Our political suicide

By TOM ECONOMOU, Barmera

I FEEL that I have an obligation to publicly thank Karlene Maywald and her wonderful staff, the Chaffey Chicks, for their unconditional assistance, be it on personal matters, community and/or government issues or policies over a period of many years.

I am not a conservative voter, but I felt that Karlene had earned and deserved my support due to her attachment and love for the Riverland, her dedication to hard work as our water minister and her close relationship and support for people from all walks of life and backgrounds.
Karlene was instrumental in turning Chaffey to a marginal seat and for the first time in 35 years Chaffey deservedly attracted the attention and support from all political parties, state and federal.
Unfortunately for all Riverland people, the diehard local Liberal machine put on its political blinkers and convinced the majority to sack the hardest working government minister for the benefit of returning Chaffey to the old blue ribbon Liberal status – and into the political wilderness.
To top it off, these same people have the audacity to complain about the outpouring sympathy for Karlene and are telling us to pull our heads out of the sand and take a cool dip in the river.
To quote Gary Broughton (Murray Pioneer, Letters to the Editor, 7/4/10), “we are not playing games here”.
The Riverland is littered with lost enterprises, numerous packinghouses, Tooravale, the Cannery, Containers, Fallands, Berri Fruit Juices and several wineries that used to employ thousands of people.
Currently we have Fletchers Freighters on the brink and hundreds of family blockies exiting the horticultural industry.
All these factors are combining to the Riverland’s economic stagnation.
Most importantly they are preventing people re-generation and gradually turning the whole place into a huge retirement village.
The Riverland is a battleground for survival and what do we do? Choose to dismiss our general who is winning the battle, if not the war, and hope for the best.
I suggest it is people like Tom Loffler, Anne Ruston, Andrew Kassebaum and others like them who should pull their blinkers off and their heads out of the sand and accept the fact that they have greatly contributed to accomplish the Riverland’s political suicide.