We were grateful to Mr Marshall for making time in his busy schedule to meet with us on the afternoon of Friday 21 November when he reported on a meeting which he had had with the Minister for Local Govt, Shelley Hancock, during which he had recommended the reinstatement of the suspended Councillors.

We were encouraged to hear that Mr Marshall fully supported our position; that the suspended Councillors should be reinstated. He told us he thought democratic processes in Local Government were very important and agreed that 'Justice must not only be done but be seen to be done.'

Mr Marshall shared our concern that the 'toxic culture' which was a feature of that administration had resulted in sackings and resignations which has caused serious loss of expertise and corporate knowledge. He gave as an example the need to employ an engineer from the State Government for work on the Kempsey Road.

It was disappointing that Mr Marshall referred to a 'second chance' in his response in The Express on Monday 23 November. In our meeting he withdrew this observation when it was drawn to his attention that, in fact, the suspended Councillors had done nothing wrong and had been exonerated and commended for doing the job for which they were elected by the Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court. When asked about this choice of words at the meeting he reassured us that he had no intention to apportion blame to any of the remaining Councillors.

A positive outcome of the events of the last six months has been the gathering of people with a common interest in reclaiming our local democracy; people who would not have met had the Department of Local Government acted on the requests for assistance from the suspended Councillors in a timely manner.

We have increased respect for the remaining Councillors, their commitment to our communities and the courage they have shown as a result of the events of the past months. We know that the Councillors won't always agree but open discussion and transparency of decision-making will reassure our communities that decisions are being made in good faith.

Bruce Newberry

Yvonne Lagenberg

Elizabeth O'Hara

I was interested to read the article 'White Elephant' dam plan' in Monday's paper. I agree with The Tamworth Water Security Alliance that another dam is not the answer to our water woes.

Rather, we should be looking at how we use our water and what ways we can make this use more efficient. Dams are only good when it rains, and the last few years have shown us that we cannot rely on regular rainfall.

The upgrade to Chaffey Dam did not provide the promised water security, and the increased capacity of Chaffey is larger than the entire capacity of the proposed Dungowan Dam.

Just like everyone else, I lost plants and trees in my garden during the drought and the resulting water restrictions, so I am therefore very interested to hear the "cheaper, more sustainable" options that The Tamworth Water Security Alliance mentioned.

It appears that the TRC is not interested in making their report on these options public, nor have they surveyed their rate payers about this issue. I would like TRC to be more open to new ideas and discussions concerning our shared water security.

Alice Milson, Tamworth

The idea of a State-imposed levy on electric vehicle owners at this time is antagonistic to the goals of healthy air quality and a safe, liveable climate. ('AAA calls for national approach on electric car tax', NDL 23/11)

Transport emissions are second only to electricity generation as a source of carbon dioxide (accounting for 23 per cent of all emissions). The horror drought and bushfires of last Summer, fueled by climate change point to the need for Governments to support and encourage the transition to more efficient technologies like electric vehicles.

Despite the absence of policy and a national conversation about electric vehicles, the electrification of transport is a worldwide trend. There is an exciting opportunity for Australia to get on board with this trend that will help cut carbon emissions and improve air quality in urban areas.

No other nation has introduced such a tax or is proposing one. Now is the time for Australia to put a price on carbon based on 'polluter pays'. An exclusive electric vehicle levy is a bit like taxing smokers after they have quit smoking!

Ref. Drawdown, Edited by Paul Hawken

Penny Milson, Tamworth

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