An article published by the ABC this morning revealed that the Perth Midland Hospital, awarded to St. John of God group and due to be complete in 2015, will not offer services which are in conflict of ethical interests with the Catholic values of the organisation.
This would be completely reasonable had this development been a fully privately funded investment; but it isn't.
The WA State Government and Federal Government are investing a combined $360 million into the construction of this new hospital, with private contribution totalling to $70 million. This means the major shareholders of this project are the people, represented by the State Government.
So the real question is, is the expectation of the standard range of services offered at a standard public hospital a reasonable one? should the voices of the local population be heard in this case? should the government have considered its role as a provider of services before its role as a consultancy?
My answer would be yes, to all of the above.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
Perth - Geographically Sound
Perth is often described as the most isolated capital city in the world, and many Perthlings will happily agree with that sentiment, but with the advancements in technology and the shortening of travel times, this is no longer the case.
Consider this, a commercial jet (Boeing 777 for example) has a cruising speed of around 900km/h, and flying times under 12 hours have proven to be widely commercially viable, given enough traffic flow, like Perth to Dubai route.
If we translate that distance into 'Places we can reach within a 12 hour flight from Perth', we'd be able to find not only the major Asian economies such as China, Japan and Singapore, but also the Middle Eastern economies such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
This geographical location along with the moderate climate is unmatched by other major cities in Australia. With the American economy on a major decline in the world market share, Perth as a city should be planning for the transition of the Chinese economy into a major world consumer as well as the rise of the Indian economy. With adequate infrastructure and targeted advertising, our advantageous location could easily serve as both a gateway to tourism and a harbour to the vast reserves of natural resources.
Consider this, a commercial jet (Boeing 777 for example) has a cruising speed of around 900km/h, and flying times under 12 hours have proven to be widely commercially viable, given enough traffic flow, like Perth to Dubai route.
If we translate that distance into 'Places we can reach within a 12 hour flight from Perth', we'd be able to find not only the major Asian economies such as China, Japan and Singapore, but also the Middle Eastern economies such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
This geographical location along with the moderate climate is unmatched by other major cities in Australia. With the American economy on a major decline in the world market share, Perth as a city should be planning for the transition of the Chinese economy into a major world consumer as well as the rise of the Indian economy. With adequate infrastructure and targeted advertising, our advantageous location could easily serve as both a gateway to tourism and a harbour to the vast reserves of natural resources.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Perth of Today
So, where are you from?
Oh Australia?
We love Australians!
You must be from Sydney or Melbourne!
Oh Where is Perth? Is it nice there?
Next time we'll definitely visit!
Just a typical conversation for us Perthlings when we travel overseas, unless you're in Bali of course, but Perth as a city is largely off the radar to the average global citizen, and it's not their fault, because we are in fact the forgotten cousin on the other side of the country and we have a lot of catch up to do to become more relevant.
So, where is Perth?
But, amidst all the beauty and riches that embodies Perth of today, there are looming threats on the horizon. Two decades of mining investment boom have left us in a complacent state of mind, the attitude of "if we don't change anything, tomorrow will be just as good as yesterday" has spread through our society like a plague. Perhaps the latest borderline austerity policies the federal and state governments have proposed are the alarm bells which we've been waiting for, because post-GFC Greece and Ireland are not where we want to be, not today, not ever.
Perth is a beautiful city, yesterday and today, and it has the potential to flourish even more tomorrow.But to get there, we need a plan, and we need to act, today.
Oh Australia?
We love Australians!
You must be from Sydney or Melbourne!
Oh Where is Perth? Is it nice there?
Next time we'll definitely visit!
Just a typical conversation for us Perthlings when we travel overseas, unless you're in Bali of course, but Perth as a city is largely off the radar to the average global citizen, and it's not their fault, because we are in fact the forgotten cousin on the other side of the country and we have a lot of catch up to do to become more relevant.
So, where is Perth?
Perth /ˈpɜrθ/ is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia, with an estimated population of 1.97 million (as of 30 June 2013) living in Greater Perth.Sitting on the Swan River or traditional known as the Derbarl Yerrigan in the native tongue, Perth is scenic and multicultural city with a population of laid back people enjoying a high quality of life. The average Perthling will probably have a whine about how coffee or beer is overpriced or the sun isn't out, but that just goes to show how good life is here - we really have little of substance to complain about, on most days.
But, amidst all the beauty and riches that embodies Perth of today, there are looming threats on the horizon. Two decades of mining investment boom have left us in a complacent state of mind, the attitude of "if we don't change anything, tomorrow will be just as good as yesterday" has spread through our society like a plague. Perhaps the latest borderline austerity policies the federal and state governments have proposed are the alarm bells which we've been waiting for, because post-GFC Greece and Ireland are not where we want to be, not today, not ever.
Perth is a beautiful city, yesterday and today, and it has the potential to flourish even more tomorrow.But to get there, we need a plan, and we need to act, today.
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