Tag: Australia

The Youth 16 Vote Comes with Conditions.

With the suggestion of the voting age being dropped to 16 I’m sure we will hear the arguments of maturity and political awareness be put to suit the whoever think they will profit or loose from its expansion.

Looking back in my life as a baby boomer I was a apprentice bat 15, a union member at the same age and yes with the education from my parents I was pretty well versed on both sides of the divide and it was up to me to decide and like many our kitchen table became great parliaments at times..

Fast forward to today how we have changed and I was part of the problem we have with todays youth.

Like all boomers we put our kids first when it come to our family priorities and Parents we secondary unlike the our parents who struggled through the war and depressions with nothing other than survival in mind. We had to share when we acquired, our parents were the most important for our survival and we knew that and respected it.

We thought we were doing the right thing changing the family priorities for the kids sake but we did them and our culture a terrible injustice. We lost that respect we gave to our parents over time and now we cry our kids have no respect, they know nothing about life, government,or they live in a technological bubble.

We boomers took our eye off the ball, handed them everything we never had, sparing our youth the experience of working and waiting, and in many cases handed over parenting to schools and our protective services.

So yes if we can use this voting age change as a catalyst to claw back self responsibility earlier, if we can encourage big picture dialogue and civic responsibility then it must be a debated, but we as the grown ups need to improve our parliamentary behaviour as that example again does nothing for the case of maturity by example.

Russian Diversion Smokescreens Home Woes?

It seems quite amazing that when everything that’s happening in the world the western media and politicians is pointing the finger at Russia.

The ongoing saga of the Trump election, the bombing of Syria, the poisoning’s in England all yet to prove hard evidence yet we are only hearing from political spin which I feel has a agenda to smokescreen what is happening in the particular nations home fronts that are the loudest.

Trumps issues are a daily circus in progress where if he can keep diverting attention from accountability personal and political his thinks he can dumb down the world as he has Americans.

Theresa May with her government struggling on Brexit and other fronts needs diversion to take the heat off her government and performance.

Now the Syrian catastrophic situation as descended into a blame game that suits the political ideological philosophy of insinuations being carful not to include allies like Israel who are sending planes and bombs allegedly.

Meanwhile here in Australia we got on the bandwagon and expelled a few Russians but not after a very interesting presser from the Russian Ambassador in which he exhausted the media contingent of questions, forcing Bishop into a counter presser never seen before in diplomatic protocols in this country.

It’s important we do not sleepwalk into thinking our allies have Australian interests as a core value. We are a political tool to the crumpling former world dynasties and we are expendable as Trump, May,Turnbull and Assad struggle keep relevance and political survival on their respective home fronts leaving Russia not a cleanskin but a great diversion..

Football Is Not a Political Weapon.

Julie Bishops Dialek type of attire when announcing Wold Cup 2018 could be used as a political weapon got my attention.

Right in the middle of the outrage of sport being the pinnacle of Australian culture and the priceless values our organisations and personnel representing our nation she says Australia could withdraw if her government felt it was politically beneficial to show support to USA and England.

As a foreign minister I would have thought her knowledge would tell her England would never relinquish a World Cup opportunity and as the USA failed to qualify it sees political advantage in destroying a event that will give the world a chance to make up our own minds about about Russia and its people. Obviously it’s beyond her comprehension that this game goes beyond her bubble and millions of Australians and billions around the world young and old wait 4 years for this event and the fate of the game in Australia factors on our performance as some funding is allocated according to our results.

So Julie I would be pretty confident if the Turnbull government or any other political movement choose to use the Wold Cup a a political weapon we the sporting public will respond accordingly at the ballot box and will quickly learn what own goal is all about.

Southern Stars now carry Australia’s Cricket Benchmark.

In sure every sportsperson in Australia has made its decision on the Australian Men’s Cricket team disgrace but with the tv and sponsorship deals in under way I am very concerned about those repercussions .

The men’s team behaviour has been overlooked and even sanctioned by the Cricket hierarchy and the media for years for the sake of the glory of winning and rewarding them with massive pay increases while our Women’s team has held our nations reputation at the highest level and treated as second class.

When the hammer falls and funds distributed the women’s game share should be considerably increased to a point equal to present men’s and all shortfalls should come from the men’s allocation.

The women’s benchmarks are what we expect in behaviour, dedication, skill, and ethics throughout its inception and if performance based salaries and performance are a factor no one can dispute the Southern Stars should be the Nations cultural cricket benchmark for the game.

The Gelded Royal Commission into Banking.

It took years for this government to agree to have a Royal Commission into Banking and when the did it dampened the terms of investigation and we should ask why.

It’s now revealing millions of Australians have been ripped off by shonky operators, subcontracted or directly employed by corporate giants.

