Letters To The Editor – Octorber 25, 2018

Anglesea needs a town bus

Dear Editor,

If any organisation in Anglesea is looking for a project to improve life for our older residents, then one service we need is some means of travelling around within the town.

Being able to access safe and reliable transport would mean we could keep up our social contacts and the interests we enjoy by attending the many wonderful local groups.

As a number of us would be going to the same venue at times, a minibus would possibly be able to move everyone with one trip. We would also need individual rides to places such as the shops or medical centre.

I’m sure we would all be willing to pay fares for the freedom such a service would give us, and it would need to cover expenses such as fuel, maintenance and insurance. But it would certainly be much less than keeping and running a car.. and employing a chauffeur!

Melva Stott
Anglesea

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Paying for our prejudice

Dear Editor,

Each Manus detainee costs us nearly $500,000. They are being used politically in prolonged detention. They have committed no crime or broke no rules.

Dutton allowed rules to be broken for the au pair girls using his ministerial powers to allow them to stay.

The Abbot government’s fast track processing initiative proved to be ineffective.

Removing the Refugees Review Tribunal, the opportunity for ministerial determination, and removing the reference to refugee convention from legislation left only our court system.

Dutton grumbles about this because many of the cases will not be heard till 2021 meanwhile we keep paying.

No mention of the number of suicides and the court battles to deny sick children access to medical treatment in Australia.

I believe $500,000 per refugee could be put to better use to house our many homeless returned soldiers.

Bruce Holmes
Portarlington

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WILD applauds Geelong’s Junior Council

Dear Editor,

Women in Local Democracy (WILD) congratulates the City of Greater Geelong for establishing a Junior Council.

Three members will be elected by young people in the age range 12-17 years from each of Geelong’s four wards, with voting closing on November 15. This initiative will help develop and sustain the interest of Geelong’s youth in civic participation and local leadership. Equal numbers of young women and men on the Council will enhance its legitimacy with Geelong’s youth population, the wider community and Council.

The City of Greater Geelong, along with 72 other Victorian councils, endorses the three principles of the Victorian Local Government Women’s Charter – gender equity, diversity and active citizenship and Council is finalising a gender equity framework.

These developments are reinforced by the state government’s Gender Equality Strategy and Bill which set a target of 50:50 women and men councillors by 2025 – only two elections away. The state-wide gender deficit in women’s representation on councils is 12 per cent.

Gender equality is not only a basic tenet of democracy; good governance is enhanced when the talents, skills, perspectives and experiences of both women and men representatives contribute to local decision making.

WILD therefore looks forward to Geelong’s new Junior Council leading the way in gender equality, with equal representation of young women and men.

Jenny Wills
Convenor, Geelong WILD

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Ramsay stands by his record

Dear Editor,

Your last edition included a Letter to the Editor from Norm Buckley, a Labor Party member.

Given that, it is not surprising he chose to personalise the Liberal pledge to spend $1 million to upgrade a very dangerous intersection in Ocean Grove.

Locals know how dangerous the intersection is and have rightly fought for the funding. I was part of the recent funding announcement and proudly so. But Mr Buckley clearly thought I shouldn’t have been.

I stand accountable for my actions as a Member of Parliament. But I note Mr Buckley failed to mention his local Labor Member of Parliament in Police Minister Lisa Neville, who is under criminal investigation by the police fraud and extortion squad for allegedly rorting the Victorian Parliament.

Sports Minister John Eren, is another local Labor member also facing that same investigation. Both have refused to be interviewed by police. Both want to answer via a questionnaire. Both clearly think they are above the law that every other Victorian must abide by.

Both have failed to be accountable. Neither has stood down from their Ministerial roles, or from the Parliament. They want locals to vote them in again.

Perhaps if Mr Buckley wants to write about a failure of standards, accountability and good examples for others, he should turn his pen to his own party.

He would have plenty to write about.

Simon Ramsay
Member for Western Victoria

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Join the fight against liver cancer

Dear Editor,

I write to ask readers to help the Liver Foundation with a critical cause and a vital fundraising mission.

Put simply, liver cancer is already the fastest growing cause of cancer death in Australia.

At least 1,400 Australians now die of liver cancer every year. It is expected that by the year 2030 the number of people with liver disease in Australia will be at least 8 million.

