Successive NT Governments have failed been unable to keep the Territory moving forward. We are increasingly in debt and appear to be up against increasingly insurmountable economic and social problems. I hope things can be turned around.

It seems that the vulnerability of industrial, commercial and retail business to breaking and entering, damage, vandalism and theft is never ending. Let’s hope the fight crime rally (NT News 6/7) leads toward a solution to what has become ‘an endless night’ of worry and concern for business owners.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles has said that Territorians are sicker than people elsewhere in Australia. While improvements to the health system might assist in overcoming the problem, self-help and taking care of ourselves needs to come into the equation.

HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND

I am confused. Here is why.

* The Giles CLP Government leased the Darwin East Arm Port facilities to Landbridges, a Chinese owned and controlled company for $507,000,000 a few years ago. The lease period is for 99 years. In all honesty, this leasing arrangement cannot be deemed as other than peppercorn rent. While some income apparently generates to the NT Government for profits the company makes, it remains that Landbridges are by far and away, more significant than the government in terms of wharf activities.

* The Giles Government sent aside $100,000,000 to go toward the construction of a ship lifting facility at the port. An additional $300,000,000 was sought from the Federal Government for the facility. This adds up to a total of $400,000,000 sought for a facility for a port under the control of a company owned by foreign interests.

* The Gunner Government when elected, pressed on with the request for federal funding for the project. Treasurer Nicole Manison is meeting with Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg seeking that contribution. If it is not forthcoming, there is a chance the NT Government will become further indebted by seeking a loan for the project.

My question is WHY go into MASSIVE DEBT for a PRIVATE PRINCIPAL. The logic fails me!!

The world seems to be full of people who are “do as I say” advisers. They are full of wise thoughts and suggestions, the creators of ideas. They want people to jump to and try them out. If the trials (called pilots) go belly up, there is no skin off their nose.

These people are generally unwilling to try their ideas as guinea pigs. They prefer others to do the trialling. If things don’t work out, they get away with “oops!”. They don’t have to pick up the bits that are scattered around, for the mess is left to the management of the pilot organisation. And it is those who have done the trialling who wear the criticism and brickbats.

If things go right (a rarity), the idea creators are quick to claim the credit and reluctant to share with the organisation involved with the experiment.

Be careful of the “do as I say(ers)”. You can be left up the creek without a paddle.

it is interesting that data that was stolen from the Australian National University that impacted upon many people who were connected with that institution, has only just been discovered.

This is just one more incident in the whole train of events that convinces me that nothing about anybody is private any more.

I’m also amazed by the fact that if people are caught out for hacking, penalties are relatively light if imposed at all.

Maybe, we should give up talking about privacy and becoming precious about private lives because it seems there’s no such thing as privacy any more.

Sadly, the person who got it all wrong was George Orwell in his novel “1984”. I can remember people saying how “far out” all well was for suggesting the way in which privacy would be impacted upon by Big Brother.

The only thing Orwell did that wasn’t right, was to under estimate just how invasive the intrusion upon privacy would become.

I was going through and cleaning up some of my collection of all sorts today. During the sorting, I stumbled on a copy of the last ‘Arafura Times’ newspaper. This paper under various names had been published to cover Nhulunbuy and its surrounding East Arnhemland area for many years. It goes back into the 1970’s and faithfully reported on the happenings within the town and surrounds for well over 40 years.

And then it folded. The last edition was for the period of 12-18 October 2016. The paper was discontinued, being deemed no longer economically viable. What a sad loss. People said that Facebook and an online adaptation the ‘Gove Noticeboard’ would suffice. That has been a substitute forum but nothing beats a local newspaper. The printed world is an enabling device when it comes to recording, preservation, and the mounting of history. Cyberspace alternatives are far more fleeting and offered without editing and consideration before things are put online.

Local papers everywhere are under the pump. So too is regional television and regional news bulletins. As a child, teenager and young man, I valued local offerings. So too, did everyone I knew.

Too much that was good and filled a useful purpose has been ditched. That is not a good thing.

I know the governments get busy, but maybe somethings need to be considered as I suggested in my correspondence to our chief Minister.

LONG TERM TERRITORIAN REFERENCE GROUP

I wanted to raise with you an idea that was discussed with me a number of months ago. It transpired that we (the other person and I) were both concerned about the number of new beaut ideas for Territory development being articulated, that are a revisitation of what has already been tried and discarded.

The Issue

The rebirth ‘as new’ of old and dispensed with ideas occurs in large part because of ignorance about our history. One of the standout examples to illustrate my point is that of the CBD and particularly the mall having been re-visited at least four times during my time in the Northern Territory. There are other examples to do with our infrastructure development that have been similarly revisited.

Within departments, the same sort of thing happens. I’m most familiar with education. The idea of regionalising (decentralising function) educational management has been tried at least three times. When revisited nobody takes account of what has gone before. They often don’t know that ideas have been previously tried. That’s because we have a very poor record of recording history in the NT.

Another reason for regurgitation is that people in high level decision making positions often come and go after fairly short periods of time. People new to these positions often don’t know what has gone before. As well, they are often interested in adding their own “personal touch” for the sake of building curriculum vitaes. which will then be used to gain positions elsewhere and generally not in the Territory. The Territory is used as a stepping stone.

