The councillors have spoken with a few business owners and seem to think they have helped the majority of traders without consulting the entire CBD. Many businesses don't open until 10 am so this parking solution is not going to help them at all. The Ratepayers Association believes paid parking on-street and two hours free in off-street car parks is the best solution.

A high turnover would be achieved in the on-street parks, and the council would derive revenue by enforcing time limits. The free parking can be easily enforced with shoppers entering their registration in the parking machines to alleviate the need to chalk tyres, reducing the workload to enforce the parking limits. Other councils like Ballarat can do it with the same parking machines as ours so why can't we?

Ben Blain, Warrnambool Ratepayers Association

Surely it is obvious that the bus stop be re-located to Gilles St. There are toilets, a phone box, bike rack, an undercover area and seats. The paving is in good condition, it is central enough, close to TAFE and the train station and is going to waste as it is no longer a taxi rank .

The buses can avoid the traffic fiasco that is Liebig Street. Why does the council feel the need to waste even more money when this facility already exists.

Glenda Smith, Panmure

Liberal MP Roma Britnell knocks Green MP Ellen Sandells suggestion of spending an extra $50 million on the Portland aluminium smelter (Portland smelter can already power up and down, MP rubbishes Greens' $50m plan, 3 July).

But opportunities are opening up for green aluminium as global consumer brands such as Nestle, Apple and Toyota want to be able to use emissions-free metals in their products, and may be willing to pay a premium for it. Working out how to produce green aluminium in Portland is the sort of positive and innovative thinking that Roma Britnell should be pushing. Its easy to knock others.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Vic

I heard the water authority on the radio saying we would have to pay extra if we wanted clean water going out into the ocean. Why isn't the state government paying for it like in other parts of Victoria?

I'm a plumber and work hard to remove our waste safely from houses. It upsets me that it's not getting treated to a high standard before it's released into the ocean.

Luke Foster, Warrnambool

The Standard article 'Job Losses High in Wannon' (July 1) highlights how our region has been hit harder than any other rural Victorian federal electorate. This is concerning and requires a proactive response. South West Local Learning and Employment Network (LLEN) has done its own research in this field, finding that young people, women and the lowest paid are likely to be most affected by this decline.

We are producing a series of webinars based on this research and hope to facilitate a collaborative local response to protect and support young people in south west Victoria as we emerge from this crisis. We believe local actions relating to economic recovery must apply a youth lens, consider the needs of jobseekers aged 15-25 and incorporate a youth voice.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, young Australians were already entering the workforce in an era of lower economic growth than that experienced by previous generations. During 2020-21 South West LLEN plans to form a working group comprising people with a mindset for innovation and the passion to create a better future, identifying and focusing on practical critical leverage points, and advocating for regional responsive interventions.

We also encourage people to learn more about the local issues by following our webinar series, which is designed for people and organisations interested in understanding successful pathways from secondary school to further education and the labour market. The webinars will be shared on the South West LLEN Facebook page and will look into early insights into the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on employment, particularly the Great South Coast region, the education and employment profile of the region, the strengths of the workforce and why payroll jobs in the Great South Coast have been so profoundly impacted.

Emily Lee-Ack, South West LLEN Executive Officer

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