A RESOUNDING VICTORY
The resounding victory for the yes vote has upset the political class. They are losing control of the political agenda. The voice of the people replaced caucus control where ideology and religious prejudice dominate.
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The antidote to this was seen in action. Politics will never be the same. It will increase the demand for a Royal Commission to expose the banking rorts and the donations from the coal barons that control the caucus.
It will also increase the dissent in the religious community who disagreed that their faith supported the no vote. Senator Dean Smith, a member of the Liberal Party, a Christian and the architect of the bill to legalise same-sex marriage had a different take.
In introducing his same-sex bill he said: “ My faith is a refuge, not a platform”. The resounding vote for same-sex has opened the gate for a more inclusive society and a say in who makes the platforms.
Reg Wilding, Wollongong
HOLD THE BUS
When is Dapto going to get a free shuttle? The city centre elite lose their free bus and you could be excused for thinking the world is going to end.
Wollongong LGA is bigger then a the free shuttle route. Maybe we should put this much fight into things this LGA needs not a stupid bus.
Plus maybe we are forgetting about the benefits of no "free" bus. People might start walking again and thats a good thing
David Vincent, Dapto
LOOKING AFTER THEIR OWN
One thing about the Libs they look after their own. The bitumen on the Berry Bypass was still smoking hot as construction started on the extension south towards Bombaderry.
In the meantime twice a day, five days a week the highway through Albion Park Rail is like a car park. Based on priority the reconstruction and upgrade of the highway should have started at the northern end with the Albion Park Rail section.
The traffic problems at the Kiama Bends and Berry were basically restricted to the holiday periods, while commuters through the rail have the problem on ordinary week days as well as the holiday periods.
Admittedly it would have taken a bit longer for the Kiama and Berry communities to have their holiday traffic problem dealt with. However the cost to the community generally (travel time, petrol costs, environmental factors) would have been better served had the Albion Park Rail Bypass been given its proper priority.
Together with the privatisation of the port and the discontinuation of the free shuttle bus service, the Illawarra has again been duded the State Liberal/National Government.
Ken Bone, Conjola Park
A SNOWFLAKE’S CHANCE
Malcolm Turnbull’s plan dubbed Snowy 2.0 is a rort. Tea Party politics. It will line the pockets of the wealthy with millions of dollars. It is a white elephant.
Snowy Hydro doesn’t need reinvigorating it has increased its generating capacity to mammoth proportions from 4100MW to more than 5500MW.
The increased capacity has been achieved by a steady acquisition of gas-fired power stations at Laverton and Traralgon Vic and Colongra NSW. There are also smaller operations at Port Stanvac and Angaston SA. Also, a large-scale solar generation plant in SA will come on-line in 2018.
Economically the Turnbull proposal Snowy 2.0 would not benefit this country: (a) the company he intends to build the new power station (SMEC) is foreign owned and (b) the power grid company engaged to build the transmission lines (TransGrid) is 64 per cent owned by foreign investors from countries such as Canada, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.
John Macleod, Berry
