In Defence of Masks !

 We are about to experience a sombre new year.  When midnight strikes to herald the start of 2021 the harbour bridge will light up with fireworks and the television cameras will take that scene to the world, but there will be no crowds lining the foreshores.

The people of Sydney have been ordered to watch this spectacle from home and the light show in the sky will last a mere seven minutes instead of the normal doubling of that number.  This year there will be no vast crowds trying to get home on buses and trains when the fireworks end and there is the expectation that inner Sydney will be virtually deserted.

We thought we had this coronvirus pandemic under control, but days of no fresh cases reported came to an end with news that new strains were emerging in both Britain and South Africa which increased the rate of infection.  We retreated into " fortress Australia " but the damage may have already begun and this new menace has breached our shores.

Vaccination against the disease is now under way in both America and Britain and we hoped to hold off a little longer to avoid any obvious mistakes that might appear in those programmes, but this new strain is adding urgency.  We can not go into indefinite lockdown and yet that is exactly what is happening in nursing homes and aged care facilities.   In many instances, medical appointments are the only way residents are permitted to breach those lockdown rules.

  It seems that vaccinations do not stop people getting the disease but reduces the severity when they do, and that is a very good reason to get innoculations under way immediately in aged care.  This is our most vulnerable health component and in the early stages of the disease we saw how it devastated these closed communities.

Unfortunately, we are now experiencing some degree of civil disobedience.  For a while, most people wore face masks in the streets and at least tried to observe the distance rules, but now we are seeing  flagrant disregard when people congregate to enjoy themselves.   It is not unusual to see a mass of people on our beaches or singing and dancing in a pub scene.

The number of deaths from this coronavirus in Australia is minimal compared with the world scene and it will remain that way if we can keep our nerve.  Face masks are uncomfortable and inconvenient, but we would be wise to wear them as a matter of course to beat this disease.  Perhaps it is time for citizens to confront those in public unmasked to help making wearing a mask a public responsibility.

Perhaps appearing in public unmasked should invite arrest and detention.  We are assured that a combination of frequent hand washing and the use of face masks delivers the best defence against this virus and that is not an unreasonable demand to make of the public.

Quite obviously, the funds that can be directed at relief are finite and can not last indefinitely.  It is in our own interests to take the measures necessary to eliminate this disease from Australia.

Endless Argument !

 The New South Wales government recently bought a parcel of land  in the Sydney suburb of Camellia for the purpose of establishing a rail freight depot. This caused a political furore when it was claimed that the price paid was many millions more than that land was worth.

Now the government has changed tack and is proposing to build a new thousand bed prison on that Camellia site, despite a sharp drop in the numbers held in incarceration due to the coronavirus sweeping the state.  The NSW prison population has dropped by six percent and our jails are now holding 12,700 prisoners.

Prisons are an emotive issue and the state has recently constructed Australia's biggest prison on a site near Grafton in northern NSW.  It seems there is the expectation that more prison beds will be needed because of increased policing and our ever growing population numbers.

Present thinking is that this new prison needs to be within Sydney to facilitate visiting rights and to service the nearby court systems, but there are queries on whether that Camellia site is suitable because of the heavy pollution evident.

Camellia was the site for James Hardie's asbestos cement plant and the suburb is heavily impregnated with asbestos.  The state has a duty to keep its prisoners free from harm and there is doubt that this site can ever be made entirely safe to permanently house people.

Now there is a persistent rumour rife concerning Long Bay prison, situated on a thirty-two hectare site at Malabar in the eastern suburbs.  This has sweeping ocean views and has long had land speculators salivating.  If the old prison was demolished and the site sold for prestige housing it would add millions to government coffers.

The government is denying any plans to redevelop Long Bay but this plan for a prison at Camellia breaks new ground on the issue of prisoner safety.  Camellia was where Sydney sited its most noxious industries and the site redevelopment will be immensely costly.   A new prison there will be surrounded by air pollution from the existing industrial mix and the health of prisoners will become an issue. 

The site of prisons has long been a matter of acrimony.  Old prisons in country towns have the support of their residents because they contribute to the town economy, but where any new prison is suggested brings a groundswell of opposition.  A new prison proposed to be build in the city of Wollongong was quickly abandoned when local opposition threatened to turn against the politicians holding regional seats.

 This prison also offends the plans for the rehabilitation of Camellia by the residents who actually live there.  It is sited adjacent to the Parramatta river and close to the burgeoning city centre and is a natural growth area if the pollution can be brought under control.  During its commercials era a lot of people chose to live there because of proximity to their jobs and the reduced price of housing compared to the rest of the city.

The prospect of a major prison being dumped in their suburb is unlikely to raise Camellia to a more salubrious status.  It sounds like the government trying to  rectify a bad buying decision when they paid too much for highly damaged industrial land.

Deciding By Referendum !

 New South Wales looks like becoming the only state that refuses to allow those suffering a terminal disease to die with help from their doctor.  That legislation passed in New Zealand when sixty-five percent of the voters gave it approval in a referendum and it is also the law in both Victoria and Western Australia. It is likely to become legal in Tasmania early next year and Queensland has also promised to put it to the vote.

Now a Liberal minister and Labor's Police spokesperson are jointly advocating a referendum on that issue and hoping to bring it to fruition at the next state election, scheduled for 2023.  This is not receiving support from Premier Gladys Berejiklian who has promised no more " conscience votes " in the life of the present parliament.

The Premier is anxious to avoid the discord that greeted legislation to make abortion legal in this state. It was the only state where it was freely available, but technically illegal, and the subject resulted in a bruising debate before it finally passed into law.   It seems that New South Wales is an unusually conservative state.

Polls have shown that about eighty percent of Australians support assisted  dying for the terminally ill.  An ABC poll last year put that figure at ninety percent.  The legislation in force in Victoria and Western Australia  allows people to end their lives with medical help if they are terminally ill with a prognosis of less than six months, or twelve months  for a neurodegenerative condition like motor neurone disease.

There is mixed support from individual doctors, but the Australian Medical  Association is opposed on the grounds that it breaches the obligation to do no harm.  A similar conscience vote was struck down by just one vote when it was put to the NSW parliament in 2017.

It is interesting that this bill has political support from both the major parties.  Unfortunately, death from many diseases can be either uncomfortable to extremely painful and that pain can be avoided with the help of the treating doctor.  As the law now stands, a doctor who eases that pain by allowing sufficient drugs to lower the pain threshold can be charged with a criminal offence.

The thinking is that by putting this question to a referendum makes the position of the voters clear to the men and women they elect to parliament to carry out their wishes.  The outcome of a referendum makes it abundantly clear what is expected of their representatives, and failure to follow that direction would have repercussions at the next election.

In fact, with a referendum scheduled to accompany an election, those standing would be expected to to pledge to honour the referendum result in their manifesto seeking support.  That would seem a sure way to guarantee the wishes of the voters.

Civil Disobedience !

 Perhaps the coronavirus running rampage through Australia is the ultimate test of what power we hand to our elected government to set the rules that we must obey - and what means they can deploy to make us toe the line.   This whole issue of of stopping the spread of infection has degenerated into a mass of civil disobedience.

The first reaction from the government was to use the state police force to restore order.  Breach of the isolation edict would result in draconian fines of a thousand dollars for individuals and even more for companies.  The media was encouraged to give wide publicity to instances where these fines were issued. That deployed the " fear factor " to force people to obey.

That brought a mixed reaction.   The people who were inclined to obey kept broadly within the rules and when the mood changed others got swept up in the pleasures that were forbidden and this brought a police reaction.   Fines were handed out and will be followed up by action from the state debt recovery office.

The problem is that fines fall heavily on people with tangible assets.  They pay or lose valuabl;e conveniences, while those living hand to mouth suffer indignities like having their driver's license suspended or their car registration cancelled.  In many cases, they continue to drive, unlicensed and unregistered.

Usually the ones fined are a mere fraction of the number breaking the law because the crowd dissipates the moment the police start to arrive.  As a result, the spread of this pandemic continues to claim new victims ansd we continue to encounter closed state borders.

We have been lucky in Australia with a lower death toll than in some other countries, but this pandemic is far from over and we will have another civil disobedience problem when the long awaited  vaccination programme gets under way early next year.

Already, a substantial proportion of the population is vocally rejecting lining up to have the jab.  To be effective, the numbers treated neeed to achieve what is called " herd neutrallity " and that requires somewhere above ninety percent vaccinated.

There is a hard core opposed to any sort of vaccination and the people now likely to opt out are the young and healthy who consider vaccination is more essential for both the aged and the medical community.  Without that herd neutrallity this coronavirus will continued to linger unchecked in sections of the community.

