Fire bans in August? An overreaction?

The Country Fire Service has issued an unseasonal and hence surprising fire ban advice for tomorrow:

IDS20290
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT - BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY
SOUTH AUSTRALIA REGIONAL OFFICE

FIRE BAN ADVICE FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Issued at 5:05 pm on Wednesday, 29 August 2007

Thursday 30 August 2007 is forecast to be a day of extreme fire danger,
especially in bushland and forest areas, and the Country Fire Service has
imposed Total Fire Bans in the following districts:

West Coast
Eastern Eyre Peninsula
Lower Eyre Peninsula
Mount Lofty Ranges

For more information on restrictions, phone the CFS Hotline on 1300 362 361 or
go to http://www.cfs.org.au

Yes, the Bureau of Meteorology state forecast does predict high winds and high temperatures:

IDS10033
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT - BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY
SOUTH AUSTRALIA REGIONAL OFFICE

FORECAST FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Issued at 4:20 pm on Wednesday, 29 August 2007
For tonight and Thursday.

Please do not use this forecast after 6 am Thursday.

WARNING SUMMARY:
A Gale Warning has been issued for all South Australian coasts.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA:
Fine Wednesday evening. Warm to hot and dry at first on Thursday with northerly
winds increasing to strong to gale force with locally raised dust. A cooler,
strong and squally southwesterly change developing west of Ceduna during the
morning, then extending to remaining district during the afternoon and evening.
Isolated showers developing across the agricultural areas behind the change.
Winds moderating in the west Thursday evening. Fire Danger rising Very High to
Extreme in forest and bushland during Thursday. 

But, repeat but, has anyone from the CFS or the BOM looked out the window and at the Adelaide Hills (in the Mount Lofty Ranges fire ban district), which are, as usual at this time of year, covered in green? The ABC News online story misrepresents the situation by including a photo of the CFS in action on dry grass.

Adelaide (today's max 20.5 deg) is considerably warmer than the Mount Lofty Ranges (today's max at Mt Lofty 14.2). Does the prospect of 28 in Adelaide, followed by a cool change and possible showers, justify a total fire ban?

In my experience fire bans in the Mt Lofty ranges are imposed when the Adelaide est max is 35 or more. Does this mean that 28 is the new 35? In my experience it's quite feasible to walk in the parks near Adelaide, eg Cleland and Morialta, on most days when the estimated max is in the high 20s, and in the morning or late afternoon of many days when the temperature exceeds 30.

The "weather bureau" spokesman quoted by the ABC acknowledges that this is a first:

Allan Beattie, from the weather bureau in Adelaide, says the conditions will be hazardous until a forecast change later in the day.

"One thing we probably haven't seen in all this before is a fire ban for the Mount Lofty Ranges but we have one for tomorrow," he said."The highest temperature recorded in Adelaide is 29 [for August], we're going for 28 tomorrow so we're within one degree of our extremes."

Hardly an unequivocal endorsement of the CFS action, methinks. Of course I hope that no fires start (or are started), but imposing a fire ban looks unnecessary.


Update 30 August 2130 CST

Well today certainly turned out to be hot, even hotter than forecast. Adelaide's maximum reached 30.4 degrees, an all time August record. It was windy (with strong gusts) and warm, but I've not heard any reports of fires, which is good especially given that the fire ban and the accompanying publicity must have tempted some local pyromaniacs to emerge from hibernation.

For a detailed analysis of today's weather see the estimable hillsrain website.

My comments yesterday weren't meant to play down the potential damage to agriculture, but to question the need for a fire ban in the Mt Lofty Ranges on a day when a cool change and rain were forecast. The 2135/9.35pm temperature is now 17.1 in Adelaide and 10.7 at Mt Lofty, and tomorrow's forecast is for a much cooler day, so we can be grateful that this spasm of heat was so short. We do need more rain though.


Further update 30 August 2200

It is now raining outside. I hope it continues, despite the unpromising forecast, for some time.

The changing face of Australia

On last night's 7.30 Report , Hugh Mackay, the veteran (by his own admission) social researcher was interviewed by Kerry O'Brien. The transcript, with links to an extended version, is here.

Mackay 's body and opinions have aged gracefully: "mellowed" isn't quite the right word, because while he admits to being optimistic about the future of our society he hasn't adopted a Panglossian view. Food for thought, especially for those who, like him and me, have seen many changes in our journey through life.

Lunar eclipse

As I post the full moon in the eastern sky above where I live is in eclipse. Adelaide Now's story says: "The Earth's shadow will creep across the moon's surface tonight, slowly eclipsing it and turning it to shades of orange and red." When I looked just now (2030 CST) the moon was more burnt orange , or copper, than red, and darker than it had been an hour before.

Discovery Channel is showing the event live, with three Australian observatories (in Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania) to choose from.

I must go outside and have another look.

Update 29 August

Adelaide Now has published a mixed bag of (mostly readers') pictures including this and this.

More good arguments for anti-corruption commissions

An editorial in today's Australian "Opposing the obvious" makes its point trenchantly:

If the first sign a premier has been in office too long is a statement that independent oversight of the government is unnecessary, it is time for Labor MPs in South Australia to start thinking about a successor for Mike Rann. Last week, Mr Rann suggested South Australia does not need an independent corruption commission because in other states such agencies spend a lot of money on lawyers. At best, this unforced error means Mr Rann is so unconcerned by what voters think that he now says the first thing that comes into his head.

At worst, it demonstrates that he is comfortable in power and so convinced of the probity of his ministers and mandarins that he genuinely does not see the need for independent investigators, including lawyers whose job it is to ask politicians and public servants hard questions.

But whatever Mr Rann thinks, from the wretched regime of Joh Bjelke-Petersen in Queensland a generation ago to the recent influence-peddling of Brian Burke in Western Australia, the evidence is overwhelmingly in favour of well-resourced corruption commissions. Certainly such agencies are a pain in the neck for ministers who have no case to answer. In NSW a few years back, Craig Knowles was hauled before the Independent Commission Against Corruption as part of a complex inquiry taht took a great deal of time and cost him political capital before finding him innocent of any wrongdoing. His boss, premier Bob Carr, got into strife with ICAC for saying he thought his minister had received a rough go.

