Northern Daily Leader Letters to the Editor: Tuesday, April 20 2021

This is positive news, however I suspect that certain members of her left wing faction will be whinging and whining.

I wish to raise a matter that Mark Latham wrote in the Daily Telegraph this week.

Mark stated that two unions associated with coal workers, had formed a Hunter Jobs Alliance with a group named Lean and that the HJA is campaigning to end coal mining.

Mark went on to say that alternative jobs would be in floating windmills off the coast of Newcastle and filling in disused coal pits to create new water-sports tourism in the Hunter.

I am of the opinion that this outfit should give an explanation to the miners of the Hunter, what all these "pie in the sky" projects are about.

I wonder what Malcolm Turnbull would think of these proposals in view of his previous comical suggestions to the coal miners in the Hunter.

John Rumble, Albion Park

What is the Tamworth and district ratepayers, irrigators of the Peel Valley doing in regards to water prices? Tamworth Regional Council have proved as hard as they try no one is listening. It is time ratepayers and irrigators got together to bring pressure on MP's Mr Anderson, Khan and Marshall. Minister Marshall is as much involved in water distribution as his colleagues MP's Melinda Pavey and Matt Kean, being the agricultural minister. Minister Marshall for the last number of years has jumped up and down re fuel prices yet as water is an important part of agricultural he keeps quiet, so as not to embarrass himself.

The state and Commonwealth governments must have the cost of environmental water. The purpose of dames are to pressure superabundance of water for control distribution water must than have a value that is shared from whence it is trapped at the head and exiting at the tail (commonly known as the mouth of the river). The price as Minister Marshall state should be uniform.

Environmental water when needed must come from all dams regardless of who owns the dam. MLC Khan please help NSW and Tamworth district residents from having to pay $500 per megalitre once the new Dungowan Dam has been completed as the state government has a built cost recovery policy. The extension of Chaffey Dam is no doubt the reason for the price hike, it appears IPART may want the cost repaid by some users yesterday, not 20 years down the track.

I repeat the previous release of water as environmental was criminal and detrimental to the environment. This argument has been going on for years and MP Anderson and his colleagues have done nothing to solve the problem, but Minister Pavey could solve the problem tomorrow.

Ian Dutton, Tamworth

Tamworth Regional Council employee Bruce Logan has been lambasting WaterNSW for the increased costs of water per megalitre for Tamworth.

What he is yet to say that the cost sharing between NSW and users had changed from a 50/50 (NSW and users) split deferred due to drought will change to 80/20 after the drought.

He would have known this if he had attended the meeting of the Namoi-Peel Advisory Group.

At least he apologised for not attending, but I am unsure if he read the minutes.

Can he also explain how TRC made a $5 million profit from water and sewerage in a pamphlet sent to all ratepayers?

Mark Trenemen, Tamworth

Do we need to be "Faster - Higher - Stronger", the Olympic motto or should we just try to be ok and healthy? The Olympics may yet be cancelled completely after having been delayed a year says Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, who talked of having to "give up".

The 2020 Olympics were postponed because of the COVID pandemic and the 2021 version will have few in the stands as overseas spectators have been banned and many of the local citizens aren't interested or actually want it cancelled. Any spectators that would attend will only be allowed to clap and not cheer which seems a rather sad, pale version of the event.

The first priority for most countries is to get citizens vaccinated, stop the spread of the virus and then start on an economic recovery rather than watching two weeks of Olympians and para Olympians doing the best they can. Considering how many have already died and will still die, it is probably best to commit all resources to the medical world and stay safe at home. I know a number of Olympic competitors will miss their one opportunity but that may be the cost they have to pay for the safety of the majority.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill

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