The government is unlikely to use legislation to force vaccination on an unwilling public, although the unvaccinated may be prevented from working in some health sectors.   This is an issue that underscores the entire civil disobedience debate.  What degree of force do we agree to hand our government to implement measures essential for our own good ?

Brexit Becomes Reality !

Britain and the EU finally inked a last minute deal as the Brexit negotiations reached the stage where cross Channel chaos was inevitable.  Trade integration had reached crisis point and hundreds of lorries were stranded in Britain and France because the coronavirus pandemic was running rife amongst its drivers.  It looked like trade might come to a standstill.

Under this new deal, the EU and Britain will continue to trade with no limits or tariffs on goods with appropriate rules of origin.  British prime minister, Boris Johnson crowed that " we have taken back our destiny. W'eve taken back every jot and title of our regulation ".   This is the culmination of that 2016 referendum which narrowly chose separation and independence.

This separation comes with a curious pledge of unity. Britain woulkd remain " emotionally " attached to Europe.  The prime mninister pledged that we will  ' be your friend, your ally, your supporter and never let it be forgotten  - your number one market, because although we have left the EU, this country will remain culturally, emotionally, historically, stategically and geologically attached to Europe ".

What was left unsaid was that this agreement does not cover " services " which make up eighty percent of the British economy.  At present London is the only financial capital to rival New York.  There is now the expectation that European capitals will challenge that predominance.  Access to the EU market for UK banks, insurers and asset managers will become patchy at best.

This deal will also support peace in Northeern Ireland, which is a priority for US President Elect  Joe Biden, who has warned Johnson that he must uphold the 1998 Good Friday agreement.  There is still support in Ireland for an accord that would unify the country.

One remaining sticking point relates to the fish in British home waters.  Not only is the share that European fishing boats access contentious, but the regulations that apply to individual species.,  That is an issue that escaped resolution and will be foremost in British hearts and minds as the final issues of Brexit remain to be settled.

Both sides are expressing satisfaction in the accord reached, but in reality it is still a work in progress. Originally, the EU started as a means of extablishing a " common market " to integrate trade between the countries of Euurope for the common good, but then the ideas turned towards political integration, and that was an entirely different proposition.

The EU has emerged as a trade block which forms a counter to China and Britain will no longer shelter within its defensive wall.  It can not trade on the benefits delivered by its old empire because that has disintegrated and it is now an orphan country situated on the fringe of Europe.  In particulasr, it no longer has a giant navy capable of ruling the world's oceans.

The immediate impasse has been overcome, but now the fine tuning awaits.  There is the expectation of more heated wranglng to come as Britain and Europe extricate themselves from the shared responsibility they put together while in union.

It will be intreresting to see if this new found affinity survives the test of time !

Saving the Farms !

Farmers are making a last ditch stand against Santos and that controversial gas field project at Narrabri. Santos recently won the approval of the NSW Planning Commission to implement natural gas wells on what is claimed to be the finest agricultural land in Australia

Local farmers formed what is known as the Enviromental Defenders Office and is taking Santos to the NSW Land and Environment Court to argue that approving this gas field incorrectly  ruled that gas is a low emission energy source compared to coal fired power.

This appeal also claims that the major planning  agency, the Independent Planniong Commission , found that it could not  address the greenhouse gases generated when third parties like power stations burned gas for energy - which is known as scope 3 emissions.

The Enviromental Defenders Office claimed the Commission should have followed the approach taken by the Land and Environment court when it rejected the application from the Rocky Hill Mine at Gloucester, which assessed the  impact of the scope 3 emissions on the environment and people of NSW.  The Comnmission said scope 3 emissions were outside Santos control and only required that direct emissions from the gas field - scope 1 and 2 - be offset.

This rather arcane argument masks the real reason the areas farmers are so concerned.   Efforts to reach and bring this undergournd gas to the surface will interfere with the water table that makes this agricultural land so productive.  Water movement beneath the ground is not fully understood and implementing a gas field will bring change that may be permanent.

The farmers contend that this region is already being forced to live with worsening droughts, ever increasing heat waves and extreme weather.  Anything that decreases food productivity in an increasingly hungry world will be a disaster.

Australia is one of the world's biggest exporters of natural gas and yet NSW is short of this fuel.  This doubt is putting the farms in the area at risk for its own supply.  We are in the process of building a gas hub at Port Kembla so that gas ships from foreign ports can dock in this country.  It seems that in the future we will export Australian natural gas and import what we use in the eastern states from competitors in the world market, and that makes no sense on economic grounds.

This Narrabri project has teetered on the edge of approval or rejection for a long time. This doubt is putting the farms in the gas area at risk because once that underground water is diverted it will impact permanent change on farm economic output.  It is a fact of life that farming is not compatable with gas production if we are to remain a food producing country.

That final decision on Narrabri will most likely decide whether farming of mining will take precedence as the primary industry of Australia.

A Timely Warning !

Spare a thought for the many Australians stuck overseas by the Coronavirus shutdown of the airline industry.  We were used to unlimited travel and for so many families a visit with grandparents involves a trip to another country.  Closed borders were an unheard of reality until this pandemic changed all the rules.

The salvation in sight seems to be vaccines that are about to come onto the world market and eliminate the infections that have thrown world finance into a tail spin, but it will be well into 2021 until the numbers who have taken the jab will deliver convincing figures.

This was the first time in modern history that all the countries of the world faced a common threat.We think it originated in the " wet markets " of Wuhan, China where an assortment of native animals are butchered for human consumption.  Science suspects that the crossover occurred from bats and warns that unless strict hygiene is practised we may see a deadly version arise in the future to deliver a death toll similar to the " Black Death " of the Middle Ages.

The world population is fast heading towards ten billion people and we are packed together in major cities.  The spread of the coronavirus illustrated the ease with which our advanced standard of living spread the disease from country to country.   Some were more effective than others in putting counter measures swiftly in place and this is reflected in the death toll.

Surely, there should be a lesson learned with this close shave with mass destruction that fate delivered to our planet's door.  When the disease broke out in China the authorities suppressed that information passing to other countries and as a consequence infected travellers spread the contagion.  It very quickly became a world pandemic.

Individual countries took varying actions to halt the spread and some were more effective than others.   At the one time, concerted action was so badly needed the United Nations, the body reprtesenting world countries was locked in acrimoney and unable to implement a cohesive policy.  As a result, this coronavirus quickly became a world event.

We would be wise to look to the future and heed the warning that science predicts.  Our reliance on the animal world for our food supply will eventually bring forth new diseases that will quickly go viral.  It is not unreasonable to expect that the end result will be the decimation of the human populationn of this planet.  Such an eclipse would throw society back to the dark ages.

Perhaps that is inevitable.  If we overpopulate planet earth we invite tragedy by way of either war or disease and we need to learn our lesson by returning to a new start, or we learn to mend our ways, control our numbers and take the steps necessary to live in harmony with the natural balance.

In 1918-19 we had a warning from what we called the " Spanish Flu " which subsided for reasons unknown and was quickly forgotten.  We would be unwise to treat the visit of the coronsvirus in a similar manner.

The next pandemic may be the one that takes the world back to the days before the industrial revolution.  The warning could not be clearer !

Diabolical " Button Batteries " !

 This coming Friday morning, thousands of little kids will awaken across Australia and search the foot of their beds to see whether Santa paid a visit during the night.  Christmas day is said to be the happiest day of the year because the jolly fat man in his sleigh pulled by Rheindeers is said to come from the North Pole and leave presents for all the good little boys and girls.

Those presents awaiting discovery will be many and varied, and later in the day they may be supplemented by others from Mum and Dad  and this modern world of toys will contain many that make sounds and excite by movement that is controlled by a world of ever smaller batteries.  We live in the age of the " button battery " and unfortunately along with the excitement it delivers, it is also a danger to the unwary.

These shiny little batteries are often only lightly secured to the toy they power and should a child drop it they come free. Small children can mistake them for lollies and may put them in their mouth to check their taste.  If they are swallowed this sets in motion a medical episode than can lead to serious injury or death,

Those button batteries are incredibly powerful and the stomach acid reacts to them to deliver a caustic reaction that burns the stomach lining. It is essential that this receives immediate medical attention to remover the battery before the burn reaches a critical stage, and unfortunately small children are unable to explain what they have done to their parents.

All too often parents are unaware of the danger until the distressed child is taken to a hospital and an X-Ray reveals the damage and results in imediate surgery.  Those button batteries are everywhere today and they are not confined to toys.  Each year their uses expand and we find them powering hearing aids and the multitude of controls that apply to all sort of electronics and kitchen gadgets.  This is a growing danger and legislation is pending to improve the retention standards to make button batteries more secure.

