Man of beliefs
We, as a community, are much poorer for the loss of Jamie MacKenzie.
I knew him better than most of our other councillors simply because he was out and about in the community, willing to talk about issues for as long as necessary.
Rather than keep the peace and collecting his pay at the end of the week, he stood up for his convictions and beliefs and, importantly, for the community which longs to see this in our federal and state politicians.
He sought to demand commitment and accountability from those working for the council as well as from his fellow councillors.
This is what the community has been asking for, but seldom getting.
I don’t know what drove him to end his life last week but the accumulating forces must have been horrific for such a courageous and kind individual to see no future.
Vale Jamie.
Adele Thomas,
Berat, Q.
Think about it
Well, well, here we go again.
Mayor Blundell and the CEO did not want to comment about our retiring Cr Mr MacKenzie.
Maybe it was because the councillor did not agree with their decisions and why should this councillor be replaced by the mob we have now when we have only got a caretaker council now.
I also read where council wants people to read their water meters daily.
Maybe it would be a better idea if council maintained their water meters as we heard most of them are faulty, but when you ring the council they expect the ratepayer to repair their water meters.
Seems very funny to me as you have to pay for repairs on something you do not own.
Maybe if rate payers sent the council a bill to have your car repaired would they pay the bill.
I was recently told by a councillor to get out of our financial problems we need another 5000 rate payers in the ADRC area (ha ha).
Who is going to move here with a half built shopping centre and many empty shops and businesses closing down weekly?
So I would like the ratepayers to think.
We need a new council and mayor and maybe the CEO should resign and move on so the ratepayers get value for the exorbitant rates we are asked to pay.
I think the small townships need a bit more service. Clean water would be a help as most of these little towns have very poor quality of water.
The small towns pay more for untreated water than people in Toowoomba pay for their treated water.
W. Long,
Karara.
Rhyme in rhythm
See how my poem of 10 March 2004 fits so well with the upcoming council elections!
“They do not ask for much these tiny towns in Warwick Shire,
But they do expect their country roads to go easy on their tyres,
Our solid farming families need to know their every worth,
Where would Warwick be if none but tourists walked the earth?
Villagers look on in dismay as millions roost in town,
Whilst Allora had to wait and wait to get the grasses mown,
Our refuse dump to go to sleep two days in every week,
Compared to what the cities get it’s really quite a cheek!
Is anybody listening, does anybody care,
That seven tiny towns are entitled to fair share?
They do not ask for much but councils give them less,
Council need not plan for us as if we are all stone deaf!
For we may then be inclined to hiss and let off steam,
And cast our votes for none of them, and elect a brand new team!”
Melba Morris,
Allora.
Goods faith
The Howard regime promised never to introduce the GST before the election.
The current regime has promised never to increase the GST before the election.
C. Gaitskell,
Stanthorpe.
Will they listen?
I betcha when the new tax rules for backpackers come in on 1 July you won’t find many backpackers in regional farming areas.
Other business will no doubt take a similar hit.
The economy of rural towns will be adversely affected in accommodation, grocery stores, cafes, pubs, retail shops and many other services that backpackers use.
The government’s hairbrained idea will drive them away causing a labour shortage for our hard-working farmers.
Does our ‘lack-of-wisdom’ government actually think that the extra income tax from a dwindling backpacker workforce will compensate for taxes lost from local businesses and the GST?
Rural industry is presently lobbying Canberra to rescind this foolish decision.
Will they listen to the voices of reason or ignore them as they do in so many other cases?
Jay Nauss,
Glen Aplin.
Dominion of debt
Well, January for 2016 is over and, as usual, it concluded with nationwide Australia Day celebrations, citizenship ceremonies and the now usual push by the republican movement to free Australia of its colonial yoke.
And they are right that Australia, as an independent nation, should be free of all fetters, ties and subserviences to foreign powers.
