when that thirtenn year old girl was being removed.   She was roundly " booed " as she made her exit.

We will never completely eliminate people with a racist outlook from attending sporting events, but it is clear that making offensive remarks is fast becoming a breach of etiquette that is falling out of favour.   Today, there are few teams on the field without indigenous representation !

Agendas !

It is a sad fact of life that some people are unable to stay within the bounds of reality when an " Agenda " takes over their lives.  It happens with religious beliefs - and some of the cruelest and most despicable barbarity on earth is often justified as " doing God's work ".

Even what seem harmless hobbies can take on a life of their own.  Once someone is convinced that they are " right " - and everyone else is " wrong ",  proving that contention can spin out of control.  It even happens in our following of sport - and one sure way to disrupt family harmony is to raise the question of politics !

A group of dedicated people seem convinced that vaccinations for childhood diseases poses hidden threats and introduces a pathway for rare diseases.    Despite this view being widely refuted by the entire medical profession, they have formed an organization that cleverly distributes the anti-vaccination message and this has become a " fad " with many parents.   Children are being refused vaccination in numbers that destroy the " critical mass " necessary to eradicate Measles, Chicken Pox and Whooping Cough - and now these diseases are making a come back !

What is distressing is the measures the anti-vaccination crowd are prepared to take to vilify anybody who opposes their stance on vaccination.     A woman whose small child died of Whooping Cough has been the subject of a " hate campaign " that has been relentless in it's intensity.   She has received unsigned letters claiming her child did not die of Whooping Cough - and demanding the body be subjected to a coroners inquest.   She has endured numerous " Tweets " and other insults on mass media and every attempt has been directed at her integrity.   The attackers hide behind the anonymous cover that social media has made an art form.

Perhaps we are reaching the point where we need a " Social media ombudsman " !   We already have a department which screens claims made for consumer goods and has the capacity to prosecute for false claims.     These anti-vaccine people are interfering with national health plans and making medical claims that they can not authenticate.  They are doing the country a medical disservice - and they are actually putting lives at risk.    Would it not be reasonable to force them to confront the evidence available - and either prove the point that they are making - or suffer penalties for a false claim ?

Freedom of speech is not a right to lie or vilify.  With it comes a degree of responsibility for what we say and do !

The new " Threat " !

It is obvious that al Qaeda has lost the ability to mount " big ticket " terrorist attacks similar to 9/11.   The security forces have it's leaders in their gun sights and they have changed tactics, relying on an appeal to radical young followers to act on their own initiative to fly the black flag - and get maximum publicity.

The Woolwich incident in London illustrates this new approach.  After the killing the perpetrators made no attempt to escape.  They remained on the scene and delivered their message to bystanders and when armed police eventually arrived, rushed at them in a threatening manner that caused them to open fire in self defence.

The tactic delivered newspaper headlines across the world, and it is this kind of publicity that is likely to provoke angry radical young Muslims to search the Net for ways to construct bombs or plan spectacular acts of terror without regard for their own lives.    Woolwich followed the Boston marathon bombing and the scene is now set for this to become al Qaeda's war against the west.

Al Qaeda has learned that there is no escape for any leader who puts his head above the parapet.   Even Bin Laden's carefully concealed hideout in a fiercely Islamic country could not protect him from retribution.   It seems that technology is on the side of the terrorists.    The Net provides an anonymous vehicle to provide the information budding terrorists need for their craft, and now it has delivered plans to create a firearm that evades metal detectors - and can be created with a relatively cheap three dimensional printer.   It also opens up the prospect of undetactable bombs to bring down airliners.

Security has delivered a shrinking reward for terrorists.   When 9/11 was launched on a blissfully unprepared world, it killed over three thousand people.   The Madrid and London train bombings gave a sharply reduced casualty list - and the Boston bombing left just three people dead.    It seems that acts of terror that will kill a small number of victims in a spectacular manner are a price we have to pay to maintain our preferred way of life.

One thing stood out clearly in the Woolwich incident.   There was little of a " shock factor " from the nearby public when a victim was run over and then hacked to death in plain view.   Terrorists with bloody hands clutching lethal weapons were virtually ignored by many pedestrians who walked past within inches of them and one brave woman argued openly with an armed attacker.   What is big news to the media is no longer such a big deal with a war weary public.    Perhaps we have seen just too much carnage on the nightly television  news to take it seriously now.

Another casualty is the time honoured custom of unarmed English police.   That was probably fine in a distant, more peaceful age, but two armed terrorists stood unmolested in the street for over twenty minutes because it was just too dangerous to send in unarmed " Bobbies ".   Eventually, armed police rushed to the scene, but it was sheer luck that further carnage of innocents did not take place because the terrorist plan was to wait for publicity - while delivering their message.

More similar incidents seem inevitable, and perhaps their frequency will glut the media's appetite for sensational  reporting.  Terrorism is no longer unusual.   It has evolved into the background of events that happen as we live our lives -  and it seems that ordinary people now take it with a shrug of the shoulders !

Ending Australian car manufacturing.

The announcement that Ford will cease car manufacturing in Australia after eighty seven years is a pointer to the termination of the car industry in this country.   We have seen many brave ventures close their doors as this industry has concentrated manufacturing in Victoria and South Australia, but a Ford spokeman said it all when he commented that Ford can make cars at considerably lower cost in both Europe and Asia.  For a long time, the Australian car industry has been propped up by taxpayer funded subsidies.

Victoria will take the big hit with Ford dismissing 1,200 employees in Geelong, but the ripples will spread wider.  The industry estimates that a further 2,500 jobs will go in car parts manufacturing companies as they suffer economy of scale decreases in orders.   The flow on effect will be lower production runs - and a consequent increase in manufacturing costs.   Spread across Australia, motor parts manufacturing encompasses over fifty important companies that contribute to the national jobs pool.

Holden has admitted that it can not guarantee it's future in Australia and it's demise seems inevitable.  That leaves Toyota in an untenable position as far as Australian made componentry is concerned, and that is a gap that can not be bridged by imports.   It is an inescapable fact that the Australian home market for new cars is just too small and our cost structure makes export manufacturing here unviable.

The big car manufacturing companies are hard headed people.  To survive they need to source their product from the cheapest possible source - and that works against Australia.    That means that politics enters the equation.   National pride and the jobs this industry provides are a big incentive for the government to pour more taxpayer dollars into subsidies to keep the last two manufacturers churning out cars - but that is only postponing the inevitable.

When Ford closes it's doors in 2016 - the countdown to becoming a car importing country without local manufacturing will be under way !

The big bluff !

Many shops with vacant land beside their premises turn it into a car park for their customers.  They naturally want to restrict it to those shopping in their store and limit the time cars will be taking up valuable spaces.  Inevitably, some drivers will abuse the privilege.

" Parking Management " companies have evolved  and we are now finding signs directing us to take a ticket from a machine and display it inside our vehicle.   In some instances this requires a fee for a given length of time, but in many cases parking is free, but with a time limit.   This ticket is stamped with the time of issue.