Set against such irritations are the achievements of corruption commissions around the country. ICAC and the similar agency that oversees the police help keep corruption in NSW under control. In 1987, the Fitzgerald inquiry in Queensland began the process that saw four state ministers go to prison and unmasked the police commissioner as a crook. Some 20 years later we have seen three ministers in Western Australia resign over their relationships with Mr Burke.

Perhaps Mr Rann can explain what it is about Adelaide that makes politicians and public servants so pure there is no need for a corruption commission there. And perhaps John Brumby, the new premier of Victoria, who agrees with Mr Rann, can do the same, although evidence of police corruption in his state will make it a tough task.

Unless they are game to claim all is pure on their patches, both men must provide a sensible answer to a simple question: if they will not establish anti-corruption agencies, why not?

Bob Dylan

Last night I went to the Bob Dylan concert at the Entertainment Centre. The performance, which was excellent, is still resonating in my mind. I particularly recall "Lay, Lady, Lay" and his final offering, "Blowin' In The Wind", whose timeless words were set to a more contemporary arrangement (though still with harmonica interlude). He also sang some songs from Modern Times , his latest album, which I'd heard (and which I recommend), including "Thunder on the Mountain" and "Beyond The Horizon".

Bob and his backing group performed for about an hour and three-quarters, with only a brief break near the end. As is apparently the custom at his concerts, he allowed the music and lyrics to speak for themselves, which they are well able to do. The only variation was when, near the end, he introduced the band members.

Apart from its quality, the length of the performance attested to Bob's stamina. Though he swapped his guitar for keyboards after a few numbers he remained standing throughout. Not bad for someone who is older (not to mention much more talented) than me.

I've long admired Dylan, but until last night had never seen him in person. Although I was sitting a long way from the stage I did, with uncharacteristic foresight, take a pair of binoculars so I was able to zoom in on the action, close enough to pick out several details, eg looked like an Oscar statuette standing on a speaker.

"Aspirational nationalism" or balderdash?

It's hardly worth mentioning, except for its curiosity and spin value, but Prime Minister Howard , or someone in his circle, has coined this phrase.

Its ostensible purpose is to summarise his vision for Australia in a nutshell. The more likely effect is to draw attention to his propensity, never more marked than in recent times, to make policy on the run.

If he has a vision it is to keep himself in office.

Sydney finding claims questioned

I can't say that I'm surprised, but the media, led by The Australian (see here and here), have questioned claims that the wreck of HMAS Sydney has been found:

David Mearns, who has recovered more than 50 ships - including the British battleship HMS Hood, sunk by the German battleship Bismarck in World War II - said it seemed highly improbable the wreck off Dirk Hartog Island was the Sydney.

"I would love for this to be the Sydney but in my professional opinion it's not believable," he said.

Mr Mearns said German logbooks showed the November 19, 1941, battle between the German raider SS Kormoran and the Sydney took place 120 nautical miles west of the Gascoyne Coast, or 160 nautical miles southwest of the town of Carnarvon.

The wreck detected last week by amateur researcher Phil Shepherd and his mates - including master diver Ian Stiles, who filmed parts of the wreck with a grappling hook and an underwater camera - was just 20 nautical miles from Dirk Hartog and close to the coast.

The men would not elaborate on their find yesterday because of a confidentiality agreement with a media organisation, Mr Stiles's wife, Sharon, said.

A spokesman for Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said the navy would examine the wreck to determine if it was the Sydney.

Even the Fairfax media has had to back off its euphoric, and what now appears to be spurious, claim at the weekend that the sighting was almost certainly the Sydney:

The navy will work with the Western Australian Maritime Museum to try to verify claims that HMAS Sydney has been located off the West Australian coast. The move came after the sighting of a wreck which could be the vessel that sank on November 19, 1941, with 645 aboard. An investigation was necessary, a Defence Force spokesman said, before any "positive identification of the wreck" could be confirmed. Divers claimed last week that the remains of the vessel, sunk by enemy fire, had been found near Dirk Hartog Island."This is wonderful news," Mike McCarthy, the curator of maritime archeology at the West Australian Museum, said.

"The navy will probably send a survey ship with sonar capability to investigate the wreck, which is justified because of the huge interest this discovery has created," Dr McCarthy, who is advising the navy, said.

A spokesman for Bruce Billson, the minister assisting the Minister for Defence, said the Government was waiting for a report from the team that claims to have found the ship before committing a ship to the search."They have a lawful obligation to file this report, and once the navy has verification [it] can commit a survey ship, which would probably be a minehunter with sonar capability," the spokesman said "Until then it would be irresponsible of them to prematurely raise the expectations of relatives who have been living with this mystery for more than 60 years and want closure."

Tonight's 7.30 Report summed up the current state of play well in words, though some of the accompanying video footage was grossly inaccurate: many of the warships depicted bore little resemblance to the Sydney. Can't the ABC researchers do better than this? All they need to do is to consult some of the knowledgeable people who were interviewed on the program.

Contrasting perspectives on contemporary Australia

From today's Crikey:

Frank Golding writes: On Friday Christian Kerr concludes that "Things aren’t that bad out in voterland" because a subscriber told him: ING will pay him higher interest rate on his savings; the earnings of his super fund will be going up, he’s just got a tax cut, his new super-duper laptop is costing less than half the old one, his shares are way up as are his dividends, the value of his (un-mortgaged) apartment is skyrocketing and he is holidaying soon in Pt Douglas. The subscriber blames John Howard. My 20-year-old has no savings, no super, no tax cut, no laptop, no shares, no apartment and no holiday. He blames John Howard too. They both get one vote.

Kerry O'Brien spits dummy on air, then apologises

On tonight's 7.30 Report Kerry O'Brien didn't check that his microphone was switched off before launching into an intemperate dummy spit about the story he'd just introduced. He did, in a manner of speaking, apologise when he returned to camera. No doubt this will be edited out of the online version of the program (see link) but it'll be interesting to see what, if anything, the mainstream media make of the gaffe.

Update 14 August

Not surprisingly, the scene has turned up on YouTube

The Fairfax media hasn't, as far as I can tell, mentioned the story online (why not?) but The Australian printed Nicola Berkovic's story in its print edition, and posted a pretty much identical version on the News.com.au website (albeit in the "entertainment" section):

O'Brien was heard having a rant about mixed up auto-cues during a story by chief political correspondent Michael Brissenden. Earlier, O'Brien had stumbled while introducing the segment, which is possibly when he realised that changes he had made to the text did not appear in his auto-prompt.

