Anzac Day point is missed
Dear Echo News, 

Those who try to conflate Anzac Day with a game of footy and who drape the flag around themselves at every opportunity are missing a very significant point.

We don’t care much about our current servicemen and women – certainly not enough to ensure their care is properly funded, nor that their all-too-frequent suicides are reported and treated as service-related and their families properly cared for.

It’s all very well to claim “Australia’s the greatest country” and “we love our veterans” (a stupid Americanism; they’re ex-servicemen and women) while eating your pie and drinking your beer, but what do you do to care for those who are giving up their lives today and tomorrow?

Despite being a Dockers supporter and especially because I know people who the armed forces have chewed up and spat out, I won’t go to or watch an AFL game that attempts to make jingoism into an artform, or that ignores the plight of those still suffering.

Ask anyone you know who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and ask them how well they’re treated for their mental health issues or for recurring pain and suffering that isn’t easily visible.

And remember how the Vietnam returnees were excluded from Anzac Day by an RSL that refused to recognise their service as “in a theatre of war”.

Lest we forget, indeed.

P Carman
Hovea

Election signage hypocrisy
Dear Echo News, 

Regarding Coalition’s $3 million pledge (Echo News, April 25).

The Coalition running mates make such a big deal about their concern for the safety of locals at the intersection of Great Eastern Highway and Scott Street, Greenmount.

Their hypocrisy is astounding.

By displaying dozens of distracting signs right at the very same intersection they are creating a serious safety issue for all users of it.

They do this completely contrary to both Main Roads and Shire of Mundaring rules.

As I am really concerned for the safety of all, I have reported this to the relevant authorities, and they have legally removed all of those (over 30) signs.

A day or so later the blue boy from Boya has then gone and put more of his distracting visual pollution straight back up.

It is pretty hard to believe that he cares about anyone other than himself.

Election Sign Ninja
Swan View

Swan disregards electors
Dear Echo News,

The City of Swan shows complete disregard and seems to want its electors to go away.
Annually the fraught annual elector meeting occurs, so trusting the democratic process electors attend and share ideas, priorities and improvements through motions.

Electors expect these motions will be given due consideration as stated by the Act section 5.32 and 5.33 with the council meant to consider all decisions of motions carried at an electors’ meeting and provide reason for the decision.

The present aftermath process of handling motions “on block” is disrespectful, wastes electors time and lacks accountability.

At the council meeting April 9 over item 15.1; a motion was put to change the way annual elector motions are handled.

The argument of support for the motion includes transparency, democracy and respect to electorate and better councillor performance in their roles.

View the footage, with councillors’ lack of discussion or effort, then listen to Cr Aaron Bowman who in speaking against the idea asks “Why aren’t councillors doing their job?

Why don’t they follow through on motions as put at the AE?”.

Still no reply from the councillors?

If after four years, the community has repeatedly requested change, shown cause and stated the approach is not working for them, surely it is difficult to support maintaining the status quo.

But nine councillors just did this: voting not to support item 15.1 as the system is said by the council officer to be working.

The questions is for who is it working – is it to discourage electors participation?

Councillors are required to represent the interests of electors, ratepayers and residents of the district under the local government Act.

This vote is a sure indicator of another question that should be asked: who do these nine councillors represent, when sitting?

Upon whose interests do they act?

Perhaps its better if we just go away?

L Deering
WRA president

Sheep ban should remain
Dear Echo News, 

As Mark Harvey-Sutton got his letter printed advocating for the ban on live sheep export to be lifted, I am hoping you will print a letter advocating for the ban to remain.

Those wanting this barbaric trade to continue are in a minority with seven out of 10 Australians wanting it to end, this is the main reason Prime Minister Albanese brought in legislation for it to end.

Comparing him to Donald Trump is a very poor analogy.

People are sick of reading about the cruelty involved in live export and animals dying on board the long sea voyage, not to mention the horrific treatment these animals are subjected to on arrival in the Middle East.

The RSPCA and numerous veterinary surgeons, who are not radical activists, are opposed because of the cruelty involved and what these animals are having to endure.

A quote from the RSPCA on this “The stark reality is the live sheep trade puts hundreds of thousands of sheep at unnecessary risk of extreme suffering every year.

Our position is based solely on animal welfare science which clearly shows that no amount of regulation can make the live export of sheep by sea acceptable because it exposes sheep to conditions that exceed their physiological limits”.

I would also like to make the point that New Zealand ended live animal export in 2003 and have coped admirably since then.

R Le Serve
Gooseberry Hill