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Letters to the Editor:

Public works

Remember there used to be a Public Works Department? If my 
memory serves me well it used to build roads, government offices, 
public housing and carry out repairs on these. The Department 
ordered supplies and furniture for government departments. And 
probably did other things I have forgotten.

That was in the days when government departments occupied 
buildings that were owned by the Crown, they did not have to 
budget for rents or taxes. They employed full-time permanent 
staff; their workforce — public servants — enjoyed relatively 
humane working hours and conditions. Wages were not so high, but 
the conditions and job security made up for that.

There were even prospects of paid training, career paths and 
protective measures against victimisation.

Perhaps it is all looking a little rosier than it was as time has 
passed and memories become hazier.

I am sure inefficiencies, mistakes, incompetence and rorting took 
place but I have no recollection of anything of the magnitude of 
today's problems.

Headlines such as "Station fiasco heading to court" (The 
Age, 15-07-04) do not ring a bell.

The likes of the present brawl between the Victorian Government 
and Leighton Holdings — between the public sector and a private 
transnational corporation — could not have happened then.

Victorians are faced with funding huge court battles and massive 
cost blow-outs of tens of millions of dollars as public and 
private sectors battle it out and the buck gets passed as to why 
Leighton's is behind schedule and whether it should or should not 
be exposed to damages claims.

On its part Leighton accuses the government of not co-operating 
and on their part the government points to Leighton's mistakes, 
poor management (its project management was replaced) and risks 
taken.

The $700 million plus Spencer Street project is a classic example 
of the now much heralded Private-Public-Partnerships. The 
government has a partnership with Civic Nexus consortium to build 
the station. Leightons has a contract with Civic Nexus to build 
the station. Other contractors have contracts with Leightons. 
These contractors hire subbies and so it goes. At the bottom of 
the layers of profit-making are the poor workers, being squeezed 
for every ounce of labour that can be got and more on top of 
that.

There are layers of bureaucracy, of contracts, management and 
inefficiencies through duplication. I'm sure that the old Public 
Works Department, notwithstanding its own shortcomings, could not 
compete with the present set-up for ridiculousness or cost-
inefficiency.

Bring back the old Public Works I say.

Jackie C
Bondi, NSW

The 2004 Human Development Index Report, a United 
Nations publication, places Australia in a closer to the top 
position as regards to education, life expectancy and living 
standards. However, it also shows the huge gap which separates 
groups of Australians and diminishes the pride we all want to 
share in the country

I refer to the fact that almost 20 per cent Australians are 
illiterate (as the report puts it, one in six Australians cannot 
follow basic medical instructions).

Indigenous people's life expectancy is nowhere near the national 
average — a 20-year discrepancy in life expectancy is a shame in 
a developed country. 

As for poverty, Australia has the second highest number of people 
living below the income poverty line at 14.4 per cent. In effect, 
there are two Australias — the haves and the have-nots.

Classless society full of mates? I don't think so.

And the way we are going — in health, education, and social 
welfare — the gap will continue to widen. It's no use hoping 
that an investment (with borrowed money) would turn a worker into 
a big-time financial speculator with money to burn.

Separating workers from their money has always been the way of 
enriching the few. Understanding the way the society works, 
getting organised and fighting for workers' rights is the way to 
go.

J B Armstrong
Sydney, NSW

Political leaders have jumped on the abortion issue with 
gusto. That is perfectly understandable. Federal Elections are 
just around the corner and the incumbents do not want to spend 
their time being confronted with the record of their labours: 
children overboard, the GST, the bulk-billing crisis, the illegal 
destruction of Iraq and the many other issues they would rather 
have forgotten.

What better way of fighting for your political life than to go 
for issues that could split the voters?

Abortion is one of those issues that people feel very emotional 
about. A coming documentary on the ABC, My Foetus, has provided 
an excuse to re-start the anti-abortion campaign.

Tony Abbott, the Health Minister, has taken it upon himself to 
write an article published in The Catholic Weekly in which he 
incited Catholics to act against abortion.

As a private citizen, Mr Abbott is certainly entitled to his 
views and to his religious beliefs. As a public figure and Health 
Minister he has no right to impose his views on abortion on 
women. To have or not to have an abortion is a decision best left 
to a woman in consultation with her doctor.

There have been enough backward steps taken during the Howard 
Government's tenure in all aspects of our lives. Undermining a 
woman's legal right to a safe abortion is a crime and any 
attempts to revive the anti-abortion crusade must be stopped 
immediately.

There have been a number of articles in daily newspapers calling 
for a "wide discussion" of abortion. There is nothing wrong with 
having a discussion at any time — provided the discussion itself 
is not being used as an election weapon.

Abortion was and remains a health issue and should be treated as 
such. Religious or political opportunism has no place in this 
issue.

Sue AnthonyMelbourne, Victoria