Steve, myself and the other members of the harbour project community and technical reference groups contributed a lot of time discussing and developing the three options. 

I appreciate the various perspectives that everyone brought to the table and I think the group chairs, Russell Worland and John Sherwood, did a great job ensuring that all views were heard and explored. 

The technical reference group agreed that it is possible to construct an innovative boat ramp that, along with dredging, will reduce wave surge to a safe level 90 per cent of the time. 

Sea conditions only allow boats to exit the harbour safely 90 per cent of the time. 

Fortunately for taxpayers, this is also the cheapest option. 

Fortunately for the environment, this option poses the least risk.

The community survey was not a ballot with the highest number of votes the winner. 

As former mayor Mike Neoh said in the introduction to the survey, the community consultation "is not a referendum". 

At the first joint meeting of the project community and technical reference groups there was a vote on what should be the highest priorities for the project. 

The priorities with the highest votes were:

The option that Warrnambool City Council has now adopted meets all three of these highest priorities.

I hope all users will be happy when the project is completed and boat launching and retrieval is at last made safer. 

Finally, regarding marine pest species and the Merri Marine Sanctuary, information is readily available at the Australian government's marine pests website www.marinepests.gov.au 

Here you will find that marine pests can wipe out native marine life – including your favourite fish species – damage the attractiveness and value of an area, threaten the local economy and cause serious human illness. 

I hope we never have to deal with these problems in Lady Bay or our precious marine sanctuary.

Bruce Campbell,

Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Group

THE management of the authority responsible for the maintenance and cleanliness of the Childers Cove toilets should be ashamed that they are responsible. 

The toilets have not been cleaned for some time.   

No toilet paper exists and there is no water available for the efficient operation of the flushing toilet.   

The international tourists decided against using the toilets for fear of catching a disease.    

They decided to take advantage of the native vegetation as an alternative. 

Such a disgusting situation for local tourism.

Brian Currell, 

Dandenong North

YOUR Warrnambool City Council charges 41 cents to pay an account online by credit card. This is a hidden charge and is a total rip-off and should not be allowed.

Barbara Williams, 

Portland

THIRTEEN months into the Andrews Labor government, action to fix V/Line's many problems – including continually late Warrnambool and Geelong line trains and slow timetables – is required from Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan and Premier Daniel Andrews.

Ms Allan is incorrectly claiming that Labor and Public Transport Victoria's much delayed and yet-to-be released Regional Network Development Plan would be the first long-term plan for rural public transport.

Labor must have a poor memory because prior to the November 2014 election the then Victorian Coalition Government released a fully costed, fully explained plan to provide 79 additional country train trips across the V/Line network every week.

At the time, the only criticism then Labor spokeswoman Jill Hennessy could offer was that the Liberal and Nationals' plan to improve V/Line was “political”. 

The Coalition included a much-needed fourth extra return train six days a week on the Camperdown and Warrnambool line.

This extra return train added to the 10,000 new weekly train, tram or bus trips that the Coalition initiated during its four years in government.

Instead of giving Labor's union mates above-CPI wage increases that will shortly flow on to V/Line and cost the 85 per cent of Victorians who work in the private sector millions extra each year, Jacinta Allan and Daniel Andrews need to introduce the extra train frequencies that the Coalition put forward.

This is a great plan to get V/Line moving more Victorians at a wider choice of times.

David Hodgett MP, 

Shadow Minister for Public Transport, 

Melbourne