"A right delayed is a right denied." MLK Jnr

"If we do not change our ways, then our ways do not change." G.G. (1993)

"God is Watching." - 2010 - J.J.K.





Letter to the Editor - Congratulations Peter Tinley - 5.3.2010

I personally congratulated Peter Tinley on his being elected as the member for Willagee. I was one of the four candidates in the Willagee by-election. I considered myself the best candidate however I thought very highly of Peter as Labor's candidate. Reading Peter's maiden speech warmed my soul - it was a meaningful and principled statement and augurs a breath of fresh air. It intimated an outspokenness and understanding of democratic principles long overdue. Real democracy started and died with the Athenians and what we've had since is at best a semblance of what the Athenians pursued. May the name Peter Tinley be associated with the type of outspokenness, principles and change agency that Peter's maiden speech adeptly and eloquently so captured. A political life should be pursued by only those who understand it as a 'calling'.

Gerry Georgatos





Letter to the Editor - Give Claire Murray a break - 4.3.2010

Those who are without any sin can argue a right to throw stones. I would like to think that those without any sin would not do this. However most of us screw up, and quite often. We should hope in the trust of forgiveness and in civilised support. I feel for Claire Murray and her predicament. I am troubled by the divisive reaction to her because of her addiction to heroin. Heroin is horrifically addictive. It was not her drug addiction that cause the donated organ to be rejected, however the fact of her addiction has perceptually undermined her in society's eyes and it is not helping her cause.

Claire Murray should be back on the waiting list in pursuit of saving her life. The waiting list does not work in terms of an orderly queue and rather is equivalent to a hospital triage. Those who are seriously ill and for whom time is running out are moved up the queue.

Give her a break, and to Kim Hames with whom I have not always seen eye to eye, well mate, well done, your compassion on this occasion was champion stuff.

Gerry Georgatos






Letter to the Editor - Apologies alone are lazy - 4.3.2010

Health Minister Kim Hames will apologise on behalf of the State Government to the victims who were unlawfully and immorally separated from their mothers who had given birth to them outside of wedlock. Apologies are useless when we continue with similar practices. Eugenics continue to this day as we live in an ever increasing nanny state, and who is responsible for this - the Government.

What good is the Apology to the Stolen Generation when children are still taken by the under resourced and under qualified Department of Child Protection? This terrifying Department over involves itself in people's lives and destroys families. With the Children and Community Services Act 2004, and especially with the vague and loose section 133, under qualified and inexperienced Field Workers can move into any family and remove their children. They do.

Kim Hames and Kevin Rudd have apologised for the 'attitudes' of generations past that allowed for unwarranted, invasive and soul destroying intrusions. However we continue with these attitudes disregarding the inherent love within families, disregarding the pursuit of civilised conciliation and the plethora of support mechanisms and rather we continue into demeaning and destroying families. I suppose in a couple of generations some politician will apologise on behalf of our generation's harsh and hidden attitudes rather than amending the Acts to ensure such horrific removals do not occur and cannot be loosely justified.

Gerry Georgatos






Letter to the Editor - Aboriginal history in the national curriculum - 3.3.2010

It should be without any reservation that Aboriginal history and culture are key sociological and history components of the national curriculum. A balanced national curriculum needs to include a comprehensive Australian Aboriginal history. Without this crucial component our understanding of British heritage and European settlement in this country and our national identity are hence false and tainted. Further more the majority of citizenry, as has been the case for two centuries, will not comprehensively understand the historical and contemporary predicaments of our Aboriginal brothers and sisters. Consequently, we will not be able to expeditiously move forward in socially inclusive positive ways.

For ten years I have lobbied for compulsory indigenous education in all studies and in the very least in all undergraduate studies at a tertiary level. I did my high school education during the seventies and learned only token descriptions of our Aboriginal peoples. It was only through personal experiences during the course of the ensuing two decades and my own research into our Aboriginal peoples that I learned much of the real truth, and the reasons for the abject poverty that many live within.

