Kendall Santillan makes totally false comments again to the public (North West Star letters June 23) trying to defame our dedicated Mayor, Joyce McCulloch.

Our hard working Mayor and our Councilor Peta MacRae were never in Canberra as so falsely claimed last week.

The very sad thing is that when Santillan was challenged by us, she was not aware it was her letter and made no claim to it.

So there it is again, more disgusting rumours and deceit coming from the dismal excuse for a local Labor branch prepared to stoop to such things to discredit hard working people.

The Santillan, McGrady, and Slade rumour mill, always waist high in mud, really is at an all-time low where they refuse to even acknowledge their own letter.

It is unbelievable that these people from the relevance deprived labour branch are continually allowed to defame the Mount Isa Mayor and Councillors with what is now outright false comments on every occasion that they can.

The Joyce McCulloch council is not aligned to any political faction.

All the city councillors are here to make decisions in the best interests of the city and we do that.

This dismal and poorly performing local Labor branch hold absolutely nil constructive answers to any of the challenges facing the city, and every time Mayor McCulloch takes the city forward another step, this trio from the local Labor branch try to defame her by making up stories to spread around and even publishing them.

All of our council are proud and happy of our record in this term and those that make pitiful attempts to bring us down, need to follow our example of what can be achieved by people like my fellow councillors who are interested only in the progress of the city.

For the record, and as the vast majority of readers will know, if council decides to invest in any travel for the Mayor, the councillors, and the executive, it is guaranteed it is essential and it is purely to further the interests of the city.

Mayor Joyce has not, and will not isolate the city and the council.

All councillors totally recognise the importance of meeting and connecting with the decision makers of the state and the nation for furthering our economic development agenda for this great city.

Phil Barwick,

Mount Isa Deputy Mayor

Pauline Hanson says that she will hold up the government's plans for tax cuts and other things until she gets not only a coal-fired power station but also the diversion of Queensland's coastal rivers into the dry inland.

While she's at it, she would actually do something useful if she added that Barnaby Joyce's mad Melbourne-Brisbane railway has to be built in the right place.

Instead of having it run first over black soil which turns to mush when wet and then over an actual flood plain, the railway should run over granite.

That is, through Joyce's own electorate of New England and then Queensland's Granite Belt.

Queensland (and the nation, by the way) would thus get a much-needed and profitable railway which wouldn't have to close down because of maintenance costs.

Both would also get for free the duplication of the Sydney-Brisbane line.

At the moment, that line is just a useless single track which can't be duplicated because of the cost of bridging the coastal rivers.

So, two railways for the price of one.

You'd think that the National Party bit of the LNP would understand all this.

Pauline? There are good headlines for you here.

Grant Agnew, Coopers Plains