LET THE PUBLIC KNOW

Insistence by the judicial system that youthful criminals be afforded anonymity is a travesty.

Young people convicted of serious crime do not deserve to have their identities shielded in this way.

I well remember a case that happened in Katherine probably thirty years ago. A number of 12 and 13-year-olds broke into the Clyde Fenton Primary School in the late hours of the night. They turned on hose reels linked to fire hydrants and flooded the school library.

The design of the library was such that there was a pool like recess in the middle of the resource area. That filled up with water which then overflowed across the floors and carpets.

Damage was extensive! The offenders were identified, “revealed“ to the school and had their names and details of their aberrant activities published in the “Katherine Times“ newspaper.

I thought that was an enlightening step by the local news media. The community was justifiably outraged, the miscreants called out and shamed to the whole of the Katherine community.

The do-gooders of course took umbrage that these precious young souls had been so identified. Some do gooders castigated the paper for its vision in publishing the names of the miscreants.

Publish names. Anonymity is not deserved! Reveal them.

COMMISSION INTO AGED CARE

I am 73 years old. Although in reasonable health and keeping fairly active, nothing is guaranteed when it comes to the health futures of seniors. Things can go belly up, often at short notice.

Collapse may be about health, financial impairment, and other circumstances.

It seems to me that the saddest affliction that besets seniors is that of losing mental acuity. Dementia and Alzheimer’s are afflictions with progressive permanency that reduces people to almost vegetable status. It usually takes some time to get there but deterioration although gradual is unstoppable.

I’ve been following the Royal Commission on television and reading stories collaborating its findings. I’ve decided the nursing homes and aged care institutions of all dimensions are the worst possible alternative available to those of advancing years.

Seniors in these places seem to be very much unwanted and unloved . They’re often there for the sake of convenience to their families and that is understandable. No one really wants to inflict themselves upon their children who as adults have children and family commitments of their own.

Movement into an aged care facility is often a mutual choice. It is also one sometimes imposed by circumstances beyond the control of one of the parties because the onset of dementia can deny the sufferer a chance to contribute to dialogue around which their future is being shaped.

The footage shown and the stories told to the Aged Care Royal Commission about the quality of the care offered to patients in nursing homes have filled me with absolute horror! I am moved to say that many of those incumbent upon nursing home care are treated as rubbish! There is no empathy, no kindness, no understanding and no “desire“ on the part of staff to be working in these places.

It’s become obvious through reading and hearing of reports that the Royal Commission that many staff in nursing homes are decidedly unsuitable for the jobs are feeling. They are not trained and don’t have a concept of each of the basic most rudimentary care that’s necessary for the well-being of patients. I am using the word “patients” deliberately because it’s more than obvious that those in nursing homes have a little more than inmate status.

I am convinced that euthanasia is a far better option than the nursing home alternative.

THE ALDERMANIC QUESTION IS SOLVED

While I am reflecting on the situation of aldermanic representation as it applies to the City of Darwin Council, my thoughts may apply to aldermen elected to other councils.

When seeking election and immediately after a local government election takes place, candidates and aldermen promise they are going to be available to their constituents. They will door knock, hold regular meetings in shopping centres, produce newsletters and otherwise retain a high level of visibility. They will take concerns of ratepayers to council meetings and follow up on issues.

Within a relatively short time, that visibility reduces and often to a point of where aldermen become forgotten people. There is no door knocking, periodic meetings at shopping centres become sporadic (if they ever started) and phone calls or messages either go unanswered or are replied to only after a lengthy period of time.

Why? I have wondered for a long time but an answer in two parts now suggests itself.

1. Aldermen are workers, holding regular positions. Their aldermanic income is a stipend of only $40+ per day. Not enough to live on and their aldermanic ‘extras’ being time spent. on ratepayer and ward issues confirms this to be the case. To be an ‘alderman’ is an add on duty.

2. Aldermen are also family people who have responsibilities at home. This has a priority over their service to the community, meaning that time available for aldermanic duties is further trimmed.

