Letters to the editor

This way the ones that did not make the print edition will still be published.

Haines is a vote for real action

The Liberals continue to publish their negative ads.

In their latest they seek to mislead, by comparing (without context) the voting record of Helen Haines to that of Cathy McGowan.

However, by holding up Cathy as the benchmark, the Liberals have recognised Cathy McGowan as being the outstanding independent Member of Parliament she was.

In turn, Cathy has penned “If I stood tall, Helen stands taller”.

Indeed, Helen Haines stands tall.

She stands above those seeking to depose her.

She stands with integrity.

She stands as an independent, freely advocating on behalf of her electorate unrestrained by party back-room machinations.

By working with (not against) others she has already secured for Indi improved mobile phone and internet services, funding for renewable energy, economic and bushfire-recovery projects as well as funding for health initiatives.

Helen Haines also advocates strongly for climate action, so that Australia acts in line with other nations.

If we don’t cut emissions, our trading partners will impose tariffs on our exports and we face the ignominy of being taxed by foreign entities.

Accordingly, Helen Haines announced her plan to secure the future of farming.

The plan, supported by the National Farmer’s Federation, will fund a network of agricultural extension officers to work with farmers implementing emissions-reduction strategies to maintain access to export markets.

Fully costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office at $32 million a year, it is a relatively small investment to ensure survival of our multibillion-dollar farming industry.

A vote for Helen Haines is a not a vote for another party, it is a vote for real action on the issues affecting Indi today, a vote to secure a future for farming, our electorate and our grandchildren.

— Paul Malcolm, Broken Creek

I hope we are not paying for the clean-up

On Thursday, May 5, earth-moving contractors started digging out the retention basin on Cowan St.

Doing capital works and improving things is fine, but for the contractors to ignore basic site regulations and to turn Cowan St into a dirt road by not cleaning the mud from their vehicles before leaving the site is a damning indictment on the contractors themselves and council for not enforcing construction site regulations.

Many local builders who have suffered the wrath of council for such failure must be shaking their heads in disbelief at the mess that has been made.

Upon contacting the council and the person in charge of capital works, all I got was a moan and whining about how busy he was, and it was very apparent from our conversation that he had no idea of how to fix the problem.

So here we are today, Saturday after another full day on Friday of tip truck after tip truck disgorging mud from one end of Cowan St the the other, with noisy dusty street sweepers cleaning up a mess that never should have been there in the first place.

I hope that we, the ratepayers, aren’t paying for the clean up.

— Ian Robertson, Benalla

An anti-corruption body is essential

As we continually hear in the time of Australian governments, ministers have the ability to splash out funds to electorates, which they deem to be liable to be captured or lost as they see fit.

Hence the ministerial whiteboards and the carparks fiascos, demand scrutiny.

The so-called, Canberra Bubble now seem to think of itself as untouchable, and the ongoing practice continues with the excuse that the other parties do the same.

The practice isn’t covered by the slightly amusing and sometimes acceptable term of pork barrelling, it is criminal.

Now the current Opposition is promising us “dog parks”, which they believe may woo voters in some electorates. How dare you?

Your perpetration of those practices are criminal, as you are stealing our money to push your own power agendas.

What right have you to continue to rort without being accountable to us as your constituents and taxpayers?

Thankyou Helen Haines and the Beechworth Principles forum for having the foresight and the guts to grab this accountability agenda and push to get things right.

Helen Haine’s Bill to Parliament for accountability, is a result of so many legal experts contacting her and assisting to get this thing right.

Her Bill has been the result of contributions from Members of Parliament from all sides.

This government promised they would introduce a Corruption Bill to Parliament in this current session, and their excuse for not doing so is to blame the Opposition for not supporting it.

Since when has a government failed to govern by waiting for the Opposition?.

Lately the government has been screaming “kangaroo court”.

What have they got to fear?

An anti-corruption body with real teeth is essential if we have any chance of making Australian Democracy great again.

Sports rorts, carparks, political donations, flown-in candidates and the treatment of women staffers and female politicians, is disgusting.

The treatment of our aged-care workers is unforgivable, the treatment people with disabilities is something to be ashamed of, as is the treatment of childcare experts.

I volunteer in an Indi-based nursing home and I see the stretched but ever-caring staff, some of whom earn less per hour than the people who work at the supermarkets.

I have read as much as I can of Helen Haines’ Integrity Bill, and I will read more on her website.

The Bill has so many checks and balances to ensure fairness, and seems to be only opposed by people who need to take accountability out of our hands.

All of the above issues would be held to account under an Integrity Commission with independent real powers.

