It's good to see an author dealing with financial circumstances of domestic violence.

Virtual terrorism applied to borrowers by finance companies has consequences including chronic stress, argument and DV.
Increase in sdebt over the years has coincided with increase in DV.

Wealthy people also suffer stress from debt and lack of cashflow, sometime huge debt and huge stress.

But of course debt at the top or bottom of the economy is no excuse for DV.

DV in the cycle of violence is however not always controlled.
Stress causes momentary out of control behavior.
There are also long lasting or ongoing consequences of stress.
Still there is no excuse for domestic violence.

Education about impact of stress should be mandatory.

Daphne Patai, in Heterophobia, points out a technique that is used to link events together, the use of emotive analogies, it tricks our brain by getting the emotions to override more logical thinking. This is the same technique used to stir up the lynch mob mentality.

This involves using an emotional hook, (young boy wakes up, parents covered in blood)

There is also a difference in the way the genders are portrayed in writing, a recent newspaper article about a woman murdering her own child, is written in a much softer way, than when the offender is a male.

The is no mention in this of the alleged perpetrators state of mind, level of intoxication. etc.

Has the alleged offender had a long history of violence, or been in the justice system.

All the above are used as predictors of a persons likely hood to commit violence.

Violence within our own public hospitals is also on the increase and this can be attributed to mental illness, intoxication, brain injury, or psychosis associated with fever, etc.

It is a pity that this article repeats so many misleading cliches.

"Domestic violence is evident in the homes of those with wealth, and those living in poverty. Domestic violence does not discriminate, as perpetrators of domestic violence come from all backgrounds and walks of life".

While perpetrators do indeed come from all backgrounds, the evidence is very clear that perpetrators are much more likely to come from the lower stratas of society. For example, the sky high rates of domestic violence in Indigenous communities are well knowm. Some ethnic groups also suffer a much higher incidence of domestic violence. Violence rates are also much higher amongst de facto couples than for married couples.

The article claims to be a review, yet it leaves out some of the biggest issues. The role of both mental illness and substance abuse in attacks/homicide of partners gets no mention, despite being a huge issue.

The article equates domestic violence with violence perpetrated by men against women. The reality is that attacks by women against male partners accounts for about 30 per cent of all domestic violence and men account for about a quarter of the victims of intimate partner homicides. It is also well documented that a large proportion of instances of domestic violence involve mutual violence.

I think it is a mistake to single out violence against women or even domestic violence generally as being issues that can be dealt with on their own. The problem is one of VIOLENCE in all its manifestations. It is hypocritical for society to single out violence in the home, while at the same time having vey low penalties for serious public assaults. How often do we see the perpetrators of quite serious unprovoked assaults get off with just a bond?

Yes Jenny and all true!

While much is cultural and learned behavior, there surely has to be some predisposition?

I had an inlaw who was a habitual drunk, everybody's charismatic and generous new best friend, outside the house and a surly never ever pleased wifebeater and recidivist rapist inside it!

However, and not to make excuses, he was a migrant and spent time in Hitler youth!

And assault and remorse followed each other as night follows day!

Eventually he beat my sister within an inch of her young life. With enough dental damage inflicted in the assault to require remedial dental surgery and complete replacement dentures.

WE just ignored his entreaties, got her, her belongs and the also bruised kids into a car and out of town!

He eventually followed full of smiles and butter wouldn't melt in the mouth contrition! But lost all his bravado, when he saw me and heard the locked and loaded action of the jungle carbine 303 I held in my grimly determined hands.

I'm told he died of a heart attack aged just forty three? No loss, the world's a better place!

And only his new and immediate family attended the funeral? And far more than he deserved!

I have no time for any of these cretins, neither should anyone who wants to be judged a man!

Particularly when a few sweet words or unexpected act of kindness will melt almost any loving lady.

Imagine a working wife comes home beat from pounding the hospital corridors and arrives home to a nice hot tub, a cold drink (a soft beausoleil) her favorite, her choice of music on the turntable and a candlelit dinner on the table when she finishes luxuriating in the tub! And putty in the right caring hands?

I mean play your cards right and you'll be the one needing to claim you're too tired! Or climb up on the roof and pull the ladder up after yourself, ha,ha.

And given that possible outcome why would anyone feel the need to resort to dumber than dumb, relationship harming violence?
Rhrosty.

