Category: Let it be Said?

Among the many major health awareness campaigns to be observed in October is National Carers Week 2024 which will run from Sunday 13 to Saturday 19 October.

National Carers Week is about recognising and celebrating the outstanding and selfless contribution primary (and most often unpaid) carers make to our nation.

The theme for this year’s national campaign is “millions of reasons to care.”

Carers week is a time to raise awareness, recognise, acknowledge, celebrate and care for the estimated 2.65 million Australians who provide care each and every day to a family member, loved one, or friend.

Anyone of any age can become a carer at any time.

Carers make such an enormous contribution to our communities as well as our national economy.

Carers Australia has estimated that if all carers decided to stop performing their caring role, the cost to the country, and the Australian taxpayer – you – would be between $77.9 billion at the least, to a staggering $126.2 billion dollars per year to replace those supports.

The 2021 census chronicles the number of persons who provided unpaid assistance to someone with a disability, health condition or due to old age at 2,476,306 nationally.

The realities of caring for an aged, infirm, disabled, or incapacitated person 24/7, 365 days a year are far from the idyllic picture painted by the government.

Successive federal governments have spruiked that older Australians should be encouraged to live longer at home before moving into nursing homes; easier said than done when carers are neither being legally or morally recognised, nor appropriately remunerated for their efforts and the burdens saddled upon them.

As a fulltime carer and national carer advocate I can tell you with the absolute authority of lived experience, becoming a carer increases one’s financial, emotional and social vulnerability as we sacrifice – among other things – career, income, future income potential and superannuation, our family dynamics, relationships and our own physical and mental health to look after someone we love.

According to the Commonwealth Department of Social Services (DSS), of the estimated 2.65 million carers as at June 2024, only 314,320 (11.86 percent) were receiving a carer payment and 657,275 (24.80 percent) the carer allowance. Begs the question what assistance, if any, are the remaining 1,678,405 carers receiving?

Item 4 of Schedule 1 (The Statement for Australia’s Carers) of the Carer Recognition Act 2010 (No. 123, 2010) states “the valuable social and economic contribution that carers make to society should be recognised and supported.”

But whilst we carers continue to allow ourselves to be designated unpaid carers by the government, those peak bodies that are supposed to represent us, and the media, our roles, all we do, and our many sacrifices will continue to be largely unrecognised, undervalued and unrequited.

Carers should be applauded, appreciated, appropriately financially recognised and respected for their selfless efforts, sacrifices and the noble contribution they make to the community.

Yet for far too long successive federal governments have treated and abused primary carers as a source of cheap labour to be exploited like sweatshop workers.

Whilst politicians, bureaucrats and peak body CEOs (who are supposed represent us) give themselves most generous pay rises, benefits and perks, a person receiving a carer payment gets $3.41 dollars an hour, whilst at the same time, a person in receipt of the carer allowance gets a paltry 46 cents an hour; 25 years ago it was just 23 cents an hour.

It’s a national disgrace.

As Carers we need, and quite rightly deserve the same respect, proper legal recognition and comparable financial remuneration and benefits as paid support workers who take home at the minimum $24.10 an hour.

Carers should not be confused with paid support workers.

Whilst carers saddle the burden of underpinning the aged care, NDIS (disability), health and social service sectors, paid support workers are receiving just, fair, and proper respect, recognition, financial remuneration, statutory, legal and other entitlements and benefits.

Paid support workers are legally recognised, usually engaged by a care support organisation, are formally trained, qualified and appropriately remunerated to look after clients on an employed basis with various statutory entitlements, benefits and rights.

Primary carers, or care givers – often with years of lived experience – are persons who regularly look after the needs of an aged, infirm, disabled, or incapacitated person on a permanent or temporary basis usually in return for a government benefit.

But until carers are recognised as somebodies, rather than anybodies, the same respect, recognition, financial remuneration, statutory, legal and other benefits and security afforded to paid support workers will continue to elude us.

What we allow ourselves to be called creates or negates any obligation on the part of the government, the Australian Fair Work Commission, other statutory authorities, the public service, associated providers, etc. to legally recognise, morally treat, value, appropriately remunerate and requite carers as a valid labour force that contributes so much to the stability and growth of the Australian economy.

The caring community is disadvantaged and vulnerable, with many living way below the poverty line.

The time to do something is now!

We know you care, and now more than ever – and along with the 25,000 people who have already signed – we need your support.

Please help carers in our campaign for proper recognition and appropriate remuneration by signing and sharing my national Petition with your family, friends and contacts.

After all, you never know when you might find yourself a carer or in urgent need of one.

Professional and Unpaid Carers Defined?

From the outset, is is important to understand there are notable distinctions defining and differencing professional and unpaid carers.

A ‘professional carer’ (more commonly known as a ‘care worker’ or ‘paid support worker’) is usually engaged by a care support organisation, is trained, qualified and paid to look after people on an employed basis.

An ‘unpaid carer’ (more commonly referred to as just a ‘carer’) might be a spouse, partner, parent, child, sibling, family member, friend, or neighbour who regularly looks after the needs of an aged, infirm, disabled, or incapacited person on a permanent or temporary basis in return for a government benefit.

Carer Versus Caregiver?

There seems to be a prevalent and public misconception about the appellation carer which is often misused as a broad, or umbrella term for professional and unpaid carers alike.

The fundamental distinction between paid and unpaid carers is now blurred and seems irrelevant.

So until the clear delineation between paid and unpaid carers is restored, the selfless efforts and personal sacrifices of unpaid carers cannot be properly recognised, and their financial needs sufficiently addressed.

