Category: Opinion

Some One Had To Fight.

Another person did not make it home after a days work as the toll rises.

Cast your mind back to when this government was screaming for minister resignations when the pink bats issue was the issue yet the rise under their watch goes unspoken.

Fact is they have to make a decision on who to support. The profit of the coal magnates or the Safety of the Workers.

They cut the red tape on industrial laws and regulations, legislated against union protection deeming it as militant so expecting this government to support the CFMEU in its role to protect workers is beyond its political ethic let alone it moral ethic.

Blame however is not one sided. Union and non union workers too have traded off conditions, hard fought conditions by previous workers for the mighty dollars and here too the chook has come home to roost.

This industry and many others need a reset, but it will take workers to wake up the unions have a extremely important role in making sure the family unit is protected when you go to your place of employment and that is about to be challenged on the floor of Parliament.

No other business or company is required by law to protect people and conditions in their industry without any contribution. Unions have role yet the non members still get the benefits the payers have won. . Fair? You be the judge but remember when your in your lunch room, or on holidays or on sick or compensation or pension some one had to fight for you to have that.

Sorry silly me , it’s all about you in today’s society isn’t it?

My Neighbourhood Stands Together.

What a unique Street we live in.

On Girral, we had a very pleasant evening at the local celebrating a rather gratifying week and a bit preparing, erecting, judging, stewarding, exhibiting, and winning, then dismantling everything we constructed.

We, I say we all helped each other in exhibits such as school work, art, the inaugural honey exhibition, bonsais, horticulture, photography, and general supervision of all of the above.

Not bad for a dead end street and a bunch of possibly the most diverse people from diverse backgrounds one could imagine all coming together for a Rosewood Show commitment.

We all live on acreage, yet our commitment to each other and families quality of life goes without saying. Even those who don’t participate in everything still are not left out. We all communicate, we all care.

Unique no not really to me, as my upbringing was exactly this. Care about your neighbour, communicate and be understanding of diverse opinions, cultures, and habits. It does not come naturally and it has to be worked on but so does life.

I like to think we are similar to the Football Club I follow who has the motto Mia SAN Mia, which translates plural and singular “We Are Who We Are, and I Am Who I Am.”

Workplace Safety is Government Red Tape


Another workplace death and ho hum and it hardly raises a eyebrow in today’s all about me society. 

To date in 2019 we have lost 67 people nation wide yet in today’s times we we just accept the fact some people will not come home after going  to work.  

Safety standards across the “hands on” industries are supposed to have improved but standards have eroded as governments have found its politically opportunistic to play the cutting the “red tape” game which is code for dropping standards and proven processes that safeguard not only workplaces and work practices, but has infiltrated into engineering and construction practices. 

Not only are we seeing humans lost or under threat we are witnessing buildings falling to pieces, as they  rush to finish projects at all costs, walk away and hope it will stay up until after the guarantee has expired. 

Once this was unheard of. We had the worlds best tradesmen, not fast tracked but trained fully, and construction watch dogs, checking, monitoring quality workmanship supported by the trade union movement who ensured work place safety all now regarded as “red tape” . We laughed at other countries who treated workers as expendable but now we have joined that fraternity and  adopted their work ethical standards. 

I do not expect the shiny seat sitters in political power to do anything other that look for more standards to erode, as they and their families will rarely be seen in hi vis other than for media opportunities. They will come home after a tough day in the Parliamentary dining room, but if those militant unions do anything to alter that profit margin by way of looking after the workers they will demonise them and pursue them to their death. 

It’s All about the $$$ in the Falou case.

I’ve watched, listened, and tried to digest this Falou shenanigans go backward and forwards with little or no retreat from whatever side you choose to hang your allegiance.

Not carrying any religious allegiance other than to the human race I choose to look at the facts from the start and ask the questions, however hard they may be.

Firstly, does a person have the right to follow his or hers own beliefs? Answer Yes.

Does a person have the right to impose those beliefs on any other person ? Answer No.

Religion is a choice a individual makes, nothing more as is the choice to not follow a religious tribe, so judging a person by his or hers decision or point of view is dependant of what tribe you follow or don’t is a bias exercise regardless.

Who’s right and who’s wrong is the story of mankind, but religions do not have a mortgage on being human and believing in the rights and wrongs of hurting each other be with words or actions.

Falou hurt people with words, that’s wrong, full stop. I can’t stand outside a place of worship in the public domain and accuse people of wrong doing because of their belief or sexuality I would get arrested for persecution among other things.

The fact he was warned and then breached that warning cannot be covered up by justifying lack of free speech.. He knew exactly what the repercussions would be so he pressed the boundary and then he played the sympathy vote.

It cannot go unsaid that some still will not accept the Yes Vote in the referendum, and that’s their choice, but I cannot see why a millionaire should be publicly funded by a tax free charity with public funds when I thought a non for profit organisation role was to help the less fortunate. Those donations will also be a tax rebate, so is this entire exercise all about money right from the start?

No WIN for those in the Bush.

As I travelled around western Queensland in my former career it was vital for me and the locals to keep across area issues usually through WIN TV and ABC local news. Those services galvanise communities and are critical to the outlying properties so obviously that fact is ignored when the decision was taken to close WIN Tv in some rural and remote areas.

This decision has repercussions across the entire spectrum of the rural way of life where councils, essential services had a medium to directly contact its population in times of need.

Secondly it also provided employment and training for journalists, advertising and promotion for businesses, and more importantly a local platform for diverse news and opinions locally and nationally.

My fear is the major conglomerate news outlets will narrow the news feed focussing on major city issues that really the rural sector has no interest but get ratings on the coast.

