Ripping Off Medicare !

Australia's Medicare system is one of the big items of the Federal budget and one of the most trusted members of our society - a chemist - has just been sentenced to eight months prison with a six month non parole period for diverting a vaccine intended for Australian users to a profitable private sale in Hong Kong and China.

The chemist claims that her law breach was altruistic.  She was trying to help poor people in Asia when she diverted 2432 doses of  Gardasil 9, a cancer vaccine from its legitimate use here to an air freight export - that netted her a profit of $30,000.  She has signalled that she will appeal this sentence.

This is simply one of the more blatant rip offs of the Medicare system but it also seems that the Australian taxpayer is footing the bill for a lot of prescription medicine that is going offshore.  Many of the drugs prescribed here are heavily subsidized under our Pharmaceutical Benefits scheme and are simply not available in some other countries, or available at a price that reflects their true cost. Quite often this is the case with medication that we take for granted because it is essential to keep life threatening maladies under control.

It is suspected that diverting medication prescribed to a legitimate Australian user with family members overseas is rife and this travels either as mail or stockpiled and carried in passenger luggage on a holiday visit.  In many cases the medication is being shared with a family member overseas because it is legitimately required to treat the Medicare card holders health problems.

It is also likely that medicine features heavily as a transaction medium in some sectors of our society. Pensioner prescriptions are heavily subsidized and can be profitably exchanged for cash when a lucrative market overseas awaits.  Australian branded pharmaceuticals have the reputation for integrity in a market where fake goods proliferate in a thriving black market.

It would be prudent if our customs officers at departure terminals paid close attention to pharmaceuticals being taken overseas.  In most cases the traveller can produce prescriptions to prove legitimate need but the quantities involved invite questions about the length of the planned trip.  A similar crackdown on mail passing through the mail exchange would be fruitful.

We do not accurately know what leakage rate is involved in Medicare costs but if left unchecked it seems certain to grow.  This prison term for blatant profiteering will certainly send a message but the potential for settled migrants to send medication to those in their old home seems to be a victimless crime, but if left unchecked it could make Medicare unworkable.  Quite clearly it is a law breach !

Where Angels Fear to Tread !

Science is an ever evolving source of discoveries that both delight and frighten humankind. We are able to edit the human genome and there have been valiant efforts to impose ethical standards on how and where this can be used.

Now news is percolating out of China that will sharply divide the scientific community.  A researcher in the city of Shenzen claims to have altered the genes of twins so that they are resistant to AIDS.  Few details have been released but it is known that he had been working in the field of IVF research and there is a claim that the father of these twins was suffering AIDS.

AIDS is no longer the terminal disease it was when it first appeared and new drugs allow sufferers to live a long life if they methodically take their treatment, but there are literally hundreds of diabolical diseases that are passed on to offspring because of a defect in their parents genes.  If it is possible to eradicate that transfer by gene manipulation can we ban that field of work on ethical grounds  ?

The world of science has recoiled at this announcement and the university where the researcher worked quickly distanced itself from his research.   The media associates this subject with " designer babies " and the field of " cloning " and the scientific world warns us that if we make changes to the human genome the long term effects are impossible to predict.   We are in danger of creating " hybrid humans " !

That is now probably past the point where it is in our hands to control.   The subject of gene editing has been widely published in scientific papers and it seems that it is not unduly difficult.   It is claimed that the facilities needed are readily available in most high school science laboratories and it is certain that much private research has been going on undercover since that initial announcement of a breakthrough.

Ethics only apply to those people who are ethical.  With gene editing the reward that will drive research - is money !   The people with a defective gene that makes them hesitant to have children have a huge incentive to have that corrected and that old mantra of  " supply and demand " comes into play.  Where demand exists, supply will inevitably follow.

This announcement is a huge blow to  the global reputation and development of Chinese science and the Communist party may move to discipline this researcher, but there are plenty of countries in the world which would welcome an industry that attracts tourists and turns a blind eye to medical practices that are a reason for their presence.

As we found with the development of nuclear weapons.   It is impossible to " unlearn " what has been invented.  Gene modification is now a reality and it is an unstoppable treatment on offer when money prevails over science.

Ending the era of " Cash " !

Trying to launder the proceeds of the drug industry by moving a suitcase full of cash through an airport is risky business these days.  Money has virtually become the exceptional way we pay bills and even that is dwindling as we embrace electronic payment transfer systems that replace carrying cash in our wallets or purse.

This is illustrated by our use of ATM's.  In 2010 the average person withdrew cash from an ATM forty times a year.  Today, that rate has fallen to twenty-five and that other payment institution - paying by writing a cheque - has suffered a similar withdrawal.

The business world is fast moving to a cashless society by requiring either direct debit or payment by way of a credit card to the availability of their product or service. This transfer occurs instantaneously without the time consuming and cost of counting banknotes and lodging them with a bank.  In any high volume business, it also eliminates the risk factor from robbery.

Initially, the electronic transfer of money arrived with the computer and that was beyond the grasp of most elderly consumers.  The passage of time has muted that demographic and todays elderly usually carry a mobile phone which is fast becoming the medium needed to pay small  bills.   The era of offering cash to travel on a tram, bus or train has long ended and even arranging the home delivery of a daily newspaper has become a cashless procedure.

This Royal Commission into the banking industry has revealed many unpleasant practices to enhance their profitability and each bank seems to have built an insular wall around its own operations.  When we need to transfer funds from one bank to another it usually takes an incredible five days for " clearance " to be achieved.   Such a delay applies to cheques each bank issues in its own name that requires this clearance delay.

This is entirely artificial because every transaction carries a " BSB " identification which locates the individual branch in the entire banking network and the money transfer occurs electronically.  The Australian banks have been slower than expected to roll out electronic functionality and this Royal Commission is expected to accelerate that function as a result of its criticism.

The rules are fast closing tighter on the money trade.   The law requires reporting anytime cash is tendered in excess of ten thousand dollars and this is causing problems for both the illicit drug trade and the black economy.  The increase in the spread of electronic payments is sharply reducing the availability of legitimate cash operations which could mask money laundering.

In some parts of the world even the most mundane of former cash transactions has entered the electronic age.  In some churches the passing of the plate now encompasses the ability to use a mobile phone to make that contribution.  It also has the ability to achieve discretion, and keep the amount contributed a secret between the parishioner and his or her God.

Sanctity of the " High Court " !

One of the most ominous views of his presidency is Donald Trump's recent outburst against judges of the American High Court.   Trump has started to denigrate those judges who gained their tenure under a Democrat president and particularly those nominated by his predecessor, Barak Obama.

Using the term " Obama judges " carries the insinuation that any time the High Court rules favourably  on a case that he opposes that decision is marred by the balance imposed by the Democrat side of politics.  The recent midterm elections have reinforced Trump's ambition to stack the High Court with conservative minded judges during the remainder of his time in office.

The founding fathers were very careful to enact a procedure which ensured that the selection of these judges who serve for the remainder of their lifetime were free of political bias.  When a sitting president nominates a contender for the High Court that judge needs the confirmation of the Senate to join the bench.   That requires a grilling in which his or her entire career will be carefully scrutinised and the applicants will be directly questioned on their attitude to subjects that may some day come before the court for decision.

The requirement that confirmation needed the consensus of seventy percent of Senators ensured that both sides of politics needed to reach common agreement for the confirmation to go forward. At least some of the Senators from the minority political party needed to voice agreement and that ensured that applicants were at least roundly impartial politically.

That arrangement served the country well since its inauguration, but in recent times the seventy percent confirmation was dropped in favour of a simple majority. As a consequence, at the midterm elections the presidents political party retained a small majority in the Senate and consequently the Republicans now have the ability to decide the filling of future High Court vacancies.

The future of the High Court is now openly political and consequently the impartiality with which its rulings were accepted by the people will be subjected to political challenge.   The wisdom of this impartial body that was universally accepted will be dragged into the mire of party politics and the heat of battle that used to be solely decided at the ballot box.

The likely outcome is that the president will clash with the High Court and given his tendency to denigrate all forms of opposition he is likely to ignore the ruling of judges  appointed when a Democrat held office.  Trump has a red neck support base with a tendency for violence and such a confrontation can be mirrored on the streets of America.

Trump admires the strong men who hold virtual dictatorships in other countries and he may seek to eliminate term limits to hold office longer or even dilute the power of the High Court to circumvent government decisions.  It seems that the American people voted a very dangerous president to the country's highest office !