Potentially the most ideal solution to the conundrum is to delineate professional carers as paid support workers and unpaid family and community caregivers as carers?

Food for thought.

Carers are Exploited!

So sweatshops are illegal, slave labour is a crime; yet some carers receive as little as 41 cents an hour to look after an aged, infirm, disabled, or incapacitated person 24/7/365! We need to stop the exploitation of carers …. now!

The federal government cannot continue to ignore the thoughts, views and everyday realities faced by carers and their families; the exploitation must stop – NOW!

Together, we can, and should put more pressure on the government to do the right thing by carers who are being exploited by an unfair, unjust, and reprehensible benefit system.

Seven Policy Priorities for Change!

Carers Have Seven Policy Priorities for the federal government!

1. Without further excuse and delay, the federal government must commit to immediately implementing the principles of the Statement for Australia’s Carers as set forth under the provisions of the Carer Recognition Act 2010 (No. 123, 2010).

2. Increase the Carer’s Allowance to at least $493.80 per fortnight; this being fifty-percent of the current March 2022 Carer Payment/Pension Rate of $987.60. This should be payable in addition to any Centrelink Primary Income Support Payment.

3. Remove the income tests that apply to Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Payment.

4. Pay the current Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contribution on behalf of the carer who should be able to access it (tax and income-test free) upon ceasing to be a primary carer.

5. Prohibit any fully or partially funded government aged care and/or disability service provider, grant recipient, or contractor from levying and/or charging gap fees or co-payments.

6. Facilitate a public education campaign to restore and reinforce the fundamental distinctions between paid support workers and carers.

7. Establish regional service hubs where information is acquired, distributed, disseminated and free-flowing directly between carers and the government.

Unpaid Carers: A Workforce Unrecognised, Undervalued and Underpaid!

Successive federal governments have spruiked that older Australians should be encouraged to live longer at home before moving into nursing homes; easier said than done when carers are not being duly recognised for their efforts and the burden saddled upon them – with some carers receiving as little as 41 cents an hour to look after an aged, infirm, disabled, or incapacitated person 24/7/365.

On Wednesday 15 June 2022, it was announced by the Australian Fair Work Commission “the minimum wage will be lifted $1.05 an hour from its $20.33 base from 1 July 2022, an increase of 5.2 per cent, to $21.38 an hour;” that’s $812.44 for a 38 hour week, $1624.88 a fortnight!

For working 168 hours a week, those receiving Carer’s Allowance now only get 8.40% of the National Minimum Wage – down from the 2021 rate of 8.83% – for working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days of the year.

Now we’re told “all employees working in Australia are entitled to a minimum wage. This is the minimum amount an employee can be paid for the work that they’re doing;” but alas carers are not considered employees but Australian government benefit recipients.

This is disgraceful, inexcusable and an affront to carers and their families!

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings (ABS, 2018) there are 2.65 (2,650,000) million unpaid carers in Australia providing care and support to a family member or friend; 37.4% of carers themselves have a disability; there are 235,300 young carers aged under 25 and there are 533,400 carers in Queensland alone.

It is estimated that those caring for family members actually save the government – the Australian taxpayer, the community, you – more than $77.9 (77,900,000,000) billion a year providing informal/primary care across Australia.

Now, crunching the numbers, if there are 2,650,000 unpaid carers in Australia saving the government a whopping 77,900,000,000 billion dollars, the reality is each carer is worth, at the least $29,396.23.

Carers don’t just sacrifice their time or money.

Carers often have to give up fulltime work, they put their lives on hold, they often become socially isolated, they are in poor physical health, they ignore their own social, personal, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being and are not adequately supported by the government or service providers, let alone by members of their own family.

For many carers, thoughts of financial ruin, destitution and homelessness are very real!

More often than not long-standing and cohesive family relationships will become strained and families fracture.

The increasing plight and suicide rates of distressed and desperate carers is continually ignored.

Caring for a loved one isn’t just a labour of love, it is a burden in countless ways that many could never appreciate or imagine, lest of all our financially over-endowed politicians and our out-of-touch federal government which offers carers a paltry Carer’s Payment of $987.60 per fortnight: that’s just $493.80 a week, $70.54 per day, or just $2.94 an hour to look after an aged, infirm, disabled, or incapacitated person 24/7/365; provided of course the carer is prepared to give up work and sacrifice a generous income, benefits and superannuation.

Persons already in receipt of a government pension/benefit cannot receive a Carer’s Payment in addition to their pension/benefit, but may qualify for a Carer’s Allowance of $136.50 a fortnight, $68.25 a week, $9.75 a day, or just 41 cents an hour to look after someone 24/7/365.

The Carer’s Allowance of $136.50 a fortnight, or $3549 per year is reprehensible to say the least; it is not even enough to cover the basic costs of keeping a vehicle on the road.

It’s time the federal government rightly recognised Australia’s 2.65 million unpaid carers and the need for immediate, realistic and proper financial recognition.

In this case in point, the cost to keep my car on the road totals $5044.55 a year, $420.37 a month, or $194.02 a fortnight; quite disproportional to the Carer’s Allowance of $3549.00 a year – leaving me out-of-pocket $1495.55.

Carer’s Payment Versus Carer’s Allowance?

Firstly, Carer’s Pension no longer exists – it was renamed Carer’s Payment in July 1997; see Bills Digest No. 148, 1998-99 Assistance for Carers Legislation Amendment Bill 1999 (Background, Carer Payment, paragraph 8).

