But what we do not need is more studies, more plans etc. There have been many resources applied to planning and studying previously. What is required is action. This Sydney to Hunter section could be built within one term of government if there was the will. At the very least, a start on construction should begin within 18 months of the next election. Drag it out and any future government could cancel it.

The very fast train needs to link Sydney with Newcastle but also have stops along the way. In Japan, The Shinkansen has express trains and "all station" trains and some "selected station " trains. This is the model that should be adopted for the Sydney to Hunter section (or stage one). Leave Sydney and stop at just Gosford (or thereabouts) before the final destination for the express train. But then follow it with trains that will stop at intermediate stations such as Morisset, Toronto or Glendale, along with a stop between Sydney and Gosford at, say Strathfield, to link with Sydney city trains.

Regular trains no longer go into Newcastle city. Will the VFT? If so, how and where? But an alternative might be for the VFT to stop at Broadmeadow and link with the Newcastle train or tram network while spurring off at Woodville Junction, near Broadmeadow, and continue to Newcastle Airport. That would have many benefits for the area. Later the VFT network can be extended to Canberra and other areas, but just get the first stage built and no more announcements without substance, such as we have heard from the PM over his term of office.

Oh, and the Lake Macquarie transport interchange at Glendale should simply be funded and built and not be reliant on state government funding in order to get it done. Come on Labor. Be the party of action and commitment and just get these projects completed ASAP.

OUR compulsory preferential voting system is touted as the best system in the world. It is meant to ensure that unpopular politicians don't gain power by default and inflict their unpopular policies on Australia's citizens. Unfortunately, because voters are disillusioned with both major parties, some of these unpopular and in some cases, unknown politicians seem set to hold the balance of power following the 2022 federal election. This means that whoever wins government may need to rely on them to pass their legislative agenda. The government could be forced to modify legislation to include some of these minor parties' unpopular policies. Is this the 'democracy' that Australians want? Is there a better way?

WHEN the Howard government welcomed the for-profit providers into the aged care industry, profit to shareholders became their priority. These for-profit providers advised and set the rules for governments, which has led to the crisis in an essential industry. The current prime minister has stated he will reform the industry to deliver respect, care and dignity to all our senior Australians. Senior Australians built our nation. They are our parents, grandparents and have contributed so much to the community. It is the government's duty and responsibility to provide every Australian the care they need in their later years. So Mr Morrison, the non-profit providers are in desperate need of funding to maintain and train new staff. We need the funding now. If the defence industry can receive billions then our older Australians deserve better.

TRUE, Andrew Whitbread-Brown ('City has never looked better', Letters, 3/1), a lot of shops and offices in Newcastle started to become empty around the time of the earthquake. But the 1989 earthquake can't take all the blame for Newcastle's decline, especially when such a large percentage of the closures have occurred in the last 10 to 15 years. Newcastle's waterfront was nothing "new", and the supposedly disgusting and dirty train line still served a purpose, arguably more than the light rail, given the difference between the amount of passengers on either service. True again, the city is slowly kicking back into life, but I don't think that the odd pretty looking cafe can really make up for the ugly appearance of boarded-up shop fronts. "The city is looking the best it's ever looked"? I respectfully disagree, as I tend to think that the whole run-down and ready-to-be-demolished look isn't very chic. I also feel it's not as easy as saying that it's time to stop whinging about what's shut, when apparently all the closed businesses in Newcastle CBD could fill Westfield Kotara.

ANYONE arguing for any form of fossil fuel energy source to 'get us through the transition period' to renewables either doesn't understand the desperate need to stop using these fuel sources as abruptly as possible or doesn't accept the science of climate change at all. Rampant climate change will be far more devastating to humanity than new pathogens. "Renewables can't cover base load" or "we don't have the technology yet" or "it's too expensive" are all arguments used by deniers. When COVID became a world problem, human scientific innovation almost immediately invented vaccines that had never been believed possible before. Morrison states technology will save the planet and he's right but he can't just leave it at that. What he needs to do now, so his "can-do capitalism" can churn into gear, is create the economic conditions for innovation to flourish. Business is crying out for a carbon price and that's at least his first step. Once that's a priority, watch renewable innovations develop in leaps and bounds - a win/win for humanity and his precious economy.

I NOTICED recently that the speed limit for Honeysuckle Drive is now down to a snail's crawl of 30 km/h. Why? Because of the high pedestrian movements, according to the signs. There are multiple dedicated crossings along the road and beautiful walking paths along the waterfront, and yet drivers need to slow down for the pedestrians. And just for the record, when was the last time we had anyone hit by a car along there? I feel it is the prelude for another money-wasting exercise by Newcastle council with the introduction of an automated electric people mover, capacity of six, they trialed recently, which still needs an operator for safety reasons. All these reduced speeds are creating congestion in the city by not allowing the traffic to get in and out quicker.

SIR Donald Bradman, the "world's best batter"? He was the world's best batsman. A female in everyday life is known as a woman, so why cannot a female cricketer be referred to as a batsman? Both words contain the noun 'man'. I wonder whether countries such as Russia, France, and many other predominantly non-English speaking nations are conjuring up similar changes to their languages? I think that the word 'batter' should be confined to the menu board in fisn'n'chip shops.

LAST week, relatives on a trip from the northern border to Kempsey broke down in Ballina. Unable to get the necessary repairs done, they had to stay overnight. No problem. However, a local motel that advertises its rooms from $112-$115 per night charged them $450 for one night's accommodation. I understand it's holiday season etc and things have been tough in the tourism industry, but this seems a bit rich. Seems the "we'll get through this if we help each other" battle cry has gone out the window. If I head north, think I might give Ballina a miss. Or sleep in the car.

RAY Peck ('Don't need more PEP instep', Letters, 24/12), there has been a rapid rise in oil, gas and coal demand/prices lately. If ever net zero emissions are achieved, we can consider reduced exploration then. At the moment, there is a dire need for more exploration, not less. The "3°C warmer world" he talks of is a hypothetical worst-case projection. All the evidence for this century so far would indicate that we won't get anywhere near even one degree warmer by century's end, let alone three degrees.

I READ Brendan Tate's letter ('MP missed opportunity', Letters, 3/1) with great interest. Too frequently on this page we see replies that yawningly rely on the straw man, often coupled with a catchphrase or clever phrase which seems to be what gets that reply published rather than fact. Less often do we see misdirection, never mind misdirection of the quality of Mr Tate's. The people responsible for planning and providing social housing are those responsible for it, not those who aren't.

NOW Albo proposes a "strategic fleet" of up to 12 ships to ensure the nation has ongoing access to fuel supplies and other essential imports in the event of a natural disaster or international conflict. Can you just picture it: 12 solar and wind powered ships skippered by Pat Conroy (an old CFMEU man), crewed by the MUA union (if they are not on strike as they were in WWII) and with first mate Bandt smoking legalised pot on the poop deck, sailing very slowly into the sunset to fight a nuclear super power. Give us a break Albo, you must be able to do better than that.

In the news

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: