Strike back
I WOULD like to rectify your reference to the contract driver ‘sacking himself on the spot’ (“Editorial: Rooster’s roasting”, Herald, February 18, 2017).
As you were not there, please be advised that I did not sack myself.
On the contrary, I went on strike. I was eventually ‘sacked’ two days later by the Chief Distributor, who suddenly realised that I am no longer a reliable worker.
I simply exercised my basic right, as a worker and as a human being, to make a stance on matters one believes are worth fighting for.
And for this reason, the Herald sacked me.
I can take my responsibilities and I invite you to take yours.
I would also kindly suggest you look up the difference between the verbs ‘to strike’ and ‘to sack’.
Perhaps, if you allow this form of free advertisement, the books I wrote on labour history might help your understanding of the historical development of these basic workers’ rights issues.
Fausto Buttà
South Fremantle

It’s a wrap!
WITHOUT wishing here to take one side or the other, a particular point might be made regarding “Editorial: Rooster’s roasting” (Herald February 14, 2017).
This is a defence and explanation of the paper’s position in respect of political advertising and in particular, the now-controversial “wraparound” about Roe 8 etc, which it should be noted, was also carried by many newspapers.
That editorial comment brings to light the traditional point that to refuse political advertising would itself, be a political statement.
Colin Nichol
Paddington Ct, Bibra Lake

I’ve made some waves
I HAVE been involved with the Attadale foreshore for over 42 years — as an individual, volunteer member of environmental group the Swan River Trust River Guardians and 12 years as a City of Melville councillor for the Bicton/Attadale ward (1989 – 2001).
Previous residents, City of Melville staff and councillors diligently worked together to protect this special, passive recreation foreshore and environment for future generations to inherit.
Before a lease is considered over the proposed land area, surely the relevant environmental authorities should be officially contacted e.g. Swan River Trust, Department of Parks and Wildlife, and Minister for the Environment?
The volume of ground water required by the Wave Park proposal WILL lower the water table and affect the adjacent Alfred Cove Nature Reserve and Attadale Marine Conservation Park.
The noise projected will affect the local and migratory birds and wildlife causing them to move away from their protected sanctuary.
The creation of excess traffic and access on Canning Highway will be a major bottleneck.
I am not against the concept of a Wave Park but the proposed location is inappropriate — there are other sites to consider. Destruction of the present ecosystem for commercial gain is simply not justified.
Pam Neesham
Stoneham Road, Attadale

Ben, you left me roeling in the aisles
ADVERT: Roe 8 leading the way in environmental design and construction.
More like destruction.
Article 7: animals and plants have been relocated.
LOL, what a joke.
North Lake bush was that thick you couldn’t walk through it, and to catch those animals would have been impossible (More like bulldozer road kill).
Trees replanted: another joke, Australia.
Christmas trees live off host plants and are very hard to move.
Yes, relocated as wood chip mulch, more like it.
Weed control using Roundup kills every thing in its path.
Yeah, LOL.
Llewella Davies
Meerup Drive, Success

Claims don’t stack up 
THANK you for the wraparound in your February 11 edition.
I was absolutely dumbfounded by the blatant misinformation in their dot points.
The majority of these claims can be discredited.
Here are a few:
• No evidence of one single tree being relocated;
• Melaleucas and christmas trees highly unlikely to survive transplanting. Zambia are grafters all went under the bulldozer blade and mulched.
• Considering the Beeliar wetlands extend to Kwinana, the impact on the North Lake reserve by Roe 8 would see the equation of 0.49 per cent multiplied many times;
• The North Lake reserve has never been degraded by industry or landfill. As for introduced flora, no area is immune. Causes include human travel, wind borne bird droppings, vehicle movements and dumping of garden waste. The Cockburn Wetlands Centre has been removing non-native species from our wetlands reserves for the past 20 years; and,
• Save Beeliar Wetlands were successful in a supreme court appeal.
The WA community is being hoodwinked by this anti-environment government and by Main Roads.
Ben Morton, you should be ashamed of yourself for authorising this propaganda.
Rex Sallur
Corn way, Bibra lake

