I have lived in the Albury-Wodonga region for the last 25 years, spending half that time living on the Murray and the remainder in both Albury and now Wodonga. 

I have worked in the agricultural industry, have a science degree in the field and now work in the manufacturing industry in an industrial area of Albury.

Like many I am concerned about the health of the river but that does not mean that rezoning and development of land should not occur. 

The whole of South Albury from Schubach St to Noreuil Park, Eastern View estate and surrounding land are all on protected flood plain and all these areas have been developed. If councillors have ever worked, lived or supported growth in these areas then this is something they should consider.

It would be hypocritical of them to vote against the proposed rezoning application on Willowbank Road for personal views or circumstances rather than the merits and benefits to the wider community that the elected supposedly represent. 

It doesn’t matter whether you are in a residential area or industrial area – every single one of us has a small impact on the environment. 

The murky waters of the Hume Weir on a windy day from waves washing against the shore surely cannot be blamed on industrial pollution. The plastic bottles, bags, chip packets etc that you see down the river don’t come from ground water but mainly from the users of the local reserves and waterways. 

Many industrial businesses are no more than structures and like the buildings on the Gateway Island, our offices and our homes pose similar miniscule risks and not the environmental catastrophe that some would elude to. 

There is a great amount of time and money that is spent by applicants when land is to be rezoned and developed and there may also be extremely costly amendments made along the way. 

Hopefully the council can have the decency and common sense to come to a determination that can benefit all of the parties involved. 

In a recent statement in The Border Mail, Peter MacLeod-Miller maintained that many of the ‘No’ voters in the SSM debate were really good people but had been misled or poorly-advised.

Such a statement is extremely patronising and insulting as, if the truth be known, it is the ‘Yes’ voters who have been misled as they obviously have little or no understanding of the natural law, ie the law of nature.

Reverend MacLeod-Miller has relentlessly campaigned in The Border Mail in recent years for the legalisation of same-sex marriage yet, perhaps surprisingly for a “man of the cloth”, he does not promote traditional marriage between a man and a woman.

With the dual citizenship saga dragging on and on, surely the time has come to bite the bullet and call an election.

Let all the politicians go back to square one, check their eligibility to stand or otherwise, and let’s go to the polls and move on.