Letters To The Editor - August 2, 2018

Actions noted

Dear Editor,

To the dog walker who tosses their dog poo bag into the just emptied rubbish bins, every Friday morning, in Rippleside Drive Torquay. Your actions have been noted.

Other residents’ bins are not for your convenience. Take it home and dispose of it properly.

Peter Richards
Torquay

Veterans Capital Works Grant Program now open

Dear Editor,

I am writing to advise readers that the Veterans Capital Works Program is now accepting applications from ex-service organisations.

The new grant program was announced in the Victorian Budget 2018/19 and builds on the Andrews Labor Government’s work to support veterans living in Victoria.

The $2 million of grants will fund capital works that encourage greater membership and financial stability of ex-service organisations.

The types of projects that are eligible for funding include renovations to provide all abilities access, improve catering facilities or upgrade memorial halls to increase community halls.

Applications close on Friday August 27.

I know the ex-service organisations in Western Victoria have done fantastic work for our veterans over the years. This grant provides a great opportunity for local organisations to complete any eligible capital works.

For more information, visit dpc.vic.gov.au/ veterans/veterans-grants.

Gayle Tierney MP
Member for Western Victoria

Helping the homeless

Dear Editor,

Most don’t know what it is like to sleep out in the cold, to not know where they will get their next meal, to be forced to sleep with their shoes on just so they can make a quick escape if someone comes to harm them. Most don’t pay too much attention to those sleeping rough in our cities, towns and communities. But I do.

August 6 to 13 is Homelessness Week, a week where we thrust the issue of homelessness into the spotlight for all Australians. Everybody needs a home and no one deserves to be left out on the streets.

I started Youth Off The Streets by feeding the local homeless kids and that was just the beginning, I started to recognise the dire need for something more. Now my organisation has many housing options available for young people but homelessness remains a significant issue.

In New South Wales alone, homelessness rates have risen by 27 per cent since 2011, and the numbers aren’t much better in other states and territories.

We as a country need to stop ignoring homelessness and begin to take positive steps to help Australians in need.

So much can be done to prevent this issue; we need to give struggling families a boost before homeless becomes an unfortunate reality. I am dedicated to breaking the cycle of disadvantage and giving Australians the chance to achieve greatness.

The reality is that homelessness is an ongoing battle for some and it’s a battle that is hard to win by yourself. This week I implore you to take the time to look into the issue of homelessness, read about how it affects our nation and most importantly our people.

Father Chris Riley
Youth Off The Streets

Baseload power still needed

Dear Editor,

Bill Shorten wants to up the Renewable Energy Target (RET) to 50 per cent, a recipe for disaster on a monumental scale.

Bill Shorten and Daniel Andrews are deluding themselves if they think that intermittent renewable energy can replace the baseload power supplied by fossil fuel power.

Voters should be aware of what is happening in California. Promises of total independence from fossil fuel energy in California has hit a serious problem. Energy operators throughout California are now having to ask customers to use as little power as possible during peak hours in order to keep the electricity grid from collapsing completely.

Energy needs in California are quickly outpacing “green” supply. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) warned that California faces a significant risk of encountering operating conditions that could result in operating reserve shortfalls as a result.

On July 24, California’s power demand was expected to outstrip its available generating capacity by an astounding 5,000 megawatts (mW), according to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), as people are using their air conditioning units to try to survive the summer heat.

What the CAISO bureaucrats aren’t telling Californian’s is that by trying to eliminate the use of all fossil fuels for energy in favour of wind and solar, has resulted in a serious shortage of despatchable power and the state doesn’t produce enough supply to meet demand.

California has intentionally shut off energy sources that were needed to meet demand in order to reach its “green” energy targets.

Under a Labor government in either at a state of federal level, the same scenario will be played out here.

Alan Barron
Grovedale