Readers’ views on land tax, changes to electoral law, and the city’s design.
BOB PERRY: Having watched all the Doctor Who programs at the weekend I’m unsure what planet the Government of Weatherill is on. It obviously has a rarefied atmosphere because the colony leaders make weird decisions.
I have just received my Land Tax Assessment and for one property it has gone up by almost 500%. Then they’ve taxed us on a property which is owned by the State Government and leased to us.
They can’t have it both ways. They can give it to us and we will happily pay the land tax, or they can admit to an error.
Our land tax has gone from $1529.50 to $8006.50.
Time to bring in the Daleks I think.
ROB SILVA: It is outrageous for Attorney-General John Rau to justify proposed changes to electoral laws on the grounds that the current system can product ‘undemocratic results’ when those self-same changes entrench and reinforce the existing bias towards parties over groups and independents (Sitting MPs shut gate on lesser-known candidates, InDaily, 26 November 2013). Absolutely nothing that advantages one type of candidate over another could conceivably be considered democratic.
I don’t have any particular issue with the 2.5% of primary votes requirement for a candidate to receive preferences, provided that the same criteria is applied to party quotas – ie if the Labor Party receives one quota + 2.49% of the vote, it would not be possible for them to end up with a second seat.
If this is not the case, then the Attorney’s proposed changes are clearly driven by self-interest and must be blocked.
ELSPETH REID: We South Australians need to develop a sense of place. The capital city, Adelaide, is basically the gateway to the desert, to the centre, so good on Adelaide for being an ‘honest’ city – an unpretentious city that isn’t trying to prove something.
Our city is incredibly hot. We take for granted temperatures in the mid 40s, unlike Sydneians who let the whole nation know repeatedly, recently, when they had one day that was 45 degrees. However, if we realise who and where we are we would know that to encourage cycling in the city we need more tree cover. We need more street trees and shrubs. Our pavements should be ones that allow seepage of rainwater, to bring coolness and softness. If the city wants to draw people to it, it shouldn’t be so user-unfriendly. At present we have massive expanses of bitumen and concrete which reverberate heat back onto the hapless pedestrian straining to shop in a concrete wasteland heatbox. Bring trees into the city, native grasses and sedges, cool verandahs; make the footpaths user-friendly. It’s all very well to bring in experts from Germany – but what do they know of thumping-hot summers? Bring the casuarinas and kangaroo grass back to North Terrace.
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