DEAR News Of The Area,

THE good news, under the watchful eye of the council’s white ute brigade, funded by government, contractors have completed the construction of two concrete bridges on Darkwood Road – Diehappy and Richardsons.

A magnificent job by a great bunch of guys.

The long term saving for our shire is immense.

The millions that have flowed into council’s coffers in recent times via grants and subsidies, to me are almost incomprehensible.

The other hot topic must be inflation and cost of living.

Could all these strikes for more money and improved conditions return us to the Whitlam era?

Surely higher wages must drive up inflation and interest rates.

I have always backed support for small family businesses and certainly all those low paid employees doing the heavy lifting and dirty work, who are the backbone of this country.

But not the millions already on generous incomes, in non-physical positions producing nothing other than misery via bureaucratic crap for those having a go.

Our country is already paying a huge price for encouraging many to seek a degree as opposed to a trade or a productive career.

So serious is the skilled labour shortage that a Coffs car dealership who had fourteen mechanics before the pandemic has only seven today.

You now need to wait until February for a service.

This is now an example across the board.

The charges these days for most services are through the roof.

Finally an interesting one.

How many of you could name, if any, more than a couple of our senior staff, or their positions in Bellingen Shire?

These are highly paid positions which were unheard of in the past.

Many are asking if they are necessary.

The interesting point is they are the ratepayers’ employees, our employees, yet we do not know who they are, let alone what we pay them.

Maybe it is better we don’t know the cost, but it is a little unusual to be footing the bill for someone, not knowing his or her name, or their role, let alone their salary.

Regards,
Darcey BROWNING,
Bellingen Shire.