Newcastle Herald letters to the editor, February 7, 2023:

The fact that both of these alternate events have occurred here indicates how poorly Newcastle is funded ('Dirt file', Newcastle Herald 4/2). The grass surface, even when returfed after an event, has in the past proved dangerous for sports players, as I believe was highly evident after the Elton John concert and the Jets game the following weekend. It was fortunate that no-one was seriously injured.

It's about time we had a decent venue for large entertainment events. Nothing other than ball sport events should be held at this venue.

OUR town our team, or so they say. If you follow the Knights online, you could be fooled into thinking we only have one team, the NRL team. Last weekend we had six teams representing our team and our colours. However as of Sunday morning no result, comments or photos were published on the Knights site.

If you are interested, we had five good wins. The only way I know this is because there were reports on the NSWRL and the Newcastle Herald websites ('Junior Knights claim big victories', Herald 6/2). In my view the Knights hierarchy need to do better.

TREVOR Reeve, ("If we can't see progress, neither can tourists", Letters, 3/2), for years we've heard tales about "revitalising" Newcastle, but I'm able to look at the city without rose-coloured glasses and see an amount of abandoned buildings that could reportedly fill up Westfield, and a plethora of apartments and coffee shops which have supposedly somehow been deemed necessary in already overcrowded markets.

I also see a CBD which pretty much became a morgue of a night time, and the notion that a handful of small bars (that, by their very nature, do not have the same capacity as the bigger bars) in a small part of the city somehow made Newcastle more vibrant is a notion that I believe delves into the realm of fantasy. About 15 to 20 years ago, I was more than happy to show interstate and overseas tourists around the city, but it became way too embarrassing trying to explain to them why the city looked like a ghost town, and why it wasn't possible to purchase a cocktail from a cocktail bar after 10:30pm, even on a Saturday night.

I BELIEVE residents should take a stand on high-rise developments in their community that looks like a square peg in a round hole; out of perspective, out of proportion, out of character and one big eyesore.

I think residents should take a course of action with their concerns and contact the NSW Building Commissioner.

In my opinion council building departments have been compromised by the Liberal state government, giving the right for developers to give councils large amounts of money to use private building certifiers that gives them a free hand in building matters.

Too many high-rise buildings in Sydney, such as the Opal and Mascot buildings, now have huge structural problems. Some buyers of these units are facing financial ruin.

My opinion is that governments should rethink this disastrous high-rise situation, bring back council building inspectors and take back control of building regulations, standards for safe strong foundations, with checks and balances on private certifiers at every stage of the build.

I think developer contributions to councils should be illegal. All governments should guarantee all builds, especially home ownership, creating a strong standard for the future.

FORMER federal Liberal Party politician Amanda Vanstone has penned what may be the most divisive, insulting and downright stupid opposition to the Voice referendum that I have read, ("Noel Pearson is wrong: hope isn't lost with Voice 'no' vote", Opinion 4/2). In her attack on respected Aboriginal elder Noel Pearson, with whom she apparently has a problem, Vanstone makes some ludicrous claims: why should people in multicultural Australia be made to feel responsible for the "evils perpetrated by others"? She also claims the Voice will not work because different Aboriginal groups have different views (and refers to different land management practices as if that somehow proves her point).

Finally, and perhaps most disturbing of all, she asks if it will all be irrelevant because Aboriginal indigeneity might have been bred out within the next 200 years. Are we back to the assimilation policies of early last century?

Ms Vanstone's main line of attack is against Noel Pearson's concerns that if the Voice referendum is rejected there is nowhere left to go for reconciliation. But he is right to be concerned. The referendum will ask the Australian people two simple questions: should the Australian Constitution include a reference to First Nations peoples as the original custodians of this land for many millennia, and should Aboriginal people have the right to put their views to parliament, in a non-binding way, on matters that directly affect them? That is all. And if the majority of Australians in the majority of States and Territories say no to those two simple questions, where do we go from there?

Like Peter Dutton and his acolytes, Ms Vanstone demonstrates that she is more concerned with sowing division and political discord than in resolving the fundamental question of how Australians see their history and the place of Aboriginal people in that history.

THANK you Soul Kitchen for your Friday night concerts in Pacific Park.

I live opposite the park and although the music is not always my favourite I love to see all the families, including young people and children who attend each week. By 9pm the concert has finished and the park area has been cleaned up.

I do hope the park can be used forever for such events. I have books with photos of when the Salvation Army Band used to play on a Sunday in that park outside the then 1914 built North Wing of the then Newcastle Hospital. How uplifting for the patients there. That building is now apartments.

Let us hope such events may continue in the park, for this is what parks were originally made for.

YET another long forgotten live music venue, Newcastle workies (NEX Newcastle) still showed it had the right stuff on Saturday night with the sold out Sunnyboys show. Great music, well behaved crowd, lots of beverages consumed, great time had by all. Well organised security made sure the majority behaved themselves. Well done NEX. Should be more of it. I would go every time.

I AM, you are, we are Australians. So just vote no in the Voice referendum.

ROBYN Hill, (Short Takes, 4/2), the self centred royal families never cared anything for us peasants as long as we kept our place and produced their wealth. Chopping off heads and shooting them, we suddenly became important. Nothing has changed, the royals are still only concerned about themselves and their wealth.

WELL played Jets ('Jet fighters', Newcastle Herald 6/2). The question is, why bring out Archie Goodwin so late?

ROBYN Hill, (Short Takes, 4/2), I understand they won't be putting King Charles on the $5 note because of his ears, the note would be far too big.

OPPOSITION Leader Peter Dutton offers advice to the government on how to fix the healthcare system. Well, Mr Dutton, your party was in power for over 10 years and in my opinion the only thing they did for the healthcare system was to try and dismantle Medicare and push everyone in the country into private health insurance. So, I would advise you to keep your advice to yourself before someone tells you very bluntly where to put it.

IN reply to Michael Hinchey, ("Pell funeral a fresh affront to church victims", Letters, 4/2), Tony Abbott described George Pell as a thinker, a leader, a Christian warrior and a proud Australian who wanted our country and civilisation to succeed. Yet, for decades he knowingly covered up child sex abuse within the Catholic Church. I find that statement strange.

MICHAEL Hinchey seems upset that no one spoke ill of the dead at Cardinal George Pell's Sydney funeral, and wonders what Jesus might have said ("Pell funeral a fresh affront to church victims", Letters, 4/2). No one knows, and I can't speak for Mr Hinchey's Jesus, but I think my Jesus would distance himself from the haters outside the Cathedral during the service telling Pell to burn in hell.

WELL said Michael Hinchey, ("Pell funeral a fresh affront to church victims", Letters, 4/2). Australia's only living neanderthal at it again with his regular views. Here is a good idea, Mr Abbott: get back under your rock and keep spending the allowances we had to pay you when you retired.