Dingo bytes
The privatisation of health services, spearheaded by the Howard Government's destruction of Medicare, will be accompanied by the abandonment of ethics and standards in the pursuit of profits. So, we have drug companies paying doctors for information about the medicines they prescribe for their patients. GPs estimate that the sale of script information could see doctors collectively pocket $200 million a year. The Australian Medical Association — which fundamentally supports privatisation — says a medicine should be chosen because it is the right one for the patient and "not because of perverse incentives". Can't have it both ways.* * * Meanwhile, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Chile, the latest scare tactic in the fear and loathing department is that terrorists might attack food supplies. Howard and his puppeteer George W Bush no doubt played a big hand in getting that into the summit's final draft statement. And the masses of impoverished and unemployed will surely be comforted in the knowledge that a gathering of world leaders around crucial economic questions has included a commitment to crack down on shoulder-held anti-aircraft missiles.* * * Secrecy is a fundamental mode of operation for a government involved up to its armpits in collusion, nepotism and corruption. So it was that last week the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet announced that any disclosure by the media of leaked secret policy material will result in police raids on the particular media outlet. This followed a Federal Police raid on the National Indigenous Times newspaper two weeks ago after it published policy information about racist plans to take away welfare payments from Indigenous Australians. Peter Shergold, the Head of the Department, said he was protecting "the provision of frank and fearless advice". Like the stuff about Iraq's weapons, or the children overboard affair, perhaps?* * * CAPITALIST HOG(S) OF THE WEEK: are the Band-Aid pop stars. At Christmas time 20 years ago a bunch of overpaid rock singers, led by Bob Geldof, came together in what was called the Band-Aid concert and recorded the song, "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Then as now it was a political question: underdeveloped former colonial possessions are still dominated and exploited by the economically powerful West. Now, Sir Bob (knighted for his efforts) and other like-minded pop stars are to again to record the Christmas ditty in the name of the world's starving millions. It also apparently hasn't occured to these puffed up celebrities that asking the famine stricken if they know it is Christmas is somewhat askew considering the devastation was hitting nations that are overwhelmingly of the Islamic faith. British Chancellor Gordon Brown was quick to support this exercise that helps obscure the real reason behind the plight of the poor, announcing that government taxes on the new CD will be waived.