Credit: Cathy Wilcox
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HEALTH AND DISABILITY
In looking at the issues surrounding the National Disability Insurance Scheme it is important not to lose sight of history and also to recognise how significant a reform it was when introduced.
It has been swamped by pent-up demand and, in particular, demand for services for Autism Spectrum Disorders, accentuated by its private provider model, which has created a honeypot for dodgy providers.
For much of my career when giving the diagnosis of a disability to parents, a significant part of the conversation had to be the warning that they would face a battle getting services, especially services which allowed integration into the mainstream.
It was often a soul-destroying battle against a rigid Education Department and other bureaucracies, with arbitrary and unfair testing cut-offs for funding and great reluctance by mainstream schools to take children, as they knew full well that the Education Department would never provide enough, forcing them to share the resources one child may have obtained among three or four others. For children with “mild to moderate” ASD and other conditions, the provision of adequate services is just as life transforming as for those with greater needs, not least because the ultimate goal of independence in the community is more easily attainable.
Governments have profited for decades from the underfunding of such services.
Any cuts to NDIS cannot be contemplated until there are robust and well-funded services for those excluded from NDIS.
Dr Andrew Watkins, Olinda
Not only the young at risk of losing NDIS
I can understand Health and Disability Minister Mark Butler’s concern about sustainability of the NDIS. The figures for autism and developmental problems particularly among young boys are alarming. (One out of every 10 six-year-olds are on the NDIS, including 16 per cent of six-year-old boys).
In contrast, the percentage of beneficiaries who have a permanent acquired brain injury (ABI) is 3 per cent.
I have a boy; he has an ABI which is the result of contracting meningitis two years ago. My boy is 66 and I am 95. He’s been rejected for NDIS benefits because his 65th birthday was the arbitrary cut-off date on which a patient suddenly becomes ineligible and is packed off to a nursing home.
My boy is physically healthy and eager to participate in the community – eg. voluntary work with the assistance of a private carer. Expensive stuff without NDIS finance and our resources are running low. His medical advisers think he would deteriorate in aged care.
The Age gave me a half-page opinion piece space in March to write about our fears for my boy’s future when I die. The ABC followed up my story and over 100 respondents all thought our family is not getting a fair go.
There will probably be extensive debate about the autistic youngsters. Will the minister also remember people like my boy – those for whom the NDIS was designed? I believe there are other families like ours where older parents care for adult children and fear the future.
I wish they would make their voices heard.
Ros Collins, Elwood
Divert private school subsidies to NDIS
The federal government intends to contribute $2 billion into ″Thriving Kids″, a new program outside the NDIS aimed at supporting children with mild to moderate developmental delays and autism. Perhaps additional funds could also be diverted from federally overfunded “private schools” to this program.
Alternatively, these funds could be provided to fund government schools so they can provide the essential services that are presently not supplied to students with developmental issues.
Haydn Moyle, Flemington
THE FORUM
Liberals don’t factor
State political editor Chip Le Grand overstates the problems in the Victorian Liberal Party and understates the depth of community feeling against Labor (″For Victoria, Allan’s bounce back is anything but healthy″, 21/8).
Anyone who is not a rusted-on Labor supporter pays little or no heed to the Liberals’ internal problems. They only care about how the state is governed and by whom, not the back room machinations of the opposition.
Most of them probably couldn’t even name the Liberals’ leader, but they certainly know who the premier is. She is deeply unpopular, and one poll taken immediately after the release of the populist work from home policy will not change that.
Brad Battin has 12 months in the job to remind voters of the flaws of a government that passed its use-by date long ago.
Greg Hardy, Upper Ferntree Gully
State freefall
Working from home is fuelling the 32 per cent primary support for the state Labor Party. Victorians should put aside selfish interests for the good of our state. This incompetent mob in just over 10 years has managed to bring this once vibrant and proud state to its knees. Businesses are going belly up, the crime rate is out of control, huge debt, CFMEU and childcare debacles, and to top it all off, we have become the protest capital of Australia.
