The electorate boundaries were then different before redistribution. 

As swinging seats, both electorates attracted much more attention from politicians of the two major parties. Both electorates were more likely to be offered funding for community infrastructure like roads, schools, and hospitals. Often we did get something built!

Sadly the swinging days of Port Stephens are no longer by the look of this year's State budget. The NSW Government offered no new high school, no new hospital, and no new roads nor bridges.

Meanwhile neighbouring local government areas enjoy much more, if not generous, infrastructure funding this year. We need more aspiring men and women to take up the mantle, and inspire the electorate to swing back to the future and fight for a better share of the State's fortune. Port Stephens need you!

Ernest To, Medowie

As a former driver of local bus route 130 Fingal Bay to Newcastle I read with interest your article that states: "100 additional weekly services" added to the timetable.  

By my estimate that number involves doubling the existing timetable over the seven days. If correct, this represents a tremendous boon to local public transport services.

Wayne McCardell, Medowie

I refer to the article: “Gonski 2.0 is a ‘Fair go for all’” [Examiner, June 22]. 

The argument that students in private schools should not attract government funding is simply ill-informed and reveals prejudice. The data on the MySchool website (myschool.edu.au) discloses that in 2015 St Philip’s Christian College Port Stephens attracted $2,502 less per student in government funding than our counterparts across the road. Given that we had 761 students on census date, this equates to $1.9 million. 

In other words, if our school did not exist, the government would still have the responsibility of educating our students and it would cost them an additional $1.9 million to do it. Not to mention the additional savings as a result of not having to provide the bricks and mortar.  When this is understood properly, that independent schools provide savings to the public purse, it is not at all surprising that successive governments are now embracing sector-blind funding models.

So, I applaud the implementation of what is now a consistent and fair funding arrangement (Gonski 2.0) for all sectors – founded on the basic Christian principle of ‘according to need’.  

Dr Timothy Petterson, Principal, St Philip’s Christian College, Port Stephens

I was disappointed to see from Hunter Water’s ‘Making Waves’ pamphlet that just came with our water account that they are launching a random telephone survey, in which 500 lucky people will have their routines disturbed by receiving an unsolicited telephone call asking them ‘several questions’ relating to satisfaction with Hunter Water.

In my view this initiative is an unfortunate error of judgement. On the whole, people do not like unsolicited telephone calls. These invariably come at inconvenient times such as during the evening meal, when children are being put to bed, or when a favourite TV show is on. They can also disturb the many shift workers in our region who are trying to sleep.  Nuisance telephone calls (many of them scams) are also rife, and now a body that should be socially responsible is launching its own. My opinion about Hunter Water?

Good until they thought up this idea.

Alan Ford, Salamander Bay