Illegal Boarding Houses !

We are well aware of a housing scam that targets both overseas students and those from country areas who are seeking qualifications from our universities.  Very ordinary homes and apartments are fitted out with false walls to create many cubicles containing just a bed and these are let at astronomical prices.  Councils are alarmed that there is a high fire danger when many people are crammed into limited spaces with no clear line of exit and most of these illegal  boarding houses simply refuse access to council inspectors.

Usually councils are tipped off by neighbours concerned at the high traffic flow in and out of such dwellings and the proliferation of cars swamping kerbside parking in adjacent streets, but the council needs proof to take the matter to court and these illegal tenants are sworn to silence.

Now what was seen as a city problem has reappeared in the town of Tamworth in country New South Wales.   The areas biggest employer is a meat processing factory that processes lamb and mutton for supermarket chains Woolworths, Coles and Aldi and fast food franchise McDonalds.

Its workforce seems mainly drawn from recently arrived migrants, despite the New England region having a  19.6% youth unemployment rate, and it seems that it is former migrants who have achieved home ownership who are now providing these illegal boarding houses and enriching themselves by providing sub standard accommodation.

The council has been successful in closing down one illegal boarding house but has another eight under scrutiny.  Its inspectors are facing a very effective " wall of silence ".  Approached tenants refuse to comment and the direct approach to such dwellings usually results in a door knock going unanswered.  It is proving almost impossible to gather the evidence necessary to pursue the matter in court.

It is also apparent that the main origin of this Tamworth work force is migrants from either Taiwan or Korea and that the proprietors of this illegal accommodation have a similar background.  New employees of the meat factory who arrive without trade skills start at the entrance rate of  $ 17.58 an hour which is part of an agreement signed in September 2015.

It is expected that they will progress to higher remuneration levels as their skills increase but many feel trapped when their accommodation needs dilutes their income and many leave after just six months.  The problem is that should the council succeed in closing these  illegal boarding houses there is no apparent alternative readily available.

It seems that the onus is now changing and the owners of property are given just thirty days to provide proof that their property is not being used for an illegal purpose.   There is an expectation that this may bring a work force disruption in the area and obviously no one wants the economics of the town to be damaged.

It seems that these job opportunities are not attractive to the areas unemployed young people and the meat processor is a valuable starting point for many migrants to be absorbed into the Australian life style.  Now we need to solve the accommodation problem !

A Crime Scene in the Sky !

Our troubles here on planet Earth seem puny in comparison with what is happening in the sky above our heads.  The galaxies are at war with one another and it seems that size matters.  When a big galaxy approaches a smaller constellation of stars its gigantic gravity imbalance starts to suck hydrogen - and hydrogen is the building block of star life.

Its simply a big stage production of the old earth habit of conquering other lands to create an empire.  As the hydrogen is extracted the old galaxy winks out and dies, and the new expanded galaxy has the added hydrogen to allow it to compress this gas to create new stars.

Science points out that this is happening in an area of the sky we can monitor without the need for a telescope.  The Small Magellenic Cloud is a dwarf galaxy that orbits the Milky Way.   It consists of several hundred million stars, a  small fry compared with the hundreds of billions that its near neighbour controls.

All this is about 200,000 light years away but we can see the Small Magellenic Cloud as a fuzzy patch in space with the naked eye.  It is being steadily eaten by two bigger approaching galaxies - and one day it will be entirely gone.

Now we will be able to follow this form of evolution - or view the crime scene as some would prefer - through the CSIRO's new Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope.  We can actually watch the restructure of the universe as it is happening in real time and this will allow science to accurately predict what will happen to our modest little solar system sometime in the distant future.

What worries some scientists is our assumption that other life forms in the universe will be not only  technically far advanced - but also friendly.  When Marconi invented radio back at the start of the twentieth century we have been blasting recognition of our presence here with endless radio signals followed by television that depicts our lifestyle away from this planet at the speed of light.  By now it might be driving denizens of other planets crazy if it intrudes into their communication systems.

We would do well to remember what happened when we discovered the way to cross oceans using the wind to power sailing ships.  We arrived as conquerors of new lands and when we planted our flag we imposed our laws and customs on those we regarded as inferiors.  That was also the era of the slave trade.   We shipped people against their will to where they would labour in chains to make us wealthy.

Perhaps the biggest danger to the human race would be the discovery of alien life form from anther planet - that had exactly the same mental process and style of thinking - as us !   If they had developed the means of space travel they would probably have a life style far advanced on our development.   It is unlikely they would greet us as equals.

Perhaps watching what is happening to the Small Magellenic Cloud illustrates that the universe is not the friendly place of our imagination !

Citrus Industry Booms !

Just a few years back the Australian Citrus industry was facing ruin.  Bumper crops were being allowed to fall off the trees and rot on the ground.  A high Australian dollar was making exports unsustainable and the local market was simply flooded with excess fruit that retailers could not shift.  In many growing areas citrus trees were being ripped out of the ground and replaced with grape vines.

How times have changed.  Now some of those grape vines are being ripped up and replaced with new citrus trees.  A weaker Australian dollar has turned around the prospects for the export of this Australian product and we are now struggling to meet demand.  One of the reasons that citrus growers are smiling is because the growing middle class in China has discovered the joy of a glass of orange juice with their morning breakfast - and that is an ever expanding market.

The figures speak for themselves.  Citrus exports for the 2017 season to the end of September were valued at $ 377 million, a 31 % jump on the same period last year, and well ahead of the figure for the 2016 full years $ 328 m.

There simply was no China market six or seven years ago.  Now we are looking down the barrel of sending 80,000 tonnes there this season, and it is not just oranges.  Mandarin sales have also taken off and are growing at a rate of between ten and fifteen percent each year.

There is the expectation that the Chinese cosmopolitan  phenomenon of middle class growth still has a   way to go and the growing world population augers well for the southern hemisphere.  We are the warmer part of the world  and this allows both a summer and winter crop season.   The vast agricultural areas of Australia, South America and Africa seem destined to become the worlds breadbasket.

We need to have the  mechanism in place to handle this opportunity and that includes ensuring that picking the crops do not encounter obstacles.  Traditionally, our main workforce consists of backpackers who finance their Australian holiday by following the picking rotation as they move around the country.  It is essential that both the tax regime that applies to their earnings and the availability of visas to enter this country do not deter this valuable aid to our export industry.

Our citrus industry is very aware of the need to keep pace with world tastes by consistently upgrading the varieties that we grow.  The tarocco orange is a blood orange with Italian ancestry and both its looks, taste and amount of orange juice seem promising.    This variety was not grown in this country but experimental acreage is attracting market enthusiasm.

It seems that citrus is returning as a growth industry.  Every year there are many more mouths to feed as the world population grows.  It is essential that no obstacles be allowed to prevent the Australian agricultural industry from meeting this challenge - and adding to our national prosperity !

New Life in " Green " Politics !

It has long been felt that the far left political inclinations of Senator Lee Rhiannon have stopped many moderates from casting a Green vote.  This battle between the " left " and the " right "  within the Greens political movement has previously resulted in Senator Rhiannon heading the party's Senate ticket, but she has now been displaced.

This was probably the outcome of a dispute earlier this year which saw Senator Rhiannon ejected from the party room.  She had authorised a pamphlet from left leaning groups that opposed the stance taken by Greens party leader Senator Richard Di Natale in negotiating the Gonski 2.0 school funding package with the government.

That was a direct challenge to the party leadership and many Greens thought it was totally unacceptable.  Senator  Rhiannon has long held the derisory soubriquet of being a " Watermelon ".  Green on the outside, and very red in the centre.   Her extreme left wing views have been a positive disincentive for many moderate voters to change their vote to  the Greens.

In fact, this has been a stunning defeat.  Her challenger was New South Wales Greens MLC Mehreen Faruqi who received 1301 votes compared to Senator Rhiannon's 843, a 60.7 percent victory after the distribution of preferences.  Dr Faruqi is expected to deliver a more moderate stance to Greens policy.

This division between the left and the right have resulted in many bitter preselection contests in New South Wales that have left many potential Greens voters wondering just where the party is heading.  The media have been enthusiastic in giving Senator Rhiannon's views plenty of publicity and as a consequence many people think that her extreme left wing views are actually what the Greens are seeking to achieve.

There is a possibility that Senator Rhiannon may take her left wing fringe and start an entirely new party and that would rid the Greens of this discordant element.   They started life as a voice drawing attention to the harm being done to the environment and that was what attracted initial support.  It was this left wing element that turned the party in new directions and took up causes that do not gain mainstream support. It is possible that the Greens may now return to their roots.

What is evident is that the party faithful are fully aware that the Greens will remain a fringe political party as long as they allow a chaotic element to distract from official party policy.  They have taken steps to shut down that raucous left wing element and its demands for social transformation.   They will not gain public support at a level that will thrust them into government unless they quell the mutiny in their ranks and present a clear policy that gains a degree of support from ordinary people.

Perhaps that is a basic political requirement that the ruling party holding office would do well to understand.  That old maxim that   "  disunity is death "  holds relevance !

