Bega District Letters to the Editor, May 8

What have they done before the fires to help prevent the catastrophe especially as there were ample warnings about the extent of the fuel load in the forest and reserves?

Their concern now shows exactly what sort of representatives they are.

Congratulations to our Mayor Kristy McBain on receiving the endorsement of Anthony Albanese as the Labor candidate for Eden-Monaro. They make a perfect fit. Ms McBain has been the leader of our profligate and inept council with Mr Albanese the leader of the profligate and equally inept ALP.

I used to be a strong advocate of Andrew Constance and have been a Liberal voter all my life.

His words of truth during the recent terrible bushfires were warmly welcomed. But I was deeply dismayed when he decided he wanted to backflip on his promises and run for Federal Parliament.

Mr Constance has shown his true colours by refusing to stick to his promises of leaving politics gracefully. It is so irresponsible to cause another by-election during a pandemic for his own career gain.

I do believe Mr Kelly had good reason to resign, but all Mr Constance seems to want to do is further his own agenda.

Mr Constance I urge you to reconsider putting your more than 50,000 voters in any more danger. I understand you have your reasons, but can you really place self interest above the lives of those who are most vulnerable and whose interest you are supposed to have in mind.

Honestly the three-storey building will fit in with the rest of the "developments" the council is doing. They are destroying the sleepy beach-side feel that was Bermagui's strength and major drawcard. They are putting up bright yellow barriers, concrete paths, fences, destroying bush walks, not dog friendly and worst of all getting rid of the iconic Saltwater cafe over the water.

Bega council couldn't care less about Bermagui, only about the dollars they can rake in. I would hate to see a three-storey development, but as with everything else there is little we can do to stop it.

For this year's Mother's Day, other than a cuppa in bed and a tiny bit of silence, my wish is for the Australian government to take genuine action on climate change. If the government took the leadership necessary at this crucial time, then we as parents across Australia, could continue to raise our children and know that they will have a future worth living for.

You see, a mother's basic instinct is to protect her young. Yet our roles are threatened when the government continues to act against well-established climate science. We are unable to protect and secure our children's futures when our government exacerbates the effects of climate change by delaying the much-needed decarbonisation of the country.

This Mother's Day, forget the flowers - I want the government to commit to shift the post-COVID-19 economy to a cleaner, safer one: zero emissions by 2030, with stimulus spending on job-creating climate-positive projects.