It is rumoured that these management companies provide their services either free to the land owner or at a very low cost - and base their profits on the fines they levy for non compliance.  It seems that they are particularly aggressive in chasing up unpaid fines with harassing phone calls and demanding letters, threatening draconian court action.

Unlike councils and government bodies, private companies such as these do not have a legal right to impose or collect fines.   It seems that they use a different approach by issuing a " Notice of liquified damages " alleging that the motorist has committed a " breach of contract "  and that they demand " compensation for the loss ".

Many people are bluffed by the look of legality and simply pay the fine, but legally loss compensation can only apply to the actual loss suffered - and the amount demanded is usually in the region of $ 88.   It would be hard to justify that amount in a contested case in a court of law.

Pursuit of unpaid fines seems relentless.   These are issues that rightfully belong to the jurisdiction of " Fair Trading " - and those suffering harassment would be well advised to seek that avenue of relief !

A rising menace !

Gambling has long been a battle between the churches and the wish to make " easy money " that is the base for each wager.   When a new colony was established in Sydney, horse racing quickly followed as a sport - and a legal gambling culture was established.  At that time, you could only place a bet by going to the races and fronting a bookmaker.

It didn't take long for gambling to diversify.  Soon, every pub in the state had a " Starting Price " bookmaker  operating on the premises and eventually the government decided to get a piece of the action and licensed a new TAB to skim off some of the profits by way of tax.

New South Wales was the first state to introduce poker machines and these delivered a bonanza for football clubs - and state treasury.   Such a source of revenue was just too tempting for the other states, and eventually the machines were licensed in pubs as well as clubs.

Financing the Sydney Opera house was partly funded by a state lottery, and we now have some sort of " Lotto " game played on most nights with regular jackpots that run into millions.   " Scratchie " gambling cards are on sale at newsagents - and it seems almost impossible to escape the plethora of gambling opportunites offering.

The one limiting factor of a past era was the need to put cash on the barrel to gamble.   In the days when the banks opened at ten in the morning and closed at three in the afternoon, gambling losses were limited to the amount of money that a gambler had in his or her wallet.    Since then, the ATM has opened up new opportunities for the weak willed to lose money, and those ATM's have invaded the clubs and pubs right alongside gambling outlets.

It was probably inevitable that the advent of the Internet would include gambling opportunities and we now seem on the cusp of a new gambling era.    The vast media world of sport and television is combining with bookmakers and gambling provision syndicates to offer gambling opportunities that have not existed in the past.

For the first time, people are being invited to gamle by direct advertising right into their living rooms - and the Internet gives them instant access to their bank accounts on a 24/7 basis.   The " temptation factor " is being devised by advertising gurus who are masters of that game and it seems inevitable that some people will be induced to gamble away their future.    The means to win or lose unlimited amounts of money can be accessed by the " Smart Phone " that they hold in their hand !

Unfortunatly,  this is a case of opportunity clashing with human nature.   Many people have a gene that makes gambling irresistable.  Some are just weak willed and others succumb to temptation when affected by alcohol.   What is certain is that this gambling extension will bring harm to some families - and will most likely affect the minds of children growing up in a gambling household.

At the moment - this direct approach is in it's infancy.   We would do well to think long and hard about what limits should apply to it's development !

" Provisional " Citizenship !

This week a man faced rioting charges in a Sydney court and he refused to obey the custom of rising to his feet when the magistrate entered the courtroom.   He claimed that this was because of his " religious beliefs ".
As so often happens in this tolerant country,  the court bent over backwards to accommodate this unreasonable claim.   He was brought into court well after the magistrate entered and removed before the court formally adjourned.

This man is a Muslim - and there is nothing in the Koran that justifies a refusal to show respect for the institution of a court.  It just so happens that in this instance, the magistrate was a woman.  It is also relevant that the reason this man was facing court was his participation in a religious riot that took place last year because of a short film showing on the Internet.    It is alleged that this film insulted Islam, and despite the fact that it was made in another country and had absolutely nothing to do with Australia, Muslim rioters attacked police and damaged property in the streets.

Individuals are free to interpret religion in their own way and many Muslims refuse to show respect to any woman in authority.   It is drawing a long bow to claim that the Koran decrees that respect will not be shown to a woman who happens to preside over an institition that delivers justice.   The vast majority of Islamic followers have no problem obeying this custom  - and when new citizens obtain that treasured citizenship certificate they solemly promise to obey the laws of Australia and be good citizens.

Perhaps this is a good time to re-think the path to citizenship, and perhaps we can learn something from the changes that have taken place to our driving license laws.   A long time ago, applicants needed to pass a practical driving test - and were then granted a full, unconditional driving license.   Driving standards were so hap-hazard that it was decided degrees of license were needed - and hence we now have " provisional " driving licenses.

New drivers are accorded a "red " license for a period of time, after which they are elevated to " green " - and finally, having served their apprenticeship and attained driving skills - they are granted a full unrestricted driving license.

Citizenship is a valued award that is granted to those who make solemn promises on a bible or a Koran to follow our customs and obey our laws.   Sadly, some applicants lie - and have no intention of following those obligations - such as the young man who refused to follow the custom of the court on spurious religious grounds.

It would reasonable to require citizenship to follow a similar path to the red and green provisional periods of the driving license regime.   Just as a new driver needs to prove that they know the rules and intend to obey them, a new citizen should have the task of living peacefully and lawfully in the community to earn  - rather than just be given - the greatest reward that Australia bestows on those seeking to live in this lucky country.

It is when somebody who has gained that important piece of paper and lives protected by the security it offers - deliberately insults and disobeys the customs of their new land -  that the entire question of citizenship awards needs a re-think.

As things stand - citizenship seems to be a one sided award !

A faded dream !

It is laughable to remember the plan that the government claimed would stop the people smugglers in their tracks.   Negotiations were being held with Malaysia to send eight hundred asylum seekers to that country - and in return we would accept two thousand refugees from their internment camps.   They never did get the numbers in parliament to make that a reality.

Events made that plan pale into insignificance, but the government still persists in claiming that it was - and still is - the answer to the problem.   For lack of a better idea, the government is sticking with something that will clearly not work.

So far this month we have received twenty-five asylum seeker boats in just nineteen days, and that has delivered 1801 new applicants to be processed, fed and housed - and found some sort of political accommodation.   The drag on the Australian Treasury is reported to be somewhere in the vicinity of $ 2.9 billion - and that is money that is badly needed for other purposes.

Sending eight hundred to Malaysia would be a drop in a bucket in relation to the numbers that are now arriving.    What we are seeing is an induced panic spread by the people smugglers who are telling prospective customers that Australia is about to have a change of government -  and the door will slam shut in their faces.    The advice is to get on a boat now - or miss out !

