This he must feel is his “Tampa moment” because he was using this to appeal to voters to stay the course with his government, as it was the only way forward.

Remember it was the Labor party who steered us through the Global Financial Crisis Mr Turnbull, not the conservatives.

Your polling must be saying you are in trouble if you are stooping to such a low point in your campaign.

Shame on you Mr Turnbull, you are looking more like Mr Abbott by the day.

Richard Ruse, Figtree

The prospects for our nation, as the Federal Election approaches, are grim. We have been taken to the "cleaners".  

This all started in 1983 when the "wooden heads" in the federal treasury convinced the then Government to embrace the witless economic philosophy of "economic rationalism".

Both the Labor and Liberal Parties still embrace this dead end doctrine of economic suicide.  

They myopically support "free trade" which is prelude to slave trade. Important tariffs are being undermined while factories close down.  

Some will say that Australia has to "fit in".  We are entitled to embrace those concepts that best suit the magnificent potential of our continent.  We have a nation to save.  

Rex Connor II, Wollongong

The often repeated point made by Keith Norris (Selective Memory, Thursday, June 22, 2016) that Julia Gillard lied when she said “there will never be a carbon tax under any government I lead” illustrates how carefully politicians need to phrase the promises they make.

I would contend that Julia was understandingly assuming that any government she led would be a Labor Government, in which case she could have kept her promise.

As it turned out the government she ended up leading was part of a “hung Parliament” and the conditions imposed upon her by the independent members for their support, forced her to drop the “carbon tax promise’'.

Had she said, “there will never be a carbon tax under any Labor Government I lead,” she would have been off the hook.

John Martin, Woonona

A friend of mine who was recently made redundant told me that a single person on Newstart allowance gets $263.80 per week to pay their bills food and clothes and all the other little surprises that life throws their way.

But now you will not get this measly amount until you have been unemployed for at least 4 weeks.

This is coming from some of the highest paid members of our society who, whilst sitting in Canberra, get a living away from home allowance of $173 per day in some cases paying the money to their own spouses to stay in their own properties.

These are people on both sides of parliament who talk about dole bludgers and lifters and leaners.

If every member of parliament had their living away expenses cut by half , how much better would that be for pensioners and the sick?

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.