Such acts of kindness mean so much to isolated elderly people. Tamworth is lucky to have them.

Belinda Henry, Tamworth

Tamworth Regional Council has closed all their offices including Barraba's, starting on March 30. This means Barraba has no Service NSW branch.

I work on Barraba's main street and every day I talk to upset elderly residents who have come to town to pay their rego, rates etc.

Many of them do not have the technology to do this online, and don't know how to either. Not being able to complete vehicle registration is a major problem for anyone, but it is particularly terrible for a rural person going on in years.

Service NSW tells me it is a council choice to close. Council tells me it's a Service NSW choice. The council officer tried to reassure me on the phone that "we are all in the same boat." This is a misunderstanding from council of long standing. Our boat is not the same. We are not in it together.

Tamworth residents have a Service NSW branch less than 1km from their offices. Most Barraba residents are 100km from Tamworth. Some are 150km.

It's about time council took a more nuanced approach to their decision making. The post office, the supermarket and the chemist are remaining open with modifications.

Teachers are being compelled to work in rooms of children. I own a shop and am remaining open as are the butcher and grocer amongst others.

Why can't Council and Service NSW stay open with similar modifications?

Kylie Kallitsis, Barraba

Extreme vegans and animal activists have been curiously silent about the horrible treatment of animals in Chinese wet markets. Much like climate activists who only want to criticise Australia for its minuscule emissions. The animal welfare lobby seem to give China a free pass.

Racists who attack Chinese Australians seem to be suffering from similar cognitive problems. Instead of attacking fellow Australians, all these people would do better to protest outside the Chinese embassy to stop their massive pollution, to stop eating bats, and to take responsibility for the coronavirus mismanagement and cover-ups.

Daniel Peckham, Tamworth

I read in a local newspaper (Victoria, Australia) that 97% of students were learning at home. This should have realistically read 97% of students were at home. They were not all learning or even studying.

I doubt that any teacher, even in the best of classes, could claim that only 1 in 30 students wasn't learning or even paying attention. I wouldn't make that claim myself as a retired teacher.

Perhaps the best answer is to close all schools and only have home schooling as the parents know everything about teaching and are so good at it.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill

Planning Minister Stokes must press pause on the Narrabri Gas Project.

The Covid-19 pandemic means that Public Hearings which are part of the approval process for projects such as the Narrabri Gas Project (NGP) are not possible.

Therefore, it would be inconceivable for Rob Stokes, Minister for Planning, to forward his Department's Assessment Report on the Narrabri Gas Project to the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) as this would commence the 12 week period requiring a Public Hearing be held and a determination made.

The North West NSW community is recovering from extreme drought and catastrophic bushfires and coping with the limitations on communications imposed by the COVID-19 virus.

The suggestion that the IPC hearing be held electronically is impractical, given poor regional internet coverage.

22,949 submissions were received by the Department of Planning and Environment regarding the Narrabri Gas Project.

98% were objections to Santos' proposal.It is disturbing to witness Kevin Powers, National COVID-19 Co-ordination Commissioner, and former chief executive of the Fortescue Metals Group, claim on Q&A that the Narrabri Gas Project is "an opportunity to get low cost gas into our markets and generate low cost electricity", this is utterly incorrect.

Production costs of coal seam gas are extremely high, and shortfall of gas in Eastern Australia.

The risks of CSG to water, land and air must be acknowledged.

This project must not proceed without a genuine Public Hearing that could only be held after the lifting of social distancing measures at the end of the pandemic.

Pat Schultz, Armidale

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