'; ?> What the people want feedback | What The People Want
What the people want feedback
Wednesday, 04 May 2005 09:03 | Written by Graham Young

I've summarised the email feedback that we've received from listeners. There is a wide range in interests, but we do consider what you say, and as you'll see, some of the ideas will be executed. C Gilbert suggests we discuss the "rash of high-rise developments that is increasingly blighting Brisbane" and hooning in suburban streets. Ross is concerned that the federal government will sign up to any free trade agreement going, and that it is deliberately creating an impression of a shortage of people in the trades to justify importation of foreign workers. Chris Cutler is interested in roads, and in particular a Western ring road. Darryl Campbell would probably share that interest as he expresses concern that infrastructure expenditure has decreased from 4.5% of GDP to 1.5%. Anne Edwards wants to discuss the failure of the SEQ Regional Strategy to discourage car use and encourage people to grow their own food. Doris has four issues. She wants to talk about Enterprise Bargainaing "Can the people of Australia, the people who pay taxes negotiate with the Politicians. I would love to see their wages and "lurks and perks" trimmed to the bone. I can not understand how they can just give themselves a pay rise and not a merger one like we achieve in EB of 3.5%, theirs is in double digits, what for ??" She also wants lower taxes and a less complicated national superannuation system. Finally she would like teachers to be at school longer so that they could supervise children doing their "homework" at school. On the tax issue she is in general agreement with an email from Richard Ward saying tax is important. He would like to raise the tax-free threshold to $20,000 to help the welfare to work transition. Rosina Gordon wanted abortion discussed as an issue, as well as the work/family balance. (We haven't obliged yet on either on the show, but On Line Opinion's current feature takes up her suggestion about work and family. Marylin is also interested in work/family balance and wonders whether parents "would rather work or not work provided they received a real value Family Allowance/Parenting Allowance?" Politicians should have more passion, according to Grant Carrey. Older listeners with children, or younger listeners with older parents, could be interested in an issue that Thomas Logan raises - the relationship between elderly parents and their offspring. "Why run large surpluses when services are running down?" is the proposition put by Michelle Piele. Sounds like a budget question, and On Line Opinion will be running a budget questionnaire with Springboard Australia immediately after the treasurer delivers his statement. Fred Scholten wants a concentration on health, and with this week's questionnaire, we agree with him. We received some really interesting proposals from Amanda Tyler who had a number of ideas for quantitative polling on education issues. Meanwhile Leiv Bornecrantz has major concerns with the whole WTPW process, and presumably the analysts. He writes: "Dear Graham Young, in my opinion, these type of surveys are meaningless unless performed by someone trained in the methodology and with some mathemathical education. Questions should have 1-10 responses and be analysed with reference to the standard deviation and a +- error rate. As the sample is not random, it is heavily skewed to start with. kind of regards." Ouch!
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Comments   

 
0 #1 Comment — Karen Kline 2005-05-09 03:36
Dear Graham

Thank-you for sending me the Health Questionannaire . As a Nurse Whistleblower I have a lot to say about the Health Crisis in Queensland. I am hoping to testify at the Royal Commission. There are many issues that concern me but the big four are:
1.) Health
2.) Lack of accountability of government
3.) Public service - incompetence in some departments.Gen eral politicalisation
4.) Restrictive FOI

Regards Karen Kline

P.S. Normally I vote Labor but never again in Queensland.
 
 
0 #2 Comment — Dan Alexander 2005-06-01 21:42
Justice?
Will any of the fat-cat bureaucrats who covered up Dr.Jayant Patels deliberate negligence (manslaughter/m urder) be made to answer for their crimes i.e. being complicient in manslaughter/mu rder? The "fat-csts" I'm refering to.....Peter Beattie, Gordon Nuttall, Darren Keating, Steve Buckland, Peter Leck...and others.
 
 
0 #3 Comment — Bill 2005-06-02 01:02
I agree with Leiv about the process of conducting surveys and the need to be done by professionals in regard to both questions and analysis. A little explanation for the public on why most surveys are not random but that this may not be a major fault in regard to particular sectors or issues would be good.
I think that while the methodology and sample size cannot guarantee to accurately reflect public opinion what you are trying to do is to be commended.
The Health Survey appears to be directed only towards hospitals/treat ment. I would also like to see discussion and surveys on the culture and practices of Queensland Health Bureacracy in regard to all the 3rd parties providing or attempting to provide services under the HACC scheme. In particular tha audit and acreditation process whereby consultants contracted for this purpose act like inquisitors and bullies rather than assist with auditing and HELP these often voluntary and understaffed organisations to provide quality services rather than bog them down paperwork and threats of withdrawal of funding.
 