Since December 2017 over forty incidents of young children suffering severe injuries from swallowing button batteries have occurred and three have died.  This has caused the government to implement a requirement to force an improvement in manufacturing standards to introduce secure battery compartments that contain visible warnings and which are child resistent.

These must undertake compliance testing to prove they are secure and it will be mandatory to have additional warnings and medical advice prominently on display.Unfortunately, this improvement is probably eighteen months away from becoming active on all goods reaching the market place.

That leaves a vast array of past toys powered by button batteries with access to small children.  When the battery life expires, there is the expectation that the toy may ne renewed by replacing the batteries, but some parents may cement that battery in place with a powerful adhesive as a safety measure.  In such cases, the toy will be discarded rather than renewed when the battery expires and that is far better than a toy with a battery that can pose a danger to a child.

This Christmas morning wise parents might check the toys Santa left for battery security.  It is very obvious that toys powered by button batteries are not suitable for children of a young age.  Early action to eliminate that danger can save a life.

Goodwill at Christmas !

 There will be a lot of disappointed people this Christmas.  Carefully made travel plans have been thrown into disarray by the measures necessary to keep us safe from the coronavirus and strict limits have been imposed on where we can go and what we can do.

Last Christmas was also a disappointment.  Raging bush fires devastated many communities and put restrictions on travel.  We shared the misery of those who lost their homes and the appeals that followed were generously supported.

Christmas is supposed to be the season of goodwill.  Traditionally, Christmas dinner is an event which can be described as a " food bonanza ", but some people simply will not have the money to buy anything different from their customary fare.

It is comforting to know that charitable organizations like the Salvation Army and the Smith Family have been distributing food packs to people living a hard life.  In particular, there are presents for children where the necessitiers of life are stretched thin and backing from the community has been generous.

This looks like being a wet Christmas and that will be difficult for the homeless.  A surprising number of people are living out of their cars or seeking whatever shelter they can find when the sun does down.  We find them sleeping under bridges or in city parks, and some ride the trains and use them as mobile homes.

Without the ability to cook food, they are reliant on restaurants and the fast food industry and recent closures due to the virus will have decimated food opportunities.  When we have a Christmas food overload, an offer will usually be gratefully received.

The society of today tends to be anonymous.  We tend to be unaware of who else lives in our street or in nearby apartmentas, but often they are lonely people who keep to themselves.  At best we may exchange a friendly nod when we encounter them in the street, but this festive season is an opportunity to broaden that contact to a more helpful exchange.

In particular, there are many aged people living in the community who face difficulty with tasks like getting their garbage to the kerb on pickup day.  Often they arer surrounded by neighbours who woulsd gladly help, if they were aware that a need existed.

This is a Christmas where many will spend it at home simply because the opportunities to spend it with friends or to travel have been closed off by the need to combat this virus.  It is when we could use the time to broaden our horizons.

A greeting and a friendly smile to the people we mostly ignore could be rewarding.  The spirit of Christmas opens avenues of contact we have never bothered to use.  We may be surprised to find that contact is reciprical  !

War by Biology !

 There is something very worrying about this coronavirus.  It delivers a reminder of just how out of control it has become and the sheer impossibility of getting civilian populations to take the extreme measures necessary to control outbreaks.

We know that military research is ongoing in many countries to develop biological weapons and we remember the days during the second world war when the people of Britain carried gas masks because there was the expectation that Nazi Germany could duplicate the use of poison gas used in the first world war and dtrop it from the air to cause mass death in British cities.

That didn't happen, but late in that second world war the Japanese had a plan to introduce Bubonic plague onto the west coast of America and this was only thwarted when the newly invented atomic bombs brought that war to an end.

Since then, biological weapons have been a threat in the hands of dictators who have made minor use of them to control their enemies.  All the major powers have carried out bioliogical weapon research and there is every indication that some promising weapon stocks are held in military reserves in case a future war goes badly.

This coronavirus is aptly demonstrating the damage a pandemic can do to the economy of countries which it invades and that lesson will not be lost on the war planners.  In a surprise attack, the aggressor could sit tight behind their own closed borders in the sure knowledge that the point of origin can not be determined with accurate certainty.

In the Middle Ages Bubonic plague spread across Europe, carried by the fleas that infest rats.  It was called the " Black death " and the people who survived gained immunity, but millions died and it set industrial progress back by many decades.  It transferred between many countries by way of slow sailing ships and in todays air age what took weeks would be achieved in a matter of hours.

There is a lesson to be learned from this coronavirus.  We live in a rebellious age and in every society there are people who refuse to abide by the measures put in place to stop the spread of the disease.We have an active element who refuse to wear a mask to inhhibit the spread of this disease and in doing so cause the contagion to gain new ground.

When borders are closed, there are many who seek ways to avoid the control points.  Infected people who have been ordered to remain isolated continue to lead a mobile lifestyle and vastly increase the lifetime of the pandemic.

It is though the coronvirus originated in the wet markets of Wuhan, China where bush animals are   slaughtered for human consumption.  The point of crossover was probably bats, but weapons laboratories in many countries have probably originated powerful new diseases which deliver a wider death rate spectrum.

Petrhaps the learning curve from avoiding the coronavirus may be what we need to shield us from the wars of the future !

Failing Buildings !

 Mascot Towers is a Sydney building  gaining a reputation for notoriaty because of the damage it is inflicting on all who depend on it.  Last June, cracks were detected in its walls and foundations and an evacuation order sent its residents into the streets as the cause was investigated and solutions sought.

It is a typicasl modern tower in a shopping district and comprises luxury apartments on the higher floors with the ground floor comprising retail shops which were highly sought after because of their prominence in an important shopping centre.

The apartment owners are stuck with a multi million repair bill to make the building safe and now the investigators have found the building is crumbling and have ordered the ground floor shops to close at this peak sales period of the approach to Christmas.  The ground floor is deemed unsafe for staff and customers because of falling bricks and other masonry.

That closure order was sudden - and immediate.  It said "You should assume that as and from the 18'th of December, 2020 your lot will no longer be accessable.'"    Safe Work's improvement notice required the owner's corporation to erect hoardings and  exclude access to all commercial and retail lots.

The people leasing those shops are devastated.  This closure is being imposed on the peak trading period of the year and consequently they have the maximum amount of stock on hand to service those sales.  It will be almost impossible at such short notice to locate and hire storage space for both stock and fittings, all of which have been secured by finance based on expected sales.

We now learn from the NSW Minister for Better Regulation that the Owner's Corporation has been given the option to request an extension to complete the work.   This will extend the compliance period by at least four to six weeks  and ensure no retailers have to close over the Christmas period while safety measures are put in place.

At best, this allows those shop owners to hold over closure until the early new year and assumes that the public will continued to enter those shops now the danger of injury from falling masonry has been identified.  Then there is the issue of staff retention.   This closure means staff will become redundent in January and many may choose to relocate to available work while demand remains high over the Chriustmas period.

In many cases, traders have mortgaged their homes to secure the capital needed to outfit and stock what promised to be a lucrative business undertaking.  Like the apartment owners on the floors above, that investment has become a disaster through no fault of their own and any form of compensation will be years into the future as the case wends its way through the court system.

The building configuration used by Mascot Towers is duplicated where new buildings are constructed in shopping centres to take advantage of nearby transport hubs.  There have now been several instances where the building construction methodology has later failed and delivered a financial  hazard disaster to those who have bought into the building.

Its about time that the building code was sufficiently supervised that building failure was not a hazard to be encountered when making a buying decision.  That will only happen when the supervising authority is legally required to meet the rectification costs when construction fails to meet industry standards.

Second Class Citizens !

 Efforts to contain the coronavirus differed in various parts of Australia and this depended on how active the pandemic was in each community.   Now the Victorian Ombudsman has singled out the treatment the Victoirian Premier imposed on nine public housing towers in Melbourne as a violation of the human rights of about three thousand people.

It was indeed a draconian edict.  At a 4 pm press conference on July 4, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced that residents of these towers would be immediatrely barred from leaving their homes.  Security people were quickly put in place to ensure that the edict was enforced and this lockdown lasted for  five days at eight of the nine towers.

For unknown reasons, that ninth tower was treated differently.  At 33 Alfred street the embargo lasted nine days and prompted an investigation by the Ombudsman on why those residents were subjected to what amounted to detention.   It was suggested that this was because of the high infection rate prevailing.

All this happened when Melbourne was experiencing the " second wave " of the pandemic and stage three of the general lockdown was imposed later that week.  The densely populated towers were derscribed as " high risk " by the Australian Chief Medical officer, who went on to suggest they were like " vertical cruise ships " !