We can expect this flood of asylum seekers to increase sharply in the weeks remaining until the September election.   The people smugglers see a chance to maximise their profits and it is noticeable that they are using bigger boats - with room for many more people.    One recent arrival was an Indonesian inter-island ferry, ironically one of the gifts from another country to help mitigate the aftermath of the tsunami disaster.

So far this year we have had 134 asylum boats reach our waters and deliver 8885 people.   Given the virtual state of war in many countries and the seemingly endless financial crisis in others, the refugee problem is approaching tipping point.     Europe, the Middle East and now Africa is in such a state of turmoil that we could be about to see a mass exodus of citizens seeking refuge in what they see as " peaceful and prosperous " havens - and Australia will be high on the list of destinations.

It could be said to be a case of an unstoppable force meeting an unmovable object.   The future of this country's ethnic mix will depend on how " fair dinkum " we are in defending our national borders !

Uneven distribution costs !

Take a drive around any suburb and you will notice the increasing number of solar panels on roof tops.   The cost of a solar array is constantly dropping and the ever rising cost of electricity is a big incentive to take the plunge an " go solar ".

Alarm bells are ringing as the people who juggle the electricity cost framework do their sums and point out how solar is leading to a grossly uneven blip in distribution costs.   It seems that the lowly paid are once again at  a cost imbalance that is growing bigger between the people who installed solar and those who find such an acquisition out of their reach.

Part of each power bill is a component to cover the poles and wires, load reduction transformers and all the repair people and equipment needed to ensure an uninterrupted power supply.    This is loaded into the metered cost as part of the price per unit that we pay for the power we use.   The more electricity we consume - the higher our power bill.

That's where solar causes this imbalance.  Because the people with solar panels generate a percentage of their electricity usage, they draw much less from the meter - and this results in a lower power bill.   As a consequence, the distribution cost component is spread more thinly and falls more heavily on those who lack the input delivered by solar roof arrays.

This distribution cost component will continue to shift alarmingly as the solar panel industry attracts more customers and it seems inevitable that by the end of this century a home without solar panels on it's roof will be an oddity.  We seem destined to deliver an unsustainable cost burden on those without solar panels unless we can find a new way to distribute the electricity cost structure.

That delivers a king size headache to the cost boffins who have to solve this problem.   If they load more of the distribution costs onto solar panel owners, they reduce the incentive to invest in solar power - and cripple the fast expanding solar installation industry.    If they leave the situation unchanged, the steady increase in solar will keep inflating the power bills on non solar customers - to breaking point !

The logical - but unpopular - solution would be to separate the distribution segment into a charge per connected household.   In that way,  every household would have an equal distribution cost and the amount of power used would be billed separately.   It could be argued that distribution costs are a fixed amount not directly related to power usage - and as such apply equally to every home connected to the grid.

Pity the people tasked with solving this problem.   Valid arguments exist on both sides of the equation - and the ferocity with which it will be debated is sure to tempt some to consign it to " the too hard basket " !

Jumping in the deep end !

It sounds so reasonable to those with unsustainable debts and the phone running hot with demands for money.  Simply go to one of those " Debt Agreement " companies, sign on the dotted line and the " Good Fairies " will make the bad guys go away - and all you have to do is make one very reasonable payment each month because all those debts have been consolidated within the agreement.

It seems the best of all worlds.   No more debt collection people banging on the door.   Once the debt problem is resolved you will have money in your pocket again - and the world is your oyster !   This is the course that over ten thousand people took last year - and there are indications that this year will be even bigger.

The problem is that desperate people are not in a position to rationally examine what they are getting into. They take the claims made in promotional advertising and few take the trouble to discuss the options with an accountant or their financial adviser.   It seems a better option than bankruptcy, but in fact they are entering into an agreement that will affect their credit rating for at least seven years - and in many cases bankruptcy might have had fewer long term effects on their lifestyle.

Managing money is not an art that every person acquires.   " Buy now - pay later " is a trap that ensnares the unwary, as are high interest credit cards which the banks showered on the public when " Bankcard " first appeared on the scene.   Today, there are a plethora of credit cards touting for business and the sad thing is that many people find themselves gaining more credit cards to simply keep up with the minimum payment they have racked up on the cards they already own.

In hard times - and these are hard times for many people - the money market responds with the age old remedy of offering " loans " to those who can not provide the security that banks would require.   In today's world, these are termed " Payday loans " - and they usually offer sums up to a limit of five thousand dollars - " until payday comes around ".

That is an obvious misnomer.   Few of these loans simply cover the shortfall to the end of the week and all are longer term - at very high interest rates.  The trap is that people needing them are usually the very people unable to fully  meet the terms offered - and so the balanced owing is " rolled over " into a new extended loan when the payment falls due.

Governments of all political persuasions seem reluctant to clean up the unsavoury mess that out of control debt is delivering to many households.   To do so would probably tip a faltering retail sector over the edge.   In hard times, a degree of debt probably is the difference between putting food on the table in some cases, but it is also the first step on a very slippery slope - and tighter controls would simply make the inevitable happen - sooner !

The best advice for anybody having financial problems - would be to seek the advice of a component financial counsellor - before making any hard and fast decision.

Unfortunately, advice that few heed !

Justice denied !

Victim's compensation laws in New South Wales are being reviewed and the plan under consideration denies any payment to cases that exceed a ten year time limit and reduce the maximum payment possible from $ 50,000 to just $ 15,000.

It is claimed that the present system is " unsustainable " and this review is necessary to bring outlays within the state's capacity to pay.  The problem seems to be that compensation payments are coming from the public purse and our court system seems reluctant to go after perpetrators and recover money from the person responsible for the crime.

The vast majority of these claims involve sexual assault or domestic violence and imposing a time limit suggests that the victim must share a degree of responsibility for not making the claim earlier.   In some cases, children are sexually assaulted over a long period of time by a person in authority and they are cowed into submission by the threat of further violence.   Women feature largely in compensation claims and many fear for their life if they had the temerity to go to the police with a complaint.    Imposing a time limit simply ignores reality !

As things stand, the courts seem quite happy to punish the wrong doer.   It is not unusual for that person to serve time in prison or be sentenced to many hours of community service, but such punishments do nothing to help financially clear up a crime.   It would be wrong for the courts to arbitrarily impose financial penalties because these could deliver cruel hardship to other innocent people, but each case should be subject to review to see if cost recovery is possible.   Insisting that the family home be sold to provide compensation funds might remove a roof from over the heads of other innocent family members - but ordering the confiscation of a fancy motor vehicle - or a prized water craft - would be an entirely different matter !

Justice delayed - is justice denied, but to simply close the court shutters and claim that justice must occur within a time frame - and with a strict limit on the possible payment outcome - is to deny justice entirely.

Each case needs to be judged on it's individual merit and this review seems to be applying a " one size fits all " solution.     A better option would be to allow the judiciary to delve deeper - with wider discretion to tailor solutions to individual cases !

Throwing money at it !

The " Boat people " problem became a nightmare when Kevin Rudd's incoming government dismantled John Howard's practical solutions and virtually opened our doors to undocumented new arrivals.  Since then, desperation had bedevilled numerous plans to stop the flow - none of which have worked !

