Hughen McConaghy, Moruya Country Market

More questions for council

On Monday, travelling south on the Princes Highway from Batemans Bay, I decided to turn left at a point where there is a large sign “Mogo State Forest”. Beneath it is a smaller sign giving direction to “Round Hill Lookout”.

About 400 metres later, I noticed a large number of pipes of different sizes. The labelling and markings indicate they are residue from council’s Moruya River to Deep Creek Dam pipeline project. They may have been there since May 2008.

The items are clearly of very high value. Handling and transportation costs would add greatly to their value. The order of $200,000 plus would not be a surprise.

I have written to council seeking answers to these questions:

i) Is it “residue” owned by council from that project?, if so,

ii) Is it the sum total of “residue” from the project?

iii) What was the purchase value of the “residue”?

iv) Is it normal to have so much “residue” left over?

v) What is to happen to it?

I have asked for an early reply.

Neville Hughes, Surf Beach

Take more pride in our home

I am saddened and disheartened by the amount of litter that is spoiling our otherwise beautiful locality.

The area behind the Soldiers Club, near the Woolworths supermarket, is an untidy, filthy disgrace. The Kings Highway and Princes Highway both show increasing signs of littering by people too careless and irresponsible to take their rubbish home.

What is wrong with our society when people have no respect for property and the environment? Let’s take more pride in our area.

Lorel Martin, Batemans Bay

Arm them with flowers

Armoured car operators are required to carry firearms but not allowed to use them.

With the influx of van robberies it is completely obvious that each time a robbery occurs the guards are required to lie down and give up their pistols - why bother.

Instead of feeding more stolen firearms to criminals, arm the guards with bunches of flowers, it would probably need slightly larger holsters, but in the long run cause less problems.

R Boller, Moruya

Push for payroll tax cut

I believe that the best support that Government can give people is a strong economy and jobs.

That is why the Nationals and Liberals are announcing policies that would help stimulate our economy and promote jobs growth.

We have already announced that if we were in Government we would provide a one-off, 15 per cent payroll tax cut to new and existing businesses for a calendar year.

Payroll tax is a tax on jobs. Cutting this tax will help reduce unemployment and stimulate the NSW economy during the Global Financial Crisis.

Last week we expanded this commitment to include an additional five per cent cut (making it a 20 per cent one-off cut) for new and existing businesses located in regions of high unemployment.

This targeted relief will inject more than $77 million into communities doing it tough, and would help towns and suburbs in Western NSW, the New England, the mid-North Coast and more.

This commitment is another key plank of the economic policy that will help us rebuild a strong regional economy that delivers jobs, quality services and infrastructure.

Over the next two years we will continue to announce positive, practical policies like payroll tax cuts in order to put NSW back on track.

Andrew Stoner, Leader of The Nationals NSW