He endeavours to paint a rosy picture in defence of cotton.

But it has been repeatedly reported that many large corporations involved with cotton growing fail to comply with metered water extraction laws.

They have massive pumps, say six or eight of 500 mm diameter, that can make the river run backwards. These are huge straws that can suck a gigantic amount of water.

It has been continually reported in media outlets that some cotton growers are not compliant with water extraction laws.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported in July that nearly half of the biggest irrigators in NSW had made little effort to install meters on their pumps that comply with new water laws - more than six months after the laws became mandatory.

It does appear that before these laws came into force it was open slather.

So I have to disagree with Mr Murray's claim that Cotton Australia supports accurate metering reporting of all irrigation water.

Elizabeth Farrelly said in the SMH (May 6, 2018) as she crossed the Darling just outside Louth that the mighty Darling was mighty no longer - this poor dishevelled deity was no more than a chain of puddles.

She continued: Cheapness with the purchase of cotton goods is illusory. This right here is the cost. The Darling River. We're buying cheap cotton items with our rivers.

Farrelly also recalled the astonishing ABC Four Corners report "Pumped", which included widespread allegations of water theft, and meter tampering, cables unplugged, batteries removed, impellors disabled.

Massive earthwork tens of kilometres long, huge tanks (dams) as big as Sydney Harbour. We thought we could trust them with our water.

Bret Walker SC used terms like maladministration and neglect. He described the Commonwealth agency involved with the Murray Darling Authority as having an aversion to proper scrutiny and of being unwilling or incapable to act lawfully. his was covered in Richard Beasley's comment in the NDL (Sept 24, 2021).

Trevor Smith was reported in the NDL (Sept 18, 2021) as saying he did not believe he was getting a fair go. The rules, he says favour the upstream user, particularly the large-scale cotton farms.

Jan Kleeman, in a letter to the editor of the NDL, (Nov 9) reminded the federal member for New England Barnaby Joyce that all was not forgotten, and not to be too cocky, just yet, referring to the damning allegations of mismanagement of the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

John Wakefield, Moore Creek

Regarding "Climate activists call for more council action" (November 11):

Tamworth Mayor Col Murray claims that significant action on climate change at a local level would "cost a lot for little impact" and that council are "not quite ready to make hard commitments for 2030" (just over eight years away), let alone "aspirational targets".

This sounds to me like the hollow, backward-looking rhetoric we have been hearing from our Federal Government and which has made Australia a climate pariah on the world stage.

Thank goodness our local government elections are less than a month away. In all electorates an overwhelming majority of people are calling for our governments to take immediate action on climate change and recognise that the real cost to the community comes from doing nothing.

Now, in one of the most climate vulnerable electorates in Australia, it is time to take action by making your vote count.

Make sure that you vote for candidates who are willing and able to show leadership, find the economic opportunities and make the "hard commitments" required to protect the Tamworth region from the worst impacts of climate change.

Douglas Leabon, East Tamworth

There are several questions that all candidates seeking election - significantly those present incumbent councillors seeking re-election at the forthcoming Local Government election - need to ask themselves.

And they need provide their respective answers to the members of this electorate in order to garner voter confidence and, therefore, sufficient votes to claim a seat on Tamworth Regional Council.

Recent history has highlighted, in my opinion, an increasingly significant modus operandi of sacrificing operational transparency and public consultation and input, especially when it comes to larger projects being undertaken:

Summary: This scenario also and clearly raises questions about overall decision-making and by whom within the Tamworth Regional Council structure.

Myself and I would suggest many other voting members of the TRC would appreciate your answers.

A. Allan, Manilla

It was disappointing for me to listen to our New England "representative" Barnaby Joyce on ABC news radio while on my way to work, talking about how a net zero target would not benefit his constituents.

Mr Joyce was talking about how "shooting cattle" would be the only way to reduce methane if a net zero target was put into place. This kind of talk is so neglectful in my view. Our government leaders have a duty of care to their constituents and making it sound like cattle farms are the main problem in terms of human-induced global warming is completely misleading.

Not once did I hear Mr Joyce talk about fossil fuels and the coal/gas mines he supports. Additionally, I am sick to death of the Morrison/Joyce government acting like they are protecting coal miners and their families in relation to job security.

If they really cared about these people, they would be helping them transition and upskill right now rather than hanging them out to dry as renewables become increasingly sort after across the globe.

Eliza Weekes, Tamworth

Before the last election, Scott Morrison rubbished electric cars. He said that they wouldn't tow the boat, they wouldn't tow the trailer, therefore they'd take away our weekends.

Now he wants us to start buying electric cars and driving them everywhere. But this hater of taxes won't make electric cars cheaper by removing any of the excise and other government levies which help to make these cars so expensive. Nor will the Prime Minister do anything to help more charging points to be built. Scotty from Marketing justifies this nonsense by saying that he's not against electric cars, he's just against the government telling people what to do.

Really? Gee, thanks, Scotty. I personally will tell your Minister of Finance and your Treasurer that I don't have to pay my taxes now, because your government won't be telling me to do it.

G.T.W. Agnew, Coopers Plains