[ { "text": "You know Alex is an independent, don't you? And he has been working on this project for two years with the government? You know both of those things, right?", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "I'm so glad he achieved a beach. Not to be overly cynical, but with the limited budget and ongoing crises we have I'm so disappointed it was spent on a beach.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "At least take your shirt off mate, Tones would have been in nothing but budgies 2 sizes small simply strolling the foreshore, amateur hour up in here.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Yes I do… and that Stokes is a Lib. What’s your point?", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "I also know when politicians of any stripe are willing to jump in the harbour fully clothed in front of a huddle of cameras, it’s not just any normal presser.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "That's a very European looking beach", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Public amenities are important too. Health and recreation helps the budgets in other areas. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t also spend on hospitals and education.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Sydney Water had just finished its long term monitoring. Sorry you're so cynical.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "How many other politicians have launched a harbour swimming pool. Weird agenda, dude.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "It's shit and small at Barangaroo. Completely man made.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Building a beach at Barangaroo is pointless. It's probably not going to be used much and it isn't like beaches accessible to the area are in short supply.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "It was just someone who can't actually effect any meaningful policy change's pet project. I'm glad he achieved his goal of a shit beach in one of the wealthiest areas of Sydney.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": ">Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t also spend on hospitals and education.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "And in reality it does. There is a finite amount of money and in budgets it really is a zero sum game. Any dollar spent is a dollar not spent somewhere else. This was all done while the health systems, infrastructure, education resources, etc. are all crumbling around us.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Yeah, I meant the about the *being covered in rocks* part of it.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": ">\tthe health systems, infrastructure, education resources, etc. are all crumbling around us.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "* all receiving more government funding than ever before.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "There are city residents, plus office workers can use this in their lunch break. Not to mention tourists. I can’t see this costing that much, especially not compared to projects like sports stadiums.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "And yet still not being enough. Nurses, doctors, teachers, among other public servants have been calling out for years for the need for increased resourcing. The smattering of extra funding too little too late is a political stunt at best.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Of course. Everything, everywhere - always needs more funding.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Just pointing out the NSW government has spent record amounts of money on each of those areas you listed. For more than 10 years.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Is there need for more? Always. But you can’t completely disregard local community amenity projects like this (which was primarily campaigned for by a local community group, not by Alex).", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Campaigned for by a local community group that Alex is the local member for. They lobbied for it to Alex. Let's not understate this.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "And you're implying investing in health and education infrastructure is somehow different to community amenity projects, which is simply not the case.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Also you're completely misrepresenting the gravity of the health crisis we are in right now in NSW. Rural Australians, who are as much citizens of NSW entitled to a level of quality living as inner city populations, don't even have access to basic healthcare. This is while one of the wealthiest areas of the nations that had just had one of the most wealth oriented redevelopments in this nations history gets an unnecessary beach. Nurses are killing themselves in metropolitan hospitals, in part, because of how bad it's getting having serious implications for their mental health.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "But I guess it's worth fighting for a beach in Barangaroo, which has greater than three times the national median household income. Those very needy buggers.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": ">\tCampaigned for by a local community group that Alex is the local member for. They lobbied for it to Alex. Let’s not understate this.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "This is how a representative democracy works?", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": ">\tinvesting in health and education infrastructure is somehow different to community amenity projects", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "The billions of dollars for health and education in the budget is different to the (comparatively) tiny amount of funding this project would’ve cost to scrape the oysters and install a shark net, yes.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": ">\tRural Australians, who are as much citizens of NSW entitled to a level of quality living as inner city populations, don’t even have access to basic healthcare.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "No, I’m sorry. There is absolutely a level of public service the Government should provide. There is absolutely no right for people living in remote towns to have the same quality of life or access to the range of all the services in a larger town or the Capital City. That’s why people live in cities. Where the government is failing in providing basic services, absolutely on board for criticising them. But they don’t owe metro service accessibility to every citizen.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": ">\tNurses are killing themselves in metropolitan hospitals, in part, because of how bad it’s getting having serious implications for their mental health.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Source?", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": ">The billions of dollars for health and education in the budget is different to the (comparatively) tiny amount of funding this project would’ve cost to scrape the oysters and install a shark net, yes.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Tell that to the patients that are having to have surgeries done where surgeons are having to improvise because there isn't any stock of basic surgical equipment.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": ">This is how a representative democracy works?", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Yeah. Sadly money speaks more than need. The wealthy in Barangaroo will surely appreciate the tiny \"beach\" more than people who actually need help.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": ">There is absolutely no right for people living in remote towns to have the same quality of life or access to the range of all the services in a larger town or the Capital City.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Which nobody under the sun is advocating for. But ALL Australians are entitled to a basic level of healthcare.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": ">Source?", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "Working in a major metropolitan hospital where this has happened.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": ">\tWorking in a major metropolitan hospital where this has happened.", "extra_info": "" }, { "text": "There’s absolutely no media coverage of nurses killing themselves in hospitals.", "extra_info": "" } ]