Councillors 'elected to communicate'
Some of those who were elected in the shire as councilors in recent months seem to be attempting self promotion already, as though our council revolves around them only. The reality is of course that's not the case at all. The council is actually funded by it's residents and ratepayers, taxpayers too.
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The elected are elected to communicate and assist the shires residents and ratepayers in many ways, the most important being to make sure the council continues to be financially viable. The key to that lies with the elected properly communicating with all the shire's residents and ratepayers.
One councilor by themselves is not the controlling decision maker. All nine are involved at some point. But it's the budget management and delivery plans, collectively funded by all the shire's residents and ratepayers that allows the council to function.
Allan Brown, Catalina
'Lack of preparedness' unacceptable
The flood disaster in Queensland and NSW is a reminder that the lessons of the Black Summer bushfires still haven't been learnt. It was entirely predictable that Australia has a high and growing need for civil defence, to protect citizens from such disasters.
All the evidence points to Australia being exposed to more extreme meteorological hazards due to climate change as well as the short-term climate variability we have experienced before.
With Australian lives and even the survival of whole communities at stake, the over-optimism and lack of preparedness amongst the nation's political leadership is unacceptable.
Jim Allen
Praise for dune care group
The good work of Lynn Bain and the Broulee Mossy Point Dunecare group is to be applauded.
Lynn's inheritance of her mother's love for nature is a powerful message about how our actions can inspire future generations. Lynn's concern about the vulnerability of the dunes from climate change and sea-level rise is warranted. Coastal engineers have a rule of thumb that a one centimetre rise in sea level will lead to a one metre retreat of the coastline.
According to BOM measurements at Eden, the nearest tide gauge station, high tides have been rising at two centimetres per decade over the last 20 years.
Given that most sea-level rise is due to thermal expansion caused by warming of the ocean and increased melting of land-based ice, the best way to preserve our precious beaches is to fight for the replacement of fossil fuels with renewables. In this way, the conservation work by dunecare groups will not be undone.
Ray Peck
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