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I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about the carbon tax proposal, but in any case, the Gillard government today secured passage of its controversial carbon tax through the lower house of federal parliament with the support of key crossbench MPs and of course the Greens, under Senator Bob Brown whom many consider as the defact prime minister!! Labor won the vote on the 18 carbon tax bills 74 to 72.  The lower house also passed the government’s $300 million steel transformation plan bill. That vote was won 75 to 71 with Queensland independent Bob Katter joining fellow independents Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor and Andrew Wilkie, and Greens MP Adam Bandt, in backing Labor.  Following that, we saw the unusual spectacle of  Government ministers embracing and clapping following the vote,  with Prime Minister Julia Gillard applauded the result as opposition MPs jeered. That performance would receive much criticism and ridicule from the Opposition over the next 24 hours.  With the support of the Greens, that legislation, the ‘Clean Energy Future Bills’, is likely to be passed by the Senate within the next few days.

While it probably didn’t make a difference to the eventual vote result, the Liberal’s Sophie Mirabella was unapologetic about being suspended for today’s vote on the carbon tax.   Mrs Mirabella did not vote this morning after she was suspended for 24 hours from parliament from 10.30pm yesterday by fellow Liberal politician and deputy speaker Peter Slipper.  Personally, I don’t feel that she is a good advocate for the Opposition, too outspoken and aggressive for my liking, and that is demonstrated by her comments – 

Mrs Mirabella told ABC Goulburn Murray radio this morning that she was trying to table a petition of names of North East residents opposed to the carbon tax when she was ordered out of the House of Representatives.  “It wasn’t my behaviour (that prompted the suspension), it was the refusal of the Labor Party to grant me leave to table those signatures,” Mrs Mirabella said.  “They’ve tried to intimidate and shut me up against the carbon tax for many, many months.  “I’m not someone who will be intimidated by the Labor Party I will continue to fight against the carbon tax, if this gets through the only reason why the carbon tax will become law is not because I’ve been suspended for 24 hours, let’s get that fact straight, the only reason the carbon tax will pass into law is because no government members have got the moral backbone to stand up for the interests of their constituents and that goes for several independents as well.”   Mrs Mirabella was asked if she had any regrets about what happened and said “absolutely not”, before placing blame on Climate Change Minister Greg Combet.

The piece of legislation that I don’t want to see succeed comes up tomorrow, relating to changing the rules to allow overseas processing of refugees in Malaysia. Apparently, as the day approached, the success of that Bill for the Labor Party was going to depend on how one independent National Party member decided to vote. On this occasion, the Greens were in agreement with the Opposition, so that one vote was crucial for the Government.

Meanwhile on the ‘home front’, this evening I went around to a short Committee meeting of the Family History Society – with three members missing, including an unwell President, Peter Free, it was all over within an hour, which certainly suited me!! I was able to get back home and attend to a few other tasks.

I don’t know whether it is simply the late night on the radio [of a Monday] and the subsequently short sleeping time before getting up for work this morning, or simply a combination of those things with my age – but awoke this morning, after 3 hours sleep feeling decidedly unwell – a condition that would remain with me until late afternoon. In fact, almost considered returning home shortly after lunch, but stayed put, and oddly by the time I did leave, was feeling much better!!

Apart from that, another very enjoyable session on the radio over night, and with the knowledge that I have only one more Monday night show to do, with fulltime work to go to next morning, that heightens the prospect of even more pleasant shows in the immediate future. I call Monday night a ‘Smorgasbord of Music & Entertainment’, and subsequently, generally play and present a broad range of musical genres and other activities. The midnight finishing time is likely to be exceeded in the future, with no major commitments to follow the next morning!  Even played a track by Michael Buble last night  – don’t recall ever playing anything by him previously, as with Amy Whitehouse, the week before!

The GetUP organisation are perhaps getting concerned that their campaign on refugees is going to be defeated, with the likely vote to be taken in Federal Parliament this week on the question of off-shore processing. The following is the way they saw the situation, together with a quotation of the statement by former Liberal Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser.

‘Only weeks ago the High Court declared the Government’s Malaysian Arrangement unlawful. Despite the ruling, this week the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on whether or not to change the law to get around the High Court’s decision and return to harmful and ineffective offshore processing.  The crucial vote for refugee policy is this Thursday, and we need to show our support for compassion and common sense.
We’ve all struggled to work out what the right thing to do is when it comes to asylum seekers arriving here on boats. We know it can be a dangerous journey, but does that mean off-shore processing is the only way? We think there’s a third way which slows the boats and creates a genuine pathway for refugees to reach Australia safely. Former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and experts from across the community think so too. Opponents of those who arrive by boat in Australia argue that people seeking protection should “join the queue.” But here’s the thing: in the 18 months prior to February this year, Australia granted 518 humanitarian visas to refugees in Malaysia. Not one visa went to people fleeing Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s no wonder Iraqis and Afghans take a journey by boat to Australia.
That’s why yesterday former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, joined by experts from the refugee sector, wrote an open letter to Australian politicians urging them to adopt a new approach based on humane onshore and an increase in Australia’s refugee intake, targeted at our region. By targeting a gradual increase in our intake largely to our region, we can reduce the need for asylum seekers to travel by boat to Australia just to receive protection.   Let’s show our politicians that we’re behind the former PM’s call for a sensible solution.

These days Australia grants very few humanitarian visas to refugees in our region – and that’s why coming by boat seems the only option for many who are fleeing persecution. That’s the opposite of “breaking the business model of people smugglers.”

Back when Malcolm Fraser was PM, as the Vietnam war was ending and a humanitarian crisis of truly staggering proportions seemed imminent, 55,000 refugees fled Vietnam in just one month. But our politicians rose to the challenge. Fraser sent Australian officials to Vietnam to directly process refugees quickly, after which they were flown to Australia. The Australian government worked with the governments of other Western countries to accept refugees and worked with other countries in our region to ensure refugees were not turned away.
If all this sounds remarkably sane compared to today’s refugee debate – that’s because it was.
It’s time our politicians got a history lesson. Tell Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott and their colleagues that Australia’s leaders from both parties mustered courage and common sense 32 years ago, and we deserve no less from them today.

Meanwhile, the following piece is the Statement submitted by Malcolm Fraser and those that joined him, and I have added my name to the proposed petition, being in broad agreement with the feelings expressed hereunder.

“Throughout much of recent history, but especially since the Tampa incident in 2001, political leaders from the major parties have been unable or unwilling to compromise and craft a reasonable and realistic migration policy that takes into account regularly occurring flows of refugees from conflict areas. Instead politicians in Canberra have chosen to play to baser instincts rather than Australian’s better nature, marginalizing vulnerable asylum-seekers by catering to those on the extreme margins of politics.

