Questions over vision
While few would take exception to Peter Lacey’s excellent endorsement of the proposal to turn the old Bega Hospital site into an “education hub”, a good many would take exception to the suggestion that ratepayers’ funds should be used to underwrite the project (Letters, 5/8).
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The responsibility for the development of our education system rests primarily with the state government, with federal government support, and Bega Valley ratepayers shouldn’t be being used as an ATM to fund such activities.
The old Bega Hospital site is already in the hands of the state government and if the Member for Bega believes his “vision” for creating a single educational facility to include the local high school, Bega TAFE and the UOW Campus has real merit, he and his education minister should be addressing that idea directly with those institutions.
Given council is struggling to maintain the shire’s roads and other basic infrastructure, I would have thought it would be happy to stay out of this one.
John Richardson, Wallagoot
Party politics
I scratch my head when I hear people say “there's no room for political parties in local government elections”. Why? As yet I haven't heard a good explanation.
To my thinking, voting for someone just because you like them is OK, but in reality how can you predict how they will vote on the many and complex issues potential councillors will face?
Pressures come from many directions (and lobby groups) when hard decisions have to be made in council. In the past for example, some candidates have run on a platform of opposing big supermarket developments that threaten small local businesses, but then turned around and voted for them when they won a council seat.
Who would know unless each candidate presents a half decent policy list and core principles? A party platform on the other hand gives voters a black and white list of where the party stands on issues as diverse as racism, environment, women’s rights, developer greed, climate change etc and parties have the backing of skilled professionals at a state and federal level to assist a councillor with those real sticky issues.
In my books an informed democracy isn't a cult of personality.
Jamie Shaw, Mogareeka
Unspoilt South Coast?
As a result of excellent collaboration between the tourist organisations from the Eurobodalla, Shoalhaven and Bega Shires, the South Coast has received another marketing honour for the attractive way tourism has been promoted to overseas visitors.
The region has been justifiably presented as a coastal getaway with beautiful beaches, untouched wilderness, and a quintessential family friendly atmosphere.
No mention of an annual celebration of hunting and killing animals with sale/promotion of guns to amateur shooters, free entry for children, and the advertising of local and overseas safaris.
Perhaps councils and some gullible residents hoped this potentially dangerous event would just go away soon after it was first given a licence by the Eurobodalla Shire Council in 2013 to hold HuntFest as a photographic competition in a public building in Narooma.
But it has not gone away. In fact it has grown rapidly with the support of a powerful hunting lobby from outside the shire, the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia.
It has taken years of hard work by promoters to build up our “Unspoilt South Coast” reputation – a reputation that could be just as easily destroyed if the event in the heart of the region becomes a mecca for hunters and a convenient place from which to organise animal shooting safaris into our surrounding national parks and state forests.
”Unspoilt South Coast” or “Hunters Headquarters”?