Rebooting Australia

 

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We are just over a week into our newly elected parliament and government . In some ways it has been like watching paint dry because there has had to be a lot of counting postal postal, phone, pre polls and then election day votes. AEC has had a big, complex job on its hands and has managed it all with good grace,  patience and tolerance. We live in an instant gratification world so it is hard for some to grasp this notion of waiting until all the boxes have been ticked and all the processes have been duly completed. 

We have run into similar problems with a 24/7 365 news cycle. Social media and internet access mean we want news and good news now. Right now. It should not mean, though, photographers are out getting photos of our newly elected PM in his pyjamas at home  getting his newspaper. That is disrespectful, a gross invasion of privacy, ill mannered, creepy as anything and totally intolerable. Treating others like that so you an feed a rabid news cycle needs to be resisted at all costs. 

Our government has not yet been sworn in so some things cannot yet be done. Our parliament has a number of climate change active independents, a few more greens senators, a Labor majority and a decimated Liberal party. The Nationals have an inordinate number of seats givens how many votes they have. Whether we wish to do something about that remains to be seen. 

Mr. Dutton is now leader of the Liberal party and Mr. Littleproud is now leader of the National party. Mr. Morrison does not , as yet, appear to have moved out of Kirribilly House where he was living with the two mothers, two daughters and his wife. Mr. Albanese and Ms. Wong have been making strong connections and conversations with overseas leaders and communities. It has also been established just how important the first nations people will be now in the same way Mr. Malinauskas in SA  put that front and centre as soon as he was elected. There is also relief in sight for the Murugappan family who have been treated horrendously . They will hopefully get home to Biloela really soon and will able to become permanent residents. The cost financially, emtionally and healthwise has far exceeded any attempt to put refugees and asylum seekers off. We have been deeply hurt by this and the cost has been exorbitant. It has proven nothing. That family has shown us a lot about strength, courage and a capacity to endure. 

Soon everything will be in place and we can get on with our agenda : human rights, healthcare, respect, a bright future, climate change . I'd like to think ,as we progress, we become less sick and have the capacity to overcome the barriers to keeping us well. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

 

As of 21st May 2022 we have a new , Labor Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. We should be shouting from the roof tops. We should be singing and chortling. We voted in a number of the so called teal independents ,who support climate change initiatives, and we endorsed more Greens candidates. We want the nastiness and the greed of the LNP gone and we want a positive country with vison, hope, growth and fairness. We want to look at climate change, human rights, standard of living and just being able to know our country will forge ahead as a strong unit again. 

Much of the media is still focussed on the old names and parties. They cannot tear themselves away from looking to rubbish news about less than inspiring people. It is not news ministers are moving out of their offices or losing their position in government. Labor was nearly broken last election with the cruelty of the result which we still haven't faced up to honestly and truthfully. There's a narrative. Is it the truth? They just had to move out and carry on.

We had a hard won election and a price has been paid. We have lost Kristina Keneally and Rex Patrick and that hurts. There are other good people we have lost and we need to consider that carefully. Too easy to come up with the glib and poorly thought out explanations. That'll do. That reads and sounds okay. Is it the truth , though? In time the truth will be out. We have drawn a line in the sand and we don't want rubbish reporting about rubbish people doing rubbish things. We are so sick we cannot even notice how sick we are . We cannot wake up and respond to the number of deaths we have from covid and how much we have spread it. 

It will change. Sooner or later we shall work out we have a good government with a good parliament. We have Dr. Monique Ryan who exploded onto the scene with her deft capacity to problem solve and get everyone a vote. We have a chance to work on climate so the bushfire and flood affected people can be helped. We shall stop fretting and being in denial and we shall take strides to improve ourselves and our lives. 

Meanwhile , media need to be aware we are on a new agenda. We are no longer negative and destructive. The Quad meeting has been a big success for Australia. Our new Prime Minister and Foreign  Affairs Minister have put us in a good light and we have been well received. It has been heartening to see the number of overseas leaders who have contacted us in a warm way to congratulate our new prime minister. 

We are hoping the Toto account ,which was on Twitter, might be taken up and endorsed by the PM and PMO. Anthony Albanese's dog was such a strong part of his campaign. It almost seems right for us to have an official  account for Toto which is run by the PM and his office. It is healing. Animals are healing and we do need to heal ourselves and get past all this illness. 

