Were the proposed users surveyed to obtain the usage factor? What the region needs is an international airport to enable their products to be delivered overnight to customers in overseas regions.

Years ago a local venture was proposed to grow gladioli and airfreight them from Tamworth to Singapore overnight where a great market existed. This failed because Tamworth did not have an international airport!

It would cost no more (possibly less) to extend the airport runway to international standard over the creek etc.

Just think what an aircraft full of freshly slaughtered beef or say chicken, even eggs etc. would be worth? May be gladioli and many other locally produced products?

Bladen Brooke OAM, Boambee East

Friday was World Environment Day, yet on Thursday the Coalition fast-tracked its lower house defeat of a bill that would have seen a moratorium placed on coal seam gas exploration and extraction in NSW until the risks to human health and the environment are fully mitigated and managed. The week before was Reconciliation Week, yet that weekend, Rio Tinto blew up a cave containing 46,000 year old Indigenous artifacts. Spectacularly bad timing, blatant disregard, salt in the wound or all of the above? When will we start putting people before fossil fuel profits?

T Rainbird, Tamworth

In conjunction with the realigning of the Oxley Highway to upgrade access to the Tamworth Airport, I suggest the construction of a pedestrian overpass for unrestricted access to the Westdale Public School. The Gunnedah Road (Oxley Highway) carries large volumes of traffic daily including numerous heavy vehicles.

Westdale shopping centre is always busy. When departing the shops merging with the traffic in either direction is challenging. Adjusting to the speed limit before reaching the school crossing is a nightmare with Police just waiting to pounce. Their time would be better spent directing the traffic. With the number of unfair Speeding Fines issued at this hot spot, Inland Revenue should have sufficient funding.

Reminds me of the lyrics: "I'll build a stairway to ........ (Westdale) with a new step every day! I'm gonna get there at any price (Inland Revenue): Stand aside, I'm, on my way!"

Lois Edlington, Tamworth

Barnaby Joyce may be a a master of telling people fairy tales. But I can assure him that, after his latest attempt to attack The Morrison government's Renovation Grants, he is definitely no threat to Hans Christian Anderson ("A government stimulus bedtime story", June 6)..

Perhaps he could better use his rambling missive, with it's collection of Bill, Pam, Cedric, Isabel and Colin, as a way to send his two little boys to sleep each night. Let's face it, it goes for long enough that the boys will never hear the end.

Oh, and a couple of words of advice to Barnaby. Never let your huge ego entice you to step out of your area of expertise.

Bert Candy, Glenvale

The COVID-19 pandemic has swiftly spread around the world although misinformation and bogus treatments have probably spread faster through the world of social media. Scientists were still getting their test tubes out by the time non-scientific cures and bogus treatments were being sold on the internet, but we know where the real answers will come from or at least we should know.

Perhaps the oddest story relating to bobus and untested treatments is that of the ex-Madagascar Minister of Education minister Rijasoa Andriamanana who planned to buy over two million dollars' worth of lollipops to help make a herbal treatment less bitter when given to school children. Don't they know that all good medicine tastes bad - actually that's an urban myth rather then a fact but people believe these things too easily.

We need to wait till scientists, hopefully, develop a vaccine and spread that around the world. Ignore the internet wisdom and look for accurate scientific sources of information.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne

Today in SE Queensland (the "Sunshine State") it is wind-less, cloudy and cold. We need electricity to brew coffee, cook dinner, warm a cold house and pump water.

There is no solar or wind power being generated and no giant batteries releasing stored energy. Where does our electricity come from when we need it most? It comes mainly from the old reliable, King Coal, with maybe a bit of hydro and gas.

Lord save us from green energy dreamers who would have us freezing in blackouts when stoves, heaters and TV's switch on tonight.

Viv Forbes, Washpool