Election thoughts
Our region has been fighting hard to retain a fair share of the wealth it generates.
Many in our community have had to deal with serious issues that have devastated many of their businesses, caused extreme emotional turmoil and reduced work opportunities drastically.
Our life blood, the mighty Murray, has been ravaged with the ongoing drought reducing flows to levels not seen in recent history.
We have seen sections of the community with opposing views angrily locking horns publicly and in private.
The last few years have been a huge challenge for us all, that is a fact.
No one would argue with that.
Most commentators point to the downturn in primary production and the associated flow on effects as the primary cause of our difficulties.
The well documented oversupply of grapes and stocks of wine cannot be ignored.
Our citrus industry is battling to retain traditional and historic markets.
The strong Australian dollar, fierce international competition and the impact of the global financial crisis have all contributed to the challenge.
On top of all that we are going through the worst drought in our history. Those are all facts and no-one would debate that.
None of those commentators or anyone else can blame our elected representative Karlene Maywald for those same circumstances or facts.
Quite the opposite I would think that most would agree that Karlene has shown great courage to place herself in a position to influence the government of the day in a way she could never achieve as a National Party MP sitting on the other side of the chamber with the liberals, minor parties and independents.
There she would just be another voice. Her decision has given her the opportunity to represent her constituents, the Riverland and the river at the level where it counts, in the Government of the day.
It is quite apparent that she is held in very high regard by the Premier, the cabinet and indeed most of the members of opposition.
Some voters will argue the toss about various issues such as, water, health, education, police services or regional infrastructure.
No doubt she has not got it right to suit every voter in Chaffey 100% of the time.
But no-one would suggest that the Riverland is worse off because she has taken a role as a Minister on the State Governments front bench. No-one would question her passion for the region or her work ethic, she is indeed a pocket rocket.
There is no doubt the Riverland has enjoyed a profile that would be unattainable by a representative outside of the front bench.
We have read about the best intentions of the other candidates who have committed to dedicate the time and expense necessary to represent the diverse interests of the many communities that make up our region.
These same community minded people have told us of the pledges they plan to achieve for us in government.
The bit that is missing is how on earth they are going to achieve those pledges from the back bench.
These candidates could not believe that if elected, they will immediately obtain a seat in the ministry of the South Australian Parliament.
The Government of the day is not going to throw a front bench seat at a candidate just because they come from the Riverland.
It just will not happen.
For a rural region such as ours we are lucky to have a voice on the front bench rather than just another MP sitting with the rest.
 I urge the other candidates to speak up over the next couple of weeks and explain to us, the substance of their pledges, how they will achieve them, where the funding will come from and make us believe them.
These candidates are all good and solid people but it is not enough, in these troubled times, to say they have plans and will work out the details when they get elected, we deserve better.

Harold Willcourt
Barmera

Just a stunt?
Karlene Maywald’s call for compensation to irrigators whose licenses will be reduced as a result of the risk assignment determined by the new Murray-Darling Basin Authority is total hypocracy. 
Labor Minister Maywald, who is the Minister responsible for the Natural Resource Management Act supports a position of no initial compensation for irrigators. 
Now, in the final stages of an election campaign she think by putting on her National Party hat she can call for compensation. 
Minister, the electors of Chaffey are not so silly as to fall for this tragic political stunt.

Malcom Hill
Berri

Secker/Whetstone defended
Reading the rather ingenuous, yet slightly misleading, letter from Deb Thiele in the River News on March 4, may I offer a general response.
Ungracious criticism – a feature that was threaded throughout the whole of that correspondence – of Patrick Secker, and obliquely, Tim Whetstone, is hardly warranted.
One has to grant that our Federal member has not been a prominent one in his current parliamentary performances, but, this is the lot of many back-benchers in all political parties.
Lack of media coverage does not essentially interpret as inactivity.
All new MP’s are “green backbenchers”, yet still represent the voting results of their constituents.
To recognize the early hard work in which many are engaged, recommendation to apply for, and read, and free “Around the House” magazine prepared by federal officials would not go astray.
Committee work in any parliament is the very backbone of their activities; well described in the many articles available in this useful quarterly publication.
“Idle speculation” could well describe any attempt to forecast what Mr Whetstone may, or may not, say should he become the elected Member for Chaffey – a prospect that is growing in importance almost daily those who watch, or comment upon, politics.
Each and every politician is ‘their own island’ – whose ‘shores’ are frequented by spin-doctors of all faiths.
Hence, forecasts are similar to those of the weather gurus; occasionally wrong.
The suggestion that any State Member may (or may not) have great influence upon any Cabinet decisions, be they Labor or otherwise, is attractive, but specious.
Deb Thiele’s use of the word “rhetoric” brought a slight smile to my face, as her letter could well be used as an excellent example of such.
More appropriate would be to think along lines of “Please play the ball, not the man”.
Finally, whatever readers feel, or correspondents write, vote carefully.

Allen Bennett
Waikerie