Letters to the editor

Creative, measured campaign
The art in reading the ‘letters to the editor’ feature lies in trying to pick what alliegences are held by the writer.
This is particularly true during election time.
Well let me be completely upftront about this, I am a member of the Liberal Party and proudly supporting Steve Brooks to be the next member for Nicholls.
I ask that you allow me the opportunity to explain just one of the reasons why you should vote for Steve and why he will be an excellent member of parliament.
Some of the other campaigns have spent enormous amounts of money. This makes me wonder where their money has come from and what their donors want in return?
Steve’s campaign has been more measured.
Instead of buying heaps of billboards, Steve has adopted a more community-based approach. Steve has been meeting the community and asking if they will help put up a corflute, for example. He has also placed an emphasis on a more modern approach employing digital media as well as editorial comment.
Steve knows that in advertising, as in life, merely throwing bucket loads of money at something mat be easy but rarely provides the best results.
This type of creativity, prudence, and plain hard work are what we all want from our representatives and that is why I will be voting for Steve Brooks and encourage you to do the same.
Marty Richardson
Shepparton

PLAN TO PROTECT AUSTRALIA
To the Editor,

The Government’s duty is to protect Australian citizens, provide security, physically, economically and health wise and protect our freedoms. They have failed. The Government removed freedom with vaccine mandates (using experimental vaccines against the known scientific method and evidence-based medicine) and allowing lockdowns which destroyed small business causing enormous economic, psychological, social and educational damage. The top world epidemiologists had warned against this.

We now have a debt near $1 Trillion, a shadow mental health pandemic and a destruction of living standards. Australians are facing rising costs of living and future interest rate rises. 40% of home owners are under mortgage distress and will default if interest rates rise to 4%. The Major parties have not addressed the deficit at all or plans to protect us from rising interest rates. The United Australia Party have the following policies to save Australia:
– Remove mandates, lockdowns, passports (regain freedom over your body and life)
– 15% export license on iron ore to eliminate the deficit over 20 years
– 3% max interest rate on current homeowner mortgages
– Australian superfunds to invest $1Trillion back into Australia from overseas investments
– 20% tax reduction to people living 200 km from cities to encourage regional investment, manufacturing, and lure workers
– $180/fortnight increase in pension to protect from inflation
– Water rights for users only, remove buybacks, develop the Bradfield scheme to waterproof Australia and Murray Darling Basin
– Higher Education Loan Programme fees removed
– Process minerals at home, value add.

Dr Rob Peterson, candidate for Nicholls
Seymour

SHEPPARTON SENIORS LET DOWN
Dear Editor,

The day-to-day life and wellbeing of Seniors living throughout Australia has been so hard and is getting harder, but especially living in the Federal Seat of Nicholls, where the Federal Member has sat back, done nothing and allowed a tragedy to take place since December 2019.

Approximately 60 senior men and women on Home Care Packages (HCP) used to attend a program called Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) funded by the current Federal Government Minister Richard Colbeck and administered and run by the Greater Shepparton City Council (GSCC).
Prior to December 2019, those 60 senior men and women on HCPs paid the full amount once a month by an invoice from GSCC and was paid from their HCPs. All other senior men and women who attended were subsidised by CHSP and also paid once a month by an invoice from GSCC.

Along came Minister Richard Colbeck’s department and instructed those 60 senior men and women on HCPs that they could NO longer attend. Then, as if they were doing a backflip, as of July 1, 2020, Minister Colbeck’s department stated clients on a Level 1 to 4 HCP who have transitioned from the CHSP may continue to access their existing CHSP social support group on an ongoing basis to allow the continuity of social relationships. This only applies to clients attending a pre-existing CHSP social support group service and who transition to an HCP after July 1, 2020.

However, clients who have transitioned to a HCP after July 1, 2020, will be eligible to continue to attend CHSP social support group activities at the subsidised client contribution rate.

Clients who have transitioned to a HCP before this date would be charged on a full cost recovery basis, should they wish to attend CHSP social support group activities, and if the organisation has capacity for them to return.

As of July 1, 2020, the Council had not filled vacancies left by those 60 senior men and women on HCPs. The Council had the capacity for them all to return.

Now here comes the real kick in the guts for all seniors as of June 30, 2022, Council will NO longer be running the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and just maybe another organisation might setup and create a new Social Connections Program for all Seniors to enjoy where everyone can come and enjoy what they once had.

John Matheson, fighting for respect for senior men and women.
Shepparton

SOCIAL HOUSING ALTERNATIVES WELCOME
I write in response to Ann Telford’s letter printed in the Shepparton News 20/4/22.
I am glad to hear that Beyond Housing’s board is welcoming community input and collaboration for their new community housing proposal to ensure that it achieves the best possible outcomes for the future tenants and the community.
Residents for a Greater Shepparton would be pleased to work with Beyond Housing and Wintringham on alternative proposals to the carpark development. We know that Councillors have already seen at least one alternative design and in the interest of full transparency and collaboration, we ask that all alternative designs and suitable sites are made available for the wider community to view.
It is difficult to be collaborative if the relevant, up to date information is withheld from the interested parties and the general public. It is also difficult to understand why it is taking Council so long to make a decision on the car park sale or leasing when over 90 percent of the 750 submissions were against the proposal.
We look forward to working with Beyond Housing to plan this project holistically, and appropriately address the housing crisis in our community ensuring a better outcome for the community.
Robin Knaggs
Shepparton