She goes on to insinuate that I’m racist. What rot, do you know what racism is Joylene Simpson?

I will enlighten you, racism is discrimination based on the belief that some races are superior by nature. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions on that, but I strongly suspect you believe the Aboriginal race is superior to the European/Asian races.

I judge people, or rather treat people, on the way they behave, irregardless of race. The fact most of the unsociable behaviour I’ve come across, is from Aboriginals, dosen’t make me racist.

But it does say there is a problem with a section of the Aboriginal community, that I’ve experienced.

You also make a wrong assumption in your discourse, and go off on a tangent about your cousin. You have a chip on your shoulder, again stating the first ship was all criminals, which you claim as historical fact. Rubbish, there were decent, courageous, people aboard.

Those who were transported in many cases were for relatively trivial offences. The Australian Government has bent over backwards in efforts to appease the Aboriginal community, I have never seen an expression of gratitude.

A jerk is a jerk, irregardless of their race.

John Stewart

THERE’S no need to waste sympathy on the NSW Nationals after the Orange byelection.

It was the Country Party which forced the introduction of preferential voting and then made sure that everyone else had to stick to the system. The Nats have been told since at least 1990 that their beloved voting system has defects.

Result: they take consolation in the likes of Tony Abbott, who said after Labor won the 2014 South Australian election that the system sometimes gets it wrong. So they took no notice in the Queensland election of 2015, when Labor finally learnt how to use the system to its own advantage. “Vote for whoever you like, but put the LNP last” was the message which went out.

That slogan worked so well for Labor it was the same one used in the 2016 Federal election.

G.T.W. Agnew

NOT that along ago my 12-year-old son asked me this question: “if homosexuals are allowed to marry dad how will they consummate their marriage because I don't think it is natural?”

The Labor Government push for same-sex marriage affects everyone including my own son.

The Labor Government states that the cost of $170 million for a plebiscite on this matter is a waste of money. However this same Labor Government between 2006 to 2014 paid $88 million of Australian Taxpayers money into the Clinton Foundation and its associated entities. Also our Julia Gillard donated a further $300 million of Australian taxpayers’ money into the Clinton Affiliated Global Partnership for Education Fund.

How can the Labor Government then state that “a plebiscite is too expensive” without being hypocritical?

Yet the Labor Government has prevented the Government of the day in passing legislation for a plebiscite on same-sex marriage due to affordability. Why cannot citizens have their say on this monumental change.

If we put the plebiscite cost of the $170 million into perspective then this cost equates to $10.62 for each voting Australian. A small price to pay on whether the morality of a nation should change.

My problem still stands. I invite Mr Shorten to my home so he can answer my son’s question. I am not going to burden his young mind with this information.

Wayne Hogan