The Sport of - " Battlers " !

It used to be a common sight when the first rays of the rising sun appeared above the horizon each morning.   A man or woman leading a string of Greyhounds on the massive exercise walks that were needed to condition them for racing.

If horse racing was the " Sport of Kings ", then Greyhound racing was the  "Sport of Battlers ".  Only the wealthy could buy a promising horse at the yearling sales and then shell out for stabling fees and the cost of a celebrated trainer.  The results were often disappointing.  It was a rare horse that became a champion and delivered riches in prize money.

The thrill of being an " owner " for the less affluent belonged in the world of Greyhound racing. For a mere fraction of the costs associated with horse racing very ordinary men and women could buy a Greyhound pup, do the hard yards of training and preparing it for racing - and in some cases win fame and fortune if their prized dog became a champion.

A recent " Four Corners " report has clearly shown that all is not well within the Greyhound racing industry. That old time practice of " blooding " the dogs by tying a live rabbit or cat to the lure and letting them catch it and tear it to pieces still persists.   Animal lovers were shocked to learn that somewhere between thirteen and seventeen thousand dogs are put down every year because they lack the speed to be competitive at the raceway.   Only four in every hundred pups born lives beyond forty-two months of life.

Not surprisingly, animal lovers have called for a shut down of Greyhound racing in New South Wales and it seems likely that the Special Commission enquiring into Greyhound Racing in New South Wales will consider this option. It would be a devastating blow to the TAB because well over a billion dollars is wagered annually on that sport and as an industry it employs a lot of people, both directly and indirectly.

Evidence presented at this enquiry suggests that the sport is too fragmented to ever be brought under control.  There is a high degree of self regulation and this is not the first time that questions of cruelty have been raised and promises of correction given.  Animal rights activists point to former sports such as dog fighting and cock fighting that were made illegal - and years ago someone proposed to stage a bull fight at a rodeo and that was hastily added to sporting bans in this state.

To most people, placing a shut down on Greyhound racing would be an over reaction.  It is a legitimate sport and to suggest that the state government lacks the power to bring it under control and ensure that these forms of cruelty are eliminated is ridiculous.  It simply means that the industry as it exists today would have to accept great change and oversight.   That might not be popular with owners and trainers, hut it would be the price they have to pay to ensure that their sport enters the twenty-first century.

The first casualty in bringing Greyhound racing under control would be stabling, training and keeping racing Greyhounds in private homes and exercising them on public streets.   Just as the horse racing industry is closely regulated in where horses are kept and trained, similar arrangements should apply to dogs.   That will certainly sharply increase costs for owners, but it is the issue of low costs that is allowing for the rapid turnover of racing dogs in the hope of a rare champion emerging.

In the horse racing industry, the mating and production of foals is not prolific.  There must be a good chance of progeny delivering likely success and hence numbers are kept under control.  Once the need for racing dogs to come under the control of the racing commission tasked with their accommodation and training, the costs associated will see a dramatic drop in the numbers  - and it is the sheer number of unregulated pups that is delivering chaos to this industry.

Clearly, the answer is to take an unregulated industry and bring it within the boundaries of control. To simply throw up their hands and apply a blanket ban would do a great disservice to a sport that has wide public support !

" Deadly " Smoke Alarms !

The CSIRO has warned that imported smoke alarms are on sale in many shops that do not meet the Australian standard.  The deficiency level varies from manufacturer to manufacturer but the decibel level of warning is usually too low to wake a sleeper and in some cases the smoke trigger is virtually useless.   Those purchasing these alarms are unprotected in the event of a house fire.

Last year twenty-one people lost their lives in house fires in New South Wales and investigations show that about half would have been saved had a working smoke alarm been in place and an escape plan been practised. The problem is that importers seeking to offer goods at the lowest possible price are legally able to bring in smoke alarms made in other countries that have no bearing on the manufacturing standard required here - and can range from near that level to completely useless.

The government and the fire authorities urge people to buy and install a smoke alarm and this is negated if what is offering in the shops is below standard, but capable of deceiving buyers that it is a legitimate smoke alarm.   We need a law change to make any smoke alarm that does not comply with the Australian standard AS 3786 an illegal import.

Local government regulations require wired in smoke alarms to be part of the electrical installation in all new homes, but existing house stocks rely on the owners and occupiers to provide their own fire safety needs.  Usually, these reasonable priced devices which meet the Australian standard are self installed - and the biggest problem is reminding owners to regularly test them and replace fading batteries.  In recent times, the start of daylight saving is being used as the reminder date to urge people to check smoke alarm batteries.

Christmas gift giving time is coming around and a new smoke alarm would be a useful gift for those who do not have one, but now that this CSIRO warning has sounded the alert, buyers would be wise to carefully check the merchandise offering - and reject any smoke alarm that does not have that AS 3876 stamped on it's compliance plate.

Fire safety is an ongoing subject of law revision.  Fire sprinklers are required as an integral part of all apartment buildings above three stories in height and it is likely that will soon be lowered to any multi-unit structures, and there has been some consideration to requiring sprinkler systems in individual new homes.  Cost may be an obstacle, but certainly sprinklers could be an option for the upper echelon of high priced dwellings.

One very handy concession seems vastly under used in this state.   Pensioners and people with limited mobility because of age or illness can call on the fire brigade for an annual check on their smoke alarms - and a free battery replacement.    The fire brigade will make a house call and ensure that their smoke alarm is functioning properly and that is has a reliable battery in place - and this is completely without a cost charge.

There is no doubt that smoke alarms save lives.   The government needs to take swift action to choke off dodgy imports that simply fail to do the intended job, but are capable of deceiving the public that they have full protection.    Those are even more deadly - than having no smoke alarm at all !

The " Shark Question " !

We are about to undertake a hundred thousand dollar review of shark detection technology as we grapple with the question of whether to deploy shark nets off the beaches of our north coast. It seems to be a fact of life that beaches from Wollongong to Newcastle have been almost free of shark incidents and many people believe that this is because those beaches are protected by shark nets.

Experts from many scientific disciplines will confer and study new developments in sonar technology, electric deterrent barriers and what are termed " clever buoy detection "  to determine if this can improve on shark netting, which gets a bad press because it also entangles and kills dolphins and whales.

Sharks have always been a risk to humans swimming in the ocean but fifty years ago a shark fatality in Australia was a once a year event, and when it happened it would be treated as the main news story of the day, with banner headlines in newspapers.  In the past year there have been over fifty shark attacks or close encounters on just our far northern beaches - with two of them fatalities.   There seems no doubt that shark attack is a rapidly increasing phenomenon.   It would be a fair question to ask - why ?

Certainly there are more of us in the water these days.   Australia now has a population approaching twenty-four million people but that increase in shark encounters is also happening in other parts of the world where climate makes the sea hospitable to bathers.  Why are sharks changing their meal habits ?  Discovering that is equally important as seeking ways to provide protection for those using our beaches.

Could it be that world over-fishing has depleted the fish stocks that used to be their main diet ?  Could attacks on humans be desperation because of hunger ?   We know that sharks often come close inshore because they are feeding off great schools of bait fish.   Are these schools diminishing and do we need to try and encourage their expansion ?

Rounding up the " usual suspects " will certainly raise the question of global warming and it's possible iteraction with the oceans.  The seas are now fractionally warmer than they were half a century ago.  Could colder seas have suppressed the appetite of sharks ?  Will they become even more interested in human fare as further temperature rises continue ?

The seas are a known sump for carbon dioxide - and as a consequence they are becoming more acidic.   What do we know about this change and how it will affect the food chains of all the creatures that live in the sea ?   Could this be what is making sharks more aggressive  ?

Then there is the question of why shark attacks seem to be concentrated on a particular area of coastline ?   What is different on our far north coast that makes swimming there immensely more dangerous that other parts of the state ?   Is runoff from some sort of inland industry polluting the water or changing the mix so that it has an effect on shark psychology ?

Most people will wish this enquiry the best of luck in selecting a cost effective way of protecting bathers on the north coast, but it would also be rewarding to get the boffins to give some thought to why change has occurred.   There is absolutely no doubt that shark attacks are on the increase - and it would be helpful to discover the reason why this is happening !

" Monkey Bike " Tragedy !

This week a thirty-four year old mother of two children was shopping at a Melbourne shopping centre.   She was walking on a pedestrian crossing when several youths riding what are known as  "Monkey bikes "  began racing each other with total disregard for the safety of shoppers.   One of these ran her down, and despite being taken to hospital it was soon apparent that she had received irreversible brain injuries.  Her husband and two young children stood at her bedside as the life support machines were turned off.

This young mother was a nurse and she had a firm belief in the need for organ donor gifts to replace and save the lives of those suffering organ failures.  Her family honoured that wish  and her death will enable a host of complete strangers to enjoy recovery from a crippled lifestyle - and in some cases - reprieve from certain death.

