Another serious incident involving an e-scooter ("Woman in hospital after crashing e-scooter", Newcastle Herald, 9/1).
One can only wonder how many near misses, or should I say near hits, have occurred.
I have observed children, sometimes tandem, on e-scooters hurtling along at speed along busy roads such as McCaffrey Drive, Rankin Park. Surely this is noticed by the multitude of traffic cameras that now exist?
These powered scooters can appear from nowhere, even when while you are moving out of a parking position.
Why do motorists have to obtain and pay for a driver's licence? Why are motorcyclists and cyclists required to wear helmets?
Why do motorists pay 46 cents a litre of fuel excise and 10 per cent GST on retail on top of that?
E-scooter operators, whether child or adult, are not required to be licensed, most do not wear helmets, nor do they pay any road upkeep contribution. Information varies on the legality of these things, but apparently they may be legal if ridden by 16 year olds and up, along roads but not footpaths as long as 20kmh is not exceeded.
How long until the penny drops? Or is this a survival of the fittest and personal freedoms social experiment?
Marvyn Smith, Heddon Greta
How about September 17?
A handful of correspondents seem agitated over decisions taken in recent years by many Australian councils, including Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, not to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.
One contributor declares that councils should stick to "rates, roads and rubbish".
Does this mean that councils should not hold citizenship ceremonies at all?
Another confirms that "January 26 is, and always will be, Australia Day" ("Ratepayers not asked", Letters, 6/1).
I wouldn't count on that.
After all, although January 26 has been acknowledged as Australia Day by all states since 1935, not all states made it a public holiday.
It wasn't declared a national public holiday until 1994 - just 30 years ago.
And as attitudes and understanding (and acknowledgement) of our true colonial history change, the meaning of January 26 might also change.
Interestingly, in a 2017 poll conducted for The Guardian, the three words most associated by respondents with Australia Day were barbecue, celebration and holiday.
I'm not sure whether the citizenship ceremony even rated a mention.
Although many councils hold additional citizenship ceremonies on other days through the year, to cope with the numbers of new citizens, perhaps it might be more appropriate to hold the principal ceremony on September 17?
After all, that is Australia's official Australian Citizenship Day.
Everybody could then get on with their barbecue, celebration and holiday on Australia Day - whenever that may be.
John Ure, Mount Hutton
History of shifting dates
A number of correspondents lament the fact that citizenship ceremonies are no longer celebrated on January 26 - Australia Day.
Perhaps those lamenting its passing might like to recall the history of Australia Day.
Celebrated in NSW as Foundation Day it took the other states 50+ years to catch up with NSW and then, given the Australian love of the long weekend, we thought so much of the significance of the day that rather than celebrating on the 26th, we chose to celebrate it on the closest Monday, thereby granting ourselves that fabled long weekend.
From 1915 for several years Australia Day was celebrated on July 30 - go figure.
Canberra, it should be pointed out, did not even bother with Australia Day celebrations at all until it was mandated that January 26 would be celebrated nationwide in 1994.
Correspondents point out that one of the reasons that Australia Day has been foregone as a day for citizenship celebrations is the cost of providing staff on public holidays.
Several letter writers rail against this as penny-pinching for such an important occasion.
Surely it couldn't be the same correspondents who, almost on daily, chastise governments, and particularly local governments, for spending their rates on "pet" projects?
Finally, one correspondent states that this is not an issue for councils to decide. Given that they host the event, pay for it, organise it, and manage the whole process, I would have thought that they should have the final say on which date to host citizenship ceremonies.
Barney Langford, Whitebridge
(former LMCC councillor)
SHORT TAKES
Taking sides on best money managers
There has always been a consensus in this country that a Coalition government is a better economic manager than Labor. But, according to leading economists Ross Garnaut, between 2013-2019, under a federal Coalition government, the Australian economy performed very poorly. In fact, he went as far as calling them the "dog days" of economic management.
Darryl Tuckwell, Eleebana
Supermarkets under scrutiny
To Geoff Black ("It's crunch time for supermarket giants", Letters, 9/1), I couldn't agree more, but don't worry, the government will have a senate inquiry to fix this problem.
Geoff Pickin, Wallsend
Guilt-driven comments
We seem to be getting daily comments from "no" voters at the recent referendum telling contributors to stop mentioning it. I think they've got a guilty conscience - having played their part in denying Indigenous Australians recognition and a voice is nothing to be proud of.
Mac Maguire, Charlestown
Another view of Mid-East crisis
I suggest Peter Dolan ("Words already there", Letters 9/1) listens to another side by watching a video by Rev Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Christian whose Christmas message is titled 'Christ in the rubble'. This may give him a more balanced view.
Julie Robinson, Cardiff
Gaza child deaths glossed over
Once again Peter Dolan ("Words already there", Letters, 9/1) glosses over the absolute horror that is Gaza with the trite comment that the Israeli government is "trying to minimise the loss of innocent lives as best it can". Considering that more than 10,000 children have been killed or are lost under rubble and presumed dead, and 18,000 injured, how many more innocent child murders are you willing to tolerate Mr Dolan?
