In 2013 a former union “boss” was found guilty of corruption involving the theft from the people of NSW of millions of dollars.

The sentencing judge, recommended the NSW government pursue reparation of the stolen millions from the former union “boss”.

With almost half of his four-year sentence having been served, it would seem that not one cent of those stolen millions has been repaid.

Why is this so?

Well having made representations to both my local NSW Labor local member and to the Liberal member for Kiama asking that very question it remains unexplained.

Steal a $4.25 packet of M&Ms and you could be up for seven months in the pokey.

Steal millions from the people of NSW and apparently, you get to keep it as a condition of doing four years of easy time.

Barry Swan, Balgownie 

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Arden is achieving good things for her country.

She has recently announced a 12-month pay freeze on her country’s politicians saying they are already paid well enough.

What a remarkable lady.

That would never happen here in this country with our politicians ever.

Both sides of parliament should take note of this and watch, learn and listen. 

Matty Ryan, Fairy Meadow 

We were all horrified to see two people being rushed to hospital after shark attacks in the Whitsundays last week, in an area that has been free of such incidents for a long time.

But the response of the government has been a panicked, knee-jerk reaction – five sharks have been killed in the space of a week, with no evidence that any human has been made safer.

Sharks have inhabited the oceans for 34 million years, and have earned their right to live in their natural habitat without being hunted and killed.

Last year, there were only five fatal shark attacks recorded globally, despite billions of people entering the oceans, often to do dangerous things.

In Australia, an average of 280 people drown every year in our waterways, yet this receives far less paternalistic attention from the authorities.

Humans pose a far greater threat to sharks than they ever will to us.

Every year, humans pull roughly 100 million sharks from the water, slice off their fins to make soup, and throw their mutilated bodies back into the sea to bleed slowly to death.

Yet we are afraid of them?

Polls have consistently shown that an overwhelming number of Australians oppose culling of sharks.

In almost every case of a shark attack, people are back in the water, often before the beaches are officially reopened, well aware that the sharks in the water prevent an infinitesimally smaller risk than that posed by driving their cars to the beach.

Desmond Bellamy, Special Projects Coordinator, PETA Australia