Dear Beagle Editor, Recent media stories about Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis visiting the Eurobodalla need to be balanced with stories about the social impacts of the Abbott/Turnbull government policies. Significantly, Gilmore’s status as the most marginal Federal seat in New South Wales requires factual reportage. Anne Sudmalis holds her seat by just over 400 votes. It will only take an unfavorable ruling by the High Court regarding dual citizenship of one lower house member of the Turnbull government for Mr Turnbull to lose his majority. Under Abbott/Turnbull Government policies, high/very high wealth individuals and foreign corporations are the beneficiaries of the nation’s increasing wealth, expanding income and further tax cuts. Wage and salary earners, the jobless, welfare beneficiaries and families with children are progressively getting poorer. Notably, Ann Sudmalis MP supports policies to this end. For example - Promoting coal and costly inaction on climate change instead of supporting the transition to invest in the renewable energy industry in her recent media release, Ms Sudmalis suggests the public needs to “encourage” the NSW Berejiklian government to “assist the Liddell power station to stay open because this action will drive prices down”. When lack of investment in large scale renewable energy by the Abbott/Turnbull government that has doubled electricity price since 2013 Cutting the Energy Supplement rebate for new pensioners Cuts to penalty rates for low income workers $19 million of funding cuts to schools in Batemans Bay and $45 million of funding cuts, over 4 years, to Batemans Bay Campus of Wollongong University $600 million cut from TAFE, training and apprentices with 31% decline in students at Moruya TAFE NBN disaster for small business as people discover their copper NBN is much slower and more costly than the ADSL Increase in part time and casual work and stagnant wages Refusal to address the main drivers of housing unaffordability - negative gearing and capital gains tax No priorities for homelessness housing and social housing According to Prime Minister Turnbull and Ann Sudmalis Gilmore MP, anyone would think that life at the southern end of Gilmore electorate was like living in a bed of roses...without the thorns. Maureen Searson