The " Gibraltar " Issue !

The main thing most of the world remembers about Gibraltar is the very large rock that towers above the territory and overshadows the entrance to the Mediterranean sea from the expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean.   In 1713 Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain and it remains one of that country's overseas territories with a land mass of just 6843 kilometres and a population of 33,140 people.

Spain wants it back and over the years it has been a continuing thorn in the relations between the two countries.  Several times the Spanish have closed the border and prevented the Spanish work force from accessing their jobs in Gibraltar, but that caused more discomfort to the Spanish people than the British.

Any thought of handing Gibraltar back to Spain fills Gibraltar citizens with anguish.  It was a symbol of British sovereignty  back in the days of the British empire and it was an important naval station in the days when the Royal navy ruled the waves.  During the second world war it was of strategic importance guarding the entrance to the Mediterranean.

Now Britain wants to divorce its membership of the European Union and one of the sticking points is British ownership of territory gained in the past that raises contention with its previous owner.  The issue in Ireland is how the border will be treated between Ireland remaining in the EU and British Northern Ireland which will withdraw from the EU.  Compromises are being negotiated to avoid a " hard " border between the two countries.

With Gibraltar, Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez sees an opportunity to bring the Gibraltar question to a head by threatening to withhold Spain's vote of acceptance on the Brexit deal that will officially seal the severance.  He is seeking guarantees about how the disputed territory will be  treated after Brexit.

No individual country has a veto, but it would be diplomatically and politically embarrassing if Spain continued to withhold its approval and this is an issue that still requires ratification by the parliament in Britain.

It is in the interests of the EU that Britain's withdrawal be accomplished in an orderly manner and at the same time they do not want  to grant conditions that may encourage other members to think of leaving.  At this eleventh hour it seems that the EU has persuaded Spain to withdraw its threat - and now the biggest problem remaining is the acceptance of the British people by way of a vote in their parliament.

It now depends on whether the warring factions within Britain came achieve some sort of harmony.  One of the worlds last long serving monarchies now stands at the cross roads and  the dream of a united Europe hangs in the balance !

Ending Global Warming !

Getting global nations to agree that we need to keep the world temperature from increasing more than 1.5 degrees is not the problem.   Most sign on the dotted line after every world conference to achieve that objective but the action plan to actually make it happen falls far short of realistic targets.

World government fears the repercussions if they legislate to seriously reduce the amount of fossil fuel we are burning to run our cars and generate electricity. We hope electric cars and both wind and solar electricity will eventually solve this problem, but each year the world temperature climbs a little higher.

Now science is offering us a very different alternative.  They are seriously suggesting that all we have to do is turn down the thermostat on the source of all this heat.  Just drop the warmth coming from our sun by a notch or two.

Strangely, this radical idea is theoretically possible.  They are suggesting that we employ aircraft to disperse sulphate particles in the upper atmosphere to act as a barrier against sunlight.   Such a barrier would dilute the amount of sunlight reaching the surface of the earth and take care of our overheating problem.

Of course, this depends on us being able to design aircraft that can fly at a height of twenty kilometres and carry a payload of about 25 tonnes of sulphate.  They would need to criss cross the globe to deliver a uniform protective layer well above the area where the jet stream would disperse the cooling effect.

This is termed a " Stratospheric Aerosol Injection "  ( SAI )  and scientists estimate that putting it in place fifteen years from now would cost about $4.8 billion.   It would need annual renewal and so the ongoing cost would be $3.1 billion.  An insignificant sum when dispersed over all the nations of the world.

Getting world agreement on implementing a SAI could be a problem.  Some parts of the world have a short summer and a frigid winter.   They might take a dim view of reducing the sun's heat by a uniform five percent, and even that might reduce their agriculture output to zero.  Then there is the visual effect of installing a SAI.  Could it end the blue sky effect we treasure so dearly ?

Of course there are many cities in China and India that haven't sighted a blue sky for decades.  But it is of paramount importance to the world tourist industry.   It is hard to envisage water sport in a tropical paradise unless that is happening under an azure blue sky.  Unfortunately, science comes up short on what colour sky SAI would deliver.

So, if this idea is adopted Australia could still mine and export coal for other nations to burn and keep our economy on an even keel.  In fact the world over heating problem would be solved and there would be no need for radical action that might cost jobs or cause those electricity prices to go off scale.

And perhaps there would be another benefit.   If other forms of life exist in outer space the fact that Earth would no longer be that enticing " blue planet " might convince them to drop any invasion plans they had in mind.

Reversing a Guilty Verdict !

At about 9-15 pm on January 10, 1989, Colin Winchester, the chief of the Australian Capital Territory police force arrived home and climbed out of his car.   Waiting in the dark was an assassin armed with a rifle and at point blank range he pumped two bullets into his victims head, killing him instantly.

This was a crime that shocked Australia but the investigation was inconclusive.  One suspect was David Harold Eastman, a disgruntled Canberra public servant who had been lobbying Mr Winchester unsuccessfully to intervene in an assault charge he was facing.   The police tracked the rifle used to a retail outlet nearby but established no connection with Mr Eastman.   There were swirling rumours of international criminal connections being involved in the murder but the case seemed to be going nowhere.

On December  23, 1992, at the end of a massive police investigation and following an inquest that ran for three years, Eastman was charged with the murder.  He was found guilty in his first trial in 1995 and spent the next nineteen years in prison until his conviction was quashed in 2014.   A judicial enquiry had found that Mr Eastman had suffered a substantial miscarriage of justice, due in part to  flaws in the forensic evidence used against him.

When that conviction was quashed the enquiry recommended there be no retrial but the DPP ignored that and  proceeded to put the matter before a fresh jury.   The now 73 year old Mr Eastman faced an agonising wait - the jury deliberated for  more than thirty-one hours over seven days and appeared deadlocked - before finally delivering a verdict of " not guilty ".    This trial had lasted five months.

Of course, that is not the end of the matter.  David Eastman will again find himself in a courtroom when he sues the state for compensation for those long years spent in a prison cell.  The fact that he has been cleared now leaves this murder case unsolved and after such a long passage of time it seems unlikely that a fresh suspect will be unearthed with sufficient evidence to go to trial.

The entire Winchester murder and Eastman conviction draws ire in many quarters.   The murder of a police chief is an affront to law and order that urgently requires that a suspect be found and publicly convicted.   Many wonder if the DPP went to trial on evidence that would be rejected in any ordinary murder case and if Eastman was the unfortunate victim of an enquiry that demanded immediate closure.

The people who delight in conspiracy theories will have no trouble connecting the murder of a high level cop and the drug trade that was flourishing at Griffith at that time.  Somewhere down the track some enterprising journalist is likely to write a book that ties together the Donald McKay murder, the Mafia and the hush money that was paid to law enforcement to look the other way.

It looks like the Winchester murder will forever remain an unsolved crime !

The " Subsidence " Issue !

There are many areas surrounding Sydney where new homes are being built on land that is immediately above tunnels where coal has been extracted.  In many cases, these are tunnels that may have been abandoned a century ago and building now is only permitted under very restrictive conditions.

The problem is natural subsidence.  The land surface is prone to shrink as those tunnel supports age and consequently the specification for homes above insist that they sit on a reinforced concrete slab and are constructed of lightweight material which will not contribute weight pressure on the cavity below.   Owners who experience damage are reimbursed from a bond required of developers when these building sites are approved.

The city of Sydney is experiencing  an unprecedented  construction phase to deliver a modern road system and to install a public transport system involving both extension of the present urban rail system and new transit lines, and much of this involves creating new underground tunnels.  Giant boring machines are creating these tunnels through the sandstone rock on which Sydney sits.

As they are finished, these tunnel walls are encased in reinforced concrete and it is not envisaged that there will be the subsidence problem associated with abandoned coal mines, but during the construction process vibration and the use of heavy machinery is affecting the inner and outer walls of the existing homes situated above.  The issue worrying owners concerns who pays to fix the problems this is causing ?

There is a particular concern in the suburbs of Strathfield, Concord and Homebush which have a great many Federation style homes constructed of brick and with inner walls that are often lath and plaster construction.  Such construction methods react badly to even slight movement and when owners contact the builders they are told that the cause is an unusually dry winter or a host of other causes. There is a reluctance to accept blame.  The matter is being shifted to when work is completed and a proposed " dilapidation " report will be carried out to determine the extent of damage.

