Four weeks ago we put up a Cathy McGowan poster and an orange chair inside our fence at Red Bluff in the Kiewa Valley. The idea was “to keep the seat orange”.

Over the weekend, someone climbed over the fence and removed them. I only wish the paint was still wet on that chair and then the thief would have an orange seat as well.

I COMMEND Albury City Council on wanting to obtain the feeling of residents regarding the pools question.

However I think putting the two questions in the same sentence is not going to help much at all. Of course many would wish to have a $50 million world standard complex in our twin cities, me included, but not necessarily at the expense of the closure of both existing pools. There should be at least three questions, each with a ‘yes/no’ box.  

Spend $50 million-plus on new complex, close Albury pool, close Lavington pool. Also, for those wishing to do an analysis of expenses and possible income, they would find that there is probably not a pool in Australia that runs at a profit. They are usually a service provided by councils for the public at the ratepayers’ expense. Getting it is one thing, paying for ongoing running costs is another. Can we afford that?

THE looming plebiscite for marriage equality is of grave concern to many from the LGBTQI community and their friends and families.

We know that the anti-gay lobby will run a fierce and divisive campaign which will cause great harm to this community – particularly young people who may be already marginalised in rural communities.

It also now appears that there are deals inside the Coalition that the plebiscite result won’t be binding and MP’s can vote according to the result in their electorates – in which case why are we wasting $160 million on a non-binding vote?

If you agree that the plebiscite will cause harm and waste taxpayers money on inciting bigotry and division, then do not vote for the LNP.

Whoever you want to preference, voting 1 Greens is a vote against this pointless, expensive and divisive plebiscite.

AS a young Indi constituent I have voted in only two federal elections.

While young voters may easily forget the days of Indi as a safe Liberal seat, we cannot afford to forget what it means to have Sophie Mirabella as our elected representative.

This is the same Sophie who denied the existence of the Stolen Generations in Victoria and walked out of Parliament during Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s landmark apology.

This is the same Sophie, our representative, who stood under the infamous “ditch the witch” vitriol towards Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Cathy McGowan presents a compassionate, competent, open-minded and Indi-focused alternative, especially for young people like me. I know where my vote will be going this weekend.