LETTERS: Council working with Nanning a positive

I WOULD like to commend Bundaberg Regional Council for being proactive in cultivating the relationship with Nanning in China over the past 20 years.

Jody Griffiths travelled to Nanning China and the Detian Waterfalls on the Vietnamese border. Picture: Jody Griffiths

World gone crazy

HERE'S an idea.

What if we choose four pensioners and give them $1500 a day for a while?

That would only cost the government $6000 a day.

Or what about 10 pensioners getting $150 each a day?

Better yet pensioners would probably appreciate $150 a week extra - 300 of them for the same total cost.

Totally ridiculous idea? Well that is the money that is being spent to look after four Bundaberg teenage offenders (NM, 05/09).

Four non-offenders would probably benefit from having this cash spent on them.

Our world has gone crazy.

ROSLYN CAIRNS

Bundaberg North

Moving forward

I WOULD like to commend Bundaberg Regional Council for being proactive in cultivating the relationship with Nanning in China over the past 20 years.

The NewsMail report on August 31 highlights how the planned visit next week will benefit our local community.

It's a wonderful opportunity for Macadamias Australia, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, Bargara Brewing Company and others to showcase their products in a city of seven million people.

We can't wait for the world to come to Bundaberg, so it's great that council and local businesses are taking Bundaberg to the world.

Let's hope we see expansion of this growing economic relationship in years to come with jobs and infrastructure as well.

PETER AHERN

Bundaberg

Can you help?

IT'S great to see the NewsMail's continuation of community notices about what's on where and when for local support groups and clubs.

It was a well-used section of the now defunct Guardian and is a welcome addition toNewsMail's local information coverage.

Sadly the Bundaberg Pain Support Group - due to our organiser having to be absent for medical care and a replacement not forthcoming - no longer has support meetings and guest speakers.

We do however meet at The Waves socially on the third Saturday of each month from 9.30am.

So many people benefited it would be greatly appreciated if a volunteer organiser could be found to vivify our group once more.

If you are willing, able and available please contact Shell on 0415 923 597

E. L. SOUTHWICK

Oakwood

Big not better

THERE has been much to talk about with what has been happening over recent weeks in regards to government and council budgets, and their plans.

As always, the mantra is jobs, and the ideas put forward to create them.

There is nothing new about this, as the general theme of what's proposed is the same policy that has been around for the past 40 years or so.

The focus is still on high population growth, decentralisation, "selling” the region to the world, redevelopments, and so on.

Little regard is being given to either the local or Australian ability to care with this massive population increase.

Australia is either being hit with big widespread droughts, or massive flooding and severe storm damage.

As someone who is from a farming background, and has also worked and lived in a capital city, I am of the opinion that this Big Australia is a potential disaster.

Australia's towns and cities are already bursting at the seams with people, and our farmers are already over-burdened with high production expectations.

Australia is also a high cost place to do anything now, with property prices up into the stratosphere, high power prices, and the cost of everything else through the roof.

Governments, over the years, in their wisdom, have closed and removed a lot of infrastructure from all places, especially regional areas.

These include rail services, post offices, police, schools and hospitals; while the private sector has also closed business due to increase costs.

I'm not impressed with ideas of shifting farming to north-west Queensland.

Yes, it's good land, however if opened up to intense agriculture on an industrial scale with irrigation, it could be subject to salinity problems.

We need to realise that Australia is the world's largest desert, and is not capable of supporting a large population, without becoming an environmental disaster.

Already, our towns and cities are enduring extreme violence, especially from gangs of thugs from other countries.

A vote for federal Labor will only make things worse, and it is not an option as the Left has no answers.

MEL CHALMERS

South Kolan