Federal Opposition requires suicide watch

There can be no mistaking the symptoms. These fairly screamed at us all yesterday, on the day Australian Workplace Agreements were legally laid to rest, when Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson told reporters that individual statutory work agreements are not dead.

The Liberal Party of Australia needs to be placed on a suicide watch as it is definitely a political danger to itself and others.

Soup kitchens for GPs

Struggling to make ends meet? Well, it seems you are in good company. Many GPs are also battling to put square meals on their dinner tables, thus forcing them to resort to welfare-like handouts from pharmaceutical companies. Some handouts take the form of work-day food and drink events that are disguised as "educational events" sponsored by drug companies.

Next time readers sit down to one of their gastronomical extravaganzas featuring such delicacies as baked beans (salt-reduced, of course) they should spare a thought, or two, for the poor GPs who suffer the enormous indignity of having to rely on drug company handouts for their very survival.

Yes, readers, "every working day, more than 200 health professionals, mostly doctors, attend an "educational event" garnished with food and drink supplied by a pharmaceutical company." (SMH, March 29)

The Herald reports that "in just six months last year these get-togethers attracted attendances totalling 385,221."

But, there's more, ...

A "review by consulting firm Deloitte found drug companies paid out $43 a head in hospitality. It has identified 52 events which will be investigated for breaches against the industry's code of conduct, which was designed to end lavish dinners and entertainment for doctors."

And, even more, ...

In addition to the largess described above there's "routine schmoozing that the $17 billion-a-year pharmaceutical industry undertakes with individual doctors."

"Not covered by the seemingly exhaustive list of 14,633 events reported are even more frequent sessions drug company representatives hold with individual doctors and staff at morning teas or light lunches that a rep brings to the surgery. Many practices are called on more than once a week by reps, who, while they cannot sell drugs to a doctor, promote their company's products."

Read the Herald's report here.

Bless 'em - the all singing and dancing 2020 Summit partygoers list

Here is the full Australia 2020 Summit invitees list.

 

Just for laughs have a close look at those attending this workshop.

It's so reassuring to see that the wealthy, ivory tower denizens, pollies and the fourth estate will again be informing federal government.

I will sleep well at night knowing that Miranda Devine, Gerard Henderson, Kerry Stokes and George Brandis all managed a seat at the table. 

Plus ça change.....

 

