Meaning in title

The meaning is in the title. Member of the House of Representatives. We elect a person to represent the collective view of our electorate so that our views are heard in parliament. A member of parliament needs to know what those shared views are and not rely on just the ones with the loudest voices.

By all means an MP can express some views that may be personal, may be outside the mainstream and may just be party political; but it needs to be clearly stated that’s where those views were derived.

When we have over 95 per cent of our electorate doubly vaccinated, then that needs to be stated alongside any other comments about vaccinations. When there is a government issued plebiscite and 63 per cent of the electorate vote one way, a representative should express that vote on the floor of the house or it signals that the electorate’s views don’t really matter.

The next successful candidate at the upcoming election needs to ensure that something is put in place to ascertain what the majority of an electorate think before a vote is cast in parliament. That person represents all of us. Gut feeling, talking with a narrow group of people, or using your own personal preferences may have been excusable last century, but these days there are options available to keep in touch with the thoughts and opinions of an electorate.

Greg Tuck, Warragul in 2020 in the renowned Possums’ Case. The evidence demonstrated that Vic Forest was routinely responsible for the deaths of members of endangered and vulnerable species, and its’ practices were pushing such species closer to extinction.

So while Vic Forest got a big tick from its owner (the state government) it got a big, fat fail from the Federal Court. It’s no wonder why governments hate proper outside scrutiny. Clearly, self-regulation does not work.

David Clarke, Noojee