What seems to have been ignored was that these towers are " public housing " and contain people whose circumstances prevent them from buying their own homes or gaining easy access to the private rental market.   As a consequence, they are usually working in the lower paid echelon of industry or are on welfare benefits of some sort.

This sudden and immediate lockdown, imposed with the presence of large numbers of Victorian police, left many with little food in their refrigerators and desperately short of the medication needed to treat various ailments.  They were given no warning of the coming lockdown and many only became aware of the restrictions when a large body of uniformed police arrived at the towers that very afternoon.

The Ombudsman found that waiting another day before imposing the lockdown would have enabled residents to prepare for isolation and bring in supplies and would have mitigated the human rights aspect of the lockdown.

The deputy chief medical officer at that time testified that she was " quite terrified " that within a week she would see many cases, but that waiting a day would not have made a " hugely significant difference ".  Just exactly who decided to impose that loss of liberty on the towers remain unclear.

Perhaps a lesson well learned.   This was a decision made on health advice, despite it seemingly being made by government ministers.  In similar circumstances, future decisions may be made differently.

Threat to a " Free Press " !

 We recently had an enquiry by the Parliament's Intelligence and Security committee into the impact of law enforcement on the freedom of the press.  There were sixteen recomendations arising from that enquiry and the Attorney General has promised that all sixteen will pass into law.

The press is critical because it claims that law enforcement will still be able to investigate journalists without media companies being granted any ability to argue their cases.  The only real change is that law enforcement will need to obtain their warrant from a Supreme court or a Federal court judge.

The real issue is that journalists may still face the risk of jail for simply doing their job.  It is in the public interest that wrong doing  be brought into the public domain and yet we are seeing raids on journalists homes and law enforcement delving into the files they maintain in their place of work, and that is not conducive to whistle blowers coming forward with information.

Probably the most illustrative example of how a journalist can be punished for exposing the truth lays in the treatment accorded Australian journalist Julian Assange.  His organization - Wikileaks - obtained clear evidence that American Security forces worked outside the law when it killed innocent bystanders during raids on terrorists, and promptly imposed news blackouts to cover up these crimes.

He was assisted by a member of the American armed forces who worked as a data processor.  This soldier copied material he handled and passed it on to Wikileaks, who published it and embarrassed the US government.   That soldier served jail time and was finally released.  He underwent a sex change operation and now lives openly in the United States as a private citizen.  Assange sought sanctuary in a London embassy and lived there for years.  Finally forced out when his mental health deteriorated, he is now in a British prison cell fighting an extradition attempt to bring him to the United States, where he would probably face either death or life in an American prison.

The pursuit of Julian Assange was relentless. The US is unable to doubt that the account of US crimes overseas is factual and yet it is going after Julian Assange for having printed the truth. He revealed what is really willful murder by American security forces and the free world has simply turned its back and done nothing to protect Assange's journalistic freedom.

What the media are seeking is a clear and simple understanding that a journalist has the right to publish matter that is :" the truth and in the public interest ".   When law enforcement carry out these investigative raids the objective sought is the identity of the person who " leaked " that information.

Law enforcement is not challenging the veracity of the information published, merely seeking out the identity of the pertson responsible to plug future leaks.   In the course of that information search, the journalist involved may serve jail time for protecting his or her source of information.

We can not have a " free press " unless our journalists have solid protection from law enforcement using its powers to break the nexus between the scribe and the source of information.  Without that, many dirty little secrets will remain forever hidden and not see the light of day !

Letting the Umpire Decide !

 Trade interruptions have long been the way one country shows its displeasure to another and in the mid twentieth century the American decision to stop selling oil to Japan culminated in the attack on the American fleet in Pearl Harbour.

It is unlikely that this spat betwween China and Australia will precipitate a shooting war but Australia has made the right choice in referring the matter to the international umpire.  The very purpose of the United Nations was to intervene in disputes between nations and settle them short of war.

In this case, when trade interruptions occur they fall under the jurisdiction of the WTO  - the World Trasde Organization. Australia is claiming that China's refusal to allow Auistralian barley, timber and wine into the country is a breach of its obligations under the free trade agreement in place between the two countries.

This dispute has been steadily escalating and now ships loaded with Australian coal are stranded off Chinese ports.  These ships are crewed by sailors from many world countries and their welfare is of concern.  Some shipping companiesd are slow in forwarding their pay and this affects the living standards of their families who rely on that money for sustenance.

This is not a case of China being able to manage its industry without the use of coal.   It is replacing the coal exported from Australia with coal from Indonesia, Russia and Mongolia and this emits a fifty percent higher rate of emissions that the Australian coal, and this is happening when world emissions to save the planet from overheating are at a crirtical stage.

This whole trade fiasco seems related to Australia's attempt to instigate an internatiopnal enquiry into the coronavirus pandemic which erupted out of Wuhan, China and crippled world trade when it forced isolation on the world.  China is sensitive and is trying to deflect the blame to other countries and has singled out Australia as a warning of how it can voice its displeasure.

Taking the matter to the WTO will not bring a quick response.  It will spark an international enquiry which will have to hold hearings, but if that enquiry fiinds China guilty it is likely trade will resume, or China will be affronted and walk out of the United Nations.

China may think it is big and powerful enough to defy the WTO but losing its seat at an international forum would be a blow to its prestige.  As the injured party, Australia may emerge as the victor and the WTO may order a resumption of trade.

China needs to remember that it lives in an orderly world and does not make the rules.  This decision to take the matter to the WHO is the right decision.  That is where trade disputes belong !

A " Blood Sport " Raided !

 New South Wales police heard a rumour that organized crime was organising an illegal cockfight and by putting pressure on their informants learned the location and timing of the event.  They recruited officers from the RSPCA to accompany them on a well planned raid on a remote property at Catherine Fields.

Unmarked police vans took the raiding party to locations where the property could be surrounded before a convoy of police vehicles, sirens screaming tore down the one approach road to achieve total surprise.  The police helicopter hovered overhead to provide an " eye in the sky " and direct operations.

One of the sheds on the property had been converted into a cockfighting pit.  Seventy-one fighting cockerals were discovered in wire cages, together with sharp metal spurs to be fitted to their feet.

A group of thirty-five men were arrested and police discovered $107,700 in cash money which would have been used to bet on the results of fights.   This illegal operation has been shut down and more charges are expected to be laid as the investigation continues.

Several wounded birds were euthanised by the RSPCA and it is likely the rest will be destroyed.  They are naturaly aggressive and this cruel sport is banned because these fights inevitably lead to the loser dying in the fighting pit. The fights are bloody affairs and even the winners are usually only capable of a few appearances before their wounds become too severe to continue.

Cockfighting is traditionally an activity associated with South America and parts of Europe. Its appearance here is a new twist in criminaL activity and the fact that it attracted an audience is troubling. The authoritiwes are wondering what other such illegal sporting activities might be in the planning stage.

In the past, there have been moves to bring bull fighting here because it is immensely popular in Spain and Mexico.  The few events that were staged were not considered seriously because the bull survived unharmed and they eventuated as a comedy rather than a serious contest.

A Matador encourages a bull to charge by waving a red cape in front of it and the skill is in folding that cape and avoiding the bulls horns as the charge arrives.    Unfortunately the bull is enraged by having implements dug into its flesh to cause it pain and the fight comes to an end with the killing of the bull. Bull fighting is unlikely to get approval as a spectacle in Australia.

It is evident that organized crime is showing interest in cockfighting because of the gambling angle.  The fact that word of mouth attracted a body of men to a shed where a contest was planned probably means this will be repeated. Fortunately, that same word of mouth disgusted people opposed to cruel blood sports and the information was leaked to the police.

Old King Coal !

Australia is often referred to as " the lucky country " because of its boundless reserves of minerals. It is one of the worlds biggest exporters of coal and iron ore and about seventy percent of the electicity generated sround the world is produced by burning coal.

Unfortunately, Planet Earth has a rising temperature and that is because of our ever increasiong population burning fossil fuels, and both coal and oil fall into that category.   Now the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres is warning that if we do not mend our ways and produce a cooler Earth catastophe lays ahead.

The ice at both ends of the planet is melting and so are the glaciers that power the great river systems that feed most of the world.  We face rising sea levels that will inundate much of the world farming land and  submerge many of the island communities around the globe.

It looks like the use of oil is coming under control with the development of the electric car but we also have the answer in sight when it comes to generating electricity by burning coal.  The alternatives include wind and solar together with nuclear and thermal, plus hydro electric when water systems can be converted to that task.

The problem is that Australia is one of the few countries that will not agree to a firm schedule of how and when it will reduce its carbon output to meet the world expectation of holding down that temperature rise.We are so reliant for both income and jobs on coal mining and its export that we are actually developing new mines.