The problem now is that not all foreign powers are represented by a foreign government and while our present ties to the British Crown have no significant detriment to us, other than to our ego, Australia remains shackled completely to an international banking and financial services industry that is milking us dry.
It has recently and reliably been published that our Federal Government has a monthly interest obligation of $1 billion, at the lowest estimate.
That is $12 billion a year and $48 billion over the forward estimates period.
But our Federal Government is not the only Australian authority to be indebted to international banking.
Our state and local governments have combined borrowings that would easily match those of the Commonwealth which moves our interest liability over the forward estimates period to $96 billion, which is a lot of money over a very short time.
And it will only stay that low if we maintain our present credit ratings which are set, of course, by the international bankers.
On top of all this there is the private and business sectors which have all the potential of doubling the above figures again.
So maybe the Republicans are merely a diversion with their head-of-state problems or maybe they should stick with their mantra of independence but put it on a priority basis and tackle the relevant subserviences first.
The immediate gains to the Australian people would be truly significant and then we would all be republicans.
Jim Flesser,
Mt. Marshall.
Nuclear impact
If a proposed 50 kilometre Community Consultation Exclusion Zone is imposed on the area surrounding Bennett’s Gully at Omanama, other centres including Warwick, Toowoomba, Goondiwindi, Stanthorpe, Millmerran, Texas, Gore, Karara and Leyburn will be denied the opportunity to protest against the possible siting (virtually on their doorstep) of a national nuclear waste facility.
This was the loud and clear message delivered by Mark Russell, one of the speakers at a community public meeting, which was held on Friday 12 February at Inglewood by the Friends of Omanama to give a balanced presentation of facts about the regional and national consequences if Omanama, 21kms east of Inglewood, is chosen as the site for the proposed National Nuclear Waste Facility.
A crowd of nearly 200 people attended.
Mark Russell, a property owner at Gore, said the people living in the towns that were likely to be excluded had every right to be part of the consultation process.
Feedback from these centres has registered surprise that Omanama might become a nuclear waste dump then anger at the impact it would have on the reputation of the areas to the north, south, east and west of Inglewood and the viability of the rural and business sectors, the tourism industry and the general public.
Mark questioned the employment offers alluded to by the government’s consultation team and the opportunities for local contractors during and after the construction phase of any waste facility and described the government strategy in selecting the six sites as deeply flawed.
He said it was done without producing any evidence of an environmental study, there was no geological study for suitability, no indigenous cultural heritage study, no evidence of how the proposed facility would comply with the Qld Nuclear Facilities Prohibition Act 2007 or comply with the code of practice for the near surface disposal of radioactive waste in Australia 1992.
In contrast to this, the Queensland Labor Government Minister for State Development and Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Dr Anthony Lynham, had advised that the Queensland Government does not support, in any circumstances, anywhere in Queensland being utilised for radioactive waste storage.
Other speakers during the night included Friends of Omanama co-ordinator Dr Colin Owen who emphasised that the aim of the evening was to share information.
Group member Bob Morrish spoke on the difference between storage and disposal and gave a history overview of the nuclear waste situation in Australia.
Vanessa Grady’s subject was ‘What really is the difference between low level waste and intermediate level waste’, Annette Clement’s topic was ‘Incidents and mishaps – Australia and the world’, Sue Campbell spoke on community effect and ‘Thirty Pieces of Silver – What Price’ while property and community values were discussed by Belinda Marriage.
Omanama resident Kerry Edmonstone, whose property lies in close proximity to the proposed nuclear waste site, gave an overview of the dramatic consequences which will affect the lives of her and her husband if the Omanama site is chosen by the government.
Two video presentations were shown during the night, one by prominent nuclear radiologist Peter Koramoskos and the other a Lateline segment.
The evening concluded with a short address titled ‘The process so far and a better way forward’ given by Dr Owen who thanked the audience for being amazingly attentive during the night.
Mavis Stower,
Inglewood.
