The Member for Richmond shows us her aged care report card

Yesterday the Minister for Ageing and Member fo Richmond,Justine Elliot released a Report Card of Achievements in Aged and Community Care:

In the last 365 days, the Rudd Government has:

• Begun investing more than $41.6 billion over the next four years into aged and community care;
• Increased funding to community care in 2008-2009 to $2.2 billion – an increase of $260 million over 2007-2008 – recognising that older Australians want to remain at home and independent as long as possible;
• Allocated 228 transition care places under its $293.2 million four-year election commitment;
• Offered $150 million in Zero Interest Real Loans as part of Round One of $300 million election commitment to create nursing home beds in areas of high need;
• Announced an Indigenous Aged Care plan worth more than $46 million;
• Introduced improvements to quality/compliance, including strengthening accreditation standards and processes, extending police checks and better arrangements for missing residents;
• Increased unannounced visits by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency to nursing homes to record levels;
• Selected Australian actor, Ms Noeline Brown as Australia's Ambassador for Ageing;
• Expanded programs to retain, recruit and support nurses and personal care workers to the aged care sector; and
• Made improvements to aged care assessments, including a rapid response team and reducing duplication – helping older Australians access aged and community care services when they need them.

I have to say that any change that this funding represents is going to happen slowly on the NSW North Coast if past instances are any indication.

The complete report card can be found here.

Some of the quotes that have stuck between my ears.........

You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore - Richard Milhouse Nixon in 1962 when he lost the election for Governor of California.

You won't have me to kick around anymore - Koala in the Qantas television advert which had to be withdrawn from the U.S. market many years later.

Don't vote it only encourages them - an oldie but a goodie from the mythical 60s graffiti.

I did not have sexual relations with that woman - U.S. President Bill Clinton (with fingers crossed).

All we are saying is give peace a chance - John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band

Eternity - footpath graffiti seen on childhood visits to Sydney.

There is no way that GST will be part of our policy. Never ever. It's dead. It was killed by the voters at the last election. - Prime Minister John Winston Howard as he waited for the ideal moment to introduce a Goods and Services Tax.

If the wind changes your face will stay that way - timeless admonishment from a grandmother.

"The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September 11, 2001, and still goes on." - U.S. President George W. Bush delving into phantasy in 2003

No thanks. Mum's doing a lamb roast - a put down line which will always be associated with Tom Cruise.

Come on Aussie, come on, come on
Come on Aussie, come on
Come on Aussie, come on, come on
Come on Aussie, come on - a sporting ear worm from the 70s.

Well may we say "God save the Queen" because nothing will save the Governor-General. - Edward Gough Whitlam on the day his government was dismissed in November 1975.

they would shoot the girls first but they knew well I was not there or I would have scattered their blood and brains like rain I would manure the Eleven mile with their bloated carcasses and yet remember there is not one drop of murderous blood in my Veins - Ned Kelly writing in the Jerilderie Letter about police treatment of his sisters, presumably without a touch of irony.

From blogger to pollie: Stephen Mayne elected to local government

Stephen Mayne, Australia's favourite shareholder activist and possibly its only perennial shareholder activist, has announced that he's just been elected to Mannigham City Council.
Here's the low-down in his Mayne Report.
Congratulations Stevo, I look forward to hearing that you're throwing your heart and soul into the job.

Graphic from The Mayne Report

Can Therese Rein ever be seen with Kevin Rudd again?

Shown here are a media photograph and a cartoon of the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Mr. Rudd and his communications minister want to impose a national ISP-level filtering system on the Australian Internet.

LogiPik is one form of filtering software guaranteed to stop unwanted images in their tracks.

Here is its assessment of the Kevin Rudd cartoon:
Evaluated as: p*rn
Completed in 1 sec.

And here is its assessment of the Kevin Rudd photograph:
Evaluated as: p*rn
Completed in 2 sec.

Additionally, here is its assessment of a media photograph of Kevin Rudd and child (not shown here, because what child wants to be reminded that they were once close to the man that a filter rejected):
Evaluated as: p*rn
Completed in 12 sec.

Yes, it's staring us in the face - Kevin the PM p*rn star.

With such a 'dubious' moral character on display for all the world to see; can Therese really afford to keep this man?
Especially when the chance exists that at least one of the various filtering software/hardware systems (that would be used by ISPs if the Great Firewall of Australia comes to pass) will frequently label her husband and life partner as a piece of p*rnography.
Because, let's face it, Australian ISPs are bound to rely on systems which in turn rely on dubious software and blacklists found overseas.