@Wolly B, Friday, 18 March 2016 9:22:22 AM

+1

I am so very tired of feminists' shonky research 'facts'. The credibility of Science is taking quite a beating. That must ultimately diminish the quality and number of students taking up science.

Bren, ive said all along, if you take away the indigenous, the ethnic groups who disrespect women and the drug effected relationships, perhaps we don't have such an out of control situation as some suggest.

Just another way of pissing away our taxes on a preventable issue that has somehow become everyone's issue.

People have to understand that our tax dollars only go so far.

"Domestic violence does not discriminate" ?! What complete rubbish.

Go into the Alice Springs or Katherine Emergency departments any time and check out the Indigenous women completely busted up, maybe 90 % of all women brought in. And who might be the other 10 % ? The wealthy in those towns ? Gosh, probably not.

No DV discrimination on class grounds ? Check out any Vaucluse street, versus any Mt Druitt street, tonight, Friday, say after 10 pm: there's your 'research project'.

Oh, they keep DV quiet in posh areas, that's why we don't hear about it ? Prove it.

For god's sake, call it like it is. You're not protecting Mt Druitt or Alice Springs women, Jennie, by denying the stark realities of their lives. Leave the half-baked ideas to Philip Adams.

Joe.

"Imagine the accurate reflection of what domestic violence really looks like if you examine the unreported incidences."

I'm having trouble getting an accurate reflection of what domestic violence really looks like because you have not reported any incidences against men. Don't men matter?

Bren, you say men account for about a quarter of the victims of intimate partner homicides. What proportion of these are perpetrated by men, e.g. a homosexual partner or a woman's former male partner murdering her current male partner (as in the article)?

Posted by Rhian, Friday, 18 March 2016 2:27:37 PM

Perhaps you have heard of Femme Fatale.

Although it doesn't get much attention, I think also that women are much more likely to hire a hitman, than men.

The other thing is that women are often found not guilty, even a woman who laid in wait in a snipers nest and admitted to shooting her husband, was found not guilty.

Alot depends on how things are recorded.

Information that I have is that not all incidences reported by males are recorded by the police.

Why all the denial of domestic violence being perpetrated by predominantly men in all levels of society, in all races, and in all countries?
The truth is frightening if you are female, living anywhere on this earth.

Men are far more likely to be victims of violence outside the home, and from other non-family perpetrators. Where is all the concern for this violence by our resident misogynists? This thread is on DOMESTIC violence, so I guess I shouldn't have mentioned the other sorts of violence of course.

People who are racist, homophobic misogynists don't like to discuss the problem of adult white heterosexual male perpetrated domestic violence in this country for obvious reasons. But it is very real and not to be ignored.

For what reason would anyone want to deny ALL victims of domestic violence the recognition and support they need?

Suseonline,
You might look in the mirror for that 'homophobe'. Because there is a lot of partner violence in LGBTI relationships. But you deny the evidence and roll logs in front of any support for them. All just to satisfy your misandry.

"30% of lesbians report having experienced sexual assault or rape by another woman (not necessarily an intimate partner) (Renzetti, 1992)"

If the broad definition now applied to DV was used and victims were encouraged to report and not discouraged by the Suseonlines of the world who have their own secondary agenda of prejudice, doubtless the study would have confirmed that, "Bisexual, transgender, lesbian, and gay people experience violence within their intimate relationships at about the same rates as heterosexuals (Waldner-Haugrud, 1997; AVP, 1992)".

What is the Greek word for a female misogynist?
Or any word for a woman that hates men?

Lol Onthebeach, you always seem to knock homosexuals in other threads, while championing the poor apparently violence -riddled lesbians and gay men in this thread. Why is that?

Of course I am aware of all victims of domestic violence, probably far more aware than you will ever be, however, at least I don't try and deny that men perpetrate more domestic violence and resulting deaths of others than any gay or female people do.
No point trying to reason with our resident misogynist though.

JF Aus, Onthebeach will answer your query with a veritable cascade of words describing women...

Suseonline, "Why is that?"

-Who knows, it is just another of your twisted fabrications.

Then you go on with the usual weasel words that you "aware of all victims of domestic violence", but you always stop short of any suggestion that all should get the same support.

That ensures that no-one outside of a women in a heterosexual relationship gets help.

Your unshakeable, irrational misandry must be served. You don't give a hoot about the victims. They are just cannon fodder for your tireless campaign against men and particularly those 'white' men you are always sledging and despise.

