I have written to council on five separate occasions over a number of years for a hazard reduction to be done in the reserve next to my property in Bomaderry. Council have replied to my letters on each occasion with virtually carbon copies of the first letter, stating the overgrown undergrowth is a natural habitat for our local fauna.

The reserve next to my property has not been maintained at all in the 11 years I have lived here and is completely overgrown with undergrowth and dry debris. If a fire was to start in this reserve on a hot day with the prevailing westerly winds, there would be no stopping it and many homes in my area would be lost.

My five letters to council have fallen on deaf ears and I'm extremely frustrated to whatever I can do to convince council of the problem

Bushfire Hazard Reduction Burning is risk management as directed amongst other guidance by the Shoalhaven Bushfire Risk Management Plan which is developed in accordance with NSW Rural Fires Act 1997. This plan is available online on the council's website.

The Bushfire Risk Management Plan is directed to provide for the identification of the location of reduction burning that has been completed with other risk management requirements. And the plan should advise through regular public consultation what effect the burning has had on fuel reduction and therefore hazard and risk reduction of bushfire.

Unfortunately the Shoalhaven Bushfire Risk Management plan does not provide that information. The plan does not cover much of the land in the Shoalhaven eg Morton National Park. Although the plan's maps are unreadable online. The plan has been prepared in accordance with a superseded Risk Management Standard (AS/NZ 4360 of 2004 vice ISO 31000 of 2009). It does not explicitely identify who has accepted the often very high levels of bushfire risk identified.

By my assessment the plan is non compliant and therefore does not optimally fulfill its purpose. Who knows what hazard reduction has been completed and what has been achieved?

Everywhere I look, I see people crying out for the need for higher wage and income growth in Australia. The governor of the Reserve Bank, the CEO of the Commonwealth Bank, the union movement, Labor and the Greens to name a few. Statistics show Aussies are closing their wallets, with the volume of total retail sales now at levels not seen since the 1990-91 recession.

Even the business community is wondering why people aren't spending money in their businesses - despite many supporting cuts to penalty rates for some of the lowest paid workers. Australians have less disposable income now than during the GFC more than a decade ago.

Despite recent interest rate and tax cuts, consumers are using these to pay down records levels of household debt rather than splurge on consumer goods and services, worsening the retail downturn and limiting the economic boost, according to analysis by global investment bank Morgan Stanley.

With wage growth neck on neck with inflation, higher wages would restore consumer confidence, allow Aussies to spend more in struggling retail and small business and allow households to pay down record levels of debt.

This idea is based on a raft of statistics that higher wages would boost spending, the economy and workplace productivity. Now we just need to wait and see if the government will take heed.

I won't be holding my breath.