Priorities wrong
AFTER nearly four years in office, Will Hodgman has found $10 million for women’s sport. While I support sport for women, and agree current facilities are inadequate, my concern comes down to a matter of statewide priorities. If there really is a spare $10 million available, the first priority in my view should be to pump it into the struggling health system, which according to the AMA is still the worst in Australia, despite all the promises of more beds and staff.
Road toll action
RENE Hidding’s analysis of road crashes for the last five years does little to engender confidence on this important issue ( Mercury, January 2.) On a per capita basis, our road toll is higher than NSW. It was great this Christmas period was fatality free, though there were in excess of 1200 drivers caught speeding. It is obvious some drivers have an entrenched attitude to speeding. Of course the police cannot be out in force continually. This raises the question of why are there not more speed cameras. Red-light cameras would make our roads safer. Most drivers would be able to relate to seeing red-light runners quite often. I look forward to hear what initiatives the political parties will promise in an endeavour to really lessen the road toll.
Breakwater wishes
THE column by Peter Boyer reminded me that people my age remember our early years better than our later years (Talking Point, January 2). Although I was studying electronic engineering, I had a broad education that included lectures about many subjects, including elementary civil engineering. I remember one lecture started with an annoyed professor muttering: “The trouble with fluids is that they don’t read the text books”. Before computers, the civil engineers built scale models in the backyard, and measured what the water did. When the fluids hadn’t read the text books, they’d modify the model and try again. They had many successes, but weren’t always heeded. A harbour in north Queensland, Mourilyan, was self-cleaning. As the tide rose and fell, the water swirled around and old icky water was replaced by clean water. The sugar industry wanted a bigger wharf with a bigger breakwater. The university succeeded in persuading everyone to abandon Plan A that would have ruined the self-cleaning flow, and accept Plan B, which would preserve it. I hope someone has used computers to so something similar to confirm the plans for the mouth of the Prosser River will work.
Wishes of the people
IT’S all very well for former prime minister Paul Keating to attack Malcolm Turnbull on the republic. Let’s go back to prime ministers Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott who never exploited divisions in the Republican movement. Paul Keating knows very well Australians voted against the Republican head of state in favour of keeping the British monarchy. Our Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth is the best Queen we have ever had. Let’s wait until our Queen retires and then Federal Parliament must put another referendum to the people. Paul Keating should keep out of politics. God save the Queen.