Parking a big concern
READING Catherine McGowan’s parking fine letter, l have to say l can never get a park near my home in Eyre Street, between Armstrong and Doveton streets, even though signs are one hour.
The same cars park there Monday to Friday, all day. Numerous calls and visits to council; even emails to councillors have made little difference. I have been told by the council parking superviser that parking officers have no time to get to this street despite it being a two-minute walk.
- Judi Ritchens, Ballarat Central
Elderly deserve better
I WAS disgusted to read Meals on Wheels was no longer being prepared in Ballarat. Surely the elderly people who receive Meals on Wheels deserve better than this. How do we know when these people receive their meal it is hot and nutritious? Not to mention the jobs lost as a result of this decision.
I strongly believe this service is valuable to the many elderly residents receiving Meals on Weals and a city the size of Ballarat should be able to prepare meals on meals for the people that need it. It’s nothing more than a disgrace this service is no longer being prepared in our local city.
- Geoff Rundell, Ballarat
Don’t ignore the ‘house’
I AGREE with Alan Barron who, in his letter of July 21, praised the UK's Theresa May for abolishing her Climate Change Department (CCD).
He says we should follow her lead and I agree. However, his letter shows ignorance of what she has done: Ms May has not abandoned action on climate change, but rather folded the CCD into the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. This department is headed by Greg Clark, who has stated that he wants to, "... deliver affordable clean energy and tackle climate change". Unlike Mr Barron, she has moved beyond the question of whether climate change exists, to a position of accepting the facts and concentrating on the business of doing something about it.
Mr Turnbull should take note. Instead, he has appointed "Mr Coal" as our new Environment Minister. Sadly, our government is still ignoring the big picture. It is concentrating on costs of living, health, education and border security.
Yes, these are important but our environment is where we live. It is like we are living in a house that is falling apart. We spend all our efforts on minimising costs, thorough cleaning, good internet and installing secure doors. This won't mean much when the roof falls in.
We mustn't ignore the house itself (eg: the climate that supports us). Such ignorance will hurt us in the future. Think of the legacy are we leaving our children with this shortsighted budgeting.
- Joe Boin, Invermay
No jobs on dead planet
ALAN Barron, ('We should follow May', The Courier July 21) should know the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy that replaces Energy and Climate Change in the new UK cabinet is headed by Greg Clark who stated that he was, "thrilled to have been appointed to lead this new department charged with ... delivering affordable, clean energy and tackling climate change".
He has previously praised the role of renewables in job creation and their part in creating a resilient economy rather than one of repeated boom and bust. He has also expressed grave concern on the probability of "a vicious circle of runaway global warming, with truly disastrous consequences".
If Australia wants to remain internationally competitive, it would do well to realise that coal no longer provides the cheapest form of energy, stop pretending it's renewables and not high gas prices responsible for the current price hike in electricity, and understand there really are no jobs on a dead planet.
- Sandra Hawkins, Canadian
