Letters to the editor: Frustrations over holiday house plan and more

In 2023 the proposal appears to have gotten the go ahead.

The proposed site in Kerry Street Sanctuary Point is in between other shops and commercial businesses, a good location.

However, the site is overgrown with grass near waist height.

Not only an eyesore but also not good for the environment with the possibility of vermin.

The council has also cutback on its maintenance and garden staff in the last few years and perhaps this is part of the problem. No work has commenced to date.

The council, or the current owner of the block, need to maintain the block of land until building commences.

Even better, perhaps building of the library can start in the next few months after so many years of promises and delays.

Recently at its meeting, the council effectively voted for long unemployment queues rather than economic vitality through tourism to our area.

80 per cent of visitors to our area stay in holiday houses, and always have and council wants this to stop.

If visitors to our area find their accommodation options are taken away, they will simply choose to visit other regions.

Tourism is one of our major job creators for people such as cleaners, restaurant and cafe workers, property managers, gardeners, maintenance people.

Council clearly does not value these people's welfare by going after their income source. 39 per cent of visitors to our area are not here as tourists, they are here visiting family and friends, they are here for events, sporting, weddings, conferences and the like. They are here for work, construction projects, visiting heath professionals, educators and trainers.

They choose to stay in a house where they can cook, have room to move or have family come and stay with them and are not interested in staying in a caravan park of motel.

It seems the council clearly does not care about these people either.

ABS statistics show that holiday houses account for less than 2 per cent of dwellings in NSW, but clearly having a holiday house next doors upsets a few NIMBYS.

Holiday houses are politically an easy target at the moment to make it appear that something is being done to address the housing crises.

This move will be ineffectual, doing nothing but crippling a our economy

Recently the Liberal Candidate for the Federal Electorate of Gilmore stated that the sitting Labor Member, Fiona Phillips had abandoned the people of the electorate.

There have been multiple achievements and work undertaken by Labor nationally and locally by Mrs Phillips.

Some of the achievements and work undertaken include:

I don't see this as abandoning the local community but rather working hard for them. Keep up the strong advocacy and great work Fiona in representing the people of Gilmore.

The earlier children come into contact with the criminal justice system, the more they are likely to cycle in and out of it for years.

We need to break this cycle and invest in proven programs and services, where they get the right support and this can make communities safer for years.