Election fatigue

 Image: Clipart Library

We are over it. Clichés are the only way to describe how we feel. We have Covid confusion and exasperation fatigue. It is now SARS-2 , apparently. The masks are off and people are just getting sick. Coupled with that , each day we face another lot of election stuff and nonsense, mostly brought to us by crabby media people. Today we returned to gaffe territory. Phone reliant press attendees fire off questions from their trusty phones and woe betide any politician who fails the daily speed and accuracy questions. Shame on any politician who might need to consult with someone who can provide an accurate answer. These media people would only need to stand in the shoes of a politician to know that a barrage of questions when you have been campaigning non stop for weeks, with or without  Covid, is daunting. Some politicians can keep smiling. Other don’t. Some don’t fall for the speed and accuracy , chook shed slapping approach and just continue to provide good information. It is not a competent way to get rounded answers from anyone and considering these people can’t even remember a question and need their phones to prompt them , then it is just very silly and petty. Media people are going to have to dig deeper, remind themselves of their real skills and forget this quick and dirty approach to interviews and questioning. Some journalists are doing a great job. They are relaxed. They showcase their skills and they give the person being interviewed an opportunity to delve into their knowledge and policies. Those journalists are allowing us to know candidates and parties. They even allow for some genuine humour and lighter moments. Questioning on fast forward is pointless. It just creates frustration for viewers/listeners and participants. 

Then there are the teal candidates. The colour of their brochures isn’t teal. It is turquoise and I am sure a Pantone colour chart would identify the colour accurately. The teal candidates are independents but some Liberals have also adopted this colour. It is a good colour but for a Liberal candidate, it is not their colour. Candidates are their character and history. Independents are independent and we have a strong field of them this election. Many of them are well credentialled, articulate, thoughtful people. The Liberals not flying under their blue colour means what? They don’t identify with their party? They love teal which actually not teal? They want to be thought of as independent? They haven’t explained it so we don’t know. 

Our early voting polling booths  will be open on Monday next week. Many can’t wait to vote because most people just want the election done and dusted. They know how they are going to vote. Since 1901 Australia federal elections have been by secret ballot. Always bothers me there are phone and online  polls and social media people who want to know how you vote. We should respect our silent vote. Meanwhile, it is back to the election trail and may the last couple of weeks be worthy of us. 

Covid has not gone away

 

Image: Tip chiplanay

Covid has not gone away. In January it was the second leading cause of death in Australia and by now it might be top because our death rate has increased. But, it is okay , isn't it, it is only old people . The very people who built the strength, safety and security of Australia. The ones who spent their lives making this a prosperous, positive nation. It is okay if they die as long as we can have coffee, go on trips and be normal. The death rate for older people is not acceptable at all. While they are dying, younger people are dying too but no one seems to care. It is only a cold. Just mild really.  There was an article which tried to address this lack of care we had. In the end it assumed it wasn't our fault really. All very understandable. Killing old people is pretty normal and if we had the death rate we have been having this year for anything else, we would be acting on it. We have more than doubled our deaths this year form the previous two years. South Australia has just lost it. Until November 23rd 2021 we had four deaths from the pandemic. It has stayed that way from the beginning. Today we have 351. What is wrong with people?

Reinfection is undesirable, killing people is not nice, putting under 5s at risk is horrible. Forgetting we are coming into flu season and there are other Covid variants is high risk behaviour. So why do we not care? What is the matter with us? Doing what works is not hard and being a rebel without a clue is silly. We are not rebelling, though. We just aren't doing what works. We are not using preventative measures which make a difference. That is not rational. The statistics to do with Covid are starting to amass and picture is not pretty. Living in a disadvantaged area increases your chances of not surviving. 

While we are spouting election tripe we should focus more on our own health and welfare. The election campaign should not exclusively fill the airwaves when we need to stop putting ourselves at risk from a vile disease. Not wanting it is not sufficient reason to ignore it because we have to collaborate to get rid of it. 

For a start , it needs to be broadcast about the distance between primary vaccinations which ATAGI has just notified. They have changed this based on all the data they are collecting. We do have people who are spending all their time trying to help us get through this pandemic. We need to practice the art of noticing and, at the very least, put on a mask. 

Half way through Election 2022

 

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Are we there yet? No. It is going on and on with very little of great consequence and a lot of people loving the sound of their own voice and image, though perhaps that isn't very fair to those who are doing a sterling job. Much of it is drowned out by mass media white noise. Classic was electorates holding meet the candidates evenings. LNP candidates in key seats were often missing. Mr. Frydenberg held his meeting in Kooyong at the pub while the other candidates were gathered elsewhere. Today he had big coverage in newspapers because his seat is  hotly contested by an independent, Dr. Monique Ryan.  We have had some film noir photos of Anthony Albanese, opposition leader , as he spoke with Grace Tame  for In Style magazine. We have great photographers i in Australia. They are being underutilised and unchallenged on our election trail , so the black and white photos of Mr. Albanese were a refreshing break and so good. Art and elections can co exist. WA's Senator Jordan-Steele put up a Tik Tok asking why we couldn't have a person with disabilities become the Minister for Disabilities? He would make a very good person for that position because he articulates his experience and case well. Bill Shorten has also done a stellar job of advocating for NDIS funding and improvements. He has a genuine interest in disability support. 

