Month: March 2001

The wheels began falling off some critical policy initiatives of the Howard government this week.

The moratorium against internet gambling has mostly failed but still the government presses on. Tax reform is in a quagmire. And the policy on health insurance is not working as intended.

After five years of Coalition Ggovernment it is worthwhile assessing the outcome of the policy initiatives against what was intended. It is a dismal comparison.

Let’s start with the health insurance. The Government’s policy of a 30 per cent rebate for private insurance premiums and penalties for older people joining health funds late had a worthwhile aim. The aim was to reduce the pressure on public hospitals. But for what has happened? This week we learnt that the profits of private health funds have gone up by a $340 million, that is a 172 per cent increase on the pre-rebates situation. And still the pressures remain on public hospitals. Conclusion: policy failure.
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A technological development reported in the US yesterday is likely to technologically damn the Government’s digital television regime.

The US Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory has announced that it can squeeze a high-definition digital television signal into a standard six megahertz band. And standard analog TV receivers will be able to receive the broadcast as usual.

The announcement was reported in TechWeb an on-line technology newsletter.

The squeezing was done by an encoding algorithm that uses the nooks and crannies of the old channel, much the way colour was squeezed into the old black and white space.

The development has three implications for the Australian digital regime which began on January 1.

Digitisation meant digital signals could be sent using existing spectrum between the analog signals. In effect additional space was created. The question was how to use it.
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Vail resorts runs Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone resorts in Colorado.

A typical skiing – and associated activities – package is:

Keystone Resort from $3,257 per person, twin share. Cost includes return airfares from Sydney to Denver flying Air New Zealand and transfers to Keystone. Seven nights’ accommodation at The Inn at Keystone, six-day ski pass.

For bookings call toll free 1 300 130 754.

ACT Chief Minister Gary Humphries has put citizens’ initiated referendums back on the agenda. It had been very much on the agenda five years ago – – before Pauline Hanson rose to prominence. It was perhaps the beginning of the voter backlash against what was seen as the arrogance of government. Citizens’ recall and it citizens’ veto were also part of that agenda.

CIR is seen as a means of putting power in the hands of the people in the face of what is seen as uncaring or aloof government. Five years ago and the proposal was almost legislated in the ACT, only just missing out on the numbers.

Once again, it seems that CIR is being used to appeal to voters who feel that government is failing them. But in returning to this proposal, Mr Humphries seems to have misinterpreted the nature of voter disillusionment.

There is nothing much wrong with citizens’ initiated referendums. The details of the proposal worked out by the Liberal Party a couple of years ago seemed eminently workable. The argument against it – – that zealots would be able to get all sorts of lunatic schemes up – – does not wash. After all, 50 per cent of the voters have to approve a proposal before it becomes law. Surely, 50 per cent of the voters of the ACT are not zealots and lunatics.
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Australians and New Zealanders will be driving on the right-hand side of the road within three years, according it to an agreement made by the Council of Ministers for Transport.

The change is to be made as part of the proposed US-Australia free trade agreement.

The council is made up of federal, state and in New Zealand Ministers for Transport. The Federal Government sought to have a public announcement delayed until after the federal election later this year. However, a copy of the agreement has been obtained by the The Canberra Times.

It is understood that US officials raised the question in talks on the free-trade agreement with the Australian officials and the Australian officials took the question on board. The US officials argued that there were questions of free trade involved.

The US position was that only if Australia and New Zealand drove on the right would there be complete freedom of trade in the automotive industry and industries associated with road construction.
Continue reading “2001_03_march_april fool”