Future of Australian Governance

Mr Martin James Bailey, Male WA

Mr Joseph Martin Fernandez, Male WA

Ms Pia-Angela Francini, Female WA

Ms Alison Lesley Gaines, Female WA

Professor Janette Hartz-Karp, Female WA

Ms Holly Elizabeth Ransom, Female WA

Mr Wayne Francis Scheggia, Male WA

Dr Christine (Chrissy) Sharp, Female WA

Mr Peter Ajak, Male VIC

Professor Judith Margaret Brett, Female VIC

Mr Julian William Kennedy Burnside, Male VIC

Mr Paul Chadwick, Male VIC

Professor Allan Fels, Male VIC

Ms Iresha Herath, Female VIC

Ms Kristen Anna Isobel Hilton, Female VIC

Professor Sarah Louise Joseph, Female VIC

Ms Janice Winearls Keynton, Female VIC

Dr Terry MacDonald, Female VIC

Professor Robert Manne, Male VIC

Ms Katherine Dawn Sampson, Female VIC

Professor Cheryl Anne Saunders, Female VIC

Ms Sally Warhaft, Female VIC

Mr Alan Wu Male, VIC

Dr Sally Young, Female VIC

Mr Benedict Bartl, Male TAS

Ms Lyn Mason, Female TAS

Rev Professor Michael Tate, Male TAS

Ms Olivia Guarna, Female SA

Ms Elizabeth Francesca Ho, Female SA

Ms Tanya Louise Smith, Female SA

Mr Sean Barrett, Male QLD

Senator the Hon George Brandis, Male QLD

Dr Alexander Jonathon Brown, Male QLD

The Honourable Matthew (Matt) Joseph Foley, Male QLD

Mr Paul Formosa, Male QLD

Ms Bridie Kathleen Jabour, Female QLD

Ms Joanne Kelly, Female QLD

Professor the Honourable Michael Lavarch, Male QLD

Mr Michael McKinnon, Male QLD

Mr Alexander McLaughlin, Male QLD

Mr Stewart Mcrae, Male QLD

Dr David Solomon, Male QLD

Dr Anne Tiernan, Female QLD

Ms Danielle Vujovich, Female QLD

Professor Patrick Weller, AO Male QLD

Ms Sarah Jane O'Rourke, Female NT

Mr Mauri Japarta Ryan, Male NT

Ms Erin Adams, Female NSW

Mr Phillip Adams, Male NSW

Ms Robin Banks, Female NSW

Associate Professor Lyn Carson, Female NSW

Professor Greg Craven, Male NSW

Associate Professor Kate Jane Crawford, Female NSW

Ms Miranda Devine, Female NSW

Mr Macgregor Duncan, Male NSW

Professor Geoffrey Ian Gallop, Male NSW

Ms Kate Gauthier, Female NSW

Mr Gerard Henderson, Male NSW

Dr Helen Irving, Female NSW

Dr Paul Kelly, Male NSW

Ms Miriam Lyons, Female NSW

Mr David Marr, Male NSW

Mr Simon Rice, Male NSW

The Honourable Helen Sham-Ho, Female NSW

Professor Christopher Dominic Sidoti, Male NSW

Mr Brett Solomon, Male NSW

Associate Professor Anne Frances Twomey, Female NSW

Professor Hillary Charlesworth, Female ACT

Mr Harry Evans, Male ACT

The Honourable Justice Mary Gaudron, Female ACT

Ms Susan Gail Harris Rimmer, Female ACT

Mr Michael James Harvey, Male ACT

Ms Janet Eileen Hunt, Female ACT

Sir Anthony Mason, Male ACT

Mr Ian McPhee, Male ACT

Ms Jamila Helen Rizvi, Female ACT

Professor Marian Sawer, Female ACT

Ms Amelia Mary Simpson, Female ACT

Professor George John Williams, Male ACT

Sir William Deane, Male ACT

Ms Janet Giles, Female SA

Ms Amy Sarah King, Female

Prof Julianne Schultz, Female

Mr Kerry Stokes, Male NSW

Mr Howard Whitton, Male

Families Minister and Member for Jagajaga channels Mal Brough and throws compassion out the window

ABC1 AM:
TONY EASTLEY: The Federal Government will quarantine the $5,000 Baby Bonus from parents who neglect or abuse their children. Families Minister Jenny Macklin says parents will instead receive the bonus in the form of vouchers to buy items like prams and nappies.

Leaving aside the fact that Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs is merely parroting the former Howard Government and the previous ministerial incumbent; the Welfare Rights Centre pointed out in 2006 that such a move was not going to solve the problem of bad parenting and would be unlikely to stop individual abuse of welfare payments by recipients with an established alcohol, drug or gambling addiction.

Since then Ms. Macklin has moved from endorsing a straight voucher system to talking of implementing a debit card or store cards which would be useable at approved stores and for approved purchases.

The aim still appears to be to progress that old neo-con agenda. Starting with the Baby Bonus and other family payments as a trial of the electorate's gullibility, before moving onto the unemployed, disabled and finally introducing universal income management for all pension, benefit and allowance recipients from groups which are not seen as politically powerful.

Such income management would eventually stop 50% of the fortnightly welfare payment from going directly into a recipient's own personal bank or building society account, and 100% of all advance or lump sum payments would also no longer be given as cash payments into accounts.

Now here's the rub for any rural or regional parent receiving one of these debit/store cards (who even lives within commutable distance of one of the government-favoured big three, Coles, Woolworths and K-Mart) covering the Baby Bonus or other family allowance. These future guinea pigs who are already being identified as 'bad' by both the media and the Minister.

Rural and regional towns and villages are by definition reasonably small - if you don't actually socialise with the person standing next to you, you frequently know a friend of theirs or their children go to school or weekend sports with yours.

Store clerks and cashiers have no training and often no tact when it comes to welfare recipients as it is. They sometimes have no compunction in identifying store gift vouchers, being presented for payment of purchases, as having come from a non-government welfare agency.
In one instance I witnessed a cashier confiscating a packet of sweets from a very average pile of groceries a developmentally challenged adult (whom she only knew as a regular store customer) wanted to purchase with his gift voucher, on the stated grounds that lollies are not good for you.

