DIVISION 8 BUDGET 
Dear editor,

Last year I wrote to you regarding the SCC 2024-25 Capital Works budget, concerned about the paltry $4,144,700 allocated to Division 8, compared to adjacent Divisions (eg Division 9 $9,732,100).

I had hoped that the next budget would address this anomaly.

Sadly, review of the 2025-26 Capital Works Budget for Division 8 reveals little has changed, with $4,397,161 ($2,838,000 north of the Maroochy River) being allocated, compared to $33,518,260 for the adjacent Division 4, and $9,197,000 for the adjacent Division 9 (not including its itemised $19,850,000 for regional infrastructure).

The Meridan Plains sports grounds at Sippy Downs (not the Bokarina complex!) is allocated $44.85M (Division 3), while our own North Shore sporting complex is awarded $200,000 for “planning investigation” which is inexplicably bundled with the Coolum sports ground under Division 9.

Surprisingly, the Mt Coolum toilet facility does not have a line item in the budget, despite being announced. Even if the paltry Council contribution has already been spent on “design”, the $500,000 State Government contribution should have been acknowledged in the budget, similar to the new pathway along South Coolum Road. That is, if it really is being constructed this financial year.

The South Coolum Road extension gets $300,000 for “design” – while Division 9’s Camp Flat Road upgrade gets $4.2M and Division 4’s Mooloolaba Foreshore stage 2 gets nearly $13M (all under the Transportation subheading).

With our State MPs announcing (planning for) new Motorway on-ramps for Mt Coolum, surely constructing the South Coolum Road Link deserves higher priority. It’s been “on the books” for years.

As I wrote last year, Division 8, particularly north of the Maroochy River, has several years of receiving generally less capital works funding than other Divisions. Division 8 has as many residents as other Divisions, and we pay the same rates. I ask Council management again, why the gross discrepancy in funding? Without an explanation, all I can think is that Division 8 subsidises other Divisions.

Estelle Blair,
Yaroomba
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ATTITUDES & SPEED BUMPS
Dear editor,
Firstly, I want to agree with Garry Reynolds’ letter titled ” Be the Change “. The one thing I have tried to instil in my offspring is to be aware that you can always change your attitude.

Attitude can literally change everything! We so easily slip back into our comfort zone and happily complain about the dire state of affairs in our community, the world etc etc. As people, with the right attitude, we can change so much, even with baby steps, within our own lives and community.

Having said that, just how do we get rid of those speed bumps at Woolworths? I am actually avoiding going there for that reason. I am sure wheel alignments will be in higher demand around Coolum. Too many and way too high. Smooth, rounded tops would achieve the same job without  wrecking our  cars’ suspension. I like shopping there, so it will be a letter from me to management. Please do the same if you agree.

Robyn Blakemore,
Coolum Beach.
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TAX REFORM
Dear editor,

As Independent MP for Wentworth, Allegra Spender convened her tax roundtable in Canberra recently, the St Vincent de Paul Society submitted our proposal to the Treasurer’s upcoming Economic Reform Roundtable on 19-21 August.

‘We all agree that Australia needs urgent tax reform, so sooner or later we must reckon with the practical implications: inevitably, tax reform will mean winners and losers,’ Ms Spender said in a statement.

In the Society’s submission to Treasury, we outline four budget-neutral options, modelled by the ANU’s Centre for Social Policy Research, designed to lift more struggling Australians above the poverty line.

Not only that, but the ANU study reveals how changing tax concessions on the wealthiest superannuation accounts could fund a fairer safety net while boosting the superannuation of around 90 per cent of Australians.

Our proposals show millions of potential winners, while asking only the wealthiest households to receive a little less in tax breaks or welfare payments.

The Society also strongly opposes any broadening or increase of the GST, as this would only widen the growing gap between Australia’s richest and poorest households. That’s not the Australia we aspire to.

Every day across Australia, the Society is seeing more people seeking our help – not just those on welfare, but middle-income families and working Australians, many for the first time. The system is broken and must be fixed urgently.

We believe our ANU study, A Fairer Tax and Welfare System 2025, demonstrates that it is economically feasible to lift more Australian families out of poverty while improving outcomes for lower- and middle-income households.

We invite you to read more about the report at vinnies.org.au and urge you to contact your local MP or Senator to demand a fairer tax and welfare system for Australia.

Mark Gaetani,
National President,
St Vincent de Paul Society National Council of Australia.
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CLIMATE WOES
Dear editor,

Late season cyclones, floods in NSW, drought/ algae blooms/sea creature kills in SA, coral kills in WA & Qld, wildfires in Scotland, Greece, Canada & USA, Swiss village buried under thawed glacier, floods in Texas & New Mexico USA, etc. Sir Barnyard of Choice and his side-kick, Rooster McCornstack argue that “country folk don’t need climate action”. Fair dinkum?