New Asbestos Risk !

Back in 1990  Australia banned Asbestos use in its many forms to try and stem the spread of  deadly diseases that are caused by inhaling its tiny fibres which break free whenever an asbestos product is cut, sawed or in any way broken apart.

That caused a massive dislocation of industry.  In particular, the building product industry was a big user of asbestos and many products had to be reformulated, and existing homes built before 1990 seemed the main risk the public faced.  There was a massive public advertising campaign to warn renovators of the need to check if asbestos was present before commencing even basic home repairs.  Simply drilling a hole in a sheet of material containing asbestos was sufficient to be the cause of a lingering later death,

All building materials now manufactured in Australia are free of asbestos but all the homes built before 1990 are simply riddled with the stuff.  Despite the warnings, many people fail to recognise materials that pose a danger and we are likely to see asbestos related diseases taking lives well into the next century.

Fortunately, the rising price of homes in Australia is increasing the ratio of " demolish and rebuild " over " repair and renovate ".  Demolition laws ensure that this work is carried out by licensed contractors who safely remove all forms of asbestos and dispose of it at a regulated landfill, where it is immediately buried.  Health and safety are plagued by rogue waste disposal operators who dump this hazardous waste on public land - and sometimes in quiet suburban streets.  This crime now attracts massive fines and prison terms for repeated offences.

It would be reasonable to expect that the new use of asbestos is Australia has ceased and the only remaining hazard is the stock of homes built before 1990, but our ban on this product was not replicated in many other countries.   In particular, asbestos is still mined and remains a perfectly legal product in China, India and Russia and we are now finding that it is contained in products imported from those countries.  In most cases, there is no mention of asbestos in any of the product information or advertising material that relates to these products.

Our laws specifically ban the import of any form of asbestos but the problem is that it is both cheap and very useful as a component in product manufacturing.  We are now probably encountering asbestos in many household goods and in car replacement parts coming into this country from places where it is still a common base material.  In such form, it would not be apparent to our customs inspectors.

Until now, warnings to the public about how to safely handle asbestos products has been in the hands of the Asbestos Eradication  and Safety Agency ( AESA ) which is an independent organization sustained by a government grant.   That grant is now at risk and this may revert to simply a desk function with the  Department of Employment. It is highly likely that both the volume and intensity of such health warnings would diminish.

Logic dictates that if this asbestos risk is to be contained we need enhanced customs procedures to stop inward shipments passing over our wharves and we need the safe handling of existing asbestos warnings to be maintained to alert the public to the risk still lurking in pre 1990 housing.

Unless we take precautions, asbestos deaths will be a reality stalking Australians long into the future.

Legally " Defenceless " !

In the very long history of Rugby League football just eight players have been elevated to the rank of being called " Immortal ".  One of those is Graham Langlands.   He played 45 Tests for Australia, fifteen as captain.  He played two hundred games for the Dragons during 1963 and 1976 when St George had an eleven year winning streak.

Life after retirement was anything but placid.  He managed hotels in Taree and later in the Philippines and was featured in two biographies.   Old injuries came back to haunt him and he finally ended up in a Sutherland nursing home, suffering from Dementia. It is thought that mind altering disease is linked to the many head clashes he suffered playing the sport he loved.

Now a legal matter has emerged in the Brisbane Magistrates court.  Graham Langlands has been accused of indecently dealing with a child under sixteen on the Gold Coast between  March 25 and June 30 of 1982.   The Langland family report that this will be defended.

That opens an interesting area of conjecture in legal circles.  A person whose mind has been destroyed by Dementia is not capable of instructing lawyers or giving evidence in his own defence. Yet this is a serious charge and the Department of Public Prosecutions will certainly attract criticism if they do not proceed with the case.

Then there is the issue of penalties.   Should this case result in a guilty verdict it is improbable that a man suffering Dementia would be sentenced to serve time in the general prison population.  He would need to be defended against the victimization that exists in such institutions and the only option would be incarceration in the prison hospital.

It also raises the question of what would be the gain.  The twin aims of a prison sentence is to deliver punishment and achieve rehabilitation  to prevent future criminal acts.  A person with Dementia who has no memory of why he is in prison is totally incapable of any form of rehabilitation.

This charge also poses a problem for the grandees of Rugby League.  Had this charge arisen before his elevation to " Immortal " status it is unlikely that this distinction would have been approved.  There was a degree of doubt when another player was so nominated because he had been involved in suspected drug use and Immortals required a squeaky clean image.   There is a possibility that a guilty verdict may see this honour withdrawn.

We are all living longer - and Dementia is a fast  increasing disease in the general population.  It seems likely that defence lawyers will seek to have this disability allowed as a legal defence against any form of prosecution.  Of course, Dementia comes in many degrees and usually advances over time, but in its extreme form most memory is totally extinguished.

It may take the case of such a public figure to get a determination of whether Dementia is a valid defence against prosecution.

Sex - And the Power Balance !

The Australian Council of Graduate Research has sounded a warning that we need a professional standard to apply to govern the relationship between students and their lecturers, tutors and supervisors.  These high ethical standards certainly apply with research activities but they are lacking in the general University mode.

It is suggested that a code similar to that which is standard in the medical profession needs to be applied.  The Medical Board of Australia prohibits doctors from having a sexual relationship with a patient, even when consent is provided.

A landmark Australian Human Rights Commission survey has revealed that ten percent of post-graduate students reported being sexually harassed and said that it involved their tutor or lecturer.  This compared to six percent of under-graduate students.

Universities discourage relationships between  staff and students but no hard and fast rules exist and there is an obvious power imbalance.  The people who attend university are legally adult and far beyond the age of consent, and yet attainment of that all important qualification rests in the hands of the very people who may be seeking their submission.

Such a professional standard regime would also protect staff from the reverse situation where a student initiates a sexual relationship with the intent of attaining a better marking standard.  It is important that universities ensure that staff do not mark the work of students which they have a relationship with but in most cases this is not publicly evident.

The code that applies within the medical profession is both strict and unwavering.  Even a relationship that commences years after that person ceased to be a patient would be viewed very unfavourably and could result in license cancellation.  If adopted in the university scene it would absolutely prohibit a sexual relationship between staff and a student where a direct teaching relationship exists.

Strict laws apply in the school system where pupils are of younger age and a teacher entering into a relationship with a student not only puts their job at risk but also stands a chance of serving time in a prison.  The age of consent law is no immunity in such circumstances.

We are moving into an age where sexual harassment in the workplace is getting ever closer scrutiny and it seems that until now the universities have been exempt.   Perhaps it has been reasoned that university students who very loudly voice their opinion on community matters would initiate their own action if they believed they were victims.   That simply dismisses the power vacuum that exists between lecturer and student when it comes to the granting of a qualification.

Holding teaching tenure at a University is a well paid job.  It is about time that reasonable standards of social conduct applied to its continuity !

Sydney Centric Thinking !

The news that Sydney motorists may be offered a form of relief for the ever increasing road tolls that apply in the city sounds like good news.   It is quite a simple plan.  Car owners who pay twenty-five dollars a week in road tolls over the year will get next years registration fee waived - delivering a saving of somewhere between $ 358 a year and $ 715, depending on the size and weight of their vehicle.

This scheme is delightfully simple to operate.  When registration notices are being prepared the registration authority simple cross checks that vehicle with the road toll operation to see what road tolls accrued during the year and whether it met the criteria for free registration.  Of course this offer only applies to cars privately owned and used for domestic purposes. No relief is offered to commercial vehicles.

The cost of this measure to the state budget has not been accurately measured but it may cost a hundred million dollars in the first year, and more in the years to follow.  That is money that has to be recovered in some other way, and that is what worries the owners of cars that rarely ever enter even the outer precincts of the city of Sydney.

Recovering that money is a task that will fall to the state Treasurer.   The most likely target will be a small increase in the penalties for traffic offences.   They are seen as penalties for bad behaviour - and therefore " avoidable " - but they apply on a state wide basis.

The funds that served to create the complete overhaul of the Sydney transport system came from the sale of our electricity industry.  Without that sale we would not see new versions of trams reappearing on city streets nor the modern driverless metro connecting suburbs with the city centre. We certainly would not be seeing this surge of new expressways like the West Connex and the widening of existing arteries to speed the traffic flow, and yet this all comes with road tolls for using this new system - and at the same time the cost of the electricity we use to light our homes has soared out of sight.

The problem is that all this progress seems to be concentrated within the city of Sydney.  There is no evidence that any of this money found its way to Grafton or Lithgow, Newcastle or Cooma - or any of the other cities and towns that are served by private bus services and have traffic problems that slow the daily commute.

It is also selective within Sydney city.  Multi lane divided highways speed traffic into and out of the city to the north and the west, but the entrance from the south ends at Heathcote and from there it crawls towards the city centre via traffic light controlled suburban roads with kerbside parking.  The answer to this problem is the F-6 expressway, which has been on the drawing boards for at least half a century.

A small section that may ease traffic in inner Sydney may be built in the coming years, but the connection from there to Waterfall is not even in the planning stage.   The expense daunts the planners from even putting a date on when it may be expected.

