Commenting on the story: ‘Abysmal’: SA’s vaccination rollout lashed

As a person on imunno-suppressant drugs, I find it difficult to believe that I am still waiting for my vaccine shot whilst other healthy 70 year olds have had theirs.

The criteria  for enrolment is too broad in group 1b. Not happy, Jan! – Dean Harris

I am over 75 and in Covid group 1b. I was offered the AstraZeneca vaccine. But the government promised that my age group would get the FAR more effective Pfizer vaccine. So I declined.

I since discovered that the government has shifted the goalposts. Only group 1a now will get the Pfizer vaccine.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is only weakly effective (40%) for older people, while the Pfizer is 95% overall and about 80% plus for older people.

I had to pointedly ask what was being offered and press my question at the GP clinic. People are not being told what is on offer. Older people are getting the ‘mushroom’ treatment.

A broken promise. And of course Australia lacks the technological ability to manufacture the Pfizer vaccine. Australians: second class again. – Robert Warn

It is disappointing that the vaccine rollout has been so slow and there are not real indicators that it is speeding up. I am concerned for the elderly and disabled, particularly those that are technologically challenged.

Sadly, it appears governments of all persuasions fail to meet the needs to this group. There seems to be no federally coordinated program to contact the vulnerable to ensure they receive the COVID vaccine. SA Health should also step up to the plate and initiate COVID vaccine centres, not fob patients off to see their GPs.

We have seen a loosening of COVID restrictions that is not tied to the level of vaccine rollout. Maybe if we tied the two issues together, losing restriction for percentage of rollout completed, there would be better progress. Queensland has just reminded us all of the potentially environment we still all face. – Gerry Kandelaars

Why would anyone want the AstraZeneca shot when the Pfizer-BioNTech is better? It’s a bit like trying to sell our non-world-class NBN. – Rob Naudi

Commenting on the story: Richardson: Belated apology isn’t courage – it’s opportunism

The Labor machine can tiptoe around the word “racism” and the ‘were-they-or-weren’t-they-bullet-holes’ issue all it likes.

The “can you trust Habib?” flyer was a scaremongering attempt to pigeonhole a candidate as an “other” based on her Middle Eastern surname, during a period when genuinely frightening news reports about ISIL were starting to come out of the Middle East.

Call it what you like, it wasn’t on. – Peri Strathearn

Commenting on the story: Labor refers email claims to Ombudsman

SA politicians, please get on with the running of, and improving, this state’s economic growth.

Stop this political bickering that costs the taxpayers of South Australia. 

Your electorate voted you in to represent them, you were chosen as the best candidate to do the right thing by constituents.

Start performing, please. Can I suggest trying a bi-partisan approach to get things moving. – Maria Morris

Commenting on the story: Water torture: Oodnadatta to continue paying for undrinkable bore water

Clean, safe, potable water for everyone should be a government priority. Having to pay $300 for water you can’t safely use is just wrong!

But then, that’s what happens when what should be a public utility is sold off by government to a private company to run. Private equals profit-driven. – Maureen Howland

Commenting on the story: Santos approves massive Top End gas project

Gas projects like the one Santos has announced blow Australia’s chances of meeting emissions reductions targets.

It is disappointing that your article opted only to describe positive externalities of gas exploitation (claimed jobs etc) offering uncritical support for the project, in effect. Not only is the gas industry far from being employment-intensive, when the full life cycle of gas is considered – not just the emissions counted when it is burned – gas can be seen to be a very dangerous, fast-acting contributor to climate change.

Because this project involves LNG exports, there are extra emissions from processing. To have a reasonable chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change we must eschew all projects like this. Given the existential threat posed by climate change, it is best that projects as profoundly destructive of climate stability as this fail.

To suggest otherwise or foster them, as most Australian governments still want to do, is a radical position based on denial. – Jim Allen

Commenting on the story: Calls for Govt to release ‘secret’ ambulance ramping report

“Reviews are costly – why aren’t they shared?” says a responsible member of the public.

Of course, she is correct.

The Premier prides himself on following medical advice with COVID-19; why not now with the equally important medical effects of ramping? – Assoc Professor John Svigos 

Commenting on the story: Your views: on city bikeways

These comments are infuriating. People are even mentioning we need bike lanes now more than ever because congestion is at its worst? What?

These bike lanes just create options for other cyclists, they don’t make people cyclists. There is little use attempting to force people to use your preferred method of transport.

The fact of the matter is, cycling is a mainly recreational activity. Cyclists can’t deliver furniture, cyclists can’t restock a pub, cyclists can’t offer a ride share on a Saturday night, cyclists can’t bring people to and from a hospital and bikes aren’t able to be used by some people with disabilities.

All new bike lanes would do is please the cycling crowd during the two week lead up and wind down of the Tour Down Under, the rest of the year it’ll be utilised by a few dozen people at the expense of the city. Cyclists seldom ride in winter and almost never ride through the city at night, which are times vehicles utilise this space still.

As a motorbike rider I appreciate that I can get around cheap, filter through cars and park generally for free, all of those things come at no cost to other motorists. I don’t need a special lane, motorbike footpath spaces are impractical for cars, it works for everyone. You can still get in and out of the city just fine on a bike now, you just don’t get to monopolise every single street at the cost of even worse congestion and making it difficult for groups or logistics.

People need to stop thinking car vs bike and instead thing about what the practical uses of a road space are. The fact of the matter is, no matter how fun, exciting and cheap you find cycling, we still need those roads for vehicles, end of story – no matter how angry that makes you.

Right now, cyclists have access to footpaths, bike lanes and roads, so stop giving us this story about how hard done by you are. You’re already the most advantaged travellers in the city. – Scott Redford

Building on points made, six million dollars for a 2.5km stretch of bike lane amounts approximately to $25,000 for every 10m of bike lane.

Do we need a royal commission into construction costs in Australia? In Bogato, Columbia they laid a line of bricks to separate cars and bicycles. It didn’t need to cost so much or to look so pretty, as the democratic act of sharing the city, maintaining safety, safe-guarding mental health and increasing users/patrons are paramount.

Find ways to share the city and make it more enjoyable to access, businesses will profit. Furthermore, these roads of contention are exceptionally wide – I suggest it’s a lie that such extensive car parks will be lost. The ACC’s response to Gehl Associates 2 x $250,000 Urban Studies was so embarrassing that Jan Gehl (famous urban planner) was vocal about taking the details off their website.

What the ACC were hoping to do was reinforce existing parochial mindsets. Instead they got a lesson, and so all the insights were thrown on the fire – every issue surrounding bicycle lanes was outlined in these studies. This issue won’t go away until it’s dealt with and it invites greater concerted efforts by activists until it is made a reality. – Richard Le Messurier