Nationals politicians create positive change
I WRITE in response to the letter titled Keeping accountable by Glenn Baker of Dimboola (Wimmera Mail-Times, Friday June 16, 2017).
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Mr Baker, I spoke to a former Wimmera Mail-Times editor, Maurice Lawson, about your letter and this is what he said to me.
The Nationals MPs include William “Bill” McGrath, Hugh Delahunty and now the lovely Emma Kealy, who has done a bloody lot for the Edenhope hospital.
The National Party has fought like hell for 14 new police stations with two new ones on the way. Some of these stations have had a home built with them separately.
Mr McGrath fought for funds to widen the tracks for VicRail that went through the Wimmera to Melbourne, and to the NSW border. He, along with Stephen Elder, donated a footy shield to the former Horsham Junior Football League, that I believe Horsham District league are still using to this day. The Lowan Nationals have fought for sporting clubs – whether it’s footy, cricket or netball, such being Dimboola and others.
You see, Mr Baker, your letter is like a colander that doesn’t hold water.
Why don’t you write to the Victorian Labor Party and ask them who blew up the shearing shed at Edenhope in the West Wimmera in the 1990s? When Bill Shorten was the secretary, it was closed over wide combs.
Now you see, Mr Baker, The Nationals have done a wonderful job in Lowan.
Our police have done just as wonderful job also with the drugs.
Brian Wilde, Horsham
Fox bounty deserves government interest
THE Andrews Labor Government’s lack of interest in the wild dog control program looks to have extended to the resoundingly successful Fox Bounty.
Foxes and wild dogs are a massive blight on our landscape, wreaking havoc on livestock and native fauna alike, yet Labor is turning a blind eye and failing to listen.
The Premier for Melbourne just doesn’t get it: the only good fox is a dead fox, and the only thing better is a dead wild dog.
Labor left high country landholders in limbo for two years after axing the Wild Dog Bounty and sacking the Wild Dog Advisory Committee.
While Minister Jaala Pulford has given in to pressure from farmers and finally replaced the committee, it’s disappointing that there are less landholder representatives, there are no women, and one of the members has previously criticised wild dog control measures and reportedly described farmers as “extremists”.
Peter Walsh, Shadow Minister for Agriculture
Providing the framework for energy discussion
RECENTLY I caught up with Australia’s chief scientist Dr Alan Finkel to discuss his recent review into the future of the National Electricity Market – a 200-page report full of recommendations on a topic that has polarised politics for 10 years.
I chair the House of Representatives Environment and Energy committee and I approach this role with knowledge of the environment, having been reliant on it for 20 years as a farmer, and with a practical sense rather that an ideological one.
Electrical energy has been instrumental in lifting the standards of living for Australians since the 1920s. My practical approach to energy policy means that I value the role traditional sources such as coal play in our energy mix, while also being open and excited about new and different energy sources that supplement our grid.
We have found there are three components to a stable electrical grid that are essential to plan for the future – electrical power; inertia, creating electrical stability; and reliability.
One of the important recommendations from Dr Finkel is to ensure any new generation sources that plug into the grid can produce all three of these components.
For those who advocate for an energy mix involving large amounts of renewable energy, this recommendation is essential.
Additionally, Dr Finkel suggests that any large scale generation plant should be required to give three years notice if it intends to close down. This is in line with practice in the United States, and would have allowed much better planning in the event of the recent closure of Hazelwood power station. Longer lead times and policy planning always lead to better outcomes.
The one idea that some Australians appear to miss is longer term policy settings that encourage investment. The very nature of power generation is that it is expensive to build and takes a long time.
The Netherlands set an eight-year policy settings for power generation and enjoy bipartisan political support.
In contrast, Australia's investment has been stifled by three year political cycles. Technology neutral, long-term energy policy is essential.
Recent spikes in power have been partly the result of interactions between the generation of electricity and East Coast gas prices.
Gas generators play a role by providing instant short term demand within the grid.
Restrictions on additional gas supplies being explored in Victoria and other states, alongside increases in offshore gas exports have forced energy prices up for households and businesses across Australia.
I am pleased the Australian Government has announced export licensing certificates, to put downward pressure on the price of gas for Australians and to ensure adequate supply. I am proud of our Australia first intervention.
The Finkel review creates a framework for a discussion we must have, perhaps one that is long overdue. Do you give a Finkel?
Andrew Broad, Member for Mallee