Each month the number of new arrivals increases and this has swamped our offshore detention centres.  Not only are we awash with unwanted people, the bill for processing them is making serious inroads into this country's finances.   Asylum seekers are eating up a massive $ 2.9 billion a year that would be better spent on items such as Gonski or the NDIS.

It seems ironic that the people who arrive here on people smuggler's boats have paid extortionate amounts for their fares - and now we are offering them more money and free transport - to go back home !

The latest plan is to dangle a " resettlement allowance " of somewhere between $ 1,500 and $ 2,000 to each asylum seeker who voluntarily steps onto a charter plane for the return flight to their original country.  So far, this has delivered mixed results.  It seems that the offer has been fairly attractive to asylum seekers from Sri Lanka, and many have accepted a return flight with a gift of just $ 500 in their pocket.

Success is seeing this scheme ramped up and this years budget of $ 1.7 million will increase to $ 4.3 million next year.  Obviously, $ 2,000 a person, plus the cost of a seat on a charter plane is a big saving on what it costs to house, feed and maintain that same " visitor " in Australia for the next five years, and the present plans are doing that " on the cheap ".

Overfull detention centres have resulted in asylum seekers being released into the community on " bridging visas " which have unpleasant living conditions.   The stipend allowance is below the poverty line and these people are denied the right to get a job and earn a living.  As a result, most " exist " by the grace of the various charity organizations which hand out food and basic items.  As a result, help to our own under privileged is stretched thinner.

Bribing unwanted people to go home seems like a good idea, until the law of inevitability clicks in.  It will not take long for the brighter minds to realise that they hold an advantage.   They are doing the government a favour - by accepting that offer, and that becomes the basis for bargaining a larger " resettlement " fee.

The big problem with solving this conundrum by throwing money at it - is that in very quick time the outflow will swamp the ability of Treasury to pay !   How long before the fee charged by the people smugglers for the incoming journey becomes the demand to reverse the process ?

A " Political " budget !

When a conquering army suffers a reverse and must retreat from a battlefield they usually sow land mines to impede an advancing opponent.   This Federal budget is designed to cement in place two events that will definitely find favour with the public - but leave the task of financing them to someone else.

The two big ticket items - Gonski and the NDIS - constitute the bulk of Labor's $ 78 billion spending spree.  The " savings " promised in this budget fall far short at just $ 43 billion.    It would be unrealistic to think that the incumbent government seriously expects to win the September 14 election.   They are hoping to reap the glory of biting the bullet on education reform and care for the disabled, but leaving their successor with the unpleasant task of making unpopular decisions to foot the bill.

This was a very timid  " horror " budget to plug a fast widening financial gap.  The carbon tax and mining tax shortfalls are producing a $ 13.8 billion budget deficit.  Most voters accept that Medicare levy increase and the sharp contraction in the baby bonus will not send people to the barricades, but slapping an extra 7 cents a packet tax rise on cigarettes was just the usual increase in " sin " taxes - and alcohol was spared this time around.

Closing loopholes on business taxes was preferred to any sort of general tax increases that directly affect voter's wallets and yet we see clear evidence of more price rises in the pipeline for basic items like gas and a weakening Australian dollar will push up the cost of imports.    Dropping interest rates will help make mortgages more affordable, but such savings will most likely be directed into advancing mortgage reductions rather than a retail spending spree.  The Treasurer predicts a small upward blip in unemployment numbers.

One glaring anomaly is taking money from universities to prop up Gonski reforms.   Not a lot of joy in making primary kids smarter if it sacrifices school leavers by creating a disconnect between gaining higher education to fill the skill shortage.

The " elephant in the room " that rated barely a mention in the budget speech is the ballooning cost of processing asylum seekers.   This is soaking up $ 2.9 billion - and there is no end in sight.   It seems that the Treasurer has raised the white flag of surrender - and walked away from the problem.

Fixing this mess is going to land on someone else's plate.   That is going to involve some hard decisions and probably a degree of compromise.   It will probably involved extending the full implementation of Gonski and the NDIS to a longer time frame and high cost items such as the installation of broadband modified to deliver what we can afford.

It  seems to be a budget from a government preparing for a defeat they expect to happen !

The " Poisoned Chalice " !

The people who work in the Department of Community Services ( Docs ) take criticism when tragedy strikes a child on their referral list.   They have the power to remove a child from the care of parents when that child is being neglected.   It is a constant battle to convince parents to provide food and clothing and maintain a basic hygiene that meets a minimum standard.    It is only as a last resort that Docs moves in and takes the victim into foster care.

Unfortunately, it seems that we live in a divided country.   What happens to a neglected child depends heavily on the colour of it's skin !    Always lurking in the background is the memory of " the Stolen Generation " - as a failed mission of good intent from a distant age has been labelled.

What happens in predominantly white southern Australia is entirely different from what happens in predominantly black Northern Territory and northern Western Australia.    The children of alcoholic white parents come under Docs scrutiny.  The children of alcoholic black parents - are usually ignored !

The bogey hanging over the heads of care workers is the threat of being accused of creating a new " Stolen Generation ".   It would be very easy for critics to label any removal of neglected indigenous kids as an attempt to achieve the same aims as that earlier age.    Then - some people thought that children of mixed blood could be best served by an upbringing by white foster parents who would instruct the child in white values, replace an Aboriginal language with English - and prepare that child for life in a " white society ".

Thankfully, the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is an indigenous citizen with the courage to tackle this problem without bias.   Black.  White - or somewhere in between -  parents who have lost control of their lives by alcoholism or dependency on drugs, or who live in communities wracked by violence and sexual predation - need intervention to give their kids a chance in life.

Adam Giles is prepared to grasp the nettle and seek a solution.   He is not afraid of that " Stolen Generation " tag and he will look to indigenous people of good intent to provide the bridge between neglected children and a normal life - right there where they feel comfortable and not in a distant part of Australia.

He faces an enormous task and he will undoubtedly get harsh criticism from some quarters.   He takes on a task that many will regard as a " poisoned chalice " !

Shared bike paths !

Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore has announced that there will be six newly extended " shared bike paths " in central Sydney.   Many people - both pedestrians and cyclists - will shudder at the prospect !

There is a perceived incompatibility in trying to mix the range of people who use these paths with the people who ride bikes and expect to swiftly reach their destination.  It might work if rules only permitted people to walk briskly in single file and cyclists to keep to the left and only attain a speed of five kilometres an hour - but that is not the rules that apply to shared bike paths.

The law is clear.  People can use them to exercise their dogs, and these dogs must be on leads.  Women pushing prams are quite welcome, and some little kids accompany their families while riding tricycles.  The aged find bike paths a convenient place to get daily exercise.  It is not unusual to see walkers greet others and continue in a group - or sometimes block the entire path while they converge for a chat.

