Party politics

Dear Echo News,

I cannot understand why University of Notre Dame politics and international relations professor Martin Drum is advocating optional preferential voting to replace the first past the post system for local government elections in How preferential voting can affect local elections (Echo News, October 20).

In my opinion, preferential voting only works at state and federal level because they are based on party politics and so if a preferred candidate is not successful the voter hopes that their preference will help a candidate with similar political leanings.

Conversely, local government elections are supposedly free from party politics and so preferential voting at this level becomes rather incongruous.

C Coulthard

Gooseberry Hill

Firearm increase?

Dear Echo News,

Thank you to the state government and the police minister for the new gun laws.

I’m writing on behalf of a couple members of the local men’s shed, who are firearms owners, but are too scared to put pen to paper.

Currently 90,000 gun owners have about 350,000 guns.

Now everybody is allowed 5 guns.

Ninety-thousand times 5 equals 450,000 guns.

But there are also 20,000 business shooters, farmers and completion shooters who will be allowed up to 10.

Twenty-thousand times 5 additional guns equals 100,000.

So, new gun laws allow 550,000 guns instead of the old law’s 350,000.

Mind you some 2000 plus gun owners may have more than 10, that’s why there’s a buyback of firearms.

Whatever increase in security, alarms, monitoring the government imposes, businesses and farmers will be happy to comply.

Just make the new laws come into effect near the end of financial year so owners can get tax refunds as soon as possible.

Over 1 million WA taxpayers will be happy to contribute to firearms businesses and farmers new, additional and ongoing tax-deductible costs.

I’m positive West Australian gun owners are happy you have allowed them to increase gun numbers by 200,000.

Thanks for the new gun laws.

R Bogerd

Beechboro

A prayer for the volunteers

Dear Echo News,

As bushfire season approaches, we in the Anglican Parish of Kalamunda-Lesmurdie feel the need to acknowledge the vital service that volunteers offer to our community.

We offer our gratitude to the firefighters and first responders who will work to keep us safe in the coming months, facing very real dangers in service to all.

More broadly we wish to acknowledge the many other, less prominent forms of voluntary service in our community, which sometimes go unseen and unacknowledged – the contributions made by those who assist in education, health, and aged care, by those who help in community groups, sporting teams, and our libraries, and by those who serve people who are in times of need.

We offer a prayer from our tradition: loving God, we thank you for the volunteers who work for our community, and for the time and care and skills they offer.

Bless them with strength and refreshment in their labours.

Amen.

J Ward, Anglican Parish of Kalamunda Lesmurdie

Fine not enough

Dear Echo News,

In Mt Helena woman fined $4000 for horse cruelty (Echo News, October 13), regarding the fine imposed on the woman for the horrific cruelty inflicted on her horse, and that the poor neglected animal had to be euthanised, was the most distressing and depressing thing I have read for a long time.

Then, to read that she was only fined $4,000 and banned from owning a horse for only two years, added to my disgust.

Surely the RSPCA could have the right to challenge this disgraceful penalty.

In my opinion, she should be banned from owning any animal for life.

I Sanderson

Kalamunda