Crispin Hull

There is hope that for the first time in many years that Christmas will be celebrated this year in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, in peace and security. Last Thursday, Israel ended its 28-year occupation of the town and the Palestinian flag flew for the first time over the Church of the Nativity … a sign that will gladden the hearts of many Palestinian Christians. The occupation, which continues on other parts of the West Bank, caused security concerns for many Christians around the world who visited or wanted to visit Bethlehem at this important time in the Christian calendar. Manger Square, where 50,000 will gather today, was the scene of many Israeli-Palestinian clashes during the occupation. Now, it is hoped, these security concerns will disappear and it will be a foretaste of what may come to pass in Jerusalem itself for all three religions which regard the city as special.

That hope will be heightened by the presence of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at the Christmas celebrations.

Bethlehem has a significant proportion of Palestinian Christians. They amount to about 30 per cent of its 30,000 residents, down from a majority in 1948 and about 90 per cent at the turn of the century. About 2.5 per cent of the Palestinians overall are Christian. Some Palestinian Christians are apprehensive, of course. They have seen how extremism, fanaticism and the intifada caused tourists to stay away, business to fall and Muslims buy up what were once Christian holdings. Earlier harmony and goodwill between people of different religions were lost.
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The Government’s media policy is being further unravelled over reasonable complaints that Optus’s coaxial cables over power poles is unsightly environmental vandalism. That Optus needs to string up a second cable network is the result of the foolish model the Government chose for its competition policy for media and telecommunications.

Competition is fine up to a point. However, under the Government’s model, everything was nominally to be subjected to competition: service provision, content, cables and service provision. Initially, Optus was to get access to Telstra’s lines to ensure some sort of level playing field, and then Optus could create its own network. But the intention was doomed while ever one organisation provided both cable network and service and content provision, and Telstra is now busily reverting to monopolistic practices by getting market share of pay television early. This has forced Optus to roll out its own cable early.
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This week’s Industry Commission report on the eight state and territory Governments’ efficiency and effectiveness gives independent verification to a message oft repeated in ACT politics: that we spend too much to too little on government services in the ACT. The Liberal Party went into the last election with that message and attained government. Before it, the Labor Government preached frugality and warned that federal subvention was waning and that we had to get more efficient at delivering services.

However, since February the Carnell Government has met some stiff resistance, particularly from public-sector unions, when it has attempted to do that.
Continue reading “1995_12_december_leader22dec”

This week’s Industry Commission report on the efficiency and effectiveness of the eight state and territory Governments gives independent verification to a message oft repeated in ACT politics: that we spend too much to too little on government services in the ACT. The Liberal Party went into the last election with that message and attained government. Before it, the Labor Government preached frugality and warned that federal subvention was waning and that we had to get more efficient at delivering services.

However, since February the Carnell Government has met some stiff resistance, particularly from public-sector unions, when it has attempted to do that.
Continue reading “1995_12_december_leader21dec”

On August 19, 1980, The Canberra Times published an article on Page 7, headed “”Dingo blamed over missing baby”. It said, “”The search for a baby girl snatched by a wild dog late on Sunday will continue at first light today near Ayers Rock.” The report took at face value the statement from Michael Chamberlain that his wife, Lindy, had see a dingo take their baby.

Fair-minded people should now acknowledge, whatever their belief at various times in the intervening 15 years, that the Chamberlains were telling the truth. The scientific evidence that backed initial police suspicion has been thoroughly discredited. And once baby Azaria’s matinee jacket was found in a manner that was consistent with the Chamberlains’ evidence, the finding of the Morling Royal Commission that the convictions were unsafe was inevitable. The Chamberlains were pardoned; the convictions quashed after special legislation was passed and compensation paid. That meant the legislature and executive had acknowledged error. But not the legal system. Last week a new coroner’s inquest returned an open verdict, refusing to accept the Chamberlains’ submission that a dingo took their baby. That finding is unfair. The coroner, in a way representing the Australian legal system, should have taken the opportunity to admit error. Once the scientific evidence goes and prejudice is put aside, there is only one conclusion … in the words of Lindy Chamberlain: “”My God a dingo’s got my baby.”