At Murdoch University (Perth), where I was on its Academic Council for 4 years, and on its Senate for 3 years, I lobbied heavily for the introduction of a tailor made unit in Aboriginal history and culture to all undergraduate students. This would have been an Australia first. On April 16th, 2008 I tabled the motion at our Academic Council, and it was unfortunately defeated. Ultimately on that day, a foreshadowed motion I tabled was upheld. We agreed that by 2010 we would introduce some Aboriginal history and culture to be compulsorily provided in our introductory unit to all undergraduate students. It was a beginning, though not what I was looking for.

It is racist and discriminatory and self-serving and most certainly not academic to not ensure context. It is an insult to our identity formations, to our free-thinking and to our national consciousness. For two centuries our Aboriginal brothers and sisters lived in Apartheid. We will only free ourselves and them when we ensure a balanced education that can deliver consciousness raising.

It is political childishness for shadow education minister Pyne to refer to the inclusion of real Aboriginal history as a 'black armband view of history'. It is also scare mongering to believe that the inclusion of this history will unbalance and overwhelm the curriculum. Its inclusion will enrich perspectives which will proliferate into our psyches and procure appropriate engagement with one another.

I have lobbied to state and federal governments the introduction of such education within the then 'state' and national curricula since 2007. Following the 'Apology' this is actually the 'Apology's' next real step. Education is powerful imperative of form and content, of who we are and how we go about things.

As I described to Murdoch University, I have also described to our parliamentarians and educators that the inclusion of such education is imperative and long overdue and that it will achieve long term cost benefits by improving lives, however we must ensure that the inclusion of Aboriginal history and education is clearly well constructed with the purpose of imparting true knowledge. We must ensure that the teachers and lecturers who shall impart this knowledge are well versed in this history and culture, and wherever possible ensure that much of this teaching includes or is led by Aboriginal academics, and highly regarded members of our Aboriginal communities.

As the national consciousness is enriched by the truth by such genuine motive then we may find an expediency not yet known to non-Aboriginal Australians to surge the required spending in the infrastructure that our Aboriginal brothers and sisters were horrifically and cruelly denied for two centuries. Let us praise and enshrine the truth.


Gerry Georgatos
MA (Social Justice), MHumanRights, BA (Australian Indigenous Studies), BA (Phil), BA (Media), G/Dip (Human Rights Education)
Coordinator of Students Without Borders





Letter to the Editor (The West Australian) - Marianne Mackay - 23.2.2010

Marianne Mackay (who I know) has received quite some criticism in the Letters to the Editor page in response to her piece on tribal punishment. Marianne described the cultural ways and legal framework of Aboriginal peoples. Some magistrates in their courts in this country of Australia have actually recognised tribal punishment in terms of justifiable precedent though it has never been accepted into legislation.

Marianne academically described an understanding of tribal punishment so Anglo-Celtic Australians could distinguish it from the generalisation of violence. Many convoluted these existing and historical laws amongst Aboriginal cultures with outright violence.

The notion of jails are abhorrent to many people, including myself, where people are violently incarcerated into them. More than 40% of the prison population in WA is Aboriginal. The Aboriginal population of WA is 3%. Most offenders in prison have only minor offences and many are merely fine defaulters. I consider their incarceration as violence. This is our form of disgraceful tribal punishment, you don't pay a fine because you can't afford it however you are violently removed from your home, family and liberty and incarcerated in an overcrowded jail. Jail is not a place without physical violence, and in this country without a Human Rights Bill, the rights of the incarcerated are not clearly defined. There have been over 200 deaths in custody in thereabouts a decade.

Let us not forget that till recently the Aboriginal people of Australia endured the most horrific apartheid, and cruelty, dispossessed of every conceivable right, and if they spoke up they were either beaten or incarcerated. Let us not forget that many of them continue to live in the horrific effects of that very cruel Apartheid.

In South Africa, the cultural ways of the 24 million indigenous citizens now overwhelm the views of the 3 million 'whites'. In Australia the 750,000 remaining Aboriginal people are outnumbered by the 22 million 'whites'. In the end all we need is to admit that we are one of the most racist countries in the western world. We often misunderstand meritocracy and opportunity and the high quality of life that can be enjoyed in this country and deny our racist history and identities. All we need is to admit the truth, work together in bona fide engagement, and in unison amend the Commonwealth Constitution and deliver a conclusive Australian Human Rights Bill.