According to the Australian Government Social Security Guide: Guides to Social Policy Law (1.2.5.20 Carer Payment (CP) – Description; Ver. 1.291; 7 February 2022) Carer’s Payment – which is income tested – “is a fortnightly income support payment for people who are unable to support themselves through substantial paid employment due to the demands of their caring role.”

Services Australia (Income and assets test for Carer Payment) states that “your rate of Carer Payment depends on what you earn and own. The person you provide care for also has to have income and assets under certain limits.”

Whereas Carer’s Allowance – which is also income, but not assests tested – “is a fortnightly payment that recognises the care provided to a person with disability or medical condition in a private home” (Australian Government Social Security Guide: Guides to Social Policy Law; 1.2.5.50 Carer Allowance (CA) – Description; Ver. 1.291; 7 February 2022).

According to figures provided in the ‘Caring Costs Us’ report (op. cit.), in “June 2021, some 300,121 people were in receipt of the Carer Payment (p. 14)” and “some 623,742 people were in receipt of the Carer Allowance (p. 15).”

Carer’s Allowance: A Short History!

According to the Australian Government Social Security Guide: Guides to Social Policy Law (5.2.5.20 CA, Child Disability Allowance & HCA -December 1974 to Present Date, DNCB 1987 to 1999; Ver. 1.291; 7 February 2022) Carer’s Allowance (CA) “replaced Child Disability Allowance (CDA) on July 1999. CDA was previously called Handicapped Child’s Allowance (HCA).”

“HCA was introduced from 10 December 1974. HCA became payable in respect of students aged 16 to 24 years from 31 October 1978.”

“CDA replaced HCA from 15 November 1987.”

“CA was introduced on 1 July 1999. CA combined CDA and Domiciliary Nursing Care Benefit (DNCB).”

The annual increases to the Carer’s Allowance from 1999 to 2022 have been trivial and of little value to say the least.

In the 23 years to 2022 the average increase to the Carer’s Allowance has been just $2.65, or 2.61% per year.

The Negative Financial Impacts of Being a Carer!

As at April 2022, Australia’s inflation is at its highest rate in 20 years; the cost of living is skyrocketing; many can’t afford to put nutritious food on the table, and in fact many skip meals altogether; rents have hit the roof forcing many on the street; essential utilities, electricity, gas and rateable services are proving a luxury – having the internet connected is wishful thinking; the cost for support services is spiralling; countless carers and those they care for barely survive with many almost destitute – carers are among the hardest hit!

According to a recent report commissioned by Carers Australia and the National Carer Network ‘Caring Costs Us: The Economic Impact on Lifetime Income and Retirement Savings of Informal Carers (March 2022)’ carers not only forfeit potential lifetime earnings, but miss out on thousands of dollars in superannuation retirement savings.

Carers get no superannuation entitlements.

Carers get no holiday leave entitlements.

Carers often dip into, and deplete their own financial reserves in supporting the person(s) they care for.

When their caring role is at an end, carers under retirement age, or ineligible for a primary income support benefit from Centrelink will often find themselves literally punished and thrown on the Jobseeker scrap-heap; a harsh reality for many older Australians!

Family carers deserve the same respect, recognition and comparable financial remuneration as paid support workers.

FACT: Carers Do Not Receive an Extra Wad of Cash from Centrelink!

Time and time again I have encountered some seriously misinformed and confused people who vehemently believe between a carer and the person being cared for there is a wad of cash called a Carer’s Pension received by a carer in addition to any government primary pension or benefit, e.g. the DSP, or Aged Pension.

Contrary to what some might surmise, carers do not receive a secondary $987.60 pension each fortnight to look after an aged, infirm, disabled, or incapacitated person 24/7/365.

There is no third income shared between two people; albeit some may qualify for the $136.50 fortnightly Carer’s Allowance.

So let’s set the record straight!

The fact of the matter is Carer’s Pension no longer exists; it was renamed Carer’s Payment in July 1997 and is, by definition, a fortnightly income support payment for people who are unable to support themselves through substantial paid employment due to the demands of their caring role.

Carer’s Allowance came into being on 1 July 1999; it replaced and Combined Child Disability Allowance (CDA) and the Domiciliary Nursing Care Benefit (DNCB) and was paid at the rate of $75.60 per fortnight.

In the twenty-three years to 2022 the average increase to Carer’s Allowance has been $2.65, or 2.61% per year irrespective of increases to workloads, inflation, the cost of living, support services, and to the Carer’s Payment.

By definition Carer’s Allowance is a fortnightly payment that recognises the care provided to a person with disability or medical condition in a private home.

Carer’s Allowance is paid at the rate of $136.50 a fortnight, $68.25 a week, $9.75 a day, or just 41 cents an hour.

Over the decades no government has faced the reality of the sacrifices and price we pay as carers head on, but they’re happy to have us quietly working away in the background for next to nothing, saving them billions of dollars in unpaid care whilst we suffer physically, mentally and financially.

Federal Government Continues to Patronise and Insult Carers!

In December 2021 the federal government announced that caregivers would receive a “boost” to their Carer’s Allowance from January 2022.

Payable only after the first full fortnightly payment cycle after January 1, the “boost” of $4.60 (or 3.49%) a fortnight (or $119.60 a year) is far from adequate; it doesn’t even reasonably cover the significant increases to the cost of groceries, medications, essential living items, utilities and services – doesn’t even buy a loaf of bread!

Touting a paltry increase to the Carer’s Allowance is not something the federal government should be gloating about, it is patronising, shameful and an insult to those who are the backbone of Australia’s aged care and health systems.

The new Carer’s Allowance of $136.50 a fortnight equates to $3549.00 a year, $273.00 a month, $68.25 a week, $9.75 a day, or just 41 cents an hour to look after an aged, infirm, disabled, or incapacitated person 24/7/365.