It is Australian coal that is keeping the lights on in China, Japan and India and every day ship loads of coal are leaving Australian ports and heading to those destinations.   Our lack of clarity has seen our prime minister snubbed and prevented speaking at a world forum to discuss plans for stopping that temperature increase.

We have come under criticism from the small Pacific nations who are in danger of seeing their island communities sink beneath the sea.  Many looked to Australia as their natural trading partner, but their allegiance is now turning to China.  Australia is seen as a selfish nation that values its economy above that of world safety.

This lack of any action plan is highlighted by the experience in Wollongong.   This is a coal mining area and two old mines ceased production and were put on a " care and maintenance " regime several years ago. They have just had their license renewed and are recruiting a well paid work force to recommence coal mining.   The last thing we need is new mines adding to that massive coal stockpile.

The government must face reality and commit to a reliable action plan to meet our carbon reduction commitments. Relying on the export of coal is not sustainable and will quickly dstroy our standing with the rest of the world.

The Euthanasia Issue !

 In November, 2017  New South Wales missed out in enacting an " assisted dying " law by just one vote, despite this measure having overwhelming public support.  Now a private members bill is about to bring the issue back for consideration now that euthanasia is legal and working well in both Victoria and Western Australia.

The thing most citizens fear is to suffer a very painful death.   Unfortunately, there are many diseases that usually deliver a painful end to life and a lot of people end their days in a public hospital bed where rules and regulations apply to the supply of pain killing medication.

Both the dose and the timing are carefully regulated by safety laws and as a consequence many patients die an unpleasant death when this legislation allows them to negotiate with their doctors to end their life on their own terms.

The rules are very simple.  The patient must have a terminal illness that will bring death within the next six months or a degenerative illness that will end it in two years.  He or she must convince two doctors that life ending is their wish and they will be supplied with medication that achives that end.  Loved ones may be present when that death occurs.

This is a humanatarian measure.  We are legally entitled to commit suicide, but the methods used often harm others.   Some jump from high buildings while others have been known to drive at high speed and deliberatelty crash headon into another vehicle. Stepping in front of a train is another option. The threat of increasing pain makes some suffers make unwise decisions.

In each state, bringing this measure into reality relies on the vote of the parliamentarians we vote into office to carry out our wishes.  Public opinion polls show that across Australia about 78% of the population favours putting this law in place and it is coming under consideration in both Queernsland and Tasmania.

Some people have religious convictions that would not allow them to use this law.  It is very much an option that the seriously ill need to activate on their own behalf and the consenting doctors are very aware of their need to be convinced that such death is the wish of the patient,.

It is usual for a bill of such sensitive nature to be free of party politics and decided by a " conscience " vote by our elected representatives.  It seems certain that this asssisted dying bill will be opposed by some -but not all - of the churches and it is hoped that those in parliamenrt will take heed of public opinion.

It is not unreasonable for the public to hope for a painlerss death and it can only bring anguish when such an end is available over the border - but not here !   Our representativers need to take heed when this comes to a vote !   

Urban Terrorism !

We are very proud of the " freedom of speech " law that applies in Australia but we need to remember that it does have limits.  When we are angry with our boss it is all too easy to sit at the computer and send off a few nasty emails to appease that anger.

What amounted to a vendetta saw a woman who had been employed as a " Human Rescources " manager appear in the NSW District court to answer charges that the judge described as  having  a " significant and long lasting " impact on her former boss.

It seems that this antagonism developed while she worked at the firm and she started sending SMS messages using software that obscured the senders phone number.  She was accused of being the perpetrator, but denied it and was fired in 2018.

This woman then targetted her boss's mother and husband by sending spoof messages that suggested her husband was making sexual advaces to another woman.  Messages were also sent to both employees and customers of the firm, suggesting her old boss was making sexual advances to a client.

These messages became a serious tirade.  They included threats that included " I know where you live " and a suggestion that a " bomb was ticking away on your doorstep ".   The damage and the harm caused was " substantial " as was remarked by the judge.

There were repercussions.  She received a three year prison sentence for that campaign against her boss and another three years for similar action against another woman. A two year non parole period will apply to these sentences.

The charges levelled against her and to which she pleaded guilty were " using a carriage servcice to menace ansd harass multiple victims, and using a cariage service to make a threat ".

That is perhaps a timely warning against the use of threatening or abusive emails. The software that disguises the sender can be penetrated and the same law that apply to terrorism applies to the making of threats.  That is a serious crime and substantial prison sentences apply.

It should also be remembered that something sent in jest may be taken seriously by the receiving party. What one person sees as a joke may become a threat in the eyes of the receiver and can rebound if the matter is referred to the police.

In this matter settled in court it appears that the sender developed a penchant for serious use of emails to carry on her spite over a period of time.  The length of this campaign contributed to the degree of harm caused.

A good reason to pause before tapping that " send " button  !

Voting Rules Review !

 When Donald Trump refused to concede when he lost the November election, his claim that the election was " rigged " went as far as America's High Court.    The Justices were unanamous in rejecting his claim that millions of postal votes were illegal, and should not be counted.

This questioning of an election result had the Australian parliament looking closely at the election process in Australia.  We are one of a handful of countries that insists that every citizen of voting age at least present and have their name ticked off the voting roll.  Failing to do so in Federal, State and council elections will be punished by way of a fine.

Suggestions for change to the electoral act went along political lines and included a change from compulsory to optional status.  In most world countries voting is optional and as a consequence some governments get elected  when less than half the voters fail to record their choice. Compulsory voting ensures that the side elected is truly the will of the people.

There was a suggestion raised that some form of ID be required to cast a legal vote.  At present voters are required to state their name and address to the voting official and this is checked against the electoral roll. An independent Electoral Commission is responsible for ensuring that all eligible voters are recorded on the electoral roll.

It was suggested that proving ID by presenting each voters smart phone would ensure security, but that would create confusion because not every citizen has one of these implements.  When a voter is challenged, it is usual to require presentation of a bill stating that persons name and address as confirmation of identity.

The subject of early voting came in for discussion.,   At the last Federal election, more than four million votes were cast early as citizens avoided the need to attend crowded voting booths on election day with the coronavirus still running its course.  Postal votes are legal, as long as the postmark clearly indicates that they were within the election time frame.

There was discussion that early voting should be reduced to just two weeks before election day and legislation should require voters to provide a valid reason for seeking an early vote instead of the present free choice.

This review of the Australian electoral process was sparked by the delay in finalising the winner of the American Presidential election.  It is not a statement by our Federal government and  there will probably be months of debate before any form of change is forthcoming.

There is the expectation that there will be serious input from unions and various trade bodies to ensure worker's rights are not compromised and it is likely that the number of politicians elected to parliament may be reviewed in contrast to our ever growing population.   It seems inevitable that the debate will include a move to electronic voting to speed the delivery of a result, campaign finance and  the concept of a four year parlimentary term.

The " White Supremacist " Movement !

 The second world war was a disaster for humanity.  Adolf Hitler's mad dream of world conquest killled millions of people and sent millions more into abject slavery as they were tasked for war production. When the guns fell silent, the people of Germany faced a ruined nation of bombed cities and occupation by the victors.

What is remarkable is the theology preached by Adolf Hitler has world wide followers living in todays western democracies.  This is the same white supremacist movement that was the core of National Socialism and it has many active cells that are plotting terror against people of colour, other religions and just anybody who looks different from themselves.

What is more alarming is this moverment appears to be growing.  One Australian follower recently went to New Zealand and gunned down families at prayer in their mosques.  This follows other mass shootings that have occurred in other countries and made the authorities aware of the growing danger here in Australia.

This white supremacist movement festers underground and is the subject of attention by our Joint Counter Tererorist Teams drawn from both the Federal police and the NSW police force.  Thjey have the important task of  gathering information as to who and where these cells are located and what actions they are planning.

This resulted in the arrest and charging of an eighteen year old from the Albury district on the border of New South Wasles and Victioria who was active in planning a mass casualty event.  He had access to bomb making materials and was planning to distribute this to others.  The targets were clearly non whites, immingrants and members of the Jewish and Islamic faiths.

Countering the white supremacist mnovement clashes with our concept of a free Australia.  We pride ourselves to be able to follow whatever political movement we choose and that includes National Socialism.  It is not against the law to have thoughts that run counter to public opinion nor to communicate those thoughts to others.  It only becomes unlawful when that reaches the active stage in which the end result will be harm to others.

That is where the great divide between our democracy and Hitler's National Socialism becomes most evident.   During the Nazi ascendancy in Europe anyone even suspected of having thoughts against the regime in power would be arrested and sent to a concentration camp.   No other political movement was tolerated and the leader assumed supreme power.

