The motion before the committee was clearly about a federal government funding application where the Mayor substituted the previously agreed Bomaderry stadium for the Bundanon development - a national project independent of council.  I said it in the meeting and in the release... basketball was shafted.  We traded our own community sports project where this and other council sporting projects could have benefited directly by the release of $5 million.

Council staff retorted by saying that the “construction” of the stadium was fully funded, conveniently ignoring that the fit out is not finally costed, nor fully funded. In any case, this is all a massive distraction from the main point. We have the opportunity to get an injection of federal funding to boost the coffers that we are giving away to another body (and taking on the risk of becoming the proponent which may mean extra costs to ratepayers).

Give the basketballers some credit in all this... they fully understood this and felt the “anguish” of being let down by councillors who had previously assured them of support for the application. This was very plain from Thursday's extraordinary meeting where sporting groups were in full support of the rescission motion to reinsert the Shoalhaven Indoor Sports Stadium.

Finally, the reference to the “Yarts” is not Trump... rather the laconic Sir Les Patterson (aka Barry Humphries). Sometimes ya gotta lighten up on these things.

My name is Grant Schultz. I am a business owner, resident and constituent of the Gilmore electorate. My family has a long history in politics at a local, state and federal level and I, in turn, follow local and national politics with a keen interest.

Recently I had cause to respond to a claim on your Facebook page in relation to the decision of Bill Shorten’s Fair Work Commission. It was a relevant  question, asked in a polite and professional manner.

Incredibly, I was blocked within minutes, my comment was deleted and I can no longer participate in this type of political debate with either you or anyone else interested in key issues affecting our region.

It appears I am not alone, as other Gilmore residents have informed me this is a common on all of your social media accounts. 

Some have simply tried to ask a question, clarify a claim or explain  a process. The same action – blocked, deleted and denied.

I have also to follow your account on Twitter – and was blocked within 30 seconds of trying – without so much as a word typed on my behalf.

 Many of these people are not what you may claim to be Liberal voters and are not party aligned. They are just good local people. I am concerned that you appear to be not only ignoring the voices of constituents but actively censoring them. Last time I checked we live in a democracy, not in North Korea.

If this is the sort of behaviour we can expect from yourself and the Labor Party now, I can only imagine what will happen to free speech in Gilmore should you be elected to any position you aspire to in politics.

Might I suggest that debating those with differing views may well be to your favour? The people of Gilmore, not just an elite few, have a right to be heard and represented.  

So my question to you, Fiona: If you are democratically elected will you be a voice for all Gilmore? Or will it be the elite few?