To add further insult to carers, the average price of Ultra-Premium Unleaded Petrol (UPULP) in late 2021 was $1.75 a litre, now (as at 14 March 2022) it is on average $2.32 a litre – that’s an increase of of 24.57%, or 57 cents a litre.

So now carers have to pluck more money out of a chook’s butt just to keep their car on the road!

The Commitment of Unpaid Carers is Seriously Undervalued!

The commitment, sacrifice and benefit of carers who support and devote themselves to looking after older and vulnerable Australians is by-and-large unrecognised, underestimated and seriously undervalued!

Carers do so much more than just care – they change lives!

Carers are jacks of all trades, masters of none!

Carers afford physical, social, personal, mental, emotional and spiritual support on a daily basis.

Carers should be applauded, appreciated, appropriately financially recognised and respected for their selfless efforts, sacrifices and the noble contribution they make to the community.

Carers don’t just play an integral part in Australia’s aged care and health systems, they underpin them!

The Australian and State governments should be ashamed of themselves; they could do so much more!

Carers, especially those only in receipt of a Carer’s Allowance, need immediate, realistic and proper financial recognition.

Then there are those government and grant funded service providers who have the gall to charge Australia’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable citizens gap fees for nearly every essential service provided; forcing those that can least afford it to have to prioritise and choose between necessary services.

Government funding and/or grants to support organisations should be conditional on 100% service cost provision with no obligation on clients to make co-payments, pay gap fees or subsidies.

In some cases, what the government gives carers barely covers the costs associated with keeping a car on the road: petrol, insurance, registration, finance, servicing and repairs; usually for the benefit of the person being cared for.

Carers are usually parents, children, siblings, spouses, and friends.

Many carers are on low incomes and find it hard to cover even basic living expenses, let alone having to scrounge around for money to afford essential personal or allied health services, medications, disability aids and to meet the financial burden for increased usage of utility services.

Carers throughout Australia face a significant economic disadvantage with many neglecting their own wellbeing.

Carers themselves often become chronically ill with many suffering from health problems directly linked to their caring role: persistent tiredness, stress, depression, anxiety, back problems or other physical and mental ills.

And just as come carers might abuse their charges, some are themselves subjected to emotional blackmail and coercive manipulation, physical and (often clandestine) emotional, mental and financial abuse at the hands of those being cared for.

For many carers, thoughts of financial ruin, destitution and homelessness are very real!

The increasing plight and suicide rates of distressed carers is continually ignored.

Then there are often siblings who will distance themselves from an aging parent (or parents) and saddle one of their number with the responsibilities of looking after the parent (parents).

“Well, someone has to!”

“We have to work!”

“We have our own responsibilities!”

“You were always the favourite – you do it!”

It’s called inequality in family caregiving when one sibling is expected to carry all, or more responsibility for the provision of a loved one’s care than the other(s).

Some siblings don’t even consider offering a parent carer a break, time alone, time away, an ear to unload, the benefit of company, the opportunity for respite and relief.

Siblings often become distant and make excuses not to visit, save there might be a request for help or assistance to do something.

“Out of sight – out of mind,” goes the old saying.

Much of what carers do goes unnoticed, unrequited, unrewarded.

Could you do it?

The Precepts of Being a Carer!

Have you ever thought about what carers do, their responsibilities and the issues they face each and every day?

The next time you’re about town and see a carer, why not stop, think and wonder for a few moments what that person might be going through; why that person is the way they are and what that person has committed his or her life to; what sacrifices that person is making to care for another – a parent, family member or a friend?

Could you commit to, and honour the precepts of being a carer?

A CARER COMMITS to being there and making oneself available 24/7/365: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days in the year for the benefit of the person being carer for.

A CARER IS RESPONSIBLE for affording continued personal company, emotional, physical and spiritual support so as to ensure the safety, wellbeing and good health of the person being cared for.

A CARER PROVIDES security, comfort, encouragement and reassurance so as to ensure a continued quality of life and independence of the person being cared for.

A CARER MAKES the person being cared for his/her priority, often ignoring and neglecting their own physical and mental health, personal well-being and circumstances.

A CARER ADVOCATES to secure and defend the rights, needs and entitlements of the person being cared for.

A CARER GIVES UP his/her own time willingly, or regardless, to cater to, and meet the priorities and needs of the person being cared for.

A CARER OFTEN puts his/her own desires, wants, interests, needs and health to one side in order to meet the needs of the person being cared for.

A CARER TAKES ON additional household duties and basic chores including: shopping; bill-paying and banking; mail despatch; the completion of form-filling, paperwork and correspondence, and medication dispensary, etc.

A CARER UNDERSTANDS that the person being cared for will be desirous to attend to personal shopping matters from time-to-time and will need transport to get, and assistance to be there.

A CARER UNDERTAKES to, organises and sometimes carries out maintenance around the home.

A CARER GIVES personal, business, and health advice unreservedly so as to promote the independence, personal safety, active health, wellbeing, and community interaction by, and of the person being carer for.

A CARER LIAISES with all third parties – and intervenes accordingly – to ensure that any bothersome financial, health, or other administrative matters are addressed and resolved in a timely manner to the satisfaction of the person being cared for.

A CARER TAKES ON the responsibility of seeking out and ensuring that medical care and assistance can not only be obtained, but attended to, and delivered in a timely manner.

A CARER ENSURES that the person being cared for is taken to all medical appointments and for diagnostic tests in a timely manner.

