At Justine Elliot’s campaign launch for Richmond on Saturday, January 18, Federal Treasurer, Dr Jim Chalmers, reiterated that Labor changes people’s lives now and into the future. He glowingly described Justine as an outcomes-focused, valuable member of the parliament whose team assisted myself during an extremely stressful housing situation.
Also supporting Justine was Janelle Saffin, Labor member for Lismore, who walked the talk during the 2022 floods in attracting funding and support for the Northern Rivers, and provided personal assistance for myself and my daughter.
My granddaughter recently applied for a $12,000 subsidy to assist with her nursing studies, provided by the NSW Labor government for the Ballina electorate. She also secured a part-time job before moving to her university’s locale.
My people are living in an era of: restoration of TAFE; Australia being the first country in the world to ban silicon-based manufactured stone; inflation reduced with high employment maintained; cheaper prescriptions; live sheep exports stopped; 15 per cent pay increases for aged care staff; increases in child care subsidies; rearrangement of Stage 3 tax cuts; $32 billion invested in housing since 2022; restoration of trade with China, and our international relationships improved; rollout of renewable energy; Future Made in Australia to attract investment in renewable energy; and the list goes on and on.
The Australian Energy Market Operator published in 2024, by 2038 we will be weaned off coal as Australia’s coal power stations will all close.
I hope everyone’s people will continue benefiting from this Labor era.
Yvonne Jessup, Byron Bay
A good letter Coral Larke (January 15), sadly crime has been a hot media and political issue for many years, and it’s only getting worse with the advent of social media. Young people are becoming more highly impressionable and more likely to commit crime than ever, the problem is that the victims of these often violent juvenile crimes rightly demand harsh punishment, get a lot of media attention and vote, and oppositions quickly seize on these violent events and turn them into political attacks on incumbent governments like in the recent NT and Qld elections.
It’s not an easy problem to solve, but as you say the only real solution is for appropriate preventative programs to be in place to try and save these kids from a life of crime and jail, the police can’t do everything. On one hand we have the gung-ho chest-beating LNP simply wanting to just lock them all up as adults, (will only produce more hardened criminals), and on the other hand we have the likes of inexperienced Greens candidate Mandy Nolan openly advocating for on-duty police officers to be stripped of their tasers, (Mandy needs a serious reality check).
Only the Australian Labor Party seems capable of offering a balanced and evidence-based approach, that usually attracts criticism from both the extreme left and right of the political divide. But if voters look beyond the political and media hype surrounding this law-and-order issue, they would see that preventative issues do work and do save taxpayers money. Justine Elliott is an experienced former police officer and will always take youth crime and preventative measures very seriously.
Keith Duncan, Ballina Labor
I went door knocking with Justine Elliot the other day, through the flood-affected streets of Mullumbimby. What I noticed was the way Justine listened carefully to people talking about their troubles, asking for more info, and then suggesting ways to contact her at her office to see if she could help. It was so moving… People had the opportunity to speak to someone who has the power to actually help, or at least know where and how to get help.
This is the Labor Party on the ground, caring about people and their lives. Small pictures inside big pictures. Politics matter, and can make a huge difference in day-to-day quality of life for people.
I just came home from the Labor launch for Richmond. We were privileged to hear from Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who spoke to us calmly about his work and the achievements of the Labor Party. He is smart, articulate, down to earth and making a massive contribution to our daily lives. Yes, there is still much to be done. No one is denying that. I believe that we need to give Labor another three years to really get things going properly, to make a real and lasting difference.
He was there to support Justine and really, she needs to win this seat if we are to see things properly progress in Australia.
Don’t waste your vote in the next Federal election!
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
