It started in northern Australia when concern was expressed that some alcoholic families were depriving their children of food and other basics by spending all their welfare money on alcohol. A scheme was introduced to " segregate " a portion of each welfare cheque so that it could only be spent on basics. Now that concept is to be extended into the general community.
Starting in July next year and running for a five year trial Centrelink staff will be able to nominate " financially vulnerable " people to be put on an " intervention list. "
Basically, the government through Centrelink will dictate how these people can spend their money. They will be issued with a " Basic's card " - which is essentially an EFTPOS card which will control somewhere between fifty and seventy percent of their welfare payments - and which can only be spent on nominated and approved items.
To make this work, they can only use this Basics card at nominated retailers - and that list includes Big W, K Mart, Target, Caltex/Woolworths, Coles, Target and Woolworths. Smaller stores are excluded because the government fears that prohibited items could be supplied on a " nod and a wink " basis to overcome the embargoes.
Unfortunately along with the good side - there is a very obvious bad side to this arrangement. The list of prohibited purchases includes alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling items - and as the scheme develops you can be sure that the list will grow longer. To accommodate that, the nominated outlets will need to herd basics card users through a special check-out, staffed by a member who is familiar with permitted and banned items.
There is a very real danger that this form of " financial apartheid " will lead to social discrimination.
No doubt the civil liberties people will have a lot to say before it is introduced, and that will include what criteria Centrelink staff will use in selecting " financially vulnerable " people - and what review mechanism will be in place to allow such selection to be challenged.
A lot of reasonable people will have misgivings about putting such power in the hands of government employees. George Orwell's " 1984 " has been and gone - and yet " Big Brother " is still hovering in the wings when the government steps in to tell people how they can spend their own money.
That old adage that "power corrupts - and absolute power corrupts absolutely " - comes to mind !
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Saturday, 6 August 2011
Nothing to fear - but fear !
Yesterday nervous investors wiped sixty billion dollars off the value of the Australian share market, and that was simply " petty cash " compared with the loss in the rest of the world.
The crazy thing is that there was no evident and compelling reason for the sell off.
Sure, we know that the United States of America is broke. But the warring political parties had just brokered a bad deal to lift the debt ceiling and there is every indication that their economy will stagger on for at least a few more years.
And the Euro zone is a basket case - but it was no worse yesterday than the day before, and in fact the stronger economies seem quite happy to throw good money after bad to bail-out hopeless regimes that can never hope to repay even a fraction of what they owe.
So - why the panic to sell - sell - sell ?
It seems that we have learned nothing from the disaster of 1929, and as some wise man once said : " Those that fail to learn from history are destined to repeat history ".
So - have a good weekend, because it may just be the last weekend before the money you have invested in retirement funds and blue chip shares fades to zero - and within a few days your boss hands out a pink slip because the firm is closing down.
It all depends if yesterday was one of those senseless aberrations and the market comes to it's senses and corrects itself, or if panic takes hold and the bottom falls out when trading starts on Monday - and fall away into a bottomless pit.
And if it does that - it will be because the same group panic that threw the world into chaos in 1929 is having an encore - and without good reason group insanity has taken hold !
The crazy thing is that there was no evident and compelling reason for the sell off.
Sure, we know that the United States of America is broke. But the warring political parties had just brokered a bad deal to lift the debt ceiling and there is every indication that their economy will stagger on for at least a few more years.
And the Euro zone is a basket case - but it was no worse yesterday than the day before, and in fact the stronger economies seem quite happy to throw good money after bad to bail-out hopeless regimes that can never hope to repay even a fraction of what they owe.
So - why the panic to sell - sell - sell ?
It seems that we have learned nothing from the disaster of 1929, and as some wise man once said : " Those that fail to learn from history are destined to repeat history ".
So - have a good weekend, because it may just be the last weekend before the money you have invested in retirement funds and blue chip shares fades to zero - and within a few days your boss hands out a pink slip because the firm is closing down.
It all depends if yesterday was one of those senseless aberrations and the market comes to it's senses and corrects itself, or if panic takes hold and the bottom falls out when trading starts on Monday - and fall away into a bottomless pit.
And if it does that - it will be because the same group panic that threw the world into chaos in 1929 is having an encore - and without good reason group insanity has taken hold !
Friday, 5 August 2011
The ever increasing learning curve !
