In South Australia, a young surfer called Nick Peterson was eaten by a shark a few days ago. Yesterday, his father said he does not want the shark destroyed, because the ocean is the shark's domain. Nick Peterson admired and respected sharks. Mr Peterson Snr should be commended. Do those people seeking to hunt and destroy the shark honestly believe it will make the oceans safer for us? Sharks, like us, eat meat to survive. Because of this, all sharks pose a threat to human life. It is a risk you take when you swim in the ocean. This is a fact of life faced by the ocean's creatures every day and it's time we woke up to our place in the circle of life. We are becoming increasingly obsessed by attempts to baby proof the Earth, to remove all danger, from removing seesaws from kid's playgrounds to this hysterical reaction.
Health Minister Tony Abbott made comments last week that because of Australia's economic fortitude at the moment, Australians are the happiest they've ever been. Australia has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world. We have one of the highest rates of depression in the world. Obviously, Tony Abbott's mates are probably the happiest they've ever been, but for the rest of us, money just doesn't buy happiness. That is one thing that the current Government keeps on proving, but has yet to understand. This is disturbing given that Mr Abbott is actually the HEALTH Minister. These are stats Mr Abbott should be well aware of. But I suppose it is no surprise to many of us that the man is completely out of touch with the electorate.