your journey takes a little longer. You might arrive alive, so might I. Brian A Mitchelson, Mornington
Greens the answer Michael Free’s attack on the Greens and in particular Richard Denatale, seems to be entirely based on his dislike of a truly progressive and inclusive party philosophy that he cannot comprehend (“Greens, go to the pub” Letters 15/11/16). A lot of the ills in Australian society that he laments are the consequence of years of deregulation and privatisation of our social capital. It is the old parties, Labor and LNP, that got us to the point where all he can dream of is to buy a nice imported car, because his side of politics has destroyed our car makers and the jobs in many of our home-grown industries. Jobs the kids he speaks of could have once aspired to. Only the Greens have any form of progressive and sustainable solutions to the sad state of Australia’s slow decline of social cohesion. Rupert Steiner, Balnarring Beach
‘White Australia’ Refugees on Nauru, Manus islands and in other detention centres face the ignominy of being classed as non-citizens if the bill proposed by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has his way. What a terrible situation to be in: stateless, persecuted at home and where you sought asylum. To be held as hostages to warn off anyone who dared to do the same. These people have been processed as refugees. Children have been born here but, due to
a policy supported by both the major parties, they are at the whim of a minister whose lack of insight is evident in his brutal words which sums up a country devoid of compassion. To have the prime minister reinforcing that policy borders on the hypocritical given his previous attitude before taking office. Is this the White Australia Policy in a new guise? Isolation and secrecy keep the real truth away. Pandering to racist elements in our society brings out the worst and the best in Aussies, as Grandmothers Against the Detention of Children showed at a recent rally in Melbourne. It is time politicians listened to what the people are saying. For heaven’s sake, what are a few thousand in a world of so many refugees and why are we so gutless in coping with them? Are we so precious that we have to bribe poorer countries to avoid our responsibility. They are not a burden on Australia’s economy. We have been compassionate country before- why are we behaving so arrogantly now? Patricia Rayner, Somers
Plea for pies Rye residents are gifted with restaurants, ice cream shops, pizza shops, bottle shops and fish and chips shops. On a very serious matter, in accord with the proposed revitalisation of our “seaside resort town” (Wikipedia) I suggest there is a glaring vacancy for a pie shop. Blairgowrie, Rosebud, even upmarket Sorrento are blessed with pie shops, but not Rye. My choice is limited to eating the pie on the spot, or travelling home to Rye and warming it up in the oven. It’s not the same. Why is it so? Cliff Ellen, Rye
RSPCA pursues possum cruelty ‘investigation’ THE RSPCA is still investigating a case of animal cruelty involving a possum caught in a steel-jawed trap at Rye. As reported by The News on 26 September the animal welfare organisation had launched an investigation into the use of the illegal trap to snare a possum at a holiday house in Rye. The animal was rescued by a wildlife volunteer but had to be euthanised after its paw was crushed in the trap. It is unknown how many days or hours the distressed animal was forced to hang by its crushed paw at the vacant holiday house before a nearby resident saw it and reported it to a peninsula wildlife shelter. Under the prevention of cruelty to animals’ regulations, it is an offence to set steel-jawed traps, regardless if they have caused injury to an animal or not. It is also illegal to buy steel-jawed traps unless the buyer can prove to be a museum or antiques collector. Offenders face up to 24 months’ jail and fines of up to $75,000. Liz Bell
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Southern Peninsula News 22 November 2016
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