Presumably Police Minister Gary Humphries feels good now that he has issued his package of measures to give the ACT Australia’s harshest drink-driving laws. It is so easy to increase penalties. However, there is little evidence that increased penalties on the statute book do much to curb criminal conduct. Moreover, there is little evidence to show that the number of people killed or injured on the road, per kilometre has changed much in the past few years, and little evidence that drink has caused more injury and death on the road in that time. All we have is some anecdotal evidence by police about some isolated cases of very high readings, repeat offences and high accident rates on one night. There is no pattern here that warrants a change in current law.

Mr Humphries should get some accurate statistics on long-term ACT trends before jumping to conclusions.
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There may be a great deal of value in the treaty with Indonesia for both the people of Indonesia and the people of Australia. More is the pity that it had not been made decade’s ago. It might have obviated tensions over Irian Jaya and East Timor because it requires the parties to consult over “”adverse challenges”. That possibility indicates that it might prevent future incidents like these. It is much better for both nations to engage in dialogue, to acknowledge that neither is a threat to the other and to commit each other to consultation if circumstances in the region change.

For too long many Australians have seen Indonesia as the hypothetical invader whenever security and defence are discussed at a popular level. That should not be a primary concern, or a concern at all, about Indonesia. It should not be the focus of Australians’ perception of Indonesia. Rather it should be one of neighbourliness, trade and cultural exchange. To the extent that the new treaty does that it is welcome.
Continue reading “1995_12_december_leader16dec”

Drinking every day and consuming about four bottles of wine or 21 cans of beer a week is good for your health and will help you live longer, according to an 18-month British Government-backed review of medical evidence. Similar research in Australia and elsewhere indicates that light alcohol drinking is associated with less against heart disease, certain types of stroke, and gallstones. The new British report, however, asserts that existing safe drinking limits are way too low.

The trouble with this report is that, even if true, it is likely to be misinterpreted … especially in the lead-up to Christmas. The report stresses that the safe weekly levels are only safe if drunk in small doses throughout the week and that drinking the allowance in one or two binges is definitely unsafe. But it is likely to give false comfort to moderate and high drinkers. In any event, people are notorious for under-reporting the amount they drink.
Continue reading “1995_12_december_leader14dec”

The Federal Government’s housing policy, Community and Nation, made public this week, is an adept reallocation of resources and responsibilities that will favour federal Labor and, on balance, not make a great deal of difference in housing outcomes.

Under the plan no-one will spend more than 25 per cent of their income on rent; people on the public housing list will be able to use their rent subsidy in the private market; people will be able to get it in a lump sum to put a deposit on a house; and there will be $80 million more in Better Cities money. In all 500,000 people will get government money. The Federal Government will finance the subsidies with lower capital grants for housing to the states. The states are to take over the control, management and provision of housing stock.

Notice how the Federal Government gets the politically pleasant task of handing out the money. That comes in the form of subsidies and in Better Cities money (75 per cent of which goes to Labor electorates, according to the Opposition). The subsidies, of course, include the lump sum to help form a deposit. (That nice federal Labor Government giving out deposits on houses like a rich uncle.) Notice how the states have to cop the politically more difficult task of dealing with housing stock. If there are not enough houses or if the standard of them falls, tenants will blame the state governments.
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The Minister for Communications, Michael Lee, made an off-hand revelation at the weekend that the Australian Broadcasting Authority would inquire into whether Australia should have a “”fourth channel”. It would be part of the authority’s review of the Broadcasting Act due in 1997.

Mr Lee said some of the options would be a family channel, an open-learning channel, community TV or a channel just like the other three. “”The first and most important question is, is it in the public interest to have a fourth commercial channel in the major markets,” he said.

It is a critical question, as the aggregation experience showed. When extra channels were foisted on various regional areas of Australia, the advertising revenue was divided among three stations, instead of one. News and other local programs, such as they were, suffered grievously.
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