Writer
Chas Keys
Chas Keys is a former academic and emergency management practitioner. He was from 1997 to 2004 the Deputy Director General of the NSW State Emergency Service, with responsibility for planning to warn and evacuate people from approaching floods. Chas writes occasionally about the politics, culture and ethics of cricket.
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Afghanistan women’s cricket team seeks recognition
Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan almost three years ago, women’s sport has been cast into darkness there. Continue reading »
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Afghanistan’s underdogs upsetting the established order
One of the charms of sport is seeing underdogs upsetting the established order by overcoming teams they seemingly have no chance of beating. All sports have examples of such upsets. Long-term realities about relative strengths can fall in the short run. Ah, the glorious uncertainty of sport! Continue reading »
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Lord Botham and discrimination in cricket
Responses to the report of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (‘Holding up a Mirror to Cricket’) commissioned by the England and Wales Cricket Board, continue to reverberate months after its release in mid-2023. Continue reading »
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The Great Lismore Flood: Revisiting the use of floodplains
Last week saw the release of the NSW State Disaster Mitigation Plan which outlines a blueprint for managing future disasters; this week marks the second anniversary of the great flood at Lismore and places downstream in the Richmond River valley. This is a moment to ask how we are going in NSW as far as Continue reading »
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In praise of Afghanistan’s cricketers
Much has been written about the International Cricket Council’s World Cup competition being played in India, but relatively few of the words have been about the incredible achievements of the Afghanistan team. Against a backdrop of poverty, war, political turbulence and natural disasters, the team performed magnificently. Continue reading »
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On inclusivity in English and Australian cricket
Last week, English cricket was hit by a bombshell in the form of a report entitled ‘Holding Up a Mirror to Cricket’. Commissioned by the England and Wales Cricket Board, the report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) found that the game in the land of its origin was riven by racism, Continue reading »
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Cricket and ethics: Always more to do
Cricket has always had a difficult relationship with ethics and integrity. This is notwithstanding two things: the game’s pride in the saying “It’s not cricket” to describe anything unfair, and the inclusion in the game’s Laws of a Preamble called “The Spirit of Cricket” to guide player behaviour. Continue reading »
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Flood warning: full potential not achieved
The recent announcement by federal ministers Tanya Plibersek (Environment) and Murray Watt (Emergency Management) of substantial investment in upgrading the nation’s flood warning gauge network is welcome.But gauging is only part of the problem of flood warning: there is another element which is not routinely well recognised in flood management circles. Continue reading »
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Flood warning: upgrade gauging networks, focus on warning messages
Last Monday, Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek and Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt announced an intended spending of $236 million to upgrade the nation’s flood warning gauge networks. This is welcome news, but it must also be recognised that for flood warning to be truly effective we will need to pay more attention Continue reading »
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Raising of Warragamba Dam ‘spun’ in New South Wales election campaign
An interesting comment was made this month about the New South Wales Coalition’s intention to raise Warragamba Dam in order to store floodwaters and thus mitigate the problem of flooding downstream. The comment as retailed by ABC Online came from the Liberal MP and candidate for the seat of Hawkesbury in the coming state election, Continue reading »
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Some things don’t change: the alarming attitude that still surfaces on the edges of Australian cricket
There was a bothersome moment on television late in last week’s first cricket Test between Australia and India in Nagpur. Continue reading »
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T20: blessing or curse to cricket?
Several developments in recent times suggest that T20 is a potential danger to cricket. Continue reading »
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Cricket Australia’s ‘Afghanistan problem’
In cancelling its scheduled March series of three one-day matches against Afghanistan, Australian Cricket takes us into familiarly problematic territory. It brings to mind the battle, fought for two decades against South Africa’s apartheid regime, where cricket and rugby boycotts played a significant role. Continue reading »
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Can ‘Bazball’ save Test cricket?
Test cricket is sometimes its own worst enemy, regularly shooting itself in the foot. Can ‘Bazball’ save it? And can the playing conditions be applied more effectively? Continue reading »
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The rub of the (very) green at the ‘Gabba
“It’s not cricket” is a term that originates from the idea of the importance of fairness. In the first cricket Test against South Africa we’ve just seen a case of alleged lack of fairness, of a kind, demonstrated at the ‘Gabba in Brisbane. Continue reading »
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Can T20 and Test cricket continue to exist together?
For decades there have been concerns about the viability of Tests. Do administrators, in their lust for the rivers of cash which T20 brings in, recognise the dangers of this moment in cricket’s history? Continue reading »
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Sharper focus on flood education and community engagement needed
The flooding in eastern Australia over recent weeks has been serious and in some areas it has seemed never-ending. Continue reading »
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Towards a phase shift in flood management?
The call by Murray Watt, Minister for Emergency Management, for a national discussion about new development in disaster-prone areas should be welcomed. Continue reading »
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Perrottet bites the Warragamba bullet, and we should be concerned
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet has made a decision which has been on the cards for decades: his government will ‘fast-track’ the raising of Warragamba Dam as a means of mitigating flooding on the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system. And we still keep building on flood plains. Continue reading »
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Climate change, weather elements and natural disasters: what links?
Over the past couple of years, the idea that humanly-created climate change is real and worrying has become increasingly accepted in Australia. Few scientists now argue the opposite point of view, the commentariat has largely followed suit even News Corp’s opposition is no longer a matter of policy and polls suggest that scepticism and denialism Continue reading »
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The independent New South Wales flood inquiry has landed
The much-awaited report of the Independent NSW Flood Inquiry has been released. Continue reading »
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Raising Warragamba Dam is not the best flood mitigation strategy, Premier
Last week, New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said that raising Warragamba Dam was the “best strategy” for managing the flood problem in the Hawkesbury-Nepean valley. It is not. It is not even a good strategy, or close to one. Continue reading »
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The ‘100-year flood’ and the floor levels of houses
The so-called ‘100-year’ (or 1% Annual Exceedence Probability) flood has two main uses in the public domain in Australia. Both are problematic, though not intentionally so on the part of those whose professional activities are bound by its use. Continue reading »
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The flood problem, immigration and population growth
The management of weather-related emergency situations like floods is the responsibility of the states. But the policies and activities of the Commonwealth government can make big differences to the impacts of floods, either for better or for worse. This is clearly demonstrated via immigration policy and its impact on population growth. Continue reading »
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Are we approaching a consensus on the need to manage flooding differently?
It is possible that recent events related to flooding in New South Wales are galvanising a consensus on how we manage the threats floods pose. If that is so, we are on the verge of a phase shift in our management of floods. Continue reading »
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Another word on the sadness and madness of the language of the ‘one-in-100-years’ flood
Not even the Premier of New South Wales understands the meaning of the term the ‘one-in-100-years’ flood. Nor does the Prime Minister, who this week repeated the Premier’s misguided words on it. Continue reading »
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NSW awaits a momentous decision on housing development on floodplains
When it comes to the management of weather-related disasters like floods, governments can be relied upon to act in only two circumstances – catastrophe or repetition. Continue reading »
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Flood misunderstanding, miscommunication, extremes and records
Last Monday, a couple spoke to an ABC television reporter on the back steps of their home on the edge of Wollongong’s Lake Illawarra. They were confident that the flood they could see in front of them would not rise beyond the level it had reached. After all, they’d been living there for 19 years Continue reading »
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Climate change: Scott Morrison’s achilles heel
Scott Morrison has a problem with climate change which reflects his style of governing. Continue reading »
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Will central Lismore be abandoned after yet another flood.
Now that the floodwaters have hopefully gone and communities are focusing on recovery, the question of ‘relocation’ has become central in discussions about the future. Continue reading »
