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I SPENT over 40 years as a preschool, primary, music teacher and 10 years as a supply teacher.

One day only I was a relief teacher at a special school. It was the first time I had ever worked with handicapped children.

I must say I have never felt so out of my comfort zone. Firstly I was never trained to teach children with autism and other needs.

Teachers usually have up to 30 children to teach and help but with the handicapped child the need is really one to one.

Schools provide teacher aides and they do a fine job and a great help to the classroom teacher but special training is much needed.

All the politicians having their say at Pauline Hanson’s remarks should spend a day with a full class of children and some special needs children and then they would understand the situation. LOIS MCCULLOCH, GOLD COAST

KATHLEEN Skene’s articles ( GCB, 16/6) give no comfort to the owners and occupants of Gold Coast highrise villages, especially when she refers to building certifiers being unable to “tell whether cladding was compliant and relied on the document trail to suppliers”.

Owners and occupants must be alarmed that they are relying on certifiers to do paper trails for builders. The onus of proof must be on the builder that the equipment and materials comply with the conditions of the contract.

This contract will state what parts of the building will meet the “deemed to satisfy” clauses of the Building Code of Australia (BCA) thereby meeting the relevant Australian Standards.

The contract must also state which parts will be based on the, so-called “performance approach” in which the builder elects to offer an alternative design to the Australian Standards’ “deemed to satisfy” design.

It’s up to the builder to provide proof to the certifier that the construction will meet the contract.

The “tinderbox roulette” represents the “performance approach” in which the builder tries to cut costs to win the tender.

Unfortunately it may be the case in many cladded buildings that the warning that “fire safety bodies and businesses said that often certifiers were too close to builders” rings all too true.

If the city fathers are concerned enough about the safety of its occupants, they will insist the Queensland Government instructs all builders of buildings more than two storeys to provide proof of compliance of all components for the last 20 years of their operation, as a condition of their licence renewal.

In particular, those builders must provide proof of the compliance of their cladding materials, construction and installation to a special commission. R. DUNCAN, ELANORA

IS THERE a club of bus drivers who drive the 745 Nerang station route who deliberately run so late that passengers are forced to sit on the station platform waiting for the next train?

This issue is endemic on this route. I’m just glad I’m not travelling to the airport. JAMES. BROADBEACH