The operators of the Wollongong produce and traders markets, more than 10 years ago sought to establish a growers market in Wollongong to enable local growers to sell their produce directly.

They have worked tirelessly to firstly establish a regular growers market, to build it and to maintain such a valuable cultural asset.

I, like many people in the Illawarra, love the vibe on Fridays in the mall, a feeling of an authentic European-style produce market.

These markets were a great idea, created, invested in and tirelessly and lovingly maintained by the operators who built it. This is their business.

Now our innovative council believes that they would like the owners of this idea to have to tender to be able to keep it.

These fantastic community minded people fought council to get the approval at their own expense and have worked hard to give Wollongong a cultural landmark.

Council feel that they now should be the owner of that idea and they can choose who runs this business.

After seeing the hard work it takes to keep this market running, I have a real fear that this institution will be lost.

Wollongong City Council should value the culture that builds over decades through hard work and diversity and consider what is best for its community. The markets were not council's idea, council do not run the markets, council do not own this business.

Kate Lynch, Coledale

Jeff Kennett's remarks berating the timing of the ABC's Four Corners expose of Darwin's Don Dale youth detention centre and its appalling treatment of its inmates are fascinating to say the least.

Kennett cries foul that the footage was “mostly old and was an outright attack” on those working in the prison system and accuses the ABC of timing the program to coincide with the up­coming NT election in order to damage the CLP.

I would have thought the disturbing contents of the show would have been more of a concern to Mr Kennett than any possible political damage the program could have caused to the political party with which he has had a life-long affiliation but true to form, in true conservative style, he has hit out at the ABC.

There has been plenty of time for the NT government to produce evidence that things have improved in that facility and the treatment of young offenders could now be considered less than torture but the NT Government has not seized the opportunity.

The ABC is second to none in its field of investigative journalism and scrupulous in its endeavour to produce unbiased, informative programs exposing the Kennett outburst as nothing more than the usual sour­ grapes response from the LNP.

Denise Meredith, Kanahooka

Everyone of working age should work and pay tax. Our income should not be dependent on borrowing and investing.

Unless all Australians pay income tax in proportion to their earnings this country is headed in the same direction as America in 2008.

The Australian government must abolish all concessions on income - bonuses, interest, family trust, negative gearing etc and make the wealthy pay.

The only income tax deductions available for all Australians should be claims for domestic expenses submitted for approval at the end of the financial year.

John Macleod, Berry