Marginal seats not the answer
The editorial (“Residents pay too high a price for safe seat”, July 1) put forward an insipid argument that the Mallee electorate should be made marginal.
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The reason Wimmera Mallee has been a National Party seat for many years is because the members of parliament and financial members work hard, with commitment and pride, to maintain its policies at both state and federal parliamentary level.
The quality and commitment of members of parliament means that all inquires are diligently followed through with sincerity.
The argument seems to be that more financial resources come from taxpayers to marginal seats.
The Mallee electorate, serviced by Andrew Broad, received $624.5 million during the last term of government. The marginal seat of Indi, served by an independent, received $130 million.
You may win a football match with only seventeen players on the ground, but you can't win politics unless you have the numbers.
Look at the volunteer welfare organisations we have in this region, because we have a population who care and provide through financial donation and physical effort.
Bill McGrath, Horsham
Thank you to voters for the support
Now that the dust has settled, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Dan Tehan following his re-election as the Member for Wannon.
Dan has an important job to do and I wish him all the best with it. I like Dan, and while we have different political allegiances, we like and respect each other behind the scenes.
Another really terrific candidate was Tom Campbell. Tom is a young man with a very bright future and he made the campaign a real hoot.
Running for office is one of the most important things I have done. Our great democracy means that a train driver, or lawyer or even a school teacher can aspire to be a member of parliament, a minister or even Prime Minister.
I was assisted by a fantastic campaign team and hundreds of volunteers on election day. These people gave up their time and energy to help get Labor’s message out to the Wannon electorate.
Finally, to the many thousands of people who voted Labor – thank you. We achieved a 1.8 per cent swing towards us which has helped make Wannon that little bit more marginal.
Michael Barling, ALP candidate for Wannon
Library a jewel in the city’s crown
Being a patron of our local library over many years, I always walk out thinking how fortunate the residents of our city are to have such a great facility.
When I had the occasion to visit the library through the school holidays I was impressed with the chatter of happy children at story time. This is only one of a variety of programs being run for the younger generation during holiday time.
Computers are in high demand and assistance is always offered. Reading the daily papers and old editions of the Ararat Advertiser and other papers is always in demand. Talking books, DVDs and magazines are readily available.
The staff are the best, always most helpful and friendly. I must say my visits to the library are always a pleasure and I love what I go for, the books.
Gwen Rhook, Ararat
Pot calling the kettle black
So the Liberals are complaining about scare campaigns? They wrote the book on them, with the first chapter by Menzies in 1950.