The police have arrested one of the riders who absconded from the scene and are closing in on others, but this death raises the question of why these Monkey bikes are able to be imported and sold in Australia when they can not be legally registered for road use or serve any other useful purpose.

Monkey bikes are miniature motorbikes with very powerfull engines and they are capable of high speeds.According to the law in all Australian states and territories they are only able to be legally ridden on private land, but so far there has been no interest from farmers to apply them to cattle or sheep roundups - and they are regarded as " toys " !

The vast majority of these machines are advertised and on sale within Australian cities.  It is remotely possible that some buyers may have a grandparent or friend who owns a country farm and will allow them to be ridden where it is legal to do so, but the majority of sales are to city folk who are likely to either ride them on fire trails or public land - or in the majority of cases - illegally in shopping centres or public streets.

The quality of these toys ranges with the prices asked, but they are well within what many parents spend for a birthday gift or Christmas present for teenage children - and they are often high on the list of items teenagers urge their parents to buy.   It seems incredible that so many make this purchase knowing that the bikes will be used illegally on public streets and that their riders will be in danger of becoming a road statistic when they collide with other traffic.

In this case, the rider of that Monkey bike has committed a crime which has taken the life of a young mother - and court action will follow.  If the rider was under eighteen, the case will be heard in a juvenile court and such courts hand down  unbelievably light penalties.   The same offence committed by a person who has crossed over that eighteen age barrier would probably serve a term of incarceration.

The families who buy Monkey bikes as gifts for irresponsible teenagers are equally guilty because they know that their gift will never be used in a legal manner.   They simply don't care that it will be used on a public street or in a shopping centre with total disregard for the safety of the rider - or any other unfortunates who may come into contact with it's wild ride.

It also raises the question as to why these bikes are not an illegal import ?  It seems strange that a piece of machinery that is destined for illegal use can be openly advertised and displayed in shops - and allowed into the country in the full knowledge that it will pass into the hands of people who will use it to breach the law.

This untimely death simply illustrates the absurdity of what passes for import restrictions in Australia.

Smoking Fines !

Ask any ex-smoker and they will tell you about the agony of cravings for a cigarette when they have decided to give up the habit and gone "cold turkey  "!    Nicotine is notoriously addictive and is often compared to Heroin for the strength of it's ability to take control of a user's life.   It seems that the campaign to stop people smoking is now moving into high gear and persuasion is being replaced by force.

All forms of tobacco are now prohibitive items in this state's prison system.  Push turned to shove a month ago and by the stroke of a pen nicotine became a banned substance for those "guest's of the government "occupying a prison cell.  No doubt tobacco has become a new "currency " within prisons and is just as readily available today as illicit drugs have been in the past.

Any day we pass Wollongong's main hospital in Crown street we are sure to see a bevy of people on the footpath puffing on cigarettes.  That is despite prominent signs at all hospital entrances warning that it is illegal to smoke within ten metres of entrances and threatening a $300 on the spot fine for offenders.

Now we learn that this state's hospitals have come under pressure to implement those bans and their security people have started handing out fines.   It seems to be an incremental use of the law to gradually tighten the non smoking net, but at the same time leave nicotine as a legal product and net the tax bonanza that Treasury is reluctant to lose.

Hospital patients usually do not enjoy their stay in these medical institutions.  They are places of great tension - and often the deliverer of very bad news.  Unfortunately, pain is often a necessary companion to surgical operations and the fact that patients are separated from home and loved ones adds to the mental tension.  If a person is a smoker, the need for the soothing effect of nicotine becomes almost overwhelming.

That is just so apparent when considering those who congregate outside hospital entrances. Most have a coat over pyjamas and many use walking aids.   They have slipped away from their wards, often with a nod from an attending nurse concerned at their degree of agitation, and they return refreshed - with their craving appeased.   Imposing this ban seems little more than an act of incredible cruelty.

Smoking does cause both early death and many diseases but that damage is done long before they become hospital patients.   Many smokers are eager to quit the habit, but the timing of forcing this decision on them when they are battling the aftermath of an operation seems counter productive. It seems to be a case of diktat from above with little appreciation of how nicotine may help in getting the patient over the stress of an imposed hospital stay.

The likely outcome of this fine implementation move will be to cause patients in Wollongong to disperse further from the rain protected area immediately covering the entrance and congregate further along the street, outside of that ten metre exclusion zone.   Cold, wet and windy conditions are unlikely to counter the desperation for that nicotine fix.

No doubt the person who demanded that the non smoking rule be implemented with sharp teeth thinks they have done a great public service.   Making tobacco more expensive and reducing the number of outlets offering it for sale are legitimate weapons in the anti-nicotine war, but imposing an artificial ban on those under stress and denying them the comfort that nicotine can deliver is little more than the imposition of torture.

Making Judgement !

Different countries - Different laws  !   The law in Australia is based on English law because when the first fleet arrived this colony was deemed an extension of England as far as it's governors were concerned and judges enforced the law on that basis.  New laws were added when the complexities of this new land warranted.

Today, there has been a divergence of law between the two countries.  This concerns what juries are allowed to hear in relation to past crimes that apply to a person before them for judgement.  In England the judge presiding over a case has an obligation to make the jury aware of past convictions relating to that person.  In Australia, the jury is shielded from that knowledge - and only informed in very special circumstances.   Pressure is building to change the law and automatically make the jury aware of all past convictions.

There are two very pertinent sides to this argument.  It is argued that an accused must only be judged on the particular crime event on which he or she is on trial and that the decision must be made solely on the evidence put before the court.    It is the job of the prosecutor to convince the jury on the basis of that evidence, and the job of the defence to prove that this evidence does not convince them of guilt.   The judge is the arbitrator that keeps prosecution and defence within the boundaries of the law in their presentations.

Much depends on individual assessment each juror makes on the character of the accused.  In most cases, this person is a complete stranger and that evaluation is made entirely on what the juror observes in his or her manner in court, and in the skill of the defence lawyer in portraying innocence. Should that juror be made aware that this same person has a long history of similar convictions to the present charge that would surely help in making that evaluation.

This panders to the families of victims who are aware that an accused has a long and sordid history of similar crimes, and yet they sit at the trial and hear the defence portray the accused as a person of fine character.  It must be galling to see this go unchallenged and often leads to their notion that justice was not entirely served - and that the sentence imposed was inadequate.

Selecting a jury is a delicate process given that jurors are picked at random from electoral rolls. Where major crimes are concerned the law seeks the unanimous verdict for a conviction, but that has now been reduced so that a single holdout can no longer abort a trial.  Both prosecution and defence have a limited ability to reject individuals during jury selection and an effort is made to weed out those who may have strong partisan views on law procedure.

But - it all comes down to the individual makeup of the twelve people who sit in judgement.  They are counselled to be fair and only consider whatever evidence is put before them in court and yet their prejudices on morality, religion, politics and a host of other emotions will come into play as they make up their minds.   Often, a single person with strong persuasive powers will dominate a jury and sway the verdict either way.

It is possible to make a case on the admission of past crimes with opposing views.  Certainly the decision relates entirely to the event for which the accused is before the court and the decision must apply to that matter only, but at the same time a person who habitually perpetrated very similar events should be evaluated with that fact in mind when giving the case consideration.   The past criminality of the accused is a pertinent factor in character evaluation.

This is another of those issues that will probably only be decided by the justices of the Australian High Court.

That VW Scandal !

It seems almost unbelievable that the world's biggest carmaker by the measure of volume sold would deliberately deceive by incorporating software that allowed forty percent greater amounts of pollution to escape from the engines of it's diesel cars sold in America.   This clever device simply turned off pollution control, except in cases where procedures indicated that a test was being carried out. Amazingly, this has been in place on four cylinder diesel cars sold in the US since 2008.

In the competitive world of carmaking the risk that this deception would be unmasked was huge.Sales live or die by the exacting performance of engines and literally billions of research and development money is spent to try and achieve even the most minor performance uplift in output - and each car brand watches it's competitors closely  and tests their promises.

This news bombshell provoked a savage reaction in the car world.  The owners of 428,000 VW and Audi four cylinder diesels now know that their vehicles do not meet American pollution standards and it is highly likely that Volkswagen will face court penalties for the deception that may run to as much as $ 18 billion.   It remains to be seen how the news affects the resale price of effected cars.

Just like the ripples of a rock thrown into a pond, the aftershock may reverberate through the financial world.  Volkswagen was a very profitable company and as such was seen as a prime investment vehicle by all manner of institutions - including pension funds.   When the news broke it immediately wiped thirteen billion Euro dollars off the price of Volkswagen shares on the stock exchange - and they are now listed at just 133.70 Euro a share.

Just how this scandal came to be revealed is another interesting unanswered question, and that raises the spectre that this problem may be widespread.  Engineering is such an exact science that the Volkswagen claims for their diesel engines may have seemed technically impossible to rival engineers -who may have guessed the secret.  In the cut throat world of car manufacturing, it is possible that the credo of " if you can't beat them - join them " applied and others used this same ruse to disguise the true pollution output of their vehicles.

