I AM shocked at schools' usage of social media such as Facebook. Children aren't allowed to have Facebook accounts until age 13, yet in primary school they can be posted by their school on Facebook in skimpy dance outfits/athletics costumes/covered in mud on school camps or just going about their daily school business.
How is this okay with what we now know about the easy creation of deep fakes, undressing apps and much worse. Technology is only going to progress further, and only likely to increase the risks to our children that will continue into their adulthood. The adolescent years are already tough enough.
My children are on the "do not publish" list at their primary school but are the minority. They are singled out in front of the school community of students, teachers and parents. There is no option for limited publishing such as in a school newsletter only sent to parents - it is all in or all out. Our school's newsletter is also available on Facebook.
Personally identifiable information is regularly posted by schools to Facebook with photos, names, classes and community comments on posts providing even more information about the child. Let's stop normalising this behaviour.
Name and suburb supplied
Overstaffing a challenge
WHILE assisting a friend in having local rates adjusted because of changed circumstances, I had the opportunity to negotiate with two local bureaucracies. The contrast in experiences was stark. At Hunter Water, the sole person at the front desk handled the adjustment in five minutes. We then visited the City of Newcastle (CN) for the land rate adjustment. We were directed to a desk staffed by three, located in the library, which doubles as the council chambers. The CN staff member consulted with the other two on the desk, and a fourth joined them. Then, a more senior person came to check their work.
The matter was concluded satisfactorily at CN in 20 minutes, compared to five minutes at Hunter Water - or so I thought. Ten minutes later, CN called. An error had been made. The change could not be applied in the current rate cycle but could begin at the start of the financial year.
I had a eureka moment. What I had witnessed at CN was a significant root cause of their budget problems - overstaffing. Under the current administration, it has grown from 866 employees in 2016/17 to over 1300 in 2023/24. What are they all doing? Obviously, not fixing our footpaths and roads.
Several NCC councillors have requested CN to explain the massive increase in staffing in such a short period of time, but officials are tight-lipped. What is CN hiding?
Dr John Tierney AM, Newcastle East, former Hunter-based federal senator
From fence to frontline
KUDOS to Penny Sharpe and Matthew Kelly ("Hotter days on horizon", Newcastle Herald, 20/9), for shedding light on the latest climate modelling (NARCliM) report. Unfortunately, it confirms the trend to record-breaking temperatures as emissions continue to rise. The report identified the warmest year on record as 2019. Unfortunately we know now that 2023 broke that record and all others in 125,000 years.
The NACLiM report predicts a 3.6-degree rise in climate warming on the east coast by 2090. In her essay, Highway to Hell, Climate Change and Australia's Future, Joelle Gergis, noted Australian climate scientist, refers to a UN 2023 Emissions Gap Report, that concluded the 1.5-degree warming threshold will be reached by 2028, if emissions remain unchanged. Under this scenario increased warming will eventually lead to temperatures above 50 degrees as the norm, in Sydney and Melbourne, at the close of the century. The UN report stated that even under the best scenario the world will only have a 14 per cent chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees and concomitantly avoiding catastrophic consequences. It's hypocritical for Labor governments to tout renewable commitments while approving new fossil fuel projects, such as the Mt Pleasant expansion. We are waiting for Labor to show urgently needed leadership on climate change.
Anne Ammann, Nords Wharf
Paint over panels
I AGREE with Ian Pedersen (Letters, 16/8) that it makes sense for electricity generation to occur in the cities. I would however suggest solar paint, rather than solar panels. The University of Newcastle's Professor Paul Dastoor is a leading researcher in the field.
The efficiency of organic solar is still less than for silicon, but it is lower cost to produce, and can operate at lower levels of ambient light (cloudy days). Introducing local Direct Current (DC) grids to supplement the Alternating Current (AC) currently supplied to homes would eliminate the waste associated with conversion of solar to AC, and then conversion again in multiple individual devices back to DC. Both supply and demand side management could be integrated during the rewiring - so the neighbourhood grid could negotiate where it is to get power from, and how long supply is needed.
The other systems that make sense to be on neighbourhood scale, include reuse of grey water - rather than flush toilets with drinking water; and food and meat production. Garlic snails, anybody?
Andrew Spannenberg, Mayfield
It's been a long wait for post office change
THE Wallsend post office problem ("'Several complaints': Claydon calls out post office wait times", Newcastle Herald, 22/8), has been around for over 30 years now. Without any new offices or facilities in Maryland, Fletcher or Minmi it won't change. The only existing hard pressed facility at this stage is Wallsend, and it has not changed apparently, since I was there. Pick up your game AP management, and allocate appropriate staff, resources, facilities, so staff are happy to come to work, and your customers are served in a fast and efficient manner.
Bruce Jenson, New Lambton
'Hope is making a comeback'
RECENTLY in the USA at the DMC, Michelle Obama made a wonderful statement and it is one that we could adopt here in Newcastle; "Hope is making a comeback", she stated and received great applause. Perhaps I sense it here for our coming council elections.
Denise Lindus Trummel, Newcastle
We've long been divided
DIVISION is far from something recently gabbed on about. COVID brought us the vaxxers against non vaxxers and the scan ins opposed to the sneak ins. Soon it will be the EV automobile authority versus the petrol rev heads revolutionaries. I'm sticking to petrol until the sun and wind are free again.
Bryn Roberts, New Lambton
Suitable stadium sites
WOW! Now Wallarah and Blackley ovals aren't the only suitable places for a new basketball stadium ("New site suggestion for stadium", Herald, 22/8).
Graeme Bennett, Warners Bay
Inferring to imply
MR McTaggart ("Race card played too quickly", Letters, 20/8), suggests John Ure, "in typical lefty woke fashion you now infer any continued criticism under the new leader is solely because Ms Harris is a black woman". I think he means implied. It is Mr McTaggart who has inferred. I hope this has been of some help.
