Bill woes continue
I might be a bit cynical, but I hope a lot of us pensioners out there realise that the monies going to be given out to help with electricity accounts etc., did not come as such from Liberal Party hands, but recognise that if it hadn't been for Senator Nick Xenophon instigating (demanding) this helping hand by passing a (deal) bill which the Liberal Party wanted, we would not have got anything in the budget, as usual. So I thank him for that. Do you realise that over the budgets, the last few years from the Liberal Party re handouts for pensions has been next to nil except for the cost of living yearly payment this year; $1.80 to $2 we received. Goodness me, not enough for a loaf of bread or litre of milk, not enough to make even a little dent in the large bills we receive, but we must be grateful as they say, yes, pensioners are hurting like all other groups.
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Coral Marshall, Mt Clear
STILL FEWER CARPARKS
Sharon Knight and Geoff Howard were trumpeting there would be increased car parking at the Ballarat Station (The Courier 20 May) but this is simply incorrect.
There are currently, approximately 400 (130 sealed and approx 270 unsealed) carparks at the rail station. An additional 30 or so spaces are available to station staff. According to Sharon Knight's latest announcement, a three-deck, multi-storey car park will provide 405 public spaces for commuters. The bus interchange removes the 30 spaces for staff meaning there will be fewer spaces for public parking than are currently available.
Ballarat needs considerably more public parking if the precinct is to meet future demands, not less. Save our Station (SOS) Ballarat's alternative plans show how to deliver nearly 1000 public car parks (540 at ground level north of the station and a further 450 in a multi-storey car park on Mair St). Patching up the omissions from the original master plan piece by piece, as exemplified by the recent announced changes, is a recipe for disaster.
It's time Ballarat needs its politicians admitted they got it wrong and announce instead that it's time to spend the $32m of taxpayer funds to build a fully integrated transport hub at the site for the community now and into the long-term future.
Ron Egeberg, Save our Station, Ballarat
hiding his light
Josh Muir must be a modest young man. In his recent interview, I don't recall him mentioning the exhibition of his work at the City Library, Flinders Lane, Melbourne. It has been a delightful surprise. Bernadette Cheesman, Wendouree
Let them stay
Victorian National’s MP Andrew Broad for putting his conscience above party-lines. He supports Labor's call to expand sponsored refugee annual intake - from 1,000 to 10,000. (Courier 24 May)
In reference to the intake of Karen refugees in Nhill; "It's changed the culture of the town , it's opened the hearts of the people in the town and there's been a recent report that it's also contributing $41 million to the economic activity of a town of about 3,000 people." Broad provided demonstrable physical and economic evidence of benefits to Nhill and Australia. Australia's policies reduced people smuggling in our area; it's unlikely those policies would be changed in the future, however heinous they are; and because of this, it's extremely unlikely people smuggling would re-start. Thus, there's no good reason not to bring refugees from Manus Island and Nauru to communities who will sponsor them. Based on testimony and evidence from MPs and communities themselves , there are, in fact, many excellent reasons to sponsor and embrace refugees.
Let's step up and find the thousand-plus sponsored places for the men, women, children, families on Manus Island and Nauru.
Judy Bamberger, O'Connor
