At the end of September, the Morrison government is going to slash JobKeeper and JobSeeker. This will inevitably result in increased unemployment and business failures.

Why not retain or increase JobKeeper and JobSeeker for wineries and vineyards, and require the unemployed to pick grapes?

Many unemployed workers around the coalfields would be glad of such jobs, and could easily commute to work, without needing on-farm accommodation.

AS a woman I can create a foetus deliver it into the world, keep it alive with the milk from my body and launch it into the world as a valuable member of society - but no, I must not be allowed to get too full of myself.

Some evil plot persuaded me to buy a bar table in a flat pack that I then struggled for days to assemble with the mantra 'a woman can do anything' ringing in my ears.

Shamefaced I finally returned to the store to ask for help. Of course a man had it done in five seconds. Who is responsible for this? I want their head on a plate. Of course the little rubber stoppers had to be removed from legs, silly me, I should know this.

So vale the notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg you may have got a woman to the highest office in the land, but that final twist of an Allen key is not to be ours. As the man said 'we are still useful for something'.

SO Barbados has ditched the British monarchy and will appoint its own Head of State. I wonder if Australia will ever cut the apron strings of the mother country and stand on its own two feet. But who could be our first President typifying 'Australia Fair?' Someone with dignity and gravitas of course. I would suggest Dame Edna.

INEXPLICABLY, Peter Dolan continues to trumpet his support for Donald Trump (Short Takes, 21/9). The evidence is unequivocal: Trump is a self-confessed sexual predator. There is credible evidence that, while married, he has regularly used his wealth to purchase sexual favours. He is an unabashed liar and a narcissist. He has constantly misrepresented the facts about COVID-19, has openly encouraged residents of Democrat-governed states to rebel against the control measures introduced in those states, and has overseen (or overlooked) 200,000 American deaths from COVID-19, with credible reports predicting more than 400,000 deaths before the end of 2020.

Despite this, Mr Dolan continues to champion Donald Trump and repudiate his Democrat rival Joe Biden. Over the years Mr Dolan has sought to portray himself as a devout Christian. However it seems that when it comes to politics, Mr Dolan's conservative values trump his Christian values.

IT WOULD interesting to know why One Nation's Mark Latham came to play such a significant role in extending trading hours for our small bars. Was it by invitation, election, or self-nomination? Normal practice is for persons of impeccable moral standing, broad relevant experience, and clinical objectivity to fill such roles.

Yet Mr Latham's controversial views on domestic violence, and his extreme criticisms of Australian of the Year Rose Batty seem to place him outside the mainstream of contemporary values. It is a major concern that Mr Latham might also play a key role in the evaluation of the 12-month trial. Given the impressive strength of the anti-domestic violence movement in the Hunter, and the recognised strong links between alcohol and domestic violence, were our politicians aware of Mr Latham's views before working with him?

FRANK Ward, of Shoal Bay, has been following the inquiry into aged care and he points out the profit motivation of most of these institutions and I can vouch for that.

Yet there is another point that is very important. Former treasurer Peter Costello said that the levies that are raised through taxation are not applied for their purpose. Some do not collect enough for their purpose (Medicare levy covers about 15 per cent); some collect more than is spent on the purpose (very little of the fuel levies are spent on roads). Honesty in this area would be important yet Ken Henry, former Treasury head, just wants a new levy to cover age care laid against the assets of the elderly.

After years of identifying levies collected, they are amalgamated into the general income tax rate or just not identified as such.

The original 1909 retirement pension levy has lost its identity and as such has the account it was accumulating in and so now "we can't afford pensions for all".

Proper accounting and fund management would be delivering a good retirement income for all Australians as it does in England as our system was not too different to their system but the funds got lost on the way to their separate account due to election promises that were un-costed by successive governments.

GREG Hunt, (Short Takes, 18/9), until about 300 years ago when industrial fossils began, Earth was a millennia into its normal ice age cycle, still a millennia away. Then, the gentle cooling temperature reversed so that it is currently rising 20 times faster than when coming out of the last ice age.

Even the gentle millennial ice-age temperature cooling means life dies, the distribution of life changes, and its spread contracts. No wonder the head of the blue ribbon, The Australian Academy of Science, whose warnings are common sense went public earlier this year about the blinding inaction to end fossil use.

ROLAND Bannister's letter about Wickham School of Arts (Letters, 19/9) omitted to mention that the Newcastle Police Boys Club also had a Scottish pipe and drum band. The person who ran the club as its superintendent, Sergeant Cedric (Charlie) Savage was its drum major at times. They also had a swimming club on Saturday mornings at Newcastle Ocean Baths.

Regarding Dr John Tierney's excellent opinion piece on the Wickham School of Arts (Herald, 19/9) I urge him to forward a copy to our fence-sitting, uninterested planning and "heritage" minister, Rob Stokes, for his edification.

THE cataclysmic 2019-2020 fire season gave us a foretaste of the looming effects of climate change. Prime Minister Scott Morrison should focus on the costs associated with doing his minimalist bit about energy policy and climate change especially in a world that will increasingly see us as fossil fuel addicted pariahs. What will our children say?

ZENON Helinski, your letter was spot on. We overlook the corner of King and Steel streets and are regularly disturbed at all hours of the night by cars with modified exhaust systems. The problem could be dealt with by lowering the speed limit to 40 and installing cameras on the traffic lights. This would stop the speeding but only the police can do something about the modified exhausts and the backfiring. The problem is getting worse because nothing is being done about it. Newcastle please add your voices and beg our police to restore harmony to our streets.

I WOULD like to respond to Greg Hunt's latest denial that climate change is not a matter of urgency. In 1938 Australia's defence spending sunk to its lowest level, guess what happened next? The heating of our planet is already having a devastating effect on the world, let's not repeat 1938; especially for my 15 grandchildren and great grandchildren.

REGARDING Cathy Freeman, remembering the day 20 years ago: "I am proud of the fact that when I lit the cauldron all those years ago it was a symbol of hope for all young Australians". Not much has changed I would say, where mining is concerned when these corporations blow up Indigenous sacred sites, some 45,000 years old, and given the green light by local government. Where is the outrage?

AS the Newcastle Maritime Museum is looking for a new location to house all of its artefacts, perhaps the Newcastle council could negotiate on its behalf and secure the Wickham School of Arts and make a permanent museum.

TONY Brown is still bleating about relaxation of the lockout laws. I am almost 100 per cent sure that back in the '70s and '80s that you, like me, were out and about enjoying yourself (responsibly) like most people of the day at venues like the Palais, Fannys and the Castle. Why penalise the majority for the sins of a few? Police it appropriately and let's get on with it!

WHAT a brave and sensible letter, Tony Brown regarding the powerful alcohol lobby ('Beastly behaviour still unwelcome', Herald, 21/9). A maritime museum on a foreshore gone in favour of a wine bar. A wine bar spliced mall and on it goes. Attention City of Newcastle, isn't there anything else to aim for except a grog-led recovery that will do more harm in the long run?