I WAS interested to see in a recent article that City of Newcastle is considering the need for a convention centre on the harbourfront ('Centre of attention', Newcastle Herald 24/11), and I was pleased to be informed that a convention centre was one of the most suggested ideas for Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation's last parcel of Honeysuckle land in a recent consultation process.
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I have on several occasions over many years offered the opinion that such a convention centre was very much needed in our city. I am now retired, but during my career as a medical research scientist and university academic I was often involved in planning and organising conventions for medical and for scientific societies. Although Newcastle was often mentioned as a venue for such meetings, it never eventuated due to a lack of facilities, most importantly a suitably large convention centre capable of handling such meetings with a couple thousand or more delegates, and often their families. Unfortunately, and embarrassingly, some of those meetings ended up in much smaller cities such as Cairns or even Hobart, or a similar sized city such as Gold Coast. Too often they went to Australia's five larger cities.
I know about the need for this centre for medicine and science fields but I am certain there are far more communities that would ensure the convention centre would be well used. The influence such conventions have on increasing tourism exposure for Newcastle and the Hunter also cannot be overstated. We must move now to make this happen.
Rick Nicholson, Cooks Hill
Leaders' views matter to members
DAVID Gray (Letters, 28/11) questions the Hunter Business Chamber for hosting an energy and manufacturing update with three senior government politicians. Mr Gray may not appreciate the wide range of issues and topics that Chamber events cover and the variety of voices we present.
Energy and resources are key priorities for our members and the communities we and our local chambers represent. With no clear path for energy transition as yet articulated by any side of politics, we believe it is important to provide a platform for all viewpoints. Earlier this year, we hosted the NSW Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean, whose recent energy roadmap the Chamber has broadly welcomed, and past events on similar themes have featured speakers representing the Labor Party, the Energy Security Board and Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources. In September we hosted a National Energy Address by the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.
The Chamber will continue to play an active role in discussions and plans that affect the future of our region and we make no apology for providing opportunities to train the gaze of decision-makers and policy influencers on the Hunter.
Bob Hawes, CEO Hunter Business Chamber
Allegations outrageous, not meme
IN my opinion the Chinese cartoon pointing out Australian Defence Force crimes in Afghanistan does not require a Chinese apology as they have simply picked up on the Brereton Report and stated the truth. And yes, it hurts.
The Australian Defence Minister said she wanted to vomit when she read the report. It is not a condemnation of all the members of our ADF, only a miniscule section of it, and they may be facing prosecution in the courts for possible crimes against humanity.
The war on Afghanistan was an illegal war. There was no justification for sending our troops there in the first place. The ANZUS treaty invoked by PM Howard as a justification, did not apply. Afghanistan did not attack any of the ANZUS signatories and Afghanistan is not in the Pacific, which is the war theatre to which the ANZUS Treaty applies. If SAS members have committed crimes against humanity, what about the political leaders who sent our ADF into that illegal war and have kept them there for 19 years? Have they committed crimes against humanity for doing so? It is time for some political accountability.
Bevan Ramsden, Lambton
Reliability is worth the risk
MATTHEW Kelly's report on plans for green energy to replace Liddel power station, and renewable energy used to develop hydrogen fuel, may look good on paper, but in my opinion, the plan has not considered the unreliability and limited availability of renewable energy.
It's been said before but needs repeating for those who believe renewable energy will replace power stations, especially those who will control our future because basic common sense says it's never going to work.
I believe renewable energy driven by wind and sun will have an average working period of six hours per day. For these six hours to produce power station capacity for 24 hour would require a charging capacity four times the output of a power station.
Considering this charging rate, plus the batteries that would be required, this is beyond anything known today nor in the foreseeable future. I don't believe it's ever going to happen. It takes a lot of imagination to visualise a place like Sydney, a place that never stops, with five million people all running on batteries, not only for 18 hours a day, but at times for days on end with unfavourable weather, "on a six-hour charge".