In the NT, local government elections are still eighteen months away. So in fifteen months time, potentially new aldermen will present as candidates. They will contest the elections alongside those who are seeking a further term in office.

Then the ‘now we see you, now we don’t’ cycle will start over.

Why do football commentators who are supporting TV coverage of league football have to yell and screech ands batter the hell out of the ears of viewers who are watching. With their shrieking, why do they have to bellow out the obvious. They are spoiling the game for viewers with the way they rant and rail and rattle the airwaves.

Commentators used to support what was being watched with added information. The second days, we are down to Dermot Brereton who is the only TV commentator who offers information, careful analysis and all with reasonable and supporting vocal tones.

We need more of this approach and far less of the raucous approach taken by the majority of commentators.

SEPTEMBER IN THE NT

So a delegation of 250 lead by our Chief Minister is off to Canberra for two days to enlighten politicans and federal agencies with an awareness of the NT, our potential and our needs. Some might pay their own way but the NT Government will be up for hundreds of thousands of dollars for this soirée. Will this huge expense be justifiable?

It’s true to say that many police, teachers and other service providers do not relish the idea of living and working in remote areas. Staffing challenges may be overcome only if training includes a requirement of remote area service upon graduation.

Channel 9’s continuing commitment is encouraging. However it would be great if the six o’clock news each week night included more than 4 or 5 minutes focussing on the NT. No local weekend news on 9 is also a keenly felt loss.

TWO TYPES OF DASTARDLY CRIME – The First.

There are two levels of crime being committed with monotonous frequency, which are far too leniently treated if perpetrators are apprehended.

The first of these is possibly the lesser of the two evils although there are worldwide implications. I’m referring to “hacking“, the deliberate breaking into Internet sites by those with intent. Sometimes that intention might be mischievous on other times it is malevolent and has deliberate criminal intention.

Hackers when caught and regardless of the seriousness or otherwise of their transgressions tend to be very lightly treated. That is particularly the case for those who are under 30 years of age.

It is these younger ones who often have a more sophisticated knowledge of what they are doing than those who are older.

For these crimes and not withstanding the distress and inconvenience they cause, a slap on the wrist as often all that happens for those going to court. Crimes can result in major dislocation of industrial, commercial, economic and domestic communications. It’s this major inconvenience and often huge cost of correction that needs to be taken into account when sentencing takes place.

It is time to up the anti on dealing with hackers and their associates the scammers.

KEE NOG STAN (I DON’T UNDERSTAND)

I don’t understand why those who volunteer and where that volunteering costs, are not able to claim any of those costs from personal taxation.

For six years, from July 2013 until June 2019, I wrote a weekly column for the Suns Newspaper, circulating as a community paper in Darwin and around the NT. This had a personal cost which included printing ink, paper, and other stationery requisites. Because I was volunteering my columns and not being paid for my copy, I am not able to claim expenses associated with research, preparation and writing.

This issue extends to include a cost recoup lockout for materials which I have produced for magazines and online sharing.

I am a retired person who has written material for a number of organisations, all of which have been voluntarily shared. I am not making any call about this issue for my time, but simply cannot understand why material costs associated with my work in print, blog and sharing for the sake of supporting others (many in paid work) cannot be claimed.

Any understanding others may have would be appreciated.

Regards

Henry Gray

Rubbish is collected in our residential area of Darwin’s northern suburbs each Thursday morning. On most Thursday mornings, prior to the arrival of the rubbish truck to empty red bins, I do a short rubbish patrol with the plastic bucket and tongs, over a 300 or 400 meter section of our road.

Sometimes I go in the reverse direction and pick up rubbish along a more major thoroughfare not far from home.

The Northern Territory Correctional Services do periodic collections of litter from our area.

No matter when you go out collecting, there is always rubbish that’s accumulated. Corrections did a pick up along our street just three days ago. You might think there would be nothing for me to collect one morning later. If that was the case, you would be wrong.

I picked up a significant amount of rubbish. In just over half an hour, I picked up a bucketful of litter. The most common item of collection today were cigarette butts, obviously flying out of car windows. There were also three or four empty cigarette boxes. Always a perennial are plastic drink cups coming from takeaway establishments. McDonald’s seems to be the most popular “throwaway“ drink container. This morning I also landed a Weet-Bix box and one or two other cartons (flattened).

