Newcastle Herald Letters to the Editor: Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Term tests, half-yearly tests, yearly tests and now NAPLAN tests.

Some pupils can cope at exam time, but many can't and are totally stressed out by even the thought of having to sit for an exam.

Because of this, I don't believe that exams as they are now provide a true indicator of a pupil’s ability.

I understand the Danish, for example, don't believe in exams, and they currently rank as the top learning nation worldwide.

Time to relieve the kids of some of the anxiety attached to exams.

THE Cycle Safe Committee gathered outside a local high school for a video launch as a stream of parental drivers dropped off their single passengers. As we left there were just five bikes on the racks with parked cars all round the school. The rate of childhood “overweight or obesity” now approaches a third and teenagers are presenting with type 2 diabetes. Our most consistent exercise is what we do as we go about our normal lives.

Chauffeur parents are denying their children an opportunity for this incidental exercise as well as the social interactions and satisfying autonomy that comes with walking and cycling to school. The personal development teachers need to consider a recent report on 263,000 subjects, 40-69 years. It found those who regularly cycled to work reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and death from all causes by nearly a half. No medical treatment can have the magical effect of simple regular exercise.  

The Herald reports Lake Macquarie council is sitting on $97 million of developer funds available for community infrastructure (‘Cash stash’, Herald, 5/5). When will council and state government join the dots? We need commensurate funding for infrastructure to make cycling and walking fun for children and reassuringly safe for their parents. The enormous long term health savings demand it. 

IT is disappointing to see Phillip O’Neill wheel out the tired and false narrative that Labor MPs in the Hunter are occupying safe seats and, particularly when in opposition, are ineffective representatives (‘Time for our MPs in red zone to fire up’, Herald, 8/5).

I know for a fact my local member, Yasmin Catley, spends every day representing our community’s views to the government. Certainly the government has often ignored the community, and ridden roughshod over the overwhelming majority to implement their own agenda. The closure of the Belmont Motor Registry is one example. 

But there are a number of examples where Ms Catley, as a hardworking community representative, has worked hand in hand with the community to campaign on important issues. A coordinated community campaign, led by Ms Catley, helped save Lake Macquarie City Council from amalgamation in 2015. Ms Catley also fought very hard alongside the community to successfully save Point Wolstoncroft Sport and Rec Centre from privatisation.

Ms Catley’s continued representation and agitation has also resulted in the government dredging the Swansea channel on a number of occasions since the $2.5 million spend in 2014/15. 

What this demonstrates is that despite being in opposition, local members can still be effective in advocating for their community.

ON the contrary William Hardes (Letters, 8/5), many taxpaying poorer families, particularly Catholics, choose private schools which are not profit-making concerns. Why do these schools, for example, accept children who cannot always afford to pay?

The taxes of lower-income families whose children attend government schools do not ‘prop up’ private education. Private school parents pay taxes for a public system they don't use, plus school fees, saving our various governments billions every year, and, in effect, subsidising public education.

Governments outlay significantly more per government school student in terms of recurrent costs than per private student. The savings to the taxpayer represent the additional cost to government if private schools closed and all students had to attend public schools. Every working parent pays taxes and each child should receive the same amount of government education funding, regardless of school choice. This is why I favour a voucher system. If parents wish to pay extra that is their choice, and one for which their children shouldn’t be penalised.

YOUR correspondent Renata Pepper (Letters, 8/5) expressed a concern I have, that the punishment dealt to Jarrod Mullen appears to be out of keeping with what has occurred with players caught with drugs over the last weekend. I have had over 50 years of close contact with Rugby League as an official and in my opinion booze and gambling are greater curses to the game and players than Mullen’s taking a banned medicine to help him get over an injury so he can get back on the field and help the Knights. It is time to review Mullen’s case

I THINK William Hardes is mistaken in how our education system works (Letters, 8/5). There are only a handful of schools in Australia run “for profit”. By law, government cannot provide funding for a school that operates for profit. In fact, several schools in NSW have recently had all funding stripped from them after they were found to be operating for profit. No Catholic, Anglican or similar school makes a profit.

Every child in a private school saves the taxpayer around $7000 per year. Total government funding per student to the public system is $16,000 vs less than $9000 to a private student. “Lower income families” don’t pay tax. The benefits that they receive – Family Tax Benefits and related supplements, childcare payments etc outweigh what they pay in tax by a considerable margin.

So, contrary to Mr Hardes’ assertions, it is higher income families subsidising everyone else – those paying net tax, supporting the inefficient public system and bankrolling their own children’s education.

A simple “thank you” would be polite.