FACING THE FACTS
Senators Hanson and Roberts recent junket to swim in subtropical Queensland shows their level of ignorance.
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Great Keppel Island is not a part of the Great Barrier Reef – it’s a coastal island with a fringing reef.
If they had discussed this photo opportunity with some local experts they would have been told how severely damaged the reefs in this area are by nutrient pollution and sedimentation caused by runoff and flooding in the Fitzroy River.
Both of these factors have been increased over recent years by the effects of climate change.
Had they consulted experts they would have also been told that moving living coral for any reason without a specific research permit is illegal because it damages these fragile environments even more.
Of course they have ignored the real and serious damage to happening 1000 km to the north where they would never dare go to see what is really happening (emperical evidence of climate change as Senator Roberts is so keen on demanding).
What a shame we have so many politicians who are far more concerned with their own personal agendas than with facing facts about what is happening in the real world.
Doug Steley, Heyfield
STOP FAFFING AROUND
Welcome to Australia Faf Du Plessis. You are going to have to do better than scoring 100-plus runs to earn back respect from the cricketing public after your ball tampering effort.
And you were the stand-in captain. That is just not cricket.
Steven Thomas, Shellharbour
KEEP TERRORISTS OUT
I am more convinced than ever now that we have some not so bright heads running the country. Why would you want to extradite our most wanted terrorist back to our shores?
Leave him there. Let the others pay for his keep, instead of us.
Warren Fleming, Balgownie
LEGALISE IT
Congratulations Wendy and congratulations to the Illawarra Mercury for publishing the article on "addiction".
At last a mainstream paper gets behind the idea of legalised substance use .
We can all be blind drunk every day on a legal addictive substance, but we choose not too.
Take the criminal element away, regulate, like alcohol and cigarettes, and let the people decide.
Graham Petrie, Warilla
SUPPORT LOCAL WORKERS
In reply to the letter by Matty Ryan on "System of Abuse” (Illawarra Mercury, Monday, November 28, 2016), the former Labor government oversaw an explosion in foreign worker 457 visa sponsors including an unprecedented industry agreement to hire foreigners to flip hamburgers for KFC, McDonald's and Hungry Jack's.
The flood of foreign visas during Opposition leader Bill Shorten's time as workplace minister in the Gillard government also extended the program to 650 so-called professions including union officials and goat herders.
Bill Shorten's claim that the high number of 457 visas during Labor's time in office was due to the mining boom, have been undermined by figures showing that many McDonald's jobs filled by foreign workers were in Sydney and Canberra, which had one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the country at that time.
The facts are the Coalition government of Malcolm Turnbull has already cut the number of visas and passing tough new regulations for prioritising local jobs.
There must be a serious united alliance of all political parties for local jobs and local workers.
Adrian Devlin, Fairy Meadow