ON February 3 I wrote to NDIS Minister Bill Shorten, and as yet I've not received a reply or even an acknowledgement letter from him. Here's what I wrote:
"As a taxi driver in Newcastle I have a number of customers that are NDIS customers or clients and it seems that their program organisers "bully" them into what they can and cannot do. For example they are pressured not to use taxis by restricting access to funds; it seems that the organisers have a relationship with other transport providers and want the people whose programs that they manage to use their friends' transport, which does not always suit these customers/clients.
"It is my understanding that the point of the NDIS is to give control to the person with the disability over funds that the government is prepared to grant to them; therefore these program organisers are standing in the way of these customers/clients seeking to do their wishes within the funding that the government is prepared to grant to them."
To me this is a concern that needs urgent attention.
Milton Caine, Birmingham Gardens
Ballot win offered an opportunity
I BELIEVE the lord mayor has appeared unable or unwilling to grasp why almost 44 per cent of those eligible to vote in this month's ALP preselection failed to support her as lord mayoral candidate despite the advantage of incumbency and the associated widespread promotion that comes with the job. I would have thought a simple acknowledgement of the concern that obviously exists amongst the party's faithful would go a long way towards showing she can listen to the voices of dissent and will be prepared to engage in dialogue with her dissenters in the future. It was a lost opportunity.
Christine Everingham, Newcastle East
No need to charge into credit cars
Richard Devon (Letters 26/2): if you don't like the fact that some retailers include the cost surcharge of using credit cards, why would you pay with one? There is always the option to use cash - which will help the campaign to keep cash as viable tender. That in itself provides many benefits (which is another big topic) such as helping domestic violence victims.
As cash is preferred by small retail outlets, if you like that outlet, why wouldn't you help both them and yourself by using cash? I do note there are signs in many small retail outlets in Cardiff saying they prefer cash.
For bigger purchases, many companies allow a bank transfer, so why don't you use that as well? Again, why would you roll over to the use of credit cards and allow yourself to incur these costs when there are these alternatives? In a competitive environment people should be doing what is best for themselves.
Glen Wilson, Cardiff
Coal cap had the opposite effect
IN December 2022 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Energy Minister Chris Bowen capped the price of coal and gas used for electricity generation in an attempt to limit soaring energy bills. According to the latest estimates from the Department of Climate Change and Energy, the federal government and therefore taxpayers will pay coal generators nearly $1 billion in rebates to now keep the lights on. This is of course being on top of the billions in subsidies for intermittent renewables and the people who cannot afford to pay their electricity or gas bills.
Germany, the country often used as an example of what "green energy" will look like, appears to have had a reality check and has now extended the life of three of its nuclear power plants and has announced the reopening of five coal-fired power plants.
Unlike the Melbourne Cup that stops a nation of a day, the race to renewables will stop a nation permanently.
John Cooper, Charlestown
Nuclear will be too little too late
AMID the cost-of-living, in addition to the energy and climate challenges we face, it's understandable that we are scrambling for solutions. Fortunately, cheap, fast to install, and increasingly efficient renewable energy ticks all the boxes. Like the Coalition, however, Dr Michael De Percy, a member of the Australian Nuclear Association, promotes nuclear power ("Where to find power to get us to net zero", Opinion 20/2).
Aside from the fact that nuclear power is banned across Australia, modelling from the CSIRO says nuclear power is five times more expensive to build than renewables (even when transmission and batteries are included). And, according to former chief scientist Alan Finkel, nuclear power couldn't be online until the 2040s, by which time it won't be needed. So, in the interest of addressing our national and global challenges in a timely manner, where possible and appropriate, let's get behind the wind, solar and batteries to help us out of the energy mess.
Amy Hiller, Kew
Short Takes
If you're a gay police officer, there is apparently no place for you in uniform at Mardi Gras this year ('Police hope to reverse Mardi Gras call to scrap invite', Newcastle Herald 27/2). I ask the organisers, how come gay teachers can march when teachers have been charged in the past with sex crimes? This inclusive thingy ain't really all it's supposed to be, is it?
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
Sydney parade's stance perplexes
SO the uniformed police have been uninvited from the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade because two gay white males were allegedly killed by another gay white male ('Police hope to reverse Mardi Gras call to scrap invite', Herald 27/2). Why aren't white males being banned?
Matt Ophir, Charlestown
Albo's tenure didn't cause all woes
JAMES Ryan (Letters, 24/2) I think you'd be better off having the Liberal Party field any questions regarding Medicare payments, etc, from the last decade. Anthony Albanese has been Prime Minister for less than two years, and the Libs were in power prior to this for eight years. And Clive Jensen (Letters, 20/2): fancy using Valentine's Day to propose. Unbelievable! Albo is definitely the first person to ever do this. Surely the proposal had nothing to do with Albo and Jodie Haydon being together for four years, and definitely must have been political.
Adz Carter, Newcastle
Matters of heart are never simple
THEY say life is all about timing and I wonder if Carmel Tebbutt ever regrets divorcing Albo and handing the rolled gold tour of a lifetime to Jodie.
Alan Hamilton, Hamilton East
Politicians often share some traits
DAVE McTaggart pens eloquently about our PM's broken promise, (Letters 26/1). In response I can only ask two things: is the PM a politician, and were his lips moving?