Mr. Albanese had to isolate for a week because he had contracted Covid. This is happening to various politicians and is part of the potholed campaign trail. Mr. Morrison strangely said he had worked much harder than Mr. Albanese when he was in isolation. Jaws dropped across the nation and the air was filled with speech bubbles with question marks. 

A lot has happened and nothing has happened. We have had cranky press conferences and cranky media people. Grumpy has thrived and lack of social graces from media pack has often been noted. Maybe because someone slapped the shed just before they were sent into the conference and off they have squawked?

We are wondering how we shall survive the next three weeks but we shall. We shall go to the source. We shall ignore favoured special pleading in the press and we shall be patient and tolerant with those who cannot filter their thoughts as most well mannered people can. The gems are there in this campaign. You have to go looking for them. 

Mainstream media miasma

Image : Janeh15

 What a crashingly unspectacular week it has been for our 2022 election campaign. Media have focused on trivia and tripe. Social media have allowed politicians to speak with us directly  , if they wish , and at least you get the information from the horse's mouth. Twitter has largely swirled the morning bait from the msm sources and pictures and thoughts have been repeated incessantly. If you want a break from that you have to go off on a foraging journey to try and find some good information. Many candidates are new. We need to know more about them. One, in particular, has been high profile this week and it has been too much unpleasant  information. The leader of the opposition didn't know a figure, which was then labelled a gaffe on msm , which was cleverly rebuffed by Green's leader : Google it! But it came back again as a gaffe. They are stuck in a groove and capable of redescribing reality, splicing videos to clean them up, insulting the public and , no, I won't go on. It is uninspiringly dull. Swill. Dirty dishwater. We used to have good election coverage and we used to be able to get a good understanding of candidates and issues. By now, we know LNP  government exceedingly well and we know what the issues are but we are not allowed to talk about them. We are not the only country where mainstream media is driving the general populace mad. Some just get information from social media. Some just tune out as I have said before. Meanwhile , our mainstream media is locked into an alternate reality which is doing it harm. Is it a play to get rid of it? Shall we all then be on Tik Tok, Twitter and Facebook and those sorts of sites? In many ways , throw Twitter a problem and by the end of the day there are many views and solutions. It is a good way to problem solve. Mainstream media and our federal government throw out the bait in the morning and it can often backfire spectacularly but sometimes it just depresses people. Not a good use of an aggregate of well informed, motivated people. Media shouldn't dull the senses and thoughts, especially at election time. Mindless repetition can drive people crazy. And the point is? 

Our media is narrowly owned. We have some good independent sources of news but they need more funding. They are worthwhile and keep us on the ball. AIM has published an article which is well researched and well argued so we can understand the benefits of a broad range of media. Right now we have bland and nothing everywhere. Same message and it is stifling the airways. We need to open up and let the fresh air in and the new ideas with it. 

Midget Farrelly

 

Why would I know about Midget Farrelly? Why have I never forgotten his name? Why should we, as Australians , remember his name from time to time and celebrate his achievements? I am not a surfer. I am not interested in surfing. If you knew me, you would know surfing and I do not go together. I can watch top world surfers, of which he was one, and admire their expertise and their capacity to take on the awesome power of nature. They are fit, skilled and not lacking in courage.

I arrived in Adelaide March 13th 1965. My parents had taken us to dinner in town. Later, my sister, five years older than I am, and I were sitting by the Torrens and thinking Adelaide was a nice place to be. Two young lads came up and started talking to us. It wasn't threatening or unpleasant. Our father would have been quietly keeping an eye on us as he sat with Mum but they were not close by. The boys were happy to know we had made the long trip from England and had come to Adelaide as migrants. We knew all about the English pop scene at the time and they could tell us all about Adelaide. At one point one of the boys was proudly talking about Midget Farrelly and seemed to think we would be impressed. Then he said he was a surfer. We knew about football (soccer) and cricket, hockey, netball, tennis. Surfing we had no idea about. So the boys tried to explain surfing to us and the concept of a beach in Australia. We were used to stones and black mud and lots of big red crabs. "Midget Farrelly is my cousin, " the boy exclaimed in the end. "He is so cool. " We tried to be impressed for him even though we were totally clueless. I have never forgotten that first night in Adelaide. Midget Farrelly's cousin and his friend helped us in the short time with us to know our new country better and had tried to teach us what to value now we lived here.

Midget Farrelly, born in Sydney, achieved a lot for us as a nation by just being himself and doing what he loved. The year before we spoke to his cousin he had won the first official surfing world championship at Sydney's Manly Beach The year before he had won a major surfing title in Hawaii and in 1965 he won the Australian surfing title.

