Whether these two people were performing their roles well or not was not apparently the issue in these two cases - the ABC boss refused to sack a journalist for doing her job and putting too much heat on the politicians and the AGL bloke's refusal to agree to Canberra's wish to extend a coal-burning generator's life, contrary to his company's financial objectives and shareholder obligations.

Both instances of undue influence are contrary to the supposedly long-held principles of the governing parties to allow market forces to prevail without big government let alone its interference - so much for consistency.

Then, of course, following other recent well publicised shenanigans in government circles and the subsequent fake news delivered to us, it would be easy to draw the conclusion that there is indeed a group within our senior elected representatives to whom bullying seems to come naturally.

We could also conclude that there are some board members out there who are also without the intestinal fortitude or even morals  to withstand undue external political – bullying - pressure, but strangely we know of other instances where board members have presided over criminal activity, as being surfaced in the Banking Royal Commission, which, according to the politicians, was not needed.

It is said that in democracies voters get the governments they deserve, but surely we can't be so bad as to deserve this sort of behaviour?

Bring on the federal anti-corruption agency, eh?

It’s time alright!

Last week’s council meeting saw our councillors having to select two of their own as delegates on Eurobodalla Shire Council’s Audit Risk and Improvement Committee.

There were three nominations: Cr Brown, Cr Constable and Cr McGinlay.

Cr Mayne suggested that as it was such an important role, it would be a good idea to, “hear from candidates as to what they would bring to the committee”.

The chair responded: “You can ask a councillor, but they're not compelled to answer.”

Cr McGinlay was the only one who responded.

He has had, “seven years in management roles in the organisation,” providing him with the understanding of the, “financial system and issues faced by staff”.

He has also had, “five years experience as a professional auditor with the National Audit Office, which would bring a fair degree of understanding of the actual audit process and the complexities of that”.

Well holy moly guacomole, pick him! Pick him!

But they didn’t.

They picked councillors Phil Constable and Lindsay Brown.

Councillors: do you not believe that your community deserves the most knowledgeable and experienced person for the job?

Do you not realise that choosing someone with such expertise inspires community trust and confidence?

By not selecting the best person for the job, our councillors have failed in their duty to act in the public interest - our interest.

But the most important question of all is, why did they do it?

There must be other ‘forces’ at work here - secretive, nasty things hiding in the dark – otherwise this decision makes no sense whatsoever.

Some say it takes 21 days to form a habit. If that’s the case, Aussies who started to make small changes to reduce their stroke risk during National Stroke Week (Sept 3-9), will be well on their way to a healthier future.

On behalf of the Stroke Foundation, I would like to congratulate these people and all who helped spread the stroke prevention message during Stroke Week 2018. Keep up the great work!

I also want to take the opportunity to say it is not too late to make some simple changes to your daily routine which would make a positive difference to your health and potentially even save your life.

Stroke is a devastating disease which can change lives in an instant, but 80 percent of strokes are preventable by managing blood pressure and cholesterol and living a healthy lifestyle.

During National Stroke Week, with the help of thousands of incredible volunteers right around the country, we shared our five tips for a healthy life and a reduced stroke risk - stay active, eat a healthy, balanced diet, drink alcohol only in moderation, quit smoking and make time to see your doctor for a health check.

There will be around 56,000 strokes in Australia in 2018. Stroke attacks the brain, which controls our movements, speech, understanding and emotions. It can strike anyone at any age, but can largely be prevented if we act now. 

Stop reaching for the salt or sugary drinks, walk an extra block to work or take the stairs instead of the lift. These small steps can go a long way to reducing your stroke risk.  

Stroke does not just impact an individual, it affects family, friends and colleagues too. I urge you to act now to prevent stroke, for yourself and your loved ones. The power is yours.