UWS School of Communication Arts
contents
gambling in australia pg 1 pop a pill, party all night, and you won’t get caught pg 1 the sanctuary’s locked window on exiled asylum seekers pg 3
cancer sticks, sperm and pregnancy pg 6 the illness that affects us all pg 8 ovarian cancer test closer than ever pg 14
mainstream schools turn their backs on special needs students pg 16 photo feature pg 18 cannabis: law and disorder pg 20 happiness pg 22
australia becoming sports raging mad pg 24 parents, we need you at school too pg 26 decisions, decisions, decisions pg 28
addicted to oil pg 30 booze, pot and us... pg 32 a new era in crime pg 34 sport, the answer to australia’s fastest growing disease pg 36
on the punt
Anita Struthers
Photography by Rebecca Menzies
P
roblem gambling is a serious issue which currently
affects more than 1.5 million people around
Australia, including both gamblers and their
immediate families. In NSW, problem gambling is on the
rise, with increasing numbers of people losing money, in
particular through poker machines. Legalised gambling
facilities have expanded greatly over the past, this has
led to a substantial increase in amounts wagered. The
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recently revealed that
NSW residents are the biggest gamblers in the country,
spending an average of $1196 per adult on all forms of
gambling, and a larger amount of average household
income on gambling. There has also been an increase in
gambling related crimes and the breakdown of family,
community and social institutions throughout Australia.
The only winners are the Government and the private
gambling businesses who earn millions through gambling
taxes and takings. The total net takings for private
businesses in 2004-05 were over $15.5 billion.
Continued on page 10...
pop a pill, party all
night, and you won’t
get caught
Seema Lal
The dangerous world of recreational
drug use.
I
t’s Saturday night at a well-known club in
Sydney’s inner-city. Music is blaring and the place
is crammed with well-dressed, middle to upper
class twenty-something’s. Strobe lights dance around
the room and everything from beer to champagne is
flowing freely from the bar, to the dance floor. The
bar staff are welcoming and the crowd is however
friendly.
Turn the corner and walk into the bathrooms and it’s
a whole different story. A young woman is vomiting
and has her head in the toilet, while two of her
friends hold her hair up and rub her back. Take a
couple of footsteps down near the male cubicles
and you can hear two young men raving about the
(Ecstasy) pill they’ve just popped and how they’re
feeling “totally wasted”. No one says a word or even
bats an eyelid to security just footsteps outside; they
seem to be totally oblivious to the incidents that have
just occurred.
Rolls, White Doves, Lover’s speed. The names may
come and go, but methamphetamines street name
ecstasy has become the drug of choice and is on the
rise amongst the cashed-up and trashed-up young
adults of the 21st Century. If you think that drugs
only circulate amongst the beknighted and people
who live a life of crime, think again. Ecstasy’s lure
has encased itself into well-educated 20 year olds,
becoming a dangerously de rigueur part of a night
out for many young Australian men and women, and
leaving them quite confident that law will never catch
up to them.
continued on page 12...
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UWS School of Communication Arts
of rights and responsibilities
F
or many of us, it was one of the first
proper catchphrases we ever heard
and hopefully, one of the first real
lessons we ever learned. Whether it was
uttered by our primary school teacher, a
parent, or even a somewhat obsequious
peer, it seemed an easy enough
proposition.
“With rights, come responsibilities.”
And still now, it’s an easy enough
proposition.
Not that you’d know it, unfortunately,
looking at our world today.
A glance at modern society, from its
lowest dregs to its highest, (supposedly)
most prestigious echelons, sees the
denying of rights and the abdication
of responsibility rife. The misuse of
power- and the inability to share it- is
worryingly common wherever one looks.
Blame-shifting and abuse of privilege is
everywhere.
In this issue of Angle, we examine issues
of rights and responsibilities in Australia-
where things are going well and, sadly
editorial
and most commonly, where things have
gone horribly wrong.
We see where governments and those in
power have denied the most basic and
inherent human rights to those most
vulnerable, like asylum seekers. We see
where they have failed to properly tend
to their responsibilities towards groups
such as the mentally ill and disabled
schoolchildren. Indeed, we see most
graphically represented the muddled
farce of the recent APEC conference
where rights, responsibilities, and just
about everything else was trampled on in
the name of God-knows-what.
But sadly, governmental incompetence
and negligence isn’t where it ends. It’s
just the beginning.
More staggering, widespread, and
disturbing are tales of individual failings
in terms of rights and responsibilities.
These occur everyday, all around us,
mostly without the attention that
accompanies the high-profile failings of
those in the spotlight.
Yet they are the crux of so many of the
cancers that eat away at our society.
2 angle NOVEMBER 2007
Temptation is everywhere- a country like
Australia offers so much freedom and
opportunity compared to many other
places around the world. The right to do
so many things is implicit for so many
Australians. But when it comes time
to take responsibility for these rights-
responsibility for our actions- many of
us, it seems, become sadly lacking.
Within these pages, we see how the
temptation of gambling sucks in many
beyond their means. How the temptation
of drugs ruins many lives beyond all
recognition. How smoking inflicts so
much damage.
None of these phenomena are new. But
they all involve a crucial abandonment
of responsibility, an abuse of rights.
It’s not the job of publications such as
this one to play God or lecture from on
high, but when people- and not just the
responsibility-dodger themselves- start
getting hurt, someone has to take a
stand.
It’s one thing to irresponsible with one’s
self. It’s quite another to inflict damage
on others as a result of one’s own
irresponsibility.
Self-examination isn’t easy- but then
again, many of the most critical things
in life are that way. Ditto rights and
responsibilities.
A look through the prism of our own
lives will show us this. Who out of us
would want to take on the awesome
responsibility our parents did, or
our boss does? On the other hand,
a wander through, say, the ethereal,
sacred surrounds of the Australian War
Memorial in Canberra reminds us that
some rights are very hard-won indeed.
Thus, it’s time, as both individuals and a
nation, that we took issues of rights and
responsibilities more seriously.
We need to honour and respect both our
rights and our responsibilities, not only
to ourselves, but to others.
Because as we face the challenges- and
the dangers- of the 21st Century, they’ve
both never been so important.
Sunil Awasthi
Editor
Editor-in-chief Antonio Castillo / a.castillo@uws.edu.au
Editor
Sunil Awasthi
sawasthi29@gmail.com
Design project management
Samantha Edwards-Vandenhoek
s.edwards@uws.edu.au
Art direction & co-ordination
Samantha Edwards-Vandenhoek, Erin Jeavons-Fellows
Design & Layout
Sunil Awasthi, Melissa Deare, Amy Gregory, Erin Jeavons-
Fellows, Kenny Leung, Ashley Wells, Nathan Wickline.
Contributing writers
Rasheed Abu Bakar, Andrew Blanchard, Brendon Bright,
Clare Buggy, Michael Carayannis, Marley Cook, Brett Davis,
Deana Dinovska, Sarah Gharbawi, Lachlan Guselli, Hannady
Haidar, Melissa Karam, Seema Lal, Anita Struthers, Rachael
Thompson, Samuel Wallis, Jade Wittmann.
Contributing photographers
Kat Callard, Emma Couch, Melissa Deare, Frank Farrugia, Amy
Gregory, Erin Jeavons-Fellows, Patrick Jones, Kenny Leung,
Jessica Mason, Rebecca Menzies, Elise Rampoldi, Stacey
Rosenblum, Steven Spierings, Ashley Wells, Nathan Wickline,
Richard Zhou.
Contributing illustrators
Ashley Wells
Printer
Marrickville Print and Design
Publisher
School of Communication Arts
University of Western Sydney
Telephone: +61-2-98525208
Facsimile: +61-2-98525424
Disclaimer
The views expressed in Angle are not necessarily the views of
the staff at the UWS School of Communication Arts. Articles in
this magazine are copyright and permission from the individual
authors must be obtained before production. All the use of
information from articles appearing in this magazine should be
kindly credited to author, Angle and School of Communication Arts.
Contributors Welcome
Angle welcomes contributions from the journalists, academics,
students, designers, artists and photographers. Guidelines for
contributors are available on request. Contributors should include
a stamped self addressed envelope if material is to be returned.
UWS School of Communication Arts
the sanctuary’s locked window on exiled asylum seekers
Marley Cook
Inside the hell of some of those who seek to make Australia their home
“I
t was hell. We lived like animals. At night we
couldn’t sleep because of the biting mosquitoes.
And during the day we had no calmness because
of the very hot weather. We had psychological sickness
and physical illness. We didn’t have enough water for
bathing, for cleanliness or proper hygiene. We are always
in tragedy and calamitous situation. Nauru was a crime”
described one deported Afghan asylum seeker. This
description was just one of the cases documented in a
report prepared by the Edmund Rice Centre (ERC) in
September last year.
In the 2004 Deported to Danger report researchers
interviewed 40 of Australia’s rejected asylum seekers. The
latest report - Deported to Danger II - follows the trend of
the 2004 report, in which there is substantial evidence to
suggest the Howard government had knowingly deported
asylum seekers back to countries where all but two face
threats of persecution and even death. Many of those
interviewed by the ERC were survivors of the Tampa
later sent to Nauru while their claims were processed.
Disturbingly, researchers found up to nine expatriated
asylum seekers from Nauru were possibly killed on
refoulement. Furthermore, there are the senseless
murders of three children, innocent victims of their
fathers’ desperation to give them a better life in Australia.
This unconscionable act constitutes at best a reckless
endangerment of human life and at worse, accessory to
crimes against humanity.
The detention of asylum seekers in Nauru, the ERC found,
puts them beyond the democratic safeguards they would
have been offered if they had been allowed to put their
claims forward in Australia. The highly controversial
Pacific Solution, a policy introduced by the Howard
Government, prevents asylum seekers sent to Nauru
luxuries mainland asylum seekers have benefited from.
The findings from the ERC report confirm this, with the
men in the report providing compelling evidence that their
claims were rejected on the grounds of flawed assessments
resulting from rudimentary knowledge of their
geopolitical environment. Many state they were bullied
into returning voluntarily through threats, manipulations
and lies.
The findings of the ERC reveal serious issues for the
Howard Government. In many instances the deportation
of rejected asylum seekers, given their testimony, raises
accusatory suggestions that the Howard government
could be akin to people smugglers. In a number of the
cases, deportees, many afraid of the Howard Government,
relay constant threats and intimidations used by the
Department of Immigration. On agreeing to voluntarily
return and therefore accepting the Government’s
repatriation package, the Government supplied them
Photography by Kat Callard
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the sanctuary’s locked window on exiled asylum seekers
Continued from page 3
Illustration by Ashley Wells
with false, invalid or dangerous travel documentation. In
many instances there was reported exchanging of money
with officials to allow asylum seekers the right to safety.
The failure of the Howard Government to explore the
issues raised by the ERC suggests an unwillingness to
accept or acknowledge basic human rights and leaves an
embarrassing question mark on Australia’s international
reputation.
When presented with the findings of the report, the
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs,
Amanda Vanstone, didn’t seem perplexed by the ERC’s
findings. “It would not surprise me if, out of the millions
and millions of displaced people from Afghanistan who
have returned to Afghanistan with the support of the
United Nations since 2001 or 2002, not all of them at this
point are alive,” said Vanstone in the Senate in August last
year.
4 angle NOVEMBER 2007
Her dismissal or short-sighted ignorance of claims further
published by the ERC, where researchers presented
evidence that up to nine men detained and later deported
from Nauru had been killed, happened just as quickly. A
position Vanstone hasn’t shied away from over the past
few years. When questioned after the release of the first
Deported to Danger report in 2004, about allegations that
the Government had wilfully deported asylum seekers,
she still refused to accept responsibility for such claims.
She even went so far as to deny outright the insinuation in
parliament, “I should also say that we do not send people
back, in any event, to countries where we believe they will
be at risk.”
One of those interviewed for the ERC was 30-year-old
Hazara Afghan, Abdullah*, who came to the attention of
the Taliban when it was discovered his marriage was not
in accordance with tradition. “In this time love marriage
was forbidden,” he told interviewers. With Abdullah’s
wife being Ismaili, their union was always shrouded in
danger, he told interviewers in Pakistan, where he now
lives with his wife without any legal status or rights.
After ordered by a local Taliban commander to attack
him, Abdullah attempted to seek refuge in Australia,
where he became an unwilling participant in a collision of
Australian politics.
While detained in Nauru, Abdullah told the interviewers
later he suffered from clinical depression, with
conditions in the centre not fit for humans. For the
two years Abdullah spent in Nauru, he vehemently
resisted deportation with his protests falling on deaf
ears. With Nauru not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee
Convention, his right to appeal, access to a lawyer and any
protection afforded to signatories of the Convention was
unequivocally denied.
After continuous pressure from the Department of
Immigration, Abdullah finally gave in and took the
Government’s $2,000 repatriation package to return to
Kabul. The official told Abdullah that if he didn’t return
he would be placed in prison and he would never be able
to see his family again. Abdullah was also promised by
the official who came to see him that the Taliban was gone
and Kabul was once again safe.
Tragically, just before he returned he was devastated to
hear a bomb was dropped on his house, killing his mother
and his six-year-old son. The apocryphal promises the
Department of Immigration official told Abdullah in
Nauru were as empty as the plot where his house once
remained. “Australia wanted to send a message to public
about us asylum seekers coming by boat. This was more
important than believing the truth of our stories.”
Phil Glendenning, Director of the Edmund Rice Centre,
said his trip to Kabul was far from being safe. Arrested
in Kabul just hours before the kick-off of the Socceroos-
Croatia World Cup game last year, it was only by a stroke
of luck recalling how the Afghans introduced camels into
Australia that saw his release. This behaviour, he was told
by his guides, happens all the time. He would later tell the
Sydney Morning Herald’s Adele Horin, “The point is, we
can leave they can’t, and that’s the crime.”
Summarising the report, former English teacher
Glendenning said “Detention in Nauru places people
beyond the democratic safeguards of Australian law,
breaching Australian values and international obligations
to safeguard human rights. It imposes sub-standard living
conditions and subjects people to demeaning treatment
on deportation flights.” Adding, “Fundamental reform is
needed if we are to honour human rights obligations and
the values they enshrine.”
Refugee support groups such as Refugee Action Coalition
and the Refugee Council of Australia are both deeply
concerned and troubled about the latest Deported to Danger
II report. “The Deported to Danger reports are deeply
disturbing, both because of what has happened to these
individuals, and because the work by the committed team
at the ERC shows what could be done if Australia had a
government that prioritised human dignity rather than
fear mongering and victimisation,” says Mark Goudkamp
of the Refugee Action Coalition.
President of Refugee Council of Australia, John Gibson
further strengthened the ERC’s credibility. “No-one will
benefit if the Government’s only response is to criticise the
Edmund Rice Centre. As it is clear that the Edmund Rice
Centre has gathered sufficient evidence which, at the very
least, raises serious doubts about the safety of returned
asylum seekers, the Government must work with the
Centre to investigate the matter fully.”
Even though many of these asylum seekers fit the
criteria for refugee status under the Refugee Convention,
Australia is the only Western country that mandatorily
detains all asylum seekers. The Refugee Convention
and the UNHCR both state detaining asylum seekers
should only be used as a last resort, only if it is absolutely
necessary. In Australia it is the only resort exercised
for all men, women and children. In 2001, the German
Government painted a bleak, realistic picture of Australia’s
detention centres, comparing them to concentration
camps. For those rejected asylum seekers, many came to
know Nauru as a tropical Auschwitz.
As a signatory to various United Nations Conventions,
Covenants and Protocols, Australia has an international
responsibility to ensure all asylum seekers are treated
humanely and protected accordingly while their claims are
assessed honestly and equally. For those held on Nauru,
evidence provided by the former detainees suggested this
was anything but. Under International and Australian
Law, any person/s is allowed to submit an application
seeking refugee asylum and in accordance to the Refugee
Convention, there should be no penalties for the manner
in which they arrive. Nauru however does not have to
accept these basic affordances of humanity. A country that
has not ratified the Refugee Convention and only accepts
asylum seekers because the Australian Government
compensates them. Money talks, and for a country that is
all but bankrupt, it eases neighbouring Australia’s asylum
overdraft.
The Howard Government in the middle of the year sought
to amend the Migration Act, causing widespread criticism
and three Liberal members to cross the floor. Amanda
Vanstone again reaffirmed her party’s tough border policy
in parliament. “We will always adopt a strong border
protection, whereby we will take people who have been
assessed by the UN as being refugees out of refugee
camps. We will give them our priority, not those who
choose an alternative path.” This was a deliberate attempt
by the Immigration Minister to obfuscate the Australian
public and rally up support for the proposed amendments,
which would have seen all asylum seekers arriving in
Australia by boat immediately deported to Nauru or
Manus Island.
