When a thing is in short supply, competition for the available supply pushes up the price. If the thing becomes an investment asset then supply is further reduced and the price gets pushed up even higher.

During the recent fuel shortage, a government minister stated that "buying up fuel and selling it at inflated prices is un-Australian". Fuel had become an investment asset.

If there was a food shortage, would the government be able to prevent food from becoming an investment asset?

Housing has become an investment asset. See "Australia's Housing Famine" for information about a major strategy that would solve the housing shortage.

See "Property Seller Beware" for information about:-

• Selling a property without using an agent.
  
  
• There may be an indemnity clause attached to the agency agreement between a property seller and an estate agent that could make the seller liable for an agent's losses caused by any other person.

In Australia, there is little awareness of the substantial health hazards associated with air pollution. Probably the main reason for the lack of awareness is that media reporting about scientific issues is generally of low quality.

The ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) is Australia's national broadcaster. It has a generous taxpayer-funded annual budget of several billion dollars. Much of the ABC's budget is spent on news and current affairs, which means that the ABC plays a substantial role in shaping public opinion.

There is evidence that the content of ABC news reports does not always correlate well with scientific facts. The ABC's ability to report accurately about scientific issues appears to be not as good as it could be. Taxpayers deserve better.

See "How the ABC Distorts Science" for information about the unreliability of the ABC's scientific reporting.

See "Dementia and Air Pollution" for information about:-

• The link between air pollution and dementia.
• Chronic smoke pollution in residential villages.
• What could easily be done about it.

See "Mosquito Coil Smoke in Residential Villages in Queensland" for information about:-

• The health hazards of smoke from mosquito coils.
• Why mosquito coils should be prohibited in places such as retirement villages where residences are located close to each other.

Hervey Bay is a quiet seaside town that has evolved into a metropolis of retirement and lifestyle villages. See "Welcome to Hervey Bay" for an introduction to some aspects of Hervey Bay that aren't mentioned in the glossy brochures, including some information about air pollution and dementia.