YET another disaster has forced the hours-long closure of our only practicable route to Sydney ("Truck inferno shuts M1 for 12 hours", Newcastle Herald 9/8).
People who claim a fast train between Sydney and Newcastle is not viable have no idea. They often compare its overall cost unfavourably to flying, assuming that's how people travel up here. But most of us have to use the M1, and then this sort of thing happens only too regularly, costing us a motza in disrupted schedules and lost time.
Someone without a vested interest in the airline industry should do a realistic cost-effectiveness with actual user data.
Kate Newton, Dudley
Efficiency does more than Voice
BOB Dunning ("What will more bureaucracy do?", Letters, 3/8), hits the nail on the head when he says that vast sums given to Aboriginal services each year, if used correctly, would ensure no Aboriginal person would be wanting for anything.
Bear in mind we are talking about a great deal of cash for less than 4 per cent of the population, an eye-watering amount in anyone's language.
Instead of a very expensive referendum that on present polling is doomed to failure anyway, why not put a broom through those bodies administration of this money and make sure it actually goes to where it is needed and designed to be spent instead of creating another level of bureaucracy to use up even more of taxpayers' money?
It's another valid reason, in my opinion, to vote 'no' in the referendum that Albo seems totally obsessed with is when his energy and time should be directed to cost of living and homelessness affecting so many Australians including our Aboriginal brothers and sisters.
Ian King, Warners Bay
Brutal culls are not the answer
FIRST, authorities condoned kookaburra killing ('Licence to kill: culling native animals', Herald 31/7); now the state government is approving the eradication of many thousands of wild brumbies - up to 20,000, according to recent reports.
I'm sure that many countries around the world would welcome these robust animals as a form of transport (not for food). Numerous wild animals all over the world are becoming extinct, mostly by human intervention. Surely we can do better than genocide.
If there was a limit to these wild animals and parks and governments didn't maintain this quota it's not the horses' fault. If these horses (which we introduced) are damaging pristine areas, wouldn't it be more humane to desex the mares or stallions rather than all-out massacre? The cost? Well, how much are they paying shooters and helicopter pilots to kill them? What do they do with the bodies, do they leave them there? Wouldn't this ruin the serenity and so-called aesthetics of the park lands?
Please treat this overpopulation humanely. If these horses could speak they might indicate that it is humanity that is the most abundant species on this planet. Maybe we need culling, Sterilise, don't systematically exterminate these noble steeds.
Graeme Kime, Cameron Park
Warriors, slackers or strugglers?
THE excellent ABC War on Waste program (WoW)has returned and last night our household learned about the scourge of kitchen food waste in landfill, a potentially rich source of free nutrients left to rot and produce the most damaging of greenhouse gases and methane.
Newcastle Council website says "around 30 per cent of our red lid general waste bin is food waste". What to do? War on Waste showed us council-managed green bin collections for food waste do work and our neighbours in Lake Macquarie City Council area have enjoyed this centralised, clever solution for years: waste collected at their door then access to the free compost.
Where is our option in Newcastle? Yes, we can get subsidised access to compost bins, Bokashi bins and worm farms, but you need a garden to use the outputs. What about those hundreds of new inner city apartment residents without dedicated gardens around them? Do they have to put their cars on the road (pollution!) to find a garden?
War on Waste makes it clear: we can be warriors, strugglers or slackers. So what is it going to be Newcastle?
Katrina Sweeny, Mayfield
World Cup has overshadowed the Diamonds
WE'VE been bombarded about the Matildas playing World Cup soccer, and don't get me wrong, I love them and would love to see them win. But the World Cup netball has been played to the finals and the Australian Diamonds won ('Dominant Diamonds on top of the world', Newcastle Herald 8/8) with very little response from the media.
Suzanne Coleman, Tighes Hill
Time to think for ousted minister
ACCORDING to Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp, he inadvertently failed to fully notify the relevant people of family members' investments. He now has time to ponder an age-old adage; that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Robert Tacon, Adamstown Heights
Standard measures up for many
IN response to your correspondents claim that the "the standard of play of female soccer is not as high" ("Does anyone really get equal pay in sport?", Letters, 7/8), presumably as high as men's - 75,784.
Greg Archbold, Eleebana
Time for blokes to cheer up
I NOTICED that the NRLW teams have female cheerleaders. This ain't right. Warwick Capper, the NRLW needs you. Bring on the male cheerleaders led by Capper and Fabio.
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
Prawn vandalism a low blow
A DECAPITATED Big Prawn? ("Bit fishy: Big prawn loses its head", Herald 8/8). Prawn heads are inedible anyway. I hope the vandal chokes on their trophy.
Geoff Black, Caves Beach
The USA's pilots are not alone
JUST an update. Apart from USA pilots seeing unidentified aerial phenomena add Japan, Iran, UK, Chile, Syria, Russia, Iraq, Germany and the list grows. How naive would we be to believe we humans are the only and therefore most intelligent beings in the universe?
Garry Robinson, Mannering Park
Howls of condemnation abound
I AGREE with Julie Castle ("Blackbutt reservations: how happy are critters?" Letters, 8/8). Animal cruelty I hear everyday and night; from people buying big dogs with only a small backyard. They never get walked or a ball thrown. So bored out of their heads they bark and howl, even throwing themselves up against the shed/fence. No time for the responsibility of a dog? Don't get one.
