THE many residents of Emerald who have opposed the rash of inappropriate architecture of late will be pleased to hear that State Planning Minister Justin Madden has approved a temporary vegetation overlay on land in the business zone of the town.
This is the result of a joint initiative by the Emerald Village Committee, Cardinia Council and concerned residents and hopefully the temporary condition will become permanent.
In the past the owners of business properties were entitled to remove all vegetation as they saw fit, unlike residential owners who are required to seek council permission.
If the same rules now apply, hopefully the remaining fine mature trees, which help give Emerald its rural character, have had a reprieve.
Regretfully the observation in Oliver Twist that “the law is an ass” aptly describes the tatters of the Westminster system in our rapacious society and laws seem no guarantee against greed and money.
Perhaps however, future developers will think twice about foisting vulgar, inappropriate and gimcrack architecture on small rural communities.
The minister’s decision is the correct one and represents another small win by little people against bad taste and contempt for local feelings.
John Dudley
Emerald
Obvious bonuses
R. SIMPSON (Simplistic Notion, Mail 17 April) says he is “frustrated” because in my previous letter I suggested a simple way to reduce global warming and environmental damage.
This seems strange.
Would he be less frustrated if I suggested a difficult way?
He says it is all agriculture that causes “more global warming than the entire world’s transport”. Not so, according to the United Nations FAO. It clearly states that it is caused by the livestock sector.
Regarding the “economic consequences” of eliminating animal products, it would certainly not happen overnight so there would be ample time for farmers to move into other occupations or areas of farming. This is a normal consequence of progress.
He then says that methane gas is released by rice production. If it is, so what? It’s not necessary to eat rice.
Finally he says that in 30 years time we will need to feed eight billion people.
Well this in itself is a good reason to stop consuming animals.
Presently we are feeding up to half the world’s harvest of corn, wheat and soya to farmed animals in the west and, since it takes 10 kilograms of feed to produce one kilo of beef, meat-eating is obviously wasteful.
For those who eliminate animal products there are personal bonuses too.
They will be at less risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, large bowel disorders, diabetes and obesity… and the bonuses for the animals are obvious.
Jenny Moxham
Monbulk
Action speaks
I WOULD like to respond to the letter (Mail, 10 April) by Matt Posetti. I am a person who believes that actions speak louder than words.
During the time that La Trobe MP Jason Wood has been in Parliament he has secured funding for numerous schools and institutions in the Belgrave/Upwey area.
Upwey High School received $107,889, the RSL Upwey $196,000 to renovate the RSL building, Gemco Players $440,000, Ferny Creek Scout Group $2680, Ferny Creek Horticultural Society $2207, the 1st Belgrave Scouts $1700, Upwey RSL $2400 for a coffee machine, Upwey South Primary School $150,000 for the Life Long Learning Centre and the list goes on. There is not enough room in this letter for the seven pages of funding gained.
I am sure Mr Posetti hasn’t been in the forest or along the creek banks pulling out weeds and rubbish from these areas on one Sunday a month for the last several years. While Mr Posetti was probably lying in a nice warm bed Mr Wood would have a team of people working with him in doing this type of work. I know that Mr Wood does not think that the Kyoto Agreement goes far enough and therefore it is silly to sign something that is easily overtaken and becomes obsolete even before its started, as he feels we are way ahead of countries who have signed it.
While reading Mr Posetti’s letter I thought he was just having a complaint. Then I noticed that at the end of the letter he said “why don’t you talk to us Mr Wood”. Who do you mean by us, Mr Posetti? Would that be the Labor Party or the unions?
Peter Smith
Belgrave
I EMBRACE the Shire of Yarra Ranges’ policy of adopting the Kyoto Protocol targets and of becoming carbon neutral in the next three years.
It is good to see that council is also asking local residents to play a strong part in reducing carbon emissions on an individual/household basis.
No doubt the introduction of a fortnightly green waste bin collection is part of this focus. Due to start in October of this year, it will allow for interested urban residents to dispose of their green waste in an affordable, accessible and environmentally friendly manner.
Like John Christie (Mail, 3 April) I agree that there should be a strong move to restrict individual’s rights to burn off. Open air burning can expose all residents to a range of health hazards, especially when open air burning creates more smoke than flame, which we all experienced in the flurry at the end of the last open air burning off season.
I strongly feel that in order for residents to fully support the opportunity of a green waste bin collection, it is timely to re-examine the burning off issue. Not only would this be in keeping with reducing carbon emissions, but it would also encourage residents to make environmentally friendly choices about how best to dispose of their green waste.
Let’s face it, burning off is cheaper in dollars, but can be costly to the environment and its residents.
A fortnightly green waste bin collection is convenient, affordable and climate friendly.
Janet Brown
Belgrave
Thanks for helping
I WRITE to thank the young guy who came to my aid following an accident on Wellington Road last week. I work at night and unfortunately hit a wallaby, killing the animal and damaging my car.
The young guy stopped, assured me that the wallaby was dead (the damage was such that inspection for young was futile) and that my car could not be driven. He then loaned me his phone, as mine was without reception, waited while I rang RACV and towing and work and left when everything was organised.
I won’t be driving to work via Wellington Road in the dark. I had no chance to see the wallaby, let alone brake to avoid it. It could have been a lot worse if I had have braked and if the young guy wasn’t there, so thanks again.
Nicky Bean
Emerald
Public comment
A LIST of possible questions for council offices for the unisex toilet block meeting at the Monbulk Community Centre at 6pm on Thursday 26 April have been placed in Concept Book shop window to stimulate public comment.
Bruce Johnson
Silvan South
Growing concern
OUR employed public servant, Prime Minister John Howard, has decided to disallow Victorian produce growers water unless there are significant rains within six weeks. I can see it now, bankers jumping with fist in the air, the shaking of hands. “We did it boys; we’ll own all the homes and farms soon and control the price of food”.
Overseas governments will be happy, knowing their farm produce will flow into Australia. Construction companies can say to their employees: “We can keep on building roads because the water restrictions have not affected us”. The last interest rates rise was due to the increased price of bananas. Will we be able to afford our homes when most fruit and vegies prices go sky high?
“In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way,” said US President Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933-1945.
Karu Hewett
Belgrave
Lack of choices
IF LA Trobe MP Jason Wood were unfairly dismissed, would he want the ability to ask why without fear? What about a pay rise? Would he have felt comfortable in his old job going up to the Police Commissioner to state his case? A leaked Federal Government document has detailed that 45 per cent of Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) have stripped workers’ conditions, such as overtime, penalty rates and public holidays.
Surely Mr Wood appreciated all of these conditions when working shift work in the police force? And yet, he is the sitting member of a party who is happy to strip these basic conditions from others.
Ann Bolch
Emerald
