Letters to the editor: Mailbox November 17, 2023

During that time the only infrastructure in the Bay and Basin was the new Police and Ambulance stations (both of which are not 24/7 operational).

This came after years of misinformation but was driven by people power and support from the South Coast Register and WIN TV.

The new Labor member, Liza Butler, with only six months in the job can't fix years of neglect with the first budget, but she has had not a bad start on a long catch up.

She will be made accountable as time goes on.

There is more to politics than kissing babies, opening fetes, photo shoots, and representing the people is not all cream.

At this stage Labor's Liza Butler is listening to the people and getting actions. So far as a newcomer in politics she is working well for the people and their electorate.

Momentum is growing for truth in political advertising laws.

There has been too much misinformation, disinformation that many of us do not know what is fact or fiction for want of a better word.

Our desire for the truth is what our people want, not twisted facts and lies to divide and cloud judgement.

Deliberate misleading political advertising is harming our democracy, which is too important to let anyone do it deliberate harm.

At the moment, whether it is an election or referendum, voters should go to the polls armed with the truthful facts.

A powerful parliamentary committee has recommended that this government legislate political donations and spending caps, and truth-in-political advertising laws.

We need this now, we the voters have to be confident in our political system and in what we read and listen to in all media and social outlets.

We the voters should demand this.

Re Missing money for 4km rail loop.

How Did the Money Disappear?

Back in March, 2019, the Member for Kiama and Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra, Gareth Ward, along with his colleague, the Member for South Coast, Shelley Hancock, made a grand announcement.

This was that $125 million was going to be budgeted to deliver a 4km duplication loop on the South Coast line, between Gerringong and Bomaderry, extra platforms at Bomaderry, and a doubling of carriage numbers for nearly all weekend services.

All of this "in the next term of government" (2019-2023).

Some preliminary specification and geotechnical works were carried out in August, 2020 and September, 2021.

Since then? Silence!

Andrew Constance was the Minister for Transport from April 2015 to October 2021.

During that period, billions of dollars were spent, and billions wasted. He did run a six-month electric bus trial, for four months, between Kiama and Bomaderry, covering the state and federal election periods.

Where's the data?

None of these promises for upgrades on the South Coast rail line has eventuated in almost five years.

Meanwhile, the poor old voters on the South Coast continue to be neglected, with no transport monies in the budget.

If the money was ever in a Coalition budget, it wasn't spent on the South Coast rail line. Well, they had their chance.

Is it magic, or lies and incompetence?

The Open Letter from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, community members and organisations who supported Yes is a confronting and honest analysis of the campaign and its consequences.

That we rebuffed the invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart to walk with The First Peoples of our country and recognise them in our Constitution with a guaranteed right to have a voice in matters that affect them, was a tragic outcome which will haunt Australia for years to come.

We should not just "turn the page " and move on.

We will end up regretting the facilitation of the deliberate misinformation and lies that abounded through the media during the campaign for this will end up being the template for future elections. Truth and lies will end up being indistinguishable for many.

The Open Letter can be readily found online and is well worth a read and serious reflection.