ANDREW Hirst ("National days are important", Letters, 18/1), I think you'll find that the whole Australia Day debate is merely about moving it to a date that doesn't celebrate the anniversary of Australia's colonisation. So, if anyone wants to turn Australia Day into a day that absolutely all Australians can celebrate and take pride in, I'd hardly call them "haters of Australia". On the contrary.
I can't say that I've heard of any attempts from any factions to actually "cancel" Australia Day (or Anzac Day for that matter), so I'd be interested in hearing any sources you may have regarding this. I'm also interested to hear what sources you may have regarding inventory at Woolworths, because you seem absolutely positive that they have a demand for Australia Day products, and that "very few people" buy vegan products (despite an increasingly larger amount of Australians opting for plant-based diets). I think that unless someone has been working at Woolies in the past couple of years or so, I don't think that they can provide any real insight as to what exactly has been in demand there in recent years leading up to January 26. Anything else is probably just speculation.
Adz Carter, Newcastle
Only culture wars rage in Australia
PERHAPS those who would like to stop most Australians from celebrating Australia Day should be grateful for the fantastic country we live in and give thanks. Here are some of the countries that have been involved with civil war, some for more than 30 years, and thousands of civilians killed or murdered:
Myanmar (since 1948), Colombia (since 1964), Angola, Somalia, Afghanistan, Senegal, Congo, Nigeria, Iraq, Pakistan (since 2004), Mexico, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia (since 2018), and Haiti. All are civil wars and do not include Russia and others in international conflicts and do not include the 500,000 killed in the Rwandan civil war. No wonder families want to get away from these countries and find a better life here in Australia, where some complain about a national Australia day for all to celebrate.
John Hollingsworth, Hamilton
No need to turn city into Sydney
OPINION pieces are just that. The recent piece on our future city vision from Bradley Perrett succinctly summarises everything that many an outsider may attempt to impose on us in the coming decades. It also reminds us to value what we have built here, as there are many who would just love to change our way of life and tell us what we're doing wrong, usually with external agendas and vested interests to our region.
Why should the future vision for our town be anything like that painted in this piece? If we wanted to live in Sydney, we would. About time for check points on our city limits. I just wish we could have other opinion pieces to counterbalance this one.
Dayne Steggles, Merewether
Moo is welcome, but secrecy's not
IT'S great to see a live music event coming to Newcastle without the need to host a motor racing event. Hopefully Groovin the Moo will benefit the city's businesses, unlike the super disruption caused by Supercars.
What does concern me is that the council's executive manager media engagement, economy and corporate affairs, Nick Kaiser, seems unaware that the council, along with the NSW government, refused to release any information about the costs of the Supercars event. It was only after numerous freedom of information requests and a successful challenge by the residents group through the NSW Civil and Administration Court that this deed even came to light. Despite this win, no breakdown in the costs of the items listed in the services deed has ever been provided by council. As a result, many view the round figure trotted out by council year after year with great scepticism.
Christine Everingham, Newcastle East
Is fast rail best use of cash?
ALL aboard! Here we go again.
The federal Infrastructure Minister has said the government would give voters something tangible on high-speed rail before the next election.
The cost of this "early planning" is estimated at $500 million. Fortunately this political, economic, geographic and demographic fallacy was highlighted in 2020 in a report from the Grattan Institute, which said high-speed rail was not suitable for Australia and governments should stop spending public money to continually study proposals for it.
"While a bullet train may be a captivating idea, it's not realistic for Australia", it concluded. "Our population is small and spread over vast distances and countries like Canada and the US don't have bullet trains either". Why is this Labor dream still being paraded? $500 million would build a lot of affordable housing in Newcastle.
John Cooper, Charlestown
Celebrate or protest, but respect is key
MARK Australia Day as you choose, that is our right as Aussies. Respect the choice others make, that is our responsibility. I'll be working on the day, as I have for many years, and adding it to a short break I take up the coast in February; that's my choice. Off to Coles now to buy something to wear on the day to show my thanks for those who made this country a safe place for personal choice.
Dave McTaggart, Edgeworth
Trump's words ring true
IN November 2016, Donald Trump delivered the following pronouncements regarding Hillary Clinton: a candidate under federal investigation has no right to be running, and, it would be virtually impossible for a president under indictment to govern. When is someone going to remind the Americans of these ringing declarations from the mouth of their latest great conman? The Brits might also like to ask Boris Johnson for his opinion, given his recent statement that Donald Trump is what the world needs.
Grant Agnew, Coopers Plains
Border battle is not a new fight
A question for Graeme Kime ("Border control must do more", Letters, 23/1). Graeme, you mentioned twice in the letter "this government" and its shortcomings on border security, but did you have television prior to May 2022? I have and I have watched Border Force programs for a lot of years. The bringing in of food and prohibited stuff didn't start in 2022, nor did the arrival of illegal workers. While the former government was obsessed with stopping illegal entry by boat, they seemed largely oblivious to what was coming in by air.
Fred McInerney, Karuah
Devil in the detail for nicknames
HMM, 'Hindenburg Dutton'? What's that little squiggly thing on his tail feathers?
Peter Ronne, Woodberry
Support is no sound structure
I'M sorry, but giving people handouts for everything imaginable is not sustainable. If you can't afford it, don't do it. It's not rocket science.
