Commenting on the story: Council demands evidence for GM-free knockback

After listening to Minister Basham and his unconvincing explanation of why the decision to allow GM crops is supposedly based on the quality of the councils’ applications – not science and industry professionals – wake up SA government before it’s too late. – Roy Plummer

Commenting on the story: Private providers favoured over “uncompetitive” TAFE”: Marshall

I don’t hear good stories about private providers. I hear stories of people on student visas doing courses they don’t care about again and again. People teaching in these environments to unresponsive classes and poor quality offerings. 

I used to provide advice to students leaving schools about career choices and the TAFE system was something to be proud of. So much on offer, much easier to negotiate and understand.

The notion that the main selection criteria for who offer education to South Australians is cost competitiveness is just not ok. The post-school education system is close to broken and we really need better from our government. – Kate Simpson

In regard to Ian Curry’s letter about handing over TAFE to the private sector, (Your views Monday 9/11) known to have issues of efficiency, corruption and lack of purpose from the point of view of our society as a whole: “They’re acting more like asset-stripping venture capitalists than a government!”

But that is exactly what they are. Not stripping the assets with their bare hands, that would be a little too obvious. But apparently handing them over to venture capitalists who have zero interest in anything other than their own profits is considered to be something they can get away with, even though massive scandals in the private higher education sector in Australia would clearly indicate the motives of handing our education over. – Cathy Chua

Commenting on the story: Cashless Centrelink payment cards “not worth the human cost”

Senator Ruston said that a few days ago  she hadn’t yet ‘read the report’, yet the article said that it’s not completed. Based on the federal government’s recent track record, I wonder if the report is completed, but as it doesn’t come out and say that the card ‘works’ they’ve moved on to ‘Plan B’ and commenced talks about the “Continuations’ Bill regardless of the outcome.

In the past the cards in various ‘incarnations’ have cost the taxpayer around eight to twelve thousand dollars per person, per annum. If the card were to cost less, then I’m sure the government would have indicated so, regardless of the “confidential’ clause.

Since the current rate of JobSeeker without the COVID supplement is around $15k per person, and there still is no evidence that the CDC works, why – apart from a philosophy that those in receipt of Centrelink payments are not to be trusted to manage their affairs and to be punished by the constraints the CDC forces on all –  are we wasting millions of taxpayers money on this? – Helen Chadwick

Commenting on the story: A trade war with China will be disastrous for SA’s economy

A concise, insightful analysis for SA wine companies and Chinese companies who have invested in the Australian wine industry on their potential losses driven by the current political tensions between Australia  and China. – Geoff Upton