Living on the western side of the lake for almost 20 years, I have been constantly bemused at the lack of facilities to give families safe access to this magnificent lake.

Living here, I see scores of people heading to Dobell Park for a quick dip to cool down on hot days, but few are game to go beyond a few metres from shore. All the land-based facilities are at the park for families and groups to gather, boating access - all it needs is a safe swimming environment.

The same with Toronto foreshore; it's really underutilised. However, I would prioritise Wangi. The numbers already show up there, and the community will use an enclosed bathing facility. Please, Lake Macquarie council, get moving on this.

THE story on coal ash ('EPA to investigate lake coal ash impacts', Herald 12/12) raised the concern about leachate from coal ash dams. The editorial ('EPA's commitment is a positive step', Opinion 14/12), carried the story further. 45 tonnes of heavy metals leaching out from 100 million tonnes of ash waste might appear to be terrible pollution. But as I pointed out in a previous letter (Letters, 26/10) that leachate is less than half a gram per tonne of coal ash. And those heavy metals were not really heavy metal elements, nor particularly toxic and some were not even metallic elements. We can continue to beat this up as a toxic problem, but most of the ash is not toxic and the low toxicity leachate is less than one part per million of the coal ash. Describing the 200 million tonnes of ash as "toxic material" as the editorial emotively did will not help us find practical uses for this material that builds up, as a nuisance, from normal power station activity.

MATTHEW Kelly's front page article last Tuesday ('Bush push', Newcastle Herald 15/12) highlights the conflict of two causes, saving the environment or creating a new subdivision at Fletcher for much needed community housing. Newcastle council and in particular the Labor and Greens councillors want a green corridor, and the developer wants a housing estate. Both options have their merits but the debate seems to be part of what we are now seeing on a regular basis: the conflict between environmental protection and sustaining human life.

As everyone would be aware, there is a shortage of community housing. People can't find accommodation or can't afford the high rents. The major political parties have acknowledged this dilemma but in my opinion it appears that Labor and the Greens choose to put a green corridor ahead of that need. I am sure as those opposing the housing estate are sleeping cosily in their own homes every night while others struggle to find a roof over their heads. You can't have it both ways, and may I be so bold as to say that human existence should take precedence over trees and bushes. Maybe the council should look at approving more high rise housing apartments, but alas I believe they knock them on the head too.

I'm presently residing at Bayway Village, Fern Bay. The mobile signal here is deplorable and frustrating. If you don't possess a home phone, you're at a disadvantage as having the pleasure of simply receiving or sending a message or a phone call is unobtainable. Local members of parliament have been notified and acknowledge they are aware of the problem, however that's where the complaint ends. There are a lot of elderly residents living here and if there's a need to ring for emergency or contact their family failing mobile signals create a barrier. My elderly mother has an emergency mobile device which will contact me if she falls, however with the failing mobile signal, I'm fearful the lack of phone signal would present problems. In this day and age I would expect far better phone coverage.

IN reply to Marvyn Smith (Letters, 16/12): no sheltered life for me, Mr Smith. I have been a hard-working employee and employer for almost 50 years. Thank you for strengthening my argument against unions. My guess would be that the 14 workers who were retrenched in favour of the "sleepers on the job and drinkers of alcohol prior to work" were in a union-run organisation where the union favours seniority over output and would have threatened the employer with strike action if they did not conform.

In my company we do not employ union members; every employee starts 20 per cent above award and is paid incentives based on production output. In our first 12 months owning the business the employees on average earnt 38.4 per cent more than the previous year, year two was on average 61.4 per cent more. Sick days have declined by 84.1 per cent. I believe the sooner unions are eradicated from work sites the sooner this country can get back some of the manufacturing that was lost due to union driven overpaid unskilled workers.

SHOULD power poles be replaced in places with bush fire history?

A recent news report shows a large solar panel installation coupled to batteries, plus a diesel generator, being installed at properties considered at the end of the line, where power poles were destroyed in the last big bush fire, as a way to be independent for power supply. Although rather expensive, it's considered the best option.

But how good are these installations? Considering the last big bushfire in west Lake Macquarie I saw a Pyrex glass door on a stove inside a sealed shipping container actually melt. What chance would solar panels have, or anything above ground, against an Aussie bush fire?

The only sure way of distributing power is not by poles and wires, or solar installation, but by subsurface installation underground. My property has this method from the street to the house as I am surrounded by trees; and because it made sense.

Considering the broadband network is distributed this way, why weren't power cables also placed in the same trenches? Particularly at places with a history of bush fire. Surely those doing these jobs should talk to one another.

As far as outright costs, digging a trench has to be far cheaper than installing poles and running the wires, and considering it's a life time job why on earth are they still digging holes and installing power poles? Surely it's not to continue collecting revenue for maintaining poles and wires.

IT looks like BoJo put the kibosh on ScoMo's dream of speaking at the recent climate summit and now he intends to scuttle Mathias Cormann's bid to head the OECD! All because of Australia's lack of ambition on climate! With mates like BoJo, good old Scotty doesn't need too many enemies.

I WAS amused by your story about corrupt betting on table tennis (Herald, 16/12). So a person was pinged over a ping pong pong?

IN response to Ian King (Short Takes, 17/12), I'm pretty sure there is nothing wrong with John Lawton's memory, the Labor governments he mentioned did I know tear themselves apart, but while doing so were not scandalising the parliament with questionable grant distribution and the many other behaviours of ministers that claim they are not responsible for anything.

SO our prime minister's grandstanding Donald Trump moment has caused this country considerable economic harm. Australia will have to find new markets for our products. This could be a good thing for Australia in the long run.

I HAVE been running karaoke for 28 years, until March. I have just recently been able to attend karaoke at the Kavon, and it was completely safe. We were required to use our own (provided for free) microphone covers and we remained seated, but we still had an awesome time as the atmosphere was so much fun. I believe these restrictions are ridiculous and contradictory. 52,000 people were allowed to attend the State of Origin grand final, all jumping and yelling and interacting. How is that any different to people singing in the audience, and how can an event like that, which did not in any way cause a new COVID outbreak, not be an example that we, as a society, can now move forward, safely into bringing our entertainers and their livelihood back?

WELCOME research from the Centre for Future Works arrives just as the UN calls for every country to declare a climate emergency until they have reached carbon neutrality ('Fossil fuels could be wound back without massive layoffs', Herald 16/12). It states that Australia could transition away from the production and consumption of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) without a single forced redundancy. The knowledge these industry workers can be supported as we move to a decarbonised society should no longer hold Australia back on greater climate action.

IAN King (Short Takes, 17/12) I thought the decision on the worst government ever had been madein the 2007 landslide when they threw out Work Choices, and John Howard out of his own seat.

THE bushfire victims who haven't yet received promised assistance must be perplexed at Morrison's announcement of help for the flood damage.