Come on, you blokes, you know damn well that domestic violence is overwhelmingly an act of violence perpetrated by men against women. And we know why too: because they can. It's a dreadful part of our culture, as it is in almost all cultures.

Perhaps I'm biased: our mum got a court order against our father when we were very small, over his violence towards her. We never saw him again, to our relief.

But, Suse, I'd disagree that it's a particularly heterosexual thing, more like a power thing, backed up by culture, which approved of male control over women. i.e. like in pretty much all cultures. Hence domestic violence in many, if not most, if not ALL, migrant and refugee groups, since, in most cultures, male dominance is the rule. Do you know of any cultures where it isn't ?

I don't know if homosexual relationships descend into violence, I presume so; certainly - again - in male-only homosexual relationships. I don't imagine that lesbian relationships descend to that level - not in any of the very few lesbian relationships that I have known of.

From a class point of view, or more accurately an economic point of view, DV may be more likely in poorer households where the wife is the 'housekeeper', i.e. utterly dependent financially on the 'breadwinner'. Thankfully there are fewer of those relationships than fifty or sixty years ago, except perhaps n many Muslim households. Hence the preoccupation with specifying to what extent Muslim men can beat the daylights out of their wives - only if the bruises don't show, and only when they feel like it. Ah, culture, isn't it a wonderful thing ?

And then there's the Indigenous scene .... I remember when the 'community' chairman beat his wife up with a rifle butt, broke both her arms. Otherwise not a bad bloke. No, not really.

Joe

While extra $$$$ funding for more womens' refuges for victims is somewhat positive it is effectively only putting bandaids on the problem. If compulsory 're-education' of all perpetrators by court-ordered funded mandatory programs when incarcerated for a minimum of 6 months we may see some real solutions.

Loudmouth, I wasn't having a go at heterosexual men, but merely stating the obvious.
There are far more heterosexual men in this country than gay men or women, so it stands to reason that of course the largest group of men perpetrating domestic violence in this country are heterosexual men. Am I correct?

There are also far more non-Muslim or non-indigenous men in this country, so it stands to reason that there are far more of these men perpetrating domestic violence in this country too. Am I correct?

So why wouldn't we acknowledge this fact and work hard on tackling the areas where the most violence occurs, rather than constantly trying to put all the blame elsewhere?

I am supportive of ALL victims of domestic violence regardless of gender, race, religion or sexuality, and agree it should be an all-encompassing approach to this scourge on our society, however, I won't stand by and not comment if some ignorant people try to ignore just where the biggest problems with domestic violence in Australia lies....

Susieonline

How are you supportive of male victims of domestic violence?

Hi Suse,

Yes, I suppose the vast majority of perpetrators of DV are men with two legs: not too many legless men commit DV, statistically speaking. So perhaps we should have a go at bipedalism as much as we should focus on heterosexual activity.

As you point out, rather pointlessly, the great majority of men in Australia are heterosexual, and the great majority of DV is committed by men who are heterosexual. Probably right-handed as well. But neither heterosexuality or right-handedness have anything particularly to do with DV, as opposed to homosexuality or left-handedness. Or leglessness, for that matter. DV doesn't necessarily spring from heterosexuality, or right-handedness, or legfulness either. They really are red herrings :)

Joe

Is psychological torment excluded from domestic violence debate?
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/torment

Female hormones often play a significant role in argument and DV, including to the point of driving the female into depression and nervous breakdown.

While in a domestic relationship, consequence of arguments can lead females into having affairs and running off with another man and taking the children with them, all with support of the Family Court.

Fathers suffer from the psychological impact of losing their children for the rest of their lives, and the children suffer too.

>Of course I am aware of all victims of domestic violence, you will ever be, however, at >least I don't try and deny that men perpetrate more domestic violence and resulting >deaths of others

Posted by Suseonline, Saturday, 19 March 2016 2:48:47 PM

How many of those men, have mental illness and/or drug and alcohol problems?

Secondly like we get told, that there are many types of feminists, there are also many types of men, and only a very small percentage will ever commit those offences.

So Suzie don't tar all men with the same brush!

As a former paramedic who manned ambulances, I'm here to say. Jenny's article is essentially correct as far a it goes.