The recent High Court decision, requiring current and future Australian Governments to meet basic human rights obligations in its treatment of asylum seekers, is more than simply a political obstacle to be overcome. It provides a unique opportunity to do what should always have been done – that is, process asylum seekers on-shore irrespective of whether they come by boat or by plane. This would serve to re-implement tested practical and effective solutions regarding the treatment and processing of refugees; an endeavor that would truly be in the “national interest.”

With both parties wrangling to score political points, the issue can be seen as intractable. However recent history offers clear guidance as to the compassion and creativity of the Australian people – and our political system – when our nation was forced to choose between treating refugees humanely or contributing to a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions.

As the Vietnam War came to a chaotic end, Australia faced the prospect of a huge influx of refugees from the conflict. Fears for the well-being of asylum-seekers, as well as concerns about whether Australia could successfully deal with such an influx, were well founded. A balance was struck, and a humane and effective bi-partisan solution was put in place. Both Government and Opposition rose above party affiliation to act, initially, in the face of negative opinion polls.

Australia’s elected leaders created a system that worked with regional partners, ensured basic human rights protections and created an efficient and effective system which, over 20 years, dealt with the needs of more than 2.5 million Indochinese refugees. The Fraser Government alone took almost 250,000 Vietnamese as refugees and immigrants. Many of these people were fleeing a war in which Australia was a combatant. We had a moral responsibility to assist them.

The numbers were far greater than the small number arriving by boat today. The current debate all but ignores the fact that three times more asylum seekers arrive by plane than boat and are successfully processed onshore often while living within (and contributing to) their new communities. Onshore processing, assisted by regional cooperation, was the right thing to do then, and remains so today.

A Vietnamese refugee on one of the first boats to arrive in Darwin Harbour went on to become Lieutenant Governor of South Australia. Thousands of others have become magnificent Australian citizens over the past three decades.

By not simply subscribing to the idea but also implementing policies that reflect a “fair go,” Governments truly act in the “national interest” – being responsible global citizens, while making the Australian experience richer through refugees’ contributions to local communities and our country in countless ways. The Prime Minister and Opposition Leader have a similar opportunity to do the right thing now; to exhibit the kind of moral leadership that’s too often bypassed in the political process, yet which is precisely what the Australian people and those seeking to become Australians expect and deserve. Rather than seeking creative ways to remove the assumptions of natural law and review by the courts, and watering down human rights protections, our leaders can and should focus on real solutions:

• First and foremost , institute a system for effective and efficient on-shore processing. Those arriving by boat and seeking asylum do nothing illegal under Australian law.
• Honour the commitment to accepting an additional 4000 refugees – the only salvageable element of the Malaysian agreement – while permanently expanding the current intake of UNHCR-designated refugees up to 25,000 – a reasonable and manageable number that will go a long way in removing the incentive for individuals to take the desperate and dangerous ocean journey to Australia.
• End the linking of on-shore asylum seekers with the off-shore refugee and humanitarian intake. This linkage was a relatively recent creation of the Howard Government and needs to be removed. Both those who seek resettlement off-shore and those seeking asylum on-shore should never have to compete. We should unravel the two categories immediately, returning to a policy whereby those who come from afar as refugees do not lessen Australia’s commitment or capacity to accept individuals escaping humanitarian crises who arrive in this country seeking asylum.
• Put considerably more effort into developing cooperation with regional partners to ensure greater protections for asylum-seekers, while status determinations take place.
• Seize the opportunity to exhibit leadership, not just at home, but also on the world stage, where implementing the aforementioned measures would serve as an incentive and example for members of the UNHCR Working Group on Resettlement, which Australia currently chairs.

This would be in sharp contrast to recent actions which have brought widespread global consternation and condemnation. Make no mistake – the world is watching. The current debate is doing tremendous damage to our international reputation. By exhibiting courage and compassion, Australia has a chance to not only salvage our reputation but set an example for our friends and allies around the world.

In short, we need an orderly migration and integration system for refugees, while realising the reality and gravity of international obligations and domestic law. It was done before when the numbers where much, much larger. It can be done again.

Political leaders who truly want to be on the right side of history must also exhibit leadership. We urge the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader to put aside their political differences and work towards tried, tested and effective solutions. It’s the right thing to do – for refugees and asylum seekers, and it is in the national interest of all Australians.

[Signatories to the original statement were]

• Rt Hon Malcolm Fraser AC CH, former Prime-Minister of Australia founder CARE-Australia
• Act for Peace – National Council of Churches in Australia, Executive Director, Alistair Gee
• Andrew Bartlett, Research Fellow in Migration Law, ANU former Senator (QLD)
• Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), Executive Director, Marc Purcell
• Br Julian McDonald AO cfc, former Chancellor, ACU
• Dr Ian Anderson AM, Founding Chair, A Just Australia (Australians for Just Refugee Programs)
• Edmund Rice Centre, Director, Phil Glendenning
• GetUp!, Director, Simon Sheikh
• Hon Elizabeth Evatt AC, first Chief Judge, Family Court of Aust. former President, Australian Law Reform Commission former member, UN Human Rights Committee former Commissioner, International Committee of Jurists
• Human Rights Law Centre, Executive Director, Philip Lynch
• Medical Association for Prevention of War, Australia, President, Dr Bill Williams
• Prof Ian Lowe AO, President, Australian Conservation Foundation
• Prof Louise Newman AM, Professor of Developmental Psychiatry, Monash Director, Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, Monash University Convener, Alliance of Health Professionals for Asylum Seekers
• Prof Mary Crock, Professor of Law, Associate Dean of Law, USyd Accredited Specialist in Immigration Law
• Prof Patrick McGorry AO, 2010 Australian of the Year, Executive Director of Orygen Youth Health Professor of Youth Mental Health, UniMelb
• Prof Richard Broinowski, Adjunct Professor, Media and Communications, USyd former diplomat
• Prof Ron McCallum AO, 2011 Senior Australian of the Year Chairperson, UN Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities Professor of Law &amp former Dean of Law, USyd
• Prof William Maley AM, Foundation Director, Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, ANU Barrister

A friend apparently caught note of my intended support for the petition – thankyou Bill G, who sent me a message on FaceBook to say that –   surely you couldn’t get involved with ANYTHING Malcolm Fraser is involved with…..Isn’t he the bloke who forced Ian Smith out of Rhodesia and installed that ‘great protector’ Robert Mugabe who has put the population of Zimbabwe back to the stone ages? His style of democracy?….. and calling Fraser an ‘Expert”….geeze!!

