I hadn't got far before a car pulled up and a gentleman jumped out introducing himself as Tony and offering to help me by taking them home for me. 

I would like to say a public thank you to Tony for his generosity and going out of his way to help me. You don't know just how much it meant to me. 

Narelle (surname withheld), Tura Beach

The forum run by the Australian Conservation Foundation was a very lively event and all of the candidates presented well. The Liberal candidate Dr Fiona Kotvojs has impressive academic qualifications, but her refusal to accept the majority opinion (97 per cent) of actual climate scientists as set out in the IPCC reports and the fact that the majority opinion of the population at large accepts this, should rule her out.  

She said that there is still uncertainty as to the role that human activity plays in the changing climate and she rolled out the same tired old excuses that we have been hearing for decades.

James Hansen, the world's leading climate scientist, and many others before and since have very convincingly put the case for action, but the fossil fuel lobby and its fellow travellers have succeeded in delaying action for more than three decades and with each year that passes the job becomes harder.

Mike Kelly, our current MP,responded by supporting the science and pointing out with such intense feeling that we must act now on climate change for the sake of our children and grandchildren.

Barry Stevens, ALP member, Tura Beach

In response to the article last Thursday 'Forestry's shifting goalposts'...I am a young local born and bred here. I went to Eden Marine High and most that were there in my time did leave the area, but the remaining secured jobs in hospitality and tourism, outweighing job opportunities in the timber industry tenfold. Employment in native forest logging is decreasing, due to automation like others in our fast changing society. Any local in the area would have noticed several sawmills closing since '97, due to larger amount of wood chipping - a foreign investment. 

On another note, it is highly unlikely that the future of plantation will be undermined as you can clearly see their ongoing success. 

Thank goodness to the 'goalposts that keep moving in regards to environment protection' because I am the younger generation and I don't want any more consequences that my predecessors have handed down to me. Goalposts are actually becoming bigger and bigger, surveys for harvest plans are becoming more and more controversial. Australia has the highest extinction rate in the world, we should be protecting our unique flora and fauna at all costs. 

I am most positive with eco tourism, but with more cruise ships coming into an industrial harbour, the Eden chip mill being the first thing they see, it is a national embarrassment (not a great eco-tourism draw card). 

Is this not supposed to be a 'Garden of Eden'? Let's turn the south coast into the paradise it deserves. I not only speak for myself but a large majority of young locals in this area. We would rather see our public forests have more Indigenous influence, landcare groups and proper bush regeneration. Forestry's disgraceful mismanagement only causes major fire hazards, serious loss of biodiversity and species extinction. We need to be thinking and moving forward, standing together to create better solutions that benefit the environment, us as a community and the generations to come.

Raquel Anderson, Nethercote