Place blame where it’s due
I take strong exemption to the suggestion that the federal government’s offer to help fund the St Albans crossing upgrade was not genuine (Weekly, April 30).
This assertion from the state government is completely untrue. My colleague, Anthony Albanese, made this offer in good faith in February, hoping to get a bipartisan deal that would fix this blight on St Albans once and for all.
State governments of all political persuasions have failed on this issue in the past and we were very keen to make a decent contribution to fast- track a solution and avoid further loss of life.
The Napthine government chose, for its own reasons, not to take the opportunity to fix the crossing at half of what it will otherwise cost them to build it. I can only assume it has other funding priorities, but it should be honest about them. Somehow trying to blame the federal government for this is dishonest and cynical.
Maribyrnong MP Bill Shorten
Let’s break stigma of mental illness
Stigma and prejudice can have a big impact on the lives of people dealing with mental illness.
In Schizophrenia Awareness Week (May 12 -18) we can all play a role in reducing the stigma around this illness. People with mental illnesses, especially schizophrenia, still struggle with stigma. Many say its impact can be as bad as the illness itself. So long as stigma and stereotyping go unchallenged, people will delay seeking help and find it harder to accept their diagnosis and treatment.
They will also encounter social barriers impeding their recovery and shy away from sharing their stories of resilience and courage that can help many others. With one in five affected with a mental illness every year, reducing stigma across all diagnoses is important for everyone. Greater understanding provides hope.
Jack Heath, chief executive, SANE Australia
Re: New school to cater for record growth (Weekly, April 30):
The debt for infrastructure keeps building up to create increasing state deficits because of our high rates of population growth. The government’s worship of “economic growth” relies on population growth and the housing industry, but the economic benefits of population growth never are able to keep abreast with costing demands. Construction of housing doesn’t provide long-term jobs; neither does it increase our exports and manufacturing outputs.
Tony B
