Rail roaded
Before council, the Canberra Region Joint Organisation, the Transport Departments or anyone else spend any time at all considering the latest Canberra to Eden rail proposal from the Cooma and Monaro Progress Association, I suggest they ask the association to provide a fully costed business case.
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They won’t get one, simply because the figures just don’t add up.
Rail in sparsely populated country areas with no significant industrial base is uneconomic.
Rail may be the solution to some of Sydney’s transport problems and might work in a very compact country such as Japan with a population of 127 million, but in barely populated rural Australia it’s simply a 19th Century dream that was never going to, and never will, be economically feasible.
Stopping construction of the railway south at Bomaderry and closing the Queanbeyan to Bombala railway line were, in hindsight, very sensible decisions.
The progress association instead should be lobbying for the construction of a publicly funded European-style autobahn with no speed limit (at least in daylight hours) linking Canberra to Cooma and, more importantly, Canberra to the top of the Clyde Mountain descent.
That would serve 21st Century needs far better than any rail line.
Peter Lacey, Quaama
Poor impression
Firstly I am not from Bega so cannot really comment about Bega High School. But I am the carer for an ex-teacher who was not only bullied at their school but suffered a brain injury as a result of a fall at work.
She was dismissed from the Department in 2011 and today, seven years later, is still seeking psychological treatment using the public mental health system.
The point I want to make here is that kids and parents see this bullying happening and see those in power getting away with their actions so I ask you what sort of impression does that really give children and parents at a school?
Like I said this may not be happening in Bega, but it sure is happening in other schools around the state.
So much for a culture of openness and support within the Department and so much for a positive and productive workplace.
Paul Johnson, Toormina, NSW
Critical issues
Unfortunately, this year’s Federal Budget has failed to address many of the issues that are of real concern in our community. It’s a budget that has forgotten that everyone, no matter where they come from or what their circumstances, deserves a fair go.
Eden-Monaro deserves better than this.
This Budget still has the Liberals’ $715 million cut to hospitals and $17 billion cut to schools. They are cutting dental care for veterans, and they’re cutting the ABC again, and they are keeping Medicare frozen for specialist’s visits.
With over 100,000 people currently on the waiting list, they have failed to address the chronic shortage of home care packages and they are increasing the retirement age to 70.
It’s a budget that cuts money from our universities and contains a new $270 million cut to TAFE.
A Labor government will do better than this. Labor has proposed a plan that will bring back the Fair Go into our national policy.
It’s a plan to properly fund health and education, boost your wages and help your family budget with real tax cuts.
It’s a plan Labor can afford, because we’re not going to spend $80 billion of tax expenditure on big business and the big banks.
Most of you would have seen my half yearly report in your mailbox recently. Please take some time to fill out the community survey so I can better understand the critical issues in our community.
