So, last week Kruddy said sorry.

My question is this: did anyone issue an official thank-you?

Whilst I commend and admire Victoria’s ex-Premiere Jeff Kennett for his involvement in BeyondBlue (a truly worthwhile organisation that deals with that silent but all too real plague of our times – Depression), I cannot put out of my mind the fact that he was instrumental in weakening the health services of this state during his reign.

Each day I spend in Melbourne I am reminded that the mental health services in this state have still not recovered from those times. There is a multitude of people living on the streets and in commission housing receiving nothing but a Salvation Army or Wesley Mission visit when their stretched and independently funded resources can manage it.

Unfortunately I have had first and second-hand experiences with people who have been let down by the fact that there are too few beds in mental health wards. There was one man in particular, in the early 2000s, who had to be escorted by police to a clinic to be administered his medication. Not only a waste of the cops’ time, but they weren’t trained for such duties, and their ranks were thinned by the same government that caused the mental health crisis in the first place. The man in question was the father of a close friend. He could barely care for himself, and had had a number of violent episodes, one of which may or may not have led to (more…)

Well, today is John Howard’s birthday. For those outside Australia, he is our esteemed Prime Minister. To celebrate, here is a picture that I found taped to the coffee machine of the cafe I frequent at Uni. Happy 68th John! Enjoy it… it will be your last as PM.

Found an online version at Dave’s Planet, original artist unknown.

For the lastest on John Howard’s birthday, check out this article from The Age, celebrating and musing over what is left of Little Johnnie’s career.

Finally, and most importantly, ensure that your enrolement details are upto date here.