UNE funding
I refer to Thursday 13th May Leader article featuring Barnaby Joyce (Federal Member for New England) , Mitch Hanlon (Chairman Tamworth University Reference Group) and Col Murray (Tamworth Mayor).
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Firstly, Barnaby is making it quite clear that the Federal Government will not contribute the $10 Million in cash as a budget line item as requested by the State Government but will proceed with the funding in kind as previously advised which is more than $10 million as it is ongoing by way of university placements.
ABC's Q&A this week stated that no additional funding was or will be available for universities in Australia in this year's budget.
To me this only means one thing, we are chasing a dead end looking for $10 million In cash from the federal government unless we become a borderline seat at the next election and that may be too late if the proposed sunset clause of twelve months to take up the state government funding still applies.
In summary I can only see one solution and that is for the state government to accept the federal governments funding "n kind" as disclosed by Barnaby Joyce in the Leader on Thursday 13th May.
Currently, every regional city in NSW that has a university is smaller in population than Tamworth except for Wagga so why should children in our area be disadvantaged?
Also, we are growing with a blueprint of growth for the future to be for a population of 100,000 so the problem will only get worse.
Tamworth has one of the lowest percentages of children sitting for the HSC and going onto university in NSW and one of the lowest university qualified professionals in NSW so if this does not indicate a need for a university I do not know what does.
Many children are not seeking to go onto university because they simply cannot afford it.
With the above in mind how can our state and federal members sit and squabble over funding which is in essence is there but in a different format than first proposed.
Richie Thornton, Tamworth University Reference Group Member
Federal Budget 2021
I support the Morrison governments Federal Budget handed down by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, it is a budget that supports rewarding effort by giving low and middle income earners a fair go through tax cuts, it's a budget that continues Australia's path to recovery and it helps those who need support the most by increasing the Jobseeker payment and support services to help people find work.
Australians can be proud that we are a competitive and strong nation and our recovery is because the government was prepared to keep Australians in work through JobKeeper and by supporting small businesses in tough times.
A $110 billion dollar, 10 year infrastructure plan to ensure we keep our economy moving and a lot of this funding goes towards creating growth and jobs for Rural Australians.
It's a budget that is fair, it's a budget that is small "l" liberal at it's core and that means a fair go for all Australians. I commend and support the 2021 Federal Budget.
Shane Moran, Tamworth
Federal Budget
The Australian government has failed to act on climate change in Tuesday's Federal Budget.
There was simply inadequate funding directed towards decarbonising the nation; in contrast, a significant amount of taxpayer money is being promised to the fossil fuel industry.
Science dictates that Australia needs to slash its emissions by 75 per cent (below 2005 levels) by 2030 to secure a safe climate.
However, our current emissions reduction target is still set at 26-28 per cent by 2030.
"Meeting and beating" this weak target is still hopelessly inadequate.
The government's continued support of the fossil fuel industry exacerbates the climate crisis.
We are all going to be losers if urgent action on climate is not taken, and last night was a big loss for all Australians.
Ching Ang, Kensington Gardens
Science of climate
Mr Viv Forbes from Washpool Queensland could be classed, I believe, as a religious fanatic, for, in spite of the facts, he says there is no science. I class myself as a coal miner over 80 years young.
Fact: An American geologist in 1899 warned of the stupidity of increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, soil and water.
Fact: The effects of acid rain brought about the burning of fossil fuels such as coal petroleum etc from coal power stations, moto0r exhausts etc has been well noted. Noted that is USA emissions for coal electric power stations killed trees in a 60 kilometre radius.
Fact: Wills and Boyle in the USA developed the first solar engine to work day and night in 1909 and Frank Shuman, an American, developed and demonstrated a full sized practical cost effective solar power plant pumping 6000 gallons of water a minute from the Nile River for irrigation with saturation publicly in 1913.
This is the science,
Lindsay Bridge, Quirindi
Spewing insults
I never understood the appeal of football. I don't know how people can watch a bunch of men chasing each other on a field. When you've seen one game you've seen them all.
Some men I know, all they can talk about is football. It's like they can't discuss anything else and they daily use football to engage in this weird bonding ritual of trading insults about the teams that others go for.
It's always disgusted me how Australians insult each other as if it's a bonding ritual.
I often hear the taunt that a rival team 'plays like a bunch of girls', women, or skirts. I don't know why calling someone a girl is considered an insult, but it disgusts me when people talk like this, especially since there are women footballers who are more fit and able than some of the men who spew these kind of insults.
Daniel Peckham, Tamworth
Climate Change
Richard of Barraba is wrong about climate change, (Climate Change 'Swindle,' Letters 13.05.2021).
Ninety seven per cent of scientists in the field agree that human activities are causing the global warming we are now experiencing with mainly dire consequences - like extended and more hazardous fire seasons.
Many theories have been proposed to explain this warming trend. All but one have fallen by the wayside, discarded for lack of evidence.
The evidence indicates that both the proportion of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and global surface temperatures are increasing, and these are linked. But ignorance persists.
And there is evidently deep complacency at Federal Government level.
Hence, a Budget this week that treats climate as a side issue, ramps up fossil fuel subsidies, ignores electric vehicles, deals weakly with symptoms, and with prevention, hardly at all.
Amanda Carlon, North Tamworth
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