Drivers in the rest of New South Wales are aware and commiserate with what Sydney residents have to contend with on their roads and with public transport, but the funds do need to be spread a little wider.  There is a growing expectation that recouping the money spent on that relief for road tolls will eventually fall on their shoulders.

An Unwinnable War !

Hollywood made a lot of very successful movies based on the days when America was wracked in gangster warfare over prohibition.  Gangsters like Al Capone were as famous to the public as stars like Clark Gable and probably drew more newspaper headlines.  It was also an era that delivered a compelling message that we ignore today.

The American government was induced to ban booze on the grounds that citizens would have a better life without it.  The problem was that most of the public disagreed and this ushered in suppliers who made a mint of money running illicit alcohol which citizens were eager to buy.   The government ramped up police and law and order agencies in an unwinnable battle that eventually saw a law change and prohibition reversed.

Australia - along with the rest of the world - has got itself into a similar unwinnable war on drugs.
Just as in the American prohibition era, there seemed to be a " speakeasy " on every block where knowing citizens could buy a drink.   Finding a " dealer " who sells drugs is equally easy in any Australian suburb.

Law and order crows and makes headlines when it achieves a big drug bust, but that rarely even dents the supply available on the streets.   What is claimed to be the street value of the drugs seized bears no relation to its cost at its source and those seizures are a mild irritant to the peopled who are making astonishing profits from the shipments that evade the authorities.

It seems that the police got lucky this week when they pulled up a young man with a backpack and decided to check his Smartphone.   Curiously, that phone contained many pictures of five dollar notes - and when they looked into his backpack they found it contained $500,000 in cash.

This young man was a courier engaged in the " laundering " of  about  sixteen million of drug profits.  The money would be transferred to various operators in half million dollar lots for them to filter through a legitimate business operation.  To get the correct identification settled the receiver would hand over a five dollar note and its identification number would correspond with that on the courier's phone.

The Australian drug supply is a well coordinated and professional business.   We have " crime families " of great ostentation living the good life and seemingly immune from prosecution.  Those that get busted are usually from the lower ranks and they accept prison time as a necessary outcome in their profession.  They are usually well rewarded, and quickly return to their trade on release.

The big question is how long we intend to continue this charade of declaring most drugs illegal.  A small number of people die of overdose - just as people die because of over consumption of alcohol - but the vast majority of social drug users simply experience the euphoria they seek with no lasting effects.

There is also the lure of the " forbidden fruit " syndrome attracting drug users.  Perhaps a good time to be realistic and relax that prohibition on mild drugs like marijuana.  Continuing an unwinnable war endlessly - makes little sense !

Danger Signal !

The only problem with the "  Presidential " form of government is the immense power put in the hands of the person who attains that high office.   When that country is a nuclear power there is a myth that there is a button on the President's desk which - if pressed - would deliver annihilation on a world  scale.

It is perfectly true that at all times the United States President is accompanied by an officer tasked with guarding what is known as " the football ", which is the code which authorises the firing of that country's nuclear missiles, and the President is the only person who has the authority to activate that action.

In the many decades since the end of the second world war and the coming of the nuclear age that responsibility has not been questioned.   There has always been the assumption that the person who attains the presidency would be a person of high moral standard who would not take the launching of a nuclear strike lightly.

In fact, the presence of a nuclear strike in the hands of the five initial countries sharing the ability to kill million of people has preserved the peace and prevented a third world war.  There have been plenty of proxy wars but sanity has prevailed when tensions have risen.   A nuclear war has been virtually unthinkable in this day and age.

That was before Donald Trump gained the US Presidency.   This president has threatened North Korea with nuclear oblivion and the North Korean leader has openly boasted of his country launching a nuclear strike on an American city.   There are times when Donald Trump's rhetoric worries the world because his thinking lacks clarity.  There is a chance that a nuclear exchange may happen by accident.

This week just that danger provoked the American Air Force General heading the US  Strategic Command ( STRATCOM ) which would have the task of putting American missiles into flight to question whether such an order would be obeyed.   It raises the question of whether such an order from the President would achieve legal status - and that raises a fresh danger.

When the American armed forces question the sanity of their Commander in Chief it opens the opportunity for third party countries to introduce mischief.  World religious differences can be an incentive to provoke one nation against another in the hope that they be weakened to allow a third entity to benefit.  In a world where the identity of missiles fired from submarines can not be an instantly known source all sorts of intrigue is possible.

It will certainly bring comfort to nations opposed to the United States to know that any firing order from the President will be at least questioned rather than instantly obeyed.  Missile flight times are such than even a slight delay in making a response can be fatal.

It delivers one less certainty in a very uncertain world !

Permanent Residency Visa Scam !

The right to live in Australia is a valuable commodity that many aspiring migrants are willing to pay money to obtain.  The usual process involves a long wait while background is checked for authenticity and the final outcome is rarely certain.  There is a strong incentive to listen to entrepreneurs who offer a plan to circumvent that process in return for money.

A former migrant who learned the intricacies of the system from his own experience set up such a scheme and gained a rich reward.   It was delightfully simple and it appealed strongly to what are termed " economic migrants "  who are seeking a better life rather than escaping persecution.  In many cases they have the necessary funds to buy what is being offered.

This entrepreneur set up a legitimate company which offered migrants both a job and sponsorship for a permanent residency visa in exchange for a cash payment up front of seventy thousand dollars.  In the majority of cases, this job opportunity was in country New South Wales or Queensland.

In fact it was a variety of the type of Ponzi scheme which operates openly and gives the impression of authenticity.  The illegality was the fact that the entrepreneur was using a little over twelve thousand dollars of that seventy thousand down payment to provide incentives to those who were induced to hire a migrant and offer sponsorship.

Of course, in many cases these jobs did not last and the scheme ended with many migrants seriously out of pocket and the company in liquidation with debts of over two million dollars to forty-five creditors, many of whom were former customers - and with the prospect of serious prosecutions of both the entrepreneur and those who provided jobs and sponsorship because of a breach of current law.

It is illegal to offer, receive or provide money in exchange for a sponsored work-visa arrangement.  The penalties include a two year prison sentence and a fine of $75,000 for an individual or $ 375,000 for a company.   Money does not need to change hands to breach this law.  A mere offer is enough to secure a conviction.

It seems that many of the country businesses induced to hire and offer a sponsorship thought that the inducements offered were actually part of a government scheme to settle migrants.   The fact that it was being conducted from what appeared to be a legitimate business office went a long way in allaying any suspicion.

Such is the way of Ponzi schemes.  A bold entrepreneur will often get away with something so brazen that its credentials are never questioned.  In many cases the money is squirrelled away to untraceable sources and the criminal serves a short prison sentence - and emerges to enjoy the rewards of his crime.

Hopefully, the publicity will stop it reappearing in other states.

The " Decision " Process !

Sadly, a very important fact of life has become glaringly apparent  recently.   The will of the people is not the factor that gets legislation to become law in Australia.  It first has to get the nod from the grandees of the various political parties and then survive the religious leanings of the individual politicians we voted into office.   This same sex marriage issue was a typical example.

Country after country granted the right to marry to same sex couples and yet it failed to even get to a vote here in Australia.   Constant opinion polls showing it had public acceptance were studiously ignored until we finally got a non binding postal survey to shame the politicians into action.  Even now, we await the actual legislation to see what provisions get tacked on as it becomes law.

Now legislation to help those dyeing from a painful terminal disease has crashed and burned - by just one vote.  Once again, opinion polls have clearly indicated that the public favour this form of relief, and yet the bill that got voted down did contain some strange anomalies.

Those seeking such relief would need to have achieved their twenty-fifth birthday.  Why would we condemn a twenty year old to an agonising death if they had the misfortune to contract a disease that delivered such a fate ?   And even a distant relative would have the right to intervene and withhold the application of such pain relief.

This proposed law would almost totally ignore the wishes of the terminally ill lying in a hospital bed in terrible pain and asking his or her doctor to end it.  Legal arrangements would need to have been entered into long in advance, with prior consultation with several doctors, one of whom would be a psychiatrist.  It seems that most aspects of sponaeity have been discarded.

What we lack is the ability to have important issues that gain public support decided in the parliaments - both state and Federal.   Politicians and their party masters are disinclined to deal with any issue that has public support but a substantial degree of opposition.  They are most interested in their prospects of re-election and ignoring such matters is the safer option.

This euthanasia issue is being decided on a state by state basis.   There is the expectation of a decision in the Victorian parliament pending and we could end up having such relief become law in some states and remain illegal in others.   Like those same sex marriage laws, they were deemed of national importance and decided in the Federal arena and a common euthanasia law across Australia would be preferable to individual state decisions.  On important laws, uniformity grants the same benefits to all Australians.

Perhaps we need to take those decisions out of the hands of politicians and their political parties and return them to the people of Australia.   Surely the right to die with dignity is a matter that would be best decided by referendum - and that decision would need to be binding on all states and territories.

