AGED CARE
Dear editor,
Who else is dismayed by the COVID crisis unfolding in our aged care homes? At time of writing, there have been 1,479 COVID related deaths and 13,771 cases in federal government-funded aged care facilities.
Due to staff shortages, residents are increasingly being left unfed, unwashed, and not receiving medication. It is incomprehensible that this could be happening in Australia.
A quarter of all staff shifts are not being filled and yet the Morrison government has so far said no to sending in more help. At the very least the Minister responsible, Senator Colbeck should resign.
Without providing the source of the data, Health Minister Hunt said 60 per cent of the deceased were in palliative care, so presumably – so what! They were going to die anyway.
Whether they were in their twilight days or not is irrelevant. COVID patients are isolated from family and friends to die a lonely agonising death, gasping to breathe, without loved ones by their bed to say goodbye.
Come the election we, the people, must hold this incompetent government to account for their many failings handling the COVID19 pandemic.
Robyn Deane,
Bli Bli.
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Political chess
Dear editor,
Politics is a game, where the players are moved to maximum positions to carry out policies, supposedly in the public’s best interests. Nasty comments from the powers that be, to and about each other, are not conducive to winning the confidence of constituents, especially in an election year.
Getting on with governing the country, involves action about who has the right to come home. Currently, Josh Frydenberg has the upper hand in determining exactly which demographics have the right to return. Apparently, first priority goes to our own citizens, skilled migrants and tourists, to boost the economy. International university students are also permitted to return.
Interstate border restrictions can now be reviewed, with high domestic vaccination rates and a strong booster programme. Health professionals have concurred that borders can now be safely opened to domestic and international travellers.
Our fate is in their hands. It sets a very precarious precedent to allow politicians to determine what risks are worth taking, leaving us open to increased exposure to another Covid wave. Three years of this is wearing us down. Have politicians made us feel safer and made any progress?
E. Rowe,
Marcoola.
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POLITICAL COOKING
Dear editor,
Kneading the workers’ dough to rise, is the master chef from the Cook electorate offering nothing fresh but his “Shake and Bake’ recipe? Will this half-baked recipe appeal to hard Working Australian Families? Just asking.
Margaret Wilkie,
Peregian Beach.
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