Goulburn get their gold
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Goulburn U13 Boys Hockey Team on winning the state title in the B division at Armidale.
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You did yourselves, coaches, manager, parents, grandparents those of us that could make it, and city of Goulburn proud with your mature behaviour and confident spirit.
You are a delightful group of boys and I can only say a great example of what hockey is. Also, congratulations to those boys who made it onto state squad selection. Good luck in your future endeavors.
Very proud grandparents, Wayne and Marjo Skelly
“Another cruel budget hoax”
In the recent State budget, the NSW Liberal-National Government promised $100 million to create a regional arts fund, but on July 17, arts bureaucrats revealed that the fund is not what it is cracked up to be.
The fine print of the Regional Cultural Fund shows a mere $25 million will be now rationed across all of NSW’s rural and regional communities in 2017-18.
This is pitiful when the fund is compared to what is being spent in Sydney’s CBD. A massive $600 million is being poured into a three kilometre radius of the city. Sadly, like all other areas of government expenditure, the funding is all going to Sydney – with country areas left to fight each other over the scraps.
In the June budget, the NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro and NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin boasted that they were providing $100 million in funding for regional and rural art galleries, museums and community halls. We now discover that this is just a cruel budget hoax.
But the most insulting aspect is that the fund cannot go to hire staff, urgent repairs, on-going maintenance or operational costs. Furthermore, this fund is very unfair. How will small communities compete with the larger better resourced regional centres?
Unfortunately, too often the Nationals promise a lot and deliver so little.
While I do not oppose the funding for Sydney’s opera house, the art gallery or theatres, rural and regional areas just deserve to get their fair share – and the Nationals must explain why all of the funding goes to Sydney.
Hon Walt Secord, Shadow Minister for the Arts and Deputy Opposition leader in the NSW Legislative Council
Cut in aid goes against multicultural Australia
Living within multicultural Australia is an exciting feast upon all our senses. It is easy to fall in love with our diversity of people, culture and food while enjoying the safe atmosphere our tolerance and acceptance of each other's differences contribute to the nation.
In Australia, our way of life facilitates the ability of people to be able to commit to place, have families, work hard and grow our food. It is easy to forget that it is our safety which has ensured we have an adequate food supply, rather than our investment and toil.
However, not everyone is lucky enough to enjoy a feast upon their senses. In an environment characterised by constant conflict and violence, the people of the Eastern African countries South Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria and Somalia do not feel safe enough to maintain residence in the one location.
Feeling unsafe and vulnerable has motivated the mass movement of people and resulted in a severe food shortage throughout East Africa. Lack of stability has meant people do not stay in the one place long enough to ensure crops are harvested and replanted each year, resulting in a famine crisis.
The recent $303 million cut from Australia’s Foreign Aid Budget, coupled with a decision to focus Australia’s funding attention exclusively within the Asia Pacific region has cast a dark shadow over the 20 million people enduring a famine crisis in South Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria and Somalia.
During this famine crisis, Australia could show leadership by offering greater levels of financial aid as well as increasing our diplomatic efforts to facilitate peace. When will the Turnbull government do the right thing? When will the Turnbull government help the people of East Africa enjoy a feast upon their senses?
Elisha McMurray, Reservoir, Vic.
Canberra, time to check your citizenship
Surprised, I am at the double standards in Federal Parliament. Had it been a government employee they would have been stood down and sacked, and maybe lose their superannuation. However, as a politician the rules seem to be different. Commit the crime of fraud while pretending to be an Australian citizen and not being aware of any dual citizenship, thus owing allegiance to a foreign power, in contravention of the Constitution.
It seems the only ones outed are not from the major parties. Years ago it happened to a One Nation Senator elect. Pauline, at the time wanted all Parliamentary members checked to verify their citizen fitness to a seat in Parliament; I bet the checking was never done.
The whole Canberra show reeks of double standards and it’s high time the citizen status of all politicians was thoroughly checked so the public can be reassured there are no double standards.
Jay Nauss, Glen Aplin
A matter of safety
Eleven of the 31 80km/h speed limit signs along Jerrara Road and several speed advisory signs are now lying in side bushes.
Under road rules, the absence of these signs means that motorists can travel at 100km/h. So much for Goulburn Mulwaree Council’s road safety efforts!