With the recent pandemic surge, access to the COVID-19 Testing Clinic in Denison St Wollongong continues to be a problem. I raised this issue with local authorities in August 2021. At times, the southbound lane in Denison St is blocked with cars waiting to access the clinic. Again today, I observed multiple vehicles crossing the double centre lines to the 'wrong' side of the road to pass up to 5 vehicles at a time in an effort to reach Crown St.
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As I suggested 12 months ago, perhaps parking on the eastern side of Denison St should be restricted whilst ever the Testing Clinic is operational thus providing a 'waiting' lane at the kerbside, not in the middle of the road!
Chris Cartledge, Wollongong
Perrottet versus the NRL
I have not been overly impressed with Dominic Perrottet since he took over but he has just gone up in my opinion after he stood up to the NRL.
No wonder some players have a sense of self entitlement when the head of the NRL Mr Abdo believes that suburban grounds are more important than natural disasters and flood victims, especially in these severe economic times.
It's about time the clubs as multimillion-dollar businesses and the NRL with their huge profits put more into improving their own grounds and stop using taxpayers' money so that maybe an increase in funding to grassroots sport could occur.
It may be a good idea if the NRL gave all the profits of the grand final to the flood victims. So finally I give Dominic a tick of approval.
Darryl Glover, Mount Warrigal
Facing tough times
Any high school student who is studying economics will be reading up on the way families fought their way through our last Great Depression. America elected Franklin D. Roosevelt for four terms in office to successfully guide that country out of depression.
His massive financial backing of large numbers of essential projects gave jobs to many hundreds of thousands of Americans who would otherwise have starved to death in absolute poverty.
Australia is in a terrible predicament with poverty, homelessness, and the scourge of unemployment. We have massive government and personal debts bearing down on us. The days of social handouts are just about over, the Australian government will soon have very little choice but to ask the unemployed and pensioners to perform some community-based work in order to receive social financial support.
The Mercury is now reporting many hardship cases on a daily basis where, at one time, a story of these hardships seldom made it into print. We are all in for a terrible time of it.
Dave Cox, Corrimal
Seniors hit by bank branch closure
Much to people's angst the National Australia Bank (NAB) in Figtree will be closing on Thursday 29th September. The NAB closed its branch in Unanderra some years ago.
The phone number on the letter advising customers of the closure will only get you a phone call from the poor staff at the local branch who had nothing to do with this decision which is so typical of big business.
Customers are advised that they can get most of their services at the local post office, or by the internet but this does not replace the excellent qualified service customers have received at the Figtree branch.
We also need to remember that many elderly do not have computers, let alone the internet.
To get the qualified banking service one once received in Figtree, customers will now have to trek into Wollongong which for the elderly is becoming a significantly arduous task having to walk further as well as walk uphill, not to mention the cost for car parking and the threat of a parking ticket.
Affected customers can phone the bank and air their view that the Banking Royal Commission needs to be revisited. This appears to have gained one customer a return phone call.
The great need to revisit the Banking Royal Commission could also be mentioned to our new Federal Member for Cunningham.
Bob Patrech, Federal Secretary, Seniors United Party of Australia inc.
Charities need scrutiny
Once the Albanese government has addressed the most urgent matters, it should turn its attention to the need to improve the regulation of charities. The Rudd government enacted legislation but Abbott rescinded it, following pressure from those charities not wanting to reveal their finances.
There are over 50,000 registered charities. Some two-thirds of them are quite small so administration costs are high. We need a simple way to register them, and ensure transparency and reporting on their activities.
We must ensure their administration does not absorb more than a small percentage of their costs (say 15 per cent). We would be then more confident that money we donate to a registered charity is for the most part going to the advertised cause.
Most large reputable charities have nothing to fear and indeed support such legislation. Opposition comes from those who do not wish to reveal how little of what they receive actually goes to the cause donors think they are giving to.
David Goss, Woonona
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