The untold damage they have inflicted on average people who went to professionals who knew that they could not maintain the debt yet applications submitted inflated figures to get bonuses, spotter fees, or in some cases shares in the interest attached to the loans.

To me that’s fraud. If I sold you a car that knew would break down without a guarantee then fine you for not making repayments I would be jailed yet these corporates have been doing this and would have happily continued regardless.

Whatever happened to The good Corporate Citizen and good corporate governance?

It’s shareholder profit that counts and ethics and integrity sent the back of the field and these are the organisations this government are sworn to support by giving them tax cuts.

This government were given the heads up hence the Terms of Reference restricted.

Nepotism and Old Boys Clubs Dominate Aussie Sport.

The appointment of Graham Arnold was the clear indicator that nepotism rules in Australian sport.

Out of the 4 codes of Football only Rugby appointed a female as CEO while the others are circulating the boys club CEO badge appointments between them..

Why is it we think our way is the best way and deny our athletes and country experience from international professionals?

Are we scared they might do it better or is it these possible imports have more experience than the administration of the sports and they feel challenged, or are we as a nation so paranoid about our secret culture that only we are blessed with..

Yes we have national pride in our veins but that pride does not equal professional knowledge.

No code or sport in Australia can compare themselves with management structures as we see in European Football and granted we do not have the crowds or sponsors equaling that income generated but surely that expertise is something we must capture if we are to keep up with world benchmarks.

Australian sport must stop believing its own press.

We are performing in Womens Football (Matilda’s), 7’s Rugby men and women because international exposure creates totally different mindsets than domestic competitions. The other codes have stagnated playing the same teams year in year out, no promotions or relegation keeping the status quo.

It’s a core responsibility to any Management structure to put the Business ahead of self preservation and that takes character and sporting management is no different, so let’s not insulate our athletes or potential CEO’s from ideas that may not sit well with the Old Boys/Old Girls Clubs.

Let’s Get Apprentices Earlier

Discussion Paper. Subject Apprenticeships

As a kid who left school in Junior level, that is 15 years or about’s and started a trade in the January of 1966 I was a naive, scared, and totally oblivious to anything other than not upsetting anyone in my workspace.

Plucked from the schoolroom I knew nothing about life skills other than those I had learned on the sporting grounds and family discipline.

Looking back that was not a bad thing as I listened and consumed everything my Master, my Tradesman, and technical teachers imparted sometimes to the letter.

Being a kid in a mans world can be confronting but as you mature you you learn quickly how the world really works.

My Boilermaking trade at the Shipyard and Kangaroo Point gave me a understanding of other cultures, customs, from all walks of life as it was within walking distance from Yungabah Hostel a entry point to migrants to Australia and often a job for those men and women starting a new or escaping their past.

My eyes and ears were open to their experiences, expectations, good and bad from their homelands and often was privileged to their cultural traditions, broadening my education in life.

All this was happening before I was old enough to get a car licence at 17, have a beer legally at 21, or go to war at 19.

I was lucky but the system was such that when you are at a age, naive or not you can start to shape a personal profile of experience where maturity comes a dam site earlier that today’s youth.

Today kids are encourage to stay in the school system even though they may not be suited. In school apprenticeships have pluses and minuses but basically protect the kid from reality of the real workforce where it’s get to work yourself and learn your trade, please your Master and employer.

That position of Master has been disposed of as he or she was totally responsible to ensure the apprentice was not exploited, learned ever aspect of his trade, and respected his superiors status.

Yes my Master was not backward of putting a smart arse on his arse with a backhander or straight left if you misbehaved, and was supported by the union rep if it was warranted.

Imagine that today!! Mummy and Daddy delirious with uproar for someone doing what they should have done earlier in childhood.

Apprenticeship today on a 4 year time delivers 22 to 24 year olds specifically trained only on what phase of the trade they have been in contact. Often employers see cheap labour till they get too expensive then flick them, and the system allows that, where before employers and the boards were legally bound to find a apprentice a job at his or her level if the firm went broke.

Some 4th year apprentices can be married with kids and expected to live on those wages, no wonder they are leaving.

Mid life apprenticeship are a result of the system not doing its job earlier, selling the trades, and paying the wages. Yes the Unions must share the blame proportional but the fact the culture of subcontractors has destroyed the standards of all trades for the magic dollar.

I know a few tradesmen that have kept their contract and turned out magnificent tradesmen, fully equiped and experienced to handle any job set before them but sadly on completion they must expand their knowledge and move on.

This often causes bad blood as often they will go out in opposition to their former boss.

In my case on completion I was handed my indentures and told to move on or get sacked and would be welcomed back after about 3-4 years somewhere else.

