GOING PUBLIC
We now know full well that so many people have opted out of private health Insurance, that the public hospital system has no hope at all in meeting demand for elective surgery.
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My own health fund, the Teachers Union Health, no longer lets me pay an annual membership because they tell me that they cannot afford to provide discounts for a once yearly contribution.
People are suffering unnecessary pain simply because well off politicians have no genuine interest in allocating funds to the public system.
More and more money comes from the highly financed, all for profit only, private medical industry. Australia's public Health System is in rapid decline, and nobody wants to fix it.
Dave Cox, Corrimal
WHAT IS ‘AFFORDABLE’
Can someone, anyone give me a definitive answer as to what constitutes "affordable housing"?
As a so called “war baby” I am fortunate to have lived in an era when as a single income family we purchased a home in Wollongong for approximately twice my then modest salary.
Later when our children were self sufficient with the assistance of my partner we were able to purchase land at a central NSW coastal location for $45,000 and, with the use of negative gearing, owner built a comfortable holiday rental property.
Latest Australian Bureau of Statistics average annual Salary figure is approximately $61250.00. If today’s families could purchase a home for $122,500 I would say that is affordable.
Last week’s real estate papers were promoting a land release with lots starting at $540,000. I defy anyone other than, perhaps, politicians with four negative geared properties or Corporate CEO's on obscenely inflated wages to say that is affordable.
Whilst 85% of Australia's land mass is deemed uninhabitable the balance has only 1% occupied. Unfortunately our respective Governments are, primarily, City focussed and when rarely releasing country land act similarly to Developers looking to maximise their return through highly inflated prices.
Maybe it is time to return to when we didn't have kerb and guttering, were allowed to live in our garage while the modest single level house was built and only had a second hand car and furniture handed down.
Eric Davies, Keiraville
LOOKING FOR A VIEW
I'm writing as an outraged resident of the Sandon Point/Bulli area who has been witness to the gross vandalism of native vegetation and animal habitat in this area.
My grandkids and I participated in plantings on Sandon Point only to see our efforts trashed
And to now see a chain saw used to destroy vegetation in Blackall Street Reserve and fire incidents at McCauleys beach targeting mature Banksias which are a food source for yellow tailed cockatoos is totally gut wrenching What do do then? Give in? Or get serious with shaming and council-initiated surveillance?
I am at a total loss to explain why people move into this beautiful area and then set out to deliberately destroy what makes it so. And all in pursuit of a view.
Marilyn Hood, Bulli
SHORT SIGHTED
Malcolm Turnbull has been preaching that those countries, where same sex marriage has been legalized, have not seen any drastic changes.
How short sighted can you be? Such changes won't become evident until the next generation comes of age.
Already in Canada, the UK, Ireland etc concerned parents are prohibited from withdrawing their children from radical sex education classes which promote the whole LGBTQI agenda.
Kim Furst, Fairy Meadow