What happened to the Liberal broad church description, that is, its members control their own branches and pre-selections.

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott was right about one thing –  the Liberal party are no different than any other political organization, beset with factions left, right  and centre, all attempting to dictate how their party should be run.

In Bendigo, there has not been a Federal member since 1999, Jacinta Allan has held Bendigo East, and Maree Edwards Bendigo West for many years as well.

There must be a reason for this, except blaming the sitting members for neglecting Bendigo –  which is rather ironic, as they were elected by the public. The fact that the local Liberal party cannot field a candidate in Bendigo West as yet, because several potential candidates have pulled out, does not look good politically.

All parties go through difficult periods, but how they respond dictates their future and their relevance to their electorates.

The next election is looking like it will be a battle between red shirts, members on both sides engulfed in alleged “expenses irregularities” and lobster dinners.

With a bit of luck, we may hear some policies – maybe.

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I suggest that Stuart Symes (“Councils go bike mad”, Bendigo Advertiser, Letters to the Editor, August 11, 2018) stick to facts before attacking cyclists.

He states that less than 1 per cent of adult ratepayers are regular cyclists. While I cannot quote figures for Bendigo, the 2017 National Cycling Participation Survey found that around 15.5 per cent of persons living in regional Victoria were regular cyclists.

He also stated that bikes must be registered in “many European countries” –  in fact no European countries require bikes to be registered.

He also suggests that cyclists lack an understanding of the road rules; as both a cyclist and car driver, I would suggest that many car drivers lack an understanding of the road rules, in spite of having passed a driving test.

I would also like to point out that the majority of cyclists also own cars; when they are riding their bicycles, it means that they are not driving their cars.

Cyclists help to ease traffic congestion, do not contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a healthier lifestyle. We should be encouraging, not discouraging cyclists.

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