It seems certain that the testing authorities will implement a new serious of tests to winkle out any anomalies that could be attributed to deceptive software across the entire range of cars offering.  The fact that the biggest manufacturer stooped to such a practice will not enhance the reputation within the industry that even big names offer buyer protection.

This debacle comes hot on the heels of a litany of known faults that went uncorrected for years, even when road deaths were the result.  Car owners were lately swamped with recall notices that applied to most popular brands and models and the industry is still sorting out an air bag malfunction that may sent metal shrapnel into the face of the driver if the bag is deployed in an accident.

All this will not instill confidence in the concept of the driverless car.  Putting your faith - and your life - in the hands of a computer will not be enhanced by this sad tale of coverups and chicanery that the industry has resorted to with impunity.

The big question seems to be - what else remains to be discovered ?

Industrial Anarchy !

Perhaps the least law abiding union in Australia is the Construction Forestry, Mining and Energy Union - known by the acronym CFMEU. This union has it's tentacles firmly enmeshed in all aspects of the building trade and literally has the ability to bankrupt any contractor who fails to negotiate a deal to ensure industrial peace during construction periods.

Years previously, a favourite tactic was to call a sudden strike in the middle of a concrete pour.  To gain structural strength, a floor of a high rise building needs to be poured in a single operation and if this is disrupted, the entire pour has to be jack-hammered away and the work on that floor restarted.  The cost is immense - and usually the strike is on a minor pretext to deliberately reinforce the union's demands.

Building firms fear the CFMEU and it's power has led to coercion where workers are actually disadvantaged because employers are forced to accept making illicit payments to their union for political purposes in exchange for workplace peace.   Almost any sort of deal is possible - if the right amount of money changes hands.

All this came to a head when the government ordered a Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption. There have been calls for the man heading this Royal Commission to stand down because he was slated to be the guest speaker at a Liberal party event, but that hurdle has  been cleared. Now a new issue has arisen which strikes directly at the awesome powers invested in the hands of a Royal Commission.

It ordered the CFMEU to hand over the management documents that pertain to the running of the union and we now learn that these have been deliberately not only withheld, but were trucked away and dumped at a landfill.   A microphone recorded a conversation between senior officers of the union in which it was revealed that seven tonnes of incriminating evidence was dumped and that a truck receipt was produced to confirm that this had happened.  It was also revealed that more tonnes of records remained in storage.

There is a court ordered stay of execution on this evidence being examined by investigators, but the hand over order remains and it seems that this deliberate destruction of evidence is in sheer defiance of the Royal Commission.  The entire building industry is waiting to see just what action will be forthcoming.  The last thing this country needs is a disruptive union battle in the workplace but this is sheer criminality that the Royal Commission can not ignore.

In the opinion of many people, this is a showdown that was both inevitable - and a long time in coming.   In particular, the CFMEU has run roughshod over the law  - and been getting away with it.
There has been timidity evident from both politicians and the police when it comes to illegal union practices and a " don't rock the boat " mentality has prevailed.  Fear has been a contributing factor demanding acceptance of unsavoury deals by both employers and employees - and the power of union officials has been paramount.

Now it all depends if the Royal Commission is prepared to carry through and strike down the power of union bosses to run their crime empire - and if the politicians have the courage to standup to the belligerence of the union rank and file - and their political  supporters ?

Life After Politics !

It is said that a " job for life "  concept ended decades ago and the average person can now expect to retrain for a new career several times during their working life.  Spare a thought for those politicians who no longer hold their previous positions as a result of a leadership change in Australian politics.

When a new political leader attains office there is the expectation of a cabinet reshuffle and new faces will appear in the ministry.  Rewards for support need to be handed out but every new political leader has policy aspirations that lead in different directions and has the need to put the right people in place to achieve those objectives.

Consequently, many who previously held the levers of power find themselves returned to the backbench - and the need to ponder their future.  Usually those who have achieved ministerial appointment are long serving politicians and the retirement rewards for those of senior rank are very generous.   It must be tempting to think of resignation and a life free of the media scrutiny and constant blame that is the inevitable lot for those who win elected office.

Former Treasurer Joe Hockey has grasped that nettle and announced that he will retire from parliament.    He will probably serve out the current parliamentary term so as not to create a by-election, but most likely he will simply wait and not contest his seat at the next election.  There is an expectation that such a man of substance will be high on the list of potential appointees for an appointment in the public service, and already there are mutterings that Hockey could be a future ambassador to represent Australia in Washington.

There is precedent for such an assumption.  Liberal Opposition leader Andrew Peacock and Labor Opposition leader Kim Beasley both served in that role as a reward for service in the parliament and Joe Hockey's stint as Treasurer elevates him to similar status.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has not yet made a decision on his future.  Usually, when a prime minister leaves office it is because of defeat in an election and the opportunity exists to remain as the opposition leader in the hope of regaining office at a future election.   This leadership transition was quite different.  There was a loss of confidence in the prime minister in the party room, leading to a spill in which the numbers went against the holder of that office.

This is an unprecedented situation and while Mr Abbott has pledged loyalty to the new leader his retention as a backbencher will introduce tension into the parliament.  It will be hard for him to adjust to his new role and there is the possibility of the formation of a group resisting the implementation of polices that take a new direction.  He could become the core around which such opposition formed.

Fortunately, only a short life remains in this parliament and there seems every likelihood that the new prime minister may go to the polls early to seek a mandate for his policies.  Mr Abbott may join Mr Hockey in simply not contesting his seat if that occurs.

Tony Abbott is still a relatively young man and if he quits politics it is likely that he will be considered for a posting in the International arena.  It would be quite feasible for him to be in contention for a very senior posting to the United Nations, or even to Brussels and the headquarters of the European Union.

Having held the position of prime minister of a world country seems to be the ideal qualification for a rewarding life after politics !

Privacy !

A conflict between the need for home security and the privacy which we are entitled to enjoy in our own home is causing the Law and Justice Committee to hold an enquiry into the placement of private security cameras.   This is now the biggest area of complaints, only headed by the issue of "revenge pawn " - when revealing photographs or video are shown on the Internet by a discarded lover.

For a very few dollars the electronics industry is offering multi cameras that may be placed to view all aspects of the owner's property and screen this view to a computer screen in the house, or beam it to the owner's smartphone.  This offers a record of any approach to the building which deters thieves and often allows police to identify the bandits should a robbery occur.   It is a genuine tool in home security - and it fully complies with the law.

The problem is that these cameras usually also overlook surrounding property.   It is quite unnerving to some people to know that whenever they enter their yard or do a spot of gardening they are being watched by a camera pointed towards their property.  In some cases, sensitive people have taken to hiding behind umbrellas whenever they venture outdoors because this privacy thing has become a phobia.

This " invasion of privacy " issue becomes acute where a private swimming pool is under surveillance.   Many people install a swimming pool on their property to avoid public beaches and expect to be able to relax in brief swimming costumes in the ultimate privacy of their own backyard.  This is entirely negated if they are conscious that every minute is being viewed by a neighbouring security camera.

It is illegal to invade the privacy of others by flying a camera equipped drone over neighbouring properties or installing cameras over the boundary line, but having such cameras on your side of the property line is entirely within the law.   The only redress seems to favour the rich.   It is possible to launch a costly action in the Supreme court with a claim that such cameras are a " nuisance " and should be removed, but success is far from assured.

In the vast majority of cases this privacy issue is unwarranted.  The cameras deliver a security function and are only watched in the aftermath of an incident, but in the hands of a voyeur they can be a source of titillation.   Of course, such a person has every right to look out a window or stand on their patio and observe the goings-on next door, but it is the issue of uncertainty that worries many people.

This problem is likely to get worse.  The cost of such security equipment has fallen precipitously and the quality has been enhanced to near professional levels.   It is a very real option for those worried about building security and the very presence of such high profile cameras actually deters thieves.

We live with camera surveillance whenever we enter a shopping centre, travel on a train or walk the streets of most cities.   The ubiquitous camera is fast becoming a feature on the windscreen of cars - to record minor accidents and apportion blame.   It is unlikely that legislation can be enacted to deliver the degree of home privacy that many people seek.

The only option seems to be - learn to smile for the camera !

A Waste of Talent !

Here in Wollongong, Dapto TAFE sits on a magnificent 1.4 hectare site and has twenty-two full time staff.  What it lacks - is students  !   Five years ago it was a busy hub with an enrolment of 658 learning a trade, but the numbers dwindled and today not a single student walks through the gates at the commencement of each learning day.

Dapto TAFE joins similar underperforming units at Chullora, Epping and Belrose slated for sale or conversion to other purposes which will most likely return $63 million to the public purse, and this at a time when the unemployed are crying out for qualifications to land them a job.

