AT present the NSW state government is examining cheap ways of lifting educational standards. One suggestion is to pay one in 10 teachers more based on their performance. There is also a suggestion that 'super-grads' should be paid more if they choose teaching as a career.
How teacher performance would be assessed is being debated. There is a suggestion that independent 'inspectors' assess applicants, based on student results, classroom observations etc. But this is costly. More likely, applicants will be nominated by school principals.
But paying exemplary teachers or super-grads extra salaries doesn't work. The 1990s Advanced Skills Teacher program, managed by school principals, was a failure. Instead of attracting better graduates and raising teaching standards, desperate principals misused the funding to get classroom teachers to do extra school duties. The program created resentment, division and cronyism amongst existing teachers.
Teacher salaries are the largest item in the state government's budget. If the NSW government is serious about raising the standard of pedagogy so that all students benefit, it should raise all teacher salaries to attract better quality teachers. But to do this, the state government will need to win the approval of the taxpayers of NSW and raise taxes to pay for the increase. You get nothing for nothing, and very little for very little.
Geoff Black, Caves Beach
Missed opportunity
THE future plan for Maitland calls to allocate a space to provide for a future botanical garden. Newcastle has never done this. We have a shared council garden in an inaccessible location well outside the city.
You have to ask was the multi-million dollar expenditure on No1 Sportsground a sound investment? This expense may have contributed to a new larger facility in a new Broadmeadow sports precinct with rapid transport connections. The sportsground area could have been added to National Park to create a larger space for a city botanical garden. Unlike the sports field, this park would be used daily by many and would promote tourism. Our city council seriously lacks foresight.
Darryl Stevenson, Coal Point
Optimism and uncertain future
EARTH travels around our sun, and the sun travels around our galaxy in about 225-250 million years. In the last 550 million years there have been cyclic variations in the mean global temperature from hothouse to icehouse each 150 million years. The last and coldest began 34 million years ago, at the time large continents had reached near current world positions. By 2.5-3 million years ago the temperature drop heralded the arrival of primitive man. Earth today is still in the last icehouse phase as evidenced by ice at the Artic again, and Antarctic for the first time.
While in this cold period, there exists cyclic variations from more severe (glacial) conditions to more temperate (interglacial) conditions. Early hominins man saw glacial periods occurring every 41,000 years.
During the last 800,000 years, homo erectus transiting to homo sapiens saw glacial periods less frequently each 123,000 years; a cycle of ice sheet growth, then recession. During these cycles carbon dioxide levels between about 170-280 parts per million are recorded. During our human industrialised occupation greenhouse gas emissions have grown to 430 parts per million.
In the last 150 years the Arctic and Antarctic are evaporating at an unprecedented rate compared to the previous 24,000 years. This could be CO2 acting alone, but there is still much unknown to help scientists understand whether the current human-driven changes in atmospheric composition act alone or some unknown factors will still drive the Earth system into another warmer semi-stable state without polar ice.
Paul Duggan, Garden Suburb
Change in outlook
I THINK it's a little sad how, in the current older generation in this city, there are some amongst the privileged and entitled (a small number, mind you) who feel it is right and proper to complain about anything and everything that happens in their little cocoons because they are so righteous they feel they speak for everyone.
Go back a generation and the older people had completely different outlooks. They lived in inner city Newcastle and surrounds, mostly because it was an industrial city, it was cheap and close to where they worked. Most were community minded and got on well because that was the neighbourly thing to do. They joined bowling clubs and the like because it was part of a strong hardworking city.
I can speak from my father's experience. He lived in Union Lane with his mum in reasonably priced accommodation. Most East Enders wouldn't know where that is. A much simpler life in those days. You worked hard, you could still get ahead. If you couldn't afford something, you did without. Over time, with falling member numbers in bowlos, clubs had to reinvent themselves with live music and the like. It is a little absurd, and this is just my opinion, that in one generation we have turned ourselves into a bunch of whingers (small pockets but still heard loud and clear by the powers that be). Sunday arvo from 2 to 6 at Adamstown bowlo is not an impairment on anyone's lifestyle. Pretty soon they will be complaining about noise from weddings, funerals and soccer matches in the area.
Won't be long before horses at the racetrack have to wear rubber booties to dull the noise. Ridiculous!
Tony Morley, Waratah
Greenwashing
THANK you Mark Creek for pointing out that the billboards for the Supercars event also include alcohol and gambling advertisements ('Counterclaims on Supercars', Letters, 6/10), although these hardly improve the promotional benefits of this event for the city. However, claiming that an 85 per cent ethanol blend is a renewable fuel is clearly greenwashing.
When the fuel required to grow the crops and the massive amounts of land, water and fertilisers needed to produce the raw materials are taken into account, corn-based ethanol may be worse for the environment than the gasoline it's meant to replace.
Christine Everingham, Newcastle East
Zero extinction target
AFTER years of government neglect, more than 1800 of our native Australian animals and plants are presently at risk of extinction. However at long last, it now appears that there is a strong ray of hope for our long-suffering animals and plants.
The federal Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek has announced a zero extinctions target for Australia's animals and plants. This is the first time such an announcement has been made by a federal government. A huge well done to Ms Plibersek. I am certain that a great many Australians applaud the recent announcement and will follow with considerable interest its application in the years to come.
Brian Measday, Myrtle Bank
SHORT TAKES
THE AMA calls for urgent changes to the Medicare rebate and I agree. The rebate needs to be changed from a fixed amount to a percentage of what the doctor charges their patient. A 65 per cent rebate of the doctor's fee should be returned to the patient - that would make the system fair for all.
Darryl Tuckwell, Eleebana
ON a recent visit to Parliament House I noticed another Indigenous flag has been included in the chamber, bringing the number of flags to three. A symbolic sign of further division rather than the much-heralded unification campaign. Given there are apparently 270 ethnic groups in Australia, should we have that many flags on display? One flag should be enough to represent all Australians.
Kerry Thomas, Pelican
I WOULD like to thank Josh Leeson for the article he wrote about my grandson, Josh Setterfield ('Josh blows up', Newcastle Herald, 29/9). I have been a long time reader of the Herald. It was lovely to see.
Mary Rae, Wangi Wangi
I'M glad John Arnold (Short Takes, 6/10) is not talking about me. I don't accept any mythical being as my god. Talk about playing the man and not the ball though. More than a few climate zealots demand that we accept their beliefs without much evidence, as I see it. I'm intrigued about the new climate studies showing things getting a lot worse. What might they be?
Peter Dolan, Lambton
WONDERFUL news that the Newcastle 500 is returning to our town. Three days of thrilling racing and great promotion of Newcastle will more than make up for the five months of whinging from the East End.
Scott Neylan, Stockton
I CAN'T wait for the first EV Bathurst 1000; one hour racing, four hour pit-stops to refuel.
Doug Hoepper, Garden Suburb
ON the eve of the Bathurst 1000, what great news that Supercars returns to Newcastle as the season opener!
Brendon Burns, Fletcher
I LIKE Stan Keifer's idea of a get-together for frequent letter writers to the Herald (Short Takes, 6/10). I suspect it would be a friendly affair but that few opinions would change. As Stan had not one but two letters published on the same day, perhaps there should be a separate category for such high-achievers!
Michael Gormly, Islington
STAN Keifer, I'm a busy man and it also might be wise if I sent my body double. However, I will attend provided I can bring my food taster and the meeting includes gin and a game of naked twister.
