How long must we put up with poor rail services?
I had to travel to Melbourne for a State Choir practice on October 9 so I caught a 7.45am train from Bendigo which normally gets me there on time.
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The train left on time but when we got to a passing lane we came to a stop for 10 minutes to allow a train from Castlemaine to Bendigo to pass.
The train then resumed its journey with the driver endeavouring to make up lost time until we came to Sunbury. We then had to “crawl” through the suburbs behind a Metropolitan train to Southern Cross station arriving about 30 minutes late.
Why have we not got the dedicated track as promised from Sunbury to Southern Cross?
On the return journey I went to catch the 3.20pm from Platform 4B. We were kept waiting for approximately 20 minutes before we could board the train because there was a problem with one of the doors.
After numerous announcements we were allowed to board. Just as the train was due to depart it was announced that the passengers in the last three carriages had to transfer to the front three.
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You can imagine the chaos! The carriages were packed with people crammed in the aisles, hanging on to whatever they could to stop them from falling over each other. How could this be safe?! If an accident had happened think of the carnage as it would have been impossible for people to get out.
Around about Castlemaine the crowding had eased and at this stage another announcement was made advising passengers going on to Echuca that they would need to leave the train at Bendigo and catch a bus to Echuca.
Is this what passengers in rural Victoria have to endure for much longer? The focus on transport seems to be directed only to the metropolitan areas.
Our local member, the Minister for Transport, seems to have forgotten the needs of her own electorate.
June Reid, Strathfieldsaye
Banks and cash safety
The Australian Senate passed into Law on 14 February 2018, with just seven senators present, the Financial Sector Legislation Amendment {Crisis Resolution Powers and other Measures} Bill 2017 on a voice vote.
This very long and complicated piece of legislation brings our nation into line with the “ Bail In” agenda of the Bank of International Settlements as agreed at the G20 in Brisbane in 2014.
What this legislation means is that the banking regulator APRA has crisis powers to secretly step in and run distressed banks. Allowing APRA to then confiscate and write off certain types of bonds and hybrid securities and allows them to confiscate cash savings of SMSFs [Self managed super funds]. Other nations have specifically included the confiscation of depositors’ funds {savings}, our version of this legislation just cleverly doesn’t specifically exclude that. But, it could happen.
So how safe is our cash in the banks? How safe are our super pensions?
What amazes me is that just seven senators passed this legislation amendment. What constitutes a quorum in these matters and was every State represented?
I was of the opinion that at least a majority of the senate would vote on a matter as vital as this.
Bill Collier, Golden Square
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