General News
25 September, 2024
Perspective: Put race eye on future
By CHRIS EARL ELECTIONS are at the core of democracy in Australia - the time when people exercise their right, and responsibility, to elect leaders. When the clock ticked over at midday Tuesday, the race was officially underway to determine the...
By CHRIS EARL
ELECTIONS are at the core of democracy in Australia - the time when people exercise their right, and responsibility, to elect leaders.
When the clock ticked over at midday Tuesday, the race was officially underway to determine the composition of Loddon Shire Council for the next four years.
Unlike the election held in 2020, there is again a local newspaper. Our readers know that the Loddon Herald is prepared to ask questions on issues that you tell us are important in our communities. For almost four years it has been our honour to date to share your stories, we have asked countless questions on your behalf of leaders across all three tiers of government. The local newspaper has an important role in informing readers. Going beyond a media release and delving deeper that a perfunctory or sugar and spice, and all things nice, social media post.
In a sense, the election campaign for Loddon Shire started early this year. The sceptical would say elected representatives always have an eye on the next poll.
Over the next few weeks, we will ask more questions of candidates standing in the contested wards - Inglewood and Tarnagulla. These wards have, according to council satisfaction surveys in recent years, the highest level of discontent with council, perhaps explaining why there are contests on this occasion.
We will run a special feature next week looking at the candidates. And there will be live forums putting questions to the candidates on the issues you have raised. We will give every candidate the same opportunities so that you have the information to make your decisions before ballot papers arrive.
While there are two elections, even the casual observer would identify the absence of a contest in three other wards. The “council father” Gavan Holt has been criticised by some readers for declaration of war on what he calls “wokeism”, surprisingly against that backdrop, he has been returned unopposed. And after he tried to retire after more than two decades representing Wedderburn Ward. There is no doubt that Cr Holt is an ardent subscriber to conservative ideology.
For all the grandstanding of recent months around the council table, the fate of candidates is now in the hands of the residents.
The key to their success may well lay in their visions and commitments for the future. Loddon Shire has done well the last four years and battled through multiple floods. Sir Winston Churchill had lead the free world to victory in World War Two, only to lose office months later because he stood for what he had done, not what he would do. We hope all eyes are on the future next month.