Currently SCC has just two street sweepers. One is based in Nowra and the other in Ulladulla. Culverts are continually allowed to fill with leaves, sticks and rubbish which, even when the street sweeper is available, it doesn't clear.

Teams of SCC workers are needed to hit the streets and clear these areas out before we are hit with another storm such as this. While this may be classed as a one in 100- year storm, one would hope that it doesn't take that long for SCC to act.

Last week’s edition of the South Coast Register reported that Kiama MP Gareth Ward asserts that residents’ claims that he had not responded to their phone calls, emails and other correspondence were untrue.

Residents, who are affected by the constant noise have never made such claims. We have, however, raised concerns that we have received minimal attention and response to our requests for assistance.

Mr Ward’s speech to the House, while appreciated, cannot replace the need for concrete plans for noise mitigation. Mr Ward made the speech on October 18, 2018 - almost a year to the day - since he attended a meeting with local residents at a home in Windsor Drive in October 2017.

Besides some other concerns, the main topic of discussion in October 2017 was the traffic noise. 

In March of this year we met with Mr Ward and officials from Roads, Maritime and Freight. We were assured that post implementation noise monitoring would be undertaken and a report issued.

It has been eight months since this monitoring was carried out. 

Mr Ward states that he has seen the report and infers that it recommends that no noise mitigation is required.

If this is the case why is this report not being made available to residents so that we can support Mr Ward’s contention that doing nothing is not an option?

Affected residents were heartened to hear Mr Ward’s response to questions from radio station 2ST on the morning of November 19, that he is “working with the RMS to come up with a solution, which will involve the erection of noise barriers, a time frame will be announced in coming months.”

In order to restore confidence that our appeals for assistance are being responded to constructively, affected residents appeal to Mr Ward to communicate this development to residents directly.

Scott Morrison’s claim that a Federal Anti-Corruption body is just a ‘fringe issue’ shows he isn’t listening to the people of Australia.

All Australians have an interest in a strong national integrity watchdog, but people in regional Australia have an added interest.

We rely on a strong national government to provide postal, communications, infrastructure,  meteorological and agricultural services yet we usually live hundreds of miles from the capital cities where decisions about these services are made.

This is why we want a strong oversight body - one that can root out corruption where it exists and guard against it where it doesn’t.

The government started the final fortnight of the year in Canberra opposed to a National Integrity Commission. Then they voted for it in the Parliament. Then Mr Morrison said the Government was only “considering” it. Then he called it a “fringe issue.”

Something of this magnitude is so much more than a fringe issue to Australians living in regional areas, it’s vitally important and locals have a vested interest in it.