Divisions that run deep
The Q&A program in Sydney with the clash of Pauline Hanson and protesters vividly demonstrates the reality of widening divisions in Australian society that are unrecognised in the comfortable homogeny of the Turnbull “display” cabinet.
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Conversely the Government House ceremony commencing with a canned music version of the national anthem left nothing to chance and was attended by the comical sight of politicians clutching historic bibles like children with teddies on their first day of preschool at a time when the 2016 census anticipates the majority of Australians to be identified as having “no religion”.
The use of recorded music and talismans is a strange mix of the unimaginative and the archaic. Despite the fact the ABC is constantly “being sent from the Liberal party classroom”, the national broadcaster can be thanked for inspiring an event that speaks more clearly to contemporary challenges of government.
Peter Macleod-Miller, Archdeacon of Albury and the Hume St Matthews, Albury
Commendation for Cooks
King Valley farmers Rob and Pam Cook should be commended for their commitment to the dairy industry and their fellow farmers (The Border Mail, July 16).
I recently visited the Indi electorate with Marty Corboy and met with local dairy farmers. We discussed the future of the industry. These discussions and others held in Shepparton, Echuca and Gippsland resulted in the Coalition government delivering a $579 million dairy assistance package.
The assistance package includes providing farmers with access to Dairy Recovery Concessional Loans, Farm Household Allowance, Rural Financial Counselling Service and an additional $900,000 for Dairy Australia to roll out Tactics for Tight Times one-to-one farm business advice.
The Farm Household Allowance is a fortnightly income payment for farming families in hardship, to help put food on the table while taking time to sort out the farm business finances. It is worth more than $24,000 a year for a farming couple.
Farmers do not need to take on additional debt to benefit from the concessional loans. Farmers can restructure up to 50 per cent or $1 million (whichever is the lesser) of existing debt using these loans, at a concessional interest rate of 2.71 per cent (2.66 per cent from August 1).
The Coalition believes targeting assistance direct to farmers is a better option than spending taxpayers’ money subsidising Murray Goulburn.
Barnaby Joyce,
Nationals leader and deputy Prime Minister
Ageing an issue for all
Ageing is not just an issue for seniors, aged care providers and government, it is an issue of national importance for all Australians.
The Victorian Government’s Victoria in the Future 2016 report released last week yet again highlights Victoria’s senior population is increasing.
The report shows Victoria’s ageing population will increase by almost 180 per cent from 777,500 to 2,167,400 in over 30 years. Hume’s ageing population will grow dramatically from 28,300 to 59,800 seniors, an increase of 111 per cent. To meet this growing demand, the region will need an additional 1944 residential aged care places at an estimated cost of $486 million and an additional 1789 home care packages.
We have a moral obligation to ensure our seniors, who built our nation, obtain the best possible outcome for their health, wellbeing and quality of life by receiving due attention from government across all portfolios.
Sean Rooney, chief executive officer,
Leading Age Services Australia
Letter of the week winner
This week’s letter of the week winer is James Nelson, of Thurgoona. Please collect your prize at The Border Mail office, 1 McKoy Street, Wodonga.