However, to call a spade a spade the usually unreported (too much to lose) domestic violence perpetrated in Vaucluse or other upmarket suburbs; pales into virtual insignificance beside the (domestic, give me the F'ing money F'ing bitch?) violence meted out to Aboriginal women and their offspring in WET or drug addicted communities, where no doubt much of it, like routinely buggered (Raped) boys, is culturally acceptable "NORMAL" behavior, tradition, F'ing men's business or F'ing ENTERTAINMENT!

Verbal abuse setting the scene for all that follows including the release of control as a conscious and deliberate act?
Rhrosty.

Jardine, I have nursed all sorts of victims of DV (overwhelmingly female) how are YOU supportive of female victims of DV?
Loudmouth, sarcasm won't change the DV victim statistics.

The reasons for people bashing or killing their family members are varied, but I think we can safely say that not all people who drink alcohol, take drugs, have mental illnesses or go through relationship breakdowns bash or kill their relatives?
Luckily, the courts realize this now and don't listen to all these sob stories anymore.

If you bash or kill your relative, unless it is proven it is self defense, then you will be locked up, whether that is in prison or in a locked mental health ward.
It is just as bad as bashing or killing a stranger on the street, and should be treated the same in the courts.
Bashing or killing someone for leaving a relationship or arguing with them, for whatever reason, is a crime, simple as that.

Who on this forum thinks it is ok for an estranged partner to bash or kill a woman after the courts grant her custody of her kids, for whatever reason? Why wouldn't these cowards go after the police or court officials who presided over these decisions, rather than their 'loved ones'? Because they are gutless thugs...

Women are responsible for an overwhelming proportion of child neglect. -Which has been proved to directly result in serious problems for example, mental retardation and is the usual precursor to self-harming and suicide and to serious abuse and harm by others.

It is a cycle that needs to be broken. The cost to the community is horrendous.

Suseonline,
When are YOU going to stand up, speak out and act against the women who neglect children and recklessly put them in the way of serious harm?

When are YOU going to take the oath and pledge,

"I will stand up, speak out and act to prevent women's nehlect of children and recklessly allowing them to be placed in harm's way".

I've read many of the contributions on this specific topic, again dealing with Domestic Violence. When coppers turn up at a complainants home, there are no preconceived set of circumstances or facts, that will equip them with the precise knowledge of what's actually going on ?

Antecedents furnished to police who're directed to attend, can only provide them with limited knowledge:- previous DV behaviour; outstanding warrants; whether any occupants at that address have a firearm registered; and any other relevant criminal antecedents that may assist police. That's it ! In my time, I've attended an address where the complainant is invariably the female. I've again attended the same address, with the same people involved, with an entirely different complainant, often the male spouse?

My point is; all the available statistics, the theoretical and academic guidelines that are there ostensibly to assist police, though well intended, mean very little actually. They're there to give the coppers a mere 'heads up', nothing more!

Humans, being the extremely complex creatures that we are, are almost impossible to predict. I don't care who you are, what your claim to fame is; or that you have more degrees after your name, than the Masonic Lodge? You can NEVER veraciously anticipate (unequivocally) what will happen, when you first knock on the complainants door?

An offending individual will today, react one way; Tomorrow the same offending individual will react in an entirely different way.

OTB, this thread is on Domestic violence. If you want to start a thread on child neglect then you go right ahead. I have plenty of experience in dealing with those parents and kids as well.

Any comments on when it is ever ok to bash or kill your loved ones other than self defense?

I think I said all I have to say on this subject because I will just start repeating myself and going round and round with the usual suspects....and I just can't be bothered today,
see you all on another thread.

o sung wu,

Slightly off the thread but to the thread as well.

I had a grin at your reference to the Freemasons, who are not a secret society but a fraternal one that claims (with strong justification I believe) to take good men and make better men of them.

The reason so many police and other good citizens were Masons was that there they were among men of similar outlook and perception of duty.

More degrees than the Masons, LOL, very droll :)

Suseonline,

There is a proved link between child neglect and later domestic violence as victim or offender, or more likely, switching between victim and persecutor.

To use your own reasoning, women are responsible for child neglect and for the most likely train of awful negative consequences. It is therefore absolutely necessary, imperative, that all women including you stand up, speak out and act against the women who neglect children and recklessly put them in the way of serious harm.

When are YOU going to take the oath and pledge,

"I will stand up, speak out and act to prevent women's neglect of children and recklessly allowing them to be placed in harm's way".

