[LINK] NSW Election Multilingual information is not accessible

[Tom Koltai]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of 
> Marghanita da Cruz
> Sent: Wednesday, 9 March 2011 9:29 AM
> To: Ash Nallawalla
> Cc: 'Link list'
> Subject: Re: [LINK] NSW Election Multilingual information is 
> not accessible
> 
> <SNIP>
> With regard to the language, even the english is often 
> difficult to understand for english speakers. I recall a 
> conversation with an IT Manager, who said he had finally 
> managed to get his son signed up for an apprenticeship. Not 
> sure how those without access to this level of skill and 
> knowledge cope.


Ahh, that would be Darwin's Theory of IT evolution...

Only those that can click the mouse at the right time, get to move
forwards to ascension....

Let's face it, do you really want a tradesman that can't work his
timesheet on his phone, fixing your whatever?
The bill arrives, you declare bankruptcy, all because a Tradesperson
asked his ICT trained dad to fill in the apprentice application forms
for him coz it was too hard...

The reality is that Australians national IQ has been decreasing for
almost 20 years (since they started letting us damn Kiwis in...). Today
the nations IQ is 4 points lower than 1986. (We're not alone here... The
USA IQ has dropped 7 points in the same period)

On the other hand, your point has merit in that we are suffering a
nationwide shortage of blue collar trades persons and unless barriers to
entry for apprenticeship schemes are lessened, the old joke about the
plumber and the brain surgeon, may very well become our reality ...

Mr/Ms Customer I realise that you're on a budget, but for $5500 the best
I can offer is a Lobotomy; if you want your blocked toilet fixed, that
will be $25,000.

Then again, our apprentice schemes have not yet been taken over by
foreigners stealing our HECs places... So as University graduates
decrease, we should see a generational shift back to industrialisation.

(As soon as it will be cooler to be a plumber than a Nerd...) Which will
happen when the current generation refuse to emulate their degree
qualified parents sitting around watching Days of our Lives and waiting
for the next unemployment cheque in the mail...