THE Independent winner of the state seat of Pittwater, Jacqui Scruby ("Liberals' loss of prized seat 'an outlier'", Herald, 22/10) believes the source of the increased momentum for community-focused candidates lies in the erosion of trust in government.
I believe we witnessed this momentum in Newcastle with the win by Our Newcastle's Ross Kerridge in the recent local government election. Future candidates for Newcastle's state and federal seats need to seriously reflect on why so many people lost faith in the credibility of the main political parties, their ability to act truthfully and to deliver the promised transparency and accountability.
Restoring trust in government should be a priority.
Christine Everingham, Newcastle East
Dense Hunter St brings dangers
THE shopping has gone, and there's no longer a reason to walk Hunter Street. This is the intention and has been for many years. Out to the suburbs or online to buy, meaning fewer jobs for sure. Shops are closing and never to return. You're greedy City of Newcastle. What is your ultimate plan?
The more weight you put on the land, the more crowded it becomes. That means no proper natural drainage and I fear flooding will come. Then insurance will rise; another flood-prone area, they say. Are the buildings flood-proof? I think not.
Then there's no tourism for us. A disgrace it's become. Let's hope the new lord mayor still has time to intervene, with age and knowledge behind him. We can only hope.
Amanda Johnstone, Mayfield
Salary secrecy, or stickybeaking?
CHRISTINE Everingham ("Why the secrecy on salaries?", Letters, 22/10), why do you need to know what someone's salary is? Please explain, in a detailed letter, how it affects the population of Newcastle and you.
Andy Ward, Newcastle
Price isn't the ultimate measure
MARIA Pye ("What matters more than price?", Letters, 22/10), you question why council is not obliged to accept the lowest tender for any public works.
It is simple: cheap in the short term is not always cheap in the long term. In fact, the cheapest quote may be the most expensive in the long term. You often have to pay a bit extra to get a company that will perform work that will last a long time - i.e. a quality job from a quality company.
There are also other considerations. Does the relevant company have a track record of delivering on time and on budget, and do they have a good public relations record?
Does the relevant company have a good record of working well with all stakeholders including neighbours/ratepayers and adequately managing cost and scope of works variations and on-site waste?
I think your insinuation that tenders can be considered purely on cost with everything else being equal is very naive. I really have to wonder if you have the benefit of time on earth to have experienced the frustration of companies that have the cheap and nasty solution that end up costing in the long term.
Glen Wilson, Cardiff
Concerns over state's Equity Bill
THE Equality Bill passed through NSW Parliament's upper house earlier this month. It will allow people to change their birth certificate without having to undergo surgery. In essence, I fear that means that anyone can change their birth certificate from male to female or female to male.
As stated by NSW Liberal MP Rachel Merton who objected to the bill: "As a woman, as mother of young girls, I speak with certainty that we are about to open the floodgates to confusion and legal chaos. If sex can be changed at the stroke of a pen, we undermine the very concept of biological truth and fairness. The consequences will ripple across society, from education, where children are taught that sex is changeable, to law enforcement, where violent offenders could potentially exploit this legislation for access to spaces they should never enter. This legislation prioritises ideology over reality, endangering the rights and safety of women and girls."
I recently spoke at an international conference in Lisbon, where parents, health professionals and other concerned citizens gathered to discuss the global harms that are taking place because young people have been told that they can change sex. Listening to the story of a young woman who was prescribed testosterone as a teenager, had her breasts removed as a teenager, then came to regret these interventions within a few years was confronting.
As someone who made submissions to NSW Parliament on behalf of an Australian organisation opposing the bill, I am gravely concerned that females in NSW will no longer be able to exclude males from female-only spaces. Women's safety, privacy and dignity is not a culture war and the NSW government has, in my opinion, betrayed the females of NSW.
Judith Hunter, The Junction
Trump's ready if he's cooked
IT was good to see on TV news that Donald Trump was getting some work experience at McDonald's in case he loses the upcoming US election.
Alan Hadley, Morisset
SHORT TAKES
Views of cathedral not so sacred
REGARDING loss of views by the EastEnd project ("New battleground for EastEnd project", Herald, 21/10), in my opinion all this hullabaloo over loss of views of the cathedral is the biggest load of garbage I've heard. Who cares if you can't see the cathedral? If you want to see it drive past. And how many Newcastle go to town or cruise the harbour to simply look at a brick building up on the hill? I could think of nothing more boring. Maybe I missed the part where Newcastle has daily harbour cruises to view the cathedral; I know I won't be going. In my opinion everyone should get over this loss-of-view garbage. Who cares? If you care so much about looking at the cathedral, buy a really big photo and hang it on your lounge room wall. Problem solved.
Graeme Bennett, Warners Bay
We all benefit from bloody past
SORRY to intrude, but people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones ("Sorry to intrude, Your Majesty, but ...", Newcastle Herald, 19/10). Apologies need to be made by all. This includes we who have also benefited from colonisation and great wrongs done to Indigenous Aboriginal people. If George Orwell were alive I'm sure he would agree that we are a family here with the "wrong members in control" too. We, King Charles and everyone, need to take responsibility and amend the past wrongs where we can.
Sue Boele, Hamilton South
Reporting science is golden
THANK you to the Newcastle Herald for being willing to publish articles that speak out against new fossil fuel development ("16,000 reasons why coal seam gas is not the answer", Opinion 18/10). So much of the Australian media is unwilling to report the scientific truth that continuing to dig up and burn coal, oil and gas is not only damaging our climate and environment, but it's terrible for our health. In the heart of coal country, where lives and livelihoods have relied on fossil fuels for generations, this is an exceptional step forward and one that future generations will be grateful for.
