YOUR SAY: Federation Council makes tough, but right decision to raise rates

It is difficult when inadequate funding does not allow you to replace circa World War II water, sewer, roads and other community assets which will continue to decline and this is in spite of council obtaining significant road and infrastructure grants.

In very general terms councils obtain half their funding from state/federal grants and half from rates, but when you have low rates, something has to give and that is the asset deterioration the community has experienced for too many years. Given historic low rates, tough decisions in the best interest of the wider community are hard to make.

So, I am extremely impressed and take my hat off to the councillors, the management team and staff and those outdoor workers trying to turn the tide. Significant rate rises need to occur, otherwise assets will become unreliable and continue to decline.

Doing what is right is not always easy but in the long term Federation Council is making the right decision.

IN THE NEWS:

The Labor government's decision to end native forest harvesting in Victoria by end of the year has brought much relief to those who value our native forests and their significant relationship with the broader ecology and with the climate of the planet, but it has not come without pain to those who have had a long involvement in this logging industry.

We need now to work towards a win-win for all.

With our local native forests finally being spared from systematic destruction, we now need to consider what a fair transition would look like to ensure the best outcomes for the forest ecology, the local families and towns affected by the loss of their livelihoods and the development of sustainable and viable timber industry.

To start the conversation for the next steps, we would like to invite you to an online discussion with Professor David Lindenmayer, a Professor of Ecology and Conservation Biology at the Australian National University, whose work has covered nearly 40 years of research study on the forests of our Central Highlands.

With this, the ACF Albury-Wodonga region wishes to extend an open invitation to the broader community for an online discussion with Professor David Lindenmayer on the next steps. The Zoom session will be held on July 22 from 2pm, RSVP via acf.org.au.

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