Does the PM care?
The Prime Minister makes a second visit to the Shoalhaven and again will not meet with dairy farmers, the biggest rural industry in the Shoalhaven and the largest dairying area in the NSW.
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Under the PM's watch since August 2018, dairying in NSW and northern Victoria has contracted by one billion litres of milk; half a billion dollars at farm; and $2 billion dollars from regional and rural towns like the Shoalhaven. Worst of all it represents 7700 jobs lost (7.7 jobs for every one million litres of milk) since August. Yes in eight short months. Does the Prime Minister not care ? Has the government lost interest in regional areas? Any one industry that suffers so significantly and can't get the attention of the PM ... something is seriously wrong. I guess we are not his mate!
R. Miller, Milton
Not council's battle
I was immensely saddened to hear that the Shoalhaven City Council has voted to side with developers over community, going to the extreme level of "becoming a third party" in the Land and Environment Court. This decision will cost South Coast residents and landholders, possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What saddens me about this decision is:
The council is ignoring the community members who are arguing against this development - it seems as though community is to be listened to only if the dominant council members agree with their view.
The argument that the vast number of new residences will bring in more money through rates ignores the cost of infrastructure and ongoing support to those new residences: roads, water, garbage, facilities such as parks, libraries, walk ways and so on. Or is the council not planning to provide additional facilities and infrastructure?
Council is not a profit making enterprise - each new resident is charged a rate with the intention of covering the expenses created by that resident. So exactly who is economically benefiting from the proposed development?
Is the council meaning to say that the only means they have of increasing their funding source is to continually support development - with no end in sight? What happens when we run out of land, or perhaps even closer to reality, run out of people to put in all these new houses? What happened to indexed rates?
I believe we had a rate increase this year. Interestingly, rates in the Shoalhaven are currently less than half that paid in other council areas - and we wonder why our roads are bad!
Council should not spend our money to fight a rich developer's battle in court.
P. Davidson, Huskisson
Missing in action
The absence of Labor candidate Fiona Phillips from the Paul Murray Pub Test debate is another indication the Labor party does not want their candidates exposed to any searching questions.
What a golden opportunity for Mrs Phillips to explain her commitment to Labor`s proposed new taxes and policy announcement re electric cars. Her absence may indicate her unwillingness to be questioned by voters in her electorate re these policies.
Mrs Phillips at some time must provide an appropriate reason for her absence if she is to be taken at all seriously!.
B.Cumberland, North Nowra
Credit where it's due
I refer to page 3 of the April 3 edition of the SCR where South Coast MP Shelley Hancock states her ministerial office would be located in Nowra. It is my understanding that this office was originally set up in Nowra by then Labor South Coast MP Wayne Smith during his tenure between 1999 and 2003. Perhaps the local member might acknowledge this because the way the article reads is that her ministerial office is her own initiative.