Come on Australia, wake up to what has been going on for the past 10 or 15 years.

— Angus Howell, Benalla

A vote against our democracy

The teal independents are being portrayed as types of moral gatekeepers that only have the good of our society in mind.

However, when pressed for detail they cannot provide any analysis of costings or detailed policies.

In any action, on anything other than climate change, they ask us to just hand it over to them.

Their lack of transparency is also breathtaking.

They don’t trust us enough to tell us who they would vote for or what they would vote for.

They would like to portray members of the major parties as the bad guys who they will save us from.

Forget about democracy.

We need to let them override whoever is in government and they will fix it.

A minority government in our current world economic and national security environment would spell disaster for Australia.

I would urge all voters to make an informed choice.

Pick up a couple of newspapers and read all the information, don't just rely on social media.

I would ask Dr Helen Haines, what do you suggest to counter the rising cost of living?

Where is our reliable energy going to come from? How much will it cost?

How will you protect our borders?

It’s understandable, given all we have endured, to feel disengaged from the major parties, but please remember that a vote for independents is a vote against our democracy.

— Julie Plumridge, Benalla

A hung parliament is the best result

The Federal LNP Government boasts that it is the best party to maintain Australia’s national security, but it is not backed up by the facts.

National security is more than border security and defence forces with their military equipment.

National security also includes making Australia self sufficient by having manufacturing industries that can provide us with our essential needs, such as energy, food, health and a country free of corruption.

On border security it has halted boat arrivals, but there are still a lot of people arriving in Australia and overstaying their visas and it takes the government a long time to catch up with these people and remove them from Australia.

How many millions of dollars has the government spent trying to remove a family from Australia where their Biloela community wants them to stay and they were working and contributing to the community and not costing the government.

On defence how many millions of dollars were wasted on submarine contracts and we still won’t have our own submarines till 2040.

The government complains about the Solomon Islands signing an agreement with China while allowing a Chinese Company to lease the Port of Darwin through a LNP Government in the Northern Territory, allowing a Chinese Company to lease an island off the coast of Queensland who will not let Australians have access to the infrastructure they had previously.

On energy the government has allowed Australia to have just two oil refineries today, which must add to the cost of fuel having to be transported all over our vast country.

The government allows our gas to be sold overseas at a price far below what Australians have to pay for gas.

What happens when our vital resources run out and we have to rely on supplies from overseas?

On food the government has allowed a Brazilian company (JBS) to buy up abattoirs and farms where they now control most of Australia’s meat supply.

The two brothers who started this company were banned from being directors of this company because they were using bribes to expand the business.

However, as the two biggest shareholders of the company they can still attend company meetings.

JBS is also reported to have a poor record in terms of OH&S and the environment. The government strongly supports JBS saying they employ lots of Australians.

On health the government has presided over a declining health system, which has been highlighted by COVID-19.

They couldn’t get the vaccine roll out right with some of the vulnerable people who were supposed to be the first groups to get the “jab” being some of the last to get it.

Their favoured health company they give lots of contracts to, were given a contract to fix up the problems at St Basils Aged Care couldn’t get the staff to solve the problems.

This same company was given the contract to provide health services to the Australian Army and the army found their performance so bad that they requested that their contract be cancelled.

The Health Minister provided this company with an undated glowing reference!

On corruption the government has issued contracts without going to tender and handed out grants to organisations without any due process.

I guess this is why the government won’t put an integrity bill before parliament and says it’s all Labor’s fault because they won’t support their integrity bill that has no teeth.

It is time for a change of government and the best result would be a hung parliament with the independents holding the government.

This will work — just look at the last hung parliament where the Labor party was able to get all its legislation through parliament; something the current government hasn’t been able to do.

— David Lee, Glenrowan West

Shared core values

It is interesting to hear Independents argue that they are the best people to get the best deal for people in their electorate.

While at first look, it is appealing to have a person who is only focused on our electorate to represent you, but electorates such as Indi are diverse geographically and demographically and so are the wants and the needs of the people.

The priorities for a couple living comfortably on superannuation are likely to be quite different from the priorities of a couple or single parent with children on a modest income.

Similarly, priorities may well differ between people living in Wodonga and a small community such as Goorambat.

Is an independent member the right person to prioritise spending?

Parties underpin democracy.

Parties are a group of people who see merit in working together for the common good.

Party members often have a diverse range of views, but underlying agreement on the core values and recognition that comprises need to be made at times to enable parties to govern successfully.

Certainly the National Party is a broad church, but there are certain shared core values.

