Yes to horse beach facility
May 19th's Letters to the Editor showed a diversity of topics are exercising the minds of citizens. I was impressed with Emmanuel College's Peter Morgan's plea to avoid 'them versus us' divisiveness on Gonski 2.0 funding. Richard Ziegeler's letter spoke to his happiness that his interesting idea of 2016 about the Viaduct Road horse training and tourism precinct was bubbling along. However, it was the Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Network letter 'Opposition to training facility' that stimulates my own letter. The issue of providing a challenging sand hill conditioning area and sea swimming access for horses in the Warrnambool area should stand or fall on the merits of evidence. The evidence would reasonably include environmental, economic, social, employment, anthropological and numerous other parameters. What it should not countenance is the type of petulant name-calling, belittling and desperate rhetoric in the Coastcare Landcare organisation's letter. How many citizens will support this kind of extremism? Warrnambool is better than that. Now, to turn to the issue itself. What should we do about designing an economically viable and environmentally/ecologically sustainable place for a growing industry that is well established in Warrnambool? I think Mr Ziegeler has the right of it - the right idea - but it's in the wrong spot. I suggest putting a purpose built facility with direct beach, sand hill and sea access somewhere south-ish of the racecourse. This will keep the horse floats out of the already congested Pertobe/Stanley/Viaduct precinct. For tourism and the sheer beauty of watching horses put another Pavilion Café and equine showcase centre there. For industry, employment and equine health research we need to have a big vision and see it as infrastructure development. I foresee horses arriving at Sherwood Park train station on our new fast regional train service for beach sessions and strengthening/recovery/rehabilitation. Warrnambool is in demand as a training site because it is able to deliver a unique competitive advantage. That is why they flock here. Surely this is a gift-horse we can find room to welcome in a considered and sustainable way? Finally, although I have never owned a racehorse and have no shares in a gambling organisation, I need to declare that I did put $10 to win on Michelle Payne and Prince of Penzance in the 2015 Melbourne Cup.
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Ros Boyce, Toowong
Public service blowout
Barely a week goes by without a politician being embroiled in a travel scandal or some similar rort, and once the dust settles usually the offender gets forgotten about until the next time someone wants to score a cheap shot for a quick headline. Now, not to diminish the severity of these offences but I see some hypocrisy in relation to political staffers, in particular the high-end employees. These shadowy figures completely unknown to the public and neither elected or accountable are allowed more days away and more flights and in some cases, more well renumerated than their elected representatives and yet they have never been on the receiving end of an inquiry or even adverse publicity. Now that the amount spent on public service travel has exceeded $500 million for this last financial year, I think it is high time some accountability be meted out to those who spend our tax dollars so exorbitantly. Holding elected officials to account is great and a top start but we must move the broom through the support services surrounding them. This broom can also be used on the education department and even the hierarchy of our publicly-funded universities. Imagine the benefits to the bottom line and the expansion of services for the end user, the student, if a few of the chancellors and deans were made to accept a reasonable pay packet or even justify their existence to an independent panel as any highly paid executive in the private sector has to. We continually howl about the massive bonuses bank executives rake in yet they have to adhere to standards set by their peers and the undying scrutiny of the public eye, but the upper echelon of the education system escape that scrutiny despite using funds supplied from the pockets of the poor old taxpayer as well as the fat cat staffers that have neither the publicly recognisable faces of elected officials nor the ramifications of the private sector for poor performance or dishonesty. This problem has no easy fix and whoever decides to tackle it will no doubt be rousted from office when the opposition moans about poor public servants losing jobs and some chap who can’t afford the new Range Rover because of the cruel policies of whoever, but it is a problem of growing magnitude and expanding government means more wages and spending, it doesn’t mean any more taxation revenue nor does it mean that unemployment figures are falling, it is merely shifting figures and wealth creation instead of removing stifling regulations allowing private enterprise to thrive and employ.
Scott Norris, Warrnambool
What will fire split cost?
The iconic CFA is being smashed up to appease the demands of the United Firefighters Union. The Emergency Service Minister James Merlino says this split is necessary to address cultural issues within the organisations. But this will divide people based on their status within the fire services, surely creating an even bigger cultural problem. Minister Merlino keeps pointing to reviews of fire services, including the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission as the reasoning behind this move. But not one of those has recommended our fire services be split and Minister Merlino cannot explain why the government is pushing forward with it. The Minister cannot answer questions about the cost of this split; it’s still unclear how much taxpayers will cough up so Daniel Andrews can keep the United Firefighters Union happy – estimations range from $160 million to $1 Billion. I want a rock solid guarantee from the Premier and Minister that volunteers will not be forced out of integrated stations – including those in Warrnambool and Portland and that they will continue to have an important role in the protection of our communities.
Roma Britnell MP Member for South West Coast