Amazingly, we have constant warnings that Australia lacks qualified tradesmen to fill gaps in carpentry, plumbing, electrical and other aspects of the building trade.  Construction is often delayed because sufficient bricklayers can not be found and those with this skill have pushed their rates to dizzy heights.  In today's world, tradesmen are earning more than some people with degrees - and yet we have empty TAFE facilities about to go under the auctioneers hammer.

It seems that the planning people got a lot of things wrong.  TAFE is just a fancy new name for what used to be called "Technical Colleges ".   Those were the days when kids left school and either went to university - or learned a trade by being apprenticed.   In return for very low wages their employer taught them their trade and this learning process was both checked and extended by their attendance at night classes at the Technical College - which issued a formal certificate of graduation at the conclusion of their apprenticeship period.

Somewhere along the way, attitudes changed. A school of thought emerged that quality of life was more important than earning a living and all sorts of exotic courses began to cram the TAFE offerings, to the exclusion of trades.   Young hopefuls began to enrol in basket weaving, Brazilian waxing and Hula Hooping, few of which offered career opportunities.

That seems to be the sad experience of Dapto TAFE.  Presently, it offers just two courses.  Certificate 2 Work training in Forestry skills, and Certificate 2 in Community Services.   Neither of these have attracted a single enrolment.

It doesn't take a brain like Albert Einstein to figure out what is wrong - and how to fix it.  There are other TAFE's in surrounding Wollongong suburbs that are going gangbusters with students -  because they teach the subjects that deliver jobs.  Even the less mentally gifted should be able to see why Dapto TAFE is missing out on student numbers.

It would be a tragedy if this TAFE went out of existence simply because of bad planning.  Somewhere there are people earning very good money who have the task of making decisions that could turn this around - and deliver qualifications that would make a dent in the unemployment figures.

If nothing else, the need for more bricklayers is critical to the housing boom - and they are wanted in all areas of Australia.  If this TAFE specialised in training bricklayers it would do more than earn it's keep - and provide a public service.

Surprises !

This week it seems that "unintended consequences "were the outcome of what was supposed to be a harmless "Surprise " on the part of the receiver.   When a envelope arrived at the office of a western Sydney member of parliament the office staff viewed it with suspicion.  It contained something granular - which moved when kneaded with fingers - and in this age of terrorism public figures are alert to be suspicious about anything out of the ordinary.   They called the cops - and emergency services !

That resulted in screaming sirens and the arrival of police cars and emergency services crews who carefully examined the envelope - and found it contained "glitter ".   It seems that is was sent by GetUp, a same sex marriage proponent which uses the myriad colours of glitter to signify marriage diversity.

The Emergency Services minister was not amused - and has sent GetUp a bill for $4219.50 as a carefully itemised cost of diverting crews from being able to react to genuine emergencies.  GetUp is refusing to pay this bill and it is of very doubtful legality, but it does illustrate the need for careful consideration of the possible outcomes before engaging in any form of publicity stunt.

On the other side of the world, a Texas schoolboy caused a stir when he set out to explore the fast developing world of electronics.  Fourteen year old Ahmud Mohamed strung together resistors and capacitors to create an electronic clock that "beeped "when it announced the change of hours.  He packed it in a small case and took it to school to show his teachers - and sparked off an emergency that saw the entire school evacuated and the services of the massive American military respond to what they thought may be a terrorist attack.

It didn't help that Ahmud was a Muslim and he was handcuffed and marched off to a police station where he was questioned and accused of a "bomb hoax "and threatened with prison.  He became an "instant celebrity " and received an invitation from the President to bring his electronic clock to the Whitehouse.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg promptly tweeted "Having the skill to build something cool should lead to applause, not arrest.  The future belongs to people like Ahmud. "  He has also been invited to visit Facebook headquarters.

Perhaps he would have been wise to forgo the "surprise " factor and alert his teachers of what he had developed and what he intended to bring to school.   We are  living in an age when things that previously seemed "ordinary "cross a line that the people tasked with our safety simply can not ignore.  When pressure cooker bombs exploded at the Boston marathon the bombers put their packages on the ground and simply walked away.  As a result, any unattended bag or parcel now draws suspicion, and yet a similar bombing recently killed and maimed innocent people at a goodluck shrine in Thailand.

The age of innocence has long past. In today's world the wise think through any intended action to determine what other reactions may arise !

Tabcorp "Sting " !

It's a chilling thought, but what happens if your credit card has been maxed out transferring money to some bandit's Tabcorp account taken out in your name - and you have to prove that it was not you that had this gambling compulsion ?

The police have just busted a gang of four men in western Sydney who setup a lucrative sting that delivered them a vast amount of stolen money.  They equipped numerous ATM's with "skimming "devices that netted them card details and used these to open phone betting facilities with the TAB.  Once this was in place they went on a betting splurge that engaged the second part of the sting - having winnings deposited in spurious bank accounts opened in the name of the unfortunate card holder - and these were quickly cashed out and abandoned, leaving few clues behind.

The aftermath can leave a rather nasty stain on the good name of the victim. Compulsive gambling is a disease that strikes many people and it is understandable that in many cases the suspicion will linger.  Then there is the matter of who is responsible for that maxed out credit card debt ?

This certainly delivers a wakeup call to both the banks and the TAB.  The banks have a number of trip wires in place to detect unusual account activity and you would think that a sudden surge in betting activity by a customer without such a previous history would ring alarm bells.

Gambling was once rigorously controlled to the extent that the only way you could place a legal bet required a visit to a race track where that bet could be made in person with a bookmaker.  Those were the days when just about every pub had an illegal SP bookmaker offering his services in the public bar every Saturday, despite periodic crackdowns by the police and pressure from the anti gambling movement.

Eventually, the government was left drooling about all this untaxed money changing hands and set out to get their share.   They deferred to the will of the people and put the SP bookies out of business by setting up a legal TAB where ordinary punters could bet off course at the TAB agencies  dotted about the suburbs.

From there, gambling took on a life of it's own. Online betting is now a fact of life and virtual casinos use Spam tactics to offer free money to induce new gamblers to try their luck.  It is inevitable that the crime world would use these opportunities to launch scams to line their own pockets.

The TAB has tightened security and adopted undisclosed measures to close down this blatant extortion, but perhaps new measures are needed to ensure account security.  Perhaps non gamblers would be wise to advise their bank that all forms of gambling activity face account blockage and this can only be cancelled by their presentation at the bank to rescind that order.

The crims are getting smarter.   It seems that counter measures need a similar upgrade !

Boxing - and the Law !

If someone swings a punch outside a pub and delivers a blow that sends an opponent crashing to the pavement - there is a chance that the result will be fatal brain damage - causing death.  We have laws in place to treat that as a criminal offence.

When two men willingly climb into a boxing ring they do so with the intention of trying to land a blow with their fist that will jar their opponents brain and send him crashing to the canvas - unconscious !  Whenever this happens, there is a risk that the damage caused will be permanent and that death will follow.

Since the dark ages boxing has been a sport which delivers both fame and wealth to it's champions. There are risks that go with most sports and sudden death is always a possibility with boxing.  Those that survive into old age often suffer a creeping form of dementia, caused by innumerable blows to the head damaging the brain.  Boxing is a legal sport and it is much hyped by the media.

Once again the medical profession is calling for it to be banned.  Davey Browne Junior, a 28 year old fighter had the misfortune to suffer a technical knock-out in a boxing match at the Ingleburn RSL - and failed to rise from the canvas.    He was rushed to hospital where a brain scan revealed irreparable damage - and his life support was turned off.  He was just the latest victim to what is now seen as a high risk sport.

There have been instances of death in most sports.  Rugby players have become paraplegics and we now know that concussion often delivers severe after effects, but these are accidental.  No player goes on the field with the aim of deliberately maiming or killing an opponent.   The difference with boxing is that is precisely the aim of contestants.  It is their intention to deliver the most severe blow possible to end the contest and be declared the winner.   It could be said that boxing is a blood sport !

Now we have a new form of combat called "Cage Fighting " which seems to be a combination of boxing, wrestling and martial unarmed combat - and the more the blood flows the more the audience pays to watch and vigorously applauds.  Women are also entering the boxing arena, and with that comes the expectation of physical damage to the more tender parts of the female anatomy.

The question parliament must decide is what action - if any - to take to regulate a very old sport that has many admirers ?    One option would be to require boxers to wear protective head gear to insulate the brain, but that would restrict punches to the upper body and probably seriously detract as a spectator sport.   Boxing contestants know the risks they take and they do that willingly, justly compensated by the rewards that come from a successful career.   If we are going to remove all forms of risk from society, we do so at the risk of driving dangerous entertainment underground.

That is exactly what happened with cock fighting and mortal combat between dogs.  Both had a following and when bans came into place the events continued at hidden venues - and they still happen in Australia today.   Many people consider bull fighting as animal cruelty, but it remains the national sport in several countries.