This is a further worry to owners. The onus of blame will depend on the report of engineers engaged by the construction firms and will use their own data to refuse claims.  Where claims are proven, the degree of compensation will go to arbitration.

The NSW government has set up an independent assessment panel to review condition reports and  resolve property damage disputes but the final outcome is far from certain.  It seems likely the sheer age and the type of building materials used in an earlier time may be deemed to contribute to some degree and the rectification cost awarded proportionately.

It seems likely that many claims for rectification may end up being decided in a courtroom.

Freedom !

One of the " Bali Nine " will arrive back in Australia and possibly be rearrested by New South Wales police and put before a court to face charges relating to a car theft and a police chase that was cut short when they attempted to smuggle heroin into Australia.

That drug bust has long been a point of contention.  It was our police who tipped off the Indonesians that nine young Australians were planning to tape heroin to their bodies and pass through customs at Bali airport.  That bust could have just as easily been done here as they stepped off the plane on their arrival but making it happen in Indonesia involved that countries harsh drug laws.

The arrests were catastrophic for eight young Australian men and their one female companion.  The two ring leaders - Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed in April 2015 and Tan Duc Thank Nguyen died of cancer in prison in June of this year.  The other Australian males are serving life sentences in Indonesian prisons and the protocols that exist indicate that they will never be released.

The exception was Renae Lawrence.  She was also given a life sentence but this was later commuted to a twenty year term.  The big difference is that those sentenced to life do not receive remissions for good behaviour and on religious holidays and the country's independence day.  It seems that Lawrence was a model prisoner and after serving thirteen years her remissions enabled her to be released - and deported to Australia.

It is a fact that Indonesian courts usually deliver a lighter sentence on women drug smugglers, but Lawrence was the only one of the nine to not appeal against her sentence.  Many contend that this is the main reason the sentence was commuted from life to a fixed term, which also became eligible for remissions.   The present Indonesian president, Jokowi has a no tolerance stance to drug distribution.

Now 41, Renae Lawrence will find a very different Australia to the one she knew when she embarked on that ill fated drug smuggling attempt.  The world of commerce and computers has made great strides and she will need retraining to fit back into the jobs market.  Initially, she will be some sort of celebrity and keenly sought for her story by many women's magazines but a lot depends on how she fares with those latent charges still waiting on the state law books.

Most likely the courts will be lenient.  The Indonesian prison authorities speak well of her and claim she has made strenuous efforts on rehabilitation.  It seems she developed a flair for painting while in prison and it is possible that she may follow this activity back in Australia but the most important lesson the Bali Nine delivered to ordinary Australians was the sheer insanity of their attempt to blatantly smuggle drugs through a country with draconian drug laws.

Commercial quantities of smuggled drugs are still rife on the Australian waterfront but it is evident that what happened to Schapelle  Corby and the Bali Nine was the lesson that persuaded many young Australians that both Singapore and Indonesia were too high risk.  There have been few similar attempts creating news headlines.

Cyber Security !

The theft of trade secrets has been ongoing for centuries and was one of the reasons  the British empire accumulated wealth.   One of the most noticeable exploits was that most British institution - a cup of tea.

The tea plant was originally a closely guarded horticulture of China and the British smuggled growing samples out of the country to create vast tea gardens in colonies with the right soil and temperature mix.   The creation of sugar plantations followed a similar pattern and eventually these products tweaked the taste buds of both England and Europe - and created fortunes for the entrepreneurs involved.

It is now evident that our western lifestyle is under direct attack by a combination of civil and military " information gatherers " in China.   The Chinese Communist government has no respect for what is termed the " intellectual property " of other nations.  The closed nature of its regime means that most companies are deeply affiliated with the government and state hackers constantly launch extraction attacks on the computers of western competitors to learn their secrets.  The aim is to equip Chinese manufacturing with a cutting edge and dominate world trade.

When it comes to security, we are our own worst enemies.  It is amazing how many companies have the most rudimentary defence in place to protect their computer system from penetration, despite repeated warnings from security experts telling them of their vulnerabilities.   Often the companies under successful attack are connected with our military procurement industry.

The cyber security people have been warning us that Chinese espionage is moving into high gear. So many firms simply contract with a provider of " cloud services " to store their valuable research and have the expectation that these providers have peak security.  Sadly, in many cases penetration has not only been successful but access doors have been secretly installed to  facilitate multiple re-entry.

Another great avenue of research and development is concentrated in our universities and once again security is lax.  The tertiary profile is not suited to the protection of research and all too often valuable information is freely offered in research papers which are openly published.   The fact that our universities attract students from China is another source of security concern.

We are at a disadvantage when the hacking is perpetrated by experts trained by the Chinese military and using the most hi-tech equipment.  They are well funded and have the ability to be patient, perfecting penetration methods and taking their time stealing passwords by carefully studying the habits and lifestyle of individual input operators.

This ongoing trade war has thrown off all the shackles.  Our government has no option than to impose security by diktat where defence equipment and national security is involved.  We are well served by what is called out " Five Eyes " security arrangement between the US, Canada, the UK and New Zealand to share security resources.  The only missing link seems to be to get Australian research and manufacturing to take security seriously, and that may take a heavy handed approach to be successful.

The " Gig " Economy !

When you order a pizza for home delivery, very likely the person who arrives with it at your door is wearing what appears to be a brand uniform and using branded equipment to keep the pizza hot, but the pizza shop will insist that he or she is not an employee but a " contractor "  supplying their services as a person running their own business.

When a person becomes an " employee " they gain benefits such as holiday pay and public holidays and the law covering dismissal is onerous. In many cases the distinction between a person operating as a contractor and an employee is hard to define but it results in less take home pay and the certainty of employment is tenuous.

A recent judgement by the Fair Work Commission has sent deep shock waves through the Gig economy which heavily relies on such contractors.  Almost a million Australians work on a freelance or project basis rather than having a permanent job.  The thinking that underpins their way of earning an income is now under challenge.

The Commissions decision concerned a former Foodora delivery rider who claimed unfair dismissal. It found that technology is creating new ways to exploit workers and that workplace laws have not kept pace with technology or technological change.  It determined that this dismissed rider was an employee and not an independent contractor.

This is a landmark decision that will fundamentally reshape work in the Gig economy and will reshape the rights of workers in that economy.  The impact of this decision will have far reaching implications.  Companies that rely on such contracting services have the right to be very worried.

There are huge numbers of workers in the Gig economy who continue to be faced with precarious employment and below award pay. This Gig work has spread to aged care, child care and disability care.  The Gig economy companies have tried to have the best of both worlds.  In particular, they haver created ways to rank workers, giving them the opportunities to work at better times depending on performance.  Uniforms and branded equipment contributed to worker status.

In the building industry, the number of sub-contractors is legendary.  The difference is that these are licensed tradespeople who supply their own equipment and work on a quoted fixed price basis to supply their services to individual building jobs.  Their price varies according to the work opportunities offering from time to time.  Often the specialised equipment they supply costs hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The people this Fair Work Commission applies to usually simply supply their bodies to fulfil their employers needs. Applying the term " contractor " will now need a new degree of objectivity to meet Fair Work guidelines !

Saints - and Sinners !

Last Friday Melbourne suffered a horrifying terrorist incident when a car explodes in the centre of the city and its driver emerged with a knife in his hand and started to stab members of the public.  Sadly, a prominent citizen who rushed to help in the belief that he was witnessing an accident died when that knife was thrust into his chest. Several other people were wounded.

This entire attack was captured on the city centre security camera network and the evening news carried vivid scenes of the police dodging knife thrusts until a shot was fired.  The attacker was captured, but died later in hospital.  During this scrimmage the public noted the actions of a man with a shopping trolley.  He repeatedly risked his own life by using the trolley to impede the knife wielding attacker.  He was instantly dubbed " Trolley man " and it was revealed that he was one of Melbourne's homeless.

The public response was to start a fund that attracted donations. The total quickly rose to near a hundred and fifty thousand dollars and there was hope that this reward money would deliver a better lifestyle to this public hero.  On television he was self effacing and humble.  The people of Melbourne took him to their hearts.

Then came the news that the police wanted to interview him.  It seems he was on bail and awaiting a court appearance for burglary charges. He willingly handed himself in at a police station and it was revealed that he had fallen into a life of crime and had a troubled relationship with police.  He had ongoing drug issues in his past.

