Or $1123 for dinner in London after putting $35,000 in books and bookcases on the public credit card  and not saying what the private block is  in his diary after attending the last hour of the budget meeting. It just shows how much contempt all members of the Federal Government treat the general public.

While the pensioners do the hard yards and try to survive on the results they have been handed  with the budget the pollies still put their snouts in the trough.  You all should be ashamed.

Bob Newhill, Wombarra

I can assure Kay Southall (Illawarra Mercury,  June 1) that any of the ridicule,abuse and name-calling that opponents of same-sex marriage have been subjected to pales into insignificance compared to what gay men and women have faced most of their lives.

If homophobe, narrow-minded and bigoted offends these conservative defenders of morality, the mind boggles how they would react to the vile words and abuse regularly hurled at gay men and women who are simply asking for the same rights and freedoms that heterosexuals enjoy.

Margaret Court, as an ordained minister, should reflect on how her stance on homosexuality would impact on young gay Christians.

Who do they turn to when their future happiness appears doomed? Where do they belong when the institution they believed in rejects them?

How do they extricate themselves from an ideology that has owned them since childhood? For the strong,an alternative to an unwelcoming church is waiting.  For the fragile, the consequences don't bear thinking about.

Max Fischer, Scarborough

Brett Heino has pointed out that the "moral degeneracy of Australian politics generally, and the ALP specifically" is seen in the action of Anna Bligh.

That a former Labor leader defends the profits of the banks is an example of that "political degeneracy" (Illawarra Mercury, May 20). A Labor leader now defends the policy of the Liberal party.

This blatant hypocrisy has caused electors to abandon both the parties. There is a need to identify issues that has caused this political degeneracy. Banking is a key one.

 Labor privatised the Commonwealth bank which served the people's common interests to serve capitalist private interests.  This ignored Labor's platform based on the nationalisation of the means of production. A betrayal that led many “true believers” to desert the party.

 Labor now calls for a Royal Commission into banking to expose a culture dominated by greed. A commission that will only confirm the culture, what is needed is a bank that will challenge it. A bank like the one Labor privatised, another Commonwealth Bank.

Reg Wilding, Wollongong

I read with interest the article regarding a dog owner not having his dog registered in NSW and consequently receiving a hefty fine.

If the Council Rangers are looking for extra revenue why don't they start hounding cat owners. Most cats are not micro chipped, wear a collar or registered as per the law. Also many wander freely and are not contained within a boundary, as the law states. I would like the Council to show their ratepayers how many cat owners have been fined, yet they do more damage to the environment. Come on Rangers start being fair.

Chris Stephens, Kanahooka