If something goes wrong you are virtually on your own.

The contact phone numbers for any of the branches of the big banks are no longer listed, as well as your local supermarket, railway station, post offices, and any other government departments.

You need to ring the head office and get an automated answering system to forward your call to a human who will decide how important your call is.

Centrelink can be contacted if you take part in a seance. This federal government agency is notorious for causing a deliberate delay so that you will give up, and hang up.

Never ever call Centrelink from a mobile phone. It will cost you. Not one of the communications companies will give you the fast service you are paying them for.

Remember, the NBN is there to make sure that you cannot easily communicate with your fellow Australian, you can now be disconnected Faster than ever.

Dave Cox, Corrimal

Federal government subsidies to industries is against everything the coalition stands for.  The support for the automobile industry at around $415 million a year under the previous Labor government was unsustainable according to the coalition.

Yet $6.3 billion a year to the private health insurance companies is okay.  

The government wont be discussing this anytime soon.

Our universal healthcare system was once internationally lauded, now Medicare is undergoing stress as the fee paid to GP’s for a consultation has been frozen at $37 for six years and will not be reviewed until 2020. 

This was a move designed to abandon bulk billing and introduce co-payments, originally the goal of the Health Minister, the obnoxious Peter Dutton.

Forced health insurance, as in the 1% to 1.5% tax levy imposed on those that don’t have private health cover was the brainchild of John Howard which is another negative legacy imposed on us by his government.

Now Private Healthcare Australia, in its pre-budget submission to the federal government want the surcharge increased from 1.5% to 2%.

What the coalition call a ‘great big new tax’ when in opposition but now consider to be prudent fiscal management.

Don Kelly, Kanahooka.

Well I opened my mouth to soon.

Shellharbour Council has let ratepayers down as has Wollongong Council. The boat ramp at the SES facility, the concrete pathway, has collapsed and has been like it for a while.

Safely fenced off from the public. Gee whiz I hope they extract their digit  and get it back into service,

Sorry about crude term but I am so fed up with council’s performance in general. Their lack of maintenance of parks is starting to become evident, No money in the coffers, spent building the palace. Signed, a frustrated rate payer.

Peter Tornaros.Oak Flats

MODERN AUSTRALIA

I love Australia Day. It’s traditional for me and means a lot as this is my adopted country. I grew up in the days when everything was not so politically correct, and life was easier. I don’t listen to negative comments about Australia Day being invasion day or wanting to change the date because history is what it is. One day this country would have been founded by some-body regardless of the British and populated by another I just try and do my best as a citizen and love this wonderful country.

_ Homegirl