Letters and short takes Wednesday January 18 2023

I AGREE with your letter writer, Sam Reich that "there will always be rule breakers. But the introduction of e-transport is undoubtedly a good thing". But whilst sellers of e-transport devices are making a motza, too many people are breaking the rules at present. So, we need clearer rules and better enforcement, ("Tech's the future, but safety first", Letters 10/1).

Every second kid living in Newcastle-Lake Macquarie seems to have scored an e-scooter for Christmas. I assume these are the "micro-mobility devices" to which Mr Reich refers. They go like the clappers, and are normally ridden on footpaths, endangering pedestrians and riders, who usually don't have helmets. I have seen three children on such a scooter.

It doesn't make sense to sell a throttle activated e-bike or e-scooter to a city person that he or she can't use on a public carriageway. These e-devices, together with unregistered trail bikes, should be kept off city roads, footpaths and bush trails. These devices and their riders are uninsurable. If they injure or kill someone, that person or their surviving relatives will struggle to receive compensation. Also, the rider could face criminal charges.

I would like to correct Sam Reich's assertion that e-bikes (or 'pedelecs') can be ridden at any speed. The law in NSW is unequivocal and not a 'wild assertion'. It states that e-bikes can only be ridden at a maximum of 25 km/hr, whether or not the bike is capable of higher speeds. But Mr Reich is right about the e-bike's engine's maximum power of 250w and not 200w. The change was made in 2012.

A BIG part of the backlash against the suspension of the lockout laws comes from an evaluation report on the trial not yet being made public, ("Lockout report out of sight, Newcastle Herald 13/1). Oh my bleeding heart.

When the lockout laws were implemented in 2008, I don't recall hearing about any public reports whatsoever giving any justification for them, let alone any consultation with anyone who would inevitably be at a disadvantage by these laws, including Newcastle's dozens of licensed premises, or the hundreds of people who relied on them as a source of income. In stark contrast, suspending the lockout laws was dependent on the results from Sydney scrapping their lockout laws, which they did back in 2019, with absolutely no major incidents since.

The results in Newcastle also speak for themselves. No amount of cherry picked stats or doctored data can change the fact that Newcastle's night time violence has not only failed to increase since the lockout laws have been suspended, but has actually decreased. The very small percentage of people who support these laws cannot just move the goal posts because they've now discovered that the results from the suspension don't suit their narrative.

GRAEME Kime, I read with interest your belief that Perrottet's donning of a Nazi uniform at his 21st birthday should be treated as youthful discretion, ("Let politicians' pasts stay buried", Letters, 14/1). Something we all do, and it is time to move on.

Perrottet was a "golden boy" so to speak. A prestigious school where he was captain, years into law school and soon to be leader of the Young Liberal Party. He described his home life as very comfortable, with a family that sat around the table discussing current events. Ticked all the boxes and still did crazy things.

So following your argument, we should not let 21-year-olds participate in any forms of government, no voting rights and no car licences. They should not be allowed to parent or marry or buy homes. Definitely not take a role on juries while in this supposedly "crazy' stage of life.

Mr Perrottet at present oversees a law that states a child over the age of 10 can be charged with a criminal offence because they have the cognitive understanding and knowledge to understand. No doubt you agree this should be raised to 25?

Aside from all that, what is the fetish and fascination that white privileged boys have with questionable "dress ups"? Max Mosely, Perrottet, the royal Family and who can forget Alexander Downer in his heels and fishnet stockings before a National Front conference. I always read and enjoy your letters, Mr Kime, but in this case I cannot accept naivety as a form of defence.

GRAEME Kime argues that unacceptable life choices made by Perrottet at the age of 21 should be dismissed as youthful naiveté. Fair enough. But if 21-year-olds can make dumb choices just imagine how many dumb choices kids can make. Their cognitive development is far less mature. Hopefully Mr Kime will join the push to press the Premier for the age of criminal intent in NSW to be raised immediately from 10 to 14 as advocated by the UN, lawyers, human rights experts and the Greens. It's an area Perrottet has been reluctant to commit to. Perhaps his epiphany will inspire him.

BRIAN Roberts asks Peter Devey to spend a few minutes studying Australian history to improve his knowledge of Aboriginal people, (Short Takes, 14/1). Unless you are careful, the internet is untrustworthy which leaves a plethora of books just for 250 years. Now 60,000 years (it was 10,000 years when I was a kid and is seemingly growing around 10,000 years each decade) was met at settlement as 750 groups speaking 550 languages and 150 dialects. Factor in songlines, artefacts and rock art; hardly a few minutes.

Last year the Newcastle Herald published a piece on an excellent documentary on our own region called Lycett & Wallis, available on YouTube, which is beautifully researched and politically neutral. This reaffirmed how one group behaved totally differently to another less than 50 kilometres away.

I'M not a public transport user, but I suspect I will be in years to come and from what people I have spoken to that travel by bus, I'm told that over half the travellers don't pay. That begs the question, is Keolis Downer operating at a loss and if they are, will they be taking steps to fix the problem? I hope they're still around when I need a bus.

GEOFF Black, thank you for your well thought out and brilliantly written take on George Pell's controversial and divisive life and death, ("Few left with easy answers after Pell passing", Letters, 13/1). Your last sentence sums up what many would hope for. As a true non believer myself I feel better for having read your letter. Well done and thank you.

I WONDER how many Australians might now say George Pell's life was "a sad story and it wasn't of much interest to me".

THE Catholic Church should not have the hide to show off its dead flesh in the public square ('Pope gives the final blessing for Pell', Newcastle Herald 16/1).

TERRIBLE news about Kayln Ponga's injury to his calf. Perhaps we can gift him a holiday/rehab session to the USA, like Latrell and Tommy Turbo.

THE Jets can't even beat the cellar dwellers despite playing against 10 men for the last 15 minutes. Enough said. I am sorry I can't say anything better about the Jets womens performance. Well I could, but I won't.

SO we can have a Neo-Nazi leaving court making as many Hitler salutes as he likes, all the while escaping jail time. Yet we have Dominic Perrottet being crucified for something he did as a 21-year-old. As the saying goes. "Ye who have never sinned, may you cast the first stone". Absolute joke! The Neo-Nazi should be in jail. Dom has nothing to apologise for. Naivete is in all of us.

Wow what a fuss over a 21 year old doing the wrong thing. How many of you can say you never did something incorrect at 21? Why aren't journalists chasing other parliamentarians for their bad behaviour only in the last few years? If I was annoyed about anything it would be on the number of children he had, as we are facing overpopulation in this world. It's the major cause of climate change; go on about that.

THE Nazi uniform story was probably revealed by the Liberals to take our minds off the real problems: understaffed hospitals, schools in crisis, buying the wrong trains and ferries, and so on. Let's not be distracted by this matter.

ANYONE who remembers their 21st clearly isn't match fit to party with the butcher. Get down.