This 46 year old man has had his bail extended with the condition that he must live in a nominated address and report to police  and obey a curfew from 9 pm to 6 am daily.   Those public donations have been put into a trust fund and held in abeyance until the court matters are sorted out. It is evident that the public will follow this saga with interest.

Michael Rogers is now a celebrity because of his brave actions to protect the public from a frenzied man trying to commit mass murder.   It would be a shame if that reward money was withheld and put  to another purpose now that it has been revealed that the man dubbed to be a saint is also a sinner. At forty-six this man is capable of being reintegrated into the workforce and achieving the new life those who donated money intended.

No doubt the magistrate will take his actions in the Melbourne attack into account when deciding this burglary charge.   It would be surprising if one of the charities did not step up and take care of his problem with lack of accommodation and industry would gain kudos by offering a job consistent with his skill ability.  It was clearly the intent of the public to offer a chance of a new life to a homeless man who had earned their gratitude.

Now it is up to Michael Rogers.  He has become a news item and his experience in facing court and what follows will be enticing to the media.  The people who donated money will watch with interest to see whether this opportunity leads to a more uplifting life, or if he slowly sinks back into obscurity. That will rest in his own hands !

The Cat Let Out Of the Bag !

A  US District Attorney goofed when he inadvertently revealed that United States prosecutors have a sealed arrest order ready and waiting to serve if they ever manage to get their hands on Australian Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.

In 2010 Wikileaks astounded the world when they published secret documents copied by a low level cypher clerk in the US armed forces who setup a recording device under the guise of listening to music and copied thousands of top secret documents that caused extreme embarrassment to the US government.

Assange claimed that the US was waiting to pounce with an extradition order when he was summonsed to appear in a Swedish court to answer a rape allegation.  He fled to Britain and was on bail when Sweden pressed their demand for his presence, and in 2012 the government of Ecuador granted him asylum in their London embassy.

Since 2012 he has served his exile in a gilded cage.  The Ecuadorean embassy has been guarded by a ring of British police and Assange would be arrested for that bail breach if he ever sets foot outside its protective perimeter.   The US has kept silent on its intentions, but this slipup in a court application for an unrelated case let the car out of the bag.

Assange is now clearly a celebrity.  He steps onto an embassy verandah to hold news conferences and regularly writes a blog.  The US serviceman who enabled his document coup has served time in prison, been rehabilitated and had a sex change and is now a free person.   The big question - if ever the US gets Assange in its clutches - is precisely what charges are possible under US law ?

The Obama presidency backed off because prosecuting Assange would be akin to laying charges against a news agency, and the US had been forced to admit that the documents were authentic.  When Donald Trump gained office, his new attorney general, Jeff Sessions vowed to crackdown on all forms of government leaks.  The US is now pondering whether it is possible to pursue Assange on conspiracy, theft of government property or violating the espionage act.  Basically, Assange's role is akin to that of a newspaper publisher and the world press is likely to be supportive of Assange.

This inadvertent revelation has forced the US government to show its hand.  Assange is correct with his claim that he faces prosecution and extradition to the US if he is arrested in a country with reciprocal extradition rights in force with the US.  He has endured six years as a virtual prisoner in the embassy and he will probably remain there for the duration of Trump's presidency, with the hope that his successor will have a more reasonable stance.

If nothing else, this relentless pursuit sounds a clear warning to others with information they are thinking of publishing that may embarrass a government somewhere.   The machinery of government can be relentless and unbending in the lengths it will go to enact revenge.

Safeguarding Our North !

The announcement that Australia will buy about a dozen Reaper drones from a US manufacturer raises the question as to why this has taken so long.  At about $23 million each they are a far cheaper option than our present manned fighter jets and are capable of staying in the air for much longer patrol missions.

The Reaper is a bigger and better equipped replacement for the famed Predator drone that has seen service in the Middle East.   It can stay in the air and on station for twenty-seven hours and carry a full weaponry range.  It has long been regarded as the " missing link " in our air force deployment.

We are a country with a vulnerable north and north west coast shoreline.  This became very apparent when we were receiving refugee boats that were evading both satellites and naval patrol vessels to arrive unannounced until their cargo had made landfall.   Those boat arrivals have thankfully stopped, but war or famine make the future uncertain.

We have a very small population in our vast north and to the rest of the world we seem to be the last empty continent.   Our small population of twenty-five million is concentrated on the east coast and to the south, leaving the north and west a tempting target in an over populated world that is facing a food shortage.  That mantra of " Populate or perish "  is very applicable to this empty part of Australia.

At this stage it seems that these Reaper drones will form part of the RAAF but it is also inevitable that they will quickly become a point of contention between the RAAF and the army, as was the situation when helicopters first came into service.   Originally it was RAAF pilots flying helicopters supporting army missions until a momentous decision which gave the army its own air cover.

It is very evident that the drone is about to supplant the artillery as a mobile support firebase for army operations.   Just as helicopters move soldiers to where they are needed, the efficient firepower of the drone will quickly become an essential in military operations.  It is inevitable that drones will eventually become separate arms of both the army and the air force.

It would make sense to decide that balance now that this first purchase of drones is proceeding. There would be cost advantages in combining a training school for the remote operators from both services who will need  skill to " fly " their drone in combat missions and in many instances the two services will need to interact together.  The opportunity exists to combine this function to mutual advantage.

It is already apparent that the drone is now an integral part of modern weaponry.  It will not replace the manned jet fighter, but it provides a safer and cheaper option of deploying effective military force.  It would be a tragedy if it were similarly mishandled  as happened when helicopters first arrived on the military scene.

Entering Dangerous Territory !

The New South Wales government has signalled its intention to introduce legislation to recognise the death of an unborn child as a crime when this occurs during a criminal act.  The impetus for this was the recent death of a woman and her unborn twins in a road crash where the offending driver was under the influence of stimulants and driving at high speed without care for others.  Under the existing law, he could only be charged with the death of the mother.

This inability to consider the death of unborn children severely limits the  sentencing options available to the judge hearing the case.  The problem is that recognising the legal right for protection for the unborn will come into sharp conflict with the practice of women in this state accessing abortion.

Strange as it may seem, abortion is still a crime in the laws of New South Wales and the highly visible clinics that provide this service operate in  a grey area of the law.  Any new law is subjected to challenge in the court system and there is a fear that granting legal status to a foetus may proceed through the lower courts until it arrives at a High court decision - that may end what is now regarded as a women's right to terminate a pregnancy.

Of coursed the logical outcome would be to extinguish the law that forbids abortion but that would be strenuously fought by the churches and it is unlikely that conservative members of parliament would agree to this change.  Public opinion is sharply divided and any change would bring criticism from women's rights groups, medical bodies and the legal fraternity.

The state premier is adamant that legislation is possible without upsetting the delicate balance between abortion's legality as a medical procedure and the need to offer a form of foetus protection for the unborn.   We are constantly seeing a spate of domestic violence happening in our society and when this causes a pregnant partner to miscarry the only option for the law is to charge the offender with causing " grievous bodily harm " to the mother, whether or not she may have suffered any other injury.   This law change would make it a crime to cause serious harm or death to a foetus.

There is not sufficient time for such a law change to be debated and passed in the present sitting of parliament and it will be a matter for the next parliament after the coming election.  Once again strong opposition from religious groups is to be expected and every word in the legislation will receive intense scrutiny.   At present the definition of a foetus describes it as being of a minimum of twenty-four weeks and this could change from being referred to as " a child in utero " to " foetus of a pregnant woman ".

We are entering dangerous territory when we seek to put entirely different interpretations on a single outcome.  The unknown factor is what the courts may decide in their interpretation of the wording of any new law.   In this instance, the parliament will be tinkering with a system most people find unsatisfactory.   Whatever decision they reach will have final options decided in the law courts.

Dementia Breakthrough !

Dementia is that silent disease that robs people of their decision making skills and is most common in old age.   There is no cure and we are only beginning to understand it, but University College of London has discovered what may possibly be a fairly simple test to determine who may suffer dementia as long as ten years before the first symptoms become noticeable.

Doctors at the British Heart Foundation  report that as the heart beats, the physical pulse it generates reaches different parts of the body at different levels of intensity.  Researchers found that healthy, elastic  vessels near the heart usually cushion each heartbeat, diminishing its energy and preventing it from reaching delicate blood vessels elsewhere in the body.