 
0 #4 Comment — Paul Bickford 2005-06-10 19:02
Is the current Beattie administration in Queensland the most arrogant,irresp onsible,unaccou ntable,inept,ve nal and corrupt regime in the history of the state? It makes me look back on the Bjelke-Petersen era with some nostalgia; certainly they were bent, but everything worked, and taxes and charges were minisclule. Now taxes and charges are huge, despite the injection of GST revenue, and nothing much works very well (if at all) and the incumbents are so crooked they have to screw their pants on in the morning. If there was any sort of opposition, they would be in serious electoral trouble. Unfortunately, like all other states the "conservative" opposition is so parlous that all of the current useless state governments are virtually bulletproof. I've never thought it a better time to again broach the subject of dismantling of states and their governments, and moving to a two-tier system.
 
 
0 #5 Comment — Connie Jackson 2005-08-10 09:04
I have only just learned of this "whatthepeoplew ant" website and found I was too late to comment on the issues that related to health and education
I do hope you re-post these at some time in the near future.
I guess for many, the health issue is getting a bit stale........bu t the problems are very real.....
Thanks for allowing us the opportunity to be involved.
Connie
 
 
0 #6 Comment — Graham Young 2005-08-11 04:32
Hi Connie,

Thanks for your comments. Perhaps we should post an update on the health issues. I'm just about to post our report and submission to the Health Inquiries to the site, so that might be an appropriate time for us to write something.

Then you can comment on the bottom of that thread.

Graham
 
 
0 #7 Comment — Vicki Lawrence 2005-09-27 20:29
Nothwithstandin g the latest fuel price rises, I would like an intelligent answer to the question "Why are Gold Coast fuel outlets allowed to consistently raise fuel prices on or near week-ends?" (8 to 10 cents/litre) What are price wathchdogs doing? I have heard it discussed but the queston is never clearly answered.
 
 
0 #8 Comment — Philip 2005-09-29 22:59
Ever since I returned to Queensland in 1988, the press and the government have been talking about the number of people migrating to this great state. It is not as if no one knew about it. What have our representitives done? Precious little. Everywhere I look there are problems due solely to a lack of vision and poor (or no) planning. Water supplies, health, roads, electricity supplies, public transport infrastructure, police numbers and the list goes on. Must we wait until the whole state comes to a grinding halt, like the Ipswich motorway, before we get some action?
 
 
0 #9 Comment — BILL WHEELER 2005-10-06 21:39
Add to 'BILL's comment 01 06 05 (not I)
Steve Austin ABC 612 06 10 05 interview with Pete allowed him to rabbit on AGAIN ! about the Opposition 'playing silly little games while I'm working hard to FIX things.' Yawn.
Buck up, Steve, lift your game. May I suggest that you ask Chuckles what he thinks the function of the Opposition is ?Next queastion 'Why should Pete expect us to believe he can fix ANYTHING AT ALL ?'
ASK 'Has he fixed the Beattie Bypass Bungle - REMEMBER TUGUN ?, OR the 'Bombay Express' Gold Coast trains after 2 years after driving people back to their cars, OR the Forensic Laboratory backlog of DNA tests that has led to criminal charges being dropped in drug and other serious cases ?, OR revisiting Sir Joh's Wolffdene Dam - the solution for Gold Coast water supply AND of preventing Logan City flooding, OR removing that 60 km/h Tilt Train curve ?
OR doing SOMETHING, ANYTHING about RAIL in and around Brisbane ? RAILWAY DIGEST August 2005 page 13 "No new rail initiatives .. in Qld Budget .. OK $760 million on track upgrade, rolling stock,etc. WHILE NSW SYDNEY in next 15 years $8 Billion - 8km line Leppington, 9km TUNNEL beneath Harbour, 5 new UG stations, QUADRUPLICATION part North Shore line, 16km TUNNEL Castle Hill ! ! AND that's after the 2008 completion of $2 Billion Epping - Chatswood line being built."
Isn't it time that Beattieland stopped fooling about in the sandbox and got serious ? I DESPAIR at fumbling ineptitude and rampant arrogance uncriticised. ACCOUNTABILITY! ?
BILL MT GRAVATT








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