Commenting on the opinion piece: Why (and how) an Adelaide family moved to the other side of the world in a global pandemic

Wow. When you guys take a risk, you don’t do a half-baked job of it, do you? It’s way more risk than I’m comfortable with in my life, I’m afraid.

I’m so glad everything is working out well for you and I wish you luck with your new life and into the future. – Adelaide McElhinney

Interesting article, so very well written, good read. All the best to the whole family. I feel deeply you were led to live in California. – Susan Smith

Wow! What an amazing story. One of the very few that I read till the end.

I’m proud that you made it through successfully, and are enjoying San Francisco. My wife and I also moved from Malaysia to Australia in somewhat of a similar circumstance. I left my job (and sold everything) on two days notice to catch a flight from KL to Adelaide last October.

I can relate to the chaos whilst trying to juggle ten different things at once. Wishing you all the best from Adelaide! Cheers! – Asad Rana

Commenting on the story: ‘I don’t want your vote’: MP hits back at ‘offensive’ abortion critics

Politicians are elected by voters as voters’ representatives, to present voters’ views to Parliament. Politicians have not won a voting lottery with the prize being the ability to impose their personal standards and/or the wishes of their financial supporters on voters.

Connie Bonaros is to be lauded for resisting the preferences of the church to which she belongs in favour of the opinions of the people she represents. In this regard she is in good company: President Joe Biden, well known as a serious practicing Catholic, has also resisted imposing the standards of his church in favour of acting in accordance with the wishes of the electorate. – Kathleen Tay

I agree with Ms Bonaros’ views on abortion, but I’m befuddled by her thinking. 

She says “I’ll do what I’m paid to do as a politician… I won’t bring religion or personal views into it.” 

So exactly what does inform her opinion? Don’t we want MPs to have convictions? (As in beliefs, not criminal records!) – Derek Mitchell

Commenting on the story: Google starts paying for news in Australia – including from InDaily

I applaud the efforts of Solstice Media to become more relevant in today’s market. It’s also interesting that Google has done this, and effectively negated the efforts of the Australian Government.

The top Murdoch-controlled media in this country need no support from the government, they have all implemented paywalls to protect their content. Apart from that, the news is skewed to the right rather than being balanced reporting from journalists with integrity. – Bob Sibson

Commenting on the story: Merger advocate appointed new Adelaide University VC

I have the privilege of having degrees from Adelaide and Flinders Universities, and am a member of both Alumni Associations. as well as having short relationship with the University of South Australia in a role other than as student.

In times gone by, I was also able to have a look at the TAFE system, as a member of a College board.

If Adelaide University is merged with the University of South Australia, academic standards will fall, and a great university’s standards will be degraded in the interest of the almighty dollar. It will be a disaster for South Australia.

Even the students at the University of South Australia acknowledge this when they refer to the institution as ’Supertafe’. They see Adelaide University as providing a superior, intellectual training, and, from my own experience, I must agree with them. – John Murphy

Commenting on the opinion piece: Universities face pandemic financial reckoning

Any business (and that’s what universities have become) when faced with this degree of revenue loss would:

(a) Reduce the salary of the CEO (vice-chancellor) proportionally;

(b) Remove some layers of management;

(c) Tighten the belt in most other areas.

But I bet they won’t. – Stefan Landherr

Commenting on the story: Nation’s top banker calls for permanent lift to JobSeeker rate

We are living well below the poverty line. My husband who is a pensioner has had a hip replacement is now waiting for a full knee replacement. He has been living with bone on bone now for near two years. I have had multiple operations on my shoulders. I have degenerative bone disease in both shoulders, had had subacromial operations, a biceps tenotemy. Also have radial numbness in my right hand. Also just recently my right shoulder dislocated when I rolled over in bed. 

It is totally unfair that all unemployed are put in the same basket. Clearly we are unable to work. How are we expected to survive on $40 a day. We have just moved to another rental as our old landlord sold the house we were renting and the amount of money we pay now is up by another $40 per fortnight. This system needs to change and stay changed. – Maree French