I know the average Victorian is fairminded and will make the right decision at the next election to stop this freefall.
Steve Naumovski, Southbank
Don’t mention cladding
If Merrick Morley (Comment, 21/8) thinks that dealing with maintenance issues in an apartment building is stressful, maybe he should try living in a 19th-century weatherboard built on clay.
Along with the usual on-going issues with cracking plaster, sagging stumps and badly fitting windows, he would also have to invest in thermal underwear and extra thick woolly jumpers to see him through the winter while continuing to pay massive energy bills. He would be living alongside neighbours who might or might not be delightful, and his options for dealing with difficult neighbours would be very limited.
Having downsized from such a weatherboard to a modern apartment building, I can confirm that maintenance issues, bills, and neighbourly differences of opinion do not go away. But there are ways of raising issues and ways of dealing with them that are not available to the average house owner.
There are plenty of horror stories about apartments. Just mention the word ″cladding″. The solutions must include better building standards, architectural designs that bring people together as well as providing privacy and quiet for each apartment, and public discussion of what works and what doesn’t.
And, a decent range of apartment sizes and a substantial inclusion of social housing in every building. For my partner and I, downsizing has been partly a pre-emptive strike against the possibility of having to go into aged care some time in the future – and so far, we are very happy with our decision.
Caroline Williamson, Brunswick
Who runs planning?
Merrick Morley’s honest account of what it’s really like to live in the high density proffered solution to Melbourne’s housing crisis speaks volumes about so much that is wrong in the planning system and construction industry today.
In the olden days when there was some skerrick of integrity left in the design professions there used to be a post occupancy evaluation analysis undertaken for a new dwelling – typically one month and then one year later after the new residents moved in.
This analysis could best be summed up as asking the test question the planning system is supposed to safeguard, what’s it like to live there?
Today, very few state government agencies or developers would dare ask such a question, either because they’re afraid of the answer or already know and therefore know it wouldn’t be good publicity.
From the hidden costs to the litany of construction faults to not even being able to move the furniture in unless it comes in a flat pack, is it any wonder new apartments are not holding their market value nor proving to be a great place to be?
Why are such shoddy standards tolerated by this and previous state governments?
At least the former minister for planning tried to introduce better apartment standards but to no avail. All this begs the question who is really in charge of planning and development in this state.
Bernadette George, Mildura
Building inspectors
Urban planning is important but in my experience the real problem is build and design quality which is often blamed on under qualified or careless work. This in turn is largely driven by the now inadequate building inspection processes.
There’s always been problems with workmanship. That’s why we’ve always needed inspectors. Inspectors used to be mostly older tradies who knew all the lurks and coverups and how to spot them.
These days there are too many younger people with little or no trade experience who did a tertiary course in how to tick boxes.
Regulation isn’t the problem. We got rid of the useful ones and replaced them with inadequate or fee generating ones.
Mark Freeman, Macleod
What EV problems?
Internal combustion engine (ICE) car users may well be wary of buying an EV because there are no chargers (Australia has more than 2700), historical range anxiety (500 plus km is normal, soon 1000 plus km), batteries do not last (20 plus years is normal) and price (soon less than $30,000).
Innovative designs of charging stations and the latest battery technology mean charging will very soon be faster/simpler/cleaner than pumping fuel: Simply plug in and walk away for a coffee or loo break, with no paying at the counter.
Unlike gas guzzlers, EVs are not a smoking gun pointed at the environment, which use home solar for $0/km green motoring and zero emissions. So, why are ICE addicts still not plugging into the latest technology to save the environment, especially as some EVs can now tow boats, vans and trailers?
Tony Danino, Wheelers Hill
Systems redundancy
Air travel is very, very safe and this is due to every aircraft (large or small) having built in “systems redundancy” for all critical components. Systems redundancy means that there are dual systems, one to keep operating if the other fails, for example the engine on every small plane has two ignition systems. Should one system fail then the engine will still keep running using the other ignition system.
