Thankful for Stawell Gift government funding
Congratulations to all involved with another successful Stawell Gift carnival.
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It is wonderful news that the Andrews Labor government is backing Australia’s most historic footrace with the announcement of $600,000 over four years to support the Stawell Gift.
The Labor Government is delivering on its election commitment to secure the future of the entire Stawell Gift weekend by providing much needed funding to maintain buildings and sponsorship while protecting local and regional jobs.
Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford said: “A race rich in history deserves a hopeful and prosperous future.
“We are proud to support the gift as part of our commitment to invest in regional Victoria - because it deserves the best of everything.”
MICK MONAGHAM
Stawell
Safe Schools debate creating unnecessary tensions
The polarised debate about the role of the Safe Schools Coalition misses the point about what is taught in schools.
What is taught in Victorian schools follows the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority guidelines.
If the programs available through the Safe Schools Coalition are to be made "compulsory", this will have to occur through the inclusion of information in the Victorian curriculum.
At this stage, most schools signing up to the Safe Schools Coalition do not teach a "program" as such – the material is available as an additional resource that can be drawn on as appropriate.
Schools have always had to manage diverse views within their communities.
These differences, whether about sex education or the choice of English texts, have generally been accommodated without the rancour associated with this debate.
A strength of our curriculum is that it is provided as "guidelines"; it is not so prescriptive that the same content is taught in all schools.
The current ideological debate ignores the realities and has served only to create tensions within school communities.
JUDY CROWE
Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals president
Council must answer questions
Still no answer to my questions from the overpaid councillors. One of these questions was why we all pay rates when some church groups have used a loophole to avoid paying.
There was an article in the paper from Cr Rice and Cr Erwin about how they are selling three blocks of land because the owners did not pay their rates and Cr Rice said it is wrong and unfair that other ratepayers carry the burden.
Well, councillors, this is what I am going crook at. Everybody should be paying rates, even those so-called church groups.
Questions that need to be answered to all ratepayers:
- When you removed Taylors Gully from your books did you make any of the council managers redundant, or just invent jobs for them?
- Why did you let one man decide what trees to plant around town? All they are doing is costing money to keep. If they were native trees, they could look after themselves.
- You have just fixed up the transfer station so more items can be put undercover so they can be sold. Who gets that money?
- Why does Stawell have twice the vehicles than Ararat and the towns are much the same?
- Why are your permits so expensive and take forever to go through council?
ALLAN COOPER
Stawell
