For too long farmers and their families have suffered harsh times. Bendigo’s lifestyle owes much to agriculture’s productivity. 

Agriculture and its service businesses contribute over $330 million to our economy, plus another $500 million via agriculture-sourced food production and processing – a growth sector. Together, over 3000 full-time jobs.

Council justly sets a lower rate for farms – since 2010 up 13 per cent, compared with residential 33 per cent. I sense an imbalance in council’s efforts. It can do more.

Council sets fees for its Huntly Livestock Exchange. Between 2010 and 2016, cattle fees rose $4.65 to $8.63 (86 per cent); sheep $0.50 to $0.70 (40 per cent); and working dog registration 21 per cent. Inflation rate for the period, 15 per cent.

The exchange operates efficiently. Sales of $160 million for 2014-15 with four equivalent full-time staff. Most years a profit because council insists full-cost pricing to achieve a financial return. 

Farmers take note, no sense of cost recovery for the gallery and theatres. Council applies a pricing “discount rate” and soft fees, managing budgeted sales around $4 million. When pro-rata-support from other council units is included, like tourism and executive, arts/culture commands over 30 staff and budgeted losses of $6 million.

Fee examples since 2010: Gallery sculpture room hire increased just 5 per cent, the Capital’s banquet room dropped 23 per cent. Ratepayers subsidise each theatre ticket near $20. 

Only a few businesses benefit from flighty tourists and one-off cultural event dollars. Discredited multipliers used to boost “blockbusters” have “inherent shortcomings and make them inappropriate for economic impact analysis” (ABS), blowing away claims like the Grace Kelly exhibition was worth $16 million to our economy.

Non-arts/culture industries underwrite our important cultural opportunities and growth. Yet you will never see a black-tie gowned VIP event for the chicken industry, or an eight-metre steer sculpture honouring agriculture. Is it snobbery?

Council employs no officers to boost our agriculture advantages, but specifically employs them to market the gallery and theatres. 

Lowering livestock exchange fees to at least 2010 levels equals more money for farmers. Redeploying some council staff to farmers’ organisations to research and market local agricultural value-adding to the world would benefit all.

All data in this letter is available on council’s website.

In the midst of a Royal Commission into institutionalised child sex abuse along comes a program that, upon investigation, certainly looks like a huge grooming tool disguised as “Safe School Coalition” and “Building Respectful Relationships”.

There is nothing safe about this program in my view. 

I would say it’s designed to sexualise children. It certainly isn’t the anti-bullying program it’s claimed to be.  

And, in fact, there are now queries around the research which formed the basis for the Safe Schools gender and sexual diversity program.

If this giant exercise in hypocrisy and apparent abuse of minors doesn't elicit outrage on the part of educationists, politicians and parents all over Australia - it hasn't - there is something terribly wrong in our society!

And now, the defiant premier Mr Andrews threatens to enforce this scheme upon all Victorian schools - that means Bendigo - by 2018.

This is beyond belief!