Newcastle Herald readers have their say: Why was crucial piece of land left out?

I FIND it unbelievable that people are being penalised for trying to save money and thinking about green energy. How can you justify taxing solar feedback when the people that have purchased solar electricity are trying to take a load off the electricity grid and save money for themselves. My husband and I are planning for our retirement. We invested on the maximum amount of panels so it was one bill that we don't have to worry about when we retire. We have a plan while we are working we want to pay off our mortgage. We have installed a ramp for easy access in the future. We are going to be self-funded retirees. So why are we going to be hit by a tax because there has been no forward planning by the grid? They have had plenty of time to plan for this. Did they not think that people wouldn't take up interest free to benefit them in the long term. People just want to live comfortably. It's time that you stop penalising people for forward planning and start working on a solution at the grassroots of the situation. May I suggest a proactive rather than a reactive approach would lead to a better outcome for all.

RE: Geoff Black (Buy contaminated land for quarantine hub, Letters, 18/5) Obviously you haven't been to Darwin. Last time we were there (in January) we ran into a lady pushing her pram around the inner city. She had just got out of quarantine at Howard Springs after arriving a couple weeks before from London. She was pregnant and had a toddler as well. She spoke glowingly about her time at Howard Springs. Her next stop with her little family was back home in Melbourne. For your information, the accommodation at Howard Springs has air conditioning and is well serviced. Compare this with a friend who earlier this year was isolated in quarantine for two weeks in Sydney after flying back from Melbourne en route to Newcastle to get medical treatment. His experience he related was not the best. Darwin is isolated, but still has most of the mod cons we take for granted down here.

IN THE NEWS:

WHEN I first heard that Scott Morrison was planning to invest $66 million to extend the runway at the Williamtown RAAF base, I assumed that Scott had a quarantine facility in mind as many other writers have suggested including Geoff Black (Letters, 18/5). However, since then it has been announced that Canberra has agreed to help fund Victoria's proposed quarantine facility outside of Melbourne, I assume close to Tullamarine which already is set up for international arrivals, therefore I am not so sure that another quarantine facility would be needed on the east coast. I suspect that the federal government decision may have more to do with enhancing Australia's ability to provide services to the USAF in the event of a future conflict. Already commentators have suggested that Australia's upgrade of four bases in northern Australia is in support of the US' aim to move force concentrations away from Guam, Japan and South Korea which are in easy range of Chinese missiles. This means the US will need homes for their B52 and B1 Strategic Bomber squadrons with suitably long landing strips, with military grade security and maintenance facilities at hand to service the aircraft. In fact, that is exactly what we are doing at Williamtown with development of the F-35 maintenance facilities. It only takes a little imagination to envisage Williamtown becoming a major maintenance and supply base in the event of war with China and a long runway capable of handling B52s is a must have.

IN a statement significantly more aligned with profit than patience, Virgin CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka called for an early re-opening of Australia's' international borders. Ms Hrdlicka told a business lunch in Brisbane recently "COVID will remain part of the community" and as such "some people may die, but it will be way smaller than with flu." The extent of Ms. Hrdlicka's medical or epidemiological qualifications to offer up this argument is unclear. However, what is absolutely clear is the insensitivity and offensiveness of those remarks to Australians with pre-existing medical conditions. Australians, who in Ms Hrdlicka's world, would be the more likely COVID victims. As glib and offensive as Ms Hrdlicka's commentary about COVID and its consequences were upon our fellow citizens, they achieved their goal. Ms Hrdlicka and Virgin became part of the 48-hour news cycle. Free publicity for their cause, at the expense of a direct attack upon the intelligence of the people of Australia.

JUST a few short weeks ago I wrote about how the NRL was losing support for refusing to penalise high hits and dangerous tackles ... and look at what unfold over the weekend's round of matches. The combination of no stone being left unturned seeking out these tackles and at the same time penalising teams for repeated ruck infringements by send offs, even though it is the pressure of being under attack on the try line that was the cause, has destroyed any chance of a fair game at the weekend. I applaud the vigorous enforcement of high and dangerous tackles so let's not try to hit every infringement at the same time. It takes teams a lot of training to change ingrained tactics so let's get the head high stuff immediately and work on the other stuff once we get that out of the way.

JUST look at the outcry about the harsh stance on the weekend to reduce life-changing brain injuries. People are making false claims that stamping out attacks to the head will lead to a touch football style game. You can have a tough game whilst stamping out king hits to the head. To say otherwise is just rubbish. Rugby league is being asked to grow up and play a tough mature game - but there are plenty of childish thuggish men that insist on providing minimal action to keep their brand of mindless thuggery in the game.

RESTAURANTS and licensed venue owners are having difficulties recruiting wait staff to serve customers in their businesses. Wasn't the hospitality industry one of the chief lobby groups insisting weekend penalty rates be reduced or removed? They finally found a government vicious enough to act on their lobbying in the union bashing anti worker LNP. Without the incentive of penalty rates working the hours required in hospitality just isn't attractive. Particularly to younger people.

GOOD to see the rich overpaid cricketers did get special treatment. Just another poor decision by our governments.

SPORTS people are given special treatment over other well deserving people waiting to re-enter Australia. Are our Olympians going to receive similar preferential treatment? Why are they going to a red zone country in the first place? Defer it for another year until some form of safety and sanity returns to our planet. The world is in turmoil; disease and religious conflict is rapid, we don't need to shake the tree by showing preference to athletes, nor exposing them to infectious diseases. Time cures all; wait, allow the earth time to heal.

RE: Julie Robinson's question (whose pockets will be filled after the federal budget?). The best indicator of future behaviour, Julie, is past behaviour; and anyone observing LNP priorities can see they have no past or future intention of ever assisting anyone who actually needs help.

EVERYTHING the LNP says about opening international borders would be more accurate if prefaced with "Given our refusal to build a proper quarantine system...". Try mentally inserting it yourself, it works. (There goes that speech-writing job!)

PRINCE Harry has turned out to be the world's biggest tosser, except for me of course (thought I'd add that to save the usual suspects from their usual boring attacks on the world's most intelligent butcher).

THANK you Steve Barnett (Short Takes, 18/5) for your kind offer, but with so many frequent flyer points we prefer you use them. With so many they should take you and your endless tedious opinions a long way from here.