The bottom rung of the education ladder has just been abolished. This is the last year that the " School Certificate " will be issued to those completing year ten. Some used it as an " exit point " to leave school with a piece of paper in hand, and in 2008 this amounted to 18% of students. As a consequence, last year the school leaving age was raised to 17.
The education authorities are now concentrating on retaining students to achieve their Higher School Certificate ( HSC ) and the world of paid employment is rapidly making that the entry point to most careers.
Two of the most popular professions for girls - teaching and nursing - are now closed to those who do not enter via a university course. The days of a short course of introductory lectures, followed by years of " on the job " training are now a thing of the past.
Fronting a job interview without that all important HSC is a lost cause for the unqualified. That old standby for the less academically gifted - an apprenticeship - also tends to favour those with a HSC. The educators do have a point when they urge kids to stick it out and make the effort to gain an award that will open career doors that would otherwise stay firmly shut.
But - those same educators have a duty to provide some sort of alternative training for those not academically gifted - who will never have a hope of successfully achieving their HSC - but who are capable of performing a valuable place in the workforce.
At present, education seems to turn it's back on those who leave after year 10. They are written off to become dole bludgers, criminals or to drift from infrequent labouring jobs to welfare.
There are jobs that do not need higher education and some of them are in desperate short supply of applicants in this mining boom. The problem is that the people who could fill them can not get the training to qualify.
Both the government service and private bus companies are crying out for drivers. The trucking industry is ever expanding, and there is a need for people to drive all sorts of machinery from fork life trucks to underground mining transport.
A kid leaving school at year ten has no money to pay for driver training - and the education system is not equipped to use these skills to create an employable person. By all means encourage students to stay and achieve their HSC, but it is also time to have a rethink about better training for those who fall through the cracks - and tailoring training to the job market that is crying out for people !
The education authorities are now concentrating on retaining students to achieve their Higher School Certificate ( HSC ) and the world of paid employment is rapidly making that the entry point to most careers.
Two of the most popular professions for girls - teaching and nursing - are now closed to those who do not enter via a university course. The days of a short course of introductory lectures, followed by years of " on the job " training are now a thing of the past.
Fronting a job interview without that all important HSC is a lost cause for the unqualified. That old standby for the less academically gifted - an apprenticeship - also tends to favour those with a HSC. The educators do have a point when they urge kids to stick it out and make the effort to gain an award that will open career doors that would otherwise stay firmly shut.
But - those same educators have a duty to provide some sort of alternative training for those not academically gifted - who will never have a hope of successfully achieving their HSC - but who are capable of performing a valuable place in the workforce.
At present, education seems to turn it's back on those who leave after year 10. They are written off to become dole bludgers, criminals or to drift from infrequent labouring jobs to welfare.
There are jobs that do not need higher education and some of them are in desperate short supply of applicants in this mining boom. The problem is that the people who could fill them can not get the training to qualify.
Both the government service and private bus companies are crying out for drivers. The trucking industry is ever expanding, and there is a need for people to drive all sorts of machinery from fork life trucks to underground mining transport.
A kid leaving school at year ten has no money to pay for driver training - and the education system is not equipped to use these skills to create an employable person. By all means encourage students to stay and achieve their HSC, but it is also time to have a rethink about better training for those who fall through the cracks - and tailoring training to the job market that is crying out for people !
Thursday, 4 August 2011
A new crime twist !
Kidnapping was always high on the list of extortion scenarios when it came to extracting money from wealthy families, but it seems that criminals also are avid watchers of crime shows on TV. Yesterday we had a new twist to extortion when a bandit walked into a home in a wealthy north shore suburb and attached a bomb to the body of a business mans eighteen year old daughter.
This investigation is still being played out and the final outcome is yet to be revealed, but we have the bomb squad in attendance and obviously great care must be taken to remove this explosive device without it exploding and killing the victim.
Just about every long running crime show on TV has used this form of crime scenario at some time or other. The only mystery is why this has not been used in reality crime more often. The danger is that now it has created such high attention on the TV news it will draw the attention of copycat criminals.
It could become the prime nightmare of every wealthy family in this country. The prospect of a technically brilliant criminal attaching a booby trapped bomb to the neck of a loved one - and threatening to activate it by remote control unless money is paid could become real.