Of course, we would not want minor issues decided in that way and the obvious decider of what should go to a referendum decision by the Australian people would be the High Court of Australia.  The men and women elevated to that bench have the maturity to select those few major issues that fail to achieve due process but can not be left in limbo indefinitely.

Ultimately, that final decision is the right of the people of Australia.

A rise in the " Sin " Tax !

Years ago " budget night " was dreaded by many people.   When the Treasurer arose to deliver his budget speech there was always the certainty that some sort of increase would be imposed on what were called " sin " commodities - alcohol and cigarettes.   There was usually a purchase surge as people stocked up in expectation of a tax rise.

Scotland has just introduced a new way of taxing alcohol that will send a shudder through the world alcohol industry.  It seems for the Scots that the day of getting access to cheap booze is ending.  All forms of alcohol will be subjected to a floor price based on the alcohol content and this will comprise 50 p for each standard serving unit - which amounts to 76 cents in our money.

This has been ordered on health grounds.  It seems that the Scots are more enthusiastic imbibers than their English and Welsh cousins and their consumption of alcohol is directly related to illness, violence and injury.   In  the past thirty years the incidence of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis is far greater in Scotland than in England and Wales, or any European country.

In Australia, the tax differs depending on the type of alcohol to which it applies and this does produce anomalies.  Taxing the alcohol content of beer as opposed to spirits is quite different, and both of these diverge from the tax on wine.   What has raised the ire of the anti-alcohol lobby in this country is an Australian invention that is now critical to the success of quality Australian wines on the very competitive world wine market.

The " wine cask " was a South Australian invention that consists of a reflective barrier with a pouring spigot contained within a cardboard box.  This has found favour because the wine industry blends many grape varieties to achieve the high standards of its top quality wines and this results in a surplus which falls just below that exalted standard.  Much of this is packaged in wine casks and sold in the liquor stores at a discounted price to achieve economy of scale in wine production costs.   It is not uncommon for five litres of such wine to sell for ten dollars a cask - representing just two dollar a litre.

A five litre cask contains forty-nine standard drinks according to the appropriate health regulations - which at that discount price delivers each standard drink at a cost of just twenty cents.   Should that Scottish tax regime be adopted in Australia each nip would rise to a minimum of seventy-six cents - and that  ten dollar wine cask would rise to thirty seven dollars.

The world wine industry works on the principle of the profit from top selling wine being averaged by wine that does not meet that standard being cleared in bottles with a lesser  label or sold in cask wine mode to clear production costs.  The wine customer accepts that he or she is getting a slightly lesser wine but paying a sharp reduction on the price asked for the premium product.  Should those prices rise because of this tax it is unlikely that sales would meet present volumes and doom the Australian wine industry.

Of course  Scotland is the home of famous Scotch whiskey and that is a very different market than wine.  The Australian climate favours wine production and our wines attract premium prices because of its quality and it is a fast growing industry in all the southern states.  It is also an industry where small individual producers can achieve fame and fortune by their skill in blending to achieve the taste and bouquet that find world favour.

Hopefully, the government thinks long and hard before it adopts measures that could have unintended consequences.   What works well in other parts of the world may not ne suitable for the environment here.

Solving the Parking Problem !

Several years ago the city of Wollongong had a massive parking problem.  In fact there were two problems - one centred on the University of Wollongong and the other evolving around the concentration of medical services at the Illawarra's base surgical hospital.

The academic success of the University had attracted ever growing student numbers and now thirty- two thousand were studying at a campus that had parking for only a fraction of that number. As a consequence, the streets of surrounding suburbs were choked with parked cars and residents were seriously inconvenienced.  Many people could not access their own property and trades were refusing to quote because the area was deemed " inaccessible ".  Local residents were at the point of mutiny and council rangers were handing out serious fines without abating the problem.

Over the years the areas five hospitals had contracted to a huge base hospital on what was called " Hospital Hill " in the heart of the city and this was on Crown street which became a clearway twice a day.  Medical specialists had their consulting rooms close to the hospital, resulting in a mix of patients, visitors, and the immense staff numbers seeking the limited availability of street parking.  This was creating problems for the residents of the area and access to the hospital began to involve a long, uphill slog for most people.

In 2009 the government introduced a free shuttle bus service to solve both problems.  The route commenced by accessing the Mall in the CBD and climbed hospital hill to service both the public and the new private hospital that sat side beside at the summit.  It then descended to service North Wollongong rail station and went on from there to Wollongong University.   The circle closed when it made its way through the northern suburb of Fairy Meadow and returned to the CBD via the beachfront.

The concept was brilliant.  The buses ran in both directions at ten minute intervals at peak and twenty minutes at other times on a seven day basis.  Adequate street parking was available along the loop and residents soon learned to park, jump on the free bus and reach their destination without a parking hassle.  The fact that it connected the rail station and the university gave an adequate connection to the many students enrolled from other parts of the state.

The motivating element that caused people to change their habit and " park and ride " was the fact that this was a free bus.  It has certainly eased the parking crush at both venues and brought the centre of the city to life at a time when the introduction of parking meters had sent shoppers to the suburbs to avoid that cost.   This free shuttle bus solution was a lot cheaper than acquiring land for an extended car park at the university or building parking stations near the hospital.

Now the government is thinking of ending that " free " option and slapping a fee based on Opal card rates from January. Psychologists expect that would bring a sharp fall in shuttle patronage as many people revert to old habits and resume driving to their intended destination - and seek parking.

This free shuttle bus has certainly tamed the Wollongong parking problem.  The government needs to remember that all solutions come at some sort of a cost.  Perhaps retaining the Wollongong  free shuttle might be the cheapest option available !

The " Hindenburgh " Disaster !

In the 1930's crossing the Atlantic from Europe to America was very much the province of the great passenger ships of that time - and the journey took five days.  PanAm had begun offering a faster seaplane service but the mere handful of passengers possible in that type of aircraft put the fare in reach of just the very wealthy.

The concept of todays jet aircraft seemed an impossible dream and many people pinned their hopes on the airship.   It seemed to offer travel much faster than a ship and still deliver the luxury and comfort that the great liners boasted.   In May, 1937 the German airship Hindenburgh embarked thirty six passengers and a crew of sixty-one and set out to deliver luxury travel between Europe and New York.

The airship would travel at a low height to avoid the discomfort of cold and open windows would give a great viewing experience.  The ratio of crew to passengers ensured every comfort would be provided and special attention had been given to making this a fine dining experience.  It was hoped that Hindenburgh would be the first of a vast fleet of airships travelling the world.

The landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey was a disaster.  Fire enveloped the airship and it crashed, killing thirteen passengers and twenty-two of the crew - and one handler on the ground.  The American FBI investigated how the fire started and there was suspicion that this had been no accident. Rumours of a bomb being planted circulated wildly.

Conjecture centred on a mystery passenger who perished in the crash.  He had his dog in the cargo hold and just as the airship prepared for landing he insisted on attending to its meal and because the crew were busy he entered the cargo area unattended.  Enquiries after the crash revealed no trace of his former lifestyle or habitat and many thought he may have been an anti-Nazi saboteur.

We will never know what caused the Hindenburgh crash because forensics was not an advanced science at that time.  The fact that the Hindenburgh used highly flammable hydrogen opens many scenarios. Airships maintain stability by venting gas when they need to descend and dumping water ballast when they need to rise.  Todays scientists speculate that a rogue spark of static electricity probably caused the disaster.

The German need for punctuality meant the crew needed to land the airship on schedule and the arrival coincided with an electrical storm.  If they had vented gas during the descent the static electricity in the air may have triggered the fire.

Airships also drop many handling ropes to allow the ground crew to manually close the gap with the ground.  Hindenburgh passed through a rain storm as it approached Lakehurst and those ropes would have been wet.   A wet rope can conduct electricity and when they touched the earth they would have completed the circuit to " ground " an electrically charged airship.  That is all it would need to ignite vented gas.

The fact that this disaster happened before a waiting media sealed the fate of airships.  The world was at war just two years later and the need for bomber aircraft quickly expanded the size and capacity of aircraft, resulting in a fast growing airline industry when the war ended.  The coming of the jet age made speed an equation with which airships could not possibly compete.

Zeppelins !

Ask any schoolboy and you will be told that the Wright Brothers were the first to achieve powered flight at Kittyhawk on December 17, 1903.  The world seems to have forgotten that a German - Count Ferdinand Von Zeppelin - obtained a patent for an airship in 1895 and just six years after the Wright Brothers achievement, he had started the worlds first airline and was carrying fare paying passengers between European cities in airships known as " Zeppelins " !

These were massive compared to the first aeroplanes.   They comprised an outer frame of Duralumin, a combination of aluminium and copper, encasing rubberised cotton bags containing volatile hydrogen gas.  These rigid airships were 128 metres ( 420 feet ) long and had a gondola to house crew and passengers.  They were powered by two Dainmler 15 HP engines driving propellers and in 1909 they were a common sight in European skies.  Unfortunately, they were vulnerable to high wind and storms and crashes were frequent.