Ring a ring a Roesy
IN the past 70 or so years I have lived in seven cities in four countries, and have visited many more.
I have three engineering degrees, which included some studies in traffic engineering.
I have canvassed the opinions of many of my learned colleagues and the following is a summary of our recommendations.
Perth, like any city, is growing and modernizing.
Accordingly there are more public transport commuters, and more cars and trucks.
These require more public transport and more/better roads.
A ring of trains, fed by buses, is essential to Perth in the future, as is a completed ring road.
This is to minimize unnecessary trips into the city and back out again.
Passenger trains are needed between Fremantle and Thornlie; most of the infrastructure is already there, and also between the Butler line and the extension past Midland.
Trains also need to be extended beyond Armadale.
Sections of single line working are acceptable with modern signaling.
Peak hour trains need to consist of up to eight carriages, with platform lengths to suit.
All stations need to be fed with buses, which in peak periods need to run at 15 minute intervals to within 400m of all fully established residential precincts.
Through traffic, particularly heavy trucks, need to be separated from urban residential precincts, and given a flatter, more direct run, free from traffic lights – considerations include increased efficiency, increased safety, decreased noise, and decreased pollution particularly diesel fumes which are linked to cancers.
Roe Hwy needs to be completed through to the port at Fremantle, with a new bridge over the Swan River.
This port will expand for another 20 plus years and will continue in service thereafter.
Roe 8 (designed, funded and commenced) will also form an important integral section to the expanded port at Kwinana in due course.
This is high-value, high-priority infrastructure with a substantial cost-benefit.
There will be significant traffic reduction in numerous roads in the south-west suburbs, saving considerable funds which would otherwise be required for upgrading.
Also West Coast Highway needs to be four lanes between Fremantle and Reid Hwy, which would complete this essential ring road
Hugh Hyland
Favazzo Place, Spearwood

Easy to say
I APPLAUD Herald owner Andrew Smith’s editorial “Rooster’s Roasting” in last week’s edition.
Whilst it is somewhat extraordinary that Andrew needs to defend his paper’s right to control the content therein, his piece highlights that those opposed to progress in any manner that offends their identification of the status quo whether that be in-fill development or a new road, are unable to respectfully consider that an alternate point of view is as valid as their own.
The Herald should not be a mouth-piece for the so-called progressive left whom startlingly profess the virtues of inclusiveness and free-speech but cry foul when an opinion contrary to theirs dares to grace the cover of the local paper.
Hayden Groves
East Fremantle

Naughty Ben
I DRAW your attention to the Ben Morton-funded advertisement for the Liberals’ Roe 8 ‘facts’ wrapped again, around the Herald.
In particular, the point about the relocation of native plants.
Having contacted Mr Morton and MRWA personally, replies have confirmed this has not been done by their own admission.
Truth in advertising? I think not, Mr Morton.
Lauren Strong
Lamond St, Melville

“Paid”
THANK you for pointing out that you require advertising to continue publishing a free newspaper.
Very honest.
But please don’t justify your decision to accept the Liberal party advertisement as “in support of the principle of free speech”.
There is nothing free about it, unless you have decided not to accept the fee, which clearly you have not.
So it is “paid” speech, and the problem is that certain sectors of society have far more access to the money required for this kind of speech.
Especially when a party like the Liberal Party gets a $700,000 donation from one of the companies building Roe 8.
Katrina Budrikis
Central Ave, Beaconsfield
The Ed clarifies: The donation referred to was from Cimic Group (formerly Leighton), and came in a number of instalments over more than 15 yearsa. 

Pro Roe
ROE 8 is essential to the port of Fremantle in maintaining the port as a viable enterprise.
The infrastructure is already there.
Environmentally a new harbour is simply not sustainable as the fragile sea grass in Cockburn Sound will be destroyed.
K and D Horn
Collier Street, Ardross