Dallas Bridgman, Warrnambool

I find it curious that people such as Christian Schultink take the time and effort to write letters (The Standard, September 3) on issues that do not affect them in the least. Sure, he argues that same-sex marriage will lead to the disintegration of the family unit and inevitably, society, but this is easily disproved by the millions of healthy same-sex relationships around the world. No, this argument is so flimsy it can be nothing but a pretext. What then, is his objection to same sex marriage? Being a card-carrying member of the DLP, religion could form part of his objection. But the Christian God states, “judge lest not ye be judged”, “whoever is without sin cast the first stone,” and “love one another as I have loved you”. Christ’s position on the State was one of non-interference (“render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s”). And even if a Christian felt a particular need to pursue a matter of sexual morality, the Bible speaks against adultery and divorce far more than same-sex relationships. Where are all the letters condemning divorcees for their contribution to society’s moral ruin? With no apparent reasons for such a direct opposition to same-sex marriage, one must come to the conclusion that anti-gay campaigners such as Christian derive their views, as so many before them, from fear of the different and hatred of the unknown.

Siobhan Simper, Warrnambool

Another good candidate for Warrnambool City Council: Tony Herbert. That makes 23 to this point, with a prediction that there will be more. Reflecting on the huge number of people putting up their hands to stand for council has created mixed feelings for me. I understand that this is a reaction to what people have long perceived as a 'broken' council but I am now not so sure that the community will end up with the council that they want because in the end, preferences and proportions will tell the tale. I think the idea that the council has not been functioning well because of the 3-4 split was often publicised for many votes. People have said that the majority of four actually ran the town because it was always their decisions which prevailed. However, I am more inclined to believe that there were more decisions which were made by greater majorities than the fewer controversial ones which made it to the news. There was another element to that unfortunate state of affairs: many people believe that there was an adversarial undertone to most council proceedings. Only if all candidates remember that Warrnambool is home for each of us and that we all have an interest in making it the best place that it can be, will the next council work. Whoever is elected must understand that the mark of a healthy, happy and thriving community is how we look after each other. The silver lining to this burgeoning interest is that there are more good people from which to choose.

Richard Ziegeler, Dennington

As long-time residents of Cape Nelson we are opposed to planning amendment C86 which will allow the establishment of another feedlot (livestock holding facility) for cattle at Cape Nelson. This will be considered by council on September 13. The issues we and the Portland community face with existing feedlots such as flies, noise, smell and in particular the trucks and the damage they are doing to our roads and the danger they are to kids on bikes and other traffic in general will be doubled and the impact on Portland and the Cape will be felt by all. Cape Nelson has many terrific tourist and recreation attractions such as Yellow Rock, Murrells Beach, Isabella’s cafe, the Lighthouse, the State Park Picnic area and some of the best sections of the South West Walk all only 10 minutes from town. All this must be available and inviting to all residents and visitors and protected  from the extension of a dirty noisy smelly  industry that requires a planning scheme amendment to rezone the land from Rural Conservation with an Environmental Significance Overlay to Industrial.  

Ian and Brenda Eldridge, Portland

Unconventional gas exploration is a source of concern for many Victorian farmers. So I am sure there was a collective sigh of relief for many who are on land in the sights of CSG companies. The former Coalition Government’s ban on exploration and extraction of unconventional onshore gas was given permanency this week, while a moratorium on conventional onshore gas was extended to 2020. Farmers have serious concerns on the detrimental effects of fracking on water quality and quantity, this ban brings them peace of mind for the future. The Nationals have always had the best interests of farmers and regional communities at its core. We were proud to be part of the former Coalition government who introduced Victoria’s fracking moratorium and who banned the use of BTEX chemicals. Our farmers and rural communities are one of the powerhouses of Victoria’s economy and The Nationals will always fight to ensure that the land and water resources they need are protected. While the Coalition welcomes Labor’s continuation of the Liberal Nationals’ policy, Daniel Andrews must do more to provide relief from rising cost of living pressures hitting Victorian families.

Peter Walsh, Leader of The Nationals

There has been a great deal of uncertainty and large-scale community concern about hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) and coal seam gas in Victoria.  The moratorium did not solve this problem. It only brought more uncertainty and caused a great deal of anxiety to our farmers in the process. Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time listening to both farmers and regional communities. What stood out strongly was that the environment is the economy in regional Victoria: if you do things that compromise the environment – and in particular, water security – you do things that compromise the agricultural sector, which employs more than 190,000 people.  We will not put our ‘clean, green’ reputation of Victoria’s agriculture sector at risk. In a national first, the Andrews Labor Government is introducing a permanent ban on the exploration and development of all onshore unconventional gas in Victoria – including hydraulic fracturing ('fracking') and coal seam gas. Quite clearly this is one of the biggest issues affecting regional Victoria. Surprisingly, it is still unclear whether the Victorian Nationals will support our move to ban fracking. They're nowhere to be seen or heard. Will the Nationals support the legislative ban or will they side with the Liberals' calls for more uncertainty, indecision and inaction? I’m calling on all National Party MPs to declare their support for the legislation, which will ban fracking and coal seam gas once and for all.

Wade Noonan, Minister for Resources

Democracy, the rule of the people, is in our country getting undermined by something that may be best described by the made-up  Greek word of "leptacracy", the rule of money.  Political donations of all kinds are not given out  of the goodness of the heart, but for the purpose of political influence. So, whether the donor  is an individual, a business, an organisation, either domestic or foreign, the donation expects or at minimum reasonably hopes to receive some favour or benefit at some time in the future. Although we live in a functioning democracy based on pluralism, elections, checks and balances as well as media freedom, political donations are a very serious  threat to the core of our  democracy. Our political parties rely on donations for their functioning, especially  for their election campaigns, and are therefore vulnerable to those who have and can afford to give money. Society is not represented equally, but heavily favours those who can "buy" special considerations, better business outcomes or favourable comments. Our exposure to foreign donations is potentially dangerous re our foreign policies.

Ideally, our  democracy  ought to put its real meaning into practice as best as possible.  In the short term, all foreign donations should be banned and all political donations should be publicly declared, transparent and capped at a reasonable level. In the medium to long term, we should strive to ban all political donations and change the whole financial structure of political parties. In the spirit of true democracy, any political party or independent should find ways of raising their own funds. Real democracy  would be in action, if such finances were raised through chuck raffles and all kinds of fund raising events. There would be enormous benefits for our democracy, because politicians would be constantly and actively engaged with the people and hear their concerns. A far better picture of mutual understanding would emerge and people would be able to form their political opinions on an ongoing basis rather than being bombarded with costly election campaigning based on swaying people with dubious promises within a very short time. Our trust in our political representatives and institutions, which has clearly suffered recently, would certainly improve. 

There is no reason why we can't implement a better democracy on a grassroots level rather than persist with the constant danger of some people gaining unfair advantages due to money. Our political parties/independents  could change, but the question is whether they want to give up the relatively convenient funding system in place and are willing to rejuvinate our democracy by rolling up their sleeves and sourcing their funding from all the people they represent or aspire to. Otherwise, they will have the ongoing question of trust from the people to deal with.

Anton Maurus, Warrnambool