Posters tell the story
Your editorial of May 18 is quite correct: there are much bigger issues than posters at stake for this election. Hopefully, the saturation of the Gilmore electorate with images of Mrs Sudmalis will backfire on her by focusing the voters' minds on what a poor job she's done on behalf of her constituents.
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For starters, federal funding cutbacks to Shoalhaven and Milton hospitals with staff struggling to provide maternity and other vital services in a region with many young families; Medicare rebates for GPs frozen, forcing some medical practices in the region to abandon bulk billing - patients unable to afford GP fees then turn to the emergency departments of local hospitals for treatment, putting additional pressure on already scarce resources; hundreds of apprenticeship training opportunities have been lost under Mrs Sudmalis's watch, due to dismantling of programs in TAFE and outsourcing of other post-secondary training courses to some proven shonky education providers in the private sector.
But perhaps one of the most fundamental issues for this election is the federal government's cynical commitment to only funding the first four years of the Gonski education reforms, and not the last two years of the model. Despite the evidence after only two years of full funding that the money is already making a significant difference to the educational needs of disadvantaged students, particularly in the Gilmore electorate, Mrs Sudmalis and the Liberals will not continue to fund educational need as outlined by the Gonski model. Is Mrs Sudmalis blind to the posters outside public schools throughout Gilmore, which declare: "Gonski made a difference at this school."?
In a recent interview, Mrs Sudmalis claimed her achievements weren't widely known, as she "wasn't good at boasting". Given there is little for her to trumpet about, voters will have the last say on her achievements and competence on July 2.
S. Lenne, Callala Bay (ALP member)
Slowdown a good move
I wish to comment on the new speed limit introduced on the Sussex Inlet Road, from Monday, May 23. The limit along part of this road has been reduced from 100 to 80km/h.
I am definitely for the change and believe it should be 80 all the way from the Princes Highway into Sussex Inlet. You can only go in and out of town, it is a no through road. You are either coming into Sussex Inlet or leaving.
Sussex Inlet Road it not a highway. Even along the Princes Highway you have areas that come back to an 80km/h speed limit where there are curves and winding parts.
Sussex Inlet Road is a winding road. You have houses with driveways. People coming in and out of their driveways. People stopping off to buy fruit and vegetables.
There are children and bus stops. There are garbage trucks and garbage bins everywhere once a week. The postman pulls in and out of driveways every day.
There are kangaroos, horses, dogs, and wombats. There is poor lighting. Night time and rain is horrendous. More and more people are using the road. It is a winding road with broken shoulders. One area of the road floods. There are open culvert drains everywhere.
There have been accidents. A lady was killed on this road. A truck overturned, closing the road for hours. I have seen accidents myself and I don’t use the road every day.
The elderly generally stick to the speed limit and drive safely but are confronted with people wanting to overtake at 120-130km/h.
There are people signing a petition to keep the road limit at 100km/h with comments saying going slower causes accidents. Unnecessary. Ridiculous. Too slow.
It has been shown that it only takes three minutes longer to drive to the newer conditions.
Who would not want another three minutes in their lives to change if they could have avoided an accident or fatality by simply dropping back a bit on their speed?