I am writing to say a very sincere letter of thanks and gratitude to everyone who works at Northeast Health Wangaratta.

My husband spent a week there after nearly three weeks in Barwon Health Hospital. Geelong.

Everyone we met in NHW were kind, courteous and just so caring.

It made a very stressful situation much easier.

Thank you to the ambulance medics who arrived so quickly, to the doctors in the Emergency Department who immediately diagnosed the problem and promptly organised an air ambulance to Geelong.

It is only when you have been in the hospital situation that you have a better understanding of all the work that is involved each day for everyone working there.

So again, thanks to all.

Colleen Jackel, Wangaratta

No guarantees, but that’s life

The editorial “Sheep farmer plans to join in on solar” (Wangaratta Chronicle 17 June) commends a farming family planning to diversify into commercial solar.

Everything seems to align and they’re bringing the community along with them by convening a meeting.

What’s not to like about that?

Yes, how we source energy has been contentious with misinformation at all levels but panic is a poor guide to public policy.

I can’t see how a grazing enterprise would be enhanced by solar panels unless the stocking rate was very low to start with.

That’s because grass and solar panels compete for sunlight.

It’s a zero sum game.

Certainly the sheep would appreciate the shade and thrive on the green pick from the runoff in return for fuel reduction.

A purely maintenance role.

The economics of any type of farming is cyclical and renewables pricing is subject to government fiat which also changes periodically.

Mike Burston, Myrrhee

It’s time to change the voting system

Many people who talk to me about the existing voting system want it changed but not sure what options are available.

Getting into power relying on preferences is not ideal.

In the last few elections, it has become common that the party being elected does not have a clear majority without a significant flow from other parties via preferences. This does not give the elected party a clear mandate to govern which is a concern.

Believe the voting system in both the lower and upper houses needs to change, my suggestion is to not make voting compulsory as the people who do not vote might swing a marginal seat without any idea of their consequences.

Then allow people who do vote to have an optional preferential vote.

The people who vote then have the ability to give preferences to only the candidates they wish to enter parliament.

Then if a party gets elected with a majority it gives them a clear mandate to govern.

John Walker, North Wangaratta

Regional Victoria’s future is in good hands

It’s easy to become disheartened by the stories we often see in the news about young people making poor choices.

That’s why it was such a privilege to judge the Victorian Agricultural Shows Junior Ambassador competition last Saturday in Wangaratta.

The six finalists from across regional Victoria were outstanding.

They were articulate, respectful, well-presented and passionate about their communities and the future of regional Victoria.

These young ambassadors demonstrated leadership, confidence and a genuine desire to make a positive difference.

They are a credit to their families, schools and local communities.

While choosing a winner was no easy task, congratulations must go to Max Henderson-Drife from Clunes, who impressed the judges with his maturity, community spirit and exceptional acceptance speech.

After meeting these young leaders, I left feeling optimistic.

Regional Victoria’s future is bright, and it is certainly in good hands.

Tim McCurdy, Nationals MP for Ovens Valley

Councils and unions demand lift in Local Government funding

At Wednesday’s National General Assembly of Local Government, a letter calling attention to the crisis was signed by all State and Territory Associations representing more than 500 councils from across Australia and will be sent to the Speaker of the Parliament as well as every MP and Senator.

Union leaders representing the whole Australian Local Government workforce joined with the presidents of State and Territory Local Government Associations to hold a joint media conference to demand fairer funding for the sector.

This joint call to increase Commonwealth Financial Assistance Grants to one per cent of federal taxation revenue comes as a growing number of regional councils in particular face severe financial pressures that threaten basic services.

Mayors from every corner of the continent joined with unions representing the whole Local Government workforce to say this crisis in funding for councils must be addressed.

We come from different backgrounds and political stripes but we are all standing as one to demand that the Federal Parliament act to prevent councils going out the back door.

In many regional communities in particular there is simply not enough funding for basic services to be maintained.

That’s why we have taken this unprecedented step to force the Parliament to act on this crisis.

The time for talk is over.

We all know what the reasonable and straight forward solution is – to restore fairer funding for councils so that basic services that local communities depend on aren’t lost.

Cr Darcy Byrne, president LGNSW

Emeline Gaske, national secretary of the Australian Services Union