When under any income management scheme almost inevitably one of these cashiers loudly and publicly tells a parent accompanied by a child that an item the parent wishes to purchase is not on the Centrelink/Community Services/Government list, everyone within earshot will be able to identify that family as 'dysfunctional' and the child as possibly considered to be neglected or abused.

Just how long do you think that child's privacy will last and his/her dignity remain intact when the local rumour mill will have that checkout incident across town and in the schoolyard within days?

One of the saddest aspects of Labor's rush to create its own form of Big Brother has been the sight of Ms. Macklin rising to her feet in Parliament last week and relying on a caller to the Alan Jones radio show for evidence of a need for Baby Bonus income management. A show notorious for setting up straw men to further its namesake's own biased arguments.

Ms. Macklin and the rest of the Rudd Government need to slow down here and develop a little political humility and compassion.
They are displaying nothing less than an arrogant paternalism. At the same time ignoring the fact that the Baby Bonus is currently not being handed out as a lump sum to identified dysfunctional families, but rather is being successfully and discretely delivered in instalments - without placing any child's right to privacy at risk or exposing a family to malicious gossip.

A little Mandarin goes a long way

Photograph from Indymedia

ABC News reported this late last night.

A senior Australian diplomat will be allowed to visit Tibet tomorrow, as a part of a delegation granted access by the Chinese Government.
Australia had requested diplomatic access to Tibet to assess the situation in the region, after a recent Chinese Government crackdown on protesters.
After initially ignoring the request, the Chinese Government has agreed to allow one senior diplomat from Australia's Beijing Embassy to join other foreign diplomats on a trip to Tibet, accompanied by Chinese officials.
The speed of China's approval has surprised the Australian Government.
Before leaving Australia for an overseas trip today, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd described the lack of access as a sticking point.
A spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says the Australian diplomat hopes to check on the welfare of four Australians known to be in Tibet.

Clearly an instance where Kevin Rudd and Stephen Smith made better ground than might have been possible if John Howard and Alexander Downer were still at the helm.

The Rudd dog whistle exposed

Faced with the reality of office, everytime it comes up against an uncomfortable moment in the media cycle the Rudd Government has been drawing out of the hat that old trick of re-labelling some troublesome behaviour as significant social problems and then telling the world that these were out of control or at 'epidemic' levels.
Coming out from under 11 years of John Howard using this very same tactic, it was easy to spot the political dog whistles.
Teenagers out-of-control, bad parents, addicts.
This was confirmed mid-week when the COAG communique was posted at the Prime Minister of Australia website here.

"Binge Drinking. COAG today agreed on the importance of tackling alcohol misuse and binge drinking among young people. COAG agreed to ask the Ministerial Council on Drug Strategy to report to COAG in December 2008 on options to reduce binge drinking including in relation to closing hours, responsible service of alcohol, reckless secondary supply and the alcohol content in ready to drink beverages. COAG also asked the Australia New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council to request Food Standards Australia New Zealand to consider mandatory health warnings on packaged alcohol.

Gambling. COAG agreed to continue to discuss issues related to problem gambling".

A perfect example of sound and fury signifying very little.
Not so easy is it fellas. Just because you are now teh Federal Government doesn't automatically mean you would be able to come up with instant easy-fix answers or allow you to pretend that this focus on binge drinking and gambling was anything other than a beat up.
I look forward to hearing you discover Laura Norder, border security and welfare 'cheats' next week.

Northern Rivers couple star in documentary

Yaegl woman and film-maker Pauline Clague celebrates her parents life in the documentary film When Colin Met Joyce.

Ms Clague told The Daily Examiner that "For us as film-makers it's important to give it back to our community," ---
"This film is a gift to the Clarence River. It identifies Yaegl country really well,"
Pauline said she was excited and nervous about showing the film at Yamba.
"As a writer and producer it's hard to bring it back to my own community, but Mum and Dad have seen it and they're happy with it," she said."

Details of the film here.

When Colin Met Joyce will also be shown on SBS at 7.30pm on 1 August 2008.