Can anyone name a politician whose agenda is other than first and foremost being elected at the next election?

Being the only profession that doesn't have to acknowledge that the age of entitlement is over, they can decide the priorities and the solutions that suit themselves.

I have just endured watching Australian Story and 4 Corners – what a blight both stories were on us as a nation.

The rights of the most vulnerable in our country were not of any importance to any party or independent candidate, as illustrated by the total lack of any reference to any major social justice issues.

The only issue that seemed to get prominence or rated as important was whether the big banks and overseas multinationals should get a tax break or not.

The fact that we have a Guantanamo Bay in Darwin for children and on Nauru and Manus Island for children and adults didn't rate a mention.

Nor did the thousands of homeless here in our cities and towns or people who work for two hours a week being counted as employed even though they don't earn enough to live on. The total ignoring of the rights of the original inhabitants of our country also didn’t rate a mention.

I could go on but I get the impression there are not many who care, and the politicians who are genuinely and passionately fighting for any of them are deafeningly silent.

Australia as a great country has lost the plot and become very selfish in my opinion.

THE current discussion about public art is, I suspect, a re-election ploy by one councillor.

Leaving that aside, the public discussion is doing just what public art should do, arouse our awareness of things that enhance and change our built environment.

The recent installation of sculptures in Tarcutta is a case in point.

I think that other places outside of the urban area would benefit from public art projects.

On a larger scale, our National Art Glass collection is part of the tourist experience. The sculptures near the river, just a short, pleasant walk from the bathing beach, are inspiring. It is fair to say that very few pieces of art will please everyone, whether it is public art or a travelling exhibition in our art gallery.

I would be alarmed to think that Wagga could revert to being the unattractive place that it was when I came here in 1960. We had an ugly, treeless main street which was known more for “lapping the main” than anything else.

Shops were closed for lunch and there were no public toilets and certainly no public art. The council of the day refused to pay the winner of its own art prize competition because some aldermen did not approve of the winner.

I quote the above examples to show that the city has “grown up” and offers much more than it once did and has become a better place.

To attack the need for public art and to attempt to divert funds set aside to other projects is a negative and backward attitude.

The question that should be asked is why attack public art and yet leave massive expenditure on sporting facilities alone.

The $300,000 set aside for an AFL team could have built two skate parks to encourage children to be involved in healthy outdoor activity.

In our small way, we can develop a city that offers a wide ranging cultural experience to residents and visitors alike.