IT was US President Kennedy that said voters should think about what is good for their country rather than the selfish option of asking “what’s in it for me”. I don’t know if my fellow Aussies are that way inclined at present, so I set my thought processes to look harder at what is being […]
DEAR News Of The Area, WE live in turbulent times. Internationally we’ve got US President Trump “The Wrecker” trashing treaties and world economic and financial systems, the Ukraine fighting for its life against Putin “The Russian Murderer”, China threatening Taiwan and dissent everywhere. Locally we’ve got the federal election coming up with Albo versus Dutton, […]
DEAR News Of The Area, WHEN Peter Dutton announced that 41,000 Public Servants would lose their jobs under his government I began to ponder who they are and why the current government had re-employed them. Many had been moved to much more costly roles as consultants, and the current government actually saved money putting them […]
DEAR Jasminda, Every time I catch up with my friends the conversation always ends up leading to our despair over American politics. I catch up with them to escape negative things and sometimes I now leave feeling worse than when I arrived. What’s the answer? Katie L. Dear Katie, It’s hard to fathom some of […]
DEAR Jasminda, WHENEVER I go to the supermarket for a couple of items, I end up leaving with a trolley full. How can I avoid the temptation and stick to my budget? Gloria V. Dear Gloria, It’s easy to feel defeated when you go into the supermarket for eggs and milk and return with two […]
I ALWAYS look forward to National Youth Week – it’s such a great opportunity each year to celebrate the talents and contributions of young people across Australia, especially right here in Port Stephens. This year, Youth Week runs from 9 to 17 April, and the theme – ‘We are the future, and the future is […]
DEAR News Of The Area, THIS week the Coalition announced a $20 billion “Regional Australia Future Fund” aimed at improving health, child care and infrastructure inequalities in non-urban Australia. Perhaps they were listening to our MidCoast Council Mayor, Claire Pontin, who has been advocating a doubling of Federal funding to local councils. The new Future […]
DEAR News Of The Area, VOTING for an independent MP can benefit the Australian community by promoting more personalised and responsive representation. Independent MPs are not constrained by party politics, allowing them to focus solely on the needs and concerns of their constituents. This independence means they can advocate for local issues without the influence […]
AS is common for many people at this time of year, Jack and Jill make a new year’s resolution to “get their house in order” in terms of their estate planning. They see a solicitor specialising in this field and are advised that the traditional estate planning package consists of three separate documents, being […]
DEAR Jasminda, There has been a lot of angst about people setting up their cabanas on beaches lately. A good friend of mine thinks they ruin the beach, but we got one for Christmas which makes going to the beach with her a bit uncomfortable. How do I handle this? Karen Q. Ah, […]
