Costs need stricter evaluation
All persons standing for council election this year should be made aware that council employees are custodians only of community funds, and council money should not be used as a private ATM for overseas junkets. Defending the indefensible has been a recurrent theme of this council, and ratepayers deserve better from their elected officials. If council cannot get this right, then perhaps an administrator is called for to review the cost-benefit analysis of each proposed overseas adventure.
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William Gray, Ballarat North
Do we have enough nocturnal offerings?
I am not trying to criticise Ballarat, but we have to ask the question: If we want more tourists to come here, do we need more things happening around the town at night?
I don't want more bashings or alcoholics causing problems, but if you are a night owl, the town can be a bit boring after 8.00pm. It needs a 24 hour bus route; perhaps the Sebastopol or Wendouree West route? Or more restaurants that stay open until 1.00am. If people say this is a bad idea, then they should explain why. If people think it's a good idea, then they should make more suggestions, either on the internet or by writing to The Courier.
David Scholes, Wendouree
Scam leaves many questions unanswered
$2.7 million stolen from BHS through a scam. How can this have happened? Who was responsible? Are they still employed? What radical changes have been made to the BHS bill payment system or are being made so this never happens again?
Joyce Currie, Wendouree
Good intentions gone awry
The road to the roundabout was paved with good intentions but executed poorly. A simple Facebook post, a local letterbox drop or even some basic community consultation could have avoided this whole saga. Let's be frank, the council put its foot in it but a quality of good leadership is to acknowledge mistakes, learn from them and move on. The lesson to be learned here is the importance of community consultation. Leadership will avoid this happening again. I propose the council cop it on the chin, restore the roundabout to its previous state and begin a discussion about how else to represent the inclusiveness of the community. Possibly an installation in the Bridge Mall or graffiti mural in a laneway?
Will Bennett, Central Ward Candidate, Ballarat City Council elections
A century of standing up for the bush
The Nationals celebrated a tremendous milestone last weekend - 100 years in politics. During that time, we have gone by many names. First, the Country Party, National Party and now The Nationals, but there is one thing that has never changed; our commitment to regional communities. This population growth presents other challenges and opportunities for our great state. At our state conference last weekend, we asked a panel of regional experts to discuss the important issue of police numbers. It built on work the Liberal National Coalition is already doing under the Victorian Population Taskforce, which is charged with developing a whole of government approach to regionalising our population growth.
After 100 years, and against predictions at nearly every election that The Nationals will be gone, we are still going strong. Our dynamic team represents a mix of skills, age and gender that signal our party has a bright future for many years to come. I look forward to continuing the work of the many parliamentarians before me dedicated to achieving the best outcomes for regional Victorians.
Peter Walsh, Leader of The Nationals, Member for Murray Plains