When the first World War broke out in 1914 the German military became very interested in Zeppelins and ordered a bigger version. These were 158 metres long ( 518 feet ) and contained  22,500 cubic metres of hydrogen gas, giving a payload of 9,100 kilograms.  Its three engines could achieve a speed of 84 kph and it carried a crew of fourteen.

These Zeppelins began to carry out bombing raids on British industry.  The British installed anti aircraft guns and the Zeppelins were forced to fly higher, depleting the accuracy of their bombs and forcing them to change from daylight to night raids.  The British then ordered blackouts and installed search lights.  The fighter aircraft of that day could not fly to the height of the Zeppelins.

This height became a crew hazard.  To avoid anti aircraft fire the Zeppelins often reached 20,000 feet - the height of modern jet liners.  The lack of oxygen at that height could be fatal to those who had not conditioned their bodies by living at high altitudes in preparation and the intense cold meant many suffered frost bite to face, hands and feet and were discharged from service.

The height of the Zeppelins made them safe from most anti aircraft fire and the guns firing in London were mostly to encourage public confidence, despite the steel splinters from air bursts causing leaky roofs.  When aircraft did manage to spray them with machine gun fire the bullets passed through the air bags and left tiny holes from which negligible gas escaped, and which were easily patched by ground crews.

The Zeppelins did serious damage to British cities for most of that war.  It was not unusual for a dozen of these air ships to fly twelve to fourteen hour bombing missions and the combination of oxygen lack and cold caused many crew casualties.  The Zeppelin era ended in 1917 when the British invented the incendiary bullet and in one memorable night three Zeppelins exploded in flames and crashed onto the city below, in full view of their horrified comrades and the euphoric British public.

After the war, Germany was prohibited from building air ships by the Versailles peace treaty, but this recommenced in 1933 when Adolph Hitler became the German Chancellor and disregarded the treaty.   This resulted in the creation of the " Hindenburgh ", perhaps the greatest air ship of all time which made several Atlantic crossings and proudly carried the Nazi Swastika emblem.

At that time, the danger of hydrogen gas could be resolved by its replacement with non flammable Helium, but the only source was America and given the German rearmament in defiance of the peace treaty the Americans refused to sell this gas to Germany.  As a consequence, the Hindenburgh was filled with dangerous hydrogen.

On May 6, 1937 the Hindenberg was making a landing approach to Lakehurst naval aid station near New York during a lightning storm.   A flicker of flame became a huge fireball.  Amazingly, some passengers and crew escaped, but this catastrophe sealed the fate of air ships in competition with fast developing passenger aircraft.

The US navy persisted in developing air ships for fleet recognisance for some years but eventually the air ship fell into disfavour and today it exists as a mere camera platform hovering above major sporting events.

Evolvement of the " Battleships " !

The first iron clad, steam powered warships evolved during the American Civil War of  1861-65.  They clearly demonstrated their superiority over wooden sailing ships and their smooth bore cannons and the world's navies took note.  From there until the start of the new century it was the " steam age " but these ships had limitations.

Steam power required coal as the ship's fuel and this was not readily available in some parts of the world.  Navy chiefs had visions of war ships becoming stranded a long way from home and consequently their new ships still carried masts and spars, and had sail lockers below decks.  This had consequences for the positioning of their guns.

Rifled barrel guns  replaced those old smooth bore cannons, but they were positioned in " pods " protruding from the sides of the ships.  This limited barrel length and consequently the range the guns could reach but navies were reluctant to totally abandon sail for the convenience of steam.

All that changed in the early months of the twentieth century.  The British Royal Navy launched an entirely new warship which they named the " Dreadnought ".   The masts and spars were gone, and the guns were now on deck, in armoured multi weapon turrets which allowed barrel lengths that could project shells for over twenty miles. For safety, the ships magazines were located at the bottom of the ship, directly under those armoured turrets and safe from incoming fire.

This " Dreadnought " design became the template for the world's navies - and in fact naval strength became a count of how many Dreadnoughts each navy possessed.  The largest ships of this design - which carried the heaviest guns - were designated " Battleships " and in those early days of the new century they certainly ruled the seas.

The first world war of 1914-18 brought a challenge to the power of the battleship.  The German fleet lacked the numbers to challenge the British Royal Navy and so they turned to the new medium of submarine warfare.  Battleships were vulnerable to torpedoes launched by an unseen opponent and navies quickly adopted new tactics.  Battleships now travelled with a surrounding escort of Frigates and Destroyers to keep them safe from U-Boats.

This was also the age when air power became a serious development.  The Germans created the concept of " Zeppelins " - giant airships where bags of hydrogen gas was contained within a metal framework and powered by aero engines in exterior pods.   These were capable of making the long journey from Germany to England and began bombing British cities.  Conventional aircraft - with less powerful engines - were unable to rise to the heights necessary to challenge these Zeppelins.  The air ship era came to an end late in the war when the British invented the incendiary bullet that caused the hydrogen gas to explode in flames.

The demise of the air ship coincided with the fast development of aircraft as a means of war.  It was inevitable that naval air cover would result in aircraft being launched from ships providing a flight deck and very quickly aircraft carrying bombs and torpedoes began to challenge battleships as the strength of navies evolved around aircraft carriers.

Today, the battleship era is over.  The last of these leviathans has been withdrawn from service and we are now in the " missile " age.  In the hundred years since the end of the first world war we have seen astonishing changes in how wars are fought.  It seems that the hundred years ahead will be equally challenging.

The " Auto-Pay " Enigma !

With the postage stamp letter rate now at one dollar it is not surprising that fewer firms are keen to send a monthly bill through the mail.  Those who bill for the quantity of their merchandise used during each month - such as the electricity supplier or the gas provider - try and get their customer's agreement to billing by email.   We are now seeing a hefty surcharge applied to " paper " bills still using the postal service and many suppliers also levy a fine for customers who fail to pay by the due date.

Increasingly, the only way to now access many services is to agree to their demand that payment be by way of the " direct debit " option.  You sign an agreement whereby the payment for that service is automatically extracted from your bank account each month.  The onus is on the customer to see that his or her bank balance is sufficient to allow those payments to take place on the due date.

We are also seeing a monthly option being applied to bills that fall due on an annual basis, such as home and contents insurance.   Instead of shelling out the lump sum premium once a year we are now offered to reduce this to regular monthly payments - at no added cost - and those payments must be made by direct debit.   This also applies to car insurance, and direct debit is the required method of topping up those automatic deposits we need to have in accounts from which services such as road tolls draw their charges.   There can be a bewildering array of withdrawals to contemplate when we get each bank statement.

The charity industries have also shied away from asking for a cash donation in favour of soliciting ongoing monthly contributions.  Often that is geared with the charity supplying regular information updates on an individual your contribution is sponsoring or progress on how a building project is progressing.  The advantage for the charity is that these regular payments help with maintaining cash flow continuity.

The problem arises when you need to discontinue any of these direct debit payments.  Perhaps you cancel your subscription to a pay TV service.   What is unclear is whether the supplier automatically cancels that payment arrangement, or if that becomes your responsibility.  In many cases that payment continues to disappear from your bank account for months after the supply has discontinued.

The banks are certainly unhelpful.  They deliver a mixed message to enquiries. Some individual branches insist that the arrangement can only be cancelled by the merchant and sometimes less scrupulous traders are wilfully negligent in providing that service.  It then becomes the responsibility of the customer to collect those over payments from the trader.

Where branches agree that discontinuation can be applied at the customers request it usually involves a direct visit to a branch and a signing of forms to bring it to reality.  Mostly cancellation via a phone call is refused, despite the customer being able to supply the required ID to establish their identity.

Direct debit is no longer an unusual payment method applied only to a small range of services.  It is fast becoming the only method of payment that will be accepted for the majority of commercial services and that cancellation option needs to be covered bylaw.

Clearly, like all payments the option rests in the hands of the person paying the bill.   If they stop making the payments the trader has the right to terminate supply of the service and we need a law to specifically make that clear to the banks.  It is after all little different to signing a cheque to pay for that service. Direct debit is simply a theoretical cheque that the bank cashes each month when it makes that payment on its customers behalf.   Continuation is always at the discretion of the bank's customer !

Fake News !

There was a time a few decades ago when the newspaper industry in Australia had a huge circulation because most homes had a daily delivery and late afternoon two " evening " newspapers went on sale. The traditional morning papers delivered a more sober and traditional view of world news while those afternoon rags tended to devote space to more " sensational " stories that suited the mood of people on their way home from work.

That was a time when all the commercial radio stations in Australia crossed to the ABC to take their live midday news broadcast and again for the nightly seven pm edition.  Few radio stations had their own newsroom, and the only ones that did were located in state capitals and only bothered with local content news.

Depending on the ownership, newspapers usually favoured a left or right political slant and as the sole public broadcaster, the ABC was supposed to be impartial and present news pruned of political opinion.  Most people got their " news " from either newspapers or radio and the general consensus was that the content was believable !

How different it is today.   The numbers that read newspapers has shrunk and in the radio world the programming is now heavily in favour of " talk back " shows - and towering over all - is the Internet.
We are now accustomed to having instant access at all times by way of the ever developing mobile phone which has become our indispensable method of communication.   We share our opinion - and take in the opinion of others - in a constant stream of both subject and news content that flows through Facebook, twitter and a host of other channels.

