More green space needed
Premier Andrews' plan for the Civic Hall precinct presents a risk to the wellbeing of all Ballarat citizens. The Premier recently announced a massive development on the Civic Hall site with three quarters of it to be covered by multi-storey offices and car parks, resulting in an associated loss of play spaces for children, reduced options for any expansion of the library and destruction of essential facilities of heritage significance at the Civic Hall. The plan contravenes the current worldwide effort to make cities like Ballarat more "liveable". For example, the token pocket park, currently being constructed, has resulted in a loss of 15 trees and reduction of previously grassed areas. The skate park is to be removed with no plans for a replacement.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
By reducing green space and trees this plan increases risks to health and safety of citizens as it has been shown that well-vegetated urban parks improve users' well-being; both psychologically and physically. This proposed plan is the opposite of what the public wanted for the site as expressed at Here Studio's flawed participatory process, where a majority of citizens wanted an enlarged park. We urge readers of The Courier to write to the Premier and suggest an alternative site for his government offices.
Penelope Greenslade, Soldiers Hill
NDIS good for all
The 2017 federal budget lays the foundation for a strong and sustainable National Disability Insurance Scheme and is a welcome end to speculation about how the scheme would be fully funded, if at all. It is imperative that NDIS funding is approved in the parliament so that people can get on with their lives. With security for the immediate future of their support arrangements, people with a disability - and carers - will breathe a sigh of relief and begin to plan skills development, study, increased independence and a return to work.
For too long all of these things have been put on hold as people feared the NDIS would be starved of funds before it ever got going. But it's not just social capital that will grow. NDIS investment will also grow the economy as people with a disability increase their participation, along with a growing workforce of skilled support workers and therapists in cities and towns throughout the nation.
Funding the NDIS is a budget commitment that all Australians can be proud of.
Andrew Donne, Endeavour Foundation Chief Executive
Protecting volunteers is essential
This week is National Volunteers Week and while Victorians are celebrating our CFA firefighters' generous contribution, Daniel Andrews is planning to sell out volunteers by splitting the CFA. Daniel Andrews has set up a secret committee to split the CFA. After two years of ideological attacks by Daniel Andrews and his union mates on the CFA, it is no wonder Victoria has thousands fewer volunteers defending the life and property of Victorians. Splitting the CFA will only result in further reductions in the number of volunteer firefighters, which will in turn reduce the state's ability to mobilise large numbers of emergency personnel to major disasters while also maintaining local service coverage.
Volunteers and career firefighters saved countless lives on Black Saturday. Imagine how much more catastrophic it would have been without thousands of volunteers standing side-by-side with their career colleagues, putting their lives on the line. Unlike the Andrews Government, the Liberal Party will be celebrating volunteer firefighters' contribution to the community this National Volunteers Week. We will continue to stand by our CFA volunteers to ensure their rights and the lives of all Victorian families' are protected. We need to protect the volunteers who protect us all.
Joshua Morris, Member for Western Victoria