The deaths of known deported asylum seekers upon being
returned are a direct definition of refoulement set out in
the Refugee Convention. In this instance, the Howard
Government needs to be accountable for these murders.
Yet through sheer stubbornness or lack of compassion,
they dismiss these findings. The dichotomy of the
situation was revealed when John Howard announced that
he would be deploying an extra 150 troops to Afghanistan.
How is a country that is apparently safe for deported
asylum seekers in need of Australia’s armed forces?
Equally, why is it that the same Prime Minister deported
asylum seekers back to Afghanistan? Two months after
the September 11 attacks he said, “maybe as a result of
the Taliban being removed things will improve over a
period of months, but right at the moment there’s still a
lot of shooting going on and it’s just not realistic to say
we’ll send people back the day after the Taliban has been
removed from particular cities.”
After being detained on Nauru for 14 months, 30-year-
old Karim*, a Hazara Afghan, agreed to return to Kabul.
However, the ERC would later have evidence to suggest
the term voluntary could not be justified in the definitive
UWS School of Communication Arts
sense. Karim fled Afghanistan after the deaths of his
father and brother-in-law when he believed the enemies of
his father also wanted him dead.
Alternating between threats and beguiling promises of
Kabul being safe, Karim says although he agreed to return
home, it was anything but voluntary. “They told us if
we do not go they will take us back by tying our hands
and legs with ropes.” Before arriving at Nauru, Karim
knew from being on board the Tampa that he, like others,
was going head first into a storm of domestic Australian
politics. “When I first reached Australia in the Tampa
ship, the Australian Government said that you won’t
be accepted. When then Immigration Minister Phillip
Ruddock came in the camp, he said that you people have
come in via the Window; you should have come via the
Door; we cannot accept you.”
Upon returning, the promises he disbelieved in Australia
turned out to be validate. The Governor who wanted
Karim dead was still in power. Karim now lives illegally
in Pakistan where he is responsible for his pregnant wife,
four children, his mother, his sister who is injured, and his
deceased brother-in-law’s two children. From his time in
Nauru, Karim suffers from anxiety, insomnia, tension, and
he frequently is fearful.
At the height of the Tampa crisis in 2001, polls showed
Australia was adamantly opposed to accepting refugees.
It was a critical junction in Australian politics which
John Howard used to maximum advantage, giving the
Coalition its third successive election win. “Every nation
has the right to effectively control its borders and to decide
who comes here and under what circumstances, and
Australia has no intention of surrending or compromising
that right,” he boldly declared.
After the sinking of the Palapa 1 and subsequent following
Suspected Illegal Entry Vessels (SIEV), many asylum
seekers found their end in a watery grave. For the
survivors, picked up by the Tampa and other ships, they
became the living dead. Pawns in a domestic political
game of chess. They were expendable and set to be made
an example of for all future asylum seekers thinking
Australia would welcome them with open arms and a jar
of Vegemite.
In 2000, a Senate Committee Report recommended
Australia monitor its rejected asylum seekers to determine
whether upon returning their claims for refugee status
were merited. Seven years on the Government still refuses
to investigate, much less validate, findings where it is all
too obvious they are guilty of refoulement. The seemingly
autocratic country which is Australia has lost its values to
the sea.
“Tell me where I should go. You tell me please where I
should live. I am not for this world. Where should I go?”
asked one of our rejected asylum seekers. His questions
like questions the ERC work tirelessly to be answered are
met by embarrassing silence.
* Names are changed for privacy reasons.
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cancer sticks, sperm and pregnancy
Rasheed Abu Bakar
Are some women endangering their children’s lives before they’re even born?
H
Image by Ashley Wells
ave you ever tried to quit smoking? Take it from
me; it’s not a pleasant experience. You go through
several stages, each more uncomfortable than
the next. Firstly, you feel a little prang deep down in your
gut. It’s quite a hard feeling to describe actually- a bit like
hunger, but in a different part of your stomach.
You remember the pitiful, shocking ads; “Smoking causes
emphysema.”
Then your fingers start to get jittery. They crave the sleek,
cylindrical, fragile combination of paper and nicotine. You
literally don’t know what to do with your hands. Do you
sit on them? Put them in your pocket? Place them on your
temple? Run them through your hair? You feel awkward,
self-conscious, fake. In social situations you can’t be
yourself without a smoke in your hand.
Remember the ads; “Smoking causes liver damage (or
whatever)”
6 angle NOVEMBER 2007
Add to the mix a touch of stress, and BANG! You start
to breathe rapidly, inconsistently. Your heart beats faster,
your eyes move quicker. You stand up and pace the
room. This one stressful event, no matter how small and
inconsequential it may be, just seems too overwhelming.
Only an inhale of that soothing Marlboro will be enough
to calm you down.
The ads; “Smoking causes…who cares!”
It’s an experience heavily pregnant mother of two,
Michelle*, knows all too well. She goes through a pack and
a half a day.
“How do you expect me to quit? I’ve been smoking since I
was eight”, she says.
I look down on her somewhat. After all, I was only killing
myself when I used to light up. She is hurting her two
children, one six and one three, plus her unborn child. I
can see why she finds it even harder than me to quit. If
she lights up, she has to answer to her kids. I only had to
answer to my girlfriend!
If you are pregnant the next time you light up a cancer
stick, forget thinking about all the poisonous and harmful
chemicals that you will inhale. Instead, think about how
much your offspring will suffer. Men should think about
it too, even though they do not go through the painstaking
process of carrying a junior for nine months.
Apart from the well-known ill-effects of smoking, smoking
whilst pregnant causes a lot of complications to the mother
and the infant. According to the Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare (AIHW), smoking during pregnancy
causes complications such as placental abruption, placenta
praevia, and the premature rupture of membranes.
The placenta is an organ that grows in the uterus during
pregnancy to provide nourishment and oxygen to the
baby. Placental abruption is the early separation of a
normal placenta from the wall of the uterus which causes
vaginal bleeding, pain in the uterus, and contractions that
do not stop. This condition puts the baby in distress until
delivery, and he or she will have a low level of oxygen in
the blood after birth.
Placenta praevia is a condition where the placenta has
moved to the bottom of the uterus, covering the cervix.
When a baby is ready to be born, the cervix opens to allow
the baby to move out of the uterus and into the vagina.
When a woman has placenta praevia the baby cannot be
born vaginally as the placenta is blocking the opening.
The premature rupture of membranes means the baby is
very likely to have a premature birth, as the membranes
break before the onset of labour.
General Practitioner Dr. Ashraf Nashed agrees that these
complications are quite common in women who smoke
a lot during pregnancy. He adds that smoking during
pregnancy increase the risks for both the mother and the
child.
“Smoking, at any stage of life, is bad for your health. It is
even worse when a mother is carrying another life”.
The AIHW report also concluded that rates of women
smoking during pregnancy have been found to be higher
in younger women, with 30-50% of women aged less than
twenty years reported to have smoked during pregnancy,
compared to only 10-30% of women aged 30 to 35 years or
more.
Dr. Nashed feels that expecting mums are aware of the
effects smoking has on the unborn child, but are just too
ignorant, as their addiction gets the better of them.
Michelle modestly agrees with Dr. Nashed’s comments, as
she considers herself an inconsiderate and irresponsible
mother. Throughout the two hour casual interview,
Michelle finished three quarters of a pack of cigarettes and
three cups of coffee. She blames boredom and stress for
her unhealthy addiction. As a fresh quitter myself who
is now sensitive to the smell of cigarettes, I am amazed at
how her two sons in their pram kept on smiling without
even wrinkling their noses at the smell of the toxic passive
smoke.
“I know what can happen to my kids but after seeing
nothing wrong with the first two, I feel like it’s kind of
okay to do it.”
“Look at them, don’t they look healthy? I was a very
heavy smoker while I was carrying them,” she says whilst
pointing to her kids in the pram.
Dr Nashed also believes that passive smoking is as
harmful to infants as their mothers. The most potent
gas emission, carbon monoxide, damages and clogs the
small and delicate arteries of the baby. According to the
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), more than a third
(37%) of children aged 0-14 years live in households with
one or more regular smokers, while 10% of children 0-14
years live in households where there is at least one regular
smoker who smokes indoors.
The inhalation of tobacco smoke by non-smokers can
lead to harmful health effects in their unborn child.
Illnesses such as middle ear infections, bronchitis,
pneumonia, asthma and other chest conditions in
children are common. Passive smoking by mothers is
also linked to sudden infant death syndrome, also knows
as SIDS (a condition where an infant dies suddenly and
unexpectedly).
Dr R. S. Muthukrishnan, a general practitioner and
hypnotist, echoes his fellow doctor’s comments. He also
feels that the second-hand smoke, although not as potent
as smoking itself, partly blocks the respiratory tubes which
cause less oxygen intake.
“Less oxygen in the blood cells means the organs in the
body cannot perform to its fullest potential.”
He added that a growing infant cannot afford to have
organs not working to their fullest.
The poisonous chemicals in cigarettes also have an effect
on the amount and quality of sperm. Smoking decreases
the sperm count and its quality. When a body does not get
enough oxygen in the blood cells, nutrition is limited, and
therefore the quality of sperm drops. This can also lead
to unhealthy babies, as the sperm that meets the egg is
already harmful.
Dr Nashed believes that it does not matter what type of
cigarettes a smoker smokes. As long as tobacco and the
other harmful chemicals enter the blood stream, the whole
body starts to deteriorate.
Despite the harmful consequences it seems some people
don’t really care. Apart from our chain-smoking mother of
two-soon-to-be-three, Michelle, Mr. Steve Nolan, an owner
of a recruitment company, could not even remember when
he started smoking. When questioned about the harmful
effects to sperm count and quality he said he is aware of
the complications it causes, but has not thought about
quitting.
UWS School of Communication Arts
“I know what smoking does to the body but I believe that
if you don’t overindulge in anything, you won’t damage
your body.”
Mr Nolan also acknowledges the harmful effects of
passive smoking, but admits he does not smoke at home
at all.
If these factors and stories are not enough for smokers to
even think about quitting, there is another way.
Apart from a general practitioner, Dr. Muthukrishnan is
also a hypnotist. No, not the type that spins pendulums
or black and white circles in front of you, but a medical
hypnotist. Dr. Muthukrishnan believes that this treatment,
a precise state of the art result orientated therapy
programme will be very effective for smokers willing
to quit, especially pregnant mums and hardcore chain
smokers. He also feels that five sessions would be enough
to get a smoker completely over smoking.
He compares the brain to a computer programme. With
hypnotism, the brain can be reprogrammed to erase
unhealthy habits.
According to the Department of Health and Ageing, many
smokers are not aware that the most adverse health effects
from smoking decline rapidly after quitting. After 12
hours, almost all the nicotine in the body is metabolised.
After five days, sense of smell and taste improve. Six
weeks off smoking reduces the risk of wound infection
after surgery and after three months, lung function
improves.
After a year, the risk of coronary heart disease is halved
and at the ten year mark, lung cancer risk is halved. Skin
appearance and fitness levels also improve when the
body gets constant adequate levels of oxygen in the blood
vessels.
I look at the yellow-toothed, wrinkled, chain-smoking
pregnant mother in front of me, her cute sons smiling and
giggling as she playfully tickles and pinches their thighs.
Would she ever quit? I wonder…
angle NOVEMBER 2007 7
UWS School of Communication Arts
the illness that affects us all
Clare Buggy
How do we deal with the hot-button issue of mental health?
O
n January 5 2006, an unprovoked attack occurred
on four police officers by a mentally-ill person
armed with a pitchfork and two knives. Police
officers are on average called to nine incidents in one shift
involving a mentally-ill person. This appears to be the
norm among the policing community. What sort of control
do we have over the mentally-ill?
Former NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney said
“I urge the community to start talking more frankly and
honestly about what our treatment of the mentally-ill
says about us as a community. Only then will we find the
resolve to make a difference.”
More than one in ten Australians report they have a
long-term mental or behavioural problem. A snapshot
of mental health in Australia, released by the Australian
Bureau of Statistics showed that 11% of people reported
they had a long-term mental or behavioural problem at the
time of the survey, 2004-05 (the latest figures available).
Agnes McMillan, Service Director of Mental Health
for Sydney West Area Heath Service, believes that
approximately 20% of the Australian population will
suffer from mental health problems in one year. McMillan
believes that the incidence and prevalence figures for
serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar
disorders are much lower than the more proliferating
diseases such as depression and anxiety disorders, but are
consistent over time and that mental health problems are
the third biggest health problems in Australia after heart
disease and cancer.
More than 75% of people who develop a serious mental
illness have their first episode before the age of 25, while
the 18-24 age group has the highest prevalence of mental
health problems (McGorry 2005). The impact of these
disorders during this critical development period can be
quite profound. Left untreated, or poorly treated, these
disorders lead not only to personal and family distress,
but also to poor academic performance, unemployment,
substance abuse, disability and premature death.
Untreated mental illnesses can destroy friendships and
social networks, fracture family relationships, restricting
people to socially impoverish lives.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
What about the children of parents who have a mental
illness and are forced to undertake the role of the
caregiver? According to the NSW Department of Health,
29% to 35% of female clients of mental health services
have dependent children under the age of 18 years. What
is perhaps more alarming is that 25% to 50% of these
children will experience a psychological disorder in
their childhood, compared to 10% to 20% of the general
population.
Photography by Diana Carniato
8 angle NOVEMBER 2007
McMillan said “Most mental health services now have
COPMI workers (Children of Parents with Mental
Illnesses) who work in a variety of ways to assist these
children.”
They may work with the parents to improve their
parenting skills, work with the child to improve their
resilience and coping skills, and sometimes work with
case managers of the mentally-ill parent to assist them to
provide greater support to the whole family.
Psych-educational interventions have beneficial effects
for children whose parents have a mental illness. Surveys
conducted by South Western Sydney (1996), Northern
Sydney (1997) and Central Coast (1998) Area Health
Services have highlighted that providing support and
appropriate information on parental mental health
problems during difficult times helps to protect children
and adolescents from the adverse effects of parental
mental illnesses. Therefore, children need to be offered
programs to support them and help them understand their
parent’s illness. The type of support provided must be
flexible and available in the community.
Despite the best efforts of many dedicated clinicians,
there is a vast and unnecessary gap between the quality
and coverage provided for general medical illnesses and
psychiatric illnesses, which leads to Third World outcomes
in a First World Country. So what is the government
doing to help prevent this growing epidemic?
Serious funding constraints force mental health services to
provide little more than palliative care. Treatment has to
be rationed until it can be withheld no longer.
In February 2006, Prime Minister John Howard announced
a $1.8 billion five-year mental health package, starting
with $149 million in 2006/2007. McMillan mentions
that during 2005/2006 the NSW government spent $854
million on direct mental health services. NSW Premier
Morris Iemma believes that the plan “will finally bring
a decent level of resources and a whole new way of
planning mental health in Australia’s most populous
state”.
There are however, concerns over this package delivered
by the Government. The Australian Medical Association
President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, announced via press
release that the Government must make changes to
its mental health package if it is to be truly effective in
meeting the needs of people with mental illnesses.
The AMA has major concerns about how the Government
sees the role of GPs in mental health care. Dr Haikerwal
said the Government failed to understand that GPs are
the main source of expert care for patients with mental
illnesses and that they are the first place turned to for
immediate, urgent care, as well as long-term management.
“We have spent considerable time convincing the
Government of the package’s failing but they are yet to
respond with changes. Significant numbers of people are
cared for with mental illnesses in the community by GPs
because of the absence of in-patient and support services”
Dr Haikerwal said. “We need to quantify the problem
before we can deal with it.”
In terms of how much mental health is costing the
Government, George Truman, Epidemiologist for
Population Health, Sydney West Area Health Service
believes that this is difficult to judge.
Truman said that direct costs such as health care costs
and disability pensions would be known, but are likely
to be funded at an inadequate level. Indirect costs in
terms of lost productivity, burden to families, costs of
drug and alcohol abuse can be estimated but are probably
the real major costs to the Government. According to
the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006), expenditure
on mental health services accounted for 6% of all health
expenditure in 2000-2001 (latest figures are currently
unavailable).
So what can the community do to help combat mental
health problems? Meadows and Singh are two of the
most distinguished authors on mental health. In 2001,
they published ‘Mental Health in Australia: Collaborative
Community Practices.’ In the study they said, “one of the
most difficult challenges facing mental health services
in Australia is to improve the attitudes and skills of the
community in delivering mental health care.”