Gerry Georgatos






Letter to the Editor - Mr Garrett should consider stepping down and Mr Rudd apologise - 23.2.2010

I am not one to tear into people for mistakes however I take on people who do not accept responsibility. It is disgusting for Mr Garrett, and Mr Rudd, to minimise or abrogate responsibility for their negligence in the insulation-batts program.

I have spent a number of years working as a General Manager and on various boards. When you decide to play a role in managing the affairs of others you take on a responsibility that includes duty of care, and the warrant that you will ensure you are versed in every available detail as to ensure propriety and due diligence.

The fact is that Mr Garrett, in his role as the Minister, and as the primary advocate of the program, did not read all risk management materials, did not comply with his duty to be fully informed, and therefore was not in a position to understand liability, standards, audit and risk. Mr Rudd is defending him rather than accepting the fact that his Minister failed in his duty. In my role as a General Manager I would never have accepted a colleague making decisions and implementing practices while they had not served their responsibility to have read all the required available reports.

What do the families of the victims have to say about Mr Garrett's obstinacy and Mr Rudd's defence of him? Over one hundred thousand homes need to be inspected. Mr Garrett should step down from his current portfolio and Mr Rudd, as a Prime Minister, should have the honesty and common decency to apologise directly to the families of the victims and to the Australian population for this inexcusable impropriety and outrageous blunder.

Gerry Georgatos






Letter to the Editor (The West Australian) - Survey - 23.2.2010

I appreciate the Letters to the Editor section in newspapers as it is important to read how the readers review the news and the issues at hand. I thought it was great that The West Australian conducted a survey to find out what people hope for the future of our state. I was impressed to see the amount of coverage The West Australian gave the survey responses.

In general I agree with most of the responses, and I hope that the responses are treated as feedback by the politicians, legislators, planners and think tanks.

I missed the deadline for my contributions. I've lived in this great state for 16 years and it appears here is where one day my bones will be laid to rest. I would like to see the community feeling of this state, which in many ways is superior to the eastern seaboard states, continue and flourish.

WA can lead the way in Australia with a comprehensive state Bill of Human Rights to ensure all people remain valued members of community, in that their rights are protected and enshrined by such equity and without fear from mob majorities and scare-mongering. Victoria and Canberra have their own versions of Human Rights Acts. Such a Bill if enshrined with the appropriate intentions will assist in the building and development of anti-corruption practices and agreed ethical underwriting. Our management systems in this state are still a far cry from equitable policies of social inclusion and manageable anti-corruption practices. This is because there is no conclusive one rule for all Human Rights Act to set public and private sector standards. My doctorate research is in the building of anti-corruption practices, underwritten by agreed ethical understandings, in all levels of management and in the Acts and Bills of Parliament which oversee management standards and their audit. If WA can educate its way to such a pursuit hence WA will be able to set the standard for the rest of Australia.

Gerry Georgatos





Letter to the Editor - Mr Abbott is not a psychologist! - 23.2.2010

It is the old however still unworn mantra that the economy will benefit by a 'crackdown' on welfare recipients. How about redirecting this misguided energy and cowardice to ensuring the wealthy actually pay their taxes, that they do not hide behind company tax, bottom of the harbour schemes, the myriad of tax rorts and the unwarranted tax rulings too often in their favour.

How dare Mr Abbott rehash the welfare cheat scare-mongering? How dare he haunt his spectre on those with disability pensions? Those on disability pensions have enough issues to deal with, mental health or physical needs, without Mr Abbott claiming he needs to review processes to ensure stringent criteria are met. Does he want more people to unnecessarily suffer or slip through the many cracks of our struggling systems?

Mr Abbott is neither a clinical psychologist nor a psychiatrist and therefore should watch his words carefully when referring to those who suffer, barely getting by, on welfare and disability pensions. He should focus on the actual underwriting of the economic systems we have in place and better understand dividends, returns, margins, distribution of equity and productivity, employment and under-employment rather than trying to rip off the vulnerable to assist a paper based consolidated budget because like the rest of them who don't understand politics as a 'calling' he is too frightened to take on the wealthy and the actual rorters and their accountants and lawyers.

