People were not allowed to walk from the gates, and only booked parking was allowed access to the grounds.

The shuttle services from Bowral were overcrowded, and mask rules were not enforced.

A definite Covid breeding ground....passengers actually forced the emergency exit to get some air, and a 5 -10 minute ride actually took 40 minutes, due to the congestion on the road to the venue.

The issue of transport needs to be looked into, for future engagements.

We are already well into the current Federal election campaign, yet despite the noise coming from all parties, there is a deafening silence on the issues that really count.

Issues such as climate and the environment, housing affordability, health and tax reform, even systemic corruption in public life.

These are all drowned out by mindless economic "gotcha" attempts to attract media attention.

The economic reality we all face is that on a macro-economic basis political parties have little power to effectively manage the economy, and therefore no real basis to claim that they are long term "better" managers of the economy.

Pandemics and commodity prices dictate macro responses and both parties are in lock step in their responses to those.

Where they can make a big difference is in micro-economic reform in areas such as tax reform, investment incentives, public education etc.

But, perhaps apart from the Greens, none of the main parties have anything much to offer here.

An election without vision and we will all pay a long term price.

Barry Tomkinson

Federal election campaign is in full swing; hot topics such as border protection, employment rates, and Medicare being highlighted and lobbied around.

But have both major parties forgotten about the existential threat that threatens our very existence?

They may have conveniently forgotten about the catastrophic bushfires in 2019 and recent devastating floods in NSW and Queensland, but we have not.

When will they bring forth their best climate policies and emissions reduction targets; clear and bold plans to safeguard Australians from future catastrophic climate disasters?

The Hume Greens candidate, Karen Stewart, is right to focus on climate change as a major election battleground ("Labor candidate takes top position on Hume ballot paper" Goulburn Post, 23/4).

Although both the Coalition and Labor seem unwilling to acknowledge it, climate change consistently pops up as a major concern for Australians.

Just last week, Vote Compass revealed that 29 per cent of Australians list climate change as their most important issue this election.

Cost of living and affordability came in second with 13 per cent.

Most Australians are aware of the failures of the Morrison government with regard to emissions reductions. Expanding the fossil fuel industry in the face of a climate and environmental crisis is immoral.

We cannot afford another three years of complacency on this issue.

It is time for change.