Death in a boxing ring creates national headlines simply because it is so rare.  Every year, thousands of fights are sporting events in Australia and in the vast number of cases the only damages are black eyes and severe bruising, but each boxing death brings calls for the sport to be banned.   There is no suggestion of banning rugby league, Rugby Union or Australian Rules- or even cricket - when a tragic accident brings death during a game.

A good umpire knows when to stop the fight and the Boxing Federation has good reason to rule with safety in mind.  Boxing is certainly not risk free, but those taking part know the risks they take and if boxing is banned there is every chance that daredevils will make money and gain fans from engaging in even riskier sports -like tight rope walking or jumping trail bikes across impossible distances.

Willingly taking risk seems an inescapable part of the human psyche !

Trial by " Opinion Poll " !

This week Australia deposed it's current Prime Minister and installed Malcolm Turnbull as the new leader, giving this country the fifth leadership change in the last five years. All of these changes have a common factor that heralds just what a Prime Minister must achieve - if he or she is to retain their job.   That requirement is a favourable opinion poll !

No longer will the rank and file backbench blindly follow their elected leader if that person or the party looks certain to lose office at a forthcoming election.  Self preservation comes to the fore and they look for a saviour to turn around that negative opinion poll and ensure that they retain their seat - and the pay, privileges and power that goes with it.

Australia endured the Rudd, Gillard, Rudd years of Labor in power and the constant jockeying for position which went with it.  Similar leadership stresses were played out in the Liberal Opposition and Malcolm Turnbull was replaced by Tony Abbott with the thin  margin of a single vote deciding that issue.   Consequently, Turnbull has been waiting in the wings, the "heir apparent " to replace Abbott in the event that he stumbles.   This week he counted the numbers - and made his move.

Those numbers were decisive.  54/44 showed a loss of faith in Abbott's ability to turn around those very negative opinion polls - and Abbott had been given six months to restore voter's confidence when a past leadership change was mooted.  Ominously, this challenge coincided precisely with the expiration of that period of grace.

The voting public will have about a year to make up their minds and all sides of politics will be closely following those opinion polls.   Both Turnbull and Abbott were former Rhodes Scholars, but men of entirely different dispositions.   Turnbull was successful in the business world and also a distinguished barrister who made his name defeating the British government in a high profile court action.   Abbott was a man very competitive in sports - and perhaps this lacked the gravitas expected of a prime minister.

Australia's twenty-ninth new prime minister will shuffle his ministry and make policy changes. The world economic situation looks shaky and events in the Middle East and Africa are unlikely to improve in the short term.  We have a housing price bubble in Australia and a slowing of the Chinese economy is decreasing our exports of coal and iron ore.  Spending cuts seem inevitable, and those are always unpopular measures.

To a degree, gaining the confidence of the public depends on charisma.  There is no doubt that during the Great Depression that was the factor that enabled President Franklin Roosevelt to guide America to a safe landing.  In earlier times, Robert Menzies retained office for a long period because he had the confidence of the Australian people.  It seems to be an instinct that convinces people that their leader has a steady hand on the tiller.

For better or worse - Australia has a new leader.  In today's political world, he will live or die by the opinion  polls !

Back to the " Bad Old Days " !

Britain took a lurch to the far left when it's Labor party elected Jeremy Corbyn as leader, replacing Ed Miliband, the man who dismally lost the last election.   Corbyn (66) is a veteran of the time when British Labor was in the thrall of forcing socialism on the country and his stance today is a complete rejection of Tony Blair's "New Labor " manifesto - which gained the party control of the parliament for more than a decade.

Corbyn gained the leadership with 59.5% of the vote and his policy speeches left little doubt as to his intentions if he can win government.  He plans to re-nationalise the railways and install a regime of socialism, to be financed by savage tax increases heaped on the wealthy and on all forms of business.  He will order the Bank of England to run the printing presses and use this money to create public housing, energy and transport.   That sends a shiver down the spine of most economists because it would certainly let the inflationary dragon out of it's den.

He constantly speaks out about the war in Iraq and we are likely to see a resurgence in the movement to impose unilateral disarmament. Britain's commitment to NATO involves nuclear submarines which will shortly need replacement and that opens the debate on both the fleet base in Scotland and the entire question of retaining nuclear arms.   Britain would diminish from a world power to a similar status as Iceland or Norway.

Many older people will remember difficult times after the end of the second world war when Britain was in the grip of socialism.  It's industry just could not compete with the strangulation imposed by militant unions and public services were hampered by layers of red tape and the ever present interfering bureaucracy.   The country was referred to by competitors as "the sick man of Europe  ".

It took the controversial policies of Margaret Thatcher and then Tony Blair to create a modern Britain that successfully engaged in world trade and dominated as the location of financial services for the entire continent of Europe.  What Jeremy Corbyn proposes seems to be a step backward and to a socialist the very word "profit " is an insult.   It seeks to tax all forms of commerce out of existence and replace it with government institutions that work to a set of rules that seem certain to lose money and create inefficiency.   Most of the world's socialist governments totter on the brink of insolvency.

It remains to be seen how this vast change of direction is received by the wider British public.  The Labor party is a broad church and the people who vote in a leader are a small minority, with the trade unions holding a disparate degree of power.   Not only does Jeremy Corbyn have to sell his policy to the true believers of Labor, he must also convince the swinging voters of Britain to throw the country into reverse and adopt a policy that was an abject failure when it was last tried many decades earlier.

When he threw his hat into the leadership ring the pundits branded him "unelectable ".   The fact that he won office handsomely is a surprise to many and he has five years to sell his policy to the broad masses before he goes to the polls.  If he fails, it is likely that this "Labor experiment " will bring disaster to British politics.   It may wreck Labor and destroy the party as the main force in opposition.

A country gets the best government when whoever is in office has an opposition snapping at it's heels and is a credible successor. To resurrect a failed policy from the twentieth century and try to rework it in this twenty-first century seems like tilting at windmills.   Or perhaps a desperation measure !

The " Family Name " Conundrum !

A hundred years ago it was quite simple.   When a woman walked down the aisle she shed her maiden name and took that of her husband.  Her new title of "Mrs" went with the ring she wore on the fourth finger of her left hand and children of that union were automatically registered under the husbands surname - because that had become the "family name "!

A hundred years ago the marriage act was only just emerging from a previous ruling that saw marriage as a form of social slavery.  In the eyes of the law, a married woman became her husband's property and even in the enlightened west - a husband took control of any money she might have in her own name and clearly made all the decisions on where they would live.   A wife was entirely under her husband's control and he could demand sex or beat her with impunity from the law.

Australia was one of the first countries to give women the vote and the affect of two world wars saw women emerge and enter the work force as a necessity.  The feminist movement fought for equality and while women generally still earn less than men they have achieved equality before the law - and today many reject that name change and continue to be known by their former maiden name after marriage.   In particular, those who achieve sporting fame in their youth are reluctant to step away from a name that receives wide recognition.

Slowly, this name retention is easing the preference some father's have for a son to carry on the family name.   The genetics of both sons and daughters are an equal mix of both their parents and a daughter who is successful in the business or sporting world can be a source of pride, but it is now adding a new dimension in what a child will be called when they first register for school.

What happens in a family where the wife retains her maiden name and the husband his - and the question of which will be fixed to the progeny arises ?  We are actually seeing instances where the husband adopts his wife's maiden name as the family name, but settling that matter can be a point of friction. In some cases, a hyphenated mix links both names as a reasonable alternative.

We now live in a society where divorce is common and the division of property can be very divisive.  It seems that one of the areas of combat is the family name attached to children of that marriage. A case has gone before the Family Court of Australia to decide on the wish of a divorced mother to name her eight year old son by a hyphenated version of her family name and her former husbands.  The court handed down a rejection on the grounds "that it was not in the boy's interests " to change what he had been known by since birth.

This seems to set a precedent.  It can be confusing for a child to have to cope with a name change and that can be disorienting.  It certainly raises the issue of how to deal with the matter of a common family name applied to the children of marriages where both parents retain their former names and single identities in both the social and work areas.

The family court seems to be saying that whatever is chosen should be unchanged even if the parents union is split by divorce and it will not countenance a name change to that of whichever parent is awarded custody of the child.  That seems to be a warning to get it right - when the initial name decision is made.

It also heralds a distinctly new form of nomenclature.    The practice of retaining former identities is becoming so ingrained that a hyphenated form to provide an agreed identity for children of such unions seems inevitable.

The Medical " Twilight Zone " !

The Health Care Complaints Commission ( HCCC ) will be taking a look at the Cosmetic Surgery industry after two young women were rushed to hospital when their hearts stopped beating while undergoing what are known as " Boob jobs " under a light anaesthetic.   Fortunately, they both made a full recovery, but many entrepreneurs have discovered new fields of medical services that do not require any form of medical license but subject the patient to a partial anaesthetic, bordering on the inner edge of deep sedation.

