Sell the saleyards, focus elsewhere
As a previous Warrnambool ratepayer, I am writing this letter voicing my concerns regarding the state of the Warrnambool saleyards and the proposed money to be spent there.
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The Mortlake saleyards have been operating for the past three years, with almost 90,000 cattle sold during 2020. Local, state and Interstate cattle producers have seen strong competition command strong prices, with the livestock benefiting from superior welfare outcomes as a result of the soft flooring, full undercover site and horse-only movements that deliver a calm handling environment.
By contrast, 35 minutes to the south, the 50-year-old Warrnambool saleyards continue to operate despite years of underinvestment that has resulted in rotten timber, collapsed walkways, slippery rubber and the unforgiving abrasiveness and discomfort of concrete flooring for the animals.
Furthermore, while we are fortunate to have the natural rainfall advantages our geographical location provides, the Warrnambool saleyards offer no respite from the cold and wet for either people or animals with all getting covered in wet cow manure as they move around.
Worse still, the agents can regularly be seen auctioning while balancing themselves on the two-metre high railing by placing one leg over the top rail. Should they fall, a concrete slab is there to greet them.
What does WorkSafe think about that?
The new city of Warrnambool councillors have a unique opportunity to demonstrate economic prudence in favour of narrow local interests.
Sell the Warrnambool saleyards, invest the money into much-needed projects that will benefit all ratepayers and establish a lucrative new and recurring rate revenue source through development of the site to boot.
If it wasn't for some clever accounting, the yards would be running at a substantial loss.
John Mahony, Mortlake
Call out toxic culture
I am a young woman living and working in the electorate of Wannon. I am shocked and appalled by the response to Brittany Higgins' rape accusations. This is just another reminder that Australian women are not guaranteed safety in our work places, in our homes, to live our lives.
Why does Ms Higgins have to bear the weight of this? Who is the accused? Why don't we know who he is when Ms Higgins has to share her story over and over again? How did he receive multiple positives references after a rape accusation?
The response to this alleged crime has been problematic on so many levels.
Firstly, there must be a way for people to express grievances in a way that does not make them feel they have to choose between seeking justice and their career.
Then to the response from the PM! As a young woman I call on you to publicly acknowledge I am not important as someone's daughter, or wife, or partner.
I am important because I am a person that deserves human dignity - so is Brittany Higgins and so is the second woman who come forward.
As our representative and voice, I call on local member Dan Tehan to call out this toxic culture that allows for such sexism and misogyny to thrive at Parliament House, and more broadly across Australia.
Florence Roney, Warrnambool
Please care for our animals
Once again with the hotter weather, massive numbers of farm animals in the Warrnambool area cannot escape the sun as they do not have trees to congregate under due to large numbers of really stupid and uncaring farmers.
What is the Victorian state government doing about this? What is the Warrnambool City Council doing about this? What is the RSPCA doing about this?
If anything is being done about it then it is utterly ineffective.
Is this part of what is called a civilised society? Why does the Australian community hate animals so much?
Peter Nielsen, Warrnambool
New guidelines devalue women
Issues around insidious language-policing and fringe ideology permeating our universities ought not be conflated with breastfeeding ('Detracts from breastfeeding challenges', The Standard, Feb 24).
I am a great supporter of breastfeeding and am sincerely grateful for the vital services the Warrnambool Breastfeeding Centre provides to the community.
The matter I raised in Parliament was not concerned with these services, but rather the idea that people's normal use of the English language should cause someone to feel anguish.
The ANU's Gender Institute's new guidelines that advocate for the use of the terms, 'chest feeding', 'human milk', 'gestational' and 'non-gestational', 'birthing' and 'non-birthing' parents, makes a mockery of our language and devalues women.
The idea that it is more compassionate is also completely misguided.
To teach people they are harmed by words such as 'breastfeeding', 'breastmilk' and 'mother', creates pain and victimhood where there need be none.
Beverley McArthur, Member for Western Victoria
Keep in mind standard of living
With reference to your article in "Perspectives" (The Standard, Feb 20), I note Earth's and Australia's human populations have tripled in number since the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Clearly humans are in a process of plague.
Rather than continuing to occupy ever-smaller spaces and squeezing out biological diversity, can we devise a system for all to have a decent standard of living?
Economists should not take part in such discussions because all they can think of is continuing growth, which is unacceptable.
Graham Keith, Warrnambool
- The Standard prefers letters to be less than 250 words, preference is given to shorter contributions. Letters must include the author's name, address and contact phone number for verification purposes. Letters are published on our website standard.net.au and in print.