I say NO
I say NO to an international aviation training school operating from our aerodrome.
I say NO to having our peaceful, serene living environment shattered.
I say NO to having planes flying over my home doing circuit training all day long with no restricted flight times.
I say NO to having toxic lead from plane fuel filling the air that my children breathe and covering the crops that we ingest.
I say NO to the prospect of money trumping our quality of life.
And I say NO to Swan Hill only being known for its aviation school.
What will you say?
Shaye Strugnell,
Swan Hill
Respect others
I WANT to thank all the people who have provided feedback and comment to me on current issues, as both a councillor and community member.
There are many different points of view and costructive input is always welcomed.
We all have a right to a point of view and to be able to express it.
We are going through difficult times that are unprecedented and putting people under stress in ways that we, as a community and individuals, have not experienced before.
Never has there been a time when we need to be mindful of the impact of situations and support of those going through work, life and family stress that can then lead to mental health and despondency issues.
As a member of a family that has dealt with mental health issues that resulted in suicide, negativity is not helpful.
Swan Hill is a great community, with a wonderful history and record of development in so many areas.
Unfortunately, at the moment, we have some people who pedal viewpoints often with personal attacks and with no tolerance or respect for others or the wider community.
This is often based on wrong and misinformed information.
For families and individuals who battle with mental health and general “hard” issues, this is not helpful. This is also not the Swan Hill way. Swan Hill is better than this.
We all have a role to play in keeping spirits up and promoting the good things around us. After all, there are many.
Thankfully, we do have people prepared to look at things differently, seek out opportunities and accept the challenges that are emerging.
Sure, we have empty shops and some businesses considering options, but we are not alone. This is happening globally, Australia wide and in towns and cities everywhere.
Some people and places will emerge out of this much better than others. Let us be one of those.
Swan Hill has been through similar periods within our history when growth stopped and initiatives just didn’t happen.
People and kids left, never to return. We have ourselves to blame if a climate of negativity grows and expands and it happens again.
To those who are maintaining supportive and positive attitudes with respect for others, keep up the good work, it is what we need.
Stay calm, respect others and think before you post.
We live in a great place, let’s keep it that way.
Lifeine: 13 11 14.
Ann Young,
Beverford
Reverse the water wastage
I WOULD like to clarify some comments made by Member for Farrer Sussan Ley following media coverage of my decision to try and shake up the cosy political arrangements that are presently costing our nation billions of dollars.
Firstly, I want it made clear this action is purely due to the inaction from Ms Ley and her Coalition colleagues around the problems being faced by water management. Myself, like many others, know there are viable and achievable solutions the politicians are avoiding.
Also, I don’t want to be a politician. I want to be a food and fibre producer. However, I am extremely limited in my preferred profession because Ms Ley and her colleagues refuse to provide adequate affordable water for myself and other producers across southern NSW and northern Victoria.
Please do not believe false claims there is no water available. As Ms Ley knows, vast volumes have been flooded unnecessarily into forests and poured out to sea. An utter waste that cannot be tolerated, causing environmental damage that unbelievably is not being called out by the environment minister.
Ms Ley also claims the Murray-Darling basin inspector-general Mick Keelty found in his report there is no water available. It seems she missed the subsequent revelation from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA), as I quote from her Coalition colleague Damian Drum, that “the amount of unallocated water is more like 375GL per year”.
Ms Ley tells us her “focus remains to work with all parts of the electorate to address water security issues”. That is laughable. She refuses to meet with myself or other executive members of Southern Riverina Irrigators to discuss and resolve our concerns. She also ignoring the flood plain harvesting issue which is destroying the Darling and crippling the Murray region economically and environmentally.
For the record, there is only one reason I am getting involved in politics. I want to help and protect our farmers and the communities, because at present they are being let down as the sacrificial lambs for a disastrous basin plan the Coalition Government will not fix.
However, I am prepared to issue a challenge to the Prime Minister and his Liberal/National Party colleagues, including Ms Ley.
Quite simply, if you are prepared to fix the basin plan and provide food producers in southern NSW and northern Victoria with sufficient, affordable water to do our job properly and support our nation’s prosperity, I will willingly bow out of the political fight that is pending.
All we are asking is that you reverse the water wastage and improve water management so there is the equitable share that was promised (yes, promised), when the basin plan was being drafted.
Chris Brooks
Barooga, NSW