From a cyclists point of view, non bikers on the paths are a nightmare.   They can expect a dog on a lead to dart across their path, pedestrians to change direction without warning - and kids of all ages are totally unpredictable.   At least riding in road traffic means that some rules apply.

One of the gripes of non cyclist path users is the silence of an approaching bike.  It is suggested that cyclists ring bike bells to give warning, but not all bikes have bells and some walkers take umbrage at such a sound and construe it as a demand that they yield the right of way.

It might be a better idea to require bikes using shared paths to have a " clacker " - a throw back to a much earlier age.  Many kids used to clamp a piece of cardboard - or in some cases plastic - to the bicycle fork and this engaged the spokes of a wheel to produce a soft " drumming " sound.    The big advantage is that is occurs naturally and makes an approaching bike audible to others.

We live in an age where many people reject compliance with rules.  It has been suggested that a new law apply a ten kilometre per hour speed limit on bicycles using shared paths.   That would be almost impossible to police.   Bikes have no number plate identification - and without that - the points system that applies to motorists would be impossible.    Forcing bike registration and identification would certainly involve a fee - and would be a very unpopular measure, but it would tend to bring biker discipline to the bike tracks.

It seems that there is no answer to the shared path problem.  We rely entirely on common sense being applied, and that seems to be in short supply in this crazy world.

Price illusions !

Motoring organizations are warning the public to be very careful when they consider fixed price servicing offers as part of a car buying decision.    Like all inducements to buy, the devil is in the detail - and the wise will study the fine print carefully and make sure they fully understand what is offered.

In some cases, it is the length of time this offer is valid.  Car servicing usually has a major item service at regular intervals and this delivers a price blip.  Some fixed price offers come to an end just before the distance covered or time allotted requires this work to be done - and it is then at the owner's expense.

Factory warranties have been extended in recent years and in many cases it now covers a five year period.   It would be naive to expect that a fixed price service option would automatically cover that whole five year period.   Some do - but many don't.   Once again, a good reason to study the small print - carefully !

Car companies have another requirement to claw back some of that fixed price cost.  Owners are required to present their vehicle for an " inspection " within a time frame, and of course there is an " inspection fee " involved.   All in all, it can result in the service cost for a small, economy priced hatchback to exceed the servicing cost of a big land cruiser.

Another inducement to buy is low or no interest car finance.  Once again, this can have unimagined expenses tacked on in the way of account keeping fees and late payment fines.   Low interest finance is a huge improvement on the interest rates usually charged by finance companies, but buyers should ensure that what they are signing up for is within their capacity to service payments with precise regularity.   Any departure from that routine can bring expensive factors into play.

The car world has become so competitive that the days of getting a " lemon " have virtually disappeared.   The advent of computer design and testing has introduced a new era of reliability, long intervals between services - and the life of auto engines is now exceptional.    Most people buy a new car on the basis of keeping up with changing trends and appearance - not because the old one is " worn out " !

Now the big decision is getting the finance deal " right " !

It's a weird world !

Debate rages over the vaccination of children to prevent childhood diseases, but science has been puzzled by the increasing rate of kids developing asthma, eczema and nut allergies.   In an age of fast medical development, this is running against the grain.

Some science people think that our fastidious insistence on cleanliness may actually be the cause of these increases.   For decades, a lot of time and effort has gone into conditioning people to wash their hands regularly, be very careful preparing food - and live in homes that are squeaky clean.   It has become a matter of pride that many families carry this to the limit.

We may actually be preventing our kids getting exposure to the microbes that stir their defences to naturally train their immune systems to counter such invasions.   It seems to be a case of " too clean " being a health hazard that we should avoid.

One interesting study compared the habits of families who allow their little kids to use a " pacifier " - or what some people call a " dummy ".    When this gets dropped on the floor, some people insist on cleaning it carefully with detergent before it is returned to the baby's mouth.   Others simply put it in their own mouth before handing it back to the child.

Surprisingly, the ones who put that dummy in their own mouth were much less likely to have a child with asthma, eczema or who developed nut allergies.    Most likely the parents were passing the microbes necessary to get their offspring's defences working.   Most people have the residual debris of their own childhood allergy defences still present in their saliva.

It seems that cleanliness can be carried to extreme.   Some people boil all water before it is used for human consumption.  This eliminates the natural bugs that enhance immune stimulation, and the more " sterile " our environment, the less chance that we can develop the defences that come from exposure.

It looks like we are heading into an increasingly unhealthy world.    Hand wash products are replacing soap and most new detergents claim to kill 99% of germs.    It seems that those dreaded " germs " are sometimes necessary friends !

The " Indecision " Solution !

For many decades the site for a new Sydney airport has been mired in controversy.  Mascot is bursting at the seams and it appears that an " interim measure " will be introduced to ease the pressure.  Passenger overload will be handled by the RAAF base at Richmond.

This neatly side steps the need to make a decision between Badgery's Creek and Wilton.   The basic airport structure is in place and functional just sixty kilometres from Sydney.  Subtle pressure will be applied to get the RAAF to reduce operations at Richmond and money will be spent creating a " temporary " passenger terminal.  As a result, that Badgery's/Wilton decision will never arise.   The solution to Sydney's airport problems has been solved - by the very nature of " indecision " !

It is probably an inevitable outcome, given the state of our finances.  New airports come with billion dollar price tags and an existing airport can be upgraded for a lot less money.  It will also serve the fast growing north coast region and the existing road system in place can handle an airport with less need for expansion than an entirely new system as would apply at either Badgery's or Wilton.

There will probably be squawks of protest from the defence people, but the needs of the RAAF have changed.  The days of massed squadrons of aircraft have been surpassed by incredibly sophisticated small numbers of fighter planes that serve multiple functions.  Distance is no longer the limitation that it used to be and Richmond is home to the RAAF's heavy lift aircraft rather than combat aircraft.

The biggest gain is political.    The main reason the site of a new Sydney airport was not settled was the expected backlash that could cost seats in parliament.   We are now entering a " pretend " scenario.  Richmond will be presented as simply an interim solution and it is unlikely that passenger planes will start using it before 2017.     When they do, the flow will be a mere trickle and the facilities upgrade with keep step with the natural increase in passenger numbers to be accommodated.

The timing is also superb.   The new Sydney airport problem has been solved just months away from a Federal election, and using Richmond will not generate the furore that either Badgery's or Wilton would have created.     That is a solution that will serve both sides of politics equally !

Legal ineptitude !

Part of the cost of running the Federal government in Australia is the office of this country's chief lawman - the Attorney General.   It has the task of ensuring that the machinations of parliament are within the law and to achieve this legions of the nation's best legal brains scrutinise impending legislation.  It seems that in some cases ineptitude prevails - and they get it wrong !

The High court has just struck down a ruling made in July 2011 aimed at " fixing " a loophole in the Social Security laws.   The sticking point was " retrospectivity ".    This fix was applied to events that occurred before the ruling was passed and the litigant complained that it was unfair to prosecute for an infringement that was not illegal prior to the time this ruling was made.