Truman believes that the community has a significant role
in preventing poor mental health. Truman and McMillan
both share the similar philosophy that the community
must become more accepting, tolerant, and supportive of
people with mental health issues. Truman suggests that
“the community must become advocates for people with
mental health issues by putting pressure on members of
parliament and community decision makers to ensure that
mental illnesses are treated fairly and appropriate levels of
health service funding is provided to them.”
The community can work with schools to help prevent
mental illnesses. McMillan believes that mental health
problems often go unrecognised and untreated and can
carry over into all parts of a young person’s development,
namely: their education and learning, peer relationships,
and family relationships, which are critical to a young
person’s wellbeing. The school is an important
environment to identify and intervene early with high-risk
young people.
Prevention programs such as Mind Matters and ‘RAP’ can
target the whole school population in developing a young
person’s resilience in fighting mental illnesses. McMillan
UWS School of Communication Arts
said, “there is substantial evidence that early identification
and early intervention in school settings can interrupt
the development of disorders.” NSW Health can provide
training and specific mental health expertise counselors
and other key school personnel to assist in prevention,
early identification, early intervention programs, and to
clarify referrals for specialist mental health assessment and
treatment.
Twenty NSW schools have signed up for the $6 million
two-year program aimed at combating anxiety, depression
and other mental disorders among young children. The
Kids Matter campaign follows revelations in the Daily
Telegraph that schools are reporting a flood of mentally-ill
children, some as young as five, displaying symptoms of
extreme anxiety disorders, phobias, depression and drug-
related defects.
As the disturbing data emerged, principals launched their
own campaign to employ hundreds more psychologists in
primary schools.
Mental health problems and mental illness affect everyone
both directly and indirectly. The National Comorbidity
Survey in the United States (Anthony et. al., 2001) showed
that 50% of us will develop a mental health problem with
a need for care at some point during the course of our
lives. 60% of these episodes will be relatively serious.
While we can all blame our politicians and bureaucrats,
perhaps we should take a look at ourselves and reflect on
our own life and those close to us. It’s a case of “every me
and every you”. Self-interest needs to merge with altruism
to mobilise the community. Australia still has greater
capacity to solve this problem than any other developed
country. It must invest in innovation, reform and major
growth in mental health care, this time for keeps.
Who to call if you need help with a mental illness
SANE Australia
1800 68 83 82
Kids Help Line
1800 55 18 00
Lifeline
13 11 14
STOP. THINK.
STOP. THINK. UNDERSTAND.
UNDERSTAND
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UWS School of Communication Arts
on the punt
Continued from page 1
Gambling has been an inherent part of the Australian
culture from the beginning of European settlement. At
first it was horse-racing and lotteries, then poker machines
were introduced in New South Wales in the 1950s. By
2000, Australians were wagering almost $114 billion, over
30 times as much as in 1973. Recent studies by medical
and sociological experts, along with charity organisations
such as the Salvation Army, have been asking what the
consequences of such an accepted past-time are and why
the gambling culture is expanding at such a rapid pace.
The Salvation Army report outlined the first twelve
months of operation of their Sydney Problem Gambling
Centre. They looked at who is gambling, where they
are doing it, and the reasons why. Bankstown Hospital,
with the aid of clinical psychologist, Simone Jacques,
has recently started a treatment program for problem
gamblers in Sydney’s South West. Both institutions have
found poker machines are the most popular gambling
method, and that financial and social problems as well as
mental illness are key issues in this addiction.
Ms Jacques said that 6.3% of the state’s problem gamblers
lived in Sydney’s south west. “Gambling is seen as a way
to escape from boredom, loneliness, social isolation, stress,
depression and anxiety,” she said. “There is an erroneous
belief that gambling may solve problems such as financial
difficulties.” Ms Jacques said that many who turned
to gambling to solve these problems found that it only
made things worse, as it further depleted their already
struggling finances and isolated them further from family
and friends.
According to The Salvation Army’s recent report on the
subject, problem gambling can be defined as a compulsive
act done in the belief that it will cure financial problems,
improve quality of life or relationships or help to manage
work issues, rather than a fun activity that is indulged in
occasionally. Typically a person with a gambling problem
will hide their habit, while spending more money than
intended. They may have control issues or illusions of
control. Such a person will often visit gambling venues
far more often than intended, and may also take on more
serious behaviours such as borrowing money (sometimes
in illegal ways), and losing interest in everything other
than gambling.
In February 2006, the Victorian Government recognised
the increasing damage being done by problem gambling
and promised to remove 540 poker machines from certain
areas. However this amount is less than what they were
advised to remove by the Gaming Review Panel. The
opposition also promised to remove 5000 machines if they
were elected. The Salvation Army’s Major Brad Halse
responded to the promises with caution. “We would
prefer for more to be taken out, but it’s a move in the right
direction,” he said.
10 angle NOVEMBER 2007
The Salvation Army has called for the NSW Government
to reduce the number of poker machines in their state.
They have also seen an alarming increase of middle aged
and older women coming forward for help. Gerald Byrne
of the Sydney Problem Gambling Centre, said the majority
of people seeking help fall into the 36 to 46 year old age
group, and that 80 per cent of all people counselled admit
to some form of alcohol abuse. And alarmingly, 20% of
people admitted to suicidal thoughts. Byrne says the
simple solution is to cap the number of poker machines
in the state and even roll back the number. “While, in
general, most gaming areas are kept separate from the
clubs, it’s hard not to appreciate that you are in a gaming
environment with all the bells and whistles that are on
machines,” he said.
Allan, a recovering gambling addict, agrees that the
accessibility of poker machines contributes greatly to the
increase in problem gamblers. “In New Zealand there is an
old saying, ‘Rugby, Racing and Beer’,” he said. These are
all available at your local pub, but instead of just racing,
there is now Keno, TAB, electronic poker games and poker
machines to choose from. Allan admits to contemplating
suicide when he was at his worst. “I was at my lowest
point when I lost my wife, my business, my self-respect
and self-esteem. I wanted no-one in my life, I was utterly
ashamed of what I had done, and angry at others for not
attempting to understand, “Allan said. “I was very close
to ending it all, saved only by the knowledge that I would
hurt my kids.”
The Salvation Army Recovery Services reports that
gambling becomes the centre of a person’s life, to
exclusion of all else. Normal judgment becomes virtually
impossible in the later stages of the addiction. They say
that problem gambling can be equated to being sucked
into a whirlpool, the more you gamble, the further you
get sucked in. Problem gamblers are difficult to identify,
because the symptoms of the addiction are not visible,
like with alcohol or drugs. Further, the Salvation Army
points out that the problem gambler becomes adept
at concealment and deception, whilst doing whatever
is necessary to feed their addiction. Allan admits to
deceiving his family and sees a link between gambling
and depression. “It is a mindless act and it distracts
you from thinking about – well – anything really, “he
says. “Depression takes you down to a level that finally
becomes a ‘do not care’ attitude.”
In recent years, the social costs associated with gambling,
including the relationship between problem gambling and
crime, have received growing attention. Last year, 22 year
old Tamara Cook was jailed for 15 months after pleading
guilty to two fraud charges. She had gambled away more
than $70,000 that she had stolen from her employer. She
admitted that she had turned to gambling as a way of
relieving stress due to her relationship breaking up, and it
had developed into an addiction.
UWS School of Communication Arts
The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) studied
the primary motivations of 183 convicted serious fraud
offenders in 2003. They found that gambling is the second
most frequently identified motivation of convicted serious
fraud offenders. The most common offence committed to
obtain funds to gamble with is ‘obtaining finance or credit
by deception’ and ‘cheque fraud’. The AIC also found
that the majority of gambling-motivated fraudsters were
employed at the time of the committing of their offences,
and nearly half of the offences were committed against
employers. The average loss was $218,746. The AIC also
found gamblers often intensify their behavior in the belief
that they will win, especially after early successes. In some
cases, people begin gambling as a way of making money
to cover their non-gambling debts, but their financial
position gets worse as a result of gambling. This may
lead them to steal money from others to cover both non-
gambling and gambling debts.
In March 2003, an accountant and former mayor
of Geelong in Victoria was sentenced to 10 years
imprisonment after pleading guilty to defrauding his
clients of $8.6 million between 1994 and 2000. He was
known and trusted by many members of the Geelong
community, but he abused that trust by stealing funds
from a number of his clients. In all, he lost $7.1 million of
the illegally obtained money through gambling. As a VIP
member of a casino, he spent 937 days there over seven
years, managing to conceal his activities from his family
and the community.
The report has also found various difficulties in
determining the extent of gambling-related crime. Firstly,
there is often a lack of objective data concerning the
criminal offences reported, as many studies rely on self-
reported evidence rather than official data, and sometimes
the accuracy of this is questionable. Secondly, gambling-
related offences tend not to be reported or detected,
particularly where offences are committed against family
members. Despite these difficulties, it is apparent that
problem gamblers are at a high risk of committing crimes
in order to finance their gambling activities.
There are many strategies that are used to engage
gamblers, and given that gaming machines represent the
preferred choice for gamblers, gaming providers go to Photography by Elise Rampoldi
great lengths to ensure that people stay at those machines
from gambling taxes has more than doubled since the that gambling can be a problem for society. Families and
for as long as possible. Some of these strategies include:
1980s and now provides approximately 12% of state- businesses, however, are suffering greatly as a result of
new machines that pay “little wins” frequently; venues
generated tax revenue. Taxes are affected by the number gambling, and the recent statistics released confirm this
that operate courtesy buses so that people can drink
of gaming machines in a particular state or territory. view. Organisations like The Salvation Army and the
without worry, which lowers inhibitions and increases the
Therefore, the Western Australian government receives a Bankstown Hospital treatment program are providing
gambling spend, and locating ATMs conveniently so that
smaller proportion of tax from gambling than other state a holistic approach to problem gambling. They are also
people can access more cash.
governments, because it does not allow gaming machines collating data and information relating to this issue to
Governments are not doing enough to stop this epidemic. outside the Burswood Resort Casino. lobby Government and assist in the education of the
The Australian National University recently revealed that community about problem gambling. As Simone Jacques
It is a little reported issue, but it constitutes a major
since 2000, taxes and levies on gambling have steadily says, “You can beat the pokies!”
problem, particularly as governments are becoming more
increased by 6.2% each year. Governments currently
reliant on gambling revenues. The Salvation Army has
receive over $5.6 billion from gambling revenue. Revenue
found that it is not part of the Australian culture to admit
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UWS School of Communication Arts
pop a pill, party all night, and you wont get caught
continued from page 1
Photography by Leanna Maione
Photography by Nathan Wickline
12 angle NOVEMBER 2007
N
eil, 27, knows this story all too well. After
being caught with dealing and in possession of
drugs, he was to serve a 12 month full custodial
sentence, the maximum being 15 years imprisonment.
“You’d be surprised to know the sought of people that
bought drugs off me. University students, businessmen,
tradesmen, rich kids from the North Shore, you name it.
The most unlikely people... I guess they had the money to
afford it”.
Ecstasy certainly isn’t cheap, “You’re looking at about $50
to $60 dollars a pill. That’s the good stuff, really potent.
And people don’t just buy one; they buy 10 in one hit”.
And he’s not wrong. A report from the National Drug and
Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) conducted a study in
2005, which sampled 810 regular ecstasy users (REU) from
across Australia to identify the emerging trends that may
warrant further monitoring.
The findings stated that the median price of ecstasy was
$35, with a range from $18 to $80. Furthermore, over
half of the national sample were employed or were full-
time students. Few of the REU had a criminal history
or were involved in drug treatment. Over half (58%) of
the participants had completed high school education
and 50% had completed courses after school, with 30%
possessing a trade or technical qualification, and 20%
having completed a university degree or college course.
Only a tiny 14% were unemployed, and a minute 5% had
a previous criminal conviction for which they had served
a custodial sentence.
The truth of the matter is, as a society, we are so quick to
judge with what is good and bad, what is wrong and what
is right. Our judgmental tendencies have now become
a slap in the face, as the people we would assume least
likely to be taking or dealing drugs, could be as close as
being the ones we love most.
And one would hope that the risk of getting caught would
outweigh the benefits associated with drug use. Perhaps if
we sent a message loud and clear enough, it would deter
these educated young adults with a promising future
ahead of them, away from drugs? Wrong. It is quite clear
that the consumption of ecstasy is climbing, which can
only conclude to the fact this generation clearly has no
regard for the law, or are quite confident they’ll never get
busted.
“I know there are ways to get around being caught”,
says assistant fashion designer, Ingrid, 22. “I know that
when guys get checked by security they only check
their pockets. So the guys hide the pills in a little bag in
their belt buckles. So many people at clubs and festivals
are high, I reckon majority of them take drugs. They’re
everywhere and it’s just too easy to not get caught, I think
that’s why so many people do it.”
UWS School of Communication Arts
The findings from the NDARC stated that of the national
sample, 61% of respondents considered ecstasy to be ‘very
easy’ to obtain and 35% considered it to be ‘easy’. The
majority, 67%, reported that the availability had remained
stable, with 18% said it had become ‘easier’ to obtain in
the six months preceding interview.
“I wouldn’t sell drugs in dark alleyways or anything
like that. It was done in public places, right in front of
everyday people. It was just a matter of being discreet.
And for a while, it was so easy not to get in trouble. But
eventually the law does catch up to you, I learnt that the
hard way’, says Neil.
“At festivals there’s hardly ever any police, I’m not sure
if they’re banned from being there ‘coz I never see them
there. They would know that everyone would get caught
because at least 70% people take drugs” says Ingrid.
So why has ecstasy become the drug of choice for these
bright everyday Australians, why has social drug use
become so popular, and why is it considered to be socially
accepted? Ecstasy after all, isn’t called the love drug for
nothing.
Ingrid, 22, believes the benefit the drug can provide; far
outweigh its consequences, “It gave me a euphoric feeling,
made me really affectionate. You feel like you’re on a
constant high. Any form of physical contact, such as a hug
or a kiss feels 10 times more amazing because of the high it
gives”. She’s not the only one who has this feeling.
Findings from the NDARC stated that 96% of the
participants identified at least one benefit from taking
Photography by Nathan Wickline
ecstasy.
“I think people take it for a sense of belonging,” says Neil.
and more loving, all in the name of a good time, then you have to remind yourself to go to the toilet so you don’t
In New South Wales (NSW) 53% of respondents stated a will they soon forget how to manage everyday emotions? drown yourself. You have to keep reminding yourself
feeling of closeness, bonding and empathy was a benefit Unfortunately, it’s already happening. because you’re not aware of those things at the time.
stemming from ecstasy use.
A staggering 94% of respondents identified there The truth of the matter is that social drug use is highly
“My boyfriend always boasted about the ‘high’ it would was some risk associated with ecstasy use. There was common and on the rise in Australia. You’d be hard
give him”, says Ingrid. consistency in the types of risks users reported, with pressed to go to a dance venue and not find someone on
the main themes being mental health and physical drugs, or dealing drugs. However, the more heartbreaking
“So curiosity got the better of me and that’s why I took
health issues, inconsistency or impurities in the drug, discovery is the staggering number of well educated
it. I liked it the first time, so that’s why I took it a second
vulnerability due to intoxication, and unknown long-term young Australians thinking the only way to ‘let loose’
time.”
risks. on the weekend is to take drugs. Last year alone, half a
Participants commonly reported social benefits associated million Australians used amphetamines, according to
“Personally, I haven’t experienced anything, but my
with taking ecstasy. Ecstasy was considered to facilitate estimates from the NDARC and a recent UN report cites
boyfriend has become a total wreck. Like, five hours after
social interaction by making the user less self-conscious, our country as the biggest user of ecstasy in the world.
he’s coming off the drug - his ‘comedown’ - he’s crying
more friendly, and more talkative. Participants described
constantly and becomes really suicidal. Another friend of The benefits may outweigh the ramifications initially,
a feeling of closeness with others while on ecstasy. There
mine has psychological damage. He’s a heavy user who however, in the long run, the effects of the drug will catch
were also physical benefits of taking the drug. Participants
takes several pills every weekend and he’s constantly up to its users, causing major physical damage and serious
reported that it increased their energy levels and their
depressed, has serious mood swings, and becomes really health problems. And if that’s not enough for users with
ability to dance longer. Ecstasy was also purported to
suicidal. It really scares me and I do worry about that the world at their feet to want to quit popping pills every
heighten users’ sensations.
at times,” says Ingrid. “Health wise…You know when weekend, then take a cue from Neil: “Taking drugs and
All of these so-called ‘benefits’ that ecstasy can provide, you’ve taken a pill, you have to constantly drink water to dealing landed me in jail. Trust me, it’s better to go out
raise another chilling point, if these educated, young stop yourself becoming dehydrated, but at the same time and enjoy your weekend drug free then end up in jail”.
adults are popping pills to make them happier, livelier,
angle NOVEMBER 2007 13
UWS School of Communication Arts
ovarian cancer test closer than ever
Sarah Gharbawi
The race is on to save Australian women from a silent killer.
