Love and warmth in Longwood

The Tones and I concert was sensational last weekend.

I traveled all the way from Adelaide for the show, to support the cause and meet friends, and to see the affected areas and responses firsthand.

The first thing I noticed in Longwood was the community spirit and all the work that went in to make it come together.

It was an honour being at the event to see the love and the warmth in the community.

What a show - a great day out for everyone.

Jack Tolls, Henley Beach, SA

Rain at last

The recent rainfall across our region is very welcome; after a long dry spell, it has brought much-needed relief for farmers, families, and our local environment.

Paddocks are turning green again, water supplies are improving, and it is heartening to see the land beginning to recover.

For those working on the land, every drop counts.

Crops and pastures benefit, livestock have better access to water, and local wildlife is given a chance to thrive.

This rain is a small but important step towards easing the pressures our rural communities have faced over recent months.

It is a reminder of just how much our community depends on our natural resources and how quickly conditions can change.

While there is still work to be done, it is encouraging to see the land respond and to know that our region is capable of bouncing back.

Annabelle Cleeland, Member for Euroa

Acquisition bulldozing

The Allan Labor Government has shown contempt for regional Victorians, the environment, and our vital agricultural sector, by bulldozing through new compulsory acquisition laws for power line easements.

These powers allow the government, transmission firms, and energy distributors to seize farmland for power line easements that ‘may’ be required in the future, without the need for an EES [Environment Effects Statement] to have even commenced.

This trashes good planning and environmental processes and shows utter disregard for the prime agricultural land we need to grow our food and fibre.

It should alarm every landholder – Labor doesn’t care about your property rights, your business, or your home.

The Nationals fought this legislation and will repeal it if elected to government.

We will also repeal Labor’s land access laws, scrap their emergency services tax, restore farmers’ right to appeal projects, and introduce buffer zones between renewable projects and homes.

We will overhaul the planning process; agricultural land will be assessed at the outset of any major project, and if prime farmland is at risk, the project will be stopped.

Independent agricultural and economic impact assessments will be mandatory upfront for renewables and transmission lines, just like environmental and cultural ones.

Emma Kealy MP, Shadow Minister for Agriculture

From the Bard of Strathbogie

If you're in the neighbourhood

of Violet Town you'd best be good,

else OIC, one Andrew Grimes,

will make you sorry for your crimes.

Craig Penny, Euroa