Factors such as ageing and high blood pressure can cause these vessels to stiffen and diminish that protective effect.  As a result, a progressively stronger pulse can travel deep into the brain's fragile vessels.   Over time, this can cause damage to the small vessels of the brain, bring structural changes to the brain's blood vessel network and minor bleeds known as mini strokes.  All this may contribute to the development of dementia.

This opens a fascinating area of study to determine whether lifestyle changes and medicine that reduces pulse wave intensity can delay cognitive decline.  A fairly simple blood test may determine who is more likely to suffer accelerated  cognitive decline in the following years.

This is certainly a medical breakthrough but it comes at a time when all our medical results are being collated to provide a central individual medical history to assist doctors and hospitals who may need to give us treatment.   Would we want our employer to know that our future decision making skills are under threat ?  The security of medical information is an issue that worries many people.

Knowing that we are likely to eventually suffer dementia can be an integral part of estate planning for intelligent people.    They may select a person to act with a power of attorney to manage their affairs when that becomes necessary and have such a document signed and witnessed  against such an eventuality.   Selecting a person with the necessary integrity and skill may be outside the family circle and needs to be made while the brain function is still intact.

Unfortunately, measuring this pulse is not likely to be the only measure of future cognitive decline and this offers no immediate hope of a cure.   Why some people suffer dementia and others exist to extreme old age completely free remains one of life's mysteries.  It also seems factual that dementia often follows a traceable thread in family histories.   Some of the most noticeable people who made great accomplishments in their lifetime were as likely to die with dementia as absolute paupers.

It is highly likely that many will decline this test when it becomes available.   How our life ends is not something many want to know !

It's " Freebie Season " !

Here we are just months away from a state election and the world of politics is reaching into the glad bag to dole out promises that may deliver some much needed votes.   The opinion polls suggest that the two major parties are running neck and neck.

Newly minted opposition leader Michael Daley fired an interesting shot with the suggestion that he will make travel on public transport free for kids by the simple expedient of extending their Opal card beyond the present jurisdiction of to and from school travel.   He claims this will cost a mere $ 44 million, but the government counters with figures that indicate that school travel already costs the state $550 million.

Free school travel on public transport has well publicised qualifications.  Children need to live a minimum straight line distance of 1.6 kilometres from primary school or 2 kilometres from secondary school to be eligible and consequently many miss out.   The opposition is suggesting that if they win office they will abolish all charges for children under 16 or those still attending school from all days of the week, including weekends.

Many parents dread the time consuming car journeys each weekend taking the kids to junior sport and this can be a problem in families where the choices cover a range of very different sports.   Free public transport will obviously bring a saving to most families, but it also introduces the safety aspect when parents choose public transport over the family taxi service.

If this goes ahead it will obviously increase passenger numbers on the already overcrowded city services during week days and extend the numbers during the weekends.  There is the expectation of an increase in unruly behaviour and a higher noise factor.  That may not be welcomed by regular public transport clientele.

It can be argued that public transport is a fixed cost because bus, trains and ferries run to a fixed schedule whether they are packed with passengers or run empty.  That is not strictly true.   Public transport needs to interact with the needs of passengers to coincide with travel needs and the schedules are adjusted accordingly.   If kid numbers increase sharply for weekend sport the start and finish times will need to be factored into the timetables.

This is an election promise that will find favour with some - and disfavour from others.  Whatever the cost of implementation, that will be missing from the money scheduled for some other government function because the entire public transport system runs on revenue that is only about a quarter of what the system costs the state treasury.

Like all election promises, the gain for some will be balanced by money shortages elsewhere.  It is all a matter of skill in picking the right targets to garner more approval than rejection.

Sexual Complaint Procedures !

Alarm is being expressed at the way complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace are leading to defamation actions in the courts that involve settlements of millions of dollars and where the actual people involved become mere bit players when the action involves media companies.

Two cases that involve this phenomenon accuse actor Geoffrey Rush and politician Luke Foley and in both cases the women involved sought to have their complaint settled without publicity. On the one hand we have complaints that many women who report sexual harassment see little change and the harasser unpunished, and in others they find themselves and their life story emblazoned on national newspaper headlines.

The problem is that sex sells newspapers, and when a public figure is involved a lurid sex story will be lapped up by the public.   The usual defence is a claim of innocence by the accused and consequently the focus of the action takes place in the courts where the newspaper involved needs to justify what it has published.   It becomes a battle of high priced lawyers to extract a notion of guilt or innocence from the evidence available.

An employment lawyer who is a research fellow of the University of Sydney suggests that victims of sexual harassment should be allowed to keep their details suppressed and to have a closed hearing.  She said there should also be penalties against revealing the confidential details of a victim.

That introduces what many would consider a " Star Chamber " court system where the details of actions are kept from the public.  We pride our justice system on its openness and contrast it with the state control in many oppressive countries where judges instantly obey the wishes of the government. Here a free and fair judiciary conduct cases in full public view and their findings are subjected to numerous courts of review.

Perhaps sexual harassment cases need to be treated in a similar manner to divorces in the Family Court.   Enough discretion in the judges hand so that names of those appearing can be suppressed but case details appear in court releases.   That would prevent powerful men from using defamation laws to suppress women's complaints by using the threat of wide publicity to damage their public image.

It is quite clear that sexual harassment has long reared its ugly head in most situations where men and women earn their living together and more often where women are subservient to a man in a higher control function.   The standards that apply are changing and companies are now finding that ignoring such situations is no longer a viable option.   It is the shame that results from publicity about lack of action that is now bringing rebuke from shareholders onto board members and high management.

But it is also a fact that a spurious complaint of sexual harassment can be used in sheer spite and can destroy another persons reputation and job prospects.  Placing sexual harassment cases in a totally closed court with a ban of publication details would open the doors to a new weapon in the hands of vindictive women denied a promotion or with displeasure for any number of minor reasons.

As with all matters before a court, evidence of claim is essential.

The Dangers of " Religion " !

Our security services can pinpoint at least a hundred people living in Australia who are so committed to Islamic State ideology that they believe their religion requires them to launch an attack that kills " infidels ".   There are probably a greater number of borderline cases who can be pushed into attack mode by firebrand teachers preaching attack as a religious duty.  It is simply impossible to closely monitor them all.

One such individual in Melbourne prepared his car as a mobile bomb with fire accelerant and gas cylinders and drove it into the heart of the city.  He jumped out and torched the vehicle and began a savage knife attack on innocent bystanders.   Sadly, a businessman visiting from interstate rushed to offer aid, thinking the fire was a tragic accident and lost his life as the knife was plunged into his chest.  Several others received lesser wounds.

Pictures of this attack made it onto the nightly news and many people were astonished to see armed police and brave citizens fending off the attacker until a shot was fired that brought him down, wounded but not dead. He died later in hospital.  This contrasts with the usual prompt police use of firearms to end confrontations that involve a weapon.  Other surviving terrorists  cost the public purse millions of dollars during the term of their incarceration.

Many with affinity to Islamic State are " known to police " because they have either been stopped from leaving Australia to join the fight in the Middle East, or they have committed law breaches that brought them to police notice.   Our justice system offers such people sanctuary, until they commit an actual crime.  Should not support for a foreign terrorist organization be in itself a sufficient crime to require close monitoring, the wearing of an electronic identity bracelet and restrictions on the employment that may be permitted ?

Islamic State has openly declared war on the rest of the world which does not adhere to its narrow view of Islam.  Moderate Islam is treated as callously as the rest of the world of " unbelievers " and suffers execution in their hands.  In such a war situation, are we not entitled to place restrictions on their fifth column residents in this country ?

When someone preaches a call for murder to be committed in the name of their religion, that is not the freedom of religion we cherish.   Allowing those who openly pledge their adherence to an organization that condones mass murder, the civil rights of ordinary Australian citizens makes no sense.  They are self proclaimed soldiers of an invading army.

Perhaps we are taking that " innocent until proved guilty " mantra too far.   When someone claims the right to commit murder because they demand we adhere to their religious requirements they lose the protection of the law.   The law that pertains is what the citizens of this country determine it should be and we now face what is a clear threat  !

Isn't it time just actively supporting Islamic State became a criminal offence ?

The Guns Fall Silent !