It seems that the litigant failed to declare an income of $ 7,000 while receiving social security benefits which such income would invalidate - under this ruling.

This High court decision will have serious implications for the national cash flow.   There are about 15,000 people who have been branded " welfare cheats " and who are awaiting prosecution which will attempt to recover lost money.   That date on which the ruling was made will be critical.  Events prior to that have little hope of a successful prosecution and that money lost will not be recovered.

The damage goes deeper.  The people who have already been prosecuted, found guilt and punished will have a case to launch an appeal.   There is a good chance that they will succeed in having any money repaid to the Commonwealth ordered to be returned.    In the event that anyone served prison time from such a prosecution - the way is clearly open for a damages claim.

Obviously, the rulings of the High court are the pinnacle of legal judgements, but many legal people would have seen this coming.   The principle of " restrospectivity " has long been a bogey to be approached with great care when framing legislation.   Common sense dictates that we can not break a law - if no such law exists.   Passing a law that applies to the distant past - simply defies logic.

There is another anomaly waiting in the wings that may someday see the light of day.   In the past, mistakes made by government agencies which involved over payments were written off.   The recipient was not asked to repay the money.    Another " fix " changed direction and now all over payments are vigorously pursued - nomatter where the fault lays.

A matter that could bring a past decision back to haunt the legal eagles of the Attorney General's department !

Horror in Cleveland.

The world recoiled at news that three girls were snatched off the street in Cleveland, Ohio - and for ten long years were incarcerated in a suburban house as sex slaves for a trio of men aged in their fifties.  It seems there were numerous pregnancies and one resulted in the birth of a baby girl who is now six years old.  The abducted girls included a school girl and the others ranged up in age to a twenty year old.

What is weird is that this house of abduction was not a rambling farmhouse far removed from scrutiny.   It was a normal suburban home with close neighbours and it was on a street with heavy passing traffic. Some of the neighbours had suspicions because of bizarre activity and twice the police called, received no answer to the doorbell - and failed to follow up.

It will raise a glimmer of hope for Kate and Gerry McCann, still searching for their daughter Madeleine who was abducted as a three year old in Portugal.  Madeleine would now be nine years old - and the Cleveland discovery proves that miracles do happen.

Sex slavery has hit the headlines before.  Famous cases happened in Belgium and Germany in recent years and both revealed cunning perpetrators who operated under the noses of neighbours, friends and their immediate families.   It is hard to believe the length of time this went undiscovered considering the brazen manner in which it was conducted.

This is a wake-up call for people in many countries.   Most people try to be good neighbours and mind their own business, but that does have limits.    If we suspect that something is amiss at a nearby home and we see evidence that arouses suspicion, it would be helpful to take the trouble to have a chat with the local police and put them in the picture.

In the Cleveland incident, neighbours report that they heard screams and loud bangings coming from the house on several occasions, and one neighbour saw naked girls being paraded in the yard with dog collars and leads attached.  She actually went to the police, but was greeted with disbelief.   Today - such a report would get a very different reception !

We live in changed times.  Most people carry a smart phone these days and just about every mobile phone has a camera function.   Nothing beats visual evidence to back up a report of a strange incident and just as we are asked to be alert to acts of terrorism - we should also be aware that cruel domestic crime is rampant behind closed doors.

Suppose that neighbour who saw naked girls wearing dog collars had used a camera to record what she saw ?     The Cleveland incident could have ended a very long time sooner !

Sanity prevails !

Premier Barry O'Farrell has promised swift action to remedy grossly unreasonable outcomes affecting the lives of New South Wales citizens.

Love them or hate them - there is no doubt that the cctv networks in our cities are a safety factor. Without them, a lout who king hit a young man in Kings Cross and caused his death would have got away with the crime.  Numerous bag snatches and robberies have been solved by the culprits images on camera and we feel safer knowing that these devices are watching over us.

An anti-cctv campaigner in Nowra took the council to court claiming that these cameras " breach the privacy of residents ".    Almost unbelievably, the court agreed and as a result the streets of the city of Nowra are watched over by turned off cctv's.   It's open slather for drunks, graffiti artists, bag snatchers and those involved in sex crimes.  A valuable tool of law and order has been immobilised.

Barry O'Farrell has promised to rush a new law through parliament to overturn this ban.  Once again, the law of the many is set to overturn the wishes of the few.   Those zealots who rail against cctv cameras would be a tiny fraction of citizens who value their personal safety.

We live in difficult times and most people are concerned at the rising cost of the compulsory third party insurance cover - known as " Green Slips " - that we must have to register our cars.   The problem is that payouts have become a " lawyers picnic ".   Not only are outcomes delayed by protracted court action.  The legal fees take a big bite of awards given.

Barry O'Farrell is looking at ways to drive down the premium and there are plans to convert the scheme to a " no fault " regime, which should result in at least a 15% premium reduction.    At present, the average NSW cost of a Green slip is the second highest in Australia at $ 518.    The Australian Capital Territory takes the dubious title with a $ 526 charge - but motorists in Queensland pay only $ 299.

Most people will applaud a change that removes court litigation, takes the lawyers out of the loop - and drives down costs  to make life a little easier for the average car owner.   Perhaps this would be a good time to give thought to the impost green slips make on owners of a " second car " - which spends most of it's life in the shed and rarely clocks up much mileage.

At present, the green slip impost is precisely the same as for a car that is driven huge distances each year.  It would be nice if such costs could be tailored to reflect such differences.  

Catholic " Mafia " !

The Special Commission Enquiry into paedophilia in the Roman Catholic church has broken new ground with a revelation that Catholic senior police in New South Wales used their positions of authority to close down investigations when evidence emerged of priests abusing children.

Senior church administration feared that bringing paedophilia into the open would harm the good name of the church and so they solved their problem by simply moving the offending priest to another diocese - and putting children at risk in another location that was not their concern.   It seems that at no stage were the police alerted  by church members and that police action ensured only when victims themselves went to the police.

Sadly, police investigations usually quickly reached a dead end because Catholic senior police took the same attitude as the bishops - and used their seniority to protect the reputation of their church.   Officers following up complaints were made to close down the investigation or were moved to other cases deemed more pressing.    This enquiry heard the term " Catholic Mafia " used to describe this situation.

Nothing would have changed if Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox had not gone public and raised this issue at a public meeting.   He is still a serving officer, but his days in the police force are clearly numbered.  " Whistle blowers " are not tolerated when they bring the spotlight on inequities within the branch of government in which they serve.

There is a mad scramble within police ranks to duck for cover.  Several officers have gone on " stress leave ", to avoid being dragged before the enquiry and it will probably take this matter being raised before the Royal Commission for the necessary legal authority to come into play and force witnesses to give evidence.

This raises the question of what becomes of an honest cop ?    Peter Fox is a very senior policeman and he has put justice for the victims of paedophilia before his own career.   There are religious zealots in the community who value the church above all else and the life of this man and his family is not beyond risk.  There are probably also serving police officers with a lust for vengeance - because the taint of police corruption is going to mar many careers.