"I don't know what's happened, but I changed my bloody links. I changed that link and I wrote it into the Canberra cue, and that's not the link I've written," O'Brien was heard to say, while on air.

No doubt O'Brien, who has worked as a journalist for more than 40 years, would have had more to say after he realised his displeasure was expressed on air. O'Brien later apologised for the "studio sound" leading into Brissenden's story.

O'Brien is known for his usually cool persona on camera. He has been a presenter on The 7.30 Report since 1995, after six years on the ABC's Lateline program.

News.com.au has also taken pity on Kerry and attempted to put his rant into perspective by providing a list of a dozen on air gaffes .

HMAS Sydney search "almost certainly over"?

Today's Age print edition leads with a story "Back From The Deep" which claims "One of Australia's most tragic wartime mysteries has almost certainly been solved as divers claim to have found HMAS >Has it? The story appears on the paper's website and it has been mentioned on the Channel 7, SBS and ABC TV news tonight, though only Channels 7 and ABC TV showed the video footage which amateur divers claimed to have taken off the WA coast. You can see it on here.

Here's the story as it appears on the website. It is substantially the same (I've not checked it completely ) as the one in the print edition:

Paul Murray
August 11, 2007

THE 66-year search for the wreck of HMAS Sydney, on which 645 Australians lost their lives, is almost certainly over.

A group of West Australians using just a grappling hook and an underwater camera last weekend found what they are sure is the Sydney, which sank after a battle with the German raider Kormoran on November 19, 1941.

Video film of the discovery shows scenes of tangled wreckage over a vast expanse of deck, much longer than any other vessel known to have sunk in the area.

The search team believe a series of details clearly visible on their video — decking bolts, extensive radio aerials, steam tubes and signs of massive damage — all point to the Sydney.

The wreck is off Cape Inscription on the northern end of Dirk Hartog Island in about 150 metres of water.

Amateur researcher Phil Shepherd, who has been intrigued by the Sydney's fate since he saw a lifeboat from the Kormoran 61 years ago, said last night it was unlikely the wreck could be anything else.

"I've always wanted to find out where the souls of those sailors lay for all the people who have grieved over the years," Mr Shepherd said. "I've got a family member there too. This is a sacred site and a war grave — probably our most important war grave. We hope we can give the families some closure knowing where their people are and where they can place some flowers."

Mr Shepherd, who has been involved in other Sydney search groups, said despite the rudimentary nature of the vision, it threw up strong evidence supporting his contention.

"Sydney had a huge aerial system for its wireless telegraphy and we think we're seeing that on the video," he said. "There are bolts sticking out of the deck, lots of steam pipes and tangled wreckage. The bolts are important because we know the Sydney had timber decking that was tied down by the bolts.

"You would not expect that sort of damage from anything that had just sunk. It is inconsistent with it being anything else like a merchant ship.

"I knew the Sydney was flattened by the Kormoran by gunfire. She caught fire because of the wooden decking. We believe she took a torpedo and was down by the bow and yawing …

"I became more convinced when I saw all these halyards and what looked like aerial wires with insulators strewn over the debris, over railings. It looked like the mast had been shot down.

"All of this convinced me it wasn't an ordinary vessel. It didn't prove to me that it was a military vessel, but I asked myself: what else could it be if it's not the Sydney? The only other vessel it could be in that location was the Kormoran.

"If it was any other vessel than the Sydney or the Kormoran in that location, why hadn't it been reported as missing and looked at?"

Mr Shepherd said he later showed the video to another team member, diver Trevor Beaver, who had explored US naval wrecks in Truk Lagoon in the Pacific.

"He took one look at the video and he said: 'You've got it. It couldn't be anything else.' "

Mr Shepherd said about 15 years ago he noticed an anomaly on the bottom of the sea when he was fishing, but it was before the days of the global positioning system and he didn't know how to get back to it.

Early this year he was given a derivative location close to that spot by the son of a local fisherman who pulled up a copper bolt with a little bit of white timber attached to it about 12 years ago.

"From all of my research, with this new information, it became logically possible that this was the location," Mr Shepherd said.

He began working with his son Graham, master divers Ian Stiles and Trevor Beaver, Perth businessman Terry Crommelin and diving supplies agent Simon van Zeller to work out a way to investigate the site. They devised a method of getting a camera down to film the site. Last weekend the late fisherman's son agreed to take them to the spot.

"We put down a heavy grapple and we were on the spot nearly straight away and hooked up on something," Mr Shepherd said. "We put the camera down on a tether rope holding it on with U-shackles.

"When we got to the bottom we got pictures and within three minutes we spotted what looked like a spoon — which we now believe was a shovel — just laying in the sand. We were sitting there on the deck with a blanket over our heads so we could see the pictures on the screen and then this shape of what we thought was part of an aerial — now we think it's a railing — just came up out of the gloom.

"We were absolutely gobsmacked. And it just got better and better."

Ian Stiles, an oil and gas diver for 25 years, took GPS locations as the camera travelled along the deck of the wreck to the extent of available movement. He logged a length of 30 metres. The Sydney was 170 metres long.

Mr Stiles said one structure appeared to be a tripod. The Sydney had the ability to launch a Walrus aircraft which used a tripod structure.

Much as I'd like to see the Sydney's wreck located (and I've blogged about this several times ) I believe that the new claims draw a very long bow. For one thing the site identified by the purported finders is much closer to the mainland than has hitherto been thought feasible; for another it is in relatively shallow water (150m).

That said, I'll wait with considerable interest to see if these new claims are confirmed. Others, including former deputy PM Tim Fischer are also keeping their powder dry, as there have been several false alarms before, not to mention some conspiracy unusual theories about the ship's disappearance (see links to Fischer story for some of them).

On ABC TV News tonight (the story isn't yet on the ABC website) Minister of Defence Nelson, while welcoming the news, counselled caution about the ultimate outcome. Given his previous propensity to shoot from the hip this is a prudent thing to do.

Venomous Australian creatures at large in NZ

New Zealanders inhabit a land which is considered to free from venomous creatures (especially snakes). Until now, that is...as today's NZ Herald reports:

Three Auckland girls were stung in a tree by venomous Australian caterpillars that have become widely established here.

It happened in February when the girls, aged around 10, were climbing a eucalyptus tree at their school in Avondale, today's New Zealand Medical Journal reports.

