Letters and short takes May 20 2023

Fortunately, drones are relatively scarce in Newcastle because of the proximity to the airbase, helipads on the harbour and hospitals. However, many businesses are embracing drone technology; agriculture, couriers and aerial photography, to name a few. Emergency services organisations have also adopted them, especially in search and rescue ventures.

Firefighters use drones for a bird's eye view of approaching fire fronts, and they can monitor progress in construction.

Curiously, the Ipswich City Council, in conjunction with a delivery service called Wings, has introduced drone delivery. So far, it's delivered small items such as food, books and prescriptions. It facilitates faster delivery and reduces road congestion and emissions. It's considered a success.

With reluctance, I admit there are more positives to drones than negatives, although lack of privacy is a huge disadvantage. To me, as a result of sci-fi movies, images of evil characters and criminals spying on good guys via drones are conjured up; sinister, dangerous, ominous.

Drones will only get bigger, stronger and smarter, and they are here to stay.

THANKS Anna Glasby for shining some light on community consultation and feedback regarding Newcastle's inland pool strategy ("No clear vision", Newcastle Herald 18/5).

I listened to the staff's briefing to council on Tuesday night and I think you are absolutely right, Ms Glasby. There was barely a mention of community feedback. In my opinion, the briefing to councillors could have been written before feedback closed.

And analysis? No time for that when there's a can that needs to be kicked down the road for another 20 or so years, or an electoral cycle at the very least. The lord mayor blamed previous councils for inaction with the pools. She has been on the council, a position of power, for many years.

How long can you use "it was the previous guys who left this mess. We're here to fix it" as a defence?

THE top 1 per cent of the richest Australians reportedly doubled their wealth in the past two years, mainly due to prime residential property performance. Meanwhile, a lack of housing availability and homelessness has risen sharply in the same time. Those, such as the Greens, making calls for governments to remove taxpayer incentives to the wealthy that help fund this largesse, or extra taxes on the wealthy so that those doing it tough can get some immediate relief, are shouted down by powerful politicians, institutions and media with skin in the game. Gone are the days of a fair go for all and looking after your mates in this country. Hedonism and greed rule.

THE housing crisis has been made worse by a shortage of materials that make up 40 to 45 per cent of the cost of a new home, with timber costs being a major part.

The unhappy reality is that we have over-logged our hardwood forests, and even our commercial plantations when housing demand has resulted in a 40 per cent increase in harvesting in the past 20 years.

There has also been a catastrophic loss of timber from bushfires, which took out 130,000 hectares in 2019 in the eastern states alone. The CEO of Victorian Forest Products Association warned that "it is pretty dire right now because we have mills without any wood". But this is perhaps not completely correct because, despite the drastic timber shortage, we imported $6.7 billion in timber in 2021. We are likely to resume timber exports to the tune of about $500 million if and when China eases restrictions on our exports.

No doubt governments will justify this madness by pointing out that the logging industry provides employment, but it is an occupation in decline, and one that has done terrible damage to our environment.

THE poverty of thought of those in our parliaments is clear on a housing problem caused by successive governments running short-term programs causing long-term problems. Negative gearing for any business is appropriate, including housing. However, we must be certain that the claims are real expenses for the business, and not just reducing tax liabilities.

Correcting this would be wise, but proposals within Labor are dead wrong, and will increase rental charges.

Housing problems are related to the level of supply. High immigration rates will make the crisis far worse.

There must be a huge increase in the supply now, which means greater land releases and greater security for the building contractors being paid in a timely fashion. Too many bankruptcies have forced building costs to rise significantly, as the risk of a contractor going unpaid hits an all-time high.

The upfront support for first home buyers has made housing unaffordable for many others. Using interest rates to manipulate the economy has caused real financial pain to those buying housing. The failure to effectively understand or deliver decentralisation in Australia adds pressure, alongside failure to expand public housing.

The budget shows that the housing problem is so important that they want to invest money and use the profits to increase housing stock; this is so stupid I cannot believe it.

We have a crisis now that needs urgent investment now and in the future, so the government should increase immigration and invest millions in housing starting tomorrow, not in several years.

MANY people in Australia will remember when, in 2015, a lion called Cecil was killed in Zimbabwe by an American trophy hunter. Public outrage led to a ban on lion trophy imports into Australia. But there are many species whose body parts are still permitted into Australia.

These animals include bears, giraffes, baboons, zebras and other species, some of which are threatened with extinction.

I am certain that a great many Australians would be extremely upset to learn that we are part of the trophy hunting club.

A comprehensive review of national environment laws is being held. It is hoped that the government uses the review to end for good the import of imperilled species.

The 2015 lion situation indicated clearly that Australians want no part in trophy hunting.

I COULDN'T help but note the state member for Wallsend's colourful description of those who vandalised Federal Park as "absolute flogs". It's a term I think Sonia Hornery could have just as easily used to describe the state government in 2006 when it closed Wallsend police station. In 2015, Ms Hornery stopped me on the street and asked me to sign a petition calling for the police station to be reopened. I was happy to sign. Now that the Labor party is in government, the petitions have stopped. Sonia Hornery, are you going to campaign for the police station to reopen or have things changed?

MAC Maguire (Short Takes, 15/5), the Voice has been political from the day the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, announced he was tying it to the acknowledgement of our Indigenous people. I don't know a single person who is opposed to a thoughtfully worded constitutional acknowledgement, but the majority have reservations about The Voice. If Albanese had legislated the Voice it could be up and running now, and we could have seen it in action before deciding whether to make it part of our country's most important legal document. He still has that option if we vote "No" in the referendum. If his plan was to unite us all he has failed miserably.

YOU couldn't make this stuff up Pat Garnet ("We have benefited from past sins", Letters, 11/5). It seems we have another one so consumed by white guilt she resorts to the old claim that if you're opposed to The Voice then you're "clearly racist". I'm sure such outstanding Indigenous leaders as Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Warren Mundine would have a good old belly laugh at that outrageously foolish, misguided suggestion. How many times do you have to be told that the true racists are those who wish to permanently divide the country according to skin colour?

WELL who would have thought it would happen, the federal government has flagged a whopping $4 billion budget surplus. Of course, this does not include $50 billion they are borrowing to fund off-budget spending on renewable energy transmission, housing, the NBN, and other projects. We are also lucky we will have more immigrants to help our unemployment figures that will not put extra pressure on jobs, an already overcrowded and overpriced housing market and rents. The government will also give some of us a hand out to pay our electricity bills. The future sure looks rosy.

SO Joe Biden won't be coming to Australia. I shudder to think what it would have cost the US taxpayer in flying out all his security staff and armoured cars etc. It must have been astronomical.

CHRIS Rogers (Short Takes, 18/5) hit the nail on the head in saying there is a gullible section of our society that are influenced by a television station to the extent that they can comment on the programming of the ABC without even watching it.