Peter Fox is the very type of person we badly need in the upper house of the NSW parliament - or in the Senate in Canberra.   Rarely do we get a person who is clearly  honest and also is not afraid to speak his mind - and take on issues that will offend powerful people.

That sounds exactly like the type of person we need in politics !

Democracy has limits !

A century ago, the average citizen had a lot more rights that they have today, but Chicken Pox, Measles, Mumps and other such diseases regularly swept through the community - and a small percentage of children died as a result.    These diseases still exist but we have developed vaccines that keep today's children safe.

Unfortunately, there is a growing trend to refuse to vaccinate children because there is a small possibility of an allergic reaction to the needle shot.   A band of fanatical opponents of vaccination in any form has set up a group that actively promotes the anti-vaccination cause on Facebook and Twitter.  It totally lacks medical accreditation, but it advises parents to disbelieve what they are told by their GP and instead " read books " and become self taught medical specialists.

The problem is that vaccinations depend on a high degree of group compliance to deliver protection against what are termed " childhood diseases ", and because of this disinformation the ratio of un-vaccinated children is nearing critical mass.   The actions of a " few " are putting the health of the " many " at risk !

A century ago any person could own a gun without the need for a license or registration.   Many added to the family larder by shooting rabbits in hard times, but today access to guns are strictly controlled.   When we drive in our cars, the law requires us to wear a seat belt for our own protection - and if we constantly refuse - our license to drive can be taken away.   We even have to wear a helmet to ride a common old push bike.

We live in a democracy - but that does not confer unlimited rights.   The rules that govern living in close proximity to others contain measures for our own safety and for that safety to extend to those around us. Vaccinating children certainly comes within that definition.

Our society tends to follow " fashionable trends " and the admonishment of the medically untrained who refuse vaccinations has spread doubt in the minds of otherwise reasonable people.  It is just too easy to not get around to vital vaccinations on the spurious urgings of the anti vaccination people.   We need the vaccinated pool of children to reach a higher level to achieve safety.

The easiest way to achieve this is to make enrolment in pre-schools, kindergarten or other forms of child care reliant on production of a valid vaccination certificate.   The hard core anti-vaccination people will not be swayed, but most others will comply and safety can be achieved even if the rate of children covered is not one hundred percent.

Some will protest that their democratic rights are being ignored, but those rights have limits    In a modern society we have an obligation to comply with rules that govern the safety of others !

Hidden cost nightmare !

People considering buying an older home property in Sydney would be well advised to make enquiries about the connection of water, gas and sewage to the property.   Property owners are responsible for the connection to the mains and in about ten percent of instances, this occurs well outside the property boundaries - and sometimes the connection is under busy suburban roads.

Most people cheerfully accept responsibility for the pipes within their property boundaries, but damage outside can be caused by many unrelated factors.   If a contractor damages a pipe and it is part of the connection between the property and the main - the cost of repairs is borne by the property owner - and that can run into many thousands of dollars. Proving the negligence of others can be a difficult and costly undertaking.   Even pin pointing how the damage occurred may involve costly litigation.

There is added input from councils who demand that repairs be done within a twenty-one day time frame, and this carries the threat of a $ 20,000 fine for non compliance, and most home insurance policies stipulate that the cover they provide ends at the property boundary.

Intending buyers usually carry out property searches, but rarely is service connections part of that agenda.  This information should be readily available from council records, but in the case of properties dating back to an earlier period, record keeping was not as meticulous as it is today, and in some cases council amalgamations have resulted in earlier records becoming unavailable.   In such cases, a new owner is taking on all the risks involved in that property purchase.

This problem may be exacerbated by the coming connections to the NBN.    Laying cable to bring high speed broadband to suburban homes will involve a new trench outside property boundaries and the involvement of heavy machinery may damage old piping subjected to years of corrosion.   The outcome could be a sudden and very unexpected bill for a lot of unplanned money.   Something that could be a threat to the solvency of the average family.

There is no easy answer to this problem, but at least it needs to be taken into account when considering an older property.   It is certainly something that property search companies should investigate.   The risk of council plans not showing a service connection outside the property would be an event that could be covered by insurance that would enhance the company image in presenting it's policies to the public.

In this competitive world, it is the company that thinks and acts outside the nine dots that gets the business !

On the brink !

There are signs that the Reserve Bank of Australia is close to again lowering  interest rates and it is expected that in June our rate will fall from 3% to 2.75%.   No doubt that those with a mortgage will celebrate because monthly repayments for a $ 300,000 loan will decrease by $ 90 a month.

The business community will also cheer because a drop in family outgoings may result in an increase in retail purchases, and the retail sector has been doing it tough for a long time - since the start of the great GFC in 08.

Unfortunately, this coin has a reverse side, and we may not like what that will deliver.   The money stashed away in superannuation funds needs to grow to meet our retirement needs, and as interest rates shrink - so does the capital increase from investments.    That money is useless just laying in a bank.  It needs to earn interest, and fund managers will be pushed to consider riskier action plans as the traditional earning channels dry up.

The financial gurus extol the mantra that low interest rates spike investment, but that is not the picture we are seeing in Europe.   The European Central Bank has just lowered interest rates there from 0.75% to 0.5%, and Japan has weathered decades of negative economic growth with interest rates near zero - and no rapid recovery.   In contrast, Australia has survived the GFC far better than most competitive countries - and our interest rates have been higher by comparison.

When interest rates decline, those with money to invest look to other avenues of profit - and that usually produces " bubbles " of one sort or another.   We experienced the trauma when house prices expanded beyond reason just before the GFC hit - and the mess that caused hurt a lot of people.    A surge in stock exchange prices could be an expected outcome of low interest rates.   Expect stocks with a good history of paying attractive dividends to find favour with buyers.

Finance is a tangled world of many factors working in opposite directions.   One of the outcomes of higher interest rates is a strong Australian dollar, and this makes our exports more expensive.   At the same time, it lowers the price of the goods we import from other countries, hence it delivers mixed blessings.

Pity the people at the Reserve bank who have the responsibility of making these decisions.   It is impossible to please everybody - and those decisions will have a critical effect on various segments of our economy.

Lets just hope that they get it right !

Thin skins !

What a sensitive lot we have become.   The most innocent comment seems sure to upset someone and these days they are not reluctant to come forward are start bellowing to the media about the " hurt " this has caused.

Someone described government finances as " spending like drunken sailors " - and immediately the maritine industry was up in arms.    There was a logical context to that description.   Back in the days of sail,ships crews spent months at sea with no opportunity to spend their wages.   It was natural that when they made port, they craved a little excitement - and in many cases this could get out of hand.

The CEO of Myers took a drubbing from representatives of the disabled when he commented that the increased Medicare levy would take money out of the pockets of people which " would have been spent with us. "     This was a perfectly valid observation on the health of the retail industry, but critics turned it into an attack on the entire disability scheme and the people that it is designed to help.  Now there are calls for Myer to face a shopping ban - as a form of " punishment ".

