Below is a comment the former Taree High school leader placed on David Gillespie’s Nationals Campaign Facebook Page.

William, who is now studying in Sydney, believes he has been censored as the comment was removed from the Facebook page.

“I am at a real loss as to how we are supposed to engage in legitimate debate, if it is censored. Young people cry that politicians do not listen.” William, who hails from Oxley Island, is at Sydney University studying a bachelor of science, majoring in psychology and mathematics.

An open letter to Nationals candidate David Gillespie:

Dear Dr Gillespie 

As a young person who has grown up in Lyne I know and care about many of the issues that face us today. 

The ‘influx of refugees’ is not high on the list of issues that concern us. 

What does concern young people, is being the best we can be as a nation. Framing a humanitarian issue for a cheap political gain is not the best way to go about this. As a doctor, someone whose very career is built on helping people, does this not sit uncomfortably with you? 

As Julian Burnside QC argued in The Age, our border is protected in 99.3% of cases. Thus neutering that argument. 

It is not illegal to seek asylum in Australia, in fact, it is a right enshrined in the UN Declaration of Human Rights, as basic as access to water and sanitation. 

We are the richest nation in our region. We should be leading on this issue, with the lives of people seeking refuge at the forefront of our policy formation. This is in direct contrast to what the Nationals, the Liberal Party and the Labor Party are doing at the moment. 

I agree with you, running advertisements in major Australian newspapers is a waste of money. That money could be better spent helping refugees integrate into our wonderful multicultural society. 

It is disappointing your campaign chooses to focus on this, when there are many more pressing local issues. 

The Manning River, a river I have grown up on, is under threat from CSG mining. Mining companies have been granted exploration licences by the government, against the direct wish of the local communities, and in contradiction to the evidence of the danger of mining.

Agriculture and tourism are two of our biggest industries. These rely on our pristine environment. This creates jobs and brings money into our local economy. 

The Manning River is the only double delta river in the Southern Hemisphere. Our water supply is fed from the Manning. 

All of these are legitimate reasons for protecting against CSG mining, but above all it is our home.

What will the Nationals be doing to protect us? 

I remember meeting you when you live were in Taree, when you ran in the last election and you came across as a genuine person. When you nominated to run again, this shows heart, and a real passion for our area. But your policies fail you. 

Please remember, I and many of my friends, will never vote for a party who chooses to lock up children and young people indefinitely in detention. We will never vote for a party who puts political gain before human rights, and we will never vote for a party who is willing to sell our land off to mining companies for short term gain, ahead of our very futures. 

I look forward to your response. 

All ­the best with your campaign,

William.

Dr Gillespie has responded to William's letter