I think that Lake Macquarie is in trouble due to over dredging and I believe politicians need to stand back, and that they do not have the answers to maintain a healthy lake. We need an urgent, independent environmental impact study before any dredging takes place. The Murray-Darling River is in trouble. This is a fine example of politicians making poor decisions and only considering economics over the environment, ignoring the science. I think it's time for all politicians to become educated on the science of a healthy natural environment, as it is the vision for our future.

THIS week I purchased the book Wrong Track by Christine Everingham and Therese Doyle, the story of what drove Supercars to Newcastle. It is fascinating reading and I implore all Novocastrians to read this informative book. At last we have the truth in full and now know the part played by our state government and council.

It has also given us insight into what it was really like to live behind barriers, not just for three days a year as was first suggested, but for many weeks a year. The authors show how Supercars in Newcastle demonstrated how accountability, transparency and genuine consultation were all swept aside in the interest of a private corporation. There was little if any benefit to the people of Newcastle, in my opinion, and we paid the price for it all.

There are some surprises and some information long suspected and now we know. You will note that I do not live in the east end of Newcastle, but I would ask anyone who brushed aside the concerns of those who do if they would like to have suffered as those residents have. Would they like Supercars to run past their homes in years to come?

In the past I attended motor racing events in Sydney and enjoyed them. The big difference was that they were not held in built-up areas and did not interfere with the everyday life of the public.

I believe Newcastle council was naive at best and negligent and untruthful at worst. We have years more of this disgraceful disruption of our city. All Novocastrians should read this book. Congratulations, Ms Everingham and Ms Doyle.

THERE is a lot of talk going on about superannuation and the difference between the genders. Maybe this idea is too simplistic, but going to put it anyway.

When a couple decided to unite in a relationship they start a combined super fund at time of union.

Any super that each originally has is then grandfathered in their own name. If the couple later on decide to part or divorce, then the combined super is then grandfathered as it stands and both revert back to their individual super that was grandfathered in the first place. Would this not do away with the controversy of either one of them having a better super fund as both would be equal except for the original super that was grandfathered?

For me, this is the fairest way that both parties could feel that their partner was getting equal share even if one of them has time out for family during their working life.

If the partnership continues, they would both have equal share of the same superannuation fund plus that from their grandfathered individual super funds.

I WATCHED the leaders’ debate on the ABC last Friday night with interest. Gladys Berejiklian seemed to be quite disconnected from places outside Sydney. I believe she is more like the Premier for Sydney, not NSW.

She repeatedly declared how proud she was to deliver many shiny new things (my words) for Sydney, costing billions. She knew her audience, but it excluded NSW outside Sydney.

They say comparisons are odious, and the debate was an object lesson in how to irk electors, by drawing a sharp contrast with the minimal, almost non-existent, attention her words displayed, to regional electors. In my opinion it reeked of self-satisfaction.

REGARDING solar panels, it is said we need more renewable energy sources. The government gives lip service to agreeing, but has anyone really asked the energy companies?

We had solar panels put on our house (doing our bit, we thought) in early January. It’s just the two of us, so it wasn’t really a need to for us to reduce our costs, but to get the energy company to put a meter on the house is taking forever, with constant comments that they will ring back with a date. We were surprised to find that many people are in the same predicament.

For all you out there discussing the wonder of solar panels, in future discuss the energy companies seemingly not really wishing them to take off.

I WISH to comment on Joanne McCarthy's piece ("Judge slams 'evil' school", Herald 9/3) quoting Judge Roy Ellis that Hamilton Marist Brothers had an environment of evil during the 60's and 70's.

I attended Hamilton Marist for six years from 1964-69 and cannot agree with the judge’s statement while acknowledging that child abuse is totally unacceptable and a criminal act. I do not remember a Brother Romuald being at the school during my time. My own experience was totally the opposite of that expressed by the judge. I enjoyed my time at the school both from an education and sporting perspective, with most of the brothers and lay teachers that I had contact with both exceptional and dedicated to their profession. It is easy to label the whole organisation as bad because of the actions of a few. 

Given that there were over 1000 students, I think that the majority of those that attended during my period in the 60's would agree with my viewpoint.