Gerry Georgatos





Letter to the Editor - The Department for Child Protection destroys families - Oh God! - 19.2.2010

I spend my time campaigning to remedy many poorly worded and structured Bills and Acts of Government. Our so-called parliamentarians either don't know how to or take their sweet time. Often we create Bills that allow for incredible powers to under-resourced departments and agencies, and to under-qualified employees or agents of these departments. These people can have devastating effects on peoples lives.

One such department is the Department for Child Protection. This department has the horrific power to take children away from the real love their families. Right now I am working on a ministerial paper and on urgency motions to State Parliament to address the wrongfulness of the Act that has over-powered DCP.

In recent weeks I have met many families who have tragic stories to declare about how DCP has unnecessarily taken their children away or into 'protective custody'.

The intentions of the Act are not matched by the due funds to ensure procedural fairness, high quality and validated assessments, appropriately qualified and experienced personnel and the necessary education and mechanisms required for conciliation, remedy and support. DCP destroys families rather than keeping them together. The damage even from a short stint in foster care or placement with 'extended family' has a devastating long lasting effect.

What are we looking for from people when we scrutiny them in terms of their performance as parents? What are we looking for from the poor or from cultural groups who have different demographics and dynamics than the predominant groups who arrogantly dictate terms?

Departments such as the so-called Child Protection, Corrective Services, amongst others, need to have a closer at themselves before they look into the lives of others.

After discovering that the Stolen Generation essentially continues, the horror stories from families and individuals destroyed by over-eager time constrained DCP field workers, I am making it my life's work to correct the ignorance of the Act that allows them to cruelly inflict this untold damage on behalf of the Government of Western Australia.

Gerry Georgatos
Please contact me with your story or for help - gerry_georgatos@yahoo.com.au (read more further down and on the website)



Letter to the Editor - Hand back the Laureate, and make real change - 19.2.2010

The Nobel Peace Laureate Barack Obama still hasn't closed Guantanamo. Human rights violations continue under ex parte 'exceptions' to their Constitution, thus undermining the imperative solidarity of the Constitution. So if in Australia we finally legislate a Human Rights Bill will we allow for its undermining by a capacity for 'exception' rather than one rule of law for all?

The Nobel Peace Laureate has increased America's spending on war. One trillion US dollars so far has been spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Substantive funding that could have built vast infrastructure in these countries. There are 225,000 mercenary military contractors in these countries.

This year the Nobel Peace Laureate will allow a further 250 billion in spending on the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars. Obama's great solution for peace is to surge 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan!

The Nobel Peace Laureate has now sanctioned the building of a nuclear reactor in the US, the first in a while. Instead of investing in studying fusion energy which does not have the risks of nuclear energy and especially in terms of emissions, deposits and storage we are moving down the nuclear pathways to replace fossil fuels. Obama is moving with the industry influences to ensure that the USA's petrochemical dollar, what underwrites their federal economy, is replaced by the coming nuclear dollar. They need to have control of nuclear energy as to export it rather than import, as they do with the petrochemical and military industries.

When will we learn? Certainly not in the near future. Barack should hand back his Laureate so in the very least the Nobel Prize regains some credibility. Kevin Rudd claims he won't go down the same atomic and nuclear pathways. I doubt it.

Gerry Georgatos






Letter to the Editor - Homelessness and what the Bible really says Mr Abbott - 16.2.2010

Christ noted that the 'poor will always be with us' in terms that they are among us and that we need to address and remedy poverty and homelessness. Christ noted this in terms of vigilance and that we must be continually alert to the imperfections in us as individuals that can allow for instance for other human beings to live in abject poverty. Christ, and so do the Koran, the Dhammapada, the Pali scriptures, suggests that at every opportunity we should help one another, that we should understand equity in terms of being meek, honourable, compassionate, our doors open.

The Bible, the Koran and the Dhammapada advocate a radicalisation of identity formation from self-regarding to other-regarding, to ensure us as socially inclusive, into people who are humble and hence ensure there is enough of everything to go around for everyone. They advocate the radicalisation of the distribution of capital and liquid equity in order to ensure sustenance, shelter and welfare.

