Marriage is a basic human and fundamental human right. Any two consenting adults of legal age, regardless of gender, should be allowed to marry without fear of judgment. 

The right to marry gives hope to LGBTQI+ youth that they will be treated equally under law; the ripple effect from this will see a reduction in mental health issues and associated suicide within this already vulnerable community. 

Equality should never be a question for public  debate. The postal survey has already been far from the ‘respectful debate’ promised. It has been hurtful and cruel. Do you really want to be that person causing so much pain and anguish? 

“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”.

I comment on Helen Leach's letter, 4/9/17.

"The biblical argument is very relevant..." Does that mean that people who haven't read the Bible, or those who read Buddhism's Tripitaka or Hinduism's Vedas, or those who are atheists, are irrelevant?

The issue being discussed and debated is same sex marriage, not transgender marriage. Perhaps Helen should read the dictionary's meaning of transgender. I quote New Testament scholar, Sean Winter. 'There are six versus out of more than 31,000 versus, or roughly 0.016 per cent of the text that refers to homosexuality. In contrast, the Bible contains more than 2000 versus about money (and related issues of greed, wealth, loans and property) and more than 100 specifically on one's obligation to care for widows.’

Helen's comment, "Don’t trust any government to protect your children from the harmful effects of gender fluid theory and extreme sex education of Safe Schools Coalition".

What about the Catholic and Anglican churches and the government's of Ireland, USA and Australia, just to name some countries, who didn't protect children from the harmful effects of what I term 'satanic paedophilia' Behaviour which is ignored, hushed up and is still being inflicted on innocent vulnerable children, world wide, to this very day.

I will be voting Yes, in the postal vote.

Have to tell you, I am not impressed with your new hospital. Beautiful hospital, no staff. Great. My elderly dad 80+yrs was in so much pain last night my mum rang the ambos who took him to hospital, he was sat on a chair and told to wait for someone to see him. After a couple hours waiting no one came near him, he referred himself to the desk controls who said still several people in front of you.

He wasn't feeling the best so took a taxi home again and doubled up on painkillers to get some sleep, today they rang the home visit doctor didn't get an answer there either. Finally my mum rang her doctor and he is able to see her later today. 

My point being Bendigo has the big new hospital and no staff to see patients, I know a lot of people are sick at the moment but god forbid elderly patients left sitting there and then taking a taxi home, why cannot someone let them just lay down until someone is available or are all your beds locked away not for use? Point being how many more sick elderly patients have done this? Not happy Bendigo – get more staff for your hospital.