MOTORWAY PRAISE
Dear editor,
I just could not let Robyn Deane pass comments congratulating the two recent additions to State Parliament and Premier Palaszczuk for the Sunshine Coast Motorway upgrades. Local State Liberal MP’s have been campaigning for these upgrades for years and it has fallen on deaf ears. I would remind your correspondent that the Labor Party have held power in Queensland for 29 of the past 34 years so the problems in this State are totally Labor problems. Think, the fractured health system, ambulance ramping, youth crime and the housing/rental crisis etc. etc.
The Palaszczuk Government is a crisis managing government – all are crisis of their own making. What more can you expect from a lot of beholding ex-union officials?
Peter Bayliss,
Peregian Springs.
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FREE PT RESPONSE
Dear editor,
Dylan White’s response (Coolum Advertiser, Feb 8) to Queensland’s public transport’s inadequacy in solving fare evasion, making it free, as practical as it sounds, will deny the State Government the crucial income to finance their costly Brisbane projects. This Government is desperate for income for the 2032 Olympics and Brisbane’s still-incomplete Cross River Rail. Notice, neither project will enhance the lives of regional Queenslanders.
Fare evasion at epidemic proportions, lacks proactive action, on the Sunshine Coast in particular. The horse has bolted and the will to bring it to heel is lost. Public transport is simply free for those who demand it. It is a big part of a sense of entitlement, which is a broader social issue. So, the Government must punish those who pay their way, punishing them even further with a CPI increase in fares each January. Our State has no free subsidised off-peak fares either, apart from Brisbane commuters.
When challenged, Translink’s response to the fare evasion epidemic on the Sunshine Coast, determined warnings and infringement notices (resulting in $287 fines) have been issued over the last four financial years from 2018 to 2022. 2018: 781 warnings and 160 fines. 2019: 592 warnings and 136 fines. 2020: 601 warnings and 112 fines. 2022: 225 warnings and 38 fines.
I challenge any local public transport paying passenger or driver, to relate when they last saw a Translink inspector onboard or witnessed a fare evader being caught. Drivers are frustrated at the unconscionable lack of political will in dealing with this blatant theft of taxpayers’ money. Taxpayers are indirectly subsiding theft by omission. It makes sense for public transport to be free, as it reduces the number of vehicles on our inadequate road network. But pigs might fly!!
E.Rowe,
Marcoola.
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YES VOTE FOR VOICE
Dear editor,
The Australian Constitution established the guiding principles of how our nation operates and that Parliament should design legislation.
The presence of the indigenous people was not acknowledged.
Later this year we will have the opportunity by referendum to give our First Nations people a means of commenting on matters that affect them. The proposed Voice to Parliament will not have any legislative powers. It is simply a consultative body which hopefully will help to close the gap and improve outcomes for our First Nations people.
By saying the Voice lacks detail, a noisy few are scaremongering and playing divisive games for political self-interest. If you wish to be properly informed, have a look at https://voice.niaa.gov.au.
By the time we go to the ballot box to vote on this history making referendum, there will be ample information out there. Please get informed and be on the right side of history and vote “yes”. It is time for recognition of our First Nations people in our Constitution.
Robyn Deane,
Bli Bli.
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POLITICAL SLANG
Dear editor,
Once it was “All the way with LBJ” – to Vietnam. Then the ‘Push with Bush’ into Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. Now it’s ‘Ride’n with Biden’ to ……..? Just asking?
Margaret Wilkie,
Peregian Beach.
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