This form of " light anaesthetic " is widely used in the field of traditional medicine to avoid the discomfort of colonoscopic bowel examinations, cataract removal and many others similar procedures and is administered by a doctor trained and licensed in that discipline. It seems that this is so loosely categorised that a light anaesthetic may be administered by a person with limited medical qualifications, and that now worries the HCCC.

Cosmetic surgery is a relatively new branch of medicine and is subject to both rapid expansion and entrepreneurial development of procedures offered.   It seems to fall into the licensing " twilight zone " and consequently the standards that apply to traditional medicine do not apply.   The HCCC is aware of customer complaints mounting and there is growing concern that this new industry needs to be brought under stricter licensing control.

The danger is that tightening the Cosmetic industry in Australia will probably send Australian customers offshore to where " Cosmetic tourism "  is a growing segment of the holiday trade.  It can be very appealing when offers include air fares, accommodation in luxury hotels and the attention of a cosmetic surgeon to deliver that desired look - all included in a very attractively priced package that also comes with a credit offer.

One of the advantages of globalization is that the world banking system is quite happy to finance an event that happens in another country with finance that can be repaid in the traveller's home country over an extended period of time.   Cosmetic surgery is now available to very ordinary people and has long become removed as purely a service available to the rich and famous.   The only missing link seems to be the qualifications of those providing this service.

If qualifications for cosmetic surgery are deficient in Australia, you can be sure that a very similar situation exists in Asia and this seems to be reflected in the number of people returning with unexpected - and unwanted - side affects from their experience.  This can range from ugly scar tissue to infections that are life threatening.  In many cases, it takes expensive remedial surgery here in Australia to repair the damage.

As the events that happened to two young women who experienced heart failure shows, the use of twilight suppression of pain is not without risk.  A trained anaesthetist takes careful note of the patients medical history, drug regimen and general health in selecting the strength and type of anesthetic to be used, and carefully observes their condition while the procedure is carried out.

Unfortunately, the powers of the HCCC relate only to procedures within Australia.  Those who willingly undergo medical procedures overseas do so with the risk factor entirely on their own shoulders !

Human " Spare Parts " !

In the medical world they are known as " Prostheses " and that covers the wide range of items used to repair the human body.   Everything from screws and plates needed to hold broken bones back together to hip and knee replacements which keep the elderly mobile.  Items big and small, including Insulin pumps to keep diabetics alive, stents to keep blood flowing in faulty hearts and even the tiny lenses that save cataract patients from blindness.

In our curios medical system there is no charge for any of these " human spare parts "  in the public hospital system, but there are limitations, and there are differences in what is available between the public and the private hospital systems.   When a manufacturer comes up with a new prosthesis  it is first subjected to an efficiency test and then the Health Minister negotiates a price the public system will pay - when it gets approval to go on the PBS listing.   Often, it will go to tender if there is a hassle over it's price structure.

Because the private hospital system is served by eighteen entirely different medical insurers it would be unusual for a tender to apply to spare parts pricing, and they represent 14.3% of the premiums pie we pay for medical insurance - and that represents an annual bill of $ 1.9 billion.  It is not unusual for the private patient to find a huge surcharge tacked onto his or her hospital bill - with this relating to the prosthesis used.

As any car owner knows, buying spares in the car parts jungle involves a vast price discrepancy between makes and models.   Often precisely the same headlight that fits different cars will come at a huge price difference just because each car manufacturer embosses it with their brand and sees fit to price accordingly.    Very often, that same unbranded item is available at a mere fraction of the branded cost.

The public hospital system offers surgeons a much smaller choice of prostheses whereas the private hospitals offer a wider range, but with newer and improved models not yet approved in the public sector - at a higher price.  That is often the reason people give for having private health insurance - the option of choice of surgeon and the hope of access to the latest development in the world of medical innovation.

The fact that patients in the private system are paying up to seventy percent more for some prostheses than the cost billed to the government in the public system is of concern to the Health Minister.   It illustrates the difference in negotiating a common price when one system is entirely in government hands and the other is fragmented between eighteen different health insurers who have patients attending a range of many private hospitals under the legal jurisdiction of the various states and territories.

It will be possible to negotiate a better deal - if all the parties refrain from squabbling and agree to appoint a mutual body to act as the conduit between prosthesis manufacturers and the entire private insurance and hospital systems - and the states reach accord on where their laws interact in the medical arena.

Common interest makes this essential.  The wider the cost gap between the public and the private hospital systems the more people opt out of paying for health insurance, and our ever increasing aged population is the main user of prostheses.   A seventy percent price differential is simply not sustainable !

Ice Madness !

Under the influence of the drug Ice a man knifed his mother to death and then took the life of his seven year old nephew.   The effect of this drug varies from person to person but it is known to increase the strength factor and rage of users and many believe it inflicts a temporary state of insanity.    It is not unusual for users to try and inflict murder on paramedics, police or even innocent bystanders.    Ice users are not under any form of self control.

We have been warned that if we do not succeed in getting Ice under control it will do irreparable damage to Australia as a nation.   It is flooding onto the market, both as an import from overseas and from drug labs in our suburbs.   This flourishing drug trade is delivering big money to suppliers and there is no shortage of willing customers.

We are a civilized country and our attitude to drugs has focused on rehabilitation for those addicted.  We certainly inflict punishment on those caught manufacturing and trafficking these illegals but the rewards are so overwhelming that the drug trade accept prison as a reasonable tradeoff.   A successful drug trader lives the life of a movie star - and often becomes a darling of the media.

When Australia abolished the death penalty it was widely conceded that the threat of execution did little to reduce the murder rate.  Today, the sentence for murder is usually about twenty years, and only about half of this is served before the murderer is given parole.   A century ago the contention was that murder deserved the gallows - and a life for a life was the appropriate punishment.

Our attitude to drugs is changing.   Marijuana is fast becoming decriminalised and those addicted to Heroin are put of a Methadone programme to ease their cravings.  The difference is that Ice is a totally different drug that changes the mental balance of users - and users can easily be set on a murderous rampage that takes the lives of others.

No doubt the thoughts of some people will turn to reintroducing the death penalty to stamp out this scourge. That is unlikely to get public acceptance, but if it were to be applied to Ice it would need a very different protocol to the protracted years on death row and innumerable appeals that now see many of those convicted die of old age before the execution is scheduled to happen.

It is an interesting thought to imagine just how the drug trade would react if anyone caught importing, manufacturing or trafficking in Ice was put before a judge, convicted - and sentenced to death, and that death sentence was carried out within seven days.   No appeals.  No second chances.

Of course there would be howls of protest from the civil liberties people.  What if by some tragic mistake an innocent got convicted ?    What if a person with a mental disorder tragically got involved in drugs ?   What if the prosecution setup a sting - and a simple minded person grabbed the bait ?

Of course, it will never happen !   We are far too civilized to implement a solution that might actually seriously dent the Ice trade.  The really big operators distance themselves at arms length from the operational side, but it would certainly make the chemists brewing Ice in small quantities stop and take notice, and the pushers might think the risk factor to reward was suddenly very negative.

At the very worst, it would rid society of people who would not be missed !

Scanners and Jammers !

The New South Wales government is finally getting serious about security in the state prison system. Last year the prison authorities confiscated 320 mobile phone smuggled in to prisoners and it is a well known fact that some incarcerated criminals continue to run their crime empires from behind bars on the basis of orders given by this medium.

In many instances mobile phone are broken down into their individual parts to avoid detection and simply assembled when needed to be used, and carried and stored by prisoners in their body cavities. The sophistication of concealment is ever increasing but detection technology is also keeping pace and the government has ordered twenty high end scanners which sound the alert even when phone parts are inactivated and the device is turned off.

All the main prisons will have a scanner on permanent duty and there will be others randomly circulated in low security prison farms and similar institutions.  The security boffins are confident that these unobtrusive units will permanently put an end to any form of mobile phone use wherever they are installed - and if so this will certainly curb the crime scene.

Interestingly, another method of barring mobile phones is completing a two year trial at Lithgow prison.  The state government worked long and hard to get permission from the Australian Communications and Media Authority to install a phone jamming device to stop all inward and outward phone traffic at this jail.    The prison became a no go zone for mobile phones and this equally applied to both prisoners and prison staff.   Now there is an application in process to extend that permit so a similar jammer can be employed at Goulburn - where the most notorious state prisoners are held in the Supermax.

Jammers are the ultimate weapon because no matter how skillfully a mobile phone is concealed, it is unusable within the range of the jammer - and that is the problem that concerns the licensing authority.  Weather conditions can cause this range to vary and if a prison is located in a builtup area the jamming could extend to nearby homes and cut contact by those passing by in cars on a nearby highway.     That is an issue that must be carefully considered when granting permission for their use.

All of this has no bearing on the fixed line telephone services to prisons and it seems certain that when these bans go into operation there will be attempts to tap into the internal phone system, but it is easy to place a monitor on the fixed number of lines available.  By law, that probably means that anyone legally using a phone in a prison would need to hear a warning that the conversation will be monitored - and that will include permitted fixed line conversations between prisoners and their families.