General Motors copped flak for one of it's Canadian advertisements which made a light hearted reference to Chinese citizens and their habits as depicted by westerners.    The problem with humour - not everyone sees the joke !    To the dismay of the British establishment, the Queen's consort seemed to have a propensity for making what were termed " gaffes ".    Once, when inspecting a complex piece of machinery he commented that " It looked like it had been wired by an Indian electrician ",  setting off a wave of anger across the subcontinent.   On a visit to China he told a group of western students that if they stayed in China too long - " They would develop slitty eyes ".     Once again, the intellectuals of the west were appalled.

Perhaps this tendency to be " thin skinned " is more a matter of the fast developing celebrity culture.  We seem to have an ever larger number of " opinion " people sharing their views through print and electronic media, and one of the best ways to get " noticed " - is to start controversy.

This gave us the age of the "shock jocks " , and it seems that there are many more salivating at the prospect of having their name in lights - and sharing in the lifestyle that has become synonymous with the rich and famous.    Driving exotic cars - living the high life - and having the rest of us mere mortals hanging on every word from their lips !

We live in a world where the wise need to think long and hard - before they make any sort of comment !

Tunnel chaos !

Sydney drivers are accustomed to traffic chaos when trucks with high loads get stuck in the city's road tunnel system.  It happens on a regular basis and the resulting traffic jams can last for hours.    The government has beefed up the penalties from a fine of $ 2200 and the loss of six demerit points - to the cancellation of that trucks registration for a period of three months.

The truck owner will now have a very expensive piece of machinery laying idle for twelve weeks with consequent loss of income.    Unfortunately, this increased penalty will not ensure a drop in the number of tunnel blocking incidents.  It is human nature to under estimate the height of loads and in many cases the driver is at the wheel of an interstate transport and has no knowledge of local height requirements.

Apart from the resulting traffic snarls, the damage caused to tunnels can be very expensive and rectification usually involves further traffic delays as work crews need space to carry out repairs.   All the penalties in the world are less effective than a simple system to make sure over height vehicles do not enter tunnels in the first place.

Our tunnel system is high on safety and every tunnel entrance has a traffic light system in place.   The tunnels are under video surveillance from a central control room and in the event of a crash or a fire, controllers can switch those signals to red - and stop the traffic flow.

What we need about half a kilometre from each tunnel entrance is a height boom above the roadway, connected to that control room.   Any truck's load that hits against this boom would alert the control room of coming disaster - and automatically stop the traffic before that vehicle reaches the tunnel.

There will still be traffic delays while efforts are made to lower the cargo height, but that will be far quicker than trying to remove a stuck truck and repairing the consequent damage to the tunnel ceiling, and the fact that this vehicle is stopped in just one lane will still mean a lesser traffic flow is maintained while work on load lowering is carried out.

It is a simple - and cheap - way of protecting our tunnels from over height vehicles.   It is surprising that this was not incorporated in the plan when these tunnels were first designed !

The " Bail " Act !

New South Wales is revising the bail act and many people will think that this is long overdue.   It has a capricious history of releasing people who should be behind bars, and incarcerating others for little apparent reason.

As things presently stand, there is a " presumption against bail " whenever a prisoner appears before a bail court.  The police usually ask that bail be refused and it is up to that person's attorney to mount a compelling case that persuades the magistrate to order release.

The impetus that will apply in future is " risk management ".   The magistrate will consider the chances that the person before the court may re-offend - may interfere with witnesses - may be a danger to the community - and whether or not there is a probability of failure to appear in court at a later date.

That all seems like common sense, but there are other matters that should come into play whenever bail is considered.    If a person is refused bail they are usually " remanded " to be held in a prison - and no time factor comes into play.   We have people behind bars for years while police and prosecutors prepare their cases, and in many instances when they come to court they are found to be innocent - or the sentence would not usually incur a period in prison.   Those in power with a vindictive attitude are able to deliver personal " punishment " if they so desire.

The police and prosecutors will have no option than to speed up their investigation if remand contains a time limitation.  A prisoner on remand in a gaol is serving a virtual sentence.   They are prevented from doing whatever job they hold in the community and earning money to provide for their family.  They are in the company of other prisoners and they eat prison food and they are subjected to strip searches and similar indignities in common with convicted felons.

A case could be made for a specific establishment to house those remanded.   It would need high security, but there is no reason that conditions should not be fully civilized.    Our system of justice decrees that every person facing a charge shall be deemed " innocent until proved guilty " - and these are people who are yet to have that matter decided by a court.

It is said that the wheels of justice grind slowly.   That is unacceptable if the delay is simply slothful application to the task of preparing cases or investigation of the supposed crime.   The individual rights of a citizen are violated if a person is arrested before reasonable evidence of guilt has been collected.    Once a person is placed under arrest, their civil rights are suspended and their former good name may never be able to be fully restored.

Revision of the bail act is welcome - but the entire process of prosecution from arrest to the culmination in court needs checks and safeguards to ensure that it happens within a reasonable time frame !

The " Green energy " myth !

It is theoretically possible for Australia to convert entirely to replaceable " Green " energy, but the social and ecological cost would be huge.    We would need to find an outlay of at least $ 330 billion and the average power bill would increase by a whopping $ 600 a year.   Wind and solar are both " intermittent " and as a consequence, we would need to at least double the stand-by capacity.

Estimating the land use necessary to house the required wind farms and solar arrays delivers an acreage similar to the island of Bali.    Electricity is best produced as near as possible to the source of it's usage because the greater the transport distance, the greater the end product fritters away in transit.  This production acreage would need to be where we can least afford to quarantine productive land.

We will probably never entirely eliminate the need to have thermal power generators on stand-by - unless we accept the reality of blackouts caused by unusual weather patterns.    Just as we have regular droughts and rain events - and windless days  -  we also have volcanoes that emit dust particles that cloud the atmosphere - and solar flares that disrupt electrical transmission facilities.   There is a thin edge between reliability - and a third world power situation.

There is a relentless demand for us to move to entirely replaceable energy sources from the Greens.  Their fanatical outlook on cause and effect totally ignores the practical side of how such a decision would affect this country's economy - and how it would affect the living standards of each and every family.  As events are now showing, our economy already has a gaping black hole - and now is not a good time for another ecological spending spree.

In a perfect world, our borders would be open to all who wish to call this land home and our citizens would cheerfully accept a lowered standard of living to live more in tune with nature.    Welcome to the " real world " - where people worry about having a safe job - or even having some sort of job which provides an income.   

The mantra from the Greens sounds so appealing - until the plans are converted into the reality of cost and effect.   In reality, life is a succession of compromises.   We have converted some dirty coal fired electricity generators to less polluting natural gas and we have installed wind farms and solar arrays.   This mixture has improved our carbon footprint - and in the years ahead we will make further gains.

That is not the envisaged way for those with fanatical views on the world we live in !