Needless to say, a response was needed: –  “And I’m sure he [Fraser] has regretted that action ever since as have most of the other Commonwealth leaders who were a part of that decision with him at the time – little different to supporting Nelson Mandela against the white extremist regime in South Africa. The problem was –everyone mis-judged  what kind of person Mugabe really was, the opposite of Mandela.  I don’t blame Fraser for that – he has been involved in some very worthwhile humane activities since leaving politics for which  I have a great deal of respect for, and while in office, the policies he encouraged towards the Vietnamese refugees leaves BOTH Gillard and Abbott looking heartless and inhumane, this offshore policy is despicable, and a prime example of our politicians trying to wipe their hands of our human rights obligations. I feel shame in the name of Australia for the way we have been treating these people over the past decade or so”.

I’ve not had any further response to that, by Bill, or anyone for that matter – perhaps because in most people’s hearts, they feel the off-shore policy is inhumane, but the ‘scare tactics’ about the evils of refugees that Australian governments have indulged in over the past decade, leads people to reject compassion and think self-preservation. In Bill G’s case, it was probably best we left the discussion at that point, and silently agreed to retain our opposite points of view [and our friendship], especially on the subject of Malcolm Fraser, which initiated the above comments in the first place.n South Africa. The problem was – everyone misjudged what kind of person Mugabe really was, the opposite of Mandela. I don’t blame Fraser for that – he has been involved in some very worthwhile humane activities since leaving politics for which I have a great deal of respect for, and while in office, the policies he encouraged towards the the Vietnamese refugees leaves BOTH Gillard and Abbott looking heartless and inhumane, this offshore policy is dispicable, and a prime example of our politicians trying to wipe their hands of their human rights obligations. I feel shame in the name of Australia for the way we have been treating these people over the past decade or so.

 

 

 

 

 

Last week on these pages, we made reference to the 2011 Noble Prize winners, but there was one award carried over until today [not sure why] – that was the Nobel Prize for Economics, of some degree of interest to myself following my studies of that area many years ago at Melbourne University. This year’s award was shared, and the following media reports explain the outcome and reasons: –

Two former University of Minnesota professors won the Nobel Prize Monday for their research on economic policy, according to a Star Tribune article.   Thomas Sargent and Christopher Sims – both of whom were members of the University’s Department of Economics in the 70’s and 80’s – received the award for work that explored how people respond to changes in economic policy such as inflation and increased interest rates.  In the article, University President Eric Kaler is quoted as saying the pair’s achievements have shown the “worldwide impact” of the work done by the University’s economics program.  The Star Tribune reported that in this time of financial difficulty for the U.S., their work could be key to discovering a “way out of this mess.”    Sargent and Sims — both 68 — carried out their research independently in the 1970s and `80s. But it is highly relevant today as world governments and central banks seek ways to steer their economies away from another recession. Both men taught in the University of Minnesota’s Economics Department in the 1970s and 1980s

“It is not an exaggeration to say that both Sargent’s and Sims’ methods are used daily … in all central banks that I know of in the developed world and at several finance departments too,” Nobel committee member Torsten Persson told the AP.  The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the winners have developed methods for answering questions such as how growth and inflation are affected by a temporary increase in the interest rate or a tax cut. “Today, the methods developed by Sargent and Sims are essential tools in macroeconomic analysis,” the academy said in its citation The winners developed models to measure the sometimes surprising ways that people respond to changes in economic policy.  “People form their own ideas about what’s going to happen independently of what the economists say is going to happen,” said David Warsh, who writes the blog Economic Principles.  Warsh gave a simple example of the kinds of things Simms and Sargent shed light on: Suppose a government imposes a tax on corn to raise more money. Consumers might confound the government’s plan by substituting wheat for corn — and causing tax revenue to drop instead of rise.  The winners’ use of complicated economic models usually keeps them a step or two removed from the pressing economic and political issues of the day. But Warsh says they contributed to the models being used now to determine whether governments should be cutting deficits or spending more money to lift the economy out of its rut’.

On a different note, I was interested in the comment by the National Senior’s organisation that  issues that affect older Australians, affect all Australians. This is the key message which is to be emphasised as a part of the new National Seniors marketing campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the important advocacy work performed by National Seniors on behalf of its members. National Seniors are calling on the government to act on a range of issues including aged care, age discrimination, superannuation and the cost of living.  Eventually, all of us are going to be affected by these issues, either personally or through family, and it is a useful note to keep in mind – when older members of the community raise such matters, they are issues they may in the long term be things we all have to face.

 

I was interested to note over the weekend that the university I studied at many years ago, and still keep in reasonable contact with, has received high rankings in two prestigious higher education surveys. Melbourne maintained its position as the leading university in Australia, ranked 37^th in The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011-12 (The Rankings). It has also been ranked fourth for employer reputation in the 2011-12 QS World University Rankings. The Rankings have become a standard-bearer for acknowledging research and teaching standards in higher education, with The University of Melbourne consistently ranking well inside the top 1% of world universities. Melbourne’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis welcomed the news and said it was an encouraging reflection of the University’s aim to be a world-leader in curricula and research. “I would like to acknowledge the work of all our teaching staff and researchers who made this outstanding result possible,” Professor Davis said.  The Rankings Editor Phil Baty praised the University for excelling in all 13 separate survey indicators, calling Melbourne’s position “a fantastic achievement.” “To reach the upper echelons of this gold standard ranking, Melbourne scored consistently well across the performance categories,” Mr Baty said. Melbourne is also Australia’s leader in two other renowned international rankings – the Shanghai Jiao Tong and Taiwan’s Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council survey.  Meantime, in the Employer Reputation category,  Melbourne received a significant rise in the 2011-12 QS World University Rankings for Employer Reputation, leaping from ninth position into fourth.  This places Melbourne in an elite pool of global institutions, which includes MIT, the Imperial College London, the London School of Economics, the University of California at Berkeley and Columbia, Stanford University and Yale.  Overall, Melbourne was placed 31^st in the 2011-12 QS World University Rankings.

The latest news from the University, also pointed that the Baillieu Library [where I spent many hours on study and research, all those years ago] is undertaking a phase of refurbishment.  It would be nice to one day go back and have a look through that building, I note that it and the new  Business & Economics Library, are both still available for my use as an alumnus, even for borrowing. Might even take advantage in my post-employment period!