A CARER UNDERTAKES to ensure that a means of transport is available at all times by committing and undertaking to provide an accessible, ready, and reliable mode of passage as required.

A CARER RECOGNIZES and appreciates that the person being cared for can have unique mobility issues and undertakes to assist the person being cared for in any way possible by providing the means to access and utilise available mobility assistance devices so that he, or she can retain a certain level of independence.

A CARER ENDEAVOURS to preserve consistency and familiarity of life for that person being cared for by ensuring that there is minimal disruption to routines, disturbances in surroundings and upheavals in the life of his or her charge.

A CARER ACCEPTS that unexpected situations may arise where contingency plans will need to take priority over all else so as to ensure that the rights and interests of the person being cared for are vigorously defended.

……

And as the sun sets, the carer’s day and opportunity to do something for self are gone.

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About Me?

I am a fulltime 24/7/365 carer of an aged, infirm and ill parent diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD).

As well being an abuse victim survivor campaigner, I am a patient, mentor, counsellor and advocate for those with rare diseases and genetic disorders, and a proponent for aged care and carers.

 

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Revisions:

Article originally published 19 September 2021. Revised: 30 November 2023; 16 January 2023; July 2022; June 2022; May 2022; April 2022; March 2022; February 2022; January 2022; December 2021; October 2021.

Australia Day is almost upon us and right on cue personal opinions and views are becoming passionate and provocative, galvanizing camps of sentimentalists, naysayers, and Australia Day revisionists.

Emotional tensions run high, arguments flare-up and become heated, acts of needless violence are perpetrated and wanton vandalism ensues, normally cohesive communities polarise and fracture – we are a nation so bitterly divided; even more so now whilst we’re in the throes of the Covid pandemic.

As the former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam touted in his 1972 election campaign – “IT’S TIME!”

It’s time to dispense with the them and us mindset: ALL AUSTRALIANS should be united as “ONE NATION, under ONE FLAG, as ONE PEOPLE!”

It’s time to recognise and enshrine Australia’s First Nations within our Constitution.

It’s time to become one modern Australian Tribe.

It’s time to dispense with the tripartite of flags that continue to divide us: the Australian, Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander ensigns.

It’s time to revitalise and change our National Flag to be truly representative of all of Australia’s peoples, and recognise Australia’s history past and present.

It’s time to rename Australia Day to something far less controversial and more embodying of all Australians past and present: Cooee Day, Settlement Day, Unity Day.

Cancelling Australia Day, or any other commemorative occasion, NO!

Australia, like every other nation needs a national day of significance where its peoples can celebrate and express their pride in their country.

 

Designing Our Revitalized National Flag.

Any revitalized Australian National Flag should be acknowledging of our status as a fully-fledged Pacific Nation, Australia’s First Nations Peoples, their lands and Australia’s immigrant history past and present.

The design of any flag should be bold and as simple as possible, yet sublime, personal and representative of all Australians.

Like many contemporary Australians I would like to see an Australian Flag that is the personification of Australia’s ancient past, dynamic present and its prosperous future as one peoples – a SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA National Flag.

A rejuvenated Australian National Flag could incorporate the following elements:

The eight-pointed star solidifies our status as a united Pacific Nation of 6 states: News South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia, and two principal territories: the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.

The representation of the Southern Cross constellation (a canting of Australia, the Great Southern Land) made up of five white stars: one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars.

The tripartite colours black, yellow and red acknowledging and honouring the First Nations Peoples of Australia.

The colour blue, the night time sky, or the seas that have been crossed to reach this land we occupy.

The colour black, representing the First Nations Peoples of Australia, or the night time sky.

The colour yellow, representing the sun, the infinite giver of life.

The colour red, the earth upon which we stand, its meets the sky – the guardian of life.

Together – the SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA.

 

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Revisions:

Article originally published 1 February 2021. Revised: 30 November 2023; 16 January 2023; 19 January 2022; 6 January 2022; 4 January 2022.

So there I was doing my regular shopping at one of Toowoomba’s major shopping centres.

I am down by the fresh meat section in Coles when I overhear a male customer ask his female companion “which steak would you like tonight hon?”

Normally I wouldn’t bat an eyelid – and I know this seems like stereotyping – but when you have a dishevelled couple wearing unclean track pants and loosely hanging hoodie tops with dirty hair in disarray looking at packaged Drover’s Choice premium meat cuts at 20 bucks a kilo, you sort of know the supermarket is about to be fleeced.

He looks left, he looks right, and in the blink of an eye, down the front of his track pants go two 20 buck or so premium steaks.

Then the man walks calmly over to where the sausages are and selects a nice big pack of traditional English beef sausages which he effortlessly shoves down the back of his track pants without batting an eyelid.

After adjusting his garments to disguise his precious plunder, Clyde coolly walks over to his Bonnie.

Not to be outdone, his female companion in crime waltzes over to where the energy drinks are, looks about, and up the front of her hoodie top swiftly go a few cans.

Then not forgetting dessert, they both casually walk over to the freezer section where she just nicks a pack of Peters Drumstick ice cream cones without a second thought.

A quick and clear announcement over the P.A. address system rings out, “security check camera 3.”

Staff have obviously noticed and are fully aware of what is going on but can do absolutely nothing to deter the shoplifting spree.

Approached and spoken to by staff after their exit from the store, the soon-to-be fine-dining thieves just flip the bird, mutter incoherently, and make a run for it.

You see, shoplifters it seems have more rights than store owners, managers, staff and we customers.

