DEAR News Of The Area,

I WRITE as an 83-year-old third generation local concerned about political short-sightedness.

As farmers, my parents, grandparents and great grandparents had to take the long view.

We wanted our children and their children to benefit from our planning and care.

Our governments seem to have only a three-year view – the next election.

This wasn’t such a problem in the past when public servants had tenure and essential services hadn’t been privatised or outsourced.

Now, senior public servants are all on three-year contracts needing to please the government – not necessarily the same as serving the public – or lose their job.

In the frontline of service delivery, a temporary workforce has replaced experienced knowledgeable officers.

This means that when temporary staff are really needed – to help out during natural disasters and pandemics – there is no surge capacity.

Nor are the experienced permanent staff there to support them.

Perhaps most worryingly, for old age pensioners like me: if I phone Centrelink my call is likely to be answered by an employee of Serco or Datacom Connect, huge multinational privately owned companies.

The privatisation and contracting out of essential services – frontline service delivery, telecommunications, finance and infrastructure as well as planning and policy making– means a year-to-year profit motive has replaced the imperative to serve the public and future generations.

In the forthcoming federal election I urge Cowper voters to choose candidates who are committed to replacing short-term expediency and pork barrelling with fearless leadership – for our grandchildren and their children.

Thankyou,
Colin GRANT,
Coffs Harbour.