What used to be called the " spin doctors " were not slow to see how this could be used to guide public opinion.  Simply introduce a story that creates " outrage " and leave it to those desperate to achieve a degree of fame to add their name in support.  In todays world, a contingent of paid " trolls " can be enlisted to give that story added strength and the average viewer can be convinced that public interest heavily supports that view.

We are now seeing that this method has found favour with the governments of other world countries who can put together programmes that constitute a form of espionage to create thought patterns in countries they wish to dominate and even manipulate the vote in internal elections that elect governments which they favour.

This method allows the introduction of what is essentially " fake news " reporting an untrue claim against a candidate they wish to discredit.  Such fake news is usually heavily supported by comments from both trolls and armies of " slave " computers under the control of manipulators who guide them to add " like " click-ons to reinforce the impression of mass support for that point of view.  It can create an overwhelming impression of support - for very little money outlay.

Eventually, it may become necessary to reduce spontaneity by requiring contributors to make their identity clearly known.   The free wheeling world of the Internet may only be tamed if input involves legal responsibility for matter contributed.  It seems that the anonymity of the past may be the price we have to pay to banish fake news from the Internet.

And of course the Internet is only in its earliest evolvement.  Who can foresee where it may lead in the future and what may develop in that technical marvel that is the mobile phone ?

Now For The Backsliding !

The people of Australia have delivered their vote on the " Same Sex Marriage " question and it is little changed from what the opinion polls predicted.  Voting was not compulsory but every Australian on the voting roll was mailed an opportunity to vote and record their choice.  Sixty percent replied in the affirmative, while just thirty-two percent disagreed.

This clearly sends a message to the politicians that enacting the legislation to allow same sex marriage is the will of the Australian people, and we have been promised that a bill to that effect will go to a vote in the Federal parliament.   Despite the clarity this mini  referendum delivered, a hard core of politicians will ignore the will of the people and vote against this bill.

It is becoming clear that the tactics that will be used to delay bringing this bill to a vote will be the issue of   " religious freedom " - the right to refuse to provide services to same sex couples by those that oppose this concept on moral or religious grounds.   Opposition forces will demand that caterers, florists and all manner of trades that serve the wedding industry be protected from litigation if they refuse to serve same sex marriage customers.

That issue has already received a degree of protection.  The sponsors of the same sex marriage bill have promised that priests and ministers of religions that do not recognise same sex marriage will not be forced to solemnise and conduct such marriages.  For all other mere mortals, the normal right of deciding whether to provide services remains intact - just so long as they do not express a reason for so declining.   Whenever we seek the services for a wedding between a man and a woman we usually find many caterers, photographers, church venues and assorted services who are either booked solid for that day or who for other reasons decide not to quote a price for service - and that is their right.

The sticking point seems to be the concept of legal consequences that apply to anything that may be deemed to be any form of " discrimination ".   Our concept of law now decrees that it is no longer applicable to refuse service to some part of society because of the colour of their skin, their religious beliefs or their gender.  Our courts seem prepared to adjudicate on such matters and award substantial penalties in the form of compensation.

Unfortunately, same sex marriage is an emotive issue.  We can be sure that some people in the marriage services industries will loudly and publicly refuse service to a same sex couple because of their religious views and that this will be widely reported in the media.  When same sex marriage receives the legality afforded by an act of parliament that same refusal to provide a service will become an issue under the discrimination laws.

We would probably be wise to let it find its own level within the court system.  The vast majority of people with opposition to same sex marriage will probably adopt a cautionary approach to declining to provide a service by providing a " diplomatic " explanation, and the courts will need to be merciful with those who choose to bring their objection into the public domain.

The main issue is to implement the will of the people swiftly, and legislation before Christmas is the expectation.  If the politicians continue backsliding and avoiding bringing this issue to a vote it will exert pressure to use the High Court to introduce a form of a compulsory referendum as the way to implement issues that divide the parliament.

The politicians need to remember that they are not there as individuals to express their own views. Their function is to implement the will of the Australian people !

The Car - and Taxation !

About the only certainty in what Henry Ford inflicted on the world that we call the " motor car " is about to change.  It seems that the internal combustion engine is going to be replaced by " electric " models and " driverless " cars will be at least a partial reality in the next few years.

Several countries have actually set a date from which they will refuse to register new cars powered by engines that run on petrol or diesel and consequently this guarantees cleaner air.   If city car fleets change to battery supplied electricity the smog that plagues many cities will be at least reduced and citizens may experience the phenomenon of seeing blue skies again.

Nobody can accurately predict when this will actually happen.   A lot depends on the makers of batteries being able to extend the driving range between charges and that strange intellectual shift of mind needed to have car owners accept the limitations that electric cars will impose.

You can be absolutely certain that this coming change is high on the list of priorities being considered by both the state and Federal Treasurers.   The car is an integral component of the taxation system and all levels of government will be mulling the taxation changes that are inevitable.  A high proportion of the petrol we put in our car's fuel tank is a direct tax and no similar impost is currently levied on electricity.

Then there is the phenomenal revenue delivered by fines, ranging from over staying street parking to the breach of rules we commit on highways and city streets.  The driverless car will put an end to all that.  The computers are programmed to always remain within the law and the passenger has no input other than to decide the destination.

With this in mind,  both governments and the big end of town are jostling to be ready to reap the rewards that this change will bring - if they can accurately predict what is needed to replace those old petrol stations and their fuel pumps.  The big question mark hangs over what facilities will need to be in place when this age of the electric driverless car actually arrives.

Common sense dictates that most people will recharge their car overnight from their normal home electricity supply, but there are many apartment dwellers and residents of older suburbs who do not have a garage or off street parking space available, and those travelling distances will need to extend their cars range, just as they do now by filling up at country petrol stations.   There will be a need for independent battery recharging.

That seems to offer opportunity.  The normal 240 volt house supply can deliver a slow overnight charge, but a vastly higher voltage can recharge eighty percent of a battery in twenty to thirty minutes.  This opens the door for high voltage industrial depots offering a quick recharge - but at a much higher price than the charge within the domestic electricity system.

Cynics may argue that the recent surge in household electricity prices is a contrived ploy to ready the market for a surge in household electricity consumption once the electric car becomes common.  The higher the cost of that overnight charge, the less opposition to the price at quick recharge stations when their rates recoup the tax lost on petrol sales.

Right now the big end of town is trying to figure " where " and " how " to site multi outlet recharge stations that will be needed if legislation makes electric cars mandatory, and all levels of government will be evaluating the mix of registration, fines levied and fuel taxes that contribute so heavily to government revenue, and how they can be reapplied.

Only an optimist would expect that this age of electric and driverless cars will be any cheaper to run than the old clunkers that used petrol and poured out pollution to foul the air.   Governments would go broke without that revenue.

" Genetic Test " Exclusions !

It is now common for patients presenting for what they term " their annual checkup " to have their doctor suggest genetic tests to see if their genes predispose them for a number of common diseases.  The rationale is that if your genetics indicate that you have a higher risk of developing a life threatening condition a test regime can be put in place to catch this at an early stage.  Often, this suggestion of genetic testing is based on the medical history of other family members.

Genetic testing is now available from a growing number of medical laboratories - and the cost is ever decreasing.  It is a common and reliable tool for the medical profession and the patient is usually made aware of the results - and that poses a risk to their financial health.

The life insurance industry requires applicants for life insurance cover to truthfully answer a question that enquires whether they have knowledge of any testing results to indicate susceptibility to any form of future disease.  There is no time frame on that question, and it applies to all and every test that may have been taken, even in the distant past.

Patients are now finding that such a positive result makes them ineligible for life insurance cover. The discovery that a person may have a higher chance of developing cancer or any other life threatening medical conditions is regarded as a " pre-existing condition " and usually either cover is refused or it is only accepted in return for a higher premium hike to cover the risk.

Some patients insist that their doctor does not tell them the results of such genetic tests, but that does not solve their insurance problem.   They must disclose that such a test took place, and the insurer will certainly contact the doctor and obtain those results.   In many cases, the genetic test merely indicates that the person tested has between a thirty and a fifty percent risk of developing that disease later in life.

In fact, having that knowledge  may result in preventive measures being put in place.   A person with a family history of bowel cancer would be very likely to have regular colonoscopic examinations to remove the polyps that often become cancerous.  Such treatment usually is successful in preventing this disease establishing, even in a patient prone to that disease.

Being rejected for life insurance cover can be devastating.   It rules out income protection insurance and the usual cover of travel insurance that makes repatriation by air ambulance from overseas so comforting in the event of an accident.   The mere hint of unfavourable genetic testing sends premium levels soaring - or complete refusal.

It may even preclude home ownership.   The majority of home mortgage lenders insist on a form of life insurance in their contracts that clears the debt should a couple buying a property in joint names have the misfortune for one of them become deceased.  Failure to qualify for that form of life insurance could result in the mortgage application being refused.

