We can change our local member without changing the government. What we must do is vote for the candidate who will work in the best interest of the electorate and not service the notion of self interest. The choice will be ours and if those who choose self interest and deny change need to be changed themselves.

Their latest action of endorsing Ann Sudmalis simply smacks of self interest and party survival and it must not prevail. This is our opportunity to rid ourselves of a party hack being propped up by other party hacks under the banner of a democratic process.

So what is it to be guys,more of the same or support change? So raise the pencil when required and vote accordingly. 

The Gash controlled Shoalhaven City Council is planning a shocking deficit budget of up to $3 million and with all the sweeteners for the big end of town one could describe it as an election budget.

Previous councils never planned for deficit budgets of more than maybe $100,000. A deficit budget can be likened to a shop assistant earning $35 000 per year but planning to spend $40 000.

What will happen if during the deficit period this council is faced with an emergency? A small bushfire, or a flood, that doesn’t attract disaster funding but damages or destroys infrastructure.

How will additional revenue be raised with such a huge deficit in the budget? Who will pay and where will the money come from? A loan will put the council further into the red. Only last year council proposed a reduction in Nowra CBD business rates, which are to be subsequently paid for by all ratepayers this year.

The community at large strongly objected to the CBD business rate reductions. Now in 2016 the pensioners and mum and dad ratepayers are being told to pay, but this time it is an extra $20 on average (some will pay much more depending on valuation) annually to subsidise the big end of town, the commercial property owners. 

It should also be noted that rates to a business is an expense and can be claimed off the taxable income. So businesses only pay half and in many cases the rates are charged back to tenants but what is the likelihood of a saving being passed on? You guessed it, nil. 

To talk of decreasing tax to property investors and to pay for the decrease by increasing rates to ordinary ratepayers without offering proportionate increases in infrastructure and services is unjust, inequitable, discriminatory and fundamentally wrong. To ask pensioners, those on limited incomes and struggling families to pay for a business rates decrease is unconscionable.

Council justifies these increases by claiming it has been constrained by rate pegging, increased expenses for building materials, electricity, street lighting, insurance and roads expenditure. Aren’t all residents constrained by the same increased expenses and CPI but they don’t have the ability to raise revenue by the stroke of a pen?

I originally voted to support the draft budget going on exhibition thinking it would be balanced before its final adoption or at least pared back to something more reasonable. As it stands I am unable to support the budget in its current form.

I am curious as to why a report on bowls in your paper says that me and Bob Boyd would not have much hair left when this pennant season is finished. 

I'm not worried about Bob, he can bother about his hair, but I'm trying to hang onto mine and the predicted  excessive thinning of it has me worried.