Wait for treatment and food
On Monday last week I was visiting my 90-year-old relative who was in Bendigo Hospital emergency after fracturing her wrist.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
She hadn't had anything to eat since 6pm Sunday night and wasn't allowed to have anything to eat or drink until they had re-aligned her wrist, that didn't happen until late Monday afternoon.
Surely our elderly deserve better than this. What’s the point if we have a nice new hospital if our elderly patients are not treated promptly so they don't have to fast for so long.
The elderly and young children should be attended to promptly without such a long delay.
Heather Bell
Fast rail questions
So the Coalition is proposing to build a fast rail system to encourage people to live in country areas to take pressure off Melbourne. Much as I look forward to a faster journey on my occasional trips to Melbourne, how does this improve things, without creating jobs in country areas?
If people still need to travel to Melbourne for employment, fast rail does not achieve decentralisation but simply turns rural and regional areas into satellite suburbs of Melbourne.
James Proctor, Strathdale
Climate debate
Labour DLP candidate Chris McCormack (Letters, 29/9) has made two valid points: the competitive electricity market has become hopelessly distorted by the introduction of renewable energy targets; and increasing cost of energy is severely impacting on welfare and the viability of local industry.
There is no doubt that the purpose of renewable energy targets is to make coal-based power uncompetitive thus forcing the closure of these power stations. To that end the policy is succeeding. However, the consequence is rising power prices as generators game the market at times of low renewable generation. Rising energy costs, both electricity and gas, are eating into the disposable incomes of everyone and squeezing margins of companies.
Is this economic pain worthwhile? Subsequent contributors, Melissa Abel and Michelle Goldsmith (letters, 3 October 2018), clearly think so. They have expressed the view, based on the projections of climate models, that fossil fuel emissions are causing dangerous climate change and only eliminating these emissions will ensure a safe climate in the future.
There are two facts that should temper any rush to expand market-distorting renewable energy schemes. Firstly, the climate model projections have exceeded the magnitude of observed warming over recent decades leading the IPCC in its most recent report to concede that the models might be running hot. Secondly, natural climate change has been exceedingly dangerous to humanity in the past as witnessed by the impacts of the cold of the Dark ages of the 6th century and again the Little Ice Age of the 17th century. In contrast, the relative warmth of the Roman Period, the Medieval Period, and currently have been beneficial to humanity.
Our best defence against climate change is a strong economy with viable industries generating goods and providing employment.
William Kininmonth, Docklands
Letters must carry the name, full address and telephone number of the author. The writer’s name and suburb/town will be published. Letters may be edited for space, accuracy, clarity and legal reasons. Letters which are deemed inappropriate will not be published.Send letters to Bendigo Advertiser, PO Box 61, Bendigo 3552 or at bendigoadvertiser.com.au
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.