Bits of plastic, discarded potato chip bags, bottle tops, empty plastic bottles, bits of cardboard, occasional sheets of plastic, tissues, and similar assorted miscellaneous rubbish generally form part of my collection.

And that’s just in my immediate area. I would imagine that there must be many tons of litter part and parcel of the perennial make up of our landscape around Darwin, Palmerston and the nearby rural area.

What’s collected by those who go out collecting rubbish is just a drop in the ocean, when it comes to volume relieved from and environment and what remains to be collected.

One of the permanent features about our city, is it’s rubbish.

MY CONFUSION OVER THE QUESTION OF ETHNIC IDENTITY

– I am wondering why it is that many people of mixed ethnicity proudly acknowledge their indigenous (aboriginal) heritage while overlooking, downplaying or ignoring their other ethnic characteristics. It seems to me that this is more and more the case.

–

– It is this characteristic that without doubt is adding quite exponentially to the number of people within Australia in all states and territories now identifying as “Indigenous Australians“.

–

– In many contexts, those claims while quite legitimate under procedures of recognition, are distorting funding and sending financial support in wrong directions. A lot of that funding is now going to where it’s not needed but is being claimed purely and simply on the basis of ethnic characteristic.

–

– I’d really like to know why the change (other than it seems to be one of financial incentive) if there are reasons of a non-monetary nature for this happening.

–

– Another aspect that worries me is that of people claiming identity under these circumstances, denying and not appreciating the contribution made to their development by the totality of their ethnic origin.

– I am wondering why it is that many people of mixed ethnicity proudly acknowledge their indigenous (aboriginal) heritage while overlooking, downplaying or ignoring their other ethnic characteristics. It seems to me that this is more and more the case.

–

– It is this characteristic that without doubt is adding quite exponentially to the number of people within Australia in all states and territories now identifying as “Indigenous Australians“.

–

– In many contexts, those claims while quite legitimate under procedures of recognition, are distorting funding and sending financial support in wrong directions. A lot of that funding is now going to where it’s not needed but is being claimed purely and simply on the basis of ethnic characteristic.

–

– I’d really like to know why the change (other than it seems to be one of financial incentive) if there are reasons of a non-monetary nature for this happening.

–

– Another aspect that worries me is that of people claiming identity under these circumstances, denying and not appreciating the contribution made to their development by the totality of their ethnic origin.

LOCALISED RUBBISH

Rubbish is collected in our residential area each Thursday morning. On most Thursday mornings, prior to the arrival of the rubbish truck to empty red bins, I do a short rubbish patrol with the plastic bucket and tongs, over a 300 or 400 meter section of our road.

Sometimes I go in the reverse direction and pick up rubbish along a more major thoroughfare.

The Northern Territory Correctional Services do periodic collections of litter from our area.

No matter when you go out collecting, there is always rubbish that’s accumulated. Corrections did a pick up along our street just three days ago. You might think there would be nothing for me to collect this morning. If that was the case, you would be wrong.

I picked up a significant amount of rubbish In just over half an hour, I picked up a bucketful of litter. The most common item of collection today were cigarette butts, obviously flying out of car windows. There were also three or four empty cigarette boxes. Always a perennial are plastic drink cups coming from takeaway establishments. McDonald’s seems to be the most popular “throwaway“ drink container. This morning I also landed a Weet-Bix box and one or two other cartons (flattened).

Bits of plastic, discarded potato chip bags, bottle tops, empty plastic bottles, bits of cardboard, occasional sheets of plastic, tissues, and similar assorted miscellaneous rubbish generally form part of my collection.

And that’s just in my immediate area. I would imagine that there must be many tons of litter part and parcel of the perennial make up of our landscape around Darwin, Palmerston and the nearby rural area.

What’s collected by those who go out collecting rubbish is just a drop in the ocean, when it comes to volume relieved from and environment and what remains to be collected.