Re: Extra trains, signal works boost to rail (Weekly online, April 10):
So will the new trains run on the train lines in the west, or will they just be ‘‘allowed’’ to run in the west? And when will the signal works happen to ‘‘allow’’ them to run in the west? You see, I’m not feeling very optimistic.
This might be due to hearing the Victorian Coalition promising to ‘‘fix public transport’’ and ‘‘not neglect the west’’ more than two years ago, and I’ve seen nothing as a result.
Caroline Springs station was abandoned, the Werribee line is the most overcrowded on the whole network, the Altona loop is home to the network’s most dissatisfied commuters, and the Williamstown line has trains every 22 minutes during the peak . . . while in the east trains can run every seven minutes.
Actions speak louder than words.
Western Metropolitan Greens MP Colleen Hartland
Re: Carers no longer alone in Brimbank (Weekly, April 3):
Much more investment is required in providing targeted vocational/non-vocational and transition-to-work programs for teenagers with disabilities wishing to develop a career and skills to prepare and help achieve independence through open employment.
The savage TAFE and VCAL cuts in the west have exacerbated skills shortages. These cuts also mean less engagement in the education system for students who may not have the resources or capacity to attend universities or receive support when they do get a placement.
A reform like the National Disability Insurance Scheme should transcend politics and bureaucracies, as it will ultimately help fuel cultural change through more socially inclusive workplaces and, in the process, free up many carers who battle to obtain respite to focus on their own careers and goals.
Virginia
