Firstly, we need all councillors (elected representatives who can lead by example) to undertake mandatory volunteering once a month at the Soup Bus (ideally once a fortnight). This is vital to underscore that we, as a city are fair dinkum about compassion and basic human rights. Secondly, we need to allocate a safe space for people who find themselves homeless and/or displaced so they can have safe sleeping quarters throughout the night, a hot shower and breakfast. This is urgent and with another Ballarat winter on the way, it's a race against time to save lives and livelihoods. Council needs to step up on regional homelessness and encourage other local governments to do the same.

Rob Edward Smith, North Ballarat.

How much more stalling is going on about this Civic Hall fiasco? I understood something would happen sooner rather than later. I thought Council didn't had enough funds to tidy up and rejuvenate this hall and get it up and running again. Now I see they're going to spend millions on the hall to use as a library, and employ an architect so they can begin works July 2017. Where's this money coming from, and at what expense to the ratepayer? No doubt the architect won't be a local, so more expense. This Council needs the "boot" big-time when all we wanted was the hall tidied up, and open for the community to use as it belongs to them. 

Lola Campbell, Sebastopol.

After attending the last Council meeting, I realise this conference which I opposed is primarily of a corporate rather than community benefit, and not to attend would be a "loss of face" by the City of Ballarat. I still doubt whether our community will get value for money from the conference, but that is another issue to debate.

This trip is not a junket, as suggested by some, but rather a very busy, quick and tiring corporate travel conference that will require our Ballarat representatives to be in a clear mental position, and able to participate fully in the conference without the conditions of jet lag. I expect my Council representatives to be given the respect of their position and to travel Business Class.

Often I use the word shabby in my description of Ballarat, and to suggest that the most senior Ballarat Council representatives attend an overseas conference in crowded economy, long haul flight, with a host of back packers is, in my opinion very, very shabby. I expect better and that Ballarat Council is represented always in a manner that reflects their position.

Chris Clark, Golden Point

With the Federal Coalition government attacking renewable energy, it has fallen to state and territory governments to prevent this future industry from dying on the vine. The ACT government emerged as a national leader by setting a Renewable Energy Target of 90 percent by 2020. The scheme has built wind farms in Victoria and delivered competitively-priced clean electricity to Canberrans. It has been so effective that on April 29, Minister Simon Corbell announced the ACT will lift its ambition to 100 percent renewable by the end of the decade.  The measures pioneered are an example for the Andrews government. 

Leigh Ewbank, Friends of the Earth