Newcastle Herald letters to the editor: Friday, February 4, 2022

Despite this tidal scouring, the lagoon's entrance has always been shallow, sandy and unsuitable for larger boats and yachts with deep keels. Colonial history reveals that shallow draught boats were required to move coal across the lake from Coal Point and through the Swansea Channel. When these boats reached Moon Island in the open sea, on calmer days, the coal was transferred to larger sea-going colliers that were moored there. The coal was then transported to Sydney.

In more recent times the channel has been dredged intermittently, paid for by rate-payers via Lake Macquarie City Council, so larger sea-going yachts can gain access to the lake.

No-one ever asked the fish and the shell fish that live in the channel whether they were willing to die so yachties could gain access to Lake Macquarie.

As a Caves Beach resident, I think that the user pays principle should apply in this case. The local wealthy owners of large sea-going yachts and no-one else, should pay what it costs, via a levy, to regularly dredge and deepen Swansea Channel. This levy should also cover Swansea Bridge opening, and the inconvenience this regularly causes to thousands of motorists.

A FEDERAL election will occur by May 21, 2022, and we're already receiving questions about the impact of the pandemic on the vote and the count.

Safety remains a top priority, and we remain in regular contact with senior state and federal health authorities and other officials to inform our preparations. The final shape of the election will depend, of course, on the evolving COVID environment, but we can provide some certainties now - including the fact that voting will be compulsory.

Commonwealth electoral laws dictate in-person or postal voting for almost all Australians. It's likely citizens will need to check-in at voting centres, we'll sanitise surfaces and equipment regularly, and everyone will need to socially distance. These measures will increase wait times, but the voting process will also be much safer.

We don't have the authority to demand vaccination as a condition of entry to a voting or counting centre, but it is a condition of employment for our temporary election workforce.

There'll be an early voting period and we're planning for the likely significant rise in people voting early or via post. We're also continuing to finalise plans for people in remote areas, in residential care facilities and overseas, to name but a few - all requiring agile planning as the situation develops. We'll provide updated information on this via www.aec.gov.au/covid.

Right now, your primary concern should be whether you're enrolled: more than 96%+ of eligible Australians are already on the roll and that's a great starting point.

THE $16 billion squirreled away by the Morrison government in the December 2021 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) for pork barrel vote buying should not be too much of a concern for Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party.

The Labor Party could sustain a reasonable proposition that in government, it will cancel the funding of projects which can be proven to fall into the pork barrel category. No doubt a Labor promise to redirect the money to areas of the Australian community with proven meritorious needs will cost Labor the votes of those promised a cash splash by the Morrison Mob.

Conversely, it might possibly be exactly what the 3-5 per cent of the Australian electorate, who traditionally determine election outcomes the - swing voters - need to cast their vote Labor's way? That much money could make significant improvements to health, education, and employment across the board for the nation.

Only time and an election result will prove whether we are a nation of people who place integrity above self -interest.

SURELY the day must come when the use of coal in Australia is discredited to such an extent that strong public pressure will force whatever federal government is then in control to decide no more use of coal in any way from this day forward.

We all, or should I say many, are aware that coal is a major cause of climate change and the health problems associated with using this carbon filled fossil are extremely serious.

Common sense, one would think, would already have seen the use of coal discontinued many years ago but I guess the huge export dollars being received from selling the product overseas have put an end to anything as sensible as that.

Coal is a dirty and dangerous way to produce energy. Alternative clean energy producing methods are available. I hope that I live long enough to have the opportunity to vote for a political party that is honest and astute enough to put the health and future well-being of Australians ahead of export dollars.

CONTINUALLY espoused by NSW Premier Perrottet: "we have to learn to live with COVID-19". Given your totally inadequate money grubbing response to the virus, surely you should change your quote to: "we have to learn to die with COVID-19"?

Your COVID-19 attitude of looking after businesses and don't worry about the dying is, in my opinion, repugnant to many of us. Pigs will have to fly for you to win the next election, which is entirely appropriate given that you are acting like a pork chop.

THE subject of Newcastle needing improved/some public entertainment facilities has been raised by Darryl Stevenson ('Capital still drawing us in four decades later', Letters, 20/1) and Eric Roach ('Wait for top class-cricket is testing patience', Letters, 21/1).

Other pipe dreams have also been suggested. There is only one pot of money which is the provider of these expected luxuries. It's time Novocastrians moved their mindset to 2022.

The Australia Day Awards were given to nominees who demonstrated the essence of human beings, which is the important attribute of CARING.

The under-resourced activities the recipients represent, unfortunately don't emit the glamour of the proposals mentioned above. Where to from here? It's time communities became aware that the future can't continue "business as usual" which has meant the divide between the haves and have-nots becomes greater. Thank goodness for the free entertainment (TV) Australia provides, via the wonderful world coverage of sport.

POOR old ScoMo looked like a deer in the headlights when he was asked about former golden girl and ally Gladys' free character reference; describing him as a "horrible horrible person" ('Joyce urges 'psycho' claim leak to confess before being outed', Newcastle Herald, 3/2). Even for someone with a hide like a rhino, that's gotta sting.

A MESSAGE to all politicians: if you are going to heap praise on a colleague, please have the backbone to admit saying it. Poor Scotty, the look on his face at the National Press Club when the alleged comments from the former NSW Premier were read out was a sure sign that the truth does hurt.

AFTER the recent National Press Club meeting in Canberra there can be no doubt that, at least in Canberra, the journalists are biased towards the Greens and Labor. They must also take "nasty pills" before the meeting. Surely they cannot all work for the ABC.

ALBO'S new spectacles certainly give him the Labor stalwart HV Evatt's elegant appearance. However, to date, his presence reminds me more of the unfortunate Labor leader Joe (Cocky) Caldwell. Labor eventually overcame the Caldwell 'non electable' scenario by promoting Gough Whitlam to the leadership role. Who is 'Gough Whitlam' Mark 2, and when will he or she declare a move?

YOU can't blame the dog that bites the hand that feeds it bird seed.

STEVE Barnett (Short Takes, 3/2), it is difficult to see the point you are attempting to make when a Liberal vote is an automatic vote for the Nationals, being in coalition. That is not the case for Labor and the Greens. Sleep easy Steve, if there is a change of government nothing will change, sadly. It is all window dressing.

NO problem, Steve (Short Takes, 31/1), we would all pass the hat around rather than see you go to that extreme.

GEOFF Black, being a person of generous nature, I would be more than willing to swap a kidney for some hair; even if by a miracle the Coalition is returned to power. Cheers brother.

I AM sure all the snowflakes melting down at the latest anti-vax super spreader event will, when the plague gets to them, refuse any modern medical intervention and stay far away from the struggling hospitals.

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