We should not forget people like Midget Farrelly. We spend too much time thinking about people who are not very nice who are damaging our environment, our country and our capacity to achieve well in an amazingly positive way. We can't built a positive world on negative thoughts. We need to get out there in the ocean of life and do good things like Midget Farrelly.

Surviving the election 22 campaign

 

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If this week is anything to go by , surviving the election 22 campaign will require skill and a plan. The emphasis seems to be on pain. It is painful to listen to the nonsense masquerading as election programming. We have had politicians and journalists forming coteries. We have had journalists playing daily trivia games. At times, we do have to lighten up but, heavens, the campaign has hardly started. Officially, that is. We have had months of PM photo ops and his photographers can come up with some interesting images. Many people don't like them, but some of Adam Taylor's photographs are really worth contemplating. 

So how to survive this campaign? Some have tuned out completely and are staying in their own bubble until they need to vote. Some will keep an eye on it and just catch up every few days. 

1. Cover a variety of sources: different radio stations, different TV stations, Twitter, different websites, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube . By covering sources widely you get to see more and can sort out the brainwashing messages from relevant information. 

2. Do image searches for politicians. Get an idea of how they present photographically.

3. Keep your eye on coronavirus information and spread. It is still there. Masks work. We need to pay attention and not get distracted and know how to manage this for ourselves. Dumping health measures will not make the virus go away. We have been increasing cases. See the comparison of countries image with this post. 

4. Listen to National Press Club speeches. You will hear people who play significant roles in our society make speeches. The politics around those speeches is worth taking in and thinking about. A good speech will make you think more. A bad speech will remind you how not to think. 

5. Know how the media creates bias.  OpinionFront gives you a start. There are other websites which go into more detail. Be aware of how media manipulate messages when they want to. 

6. Talk to real people about what they are thinking. It might be quite different from you. Have boundaries. There are times when polar opposites in thinking cannot find common ground. There are also times when the way somebody thinks about something is enlightening. 

7. Have other things to do and plenty of them. Now is a good time to start some projects. 

8. If you can't stand what you are reading and hearing , find something else to read and hear. 

9. Look at politics in other countries and how it is reported . Let some of their ways and views inform your own but also start noticing global patterns and how and where they occur. 

10. Get out into nature or be with others. Go for a walk, go in the garden, get outside and look at the sky.  Go to the beach or for a walk in a forest area. Don't just sit there ...do something :) Phone home. Cuddle your pet. Play with children or grandchildren. They aren't worried about politics and have some hilarious takes on life which cut through. 

We have an election

 Image: Electoral Commission SA

At last! May 21st is the date of our Federal election. Immediately after the last one we all sank into a depression. Every single indicator, which had always been an indicator of an election result , was wrong. Everyone and everything. Wrong. Mr. Shorten did not win , as predicted, but Mr. Morrison. Since then there has literally been a lot of water under the bridge and people are still waiting for homes from the disasterous floods and catastrophic bushfires we have had. We have learned a lot. We have learned about each other, our state leaders, our refugee treatment, our financial management, our organisations and public services.We know so much now. Including how disgraceful and murky our own Parliament House has been. I hope it will be thoroughly cleansed and purified in the coming weeks.  On May 21st we cast our votes again. I should like to think the result will see us buoyant and ready to tackle the changes we have endured and the changes we need to make. Everyone will have their opinion but we all have one vote. 

The Health Care Scare

 Image :

Samantha Gavel - Private Health Insurance Ombudsman (PHIO) - Helping consumers to navigate change

Many people are surprised at how much extra they have to pay when they use their private health insurance in hospital. By contrast, there are few, if any, additional costs in the public system. And many people don’t really know what they’re getting when they purchase private health insurance.

