On March 12, I attended the community event organised by Liesl Tesch and the Labor Party. I attended thinking it was a community event.
There must be very strong Labor support on the Peninsula, as all I saw were red Labor signs and plenty of real Liesl Tesch t-shirts worn by volunteers and supporters.
Needless to say, red was the dominant colour – a shock for a neutral voter concerned about the many serious issues reported in every edition of the Peninsula News. How many neutral voters had the opportunity to discuss issues with Liesl Tesch on the day? A few minutes at the event provided enough time to realise, Liesl Tesch is representing Labor, not the Gosford electorate. I advised a volunteer not to invite me to future Labor-Tesch community events. One is enough.
There is an urgent need for quality independent candidates to counter the control and in-house interests of political parties. The event was more like a backyard barbecue than a community event for the voters of the Gosford electorate. Disappointed, defi nitely. Any independent candidate could get my vote because of his or her commitment to the electorate. An informed vote would be the best option.
Letter, 13 Mar 2017 Norman Harris, Umina