Liver disease is slipping right under the radar. It is set to become and epidemic in Australia.

Alarmingly, a third of those diagnosed with liver cancer are sadly dead within just one month of their diagnosis. Right now – as people read this – 6 million Australians are affected by liver disease.

Liver disease in the main can be preventable and if detected early, it can be treated effectively.

Later this year renowned Australian transplant liver surgeon Luc Delriviere is heading to Antarctica to visit places that haven’t been visited before. An international team of experts will be behind him. He is a legend in medical circles.

His expedition will raise much needed funds for the Liver Foundation.

We hope businesses across Australia, individuals and others will get behind Luc’s powerful fundraising mission. To find out how you can donate to the Liver Foundation, just go to liver.org.au.

Liver disease is not detected on routine tests. A healthy lifestyle combined with a sensible diet, exercise and minimal use of alcohol and no smoking all help a liver’s health.

I urge readers to visit our website, find out more about liver disease and donate to this powerful cause.

Ben Richardson
Chair, The Liver Foundation

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Cole questions developers’ motives

Dear Editor,

The Spring Creek development is a farcical joke. Our community has had to deal with being continually let down by both major parties, with childish finger pointing, hollow promises and deceitful statements. All the while pretending those in power have our community’s best interest at heart.

The mess that is Spring Creek has been created due to the actions of both parties, and now both have the gall to say “trust us, we’ll look after you”. All the while, the last decade has seen a huge part of our community furiously waving their arms at Spring Street to get their attention, so the voice of our community can be recognised and be the primary driver of the decision. Yet the requests have fallen on deaf ears.

Stop and think, who are the state government and developers really looking out for? As stated in a recent media article, it’s obvious that the developers only have their investor’s interests at heart and not our community or the beautiful environment which makes Torquay so special. And while the state government has the responsibility, both from a democratic and moral perspective, to represent our voices, they allow and encourage this development to happen.

This is a line in the sand moment for our community, to stand up and say enough is enough! What we need is political leadership and political courage to make positive changes for the benefit of our community. We need to ensure that our natural assets, which make Torquay such a unique community, are maintained for the benefit of future generations and not the short-term economic gain for a select few, who clearly don’t have any connection with our incredible community.

Damien Cole
Independent candidate for South Barwon

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Clubs movement defends use of EGMs

Dear Editor,

Through recent media coverage, the Victorian Greens, in lock-step with the Alliance for Gambling Reform, continue to mispresent the facts about the operation of Electronic Gaming Machines (EGMs) in Victoria.

Community clubs in Victoria are immensely proud of our role as vital hubs within local communities. These clubs are not-for-profit enterprises and operate EGMs to support their existence – be it sporting, charitable, social or community based. Gaming is always secondary to what a community club offers its members and the wider community in which it operates.

EGMs are legal and licensed to venues by the Victorian government. Around 35 per cent of our revenue is given back to state and local governments in the form of taxes and rates, where it can fund schools, hospitals and other vital infrastructure. Anything left is returned to the community.

The broader Clubs movement makes an annual social contribution of more than $1 billion in Victoria consisting of community donations, subsidised access to facilities and volunteering.

This is why for the first time in its 102-year history, CCV is mobilising its membership base during the Victorian election, and asking members to vote prudently when they reach the ballot box.

The 163 clubs that operate EGMs have voted unanimously to support a CCV recommendation that clubs should provide advice to their members about the policies of contending political parties contending the November 24 State election.

This move has been prompted by the fact that the gaming industry is under increasing pressure, and it therefore stands to reason that if further changes are introduced to stifle gaming then the future of Clubs with gaming is questionable.

Leon Wiegard
President, Community Clubs Victoria

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A public debate? Bring it on

Dear Editor,

I support, and stand alongside Linda Cusworth (Letters, October 11) in challenging Peter Rees to a public debate. My proviso is, as with Linda, that Peter Rees not raise (as he continually does) unsubstantiated fictitious garbage and that all points he presents must be supported with actual, documented information from credible sources.

My other proviso is that the debate be limited to his claims about refugees on Nauru and Manus and that his stated support for Russian President Putin’s views on Muslims not form part of the debate.

Ray Frost
Jan Juc