The trouble with scientific advancement is that it not only brings benefits to us all, but it also bestows new crime opportunities to the criminal fraternity.
No doubt that the public - and the criminal classes - will follow this ongoing crime in Sydney with interest !
This investigation is still being played out and the final outcome is yet to be revealed, but we have the bomb squad in attendance and obviously great care must be taken to remove this explosive device without it exploding and killing the victim.
Just about every long running crime show on TV has used this form of crime scenario at some time or other. The only mystery is why this has not been used in reality crime more often. The danger is that now it has created such high attention on the TV news it will draw the attention of copycat criminals.
It could become the prime nightmare of every wealthy family in this country. The prospect of a technically brilliant criminal attaching a booby trapped bomb to the neck of a loved one - and threatening to activate it by remote control unless money is paid could become real.
The trouble with scientific advancement is that it not only brings benefits to us all, but it also bestows new crime opportunities to the criminal fraternity.
No doubt that the public - and the criminal classes - will follow this ongoing crime in Sydney with interest !
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
A bold plan !
The University of Wollongong is certainly thinking well outside the nine dots when it comes to student accommodation. Acquisition of the 150 room Ibis hotel in the heart of Wollongong joins the 84 room Keiraview hotel and inclusion of 25 rooms at Rydges hotel in providing much needed live-in accommodation for students - and there are plans for a 350 bed development at Gwynville.
The University of Wollongong is a " smart " university that has won numerous awards for innovative thinking. It's planners are tackling problems that other universities have consigned to " the too hard basket " - and taking a broader view of how a well managed university and it's huge number of students can help develop and be an asset to it's host city.
A prime example is the plan to house students in the CBD to create a more vibrant city centre which would do much to bring the city to life at night. At present, the Mall simply " dies " when the shops turn off their lights and close their doors because few actually live there - and that is about to change.
We already have a free Shuttle bus serving the transport needs of the city and this services the university. It will become a vital part of moving students from their place of living to their place of learning - and their return when the university day is over.
The management of our university have accepted the challenge to expand university services to provide everything a young person needs to gain a higher education. Not only will this see the university expand - it will also do it in lock step with this city of Wollongong.
The future looks bright in the field of education !
The University of Wollongong is a " smart " university that has won numerous awards for innovative thinking. It's planners are tackling problems that other universities have consigned to " the too hard basket " - and taking a broader view of how a well managed university and it's huge number of students can help develop and be an asset to it's host city.
A prime example is the plan to house students in the CBD to create a more vibrant city centre which would do much to bring the city to life at night. At present, the Mall simply " dies " when the shops turn off their lights and close their doors because few actually live there - and that is about to change.
We already have a free Shuttle bus serving the transport needs of the city and this services the university. It will become a vital part of moving students from their place of living to their place of learning - and their return when the university day is over.
The management of our university have accepted the challenge to expand university services to provide everything a young person needs to gain a higher education. Not only will this see the university expand - it will also do it in lock step with this city of Wollongong.
The future looks bright in the field of education !
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
We come full circle - again !
Over a year ago the emergency department at Wollongong hospital was in crisis. At times this city's entire ambulance fleet was sitting in the hospital car park with patients that could not be off-loaded because no beds were available.
Money materialised to increase the number of treatment bays and it seemed that reason had prevailed - and that the problem was solved. Now it seems that this is not so.
Once again we have this ambulance queue and we learn that ambulances had to be drafted in from the Shoalhaven to try and spread the load. The safety of patients requiring the fast dispatch of an ambulance is at risk because the trained personnel who could save a life are acting as nursemaids to other patients in the hospital car park.
It seems that the health people found a very reasonable solution to this overload problem - but only put it into practice in Sydney and Newcastle. As usual, Wollongong is the poor relation that misses out whenever new innovative practices are devised.
It was also a very simple idea. Off duty ambulance officers were drafted to form crisis teams who could be quickly deployed when an ambulance bottleneck was looming at the hospital. These fully trained people took over patient care and waited until the triage people took over their patient - freeing the ambulance and it's crew to attend other emergencies.
Of course these off duty people expect to be paid - and that seems to be the stumbling block.
Patients in Wollongong have every right to think that the health department sees them as second class citizens if the standard of care offered is lower than that provided in Sydney and Newcastle.
Time to prove the theory that the squeaky wheel gets oil !