Margaret Wilkie,
Peregian Beach.
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SLAVERY THOUGHTS
Dear editor,

We can appreciate Australia’s freedoms when we look at other countries’ slavery practices, including forced labour and marriages.

Slavery goes beyond the deprivation of liberty to grinding people down, undercutting their hopes and dreams by treating them with disrespect as acquisitions to be exploited for pleasure and profit.

Slavery was integral to ancient societies. In Egypt, captives were covered in honey as they stood for hours by the pharaoh’s throne to attract flies away from him.

Slavery prevailed in Queensland with blackbirding when South Sea islanders were tricked or kidnapped into slaving under exploitative conditions in the sugar industry.

An English slave trader, John Newton, sought forgiveness for his oppressive deeds and became an Anglican Minister, going on to leave a legacy that resonates today by composing the beautiful hymn ‘Amazing Grace’.

While Australia’s anti-slavery laws carry penalties of up to 25 years in jail, the Global Slavery Index reveals there are over 40,000 slaves in Australia, many whose desperate cries for help cannot be heard from behind closed doors and cultural coverups.

Slavery can be self-inflicted if we allow addictions we detest to a point of self-loathing to govern our lives.

Mark Twain pointed out the challenge when he said quitting smoking was easy, as he’d done it hundreds of times, but today, the temptations of cheap illegal cigarettes and vapes are making it harder to shake the habit.

Slaves to alcohol take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes them into a spiralling abyss.

One of the hardest steps for people trying to escape the slavery of drug addiction is to realise they are worth recovery from the black hole of self-disrespect. While they may get the monkey off their back in the short term, the circus is always in town, challenging them to remain stronger than their strongest excuse.

While it sounds innocent, people become so besotted that they fall into the slavery of being in love with being in love rather than truly with the person they have placed on an unrealistic pedestal.

Let’s make slavery truly ancient history.

Garry Reynolds,
Peregian Springs.
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HOME OWNERSHIP
Dear editor,

The eternal challenge of home ownership for upcoming generations is nothing new. Only now, many more critical economic factors, such as the rising cost of living and population growth, impact supply and demand. Depending on location, availability, unrealistic expectations and affordability, many today can’t get a foot in the door.

There are permutations and combinations that buyers need to consider; many prospective buyers are unrealistic about their chances. They fail to consider the years of sacrifice for deposits required for loans and the groundwork to succeed. Not everyone had the bank of Mum and Dad to depend on.

Home ownership was once not everyone’s target, as rents were cheap decades ago. Families could afford more reasonable rents, so many failed to even consider home ownership. The more astute, however, strived to own their own. Those in high-paying employment had opportunities for ownership of more than one property. They were visionaries. Many more were content to own one house, or rent, living simply, content with a roof over their heads. Nothing flash, no swimming pools, no ambitions to insist on sea views, or rolling hills, trees or big back yards.

The Brisbane City Council in the 50’s created whole suburbs on the periphery of Brisbane, with moderate rents for low-income families, to accommodate the influx of post-war immigrants from Europe, seeking opportunities to resettle. With sincere gratitude for their new lives and a strong work ethic, they assimilated, accepting the Australian way of life. Their children, comfortable with the status quo, saw opportunities to be educated in the Australian system, purchase homes and work to benefit their offspring. Some began to expand their portfolio to include multiple properties available to the ambitious.

When the Brisbane City Council finally sold all low-cost suburban rentals they owned, because demand exceeded supply, home ownership then became more a focus of the working class. With higher demand, ownership became more competitive, and prices rose exponentially. This created a loss of government interest in providing affordable housing  for decades, which has not been adequately addressed to this day. Lack of supply and phenomenal increase in immigration has created the “perfect storm”!

E. Rowe,
Marcoola.
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PM VISITS CHINA
Dear editor,

As the headwinds of geopolitical uncertainty circle the globe, Australians should be thankful that our Prime Minister visited China and re-established a friendly relationship with our largest trading partner.

After all, the previous government couldn’t even get a phone call with senior Chinese Ministers to talk about their slashing of trade with Australia.

Prime Minister Albanese’s approach, “We will cooperate where we can, disagree where we must, and engage in the national interest,” has paid off, and the benefits of quiet diplomacy were agricultural breakthroughs, reopening of tourism channels and decarbonization talks with major iron ore exporters and Chinese steelmakers.

Also agreed was a fresh review of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement and new trade protocols.

The tourism market here will certainly welcome the new approach as Chinese tourists look at coming down under.

Mr. Albanese raised some points of disagreement, stood firm on foreign investment restrictions, raised concerns over military activities and stood firm on Australia’s stance over Taiwan, among other issues.

The Prime Minister made no concessions, did not back down or reset Australia’s positions; instead, there was polite and respectful diplomatic engagement. No bullying.

So welcome in these turbulent times.

Robyn Deane,
Nambour.
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