Not absolved of guilt
I read with interest the letter “Truth behind blackouts” (Bendigo Advertiser, February 20).
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A simple summary of all the views articulated could be best summarised as none the events over the past six months were attributable to decisions by the South Australian government. Nothing could be further fro the truth.
The predicaments are largely of the state’s own making due to the following:
- The failure of successive state governments, of both political persuasions, to construct the critical second interstate interconnection to NSW, which should have been funded by SA electricity consumers.
- The failure to adopt and enforce a regulatory framework, to ensure the critical maintenance identified many years ago for towers along the transmission line north of Adelaide was undertaken in a timely manner, irrespective of whether these transmission lines were government, or privately owned and operated.
- Allowing the closures of the two coal-fired power stations prior to the construction of the critical second interstate interconnection to NSW.
David Heywood, Bendigo
Rein in runaway wages
With much underemployment in Bendigo and minimal private sector wage rises, it is outrageous that Daniel Andrews and Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan have given V/Line employees a virtual “blank cheque” with huge wage rises until 2019.
On February 9, the new EBA for V/Line’s track and signal employees commenced with V/Line CEO James Pinder among the signatories.
Not only do these V/Line workers get a 4.5 per cent rise plus a 3 per cent sign-on bonus effective from July 1 last year, but there was also a 1.5 per cent further wage increase on New Year’s Day and a promise of four more 2 per cent wage rises every six months until January 1, 2019.
If these total 17 per cent wage increases weren’t enough, on top of that V/Line employees engaged in the “Bendigo metro rail project” receive a 2 per cent further rise, plus another 1 per cent on July 1, 2017.
Site allowances of $2.50 to $5.62 an hour are paid depending on the value of construction projects, including Bendigo metro rail.
On top of that, there is a $4 per hour allowance if V/Line employees are working on sites that are controlled by parties other than V/Line.
Long suffering V/Line commuters delayed because 20.8 per cent of Bendigo line trains were six minutes or more late in January 2017, along with general Victorian taxpayers, must pay for all this.
Most local small and medium-sized businesses could not afford these huge wage rises. Labor’s willingness to distribute this largesse to its union mates, such as in the militant Rail Tram and Bus Union, shows who really runs the socialist Andrews Labor government. Above-CPI wage rises and ludicrous site allowances cost all Victorians big time. Fewer new transport projects get built than should be the case.
Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance and Federal Minister for Transport Darren Chester should be very concerned at the runaway train nature of these Labor V/Line wage rises.
David Hodgett, Opposition public transport spokesman
Turnbull misses the point
The Turnbull government wants to rob the poor and give to the rich and misses the point. Where is the money coming from to make tax cuts? How about putting an end to the muliti-billion-dollar Turnbull refugee program which is going to cost taxpayers billions of dollars for years to come.
End that and there will be savings found straight away as it was never funded in any budget. An increase in taxes means an increase in wages and everything else .