According to information posted to the Queensland Police website “you do not have a legal right to use force to stop a person (i.e. a shoplifter), you (cannot) physically touch a suspected shoplifter, you do not have a legal right to search a person’s bag or property” – it is a bloody a free-for-all.

So what is shoplifting?

Shoplifting is when one selects, takes physical possession of, conceals, and removes items from a retail or other establishment without any intention of paying, or having paid for them.

Now in epidemic proportions, shoplifting – as it has been for decades – is the scourge of retailers and traders, it accounts for a large proportion of reported annual retail, shop and store losses.

Shoplifting is law-breaking pure and simple, it is not a victimless crime!

The effects and ramifications of pilfering and shoplifting by career shoplifters, robbery with violence by petty crooks, and wanton theft by professional thieves can be financially devastating, physically crippling and emotionally distressing.

Stealing from retailers and traders increases store overheads, results in price increases, costs livelihoods; it can result in staff losses or the dropping of convenient products – everybody suffers in some way.

Many times I have seen people audaciously walk out of shopping centres with full trolley loads of groceries, partially paid for goods, substituted goods, even someone who put a whole hot cooked chicken down his pants.

There is no use even reporting it. Why bother?

The fact pre-packaged premium meat bears a security label that reads ‘Security Protected Chilled Foods’ is of absolutely no deterrence at all as the culprits – obviously career shoplifters – just brazenly walk out of the store.

Okay, an alarm might go off as the thieves boldly exit the premises, but all it does is alert the store that more meat has just walked out the door.

Now thinking I was doing the right thing I once called-out a shoplifter but was promptly admonished and chastised by the Store Manager.

COVID-19 it seems is being used as a convenient and lame excuse to justify wanton theft, the increased bludging off and hoodwinking of charities, and the sponging off the goodwill and honourable intentions of people desirous to help those less fortunate.

With Christmas around the corner, not having a job, having children, or not being well is no excuse for stealing from others, charities and the government.

At the very least the government gives every person some sort of financial support.

People need to get their priorities in order, take a reality pill and look at themselves in a mirror.

Forget living beyond your means, forget the drugs, the booze, the fags and the gambling; be up-front and honest with yourselves, your children and your families.

And stop nicking things!

 

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Revisions:

Article originally published 9 December 2020. Revised: 30 November 2023; 16 January 2023; 4 January 2022.

The following articles by and about me first appeared in The Chronicle (Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia), were published online at URL www.thechronicle.com.au and subsequently syndicated throughout the News Corp media network.

On Thursday 1 October 2020 The Chronicle completed its transition to the centralized News Corp (Murdoch oligarchy) Press digital media system resulting in the loss of nearly all digital media published regionally before that date with no explanation other than “unfortunately reader contributed content couldn’t be migrated across” and “links posted prior to October 1 will no longer work” – and they don’t!

Albeit it was too late to obtain downloads of all the original publications in The Chronicle, it was possible to get some downloads from its sister sites within the News Corp network.

Because some of these articles were of a controversial nature they were very popular with, and extensively shared by readers, referenced and quoted from.

As to how long these jottings will remain online is anybody’s guess, so I have republished them here for reasons of posterity and future reference.

“Welcome to 1984 …. BIG BROTHER!”

Queen’s Call to Arms! (Sunshine Coast Daily, Monday 14 September 2020) Just before his eldest daughter Catherine Middleton married His Royal Highness Prince William, the future Duke of Cambridge on 29 April 2011 in Westminster Abbey, Michael Middleton was granted a coat of arms by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as a personal gift. Click HERE to read more.

Confiscate Mobile Phones. (Toowoomba Chronicle, Wednesday 29 July 2020) Today, more so than ever before, mobile phones are not only an essential part of peoples’ lives, but for some they are an extension of their lives; indeed for many more, mobile phones are their lives – they are glued to them 24/7! Click HERE to read more.

Cartoon Characters. (Toowoomba Chronicle, Wednesday 15 July 2020) Ever noticed most animated and cartoon characters have only four fingers – well, three and a thumb? Click HERE to read more.

Pell’s Acquittal: Victims’ Right of Reply! (Daily Mercury, Tuesday 5 May 2020) Warning: this article contains details of child sexual abuse which some people might find distressing, upsetting and triggering. Click HERE to read more.

Toowoomba and Complacency – a Disaster Waiting to Happen! (Toowoomba Chronicle, Wednesday 26 February 2020) Well, Mayor Paul Antonio might still “clearly remember the death and devastation the 2011 Toowoomba floods caused” (TC, 13/01) but like many ordinary residents, I can still remember the empty supermarket shelves: no bread, no milk, no water, no fresh produce; their being power outages, no access to fuel supplies, the ATMs and phones down and many public services disrupted and utilities inoperative! Click HERE to read more.

Remembering the Forgotten Holocaust of February 10. (Toowoomba Chronicle, Monday 10 February 2020) This year not only marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the ending of the Second World War and the ending of the Holocaust; but did you know there were two Holocausts: one perpetrated against the Jews by Hitler and his Nazi henchmen and one perpetrated against ethnic Poles by Stalin and his communist Soviet Comrades? Click HERE to read more.

CBD Exodus More Sinister Than a Parking Problem. (Toowoomba Chronicle, Friday 2 August 2019) Some regional councillors, city planners, academics, CBD business owners, community leaders and customers would have us believe a lack of parking is responsible for the retail downturn and economic demise of Toowoomba’s central business district. Click HERE to read more.

16:8 – The Diet to Dine For! (News Mail, Monday 17 June 2019) I began my weight loss journey on 13 September 2018 tipping the scales at a shirt bursting 94.5 kilograms. Click HERE to read more.

