Twenty minutes, a rain shower and two phone calls to the said manager later, we disbanded; disillusioned that the promised meeting had not taken place and no apology or advice of delay had been communicated.

Both council and the general manager seem to have underestimated the growing disquiet of residents regarding the installation. No one is arguing this on the basis of the message.

Apart from the tackiness of the harmony signage, the art installation/rainbow/peacocks tail - no one is quite sure what it is - could in fact be a great addition to the many festivals we have in the city, including Harmony Week, NAIDOC Week, Begonia Festival and the many other opportunities we take, as a city, to celebrate our multicultural community.

It has potential for being reused on each occasion. In fact, in the right location, the installation could be lit up and provide a striking centrepiece.

With a history of working in road safety, I personally fail to understand how the installation could have passed a safety audit. It's presence, let alone the size and configuration of the installation, is a further complication to what is, already, a less than ideal safety situation with a roundabout that is not round and offset across the intersection; a major distraction for drivers, riders and pedestrians on a main thoroughfare.

One could easily argue that anything on a roundabout, other than low plantings and the appropriate signage, is inappropriate. There is also an arrogance it would seem on the part of council and officers to respond to requests for costing of the configuration, as well as identifying on what basis the installation fits with council planning and strategy.

One might ask, why have they not been transparent and communicated this earlier?

In its current state, the installation fails to conform to council's own heritage requirements. Residents in heritage precincts are required to comply with minute details and processes to gain approval for any changes or works they undertake on their properties. Why should council not have to comply with the same regulations and processes?

As a long-time resident and ratepayer, I am becoming increasingly disillusioned with the council model and wonder if it is not time to look back to an alternative.

Time to demonstrate some leadership councillors and council officers. Demonstrate that you really are serious about our heritage, willing to truly listen and take account of resident feedback, and be transparent in your responses to what are, after all, very reasonable questions. 

- Vicki Hayward, Wendouree

YOUR suggestion to scrap plans for a stadium and spend a billion dollars on sporting equipment in town halls and walking tracks to tackle Victoria's obesity epidemic is frail at best.

This is mainly because these things already exist and are in adequate supply.

Obesity stems from a poor diet and, in particular, the prevalence of added sugar in it.

Of course, a severe lack of exercise is going to contribute to this epidemic, but it is what people choose to eat that is the root cause of the issue and a major sports facility shouldn't have to suffer because of this.

The project will create thousands of jobs and Melbourne will continue to be seriously considered when it comes to hosting global sporting events like the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics; events that bring billions of dollars into the Australian economy and inspire people to participate in sports.

- Hunter Thompson, Blowhard