>Who on this forum thinks it is ok for an estranged partner to bash or kill a woman after the courts grant her custody of her kids, for whatever reason? Why wouldn't these cowards go after the police or court officials who presided over these decisions, rather >than their 'loved ones'? Because they are gutless thugs...
Posted by Suseonline, Sunday, 20 March 2016 11:21:49 AM

Now now drama queen.

would it not be better to understand the processes involved and then be able to take preventative measures?

Death by domestic violence, it the lowest cause of death for Australian women. Women are far more likely to die from other causes such as breast cancer, heart attack, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, leukaemia, brain tumours, strokes.

Motor vehicle accidents, and suicide.

If fact more women die in a month from suicide, than are murdered in a whole year.

Suzie there is an elephant in the room,

Firstly perceptions are not facts
https://web.archive.org/web/20050317002453/http://www.nojustice.info/PerceptionsarenotFacts.htm

>Justice Canada instructs its research contractors to "make a careful choice about >which indicators are going to be applied , because you want the indicators to reflect >
>the gendered approach you are developing"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glenn-sacks/researcher-says-womens-in_b_222746.html

This is I think the real reason that Feminist like Suzie do not want the actions of the so called victim examined

"How can we prevent Intimate Partner Violence and injury to women? IPV researcher Deborah Capaldi, Ph.D., a social scientist at the Oregon Social Learning Center, finds that the best way for women to be safe is to not initiate violence against their male partners. According to Dr. Capaldi, “The question of initiation of violence is a crucial one... much IPV is mutual, and initiations — even that seem minor — may lead to escalation.”

quote
However, in order to understand the facts behind the alleged epidemic of “male violence against women and children” it is vital that we get the gender specific victim/offender data in every instance, not only in selected categories which may obscure the real picture.
unquote

Hi there ONTHEBEACH...

This particular topic, is a case of the same old, same old, I think? Interestingly the police Masonic Lodge is, Lodge MACKAY, so named after one of our Commissioners who did a lot of good work while Commissioner.

One of his most famous achievements, he established the CIB as well as the Police Boys Clubs. Many a young bloke had the opportunity to learn innumerable number of life's great lessons, if he was prepared to do so. Naturally Mr MACKAY was well before my time. When I joined, our Commissioner was Norman T.W ALLAN and he retired mid 1972 if memory serves me correctly. Commissioner MACKAY was very well regarded by all accounts, credited as being very intelligent and innovative, with a reputation of possessing great humanitarian ideals and deep foresight. Commissioners apparently like this bloke, don't come along all that often, which is more the pity.

OTB, I joined the Masonic Lodge in 1971, and would you believe it was named 'Lodge Long Bay ! Nothing to do with the gaol, other than it's geographical location, nevertheless quite a number of Prison Officers from that gaol were members there? Small world eh?

Our highly educated, who have never experienced domestic violence personally have a million excuses as too why more money is needed to change the character of Domestic Violence into domestic bliss.
I was shocked to see Australia of the Year 2015 ,Batty talk to a man in a Swedish prison and say to the TV crew that she had never spoken to a domestic violence perpetrator.Who told the story how his mother beat him daily as a child.
What has she been doing for one year.Telling everybody about her mad partner.
Convicts who came to Australia were not the gentile peace loving people we are told about.They were abusing women and children on board ships for months.
When they arrived in Australia,our local indigenous people were subjected to their violence.
Is it possible that we are still cleaning up Australia.
Where is the sympathy from the feminist lobby of the men who see their children placed in the care of sexually abusive females and there families by the Family court.
There is always two sides to an argument.

o sung wu,

Then you have lived through the heyday of the ethical Freemasons and other community-conscious clubs and associations.

Dare I suggest that The Box and then the computer games and internet have largely put them all to rest.

However the committed community-service oriented still put their hand up and take that step forward.

It is a pity that the emerging Oz multicultural culture is now more about selfishness, jealousy and interfering in other people's affairs.

Back to the thread, I continue to learn and it is what you make of it.

amazing how regressives always cherry pick stats and 'facts'. Those in defacto relationships, homosexual relationships, Indigeneous, Islanders and Muslims have far higher rates of dv than those. Just visit any women's refuge and the obvious will show forth. The more something as gross as dv is politicised the less the chance of real solutions. Susie proves that as she is only ever interested in her narrative. While dv has always existed it will only increase unless the truth is faced. The social engineers convinced the gullible that 'time out'replacing useful discipline would reduce dv. How idiotic.

G'day there ONTHEBEACH...

