The " Nuclear Waste " Question !

It seems ridiculous that for sixty-five years successive Australian Federal governments have been putting the question of nuclear waste disposal - in the "too hard " basket.  Of all the world's countries, we are unique in having an entire continent at our disposal and it is probably populated with the lowest number of people per square mile than anywhere else on earth !

A number of remote places have been nominated over the years and in every case this has resulted in a huge scare campaign by the residents of the state involved.   The Greens and other environmental groups whip up a fanciful scenario which panics otherwise sensible people and threatens a political backlash.   Governments cave in - and decisions are put off until another day.

It would be helpful to understand exactly what is involved.   We are talking about nuclear waste that would occupy the area of two Olympic size swimming pools and this is what is termed "low level nuclear waste ".   It may pose a hazard to those who come into contact with it for many hundreds of years, but properly shielded it is harmless.   At present it is stored in the basement of hospitals and universities in steel drums, and at the only Australian nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights in Sydney - and has been for years without incident !

Now the government has short listed six possible permanent disposal sites that range from New South Wales to Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory.   One of them is Sally's Flat, 260 kilometres west of Sydney.   Expect a furious political campaign from the anti nuclear movement to convince residents of this state that if this proceeds we will all die of ground water contamination or terrorist action that will release the nuclear genie to wreak havoc with our health.

There are a few basic rules that apply to nuclear waste disposal.   It is not a good idea to bury it in the ground because it could leach into ground water, and for the same reason dumping it in the sea is out of the question.   The safest method would be in an above ground warehouse type building - with adequate security from intruders. The waste is contained in steel drums and represents used hospital isotopes and university science laboratory waste, and of course spent fuel rods from the Lucas Heights reactor.

Whatever facility is finally chosen, it will require a building with security features and a permanent deployment of guards to ensure it is safe from intruders.   Even this low level waste is of interest to terrorists because it could be used in a "dirty bomb " when mixed with conventional explosives.  In that regard, it is probably less secure at present because it is scattered over more than a hundred sites, none of which have special security in place to prevent it's removal.

There would be a degree of logic at storing this nuclear waste at one of the sites where atomic bombs were detonated in Australia at the dawn of the nuclear age.   In particular, Woomera has a decreasing nuclear area of contamination and is still partially closed to the public.   It has good permanent roads to allow easy transit of materials and is within easy reach of existing Australian defence facilities.

For far too long the nuclear bogey has been exaggerated by nuclear opponents.   We have a small degree of nuclear waste and we will continue to generate more as medical science uses this life saving technology, and we need to bite the bullet and create a storage facility where it can be safely stored into the foreseeable future.

Anti Dog Laws !

Sydney councils are virtually legislating dogs out of existence in this city.   Bondi Vet Christ Brown comments that we are "forty to fifty years behind the rest of the world "!   In Europe and the United States it is perfectly legal to take your dog with you when you drop by for a cup of coffee in a cafe or restaurant, but that is banned by a thicket of by-laws in this city.

The ban extends to dogs carried in taxis or on public transport and the number of areas designated for "off leash " exercise is noticeably dwindling.  This is despite clear evidence of the necessity of allowing dogs the freedom to run free as part of the training that creates good social manners and makes them cooperative social animals.   The number of households with a dog as a pet has steadily declined in recent years.

Few dog owners who do not own or drive a car can access an off leash area.  What few exist are remote from living areas and are usually subject to strict timetables, only open in the early morning or late evening.  At the same time, motoring by-laws demand that even the tiniest lap dog carried in a car must be secured by a special animal harness, similar to the seat belt regime required for humans. Draconian fines are imposed for ignoring this law.

It is freely acknowledged that a companion animal has enormous value in combating stress and the pressures of city living.  It is a cure for loneliness and is a useful tool in treating various types of mental illness.  It is in the nature of dogs to be loyal and attentive to their owners and a custom has developed of having a resident dog in many retirement villages for the benefit this brings to the aged residents.

Strangely, we have just amended the laws that apply to apartment living to stop body corporates issueing total "no pets " bans that prevent residents sharing with a dog or a cat as a companion.  It makes little sense to allow the freedom to own a pet and at the same time impose a regime that virtually forbids most forms of exercise.   Taking a leashed walk on a city street is a poor substitute for chasing a ball or running free in a park.

The days of owning a house on a quarter acre block is fast diminishing for city residents.  The future is clearly more of the "vertical village " concept and with the relaxation of pet ownership laws for apartment living we are likely to see more conflict between the owners of pets and the councils where they reside.

