Why are there shortages of hospital beds?

Posted to Letters to the Editor, Monash Weekly on 3/12/2010
Title: Why are there shortages of hospital beds?

Ted Baillieu has a tough job ahead, not only on health reform, but also on hospital culture reform.

There are wards in some hospitals not open, tying up many beds. There are no doctors and nursing staff to service them due to lack of funding. If remains at status quo, these wards will never be opened.

When Brumby opened "additional" new beds in hospitals, old beds were shut down, and the staff were reshuffled. In fact, there were hardly additional beds opened during election time.

New wings or buildings of hospitals were not well thought out and lack accommodation. In addition, some hospitals placed unnecessary emphasis on certain racial needs, wasting valuable funding resource.

Like many public services, unused monies before end of financial years are spent on unnecessary renovation or replacement of furniture.

Vote wisely

Posted to Letters to Editor, Monash Weekly on 16/11/2010
Title: Vote wisely

It is always easier said than done. Promises are made by Party leaders and candidates during election time to lure votes, but once elected they seem to suffer from memory loss. They might as well come clean from the start and be honest to say that they are not miracle workers.

As consumers, we can complain or voice our dissatisfaction to statutory authority or customer service departments, and in many cases, actions are taken to rectify the problems. Unfortunately, we can't do likewise to a Government. We can't turn to anyone, including the Governor General, to reprimand or punish them for not keeping or delivering their promises.

We should not let these people get away with their false promises and lies. However, there is no way we can hold them accountable. We have to wait for 4 miserable years to "sack" them, and in many occasions, the alternative is no better.

Please don't just vote for a Party; instead vote for the person who is going to represent you in the Parliament. This person should be a people person, a good marketer who understands your needs and wants, your circumstances, and earns his money for a good day's work.

Safety of the Leaders comes first

Posted to Letters to the Editor, Monash Weekly on 6/10/2010
Title: Safety of the Leaders comes first

It was wise for opposition leader Tony Abbott not to be present at the same time with the Prime Minister Julia Gillard in the dangerous war-torn Afghanistan. Should an attack take place on the leaders, the damage / loss to Australia will be immense.

Labor pitch got lost, says Crean

Posted to Monash Weekly (27/8/2010) on 27/8/2010 at 3:57 AM

Commenting on “Labor pitch got lost, says Crean”

http://www.monashweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/labor-pitch-got-lost-says-crean/1920984.aspx?storypage=2

There are many arm-chair candidates in every election. Most voters have no idea who are standing for the seats. The candidates cannot be bothered or too lazy door-knocking to introduce themselves, despite their being preselected by their respective political parties months ago.

Unlike Wyatt Roy, the 20 year old, youngest MP of Longman, many candidates do not make any genuine effort to change voter's voting pattern or intention, but to rely on preferences stated on the "how to vote" card.

Who were Michael Kabos of Bruce and John Nguyen of Chisholm? They hardly made a dent in the last count to displace the Labor candidates.

Unfortunately, in Election 2010 a vote for Green was a vote for Labor, and a vote for the Family First was a vote for the Liberal. So in future, unless you really believe in the candidate's chance of success, or he / she has proven having walked the distance, you might as well cut off the middle-person and cast a vote to the candidate from one of the major parties.