I've brought a couple of pages forward for anyone who logged on after seeing my letter in today's Leader.
(The originals can be found by clicking on "next page" bottom of page.)

I can't get links to work on this site, so it's all a bit difficult to follow.
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I don't really care who's in Government, as long as what they collect in charges and taxes isn't wasted.

As far as Railcorp is concerned just Google icac railcorp and ask yourself the question, could RailCorp be more diligent in seeing how their budget is spent?

Driving past the new Cronulla Railway Station car park, I noticed security cameras on poles in the car park, inside the spike topped 8 foot high security fence.

The locals call the high fenced car park "Stalag 13"

These are 4 of the 12 security cameras.

Why would you need 12, yes TWELVE cameras for a 30 car space car park surrounded by an 8 ft fence?

AND THERE'S MORE!!!!!

TO LOOK AFTER THE CARS OF RAILWAY STAFF, AS WELL AS THE FENCE AND THE 12 CAMERAS, THERE IS ALSO A 24 HOUR SECURITY GUARD.

Where are the machine gun towers?

The security guard doing his part to protect the sanctity of the car park.

Notice the cameras on the poles

I asked the security guard if there had been trouble at the carpark.

Yes someone had thrown stuff over the fence onto cars, but as the cameras point down at the cars not over the fence they weren't any help he said.

Does the construction company that installed the faulty gate pay for the security guard?

All the authorised users of the car park have an electronic tag that opens the automatic entrance gate

BUT....

It appears that there have been problems with this gate and it malfunctions and the guard is there to make sure that cars entering the car park are allowed to.

I was told that the gate malfunctions in the OPEN position.

Why the need for 12 cameras, is the law and order situation that bad in Cronulla?

Are we in Sydney or Baghdad?

I'll email the transport minister who is also happens to be the deputy premier and ask him.

If no result there, maybe Today Tonight or A Current Affair might be interested to show the voters where their money goes.

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----- Original Message -----
From: stephens1510
To: Deputy Premier
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 9:34 PM
Subject: Cronulla station car park

Dear Mr Watkins,
The new Cronlla railway station staff car park which is surrounded by an 8 ft. high spike topped, steel security fence, now has 12 security cameras to watch over it's 30 car spaces.
Is law and order so bad in Cronulla that this number of cameras are needed inside an 8 ft fence? The locals call this car park "Stalag 13"
Railway staff of course need their cars looked after, but is it necessary to have a 24 hour security guard there as well as this 8 foot fence and 12 cameras?
I was told that the guard is there to check cars coming in when the automatic gate malfunctions.
It appears that the gate often doesn't close, so drivers have to prove right of entry.
Is the company that installed this faulty gate ( John Holland I believe) paying for this security guard?
If not, why not as it's their gate that malfunctions?
To have a man stand in a small car park around the clock in case the gate won't close is almost laughable, but the average person struggling to make ends meet wouldn't see the funny side.

Efficiently running a railway system and all that it entails is a huge undertaking, but the obvious waste of public money as this appears to be at Cronulla, doesn't look good.

Thank you for your time

Yours Faithfully
Hans Stephens

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A reply came back and my concerns would be "investigated.

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And I’ve heard nothing since.

Then this came in the mail:

I didn't tick in the boxes marked
strongly disagree, disagree, somewhat agree, agree, strongly agree in a form with the above note, but instead mailed (not emailed) this:
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Dear sir/madam,
I received the feedback letter enclosed in the mail today.
As I have had reason to question two things involving Railcorp, I don’t know to which the letter applied too.
Back in July I was concerned that it took six months to relocate the Sutherland station newspaper kiosk* and I rang railcorp a number of times and was told my query was being passed on.

I emailed the transport minister and received an email with:

“The matters you have raised will be investigated as quickly as possible and a reply will be forwarded to you.”

That was the 4 July and I’ve heard nothing since.

I didn’t wait to be “passed on” when ringing Railcorp in August, and went straight to the “top?” when I emailed the then Transport Minister.

I think perhaps that "the matters raised will be investigated" is the standard reply to emails like mine.

I sent the then transport minister photos I took at Cronulla Station and if you want you can see them a couple of pages back on

www.schoolzonesanta.com

I think having 12 cameras in a 30 car space staff car park surrounded by a 8 ft high security fence, is a news paper headline waiting to happen.

Could you can pass this letter on to someone would can explain to me the need for these seemingly excessive and (no doubt) expensive security measures

Yours faithfully
Hans Stephens

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Surprisingly this letter arrived
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And dutifuly this
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*(The paper kiosk owner had the termerity to not meeky leave when told by Railcorp and even though Railcorp relented after adverse publicity, it still took 6 months to organize a 2nd bedroom sized room for this poor fellow.)

To be continued .......(while the twelve cameras remain.)