Private Helath Insurance and the Illusion of Choice February 7, 2013 2.46pm

That article was written  3 years ago and not only has it not changed, it has become very worrying and disturbing. Private health insurance was never like that. It originally covered the gap or nearly covered the gap. That's why we took it out . Those of us who could afford it took out private health insurance and knew we would be able to use the private health sector and allow the public system to help those who had limited or no income. Some took it out as a way to feel superior but most of us didn't. I have paid private health cover for over 40 years and this is the first time I have become increasingly concerned. It doesn't cover costs at all. There are sizeable out of pocket expenses and treatment for something serious in the private sector would become prohibitive and downright scary. You just don't know what you are in for. I have had 3 hospital stays in my life in the private sector. They were covered. I doubt they would be now. Getting new glasses costs me a fair bit and the other week I had a filling repaired and I got $95 of the $200  fee back and I belong to what is considered one of the best funds. As someone who is moving into the pension sector which I'll partly fund myself I am finding this very difficult. I am not the only one. It really has been the talk of the town. We are all wondering if we can afford to be in private hospital cover and whether it will be worth it because we won't have the means to pay gaps any more. So much for doing the right thing. Then you add that to the medical rearrangements in Adelaide and it's horrible and scary and we don't understand what is going on at all. GP Clinics are supermarket clinics. You cannot always get in to see your own doctor so you choose a GP clinic. So far my daughter has had a dislocated finger left untreated and told to take panadol and use an ice pack. She had tonsillitis misdiagnosed, a friend had her flu misdiagnosed and ended up in hospital. When my daughter got chickenpox in her 30s she luckily could get in to see her own doctor. There are some great doctors in the GP clinics who really understand health care. There does not appear to be enough of them and the approach and process need to be looked at because we are not getting health care. Nor do we know what to do about hospitals and emergency situations. Do we all go to Flinders and RAH? That will overload those two hospitals and it have serious consequences for outer suburbs people. Time=life in a severe medical scenario and being transported in an ambulance for 30 or 40 minutes or more is not helpful.  So what do we want? Private Health care which covers us and does not give us impossible financial situations to deal with. Access to quality medical care no matter where it is. By all means layer the system and work out the filters for serious, not so serious, really serious and tell us how to do it. Go here if you have a cold. Go here if you broke your foot. Our system needs an overhaul, yes, and we need information . We also need to be treated as people and not bank accounts.

Community Broadcasting

About Community Broadcasting in Australia is a very good clip with some startling information. The interesting thing is Blogger won't find the YouTube clip so I can post it straight here and if you click on the share button on the YouTube clip it just hangs. Nothing happens. So are we not meant to share this good news? 5 million Australians listen to 444 community radio stations each week. Some of my time is given over to listen to community radio or television because you can't get more local than that. It can be like having friends over. It can be really interesting and it can remind you that you live in an area where things are happening all the time. Things which you wouldn't know about necessarily because main stream media run to an agenda. Community radio creates that sense of belonging and it is growing all the time. It's an opportunity for people to practise their media skills, find an avenue to share their knowledge and information but it can just be good to know what is going on locally. I am disappointed I can't share this clip properly. Community radio is worth tuning into from time to time. 

So, who's away today

Absenteeism is starting to take hold again. People just don't turn up. Some let the workplace know. Others don't.  All sorts of reasons for it but it puts a strain on those who are there and it undermines smooth working conditions which would be less demanding on those present and more positive for all if everyone were consistently there. It seems to be a problem everywhere. Forbes outlines the costs and causes in America. There is quite a list. There is a similar list for Australia with Tuesday seeming to be popular as the day off. That can be a bit misleading as some people work through a  week and a weekend and when they get to Tuesday they might just be too tired to get up. Long shifts, long weeks interfere with the rhythm of life. How many days straight do some people work? How long are their days? Is it a case of sheer fatigue or does the absenteeism trend go back to school attendance patterns as well? Maybe it's both. Maybe we have work place conditions which do not suit a human body and then a lack of commitment from others.Why the lack of commitment? What factors influence that? Workplace info has some interesting information about absenteeism. So, do we reward those who can be relied upon or do we just keep pushing them and being sorry when they finally break? Do we need to look at this? Adelaide is a good place to look at working conditions because we are not a huge state in terms of population and we can investigate things more easily and maybe even work out how to improve things without risking huge numbers in a big company. We also have a good history of competent sociological research. Rather than let it carry on like this , it might be sensible to take a look at what is causing absenteeism and how to address it. It is not in anyone's long term interests to allow such an obvious problem go ignored. 

Wow! Adelaide...just wow!

Little things mean a lot . We have not had a southern train for over a year. Our transport corridors from the south have been severely disrupted for two years because the other half of the Expressway has been being built. At this stage there are signs it is all coming together. I actually managed to catch the train into town for breakfast at the Pancake Kitchen. I hadn't organised anything too grand so if it had to be postponed or cancelled it would not be too disappointing. The train was gone for nearly a year, came back, went...is sort of back at the moment, but  today I got on a train to town!! I have one more trip on my paper ticket and then I can invest in the new Metro Cards which are vastly superior to any other ticketing system we have had. The journey to town gave me a real understanding of just how much work has been going on and just how much more there is to complete. I shall now be patient because you can see Adelaide is just waiting to blossom and burgeon. We have to get past this rebuilding and reconstruction phase. The new hospital is an architectural delight. I'd love to be inside the honeycomb part of it, but not sick. I'd love to see the view from the other side of that genius design. The hospital itself will be huge. It is still in an odd place and I still think it will cause congestion but we'll see. It was great to see the trams running along North Terrace and the Bank Street makeover is so well done. A very clever piece of street design and use. Next trip I shall go into the the Mall to see what I can see, but today I was really impressed with what has happened on our train line and the area directly adjacent to the station. Such an improvement and a really good look. Well done, Adelaide. It has been a pain but we'll be so pleased with it all when it's done!

