And horrific to see that even when cases of abuse are discovered and reported, absolutely nothing is done.

The various homes retain their good accreditation rating, and the public have no way to access true information about any of them. What a useless government we have.

Their complaints procedures are worthless. We have seen that with the banks and insurance companies, and now we see it with aged-care providers.

So families get to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to have their loved ones abused in their frail old age, and no justice is done.

No wonder no-one wants to go into an aged-care home.

What a nightmare.

NEWSTART recipients are guilty until proven innocent when it comes to allegations of Centrelink fraud. The federal government is retrieving money from our lowest paid workers. It is a scam.

Centrelink can not average out a person's income and payments over a financial year. When the agreement is to be paid fortnightly due to the evidence at the time of how much money was earned.

Those that question their Centrelink debt are generally let off.

AT the meeting at St Helens on September 15, I heard about the experiences that Avoca Beach NSW had been through in their fight to prevent a frigate being sunk 1.4 kilometres out from their beach.

The main reasons for not allowing a similar wreck near Binalong Bay are these.

It will cost the state government at least $9 million to clean up the wreck and sink it.

Also the government will be responsible for cleaning up any debris washed up on the shore as well as any infrastructure becoming loose and dangerous on and around the ship.

The ship is painted with lead paint, which is impossible to remove thoroughly.

There are also PCBs, which are highly carcinogenic, as well as asbestos.

In NSW’s experience, debris washed up on the beach within four months, and pieces were coming off the ship and lying around the hull like a scrap yard.

What will happen to the fish?

What will happen to the beach, and our beautiful area of the Bay of Fires?

The wreck is proposed to be sunk only 500 metres out from the shore and it is not a sheltered area with big seas often crashing on the rocks.

The figures bandied around for income to the proponent and the area, are pure fiction as other dive wrecks have not brought in the anticipated income, and at Avoca Beach one dive centre has closed down.

WITH local council elections looming, I do hope that candidates entering local politics are interested in standing up for the good of the ratepayers and not simply for self aggrandisement and ego boosting like some of their federal counterparts.