Exactly a hundred years ago today,  the mass killing that was World War One in Europe came to an end when an armistice came into effect at eleven am on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. It was an unnecessary war.  An assassins bullet killed an arch-duke and a series of interlocking defence treaties made war inevitable.

The slaughter was just unimaginable.  War moved from the horse age to the machine gun and artillery shell.   It was fought in the skies with Zeppelins and aircraft and on the seas submarine warfare sought to starve opposing nations into surrender.  New weapons evolved and these included poison gas and armoured moving gun platforms that were named " tanks ".

It gained the title of " the war to end all wars ", but of course - it didn't !   It was simply the precursor of a new war twenty years later, caused by an unfair peace treaty called the " Treaty of Versailles " which was inflicted on Germany and caused an embittered corporal named Adolph Hitler to inflict National Socialism on his nation and plan a war of revenge.

One of the war's outcomes was the revolution in Russia that inflicted Communism on the world. This new Russia threatened to spread the ideology by force and caused the community of nations to live with a new fear.  But this world war was certainly the catalyst for change.

It accelerated the emancipation of women.  At the start of the first world war women were refused the vote in much of the world and their choice of education and jobs was limited.   The role of women was essentially wife and housekeeper, but the necessities of keeping the nation running saw women working in factories and evolving into men's jobs such as tram conductors.

That period after wars end saw living standards rise sharply as industry expanded and jobs became plentiful.  Education became a right rather than a privilege and improvements in the national diet improved longevity.   The world entered a " golden era " which was only curtailed by the great depression of the 1930's.  The formation of what became called " the League of Nations "  gave promise of the end of future wars, but attempts to limit the size of armies failed when national rivalries prevented consensus.

Australia was a long way from the battlefields of Europe but an amazing number of men from our small population answered the call of duty and our numerous war memorials carry the names of those who failed to return.   A century on the last of those who fought in that war are now dead but their nation pauses to remember a time when the way of life we cherished was threatened and our country's safety depended on the outcome of battles in Europe.

Child Car Seat Safety Issue.

There is an old adage which aptly applies to the average handyperson doing any sort of installation job.  "  When all else fails, read the instructions  " !    Sadly, most car seats used to protect infants and toddlers in cars in Australia are installed by their parents and about fifty percent get it wrong.

The World Health Organization says correctly installed  and used child restraints reduced deaths amongst infants by about 70 percent and among small children by  54 to 80 percent.   A child is three times more likely to die or be seriously injured if their car seat has been used incorrectly. This situation came to the attention of Neuroscience Research Australia.

Associate Professor Julie Brown of Neuroscience Research Australia undertook a study of the various car seats on the market and developed refined installation instructions by testing them on parents and users, instead of relying on the instructions provided at point of sale which had been developed by experts and committees.

The end result was a single A3 sheet of step-by-step instructions.  Each step had pictograms and a matching QR code that took users to a video.   Research also developed swing tags that hang on the seat so parents, carers and grandparents could refer to them ever time they put a child in the vehicle.    It was found that this reduced errors by twenty-seven percent.

Child safety seats are an expensive item and they are required by law whenever a child is being carried in a motor vehicle.  It is vitally important that the way it is installed allows those protective features to do their job and it is helpful if the step by step instructions are something that the average person can comfortably handle.   The failure rate discovered in car seats in use indicates that is not happening.

These simplified installation instructions will certainly help, but perhaps the government may need to  take a more interventionist stance.   It would be helpful if those annual registration car checks included a requirement that when a car seat is fitted its proper installation be part of that inspection and certification.

It is unlikely that most parents are aware that the safety seat they have installed is failing to fully protect their child.   They have probably installed it to the best of their ability and consider it safe.
This opens the door for car servicing outlets to provide an installation service which will be worth the few dollars it costs to relieve parents worry that their child is safe.   Such a service would need to be readily available at short notice and hopefully available in most suburbs.   The reason most parents try self installation is the unavailability of such an option.

Few parents would be indifferent to the safety of their child.  The vast majority with a badly installed car safety seat are blissfully unaware of the danger.    They buy a seat with a proven safety rating and expect it to do the job.    The fact that about fifty percent are believed to have a defect in installation is sufficient reason to amend the regulations that apply.

The Missing Link !

With just a few months to the next state election the Labor leader of the Opposition announced that he was resigning the leadership, effective immediately.  There have been whispers of an indiscretion at a Christmas party in 2016 when Luke Foley is rumoured to have behaved inappropriately towards a female ABC reporter.   This was levelled under parliamentary privilege recently by a government member and today it gained substance.     Foley denies the claim, but feels that clearing his name and providing leadership in an election battle simultaneously would be impossible.  He intends to sue for defamation.

The New South Wales state election scheduled for March of next year is critical in deciding whether Wollongong and the entire south coast stretching to the Victorian border ever gets that F6 extension to bring a modern motorway in to the heart of Sydney.   It has been continuously shelved as money has been spent creating arterial road systems to the north and west of Sydney and now that missing link to the south is finally on the drawing board.

The present government plans to commence a vital  section joining Arncliffe to Kogarah, but that now depends on their gaining an election win.   The Labor party is threatening to discontinue building toll roads and instead spend on public transport and it looks like Sydney's south will lose out in both ways if that happens. Labor has announced that if it wins it will dump this Arncliffe/Kogarah project.

Wollongong and its steel mill has been a traditional Labor voting enclave and consequently the Libs have been reluctant to spend money there.  When Labor is in state office it takes that vote for granted and spends where money can buy votes.   That has sealed the fate of this F6 extension for countless decades.

Wollongong and its vast hinterland suffers two major transport disadvantages.  Not only does it lack a fast road entry into the heart of Sydney it also has a rail connection that takes an hour and a half to bridge that eighty kilometre gap.   For much of that journey, the train travels at a walking pace because of the twisting line through the escarpment, and even light rain brings landslips that bring service to a halt.

The answer is abundantly clear.   We need a rail tunnel through the sandstone escarpment to connect Thirroul with Waterfall.   Various tunnel boring machines are completing their work on the new metro system and logic dictates that creating that tunnel should be high on the list of priorities.  The fact that Wollongong and the south has become more marginal in delivering voting returns should have the attention of both sides of politics.

A lot of once gracious suburbs of Sydney are protesting as high rise is being inflicted on them.   The escarpment widens out past Kiama and could accommodate new housing and take the pressure off Sydney if it could be connected by a speedy rail service to the important jobs market.   That can never happen until a tunnel is created to remove that blocking effect north of Wollongong.

Its about time the south put pressure on both sides of politics.  A vote is something of value and we need to make sure our politicians understand that it is conditional on their undertaking to fund improvements to both road and rail connections to Sydney.   This coming election is important and we need to make sure that the future of this important area figures in the outcome.

Both sides of politics must be driven to unequivocally state their commitment to providing those missing road and rail links.

The End Of " Trust " !

In 2015 what really amounted to the major portion of the world signed off on a nuclear deal with Iran that will prevent that country moving to acquire nuclear weapons in the immediate future.   The deal limits the use of the means of enriching uranium to weapons grade and allows inspectors to regularly check that Iran is in compliance with the treaty.

The signatories to this deal were known as the " P5+1 "  which included the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,  Russia,  France, China - and that " +1 " referred to Germany.   The president of the United States at that time was Barak Obama.

When Donald Trump sought the presidency he promised to withdraw from the deal because Iran was continuing to develop ICBM's and finance terrorist movements in the Middle East, and that is despite UN inspectors and the other signatory countries certifying that Iran is in compliance with the terms of the deal.

Donald Trump has now made good on that promise.  In fact, he has reimposed the sanctions that Barak Obama withdrew and their reimposition means that unless the other countries comply with these new obligations their access to US markets will be compromised.  It is possible that Iran will now speed up the acquisition of nuclear weapons, which was the aim of that treaty to prevent.

This breaks a precedent that held that a treaty was an agreement between nations, not between individuals.  Donald Trump's view of politics is so completely Republican that he delights in undoing anything his Democrat predecessor, Barak Obama put in place. He rallies his supporters with the claim Obama made a bad deal which he has taken steps to rectify.

All this comes at a time when negotiations are under way with North Korea to have that country relinquish its existing stocks of nuclear bombs - which will require a compliance treaty.   How can any country trust the United States to stick with treaty terms when Trump is simply changing his mind and backing away from treaty obligations in which his country has signed in good faith ?