If we leave it too late to rebuild power stations, I believe we will go back in time with people depending on candles and kerosene lanterns for basic lighting. As for electric-powered trains, trams and automobiles, plus industry in general, all of them standing idle and useless would be a total disaster. Before saving the world, we must first save ourselves. Please use a bit of common sense and build more power stations. Our future depends on it.
Carl Stevenson, Dora Creek
Cuts a low for flying kangaroo
QANTAS has announced that it will be saving money by making thousands of its employees redundant just as the Christmas season looms. How very caring of them!
Qantas will still need to have their aircraft cleaned and maintained; luggage will still need to be loaded and unloaded but the question is, by whom? Yes, those services will be provided by some other company, so the costs will appear in a different column in the books. They will not show as wages, but may as services provided - a tax-related expense. Very tricky Qantas. Your shareholders will no doubt be impressed. But what about the displaced workers? They will probably have an option of being re-hired by the company that wins a contract to supply services to Qantas, at a lower wage no doubt.
Well done, Qantas, you have managed to achieve what you've always wanted; to show the world that you can survive but stuff the workers.
Stan Keifer, Arakoon
SHARE YOUR OPINION
Email letters@newcastleherald.com.au or send a text message to 0427 154 176 (include name and suburb). Letters should be fewer than 200 words. Short Takes should be fewer than 50 words. Correspondence may be edited in any form.
SHORT TAKES
I HAVE been watching the TV the last couple of weeks and one thing I noticed was the amount of tourism promotion ads in regards to Queensland. Well done to the Queensland government for making an effort to promote their state in contrast to the attitude that the Liberal government of the state of NSW has for the tourism industry. I believe it's very poor that we have not seen the same amount of effort put in to promote NSW.
Philip Carter, Metford
THE recent report by RepuTex echoes the findings from the Australian Energy Market Operator's 2020 Integrated System Plan, which is a 20-year energy blueprint for Australia ("Greenpeace report shows renewables represent a cheaper option than gas", Newcastle Herald 27/11). The blueprint had been very clear that the cheapest way to deliver energy to Australians is through a combination of wind, solar and storage. Gas may play a role only if gas prices remain very low. There is simply no point prolonging the lifespan of Liddell power station. The most sensible plan of action will be to plan for the closure of Liddell and to set up a just transition for its employees. Delaying the inevitable is not going to benefit anyone in terms of job-wise and power price-wise.
Ching Ang, Kensington Gardens
WITH the help of the Conservative government in Canberra, I believe Qantas is now completing the Business Council and Morrison government's agenda to reduce the hard-earned conditions of working class Australians. In my opinion Australian workers should realise this is only the start of the destruction of Australian workers' health and safety and economic conditions as they want us to compete with third-world countries. Workers most unite and wake up to these attacks on our hard-won conditions
Gerry Mohan, Shoal Bay
IT might seem to some just a tiny bit ironic if the LNP brings Australia's coal industry to its knees as a result of ScoMo and Co.'s pathetic attempts at diplomacy with the people's republic of China.
Mac Maguire, Charlestown
MICHAEL Hinchey (Short Takes, 1/12), referring to you as woke is only a compliment if you take the meaning from your Merriam-Webster dictionary from 1828! We are in the 21st Century now Michael and the Urban Dictionary has a current definition "which signals a shift in meaning to the act of being very pretentious about how much you care about a social issue." Don't hold your breath waiting for my woke offering.
Greg Hunt, Newcastle West
DONALD Trump has left his country divided and in a state of chaos, Michael Jameson (Short Takes, 1/12). Why? Because of his mixed messages and poor leadership. When pressed he will say anything. African-Americans have felt unsafe and threatened under his presidency, turning out in huge numbers to vote for Biden.
Julie Robinson, Cardiff
THE POLL
IS the Knights' signing of Jake Clifford good news for Mitchell Pearce's game?