Money materialised to increase the number of treatment bays and it seemed that reason had prevailed - and that the problem was solved. Now it seems that this is not so.
Once again we have this ambulance queue and we learn that ambulances had to be drafted in from the Shoalhaven to try and spread the load. The safety of patients requiring the fast dispatch of an ambulance is at risk because the trained personnel who could save a life are acting as nursemaids to other patients in the hospital car park.
It seems that the health people found a very reasonable solution to this overload problem - but only put it into practice in Sydney and Newcastle. As usual, Wollongong is the poor relation that misses out whenever new innovative practices are devised.
It was also a very simple idea. Off duty ambulance officers were drafted to form crisis teams who could be quickly deployed when an ambulance bottleneck was looming at the hospital. These fully trained people took over patient care and waited until the triage people took over their patient - freeing the ambulance and it's crew to attend other emergencies.
Of course these off duty people expect to be paid - and that seems to be the stumbling block.
Patients in Wollongong have every right to think that the health department sees them as second class citizens if the standard of care offered is lower than that provided in Sydney and Newcastle.
Time to prove the theory that the squeaky wheel gets oil !
Monday, 1 August 2011
A message from Oslo !
Mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik had no intention of killing until he was killed, which is the usual format for terrorist strikes. He was quick to drop his weapons and raise his hands in surrender immediately armed police appeared. The killings were simply part of his plan to promote a Christian jihad in Norway and he relished the coming theatre of using court appearances to sell his message.
The police investigation now underway is examining how he managed to create a bomb powerful enough to wreck the centre of the city of Oslo, and how that and the other material necessary to conduct the killings on the island of Utoya can be prevented in future.
Clearly, that would be almost impossible to stop provided the attack was planned and put in place over a period of time - as was the case with Breivik.
Nothing in his preparations broke any laws or threw the spotlight on his activities. He acquired a farm and worked it to legitimately be able to buy fertilizer, the main ingredient of his bomb. He shopped from many sources in several countries on the net to acquire items that caused no alarm to the sellers - and he joined a pistol club to mask his acquisition of firearms.
The only blessing is that this required long and careful planning and anyone suffering a rush of blood and the immediate need to kill would leave markers that raised suspicion. Hopefully, the murder spree in Oslo will make many people think long and hard when any purchase of an item that could have multiple uses comes to their attention.
It is said that there is a fine line between madness and genius. Breivik appears to straddle that line. He certainly exhibited unusual long term planning abilities - taking years to write his manifesto and collect the means of launching the attack. Even the use of a bomb to distract the authorities and give him time to slaughter a large number of innocents was an example of military planning.
Perhaps the main message radiating from Oslo is that the presence of an evil genius can occur in even the most stable and peaceful countries. Murder and bombings are commonplace in the world's hot spots.
Now we must raise the suspicion level in all the most unlikely places if we hope to prevent another
Breivik launching a reign of terror in some other community.
The police investigation now underway is examining how he managed to create a bomb powerful enough to wreck the centre of the city of Oslo, and how that and the other material necessary to conduct the killings on the island of Utoya can be prevented in future.
Clearly, that would be almost impossible to stop provided the attack was planned and put in place over a period of time - as was the case with Breivik.
Nothing in his preparations broke any laws or threw the spotlight on his activities. He acquired a farm and worked it to legitimately be able to buy fertilizer, the main ingredient of his bomb. He shopped from many sources in several countries on the net to acquire items that caused no alarm to the sellers - and he joined a pistol club to mask his acquisition of firearms.
The only blessing is that this required long and careful planning and anyone suffering a rush of blood and the immediate need to kill would leave markers that raised suspicion. Hopefully, the murder spree in Oslo will make many people think long and hard when any purchase of an item that could have multiple uses comes to their attention.
It is said that there is a fine line between madness and genius. Breivik appears to straddle that line. He certainly exhibited unusual long term planning abilities - taking years to write his manifesto and collect the means of launching the attack. Even the use of a bomb to distract the authorities and give him time to slaughter a large number of innocents was an example of military planning.
Perhaps the main message radiating from Oslo is that the presence of an evil genius can occur in even the most stable and peaceful countries. Murder and bombings are commonplace in the world's hot spots.
Now we must raise the suspicion level in all the most unlikely places if we hope to prevent another
Breivik launching a reign of terror in some other community.
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