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back to archive indexDate: 31st January Two Important WinsThis week I have had two important wins in getting a better deal for the people of NSW. I got an inquiry into the rise in funeral costs, and got the investigation of the riots in Macquarie Fields back on track. Funerals: The cost of a funeral has trebled in the last 10 years. This is an industry that people don't think about until someone dies. Grieving relatives then have to make decisions about who will deal with the body of their relative in a fitting and proper manner. These relatives are in a very vulnerable position. They can easily be persuaded to have a ‘nice’ funeral and accept many little features that are very expensive. The Funeral Industry is becoming corporatised and 'vertically integrated' - which is economics-speak for a few companies dominating every aspect of a particular industry, and largely setting the prices. This is happening because the regulatory system is weak. Demands by the National Competition Council have weakened local government regulation, which is now left to the public health groups. Perhaps this is as it should be, with only the health and ergonomic aspects of dealing with the body being of critical importance. But if competition is to be the regulatory force, the ACCCC must keep that competition fair and not let more powerful groups simply swallow smaller ones. The NSW Dept of Fair Trading “Consumer” guide discourages people from doing their own funerals with the comment, ‘the process is complex, demanding and involves specialised resources that may be unavailable or difficult to access”. This sounds very like tacit sanctioning of restraint of trade, which means that the Dept of Fair Trading has suffered the fate known as ‘regulatory capture’. The consumer guide is now available online: The inquiry that I managed to get passed by the Parliament will be carried out by the Standing Committee on Social Issues and will look at the current state of the industry and suggest ways to ensure that the loss of a loved one isn't the starting point of even more grief and distress. The Committee will meet and advertise for submissions in the next few weeks, so keep on eye out for submission details in the metropolitan and local papers It has to report by 17th November, 2005. The terms of reference are attached. Macquarie Fields Inquiry The events at Macquarie Fields have made a very big impression due to the media coverage of the rioting which followed the deaths of two young men in a stolen car. The government most certainly did not want an inquiry, but thought that the Opposition would have the numbers to initiate one so the Minister for Police, Carl Scully referred the matter to the Social Issues Committee to inquire into. Their terms of reference included, ‘The extent to which the action of any members of parliament who, behaving like “armchair generals”, compromised police operations in the Macquarie fields area, This looked like just being political bickering, so I managed to get it removed. This may seem no big deal, but it is significant to get the Parliament to overrule a minister in his instruction to a government-controlled Committee. I also managed to add a couple of terms of reference (d and e below) that will make sure that problems of disadvantage that set the environment that enables the riots to take place can be fully investigated. The Premier claims that social inequality has nothing to do with it, but those who say that the social disadvantage of Macquarie Fields has nothing to do with why they rioted should ask themselves if there would be a riot in Double Bay if a local kid fleeing police in a stolen car there ran into a tree and killed his mates. Macquarie Fields has a youth unemployment rate of 15% and a long history of recorded social disadvantage. The terms of reference of this inquiry are now: Policing strategies and resources in the Macquarie Fields area, particularly in the immediate period leading up to and following the motor vehicle accident involving two fatalities on 25th February 2005. Government programs and service provisions in the Macquarie Fields area, including local, state federal programs, Non-government services and service provision in the Macquarie Fields area, Whether the lessons learned from Social Issues Committee and Coburn reports resulting from the Redfern disturbance have been utilised in this incident, The underlying causes and problems which may have contributed to individual and collective acts of violence and social disorder, and Any other matters arising from the terms of reference. As a member of the Committee I will try to get a relevant outcome, and to have it implemented. See the Terms of Reference of the Funeral Inquiry Yrs, Arthur Chesterfield-Evans (ACE) |
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