YOUR SAY: Indi MP owes electors answers on emissions reduction bill

I believe Ms Haines now owes the electors of Indi answers to the following questions.

1. As the sole purpose of the 43 per cent emissions reduction target is to reduce the world's temperature, if Australia's emissions are reduced from 1.3 per cent to 1 per cent of the world's emissions by 2030, how much of a degree will the world's temperature be lowered by?

2. With the millions of solar panels, hundreds of thousands of wind turbines, hundreds of thousands of batteries and thousands of kilometres of transmission lines required to provide this Co2 emissions free electricity, how much will it all cost (in billions of dollars)?

3. What will stop this cost from being added to the electricity bills of business and residential customers of Indi in the form of extremely high electricity prices?

4. One day in 2030 when all the coal-fired power stations are closed, after sunset and it is a still, frosty night, what will provide the very essential base load electricity that the electorate of Indi critically depends on?

5. Electricity is only one component of a 43 per cent emissions reduction target. Are our cattle herds to be reduced by a third as is happening in Holland? Will only electric cars be able to be sold after 2035 as in the UK? What is going to happen to transport?

I look forward to Ms Haines' answers as no doubt she has got answers to all these questions?

I read in the newspaper that the drug dealing bikie gangs are making billions of dollars. Of course they are when we have weak judges and magistrates, politicians too stupid to realise that we need stronger laws to deal with this problem and enough criminals in the judicial system, border control etc to enable it to happen.

How do we fix it? Enable laws to deal with unexplained wealth, i.e. criminals without a job driving Rolls Royce cars etc, laws that make criminal organisations open to proper policing, i.e. search without warrant etc and remove the presumption that gives the criminal all the rights and the victims and police none.

If you are a bikie or a member of a designated criminal organisation then it should be easy for police to search you, bug your phones, interfere with your criminal activities without the snivelling libertarians and corrupt lawyers complaining you have more rights than the victims or normal citizens.

Of course it will never happen as the judiciary is too weak and the politicians are too corrupt or incompetent.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The Albury City Council are well known for their approach to capital spending.

Sporting and recreational objectives take most of their developmental monies.

The East Albury lookout and walking path is not seen as a priority by most ratepayers.

The plan to upgrade the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre to "modernise it" without adding more courts is a prime example of patching up what exists.

It is time the city planners and the council members encouraged the NSW government to develop more traffic routes for traffic to move in around our city and suburbs.

When people were pointing out that opening Corry's Road to Table Top Road, easing traffic congestion, it was originally council's indication that squirrel gliders were more important, and they embarked on placing traffic lights on the already overloaded Thurgoona drive.

Now, you often come to this intersection, with the cars lined up over the hill. Other roads provide overhead ways for wildlife to cross roads.

How about continuing Burrows Road that ends with a roundabout but was intended to link with Kaitlers Road in Lavington?

Thurgoona and the surrounding suburbs are growing like wildfire. Where are the "forward thinking" people in the council? Many ratepayers had hoped that a new team would be more progressive across all the city's planning and development, yet it seems that the catch cry is "more of the old ways".

If you are a councillor, stand up and be seen to look beyond sport and walking tracks.

I would like to thank the editor and staff for their compassion in offering an opt-out for the upcoming Father's Day offers.

It was such a surprise to receive this email that I shared its content with colleagues, having never received anything like it before. Father's Day isn't a happy time for everyone.

The year after Dad's death, I really struggled through Father's Day. I guess it must be a difficult time for those who have had a traumatic relationship or are estranged from their father. It may also be sad for those non-custodial dads who may not know if they will have contact with their children on the day.

So thank you for your understanding and allowing BMM online subscribers to choose not to receive special Father's Day offers.

I've read numerous articles in our major newspapers about the latest Murray-Darling Basin Plan report, which follows politicising before and since the election, and they all lament the failure to deliver 450 gigalitres of environmental water under this plan.

These reports, almost in their entirety, claim only 2 or 2.6 gigalitres of 450Gl to be delivered for the environment under the Basin Plan have been recovered, or as one national newspaper stated, "had been returned to the Murray-Darling Basin".

Not one of the reports I have seen provided a full and accurate account of water recovery under the Basin Plan. Is this because many politicians, commentators and reporters do not understand the plan, or for whatever reason choose to be selective?

Here are the facts: Under the Basin Plan, 2750Gl has to be recovered for the environment (not 450Gl). Of this, more than 2100Gl has already been recovered and is being used to improve the basin's environment, while the rest is part of projects to achieve further environmental outcomes. An additional 450Gl was added to the Basin Plan at the last minute, at the insistence of the South Australian government. However, it had a caveat that this water can only be recovered if strict social and economic criteria are met. The criteria were recently reaffirmed by federal and state water ministers (both Labor and Coalition).