E
ach year in Australia 1200 women are diagnosed
with ovarian cancer – 800 of these women will lose
their life to this disease.
Ovarian cancer is the gynaecological cancer that carries
the highest mortality. It has a five year survival rate of 42%
- about half the survival rate of breast cancer. Yet despite
this urgency there is still no specific screening test to detect
ovarian cancer at an early stage.
A recent Senate inquiry into gynaecological cancer for the
Community Affairs Committee found there is a great need
to develop a screening test for ovarian cancer, and that the
current methods available are not as promising as those for
more ‘popular’ cancers, such as breast cancer.
A common misconception amongst many women is that a
pap smear can diagnose all gynaecological cancers, when
in fact this test can only diagnose cervical cancer.
Currently there is a test called ‘CA125’ which is used
to monitor patients with established cancer. While the
test is useful in monitoring if the cancer is responding
to chemotherapy, it does not offer any early detection or
diagnoses for patients in early stages.
Ovarian cancer can spread from the ovaries to other parts
of the body, and it is at this stage that most women find
out that they have the disease.
Professor Neville Hacker is the director of the
Gynaecological Cancer Centre at the Royal Hospital for
Women. Professor Hacker stated that there needed to be a
test that could diagnose the cancer at the early stages.
“So what you want to do if you are going to improve
the mortality of this disease, is to diagnose it while it is
confined to the ovaries”, said Professor Hacker at the
inquiry.
The aim of the inquiry is to gain government funding
needed to aid researchers in developing the much needed
screening test.
There have recently been breakthroughs which have
allowed researchers to look at genes individually and to
determine which genes are associated with ovarian cancer.
In doing this, a test can then be developed to target those
specific genes.
A recent study in this area by the Garvan Institute of
Medical Research found that there are 350 abnormal genes
in patients with ovarian cancer therefore the screening test
will be related to these 350 genes.
However, further extensive research is still needed and
that means more time, effort, and money.
The Department of Health and Ageing stated at the
inquiry that the government had already provided $14
million into ovarian cancer research since 2000, though the
Strengthening Care Initiative.
However, the breakdown of those funds shows that
the money was distributed to over 40 different research
projects nationwide, and whilst the grants were all in
the area of ovarian cancer research, nothing was given to
research into developing a screening test.
Photography by Frank Farrugia
14 angle NOVEMBER 2007
UWS School of Communication Arts
The Department of Health and Ageing has recently Professor Hacker also said that ‘at risk’ women should
proposed a $32 million investment over four years into also use the contraceptive pill as a means of prevention.
cancer research, with a proportion to go to ovarian cancer
“The oral contraceptive offers some protection against
research.
ovarian cancer, and these ‘at risk’ women should
However, Professor Hacker does not believe this amount be advised to use the oral contraceptive between
will produce the test. pregnancies,” he said.
“$32 million over 4 years for ‘cancer research’ is not a The committee heard that funding is the major barrier in
substantial amount of money if it gets directed towards to developing the test. The majority of funding into ovarian
many projects, as it has in the past”. cancer research currently is from private enterprise, and
experts believe if a test is to be developed, organisations
“If ovarian cancer was given $16 million over 4 years,
cannot keep relying on outside help.
specifically to look for an early screening test, I would
consider this to be a good start”, he said. Professor Hacker stated that developing the test will be an
expensive project, and can take up to a decade to produce.
Ovarian cancer is a disease which is curable if detected
early, with a survival rate of 85%, if diagnosed in stage one “We feel about $10 million a year would need to be
when the cancer is confined to the ovaries. provided to make substantial progress,”
With facts such as these it is hard to believe that every “I would hope that we will have a screening test within
year in Australia so many are diagnosed and so many die. the next decade, but it really depends on how much
Compare it to breast cancer which has an 85% survival research money is directed toward such a test,” he said.
rate, and has received $34 million of government funding
However, Professor Hacker claimed that the outcome of
since 1994. Ovarian cancer still doesn’t seem to attract the
such a test would be life changing for the community as a
same amount of attention.
whole, when taking into consideration the psychological
The committee heard that gynaecological cancer is a difficulties ovarian cancer and the high mortality rate has
sensitive topic for the majority of Australians, and that on families.
there is a stigma attached to the cancer.
“If a screening test is developed, the implication for
“[We] continue to be surprised and dismayed at the lack women would be that more cancers would be diagnosed
of knowledge and awareness of gynaecological conditions while confined to the ovary (i.e. stage 1), and many of
amongst the general populace. We believe this is the result these patients require only surgery for treatment. The cure
of the social taboo surrounding the subject”, said Natalie rate is about 85%,” he said.
Jenkins of the Gynaecological Awareness Information
With such a high mortality rate, ovarian cancer is in
Network (GAIN), at the inquiry.
desperate need of a screening test to detect the disease in
Many experts believe an answer to this problem is the early stages while it is still curable. The reality is that the
establishment of a National Centre for Gynaecological government will play a large role in determining whether
Cancers, which will not only give a national voice to or not this test is developed, and how long it will take.
gynaecological cancer, but also give women the support
Even with the test being a decade away, it is possible to
needed to combat the disease.
see the implications it will have for women in the future
The national centre would be similar to the National and for Australia as a whole.
Breast Cancer Centre, and will, in the opinion of some, be
far more successful in providing research and care than
the current structure of small organisations which struggle
financially.
The committee heard that $1 million of government
funding will be needed over a two year period to establish
the centre.
Unlike many other cancers, ovarian cancer is difficult to
diagnose, and therefore is usually detected in later stages.
This is because there are no specific symptoms associated
with the disease, and women are not seeking treatment
early enough.
Professor Hacker suggests that women should visit a
doctor as soon as possible in order to detect the cancer at
an early stage.
“The symptoms are vague, and the only message we can
give for the majority of women is that if that if pelvic or
abdominal symptoms persist, to make sure that they see
their doctor, and insist on having a pelvic examination”,
he said.
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UWS School of Communication Arts
mainstream schools turn their
back on special need students
Deana Dimovska
The vexing question of where to educate some of our most vulnerable youngsters.
S
pecial needs children require more support and
attention in their education endeavours then
students at mainstream schools. As a nation,
Australia needs to provide more support services to
special needs children before it is too late. Children are
continually refused enrolment, as mainstream schools are
not willing to give them a second chance. Mainstream
schools continue to be negative about the child’s progress
as they are coming from an emotionally-disturbed
behaviour disordered background.
Schools across New South Wales have put in place
transitional programs to assist students with their
transition from primary to secondary schooling. However,
many lack the necessary resources and time to implement
the five areas developed by the New South Wales
Department of Education. A recent study conducted by
Professor Tony Vinson found that only 6% of both primary
and secondary principals have successfully implemented
lesson observations, teacher visits, and teacher exchanges
involving primary and secondary schools. Learning
and teaching measures are least implemented in the 457
schools surveyed, with results ranging from 6% to 10%.
Fowler Road Special School caters for emotionally
disturbed behaviour disordered children in South-
western Sydney. The school caters for Kindergarten
to Year Ten classes, as every class is mixed in terms of
social interactions. The more violent children are placed
in a classroom with two teachers, as there is more adult
supervision and support available.
There have been suggestions recently to increase the
amount of enrolments at the school from 36 to 46 students
without increasing the number of teaching staff. Mrs Beti
Neskoski has been part of the teaching faulty for over
five years. She says, “lack of resources has already made
it difficult to have so many kids together, as we have one
class which is a double. If enrolments increase with the
same amount of teaching numbers, all sorts of problems
will arise.” Students will not be given the necessary
support to progress, and those students making the
transition to mainstream schools or high schools will be
disadvantaged.
Transition programs at special schools need to meet the
specific needs of every individual child, while mainstream
schools involve the entire year in day visits to local
high schools. Transitions co-ordinator at Fowler Road,
Margaret Douglas says, “We do the same sorts of things as
mainstream schools, but on a more individualised scale.
Special programs are set up for the child, and sometimes I
involve parents in this process, which isn’t usually what a
normal primary school will do.”
The students at Fowler Road need a secure environment,
as many of them are disadvantaged. “A lot of the students
are state ward kids who have been placed in government
care or have single parent families”, Mrs. Neskoski
says. Transitional programs need to support the child’s
development both socially and psychologically.
16 angle NOVEMBER 2007
16
Dr Sylvana Sturevska, who specialises in psychology
believes that “transitional programs are fundamentally
important, as such programs will increase the mental well-
being and life skills of emotionally disturbed students”.
Figures show that since 1986, the New South Wales
government has decreased the number of specific
purposes schools available from 125 in 1986 to 108 in 2005.
These figures are alarming as the students future is put on
the line as they are placed back into mainstream schooling
before they are ready to make the transition. Dr Sturevska
said, “It is more difficult to continue to provide the same
high level of support within a mainstream environment”.
A lot of the students simply slot into the crowd at
mainstream schools.
Transitional programs try to assist the child in making
a successful transition to high school or mainstream
schooling. “Transition helps because special need students
are coming from a sheltered environment into a large high
school setting where they are one of many students. We
try to establish relationships with various people within
that school to make the transition beneficial to them.” Mrs
Douglas said.
Fowler Road is intended as a short-term intervention
program that supports students in their home schools.
This type of school adapts to individual behaviour
and supports the child. Currently, Jimmy Smith* is
participating in the transition program to high school. The
staff has been pleased with his progress. As Mrs. Neskoski
says, “He seems to be doing good; initially we had trouble
getting him to do the work”.
Students like Jimmy* who receive the necessary support
provided by specific purpose schools are placed at a
disadvantage when they return to mainstream schooling.
These students need to establish close relationships with
their new teachers and councellors, as research shows
there are risk factors involved in transition to high school.
These factors include peer rejection, association with
students with behaviour difficulties, poor academic
achievements, bullying, and poor behaviour management.
Dr Sturevska explains that special needs students can
make a good transition to mainstream schools with the
help of the school councellor, principal and teachers. She
believes that the school should “aim to improve the child’s
mental well being and improve their social skills”, to make
a successful transition to mainstream schooling. Often
students fear not having friends, as Dr Sturevska explains
that new learning programs can often make children feel
“physically isolated from their peers which also adds to
any feelings of social isolation”.
Schools need to implement transition programs, but this
does not mean they are all successful. Specific Purpose
Schools try to reform the bad behaviour patterns displayed
by the children while they rarely have the support of the
child’s mainstream school. This makes it difficult for all
concerned, particularly the students.
Photography by Patrick Jones
This situation is common, as schools accept or reject
students based on their reputations; it makes it extremely
difficult for emotionally disturbed behaviour disordered
students to get a fair go.
The transitions co-ordinator often has to hold extensive
meetings with the school to reach an agreement.
Transitions co-ordinator Mrs. Douglas said, “In far too
many instances, schools try to get out of their obligation
to these kids because they know they are coming from a
special background. Local schools cannot refuse enrolment
for its local students, but are within their rights to reject a
child if they find out they have a history of violence”.
This situation provides special needs children with an
unstable environment, which can ultimately impact on
their learning and behaviour. Mrs Douglas explains that if
a school does not want a particular child “It’s not a really
good setting to put the child into. If the school has really
set their mind against a student, and the child is sent there
anyway, the student has been set out to fail”.
Once students have made the transition to mainstream
schools. “It’s up to the individual kid and the mainstream
school to keep the progress going. If the mainstream
school isn’t supportive the program fails and this has
happened in many cases”, according to Mrs. Neskoski.
Co-ordinators try to make the transition process smooth
as possible, but the process is made more difficult as
teachers are continually faced with obstacles. Lack of time
and resources are two major contributing factors. A lot of
high school teachers juggle between two to three classes a
day and also hold the role of a transition coordinator. Mrs.
Douglas said, “There are all sorts of problems in getting in
touch with high school teachers, who are busy people”.
The ‘Good Transitions’ report suggests that a particular
person should be appointed as a transition officer to
liaison and work closely amongst primary schools. This
would allow for a more efficient and effective working
environment for all concerned.
The problem with transitions programs is that too often,
gaps develop between primary and secondary schooling,
as they are viewed as two separate stages of a child’s
life.The two levels of education are placed in two very
different contexts. Mrs Douglas states. “It would be
great for transition and other kinds of measures if there
was more continuity and contact between primary and
secondary schools, to improve the flow of teaching and
learning between the two environments”.
The gap that exists between primary and secondary
schooling will not be closed in the immediate future.
However, schools across New South Wales have tried to
bridge the gap by implementing strategies in the last year
of primary schooling.
West Wyalong High School has developed a program that
runs from Years Five to Eight, depending on the needs
of the children involved. Students in Years Five and Six
UWS School of Communication Arts
attend high school classes for one day, which involves
changing classrooms during different periods of the day.
Mrs Douglas believes there is not enough time available
to bridge the gap completely. “It sounds wonderful
and helpful”, she says. However, she admitted that an
enormous amount of work would be required, and maybe
a statewide program could be introduced. This would
provide more unity across the board. Schools for specific
purpose should be given the necessary support to assist
the student make a smooth transition.
Mainstream schools need to be more supportive of special
needs children as they require a lot more developing and
nurturing then most students. They need to stop turning
their backs on these kids who have endured a tough up
bringing. The government needs to provide more for
special needs children.
Research has suggested that more support is needed to
assist teachers in specific-purpose schools to prepare
and deliver lessons to students with special needs. If
special needs schools are not provided with the necessary
resources by the government children’s futures will be
jeopardised. The government needs to take a more active
role in securing the futures of these young children now,
before they notice welfare numbers increasing because the
young adults were given inadequate opportunities and
support in their forative years.
* Jimmy Smith is not his real name. Due to child protection laws
teacher did not disclose real name.
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UWS School of Communication Arts UWS School of Communication Arts

photo feature
“Those who would give up essential liberty,
to purchase a little temporary safety,
deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
-Benjamin Franklin

W
e were warned, but it didn’t ultimately make
it any easier when it came. APEC 2007 in
Sydney was mixture of intrigue, high farce,
and contrasts - not many of them good. We had incredibly
restrictive, supposedly inpenetrable security, that were
ultimately busted a group of TV comedians. We had
world leaders, supposedly discussing and representing
the vitally-important future of our world, pathetically
disconnected from ordinary folk. The stifling of dissent
and the institution of a bland, mediocre feel to the official
gathering was in stark contrast to some of the wild
protests and extreme paranoia surrounding it.
But maybe that’s fitting for an event that promises so
much in theory, but delivers so tragically little in practice.
People prisoners in their own city - and for what?
Please enjoy our photo montage of the events surrounding
APEC 2007.

Photography by Lachlan Guselli, Melissa Deare and Steven Spierings

18 angle NOVEMBER 2007 angle NOVEMBER 2007 19

UWS School of Communication Arts
cannabis: law and disorder
Jade Wittmann
The playing out of the controversial debate surrounding our most controversial illicit drug.
“I am sure that most of us in this House are young enough to know
of our own friends and family members who have smoked cannabis,
thinking that they were safe and immune from damaging their health
only to find that their personality has changed over some years and
decades, in some cases, tragically, leading to mental illness”
Illustration by Ashley Wells
20 angle NOVEMBER 2007
D
ebate as to whether cannabis should be legalised
has long centred on social arguments claiming it
would lower crime rates, and protect otherwise
law abiding citizens from wholesale dealers, and the
shady, illicit world that they represent, by removing its
illegal status. Others assume that the very illegality of
the substance is the reason for its use among youth in
particular. They worry that it is a ‘gateway’ drug, its use
leading to eventual abuse of more harmful drugs. This
would imply that cannabis is somehow soft, less harmful,
low-risk. Though not shared by everybody, it is this
view that may be the most damaging of all. The medical
arguments, for and against decriminalisation of cannabis,
are strong. It is these that may well decide an end to the
debate that has existed since the Woodward Commission
of 1979 opened the doors to such a discussion.
The most commonly used illicit drug in Australia,
cannabis has acquired a reputation amongst some that it
is no more dangerous than smoking cigarettes. In an effort
to prove this and establish cannabis as a viable alternative
medicine to manage certain medical conditions,
researchers have made continual study of the substance.
