WHAT'S happening, Australia? What happened to the days where you and your family could go and enjoy watching sport in safe surroundings, hearing the sounds of cheering not jeering, of high fives and Mexican waves not flares, streakers and pitch invasions? Hoods and politics have marked and spoiled a once favourite Australian pastime, unfortunately certain sports have brought this enjoyable time to an end.
The high crowd control fences were brought down in fear of crowd crush and structure failure. Do we now bring them back with floor to roof netting to prevent these hoods and thugs throwing missiles and pitch invasions, or do we need something like electrified paddock fencing, or security personnel carrying tasers?
Is this what our enjoyment of our athletes has come too? Shame, soccer hoods.
Graeme Kime, Cameron Park
Ugly trend is one we can halt
WHILE it's important to call out improper decisions and conduct made by councils, governments and their employees/volunteers, it is equally heart-breaking being subjected to the decline of behaviour and social mores from some individuals, in the first quarter of the 21st century. I am referring to a few articles in the Newcastle Herald last week.
In Topics on Saturday ("Motives for a life of crime not clear-cut", Topics 17/12) John Ure, a detective at Toronto in the 1970s, reported a swathe of abhorrent incidents carried out by individuals (mainly men) admitting "he doesn't know why people commit crime."
Turning to another, Greg Hood is an 85-five-year-old active bike rider who was seriously injured on the Fernleigh Track ("Fallout of Fernleigh crash", Herald 16/12). His wife recalls her husband's account of the scene and she said "the incident showed that something needs to be done to reduce dangerous behaviour on the popular walking and riding track". I've reported inappropriate behaviour from youth bike riders around shopping centres and there has been previous extensive press coverage of dangerous bike riding along Newcastle's shared beachfront thoroughfare.
I believe these are issues that communities can be involved in and band together to bring about change, expose and demand justice be served. The future looks grim if this conduct continues.
Pat Garnet, Wickham
Playground cost has varied
THERE is no doubt that the new playground proposed for Foreshore Park will be welcomed by the Newcastle public, ("Park work to start in 2023", Herald 15/12). What may raise the hackles for ratepayers, already facing exorbitant rises under this current council, is the blowout in its estimated cost. In 2021, council submitted a successful grant application for funding for this playground from the Newcastle Port Community Contribution Fund and received $500,000.
On the application, received by the residents group through Freedom of Information laws, there was a clear breakdown of all costs associated with this project, including all earthwork preparation, playground equipment and installation, amenities block, shade and fencing for an estimated total completed project cost of $5.5 million. The 2022 December council meeting heard it announced the estimated cost was now $13 million. The Herald reported the cost as $12 million. Ratepayers need some answers. Why has the cost of this project blown out to this extent, even before work has commenced?
Christine Everingham, Newcastle East
No peace of mind from insurance
WITH the recent flood devastation putting a watchful eye on how insurance companies treat hard working people I would like to bring another type of insurance to light, and that is life insurance. I applied for an increase of my life insurance through my super fund way back in September. I submitted the required information a bit later on, but nonetheless they got it.
I suffer from mild depression, have had skin cancer issues and a few other health concerns just like any other honest hard working person and by the way all managed effectively. Now up until last week I had no decision from them just saying awaiting requirements which were noted on my super's website, so I had had enough and lodged a complaint well wouldn't you know they have made a decision and that was done today and yet I still don't know the outcome.
My point is; don't take any insurance companies for granted; they like to play god with people's lives, manipulate, bully and harass. I guarantee that when my time comes my children will have to fight tooth and nail to get the money, and all the while the insurance companies keep gouging and gouging without morals or any sense of decency and, without a true determined watchdog they will keep on harming both, financially and emotionally the hard working Australians they are supposed to aid in their time of need.
Robert Kennedy, Singleton
Voice must represent the many
I BELIEVE there is no need to change our Constitution to allow an Indigenous Voice to Federal Parliament and there is nothing stopping Mr. Albanese from legislating one right now if he wanted to. Instead he wants to take Australia to a costly, time consuming and divisive referendum to enshrine the requirement for it in our Constitution.
A Federal Indigenous Voice should take into account the full history of Australia including the Indigenous history up to 1788 , the formation of the states and territories, our 1901 Constitution and the 1967 Referendum. The makeup of the Federal Indigenous Voice should take all of this history into account and could be built on six state and two territory Indigenous Voices.
One possible makeup of the Federal Indigenous Voice could be a Voice of 20 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as nominated by the six state and two territory Indigenous Voices. The 20 could comprise three from each of the six states and one from each of the two territories.
As someone with no Aboriginal or Torres Strait ancestry I acknowledge however that the composition and number on the Federal Voice may need to be different so as to take into account the views of the six state and two territory Indigenous Voices.
An overriding issue that I believe needs to be addressed and taken into account is the question of how much Indigenous ancestry is needed for someone to qualify for and be involved with an Indigenous Voice.
Clive Jensen, Merewether
Pipeline didn't carry all the oil
RAY Peck, ("Pipeline battles", Letters, 15/12), yes Biden closed down the Keystone XL pipeline putting thousands of well paid workers on the unemployment line. He shut down the pipeline but the oil is still being imported into the USA by road and rail, so which is better for the environment; oil through a pipeline or hundreds of truck and rail movements a week? This decision did not make sense then and still doesn't.
Robert Dunning, Thornton
SHORT TAKES
I AM very angry and ashamed of the disgusting behaviour of the Melbourne soccer fans. I thought when I left Scotland 50 odd years ago that was all behind me, and was very proud of the Australian sports fans behaviour in all sporting codes. Soccer or any other thuggery does not belong in Australia. I am hoping this is the last I see of it.
Bill Slicer, Tighes Hill
Even though it hasn't gone far enough, it's refreshing to see the new government stand up to the profit-gouging, big energy companies that are making life hard for ordinary Australians and small business owners. It's typical though of the LNP and the Murdoch media machine to take the side of energy billionaires with their 'we'll all be rooned' scaremongering. The LNP will always take the side of profit over people and that's why it'll be in the political wilderness for a while.
John Arnold, Anna Bay
THE words of I Am a Rock have more meaning today than ever before. "A winter's day in a deep and dark December". Luckily we have global warming even in the Southern Hemisphere.
John Hollingsworth, Hamilton
IN Jenna Price's rant, ("Where's the web safety for adults?", Opinion, 16/12), she uses the words we and we've 19 times. Who is the we that she is speaking for?
Darryl Thurston, Salamander Bay
Mac Maguire reckons Scott Morrison is unsuitable for public office, (Short Takes 17/12). Over the years I have considered Mac Maguire to be the most negative contributor to this page, however, in this democracy he is also entitled to express his opinions. By the same token, Scott Morrison's electorate should also be entitled to have a say in determining his future.
David Stuart, New Lambton
IAN Jackson (Letters 17/12), I suggest you leave another package outside whilst you're not home with a surprise in it. I'm sure the lowlife will return if you think like a butcher. Revenge will be sweet. Cheers.
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
THE federal Opposition Leader calls Labor's energy saving bill a catastrophe in the making. No Mr. Dutton, the catastrophe was made years ago when our energy generation supply was privatised by guess who.
Darryl Tuckwell, Eleebana
If setting emergency artificial price caps on coal and gas feed into electricity production is supposed to rein in electricity bills, then why is a taxpayer $1.5 billion fund also required to provide rebates to consumers as well ($230 average subsidy)? And yet the government is still predicting a massive 23 per cent increase in bills rather than the 36 per cent modelling has suggested - doesn't make sense? Why not just intervene completely and circumvent any rise in this so-called transition phase?