This white supremacist movement in Australia is quite safe unless it takes an active role in causing harm to others.  Distasteful as it may be to most decent people we are tolerant of different opinion and such views can be freely expressed publicly.

It is comforting to know that a specialist police contingent is keeping watch on this movement and has the power to intervene when ever an action programme creates a risk to the public.

A Threat to Workers' Income !

 It was generally conceded that Australian workers were due for a pay increase before the coronavirus roared out of China and disintegrated the world economy.  Company profits were increasing but pay levels were stubbornly resisting upward movement.

Now we are in the recovery phase and the government has decided that pay levels are best set by enterprise bargaining.   About twenty percent of Australia's 2.1 million workforce are already governed by enterprise bargaining, but the Industrial Commissioners who approve new agreements have been told that for the next two years they are not required to ensure that workplace minimums are attained or that they meet the " better overall test ".

It is possible that where industry is in distress because of the coronavirus,  the outcome could be a wage cut and that is of great concern to the unions.There are protocols where this was used in the past.

Several decades ago the world steel industry was in chaos when over production in China saw steel dumped on world markets at below production cost.  Several iconic steel companies in Amereica and Euope closed their doors and applied for Chapter 11 protection. It looked like our steel manufacturing plant in Wollongong would suffer a similar fate.

Production economies were implemented and the workforce agreed to a pay cut which saved the company and saw it eventually return to profit. It was a rational decision and it both saved the company and the workers jobs.

The secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions supports bargaining to improve wages but fears that some companies will use enterprise agreements to slash pay.   It is essential that both sides that sit at the bargaining table do so in good faith ands deal honestly.

Under this new law, the existing but rarely used power for Fair Work Commissioners to tick off deals with a " short term crisis "  will be broadened for two years.  Pay deals that leave workers worse off will be approved if workers vote for them and they are in " the best interests ", based on the effect of the coronavirus and the company's circumstances.

A company seeking a pay cut will need to get the approval of its workers and will need to present a compelling case that withstands scrutiny.  The profitability of many Australian companies has actually improved by the withdrawal of some overseas competition and it is likely that such circumstances will result in pay increases.

Enterprise bargaining was the aim of Paul Keating when he was prime minister and he envisaged it setting wages faster and more efficiently to deliver the twin goals of productivity growth and higher wages. That will be the ourtcome if both sides recognise the benefits from a fair agreement that eliminates industrial strife and delivers a harmonious market place.

The factor that will be needed is " common sense " !

Cyber Attacks !

 It looke like we are starting to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic but we are facing an increasing danger of cyber attacks which can damage the national economy and drain our personal bank accounts.  Most people are receiving those annoying phone call scams referred to as " phishing " in which fraudsters try and trick us into revealing sensitive personal information.

International Monetary Fund research shows that  cyber attacks cost Australian business $29 billion a year and is a fast increasing cost component. This originates from individual hackers from around the world, and in some cases from foreign nations with ill intent towards Australia.

Unfortunately, we are vulnerable because the internet is now the primary source of communication and exchange in the business world and both the price and availability of the hacking tools used are now readily available at reduced prices, making it easier for low skilled hackers to do more damage to our increasingly mobile services.

The biggest danger would be a lack of trust in some of the essential business components which provide essential services. If a successful hack closed down banking or electricity or damaged the reliability of the transport sector the flow on effect would be catastrophic.  The lockdown made necessary to combat the coronavirus illustrated how quickly a job intererruption can affect our way of life.

There is also a disturbing military aspect.  As a nation, we are reliant on petroleum from overseas refiners to fuel our transport system.  Any supply interruption would have an immediate effect on the ability of our defence services mobility.  A tranport hiatus would affect the food supply and our economy is reliant on all aspects of industry intermeshing harmoniously.

It is a fact of life that cyber attacks have doubled over the past decade and the financial industry has been the main target.  Many improvements have been put in place to avoid damage, but by its very nature an adequate defence will be impossible to guarantee.  The finance sector relies heavily on communication and that is usually the first casualty in a cyber attack.

Our Reserve bank has issued a warning that we are facing increased vulnerability to hacking by way of the Australian payments network which is progressively moving towards reliance on what is called " electronic wallets ".   We are moving away from cash money and credit cards and finding convenience by being able to pay our bills with a tap of our personal mobile phones.

The two systems gaining preponderance are Apple Pay and Google Pay, and both could resist competition because of the restrictions they impose.  Apple restricts services to the technology of the devices it sells while Google collects information on the customers who use its services.

It is obvious that we need to give thought to the dangers before we change our habits and take on new technology and we need a dedicated cyber warfare group to plan and implement defence measures to make life difficult fot the hackers.

The " Permanent Casual "Job Problem !

 The government is using scare tactics to force employers to stop using " casual " employees and move them onto a " permanent " employee basis.  Casual workers do not get holiday pay or sick pay and are compensated for that by a twenty-five percent loading applied to their hourly hire rate.

Recently, a Federal court decision ruled that some employees on casual pay may be entitled to claim both holiday pay and sick pay despite receiving that loading, if they have worked for the same employer doing regular shifts for twelve months or more.

This is called " double dipping " and there is fear that the court may award holiday pay when it has already been compensated by that hourly loading.  It seems that all the parties concerned are studiously ignoring the real reason most small business employers are avoiding taking on permanent employees and instead serving their needs with " permanent casuals ".

Employers are cautious because of the uncertainty of the courts when it comes to retrenching permanent   employees when a recession brings about a business downturn.  That right to " hire and fire " is no longer in the employers hands.  A canny employee can launch repeated appeals with claims of " unfair dismissal " and often receive extraordinary verdicts from a sympathetic judge.

Some employers have been astonished when that ruling insists the employee's dismissal was unlawful.  Not only must he or she be reinstated, they must be paid for the time they were idle while the case went to court.  It seems the courts reject most valid reasons for an employer needing to retrench a worker.

In many cases, the employer has to negotiate from a point of disadvantage and bribe the employee to resign in exchange for money to be rid of an unsatisfactory worker.  That sirtuation is avoided by using casual labour.  If the task performed is unsatisfactory the shift hours are simply reduced to zero.

It is estimated that there are 2.6 million casual workers in Australia and that about 1.35 million work permanent shifts for the same employer, week after week.   One of the problems is the attitude taken by the banks and other lending authorities.  Their mind set is to more highly regard that " permanent employment "  claim  when considering a housing loan, despite many permanent casuals receiving a higher pay packet than their competitors for that loan enjoying " permanent " status.

In the Australia of today, casual employment is fast moving into that " permanent casual " category and in many cases it suits both the employer and the employee because the work required could not support a permanent employee hired on a weekly basis.   It is not unusual for a casual to work split shifts for several employers to cover peak demand that occurs in different parts of the day.

That is common in the food industry.  Some establishments specialise in serving breakfast.  Many are more active at lunchtime - and others only open for the evening meal.  A casual with specialist skills will often find work for all three where the use of permanent employees would be totally uneconomic.

A century ago, most people were in permanent employment but that is not the Australia of today.  Jobs will be more plentiful when the right to " hire and fire " is returned to the employer with adequate employee safeguards, and the lending authorities move their thinking into the twenty-frst century.

Further Offending China !

 It seerms thast Australia is joining an international movement titled the " Magnitsky Act  " which would ban entry into this country for those who offend human rights laws.  This act is in force in the United States of America, Canada and Britain and is likely to be taken up soon by the European Union.

Not only would entry be barred for human rights offenders from other countries but the act makes provision for the seizure of assets.  It is probably the biggest change to Australa's sanctions regime for many decades and gives real teeth to the existing United Nations legislation which Human Rights proponents consider " opaque " !

It also has the likelihood of worsening the trade spat we are undergoing with China.  It is not hard to imagine this act being used to ban entry to Chinese officials involved in the crackdown on liberty in Hong Kong and the incarceration of Uighers in concentration camps in Xinjiang Province.

Individuals so banned will obviously claim to be carrying out the policies of the Beijing governmenrt and China will claim that we are interfering in their internal affairs.  The outcome will probably be an extension of Australian trade goods turned back at the Chinese border.

Applying the Magnitsky will be within the powers of Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister and each case will be considered on its merits.,  Considerations such as national security and trade will be taken into account, together with our obligations under diplomatic relations protocol..   Bans will be put in place by individual countries and not form a uniform ban common to all.

China is very sensitive to any form of criticism and this interruption to trade can be directly related to our demand for an intensive enquiry into how and where this coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China.  The Chinese government is digging in and attempting to shift news of the breakout to other countries, despite its actions to maintain medical silence when containment was possible.

