WELL, it looks like the Knights can forget about semi-finals this year and concentrate on not getting the wooden spoon. They have just played a Souths team that was missing six main stars and lost their halfback in the opening minute.
You would expect the Knights would show some grit, but all night it looked like Souths were toying with them - just scoring when they wanted or being gifted tries.
If coach Adam O'Brien thinks that by buying a couple of old has-beens from other sides can help, he is looking in the wrong direction. O'Brien and Andrew Johns want to watch a couple of tapes of what the Cowboys have done up there, sourcing players from the local area.
Allen Small, East Maitland
A different angle
PUTTING science aside, I am now curious about Peter Devey's opinion on the insurance industry's insights into climate disasters ('Science isn't a popular vote', Letters, 7/7). In 1973 the Board of Management of Munich Re, one of the world's leading reinsurance providers, "had a gut feeling that natural catastrophe patterns had changed and that climate change could be partly responsible for this". Obviously, it wasn't a "popular vote" and they already had some worrying data. In fact, the cost of weather-related claims to reinsurers has doubled every decade since 1980.
Can those other number crunchers, the accountants, persuade Devey we need to act? Deloitte Access Economics, one of the planet's Big Four accounting firms, says, "If climate change goes unchecked Australia's economy will be 6 per cent smaller and have 880,000 fewer jobs by 2070 ... But there's a $680 billion dividend that's ours for the taking if we do rise to this challenge, along with 250,000 more jobs". PwC, another of the Big Four, is leading by example. It announced in February its "worldwide science-based commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030". Forbes is a global media organisation focusing on business, investing and technology. Two years ago Forbes wrote about the decreasing cost of renewable energy and announced, "it is now cheaper to save the climate than to destroy it". So, will any of these fields of human endeavour convince Mr Devey it's time to act as if there is a climate emergency?
Lesley Walker, Northcote
Council's responsibility
ONCE again we see Stockton beach washing away with the tide. It's frustrating to see glimpses of a resolution, but no real action.
While the council and state government argue about who should apply for the mining licence required to access the offshore sand, the beach continues to decline. As a community we have come together and taken real steps toward making available offshore sand sourcing - something that was previously said to be illegal - but the process seems to have stalled. I'd hate to see all we have worked towards come to nothing.
We are beating a new path in NSW coastal management - no one has applied for a mining licence for the purpose of beach nourishment. I believe that the council should take a leading role in applying for the licence. It's ultimately their responsibility to implement a coastal management plan, after all. If they continue to refuse to lead the process it would be easy for the state government to walk away. With the rally approaching, we should bear in mind what we expect from our leaders. I say less buck-passing and more action.
Simon Jones, Stockton
A perplexing question
YALLOURN and Mt Piper coal-fired power stations are owned by Energy Australia, which in turn is owned by China Light and Power Company.
One must ask the question: why would China Light and Power Company want to close these power stations in Australia for the sake of saving the planet when they are building more and bigger coal-fired power stations in China? Perhaps those contributors to this page who advocate the closure of our coal-fired power stations could answer this perplexing question.
John Cooper, Charlestown
Wallis Creek flooding
LIFE in Maitland has been severely disrupted by the recent flood. This is due to Wallis Creek, not the Hunter River. We hear few warnings about Wallis Creek, but it is that water which isolates Gillieston Heights and floods the city bypass. Because of the well-designed flood levee system, water in the Hunter River passes straight through unless it is a major flood. The people affected by Wallis Creek deserve much more attention and communication in the future.
Cameron Archer, Bolwarra
Truth brought to light
DAVE McTaggart, surely your time spent in Papua New Guinea has fortified your taste buds (Short Takes, 8/7). Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is a fantastic lady. I've followed her endeavours for Indigenous causes thanks to Sky News. Finally Jacinta Nampijinpa Price will bring the truth to light about Indigenous communities. It will be interesting to watch the reaction of people like Lydia Thorpe, whose mental capacity, I believe, is no match for Jacinta's!
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
Not so fast on raising dam level
THE question of raising the level of Warragamba Dam came up when talking to people on our recent travels. The grandfather of a fellow traveller was a student engineer with the building of the dam. His grandfather, proud of his involvement in the great task, told of the years initially spent drilling, sampling and exploring the site for the structural supports. The difficulty was the sandstone, and other rock structures had only two suitable sites for these supports to guarantee the longevity and safety of the dam. We were looking at the gold mine at Broken Hill at the time, wondering about the safety of roads and tunnels, which led to further conversation.
Reports many years ago, including advice from many original engineers, recommended never raising the dam walls. Those reports from many years ago seem to have disappeared from the records. Officially there was a report ... nothing more.
Would you want to live under the threat of a dam collapse that is foreseeable? Why choose this possible option against all logic? Where is the report? Some mention came of blasting under the dam to alter/increase the spillway capacity a few years ago. Could this not also make it even more unsafe?
Acts of God, floods uncontrolled, are terrible to experience, but should the actions of politicians ever cause the extreme loss of life that a collapse of Warragamba Dam would initiate, an inland tsunami, is inexcusable.
Lyn Rendle, Rankin Park
Embarrassing federal opposition
SO Angus Taylor continues to act like a circus is in town. Yes, bring in the clowns!
To compare a prime minister who is actually doing his job with one that went on holiday during a major disaster typifies the utter uselessness of this former minister. So have Mr Taylor and Mr Littleproud practised what they preached and visited flood affected areas? No. How ironic Mr Dutton is on holiday. Once again bravo Mr Albanese and thank you for doing your job.
Colin Rowlatt, Merewether
SHORT TAKES
HOW much of the rainfall in the past seven days was stored for drinking and agriculture? How much rainfall turned salt water fish into fresh water seafood?
Bryn Roberts, New Lambton
LABOR, the Left and Albanese are very good at propaganda. However, you can't run the country on propaganda and so sooner or later the chickens will come home to roost.
Clive Jensen, Merewether
GRAEME Kime, you can't be serious. We've all had COVID, you just need to get on with life. But if you want to go back to those government controlled days of wearing masks and being locked inside, then by all means knock yourself out. But the rest of us, we'll be right thanks.
Shane Dixon, Fletcher
PETER Devey ('Science isn't a popular vote', Letters, 7/7), thanks for the information naming climate change denier scientists. Just one minor point: why didn't you mention that those named are funded by coal and oil companies? Just a small point, but I thought it was worth mentioning, eh?
Mike Sargent, Cootamundra
A HUMAN radiates about 100 watts. How much, if any, do nine billion humans have on global warming?
John McLennan, Charlestown
I AM guessing that Albo Overseazee will have his bags packed again to go see the new British PM and then off to Japan and a funeral. As long as he stops handing out money to overseas countries, then I am happy for him to be out of the country. He doesn't do much while he is here. I am sure his mates in the Labor Party think the same.
Greg Lowe, New Lambton
IF Australia as a society is going to be forced into this ridiculous renewables strategy, then they all should be manufactured in Australia regardless of the costs. China is making millions on the back of manufacturing wind turbines and solar panels etc, so now it's time that we as a nation should cash in on it, so the money can be injected into our own economy.
Tony Mansfield, Lambton
WELL, now finally Boris can do what he has always really wanted to do - he can finally start that hairdressing apprenticeship.
Simon Ruddy, Newcastle
IN my opinion, Steve 'the butcher' needs to stop offending the precious sensibilities of the woke with his apparently "crude" and "revolting" remarks. He should realise that the way to give the impression that you're the smartest person in the room is to use big words instead.
Greg Hunt, Newcastle West
IF the best form of welfare is to look like you have a job, then I've been proud all my life of looking like I haven't.
