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Your views: On the Le Cornu site contract and a man’s tragic ambulance wait

Today, readers comment on the release of the city council’s Le Cornu site contract, a man’s tragic death while waiting for an ambulance, the River Murray and the park lands.

Aug 10, 2022, updated Aug 10, 2022
The former LeCornu site at North Adelaide is being developed in a partnership between Commercial & General and Adelaide City Council. Image supplied.

The former LeCornu site at North Adelaide is being developed in a partnership between Commercial & General and Adelaide City Council. Image supplied.

Commenting on the story: Investigation launched into ‘tragic’ death of man who waited 42 minutes for ambulance

If the description of this unfortunate event is correct, then one really must ask who is running this circus. When a triple zero call from a person with chest pain, who is pulling over to the side of the road, attracts two separate paramedics, two separate ambulances, one fire brigade, and three police cars we might reasonably ask is this a bit of an overreaction. Is it any wonder we are short of ambulances and police officers when a single person reporting a potential heart attack attracts so many resources? What did all these resources do that couldn’t be done with one properly equipped ambulance turning up on time? Again, if correct, then the responsible minister/s needs to be asking some extremely uncomfortable and penetrating questions. – Geoffrey Keynes

Commenting on the story: Le Cornu site contract reveals council’s reliance on apartment sales

By keeping the Development Contract for 62-100 O’Connell Street under lock and key, the council has gagged elected members under the shroud of secrecy for more than two years, no questions asked or answered, while the administration has ‘played developer’.

This city council has handcuffed itself to a commercial effort to such an extent that it lost sight of its primary governance obligations of local representation, public accountability and transparency. It has disenfranchised those whom it is supposed to represent in all things local, and silenced and berated those who would dare to ask questions.

Regrettable conduct deserving of public and governance censure, a new low point for ‘City Hall’ that no amount of puffery can disguise. Shame, and shameful that it is all at public cost. – Elbert Brooks

Commenting on the story: ‘Rivers die from the mouth up’: SA calls for Murray water buybacks

As  a matter of balance to this statement let it be known that rivers could die from the mouth up however in this case, the Murray River will never die from the mouth up. Before white settlement and before the barrages were built the Murray Mouth did close over and the entire system ran dry. Photos taken in the mid to late 1800s attest to this.

Minister Tania Plibersek was right to say the 450gls sought over and above the 2750 that the Basin plan aspires to achieve will be difficult to reach.

What she omitted to say or what her advisers omitted to write for her, was about the success the Murray Darling Basin Plan 2012, had achieved so far and how South Australia was already the beneficiary of an additional 2,000 Gls and growing currently towards the 2750gls that is planned for and achievable. Currently an extension to that timing will deliver dividends that all the stakeholders can benefit from.

What she omitted to say, there are works and measures in place to achieve much better environmental outcomes as we approach 2024. There are several studies in place.

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The elephant in the room is EVAPORATION, EVAPORATION and EVAPORATION. This never appears in any study to date by authorities tasked with finding solutions.

I am not able to expand here due to size limitation placed on responses but we all know where the problems exist and South Australia is no exception.

Advisers need to prepare scripts in a less sensational way in future and ensure their Ministers are able to get the whole HOLISTIC picture not 5% of it.

A good economist would and should weigh up the economic benefits of decentralisation, productivity through rural employment and a balance to ensure the environment can be sustained in a healthy manner. Adapt for climate change we must. – Raymond Najar, former general manager, Murray Darling Association   

Commenting on the story: Tiny Town Hall thinking killed a park lands events solution

In amongst all of his hyperbole in this opinion piece, David Washington manages to misrepresent, either in ignorance or deliberately, the matter of ‘returning’ a 3,000 square metre parcel of land, being part of Rundle Road, to the park lands. ‘Returning’ community-owned park lands to park lands is a confidence trick played over and over again by state governments, the present state government in particular.

If Washington had done his research, he might have discovered the Weatherill Government’s proposal to increase the size of Rundle Park by 3000 square metres was actually tied to one of several versions of the O-Bahn re-routing through the park lands. The then Transport and Infrastructure Minister Stephen Mullighan was proposing a four-lane ‘freeway’ through Rymill Park for O-Bahn buses and other vehicles, effectively destroying the park. However, that version of the plan was eventually abandoned and the tunnel version was implemented with resultant miniscule reductions in bus travel times at a cost of $160 million to taxpayers. – Philip Groves

Editor’s note: The original piece included the illustrated plans for Rymill Park put forward as a quid pro quo by the Weatherill Government but was amended in response to this letter to include a broader description of the plans and the opposition at the time.

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