WE WRITE to echo and amplify Helen Shanks’ letter in the August Herald.
It is indeed a retrograde step for the broader Avon community including Toodyay to be redistributed into the federal electorate of Durack.
Not only will we suffer all the tyrannies of distance from being part of this huge electorate, but we will also suffer the consequences of having a Member of Parliament who is frankly unsympathetic to the environment.
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The current member for Durack, Melissa Price, was a resources industry lawyer.
When Ms Price had the role of Environment Minister there was widespread criticism of her attitude to climate change and her lack of comment on the environment during the most recent Federal Election.
As Helen Shanks says, we need better representation if we are to have some chance of bringing a more balanced view to development across the whole Avon region.
At the moment there seems to be an inexorable trend to approve any application for extraction industries, no matter the consequences.
Resistance by individuals or local councils is to no avail as the final approval is given by the State Government.
Community groups such as Safe and Scenic Toodyay Road can only do so much with limited time and resources. Other forces are needed to counteract the lobbying of mining and rubbish disposal industries.
Representation by someone at a Federal level who understands the importance of the environment would be a good start to achieving a more balanced development plan for the Avon region.
Safe and Scenic Toodyay Road
