Village people forgotten
At the conclusion of the storm front that went through Cootamundra and surrounds we had three large trees that had blown over, so we made inquiries at Cootamundra Council offices as to what our options were to remove the downed trees.
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We were informed that there would be free tip days, but only Cootamundra and Gundagai tips were the only places we had for the free tip days.
Seeing we live in Stockinbingal this meant that we would have to cart the downed trees to Cootamundra.
To do so with my box trailer, we would have to make about ten trips, with a return trip taking 40 minutes this would have us on the road for six-and-a-half hours.
On top of that there is the time taken to load and unload making this a lengthy exercise and then there is the cost of fuel as well.
The alternative was to take it to the Stockinbingal tip but a fee of $15 would apply for every load as there is no free tip day at Stockinbingal, or we could hire someone with a truck to take the debris away. This would cost hundreds of dollars.
This we must remember is storm damage not garden clippings.
I assume the same situation would apply to all villages in the Cootamundra-Gundagai area.
The advice we received from the council was to place the debris on the nature strip with a sign saying free fire wood.
This we did and to no one’s surprise the large pieces were taken and the smaller ones were left behind.
If the situation was reversed and the Cootamundra residents had to take the storm damage to Stockinbingal there would understandably be out cry.
We in the villages are rate payers also and deserve a better deal.
Greg Fisher
Stockinbingal
Backflip a lapdog act
Today is a sad day not only for the thousands of dogs who will now continue to suffer in this cruel and unjustifiable industry, but also for democracy.
The state government has acted on speculation about its polling numbers and pressure from individuals who gain financially from this abusive industry, and ignored the vast majority of NSW constituents who abhor the inherit brutality of greyhound racing.
The premier may be thinking that he is saving his political future.
But they say fortune favours the brave and in this case, Mr Baird has shown he is anything but.
Claire Fryer
PETA Australia Campaign Co-ordinator
Basin plan hurts jobs
Recent findings into the social and economic impacts of water recovery through the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in the northern basin show job losses of up to 21 per cent.
That’s right – up to one in five people have lost their job as a direct result of the basin plan.
This is not acceptable in rural Australia and certainly would not be tolerated by our city cousins, and nor should it be.
Every job is valuable, regardless of where you live.
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority chief executive officer, Phillip Glyde, has recently acknowledged that the original modelling in 2012 was not able to provide localised impacts through water recovery.
With this new information, is it time to reassess the plan and work out better ways of achieving environmental goals?
What if we can make changes to the plan which still achieve environmental outcomes, while at the same time reinvigorating our rural and regional communities by putting them in a better position to take advantage of increased global demand for produce?