The hairy caterpillar, called the gum leaf skeletoniser, was first discovered in New Zealand in 1992 and is now firmly established throughout the Auckland region.

Another Ghan collision

Once again the Ghan has been involved in an accident, this time at a private and IMO not well marked level crossing near Two Wells (about 40km north of Adelaide).

The pictures, which I took this afternoon, show the remains of the truck (amazingly the driver seems to have survived with relatively minor injuries), and temporary repairs being made to the leading locomotive.

The ABC reports that an investigation into the cause of the accident has begun. I'll be interested to see the outcome.

Update 7 August

Today's Australian has a detailed report of the event with a couple of v good pictures (which don't appear online). An extract (with some points highlighted):

Yesterday's accident happened on a straight stretch of track that should have made the oncoming express, travelling at an average speed of 80km/h, visible for several kilometres as it approached the level crossing.

This was marked with stop signs and an alert to drivers to look for trains, but no warning lights or boomgates.

But witnesses to the crash said it was possible the local truck driver's view of the crossing had been obscured by trees and vegetation overgrowing its northern approach.

After turning right off the main road running parallel to the tracks, on to a dirt access road crossing them, the truck was broadsided by the train when partly across the line.

The force of the impact ripped the driver's cabin from the chassis and sent liquid from its ruptured tank showering 50m into the air.

"We felt the ground shake," said train spotter Matthew Stewart, who was preparing to video The Ghan passing a northbound freight train at the time of the accident.

"It was just like a tremendous bang ... like a big bag of water exploding.

"I'm surprised that the truck driver is alive. If the train had been going faster it could have had worse consequences."

Mr Stewart said it was "unacceptable" for thick growth to be so close to the crossing.

"There is not enough clearance," he said. "The truck just went straight across. He didn't even give way, he just went straight though."

The Australian Road Track Corporation, Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Transport SA, and South Australian police will investigate the crash.

Police superintendent Ferdi Pit said it was difficult to believe no one was killed in the accident.

"If you look at the truck, it's completely destroyed," he said. "It is a miracle that the driver of that truck is not dead."

The driver, a member of the local Country Fire Service, remained conscious and talking as fellow volunteers pulled him from the wreckage.

Ray Bryant, group officer of the Light CFS, said the man had a family with three teenage children and was well known in the community.

"He's an average sort of a bloke, trying to make a buck," Mr Bryant said. "This is a busy track, so if they're locals they should know that trains are going up and down all the time."

This photo from the ABC website shows how far the septic tank carried on the truck was flung by the impact, apparently losing its contents in the process (the Ghan hits the sh*t?).

Two great directors die

Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni, two of world cinema's most renowned directors have died within a day of each other.

I'm more familiar with Bergman's works, not all of which IMO are as unremittingly lugubrious as many people believe. While we may recall the gloom of The Seventh Seal, occasional shafts of light ease the tension of the chess game; other films such as Fanny and Alexander, Smiles of A Summer Night and Wild Strawberries in their different ways are more life affirming.

I've not seen, or don't remember seeing, many of Antonioni's films, but a couple of years ago I saw Blow Up again. Even allowing for the 1960s ambience this is a memorable film, which retains much of its freshness.

For a much more incisive appreciation of the pair than I'm able to provide see this by David Tiley at Barista. Apart from its own considerable merits it includes some good links.

GNE07#1

I lost my main camera at Kata Tjuta but had a small back up one with which I took these and quite a few others.

Festival of Ideas

The 2007 Adelaide Festival of Ideas has finished, or, to be more accurate, the live sessions have concluded. Fortunately for those who weren't able to attend, and thanks to modern technology, the Festival lives on. As I post highly civilised human beings are on the airwaves trying (with considerable success) to thrill me. The organisers have also provided brief session notes for several sessions, and several bloggers, including the usually estimable Tim Dunlop of Blogocracy, have been anointed and appointed as "official" bloggers (which sounds a bit oxymoronic to me) to the Festival.

I only went on Friday, but found plenty to stimulate my mind. The first session I attended, "Decent Work", has been summarised quite well by Mr Dunlop , though I thought that the chair, Professor Pocock, ignored some pertinent questions which audience members asked. One from a self-employed business owner who claimed to be taking his first Friday off since 1970 was especially succinct and pertinent: he asked whether the introduction of the "Work Choices" legislation had moved the balnce from the rogue employee to the rogue employer.

I also went to presentations by Simon Longstaff, the ethicist, a panel discussion about the future of the print media, and a gentlemanly debate/ discussion between Ramachandra Guha and Francis Wheen about the respective legacies of of Mahatma Gandhi and Karl Marx. Quite by chance I met Francis Wheen afterwards and was able to spend a few minutes talking to him: our mutual interest in cricket provided a natural focal point for our conversation.

Two speakers described the audience as "Radio National listeners", which I took to be code for elderly. I thought that enough younger people (presumably not RN listeners) attended and asked questions to give the lie to that one, unless, that is, Radio National is making a comeback among the young.

Minister hints at more support for search

Last week's Channel 9 Sunday had a report by Tim Lester about the flagging search for HMAS Sydney . This week's Bulletin also has a story by Roy Ecclestone(not online, though the mag's website has some interesting archived articles on the topic) . It's a pity that the latter article is illustrated with a photo which appears to be the first Sydney (the one which sunk the Emden in WW1, not the one which disappeared following an engagement with the Kormoran in WW2

Both stories report Assistant Defence Minister Billson's hint that the RAN may be able to provide some assistance to get the ball moving again. Ecclestone seems to think that any really worthwhile assistance may not eventuate, but there seems to be, if not a strong head of steam, a considerable amount of pressure from relatives of the missing and WW2 buffs to do more.

Alan Johnston released

It's just been announced that Alan Johnston has been released after being held for 114 days. It may be too much to expect that this will be followed by other conciliatory moves in the region (and the world) but we can still hope as we thank those who arranged and agreed to the release.

Statistical cornucopia

Not before time (I submitted my form online on the designated night almost 11 months ago) the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) has released the preliminary results of the 2006 census.

I've spent a couple of hours attempting to navigate the website, which to my statistically, and perhaps technologically, challenged mind isn't the easiest to come to grips with (it assumes a higher degree of familiarity with terminology/jargon than I possess), but have noted some points, eg

# The total population of Australia exceeds 20 million only if non-residents are included;

# The population of South Australia isn't growing as rapidly as that of the rest of Australia;

# The population of my suburb has declined slightly, though the average age of the residents is considerably higher than the national average, which is not surprising given the number of detention centres for the elderly aged care facilities it contains (from my personal observation, not census data) is not surprising.

