THE proliferation of illegal e-bikes and e-scooters poses a real safety threat. These devices, which can be propelled by a throttle (like a motorbike) without the need to pedal, are explicitly illegal in public places including roads and footpaths at speeds over 6 km/hr under regulations.
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They are often ridden by children, often with pillion passengers and without helmets. They are unregistered, unlicensed and uninsured. The combination of their extra performance and speed relative to legal e-bikes, and the inexperience of some riders, presents a potentially dangerous or fatal situation.
Correspondence with Transport for NSW and the NSW police minister over the last seven months has been typically unfruitful. An appeal to my local member of parliament requesting his assistance has yielded no result. Our politicians and public service have created a set of well-intentioned regulations that are ignored by bike importers and retailers. They are being flouted by users, sometimes presumably in ignorance, but perhaps not always. I see no evidence the police are successfully enforcing the regulations and I feel my enquiries are being stonewalled.
I fear an accident involving one of these illegal devices involving either a pedestrian or a motor vehicle will eventually result in loss of life, yet the people and agencies we rely on to prevent such outcomes seem unable or unwilling to act. Why?
Phil McLeod, Hamilton South
Scrutiny sacrosanct in our system
WHERE would we be without our independent regional newspaper and the diligent, careful reporting of investigative reporters like Donna Page ("All we seek is the truth", Newcastle Herald 20/4)?
I believe Newcastle council, like most governments, relies heavily on media advisors and spin while claiming to be transparent and accountable. What distinguishes a democracy is the right to question government decisions in the name of the public interest.
Over the last seven years our community submitted close to 40 freedom of information requests to council and various state government departments to uncover the truth about the Supercars event. But this would have been a wasted effort without the Herald's scrutiny of this material, the questions its dedicated journalists were then able to ask government decision makers and the means to get this information out to the public.
Christine Everingham, Newcastle East
There's value in making it here
THE federal government has announced a policy designed to restore our manufacturing industries that were discarded by past policies that favoured reliance on mining our natural resources. Called the Future Made in Australia Act, it will provide a governing framework to coordinate government support for industries, particularly those associated with clean energy such as solar and hydrogen production.
As soon as this policy was announced there were screams of disapproval from some newspapers and the head of the Productivity Commission. All argued for a retention of the status quo, a situation that has left us highly dependent on mineral exports which are both highly damaging to the environment and unsustainable, with both iron ore and coal in decline. A closer examination of our exports reveals that the vast bulk of the minerals we export are owned by multi-national organisations and that almost none of minerals, meat, grains or fibres go with any value-added component. Our imports - cars, clothes, trains - are often products manufactured out of our exports. It's a situation that would warrant Australia being labelled a banana republic.
Restoring our once comprehensive manufacturing industry will be difficult. Most of the land once used by industries has become housing estates, and I believe mining lobbyists have shown they can manipulate any government to further their own ends, but it has to be done.
Don Owers, Dudley
It's a slippery slope to censorship
THE recent editorial ("Internet tech lords not above the law", Opinion 24/4), described Elon Musk as having a "massive ego" and "an overdeveloped sense of self-importance". That description is just an opinion unrelated to the question at hand.
That question is, what should or shouldn't be allowed publication on social media? Elon Musk and many others see it as a free speech issue. Even the victim of the recent attack, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, expressed support for Elon Musk posting the footage.
There is concern that some people derive perverse pleasure from seeing such violence on video and, worse still, some people who are motivated to copy such violence. But the proposed arbitrators of what is to be allowed or not allowed appear to be politicians or perhaps their appointed unelected employees, such as the e-safety commissioner.
Censorship by politicians is a far more scary idea than a few crazy people seeing a violent video. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is struggling to get his misinformation bill through parliament. Who is to decide what is misinformation? Is this a back-door way for Albo to get this bill through?
Do people really want politicians deciding what they can see, read, think, know or say? I certainly don't.
Peter Devey, Merewether
No need to chime in on every sound
GEOFF Black ("Church's chiming in unwelcome", Letters, 22/4), Christian bells tolling, Muslim call to prayers calling. All pretty standard occurrences in a city. Actually the tolling of bells is, as you point out, historical. It's probably been happening since old JC played fullback for Jerusalem. I hope you aren't about to complain about the playing of the Last Post and Reveille this past Thursday. May I suggest a solution for you? Perhaps a move from the big noise of the city to the country.
Mitchell Hudson, Fletcher
Own goal on footy comps
HOW smart are the people running Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Hunter interdistrict football? The over 35/A grade competition draw has come out and there are only four teams playing each other six times through the year with multiple evening games. There were five teams, however it seems those guys saw this as a massive joke and pulled out. While the Friday night competition is very healthy with multiple grades and players, the association would obviously like all the seniors on Friday. The thing is, Friday nights are not for everyone. The B and C grade competitions on a Saturday have eight teams each. Why not make two ten-team comps? Alas, that would take common sense.
Simon Leach, Wallsend
No obligation to give you cash
NICK Ryder ("Withdrawal rules for cash too onerous", Letters, 19/4), complains about the charges relating to withdrawing cash at ATMs and cash outs at Supermarkets. ATMs are operated by companies that have to install them, maintain them, replenish the cash in them and reconcile the accounts with the banks. Why wouldn't you have to pay a charge to use them? As for the supermarkets, why should they operate as your personal banking service? I don't think it's too much to ask that you buy something in their shop in return for doing your banking for you. If you want to access your cash for free, go and get it from where you do your banking or at their ATM, where they won't charge you a fee.