When conglomerates gain control dollars for the shareholders is always the driver and service is secondary and we do not want monopoly’s controlling what you can or cannot hear or see.

Boring Baffoonery Cartoonery

The Queenslland Times cartoonist will never be accused of deep thinking when it comes to his trade. Being possibly the shallowest and slanted In the world of cartoonary may I suggest it’s presence in the location of editorial and public content does nothing to enhance that surrounding product.

Be I as bold to suggest also that space could be allocated to up and coming local talent from our schools, colleges mainly young people who can give us fossils their view on how they see the world, after all it will be theirs in the future.

For one I will not be offended if told we stuffed up, and if indication was the day the youth hit the streets I think they deserve a place to vent/praise on a regular basis.

This may also increase readership of our rag if the schools/families took up the challenge and encouraged our adolescents to partake in general awareness of what the world is all about away from their mobile phones and gaming screen.

If we are expect young people to take part in our democratic processes we must make the aware there is a process and giving them a platform instead of bland repetition must be a step in the right direction. Mrs Editor.

Our Afternoon on a Polling Booth.

I was scoured at, swore at, abused, hugged and thanked. Such is a afternoon on a polling booth handing out pictures.

All was a direct result of what the punters state of mind was on the way to the polls and influenced by what they had seen or heard via the media.. Democracy takes on different personas according to each individual but it does bring out behaviours often concealed but revealed in the final steps to polling booth door.

I saw youth who’s futures are influenced by governments directly scrunch up all handouts as a act of defiance to the volunteers. I saw people in uniform who’s lives depend on good Government decisions boast and laugh at making pirates or other luny tunes famous allegedly by gaining their tick., and then older people bitter about loosing income who had no idea about what franking credits were let alone qualify yet were convinced pensions would be cut and they would starve.

In my electorate alone over 6k were informal, nationally over 600k nationally indicate it just got either too hard to understand of they are too lazy to try to understand and democracy is a inconvenience, but the most worrying thing I feel is our country is adopting the terminology used of defining people and our society of being Lifters or Leaners, and that was not our culture, but after Saturday we may have moved closer to “up you I’m all right Jack” outlook for Australia.

Political agendas are set to appeal to what people see either effects them as individuals firstly and only or what effects our society first then, sow the flow on effect. My preference it to the latter as I believe we work better together as our nations forefathers did so we could get us where we are today.

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Fake Fibre Obsolete On Delivery

As a former employee of Telstra and well trained in the capabilities of what the fibre network is capable of from its inception I struggle with what Australians have been forced to accept with the present NBN.

The network being rolled out as we speak is obselete in its present form and its capacity deliberately limited by this government to retain and protect current media monopolies.

When introduced in its infancy traffic in the fibre tubes was limited, but as technology expanded the capacity is only governed by what is hung on the end, therefore not only businesses ,households, the elderly sent to nursing homes, the sick or injured could have equipment ( health packs as invisaged) available in home ,with direct access to doctors and nursing staff and mobile doctors 24/7 cutting costs across the entire health spectrum. This is only one sector that has been restricted by this governments decision to retain copper and deliver a split network, one for the masses and one for the clients that can reap the benefits if they are wealthy enough.

Communication was legislated as a essential service in this country until privatisation, so their is no reason to get excited when you get a pay for a service that could deliver much more for the same cost, and that equation applies nationally.

It’s like buying a brand new car with 3 good tires and a retread and a free bumper bar thrown in.

Editorial Cut Sees My Health references irrelevant

Invisible People with Invisible Disabilities with Invisible Support.

I wish to raise a subject on behalf of people beligned by our present society by the broad term of dole bludgers.

I agree some people use the system out of pure laziness often stretching back generations however there are some very desperate people caught up in broad perception projected by our politicians that are living a life in abject poverty and can do nothing to break out.

They are the physically disabled, the mentally ill, the ones that just can’t work and do not transition to a disability pension or are in transition or cannot get through the NDS mazes alone.

Support Services for these people has been cut or does not exist so they are left in their houses or rooms if they are fortunate enough struggling to pay rent, food and usually medication last.

Suicide rates among these people is high unfortunately but suits the government data on unemployment hence low on the priority list.

Luckily some medics are sympathetic to this group but the social stigma stays when they have to venture into main stream population to get medications not on the PBS and struggle to pay at the counter.

This issue is not about raising the New Start allowance, although that would help greatly it’s about defining the people who are invisible in the present system.

This issue is in the too hard basket for many politicians regardless of allegiance.

The real issue is getting classification, getting approved or rejected then getting them into care be it NDS or Disability options, not letting them slowly fade into natural attrition.

We are supposed to have a surplus if we listen to the spin so let’s give the least able bodied people some life saving support.

Investigative Journalism must Survive.

I have been guilty of pulling the trigger maybe too quickly on the media on what I see as slanted reporting or cartooning but with the Al Jazeera story I can only commend the media on its speed on self analysis if ethical standards were breached.

Within hours of release, self questioning commenced weather it reported the story or created the story.

That debate will be ongoing but it’s my simpleton belief is overall if it’s in the public interest, the public should know.

The method of acquiring the evidence is played out regularly in capturing terrorist, online predators, drug dealers, gun runners all regarded as fair game if any investigative journalist outlet exposes the culprits.

The fact that they did not secure the funding does not change the intent or the toxic advice on how to nullify murder.

I believe this is a clear example on the value of investigative journalism, and regardless of what side of politics you support it is imperative to democracy these outlets across the world continue their work, and must be protected.

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