Late this afternoon, it was reported that Australia derailed South Africa’s bid to defend their World Cup title in an error-ridden 11-9 quarter-final victory despite enjoying little territory and not much in the way of useful possession. I watched this game, and although I had to go out, and depend on a radio broadcast for the last ten minutes, it was a tense match to be supporting one of the teams, and I was rather glad to see the Aussies scrape home with a narrow win. The Wallabies spent much of the game on the back foot, the misfiring Quade Cooper unable to guide his side out of his own half for much of the 80 minutes But a first-half try from captain James Horwill and two James O’Connor penalties, the second with just eight minutes to play, were enough to see Australia home against the most experienced Springbok side ever — boasting eight players who began the 2007 World Cup final, with a further three on the bench.  Experience alone, however, could not carry the often leaden-footed Springbok side lacking any attacking spark into next weekend’s semi-final, which will now see Australia playing New Zealand who defeated Argentina this evening. Would have liked to have watched that game also, but Channel9’s live coverage consists of a belated replay, at midnight!!!  Typical great free to air commercial service!!

Rugby World Cup update, remaining two Quarter Finals saw:

• Australia 11 South Africa 9
• New Zealand 23 Argentina 10

On Sunday next, James Horwill’s team [the Wallabies] faces the ultimate challenge – a Rugby World Cup Semi Final against New Zealand in Auckland. The All Blacks are playing at their long time fortress. They are playing in front of parochial home fans  – a crowd that has booed Australia’s Quade Cooper since the tournament kicked off. It’s time for Australia to show the world –  and I believe it is over 20 years since Australia has won in Auckland. Next weekend has to be the turnaround of that!!!

Awoke to a very dismal scene outside, misty rain, light fog, and heavy  overcast skies. Not a good omen for the day’s activities.  Meantime, after a late night, was away at 7.30 this morning for a shift at her job – if she is going to have these early morning starts, might have to restrict some of the social life to earlier finishes!!  I won’t be telling her that, though!

Shortly after 10am, I drove around to the venue of today’s Sunbury Agricultural Show, at the Clarke Oval [or Sunbury Recreation Reserve, as some people preferred to call it]. Today was Sunbury Show Day. I would be there for about the next five hours, and while in general the day itself remained overcast, the weather ‘behaved’ itself for the duration of the day’s activities, with the rain only coming in, late in the afternoon/early evening. Of course, that wasn’t enough to stop Adam’s cricket match from being called off because of the condition of the oval they were to play on, following last night’s rain. That was a real pity for Adam – I think this was the first time that he had been selected to play in the Sunbury senior team – hopefully, he will get another opportunity. As it was, after I left the ‘show’ venue this afternoon, I drove around to the Boardman ground hoping to catch part of his match, but found the place deserted, apart from the ‘dog club’ doing their thing! It was only later that I discovered from Adam that the match had been abandoned.

Meanwhile, my time at the Agricultural Show was divided between a period helping out on the 3NRG sausage sizzle stall  –  I prefer to generally not handle the food, so looked after the money side of things for a while. Once the morning sports show had finished  – the station was broadcasting live from the site – I took over the presenter’s role [in the absence of anyone else for 2 or 3 hours] – played a variety of music, and with some assistance from one or two other presenters present on the day, we carried out 2 or 3 interviews and general chats with people in the area. I think the ‘highlight’ had to be the extended interview with the reptile demonstration people. There was yours truly, sitting in our small little caravan broadcast booth, beside a young lady from the wildlife team who had this huge 15 foot python draped around her neck and body. She was virtually nursing this creature like you would a pet cat, and it was responding in the same manner.  It had been bred from a baby, so was quite used to been handled by humans, and had also, somehow, apparently been trained not to bite it’s handlers [or people like me sitting, with some mild apprehension I must admit, right beside this python, which like a cat, was very curious, exploring the interior of my bad, the microphones, cds, and trying to generally wind it’s way around the equipment. The snake allowed itself to be pulled back into ‘line’ without any apparent hostility or reaction  – curious but well behaved, and extremely tame and docile in nature. Well, I don’t think I would be prepared to trust it to the extent that this girl was, she had complete faith in the python’s likely reactions, and despite it’s size and think body, was apparently only a young one!!! Anyway, that was as close as I want to get to any kind of snake in the near future.  When it comes back next year, it will be close to full size – on hearing that, I made a mental note to ensure I would not be here!!  We have interviewed these people for about 4 years in a row now, but for me, never quite as so up close and personal!!!

Quite a reasonable turn-up of 3NRG people here to help out, although a few more helpers would  have been appreciated.  Great to see Jack and Orr Harris back from Thailand, having only returned a couple of days ago. Those two worked as long and hard as most others present, apart from President ‘Ollie’ of course.

Meanwhile, at the Melbourne horse races today, we had a real star performing –  Black Caviar – and when someone eventually was able to tell [Jack I think] how the horse performed, I was learn that Black Caviar won going away by 5 lengths, paid $1.10  – her 14^th consecutive win from 14 starts!! Admittedly, today’s run was a Group 2 race against not particularly strong opposition, but that win equalled the number of consecutive wins achieved by the great Phar Lap back in the 1930s.  For the last 75 years, Phar Lap has been considered the greatest racehorse to have come from these shores, but for many racing enthusiasts, the emergence of Black Caviar  has created a buzz about racing that we haven’t experienced in a long time. The inevitable question is being asked – which horse deserves the title of the ‘greatest’.  Personally, I’m not sure that a comparison is appropriate  – Black Caviar has won each of the 14 races it has started in, but they have all basically being sprints. Phar Lap, I’m led to understand, won over a variety of distances, but in fact, began it’s career in a not particularly spectacular fashion, with his run of wins coming into his career a little. Nevertheless, in 2011, we have Black Caviar, and the horse is indeed a magnificent animal to watch on the race track. Trainer Peter Moody, and jockey Luke Nolan both seem to be of the opinion that the horse ‘just loves what it is doing’!!!!

Here’s one person opinion of the differences between the two horses, a little tribute that appeared over the weekend in an online edition of ‘Life Choices’

“Anyone who has seen Black Caviar run can only marvel at the grace of such a fine beast and the ease by which she leaves the rest of the field standing. Can she give the great Phar Lap a run for his money?  The early years of the Great Depression were particularly bleak for Australia, but no matter how grim the circumstances were, one horse’s achievements continued to bolster the spirits of the public. Now, over 75 years on, Black Caviar could very well be Australia’s new ‘wonder horse’.

Phar Lap, foaled in 1926, was no doubt a legend of his time. During a distinguished career, he won a Melbourne Cup, two Cox Plates and 19 other races, and in 1932 when Phar Lap died from a mysterious illness, he was the highest stakes-winner in the world. His name was derived from the Thai word for lightning, translating roughly as ‘sky flash’, and he certainly lived up to this name.   But it took three years for Phar Lap to win a race. In fact, Phar Lap finished last in his first ever race and did not even place in the next three. Over his four-year racing career, Phar Lap won 37 of the 51 races he entered, including the 1930 Melbourne Cup. But as his achievements grew, criminals tried to stall his progress, and in early 1932, Phar Lap died of suspected arsenic poisoning. It was not until 1980 that scientific evidence could support this theory. And in 2006, it was ruled a certainty.  