It seems to be human nature to break what we consider "bad laws "!   Desperate owners are likely to resort to giving their dog a run in a city park late at night - and their revenge motif could be not picking up after their dog has done it's business on park lawns.  Would it be too much to ask to set aside a dog exercise area in reasonable proximity to where the mass of people live ?

The dog is allowed to live harmoniously with humans in Europe and the rest of the world and yet we seem determined to legislate it out of existence here in Australia.   Perhaps an attitudinal change would go a long way to solving some of the problems that can be alleviated by the presence of a companion animal !

A " Foreseeable " Event !

This week the long suffering Australian taxpayer got an at least million dollar hit in the pocketbook when a riot left our detention centre on Christmas island - a smoking ruin.  With hindsight, this was an almost inevitable event given the change in circumstances that had occurred.

Christmas island is our foremost holding centre for asylum seekers who arrive here unannounced by boat - and it is constructed accordingly.   It is not a prison, and it is held to a level of security consistent with housing civilized people. The guard and service force comes from a private security company and their men and women are lightly armed with batons and capsicum spray.  There is the expectation of demonstrations from time to time, but Christmas island has not ever been considered a major security risk.

All that changed when a decision was made to hold people we intend to deport at this centre. Many of these were hardened criminals who have served time in Australian prisons and most were actively opposed to being deported.   It was sheer inevitability that they would react by creating a riot and they had the skill and resources to take control and force the civilian security people to retreat for their own safety.

One of the asylum seekers at this centre had the misfortune to fall to his death from a cliff after he tried to escape and this was the excuse for the riot.  Windows were smashed and fires lit and a huge damage toll taken of buildings and their fittings.  A big contingent of Federal riot police was flown to the island to regain control.

The aftermath is telling.  Of the 119 awaiting deportation, 113 had been convicted of serious crime and their residency permits withdrawn - and in some cases their citizenship cancelled. 11 were held because they were previously armed robbers. 27 had committed serious assault.  5 were child sex offenders. 9 had a history of grievous bodily harm to others. 2 had been convicted of manslaughter.  4 of rape and 9 for common theft.

This hard core criminal group completely changed the nature of a detention centre to that of a prison - and nothing else changed.  What the people who designed the Christmas island holding facilities intended as a "soft " facility to hold convivial refugees hopefully awaiting a decision on their acceptance status faced hardened criminals mixed with the general population and no extra upgrade of the security force to maintain order.

Moving deportees to Christmas island seemed to be a desperation move.  Our turgid court system seem to countenance endless appeals and our overloaded prison system completely lacks the facilities to contain the prisoners flowing through the courts.   Many of these deportees are rich from the proceeds of crime and they will engage the best lawyers to play delaying tactics.  If given bail, they will simply disappear into the diaspora of overstaying visa holders and the criminal element hovering on the fringe of society.

What is urgently needed is a law change.   Once a deportation order is served it should be acted upon immediately.   Then the lengthy appeals process can run it's course - from whichever country the applicant is now calling home !

The " Crowdfunding " Option !

So - You have a brilliant new idea that nobody else has thought of and you see yourself as becoming fabulously rich like Mark Zuckerberg or Donald Trump.   There is just one small obstacle standing in your way.   You lack the money necessary to develop this promising innovation and bring it to market !

You could go to one of the banks and seek a loan, but unfortunately our banks are not the most innovative people.  Their lending practice is stuck to a precise formula that only seems interested in collateral.  What you need is what is called an "Angel Investor " - someone with both money and the foresight to share your dream - and bring it to fruition.

In recent times an innovation called "Crowdfunding " has appeared overseas.  Clever people have the option of appealing to the public to fund their startup on a direct basis rather than through a company listed on the stock exchange.   Perhaps this is the answer to both parties.   Interest rates offering are so lousy that many people are prepared to accept a higher risk in exchange for an opportunity to increase returns.   Unfortunately, until now that option was not available in this country.

Legislation is proceeding to make Crowdfunding here a reality.  Mum and Dad investors will be limited to placing funding to a maximum of $ 10,000 in local businesses needing to expand or to startups that they consider have merit and are likely to succeed.   It is likely that there will be a restriction on size and companies with assets above five million dollars will be excluded from seeking this form of finance, and intermediaries who process the legalities will need to be licensed.

This is a whole new ball game.  Equity financing by using the stock exchange is a mystery to many people, but buying into the needs of traders in your local shopping centre who wish to expand or modernise is an entirely different equation.  More importantly, the people investing can keep track of progress because their money is going to work locally, right before their eyes.

