Letters to the Editor

In lockstep with the Animal Justice Party and inner-city Greens, the Labor Party has launched its “Inquiry into pig welfare in Victoria”.

Make no mistake, this is an inquiry to provide the loosest of justifications to place a pre-determined blowtorch on an industry that already relies on peer-reviewed, global scientific research into animal welfare.

The industry also has the overwhelming support of independent audited quality assurance programs.

The sector contributes $488 million to the Victorian economy, supports almost 2700 full-time jobs, and directly supplies our supermarket shelves.

Shutting down Victoria’s pork industry will do nothing to curb Victorians’ taste for pork.

It’s our second favourite protein, and shutting down the Victorian industry will simply send thousands of Victorian jobs interstate and drive up costs at the supermarket check-out.

For a government that has spent years telling us to follow the science and the experts, the inquiry’s ‘Pig Welfare Survey’ invites activists to provide radical and unverifiable opinions that will then be weaponised to implement restrictions and roadblocks on Victoria’s pig industry, all based on emotions rather than evidence.

It’s not hard to see why Labor is choosing activists over delicious bacon, when all but three Lower House Labor MPs relied on Greens preferences to get elected.

This is Labor selling out Victorian pork producers and the thousands of jobs it supports as part of a dirty voting preference deal.

None of this should be a surprise given Labor’s misguided and botched closure of Victoria’s native timber industry and the jobs it supports, again a result of secret backroom deals with the Greens.

Premier Allan can’t manage money, can’t manage projects and can’t be trusted to save the bacon of Victoria’s pork industry and the jobs it supports.

The Nationals will keep up the fight so we can all continue to enjoy our Christmas ham on the dining room table.

Emma Kealy MP,

Deputy Leader of the Nationals

Shadow Minister for Agriculture

DEMOCRACY

People in primitive and developing countries prefer materialistic, revolutionary views (like Marxism) to idealistic, evolutionary ones (like democracy).

Jiri Kolenaty,

Rushworth

MOON HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD

I write in support of the many valid points raised in Ian Moon’s article in The Riv (LTE, 29/11/23).

Today’s elected Local Government councils do take a back seat on many, if not most, on the issues ratified in the chamber for the ‘supposed’ benefit and well-being of the community.

The actual decisions are pre-determined by the CEO and the Executive Officers who openly ‘suggest’ to the councillors (by way of ‘minutes’), and hence the subsequent ‘rubber stamping’ at Council Meetings.

Councils of yesteryear in representing the community, and whilst respecting the advice of the Executive Officers, formed their own opinions and voted accordingly.

Some of my experiences in an effective council were:

The complete demolition of the partially constructed ‘new’ sewerage farm administration block together with quite a few other ancillaries.

Partial payments had already been paid to the constructor on the said debacle, based on the paid consultant’s advice.

His advice being that a ‘further payment’ be made.

We also saved a half-a-million dollars on the new Council Office extensions, and Court House attachment when the Council ‘called’ the construction figure, after it had been tentatively approved.

The figure had been over inflated.

And the Royal Tour of Charles and Diana was totally re-routed at the insistence of the council of the day.

In place of approaching the city along High Street at 80 kph as planned by the Protocol Department in conjunction with an elected councillor, the entourage came in at 10 kph, and allowed the children to get a decent view.

You might also remember the Pevensey travelled up stream, in place of the planned course down stream through basically inaccessible wilderness, and further depriving public viewing..

Our council of the day was effective, and I feel Mr Moon is alluding to the changing times, and more importantly, the wasting of public funds.

Ray C Peebles,

Echuca

IS $4 BILLION ENOUGH?

So the Albanese Government is going to pledge more the $4 billion over the next decade to patch up small country roads which have fallen into ruin.

The fact is, $4 billion seems a lot. But does that include wages? Work out how much over a decade will be spent each year — will $4 billion be enough?

How often do we see repairs carried out and due to rain the following day we are back to square one?

The other factor is at the minute most local councils have run out of funds. When people ring to report a hazard like potholes, the answer is “we have no money”.

I, like many others, hope this is not a Band-Aid fix.

Graham Palmer,

Seymour

OPINION POLICY

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