Today, Black Caviar, foaled in 2006, is considered to be the best sprinter in the world. And in March this year, she was rated the top thoroughbred racehorse, as well.  Now Black Caviar is in her five year old season and has started off the Spring Racing Carnival in style, equalling Phar Lap’s record of 14 straight wins.

 So, who do you think is the better horse? Racing veteran Phar Lap with his 37 wins in total, or the young filly Black Caviar who has yet to lose a race? Or is it simply too soon to tell?

Meantime, over the waters, in New Zealand, today’s two Rugby World Cup Quarter final results were:

• Wales defeated Ireland       22 – 10
• France defeated England    19-12

I watched the Ireland/Wales game, and must admit to have been barracking for the Welshmen. I would have liked to have also watched the Englandf/France game, but Channel 9 decided to put on a delayed telecast at midnight, so I didn’t bother, but I was hoping for an England win.  The ‘Reuters’ news report described the match as follows: –    “A mesmerising French team beat England 19-12 at Eden Park on Saturday night to reach the rugby World Cup semi-finals and an appointment with Wales. The Welsh had earlier beaten Ireland 22-10 in a pulsating clash in Wellington. France were unrecognisable from the team which lost two group stage games and had been written off by many back home, as they tore into the English from the start, going in at halftime 16-0 ahead thanks to tries from Vincent Clerc and Maxime Medard, and two Dimitri Yachvili penalties. Ben Foden gave England hope in the 55th minute when he burst through to score and Jonny Wilkinson converted, but a Francois Trinh-Duc drop-goal eight minutes before the end nudged France 19-7 ahead. Mark Cueto scored for England for 19-12, but Toby Flood was unable to convert and the French held on for victory”. Australia plays tomorrow..

Mind you I doubt that I got much more sleep than I would have if I’d watched the second match, but it did feel the sensible thing to do in view of my normal Sunday morning commitments.

 

 

Unheard of – I went back to sleep after the alarm, woke again at 7.20, and was on my way into the city at 8am, expecting an horrific drive at that time –  in actual fact, it turned out to be my best ‘run’ for the year, made it to Northcote in 40 minutes.  Still the first to arrive!!!  A beautiful  morning [my second last Friday!!] although some showers are predicted later on.  Hopefully, the rain will stay away tomorrow – Sunbury Show day!

I wonder if I can take the liberty of borrowing a couple of quotes that appeared on a bit of correspondence from the proprietors of this blog site, I don’t think the source of the quotes was specified, but nevertheless, they impressed this writer [and reader] enough to want to keep them for future reference.  They followed on from a tribute to Steve Jobs, [and perhaps in retrospect, it was from him that the quotes originated] who died the other day in the US. He was the  American computer entrepreneur and innovator who was co-founder,  chairman, and chief executive officer of  Apple Mac.   As that organisation itself wrote in tribute – “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor.  Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple”.  It was only about 6 weeks ago that he announced his resignation as CEO of Apple after several years of failing health – he said then that    “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know,” Jobs, 56, wrote in his letter of resignation “to the Apple board of directors and the Apple community.” “Unfortunately, that day has come”.

Anyway, to those quotations, which I’m suggesting are attributed to Jobs.

 

• We think the Mac will sell zillions, but we didn’t build the Mac for anybody else. We built it for ourselves. We were the group of people who were going to judge whether it was great or not. We weren’t going to go out and do market research. We just wanted to build the best thing we could build.
• When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.
• Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Certainly, some very powerful pieces of advice which we could easily apply to so many areas of  our lives and attitudes to the way we live those lives. Well worth reflecting upon.

I was listening to a concert on ABC FM tonight, from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and it included a piece which featured as guest violin soloist, Sophie Rowell, one of the departing members of the Australian String Quartet [ASQ]. During the interval, there was a very interesting and in depth interview with Sophie, which included her thoughts about departing from the ASQ which had almost being as close as her own family for over 11 years. While she was obviously looking forward to moving on to new things, it was also clearly a bit of a wrench to move away from the ASQ, and in addition, from the Stradivarius violin that she has been playing with the ASQ which belonged to the ASQ itself rather than the individual. I was quite surprised that Sophie sounded much more modest and also ‘shy’ in the interview, certainly a far cry from the confident manner in which I have seen her play with the quartet. A very insightful interview.

Speaking of the Australian String Quartet, I received an invitation to a special concert & dinner with the ASQ to acknowledge the departure of Sophie and Sally and commemorate the stunning achievements of the current four players over the past five seasons. The evening, which was restricted to just 90 attendees, was to begin with a one hour concert, followed by a three course dinner with matching premium wines.  I’m sure it would be a wonderful evening, and quite enjoyable. Upon reading through the details on the official ‘Booking Form’, I had an immediate change of heart despite the fact that I have been to most of the ASQ’s concerts during those five seasons.  At a cost of  $A195 per ticket, I decided that was just a touch too much to expect of this supporter.!!!

This weekend, over in New Zealand, we have the four Rugby World Cup quarterfinals  to be played, and they are:

• Saturday – Ireland vs Wales
  • England vs France
  • Sunday –  South Africa vs Australia
    • New Zealand vs Argentina

I think I might have to put aside a couple of hours on Sunday, to watch the Australian game – playing against the current champions, it might be the Aussies last appearance in the tournament.

With the Sunbury Show due to be on tomorrow, tonight’s weather did not promise much – at one stage, it was raining steadily, and things looked ominous for both the Show, and the start of the local cricket season. Second son, Adam, playing for the Sunbury Lions, has apparently been promoted, at least for the first match [a one day game tomorrow] to the Club’s senior team, I must make a point of trying to get around to seeing part of that game after my Show duties are completed.

A quiet day at the office, I guess you could say I’m tidying up a few ‘loose ends’ both on the work front, and in the personal financial area, probably left my run a bit late in that respect, but not to worry.

A couple of days ago, I wrote a brief letter to a friend from school days in Ballarat – I ran into Heather’s brother, Ross, at the Neil Street 150^th anniversary service in late August, but she was not there, so I decided to drop her a line, and enclose a copy of the little presentation I made at that service, as it had included reference to her family. I was pleasantly surprised and pleased to receive an immediate reply today – sent by post because as Heather said ‘I don’t have a computer and I don’t want one’. In any case, it was a wonderful letter, and told me all about her family [a son & a daughter, and two ‘beautiful’ grand daughters], and I was also interested to learn that her mother, whom I’m always remembered as a quiet natured and gentle lady [when I knew them, over 50 years ago] was now aged 95, quite ill, but struggling on, and being well cared for, especially by Heather herself. I’m actually finding it quite therapeutic to be able to catch up with old friends from the past on a few occasions this year – I guess I have always been a person who likes to retain and/or refresh contacts from earlier years – and perhaps it is the passing years that is encouraging me to do this more often lately!

