This flag was very precious to me as it had been given to me at my father’s funeral in remembrance of his military service in the Second World War with the 7^th Division 2/5th Field Regiment, the regiment of Sir Roden Cutler VC. My father had served proudly with this regiment in the Middle East, Milne Bay New Guinea and Borneo. 

I have displayed this flag on every Australia Day since my father’s death 23 years ago and unless it is returned sadly, I will be unable to display this same flag next Australia Day. I would welcome its return please and no questions will be asked. Just leave at the front door.

Prospective Liberal candidate Grant Schultz's dumping by Scott Morrison last week ignited a firestorm of opinion and judgment. However, lost in this furore is the question of whether Mr Schultz is qualified to stand at all in any capacity. 

Prior to his dumping, Mr Schultz extolled the virtues of the Liberal Party and the Morrison government. After being dumped, he told WinTV that "the Liberal Party have no integrity". Well informed observers of federal politics and of Morrison in particular already knew the party lacked integrity. Morrison spent two years telling the electorate that calls for a Royal Commission into the banking industry were nothing but a beat-up by Labor and the Greens. Then, after its findings became public and he replaced Malcolm Turnbull as PM (after shady backroom maneuvering) his first words as PM were " You can trust us. We're on your side.” How could a government like this possess any integrity? Mr Schultz seemed to think so. Until he was dumped.

So Mr Schultz, did you think this behavior by the Liberals was OK? Or did you turn a blind eye because you wished to be endorsed? Is it the Liberal party that lacks integrity or is it you? Gilmore voters also deserve to know position on CSG drilling, reduced penalty rates, alternative energy investment and climate change.

We learn in last week’s paper of the great holiday the Prime Minister had recently in the Shoalhaven. His letter to the editor is all compliments about the area and the friendly folk. He would have hardly had the time to get the sand off his feet back in the Shire when, as reported in the same paper, is news of his outrageous parachuting of Warren Mundine into the Gilmore electorate. This ‘captain’s call’ is the very height of hypocrisy and rubs the citizens of Gilmore and his Liberal members faces fair and square in it! A visit is inadvisable any time soon.

People in political parties can say and do things to each other that are pretty horrible.  Sometimes inadvertently; often deliberately. It also happens in other institutions though maybe less so.

So for those who have responded to recent events by leaving the Liberals, this is understandable. However, I take a different view, which is why I won’t be resigning.

In a few months, our nation is at risk of a Labor government that wants to increase the tax burden on our community, reduce the standard of living of self-funded retirees and make it harder for families to invest in their future. 

I joined the Liberal Party because I support values of enterprise, responsibility, service to others, individual freedom, families and low ‘burden’ government.  Despite all the personalities along the way, fighting for these values is just as crucial for the community now as when I first joined.