Breathe in and relaunch

Image Lonely Planet

We were so positive and dynamic. We were full of good ideas, chatter and an evolving sense of self. Then came September 8th and all was silent. The pain was palpable. The deep seated anger has not gone away. People continue to be short of expletives and really vulgar metaphors to describe what is going on. No one likes Tony Abbott, to put it mildy. We are full of disbelief at the destructive nature of his manner of operation and his total incapacity to articulate considered and well thought out views. No science. No climate science, no right to seek asylum, no women, no information, no diplomacy, no NBN. The list is endless. From the time he walked in he has worn DeBono's black hat in a very stark and startling way. We never fail to be revolted and dismayed. His team is not governing. They are ungoverning. They are taking our strengths, our icons, our voice and blotting it all out. We had a productive,positive, international image and place and now our world is looking at us as though we have gone mad. Our international friends are still being our friends. They keep trying to show us the way. Canada sent a letter to congratulate Mr Abbott on his carbon tax repeal. He read it out in parliament obviously having not one skerrick of an idea that the Canadians are world leaders in carbon reduction schemes and are really hot on renewable energy. His post modern approach means he describes our knowledge and then makes us adhere to that which then determines our behaviour. Our main stream media is a no news media, we seem powerless to prevent the abuses of democracy around the country and the removal of the organisations and companies we need to stay sustainable and viable as a nation. The media cannot be blamed for this. They demonstrated on a daily basis that Mr Abbott's team had no real policies, no real thinking, no vision and were inept. Still we voted for them. But did we? Most of the votes did not go to him. It's the way seats are distributed. Then we found out nothing is being done about blatantly dubious tax claims, the vested interests with mining and media , the inappropriate tweeting at government  sanctioned level, the right for people to seek asylum, social justice policies and initiatives and the not so small matter of missing electoral votes. There is no sense that things are being followed through in the right way. The opposite in fact. The thought this will continue for 3 years is untenable. We just cannot carry on like this. We had the energy to fly and go a long way and we were full of enthusiasm. We are now stuck in a quagmire with the increasing knowledge this may well be quicksand and we do not have one thing in this country we can turn to. Not a leader, not the media, not the laws, not the constitution - although that is telling that our constitution makes no mention of a prime minister and cabinet. Maybe there was a reason other than the much preferred "assumption" explanation. We have returned to our parochial stance and given we live in a global situation now it is no wonder we feel all wrong. We are being pushed to accept what is going on and yet, the international community can see right through it. We have been going along with it. We haven't found a way to change anything as yet. A big lesson for us all. This ungoverning might have traction in our parochialism but on a world stage these people just do not stack up.

The case of the hiding cabinet 2013

Image: Courier Mail

It's not going to work. It's 2013 and we are not buying into it.  In two weeks the Abbott government is already making itself superfluous to requirements because it is old, stuffy and glued in its treacle cabinet behind closed doors. Hiding out is hardly a practical approach to governing let alone a desired one. South Australians are well used to a government which doesn't talk to them or anyone else and just makes decisions which are irrelevant. One of our most progressive premiers, Mike Rann, who had the state booming, stopped talking to us and went into his own little world and no longer connected. The upshot was he became superfluous to us. We had no idea what he was thinking. The decisions he made were not meaningful to us and most of what happened just annoyed and angered us more and more because things were happening and we were not included. We are a democratic state. What we think and what we want is important to the process of  governing.  Australians are generally well educated and on the ball. It doesn't explain how we managed to vote in the Abbott government but I think if you look at the real numbers you will see most people did not vote for him or his party. The win came from the Coalition and the distribution of seats. Were the ALP to do the same thing, they could win, too. Then there is the matter of a corrupt and biased media which we are abandoning. NZ may well have noticed they have had more visits from Australia over the last 2 weeks. Other countries around the world will probably notice their news sites are getting more visits from Australians. A huge proportion of Australians are bilingual and multilingual so those who can read news elsewhere will. We currently do not have any news. We don't have a paper which can just bring us facts and correct information about events in Australia.There is even a media belief that "balanced" news is wrong!! Our papers pick a politician or key figure and shoot them down and try to ensure they never get up again. We have lost so much talent and expertise this way and we know it. The anger of the morning of September 8th has not gone away. No one wants to talk about  the election. If they do hear or see Tony Abbott then , generally, a barrage of swear words and invective comes out. Then an apology. It is unable to be contained and that is the problem.  So many people just cannot bear to look at Tony Abbott and so many people just cannot stand him. He makes them feel ill. That is something which will not change and so there is a credibility issue here for the government. There is a prime minister whom no one takes seriously, no  one is listening to and no  one wants. He exacerbates the situation by locking 18 men and a woman in a hide and seek game in cabinet. Other unpopular prime ministers have had a side or quality which can be highlighted. Tony Abbott's is that he is fit. Fit for what?