Cartoon from Strange Times and photo from Time Magazine

One step closer to the removal of a federal minister's right to deny access to information using a conclusive certificate

The Freedom of Information (Removal of Conclusive Certificates and Other Measures) Bill 2008 is finally before the Australian Parliament and the text can be found at Com Law.

The primary purpose of the Bill is to repeal the power to issue conclusive certificates in the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (the FOI Act) and the Archives Act 1983 (the Archives Act) for all exemption provisions where certificates may be issued.

The proposal to repeal the power to issue conclusive certificates forms part of the Government's 2007 election commitments made in its policy statement, Government information: restoring trust and integrity.

The effect of the repeal of the certificate power will be that the AAT may undertake full merits review of all exemption claims.

This Bill does not seek to alter the exemption provisions in Part IV of the FOI Act or in Division 3 Part V of the Archives Act, except to the extent that it repeals the power to issue conclusive certificates. Where a document or record properly falls within an exemption category in those Acts (for example, documents affecting personal privacy or documents whose release could damage national security, defence or international relations), access may be refused.

Existing conclusive certificates will be revoked if and when a new request for access to a document or record covered by a certificate is received.

'This rancid government': Northern Rivers not impressed with NSW Health

I have to say that few people in the Northern Rivers region would be surprised with the observations on regional hospitals found in the Garling Report released this week.

The Northern Star reported:

Commissioner Garling said he was told the North Coast Area Health Service got about $70 million less each year than it should under the current funding formula and the inequity had been in place since the 1980s.“We should be getting our fair share,” Dr Pezzutti said.He said the money should be shared out among the health services based on their demographics.“Each area has a certain number of aged people, disabled people, mentally ill, poor, rich and tourists,” the doctor said.“It’s a complicated formula, but we should be getting more funding.”Instead of spending more money, the Garling report said greater efficiencies should be achieved. Dr Pezzutti said the health service could be more efficient but it would cost money.The report recommended setting up four new bodies to improve the quality and effectiveness of the health workforce.“If the government does not provide additional funds for this, it will have to come out of the current funding,” he said.“It is clear they have got into trouble this year already.”

While in an 'editorial' in The Daily Examiner on Saturday David Bancroft put matters very bluntly:

Now, on top of being short-changed $70 million a year, a razor gang is making its way around the region identifying where it can cut 400 full-time equivalent jobs.

There is already thought that Grafton Base Hospital's high dependency unit and maternity unit might be at risk.

These are the cuts the health service simply cannot bear.

And we, as taxpayers and users of the health system, should not tolerate them.

We need to demonstrate at public rallies in Grafton and Maclean today our support for improved, not reduced, health services.

Public pressure might, just might, convince this rancid government to change its mind.
(The Daily Examiner, 29 November 2008, page 12)

The Federal Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, in the same issue of The Daily Examiner did not back away from supporting the Northern Rivers community:

"Its clear locals need better services and I support them in their expressed concerns about the proper delivery of health and hospital services in our area," Ms Saffin said.

We need more health services and staff across the Northern Rivers, and for anyone to suggest that less is better for us is nonsense.

"This is not the time for cutting front line positions in health care."

The North Coast has known for a long time that state governments tend to ignore us.

When in power the Liberals and Nationals appear to believe the region does not have to be courted because it is seen as a Nationals stronghold.
Likewise, the Labor Party seems to believe that the region deserves a minimum of serious attention for that very same reason.

Both groups, in their profound ignorance, failing to consider the altered political demographics that sea and tree changers have brought into the mix and both ignoring their responsibilities to equally distribute a fair share of government funding and services regardless of the political imperative.

For all major political parties in New South Wales the large metropolitan centres have always come first simply because the sheer weight of their voter numbers are seen as more important to the outcome on election day.

The Rees Government should remember that regional and rural seats matter and if enough voters within them are dissatisfied with health care, then his government will fall at the next state election.

Stephen Conroy's lackeys crack a funny

If we ever needed proof that the Dept of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy had become infected with its minister's mania, the following quote supplies it:
"ISPs will be recognised for their participation in the Pilot. This recognition will strengthen their brand image with the community."
Really?
Excuse me while I roll about laffing.
All I know is that iNet has said that it wants take part in the trial. Presumably to get its hands on free filtering hardware/software and so keep its commercial options open, although it's presenting this wimp-out as a public service
So there will be a large blue moon over Bourke before I sign up to iNet.
Nor will I be knocking on the Optus door because they are also said to be lining up for the trail.
As for Telstra - didn't it assist DBCDE in setting up that 'play' pilot in Tassie?