• Letter writer ALISON HUTCHINSON, of Coombs, says a future site for Canberra Hospital needs to be identified now in the context of work currently being undertaken on public transport, demographic trends, land release and land use planning.

THE SPIRE project and now the tent hospital on Garran School oval only serve to highlight the inadequacies of the current site for Canberra’s main tertiary referral hospital.

The site is too cramped and does not allow for expansion, re-development without inconvenience, nor flexibility to respond to major challenges such as COVID-19. 

The 2011 ACT government hospital planning exercise correctly identified the need to plan for a total relocation of Canberra Hospital. 

But planning of public hospitals cannot be done on bed numbers (as per the 2011 approach) but must consider role delineation (vis-à-vis other referral hospitals); levels of care by specialty; rapid helicopter, road and public transport access; anticipated changes in technology and demographic changes. 

Further, public hospitals are not just buildings with beds, emergency services, operating theatres and a helipad – they are more like small townships with a symbiotic relationship with private hospitals, private consulting rooms, tertiary education and research facilities – all businesses owned by other entities. Accordingly, very long lead times must be given to shift a major hospital. 

If the current site cannot be expanded through acquisition of adjacent land, then I consider that a new site must be identified as a matter of urgency for Canberra taking account of two key factors currently impacting Canberra’s long-term future: 

1. the demographic shift to the west associated with Molonglo Valley and, eventually, land development even further west; and 
2. the public transport game-changer – light rail – which includes plans for light rail to Woden (but not to Canberra Hospital) and, eventually, Molonglo Valley. Patients, visitors, staff and particularly hospital staff who work early and late shifts benefit from the convenience and security associated with light rail services at the hospital’s front door.

A future site for the Canberra Hospital needs to be identified now in the context of work currently being undertaken on public transport, demographic trends, land release and land use planning. An integrated approach is required so that a site can be found for the city’s tertiary referral hospital to be located near the demographic centre of the city and on the planned future light rail route.

Alison Hutchison, Coombs

Public sector should chip in

THE attack on letter writer Ken Smith (CN, April 16) by political columnist Michael Moore (CN, April 23 ) is truly appalling. 

Mr Smith argued that public servants should share the pain with those in the private sector and take a pay cut. He suggests 40 per cent. Moore argues that thousands of public servants were working all day, every day processing applications etcetera. 

Well, Mr Moore, thousands of private-sector business owners and employees have been working day and night just to stay in business! Thousands have lost their jobs.

Setting aside the extent of the cut, which seems excessive, why in principle should the public sector not be subject to a pay cut in the same way that the private sector has borne? 

Does Mr Moore seriously suggest that senior public servants at least, many of whom are paid salaries well over $200,000 and up to $1 million and beyond should not incur a modest pay cut of say 10 to 15 per cent while the economic shutdown prevails? Politicians are very well remunerated by community standards also.

The PM and ministers in NZ set a good example by taking a pay cut and I believe that all Australian politicians at federal and state level should have demonstrated leadership and followed suit. After all, as the government says and Mr Smith reminds us, we are all in this together.

Colin Lyons, Weetangera

ACT government fails Aboriginal children

AN ACT education outcome that requires special attention is the revelation in the “2020 Closing the Gap” report tabled by Prime Minister Morrison earlier this year that the ACT did not meet the target for closing the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in literacy and numeracy.

The target is measured by utilising the year 3,5,7 and 9 NAPLAN results for literacy and numeracy. According to the “Closing the Gap” report, the ACT failed in five of the eight cohorts measured.

I understand this may be the first time since the target was set over a decade ago that the ACT has failed to meet this particular target.

I may be wrong, but the absence of a media release or any comment from the Minister for Education or Chief Minister suggests otherwise. It does of course help explain why the ACT government is so keen to abolish NAPLAN testing.

Jon Stanhope, via email

When our wellbeing is threatened
IN reply to the letter from R Leister, of Amaroo (CN April 23): no, we are not in a “police state” and the Constitution allows for quarantine measures to overrule your “head-in-the-sand” attitude when the wellbeing of the citizens of Australia is threatened. 

If the current situation does not fall into this category, then I don’t know what does! If the threat was a foreign army against which we lacked appropriate weapons, would you just sit back and let them take over, or would you use everything you could think of to hold them back until we acquired the weapons needed? 

The COVID-19 situation is exactly this.

If we had closed both federal and state borders earlier and quarantined everyone arriving over any border, Australia – especially Canberra – would have even less COVID-19 than we do, and in the worldwide scheme of things, we’ve done exceptionally well. If we had banned or quarantined every person from any cruise ship as well, we may have got away with it scot free.

Having watched what was happening in Wuhan for weeks, we did not need to be told to “lockdown”. And after all, we are allowed out to shop and exercise.

We panicked this time, but not for SARS, malaria or flu, because COVID-19 is not a normal “phlegmy” type pneumonia, where pus fills the air sacs in the lungs. This virus destroys the lung tissue, eats its way into the blood vessels and can move elsewhere in the body. It is not pneumonia alone that’s killing people, it is the breakdown of other vital organs, resulting in strokes and kidney failure. And people with a selfish attitude!

Arleen Stark, Kaleen

Questions of life and money

VIRGIN Australia is in administration because of a reported $6 billion debt and about 12,000 creditors. Its planes can’t leave Australia. 

But in a matter of life and death, a cruise vessel that reportedly sourced scores of coronavirus cases, including some deaths, has brought on a judicial hearing. 

Nevertheless, in a confounding move, the vessel and captain have been allowed to leave our shores despite human lives being of extremely greater importance than money. 

Any contradictions between the law of the sea and Australia’s sovereign laws must be clarified urgently.

Colliss Parrett, Barton 

Bring on the Green Hornet

I REFER to exciting news (“CityNews”, April 9) that Bill Stefaniak is registering for the next election under the Belco Party and is looking for five other like-minded people with various life experiences and skills to join him. 

This is really great because we can have our very own Six Amigos ie Lucky Day, Dusty Bottoms, Ned Nederlander and Bill (lovingly called The Golden Parachute), with Colt 45 and Winchester 72 as enforcers. The only bummer is that it seems like a blokes’ club.

I agree with Bill that something needs to be done to straighten out the city. The “amigos” will have a huge hill to climb because, as columnist Paul Costigan reckons, the government’s messing in Gungahlin (CN April 16), but how does that fit with Belco’s Steven King horror story?

Even political writer Michael Moore reckons Belco Bill’s in with a big chance of election (CN, April 16) – maybe it’s time for the Green Hornet to appear.

John Lawrence, Belconnen

More writing like Clive’s

PLEASE give us more and more opinion pieces, like one by Clive Williams (“Don’t fight it, head to the sunny side of the street”, CN, April 23).

UN Bhati, via email

Will love for teachers last?

LIFE is funny. My daughter, who is a teacher in Queensland sent me a text with a picture, which had the caption: “Some of you parents out there are about to realise that the teacher wasn’t the f@@#@#g problem!” 

On ABC’s “Q&A”, the comments flowing through on the underneath comments were full of praise and worship for teachers. Will it continue after this predicament is over?

Pete Mullins, Amaroo