Maureen O'Sullivan Davidson ("What ditching cash could cost us", Letters, 25/3) is spot on. Cash is legal tender and can only be refused if purchasers are informed before a sale that cash is not acceptable.
Major retailers do whatever they can to steer customers away from cash, with cashless self-serve registers and minimal manned registers. Retailers who refuse to accept cash might have trolleys full of goods abandoned at the registers. Retailers risk the alienating of a large section of their customer base, because the retired community has used cash for a lifetime. If society becomes cashless it will end shops who only accept cash, raffles, donations to charity, rides in fun parks, buskers, even sausage sandwiches.
Cash cannot be scammed, cash cannot be transferred online, cash cannot be remitted overseas. It takes a lot of effort and face-to-face contact to scam in cash. Back in the day, we got paid in cash, deposited cash at the bank, went into the bank to withdraw cash, then paid it to the service providers and retailers - no-one was scammed. The last known community wide "scam" with cash in Australia was the counterfeit $10 note saga. Now, thanks to "progress", we can be scammed out of many thousands, even millions, of dollars, by online scammers anywhere in the world.
Maureen is correct - the bankers are pushing to get rid of cash. Why? Because fewer branches, fewer staff, less security is needed to protect the assets and profits of the bankers - absolutely no consideration of the customers. So much for the customer always being right - more like ignored. All this under the guise of progress.
We need to push back against all financial institutions, retailers and the Parliament (not just the ruling party), otherwise our legal tender will become obsolete and enacted out of existence. Then, when the power goes off, the entire economy stops.
Doug Hoepper, Garden Suburb
Renewable renewables
We now have former Labor cabinet minister and ACTU secretary Greg Combet saying Australia will need to invest hundreds of billions of dollars to fund Australia's transition to net-zero emissions by 2050. You can just imagine the result, rural areas polluted by huge solar farms, wind turbines polluting the countryside and sea shores, and power lines everywhere. I have figured out why they are called "renewables", they all have to be replaced every 15 years at astronomical ongoing cost. On my calculations, nuclear appears to be cheaper in the long run and we get reliable 24x7 electricity. Win-win.
John Cooper, Charlestown
Stockton still waiting
I grew up in Bar Beach Avenue, and in my almost 79 years, I have seen the beach between Bar Beach and Merewether totally denuded of sand through natural causes only twice ("Funding to prevent beach erosion between Merewether, Bar", Herald 29/3. This article refers to the denuding of the beach in April 2022 and the lord mayor saying that the stretch "will need 'significant intervention and investment' as the cost of managing the effects of climate change becomes a reality". Cr Nelmes said the "council would use the funding to conduct a cost-benefit analysis and wider viability assessment."
I now live in Stockton, where beach-sand erosion has been a constant problem for many years, the cause of which is widely known to be the extension to the harbour breakwall, i.e. a man-made event. The problem is decades old with still no end in sight, and yet our council has reacted to a natural event of only two years ago.
Bill Snow, Stockton
Big tick for lowering voting age
It is interesting to note the renewed calls for a reduction in the voting age qualification to 16. This call will no doubt be opposed by the more conservative element in our society, but many 16-year-olds have arrived at a considered and mature judgement on what politicians they would prefer to represent them as they prepare for a future work and family life.
This call for a reduction in the voting age should be partnered with the proposal that the right to vote expires at the age of 75 or 80. This would allow society to avoid situations such as Brexit, where an overwhelming majority of older voters succeeded in passing a proposal that was inimical to the interests of the younger population and future generations. There are many examples of the aged population mistreating the younger sections of society with, the most egregious example being the conscription of 20-year-olds to fight in a foreign war, even though they were not then entitled to vote until 21.
Older people must accept that decisions about the future should be made by those who will live in that future.
Geoff Bryan, Mayfield East
SHORT TAKES
Must have missed the memo
I was enlightened to read the article "Stale, pale and male: boardroom diversity stalls" (Herald, 5/4), highlighting a lack of diversity hired in corporate boardrooms. If 90 per cent of the population is from an Anglo-Celtic background, then why would the boardrooms reflect a drop in that? We're seeing the drop in profits of Disney and Marvel, and the safety issues of Boeing who parade their diversity quotas. Maybe I'm just a stale, pale, millennial male whose outdated view is to hire who is best qualified for the job?
Nathan McGeorge, Shortland
Harsh reality behind profits
The reality of high prices for gas, electricity and water is nothing but corporate greed. I hate that they spruik how much their profits have gone up while people struggle.
Bruce Cook, Adamstown
Don't worry about Hastings
Max McKinney spoke with Knights second-rower Price-Paul in regards to Hasting returning to first grade ("Glass half full", Herald, 4/4). He shouldn't be worried about Hastings' position, he should be worried about his own. His form over the past three weeks hasn't lived up to the hype. He definitely hasn't been kicking the door down. He was going to be the next Sonny Bill Williams; he is a long way from that, and if he doesn't improve I can see him joining the reggies for a week or two at least.
Allen Small, East Maitland
Stadium run-around
Regarding "Codes clash over stadium" (Herald, 3/4), the CoN spokesperson is incorrect in stating that "working closely with impacted groups" regarding the proposed use of Wallarah and Blackley ovals for the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre. There are a wide range of non-consulted groups that are very much opposed to the building of the HISC on this site. Another point is that the ovals, due to flooding, were unable to be used "for the entire 2022 sporting season"; this is also incorrect, from my observations.
Bruce Jensen, New Lambton
Silence a mystery
I find it quite strange that since the sawdust hit the fan in the Bath/Neylon letter writing saga that Mr Neylon has suddenly lost interest in the goings-on of his good friend Mr Bath and details of City Newcastle's activities. One would have thought that, as Mr Bath's best buddy, he would make it his business to keep singing his praises as he has done throughout Mr Bath's various careers.
Ian King, Warners Bay
Tough voice recognition
I am not sure if Jacqui Lambie pinched Dave Hughes' voice or vice-versa, but if you close your eyes you can't tell who's who, honestly.
