Letters
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No time left to pretend
Keith Altmann, Woodend Ray Brindle’s response to Messrs Clarke, Scoles et al is unduly gentle at a time when the most recent science, based on actual events as well as improved understanding of the risks of climate change, is that life on Earth now faces an existential risk. Some say why should Australia act as…
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Share sources
Dino Cevolatti, Castlemaine In regards to ‘Who can we trust?’ (Opinions, August 14), while you are right to be sceptical of sources of data and to provide more accurate values, it would help to provide your own sources for others to review. For example, the data show a trend from 1910 to 2017 of at…
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Portable signs?
Ali Holborn, Riddells Creek To assist motorists in remembering the ‘slowing to 40 when passing an emergency vehicle’ rule, could service teams carry a portable speed sign? This could include police, fire, ambulance, SES and tow trucks. The sign could be erected near the emergency scene and state ’40 – Emergency Ahead’. A visual reminder…
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Balance must be right
Janine Mc Dougall, Riddells Creek As a sometime Labor voter I, like Christine Pruneau (‘Worse off than ever’, Opinions, August 14), am very concerned about the Andrews Labor Government’s reforms to farming in Victoria. My concern centres on the apparent absence of animal welfare considerations in this alleged attempt to balance agricultural sector advancement with…
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Scaremongering on planning
Mary-Anne Thomas MP, State Member for Macedon It’s time to provide some facts in response to the Macedon Ranges Residents Association’s scaremongering on planning reforms to support local farmers. Firstly it is the Andrews Labor Government that has delivered the highest level of planning controls available to guard against inappropriate development in the Macedon Ranges;…
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Wrongly blamed
Glenda Fisher, Woodend Mary-Anne Thomas wrongly blames the Bailleau/Napthine Liberal government for the decline in the Victorian TAFE system and in particular accuses them of slashing funding by $1 billion dollars during their time in government (‘No credibility’, Opinions, August 14). The real truth about the decline in the system post 2011 is solely down…
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Illegal charges
Alison Joseph, Bullengarook I believe there is evidence that the former Labor Government manipulated the Essential Services Commission’s 2008 Melbourne Water pricing decision, the decision that imposed Melbourne Water ‘waterway’ charges on Macedon Ranges property owners. That the ESC then backdated these charges to 2005 clearly demonstrates that this was supposedly one of the charges…
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Let’s stop pretending
Ray Brindle, Malmsbury A grassfire was rapidly approaching a rural house. The occupant was urgently asked to help the CFA save it. The man said no, he wouldn’t; although he and his sons had the gear and manpower to make an impact on the fire, it was a natural event and they didn’t cause it…
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Delaying tactics
Huntly Barton, Kyneton The people of Kyneton and district wake up. Our local state member Mary-Anne Thomas has stated that the Old Kyneton Primary school site has been handed back to community, but the government has started another consultation process that will grind on until after the next election, so it can put in a…
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Sad sideshow
Patrick Hockey, Castlemaine Climate change denial is a sad sideshow to the reality of climate change impacting the globe now. Not only are events like the Californian wildfires unprecedented in scale, but the precedents they are exceeding were only established in recent years. The changes are alarmingly linear. Where will we be in just ten…
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Bureaucracy gone mad
John Mitchell, Kyneton Far from being a council that is concerned with the aged and infirm, Macedon Ranges Shire seems intent on making life even more difficult for the elderly. The scheme that enabled these people – myself included – to quickly and easily obtain coupons for assistance at home, such as lawn-mowing, wood stacking…
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Worse off than ever
Christine Pruneau, secretary, Macedon Ranges Residents Association In response to Noel Henderson’s letter (‘Positive approach’, Opinions, July 31) defending the state government’s changes to increase intensive (pig and poultry) farming in Macedon Ranges. No-one disagrees with protecting the right to farm in a Farming zone, but these changes relate to a completely different situation. Contrary…