Letters to the editor

This is helping us to soften the severity of nature.

For example, by introducing social welfare, medical care, charitable organisations and so on.

We can reduce the harsh effects of natural force, but we are not able to master it.

Jiri Kolenaty

Rushworth

Education funding a priority

Young people in regional Victoria have been overlooked by the Andrews Labor Government for far too long and, in May’s state budget, the Nationals are calling for a fair investment in our community’s education and early childhood programs.

Last budget, only 13 per cent of new infrastructure spending was specifically invested in regional towns and cities despite regional Victorians accounting for 25 per cent of Victoria’s population. This budget, we demand more.

We want our fair share of spending to keep our schools up to scratch and we need policies that ensure regional families with young children have equitable access to childcare.

In the south of the electorate, Kilmore has a surging population but no public secondary college, Seymour College is still waiting for funding to complete its rebuild and Broadford Secondary College is absolutely bursting at the seams.

There is also a crisis in early childhood education, with much of regional Victoria defined as a ‘childcare desert’ by the Mitchell Institute.

This budget must also invest in long-term solutions for our teaching and early childhood workforces.

Regional children and young people matter and your postcode should not define your opportunities, especially as a young Victorian.

This budget must rectify Labor’s long history of neglecting the communities beyond Melbourne’s tram tracks.

Annabelle Cleeland

State Member for Euroa

The no campaign is not muddying the waters

Monday’s article, ‘No campaign is muddying the waters’ is nothing short of a travesty of facts.

Peter Dutton, unlike the activist leadership of the vote yes campaign, has spent a great deal of time talking face to face with our First Nations brothers and sisters. And he has done this under a barrage of name-calling and the twisting of facts.

There are numerous ‘voices’ already available to the Federal Government and under Section 51 (xx vi) of our Constitution, they have the power and authority to make laws enabling the establishment of the Voice. Though rightly it would be under the control of the parliament elected by the people for the people, as it ought to be in a democracy, a referendum is actually a waste of time, effort and money, the latter of which could be better spent helping to assist the youth of the Northern Territory and Queensland in particular.

There is a tremendous difference between the city dwellers and those who live in the outback or northern Australia. To try to liken the two is to say lemons are oranges — it just cannot be done. Though I would like to go further, it is quite apparent that the muddying of the waters is in fact being created by those pushing the yes case, with complete disregard to the welfare of the unity of this great Federation.

For the sake of Australia’s welfare and the principle of one people, one vote, one flag, and one country, I urge all to VOTE NO.

Peter Martin,

Shepparton