These include taking responsibility for your actions, respect for other people and other things, reward for personal endeavour, giving a helping hand to those in need and contributing to the community wellbeing.

So when you are deciding on whom you will to vote for, look past the colour and movement of the campaign.

Assess whether the candidates promises are deliverable by them and whether they meet the needs of all of the sectors of the community.

Use your vote wisely.

— Bill Sykes, Benalla

An unfunded productivity gain

John Howard has joined the debate in the lead-up to the federal election and has criticised Anthony Albanese’s backing of a 5.1 per cent wage rise.

Howard says “to justify a wage rise, there should be productivity improvement”.

I suggest that since the year 2001, there has been a significant productivity improvement in many industries.

It has been because of the change in occupational health and safety laws form prescriptive to performance-based legislation.

In 1992, the Standing Committee on Law and Justice in NSW determined the rule-based system would be replaced with risk assessments.

Now employers and workers in all jurisdictions have a legal obligation to minimise risk to a tolerable level.

The Job Safety Analyses, which the CFMEU performs before starting work has prevented the types of fatalities that were occurring when John Howard was Prime Minister — an unfunded productivity gain.

— Alan Cotterell, Benalla

Our voices demand action

Indi’s Cathy McGowan’s grass-roots movement has spread across the land.

Helen Haines, Cathy’s successor, as the Independent Federal Member for Indi has continued taking our voices to Parliament.

Our voices demand action on climate change, a Federal Integrity Commission, healthcare, housing, local jobs, to name a few.

You can choose to have these issues continued to be heard in Parliament by voting for Helen Haines in the upcoming election.

— Kathy Murphy, Winton

It works both ways

Not long ago, Mrs Morrison appeared on a commercial television station.

She was very critical of Grace Tame at the Australian of the Year awards.

She suggested Grace Tame should have shown more manners and respect.

I can't help but wonder if she meant the same manners and respect her husband, our PM, Mr Morrison, showed to bushfire victims and firefighters when he forcefully tried to make them shake his hand.

— John Knapper, Molyullah

Freedom issues not addressed

The recent candidates forum held at the glass house in Benalla had about as much democracy as a politburo gathering in Moscow.

Hand-picked questions replaced the audience’s right to apply pressure and critique the policies being presented.

The major parties’ candidates along with the current sitting member never addressed the huge freedom issues that have affected the community for more than two years and the future plans for population control.

The lockdowns, curfews, mandates, job losses, and disregard for our Constitution were conveniently forgotten.

What’s on Australia’s, and the Western world’s upcoming agenda, within the near future, are issues like, digital identity, cashless society, a Chinese-style “virtuous citizen” points system, which is currently being trialled in Rome and Bologna, and of course, the usual dose of climate and gender hysteria that’s distracting the masses from their covert loss of freedom.

Election outcomes have consequences, and to seek candidates that have Australia’s freedom and sovereignty as the priority should be at the forefront of every voter.

The independents, supported by Simon Holmes a Court, are about as patriotic as a cane toad, and need intense scrutiny.

Australians, it's a good time to look at past history and the message is clear.

Be careful what you wish for.

— A.G. Wozniczka

Independent does not deserve conservative support

At the 2019 state election the results of our north-east electorates were as follows:

Benambra — won by Bill Tilley (Liberals) with 52.4 per cent.

Ovens Valley — Tim McCurdy (Nationals) with 62.6 per cent.

Euroa — Steph Ryan (Nationals) with 65.4 per cent.

Eildon — Cindy McLeish (Liberals) 52.4 per cent.

These districts make up the bulk of Indi federal electorate.

It is clearly a conservative demographic.

How on earth do we end up with anyone but a staunch conservative as our local Federal member?

On economic matters, Helen Haines supported by Climate 200 has given many superficial answers throughout the campaign.

She does not deserve support from conservative voters.

Consider voting for the coalition if you want northern Victoria to prosper.

An example of common-sense policy that will have huge benefits for the future in our region, is a commitment by the coalition to fund the Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal (BIFT).

This massive infrastructure project will aid container freight movements from Melbourne to the rest of Australia.

It will relieve pressure off Australia’s most significant road — the Hume Freeway.

BIFT will be the catalyst for future arterial roads, such as the E6, linking northern Victorian residents with Melbourne’s east.

Also the Metropolitan Outer Ring Road with the west.

The Coalition has committed to fund BIFT.

Labor is trying to hamstring the project through sheer petulance.

Labor did this before with the now defunct East-West Tunnel.

Support BIFT by voting/preferencing Ross Lyman (Liberal) in Indi.

— Philip Murphy, Benalla