To survive they rely on sponsorship and community donations. I believe this is a travesty, a shameful cost-saving exercise when our government can find the coppers to buy nuclear submarines, send millions of dollars overseas and provide military equipment to numerous countries that can't even support their own citizens.

When there are weak leaders allowing their populations to languish by not stopping the rot within their own nations benefiting from tax dollars, I believe our government condones the numerous humanitarian societies to ask the Australian people to donate towards these causes yet will still turn a blind eye to the worthwhile front-line services and volunteers that continue to be unsupported by its own government. These unsung heroes save lives every day.

They should be government funded, for they are the salt of our country. Come on, get behind these services and make them part of working cogs that make our country so unique.

WHEN we read articles such as Pat Conroy's Opinion piece in last Saturday's Herald ("A larger and more lethal navy", Opinion 16/3), we must question how these plans for the navy's expansion will lead to greater security for our country. He details the government's commitment to 11 new general-purpose frigates, giving the navy a total of 26 warships, with 432 missile cells. According to Mr Conroy, these are needed to meet "our strategic circumstances," without describing the nature of the threats we currently face.

Many of the residents of Newcastle are more concerned about our government's policies towards finding solutions to the urgent situation in today's war zones. Mr Conroy and his cabinet colleagues are largely silent on the genocide which is happening now in Gaza, with Australia's ally Israel killing thousands of civilians every month, the majority of the victims being women and children.

This Sunday, local advocates for a ceasefire in Gaza will gather at Peace Park in Islington to urge the government to act immediately to condemn the war and urge the combatants to stop the slaughter. Speakers from three faiths - Christian, Jewish and Muslim - will combine with other advocates for peace to request an immediate ceasefire. The Peace Park rally will be preceded by a Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage walk along Beaumont Street, Hamilton and Maitland Road to finish at the Peace Park, opposite the Tighes Hill TAFE college. The walk begins at Hamilton Uniting Church. Mr Conroy is welcome to join us for the walk and the rally for peace.

JOHN Arnold from Anna Bay's letter ("Nuclear power in Port Stephens", Letters 12/3) seems to indicate he doesn't travel through Williamtown to Newcastle very often. After going through the McDonald's roundabout at Williamtown he should check out all the huge array of towers and power lines that have recently arrived by stealth towards the sandhills and the huge solar farm hidden by a trellis of trees just down Cabbage Tree Road.

Maybe a nuclear modular unit would be better at Port Stephens than a huge transmission station at Williamtown?

Here comes the offshore windfarm cabling through the sandhills on the southern end of the Worimi Regional Park to a huge electromagnetic-radiation spewing substation near to you, Mr Arnold.

Federal government PFAS contamination is there already and now substation electromagnetic radiation is coming. Might as well have nuclear next to you also, Mr Arnold, to round it all out.

Here we go again, the Herald announces a state government application to Newcastle council for 25 affordable housing units to be built on Brunker Road, Adamstown, ("$13.5m affordable housing plan floated for busy main road", Newcastle Herald 19/3) and offering a mere 12 car spaces.

With 38 bedrooms, occupiers would total a minimum of 25 residents, and this could stretch to 38 or even more, depending on relationships among occupiers. Brunker Road is already experiencing parking issues with residents in the already constructed unit blocks.

It is obvious that redevelopment along Brunker Road will continue in the foreseeable future. To suggest that the total number of vehicles owned and needing to be housed by the residents is a measly 12 is an insult to normal intelligence. In my opinion, Newcastle council, and now the state government, seemingly are not considering the bigger picture if these ratios are approved as is. Very few people choose to ride bicycles on busy, dangerous suburban roads.

THE Minns NSW government is yet to acknowledge that until July 29, 2016, the previous government falsely denied making a commitment to pay NSW Ports for the number of containers handled at the Port of Newcastle above a cap ('State secret to be revealed', Newcastle Herald 21/3). This commitment was admitted only because it was exposed by the Newcastle Herald. The Minns government advised the Federal Court on September 12, 2023, that Parliament intended to authorise this commitment. How could Parliament have intended to authorise a commitment that was concealed from Parliament before it was falsely denied?

NOW that a billion dollars has been taken away from NSW in GST payments, one can only assume cuts in spending on projects. I don't mean Sydney. They don't have to worry. A new airport, a new and expanded tram service to the west and a new powerhouse museum. Just to name a few. I don't think we here in Newcastle need to worry. We don't have anything going on to cancel. I guess that means our local politicians won't face criticism for any cancelled projects. Our people need to do much more to secure a better share of revenue for our city.

IN reply to the letters by John Arnold ("It's too late to take nuclear option", Letters, 19/3) and Tony Mansfield ("Vanstone incisive on energy", Letters, 19/3), a recent Bill Gates interview as reported by Paul Smith told us two important things. First, "the cost of electricity here [can be low] because of both the wind and the sun". Second, "[Australia] should sit and watch for the next 15 years". Unfortunately, in my opinion, when Amanda Vanstone wrote her "brilliant and informative article" she chose to use only what supported her political bent.

CONGRATULATIONS to Vladimir Putin; 90 per cent of the vote. Not bad, Vlad, especially when you consider only one in three voters went for Albanese. Perhaps Putin could give Albo some advice before he becomes a one-term wonder. Maybe Vladimir could help Albo draft the misinformation bill? I'm sure that Putin was Albo's inspiration.

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