Meeting Senator Canavan

I sent a message to a friend in NSW and told her that Senator Matt Canavan was coming to St Arnaud and I wanted to meet him. 

My friend asked if he had any credibility and was he a Jacko wacko politician?

The first interview that I ever saw of Senator Canavan, I knew he had credibility and he made a very good impression on me.  

Many times, Senator Canavan mentioned that he was there for the people and I knew he was.

I turned up as the press were asking him questions and he, along with Anne Webster MP, were answering questions about the farmers and their plight. I asked what about small businesses?  

The interviewing ceased with the press and Senator Canavan came straight to me and introduced himself as Matt and I introduced myself. Anne Webster came over to discuss small business.   

I knew that Matt and Anne were there for the farmers, but in our communities, if the farmers are in trouble, then so are the businesses and the whole of the community.  

Small communities are like a family. When one is struggling, the whole community struggles.

Small businesses are now in partnership with the state and federal governments. They do not do anything but expect to be paid.

Now, the farmers are a different story.  

There are so many problems that the farmers have to deal with. 

It seems everyone and his dog wants a slice of their farms. Not me.

Matt listened to the farmers and he would have been as surprised as I was to learn how much the farmers have to deal with.  

Anne would have been aware of many of the problems, but I am sure even she would have been surprised at some of the things farmers told everyone. Thank you Matt for coming down from Queensland  and thank you Anne for being in Matt’s ear about the plight of our farmers.

Judith Nimmo

Rupanyup

Educate yourself

I’m rather concerned about the rise in popularity of One Nation in our area. 

Most of this political popularity is based on dissatisfaction with both Labor and Liberal-National parties. 

Now firstly the Libs-Nats have imploded because they no longer know who they are anymore, and voters deserted them for continuing to play ‘culture wars’ with all the usual suspect groups – Indigenous, immigrant, migrant, LGBTQI, etc – the very same groups One Nation rails against irrationally. 

Labor has decided not to run candidates in our area because ‘it’s not worth their while financially’ – this is how democracy fails... lack of choice.

I would implore everyone prior to the next state election to watch ‘#UNTRUTH’, directed by Dan Parland.

It’s about the effects of ‘Trumpism’ but the nuts and bolts of it apply worldwide, and the role social media plays in feeding division. 

The world in general is going through a period of politics of hate, dissatisfaction and fear and feeding authoritarianism over democracy. 

Uneducated voters will realise after the fact that they swapped one ‘sinking ship’ for another, albeit with an authoritarian overlay – it’s surprising how many neo Nazis support One Nation.

Get politically educated quickly or accept our course into slow authoritarianism.

Scott Neill

Murtoa

The entire May 27, 2026 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire May 27, 2026 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!