Cannabis use to aid the relief of medical conditions has
existed for some five thousand years in Asia and the
Middle East, with the earliest reports of its use to treat
rheumatic pains, and even malaria, in China at this time.
Given its commonness in Australia at present, it is easy to
forget that recreational use of cannabis has been prevalent
since the seventies, a period of barely thirty five years. It
is little wonder that the therapeutic qualities of cannabis
remain in the early stages of discovery, as do the medical
dangers. With awareness, not legality, rapidly becoming
the issue at present, bodies such as the Australian National
Council on Drugs have sprung into existence in much the
way marijuana house plants have under adopted models
of prohibition in South Australia, Western Australia, the
Northern Territory and the ACT, in the jurisdiction, civil
penalties apply and discovered ownership of a plant or
two won’t earn you more than a slap on the wrist and a
parking-grade fine.
However, possession and use of cannabis remains illegal
in Australia. In a parliamentary address in late 2005,
Liberal MP Chris Pyne claimed it “irresponsible for the
message to continue to be given that cannabis is not a
serious drug.” His emphasis on the need to educate people
as to the risks of either smoking or ingesting cannabis is
echoed in a report by the Australian National Council on
Drugs (ANCD) which, in a review of the existing research
and literature on the topic, focuses on distilling the true
effects of cannabis on people’s health from unsupported
myths.
The report ‘Evidence based answers to cannabis questions:
A review of the literature’, lists four possible links between
cannabis consumption and mental health, suggesting
that heavy use can cause disorders such as depression,
psychosis and schizophrenia. It is a compound referred to
as THC, scientifically called delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinol,
that is present in cannabis and active in a number of ways
within the body, and particularly the brain. According to
the report, it is plausible that cannabis creates symptoms
like those experienced by schizophrenic individuals and
those with other psychoses, because THC stimulates
the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the
brain implicated in disturbances such as hallucinations,
delusion, and impaired ability to recognise what is real
from what is not.
It was reported at one time that 25% of a group who
tested positive to a psychotic disorder had also become
dependent on or abused cannabis at some point in their
past. Despite this association, Jan Copeland of the ANCD
points out that while discoveries such as this prove that
cannabis is associated with schizophrenia, it cannot be
named as the root cause of the problem. “Studies that
follow samples of people over multiple time points are
better able to disentangle the sequence of events leading
to psychosis”, she notes. Given that medical uses of the
drug are still met with some scepticism, and that many are
ready to believe the negative implications of cannabis use
base on little more than association, and also the fact that it
is a legally banned substance, such cautious statements are
seemingly wise.
Another view is that cannabis may be responsible for
precipitating a mental disorder that was previously
dormant. This is problematic as it assumes that some are
genetically predisposed to mental illness, a predisposition
that is difficult to prove, and also causes difficulties in
ascertaining how true it is for those in the population
affected by mental health conditions.
Some researchers believe that cannabis use and mental
health conditions like depression coexist due to common
factors. Unemployment and other drug use are among
these. Also advanced is a view that cannabis is used
due to its mood-altering effects by some to combat
early symptoms of mental health disorders. These less
condemnatory explanations of the relationship between
cannabis and such disorders are difficult to ignore, though
there is ample evidence to suggest that early exposure to
cannabis, among those in their early teens, and continued
use of the drug lead to increased mental and behavioural
disorders, with aggression, depression, a lack of
motivation and other problems coming to the fore.
This has a direct bearing on arguments both for and
against decriminalisation. The illegal status of cannabis is
still a deterrent for many, though in the eyes of some this
may encourage its taking as a form of rebellion and lead
to the problems mentioned above. A lack of motivation
is possibly the most debilitating effect on the lives of this
age group, affecting concentration and raising difficulties
at school, and for future employment in severe cases.
These social issues are difficult to separate from the mental
health ones that Copeland focuses on in her report for the
ANCD.
While Mr Payne is justified in his belief that “It is
important that we now hang a lantern on that problem
and make it clear that cannabis smoking has been found to
have direct links to mental illness”, there are further and
better established health reasons to deter people from the
use of cannabis, if only they were educated of the facts.
UWS School of Communication Arts
Likewise there is strong evidence to suggest that cannabis
is effective in treating certain physical, rather than mental
health problems.
Excepting the serious ramifications for mental health
it causes, particularly with prolonged use, and the
intoxication factor that may impair such basic abilities as
driving, the idea that cannabis is no more harmful than
cigarettes, bears some truth. This is because tar is present
in both cannabis and ordinary cigarettes though the
illegality of cannabis makes it difficult to determine how
great a level of tar is present in preparations made. Either
way, respiratory illness is a likely outcome of both as
each “produce tar carrying many identical carcinogens.”
Copeland draws attention to the presence of carbon
monoxide in both types of smoke, and lists effects that
research has uncovered such as shortness of breath, chest
tightness, and even symptoms of chronic bronchitis
in some cases. In light of this it is little wonder that an
attempt to develop an aerosol containing THC to alleviate
asthma failed due to the irritation it still caused lungs.
Apart from the fact that cannabis has been attributed as a
source of other health problems, with adverse effects on
foetus development due to cannabis smoking mothers,
the development of heart disease and some cancers,
particularly in the neck and head areas, among them, there
have been other instances where cannabis is found to have
a useful medical application.
For the treatment of chronic pain, nausea resulting from
chemotherapy, and to promote appetite that is lost as a
result of retroviral drugs used to suppress HIV, cannabis
has its supporters. It has been shown to help improve
the condition of those with neurological disorders such
as multiple sclerosis by alleviating muscle tremor. It
is important to note that the smaller, controlled doses
associated with this kind of medical use are in stark
contrast to the recreational use and abuse that can concur
with the adverse mental effects known to develop due to
this.
In terms of physical health, it is compounds other than
THC that cause problems, while in small doses it reacts
with receptors located in the spinal cord and areas of the
brain, allowing it to help in the above conditions.
On the surface this is inconsistent with the inability to
isolate the beneficial compounds from the harmful ones
being a problem.
Without legalisation, further research and application
of cannabis in terms of physical medication is difficult.
With it, control of social and mental health problems,
already difficult to diagnose and treat, is even more so.
At this moment in time it is these issues that create the
need for the kind of education that came too late for some
over the health dangers of smoking cigarettes. Whether
decriminalised, legalised, or nothing of the sort, cannabis
at present creates social division, and mental disorder.
angle NOVEMBER 2007 21
UWS School of Communication Arts
happiness
Samuel Wallis
You’ve got everything, but is it enough?
A
recent BBC investigation estimates we’re three
times richer than we were fifty years ago.
Logically, we should be much happier, right? Well,
happiness is rarely logical, and studies suggest we’re
better off with nothing but love.
“I can’t give you anything but love, baby!” read the
immortal words of Dean Martin. Fortunately for him,
love was enough for the people of 1940. However, in the
new millennium, we seem to have outgrown such simple,
childish notions. We are now three times richer than we
were half a century ago, as our government, which has
pushed economic wellbeing for almost as long, is no doubt
aware. Unfortunately, while we’re wealthier than we were
in the era of the crooner, a plethora of studies suggest we
are, at best, less happy.
It is the age old adage; money can’t buy you happiness.
Our augmented affluence, and all the ipods, plasma TVs
and video mobile phones it entails, has only served to
make us more depressed. Psychologists call it running
on the “hedonic treadmill”, where the more money one
makes; the more one spends, until we wind up on an
endless chase for the proverbial carrot, in a vain attempt to
materialistically fill our void of happiness. Recent findings
suggest this void is quickly becoming a gaping chasm, as 2
out of 5 people now believe Australian life is deteriorating.
With the self-help section of Dymocks growing faster than
national interest rates, we must ask ourselves; why has
this happened? The controversial answer, the latest studies
suggest, is that our government’s obsession with economic
growth has finally rubbed off on us. In his book Growth
Fetish, Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Clive
Hamilton notes that “Nothing more preoccupies the
modern political process than economic growth. As never
before, it is the touchstone of policy success.” A recent
investigation by the BBC says it is this unwavering focus
on GDP, rather than GNH (Gross National Happiness),
that has led to our fixation with all things material.
John Howard himself said in 1998 “The overriding aim of
our agenda is to deliver Australia an annual growth rate
of over 4% on average.” Now there’s nothing wrong with
economic growth. Hamilton’s and many other’s concerns
arise when “The answer to almost every problem is more
economic growth” (Growth Fetish). The Manifesto for
Wellbeing highlights the obsession with economic growth
“means other things that could improve our wellbeing are
sacrificed.”
In Growth Fetish, Hamilton expresses surprise at “how
little attention is paid in public debate and public
discourse to the question of whether more economic
growth actually increases wellbeing.” His independent
research suggests an astounding 83% of Australians view
society as “too materialistic, with too much emphasis on
money and not enough on the things that really matter.”
Photography by Nathan Wickline
22 angle NOVEMBER 2007
But what is it that actually makes us happy? Will
government policy be the onset of a nationwide
depression epidemic, and if so, how would they go
about increasing our GNH? Would they even want to?
Internationally renowned psychologist Kevin Hogan
admits happiness is a very slippery subject, but maintains,
“there is no proven correlation between wealth and
happiness.”
Please, don’t donate everything you have to Oxfam
just yet! This does not necessarily mean the hairy guy
who lives in the dumpster has discovered eternal bliss.
Common sense dictates you’ll be much happier if you
have enough money for the bills and occasional splurge.
It only becomes problematic when the pursuit of money
and luxuries begin to impinge upon the things that really
matter.
But what are these things that really matter?
As corny as it sounds, love is what really matters. It is
the greatest contributing factor in our overall happiness.
As the great psychiatrist Sigmund Freud maintained,
“Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.”
It probably wouldn’t have pleased Freud, but religious
beliefs have also been equated with happiness. But again,
what is happiness?
In his book Happiness: The Science Behind Your Smile,
Daniel Nettle says the psychiatric community recognises
three increasingly inclusive levels of happiness. ‘Level
one’ is the most immediate and direct sense of happiness,
involving something along the lines of joy and pleasure. It
only lasts in the short-term and is brought on by a desired
state of being. You experience level one happiness when
you win the lottery, buy a new handbag, or your team
wins the grand final.
When people say they are happy with their lives, they
don’t mean they are literally joyful all of the time. Rather
“upon reflection on the balance sheet of pleasures and
pains, they feel the balance to be reasonably positive
over the long term.” This is level two, and is the form of
happiness generally studied by psychologists. It requires
more complicated cognitive processes, such as reflections
and comparisons, and its symptoms include contentment
and satisfaction.
The much broader and most subjective sense of happiness
is derived from the philosopher Aristotle’s ‘eudaimonia’
(roughly translated happiness); “In which the person
flourishes and fulfils their potential. Though such a life
could include many positive emotional experiences, it
is not actually part of its definition that it needs to do
so.” This ‘level three happiness’ is not an emotional state
and as such it has no characteristics. There is no single
feeling when you achieve eudaimonia. Also, evaluating a
person’s potential and whether they have achieved it is an
extremely subjective process.
UWS School of Communication Arts
Love, work, and religion all combine to make us happy (or economic growth. Now a body of evidence suggests this
unhappy) on each level progressively. Positive psychology emphasis rubs off on us, making us persue the material
guru and author of much acclaimed book Authentic things that only contribute to level-one happiness. We start
Happiness, Martin Seligman, identifies two commonalities to run on the ‘hedonic treadmill’ mentioned earlier.
of these facets of our lives and how they make us happy.
While we are much richer than in years past, Martin
They give us a relationship to something outside of,
Seligman maintains we are also in more debt, and this
and usually greater than, ourselves. They also tie us to
can have a detrimental effect on happiness. Prominent
everyday, here-and-now living, through routine and ritual.
Parramatta-based accountant Curt Rendell of the firm
This keeps us focused, and gives us a sense of history, who
Rendall Kelly agrees. He says the implementation of the
we are and where we came from.
Capital Gains Tax regime, which encourages the purchase
Ron Dryden, a respected senior Pastor of the Foursquare and sale of property in the hope of profits, has spurred
Church of Australia, says one a factor in the happiness people to borrow more money and subsequently they
of religious people comes from the friendships and have more debt to pay off. Robert Frank, in his study
relationships that are made in a congregation. “Your ‘Falling Behind’, says this increased indebtedness means
typical church has a congregation of 200-500 people, who we are now working longer hours, sleeping less, saving
are for the most part, genuinely caring and friendly... less and spending less time with loved ones. Needless to
When you attend services regularly, it’s like a second, say, these are greatly detrimental to GNH.
extended family. Friendships and loving relationships are
made… It’s almost like a giant support group.”
When asked if the social interactions and relationships
involved with religious activity are the most important
factors in the happiness of religious people, Pastor Dryden
said, “It’s definitely one of them. That’s why I think
the Hillsong church has become so popular, especially
with the youth. It has so many social events on during
through the week that tight friendships are made. The
congregation is huge and the music combines to make a
happy, warm atmosphere… I think you’d find Hillsong
has one of the most happy congregations.”
“More importantly than that,” the Pastor says, “is a faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is far greater than us, and
serving him gives our lives purpose and meaning… He
makes it worth getting up in the morning.”
When you think about it, love and work also involve social
interaction and friendships. Love does not necessarily
mean the relationship between lovers, but can encompass
intimacy between friends, family or even our pet dog.
In Growth Fetish, Hamilton says “Studies show that, in
general, social relationships, including relationships with
family and friends, are the most important determinant
of happiness.” While not so much work, but love can
also involve an attachment to something greater than
ourselves, most typically through marriage. In one of
his many published works (Can You Make Someone
Happy?), Kevin Hogan maintains, “People have evolved
for millions of years to be predisposed to life experiences
that require another person, particularly for survival. One
person can indeed have an enormous impact on making
someone else happy”.
But how does government policy affect our relationships
with other people and our affinity with something greater
than ourselves? How does it hamper our GNH? We’ve
already established the government relentlessly persues
angle NOVEMBER 2007 23
UWS School of Communication Arts
australia becoming sports raging mad
Michael Carayannis
It’s supposed to be fun- but what do we do when it gets nasty?
W
e have all seen it every weekend on the sporting
field. Where the players verbal the referee, the
coach gestures widely on the sideline and the
fans swear crazily at the officials. Welcome to the newly
dubbed activity of “sports rage.”
In 2002 the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that
there had been a decline of 26% in the number of
officials participating in sport between 1997 and 2001.
The Australian Sports Commission in 2002 cited that
the reasoning behind the massive drop in the number of
officials occurred because of a lack of respect and a high
level of abuse toward officials. Welcome to the world of
“sports rage.”
Research has found that a massive 75% of officials in
Aussie Rules drop out in their first year of officiating
due to harassment. Rugby League had a figure of 60%
nationally, whilst in 2005, Rugby Union New South Wales
saw an increase in the amount of suspensions for referee
abuse, totalling to 28% of all suspensions.
Sports rage issues are becoming an international
phenomenon, with Neil Skmh from the Solomon Islands
Soccer referees association indicating that referee numbers
have decreased dramatically due to “referee abuse and a
lack of motivation.”
Dr Sandy Gordon, senior lecturer at the University of
Western Australia, believes that sports rage is becoming
increasingly prevalent due to Australia’s emotionally
challenged society.
“There are a lot of issues,” Dr Gordon explains, “regarding
what psychologists see or would term as emotional
Photography by Jessica Mason labour in the service of sport. What I mean by that is
the requirement of athletes and coaches, or anyone in
sport now to suppress some emotions about frustration
and anger and disappointment, in order to preserve the
organisational goal of being perceived to be playing the
game fairly.”
“A lot of players find that inhibiting and limiting. There
is in some cases a lack of emotional intelligence as well.
Where their reaction is immature, where people feel angry
and will act angry. That is poor emotional control.
As the situation threatens to spiral out of the control the
New South Wales State Government, along with the New
South Wales Department of Sport and Recreation, has
looked to take affirmative action against referee abuse.
At the launch of a 2006 big screen campaign titled
“Dummy spits are for babies,” New South Wales Premier
Morris Iemma said that sport was about the enjoyment of
the children.
“Sport promotes a network of friendships and keeps our
kids fit and healthy.” the Premier said.
“Violence, abuse and bad language take the joy out of
children’s sport and deter people from getting involved,”
Minister for Sport Sandra Nori echoed the thoughts of the
Premier by declaring that sports rage “can’t and should
not be tolerated in any way, shape or form.”
