Commenting on the story: ‘House of cards’: Govt extends WCH consultation amid clinician warnings

With the legitimate uncertainty now surrounding the building of the new WCH, more than ever the Government needs to keep its eyes on the ball and not continue to neglect the present WCH in terms of staffing, resources and equipment.

It is apparent that this hospital, more than ever, will need to service the needs of the women and babies and the children of South Australia. – Professor John Svigos

Commenting on the story: Major road bypass proposed for Hahndorf

We complain a lot about what the government  is or isn’t doing, but on this occasion I applaud the efforts to reduce the level of commercial traffic through Hahndorf.

It’s quite evident there needs to be a solution. As a local resident it’s difficult to negotiate the main commercial area because of large commercial vehicles. These proposals can only make it safer and more efficient. Let’s go! – Robert Sibson

Commenting on the story: AFL rejects Port bid to wear ‘prison bars’ in Showdown

What a disappointing and ridiculous decision to not allow the most successful club in the history of the game to wear whatever strip it wants in a Showdown. – Chris Brougham

I shouldn’t care because I barrack for the Crows, but are we kidding ourselves that it’s really the AFL. It’s still the VFL. – Aura Valli

Commenting on the opinion piece: Quarantine must check out of city hotels

We already have a quarantine station on Torrens Island ,which has been left idle for many years.

How about the government upgrade those facilities, or build new ones and send them there? – Fred Driver

A great article by Professor O’Toole, with much common sense based on historical effective quarantine practices in effect some 70 years ago.

Basically, isolate the quarantine site and staff away from the community in specially built single accommodation camps with plenty of fresh air, as per the NT model.

Make sure the facilities are equivalent to a four star holiday camp to minimise any feelings of people under quarantine of being in a ‘prison’ environment. Similarly for the service and medical staff.

I would add based on my own personal experience from working in onshore and offshore oil drilling camps, that to ensure that service and medical staff don’t spread the virus into the community when they leave the quarantine facility, that a four weeks on/four weeks off roster be adopted.  

This would take the form of medical and service staff carry out their duties for two weeks, Then quarantine in the camp for two weeks and then return to the community for four weeks off. Full pay in effect at all times.

Medical and service staff should also be paid up to 100% more than off-site equivalent wages to compensate for the time away from home.

Some may think this might be too expensive, but the cost of staff under this proposal pales in comparison to the cost to the states and the nation for the lockdowns that have and are still taking place intermittently. 

I have worked and lived under such a roster system as suggested  in oil rig camps that did not have a ‘prison’ atmosphere. Far from it. Why of course this system was not adopted at the very start of the return of virus infected people to Australia, I fail to understand.

But as once stated by a wise man in the past, ‘common sense isn’t that common’. – John Kopcheff

Commenting on the story: SA housing ‘unaffordable’ for low-income renters

SA Housing has a large number of empty low income rental properties. They sit empty for months on end waiting for maintenance and repairs.

I live in Whyalla and in my street alone there are at least five SA Housing properties sitting empty. There are many more sitting empty for months throughout Whyalla. Allocation of these properties to vulnerable families could could go a long way to resolving the housing crisis before the cold of winter sets in.

The SA government urgently needs to provide the funds to prepare these properties for rent. I am aware of a number of families on the priority one waiting list who are homeless. They have been advised by SA Housing that almost no properties in Whyalla are being allocated until at least June.

Apparently SA Housing are waiting on government funding to undergo maintenance and repairs to the empty properties. – Maryse Detemmerman

Anglicare’s annual rental affordability snapshot has delivered what those on the front line of homelessness and emergency assistance services already know – affordable housing is not affordable to those on JobSeeker, those who are underemployed, on low incomes or in gig economy jobs.

Housing is a basic human right. People who have unstable housing, are on the streets or couch surfing are unable to ace job interviews and start to rebuild their lives.

With the current rental crisis where we hear of 100+ people turning up for open inspections for rental properties, and the recent much publicised case of Kirsty and her four children who couldn’t find affordable rental accommodation despite attending 400+ open inspections, we need more than promises of more affordable housing.  We need more social housing.

While we hear about the importance of an infrastructure lead recovery, it would be good to see state and federal governments commit that infrastructure funding to building more social housing, thereby also delivering a direct social benefit to our community. – Louise Miller Frost, CEO, St Vincent de Paul Society SA