Can we now believe that treaties are valid only as long as the man holding that office remains in power, and if so international diplomacy has become a thing of the past.  That treaty with Iran had the compliance of the United Nations and consequently the assent of the various nations that are combined under the United Nations umbrella.   It was virtually a treaty signed with a significant part of the rest of the world.

Trump has set international diplomacy a fatal blow.   The protocol of the past that incoming regimes honour the obligations entered into by the outgoing presidency is now null and void.   It opens the door for whoever follows Trump into office to totally disregard his achievements on the basis that integrity only lasts until the man in power at the time - hangs up his hat !

Our Near Neighbour's Independence Vote !

There is a little bit of France  in the Pacific ocean, way offshore from Queensland.  The Island of New Caledonia was claimed by the French and annexed in 1853 and from 1864 until 1897 is was developed as a penal colony.  In modern times it contains a vast deposit of Nickel and this valuable export underlines the island economy, together with tourism.

The Kanak people were the original inhabitants and still make up about 63% of the population.  Like Britain, the French colonial empire began shrinking after the end of the second world war and the idea of independence from France has become a lively issue in recent times.   It was subjected to a referendum in 1987 in which the vote was overwhelmingly in favour of retaining the French connection.

On November 4 the people of New Caledonia again went to the polls to decide this French issue and the result was a lot closer.  56.4 % decided to retain French nationality, while 43.6 % voted to become a new, independent world nation.   In a strange twist, this question will again be raised by new referendums in 2020 and 2022.

New Caledonia is a beautiful island with a pleasing sub tropical climate.   The numbers on the voting roll for this referendum totalled 174,995 people who got the vote by way of island birth, long term residence or durable connection to the island economy.   As a result, 35,948, comprising 17% were excluded from the poll.

It seems that more recent French residents moving to the island favour retaining the French connection because France spends about a billion francs a year on island support and the small population would have problems financing an adequate military defence.    There is also the value of being protected by what many regard as a world country that has veto rights at the United Nations because of its nuclear arsenal.

There is also fear that with a dwindling number of Pacific possessions the French may withdraw and concentrate their attention in Europe.  This referendum was virtually trouble free, but support for independence is stronger in the Kanak population and access to the voting roll will be under pressure as further referendums approach.

New Caledonia looks to Australia as the big, friendly neighbour which provides advanced medical services and access to world class finance and associated legal facilities.  It is a favoured Australian holiday destination, but rather eclipsed by an unfavourable exchange rate that makes it " expensive " in Australian eyes.   Air services and travel offers tend to favour Bali and other Pacific destinations.

New Caledonia came to prominence in the second world war when it became the staging post for the American push to repel the Japanese military threat to Australia.   Thousands of troops were trained and passed through the island on their way to battles and many of the big guns that defended the island remains in place there today.

The one certainty is that this independence issue is not yet settled.  If in the end the island becomes an independent new nation is seems evident that it will seek shelter under the Australian defence umbrella.

End Of Ocean " Outfalls " !

Few now remember the days when Sydney was a city of backyard " Dunnies  ".   It was delicately referred top as " Night soil " and a brave army of night soil collectors removed the pans and replaced them with fresh ones on a weekly basis.   When the first pipes were laid the residents of this city eagerly awaited connection to the long awaited sewage system.   The era of indoor plumbing had arrived.

Banishing that unsightly structure that housed the backyard toilet raised the question of the ultimate disposal of this new piped sewage.   The ocean lapping at our shores was just too tempting.  From 1916 pipes ran offshore and we dumped it in the ocean, and that was evident for all to see.  It all depended on the wind direction and the prevailing currents, but the sea offshore was very discoloured and the onshore breeze carried a pong that was decidedly unpleasant.   Swimmers at Bondi sometimes encountered what they euphemistically referred to as " Bondi cigars ".

This despoiling of the ocean brought many protests and the first forms of alleviation were to extend the pipelines and carry the waste further out to sea.   We started to treat the waste but the volume brought management problems and any time nature delivered heavy rain the system overloaded and raw sewage was pumped directly into the sea.

Pumping our sewage into the ocean had consequences.  Where the pipes ended the sea had a distinctly brown fuzz appearance which posed significant health risks.   This mix of algae, bacteria and human waste attracted colonies of tiny stinging jellyfish - known as " hydroids " and untreated plastics, wet wipes and toilet paper began piling up on the ocean floor.   Gradually, the amount of sewage treated began to creep higher with each passing year.

Now just three outfalls for untreated sewage remain and they are situated at Vaucluse and Diamond bay.   Fortunately, this part of the coastline is rocky and unsuitable for swimming and tenders are sought to create tunnels which will see the outfalls close and the waste redirected to the expanded treatment plant at Bondi.   This $ 86 million project is expected to be completed by 2020 and that will herald the end of disposing of our sewage into the ocean.

The day is fast approaching when this city sewage will be regarded as a commercial treasure.  The treatment process is so advanced that it can be safely used as a fertilizer on grazing land, and tests prove that it makes the soil resistant to drought.   Where areas have been so treated on a test basis the green appearance in a background that is uniformly dried to a constant brown is simply startling. There is now the prospect of our sewage becoming a valuable commercial product in which supply falls short of demand.

And we will no longer be fouling the oceans which are the scene of much of our recreational activity, and are a significant  contributor to our food supply.

The Dreaded " El Nino " !

On Friday we sweated when the temperature reached 34 degrees on our coastal fringe and the heat continued overnight, making a comfortable sleep for many impossible.  The weather statisticians warn that this was the earliest arrival of summer for more than two decades and is probably a prediction  that Australia is on the verge of an " El Nino " event.

Accurately defining an El Nino is difficult, but generally the waters of the equatorial central Pacific ocean become warmer than usual and this transfers to the atmosphere above.  As a consequence, the rain patterns tend to shift to the east and away from the vast Australian mainland, bringing drier and warmer conditions to this continent - and that can last for a very long time.

If we are to get an El Nino it has picked very bad timing.   Our farming areas have experienced a record drought and recent rain has brought some relief, but that drought is not broken.   Without follow up rain that green fringe will fade and most farmers finance is in parlous state because they have been forced to buy feed to keep the base stock of their herds alive.  An extension of the drought would force many to walk off the land.

One of the prime reasons tourists visit Australia is our Great Barrier Reef, and it is in dire trouble.  Hotter summers have caused the coral to bleach and it is under attack from Crown of thorns starfish. Warmer coastal waters have caused many semi tropical native fish to migrate south - to cooler waters and we can only hope that more heat resistant coral will eventually replace what has been lost.  It is inevitable that the reef will lose its power of attraction, at least in the short term.

Last summer saw air conditioners become the hottest item in the discount stores and that looks certain to be maintained this year.  Running an air conditioner uses electricity and it seems certain that the electricity peak will rise further on the hottest days - and there is a doubt whether our ageing electricity generators can meet demand.  Power generation is locked in political disharmony and shows no sign of reaching consensus in the short term.   If it continues, blackouts and other forms of load shedding are inevitable.

Perhaps the greatest damage will be done to our vast inland river systems.   They have been depleted by excess irrigation use along their lengths and both regulation and buy back of water rights have been used to increase the flow to the southern states.  Commercial interests vital to both our food supply and to exports will struggle to maintain production with what is fast becoming a regime of water rationing.  Continuing drought will impose disaster on our efforts to create a healthy inland river system.

It is unlikely that the taps will run dry in our coastal fringe.   The huge desalination plant that has been in mothballs for years is again up and running and turning sea water into drinking water, but water restrictions are a certainty.   There are plans to raise the water storage of Warragamba dam by increasing the wall height, but that will deliver only when the rains return.

Here we are on the cusp of summer - and there seems every chance that an El Nino is gathering on a far horizon.   The only blessing is that if it eventuates it will force the implementation of many action plans that have remained in indecision for too long.

Sex Descrimination !

The doctrine most forms of religion teach is not how young people run their lives in this day and age.  As the churches see it, there should be no sex before marriage and opposite sex couples should choose a partner, have their marriage sanctified in a church ceremony and regard that as unbreakable for the rest of their lives.

Today, it is common practice for many couples to live together without the necessity of that church wedding and a vast number who did take vows in a church end up having a divorce.  Many decades earlier the " Gays " began coming out openly and more recently the population of Australia voted to decide the issue of same sex marriage.  We are now a nation of open sexual orientation with laws that forbid discrimination.

