To the handful of people that think walking knee and waist deep in cold water to try and saves homes, businesses and properties is an act of nature, you are just plain fools and should all hang your heads in utter shame.

Your readers must be made aware of a report featured in an article which fundamentally lacks credibility and which was written from a position of politically bias (‘Damage caused must be rectified’, September 24).

The report by the supposedly independent Small Business Ombudsman Kate Carnell shamefully blames specific suicides and bankruptcies on an order setting minimum rates for truck drivers, despite the fact that this order was in place for just two weeks in April.

The report states “only a relatively small number of truck drivers participated in the inquiry” while also admitting it did not have “factual evidence” to link financial difficulties to the rates order.

Ms Carnell, a former Liberal Party Chief Minister for the ACT, held sessions for the report’s inquiry in the days leading up to the federal election.

There are chronic problems in trucking: between 2001 and 2010, 323 truck drivers committed suicides; in the year to June 2015, 248 small trucking business went bankrupt; according to Safe Work Australia, trucking has the highest workplace deaths and injuries.

But these problems did not emerge because of a two-week rates order. They have plagued our industry for decades and are the result of pressure caused by low rates.

Kate Carnell helped destroy a system which was seeking to address these problems. The National Road Transport Association is now trying to destroy a system which has existed in NSW for over 30 years which delivers fair rates and conditions for owner drivers (‘The risk is real of an RSRT repeat’).

Improving conditions in trucking might not suit the agenda of Kate Carnell or employer lobby groups, but it would solve the difficulties of thousands of truck drivers and help address the high toll in truck crashes on the roads.

Vicky Meyer’s letter about politicians being out of touch is so correct and the apathy of many allows it to continue.

Many entrenched locals are so out of touch with many aspects of what their towns can and should be and they allow the out of touch politicians  to go on unchallenged. When one raises obvious points the entrenched locals jump out of the wood work and howl down new ideas and new schools of thought. The culture of ‘that’s how it is here and always has bee’ must end . 

The out of touch politicians who sit in Sydney are part of a city that is only serving a coastal part of the state.

The NSW side of the Murray is potential packed and it should be seeing how the Victorian side captures the river for quality desirable tourism and lifestyle residential investment .

Cross-border activity should be a top priority to promote an amazing region on both sides of the Murray. 

What a great effort by the Wirraminna Environmental Education Centre at Burrumbuttock to win a national award.

All those involved should be rightly proud of their efforts. A good news story. Well done.