What chance will the Shellharbour council have when we have an out-of-control general manager acting as an empire builder in regard to the unwanted, unaffordable project known as The Hub?

The community has clearly demonstrated that it does not want this badly sited building and still the council refuses to listen to the ratepayers.

There will be no change out of $80 million for this folly and council will need to place the ratepayers into huge debt. This is one council which is clearly unfit for the future.

Dennis Chalker, Shellharbour

If Labor received the same tax receipts as a proportion of GDP as Costello had on average over the decade before handing over to Swan, Swan would have received around $200 billion in additional revenue.

Labor inherited a surplus of $21 billion and a revenue shortfall of around $200 billion to fight the GFC. Puts the $47 billion deficit in perspective, doesn't it?

Labor's effective response to the global economy's descent into what could have become a Great Depression Mark 2, through fiscal and monetary stimulus has been judged by international financial organisations like the OECD and IMF as among the most effective in the world.

The IMF also reported that the Howard-Costello government was "the most profligate Australian government in 200 years".

A letter publicly released by our independent Treasury, stated: "Rapid and large monetary and fiscal policy stimulus played a critical role in increasing effective demand and the early recovery of consumer and business confidence in Australia. Our estimates imply that growth would have been negative for three consecutive quarters absent fiscal stimulus."

Thanks to the effort of Swan, mass bankruptcies, mass unemployment and mass human misery was avoided.

Don Kelly, Kanahooka

He is at it again, Adrian Devlin, defending our egotistical fool of a Prime Minister, a trustworthy soul who erased all parliamentary speeches prior 2010 to avoid political embarrassment.

And it seems my political views are not in accordance with Adrian's conservative world, so much so, I am advised "to grow up and get a grip on reality".

Adrian if I grow up much more I'll be getting a letter from Tony's matriarch - the Queen. As far as reality goes, there are two sides to every story and I suppose it is not your fault if you are always wrong.

I do not mind a critical eye and the occasional corresponding barb fired from the bow of discontent.

For my part, I look forward to reading your letters on politics or any subjectfor it would be a dull existence without reading the other point of view.

John Macleod, Berry

I think the minister is distressed because the community will see the picture and judge her government.

Maybe she should be distressed - the same picture can be shown day after day in one of the most busy stations at Redfern. For years disabled people have had to manage the stairs with no lift in sight.

John Agnew, Kogarah Bay