From Hilltops Council – Tony Flanery

The main issues concerning me are the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the floods effecting South East Qld and Northern NSW.

The invasion of Ukraine is simply beyond belief. A country on the other side of the world that some residents of the Hilltops will have visited, but most won’t. It’s a long way away and easy to be “out of sight out of mind” and that is part of the problem.

It is a democratic and free society with a population of 42 million people. It is difficult to comprehend. One day Ukrainians were enjoying all the freedoms we do and the next day their country was being bombed to pieces.

Eighty years ago the world went to war after Hitler invaded Poland, but today the world is partially paralysed by the fear of the consequences of a military defence of this free and democratic country.

If Putin isn’t stopped now by the western world by whatever means and involving whatever sacrifices, the consequences will be far more severe.

For longer than Putin has been eyeing off Ukraine, China has openly stated its intention of ‘reuniting’ Taiwan with the Chinese mainland. The implications of that scenario for Australia are not good, so let’s hope Putin is stopped and made to pay for his actions.

Whilst not as deadly but certainly very devastating is the flooding situation in SE Qld and Northern NSW. The rainfall has been unbelievable and the impacts on many thousands of families has been devastating.

When I saw the footage on the news, I couldn’t imagine the difficulty and mental trauma of having to go back and clean up once the water recedes. Most residents who have been impacted will have lost everything, so we should all give generously to any of the flood appeals to help these people rebuild their lives.

- Councillor Tony Flanery

• Topics:

• Local Council
• Natural Disasters