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Your views: on nuclear waste, submarines and JobSeeker

Today, readers comment on a national nuclear dump in SA, a massive Defence contract and surviving on jobless payments.

Feb 26, 2021, updated Feb 26, 2021
Photo: supplied

Photo: supplied

Commenting on the opinion piece: They have let it come: now build it

Sean Edwards’ defence of the federal governments push for a hotly-contested national radioactive waste facility near Kimba on the Eyre Peninsula fails to recognise that the deeply flawed plan has once more hit the rough.

Mr Edwards speaks of respect, but there is nothing respectful in the governments new legislation seeking to remove people’s rights to legally appeal or challenge the plan.

Access to a day in court is a fundamental democratic right, and the governments obsession with removing this should sound alarm bells in the wider community, just as it has in the Senate where the planned law was again deferred this week after it failed to garner broad political support.

The plan shirks the hard questions about responsible long-term radioactive waste management in favour of a sub-optimal short-term political ‘fix’.

The waste comes from the Lucas Heights reactor in Sydney. There is a growing call that it should stay at this secure federal site until there is a credible pathway for its long-term management. Moving it to an area in regional South Australia where there are far fewer management assets and resources is both unnecessary and irresponsible.

This is not a decision about on which hill to put a mobile tower. Deciding on Australia’s first purpose-built national radioactive waste facility requires much more evidence, effort and evaluation than has occurred to date.

If radioactive waste lasted as long as our politicians it would hardly be a problem. But it doesn’t. This is Australia’s most serious radioactive waste and some of it needs to be isolated from people and the environment for 10,000 years.

Our nation needs a credible, evidence-based approach to the long-term management of radioactive waste.

Sadly, neither Minister Pitt’s plan nor Mr Edward’s assurances deliver this. It is time the current approach was scrapped and the federal government got serious about advancing responsible waste management. – Dave Sweeney, Australian Conservation Foundation

The comments made by Dr Beavis (InDaily Opinion February 23) are totally correct. I have seen first hand how this process has been carried out to date.

The manipulative way the Department of Industry has gone about its one-sided process has destroyed any trust whatsoever, I believe, for any future discussion for an open and transparent dialogue with the Department or with ANSTO. 

World’s best practice is something for the rest of the world to follow, apparently. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the Federal Department of Industry to follow. It’s a joke. – Leon Ashton

Commenting on the story: What we know today, Thursday February 25

Ninety billion dollars and rising  to build 12 submarines in South Australia that will be outdated as soon as they are launched.

An enormous amount of money to keep a few thousand people employed in South Australia. 

It would be cheaper to pay these workers an equivalent wage for doing nothing, than squandering it on French baguettes. 

Let’s face facts. We’re only assembling French Ikea submarines, here in South Australia, whilst the majority of money goes to France. 

Surely the Covid-19 devastation inflicted on Australia’s economy is the perfect excuse for abandoning the ill-advised submarine contract. – Mike Lesiw

Commenting on the story: Treasurer defends ‘very substantial’ $3.57 a day JobSeeker boost

If the increase of the JobSeeker payment is considered “substantial” why doesn’t the PM and all of his MPs try and survive on the payment themselves for a couple of months? – Amanda Clifford

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I’d love to see Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison survive for a fortnght on the “very substantial” boosted jobseeker payment.

Food? Petrol to attend job interviews? Phone credit to access job offers? After rent, electricity, gas, water rates (I don’t own my house) these other things become questionable payments.

Maybe our political leaders can provide a budget strategy for JobSeeker recipients as well. – Jenni Gilroy

I wonder if the Prime Minister and his Treasurer would accept a $3.57 per day increase on their wages? 

Considering we are a first world country and wealthy, our rate is the second lowest, only above Greece.

We only need to count the number of charities in this country to see we have become a third world country and can’t look after our poor, unemployed and disadvantaged. – Eric Zaurrini

For elderly people 60 plus years old, particularly with health issues, it is very difficult to find a suitable job. 

If the dole is so hard, please reduce the retire age to 62. In many other countries it is 60. – Alison Li-Rosenbaum.

For the first time since 1974, I am unemployed. My last job I had an annual income of $85k, which was a comfortable life but certainly not over the top.

Please don’t get me wrong when I say I am dipping into my own savings to survive.

I am struggling, and now to lose additional funds, it’s a joke, I don’t know how people survived on the mere money that had been dished out on a fortnightly payment prior to Covid.

To our Treasurer, until April last year I used to supply services to your suite at APH and had done so for almost seven years. I am finding it very hard to find employment. I can imagine just how others are feeling and just how much the next lot of deductions are going to hurt not just myself but everyone connected to JobSeeker.

You guys need to pull your heads out of you know where and have a look at reality. – Glen Moffitt

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