Steve Attkins shares his opinion about TAFE MidCoast LGA (overall news) by NOTA - March 17, 2015 Independent Candidate for the seat of Myall Lakes, Steve Attkins is concerned for education prospects in the region. Steve Attkins “It’s so disappointing to see an institution such as TAFE be politicised,” said Steve. “It has already had devastating consequences in our Manning and Great Lakes area. “None of us like the way our communities have been hollowed out, with so many youth missing,” continued Steve. The independent candidate’s plan favours a centralised regional education hub for universities to host online structured learning options for the region. In discussions with several universities, Steve sees a future for education in the Manning Valley and Great Lakes region.
I received an email from the labor party about numbering every box which is contrary to what is on the ballot papers, then I noticed some other problems with the Legislative Council paper. I realise I made an error in calling it the Senate. Dear Tanya Just a few comments/questions about the Senate ballot paper: 1. You have said “Make sure you number every box …”, however the ballot paper says that for voting above the line “you can show more choices, if you want, by writing numbers in the other squares …”, and doesn’t specify how many you have to number. For below the line it says to number 1-15, and also says you can do more. Obviously, the more we number, the better our choice, but do we make our vote invalid by not numbering all the boxes? 2. I think it should be made clear that by numbering above the line, voters are immediately limiting their choice as groups U, V, W, and (Y, the Independents), are not included. The Independents have not been given a Group letter – hardly fair: last on list, not included above the line, and no group letter heading. 3. A few groups do not have a collective name – are the candidates so disparate they are not considered to be a group? But again, some of them eg. M and P, have a spot above the line so they must be seen as a group. This ballot paper does not seem to be truly democratic as most people take the easy option to vote above the line thereby eliminating 35 candidates, and if, like myself, they vote below the line, there are 112 candidates with no indication of their location or what their policies are. Yours faithfully Barbara Lyons. 35 Chelmsbrook Dr., Rainbow Flat. NSW, 2430. Reply
