SAFETY OF BATHERS
Bravo for pointing out the backflips of our hesitating state leader.
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Even worse, as more people are likely to be killed or mutilated while he vacillates and waffles, is his hesitation – or reluctance – to authorise safety nets for bathers.
In South Africa where l was born, shark nets have been used successfully for over 40 years in subtropical waters like those off Durban.
We never gave sharks a thought as long as we bathed behind the nets.
Here in NSW, l never venture into the ocean.
I have seen what can happen.
Waiting and vacillating in this matter could well mean having the death or mutilation of innocent bathers attributed to the Premier's inability to make an obvious and life-saving decision.
Dr Hal Bruce, Warilla
A CROWNING MOMENT
The State government issued a White paper on changes to the Crown Lands Act and responded in 2014.
A Parliamentary Inquiry on the Crown Lands Act has recently concluded and there is now a new Bill tabled.
Recently the State Auditor General put out a damming report on the non transparent management of the Crown Lands in New South Wales.
Apparently the state government is aiming to make easier provisions for increased development of Crown Lands in order to fund future expenditures.
The question remains as to who will benefit and at what price for reduced public access to public lands?
The Auditor General found that transparency was lacking as well as non compliant transactions.
The voting public could be forgiven for remaining suspicious of governments after the ICAC Inquiries into Sydney Harbour property retail leases and Labor Party connections that allegedly reached into Wollongong.
Former Property Manager NSW Maritime, Fergus McPherson is reported a saying: "Sydney Harbour has never generated the amount of revenue that the public should be able to extract from this prime asset and will continue to be the case and we will continue to be subjected to a revolving door of corruption" (ABC, 7.30 Report, October 28).
Another question remains as to what protections will be incorporated in the new Crown Lands Act that will prevent and or minimise political corruption?
Ray Robinson, Corrimal
OUTCOME THE SAME
Besides religion, there are two political ideological kinds of government — socialistic and capitalistic.
Socialism: Public political ownership with decisions made by the ruling class; governments may take shape through technocratic, oligarchic, totalitarian, democratic or even voluntary rule; an example of voluntary rule would be the election of a tribal chief.
Capitalism: Is a free market in which individuals are completely free to determine where to invest, what to produce or sell, and have personal or company sway at which prices to exchange goods and services, without check or control.
The political structure of some major powers in our region.
North Korea: A socialistic/totalitarian/oligarchy – a secret society.
China: A socialistic/oligarchic/capitalism.
The result: China, the first communist government to combine capitalism/socialism and make the economies of countries in the Pacific region reliant on trade. The United States: a socialist democracy: President Obama lost control of the House of Representatives and the Senate on November 6 2014 and since that date his presidency has been ineffective with his status reduced to a figurehead. Australia: Pure capitalism.
The outcome the same as North Korea.
John Macleod, Berry