Resilience Continued

And, in the course of the lecture, did you learn how this resilient Australia is being developed? enquired Pliny the Elder, looking somewhat sceptical.

It wasn't a lecture, I replied. It was a panel discussion.

Aha! said Pliny. A panel discussion. Then would it be true to say that you actually learned very little?

Certainly not, I said, although I know what you mean. It was a multidisciplinary discussion. There were three panelists, one from Engineering Innovation in Defence and Systems, one from the School of Law, and one from Education, Arts and Social Science.

Say no more, said Pliny.

No wait, I said. You asked me.

Alright, said Pliny, go on.

Well, first they set up a scenario. It was December 15th 2010. Terrorists had just blown up the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and poisoned Sydney's water supply. Melbourne and Brisbane's water supplies were threatened as well. And at the same time lots of boat people were on their way, and so on and so on. The panellists were supposed to address these issues from the point of view of their own discipline

And what did they say?

The engineer said that engineers were the best people to deal with such things and that they would do so and that we needn't worry too much about that. The lawyer said he was most unhappy that in dealing with the terrorist threat we have allowed our rights to be eroded to such a degree that any soldier can shoot us if he thinks that we might be one.

Good gracious! said Pliny. Is that true?

Apparently, I said. And the social scientist said that we were culturally well equipped to deal with events such as these.

But did they say what we might expect to happen in the event of these dreadful disasters? asked Pliny. What would they do first on learning that the water supply was poisoned? And would they inform the boat people so that they might turn around before it was too late?

No, inexplicably, they only spoke in general terms, and platitudes.

Dear me, said Pliny. It was lucky there were nibbles and wine to compensate at the end. Did you have an opportunity to speak with any of the panellists?

Yes, the social scientist. I asked him what he thought would happen immediately after it was learned the water supply had been poisoned.

And what did he say?

He said what would happen was that a lot of people would die.