Hospital needs staff
The new Bendigo Base Hospital is world class; everything is most impressive and the staff cannot be faulted. That was until Monday night when I was taken there by ambulance at approximately 8pm.
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I was forced to sit on a wheelchair for eight hours, waiting for treatment. The staff were hopelessly overworked, with some having been on duty for 18 hours. Who is responsible for this mess?
The hospital has the capacity to handle a far greater number of patients.
However, there are many empty beds due to the fact that there is insufficient staff to service them. This matter needs urgent attention. I have sent a copy of this letter to Maree Edwards’ office and I urge readers to do the same.
Maree Lever, Kangaroo Flat
More resources for CFA
The scaremongering claims made by Helen Leach (Letters 24 May) regarding the commitment by the Andrews Labor Government to the CFA are false.
Far from being at risk of being under resourced as she claimed, the Government will be providing an additional $100 million to the CFA for training, recruitment, equipment and station upgrades.
Plus we are proposing to the Victorian Parliament that all firefighters, career and volunteer, have the same access to a presumptive rights scheme.
This stands in stark contrast to the former Liberal Government who cut the CFA Budget by $44 million and failed to introduce legislation to enact presumptive rights, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence proving the link between higher rates of cancer and fire fighting.
There are some in our community, like Ms Leach and the Liberal and National Opposition, who want to keep the division between our firefighters continue. They want this for political purposes. I am proud to be part of a Government that is backing more support, more resources and a modern fire fighting services for our firefighters.
Jacinta Allan, Member for Bendigo East, Minister for Public Transport, Minister for Major Projects
Get involved
National Reconciliation Week is held annually on 27 May to 3 June in celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and to nurture and grow on the relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians. It is important to recognise that Indigenous history and culture is Australian history and culture. These two dates, 27 May and 3 June, hold great significance to Australians as they represent two major events in our nation’s reconciliation journey. This year is especially significant for indigenous rights as 27 May is the 50 year anniversary of the 1967 referendum where Australians voted overwhelmingly to amend the constitution to include Aboriginal people in the census and allow the Commonwealth to create laws for them.
3 June 2017 is also the 25 year anniversary of the Mabo decision, where the High Court of Australia decided that terra nullius should not have been applied to Australia. The landmark decision recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have rights to the land – rights that existed before the British arrived and can still exist today. Australia’s mistreatment of Indigenous Australians is a national shame. These two cases are significant in our attempt to rectify our wrongdoings; however our journey to complete reconciliation is far from over.
Youth Off The Streets takes great pride in reconnecting young Indigenous Australians with their history and culture. I employ Aboriginal youth workers and case workers to connect to young people and encourage them to be proud of who they are and where they come from. This reconciliation week I implore all Australians to get involved in your communities reconciliation events. I invest in the Aboriginal youth of today, so they can be the leaders of tomorrow.