All this is long overdue.  The privacy issue has been exploited by opponents and some in the legal profession object to jammers on the basis that it also affects their phones when consulting with clients, but the lethal nature of terrorism and the known terrorists that we have contained in our prisons have swung the balance towards interception.

A Nice Little Money Earner !

It was a great day when the toll booths on the Sydney Harbour bridge were finally dismantled and traffic began to flow without the need to stop and start to pay the toll - with most motorists fumbling for change.  The introduction of the E-Tag system certainly speeded up the bridge crossing for most people.

Now we learn that choosing the lane in which we drive is a form of lottery that determines how much we pay for each transit - and that this form of " lottery " probably costs the driver who uses the bridge for a daily commute to the city about an extra hundred dollars a year.

The problem is malfunctioning E-Tag readers which fail to accurately decipher the code that relates to each account holder.  This incurs the services of a human who views the video footage of the car stream to identify the number plate and manually debit the toll fee to that cars account.  In the distant past, the car owner received a notice of this action, but now it just happens automatically.

The sticking point is that there is a 55 cent " Video Processing fee " now tacked on to each of these human interventions and it seems that the E-Tag readers on our bridge have a notorious unreliability factor.   That 55 cent charge now amounts to $ 1.4 million of extra revenue above the annual usage toll.

Statistical analysis reveals that the choice of lane used on the bridge determines how likely you are to have that processing fee tacked onto your account because the unreliability of the E-Tag readers varies widely by a range of between two and eight percent.   Few bother to check their toll accounts and these extra charges go unnoticed.

This anomaly is pointing the finger to determine responsibility. There is the expectation that the operator will have the E-Tag readers maintained to a high standard and constantly upgraded, but motorists also have a need to ensure that their tag is in good condition and properly positioned. The computer is programmed to issue an email alert when any individual vehicle attracts three video processing charges in any one month,  Many drivers deny receiving this advice.

Considering that since the processing fee was introduced seventy-nine million cars have passed over the Sydney Harbour bridge and about three percent have had their E-Tag misread and attracted the charge, the margin of error is small - but it still represents $ 1.4 million that must be regarded as an overcharge.

There is little incentive for either the toll operator or the government to improve reliability of the E-Tag readers if this goes unchallenged and they continue to get away with it.  Technology is ever improving and even a three percent error is too wide a margin in this electronic age.   The obvious answer is for more people to pay attention to their toll account, check to see that their reader is properly positioned and undamaged - and lodge a complaint if they think they are being unfairly charged.

The fact that the misreading varies widely between the bridge lanes tends to point the finger at faulty flow cameras as the prime cause of the overcharge !

" That " Picture !

It is strange how occasionally a single picture stands out so dramatically from other scenes of misery that it changes the world.  A lot of people have drowned as they try to cross the Mediterranean and find safety in Europe but there was something so absolutely shocking in seeing three year old Aylan Kurdi laying dead at the waters edge on a Turkish beach.

He was so nicely dressed and it seemed that the vastly overcrowded boat capsized, resulting in not only his death but that of his mother and brother.  Only his distraught father survived, and that picture had a lot to do with Germany and Austria throwing open their borders and increasing their acceptance of refugee numbers.

We are seeing the worst that humans can do to one another in the conflict that is roiling the Middle East and parts of Africa.  Islamic State is imposing a form of religious dogma that demands total obedience and people smugglers are enriching themselves cramming incredible numbers of people into anything that floats.  When these hordes make landfall they are unwelcome and entire countries try to move them on.  They become the flotsam and jetsam of war and the news scenes filling the nightly news are reminiscent of what followed the end of the second world war.

Sadly, nothing is about to change.  There are no signs that the United Nations is about to order the countries that makeup it's members to create an armed force to restrain IS.  The "veto " and self interest will see to that.  The people smugglers have an unending supply of customers prepared to put their lives on the line - and they will continue to line their pockets with gold as desperate people see Europe as their only hope of escaping death.

Some who make the crossing will establish a new life but for others they will end up an unhappy minority, resented as a burden by their new hosts and incapable of making the transition of thinking to mesh in with their country of acceptance. It is quite possible that they will cluster in nationalistic groups, clinging to their native tongues and living a tribal existence in a mood of hostility.

They will change the makeup of the countries accepting them and many see this as a religious invasion.  The numbers will certainly bring religious tensions and new thinking in the world of politics, and there seems no reason why this outward flow will cease and we may be on the verge of a new world distribution of people - because this flow seems unstoppable !

The answer to the problem seems so simple.   A hundred years ago the great powers created lines on maps that created countries that suited their colonial ambitions - and took absolutely no regard to tribal affinities or the placement of people numbers.   The time has come to recreate borders that make sense and carve up the old land mass in new ways, and by doing so we would create the safety that this present wave of refugees is seeking.

This vast wave is fleeing terror.  Given the safety of a reasonable enclave in their home country guaranteed by a United Nations force and this mass exodus would cease.  The forms of government presently representing countries with unnatural borders would simply have to accept this change because the armed forces of the United Nations has the military power to enforce far beyond the capacity of their national military capacity to resist.

This was - after all - exactly what the United Nations was originally formed to deliver.   A world body with the power to settle disputes and wield the power to stop wars !

Car Theft Tactics !

When immobilizers became compulsory on all new cars sold in Australia back in July 2001 the theft rate was at about 142,000 cars a year.  That has dropped to somewhere in the vicinity of 52,000 now, but new tactics have been deployed and today's car thief is a vastly more clever animal !

Police statistics show that car theft is much more likely to be the outcome of a break and enter crime at the owner's home.  When a car is not in use by it's owner the keys are often conspicuously somewhere in the house and if a particular make and model is the objective of the thief, this is a far easier way of attaining that objective.

There has also been a change in the recovery rate.  Before immobilizers only about fifteen percent of stolen cars were never seen again, but now that has jumped to thirty-one percent because many luxury cars are either stripped for parts, or shipped overseas and given new "birthing "records to be legally sold in another country.

The style and type of theft has also changed dramatically.   Once the favourite haunt of car thieves was commuter parking at railway stations and cars parked at shopping centres.  Those are still attractive for "joyriders "making off with pre immobilizer era cars, but the vast majority of car theft now happens outside the owners residence.

The world of technology that gave us the immobilizer also provides what is called a "diagnostic unit " needed by mechanics who work on cars - to disable the car's immobilizer - and they are freely available for as little as $ 150.    This clever little gizmo simply plugs into a socket under the dashboard and turns off the immobilizer to allow the mechanic to access the cars computer system and search it's memory bank for faults that need repair.   They are an integral part of the car repair trade - and obviously they are also falling into the hands of criminals.

A new tactic is emerging.  The target is the upper echelon of high priced luxury cars virtually stolen to order to satisfy the demand from an overseas buyer - and in many cases an individual colour is part of the deal.   The thieves simply cruise the streets of affluent neighbourhoods looking for the cars of visiting guests parked in the street.  Most cars are fairly easy to gain access because owners rely on the immobilizer to deter theft, but with this latest technology in hand that famous "gone in seconds" rule applies.

So far, a phenomenon that is quite common in some overseas countries has not made an appearance in Australia.    Hijacking by menacing a driver at gun point and driving away with the desired vehicle is still a very rare occurrence here.   In some parts of the world, acquiring a conspicuously high priced vehicle brings the danger of attracting the attention of both car thieves, but also an underworld that specialises in holding captives for ransom.

It seems that these days, choosing the car we intend to drive requires an evaluation of the risk factor. Provided the vehicle is adequately insured, no personal risk accompanies our taste for luxury !

Religion - and the Law !

It seems that common sense goes out the window when conflict arises between the law and the religious convictions of those serving the law.  The woman tasked with issuing marriage licenses in the Rowan county clerks office in the American state of Kentucky is refusing to do so - on moral grounds.

The American High Court recently handed down a judgement making it legal for same sex couples to marry and Kim Davis, the Rowan registrar is refusing to process marriage certificate applications to gay and lesbian couples because she says this conflicts with her religious beliefs - that marriage is God's union only between a man and a woman.

Not surprisingly, County officials have ducked for cover and left her to face the music alone.  As an employee of the county, it would be usual for officials to stand her down or move her to another department when a morals issue arises.  In extreme cases, she could be dismissed for not upholding the law that applies to an official of public standing, but it seems the world of officialdom wants to stand clear of moral issues.

" God's moral law conflicts with my  job duties ", she told US District court judge David Bunning in Kentucky.  He promptly  jailed her for contempt of court - and now this case in an obscure backwoods town is headline news across the entire world.

Comparisons have been made to Martin Luther King's battles to gain civil rights for blacks in the American south.  His march in Selma was against the law in that it lacked a permit from the authorities, but the brutality of the response went beyond the expectations from civilized law enforcement agencies.  Beating people senseless with truncheons and allowing savage dogs to maul them is way out of step with the standards of common decency.

