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WHAT is magistrate Bernadette Callaghan scared of? (GCB, 22/6).

Does she think serial offender Zac Cree will go after her? If he’s been sentenced to 42 years jail, she would have little to fear.

But she’s happy he serve just five months for a string of offences.

Does she have trouble making friends because everyone who comes up against her leaves happy with the magistrate?

How does this “soft touch” magistrate hold her job? It’s quite easy when we have the naive Yvette D’Ath as Attorney-General! KEN JOHNSTON

I WISH to comment scourge of graffiti.

on

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Bermuda St, the M1 at Burleigh to Palm Beach all had works of art painted to try stop this type of vandalism … the remains of these efforts are there to see.

Some companies have also hoped murals were the answer, one paying over $20,000 for it. Sad to say it was in vain.

The Australian Institute of crime estimated in 2012 that it cost this country $1.2 billion to clean up this crime.

I believe much of this crime is caused by juvenile who have received bad parenting.

As such, the parents should have to attend parenting classes or pay the costs of graffiti removal.

I can quote many instances, over many years where parents have been told of their children’s bad behaviour but just ignore it.

So what about vandals who are not juveniles? The penalties are inadequate, so mandatory penalties must apply so offenders realise they will receive let’s say six months’ jail for a first offence.

Finally, many think this is a victimless crime but you are a victim as your rates and taxes pay for the removal of this vandalism.

I am proud of how visitors to the Gold Coast say how clean our city is. But that is due to the efforts volunteers, who pick up the rubbish and remove graffiti and a council which works hard to make this city one of the world’s best.

ALLAN ALPAL, GOLD COAST

I REFER to the article “Secrecy for good reason” (GCB, 17/6), on which I make the following comments.

In my opinion it is an unacceptable excuse for negligence on behalf of the Queensland building and construction regulators to conceal a very serious safety issue.

I and most unit owners would accept a “lingering black mark against their investment”,(to quote Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick de Brenni) rather than know an avoidable death had resulted from concealing a life threatening risk.

It raises further questions, such as the following:

Who was held accountable in the two GC examples of this regulator practice of nondisclosure?

Were any building and construction licences terminated as a result or fines or penalties issued?

Did anybody lose their job as a consequence?

Are there more nondisclosure cases?

What confidence can the highrise strata community have in their Minister and regulators?

ROGER DEARING, GOLD COAST