Letters and short takes March 1 2023

I remember as kids in a country town all the boys in the street would be playing footy or cricket in my grandparents yard, but our friend would play shops with my sister and her friends. The wood shed was the shop; my pop had an old register from his shoe shop set up so as it worked out those playing cricket would have to buy drinks and lollies from the wood shed shop. Pop would umpire the cricket game with the assistance of Uncle Phil and Dr Flag ale.

It was normal, just another day in Kempsey from our childhood. Today nothing has changed as far as us Kempsey kids are concerned. It's no big deal if you want to play shops instead of cricket. But may I say James, you're a bloody good shopkeeper. Cheers mate, glad to be part of your life. My sister still has the hots for you if you ever want to open the batting. Love you mate.

REGULAR economics columnist Noel Whittaker reports that "the big institutions have a feeding frenzy the moment people become vulnerable, or actually get into trouble", ("Banks kicking mortgage holders while they are down", Newcastle Herald 23/2). The big supermarkets, fossil fuel companies and power suppliers have all made mega profits while everyday Australians pay through the nose and their cost of living increases.

But what Mr Whittaker ignores is that, according to the gospel of trickle-down economics, all these industries making obscene profits will now be gearing up to put on hundreds of extra staff and pay more to those already employed. More jobs and more cash in hand mean that their entire profit largesse will be returned to be recycled through local communities. If you can't trust the capitalists of the world to have society's interests at heart, who can you trust?

THE children were sitting around the dining room table, when out of the blue their parents told them they were going on an adventure.

"We are going to Australia? What? No. No. Where is Australia? What do they eat there?" After the crying had died down, they were told it was going to happen no matter how hard they protested. The family boarded the SS Strathnaver and had the time of their lives for the next six weeks. Finally the family of 8 disembarked at Sydney, NSW on the 25th February 1958. But now that only three of the original family members are alive, we thought it was about time to say thank you Mum and Dad for the best 65 years we have ever had. What a great move and what a great life we have had.

MY understanding is the indigenous people of New Zealand were virtually wiped out by the Maori when they arrived and there were, as we know, a number of warlike tribes which were constantly at war with each other and in some instances were even known to be cannibalistic.

No treaty and little recognition there. It is believed the remaining indigenous descendants number mere hundreds today.

However, getting back to the Maori. They knew a lot about warfare. Eventually, they formed a coalition to fight the British and armed themselves with abandoned British rifles and guns after several skirmishes with them and the British soon realised they were up against an organised and determined opponent. A treaty was a better option than another costly war.

Here in Australia, there was no great aggregation of indigenous tribes so no real war. The British had no real government for that matter with the Rum Corps calling the tune. But even when a real organised government eventuated there was no-one to have a treaty with. An entirely different situation. Instead, large numbers of Aboriginal people integrated into the newly arrived population and even today we can see how everyone in Australia has the same opportunity if they choose to take it. Just have a look at what can be achieved by indigenous people when they do get educated.

Our governments, Aboriginal entities, and many, many companies, provide opportunities for the indigenous if they choose to take it. The Voice, if you like, is already there but as is so often said "nobody is listening"

Personally, I grew up from disadvantage, educated myself and pulled myself up with my bootstraps. All any Australian, indigenous or not, needs, is the opportunity.

I'm on my second trip to New Zealand. The country I've seen and experienced is not the one Peter Dolan describes, (Short Takes, 23/2). Yes, the Maori culture is strong, but I don't see evidence it is being "imposed" on everyone against their will. On the contrary, it seems to me that much of the non-Maori population takes great pride in indigenous culture and the important part it takes in the wider society. Isn't that something worth aspiring to here?

Mr Dolan, at least, seems to concede that we all live on Aboriginal land. We always have. The fact it took our law 200 years to recognise this in Mabo doesn't make this any less true. Some of us want to face this reality and deal with it in a constructive and principled way, and some want to run scare campaigns to ensure we keep repeating the mistakes of the past.

BY dismissing the ACCC's appeal ("ACCC loses container case", Herald 23/2) the Federal Court I believe re-confirmed that every Parliament in Australia can make, or amend, a law that empowers a government minister to do something that is hidden from the public and Parliament.

Newcastle's container penalty was hidden under section 6 of the "Ports Assets (Authorised Transactions) Act 2012", which says: "The Treasurer has and may exercise all such functions as are necessary or convenient for the purposes of an authorised transaction."

That section enabled the government to deny the penalty's existence until it was exposed by the Newcastle Herald on July 29 2016. The trial was conducted only because the Herald exposed the hidden penalty.

Any parliament that makes an Act that includes a section referring to "necessary or convenient functions", may now be assumed to be hiding something.

The penalty was necessary for boosting the lease price of Port Botany and Port Kembla by making it uneconomic to develop a container terminal at Newcastle. The retention value set by the Treasury for the Port Botany and Port Kembla assets has never been disclosed.

CONGRATULATIONS to Will Ridley for shredding 60 kilos ('How Will beat type 2 diabetes with diet', Topics 25/2). I hope you live a long healthy life. Like you say, it's as simple as driving past, not driving through.

SURELY the bright new chatbot, Bing, could help in locating missing younger brothers. Just a thought.

FOR years I have been buying a well-known brand of plain cake from one of the large supermarkets for the feeding of the native birds. For many years the cost of this slab of cake was $2.50. When all the prices went up initially the cost of this cake rose to $2.75. However, from a couple of weeks ago this same slab of cake now costs $3.30. By my calculations the cost of this cake has risen 32 per cent overall, well above the inflation rate. I do the weekly shopping and the price of most of the items I purchase have risen by 50 cents an item. Not 5, 10 or 20 cents; 50 cents. I noticed this week that my brand of breakfast cereal has risen from $5 per large packet to $6 a packet. The bottom line at the checkout has increased quite noticeably. No wonder they can post obscene half-yearly profits. When is this all going to end?

FACT: only 1 percent of super accounts have over $3 million in funds. Actually, the real figure is closer to $6 million. These accounts receive tax concessions that federal Labor is looking at winding back. Now the figure for the other 99 percent is less than $300,000 for men, much less for women. I am sure these folk will have no sympathy for the above 1 per cent if they lose their concessions. Of course the federal Opposition, backed by Sky News presenters, are crying foul; "broken election promise", they say. Ask any Joe in the street what they think of the idea and I am sure they will back Labor's stand.

AS if we need any more awareness of the queer community, we now have our PM front and centre at the Mardi Gras parade. He sure never misses an opportunity to signal his virtue. Contrast this with him finally being shamed into visiting Alice Springs to address the major problems there, staying all of 4 hours. He's made his priorities clear.

WHAT an excellent idea put forward by Brian Hutchinson, (Short Takes, 27/2), to relocate the Service NSW Centre from Warners Bay to the old Bunnings site at Belmont. The access and parking at the existing Warners Bay location is a joke.

I AGREE with Alan Harrison, (Short Takes, 25/2), about the ridiculous amount of money and projects being promised by both parties if they win the next state election ('Trade upgrade', Herald 27/2). The common thread about all the promises is that pretty much all the money and promises are for Sydney and Western Sydney. I have not heard much about our region. I thought that the government was elected for all of the state and not just Sydney.