Meanwhile, this evening, the monthly radio committee meeting took place. A very busy month coming up for the management team, with hopefully some assistance and input  from the general membership. Apart from the planned live broadcast from the Sunbury Show venue this Saturday, we have an Open Day planned later in the month.  On Sunday 23rd October,  3NRG will host an Open Day at our Derek Rigby Studios at the top of Jacksons Hill in Sunbury, .between 10am and 3pm. There are many attractions  planned for the day, including live music, tours of the station, and so on.  A chance I guess, for the interested public to come along and see how the  local community radio station operates. 

Additionally, as a Community Radio Station,  3NRG is required from time to time to ensure that the programs that we air are meeting the needs of our listening community. To better facilitate this, the station holds a number of  community consultation meetings per annum at which all members of the community are  invited to contribute to the future programming direction of the station. The last meeting for 2011 is to be held this coming Thursday October 13th at 7.30 pm in the community hall at Rainbow Court Timins Street Sunbury. An invitation has been extended to all members of the community of Sunbury and surrounds to attend., and to provide some valuable  input. Past attempts have only produced a small number of visitors, but it is hoped that a wider section of the community will be represented on this occasion.

This week, the annual Nobel Prize awards were announced, always a long awaited for occasion in specific circles of achievement. Occasionally, these awards  attract some controversy, eg, the Peace Prize awarded to Barack Obama shortly after he took office as US President a couple of years  – awarded for ‘potential achievements, I think in that cased!!  In any case, the Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895. The prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace were first awarded in 1901. The Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway, while the other prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden. Each Nobel Prize is regarded as the most prestigious award in its field.  Between 1901 and 2010, the Nobel Prizes and the Prize in Economic Sciences were awarded 543 times to 840 people and organizations. With some receiving the Nobel Prize more than once, this makes a total of 813 individuals and 20 organizations.

The Awards just recently announced for 2011 were as follows.

• The Nobel Prize in Physics
  Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess “for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae”
• The Nobel Prize in Chemistry
  Dan Shechtman “for the discovery of quasicrystals”
• The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
  Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann “for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity”  Ralph M. Steinman “for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity”
• The Nobel Prize in Literature
  Tomas Tranströmer “because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality”
• The Nobel Peace Prize
  Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work
• The Prize in Economic Sciences
  The Prize, which doesn’t appear to be a regular award, has not been awarded yet. It will be announced on Monday 10 October.

 

The Nobel Prize
Awarded for	Outstanding contributions in Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Physiology or Medicine The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, identified with the Nobel Prize, is awarded for outstanding contributions in Economics

Today, saw Part 3 of the ‘Weekly Times’ feature on their perceived ‘100 Greatest Country Australians’, and as I have done for the past two weeks, I’m going to list the next group as a part of today’s blog. Once again, if any reader would like to know a little more about each named individual, just let me know, and I will be happy to oblige!! Today, we have numbers 60 to 41, having started at 100 a couple of weeks ago.

• 60. Brigitte Muir – 1958 – [Explorer]
• 59. Greg Norman –  1955 –  [Golfer]
• 58  Rod Laver – 1938 –  [Tennis player]
• 57. Arthur Streeton – 1867-1943 [Artist]
• 56. Jack Gleeson – 1842-1880  [Kelpie Breeder]
• 55. Stanley Savage – 1890-1954 [Army Officer, Legacy Founder]
• 54. Doug Nicholls – 1906-1988 [Athlete, Minister, Governor]
• 53. John ‘Black Jack’ McEwan – 1900-1980 [Politician]
• 52. Lang Hancock – 1909-1992 [Iron Ore Magnate]
• 51. Charles Bean – 1879-1968 [War Historian]
• 50. Slim Dusty – 1927-2003 [Musician]
• 49. Bob Hawke – 1929 –  [Prime Minister]
• 48. JF Archibald – 1856-1919 [Journalist]
• 47. Margaret Court – 1942 – [Tennis Player]
• 46. Lionel Rose – 1948-2011 [Boxer]
• 45. Otway Falkiner – 1874-1961 [Pastoralist]
• 44. Henry Handcel Richardson – 1870-1946 [Writer]
• 43. John Quick – 1852-1932 [Politician]
• 42. Malcolm Fraser – 1930 – [Prime Minister]
• 41. Miles Franklin – 1879-1954 [Writer]

 

In tonight’s mail, a brief response to a birthday greeting I sent last week, brought a smile to this writer’s face, and a warm glow in the heart  –  ‘Thank you for my birthday wishes and once you retire we may have time to catch up. Love Shirley x’

Finally today, another pleasant  surprise, yesterday this time, at the office  – received a very brief visit from one of the members of the tenants’ association –  as a man who has caused previous administrations, and now the current committee and admin leader much grief, with his criticisms and harsh  reflections on the organisation, we were expecting this surprise visit to be ‘more trouble’. Not for me personally, I had always got on well with ‘Bob’ but then I didn’t really have to involved in the situations that he was constantly creating. Anyway, his visit was brief, after he had made sure earlier, that I would be at the office. He came laden with a ‘farewell retirement’ gift for this here writer –   it was a book, called ‘Bart [my life] by JB Cummings –  an autobiography by Australia’s greatest current racehorse trainer, Bart Cummings – a book that I would probably have put on my Christmas gift list [if anyone had asked me for one].  It was Bob’s way of saying ‘a job well done, thanks for your time here, it has been appreciated’. A few words, a shake  of hands, and he was off – didn’t want to come face to face with Jackie who currently had a legal case against him [and two others] for defamatory remarks distributed by Bob per emails amongst the broader membership!!  The anomalies of this job!!  I realised afterwards that Bob had been talking to another of our former Chairmen, one Geoff Lennie, with whom over the years, I had engaged in various conversations about horse racing!!  Hence Bob’s comment that he felt it was a gift I might like!

 

After today, I only have to do this early Tuesday morning thing two more times!!!! A good feeling, I think!  Though this morning, I did feel like a cappuccino on the way to work, but discovered at the last minute I had no cash, apart from to buy a newspaper, on my person – decided at that point that I was not desperate enough for a drink [that I probably wouldn’t finish anyway] to struggle across the road through the morning peak hour traffic to the local ATM, so went without. It was a cold frosty morning –  luckily for Susan, I don’t think she had to go anywhere too early today, otherwise she would have had some windscreen defrosting to attend to [actually, if Dad was aware that she had an early start, he would have done the job for her!!].  This week [in sharp contrast to last week’s wintry conditions], at least these frosty mornings are been followed by a beautiful sunny Spring day, and it is no exception this morning.

