Suspect hospital statistics
Queensland doctors say the public hospital system is still not working, despite improved waiting list figures. The September quarter waiting list figures show a 17 per cent drop in patients waiting too long for elective surgery and an improvement in emergency case timeframes. But Queensland is still behind national targets in four of the five emergency categories. Queensland Health Minister Stephen Robertson says overall it is one of the best reports. "The trends are going in the right way," he said.
However, the Queensland Opposition and the Australian Medical Association have questioned the figures. Australian Medical Association Queensland president Dr Chris Davis wants more time to study the data "We've been trying since early this morning to get a copy of this report," he said. Dr Davis says hospital performance is not improving enough. "The Government, despite record public spending, is actually relying increasingly on the private system to actually do the surgery," he said. "That means that our public hospitals are still not performing like they're meant to."
Opposition health spokesman Mark McArdle is not impressed by the results. "There are people who phone me every day and say they can't even get on the waiting list," he said.
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Trial ruled unfair due to sleeping judge
Rather amazing that this had to go to the High Court to reach an obvious conclusion
Two drug traffickers could not get a fair trial because a judge fell asleep for up to 20 minutes at a time during their trial, the High Court has ruled. Both Rafael Cesan and Ruben Mas Rivadavia appealed their 2004 convictions in the New South Wales District Court, saying Judge Ian Dodd was asleep for some of the trial. Judge Dodd, who suffered from sleep apnoea, retired from the bench in July 2005. Cesan was jailed for 13 years and six months, while Mas Rivadavis was jailed for 11 years after they were convicted of conspiring to import a commercial quantity of ecstasy.
The High Court, which upheld their appeals in September, published its reasons today. Evidence from a hearing of the NSW Criminal Appeal Court indicated Judge Dodd appeared to sleep for periods of up to 20 minutes at a time, sometimes accompanied by snoring. His sleep periods became longer as the trial proceeded with members of the jury visibly distracted and, at times, amused. Court officials sometimes loudly dropped documents in a bid to wake the snoring judge.
Cesan, in his appeal evidence, said the judge's snoring was disruptive when he was being cross-examined. Crown prosecutor Geoffrey Bellew swore an affidavit referring to occasions on which the judge appeared to be asleep.
The High Court unanimously ruled Judge Dodd did not exercise supervision of the trial as required by law and, as a result, the jury was distracted. Chief Justice Robert French said a judge must be seen to be upholding this duty. "Where the judge is noticeably and repeatedly asleep or inattentive during the trial, there can be a miscarriage of justice," he said. "The trial in this case was so flawed. There was a miscarriage of justice. It could not be said that the miscarriage was not substantial." The court ruled the men should be retried.
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Australia has crappy airport security too
Passenger belongings have been stolen and allegedly destroyed during security processing at Brisbane Airport, in the latest embarrassment for ISS security. The airport has been plagued with security breaches and staffing problems under ISS, which is contracted by airlines and the Brisbane Airport Corporation.
When Brisbane businessman Gareth Oram turned over his laptop to ISS guards at a Qantas screening point, it was the last he ever saw of it. ISS guards scanned the $2000 computer, then allowed another passenger to walk off with it while Mr Oram struggled to get his shoes back. "It was just a farce," Mr Oram said. "When I asked, 'where is my laptop?' they stuck their heads in the sand. No one wanted to know me. "No senior supervisor made themselves known to me at any time during or following this episode."
The product manager lost important business records and missed his flight waiting for an ISS supervisor to be located. He said he had to insist the incident be reported to police. "Surely once you hand over your belongings to be X-rayed, it should become the responsibility of these airport security personnel to ensure all your possessions are handed back correctly rather than having a free-for-all," he said.
Stanthorpe retiree Allan English claimed his $650 camera was dropped and destroyed when he was being searched by ISS guards in January. He wrote to ISS management and the Brisbane Airport Corporation, and has not received a response.
Mr Oram credited the Australian Federal Police and one ISS worker for eventually getting CCTV tapes and determining the laptop was taken by a foreign passenger. ISS company secretary Mal Day said ISS helped track down the laptop and it was being returned. He declined to comment further, except to say passengers were responsible for their belongings "at all times".
Mr Oram and Mr English said it was impossible to keep control under screening conditions, when they were prevented from entering certain areas.
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