I'm afraid the events of today leave me far behind most others in terms of change, change that I never envisaged nor anticipated? Even our language has evolved to a point, I haven't a fundamental clue what the true import of a particular word or phrase actually means?

Former colleagues of my era, some still working, have also fallen far behind many of the younger blokes, blokes they've previously coached and taught, but are now their superiors. My group are often described as 'dinosaurs' and considered completely out of touch with contemporary investigative practices? Well, we'll see? D's of my era have locked up many a violent crook, notwithstanding we're all supposed to be, primordial and antediluvian in our outlook and practices?

I guess in hindsight, by accurately enumerating the accumulation of 'degrees', albeit mine have (only) been conferred upon me, by the Masonic Lodge, I've not done too badly. Given that it's frequently been asserted, that my IQ is rated somewhere around that of plant life, often by those intellectual giants who I've locked up? So I suppose, for a dumb bastard, I've done OK?

Watching the secrets of the brain on SBS, it would appear that we do not really have free will after all.

Hi Wolly,

Indigenous women in remote 'communities' certainly don't:

"In the Northern Territory, Indigenous women make up approximately 73% of all domestic violence victims, and more than 80% of all incidents involve alcohol.

“Alcohol will continue to exacerbate the severity and frequency of violence and child abuse in Indigenous communities,” the NIITF report said."

from this article in The Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/30/child-and-domestic-abuse-in-indigenous-communities-chronically-undisclosed

Bring on the Cash Card ASAP !

Joe

Impossible!

Quentin Bryce and Rosie Batty and the feminist elite commentariat would have said so if it was that way.

What about the experts in sexism and misogyny of the Gillard(+treacherous Greens sidekicks) government? Ms Julia's keen sight and highly tuned sensitivity could (and did!) detect misogyny in a glance at a watch by a happily married man with daughters he loved.

How could Julia and her sexism-detecting Ministers miss the obvious? What weren't they told?

Hot damn, if there was a blip in the DV numbers affecting Indigenous or ethnic group they would have been right onto it, wouldn't they?

There has to be whipping boy to be responsible for all of this. OK, so step up those white dudes, preferably old white dudes. It is going to be YOUR fault and you know that already.

[sarcasm alert]

Posted by Loudmouth Joe, Tuesday, 22 March 2016 11:24:04 AM

"Alcohol will continue to exacerbate the severity and frequency of violence and child abuse in Indigenous communities,” the NIITF report said."

So Loudmouth, using your logic, if the consumption of Alcohol decreases, then the incidences of DV should also decrease.

Hi Wolly,

As the Report suggested, yes, that's likely, although it's all a bit academic, since life in remote hell-holes (to use Mal Brough's apt words) and 'town camps' must be so deadly boring that getting drunk every day is one of the only ways to pass the time, with ghastly consequences for women and kids.

Frankly, I suspect that on the whole, 'communities' are past their use-by date, and that services to them should be gradually withdrawn over the next ten years or so. It is now glaringly obvious that very few enterprises will ever get going in remote 'communities', that children will, each generation, be even less skilled than their parents, less 'cultural' if you like, more damaged human beings. Big Nana may know of exceptions, but I suspect that nothing much good will ever come out of such 'communities'.

We each have only one life and I'm appalled that yet another generation of young Aboriginal kids may have to spend theirs in such hell-holes and grow up to be destroyed human beings, to destroy the next generation in turn.

Joe

Loudmouth, James A Michener wrote some very interesting books, one I remember very poignantly described, the affects that alcohol had on the lives of the eskimo's.

Whole villages would starve to death during the winter, because the hunters, instead of hunting and creating a food store for the winter, spent their time getting drunk.

Hi Wolly,

Yes, thanks to our welfare system, and newly-learned techniques of standing over grandmothers and aunties and girlfriends, there is plenty of cash to buy as much grog and drugs as any humbugger wants. And plenty of Toyotas to bring it in with - including those used solely by the chairpersons of 'communities'. Nobody needs to freeze to death while there is a bountiful welfare system. Plus royalties. Plus thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of salaries for do-nothing jobs.

And I wonder how often 'community health workers' use their positions to enrich themselves bringing in the drugs and grog that are so much in demand, and for which they can command such high prices ?

So: an endless cycle of the most brutal violence against women and children, all fuelled by guaranteed lifelong unemployment and uninterrupted income flow. Sweet, for some.

So: what is one good reason for 'communities' ? Anybody ?

Joe