It seems that anyone having genetic testing suggested by their doctor needs to think long and hard before making a decision.   That test result will form part of their medical history and the benefits it delivers must he weighed against the exclusions it may cause.

Many people are finding that their life has become vastly changed because of a test taken years previously.  That ever present collection of " data " is proving a mixed blessing !

That Endless Gun Debate !

Twenty-six worshippers were gunned down and died when a disgruntled man walked into a Baptist church in a small Texas town and sprayed the congregation with an assault rifle.  Twenty other people were wounded and the death toll is expected to rise further.  This was not a " lone wolf " terrorist attack in support of Islamic State.

The people who oppose any form of gun control repeatedly claim that the best defence of a bad guy with a gun - is the intervention of a good guy with a gun, and to some extent that was what happened in the little township of Sutherland Springs in Texas.   Except that the " good guy " was too late to save all those lives.  The " bad guy " escaped in his car and was later found dead.  It is unclear if he died from a shot from the man who intervened - or took his own life.

What is inescapable is that all those people died because their killer had the use of a military grade assault rifle capable of delivering automatic fire from a magazine designed for use on a battlefield. Such weapons are openly sold from gun shops in neighbouring towns and cost from under a thousand  dollars.  It is also inescapable that few restrictions apply that will stop people with a grudge against others from openly buying such weapons.

This killer is described as a white man in his md twenties who once served in the United States air force.   He faced a court martial while in military service for an assault on his spouse and their child and served a twelve month prison sentence and was given a dishonourable discharge.  It is suspected that members of his former wife's family were members of that slain church congregation.

A decade or so ago the problem in the United States was hand guns.  There are actually more hand guns in circulation that people and they featured heavily in homicides and suicides.  The American constitution protects the right for citizens to " bear arms " and any form of gun control is anathema to the powerful National Rifle Association.   The NRA  also opposes purchase waiting periods and restrictions on sales to those with criminal convictions.

This gun issue is also enshrined in politics.   The Republican party - presently holding both the presidency and the numbers in both houses of parliament - backs the NRA stance while some form of gun control is favoured by the Democrats.  It is now too late to close the flood gates on the flow of automatic weapons.  The numbers in private hands has been building steadily in recent years and legislators fear that any control measure would be ignored widely.  This delivers the assurance that massacres like that killing in Sutherland Springs and on a theatre audience in Los Vegas will continue on a  regular basis.

That is something the rest of the world fails to understand. It may be that the settling on the American interior was achieved with open warfare against its previous Indian tribes and settlers learned to live with a gun on their hip.  It may be that this gun culture has been exploited by Hollywood movies to the extent that our entertainment features gun use as " normal " and this is now firmly embedded in the American psyche.

The one thing that is certain is that America is unlikely to place meaningful restrictions on gun ownership in the near future.  It seems now that with a population of three hundred million the sacrifice of a few dozen in gun massacres from time to time is accepted as the price they pay for that cherished freedom to own a gun !

Flashpoint !

Our entire refugee problem is now concentrated on the fate of six hundred men who are staging a mutiny on Manus Island.  The Australian built refugee centre has now been closed for six days and these men are refusing to move to a new facility under construction in a suburb with surrounding Papua New Guinea housing.  The refugees claim to be fearful for their own safety because of a poor relationship with the native population.

What is totally unacceptable is the standard of living that now exists.  Both the power and water have been cut off and the refugees are living on whatever rainwater they manage to catch and store in wheelie bins.   They are being refused food supplies to starve them into accepting the move and charitable organizations trying to reach them are being turned back by police.  The medical facility has been withdrawn and as a result those on medication are now not only cut off from supply, but isolated from medical help if their condition deteriorates to an actual emergency - and all this is being covered by the world media.

There seems to be a very reasonable doubt that the new detention centre under construction is ready for occupation.  It seems to consist of a number of transportable buildings simply dumped in a large mud hole and the site of the old centre has reverted to use by the Papua New Guinea military.  The military have promised that the detainees will not be moved by force.

This situation is rapidly reaching crisis point.  We have an agreement with America to repatriate 1250 of our refugees in exchange for a number of theirs but this is progressing at glacial speed.  The plan is not popular with the US President and the vetting process has so far resulted in just 54 people being resettled.  Now New Zealand has offered to take one hundred and fifty refugees, but that offer has been rejected.

The problem is that there are vast hordes of stateless refugees in transit camps in Indonesia and Malaysia who hope to settle in Australia and the only thing stopping the people smugglers from enticing them onto boats and making the journey to either Christmas island or the Australian coastline is the certainty that they would end up endlessly confined in a remote camp somewhere other than Australia.

The Australian government fears that even settling 150 in New Zealand would send the message that forced arrivals in Australia are likely to eventually be settled somewhere and enable the people smugglers to fill their boats with desperate people prepared to take a risk on the high seas.  We could face an unsustainable flood of immigrants trying to force their way into this country.

The immediate danger is what happens to those six hundred men existing in a closed camp that is not providing food or medical facilities.  There is both risk of physical confrontation with the  NG police or military or even the possibility of a mass suicide attempt to try and resolve the situation.  They are people rejected by Australia and eventually their fate rests in our hands.

There is a degree of support within Australia for a policy change to bring those six hundred here and get them settled, but a resumption of boat people landing on our shores would be politically rejected. Such a move would be political suicide and is unlikely to happen.

Perhaps some hard line  thinkers hope that confrontation may lead to a massacre that removes this problem.  That might well have been the solution a century or so ago, but we live in a media world and we cherish our reputation as a civilized country.

The problem of those unfortunate people who just happened to arrive on our shores at " the wrong moment " when a solution was put in place - seem destined to live in a time warp !

The " Citizenship " Issue !

Section forty-four of the Australian Constitution is quite clear.  To be legally eligible to stand and win a seat in the Federal parliament an Australian must not hold citizenship of any other country. That does not mean that they must never have had such citizenship.  It does mean that when nominations are called for an election, those intending to stand must have taken legal steps to revoke and cancel such citizenship to meet that obligation.

The scramble for political advantage has all the political parties trying to determine if any of their members are in breach of this requirement while at the same time taking different stances on a proposal for an external probe to become mandatory.   There is a fear that we may have more undiscovered illegals sitting in the House of Representatives and in the Senate and if they are discovered and forced to stand down that could totally shift the power balance.

The one thing that is common in those breaching this section of the Constitution is their belief that they were not held to be citizens of another country, and in many cases they were born here in Australia and that citizenship was automatically bestowed on them by the rule of another country as it is applied to the ancestry of their parents or even grandparents.  The rules of how this applies differs from country to country and can change as the governments of each of those countries change their outlook.   We probably have a bigger problem than we at first imagined.

We are a multicultural country which has accepted settlers from just about every country in the know world.  Many came here from the chaos of Europe after the second world war ended and many more have arrived from the civil wars that have wracked many regimes in Asia and Africa.  It was common for new arrivals to be " stateless " and now their children are adults they maybe totally unaware of what citizenship claims that automatically apply to their forbears backgrounds.

There are some regimes that totally refuse to relinquish any claim to new citizenship when even a tenuous and remote link remains with that original country.  We are already seeing many instances where the birth - or even just the residence - of a family member is sufficient for citizenship to become a right to the sons and daughters of that person wherever they live.   Sometimes, that right to claim citizenship even extends to grandchildren, and sometimes the right is even conferred on soldiers of another nation who may have served a long term garrison duty in a foreign land.

There may be many people with a legitimate claim to Australian citizenship who have every right to stand and win a seat in the Australian parliament who may later find that the laws of another country confer an obligation that extinguishes that right.  We can only revoke the citizenship of another country- if we are aware that such an obligation actually exists,

Perhaps the answer is to empower such a citizenship cancellation to be enshrined in Australian law by the gazetting of a public notice in the form of a statutory declaration by any member nominating to contest an Australian election that they reject and cancel any citizenship rights that may apply to them anywhere in the world.  All who intend to contest such elections would be wise to take that action as a matter of course.

Otherwise, this matter of citizenship remains a whim of whatever other country and whatever citizenship laws they happen to put in place.   Such a statutory cancellation should then put that Section forty-four obligation to rest !

" Cosmetic Surgery " Crackdown !

It took an unnecessary death to get the politicians moving, but the recent COAG meeting of state premiers has tightened the rules on who may make claims to be " Cosmetic Surgeons ".  Medical specialities are controlled by the Royal Australian College of Surgeons and this is the only body to train surgeons in Australia - and accreditation is only granted after eight to twelve years of specialised training.

In September a patient was rushed to hospital and subsequently dies when a botched procedure to deliver breast enhancement went wrong.  It is alleged that the proprietor of a beauty clinic was undergoing this procedure in the hands of an overseas nurse here on a holiday visa and that there was a problem with the anaesthetic used.  All this will be sorted out in a court action, but it has shone the spotlight on the need for qualifications to apply to many procedures which are opaquely described as " cosmetic " when the true description should be " medical ".

