Jenny Samms, Richmond

The whole community needs to see benefits

Nico Clark reports that the safe injecting room is doing "exactly what it was designed to do" and "more than 2200 individuals have registered to use the facility". However, his estimation that more than 100 have entered different forms of drug treatment via the facility represents only about 5per cent of clients. Does this equate with success? What about the other 2100? Have their lives improved?

The cost to the local community thus far has been a reduced sense of safety, increased street drug use along with anti-social and sometimes threatening behaviour, and little evidence of the promised increased police presence.

If the project is to succeed, the whole community (residents as well as users) will have to be convinced about the benefits.

Name and address supplied

Please, show us the research

I attended a public meeting to discuss residents' concerns about the facility. The overwhelming view of participants strongly suggested conditions in the neighbourhood had deteriorated greatly since the facility opened.

Whenever concerns have been raised about it – its location, its role in producing a "honeypot effect" – Martin Foley, Dan Andrews and Richard Wynne have repeatedly used phrases such as "the research says" to justify their actions.

Now Dr Nico Clark is claiming the facility is a "world first" in being next to a community health centre. So what does "the research say" about this? What research is there that indicates that the best place to put an injecting facility is next to a community health centre, a school, kindergartens, and within a high-density residential area?

Shelagh Kavanagh, Richmond

The amenity of the area is not improving

I have lived and/or worked in Richmond for more than 30 years and I have never seen my community fall so far, so fast since the injecting room was introduced.

The facility does not operate in a vacuum and is fundamentally incompatible at its current site.

Dr Clark's refusal to accept that the conditions around the facility have deteriorated to a dangerous level just serves to drive a wedge between the facility and the general community.

I draw his attention to the fact that the aims of the facility were promoted as, "to save lives and improve the amenity for the local community". On the second part it is failing emphatically.

The review of the facility needs to be "independent" and transparent. Who appointed the panel is a question that has to be asked. Ironically the introduction of the facility has been handled so badly, it is unlikely that supervised facilities will be accepted in other areas that could benefit from them.

Name and address supplied

FORUM

Foreign aid plea

As there is so much cash being thrown about willy-nilly in electoral campaigns, can we hope for a restoration of foreign aid to our near neighbours, particularly in the form of supplies of vaccines for polio and measles to PNG?

Loucille McGinley, Brighton East

Where's the greenery?

Federation Square is a hot, dry space and the lack of greenery has always been to its detriment, regardless of its design qualities. People seek out grass to sit on and trees to sit under, as can be evidenced all around the world. Softening the square with greenery might be at odds with any symbolic representation of the harsh landscape of much, but not all, of Australia, but those landscapes are inherently hostile and unwelcoming, too. No surprise they and, in turn, Federation Square drive people away rather than attract them.

Emma Borghesi, Mount Eliza

Terrible access

I have been involved in events at ACMI, the atrium, and Birrarung Marr, and the access for both stallholders and the public is terrible. Broad, unwalkable steps, hidden doors and access points, a mobility lift instead of a goods lift, and no visual link between Flinders Street and the Yarra. I groan when I hear it's the site of the next event.

Tom Danby, Coburg North

Barry on regardless

The decision by the director of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to rename the Barry Award smacks of political correctness and is both petty and short-sighted ("Why the comedy festival decided to carry on without Barry", 17/4). Nobody would even have heard of Melbourne were it not for his comic creations, which will be remembered long after his remarks on transgender or vaccinations.

Helen Scheller, Benalla

End the misery

I will vote for the party that proposes fixed four-year terms of Parliament and thus puts us out of the misery of faux and real campaigning. Perhaps the candidates could take the week off from Good Friday until the day after Anzac Day and give us all a well-deserved break.

Graham Reynolds, Wendouree

Look to the trees

A fire has destroyed the 850-year-old Gothic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Macron says it will be rebuilt.

Our state government plans to destroy 800-year-old Djab Wurrung trees to extend the Western Freeway near Ararat. Daniel Andrews won't be able to rebuild them. No one will.

When will our political leaders start not only valuing our environment but also recognising the importance of Indigenous culture?

Sarah Russell, Northcote

It's not like for like

Like the 13 million tourists that visit it every year, I felt privileged that I had the chance to see Notre-Dame before the fire. What I was not expecting though, was the amount of online articles/posts that were dedicated to demeaning this event by comparing the tragedy of Notre-Dame to that of the Djab Wurrung trees, and the like. The plight to save the sacred trees is a just one, and a conversation that Australia needs to have, but comments accusing people of caring more about an international event affecting the inhabitants of Paris, the 1.2 billion Catholics in the world and others who hold valuable memories of this building, comes across as presumptive and insensitive.

Comparing grief is never a productive conversation, and one that only ends in tears. Humans have the capacity to feel saddened by multiple events, and the reason that media outlets have dedicated their coverage to the cathedral is because it happened recently. Give people their space to grieve. We can still help the Djab Wurrung trees, there is still time.

E.J. Haigh, Parkville

Notre-Dame's owner

The French state owns Notre-Dame Cathedral. So while it's convenient to ask the wealthy Catholic Church to pay for its rebuilding, it is wrong in fact. France allows the church to use the building in perpetuity as a cathedral. Asking them to pay for it is akin to a tenant being required to rebuild a house after a fire.

Angus McLeod, Cremorne

Entering dead end

With 30,000 homeless Victorians on waiting lists, as any of us could be, and the enthusiasm for spending billions on adding more lanes to exiting freeways, could some wayside stops be included for the homeless living in their cars? Toilets, showers, laundry and barbecue facilities could be identified by one of Telstra's new, oversized phone boxes with screens welcoming the less fortunate. This approach could save the state paying developers millions for the token extra apartments they currently offer instead of allowing the problem to be kicked a bit further down the road and inevitably leading to another dead end.

