MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT
■ Australians have the opportunity to exercise a most
precious right on Saturday: the right to choose their own government.
Captive peoples in brutal theocracies and communist dictatorships would
and often do die for this right, taken for granted by many Australians.
The present election is an opportunity for the electorate to pass
judgment on a government of gross incompetence that has miserably failed
every objective test on economic management and border security.
PASTOR PETER CURTIS WERRIBEE SOUTH
INFRASTRUCTURE AN ELECTION PLATFORM (Weekly, August 28)
■ The views of five candidates are
quoted and five others are reported as not responding by deadline. As I
am the only candidate not mentioned in the story, it would be very
disappointing if any readers concluded that I am slack or uninterested
in this key local problem. If anyone is interested in what I said on
infrastructure, they can email me on beck@vic.greens.org.au and I will
happily respond.
BECK SHEFFIELD-BROTHERTON GREENS LALOR CANDIDATE
PLAN TO STOP THE SPREAD (Weekly, August 28)
■ Building houses in green wedges to justify the essential infrastructure needed in the area is
not the solution. It’s caving in to the “growth” paradigm and
sacrificing what should be natural buffer zones for vegetation and our
city’s green lungs.
What’s needed is a population plan. Considering that Australia has
had below long-term replacement levels of fertility since the 1970s,
it’s not a case of big families need to be catered for.
Most of this growth is driven by record rates of permanent, and temporary, immigration. As such, it’s a political choice.
TONY B VIA WEB
RENTAL CRISIS (Weekly, August 28)
■ The “financial strain became
unbearable after she lost more than $130 a fortnight on January 1”. Well
done, Labor, well done. May you never darken our doors again.
TONY A VIA WEB
FIREFIGHTER CANCER COMPO (Weekly, August 28)
■ The Napthine government is bent on building monuments for itself and
not looking after community workers. Have another read of the article
of how Napthine had to escape through the back door to avoid speaking to
ambos.
SUPPORT THE AMBOS VIA WEB
WASTE MOUNTAIN (Weekly, August 21)
■ A large landfill should not
necessarily be “a reality of modern life”. A small levy on plastic bags,
a refund scheme for aluminium and other recyclable products and a tax
on non-recyclable packaging and products might go some way to
discouraging litter. This would reduce landfill and encourage innovative
industries and employment, creating biodegradable, recycled and
recyclable alternatives.
We are not paying the real cost of products in our consumer-driven
economy. The environmental and social costs are passed on to those who
have to live within the vicinity of landfills, polluted waterways etc,
our local fauna and flora whose habitats are degraded.
JENNIE EPSTEIN LITTLE RIVER
