Don’t do this to ratepayers
Can Brimbank Council afford to waste $53 million on new headquarters? Whenever I contact council, I am told there isn’t enough money to go around.
Chairman John Watson claims the present set-up wastes more than $1 million a year. Well, we better have those new buildings. And we’ll break even in some 50 years’ time! Localised officers can service local citizens — when there’s no queue!
Having them all together in one heap won’t help us when, inevitably, their numbers will be reduced to increase efficiency. Their present travel costs are financed by ratepayers anyway.
Would Mr Watson prefer it to have ALL ratepayers travel to Sunshine from wherever and queue up through his front door, where they will be told to form another queue. After all, his nice new building has to be paid for?
Theo Orval, Keilor Downs
Union fights for your children
I was annoyed by Tony A and his letter (Weekly, February 26). This teacher dispute is not only about pay. The union is fighting for your children. If teachers can have smaller class sizes, it means more time and attention to their needs. As for contract employment, if teachers knew they had stable employment, they could make a change in their school and even in a child’s life. Teachers are there to help youth grow into responsible, educated adults — not to provide a babysitting service for people like Tony A. Parents, please take an interest in your child’s education and help with reading and spelling, and attend report nights. It’s the most important investment you will ever make, so join in the partnership and support teachers in their quest. Let’s hope Premier Napthine shows his support for the educators of Victoria.
A teacher’s mum (via web)
Re: Why it’s hard to find a job in the west (Weekly, March 12):
Our economy has slowed and plateaued compared to 2010. Economists expect unemployment to rise. The rort over 457 visas is only one part of our job problems. Instead of our government adjusting immigration intake to match our jobs and economic downturn, they increased all categories. That’s why we are in immigration overload, and population growth is outpacing jobs growth. Our government needs a reality check and there are parties to address this issue.
VivKay (via web)
