July 2003 Issue 

  In  this  Issue

   People  and  Water

By Richard Pratt

One of Australia's foremost business entrepreneurs, Richard Pratt, who made his fortune recycling paper into cardboard gave presentations to the Victorian Government Water Summit in May 2002 and the Melbourne Population and Immigration Summit in February 2002. In his speech, People and Water, Pratt discusses the two great and closely linked issues of 'people' and 'water' arguing that we can't plan for a greater population without a greater availability of water and we can't transform our water resources without a greater population that would make those efforts feasible and viable.

"I have come to the conclusion that while Australia may be the driest continent, we don’t have a water shortage problem so much as a water management and distribution problem. I believe that the only way to address our water needs is to develop a national water policy. I’ve also flagged the idea of tapping a proportion of the floodwaters from our northern rivers before they hit the sea and piping that water to our drier areas. We could even run some of the pipes alongside the Darwin to Adelaide railway."  

Richard J. Pratt was born in Danzig, of Polish parents, March 12, 1934, emigrating to Australia from pre-war Poland in 1938 via England. He graduated from University High School in 1952 and enrolled at University of Melbourne. At age 18, he was juggling study, theatre, and his position as company salesman for the family business, Visy Board. After a brief theatre career in London, he returned to Melbourne and the company.  Upon the death of his father, Mr. Pratt took over the company in 1969. At that time, it had annual turnover of about A$5 million. In 2002, group turnover exceeds A$3 billion (U.S. $1.7 billion).

One of the features of the Pratt Group Expansion was waste reclamation. Its first paper recycling mill was built in 1979. In 1997, Pratt Industries opened the world's most advanced paper recycling facility on Staten Island, New York. Visy recycles more than 1.2 million tons of paper in the U.S.A. and Australia each year. 

Currently chairman of Visy Industries, Mr. Pratt's public services include foundation chancellor, Swinburne University of Technology; chair of finance committee, U. S. Coral Sea Commemorative Council; president, Victorian Arts Center Trust; chairman, Australian Business Arts Foundation; and chairman, Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria.

Mr. Pratt received the AC, Companion of the Order of Australia in 1998, Australia's highest honor. He had also received the AO, Officer of the Order of Australia, in 1985. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Swinburne University of Technology and Monash University. He was named the Packaging Achiever of the year by the Packaging Council of Australia. 
(Source: Pratt's Speech-www.leadershipvictoria.org; Pratt's Biography: Hall of Paper)

To view the speech by Richard Pratt see:  People and Water 

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The Challenge of Justice and Truth for our leaders by Sir William Deane

Former Governor-General Sir William Deane, Australia’s 22nd Governor-General from 1996 to 2001, launched an attack on the Federal Government when speaking at the University of Queensland after receiving a Doctor of Laws honoris causa in recognition of his distinguished career and his outstanding contribution to Australia in his role as Governor-General.

He criticised the Government over the "children overboard" affair and the holding of minors at the Woomera detention centre. He said future leaders should avoid seeking advantage by "inflaming ugly prejudice and intolerance".

Sir William also criticised the Government for its approach towards the two Australian men being held in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

"The fundamental responsibility of a democratic government to seek to safeguard the human rights of all its citizens, including the unpopular and the alleged wrongdoer, in the case of two Australians indefinitely caged without legal charge or process," he said.

Prime Minister John Howard rejected any suggestion that the Government inflames prejudice.

To view an edited extract of the speech see:  Governor-General Sir William Deane at the University of Queensland

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PM's Senate Reform Plan

The Prime Minister, John Howard, has unveiled his proposal to change the deadlock provisions of the Constitution. Under the current system, if the Senate blocks government bills, the Prime Minister can call a double dissolution election followed by a joint sitting of Parliament to break the deadlock. Mr Howard wants to call a joint sitting of both houses without going to an election and he says it is not a radical proposal. But Professor and Dean of law at the University of Notre Dame in Western Australia, Greg Craven, says the reform plan would make the Constitution worse.

