University of Wollongong Liberal Club

Dear Sir,

I am writing in reply to Gino Mandarino's letter on 1/9/2006 Show us the Money, I think it prudent to remind everyone that when Ms Seaton made her promises, Labor was predicting a budgetary surplus. Now, with the ever increasing cost of promoting Iemma (33.3% increase in Premier's department for 2005-2006 and 30.1% increase for Cabinet office 2005-2006[1]) and cost blow-outs on poorly planned infrastructure projects (Lane Cove tunnel planned cost $650mil now well over a billion), I believe that whichever party is given power next year is going to have a very hard time simply paying the bills and covering the cost of a failure to invest in infrastructure over the last decade.

After 11 years in power, why hasn't Labor given one of their most dedicated regions everything they desire? Wollongong, which has traditionally been overwhelmingly supportive of Labor (of course ignoring that lapse of judgement, voting for Michael Organ in the Federal by-election) has been totally neglected and used.

Trains are running slower than they did 30 years ago, services are being cut, we still have a severely limited hospital with a hard to reach emergency department and far too few beds for the future. The Northern-Distributor is only now looking like something may happen and we still have Noreen Hays sitting on her backside enjoying a nice relaxing stint in Parliament.

While I think many people in Wollongong will still vote Labor because they have a deeply ingrained belief that Labor is the people's party, I ask, what has Labor done for the people in Wollongong... Mr Mandarino will possibly reply to this that they have run rallies against WorkChoice, but I will re-iterate the question, what have they actually done for Wollongong?

I see a region with a lot of potential, but for now, that's all it is.
We need a government in NSW, which will take cities and regions like Wollongong, provide the required infrastructure and get on with the job of fixing our state.


Nathan Barton


[1] Budget Paper No. 3 . Volume 1, page 2-1, Budget Papers 2005-2006, NSW Treasury.