Those NSW North Coast Area Health Service 'surge' beds again

ABC News reported that nurses met with the North Coast Area Health Service (NCAHS) yesterday to "clarify implementation of a 'surge bed' plan."

New Auditor-General's findings show that service did not meet admission benchmarks last year.

"Fewer than 80 per cent of patients needing a bed were admitted within eight hours of seeing a doctor or nurse.

The union's general secretary, Judith Kiejda, says the figures make it hard for the health service to justify the conversion of 86 acute beds to surge beds."

It seems that NCAHS CEO Chris Crawford had some explaining to do.

While Mr. Crawford is in explanation mode perhaps he will explain to the Yamba community why it hasn't yet been approved for a HealthOne facility. The actual need was identified years ago.

Leader of the Opposition cut down to size by Koori woman

This week Opposition leader Brendan Nelson fell at the first hurdle when he failed to understand that in Aboriginal cultures the conventions and customs surrounding information sharing are different from those in the wider Australian society.

He has caused deep offence and distress to one Koori woman.

This was entirely avoidable - he should have asked for permission.

Now the Liberals Tony 'Mad Monk' Abbott wants the Opposition to have a direct and equal say on the direction of the Rudd Government's indigenous affairs policies and has indicated that the Coalition will act as Senate spoiler if the government attempted to amend Howard's NT Intervention legislation. 

Heaven help us all.

ALP increases poll lead prior to saying sorry

According to the latest Roy Morgan Research poll of federal voting intentions released on 15 February 2008:

"With much talk and anticipation surrounding the Labor Government-led apology to the stolen generation of Aborigines, ALP primary support is 54% (up 5% from the previous face-to-face Morgan Poll) and L-NP support is 33% (down 3%), the latest face-to-face Morgan Poll (conducted February 2/3 & 9/10) finds.

On a two-party preferred basis, the ALP has extended its already significant lead by 5%: 62.5% cf. 37.5%."

Wonder how the Coalition is performing if you factor in that Clayton's apology from the Opposition Leader?

A link to that IR bill which has the Coalition frothing at the mouth

Although the Opposition Deputy Leader's hissy fits at Question Time have been rather amusing, they have hardly added to our understanding of how WorkChoices will come to an end.

Here is a link for those interested.

Workplace Relations Amendment (Transition to Forward With Fairness) Bill 2008 - first reading.

Morrie does a mass mail-out to bail out his latest privatisation scheme

Morris Iemma has just mailed out a letter to all NSW pensioners giving them an "iron-clad guarantee" that "my Government will continue to provide the $112 annual rebate on electricity bills for all pensioners" after privatisation of the State's electricity supplies.

Well that's settled. I'm vastly reassured. Hold on there a minute?

There's no mention of the fact that Morrie's "my Government" legally only lasts until the next election (John Howard taught us that with his weasel words on the GST).

Neither is there any guarantee that power company service fees and charges will not rise, and rise substantially, in the first three years of the electricity privatisation roll-out.

Missing also is any assurance that the cost to consumers per kilowatt hour will not start a sharp upward spiral within five years.

If other state privatisations are any indication, then the annual pensioner rebate is unlikely to pay for even one quarter's electricity account in the future.

Yes, Morrie my little mate, your fine pensioner rebate promises aren't worth the paper they're printed on.  

Yaegl woman named 2008 Clarence Valley Woman of the Year

It was nice to see Lenore Parker recognised for her tireless community work and longtime support of reconciliation.

On 13 February 2008 she became Clarence Valley Woman of the Year.

Ms. Parker was nominated by her daughter, well-known artist Frances Parker.

"Ms Parker was yesterday humble in her acceptance of the honour, acknowledging the contributions of other nominees and the generations of women who walked before her.

The Yaegl woman said she was honoured to accept the award, but emphasised she was doing so on behalf of all women."

Coles and Woolworths show an unexpectedly racist underbelly

With the Howard and Rudd governments' Northern Territory Intervention rapidly devolving into a punitive and racist quagmire, it is more than interesting to note that the giant supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths have enthusiastically entered into the ration book system which so bedevils and taints the recent practice of indigenous income management.

Calling a spade a spade, one would have to point out to these supermarket chains that they are knowingly colluding in institutional racism.

 

Extracts from 14 February 2008 Senate Hansard at page 76 (the bolding is my own).

Senator Siewert:

Is the government aware that income quarantining in

the Northern Territory is viewed by the community as

going back to ration days and is causing huge hardships

in the NT?.......................quarantined money is being

given to people in the form of gift cards, that aged pensioners

—including a lady who has worked for 48

years, has been retired for 10 years and has raised 10

kids—are being subjected to quarantining and that parents

are unable to send food money to children who are

away attending college? How does the government see

ration cards as a new beginning? Isn't the Northern

Territory intervention an example of an old approach

which is clearly failing? Will the government commit

to immediate review of the NT intervention?...........

People are being provided with a ration card. By the

way, this is a copy of the card people are given by

Coles. This is how big it is—it is small. It says 'Coles gift

card'. What an insult to the Aboriginal people of

the Northern Territory. Mothers at the meeting yesterday

were outlining the extreme shame that they feel

when they are standing in a queue at Coles or Woolies

—they are the two main places you can get a card

for. They are standing there with no cash in their hands

and they are told that they have to take some of the

things back because they cannot buy them on the card.

They are standing there with people who have cash,

and they do not. They described the deep shame they

feel. It takes them back to the ration days, when they

can remember that their parents, in some cases, were

given rations in old sugar bags. That is how these people

in the Northern Territory feel. It is outrageous."

 

On 12 February 2008 thousands of people marched in Canberra against this legislation.

Me, I'm going to make sure I spend a lot less at any supermarket chain which takes ration cards for goods and, if the Rudd Government doesn't get it's finger out and roll back this racist legislation then it won't be seeing my support at the ballot box.