Dear Mr Opinion
I don't really think that Barry O'Farrell's desire to quarantine Kuring-gai and Killara is much to do with their ethnic mix. I reside in a suburb of the Canterbury local governemt area (LGA) with a very high asian population, particularly Koreans. These people work hard and strive to make this country their own, but that aside won't stop O'Farrell and co amalgamating this LGA with neighboring Council areas, and for questionable benefit. The winners, big business, particularly property developers. The losers, why the residents of course.
This is the way this current NSW State Government works and they should look at the current de-amalgamation process in Queensland.

Taurus

TAURUS

Dear Hasbeen,

Does your shire need any mosques and drive-by Muslim hitmen? We've got plenty in Sydney to go around. If yes, then maybe your Brisbane shire could amalgamate with Sydney's Canterbury-Bankstown.

Dear Taurus,

The smart ones are getting out of Sydney and leaving it to the 457ers!

Dear Mr Opinion
I leave the question of how 457 visas should be issued to those who have a better understanding, such as Brendan O'Connor. Back to the question of forced Council amalagamations, ask yourself these questions:
1.will Council services be reduced?
2.will I have to pick-up all the litter from my street and tend the garden at my local park?
3.will I pay more for less Council services?
The answer to all of these questions is inevitably "Yes."
For all the failings of State Labor, their policy of rate-pegging kept things in check. Over the last 100 years we've reduced the number of NSW councils from over 300 down to 152. Unless the State Government calls for Constitutional change to do away with its level of government(and that won't happen)then councils simply don't need to get any bigger, especially Barry's scared Kuring-gai.

Taurus.

Dear Taurus,

As I've said elsewhere, and keep saying over and over again: either Barrel is a fruit cake or just hates the people of NSW.

Whichever one it is, we have no hope of expecting good government in NSW for a very very long time. So why not just give up and amalgamate.
And one day NSW could be both your State and your Shire!

Don't disregard this being at the back of Barrel's mind. Like I said, he's definitely a fruit cake!

Why thank you for the compliment Mr Opinion, I got out 40 years ago. My business was in Belmore & my home in Riverwood, chosen for its access to our motor racing circuits of the day. I also lived in Fairfield in the days when you took a cut lunch, & an elephant gun, before venturing that far from Circular Quay. If I were still there, I would be unlike to avoid trouble.

My son was not so lucky when posted to Sydney. He had his skull cracked in 4 places when attacked by 4 "Lebs", when walking home from Carlton railway station one afternoon. He was told by the cops that any investigation was most "unlikely" to find the thugs.

As for rates Taurus, mine have gone up by 45% since amalgamation. This has been blamed on amalgamation, & probably most of it is correctly attributed there.

The folk voting for de amalgamation have been told it will cost some thousands per rate payer to untangle the mess. Obviously much of these costs can be blamed at local government bureaucrats insufficiency, but I will always despise Beattie for it.