I have spent much of my life working with the destitute, the displaced, the neglected and the despairing. I have spent much time with politicians who do not understand that politics is a calling and that most of them have failed. The homeless do not want homelessness and Mr Abbott is wrong to think otherwise, that is that some of the homeless make their bed and that they will always be among us. We can address homelessness. It requires only the will to do so, and that will arrive when politicians realise that they should only pursue politics when they understand it as a calling before a career.

The media journals the state of affairs of the homeless almost daily however the media needs to step up and ask why have our politicians failed to eliminate homelessness.

Gerry Georgatos




Letter to the Editor - 13.2.2010 - ACTS and BILLS that allow for abuses and horrific trauma









Letter to the Editor - 28.1.2010 - Christian Porter is wrong


Christian Porter reckons that there is a lower percentage of mentally unwell people in prisons than in the population at large. Therefore Christian must reckon that most prisoners are just bad people with ill intent at the heart of their personalities.

Christian must resign as the Attorney-General and as the Minister for Corrective Services. There are proportionately more people in prisons mentally unwell than in the population at large, and their personality disorders and myriad of issues are exacerbated by the lack of psycho-social and psycho-therapeutic and psychiatric counselling.

Poverty inhibits the recorded discovery of the mental unwellness that hurts so many human beings, and jails are full of the poor rather than the rich. Mental illnesses are increasing in our competitive and high expectation merit-oriented society. If governments funded the type of assistance people need we'd have less people getting worse, less people re-offending, less people incarcerated. The criminal justice system creates more criminals and does not sift out those mentally unwell people who just need some bloody help. Christian Porter disgusts me.

Gerry Georgatos





Letter to the Editor - 21.1.2010 - Child Sexual Predators


Child sexual predation is up in WA to 298 offenders caught in 2009 in comparison to 45 less during 2008. However this is the tip of the iceberg. I estimate that there are minimally 10,000 child sexual abuse incidents each year.

We haven't educated society to ensure the identification of such sexual abuse, most of it intra-familial. We haven't educated society and the families that make it up to report it. Rather the perpetrators are protected even if it is by the shameful hostility of denial.

We need to encourage people to stand up and respect the victims. The effects are life-long and inter-generational. We need the law to find ways to establish the truth as currently only 1.6% of child sexual abuse prosecutions are successful.

Child sexual abuse is horrific, a betrayal of trust, the abandonment of love, a life in darkness and the morbid, the precursor of mental breakdowns, a journey into loneliness, torment, anger and violence, it is the breaking of the soul - and it takes so much and so many to help put ones soul together again. Please people, let us really rise on this one. I have.

Gerry Georgatos






Letter to the Editor - 9.1.2010 - Anger


One blow striking someone to the head can lead to their death. This same blow will lead to someone's incarceration. Relatives, and especially the children, will live with the lasting effects.

Comparatively, reported threatening behaviour, assaults and domestic violence have gone up by almost 12,000. 28,604 reported in 2009 as compared to 16,734 in 2000.

What leads to this behaviour and all its horrific implications? How do we deal with it? Do we forever punish the transgressors and with harsher penalties? Do we demand of them to merely engage in the 'management' of their anger?

Obviously various forms of trauma, much of it high-end such as childhood sexual abuse, and high levels of betrayal of trust, abandonment by parents, have led to these behaviours and their ever increasing rise.

Yes, we should have an expectation for people to behave themselves, however it is a hard ask for many who have endured unjust grievous high end trauma. Rather than merely expect one to 'manage' their anger, which does not mean to eliminate it, we, as a society, should invest in the type of psycho-social counselling, psychotherapy and psychological services that assist people with anger issues, depression, extreme mood swings and anxiety to discover the trauma that has led to the anger, to completely understand this trauma and therefore eliminate the anger altogether, and hence return the natural rights of the person at stake to the pursuance of a quality life filled with positive identity notions and self-esteem. We must encourage the truth. We must all take responsibility. The victims are many. Without this approach everything will continue much the same.

Gerry Georgatos



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"God is Watching." 2010 - J.J.K.