To view an edited transcript of Prime Minister's John Howard's speech to the Liberal Party National Convention in Adelaide and Professor Greg Craven's response see: PM's Senate Reform Plan

Source: ABC Public Record

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Proposed Amendments to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Act

The Senate Committee considering the amendments to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission legislation produced its report at the end of April 2003 in relation to legislation, now before Parliament that provides for restructuring HREOC and renaming it the Australian Human Rights Commission, creating a structure of a president and three commissioners, requiring the Commission to obtain the Attorney-General's consent before seeking leave to intervene in court proceedings, and  removing HREOC's power to recommend payment of damages of compensation for certain complaints.

The legislation will eliminate the positions of separate Commissioners (Human Rights, Sex Discrimination, Race Discrimination, Disability Discrimination, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice). 

Will the proposed changes impair the effectiveness of the Commission to protect human rights in Australia? If the Commissioners are 'generalist' in focus, will the expertise in, areas like racial discrimination and Indigenous justice be diluted? Will the proposed changes compromise the independence of the Commission?

To read the Senate's Report and submissions made to the Senate Committee, see Inquiry into the Provisions of the Australian Human Rights Commission Legislation Bill 2003 in the Bills Reports Table at:

http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/reports/index.htm 

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Professor Mick Dodson calls for action to stop brutality in Aboriginal Communities

A respected Aboriginal leader has called for extreme action to stop what he calls the increasing brutality against Aboriginal women and children. Professor Mick Dodson is the head of the Australian National University's Institute for Indigenous Australia and says violence in Aboriginal communities is getting worse. Professor Dodson says there would be community outrage if the same thing was happening in white communities and it is time for action to be taken.

Speaking at the National Press Club in June 2003, Professor Dodson has called for a national approach to the problem, which he says is devastating communities.

To view an edited transcript see: Dodson's Speech to the National Press Club 

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Three Stage Plan to Halve Child Poverty in 10 Years - ACOSS

In a public hearing before the Senate Poverty Inquiry held in Canberra today, the Australian Council of Social Service will present proposals for a three-stage plan that would halve child poverty and reduce overall poverty in Australia by a quarter in ten years.

"One in six Australian children - around 740,000 kids - are at risk of poverty today. Overall, there are more than two million Australians in income poverty," said ACOSS President Andrew McCallum.

"While the level of deprivation that poor people face in Australia is not worsening, there are more and more people who are forced to go without the necessities that others take for granted."

"In a country as rich as Australia there is no excuse for the level of poverty and hardship that surrounds us today. We need a long-term anti-poverty plan with firm targets that is supported by all major political parties and which involves the whole community.

"ACOSS proposes a new national Anti-Poverty Commission that would set targets and monitor progress in wiping out child poverty and substantially reducing overall poverty through three stages:

1. Adequate incomes and improved living standards

The risk of poverty for around 1.5 million unemployed people, students, sole parent families, and jobless families with teenagers would be quickly reduced by rises in social security benefits and reductions in poverty traps. A $30 a week rise in the unemployment benefit of $190 a week - up to the frugal Age Pension payment - would make a good start. Better health, housing and community services would also immediately improve living standards for disadvantaged families and individuals. For example, with 90,000 social security recipients currently spending over 50% of their income in rent, providing affordable housing in areas where there are jobs would lift many out of poverty.

2. Jobs and employment assistance

Over the medium-term, generating more jobs and helping jobless people better compete for the jobs that are available by providing them with work experience and skills training would further reduce the number of jobless families in poverty. Current policies are failing to make substantial inroads into long-term unemployment. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits long-term is higher now (380,000) than seven years ago (350,000).

3. Education and capacity building

People with limited education, skills and full-time employment experience are more likely to fall into poverty. A cost-effective anti-poverty strategy for the long-term is to invest in education for disadvantaged children and 'second-chance' education & training for adults. We also need to address the social and economic problems of severely depressed communities such as some Indigenous communities, large housing estates and areas of regional decline.

"Where governments have a will to reduce poverty there is a way. Research shows that the Hawke Government's commitments helped reduce child poverty by one third. The Howard Government has helped reduce poverty among older Australians by indexing pensions to rises in average earnings."

"Beating poverty will take longer than the life of a single government - that is why we need a comprehensive strategy that has the support of all major parties."

(Source: ACOSS)

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