Anyway, if you have the slightest interest in how Australia is changing it's well worth spending some time exploring the data. Even on this first release you can drill down to your local level: you can type in your address and be directed to a profile of your suburb/ town/ local government area / "statistical division". Unlike Google Earth, however, you can't access the details of the people living at each address, nor their pets, as you apparently are able to do in the USA . Next time, maybe.

History committee members announced

The federal government has announced the composition of its committee to draft a new Australian history syllabus for secondary schools.

The group appears to have a conservative slant, and there has been some criticism of its membership. While Professor Geoffrey Blainey has ruffled a few feathers in his time (eg speaking out a decade or so ago about the "black armband view of history") I can't see how anyone could question his expertise and general suitability for the task. Gerard Henderson is another matter. He is a media commentator on current events and, while he may have studied history in his younger days, I'm not aware that he could lay claim to being an authority on either history or education, despite his comments reported in today's Australian:

Mr Henderson said Professor Blainey was one of Australia's most eminent historians, and although they had disagreed in the past, he was confident they could get together on this project. "It would be foolish to dismiss his enormous contribution over decades," he said.

Mr Henderson said there were two major traditions in Australian political history; the conservative exemplified by Robert Menzies and the social democratic tradition espoused by John Curtin and Bob Hawke. "They're both very valid traditions," he said.

Professor Blainey did not offer his opinion of Mr Henderson.

HMAS Sydney in the news again

On tonight's Channel 9 news there was an item about the unknown sailor formerly buried on Christmas Island and who is now generally presumed to be the only person on board HMAS Sydney when it was sunk in 1941 whose remains have been recovered.

Some detailed analytical work (see here and here) has narrowed the field of possibilities to three. Even Minister Bruce Billson, if this report is any guide, is upbeat about the possibility of being able to identify the sailor.

If and when this happens, I hope that the minister will be able to persuade the government to do more to underwrite the continuing search for the Sydney. Despite a recent report claiming that a British maritime researcher has found the wrecks of both the Sydney and the Kormoran I'm taking this with at least one pinch of salt until more substantial evidence is presented.

Cold (dis)comfort

I shouldn't say that the weather has been unseasonably cold, since it's June. But I will, as it feels that way, especially after last year's much more clement winter.

Even so, I'll spare a thought for the inhabitants of the Top End, who've been subjected to the cruel and unusual punishment of a day when the maximum temperature in Darwin struggled to reach 20 degrees.

And the cold/cool/mild weather hasn't been confined to Darwin. The Australian reports:

Official statistics available yesterday showed that 13 towns north of the Tropic of Capricorn recorded maximums below 10C on Wednesday. Climatologist Blair Trewin said there were just 12 individual instances of sub-10C maximums for the tropics on record.

"Tennant Creek Airport's 8C is the northernmost sub-10C max ever in Australia," Dr Trewin said. "Camooweal's 9.8C is the northernmost recorded in Queensland."

Tennant Creek topped at 8.3C yesterday, about 16C below average. Darwin's top of 22.7C on Wednesday was a June record low and in the Queensland tropics, 40 towns set records for low maximums on Wednesday.

National emergency: Feds rush in

The Federal government has announced its intention to intervene swiftly and in (at seems from Messrs Howard and Brough's rhetoric) military and paramilitary force in the Northern Territory following the Territory government's delayed publication of the report on indigenous child abuse.

For reports see The Australian and The Age . No doubt there will be much more analysis of both the plans and their implementation.

Like, I imagine, almost every other Australian I support the federal government's forthrightness and commitment to act. This doesn't mean that I won't suggest better ways of doing things or make other criticisms, but for the time being I'll wait to see the details emerge.

Good service

Today I'd arranged for a plumber to come around and clear a blocked drain. He arrived on time, quickly discovered that the cause of the problem was outside my property (therefore no cost to me), arranged to contact the water authority, who, within an hour, attended and did what was necessary to fix the problem . Well done United Water.

Infuriating phrases

The UK Telegraph has just run an Infuriating Phrases competition. Readers were invited to compose a piece of up to 150 words containing as many infuriating words and phrases as possible. You can check out the winners by clicking on the link.

Here's a sample:

I hear what you're saying but, with all due respect, it's not exactly rocket science. Basically, at the end of the day, the fact of the matter is you have got to be able to tick all the boxes. It's not the end of the world, but, to be perfectly honest with you, when push comes to shove, you don't want to be literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. Going forward we need to be singing from the same songsheet but you can't see the wood from the trees. Naturally hindsight is 20/20 vision and you have to take the rough with the smooth before proceeding onwards and upwards. The bottom line is you wear your heart on your sleeve and, when all is said and done, this is all part and parcel of the ongoing bigger picture. C'est la vie (if you know what I mean).

Raimond Gaita attacked (and defended)

The Weekend Australian published a letter from Raimond Gaita "to protest its often distorted accounts of what Robert Manne had written, usually in other publications".

Gaita affirms that he and Manne are friends (and anyone who has read Romulus, My Father would know the value Gaita places on friendship), and continues

Manne has never supported intentional attacks on civilians, by suicide bombings or by any other means. Nor has he justified suicide attacks on coalition troops in Iraq. He claimed only that such attacks are not surprising, that the people who gave up their lives in those attacks were ``fanatically brave’’, that they should not be called terrorists and that ``Western moralising about the cowardly terrorism of such people’’ was hypocritical. Apart from that last claim, nothing Manne said strikes me as even seriously contentious. But even the addition of that last controversial (though I think true) claim won’t justify the suggestion that he supports terrorism in Iraq.

This provoked several strong responses among letter writers in yesterday's Australian , including this succinct one from John K Layton of Holt ACT :

Despite Raimond Gaita’s attempt to paper over Robert Manne’s remarks, they stand as a morale booster for terrorists.

Today the discussion continued with a letter from Todd Jorgensen of St Leonards NSW supporting Gaita's position in which he says:

Gaita spoke of those attacking coalition troops, think what we may of this action but it does not constitute terrorism. Nor was support or praise voiced for these militants by either Gaita or Manne, each merely highlighted the hypocrisy of us calling such bombers ``cowardly’’. This strikes me as a neutral statement, but in the hy[s]teria of patriotism even this appears taboo.

