Unfortunately, the article “Council election result delayed” (BDN, 20/9) contained a crucial factual error that may mislead people and therefore needs correction.

The claim that Tony Allen "headed the first preference vote at every polling booth on polling day, except for Tanja Public School" is wildly inaccurate.

Cathy Griff led at Candelo, and Eden, Bridge Club (Tura), Merimbula, Pambula, Towamba and Wyndam booths all saw other candidates, sometimes many, rank higher than Mr Allen. 

While there is no doubting that Mr Allen polled strongly and is to be congratulated, it is difficult for the public to understand the outcome of the election and the vote for our new mayor, when they read such inaccuracies. Perhaps the BDN could publish the complete, booth by booth results, to clear up any false perceptions. 

Democracy depends on good information and we rely on our great local media to supply this!

Editor’s note: Thanks for your letter Jo Dodds. However, the BDN article states in the first line the polling discussed was for “booths in the shire’s north”. As for Candelo’s final result, Cathy Griff polled higher than Tony Allen, by four votes. The article was written using the most up to date information available at the time – which on September 19 had Mr Allen a handful of votes ahead – but it appears further analysis by the Electoral Commission amended this count. I trust that clears up any perception of “inaccuracies” in our report.

The continuation of HuntFest was not made an issue in the recent council election, apart from a clear statement by the Greens resolving  to “Stand up against Arms Fairs in Eurobodalla”. 

Nevertheless it remains an  important matter to be re-visited and decided upon by the new council.

Opponents of HuntFest  when it was imposed on the shire in 2013 were mocked and ridiculed and accused of exaggerating the damage likely to be caused by an event that was little more than a photographic competition and a celebration of the great outdoors which would benefit the shire financially.

Complaints that a celebration of hunting  should not be held in a public building were brushed aside and yet three years later it has morphed into  a fully fledged  American-style festival of hunting, with sale of guns, promotion of African safaris, and activities designed  to encourage children to kill animals for fun. 

Under the sponsorship of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia, the event will be embedded in the community for at least another seven years unless the licence is revoked.

A clear message coming from the election was one of widespread dissatisfaction with the lack of transparency, accountability and public engagement shown by the Lindsay Brown-led council of the past four years.

The new mayor, Liz Innes, has stated “the overwhelming issue was a desire for change in management style”.

If by this she means putting the interests of the community before her own and those of the hunting lobby, by re-examining the legality/morality of a further seven years of HuntFest, then her election could be a good sign for the future of the Nature Coast.   

The decision whether or not to allow the South Coast to become a mecca for amateur hunters should be made in an open and transparent manner by people who live here, and not by a powerful lobby group of hunters.