Anyway I have, officially, 11 more days here before that age of retirement is reached. I’ve explained previously, that while there is no obligation on my part to actually cease fulltime work on that day [the 18^th October], and in all reality, probably can’t really afford to do so, I’m simply tired of the fulltime commitment to a  job for which I have no enthusiasm or fondness for any more, I’m tired of the commuting, with often, up to two and a half hours a day, five days a week spent on the roads, and, well, there are so many tasks and interests that I would rather spend this time of my life on [though in most cases, those things will not earn me an income]. Anyway, this is the choice I made over 12 months ago now, and I have no desire to go back on that resolution.  There are reservations and apprehensions, but we will face those as they arise.

Interesting similarity in the ‘Australian’s’ front page headlines this morning, in terms of pointing to the range of issues facing the current Labor Party and/or Government –  just four of them, as an example  [and these make no direct  reference to issues such as refugees or the carbon tax] –  Tax change blows hole in budget [Billions of Dollars at Risk]  –  ALP six  fight for hearts, minds and votes [the fight for Labor’s federal presidency]  – Fictional warrior set for round two with PM [referring to a new novel by Jessica Rudd, daughter of Kevin]  –  Liberals maintain grip in the west –  and so it goes on.  This week,. We have a government initiated ‘tax forum’ going on in Canberra. Needless to say, the Liberals about it’s value, describing it as a ‘Labor-Green’ tax forum. It was actually part  of  the list of requirements that one of the independent mps last year, insisted on Julia Gillard promising to hold such a forum if she wanted his support to form a government. The current Treasurer, Wayne Swan argues of course that the forum would have been held in any case, as part of the government’s  policy of investigating and undertaking taxation reform in Australia. There is quite a deal of reporting about the forum, in papers such as ‘The Australian’ but I must admit I’ve simply skimmed over most of it – seems just too much like another ‘talkfest’ without any real action taking place, almost seems to be a modern means of delaying the taking of action on something by deferring such action while a committee looks at it, or some kind of community consultation or forum takes place, such as we are seeing now!  I think Tony Abbott called it a ‘gabfest’, which is costing taxpayers almost a million dollars, and isn’t considering on it’s agenda such major issues as the carbon tax or the mining tax!   He said today that   ‘I just think this is going to go the same way as the Henry tax review which took a year to do, cost a million dollars and came out with hundreds of recommendations of which only a handful were adopted; and like the 2020 summit which came up with 962 ideas of which only nine were actioned.

On a more interesting note [for me anyway], Marc Murphy has won Carlton’s Football Club’s equivalent ‘best and fairest’ award tonight  –  the ‘2011 John Nicholls Medal’.  Nicholls was the champion Carlton ruckman who was in the closing stages of his career when I started regularly watching the Blues play in the mid 1960s when I first came down to Melbourne to work.  I think that would have pleased son James  [who named his new dog ‘Murphy’ after his football idol] – actually James called around tonight, with a partial repayment of the money I lent to him for his car repairs a few weeks ago. We chatted football for most of his brief visit tonight.

Later tonight, I heard my ‘wandering’ daughter drive out again, quite late, but unlike Sunday night, when I lay awake for hours wondering where she had gone [hoping she had not driven up to Bendigo in the middle of the night], this time, I simply said to myself – well, I’m going to sleep anyway. And I did, right through until the alarm, getting up in the morning to find a brief note from Susie – ‘sorry Dad, went out after you went to bed, to stray with a friend’  – I at least knew she’d not gone far, because she had to work tomorrow!!!  Ahhhh, the ‘fun’ of worrying about one’s adult children, it doesn’t seem to stop, whatever their age!!!

Received an interesting email from the ChilOut organisation today, the group that campaigns to keep refugee children out of detention. Seems like they are trying to make their efforts more professional and supportive. This is what they had to say.

‘After limping along with everyone working on a voluntary basis for the last year, ChilOut has decided to get organised!  In the last year, ChilOut – through the efforts of our volunteer board – has kept people informed through newsletters, our website, facebook and twitter, liaised with detention centre visitors, organised a toy drive for Christmas, prepared numerous submissions for parliamentary inquiries, spoken at schools, community groups and rallies, visited Christmas Island and prepared a major report, No Place for Children, written articles, contributed to the ground-breaking A New Approach: Breaking the Stalemate on Refugees & Asylum Seekers, participated in sector meetings and provided media commentary. All the while juggling families, work and normal life.  With your help we can become more structured and even more effective!!!  We know from our past experience that the ChilOut campaign is so much more effective with a paid campaigner who can dedicate the time needed to coordinate the volunteer efforts of our supporters and the board. We also know that our wonderful supporter base raised the funds to pay for this position in the past, and we hope this can be done again.  Everyone is asking for money these days but if many of us can make a small, regular contribution we can guarantee someone’s salary and not have to spend energy fundraising by other means.  The position is 2 days per week non-ongoing, as we can only guarantee funding for a limited period at this time’.  Certainly, 30 years ago, it might have been something I could have got interested in, but as intimated at the beginning of this entry, I’m trying to slow down a bit in my involvement in so many interests, and concentrate on just a few. There are so many interesting and valuable things that one can do with their life, but there must also be recognised that there is a limit to what one person can do!

Not surprisingly, rather tired at the office today, although things were rather busy despite that. Was just not really in the mood for Jackie’s constant chatter and fluttering about, almost wished Mark would take her on one of his Group trip visits, most of which he seems to have organised for the days when Jackie is in the office, so I don’t think that idea would be too favourable! With no replacement yet found for my position, and time running out before I leave, there will just be the two of them here for a brief period, somehow don’t think that is going to work out well for too long! I am expecting to be called back in on the odd occasion after I finish up, to assist with handover procedures, depending on the experience of the new person, but I’m happy to do that on a strictly limited basis.

On one of my main topics of interest of recent years, I see the Liberal Party is on the attack again over the current refugee system being followed and/or attempted by the Government. With Parliament in recess [again] until next week, most of the political rhetoric is coming through medias reports or political party ‘journalism’. While obviously the following ‘views’ are  biased towards  the Opposition view of things, they do tend to my feelings still, although I do feel that both sides are continuing to head in the wrong direction, and I will continue to maintain that all processing of refugees that reach this country’s borders should have their asylum seeker claims recognised and processed here on the Australian mainland, instead of continually ignoring our humane responsibilities and trying to offload those responsibilities to other countries and locations.  However, this is the current Opposition viewpoint [as of the 28 September – it has probably changed again since then].

