comment, letters, editor, newcastle, herald

SCOTT Morrison presented his drug test rehab policy last week. Trying to be positive in the hope that rehabilitation is going to be provided. The wish that it be available and well-run leaves me with some concerns. There are hardly any beds available for drug and alcohol placement. I understand one charity-run rehabilitation centre will close half of its beds due to lack of funding, when it has been a valuable service with low costs to the public purse. How many other services are being wound down? Is the solution to set up new agencies with the purpose of aiding rehab of users? Will these services be privately run, like the group homes for foster children? Will these services be cost effective and efficient, and suitably staffed? You cannot take huge numbers of users of any substance, including prescribed medications, into an already-overloaded system. Untrained staff will be at risk of extreme violent behaviour with withdrawals. It would be a great dream to solve this problem, but please do this well. Take advice from very experienced medical persons. Please understand that although ice is the current scourge of our time, alcohol daily is responsible for as much violent crime and destruction of families, if not more. Prescribed drugs are just as addictive but less easily detected. So cynically I wonder do we ignore this because those addicts may be able to hold down a job. The sad truth is that listening to Mr Morrison confirms a lack of understanding of the breadth and depth of the situation, and throwing money at it will not provide a solution. DURING Dementia Action Week, September 16 to 22, Dementia Australia is challenging all Australians to think differently about dementia by asking 'Dementia doesn't discriminate. Do you?'. We are calling on our communities to consider how discrimination impacts people of all ages, living with all forms of dementia and their families and carers. While the number of Australians living with dementia is close to half a million, there are an estimated 1.5 million involved in the care of people living with the disease. In the federal electorate of Paterson, there are an estimated 3279 people living with dementia this year, which is expected to increase to 7022 by 2058. Nobody chooses to have dementia. We can however choose how we respond to people who are living with dementia. We are asking readers to complete a short survey to help us to create an informed, national picture to better understand how discrimination for people living with dementia occurs, and what it would take to shift that discrimination. Visit dementia.org.au/dementia-action-week. THE editorial 'Sceptics pointing the spoon at course' (Newcastle Herald, 10/9) criticised the nomination of a University of Newcastle course on Complementary Therapies in Healthcare for the Skeptics Bent Spoon Award. Australian Skeptics support university courses that, "critically examine concepts of complementary therapies". However, the person who made the nomination was concerned that lecture slides and references used in the course appeared to endorse a number of questionable therapies, such as naturopathy, iridology, reflexology, kinesiology and homeopathy. These are treatments without scientific or medical support. Note that the material we have indicates the course supports these methods as fact, and the course does not appear to be part of a dispassionate research program - we support such research; promotion of dubious health treatments is something totally different. HAVE you seen how LNP members seem to answer the media when asked questions on their policies? Suddenly the politician gets these starry eyes and says Labor party, Labor party. When asked the same question again goes into same starry mode with the same answer Labor party, Labor party. I think they overdid with their indoctrinating. How are we ever going to find out what there policies are? Maybe they have no policies. Also tell while there is a royal commission ongoing in NSW about donations to the Labor party do we have a fundraising do for the LNP by a media business who are supposed to be impartial? Can we also find out how much was raised as that is also supposed to be declared publicly? THE cashless card is not for all, nor should it be. The cashless card draws comment regarding the embarrassment it may create, but seen by some as a way to force people to seek employment opportunities. I believe there are jobs for most; provided they are prepared to lower their expectations and accept what's on offer until something within their ability becomes available. I say ability because I understand many aim for employment that requires ability with a good employment record that some do not have, or jobs that are no longer available. These are the ones that need a cashless card to help them accept reality. So for the sake of employers who don't want to be tricked into employing people who don't want a job, these cards should only be given to people with a long record of unemployment, with little if any interest in applying for a job, guided by the opinion of a responsible government department. GRAEME Tychsen (Short Takes 10/9), what on earth are you talking about? I think you have completely misread what John Freund had written. You seem to have this yearning to take a train from Peerless Newcastle to Global Sydney in 90 minutes. That ain't gonna happen. Not with that rickety old line around the Hawkesbury and up the hill to Cowan. If you read John's letter again, the rail line is not mentioned apart from a brief mention of the Interchange (which I like). I also like the light rail. Perhaps you don't like it because you haven't been into town to ride on it. If you are going to take a train journey to Sydney, the closest station to where you live would be Cardiff. John is selling up Newcastle City with the televising of Supercars, which showcases Newcastle to the world. PETER Sansom's rail could have prevailed (Letters, 9/9): I am not one way or the other with rail or light rail, Hunter Street has been declining for many years as have many suburban shopping strips. Maitland's Levee looks fabulous, but on a recent walk in High Street I counted 42 empty shops. Now have a look at Greenhills or Charlestown Square; it's difficult to get a car park, always crowded, why? It's us the shopping public, it's the preferred way for most consumers, people will not return to the old ways unfortunately. REGARDING the hideous advertising on our wonderful trams: I recently returned from a trip to Germany and felt compelled to write to praise the city of Dresden on getting it right. I understand the all-important advertising dollar, but please Keolis Downer don't deface the entire tram with advertising that obscures the view of our beautiful city. You can still have your advertising dollar, but leave the windows alone. You are selling our city short with this ugly grab for revenue. AT least Hunter Water will not have to worry about the people at Dungog. Over 80 per cent voted against the Tillegra Dam. They were certain that recycled waste water and tank water was enough for them. With the heavy rains in 2016 the dam would have been near capacity. I wonder how many of the protesters still live in Dungog. I HOPE the drug testing that Morrison wants is stopped. It's so wrong to think that everyone who is on welfare are drug addicts. And can you answer me a question: why are people, honest people, who need to be on the DSP treated like criminals? It's cruel and heartless. GROWING up on the right side of the tracks at North Gosford as kids we could set our clocks by the six Flyers plying down and up on the Main Northern Line each week day ('Famous Newcastle Flyer loco fires up', Newcastle Herald, 11/9). Of course there was only one '3801' and the Pacific class locos weren't all green, nor were they pointy-nosed. Although not pulling the flyer cars, I recall one Friday night a terrible bang and on investigating 3815 heading up an all stations to Newcastle had waited on a siding for the late running 2nd Division of the Brisbane Express to pass. However, the engine driver, believing he had the road, proceeded, gathering speed, only to plough through the buffer stop and make its way up the embankment. I WOULD suggest to Peter Dolan that an important distinction needs to be made between improbability and beyond reasonable doubt (Letters, 6/9). George Pell's lawyers did a very thorough job of showing the improbability of the alleged assaults. Nevertheless, the credibility of the complainant was established beyond reasonable doubt, no matter how many exculpatory witnesses. The royal commission found child sexual abuse was made possible by clerical culture. Pell was very much a part of that culture. MR Morrison talked about unresolved national problems seven years ago. He is still rattling on about the same issues now, like shortages of skilled workers or the outrageous hike in the cost of basic infrastructure. You've had seven years Mr Morrison. He tells us he never called Mr Dastiari "Shanghai Sam" but many videos show him making this racist slur. He then attacks his opponents in parliament for being racist. Even the conservative media are getting critical and voters are on to you Mr Morrison. We were expecting a lot more.

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/ca9PEGecaS6H9cg52NNyKi/2998d594-550e-4421-a1e0-05a64b41904f.jpg/r0_64_2100_1251_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg