Letters and short takes Saturday January 14 2023

Let's put it in this context; he was 21, not 12. An adult. He had graduated from a top Catholic school. He was years into law school. He was about to become leader of the young Liberals.

In my opinion any suggestion that he had no idea of the significance of the Nazi uniform is absolutely ridiculous. He would have learnt about it in all these forums. I believe the fact that he only apologised because the story was about to break is extremely cynical, very concerning and smacks of insincerity. Yes, we all do silly things when we are young, but in this case I think it is important to consider the context.

WITH all the fuss about Mr Perrottet's youthful indiscretion on his chosen outfit for his 21st birthday, might I just ask why the Nazi uniform was available in the first place? That fact seems to have been overlooked, both here and apparently in the UK.

DOMINIC Perrottet has confessed to wearing a Nazi uniform at his 21st birthday party 20 years ago and now the political head-hunters are pushing for his resignation as NSW's premier.

I believe that we were all a little crazy at that age and did things we regret doing. Be honest, what did you do at your hens' night, bucks' night? Did you ever dress up as a black person, a priest, a cop, a prostitute, a gay person and you now regret doing it?

In fact, should mistakes you made when you were young and stupid be brought to light to disgrace you publicly so those with political gains may profit from your possible demise? I wonder if any of those making accusations and complaints have skeletons in their closets or, in other words, let those without sin cast the first stone. Now do a rewind and list the good things that he and his government have achieved.

I agree, what he did 20 years ago was disrespectful and in poor taste and he admits to this stupid action, so can we all get on with it, move on, and get over it? You know, what happens when you poke an ant's nest.

ALL those people who watched and laughed at TV series like Hogan's Heroes and 'Allo 'Allo, (now available on most pay channels) should be ashamed and apologise. Gosh. Silly me, they were all acting.

YOU hit the nail right on the head Steve Barnett, ("No tapping, no accurate data", Letters, 12/4). There are plenty of people travelling on the buses but more than half of them are not paying. I travel frequently on the number 11 bus and one - and sometimes two - out of three people just walk straight on without tapping on. And like you I have to put money on my Opal card and sit there and watch them riding for free.

REGARDING Opal card data on bus usage ('Trips down', Herald 9/1): instead of penalising non-tappers, assign a charity to each bus (let driver choose). Gift a percentage of each journey's fares. Let social pressure encourage a tap on.

As to tapping off, there needs to be an education program on how the passenger is refunded the remainder of the trip; and that it aids in planning the transport network. Maybe, with the cost of living increasing, people would rather pay for a lettuce than shoplift to pay for their transport?

Fare evasion has an aspect which is a monoculture problem - as one is dealing only with national dollars and scarcity. Accept community currencies, barter, LETS, TimeBanking, and the problem changes with abundance and choice.

MAUREEN O' Sullivan Davidson is spot on, ("War is a dirty business", Letters 11/1). America is the top exporter of major arms deliveries worldwide. Its arms sales are nearly 10 times what China sent to its clients. These items of death are big business where America is concerned. America supplied Iraq with weapons during the Iraq-Iran war. Chemicals also, including Agent Orange in Vietnam. In total America accounts for 39 percent of major arms deliveries worldwide.

TO those who supported the lockout laws, ("Lockout suspension extends as crime falls", Herald, 10/1), I hate to say I told you so, but I don't think that there's a single more appropriate thing to say.

I predicted that there would not be a spike in night-time violence in Newcastle when the lockout laws were suspended, and that incidents of night time violence were actually more likely to drop.

Questions were raised over the crime data due to the ongoing effect of COVID, but after the implementation of the lockout laws, but I don't recall questions being asked due to the mass drops in patronage to pubs and clubs the laws caused. This is despite the fact that, according to the City of Sydney, late night management areas research, foot traffic around pubs and clubs dropped by 84 per cent in parts of NSW.

GEOFF Black, it seems you have been misinformed about narrow gauge steam trams running from Belmont to Newcastle, ("Coal trams were the answer", Letters, 11/1). They were normal gauge steam trains and ran mainly to cart coal from John Darling colliery and others into Newcastle. They would put one or two carriages on the coal trains to take passengers. As for getting into Newcastle in no time at all it was a slow trip in fact they were slower than the bus. I know this because when I was a kid my friends and I would hide in the bush at Belmont and jump on the back carriage as the train went past and jump off again at Jewells crossing and walk back along the tracks to Belmont.

IN reply to Geoff Black, Newcastle trams were not "narrow gauge", ("Coal trams were the answer", Letters, 11/1). All municipal tramways, whether steam or electric, in NSW were/are standard gauge (1435mm), which is the same as the railways. This includes tramways in Sydney, Newcastle, Maitland and Broken Hill. In Victoria, Queensland and South Australia municipal tramways were/are also standard gauge, even though their railway gauges were different. Narrow gauge (1067mm) municipal tramways operated in Tasmania and Western Australia.

FANCY the mining and farming industries showing an interest in the Voice. How dare they. Maybe that was after the result of the big "friendly" meeting involving the said parties and promises made when in the end it all went the unions way? Nah. Just because they actually contribute to a large percentage of the gross domestic product does not give them the right to have the same say as your comrades in the union, Mac Maguire.

PETER Devey, ("Why I'll vote no", Letters, 12/1): please widen your education by spending a few minutes studying Australian history. Aboriginal people are not merely some minority of citizens; they once owned this land and we stole it. They deserve to be heard. Vote yes.

THE man who refused to even attend the apology to the stolen generation, federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, claims he needs more information on the Voice to make up his mind. I'd say there's no chance he or his conservative mates will support anything that may help Indigenous Australians feel accepted, included and listened to.

DO reporters get given a template for what we get from Adam O'Brien, Arthur Papas and Ash Wilson regarding the Knights and Jets? The coaches seem to say the same thing every week.

TONY Morley (Short Takes, 13/1): the "live-in-towners" you refer to displaying so said behaviour, live, in my opinion, everywhere. They are privileged and entitled as the government can't be bothered making them do anything else.

WHEN police in Victoria went after George Pell based on what I believe to be fabricated evidence they in my opinion had a major problem on their hands with the looming revelations about Lawyer X (Nicola Gobbo). I think attention to this outrageous case was diverted to George Pell.

I RECKON one word describes George Pell's time: divisive ('Death of the cardinal', Herald 12/1). Now oh dear: our favourite clown, Tony Abbott, has jumped out of the box declaring that George Pell should be given saint status (''Difficult day' after Pell's death: PM', Herald 12/1). I believe this is a man who only cared about the church, not its people, and gross hypocrisy from a former prime minister who in my personal opinion was never fit for such a position. Tony Abbott might also suggest a knighthood for more laughs.

LES Field asks the very serious question who will now be Tony Abbott's spiritual adviser now that Cardinal Pell has died, ("No consensus on cardinal's legacy", Letters, 13/1). May I suggest Andrew Bolt, a great mate of Tony Abbott? Bolt has form also: a Stolen Generation denier, who told us it was all a myth. Imagine those two working as a team, pushing for Pell to be made a saint. Sorry, not on my watch.