Some of us lament the passing of a time when Hunter Street thrived and going to "town" was a great occasion. Others remember fondly that period in the Noughties - between the end of the steelworks and the start of building works - when the city seemed, briefly, at peace with its post-industrial self.

Now, after much planning and debate, inner-city Newcastle is in the midst of its biggest building boom since before World War II. Not all of the development is of quality in my opinion, and there might be cause to regret some of the planning decisions that have been made, but on balance the good is greatly outweighing the bad.

When the current batch of development is done, however, I believe we should briefly press pause on Newcastle's urban renewal. We should commit to assessing what's been achieved and learn from any mistakes. Building the new Newcastle is a nationally significant and historic undertaking. Having already taken four decades, we might as well spend a bit more time getting it right.

WE are on the right road through ideas, advocacy and fulfillment of potential

We need positive and realistic advocacy in our regions from our leaders. We already know that the two ports are integral for prosperity. We understand that the inland rail will also bring major benefits across the regions. Yet we have so much more that can be offered that will benefit our region, our state and our country.

We have a number of industries that are the cornerstones of success in the Hunter and Central Coast regions. Tourism, agriculture, viticulture, equine, manufacturing, education, retail, defence, resources and energy; these sectors are the pillars that stabilise our regions. From these foundations, a whole ecosystem evolves and in every part of the supply chain we need success, growth and job creation. As the mainstays do well, the trickle-down effect occurs and everyone is happy. COVID-19 has made us a little apprehensive, but out of adversity opportunities generally appear.

Investing in start-ups, entrepreneurs, new technologies and small-medium enterprises in our region will not automatically create employment. Conversely, not investing in these areas will definitely not create employment and will not encourage the development of a culture for change, thus not allowing the regions to transition for the future. Let's continue to advocate for investment from government and private enterprises in our region. Let's promote the investment in the skill sets we need for the future and let's continue to pester the powers that be to fulfil the potential that we know is here.

WHY is Scott Morrison so afraid of Craig Kelly? Yet again, when asked a direct question as to why he hasn't censured Kelly for spreading disinformation about COVID-19 on Facebook, Mr Morrison refused to answer the question and in fact heaped praise on Kelly: "The prime minister says Mr Kelly is not his doctor but believes he is doing a great job as a local member" ("Government pressured over MP's virus posts", Newcastle Herald 2/2). At the same time, Mr Morrison declared that people should obtain their information about the virus from the health department, not from Facebook, in my opinion inferring that anybody who unwittingly accepts the word of a member of the federal government published on Facebook deserves whatever subsequently happens to them. Mr Morrison is always trumpeting how he makes decisions about the virus on the advice of medical experts, so he must know that much of what Mr Kelly is spreading is false and potentially life-threatening, yet he does nothing to pull him into line. So why is Mr Morrison so afraid of Kelly, or is it the simple truth that Morrison is so power-crazed that he will do or say anything to mollify the climate-change-denying conspiracy theorists in the right wing of the Coalition to keep them onside, regardless of the possible impact on the people?

PETER Sansom (Letters, 2/2) asks if supporters of voluntary assisted dying can give a guarantee that euthanasia will never be a "means of convenience". Of course no one can give a guarantee that this will never happen in any instance. The fact that something could conceivably be misused is common to everything in life. Similarly, Mr Sansom cannot offer a guarantee that palliative care will always be perfectly administered and fully effective.

I admire efforts at palliative care, and the wonderful peace it brings to many people in their last days, but the evidence that it is not always effective is abundant. On the same letters page Milton Caine wrote that he is "fully convinced that effective palliative care will remove all discomfort from a terminal person during the last days of their lives". This is by definition true - if it's "effective" then it works effectively. The problem is, again, the abundant evidence that it is ineffective in many cases. Mr Caine remarks that dying with dignity must use all the palliative care capacity that can be provided. That would be good, but like anything else is not going to happen for all people in our imperfect world, and there is still no guarantee of that care being fully effective.

IT was hard to read today's letters to the editor by those who obviously oppose voluntary assisted dying. As someone who nursed both parents through bad deaths, as someone living with Stage IV incurable metastatic breast cancer, having watched many in a private support group die slowly and excruciatingly of this disease, and as an advocate of four years reading and listening to thousands of stories by families left traumatised by suffering and bad deaths, I believe you are naive to think that palliative care ensures a peaceful and pain free end of life process.

If it was so wonderful there would not be thousands and thousands of advocates around the globe pushing for this. In countries where voluntary assisted dying is legal, there is evidence-based research which demonstrates that it does not detract from good palliative care. Evidence-based research - there's lots of it, if you care to look - demonstrates that the slippery slope argument is a myth. I have interviewed palliative care nurses who share their support of voluntary assisted dying in addition to exceptional palliative care because of the limitations of it. I refer to Mark Jarmon Howe, CEO of one of the UK's largest hospices, publicly stating last year that palliative care cannot alleviate all end of life suffering. That isn't a criticism, it's a reality. You only know what you look for. Do your research before offering an opinion.

JEFF Green (Date is cause for celebration, Short takes, 27/1) seeks to rewrite history. The Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 was amended many times over the years and finally repealed in 2007, so it has no significance. The first Australian passport issued by the Commonwealth in 1901 was as British citizens. The first Australian passport was 1975, prior to that a British passport was used and Aboriginal Australians were not recognised until 1967. Nice try.

ANDREW Hirst, I agree let's change the date although I don't think all parties would agree, so I suggest December 5. Oh that's right, it's my birthday and they probably wouldn't want to celebrate that either.

IN regards to Graeme Kime's letter (30/1), I'm all for the language he uses to keep the bastards honest. Alas, in my view, if we criticise one side we seem to heap praise on the other. I reckon they're all in it together.

CARL Stevenson (Letters, 1/2) is very wide of the mark on his assumptions about where our renewable energy will come from. In South Australia and Western Australia a significant proportion of their renewable supply comes from rooftop solar, installed by you and me. Indeed, the regulators of our electricity grid have forecast that up to 90 per cent of our energy in the future in cities will come from solar panels on the roof and batteries in the garage, not solar and wind farms, and definitely not coal or gas.

EVEN with every advantage of incumbency, no drought, no major NSW fires, a pandemic, the holiday season and the world's most popular prime minister throwing money around like a drunken pastor, the LNP and Labor are polling 50/50. I think old ScoMo might be under more pressure as leader than Albo.

WELL, Jim Gardiner, Albo as a stand-up comedian? Way off. Scott Morrison to be prime minister after the next election? Where do you get your intel from? Voters don't forget. It sticks in your mind when your prime minister spits it about being called back from holidays while people and their homes are gone from atrocious fires. People don't forget if it's an effort for your leader to return in a time of crisis. Do you really want that commitment from a half-hearted leader? Not a good look.

THE ABC is to be congratulated for its magnificent presentation of the Australia Day Live. From beginning to end it held me spellbound as I'm sure it did to anybody who watched it. The participants were a joy to behold. At the conclusion with the fireworks I knew I was proud to be an Australian.