That was then - and this is now !   There is still a degree of racial discrimination in many parts of America, but a black person can not be denied the right to vote and the vast majority of " Jim Crow " laws no longer apply.   The battle for equality still has a way to go to reach finality.

The highest court in the land has spoken on this gay marriage issue.  A lot of people disagree with it's finding, but this marriage license refusal in Rowan county is simply a person tilting against windmills - and the vast majority of the nation is obeying that law.   In the Rowan county office other clerks are processing marriage license applications for gays - and normalcy has returned.

There will now be a rush to smooth ruffled feathers.   No doubt Kim Davis will be quietly released on the basis of " time served " for her offence, but if she still refuses to change her stance a face saving change of official designation will probably be necessary in the Rowan county office structure - and officialdom will have to be involved in sorting out that mess.

Sooner or later this gay marriage issue will reach finality here in Australia.   It may be settled by a vote in parliament, or it may go to the people by way of a referendum, as was the deciding factor in Ireland.  No doubt there will be holdouts who refuse to accept a new legal definition of marriage and it is quite possible that this Rowan county dispute may be replicated somewhere in one of our states.

At the time, they generate angst and public interest, but that quickly fades from view.  The world we live in is subjected to constant change.  A year from now issues that seemed world shattering will  have simply become part of the background - and we will wonder what all the fuss was about !

Remeber that first Sydney Gay Pride MardiGras on June 24, 1978.    The authorities refused the LGBT community a license for the parade and they held it anyway - with some baton wielding cops trying to drag performers off the passing floats while other uniformed officers stood with the cheering crowds lining the sidewalks.   Today the police march in empathy with this event that is covered by the media on a world wide basis - and who would have predicted that as a likely outcome for the future - back in 1978 ?

The " Death Lottery " !

It sounds so appealing !    Have a fabulous holiday at an Asian luxury resort and then a few days in hospital getting long awaited cosmetic surgery - at a price unheard of here in Australia - and then fly home with new boobs or a younger face.

That appealing scenario has a down side.  Cosmetic surgery is certainly a lot cheaper in some overseas countries, but it is a fact of life that some of the surgeons are less skilled and some of the hospitals do not make it to the standards we expect here in Australia - and that can result in some very unpleasant after effects.

Some travellers return with not only unsatisfactory visual results, but afflictions which can range from cardiac arrest to infections that include flesh eating bacteria - and even Tuberculosis - and of course they immediately look to Medicare to fix their problem here in Australia.

Clearing up the usual result of a botched cosmetic surgery job often results in a six day stay in a public hospital bed - at a cost of about $ 33,000.   It is something that our struggling Medicare system can ill afford.

The logical way to fix this problem is to insist that those considering cosmetic surgery overseas take out private health insurance so that this treatment does not come from the public purse, but that runs foul of our much vaunted promise that all Australians are entitled to free public hospital treatment in our public health system.

Most overseas travellers take out travel insurance which covers accommodation and flight disruptions, stolen baggage and urgent medical evacuation, but which specifically excludes cosmetic surgery.   In fact, reading through the usual exclusions in the policy the traveller finds that many other activities of a dangerous nature also have similar exclusions.

Private health insurance does cover the ill effects of cosmetic surgery, but most events other than accidents are subjected to a twelve month waiting list from the date of first signing up to come into effect.   Perhaps the insurance industry would consider a one-off policy for overseas cosmetic surgery jaunts, but the premium would be commensurate with the risk - and out of the question for most travellers.

Unfortunately, this is a fast growing problem.   We are seeing a steady expansion in cosmetic surgery advertising in which a package deal is offered and this includes air fares, luxury accommodation and the medical component all rolled into one.  It is an attractive package - and this appears to be a fast expanding avenue of travel attractions.

The likely knock-on effect will be an expansion of clinics offering cosmetic surgery to meet demand and consequently more surgeons with limited skills offering their services.  It seems inevitable that those who suffer an unfortunate after effect will make a quick dash back to this country and the safety of our excellent public health system - and further erode the cost expansion that is spinning out of control.

Buying on price alone is risky business.  It could be compared to " Russian Roulette  "  !

The " Netting " Question !

The Greens say that placing shark nets off beaches to safeguard swimmers is no solution.  But the statistics that apply tell an entirely different story.    There have been no fatal shark attacks off the fifty-one netted beaches between Wollongong and Newcastle in more than fifty years.  That compares with twelve recent attacks on un-netted beaches, two of which were fatal.

Netting is carried out only in the summer beach season at a cost of $ 1.4 million, and these nets have disposed of 222 " target " sharks since 2008.  There is no scientific explanation of why nets are so successful, but some people think that the distress signals from sharks caught in this way may persuade other sharks to avoid the area.   Whatever the reason, the statistics are clear.  Swimmers are a lot safer entering the water at a netted beach.

The big question is whether to extend this netting option to the northern beaches that are seeing swimmers and surfers attacked by sharks.  The fanatical greens are vehemently opposed and in fact some of their " Eco-warriors " have been actively sabotaging nets by cutting their anchor lines and similar mischief.

One of the objections voiced by the Greens is that nets catch other harmless creatures such a Dolphins, Sea Turtles and even Whales.   Safety comes at a cost and the people tasked with managing the nets do their best to free any unintended catch.   The mesh of these nets is such that only very large sea creatures find them an obstacle.

The obvious solution is to net those northern beaches for a season and evaluate the results.   If there is a sharp reduction in shark attacks they are obviously worth keeping on a permanent basis, but the Greens reject that logical argument.   They claim that the safety nets bring is purely an illusion and they will fight tooth and nail to stop a trial that may prove them wrong.

A lot of things about the sea and the creatures that live in it are still a mystery to science.  Sharks do not automatically attack any human they encounter and some type of sharks are more likely to attack than others - to the extent that a few species are regarded as harmless.   The Grey Nurse shark is in this category - and it is now fully protected.

At the top of the food chain in the sea is the Great White.  It - and the Bull shark - account for the big proportion of shark fatalities, and yet it all seems to depend on the mood of the shark at that particular time - if it swims harmlessly by or decides to make a meal of somebody !

It is evident that there is safety in numbers.  Nobody has ever been attacked swimming between the flags on a beach supervised by lifesavers, and those northern beaches are very attractive to surfers who in small numbers wait offshore for the right wave.    The time of day and the extent of cloud cover are also factors that seem to have a bearing on shark behaviour.

Netting the northern beaches will certainly be a safety experiment.   The cost will be worth it to settle the argument, but it is doubtful that the Greens will have a change of attitude either way.  Logic is never part of the equation when it conflicts with ecological dogma - or politics !

A Building " Defect Bond " !

Sydney has the highest home and unit prices in Australia and ownership is eventually the greatest asset the average person can expect to accumulate.  Sadly, protection from shonky builders and developers cutting corners to increase profits has been lacking.

In particular, defects in high rise units is causing concern.  It is hard to get redress for faults and in many cases it is the owners who are stuck with repairs that can run to millions of dollars, and now the government is planning to clean up it's act and deliver justice.

A new law will require a " Defect Bond " at two percent of the contract price for the building to be withheld in trust as security against defective work on all new buildings which exceed three stories of height.   In addition, the developer will be required to pay for an independent quality inspection timed in the twelve to eighteen month period after completion.

Many people will hope for more protection.   Basically, this defect bond should ensure that a new building meets standards, but it gives no protection against long term faults that appear later in the buildings normally expected lifetime.   It seems that buildings and their warranties are very similar to the car industry.   When bought new the driver is offered a factory warranty period, and when that expires - they are on their own with repair costs.

Builders in the house industry are required to carry a form of insurance to cover defects but in practice it is hard to force repairs.   In many cases a claim leads to protracted time in the courts and obscure definitions on exactly what is covered by the insurance leads to frustration.  So many things boil down to a matter of interpretation - and sometimes items such as hot water services come with their own individual period of warranty. Determining exactly who is responsible for what - can be time consuming.

At least this is a step in the right direction.  We are seeing instances where new buildings  fail to meet fire regulations.   Owners have every right to expect that to be fixed - at the cost to either the developer or the builder.  It also raises the troubling question of how this building could possibly be signed off by the council inspectors who must certify that a new building meets standards before it can be occupied.

A lot will depend on the small print when it comes to that " independent inspection " a year after the buildings completion.   Hopefully, the choice of the inspection firm will rest with the owners and obviously there will be conflict between owners and builders when it comes to standards that apply - and eventually determinations will need to be settled by either an adjudicator or a court.   The government will need to make sure that this regimen is squeaky clean !

Buying a house or unit is like all other financial transactions - subject to caution.   The buyer would be wise to check the financial status of whoever did the building work.  Should a builder have declared bankruptcy and the work been taken over by another, extreme caution would be advised.  A builder desperately short of money may have taken disastrous short cuts and these may reappear later in the buildings lifetime.   A " Defect Bond " is really only assurance that a building is up to standard at it's time of completion !