Novak Djokovic saga: Newcastle Herald readers have their say

I accept the Herald's assessment that Djokovic has been "caught in a political game". The game is 'embarrass the Victorian Labor government who, along with Tennis Australia, granted Djokovic's tournament entry, and win some votes for the Coalition in the next federal election'.

Djokovic is a multimillionaire tennis player who employs a professional expert manager to organise his travels to tournaments. Clearly, Djokovic and other unvaccinated players were granted visas to enter Australia by the federal government otherwise Djokovic wouldn't be here. This granting of these visas was confirmed in a letter by Tennis Australia to all players and their managers.

It was only as the groundswell of unfavourable public opinion became clear that someone in the Coalition, probably the PM himself, used their influence to withdraw Djokovic's Australian entry visa.

WITH the clumsy debacle surrounding Novak Djokovic, the fact that he was detained in the same facility as the illegal immigrants is just another shot in the foot of the LNP. This has put an even bigger spotlight on the plight of these individuals. Having been in detention now for nine years, I reckon any one of these detainees would be saying "Don't be a fool Novak, get out while you can or I'll take your seat on the plane".

It makes you wonder what deal was made by Jacqui Lambie over the plight of these people with the current government a couple of years back. Are these the detainees from Nauru? In a recent interview, Jacqui stated that if the LNP doesn't release the details of that secret deal, she would.

I hope we find out before the next federal election and this terrible situation might be resolved once and for all.

ANTHONY Albanese has announced ALP policy of improvements to the Sydney Newcastle rail link and separately a study into future high speed rail (HSR) projects in Australia.

Naturally the naysayers promptly appeared with the normal reactionary attitude that Australia could not possibly achieve HSR but this reaction from a complete misunderstanding of the proposal.

HSR does not compete with rail transport at all - it competes with air transport. With this in mind, consider that the Sydney-Melbourne air route is the busiest in Australia and the Sydney-Brisbane route the second busiest.

Then consider the implications of climate change on air travel. No aircraft could carry the batteries or support the solar array necessary for flight, this limiting the fuel option to hydrogen.

So the naysayers can then look at the real comparison - a non-stop HSR journey from Sydney CBD to Melbourne CBD aboard a solar powered train or an incredibly expensive hydrogen powered jet flight from outer Sydney to outer Melbourne.

HSR can only be profitable on the busiest routes so it should not be considered for routes other than Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne.

The naysayers should take an HSR trip in France or Italy to realise that Australian topography does not present any difficulty that the Europeans have not successfully overcome. Labor has always faced the future with the positive ambitions so necessary for Australia - just think of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, Medicare, NBN, NDIS and then compare the Coalition achievement of an $80 billion nuclear submarine deal.

I HAVE read with interest the many letters and articles in the Herald since the federal opposition leader gamely revived the long-dead high speed rail, to the amazement of many.

Apart from the push for political points, the sheer cost of such a project and the debate over jobs and patronage, just one word in my mind dooms the whole idea back into the dusty file - geography.

The 19th century engineers who laid out the Sydney to Newcastle railway soon realised the obstacles that arose over the rugged nature of the region. Actually, from Newcastle in 1857, heading north through Armidale along the Great Divide, it was possible to travel by train to Brisbane before being able to visit Sydney.

The reason, the daunting geography, in particular the Hawkesbury River and its bridge. Over 130 years later we are still using most of the original railway that slowly winds around the scenic waters of the Central Coast with its many ageing tunnels and in Newcastle, an outmoded level crossing. It is hard to imagine any great improvement to this railway.

Any idea of a high speed rail link between Sydney and Newcastle surely would have to be constructed so far to the west in more gentle topography that any connection to Newcastle would be ridiculous and costly. Dream on, Newcastle.

THERE have been a number of recent letters implying that the closure of the heavy rail has been the cause of the decline in retail activity in the CBD.

The decline was happening long before the heavy rail was removed. It happened because mega shopping centres were developed in the suburbs. Newcastle is evolving and as a resident of Stockton I find the change is one for the better.

When we come over by ferry, access to the CBD is much easier and the open areas now available from the Signal Box to the old station is a vast improvement. The CBD will never become a large shopping centre again and other areas can have it because that means many more cars.

More likely some specialty shops will gradually come in and small service businesses will take the retail space available. With the increased residential development in the area, some retail space will be required to cater for the additional residents in the area. With additional university facilities being built in the city, more students will be present and businesses will come to support their needs.

I also find the light rail convenient and during business hours getting to the interchange is easy with a tram every 7 to 8 minutes.

To balance all the pessimism this more optimistic view has been given. I am just hoping that a lot of the pessimism that seems to be prevalent is COVID-induced.

INTERESTING. Head of Tennis Australia Craig Tiley, in his 'leaked' video tells us his team did, "all they possibly could according to all the instructions they had been provided." Strange, he doesn't actually say what they did or who provided them with those instructions.

OK, Tennis Australia has allowed a handful of spoiled young brats to disgrace us locally and internationally for the past decade or so, but this is over the top. To endanger people's lives by disregarding what really matters is unforgivable. I mistakenly had believed that human lives were of the highest priority. Silly me.

DJOKOVIC'S family in Serbia comparing Novak to Jesus for his visa plight, I find it a bit rich. If Jesus arrived here by boat, with no visa, he would have been sent to Christmas Island as an imposter. As our PM would say 'how good is that.'

WITH doubts about vaccination validity at professional tennis levels, are the kids performing various roles on court protected from possible contact, such as receiving the thrown sweaty towels, holding onto spare balls that have been handled by all players and stored on various parts of the players anatomy?

BEWARE the elephant in the room! At a time when more Australians are dying from COVID, we need to realise that delta is still with us. Record deaths and numbers in intensive care. Don't be fooled by omicron, delta is still the king.

AFTER reading the actual non-disclosed cases (Catching COVID: "It Was Brutal. I Think It's Evil, Herald 8/1) it only goes to confirm what the majority of us already know, the official figures are only just the tip of the iceberg of this insidious disease. Most of the responsible people who contract it stay home. All politicians should remove their heads out of the sand, or wherever, and wake up to the fact we are still importing these variants.

PETER Devey, you seem to have missed the whole point of pumped hydro generation. Of course it takes more energy to pump water up to the top reservoir than is recouped on the way down. The point you conveniently leave out is the water pumped up using virtually free renewable energy is stored in the top reservoir like a huge battery until needed when it is then sold and distributed. Do you really think Snowy Hydro, AGL and other power companies are doing this to lose money, I think not.

RETIREMENT is wonderful, it allows me to indulge. Of late I have been able to watch the cricket tests. I have but one request in reference to them: Is it possible for ACA to request God to resurrect Richie Benaud to commentate?