I did, moved to structural steel and finally left the trade about 8 years later.

Cutting to the chase what I’m saying is we need to get potential apprentices early, when they can absorb everything, in a environment and culture where they see they can have a future, and prepared to cop a little pain early in the game to reap the benefit on completion.

We need to have manufacturing industries and start building things here, as it’s cheaper in the long run to have them paying tax, buying stuff than keeping them on the dole or in part time farcical jobs that make the working poor poorer.

The crunch is coming and believe me infrastructure will be our way out and the shiney arses will be the first casualty.

The Embarrassing Turnbull Trump Junket

Probably the only success in the Turnbull visit to Trump was Trump remembered his name.

It was the most grovelling exhibition of photo shoots, back slapping, scripted mate ship monologue embarrassing any fair dinkum Australian.

Some may say that all any visit by any politician to America has the same script, but I feel this one should have laid out our priorities in a much firmer fashion if Australian interests were at the forefront and the reason for the junket.

America’s is riding on a very heated economy with debt over 22 trillion dollars and rising while Malcom’s and Tony’s debt truck has turned into a Acland coal train and the lenders are going to want repayment.

With lending rates minimal, wages stagnant, any upward movement will decimate those who have overcommitted or over borrowed, so this fantasy of how corporate tax cuts in both countries is our saviour is just flawed political ideology.

Imagine interest rates returning to 5% accompanied by inflation what damage that would do to all those who are in new homes struggling now?

The hypocrisy of the entire Trump trip was tipperfied when Trump demanded we contribute to patrolling Chinas sand island expansion while he ignores Israel’s expansion into Palestine and we choose to stay silent.

We in the Asian Pacific can not rely on Trumps America. We have to tighten alliances with New Zealand and forge new trading partners as when that balloon busts in America and it will , we have to have a government that has the skills to guide us through with policies that are people based as the corporates will be too busy concentrating on saving their Mercedes.

Double Standard Applies in Barnaby Reports.

I’m struggling trying to get to truth accompanied some logic.

At the start of 2018 our nation was dragged through the ringer with the Gay Marriage referendum with the sanctity of marriage being aspoused buy the religious sector, how vital it was our society and beliefs and the damage that would happen if same sex was permitted wedlock.

Enter this Barnaby balloon and all of a sudden the same people are saying that sanctity is not all that important, as it’s just happens it’s one of their most outspoken supporters have a affair outside the sanctity.

Yes the double standard applies depending on who is playing the power game.

Playing private life vs public life cards have conveniently been played by the same people who attacked Gillards partner, her bathroom , her barrenness, and a royal commission, not discounting the burning the bitch by these great keepers of our moral standards.

Yes it’s all politics, but what about ethics, does that get a shirt.?

Like America we are being dumbed down by constant deceit and spin and transparency and truth are the casualties if we choose not to question or challenge.

That was the job of the media but that too failed as it knew of the Banarby deception months ago and sat on it even through a bi election, so is that corrupt or if it was Gillard would they have been so quiet?

Answer NO.

I live in hope that thing called journalistic ethics apply where truthfulness, accuracy,objectively, and impartiality is reborn or maybe I’m just dreaming.

Media Influence on Democracy Unwanted.

We have been quick to criticise ,analyse, American politics and the system of government they try to achieve democracy and equality to their nation.

Our Westminster system flys in the face of many parts of their processes of basic culture of what we regard as good governance, and unfortunately we will follow their path if we are not aware of the way the real story is told and who will profit or has a agenda to influence politics in their favour.

Lobbyists and lobbying, factions and deals are part of the dirty game but when the media seek to influence outcomes that’s when we the punters need to ask is it fact or fiction.

People will read what suits them and their beliefs but that does not make It fact.

In America their is a distinct divide/canyon in reporting politics and that divide was created intentionally, as do dictatorships to divide so it becomes “your with me or against me mentality,” and the space we regard for compromise is diminished.

I was startled at first but not surprised when Cambridge Analytica who specialise in disinformation and voter targeting was engaged by the Coalition for the next federal election as they were the part of the Trump and Brexit campaigns, successful they were but the aftermath of the splitting of the populations is something I fear would happen here in Australia.

My belief in balanced reporting was shaken when the well respected Brisbane Masthead was turned into a Newsletter for the Coalition under ownership orders, reenforcing the well reported quote the “I have the power to change governments” so we need to be aware but not surprised when digesting reporting.

Observers can see the major parties are setting themselves on a election footing and I want to see genuine debate on the direction our county takes, and politicians that represent people not conglomerates or billionaires as sooner or later some learned soul will wake up and realise our biggest asset is our people, race, colour or creed indifferent, that is when we will rise above those nations and leaders who only survive on division.

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