The title " cosmetic surgeon " is not recognised as an accredited speciality by the Australian Health Practitioners  Regulatory Authority or the Australian Medical Council.   As things stand,  in theory a GP could present as a " cosmetic surgeon " and not have that claim challenged because the term has no Australian recognition as a medical speciality.   As a consequence, anyone with any sort of medical qualification using the term is simply licensing themselves as a " specialist " !

In all states the regulations pertaining to medical titles will be strengthened.  AHPRA's  guidelines for medical advertising already stipulate that practitioners must be accredited and " approved for the purpose of the registration .  It is essentially a breach of this code to use the term " Cosmetic Surgeon ".

No doubt this will curtail blatant advertising of cosmetic procedures in this country but it will do nothing to curb the industry enticing Australians to go overseas for cut price procedures which are often advertised as part of a holiday experience.  The qualification of the surgeons who perform these procedures is totally unknown and patients have little recourse to legal action in the host country if things go wrong.   Usually the only outcome is to return to Australia and seek remedial surgery in the Australian health system.

Usually, there is a very big discrepancy between the price asked at these overseas clinics and the quotes obtained here for comparison.  There is no doubt that some clinics deliver very high standards, but an Australian visitor booking in from overseas has little chance of evaluating the standards of either the clinic or the surgeons who will deliver the procedure.  A lot will depend on the rules in place stipulated by the government of that country - and they may fall far short of the standards applicable here.

Hopefully, these tightened Australian rules will stamp out a growing tendency for local cosmetic providers who match the prices of these overseas clinics by offering similar services in premises that lack the backup facilities of hospitals and which employ surgeons who have not trained in the disciplines claimed.

Standards have been slipping and this action will improve patient safety and lift the expectation of satisfactory outcomes.

This " Digital " Age !

Getting a job working in a bank used to be regarded as a " job for life ".  It used to be very similar to  the civil service in that years served had a lot to do with both promotions and seniority and banks were institutions that never seemed to change.   That is certainly not the situation today, and an announcement by one of Australia's four giant banks has set the scene for a massive disruption to work place numbers.

National Australia Bank ( NAB )  has announced that it will shed six thousand jobs which will represent eighteen percent of its present workforce.  This is despite it recently announcing that its annual profits edged 2.5 percent higher to reach a staggering $ 6.6 billion.   It seems that the role of banks is changing as we enter the " digital " age and the future will see less of things like main street branches and automatic teller machines.  In fact the continuation of notes and coins in the marketplace is in doubt.

At the same time NAB is shedding the people who interact with the public, it is busy recruiting an extra two thousand new employees with advanced technology skills.  It seems that this requirement level far exceeds the retraining capabilities of the staff it intends to sack and the bank has set aside between $500 million and $ 800 million for what it terms " restructuring costs " - a mix of the cost of shedding staff and providing help to assist them in finding a new job.

Many of our elderly ruefully remember the days when the banks opened on the dot of ten in the morning - and slammed the doors shut at precisely three in the afternoon, Monday to Friday.  Those were the days when we often got stuck in a bank queue when local small businesses banked their takings and the teller took ages to count the notes and coins - and it usually took several days before a banked cheque was " cleared " within the system.   Even a tax refund cheque had to undergo that process before the funds became available to the account holder.

We have been through the process of seeing bank branches closed and replaced with automatic teller machines and now the need to have ready cash in our wallets or purse is coming to an end.  Paying small bills in cash now poses a cost to merchants.  The banks are refusing to receive deposits over the counter at branches and require this money to be picked up and transported to a special facility by " money handling companies " - who charge for that service.

More and more small purchases are being paid by tapping a credit card - or even mobile phone - on a charging point to transfer the money from your bank account to that of the merchant.   This form of " digital " banking is set to become a required procedure in the near future and the structure of banks is changing to accommodate that change.

Few of the people facing the sack at NAB will be shocked at this announcement.   This is an inevitability that has been apparent for some time.  Also inevitable is a similar announcement from the other three big Australian banks that a similar procedure is being put in place.  A lot of well paid jobs will disappear and banking will become the preserve of those with an appropriate university degree.

An employment avenue is closing off for those who leave school with just the HSC and the expectation of acquiring further qualification within the banking industry !

Rent Control !

A spate of comments on the problems facing some people who rent the place they live in has dragged the issue of rent control into the political arena. In New South Wales the state opposition has promised to enact legislation to protect renter's rights - if it wins office.   This threat has sent the government into speculation mode on changes to the law to deliver a new " renter's rights " regime.

What seems to be at the crux of the problems facing renters is the ability of landlords to issue an eviction order without stating the reason  and both the short period of lease terms and the ability for rent increases to be imposed with frequency and without advance warning.

Labor is proposing to  extend the default length of leases from six to twelve months and limit rent increases to once a year.  It is also musing with a plan to impose five year tenancies in some circumstances, but with " consultation within the industry ".

This sounds suspiciously like " rent control " and we last had that at the start of the second world war.  In order to maintain stability for the dependents of troops defending the country their kin were deemed " protected tenants ", immune from eviction and with the rent set by a tribunal.  That quickly became too politically sensitive for change, and years after the war ended we still had people exercising their " rights " to live in premises for which they were paying rents that did not even cover the council rates.   This situation made those premises impossible to sell, and the unfortunate owners were obliged by law to replace any facilities forming part of those premises that failed.  Some owners were deemed " asset rich " but doomed to penury.

The founder and owner of development and rental giant - Meriton - has fired a shot across the bows of this proposal.  He is threatening to stop construction of new rental housing and to start selling existing properties if rent legislation makes the rental industry economically uncompetitive.  Harry  Triguboff's warning can not be ignored.  Like all other commercial ventures, providing dwellings for rental is a legitimate business that must make a profit to be viable.  If unreasonable legislation voids that profit and owners realise on their asset it will create a huge rental shortage - and drive rental prices soaring.

There certainly is room for improvement in the current rental law.  Those " no reason " eviction orders have long passed their useful purpose and should be discontinued.  A request for legitimate repairs should not be a reason for a forced eviction and rent increases need to be restricted to a sensible time spacing.  People delivering a " good " tenancy deserve protection and the certainty that their lives will not be interrupted.

But - all renters are not good tenants.  Some deliver an intolerable noise level that disturbs their neighbours.  Some hold wild parties and often have domestic discord.  Rubbish left around and the parking of cars often comes into dispute.   There is a real need for managing agents to have control and sometimes this can only result in tenant eviction.

The problem with any form of rent control is that the moment it becomes a political issue, unrealistic expectations come to the fore.  The side of politics not holding office can promise rewards they may not deliver should they form government and such promises become a pressure point in the public mind when reasonable legislation is being proposed.

The tenancy laws do need modification but that needs to be carefully evaluated to cover the needs of both parties.  Should a law change badly alter the balance between the rental public and the owners who provide the dwellings the outcome will benefit nobody.  A return to " rent control " could be a disaster !

Artificial Intelligence - the Risk Factor !

The news that artificial intelligence has reached the stage of " self learning " is something that should trigger alarm in thinking people.  The battle between human minds and AI breached an important barrier in 1997 when IBM's " Deep Blue " super-computer beat this worlds best Chess champion,  Garry  Kasparov.  We have always held Chess as the ultimate battle between human minds.

Now another important barrier has fallen.  In Asia a game called " Go " has held a similar position to Chess in Asian minds and been deeply competitive between masters in the culture of China, Korea and Japan.  At a competition in Seoul a  contest between a computer named " Alpha-Go " beat the foremost world champion 3-0.

What must disturb some people is the way Alpha-Go achieved that superiority.  Firstly, the rules of this very complicated game was entered into the computers memory and then it played against humans as it learned the ropes.   It quickly began to play games against itself and explored the incredible number of game moves that are possible within the confines of a board with nineteen squares as its perimeter.  The computer had crossed the barrier and was now capable of " self learning ".

That is frightening !   We have created a monster that Stephen Hawking, one of our foremost scientists warns may bring about the end of the human race.  We have entered the dark world of artificial intelligence where the memory chip is now capable of evolving on its own and is no longer under the control of human minds.  In fact, it is already showing its superiority to the human minds that developed the first computers.

The fact that humans tasked computers to play Chess and Go introduces the inevitability that military minds in some countries will use artificial intelligence to try and gain battlefield superiority.  The sort of future warfare depicted in science fiction could easily become a reality - and the history books make it very clear that over the years we developed from the stone age various leaders have emerged with ambitions to rule the world.   Names that come to mind include Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

The cork is out of the bottle and the " Genie " of artificial intelligence is now a reality.  We can be sure that in some countries it is already being tasked with weapons technology and the tactics necessary to win wars.   We are already seeing the advance of " fighting machines " controlled from a far distance and capable of delivering destruction of unimaginable capacity.  The very concept of war is reaching new heights.

Sadly, the future of humankind is passing from control by mere mortals into the hands of a form of intelligence that we do not even begin to understand.  Compassion was a big part of human intelligence and that is fast being converted to the more coldly functional sphere of" logic ".   It is quite possible that this  " logic " may discard the human race as inferior - and expendable.

Our future is hidden behind a very larger question mark !   In fact, we may be complicit in our own destruction !