Gwyn Hooper, Uki.
Your recent report concerning the possible loss of the two coalition state seats of Lismore and Tweed was very interesting.
The deforestation and lack of koala habitat being the reason surprised me. I did not think that these issues were so important to the general population.
If this is the case then I am fully convinced that Mr Austin will have no chance at all in trying to take the seat of Lismore.
The reason being that the water mining furore that has been brewing in the Tweed Shire over the last two years has decimated any support that the National Party had in this area.
The enthusiastic ongoing support given to water miners in the Shire by the local National and Liberal councillors has resulted in this collapse.
Mr Curtin replied to an email from myself several months ago saying that if it was legal he supported it.
However since this insidious business has expanded from the Tweed Shire into his local area, the local farmers have pressured him to come out with a promise of an independent inquiry into commercial water extraction. How independent it will be, considering it will be conducted by a state government employee, is debatable.
There is in my mind no need for an inquiry. The people do not want this business anywhere and politicians are there to serve the people. Not Coca Cola Amatil and all the other bottlers. Listen to the people and protect the water that belongs to all of us.
The only way that he will get any votes here in the Tweed will be if he immediately gets the relevant minister to implement a ban on commercial water extraction within each council’s LEP. End of story! The promise of an inquiry is too little too late, especially as the result will not be known until after the election.
Do it now Mr Curtin and give yourself a chance. You only have to contend with the deforestation fiasco and koalas then. Otherwise Ms Higginson or Ms Saffin will be celebrating come election day!
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I was sitting reading your report. Quite a bang it was. What a banger. Yes it was, the report could have been heard miles away and I slammed it down. Not one seat up and one seat down but two seats coming down. That is a loud bang for the government to lose two seats in such a possible shock loss is an explosion out the back away from the city up here, up in the north of the state.Two seats gone Lismore and Tweed and I was having a smoke, sucking in the vision of what happened to the Tweed when they are gone from the government. It would be enough to bring back trams to Sydney.
On the Northern Rivers a forest of things could happen when two seat go.. The deforestation could stop and those bears that go up an down trees, that don’t need a drink. Well gee they could go out on a limb and multiply. That would surprise me. I did not think that caring about bears or caring about anything in a tree was on the population’s mind.