Too often simplistic slogans and labels are used in lieu of more reasoned and detailed arguments. While readers (and writers) of headlines and letters to the editor as well as, on occasion, bloggers and their commenters may feel that they can make their points effectively by keeping them simple, writers and thinkers like Gaita remind us that there is a deeper dimension to many issues. Terrorism is one of these, and while I don't agree with the extent to which Gaita distinguishes suicide attacks from terrorist acts, he certainly makes me think harder about this and other matters.

Update 21 June

On Wednesday The Australian published a further letter from Raimond Gaita which, given that he complains about his first letter being cut, deserves to be read in full.

All my intellectual life I have argued that no cause can justify the intentional killing of civilians. Now, along with Robert Manne, I am accused by Lew Bretz, Chris Oliver and John K. Layton (Letters, 18/6) of justifying or whitewashing terrorist attacks in London, Madrid, Bali and presumably elsewhere, in Tel Aviv, for example.

All this without one shred of evidence that I have ever written anything that could reasonably even be misinterpreted as this. I’m also accused, with Manne, of being partial to euphemisms that would hide the real character of terrorist attacks against civilians by calling them the acts of freedom fighters, for example. Well, some terrorists are also freedom fighters. It has always been muddled to think they could be only one or the other. But I have always held that terrorist attacks against civilians in the prosecution of the fight for freedom (when it is that) is an evil.

The Australian started all this off by asking rhetorically whether Manne would call ``terrorists those suicide bombers who later take the lives of children and UN staff’’. No one should have even the slightest doubt that he would, just as I would. Neither of us, however, would call a suicide bombing a terrorist act if it was directed solely at a military target. I made this point in my previous letter (Letters 16-17/6), but the letters editor cut that section, leaving me open to just the kind of accusations, as nasty as they are foolish, vented by Bretz, Oliver and Layton. Given that Manne and I have, all our adult lives, spoken against the evil that we are now accused of defending, I would ask again, as I did in my previous letter, for an apology from The Australian, but now to me as well as to Manne.

Matters educational and grammatical

Some items from today's media:

# Geography teaching is to be restored, or elevated in importance in secondary schools, at least until year 10, reports The Australian . Federal Education Minister Bishop's media release, announcing a " new study into [shouldn't that be "study of"?] the teaching of geography in schools" is here.

An extract:

The Institute of Australian Geographers and the Australian Geography Teachers Association have raised concerns with me that too little geography is being taught in schools, and that in some cases, environmental and political studies are masquerading as geography. Parents have also raised concerns about the lack of rigour in the teaching of geography...The teaching of geography is vital to link students with society, culture and the physical environment at the local, national and global level.

Among other things the study will "investigate the fundamentals that every Australian student should know in the subject before they complete Year 10. " I've previously posted about similar developments (or proposed developments) in history teaching, so will be interested to see what the study identifies these fundamentals to be. I'd also like to know why, if geography (like history) is so important, it will cease to be compulsory after Year 10.

#The Australian also reports that Sharyn O'Neill , sister of writer Tim Winton has just been appointed director general of education in Western Australia.Whatever other talents she may possess she is not in her brother's league as a writer of English prose if this is any guide:

"We've over-cooked some things, we've made some things overly complex, but the line in the sand is that we are listening, we are keen to restore confidence and the very clear focus is on standards," she said.


# Minister Bishop also appeared on today's ABC RN Life Matters talking about performance based pay for teachers and how to encourage greater business involvement in schools.

Is this holiday still justified?

Today is a public holiday throughout most of Australia. The reason? The Queen's birthday.
What is done to mark the occasion? Nothing much, apart from the release of the latest honours list.

At Blogocracy Tim Dunlop discusses the significance of the day and asks whether the ALP has a policy on the republic. It would seem not.

IMO we are already a de facto republic, with the PM as the President in all but name. The Governor General's role has been constrained in recent years. As his website attests, the GG is kept busy, but most of his duties are ceremonial, and not necessarily high profile ceremonial. That said, for now there doesn't seem to be much interest in the community, let alone the ALP, in changing our system of government, which means that the holiday is likely to stay.

A media milestone

Today sees the publication of the 50,000th edition of The Guardian , IMO one of the world's leading newspapers, and one which has adapted well to change, eg by moving from Manchester to London some decades ago. More recently it has developed a website which makes its invaluable and generally reliable information and alternative opinions accessible to a global audience more rapidly than its longstanding weekly digest The Guardian Weekly. In today's edition the paper gives itself a well justified pat on the back:

The liberal values the Guardian has represented since 1821 are the same values which the new technologies today make possible: plurality of voice; diversity of opinion; an internationally shared discourse; a voice for the hitherto voiceless; a challenge to authority; freedom of speech and information; fairness and tolerance; the possibility of enlightened argument without legal or state restraint. All these are now imaginable, if not yet universal. The liberal imperative to promote them has never been more vital.

But at the heart of what we do remains news: of trying to bear truthful witness to the world. For John Edward Taylor, what mattered was his account of Peterloo should get ahead of the "official" version. That should remain the first purpose of any news organisation.

The original prospectus promised that the Guardian would, on the behalf of "friends of freedom", keep a watchful eye on foreign politics. "For there perhaps never was a period, at which the affairs of other nations could awaken, in the minds of Englishmen, so deep an interest as at the present moment."

Fifty-thousand editions on, the same is true. We will do our best to carry on the traditions of the paper as heretofore. As Scott noted in his famous essay on journalism, "Achievement in such matters is hardly given to man. We can but try, ask pardon for shortcomings, and there leave the matter."

Congratulations to all concerned, and best wishes for your future.

What's in a name?

The London Times has published a list of the most popular names for British baby boys. The top five, in descending order, are Jack, Muhammad, Thomas, Joshua and Oliver. There's one name here which is conspicuous by its presence so high on the list.

A traditional Labor man

Today's Australian pays generous tribute (as News Ltd papers are apt to do when a non-conservative political figure dies) to Tom Burns, former ALP Leader of the Opposition. There are several articles, some photos, including a large one on the front page of him looking a very fit and happy retiree, and a lengthy obituary "Softie who breathed fire". A former political opponent said that he "was always a fighter, but he was grounded in decency". Not a bad tribute for anyone, even if it comes at the end of a life.