The convoy of no confidence 2013

Image ABCNews23

The media are rattling hollowly around their cages. I have never seen Australians as angry as I have this weekend. They may not seem it when you meet them but the fact the election is not a topic for discussion on Monday morning, it has been totally sidelined, the fact that people are getting the facts really clear on Twitter and Facebook is full of rude and vulgar messages about what we have done as a nation means Australians have drawn a line in the sand. We are not going to take this. People are angry Tony Abbott was voted in because he simply does not have the skills to work at that level and that was demonstrated well by his behaviour in parliament over the last 6 years and then the lack of capacity to show articulate and well considered policy. He has nonetheless been voted in. Not by much. Labour has the primary vote and so any notion they have not done well is nonsense. The price we have paid for biased , interfering and unbalanced media is the loss of two credible Prime Ministers. There is a third in the wings who is hog tied by the conspiracy of silence in the party and then the knowledge the change we have been offered is the change right back to the Howard era. So many of them are the same. They were ousted solidly in 2007 for a reason so people are angry they are back. People are angry we have someone who has no credibility and we are angry we stood by and let it happen. The media wrote the script and ascribed our roles. Sunday morning was a bitter, bitter taste. Britain investigated its press. France went through  the nonsense of its silly President who was not cut out for the job and have gone for someone very conservative even though he is from the socialist party. Australia then has elected an odd assortment of people into the senate some of whom are coming back to haunt us from the past and so there is a real feeling of uneasiness. Those who did not vote for Tony Abbott do not understand why you would let him be in charge with all the case evidence before us and those who did vote for him thought what? Nobody knows because nobody anyone knows voted for him. This election was corrupt. There were too many chiefs and not enough indians, too many cooks who spoiled the broth, too much scrutiny of some and none of others. The stuff of linguistic and advertising study. The election has been called a wash up in the news and yet The ALP experienced the single smallest seat-loss of any outgoing government since McMahon in the early 70s. Media are trying to interfere in the choice of a new Labour leader. Don't you think they'd have enough sense to leave well alone and keep their big noses out? Some are advocating that politics be taken off the main course in media and that people should take themselves off social media. Labour still has the primary vote so who is saying Kevin Rudd did a fine job in spite of a very brutal media bashing? Who has acknowledged that Julia Gillard actually kept this lot under control but couldn't contain the relentless stirring of rumours by the media? Who has noticed we can't think because everything is shouted at us? This election was the most corrupt I have ever seen because it was neither fair, nor balanced nor reported without opinion.One by one competent politicians are targeted and taken out. The Greens got quite a bashing too and yet the so called disaster for Adam Bandt did not occur. We are angry all of this is misreported, misrepresented and then ends us up in a place we have absolutely no wish to be - no respect , no pride , the laughing stock of the world and no leadership choices. The world watched it happen and saw what we did. This is why Australians have taken to some very colourful expression of their feelings. It has hit hard. We have some lessons worth learning but we need to learn them without interference. A psychologist says we shall find it hard to accept - someone quite rightly pointed out that many will simply never accept what has happened and the repercussion of that in Australia will be interesting to say the least.

Caucus catastrophising

 Image: Keepcalm

He's leaving.  She's leaving. It's a shambles. It's going to fail. He's an idiot. She's an idiot. Now look what he's done. Now look what she's done. It's useless. It's hopeless. Well, that's done it now. We are all doomed. Okay - Simon says, "Do this!" and you will all feel better.

You have got to be joking. I am so fed up with the moronic, asinine media commentary on parliamentary change. Yes, there is change. It's 2013. Things change. It's called life. Someone does this and then someone does that. Surprising , isn't it? It's not all cause and effect. If you work in some service organisations then you often see a change of personnel along with a change in leadership. It often is the time which gives people a chance to assess their current situation - AND MOVE ON. A lot of people  these days work gruelling days and the politicians in a hung parliament have not had an easy time of it. It has been a tough call with a big agenda , often a lack of pairing and then a requirement to just be there because it has not been business as usual. It has been an intense 3 years where everyone has had to put in. It means they have grown, they have learnt a lot and that probably they want to do something different now. There should be some fresh faces. There should be some opportunities for others to learn the ropes and get used to what it is like on the next rung of their career ladder. Some people are lifetime politicians. Some will use that parlimentary training ground to move into other service areas like Brendan Nelson has with great success and Malcolm Fraser. Some organisations have a change of leadership and personnel on a regular basis. Try working in a big supermarket. Try retail. Long, arduous hours,  practically no notice of when you will be shifted to another store. A new boss on a regular basis. Know what? Australians have learned to manage this and they have learned to adapt. They have also learned you cannot stop people from making decisions about their lives nor can you stop some organisations from playing musical staff. On the one hand it means you have to be professional and learn to honour the position and work with anyone. On the other hand it creates exit points for staff and  leaders alike. Then there are those who just stay. They keep a sense of perspective but you don't need many of those. You do need mentors and old hands to enable the fast tracking of the younger ones. I feel  no sense of things falling apart. At the end of a parliamentary session before an election these people who have some fine skills will look at their options. Good on them.  Good luck to the ones who will come in and offer their skills maybe at the next level or from other areas of expertise. The one thing we don't need is stagnation. We need to keep moving because we have sustained ourselves , hung parliament and all through a very trying global time.