The Basin Plan is a complex policy and management document that is being hijacked for political and ideological purposes. If we stick to the facts, while fully and accurately reporting and commentating on the plan's successes and areas in need of improvement, we will have a healthier basin for all Australians. One vital fact is indisputable i.e. more than 2100Gl has been recovered and is being used to improve the basin's environment. Let's not gloss over this.

A new survey by Guide Dogs Australia reveals that three in five dog owners have worried about how getting back to work outside the home might be impacting their dogs.

The survey was conducted for PAWGUST, a campaign in its fifth year that is inviting the public to give back to their best mates and beat the guilt by committing to a 30-minute walk together every day in August.

Mid-lockdown PAWGUST survey findings revealed over 80 per cent of Australians were relying on their dogs for emotional support throughout 2020. Now lockdowns have lifted, it's our dogs' turn to rely on their owners to get them through a time of significant change by making a walk a day a part of their routine.

By signing up to PAWGUST and getting friends and family to sponsor them, dog owners will also contribute to raising and training guide dogs, which cost more than $50,000 per dog to breed, raise and train.

I am writing to say how sad I was today to learn that the lovely Tanya, custodian of the delightful Howlong Library is leaving us for other pastures.

She has been a delight and made this newcomer to the library and the area feel very welcome. Always with a smile and how can I help you, always ready to search for some obscure novel and do her absolute best to ensure I was able to read same. She will be sorely missed by us all. As a former high school librarian, it was so pleasant for me to interact with her and to share stories about our favourite authors and our love of reading. We wish you all the very best, Tanya.

As president of the Lions Club of Wodonga, I feel compelled to write to you regarding the article in The Border Mail of July 27.

The new Indigenous artwork unveiled at the Wodonga Police Station was commissioned and funded by the tireless efforts of the volunteers of Lions Clubs. Funding for the project was sourced from the Australian Lions Foundation (ALF) after an application by the Lions Club of Wodonga.

The artwork was initiated after the approval of the special purpose grant from the foundation, and the foundation chairman, Mr Tony Benbow, travelled from Melbourne to attend on the day and make the presentation.

Lions Club members work hard in the community they live in to build bridges, break barriers and engage in activities that benefit all sectors of the community, and this grant was another way of giving to our community. Lions Club of Wodonga members give 100 per cent of all monies raised back to the community, and are proud to have been associated with Wodonga Police and the Indigenous community in this venture.

I am delighted that the board of North East Water has decided to "hasten slowly" before making a determination on the new site for the raw water offtake at Mount Beauty.

Decisions like this, involving the introduction of new site locations in our regional communities, should be treated with due respect as is now the case.

Again, I am very pleased to hear that the board has chosen to seek further information regarding site nine, which on face value appears to be the preferred community site.

The board now proposes that after all relevant information is collated and examined, a decision will be made, one which will hopefully look to other solutions that exist.

I take the opportunity to congratulate the reference group who have put many hours into this local project and again I commend North East Water for their willingness to seek further information.

MORE COMMENT

Financial markets have been out of balance since cash interest rates fell to historically low levels in 2012. This has led to an unsustainable dramatic rise in property prices fuelled by such low borrowing costs and easy availability of money.

Much attention has been paid to the monthly RBA announcement of the official cash rate and the effect this will have on home mortgage rates and borrowers' ability to service their debt.

There has been scant discussion of the other people in the community to whom a rise in rates may be beneficial, namely people saving for a home deposit and others whose work income has ceased and who depend on interest on their savings to live.

The usual lifespan of a home mortgage is 25-30 years and during that time the borrower may face many economic cycles and it is interesting to note that during the last 30 years the official cash rate has been as high as 9 per cent with a low of 0.1 per cent with an average of 4.7 per cent.

The usual home mortgage interest rate is some 2 per cent above the cash rate, giving an interest rate of 6-7 per cent! So it is naive in the extreme to believe that the home borrowers' interest rates will remain at something starting with a 2 over the 30-year term of their mortgage.

All this raises two questions, namely have home borrowers been cautious in their borrowings with ample provision for an unexpected rise in rates back to their long term averages with the ability to meet the increased repayments?

Secondly considering that average wages have not risen much over the past few years, were such borrowers in their desire to 'get into the property market' entirely open in their disclosures of their earnings and hence their ability to borrow and service such large loans?

Seems that Wodonga Council are very good at patting themselves on the back regarding only increasing your rates by 1.7 per cent for 2022-2023.

Interesting to attend the ratepayers conference in Melbourne on July 30 to hear a speaker from Essential Services stating that rate rises are being capped at 1.7 per cent for 2022- 2023.

So it seems that no favours were awarded to ratepayers, the council has passed on the full rate rise.

Bearing in mind that the increase in homes in the area and the increase in home values, looks like council are doing OK.

I am still trying to understand where our council is being open and transparent, as so very frequently quoted.

Time to hold our councils accountable.

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