An extract:

When he was deputy premier, Burns earned the title of minister for the bush because he was concerned that those who formed his beloved Labor Party, the shearers and bush workers, were living in tory electorates and were, in his view, ignored by all political sides.

He told a story, one of thousands, about stopping at a road accident in central Brisbane where an elderly pedestrian had been struck by a car. "I was one of the first on the scene and this bloke later in hospital told me he had worked his life on properties at Blackall and Longreach, but when he got to retirement age he had to move to the city," Burns said."He didn't even know about traffic lights and had to drink on his own in the pub because he didn't know anybody and he had no family down here. The old bloke told me there were no retirement facilities in bush towns, so I resolved to do something about that if ever I was in a position to do so."

And, in true Burns style, he did. Complexes were built in many rural towns where bush workers could retire in the town they had spent their lives, where they were comfortable and near friends.

Another trademark Burns anecdote came at his retirement from parliament in 1996, when he said he had encountered the saddest constituent experience in his life and it concerned the lack of professional help for bush dwellers.

He told a story about twin teenage boys who went home from a city boarding school to their parents' drought-stricken property. Burns said the parents told the boys that as they could no longer afford the expensive private school fees, they would have to enrol locally. The boys were apparently so ashamed or depressed, they took their own lives.

More egg in US's face as court throws out cases against detainees

Not surprisingly, the local and international media have much to say about the decision by US military court judges to throw out two cases against persons detained in Guantanamo Bay.

Australian reports, including those of The Australian , The Age and the ABC report on the implications for David Hicks. His local lawyer and his father are both reported as saying that DH will not appeal , as the resolution of the issue could take longer than the balance of the sentence he is currently serving here.

US and UK reports, including the New York Times, Washington Post, L A Times, CNN, Guardian and the BBC, variously describe the Bush administration's embarrassment and explore how it might remove the egg from its face.

For a summary from an Australian perspective Leigh Sales, ABC reporter and author of Detainee 002, a very good book about the Hicks case, on tonight's PM presented a report which, like her book gives a good overview of the situation. She is emphatic about the implications for DH:

This development has no implication for David Hicks. By pleading guilty, he implicitly acknowledged he considered the military commissions fair and workable, so he has limited grounds for appeal. In any case, he only has around seven months left to serve in prison and it's unlikely any legal challenge to his detention would move faster than that.

Which is not to say that DH might not have some redress in future after serving his sentence if the whole Guantanamo structure is dismantled.

Better late than never: News Ltd media support calls for anti-corruption commission in SA

Today's Advertiser/ Adelaide Now editorial supports my call (and that of federal ALP MP Rod Sawford) for an anti-corruption commission in South Australia.

The case for establishing a commission to investigate public service corruption and organised crime in South Australia is becoming more compelling by the day. Several issues which have emerged in the past 48 hours could arguably be referred to an anti-corruption commission.

All that is lacking is the will of the State Government to legislate to set up a watchdog similar to those operating in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia. Clearly, as demonstrated by quite separate issues in those states, an anti-corruption commission has the capacity to generate political embarrassment.

But a government with nothing to hide has nothing to fear. A government which says the current safeguards of the Auditor-General and the police are sufficient, risks - perhaps unfairly - being accused of having something to hide.

No serious whiff of corruption has tainted the present Government. But only yesterday it was revealed that two parliamentary select committees looking at the issue involving the operation of government have held no meetings this year. There is the potential conflict of interest involving Members of Parliament who have outside employment and the alarming case of documents stolen from a police car which have fallen into the hands of a bikie gang.No impropriety may necessarily be associated with any of these incidents.

But where can they be referred for assessment? Who is investigating them?

And where can people who suspect illegal or fraudulent activity within the broad performance of government go to complain?

The State Opposition - whatever its political colour - and the media have a responsibility to pursue issues which may involve inappropriate government behaviour. Under Freedom of Information provisions they are often denied access to relevant documents or other information on the basis of commercial confidentiality.

A permanent anti-corruption commission would remove all confusion about where complaints could be lodged, which authority should be investigating specific issues, or doubts about proper release of information.

Recently the paper/website also expressed concern that the number of Labor advisers has increased from 191 to 275 since 2002.

While paid by the public purse, these advisers are not traditional public servants.

Public servants are employed to work for the government of the day, regardless of its political hue - whether serving at a counter, maintaining orderly financial accounts or offering policy advice. Political advisers are employed specifically to protect the personal interests of ministers and the broader interests of the government of a particular political philosophy. Before working for government they have often been loyal party political workers personally known to their minister and the wider government.

Realistically, ministers need a policy filter to assess advice offered by the Public Service. They need press secretaries to field the increasing demands of a diverse media serving a society hungry for information.

It is a trend which began in the 1970s under then prime minister Gough Whitlam and, in South Australia, premier Don Dunstan. But in too many cases the growing army of political advisers is now usurping the role and responsibility of the traditional Public Service. They have a higher regard for political philosophy than public need.

Press officers, working on a "need to know" basis, withhold or distort information for the benefit of minister or government. Some public servants no longer have frequent and direct contact with their ministers.

It is no longer a case of "Yes Minister" but "Yes Adviser".

This is not a criticism directed solely at the state Labor Government.

It can be just as easily directed at the Liberal Federal Government and the previous Liberal state government.

But it is a trend which promotes not the well-being of the people but the survival of the incumbent government.

Major rail crash in Victoria

As I post there are 11 confirmed deaths in today's Victorian train crash. The number may yet increase. My condolences to everyone who lost family and friends and my sympathy and hopes for a full and speedy recovery, if that doesn't sound too hollow, to all the injured.

For a selection of media reports see The Age, the ABC, News.com.au and the BBC .

This is the worst rail accident in Australia for years. Like so many others it occurred at a level crossing, one which had warning lights, though not boom gates. I don't know enough about the circumstances but the responsibility to stop almost invariably falls upon road users not train drivers. It will therefore be interesting to see what emerges from the investigations, which will no doubt explore many questions, including

• Were the warning lights working?
• Was the truck driver licensed to drive the vehicle?
• Was the truck registered and insured?.

There have been larger rail crashes in other parts of the world in the last few years, but many of them have happened on lines with heavy usage, not relatively quiet country lines as in this instance.

Premier broadens definition of terrorist

According to today's InDaily newsletter, Premier Rann has, apart from announcing several new budget initiatives, declared that "bikie gang members are terrorists who deal drugs".

