It strikes me that we have another pressing issue facing us too and that is the fast rate at which we are growing, particularly here in Milton, Ulladulla and surrounding areas. 

There are so many new subdivisions going in with a large influx of people moving to our beautiful region that I am concerned the support services are not growing exponentially to cater for it. Will our Southern Shoalhaven Depot be allocated more resources or will the continued growth just be an added burden on our already overloaded council staff?

While Very Fast Trains are great in theory, several studies have shown they are not economically viable in Australia.

Even before the inevitable cost blowouts, it is estimated that a Brisbane to Melbourne train would cost about $114 billion, or $5000 per Australian. This is too much money for private companies to raise without setting ridiculous ticket prices, and it would be unconscionable for the government to borrow even more money to fund it.

If governments really are worried about travel times, they should reform speed limits on our roads. This would not cost us a cent.

As roads and cars have improved, other countries have reformed their speed limits. In Europe, speed limits on many motorways have been raised to 130 km/h and beyond, with no adverse impact on road safety.

Setting speed limits according to what the community considers to be appropriate would have many benefits. It would improve the experience of drivers, improve relations with law enforcement, and reduce the tedium of long distance travel.

On behalf of The Pet Foundation and Petbarn Nowra, I would like to send my heartfelt thanks to the South Coast community for their generosity in supporting our annual Christmas Giving Appeal, which raised much needed funds for local animal charities. 

After calculating the fundraising total, I am proud to note that the local South Coast community dug deep and collectively donated $2115 towards the appeal.

We set out with the goal to raise $450,000 and thanks to the compassion and generosity of our customers we were able to raise over $633,000 nationally.

Importantly, all profits from the appeal will go towards helping local animal shelters and rescue groups, so that they can continue to do the great work they do. Some of these charities include RSPCA, Cat Haven, Lort Smith, Cat Corner, Pet Haven Foundation, just to name a few.

The Christmas Giving campaign kicked off in November and ran for a total of six weeks across Petbarn stores nationally. 

With thousands of lovable pets without a home this Christmas, the appeal was a simple way for South Coast pet lovers to show their support.

The Pet Foundation, which is the charitable arm of Petbarn and Greencross Vets, is dedicated to providing support for animal rescue organisations and ensuring every animal has a loving place to call home. Since launching in 2012, theFoundation has raised over $4.5 million dollars for local animal charities.

I would like once again thank the South Coast community for their support with this initiative.

For more information on The Pet Foundation and the work it does, please visit www.petbarn.com.au/foundation.