Just a token gesture
Do Indigo Shire councillors fail to realise that marriage itself is an inherently conservative institution? They've already done away with a prayer and national anthem in meetings, and now have prioritised a push for gay marriage. But why would they want it when saying “I do” and committing to a person for life is arguably just as old-fashioned as singing Advance Australia Fair.
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Its move to support same-sex marriage is nothing but empty tokenism, and Bernard Gaffney is right in asserting the council's decision would make no difference as it's a federal issue.
Local government ought to be about roads, rates and rubbish. But here we have grandstanding, would-be politicians turning our council into a lefty love-in. There are far more pressing issues afflicting our shire than changes to the Marriage Act.
Why does the left continue to fixate on marriage equality when the hippies of the 1960s denounced marriage as needlessly restraining. I do hope councillors turn their attention to more pressing matters.
Robert Davies, Beechworth
Some great exports
After reading about Albury-born Australian Hockeyroo Jocelyn Bartram this week (The Border Mail, December 2), it made me realise how important it is to never forget where you came from.
Bartram couldn't speak highly enough of the thrill she gets representing her home town on the international stage.
Our local athletes who go on to have major success in their sport play such an important role in promoting the game at a grassroots level. The recent AFL draft is another a prime example of this after more than a dozen players from the region found a home at a club.
They will become role models to those who have grown up watching them or played alongside them and hopefully can inspire a future generation to push for the same aspirations.
While not everyone is a fan of sport, you can't knock the important role it plays in regional communities.
John McLean, Albury
A political disgrace
Who would have thought the Greens would come out as the farmers’ saviour? During this backpacker tax saga our politicians’ behaviour has cast a dark cloud over Australia’s parliament and its workings. The likes of Derryn Hinch and his Senate colleagues showed a total disregard for hard-working Australian farmers.
Hinch had no problem if farmers livelihoods were lost as fruit rotted on trees because there was no backpackers willing to work only to hand over a third or their earnings in tax. Hinch was caught up playing a selfish political point-scoring game. The same selfish political game he spent much of his media career condemning.
The Lower House chest-beating was no better. The only clear thing that came from all this was that we all now know what politicians really think of hard-working Australian farmers.
Keith McDonald, Wodonga
Good to tell it like it is
Honesty is always good to see among politicians and I enjoyed reading the debate about whether Albury citizens are stupid or not (Border Mail, December 2). I note our former mayor Henk van de Ven says he never used the term to describe folks in his town while commenting on Darren Cameron’s red bin collection campaign.
But I was particularly taken by councillor John Stuchbery saying: “Most of our ratepayers aren’t stupid.” I had to laugh, thinking that he accepts some of them are stupid. At least he’s truthful.
It’s undeniable that every place has those who are sandwich short of a picnic or a stubby short of a carton – we just don’t want in positions of power making irrational decisions.