Blow to rural Australians
Rural Australia looks set to again be dudded. Now it's the right to a landline that is set to go.
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This is all very well and good for NBN fixed line customers, who have fibre, but what about the rest of us?
Not all of us have mobile phone reception, want to be dependent on iffy infrastructure, or wish to be unnecessarily irradiated with wireless emissions.
But the Productivity Commissioner sees it differently. His draft report on the Universal Service Obligation recommends ditching Telstra's duty to provide landlines. Pay phones are also to get the boot ASAP.
The commissioner says he will continue to accept feedback, despite this Inquiry nearing its end.
A pity more rural Australians weren't consulted about it.
Janobai Smith, Fryerstown
SA has right mix of power
The blackouts that South Australia experienced last week demonstrate that the SA government has got the balance between fossil fuels and renewables correct, at 40 per cent of the overall generation from intermittent renewables.
The weather conditions were at one extreme – a hot, still weeknight when the renewables cannot contribute, and consumption is a maximum.
The demand could have been met if the remaining gas turbine combined cycle plant had been brought online. This was a scheduling error.
Even if there had been unlimited extra wind and solar capacity available, it would have been useless.
During the other extreme of a weekend or holiday when demand is lowest, the currently-installed renewables can meet 100 per cent of the load.
Once again, any extra capacity would be useless; solar farms would need to be isolated from the grid and turbines feathered.
This conclusion that no more renewables should be installed in SA is a striking confirmation of the independent studies carried out on typical electrical grids for developed nations.
For example Connolly and co-authors in the journal Energy, May 2010 report that between 30 and 40 per cent of generation should be allocated to intermittent renewables.
Brian Stanmore, Junortoun
No compelling reason to change CBD speed limit
No, no, no. No to reducing the speed limit in the CBD.
Get pedestrians to open their eyes and concentrate and take personal responsibility and know the road rules when they're walking.
Bendigo is fast becoming the “Bedrock” of Central Victoria. The next thing we'll have to do is cut the floor out of our cars and use our feet like Fred Flintstone.
Peter Lesuey, Kennington
Students acting out is often a cry for help
I have seen many students diagnosed with ADHD without an investigation into whether they had dyslexia.
Students with learning difficulties are commonly unable to sit still and concentrate.
Medication calms them, making them easier for teachers to manage. But the behaviour is often a cry for help for underlying problems.
The ADHD checklist is broad and is limited to behaviours, and not their possible causes.
Medication has risky side effects, and going down this path sends a message that control of the situation lies in passively taking medicine.
This is problematic because the development of internal resilience is a strong predictor of success in life despite the existence of learning difficulties.