Olympic campaign a flop
Talk about celebrating the lowest common denominator.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This Olympic campaign was a shocker. Twenty-nine medals, the lowest since 1992.
Even the London Olympic mess managed 35 medals.
In 2000, at Sydney, we won 58.
A continuous lowering of the high standard of winning and our need to celebrate mediocrity is leading us to accept the lowest common denominator.
Peter Lesuey, Strathdale
Fire brigades need funding
Why should the Golden Square Fire Brigade have to go cap-in-hand seeking donations?
Daniel Andrews would not allow Peter Marshall and his union members to do such a thing.
Seems he has plenty of our money to splash out on outlandish union pay and condition demands, but not for the equipment they need.
I don't think I will be the only one who directs the CFA donation tin to Daniel Andrews.
David Arscott, Kangaroo Flat
Keep out of CFA dispute
All volunteers are vital to any organisation they represent, including hospitals, charities, and firefighting organisations.
The ongoing dispute between the United Firefighters Union of Australia and the volunteers had been going on for three years, one of which was under the Napthine government who chose to do nothing, and left it in the too hard basket.
Eventually, the Fair Work commissioner intervened and the industrial umpire handed down his decision on June 1, which was then followed by a bitter lead up to the federal election, exacerbated by a political movement within the CFA board of which was then replaced.
What is the point of having adjudicators of state disputes if Liberal prime ministers choose to override state decisions when it decides there may be a vote in it?
Why didn't Turnbull intervene in the bitter NSW council amalgamations which went on for many months?Because NSW has a Liberal/National government, and definitely not seen as having any votes in it.
The minister for unemployment couldn't even detail how the volunteers would be effected, and was caught out telling lies in respect to the government’s enterprise agreement adversely effecting CFA volunteers.
What about the rest of the population who are effected by decisions made by this government, but seen only as voteless options?
The commissioner said that his findings would not effect volunteers, but the CFA board voted against this proposal, even though it would only effect 31 stations out of 1200, and whoever arrived first would commence appropriate action.
But there is something that just does not gel in this whole argument. Since when does any volunteer have the authority to tell the CEO of the government of the day, or any other organisation, what to do?
The 49.6 per cent of voters who did not vote for this government at the last election do not have any say about decisions made going forward.
Sometimes in life you have to accept the umpire’s decision and wait until the next state or federal election to voice your disapproval like all other individuals who do not agree with elected governments or decisions made.
With all of the budgetary and debt problems that we have, as well as ongoing Medicare funding, doctor co-payments, carbon tax compensation being withdrawn from new pension, carers, and Newstart constituents reducing the latter to $33 a day, continuing poverty in society, this legislation is going to be the first introduced into parliament and the minister cannot even explain it, highlighting her incompetence.
Says a lot about this government’s agenda.