24 angle NOVEMBER 2007
As part of a New South Wales Sport and Recreation
initiative, an agreement was met with the Blacktown
Soccer Association to help combat sports rage in Sydney’s
west. The program was designed to educate parents,
referees and players in the Under 9s, 10s and 11s on sports
rage.
“It was a huge success,” association secretary Jack
Taylor explained. In the second year of the program the
Blacktown Club did not have any send offs or cautions.
“We had a pilot program on sports rage,” Mr Taylor said.
“What it was trying to do was to teach parents particularly
to let their children have a good time and stop making a
kafuffle from the sideline.”
Cautions 0 in 2005
0 in 2004
14 in 2003
41 in 2002
38 in 2001
Send offs: 0 in 2005
0 in 2004
1 in 2003
3 in 2002
0 in 2001
Sideline reports 2 in 2005
0 in 2004
2 in 2003
2 in 2002
1 in 2001
Blacktown District Soccer Football Association under 9, 10 and
11 years age divisions games statistics (2001 – 2005)
The Australian Sports Commission has found that 37%
of all sports rage incidents are as a result of players
themselves, but a massive 17% of all sports rage cases
were attributed to parents. David Lewis is currently
researching sports rage cases for a book that is to be
published at the end of next year. He believes that older
people have a significant impact on the sports rage cases.
“Some parents tend to live out their sporting ambitions
through their children,” Mr Lewis indicated. “They are
forgetting that it is a child’s game of football, life and
death is not involved.”
In an A-Grade Rugby League match at Coogee Oval,
sideline official Scott Dalby was crash tackled by a
spectator during the game. No charge was laid against the
perpetrator, and when asked if he had received adequate
support from his referees association, the Matraville
resident simply replied, “The constitution of the referee’s
association does not allow me to answer that question.”
The problem of referee abuse is not solely Sydney-
based. In a first division soccer match, 19-year-old, Ryan
Gallagher was surrounded by a mob of angry spectators at
the completion of the match.
UWS School of Communication Arts
Having been involved in soccer for over 14 years Mr With public perception of sports rage being at an all time
Gallagher has since questioned his commitment to high and with more diligent services available in order to
refereeing after the ambush he witnessed. At the help combat it, experts in the field are looking at ways to
dwindle down the sports rage figures. All associations in
completion of the spiteful match, which saw three players
all codes are forcing their coaches to sign and adhere to a
sent-off, the three referee officials walked off the field and
code of conduct. All club officials are being told that there
headed for the sideline, only to be followed by “around 40
will be zero tolerance at a judicial level for anyone that
members of the crowd,” Mr Gallagher said.
is charged with abusing an official. They have also been
“A club official tried to protect us by pushing them away, warned that the clubs may be fined or competition points
which resulted in a crowd member shoving and pushing stripped due to unruly crowd behaviour.
the official in the face.” After calling for police, Mr
Dr Gordon believes that further education, with a
Gallagher and the two other officials sought refuge in the
particular focus on the coach, is needed to help make the
players dressing room, unable to move from there with
sporting environment safe and enjoyable for all parties.
fear of being attacked. “We did not move towards our
“Players look at coaches more than anyone else,” Dr
vehicles as we didn’t feel safe having to walk 300 metres
Gordon said. “So coach education might help players
on an open field to our cars,” the Newcastle resident said.
become emotionally intelligent.”
After making a formal complaint to their committee, the
There is an ample amount of information prevalent for
officials were shocked to hear that not one player was
anybody willing to mend their sports rage ways. The
charged after being sent off and no crowd member was
onus has to specifically be on the administrators and the
reprimanded for their offensive behaviour. The teenager
coaches of the clubs to ensure that an example is being
described himself as feeling like the “size of an ant,” after
set for their team to rely on. The state government is
his cry for help fell on deaf ears.
providing enough support and advice to any person that
John Cameron, New South Wales soccer referee boss, has requests information.
indicated that there has been a dramatic decline in referee
Next time you go to a sporting event have a look around.
numbers.
Think about your own behaviour and if you would like
A referee for over 30 years Mr Cameron said there has your child to see you carry on in a demeaning manner.
been “less interest in volunteering to do that sort of thing, Sports rage causes embarrassment for the players, the
also there is a concern about safety.” officials, the administrators and most importantly to
yourself. When dealing with sports rage, as a society
With research indicating that sports rage is on the
we need to grow up and take responsibility for our own
increase it is imperative to dissect the reasoning as to why
actions.
this is occurring. The State Government has ample of
information available to all coaches, players and clubs to
help combat and suppress thoughts of sports rage. In 2005
the New South Wales Government and the NSW junior
Rugby League authorities combined together to distribute
more than 60,000 sport rage prevention booklets to parents
and officials before the start of the football season in a
bid to stamp out sport rage. NSW Junior League’s Martin
Meredeth described that all parents will be involved in
stamping out sports rage.
“Parents will be asked to sign an ‘anti-sledge pledge’ and
we’ll be asking our administrators to ensure they have
the right processes in place to be able to deal with any
incidents that occur,” Mr Meredith said.
Author and Eastern Suburbs Soccer Football Association
judiciary chairman Mr Lewis stressed that the information
is readily available to parents, but they are electing to
ignore it all.
Mr Lewis confirmed the situation by saying, “the NSW
State Government and other State Governments have
good programs in place to deal with sports rage, but it
looks like at this stage that the problem is the players and
the parents ignoring that available information.”
“This is likely to be the position that I will argue in the
future, that there is a disparity between the availability of
this information and the willingness of the participants to
either read it or understand it.”
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parents, we need you at school too
Hannady Haidar
Bridging the generational gap in Australian classrooms.
P
arents play a vital role in their child’s education
at home and at school. Parent involvement helps
students succeed in school and in life.
Your children are improving their grades, doing their
homework, and attending school more regularly. Does it
sound like a dream? The answer may be simpler than you
think. The secret could lie in what you do at school as a
parent.
According to research conducted by the Michigan
Department of Education, parents who are actively
involved in a child’s education help to ensure their child
performs better in school and has a greater chance of
success in life. Students tend to have fewer behavioural
problems and better academic performance, and are more
likely to complete secondary school than students whose
parents are not involved in their school. Thirty years of
research by parental groups has proven it.
For an adolescent, and even for an elementary or middle
school student, school is where much of life happens.
School is where children learn to socialise, to take on new
tasks, and to act out their independence. But they bring
to school everything they have learned at home. And
what happens at home can shape a student’s approach to
education for the rest of his or her life.
Carmel Tebutt, NSW Minister for Education and
Training, says that every effort to actively show interest is
important. “Even if you come to parent-teacher interviews
or give your views at a meeting about curriculum
changes, that too is giving time,” Ms Tebutt says. “Close
partnerships between schools and parents will support
Photography by Melissa Deare each student to experience a successful educational
journey through the many years of schooling,” says Ms
Tebutt.
Yet parental involvement is one of the most overlooked
aspects of Australian education today. The fact is many
parents don’t realise how important it is to get involved in
their children’s learning.
Child learning is not only restricted to the classroom. More
government support is needed to enforce this point and
make parents in Australia aware of their role as teachers.
The new early learning program, released this year by
the NSW Department of Education and Training, fails to
emphasis the importance of parents and their role in their
child’s life.
Parents are less involved in school activities when kids
reach high school. Teens surveyed by Public Agenda said
“the most important thing parents can do is stay involved
in their lives and schoolwork.”
26 angle NOVEMBER 2007
Parents are most likely to attend school meetings and
events or to volunteer in their child’s school when their
children are in primary school. For example, in 2003, a
little over 90% of students in kindergarten through fifth
grade had parents who attended a meeting with their
teachers, while 75% of middle school students, 59% of
ninth through tenth grades students, and 53% of eleventh
through twelfth grade students had parents who had done
so.
The 2006 ‘Achievement Counts’ Campaign, conducted
by the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education,
revealed that the most accurate predictor of a student’s
achievement in school is not income or social status,
but the extent to which that student’s family is able to
become involved in their children’s education. The family
makes critical contributions to student achievement from
preschool through high school. A home environment
that encourages learning is more important to student
achievement than income, education level or cultural
background.
In a 2003 study by the National Centre for Family and
Community Connections with Schools, it was found that
“when schools, families, and communities work together
to support learning, children tend to do better in school,
stay in school longer, and like school more.”
It was also found that students with involved parents, no
matter what their income or background, were more likely
to succeed in school—attending school regularly, earning
higher grades, passing their classes, and graduating and
going on to postsecondary education.
This is what students want. They want parents to become
involved in their school life. Parental groups over
the years revealed that students relied on parents for
motivation and encouragement. Kids want to succeed and
do their best, but without parent involvement they may
fail and become unmotivated.
These days, many children and parents are yearning for
a sense of togetherness. Among students aged 10 to 13,
for example, 72 percent say they would like to talk to
their parents more about their homework. Forty percent
of parents across the country believe that they are not
devoting enough time to their children’s education. And
teachers say that increasing parental involvement in
education should be the number one priority for public
education in the next few years.
Mr Mitchell, acting Principal of Wiley Park Girls High
School, also agrees that building a partnership between
home, school, parents and teachers is very important.
UWS School of Communication Arts
“Parents, in conjunction with teachers, are responsible “Whatever you’re able to do, do it because you will make
for the education of their children so parents need to an important difference in your child’s life,” says Mrs
get involved, find out what happens in the school, and Jowhar. The earlier that parent involvement begins in a
support that at home,” Mr Mitchell says. child’s educational process, the more powerful the effects.
These effects may include reduced absenteeism, restored
Maha Hablos, mother and P&C President at Punchbowl
confidence among parents in their children’s schooling,
Boys High School, also backs the research and stresses
better self-esteem, less drug and alcohol use, and less
the importance of parents getting to know their children’s
violent behaviour.
teachers.
Parents cannot afford to wait for schools to tell them how
“Research shows that when parents communicate with
children are doing. Families who stay informed about
teachers more frequently about their children, the child’s
their children’s progress at school have higher-achieving
performance improves. If time is an issue and you cannot
children. Get to know the names of your children’s
do anything else at school, then at least talk to your
teachers, principals, and counsellors.
children’s teachers,” Mrs Hablos says.
Make the effort to get involved in your child’s education.
“When parents are fully involved the school becomes a
It may cost a little time of work but you and your child
true community,” says Mrs Hablos
will reap the benefits. Your children needs and wants you
Parents can do many things at home and at school to to be involved in their school life. So, if you’ve thought
further their children’s education. The National Education about helping at school but couldn’t find the time or
Association recommends that parents supervise their weren’t sure how to volunteer, these are great reasons to
child’s homework each day, check homework every night, take the first step!
limit TV viewing on school nights, and read to your child.
Remember, you’re helping your child to ensure they have
Reading aloud to children is the most important activity
a successful future.
that parents can do to increase their child’s chance of
reading success.
The Michigan Department of Education and Training
research into parental involvement and academic success
revealed that talking to children about books and stories
read to them also supports reading achievement. When
children and parents talk regularly about school, children
perform better academically.
Parents can also participate in school activities such as
parent-teacher nights; discussing their children’s progress
with teachers, voting in school board elections, and
become active in parent associations. Parent associations
are a great way for parents to keep informed on school
issues and get involved. By participating in parent groups
you can also help to improve your child’s school by
getting involved in decision making policies.
“As a mother I know how difficult it can be to find time
and attend parent meetings or talk to teachers,” says
mother and P&C member Mrs. Haffisa Jowhar. “As a
mother of four I try to make time to attend P&C meetings
and help my children with their homework.” Mrs. Jowhar
is a member of the Wiley Park Girls high School Parents
Association. She has been a member of the Parents
Association for seven years, having both daughters attend
the school. She is a mother of four, two girls and two boys.
She finds difficulty in attending her son’s school for parent
meetings.
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UWS School of Communication Arts
decisions, decisions, decisions.
Brett Davis
How do you deal with the shock of having cancer - and how do you treat it?
I
n Australia each year, more than 88,000 new cases of
cancer are diagnosed. Being diagnosed with cancer is a
devastating and life changing experience. Patients not
only have to deal with the initial shock and overwhelming
possibilities, they also have to deal with the strain of
telling family and friends. To add to the stress, decisions
to be made about various treatments are complex.
Cancer sufferers have a vast variety of treatment options
available. While doctors and surgeons may be successful
in removing cancer, the journey continues as the battle to
keep the cancer away is ongoing.
There are several types of cancer, and with this, there are
several types of specialists who guide this journey. This
is where a problem arises. Some cancer patients are not
given sufficient nor appropriate advice. Corresponding
treatment is vital for the patient. Doctors are not trained
to give proper directions, while some may know of
specialists others may simply push the patient off to the
nearest one.
There are many options available for treatment.
Surgery is a hands-on method of tackling cancer cells.
Once cancer is removed by surgeons, the patient must
then consider a number of options. Some patients choose
to leave it at that. This may or may not be the best option.
Another option is radiotherapy. This involves the use of
high energy radiation to destroy the cancer cells. There
is a down side of using this method, although it destroys
the bad cancer cells, it also destroys some of the good
normal cells within the body. This can leave the patient
vulnerable to other viruses. These cells do eventually
repair themselves though.
Chemotherapy is another method of which patients may
choose. This involves the use of drugs to kill off and
slow the growth of cancer cells. The most common form
is in means of injection. This form can be a daunting
experience. Some patients endure a drip or line feed into
a vein for several hours at a time. Not only this, the whole
process is said to be a slow drag of an ordeal. From the
moment the patient steps into the door of the clinic or
hospital, to when they are ready to leave could be a day or
two. This is not only done once either.
The other main form of treatment is hormone therapy.
This is most commonly a form of drug that suppresses
the body’s production of hormones. Sometimes this
28 angle NOVEMBER 2007
is a surgical procedure whereby particular hormone
producing glands are removed. As with all treatments
there are side-effects. Removing hormones from the body
can leave the patients feeling moody and depressed; it also
reduces sex drive and promotes weight gain.
All these treatments sound cold and hostile, do patients
need to know about each and every treatment? Will it
make the decisions easier? The government needs to iron
out some of these unnecessary stresses. A patient doesn’t
want to know about every detail, and then try and choose
what is best for them. That would make them a doctor.
But some of these real doctors don’t even know what is
best for patients. You can’t really blame them; after all they
have undergone the appropriate university studies. That’s
where the change needs to be, in our education system.
The government is talking about combining medical
degrees with communication subjects, to try and fix this
problem. But what about the current doctors, the ones that
did their degree 10 or 20 years ago?
As with all treatments, there are always side-effects. As
there are many options with varying side-effects and
benefits, we can now see why these decisions can become
very unpleasant and overwhelming. Whenever someone
is in trouble, who do they turn to? Their local doctor. It
seems the doctor is just a short-term quick-fix. Patients
need further help and understanding in certain areas.
Cancer patients especially need this further help.
These treatments are interchangeable. Most patients
have surgery and one or more of the forms of therapy.
To make this even more complicating, each form of
therapy has various options within the procedure. Talk
about decisions, decisions, decisions. Surely someone
knows which therapy-package is best for each cancer?
Some surgeons do, most don’t. And if they do, it’s only
by chance that they might know someone personally to
recommend.
The government does know about this issue. There are
websites that try to give direction. The Cancer Council
website (cancer.org.au) can be useful. It tries to give
direction on what does what, and which is best for
which. But patients don’t want to sit there reading and
researching. Being diagnosed with cancer is bad enough.
The doctors, the professionals, are the ones that are meant
to research the area, not the patients. But also, each doctor
should know who is best with various types of cancer. It’s
UWS School of Communication Arts
just a matter of talking with the patients to come up with
the best plan.
When is the health system going teach doctors to
communicate? Some patients may have the best treatment,
with all the right combinations but with the wrong
specialist, who normally works with another type of
cancer. This can make all the difference.
Just completed her therapy and given the all clear by the
doctors, Janice speaks of her ordeal. “Well, my life was
changed, everything I took for granted flashed before me
as soon as the doctor said those words, ‘we have found
cancer cells in your breast’, a flush of disbelief ran through
me.” The doctor advised me on which treatment would be
best, and then gave me a card with his details.” There was
no ‘Yeah, this guy is great, he is good with this and that’.”
This made me feel uncertain; I didn’t know any better so I
just went ahead with the appointment. It would of made
the whole process much easier on me and my family if
I could just get done what needed to be done, with no
decisions, just walk in, relies what I have, and be assured
to know that I’m getting the best treatment.” When the
decisions are left to yourself, it just stressed me out even
more, ‘is this the right thing to do, should I have done this’
it’s horrible.”