Call for City Bible Museum. (Toowoomba Chronicle, Fiday 7 June 2019) Toowoomba resident George Helon has a passion for rare, antique and ancient Bibles and religious texts, and now the keen collector is looking to share his interests in Bibles of all kinds. Click HERE to read more.

JP Recognised for 25 Years of Service. (Highlife Downs Living Magazine, Tuesday 23  April 2019 – Hayley Hinze) Toowoomba citizen George Helon has recently been recognised for his 25 years of distinguished service as Justice of the Peace. Click HERE to read more.

Deaf Customers Disadvantaged and Discriminated Against. (Toowoomba Chronicle, Friday 21 December 2018) Contrary to stereotypical community perceptions, not all hearing impaired people are simply deaf as a post and unable to hear anything, and most certainly, they are not stupid or dumb! Click HERE to read more.

My Health Record Could Mean a Death Sentence! (Toowoomba Chronicle, Friday 14 December 2018) Living with multiple, complex and chronic health conditions I have been in-and-out of hospitals (general and emergency admissions) throughout my life and attended at numerous specialist appointments both here in Australia and overseas. Click HERE to read more.

Why is it Taking so Long to Raise Money for Mosque Rebuild? (Toowoomba Chronicle, Wednesday 14 November 2018) On Saturday, October 27, the Garden City Mosque opened its doors to the public once again as part of the fifth annual National Mosque Open Day. Click HERE to read more.

Abuse Victims Reeling from Clayton’s Apology! (Toowoomba Chronicle, Monday 29 October 2018) On Monday 22 October 2018, the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, delivered the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse at Parliament House in Canberra. Click HERE to read more.

Is it Time to Reclaim Free Speech? (Toowoomba Chronicle, Friday 8 June 2018) Editor Steve Etwell penned: “Surely there are people out there with an opinion” (TC, 02/06). Click HERE to read more.

Say My Name: The Enigma of Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Surname. (Toowoomba Chronicle, Tuesday 8 May 2018) PAL-LA-SHAY you might be encouraged to say of our Queensland Premier’s surname, but nothing could be more erroneous, culturally and historically insulting to those of fair dinkum Polish ancestry. Click HERE to read more.

Summer Can Really Be the Pits! (Toowoomba Chronicle, Tuesday 19 December 2017) Summer is now in full swing and the weather is getting much warmer; there is something in the air and it’s not the fragrant smell of flowers, that’s for sure. Click HERE to read more.

Man with Life-Threatening Disorder Needs NBN: ‘It’s a Joke.’ (Sunshine Coast Daily, Tuesday 25 July 2017 – Meghan Harris) A Toowoomba man has slammed the NBN after trying unsuccessfully for months to have the network installed in his home. Click HERE to read more.

Toowoomba Man With Rare Disorder Creates Life Saving Kit. (News Mail, Friday 7 July 2017 – Meghan Harris) TOOWOOMBA man George Helon has lived with an extremely rare disorder his entire life. But he is using his experience with his disorder to help others. Click HERE to read more.

Are You MedicReady in Case of Emergency? (Toowoomba Chronicle, Monday 19 June 2017) When I was growing-up, I was always told that “in this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” But what about accidents, emergencies, hospitalisations, or sickness? “Not if – but when?” Click HERE to read more.

Starting a Business: When Crowd Funding is Not Such a Good Idea! (Toowoomba Chronicle, Wednesday 22 February 2017) Lately there has been a proliferation of crowd fund sourcing enterprises like ReadyFundGo.com and RegionalPitchFest.com (whose catchphrase is “It’s just like Shark Tank, but live on stage”). Click HERE to read more.

White Christmas ‘Golliwog’ Display Labelled Racist. (Toowoomba Chronicle, Thursday 1 December 2016 – Andrew Backhouse) An Aboriginal activist has labelled a display at a Toowoomba chemist racist and demanded its removal. Click HERE to read more.

The Freedom of the City of London: a Peculiar Privilege to Die For! (Toowoomba Chronicle, Wednesday 16 November 2016) Steeped in long-held tradition, and believed to have been first presented in 1237, the Freedom of the City of London sports one of the oldest surviving traditional ceremonies still in existence. Click HERE to read more.

Family History: Digging Your Own Grave! (Toowoomba Chronicle, Thursday 25 August 2016) Captivated and spurred on by the advent and promulgation of documentary reality television programs such as ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ and ‘Finding Your Roots’ some people have become obsessed with the science of genealogy – the study of families and the tracing of one’s lineage and history – in the hope that they might descend from some royal or noble personage, or be related to some famous mega star or historical character of notoriety. Click HERE to read more.

MasterChef Australia Serves Up Mediocre Judges. (Toowoomba Chronicle, Tuesday 12 July 2016) There should be a parental guidance warning given before MasterChef airs advising parents that of the judges appearing, one in particular lacks some of the cooking, table and dining manners that parents try to instil in, and expect of their children! Click HERE to read more.

Is Your Business Really Yours for Keeps? (Toowoomba Chronicle, Monday 11 April 2016) So you have got a great business name and a brand that is easily identifiable and known to many; you survived the GFC; you have built-up a considerable trading reputation over many, many years and you are a market leader – you’re here to stay! Well – just may be? Click HERE to read more.

Toowoomba Tourist Sees Bus Roof Ripped Off in London. (Sunshine Coast Daily, Tuesday 4 August 2015 – Andrew Backhouse) A tourist from Toowoomba on holidays in England has witnessed a London bus collide with a tree as it was going through Bloomsbury, slicing its entire roof off. Click HERE to read more.

