The Voice: It’s Your Choice, Not Ours – Councillor Mar
Let’s be clear why the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has not taken a position on The Voice to Parliament and the reasons why.
Australian citizens will be called upon to formalize their personal position from media, print and letterbox drops and place their vote at the polling booth on 14 October 2023. The Voice to Parliament is a personal decision where democracy is playing its important role that will help shape the future for Australia.
I sought my information talking to locals, Bunurong Land Council and our friends at Willum Warrain.
Therefore, it is not in the interest of this Council to state a position, one way or the other and influence our communities which way to vote.
As implied, ‘Council is not denying our communities access to factual information and the opportunity to clarify any questions’ as stated by a writer (Letters to the Editor 12/9/23).
Whilst I’m sympathetic towards community members who believe Council should take a position, I say this to my community, “Council has an inclusive Voice to all communities, not just one side. We all need to think carefully about the consequences, whether your vote is Yes or No. And yes, ‘Councils do play a pivotal role in representing and reflecting sentiments of their community’. That is why Council is not stating a position one way or the other. Take time out to inform yourselves and seek out your arguments for and against.”
Local communities know my voting preference I publicly announced recently. I didn’t call upon my Council to make my decision.
If the Yes vote should get up, Council will play its part whatever is needed to be implemented and through the Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan.
Councillor Debra Mar, Deputy Mayor, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Voice a whisper
Although I am 1000% for the Voice, I fear it is doomed. Why?
Basically because the YES’ers have taken the high high road and have decided that the meek shall inherit the earth.
They, for some reason, have decided to ignore at their peril, the QAnon BS being put forth and have missed the point entirely that: “Doubt the great divider: does not have to be true or accurate just outrageous questions to sow the seeds of doubt is enough to counteract the truth and Doubt – or its energised cousin, fear – always has a head start”.
And like “The Guild Navigators, gifted with limited prescience, had made the fatal decision: they’d chosen always the clear, safe course that leads ever downward to stagnation.” (p458, Dune). They have ignored the Trumpian alternative dumpster fires diverting attention from the real issue.
They do not even suggest that people should be fact checking the issues.
Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict. – Saul Alin
If the referendum fails it is not an indictment of the Labor Government, they did not promise it would be passed only that they would put it up.
The failure lays at the foot of the YES’ers.
If it passes then maybe “godprime” was looking out for them as it appears that is their only hope.
Joe Lenzo, Safety Beach
Voice fatigue
The Voice. Ad nauseam. Every week, the letters page is filled with the Voice. Saturation level. Swamped.
Please cease and desist. Surely all of the minds, great and small, and minuscule, have expressed their opinions.
We have been told both sides of the story and have had our fact sheets in the mail from the Electoral Commission.
Let it go. Surely their must be some interesting letters around.
Brian A. Mitchelson, Mornington
Unwelcome text?
Jacinta Price sending me a message to vote no? I’ve often quoted the doofbag content at 80%; wrong, out of frustration more than reality. 20% is a fairer assessment, the 80% made up of the intelligent few and the rest of ‘we’ who simply shake our respective heads in wonder.
Take a calm drive through the Rye shopping precinct. Two lanes both sides, 40 kph limit, the traffic flow no problem. Needless to say a doofbag will want to go faster. Even worse he or she will cut into your inside lane. You assume the said doofbag is wanting to turn left at the next street? Wrong!
So why did he/she need to exceed 40 and cut into my car? There is no answer, equally the reasons to vote no outside of the racism issue for a mere 3% of our population?
Mind you, this local problem is not connected with the The CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope in Western Australia detecting the ring encircling a galaxy 56 million light years away.
And politics? Albo continues to stuff up, his yes vote and Qantas/Qatar, the only positive being Dutton also digging his own grave.
As for the senate investigation into the Commonwealth games and our Council’s position on the yes/no vote, like the Maynard thing in AFL football; a set up.
Cliff Ellen, Rye
Transporting those in need
Peninsula Transport Assist (PTA) often gets clients who have a tale to tell of being let down by taxi drivers, often because the drive was just too short!
This week, PTA was contacted by a client who had been let down when she wished to visit her husband in hospital. She hadn’t seen him for a week! When the booked taxi “did not arrive”, she phoned the company and was told the driver did come, but left after finding the gate closed (not locked, and not far from the house).
PTA organised a driver to take her the following day to visit her husband, but, as is quite usual for our drivers, she was accompanied up to his ward room, and a couple of hours later the PTA driver collected her from the hospital room and drove her home.
It is a common refrain from our clients: “I called a taxi, but they never came” or “I waited 3 hours for the taxi to collect me”. It’s no wonder our clients say: “PTA are always on time and so reliable, and such nice drivers!”.
Clare Harwood, Peninsula Transport Assist
Frankston thanks
Since being “flooded” from the heavy rain last Nov 14, the insurance has put me in the “Quest by the Bay” in Frankston.
People in Frankston were so nice to me. Almost everyone I passed on the Boardwalk (near the sea) smiled and said hello. At a different time, a few young lads/men took my heavy bag for me to the lift.
The Information Centre is a delightful place to visit, while the Boardwalk was always clean.
At one time I fell on the concrete pavement. At the same instant, a car came out of the adjacent laneway. The lady stopped to come to me, staying with me (as did a second young woman) until the paramedics arrived.
I don’t know their names, but would like to thank them.
I am still waiting to enter my home. It is nearly ready. Thank you to the staff of the Quest and to Frankston.
Cathie Curtis, Mornington
Letters – 300 words maximum and including full name, address and contact number – can be sent to The News, PO Box 588, Hastings 3915 or emailed to: team@mpnews.com.au
First published in the Mornington News – 19 September 2023