The very sad fact is when we build freeways and toll roads there is no consideration given to a ‘systems redundancy’. In fact, we create on purpose bottle necks in the existing road network to funnel traffic on to the freeways and toll roads thereby reducing any alternative routes or methods of getting off freeways or toll roads should there be some emergency or collision.
A simpler and more effective solution to traffic congestion is to build more or better railways as well as keeping alternative road networks. The Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) construction is a positive step to creating a systems redundancy for our over-stressed road network.
David Hassett, Noble Park
AI might be the answer
Re (Letters, “AI is the answer”, 21/8). I certainly agree with the sentiment of the use of AI in the local government sphere. The issue arises even with the guard rails implemented into the system there is still a bias within the system as a legacy from whomever developed the framework of the guard rails.
Even though there are some local councils implementing AI systems in connection with planning inquiries at the initial stages to allow people to get an indication as to what planning implications would be connected to their desired development. But there is still a lot of work to be done in this space especially around the governance, policy and use of AI within local government, which in the coming years would prove beneficial with the required management in place.
Derek Reid, Welshmans Reef
Gay slur penalty
I am a mother of a gay son who suffered homophobic slurs when he was an adolescent. He was fortunate to have the support of his extended family as well as his immediate family. Given what has occurred this week, I felt that I must inform you of a parent’s feelings.
Izak Rankine’s slur was taken personally by me because it not only reflected his character, it was insulting to the families of gay children. It also rubbed salt into the wound when the Adelaide Football Club claimed that leniency should be shown as finals games are more important than the home and away season. Everyone I have spoken to, irrespective of club allegiance, felt that the strongest penalty should apply.
Name and address supplied
Trump no Stalin
Anna Funder is a brilliant writer, but she has gone over the top in placing Donald Trump alongside Joseph Stalin (Comment, 21/8).
I share her and many other people’s dislike and distrust of Trump as a person, but he is correct in a number of his policies, and for all his faults he is in no way comparable to a mass murdering dictator of totalitarian states such as Stalin, who is up there - or rather down there - with the likes of Mao and Hitler.
An unfortunate lapse into Trump Derangement Syndrome from someone who should know better.
Bill James, Frankston
AND ANOTHER THING
Credit: Matt Golding
Israel
Do we have to be subjected to this childish diatribe from Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of a country condemned for crimes against humanity? We are dancing to their tune by getting into dialogue.
Roger Holdway, Sorrento
Why doesn’t Netanyahu come over to Australia and tell Anthony Albanese to his face? Oh, that’s right, he can’t because he would be arrested as a war criminal.
John Cain, McCrae
Victorian poll
What are Victorians smoking? (“Rise and Fall”, 21/8) They are experiencing a crime wave yet the premier’s approval rating is improving.
Martin Newington, Aspendale
Voters are discerning. With the recent survey showing support for Liberals plummeting, it must be time to rebrand Matthew Guy 3.0 – Matthew, Matt… Matty sounds lucky.
Peter Myers, St Kilda
Now that state Labor is back in the game, every vote counts. Thus it is vital a strong conservation policy is adopted including banning duck and quail shooting as recommended by the 2023 parliamentary inquiry.
Malcolm Cameron, Camberwell
Furthermore
Nicola Redhouse’s shopping tale (Comment, 21/8) fails to mention productivity – not that of the major supermarkets themselves, but their DIY customers dutifully slaving over checkout stations.
Bernd Rieve, Brighton
Izak Rankine making a homophobic comment is poor, Adelaide attempting to reduce his penalty displays its unacceptable culture.
Steve Haylock, Mt Waverley
Melbourne winter 2025: Beautiful one day, beautiful the next.
Maureen Hayes, Parkdale
In my 45-year experience, Melbourne typically delivers a couple of gloriously warm days in late August, before glum September. This year it seems earlier than usual. Another sign of global warming?
Caroline Leslie, Hawthorn
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