Anthony Barnes, Narre Warren

Seasonal change

It's mid-April and there are bushfires in the Ballarat region. At the risk of being political it seems our climate just may be changing and our four traditional seasons are becoming less relevant.

Tony Delaney, Warrnambool

PM, please explain

Scott Morrison, Ballarat has just suffered its third major bushfire in a month. People had to evacuate and homes were destroyed. All of this happened within the built-up areas of the city, not out in the countryside. Everything here is tinder dry because we haven't had rain. So, would you mind dropping by and explaining to us again why we shouldn't be concerned about global warming?

Mark Kennedy, Sebastopol

Pigs might fry

I was passing a Lord of the Fries takeaway food outlet and decided to order an egg and bacon roll from their menu. I was told it was a "vegan" egg and bacon roll.

In disbelief I asked how an egg and bacon roll could be vegan and was told it's made from soyabeans. It had nothing to do with a chook ora pig.

Why is this fake stuff allowed? Call it what you like, but it is not an egg and bacon roll.

Doug Killeen, Southbank

It's not a new job

If 1000 Baby Boomers retire, 1000 people "shuffle up" the ladder to replace them, and then 1000 unemployed fill the resultant vacancies, are these 1000 "new jobs"? I think not.

Ian Collings, Highton

RCH funding

The Royal Children's Hospital deserves to be properly funded. This is a wonderful institution that cares for our most precious resource: our children. Why do we need to have a fundraising megathon to support this hospital? Our taxes need to be supporting the work of this wonderful hospital. Tax cuts mean fewer services.

Graeme Henderson, Bullengarook

Freeway jam

Tony Morton (Letters 16/4) is correct. A mountain of evidence shows that building more freeways doesn't resolve congestion but adds to it. Mega road projects such as North East Link will be beyond capacity by the time it's completed in eight years.

It will have added significantly to exhaust-borne pollution along its corridor and will adversely affect the health and wellbeing of communities including residences, sporting and recreation facilities as well as schools, some of which will be less than 100 metres from the freeway.

Dennis O'Connell, Ivanhoe

Help the children

Scott Morrison, in reference to the Sharrouf children marooned in a refugee camp in Syria, states that the safety of Australians should be paramount. He uses this idea to justify doing nothing to rescue them. He seems to be pretending that these children, who were taken to Syria by their parents, are not Australian. But if he really believes that the safety of Australians should be paramount, then he should be giving a lot more assistance to lion-hearted grandmother Karen Nettleton in her valiant attempts to rescue her grandchildren and bring them back to their birthplace and their country of citizenship. If Zaynab is forced to give birth in the refugee camp; and if her baby (and, God forfend, herself) should die, then Morrison will not be blameless.

Miranda Jones, Drummond

Dumb and dumber

Who is responsible for the dumb decision to remove the tram stop outside the Queen Vic Hospital?

This stop on Nicholson Street 86 and 96 routes was used by patients attending the Queen Vic Hospital and its emergency department, Queen Vic Private, the Eye and Ear Hospital and the precinct of medical consultancies. It means that people attending these hospitals now have to walk long distances from Gertrude Street, Fitzroy or Parliament Station in the CBD.

There seems to be a view in PTV that they're running a tram system to suit a timetable instead of the needs of the travelling public. Stick with your cars, Victorians, our planners just don't get it.

Peter Kay, Carlton North

An uneasy position

The Prime Minister has denied that Gladys Liu, the candidate for Chisholm, is homophobic, even after her nasty spray about LGBTI people and safe-schools initiatives. If her comments are not homophobic, what does discrimination actually look like? Ms Liu is continuing the tradition of many Liberals being profoundly uncomfortable – at best – with gay and lesbian people.

Geoffrey Conaghan, St Kilda West

A bad rep

Scott Morrison refuses to pay a cent towards reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral yet wastes more than $100 million opening and closing Christmas Island detention centre for a political stunt. Is it any wonder Australia has such a poor international reputation these days?

Stephen Dinham, Dublin, Ireland

AND ANOTHER THING

Politics

I think I liked it better when Scott Morrison didn't know that Victoria existed.

Philip West, Jan Juc

Will the Greens commit to actually working with a Labor government on climate change, or will everything have to be their way or no way again?

Steve Melzer, Hughesdale

If Scott Morrison's attacks on Bill Shorten are evidence of his Christian values, then where the bloody hell is Christianity at?

Bill Lynch, Ocean Grove

With Tony Abbott now on-side, why don't the Liberals adopt a real climate change policy?

Malcolm Cameron, Camberwell

Scott Morrison's bubble reminds me of Get Smart's cone of silence, transparent, infuriating and self-defeating.

Peter Rushen, Carnegie

For ScoMo, read "Barnum" on show everywhere.

Roger Leslie, Pakenham

Scott Morrison preaching to the converted in Brisbane sounded familiar – shades of Billy Graham.

Gary Roulston, Endeavour Hills

Wouldn't it be great if our politicians were talking about creating more harmony in our society, rather than the divisive rhetoric we're served up everyday.

John Groom, Bentleigh

My vote goes to anyone who promises to cut the waiting time for calls to Centrelink.

David Baylis, Mentone

A strong economy and an interest rate cut? We'll be in a spot of bother when the recession arrives.

Gary Sayer, Warrnambool

Furthermore

If more Christians had the compassionate conviction of Fr Kevin Burke (Letters, 17/4), the world would be a better place.

John Rawson, Mernda

If Israel Folau wasn't a celebrity sportsman, he'd be on a soapbox at Hyde Park being ignored.

Henry Herzog, St Kilda East

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