There is certainly a risk factor, but Crowdfunding will offer a wide spread of different sized opportunities.  The capital needed for some projects will pool many investors to reach the required funding level but others may involve a single investor to get a project off the ground - and therefore the lender could expect to be involved in day by day decisions.

Hopefully, this legislation will be phrased to offer protection against " fly by night " operators trying to fleece the public.  Investors need to carefully consider each funding proposal and evaluate what is being offered.  It may be a nominated rate of interest on the funds invested, or it may be on a profit share basis - with the investor owning what is really a share of the business equity.   That is the great value of Crowdfunding to both parties.   It offers "opportunities " that are not available in the general money market.

Crowdfunding is not for the faint hearted.  Not every "great idea " actually morphs into a viable business, but it does offer an opportunity for the the wise and far sighted to invest outside the limited returns offered by fixed term deposits and government bonds.   Hopefully, common sense will prevail and that old maxim of "not putting all your eggs in the one basket " will apply !

Mental Health Backwater !

What was the outcome when a twenty-five year old man made a totally unprovoked attack on a woman who is a successful author innocently walking an Australian street ?   He was grabbed by the police and put before a court - who decided he was mentally ill and sent him to a psychiatric ward for evaluation

That destination - and often the repository for murderers who are deemed insane - is usually Cumberland hospital in Sydney's west.  This 1960's built institution is crumbling, overcrowded and is a danger to the nursing staff.  It is not unusual for staff to suffer personal attacks and recently ten of the nation's worst mentally ill were crammed into a six metre by six metre lounge and dining area. That is a certain recipe for disaster, and this hospital has no backup generator in case of a blackout.

Unfortunately mental health is not a fashionable aspect of medicine.   The media are quick to run a news story detailing amazing new drugs that offer hope to sufferers of formerly incurable diseases and the relentless march of science in surgery and procedures is the sort of "good news " that sells magazines and newspapers.

The mentally ill are something the public do not wish to dwell on.  In many cases they are relegated to a similar status to those who abuse drugs or alcohol.   Usually, when they appear before the courts because their affliction has drawn the attention of the police, we dismiss them as mere criminals.  We assume that they will be processed through a psychiatric ward somewhere, and probably end up in a prison.   We are only concerned when mental illness strikes family or friends.

Once again Cumberland hospital missed out in the recent allocation of health funds.   Nearby Westmead got nine million dollars for an upgrade, but Cumberland is still on the waiting list for urgently needed renovations - and replacement seems an impossible dream.  The conditions staff work under can be described as life threatening.

One of the nurses has spoken out after being attacked by that man who attacked that author in the street.  She suffered facial injuries, eye damage and was diagnosed with bleeding on the brain, and this was just the most recent injuries inflicted by out of control patients.  In past incidents she has received a broken nose - and her life nearly ended in a strangulation attempt.

Basically, Cumberland hospital is simply what used to be called a "lunatic asylum ".   That is no longer a fashionable term.   Our main psychiatric hospital was closed down years ago and now the mentally ill are treated in suburban day centres, but we still need a place of restraint for those who threaten to inflict unprovoked violence - and it seems that Cumberland hospital is a ghost from the past that the authorities choose to ignore.

There are no votes to be gained from a news report that funding has been allocated for repairs to a mental hospital.   That pales into insignificance beside the introduction of a new wonder machine that diagnoses the depths of the human body and costs millions to install.   There is a distinct perception in public minds that spending on psychiatric patients is somehow a waste of funds that should be diverted to mainstream medicine.

We are big on demanding workplace safety - and we have statutory authorities that police worksites to ensure that the rules are followed.    The conditions staff endure in Cumberland hospital would not be tolerated by either the unions or the public - if a trained nurse lost her life in a patient attack.  Unless improvements are urgently made - that is a distinct possibility !

Curbing I.C.A.C. Arrogance !

When New South Wales premier Nick Greiner setup the Independent Commission Against Corruption it was intended to delve into levels of crime that pervaded the world of politics and big business, and to achieve results it was given powers similar to that of a Royal Commission.  It's powers to extract answers from those called before it were draconian - and it's head once described it's methods of gaining evidence as being similar " to pulling wings off a butterfly " !

It is said that " power corrupts - and absolute power corrupts absolutely ".   Many who have fallen victim to an ICAC investigation charge that it has moved beyond the realm of conduct that we associate with the courts and has become dictatorial - and that it's findings can not be challenged. That the very power in it's hands is now a weapon of arrogance and is used to serve personal vendettas.

