Commenting on the story: Private e-scooters to get legal green light

What I want to know is who to sue if I get injured by one of these unregistered, uninsured devices or there is damage to property in the event a collision?

We are not allowed to drive an unregistered motor vehicle, whether it’s a motorcycle, car or truck. These have to be registered as well as be covered by comprehensive insurance as a minimum.

Third-party property can continue to be allowed so the risk of personal property damage is borne by the owner. That’s the risk they take.

Even non-motorised vehicles such as trailers and caravans are required to be registered and be comprehensively insured.
The glaring example of human-powered non-registered vehicles allowed on public roads and walking tracks is bicycles. I feel these should also be required to be registered and comprehensively insured.

I’m not against e-scooters etc but there must be protection for the public in general to be able to claim for damages to vehicles and person when damage and injury occurs, as it surely will.

If the impending legislation doesn’t provide for this then the government will be culpable and should be made liable for damage to property and/or injury to person. – Ray Goulter

Commenting on the opinion piece: Spending our way into the black while protecting the kids

Simon Schrapel has sufficient esteemed history within the child welfare and child protection systems to know what he is talking about.

Thirty years ago, early intervention in the shape of family support services not only tutored and supported families in the care and nurture of their children (often preventing them from being removed from home into foster care) but also addressed the social isolation and disenfranchisement many of these families experience simply through regular visits from a family support worker and knowing someone cared.

For many decades and at the same time I too worked in child protection, both in direct service delivery and in policy and program development. Now, I truly regret early intervention and family support services were disbanded during my time as a cost cutting measure.

For the health of our next generation of children and for the community, please bring the ambulance up from the bottom of the hill and reintroduce family support and early intervention services sooner rather than later. – Dianne Maguire

Spot on as usual, Simon. Funding proven prevention and early intervention programs will save both blighted lives and the state budget! – Peter Sandeman

Commenting on the story: Unley car park brawl ends over major development

I am all for urban infill and urban consolidation when appropriate and progressive. However, this proposed development seems to have several major drawbacks.

A few questions that need to be considered before this plan is actioned. How many of these apartments will be set aside for social housing? Or will they just end up being yuppie/investor apartments, like the development opposite the Cremorne hotel where a two bed, 1 bathroom apartment sells for $600,000+?

Is the Unley Council, and are the developers/architects, aware of the concept of ‘human scale’ (anything above five stories is basically not human scale)? Why bother with a cinema complex when Mitcham cinemas and the Capri easily fulfil the needs of the local community (indeed, it could well be the death knell for the Unley Council supported heritage Capri)?

Retail outlets? Really? When so many shops are empty in other sections of Unley Road and King William Road? I would question how such a development will actually benefit “residents, visitors, and our business community”. Will it really encourage an ‘influx of younger people’? Or just young people backed by rich parents/grandparents?

Visitors? Unley is not exactly a throbbing tourist destination, so the image of flocks of people visiting is a nice ideal, but totally detached from reality. Residents of Unley need to carefully consider and question this development now that the Unley Council has won this legal case. – Stephen Rate

Commenting on the story: Adelaide is running out of room for industries

One option I have talked about for many years is decentralisation. Many other countries have done this successfully.

We have dying rural towns that could be boosted by investment. Snowtown is one such place. It has council owned parklands, land that could be offered for free and no rates for a honeymoon period. The town is connected by major rail and road routes, a hospital, school, and other basic facilities.

Relocating industries away from Adelaide has many more economic benefits. A return of passenger express services to Adelaide might mean people could choose to commute at least in the short term while the cheap offering of land could encourage housing affordability.

Local governments need to get on board with offering incentives to encourage investment and employment to these places in order to grow their economic base. – Peter Keller