The Fix Idea

It seemed as we spoke about this issue, that the Northern Territory Government might give consideration to establishing a group of people who are long-term residents in the Northern Territory. This group might be asked if there is any previous history about ideas being flashed out as “new beaut schemes“.

Our thought was this group might comprise people with background into the operation of various departments and with experience in life and living in the Northern Territory in general terms.

Neither might it be necessary for people to meet physically to consider every issue, rather being asked for feedback by email or by phone on occasion. This will enable people living out of Darwin and Palmerston to be involved.

Our thought wasn’t that this group should be remunerated; that’s not the motivation of everybody who wants to support our territory and see it is a better place. The thinking was that in the interests of avoiding mistakes, particularly where those mistakes might arise from revisiting previous policy that had been discarded, a group of such a nature could lend itself to the betterment of the Territory.

I wanted to share this with you and wondered what you might think about such a development.

Regards

Henry Gray

October 22 2018

PO Box 42201

CASUARINA NT 0811

As an ageing citizen, I confess to having been very concerned before the election the Labour was bent on upholding the Grasshopper Brigade. It seems that redistribution based on taking from the “haves” to the “have nots” was a policy ambition being carried to the extreme. And the future under Labour seemed to be one of gloominess.

The way things were being set up under a Labour Government would make life going forward far more challenging than it should be.

Throughout my working life, I frequently went without in terms of looking toward a secure family future. It seemed to me that it was necessary to look at personally providing, rather than relying on institutional support.

What a Labour Government was planning in terms of franking, taxation penalties, and other measures for the sake of redistribution seemed to be grossly unfair.

Whether deliberately or by accident, it seemed that the franking credit issue was oner not understood by Labor promoters of proposed changes. This obfuscation was quite infuriating and obviously fuelled reactions by come voters. Mr Bowen’s “if you don’t like it, don’t vote Labor” was an invitation accepted by many going to the polls.

I have no problem with taxation and other benefits being offered for those who genuinely need support. However, I do have a big problem with being targeted through taxation to support Grasshoppers, that brigade of people who have drunk, smoked, gambled, and socialised away their income – only then to turn around and expect to be supported in later life as a “reward” for their waste.

That is not on!

Before the election

MAY 19 AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER

Here it is the Ides of May,

It’s Australia’s voting day,

Just hours to go ’till voters shrill,

Shriek with joy “We voted Bill”.

He’s in the Lodge there to stay,

As years and years roll away,

Youth of today old will be,

Before he goes – eventually.

He’s brought us through today’s quicksand,

Delivered to us the Promised Land,

We trust him with our hard earned money,

In exchange for milk and honey.

Gone for all is drudge and grime,

Like gleaming gold the future’s shine,

He lifts us all and blessed we are,

Lead by Bill our shining star.

And after

THRICE DENIED

Well, well oh WELL!

How wrong one can be,

Bill is departing,

Without victory.

The election he thought,

Was well in the bag.

With each passing hour,

Expectations did sag.

“If you don’t like it vote Liberal”,

Said Labor’s Chris Bowen,

He threw out the challenge,

The seed it was sown.

Three times the bridesmaid,

But never the bride,

Bill’s leaving the hustings,

To those who stood by his side.

Humbly elated,

ScoMo stays in The Lodge,

Saved by the voters,

Smiled on by the Gods.

I am 73 and in relatively good health at the moment. But I am aware of the fact that with aging comes the liklihood of health in both physical and mental contexts becoming diminished. So there is a certain ‘knife edge’ about my existence.

The issue of physical and mental deterioration is an issue that sits in the back of my mind. Dying is not something that worries me as was the case when I was younger. However, diminishment concerns me greatly!

The nursing home issue is absolutely awful. The idea of being confined in a nursing home fulls me with dread. Nursing homes are being revealed to my thinking as ghastly alternatives.

Some patients who are afflicted with dementia and mind reducing ailments. This may cause them to become violent and abusive. Obviously they have to be contained, but age care workers are often people with limited training who draw a salary commensurate with their qualifications. They may do a job to the best of their ability, but performance is not really up to speed.

However, I suspect that poor or neglectful patient management is not limited to these cases.

The fact that nursing homes are primarily about shareholder profit has to mean that overall management costs are pared to the minimum allowed by law. This is done to enhance profits and inflate dividends.

I do not believe that aged care should be allowed to feature on the stock market.

When my time comes, I want to be able to take myself off this planet through a euthanasia allowed process. I do not want to become a burden on my family nor on society. And I don’t want to spend my last years in some dispassionate nursing home environment.

Mr Shorten keeps uttering what I consider disparaging comment about ‘the time end of town’.

I am finding this confusing because he has not really defined ‘the top end of town’.

What is ‘the top end of town’?

What makes a person a member of ‘the top end of town’?

How many Australians are there who are in ‘the top end of town’?

I ask this question because ‘the top end of town’ has not been clarified or explained in understandable terms.

IMAGE

Presenting is about content (matter) and style (manner).

The manner in which Mr Shorten has presented himself has impressed many people, both during debates and when he is out and about on the hustings.

It is important that those listening consider both the content (substance)v within the message as well as theatre that goes with presentation and display.