“The arrival of the 20th illegal boat since Julia Gillard announced her failed Malaysian solution has coincided with new research showing Australians have no confidence in the Labor government’s handling of asylum seeker issues,” according to Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Scott Morrison.  “The latest illegal boat to arrive carrying 75 people is the 20th since the now failed Malaysian solution was announced on May 7 and brings to more than 1200 people the number to have arrived illegally by boat during this time. “The quota for the Malaysian agreement was just 800 people. More than 1200 have already arrived since the announcement and more than 660 have arrived since the signing. As those 660 would be eligible to be sent to Malaysia, it is clear that the smugglers would have no difficultly swamping Julia Gillard’s 5 for 1 people swap. “After years of policy failures, including the Malaysian agreement, it is not surprising that Australians simply do not trust this Labor Government on handling the asylum seeker issue.  “According to research released yesterday by Monash University[i] only 7.3% of Australians believe that Labor is doing a good job in handling the asylum seeker issue. The same report showed strong support for the Coalition’s policies of temporary protection visas (39%) and turning boats back (23%).  “An Essential Poll[ii] conducted this week showed that 42% of Australians wanted off shore processing, 28% wanted to turn boats back, while 21% favoured onshore processing. Of those who favoured offshore processing almost 75% agreed, but only in a country where human rights were protected.  “This clearly demonstrates the lack of support for Malaysia and provides support for the Coalition’s amendment that, following the High Court’s decision, the UN Convention Refugee should be used as the Litmus test on whether a country can be used for offshore processing.

 “The Prime Minister and Minster Bowen should accept the reality that the Malaysia agreement has failed, accept the Coalition’s amendments that would allow offshore processing on Nauru or the Government’s preferred alternative of Manus Island and just get on with it.  “As of yesterday Nauru is now formally a signatory of the UN Convention. The only thing now standing in the way of restoring off shore processing, abolished by Labor, is Julia Gillard’s stubborn political pride,” Mr Morrison said.  Michael Keenan, Shadow Minister for Justice, Customs and Border Protection said, “People smugglers have been emboldened by the policy vacuum created by Labor’s ongoing failure to provide Australia with a border protection policy.  “The strain on Customs and Border Protection and the frontline men and women who are now required to deal with Julia Gillard’s failure is enormous and they have reached breaking point. “They have been required by this Labor Government to do more arduous work, at a higher tempo, with fewer resources. “Customs and Border Protection officers are becoming increasingly fed up with working under a directionless Gillard Government that has no border protection policy. “This is a Government that has cut scant border protection resources and axed Customs staff from critical areas to cover their border protection mess up north.  “Labor’s border protection failure is complete – there is no control over who comes to Australia and much less control over what comes into Australia because of their savaging of Customs since they came to office,” Mr Keenan said.

Meanwhile, another little comment on older Australians and the use of the Internet. The National Seniors organisation reports that: –  The internet would enrich the lives of older Australians but many of them think that using it is all too hard, the latest report released by the National Seniors Productive Ageing Centre has found.
There was increasing awareness that the internet could provide the convenience of keeping in touch with family and friends, health advice, online shopping, bill-paying, banking, news and events in the community.  But many were deterred by the cost of buying a computer and Internet or broadband connection, a lack of knowledge and skills, confusion about technology, worries about computer security and access to computers – particularly in regional areas.
The study “Older Australians and the Internet: Bridging the Digital Divide” was undertaken by Queensland University of Technology researcher Dr Sandra Haukka for National Seniors.  “Older people with low internet skills are unable to conduct business or access important services over the web,” said Peter Matwijiw, general manager of policy and research at National Seniors. “In short, they are often on the wrong side of ‘the digital divide’.”  The report called for urgent action to tailor current online technologies to help break down barriers and assist older Australians gain the skills and confidence they need to use the internet.

Of course, with my now regular radio show on a Monday night, I am missing what a short while ago, I regarded as the most interesting night on TV with things like Four Corners, Media Watch, and of course, Q & A on air. Yes, I could leave the video tape running and watch Q & A [which I was quite enjoying earlier this year], but then I find afterwards that a week has passed, and I’ve not found the time to watch the previous week’s program. So anyway, I’ve basically given that night’s programs away, and concentrating fully on the three hours of music, etc, that I produce each Monday night.  Tonight, I played a few ‘special’ tracks amongst my usual format  – including a wonderful version of ‘My Devotion’ my the American jazz saxophonist Kenny G, and Amy Whitehouse singing ‘Back to Black’ [I’ve never really taken much notice of her music, until she died a few weeks ago – ironically, born in 1983, a couple of years after my son, and died on his 30^th birthday this year]. I also played one of my favourite Meatloaf tracks  – after that ageing singer’s disastrous performance at the Melbourne Grand Final last Saturday, I felt that listeners needed to be reminded of the way he ‘used’ to sound. Up until about 3 years ago, I had a fortnightly Saturday evening program which I called ‘Rock n roll Dreams Come Through’ and naturally enough, my theme for the show was Meatloaf’s performance of that song. However, apart from a beautiful jazz track by an Australian jazz duo of Tim Stevens and Mark Lau titled ‘Prologue-like’, my most enjoyable piece of music for tonight’s show was a modern ‘jazz’ version of  the song ‘Understand’ by Jessie Upton. An Australian girl , Jessie describes herself as a jazz singer influenced by the big MGM musicals of days gone by and jazz songstresses. She combines with piano or guitar to provide an intimate  performance, which was certainly how tonight’s song came over. In speaking about why this song was included on this particular album, she said ‘I chose to include one of my first songs I ever wrote. It is a very old style jazz ballad accompanied by Kym Dillon on piano. I chose it as it best represents what I want my music to be’. Well if that’s the case, I want to hear a lot of more of Jessie Upton. The album in question is titled ‘Naked In The Woods 2’ and is a special release from a program supporting developing artists, a Victorian Government initiative, The album contains a rather stunning variety of classic artists providing a compilation of female artists containing all different genres of music from indie and folk to pop and rock. I use it regularly on my show since acquiring a copy last year, through the ABC’s Radio National network. I might refer to some of the other singers on the album, as I play their music from time to time.

It’s always difficult wanting to go to sleep after returning home after midnight from Monday’s radio show – it shouldn’t have been tonight, as I’d been rather tired [following Sunday night’s poor sleep] before the evening had started. Not helped by watching another episode of ‘The Clinic’, an English series set in a medical clinic which one of my fellow radio presenters had told me about – now I’m hooked but it’s on from 12.30am- 1.30am!!! Not the advisable thing to get interested in with a 6am start that morning!! Oh well, very soon, the early Tuesday mornings will be in the past!!!