The battle to decide the last bastion of religious sex discrimination is being fought in the classrooms of church schools.  Some of the churches want to gain the right to refuse teacher employment to those that do not practice the doctrine of the church and there is a degree of pressure to refuse gay students enrolment in church schools.

In many ways, this is a desperate rear guard action.   That battle was lost long ago and there are many gay teachers working in church schools and gay students amongst the pupils.  The churches tolerate this - as long as they do not openly flaunt their beliefs and orientation.   The churches claim they have no intention of expelling gay students or sacking gay teachers, but they demands that right in the event of open confrontation extolling the gay lifestyle.

Unfortunately, schools within a protective moat against other than church teachings have the propensity to create a " them and us " culture.   Those same students will engage with people of mixed sexual orientation when they enter the workforce and those indoctrinated with rejection will probably have integration problems.   Much of the outlook that decides our relationship with others is learned from our parents and in our school rooms.   The last thing Australia needs is a culture that promotes the exclusion of others that do not conform to one narrow view of morality.

In todays world, the churches are promoting a lifestyle that it out of step with public opinion.  That became clear when Australia expressed its opinion in that vote on same sex marriage.  A church wedding is fast becoming rather " quaint " and the culture of church schools to many people belongs  as a holdover from a distant age.   An age when the aim of the church was " indoctrination "  !

It is encouraging that the alumni of church schools is soundly rejecting handing this power to church school administration.  If granted, most fear it would not be used wisely  !

Defining " Rights " !

A " caravan " of thousands of men, women and children is slowly making its way through Mexico with the intention of  crossing a bridge over the Rio Grande and applying for asylum at the American border.   President Donald Trump will despatch thousands of American troops to  guard that border and refuse these people entry.

This caravan consists of people from a variety of individual countries that are badly governed and riddled with gangster activity that trades in drugs.  They suffer a lack of job opportunities and their police are usually corrupt.  They claim this moving exodus as exercising their right as refugees to seek sanctuary in the United States.

Europe is facing a virtual invasion of refugees fleeing the war in the Middle East and Africans seeking relief from the dismal economic prospects of many failed small countries.  They are facing closed borders and host countries are having assimilation problems that are threatening to install illiberal governments.   One of the main reasons Great Britain is quitting the EU is to regain border control.

Australia has people stranded in Nauru without hope of repatriation because the promise that they will never be granted the right to settle in Australia is holding back a flood of people waiting in refugee camps in Asia from boarding boats and forcing their way onto our shores.

Flows of refugees has always been the way of this world.  Religious persecution has been one of the many reasons but today the impetus is often just a better lifestyle.  People in countries with a broken economy seek refuge in countries they hope will allow their children to advance in life and prosper.   Planet Earth is now home to over seven billion people and many host countries are past the point when they can comfortably absorb this flow of newcomers.

When people pull up stakes and depart a stricken country -  nothing changes.  The corruption that sent them packing remains in place.  Renewal usually comes from within when the population is forced into revolt and that does not happen when the pressure is relieved by constant and perpetual immigration.  Many countries are in desperate need of a bloody civil war which will sweep away rotten regimes and create renewal.  Usually that happens when they close their borders and imprison their people - as evidenced by the collapse of the Communist German state.

We are seeing a refugee refusal steadily building in many parts of the world and in particular it manifests itself in closed borders.  Countries that permit an orderly flow of immigrants who follow due process are hardening their borders to refugee flows that simply force their way through such barriers.  This immigration issue is capable of politically replacing  compassionate government with hard right conservative regimes by public demand in immigrant receiving countries.

When unhappy people have no place to go they have no other option than to fix the regime that is delivering oppression.  That is often bloody and sacrifices many lives, but it was also the basis of many regimes that are now the main immigration destinations !

The message resonating is loud and clear.   Fix your own problems - and don't bring them here !

" Squatter's " Rights !

When the second world war ended and the troops returned to Australia we faced a severe  housing shortage.  It was not wise to allow a home to remain vacant for even a matter of days because if " squatters " moved in they were hard to remove.  The onus was on the house owner to find them somewhere else to live.

Now a story appearing in newspapers is reviving interest  in what is known as the " adverse possession " law on the NSW law books - and this is colloquially known as the " Squatter's rights "  law.  It can send a shiver down the spine of every property owner to know this still exists and is legally valid.

In 1998 a property developer noticed a house falling into disrepair in a street he visited and learned that its owner had died.  When it remained undisturbed for some time he took possession, changed the locks and had a builder carry out basic repairs and had a tenant move in.   This was a risky manoeuvre but apparently the deceased relatives were unaware the property existed and this arrangement persisted for twelve long years.

In 2017 this developer applied to the court to be  recorded as the owner of the land the house was standing on under this ancient " adverse possession " law, which allows a person to take possession of land if they have occupied it for at least twelve years.   This application was granted and that developer is now the legal owner of the property.  Its present value is in excess of a million dollars.

That story will certainly revive the interest of the many people locked out of home ownership by the price bubble and the reluctance of the lending authorities to finance home sales without a significant deposit.  In every community there are homes that remain vacant and undisturbed for years and the same applies to commercial premises.  It opens up an avenue of opportunity for the many homeless who break into such properties and use the shelter it provides simply because they  have no other choice.  If they can persist for twelve years, they have the legal right to claim ownership.

A few years ago a lot of moneyed people in China became alarmed when Xi Jinping gained office and started a drive against corruption.  Many attempted to gain dual citizenship in other countries and here in Australia we saw a rash of property acquisition.   In some cases it was palatial homes that were left vacant but put in the care of accountancy firms, but in others it was property they intended to redevelop if and when they moved to Australia.   The money seemed safe because they owned property which they would demolish and rebuild if a move to Australia became necessary.

Some such acquisitions required a degree of secrecy and they were officially owned by two dollar companies hiding behind an accountancy firm address.   If these remain vacant they are ripe for plunder under this squatter's law.  All that is required is for the occupier to be able to prove that they have been the occupant for twelve years to claim legal ownership.

It also has application in rural areas.  The Australian countryside has many old, abandoned farm houses dating back to the great depression and should that twelve year claim be established this same law applies.   This is a news story that will start acquisition thinking to move into high gear in many minds  !

Australia becoming " Rubella " Free !

Back in the 1950's the disease that was most feared in pregnancy was Rubella, or as it was colloquially called " German Measles ".  It was endemic and if caught in the first trimester the most likely outcome was stillbirth or defects that persisted for a lifetime.

Unfortunately, it was also hard to detect.  The symptoms were mild and it often showed itself by way of a rash, nausea, a low fever and conjunctivitis.   Many women were unaware that they were experiencing Rubella but in about eighty five percent of cases there were serious side effects to the developing foetus and many babies were born deaf.   It was also responsible for a rash of heart problems that continued into later life.

In 1971 a vaccine for Rubella was developed and Australia instituted a vaccine campaign that targeted schoolgirls.  This produced the opportunity to eliminate the disease from Australia and in 1989 this vaccine was combined in the general programme for the control of measles and mumps given to all children of both genders at one year and with a repeat at eighteen months.

The result has been dramatic.  Last year Australia experienced just eight cases of Rubella and it is most likely that these were caught overseas.   That vaccine campaign has achieved the " herd protection " sought here but it is still endemic in many other parts of the world.  That is one of the reasons why the movement to reject all forms of vaccination can provoke holes in the safety net that has virtually eliminated  Rubella from this country.

In Recent times travel has come within the financial reach of most Australians and we figure highly on the world travel scene.    We are also a travel destination for the rest of the world, and annually we accept many migrants who take permanent residence in this country.   It is therefore inevitable that we will come in contact with Rubella from areas where it is still endemic.

Families who oppose vaccination and shield their children from this form of protection are doing harm to that herd effect.  Unvaccinated girls of child bearing age will probably travel overseas and will undoubtedly come into contact with new arrivals here who may be susceptible to Rubella.  We are aware that a few localities fall below the ninety-five percent vaccination target that is required for the herd effect to kick into protective mode.

There has been a fallacy that somehow vaccinations are spreading autism in our community and some gullible people firmly believe that, despite denials by scientists and medical professionals.  Unfortunately, this has gained a following that uses deception and goes to great lengths to avoid this obligation and the net is slowly tightening.   These unvaccinated are being refused entry to many forms of early childhood amenities.   The " common good "  makes it essential that this form of coercion continues unabated  !