Offshore wind plan in Newcastle's port looks fine, but expect a whine

I'm sure the right wing knuckle-draggers in the Murdoch media and their elected representatives in the Liberal and National parties will find something to whinge about though.

I AM one of the four people featured in the article published ("'I was suspicious of Scott Neylon': targets of letters back MP's view", Herald 9/12/23) along with Christine Everingham, Ray Dineen, and John Beach. We were identified as being some of the many people suspicious of Scott Neylon and the Jeremy Bath connection.

I am of the opinion that the investigation was flawed because of the terms of reference, as they limited the investigator in what evidence could be pursued.

Yes, I would think that Jeremy Bath would be pleased with the findings, as would Nuatali Nelmes now that they are finally published, but ratepayers are not stupid.

I believe that this investigation has been a farce, and I liken it to asking your mother-in-law for a reference on your wife. Some of us have been demeaned by the Scott Neylon letters, and now the Herald has been blamed for unfair reporting. The letters to the Herald were not examined and the Herald has proven many times to be a trustworthy investigative newspaper.

YOUR correspondent ("Private crimes have very public consequences", Letters, 18/4) declares that "The law really is an ass", somehow coming to this conclusion because criminal rape trials are determined on the basis of guilt beyond reasonable doubt rather than the civil onus of balance of probabilities.

There is a compelling reason for this distinction: a criminal conviction for a serious offence will probably attract a prison sentence, depriving the person of their liberty, whereas a finding against a person in a civil case may require payment of damages or compensation, or remedy of a fault with no loss of liberty.

In civil cases, the level of proof will vary. Section 104(2) of the Evidence Act 1995 requires that in determining the degree of probability to be applied, the court must take into account factors including "the gravity of the matters alleged". This section is based on a 1938 High Court judgement in Briginshaw v Briginshaw, known as the "Briginshaw standard".

Rape is among the most serious of criminal offences. In his unequivocal finding that Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins, I have no doubt that Justice Michael Lee applied a very high standard of probability, perhaps approaching "beyond reasonable doubt" (despite his obligatory declaration that he was applying the civil standard). It could then be speculated that if Lehrmann's criminal trial had not been aborted by juror misconduct, the jury may well have found him guilty, but it seems we will never know.

THE proposed Turton Road basketball stadium estimates 22,000 patrons weekly and 180 onsite car parks.

In their December 2023 Town Hall presentation, Newcastle Basketball said this car park "ensures adequate parking for our week-to-week needs. When we hold major events (such as NBL1 home games) we will need to utilise parking at McDonald Jones Stadium. This will require event coordination with McDonald Jones stadium and the hockey centre."

By my calculations, 180 car parks for 22,000 patrons a week (even over seven days) doesn't add up. Neither does "coordinating with the multiple users of McDonald Jones stadium, or the multiple users of the hockey centre". The presentation also states that they "will utilise car park control to ensure basketball members can still access parking during major events like Knights and Jets games".

We all know stadium parking is only "provided" in residential streets; thousands of additional vehicles in quiet residential streets. Almost no sealed surfaces to park on, next to no footpaths, poor street lighting, no garbage bins and two sets of pedestrian traffic lights to cater for tens of thousands of pedestrians. How any plan to potentially double this got past a thought bubble is astounding.

We happily live near the current stadium, hockey centre and seven beautiful, adjoined ovals that are used year-round by multiple sporting codes and members of the public. Now the powers that be think that one sporting code should force all users from three lush ovals, concrete them for all time and double the existing traffic woes?

Good luck, basketballers, if this goes ahead. You'll be double parking, dropping kids off amid streams of traffic and spending the next half hour trying to find a park. In my opinion this is planning at its absolute poorest, and you're being sold a lie.

GREG Hunt ("Nuclear push is about emissions", Letters, 17/4), of course "... the Coalition cares about climate change (and that's) why their plans include nuclear energy."

I mean, this is not a position that has opportunistically popped out of nowhere.

Who can forget that the Coalition spent their 10 years in power trying to convince the electorate to take climate change seriously and get nuclear power started as soon as possible to address it?

Hell, are people that stupid they can't recall the LNP going to every election with that position as policy?

REGARDING City of Newcastle releasing the Code of Conduct investigation relating to chief executive Jeremy Bath last week ("City releases report at last", Newcastle Herald 18/4): after waiting for so long, in my opinion this report is sadly laughable.

OH, Simon McCarthy ("With friends like these, [redacted]", Topics, 19/4), you did give me a good belly laugh on Friday morning. Those dastardly letters will forever be a thorn in the side of City of Newcastle. If it wasn't so serious, it would be funny.

COULD Graeme Kime ("Supermarkets a scapegoat for systemic woe", Letters, 19/4) give us the details of exactly how it is that the government has caused the supermarkets to fix high prices while keeping suppliers under financial stress?

I SEE that Australia has risen to second on the IMF budget management ranking, I'm just wondering why no major media outlets saw this as newsworthy?

NICK Ryder ("Withdrawal rules for cash too onerous", Letters, 19/4), when Woolworths becomes a bank you can pay the fees they charge. At least the honest ATM told of its fee, I'll bet your bank doesn't.