Although our survival rates are very good, the
Photography by Melissa Deare
government should advance its health department. The
ordeal is very unpleasant; however, the government has Senate about this exact area just two years ago, in June Operational readiness! How ready can an army be, and
the power to make this ordeal so much easier. 2005! Cancer has been around for a lot longer than that. how is this much money going to increase its readiness
and size? The government really needs to realign its
It’s not as if this is a rare disease, it’s all over the news In the last 20 years, cancer survival rates have risen by
priorities. A small survey was conducted in a university
headlines. The Cancer Council says that one in three men just 30%. In the last 20 years we have produced mobile
class that revealed national security to be the lowest area
and one in four women will be directly affected by cancer telephones with web browsing features; the internet has
of concern; the health system and education were up at the
before the age of 75. This is an alarming figure. That become an almost central media system where one can
top. Is the government listening?
means someone you know will be affected by cancer at communicate in a vast variety of ways; cars have become
same stage. It’s an uncomfortable feeling, why does the pedestrian safe and use satellite feeds to help navigate
government allow for further stress to evolve? drivers’ around the planet; spectacular home theatre
systems that make one feel they are in the scene, yet, our
In Australia cancer costs $2.7 billion in direct health
government can’t even teach doctors to communicate to
system costs, and $215 million was spent on cancer
their patients, and work out a pre-prepared plan for each
research in 2000-01, just above 18% of all health research
type of cancer.
expenditure in Australia. This is might sound like plenty is
being spent but in reality, the government has heaps of our The amount of money required to advance this health
money. They could spend more, especially on areas as vital system defect couldn’t be as much as some of the
as this. It’s not only just spending money, like someone technologies mentioned above. The government plans to
who just won the lotto; it’s what the money is spent on. spend $1.5 billion on the health system in 2006-2007, but
The government is only now just starting to realise what they also plan to spend $1.5 billion to increase the Army’s
is happening. A government inquiry was made from the size and enhance the Army’s operational readiness.
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australians addicted to oil
Rachael Thompson
How much oil do we have left - and what do we do if we run out?
T
he Australian way of life as we know it is coming
to an end sooner then we think. This is not a
crazy proclamation of a doomsday cult. It is a
scientific conclusion of the best paid and widely respected
geologists, physicists and political leaders in the world,
including Australia. All these people are terrified by a
phenomenon known as peak oil.
Peak oil is the point were oil production reaches its
absolute peak, the point where supplies start to run out
and the scientists conclude that we are almost there. Can
you imagine paying $100 for a tank of petrol? Well, that
could be as good as it gets. Naturally the oil companies
say, “stay clam, we will be right for a few hundred years at
least.” But then they would, wouldn’t they?
Australia has been called the ‘lucky country’. We are
enjoying the economic good times, the best we have
ever had. We are a rich country, and we are expecting
the wealth and resources to last forever. But it can’t last
forever, one day it will dry up. Most of us don’t like the
thought of running out of oil, and having to change our
lives as we currently know them. The consequences are
hard to come to terms with. Andrew McNamara is the
chair of the Queensland Government Oil Vulnerability
Task Force. According to McNamara, “If we do nothing,
we are all looking at a disaster that threatens the
civilisation we have.”
This disaster could come in the next ten years. There is
growing number of belief among scientists and analysts
that world demand for oil will outstrip supply as early as
2015. When we run out, the way of life as we know it will
disappear. We can’t focus solely on how much it is going
to cost us at the petrol pump, there is a bigger picture.
Even if we use ethanol or other types of alternative fuel,
this is not enough as petrochemicals are key components
to much more. As geologist Dale Allen Pfeiffer points out
in his article entitled, “Eating Fossil Fuels,” approximately
10 calories of fossil fuels are required to produce every 1
calorie of food eaten in the US. The size of this ratio stems
from the fact that every step of modern food production is
fossil fuel and petrochemical powered. McNamara calls it
the, “Post Industrial Stone Age, and we will face a society
that we can no longer afford to live in.” Can you imagine
having food shortages and no transport. All of our
relatively cheap medications will become expensive and
clothes and packaging will become unaffordable, We could
be facing a life of poverty and maybe another depression.
It will only take a small decrease in oil supplies to effect
the way we live. Examples of the ramifications of peak
oil for our civilisation are similar to what happens to the
human body when it is dehydrated. The human body
is 70% water. The body of a 50kg woman holds 35kgs of
water. Because water is needed in everything the human
body does, the woman doesn’t need to lose all 35kgs of
water before collapsing due to dehydration. A little loss
Photography by Richard Zhou
30 angle NOVEMBER 2007
Photography by Amy Gregory
of water may be enough to kill her. This can be related
back to an oil-based economy such as ours. Only a small
decrease in oil supply, and the effects will start to show. A
shortfall between demand and supply as little as 10-15% is
enough to shatter an oil-dependent economy and reduce
its citizenry to poverty.
So could the Australian dream be over in the next ten
years? In the 90s, Australia produced all the oil we needed;
now we must import 40%. In August 2001, the average
fuel price was around 85 cents a litre. In August 2004 it
went to a $1 a litre and ever since then it has gone up.
Prices have hit nearly $1.50 on occassion. That’s a 75%
increase in five years. British geologist Jeremy Leggett
thinks that prices will never be below a $1 a litre again.
“I think that price will go through the roof. There will be
some sort of collapse in the capital markets, hopefully not
as bad as the great crash of October 1929, but there will be
a global depression and that’s going to be an extremely
painful thing.”
But the oil companies say that we have nothing to worry
about, I hear you say? John Dorah, Chief Executive officer
of Sydney based ROC Oil Company limited; he doesn’t
believe that our way of life is doomed. He is confident that
he will have his job for a long time to come. Companies
like ROC have been and still are exploring for new oil.
Some of the oil fields like the Perth basin and South
Australia’s Cooper basin have only become economically
viable when the price of petrol at the pump skyrocketed.
The oil companies argue that oil prices had to rise and
that they have been cheap for too long, which is why
they haven’t found more oil reserves. The money which
is being made by the oil companies from the increase in
petrol price is being put back into exploring for more oil
fields. This is what the oil companies are telling us, but
the real reason for the rise is world demand for oil has is
more then what can be produced by a significant margin.
As a result the prices rise and oil dependent economies
crumble.
The oil companies are the only people who are happy
about this increase, John Dorhan states, “Look, it is a
twin-edged sword. Oil is still cheaper than Pepsi, Coke,
mineral water and it’s not renewable. So I think it’s still
fairly cheap.” Reg Nelson from Beach Petroleum has no
doubt that there is more oil out there and more oil fields
do exist. “There are still large areas in Australia and
other parts of the globe that have not been explored.” A
speech made at a Asia Pacific oil and gas conference in
September 2006 by Mark Nolan who is the Chairman of
ExxonMobil Australia, said that “They call it the end of
an era of easy oil, there has never been easy oil. Oil only
seems easy after it has been discovered, developed and
produced.” Nolan provides no information at all about
global future production rates, which define when peak oil
will occur. He only estimates how much oil will eventually
be recovered. This is a fine example of corporate spin, free
from relevant facts.
Our political leaders have a responsibility to take a
long term view and act based on the facts. The political
leaders are aware of the situation, but why is nothing
happening? The Vice President of the United States, Dick
Cheney made the following statement in late 1999: “By
some estimates, there will be an average demand for two
percent annual growth in global oil demand over the
years ahead, along with, conservatively, a three percent
natural decline in production from existing reserves. That
means by 2010 we will need on the order of an additional
50 million barrels a day.” So to put Cheney’s statement in
perspective, remember that the oil producing nations of
the world are currently pumping quite a capacity but are
struggling to produce much more than 84 million barrels
per day. Already pumping at full capacity, an extra 50
million barrels a day is impossible, we are running out of
energy. Currently in Australia We only find one barrel of
oil for every four we use. We haven’t found a super giant
field, which contains 500 million barrels, for over 30 years
anywhere in the world.
UWS School of Communication Arts
Our society has been constructed in a way that we are
reliant on oil. As Jeremy Leggett states “we are a world
which has become fundamentally addicted to oil.” There
is not the slightest doubt that the suburban sprawl, which
took place after World War II and which continues to this
day, will be seen as the greatest misallocation of resources
in the history of the planet. The time of plenty will be over
because we haven’t provisioned for an alternative way of
running our economies yet. The issue is not one of running
out so much it is not having enough to keep the economy
running; our current trends are not stainable. So what can
we do?
Andrew McNamara believes our future may lie in the
past. The types of things that he suggests are that the cities
must be redesigned into smaller communities where we
grow our own food. And we would have to walk and cycle
instead of drive which means all of our friends, family
and work would have to be close to home. Everything
that we do is going to be done by using less energy. Our
cities will have to be created far more intelligently and in
the end by understanding that society is going to change.
“No-one that I have spoken to privately in the industries
suggests that there’s some magic bullet here and that we’re
suddenly going to find Saudi Arabia again. It’s not going
to happen.” McNamara also urges that the issue is that if
we don’t deal with this, then we start living a 20th century,
then a 19th century, then an 18th century lifestyle. It
doesn’t have to be that way, but that’s where we’re headed
if we do nothing. But at the moment we are doing nothing,
and that is what is the most terrifying thing of all.
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UWS School of Communication Arts
booze, pot... and us.
Andrew Blanchard
An examination of alcohol and cannabis abuse in Australia.
T
he report titled ‘Alcohol and other drug treatment
services in Australia’, found alcohol and cannabis at
the top of treatment lists. These are two of the most
available drugs, the National Drug Strategy Household
Survey found nine in ten Australians had access to alcohol
and one in five had access to cannabis.
The availability of alcohol and illicit drugs to first time
users is no mystery – friends and family are the ties who
initially supply. In 2004 three in five drinkers aged 12-15
years said they obtained their first glass of alcohol from
a relative. The next most common means was from a
friend or acquaintance. Curiosity was said to be the most
common reason, cited by 82%. This is followed by 45% of
that age bracket who were influenced by peer pressure.
The AIHW report recorded 142, 144 treatment episodes
from 635 government-funded alcohol and other
drug treatment agencies across Australia. In June Ms
Chrysanthe Psychogios said in a media release, “Alcohol
was the main drug of concern in 37 per cent of treatment
episodes, a figure which has changed little over the last
four years”. A closed treatment episode is defined in the
report as a “period of contact with defined start and end
dates between a client and a treatment agency.”
Although Australia is not high in the list in terms of
alcohol consumed, we are a nation that enjoys binge
drinking. The World Health Organisation (WHO) found
35 per cent of the Australian population consumes alcohol
consistently at risk or harmful levels or at high risk at least
once a year.
It was once written in the Australian Drug & Alcohol
Review, that said “A reputation for heavy drinking has
been part of white Australia’s national myth from rum
corps during initial British colonisation, to drunkenness
in the gold diggings, to the lasting traditions of bush
workers’ ‘shouts’ and the end of week ‘work and burst’
drunken blowouts”.
The 2004 Global Status Report on Alcohol said; “Alcohol
consumption is linked to many harmful consequences for
the individual drinker but not limited [sic]”.
This includes traffic casualties, fighting and domestic
violence. Excessive alcohol consumption is reported to
be the cause of 47, 167 road crash injuries followed by 20
374 attempted suicides and 75 115 assaults. There are also
links to workplace problems such as lower productivity.
Photography by Stacey Rosenblum
32 angle NOVEMBER 2007
“There is ample evidence that people with alcohol
dependence and problem drinkers have high rates of
sickness absence than other employees,” the report said.
Ms Kate Williams at the AIHW said an interesting part of
the report was which drugs were being treated in some
age groups. She said, the report found treatment for
alcohol abuse was high in the over 30s, with 38.4 per cent
of the 30-39 age group. Treatment for cannabis was high
in youth, with 49.7 per cent of treatment episodes in the
10-19 age group.
A special chapter on cannabis was included in the AIHW
report; it said “Cannabis is the most widely used illicit
drug in Australia”. It is estimated that of Australians aged
14 years and over, “one in three had used cannabis at some
stage in their life time”. This is followed by one in nine
who had used it at least once in the last 12 months.
WHO said cannabis is one of the most cultivated,
trafficked and abused illicit drug. It said “Half of all drug
seizures worldwide are cannabis seizures” and the drug
has become “more closely linked to youth culture and the
age of initiation is usually lower than for other drugs”.
The acute effects of cannabis use are devastating, WHO
summarised it as: impairing cognitive development,
memory loss, it can exacerbate schizophrenia in affected
individuals and cause health problems associated with
long-term tobacco smoking.
The National Cannabis Strategy said “despite the adverse
health, social and economic consequences of cannabis use
and the fact that cannabis possession and use is illegal…
community surveys show that adult cannabis use is
‘approved of’ by a significant proportion of the Australian
community”.
A section delved further to understand why cannabis is
so widely accepted in communities as the ‘illicit’ drug of
choice. It found a sharp contrast between members of the
community; a similar proportion thought cannabis was
the most likely substance associated with a drug problem.
“It is this diversity of opinion that creates confusion in the
community about the real harms associated” the report
said.
In response to this diversity of opinion, awareness is seen
as the universal solution, the strategy said, “It is important
to provide the community with consistent, evidence-
based messages…so that people are aware of the risks
associated… and can seek advice or help when required”.
UWS School of Communication Arts
There is also confusion in the community about legality,
which is attributed to legislative differences between states
and territories, “particularly with regards to penalties for
cannabis use and possession”.
“Confusion within the general community regarding the
legal status of cannabis is sometimes attributed to this
difference” the report said.
It found this was a consistent theme raised in research
through consultation in forums held in metropolitan and
regional areas. “(There is a) lack of clear knowledge and
understanding within the community concerning cannabis
use and problems associated with use” the report said.
“The demands for interventions for cannabis-related
problems is increasing, but there is a lack of clearly
defined and evaluated treatment options, when compared
to what is available for alcohol – or heroin-related
problems”.
The AIHW report found 10 per cent of clients in closed
treatment episodes identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait
Islander origin. It recorded treatment for alcohol abuse
accounted for 43 per cent followed by cannabis at 23 per
cent.
“(These are) the same… principal drugs of concern as the
population overall” the report said.
One community became the focus of media coverage
on alcohol and drug abuse. Starting around January the Photography by Emma Couch
eyes of the media fell on the community of Mutitjulu at
and religion. Perhaps the most agreed upon statement Alcohol is a product legally limited to those aged 18 and
Uluru. Stories about petrol sniffing, pedophilia, drug and
is further education and research can help people over, it is advertised in television usually in the remaining
alcohol abuse hit the headlines and the community was
understand the effects abuse has on everyone in the minutes of prime time, on huge billboards along the M4,
strung through investigations and reports for several
community. in the city as well as movie theatres. It is closely linked to
weeks. Many people wanted to know why and how this
our culture and this goes back to Australia’s reputation,
happened especially when it seemed so sudden when this On every tobacco product sold in Australia is a word
which is so proudly shown to countries around the world
was uncovered. As a consequence of the blanket media of warning and a graphic image to boot. Tobacco
in our tourism campaign, where we invite them in for a
coverage the community of Mutitjulu felt misrepresented companies are forbidden to advertise their products in
beer and assure them all our problems are taken care of,
by how they were portrayed, as reported by The Canberra the mainstream media. Cannabis use is under a harsher
with a young boy who has been snorkeling, he surfaces
Times. microscope in the mainstream. The anti-drug campaign
and says, “…we’ve got the sharks out of the pool”.
showed long term users alienating themselves from the
Alcohol and drug abuse are often associated with
community and suffering health problems. The acute
anti social behaviour, the government advertisements
effects of the drug have been recognised for many years by
in 2005 centred their campaign on this. All forms of
numerous organisations and researchers, but information
abuse are inherently social issues for all communities.
in the community about the drug legality and associated
Differing opinions can be found in any person where past
harms are clouded as said in the National Cannabis
experience and knowledge are factors that contribute.
Strategy, the first developed under the Nation Drug
It is an issue that is known to stir some deep emotions
Strategy 2005-2006.
and discussing it at the dinner table, in public or with
a stranger is seen as a social taboo along with politics
angle NOVEMBER 2007 33
UWS School of Communication Arts
a new era in crime
Melissa Karam
Dealing with- and preventing- offences by juveniles
I
n NSW, juveniles aged 10-17 years
old, experienced an increase in violent
crime by 14% from 2003 through
to 2006. Statistics show Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander young offenders
represent the most of the population
of those in juvenile detention reported
by the Department of Juvenile Justice.
On average, 124 Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander young people were held in
custody on any given day between 2004-
2005. this number represents 43% of those
in juvenile detention. The average number
of young people in custody on any given
day in 2004-2005 was 283.