Ark of the Covenant Comes to Toowoomba. (Toowoomba Chronicle, Thursday 4 December 2014 – Andrew Backhouse) Watch out Indiana Jones fans, the Ark of the Covenant has arrived in Toowoomba. Click HERE to read more.

Heavy Rain Causes Graves to Sink at City Cemetery. (Sunshine Coast Daily, Wednesday 2 April 2014 – N. Houghton) Heavy rain and flooding has caused serious damage to the Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery with sunken grave plots, broken headstones and erosion creating a confronting scene for visitors. Click HERE to read more.

Unusual Link Connects Theologian with History. (The Chronicle, Saturday 22 March 2014) You might wonder where George Helon developed his love of Bible history, given he’s a non-practising Christian. Click HERE to read more.

 

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Revisions:

Article originally published 12 October 2020. Revised: 30 November 2023; 4 January 2022.

Today, more so than ever before, mobile phones are not only an essential part of peoples’ lives, but for some they are an extension of their lives; indeed for many more, mobile phones are their lives – they are glued to them 24/7!

For drivers a mobile phone in a vehicle is a wanton distraction, period!

Drivers using mobile phones to speak and text with others and checking their social media status and likes when driving are playing Russian roulette with the lives of everybody.

This past week I have been almost rear-ended on three occasions, rammed twice and cut-off at turns by distracted drivers more times than I can remember.

Thank God I have a crash-cam!

The high number of fatalities and carnage on our roads is a slaughter, not so much the result of sheer stupidity, unintentional mistakes, dumb carelessness, uneducated drivers, or ignorance of the law, but rather the culmination of calculated arrogance and a premeditated contempt for the law! Consequence, it seems, is little considered!

You have witnessed the bad behaviour of drivers on the road all too many times, and so to have I: young or old, man or woman, fully licensed driver or P-plater, truck driver, car driver, cab driver, tradie, lay person or professional, it makes no damn difference!

Driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fatigued, speeding, using a mobile phone, failing to give way to emergency vehicles, distracted, or just blatantly flouting the road rules, drivers just don’t get it – do they?

No matter how good a person thinks he or she is in handling a motor vehicle, other drivers can be unpredictable, erratic and impulsive.

Accidents will happen – it is only a question of when, not if, and as to whether a collision will result in just an accident, damage to life, limb or property, or fatalities?

The likelihood of serious accidents and/or fatalities on our roads is further compounded by reckless and culpable drivers.

Culpable drivers are known for their sheer audacity, arrogance for the rule of law, and wanton stupidity when it comes to them intentionally taking chances.

One only has to watch RBT (Random Breath Test) on the television to see the ludicrous and idiotic lengths that speeding, distracted, drunk, drugged and fatigued drivers will go to ‘avoid’ not only apprehension, but detection, roadside speed cameras, breathalyser and drug tests.

The extant premise of thought and action seems to be that “if I can see it, I can avoid it!”

And fortunately for many law-abiding road users, that “catch me if you can” mindset and stratagem adopted by culpable drivers is self-sabotaged by their predictable body language, diminished co-ordination skills, reduced reflex responses, glazy eyes and impaired intelligence; all of which are no match against the training, wits and diligence of our police service.

Drivers just don’t get it; they openly flout the law, laugh at the penalties and joke about losing points – their bravado knows no limits.

Using a mobile phone when driving is illegal, everybody knows that and everybody (well most) understand the morality of right and wrong.

Tougher penalties need to be considered for drivers who continually give a finger to the law.

I am not talking stiffer fines and the loss of demerit points, I am talking about hitting drivers where it really hurts!

Drivers and front seat passengers caught using mobile phones should immediately be forced to surrender them for a period of at least seven days for a first offence, and so on.

Inconvenience is about all people understand, but sometimes you just have to be cruel to be kind.

Efficient communication devices, mobile phones were made to make our lives easier, whether by connecting people in an instant, banking, productivity, medical support, entertainment, or for social gratification; but yet in bringing us closer together, mobile phones have pushed us further apart as we have become so anti-social and care little of those more than a finger-tip away.

 

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Revisions:

Article originally published 20 July 2020. Revised: 30 November 2023; 16 January 2023; 4 January 2022.

Ever noticed most animated and cartoon characters have only four fingers – well, three and a thumb?

The four finger rendering preference of animators is called the ‘four-finger aesthetic’.

Originally cartoon characters were hand-drawn with four fingers to save time, but more so money!

Online you can read various justifications and excuses for drawing cartoon characters with only four fingers: tradition, simplification, the characters are not human, the hardest part of the body to draw is the hand, efficiency of resources, etc.

But hand-drawn and painted cartoon animation has been eclipsed and made obsolete by the advent of digitally created 3D computer-generated imagery (CGI).

So this begs the question as to why Japanese anime characters are rendered with five fingers on each hand whilst animated sitcoms like The Simpsons continue to feature their characters with only four fingers?

Children with four fingers or missing limbs, through no fault of their own, are often the target of ridicule, they are demeaned, bullied – ostracised!

Given the producers of The Simpsons – Gracie Films and 20h Century Fox Television – recently caved in to criticisms of character and racial stereotyping by announcing that non-white characters will no longer be voiced by white actors, why do they continue to offend and mock the disabled, deformed and amputees like myself by continuing to render animated characters with four fingers?

Time for The Simpsons to finally grow-up and the producers to recognise that four-fingered cartoon characters are a tool for bullying and there is no place for them on our screens!

“D’OH!”

 

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Revisions:

Article originally published 14 July 2020. Revised: 30 November 2023; 16 January 2023; 4 January 2022.