NOTE FOR ILLAWARRA COMMUTERS
Illawarra commuters should note that the IPART recommendation is to lift the daily gap from $15 to $18.
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If you include the half fare on Friday as $9 the weekly fare from Wollongong to Central will increase $21 per week ($3 each day plus the $9 half fare on Friday).
This fare will increase from $60 to $81 per week.
Over the year this will an additional $1008 dollars a year unless of course there are other caps or discounts available.
Bart McKenzie, Port Kembla
ILLAWARRA COMMUTERS LOSE AGAIN
The new timetable and level of service has not been kind to Illawarra commuters and this level of increase cannot be justified.
The only real winners seem to be Oatley who have increased services and a lift at the expense of the long suffering Illawarra commuters.
Bart McKenzie, Port Kembla
PLEASE RESPECT MARKED LANES
Council definitely needs to become active on the Blue Mile, and have rangers start fining those cyclists and pedestrians that don't respect the marked lanes and paths.
Brendan Hehir, Woonona
HEALTHCARE IS NO LONGER AFFORDABLE
In 2014, Tony Abbott dropped his controversial $7 GP co-payment replacing it with a $5 per visit cut to the Medicare rebate.
Currently, the Medicare rebate for a general consultation that lasts less than 20 minutes is $37.05.
However, the federal government's Medicare rebate reduction means that bulk billing doctors receive $32.05 ($37.05 less $5.00).
On 1 July 2015, the consultation rebate was virtually halved ($16.95) for consultations that lasted less than 10 minutes.
The current situation is doctors receive between $60 and $90 for each consultation and the patient receives a payment rebate of $37.05.
The Bulk billing doctor receives $32.05 for each general consultation that lasts less than twenty minutes and the patient has nothing to pay.
On budget night the Turnbull government extended the freeze on the Medicare rebate until 2019-20.
As a result; doctors have warned they would be forced to abandon bulk billing.
On top of this, from 1 July 2016 we will see a new fee of $20 for blood tests and medical tests including X-rays.
Also prescription fees will be rising by $5.
It has come to the stage that healthcare is no longer affordable for workers and families.
John Macleod, Berry
TAX INEQUALITY IS COSTING BILLIONS
Tax evasion by big corporations plus tax loopholes that advantage the super wealthy are fuelling inequality and costing our country billions.
Scott Morrison must stop multinational tax avoidance immediately.
Cut generous tax deductions for the well off and introduce a flat minimum income tax rate for the most wealthy to ensure they pay at least some income tax.
Matty Ryan, Fairy Meadow
- Letters on election issues must bear the name and full address of the writer(s). Responsibility for election comment in this issue is accepted by Fairfax Illawarra and South East NSW group managing editor Kim Treasure, 77 Market St, Wollongong. Writers should disclose any alliance with political or community organisations and include their telephone number for verification. Election candidates should declare themselves as such when submitting letters.