Terrorists? If so, why hasn't he called in the Feds to help him deal with the problem? Or is it just another example of his hyperbole?

Update 5 June

Mr Rann has, as far as I can tell, not yet sought any control orders from the Federal Police, nor, to judge from what The Australian reports today, does he appear to have done anything to deal in other ways with the problem he's so graphically identified.Other than talk, that is.

Don't mention the war...but today is a significant anniversary

Today is the 65th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Midway in WW2. Unlike the Battle of the Coral Sea a month earlier Australian forces, except perhaps for some intelligence analysts, played no part in the engagement, yet the result was much more emphatic. The US forces, after some initial setbacks and much uncertainty, eventually stopped the Japanese offensive. The loss of so many of its aircraft carriers made it much harder for Japan to initiate and sustain offensive operations, as its industrial capacity was nowhere near that of the USA's. The Japanese defensive perimeter in the Asia- Pacific region remained pretty much intact for the next two years, yet American industrial potential and performance so much exceeded Japan's that the ultimate outcome of the war in the Pacific was a foregone conclusion. Japanese doggedness, determination and fanaticism delayed it for longer than an assessment based primarily on relative productive capacity and available resources would have predicted, and it needed two atomic bombs to compel Japan to surrender, but Midway remains the primary turning point..

In Australia the Battle of the Coral Sea, which was in no way a decisive victory for either side, is celebrated as "the battle that saved Australia", it's somewhat surprising that Midway doesn't loom larger in our historical awareness. As several well informed writers have speculated, without the US victory a re run (or two) of the Coral Sea battle might not have been out of the question, and, if so, might well have produced a less favourable result for the Allies.

A little acknowledgment in Australia would not go amiss, but then the country is preparing to receive the Japanese Prime Minister on an official visit. I have no problem with rolling out the red carpet for him, but I don't believe that potentially unpalatable facts about our past history should be swept under that carpet.

Information about Midway

As well as the Wikipedia article I've linked to above, there's a wealth of (mostly US-based) information on the internet about the battle. A Google search will reveal a substantial chunk of it.

State government rejects call for anti corruption commission

Not surprisingly the state government has rejected calls by federal Labor MP Rod Sawford that SA should have an anti- crime and corruption commission similar to those in some other (though not all) states.

What is surprising is that Mr Sawford is of the same political hue as the state government..

The local media haven't exactly been forthcoming with the story. Only the ABC (see link above) and The Independent Weekly of the MSM seem to have reported it. It's not on the latter's website, but the latest print issue does have a page 2 story "Labor MP slams SA Govt", with, unusually for the paper, no byline. Surely whoever wrote the story doesn't fear retribution?

Mr Sawford's speech in which he made the contentious remarks is here.
The relevant section is:

The wider electorate has turned off the political process. It no longer believes the government. It no longer believes the media. It is holding the power of its vote until election day and refusing to seriously indicate what it is really thinking.

On the topic of governance, leadership and the ineffective media in this country, I would like to put on the public record a view of what I believe is happening in my own state. I have said some of these words in the Main Committee previously, but they are worth repeating in the context of this address-in-reply. No matter where you look in South Australia , politics, business, unions, education, health, public transport infrastructure, governance and leadership are all too often seriously compromised. It is a dynamic that has dogged my state for the last 30 years—and it has dogged Victoria too. The tripartite relationships between the top end of town—and the corporate world—the media, particularly the commercial media, and the executive government are too often clouded in questionable goings-on. State governments in South Australia have had a far too comfortable and accommodating relationship with the top end of town. Who could forget the State Bank fiasco of the late 1980s which shamed all political parties and the media?

During the Liberal term from 1993 to 2002 we endured the folly of waste of taxpayers’ money on a national wine centre, overspending on the Hindmarsh Stadium and the botched sale of the TAB. During the current government’s term it is going to happen again. A sum of $55 million—mostly taxpayers’ money—has been allocated to build a grandstand in Adelaide’s parklands to be used for car racing and horseracing. The grandstand—or ‘the stand for the grand’—was originally planned to be four storeys high, 248 metres long and 10.8 metres wide. Despite taxpayers paying for this monstrosity, there will not be one public seat. It is a facility for government and the corporate world. The cost of the project will just grow and grow. The arrogance and the contempt for the taxpayer so implicit in this funding beggar belief. Any government should realise that getting into bed with the car racing fraternity is not what it is cracked up to be. Adelaide once had a formula one grand prix. Claims of its so-called economic benefits were always greatly exaggerated. This very fact has been stated by the Victorian independent watchdog, which has said that the cost of holding the grand prix in Melbourne is $6.7 million. The Victorian state Auditor-General, Des Pearson, released a report on 23 May that found many studies justifying the use of taxpayers’ dollars for major events are inadequate. You bet they are. South Australia is no exception. The Clipsal V8 car race in South Australia will eventually tell a similar story.

Another matter is the all too comfortable, ‘nudge, nudge, wink, wink’, cosy relationships that state governments have had with the media. Although wrong, it is at least understandable that the media would protect its income stream and the people who provide the advertising revenue. Nevertheless, it far too often compromises the fourth estate in South Australia and it shows. In fact, respected journalists over the years have told me of their frustration at the lack of resources for investigative journalism and overzealous editorial control. The national media’s complaints about the prohibition on information release are largely correct. However, you cannot think that the very same media would be as selective in what it chose to make available. The next question to ask is: would it be done on an ethical basis? Governments protect themselves. High-profile business and media personnel are strategically appointed to government boards and paid handsomely for their time, participation and support of government. Whether these individuals recognise it or not, they are badly compromised.

I have always believed that the sale of the TAB in South Australia demanded a royal commission. I think the same about Cheltenham Racecourse and the Victoria Park development—a parklands monstrosity. However, the likelihood of that happening is probably pretty small. Have a listen to this: the lobbyist for the South Australian Jockey Club, promoting the sale of the Cheltenham Racecourse—the best stormwater retention site in the western suburbs—and the Victoria Park development is appointed by the government to give advice on stormwater management. South Australia, like Western Australia and Victoria, needs the establishment of an anticorruption and crime commission to be monitored by the federal government and—(Time expired)

As Mr Sawford pointed out, he's retiring from parliament , so no doubt his remarks will be disparaged by he and his party colleagues, but there's plenty of food for thought here.