This Chinese sensitivity takes the form of rejection of all blame. Science thinks the virus originated in what are called " wet markets " where native animals are butchered for human consumption and this virus has damaged international trade, put millions ourt of work and imposed a heavy death toll across the world. There is the expectation that it will linger for years to come.

Unfortunatelty, Australia has been singled out to suffer trade cuts to illustrate Chinese displeasure.  It is likely that our joining the Magnitsky Act will further aggravate tensions simple because out trade balance in their favour leaves us vulnerable.  If a prominent trade official is prevented from visiting this country we can expect further retalitaion on the trade front.

Obviously, our Foreign Affaits department will be aware of this risk but the worst of Chinese human rights abuses can not be ignored.  China is a member oif the world community of nations and is expected to act accordingly.

We are not going out of our way to pick a fight, but a trade loss is the price we have to pay for maintaining our integrity !

Water Safety !

 Unfortunately, drowning seems to go hand in hand with our beautiful Australian summers.  We are only a handful of days into this summer and already death is occurring in both the coastal beaches and the inland river systems.

Water safety starts with the ability to swim if the unexpected happens.  We are relatively safe if we we go into the water at a popular beach patrolled by the Surf Lifesaver movement and we swim between the flags, but vast areas are unpatrolled and well within reach of the masses. The sea has many hidden dangers.  Wave sizes can vary unexpectedly, and we can experience what is called a " rip " when the water will move offshore and carry swimmers into deeper water.

Experienced beach goers know it is futile to try and swim against its strength.   These rips occur locally and the experienced swim parallel to the coast until they are out of the grip of the rip and then return safely to shore.  The inexperienced try to swim against this powerful tide, become exhausted and quickly drown.

In the earlier years of this nation, school sport included swimming lessons.  Few kids left school without becoming proficient swimmers but now the focus is on team sport and learning to swim is not high on many parents agendas.   If fact, religious dress codes in some cases prevent the use of attire suitable for swim instruction.

We are in danger of producing a vast number of people who are at risk of drowning if they ever experience an unfavourable water event.   They will be at risk if they crew a boat or have the misfortune to fall into water above their height, and to most people that happens at least once in their lifetime.  Even the people who live far inland and well away from the nearest river are subjected to unusual rain events that lead to flooding.

What we need is a national programme to ensure that every young Australian is water safe, and the obvious venue is the school system  We are not lacking in public swimming pools and this is the ideal venue to teach the ability to swim.   It would be ideal if learning to swim was a compulsory school sporting event with the ability learned at primary school age and developed further through the high school system.

Ideally, teaching the ability to swim should be part of the teacher training programme at university. A dedicated  learn to swim campaign in the summer months would have the advantage that their teachers would know the mind set of individual pupils and use this relationship to overcome any fear of the water.

Learning to swim should be an integral part of school activity.  There might be some opposition from parents from cold parts of the world where frigid water is avoided but water safety should be  part of the Australian curriculum because of the nature of the land in which we live.

No Australian kid should leave school without the ability to survive if they find themaselves above their depth in water.  That is just as important as learing the " three R's "  !

The " Stigma " Card !

 The Federal government is trying a new approach to help welfare recipients to " manage " their money. They despair that in too many families the welfare cheque is squandered away on alcohol and gambling rather than providing shelter and putting food on the table for despondent loved ones.

The plan isolates a large portion of each welfare payment onto a credit card which has spending restrictions.  It may not be used to pay for alcohol or gambling and is only accepted in stores nominated by the government.

The aim is to ensure that the greater portion of each welfare payment is spent wisely on food, cleaning materials or household essentials such as paying the rent or providing essential medical supplies.  A small remainder is left to be spent as the individual decides.

This is already in place in a trial phase in three parts of Australia.  The areas chosen were South Australia's Ceduna region, the Goldfields of Western Australia and Bundaberg and Hervey Bay in Queensland.  There are plans to extend it to Cape York and the Northern Territory.

To work as planned, the government restricts card acceptance to chain stores with the discipline to control throughput to legitimate items.  This sharply  reduces the options open to welfare recipients and can cause rejection at the checkout if unsuitable goods are included in the purchase.  It quickly becomes common knowledge that some customers are subjected to purchase restrictions and this makes them placed under a form of social stigma.

It also delivers a new condition that applies to welfare spending.  What was previously an " entitlement " granted by law now faces restrictions that limit spending choices.  There is widespread fear that similar terms will be applied to all forms of welfare, including the old age pension.

The vast majority of pensioners spend their money wisely and would be affronted if such conditions were imposed.. There is also concern that once the government imposes restrictions on purchasing habits it will spread to health professionals insisting on a balance of " healthy " foods and restrictions on the choice of food that does not meet that standard.

The wary see it as the first step in implementing a " control " measure in containing the " freedom of choice " that has always been in the hands of pensioners.  Restrictions apply to the granting of a pension, and now further restrictions are being applied as to how that money can be spent.

Some welfare recipients tend to hide their status as a pensioner from friends and neighbours as they believe it delivers a status stigma.  It is evident that restricting some pensioners to where they are permitted to shop and what they are permitted to buy will impose a shadow on their independence that will quickly spread through through the neighbourhoods where it applies.

It is a fact of life that any form of restriction results in a stigma that those under its control are " different " from the herd.  In this case the plan delivers a benefit to those living in poverty because of alcohol or gambling abuse, but the social cost of applying it across the entire community is just too high.

Unbending Drug Laws !

 For over a year, a public enquiry has been sifting through the options available to set a new stance in this unwinnable drug war. Its four volume findings have been handed down and contain careful input from the very people who oversee the failed law and order approach to keep drugs out of our society, together with suggestions for a new approach that has the support of public opinion.

Before this report is even examined by parliament, the premier has dogmatically declared that her government will not decriminalize drug use and the police are baying that there will be no change to the law and order approach.

Why spend public money on a special enquiry tasked   with finding an approach that actually works when the governments mind is made up that change will be rejected ?   The premier is suggesting that toying with the criminal penalties will be her solution and this will probably take the form of a " three chance " system.

People caught with illicit drugs for the first time will be released with a warning. second and third offence will involve a small fine, and after that will come a court appearance and prison.

Many parts of the world are legalising Marijuana but that seems to be off the table.  Drug testing at music festivals has overwhelming public support but is dogmatically rejected and the police insist on parading sniffer dogs and inflicting humiliating strip searches on patrons entering music festivals.

Our prisons are cess pools of disease because of needle sharing.  Drug use is rife in our prisons and all forms of control have failed.  We give free needles to the junkies on our streets and yet extending a similar programme to the incarcerated is rejected out of hand.

The average age of a member of the New South Wales parliament is over fifty and it is this mind set that will make decisions on drug use.  They don't seem to understand that party drugs are now an integral part of the lives of the younger generation and despite numerous police busts, we are no nearer stopping the inward flow coming in over our borders.  The huge profits to be made mean that sophisticated crime gangs will bribe their way into this country.  Despite the best efforts of the police, drugs are readily available on our streets.

The main cause of drug deaths are incompetent drug cooks selling concoctions of unknown strength at music festivals.  Most of the patrons take drugs and survive and that is not going to change because most of the drugs on sale are at a safe level.  It is in the interests of the drug trade to sell a " safe " product.

If drugs were legal, no doubt some people would abuse them in the same way that alcohol is abused.  Young people insist on achieving a " high " that requires some sort of stimulant and all the present drug laws achieve is to deliver handsome profits to the illegal drug traders - and prison to the ones that get caught, and it seems that this unhealthy cycle is destined to go on forever because the state parliament is too stupid to listen to public opinion and too frightened to make meaningful change.

That " Vaccine " Question !

 It seems that we are just days away from the first vaccinations against the coronavirus becoming available for public distribution.  The aim of world government will be to get a mass inoculation underway to stop the spread of this disease and bring the economy back to normal.

Developing a vaccine has been a rush job and because of the urgency the testing that applies to all new drugs has been modified and the drugs that have emerged offers a modified protection rate.  Just where and how that protection may fail has not been explained in terms the public can understand.

Most sensible people will cheerfully take the jab and receive the protection that is promised, but it is inevitable that an anti-vaccine movement will emerge.   The power of social media will come into play and the same unfounded claims will probably be made that are stopping many parents from protecting their children from childhood diseases that are often fatal.

Perhaps the first big question is whether public inoculation is optional or whether it can be legally demanded.  Initially, there is the expectation of a rush on centres and we will probably have some form of priority applied.  Heading the list will be aid workers and the elderly, offering protection to both the people likely to come into contact with the disease and those most likely to become its victims.

