As Bega Valley Mayor, Kristy McBain showed leadership during the climate change-fuelled Black Summer bushfires - fronting up day after day to relay the latest emergency updates.

Sadly, since becoming our Labor MP for Eden-Monaro Kristy has let that strong leadership slide, voting with the ALP to give $50million in public money to greenwash carbon capture storage and gas projects using ARENA and again more recently, voting to hand out $50million to subsidise fracking in the Beetaloo Basin, a project far more polluting than even the Adani Mine, also sadly supported by Kristy's party.

Labor's woeful climate policy - aiming for a timid 43% reduction in emissions by 2030 while still supporting new fossil fuel projects (science says we need a 75% reduction to have a chance of staying under 1.5C) - and the party's acceptance of $477,930 in donations from fossil fuel companies (FY 2020) represent a party still sitting on the fence regarding climate action.

Kristy's voting record does not reflect the actions of someone who takes our climate emergency seriously and betrays the 80% of Australians who actually want stronger climate action. Represent your constituents better please Kristy.

I wrote this years ago and nothing has changed.

Using NAPLAN as the sole basis for judging children's educational abilities is extremely problematic especially in relation to culturally disadvantaged students. It is in fact only a point of time in one day of a child's school life.

The basic skills test was only slightly better; this is borne out by many eminent researchers both here and overseas.

In the case of both of these tests they are culturally biased.

In another life I was a State Education Coordinator for a major Education System. At a number of country schools a culturally disadvantaged group of students were consistently failing exams. A very talented and caring man developed a culturally appropriate assessment tool and a large majority of this group were then identified as gifted and talented.

The schools then put on annual camps for these children which were all highly successful. It was called Wii Gaay (Clever Child) and I was a facilitator.

I also know of some schools, particularly remote schools, that encourage certain students to not attend as it would adversely affect their NAPLAN results and possibly their funding, and for underfunded remote schools this is a huge issue.

The fact the federal and state governments determine school funding levels by the results of these tests can place a heavy burden on school staff because the focus of the tests are the better results a school gets the more funding and possibly staffing they will get.

"Despite drought, COVID-19, floods and fires, the farming, fishing and forestry sectors are projected to be worth over a record $78billion in production value this year."

I thought the subject was forests. Projected means nothing. What is the last 10-year average of costs in, flow out?

How much is native state forestry subsidised by and how much does it contribute to economy? What is it compared to the studies of environmental damage to the whole valley or region's environmental services supplied by nature?