For the silent majority getting on with it
In anticipation of yet another protest by the uncompromising and incessant SOS (aka NIMBY brigade) I would like to voice the opinion of what I think a majority of Ballarat residents would think in regards to the station redevelopment.
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I for one am glad to see that the long dilapidated eye sore blue stone sheds are being preserved and refurbished with the inclusion of a cultural hub and high capacity bus interchange.
Furthermore, the parking capacity will be increased to cater for those whom may not have the luxury of being withing walking distance of the station (as coincidentally the majority of the protesters have).
Sure, while there is private sector involvement, the government does not have a endless supply of taxpayer money to fund such large projects, its a small price to pay for such a large benefit to the city as a whole.
William Bennett, Soldiers Hill
Designing our Long Term Future: the need for a summit
Australia has had a number of Summits between 1983 and 2008 with varying results. With the current level of disillusionment by many Australians of the existing political system it is a perfect time for our leaders to convene a great Summit to analyse the current reality of our political state and design and plan for a fairer, more transparent more effective and sustainable political system. The primary objective of this Summit would be to have a government which achieves the best outcomes for all Australians. This hopefully would restore TRUST in our government and our political leaders.
Proposed steps for establishing a Summit to design Australia’s long term future:
1. Parliamentary bipartisan group to source and nominate 100 Australian visionary thought leaders who are values driven, to participate in a week long Summit to design Australia’s long term ideal political system.
2. Summit to examine the current reality in terms of what is working well in our system that we would want to incorporate into any future system and what is not working well that we would want to leave behind.
3. Summit to then develop a long term vision (2050) to describe the ideal future for this country.
4. Summit to further explore the most likely future for this country if the current trends prevail.
5. Summit to conclude with recommendations for the development of a Strategic Plan to close the gap between the most likely future and the preferred ideal future.
6. Establishment of a 12 months consultation process to gain input from diverse stakeholders into the development of a Strategic Plan to deliver the ideal future over the next 30 years.
7. Development of 10, 20 year plans to break down the Strategic Plan into specific measurable time frames and outcomes.
8. Development of 12 month plans with the emphasis on empowering all Australians to contribute to the overall Strategic Plan.
9. Reconvene the Summit 12 months from the original date to sign off on the Plans.
10. Parliament to debate and adopt the Plans.
Robert J Re Principal Robert J Re and Associates, Ballarat