The big test will come when we move to mass inoculation by way of walk in centres available to the public.  It is essential that we record accurate information on who has received the vaccine because the coronavirus will linger in many parts of the world for years to come and overseas travel may require vaccine status to be listed on travellers passports.

Asking for proof of identity details will slow the process when the aim is to achieve herd protection in the early stages of the vaccine programme, but that information will be essential if we are to eradicate this disease from Australia.  Unless the Australian population is fully protected we are unlikely to receive any inward tourists or migrants who do not offer proof that they have been vaccinated.

This rush to develop a vaccine has pushed the civil liberties issue into the background and yet it provokes a lively debate across most sections of Australia.  We have people who avoid using the local water supply because it contains fluoride and yet some parts of the country have natural fluoride in the water that protects the teeth of citizens.

Usually, adding fluoride to protect teeth is decided by a local referendum, but some people refuse to accept a majority verdict and that same right of refusal is claimed by the rebels who refuse to have children vaccinated.  In many cases they are convinced that other dreaded medical conditions are a direct result of the vaccines and no amount of medical proof will change that conviction.

It is inevitable that this coronavirus vaccine will fall short of total herd immunity because of those who will decline the vaccine.   This is a civil liberties issue.  We can tolerate a small percentage of dissenters within a herd mentality grouping, but that may not be possible if future disease outbreaks result in mass fatalities.

Perhaps an opportune time to decided whether vaccinations are optional - or a requirement for holding citizenship in this country  !

But Is It " Justice " ?

The Rugby League football competition in Australia was constantly wracked by bad publicity caused by its players coming into conflict with the law.  The stars of the game were paid big money and were " celebrities " in the public view.  All too often they made newspaper headlines because of drunken brawls in clubs, domestic violence or dangerous driving  actions.

The combined clubs devised a novel punishment.  Should a player bring discredit on the game he would be stood down and not allowed to play until the matter was settled in court.  Not only would he lose audience adulation but his bank balance would also suffer.  Players salaries depend on the actual time they are competing on the field.

Then two years ago St George Illawarra star Jack De Belen and his friend, Shellharbour Sharks player Callan Sinclair were engaged in a " pub crawl " in Wollongong to celebrate grand final night when they encountered at nineteen year old woman in a nightclub. Later, she accompanied them to a nearby apartment where two disputed versions of events took place. They claim they both had consensual sex with her and she claims they raped her.

Despite repeated delays, that trial took place in a Wollongong court and this week the jury was dismissed when it failed to reach either a unanimous verdict or majority verdict.   If the matter goes to a retrial that can not be held in Wollongong into next August and De Belin's life will have been on hold for over three years.

De Belen (29) and Mr Sinclair (23) are accused of a very serious crime but guilt has yet to be determined in court.   Both men are free on bail, but as professional rugby players this club ban has  them as financially incarcerated as if they were in prison.  The ban is peculiar to Rugby League and no change seems contemplated despite the long delay in settling this case.

Jack De Belen is suffering loss even though he remains unconvicted. and that is solely because he plays football for a living.  Had he been a bus driver or a bank employee or any of a dozen other professions he would still be working at his job and getting his weekly pay packet.    In the eyes of many people, this is an unusual punishment that strays far from the concept of delivering " justice ".

The " playing life " of a Rugby player is usually limited by the injuries suffered.  The stars earn their top money from crowd adulation and there is a time limit during which their performance brings both media billing and premium pay from game officials.  It seems Jack De Belen is serving a sentence imposed by the club which may not be vindicated by the final outcome decided in a court of law.

In this Rugby League world, punishment is meted out on the basis of innuendo rather than what is actually proven.  It was thought that such matters might result in a player stood down for a game or two and the financial loss would consequently be small.  The League bosses are now embarrassed by how this case has turned out, but are declining to make changes because of the loss of face they would suffer.

It seems that when this is finally over, it opens the door for further legal action to determine if the League action falls within the tenet of " justice "  !

A " Trade War " Response !

 Officially. there is no other world country that we would consider to be the " enemy "  of Australia, but China is fast assuming that role.  The Mandarins in Beijing have consciously set out to do us economic harm by selectively placing trade embargoes on selected categories of goods which constitute a vital part of our export trade.

They have carefully choked off Australian timber, barley and wine in the knowledge that China was our biggest customer for these items and the trade loss will be hard for us to replace.  Now they are running insulting caricatures depicting Australian soldiers threatening harm to children in Afghanistan.   This is playing on a scandal that Australia revealed to the world by way of a public enquiry.

Australia's free press presented this story to the world in all its gory detail and the recriminations are ongoing.   We could be tempted to retaliate by reminding the Chinese diaspora of how China massacred its university students in Tiananmen Square in 1989 by sending in tanks and how this is scrupulously scrubbed from any mention in Chinese history.  We could also retaliate by reminding the Chinese people in Hong Kong and Taiwan of the Uighers, Muslims who are locked away in concentration camps in Xinjiang province being " reeducated " in every possible way.

Australia can not win a trade war with China. Openly retaliating will only add more items to the ongoing embargo and it is obvious that we must develop new markets in other parts of the world for the items that China is refusing.   Trade is a hard slog and most Australian business people head for the huge market represented by China. In future, we should concentrate on the lesser countries that make up more of the world and widen our market share.

That old proverb about not putting all our eggs in one basket is a truism.  We need to widen our market share and this unexpected Chinese belligerence now makes that a necessity.  It is important that Australian industry make representation to the smaller, more scattered markets to replace the volume that was previously being shipped to China.

There is also another option that rests in the hands of ordinary Australian citizens.  We should avoid buying items that are clearly marked " made in China ".   Embargoes are a two way deal.   If China refuses to buy the goods we produce we should retaliate in kind, and that can very quickly become affective.  We are on the cusp of Christmas and that is the prime purchasing season in which the avoidance of Chinese made goods will quickly show in statistics.

China is desperate to establish a car industry and Chinese vehicles are now on offer in Australia at competitive prices.   That Chinese embargo should be considered when buying a new car and could result in the import being rejected. Those are the outcomes that cause the Mandarins in Beijing to have second thoughts.

This blog is being produced on a Chinese made Lenovo computer.  When I needed a new computer I reviewed the brands offering on the market and decided the Lenovo was competitive, but when a replacement becomes necessary I will not be buying Chinese made in the present circumstances

It is the right time for the Australian public to send a clear message.to the Mandarins in Beijing that trade is a two way deal !

The Tide of Dissent !

 We live in what we call a " civil society " in which the laws with which we are governed are put in place by the politicians we send to parliament to act on our behalf.   Enforcing those laws is a body of men and women in uniform which we refer to as " the police ".

Rarely does the parliament we elect speak with a united voice.  Political parties which compete for our votes have radically different views on what laws should apply and the actions of the police are directed by whichever political faction is holding office at that particular time.

Across the world we are seeing police forces becoming more violent.  This violence is more than matched by the tactics now used by opponents of the laws put in place by parliaments.  It has become the custom to demonstrate against these laws in the streets and to keep order the police now resort to water cannon and baton charges.  These clashes are violent and deliver injuries to both sides.

In recent years the police have become more heavily armed.  They have always carried a pistol but now that is often supplemented by an assault rifle and the police wear body armour to protect them from mob violence.  Their tactics have become more aggressive and we are seeing civilian deaths occurring whenever issues bring large numbers of supporters onto the streets.

  Unfortunately, arrest by police is becoming selective.   Innocent bystanders are dragged off to the cells and violence is meted out to individuals whose race, colour or disposition has earned police ire.   The police claim to be combatting gang violence, but by their very nature the police are the biggest gang roaming city streets.

In some parts of the world this coronavirus pandemic is causing public disorder.  Australia has emerged with a light death toll thanks to early lockdowns but control measures are being violently rejected in some European and American cities., descending into open warfare between demonstrators and the police.  Civil order is giving way to bloodshed and the police are being blamed.

This usually degenerates into a dogmatic standoff.  The police are enforcing the legality of the law and the mob is seeking to institute a law change. Superficially, the police have the numbers and tactics to win, but that is at the cost of public confidence and respect.

The size of those mobs demonstrating in the streets continues to grow.  The phenomenon of social media is adding to the number and in many cases the publicity that brings people onto the streets is based on fake news and lies.  We are being manipulated by clever authorities abroad whose aims and objectives are not in Australia's interest.

That is a very dangerous situation. Some aspects of society are on the brink of civil war and this can only result in added police aggress  Mostly, this is evident in countries outside Australia but this tendency to oppose the police is growing here too.

We need to avoid being provoked into hysterical reaction by the farcical content aired on social media and carefully evaluate the issues involved.  Some issues deserve street action, but in many the manipulation in play is obvious  !