Commenting on the story: Ambos in mediation over industrial action as ‘urgent’ 2019 funding request revealed

Ten years ago, Adelaide’s population was 1.198m. It’s estimated that by the middle of this year it will be 1.458m, an increase of three-quarters of a million.

That’s an annual population growth rate of at least 0.62%, exceeding that of cities such as Paris, Rome, Los Angeles and Beirut.

Is it any surprise therefore that pressures on the number of hospital beds has created queues of ambulances waiting outside hospitals? Not to mention the pressures on hospital staff.

The previous Labor Government, with the avid support of the Liberal Opposition, actively sought immigrants to this state. In doing so they had a responsibility to ensure all aspects of our health system were increased in tandem with population numbers. Yet they failed to do so.

Increasing population is a lazy method of stimulating the economy, but governments of both persuasions are addicted to it.

Both parties are incapable of understanding a basic fact: the resulting infrastructure demands – be it for hospital beds, schools or roads – can never be met as long as population numbers increase at this rate. – Sandra Kanck

Commenting on the story: Strong ticket sales see Adelaide Festival beat 2021 box office target

Adelaide Festival? Had it been on? Really, didn’t notice it. It has been a non-event since it went annual. Financial resources spread too thin to get really too notch international events. It was a top international festival. 

I recall the 1984 Beethoven cycle with the London Philharmonia and Vladimir Ashkenazi, the 1976 with The Israeli Symphony and Zubin Metha, the 1986 with the incomparable (the late) Sir Georg Solti and The Chicago.  Philip Glass and Descent into the Maelstrom, composed for the Festival. The festival highlighting guitar geniuses, John Williams, Paco Pena and Leo Kottke

Since then, little memorable. The world class international festival of the past has degenerated into a local party, like the Perth and Sydney festivals. 

Go back to biannual for the main act – the Fringe, mainly a party for the ‘kids’, can be annual. – Robert Warn

Commenting on the opinion piece: New JobSeeker rules punish both unemployed and employers 

Most employers don’t even get back to the applicants who applied for the position/job.

I always did when I employed people years ago, common courtesy. – Robert Bussey

I live in a small town, how are we supposed to look for 15 jobs a month? – Hiedi Curtis

When a person applies for a position and is unsuccessful they either are not informed of the fact or, if given notice, have no way of seeking feedback; feedback that is crucial for future applications.

With an increase of applicants for jobs and employers overwhelmed, how will one ever know why they were not suitable, increasing anxieties and low self-esteem due to constant rejection. – Adrian Smith

I couldn’t have said that any better, thank you. – Linden Grandcourt

Thank you so much for exposing what job seekers go through constantly. We don’t all go to the beach and lie in the sun! It is a full time job in-itself dealing with the bureaucracy in Centrelink, and having the need to explain yourself over and over again to people who treat you like cattle.

Perhaps now that many Australians have had to deal with Centrelink personally, thanks to Covid – and I mean people who never thought they would be on benefits – there might be a greater understanding and less put-downs from the employed about those that have been considered “ bludgers”. – Bronwyn Peile

I’m on the age pension but not so long ago was on the dole and had to apply for 20 jobs per month. 

Being in my early sixties, nobody was interested in giving me a job. Supermarkets wouldn’t give a job stacking shelves; in fact, twice I went in armed with my CV to be told applications were only accepted via the internet.

To get the dole, I ended up applying for many jobs I had a snowflake’s chance in hell of getting. It was really a joke. – Robert Beadle

When I have applied for jobs in the past during the good times, most employers didn’t bother to respond to my application unless I was successful. So just imagine now that employers are going to be overwhelmed with applications how poorly they will handle it when there are not enough jobs for people who want to work.

They certainly wont be putting on more staff in HR to handle the influx, as that will cost employers. The government is just shifting its responsibility and persecuting the unemployed. – Filomina Gilbert

One of the biggest issues with domestic violence is that people are under financial stress and yet the government turns around and does this to people, creating more stress, more depression, more anxiety for people.

Then the government brings out these ads for domestic violence, when they are actually adding to the problem. – David Nolan