Newcastle Herald Letters to the Editor: Thursday, June 30, 2016

The government has a duty first to the people and the preservation of the people’s wealth. Instead of donating billions of dollars to foreign economies, at the expense of thousands of Australian jobs, these ignorant bureaucrats should have exercised their obligation to the people responsibly.

Australian manufacturing equals Australian jobs and the retention of the people’s tax dollars within the Australian community is more critical now than ever.

If our local manufacturers were somehow under equipped to complete the works then it would be a great investment by the government to ensure they were funded and assisted to move to that level. That's good business sense. Sadly the NSW government has illustrated they lack this quality.

I TIRE of the Labor party and followers who constantly remind us of how they saved  Australia during the GFC by giving taxpayers a free hand out and saving 200,000 jobs.

The unemployed, low income earners and pensioners did not pay tax, and therefore received nothing, leaving the better off to reduce their mortgage, buy gadgets, or gamble it away. The only jobs saved were employees in the likes of China, that manufacture just about everything we purchase.

As for the retail outlets, employees probably received an extra bonus, and the likes of Gerry Harvey bought another racehorse. I fail to see any jobs saved, let alone 200,000.

The truth is we would have survived without the stimulus bonus and would be far better off today. I believe it was Australia’s biggest economic blunder on record.

THE big problem Malcolm Turnbull faces is one of leadership. 

It’s fair to say that Turnbull is merely the chairman of the board. A chair leads the discussion and persuades the board, bringing the team together behind the decision.

As it presently stands Turnbull seems to have no authority in caucus with some recalcitrant members being so convinced they are so right that the caucus must accept their leadership rather than Mr Turnbull’s.

Perhaps this is why there are so few Liberal policies released during the election and could explain Turnbull’s seeming inability to stand by the values he previously espoused.

Shorten on the other hand appears to be leading his caucus with spectacular results. Excellent policies and a united voice. 

Shorten is the leader of the team and there is a togetherness in the Labor presentation that is indicative of a strong party and will present a strong government, while the Liberals appear so disunited that there is obvious in-fighting and power struggles.

THERE are several things about letters to the Herald that annoy me. Most annoying are the people who claim Newcastle doesn't get its fair share of NSW revenue.  Even the most simple review would indicate that only the people in the Sydney basin could complain of being short changed.

Of a somewhat lesser concern is the apparent political illiteracy of some contributors.  Few letters correspondents appear aware that health and education services are a state responsibility.  The states are too gutless to raise sufficient funding; far easier to blame a federal government.

All in all the Herald letters column is a great advertisement for abolishing compulsory voting and thus only having people who are not so easily led voting.

WITH the election coming up I am amazed at the total silence surrounding fly-in immigration.

Over 200,000 immigrants (net) arrive every year. We are looking at enough people to populate the Newcastle City Council area coming into Australia every year.

The major parties want people to come to Australia to create demand so corporations can make money. It is at our expense because our taxes fund additional infrastructure such as roads and housing. This affects housing affordability. Stop the immigration and houses will become affordable.  The refugee sideshow deflects from the truth. Some 14,000 refugees is nothing compared to 200,000 legal immigrants.

The only party I know that has a policy to significantly lower immigration is the Sustainable Australia Party in the senate. Perhaps there is the odd independent with a decent policy but it is a sad situation. Choose carefully, make your vote count. 

ENERGY Australia proclaim they invest in energy generation and retailing. However having received their new schedule of rate charges applicable from July 1, this choice of words would appear at best, gilding the lily, as I question the use of the word “investing” when referring to their “retailing” business.

With daily supply charges rising 6 per cent and peak daily rates rising between 13.7 and 19.5 per cent, these are clearly well in excess of CPI, and make Thomas Edison’s boast that he would make electricity so cheap only the rich would use candles, a distant dream.

With flattening demand, and in some cases reduced demand, as consumers reduce their usage, the now privatised supplier has to maintain profit margins to satisfy its shareholders, and the only way to achieve this is to increase charges.

This now makes governments’ boast that privatisation would result in lower charges for consumers, also a distant dream.

LETTERS commenting on election issues must bear the writer’s name and full address (only the suburb will be published). Responsibility for election comment in this issue is accepted by the editor, Heath Harrison, 28 Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle. Writers should disclose any alliance with political or community organisations and include a phone number for verification. Election candidates should declare themselves as such when submitting letters.​