Honour a big surprise
TO the mayor and the Australia Day committee,
Thank you for the honour of being chosen citizen of the year, and thanks to all the people that phoned and sent text messages.
It was a very big surprise, also thanks to the friends that came with me and to the breakfast afterwards.
So thanks once again,
Beryl Lowe,
Swan Hill
Spineless on duck hunting
PETER Walsh claims Labor restricts duck shooting because it is “vote-hunting in Melbourne” (Cease the delay, says Walsh, The Guardian, February 11, pg 4).
But in my suburban view, the Andrews Government has been spineless on this.
Unlike previous governments, it has never cancelled a duck season, even in drought.
Last year, it backflipped at the last minute, boosting the bag limit from two to five birds daily and scrapping protections for Teal ducks.
But Walsh sticks to his guns.
The Parliamentary Register shows he is a member of the Swan Hill branch of Field and Game Australia.
Every year he barracks for duck shooters without mentioning his personal involvement.
The latest helicopter survey suggests the duck population is between 2.4m and 3.6m, but Walsh only quotes the top end of that range.
And let’s bust that male myth about duck shooters boosting the rural economy.
Half of them live in the regions so they spend their money there anyway.
The other half live in Melbourne, buy supplies in the city, then camp out in the bush and spend very little there.
Meanwhile other tourists – who pay for accommodation, eat out, visit galleries and browse regional shops – stay home while the shooting is on.
Mary O’Keefe,
Mont Albert
Startling need for water reform
A LACK of information regarding water theft in NSW illustrates the need for water reform.
Analysis by The Weekly Times (February 16, 2022) suggested that total water theft in Victoria went down in the most recent financial year, while it is still unknown how much water was stolen in NSW.
In Victoria, water theft has reduced by over 6200 thousand megalitres between the last two reporting periods, yet similar data for NSW was unable to be supplied.
It’s an alarming omission, which suggests a lack of oversight of the system.
We have a clear picture of what’s happening in Victoria – yet what’s happening in NSW is anyone’s guess.
The amount of formal warning and lockdown notices issued for water theft in Victoria has reduced, while formal warnings, statutory notices and penalty notices are up in NSW.
You’d think the recent drought would have stemmed this illegal and unethical activity, yet water theft offences in NSW still appear quite common.
Our farmers and companies deserve to be on a level playing field with their northern neighbours and tighter regulation is needed so families aren’t penalised for doing the right thing.
Ali Cupper,
Member for Mildura
Lives changed forever
TOO many Victorians continue to have their lives changed forever due to the loss of a loved one at work.
Tragically, another 66 people died as a result of work related incidents, medical conditions or disease in 2021. This follows the loss of 73 lives in both of the previous two years.
While this year’s toll has gone down, that’s 212 people killed in Victorian workplaces in the last three years alone.
Sadly, a further six workers have already lost their lives so far this year.
Hundreds of families, loved ones and colleagues left devastated by a death that could have been prevented.
It’s difficult to imagine the indescribable pain they are feeling.
That’s why I’m urging all Victorians to reflect on the lasting impact of a workplace tragedy.
The powerful stories of those left behind demonstrate that no one in the community is immune from the devastating consequences of workplace trauma and why health and safety at work is everyone’s business.
Out of respect for those we have lost and their families, it is time we said enough.
There is simply no excuse for cutting corners when it comes to workplace safety.
It’s fair to say the past two years have been unprecedented in the challenges they have presented to Victorians, but it’s been incredible to see the way the community has come together to prioritise health and safety in response to a global pandemic.
We need that kind of strong and decisive action to translate into how we think about safety at work.
At WorkSafe, we have a bold ambition for Victoria to be the safest place to work in Australia and one of the safest in the world by 2024.
But we won’t stop there. We won’t rest until no Victorian dies at work.
To achieve this, we need to continue to add new, contemporary thinking and solutions to the experience and the expertise that we have built over many years.
We will deliberately target those workplaces where the worst injuries and fatalities are predicted to occur; addressing the risks and hazards before workers are harmed.
Colin Radford,
Chief executive officer,
WorkSafe