A case that drew the full ICAC firepower tended to illustrate that complaint.  Margaret Cunneen was a gifted public prosecutor who worked closely with ICAC.  When her sons girlfriend was involved in a minor car accident ICAC claimed that Cunneen had advised her to claim chest pains so as to be taken to hospital and avoid a breath test at the scene.  It was claimed that this was a " perversion of the cause of justice ".

This was denied by all the parties involved and when the accident victim was taken to hospital she was automatically given a blood test, which revealed that she was alcohol free.  That was an outcome that would have been perfectly clear to Cunneen, hence such advice - if given - would not have avoided the test required by law.

ICAC was relentless in it's pursuit of Cunneen.  Eventually the matter found it's way to the High Court, who delivered a verdict that ICAC had exceeded it's powers and cleared Cunneen.   Despite this, the vendetta continued and it seemed clear that ICAC considered itself above the highest court level in this country.   It was a clash of monumental egos.

This Cunneen vendetta has come full circle and now it is ICAC which is in the sights of parliament taking aim to curb it's arrogance.  There is a move to increase the powers of the person tasked with being the ICAC Inspector to publicly rebuke the body - and where necessary reverse it's decisions.

This is probably a classical example of the dictum of " who watches the watcher " !   When ICAC was formed the whole attention of it's creation was on giving it the powers to go after and seek out evidence to deal with crime at the highest level.   It would be dealing with people of power and influence and it would need coercive methods to compel them to produce documents and answer intrusive questions on their business activities.

As so often happens when excessive power is granted, the " end justifies the means "  philosophy comes into play.  Margaret Cunneen suffered humiliating persecution in what could be termed high level bullying that took the action of the Australian High Court to adjudicate.   The natural outcome of that clash is putting the curbs in place to reduce ICAC'S formerly unlimited powers !

Privacy - and Computers !

There is no doubt about the benefits of having every Australian's medical records on a national database.  When we change general practitioners a quick mouse click will put our new medico much more aware of our medical history than we could possible remember, and should we be unfortunate and end up unconscious in the hospital emergency department that information could be life saving.

The sticking point is that the hacking industry is capable of breaking through even the most secure firewall, as the Ashley Madison scandal shockingly indicated.  People using that website to cheat on their partner and arrange an " affair " had the details publicly exposed for all to see.  The privacy people warn that a similar disclosure could await each individuals medical records.

There is a big difference between national espionage, the salacious peccadilloes of men and women exchanging forbidden sex - and the boring medical records of the ops and medication very ordinary citizens experience during their lifetime.  That may be of interest when it involves celebrities but the trial of a medical database set to start in 2016 has been moved from an " opt in " to an " opt out " choice for each individual.   It will be a personal choice whether you consider the benefits worth the risk that someone could one day have a look at your medical records - and if you have privacy doubts you need to express that option.

The crime industry has reason to worry now that computers are being tasked with tracking the source of wealth.  For a long time, successful criminals flaunt their lifestyle by living in great mansions, driving exotic cars and owning " toys " that cost a fortune - but having no discernible sources of income.

All the states and territories are in agreement on implementing a national law that requires any person to explain the legal acquisition of what they own - with the outcome that it can be confiscated - if it can not be explained.   That delivers their worst nightmare to drug bosses and those in receipt of bribes in unions, industry and the public service.

In the past, criminals usually explained the sudden acquisition of money as a gambling win.  This recent running of the Melbourne cup by a hundred to one rank outsider would be a typical " miracle " win that delivered a motza, but today the computer will quickly disprove such an alibi.   The claimant would need to detail exactly what bet - placed at exactly which TAB terminal or with which bookmaker - and at what time - and have that correspond with the the computer payout records.  The net is tightening - and the tax commissioner will no doubt be just as interested as the police in determining if the appropriate tax has been paid on that income.

It seems that privacy is a double edged sword.  We are reaching the stage of accepting that no data base is secure from hackers if it has an outside connection to the Internet.  No assurance that a system is " safe " is now credible and hence when something like that medical data base becomes a reality it is up to each individual to evaluate the benefits against the " risk " involved.   In that respect, medical records are simply just another item accompanying our financial records kept in our banks database and the files of the taxation department, all of which are also vulnerable to disclosure should hackers penetrate those institutions.

The fact that putting our medical records on the Internet will be an " opt out " probably means that only those with advanced privacy concerns will bother.   The average person will rightly concede that their medical records are of little interest to others !