Das Schiff Esperanza

 Image : Amazon

Das Schiff Esperanza (The ship HOPE) is a powerful radio play written in 1953 by Fred von Hoerschelmann. It has lost none of its power and relevance in all these years. It was on our South Australian Year 12 curriculum for German for years and may well still be. I wonder how many ex German students think of it. It was way ahead of its time as were his other plays. Every time I hear of the untimely and awful end to some more asylum seekers, I think of this play. The ship's captain was making money by taking asylum seeks onboard who hoped and dreamed of making a new life in a new land. The brilliance of Hoerschelmann is that he can economically and succinctly capture the mood and far reaching implications of anything being said or done. The asylum seekers are tricked to being let off the boat saying they have to swim the last bit since the boat is not able to dock. They drown, of course, and the boat comes back for more asylum seekers. In the end, through a twist of plot , something far reaching and indelible happens in the own captain's life. Poetic justice. This radio play plays out time and time again. The asylum seekers in 2013 climb aboard the ships full of their hopes and dreams and somehow it all falls apart and the best we can do is bat them back and forth across the political divide.At no stage does the world get together and look seriously about managing this in a humane way. Yes, there will be undesirables amongst those who seek refuge and, yes, it is hard to house asylum seekers in large numbers. It is not a political issue. It's a humanitarian one. We need to address this far better without all the talk and squawk and come up with a proper regional plan and a proper global plan. I have no time for the predatory boat smugglers and the radio play has played a role in that. People need to get out and read more so we don't avoid dealing with reality in a competent manner.

New logo for South Australia

Image: adelaidenow

Well, we would not have known we had a new logo had it not been for the article above on the Adelaide Now site. The comments are right. It looks like a hole. It looks like a door you go through to walk out of the State and Australia. Australia looks like a folded bit of flimsy card and Tasmania is well and truly missing. The 1.3 million logo does not represent us at all and it's not a representation of Australia either. Leaving Tasmania out is a serious oversight. Unthinkable.  The comments with the article say it all. It is dull , uninteresting and the money would have gone to better use elsewhere - like saving local jobs and businesses, creating initiatives for the state. We had no idea, so we have had no say and now we are stuck with something again which is making us look useless. We actually need someone who understands the value of South Australia. Don Dunstan made it the coolest state to live in because he understood it and was prepared to create a daring vision for us. You know, so many South Australians have done wonderfully well inspite of banal logos like this. We should laud what we have done as a state and we should allow people to know. It's pretty impressive.

Cash for kidneys

I got up this morning to be greeted with this: Cash for kidneys  and the rules are:

• Living donors will be offered cash grants up to $3,600
• Donors must have a job and employers will distribute payments over six weeks
• Paid leave scheme will be offered for living donors offering kidneys and parts of their liver 

Where was the discussion? The consultation? The inclusion? It is being described as a radical pilot programme. It is more than that. It is a complete breakdown in communication and has a total disregard for ethics in our society. Paying people for body parts is  a massive break from whom we are and what we think and NO government official has the right to implement a programme such as this without a full and proper discussion. It's outrageous. I totally abhor the notion of anyone generating income from the sale of their body bits and I totally abhor the notion a government would encourage this. Paying their wages is paying them for the organ.  It is something which has to be discussed NOT implemented. There are a whole heap of steps missing - like social ramifications, workplace ramifications, personal ramifications. A parent selling a kidney to help someone else is a family and social issue . An adult fundraising through sale of their kidney and then creating pressure in the workplace because they have to have leave and the workload is then spread to others - that has implications. The fundamental belief, though, that it is government sanctioned sale of body parts is horrific and certainly needs to be addressed because it is not ethical. So does the notion that it can only be applied to people who work. Those who work are entitled to have their wages covered for donation. Those who don't work? They can donate a kidney and pay their own way through recovery? No government has my permission to enact such a trial or programme without my permission  because it breaks with notions which people hold very dearly in Australia. I am so disgusted I am working hard to stay calm. I cannot believe this is Sunday 7th April in Australia 2013.