Month: November 2000

It is now seven weeks since the attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. Some trends in the ill-conceived response by the United States are emerging. And they are not very encouraging.

The United States has not managed to capture, or even kill, any major terrorist or Taliban leader. To that extent it has not “”brought to justice” any of the perpetrators of the attacks. It means that the US and its allies, including Australia, are engaged in war to change the government of Afghanistan rather than a police operation to bring to justice the perpetrators of a crime. And with war inevitably comes the death and injury of many innocent people.

The death toll of innocent people is now mounting. It will probably overtake the death toll of innocent people who were at the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
Continue reading “2000_11_november_leader02nov afghan”

It is not so much a debate as a vitriolic slanging match. A war of words has flared in letters to the editor column like a case of shingles. And bear in mind a lot of the roughest language and abuse is not fit to print. The fury – both in the letters column and on the road itself – is hard to fathom. Or perhaps it engenders the same primal instincts of defending territory that gives rise to the violence in the Middle East or the rage over in-fill.

The claims and cross-claims have sent me scurrying for the Traffic Act, but you cannot legislate for good sense or common decency.

In the letters page the “”debate” began with a letter suggesting the bicycles should be banned from the road.
Continue reading “2000_11_november_cyle for forum”

Cycle-path rage continues.

One of the big disputes is whether pedestrians should walk on the left or right hand side of a cycle path.

Unfortunately, the law is silent on what pedestrians should do. Pedestrians are merely urged by the Traffic Act to keep a look out, but there is no penalty. Not that passing a law of itself can fix human conduct, but at least it would be a start. I don’t think we need a penalty, but it would help to have some uniformity of behaviour on cycle paths so everyone knows what to expect. Having a fair idea of what the other idiot is going to do is half the battle of avoiding collision.

I am a motorist, cyclist, roller-blader and pedestrian, so I’ll try to look at it from all sides.
Continue reading “2000_11_november_cycle paths”

They were at it again last week, as they have been for more than 100 years. The “”leaders” of the states were squabbling with the Commonwealth over money.

They need the money to buy things so they will look good in front of the voters, so they will get voted back into power. Once again, it is about that most basic instinct, survival.

The Commonwealth is not much better. We witnessed the petty ego of the Education Minister David Kemp this week demanding that the Commonwealth’s contribution be recognised when school buildings it has partially funded are opened. It means that he, or someone he appoints, must attend the opening and be invited to speak or do the opening depending on the funding level. Kemp was making his demands against Victoria and threatened to withdraw funding unless they were met. In short, Coalition politicians must be seen to look good in front of voters rather than state Labor ones. Labor is no better.
Continue reading “2000_11_november_coag”

The Broadcasting Services Act and the schedules and guidelines made under it, run to more than 300,000 words.

Yet nowhere in all those words is there a simple statement that a commercial television licence holder must run a news service relevant to its licence area.

We have wads and wads of worthless words.

It used not to be so. Before 1992, a local news service was mandatory.
Continue reading “2000_11_november_broadcasting forum”

There were some noises at the weekend about increasing the size of the ACT Legislative Assembly from thepresent 17 to 21.

The instant public reaction would be howls of derision, hoots and boos.

Politicians are fairly fearful of the idea. The Liberals say they will do it if Labor supports it. Labor says it would like to see someone else other than MLAs make the decision. Perhaps the Electoral Commission or the Remuneration Tribunal.

Obviously minor parties would agree because, at least notionally it would increase their chances. The Greens are formally in favour.
Continue reading “2000_11_november_ass to expand”

Everyone is an architect. It is as easy as pie. You draw a box here and call it the kitchen, and another box and call it the loungeroom and so on. Any idiot can do it. Just like any idiot can write. Or teach. Ho-hum.

This message comes from a “”profession” that truly any idiot can do – be an economist.

The Productivity Commission put out a report a week ago on the architectural profession (www.pc.gov.au). It ran to 100 pages. They need not have bothered. We all know what a Productivity Commission report is going to say about anything: deregulate, let the market decide, allow and encourage self-regulation.
Continue reading “2000_11_november_architects”

Zululand, Hluhluwe-Umfolozi and St Lucia: Three-day package from Durban $945.

Sabi Sabi: Three-day pacakage from Johannesburg (including flights, meals, game drives, five-star accommodation) from $1670.

Tours through Bench International 1800-221-451 www.benchinternational.com.au

Getting there: South African Airways have five flights a week Sydney-Johannesburg non-stop from around $1750. No visa.
Continue reading “2000_11_november_africafacts”

A trawl of sentencing decisions by the ACT Supreme Court in the past year shows a bizarre trend.

I sense that the judiciary in the ACT has de facto decriminalised the violent consequences of drug addiction but left the distribution and possession of drugs highly criminalised.

It seems the judiciary is handing out bonds and suspended sentences for armed robbery, assault and burglary but handing stiff sentences out to non-violent drug possessors and dealers. First-offence armed robbery offenders almost invariably get a bond, not jail, in the ACT. Indeed, the middle-aged speedster or drink-driver at least cops some real penalty of fine and suspension of licence.

I have just trawled the 45 Supreme Court sentencings in the past year covered by The Canberra Times. We cover a large portion of them, and in any event a good cross-section. The table shows the results.
Continue reading “2000_11_november_act jailings”