GYMPIE FLOODS

Here in Australia a town in Queensland has been flooded for the fourth time in about as many months. Surely we must get a message from this.
When Australia was first explored and developed towns and cities were established beside rivers as they both provided a water supply and a means of transport. Houses and businesses were built on the flat areas beside these rivers. As a consequence every time we have heavy rain over a period or in the north a cyclone the houses and business centres of these towns flood with a resulting loss of trade and huge demands on government funds and insurance companies.
Surely it would make sense for the government over a period of time to buy out and relocate these houses and businesses. In the long run this would save both money and heartache.

GAMBLING ON SPORTING EVENTS

In recent times gambling on sporting events has blossomed into a multi billion dollar business. These days you can gamble on who will score first, who will get the first penalty, how long before the first score, who will win and by what margin. These are just a very few of the multitudes of options available. With so much money available and so many ways that these results can be manipulated is it any wonder that corruption and organised crime has infiltrated nearly every sporting code.
It is no longer "sport" but just another business enterprise.

FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN AUSTRALIA

It seems to be every day now I am hearing of another large investment by a foreign country in Australian companies or agricultural enterprises. The predominant country involved is China.
While I am not against foreign companies investing in Australia I firmly believe that there should be a limit placed on the percentage of any industry or enterprise that can be controlled or owned by a foreign country.
To me the areas of biggest concern are water rights and agricultural enterprises. We MUST protect the future of our food production and the water needed to produce it.
It is said that properly managed Australia could become the food bowl of Asia. This however Must be developed by us, owned by us, and distributed by us.
We as Australians must act now before it is too late. All purchases of water rights or agricultural land should be registered no matter how small the price paid. As it stands now the Government can not give a definitive answer as to how much of our country is in foreign hands as the limit for notification is I believe around 10 million dollars. Many small properties can be bought for below this figure.

BOXING

Us humans are such a strange crowd.
If our son went out into the street with the deliberate intent to bash someone senseless we would be horrified. Yet many of us sit and watch two people getting paid to do exactly the same thing.
Why is it that if this bashing of someone senseless occurs outside of a ring someone is usually charged by the police and either fined heavily or locked up. If it is called "boxing" then two people are encouraged to do it and the so called winner is a "hero" and in some cases paid millions of dollars.
Most of us try to avoid situations that are proven to result in brain damage, loss of eyesight and disfigurement but then encourage others to do it in the name of boxing.
There are many programmes to stop bullying in our schools and yet we encourage young people to step into a boxing ring and try to exert their superiority over another by hitting them.
As I said we are a strange lot.