Each year in Australia, one out of every
20 juveniles is arrested for a property or
violent crime. If we follow a crowd of
juveniles from the age of 10, we would
expect at least 30 per cent of them to have a
minimum of one arrest record by the time
they reach 18; a large majority of these will
not have another arrest record. For those
that have an arrest record each successive
arrest record puts them at higher risk
until they become constant or persistent
offenders. Research shows that by the time
a juvenile has five arrest records, the risk
of his/her arrest for a subsequent offence
increases to over 90 per cent. This is not
a particularly encouraging situation. The
encouraging part is that only a fraction
of youth population, 6 to 7 per cent, is
expected to join the constant or persistent
offender group that is usually responsible
for a substantial part of all crimes.
In saying this, it can be a worry to the
safety and well being of the community
and society as a whole, which leaves the
question, is the juvenile system to blame or
society itself? Where does the family and
upbringing of these children come into
play?
Crimes make front-page news. Their
actions seem to run counter to everything
which childhood represents. In recent
years public shock and outrage at violent
crimes by children have increasingly been
34 angle NOVEMBER 2007
expressed in calls for tougher punishments
to stop the perceived menace of juvenile
crime.
Understandably, the public is afraid
of crime and what is perceived as any
increase in crime, especially youth crime.
The media, and this is a world wide
phenomenon, regularly feeds this fear by
focusing upon and sensationalising youth
anti-social behaviours. In the lead up to
elections, politicians establish a tough law
and order platform that plays and preys
on community fear of youth crime.
This process leads to more “do your duty”
approaches to youth and youth crime
and program fixes where the public sees
the complex social problems underlying
youth anti-social and criminal behaviours
is largely ignored. At the extreme, these
programs are not just expensive, they
can actually make worse the problems
experienced by juvenile offenders.
Shrinking federal and state funding of
social and welfare programs often widens
the gaps in services through which clients,
particularly socially disadvantaged young
people and their families, fall. Limitation
of resources, staff and financial support
are some flaws in the juvenile justice
system. The more kids in custody can
cause to flush the budget which can affect
other programs in the system such as
more finance for kids e.g. limited spaces
for programs (need more staff), not much
financial needs to hire extra staff.
There is an urgent need for a universal
approach to juvenile offending and its
social causes and links. This needs to be
based on a coordinated approach and
target those identified most “at risk”. It
needs to be based on sound research; it
needs to be based on the best laws and
policies; it needs to be based on what
programs are proven to work; and it needs
to consider how these programs are best
implemented statewide and at the local
level.
The life style of Australians has changed.
A large majority of these kids come
from single female-parent families. And,
more than half of the single parents are
unemployed. Research literature indicates,
20 to 30 years back, might have referred
to these families as broken homes,
dysfunctional families, or even deviant
families. Today its part of Australian
society. In order to understand the
behaviour of children it is important to
understand their place in society and
the impact such changes have on their
upbringing.
Young people involved in crime represent
a small percentage of the state’s youth
population. Information recently available
to the Department of Juvenile Justice
shows that for every 1,000 people in New
South Wales between the ages of 10 to
17 less than 10 have a criminal matter
finalised in the Children’s Court.
In 2003 2,546 juveniles were involved in
crime and 2,964 in 2006. of that 80% were
male and 20% were female in 2003, 79%
were male and 21% were female in 2006.
this indicates how the crime rate has
increased and how the increase in female
offenders has become a trend in today’s
society. An example of this would be the
incident with the two young Islander
females as young as 14 who killed a taxi
driver in Canley Hieghts early February
2006. where the disabled taxi driver
was left to dead after being bashed and
robbed for his mobile by the two girls who
allegedly tried several other attempts of
robberies earlier that night.
Edith is a 15-year-old Aboriginal girl
living in the Northern Territory, Australia.
In 2003, when she was 12 years old, she
was arrested for stealing food for herself
and for other neglected children she was
caring for, including a baby. She was
kept overnight in an adult cell in the
local police station and then released,
but served with a court order. When she
broke the court order, by running away
to visit the baby in hospital and to see her
family, she was rearrested and imprisoned
for 21 days in a juvenile detention centre
1,500 kilometres from her home. Her case
prompted the welfare authorities to start
supplying emergency food to Edith’s
family.
The philosophy, if there is no victim, there
is no crime. So where do we draw the
line with young juveniles in trouble with
the law. Are they a part of victimisation
due to family neglecting them, anti-
social problems or are they simply born
criminals. All these have to be taken
into consideration in order to build and
maintain a safe and healthy environment
for future generations to come. The
upbringing of children shape who they are
as adults. The urge to kill lies within us
all, especially as children. Without proper
channeling of these instincts, children
often grow into physically abusive and or
murderous adults. Can any of us honestly
say that, as kids, we didn’t shoot birds
with our slingshots or set homemade traps
for other critters? If you can say that, then
you either never had an opportunity as a
child, or you’re an exception to the rule of
human nature.
For those young people who become
involved in crime the factors associated
with that involvement are complex and
varied. Often these factors are the same
as those that relate to the difficulties
young people experience in other aspects
of their lives. They can include, but are
not limited to, poor parental supervision,
difficulties in school and employment,
negative peer associations, poor personal
and social skills, homelessness, neglect
and abuse. Kids that offend are more likely
to be street kids. These kids are not well
educated and therefore don’t know how to
get into the programs for help.
The NSW Department of Juvenile Justice
supervises and cares for young offenders
in the community and in detention centres.
It provides youth justice conferences for
young offenders referred by police or the
courts. The aim of the service through case
work intervention is to create stability,
change in future direction in supporting
the drive from further offending behaviour
(behaviour modification) through future
programs.
Seventeen year old Ashley was referred
to a youth justice conference for seven
offences which all involved stealing
from her employer, a medium-sized
supermarket. She lived with her
grandparents, who adopted her when she
was three years old. At the conference,
she agreed to pay back the money that she
had stolen, attend an anger management
program and do some voluntary work at
a long day care center. She did so well at
the day care center that they offered her
a permanent traineeship when she turns
18. not long after she had completed her
outcome plan, she received her school’s
gold award for honesty (August 2005).
The prime focus in the department’s
community-based interventions with
juvenile offenders is to address their
offending behaviour in ways that have
been proven to be effective in reducing the
risks associated with reoffending and to
effectively supervise young offenders as
they meet their legal obligations. In order
to achieve this, services provided from
juvenile justice community offices include:
assessment reports prepared to assist
courts in determining sentences,
Court directed supervision of juvenile
offenders placed on good behaviour
bonds, probation, community service or
parole orders.
Casework management working together
with other government and community-
based services to link juvenile offenders
to the support services they need to
stay out of trouble and comply with
their legal orders. This can include the
young offenders participation in specific
offending-focused or other type programs,
finding accommodation, dealing
with relationship difficulties, finding
employment, developing employment
skills, and supporting the young person’s
return to school.
The centers partnerships with Centerlink,
Tafe and many other organisations, is
crucial to the overall education and
stability of these kids. Without partnership
support it won’t be able to achieve a
benchmark to achieve the case plan
objectives which creates stability for kids.
Even special needs e.g. mental health
(psychiatrist). To find out the needs of the
individuals e.g. relationships at home,
parents and so on.
The Post Release Support Program is a
12 week program designed to achieve a
reduction in the number of detainees who
re-offend after release from a juvenile
justice center. The primary purpose of
the program is to help them successfully
re-integrate into the community. e.g. help
in writing resumes, training course for
employment, year 10 certificate and so on.
Employment is a big factor towards
stability, better relationship at home,
no time for crime. Commits kids to
employment. Link to supporting agencies,
help with resumes, employment. Some
kids don’t want to go to prison. Once they
reach 18 they will stop because they get
an insight or eyeful of what its like. Some,
when they are ready to get out might go to
Tafe and get a certificate, Green card e.t.c.
The goal of the Community Funding
Program (CFP) is to reduce the number
of juveniles re-offending by providing
funds to community non government
organisations to assist and support
juvenile offenders to maintain and
establish positive links with their families
and communities. The CFP falls into six
categories, these are: accommodation
support, bail accommodation support,
alcohol and other drug programs
including residential rural rehabilitation
UWS School of Communication Arts
programs, Employment Skilling Program, for vulnerable, homeless young people.
local offender program, post release Without such help, they are at risk of
support program. criminal offending. The New South Wales
Community Services Commissioner has
With this there’s stability for kids. If you
recently reported that kids of that State are
don’t have it, increase level of behaviour,
fifteen times more likely to enter a juvenile
which results to re-offending.
justice centre than the rest of the juvenile
So why is the crime rate still rising, population. Statistics reveal that children
when the juvenile justice system are in care were more likely to be involved
implementing everything possible to with violent and serious crimes and that
direct and provide a better future for the older the children and the longer they
these children. In order to understand the remained under protective care, the more
issue we need to ask ourselves why these likely the incidence of criminal behaviour.
kids get in trouble with the law, to step Data also shows, that most of the juvenile
back from the law and the role to enforce offenders who are also under state care,
it and focus on the upbringing of these go on to become adult offenders. There
children. Where are their parents, do they is evidence that poor school performance
come from single parent homes, are their and exclusion from the school system are
parents drug addicts, are their parents major risk factors associated with juvenile
employed, are they neglected by their offending and that many of the juveniles
families and left to defend for themselves in correctional institutions have poor
or is it that they are alienated from society literacy and numeracy skills.
being Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander
The Juvenile Justice center does not
or from various other backgrounds. All
have enough resources e.g. refuge for
these factors have to be examined in order
adolescence, drug and alcohol centers,
to plan a resolution for the prevention of
kids are put on a waiting list due to
crime. The start of this will be to introduce
limitation of number of kids allowed at a
these kids to certain programs and help
time. Kids may not have a link to drug and
with their future prospective, such as
alcohol resources. As a result if something
employment, schooling and so forth. The
went wrong in the system, e.g. limited
juvenile justice system carries out these
staff and resources not meeting the need of
duties in the hope to guide these children
these kids, could possibly slip them back
to a successful future. There can be
in the offending cycle.
implications within the system that could
threaten the success of these children.
In concern of the features in the juvenile
justice system, Police officers have told the
Commissions that many of the children
they arrest or detain are ‘welfare cases’
whose offending has little to do with law
and order but derives from their family,
health and housing problems. Police
indicated that they have real difficulties
getting welfare agencies to assume
responsibility for particular children. In
all parts of Australia, the Commissions
heard evidence of the limited assistance
given and the limited facilities available
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UWS School of Communication Arts
sport, the answer to
australia’s fastest growing chronic disease?
Brendon Bright
Is the solution to a disease of inactivity right at our fingertips?
A
life of constant perfection. This
is what awaits a diabetic. Eating
precisely the right foods at the
right times, testing blood and its glucose
levels several times a day, numerous
insulin injections and medical check ups. A
life 90% of diabetics could have avoided.
Diabetes is Australia’s fastest growing
chronic disease. It is a condition where the
body is unable to automatically regulate
blood glucose levels. This often leads to
too much glucose in the blood. There are
two common types of diabetes. Type 1
diabetes occurs when the body’s immune
system destroys the cells of the pancreas
that produce insulin. Insulin injections are
required to lower blood glucose levels.
Type 2 diabetes, often known as adult
onset, usually occurs in overweight people
or those with high blood pressure. It is
where the body’s insulin production is less
effective, resulting in high blood glucose
levels. 90% of diabetics have Type 2.
World Wide over 170 million people have
diabetes and it has been discovered that 1
in 20 deaths are attributed to diabetes. This
figure drops to a staggering 1 in 10 deaths
for the 35 to 64 age group. In Australia
approximately 700,000 people reported
to have diabetes. It is almost guaranteed
there are thousands of people with
diabetes who do not realise it. Alarmingly
around 275 adults in Australia develop
diabetes daily.
For some the potential damage and risk
of diabetes was thrust upon them, yet for
others it was simply bad health
habits. A combination of unhealthy eating,
lack of physical activity or other bad health
options. As obesity rates rise and the risk
of diabetes increases, all diabetes sufferers
and potential diabetics need an answer.
Sport, is often regarded as an integral part
of Australian culture. Many a discussion
held around a slab of beer and a plateful of
greasy chicken centres on sport.
36 angle NOVEMBER 2007
But is it participated in enough? In a study
by the Australian Bureau of Statistics,
Nearly two-thirds (62.4% or 9.1 million
people) of the Australian population aged
18 years and over participate in sport.
Yet this drops to only 38.3% for weekly
participation. For a culture of sports
fanatics, this does seem a little low.
Sport may be the answer to stemming
the flow of diabetes and obesity levels,
whilst also giving Type 1 sufferers fun,
excitement and the confidence that
diabetes is not the be all and end all. There
has however always been a perception that
sport is dangerous for diabetics and is not
enough to stop the adult onset of diabetes.
It is this misconception that taunts the
lives of potential athletes and is preparing
the environment for a generation of ‘couch
potatoes’.
Any form of controlled physical activity
is a good thing for the human body.
There are different sports to cater for
everyone’s physical condition and
personal interests. Sports reduce fat levels
and strengthen bodily functions such as
blood flow, muscle growth and respiratory
capacities. This eliminates the absurd idea
of physical activity as a useless tool for
fixing the possibility of Type 2 diabetes.
It seems however that the idea of diabetic
participation in sports as dangerous is
much more cemented and problematic.
The Australian Institute of Sport believes
with good management, it is possible
to participate in sporting activities
even at the elite level with diabetes.
20-year-old diabetic Oliver Cham has
lived with diabetes all his life and could
not think of his life with out sports. He
does acknowledge the risk and fears of
the situation but agrees with the AIS.
“Diabetes definitely has the potential to be
dangerous, but in saying that diabetes is
generally an illness that can be controlled
very strictly.”
Controlling diabetes for sports
participation begins with preparation.
It is important to eat foods high in
carbohydrates the night before an event.
This will store energy for the next day.
Also the day of the game it is essential to
be prepared. Mr Cham will “generally take
bags of jelly beans or any types of sweets
that are high in sugar, as well as high
sugar drinks. I will generally drop my
insulin dosage prior to games.”
The main fear for diabetic participation
in sports is the chance of a ‘hypo’.
Hypoglycaemia is an episode associated
with a low blood glucose level. Symptoms
of a ‘hypo’ are sweating, nausea, fast
heart rate, headaches or pins and needles
around the mouth. The chance of a ‘hypo’
can be lowered by reducing insulin intake
or taking a snack pre exercise.
It is not going to be easy for a diabetic
in sport. But it is manageable, there will
always be help given, and this is especially
needed from family and friends. It is
important the club and teammates are
aware of the situation and can assist as
needed. For examples of success one only
needs to look at some of the country’s
most popular sports. A number of elite
athletes have diabetes.
Rugby League star Brett Stewart and
former international Steve Renouf have
reached the elite level of their sport
with the disease. This proves that it
can be managed safely and success
can be achieved. Oliver, once a junior
representative at the Parramatta Eels said,
“Playing at representative level, things for
me never changed, I have diabetes, and
it doesn’t matter what level I play at, the
precautions and routines need to be the
same.”
It is this idea of getting in to a successful
routine that gives the best possibility for
more diabetics to live an active life. Steve
Renouf compliments this when he talked
to diabetes New South Wales. “Never
think that it can stop you achieving your
goals. Just look after it, and you can
achieve anything,” he said.
Diabetes is a disease yes, but the idea
that it can not be dealt with and, for type
2 diabetes stopped, is ludicrous. Sport is
as good an answer as any to the diabetes
problem. And when combined with eating
the right foods and taking the right health
options can halt the growth of Type 2
diabetes in Australia. And as for Type 1
diabetics, they should be encouraged to at
least give sport a go. As long as they are
aware of the importance of preparation,
receive full support and assistance from
family and the club.
Oliver leaves this thought for the
television generation. “Being a Type 1
sufferer or diabetes, it becomes frustrating
to see that I have to live with the disease
for the rest of my life out of no fault of my
own. Yet there are people out there getting
Type 2 diabetes basically just out of bad
habits and bad lifestyle.”
The government, along with diabetes
research foundations has announced a
record expenditure of $750 million for the
National Diabetes Services Scheme. This
scheme supports and improves the lives
of diabetics and their families. There is
support and opportunities available from
diabetes foundations and the Australian
government to improve the lives of
diabetics. And sports are a great way for
diabetics to achieve goals, and a great way
to improve national diabetes rates.
So if you are a diabetic or feel you could
be at risk, visit a doctor, see a health
professional and seriously consider
the option of playing a sport. It can be
achieved safely, and can significantly
lower the chance of contracting diabetes.