We need to establish priorities focused on long-term survival for Australia. It's so unique, wild, beautiful and prone to extremes. Other governments around the world appear to be heeding the urgent warnings. How can we be so out of step with modern and ancient wisdoms?

Now I read that the NSW government is considering new coal mines near the Wollemi National Park. Instead, I would love to see news articles that tell us those we have elected to support and guide us have developed a willingness to look to the future and act with courage to set ambitious targets and legislate to enforce them.

LATE on last Sunday afternoon, after a long Nationals meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce confirmed that the majority of Nationals had given in principle support to back a target of net zero emissions by the year 2050. I have noted the words - in principle - in particular. I am not a lawyer, but my understanding is that agreements in principle are not legally enforceable, as a general rule, because they are not formal contracts.

Bearing in mind all the mountains that have been climbed of late in relation to the climate, and the year 2050 being a long way away, something of an enduring binding and legal nature must surely emerge out of all of this effort and supposed achievement.

I LAUGH/cry with the sad predictability of government policy or lack thereof.

Today, diplomatically the news is that previous climate targets of world leaders are not acceptable for the Glasgow conference. Any pointed reference to Australia or Mr Morrison is purely coincidental. Is the timing of this statement going to bring the Coalition back to negotiations? No target - no goals. The only beauty in this situation is that farmers are doing their bit despite lack of support from the Nats and Libs, and industry is moving with the times and escalating their efforts to improve with climate change in mind. Amazingly, the mining industry is starting to look forward to minerals other than coal while citizens are showing their awareness by changing habits and working with more eco-friendly measures. This is recognised by Mr Morrison, who takes credit for these measures that have happened despite not because of his policies.

How much more can be done with a government willing to actively be involved in this process? Can you imagine the shuffling of deck chairs on the Titanic of our coalition government. Will the Coalition survive? Should it? We wait and watch this game of supposed diplomacy with interest.

ANDREW Hirst, (Short Takes, 25/10), I have been a Liberal voter for much of my life but I cannot be political about the dreadful story of NSW and the Delta variant of COVID. Delta did get into NSW Australia via Scott and Gladys' border "controls": Don't you remember it was a limo driver that started it all? A limo driver that was not required to follow significant COVID safety measures such as being vaccinated?

To jog your memory, his job was to drive people from the airport to hotel quarantine. We are talking about people who, at that stage, were the ones most likely to have COVID. And it did spread into the regions and other states with Gladys' handling of Delta, including her "lockdown lite", a key factor in its spread and resultant deaths and loss of income for businesses and their employees.

ANDREW Hirst, (Short Takes, 25/10), is correct that there are letters to the editor that show bias, but the example he chose was not a good one. I'm sure Adz Carter knows Delta originated in India. His issue with Gladys Berejiklian was she was slow to react strongly when it first arrived in Sydney and spread. With a stronger response the spread would have been slower and possibly nipped in the bud.

Mr. Hirst hints all bias is directed against the conservatives but this is wrong. As an example, Mick Potter (Short Takes, 22/10 asks "why do the left blame the right for the COVID outbreak?" This is an absurd generalisation.

THE Newcastle Independents have promised to scrap the special business rate collected from traders in some commercial districts across Newcastle, ("Church vows to cut special business rate", Herald 26/10). Labor councillors then emailed past recipients of the money assuring them of their commitment to the levy. "We write following media coverage this morning of John Church and the Newcastle Independents Party's pledge to scrap the Newcastle Special Business Rate (SBR) Program. We draw this to your attention as your organisation has previously been a very worthy recipient of SBR Program funding, and has significantly contributed to promoting and activating our city which we very much appreciate"

Firstly, it is not councils' money. It is an additional levy on a select number of precincts paid for by landlords and business owners. It does not cover areas such as Honeysuckle, Wickham, Carrington, The Junction, Kotara and many other areas. In my opinion it is clearly discriminatory that certain precincts pay the levy and others don't. Brace yourselves, this campaign is going to get rough.

WOULDN'T it be good faith if the government could send out our vaccine dose records? Some kind of approved form would be helpful to all the elderly residents in Australia who haven't mastered the use of downloading on phones or who haven't got a mobile phone. It would ease the stress levels and anxiety when they go out into this tech-driven world.

This document could take the shape of something similar to a membership card with a hole so it could be worn on a lanyard. Not everybody is up to date with downloading and apps if they even own a smartphone or in fact can afford one. Everyone talks about making life easier and less stressful and reducing mental illness for the younger generation, but I believe you need to triple that for the elderly trying to keep up. How about doing something positive, and I'm not talking about placing an ad on the idiot box or in the paper. Please, be proactive and help those vulnerable in need.

AS an avid reader of the Newcastle Herald I have a little smirk at the to and fro on the Supercars topic. If you are lucky enough to live on Bulls Garden Road at Whitebridge we have it every day non stop. Vehicles come off the Dudley Road roundabout and then are hell for leather down to Oakdale Road. If any police were to stand 100 meters down from Roberts Street they could fill a book of traffic infringements. Cars, trucks and motorbikes have a speeding haven with no police patrols in sight. East End, you are lucky

OVER the last 12 months I have spoken to many people, both new and lifetime residents, and the majority know of the fort but not about the fort's tunnels ('Fort Scratchley marks return', Herald 25/10). I'm not aware of any fort in Australia that can compare, due of course to the amazing efforts of the fort's volunteers over the past decades. I'm sure most of the passengers on cruise ships fortunate to enter Newcastle Harbour have been pleasantly surprised at the welcome they have received. How can these magnificent tunnels become better known, particularly to residents of the whole Hunter Valley?

I READ Matthew Kelly's article ("Supercars delivers on investment", Newcastle Herald 25/10) with extreme interest and have the following question: if the event has been so profitable for the council, why are they so reluctant to publish facts and figures on all the previous Supercar events? I also have a question for Ernst & Young: of the 650 residents and businesses surveyed, how many were surveyed from within the 2300 area of Newcastle East? A Herald poll published on October 2 asked "Should Newcastle host Supercars beyond 2022", with 60 per cent voting no. I believe this poll would have had a different result if we were to believe that Supercars delivers on investment.

I'VE just received my first election advertising material for Ward 2 with a claim rates have gone up 60 per cent in four years. I'm not writing to defend the current council, however my calculation comparing the increase in my rates on a residential property at Adamstown Heights over the last four financial years is 20 per cent. Is this seeming exaggeration a sign of things to come during this election campaign?

FULL marks to Ian Kirkwood's editorial ('Crunching the numbers on energy equation', Opinion 23/10), for an honest introduction of the solar energy industry on an industrial scale that uses actual facts instead of wishful thinking. I look forward to more editorials regarding renewable energy hydrogen hubs and hydro pump systems he casually mentions, especially taxpayer financial assistance, tax concessions and carbon concessions they appear to need before investment.