Fast forward to Scott Morrison's mawkish offering on exactly the same issue in parliament on Tuesday ('Casualties of season owed an inquiry: PM', Herald 5/2). Where Andrew Constance's contributions were a combination of compassion, strength of character and candour, in my opinion Scott Morrison's speech to parliament was an embarrassing exhibition of contrived emotion. If Australians expected a prime ministerial address to our 45th parliament by Scott Morrison, they must surely have been disappointed. What I believe they received was a sepia-toned prime minister blatantly playing the emotion card, with his name dropping of the fire victims he and Jenny had consoled upon returning from Hawaii.

I DON'T really like to kick a dog when he's down ('Huge scar left on NSW, says Berejiklian', Herald 5/2) but another saying is just when you get too cocky a big rooster will come and knock you off your perch. So I refer to NSW Minister for Transport Andrew Constance, who rode into Newcastle with his mate, the NSW Premier, to declare how they would fix and rejuvenate the place whilst pouring scorn on our local politicians and part of the system that organised a team of legal experts at the expense of the NSW public, to bring down local groups such as Save Our Rail.

Open up the city to the harbour, they said. Now they have sold off the corridor, excluding the chance of a good cycleway; Honeysuckle Drive is becoming a traffic congested wind tunnel, and they have just reopened previous roads where rail crossings were once in place. Now Mr Constance is back in his fire-torn territory in southeast NSW. He is devastated by what has happened to the land and the people. I hope that when he returns to Newcastle he is much more humble and realise that a lot of help has been sent from this area to his patch in support of the people he represents locally.

ANDREW Constance, for what you and Gladys did to Newcastle I found you to be obnoxious and self-absorbed. To see you as the man you once were (pre-politics) and the man you are again, your compassion, heartache and heartbreak due to these horrible fire events, I salute you.

SHOULD our future depend on theories rather than facts?

Having watched Q&A primarily to discuss the effects of climate change, I was disappointed but not surprised to witness a hostile crowd towards climate change denial.

A scientist on the panel claimed 95 per cent of all scientists believed in climate change, but conveniently failed to mention himself and the 95 per cent were climate scientists, who I believe use only theories for computers to analyse, commonly called theoretical science.

In my opinion these scientists who claim that all the evidence proves climate change is real should have said according to our theories climate change is possible. Theories only give a possibility, not a probability.

Most disappointing for me is the silence from other scientists who use only proven facts. I wish they would stop sitting on the fence. In my eyes they are starting to look like the three monkeys not wanting to hear, see or speak while the world needs their honest input and opinion.

I AM pleased the lord mayor's attempt to privatise our ocean baths is now dead in the water ('Council to develop baths', Herald 4/2). However, instead of claiming this decision as some kind of victory, in my opinion the lord mayor should acknowledge her deep involvement and defence of the plan and accept full responsibility for its ultimate failure.

The community will recall the attempts by council to refuse my tabling of a petition with more than 8000 signatures opposing the expressions of interest. Claims of consultation fell short of expectations once again when the EOI process was dropped on the community without notice and announced by media release.

Even independent councillors were not consulted or briefed on the plans and first heard about the ridiculous and unpopular proposal via the media.

When a council is not consulting with its elected councillors, what hope can the community have that they too will be included in these important decisions?

I believe the lord mayor needs to own the failed and flawed process and provide a public apology for the division and angst endured by residents concerned about the future of our iconic ocean baths.

Residents should demand that Labor reverse their decision to cut $14 million from the infrastructure budget and direct much-needed funds to these neglected community assets.

IN reply to Peter Devey (Letters, 5/2) NASA reports long-term trends show a definite warming of our planet. Their website also shows that all of the land mass in the world has warmed, some more than others. This includes the states in the US that had a period of cold weather in 2019 that Mr Devey referred to.

Whilst the Institute of Energy Research is a non-profit organisation, there is no denying it is a lobby group based in Washington and its role is very similar to the NSW Minerals Council. It is financed mainly by people and businesses with links to the fossil fuel industry. I believe reports generated by these organisations must always be treated with caution as they will always favour the interests of the fossil fuel industry. Mr Devey's claim that the research presented showing that coal-fired power was cheaper that renewables did not have any detractors. In fact, a significant McCullough Research rebuttal shoots holes in the report.

No doubt we will hear more from Mr Devey, but like contributions from the Minerals Council of Australia I will be reading his output with scepticism.

AESOP wrote: A dog was lying in a manger full of hay. An ox, being very hungry, came up and was going to eat the hay. The dog got up and snarled and would not let the ox touch it. "Silly creature," said the ox, "you cannot eat the hay yourself, and yet you let no one else have any." In my opinion Aesop could have been talking about Newcastle Maritime Museum Society and its collection ('Museum looks at Nobbys', Newcastle Herald 25/10).

IT is not only the drivers mentioned by William Isles who encounter speeding and law-breaking on the roads. A life-long pedestrian and cyclist, and in old age, a "walker pusher", I find that a daily concern. Our un-comic constabulary's carrying out of their duty is very much appreciated, but perhaps more could be done catching not cowboys, but criminals if police were not so occupied at railway stations catching a few of the many who avoid paying fares. (Of course, prevention, related to alcohol, is better than cure.)

I REFER to the article in Wednesday's issue of the Herald relating to the asbestos at Newcastle East Public School ('Breathing space', Herald 5/2). I attended that school in 1932, 1933, and first term of 1934 after which it was at the new school at Waratah. At no time when at the school was the subject of asbestos raised, even though other issues on the age of the school and its deterioration taking place were. Equally so, at the annual student's reunion which I attend most years have I ever heard mention of the same so the feeling is that very few, if any, health issues on that subject have occurred. In conclusion, my feeling is that the current fear has very little foundation

WITH the general public being encouraged to use public transport instead of our cars, it can be frustrating when you can't get a simple problem fixed. I have been trying to have the graffiti removed from a government bus stop in Elanet Avenue, near the corner of Toucan Close at Cameron Park, so passengers can read the route number for over three months without success. Lake Macquarie council told me it's not their problem and to ring Transport for NSW, which I have done on three occasions. Without wanting to sound uncharitable or racist, the two women and one man I spoke with had such a poor command of the English language that it made trying to make them understand what I was saying very difficult, as was my trying to understand them. On December 20 I wrote to the state member for Cameron Park, Clayton Barr, advising him of the ongoing problem. Over 5 weeks later I've not heard back from him, and the graffiti is still there. What else can one do?

IT was Interesting to note that the aerial photo in Brian Gilligan's piece (Opinion, 6/2) shows 18 of the 23 homes have hip and valley roofs. In my opinion this style of roof presents fire traps by gathering leaves. When will architects, house designers and planning authorities wake up to the need to design houses with better roofs?